#i can't believe i finally wrote the reunion :')

[indestinatus]

I'll crawl home to her

summary: The long-awaited Reunion. Ziva reunites with her family. 

We deserve a soft epilogue, my love. We are good people. And we’ve suffered enough.

read it on ao3

[earthnashes]

The completed version of that sketch I teased a while ago! Angela and Demona have a much needed talk. uwu

So, I know I've been harkin' and hollerin' about starting a Gargoyles AU, and after this lil thing... WELL. I can't help myself man, plz ;w;

But even though I've yet to fully sit down to rewatch the show for concrete foundations, I'm gettin' bombarded with ideas for this badboy. I'll talk at length about my idea once I have something a little more solid, but for now the context is the AU explores Demona's journey to redemption, and her attempts to grow amidst the chaos of the general public now learning gargoyles exist (and the consequences that comes with it).

Below the "keep reading" is a short story I wrote on how Demona and Angela's first uninterrupted reunion could go. Angela is determined to try and convince her mother to give humanity--give everyone, really-- one more chance. Even with all the craziness and the very fragile relations between the supernatural and humans, Angela sees it as their best and only bet to actually build a long-lasting rapport. And a chance to have her mother in her life with minimal conflict.

--

"--Don't you understand? The humans took everything from me, and they have only grown worse. One so-called 'good' human can't undo that. They are never good."

"But they can be if you just let them!" Angela growls, flailing her talons out to her sides in a wide gesture around the city. "Mother, haven't you ever thought that maybe not all humans are bad? That they and gargoyle are more alike than you believe? You've been around for years. You can't honestly tell me you haven't met a gargoyle you couldn't trust in your lifetime."

"I trust no one," Demona sneers, turning her back on her daughter and hunching in on herself, arms crossed close to her chest. "It's what kept me alive this long."

"But at what cost? Mother... you are clanless." Demona doesn't turn around at the mournful tone, and Angela pushes on. "Y-you have no one. But you don't have to be--"

"Angela--" Demona's voice is loud, unwavering, but her tone is so, so tired. It's almost wrung out of her in a sigh that only hints at centuries of gliding solo.

"That is enough."

For several moments, there is heavy silence. Demona doesn't turn around, but the scent of salt in the air is tell enough. She heaves another sigh and begins to step toward the edge of the rooftop they've chosen for this meeting, fully intent on putting an end to such a miserable conversation.

"...Everyone believes you are nothing more than a monster."  Demona keeps going, crouches down and begins to unfurl her wings.

"But I don't believe that."

That stops her. She freezes as if the sun has touched her skin, still as the stone sleep she no longer experiences. She still doesn't turn, but her head tilts to the side. Listening.

"I saw how desperately you want clan when you were with Thailog," Angela whispers hoarsely. "I saw how you looked at me, w-when you realized I was your daughter. You... you turned on Thailog to save me. Save us. But now I--" She whipes furiously at her eyes in frustration. "--you speak as if you want nothing to do with me--"

"You know that isn't true," Demona says, finally, finally whirling to face her daughter. Instinct drives her to open her arms, to reach out, but years of solitude stops her in her tracks. Her hesitation goes mostly unnoticed.

"Then prove it!" Angela barks. She lashes her tail and unfurls her wings. "I want you in my life! I want you to be clan. But I can't do that if you aren't willing to at least try." Angela closes the distance between them, grasping her mother's talons and --almost instantly-- feels like a child again. She gives her a gentle squeeze, and relief nearly floods her when she feels a small, hesitant one back.

"I can't ask for you to forget... or forgive. I won't. But I am asking you to... t-to at least try, and give me a chance? To give humans a chance, one more time."

Angela's eyes bore into her mother as she pleads: "Give me this one chance to prove you wrong."

-----------

Hope ya'll enjoyed! Now that I reread the short there's a lot I'd like to revise and add, but for now this will work. :)

But ye! More to come soon! ;w;

[etincelleart]

So I was able to watch the RWBY Volume 9 epilogue shown at this year RTX, they weren't able to make it for V9 because production stuff happened and it will probably be shown in V10 with some changes according to how V9 actually changed.

First I'd like to say that (SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT) this epilogue is everything ♥ The message of hope and kindness is just there, it's fully there and I'm just so happy to see it on screen. Winter feeling guilty for everyone's death and Penny's death, Qrow being optimistic and changing his perspective, the Schnees helping how they can, the end with the memorial and the reunion..... I just can't I'm freaking crying sdfgdfgf

Just, please be kind, even if life is shitty and complex, kindness is everything and so precious, kindness and love are just so special and I hope everyone can be inspired by that. RWBY might not be perfect, there are a lot of things that could be done in a better way, but I still love this show and story for how much it grows and changes and evolves with the people who're making it and the community watching it.

Also, of course I have to add my little not so delusional Penny moment for this krkrk--

In the epilogue, Winter mentions Penny twice, when she says it should have been her to die, not team RWBY, Jaune, Penny and everyone else. She's feeling guilty she got to survive when Penny's (and team RWBY) the one who believed in people and had hope. Winter mentions Penny again right after by saying "Because of me, Penny's gone, forever", IS IT JUST ME or is that kinda odd there's so much insistence around Penny's death since V9 and again like that ?

I wrote whole threads about it already for why I can see her coming back, but stuff just keep piling up and I might starting to just be sure she'll come back later. Most of the time, when a character is mentioned to be "gone, forever", it just feels like it's strange and this might not be the case. Especially after what we learned in Volume 9, I just think there's something cooking but I'M NOT CRWBY I CAN'T BE SURE BUT THERE'S SOMETHING I CAN FEEL IT----

I talked about it with the friend who made me discover RWBY tonight btw, they haven't even seen V9 yet (only 2 chapters that we started together) but they also think that scenaristically it can totally make sense and they can see Penny coming back, the 3rd time finally being the good time and for it to be permanent and confirmed. And I agree, in a larger view I just think that it is logical, the whole thing about Penny is that everything feels odd and weird and strange and ANYWAY it feels like they're really cooking something

But yeah this "Penny's gone, forever", it's just so strange omg. I know that Winter is feeling guilty, but you know, it's still something they REALLY insist on and they make the viewer know about that, almost as if they wanted to say "SEE, that's what everyone think, everyone think she's gone forever but SURPRISE NOPE SHE'S NOT-"--

ANYWAY I'll stop rambling, I love RWBY omg. I love Ruby and Penny for their hope and kindness, for the perfect ship vibes they share together, I just need them to be reunited whoooaaAAAAH

[vilentia]

A Fragile Reunion

Dean Forester x reader

part 1 | part 2

The weight of regret hung heavily on Dean's shoulders as he embarked on his journey to win back your trust. Every step he took was filled with uncertainty and trepidation, yet his determination to right his wrongs propelled him forward.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, as Dean poured his heart and soul into demonstrating his remorse. He wrote letters filled with heartfelt apologies, expressing the depth of his regret and his unwavering love for you. He left them on your doorstep, hoping that his words would reach your heart and ignite a glimmer of forgiveness.

But the silence that followed his efforts only intensified his anguish. Doubt gnawed at his insides, threatening to unravel his resolve. He couldn't help but wonder if his actions were in vain, if he had truly shattered any chance of reconciliation.

One day, as Dean stood on your doorstep once again, letter in hand, he hesitated. His hand trembled as he debated whether to leave it behind or to knock on the door and face you, to see the pain he had caused reflected in your eyes.

Summoning all his courage, Dean raised his hand and knocked, the sound echoing through the quiet street. Moments stretched into eternity until finally, the door creaked open, revealing you standing there, your eyes filled with a mixture of emotions—pain, uncertainty, and a glimmer of hope.

"You," you whispered, your voice barely audible. "What do you want, Dean?"

His heart thudded painfully against his chest as he looked into your eyes, his own filled with remorse. "I want to make things right, to earn back your trust," he pleaded, his voice laced with vulnerability. "I know I made a terrible mistake, and I can't change the past, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove to you that I've changed."

You studied his face, searching for sincerity amidst the pain. Slowly, you opened the door wider, allowing him to step inside. The room felt heavy with unspoken emotions as Dean cautiously entered, his eyes never leaving yours.

"I've spent so much time reflecting on what I've done," Dean began, his voice tinged with a mixture of regret and determination. "I've sought guidance, I've taken steps to become a better person, and I want to show you that I've learned from my mistakes. I want to prove that you can trust me again."

You listened, the words hanging in the air, mingling with the uncertainty that still clung to your heart. Emotions waged war within you as you struggled to reconcile the pain of betrayal with the lingering love you once shared.

"Dean," you finally spoke, your voice trembling with a mix of caution and longing. "I don't know if I can trust you again. But there's a part of me that believes in redemption, in second chances. If you're willing to put in the work, to show me every day that you've changed, maybe... just maybe, we can rebuild what we once had."

Dean's eyes widened with hope, tears of relief shimmering within them. "I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to make things right," he vowed, his voice filled with sincerity. "I'll cherish your trust and love like never before. Together, we can overcome this and create a future filled with happiness and healing."

As the room filled with a renewed sense of hope and the tender promise of healing, Dean and you stood at the precipice of a new beginning. The journey of redemption lay before you, a path filled with challenges and uncertainties, but also the potential for growth, forgiveness, and a love stronger than ever before. Together, you embraced the opportunity to rewrite your story, fueled by your shared determination to forge a future built on trust, understanding, and the unwavering belief in the power of second chances.

[imreallyloveleee]

Where do you think it all went wrong with Riverdale?

honestly, part of me is like, the show's over and nothing but fandom matters. so who cares?

the other part of me loves to complain about Riverdale and will continue to do so until the day I die in the parking lot of Michael's Diner in Montgomeryville, PA at the age of 86. so, long-winded answer under the cut

I'm tempted to say it's the s4 b*rchie kiss. It was so wildly out of character for both Betty and Archie that it's laughable. You know how you can tell when something is just blatantly OOC with no justification? They...don't justify it. They find ways to dance around any interaction that might offer clarification. They mute the reactions of the characters who should be devastated by it. And then they jump ahead 7 years so it's easier to just handwave it away as something that happened a long time ago.

but the thing is, I did keep watching after that. I thought: okay, at least we should get an exes-to-lovers arc out of this, which is one of my favorite tropes. there is no way they would spend 4 seasons developing Bughead as this loving, supportive, communicative, sexy, and almost-unbelievably-compatible couple just to tear them apart and never do anything with that dynamic again. maybe it'll be even sweeter seeing them come back together after so much hurt and longing.

boy was i wrong!!!!!!!!!

so, the episode that actually made me stop watching for good, with the exception of some standalones like The Jughead Paradox and the finale, was the s5 musical. that was when i realized that this team of writers was 100% willing, maybe even eager, to completely drop storylines they themselves had been building over the course of a season - do a 180 with all of the characterization and relationships - and then act as though the buildup they wrote never even happened.

in this case, i'm specifically talking about the Bughead reunion storyline they dropped in s5. i'm not going to pretend like it was a GREAT buildup - and it was mostly on Jughead's side, Betty's character in s5 was basically an emotionless misery bot that had sex sometimes - but it was there. Jughead told Tabitha he had unresolved feelings around Betty. that's followed by an entire episode that lays out Betty & Jug's time jump relationship, and how Jughead still believes she's the one who saves him from himself. they work on a case together, they start opening up to one another. Jughead's so worried about her he can't eat.

and then...you know what happens.

(i'll also note here that there was random bts stuff that strongly indicated the musical ep storyline had a drastic last-minute rewrite: lili tweeted a blue dress, suggesting the song with that line was meant for her character; RAS said cole had to do last-minute recording sessions; supposedly crew members have confirmed this was the case, too. since none of it's 100% confirmed you can take it all with a grain of salt, but i believe it.)

it was so fucking insulting as a viewer to give my time and attention to a show made by people who would not only randomly drop the threads they set up, but torpedo them altogether, and then behave like the fans are the ones somehow at fault for expecting a story that actually follows through on its own emotional and plot beats. we're just shippers, so our opinions are dumb and biased! it's just a tv show, so who cares! get over it!

so, i stopped watching, because i knew they would continue to write without any thought or respect for their characters or their audience, and therefore inevitably write themselves into another corner. and, shocker, i was right. they did it again, whisking everyone away to the 1950s because actually resolving any of the scenarios they set up was ToO hArD. why bother when you could just make every single character Righteously Angry and Incurably Horny all the time, lecture the audience about social issues that have already been mainstream progressive for the last several decades, and call it a "love letter" to your fans?

[demigodofhoolemere]

Things I can't stop thinking about from Steven and Vicki's Tales of the TARDIS episode

- This reunion. Seeing them together again kills me anyway, but when you look at the context of the last time they saw each other, both of them could have easily thought the other might be dead. The last Vicki saw of Steven he was bleeding out and slipping away from consciousness, and to Steven he woke up to learn that they'd left Vicki in a city that was being razed to the ground and its inhabitants slaughtered. There wasn’t a proper goodbye and neither could have known for sure whether the other had survived. These are two people who must have spent decades of their lives just hoping and praying that the other was okay.

They take each other's presence in like it’s a miracle. I don’t know if they intentionally wrote/acted this with that particular context of their last time together in mind, but nevertheless it can very easily be read that way since their reactions lend themselves to it so well.

- ^ In particular, Steven’s voice breaks in a way that absolutely destroys me.

- Is this girlish giggling not the most Vicki thing you’ve ever seen?

- There are certain moments that just really hit as, ‘This is them.’ I mean, look at her. That’s Vicki. It keeps blowing my mind.

- Steven is SO happy to see her again, oh my word. “I’ve got my little sister back!” is gonna live in my mind for the rest of my life. To have that dynamic acknowledged in those words and to see how much they love each other kills me. Look at this unreserved fluff. This means the world to me.

- Hearing that they’ve had wonderfully happy lives is so nice. Vicki could have been dealing with all kinds of turmoil given the time she chose to stay in, and with Steven’s luck he could have had literally anything happen to him, like Big Finish decided to do. I’m so glad they’ve been given full and happy lives onscreen, that Vicki has done so well in such a wildly different time and that Steven’s bad luck curse is finally broken. (The trauma curse is broken at least — it’s too much of a stretch for me to believe that he wouldn’t still have mundane bad luck lol.)

- Someone needs to either sue Peter for these faces or give him an award. There is so much emotion going on here and I can barely handle it. And knowing how much Peter truly loved this show and his time on it, I get the feeling some of this is real for him.

- “Vicki, this might not be his TARDIS. I mean, can you imagine the Doctor wearing something like this?” Well I’m sure as heck imagining it now! Someone PLEASE make fan art of One in Six’s coat.

- Their reverence for the Doctor’s pocket watch. Vicki is so happy and clutches it with joy and Steven stares at it and strokes it for a good minute. 💗

- Love having some skeptical Steven wondering if it could be a trap and warning Vicki to be careful. His older brother mode got reactivated so fast. And, “Don’t be such a spoilsport!” is so delightfully Vicki.

- Space helmet for a cow!!!

- “Well, it had been a busy week.” Lol, more like a busy (or not so busy) 2 years on Mechanus! You’re more than excused!

- I know it was naturally gonna happen because they’re going over The Time Meddler but I love the references to the Monk, and I love that we also get a subtle reference to The Daleks’ Master Plan out of it.

- Another one of those moments that just strikes you. Look at him.

- “He rescued me. I was an orphan and he became my family. I became the granddaughter he’d lost.” 😭

- Vicki’s little, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” dance is so perfectly Vicki. It warms my heart how well-characterized they both are here.

- Anyone else see this and immediately start crying thinking about her putting her hands over her eyes in The Chase? Just me?

- Steven’s face when he agrees with her about wishing more than anything to see the Doctor again. I love his relationship with the Doctor so much, it kills me to see him emotional about it, to see how much he still loves him after all this time. But on top of it, once again I feel like there’s some genuine Peter in here who misses Bill. You can see in a lot of interviews, panels, commentaries and so on that Peter really truly cared about Bill as his friend and is still protective over him as a person and his character. When Steven makes this face in agreement about wishing he could just see the Doctor again, I feel something else very real in it.

- Look at them. Just look at them. No further comment.

- Vicki’s face hearing the Doctor’s laugh is my face.

I still haven’t been able to get through this without crying at his laugh. I don’t really have the words for how magical and touching it is that they included him in that way. It tugs on my heartstrings so hard.

[casualmonsterenjoyer]

su cuy´gar

Summary: Cody still works for the Empire two years after Order 66 but one day he sees something from his watchtower he just can't believe. (This is just a little short reunion fic.)

Warnings: none? Canon-divergence and post Order 66 but that's it

I think I wrote this back in 2021 and already did upload it on ao3 but hey why not here too (you know, I finally sat down and got an account last month and I'm slowly getting comfy here)

Don't expect too much, especially when it comes to posting more... I'm working on other fanfics but keep getting sidetracked or start others...the usual.

Anyways, enjoy! (Feedback is appreciated)

It has been two years since the rise of the Empire, exactly two years since Utapau. And Cody never quite understood why he stayed. Why he stayed with this new regime.

He followed orders.

He always did.

Maybe that's why he stayed.

There was nothing for him outside the Empire. Though, he heard some of his brothers had joined together, got others out and promised safety, Cody just couldn't see that for himself. The one person he would have returned to was gone.

There has always been blood on Cody's hands. First, that of his brothers. Cody led them into their death time and time again. Then, it was the blood of his general. Now, it's the blood of innocent.

He's so far gone from the clone he used to be and there is no way back.

He can't even try, stuck in a wasteland, an excuse of a planet under imperial control. There is nothing. Nobody.

So, Cody's initial reaction to double check the image currently being projected to him via holo is understandable.

It simply could not be.

The clone runs down the stairs of the watchtower he is stationed in, abandoning his post.

At foot of the tower he could now see the figure approaching without any gear and yanks off his bucket - probably the fastest he has ever done it - and yet he sill can't believe what he is seeing.

No matter if it was or simply his mind stabbing him in the back one final time. Seeing Obi-wan Kenobi is like seeing the sun again after a cold and terrifying night, seemingly endless and without escape.

A two year long night it has been.

His programming practically screams at Cody, telling him to do what apparently he didn't on Utapau, to follow through with the order like a good soldier and he would be lying if he said it wasn't hard, resisting the urge grab his blasters and start mindlessly shooting the jedi.

But this isn't just any jedi. This man, currently breaking into a sprint towards him, is the general.

It is his general.

Cody won't do the same mistake twice, he should have said kriff the programming back then, he definitely is saying it now. Over and over again in his mind while closing the distance between himself and the one he thought dead.

Cody blamed himself for everything that had happened daily, going numb and blank by the rotation till all that was left of the commander was the programming only.

Whatever Cody forcefully sacrificed that day on Utapau comes flooding back, for a second overwhelming the clone with regret, self-hatred and...love, adoration.

Slowing his steps Cody looks from his dark boots up to meet the jedi's face, unreadable. It makes him uncertain, scared to a degree.

"Cody...“, Obi-wan breathes out, standing so close, suddenly holding Cody's face in his callused, warm, living hands. Cody, in response, is quick to grab the jedi's wrists, he lingers but ultimately decides to pry them away - missing the warmth but believing it is better that way.

"I don't want to hurt you...general“, his voice is merely a whisper and the thought of actually hurting and loosing Obi-wan all over again breaks the clone.

Maybe Cody should have agreed to being send back into active duty, whatever that implied, then he would not have to deal with his own emotions, the raging fear of harming the only person he ever loved with such intensity.

Cody has committed atrocities yet Obi-wan, with his heart of pure gold, looks at him with a smile, his gorgeous eyes - tired, pleading - filled with nothing but fondness.

The jedi wiggles his hands free from Cody and moves to close the clone into a hug instead, one hand on his back the other gripping at the back of his head, sinking into Cody's dark curls.

Part of Cody still screams, part of Cody doesn't trust this to be real. Just another one of his nightmares for sure. He's gonna wake up in moment, alone.

But the moments pass and he's still here surrounded by warmth and the smell he has missed for so long. The smell of comfort. Of home.

"Darling“, he hugs the clone tighter and Cody finally regains control of his own limbs enough to cling to Obi-wan in return, “I have been searching for you for so long", Cody can hear the despair in Obi-wan's voice and once again curses himself for being the source of it, "hoping you were not under the countless who lost their life because, dear“, Obi-wan moves away a bit to really look at the clone, tears visible in both their eyes now, “I will not let them or yourself destroy you any further", funny how after everything the general still knew him so we'll.

"Cody...I found a place we can be safe, the two of us“.

And Cody, former commander of the 212th, battle hardened and bred to withstand almost everything, falls to his knees crying in front of the jedi, his jedi.

It feels good. He feels free.

Safe.

Yes, he will keep them safe.

Kriff the programming, it is long due time to make his own decisions.

"I would love to follow you there“.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

Every comment is valuable

Recently, I received a comment for one of my works I couldn't make quite sense of at first. It wasn't the first time that happened and I believe every writer makes this experience more than once, but it was the first time in 11 years of posting fanfiction across various archives that I came to fully understand and appreciate the value of a comment that does nothing but confuse the hell out of me.

The comment was for an early chapter of my canonic Yuri!!! On Ice novelisation Can You Hear My Heartbeat. My first instinct was to shrug it off as I had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. But as the day progressed, I found my mind returning to it, trying to figure out what its writer had tried to convey. I ended up reading the scene the comment referred to and soon figured out that the scene had failed its purpose to examine the feelings and motivations of its POV character.

In said scene, I explore the reunion of the two main characters Yuuri and Viktor at the end of episode 1 from Viktor's perspective. The comment quoted Viktor's final dialogue line in that scene and claimed that he was being "most extra". I had no idea what that meant, but I deeply felt that it stood in stark contrast to the (canon) Viktor in that scene.

This is the scene as it was on AO3 when I received the comment:

Strange noises inside stirred him, ripping him out of his daydream. The door banged open. A figure stumbled through in a flurry of brown parka and dark hair, slipped on the tiles, and fell face-first in front of the spring. “Ouch.” The young Japanese man propped himself up. Behind blue-framed glasses, his brown eyes widened as he spotted Viktor. “V-Viktor?” It’s him! Viktor’s heart stopped, then went into overdrive. Suddenly, all weariness was gone. The story of longing and despair that had made no sense was finally coming to its glorious conclusion. As he saw Yuuri now with his messy hair, his soft features, and his gentle brown eyes, it was as if no time had passed since Yuuri had clung to him and begged him to be his coach. “What are you doing here?” Yuuri breathed. Why’s he asking? Here as in the spring or in this place? And with that, the nervousness was back. Viktor took the towel off his head and stood, flashing Yuuri a dazzling smile. “Yuuri,” he said, holding out his hand. “Starting today, I’m your new coach.” He winked. “I’ll make you win the Grand Prix Final.” Yuuri’s mouth popped open. “What?” he spluttered. “WHAT?” Still smiling, Viktor kept holding out his hand, waiting for Yuuri to take it and step to the edge of the spring so they could embrace. Instead, Yuuri spun and bolted back into the house. Viktor stared after him, not understanding. “Huh? Was this too much of a surprise?” he murmured. “Did I overdo it?”

(Note that in the anime, Yuuri doesn't accidentally prostrate himself in front of Viktor. In the anime, he stumbles several times on his way to the hot spring, but as this happens where Viktor can't see it, I added this detail to make the scene more humorous.)

This scene ignores the ramifications of Viktor being nervous about their reunion (as any human being would be!) and his confusion when Yuuri asks why he is here because he doesn't know that Yuuri forgot their encounter at the Grand Prix Final banquet four months earlier. Speaking superficially, it's from Viktor's POV, but it doesn't really explore what is going on inside his head.

As an international celebrity, Viktor has gotten into the habit of acting like a star, especially towards the press and his fans. Viktor is used to wearing a mask in public and as a consequence, he unlearned how to be himself. However, this scene disregards these central aspects of his character. When I wrote it, the Viktor living inside my head wasn't yet fully fleshed out. After I finished the draft of Thousand Spotlights, this scene was one of those I revisited to make adjustments, but I still missed some aspects because I already had adopted a certain "blindness" for my own text.

This is one of the reasons I often ask whether the scenes from the anime are well-embedded into my novelisation.

After contemplating the scene based on that comment, I revised it in my Word document and updated the respective chapter on AO3:

Strange noises from inside the building ripped Viktor out of his daydream. Snowflakes were still tumbling from the sky. The door banged open. A figure stumbled out in a flurry of brown parka and dark hair, slipped on the tiles, and fell face-first in front of the spring. “Ouch.” The young Japanese man propped himself up. Behind blue-framed glasses, his brown eyes widened as he spotted Viktor. “V-Viktor?” It’s him! Viktor’s heart stopped, then went into overdrive. The story of longing and despair that had made no sense was finally coming to its glorious conclusion. As he saw Yuuri now with his messy hair, his soft features, and his gentle brown eyes, it was as if no time had passed since Yuuri had clung to him and begged him to be his coach. “What are you doing here?” Yuuri breathed. Why’s he asking? Here as in the spring or in this place? Viktor struggled to process the implications. His heart was fluttering uncontrollably in his chest. Had Yuuri forgotten that he had extended the invitation? Something felt off, but Viktor struggled to put a finger on it. However, two decades of being a public figure had trained him to navigate unclear situations. After all, Yuuri was his fan, wasn’t he? Viktor took the towel off his head and stood, flashing Yuuri one of his star-smiles. “Yuuri,” he said, holding out his hand. “Starting today, I’m your new coach.” He gave a playful wink that regularly brought even people not liking men to their knees. “I’ll make you win the Grand Prix Final.” Yuuri’s mouth popped open. “What?” he spluttered. “WHAT?” Still smiling, Viktor kept holding out his hand, waiting for Yuuri to take it and step to the edge of the spring so they could embrace. Time stretched on to a taut eternity. Viktor’s heart was hammering in his ribcage. Snow kept tumbling down from grey skies. Two metres across from him, Yuuri spun on his heel and bolted back into the house. Viktor stared after him, not understanding. “Huh? Was this too much of a surprise?” he murmured. “Did I overdo it?”

This second version expands on Viktor's feelings like his nervousness and his confusion as well as on his thoughts when he greets Yuuri. It shows that he reverts to taking on a persona to navigate through life (we see him do that in abundance until Yuuri asks him to be himself and saves the celebrity-persona for press and fans). There's nothing "extra" about his behaviour, he's just applying what he learned and what he seems to be comfortable with in unclear situations. So far, he has been successful with that, and he has yet to learn that this doesn't work with Yuuri.

The additions I made to flesh out Viktor's character are still subtle enough to leave space for interpretation while making sure that he stays in-character.

I'm really glad that this reader alerted me to a problem I wasn't aware of, although it took me a while to get to the solution. I thanked them and told them that I was able to improve the scene (and I really hope I didn't scare them off!)

Writers, if you receive a comment that doesn't make sense to you at first glance or that might even annoy you, it's worth taking a closer look. It might help you find errors no one else noticed and improve your writing and deepen the understanding of your characters.

Readers, please don't be afraid to let us writers know what you think about our works. If you hesitate to comment on a story because your think that your thoughts are silly, take heart in knowing that every comment is valuable to us and can help us write better stories that in turn bring you more joy.

[queen-rainy-love]

The crob cookie of the week topic reminded me of something. I looked back and I saw the Chess Choco twins in the Dark Cacao family, and I got an idea. Hear me out: Earle Grey Cookie becomes the new royal advisor. He’s practically wrapped around the twins’ pawn shaped hats, the fandom (including myself) sees him as a parental figure to them, and he’s an excellent business person since he runs a luxurious hotel.

Technically, he is a cookie of darkness, but it’s hard to consider him one. All he does is run a hotel. He and the twins occasionally report to DE, but if the twins are innocent kids in this au, why not make Earl Grey an old acquaintance and temporary parental figure before the twins were somehow found to be related to DC or adopted by him and Sablé and they lost touch. But then Earl Grey somehow ends up in the DC kingdom, and the twins hear about a beautiful hotelier cookie visiting via servant gossip and they know who it is immediately. Initiate very cute reunion and the twins innocently scouting him to work for them and DC so they can stay together.

Funny enough, I actually do have Earl Grey as an advisor/butler to Dark Cacao in my AU. It's pretty much buried in my page (roughly a year ago) but I did wrote a short story with him as a side character and gave him that role. I believe it's the one where Sablé is visiting and Earl Grey went to inform Dark Cacao about it while he was in a meeting.

I do plan to have Chess Choco and Earl Grey appear in the AO3 version either towards the end of volume one or the beginning of volume two but still be "bad guys" at first. They are a package deal tho. Wherever the twins go, Earl Grey goes. So if the twins end up in the Citadel, you can bet that Earl Grey is sticking to them like glue (of the Cookie equivalent to glue).

I do love that story idea about them separating but finding each other again. I think it would be a wholesome story for found family to be reunited again and in a better circumstance. And be a great break from the angst and drama I've caused written in this AU.

And even tho I already have enough on my plate...I kinda want to write an AO3 short stories section that parallels my AU. Maybe when I finally get the B.A.D.4 story project started, I do that too. Hmm.

I'm getting off topic. Earl Grey is the advisor but you can't stop him from being a butler too. I forgot to add him to the family picture but he is the uncle/second dad the twins and Dark Choco need.

[nani-nonny]

Oh my god i must be ashamed of myself because i RRAD THE CHAPTER BUT DIDN'T WROTE ABOUT IT YET!! (Which it was.. Hours!!)

So i believe i thought the chapter would start with leo but NOPE it started with Barry! I remember the first plot said how barry collapse but i completely forgot about him! Lol.

I thought he would drop at some point in front of leo and be like " here " before passing out.

It's a great way to see his POV actually for once (maybe you wrote about him at some point in other fics?) Where he shows he isn't forced to work with humans but start feeling and seeing them as equal as well 🫸💛🫷

He knew they were dying but all he could think of was his baby, am thinking so hard as of " WHY " he decided to creat - or as i like to say it " give birth " - a baby?! Like i wish he could've made it to answer questions but well... Guess future leo gonna have to question past Barry and boy oh boy i believe everyone are gonna enjoy teasing the old man and mikey's gonna be giddy that Barry want to create a life not for it to be a soldier but to be his child.

I can't wait how f!leo's gonna know like; in the middle of fighting foot clan? When reaching a safe point or lair?

And what his first meeting with little leo would be like? Is he gonna hate him like LCD or be okay like WDS and reunion?

Lord i have so so SOOOO many thoughts....

I definitely wasn’t waiting for you to see 👀👉👈 /j

Yes! Barry D! I managed to take the original chapter from plot 1 and tweak it slightly to fit this plot!

And I think the closest we get to me writing in Draxum’s pov is DMD but that doesn’t really last long hehe. But yes! He’s learned to work with humans! Finally! Although he thinks they’re weak lol

If he survived long enough to answer questions, we wouldn’t have gotten a story /j … but I seriously can’t wait until we get to introducing the tot to present!draxum. He’s going to be so confused hahaha! He won’t believe that his future-self incubated a tot that looks eerily similar to f!leo

And yay! I’m currently tweaking the original ch.2 to better fit this new plot but I’m definitely reusing it so we’re gonna see him crash the Foot! But when he finds out about accidentally mishandling the tot is another story lol

oooo, little Leo and f!leo first meeting~! I believe we’re getting little Leo’s first impressions before their official first meeting hehehe

We’ll have to wait for next week when I upload ch.2!

[thestrangestthing89]

Season 1. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 2. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Season 3. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Season 4. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Mike Character Analysis - Season 4 Part 4 (conclusion)

I already wrote about the van and the painting here. I do want to point out that Mike's face in this scene says everything. Because even if I didn't already know that Mike realizes he's gay and in love with Will, his face is so full of love and adoration that there is no denying it. The only reason Will doesn't notice is because he is kind of avoiding looking at him. Mike gets a lot of hate for not comforting Will when he's crying and like most of the Mike hate it's unwarranted. Because Mike does know what's going on here. He knows exactly what Will just did and how hard it was. He's been trying to do the same thing since he got to Lenora. So he doesn't need to ask Will what's wrong because he knows. He knows why Will is emotional. He doesn't have to ask him. And Will is clearly trying to hide his feelings and is turned away from him. Mike is giving him some space. It's not always helpful to have someone all over you when you are emotional. Especially the person you just confessed your feelings to. And Mike can't tell him he understands. Not yet. There are too many people in the car. This isn't a private moment. But he knows Will just did the bold and brave thing and made the first move because they have been dancing around each other all season trying to gauge how the other person feels. And Mike has always consistently been emotional intelligent when it comes to Will. (Mike brings up his fight with El a couple times to Will and I wrote about that and what it means here.)

So if Mike isn't gay and doesn't know his own feelings then he comes across like a jackass, especially these past two seasons. Not to mention the fact that his character seems one dimensional. And we know this isn't true. We know he is complex and emotionally mature especially with Will. So HOW COULD HE NOT KNOW WHAT WILL IS SAYING. Not to mention the fact that Will is incredibly transparent here and Mike is not a moron. People want to believe the worst of him because the truth is complicated and making them uncomfortable.

Mike and El have a very platonic reunion. There is no kissing. El broke up with him and she doesn't try to make this romantic. But they are worried about each other and are glad to see each other safe. They finally get a chance to talk in the pizza place. El is very serious and starts off with "I missed you". It sounds like she's trying to be gentle and let him down easy. She already broke up with him but they didn't get a chance to discuss it. But when Mike hears her say she missed him he gets a little nervous and starts rambling. As we've seen him do many times when he's stressed. He interrupts her, I think because he's believes she's trying to start their romantic relationship again and he's panicking. So he tries to start breaking up with her too. The two of them are both trying to soften the blow with the "I missed you's". They are trying to make it clear that they still care about each other. But El is annoyed Mike interrupted her. And then Argyle interrupts them both and they never get to say what they want to.

Will is watching them mess around with Argyle and he's clearly upset and thinks this is a romantic moment. But that's ridiculous because Argyle is there and it's not a private, cute moment they are having between the two of them. It doesn't come across as romantic. Argyle makes it platonic and the scene comes across like siblings teasing each other. Will is under the impression this whole season that Mike and El had a great relationship because El's been lying about it for months and pretending. So when Mike tells him they fought he doesn't realize this is a big deal. El made them sound pretty solid. It's why he can't see this for what it is. He doesn't think he has a chance with Mike because El made it seem like they were doing great.

When Will pushes Mike to give his monologue to El, he isn't telling him to make some romantic love confession. Because he had no idea what their fight was about. Again, he thinks their relationship is fine. He thinks they just had a minor fight about the skating rink. So when Mike starts apologizing to her for not saying he loves her, that had to confuse him. Because he thought it was clear they were in love, only now it apparently wasn't clear to El and she was upset about it. This scene is a parallel to the scene in season 1 I talked about already. Mike is trying to get El to hold on and keep fighting. He's stressed and blurting out whatever he needs to to help.

This scene is not at all romantic. The lighting is terrible and it's not a private moment between Mike and El. Will is right in the background for all of it. Mike looks like he is physically forcing the words out and he is so devastated when Will reminds him he's the heart. He thinks he misunderstood Will in the van. Because Will is making their intimate, romantic moment about El. Except that's not exactly what he's doing (he's panicking and trying to help) but the look on Mike's face is utter heartbreak.

We don't see what happens after this moment. There is a two day time jump. But I can only assume that this was the most awkward, tense road trip ever. Because they are all exhausted and quiet when they get to Hawkins. While Mike may have misunderstood Will in the moment, he's had 2 days to go over what happened at the pizza place and I think he's going to put together that he didn't misunderstand Will in the van after all. Because Will giving him this painting doesn't make sense if Mike wasn't right the first time. I think Mike may initiate a conversation about this early on for some clarity. Because he was clearly upset when this happened and there is no way he lets this go, especially after Will was crying over it. Because Will's crying doesn't add up if he wasn't confessing his feelings. Mike knows. He isn't stupid.

Not to mention that Mike said several things to El that aren't really adding up for Will. He was under the impression that their relationship was going well but Mike indicated it wasn't and he's had 2 days to think about this too. And Mike is going to be protective of Will and not hanging around El and El's going to be doing her own thing so Will is definitely going to question that. As much as he desperately wants to tell himself he's ripped the band-aid off and is moving on, he's going to ask because he needs to know.

As for Mike and El, it's seems like they haven't gotten a chance to talk, but they are annoyed with each other. They both know Mike's speech was full of lies and anyone who watched season 1 knows that too. They are both rolling their eyes and not speaking at the cabin. They are all on the edge of realizing something here. Someone is going to put it together soon and say something. Because they are all confused by each other's actions and it made things weird. The only way to fix any of this is if Mike and Will confess.

Mike and Will have another heart-to-heart and this one is a parallel to the scene in season 2 I already mentioned. Mike is promising Will that they will handle everything and it will be ok. They get interrupted yet again before things can get any more emotional.

The season ends with them on the hill paired off with the other couples obviously foreshadowing their relationship. But I think this moment is Will having a Vecna vision. But more along the lines of the one Nancy had and the one Will had in season 2. The Mind Flayer doesn't want Will dead. He wants to recruit him. So I think this is supposed to be a warning or a vision of what's to come if they don't save Max. If Will is in a trance, the season is going to open with a very panicked Mike because Will is in danger again. And we saw what he was like when this happens in season 2.

I think Mike and Will are going to spend a lot of time together next season. I can't imagine Mike and El having too many scenes together. They will clarify a break up early because there is no reason to drag this mess of a relationship out any longer especially when they are both so unhappy. Narratively this relationship serves no purpose for either character and their individual arcs anymore. El will likely spend a lot of time with Max and Lucas. Honestly, I don't need to see her and Mike together bonding. They had their chance to do that and never did. If they come back after a time jump and they are suddenly super close it will be jarring and out of place. They never formed an emotional closeness with each other and there are far more interesting interactions I want to see.

As for Mike, I think we will get to see him comfortable with himself again like he was in the beginning of the season. Because Will was the last piece of him accepting himself fully. He's the only person he can be himself with. His character arc (and Will's) is only satisfying if Mike and Will are a couple because that's the way the narrative has been written. They've been building up to it since the beginning.

[hikachin]

"Place Your Bets" Translation

After quite a while of not translating (around a year), I am back. This time I translated Makonyan's new single, "Place Your Bets". The jazz and rock melody really grabs your attention and showcases his maturity.

This single is released to celebrate his 5th artist debut anniversary. As a way to give back to his fans, he brought us "Place Your Bets". Yes, he did write the lyrics.

According to Seigura July 2023 issue, this a parallel of "Miserable Masquerade". With the theme of it being "counter attack". It is about a man out for revenge. I will not try to explain too much cause I'll probably TL the article when the copy is in my hands.

Rainy Day is also another song he wrote the lyrics for. I'll most likely TL Rainy Day, too.

Before you start reading the TL, please do note a few stuff. I am no expert in Japanese and I am still learning it. I am sorry in advanced if there are any mistranslations. With that being said, please enjoy this masterpiece 🙏

"Place Your Bets" ~ Furukawa Makoto [古川慎]

Oh Lady, ready? Crazy, I don't miss you

In an unforgettable flavor

My heart is beating for avenge it

The curtains open to a showdown-like frenzy

The dress that wrapped around the scarlet memories

The lies that burn to ashes, a trampled resolve *⑴

A fragile relationship (visage) ignored *⑵

(Let's) Start this game like a kiss *⑶

A yearning gem

The hand that can't reach the cry of the past

The messiest, sweetest room

(An) unravelled spell

"Place Your Bets"

(I) love you so much to the point that it destroys (me)

The night blooms as you ridiculed me with a "it's been a long time" *⑷

The captured, traveling innocence that was imprisoned *⑸

Stirred up fakeness

I've gone insane as I'm being exposed

Sepia painted endorphin

Daring lips, the wheel of reunion

The needle that moved will not be able to stop

(Break this, your jail

my oath, my faith)

The misérable noise of the bell

That surrender

Never disappearing mutterings

"Goodbye masquerade"

It's beautiful because it doesn't satisfy at all

The poker face facing the table

The unavoidable, undeceivable final blow of the last phase *⑹

A raise of intertwined gazes *⑺

Destroying each other until we're mad

I've arranged one of the best parting gift *⑻

Right in the middle of your heart,

I just stabbed it

The game is over

Notes:

⑴ 「踏み締める」means to harden by treading. I use trample just cause it's easier for many to understand. It's also not too long, unlike the original definition.

⑵ This starts the saga of "Furukawa Makoto using different furigana than the actual furigana of the kanji". 「関係性」is read as 「かんけいせい」(kankeisei). But the furigana says 「カタチ」(katachi). From what I have found, 「カタチ」means visage. Take this information as you will. I believe the visage of the relationship is the one that's fragile.

⑶ Similar situation to ⑵, 「勝負」is usually read as 「しょうぶ」(shoobu). But in here, it's written as 「ゆうぎ」(yuugi). 「ゆうぎ」can be written in kanji as 「遊戯」and 「遊技」. First one meaning "play" and the other meaning "pasttimes". Again, take this info as you will.

⑷ I did my best with this one. But this is just how much I can translate the sentence.

⑸ Same situation with ⑷, this is just how much I can translate the lyrics.

⑹ 「トドメ」here is written purely in katakana. So no kanji or anything which made it confusing. Other than translating to "final blow", it could also mean "stab".

⑺ Same situation as ⑷ & ⑸. This is seriously the best I can do for this sentence.

⑻ Has a similar situation here where he used straight up katakana [ハナムケ]. Further confusing which kanji it is. In the end, the only fitting meaning I found is a "parting gift". The other meaning has something to do with a horse's nose.

If you'd like to support me, you can do so by donating to my Ko-fi down here ^^

[incarnateirony]

Interesting news out of the M&G Saturday, but I gotta say, it doesn't track with filming, original intent, or anything else and does seem like either if taken at flat value rather than reading thoroughly.

A) Misha is throwing something/lying/word tweak people missed

B) It's that whole extended direct reunion element even if Dean deals with his own bullshit

Particularly interesting since he DID make it to film. The TLDR is that people are implying he said he won't be in TW, that he and Jensen talked about it and "Jensen and I spoke in depth and we decided it wasn't time for Cas to come back". That it was intended with Jensen and they talked about it.

This, of course, if read DIRECT, is directly in contrast with Jensen outright saying "I'm bringing Castiel back" in another recent greet (iirc it was DC. Misha also told a fan he was coming back this year as well, a few weeks later). So it feels like there's either some miscommunication, or they changed some delivery angles when the script flexed for renewal, or misha is outright admitting they opted to bump Cas coming back into the next year plot rather than the tie-up finale.

The only way I can think OF this working in the structure, though, if it becomes Dean saying and facing his piece whether or not he's heard back (which is the point of finding the self, just like Cas didn't need to Hear It Back to find himself), and then stretching out the full recovery to the second season, which I believe is something I threw as an option on it, the great destiel reunion method. If people end S1 knowing Cas might still be out there and come back for S2 on the great destiel chase.

Which I believe I said was the antis' best hope--a direct stall on any reunion direct only to turn into the great lovers divided across worlds storyline. So you know. Enjoy that.

Like I said I've been flying blind on extension plans. Season 1's premise was simple: Dean, dead, finding peace, and putting away his inner monsters and addressing his repressed issues and had something to say and needed Cas. Learning from your parents etc. I SAW this as a potential flex but I can't say I'm comfortable believing it outright plain text. What does he mean Coming Back. Is that the same as Being In? Coming Back and Being In Are similar but not the same. He could be In the show without Coming Back in a means that is like, literally coming back. Because if Castiel Comes Back Now, then we end up with the deancas show for season 2 and the kids as a side, but that doesn't mean he has no presence there EG Roxy and so on. So I can see how it could be "Cas is in but not coming back yet, such as voices, small clips, astral breakthroughs, etc"

I know some people are gonna try to spin and twist and flip out and manipulate the fuck out of this and make it a damn big thing, but I really don't care. End of the road will always be the same. Catastrophize and squeal all you want after the post, but I'd rather inform people of the dialogue going around than brush it under a rug.

I always struggled, personally, with where the show could go if DeanCas got a reunion, since ironically the search for that is a huge point of the early premise. They wrote it for one season but if you get more seasons, the whole akrida-stiel setup kinda gets wonky to continue if he just ends up sitting shotgun with Dean. So frankly, I'm not even blinking at this statement.

[diamondmeadow]

ooh, I'm curious about Edinburgh Epic! 👀

So Edinburgh Epic is actually a strange thing, and I could talk about it forever. It is basically an idea that I used for one of my roleplays, which is now discontinued, but the whole premise is just too good to pass on, and I really hope I can turn it into a fic one day using my writing from it. The scary thing is, it can be nothing but a multichapter, possibly a very very long one at that, and I'm not very brave when it comes to longfic. It's sort of a band AU but not really at all. It takes place in Edinburgh, that's why Edinburgh Epic. Sirius trying to patch things up with the rest of the Marauders after he disappeared for five years after their graduation. He suddenly appears at their uni reunion and well, shit goes down. The reason for his disappearance silly as it can only get; he thinks Remus and James are in love (which isn't true, but it's still complicated). But of course, he's been pining for so long. And maybe Remus has been pining too, but god, they are oblivious. Sirius is not a very good person in this premise, but I love the idea of him as a very flawed being very much. It makes me want to write the fic all the more. There is a whole extensive lore for this that came around while the roleplay was going on, and much of it can't be used because the ideas are not all mine, but I'm hopeful I can rework it.

There are also a lot of graphics I made for the rp (fictional album covers), so posting some here for fun as well as a snippet I wrote for the rp.

If it's to any interest haha.

There he is. He is! This isn't a joke, but that's no surprise. Sirius could never doubt Remus after all; the other has never given him any reason to. Unlike Sirius, who's been giving them to everyone around him. His brows knit in an unconscious pained look, not because of his injuries, but because of the way Remus is looking at him. Sirius doesn't know what to do with himself. It is bright enough with all the city night lights, not like back in the quad with Reg, but Sirius now wishes it was the other way around. It's hard to look into the face of things he has done. Into Remus' face where it is all being reflected, the black eye that he's given him by an accident a burning testimony. Sirius wants to reach out, let his fingers apologise for him. Well, that privilege he lost years ago. And yes, Sirius has his reasons for everything, yes, he does, but no one is asking, no one is interested. Honestly, at this point he starts believing that's how that ought to be. He doesn't deserve forgiveness. He doesn't deserve a chance to explain. He doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Remus nor James nor Peter, nor anyone really. His eyes fall down to his own feet and watch his own steps as he follows Remus, wherever he os taking them. Just say something, anything. Whoever the thought is directed to. I'm sorry. Remus, Moony, Moons, I'm so terribly sorry. Looking up just enough to see the way Remus' pace looks strained and heavy, the way he is gripping at his cane, Sirius feels a pang of pain somewhere near his heart. Very real physical pain coupled with his lung feeling as if someone kept stomping on them. Remus, how are you? What can I do? Let me ... take ... Then Sirius hears him, sees the napkin at the edge of his vision. They stop. Sirius reaches out for the offered item, his fingers hesitating for a millisecond; does he have any right to accept the kindness? Remus, always thinking of others when the only person he should be thinking about is himself. Remus, who absolutely wouldn't accept others thinking about him the same way in spite of the fact he would give himself and his everything to anyone who asked. No, actually people don't even have to ask. Remus. At last, Sirius clutches the napkin in his hand, then in the other, finally neatly folding it, smoothing it on his palm, before pressing it under his nose. He inhales, closing his eyes, a familiar scent hitting his nostrils, but when he looks again, there's no trace of blood on the pristine fabric. It knows too. In itself or as a part of Remus even the napkin's rejecting him. "I... tried to clean up before. And now the blood's all dried up and won't really ... come off. That's okay." His voice comes off a little shaky as he rambles. Sirius is ashamed of how much the events of the night are affecting him. He is afraid Remus might come to pity him. But he's worthy of none of that genuine compassionate feeling the other is so capable of. Sirius quickly pushes the napkin into the pocket on his trousers instead before Remus can ask for it. At least... let me have this. Sirius looks up quickly. Is it okay? "How is your eye? Does it hurt very much?" No improvement shows in his voice. A car's passed them just as he speaks up again and his question is drowned in the sounds of the engine. He steps closer and repeats. "Does your eye hurt very much?"

[heartfullofxfright]

@babyitsmagic sent five times left:      ( five times the sender and receiver parted ways ) - for eli/max or ro/ash OR a mix of both if you wanna!!!

this was very obviously inspired by the similar one you wrote about ash/ro but i went with a mix <3

i. one of the hardest things about being immortal is never being able to truly set roots. the constant moving around can be exhausting. thankfully, eli and rowan have each other. it’s not as lonely as it could be, but sometimes they both wish they could have something more. their prayers seemed to be answered when they met ash and max. while they hadn’t become inseparable or the absolute best of friends, they had seemed to be on their way to something special, if only they’d had more time. but eli and rowan had already been there too long. it was difficult to have to say goodbye, to have to move on to the next town when they’d finally found others who might understand, but they were hopeful their paths would cross again someday.

ii. they should’ve been happy to see each other again. but things are different. eli and max are captaining pirate vessels with rowan and ash as their second in commands and that means there can be no playing nice. their crews wouldn’t allow it even if they’d tried. so instead of hugs and drinks and reminiscing, they’re lunging at each other in a fight that should end with two of them dead, but no one seems to be willing to take it that far. so their reunion is short lived, with no pleasantries exchanged. they fight hard, but not as hard as any are really capable of. once they’ve put on enough of a show, they part ways with reputations in tact, but at a hefty cost.

iii. rowan knows this was a mistake. not that she regrets it. she thinks she'd always be too curious to know what it was like and they both needed to get it out of their systems. but watching him sleep as she dresses quietly, she feels her chest ache in a way it never has before when she's slipped away into the night. she finds a scrap of paper and writes a quick note: "until we can sneak away again." she leaves the note on top of his clothes and hurries out of the room before she can do something stupid like convince herself it would be okay to wait until morning to leave. she hopes ash won't hate her too much for it the next time they cross paths, even if it would be easier if he did.

iv. when he sees max, eli curses under his breath. he might not be captaining a ship anymore, but that doesn't mean there's not a hell of a lotta history between them that max might want to hash out. but then she's grinning at him from the bar and next thing he knows, they're buying each other rounds of drinks and laughing at old stories. it's not the max he's used to, but it's a max he likes. he hears them calling his name from the door and he knows it's time to go. he pays for another round for max to apologize for calling the night short and leans in, pressing a kiss to her cheek to say goodbye. he thinks the fact that it had to be unexpected is the only reason he makes it out the door without max kicking his ass.

v. after giving the kids one last kiss and a big squeeze, rowan makes her way over to her brother and gives him a hug. "i'm not asking if you're sure because they've been here for five minutes and probably given you just as many reasons to try and back out, so thank you for taking them. if they do anything absolutely disastrous, you know how to find us." she honestly still can't believe she somehow conned max and eli into watching the kids so she and ash could have a breather, but she's not going to question it. eli brushes off her thanks and as they're walking out the door, he calls to them, "just remember this means you get ours next time!"

[butterflies-dragons]

About the location of the jonsa reunion in the Books, I was thinking about this question and there is something I found in my many re-reads that I never wrote about before, so maybe this is the perfect time for it.

I'm talking about the first paragraphs of the first AGOT Sansa chapter:

Eddard Stark had left before dawn, Septa Mordane informed Sansa as they broke their fast. "The king sent for him. Another hunt, I do believe. There are still wild aurochs in these lands, I am told." "I've never seen an aurochs," Sansa said, feeding a piece of bacon to Lady under the table. The direwolf took it from her hand, as delicate as a queen.

Septa Mordane sniffed in disapproval. "A noble lady does not feed dogs at her table," she said, breaking off another piece of comb and letting the honey drip down onto her bread. "She's not a dog, she's a direwolf," Sansa pointed out as Lady licked her fingers with a rough tongue. "Anyway, Father said we could keep them with us if we want."

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa I

There is a lot to say about these first paragraphs, starting for the name "Eddard Stark" being the first words in the first Sansa chapter of the first Book, because without a doubt Ned is the most important man in Sansa's life.

We also have the foreshadowing for the new Dawn after the Long Night, the Queen Sansa foreshadowing, the jonsa parallel with Ghost and Lady being fed under the table, and the parallel of King Robert hunting aurochs and later hunting the white stag, and finally the direwolves and aurochs being animals that still exist in the North and beyond.

But here I want to call your attention to Sansa saying "I've never seen an aurochs," because maybe she will be able to see an aurochs at the Wall or beyond.

Aurochs is a type of large wild cattle. They have shaggy hair. Aurochs once dwelled in the majority of Westeros. Because of hunting and domestication, however, they have dwindled in the wild and are not often seen. One place reportedly still inhabited by wild aurochs is near the juncture of the kingsroad  and the Green Fork of the Trident in the Riverlands. They still dwell beyond the Wall, where the free folk employ them to drag sledges. Aurochs are frequently used as a symbol of size, strength, stubbornness, and stupidity.

As you can see, there are aurochs i) near the juncture of the kingsroad and the Green Fork of the Trident; and, ii) beyond the Wall. But there is also an aurochs at the Wall or maybe more than one.

After saying in her first AGOT chapter that she has never seen an aurochs, Sansa is present in two feast where aurochs were roasted, so I suspect that when she said "I've never seen an aurochs" she was referring to a living aurochs.

So, to actually see a living aurochs, Sansa needs to return to the juncture of kingsroad and the Green Fork of Trident or go to the Wall and/or beyond.

Again, the expression "I've never seen an aurochs" makes me think that Sansa's wishes do come true, even though this is not expressed as a wish. But I still wonder, If Sansa got to have a mythological direwolf as an animal companion, why can't she see a living aurochs?

Then the possibility of the jonsa reunion happening at the Wall grows. Once at the Wall Sansa will be able to see some living aurochs, either beyond the Wall during some outing, or some of the aurochs the free folk brought with them when they crossed the Wall, or she can meet Grenn, AKA "Aurochs."

And that's it. Just a little speculation for this Sunday night.