Tumgik
#Literally her story is probably one of the more adventurous ones. It would slay so much
Text
Love looking up the actresses who starred in American Girl movies back when they made those and seeing what they've been in since then.
Felicity? Yeah she starred in The Fault in Our Stars and the Divergent movies apparently.
Kit? Yeah Abigail Breslin has been in a million things because, well, it's Abigail Breslin but uh she's one of the main people in the Zombieland movies
Samantha? Can't remember anything recently but she was Leslie in Bridge to Terabithia.
Melody? She's been in so many things like Black-ish and the new Proud Family. Really making a name for herself and all that.
Grace? Olivia Rodrigo.
#No because the (not literal) whiplash I got years ago when I was like#'huh Olivia Rodrigo looks kinda.... Familiar??? Let me look her up- GRACE THOMAS?????'#Off topic but I love how the last american girl movie they did that wasn't just on amazon prime was the Lea movie#Which- if you ask any ag fan they'll tell you- absolutely sucks and is nothing like the book At All#And then they did the Maryellen one for prime which was okay#And the melody one I quite liked but I haven't read the books to compare yet#And the Ivy one is accurate based on what I know of the Ivy book (because I read Julie's books but I never got around to the Ivy one)#And then Z? I don't know what the fuck happened there#Seriously what the fuck happened there#The books are about a young aspiring director in Seattle trying to make a short film for a film festival. The movie? Summer camp???????#my posts#american girl#I think that there are so many historical characters stories that would do so well as a movie.#For starter: CAROLINE!???#Literally her story is probably one of the more adventurous ones. It would slay so much#Or Addy??? Rebecca?????? Josefina?????? I fuckin love Josefina's story#I think- and I'm sure this isn't that unpopular of an opinion- that american girl has been putting too much focus on their contemporary#characters and not enough on the historical characters#And also I think they should bring back Kirsten but maybe that's just me#However: I do think a Tenney movie would slay#Gosh I miss Tenney. Sad I never got around to getting her#Might try ebay...#Anyway that's it for today's 'Abe rants about their special interest' see you later
2 notes · View notes
galactic-space · 2 days
Text
Making a follow up post for my stupid ass MHA X Monster high x Ever after high x fucking Winx club??? Ehhh???
Tumblr media
Anyways…
Soooo answering this dude up here ^ @faemagic88 let’s just say I got a few ideas
So basically, for anyone who didn’t see my last post?
Quirk toddler uses quirk on Izuku, bakugo, and denki and sends them to monster high, ever after high, and Winx respectively
Lord explosion god dynamight and his fairy tale adventures
For ever after high I totally want bakugo to be apart of the school purely because he heard how the school has a lot of secrets and magical items that might help with his issue, so he decides to force his way in to get back to his universe ( somehow… he’s working out the kinks of his plan )
While there he’s definitely gonna throw a ton of kids for a loop. Not caring about royal or rebel because A. He’s from another universe and B. He just thinks it’s so dumb to follow the paths of your parents just because of something as silly as “destiny”
He’s the type of person who believes that you chose your life, and he’s not gonna be silent about it.
Is he gonna cause more drama in this school? Yes, but this school is already filled with it so whatever
I don’t know what fairy tail he would pretend to be. I think he might pretend to be the son of “Momotaro” from the story “Momotaro; the story of the son and the peach” where basically this boy is born from a peach, soon taken in by a couple. When the boy turns fifteen, he goes off on a journey with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant to slay the demons on an island, before returning home to be with his family
It makes the most sense, as Momotaro is fairly popular in Japan- or so I’ve heard
But an alternate story I thought of was of him pretending to be the son of Kintarō, “the golden boy” who is a warrior who goes on many journeys throughout his life, slaying beast and saving towns n what not.
Neither story would explain his weird… “explosion magic” as people call it, but hell it’s the best thing that he gots so.
I was thinking of mimickings ever after highs small story structure and maybe have an “episode” where Apple white realizes that he doesn’t seem to care about her, her status, her story, or even her looks and how that kinda bothers her ( more like gets her all riled up. She’s not used to boys just… not even giving her a second look. )
And then another small “episode” of bakugo deciding to take part in a sport cuz… well… let’s just say daring and his group found out that if you tell Bakugo he can’t do something, he’s gonna do it just to show off
Thing is, cerise is in the sport as well in the opposing team, and maybe bakugos team is like “well most of them are girls maybe we should go easy”
Cue the “equal rights equal fights” from bakugo, and basically forces cerise to show off her wolf abilities if she even wants to try to actually win against him.
And… who knows maybe that’s when people realize she’s haft wolf or something lol
I was also maybe having him be apart of the Dragons games??? Like maybe he wasn’t gonna be apart of it, but when Apple white accidentally releases the evil queen and the evil queen he senses some shit is about to go down and thinks “ugh, god, not more bullshit”
Also maybe he gets his own dragon for the games by literally TACKLING AND SUBMITTING ONE OF THE EVIL QUEENS BAD DRAGONS so he could ride it and use it so he could be apart of it.
And yes, Goldielocks did record this for her mirror channel and a bunch of kids did just see one of their “new students” fucking wrestle a dark dragon just cuz he needed a dragon to be apart of the games
Also maybe bakugo finally talks about his… HIS… FEELINGS?1!1!2??2!2?2 GASP lol
But that’s enough for bakugo
Next up
Dekus freaky experiences
Ok so deku… doesn’t know what the FUCK anything is. He just appeared in like the monster high catacombs, got fucking lost in them til Operetta finds him in there.
She’d probably be like “woah hey aren’t you a normie” and dekus like “wh- huh???”
Course before the two can get more into it maybe the place starts crashing down. Cue deku quickly realizing what’s happening and using his quirk to save operetta, there for showing that he definitely is a lot more then JUST a normie
Operetta concludes that deku might be a hafta like Henry Jekyl, and takes him to monster high to help him
Cue deku realizing that he’s NOT where he’s suppose to be. Maybe he tries to explain it to operetta, but when she simply gives him a weird look and ask if he’s ok, he realizes that no one is gonna believe him. So with a deep breath and shaky smile, he simply goes “maybe I just hit my head to harshly…????”
Which- yes, that’s even weirder, but he isn’t about to explain how he’s a human with a quirk when it’s so obvious that everyone is weary of him because of his human look ( he can always tell when people look at him with pity or fear. Being quirkless for most of your life then suddenly having a terrifying, powerful quirk will teach ya that ) so he does his best to just seem normal
Maybe he’ll pretend he didn’t know how he got here, talks to headmistress blood good and asks if she could PLEASE let him stay cuz “he doesn’t remember anything”
And- she’s nice, so she’ll let him stay just as long as he promises to help around the school anyway he can ( she is letting him stay here for free, it’s the least he can do ) and deku agrees to it
Now deku is… SOMEHOW a student at monster high. Everything is weird, but… here comes Frankie, who totally gets his feeling. She helps him out, teaches him all he needs to know, and helps him out- cuz, she knows what it’s like to be the new ghoul in school, and she can tell he definitely needs the help.
Cue Izuku befriending her, and maybe some of her friends.
Of Course, he still wants a way back home, so he’s gonna do everything in his power to do research into this world and ( hopefully, maybe ) try to find something to help him back home.
He’s probably not gonna tell the ghouls what’s actually happening with him til he literally has no where else to go to.
Cue the ghouls helping him go back to his comic book like world ( and maybe finding a way to get there cuz… heroes???? Villains??? Sounds like a scare-tastic experience! )
And ysaaaa they find a lot of secrets in this school. Like a lot. Oh dear
Also I totally want a scene where toralei just drills it into izukus head that he definitely isn’t gonna be all accepted here just cuz he’s “1/3 of a monster” and that he’s definitely gonna have people having it out for him because he’s mostly Normie in nature.
Idk, maybe Izuku might have some dejavú about feeling excluded because of his apparent lack of something
But it’s ok cuz Frankie would definitely cheer him up by saying “haft normie or not, you’re a great person Izuku. Don’t let someone like Toralei get under your skin, she doesn’t know what she talks about. Me and the ghouls care about you, Freaky flaws n all. And nothings gonna change that.”
And have him feel so… happy, because let’s be honest he was only accepted back into society cuz of his quirk. It would probably heal the poor little quirkless kid within him because she basically just told him that he matters, not because of what he has but because of who he is as a person and UGHHHBBN
But that’s enough of deku. Let’s talk about… denki??? How did you get here-
Denki kamanari and his strange, magical journey
Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of ideas for this one. I seriously need to rewatch Winx club, it’s been ages for me lmao
But the basic idea is that he appears right near “Redfountain School for Specialists”
Naturally, he’s freaking out cuz WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS PLACE
After a while of freaking out, he looks up to see the WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT??? THATS A GIANT ASS PLACE
But as he looks around, realizing that there’s only trees for miles on end, he decides to head into the school to try and find someone to help him. Because… where the fuck is he? He just wanna go back to Izuku and Bakugo :(
So he heads in. I was thinking that it’s probably assembly day, and the kids around him just assumes hes just some poor new kid who’s about to get in trouble cuz he’s not in uniform. It’s an important meeting for the school, so he just gets dragged in with a bunch of boys who are about to be late.
I imagine he’s just trying to ask questions, sees these boys running, and says “what’s going on??” And they turn to him and go “dude, important assembly today! We’re about to be fuckin late, come on”
And they just run off.
And welll- denkis confused and weirded out but… if it means finding someone who can find him, then he’ll just follow behind and play along for now
Long story short, he ends up accidentally becoming a part of the school cuz- just- no one is questioning this yellowed hair boy with a lighting streak on the side. He’s not the weirdest thing they’ve seen. Not to mention- school in the middle of the forest, not really seen by outsiders?
Most people probably wouldn’t think it’s an outsider. I mean… who the fuck would be out in this forest anyways?
And well- it’s probably only haft way though does denki actually tell them what happened to him. And maybe they don’t believe him at first, but once he shows off his “magic” they might start to believe him.
Thing is, the show never really went into this school a lot ( at least what I remember ) sooo I might just make up a bunch of shit for this
I mean the other plan is just to have him be in the fairies school, they quickly realize he’s not suppose to be here, and probably do everything in their power to bring him back to his old world so idk
BUUUTTR the idea of denki learning to fight with a sword is cool and funny at the same time SO-
Also also I’m definitely gonna take some shit from the scrapped monster high x ever after high movie that was suppose to be made but never was, so that’s actually a perfect way to get deku and bakugo back together
Not to mention I’m probably gonna have Cupid ( who actually appears in both shows as an important side character ) to be involved. I mean, dimensional traveling? That’s kinda her thing, I think she would catch wind very quickly that bakugo ISNT from a fairy tale story.
But uhhh yea that’s all of my ideas I guess. Do with them with what you want lmao
16 notes · View notes
authoralexharvey · 1 year
Note
Hello I'd LOVE to haer your answers on 8, 13, 20, 24, 32, 39, 43, and 49!
Hey Eva <3 Let's go!
8. Oldest WIP
This honor technically goes to TWEfA, which originally started as a "steampunk" novel when I was like 15 called Clinker Girl. This was originally an OLDER project called Project Imitation, which was 100000% inspired by the Vocaloid song "A Fake, Fake Psychotripic", and then split into two projects: God-Slaying Machine and Clinker Girl. Also, I found the old summary I had for PI on Wattpad and what the fuck this idea was really cool. The premise for CG was essentially, in a world of element-based magic, our main character could use Wind Magic but couldn't use Fire Magic for Trauma Reasons (pretty sure I was watching Kaze No Stigma around this time. IYKYK). That was Dakota, who has MOSTLY stayed the same in transition. Her plotline involving her growing love for Maka was supposed to intersect with the leader of an adventuring guild called Clink (her name was Vanille. Yes like from Final Fantasy XIII), who were desperate to do anything to get their name known again. In the ORIGINAL draft of Clink, the world was a lot like RWBY in which people used like. Magical tech and got neat powers from it, but I ended up scrapping that idea later on. Then at one point I got inspired by Madoka Magica and Maka was a goddess/Celestine, a race of people from the stars that are...basically gods so. Yeah. Anyway there was a Tournament Arc and EVERYTHING and I ended up scrapping it and cannibalizing the plot to use in TWEfA.
Also this had me going on a stint through all my old WP projects and man I had some cool ideas.
13. Describe your writing process from idea to polished
Hard to describe when it is... chaos. Generally, I get an idea and it gets sifted in the mass... bingo ball roller in my brain and every so often, a ball rolls out and I entertain it before chucking it back into the roller. Sometimes, I really like the idea and will hold onto it for longer, at which point I will actually start developing the plot and the characters and the setting and whatnot. After that I just kinda... go until I Flame out or have something completed. And if I do get something completed, then I get to rewrite it until my brain hurts, then have someone else look at it, then rewrite it again. Then hopefully it's something decent I can do something with.
20. How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?
Too many. Too fucking many. Which in some ways is good.
24. Favourite genre to write and read
Fantasy! Contemporary can be fun to read too, and I sometimes have more "contemporary" ideas, but.... most of the things I write are fantasy.
32. Most difficult character to write
Probably Charlie Holtz. I've talked about why before. The short of it is Charlie is way too close to me lmao trauma and all that. It's why I've barely gone anywhere with the project, despite how cool and excited it makes me.
39. Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had
Hard to say. Uhhh there was Fenrick from The Last Nephilim who was a six-inch faery who literally dripped sparkles. Not my best moment.
Uhhh Siobhan is kinda weird, given they're a Dullahan and eat via osmosis and lob their decapitated head around to creep people out.
Fel isn't WEIRD to me but will definitely be weird to a lot of people who read her. I love her a lot tho.
43. What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline?
Go along with it and try to route them back to the plan I had. Sometimes this works. Sometimes I just gotta go along with it cause the new idea was better.
49. Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?
Simone. Definitely Simone. The Simone before they kinda went off the rails, because they're really kind and nerdy and they would definitely help me study.
3 notes · View notes
gaybabything · 2 months
Note
Awwwww you have so many pets!! Agh they sound so cute. One day I will have a cat and I plan on naming it Pringles (if it is orange) and Pickles (for any other color)!!
OH THE ADVENTURE ZONE IS SO GOOD! But... you need to like their humor in order to like it- so I can understand if it isn't for you lol. Until the end of the first arch they are just following a module and having a good time, nothing really story heavy happens until later. (OH BUT ITS SO WORTH IT OMG-)
Favorite was ELA I always loved writing, I was just sad that it was almost NEVER creative writing. Just boring essays n' stuff. Least favorite was history/geography and... it shows. I am... REALLY dumb when it comes to those two things.
Favorite stuffed animal... hmmm. I would probably have to go with either Fred the GIANT stuffed bear, or my dragon with no wings (totally not a dinosaur- I refuse to admit that-) and his name is Quest!
As to what I am drawing: Right now I am working on my comic! I would show you but it might give away who I am haha (also- can't send pictures via anon)
Questions: What is underland chronicles about? Funny how similar our taste in shows was because MAN I know none of the books you listed. Do you have a favorite video game?
(also this is so fun! Thank you for doing this with me! I love meeting new people on here!!)
-🌻
History is my downfall as well!
Ok, so The Underland Chronicles follows the story of this 12 year old kid named Gregor. He lives in a small New York apartment with his mom and 2 sisters. One day, he and his baby sister fall down a vent shaft in their apartment building laundry room... and then keep falling. And falling. They wind up in this place called the Underland. It's an absolutely massive cave system running underneath like, the entire U.S. Down there is a full on city of people called Regalia. There, Gregor learns that he's a great warrior foretold by the prophecies of their people. And that basically all the animals in the underland are massive and sentient. There are giant bats that people "bond" with and can fly on the backs of. Giant man eating rats that want to kill all the humans in Regalia, giant cockroaches, giant mice, giant lizards, and just so much more.
This poor kid has been prophecized to basically save this kingdom from like a billion different threats. He has to kill this entire rat army, find a cure for a deadly plague, slay this extra giant rat dude, and like so much more. Also, this is written by Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games. So while these are books intended for 12 year olds, they are violent and graphic. So many characters die, and I think I cried over like every book. The last one really left me messed up. They are great. Like, for example, there's a scene where a character gets eaten alive by a giant pitcher plant, and they try to save her, but when they pull her out she's like completely dissolved by acid from the waist up. And on multiple occasions Gregor has been described as "drenched in blood" (not his own) and just absolutely traumatized. This kid gets messed up.
I love it literally so much. This series was like, the best thing my little 10 year old self ever read. I still encourage people to read it no matter your age cause it's just so good. It's also really hard to describe so my little summary does not do it justice at all.
My favorite video game is Little Nightmares! Specifically the first one, but I'm also a big fan of the second! I was also a big Undertale kid, but for some reason now I don't remember much of it?
Questions: Do you have a favorite video game? And aside from Warrior Cats, what's your favorite childhood book? Or favorite book in general?
(It's past 12 am here so I'm probably gonna go to bed in a bit!)
1 note · View note
asweetprologue · 3 years
Text
my burden to bear
@sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo
Prompt: Piggyback Relationships: Geralt/Jaskier Rating: Gen Content Warnings: None Summary: Jaskier gets hurt during a hunt and Geralt has to carry him back to town. Jaskier has mixed feelings about this. ao3
“You’re hurt,” Geralt said. Jaskier groaned from his position on the ground, more at Geralt’s tone than any amount of pain.
“I think I’m fine,” he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. When they’d come to the woods, they’d been working under the assumption that the creature plaguing the nearby village was nothing more than an overactive godling or maybe a hag. Neither of them had been expecting a leshen, and no amount of staying back from the fight did any good when your opponent could sense your location through the ground. While Geralt was valiantly slaying the beast, Jaskier had been darting away from roots shooting up from the ground and attempting to impale him. They’d not succeeded, but they had managed to send him sprawling as he tripped over an exposed root. He’d feared he was done for when suddenly the writhing plant life had collapsed. Though he was pleased to be still in one piece, his ankle throbbed traitorously where the root had tugged his feet out from under him. 
Geralt narrowed his eyes suspiciously and offered him a hand up. 
Jaskier took it and allowed himself to be pulled to standing, only to stumble as soon as he put weight on his left leg. Geralt caught him as his knees buckled, one hand snapping out to grab him by the elbow. Jaskier’s face lit up, heat spilling over his cheeks in an embarrassed flush. “Ah, shit,” he cursed. 
“Hmm,” Geralt agreed, looking down at the offending appendage with a stormy expression. “No Roach.” 
“So true,” Jaskier said morosely. They’d left Geralt’s trusty steed behind for this venture, as the brush was generally too thick for her to navigate. The village was a good mile or two away. Jaskier’s ankle seemed to throb even more intensely at the thought of the walk. “Well, nothing for it I suppose. I’ll manage.” He tried to pull out of Geralt’s grasp, gingerly testing the weight on his ankle. It felt like being stabbed in the tendon with a razor, but he would be alright. He had plenty of experience limping along beside Geralt on the Path. This time it would just be a bit more literal. 
Geralt did not release him, much to Jaskier’s surprise. “You’ll make it worse,” he said, mouth tightening. Jaskier’s pulse, only just having begun to settle down now that the leshen was dead, began to rise again. Angry Geralt he was plenty used to, but angry-at-him Geralt was not something he enjoyed. They both knew that Jaskier was a liability at best on hunts, and he was well aware that he was only ever one misstep from being left behind, at least for the truly adventurous moments. He hadn’t realized it would be an actual misstep that did him in. 
“I can manage, Geralt, I swear,” he protested. “What else am I meant to do? Stay here forever? I’m sure I could make a nice home out of the leshen’s abandoned burrow. House. Whatever.”
“They don’t have those,” Geralt said dismissively. “I could get Roach.”
“Sure. So I can be eaten by the wolves that ran off when you killed the beastie. I’m sure they’ll be eager to finish the fight once the huge man with the swords fucks off. I’ll walk, it’ll be fine, I’ll -”
“I’ll carry you.”
Jaskier blinked, and then blinked again. He must have heard wrong. “Come again?”
Geralt glared at him, as if daring him to offer up a different solution. “I’ll carry you. It’s not that far of a walk, and I still have Thunderbolt in my system. It wouldn’t be hard.”
If Jaskier had thought he was flushed before, it was nothing compared to now. “Ah, well. Um. Are you certain? I suppose - I really can walk, truly -” He took a step backwards, away from the warm hand that still cupped his elbow, only to nearly drop to the ground when a bolt of pain shot up his ankle. Even his knee ached with it. Geralt caught him around the waist, hauling him upright again and, unfortunately, directly into the witcher’s space. Jaskier gasped at the contact more than the near tumble, though he hoped Geralt thought it was just the surprise. 
“I can see that,” Geralt said dryly, their nose barley inches apart. Jaskier swallowed. 
“I take your point. How, uh, how do you want to do this?”
Geralt released him, allowing Jaskier to take a deep, fortifying breath. Leaning all his weight on his good leg, he waited while Geralt turned around and knelt down on the mossy forest floor. Jaskier exhaled slowly. “Put your arms around my shoulders,” Geralt said. 
Jaskier ran a hand along his face, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. “This is so infantilizing,” he grumbled, but he leaned over and pressed his chest to Geralt’s back, wrapping his arms around his broad shoulders. He was extraordinarily grateful for Geralt’s armor, separating him from the heat of his body. As it was, he still felt like he might spontaneously combust when Geralt’s large hands came up to grip under his thighs and raised him effortlessly into the air. 
Holy fuck. “Melitele,” he said, “do I weigh anything to you?”
“No,” Geralt said with an amused huff. He began to take sure steps through the clearing and back the way they’d come. Jaskier shifted to find a more comfortable position for his arms, and found that he could lift them away entirely without Geralt dropping him an inch. 
“I feel like a toddler,” he groused. 
“Next time watch your step,” Geralt grunted. 
They made their way through the forest slowly, Geralt carefully navigating the underbrush. Jaskier was aware that he was being more delicate with his footwork than he typically was, avoiding any areas that might throw him off balance or land Jaskier with a face full of branches. He was being nice, Jaskier realized, not even getting back at him for the fact that he had to carry Jaskier’s sorry ass through the woods. Always so chivalrous. 
That was Geralt though. Even when he was grumpy and upset and probably worn out from a fight, he was always going out of his way to be kind. He wasn’t always nice, Geralt, but he was almost always kind. It was a miracle, honestly, that he didn’t lose hold of his temper more often than he did. They would bicker, often, and fight, sometimes. But even when he was mad, Geralt was often still considerate, still worried about Jaskier’s safety and comfort. He was always taking absurdly underpaid jobs, even taking payment in a simple meal or a roof over his head sometimes, just because there were people in danger. This village, for example, had scraped together a tiny purse to offer a passing witcher, desperation writ on their faces. Seven people, including two children, had disappeared in the last season. It was a small village, only a little cluster of houses, and such a loss must have been felt deeply. Geralt had looked at the purse, a frown maring his features, and pushed it back into the alderman’s dirty hands. The job had ended up being even more dangerous than he’d assumed, but Jaskier knew Geralt wouldn’t take payment beyond maybe a warm loaf of bread and some hearty stew from the alderman’s wife. 
It was wildly unfair that the reputation of witchers remained so heavily tarnished. That Geralt’s reputation still suffered so. It was starting to mend - in the decade since Jaskier had begun traveling with him, the White Wolf ballads had become popular, enough so that many towns they passed through were already ready to throw their crowns and orens at his feet. But the further north they went, the closer to Blaviken, the less people were swayed by his songs. People didn’t always see what Jaskier saw. Not everyone felt the depth of affection swell in their breast at the sight of his silver hair and golden eyes, regardless of how many times Jaskier tried to put it to words. Maybe it wasn’t something he would ever be able to capture. This haunting, aching thing inside him that just loved and loved and loved Geralt of Rivia. 
He wished he could do more, more to alleviate Geralt’s pain and stress. And instead here he was, only putting more weight on his shoulders. Literally. Jaskier rested his forehead against the leather of Geralt’s armor with a sigh. That was the story of his life, though. Try to help, get in the way, get pushed aside. An infallible cycle. 
“Alright?” Geralt asked suddenly. Jaskier blinked back to himself, attempting to shake off the shroud of self pity that had settled over him. 
“Hmm?” he responded, lifting his head from Geralt’s shoulder. “Alright what?”
“I’m asking,” Geralt said. “You’re quiet. That only ever happens if you’re writing a song or you’re dying.” He paused. “It’s only your ankle?”
Jaskier huffed out a laugh, stirring the hairs at the base of Geralt’s neck. The silver strands were pulled back into a short pony, leaving the pale expanse of skin beneath exposed. Jaskier had to tamp down the swift and overpowering urge to tuck his nose into the spot just behind Geralt’s ear, to press his lips to the scar just above the line of his armor, where some monster must have gotten in a lucky hit. Forcing himself to focus, he said, “Just the ankle, I swear. I’m only thinking.”
“So it is a song,” Geralt said darkly. 
“A great ballad about how the White Wolf of Rivia once again saved a humble bard,” he agreed, eagerly latching onto the half lie. “You’ve made a bit of a habit of it.”
Geralt grunted, sounding unamused. Suddenly there was a burst of sunlight across Jaskier’s vision, warm on his face. They stepped out of the forest and onto the small dirt track that led to the village, which Jaskier could just barely see peeking out over the rise of the next hill over. The sky was a sprawling blue tapestry above them, not a cloud in sight. “I don’t like it,” Geralt said, stopping to scan the road briefly. 
Jaskier’s throat felt tight. “Saving me?”
Geralt hummed an affirmative and began walking again, towards the village. 
Jaskier let out a long breath, equal parts annoyed and hurt. “Well no one’s asking you to,” he snapped. “I know it’s, I don’t know, part of your job, but you don’t need to go out of your way.”
Geralt shook his head, nearly hitting Jaskier in the face with his short ponytail. “It’s not a fucking chore, Jaskier. I just don’t - I wish you didn’t need saving.”
“Well, you and me both,” Jaskier said. “I know you think I do it on purpose, but I don’t actually want to get in the way.”
“Jaskier,” Geralt gritted out. Truly annoyed now. “Nothing you do could keep me from doing my job.”
“Well obviously you always finish the fight, I wouldn’t imagine you’d just quit on my behalf -”
“I don’t like it,” Geralt interrupted, “because I don’t like this.” He moved one hand to Jaskier’s injured ankle, the touch feather light. Jaskier’s knees tightened automatically to hold himself in place, but it was barely necessary. Geralt was strong enough to hold him in one hand. It made Jaskier feel deeply fragile, but not necessarily in a bad way. More like something precious and delicate. Worthy of being preserved. It made his fingers tingle where they were latched together between Geralt’s collarbones, just at the base of his throat. 
“Oh,” he said, at a loss for words. “I didn’t know that it, um. Well - I’m really fine.”
“I know,” Geralt said, sounding tired and a little amused. “You always are, mostly. I still don’t like it.” He tapped a finger against the heel of Jaskier’s boot, still light, and then put his hand back to support Jaskier’s thigh. “Sometimes I forget that you’re not like witchers.”
Jaskier laughed outright at that. “I can’t imagine how you could lose track of that piece of information. I complain about my bad eyesight and sore feet daily, as you are certainly aware. I’m the same as any other human.”
“You’re really not,” Geralt said, so quiet that it almost seemed to be said to himself. Jaskier stilled at that, startled and somehow warmed by the sentiment. 
“Thank you,” he finally said. They were nearly to the outskirts of the village, where hopefully they would find a warm welcome with the alderman or another grateful peasant. They might be given a place to rest for the night, maybe a few, while Jaskier’s ankle healed. Maybe they would be asked to move along, and Geralt would let him ride on Roach for a few days, and in the evening he would give Jaskier the salve he used for bruises and pulled muscles. Maybe even rub it into his swollen foot himself.  “I’m sorry to burden you.”
“You’re not a burden, Jask,” Geralt said. Then he laughed, a dry rasp that Jaskier never tired of hearing. “Well, alright. Technically you are at the moment. But I don’t mind.” As they reached the first house, he gently set Jaskier on his feet, turning to offer support. Jaskier let him slip a broad arm around his back, Jaskier’s own stretched out across Geralt’s shoulder to grip at the rough leather there. After having Geralt’s face hidden from him on the walk back, the sudden confrontation with golden eyes and square jaw was enough to make Jaskier flustered. Their faces were close now, and it felt almost too intimate, too raw after being unable to see Geralt’s expression during the rest of their conversation. Geralt quirked a small smile at him, a fondness there that Jaskier felt echoed in his own chest. “I don’t like it when you get hurt, but I don’t mind saving you.” 
Jaskier couldn’t help but smile back, even though his heart was racing and he knew his face was flushed from their proximity. “I suppose I’ll have to let you keep doing it then,” he said, only the tiniest bit breathless. 
“Good,” Geralt said, and together they took their first steps into the village. “But for the love of the gods, at least try not to get yourself into trouble.”
Jaskier laughed even as his ankle flared with renewed pain and he spotted a few villagers stepping out of their homes, concern plastered across their faces for the injured bard. So it would be hot stew, he thought giddily, and a warm place by the fire, and Geralt would still probably rub that salve into his ankle. He could be satisfied with that. “Geralt, my dearest, just try and stop me.”
384 notes · View notes
aros001 · 3 years
Text
Read through light novel vol. 7. Random thoughts.
Tumblr media
I swear Goblin Slayer looks like he's blushing through his armor on that cover. I don't blame him, given it's Cow Girl, but that's what it looks like.
I always get a laugh out of Goblin Slayer's completely unwillingness or inability to remember any type of monster outside of goblins. I think he only knows what vampires and dragon are because they're the most popular monster adventurers want to beat and thus the ones he'd hear about the most. He repeatedly can't remember what an ogre is despite dropping an ocean on one, nor the dark elf or troll, and I think last volume he needed a long minute to remember what giant rats are. No surprise he can't remember what the Loch Ness Monster's name was in this book, or what an elephant is. Mokele Mubenbe. It's hard for me to even pronounce that.
Lizard Priest was in the process of bringing each of the nuns upstairs into the chapel from the basement storehouse. “Stay strong, now. When dawn breaks, we can take you somewhere less upsetting.” “Thank you... Truly...” “Think nothing of it. We may revere different deities, but monkeys came from lizards, in the end. That makes us cousins.” “Heh-heh... You lizardmen...say the strangest...things...”
I don't say this often enough but Lizard Priest is just kind of the best, you know? He's like a big, scaly, green teddy bear. He's a very comforting presence and such an easy person for everyone, including those of different faiths like Priestess and the elves, to be friends with.
At first I was disappointed Priestess didn't get a cure poison miracle, given how often goblins come at the party using poisoned weapons, but her Purify miracle has certainly proved its usefulness, both for cleaning water and air as well as helping psychologically by cleaning up the victims of the goblins. Doesn't restore their stolen virginity but at least leaves less marks and filth for them to be constantly reminded what the goblins did to them. Plus, Goblin Slayer is no stranger to using smoke or poison gas, so Purify is probably good to have on hand to keep such methods from harming the party themselves.
In the middle of this flood of stories, Goblin Slayer said, “So this is your home.” “That’s right.” “That’s good.” “Well—” High Elf Archer’s eyes narrowed like a smiling cat’s. “It’s where my heart is.” Goblin Slayer nodded. Cow Girl blinked at him for a moment. Then he said, “And there are goblins near it.” The note of anger in his voice was unmistakable.
I love all the members of the party, so naturally I'm enjoying all the bonding moments between Goblin Slayer and High Elf Archer in this book, as well as the parallels he keeps drawing between them, especially in regards to their sisters. Their interactions are fun because their personalities contrast so much but in a different way than his and Priestess' or her and Dwarf Shaman's.
Then she went on, “Actually, even a lot of elvish adventurers act like that, especially if they’ve just left the forest.” It’s not that they have no sense of danger, just a poor grasp of scale.
That last bit is a good way of describing a lot of this series. There are people ignorant of how truly dangerous the goblins can be but outside of porcelain ranks it's usually not deliberately so. They just live in a world of other insanely large threats that don't like being ignored, with the elves in particular having members of their species whom lived through the old battles of the gods. Goblins are basically pests and goblin slaying pest control. They're a problem but barely a blip on the radar when you're comparing them to freaking Sauron, whom it feels like you just recently finally got rid of.
There is something absolutely hilarious to me that this man in dirty leather and steel armor, coated in faded red stains, who refuses to ever take his helmet off, barely talks, frequently walks in a manner that's described as violent, and who's sole obsession it is to wipe out every last goblin in existence, is known as The Kindest Man on the Frontier. But I still love it because it makes sense. Most villages on the frontier can't get help with their goblin problems because there's not a lot of fame or money in killing goblins and bigger threats are given more the priority, so they're just left on their own. But then Goblin Slayer comes in, doing the job without any thought to reward or praise. He's saved god knows how many kidnapped women prevented the destruction of countless villages. From the outside, yeah, it looks like just simple kindness. Get to know him a little better and you see that it's obsession. And when you get as close as Priestess and Cow Girl, you agree that it's kindness.
It's so cool that the elf adventurer the party saved on their first quest together made a reappearance, even if it's a small one. Like with Wizard's little brother wanting to avenge her, it's good to show that the people brutalized by the goblins aren't just props to show how serious the situation is. They're real (albeit fictional) people, who had their own lives and people who loved them, so having them still matter later in the story and them trying to get at least some closure is good writing.
I was talking with someone before in my vol. 6 post that something I really like about Goblin Slayer's character is his immaturity. Not that he's whiny and bratty like a kid but rather his trauma stunted him in a few ways. He likely had nothing to do with his village being attacked by goblins but to this day he blames himself for what happened to his sister, from him hiding and doing nothing to save her to in this volume believing she would have long moved on from their village if she didn't have to take care of him. Taking on all that blame and guilt, it's such a childish way of thinking and his trauma (and Burgler's training) meant he never was able to grow out of it. I can just see that little boy under the floorboards, thinking everything that's happening around him is some divine punishment from the gods for something bad he did, like not listening to his sister or getting mad at Cow Girl or literally anything else a kid would normally do.
This world has freaking elevators?! What?! When they first mentioned it I thought it was going to be something involving water or magic or gears, but no! Control panels, keypad, entering a code. It even goes bong when it arrives at its destination. I mean, they say it's not clear whether it operates magically or mechanically but this still feels like a big jump in this world's technology level, considering the most high tech thing I remember prior was ice cream making, and that was a chemical process. I just love the image of Goblin Slayer's party patiently waiting in the elevator as it's going up and soft muzak is playing.
By the time he noticed the change, it was too late. The goblin shaman’s blood had been turned to pure water.
WHOA! Priestess! What the f**k?! Was this her version of strangling the goblin champion with a bundle of hair?! That was awesome!
Also not good for her, given her beliefs. It's a good little conflict for her character and sets up some worry about what'll happen if she does something like this again. The Earth Mother spoke directly to her to warn this was a one-time deal. Would Priestess lose the ability to use Miracles or would the goddess outright smite her for such gross abuse of the powers she gave her? There's also the added conflict that Goblin Slayer praised her for what she did. He's not as important as the Earth Mother but he's still someone Priestess respects and is attached to more than anyone else, so she's going to be conflicted if his life is on the line again.
I've never played DOOM. Still love the reference with Hero.
...Is that why there was an elevator? Is this world some odd combination of DnD, Lord of the Rings, and DOOM?
Even though they showed his image, with everyone else all dressed up for the wedding I'm enjoying imagining Goblin Slayer in his normal armor, just with the addition of a bow tie.
Damn that bouquet tease. Who caught it?! Priestess?! Cow Girl?! Sword Maiden leaping in through the window?!
Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/fzwykz/read_through_light_novel_vol_7_random_thoughts/
7 notes · View notes
ectora · 3 years
Text
Review episode 312
It’s weird because I enjoyed the episode but most of my comments are actually criticism so bare with me 😂
Overall it was a nice episode to watch. The acting was on point especially for Sarah and Poppy imo they carried this episode but also probably cause they’re the one with the most compelling stories on this one. The episode kinda felt like a filler but honestly that’s because the show is focusing too much on the allergy and we know that’s not gonna be fixed til the end so as long as they make that the main story of the sisters, most episodes are gonna feel like fillers when it comes to them. Macy and Maggie had their own little adventure with a ghost which was funny (again kudo to Sarah), Harry and Mel went on a quest for a soul tho we still have no clue what it actually meant and Abigael was going through her own little traumatic hell in the tomb (Poppy really has been particularly slaying this storyline acting wise ).
Screen time
Abigael: 6m11s
Macy: 17m24s
Mel: 11m15s
Maggie: 18m24s
Harry: 11m03s
Tumblr media Tumblr media
What I liked
Maggie still got the internship and I’m glad back she deserved it. I really don’t dislike Antonio but I’m also glad they kinda made it clear she wasn’t interested and that she finally made progress with her feelings for Jordan.
Abigael. I liked it because it gave us more insight on Abigael’s past (tho I still think they should have given us this earlier). I always theorised that from her childhood, she was obviously scared from the fact her mom never really accepted her demon side which created her deep feeling of rejection and how she was never accepted and never belonged. But I also thought she had some kind of loving family. Like to me these two things were not necessarily contradictory. Well apparently not. Her mom straight out abused her during her childhood. Which definitely explain why she choose the demon side like that. Both her parents were terrible to them but as she said in the past, at least she can understand demon a little but. She can rationalise it base on their nature. When it came from her mom however, it came fully from a place of dislike which must have been very harmful on a child. So obviously when I say I like it I don’t mean I like what her mom did to her, but I really like the insight and explanation. And again, Poppy did an amazing job. She made Abigael feel so vulnerable and scared, and confirmed that, ultimately what Abigael always wanted was acceptance. Which she first needs to give to herself.
Marisol and Macy sharing a scene. I have my issues with how it went which I’ll come to later. But I’m glad it existed and Mads really showed great emotions.
That was a short list because if I did enjoy the episode and there was some highlights I’ll talk about later, I also can’t really pintpoint things I loved.
What I disliked
Harry’s story. I just really don’t like how they make it all about the relationship when it could be so much deeper than that. I also am not sure I like the length to which he’s ready to go for it. Like the entire soul donation is a bit weird to me.
Marisol and Macy. Listen that one made me angry. Maybe it wouldn’t have if Macy actually had other stuff going on than her relationship with Harry but with the way the show has been writing her mostly around her relationship with Harry, it really didn’t come across well to me. The fact we had for the first time a in present tense scene between Macy and Marisol and all they talked about a man has me fuming. Maybe if they had had a longer time to talk. But they had like two minutes and most of it was about men.
The sisters. I don’t like the fact Mel wasn’t there when they were going to connect with their mom. I feel like that should have been a story kept for all three of them. I’m also annoyed that they once again refused to give us some Mel and Macy. I would have liked to see them a bit. Once again that sisterly bond feels like it’s non existent.
Melby. I cannot believe anyone would actually look at them and think yes that’s good. The treatment is absolutely terrible. The buildup was bad - because it was supposed to last - and the fact it’s all off screen is absolutely terrible. Ruby has been in three episode this season. One of them she didn’t actually share a scene with Ruby. The second episode they were full of drama and jealousy and they were so easily breaking up. And suddenly we jump to the I love yous. And were supposed to find that cute ? Like what are we supposed to think they love about each other? The constant breaking ups ? Cause that’s the most consistent thing about them. It kinda feels cheap in the way it’s done ngl.
What doesn’t make sense
Why was Jordan in the description ? I feel they’re kinda trying to avoid putting Abi’s name in the summaries (or at least it feels like it) but like .... Jordan had not reason to even be talked about. He didn’t appear once. It should have been Abi’s name in there.
The pills falling from the pocket Like ... Harry you had literally one job. How exactly did they fall ??
Why did they seem lost until their realised Jordy was a descendant and they could use his soul. Did I miss something saying it needed to be a male descendant ? Cause like ... Gil (Jil ? Idk) was literally right there. (Nevermind apparently I missed them saying « male descendent » my bad dkdjd
How did abi know she was in the tomb. Like I know my girl is smart but like ... she has basically no contact with the sisters at this point so how on earth did she learn how the tomb works and what happens inside ??
Highlights
The hammer. Listen, don’t ask me why but this picture of abi has been sending me for weeks now and I’ve been wondering the context since I’ve seen it. Like it gives me the biggest dumb bitch energy ever. The fact that abi is a very smart person and just thought a hammer would get her out of the tomb just has me laughing like it’s just too funny to me 😭
“The British hot lady” Swan I understand You
The way Maggie calls for Abi and gets into her apartment. I don’t know why I just love it.
Macy trying to lie to Antonio. Macy’s face when she lies is always a delight.
No but do any of these older generations know what not having an affair even mean? But I mean like father like son I guess.
« Who footnotes a spell » Macy’s face was so funny 😭 she was so done with it.
Theories
Not gonna lie. I’m a bit scare about next episode. I think it might be really interesting but also I’m very scare of the execution especially when it comes to Abigael and Macy. I do believe Macy has valid to distrust Abigael. However the show has been terrible at portraying those. And ultimately, especially lately, the sisters and Abigael have barely crossed paths. They’re barely in each other’s lives. All the do is coexist in the same city and interact when demons are involved which isn’t really the case. So right now all abi is doing is keeping the demons in lines. So I’m scared that Macy’s rightful dislike and distrust is almost gonna come across as pettiness or jealousy. But I also think that there is a difference between not trusting Abigael and say she deserves to be in the tomb. Cause at the end of the day past episode 4 what has she really done so terrible that deserves eternal suffering/delusion or whatever the tomb actually does. She’s manipulative and self serving sure but she also helps more than anything. The sisters have actually nothing to win have having Abigael stuck in there. And more to lose.
One theory is that the perfecti are trying to isolate the sisters. Putting abi and Jordan in the tomb is separating them from their allies and helping Harry to lose his powers is taking their guidance/healer away from them.
Another is just that really just have a very strict black and white vision and Abigael being a demon and Jordan helping them makes them automatically in the black category. Which the title seems to be referring to so it’s probably this.
I think the upcoming episode might be a way to introduce the whole controversy around Macy’s demon powers. And slowly bringing up the story of Abigael giving them back to her.
I think it also might be a way to actually have the show approach the wrongs Abigael did in the show. But also the rights. After all, it seems like they’ll need to prove she doesn’t deserve to be in it. Which I personally don’t think she does. Though she definitely did wrong things in her life. So I think they might actually use this as an occasion to have the sisters talk about what she did do that was wrong. And hopefully also highlight that she did help them on multiple occasions.
With the “previously in charmed” it makes it feel like they’re still going with Maggie not knowing Jordan can actually touch her and this doesn’t stop confusing me. But I can see the show have them hug once he’s out of the tomb and then kinda admit their feelings finally and Jordan say something in the lines that he kept it from her because he didn’t want to put pressure on her or that him being able to touch her didn’t change the fact she wanted to focus on herself or something on those lines.
One thing I want to talk about is Abigael. Please don’t read this paragraph if you haven’t heard about the rumours going around. //// The fact is, there is a very strong change Poppy is leaving the show. And the way they made this episode made it very clear Abigael was abused as a child. But that she is also absolutely craving love and acceptance. And that she does love her mom and always wanted her love. I’m very scared that if they make Abigael leave (better than die) they’d make her go back to her sister and family and try to fix their relationship. Which would absolutely be terrible message to give as we literally know now that she was abused. And making a character go back to their abusers because of the trauma it caused (her fear of rejection and inability to actually accept herself) would just be disgusting. But I’m scared that’s the road they’re gonna take.
16 notes · View notes
dzamie-oc · 3 years
Text
11 - Holiday
i’m what the kids call tired
Length: 1500 words Rating: T (suggestive words, only kobolds are naked and they’ve got scales) Summary: Morning for a particular adventuring group, and it turns out there’s a holiday about slaying a dragon about. What an event.
-----
Falina groaned and shifted under the covers. A pair of somethings yawned, then snuggled back in against her, trapping one arm. Her mind paused for a moment, then, staying as still as possible, the human woman moved her free arm to carefully, tentatively feel what had latched onto her in her sleep. Scales. She felt the tough, but not unpleasant, texture of scales under her fingers. Opening her eyes, she found herself still in the room above the Adventurer’s Guild, with her elven partner still in his trance state against the wall.
A lump under the blankets shifted. The woman lifted them away, and found herself staring at a pair of jaws spread wide, baring a plethora of small, yet sharp teeth. Adrenaline surged through her body, and she reached for the knife on the table... when those jaws closed, revealing the face of a small, dragon-like creature with yellow scales and eyes to match, slowly blinking sleep from her eyes.
Right in front of her, Rinta sat up on her knees and stretched her arms up with a groan, giving Falina a good view of her bare scales. Then, the kobold leaned over, nudged the other lump in the blankets, and made some growling and hissing noises Falina assumed to be Draconic. A few moments later, a second, green head poked out of the covers. Kassar said something back to Rinta, but extracted himself from Falina’s bedspread and shook himself. The human looked at the yellow kobold, and noticed she was looking back at her. No, not at her - at the knife in her hand.
“A-ah,” Falina said, letting the weapon fall back onto the table. “Look, to my tired eyes, a yawning kobold looks a lot like a hungry dragon, especially a foot away from my face.”
To her surprise, the kobold smiled, and her tail swished back and forth excitedly, running into Falina’s leg. “Really? Oh, thanks!” She hopped off the bed and began to stretch the rest of her body, then looked back over at the human. “I’m glad your reaction time is lacking, then. I use magic best when there’s not a dagger buried in my scales.”
With her two apparent bedmates no longer on the bed, Falina threw the sheets off of herself and sat up, feet on the floor. With the kobolds having discarded their clothes before getting in her bed, she was relieved to find that her own garments were still on her. “Yeah, well, try not to yawn in my face once Arwyn and I hit silver rank. You’re not like the tales of evil kobolds passed around the Guild hall.” Falina pulled on pants, then a shirt, both a little baggy to conceal the tools of her trade. “So why were you two in my bed?”
“Why wouldn’t we be? You invited us to sleep with you last night,” Kassar chimed in, “something about it being cold.”
“I WHAT?!” Falina exclaimed. Off to the side, she heard Arwyn chuckling; the elf was evidently only feigning to still be in a trance.
“Yeah, I’m glad you’re warming up to us a bit,” the green lizard replied, “you’re very soft, by the way. I mean, obviously without scales, but still! Very comfortable.”
“I- with you two?!”
“Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?” Rinta said, scaly arms crossed over scaly chest. “We may not be dragons, but there’s no need for tha-”
“Ah, you younguns. Before we spill each other’s blood...” Arwyn interrupted, “Falina. They meant literally that they slept alongside you. Rinta, Kassar. In human slang, ‘to sleep with’ someone means to have sex with them.”
“Ohhh...” Kassar and Falina said.
Rinta huffed and put on her cloak. “That reaction was still rude.”
After they all got dressed, they opened the door of their room, ready to see what people needed helping and what creatures needed slaying. To their surprise, the hallway had been decorated with streamers, and they could hear raucous cheering and singing more clearly from the hall below.
“Oh, that’s right!” Falina said, “it’s Drachenfell today! Oh, we’re definitely taking a day to have fun.”
“Drachenfall?” Rinta asked. A human adventurer rushed past them, knocking her aside; in retaliation, she gripped her staff and growled at the receding hooligan, the glow in its crystal fading when a green-scaled hand pulled at her arm.
Falina pretended not to notice the interrupted spell, and instead explained, “yeah, about seventy or so years ago, a team of the king’s great knights slew the terrible dragon, uh...” She snapped her fingers a few times, trying to remember the name, and finally continued, “Kazerahad. And it happened close to here, so we celebrate it like it was entirely our doing.” With a proud grin, she crossed her arms and nodded. “Which, of course, it was, even if the knights came from other places.”
Arwyn tossed his dark brown hair. “Ah, and to your people, this is all ancient history, I’m sure.”
Two tails and a hand smacked the elf. “You’re forty, ‘gramps;’ nobody’s buying it,” Falina said.
Arriving in the food hall, the group broke off their conversation to grab a meal: meat for the kobolds, a salad for the elf, and eggs and toast for Falina, herself. They all reconvened at an empty spot at one of the tables. Next to them, a few adventurers with badges of copper or iron traded extremely true stories of the many, many dragons they, personally, had defeated, oftentimes without the aid of their party. Falina caught Rinta looking between her meat and the boisterous braggarts with a mischievous, hungry glint in her eye, so she reached over and tapped the kobold’s snout with the handle of her fork. “Hey, none of that. No fighting in the Guild Hall.”
“I wouldn’t call it a fight-”
“Not happening.”
Rinta still looked reluctant to give up her quarry, so Kassar spoke up. “So, this Drachenfall thing,” he started, “it commemorates the death of a dragon, in one of those ‘don’t be sad because it’s over, but happy because it happened’ things?”
“Well-” Arwyn started, but Rinta cut in.
“No, it probably started as a somber event, but over time got happier, because festivals are more fun than days of remembrance.”
Falina furrowed her brow. “No, it’s a celebration that the dragon died. There was a monstrous, fire-breathing beast terrorizing the city and devouring people, and the valorant knights saved the citizenry from its horrible hunger.”
“Ah... right,” Rinta said, her downward-curved horns seeming to reflect her mood. She tore off a bite of her breakfast and lethargically swallowed it in a few gulps. “So... maybe Kassar and I will take a small assignment or two, and leave you people off to celebrate the killing of Khazhra’ad.”
The human, for her part, felt like a bit of a jerk. She looked down at her own plate, idly listening to the roar of voices all around. The only one not downspirited seemed to be Arwyn, who finished off his salad before suggesting, “a pair of small, dragon-looking beings unaccompanied around town, on a day that’s, well, kind of about dragon slaying, and therefore probably has plenty of world-ignorant children and cocky teens with toy swords? I can’t say I like that combination.”
Rinta sighed. “Yeah, and beating or eating kids is a no-go, no matter what you think about my...” she cast a glance at the adventurers who were showing off scars that totally came from dragon fights and not accidentally stepping on a cat’s tail, before continuing, “... hunting desires. So, what then, Arwyn? Because if you think we should just stay in here all day, I’m gonna invite at least one of those humans to our room and have myself a snack.”
“We could go with them and try to forget the real theme of the holiday,” Kassar put forth. The others gave him strange looks: Arwyn looked impressed, Falina looked confused, and Rinta looked at him like he had renounced koboldhood and would be living as an alligator. So, the green kobold explained, “you said it yourself, there’s enough time for the celebrations to change. Besides, this is a pretty major thing, it seems; if we spend the day avoiding it, we’ll come up miserably short in our report to Azurel.”
Rinta gulped down the rest of her breakfast, and chased it with a swig of her drink. “Alright, for Azurel.”
Falina smiled, though her enthusiasm was still tempered by her earlier misstep. “Great to hear! So, we’d have to avoid... that, that... that one... probably there... oh! I know what to start with. You two can eat sugar and bread, right?”
Kassar shrugged. “We can eat just about anything. Our lack of gag reflex isn’t just for draconic pleasure.”
To the side, one of the noisy adventurers choked on his toast. Rinta leaned over and remarked, “another casualty of draconic superiority. Tragic.”
Falina shook her head at the yellow kobold, then leaned in conspiratorially to Kassar. “Well then, you’re about to learn the glory of funnel cake.”
8 notes · View notes
seattlesea · 3 years
Text
Why is Piper McLean Annoying?
So, I see a lot of people saying that Piper McLean is annoying for a variety of reasons like ‘She’s too obsessed with Jason’, ‘She complains too much’, ‘She’s too jealous’, etc. (and I agree), but I also realize that barely anyone really explains why, which I think is a bit unfair to the Piper fans, cause I’m sure they want to see our reasonings. So, I thought it was only fair to explain why Piper McLean is annoying. 
First off, her obsession with Jason. I get that she likes the guy, but thinking about him every single paragraph gets really tiring after a while. It dragged the books and made them seem less of a hobby and more like a chore, like we had to get through the boring, tedious romance parts to get to the good stuff (which ended up disappointing). Of course Piper likes Jason, but her priority issues are what made her obsession with him so annoying. Like, doesn’t she have much more important things to do than sulk in her room whining about a boy? Like, I don’t know, train (which she only did in The House of Hades after Hazel told her to), plan for the final fight with the giants and Gaea, talk to her past friends and family in case she didn’t make it out alive, etc.? While all the other demigods were fighting for their lives, training their butts off, and working hard to make sure everything went smooth, Piper was sulking and whining about Jason in bed then complained that she was useless 💀 And I see a lot of arguments about why Piper’s obsession with Jason was fine, but let me make a counter-argument for each one- ‘She’s a daughter of Aphrodite’- You mean the daughter of Aphrodite who constantly claimed she hates Aphrodite and her children, is supposed to be the chill, down-to-earth one, and tries extremely hard to not be a typical daughter of Aphrodite? That one? I think the readers tend to forget that Aphrodite is the goddess of all love, not just romance.  ‘She’s a high school girl’- A high school girl who was given the responsibility of helping save the world, and yet her boyfriend is the number one thing on her mind? I can guarantee you high school girls do not only think about their boyfriends. That’s actually quite a rude stereotype that Riordan fell right into. ‘She wants normalcy’- And of course she’s going to get that with the guy who can shoot lightning from his hands and fly. If she really wanted normalcy, she would’ve gotten together with a mortal guy, not another demigod whom she’s questing with. ‘The people who claim she’s annoying for her crush on Jason are the same people who’ve had crushes on a million fictional characters’- But do those people let those crushes define their whole life, get in the way of their morals, and are the only thing they ever think or talk about? Liking multiple people and being creepily obsessed with another are very different things. 
Second, her jealousy over Reyna. I get that liking a guy and finding out another girl who’s known him for much longer also likes him is pretty jealousy-evoking...for a regular high school girl. But Piper isn’t a regular high school girl, she’s a demigod who’s supposed to concentrate on saving the whole world. Even in The Lost Hero, her jealousy and obsession was annoying (and creepy and honestly stalker-ish, like- wanting a guy all to yourself despite knowing your relationship with him was fake and completely dismissing the chances of any girl he might’ve known without ever getting to know him is pretty creepy) because even though she had just gotten introduced to the demigod world and had to adapt to it- she had just gotten introduced to the demigod world and had to adapt to it. How many people who just learned that gods, monsters, and myths were real and that they have to save their dad from a blood-thirsty giant and free a goddess from captivity or the world would end is going to think exclusively about a guy? That’s what makes it annoying. And even after The Mark of Athena when Jason and Piper were dating and Jason promised he wouldn’t leave her, Piper was still constantly worried about Reyna. Like, girl, don’t you have more important things to worry about? Like World War III between the Greeks and Romans? Or the literal end of the world? Or like, Armageddon? This also impacted the overall writing. During The Blood of Olympus, Frank and Piper were at a cave and Frank went in to get an ingredient for the Physician’s Cure, and the point of view was Piper’s, who sat outside waiting for him daydreaming about Jason and her friends. Frank was talking to his legendary shape-shifting ancestors and we got to read about a little girl complaining and sulking. That’s what makes Piper so annoying. 
Third, her complaining. Piper fans often argue that everyone is allowed to complain about their trauma and you shouldn’t compare it to others...but there is none for Piper. She’s literally complaining for nothing. ‘Oh, but her dad was neglectful and didn’t care about her!!!’ ????are we reading the same book??? Piper has had multiple flashbacks of her and her dad hanging out like going surfing, watching Tristan’s movies, reading Greek myths, discussing Cherokee stories, etc., and it’s obvious Tristan loves Piper very much. Everything he does is for her. It’s not even his choice to be busy, it’s his agent’s, and even though he’s super busy, he always makes time for Piper even though Piper constantly makes his life harder by getting herself in trouble despite knowing his job and life is already stressful enough. Plus the fact that no matter how much bad Piper did, Tristan never punished or got mad at her for it. The fact that she’s complaining about her private chef making her a gold-wrapped sandwich while a lot of the other characters spent their childhood having to wonder where their next meal was going to come from and complained about having things they didn’t have 5% of was what was annoying. There’s a difference between ‘comparing traumas’ and being flat-out insensitive (as Piper was). If I saw some spoiled rich kid complaining about their peanut butter-jelly sandwich being wrapped in fake gold by their personal chef right in front of a starving homeless kid, I probably would’ve thrown a rock at them. 
The last and most annoying part- the genre. The number one reason people think that Piper is annoying is that we didn’t read this story for romance. We didn’t pick up a Rick Riordan book to read about romance and jealousy, we did so to read about slaying monsters and saving the world. The entire Heroes of Olympus series was 80% dragged romance and 10% super-rushed, unrealistic, and horribly-written fights that mostly consisted of dialogue that never took longer than five pages but should’ve taken up a whole chapter or more. I- and multiple other readers- couldn’t care less about who gets in the way of whom and who gets together with whom and who likes whom, I care more about the battles and superpowers. Readers pick up action/fantasy/adventures stories to read about action, fantasy, and adventure, not romance. Piper ripped the readers from the fantasy world just to pine over her boyfriend, and the fact that that was what made up the majority of the books (along with other dumb, rushed romances) and Riordan spent like two pages- again, most of which consisting of dialogue- on the final battle against the second most powerful deity in all of Greek/Roman mythology (only surpassed by Chaos himself) after spending a whole book on just the Titan lord is what makes Piper so annoying. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the romance wasn’t even a subplot. It was a minor add-on, but all throughout HoO the romance was the main point, and Piper was the center of that. Plus she’s the center of a lot of racism and misogyny in the series. That’s what makes her annoying, my friends.
And yeah thanks for coming to my TED Talk. 
20 notes · View notes
keyheartsia-dorm · 3 years
Text
*Sighs*
I’m bored let’s do a lore dump
It’s a Map~
Oh Yeah I mentioned a Sprinkle of Final Fantasy and KH but I haven’t talked about that Aspect of my Canon At all have I? Well truth be told it’s cause I’m focusing on getting the more Basic Aspects of my Oc’s Before I get into that but Guess who made this Baby on a Whim!
Tumblr media
So this is the Map of the Isle of Light well the Main Island at least there are other Littler Bits of land Yet to surface I̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶t̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶A̶d̶d̶ ̶o̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶L̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶h̶a̶ oh yeah did I mention it’s a FLOATING ISLAND!! Yeah P Sick right? Okay so I’ll go into the Island’s History and it’s Area’s but it may have some Spoilers I guess you could say but honestly I wouldn’t wait on me making a full fledged...Anything outta the Story I’ve made like I’ll sum it up (not here but like in general) but comics are hard Videos are hard Fics are hard maybe not individually but this is more of a Anime Series then an Anime movie if you feel me without further ado...Stuff
Oh god this was longer then expected
Some General Background
So The Isle of Light was Originally the Black Forest A Place of Freedom and Expression for all who lead lives who Needed to hide Such and Some Such was The Coven of the Black Forest made up of 3 sisters (not biologically also there was a 4th) they all found comfort and love with each other one being the Princess of the Kingdom nearby (The 4th and Littlest one) She had a fiancé who was Mad with a Lust for power and Control over things he Didn’t need power and control over He Treated the Littlest one Cruelly when the other 3 Decided enough was enough when he did...SOMETHING to Part of the Forest so Horrible it turned Dead and Cruel (Subtle Subtle Hint Hint Wink) When all 3 Of them saw the Ruin They went so mad they turned to Darkness and fought him and all his Manmade monstrosities there when the Princess Arrived there was so much Dark energy everywhere it was Bad like Real Bad So with her friends now monsters she Fought them with a heavy heart her heart broke so much she fell afterwards immediately Unintentionally Sending her Kingdom to somewhere nobody knows where she is though...That’s an even bigger question BUT the story would live on as a Weilder of the key blade who slayed 3 evil witches...(Oh yeah did I mention Crowley knows And that’s Why He Let the Girls Attend because he thought they might be the Black Forest Coven Reincarnated And the Prophecy that when they Awakened the “Keys to their Hearts once more” They’d Free The Princess From her Mirror Prison Oh Yeah also the princess DID Die But her Reincarnation Goes inside a Mirror and is trapped there when she turns 17 and Doesn’t leave until she dIES ALSO ITS HIS OLDEST DAUGHTER THIS TIME ALSO YES HE HAS 2 DAUGHTERS...Okay lemme just calm down..Also yeah she thought of the Princess System) but After a Wish got safe haven for all Keyblade Weilders (I have KH Oc’s other then these don’t ask Longer story they live and basically founded Fortana Haven) I guess the Isle of Light Rose from the Shadow Realm to be just that oh yeah also the Isle of light is literally that kingdom if ya didn’t know
Fortana Haven
Tumblr media Tumblr media
(Some Love Nikki BGs for Visualization if I’m Wrong about this from being from Love Nikki Correct me pls and if this is your art sorry and I’ll take it down)
Okay this Place Basically a Modern Fairytale Everything is so Rustic~ but they Have Cafe’s and Stuff~ They’re still very much in Development as a City..or town..or whatever Boss of everything Locket Clover (An OG KH OC) Runs Everything Wonderfully she welcomes everything with open arms and If you wanna run a shop or want a Building for a particular Thing or Activity she’s Pretty open to the idea unless it’s Incredibly Dumb But she will make you get The Wood and Supplies and The Bricks and the Brick Stick Sauce or whatever it’s called she might get give you help constructing but dang is she a firm believer in “DIY” but I like how she’s Determined to Have a Good Balance between Industrial and Rural In fact there is a Mall (God knows how it got there) And that’s pretty much all there is for your Juicy Capitalism Fix She Runs “Hope Stir” Workshop according to Her boyfriend Ephmer It was always Called a workshop but for the longest time she did EVERYTHING Subtle Farmwork And Animal Husbandry ACTUAL Workshop things all cause she wanted to help every Weilder she knew out and made sure they had a place for food and such She is a bit of a Moneyholic but when you’ve been doing what she’s been doing I bet you’d be too overall While it doesn’t have much History yet Fortana Haven (4-Tana is how you say it btw) Is truly well a Haven
Tumblr media
The Crowned Castle
(More Pics for Visuals I don’t think this is from love Nikki but if this is your artwork same applies I’m not gonna be the guy who Claims just cause it’s on google it belongs to everybody or something even though yeah I did find it on google)
The...Crown of the Isle of Light Before We came to the Isle for the first time Apparently Everyone In Fortana thought it was Haunted! Which..Fair enough Before we Placed the Princess Medals (Okay QUICK SUMMARY OF THIS BIT Okay so in the KH Mobile game there’s Medals and I wanted them to be in my story basically They’re Memories formed into powers when all my Oc’s Met the Princess’s Of Heart They Each got a Medal Representing them and then the Medals Restored the Castle I left out some details but basically that’s it) This Castle is the BOMB There’s Cool Pretty Princess Room’s And a Bedroom JUST FOR SLUMBER PARTIES!! And it’s just a good Place to Vibe and Hang out with your friends (I’m sorry I’m about to Lore Dumb all over this place) The Princess’s Fiancé Made a Crown for her before she could put it on he put some of his Subconscious in it poor Eden When she wanted to get stronger for Malleus (Malleus is her adoptive big brother and she was upset cause she felt she wasn’t good enough ran away to get power and found the crown) It really did almost completely overtake her I shudder thinking about it “Kachow”...Ew (The fiancé said that a lot ok) a lotta bad stuff happened here but as selfish as this may sound I feel like I earned my spot here and I wanna keep sharing it with my friends
Tumblr media
The Matteria Deadland
(Also Imagine some Pointy Mountains and some Lite Mech debris)
Man What to say... So Much Happened here as well probably Tragedy I can’t comprehend there is a few good places about this place though Diane likes to Scavange around Here for Interesting Debris Eden doesn’t like the Air around here but she says she finds Interesting Jewels here and Latte says the same thing so there is good to be found here We all come here every so often to try to help..Anything grow but they don’t call this deadland for nothing but still ya can’t give up hope! I wanna grow some beautiful Lillies here one day! Also hey! Also pretty cool name (Matter-RI-a is how you say it btw) All the sadness that happened here it actually did make the land rich in Metal if nothing else there’s even a whole Cavern we found in the mountains...it almost killed us but we found it
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Opal Cove
(also these are Gacha Backgrounds)
Is this Place an Actual Cove? Idk
Is this Place super cool and pretty? Yeah
Is this one of my favorite places in this whole Isle? FRICK YEAH
okay I love a lot about this Isle but Opal Cove!!
Our mermaid friend Mitella I guess “Runs” the Place Our KINDA merman Friend Skye also spends a whole lotta time here Basically it’s a Giant Pool and rumor has it...It’s endless Water...CAUSE IT IS SOMEHOW CAUSE I KNOW weird thing is the Sand it’s at the end of the Isle so there’s not really a beach just...Sand Near Water Odd The Coral Near the Bottom or well “Bottom” Is SO PRETTY it’s like Crystals in the morning the light shines its SO DANG PRETTY I’m glad Mitella is a Sea Witch Or else we couldn’t go so deep underwater it’s SOOO worth it!! She does NOT let a lotta people at once though Heck she doesn’t like Skye that much from what I can tell but she makes an Exception for ~friends~ So...BE NICE TO OUR CUTE MITELLA I’m glad we have a Convient Place for Blitzball practice and also Swimming around with pretty Mermaid Tails (New Nix Mermaid Action Fashion Doll only 25.99! Get it for your Child or they’ll cry!! Also a 5 dollar Boy doll take his Shirt off! That’s it!) Hyde Mi And Skye are kinda an Iconic Trio Mi Also Teaches how to swim with a mermaid tail better for the Weilders who wanna go to Atlantica Hey Mermaids gotta eat so get a Swim Lesson! (And also a transforming Mermaid Doll!)
Bianco Nero Forest
Well tbh I have the least to say because it’s Appeal is simple ADVENTURE AND MYSTERY! Lots can happen in Bianco Nero it’s Basically the Base foundation of the whole Isle! Presumably cause it’s the Black Forest or was at least though it can be dangerous it’s the only place heartless are know to appear in the whole isle (So where you’ll grind In the Video Game that’ll definitely happen :Says the girl who can’t commit to a single comic) They drop all sortsa cool stuff! Heck you can FIND Cool stuff just...Around so..Yeah!!
It’s 2 am maybe I’ll edit this later thanks for reading sorry I got obviously tired by the end goodbye my dearests~ (Seriously y’all deserve like a reward for reading this dumpster fire) I was inspired by those maps in those scholastic books like the Rainbow Fairies I think it was called (Anyone remember those?) that had lil maps in the beginning and also the map’s stickers all on PicsArt
14 notes · View notes
zelskzerker · 3 years
Text
Mangadex went down so I read alot 1/7
Lets review a bunch of isekai and related stuff I binged because mangadex went down. The scale will be a single thumbs up to a single thumbs down in terms of how much I would consider recommending it in general.
Legend
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-51 Pretty straight forward in most aspects. For the best. Nothing crazy bad or good happening, making it surprisingly straight forward for an isekai. [Insert isekai startup here] but this time the MC is given a super magic body and the knowledge of ancient magic. Which he promptly uses to create a griffon buddy. Gets a THUMB IN THE UPPER CORNER for just being a nice, believable stay in a world, but I have read some stuff that really has interesting sparks the way this doesnt. MC is brutal at times and General Princess is cute. They make a good pair for each other.  Although there are no ecchi situations, that artist really knows how to slide in the lewds, whether its mid combat flourishes or pre chapter artwork.
The Black Create Summoner: Revolt of Reincarnated
Tumblr media
All Chapters
Truly is revolting. A resounding THUMBS DOWN.  Apparently this was just an advertisement manga, which means that its intentionally incomplete and unsatisfying. Ontop of that, the sketchy artwork was generally rough and got worse to look at the more it went on. [Insert isekai startup here] but this time he has a grimoire that lets him summon stuff he draws. The power isn’t used that much though or in that creative of ways. Characters didn’t really leave an impact except maybe the elf little sister that is stubborn yet knows she is incompotent and recruits a dragon out of stubbornness. 
Minotaur’s Sweetheart
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-16
So what if a minotaur accidentally seduced the adventurer that was assigned to kill him? This is a good romance manga deserving a THUMBS UP because the pure-hearted minotaur boy and the unmarriageable adventurer girl actually develop a relationship and progress as people. The manga is ultimately about monsters and humans interacting and is fresh due to having a plot that evolves the situation a lot beyond the initial setup of the manga.
Moon-led Journey Across Another World
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-64
[Insert isekai startup here] but this time the god of the new world calls the MC ugly and banishes him to the edge of the world to die off. In order to help out the MC, the god of our world (Tsukuyomi) gives him a bit of power. The MC is funny to watch once you realize that he is an incredibly cautious pureboy and expecting every common street thug to potentially end him but in reality he is a god-rivaling cataclysm himself and never realizes. He is so powerful that he recruits the blue haired mist dragon, Tomoe, and accidentally turns her into a weeaboo. Tomoe can read minds and access pocket space with her mist ontop of her sick weeaboo katana skills. She really shines as the most mature person in the story, gaining information that no one else in the story has and carefully withholding it from the MC in order to protect his innocence. She is a DAMN good tomboyish waifu and sarashii is a blessing. Other main girl is yandere spider, Mio, which has shockingly good and well conveyed bouts of emotion. She has an extremely rare “can’t cook at all” joke that is explained due to her “eat literally anything” nature. In terms of plot, the MC hates the god of the world he is in and pretty much plans to do everything she doesn’t want him to. Which means mingling with humans, and eventually, god slaying/usurption. Odd think about this manga is that it’s heavily Japanese-inspired. That may sound odd because its a manga, but generally isekai are most medieval/western skinned than this one which leans in on Japanese mythos. Just look at the god of our world in the manga.
THUMBS UP.
The Unsuccessful yet Academically Unparalleled Sage ~A Cheating S-Rank Sorcerer's Post-Rebirth Adventurer Log~
Tumblr media
Chapter 1-10 So lets set up this genre here. This is a part of the “reincarnation” genre, which is a spinoff of isekai. They generally depict a very capable mage who reincarnates themselves into the future of their own world. At which point they realize that although they were pretty strong in their day, they are now practically a god in the deteriorated modern day. This genre will hereby be indicated by [Insert reincarnation startup here]. For this manga in specific, [Insert isekai startup here] but this time the MC could only use lightning magic and was the best at it but failed the gene gacha then [Insert reincarnation startup here] and he fails gene gacha again but is still the walking thunder god. These kinds of manga are always precious when the MC can walk through the world and see the fruits of their past labor. Specifically through Merlin, the MC’s adopted demon daughter who has grown up to be his heritor and bridge human/demon relationships. Truly adorable and heart warming. Lacks a bit of spice from themeing or ongoing plot due to its short length however. THUMB IN THE UPPER CORNER.
Older Elite Knight is cute only in front of me
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-17.1
THUMBS UP. This is an oneshota manga where shota is a chad with incredibly good tastes. A really good ecchi manga with a light hearted story featuring Haru(the shota) knight that joins Karen’s(the oneesan) knight crew. As with all good romance manga, the main plot isn’t romance. Knight shenanigins are always happening, with a big (and lewd) bad entering recently. Top tier variation on the lewds, even including a princess loli in on the fun. Must read for all oneshota fans.
Lonely Attack on A Different World
Tumblr media
Chapter 1-91
[Insert isekai startup forma de classroom here] but this time the MC gets leftover garbage skills and has to learn to survive. Learning to survive thus makes him the most op and he can magic trick his way out of literally anything. Strong start as the whole classroom first tries to get their footing, but after the starting arc is done this manga starts spinning it’s wheels. The manga is kinda lacking in themes, overarching plot and end goals, so stuff just happens to make this a sort of slice of life trap room escape manga. Magic “just works” in this universe so its not very dramatic when the MC pulls out a new trick out of his bag of million tricks. Just kinda stagnates too much for my liking. THUMB IN THE BOTTOM CORNER.
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-34
Rentt Faina, the MC, is a good guy with no talent who aspires to be a legendary adventurer. But then he gets turned into a skeleton, giving the chance to evolve his way to greatness, kinda like in Spider isekai or Dragon isekai. The MC is most like Goblin Slayer in his serious and knowledgeable approach to the world, how characters that know him revere him. End goal so far is just him seeing how far he can evolve as he comes across other vampires and vampire hunters. Really want to see him go to the top. Fuckin great art. Girls drawn perfect. Like the hat on the guild girl, but nothing beats the witch Lorraine. THUMBS UP.
Teihen Ryoushu No Kanchigai Eiyuutan
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-13
THUMB IN UPPER CORNER. Pretty funny comedy about a lord of a poor land who wants to be a stereotypical evil lord but can only use healing magic. Therefore he bumbles his way into accepting a heretical cult nun, beast men who hate humans, etc. All the girls are to crazy for him to want to sex them(weak. give the assassin nun your babies). Most interesting parts are aforementioned nun, his fujoshi assistant, and the MC’s willingness to use his power to commit heretical and immoral warcrimes. 
The Undead Lord of the Palace of Darkness
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-11
Art average, don’t come to this one for spectacle. It’s strength is in the subertfuge that it’s recently-necromanced-back-to-life MC goes through to get his Master killed and to later, probably, evolve into a vampire. MC isn’t evil though, just wants to survive. Main girl on cover was born and raised to hunt vampires but has a compassionate heart. Obviously she goes easy on and relates to MC. Story is still kinda in it’s first arc so the overall trajectory of the story is a bit hard to gauge and not quite satisfying enough by its own right. Probably a thumb up with more chapters but for now THUMB IN THE UPPER CORNER.
The Reincarnated Inferior Magic Swordsman
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-38
[Insert isekai startup here] but this time.... uh... THUMB SIDEWAYS. Usually I am patient, but 31 chapters with no goal and just barely plot? Wow. Saving grace is uh... I guess the world of “other isekai people existed but they sucked because they didn’t level uncap like MC” could go somewhere but. I take it back, lowering this one to a THUMB DOWN.
The Invincible Sage in the Second World.
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-12
[Insert isekai startup here] but this time a pro mmo player in a game called “Broken Balance Online.” Guess what his class, the sage class, was considered in the game? Not far along enough to really pop off but it isn’t horrible. MC is moderately cautious to a healthy degree which is actually rare in most isekai. THUMB IN BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. 
The Dark Queen and I Strike Back
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-29.5
Although technically an isekai, no isekai startup here. This a battle manga with a big mystery on the backdrop of a war. That is to say, the MC gets teleported to a world to kill the demons but he ends up defending them from the humans with all he’s got. Of special note is the complete seriousness of this manga that whiplashes into debauchery like tentacles, the above cover, oneshota, and even really dark jokes in some of the omake. That tonal lash effect will be either make or break, and it is a HUGE make for me. I love when a single piece can have both absolute serious scenes and utterly lighthearted and fluffy ones. Or in this case utterly lewd ones. May the average-human-amount-of-perverted MC one day slam some demon lord loli. THUMBS UP.
Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
Tumblr media
Chapters 1-24
THUMB SIDEWAYS. Has the feeling of a nerfed slime isekai. Nerfed in all ways except romance. Art surprisingly good.
3 notes · View notes
lumiereandcogsworth · 3 years
Note
UNO REVERSE. GO OFF, GIRL: deep ask time: tell me about your love for beauty and the beast. when did you get into it. what were your first impressions. when did you Know it was a big fave for you. how many times have you seen it. what’s your favorite thing about it!!! why the heck do you love it!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH OKAY🥺 this is gonna be long i’m just already warning you. I gotta do the under the cut thing cuz really I just can’t unwillingly subject people to such an essay. It’s good but like. anyway, here ya go:
when did you get into it? well [the stage goes dark, a spotlight centers on me, fog forms around my ankles] it all started on a calm spring evening, april 12th, 2017.... okay lmao i’m not gonna do that the whole time. but yeah so i loved the 1991 cartoon version a lot! it had always been one of my fave disney films as a kid, it was one of ones we had on vhs so it was a frequent flyer in on the big boxy dinosaur tv! but then, when me and my parents were touring my future university (i was a junior in high school at the time) we decided to catch a movie! i couldn’t tell you what else was playing that night, but live action batb was the only one that jumped out at me. it’s funny cuz it had been out for nearly a month, i really didn’t make any effort to go see it. i was like “ah, disney makes live actions all the time. who cares.” LITTLE DID I KNOW. but anyway, we went to see it and.... gosh i was enchanted. even that first night, it was like a switch turned on in me that i didn’t even know existed!
what were your first impressions? goodnesssss. it’s interesting because i hadn’t seen batb 1991 in YEARS, but as i watched the live action it was all coming back, i was comparing everything. which is funny too because, the comparison is what turned a lot of people AWAY from batb 2017. now, i could make a whole powerpoint comparing them, but i have no shade!!! if you like 1991 better, go off!!!! just don’t hate on one or the other :/ hate is lame! there’s a lot of love in the world and there’s, my goodness, CERTAINLY enough love for two film versions of a disney princess movie. goodness gracious. anyway, let me hop off my soap box!!!!!
i remember thinking it was DOPE that they made belle the inventor, and that they made maurice an artist. i remember loving the new songs, eSPECIALLY evermore. like wow. i was so happy they gave beast his own song. i remember being so entirely delighted by how extravagant be our guest gets. like lumiere!! you dramatic boy!!!!! it just kept going i was so dazzled and amazed and happy. i can remember how big the smile on my face was during that whole number. i remember how INCREDIBLY swept away i was when there was the whole “what do you say we run away?” scene and the enchanted book and going to paris!!!!!!! still to this day, every time i see the scene where it goes from belle’s hand on the book pages and pans up to the starry sky, i feel that joyful peter pan magic. and that’s what i thought the first time too. i LOVED all the added backstory for belle and beast. absolutely stunning. even at the beginning! they open it right away, really take you to the scene of the crime, in a sense. you see young, spoiled prince adam. his nasty, pompous behavior and all. it made him so much more real. i remember just overall being so thrilled with how much longer it was. it gave belle and beast so much more time to fall in love, it made the culminating end way more genuine. and of course i loved all the little jokes and their quirky little personalities shining through. and i also remember being so punched in the gut by the last petal falling and actually seeing everyone turn into inanimate objects. i was like *sobbing* HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME. but, even today, it makes the turn around of the curse lifting way more relieving and joy-filling. and don’t even get me started on The Kiss. the silent amazement between them. i can’t. surely, you get the point. i was in the car ride back to the hotel just utterly astounded, i couldn’t stop thinking about it. i’d never seen such beauty.
when did you Know it was a big fave for you? pretty soon!! i saw it a second time in theaters and i regret to this day not going a third time. but that’s life. i couldn’t pin point when it became my number one, but i’m sure it was that summer when it went on netflix and i had unlimited access and was deadass watching it most every night. that’s an exaggeration but is it though? anyway yeah it was love at first sight so it didn’t take long to reach my favorite movie spot at all.
how many times have you seen it? UHHHHHH okay so, that was something of an exaggeration, to a degree. i was counting how many times i was watching it but i stopped at ten. i honestly wish i had continued counting. do you know how cool it would be to do my 100th watch?? i’d have a whole party. my dad and i tried to do the vague guesstimate math once, and we figured something around 60 times. i don’t know how accurate that is but it sure feels like i’ve seen it 6,000 times. at this point i watch it every few months but... summer of 2017..... yikes lmao.
what’s your favorite thing about it!!! the film itself? is that an option? the entire. gosh dang,,, thing? lol but idk i think what i love most is adam’s growth, probably. i mean. it is. you can’t write an 18k pre-canon fic highlighting adam’s troubled past and then go on to write who knows how many thousand words of fic of post-canon adam just being so gosh dang happy and happier than he’s ever been without his growth and arc being your favorite part. so :”) yeah. adam deserves the whole entire world and he’s got such a big heart, he just never knew how to use it, never thought he had it in there. he’s been kicked around and torn apart and Literally Turned Into A Monster, but he still grows and learns to love and learns that maybe life can be okay for him. but also i love belle so much too. her courage, her adventurous spirit, her no-thoughts-head-empty griffindor attitude about everything. like who just sees a giant castle and is like “cool, allow me.” it’s in the genes, cuz maurice does it too shdkdksk. anyway i just love belle so much, she’s so smart and clever and sweet and KIND and she has so much compassion in her heart. so much love when she’s literally been seen as a social outcast like probably her whole life. and yet? the kindest. but also so funny and sarcastic and GAH!!! i love my girl!!!!!! and the uniting of my two favorite characters in the whole world.... it just floors me every single time.
why the heck do you love it!!!!! oh my gosh literally how to answer this. i think at this point in the essay it’s pretty clear all my passionate opinions about it LMAO. the way i usually explain it to like, my dad, for example (i’ve brought him up twice now, he’s just always been a good ear for my fangirl interests. let’s me go off about anything haha.) anyway, the way i explain it is that it just checks off all the boxes. and i don’t even know what all the boxes are, but it’s everything. i think i’ve always loved beauty and the beast (even as a kid) because it flips the damsel in distress narrative. SHE has to save HIM. and of course, that’s been done countless times. but idk, for a disney princess, for my little kid mind, belle was special and this story was different. but more specifically to batb 2017, the aesthetic just slays me. the wardrobe is exquisite. the characters are so lovely and funny and wonderful. the songs, the NEW songs!!! the DANCE!!! THE CASTING. i love the cast so much. there’s so much gosh dang heat about emma watson as belle especially and it’s like i will fight all of you in the streets come to my house my address is— okay anyway. i think the casting was absolutely 15/10 phenomenal everyone from josh gad and luke evans to audra mcdonald and stanley tucci and literally everyone in between. DAN STEVENS HAD TO DO EVERYTHING TWICE. ONCE IN THE SUIT THE BIG CGI SUIT AND ONCE MORE WITH HIS FACE TO GET BEAST’S EXPRESSIONS JUST RIGHT. the dedication. i’ll fight everyone. he did a ballroom dance in a big suit on stilts. i just. okay so yeah i love the cast and i love THE LOVE STORY OBVIOUSLY. I REFRAINED TALKING ABOUT ADELLE UP UNTIL NOW BUT HELLO?????????? i guess that’s not true i talked about them a little bit. but obviously their love story drives it and boy do i love taking that drive every single time. it’s about the enemies to friends to lovers my guy. it’s about the saving each other. it’s about the seeing each other. i’m gonna lose my mind. i need to finish this oh my gosh i don’t know how to shut up about this film.
7 notes · View notes
sebastianshaw · 4 years
Note
Do you have any headcanons about how Haven and Maddie would get along? You mention them both a lot and they seem like they have things in common
OH BOY DO I EVER i happen to love shoving my faves into interaction in my head even if they never met in canon---ESPECIALLY if they never met in canon---and these are my two mega fave ladies! ...coincidentally I was out today on errands and playing Tori Amos (because *of course* I was) and specifically her “American Doll Posse” album, and I was like “GIRL DISAPPEARING and SECRET SPELL have Maddie vibes” (I also listened to KING AND LIONHEART by of Monsters and Men, it’s my fave of theirs, and “As the world comes to an end, I’ll be here to hold your hand” is forever a Haven lyric to me) So massive MASSIVE ramblings under the cut!
Anyway, yes, you’re completely correct, they have a TON in common, both in what actually happened TEXTUALLY to them, and the meta-text of how their stories were handled in very similarly misogynistic ways. Like, they’re both villains through no choice or fault of their own, both the victims of demonic corruption, both exploited specifically for their reproductive capacity (Maddie created literally to have Scott’s baby, Haven’s unborn child used by the Adversary to possess her), and both used to frame female sexuality as evil (Maddie only starts with the skimpy black outfits when she becomes a villain, Haven is a pure and chaste woman who had sex ONCE and as a result becomes demon-pregnant, corrupted, and dies, she’s very much punished for violating purity taboos just ONCE despite all the good she did, while NOTHING HAPPENS to the man who took advantage of her naivete and knocked her up) and both were treated with little sympathy by the story or other characters despite being so very deserving of it. So they’ve got a ton to relate and commiserate on if they ever met and opened up to each other about it, but even if they DIDN’T tell each other about their pasts (which I doubt they would, certainly not at first, it’s not something either is keen to talk about, Haven never told her own beloved brother and Maddie literally KILLS Threnody for throwing it in her face) I think they would get on well. With the understandable exception of Jean Grey, Maddie has NEVER been a jerk to anyone who wasn’t one first (she did go overboard with Threnody, of course...) and Haven, even while a demonically-posessed supervillain, was very calm, composed, polite, and downright kind to the good guys even when they KEPT ATTACKING HER. And to quote the “X-Plain the X-Men” podcast “❝ In this scene, she [Haven] is the one that’s being kind and calm and compassionate, and he [Xavier] is being AN ANGRY JERK. ❞ So, I think they’d get on at first meeting because they’re just both nice people at their default. They’re also both morally good people at their default. Haven’s history is that she’s someone born to extreme wealth and privilege who was driven to use it to help others, she did shit like bathing lepers and caring for dying babies and building children’s hospitals (literally how she got her name in canon, no shit) and even as a supervillain BENT ON DESTROYING THE WORLD OUT OF COMPASSION she STILL does shit like SURRENDERING A FIGHT SO SHE CAN TRY TO HEAL AN *ENEMY* OKAY. And Maddie was just straight-up a superhero even before she had the “super” part going for her, she was one of the X-Men even as a human and even after Scott left her, she had an incredibly strong sense of justice, she did her best at rescuing people in her job as a pilot during crises, she GAVE UP HER LIFE with the rest of the X-Men when Forge needed their life energy for a spell to save the world (she got brought back, they all did, but she didn’t know she was going to be resurrected, she went in knowing she’d die and thinking it would be permanent) and the first time she did get superpowers WASN’T as the demonic Goblyn Queen, but as the healer Anodyne. And you know why her powers specifically took the form of healing? It wasn’t random. The Fire Fountain (from which she and some other humans got these gifts) gave people their powers based on their passions and desires; Maddie’s desire and passion was to help others. So both of these women are extremely moral, healing-types at their core, both in powers and personality, who care about others deeply, even at the expense of themselves. Obviously, Maddie became very morally-grey since in the 90s, but even then she cared about other people first; Sebastian Shaw was never a bad boyfriend in the slightest to her, he was actually her first good relationship, but she left him because he was doing harm to other people, people she didn’t even KNOW, and she wouldn’t be complicit in that even as a bystander. She’s kinda gone full evil in the 2000s but she’s also very much Not Maddie Anymore as of the 2000s, so I just...don’t count that...anyway you see my point! My point being I think they would really come together on helping people, like Haven has the funds (she would probably not have powers anymore if she’s alive, since she’s no longer the host body of the Adversary) and Maddie has the piloting skills and superpowers, they could do a TON of good in the world if they teamed up to do relief work and refugee aid and stuff! I would honestly be really here for that. I really like the idea of them doing good in a way that has nothing to do with superhero adventures and is in no way glamorous or a battle that can be won with powers and punches, but is necessary and worthy all the same. I think they could really get a good working relationship going with this. I think the place they would differ is that Maddie is ANGRY. She’s very angry at what was done to her, she’s very angry at the X-Men, she’s very angry at Jean, she’s very angry at Scott, she’s very angry at Sinister, and she has a RIGHT to be. There is nothing wrong with this. But her anger also isn’t limited to people who harmed HER. Back when Maddie was Maddie and not a walking misogynistic stereotype, she also got BIG MAD at people who did bad things, who hurt others, who oppressed mutants and other minorities, etc. Like, during the story in which we find out about Genosha and how they’re enslaving mutants, Maddie is ready to WRECK ALL THEIR SHIT WITHOUT MERCY using the demonic energy that’s started incubating inside her. And you know what? Good for her. Maddie is the fire of justice and retribution, and if you have done something to deserve it she will FRY YOU IN HELL. Haven is not like that. Again, even when she’s possessed, even when she ostensibly wants to kill the world, even when she’s being steered by an entity of cosmic evil and chaos...she’s still so soft with her “enemies”. Hell, even when she’s come to the conclusion that Xavier must die, she still can’t do it with her own hands and has to just let some other villain out of prison and HOPE he does it, that’s the MOST action she can bring herself to take, and she thinks how “I admire you, Charles Xavier. I respect you. In an odd way, one might say…that I love you. For how can one not love a soul so pure, a heart so full of good intentions? One must love one’s enemy…if one is to slay him with compassion.” And this was AFTER Xavier rammed in his way into her head after she begged him repeatedly to STOP (boy was THAT an uncomfy scene) and she literally unmade herself from existence temporarily (yes, she could do that, and remake herself) in order to get away from him, even though SHE could have just unmade HIM permanently. So, once you take the demon out of the equation, I can only see her as being even MORE pacifistic and forgiving, just the epitome of grace----grace meaning not as in graceful (though I think she’s that too, she’s very elegant) but as in the religious sense of God’s grace, which is mercy where it is undeserved. She’s NEVER going to want to hurt people for their misdeeds like Madelyne does. She wants to comfort the victims, but not attack the victimizers. She’s probably the kind of person who prays for Neo-Nazis. She probably utterly forgives X-Factor and Xavier and the man who got her pregnant. And you know what? I also support that. I support Madelyne’s righteous rage, I support Haven’s all-forgiving compassion and mercy. I think both of these are beautiful. But they WOULD probably make conflict wherein like, Maddie wants to go after some bad guys to avenge the victims, and Haven doesn’t, that kind of thing. And I can see Maddie being angry AT HAVEN for that, and Haven UNDERSTANDING because she’s very understanding but still standing fast in her own beliefs. Haven is at peace with the universe, both its good and its evil. Maddie rages at the Heavens like if Milton wrote a woman. Both are perfect. Also like...I love so much the idea of Maddie being ready to PHYSICALLY FIGHT SOMEONE, no powers, she’s just going to WRECK THEM WITH HER BARE HANDS (trust me, she has a mean punch) and Haven pulling her back. Because Maddie is canonically 5′6 and 110 lbs, she’s not short but she’s VERY skinny (because Marvel likes making all their women borderline underweight; I headcanon Maddie should be more in the 135 lb ballpark) and Haven is a SOLID SIX FEET and has been shown as able to carry around GROWN MEN in her arms, so like Maddie just this feisty lil skinny spitfire ready to MURDER YOU and big mama Haven gently holding her back like an angry lil kitten!! Speaking of physical contrasts I also love how they’re very Tomboy & Girly Girl? Maddy is a pilot, she’s very adventurous and rough and tumble, she’s got cute dresses but she also wears her brown/green flight suit a lot, she’s a goth in the 90s...and then Haven is like, this very well-brought-up polite woman with super-long princess hair and the one time we see her in civilian-wear it’s this GORGEOUS sari with tons of jewelry, they’re just so Queen & Lady Knight, I love it. (It’s not that Maddie is unfeminine, Maddie’s VERY femme, she’s just more versatile and aggressive, whereas Haven is very conventionally hyperfeminine) I think another point they’d have a lot of difference---though not arguement---is sex. Like, Haven still spoke about her one (1) sexual experience with a lot of shame twenty years later, she’s very much a product of a conservative religious culture and while I don’t think she’s the type to slut-shame anyone else, I think she’s now very thoroughly celibate because of her experiences. Whereas Maddie is very much not, like she literally walks into Sebastian Shaw’s bedroom one night and rides that dick because shut up she wants to. While I don’t like the idea of her as this Sexy Evil Succubus that she’s become in the 2000s, I do see her as having a fun, practical, down-to-earth approach to sexuality as something that she enjoys and isn’t ashamed of, while also not being this male fantasy of a femme fatale 24/7. So I can see her commenting on hot guys buff bodies and Haven being embarrass, things like that, maybe Maddie trying to get her a date. Like basically Haven is the Virgin Mary, she’s chastity and motherhood and peace and mercy, and Maddie is Ishtar, the goddess of love AND sex AND war. Another thing about Haven is that she was established as EXTREMELY sensitive to the feelings of others, especially their pain, and that this was NOT a superpower from the Adversary, it’s how she’s always been since childhood. She’s almost psychic, she instantly figures out the personal problems of everyone in X-Factor, from Lorna and Alex’s co-dependence to Guido using humor to mask that he suffers from chronic pain due to his mutation. So while I doubt Maddie opens up to her about her past even when they become friends, Haven can very much feel out that SOMETHING awful happened to this woman. And Haven’s nature as a healer is going to be drawn that, to want to help her, without going too fast or too invasive, without doing anything Madelyne doesn’t want, without forcing anything on her because Haven has had that happen to her and she’s not going to do it to someone else even with good intentions. She’s done ENOUGH wrong with good intentions. And as Madelyne does begin to let her in and let Haven know what happened, Haven in return reveals her own startlingly similar trauma, and I think there’s a mutual healing there in supporting each other. Haven becomes the one shoulder Maddie has to cry on, and Maddie becomes someone who can be angry FOR Haven on her behalf. I see Maddie as probably being protective of Haven, like she has been of other women in the past who were wronged or vulnerable----such as when she was murderously incensed over what Genosha did to Jenny Ransome or when she offered to be Dazzler’s eyes when Dazzler was blinded by a mask magically stuck to her face. And Haven can help Maddie with moving on and owning her own life instead of devoting herself to vengeance anymore, because she loves Maddie and rightly believes Maddie deserves BETTER than that. Honestly, I just...love them both...and want them to be happy and healing...so much...thank you for this ask, I loved talking about them!! ;A;
10 notes · View notes
Text
Nobody but me asked for this, but I'm bored and waiting on my sister to tell me my nephew is asleep so we can watch TWD. So, without further ado:
Richard Molls you do (and don't) want on your zombie survival team, an incomplete list as ranked by me in reverse chronological order.
This post is as long as the man is tall, so I'm gonna spare your dashes. (See the reblog in the notes for part 2.)
1. Officer Green (Slay Belles, 2018) 1/10. Very sensitive and weepy in the face of tragedy, which is normally a good thing. Except in the zombie apocalypse. Has a gun, though. Bad at showing up on time.
2. Finch (Ghost Shark, 2013) O/10. Too drunk to function. Prone to outbursts of angry yelling which is no good when you need to hide and things get tense. Willing to step up if he puts you in danger, but only when it's almost too late.
3. Nameless Old Man (The End, My F.R.E.N.D. 2012) 0/10. Dying anyway, just wants to be left alone in the wilderness to do so in peace. Valid, but useless to a group.
4. Elmer Uggins (Scooby-Doo! Curse of The Lake Monster, 2010) 2/10. Probably terrible in a fight, but resourceful and amiable. Hypnotically good story-teller, which is excellent in a world without the internet.
5. Big Jim (Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage, 2008) 1/10. Terrible electrician, so don't go looking for him to help get the world up and running again. Clearly willing to throw down if he has to, but also a snarky li'l (giant) shit who could start a fight when diplomacy is needed.
6. Kolchak Jefferson Stillwall (Headless Horseman, 2007) -2/10. Inbred redneck weirdo who would definitely be the sort to demand certain "favors" in return for keeping you alive, but undoubtedly good with a gun and more than likely has a doomsday stockpile of food and a bunker.
7. The Drifter (100 Deeds For Eddie McDowd, 1999-2002) 8/10. Has magic reality-warping powers, can maybe end the whole apocalypse. But the slim possibility of being turned into a dog to learn a moral lesson is still there.
8. Hugh Kane aka Hell House Ghost (Scary Movie 2, 2001) -10/10. Already dead, definitely doesn't care about you. Can touch the living though, and is 100% one of those creeps. Would not recommend sheltering in any house he's haunting.
9. Larry (But I'm A Cheerleader, 1999) 7/10. Unsure of overall fighting ability, but this one is a very nice gay dad who will adopt all the kids if that's what he has to do.
10. Filthy McNasty (The Ransom of Red Chief, 1998) -5/10. Overall incompetent. Tried and failed to kidnap an already kidnapped kid. Easily defeated by throwing rocks at him.
11. Sgt Slater (Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Sabrina Gets Her License, Pt 2, 1997) 10/10. Drill Sergeant with actual magic. Can just magic the zombies away.
12. Principal Rable (Casper: A Spirited Beginning, 1997) -3/10. Scares too easily. Zero fighting ability.
13. Fritz (Living In Peril, 1997) 7/10. Sells guns on the DL, has a nice stockpile of them. Definitely armed and in a zombie apocalypse the excess of them could possibly be traded for food. Just be polite and answer the question if he asks about your day and he'll be nice back.
14. Trapper (Baywatch, Home Is Where The Heat Is, 1995) -20/10. Petty thief who blackmails children. Fagin Wannabe. Offends me on a visual level by wearing a top hat with a Hawaiian shirt. Bad hair. Was defeated by being tackled by David Hasselhoff. Utterly useless in a fight despite aesthetic walking stick.
15. The Cyclops (Hercules, The Legendary Journeys, Eye Of The Beholder, 1995) 10/10. Is more giant than usual. Literally just be nice to him and he'll guard you with his life.
16. Harvey Dent/Two Face (Batman: TAS, 1992-1994, The New Batman Adventures, 1997-1998, Batman: TBATB, 2010) 5/10. Can shoot, can fight. Just stay on the right side of that coin.
17. Living Big Ben (House, 1985) 4/10. Loyal, willing to be a human shield. Loves to shoot things and people. Also hot-headed, a prankster and an idiot who doesn't think ahead.
18. Undead Big Ben (House, 1985) 0/10. Came back from the grave and ran out of ammo. Fail. Potential to go feral and join the horde of non-sentient zombies trying to eat you. Will literally fall apart in a fight if the other person is brave enough, bcuz fear is what's holding him together
1 note · View note
datleggy · 5 years
Text
a list of every anime i love/recommend, accumulated over the last 10+ years
1. NATSUME YUUJINCHOU 
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
The main character is a teenage boy named Natsume, whose parents died when he was too young to remember them properly. He’s passed around random relatives homes, but because he can see yokai (spirits), he’s ostracized by classmates and his foster families (ALL HIS CHILDHOOD FLASHBACKS ARE SO FUCKING SAD) and eventually very distant relatives (an older couple who never had kids of their own and have so much goddamn love to give D:!!!) take Natsume in, and the story basically starts from there. 
It’s a very heart-warming story following Natsume’s new life in this new town, accepting his ability to see yokai, forging new relationships in the form of friends and family, and even with the yokai themselves. 
This is honestly probably my favorite anime/manga period, because it’s so sad but so cathartic and you watch as the main character grows and learns to trust those around him, and finally gets the unconditional love he’s always deserved, not to MENTION THE FACT THAT THEY DO A WHOLE EP WHERE NATSUME IS TURNED BACK INTO A LITTLE KID AND IT IS SOOOO GOOD OMG
Plus for those of you who enjoy whump, this show has a decent amount of it. Mainly emotional whump, but also some episodes where Natsume is injured or sick--as well as I believe one where his companion (the chubby cat on his shoulder who’s actually a pretty badass yokai) gets shot with an arrow and is down for the count. 
10/10 would and have watched again. 
2. KODOCHA NO OMOCHA 
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW:  The main character is a sixth grader named Sana. She’s a gifted actress on a t.v. show everyone likes and she’s silly and fun, very intuitive and surprisingly empathetic for a child. 
Her main problem is in school, where Akito, who she deems the leader of her class’ wolf pack of rowdy rude boys, lets them terrorize not just the teacher, but all the girls in class, as well. 
I don’t really want to give a lot away, so I’ll just state the obvious. This anime/manga is shoujo, which means that it does focus on a romantic relationship throughout the series. Mainly the one between Sana and Akito. Sana is absolutely oblivious about her own feelings, while Akito is a stubborn little shit. 
I remember watching this at like, age 12 maybe? And I really enjoyed it because (although I do enjoy your typical silly doesn’t take itself too seriously slice of life shoujo) this particular anime, while super funny and light hearted at times, was also really dramatic and even kinda dark, which was surprising considering the characters ages and the general kid-friendly vibe (especially the opening for the anime). 
3. DETECTIVE CONAN
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW:  Our main character is initially Shinichi Kudo, teenage detective, who’s on a date with childhood sweetheart Ran (whose father also happens to a detective but like....not a good one lmao), when his nosy ass self decides to go and check out some shady business and gets “poisoned”. 
The poison he’s given is intended to kill him, but what it actually does is turn him back into a child. And now, as Conan Edogawa, (who’s 7 but like....we just supposed to believe all these cops and detectives on the force are cool with a seven year old wee lil babe on these really gruesome ass crime scenes??? lmaoooo) we follow him on his adventures as he solves crimes and tries to solve the biggest mystery of all, his own! 
I absolutely LOVE this anime/manga, even though I’ll be honest, there is SO MUCH FILLER, but I like the characters enough that I really don’t mind. The show is at least 900+ episodes in at this point, and there are a total of 26 movies so far, last time I checked. 
Also, the show is a whump fangirls’ dream come true. The main character is thrown out of windows, balconies, shot at, and in one occasion actually shot, he’s had broken bones, sprains, almost been blown up or drowned/burned, been sick, and oh, his occasional transformations from child to teenager are incredibly painful. 
This show is probably at fault for my love of whump, since it was one of my first animes at like, age 9. smh. 
4. THE DEVIL IS A PART-TIMER!
Tumblr media
REVIEW:
I’m not even going to summarize this one. The title does it for me. This is truly one of the funniest animes I’ve ever seen. Motherfuckin Satan works at a McDonalds part time and it is the BEST. 
Technically I would count this show as a kind of harem, but only because there are like three main girl characters after the overlord Satan himself. I usually dislike harem type animes but the way this is done is sooooo good I couldn’t resist. 
I would watch a million filler episodes of Satan trying to solve problems at his minimum wage job tbh. I love every single character, I love the plot, I love everything about this anime! In terms of comedy (with the occasional plot driven serious moments) this is IT bro. 
5. BLACK BUTLER
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
The main character is Ciel Phantomhive (roughly 14 years old). His parents are killed, his house is burned to ashes, and he’s kidnapped (around age 9 or 10 I believe) and abused. During this abuse Ciel calls upon a demon to free him and help him get revenge on those who harmed the Phantomhive household, which is where Sebastian, one “hell of a good butler” comes in. 
We then follow Ciel and Sebastian on their path of vengeance, and along the way we meet Ciel’s human servants, three very clumsy and seemingly bad at their given tasks characters (i love them all), and some of his extended relatives and connections. 
My favorite thing about Black Butler is the art, both in the anime and manga. Everything is so detailed and pretty! 
The characters are interesting, the plot is dark but they manage to make most of the series overall pretty light-hearted and funny in general. Though of course there are chapters/parts of the series that get really grim (which duh, the whole thing focuses on revenge so...) 
I have to say, the arc I enjoyed the most has to be the movie, Black Butler: Book Of the Atlantic. It is beautifully drawn and sooooooo entertaining. 
6. INUYASHA 
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
Our main characters are Inuyasha, a half-demon, who’s been in a sort of spiritually binding coma for the last few decades, and fourteen year old Kagome, who falls into an old well in her family’s shrine and finds herself being transported into another time period. 
Together, she and Inuyasha travel across the lands in the feudal era to find the scattered shards of the shikon jewel, a powerful jewel which grants anyone who possesses it ultimate power. 
I was too young to stay up and watch Inuyasha on adult swim, so my mom would tape the show on a VCR for me to watch the next day after school--yes, I’m old old. lmaoooo I ADORE this show. 
It’s so good! It’s got everything! A tortured lil half-demon with a sad past who’s stubborn and rude but got a good heart! A fierce and equally as stubborn main protagonist, who’s whole ass family knows exactly where she goes off to??? and are supportive af????? like???? her mama packs her and her squad of demon/exorcist/demon hunter pals bentos?!?! lmao i love it. 
The characters are awesome and funny and likable as all heck, and of course they all have their sad backstory, but like, unlike some animes (lookin at YOU Naruto) they don’t go mega overboard on it, at least not without some plot behind the episode. 
7. YU YU HAKUSHO 
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
Before I even start in on the summary, ya’ll should watch this soley bc of the cute ass 90′s style animation alone. LOOK AT ALL THAT SHINY HAIR!
ANYWAY. Main character is teenage hooligan and overall cutie pie Yusuke! He gets struck by a car and fucking DIES in the first episode after shoving a little boy out of the way, only to end up in the spirit world where the head honcho up there (who looks like a wee baby) tells him “Oh shit, didn’t expect you to like, actually do anything self-sacrificing EVER so like, you’re not on our list of people who were supposed to die today...” 
And uh, I don’t wanna give anything away, so I’m just gonna say that if you haven’t seen this anime yet, you definitely should! It’s hilarious and dramatic, the fight scenes are very well done, all the side characters, who eventually become main characters are a blessing (specifically Hiei, who’ve I’ve had a crush on since I was 12) and the ending is a satisfying one, which you can’t really say for a lot of media. 
8. CHRONO CRUSADE 
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
I still get weepy when I think of this anime, so all I’ll say is it’s about a badass demon slaying nurse and her demon companion and some very tragic shit. 
It’s a great anime overall, especially if you like crying yourself to sleep at night :) 
9. GHOST HUNT
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
The main character is high school student Mai, who is hired by Naru, the head of a Shibuya psychic research, and together, with a group of questionable exorcists/psychics, they encounter paranormal phenomenons and some outright scary shit. 
I’m not really a fan of the horror genre tbh but I do like mystery, and the series deals with that quite a bit. They deal with each case for several episodes so nothing feels too rushed. 
The series is really fun in a creepy, wtf is that way. I recommend the manga, only because it’s more detailed in terms of plot than the anime. 
10. ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM 
Tumblr media
SUMMARY/REVIEW: 
I didn’t really make this list in any particular order but if I had to say, Assassination Classroom and Natsume Yuujinchou probably tie for BEST ANIME PERIOD! 
This anime is about a weird ass “alien” creature, no one knows where it came from or why tf it’s here on earth, all they know is that in one year it’s threatened to blow the world up. 
His only request to the government is that they let him become a teacher for Class E, the worst class of Kunugigaoka Junior High School, and he will stay put, so that they can attempt an assassination on him during this one year period. 
AND LISTEN! I am a shallow hoe, so I literally never would have read this manga or watched the series had I not been roaming Barnes and Noble one day with my S.O. and picked it up to read as a JOKE! 
I was hooked after the first chapter and I am soooooooo glad I picked this manga up, bc it is absolutely not the type I would normally go for, cover art wise. I finally, after many many years, learned not to judge a book by its cover bc LORD this anime is so goddamn good, you don’t understand! Like, I’ve watched it so many times and still laugh at the same parts, cry at the same parts, am proud af at the same parts! like, this anime is an instant classic and should definitely be more popular than it is. 
assassination classroom and natsume yuujinchou????? MASTERPIECES! 
168 notes · View notes
kattegat-kittycat · 4 years
Text
Fates Entwined - IV: Common Ground
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
After your former clan was brutally murdered, you agree to an arranged marriage with Ivar to keep your social status. You may not always see eye to eye and sometimes even find yourself on different sides of one war or the other, but somehow you can never escape each other no matter how much you try to forget, deny and run. Somehow you always end up in each other’s faces. Sometimes quite literally.
A/N: There are a couple of reasons why Ivar chooses the nickname “Sif”: first of all, it fits the compliment he is trying to give you in that scene as Sif is described in the prose Edda as the lovliest woman of all. Secondly, Sif is also called a prophetess and Ivar slowly starts to realise that you gained some inside into the designs of the Gods when the two of you got married. And thirdly, there is a dispute if Sif was faithful to Thor or if she had some wild adventures with Loki and maybe even Odin. And let’s be honest, in Vikings, nobody would be too surprised if a female character was being unfaithful with her husband’s brother (hey, that actually happened in the series) or his father (oh, wait, that happened as well :D ), and Ivar really doesn’t trust anyone (but who can blame the guy for that growing up in the environment he did).
Also, thanks to a @youbloodymadgenius for pointing out the reading-mistake in the part before, that happens when you leave in things to correct them later and then don’t proofread :D Some anachronisms are bound to happen, but that one was not supposed to turn up.
‘Nuff said. Here’s some cheesy everyday life. It’s probably going to be the last cutesy chapter for a while.
Open up to me And soon our worlds become one Spread your wings to me In time we end up high
Entwine - Caught By Desire
I came to like Ivar; he was difficult at times and open and honest at others. Sometimes he got irritated easily, sometimes he was the picture of patience. But we talked a lot and got to know each other a litte better over the week following our wedding. Ivar was busy trying to convince Björn to take him with him to the Mediterranean, stubbornly asking every single day, but always receiving the same answer. Björn didn’t want Ivar to be killed and he would not be able to take care of Ivar during a raid. Needless to say, it frustrated Ivar to no end.
I sat on our bed, mending one of Ivar’s tunics, when he crawled into the room. I could see his frustration, anger, and exhaustion in the set of his shoulders and jaw and I inwardly gave a sigh. When he had reached the bed, he looked up at me, before he dragged himself onto its edge.
“I cannot believe him. I cannot understand why my own brother will not take me with him. It is my right, my duty as a son of Ragnar Lothbrok to go carry his name into the world. It’s selfish of Björn not to take me.”
He did not look at me, but I knew he wanted me to support his argument and agree with him, but…
“I disagree.”
His head whipped around almost instantly, but his words came slowly. “What did you just say?”
“I said, I do not agree. I do not think Björn is selfish. I know, you are a good fighter, but you will always be put on the spot. You cannot outrun a trap, you cannot keep up with with a charging army. You would be the oak leaf on Björn’s Ironside.”
“The oak leaf?” he asked.
“Do you not know the story of Siegfried, who slayed a dragon and bathed in its blood, which made his skin impenetrable? The leaf of an oak had fallen on his back and stayed there during the bath, leaving one small spot untouched by the dragon’s blood. It was here that he could still be harmed.”
“You mean to say I am weak? I am a weakness?” I could feel the anger radiating off of him. He clenched his fists so hard, I was sure his nails were digging deep into his skin, so I took his hand and made him open his palms.
“No, I do not say that you are weak. I mean to say that he would have to take care of you, make sure nothing unforseen happens to you. And he cannot take that responsibility in battle.”
“He doesn’t need to!” Ivar’s blue eyes flashed violently, then like the sky before a vicious storm they started to darken. “Even if I should die, I would go to Valhalla, so I am happy to leave.”
“Maybe you could live with that, but others don’t.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, angry and confused by my words.
“Your mother would be devestated should you die.”
“She knows she has to let me go. We have talked about this often. She knows.”
I put the tunic aside and looked at my hands. I felt my cheeks redden a little.
“I don’t want you to die. Not yet, anyway. I like you and I would very much like to get to know you better before you get to ride into Valhalla.” My voice was quiet, thin, insecure, and I hated the sound of it, but I had Ivar’s full attention now. He touched my chin and turned my face so I looked at him. In between the anger and the frustration, there was a small smile pulling at his lips.
“You like me? Your moody, irritable husband? The one you never meant to marry?”
He seemed amused and taken aback by that confession.
I nodded. “You forgot stubborn.” I added and he laughed.
“But why?” Ivar then asked, openly vulnerable. “I am a cripple. I am… as you said, stubborn. I am not always nice. And I do things you do not approve of. I want things you don’t understand.”
“That does not mean that I cannot like you. We are different, yes, but this is as much an opportunity for each of us to grow, as it is a challenge. You are irritable and headstrong, but you are honest and never tell me lies to spare my feelings. You have moments when you take care of me, small things you do without even noticing. The way you look at me now, like I matter and you can’t believe you matter to me.”
Now it was Ivar’s turn to blush, and he looked away for a moment.
“You might be the first person who has known me for a while, who doesn’t want to kill me.” He chuckled lightly. But then he turned serious. “You actually care about me so much that you want me to stay here with you?”
I smiled and gave a nod. “I want to get to know you better. I want to spend time with you. Did you not know that?”
He shook his head. “I was not aware of that. I thought I had only been a convenient solution to your problems.” His face was still in wonder, when he suddenly clapped his hands together. “So it is decided. I will not go with Björn to the Medeterranean.”
I looked at him delighted but surprised. “Really?”
“Really.” He took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. Then his glance fell at the tunic in my lap.
“Is that my favourite tunic? What are you doing with it?”
“I’m mending it. You tore it last time you used it. Why is that such a surprise to you?”
“I guess I still need to understand that you actually like me. It’s…kind of a new concept to me.”
I smiled at my handsome husband. “Did you know that you have the most stunning eyes I have ever seen? You are beautiful, Ivar, you really are.” I said suddenly. Once I had started blurting out the truth, I couldn’t stop.
Now he grinned. “You think?”
I grinned back and nodded. Ivar moved a little closer and looked into my eyes. Then he stroked my cheek and gave me a chaste kiss, his weight resting on the other hand. I got a little caught up in his kiss and accidentally knocked his hand aside, causing him to crush into me, taking me down onto the bed with him. Both of us laughed and he rested comfortably over me. He looked at me for a moment then he brushed some stray strands of hair out of my face and kissed me again. This time still soft, but with some fervour to it. He sighed, when our lips parted and his gaze found my eyes fairly quickly.
“Have I told you, that you are beautiful, my Sif?”
I smiled at the nickname. Sif, Thor’s wife and the loveliest of all women. Then I gently shook my head no.
“Well, you are. You really are.”
*
We fell into a comfortable companionship over the next few weeks. I did chores to make everyday life a little easier on him, he was at his best behaviour whenever he was around me and sometimes brought me small gifts. Once, he even found me some blueberries because he had noticed that I liked them a lot. But still, I started feeling restless. I had been brought up a shield maiden, not a house wife and princess. I performed nothing but simple chores and did not get to train my combat skills at all. Day by day, I started getting more and more irritable and moody, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on the problem, as I was as happy as I could be in the life I was leading now. At least, I thought I was.
It had been a simple mistake. The servant girl had accidentally spilled some water on me during dinner, as she had been startled by Hvitserk pinching her buttocks. My reaction was far from appropriate; I had jumped up and slapped her across the face before I even realised what I was doing. Everybody around the table had gone quiet and all eyes were on me, so I blushed heavily and apologised for my behaviour. Funnily enough, I heard someone chuckle on the other side of the table.
“And what do you think is so funny, Sigurd?” I asked in a voice demanding an answer. He seemed surprised at first then he just shrugged.
“Nothing, Y/N. It’s nothing.”
I slowly started walking towards him and from the corner of my eyes, I could see Ivar shifting in his chair with anticipation. Normally, I didn’t mind Sigurd, but today, I was furious. I slammed my hand on the table beside his plate, after he had turned back to his meal, clearly unconcerned about my anger. Well, he did paid attention now.
“I will not ask you again, what did you think was so funny about that?”
He looked up at me and shook his head, still a smirk on his lips. Oh, how I would have loved to punch that grin straight off his face.
“I only said to Ubbe that you and Ivar are a match made by the Gods of War. You both have a temper that is hard to contain.” Sigurd explained.
I still stared at him. “And that made you laugh? Why?”
It was Ubbe who answered this time: “Well, I never thought I’d ever meet someone as moody and irritable as Ivar. Turns out, I was wrong. That made Sigurd laugh.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “So, my temper amuses you?” I asked, still angry.
Ubbe shrugged. “Well, that and the thought of Ivar getting a taste of his own medicine.”
“Normally, I am not prone to violent outbursts like this…” I said. How did the brothers get the impression, I was ill-tempered?
Hvitserk’s eyebrows almost shot up into his hairline at that. “Oh, but you are.” He chuckled. “At first, I thought you were only trying to impress our brother, but sometimes you even win against him in arguments. It is hilarious to see him beaten at his own game, to be quite honest.”
“I do not…”
Aslaug gave a tiny cough and then quietly added: “Well, you two are pretty opinionated and loud when it comes to voicing those opinions.”
Now Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd were laughing.
“You and Ivar are shouting at each other all the time. The first couple of times, we thought we had to send in people to prevent you from going at each other’s throats.” Björn added to the conversation.
I looked at Ivar, who shook his head. “No, my dear brothers, no. We are not shouting at each other, we are simply discussing matters and war strategies and…”
Hvitserk rolled his eyes. “Last night, you were arguing about the shoes you left beneath the bed but were sure Y/N had forgotten outside. Last week, there was too much salt in your food. The day before, you had forgotten to get the yarn Y/N needed. I could go on for ages.” He was clearly trying to surpress his laughter.
“And let us not forget the time you carried Ivar over the threshold on your wedding night.” Björn snickered.
“Do you not even realise you are fighting most of the time?” Sigurd asked, astonished.
“We do not fight.” I said frowning deeply.
“We argue. But we get a little passionate at that.” Ivar added.
“We know why Ivar is frustrated, but where does your aggression come from, Y/N?” Hvitserk asked.
“Is it being married to the biggest jerk among Ragnar’s sons?” Ubbe grinned.
“Could have had us all, but had to marry little Ivar.” Hvitserk chuckled.
“Shut your mouths, you idiots, you have no idea who I am and what I had to do!” I realised that there were tears in my eyes.
“Well then, who are you?” Sigurd asked simply.
I looked at him angrily, but then I heard Ivar’s voice, softer than usual:
“What is it that makes you angry? What are you missing?” I could see his own insecurity in his face. We both knew, we hadn’t had sex until now. He was afraid that he couldn’t give me what I needed. He could not, but sex was not the problem.
I walked over to him and sat down at his side. “I…I miss my old life sometimes.” I told him quietly.
All eyes were on me, as I went on: “I miss training as a shield maiden. I miss fighting. I miss my family. I want my revenge. Some day.”
Ivar looked at me for a long time. Then he gave a nonchalant flick of his wrist.
“Then go train. Fight. But you cannot leave without my permission. If I stay here in Kattegat for you, you stay here for me.”
I gave a nod. That was a big concession he made, allowing me to train with the other shield maidens and warriors.  But still, I had lost a little more hope that I might one day exact my revenge.
A few hours later, we sat in our bed, not yet sleeping, when I realised, Ivar was looking at me intently, studying my facial expression.
“I never realised you were unhappy here in Kattegat.” He finally said solemnly.
My head turned quickly to him. “What?”
“I wasn’t aware you were unhappy.”
I shrugged and leaned into him. It came easily to me these days. “Neither did I. I thought I was quite happy. But sometimes life surprises you.”
He put his arms around me and smiled down at me. “You are usually happy here?”
I smiled. “It beats being alone somewhere without a place to call home. Yes, I miss my old life and I hate the people who destroyed it, but I am as happy as I can imagine here.”
“What exactly happened?” he then asked softly. I still hadn’t told him. “You promised you’d tell me one day.”
I swallowed against the lump in my throat and stared straight ahead at the wall. I was afraid, I’d burst into tears if I looked at Ivar.
“You…you know that my father was an Earl at the coast of Jutland and he married my mother, who had been a famous shield maiden and friend to Aslaug. Together, they built a loyal community and a nice little fortune. Their earldom grew and thrived through the years, the lands brought good crops, the sea provided enough fish, and everybody was living well. I was treated like a princess by our people and our lives were joyful.  I was growing up and I found a warrior my father approved of and we were supposed to get married after the summer.
However, my uncle had not been that lucky. His lands had fallen barren and he blamed my father for his misfortune. My father took him in, but behind closed doors, my uncle became jealous and started to build an army to overthrow my father and his supporters. After Midsommar, they killed my father and his most loyal supporters in their sleep. Everybody else they gave a choice: follow them and live or renounce them and die. Within a couple of hours, my life was torn apart, my family dead, my former betrothed had chosen my uncles side. Of course, I would never follow somebody who had killed my family, but for some reason he let me live.”
Ivar shook his head. “So, your uncle killed all your people?”
I had fought my tears until now, but now my feelings broke their way through the façade. I gave a nod and sniffed, brushing the tears away. “Yes, everybody who would not bow to him. From my parents to my helpless little brother.”
Ivar’s brows furrowed. “Then why did he spare you?”
I shrugged. “It’s not like he told me. I just know he had the chance, but instead he held me captive.”
I looked at Ivar, who had this annoying, all-knowing smirk on his face. “I have a theory; he intended to marry you to make his claim to the throne legitimate.”
My eyes widened, I hadn’t thought of this. But of course, Ivar’s tactically thinking head had seen right through it.
“But how did you get to Kattegat? Did he let you go or did you flee?”
I shrugged. “I ran away in the night. They didn’t guard me too heavily.”
“What does ‘not heavily’ mean?” Ivar chuckled.
“I had to kill three guards. But after that it was quite easy to find a horse and some food.” I shrugged.
Now Ivar burst into laughter. “My wife, my gorgeous, deadly wife just walked out of imprisonment by killing three guards. And you probably didn’t even break a sweat, did you?”
“They were sleeping on the job. It was easy, they never saw me coming.”
“Remind me to never leave any weapons out when you’re angry, Sif.” He laughed.
I turned serious almost immediately. “I could never kill you, Ivar.” I knew about our bond. Our lives were entangled by now and I wasn’t sure if one would survive the other’s death. I also knew what it felt like to be betrayed by someone you loved.
Ivar looked at me, his interest spiked. “You know more about the future than you want to share with me, don’t you?”
I shrugged again. “I know very little of the way things will turn out.” I evaded his question.
But Ivar wasn’t fooled easily. “But you have seen things. You know things.”
“I know about things that might be, or not. I saw short scenes, but I am not a seer. I don’t know if they will come to pass. I saw them when we got married.”
“Have you seen the future before?” he asked, now seriously curious.
I shook my head. “No, never. I have never had visions or dreams. I have always been most ordinary.”
“Until now.”
I gave a nod. There was only one thing that had changed. I shook my head in confusion.
“I am not quite sure what it is with your family, but the Gods have plans for you.”
Ivar gave me a contemplating look. “Yes. I know. The question is; which role are you going to play in this ever changing game?” his voice had a slight edge to it that told me to be careful now.
I drew in a sharp breath. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head and tutted at me with a sad smile. “Don’t act as if you don’t know. You know as well as I do that by now, someone will have told you. Or you have thought of it by yourself. I am… I am not a real man. I will never father a child. I will never be able to satisfy your…cravings or fulfill all of your needs.” he spat out.
I met his gaze head-on. “I do know. But who says, I have ‘cravings’?”
“Don’t you all?” he asked back. “All of you…women?”
I shrugged. “Not just like that. We’re not animals.”
“So, you wouldn’t just…say, run off and shag my brother?”
I looked at Ivar evenly. No need to act shocked or annoyed. “No. Why would I? I am your wife. And I can keep my urges in check. Also… your brothers are jerks.”
Ivar smiled a little at that. Then he became serious again. “We need to find a way to keep people from waiting for an heir too soon. But I will need an heir someday.”
“Is there no way…?” I asked, trailing off, but looking at him questioningly.
Ivar just snorted. “I wish there was. I will probably have to ask you to go to bed with another man at some point.”
I swallowed hard. “If it has to be done…”
He looked at me with something like admiration. But there was an underlying slyness to it, I didn’t like. “You would do that for me?” he asked.
I sensed a trap. “Only if you ever asked. Only for you and by your bidding.”
Ivar chuckled. “My clever, selfless princess. I have really come to like you, you keep me on my toes.”
I grinned. “Likewise. Never a dull day with you.”
“I take that as a compliment.”
“As well you should, Ivar. I could never be with a man who doesn’t challenge me intellectually. I do not care about these other needs as much as I care about intellectual companionship.”
Ivar took my hand in between his and looked down onto them. With a small smile, he looked up at me. Shook his head and chuckled. Then he drew closer and kissed me, burrying me beneath him. He sighed into my mouth and and hugged me tight. “How do you always know what to say?” he asked breathlessly. Maybe he didn’t get aroused by it as other men did, but he still enjoyed the closeness and the familiarity it created. He softly carressed my cheek as he drew his body to fully cover mine. And then I could suddenly feel him against my thigh. Half-limp, but not all soft. I immediately looked up at Ivar with astonishment. He noticed and realised what I was excited about, then turned red and nervous and suddenly it was all over. I made a mental note that there was still some hope. Ivar, on the other hand, was upset. He rolled off of me and turned his back to me in shame. His body curled in on itself and he stayed silent. I just lay there beside him and didn’t quite know how to save the situation, which was when I decided to take one of the largest steps into this deep, dark ocean that was our marriage.
I slid closer toward him, hands shaking, and started to scratch his neck. He liked that, I had noticed as much. He was tense at first then started to relax a little. And in the end, I just hugged him from behind and pressed his back to my chest, burrying my face in the space between his shoulder blades. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he’d push me away, but in the end, I could feel him exhale deeply and take my hand in his.
“Y/N”, he whispered, “I am sorry.”
I shook my head and shushed him. “Don’t be. Right now, the Gods have other plans for you. They need you to concentrate on what lies ahead. They cannot have you think about your children.”
I felt him shake slightly. “How do you know that?”
“I just do. There is something coming and I don’t know what. But I know it will bring challenges and changes.”
“But we…will we stay the same?”
Now I chuckled. “We hardly will, we haven’t even found out who we are and how we should treat each other.”
Ivar went silent. It was a thoughtful silence and in the end he emerged with a sentiment:
“I have grown fond of you. Maybe I even love you, my future queen. I don’t want you to ever leave my side.”
“Well”, I quipped, “I will have to leave for practice tomorrow morning. Torvi promised to take me with her.”
He turned his head, so I could see his smile. “You know what I was talking about.”
“I do, don’t I?” I grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Just promise me one thing, Ivar: Don’t go, where I can’t follow.”
67 notes · View notes