#DID YOU DEATH TRIANGLE THE QUEEN??

[swervestrickland]

PAC WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY HERE EXACTLY?????

[upat4amwiththemoon]

Heyy can i request a wanda x fem reader oneshot where r is the queen of a nation which is similar to Wakanda and the avengers need this nations help for something (sitting on the throne looking badass moment ) and she is graceful and so badass like: sitting at dining table uses knife to point towards empty seat, “oh. sit, please.” R has powers and helps them out. Wanda being head over heals and finally them dating. I am sorry for the long request 😭

Mother Nature

Summary: A queen so powerful, myths have been written about her. An island so mysterious, no one knows where it is.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x female!reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 2505

a/n: listen…this got a little out of hand

Tags: @thought-of-you-and-me @rafecameronswhore @sayah13 @wandsmxmff @emsmultiverse @natashamaximoff69

masterlists | guidelines

Dragonstone is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean, just below Greenland and Iceland, but it’s not visible on any maps. Not many know of its existence, as the island is surrounded by such powerful magic, making it invisible to the naked eye. If anyone were to sail towards it, violent storms and currents will make even the strongest of ships sink. It has become a myth to the outsiders, an area such as the Bermuda Triangle, where everyone disappears into the nothingness. This keeps the island, and its population, in safety and peace. They have fought no wars, nor have they suffered in the hands of man made concepts.

However, the fights have started to get bigger, sometimes having the faith of the whole Universe in their hands. That much they figured out after Thanos. Which is why the Avengers know of Dragonstone, and its Queen, and how to get her help.

Everyone holds onto their seats as the Quinjet’s autopilot navigates through the dark clouds, often going through turbulence. “Are we sure this isn’t actually just some freak of nature spot? Is there anything here?” Tony grumbles as he tries to fasten his seatbelt impossibly tight. “We have very expensive cargo on board, and by that I mean me and my suit.”

“Fury seemed confident in his knowledge.” Steve reminds, slightly more calmly, though he is also nervous.

Wanda has her eyes closed. She tries to stay inside her mind, ignoring everything going around her. Air traffic has never been her favorite, but this is next level. The Quinjet does sudden dives and turns, throwing anything loose around. This is why Fury said to fasten everything to the walls and roof, but like usual, Tony didn’t take the advice to heart.

She can feel Natasha’s hand holding her own, calming her down slightly. Wanda doesn’t personally know Fury that well, but she knows Natasha thinks very highly of him, so she is pretty sure he wouldn’t lead them to their certain death. However, she can’t be sure, as this is starting to feel like a wrong way to the supposed island.

“Why couldn’t Fury come here himself? Or the Queen to us?” Kate almost shouts at a particularly violent spot.

“Because when we ask for help from royalties, we show them respect.” Steve states, his *all the younger generations have forgotten respect* personality every old person has shining through. “Did none of you learn this in Wakanda?”

No one gets to answer him, as the Quinjet starts going up, up, up full speed, making everyone yelp. After it has reached the correct altitude, it goes down headfirst. For a moment, the team is sure something has gone wrong, that they are plummeting towards their death. But right before it hits the water, the Quinjet turns the right way and continues flying forward, now in a completely calm climate.

They instantly calm down, letting out breaths of relief and relaxing their tense muscles. Natasha is the first one to get out of her seat, going to the cockpit and looking out the window. “Well, at least the island is real.” She calls out. The others start to pile up in front of the window.

At first glance, it looks like they’re flying towards a big pile of rocks, but at a closer look, they can see the rocks form big walls and even a bigger castle on the island. They’re in awe of the view. The water and air are so calm now that they’ve gotten past the barrier.

They stare out the window while the Quinjet lowers itself to the ground, right outside the walls. Once they step outside, they see two people waiting for them. “Welcome to Dragonstone!” One of them smiles. “My name is Sylvia and I’m the Queen’s advisor. And this,” she gestures to the person next to her, who is wearing an armor, “and this is Calen, they’re the head of protection in this island.”

They bow their head down as a greeting, not saying anything to the guests. The look on their face is serene and their posture is straight, like a proper soldier’s. Sylvia on the other hand shows more excitement through her body, even though her hands are behind her back, they’re still wiggling around, and the smile on her face is one that can light up a whole room.

“Thank you for granting us access to your island.” Steve speaks up, being the unofficial spokesperson when it comes to formal situations.

“Fury is an old friend of Gaia, any friend of his is a friend to us. Now, if you’d follow me, I’ll take you to the castle to meet our Queen.”

They start trekking the land towards the castle, first walking on the bare land and then moving to narrow walkways as they go inside the walls. Most of the walk goes by in silence, the team taking in their surroundings. They’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Wanda drags her hand along the stone fence, her fingers going along the bumps and ridges of it. She smiles. The magic of this island feels different than her own, but not in a threatening way, it feels like it’s dancing with her own.

Finally they get to the castle’s entrance. The huge wooden door opens inward, two other soldiers pulling it. Calen and Sylvia greet them as they go past them. “The Queen is in the throne room.” The latter tells the group, leading them through hallways before stopping in front of a door.

The door to the throne room is also wooden, but it’s a lot more decorated compared to the other ones. It’s carved from top to bottom with different pictures, making it look like a story. Calen pushes the door open, letting everyone walk through it before closing it again. At the end of the room, the Queen sits on her throne. The royal seat has been made out of purely white stone. The backside of it is tall and the sides are wide enough for the Queen to lay her arms there comfortably, but it still looks delicate.

“Gaia.” Sylvia lowers her head in respect and Calen goes down to one knee to bow. The Avengers, quite hesitantly, bow in some way too, bot sure of the island’s customs.

“There’s no need for that.” The Queen’s voice makes all of them rise. Sylvia and Calen take their respective places near the Queen, while the team stop in front of the stairs to the throne. “I hear you are friends of Nicholas Fury.”

Wanda stares at her in amazement. The way she looks so soft yet regal makes her heart pound faster than normal. She can see her chest moving up and down as she breathes, the armor like steel plate moving with it. The dark blue fabric is thick for colder weathers, but flowy enough to move easily. Wanda’s eyes move up to the top of her head. The crown on her head looks like it’s made out of steel as well. It makes her look sharp and strong. She looks majestic sitting on her throne.

“We are,” Steve smiles, “thank you for agreeing to meet us, your Highness.”

“Please, Y/N.” She states. “That’s the name my mother gave me.”

“Y/N. I’m sure you’re aware of a recently defeated threat from space called Thanos.” He continues once she nods, “unfortunately the other worldly threats don’t stop there. We’d like to ask your help to prevent these kind of attacks more efficiently.”

“Certainly.”

Wanda shudders from the way Y/N says the word. Her pronunciation, the slight rasp of her voice and how she rolls the letter r, make her feel dizzy. She is sure the look on her face is stupid, and lovestruck, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. The whole conversation going on is going past her. Only thing in her mind right now is something she really shouldn’t be thinking about, but she just can’t stop herself.

“Would you give me the honor of joining me for dinner today? We even have enough guest rooms if you wish to rest before your trip back to America.”

“We would be honored to join you.” Natasha answers. She has been glancing at Wanda during the conversation with a grin on her face, she can read her face easily, knowing what the witch is fantasizing about.

The Queen stands up, her dress falling perfectly to her feet. “I’m glad to hear that. I shall see you in the dining room in an hour, in the mean while, Sylvia will show you where you can refresh yourselves.” Sylvia nods and gestures for them to follow her. Wanda keeps her eyes on Y/N as she walks away, noticing a small smile growing on her face.

After an hour, the Avengers gather into the dining room by Sylvia’s lead, where Y/N is already waiting for them. “Gaia.” Sylvia says before leaving the room.

Y/N stands up, pointing towards the empty chairs. “Please, sit.” She says with a smile, sitting down once again when they get around the table. Wanda sits next to her. She can see the small details of her breast plate from this close.

The table is already fully catered with different foods and desserts. It works like a buffet, everyone takes what they like to their plates. “Can I ask you,” Wanda starts when her plate is full, “why do they call you Gaia, if your name is Y/N?”

“Gaia is a title of sorts. Every queen before me was called that as well, because we keep this island alive and safe. It means Mother Nature.” She explains with a gentle smile on her face, holding eye contact with Wanda as she talks to her. “It is an honor to be called Gaia.” Wanda nods, not able to look away from her stormy eyes.

“How does the next queen get chosen?” Tony asks.

“It’s more faith than decision making,” she pauses, looking for best words to describe how their queens get their role, “we’re born to it, but not in a traditional sense. We are born from the previous Gaia, they mold us from magic.”

“So, there’s no…” he moves his fingers around in a promiscuous manner, which makes Steve look at him disapprovingly. They’re in front of the Queen after all.

But she only finds the situation amusing. “No. Children born in a traditional way are random, and our queens need to be precise. They’re all women and they all have powers. They need to be born from magic.”

Although they don’t really understand the process, and none of them want to ask about the specifics of it, they still find it fascinating. It’s a whole new country with completely different customs compared to theirs. Wanda especially listens to her intently. Her smooth voice practically drilling its way into her brain.

“Can the queen have relationships? Even if they don’t have any part on the next generation of rulers.” The question makes Wanda’s head snap to look at Natasha, who has a wide grin on her face.

“Yes. There are no rules on relationship. The partner just has to know they have no rule over the island.”

Satisfied with the answer, Natasha nods, sending a discreet wink towards Wanda. Her cheeks turn a shade of pink. She tries to hide it by eating the food.

They keep a light conversation going while they all finish their food. Once the plates are empty and the stomachs full, they start leaving the table and go to their rooms. The Queen doing the same. However, she isn’t alone for long.

There’s a knock on her bedroom door.

“Hello, Wanda.” Y/N smiles, the door now open wide. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Wanda steps into the room, the door closing after her. She looks around the room, trying to keep her eyes off of Y/N’s thin night gown. A big bed is in the middle of the room, it has light blue veil over it and a white fur on top. A window, almost the size of the wall, is on the right side of it, but it’s already covered with dark curtains. Otherwise the room is quite plain. A wooden dresser. Mirror with steel decorations. What catches Wanda’s eyes are the tapestries on the walls. They’re bright and colorful, each one having its own story. “Beautiful.” She mumbles.

“They tell our history.” Y/N steps beside her. “Every queen makes one. These are the oldest ones, the rest are in the library, visible for everyone. One day mine will be there too.” She sounds proud when she speaks of her ancestors.

“Your mother, is she still alive?”

“No. The crown passed down to me when I was thirteen.”

“I’m sorry.”

Y/N turns to her with a smile. “Nothing to be sorry about. She’s with her mother and grandmother, and so on. And one day I will see her again, until then, I will make her proud by keeping the people on this island safe.”

However beautiful the idea is, Wanda still feels sad for her. She knows what it’s like to lose your mother young. But she doesn’t comment on it more, clearly it’s not something appropriate to discuss now. “The magic. It feels different here.”

“Yes, it’s not the same as yours. The magic is part of me as much as it is a part of the island. We’re connected. We can sense each other. I can control it and it can influence me.”

“That’s why they call you Mother Nature?”

“Sort of. There’s a long history there. But yes, my ability to control the sea and the air around us is a part of it.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to tell me some day.”

Her smile widens. “Maybe.”

Wanda smiles too. She notices how Y/N’s eyes twinkle in the dim light, as if they had their own light source. “You’re beautiful.” The words stumble out of her mouth. She had no intention on making any mind of move this soon, but she couldn’t help it. This felt like a right moment.

With a small giggle, Y/N looks down, trying to cover her warming cheeks. She doesn’t usually get nervous, but Wanda sounded so sincere. “I’m flattered you think so.”

“Do you think you could go on a date with me? Later, of course. Do you have any rules on that?” The nervousness starts growing at the bottom of her stomach again, the lapse of confidence leaving her body quickly.

“There are some rules, but nothing major. I could definitely go on a date with you, I’d actually really like to do so.”

Letting out a breath, Wanda nods. Her hands are moving her rings around. “Great. I- uhm, that’s great.” She laughs quietly. “I’ll leave you now. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” Y/N gives her a small wave, smiling widely even after the door closes.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Joan Watson

How were BBC Sherlock shippers so rancid about a WOMAN who wasnt even in the SAME SHOW?????

Lucy Liu real life victim of yaoi despite being on a DIFFERENT TV SHOW. And everyone was so busy hating her for getting in the way of johnlocke that they ignored the massive yuri potential of Elementary :(

she wasn't even in the same SHOW as the yaoi I've been convinced she deserves to win the entire poll. I was a Johnlocker but I did watch the first season of Elementary and it was fine????? It was totally okay????? Especially in hindsight given how hard Sherlock season four flopped. Also Lucy Liu is a queen and deserved zero vitriol for *checks notes* playing a character???? A fucking fictional character???????? Oh my god we were all SO mean to this show and we (or at least I) thought it was like The Good Fight™️, like we were defending BBC Sherlock against copyright infringement and straightwashing and Jonny Lee Miller's bizarre scarf, (it wasn't a good scarf I do stand by that) but then Elementary didn't make Holmes and Watson a couple either???? And also it didn't insult its audience constantly etc etc we've all seen the Hbomberguy Sherlock is Garbage video. This is really long sorry hashtag justice for Joan Watson.

Mipha

Honestly she's not just a victim of yaoi, tbh. Basically: she canonically had a massive crush on the protagonist, Link, which consistently gets swept under the rug or ignored entirely in favor of shipping Link with her brother Sidon, their fellow champion Revali, or Zelda herself. She deserves nice things and so many people just... completely overlook her??

She has a crush on Link, but so does her younger brother Sidon, who is much more affable and outgoing. Link/Sidon is the more popular ship. Mipha gets a lot of flak for being a weak female character who's only defined by her romantic relationship to the protagonist. That's not really fair; she has her own storyline about being the golden girl from her town who everyone looks up to, and the hole that's left in the town after her death. It is unfortunate that she is better remembered as the less compelling corner of a love triangle.

The princess of the Zora, sweetheart of the Zora's Domain. Champion pilot of the Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Master healer, cut down in her prime by an ancient evil. But you wouldn't know it, because she's reduced to someone who was in love with Link (the game's protagonist), and therefore has to be sidelined and villainized to ship Link with her younger brother Sidon or her fellow Champion Revali.

[cosmerelists]

Do the Cosmere Secret Projects Follow the Rules of the Cosmere?

[Big spoilers for Sanderson Secret Projects #1, #3, and #4!]

A while ago, I wrote a list proposing some Rules of the Cosmere--aka, trends or themes that tended to crop up in most Cosmere works. Now that I've read all of the Secret Projects, though, I had to wonder: do they also follow the definitely ironclad rules that I once proposed? Let's consider!

1. Don’t feed the children

Summary of Rule: If you try to feed a hungry child in a Cosmere book, something terrible will happen.

Off to a bad start! I don't think this rule came up at all. I don't recall any children being fed, really.

2. Once Marriage is On The Table, Breakups Don’t Really Happen

Summary of Rule: Once characters get to the point of marriage, be they engaged or in an arranged marriage or just solidly A Thing, it is rare for them to break up.

Yes, the secret projects did adhere to this rule, I think! The best example is from Tress--I remember how SHOCKED I was when word came that the Duke's son really had gotten married. I was like, "How is that possible? Sanderson would NEVER allow a couple like Tress and Charlie to be broken up by Charlie marrying someone else!" And then, of course, it wasn't Charlie at all. Charlie stayed single...until he could get back together with Tress. In Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, the romance was pretty much between Yumi and Painter--not even death could prevent that. Sigzil sadly did not have a lot of time for romance in The Sunlit Man, so the rule didn't really come into play there.

3. Your enemy will save you...if the sexual tension is high enough

Summary of Rule: An enemy with enough sexual tension will often sacrifice themself to save the other person.

Honestly, I don't think we really had this in any of the Cosmere Secret projects? The only fierce enemies I can think of would be Tress & Crow or Sigzil & the Ember King...but there wasn't any sacrifice-to-save-the-other going on there.

4. Your fave is (accidentally) queer

Summary of Rule: Sanderson loves to write characters who are deeply deeply queer without seeming to realize it.

Oh yes--this rule is eternal, and the Secret Projects did not disappoint. There's Yumi herself, Miss "Oh-my-god-I-just-saw-a-goddess," our (second?) favorite bisexual queen (does Sanderson know he made a lady bi again?). And then in the Sunlit Man, there's an exchange that I'm not sure is actually an accidental queering since it seemed so blatant, when Rebeke was asked if she was now "The Sunlit Woman" and replied "No, the Sunlit One." Is there a way to read that other than as nobinary/genderqueer?

5. Don’t trust the underling priest!

Summary of Rule: If betrayal is happening, it's probably the fault of the nearest underling priest.

Honestly, I think the only "priests" we had were in Yumi, and if anything, this was a deconstruction. The "head priestess" would be Liyun, I think, and she was horrible and abusive. The "underlings," Chaeyung and Hwanji were actually far more supportive and actually told Yumi some about what was really going on. So I guess in these books you should trust the underling priest(esses).

6. (per @twitcherpated) If there are same gender siblings, there will be a romantic triangle involving them.

Summary of Role: If there are two brothers and two sisters, they will inevitably be romantically linked to the same person.

I agree with this rule addition proposed by twitcherpated, which does crop up over and over again in the Cosmere. But in the Secret Projects, I think the only same-gender siblings we had were Rebeke and Elegy, and I don't think it works with them. Like, I suppose you could imagine a love triangle with Sigzil...but I don't really buy it. Rebeke was interested in Sigzil, but he didn't reciprocate, and Elegy was too busy loving the thrill of murder to have a romantic interest in Sigzil herself. I guess they both did want Sigzil to themselves, in a way. So maybe it does kinda work?

7. Hoid is there

Summary of Rule: Hoid likes to show up wherever plot is happening

Yes! The Secret Projects 100% adhere to this rule. Hoid is the narrator in Tress and Yumi, and he shows up briefly in The Sunlit Man. Hoid will not be stopped.

[arebirthingofsorts]

the entirety of buzzfeed unsolved but the stories are in chronological order: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGGIwil6tMX95BMdYvMY8Co5Y2J8yxpe-

supernatural was very hard to do so under the cut i've added my reasons for some difficult episodes to list! if anyone has qualms with it or if you notice any mistakes in the playlist please let me know!

the london tombs, la llorona, and the voodoo episodes were difficult due to no real timeframe being known for when they began so i based the london tombs off of ryan saying the bridge has been around since ancient rome which is why it's one of the first videos in the playlist. la llorona required me to do my own research which led me to believe the story came about in the 1500s? possibly predating that but the first written versions were apparently from the 1500s. for the voodoo new orleans episode i did some research and based it on when it could have been brought to the area.

for bigfoot, mothman, and the men in black, i listed those based on the first encounters/evidence presented

many of the locations, i listed based on when they closed their operations or the owners passed before becoming noted haunted locations. (winchester house, sorrel-weed, villa montezuma, whaley house, old city jail, pythian castle, vulture mine, waverly hills, bellaire house, eastern state, rolling hills)

other haunted ones are currently still operating so i listed those based on when they first opened or got into the hands of the current owners (viaduct tavern, st. augustine, tombstone, goatman's bridge, the viper room, bobby mackey's, moon river)

dauphine orleans hotel was listed as the date ryan said a license to may bailey was given for the bordello. im very unsure about this one so if anyone has suggestions on how to list this one, please reach out EDIT: decided on 1775 because ryan mentioned that year as the site the hotel is on and i felt more sure about it that choice

farnsworth was listed as the year of the battle of gettysburg due to the house being named after a soldier who died in that battle + notable events happening and around the house

the bermuda triangle was tricky so i listed that as the date the term "bermuda triangle" was first coined EDIT: it's been moved to close to the top of the playlist due to the first alleged reporting of weird bermuda shit being by christopher columbus in 1492. this made more sense to me

colchester and morris-jumel are museums now so those were dated as when they were officially museums

the uss yorktown and the queen mary are listed as when they docked for good.

the alien abductions episode is in the 70s area of the playlist because 2/3 of the stories happened in the 70s.

the date the island of the dolls began is where i based "3 horrifying cases of ghosts and demons" since there are separate episodes for the winchester mansion and the sallie house

i based all the haunted locations on those things because i figured that the ghosties would appear after the notable deaths and wild events instead of listing all of them as when they first opened.

i hope all of this makes sense. enjoy.

[asumofwords]

Smoke, Fire and Ash

Warnings: This fic includes noncon, dubcon, manipulation, violence, death and inc3st. Tags will be added as the fic goes on.

This is a dark!fic. 18+ only. Read at your own discretion. Please read the warnings before continuing.

Summary: You are the eldest daughter of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen. You are forced to navigate the difficult surroundings of your upbringing and the eventual disintegration between your family and the Hightower's relationship. What will happen when your older and estranged uncle suddenly takes a more sinister interest in you? (Dark!Aemond x Reader)

Masterlist

Characters: Aemond Targaryen X Reader, HOTD characters.

Note: I feel so bad for the reader, no matter what she does, it seems like something is always waiting around the corner for her. Aemond is only going to get a lot worse...

Chapter 25: The Usurper

The Chamber of the Painted Table was lined with guards and knights, your mothers supporters and families all standing around its sides.

Candles were placed under the table in order to light the carvings, a glowing map of the realm outlining the many lands.

Winterfell sat at the north of the table, an engraved castle and triangles to signify the terrain. The rivers looked like long glowing veins, connecting all of the realm together. 

Rhaenyra was the last in the room to arrive.

You and your father stood proudly at the head of the table as she arrived. Your anger towards him singed your veins but now was not the time.

He had motioned for you to stand with him, noting that your brothers were off to the side and you had obeyed. You thought that Jacaerys should be where you stood, now that Rhaenyra had officially named him her successor.

Why had Daemon not brought him to his side?

“Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men. Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.” Daemon's voice rang loudly through the room, all bowed to show their respect.

All but Rhaenys, who you eyed warily.

“Your Grace.” Your father spoke once more, addressing Rhaenyra who stood tall with the crown seated upon her head. A large black cloak was held together by a clasp over her shoulders, with a deep red lining peeking through. 

Your mother stepped towards the table, and the Queens guards stepped forward with her. You watched as your mother looked uncomfortable by their movement before she motioned with her hand gently for them to stay put.

Rhaena stepped forth with a goblet, holding it out towards your mother with steady hands.

“Wine, My Queen.” She spoke gently, smiling upwards. Rhaenyra hesitated, before grasping the goblet.

“Thank you, Rhaena.” She paused, before nodding her head towards the table, “Come.''

Your mothers first deed as Queen was to bring women to the table.

But you were already waiting.

As they walked, she motioned to your cousin/sister Baela to join her to stand in front of the table, opposite you. Rhaenyra stared at her King Consort Daemon.

The air was still. The tension in the air was palpable and you felt unease spread through the Lords on the sides. You waited for her to address the room, but before she did that her eyes flicked to yours, lips slightly pursing before looking back at her husband. 

“What is our standing?” The Queen asked.

“We have 30 knights, a hundred crossbowmen, and 300 men-at-arms.” Your father listed off before continuing, “Dragonstone is relatively easy to defend, but as an instrument of conquest, our army leaves a lot to be desired. We have sent word to my loyal men in the City Watch. I’ll have some support there but I cannot speak to the numbers.”

Maester Gerardys leant forward to speak, “We already have declarations from Celtigar and Staunton, Massey, Darklyn, Bar Emmon.”

Your mother pointed to the map, slender finger stretched towards the Vale, “My Lady mother was an Arryn. The Vale will not turn cloak against their own kin.” 

Jacaerys stepped forward and began to place markers on the lands of our allies. His stern face concentrated on the task ahead. How he had changed so suddenly, the boy you knew was now a man.

Jacaerys could no longer be a boy, he was now next in line for the throne. The successor. The heir to the realm. 

“Riverrun was always a close friend to your father, Your Grace.” Spoke the Maester, “With Prince Daemons acquiescence, I’ve already sent ravens to Lord Grover.”

Your fathers eyes did not move from the table, and you felt the urge to speak.

“Lord Grover is fickle and easily swayed.” You argued, “He will need to be convinced of the strength of our position and that we will support him should it come to war.” 

Your mother watched you, eyes proud as you addressed the room, though something else was present.

“I’m going to treat with him myself.” Came the smooth timbre of your father, as he did not once look at you, instead eyed your mother.

There was an undeniable tension between the two. 

Steffan Darklyn’s soft voice carried across the table, “What of Storms End and Winterfell?”

Another man who you believed to be Bartimos responded, “There has never lived a Stark who forgot an oath. And with House Stark, the North will follow.”

Queen Rhaenyras face twitched in thought, “Lord Borros Baratheon will need to be reminded of his fathers promises.”

A knight with short grey hair stepped forward to grasp at a different shaped marker. He placed the ace shaped metal roughly onto the seat of House Baratheon.

Jacaerys timidly stepped forward, softly placing a new marker over Rooks nest. Your mother turned to address Princess Rhaenys, who stood behind watching from afar.

“What news from Driftmark?”

“Lord Corlys sails for Dragonstone.”

“To declare for his Queen.” Came the petty reply of your father.

“The Velaryon fleet is in my husband's yoke. He decides where they sail.” Came Rhaenys' curt reply.

“We shall pray for both you and your husband's support. Just as we prayed nightly for the Sea Snakes return to good health.” The Queen spoke. Rhaenys bowed her head and smiled. “Theres no port on the Narrow Sea would dare to make an enemy of the Velaryon fleet.”

“And our enemies?” Your mother continued, turning to look at the table once more, awaiting for her council to respond. 

“We have no friends among the Lannisters.” Your father sneered.

You huffed a laugh continuing for your father, “Tyland has served the Hand too long to turn against him. And Otto Hightower needs the Lannister fleet.”

Your mother gave you another look, something she hadn’t given you before. It almost set you on edge.

“Without the Lannisters, we are not like to finding allies west of the Golden Tooth.” Rhaenyra replied.

An ace shaped marker was set above River Run on the table.

Daemon looked down at the table, hands fiddling in front of him subtly, “The Riverlands are essential, Your Grace.” 

An old man, with little to no white hair left on his head, robes of black and red stood forward, “Pray forgive my bluntness, Your Grace,” He bowed towards your father before turning to look at your mother, “But talk of men is moot. Your cause owns a power that has not been seen in this world since the days of Old Valyria. Dragons.”

Your mother liked across the table incredulously, “The Greens have dragons as well.”

Your father sharp voice interrupted your mother.

“They have three adults, by my count. We have Syndor, Syrax, Caraxes and Meleys.”

“Your sons have Vermax, Arrax, and Tyraxes. Baela has Moondancer.” He finished.

“Daemon, none of our dragons have been to war.” The Queen argued.

“There are also unclaimed dragons. Seasmoke still resides on Driftmark. Vermithor and Silverwing dwell on Dragonmont, still riderless.” Your father shot back.

Your hands tightened at your sides.

“They are riderless for a reason, father.” You snipped but he continued, “There are three wild dragons, all of whom nest here.”

“And who is to ride them?” Your mother asked, her tone mocking her husband.

“Dragonstone has 13 to their 4.” Your father started, but you cut him off once more.

“Yet only one has seen war, and that is the one-eyed cravens. Aemond rides the largest and one of the oldest dragons in the world. Vhagar has seen war and has won it. Do we not see this as a disadvantage?” You argued.

Your father ignored you, still looking at your mother, where Rhaena stood shyly beside her.

“I also have a score of eggs incubating in the Dragonmont.” Daemon roughly placed the Dark Sister blade against the table and walked around to the side beside Jacaerys.

“Now we need a place to gather, a toehold large enough to house a sizable host.” He roughly picked up and placed a metal marker on the table, the clunk echoing through the room, “Here, at Harrenhal. We cut off the west, surround Kings Landing with dragons.” He continued excitedly.

“And we could have every Green head mounted on spikes before the fucking moon turns.” His head turns to look at you, then back at your Queen, who stood still angrily staring at the Rogue Prince. 

Before your mother could respond, Ser Eryyk came walking from behind, “Your Grace, a ship has been sighted offshore: a lone galleon, flying a banner of a three-headed green dragon.”

Your heart raced in your chest and you rushed to walk to your mothers side, your father bellowing out a command to the room.

“Alert the watchtowers. Sight the skies.” He barked, racing back to the head of the table to grab the Dark Sister blade before leaving the chambers. 

You looked to your mother who stared impassively at the table. 

“My Queen,” You said gently, “Do you wish for me to mount Syndor?” You asked softly, Rhaena standing beside you waiting for commands from Rhaenyra. 

A beat passed before your mother turned her head to you, looking you up and down before responding, voice strong and decisive.

“No. Go with Daemon.” And with that she turned to leave the chambers, all those present bowing as she passed, before moving to their duties. 

Your feet carried you swiftly to catch up with your father, the sight of his silver hair moving with the breeze of his pace making you speed further. 

“Kepa.” You called, as you tried to catch up.

He did not turn.

“Kepa.” You called again. He did not stop nor did he falter. You stopped in your place.

You would not chase him.

“Daemon!” You yelled, and finally his steps came to a slow halt. The man turned his head, not to look at you, but to show you his profile indicating that he was listening. You walked to stand in front of him.

“Are you so impatient to start a war, that you wish to demean mother in front of her own council? Her own men?” You accused, breaths coming out roughly through your nose.

The Rogue Prince did not reply, instead looked at you with a blank face.

“Do you truly have nothing to say to me?” You asked, shaking your head in disbelief.

Silence.

You felt if there was any more silence after today you would go mad. 

“Answer me!” You shoved his broad chest, hands slapping roughly against him.

The Prince did not budge, though his eyes softened.

“We are wasting time.” He muttered, turning on his heel to start walking as you stood in shock.

Your father had a habit of being a cunt to people, but you were never on the receiving end of it.

“You are a coward.” You gritted through your teeth.

The King Consort stopped abruptly, turning around once more to march back up to you.

“I have lost more in one day than you could ever imagine.” He growled. “Move.” He flicked his head to the side and began to walk.

You sniffed, straightening yourself before walking beside him. The walls of the castle were lined in lit torches as the sun began to set. But a shadow had begun to fall over your family.

Knights and guards walked behind the two of you as you marched out the front of the large stone doors, before beginning down the winding path outside.

As you looked behind you in search of your mother, you saw the castle. It was lit with flames along its sides and in the pathways. The sun's final rays giving the large stone walls an ominous glow. 

You looked back at your father, who had slowed his steps for you to catch up. As you returned to his side he looked down at you, face stern yet his eyes soft.

“You know that I love you deeply, and I know that you wish to tear my head off. Though you must learn there is a time and a place, and now is not the time, nor the place.” 

You went to open your mouth to argue but he beat you to it, “You may scorn me later. For now, you must control your anger and your tongue.” 

You bit the insides of your cheeks, tasting the bitter tang of copper as your teeth cut through the soft flesh. Hands curled into tight fists before releasing them you took a large breath in, holding as you continued down the path before releasing it roughly though your nose.

A large circular space opened on the path, and you stood with your father waiting. Ahead of you, a large stone entrance to the castle. Large steel doors opened wide for the unwelcome guests with two large watch towers flanking each side. 

As you stood you watched the doorway, waiting for the sight of the Greens.

Anticipation prickled your skin, and you felt a wave of anxiety course through you as you looked to the skies. It was beginning to become overcast with large clouds forming above you. You wondered if you would hear ‘Dracarys’ called out from above by your younger uncle.

Though not much time had passed, the anticipation made it feel like an eternity. Daemon paced in front of you, his restlessness making you uneasy, though you schooled your nerves.

You walked forward to intercept your fathers next pace, holding his hand gently before nodding your head upwards.

There, at the gates came the figure of Otto Hightower, behind him half a dozen men. You could tell that your father was itching to use his sword, hand resting atop the hilt of it, fingers strumming loudly against the metal. 

“Gīda aōla, kepa.” (Calm yourself, father.) You gently spoke, hoping to put the man in front of you at ease.

By now, Otto and his men had reached the open space in the path before you. He stood in hideous green robes, a trim of fur around the collar, with the pin of the Hand sitting snuggly upon his breast.

His hair was fluffed back by the winds of his journey on the sea, and you thought he looked awfully uncomfortable, though smug. You noted one of the Maesters from Kings Landing stood behind him.

“I come at the behest of the Dowager Queen Alicent, mother of King Aegon, Second of His Name, Lord and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms.” Came the pompous drone of Otto Hightower.

The Rogue Princes hands were both on Dark Sister as you stood beside him watching. Your fathers head tilting to the side. You knew he was thinking of slaying Otto in the same manner he did the younger Valeryon Prince. 

“I’ve been directed to deliver her message only to Princess Rhaenyra. Where is the Princess?” He asked.

Your father simply nodded in agitation.

No words were spoken as you both stared at Otto Hightower and behind you, the large screech of Syrax resonated throughout the sky. Both you and your father watched calmly as Otto's eyes were drawn to the noise behind you.

The sounds of beating wings flowed above you, and a gust of wind moved your hair. 

Above you was your mother, crown strong upon her head as she rode Syrax. The great golden dragon let out a loud roar as it flew behind Otto and his men. Otto tensed, body rigid as he watched the dragon land behind them, trapping him and his men between Daemon and Syrax. 

The Rogue Prince smirked with pride as he watched Queen Rhaenyra’s dragon cause Ottos men to clutch their swords in fear, ducking as Syrax screeched loudly into the air. You let out a small huff of a laugh, your father eyeing you from the side as you could not contain the joy of witnessing their fear. 

Your mother sat proudly atop the dragon as it bellowed, lowering itself to let Rhaenyra dismount, before walking through the men to come stand beside you and your father. She did not pass a glance to Otto, and his face held shock as he witnessed King Viserys crown atop her head. 

“Princess Rhaenyra.”

“I’m Queen Rhaenyra now.” Your mother spoke, “And you all are traitors to the realm.”

“King Aegon Targaryen, Second of His Name, in his wisdom and desire for peace, is offering terms.” Hightower's eyes slid to your figure beside your father before looking back at the woman in front of him.

“Acknowledge Aegon as King and swear obeisance before the Iron Throne. In exchange, His Grace will confirm your possession of Dragonstone. It will pass to your true born son, Jacaerys, upon your death.”

You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Dragonstone was yours to claim. Dragonstone was to be your holding, not Jacaerys'.

You sucked in an angry breath, fingers curling into your palm sharply. 

“Lucerys will be confirmed as the legitimate heir to Driftmark,” Otto continued. Your father shifted on his feet, both hands on two seperate swords now as he looked at you, then to your mother, watching for her word.

“And all the lands and holdings of House Velaryon. Your sons by Prince Daemon will also be given places of high honour at court:” 

Your father stiffened beside your mother. You watched him in your periphery as you knew that these ‘offers’ were to insult your family further, especially Daemon, who had a long standing history of hatred between himself and Otto.

The Hightower continued, “Aegon the Younger as the King's squire, Viserys as his cupbearer. Finally, the King, in his good grace, will pardon any Knight or Lord who conspired against his ascent.”

Your mind was reeling. Your name had not been mentioned.

Had Aegon forgot of your existence? Or were you, as a woman not important enough in the Greens eyes to be given any ‘grace’ from the King.

Daemon itched forward sneering, “I would rather feed my sons to the dragons than have them carry shields and cups for your drunken, usurper cunt of a King.”

Your lips twitched into a smirk as you watched the prideful mask of Otto Hightower slip at your fathers profanity. 

Though just as quick as the mask slipped, it was put back, “Aegon Targaryen sits the Iron Throne. He wears the Conquerors crown, wields the Conquerors sword,-”

“Does Aegon even know how to pick up a sword? Besides the little one he stuffs inside half of Flea Bottom?” You sneered. Your father huffed a laugh beside you.

Otto continued as though you were not there, “-Has the Conquerors name. He was anointed by a Septon of the Faith before the eyes of thousands. Every symbol of legitimacy belongs to him. And then there is Stark, Tully, Baratheon. Houses that have also received, and are at present, considering generous terms from their King.”

“Stark, Tully and Baratheon all swore to me when King Viserys named me his heir.” Queen Rhaenyra spoke.

“Stale oaths will not put you on the Iron Throne, Princess.”

Otto began to stalk forwards, the knights behind your mother clutching their swords, “The succession changed the day your father sired a son. I only regret that you and he were the last to see the truth of it.”

Your mother stormed forward, rushing Otto, his guards behind him reaching for their swords. Her hand grasped the pin of the Hand on his breast, ripping it off of him.

“You are no more Hand than Aegon is King.” She sneered, flinging the pin over the walkway into the depths below.

“Fucking traitor!” She hissed, close to his face.

You took two steps forward, as you watched the knights behind Otto become anxious, tipping back and forth on their feet waiting for a command. 

Queen Rhaenyra's shoulders moved with every harsh breath, anger rolling through her in waves. 

“Aegon is not fit to rule, anyone with two eyes could see that. Though I suppose with your one-eyed craven it may be hard to look past a man who falls asleep in his cup.” You growled, stepping closer to your mother.

Otto looked at you as if you were nothing, treated you as though you were nothing, holding your gaze as you heaved angry breaths. 

“Grand Maester.” Otto called, eyeing your mother again.

The Maester stepped forward, chains on his robes noisily clinking as he reached his hand into the arm of his robe. Your body twitched as he produced a sheet of paper, handing it to Otto silently.

“What the fuck is this?” The King Consort growled, as Otto handed an old torn piece of paper to your mother.

Rhaenyra faltered as she opened it, staring down at the worn page.

“Queen Alicent has not forgotten the love you once had for each other. No blood need be spilled, so the realm can carry on in peace.” He spoke quietly to your mother before starting again.

He turned to look at you, “And yours. The Queen wished to encourage you to accept Prince Aemond's offer in marriage.”

He looked back to your mother, your breath was caught in your chest.

You wanted to scream. 

“Princess Y/n would live out her days in the Red Keep with Prince Aemond, who is the second son of King Viserys. Third in line for the Iron Throne. The Princess would have access to all in Kings Landing and would be treated fairly and kindly by the Prince. Queen Alicent believes this is a way for us to further unify our families with the King's gracious offers. Queen Alicent eagerly awaits your answer.” He concluded. 

Your fathers voice cracked through the air, “She can have her answer now, stuffed in her fathers mouth along with his withering cock.” He threatened.

You lifted your head higher looking down at Otto as your mother shook her head softly, a tear falling down her cheek.

“Lets end this mummer's farce.” Your father barked, unsheathing Dark Sister from his side, his knights behind him following.

This set off a chain reaction, the knights behind Otto drew their swords, awaiting a command from the withered old man in front of them. 

You stood strong, unflinching in the space between your mother and father, unwavering from your spot. You wished to see Otto's blood spilled upon the ground at your feet. The viscous liquid could seep deeply into your pores and all would be well. 

“Ser Eryyk, bring me Lord Hightower so I may take the pleasure myself.” Your father commanded, Rhaenyra looking back at him as she stayed quiet.

Syrax roared behind Otto and his men, the dragon sensing your mothers unease. The large golden beast reared back, flapping its wings agitatedly. 

“No.” Came the strong voice of your mother, as she peered back at you and your father.

Prince Daemon sheathed his sword at her behest.

“Kings Landing will have my answer on the morrow.” Queen Rhaenyra concluded, before swiftly turning away from Otto and his men.

Thanks so much for reading along with me, if you wish to be added to the tag list please let me know :) Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated ! Enjoy <3

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[racefortheironthrone]

With how much focus she has received since the beginning of the Krakoa era, what are your thoughts on Storm ? And do you agree on the perception that she's becoming something of a Mary Sue?

I’m going to start with a mini-rant about the Mary Sue.

To the extent that there is any validity to the term at all, it is solely and exclusively within the realm of fanfiction. A Mary Sue is an OC (original character) whose supposed annoying omni-competence is really secondary to the main problem with the character, which is that they warp the narrative away from the main characters of the source material - Kirk and Spock or Picard and Data stop doing things that drive the plot, and instead just stand around asking "where's Poochie?"

Outside of fanfiction and in the realm of the media that gives rise to fanfiction, a prominent character who is incredibly talented and powerful and who makes the plot center around them is called a fucking protagonist - so no, Rey isn’t a Mary Sue, Carol Danvers isn’t a Mary Sue, Katniss Everdeen isn't a Mary Sue - none of them are Mary Sues and anyone who claims otherwise is showing that they have deep-seated Issues with female protagonists in their fiction.

Is Storm a Mary Sue?

Even if we weren't talking about the most prominent black woman character in fiction, I would consider this question pretty damn offensive, both because no one would ever ask this question about a male character and - in a franchise packed to the gills with hyper-powerful women who make the plots revolve around them and who even get the complementary Love Triangle - no one sends me asks about any of those (white) women.

But to answer your question: no, Storm is not a Mary Sue - she's the main character of the X-Men.

See, when Chris Claremont took over X-Men in 1975, he did so with a brand-new cast of characters, the so-called "All-New, All-Different X-Men." In no small part because they were far more diverse and more colorful than the O5 (suburban WASPs one and all), most of these characters would become break-out stars and the core of the X-Men from that day to this.

However, Claremont didn't vibe with all of the All-New X-Men equally: he had Sunfire quit the team (repeatedly), he killed off Thunderbird for shock value (a death that has only been reversed this last year), he would have killed off Wolverine if John Byrne hadn't stopped him (Claremont would later turn around on Logan once he worked out his voice), etc.

But one character that he vibed with right from the beginning was Ororo Monroe. From the very beginning, Claremont's Storm is the most powerful of the All-New X-Men, both in terms of her powers and in terms of her personality, being the only person who can face down Logan. At the same time, she's complicated by her struggles with crippling claustrophobia caused by the Suez Crisis-induced trauma of her childhood.

After a few years, Claremont tired of the African Nature Goddess routine and had Storm experience an almost total transformation that nonetheless was completely grounded in her character. Feeling overly limited by the total emotional control required of her powers, Ororo undergoes a subtextual lesbian awakening in Tokyo's underground punk scene and emerges out the other side a free spirit, leader of the X-Men, and Queen of the Morlocks.

In his most audacious move in LifeDeath I and II, Claremont had Storm lose her powers thanks to Forge's anti-mutant tech - and then defeat Cyclops in a duel for command of the X-Men without her powers - and then regain her powers in an epic cycle that saw the X-Men die and be reborn as outlaw heroes in the Australian Outback.

In sum, Storm was clearly Claremont's favorite character and, as a result had the most interesting character journey over his 16-year run on X-Men.

Storm in Krakoa

And then Storm basically lay fallow for almost thirty years. In no small part due to the pioneering work done by Claremont with this character, later writers were frankly too intimidated to touch the character and so starting in the 90s, Storm was increasingly sidelined in the comics in favor of the characters that were commercially "hot" at the time - Wolverine and Gambit, especially.

In the 2000s, the most significant thing to happen to Storm was her marriage to T'challa. While I think Reggie Hudlin had mostly good intentions with this decision - he wanted to create a black power couple at Marvel and thus put together Marvel's most prominent black man and black woman into a relationship - the result was to make Storm a supporting character in Black Panther comics, rather than a main character in X-Men comics.

I would argue that it is only recently with the advent of Al Ewing as a major writer in the X-office with S.W.O.R.D, X-Men Red, and Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants that we've gotten a writer who's not afraid to write Storm as she deserves to be written - as the most powerful of the X-Men, the Regent of Arrako and the Voice of Sol, the standard-bearer of Magneto's legacy, and a woman trying to balance the demands of two planets and her own desires.

[fancifulplaguerat]

At last….I have Katerina thoughts……That is. There is consistent reference to the dichotomy of good/evil in Katerina’s character, in her words, how others speak of her, and her narrative position as arbiter between Nina and Victoria. Her character concept states that Katerina previously “served as independent arbiter to opposition of the two Mistresses,” and likewise Lara’s portrait quote: “Who could survive between Nina’s rock and Victoria’s hard place? That’s how the town worked back then—upon this rock Nina was forging it, while Victoria maintained a firm stance to keep it in check; Katerina was the one to ensure the balance was in place.” Katerina’s prior position appears in her philosophy in-game, where she tells Clara that three ends are possible and that while Simon generally bound Utopians and Termites, “I insist that he’s built the town as a triangle… and so I declare loyalty to the third idea—the faith of Humility! I am their Mistress. There’s neither heat nor cold anymore; there is only Earth…” Katerina again identifies herself in between dichotomies, in Town philosophy and earth as opposed to heat and cold. 

I think this connection to good/evil per se first appears in the Bachelor Route, when Katerina tells Daniil “Any conflict that has two sides inevitably turns into a battle of good and evil” and the infamous question she poses to him: “Do you favour good or evil?” Altogether a little precursor to a later delicious dialogue between Katerina and Clara: 

Katerina Saburova: A period of your antagonism with Maria is beginning. Along what lines will it be? Which of you will be the good one, and which one wicked? Will it be up to the Kains once again to determine the meaning of good and evil? How are you to take the good path if Maria doesn't choose the evil one...? Changeling: Why divide everything into good and evil right away? Could that have been your mistake? Our mistake... Katerina Saburova: That was what I thought—when I chose my own dark path... I thought the conflict was not between good and evil, that neither good nor evil existed... That wasn't true! For it is in the nature of humans to translate even a dichotomy of red and green into the language of good battling evil. We are doomed to make choices... Changeling: But did you really choose evil? Katerina Saburova: I now think I did... Nina could control it at the time... and I couldn't. Nor was Nina wearing the black tiara... But don't put your trust in what is more alluring, more attractive! That is usually where evil lies!

To properly analyze this I want to first discuss how Andrey and Lara characterize Katerina’s failed attempt to emulate either Victoria or Nina. Andrey claims, “As the Mistresses were dying, Katerina was throwing herself hither and thither, unable to choose a role; she tried to be Nina and she tried to be Victoria, but neither light nor darkness have worked out for her—she sucks at both.” Lara echoes this claim: “When Victoria died, Katerina rushed to take her place—she was quite afraid of playing games with Mother Darkness by then. The last of the Mistresses was struggling and throwing herself from one extreme to another.” Both dialogues emphasize Katerina’s inability to adhere to either part of the dichotomy, yet other dialogues suggest Katerina favored darkness. Maria claims Katerina “always found evil attractive,” and Lara states that after Nina’s death, “Katerina, who had been inclined towards Darkness before, became the Black Mistress…” The latter of course reinforces Katerina’s response to Clara that she chose evil, but I think Lara/Aspity’s portrait quotes and her character concept again complicate this and. Might I add. Make it far more devastating. 

Aspity describes Katerina as “A queen turned witch. That’s what you get for dabbling with the spirits of the night. After Nina died, Katerina shamelessly rushed to take the place of the Dark Mistress; the burden of caring for the town was Victoria’s […] She got carried away though…” Aspity implies that Katerina became the Dark Mistress only because Victoria was still alive—because there were only two Mistresses, and Victoria was “good,” Katerina must be “evil;” this idea appears again in Katerina asking how Clara can take the good path “if Maria doesn’t choose the evil one.” This makes me wonder: was Katerina truly drawn to Darkness or was she just led to it by virtue of being half of a dichotomy? Her character concept states that Katerina “heartily replaced the infernal Nina. After Victoria’s death, she was left on her own and rushed to become the white Mistress, but it was too late. The evil seeds grew strong roots in her soul.” Which could imply that she *did* favor evil, or suggests her desire to be a proper Mistress (more on that momentarily). The last sentence parallels Aspity’s assertion that Katerina “got carried away” and perhaps Katerina’s own claim that she could not control “evil” as Nina could or Lara saying that Katerina was “afraid of playing games with Mother Darkness” by the time Victoria died.

To me, it feels less like Katerina was always drawn to evil—maybe she was, but the way these quotes describe her, it feels more as though she had to choose evil and was subsumed by it through no fault of her own. The main culprit instead being, of course, the Rat Prophet. The character concept reads: “[Katerina’s] game with the poltergeist called the Rat Prophet, who appeared to her as both her inner voice and a character of prophetic dreams, went too far. The poor woman who wanted to become a Mistress so badly was deceived.” Which contextualizes a line of Katerina’s which obliterates me: “There is nothing to tell. Everything is clear. I never had the power. I am not a true Mistress. I lied… but not for gain. Merely because I wanted so much to be like them. No… wishing for a miracle is not enough to become a miracle-worker…” AGH that last line makes me goddamn throw up blood !!!!! Even more so how her character concept concludes ??? “The Rat Prophet indoctrinated her with the idea that the Town’s demise is inevitable and fighting it would be as pointless as resisting the coming of winter.” TRAGEDY !!!!!!!!

[t3acupz]

🩻🤍💉 Brownham Medwhump May 💉🤍🩻

9. Self-inflicted

The first time, it happened by accident. Will was gutting a freshly caught trout, running the thin knife across its belly when his hand slipped, and he nicked his finger. He was surprised when the pain felt… good. That nightmarish scene flashed in his mind like a movie on an old VHS tape. Grainy images, seeing himself in third person, like it wasn’t really him watching Abigail bleed to death. He touched the smile across his abdomen, Hannibal’s parting gift to him.

“You’re bleeding!” Matthew hurried over to Will from the cozy fireplace where moments before he was petting Buster. The younger man took Will’s hand, and brought him to the sink. “Let’s wash off the blood, okay?” Matthew would sometimes catch Will in these dazed states but they were becoming more frequent. Will didn’t have to tell him what was troubling him, he already knew by the name he refused to mention. Even when Matthew would bring up Hannibal Lecter, Will would get quiet, and mumble that he needed to go work on his boat or take the dogs out for a walk.

Matthew could live with the fact that some wounds won’t heal. That living with Will also meant living with the memory of Hannibal. It was a peculiar love triangle, one that Matthew acknowledged, and Will pretended did not exist.

The second time was deliberate. The shower was on but Will was in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection until he could see after images of Hannibal’s face when he blinked. He took one of the razors in his medicine cabinet, and ran a finger over the edge. A red droplet stained the porcelain sink. You and I have begun to blur. He pressed down on his wrist, going in a vertical line, watching the blood trickle out like the branching pattern of a sprawling tree’s roots.

Matthew had given Hannibal those wrist scars, by proxy. But the ownership of them belonged to Will, and Will alone.

He was about to begin on his other arm when the knocking on the bathroom door became louder, more frantic. “Will?! You’ve been in there for an hour, please, open the door.” Matthew begged, falling on his knees and hitting his fist against the doorframe.

Will felt like he was under water but he wasn’t standing in the shower. He was in a stream, watching the Ravenstag move across the dappled sunlight on the edge of the forest. He could hear a distant banging, but he didn’t know where it was coming from.

Matthew broke down the door with a final hard kick. Will was on the floor of the bathroom, water was pooling all around him from the overflowing bathtub.

“NO!! WILL— GOD NO!” Matthew picked up the unconscious man, and brought him to the queen sized bed. He quickly ran down the stairs to fetch the first aid kit, and spent the next hour stitching the four inch long cut on Will’s left wrist.

Will was pale, his body felt ice cold. Matthew wrapped him in layers of blankets as Winston laid by his master’s feet, warming his toes. Hours had gone by, and the younger man was about to call an ambulance when Will spoke with a hoarse voice. “Don’t.”

Matthew threw down his phone, and cradled Will in his arms. “You don’t have to kill yourself,” He cried, grabbing Will so tightly that the older man was starting to become faint again. “He’s still out there, he’s alive. We’ll find him one day, I promise. But don’t leave me here alone.”

Tears welled up in Will’s eyes. “I can still feel him. He’s everywhere and nowhere. He’s in my head.” Will sobbed into Matthew’s shoulder.

Matthew grabbed Will’s face with both hands, and forced Will to look him in the eyes. “I don’t care if you still want him. I love you. I will always love you.”

“Then let me mark you as mine,” Will answered. It wasn’t what Matthew was hoping for in response but it was better than nothing at all.

“My body is all yours to do with as you please.” Matthew’s green eyes were so besotted with love that Will had to look away.

Will took Matthew’s left hand, and kissed the back of it. “‘Til death do us part.” Will whispered, taking Matthew’s ring finger, and biting down into the flesh as hard as he could. The pain radiated up his arm, Matthew flinched but didn’t move away.

“Now do the same to me,” He spoke, presenting Matthew with his left hand.

“Only if you promise me that you would never hurt yourself again.”

“I promise.”

Matthew hesitated for a moment but took Will’s ring finger, and created a matching pair.

After bandaging their wounds, and cleaning up the bathroom, Matthew slipped into the bed beside Will who was sleeping more peacefully than he had ever seen before. Matthew didn’t know if this meant they were friends, lovers or whatever the hell Will had in mind when he scarred them but he didn’t care. It meant Will was still here, with him — alive. Matthew held Will closer, putting a hand to the sleeping man’s heart, grateful he could still feel it beating.

[aidanchaser]

The Eyes are the Window to the Soul

Saw folks (rightfully) gushing about Balistair’s big sad eyes and i want to add a thing that I noticed on watch 1 but I think I understand better on watch 2

you probably noticed the characters have different shaped eye lights! Which is neat! I thought it might be character design thing and that’s fun but actually the eyelight changes in some characters which i thought was intriguing so i set about making sense of it

Balistair is easiest to see! We know he’s got those lovely square eye lights but they’re not always square! In the opening with him and Ambrosius, he actually has diamond shaped eyelights! He and Ambrosius alike have matching diamond twinkles. His eye light changes to square after the queen’s death. Why?

Well, the institute’s emblem is also a diamond! And this is obvious in the director’s design:

she’s got diamonds in her eyes and diamonds down her dress and you can glimpse that institute logo in the upper right corner - diamond!

Bal’s eyes change after his faith in the institute breaks - not fully; still a 4-sided shape, but turned, a square, a new perspective

Which makes the squire’s eyes fascinating! Because they’re a pentagon! Still sort of part of the institution, but also part of Balistair! He’s caught between the two.

And Ambrosius holds his diamond shape. His faith in the institute does not waver. Not until Bal confronts him with the evidence that of course gets destroyed but after that moment Ambrosius’ eyes are lit with a triangle. He’s begun to doubt.

Nimona’s eyes are like a diamond, but they’re twisted, much more fluid on the edges. It matches the shape of her magic’s sparkles. She’s part of the natural world, the world outside the wall. She’s not rigid like the institute; she is fluid.

And what’s interesting is that Gloreth’s eyes actually match Nimona’s when they meet! They have the magical eye lights. The villagers have circles. There’s no institute here -- until after the big reveal as the village burns. Suddenly Gloreth’s eyes are diamonds. She has hardened into the institution -- sorry, the institute.

Anyway I just thought this was a neat bit of character design and storytelling and I loved it like i did everything else in this movie

[peachymilkandcream]

Someone To Love|Part 6|Reiner Braun x Jealous Reader

(A/N: So like I said this series is pretty short so I'm only doing seven parts to it, this was just a little blurb I thought would be fun. Note that even though this has been posted on Wednesdays, after it's over I'm going back to only doing two series a week, posted on Monday and Tuesday. The only reason I did this separately because it was something already promised, short, and mostly pre-written. Hope you enjoy and comment to be tagged in the finale!)

WARNINGS: implied nsfw, depression, attempted suicide, violence, general angst, slowburn, lowkey love triangle with a happy ending, not a warning but Reiner calls you nicknames instead of y/n (because I personally can't stand it)

===============================================

Betrayal. Trust broken. Revenge.

It was nothing Reiner didn't deserve, but hell if it still felt like a punch to the gut.

He had come back to that cursed island with the determination to save the world in mind. He would save everyone, especially Evelyn. He would rescue her from hell and bring her back home safely. Reiner had failed her once before, letting Levi take her away, he couldn't screw it up again. This time he'd kill the bastard so she'd never have to look over her shoulder again. So she could feel a life of peace. He believed in all of this she was just a helpless victim.

And then The Rumbling shattered his faith in her. She was right about Evelyn. She was a traitor.

================================================

Reiner could barely look at either of them, the Ackermans, across the campfire acting like nothing had happened. Everyone else welcoming the monster into their presence, did no one know or care? Were they content to just allow such evil in their midst with no looks of disgust or hatred like his?

All his affection for Evelyn was a conflicted jumbled mess, she had been one of the masterminds behind the destruction of his home, helped cause the very thing threatening to destroy the world as they knew it.

But what part of it was her, and what part was someone else pulling the strings? Was she an innocent bystander or was that all more lies?

She had betrayed him, used him and led him to think her life in Marley was caused by her terror of Levi, and yet here she was, seemingly content by the whole thing. Was any of it real?

Reiner thought of Evelyn like an angel, untouchable and pure, he was determined to make this world better so that she had her rightful place as a queen to live in it. But now with the veil off her hands were just as filthy as everyone else's. Unwillingly or not, she had condemned the world to death, and he couldn't tell if she truly regretted it yet.

There had to be some other play at work, a threat, some hidden forced deal she had made to ensure the safety of her and her unborn child. He knew Evelyn, she was the kindest and most welcoming person to the Scouts that he knew. Most of the others saw her like a mother, but to him she was special. She never would have agreed to this willingly...

Right?

================================================

Words had been said, none of which Reiner didn't agree with. But as he stormed off reason kicked in and allowed him to think. As much as he wanted to he couldn't kill Levi just yet. He needed him to stop this madness. Only after could he even think about getting even, he had to use his head or they'd all be wiped out.

As he laid there, trying to find peace and sleep, surprisingly his thoughts went to his friend back home. She had been worried about him, told him to come home safely. No one else had ever done that. Even his own mother sent him off with pride, not fear. It was like his life mattered.

And if Evelyn was so willing to defend Levi at all costs, betraying his trust again and again. Could he ever make her see the danger she was in with him? Or was that all a lie too?

==============================================

The sound of thunder filled the air, the skies in the distance darkening to a smoky black. There were in for one hell of a storm.

Those still in the market started to hurry home, fear of being drenched overcoming them. She was no exception, quickening her pace to ensure that the threatening water drops wouldn't seek to ruin what little food she could afford to buy.

However soon people started bumping into her, more of a hurry being made to run in the opposite direction of the clouds.

"Watch it-! It's just a storm, no need to kill me over it-" She huffed and kept walking, stopping when she smelled the scent of fire and smoke filling the air. "What's going on?"

Panic had set in, her people running to the gate that separated the outside world with their little community. It was like mass hysteria had taken over, something was going on, something horribly wrong.

She followed them until she made it to the clamoring crowd. "Someone please tell me what's going on!"

"Titans!" A man shrieked, terror in his eyes. "An army of Titans! They came from the sea, they're flattening everything and coming this way!"

"But the military will stop them, we have the strongest military in the world-! Surely a few Titans can't stop them."

"They fled, all of them fled or got crushed, there's nothing to stop them!"

Her basket of groceries dropped, soon crushed into paste as more panic filled the air. The realization hitting her.

The Island Devils had made good on their promise.

[walkingaftermidnight07]

Chain of Thorns: all my main thoughts

yes hello, i wanna make a large post abt this bc i just need to list everything out since i have A LOT of thoughts

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING

SERIOUSLY

DONT READ FURTHER UNLESS YOUVE READ THE BOOK

Things I Liked:

basically every moment where we got to see Will. I was laughing at so many things that Will said and I missed having that, since I will never get enough of Will's humor.

Seeing Jesse interact with the Merry Thieves. It made me so happy and I love seeing Jesse's dry humor mixed in with the Merry Thieves; he fits in with them so well.

Just human Jesse in general. Everything about him made me so happy. He was so kind and brave and quite funny.

Getting to see more of Anna/Ari. During the first book we got almost nothing of them, partially because of Ari being poisoned but also because Anna was kind of not in the main circle yet.

Christopher visiting Grace and them getting to know each other. It made me so happy that there was someone who could see past what Grace had done and could give her a second chance, and their bond over science was so sweet.

Thomastair. That's it. No explanation needed.

Ghostwriter I thought was pretty well done, but the whole "them kissing would cause Lucie to see demon stuff" was kind of unnecessary.

Jem being there for Grace and talking to her to help her through

The Watchers were a really cool plot twist I wasn't expecting

honestly the james turning on the lamp on pg 127 caused a lot of pterodactyl screeching which was fun

the Herondaisy scene in chapter 23 hehe

Effie every time she opens her mouth

Also Bridget who is my queen. she is my love, my life, my star.

Eugenia Lightwood just existing was fabulous.

Esme being the most random plot thread ever which caused a lot of unexpected laughter

"Alastair why are you so stupid I brush my teeth dont tell anyone" LMAO

Alastair with the baby

Again, Thomastair.

Matthew's eventual acceptance of Alastair into the group

Cordelia outsmarting Lilith with her deal

Belial having a weird obsession with being crowned prince of London or whatever

Also Belial's weird bird demon friend made me CACKLE

Bridgestock blackmailing Charles. if i'm honest, i think it was a great part of the plot bc it did kind of give Charles a slight redemption (but also him being kind of outted is also really bad) but i think it was great in kind of allowing Flora be able to accept Ari without fear of Maurice

Lucie and Cordelia talking abt Cordelia's boobs lmaooo/The Wicked Queen Cordelia

Grace's entire arc through this book

the different meanings behind "cordelia ran"

Things that made me sobbbb:

Will becoming a sort of father figure to Jesse

The Merry Thieves helping Matthew with his drinking

Cordelia and James when they finally confessed for real

Matthew's entire arc with his drinking and telling the truth

Christopher's death

"you are my unfinished business" IM SOBBING STILL

Christopher's death

The scene where they see that Kit's dead

Kit being dead

Intermission: Grief

the fact that kit was in fact dead and not going to come back at the end (i was in denial for the entire second half)

Matthew and James while in Edom

Thomas coming out to his family

Alastair telling Cordelia that he's always afraid for her with her being the wielder of Cortana

Again. Kit's death. (i cried a lot ok its been an emotional couple of days)

Things I didn't like:

The whole love triangle. I still don't think that Matthew truly loved Cordelia and i never believed it would be an actual love triangle

the fact that the truth about the bracelet had to be kept secret for so long. it felt kind of unnecessary. there were other ways to draw out the plot than that.

the fact that tatiana exists

Kit's death. I feel like it's so unfair that of all people, he's the one to die. it didn't feel well written, it felt like it had to happen bc she couldn't kill the queer characters and Kit was the only main character left that she COULD kill.

Grace's entire plot being kind of left without an ending.

The lack of mourning/a funeral for kit. (since we didnt get enough mourning, i think im going to write it bc i want to suffer for the purpose of completing the loose ends)

the pacing. the entire plot felt so oddly paced, and it wasn't as much of a mystery like choi or chog.

again, why christopher? i feel like matthew would've been a better choice, or perhaps sona.

magnus kind of getting written out so early

though i love our gay couples and their accepting families, it is a little bit unrealistic. i get that the point is that this particular batch of the families are very kind people in comparison to what their families become a little farther down the road(ie Robert, maryse, etc), but it still feels a little bit unrealistic.

i felt like the whole lucie and cordelia struggling with their friendship thing was a little bit too much to add into this already very full book. (although i loved the wicked cordelia reveal that was fun)

i feel like we didn't fully get the wrap up at the end that we needed. we didn't see enough of them after the battle, as they came to terms with their losses and their wins and how they would continue their lives.

also we never really got to see jesse meeting his cousins/aunts and uncles and i wish we'd gotten that.

Questions I still have:

bridget? whats going on with her? theres a throwaway line in the coda mentioning something is odd abt her, but thats it??

grace. what is going to happen to grace? i wish we could perhaps see her and figure out if she's alright.

im still confused abt the lightwood line. i guess they're trying to say that alexander is going to continue it? (that actually kind of makes sense, genetics wise tho, cuz alexander looks like cecily and alec and izzy are supposed to inherit that)

will we ever get a revised family tree?

blackthorn line???

Rupert's ghost?

fairchild line? am i correct to assume that its going to tie into charlotte's pregnancy reveal at the end?

I'm sure I have more thoughts but I can't remember them at this present moment and I didn't write them down but these are all the ones I wrote down.

lmk what y'all think abt this book

[wettestnjaay]

CRAVING HIS AND YOURS"

CHAPTER I. “MS. MONTGOMERY IS STEPPING HER GAME UP.”

THE NEW GIRL WEDNESDAY ADDAMS, isn’t the only one showing off but—HOW CAN WE FORGET ABOUT Y/N MONTGOMERY? A HIDDEN GIRL—KEEPING TO HERSELF, never willing to be notice until how, but why.. is it the new member of the school nevermore—or her wanting attention from more then one certain outcase.. OR IS IT, her best friend whose been “dead” and expelled from the school and wanting the same revenge he wanted or the felt of guiltiness.

📢-HEADS UP: reader is black chubby/curves,, hair is a mixture of reader natural hair color but turns white sometimes in the story from her visions/seer effects, at some point in the story the reader will have just short white hair with bangs but will style it (BRIADS/LOCS).

YELLOW TEXT- (—FLASHBACK/VISIONS

RED TEXT- (READER “SPEAKING”/‘THOUGHT’

PURPLE TEXT- (XAVIER “SPEAKING”/‘THOUGHT’

ORANGE TEXT - (AJAX “SPEAKING”/‘THOUGHT’

—————————

XAVIER THORPE x

BLACK (🧏🏽‍♀️ ) VAMPIRE / HYBRID!SEER / ZOOLINGUALISM!READER (she/her)

x AJAX PETROPOLUS

—————————

🚨WARNINGS: mentions of blood, murdering, mommy/daddy issues, descriptions of blood, death, vampires/werewolf’s, dominant/submissive, dangerous, school of monsters and outcase, heartbreaking, smut/sex, profanity, violence, nsfw, usage of drugs/alcohol, childhood trauma, bullying, gore, teenage behavior, love-triangle, ploy relationship, fighting, gun?, foul language, animal talking, usage of substances, kinives, mentions of cheating, cheating kinda, disappearance/kidnapping, the series WEDNESDAY topics, and frenemies.

(YOUR LAST NAME IS MONTGOMERY—IF YOU DONT LIKE IT ILL USE ‘Y/N L/N)

HONESTLY IM DEBATING IF THIS IS GONNA B A BIGGER PLOY-RELATIONSHIP W/ KENT, XAVIER + AJAX. k/x/j/reader

NEW TAGLIST | REQUEST | WATTPAD

JOIN THE TAGLIST.

—————

NEVERMORE—THE SCHOOL FULL OF OUTCASTS IN A TOWN WHO DOESNT EVEN LIKE THEM.., but whose to tell them to leave if they’re getting the most money for the town, right?

The news of a new student coming spread like a germ, quickly as possible,, apparently she was going to be with you and your roommate ENID SINCLAIR, new roommate.

Such fun right?

You were pretty much a ‘cool-kid’ friends with Bianca, Divina, Kent, Xavier and Ajax.

But nun of them were better then Rowan, your bestfriend,, you’ve been close sense be came to the school, he was shy and begging everyone for help but, due to the school full of out-cases nobody was really willing beside you, yourself.

You would call yourself “Queen B.” like Bianca does, that was pretty lame to you, it was over hype, you’d be the girl in her shadows the one who isn’t very noticeable.. a side character that was only shown in quick little snips of the film.

But you did gain all of the popularity as you and Rowan joined into the secret club, but that lasted for about a couple of week.. stop lying.

That lasted only about a week,, they wanted to kick Rowan out for a dumb reason which completely pissed you off, you ended up with hatred for all of them as you called them all, “stingy little assholes, who always has a problem with every little thing.”

But that paparazzi followed rumors were out that you stood up to Bianca and everyone just started coming up to you and speaking to you, congratulating you, smiling at you, and everything out of the box of normal at Nevermore.

It was scary to you, but from the ending of the club for you and Rowan wasn’t all that you’d receive.. your flashbacks, and visions was starting,, due to you being a hybrid your parents told you they’d come at some point in the school years, you never believed them tho.

Not until now,

——

Well, today was a new day—a day where you won’t be as popular because there was a new student coming to school.

You’d woken up supper early to go with Rowan to the hidden club room,, quickly and quietly.

You had on your school uniform and to Rowan’s dorm knocking for him to answer.. which was a mistake, “Y/N Montgomery, how have you been?” Xavier asked asks you at the door as you just push him out the way and looked inside.

“Where is Rowan?” You turned right back at Xavier.

“I thought you came here for me.. I’m heart broken.” He started, as you watching him with a death stare, “If you didn’t anything to him, I’ll bite off all of your fingers, we gonna see whose gonna be dreaming now.”

He laughs as you leave the room slamming after, you knew the curfew was still on due to the time, but didn’t care you ran out of the building only to turn back inside after seeing something that looked hungry.. you felt your inner-hybrid energy coming in as you speed pass the mystery animal and wrapped your whiteish y/h/c locs into a messy-bun and took a bite into a rabbit ripping its head apart.

——

You’d went to all of your classes early today,, and to honor the new student classes was ending quite faster then it normal does.

You were walking with Rowan in the quad in silence, you wanted to speak so badly but you feared that the wrong things were going to come out of your mouth, and he was going to be mad.

You looked at Rowan and let out a nervous breath you didn’t know you had until now, “So, Ro, I came to your dorm to come and get you last night but, you weren’t there at all.”

He just stood quiet, walking a little faster, “Look there’s the new girl.” he said pointing.

He’d pulled your arms as you heard sum simple words from Enid, “Although he crowns been slipping lately.,, She use to date our resident tortured artist, Xavier Thorpe..,But they broke up at the beginning of the semester… Reason unknown; but I think it’s because she was shown out by Y/N Montgomery,, our other roommate.”

You fell as you felt the grip of Rowan’s hands on yours and fell into someone as your vision was coming in,, your eyes turned WHITE.

—you’d seen Rowan in the hidden library, with this one book.. and a picture,, a drawing in the book of yourself, and a pigtail dark haired girl plus a pilgrim a very old and elderly one—

You opened your eyes to see Ajax Petropolus, holding you up, “Thank you,, but where is Rowan.” Ajax looked defeated.

He was one of the sweetest boys ever, you could never be mean to him, after you told the people in the secret club off, he quietly ran after you to see if you were okay, and if you felt like any of this was his fault.. which you didn’t.

You knew whose fault it was, Bianca’s and Xavier's,, nobody can miss out on that pair.

“Y/N.. I don’t think your okay,”

You continued to look around as you seen Enid walking closer to you, “Cover me please…Please Ajax.” He quickly nodded as it turn to Enid, and started speaking as you tryna to fix yourself.

While he was covering you were looking for Rowan in your smell of blood,, but that wasn’t working.. all you were smelling was sweet blood.. that smells so delicious you thought it was the air.

He’d turn from you and looked Enid dead in the eyes to get all of her attention, “Yo, Enid!, Your not gonna believe the dirt I heard about your new roommate..,She eats human flesh.. Totally chowed down on that kid she murdered,, you better watch your back.” He says all together with a dramatic, scare face

Enid moved to the side exposing the person you knew was standing right there, “Ajax, this is my roommate, Wednesday.. We’re looking for Y/N.. you know, Montgomery.” You revealed yourself, “Y/N Montgomery speaking?”

“This is our new roommate,” Enid started, “Wednesday, Wednesday Addams.”

“Y/N Montgomery.. what a pleasure to meet you,, Well, has a hybrid my duty calls.” You smiled walking away pulling Ajax with you,, as Enid voice sucked in.

“Y/N came from a family of Hybrids and Werewolves.. as a whole,, which is quite cool to me, but sad to her,, she’s the only hybrid here, and always has to choose to sit with the Vampire or the Werewolves.” She went on and on, “I think she doesn’t eat food, she’s hardly even seen in the quad.”

You and Ajax were in the corner next to the statue of the pilgrim was, with Ajax’s back to the wall and you’re in front of him.

He started rolling up his sleeves and exposing his wrist to you, “So, I’m your hybrid slash vampire duty?” He laughed.

You rolled your eyes as the smell had more flavor to it, ”May I.. please?” You whimpered staring into his eyes then at his wrist as the smell of his sweet blood filled up your nose more and more.

He just watched you, both of you staring into each others eyes, as he finally smiled and nodded slowly as both of your eyes never felt each other as you rosed up his wrist to your mouth exposing your sharp fangs and letting him sink into his neck.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you dropped down to your knees handling onto his hip and thigh for support,, trying to stay focus and not show out your submission side.. but his blood was soo good, so delicious so.. just so perfect for you.

You were enjoying it so much you didn’t even realize Xavier behind you guys looking in shocked.. you ignored it as Ajax eyes were still onto you and you looking back up to him with red eyes as you felt his hand brushing your locs and fingers twirling against them.

You’d seen he was slowly turning pale, so you rushed to your feet holding his arm up to your chess as you apologized several time,, “Sorry!—Oh my goodness, I’m sorry—sorry.. Ajax?”

Ajax just smiled and wiped your mouth with his thump, as you watched him closely and pulled out your tongue and let him place his thump onto it and started to suck it clean.

“Ajax.. Y/N??” Xavier called out at her seemed to be walking closer, you quickly released his thump from your mouth with a small ‘pop’ and dusted your uniform off before helping Ajax fix his pants and sleeves as you pulled his beanie down hiding his snakes who were trying to peek out at you, “Xavier, my dude!”

You groaned and smiled at Ajax before starting to walk off, “Well, Jaxie time is ticking,, gonna head back to my dorm before Ms. Thornhill gets there before me!”

He nodded as Xavier watching and looked at you in disbelief,, and upsetting.

——

You sped off in speed, towards you dorm where you heard all of the commotion from Wednesday and Enid, “This kitty got claws”

“You mean dog… This dog got claws?” You asked as Enid and Wednesday turned to you.

“Ion think this is divided equally.. giving off the racist vibe because i have the smallest part.”

“You a vampire, you don’t need a lot of room..” Wednesday stated which caused you to laugh, “Oh I know, it was a joke ask Enid.”

You walked to your coffin closet and changed into your oversized shirt from Rowan and a pair of shorts trying to get comfortable.. You’d heard voice outside of the room and you just knew who it was already.

You waited a while longer before coming out the closet, seeing her, Ms. Thornhill on a piece of tape that was apart of everyone’s space in the room, “Before I leave, I want to go over a few house rules..like,” You looked at Enid and then Wednesday and back at the red headed lady.

“Lights off at 10:00, no loud music, and no boys ever.” She spoke softly and harsh, Wednesday just was feeding into her, asking questions and all, “so please don’t go making any waves, or perpetuating any outcast stereotypes.”

You let out a loud puff of breath, “That means keep your claws to yourself, no smothering people in their sleep, and also no biting no mind-contorling and no talking to anyone’s pets getting them to do dumb things with them know.. Ms. Y/N Montgomery.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Thornhill.” You said as you threw the middle finger at her.

——

You’d had a dream.. a very odd dream of boys in the secret club,, but mainly Ajax and Xavier.. Or maybe it was just a vision.

You tried ignoring it and noting on from it to see for something better,, you tried to go on a walk early in the morning to relieve your stress but that wasn’t working, You’d came to call with Wednesday right next to your side, it shows that she really likes you, maybe because your kinda similar to her, but she tends to get along with you more then Enid.

You’d both walked into the fencing class with your different color fencing outfit on, hers black and yours a dark ruby red color.

You’d had your helmet on while Wednesday didn’t, he in front and you behind as the sound of y’all’s marching feet copied another.

There you spotted Rowan and Bianca, you could tell that was them, Rowan fell to the floor as quickly as you reached over to them and cried out, “Coach, Coach, she tripped me.”

“It was a clean strike, Rowan.” Coach replied to the boy on the floor.

You quickly pulled your mask off exposing your new hairstyle goddesses braids and pulling out a ponytail as your tied them up and pulling Rowan to his feet, “Why am I always stuck with the cry babies.”

The class laughed and Bianca joined in, “Maybe if you whined less and practiced more, you wouldn’t suck.” You rolled your eyes as Rowan jumped up from the mat and started to walk away, “Next time keep your mouth shut, when i say something I don’t back up.”

You started, “Only I can bully him, Ms. Wanna be added to everything.” You pitched your sword at your throat before exposing your fangs and red eyes.

Bianca let out a loud groan, “Seriously, Coach, when am I gonna get real competition?”

You laughed hearing her whine, “Anyone else want to challenge me?”

“I do.” Wednesday said from where she stood.

“Oh, you must be the psychopath they let in.”

“And, You must be the self-appointed Queen Bee…, Interesting thing about bees.. Pull out their stringers, and they drop dead.” the rest of the fencers let out a “ooh” as Bianca stood there embarrassing with a weak look.

“Rowan doesn’t need you to come to his defense.. He already had the Vampire oh wait, Hybrid, white and red eyed animal talking freak for that.” she started, adding on and on, “He’s not helpless, he’s lazy.”

“Are we doing this or not” Was all Wednesday asked while caused you to laugh even louder.

Bianca looked at you and scoffed, “Don’t even.. you not even gonna try and face me.”

“Ah,, your right but it looks like they let in competition for you today, but if Missy..wants to go against me aswell Coach if either of them wins would you aloud me and Wednesday to go against Bianca next,, 1v1v1?” You smirked as you seen the same look grew onto Wednesday face.

“I don’t think that’s fair.”

“I think it is, cause clearly yourself observe, and the best fencer in this class so, face and me her,, you already know I’m not good at this.”

That was a lie, you every good at this but whenever you got to the top you’d let someone knock you down because you didn’t want the attention the topper players received.

“Of course Lady Montgomery, now,, En garde.”

You stood on the opposite side of Rowan, you didn’t need to see the fight to know who was going to win, you just wanted to get a confession from Rowan right now.

You head was ringing as you sen the swords moving around repeatly and the grunting from both of them over and over.

You felt a presence behind you and you turned to see Xavier standing on side of you, tried to ignore him as you eyes turned white from the slight touch of him,

—Xavier and Ajax were talking once you’d left yesterday evening and were talking not talking fussing about something—

Was that something you..?

Forget it, Wednesday had tapped Bianca with the tip of her sword and scored a point just how you knew she would, you smirked and you clapped your hands for your newer friend.

“Point Wednesday.”

“One more Coach, just for fun.” You called out, he nodded as they fought again,, you knew Bianca was going to try hard this time, and you wanted to be a tie breaker.

This fight only too about 3ish minutes and Bianca scored, “The score is even.”

“That first point was clearly beginner’s luck.,, Let’s finish this”

“We’re gonna see about beginner’s luck,”

“For the final point, I would like to invoke military challenge..,No mask,, No tip.” the class “oohed” again, as Coach watched Wednesday as she moved closer to him.

“Winner draws first blood.”

You smirked and toyed with your fangs as she let her words come out her mouth, “Sound like you’re trying to feed me, Wenni.. I’m down for sun fresh bait”

Coach doesn’t make any facial expression, just a simple, “It’s your decision, Bianca.”

“Let’s see if you bleed in black and white.”

You sucked in the arm around you and the smell of Ajax blood.. you’d just now noticed he was in here with you, him and Xavier.. with the mixture of bitter and sweet blood combine you needed it and wanted them both.

Dropping you helmet on the floor and picking up the sword you had on the floor with you right and taking Xavier’s with your left and you added yourself into the fight, you used both of the sword to stop them both, you and wednesday attention was both set on Bianca,, you needed her to lose and she was going to no matter how hard it takes,

The four swords touching one and another back and forth, over and over on repeat you don’t know how long this was going to take but it was sure taking it precious time,

Bianca had gotten you on the floor and stumbled on your legs as you felt as if you were weak but as you hungry for blood grew more from the smell and image in your head you did a backflip until you were on your feet and and recovered very quickly and you grabbed ahold of the swords your drop before hand and watched closely as Wednesday and Bianca were going back and forth

You never exactly when to add yourself in, just as the sword swiped around Wednesday cheek you used both of your swords and marked Bianca with a mean scar of the letter M near her forehead and the side of her face which drew blood as well, just as she was about to say something you stopped her with those quick movements.

“‘Don’t even..’ you won against Wednesday but not against me.” You called out with your fangs showing,, from the sight of blood.

You heard a loud groan coming from her way again as you bowed down as the rest clapped for you and rushed out the class only to hear a or more then one pair of foot steps following closely behind you.

——

ANY MISTAKES OR MISSPELLS ARE MY FAULT JUST LET ME KNOW,

& IF YOU WANT IT TO JUST BE AJAX/XAVIER/READER LMK ORRR AJAX/KENT/XAVIER/READER

[feathers-little-nest]

And here it is, the list of my fav Iron Widow moments! Enjoy?

As always feel free to discuss with me or share your favorite moments!!

It's below the cut bcs spoilers

- chapter 5, I figured that I could note my fav moments of this book as well XD

- starting on not the best note, I fucking hate Yang Guang, I hate him so much, I want to rip his guts out,

- chapter 8, the fight was so epic!! I love how MC just kinda forgor about the whole dying thing and went with the flow

- and that she killed that motherfucker! I didn't have to tolerate him for too long >:D

- it's honestly quite funny that Qin Zheng was killed by pox (I hope I'm getting the name of the illness right lol, I'm reading this in Polish translation and have 0 knowledge about any medical terminology in English)

- just a note but it's harder for me to keep up with those notes for Iron Widow than for Qian Qiu. I think it's because 1. its pace is faster 2. its chapters are shorter. so anyway

- chapter 10, Wu Zetian just needs to scream 24/7 and I respect it so much

- chapter 12, idk, Li Shimin is kinda cute

- I also like strategist Zhuge but that may be just because he has a fan

- chapter 13, those qi power statistic are so untrustworthy lol. I wouldn't be so happy to have so much higher qi stats than the average if the margin of error is like 17k

- chapter 14, damn, I miss Yizhi...

- chapter 19, oh my god, Yizhi is back!! T^T

- I absolutely love all the tiny historical details in this story. I'm probably missing a lot but those which I can catch are amazing (and satisfying, good to know that I know something about Chinese history after all that learning)

- chapter 20, OMG YIZHI IS BI?? IS THIS FINALLY SOME GOOD BI REP??

- ZETIAN IS ALSO BI?? AM I IN HEAVEN? WHAT'S GOING ON??

- omg Gao Yizhi grabbing Li Shimin's leash is one of the things I need to draw, damn, it paints such a clear picture in my mind

- chapter 21, Sima Yi is just a hater by nature and I start to enjoy it,

- chapter 23, Yizhi screaming "you can't shoot me I'm rich!!!" I love this boy

- chapter 29, god, Yizhi, Shimin and Zetian are sooo cute

- also "one traumatized Xing Tian", that made me laugh out loud

- "usually adding qi of a third person only strengthened the dissonance (...) no one knows why we succeeded" yeah I wonder why, hmmmmmm

- chapter 30, MY BABYGIRL LI SHIMIN GOT CALLED AN ALPHA MALE I'M DYINGGG

- I kinda like Gao Qiu. I know he's probably bad news but damn, he's fun

- also a Wu Zetian fan nr1, seeing his reaction I'm surprised that he didn't ask for an autograph (I forgot that he's sexist af)

- tho, tbh, I think he's more afraid of what he can't control than purely sexist; interesting guy, I want to dissect him,

- I wonder if anything happened between LSM and GYZ during that party at Gao's, hmm,

- chapter 31, OUR THIRD PARTNER YIZHI, AWWW

- chapter 36, I actually think Sima Yi might be one of my fav characters? come on, the guy came to the wedding just because he wanted to support his little dumdums

- chapter 39, YES FUCK AN LUSHAN

- damn I didn't think they'll actually kill him. oh well. he won't be missed. judging by his character, even his son won't miss him

- Yizhi is the wife in this throuple, isn't he /jk

- OMG THE TRIANGLE IS FINISHED, THAT WAS SO CUTE!! WAAH

- chapter 42, I like how Wu Zetian's reaction to something not going well is just "maybe we should burn ourselves alive actually", relatable queen

- Sima Yi just lost his good guy badge. he better have a damn good excuse for abondoning MCs this easily,

- chapter 44, QIN PIERDOLONY ZHENG, już zawsze będę go tak nazywać 🫡

- chapter 46, is Qin Pierdolony Zheng playing snake with hunduns instead of apples¿?

- I still can't believe that Shimin is actually dead. Like. Dead dead. Super dead. Human marmalade dead. How... why him T^T

- chapter 47, I love how among all this death and destruction the worst problem Qin Pierdolony Zheng has is inflation,

- epilogue, DID SHIMIN BECOME A GOD PLS TELL ME HE BECAME A GOD

- Qin Pierdolony Zheng has a beef with gods, I think he's the most rel character now

[stormcloudrising]

So sansa is gonna be the villain as a corpse queen with night king jon? they probably will d*e then since every story needs that. i always had the idea of arya having this type of legend love for the songs simply because no one expects it out of her and bc she is like known dead and no one knows KNOWS her which it serves the town folk legend when the story changes everytime and it’s like almost non believable because no one really knew her. but gendry and arya is literally the most normal and healthy relationship ever so Arya’s story could be more grounded and realistic since her character is more practical. so she would probably be continuing the stark line giving how she looks like a traditional stark and be in the end one of the smart minds getting through the world after the others and the winter and everything. we also have that huge pack of direwolves with nymeria as the queen. I think you mentioned a love triangle between two sisters which isn’t something I didn’t think before. Especially since arya says how sansa has everything. Jon returning and being darker, dying bc of Arya who turned out to not even be Arya, Arya being with another (Gendry), having Winterfell and being queen could be the sansa corpse queen and Jon Night King actually being together because of Arya.( maybe Sansa won’t have everything because Jon always loved Arya more sort of the Cat/Petyr/Lysa dynamic but reversed. And I can see Sansa giving everything for a love for the songs. Meanwhile Arya is more realistic and more into doing her duty. Kind of reverse with how we started where Arya is the wicked one who is always in the wrong and is alone meanwhile sansa is the good dutiful one who is almost to having everything friends loved be a queen etc. And it works in my opinon. Sansa is no queen or leader. She can be the beautiful tragical lady of the love songs just how she always wanted. And arya can be the queen of wolves who will also make history and be written in the books. She can be a leader most definitely. I also predicted how it’s only probably arya is gonna be alive by the end. like dany, cersei, sansa, are probably gonna be dead and only arya be the one alive. This is so long. Anyway byee~~

Hi Nonny,

Thanks for reading the essay and for the ask.

If you are asking if I think that Sansa and Jon will be dead as in permanently at the end of the story, then my answer is no. I think that like on the show, they will survive. 

Specifically, regarding Sansa, if you are asking whether she will die, I can’t rule out that possibility. However, if she does, I believe that like Jon, she will return. Her death could also be symbolic, but I think that there is a good chance that it could be literal, and then she returns.

The reason that I can’t rule out the possibility of her dying is because as I’ve noted in various essays, the myth of Hades and Persephone is wrapped around the in-world myth of the Night’s King and his corpse queen, as well as the arcs of Jon and Sansa, and House Stark. Therefore, in some manner, Sansa needs to descend to the underworld. It could just be her descending to the lower levels of the crypt with Jon, which is something I think will happen, or it could be more.

Jon had to die to become NK/Hades, character…ruler of the underworld. The same could be true of Sansa, but as I said, it could be just a symbolic death like the one Persephone experienced in the Greek myth. Either way, she must return as Persephone did.

By the way, that’s why I predict that unlike on the show, Jon will never go down South to meet Dany. He’s never going to go to either KL or Dragonstone. The farthest south I expect Jon to make it is to the Trident when Ice does battle with Fire. I don’t even think that he will cross the river as he will symbolically be leaving his northern underworld demesne. 

Symbolically, that’s why Ned, Brandon and their father, Rickard died. Ned, the previous Lord of the Icy Underworld crossed the Trident and overstayed his welcome. Brandon and Rickard, crossed and went into the lands of the enemy without an invitation or an army behind them. 

On the other hand, Torhen, the Brandon who ruled after him, and Cregan all crossed at the invitation of the southern ruler and then promptly left. They didn't overstay their welcome. When Jon comes down with the northern army, he will be coming to do battle and thus will not be invited across. 

Funnily enough, even though Sansa represents the icy corpse queen of the underworld, she can cross the Trident because like Persephone, she is also of the South and the land of fertility. I would not be surprised if she is the one who crosses and parlays with Dany. She represents Winter and Spring. She’s balanced. In fact, that’s what the Starks represent. They are the balance that’s necessary to bring things full circle and reunified the realm and sort out the issue with the seasons.

If you’ve read any of my previous essays, you know that I repeat ad nauseum that George is always consistent with his symbolism. Some of his symbolism and mythology is just there for world building purposes, as is the case of much of what you find in TWOIAF. However, the symbolism heavy symbolism in the central books and Dunk & Egg generally have meaning in the story proper.

Last weekend, I discovered again how true that is. I was doing a little work on my Florian and Jonquil series, and I started wondering about all the fire and water symbolism in Jon and Sansa’s arcs respectively.

Jon is understandable for obvious reason with his dragon ancestry, and Hades has fiery symbolism with Cerberus, his fiery hell hounds. Sansa is heavily associated with water, which makes sense if as I’ve proposed, she’s a greenseer and the corpse queen as I've proposed. George uses water to represent the green sea or the weirwood net and of course ice is made of water.

I realized that as the myth of Hades and Persephone were so closely tied to that of Night’s King and corpse queen, if Jon had fiery symbolism that matched Hades, Sansa’s water symbolism should find a match in Persephone’s tale as well. However, in all my readings, I didn’t remember coming across anything about the Greek Goddess and water, but then again, I had never specifically searched for any association between her and water. This time I did, and up it popped.

It was there all along and I just overlooked it because I had never considered Persephone’s water connection before. One of her names is Nestis, which means water. It was given to her by the Greek philosopher Empedocles. His teachings influenced Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates among others. 

Empedocles is best known for originating the cosmogonic theory on the creation of the universe based on the four classical elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. These elements were the stand-ins for Hera (earth), Zeus (air), Hades (fire) and Persephone (water).

"Now hear the fourfold roots of everything: Enlivening Hera, Hades, shining Zeus, and Nestis, moistening mortal springs with tears." 

Of the four deities of Empedocles' elements, it is the name of Persephone alone that is taboo – Nestis is a euphemistic cult title – for she was also the terrible Queen of the Dead, whose name was not safe to speak aloud, who was euphemistically named simply as Kore or "the Maiden", a vestige of her archaic role as the deity ruling the underworld. Nestis means "the Fasting One" in ancient Greek.

—Wikipedia

Thus, we can see that George is again consistent. The fiery symbolism of Jon/Hades/NK is balanced by water symbolism of Sansa/Persephone/Corpse Queen of the Dead. And it’s Sansa, not Arya that he’s linking with Jon/Hades/NK as Persephone/Corpse Queen.

Regarding Arya, I think that originally, George did plan to make her the Persephone character to Jon’s Hades. However, his meandering garden style of writing led him to assigning that role to Sansa. 

Will there be a triangle between the two sisters and Jon? No. I don’t think so. I wouldn’t call it a triangle per se, but I think that George is sticking to his original plan of conflict between Jon and Tyrion over a Stark sister, but in this case, it will be over Sansa. That’s why he married her to Tyrion instead of Joffrey as he originally planned. 

While he’s not totally sold on the idea, Tyrion also thinks that Sansa could have participated in Joff’s murder and in setting him up to take the fall. Once he finds out that she was with Littlefinger, he will for sure think that she was involved and will want revenge, which portends conflict with Jon.

I do think that another Stark will suffer a permanent death in the books, this time because of Dany and Drogon’s fire. Considering her story arc as a Faceless Man and representative of the god of death, it would make sense if it was Arya.  However, I think it will be Rickon. 

I think Rickon will be the one because the foreshadowing is that Dany will kill and eat a fish. Arya is of course a Tully fish as well, but as has been a theme throughout her arc, she’s more like the Starks. Thus, I think the fish Dany and Drogon kills has to be either Bran, Sansa or Rickon. I don't think the first two dies, and thus that leaves only Rickon. However, I also think that Arya will kill one of the dragons around the Trident area, and I don’t rule out it being Drogon…especially if he’s the one that kills Rickon.

As for Arya and Gendry, I think that they will meet again. Will there be something romantic between them down the road? Possibly, but I doubt it. I think Arya’s tale may end very similar to how it played out on the show with her spending a few years at home in the North recovering and possibly carrying out jobs for the FM before heading west of Westeros. She won’t rule Winterfell. She doesn’t want to be Lady of a great castle. As she told her father, “that’s Sansa,” not her. 

Sansa is the Lady of Winterfell. That’s the reason behind her direwolf’s name, and why Lady’s bones were returned to the north to Winterfell when she was killed. Sansa became Lady of Winterfell even before she has returned North.

There are many tragic aspects to Sansa’s story, but she’s without a doubt, a leader. We’re shown that over and over in the text from her saving Dontos from Joffrey to her calming the ladies and some of the men during the Battle of the Blackwater among other instances. I think that you are under the mistaken impression that to be a leader, you must be a fighter like Arya, but that’s as far from the truth as it possible to be.

I also put no value in the arguments that Sansa was mean to Arya. Yes. The sisters fought. Yes. Arya is jealous of Sansa and thinks that she is good at everything. Nonetheless, that is not Sansa’s fault, or because of anything she did. Arya is not interested in being like Sansa and doing what's expected of the Lady of the manor. That why try as she did, she never succeeded in being seamstress or learning the names and sigils of the various houses. That's not where her interest lies.

The sisters are different as the sun and the moon, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Most sisters are. Most sisters also fight and sometimes call each other horrible things in anger, but at the end of the day, they love each other. This is the case for both Arya and Sansa. We know this because we get their thoughts on the page. And when they reunite, because of what both have been through, they will understand each other a bit more, and love each other a whole lot more. They will be pack.

[momsforroadhead]

idk shit about degrassi let's go with 2, 6, 8, 21, and 22?

YES you can't imagine how happy i am to be doing this i can't talk about degrassi to anyone and the fandom is kinda dead

2. a compelling argument for why my fave would never top or bottom: this question is crazy cause degrassi characters get to be like... 19 at the oldest (not that they die, the just age out and cycle out of the show) so let's imagine them older. now other problem there's like 36 000 of them total starting in the 80s and ending in the 2010s BUT if i pick a fave let's go with Eli Goldsworthy and make a bold claim: he would never top. in canon he's straight (the writers are wrong on this one) but i fully believe that any woman he has ever been with/will ever be with pegs him. he's simply too weak sauce to have the energy to top anybody. he has other things on his mind.

6. which ship fans are the most annoying: like i mentionned, the fandom is kinda dead so i don't really know fandom opinions apart for the yt comments when degrassi was still on youtube for free (booo hbo fuck you) BUT! i will say that people got really invested in Craig/Manny for some reason (he was always awful to her) and started hating Ellie as a result. Now yes Ellie was super misogynistic towards Manny, but that's not really a reason for the fandom to then be super misogynistic towards her. I love Ellie Nash she's my queen get off her back! yes she's whiny and a bitch. it's literally fine.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about: OOUUH!! A lot of people hate Connor, which is SO WRONG. They hate him for stealing girls' underwear (which i will admit is creepy and weird) but like... degrassi is the everybody gets a second chance show... yall love Peter (so do i!!) and he literally distributed revenge porn of Manny so..... you just hate Connor cause you can't handle his autistic swag. but i can. i love him. him and jenna are my favourite couple and he's aspec in my head. (also he's a case of "if a white character did the same thing you all would love him" but let's not even go there)

also everybody hates tristan and he literally did nothing wrong. and people hate ellie and she's perfect. and people hate jane and why do you people have so much hate in your heart

21. part of canon i think is overhyped: i'm really having to think about this one cause idk if any part is really hyped all that much lmao degrassi fans, we love to complain...... i'll say a part of canon that i wish wasn't there is Adam's death. JT and Cam felt earned and realistic, but Adam... idk it just came out of nowhere..... and he's literally one of ma faves.....

22. my favourite part of canon that everyone else ignores: omgomgomgomg Marco and Ellie hooking up post graduation. for context Marco's like BEEN fully gay. and he hooks up with Ellie out of sheer codependency which is, in my opinion, HILARIOUS. also, he says that the worst part is he didn't want it to stop (they didn't go all the way) and if the writers of that episode weren't COWARDS he would've had a real reflection on the fluidity of sexuality but oh well. it's an iconic throwaway plotline and one of the foundational building blocks in my evil Craig/Ellie/Marco codependent love triangle polycule