#Orion practicing trust

[fallstaticexit]

Chapter Five Adie - Previous // Next // Beginning

[neo-nomatrix]

Sunshine and Midnight Rain

Luke Castellan x Apollo kid!Reader

word count: 851

summary: Luke castellan and the daughter of apollos love story

a/n: “remember who the enemy is” IM TRYING

Luke Castellan held your heart since the day you met, and you held his.

You arrived at camp a few months after Luke. You were one of the lucky ones, claimed within an hour of being there. Your godly father is Apollo, god of poetry, the sun, music, narcissism, idiocy, stupidity, all that. You had assumed the gods would act superior to all, no matter if they were or weren’t. But Apollo was on a completely different level. You didn’t know why he had taken such a liking to you.

“You remind him of himself,” Your half sister, Kayla, had told you, “an archer who never misses, healer who fixes every wound, gifted singer, and somehow picked up the lyre in a day. And yet, you still ask why Apollo loves you the most?”

“I wish he wouldn’t,” you twirl the golden arrow he gifted you.

“y’know, that hermes boy has been staring since the moment you stepped foot here,” she smiles, nodding to the tan boy sitting on a picnic table.

“Great, more attention,” you keep your sights on the boy, lucas? Luca, maybe?

“His name’s luke castellan,” kayla says, ah luke, that’s it.

“He’s handsome,” you say matter of factly.

“Don’t trust those Hermes boys, all they do is lie,” Kayla leans back and rolls her eyes.

“It’s a good thing I play the lyre.”

——————

“You’ve got a great shot,” a deep voice says from behind you.

You’ve been at the range for around an hour, it’s 4:30, you always practice when no one else is around.

“The whole reason why I come out here this early is so i can be alone,” sure, it sounds mean but you swear you’re not trying to be.

“Sorry, once I see you it’s hard to look away,” you’re not looking at him but you can tell me has the biggest smirk on his face.

“Funny,” you tell him bluntly.

You set down your bow, keeping the arrow in your hand, and sit on the nearby grass. He lays down beside you, you follow his lead and put your hands behind your head.

“That arrow, it’s like it’s made of the sun,” He says amazed.

“A gift from dear old dad. No matter how far I shoot it’ll always come back. Supposed to be a sign of his love or something. But I think he just constantly wants me to be annoyed by him,” you inform him possibly too much.

“Most people would be grateful if their godly parent cares that much,” he says.

“It’s different with Apollo, there is no such thing as true altruism with him,” you bite your inner lip.

“I get that, I’m just tryna say- Hermes never showed up for me, and I'd kill to just have him tell me he cares,” His eyes furrow.

“Guess we both have different priorities,” you smile.

“Opposites work best don’t they?” He smiles back.

“Isn’t it opposites attract?” You wonder.

“Hey, your words, not mine,” he laughs.

“That one’s Orion,” You point up at the constellation.

“He was always my favorite,” he adds.

“Mine has always been Cassiopeia, but you can never see her over here,” You look back up at the sky.

“That one’s Taurus, and then Sirius below, and Gemini above,” you point each of them out.

Even though he hums in acknowledgment his eyes are locked on you.

“You’re staring, again” You mention.

“I told you I can’t help it, especially when you glow like that,” he reaches out and touches your face.

You reach out and grab his hand, running your fingers against his slender digits.

“I’d like to be a constellation when I die, maybe my father will fulfill that wish,” you say to him.

“That’ll be my last wish too, we can lay in the stars together.”

——————

It’s been a day since Percy Jackson came to Camp Half-blood. It just so happens to be your favorite day of the year, capture the flag. You have led the archers on the blue team for years, you’d say you’re doing well for what you’re given. Besides your siblings in Apollo the rest of the kids weren’t as gifted in archery.

As the first conch shell blew you were preparing for your mock-battle. Annabeth in charge of the plan and Percy, Luke with company, and you with the archers. You knew you could, no- would win. The archers took the trees, helping stray company from the skies.

“Today feels like a winning kind of day?” Annabeth asks luke.

“I’ll see you on the other side,” He smiles.

“Luke!” You pull him aside for a moment.

You cup his face the best you can through his armor. “You don’t get hurt okay? I don’t feel like healing anymore wounds from you. Understand?”

“Oh but I love to see you healing” he holds your hand and smirks

“Archers! Move out!” You call your team, eyes still locked with his, smiling.

“so… you and her?” Percy asks the taller boy.

“how could I not? She's perfect. I mean, I genuinely believe I could live without the sun if I just had her.”

And maybe, just maybe, he could.

[thepixelelf]

Oh Baby, You Part 38 - Messed Up, Stupid, and Jaded

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Wonwoo’s chest tightens as you take in a deep breath. Your arms are wrapped around yourself, almost like you’re blocking everyone out. “After that…” You shrug, then pretend you didn’t by rolling your shoulders back. “Word spread pretty fast.” Your voice is strained from trying to hold in tears, but a few managed to escape and run down your cheeks as you explained yourself. “A lot of people from school hated me but… I guess that didn’t matter too much since I dropped out to take care of Orion.

“I stayed offline for a long time. People were calling me some pretty—” You wipe your hand over your cheek. “—horrible things. I couldn’t defend myself because, well… I needed what they thought about me to be true.”

Wonwoo’s fists clench at his sides.

“It was…” You inhale again. Exhale. “…really lonely, for a while. But then—” Turning, you face the friends you must have come to the concert with. Wonwoo had practically forgotten about them. “—I met some really amazing people. People who had no idea who I was, or what I… did.” You send a watery, wan smile their way. “Who liked me again.”

There’s a quiet moment where your friends all smile back at you, but then your eyes land on Chan, and the tension in your shoulders returns. Your lips curl inwards, and you shift on your feet, then go back to facing Wonwoo and Jihoon.

“But it wasn’t all bad,” you say. “Orion may have been a surprise… but he’s the light of my life now. There are things about what happened that I regret, yes.” You meet Wonwoo’s eyes. “But not him.”

After that, it seems like you’re done; you look down at your shoes, and there’s an awkward silence. Wonwoo feels the ache of tears behind his eyes, recalling every shitty feeling that he went through three years ago. It’s silent until Jihoon breaks it with a hoarse whisper.

“Fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t— I…”

Something breaks, then. Wonwoo whips around on Jihoon and braces his forearm across his chest, bunching Jihoon’s collar in his fist. “You did this. You—”

Jihoon’s mouth opens, but Wonwoo sees the flash of resistance die in his eyes as fast as it flared up. He winces preemptively, anticipating a punch to the face. “I’m… I’m sorry, I…”

“You told me all that bullshit about protecting myself!” Wonwoo’s voice rises, apathetic of his volume now that everyone else has left the venue.

Your eyes widen, and you take a hesitant step forward. “Wonwoo.”

His grip on Jihoon’s shirt tightens. “You said I had to! You told me to cut them out of my life—”

“Wonwoo!” You shove yourself between them, forcing Wonwoo off Jihoon and pushing your hand on his chest to get him to back off. 

He feels a burning where you touched him.

You glance between the two of them, something hardened in your expression now. “Stop,” you say. “Yes, Jihoon went about everything in his—” You share a look with Jihoon, and Wonwoo sees a brief moment of understanding pass between you. “—messed up, stupid, jaded way, but…”

Wonwoo’s breath hitches when you meet his eyes.

“...you listened, Wonwoo.”

The hurt in your voice is unmistakable.

He thought, three years ago and until now, that he was the only one in pain. He was the one who got thrown to the side.

Your hands move around yourself again. “You didn’t trust me enough to even let me talk to you. And that… I think that’s what hurt me the most.”

Wonwoo’s ears are ringing. He did this to you. He wants to say something. Anything. But is there any word of apology worth enough to repent for what he’s done?

You don’t let him toil for long. Turning away, you return to your friends. “Can we go home, please?”

One of them glances at Wonwoo before going, “Oh, uh. Yeah, of course. The taxi meter’s been going this whole time anyway.” He puts his arm over your shoulders while a girl wraps herself around your waist and pats your back.

Then you’re gone. Again. It’s his fault that you’re gone.

And for the first time, Wonwoo realizes it was his fault three years ago, too.

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oby tagging 1, 50/50: @shiningstar-byulxx @shuabby-woowoo @90s-belladonna @xavi-in-kpopland @kachren @xmessaroundx @chwevernonlover @kwanisms @dalamjisung @1ntaktak @crazywittysassy @butterfliesinthenightsky @ddaengpotate @dorrysstuff @ckline35 @vanishingboots @potatofrieswithketchup @minhwa @oncecaratorbit @sugacookees @royal9 @doodlelibrary @myjaeyunn @yksthings @jundundun @amosmortese @jaeskz @seungmintree @woozarts @my-chaos-in-stars @yoonychoik @ksywoo @kellesvt @candidupped @sharkipoonis @wooahaeproductions @capsiclesworld @hellodefthings @sunshineshouchan @calumsfringe @caratinluv @pinkysinnerbaby @winterwallacehenderson @jvhoons @woo8hao @sxftiell @wondering-out-loud

[creoastra]

I wrote a fic for the @valentines-core-exchange event!

@nightwanderers12081 is who I made it for! They've got excellent taste in fics omg.

This fic is not beta read so I apologize for any bad pacing or grammar lolol

Past Curfew - A Phandoms Valentines Day event Danny/Valerie shipfic

That ghost- “Ah, sorry Dad, I zoned out.” That's what she gets for trying to trust a ghost. “I am studying at…”

“Danny Fenton’s house.”

“D-Danny’s house! Danny Fenton… We have a Biology project together.. I got caught up working on it so that's what I have been.. Doing….” She spun around to try and catch Phantom and question how he knew who Danny was, but she wasn’t able to catch anything because just like earlier, he was gone. She scowled into the night air, fist clenching and unclenching rapidly.

Floating invisible a few feet away from Valerie, Danny smiled to himself for being able to help her with her problem before the reality of the situation sank in. He nearly hit himself for how stupid he was for suggesting himself. She didn’t know that Danny is Phantom, and that could seriously blow his cover.

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

‘Why do I even bother? There’s hardly ever any ghosts out at this time.’

Phantom groaned inwardly as he flew across Amity Park. The air was chilled with early autumn winds, but of course he still found himself out and about at night despite the cold. The stars blinked in understandment and pity. Orion bowed his head in apology as Danny raced past his school. Well, he didn’t actually bow to him, considering he was a cluster of stars after all, but Danny felt the sentiment within himself anyways.

Honestly, he had no idea why he still did this, patrolling the city. There were hardly any ghosts out at night since all of them fed on people’s attention and love and emotions. But he has happened upon a few in the past so he can’t let himself stop now. It’s also become part of his routine. He plugs in his earbuds to his shitty ipod, hums along to this playlist Sam made him, and scopes the city.

Amity Park was peaceful at night. Like he said, there were no ghosts and it was all just empty streets or the occasional cat roaming the streets. Lamp Posts were the only light to be seen, and it was rather serene. The air smelled less like car emissions and more like fall. Danny appreciated it, even though the act of being out this late directly cut into his sleep time.

Floating down onto the edge of the town’s radio tower, Danny leaned back and closed his eyes for a minute. He would often sit up here and watch the stars on more boring nights, but he was particularly tired tonight. A part of him wanted to retire early and head back home, but the core within him buzzed angrily at even the smallest thought of that. He couldn’t rest after making sure that Amity would be okay while he slept. He couldn’t let her down like that, even though his eyes begged to stay closed.

He could lay up here for a second longer though. Or at least that was what he thought until a sharp clang echoed from behind him.

Instantly he jumped up, clumsily ripping out his earbuds and shoving them into his jumpsuit’s sole pocket. Danny whipped around, shooting up into the sky to try and catch whatever made the racket, yet nothing was there.

What the hell?

With slight hesitance, he lowered himself down to the top of the radio tower again. Taking a few seconds to glance around, his hand automatically reached for his thermos. The radio tower was all steel bars from the top to the bottom, so he could see all the way through it. And now that he was closer, he could see a figure hiding down at the layer right beneath the one he stood at.

Without thinking, Danny became intangible, dropping through the bars and down to the layer below him. Instantly he was on top of the ghost that was stalking him. Pride erupted in his core as he launched both him and the ghost off of the tower. The scenery around him was practically glowing to illuminate their match of strengths. The ghost yelped and started grabbing at Danny as they fell quickly towards the ground.

A second before they crash landed, his opponent wrestled with him, easily flipping him to become underneath them with a growl. A second too late, Danny turned intangible, his back aching from the impact. He shakily pulled them both deep into the ground before soaring back up into the sky. The ghost grabbed onto Danny’s hair and ripped at it, while screaming at him.

“Phantom you horrid beast, let go of me this instant!!”

Gasping a pained breath of air, Danny took the opportunity while the ghost was focused on yanking out his hair- which really hurt by the way- to throw them against the ground. Unfortunately Danny got dragged with them, a factor he upsettingly didn’t consider, and they both went tumbling through a patch of dirt and grass.

Danny rolled through the dirt, clovers flying everywhere and his entire outfit becoming grass stained. His body skipped a few times along the ground like a rock thrown against a river before he finally came to a pained stop. His bones ached and his head got rattled around from the fall. Every fiber of him screamed at him to just lie there for a second before he hurt himself more, but there his core was, still loud as ever.

Now is your chance. Destroy that ghost for even raising a hand against you.

Power surged through him, and suddenly Danny was standing, stalking over to where his opponent- his prey- laid recovering. His nails turned claws bore outwards. They ached to carve into this feeble ghost who dared to challenge him with so little power. Just look at them laying there, glow already so weak, nearly nonexistent…

Nearly…?

“Valerie?”

At the mention of her name, Valerie, the Red Huntress, shot up and launched herself at Danny. Her mask was damaged in their fight, so her hair billowed out of the broken glass, eyes sharp and promising to stab literal daggers into her own opponent, Phantom.

Without warning, her fist collided directly with Danny’s nose, forcing him backwards with a loud yelp. Her leg then kicked outwards, intentionally tripping him back even further. Falling right onto his ass, Danny’s head hit the ground soon after with another loud collision. Pain instantly shot down his spine.

“Huntress wait-”

“How dare you attack me, Ghost! I knew you were nothing but evil, all of you.” Danny held his head in his hands, cradling it as Valerie threatened him. Most of him felt guilty for attacking a human, but the rational part of him said that it was just Valerie and she could take it, and barely counted as human at this point. Most humans aren’t half nano-bot robots or even full vigilante ghost hunters.

Danny finally opened his eyes to look up at her, just to see a Ghost blaster pointed directly at his face. With no more than a scowl, he rolled to the left, dodging her attack. Not even sparing a glance to the grass remnants that burned slightly from where she shot.

“I thought you were a ghost!” Danny shouted as he flew upwards, dodging another shot from Valerie. “You were literally stalking me earlier!”

A blast ricocheted off the radio tower in the background and barely missed Danny’s leg as it came shooting back.

“That's because you are up to no good, ghost!” Another shot was fired that promptly missed. Valerie scowled at the disadvantage she had from being on the ground. She quickly released her hoverboard and hopped onto it, now racing after Phantom. “I was trying to see what you were doing!”

“I was-” He quickly ducked under an ecto shot. “Just doing my patrols!” Danny’s legs merged together, becoming one ghost tail. He zipped past Valerie, circling around the tower climbing up in height at the same time. “I do this literally every day!”

“Therein lies the problem, Phantom.” She hissed his name with pure venom. Head shooting from side to side trying to find where he went, she stood still on the Hoverboard, flying in one spot. Blood thrummed in her ears, adrenaline and hatred pushing her to keep fighting. One hand on the trigger, she began to point it at every little movement she saw.

“You are not fit to be doing patrols. A ghost fighting other ghosts? No one knows your motives, and while you may have the rest of the town tricked, I will not believe that you are a fit ‘protector.’” She quickly whipped around, shooting right behind her, just for it to go through nothing. With a frown she lowered her blaster slightly. “It's all some act you are putting on for whatever it is that you are trying to do.”

Despite her attempt at trying to antagonize him, there came no response, just silence. A bird in a tree nearby, chirped to his children. A few grasshoppers could be heard singing together. Even her hoverboard was emitting a low hum. But no Phantom.

Now frustrated with the games he is obviously playing on her, Valerie shot angrily into the sky. Just aimlessly shooting. It helped release a bit of the anger that she held for the ghost. She was too busy destroying random clouds to notice that her hoverboard buckled slightly under the weight of another person.

A chill swept over her neck suddenly, making her hair stand on end.

The air turned stiff and sour as she finally felt the dry breath of a ghost behind her.

“V a l e r i e . . . “

Her heart raced as she found herself unable to move.

“Y o u r . . . ”

My…?

“Phone is ringing. You might want to answer that."

She was suddenly snapped out of her stupor. Spinning around, she pointed her blaster at Phantom who smiled innocently and simply pointed to her back pocket. Valerie glared at him, and with her free hand, she felt behind her just to find that her phone was indeed ringing. Now directing her glare at her phone, she nearly hit ignore until she caught the name of the caller ID.

Shit! It's her dad.

Fumbling with her phone, she clumsily dropped her blaster, which Phantom picked up to her dismay, and rushed to answer the call.

“Hey dad. Sorry I didn’t see your call sooner, I was..” Phantom caught a kick in the shin, which he inhaled sharply at. “..busy.”

See, Danny was above interrupting one of his classmates while they were on the phone with their parents. Unlucky for him, this specific classmate wanted his pelt on her wall. Still, manners come first, so he chose to float aimlessly and be vaguely distracting while she was on call.

He watched as she spoke in hushed voices to her phone. She kept shooting annoyed glares at him before worriedly turning back to her father.

“No, I know I am out past curfew- I am sorry, I-I just got caught up…”

Her voice trailed off, and Danny could tell she was being scolded by her father. She looked more defensive than he had ever seen her. It was kind of sad to watch actually. His heart panged for the girl.

“Oh- doing what? Uh- I was just…” Her words fumbled around in her mouth, unable to come up with an excuse off the top of her head. Valerie couldn’t help but look over at Phantom for any sort of help, but he was not there.

That ghost- “Ah, sorry Dad, I zoned out.” That's what she gets for trying to trust a ghost. “I am studying at…”

“Danny Fenton’s house.”

“D-Danny’s house! Danny Fenton… We have a Biology project together.. I got caught up working on it so that's what I have been.. Doing….” She spun around to try and catch Phantom and question how he knew who Danny was, but she wasn’t able to catch anything because just like earlier, he was gone. She scowled into the night air, fist clenching and unclenching rapidly.

Floating invisible a few feet away from Valerie, Danny smiled to himself for being able to help her with her problem before the reality of the situation sank in. He nearly hit himself for how stupid he was for suggesting himself. She didn’t know that Danny is Phantom, and that could seriously blow his cover.

He rubbed his eyes in frustration before glancing back over at Valerie. While she seemed more confused than anything else, a bit of tension seemed to leave her shoulders. She was talking more fluidly to her dad, explaining the made up Biology project to him now that she had an idea to build off of.

Part of him wanted to stay to make sure she got everything covered with her dad. While he had no obligation to make sure she was okay, especially since her life was in danger, he still wanted to, as her friend.

Even though they weren’t friends. Not when he was like this.

“Yeah, uh.. You can pick me up at his house…”

Wait what??

Danny shot a panicked look at Valerie who was quickly powering back on her hoverboard, nodding along to the phone. “Yeah, you can come get me now, we just finished up.”

Goddamn it Valerie! He did not expect her to offer to be picked up. Doesn’t she walk home and stuff? He knows it’s late but it’s not like it’s midnight.. Yet…

He was hoping to get at least a final word in to her before he ran off, but she is already soaring up into the sky. No matter what, he can’t let her beat him home. And what is he supposed to tell Jazz?

How does he always get himself into these stupid situations?

With that final thought, he launched off ahead of her, racing back to his house.

—

How does she always get herself into these stupid situations?

That's the exact thought Valerie had as she found herself soaring through the sky above clouds heading directly to FentonWorks.

She has too many questions and she is beyond confused, but she doesn't really have the chance to answer any of them right now. She needed to get to Danny’s house before her dad got there.

While flying, she took a quick second to ponder why the hell Phantom suggested she show up to Danny’s house. Did he know Danny? Was he waiting there to surprise attack her? Or is this just an elaborate set up to get her laughed at by a cute boy from her class.

All were perfectly plausible to her and it infuriated her that she could pinpoint which reason it was. God forbid that he was trying to help her. That wasn’t how Phantom worked.

What a fool she was to trust him.

She quickly arrived at the large half-laboratory-half-house. Dropping onto the sidewalk and ducking into the alleyway closest to the building, she deactivated her Red Huntress outfit and shrunk away her hoverboard.

Working up the nerves, Valerie walked up to FentonWorks. She stared up at it before going to knock on the door before she hesitated, hand paused right before knocking.

A large part of her still screamed to run, but she knew she couldn’t afford to do that right now. She would just explain to Danny that she needed to use him as a cover, and he would understand. He skips class half of the time and she is sure he wouldn’t want his parents to know that.

A shiver washed over her and she quickly whipped around, expecting to find Phantom but there was nothing there but the night air.

God, she must be going crazy. First trusting a Ghost, now feeling things that aren't there. With a loud huff, Valerie finally knocked on the door.

The door instantaneously swung open to reveal Danny who seemed beyond out of breath.

“Ah, Danny!”

“Val-” He wheezed out, clutching his stomach. He held a hand up to ask for a second as he panted against the door frame. Valerie just watched with awkward helplessness as he caught his breath.

It took an embarrassingly long second for him to look back up to her, his face flushed. “Sorry- just uh.. Went on a run, then…. Ran down the stairs.. To…” He stared at her for a second with a vaguely confused look. “Answer the door… What are you doing here?”

“Im…. working on a group project with you apparently.” She put it bluntly, hoping he would catch on fast enough.

“But we don't have a project together?”

Of course this couldn’t have been that simple. “No, just- ugh.” Valerie nearly slapped herself in the forehead. Why was this so stupidly difficult? “Can I just come inside to explain it? My dad will be here soon.”

Danny slipped backwards into the house, holding the door open for her. Inside the house she was greeted with a living room littered with family pictures and random ghost hunting equipment tossed to the side. One photo caught her eye of who she assumed to be Danny from when he was in middle school.

He had longer hair then but seemed to be shrunk into himself. He donned a dark blue NASA hoodie and a crooked smile. The hoodie seemed too big, and the smile seemed too forced. Something about the photo shot a slight pang in Valerie’s chest. He just seemed unlike himself there.

“Ah, don't look at that one. I keep telling Mom to take it down but she insists on keeping it.”

Glancing up at Danny, she had to remark that he seemed to grow into himself over the years. She didn’t know him when he was younger, but he seemed happier now. Mostly. Right now he seemed embarrassed and a bit annoyed, but overall he didn’t seem to curl into himself as much.

It made Valerie happy that he was able to find himself.

“You had longer hair back then.” She offered with a teasing smile. He simply frowned back at her, though it didn’t seem to meet his eyes which shined brightly. “What? I like it!”

“Well you would agree with my parents then.” His hand moved to scratch the back of his neck somewhat awkwardly. There was a second of silence before he dropped his hand and turned to Valerie fully. “Soo, what is up?”

Right, back to why she was here. “You skip school a lot so I assumed you would understand that I needed a cover for my dad.” She explained, watching as he frowned again at her comment. “Don’t even pretend it’s not true. You run out of class every other period.”

“Yeah well…” He didn’t have an argument to that, but she didn’t have to point it out like that. “I have things I need to do…..”

“Oh yes, I am sure you do.” Valerie rolled her eyes. “Unlike whatever you ‘have to do’, I really was busy today. So please cover for me when my dad gets here. We were just working on a biology project together. I will do the talking so you don't have to worry about anything.”

She pushed past him and set her bag down on the couch, pulling out her phone checking to see if her dad texted her.

The room seemed to flicker slightly before another shudder washed over her. Her heart rate spiked as she quickly spun around to punch the ghost sneaking up behind her, just for her to make direct contact with Danny’s nose.

The force of the punch made Danny trip over his own feet, falling straight onto the floor with a loud yelp. Valerie gasped and quickly ran over to him.

“Danny! Oh my god I am so sorry-”

“Man, what is your problem?? I let you into my house, I cover for you, and then out of nowhere you punch me!!” He exclaimed while holding his nose in his hand. A bit of blood dripped past his fingers onto the floor.

“I really didn't mean to, I just thought you were a ghost.” She attempted to explain, but it just seemed to make him more upset.

“Oh and that justifies punching me??” He began to pull himself up off the floor, before Valerie leaned down to try and help him up but he just pushed her off of him. “Don't. We don’t need you thinking I'm a ghost again and jumping me.”

He shoved past her, heading into the kitchen. Valerie quickly followed after him, abandoning her bag on the couch. “Look, I said it was an accident. I have been on edge recently. I didn’t mean to attack you.

“On edge of what Val? What has got you so freaked out that you had to take it out on me?” The sink began running as Danny wet a napkin for his nose. The air was thick with tension on both ends. While she was trying to apologize, he just kept antagonizing her.

She really thought she liked him and now he just keeps getting on her nerves. She really didn’t mean to hurt him, but she would have sworn she felt the chill of a ghost behind her. That was something she had gotten really good at detecting recently. It is nearly never wrong so god forgive her for trusting it.

Before she could answer, Danny turned around to face her, shooting her another glare. He seemed beyond disheveled now that she was getting an even closer look at him. It all seems well hidden but he has a poorly hidden bruise on his cheek that must have been cleaned off with the napkin. It made even more guilt eat at her for hurting him when he already seemed off.

Right now he seemed to resemble the Danny she saw in the photo earlier. How did she mess it up with him that fast?

Hesitation raced through her before she pushed through it, walking up to Danny. He winced away from her, but she just took the napkin gently from his hands. As softly as she could, she leaned his head backwards a bit and held the napkin up to his nose. It was a bit of an awkward position, but she knew this helped keep the blood from spilling the best.

“I really am sorry Danny.. I took up….. Another job..” She stared down at the bloody napkin with a frown. “It has been stressful but I really wanted to help my dad however I could. He doesn't want me to so I have been having to hide it, but… it really isn't fun. It's stressful and has been wearing on me a lot and has left me paranoid I suppose.”

Danny watched her with a slight hesitation as she spoke. She was just glad he wasn’t pushing her away. “It is no excuse, but I just thought you would want to know.”

While it wasn’t the whole truth, it was the closest she has ever gotten to telling anyone. It lifted a bit of the anxiety that laid on her heart.

A moment passed between them before Danny spoke up. “I understand. I really do Val. I am sorry for lashing out at you as well.” He gently motioned her to step back as he took the napkin back. He pinched his nose for a minute before standing up straight again. His eyes softened from the glare he previously held. “It's not easy holding onto a secret that big and not being able to tell anyone, even your closest friends. I get it.”

Tossing the napkin out before grabbing another one, Danny sighed to himself quietly. Valerie just stood there as he took a second to think. “I know I am not the most ideal person to talk to, I bet. There's probably loads of people you would wanna talk to about your stuff before me, but I understand you, I really do, and I am here to listen if you ever want to talk.”

There weren’t many people Valerie would trust talking to about any of her struggles, but especially not Ghost hunting. Danny wasn’t on that list either, at least not until tonight. She has her doubts about how well he actually understands, but there was something so genuine in his eyes that she couldn’t help but trust him.

“...Okay.. Thank you Danny, I appreciate it.”

He shot her a slightly bloody thumbs up and a goofy lopsided grin. “Anytime Val.”

They held eye contact which made Valerie feel soft inside in a way she hasn’t felt in a long time. In perfect timing though, there was a knock on the door.

“Ah, I bet that was my dad, I should get going.” She explained, nodding towards the entranceway.

“Oh definitely.” Danny said, following her out back into the living room while she grabbed her bag. He beat her to the door and opened it for her. “It was nice having you over, to work on the project.” He quickly added as she left.

She just rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Of course. Thanks for having me.” Valerie waved goodbye to Danny as she walked down the steps to the street with her dad. She loaded her stuff into the front seat with her as her dad started the car.

Finally she could relax.

“What happened to his nose? It seemed busted up. Did you do that Valerie? I thought you stopped the whole ‘fighting your classmates’ thing.”

Nevermind apparently.

[fadingdaggerr]

close to home

part one | part two | part three | part four

pairing: brienne of tarth x gn!reader

summary: continuation of a piece of home now set in mid-late season 4 when brienne is searching for arya and sansa, about a year and a half since the first chapter.

warnings: got s3-4 spoilers, canon typical violence but mostly in conversation, descriptions of injuries and death (brief), the classic lesbian ‘dancing around each other’

note: i told ya it would be slowburn :) sorry for the slow updates, college sucks and i am so behind because i keep getting overwhelmed and procrastinating

the news the king joffrey’s demise spread across the kingdoms with fury. little birds of your own running to send you word, quick hands tying notes to the bird. when a raven reached the camp, larkin was bobbing and weaving through the crowd. the red seal meant trouble, the kind that would likely cause the vein in your forehead to bulge and you to probably break something.

running into the tent, he comes to a screeching halt, a meeting progressive in front of him. your eyes look at him, he waves the notes, red seal on display. you wave him over frantically, meeting pausing just as fast as larkin entered.

commander-

the king is dead. poisoned. not sure who yet, but lord tyrion blamed. lady sansa missing. more to follow. suggest a move north.

- eoin

you read the note aloud, silence followed, everyone stunned. the glass to your right was thrown against the ground. this meant war was coming. winter was already drawing closer, but bloodshed was soon to come. the lannisters would never let this go.

eoin knew well of what move you’d make, you began the move north. it was slow, a complicated path to ward off unwanted followers. the weeks grew long, the desperation you felt for another raven was palpable. the further north we traveled, the harder it was word easily and discreetly.

orion brings a scroll, red wax, cloud pressed in.

commander-

your lady knight is leaving king’s landing within the week, looking for ladies sansa and arya. lannister man gave her a sword. moving north with a squire.

- rahim

the second you read the words ‘lady knight’ in fast., messy handwriting, your hands gripped the parchment a little tighter. a squire? had she been knighted, had they rightfully acknowledged her at last? you opt to ignore the use of ‘your’ in front of her nickname. instead you write a response, adding updated travel routes that will be followed, as well as advising the use of coded messages from now on. the scroll was passed to orion with directions of a new bird to land towards the east side of the city.

—

leaving the tavern with podrick and the wolf-shaped bread from hotpie left brienne with some semblance of hope. she could not save lady catelyn, but she could fulfill her promise and protect her daughters. if she ever found the bloody devils.

“where to now, my lady?” podrick asked, despite knowing the answer.

“north. if sansa fled, she’ll go somewhere familiar, to someone she trusts,” brienne was certain, and podrick nodded. he had only been under her service for a short time, but he had already gained large amounts of respect for her.

so north they went, and went, and went. brienne had been slowly teaching podrick to sword fight. he was nowhere near being able to defend himself, but the spirit was there. when the practice was over, they’d eat in silence. brienne wiped off her small knife, tucking it next to the horn that stayed in her storage. she hadn’t unraveled the sheathed dagger that was carefully knotted around the horn, afraid of acknowledging it, but keeping it near.

two months into her travels, she is awoken while stars still paint the sky. she rubs her eyes, growing slightly, she almost falls back asleep, assuming the noise was podrick or imaginary. but there it is again.

she sits up, hand automatically falling on her weapon. a blaring, deep in the woods. it’s far away, so the sound just barely reaching her ears. one more faint sound, then silence. and it remains. she lays back down, shaking her head to toss away the distractions. ‘probably some locals,’ she muses to herself, before falling asleep once again.

another month passes, and brienne swears she is being watched. she’s positive it isn’t her squire, he minds his business, and his stares don’t feel this imposing. a rustle in the trees above her caught her attention, but she saw nothing, she assumed it was animals of the forest. she looks around, but there’s still nothing. no one. she’s going crazy, is all she can think. ‘all this stark ladies business has driven me mad!’

—

a younger man in your company, dorin, comes rushing through the crowd, he’s walking, although very fast. he gracefully dodges each person, bumping into no one, uttering no words as he slithers between them.

he silently approaches you as you’re sitting on your desk. he likes to give people a scare when he can, but you notice him, turning and catching him off guard.

“what can i do you for, dorin?” you say without looking at him, smirking to yourself as you look a potential supply routes.

he clears his throat, “i spotted a tall woman, blonde. accompanied by a man, quite a bit shorter than the woman, with brown hair. a horse for each. and quite the fancy sword on her hip, but i could only see the hilt. not well given my altitude, still it looked beautifully crafted.” dorin’s reports always had perfect detail, he had climbing expertise, and he didn’t ask question as to why you had him survey the woods. he was perfect for the job.

“thank you dorin, that’ll be all. send ragnall to me on your way out,” you say diplomatically, hiding the giddiness that filled your chest.

“you called?” ragnall stood in the entrance.

you swing so your legs dangle off the desktop, “yes. gather two others and please nicely escort the travelers one hour east to of our camp. nicely. got it?” you raise and eyebrow.

“yes, commander,” he grumbles, hoping for something more exciting, but heads to follow orders. you jump off the desk, and move just outside the tent.

“boy!” you call out, hands cupped around your mouth. less than twenty seconds, and larkin was headed to you, stopping just before you. “ready two cots and make way for two horses, we got visitors in two,” and he’s off. and you’re patiently waiting in your tent, hands twisting and pulling at each other in your lap.

—

brienne was washing up when she heard podrick yell for her, she is quick to come to his aid. sword drawn, she stands protectively in front of podrick.

“what is your business here?” she asks, eyes stern and angry.

“lady brienne, we’re here to escort you to camp,” ragnall speaks first, hoping she’ll recognize him best. her sword immediately slides back into her scabbard.

the entire walk back to the camp her hands were sweating. she explained to pod meeting you with jaime, and how she found out about the skyforth. he listens carefully, and she’s careful not to talk to much about you. she does mention you’re from tarth, and that it was nice to know someone from there, easily explaining away any overflowing joy.

she saw the tents growing closer, the guards closest the opening moving to make way for everyone and the horses. her eyes darted around for the largest tent, with the large table and the desk you sat on instead of at. their horses were taking over to the others with a quick promise of their belongings being brought to their own tent. podrick looked to her for confirmation, she assured him it was okay, she trusted these men and their commander.

ragnall led her to the tent she had she looking for, her eyes unblinking as they approached. they stopped as ragnall lowered his head to enter the tent to announce their presence. she heard your voice say something, but couldn’t make it out. still, she bit back a smile, podrick did not notice.

ragnall’s arms opened the curtain. she took a breath and steadied her mind quickly, ducking into the tent, podrick behind her.

you. all black attire as she had assumed was your typical choice, your cour cloak was draped across a chair. you looked less imposing without it, but she knew that was not the case. you’re deadly, just like her, fierce like her, angry like her. but she knew you were soft underneath, she had seen it with larkin and a little with herself.

brienne. clad in castle armor, only lacking lannister lions on the pauldrons. a lion’s head pommel on her sword mad your fingers twitch, questions filled your head. all of them became fuzzy when your eyes moved to her face. her hair was lighter from the sun exposure of travel, freckles blooming on her cheeks. you took in a deep breath.

“brienne of tarth,” you step forward, arm extended to shake. she does so quickly, smiling gently.

“commander. let me introduce you to my traveling comp-” she hears him clear his throat behind her, “my squire, podrick.”

he sticks his arm out to you with a smile, but you speak before him, “podrick payne.” you shake is arm, chuckling at his shock of you knowing his name. you knew of him, your little birds had told you all about pod. and by just looking at him, you liked him already, he’s much better than not-so-pompous and thinks-he’s-pretty.

“it’s nice you have you back, lady brienne. and with a squire no less. have your talents finally been appreciated by the crown?” you ask with genuinely.

she lets out a dry laugh, “no, they haven’t. the armor and sword were a gift, to help me keep my promise to the late lady catelyn.”

“i was heartbroken to hear of her death. we only met once, but she was a kind and fierce woman. i pray to the gods for her and her children,” you look at the floor as you speak, then to brienne, “does your new sword have a name?”

she smiles, excited to speak of her new weapon, “oathkeeper.”

“a good title for both you and your sword,” she’s too stunned to respond, “hungry?” podrick nods happily.

—

podrick asks you loads of questions, most of which with a full mouth, you happily answer. after a minute, your eyes widen, dropping your fork as you scramble from the table. brienne’s thoughts catch up with yours. larkin. she hears your usual call for him.

before you’re even back at the table the boy is running in, faster than lightning. he had a huge, goofy smile on his face. brienne was shocked to see the boy a whole head taller since she had last seen him, no longer such a little boy.

“lady brienne!” he yells excitedly, almost running to hug her but sticks with sticking his arm out quickly. she returns it her equal passion.

“how are you larkin? how’s your training going?” she asks with real, genuine curiosity. you watched with a soft smile as he spoke with excitement, talking about everything and anything. brienne listened intently, nodding and asking questions. podrick noticed your smile, but only got half the reason.

“he your son?” he asks, no food in his mouth this go around.

you’re about to speak when you’re cut off by larkin, “pretty much.” your heart almost explodes in that moment, you won’t cry, you can’t, not until you’re alone. your nose twitches, and you grab your cup and large drink. brienne takes note of your rapid blinking that pushed back a wave of tears.

“um, larkin. you didn’t introduce yourself to podrick here, he used to squire for lord tyrion,” you change the subject to save your ego. podrick looks to brienne, who looks at you. how did you know that? she hadn’t told you that.

“wait, for the i-” now is your turn to cut off larkin.

“aye! don’t call him that boy, he doesn’t like it,” you look to brienne, “i know everything. little birds, you know this,” you read hers and pod’s faces easily. larkin had a million questions and so many things to say, and podrick was matching his enthusiasm.

“go show podrick the practice yard, he’s learning to sword fight as well,” you say, “you can talk all you want down there, give him a tour.” they leave immediately, even twice his age, pod had a childlike air about him.

there was tension in the silence, brienne wanted to break it, “how have you been?”

i swallowed and took a deep breath, “we’ve been traveling north, trying to stay as far away from the mess in king’s landing as possible. larkin told you about training, it’s just been moving i guess.”

“not what i asked. how have you been?” she leans towards you.

you can hardly look at her, “would it be bad to say ‘i have no fucking idea’?” you rotate the glass in your hand.

“no, i understand. i have been in the same position as of late,” she honest in her words. she’s felt a hole in the center of her chest all her life, one that felt like it was slowly filling in your presence.

“it’s good to see you again, brienne of tarth,” your eyes look into hers. she looks back.

“it’s good you see as well, no name of tarth,” she jests. “i believe i was promised your name upon our next meeting.”

“and i recall saying ‘maybe next time,’ did i not?” you get up from the table. she follows.

you walk down to her tent, giving her space to remove her armor, she knew it wasn’t necessary here. she kept her sword close, grounded by the security and weight of it against her hip. she emerges in her dark linen pants and blue tunic, and you’re sure her eyes couldn’t get any more blue. you kept your staring to a minimum, turning to continue the stroll. brienne stayed behind you for a moment, watching you now. your hair longer, not bothering to cut it while you traveled, the new scar on the back of your neck, disappearing underneath the collar of your shirt.

when she reached your side again, she took a second to take in your profile. the bags under your eyes visible, eyes straight ahead, jaw set. the world had been cruel since you last met, she could see that much. wooden swords clashing together broke her attention, seeing podrick and larkin practicing together. you and brienne both chuckled at larkin’s noticeable higher skill.

you kept walking, letting ‘the boys have their fun.’ you sat at the fire pit, brienne sits on the same log as you this time. you. it’s sit in comfortable silence now. she feels your staring, eyes fixed on left ear. your eyes traced the shell, where there was a light scar from your first encounter. she turned to face you, you look away, facing the fire once again.

“i like it, you know. the scar. it’s a nice reminder,” she says.

you laugh, “you like that i threw a dagger at you?”

“not at all. i like that i won’t forget meeting you.”

you liked this as well, a permanent reminder of you with her. you only wish you had more that memories to remember her. you relied on memories of the flames lighting up her face, orange fire making her turn golden. you thought about her often when you couldn’t sleep, which seemed to be most nights as of late.

“you seemed to have accidentally left something in my stores,” she jokes.

“i was wondering when you’d mention that,” you sound nervous, and you continue quietly, “i was hoping you may hear the horns one and respond.”

it all made sense. she had heard you a month ago, calling, sending word to others, it was a call to bring others to you. to bring them home. she didn’t mention it, not wanting you to know she had failed you.

“i found my way regardless. how did you find me?”

“dorin. he’s quite the climber,” you watched her face twist, then fall. she had felt herself being watched the last time she was here, she never thought you’d have spies in the trees. you messengers in the capital being so well hidden made more sense.

“i’d gotten word of a certain lady knight leaving king’s landing, with a squire, no less. we were already headed north, as were you. i hoped our paths would cross, and maybe i willed it myself,” your voice is happy, but you still don’t look at her. she didn’t want to admit that your words had her heart racing, that you made her weak.

“i’m glad you did,” and you both just enjoy each other’s company.

supper comes, and podrick and larkin return, sweaty and covered in dirt. larkin stands next to the table as podrick moves fo sit down.

“were you raised by pigs?” you question. “go wash that shit off you before either of you sits down in one of my chairs,” larkin is quick to run at the aspect of sitting with everyone. brienne tilts her head towards podrick, he turns and follows the other boy.

“and they say women are the ones that who need orders to follow,” brienne says, and you laugh heartily. she bathes in the sound, a sound she caused. she wanted to hear your laugh again and again, and even more after that.

you look at her from across the table, face unreadable, “will you leave tomorrow?”

if her heart wasn’t already racing, oh gods would it be running for it’s life. she suppresses a shakiness that is migrating from her hands to her voice, “i think pod and i are quite weary from our travels, we may stay an extra night. just so we’re well-rested, of course.”

“of course,” you smile.

—

in the morning hours, brienne is greeted with a sight that almost tears her lungs from her chest. you were dressed down, no longer in your uniform. instead, black pants and grey tunic rested upon you, tunic untied at the top. your hair was wet, dampening the collar of your shirt. a dagger was still tethered to your thigh, you were never without one it seemed, an extension of you. you looked calm, peaceful even. no one else was awake, you had no responsibilities right now.

she approaches you, hoping you wouldn’t catch her admiring you. your content face grows a smile, crinkles around your eyes deepening. brienne was beautiful. no one could convince you otherwise, if they disagreed they must be blind, or dense, or both. she’s wearing a darker blue tunic, making her eyes look brighter. the sapphire in her irises encrusting your heart.

“good morning, commander,” she says slyly.

“good morning, lady brienne. sleep well?” you meet her halfway, only about a foot of space between you both. you smelled like honey and pine.

“best sleep i’ve had in months, truly. this is the first bed that hasn’t been made of leave or reeked of piss,” she says dryly, humor evident in her eyes.

“i’m glad. last you were here, you couldn’t sleep. i guess it’s because you’re no longer around strangers.”

“definitely not. except for you, i still haven’t got your name,” she wants to know, no, needs to know. she wants to say your name, to think of you more than just ‘the commander.’

you wanted to hear her say your name, but years of hiding had made your skin thick and your distrust in people thicker. you trusted her, but not the rest. “soon,” is all you say. she takes this answer, knowing she wouldn’t get another for a while.

you move away from her, eyes still on her face. she followed as you began walking, all the way to the tree line. you looked at her, silently asking if she wanted to come with you. she nodded, she thinks she’d follow you anywhere.

walking in the woods with you was peaceful. the crunching of sticks beneath you, the wet leaves dampening the sound of your footsteps. everything is quite, light, pretty. brienne feels like she left her stresses behind her at the tree line, all her doubts were in the tall grass. she stands behind as watches as you move slowly, crouching behind a tree, your movements carry no noise. she tries to move closer, but you look at her sharply, and she stays still. she watches you move quickly, hand going to your ankle, dagger out and thrown quickly. a large bird falls from branch across the stream.

you spring up from your spot, quickly and expertly crossing over the stream on slippery stones to retrieve the bird. you come back the way you left, holding up your prize to brienne, a satisfied smile on your face.

“breakfast for two, m’lady?” you ask with a bow, then begin walking. she laughs at your words, following you back to camp.

“how could i say no to that?”

getting back to camp meant getting back when everyone had risen. podrick was with larkin again, both shooting arrows into hay bale targets, both missing miserably. the bird was grabbed by a man who strolled by, yelling ‘gimme an hour’ over his shoulder. the camp was lively, brienne smiled to herself. it felt like home.

—

nightfall reached the camp, different groups stay around the different fires. the chatting, laughter, and music carried brienne around as she searched for you. after breakfast you had disappeared to discuss future plans with the leading men of skyforth, leaving brienne to fill the time without you. she wished she could have gotten more time to see the green of the forest paint your face. she almost wished you had been unsuccessful in your hunt, selfishly wishing she could have wandered beside you for just a moment longer. what has gotten into me?

she sits at fire, losing herself in the flames. she watches the dancing of light a little longer, feeling someone’s presence. she doesn’t have to look to know it’s you, but she does anyways, just to see you. you look at her just as intently, sitting to her left.

she meets your eyes, one concealed in darkness, the other shining in the fire’s light. she looks back to the flames. your eyes stay on her, she feels them searching her, the attention crawling on her like a gentle ladybug. her feels ears warm as she feels your eyes stay there, she blames it on the fire. that is until she sees a hand slowly rising to the shell of her ear. your fingers graze over her scar with a feather-light touch, the scar you put there. you were so gentle, brienne almost thought she was imagining it. she turned and look at your face, lips turned down, crease between your eyebrows prominent. you were ashamed of yourself for hurting her, no matter what she said earlier.

brienne’s hand comes to grab the one by her ear, holding your hand to display your scarred knuckles to her. she could she little ones around your fingers, faded and old, likely from your days before being a master of the dagger. she liked those ones, but the deeper ones, she hated.

“ask whatever you want,” you spoke softly, “i can feel your mind working, can practically see it too.”

her thumb runs over your knuckles, a question in itself. you answered, “most are from fighting, first one was when i was was taken from tarth, last was about two months after you parted. i try to keep my distance, but sometimes i’m impatient.”

she laughs lightly, trying not to break this quiet moment. she’s already about to burst at the seams from holding your hand, and you’re in the same condition in your own mind. you’re so focused on not shaking, that your haven’t stopped staring at her eyes in the orange glow. they were crystalized sapphire seas gifted to her, the only one worthy enough to be trusted.

“which one was the worst?” brienne asks, her voice is careful. you wince are the thought, pulling your hand from hers to move your cloak away and lift your tunic. just below your left ribs was a large, jagged scar, it was clear that the injury had been deep. brienne resists the urge to trace your scar as you did hers, her hands twitching.

you lower the tunic back down, “we got raided four years ago. assholes just went straight for the kids, so i threw myself in there. got four out of five down, last one got me with my own blade, took it from my back.” you take a deep breath, “he went for the kids, so i took the knife out and slit his throat. larkin and two others had to carry me out to the healers. they were just little babes, they shouldn’t have had to do that.”

brienne places a hand on your knee giving it squeeze, “they were able to save you because you saved them. they know you’d never let anything happen to them.” your hand sits atop hers and squeezes back, a silent ‘thank you.’

“i may ask you anything?” she clarifies, already knowing what she needs to know. the only thing she had been thinking about for a year.

you lean forward ever-so-slightly and whisper, “anything.”

“what’s your name?” she whispers back, she almost feels like she’s learning your deepest, most damning secret.

you close your eyes and huff a laugh through your nose, you knew she’d ask. you look back up to answer, but a large gust of laughter bursts your bubble. you’re both suddenly aware of other people moving closer. drinking hour has begun for the men, and the children are playing pretend with the practice swords. podrick was sitting with everyone, pretending he hadn’t been watching you and brienne every now and then, only being able to you slightly around her shoulder.

as everyone’s approaching the fire, you whisper the answer she’s being dying for. she reads your lips, going to test the name on her own tongue. your hand covers her mouth, free hand making a shushing motion, laughing behind your finger. you can feel her grin beneath your hand and it overwhelms you. you quickly take away your hand.

podrick sits himself on a log near you both, brienne’s eyes snap to him and are practically screaming ‘not a word.’ he just takes a sip of ale. ragnall brings you and brienne each a drink. he bends down to speak to you quietly, his words only traveling to your ears.

“don’t get too attached, commander. she’s here for bed and meal, nothing else. she’s leaving tomorrow and war is brewing,” you shove him harshly away from you, and he walks away, knowing you’d tell him to ‘piss off’ anyways. you visibly deflate, but take a strong sip to drown his words. brienne is enraged by him taking your smile so quickly, how quickly doubt clouded your eyes from his words. she wants to ask, but you shake your head.

“it’s nothing, he’s a killjoy,” you say as if it were nothing, but the shake of your leg gave you away. you press you palm into your knee to still it’s motion, brienne is confident she now despises ragnall. she’s not the only one who notices your mood plummet, because before she can even think of what to do, larkin jogs over.

“commander, could we do dagger practice? i want to learn throwing in the dark,” he tugs the sleeve of your upper arm. you stand immediately, arm wrapping around him shoulder.

“pinch me i’m dreaming,” you say as you squeeze the boy into you, hugging him tightly as he laughs, “did i just hear that you want to throw daggers? willingly?” you pull away and pretend to inspect him, angling his head is odd directions as he laughs, “are you sure you aren’t a witch, a shapeshifter?”

brienne watches the scene before her with a smile. how easily your spirits were lifted by someone you loved, especially this parental love you felt for larkin. she could never make you smile this much, she knows that larkin is the only one who can, but she wants to get close regardless. podrick watches brienne look at you, he finds himself sad for her that they have to leave in the morning. he knows there’s something more, and he knows brienne will ignore it as long as possible.

larkin begins to drag you, your voice carries over your shoulder, “you two coming or not?”

the four of you go to the targets. your demeanor changes from parent to teacher quite quickly. podrick attempts to throw into the target as well, missing terribly, while larkin’s land on the outer rings. yours create a horizontal line, one in the middle and one on each side. brienne throws a single dagger, she hits the target towards the bottom, but ‘at least hit she hit it,’ as pod grumbled put it.

larkin headed off to bed as the sky became devoid of light, podrick went for another drink and to warm by the fire. this left you and brienne at the targets. she watched you throw dagger after dagger, each hitting its destination as if you were moving it with your mind. you had covered the target almost completely, none of the daggers touching. she walked with you to retrieve them all, helping you silently.

“what did ragnall say to you?” she asks, breaking the tense silence. you paused for a moment, then continued.

“nothing of importance. he’s all work, no fun,” you grunt as you pull the center dagger out. the ones in the center were deep, some were down to the wood in the middle of the targets. “i’m sorry, i just… he’s an ass, and he knows how to make me cross,” is all you can say.

“i’ve got my own one of those,” brienne jests, trying to lift the mood.

“ah yes, but he’s all the way in king’s landing. mine is practically up my ass every time i think about sitting down,” you point a knife at him from across the camp, pretending to throw it, “prick.”

she laughs at your childish behaviors, “i think we should head back to everyone else.”

you roll your eyes, “and i think that if i’m within five feet of that ferret, i’ll choke him. i’ll stay right here.” brienne barks a laugh at your words, moving to grab a torch off the side of a nearby tent to light the small fire pit by the targets.

“would anyone question you for doing so? you’re the commander,” she says with a joking tone.

“probably not, but don’t tempt me, lady brienne. i have very little self-control,” you say back, sitting down next to the fire. brienne’s mouth shuts quickly, and she moves to sit with you.

she blames the heat rushing to her cheeks on the flames once again. she grows brave and responds, eyes coming back to your face, “maybe i should continue then.” she smiles at your eyes lighting up.

brienne’s mouth moves faster than her mind, “what did you mean the time we saw each other?”

your eyes fell to your lap, “i said a lot of things, be more specific.”

“that you know your own thoughts,” she wants to how if you see her the same as she sees you, all encompassing.

“stories people make up, men make up, when they feel small, are nothing of importance. i’ve met you, spoken to you, seen you,” your words make brienne feel a little sick, “so far the only truly thing they’ve said is that you’re tall, and from tarth. two things!” she looks at her hands, her mind raging against her.

you lean and grab her hand, “you are not a beast,” she looks at you, “or ugly, or any of that shit they dare say about you. they’re intimidated by you, you’re powerful and alluring,” you’re speaking from your heart it seems, “if you asked me, i would say you’re quite beautiful, perhaps handsome even.”

brienne tried not to think about it much as she fell asleep. she definitely didn’t think about you holding her hand and calling her beautiful and handsome. or the shy smile you gave her that made her heart squeeze in her chest, breath shaking with each exhale. or how you held her hand for an hour until you got up to smother the fire. or how you walked her to her tent and said goodnight to her quietly, like it was a secret message from you to her. or how you looked back as you walked away, lingering there for a moment.

—

the next morning, you stare at the roof of your tent for gods know how long. if you didn’t leave the tent, she wouldn’t go, right? of course she would, she has an oath to keep, a you tell your selfish mind. you rise, putting on your uniform, the weight of your cloak holding you together.

once you step out of your private tent, larkin is by your side in minutes. he’s quiet, much like last time. you had both grown fond of brienne, and he now had a friend in podrick, making this goodbye harder. your arm sits around his shoulders, muttering to him as you walked around to get breakfast.

larkin’s mood lifts upon seeing his new friend, jogging over to pod and talking animatedly. brienne was sitting a bit away, lost in thought as she ate. you looked her for a moment, taking in the sight of the morning sun casting a dream of light across her face, lighting her up like an angel. you moved to go sit with her, grabbing a pear from the center of a tablet you passed. you sit across from her, and bite into your snack as you wait for her to notice you.

brienne here’s a soft crunch near her, head rising until her eyes meet you. tired eyes, pear in hand, hair still down, you were quite a sight to her. she just smiled lightly while looking at you, you returned it. neither of you spoke, just sitting together, enjoying the last moments before she departed.

you feel eyes on you, turning to see ragnall with pointed eyes, staring holes into your skull. brienne sees your brows furrow, hand going to your ankle. before she can even say ‘don’t,’ a dagger flies through the air and buries itself into the beam he’s resting against, only a hair above his head.

“pay mind to your own business, ya owl-looking fuck. blink once in a while, won’t you?” you seethe, and brienne sees a similar anger from the first time she met you and smiles to herself. the men around ragnall laugh at your comment, one pulling the dagger out and bringing it to you with a ‘nice one.’

brienne finishes her food as you slowly finish your pear. you leave the food tent walking towards the horses, and she follows behind you. your hand comes up to the face of a light brown horse with white splotches across him, he nibbles at you hand in greeting. you grab a folded parchment, grabbing her hand and placing it there, palm flat over it.

“these are preliminary travel routes. they’ll probably change, but you’ll probably still be able to track us down. if- if you wan- if you needed to,” you pull your hands away, locking them behind your back.

brienne looked at the parchment, then you. her voice is soft, “thank you. maybe one day it won’t come to tracking each other down.”

“maybe there will be a time where we travel with each other instead of away,” you almost mumble. brienne’s heart almost couldn’t take it, the way you stared at your feet while you spoke and fluttered your eyelashes. gods, i hope so.

“maybe,” she says back, eyes never leaving you.

saying goodbye to you was going to be harder than last time, she didn’t want to say anything. she wishes she had left before you woke up, so you wouldn’t be able to see the homesickness in her eyes as she got further from you. she lead her horse to the front of the camp while you lead podrick’s, eyes catching each other’s every now and then.

larkin was with podrick, listening closely to whatever he had to say. you looked to brienne, “use the horn, will you? if i start following you now, you’ll never get rid of me.”

she smiles at your words, her voice speaks lowly, “who said i was opposed to that?” your brow raises, eyes looking directly into her. you’re about to comment back, but podrick and larkin make their way over.

you settle for, “goodbye, lady brienne,” you turn, “podrick. safe travels to you both, may we see each other again soon.”

she and podrick hoist themselves onto their horses. she looks at you, her eyes raking over your face, you had hardly slept either it seems.

“thank you, commander,” she smiles tightly, “i’m sure you’ll find a way to keep an eye on us.”

you laugh, “who says i don’t already?”

you approach her horse, petting him gently and you speak to brienne, “i mean it, use that horn if there’s any trouble, if you need anything. even just a meal and a bed, doesn’t have to be battle. please, just… just use the damn horn.”

she leans closer to you, “i promise you,” you’re trying so hard not to faint from the closeness, “and i don’t break promises.”

i said slowburn did i not? also if anyone else would like to be tagged in part 3 (there might be a part 4) just leave a lil comment on here :) feed back appreciated, love ya

tags: @another-unoriginal-username @the-bagel24

[void-occupation]

I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!!

I have finally returned and have decided to post my most recent fixation for everyone to see. (I've been through this song and dance before but now everyone gets to see it). Also, it's not angst related?????? Who am I and what have I done with the real Void-

Optimus Prime has to repeatedly be told that he cannot in fact adopt every animal that happens to cross his path, and he has brought back everything from boxes of cats, to a stray dog, to a whole ass mountain lion on one particularly memorable occasion. HOWEVER, there is one animal he absolutely refuses to take home, and even attempts to avoid contact with at all costs. This giant alien robot who has fought in a continuous war for thousands of years will place more trust in Unicron himself (who he has literally almost died fighting) then he will in a goat. Specifically the screaming variety. The humans and most of team Prime had never seen Optimus get truly freaked out by anything - that is until he stepped into the base one day and promptly froze on the spot.

A recent sandstorm had destroyed someone's fence and a few of their goats got out. Bumblebee - taking after his sire obviously - saw the animal wandering around the desert and decided to take it back to base until the kids could find out where it lived. Optimus, who was just returning from his patrol, did not expect to return and find that the literal spawn of satan had invaded his home, and therefore was not ready to confront this secret phobia of his (especially not in front of his friends and family). So,,,, he walks in and just,,, stops. Doesn't even blink. Ratchet hasn't seen his optics this wide since he was Orion Pax. The worst part? This fucking goat is just staring him down. No mercy. Optimus can practically feel the pure malice this thing radiates as he tries to remember how to vent.

No one understands what kind of staring contest Optimus and this goat are having, but you could practically cut the tension between them with a knife. Suddenly, this goat just fucking s c r e a m s and Optimus promptly loses his damn mind. He lets out the highest pitch screech he has made in his centuries-long-life, and trips over himself in his haste to get away from this nightmare spawn standing before him.

Long story short, even after watching it happen, no one knows how Optimus scrambled up into the rafters, but he is now refusing to come down until the goat is gone, and is keeping an arm-cannon aimed at it at all times. Yes, he hears at least half of the bases occupants laughing their asses off at him, and yes, he hears Miko practically crying through her laughter, but Primus damn it he is not coming down until that thing is gone, Bumblebee so help me-

Eventually, the goat is removed from the base, and Optimus finally makes his way back to solid ground. His faceplace is practically glowing blue with his embarrassment, and he won't make eye contact with anyone for at least the next two hours, but now that the goat is gone, he's fine. He has to live with the jokes about it from everyone there for the rest of his life, but no matter how much they pester him about it, he refuses to divulge the story about the origin of his incurable fear of goats. He plans to take that story with him to the all spark (He eventually tells Ratchet and Bumblebee, the former of which promises never to tell another soul, the latter attempts to do the same, but accidentally tells Raf, who accidentally tells Miko, who purposefully ensures that everyone else knows by the end of the week. (Optimus isn't too mad, the story is actually quite funny as long as he is not within 3 miles of a goat at any point in the telling of the story.))

[lets-try-some-writing]

that feral orion post got me ideas, feral starscream and feral orion, or orion mistakes starscream as an abandoned youngling because he's so small and brings him to the base by the scruff of the neck like a disobedient sparkling, starscream eventual settles down once he realizes it's safer with the autobots, still scared because of his time with Megatron, and orion treats him like his baby or something, either confusing or amusing for everyone involved lol

Yes, this idea is wonderful. I am going to roll with the feral Orion and adopted Starscream part of the thought though.

A Rather Unwanted Adoption

In this situation it would only be a few days after the loss of Optimus's memories when feral Orion stumbles upon Starscream after wandering out of the base.

Starscream would be stuck attempting to deal with his wounds when Orion finds him. Of course, the seeker's first reaction is to try and fight back, but thinking about it, he would remember that Optimus is known for his mercy towards injured mechs. This would lead him to lower his guard as Orion comes closer.

Orion would only take a moment to look at Starscream, see his injuries, and then determine that some lousy mech left their youngling to die. He would not waste a moment padding on over and picking up Starscream like a sparkling, tucking the seeker against his chassis to keep him warm. Starscream would be too weak and delirious from both pain and energon loss to do anything but mutter protests and insults. However as Orion does not know any Cybertronian outside of the base language all Cybertronians are born with, he would simply assume that Starscream is crying out in discomfort and move faster.

By the time he would return to base, Starscream would have exhausted himself and resolved himself to deal with whatever the Prime had planned for him. Instead he would find that he was not the only one surprised at the Prime's behavior, the Autobots would also be bewildered by Orion bringing Starscream back to base.

However as no bot was willing to try and fight Orion to get rid of Starscream, he would end up dealing with the Prime's pampering alongside Bumblebee, much to the concern and amusement of the Autobots.

Starscream's Physical and Emotional Changes

The moment the humans find out about Starscream being in base and practically tied to Orion, they flip out. The Autobots have similar reactions at first but after a few days calm down and just accept the situation. Of course no bot particularly likes Starscream, but they are willing to tolerate him since he they can't get rid of him and he and Bumblebee keep Orion busy.

Starscream is terrified of the Autobots and Orion for the first few days, but after getting used to Orion following him around and doing his best to take care of him, he settles down a bit. He wants to be humiliated and angry about how Orion treats him, but he simply can't bring himself to. Seekers need their trine, they need family, and Starscream has not had any family for a long time. As such having a large bot protect and dote on him relieves stress he didn't even know he was carrying.

After a week of being with the Autobots and not getting hit or threatened with death, Starscream no longer feels the need to scurry around in fear and suck up to those of higher rank. Everything is clear cut, the way the Autobots work is infinitely more similar to seeker society than the Decepticons. He knows who is in charge and the ranks are stable, no bots are trying to assassinate those above them and every bot have a role that suites them. The Autobots are a stable organization built on trust. And that more than anything, makes Starscream feel much more at ease.

And with proper fuel and a place with Orion where he feels secure, Starscream also doesn't feel the need to assert his dominance over others as resources are both secure and guaranteed. His emotional state is no longer erratic as he has a person to turn to, even if the person in question doesn't understand him all that well. Orion is no seeker, and the Autobots most certainly are not a flock, but they come close, and that alone is enough to make Starscream feel at home.

By the time week three of Starscream being at base rolls around, the Autobots actually begin to like Starscream to a degree and the seeker's overall mental and physical health skyrockets. His colors begin to return, bright red, white, and blue taking the place of dull gray. His frame begins to bulk up, the emaciated look making way for a much healthier lean build. His optics brighten and his smiles are no longer as condescending. For the first time in millennia, Starscream actually begins to regain his noble Vosian traits.

Starscream and Orion

While a bit of an odd relationship, and a very rocky one in the beginning, by the third week of Starscream's stay at the base, him and Orion are inseparable.

Starscream willingly cuddles up with Orion and accepts all his doting, only attempting to appear unhappy when others are looking. He loves leaning against Orion when he hums for him, that way he can feel the comforting rumble of Orion's frame. He also adores climbing on Orion's back and hanging there so he can look over the Prime's shoulder and glare at people on his behalf. He acts like more of a sparkling than the human children, but Starscream can't help it much, he is touched starved. And a possessive Orion who doesn't want to let him go only feeds into his desire to have physical contact with others.

When around Orion, Starscream will even find himself chirping and using both his field and wings to communicate instead of words. Not only that, but he actually begins to become protective and possessive of Orion. Often baring his fangs and flaring his plating when he feels like Orion is being snubbed or talked down to because of his impaired mental state. Before Starscream even realizes it, he already considers Orion his kin, family, part of the flock he had no idea he had already begun to come to view the Autobots as a a part of.

By the time Orion's memories are returned and he is restored to his normal faculties, Starscream has already made his decision. After giving Megatron one long awaited middle finger, he remains with the Autobots. And while Optimus has no memories of his time bonding with Starscream, the seeker is perfectly fine with bonding with him again. Weather or not Optimus likes it, Starscream sees him as part of the flock. And according to both his coding and the laws of Vos, the flock sticks together, no matter the odds.

[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

TFA Megatron is extremely distraught and furious over finding out what happened to Orion.

Orion was the first to look at him as a person. Never mind that Megatron was an MTO on the run-to the hacker, he was a Cybertronian who needed help.

To find out the one he trusted enough to be his Amica, was Shadowplayed and reprogrammed to be the one to try to destroy him... Oh, he's PISSED.

His hatred of Optimus shifts from "This miserable little Autobot has defeated me and ruined my plans, and I am going to destroy him" to "This is what they turned my Amica into; I have to pry Orion out of this wretched Autobot and get him out of there". (He knows it won't be that easy-but Orion Pax is his only "weakness". He has to try to save him.)

(Also, I generally write TFA Megatron as an extremely tenacious MTO.)

When you say Megatron wants to "pry Orion out of this wretched Autobot" then that strikes me as more mnemosurgery. Which, you know, is not something Optimus wants to go through again. Megatron, while not particularly fond of the practice, sees it as a necessary evil in order to get Orion back.

Orion was his most trusted confidant, the one person Megatron knew he could tell everything and he would never betray him. He longs for this trust, this security again. Besides, he's sure Orion will forgive him for putting him through mnemosurgey again, if it meant returning him to Megatron's side.

[gulnarsultan]

Orion actually didn't know what love was until they met with the reader. His parents only took care of him because he was an heir. They didn't communicate much when they didn't teach him about the rules and how to behave. His relationship with his sister did not seem to be on good terms. He grew up in a family that did not show love, affection and attention to each other. He didn't have many close friends because he didn't trust the subject of true friendship. The turning point in his life was his own wedding day. The reader was like a very beautiful princess in a wedding dress. The genuine and loving smile she gave him was enough to make Orion's heart flutter. The first months after marrying the Reader were like practice time for Orion to get used to love and affection. At first he thought that the reason he treated her this way was because of necessity or because he was an heir. But the reader had proven to him that these thoughts were wrong. Orion is cunning when it comes to asking for love. When she had children, she initially had problems sharing the readership. She couldn't help blushing when the reader jokingly said she was jealous of babies. In Orion, he was trying to show love to the reader. Even if he didn't do it in public, he didn't hesitate to show his love when the two of them were together. Orion does not stop buying luxurious and expensive gifts for the reader. No matter how much the reader tells him that it doesn't matter, he won't stop. Sirius will always make fun of the loving moments his father and mother spent together.

@seijurosbear

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

Something that I find very, very interesting about FLF is the theme of perception vs reality when it comes to people, especially from Rosalind's pov.

Even going into reading the book, it's practically an expectation that when you start the book that you probably aren't going in as a super big fan of the main character. Even though Rosalind does have a very short pov in the TVD duology and there are definitely quite a few hints that she didn't really know what she was doing and that there's a lot more to her character, most people, just like pretty much all of the characters in TVD, don't see that because it's very subtle. And because Rosalind isn't very forward about it until you actually get into her head. When you read FLF, you get a much deeper understanding of her character and start to see that most of her characterization in TVD comes from a very warped understanding of what was going on with her.

This is also made very interesting by the fact that Rosalind's biggest character flaw is her propensity for holding grudges. If she has been wronged, she tends to cling to the anger she gets from that. It also takes a lot for her to start to see beyond her initial impressions of people, which is greatly reflected by the different ways that you begin to view the different characters in FLF.

Orion is a very good example of this. In this first pov chapter we initially see him as this,,, very unbothered average YA Hot BoyTM character. And even within that first chapter, that is very quickly disproven. Which is very interesting because that switch in perception that you have of Orion during that one chapter is essentially the same switch in perception Rosalind has of him over the course of the entire book.

This same theme is likely relevant to some extent in pretty much all of the other characters as well. With Phoebe, she's painted as a very naive, nonthreatening person only to be revealed to be the assassin who has been lurking in the background the entire time. And the more you reflect on her character, the more you realize how deeply everything that happened with her family has affected her.

Even though Alisa, at first glance, seems to be relatively unconcerned about the sides of the war and therefore likely lacking any strong morals or personal values, this is disproven when she refuses to trust Oliver, turning against the side she chose out of convenience to better align herself with the beliefs that she holds very closely to her, even though that deprives herself of the support of any formal side. She is no longer the little sister who plays a passive "watcher" role in the story.

This also applies to Silas and how Rosalind's first impression when he meets him is a memory of how she heard his father bragging about him years ago and therefore assumes that he has a good relationship with his family which I doubt is accurate.

I can also see this applying to Oliver when we see things from his point of view. My guess is that he's going to end up being absolutely terrified of his mom and that is going to contrast with the Tall Scary Communist AgentTM thing, but we'll see.

As far as Celia, I think this applies to how while she is often portrayed as a very caring kind person who only wants peace and stability, this also translates into her being willing to fight for it, which we see in TVD when she very closely aligns herself with Juliette and again when she defects to the Communists.

[flipping-the-coin]

Ratchet, in your last post you mention orion having spark merge injuries. 1 Can you please explain that a bit more in depth, how did orion get hurt spark merging? 2 what kind of injuries did he have? 3 where they Megatron's fault? 4 what other kinds of injuries can come from sparkplay? 5 how do you fix those kinds of injuries? 6 are those kind of injuries common?

𝔉𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔣𝔣𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔩 𝔖𝔱𝔢𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡: ℜ𝔞𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔱

ℭ𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔩 ℑ𝔞𝔠𝔬𝔫 -

ℭ𝔶𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔫𝔦𝔞𝔫 ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔠𝔦𝔩 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔰 -

𝔊𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔫𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔇𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫 -

If the core of your questioning didn't revolve around Pax, I would have told you to go ask your caretaker about the details of merging. I may be a doctor, but I am not a pediatrician nor do I specialize in the more sensitive parts of the frame. However, in this instance I am willing to answer your queries. I will begin with a bit of an explanation of spark merging as a whole.

Spark merging is, in simple terms, exactly what it claims to be in the name. The spark is the power source that keeps the Cybertronian frame functioning, and it is tied so deeply to the rest of the frame that it often physically reacts to emotions an individual is experiencing, much like an engine would have varying levels of performability based on environment. If you are religious, then the spark is the essence of a Cybertronian and it dictates our emotions rather than the processor having control over such reactions. With all this said, the spark is highly sensitive and very delicate when exposed to another of its kind. Merging sparks can have many practical uses, but it is often used as a sign of trust largely because of how dangerous it can be if one is not careful. For this reason, some frame types are recommended to avoid merging with other specific frame types for both parties' safety. Too big a difference in size and frequency can cause pain for one or both parties. And frame size can also play a factor in potential danger since a larger frame will have larger clamps and hinges.

To keep it nice and simple, the clamps are what keep a pair locked together during merging so that nothing can possibly harm them from the outside during the delicate procedure that is a merge. There is a reason most try to remain within their frame range when picking partners. Clamps can break, sparks can go out of sync and cause severe damage, charge levels can be too high for a smaller frame and burn them out, and honestly the list goes on. Orion's injuries stemmed from incompatibility issues not just in spark, but also in frame.

Megatron is fraggin huge, and Orion, while not exactly small, is dwarfed by him in almost every regard. I don't care to know the details of Orion's dalliance in Kaon prior to the war, but eventually he came to me with several broken hinges and one torn clamp from his fling with Megatron. By Primus, I wished it stayed a fling. I did make attempts to use his injuries as a way to show him that continued interactions with Megatron of the variety he favored were damaging.

Of course, he didn't care for my concerns. I was punished severely once he found out about Orion's interactions with Megatron.

In short, his injuries were relatively minor and they absolutely were caused by Megatron. I've already listed several potential outcomes of poor interfacing, but some of the most common injuries are easy enough to fix. Broken hinges need to be pushed back into place and held there with medical grade cast tape that wears away naturally. Torn clamps are stitched closed and medically made inactive until they fully heal. Burnt out sensors and other internals may require surgery to fully address, but often it is enough to just slap the patient with boosters for a few deca-cycles. Dents and whatnot just require a quick pop out and buffing.

The more serious problems such as spark chamber cracks require surgery and bedrest, but such things are rare. Most of the time, foolish younglings keeping beat up in their efforts to have a good time recover quickly.

I hope that answers your questions.

𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔩 𝔖𝔱𝔢𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡 - ℜ𝔞𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔱

[vilandel]

Black Clover Next Generation III ♣️💘

Family Tree of House Vermillion

Fire Vermillions

Plant Vermillions

I've already talked a bit about Mimosas and Langris children here, so I won't go too much into details yet (that will be for the profiles).

Just so you know, Kirsch is actually an excellent uncle and to Mimosas surprise, well loved by her children. He also became an uncle for Finrals and Finesses children.

As for the Fire Vermillions, Esclarmonde and Yogan are the oldest of their generation.

Yogan is the only son of Mereoleona and Yosuga (their marriage/bond/whatever is rather special in many ways I'm still figuring it out^^'). He is actually as calm as his parents are wild.

Yosuga and Mereoleona can have their most fierce, devastating battle training and he can just sit unbothered in the middle of it with a book.

Just so you know, he is very powerful magic-wise, in fact he is double as powerful as his parents... Him being such a calm boy was a relief for EVERYONE. Yogan also gets along great with his uncle Fuegoleon.

Yogans birth is quite the story, because Mereoleona was fighting an herd of powerful Magic Beasts and some renegade noble bandits WHILE giving birth to her son. Come on, this is Mereo, of course she would give birth during a battle or something.

His parents are still very proud of him.

Esclarmonde is the calmest one of her siblings. She has a romantic soul and the story of her parents underlines this trait even more.

She also wants one day to become Wizard Queen, learns and trains hard for that. This includes also doing charities and learning no-magic first aid. Plans already to make this a basis for Magic Knights training and has talks with her father about it. She and Fuegoleon are really close, a true Father-Daughter trust.

Is determined to join the Crimson Lion Kings and also to become their captain one day.

Orion is wilder than his older sister, but still calm. Let's say that he is calm but with passion.

Doesn't talk much, but shows more. Not very stoic, though, as he smiles often.

Aliénor is much younger than her siblings, another kind of surprise child.

Personality-wise, she is like auntie Mereo.

Leopolds wife is another OC of mine (I'll made a profile one day for her). To sum up, Venus is a peasant, a member of the Green Praying Mantises and rather crazy (she can cut with her Foam Magic).

Their daughter Eleonora is as loud and wild as her parents. She has a soft spot for volcanos, much to auntie Mereos delight.

Their son Espumaleon is practically the shy baby. Was very sick when he was a baby, so his parents are protective about him and his big sister even more.

Unlike Eleonora, Espumaleon prefers calm and fluffy places, especially with pillows and blankets. Or a bubble bath. He also doesn't want to become a Magic Knight.

Yogan as straight and long dark red hair, which he usually wears in a low pony tail, his mother's blue eyes with the Vermillion red eyeliner and he has powerful Lava Magic (Don't make him angry, as he doesn't yell, remains calm but his lava quickly runs wild).

Esclarmonde, Orion and Aliénor have all their mother's nacreous eyes and their father's red Vermillion eyeliner. Esclarmonde has wavy waist-long hair, red has Fuegoleon's and also has inherited her father's Fire Magic. Orion has dark purple hair like his mother, but shoulder length and soft just like his father, he also got Litals Star Magic. Aliénor has a wide curly mane like her mother, the color is a redish purple (a mix of her parents hair colors) and got Seafire Magic, a powerful one at that. Noelle one day almost got a heart-attack when little Aliénor accidentally put her Sea Dragon's Roar on fire^^'

Eleonora has long and slightly curly red hair, her mother's jade green eyes, with typical Vermillion eyeliner and got her father's Fire Magic. Espumaleon has black hair like his mother, grass green eyes and red eyeliners from his father, with Venus' Foam Magic.

[moonymybelovedmoon]

james' reggie

Regulus Arcturus Black wasn't always Regulus. Just last term, he was Rosalia Orion Black. But he was always James' Reggie.

Tonight was just the same as all the other nights he's spent with James these past few months. He would excuse himself from dinner in The Great Hall to go meet his boyfriend who's just finished Quidditch practice.

Boyfriend.

He's never used that word before.

James was definitely Regulus' boyfriend, but he wasn't too sure that he was James'.

He's told everybody but James. He's tried showing him. James was the first person he showed his new haircut to. The first person he told about his new name was Sirius, but he told James not too long after that. But he never actually asked James if he's his boyfriend. Frankly he doesn't want to either.

"You'll have to tell him sooner or later!" Pandora had said earlier. She's the only person that knows about him and James.

"I choose later," Regulus said, "I'm sure he knows anyways."

He wasn't sure. But Dora doesn't have to know that, does she? James is James. Even if he knew, he wouldn't treat Regulus any differently anyways.

"Tell him... later tonight, then? I just don't want you getting hurt, Reg."

This, Regulus sure of. If there was one true friend in the world whom he can trust, it would be Pandora. He doesn't want to make her worry too much. "I'll try" Regulus had replied with a soft smile, hoping that that was enough. He hates lying to Dora, but James was waiting. And if anything was going to end that conversation, it was him agreeing with her.

Now Regulus was on top of the Astronomy Tower, using the telescope that was placed near the window to look at the constellations above the roof. It always reminded him of home, without too many painful memories.

He hadn't realized the footsteps that were slowly coming closer to him until he felt a peck on his forehead.

"Hey, beautiful," James grinned.

Merlin, this boy. Reg felt his knees go weak. This always seems to happen whenever James is around. He didn't say anything. He didn't even take his face off of the telescope. James would just know that he's listening.

James began talking about his day, while Regulus slowly stepped back from the telescope to look at his boyfriend's face. How his eyes are almost black with just a hint of brown when the sun hits it just right. How his summer freckles disappear during the winter. How his glasses are always crooked and his hair is always messy, no matter how much hair gel he puts on. How he's still sweating after Quidditch and still Regulus would kill to hug him, knowing that all he had to do was ask. After all, that's what boyfriends do right? They cuddle together, cry together, occasionally do it, and they love each other during it all, right?

Reg had thought of what Pandora said during dinner. Tonight. He hated the thought of interrupting this seemingly perfect night to say that. Still he knew that if he didn't tell him tonight, he'll never tell James. He had to do it now.

"You should've seen Sirius then. He was shaking in his boots knowing that the chocolate he ate was Moony's, he couldn't even-"

"Love, can I ask you a question?" Reg hasn't said a word before. He's interrupted James before, sure, but that was to laugh at one of his stupid jokes or kiss him to erase that stupid grin off his face, stupid.

"Yeah, sorry I've been talking too much, again, haven't I?" James had sunken in his seat, his hand reaching up to scratch the back of his hair.

"No, no! Not at all." Reg doesn't want James to think that. Honestly, he'd be glad if James just interrupted him and started to continue talking about his day. But it seems that Regulus has caught James' attention. "It's just that, you remember how I cut my hair short? And... and that I'm not Rosalia anymore, just Regulus. You've also probably noticed that Dora and the others don't refer to me by 'she' anymore."

Surely, James had noticed. Surely, he knew.

"Mhm, Regulus fits you so much better actually."

"Yeah, thanks, well, I was wondering if you knew that, you know." He can't say it. The words just won't come out. James tilted his head to one side. "What is it, jaanu?" He looks like a lost puppy.

"I'm a boy. Maybe I wasn't technically one before but I am now." There it is. What's James going to say? He's James, Regulus told himself. He'll do what James does best. He'll be there for you.

"Oh." Oh? What does that mean?

James straightened his back. He lowered his eyes and started fidgeting with his fingers, picking the skin off of his thumb.

Regulus knew this was going to happen. His worst nightmare is coming true. Just when he thought James was his, he just had to come and ruin it all. Why can't he just push the feelings down anyways?

"I mean, this doesn't have to change anything! You don't have to treat me differently just because I'm a boy now, James." He has to fix this somehow, but how? James won't just forget that Regulus is a boy now. What if he's straight? What if Regulus was the guy that made James Fleamont Potter realize that he's straight? Merlin. no. No.

After a good, long second, James' eyes met his again. "Really?"

He had hope. "Yes, really. We can still hang out and be friends and all that."

"Friends." James echoed.

Friends. "Yeah, we don't have to stop being friends just because I'm a boy." Were they really friends? James kissed Reg's forehead just 5 minutes ago. Do friends do that?

Their meet-up didn't last as long as the other ones that night. James had to leave early for detention with McGonagall for setting off dungbombs in the girls' bathroom. It was Regulus' idea. He told James about it a week ago when they were talking about the Marauders' next prank.

Will that stop now that James knows he's a boy? Hopefully not.

Regulus couldn't sleep that night. He tossed and turned in his bed, finding himself stuck on the way James behavior quickly changed the moment he realized Reg is a boy. He would tell Sirius about this, but Sirius doesn't even know about his relationship with James. Or what once was. In the end, Reg found himself back in the Astronomy Tower, charting stars that he found in the night sky.

A week later, he was on his way up to the tower after dinner. He went there every night, hoping James would be there waiting for him. He always hoped that he just came early and that James would soon join him, but he never did.

When Regulus reached the top of the stairs, he found himself staring at an empty room. Until James took the Invisibility Cloak off.

"Reggie." He'd missed the sound of his name on the boy's lips. He wants to keep a recording of it and hide it from the world, only to play it when no one else was listening. James wasn't his, but at least his name was. It's the only piece of James he's gotten to keep all this time.

His feet started walking almost instantly into James' embrace, luckily, his senses came back to him. He's not yours, he had to remind himself. "Why're you here, James?"

He could see that James was taken aback. He's never really referred to James as 'James'. But what was he expecting?

"Look, I know that you're upset by what I said last week. But let me explain." James had pulled his hands back, now twiddling with his fingers again. "Just give me 5 minutes. Please?"

How could Regulus say no?

"Okay" He took a seat across from James. He didn't want to sit next to him. He's too scared of his hand accidentally touching James' and whatnot.

James took a deep breath. "What I said last week, I didn't mean it. I was just a bit shocked when you told me you were a boy. I don't mean that in a bad way, I should've figured it out before, but you know me. Anyways, I don't wanna be friends. I wanna be whatever we were before last week. I wanna be your boyfriend again, Reggie. May I?"

Regulus wasn't expecting this. He was hoping that James would say this, but that seemed so far away and now it's here right in front of him. Reg was too shy to say it, he just took James' chin and pulled him in, letting their lips touch.

Some time later, Reg found himself laying down on James' lap. He stayed still while James ran his hands through his hair, occasionally making the tiniest braids. He wanted to stay like this forever. Just a moment frozen in time where he was perfectly happy to just exist. He could've been asleep. James probably thought he was.

It was silent for a while, until James broke the silence.

"I wish you were a girl."

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

this was inspired by that one audio on tiktok from the movie 'as you are'. i plan on watching this movie this december, hopefully before the new years. as always, this is just a small thing that i've wanted to make for a while, but i've just found the motivation now. excuse the grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language. hope you enjoyed this one <3 oh, and i wanted to make james hindi, so i did a quick google search on terms of endearment in hindi and i found the word "jaanu" that was said to mean "my life" (source: language drops). if it's wrong please excuse it and just think of it as james trying to refer to regulus sweetly.

have a good day/evening/night, loves <3

[just-my-fandom]

Outcast (Gareth Emerson x Henderson! Reader)

Request; I have a request for a side character(?) Gareth from Stranger Things (The curly haired kid that’s in the hellfire club), with the reader being Dustin’s sister, and I’m probably wrong but can we make the rest of the group besides Dustin and mike seniors, including reader, and Jason shows up at the garage while the group, minus Dustin and mike and Eddie obviously, are practicing the band??

Summary; Things go south when two opposite groups meet up, especially when one is looking for your brother. Reader doesn’t want to worry Gareth about her constant disappearances, but knows Gareth deserves to learn the truth revolving Vecna and Eddie’s supposed murders. Dustin and the reader have to watch Eddie die, while also experiencing a terrible earthquake that helps them hide the real reason behind Eddie’s death.

Warnings; Jason and Reader fight, cussing, BIG SPOILER FOR V2, Eddie dying, Reader tells the Hellfire club about Eddie’s death, Gareths really the only one who knows about the upside down.

A/N; I realized there’s not really enough Gareth moments in the show to be able to really get to know him. This was a cute request I did and I was glad to include the side characters. Hope you enjoy.

Tag list; @emersongareth @krys-orion

“Jason?”

You look over your shoulder at the sudden call of a name. Sure as hell, Jason Carver, along with three other members, including Lucas Sinclair, stand at the doors of the garage you and your group were practicing in.

“You’re early,” You heave, turning away from your band mates to face Jason’s figure, “Show’s not until next week,”

“Oh that was music you were playing?” One of Jasons friends shoots, your smile tight as your eyes flick back to Jason,

“What are you doing here, Jason?” You look back down where you were separating music note sheets, knowing Jeff would complain about the untidiness,

“Looking for your brother,” Jason speaks up so you glance at him, eyes narrowed towards him, “Where is he, Henderson?”

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business. Now leave,”

Your eyes flick to Lucas, who watched the interaction, your head tilting in a “I knew it” motion.

“But I think it is,” Jason’s step forward leads to a flurry of motions, you dropping the sheets to follow his steps so you were nearly chest-to-chest with the man, Gareth close behind you if Jason was to do anything,

“Hit me, Jason. I fucking dare you,” Your eyes squint, again, eyes flicking between the blondes, “I don’t know where Dustin is. So fuck off, and get off this property,”

“Y/N,” Gareths warning behind you alerts the amount of threats you have thrown at the bully, Jason chuckling as he peers over your shoulder, to the curly haired male and your two other friends behind you,

“Yeah, Y/N,” Jason murmurs, tilting his jaw down, “I’d listen to your freak boyfriend if I were you,”

With that, your hands find Jason’s shirt with a rough shove, sending him stumbling back into his friend group, before he immediately lunges back towards you, shoving you just as hard, if not harder, so Gareth and Jeff could both catch an arm, tightening their grips when you begin to pull in an attempt to escape,

“Didnt think you were one to need body guards, Henderson,” Jason wipes down the front of his shirt, eyes narrowed, “As if I need you to tell me where your brother is. I’ll find him. Trust me,”

Somehow, you manage to slip your body free from Gareth and Jeff’s grasps, shoving Jason hard enough to where he toppled onto his back, your figure hovering over him, only getting a single punch in before Gareth is grabbing at your waist, heaving you off the man’s body.

“Touch my brother and me and you will have a bigger fucking issue, Carver,” You hiss, eyes shooting to Lucas, “All of you,” Another push away from Gareth, but he manages to catch you,

“Okay, okay! Enough,” Gareth demands, Jeff moving in front of you with one of Gareths drumsticks in hand, attempting to look intimidating.

Jason leaves with a heaved scoff after his team helps him off the ground, hand rubbing his face, and after a moments pause, Gareth releases you, your body spinning to dig through your bag,

“Y/N, what the hell was that?” Jeff asks, Gareth crossing his arms as you pull out your walkie, something Gareth knew was an easy way for you and Dustin to communicate, “You punched Jason Carver, he’ll send his whole team out before we know it!”

Ignoring your friend, you pull the antenna to your walkie, pressing a button on the side, “Dustin, you copy?”

A slight pause, “Y/N! Holy shit, you won’t believe what’s been going on,”

“Dustin, are you home?” You ignore, your friends behind you slowly moving back to their previous tasks,

“No, we’ve been at the Wheelers, why?”

“Good, Jason’s gone fucking nuts looking for Eddie and now he’s going after you,” You lift your bag, rubbing your temple at the growing headache you received.

“What did he do?” Steve cuts, Jeff mumbling behind you “Is that Steve Harrington?”

“Just his usual threats,” You mutter, slinging your bag over your shoulder as you rub your temple at the dull headache behind your eyes, “I’m on my way,”

“What about practice?” Jeff asks, hands out as Gareth watches your movements, brows furrowed,

“I need to make sure Jason doesn’t go after Dustin. I separated the sheets for you,” You pause to let him breathe out, thankful, “Just-,” You stop to hand Gareth your walkie, confusion on his face, “Let me know if he comes back. Channel three,”

“Just be careful, okay?” Gareth pleas, breathless, your shoulder curling as you give him a small smile,

“Always. You know me and Dustin get into crazy shit a lot. This is nothing,”

. . .

“So do you guys have an actual plan or you just deciding to chit chat?”

The group of seven spin around at your voice. The leaves crunch beneath your feet, eyes squinting at the large party before stopping next to Dustin,

“How the hell did you find us all the way out here, Henderson?” Steve questions, your hand raising up then dropping with a scoff-like laugh,

“You’re not very quiet. I can hear you guys over a mile away,” You turn to Dustin, pulling his own bag from off his shoulder so he blinked in confusion,

“Dude, what are you looking for?”

“Your walkie,”

“What? Why mine?” Dustin complains, “Where’s yours?”

“Gareths got it,” You lift the walkie from the bag, looking up at Dustin’s pause,

“And why does Gareth have your walkie?” There’s a threatening tone to his voice, obviously bothered by the fact that your boyfriend and his group member now holds your walkie.

“Jason’s looking for you!” You gesture to Dustin himself, then to Eddie, “You, too. Gareths just keeping an eye out, calm down,”

“If he breaks it he buys it,” Dustin rolls his eyes, watching you pull the antenna up,

“Hey, Gareth?” You release the button to listen, the walkie beginning to static before it stops,

“Yup, I’m here,” Gareth responds, your eyebrows raised up towards Dustin, “Still no signs from Jason,”

“Good, try to keep it like that. We won’t be going home in case he does find out. Lucas is with them so if he decides to be a dick,” You roll your eyes with your pause, “There’s always a chance they’ll figure out. I’ll check back in later,”

“Be safe,”

“So does this Gareth dude know about the whole upside down shit?” Steve questions, your shoulders lifting with your sigh,

“Kinda, yeah. Just the basics. Eleven, Wills reason for disappearing, oh he also knows Star Court didn’t actually catch fire,”

“So we’re just telling random people about aliens and Russians now?” Nancy squints her eyes, you copying her action,

“Gareth isn’t a random person. He’s been involved for like, two years. This isn’t the point of the topic,” You wave your hands around, dropping the walkie back into Dustin’s bag, “So what’s the plan?”

. . .

That night at the Wheelers house, you find yourself sitting on the hood of Steves car in the driveway, Gareth next to you with his arms propped on his knees, chin against his hand,

“So how long are you guys staying here?” Gareths eyes flick to Mikes house behind you, indicating he meant the Wheelers house specifically.

“Just until Jason gives up on looking for Dustin,” You copy his motion, propping both hands beneath your jaw, “But it’s not just us. The whole group minus Mike and Lucas are here. Mainly to keep an eye out on Max. But that’s a long story,”

“I’ve got time,” Gareth shrugs, shifting his gaze back to you, watching your small smile falter, glancing up at the dark sky.

“Eddie didn’t kill Chrissy, Gareth,” You sigh, shifting your hand to rub your temple. You really wish you took some painkillers during dinner.

“Innocent until proven guilty, in my opinion,” Gareth shrugs, eyes flicking across your face, curiously, “But if he didn’t, who did?”

You pause, “Do you remember the whole Upside Down thing I told you about? With the gate that we closed?”

Gareth hums. “It opened again. There’s a new bad guy. I get this is going to sound fucking insane but, the bad guy is Vecna,”

Gareth doesn’t say anything. When he does, “Vecna as in Dungeons and Dragons?”

It’s your turn to hum, then you rub your forehead a second time and rest your head against said hand, “It sounds so stupid. I probably sound insane,”

“Unless you and Dustin really planned out this prank to stick to the same storyline, I believe you,” Gareth leans to the side to nudge his shoulder to yours, your giggle quiet as you nudge him back.

“Trust me, Dustin can’t lie for shit,” You mutter, glancing over your shoulder when you hear a footstep, Steve’s figure making his way towards you and the other teenager beside you,

“What have I told you guys about sitting on my car?” Steve heaves, your grimace light as you shrug a shoulder, Gareth squinting at Steve to see his face in the dark, “C’mon. Ill drive you home, Gareth. I don’t want Y/N out here so late,”

“What are you, her babysitter?” Gareth questions, your head tilting with a shrug as Steve rolls his eyes,

“At this point, kinda,” You smile, softly, leaning to the side again to nudge him a second time, “I’ll be fine. We’ll do our daily walkie check in like usual,”

You slide off the hood, waiting for Gareth to do the same, “But in Dustin’s words, you break it you buy it,”

“Noted,” Gareth clicks his teeth, as Steve rounds to the drivers seat, “Just- be careful, okay? I don’t understand half this shit, but, sounds dangerous,”

“This is my fourth year dealing with these things,” You laugh, “I’ll be okay,” You lean into the passenger window of Steve’s car, “Get him home in one piece, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, get in, dude, or you can walk,” Steve grumbles, Gareth barely pecking your cheek before he climbs in, you turning on your heel to prepare another night in the basement.

. . .

“Eddie! What the fuck are you doing?!”

You and Dustin crane your necks to look up into the doorway to the Upside Down, Eddie mirroring you from the opposite side.

“Buying us time,” Eddie leaves the trailer, your head shaking in a panic along with your hands, looking around in alarm,

“Holy shit- okay,” You drag a chair to level with the open portal, stepping up to grab the edges of the doorway, heaving yourself back into the unknown location of the upside down,

“Eddie!” Dustin follows suit- most likely breaking his ankle in the process- and the next few seconds are a blur of bats, blood, and screaming. So much screaming.

You and Dustin sit at Eddie’s sides. Blood covers his face, while tears cover yours, and your chest hurts from the ongoing panic attack that seemed to take over your senses,

“I didn’t run away this time,” Eddie gasps, Dustin’s head shaking as your hands pull off your sweater cover over, pressing it to the wound on Eddie’s side so that the older teenager hissed, “It’s my year. I was going to graduate,”

“And you will!” Your wheeze startles Dustin to look up, and your hands shake so violently you can’t seem to keep the pressure on Eddie’s wound, “You’re going to graduate, just stay awake for us, Eddie,”

Silence. You and Dustin immediately look back down to the man, both seeming to exhale harshly at the realization- Eddie was gone.

“Oh my God,” You gasp, immediately coughing on the sob lodged in your throat. Raising your hands to your face, you sniffle, so hard your shoulders shake, before you flinch at a rumble, looking up at Dustin, “We gotta get out of here,”

“I’m not leaving him,” Your younger brother forces, face red from tears and lip trembling, “We can get him to a hospital!”

“He’s dead, Dustin,” You hiccup, standing on trembling legs before stepping over Eddie, grasping at Dustin’s arm as another shake took over the underworld, “We have to go!”

Getting back through the portal seemed easier than the first time, you and Dustin both managing to land without injuring yourselves again, but as soon as you regain composure, a crack forms on the ground, startling you both to look at each other.

The ground then snaps open, your arms sticking out to shove Dustin into the closest wall, your own feet stumbling backwards so you press your back to the opposite wall, eyes wide in alarm at the red glow that came from the crack, “What the hell?”

. . .

It’s another day before you see the group. You stand in the gym of Hawkins High, barely listening to Steve and Robin talking to one of the volunteers, before you finally spot Jeff, who immediately grabbed at Gareths shoulder to direct his attention to you.

All emotions from yesterday seem to build back up as you move towards them. Trying not to stumble on people sitting or lying on the ground, Gareth too begins to navigate through citizens, meeting you halfway to wrap his arms around your middle, while your own threw themselves at his shoulders, hiding your face in your sleeve to muffle the sudden sob you release.

You notice Jeff’s worried confusion, Kevin beside him sharing a look with him as they watch Gareth lean back, one hand at your arm while the other held in the air, unsure as you wipe your face,

“Eddie’s gone,” Your breath is short, hand dropping to grasp at his flannel, as his face dropped in realization, “The earthquake- Dustin and I were there,”

His eyes soften, knowing the earthquake wasn’t really the reason, glancing back at your two other band members before facing you, “Let’s get you some water, yeah?”

Taking your hand, Gareth leads you back through the crowds, your free hand wiping your nose with a heave of a breath, sinking down onto the bleachers as Gareth grabbed two cups, handing one to you before sitting next to you, your knees turning to bump his,

“It wasn’t the earthquake,” You murmur, Gareth nodding as your eyes flick to the side, spotting Dustin talking to Mr. Munson, “He died a hero for a town that called him a killer, Gareth. He didn’t do any of it,”

“Hey, drink some water,” Gareth murmurs, hand at your knee when it begins to bounce, taking your own hand that sat on your leg with a comforting squeeze, “Take a sec and calm down,”

Your nod is weak, nose stuffy and eyes puffy as you glance up, Steve moving to sit next to you with a heaved breath, “You two okay?”

Gareths hand now rests at your back when you curl into his side, Gareth sighing himself as he glances around the crowded gym, “How’s Max?” He avoids, barely glancing at you and to Steve,

“They don’t have an estimation of when she’ll wake up,” Steve shakes his head, his own eyes shifting to you. Your eyes have closed out of exhaustion, and Steve wonders if you’ll even be able to sleep tonight with last nights incident, “Keep an eye on her, okay?”

Gareths eyebrows furrow at the sudden topic change, the slack of your figure indicating you have nearly dozed off. Gareth nods, looking over to meet Steves eyes, “Yeah. Same to you for Dustin,”

Steves eyes leave Gareth to find the younger Henderson sibling, heaving himself to his feet with a quiet goodbye. Gareths eyes finally shift to you, lips at your temple silently as he takes the cup you held, setting it on the bleachers at his other side before silently watching the people around him, wondering just how Hawkins would heal from all this.

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek, 106 (Oct. 13, 1966) - “Mudd's Women”

Production order #04

The Breakdown

Captain Kirk sees a small ship flying around that he doesn’t recognize, so he decides to play space-cop and harass it until it’s engines burn out; this results in the vessel’s destruction, while severely draining the Enterprise’s own reserves.  Apparently Kirk’s instincts are correct though, as the ship’s captain is revealed to be a shifty moustachioed tasteless-Irish-caricature, which (in accordance with 1960’s standards and practices) means he is also not to be trusted.  The individual’s name is Harry Mudd (initially going by the alias Leo Walsh), and a quick investigative hearing reveals that he’s a small time ex-con flying without a licence.  While this latest infraction is enough to convict him, it’s Mudd’s “cargo” that creates real complications.  You see, before he was interrupted by Kirk, ol’ Harry was in the process of transporting three TOTAL HOTTIES to some planet where they could find a husband.  These women aren’t just your average babes though, they are so hot that literally EVERY man on board is pitching a tent just looking at them (save for Spock).  Indeed, the men are so horny that they’re unable to form complete sentences; even the ship’s computer notices. 

So what’s causing every male crew-member to reach cartoonish levels of sexual arousal? Perhaps the women are Orions in disguise? Mind control probes? Telepathic manipulation?  None of the above. It turns out all three ladies are just taking pills that bring out their “full sexual potential”, and (as we know) men can’t be held accountable for their actions when in the presence of a leggy dame operating at 100% babe-fficiency. You see, normally each of these women are naturally HIDEOUS …which is to say they’re still gorgeous, but with no make-up, and perhaps in need of a slightly better skincare routine (at most).  Without the drug none of these gals would ever be able to catch a man on their own, since apparently the 23rd century has attained even more unrealistic beauty standards than the ones we presently have.

The rest of the episode follows kirk as he tries to negotiate with some miners for the crystals he needs to power the Enterprise.  Since kirk’s security measures are apparently non-existent, Mudd is able to remotely broker a deal with the miners, bartering his freedom in exchange for his mail-order brides (should Kirk refuse to let Mudd go, the miners would withhold the crystals etc).  Since the miners are all jonesing to get laid, they agree to Mudd’s conditions, leaving Kirk no choice but to play along.  From there things get more ridiculous as Eve (one of the ladies in question) runs off, presumably sick of lying/being treated like a piece of meat.  She quickly gets lost in a sand storm until Ben (the lead Miner) finds her, and brings her back to his place.  But when Eve’s beauty-treatment wears off, Ben is appalled by her slightly dry skin (as anyone would be).  Cue Captain Kirk, who shows up with Mudd just in time to clue everyone in about the truth of the future brides’ condition (using one of the pills on eve as a demonstration of Mudd’s ruse).  It’s only when Eve’s beauty is restored that Kirk reveals the pill had been swapped with a placebo.  We are told that the only thing Eve ever truly needed to be beautiful was the confidence to believe in herself, which doesn’t explain how her acne cleared up in mere seconds, but that’s all we’re gonna get.  This explanation is apparently good enough for her and Ben to talk things out from there, and presumably live happily ever after on a remote planet with no available marriage counsellors, or even other people.  Ben arranges to give Kirk the Crystals he needs to power the Enterprise, and everyone parts ways (except for Mr. Mudd, who will be handed over to the rightful authorities)

The Verdict

There are so many things to unpack in ‘Mudd’s Women’, and I certainly don’t expect to do a thorough job of it here, nor have I the interest. It’s clear that the intention behind this episode is to highlight something about inner-beauty over physical vanity, but it badly misses the mark while spewing forth one outdated stereotype after the next.  Most of the missteps are all pretty obvious, ranging from a depiction of women whose worth are all dependant on finding a husband, to the portrayal of leering men being openly regarded as nothing more than natural and unavoidable (Mudd all but invokes the phrase “boys will be boys”).  Additionally, Harry Mudd’s Irish brogue would almost certainly be regarded as offensive and in poor taste if this were made today, which is doubtless why Rainn Wilson opted to forgo that particular characteristic when he portrayed Mudd on ‘Discovery’.

I will concede that most episodes from a series filmed nearly 60 years ago are bound have some problematic elements, but some are more egregious than others, and ‘Mudd’s Women’ belongs in that categorization.  Perhaps if the episode had been more clever I might have given it points towards entertainment value and creativity, but even there I found the whole ordeal almost as dull as it was silly.  Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

½ a star (out of 5)

Additional Observations

This is the first time (according to production order) that we get to see Spock ‘n Bones verbally sparring, which is the only reason I didn’t give this episode a 0 star rating.

Uhuru’s still in gold, and the universe remains as-of-yet out of balance.

The Episode opens with kirk being like “We’re chasing a vessel because it’s suspiciously running away when we chase it”.  But like, who wouldn’t?  Do Starfleet vessels even have the authority to perform random searches of independent starships?  Perhaps they do and I’d just forgotten, but I’d just as easily chalk this one up to a case of “the writers were making it up as they went”.

Harry’s relationship with “his” women feels very human trafficky, which was apparently a concern raised by the studio when the script was put forth as a potential candidate for the pilot. This matter is addressed with several lines of dialogue which establish that each of the women are traveling with Mudd of their own volition, but I’d still characterize their relationship with him as suspicious, at best.

[infamous-if]

In the scenario that MC is very close with their parents, what are their views on them romancing each RO (and the poly!)?

MC's parents are generally accepting except for

if MC is with G (including the poly). Mostly because they have seen the headlines of G's ways and do not trust a rockstar to be a good partner lol. G isn't exactly a person you take home to your parents, tbh.

G is probably the only one they would explicitly not approve of (at least at first).

As for the poly, I like to imagine MC's parents as very set in their ways, super traditional (so MC trying to be a singer instead of say, something like a doctor, would not go down well with them at first) and they'd be like ?? oh ?? but get over it lol

Mostly they'd be worried about MC involving themself in a couple who has been known to have a rocky, tumultuous relationship at times. They'd wonder if that's healthy for MC.

They would looooove Seb, but they'd think MC isn't ready to be with someone with a kid.

Orion intimidates them but Orion also grew up in a very filial household and treating elders with respect is everything to him so he'd be super polite, very charming. They would genuinely love him and wonder why the hell MC didn't romance him earlier lol

For August, they would wonder if it's a good idea to date someone in MC's band, and wonder if that makes things complicated, but August has a lot of experience with family so they'd charm them lol

They love Seven. Seven was practically their kid at times when they were younger, so they are sad that MC and them didn't talk for a while. But they kind of hoped they'd get back together so MC romancing Seven again would be exactly what they wanted lol

If they were best friends, it'd be like "yeah...we knew it"