#She'd probably only need help when they started hatching

[epic-and-kitty]

so awhile ago, I answered an ask from @itsmaddienow about Twist being sentimental and being fascinated by small smooth round objects like rubber balls and marbles because of her time in the clone facility that she was born in

I just realized that this means she'd still have that fascination while being raised by the Salmonid camp. (Literally like a week after she escaped so even with memory loss the fascination would stick)

Guys.....

Eggsitter Twist 🥺

Just her delicately cleaning Golden Eggs and making comfy nests for them when they hatch and just playing with the eggs as they grow and that makes any spawnling hatched in her care super attached to her because they got way more attention than usual for eggs and OMG Twist would be a big sister to like half the camp

I need to fuckin draw this omg

[syndrossi]

the daenerys replies got me thinking of a resonant AU where dany also gets blasted into the past (maybe she goes to summerhall to look for jon after he goes missing?) but instead of being jon and rhaeger's sister, she reawakens as saera targaryen's 8yo daughter (perhaps with a volantene noble?). now this will probably have big effects to the volantis shenanigans, the evil ppl who are ecstatic that a prophecy baby and possible TPWP being born so close to home and saera is wary of all these wizard ppl who are suddenly so interested in her baby girl but oh look they just gifted dany three dragon eggs, wait hold on her daughter just hatched three dragons?? how is that even possible... and dany being dany is like well idk what's going on but it's time to fix volantis' sociopolitical structure with my cool new mom

i think dany would eventually get suspicious of the wizard people and decide to escape volantis and go back to westeros, especially if her dragon's grow as fast as they did in canon, then within a year or two they would be large enough to carry her and saera across the narrow sea. meanwhile in westeros, daemon and viserys worst fears are realized when they start getting reports about a valyrian girl in volantis with the control of three dragons. and she's headed straight for them?? but hold on is that aunt saera with her??

just them reacting to this little girl with three enormous dragons and daemon's immediately suspicious as to why dany looks more like she could be rhaegar's twin than jon, and hold on jon and dany seem to know each other?? what is going on... and poor viserys is in panic mode bc aunt saera has a prophecy baby??? with three balerions???? I need to get this girl betrothed immediately!!!!! and jon and dany are happy (if confused) to reunite and once dany realizes that rhaegar's here too she def gets emotional bc that's the brother she looked up to all her life and named a son and dragon after ;-;

Saera would have been so smug about bringing dragons to Volantis through one of her children! (She'd be an older mama, though--in her early forties at the time of birth if Dany is meant to be the same age as Jon and Rhaegar, and close to fifty by the time Daemon finds them.) Given that she had a bastard son with one of the Triarchs in the early 90s AC, it's not far-fetched to imagine Dany's father is the same man.

The nature of the sorcery that brought them here is such that Dany would be in some pretty big trouble that close to Volantis, though, so probably best that this wasn't the case! Otherwise, Saera would have needed to get her daughter out of there quickly/early, and I don't think her ambition would have allowed her to.

But in the event that Saera decided to forgo her "kingdom" in Volantis, Dany's own hatchling would have been too small to carry them away, so my guess is they would have done their best to hide the hatchling and secure passage via ship.

Which still serves as quite the surprise to those in King's Landing! Aunt Saera alive and back in Westeros after all those decades? Only Rhaenys and Viserys were even old enough to really remember her! Rhaenys would have been around 10 when she fled to Essos.

And Viserys's WTF WHY IS EVERYONE ELSE HAVING PROPHECY BABIES reaction? And the immediate dilemma of what's he's supposed to do. Do you wed two prophecy children together? Dilute the prophecy by marrying them back into the main line? HELP.

(Awwww, Dany reuniting with Jon and finally getting to meet Rhaegar. And he does look just like her, just as everyone had told her. And her immediately agreeing with Jon that he must be protected from all things Baratheon and Trident. And Rhaegar being like omg this is the Dany? The one who brought the dragons back? And Dany immediately spilling the beans about Rhaegar being Jon's dad because she doesn't know that Jon's been trying to keep that from him.)

[starry-blue-echoes]

So I had an interesting realization for the DiU part of Star Swap

so…… the Tonio Episode happens after Yukako’s

and Yukako's, naturally, happens AFTER Koichi gets shot with the arrow

And just....... idk I'm just Rotating how this would impact how everything with her would go. I'm no medical expert, but I'm like 99% sure getting shot in the neck with an arrow would keep you in the hospital for a decently long while, and even then when Koichi gets discharged he wouldn't be back to 100%. He's going to need time to heal, go to voice therapy to try and salvage what little of his voice he has left, and who knows, maybe hatch Echoes into Act 1. I highly doubt he'd encounter Tanami, but who knows, gravity works in weird ways

and there's also how Jotaro would probably change things too. After all, he's uncomfortably familiar with girls not taking no for an answer, and now that he's actually gotten friends? For the first time in who knows how long??? Like hell he's letting them go through that too. I can see him being much more confrontational with Yukako, not caring about sparing her feelings because to him, Koichi's comfort and recovery is much more important than her romantic interests. I wouldn't doubt that he'd just walk up to her, tell her to fuck off, and then would stick by Koichi's side for however long it takes to make sure she got the message

and not to mention, there's also the fact that at this point in time..... Koichi wouldn't be able to say as much himself. He's still healing and can't talk at all and probably has only just barely started learning sign language, so his best bet at communication would be written notes. Jotaro standing up for him would be both relieving and frustrating, the former because of the fact his friend is backing him up like this, but also frustrating because he can't say it himself

and with this all in mind, I'm currently thinking of two possible ways this could go: either 1) Yukako still kidnaps Koichi or 2) Yukako kidnaps Jotaro to get him out of the picture

or who knows, maybe it could be a mix of both? Maybe she kidnaps Koichi and locks him in one of the most secure rooms in the house, maybe a basement or attic, but before she starts the process of "making him love her" she decides to go deal with Jotaro to get him out the picture more permanently. Koichi naturally panics because he doesn't want his best friend getting killed, but struggles to break out because Act 1 isn't very combat oriented. However, Yukako also hadn't been anticipating Koichi having a Stand at all, and Stands can pass through walls, so given enough time it's entirely possible he came up with something

heck, maybe his determination to escape ends up being the trigger he needs to unlock Act 2. Maybe Act 1 was unlocked by him recognising and accepting help for his new disability (and it also ties in a good deal to Act 1's ability, being sound and word generation), so perhaps he can unlock Act 2 by also acknowledging he can't always be rescued. Jotaro had already saved him from Keicho, and Okuyasu had been doing everything he could to help him to make up for things. Right now, the both of them were in danger and Koichi was the only one who knew or could help

(now, is Koichi going to need to see the hospital again after all this is over? Absolutely, 100%. Yukako wasn't very gentle will her kidnapping, she literally slammed him into the roof in canon, plus as thorough as she is...... I'm honestly skeptical on whether or not she'd know to grab the medications he'd undoubtedly be taking)

[mountainofhistory]

Armed and Dangerous Pt. 1

Somewhere, in a dark room, a mummified arm left on a table would twitch.

For a thousand years it had been sealed, and when it finally broke free, it was for only minutes at most before it had been sealed again. Put on humiliating display, mocked by its original owner... but now it was free. Thanks to a mysterious benefactor that only the arm knew... it could reawaken. It would take hours, but slowly it would take in magic force from the air...

Once the arm had regained its health and vigor, it didn't take long for the rest of the form to follow. It was easy to remember the body, and the rest of the process took only minutes, until a woman sat on the table, faintly glowing slitted eyes examining the room in question that she found herself.

"....Hmph." She let out a noise of disdain, looking around her at what to almost anyone else would probably be at least a reputable alcohol storage. "...Call this a stash? It's a few hours' worth at most. Well... it'll be enough to get me started, at least." She'd leap up off the table, grabbing one of the bottles of sake off a shelf and using two fingers to flick the top of the bottle off. Pouring the contents into her mouth, she took a moment to think, to ascertain where she was and how she'd gotten here.

"Heh... been a few years, hasn't it? If I see that woman again, I'll have to thank her. I was thinking I'd never be given freedom again. Hmph... what to do, though. What to do..." Well, while she figured that out, may as well grab and open another bottle... and then another. She wasn't leaving until every bit of this stash had been drunk.

Well, two things she knew for certain, even if she barely knew Gensokyo. The first, was that she couldn't count on Kasen this time. The hermit might call her 'partner' but it rang beyond hollow to the ears of the arm. And the second, was that she should probably avoid Reimu this time. She could still probably defeat the shrine maiden if it were a one-on-one fight, but it was obvious from how their last fight had went that it wouldn't stay that way for long. Another couple of bottles down the hatch before she came to one more conclusion.

"...Followers... yeah. I'm gonna need followers. I think that hermit mentioned that there were more oni underground one of those times... may as well start there. Then I can worry about starting another proper rampage like the good old days. With or without her help." But first... she still had plenty of bottles to go. And she was definitely not leaving until they were all drank.

[frostedsketches]

Twilight's Life Before and After the MLP:FiM Show. Part One: Before

Twilight was born to loving parents in Canterlot, and immediately grew attached to her big brother Shinning Armor. She was a pretty fussy baby, only ever really calming down when Shinning was there, and their bond has stayed very close to this day. She took interest in reading at an early age and was a pretty happy kid for the most part. She started school when she was six at Canterlot Schoolhouse, and that is where her introverted nature started to shine through.

See her parents worked as teachers at her school, Night Light taught Astronomy and Twilight Velvet taught History and acted as the Librarian. The good thing was that because she was the teachers' daughter she never missed out on much parental love and care. The less good thing was she quickly became known by the other students as a bit of a teacher's pet; and due to that and her advanced smarts, she had trouble making friends. So she went through her days not talking to anypony but the teachers and she locked herself away in her books and education, if she just focused on that, their words would cease to reach her. Not that she cared about what the other foals thought of her or anything! It's fine! Who needs friends? Not her! As long as she ignored everypony around her she would be fine. . .not emotionally damaging at all. . .!

Let's just say, things started to get better once she turned nine, when her interests in magic and the science of magic began to strengthen and grow into something more impressive for a unicorn her age, when her parents decided to enroll her into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. There she passed her exam, got her cutie-mark and hatched little baby Spike, she gained a few "friends"— a few tagalongs was more like it— a small group of fillies who stuck to her because they believed that they were friends and couldn't take a hint. Twilight didn't really see it much of the same way but she found she didn't mind the company from time to time, and she'd be lying if she didn't admit that she followed little Moondancer around as much as Moondancer did her. She became a protege of Princess Celestia herself, attending and succeeding in school while her mother happily raised Spike, with some sisterly like help from Twilight, who felt it was her responsibility to be to Spike what Shinning Armor is for her, a support and a shoulder to lean on if ever he was troubled. She was seventeen when she was offered a library wing in Canterlot Castle, as she was now technically old enough to move out of her parents house and had become Celestia's star pupil and Twilight came to see her as her idolized mentor who believed in her and trusted her more than anyone —even her loving family— did. She brought Spike along too who came along willingly, having imprinted on Twilight probably just a little bit more than Velvet, though he still does consider her more of a mother figure and Twilight more of a sister figure. Anyway, she lived there full-time for only a few months before she was finally sent to Ponyville, and her story really began. . .

Click HERE for Part Two!

[lokiondisneyplus]

Sophia Di Martino was launched into the pop cultural consciousness thanks to her role as Sylvie – AKA the Loki variant on Marvel Disney Plus series Loki, where she trades barbs and shares background stories with Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.

Episode Three of the series found Loki on a wild adventure with Sylvie, after he accidentally sent them both to the doomed moon Lamentis-1, on a collision course with a planet. Facing an apocalypse, the pair hatches a plan to find the escape vessel that some of the moon's wealthier residents are hoping will carry them to safety and, while on the train to the ship, they discuss everything from the nature of love to their respective magical abilities.

When the opportunity arose to talk to her, we naturally jumped at it, so here is part of Chris Hewitt's conversation with Di Martino, who was frank and funny while chatting about getting the job, Loki's sexuality and more.

The last two weeks in particular must have been a heck of a whirlwind for you. What's it been like being at the centre of the storm?

It's been a strange one. Because I feel like I've been waiting in the wings for quite a while. And I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this until today. So, it's been a really strange few weeks, just watching the show start and listening to people's reactions, but not being able to talk about it. I don't feel like I've been in the centre of the storm at all. I feel like I've been watching it play out.

Have you been able to say anything to anybody, family friends... Postmen?

Absolutely no-one! My mum has no idea where I've been for the past two years. It's been really difficult. But to be honest, I'm actually really good at keeping secrets. So, I've perhaps been too good and haven't told anyone, anything. My agent, no one knows anything! I’m taking it really seriously, maybe a bit too seriously!

You and director Kate Herron have worked together in the past. Is that how it began for you?

Kate and I worked together on a short film of hers a few years ago now. And we stayed in touch, we're mates, we'll go out for coffee and do a bit of improv. We exist in the same circles in London. I'm trying to remember how exactly it happened. I was shooting another film in the UK, and I think I got a message from Kate saying, “I'm on this show, I'm not allowed to talk about what it is... There's a role, we'd like to see what you do with it. I can't tell you any more. Just wanted to give you the heads up...” A really vague WhatsApp message. So, then I got a request for a tape through my agent. But obviously, my agency also couldn't know anything about what was happening and what it was or anything. I was given a really short scene, made a tape of this scene and just had to guess what it was about. I think it was actually what ended up being the scene from Episode Three, which is Loki and Sylvie on the train. I think it ended up being that scene, but it was very different when I did the audition tape for it.

Did it have the word Loki in the script at any point?

No, no, no names! I think it was Bob and Sarah or something completely different. I didn't have a clue what it was.

I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself.

At what point did the penny drop? At what point did you realise that you were auditioning to play a Loki on Loki, and then this incredibly complex character?

I can't remember what happened first. It might have been the news that Kate was directing the new Loki came out. And then I was like, “Oh, maybe that's what I read for...” Or if it was that I was just offered the job, and they told me what it was. But yeah, it was a surprise. And I had a chat with Tom on FaceTime because he was in New York. I never actually met anyone because I was nine months pregnant, I couldn't fly anywhere. So, I was in London, everyone else is in the US. So, it was just that tape, it was all based on that. And obviously, I've worked with Kate before, so she knows that I'm not some weirdo. And she must’ve convinced them to cast me!

Let’s talk a little bit about Sylvie as we now know her. What's clear is that you're not doing a Tom Hiddleston impression. This is not your take on a Tom Hiddleston Loki, this is a very, very different iteration of their character. So where did you start?

Well, probably exactly there, making that decision that I didn't want to go in and do an impression of Tom, because that would have been awful. I'm really bad at impressions for a start! Sylvie’s very different to Loki in a lot of ways. There's the chaos and there's the mischievous, which are very, very Loki traits. But for me, I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself. And I think that plus the playfulness really helped me get into the character. And, and so that was the way I started.

The stunt training and the fight training really helped me with her physicality, and we were all really keen on her being a really strong, sort of street fighter, almost. She's not as elegant as Loki. She's fit and rough around the edges, she's had a harder time, in a way, she's been on the run for the majority of her life, getting into scraps. And I like the idea that she really enjoys fighting. And she'd really get something out of it. Because she knows that she's probably going to win. Right? And that's where her cockiness comes through, maybe. And so that was part of it as well. And then as soon as you put the costume on, you're there.

What was that like? Because the costume says so much as well. There's the headpiece, which obviously has a missing horn, which says a lot about the scrapes that she's gotten into in the past. And also says that this isn't the Loki we might be expecting.

We were really keen on making the costume look like it's been through the wringer a bit. And she's sort of gathered bits of it from places that she's been throughout her journey. We didn't want it to be too clean and shiny. And it was also important to me that it was a really comfortable costume and that I could actually fight in it, and I could kick in it and just do things that I needed to kick not have to worry about breaking it or being uncomfortable. And then Christine Wada, the costume designer, was amazing at just making it super comfy. But I still felt like a badass when I put it on.

The train scene has that wonderful moment where you’re talking about your romantic pasts, and Loki confirms that he is bisexual, which has been received rapturously since the episode came out. Did you get a sense of how momentous it was when you were filming it?

I knew how important it was, yeah. And I'm just so pleased that it's been received so well. And people are super happy to have seem that scene. And like I said, the show is inspired by the comics, and the comics for a long time have alluded to Loki being bisexual or pansexual. And his sexuality is not straight. And even back to Norse mythology. So, it was important to Kate, and it was also important to me and Tom, that this was represented in a six-hour story about that character. Because representation is important.

It's such a beautifully written scene. Can you just talk about your memories of filming those exchanges? Because we've only just met Sylvie, and we haven’t seen Loki consider the idea of love or falling in love or being frail or vulnerable in that way before.

It’s a super important scene. And it was interesting to shoot it because it's the first time that you see Sylvie vulnerable. And it's just a really important moment for the two of them to understand each other in a different way, and not just be miffed by each other for the first time. And when we were filming it, it is quite a long scene. And it just felt really good to do a long, talky scene. It didn't feel long when we were doing it. But it was nice to get into those characters, and it sort of felt like doing a play, when you go a bit deeper and it’s great. It's just another way of understanding the character that you're playing. And listening to Tom singing was also an experience! Didn’t he do such a good job of learning all those words? I was just amazed that he could learn a song in a different language. And he did it so quickly! Like, one day he got the words and the next day he was fluent in Norwegian! That’s Hiddleston, isn’t it? He’s just so smart!

[twh-news]

Loki: Sophia Di Martino Talks About Songs, Sexuality, Scoring The Role Of Sylvie And More

Sophia Di Martino was launched into the pop cultural consciousness thanks to her role as Sylvie – AKA the Loki variant on Marvel Disney Plus series Loki, where she trades barbs and shares background stories with Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.

Episode Three of the series found Loki on a wild adventure with Sylvie, after he accidentally sent them both to the doomed moon Lamentis-1, on a collision course with a planet. Facing an apocalypse, the pair hatches a plan to find the escape vessel that some of the moon's wealthier residents are hoping will carry them to safety and, while on the train to the ship, they discuss everything from the nature of love to their respective magical abilities.

When the opportunity arose to talk to her, we naturally jumped at it, so here is part of Chris Hewitt's conversation with Di Martino, who was frank and funny while chatting about getting the job, Loki's sexuality and more.

The last two weeks in particular must have been a heck of a whirlwind for you. What's it been like being at the centre of the storm?

It's been a strange one. Because I feel like I've been waiting in the wings for quite a while. And I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this until today. So, it's been a really strange few weeks, just watching the show start and listening to people's reactions, but not being able to talk about it. I don't feel like I've been in the centre of the storm at all. I feel like I've been watching it play out.

Have you been able to say anything to anybody, family friends... Postmen?

Absolutely no-one! My mum has no idea where I've been for the past two years. It's been really difficult. But to be honest, I'm actually really good at keeping secrets. So, I've perhaps been too good and haven't told anyone, anything. My agent, no one knows anything! I’m taking it really seriously, maybe a bit too seriously!

You and director Kate Herron have worked together in the past. Is that how it began for you?

Kate and I worked together on a short film of hers a few years ago now. And we stayed in touch, we're mates, we'll go out for coffee and do a bit of improv. We exist in the same circles in London. I'm trying to remember how exactly it happened. I was shooting another film in the UK, and I think I got a message from Kate saying, “I'm on this show, I'm not allowed to talk about what it is... There's a role, we'd like to see what you do with it. I can't tell you anymore. Just wanted to give you the heads up...” A really vague WhatsApp message. So, then I got a request for a tape through my agent. But obviously, my agency also couldn't know anything about what was happening and what it was or anything. I was given a really short scene, made a tape of this scene and just had to guess what it was about. I think it was actually what ended up being the scene from Episode Three, which is Loki and Sylvie on the train. I think it ended up being that scene, but it was very different when I did the audition tape for it.

Did it have the word Loki in the script at any point?

No, no, no names! I think it was Bob and Sarah or something completely different. I didn't have a clue what it was.

"I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself."

At what point did the penny drop? At what point did you realise that you were auditioning to play a Loki on Loki, and then this incredibly complex character?

I can't remember what happened first. It might have been the news that Kate was directing the new Loki came out. And then I was like, “Oh, maybe that's what I read for...” Or if it was that I was just offered the job, and they told me what it was. But yeah, it was a surprise. And I had a chat with Tom on FaceTime because he was in New York. I never actually met anyone because I was nine months pregnant, I couldn't fly anywhere. So, I was in London, everyone else is in the US. So, it was just that tape, it was all based on that. And obviously, I've worked with Kate before, so she knows that I'm not some weirdo. And she must’ve convinced them to cast me!

Let’s talk a little bit about Sylvie as we now know her. What's clear to me is that you're not doing a Tom Hiddleston impression. This is not your take on a Tom Hiddleston Loki, this is a very, very different iteration of their character. So where did you start?

Well, probably exactly there, making that decision that I didn't want to go in and do an impression of Tom, because that would have been awful. I'm really bad at impressions for a start! Sylvie’s very different to Loki in a lot of ways. There's the chaos and there's the mischievous, which are very, very Loki traits. But for me, I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself. And I think that plus the playfulness really helped me get into the character. And, and so that was the way I started.

The stunt training and the fight training really helped me with her physicality, and we were all really keen on her being a really strong, sort of street fighter, almost. She's not as elegant as Loki. She's fit and rough around the edges, she's had a harder time, in a way, she's been on the run for the majority of her life, getting into scraps. And I like the idea that she really enjoys fighting. And she'd really get something out of it. Because she knows that she's probably going to win. Right? And that's where her cockiness comes through, maybe. And so that was part of it as well. And then as soon as you put the costume on, you're there.

What was that like? Because the costume says so much as well. There's the headpiece, which obviously has a missing horn, which says a lot about the scrapes, that she's gotten into in the past. And also says that this isn't the Loki we might be expecting.

We were really keen on making the costume look like it's been through the wringer a bit. And she's sort of gathered bits of it from places that she's been throughout her journey. We didn't want it to be too clean and shiny. And it was also important to me that it was a really comfortable costume and that I could actually fight in it, and I could kick in it and just do things that I needed to kick not have to worry about breaking it or being uncomfortable. And then Christine Wada, the costume designer, was amazing at just making it super comfy. But I still felt like a badass when I put it on.

The train scene that wonderful moment were you’re talking about your romantic pasts, and Loki confirms that he is bisexual, which has been received rapturously since the episode came out. And it's such a huge moment and I know it was important to Kate, as well. What can you say about that? First of all, about filming that moment? Did you get a sense of its momentousness when you were filming it?

I knew how important it was, yeah. And I'm just so pleased that it's been received so well. And people are super happy to have seem that scene. And like I said, the show is inspired by the comics, and the comics for a long time have alluded to Loki being bisexual or pansexual. And his sexuality is not straight. And even back to Norse mythology. So, it was important to Kate, and it was also important to me and Tom, that this was represented in a six-hour story about that character. Because representation is important.

And it's such a beautifully written scene as well. Can you just talk about your memories of filming those exchanges? Not just seeing Tom singing in what I presume is Norwegian, and what that was like for you? But also, just that exchange about love and how important it is for these two characters. Because we've only just met Sylvie, of course. And we haven’t seen Loki consider the idea of love or falling in love or being frail or vulnerable in that way before. So, it seemed like a fairly important exchange...

It’s a super important scene. And it was interesting to shoot it because it's the first time that you see Sylvie vulnerable. And it's just a really important moment for the two of them to understand each other in a different way, and not just be miffed by each other for the first time. And when we were filming it, it is quite a long scene. And it just felt really good to do a long, talky scene. It didn't feel long when we were doing it. But it was nice to get into those characters, and it sort of felt like doing a play, when you go a bit deeper and it’s great. It's just another way of understanding the character that you're playing. And listening to Tom singing was also an experience! Didn’t he do such a good job of learning all those words? I was just amazed that he could learn a song in a different language. And he did it so quickly! Like, one day he got the words and the next day he was fluent in Norwegian! That’s Hiddleston, isn’t it? He’s just so smart!

[flawedamythyst]

On the Third Day of Christmas 

For @ameliahcrowley 's prompt of A Lion in Winter. This is more Joe/Nicky as background extras to all that drama, but I hope you like it anyway. I’ll probably do your other prompt for a later chapter of this.

Also, technically the hens are Angevin rather than French, but that felt close enough, right?

1183

"Why do we always let them talk us into this stuff?” asked Yusuf, scattering corn out to the chickens clucking around his feet.

"Andromache gives us that look," said Nicolo, bending to collect another egg and add it to his basket.

Yusuf didn't need to ask which look, he could picture it already. Andromache had been wearing it when she'd announced they were going to Chinon to catch up with an old friend. 

She’d added, “And they’ll all be celebrating Christmas, Nicolo, so you can join in with that,” which had stopped Yusuf from asking any further questions. In the last eighty-odd years they’d been together, Nicolo had only been able to celebrate his festival with other Christians a handful of times. Yusuf had thought it would be nice for him to be in a community for it this year.

He really should have asked Andromache and Quynh more questions, Yusuf thought as a chicken attacked his foot. Andromache had brought them to an enormous castle filled with the court of a king who ruled a vast amount of land in the north west of Europe, his three sons and their followers, the neighbouring king and his sister and their retinues and, finally, the king’s estranged wife, who turned out to be the friend Androomache had talked about. She and Quynh had immediately merged in with her other ladies, taking part in all the feasts and entertainments planned for the festive season.

Yusuf and Nicolo had not been so lucky.

“The cook’s going to need more eggs than this for all the royal breakfasts,” said Nicolo, frowning down at his basket. “Help me look, Yusuf?”

Yusuf gently nudged away the chicken still desperately pecking at his foot. “Of course.”

“Eleanor doesn’t have any male attendants,” Andromache had said, just before disappearing into the queen’s chambers. “You two will have to fit in somewhere else. With this many guests, there’s bound to be jobs available, try the kitchens, or the stables maybe.”

It was the third day of the Christmas period, and neither Nicolo nor Yusuf had had much of a chance to get involved in any of the celebrations. Yusuf had heard enough gossip about the complicated family dynamic and all the politics going on to think that being a part of the court properly wouldn’t have been more relaxing, but that didn’t make getting up at dawn to be attacked by chickens any better.

“Here, Nico,” he said, spotting a huddle of feathers tucked behind the hen house. There were three hens, all carefully crouched over their eggs and staring at Yusuf with beady eyes.

He was going to get pecked again. He could just tell.

“Oh dear,” said Nicolo when he saw them. “The poor things just want to hatch their eggs.” 

The man’s tender heart was going to be the death of Yusuf, immortality or not. How could anyone who had seen the things they had all seen still be as gentle-hearted as Nicolo was? Not for the first time, Yusuf felt a wild urge to pull Nicolo into his arms and kiss him until he realised how precious he was.

He didn’t though. Despite all his careful conversations and open questions, Yusuf hadn’t been able to divine how Nicolo would feel to know that his closest friend was also in love with him, and there was entirely too much at risk for Yusuf to be more bold about it. 

Nicolo carefully moved towards the hens, who all started clucking and puffing up their feathers. “I’m sorry, little ones,” he said in a soft, sad voice. “We need those eggs.”

Yusuf would set fire to the world to stop Nicolo sounding that sad. “Are you sure we will?” he asked, looking at the hens and trying to find a way for them to keep their eggs. “How many nobles are likely to have breakfast this morning? It seemed like several of them were up very late last night.”

“Prince Richard certainly was,” said Nicolo without looking around, still carefully moving towards the hens. “I was awake around two last night so I slipped to the chapel to pray while it was empty, and I saw Prince Richard and King Philip kissing in the corridor, before they disappeared into Prince Richard’s bedroom. I can’t imagine either of them will be awake early today if they spent the night together.”

He said it in such a casual, easy tone, as if he were talking about nothing more than a couple of servants stealing some ale rather than two members of royalty engaging in sodomy.

For a few seconds, Yusuf didn’t know how to respond and then he said, carefully, “And you don’t mind that they were doing that?”

“Of course not,” said Nicolo, still focused on the hens. He reached out a hand for an egg and the nearest one went for him with her beak, making him pull it back quickly to avoid injury. “Why would I?”

“I don’t know,” said Yusuf, feeling dazed at how easily this had come up on its own, when trying to turn the conversation to it had proved so difficult in the past. “Many men would.”

Nicolo finally turned around to look at him, frowning at whatever he’d heard in Yusuf’s tone. “I’ve never been one of them.” He hesitated, eyes darting over Yusuf’s face and then carefully added, “If anything, I was envious of them, for finding it so easy to take that step with each other.”

Yusuf just stared at him for what felt like a full minute, but was probably only a few seconds. He could see trepidation and fear in Nicolo’s eyes but hope as well, buried deep, and he realised, with a startling bolt of joy, that they had far more in common than he ever could have guessed when they first met. It wasn’t just the immortality, or the joy of travelling the world, or the depths of their different faiths; it was this as well. They were both terrified of letting this last secret out into the air between them.

“I can understand that,” he said, his ears ringing as if he were about to step off a cliff. He reached out to touch Nicolo’s hand, not quite daring to hold it. “It’s not an easy step when you risk losing a friendship, especially one that has become the bedrock of your life.”

Nicolo let out a soft exhale. “Yusuf,” he said in a hushed tone. “You’re not talking about Richard and Philip now, are you?”

“No,” said Yusuf, feeling giddy as he let himself give in to the surge of emotion that rolled through him whenever he thought too much about what Nicolo meant to him. “What do I care for those two idiots? What can their friendship mean beside one that has endured for eighty years, that has crossed continents? Nicolo, every moment I am with you gives meaning to this long, long life of ours, and I would never want to risk losing your regard, not even for a single second, but if there is any hope of us taking a step beyond it, of building something else alongside it-”

“Yes,” said Nicolo, interrupting him as he grabbed Yusuf’s hand and squeezed it tight. “Yusuf, yes, whatever you want, I would be overjoyed to give it to you.”

Yusuf couldn’t find words for the surge of joy and love bursting open in his chest, so instead he stepped in close to Nicolo, eyes fixed on his face for any sign of rejection, and set the hand not clinging on to Nicolo’s against his cheek. Nicolo’s lips parted in a soft gasp and Yusuf couldn’t hold back any longer, not when it seemed like he didn’t need to. He kissed Nicolo, starting out gentle and swiftly deepening it as Nicolo kissed him in return, holding nothing back as he wrapped an arm around Yusuf’s shoulders.

The basket got left in the chicken’s yard and none of the royals had eggs for breakfast that morning. Yusuf and Nicolo missed the rest of the festive period, and all the royal politics revolving around the succession, in favour of finding a discrete inn where they could spend days at a time in bed.

Nicolo said later that it was the best Christmas he’d ever had.

[im-tempted]

If this was the Cold War we could keep each other warm

SHOWS THAT THIS SONG TAKES PLACE SOME TIME AFTER THE COLD WAR SO THE PLACE THERE IN IS PROBABLY A RESULT OF THAT

I said on the first occasion that I met Marie

MARIE IS A REFERENCE TO MERIE CURIE RESECHER OF RADIATION

We were crawling through the hatch that was the missile silo door

THIS IS THE FIRSY MENTION OF ISOLATION A HEAVY THEAM LATER ON

And I don't think that she really thought that much of me

I never had to learn to love her like I learned to love the Bomb

THESE PAST THREE LINES ARE A GOOD SETTING UP OF THE IDEAS/SETTING IN THE SONG

She just came along and started to ignore me

But as we waited for the Big One

THE NEXT WAR

I started singing her my songs

And I think she started feeling something for me

We passed the time with crosswords that she thought to bring inside

What five letters spell "apocalypse" she asked me

I won her over saying "W.W.I.I.I."

A FORESHADOWING TO THE END OF THE SONG AND HOW SETTING OFF THE BOMBS WOULD END THE WORLD

She smiled and we both knew that she'd misjudged me

Oh Marie it was so easy to fall in love with you

It felt almost like a home of sorts or something

And you would keep the warhead missile silo good as new

And I'd watch you with my thumb above the button

THESE PAST TWO SHOW THE SINGER TRYING TO CREATE THE "NUKLER FAMILY" ANOTHER REFERENCE TO THE BOMB AND HOW ALL CONSUMING IT IS IN THERE LIFE

Then one night you found me in my army issue cot

WHO SENT THEM THERE

And you told me of your flash of inspiration

You said fusion was the broken heart that's lonely's only thought

MORE REFERENCES TO HER BEING A RESEARCHER, PROBABLY THE REASON SHE WAS SENT DOWN

And all night long you drove me wild with your equations

Oh Marie do you remember all the time we used to take

We'd make our love and then ransack the rations

I think about you leaving now and the avalanche cascades

And my eyes get washed away in chain reactions

MORE NUCLEAR REFERENCE TO KEEP OT FRONT OF MIND

Oh Marie if you would stay then we could stick pins in the map

WAR MAP REFERENCE

Of all the places where you thought that love would be found

But I would only need one pin to show where my heart's at

In a top secret location three hundred feet under the ground

MORE WORLD BUILDING TO HOW ICOLATED THEY ARE TO HELP THE END PAYOFF

We could hold each other close and stay up every night

Looking up into the dark like it's the night sky

And pretend this giant missile is an old oak tree instead

And carve our name in hearts into the warhead

Oh Marie there's something tells me things just won't work out above

That our love would live a half-life on the surface

HE THINKS THE ONLY REASON SHE LOVES HIM IS BECAUSE THEY'RE TRAPED TOGETHER SO IS THE BOMB IS UN-NEEDED AND THEY GET SSNT SOMEWHERE ELSS SHE WON'T WANT HIM ANYMORE

So at night while you are sleeping

I hold you closer just because

As our time grows short I get a little nervous

I think about the Big One, W.W.I.I.I.

SHOWING THE "BIG ONE" HE WAS WAITING FOR WAS WWIII

Would we ever really care the world had ended

WHEN THE BOMB GOES OFF HE KNOWS FROM HER RESEARCH IT WOULD DISTROY THE WORLD

You could hold me here forever like you're holding me tonight

I look at that great big red button and I'm tempted

HE IS TEMPTED TO PUSH THE BUTTON AND DISTROY THE WORLD ABOVE SO SHE CAN'T LEAVE HIM

The song is filled with both physics and religious references two things that complement each other due to how opposite they tend to be seen as

The song title can tell you the whole plot of the song if you know the story of Adam and Eve

The bomb represents the apple it is looking for knowledge and it killing you, Marie is a researcher her knowledge is killing the world (bombs instead of being cast out of the garden) the pursuit of knowledge at some point ending the mutual distruction

The temptation of Adam in both the story and the song is eve, she was going to be cast out of the perfect world and Adam refuses to go anywhere without her leaving the perfect world (the singer distroying the actual world above to keep them together using her research (the apple) to do that)

Here you go @stil-yr-woman

[im-simply-miraculous]

Miraculous Chara

An idea dump for my Miraculous Ladybug Shugo Chara au

(Forgive me for not putting this under a read more, I don't think I can on mobile.)

This au does not replace the the SC characters with ML characters; Marinette is not Amu and Adrien is not Tadase or Ikuto. Basically everything is the same except instead of gaining their powers from a miraculous and the kwamis, they have charas.

Tikki was born from Marinette's desire to be more confident and strong, from her creativity and selflessness. Plagg was born from Adrien's desire to be independent and free, to destroy the invisible cage around him. Their charas were born on the same day, so origins plays out basically the same. Master Fu, instead of handing out the miraculous', gave them the Humpty lock and Dumpty key. Beyond that, he's simply a wise old dude who once had a chara and has a role similar Tsukasa in that he offers guidance and advice to the new 'guardians'; he doesn't have wayzz, his chara went away long ago.

The whole thing about keeping their identities hidden is something I was debating, but I think they'd find out pretty quick after seeing each other's charas at school, since they wouldn't feel much need to hide considering most people can't see them. So the love square is a bit different: Marinette still crushes hard on Adrien and Adrien still crushes hard on Ladybug (or rather, Lucky Ladybug, is her full transformation name), but it's sort of like Tadase's crush on amulet heart, there's some kind of disconnect in this poor fool's head that separates Marinette and Ladybug and it takes a while before he realizes what he's doing. Marinette knows about his crush on Ladybug but Adrien doesn't realize Marinette is crushing on him. Knowing he's crushing on her would be self, she doesn't say anything about her crush, as she wants the relationships to be real and not feel like he's with her for only one aspect; so she decides to work toward her would be self and only tell him when he closes that gap for himself.

Hawkmoth is searching for the embryo in order to bring back Emilie. In their youth, they both had charas, but they of course disappeared once they grew up and realized their would be self's.

Years later though, Emilie still missed her chara dearly, and at a time when she felt lost, she enlisted Gabriel's help to find a way to draw their charas back out. They eventually found an old ritual and attempted it, but it failed. Emilie's heart egg was still drawn out, but it was dull and cracked, and she fell into her comma upon it's exit.

Gabriel, heart broken, desperately kept researching to find a way to help her. He knew of the embryo already, and decided it was the only way. Soon he found out what they did wrong and again performed the ritual, on himself this time. Nooroo was successfully drawn out, but he was still damaged by Gabriel's twisted heart, his egg dull and the poor chara very weak.

Gabriel started character transforming and pulling out X eggs from vulnerable people to make them help him find the embryo. After he saw Ladybug and Chat Noir, he thinks they may be the key to finding the embryo. The akuma's are the result of forced character transformations with X eggs.

The rest of team miraculous aren't given their powers by Marinette, they one by one hatch their own heart's eggs.

Alya is first. Her egg is born because of Lila. Lila's purpose in the story isn't to cause a frankly ridiculous conflict and be Marinette's enemy (although, she may later on come back with her own chara to try and find the embryo for herself). The liar still comes to class and briefly has everyone fooled, though not to the extend they shun Marinette. Alya wants so bad to believe her because knowing such an interesting person could be great for her career, and she does for a bit ignore Marinette's pleading, however after a day or so, she sees the cracks. Lila's new purpose is to make Alya face the fact that she is not yet the reporter she though she was, believing someone so easily. Alya has an internal crisis from which Trixx is born from her desire to see through the lies of the world, to be cunning and on top of every situation. With Trixx's and Marinette's help, Alya outs Lila.

Nino is next, I don't have as much of an arc figured out for how he gets Wayzz, maybe it's also caused by Lila, but basically, Wayzz chara is born from his desire to protect his friends. I have a bit of a dilemma here, Wayzz is not exactly what I picture as Nino's would be self. I don't want to change Wayzz completely and make him a tiny dj, so maybe Wayzz also represents Nino wanting to be taken more seriously and to be wiser of the world, to take things slow and not rush life.

Chloe hatches her heart egg sometime after Alya and Nino. Pollen is Chloe's desire to better herself. She still sees herself as a queen, but she doesn't want to be an evil queen; she wants to be a kind and honest queen, one her subjects can depend upon and feel safe with. She'd never admit this though lol. Pollen encourages her to better herself and be nicer to people, and thanks to her chara and Marinette, she does actually start to noticably change.

As for Luka, Kagami, and other future miraculous holders, I don't have as much worked out for them since we don't know much about those Kwamis. I'll update later on them. I can say that Luka's chara is probably born in part from his love of music, and Kagami's has something to do with her serious nature and strength but also how restrained she feels.

This is just a basic info dump, I'm open to questions about this au~