#also she's not dead; she just happens to be on a diplomatic mission to the elves in the east who never went west

[thevalleyisjolly]

Dark haired Legolas is something that can be so personal, actually.

[hanafubukki]

What if the Chairman was Levan Draconia?

I was talking with Ell (@memoryoflife) about the theories of Crowley being Levan Draconia and all the symbolisms you can find in NRC with their similarities in structure to Briar Valley and the Fortress looking the same as the coliseum.

Then we starting talking about how this is Yana we are talking about. Would she make it so obvious that Crowley is Leavan? What if she was using Dire Crowley as a distraction. The truth subtly hidden among the clues? Thank you @prince-kallisto (our Crowley Connoisseur) for helping me find the scene where the chairman is mentioned.

So that got me thinking more, wasn't there a moment in which Crowley mentions a superior? And he very nonchalantly mentioned the Chairman as well, but why? Knowing how any little detail in this game can be a clue to the future books/revelations (History lessons, events, etc.), I can't help but wonder if this was one as well.

Because why suddenly mention the chairman, why not just introduce himself? So what if Levan was the chairman? Most, if not all, of the clues pointing towards Crowley being Levan can be used on the Chairman as well.

Now what do we know about Levan Draconia? He is the Left General, Meleanor's husband, he saved Lilia's NRC letter, he went missing on a diplomatic mission, and he wanted to strengthen relations between the humans and fae.

Additionally, he taught the fae the human language so they can communicate better. He seems the more level headed and future thinking of the three childhood friends. Thank you Mumble for going over Levan info with me (@irafuwas).

Knowing this, it would make sense if the Chairman was Levan Draconia.

It would explain the similarities in the symbolisms/fashion with see with Briar Valley, what if it was the Chairman who decorated/influenced it?

As Ell pointed out, it would be a strategic way to have Crowley to continue being in the game and have merch as well, especially if he was a pawn from the beginning.

This would also explain why Crowley is constantly looking for the Blot stones, and why in every book, he has someway/somehow influenced the OBs.

Because someone was telling him behind the scenes what to do and what to look out for, and with Levan's future thinking, this would fit.

This would also explain why Lilia does not recognize Crowley if Crowley was Levan because he isn’t.

(unless they are fraternal twins, that's why they dont look alike. It would explain the whole "why is he here?' line in history lessons too)

When I think about this, it makes me wonder even more. You know? Why such a offhand comment, unless there's a story element for it?

Levan being a Chairman would also explain him teaching the fae the human language because of his future-esque thinking.

Why he also saved Lilia's NRC letter because he knew what will happen in the future and who will play such roles.

Now this brings into question about Levan's Unique magic, what if his was opposite's of Lilia's?

Lilia's UM looks into the past/memories, so what if Levan's looks into the future? This is why he cared about the relationship between human and faes, why he saved the letter, etc.?

But then you can't help but wonder, where does Meleanor play a role in this? Did she know? What is her UM?

Did she sacrifice herself knowing this future? And that's why she was so confident about Lilia and Malleus?

Was she somehow saved?

And then we think about Levan, and if he is alive and knew the events, did he really let his wife die?

Let his friend live with the trauma of his disappearance, also take the risk of his child never being born and growing up so restricted?

Was this why Meleanor gave the "blessing' she did to Malleus?

(What if they knew about the events with Grim, was this their way of making Grim into a chimera? or maybe, just maybe, stop Grim?

because they saw all the people that Malleus and Lilia loved, and they wanted to save them?)

Wether Levan is alive or dead, the results will be devastating when we find out what happened to him.

[generallysapphic]

i can take care of you +18 (shuri x reader)

it’s been an intense couple of weeks for the queen, and you’re noticing the stress of it all eat away at her. from failed project to injury during a mission, you decide to make it your goal to help her relax in the best ways possible.

y’all YALL,,, i absolutely love when y’all send me such specific requests so keep it up! and i wanna thank @maybachinparis for sending this request in because it has my mind REELINGGG, so thank you my love! (also ; queen ramonda isn’t dead in this story she’s just retired, but t’challa is.) part two here!

y’all this is a long one, lots of fluff and talking before we get to the down and dirty, and beware some angst!! reader is originally from wakanda and the daughter of a trusted farming family that many people know, so you have some history. she’s shorter than shuri and

warnings ; praise kink, overstim, crying, squirting, multiple orgasms, soft dom! shuri, sweet sub! reader, married love making, name calling, strap on sex, frustrated shuri (she doesn’t take it out on you), small injury and medical assistance, bath sex, talk of death and the afterlife

song inspo: SHEA BUTTER BABY by Ari Lennox and Would You Mind? by Janet Jackson

tag lists (thank you for the support!!): @maybachinparis @rxcently @verachii @imshurisbabymama @widowmakker @fetchyourlife @mingitheii @letitias-fav @blackgcomica @lovelyaliengirl @dejaonline @writesbyriri @bubshri @blackhottie25 @playgurlxoxo @mocha-aya @noneofyabuisnezs @kiraecl1pse @nil-eena @birdbirdbirdbird123456878900 @katymae12344 @lunax0654 @shuri-my-love @nsfwlover13 @vlkyriesverse @shurisbbymama @szalipcombo @natsgirlfriend @http-twyla @sokkasbae255 @scarelttrose

enjoy loves <3

you walk back and forth, practically pacing, from outside the long doors in front of the lab, your mind reeling. you couldn’t even believe it— the queen, the black panther, your wife injured on a mission. your hands were shaking, how could this even happen? shuri had looked so pained when she came through the front room doors, limping, and immediately asking the dora milaje to hold you back, as shuri knew better than anyone how quick you were to react.

and hold you back they did— you already fighting them with all the strength you had and yelling that you’re the queen too and you deserved to see your wife, to tend to her before anyone else, but they were stronger than you in most ways. aneka looks at you with her deep eyes, “please, your highness, calm down, she’ll be fine,”

and you fight back, “i should be there with her! let me through—!” and you try to barricade through them once more before they tackle you again, and you struggle against them. after a while you had calmed down and most of the dora milaje retreated to the lab to help shuri but even now in front of the lab doors stood two dora, their spears ready to attack.

your head was hurting as you paced back and forth waiting for something — anything — to know she was was okay. shuri was having such an intense last couple of weeks, this truly being the first time she was both queen and black panther and it’s taken a toll on her, you could tell. deep circles were around her eyes and most nights you’d go to bed alone, her coming in around 3 am just to wake up bright and early at 7 and barely sleep. you had your own diplomatics to deal with too, making sure all the affairs were in order before she left and it took so long, you spent most of the day in your office and the throne room before you got off at 6, always missing shuri and she always missing you.

when you two were together it was always brief. small moments in the garden on your lunch or stolen kisses right before she departed wakanda only to return nearly 14 hours later. then the people of wakanda looked to you as well— while shuri was gone you were entirely in charge. walking the kingdom and taking care of small disputes best you could, but still, it was a lot for you both.

you’re whispering prayers to Bast, just hoping nothing is fatal or too deep that she’s injured forever, and suddenly the large white doors open, and it’s aneka smiling at you, and you let out a sigh of relief and practically run past her.

doctors, many of the elder tribe leaders, and even m’baku are still surrounding shuri when you come in but they make way for you as you nearly tackle her on the lab bed she’s on. a couple of “careful!”’s are said but you can only hear shuri’s laugh, and a small groan in pain as you hug her tightly, the tears you had outside already spilling over.

you pull back and grab her face, “please, please, please don’t scare me like that ever again, shuri. i thought— i thought—” and you could barely get it out, the words ‘i thought i lost you’ staying behind in your throat but shuri looks at you with a deep, fond gaze that says “i know you did, but you won’t and never will,” you smile slightly, stroking her face in your hands and kissing her all over and she laughs, holding your waist and drawing you close.

“i think,” m’baku’s deep voice breaks you two up, “the black panther needs to rest with her wife, hmm? even with all your nano tech and whatnot, an injury like that, you need a couple of days,” and elders murmur in agreement and you nod along. shuri speaks up though, “the mission. i have failed them if i don’t go back,” she says and you look at her again, she sounded so finite about, your eyebrows furrow.

“no, you have not, my queen,” says the leader of the river tribe, “we can handle it from here, call nakia up to keep the trail hot,” shuri frowns, “nakia has to care for someone, she won’t be able to go. i am fine, let me—”

your voice cuts hers, “shuri. no.” she stills, much does everyone because they can tell it’s not a suggestion. “you are injured. you can barely walk, and i have never seen you like that before. and when one queen is inept to make the decisions the other steps in,” shuri gapes at you, mouth ready to retort, before you add, “i support the notion of giving the black panther a week of rest, nothing less. should she step foot in this lab or reach for her necklace, the dora milaje will do their best to stop her,”

the elders look around, murmuring, before m’baku speaks first, “i mean, cmon, it’s her wife.” he laughs a bit before adding, “you have the jibari tribe behind you in this notion. i also submit my services to stopping the black panther at all costs,” he chuckles a bit and you whisper an “ey,” and cut your eyes at him.

you hear shuri smack her lips once the other elders agree to your request and you nod, “it’s settled. m’baku, handle the most recent hostage situation best as possible. take ayo with you and listen to everything she says,” you hear m’baku grumble as ayo tries to hide her laugh.

“i need the rest of you to watch our boarders and city waters. many families have had irrigation problems because of the dry season, causing wild life to attack their farms so keep an eye out, and bring water to those in need,” the leaders nod out, “yes my queen,” to you and walk off before you sigh and lift shuri’s head up,

“and you,” you say sweetly and shuri blinks up at you with tired eyes, but still looks at you as if you hung the moon yourself, “yes, my love?”

“you,” and you kiss her on every word, “are going to relax and get some rest,” you say and sit next to her again and she sighs, eyes closing slightly. you know what she’s going to say, you see it in her face.

“i.. i miss him,” she whispers when you two are finally alone and you rub her hands in yours, kissing her knuckles, “i know, sthandwa, i know,” you bite your lip, not wanting to say what you do, but you decide to anyway,

“you could talk to him, yknow.” shuri sighs and shakes her head, “last time… he wasn’t — he wasn’t there. he doesn’t want to speak to me,” she whispers the last part and you retort completely, grabbing her face and making her look at you, “shuri, no, no. don’t you ever say that. t’challa — he loved you so, so much, of course he’d want to speak to you, he’d be more than happy to see his sister.”

her eyes are threatening to spill over and you rub your thumbs against her cheeks and sigh, “my love, you are so strong. but asking for help, wanting some, is not the weakness you take it to be. you know that, i know you do.” you whisper and kiss her forehead and she hold your hands in yours, taking deep breaths to calm down.

you look back into her eyes and she’s smiling slightly, you know she’s still sad but you can tell her body is fighting exhaustion and not allowing her to feel her emotions completely. you step down from the bed and extend your hand, “cmon. i’ll run you a bath, get you cleaned up, yeah?” and shuri nods, and you help her get down, holding her waistline and she holds on to your shoulders, leaning on you for support.

aneka is at the lab entrance, waiting to assist in anyway, and you tell her, “let m’baku know the queens’ kimiyo beads will be off for the rest of the evening. emergencies only,” and she nods, as you and shuri walk to your bedroom.

the bath will do shuri some good, you decide, touching the water and adding some bath salts to help her skin relax. she’s in the master bedroom, taking off the underarmour she wears under her black panther suit and even though you are married, sneaking a hidden look at your naked wife has you blushing and turning away.

most of her injuries are dressed and nearly healed once shuri steps in the bathroom, still limping some and her hair out from its original cornrows. she sighs and comes up behind you, swaying you slightly and you lean against her, you both watching the bath fill up with bubbles and water.

“what did i do to deserve you,” shuri sighs into your neck and you chuckle slightly, “i should be the one to say that. i went from farmer to queen in nearly two years, im still wrapping my head around it.” she kisses your neck and rubs your arms, “i saw you and thought you deserved it,” she murmurs and you giggle, pushing her off you, “nope, no, go get in your bath, no sex for you, go,”

she huffs slightly, taking off her robe and stepping in before wincing, “you’re trying to burn me more, ikumkani wam? this is scolding,” shuri complains and you roll your eyes and help her sit down, “the hot water will relax your muscles, now come sit, let me wash your hair,” and she huffs again, but listens.

you two hadn’t had a moment like this in so long, you realize, squeezing some shampoo on your hands and you tell her, “we haven’t done anything like this in a while, huh? it’s nice,” your murmured and get a soft response in return, and you laugh, right. shuri always went to sleep when you washed her hair, your hands working diligently, your nails scraping against her scalp and she leans back into your knees.

you can see her eyes closing, and you smile sadly at just how much you see she needed this, her entire body looks like it’s recharging in the bath, and her breathing slow and deep. you whisper, “lean back, entle, let me rinse your hair,” and shuri is completely complacent, murmuring and moving slowly, as you tilt her head back and run warm water down her scalp.

shuri’s definitely asleep by the time your putting in her conditioner and giving her some two strand twists, her entire head sloped against your knee. you find a head wrap in the nearby drawers and kiss her cheek once your done to wake her up and she mumbles. you whisper, “cmon let me wash you, love,” and she’s blinking awake as you climb into the bath and grab a rag and rub all over her.

shuri looks at you fondly, watching you avoid her open wounds and wash softly over the wrapped ones, even whispering a small apology when she winces slightly, all the way until your rinsing her off and wrapping a bathrobe against her and climbing out first to help her get out after you. you unplug the drain and grab some lotions and gauze to rebandage her wounds once in the bedroom.

you sit her down, handing her the cocoa butter and cream as you work your way up her wounds starting with her legs. you start, “what do you want for breakfast tomorrow?” you whisper and look up and shuri is staring back at you with such deep love and appreciation, that it makes you blush. you two have been together for more than three years now and she can still look at you as intensely as she did that first night you met her.

“shuri,” you whisper and she blinks, snapping out of her trance, “yes? i’m sorry whatd you say?” shuri says honestly and you giggle, wrapping one more gauze before sitting next to her and smiling, “what do you want me to make for breakfast tomorrow my love? we’ve got a week and i want to spend it doing all the things we’ve missed,” you say a little sadly and shuri laughs to herself, “why worry about tomorrow, we’ve got plenty we can do right now,” and her hand slides up your thigh and you roll your eyes, slapping her hand slightly. you know it doesn’t hurt her, but she still winces like it does.

“no sex, i mean it. i want your body to relax, sithandwa, okay?” and she sighs and nods, thinking. “i don’t even know to be honest, y/n, i’m so exhausted,” she finally admits and you laugh, “yes i know my love, let’s get some rest, yeah?”

shuri nods and you hand her the large shirt she normally wear to bed and cut off the lights and lay back down. shuri finds you in the darkness, completely wrapping herself over you and whispering, “ulihlabathi lam lonke sithandwa,”

you smile deeply, before sleep washes you both over and you close your eyes.

you wake up first, the small vibrations from your kimoyo beads shaking your arm, making you turn your alarm off. you check the time, just barely 9 am, and look over. you smile and see shuri, sleeping still so peacefully, her breathing slow. you reach over and adjust her head wrap before it falls off and sit up and stretch.

you check any of the emergency messages shuri may have gotten on her kimoyo beads and all you see is a lovely picture from nakia and her beautiful son, captioned, ‘hope to see you soon, auntie :)’ and smile, before closing the screen and stretching again, beginning to prepare for the day. you put your slip dress on and some house shoes before going to the other side of the bed and kissing shuri’s cheek.

her reflexes wake her up slightly, and you hear her grumble as you giggle, “no no, go back to sleep. don’t wake up i was just saying good morning, my love, that’s all. rest,” you whisper and she laughs a little too, “good morning to you, too,” before sighing and turning over. you walk away to the kitchen and wrap your hair up in a bun to get started.

you prepare some biscuits first, kneading dough and buttering up some pans before slicing up some pork pieces and peppers. you’ve been cooking your whole life, memories of making breakfast for your family with your mother flood your mind as you move around the kitchen. you smile to yourself, as you completely involve yourself in the food, playing some music softly.

after about 2 hours, everything’s just about done. the eggs cook last, of course, as you chop up some fruit and your beloved comes to the kitchen, her black pajamas on and twists out. shuri looks well rested and so much healthier compared to last night that it makes you smile.

“well good morning, again, love,” you say, still chopping fruit and she comes behind you, her favorite place to be, and smiles a “good morning,” into your neck, kissing there and rubbing up your sides. you chuckle to yourself, you know she’s pent up, hell, you are too, but you had a plan for that so you wiggled your shoulders, “no, we’ll eat first okay?” you say and turn to her and sighs again like last night and steals a strawberry from off your cutting board. you smack your lips at her and pinch her hip as she walks away laughing and starts setting the table.

you grab all the dishes you can, first the potatoes and pork first, and asking shuri to grab the rest of the eggs and biscuits and grits, placing everything just like your mother had always told you to. you take a step back and look at your work and smile, and shuri comes to your side, “i know you do, so, you want a picture?” and you laugh and ready your kimoyo beads and snap a quick picture.

you let shuri sit first and she looks at you confused, “what—” and you sigh, “i’m making your plate, go and sit,” and she laughs, “i guess i should get hurt more often,” she says and you glare at her before shuri puts her hands up, “a joke, sthandwa, i’m joking,” she laughs at your eyes, which are still cutting at her while you gather her food. “yeah, you better be,” you say back.

once her plate is full you set it down and she looks at you like you’re about to get married to her again, “i love you so much, this looks so amazing,” she murmurs out and you laugh and kiss her curls, smelling the shampoo you used last night and smiling. you set your plate next and sit next to her, praying a small thank you to Bast and beginning to eat.

you and shuri eat in a comfortable silence for nearly fifteen minutes before you both start to get full and make conversation. you start, “i have a full day of activities planned for us today, usana, i’m really excited.” she lifts her eyebrow at you to continue as she finishes her biscuit, all the food on her plate nearly gone.

you do, “first, we need to go to the market for some fresh meat for dinner tonight. i wanted to try and perfect my jambalaya. and then i thought we could go to the garden and relax, sort of meditate and read a bit, and finish the day strong with dinner and.. maybe, some time alone.” you try to whisper the last part to hide yourself but shuri catches it all and smiles.

“well seems like you’ve got it all planned out. i’ll follow your lead, sthandwa, im excited.” she sounds so sincere and infatuated with you, it makes you blush. how crazy is it that, as long as you’ve been together, she can still make you feel like it’s the first date all over again. you shy up and stand, taking her plate with yours to wash it. shuri beats you to it, “no, no, i got it, go get ready for the day,”

you look at her and sigh, pulling her down for a kiss, and she grins into it much like you do, and pull away saying, “ndiyakuthanda,”

shuri smiles harder at you and repeats it for your ears only as if you’re the only person who supposed to hear it. and you know you are.

you lay in the bath and you hear shuri singing to herself slightly down the hall as she washes the dishes. you can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy for the time you’ve spent with her, even just one morning feeling positively heavenly.

your kimoyo beads go off under the water, and it’s m’baku, a text that reads, ‘the hostages have been brought back home. ayo has talked my ear off, please send aneka to retrieve her.’ and you laugh slightly as shuri walks in, “what’s funny, my love?” you turn to her, “m’baku and ayo working together, he says she talked his ear off,” shuri smiles too and being to underdress and now you’re not laughing.

“what’re you doing?” you ask, smirking at her and trying to keep your eyes on her face as more and more of her tattooed skin comes into view, “repaying the favor. you wash me, i do the same, yeah?” she whispers back and before you can retort she’s already stepping in and you laugh as she winces, much like last night, “darling, you’re going to burn your skin off, Bast, this is ridiculous,” she mumbles as she sits down and you smile, leaning against her chest.

she rubs your skin up and down under the hot water and you sigh, holding one of her hands against you. “i’ve missed you,” you whisper, and she nods against you, tilting your head to look at her, “i’ve missed you, too,” she whispers right back, and kisses you sweetly and gently like you’re the softest thing in the universe. you moan softly, turning your head to give her better access and water moves around you both, most of the bubbles now gone.

you feel the hand that was holding you chin slowly go down your chest, moving right on top your clit and you huff, pulling away from her mouth and she shushes you, adding more pressure with her two fingers and circling your clit and you moan, “haaaa, shuri,” you’re whispering like someone will come in and she kisses against your cheeks holding you down with the other hand.

shuri whispers in your ear, “you’re so beautiful, my love. i’m so glad to call you mine,” you moan again, feeling that heat pool downstairs and your legs try to close to avoid it but shuri’s talking in your ear again, “no, darling, keep them open let me see you, it’s alright,” and you sigh and open your legs again, always giving into shuri completely. she thanks you and you feel your body get warmer, the water moving against your pussy in tandem with shuri’s fingers and you buck, your orgasm washing over you suddenly.

“ha, oh, ohhh i’m cumming, shuri, shuri—” and she’s encouraging you all the way, whispering praises in your wet skin and still moving her fingers against you, until you’re whining in overstimulation and she stops, kissing your neck and rubbing your stomach and legs. you sigh out and completely turn over and kiss her, water spilling over a bit, ready to return the favor and she smiles, shaking her head, “we’ve got to go to the market, remember? we’ll finish later, okay?” she says and you blink, still dazed from your orgasm but you nod and she picks up a rag to start washing you both.

once you’re both clean, you get out and lather up with some cocoa butter and oils, you laying your edges and shuri fixing up some of her curls. you wear your favorite loose dress, it ties right on your hips and gives you some decent cleavage and shuri puts on a matching track suit and grabs your hand as you exit the room.

walking towards the throne room you see aneka there waiting patiently, “my queens, are we departing? should i tell anyone?” and you both shake your head, “we’re just going to the markets, aneka, no need for royals of any kind.” you say sweetly and she nods, tapping her spear against the hard concrete, opening the doors and escorting you both out.

being on wakandan streets made you nostalgic, not having really been outside that often since marrying shuri and becoming queen. shuri sees it on your face; the warmth of familiarity bringing a pleasant and beautiful grin on you, “you miss it, my love?” she says as you look at the shops.

you sigh and face her, “a bit. it mostly reminds me of my mother. but even when we were dating i just miss having the time like this— to wonder about and look, just you and i,” you say taking her hand and she smiles at you, kissing your forehead as you make your way to your first shop.

the woman smiles, “ikumkani wam, what can i get you, dear?” and you smile back, “no need for royalties, auntie, i just need some peppers and rice, and if you have any strawberries that’d be great too,” you say glaring at shuri since she had eaten your entire freshly picked batch this morning and she puts her hands up in surrender, laughing as she walks around to another shop.

she packs up the ingredients for you and you thank her as you watch shuri come skipping back to you and smiling, her hands behind her back. you raise an eyebrow, “what’ve you gotten now?”

“nothing, nothing, don’t worry about it,” she says all too fast and you sigh, shaking your head, knowing it’s some expensive gift she’ll probably give you later. shuri had a habit of doing that, buying you some gold or jewelry or accessories you didn’t necessarily need but she knew they’d look darling on you. and, well of course they did, but you had always encouraged her to not spend so much on you. “you are my greatest gift,” you had told her countless times, “i need nothing more.”

and yet, she persisted.

you’d given up trying to stop her long ago as shuri was just as stubborn as always. you walked up to your next shop, talking to the young man there and asking for the pounds of meat you needed, thank him as he went to cut. shuri comes to your side, “it’s not jewelry, if that makes you feel better,” she whispers lightly, you can feel her smirk.

you’re curious now, “more waist beads?” and she shakes her head, “oh, really? i don’t know you to buy anything else. what is it?” the man comes back with the pork and chicken you needed and you thank him as shuri whispers, “i don’t want to spoil the surprise, love,” and you gruff, “i know you better than all, shuri, you cannot surprise me.” you say proudly and she smiles walking side by side with you and shrugs,

“maybe i can,” you glare at her, now more curious than ever. but she might be playing with you, just to throw you and actually pull out waist beads after dinner and you chuckle to yourself. the rest of the trip is filled with small banter and shopping, both you and shuri just happy to spend this time together.

once back home, shuri insisted to move the meditation in the garden to tomorrow, which causes you to lift up your eyebrow once you set your groceries down in the kitchen. “why, have you got something planned?” and she smiles, helping you unpack and she comes to your ear, “i need all the hours in the night for you so after dinner it’ll just be you and i, alright?”

‘all the hours in the night,’ echoes in your forehead and you feel some heat pool at the bottom of your stomach, and you exhale quietly and nod, “alright,” you whisper back and she kisses your neck, rubbing your arms and she walks away, the bag holding your surprise in her hands.

you stand at the sink, still slightly breathless, whew. you had forgotten how shuri can get, so sensual and so intense, that it didn’t cross your mind that she might have plans tonight along with yours. your mind reels as you try to figure out what her surprise could be while you think of yours.

you and shuri had had a loving sex life, nothing too intense and always so satisfying, shuri always willing to try whatever you wanted and you right behind her, listening to her suggestions and smiling at her when she comes to shy and asks if you can try something new. but even then, you knew what the other liked— shuri loved you in lingerie and all the jewelry she bought, she liked taking all the time in the world with you so the ‘all the hours in the night’ hadn’t surprised you one bit; ever the romantic, she lets nothing come between your love making and she swears by it, even going as far as taking off her kimoyo beads and shutting them down at one point.

you loved everything about her but during sex you absolutely loved when she lost herself in you, letting down every single guard she had and completely unraveling because of you. she’s always so tense, ready for any and everything at all costs so to see her completely relax and let go while with you makes your mind nearly explode.

but even then, what could she possible have that would surprise you? you shake your head, looking at the time. 5:54, might as well start on dinner.

you sigh once dinner is ready, your eyes watering a bit from the peppers and spices, but it’s done regardless and you step back and take another picture and immediately send it to your mom, proud of your work. you cover the pot and walk to the bedroom to get shuri but instead are greeted with a lingerie set, a white frilly bra and underwear set, complete with ribbons and lace, and a silk, black dress that sits next to a perfume bottle.

you roll your eyes once you see a note with shuri’s handwriting on it, “surprise, my love.” you read and sigh again, taking off your apron and under clothes and putting on the set. you walk to the bathroom and see yourself in the mirror, damn, it’s perfect. the dress itself is damn near see through and the bralet and underwear hug your body beautifully, the ruffles practically shiny against your skin and blush, almost too nervous to show shuri. you spray some of the perfume on, inhaling and smelling, vanilla and shea butter, and you smile. it’s the perfume you wore on your first date. i can’t believe she remembered something like that, you think to yourself. you get one last of yourself in the mirror and fix your hair a bit, laying your edges down once more before walking out.

you see shuri in the kitchen wearing a white fitted suit, and she’s adjusting her cufflinks when your speak up, “okay, i admit it, you surprised me.” you say laughing and she turns to face you and she gasps slightly, you can see her gaze darkening as she takes you all in, “you look beautiful, sthandwa, you captivate me,” and you smile and shy up and decide to walk off, “let’s sit yeah?” you say and shuri laughs, and follows you to make her plate as well.

you both make your plates and sit down once more like this morning, making small conversation, but you can’t help but feel a light sense of arousal, as you know what’s about to happen. you two haven’t made love in so long and the thought of her being inside you for hours has you crossing your legs as you can barely speak to her, muttering out small responses before she notices and lifts your chin to make eye contact, “y/n, you know i absolutely love you and your food but i feel confident in saying we’re both too distracted to eat right now, yeah?” you nod, hanging on her every word, “why don’t we just go to bed then?”

you let out, “yeah,” completely breathless and she leans in to completely cover your mouth, feeling her lips move against yours and it makes you moan, wrapping your arms around her and sighing, your brain fogging up and moving against her like it’s a second nature, because at this point it is.

she stands you both up slowly, keeping your mouths connected and holding your waist, drawing you close as you feel her tongue enter your mouth and explore. you gasp slightly, god, you missed this, missed it so much, youre holding on to her like you’re about to drown. shuri pulls away slightly, a small line of spit still keeping you both connected and you whine, she shushes you, “i’ve got you, shh, it’s alright, let’s go to bed, yeah?” and you nod and follow her, holding her hand and looking at her as if she’s taking you to bed for the first time again.

she captures your mouth again, now against the bed and you moan, opening up to her completely as she rubs down your sides, slipping her hands under your lingerie and you gasp. “shuri, cmon, please,” you whisper and she nods, and once you get a good look in her eyes you can tell she’s just as desperate as you are, if not more, and you think about the three times you denied her last night alone. she practically lays you down and climbs on top of you and attacks your neck.

you tilt your head and give her total access and she whispers, “you smell so good, love,” and you moan out a laugh, “i have you to thank, dear. how’d you even find that—!” you can’t even finish your question as shuri has completely lifted your dress, sliding her hands against your breasts and sucking hickeys into your skin. you moan out her name and lift your back so she can take off the bra which she does in one swift movement.

she sucks on one of your nipples as you moan and squirm, the foreplay alone making you already feel like you’ve ruined your underwear with your slick. shuri reaches down and palms you through your underwear and you throw your head back, gasping. oh, she’s being so mean, you think, and groan in frustration as you feel yourself growing more and more frustrated.

shuri picks up on this, “you want more, my love?” and you nod, bucking you hips against her hand to symbolize where you need it, and she smiles, “of course,” she whispers and finally, finally, she’s face to face with your heat, covered by the panties that are soaked beyond recognition. she moves the underwear aside, not completely taking them off, and the cool air of the room hits your lips causing you to moan breathless, any friction or stimulation driving you crazy.

shuri curses out lowly, before placing a kiss on top of your pussy. your hips stutter slightly and she laughs a bit, before going back to kissing your lips and licking up all your slick. you moan aloud, “yes, yes, please, please don’t stop—” so happy to finally have some stimulation on you and shuri sighs against you, taking all of you in and moaning like your the best meal she’s ever had. you grab the silk sheets from under you and toss your head back before shuri pulls away slightly, stopping all contact.

you don’t even say anything but your hips are being raised and shuri is practically ripping off your underwear to have better access to your entire pussy and she goes back into you completely, kissing you thighs and sucking on your clit, wasting no time. you jolt, “oh, fuck! haahhh, shuri, shuri, shuri—”

it’s perfect, you moan aloud, shuri is so perfect, the poor sheets evidence, you could hear them practically ripping as your orgasm approached, shuri’s mouth working you through it. you try to move away from her, not wanting the night to be over, god, you wanted her for hours and hours, just like she promised, but you felt it, your whole body becoming hot.

shuri holds your legs open, not letting you up, even though you warn her, “sthandwa, i’m cumming, i’m cumming—!” but she hums around your pussy, acknowledging you but not stopping. you feel it, your entire body opens up and your back arches, you feel your clit pulsing under her lips, and she keeps sucking, you whine high pitched as your orgasm racks through your body. you feel your pussy clench around nothing and shuri pulls away, gasping and her chin wet.

you sigh, legs falling open, as shuri kisses up your legs and stomach, moving your dress around until she reaches your mouth to kiss you and you taste yourself and moan, rubbing her shoulders and coaxing her out of her suit as she twists to get it off as well. she moans against you, pulling away slightly and she whispers, “you taste amazing, love,” and you smile, “your turn?”

she laughs, “you sound eager about that,” she says and you nod and sit up leaning her down, “i want to take care of you tonight, usana, you deserve it, yeah? can you lay down for me?” and shuri nods, semi breathless, as you sit on top of her taking off her clothes, and kissing all her skin.

she sighs softly, “you always take care of me, love. so good for me,” and she’s watching you work down her body until you get to her pussy, already leaking. you sigh, “so pretty, shuri,” and she laughs a bit too, before gasping as you kiss her lips, much like she did you, before opening her legs and licking around her, completely swallowing everything she moans and sighs out praises, “you’re so amazing, my love, take such good care of me, don’t you?”

you moan, pushing your clit against the sheets as you work on shuri; her praises have always turned you on, the way she sounds, the way she speaks, it’s always been your favorite part of her and doing things like this. you zone out entirely, only hearing how shuri’s pussy sounds and how heavenly her praises sound.

she moans a bit, holding onto the hands you had against her abdomen, “y/n, love, i’m cumming, you’re so good, making me cum, aren’t you darling, haaa, fuck, fuck—” and you feel it, her whole body jerks up and you feel her pussy release in your mouth, moaning along with her. you sigh and pull your mouth away and she sits up entirely, pulling you for an incredibly sloppy kiss, sighing deeply into your mouth and holding you close. you pull away first and smile, “good?” you whisper, and she shrugs, “i still wanted to fuck you properly, love. it’s not even that late to stop now, yeah?”

you look at the time, it was nearly 10 o’clock. normally you’d both have so many things to do in the morning that you’d both be scrambling to rush to go to sleep and wake up bright and early but with this week off, you laugh and agree, “okay, whatever you want,” you whisper back against her and she smiles, kissing you lightly before jumping up to the closet, getting her strap.

you lay back down, sighing, your whole body blooming. this time with shuri has got you giggly and practically high, as you feel yourself laughing once she comes back, boxers on and strap in hand. “you alright, love?” she says stroking your face while she’s at the edge of the bed and you sigh, looking up at her, “i just.. i love you so much. i’m so happy we’re finally spending some time together is all. i really missed you, shuri,” you admit, your eyes wet suddenly and she smiles at you and leans down to capture your mouth,

“i missed you more, sithandwa, you have no idea,” and you nod and agree, you probably didn’t have any idea, you really didn’t see shuri during this month at all, so who knows how deep her longing went for you. as she’s grabbing the lube and adjusting herself, you say softly, “show me,”

she looks up at you, curious, “what do you mean?” and you move slightly, trying to avoid her intense gaze as she strokes herself, “show me how much you missed me. make me feel it,”

and shuri smiles to herself a bit, opening your legs up slightly, and pushing the strap against your lips, the lube and your cum combining, “oh i intend to, my love, all. week. long.” she whispers back at you and you gasp, not even being to retort before you feel her push inside, the strap opening you up completely and you toss your head back with a breathless moan, “oh, shuri—!” you drag out her name as your eyes shut, feeling her practically push in your pelvis. she leans down to kiss you again and you wrap your arms around her, tears threatening to spill as you feel her, all of your wife, inside you.

your mind is completely broken, shuri, shuri, shuri— she’d completely captivated you. her mouth working against yours along with the feel of her abdomen practically kissing your clit has you nearly thoughtless. she pulls away, watching you intently, “you said anything i want, right, sthandwa?” and you mumble not holding eye contact, had you said that? you literally can’t remember, her dick taking over all your senses.

shuri kisses your cheeks, “i want you all night, okay? can you hold out for me?” and you moan and nod, wanting to do nothing but please her. she whispers an ‘i love you,’ into your skin and leans away from you to pick up your legs and slowly pull out and push back in.

you moan aloud, grabbing the sheets once more and shuri coaxes you through as you toss your head back and flex your thighs against her, body convulsing as her thrusts get faster and harder, barely letting you adjust. you’re nearly completely screaming now, haven’t been fucked like this in so long. you didn’t care if you woke the entire nation, the love of your life was finally, finally, making love to you for the first time in nearly months.

your body catches up to you though, before you’re even ready to accept it. your pussy clenches around shuri, and you whine, “oh, my love, i’m cumming, i’m cumming, please shuri, make me cum, uhhhnnn—” and she’s encouraging you with those lovely lovely praises again, “go ahead, my love, that’s it, baby, cum for me, be my good girl and cum,”

it’s all you need. your pussy squeezes and you feel your thighs tremble as you let go entirely, clit pulsing and your pussy completely sucking shuri in, and you moan unabashedly, feeling your back arch. when it’s over and your body settles, you nearly double over, so breathless and twitching. shuri pulls out to kiss you and sooth over your legs, before you feel her moving you slightly. you mumble, still fucked out from your orgasm and she kisses against you, “on your stomach for me, my love, can you move?” and oh god, she wants to go again.

you twitch and huff, still feeling your pussy leaking but you had promised her, whatever she wanted. you moan out a small ‘yes,’ and lay on your stomach, poking your butt out like you knew she liked, your head laying on your soft shared pillows.

shuri kisses down your back, “thank you, my intombi elungile, you’re so good for me, yeah?” she says, rubbing your pussy with two fingers, moving your cum around and feeling your clit with her thumb, you jerk, moaning at the overstimulation, “shh, baby, i know. just relax, i’ll be inside you soon enough, let me feel you, love,” she saying it all sweet but you feel tears spike your eyes, she was so cruel to you, knowing your pussy was overstimulated.

shuri kisses your butt and keeps you open as she plays with your clit and you buck, “i’m cumming, shuri, shuri—!” and you’re on your forearms now, moaning and grabbing at pillows, when you feel it, your third orgasm for the night racking through your body, making you whine and pull away from her fingers but she holds you open, watching your pussy twitch and shake, encouraging you all the way. “good girl, thank you baby, let it all out,” and you moan on top of her words.

you huff, feeling her come behind you and grab your throat lightly and kissing your cheeks, whispering thank you’s. you whine against her once you feel her strap move towards your pussy again, and she sighs, “open up for me, my love. be my good girl, okay?” and you moan and nod, her praises in your ear are all you need to keep going.

and once more, shuri’s fucking into you again, her skin slapping against the softness of your backside, making you twitch and grip the sheets. holy fuck, she was pent up, you recognized, and you couldn’t help but let the tears you had been holding spill out, your pussy feeling spent and full. shuri didn’t let up though, even though she heard your wet gasps and saw your nearly bucking back, she whispers again, “it’s alright love, i know you can take it, let it out,”

your moans change in tone again and you can’t even fathom what orgasm you’re on now, but you feel it approaching— it’s a low buzzing in your veins that sparks your brain. your mouth is drooling and you’ve given up on speech entirely as she fucks into you, harder and harder and harder.

shuri knows you’re cumming, however— she’s known your body like the back of her hand for a while now so she does was she does best: talking you through it and helping you get there. she uses her left hand to rub you clit in small, soft circles to counteract the harshness of her thrusts and you squeal, dropping your upper body entirely on the bed and the new position gives shuri complete access to your g-spot, something you had had her touch but never this close.

you yell out, “oh, right there, shuri, please RIGHT there, don’t stop, don’t stop, i need it, hhaaaa shuri i’m cumming i’m cumming—!” and shuri nods along, whispering praises in your back and you cum again, your body letting out whole tremors as you shake, and you feel it, your pussy is squirting and you can’t do anything but moan aloud, the pressure on your clit making you nearly lose your voice and shuri pulls out once more, and your body falls against the sheets. shuri lays down too, catching her own breath, and you lay closer to her, sighing, still fucked out to really speak but shuri kisses you because she knows you need it.

you whimper against her mouth and she pulls away and asks, “one more for me, love?” and you sigh, and nod, “where do you want me?”

shuri puts you on top of her, sliding down her strap until your clit is kissing her abdomen again and she even moans, “you look so gorgeous, my love, intle ngokupheleleyo, can you move for me?” she whispers, holding one of your hands and kissing your knuckles. you nod, your thighs shaking as you life up and slowly drop down again, whimpering, your silk dress completely covered in your sweat and cum.

shuri sees your struggle and sits up in her forearms and takes you in hers, whispering, “i’ve got it love, can you hold on to me, sweet thing?” and you nod, dazed and wanting to listen, so you wrap your arms around her and she holds your back and she thrusts slightly, a softer pace unlike the last time. you moan softly and completely fall into her and she leans you both back, holding on to your butt as she thrusts upwards into you.

you sigh out and moan, more tears spilling and shuri uses one her hands to wipe them away, kissing praises into your skin, “that’s it, sthandwa, let it all out for me, love, i’ve got you,” you whine back nothing that makes actual sense and shuri laughs slightly, still fucking into you, squeezing your thighs and flexing hers and suddenly you hear it; her voice has changed and she’s gasping lowly against you—

she’s about to cum.

you moan aloud at the thought and bring your mouth to hers for a very wet kiss and when you pull away you whisper first, “are you about to cum for me, my love?” finally having gained some speech back and you see shuri gasp and toss her head back and nod, “yes, yes, i’m so close, my love, i feel it, ahhnnn—” and you nod and decide to copy her, encouraging her like she does you even though you can feel your mind fogging up again and your own orgasm approaching.

“shuri, cum with me, please baby, i want to feel it, please, please, please—!” you whimper and she nods, thrusting unevenly now, solely focused on her own pleasure and she lets out one more harsh thrust and a quick shout of a curse and moan of your name, and you feel it, she’s cumming, shuri’s cumming all for you, and the thought alone pushes you over as well, and you moan, twitching against the strap as you feel yourself squirt out more.

you’re huffing through your nose, trying to catch your breath and shuri is too, moaning lowly at the feel of her orgasm subsiding and you both fall back against each other, sighing.

shuri pulls out slowly, holding you up and praising you for being so good and you whine as you feel her dick leave you, your pussy pulsing around nothing once she’s gone.

she pulls your face towards hers and kisses you deeply, rubbing your dress against your back and you moan into her mouth and sigh, feeling your body calm down completely. shuri pulls away first, “do you need anything, usana?” and you shake your head wrapping your arms around her, “just stay right here please,” you whisper softly and she nods, holding your waist and you whisper back, “do you need anything?”

shuri laughs a bit, sighing, “just you, love.”

you two had cleaned up after a long needed rest, laying back down with bonnets and head wraps on and actual pajamas, cuddled up at nearly 1 am.

shuri was tracing some patterns in your warm skin as you hummed softly, your eyes heavy with sleep and she kisses your forehead, “go to sleep love, we have nothing to do tomorrow,” she whispers and you believe her. you blink slowly once you looked up at her, sighing, “i love you so much,” you mutter out, words slurred because of sleep, and shuri smiles brightly,

“i love you more than you’ll know,” and you believe her.

y’all., soft dom shuri is all i need in my life, get that toxic shit away from me that’s not my wife!!

anyways i hope you guys enjoyed and thank you again, @maybachinparis for the request this was so much fun!!

i’ll add the translations for this later lol, it’s nearly 1 am i got work tomorrow so let me take my ass to bed, I HOPE YOU ENJOYEDDD🤎🤎

makes sure to reblog and send requests!!

[bella-rose29]

Chapter 5 - The Coronation

Switching things up for this one and we're going from Zoya's perspective!

Warnings: mentions of past trauma (I think I've put this on every chapter now oh dear)

Word count: 2.3k

Series master list

Tag list: @kentucky-criedfricken, @polli05927, @kateswone, @historianthesecond, @ell0ra-br3kk3r

Zoya just wanted thirty free minutes to have a nice hot bath. She'd been running about like a headless chicken on fire since the king and queen had left for their honeymoon, having to run the country with Genya and David and make the decisions that Nikolai would normally make. She had no idea how he did it on his own, all day, every day.

She had wanted to kill someone within the first five minutes.

Genya had talked her out of it, saying it wouldn't look good if a Kerch merchant visiting Ravka on a diplomatic mission turned up dead in the Grand Palace, but he'd been so slimy and degrading towards Zoya and the rest of the Grisha she'd wanted to punch him in the face. Repeatedly.

Nikolai and Y/N had returned the day before yesterday, and tomorrow was her coronation, making her title as Queen of Ravka official. They seemed... better, with the two of them actually talking and not just exchanging brief sentences. That was good, both because they needed to look like the marriage was going smoothly and because Zoya was fed up of Nikolai looking like he was a kicked puppy. Unfortunately when Y/N wasn't looking at him, he now had the face of a lost puppy instead, which was somehow worse. She was under no illusions that he had actually confessed to his wife about what haunted him at night, but he must have said something to get her talking to him again. The pair of them were infuriating, but she wouldn't divulge the secrets of one to the other to get them properly together because it wasn't her place to share that information.

Zoya had been the one to comfort Y/N after the incident, and while she hadn't enjoyed staying up all night with the girl crying into her robe, she understood that a horrible thing had happened and she needed to be there for her.

She had also been the one helping Nikolai the past few months, going to sleep late after chaining him up and waking early to untie him, and rushing out in the middle of the night to detain the demon when it got free.

Zoya just didn't understand why Nikolai wouldn't tell his wife that he had a twisted form of the nichevo'ya inside him, because surely she would understand and want to help? Having trained next to Y/N for years, Zoya knew that the girl's heart was far too large for this world, and she always cared about others before herself (which Zoya had often berated her for), and it was one of the reasons she knew that Y/N would be a good Queen. She loved people, and would always do whatever she could to help them, so if only Nikolai could see that then maybe their whole issue could be resolved.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Genya slamming her office door open, piles upon piles of paper in hand, and by the frazzled look on the Tailor's face, Zoya knew she was in for a long conversation. Y/N followed behind, shooting an apologetic grimace towards Zoya before sitting in one of the chairs dotted around the room.

"I'm assuming this is about the coronation?" she asked, receiving confirmation immediately after. She sighed. This was definitely going to last until dinner. Resigning herself to her fate, Zoya got stuck in, finalising plans for tomorrow, and the three women spent the next few hours sorting everything out, from reviewing the seating plans to whether the flowers they had chosen were the right colour.

Everything had to be perfect.

This coronation was monumental, the first time Ravka would see a Grisha on the throne, and Zoya knew that getting this right would make everybody see that Grisha weren't a people to hunt into extinction, they were here to help Ravka. The discrimination that her people faced needed to stop, and Zoya had every faith that Y/N would be able to convince everyone of that. Yes, this coronation had to be perfect, to stop the whispers that all Grisha should be prosecuted, that they were evil, that they were enemies.

By the time the three of them were finished, it was dark outside, so they headed to the kitchens to find leftovers from the dinner that everybody else had eaten earlier. As they sat in front of the kitchen fire, Genya probing Y/N for details about the honeymoon, Zoya felt... happy. She had always seen Y/N as a sister, having had no siblings of her own, but before being assigned part of the Triumvirate, Zoya never would have willingly spent this much time with Genya. The Tailor had grown on her, and while in the beginning Zoya had felt herself superior to her fellow Triumvirate members, she now felt a sense of similarity between the three of them. Maybe less so with David, but certainly the women gathered in the kitchen knew what it was to be favoured by the Darkling, and they had all suffered through the war, so she felt happy knowing she had people who could relate to what she had been through.

When she went to chain Nikolai up that night, she was mostly quiet, basking in the happiness of her evening.

"What did you say to her? I noticed she's talking to you properly again," she asked.

"Not everything. I told her I couldn't do that, but we've come to an understanding. She's got her secrets too, so at the moment we're just trying to get comfortable enough around each other before we start sharing those parts of ourselves." She nodded, satisfied with that, then moved around the bed to chain his other wrist up.

"How did Tolya cope with the incident?"

"I think he was alright. I didn't hurt him, so I'm taking that as a win. It only happened the once as well."

"Did she find out?"

"No."

Zoya left it at that. Her frustration came back, and she had half a mind to yell at him for being so damn stubborn, but she really just wanted to go to sleep, especially since tomorrow would be draining.

Yelling would have to wait.

"Do you know anything? About what happened to her? She told me that... that she'd been left alone at night before, but that was it. I didn't want to pressure her, especially since I still haven't told her about the demon, but you two were close, right?"

His question startled her, and her hands paused on the chains. She hesitated, wondering how to phrase it.

"I do, but... Nikolai, it's not my place to say what happened. You're better off telling her why you left her by the lake, getting her to understand that you didn't do it deliberately. She was... she was really damaged by what happened, and I really think you just need to talk to her. She'll understand, I'm sure."

She departed not long after, leaving Nikolai to contemplate what she'd said before the sedative kicked in. Back in her own rooms, she slipped into dreamless sleep, thankful for the lack of nightmares for the night.

The next morning Zoya was up before the sun, heading over to the King's chambers to unlock said king (who luckily had stayed in bed all night), then immediately got thrown in to coronation work. Most of the decorations were already in place, and chairs were set up. All that was really left was getting Y/N dressed and getting everyone inside without anybody being killed.

She headed to Y/N's rooms, startled to find the girl already awake and struggling to put on her dress.

"Need some help?" Y/N turned around, pleading look on her face.

"Yes. Please. I know I should have had people in to help but it's still too weird for me, and this skirt is so heavy and the buttons won't go in an-"

"Take a breath! You'll destroy your voice before the ceremony if you carry on like that!"

Zoya helped her sort out her dress, then called for Genya to style her hair (if Zoya tried it would look like Y/N had been dragged through a bush backwards).

Before any of them knew it, Y/N had to leave to take her place outside the doors to the hall she had been married in, and Zoya and Genya went and sat in their front row seats. The air was filled with voices, the atmosphere buzzing. Nikolai was already stood up on the platform, off to the side. He looked nervous, although Zoya couldn't figure out why.

Her question was answered when the doors opened and the crowd hushed as Y/N stepped through, and instead of turning to look at her, Zoya kept her eyes on his face, which now had an expression of awe.

Ah.

She already knew that Y/N looked stunning today, having dressed her to perfection, but Nikolai hadn't seen her yet. Now that he had, it was obvious to Zoya that the man was hopeless, already falling in love with his wife. She highly doubted he knew it, given how oblivious he could be to his own feelings, and Y/N was too caught up in all the chaos that came with being introduced to court to have noticed it either. Genya hadn't managed to get much out of her last night, but something had happened on their honeymoon to get Y/N blushing the way she did. Zoya just hoped they wouldn't spend too long pining after each other, or she'd lock them in a cell together until they confessed.

All through the ceremony, Nikolai looked lovesick (which made Zoya feel regularly sick), never once taking his eyes off of his wife. She couldn't really blame him, since her Tidemaker blue dress in the style of a kefta (they had made a lot of clothes for Y/N in this colour, to the point that it looked like the sea was in her wardrobe when you opened the doors) made her look almost other-worldly, her hair done to resemble waves, small blue gems of all shades resting in the strands.

It was going well so far, no mishaps, no mistakes. But maybe she'd thought that too soon, as she heard whispers behind her coming from the row of Ravkan nobles.

"They shouldn't have put one of them on the throne. It's an insult to Ravka! They aren't people, not really, and you can't expect them to know anything about how to rule, it'll be useless!" A few snickers followed, and Zoya had to resist the urge to turn around and slap them, or sent them flying into the walls with a gust of air. She pictured it in her mind instead, hoping that would be enough to stop her.

When Y/N had said her vows, swearing to protect Ravka and her people for as long as she was Queen, the crown was placed on her head. She trembled a little under the weight of it, but kept her head held high as she stood, sceptre and orb held in each hand as she faced the crowd. When everybody stood and clapped, Zoya did so until her palms were read and her cheeks hurt from smiling.

Things will get better. They will.

She knew it would take a long time, but with a Grisha on the throne, one who had only ever helped the people of Ravka and hadn't sided with the Darkling in the war, things would get better.

When she walked into the room where Y/N was stood, waiting for the Triumvirate to turn up, she felt as though she was intruding on something. Nikolai was already there, gently removing the crown from Y/N's head, trying to avoid pulling on her hair. Zoya went to turn around, but too late, as Y/N had seen her over his shoulder and called out to her just as Nikolai pulled the crown free.

"Did I do okay? I felt like I was going to either throw up on someone or forget what I was meant to do!"

"You were perfect. And please tell me that you would have thrown up on your husband, because that would've made my day," she replied, laughing at Nikolai's offended expression.

"And risk Genya's wrath? No thank you! Although... maybe I could have gotten a little bit on his shoes," she fake-pondered the last part, tapping a finger against her chin in mock consideration, laughing at the horrified face Nikolai pulled.

"Not the shoes, please, anything but the shoes!"

All three of them laughed, just in time for Genya, David and the twins to turn up, questions evidently at the ready at the sight of the stoic General cracking up.

"Do we want to know?" That was Tamar, eyebrow raised. "Or are we going to get you ready for the tour?"

The tour. Nikolai had done a similar thing with Alina, travelling around Ravka as a show of strength, stopping in towns and villages to present the Sun Saint. They would be sending Nikolai on another one, this time with Y/N as a way of introducing Queen to country. Most preparations had been made, and they were leaving in two weeks' time, giving them time to recover from the travelling and chaos of the last month or so. There were still some things to sort out, one of which would be discussed when Y/N wasn't present. Zoya had been puzzling over the rooming arrangements, since they couldn't exactly endanger the Queen by letting her sleep in a bed with a demonic King when he hadn't even told her that was what he was. She also wasn't entirely sure they had actually slept in the same bed yet, and she didn't think Y/N would want that first experience to be accompanied by chains and the threat of being eaten alive.

When everybody headed off to bed Zoya was glad for the sleep, since she felt as though she'd done nothing but plan things the past few weeks.

Tomorrow would be better, she was sure of it. Tomorrow would be better.

Chapter 6

[fandomsofadistractedwriteblr]

Rangers Apprentice Fantasy Headcanons if John Flanagan Actually Committed to the Bit

Ranger's oakleaf pendants are enchanted by the commander to be a tiny beacon of warmth whenever an apprentice/mentor duo are nearby to each other, and this persists even after the apprenticeship ends. This makes the game of Gilan trying to sneak up on Halt way funnier because the pendant warming is a dead giveaway, and makes Halt giving up his oakleaf to go find Will a much bigger deal because now there's no way to tell if he's getting "warmer" to finding him. When Horace becomes known as the oakleaf knight, his shield is enchanted too because he's basically an honorary brother to will let's be real.

The rule of "The cloak isn't magic, training is everything, trust the cloak" still applies, because they're not perfectly illusory, but they do shift color and pattern throughout the year to match the changing seasons.

Where do the wargals go after Morgarath is killed??? Do they all just die spontaneously? Run off a cliff like lemmings?? Get mass executed by the araluens? No! They've got a tragic history of being semi-intelligent war-slaves. Let me see a few refugee ones make their way to Malcom's camp along with the rest of the "freaks" he takes in, and be given a home, and have Will reconcile his (very valid and traumatic) fears of dealing with them before with the fact that they had no control over the situation back then.

On that note just let Malcom be an honest to the gods sorcerer, he deserves it.

When they're chasing the Kalkara in book 1, they pass through this plain with singing flutes. What's the deal with that?? I think this is a religious practice for a god. We know the Skandians practice a polythestic religion but only get superficial information. I want to know more about the rest of the world and I want Details Please and Thank You. A singing shrine for local spirits is such a cool worldbuilding concept that is left totally unexplored.

The ranger horses can still be a special breed that Halt stole from the Arridi, but they're semi-intelligent mythical creatures in their own right with a history full of lore. Give them a better reason for their mannerisms beyond just "good training". Every once and a while Tug pulls out some whacky power and Will's like "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING THAT ONE." This is already canon.

It's been a while since I read books 5 and 6 where Alyss got kindapped that one time, but I vaguely remember there was this one hypnotizing jewel. She takes that idea and brings it back to the diplomats to research, refine, reproduce, and use. They start wearing them as necklaces to subconsciously influence the people they're talking to to agree with them on diplomatic missions. Lady Pauline strikes me as the type of person to not shy away from a little harmless mind control. After all she married Halt "forging a king's seal is totally ok" O'Carrick so the moral compass is. A bit wobbly.

Jenny's cooking position is also a secret potioneering apprenticeship and she send Gilan off with tons of healing potions because she worries about him coming home safe. After hearing about what happens to Will in Skandia, and what happens to Halt in Halt's Peril, she makes it her life's mission to develop antidotes to warmweed and other addictive/poisonous substances so that no one has to suffer those withdrawl effects and symptoms again.

Morgarath had a fancy enchanted necromancer sword that he used in the battle, and when Horace uses the double knife defense to block and kill him, the power translates to those two daggers. He doesn't use them ever, but carries them with him in case he's ever really. REALLY. desperate and also because he doesn't trust anyone else to keep them. Eventually, he gives one to Evelyn/Cassandra so she can keep herself safe in case of emergency and then they have cute evil matching couple knives <3

[marvelstars]

Leia Organa & Darth Vader

I have always thought there´s so much potential there honestly.

Just looking at the few scenes of them together in a New Hope, the first thing Leia said to Vader was "Lord Vader only you would be so bold" or "Tarkin´s loyal dog Vader" while Vader was like "This isn´t one of your mercy missions Princess" and the way he says "You are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor" is full of emotion, he´s pissed she´s part of the rebel alliance but he isn´t treating her as an enemy yet, to his enemies he´s extremely cold, only says the bare minimum of words and doesn´t hold back when fighting them, with Leia he´s acting as if she´s someone he knew and feels dissapointed they joined the alliance.

It´s obvious they have seen each other before, most probably on the Senate, for Leia Vader´s isn´t that "mysterious right hand of the Emperor whose presence means death" he´s someone she can be sassy or insult to his face without inmediate consequences given her diplomatic inmunity. In fact I think the reason Alderaan´s destruction took her competely by surprise was because she didn´t expect the Empire to actually declare her and her world as enemies of the state, because that didn´t happen in her previous missons.

Now contrast this with Vader and Leia on Empire Strikes Back and they are definitely enemies and no, they are no talking about it any longer. Leia doesn´t have to say anything, she hates Vader with a passion and Vader doesn´t try to justify himself to her about Alderaan because while he was agaisn´t the order of destroying it(In fact Tarkin made the decision on his own, without consulting anyone) despite the fact Vader hated the whole idea of the Death Star, he still didn´t stop the destruction of the planet and Leia is now part of a guerrilla group looking to end the Empire, they don´t have anything to talk about anymore but curiously, she was the only one left alone on cloud city.

But once Leia learns from Luke they are twins and Vader is their father, after the shock left her, she says "Somehow I have always know" wow, why isn´t disney doing anything with this?, Leia has all the right to be furious at Vader for not noticing she was his daughter but Vader at this point had decades mourning Padme and their kid, who he thought was going to be a girl, Padme was buried with her baby bump, by doing this, Yoda, Obi-Wan and Bail effectively made Vader believe he killed his wife and his baby, I know they did this to hide them from the Emperor but Vader would see it in a different way, I don´t think Anakin thinks he ever abandoned his kids, given the chance, dark side or not, jedi or not, Anakin valued family over both Jedi and Sith, he gave up the darkside and his literal kingdom to protect them, he would have never abandoned his kids if he knew they were alive.

I think this is also the reason why Vader insisted on calling Leia "Princess" "Alderaan´s Princess" even after Alderaan´s destruction, this is his way of putting distance between them, "She´s Organa´s daughter" no matter what similarities he saw between her and Padme or between her and himself, he can´t allow himself the delusion of his daughter possibly being alive, it hurts too much more than his other hurts, what if it´s just his own mind playing tricks to him? but if this is true, this would mean people used Padme´s funeral to make him believe his child was dead and that his Master lied to him about Padme´s death and he probably can´t deal with that emotionally without going completely insane, he only manages to do that with Luke once after two decades of distance.

Going back to Leia, once she learned about Vader and her blood links, she can´t deal with that either, she manages to deny it and go on with her life but unlike Vader and Luke, she never got closure about any of this, she never got the oportunity to at least scream at him all her hurts like she did in legends, this is why on this instance I prefer Lengeds, Anakin´s Force Ghost went to Leia to ask her forgiveness for fear of her falling to the darkside and didn´t leave until she screamed at him to leave her alone and never come back, as strange as that may sound, that moment allowed legends Leia start to heal and let go of her hate without justifiying her father, she even learned about his childhood on Tatooine.

The mere fact he appeared for her, to tell her he was worried for her, wanted her to be happy let go of her hate, even if he was never forgiven, meant he recognized her as his daughter and that his loving Luke didn´t mean he loved her any less or that he would have not die for her like he did for Luke.

But in the current canon, their relationship stayed completely buried/ignored like an open wound until she was forced to deal with that because the Senate found out about it and because her Son fell to the darkside and still she didn´t manage to make anything about it, except trust what Luke said to her about him because that can help her deal with her lose of her own Son and imo it´s completely OOC for Force Ghost Anakin to stay out of one of his kids life if it would help her confront him at least once, I honestly don´t see how they justify it because it doesn´t make sense. Anakin Skywalker isn´t one to stay out of his loved ones life if he can do something to help them, this is one of the reasons why the current canon about them is so dissapointing to me, but well there´s still fanfic. :) I just have too many feelings about them.

[rose-sophia-isabella-rogers]

A Friendship That Caught Fire: Chapter III - Crashing the 'Party'

Chapter Summary: You set off for the diplomatic mission but there's no word from you for weeks. They start to believe you're dead. Is it really how your story ends?

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Ivan/Fedyor Kaminsky

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Zoya Nazyalensky, David Kostyk, Alina Starkov, Ivan, Fedyor Kaminsky, Genya Safin

Word Count: 2579

A/N: Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089533286/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089533221/

'It's been weeks, General. She's not coming back.'

'It's not the first time everyone believes she's dead. She will come back. Eventually.'

'There was no way she could have survived this.'

'She has.'

'Sir… The King wants to pay respect to his fallen soldiers. For that we have to say goodbyes to our fallen as well.'

'… I understand. Make arrangements.'

Grisha in Kirigan's chambers bowed and left. He's left alone with his thoughts. He still couldn't believe it was happening.

First had come the news from you that you and your party had reached Ketterdam and had started making things right. Not long after another message from you had come. This time informing them that everything had been settled and you had started to prepare for the journey back.

And then nothing. No news. No sing of you nor your party. Worry had entered everyone's hearts and minds.

Kirigan himself had departed to find you. He hadn't. Once he had reached Ketterdam he had found out that you had left. No one had seen you since. Two days after arriving in the city Zoya had entered Kirigan's room, pale. She had heard rumours.

Apparently there had been an attack committed by Fjerdans. Everyone had been talking about it because all Fjerdans had burnt. Yes. Burnt. It had been certain that the fire had been caused by an Inferni with a massive power. They all had known it had had to be you.

The rumours, however, had been saying one more thing. No one had survived. They had believed the Inferni had seen no chance for winning and had decided to take everyone with them instead of being captured.

Kirigan hadn't believed that. He still didn't. He had been waiting for your arrival after his return to the Little Palace. He knew you had survived. But it had been weeks. And still no sign off you or anyone that had been with you. So, it was decided it's time to give everyone a symbolic funeral.

Kirigan loathed the idea. You were alive. You were alive and you were going to enter his chambers any moment now, with a charming grin, a teasing glint in your eyes and a ruffled appearance. You were going to ask: 'Did you miss me?' and he would answer that he did.

Any moment now.

…

…

3

…

2

…

1

…

…

…

Please, come back. Come back, [Y/N]. Come back to me… my little flame…

*

The royal chapel was full. Both otkazat'sya and Grisha were present to pay their respects to the diplomatic party. Even the royal family were in attendance, sitting right at the front. On the other side, also at the front, was sitting Kirigan. He's face was impassive, no emotions visible on it.

If he were to look around, he would see grieving Grisha. Geyna had an arm around Alina, comforting her. The Tailor was your dear friend. The closest one after Kirigan. She held crying Alina, trying to be strong even though she wanted to break herself. She wanted to believe you'd come back like you always do. But it was hard after so many weeks without any news.

Alina was really hit by it. You hadn't been close, but you had always been kind and ready to help her or give her advice. Or just listen. She couldn't believe that the woman who had burnt the Fjerdan's castle to the ground (or at least the interior of it) was really gone.

Fedyor and Ivan were sitting not far from General. Their faces were impassive, but one could see sadness on them. They also wanted to believe you were alive. But deep down they knew it's not possible. So, they mourned you in silence.

Zoya was sitting a few rows behind General. She wasn't sad. She was furious. Sure, she had been jealous of your relationship with Kirigan. But while you two had often fight and bicker, you also had had each other's back. Zoya was already plotting revenge for your death.

A row behind Genya and Alina was sitting David. He was crying. Somehow, you had always found time to visit him and talk to him. You had been his dear friend. He had gone with Kirigan to find you, hoping to locate you thanks to your bracelet. After they had heard rumours, they had gone to the place the ambush had happened. Suddenly, David had felt it. They all had rushed there, excited. But they had found ashes and broken pieces of the bracelet, black from fire and smoke. That had convinced them to stop searching and return. David knew he was going to miss you till the end of his days.

The Apparat was leading the ceremony. The 'funeral'. Your friends were barely paying attention. But when he rose his hands, they bowed their heads with others. They owed you and others to at least pay you their respects.

Suddenly, the door banged open. The people closest to it gasped. Kirigan's mouth twitched upward. He didn't have to turn to see who had entered. His heart sped up, relieved.

Your friends, however, did turn around and were shocked. Because it was you and your party that had entered. You all were a complete mess. Clothes torn and burnt. Hair dishevelled. Dirty all over. Bloodied in a few places. But alive.

Slowly and carefully, you walked through the chapel, ignoring astonished looks. You took your usual place at Kirigan's side. You bowed your head and folded your hands in front of you.

'Who died?' you whispered.

'You,' Kirigan murmured, trying very hard not to smile in amusement.

'Oh. This is what, third time I've crushed my own funeral?' you asked, apparently not at all bothered everyone had believed you to be dead.

'Fifth,' Kirigan corrected you. You gave him a surprised (but also a bit amused) look.

'Really?' you asked. 'That many?'

It was really hard not to chuckle. But Kirigan managed it anyway.

'You knew very well it's your own funeral,' he murmured. 'You just love to crash them.'

'No, I just knew it's some very important ceremony and it would be very rude of me to miss it,' you denied. Kirigan finally looked at you. There was amusement in his eyes. You grinned at him. He frowned.

'What's in your hair?' he asked, more intrigued than scared. You winced.

'Trust me, you don't want to know,' you answered and looked at the Apparat, who was standing still, probably for the first time in his life not knowing what to do now. Kirigan cleared his throat.

'Let's thank together for the safe return of our soldiers!' the Apparat finally said and started a proper prayer. You and Kirigan looked at each other. Both of you were holding back your laugh.

*

You entered your chambers, dreaming of a warm bath and your soft bed. You could almost feel it. But everything had to wait for a bit longer, because Kirigan entered behind you.

'What happened?' he demanded. You groaned.

'Kirigan, I'm exhausted,' you said. 'Can your questions wait until I take a bath and sleep in my comfortable… soft… so soft… bed?'

'No,' Kirigan answered at once. You sent him a glare. He was unaffected. You scoffed.

'I'm sure you know by now that Fjerdans attacked us,' you said. 'It was an ambush. My guess is they were really responsible for that misunderstanding, knowing very well important people from Ravka were going to be sent to smooth things over. They waited for us and attacked.'

'How did you survive?' Kirigan asked. You shrugged.

'I started a big fire,' you answered. Kirigan smiled slightly in amusement. But he became serious once again. He slowly walked closer to you.

'Then enlighten me, why it took you so long to come back?' he asked, his voice low. You avoided looking at him.

'You're going to be angry with me,' you said, your cheeks flushed a little. Kirigan rose his eyebrows.

'What happened?' he asked. You cleared your throat.

'We got lost,' you answered, embarrassed. Kirigan stared at you blankly for a long moment. Finally, he sighed.

'Your sense of direction is awful,' he said, pinching his nose.

'I know,' you murmured. Kirigan took another step toward you.

'However, it still took you terribly long to come back,' he said. 'Something else happened, didn't it?'

You looked away, nervous. Kirigan's look hardened. He narrowed his eyes at you.

'[Y/N]…' he said, his voice dangerously low. 'What. Happened?'

His eyes demanded an answer from you. You could feel he was seething. But you were quiet.

'[Y/N],' he practically barked. You sighed, defeated. Instead of answering, you unbuttoned your kefta. You turned around and lifted your shirt. Kirigan took in a sharp breath, seeing awful scars on your back.

'I didn't take a Healer with me,' you said quietly. 'I hoped I wouldn't need one on a diplomatic mission. Foolish of me, I know. The fire I created… I didn't mean for it to be this big. But a Fjerdan got the better on me and slashed my back a few times. I lashed out in pain. I burnt them and passed out. Others didn't know whether there are more of them nor if they had spies in Ketterdam. We hid in a forest. After I woke up, I wanted to move on. But my wounds got infected. Others didn't agree I should travel in such state.'

'Very smart of them,' Kirigan said, gently caressing your scars.

'Yeah, but I assure you, soldiers from the First Army weren't happy with it,' you said, smirking. 'And since we didn't know if there aren't any more of them, we agreed no one should travel alone, even to look for help or send the news to you. It took me a long time to recover. When we set off… I got us lost.'

You smiled sheepishly. You shivered at the feeling of Kirigan's fingers on your skin.

'You got me worried, little flame,' he said quietly. You rolled your eyes.

'Please,' you scoffed. 'I know damn well you didn't believe I'm dead. You didn't even turn when I walked into the chapel. And I saw you were suppressing a smile. You expected me to crash my own funeral once again.'

'Nevertheless, there was still a voice in my head telling me this time you wouldn't return,' Kirigan said. You tensed hearing the seriousness in his voice. But you quickly brushed it off.

'Nyah, if I am to die one day, it will be far more dramatic,' you said, turning around. You lowered your shirt back. Kirigan rose his eyebrows.

'Going down with flames isn't dramatic enough for you?' he asked.

'Nope,' you answered. Kirigan sighed, praying for patience for you.

'What would be, then?' he asked.

'What, do you think I'm planning my own death?' you asked. 'Trust me, you will know if it happens. And if not, I'll try a way to find a way to come back to haunt you as a ghost and say: "Hey, listen, this time I'm really dead. Feel free to give me a funeral, I'm not going to crash it this time.".'

Suddenly, Kirigan gripped your arms tightly and pulled you to himself. You looked at him, surprised.

'Don't joke about such things,' he hissed. You were stunned. It was rare to see him that angry.

'Okay, I won't,' you promised quietly. Kirigan nodded and let you go. Just then the door opened. Genya, David, Zoya, Fedyor, Ivan and Alina walked in.

'You have to stop scaring us like that,' Fedyor said, walking to you with opened arms. You smiled and let him hug you.

'You guys should know I love crashing my funerals,' you said. You got hit on the back of the head from Zoya for it. One by one all your friends hugged you.

'We do, but Alina didn't,' Zoya said. 'You scared poor thing to death.'

'I can see that,' you said, tapping Alina on the head. She was refusing to let you go.

'So, what happened?' David asked. Starkov let go of you, wanting to hear it as well.

'Funny you ask, David, because I actually need Genya's help,' you said.

'How's that relevant?' Ivan asked.

'We were long for so long because I was injured and I had no Healer with me,' you explained and looked away. 'Also because of my terrible sense of direction.'

'Where?' was all that Genya asked.

'My back,' you said and gave your friends a look. 'So, if you could…'

'But you're going to tell us more about it later,' Alina said, hugging you once more.

'Tomorrow,' you promised. 'My bed keeps calling my name. "[Y/N]… [Y/N]… come to me…" I think it has attachments issues.'

Your friends laughed. Even Kirigan cracked a smile.

'Alright, rest,' Fedyor said, hugging you again.

'And don't do more stupid things,' Zoya said, also hugging you again.

'I won't,' you promised, nodding. 'Until tomorrow.'

Zoya rolled her eyes. Apparently, everyone wanted to hug you again, because David also came for it.

'I'm going to fix your bracelet,' he said. 'Just please don't lose it again.'

'Oh, you found it?' you asked, smiling. 'Thanks.'

David smiled and stepped back. Ivan walked to you. You stared at each other for a moment, until suddenly he pulled you in for a crashing hug.

'Ugh! Ivan! It hurts!' you choked out, your eyes wide.

'Good,' Ivan said. 'Maybe you will think of it next time you decide to make everyone believe you're dead.'

'Aw, you do care about me!' you said, grinning. Ivan pulled away and glared at you. But you saw softness in his eyes. He turned and with your friends (except for Genya) headed for the door.

'Not so fast!' you said, pointing your finger at them. They turned around, puzzled. You put your hands on your hips.

'I didn't receive one certain hug,' you said, raising your eyebrows. Kirigan sighed and walked to you.

'And you say your bed has attachments issues,' he said but still hugged you.

'I'm not saying I don't,' you said, happily hugging him back. Finally, after weeks of running and hiding, you felt safe. His grip tightened on you, trying to convey how much relieved he is. You tightened your grip as well, telling him with it that you know and that you felt the same.

'I expect a full report tomorrow evening,' Kirigan said, finally pulling away. 'Don't be late.'

'Wouldn't dream of it, General,' you said. Kirigan nodded and left. Others left after him. Alina was the only one to linger for a moment longer, looking at you with furrowed eyebrows. But in the end, it was just you and Genya.

'Bath first?' your friend asked.

'Yes, please,' you groaned. Genya chuckled and made preparations.

'I think Alina is falling for our General,' you said casually.

'She has no idea what she's getting into,' Genya said, also casually.

'No,' you said quietly. 'She doesn't.'

Genya looked at you. She hesitated for a moment.

'Maybe you should-' she started carefully.

'No,' you interrupted her. 'It's not worth it. I'm just an Inferni. I will never be his equal. He's the Shadow Summoner and she's the Sun Summoner. It's perfect. Light to his darkness. And better this way.'

You turned around, not wanting Genya to see your face. But she still looked at you with compassion, knowing that there's sadness and pain in your eyes.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could.

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46317019/chapters/116735464

[wackyart]

Some DND prompts for you

(Because I'm an idiot with too many ideas and cannot complete them all so there you go friend :D )

The players are hired by a wealthy noble to investigate strange occurrences happening in their family's ancestral home. The noble suspects that something sinister may be lurking within the walls of the old mansion. And as they walk around the property, they find a stone memorial, with a statue of a young woman, not over 20 years old, with a black fresh rose in her hand, as if someone had just put it there. You read the small poem and realize this is the daughter of the family, thinking she might be the ghost haunting the mansion. But why would this young lady haunt her family, leaving deep scratches on the wallpaper, screaming in the dead of the night, letting lanterns explode in their faces, and even let a small bell ring constantly, in a rhythm that makes your head hurt...

The players are tasked with retrieving 5 powerful magical artifacts from a dangerous dungeon, but they soon realize that they're not the only ones after it. A rival adventuring party is also on the hunt, and the players must race to get the artifact first. And in this rival party, all of your players realize the people composing this party are none other that people from their past. Ex partners, ancient best friends, and even a brother/sister who has been missing for years... And as the moonlight shine upon them, in the darkest part of the cave, you see their real appearances. Corpses, zombies, and dead eyes staring right back at you. They explain to you that they need all of the 5 artifacts to complete a spell, spell that coud bring them back from the land of the dead. Is your party helping them, letting feelings rise back to the surface, or is your party even more determined to get their artifacts first, thinking that what is dead should stay dead.

The players are sent on a diplomatic mission to negotiate a treaty between two warring factions. However, tensions are high and the negotiations quickly become complicated as the players uncover secrets and hidden agendas on both sides. They realize a third party is staying neutral during this battle and as they come to try to ask them for help, they realize that the third party is actually far away to the point where they have to travel via a portal. And as soon as they step out of the portal, they realize that they went back in time, and that there's a crack in the timeline. Two cities are exactly the same, one is just stuck in the past, on repeat and her existence is the thing that caused the conflict. They have to eliminate one of the two towns, but this stuck city is actually peaceful and the people are living as amazingly as possible. The other being the one constantly looking for a fight. Will they chose to save the stuck peaceful one, and by choice looking for a solution to "unstuck" it, or will they save the one looking for constant conflict but in agreement with the timeline ?

The players are approached by a mysterious stranger who offers them a large sum of gold to retrieve a powerful cursed item from a dangerous location. However, as they journey deeper into the forest, they begin to question the stranger's true motives... Because the person holding said cursed item, tells you that the person you've mentioned actually died 20 years ago, during a necromancy spell who backfired.

The players are hired by a small village to investigate a series of disappearances that have been happening in the area. As they uncover clues, they discover that a group of goblins have been kidnapping the villagers and taking them to a hidden cave system. The cave can be found deep into a dark forest but once the players arrive, after all the incidents along the way, they come to face a bloodshed. The Goblins are all on the ground, bloody and battered and none of them are alive. Your players must pick up the pieces and clues to find who did this, and most importantly, who kidnap the Goblin's prisoners.

The players are shipwrecked on a deserted island and must find a way to survive until they can be rescued by the person that sent them there to retrieve a chest full of gold and treasures. However, they soon discover that the island is not as deserted as they first thought, and they must fight for survival against dangerous creatures and other castaways, only to find out that the other castaways were part of a previous party, sent exactly for the same reason as you and by the same buyer. They explain to you they have been looking and searching for weeks and that no one ever came for them. They also tell you that a roaring creature roams around the land on every full blood moon, always hunting and and eating one person from the party each and every time.

The players are called upon by a powerful mage to enter an alternate dimension and retrieve a powerful armor. However, the alternate dimension is full of dangers and strange creatures, and the players must navigate its bizarre landscape to find the artifact, facing someone they thought they had killed some time ago. They also realize that this magical land has the power to bring back recently deceased person and your party sees one of their friends, the shop keeper, they couldn't contact just a few days ago, that promised they had something that might help them in this quest. But there is a problem: Once brought to this land, all the memories are erased and your friend has no memory of you and the magical knowledge they had. You have to travel through the land to bring them their memories first in order to have them help you get the armor.

The players are hired by a group of merchants to protect their caravans as it travels across a dangerous wilderness. However, they soon discover that the merchants are not as innocent as they seem, and they must decide whether to continue to protect them or turn against them once they discover they have Drow elven children hidden in the floorboards of said caravans. They seem to be unconscious or sleeping, and you have to react. Either you say nothing and let them here, waiting to see where the caravans are headed, or you interrupt the travel right here and there to save them, and by so, negociating or killing the "merchants".

The players are recruited by a powerful dragon to retrieve a powerful magical item from a group of treasure hunters. However, as they delve deeper into the treasure hunters' lair, they realize that they may have bitten off more than they can chew as they see rests of a previous party, bones displayed in various symbols and dried black blood forming runes one member of your party knows all too well....

The players are hired by a veteran of the Royal Guard. The man has been expelled, thrown into a cell, the villageers claiming he killed the entire army of guards, by himself, in just a few weeks. His weapon matches with the wounds, his footprints have been found and they even saw him at night, killing the last one. The guard offer you a bounty of 50 000 gold to save his head and prove his innocence, in just a month, right before his execution by hanging. Will your party help the man or the villageers ? You have to chose between washing his name and the guilt associated to it or prove even more that he is the culprit of such horrible crimes, and then condemn him to hanging.

[annachum]

A drawing I did of Sansa Stark when she visits Margarey, Loras, Olenna and Renly's Graves in Highgarden, sometime after Sansa becomes Queen of the North.

Scenario :

It was a few months after Sansa became Queen that winter, and spring was in bloom across the Seven Kingdoms.

It just so happens that Sansa has a diplomatic mission in Highgarden, capital of the Reach. Repairs and rebuilding are made all over Westeros since the bloodshed Daenerys have spilt. All the Westerosi kingdoms sought great efforts to accommodate those hundreds of refugees who fled from Kings Landing.

And it also happens that The Reach is known for its beautiful springs. So Sansa may as well see the beauty of Spring at Highgarden herself.

' You should come to Highgarden - you'll love it there. '

The words of Margaery Tyrell rang through Sansa's ears as she and her Northern entourage stepped through Highgarden. A tear is tempted to slip from a deep blue eyes of hers as she remembers an old friend, a true friend when she was going through tough times at the Red Keep. In a way, Sansa is glad that the Red Keep is destroyed and the House Lannister has fallen - she no longer wants anything to do with the Red Keep or the House Lannister ever again.

The mission went on smoothly, with Sansa being received a warm welcome by dignitaries at Highgarden, having a brunch with some diplomats in tow over repairs of trade ties between The Reach and the North that Cersei ( Sansa shuddered even at the memory of the mad Lannister Queen ) tried to break, and Sansa also takes time to admire the blossoming florals of Highgarden.

Things have changed a lot since Sansa became Queen of the North. No wars have happened between the 7 Kingdoms yet ( much to Sansa's relief ), Arya off to a new adventure somewhere in Essos ( Sansa has been receiving some very welcoming souvenirs from her sister in her sister's travels ), Bran juggling to rule over the South while several households have been wanting to recommend potential brides to him. There have been rumors going on that Bran may want to marry a Tyrell, or a Martell. Sansa smiles in amusement at such rumors, for she would like to see where this goes, albeit being a counsel to Bran about such things. She seriously didn't want Bran to make similar mistakes in romancing and matchmaking as she did again.

After that brunch, as per her request, Sansa and some of her handmaidens in tow visited the Highgarden Graves near the Highgarden castle. Smoothing over her black and gold dress that day, coupled with black boots and gloves made from the north, with her veiled headdress that complimented her lovely braided bun beneath it, she took a deep breath, clutched her forget me nots in her basket, and went into the grave.

Amongst the Graves included the gravestones of Olenna Redwyne, Margaery and Loras, and also Renly. Sansa smiled to herself at her old school girl crush on Loras, only for Loras to have an affair with Renly Baratheon until Renly died. She may have forgiven them about it, but she hasn't forgotten.

Still, Sansa is eternally grateful for Olenna and Margaery's kindness towards her, how Olenna also gave Sansa a handful of tips on queenship.

With a wistful smile and a tear in her eye, she placed a forget me not at their Graves.

' Hello, Olenna, ' Sansa breathed, as she curtsied at that grave, ' Hello, Margaery, Hello Loras, Hello Renly, ' she continued, and Curtsied to each one of them.

' A lot has changed since you all have been gone, ' Sansa smiled. ' I am no longer a ' little bird ' as the wretched Cersei once called me. I have become Queen of the North. '

She paused to try not to shed a tear, and then continued. ' And yes, the House Lannister has fallen. So much has happened since Kings Landing....'

Sansa paused to catch her breath. She still remembers the horror she felt when she heard from a messenger of the thousands of civilians dead or injured when Daenerys Targaryen burned down Kings Landing...

Gathering herself up, Sansa continued, ' Arya is currently on a new trip to somewhere in Essos, probably going to Bravoosi. Jon Snow is now a Night Watch. Tyrion is now a hand to Bran - its alright, he has proven his loyalty to the House Stark several times before. Even he becomes sick of House Lannister. ' she chuckled. And continued. ' Bran is doing fine, so far. He also got several potential brides recommended to him. I do hope he chooses wisely at these matters. '

Looking down at their Graves, Sansa also whispered. ' Thank you, ' Pause. Continue. ' For showing me decency during the Red Keep. I'm not even sure how I would survive if it wasn't for these acts of kindness. '

And with one final, deep curtsy, she gathered herself up, dabbing a few tears, and moved on with her ladies in waiting.

And as Sansa leaves, she somehow felt as if Olenna and Margarey smiling at her with pride and respect from the afterlifes. And at that, Sansa's heart is more at peace with content.

It took some time, but she has no resentment over Loras and Renly in their affair. She sincerely hopes that they, and Margarey and Olenna, can have peace in afterlifes, especially after all they been through.

' Your Majesty, ' a lady in waiting of hers spoke up, ' I just got word from Jon Snow. He says he would like to have dinner with you. Something about the border guard matters, I think. '

A faint blush crept on Sansa's cheeks. She liked Jon Snow. He has become a good friend and ally of the Starks since a few years back. But as this spring approached, Sansa felt there may be something more between her and Jon Snow.

Sansa herself isn't sure if she is ready for romance again after all she been through, between abuse from Joffrey, and the humiliation from Ramsey. For now, she is contented with being single. Another marriage can wait. With Jon Snow.....she will take her time and see where it goes.

' Tell Jon that I will meet him at night fall once I return to the North. ' Sansa spoke to the handmaid kindly

The handmaid bowed and nodded. And, with a knowing smile as she looked away from the Queen of North, the handmaid written a note of that and attached it to a raven to send to Jon Snow

Things sure changed a lot since Sansa became Queen of the North.

And as Sansa later on boarded on the carriage back to Winterfell, Sansa has a hope, as she gazed out of her carriage to the red roses of Highgarden, that things CAN get hopeful even after all that happened.

And from what happened in Westeros so far, it seems to be so.

[ben-the-hyena]

Idea for the Natives AU : as said, previously, Skeksis speak Skeksish in-universe, and almost all Skeksis and UrRu speak UrSkeksish with each other which is like Italians and Spanish speaking a language in the middle of it that is like Latin but not dead, but the ones we know happen to be perfectly fluent in Gelfling, the standard/main/universal language of Thra like English is to Earth

In the AU obviously it's nor spoken by everyone, only politicians, diplomats, scholars, royals, merchants, traders, army translators, religious and officials in general have to know it. All the canon Skeksis are nobles in the AU minus SkekTek (who is fluent in it for usefulness when studying foreign sciences), SkekSil (who figured it is best to know it to manipulate more people and integrate the court even more) and SkekHak (the Merchant so he had to sell his products to most people possible) who entered the court (in SkekHak's case his own, SkekYi and he living in another town) by themselves

So by this logic so must their descendance. Most do in fact. But some have more difficulties than others, or don't see it as useful. None of SkekTek's kids or grandkids speak it since they barely count as courtiers anyway. SkekSa's adopted kids on the contrary only speak Gelfling since she raised them the Sifan way and doesn't see herself as a Skeksis by the end of her life. SkekVou (SkekZok and SkekVar's middle son) is a bit too dumb so couldn't even get the pronouns and articles thing (SkekSish doesn't seem to have any) and so gave up, and his own child only knows school bases since he doesn't see why they should know it since he is doing well without it. SkekEi (SkekNa's adoptive daughter) had to learn it from the moment she was adopted which was when she was a preteen instead of it being taught from a young age so even if fortunately for her she had facilities and learned it quickly she still has an accent the canon Skeksis don't have. Twins SkekNetk and SkekSsaz (SkekSil and SkekUng's sons) do speak it but badly, usually being mischievous and uninterested in class, resulting in them knowing how to understand it and read it but when they speak it they sound like SkekSil but NOT playing dumb but genuinely because they too have a hard time with the grammar differences and essentially literally translate what they think (a little nod to how it used to be what they wanted to imply for SkekSil in the test audience dub lol) and the fact that not only they butcher that is so simple to him but also sound even more like their mother has SkekUng cringe and enrage when he is with them on a mission that requires speaking to Gelfling. SkekSsaz' eldest daughter, SkekMet, has severe dyslexia so she can barely read her own language let alone another so out of frustration got disgusted from learning Gelfling through books and completely gave up too not even bothering remembering the few she knew finding it useless anyway. SkekFih, mate of SkekLong (SkekVar and SkekLong's eldest son) being just a guard didn't have to but perfected basic sentences for his stay in Ha'rar and learned more there giving him a level like the twins' after 6 unum there with an extra accent. SkekSosh (SkekLach and SkekLi's eldest biological son) doesn't speak it because he never wanted to bother lowering himself to slave language, and with a father as irresponsible as SkekLi who never took care of him and SkekLach who whines about anything bothering her therefore having taught her son to feel the same being the one to raise him, none of them opposed or cared to

[iwant-fuitgummi]

Kaeya Headcanons!!!!!!!!!! (FF = Found Family)

Kaeya Alberich-Ragnvindr

he/they/she

23

Genderflux, Demisexual, Demiromantic, Bi

In an unlabeled relationship with Huffman Schmidt

Family: Crepus Ragnvindr (Dad), Diluc Ragnvindr (Brother), Jean (FF Sister), Eula (FF Sister), Bennett (FF Brother), Klee (FF Sister), Collei (FF Sister)

Best Friend: Rosaria Nacht

Kaeya is genderflux. This basically means that they're genderfluid with fluctuating intensities. They feel masculine most of the time, but often feel like a girl, too. They paint their nails different colors to let people know what pronouns to use. Is this me projecting onto Kaeya? Maybe.

Kaeya loves wearing dresses. They make him feel beautiful. However, he also loves suits. It's always a challenge to pick out an outfit for special occasions. One constant in his outfits is the fluffy scarf.

Kaeya's right eye is partially blind. It has a burn scar over it from his fight with Diluc. He uses his eyepatch and his hair to cover it.

She has nerve damage in both of her hands and her left shoulder from severe burns.

Her left leg is a prosthetic, which she often switches out for a peg leg to play pirate with the kids of Mondstadt. It was amputated when Crepus first adopted her, as it was severely damaged.

Despite what most people believe, Kaeya is actually incredibly shy. Although he is beloved by many people in Mondstadt, he is very selective about the people he gets close to. This is due in part to his paranoia. There are few people who’ve given him any reason to trust him in the past, why should he start now? One of the few people he opened his heart to ended up dead, and the other almost killed him. 

Kaeya and Eula bond over their family issues. Kaeya sees her as a sister. They’re both considered untrustworthy by people in Mondstadt, so they support each other as much as they can.

Kaeya taught Bennett how to use his sword. They still meet up to spar sometimes, and Kaeya’s constantly giving him tips. It reminds Kaeya of sparring with Diluc when they were kids.

After Collei left Mondstadt, Kaeya felt incredibly guilty about the way they went about their investigation. They went to Sumeru with the traveler and apologized to her, explaining what happened. After a while, they became best friends and now see each other as siblings.

Kaeya has 3 big dogs: an Icelandic sheepdog named Sigrid, an Australian shepherd named Eira, and an Irish setter named Annika. He also has a cat, a Scottish fold named Fiske. The three dogs are girls, but Fiske is a boy. All of his pets live inside his house and, a lot of times, they sleep (or at least try to sleep) in his bed. He loves them too much to say no, even though they each have their own comfy beds. All of them were strays who were terrified of people until Kaeya came along.

Kaeya’s house is incredibly clean, despite the amount of pets he has. He's a very tidy person.

Kaeya is a great cook. She doesn’t often cook for herself, though. She's too busy with her work to bother. She makes home cooked meals for her pets more often than she does for herself.

It took forever for Kaeya to notice that Huffman was into them. But when they did notice, they began to realize just how much they liked him back. Kaeya doesn't fall first, but when they do, they fall hard.

Kaeya helps Mika train to use his vision.

Speaking of Mika, Kaeya uses his position as Captain to make Huffman and Mika spend time together and bond by bringing both of them on missions with him. He doesn't have a good relationship with his brother, but maybe he can save the Schmidts from that same fate.

Kaeya is often invited to other nations for diplomatic parties. This is due to his charm and charisma. He's invited to Fatui-run balls at the Zapolyarny Palace, where he gathers intel on the Harbingers without them noticing. He's just that chill.

They still send letters to Diluc occasionally, updating him on their life. They also send birdseed for his falcon.

[circlique]

Alright I’m gonna attempt to summarize our Avatar DND campaign so I at least have something to talk about here. And also, so I remember what goes on in our sessions better.

Here’s the summary of our world building session prior to the actual campaign.

The story began some 10 years ago when the spirit world and physical world were quite unbalanced. There was a lot of corruption going on, food shortages, natural disasters, and exploitation (specifically child labor) were very prevalent. Spirits were upset. The Lion Turtles were still around at this point in time and threatened destruction if the humans couldn’t get their shit figured out, upset that the gift of bending had not only been stolen so long ago, but that it was now being used to ruin the world they created. They gave them a year to get it together.

A man named Dai Lee (yes you can see where this is going) discovered he had a rare ability that allowed him to manipulate the thoughts and emotions of others—mindbending. He recruited other who had this ability and set out on a mission to gain power through manipulation using his bending. He had a daughter, Juno, who saw through this plot and ran away to the Southern Water Tribe. No one knew who or where the Avatar was at this point in time.

Juno became a prevalent character during our world building session. She ended up linking up with several other kids during this time and went on a journey to find other like-minded individuals to train in the art of chi blocking, with an eventual goal of defeating Dai Lee.

While this was happening, the world continued to deteriorate, with many conflicts erupting between the nations. Paranoia about the mindbenders was high. Nations came under attack from others under the accusation that they were using mindbenders to achieve their goals. Fears also began to rise about the Lion Turtles’ threat as the months went on. A small group in the Fire Nation began hatching a plan.

Juno’s group managed to find the Avatar and enlisted her help in leading an attack on Dai Lee. The attack was a failure and the Avatar was captured. Juno and her team went back into hiding.

Juno and her band of chi blockers eventually returned to Ba Sing Se, freed the Avatar, and defeated Dai Lee. The Avatar destroyed the area in the fight and Dai Lee was presumed dead.

Later, a spirit portal was discovered and a group of Fire Nation soldiers staged an attack on the Lion turtles. They used spirit root/vine-based weapons (think what Kuvira had, but as a bomb or something less advanced) to corrupt five out of the six, but all but one of the firebenders was killed or corrupted in the attack. The surviving firebender was trapped in the spirit world, and the last Lion Turtle escaped into the mortal world. This Lion Turtle was responsible for the art of energybending/chi bending.

Juno eventually found this Lion Turtle, and the Lion Turtle bestowed this ability onto her, naming Juno to lead the chi blockers in cleansing the world of corruption.

Things mostly settled down after this, with the threat of the Lion Turtles and mindbenders gone. However, trouble and corruption soon reared its ugly head again. After finding that world governments could not cooperate to root out corruption diplomatically, the disillusioned Avatar once again disappeared, along with Juno and her band of chi blockers.

10 years later, Juno has re-emerged with a vengeance, and she is now wanted for taking the bending from many high-profile figures among the nations. A string of seemingly random, unexplained killings also plagues diplomatic circles.

——————

Anyway, this got really long. That was JUST session 0, our world building session. I’ll make another post to summarize the actual campaign now lol.

[jessica-writes22]

Find the Words tag

Thanks for the tag @briannaswords and @the-void-writes!!!

Words (1): see, miss, trust, friendship and colour

Words (2): Crowd, Green, Sunlight, Bread, and Believe.

---

See:

Kian brushed past me, and I looked up to see the sideways glance of his honey eyes, and that prideful smile. I felt that instant pull, yet at the same time, a force pushed me back. It was electrifying but terrifying. There was something about him that I couldn't place, a part of me wanted to understand and get close to him, but then again I couldn't. I wouldn't be broken again

Miss:

"So Tiger, anyone you gonna miss back on Earth?" Kian asked. "Nope." I kicked a stone in the stream and watched it sink to the bottom. "Come on there must be someone. A boyfriend, grandparent, family, friends," he listed putting a finger up for each one. "Dead, never existed, mostly dead, and I never had any." I replied, glancing over at him. "Damn," he muttered.

Trust:

"Oh yes because my fire is so reliable."I snapped glaring at him, "With that much wood around us, and flammable materials, we could all end up dead, especially if-" I stopped myself mid sentence. "Forget about it." I mumbled turning back to the waves. "No, go on, say it." Kian taunted. "Fine. We could all end up dead if I lost control. Trust me I should know. It's happened twice." I looked back at land that was coming closer. "What do you mean it's happened twice?" Avarus asked curiously. "I have lost control two times and both resulted in a death." My voice was shallow as I spoke. "One when I was eight, and one when I was eighteen. This fire isn’t a blessing, it’s a curse." I could feel their stares as I finished.

Friendship:

N/A

Colour:

The walls were made of a type of metal and people walked around each minding their own business. There were people from every Kingdom. The ones dressed in red and black were Ireaian, then the ones in purple were Superbian and so on. Every kingdom had a national colour that when on diplomatic missions they wore. I could also tell which were warriors vs healers vs scholars. Each had their own style of robe they wore to fit their job. Elda led us down a warmly lit hallway. People passed us without a second glance.

Crowd:

N/A

Green:

"Ah, welcome to Prásinos," A tall lean man with pale skin and light red hair dressed in a forest green suit stood up and bowed, "I am Crowin Lafitte, and this is my lovely wife Dareleen Lafitte," he gestured to the lady with curly dark burgundy hair, and tan skin, dressed in a forest green gown that flowed at her feet.

Sunlight:

Norla stood in her golden robes that looked like golden sunlight swirling around her. I'm honestly not that surprised that she’s here, but why didn't she take us here herself instead of sending us to Airileen?

Bread:

I shook my head and slipped on my shoes before leaving and walking towards Marie's inn. The village was pretty much cleaned up from last night's attack but black ash still blanketed a few things. I stepped into the inn and the fresh smell of fresh bread filled the room.

Believe:

"Trust me your Majesty, you won't. I never knew your mother but my mother did. She said she was the fiercest, most loyal Queen to rule a kingdom in Avaidia, and I believe that you will live up to her image. I can already tell you have a kind heart, even though it’s damaged. Just believe." Elda smiled back at me reassuringly. 

Tagging: @bardic-tales, @writerfae, @briannaswords, @ashen-crest, @hey-its-quill and anyone else who wants to

Your words: Lover, Death, Time, Sea, Flower

[project1939]

Day 34- Film: Diplomatic Courier 

Release date: June 13th, 1952. 

Studio: 20th Century Fox 

Genre: Spy Noir 

Director: Henry Hathaway 

Producer: Casey Robinson 

Actors: Tyrone Power, Patricia Neal, Stephen McNally, Hildegarde Neff, Karl Malden 

Plot Summary: Mike Kells is an experienced diplomatic courier for the US State department who must suddenly meet colleague Sam Carew in Salzburg to receive top-secret-documents and bring them safely home. Both men are clearly being followed, however, and things quickly go awry. When Sam ends up dead, and the documents are still missing, the danger and intrigue only increase. Who can be trusted and who cannot? 

My Rating (out of five stars): ***½ 

For the most part, I found this to be a very enjoyable and engrossing film. It wasn’t the most mind-blowing thing I’ve ever seen, but I do think that in key aspects it was very cleverly made. This was, in some ways, a more conventional spy film than 5 Fingers.  We have a clear hero with a clear mission, and two beautiful women keep weaving in and out of his story. The film was most affecting when it left you in suspense and suspicion over which characters you could believe or not. There were times I was so anxiously frustrated, I could not sit still. I think I even shouted at the screen at one point. Usually there are giveaways somewhere and you kind of know, but I had genuine anxiety about this one! 

The Good: 

Tyrone Power. I loved him in his films of the 1930s. He’s not the most accomplished actor, but he is one of those uniquely stunningly beautiful people that you can just gaze at for hours. I was actually really impressed with him here- by 1952 his acting had improved significantly. He’s a little older, so his youthful beauty is fading, but he’s still the owner of the most luscious pair of eyelashes a man ever had. He’s also just extremely likeable, and with the addition of his improved acting, it made it very easy to care about what was going to happen to him.  

Patricia Neal. I adore her. She is so good at playing sophisticated song-willed women with a quick and incisive mind. Her voice is so wonderfully distinctive, too. Whenever I see her name come up in the credits, I sit up, and she didn’t disappoint here. 

Hildegard Knef as Janine Betki. She was the character that literally kept me guessing until the end. She had this cool European look and vibe about her. She was also quite a good actress. 

The suspense and questioning over who was trustworthy or not. Trying to put the pieces together was a very enjoyable part of the film. 

The suspense on the train early in the film was also well done. Who was following whom? And why? There’s also something about the closed and cramped confines of a moving passenger train that elevates the drama even more. 

It often had the feel of a 1950s European film, which was a good thing in my book. Some of that might just have been because it took place in cosmopolitan Italy, and I think there may have been some location shooting. 

Out of seemingly nowhere there was a drag performance scene! In a film in 1952! Mike goes into a nightclub early on, and the entertainment is a real drag artist. He impersonated Carmen Miranda, Betty Davis, and even FDR! His skills of mimicry ended up being important later, but it was shocking to see so much screen time given to him. There was no overt hint of him being gay, but come on, it was classic drag!  

The Bad: 

Sometimes things were maybe a little too vague about what the top-secret documents were. We got one line specifically about some of what it was, and the film continually told us that it was information that could save thousands of lives... but I was left wanting a little more. I don’t like it when movies spoon-feed information, so I wouldn’t want it to go too far... but I guess I just wanted a little less subterfuge. 

I wanted to know a little more about Patricia Neal’s character as well. She suddenly disappeared before we really knew her story. 

I’m not sure how I felt about the last shot/scene of the film. I liked a little bit of it but groaned at most of it. 

[airasilver]

AU:

The twins have bodyguards. They have a whole company for each of them. They're Skywalkers/Kenobis/Tanos. They're as bad as their uncle/dad/aunt and need watching every single minute.

Ghost company follows Leia, Luke has Torrent but when it gets to much, they switch. Heck, the Bad Batch sometimes takes watch...If Hunter's feeling nice.

Hell, give the Padawans their battalions. Give the masters and knights their battalions. No Jedi is ever left alone. The Guard gets the Temple Guards. Fox has them all (GAR included) on a rotation within two minutes. The crechemasters are relaxing because the creche is full and the younglings are full of joy because of the new playmates.

The Alphas track down the wondering masters and refuse to leave. They are also dragged back to the main temple, they opened more because of the Vode, and given comms to "call in at least once every two months. We don't need more Jedi pretending they're dead."

Alpha 17 is the only one who sticks around the main temple. Mostly to bully Obi-Wan since Cody is wrapped around Leia's finger. At first 17 scoffs at Cody and Rex and etc for letting nat-born kids bully them until he meets Reva and Grogu. Then he gets laughed at since at least the others only have one youngling to watch out for.

The Jedi are just wondering what's going on. Anakin is pouting, Padme still died even getting actual care (a left over from Palpatine before he was taken out by Fox and a living Fives.), because Rex is ignoring him. No, Rex is not ignoring you, he's just busy keeping Luke from becoming to devilish with an angel's smile. Leia's already a lost cause but at least she listens to Cody... sometimes.

Ahsoka and Barriss are watched by Appo (Ahsoka actually told Rex to take Luke, she be fine with Jesse but Appo decided to take her since Jesse and Hardcase got Anakin. For now. Fives gets Anakin when he reveals himself. Then Jesse went to help back to Ahsoka.) (Kix technically has custody of all of them. Well him and Stiches, the 212th's main medic.) and Maker, Gree's SIC when Ahsoka came back. Neither are allowed anywhere near any dark siders for a long time. Actually they aren't allowed out of the temple unless it's a diplomatic mission. With their master/grandmaster only.

Anakin's pouting (to get back to him) so Fives decides he's taking Anakin out to find himself (blow something up, free slaves, etc) while the twins are placed in the creche for a month or so to give Ghost and Torrent some rest. Now granted it was only supposed to Fives, Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix (they needed a medic and Kix overheard and said he was coming.) BUT Obi-Wan felt Anakin's happiness and confronted him about it and then decided he's going along. Which meant Wooley was going, which meant Longshot told Boil, who told Waxer, who told Cody, who told Rex, who decided he was going also.

Cody sighed and ordered Ghost and Torrent to suit up. They were all going since they're Generals WILL get in trouble and yes, Ahsoka, you may come. Heck, let's just let anyone who wants to come, come. So all of the knights and half the masters end up going. They were going to take only one Venator Destroyer but with so many coming they ended up taking about half the fleet.

Before anyone asks the Vode own the ships and have them in storage. So they say. In actuality the Venator Destroyers are stripped of all indentible features on the outside and are used to clear out the temple. The temple which is now just gone. Surprising Coruscant who doesn't know what happened (when the last of their people were on the Destroyers, the temple vanished. It showed up again when they decided on the main planet for the Jedi.

So while the twins and younger Padawans, that aren't 15/16, are watched over by the crechemasters and the Vode that stayed behind, the rest that wanted to go on a spree freeing slaves and just going back to being Jedi. It relaxes everyone and while the Vode still follow and protect their Jedi, they do let them out and about without them... sometimes. (Feemor and Rael are the only ones in the lineage that can and do leave without an escort. No one else in the lineage can claim that. Though even they sometimes need to be watched.)

Yes, the twins see Padme's family but they're closer to their aliit. They try but since they're both force sensitive, and not hiding it for years, the twins can tell that it hurts the Naberrie's to see them (Leia might look like Padme but Luke has her compassion and both have even more traits of Padme) so it's just...easier to only see them once a year and then every couple years. Even Anakin isn't well received since the Naberrie's blame Anakin for Padme's death (Anakin blames himself for the longest time until his therapist finally gets through to him. It was a combination.) even though it was proven to be Palpatine...it's just easier to stay with the aliit.

This started with me just wanting to give Luke and Leia their aliit and dang, I went a lot more than I thought I would. Oh well.

[matriarchsdevotee-archive]

🪁 🍮 🦋 🪀 🌺(parental figures?)

Symbols Meme - Accepting

[ 🪁 ] does your muse have a special talent or hobby they devote themselves to? why is this talent or hobby important to them?

Not in her canon verses. Nabooru works from the time she can walk to serve her people in one way or another and she's integrated this so deeply into her personality that any minute of the day that isn't spent serving them or keeping herself alive is a huge generator of guilt. However, she does in her other verses. In the Mafia AU, she's got quite a few. For one, she writes religious documentation which, while perhaps in her cover job title, is not actually expected of her. She also boxes in her free time, under an assumed name in very dark and largely illegal boxing rings, and at various points performs spoken verse poetry. Writing her documentation is important as she really did want to be a priestess when she was young and before it was made perfectly clear that her options as an adult were continue running the family business or die trying to get out. She believes in the mission of the church - it's much more to her than a convenient cover story. She actually still performs services every Saturday which is definitely something the board doesn't approve of, but it's just convenient enough to get her off the hook.

Her boxing is decidedly more selfish. The dame's got a stressful job, see? And, unluckily for her, she's the only rumrunner in the world with a mild fear of guns. She understands the need, recognizes that others aren't in the wrong when they use them, but she saw her own mother shot dead with one, and more to the point, she believes they're disrespectful. In her mind, there's nothing wrong with a duel or jumping someone with a knife, but a gun doesn't give one's opponent any time to react. But boxing? Boxing is pure. Well, it is outside of betting rings. It's just her, the crowd, and whoever thinks they can take her. She doesn't have a perfect record, but she wins far more often than she loses.

The poetry was, admittedly, less of a hobby and more of a coping mechanism. After the chaos of the Lantern Festival massacre and her mother's sudden return from the grave, she found herself as the reason for dozens of innocents' death, as well as the shaky position many of her women and their families were in now. She also felt more wronged than she ever had as an adult. Her relationship with her brother was changed forever, she had been deeply betrayed by her mother, who had apparently had a long-standing affair with one of the city's other crime bosses,, and ultimately she felt that the family business would always harm more than it helped. Writing poetry, no matter how bad and emo, helped her process this and pushed her toward campaigning for the repeal.

[ 🍮 ] is your muse intelligent academically? do they have any other intelligences?

It depends. She fixated pretty heavily on history and religion as a child, and because that happened to align with her dictated role in the tribe, they didn't bother to teach her much else. She can write and do basic math, but math was a massive struggle for her. She generally still has to write things out to do it properly. Her emotional intelligence leaves a lot to be desired. She's no diplomat and leaps to threats if her initial attempts at resolution don't work. She is, however, quite good at leadership. She second guesses herself a lot in day-to-day life, but when it comes to important tribal matters, she's good at sticking with her decision and maintaining the follow-thru, even if that means she has to take harm in the fallout.

[ 🦋 ] does your muse have any unconventional interests? what are they?

Her most unconventional interest is the crocodile hunter instinct. When Nabooru says she loves the desert, she means it. Every square inch of sand, every dry lakebed, and most importantly, every desert creature. When she was little, she loved watching the scorpions and snakes wind their way around the dunes, and as an adult she has a soft spot for wild animals. They don't kill snakes as part of their faith, but Nabooru is always the first to volunteer to remove it when one's gotten a little too close to the children's quarters. She finds beauty in all of Mother Desert's beings, no matter how strange, ugly, or deadly they may be. This has not helped with her scarring problem.

[ 🪀 ] what was your muse’s childhood like? how did their upbringing affect them?

As I won't stop going on about, Nabooru was raised in the temple. She was always going to be groomed into being a Priestess like her mother, but because her mother died at a relatively young age, she was taken in even closer and more quickly. She was  taken in when she was three to begin her training and began participating in ceremonies when she was five as an attendant. As a result, she always had her path laid out for her - at least, she thought she did. She knew she would be a priestess, but never would she have believed she would take over the role as Heirophant, the head priestess, and certainly not at the very young age of 16. Between this responsibility being presented to her and the encouragement to give as much as she could to the tribe, she learned to put them first and herself at a far, far second.

[ 🌺 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents? are there specific things they like/dislike about them?

Nabooru's mother died when she was four. She has very few memories of her that are her own, but she's heard many stories about her. They seem to correlate with what she remembered; a gruff, unsympathetic woman who dedicated her life to the temple, but wasn't afraid to use it for personal gain. She respects her mother's memory out of obligation, but she isn't sure she would have liked her if she had actually been raised by her. The Gerudo generally raise their children as a group as a necessity, so she spent some time with the teachers and caretakers who specifically worked with children, but her named Godmother Ashio, the Heirophant before her was in charge of her. Ashio terrified young Nabooru. She was under constant pressure to do right by her and their people and she never felt she could live up to her mentor and protector's example. Ashio was harsh and quick to insult anybody if they didn't follow through correctly; nobody seemed to make more mistakes than Nabooru. it may come as a surprise, then, that Nabooru doesn't hold any distaste for her memory.

Ashio was a harsh woman, but she lived through a desperate time. She had to mother the Gerudo at some of their weakest times. She was confident in a way Nabooru could only aspire to, stronger than any being she had met, and never harmed those in her care - at least, not physically. Though she's made an effort to be different than her predecessor, especially in training new priestesses, she still prays for Ashio every night and honors her memory during festivals.