#not that it matters cause idk who's reading all these tags but grant is her maiden name

[jwirecs]

RECOMMENDED SEVENTEEN FICS OF MAY-JUNE 2023💖

hello, hello! here are my recs for seventeen for may-june! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝 (i discovered that combining atz/svt/skz&txt into one post may be too much and too long + might take too much space in the tags for each respective groups so i’ve decided to make them all separate!) 

** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **

🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite

[04:15AM] || @fairyhaos​💕✅💯💯

↳ Requested by one of their readers. (THE AMOUNT OF SOFTNESS AND FLUFF AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)

Blood Moon || @smileysuh​🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ ".....let’s just say, you’re all that matters to me now. And I’m going to worship you as if you were the moon” (idk this author personally, but i just wanna say that i love your fics and everyone needs to give atleast their fic a read! you will be seeing their fics in my nct fic recs too just saying.)

Drunk Giant || @yikesmary​​​💕✅

↳ in which you have to figure out how to transfer your drunk boyfriend to the bedroom without causing major bodily harm. and he’s not making it easy for you.

The Athlete (Bonus) || @sun-kore​​ 🔞💕✅💯

↳ You are assigned to do an interview with Kwon Soonyoung, the trailblazing athlete everyone calls Hoshi. But as you spend more time with him, you start to see there are more layers to him than football. (i honestly had to re-read The Athlete because i forgot how the story went. + it was a given to read the first one before the second one. i suggest yall do the same.)

How To Unsubscribe To Dating || @dropsofletters​​​💕💔✅

↳ on april 18th, hansol likes his favorite youtuber’s instagram picture. not because of her content—though, he finds himself laughing at all of her weekly videos—but because he thinks she’s gorgeous. that is how it ends. just a like on a picture that no one will see.

This Is How We Fall || @bitterie-sweetie​💕💔✅💯

↳ You should know better than to make a deal with a stranger, but the need for a date to Minghao’s party has you desperate. It can’t be too bad though; all you have to do is show Mingyu what you saw in your reading, and he would be your date for one night. Simple enough, right?

A Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing || @rubyreduji​🔞✅

↳ kim mingyu is the biggest player on campus, so why is he coming to you for sex help

Doting On You || @lovelyhan​​​​🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ a svt hhu x pets series!

Fallin’ Flowers || @leejungchans​​​💕💔🔄💯💯💯

↳ "while flowers bloom and falls, scars cure and buds shoot // we are living our first and last moments // so i won’t take you for granted // because you loved me as i am” - fallin’ flower by seventeen

I Found Love In Your Smile || @wonlouvre​​​🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ falling in love with wonwoo never felt so easy. however, when unforgivable truths test your relationship, you can’t help but think that maybe you were betrothed for all the wrong reasons.

Inflection Point || @lovelyhan​​​​🔞💕💔✅

↳ you love yoon jeonghan. no, scratch that. you fucking adore yoon jeonghan; so much that the moment he asks you to be in an exclusive set-up with his current partner, you accept the offer in a heartbeat. what you fail to consider, however, is who your boss’ boyfriend actually is.

Money Talks || @sunlightwoo​​​💕💔✅💯💯

↳ everybody needs to get by somehow, and what better way of it is through a ‘club’ full of men that are loaded with money to help pay for whatever you need help with? to put it shortly, thirteen sugar daddies are here to help you pay for what you need or give you money in exchange for something to make them feel better about life.

Puppy Parents || @yikesmary​💕✅

↳ where your golden retriever has the tendency to bring you things she has an interest in— sticks, frisbees that obviously don’t belong to you, and even the occasional bird. but this time, your dog brings… a man? and not just any man, only the most beautiful man you’ve ever met. maybe your dog is onto something…

Partner Privilege || @blue-jisungs​​​​💕💔✅

↳ (title says it all, i can honestly see this happening to their future s/o.)

Feverish Lips || @sunlightwoo​​​💔✅

↳ you’d think that because it’s the first semester of the year, it’d be like the beginning of a roller coaster when its slowly becoming climatic and stressful. however, once you’re at the top of the point you have two choices: scream your lungs or quickly hang onto your life support. sadly in your case, you can either suck it up and get through it, or get involved in its loops in tangles with trouble that is bound to be met within every corner that you turn to.

Introduce Me A Good Person || @taeyegu​​ 💕💔✅

↳ if there is a nice person, please introduce him to me. sometimes like water, sometimes like fire. someone who can love me sincerely. i hope he is someone who is mature and faithful…

What I Would Do || @sungbeam​​ 💕💔✅

↳ minghao is kinda sorta maybe in love with you, but he thinks you're so out of his league.

Meet Cute of The Century || @lovelyhan​ 🔞💕💔✅💯💯

↳ the last thing you expected when you volunteered at your city’s local animal shelter is to meet the hottest cat person in the world. now if only he’d just adopt one of them so you’d stop ogling him every time he drops by.

Do check out all of the other seventeen fics that i have reblogged as well!!

** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **

[thejustmaiden]

So out of nowhere I was tagged and quoted by a SR shipper for a blog of mine posted in August of last year. Talk about throwback but, hey, gotta appreciate that level of snooping. 😉

Back in the day I actually used to encourage discourse amongst Inuyasha fans- both shippers and antis alike- but I've since realized that it's a lost cause. But for you, @feministmetalgreymon , I'll grant this exception. Just 'cause it's been a while so why the hell not. haha

I want to assure you, however, that nothing you say will ever convince me that Sesshomaru and Rin are meant to be together romantically or that the story intended it so. Nor will you find any validation here. You can ship them for all I care, but please for all that is good and holy while I have your attention try- I mean really try- to understand why it is so many of us Inuyasha fans are so against this pairing in the first place (newsflash: it's not about ship wars), and why we believe a romance between the two of them is completely and utterly out of character.

For those of you interested in reading this, the blog of mine in question that the above shipper mentions in their counter-argument is here for reference. It's titled "Jaken = Rin's Dad?" I'm going to try and keep this short, but I'm also making no such promises. After all, I'm not exactly known for my brevity. haha Now let's get crackin'!

Like you, feministmetalgreymon, did for your recent blog here where you took screenshots of mine to address certain parts, I will be doing the same and dissecting yours accordingly.

[Snippet 1]

I worked with kids for many years as a teacher, and many people in my family have too or still do. Two of them happen to be just over 5 feet which is quite short for the average adult woman living here. I've also worked alongside many a women of short stature, and never did I hear any of them complaining of issues with their students having difficulty differentiating them from their own peers just because they were short as well. I'm sorry but that's just ridiculous. Kids are quite smart and pick up on a lot more than you seem to give them credit for. Height is not the only characteristic they look at to determine who's an adult and who's not, and it's foolish to suggest otherwise. So unless you're a babysitter who's still in their teens and/or who has very childlike features or behavior then I'm afraid what you're getting at is total hogwash. This is just another example of how you shippers offer nothing of real substance to your reasoning, it's only ever cherry-picking or strawmanning from you guys. Stop deflecting from the real issues please, because this certainly isn't one and only winds up being a complete waste of time for all parties involved.

[Snippet 2]

Okay, calm down now. I wasn't insinuating that relationships between parents and children can't change over time in terms of how they get along. Of course that's possible, as all families experience their fair share of estrangement and abuse. What I was speaking about was in reference to the overall dynamic between the two. Because a bad mother or father can still be viewed as a parental figure to their child even if say they're not in said child's life anymore. Since Sesshomaru and Rin share a healthy bond- and just a friendly reminder that in my blog I even said that he doesn't have to necessarily be labeled her father but that a romantic relationship later would still be inappropriate- I didn't deem it necessary to address what you brought up. Plus, it kinda, umm, misses the point?? Please, let's stay on topic. And it's not captured in the screenshot, but stop acting like there isn't a small part of them that idolizes their parents at some point during childhood. Just like you mention later on how it's normal for kids to have innocent crushes on adults that they eventually grow out of? Well, guess what, the same concept applies here. Kids eventually learn that their parents are far from perfect and make mistakes too. Rin is so damn young in the OG series though that we never even get to see her reach that maturity level.

[Snippet 3]

LOL! Alright, okay, so the "unbreakable bond" bit you're mentioning was actually me quoting you sessrinners. Did you not catch that? I literally spelled it out. *sigh* The whole point I was making is that shippers like yourself make hypocritical and contradictory statements all.the.goddamn.time. One moment you guys claim that Sesshomaru and Rin were essentially strangers and meant very little to each other, only to say in the same breath a few seconds later that they were destined to be together and their bond is like no other. I agree, their bond is special, but why must that mean they're going to fall in love?

That is the root of the matter here. Too many animes/mangas have romanticized this older adult man & young girl growing up falling in love trope that it's become way too normalized and widely accepted across the world- and yes, in some cultures more than others. Sadly, you lack the awareness to recognize how this all works. You know how we know that? When we see that you shippers are so desensitized to sexualized images of girls in the media that you share posts like this one below which *subtly* imply a future romance although one half of that pairing is still just a child in the pic and then try and pass it off as cute. That's like super fucking problematic and it scares me that you can't see that (or deny you do). 🤢

After all that's said and done, Sesshomaru leaving Rin in the village with Kaede is to me the strongest indicator more than pretty much anything else he's done for Rin that proves he is her adoptive father. It's so funny to me how you somehow see the exact opposite though. 🤔 What I think is happening is that you got yourself on some squeaky clean ass shipper goggles fresh out of your little echo chamber. Because I hate to tell you, but what you're fantasizing is what you want to see and not what's actually there on screen or was written into the story. I'm strictly talking about Inuyasha and the manga of course. [For the TL; DR version skip to the last paragraph.]

Parents looking after their kids is what parents are supposed to do. A good parent will do anything to keep their child safe and ensure they are cared for, so what he did for her by leaving her there was in her best interests clearly. Besides, as a babysitter, you more than most people should understand that parents aren't always able to be there for their kids so sometimes others gotta step in to help. Haven't you heard of the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child?" Which in Rin's case is literally true! 😂 Sometimes kids are even sent off to stay with grandparents and that's who raises them instead. Or maybe they have to temporarily live with an aunt or uncle because their single parent's job requires they work out of town 4-5 days of the week so they're hardly home. But that doesn't mean that the parents care or love their kids any less, and it's foolish to assume that Sesshomaru must have thought very little of Rin simply due to the fact that he made the decision to leave her in the village. Come on, y'all are acting like he abandoned her there!!

It's just given the circumstances Sesshomaru finally came to learn that Rin traveling with him was no longer safe. I also like to think it's because he wished for her to live a more normal life and to learn how to fully trust humans again. Plus, continuing to travel with him as young as she was would have proven dangerous and unwise. Now for you to know all this and still manage to turn his past actions towards her while she was just a child into a romantic gesture is what boggles my mind. Regardless of how you look at it, from my perspective or your own, Sesshomaru is in the wrong. Either he's a father figure who impregnates his daughter at the young age of approximately 14. OR he's this man she used to travel with who maybe isn't a father to her but who nonetheless basically rapes her since kids her age can't consent to sex with an adult. Idk about you but it sounds to me like nobody here wins with either scenario we're given. In other words, you should be just as mad as we are. If only one side didn't choose to forsake their morals they know we both have in common for the sake of a ship. Welp. 🤷‍♀️

I agree, incest is disgusting but that's not the only problem we have with this pairing. A romantic bond forming between Sesshomaru and Rin would also constitute as grooming.

You realize that over the years he visited her in the village that he brought her gifts too and essentially watched her grow up right before his very eyes, right? I mean, I know you do, but I really shouldn't have to explain further why pursuing a romantic/sexual relationship with each other is plain and simple wrong. And before you say it's not because he didn't have any malintent, please understand that considering their history and power dynamic up to then that yes this is still considered grooming even if Rin supposedly "wanted it" or "made the first move." Whether you consider him her father or not, as the adult who took on a role resembling that of a caretaker in her early life- a critical developmental time for a child- Sesshomaru is obligated to turn down any advances by Rin and most definitely should not initiate any himself. As the first close adult figure she's had in her life since her parents died, it's unfathomable to imagine how Sesshomaru could go through with taking advantage of this young girl who was under his care and supervision since they met. To think he could be capable of betraying that trust sickens me to the core.

This. Now THIS is how a parent/guardian or a similar adult caretaker (babysitter, teacher, etc.) talks to a child. And, in turn, this is how some young children talk to adults. You'd be insane and delusional to deny it! We see it in our everyday lives, do we not? From where else do you think our stories draw most of their inspiration? Yes, obviously these fictional universes have aspects of fantasy that don't exist in the real world, but so how then do you suppose we're able to relate to them? The reason for that being is because these stories are written by people for people, so naturally there are going to be real life aspects embedded throughout. Sure, a little escapism doesn't hurt as we don't need to take everything so seriously, but ultimately we all need to recognize that the messages in the stories we tell matter. Most stories possess a combination of both light and dark themes, but when it specifically comes to the latter we gotta be careful with how we tackle this in children's media since kids are far more impressionable.

So if at the center of a story we have two of the main protagonists whose mom is basically their same age and to top it off she knew their dad when she was just a girl and who just so happened to help raise her, wouldn't you say that's beyond fucked up or at the very least so fucking weird? Like why would we think it's even remotely okay for our children to watch this garbage?? Really think about it. Try and be objective for once and think about how it would sound explaining this storyline to an outsider who's never watched IY or HNY. Well, antis have tried this before many times and we always get the same reaction: Ewww!

Like I said earlier, if you wanna ship it then fine, but 1) please stop seeking our approval or trying to change our minds - your ship wish came true didn't it, so why do you need us to validate it? 2) even though it's not canon, respect that we don't support this sequel portraying pedophilia in a positive light. It's harmful af to not only allow but glorify the continuation of sexualized images of young girls everywhere. And I shouldn't have to say this, but just because this trope is popular as you say does not make it right. Lolicon themes in the media have been an issue forever and it needs to stop. Yes, even some people in Japan or "the East" would agree. Shocker!

We're pissed off and rightfully so because Yashahime's TV rating is 14, not to mention it airs at the prime time kids in Japan watch TV after getting home from school. That's Towa and Setsuna's age, true, but if Rin being the mom when she's like only a year older than them (please don't argue w/ me about the math- antis have so far been right every time with it) is straight-up disgusting and not something we should be supporting or endorsing. Rin's a whole ass child!! Please don't start with the "but times were different then so her having kids at 15 is acceptable" argument either, because we've already debunked that and every other single excuse you guys throw at us. Besides, how or why would you expect young viewers to know these historical "facts" anyway, especially if as you suggest fiction doesn't affect reality so what does it matter? Yet here we are, arguing over a fictional show in real life almost a year and a half into the "Sesshomaru fucks?" sequel being announced. My ass, your ass, hell all our asses fiction doesn't affect reality!

Look, I do apologize if the tone of this blog came off as snippy or condescending at times. I do not wish you any ill will, it's just I'm not really sure what you expected to get out of all this besides maybe getting on my nerves perhaps. haha A lot of you shippers have been desperately scrambling to interact with us, lurking in our tags, jumping onto our posts screaming canon and getting so defensive even though you sought us out first. We've been sticking to our tags, so how about you stay in your lane too. By the way since we're on the topic, have you seen Twitter or Reddit?! SR shippers there are the actual worst and many Inuyasha fans (not just antis) have complained of not feeling welcomed to engage in fandom spaces anymore. Shippers swarm them and scare them off simply because fans don't like your ship and refuse to accept it. It's pathetic, really. No one should ever be bullied or harassed just because they don't like something you might. We're all fans of Inuyasha, aren't we? So let's act like it. Yashahime on the other hand, you guys are welcome to that pungent heap of trash. Fans have a right to criticize it too, but if you like it then good for you, so keep on liking it and don't mind us.

I'm almost done, but real quick back to Jaken! Let's not forget about how the official Yashahime website- which came out after my blog, mind you- described Jaken. This translation isn't the best one available but it's the only version a fellow anti friend could track down. They do recall a better one done by a native Japanese speaker who was also an anti, and that member confirmed that Jaken is indeed called Rin's babysitter. So you see, I was right in my interpretation. In the original post I did compare Jaken to a brother, but after talking to others (some comments can be found under said post) I did acknowledge that he's more of a reluctant babysitter who's not related. And if he's not at least a brother to Rin, then he's definitely not her father.

At the end of the day, the creator Rumiko Takahashi has the final word. Which is guess what? Hogosha. 💖 Probably should've just started out with that and saved us all the trouble, huh? Good day/night to you.

Papamaru bids you adieu now. 🤞

[mommyhorror]

reading the back&forths between a certain bisexual and lesbian women on here (orbiting radblr) is a bit scary. The bisexual woman in question keeps saying that she doesn’t deserve to feel isolated from lesbians and gay men (homosexuals) because she too feels homosexual attraction … like they have an obligation to soothe and sympathize with those who are not homosexual (aka exclusively attracted to their own sex, not attracted to the other sex). it’s a bit weird and getting annoying actually because if u sit back and reread what youve written, you want lesbians to be your mommies. No lesbian is allowed to say “actually I don’t need to fix the bisexual problems Bc I’m not bi and i keep being asked to do so by people who purposely misrepresent my sexuality & role in the LGB” without getting a long angry response. this person even said that bisexuals are the most common in the LGB. if that’s true/what you believe to be true then…. Why don’t you speak with other bisexuals on the matter? why does it need to consistently fall back on lesbians? I think it’s because bisexuals can often be a very nebulous group, as they/we don’t identify with the same language (the word bisexual) & conversely, lesbians are an easy target as you know exactly who you’re addressing when you say lesbian. There was even the assumption that a particular lesbian she was in convo with was a radfem when she was not. Imo, that points to the assumption that lesbians will always be there to “represent” / be inside and inclusive in radical feminist spaces. So I think they are taken for granted, and their role is magnified.

I don’t necessarily want to make a call out post & tag her bc … I just feel like it’s probably not going to be productive considering the other responses I’ve seen her make. & I also am not trying to attack, but rather have a larger convo, if other women&radfems agree. But I don’t think this should keep falling back onto lesbians & therefore going nowhere bc she keeps demanding the same things from them. I also think the convo is a bit larger than just her recent posts, it’s something that vaguely causes friction & then I don’t see the discourse for weeks at a time. But it does keep popping up. I’m bi with a preference for men so I feel like I can/should say something since feelings are stirring when I read these posts.

I do think about separatism and the idea that het women would have a much different (grieving) process about “losing” potential/current men to date&marry etc. But I also see those as a bit of a far-off concept, something we’d need to address when we actually cross that bridge. It even comes off as a sort of fantasy. because for right now, we don’t live in a separatist world or community, we all live away from eachother in patriarchal societies & we communicate almost exclusively online (I’m talking about HERE & now specifically, and my experience here). Right now, het women don’t really need to give up men if they don’t want to, they’re just reading suggestions that they do so if they’d like to move onto separatism in an ideal future. No one is saying it’ll be easy or anything, it will most likely be a massive change/psychological adjustment. again, come to that in your own time & pace yourself if it’s something you actually want to pursue. anyways my point is, it’s not reality rn. You can either choose to live your life now in a way that reflects your future ideals, or you don’t. No one is forcing you to. If your hangup is that this could “make you a bad radfem” then …??? idk being a good radfem is not something someone else can validate for you. And it’s important to recognize when you’re demanding lesbians validate that for you. Because how else will we ever be in community with one another? right now the focus on bi/het fears of abandonment feel a bit conceited. That’s my take

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

OISIN - 4* CASTER - PROFILE

Under the read more!

Summon: “My name is Oisin. I am a poet – and now, I am your Caster-class Servant. Though our time together won’t last forever, I’m glad to meet you, Master."

Initial Information:

A beautiful poet, blessed with eternal youth and wisdom. Though he is a great knight, he is most famous for his silver tongue, which has preserved the legends of many heroes in what is now called the "Fenian" or "Ossianic" Cycle of Irish mythology.

Passive Skills

Territory Creation A

Item Construction C

Divinity C

Active Skills

Heroic Legacy A – Increase defense for three turns and clear own debuffs, increase attack and star generation for all allies for three turns.

Blessings of Youth A – Apply invincibility for 3 turns, apply Arts, Quick, and Buster up for 3 turns. Costs 9 critical stars.

Storyteller B – Drain all enemy NP charge, increase own NP charge, increase party NP gain for 3 turns.

NOBLE PHANTSAM: Dord Fianna – the War Cry to Defend Humanity (QUICK)

Area of effect Noble Phantasm that deals damage to all enemies, special bonus damage to any Threat to Humanity trait enemies. Applies defense down, critical strength down, and slight chance to inflict Terror status to all enemies. Applies attack up, critical strength up, and NP damage up to all allies for 3 turns.

Lines - Room

Idle: “Master, are you doing anything right now? If you’re bored, I can show you the song I’m working on now. No? You’d rather go outside? Well, that’s alright, too. I’ll tag along.”

Master-Servant Relationship: “I’m used to working, living, and fighting alongside others, so this situation is fine for me. Honestly, it brings back pleasant memories.”

Opinion of Master: “I could write a thousand songs about your adventures. I really do consider it to be a privilege to fight at your side!”

Scheherazade: “I think she and I could have a lot in common. And so beautiful too… hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m happily married, you know!”

Author Servants: “There are a lot of very talented people here. I consider myself a formidable opponent, but I think I’ll work a little harder, regardless of that. [laugh]”

Saints: “It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I can’t really understand them. I have my reasons, but that may be the one story I’m not interested in telling.”

Irish Servants: “There are so many famous heroes here from ages past. Of course, I already know the tales by heart but I wonder if there would be any differences in the first-hand accounts…”

Diarmuid: “Diarmuid! It’s been too long since I’ve seen your face! Master, this is the only person in the world who is smarter than my father. He always used to beat us at chess, and that’s just the start of it. I’m sure you already know. What? Oh, don’t be modest! And here – look! I brought you some letters from your relatives. They say you hardly ever visit anymore and – hey, where are you going?!”

Fionn: “Ahh… It’s good to see him in his prime like this. He seems to be very at ease here. Seeing that he’s able to smile and relax like this… honestly, he looks just as Mother always described him. Ah, wait a moment. Please don’t ever tell him I said that.”

Lines – Battle

DECK: QQ/AA/B

Start 1: “Just because I am an artist doesn’t mean that I can’t do battle when I need to.”

Start 2: “That look on your face… I have to wonder if you’re not taking me seriously. Well, it can’t be helped. Best of luck to you!”

Skill 1: “This is the blessing I was given.”

Skill 2: “Hmm… still a bit out of tune.”

Skill 3: “With the strength of my own limbs.”

Skill 4: “With actions that will match my speech.”

Attack: [IDK SOME NOISE]

Extra Attack 1: “With purity in our hearts!”

Extra Attack 2: “You won’t underestimate me a second time!”

Noble Phantasm Activation: “If the time has come to defend humanity – then I will serve with all the power I have.”

Noble Phantasm 1: “For the things we have forgotten, and for all that we have to gain – there is something that I, too, must protect. I swear that I shall defeat all evil in the world. With the purity of our hearts – Dord Fianna!”

Noble Phantasm 2: “This is a story of those who stood should to shoulder to defend humanity's destiny, from all that would covet and destroy it. No matter when, or where, we will always rise to meet this challenge. This is our sacred duty – Dord Fianna."

Noble Phantasm 3: “This hunting horn is not for making music – if you’re skittish, you might want to cover your ears. Listen – to our sacred battle cry!”

Injured 1: “Rude!”

Injured 2: “At least make sure to avoid my face!”

Incapacitated 1: “It seems that… once again… I can’t stay beside you until the end… I’m… sorry…”

Incapacitated 2: “It’s always like this, huh… Strange… this time, it doesn’t hurt…”

Victory 1: “I told you from the start. Before I am an artist, I am also a knight!”

Victory 2: “You know, I think I could make a song about this victory. Someone give me a tune! Hey… wait a minute… why are you all walking away?”

Bond 1: “You know, Master, I spent a long time out of human society. So, I need you to tell me to my face if I ever say something strange. Seriously. I’m not joking. I really don’t know what people talk about these days. I’m counting on your guidance.”

Profile 1: Oisin, the son of the legendary hero Fionn MacCumhail. Because his father had already eaten the Fish of All Knowledge, he was gifted from birth with wisdom and a quick wit. His name literally means "little deer" or "fawn."

Bond 2: “What was it like, growing up with such a famous father? Well, that’s a difficult question. Father has always been good to me. I’ve always felt that the Fianna were my family. Even the most loving and tight knit families sometimes fight… and even so… hm. I wonder… …Um, sorry. [slightly nervous laugh] What was I saying again?”

Profile 2: The story of Oisin's birth is a tragedy. His mother, Sadhbh, was Fionn's second wife. Though they were madly in love, his mother had another suitor, who was a cruel and wicked mage. One day, when Fionn was out hunting, the mage lured the pregnant Sadhbh out of their home by impersonating her husband, and transformed her into a deer before loosing her in the forest.

When Fionn returned to their home and found it empty, he immediately marshaled his knights and began to search for them, leaving no stone under-turned.

Eventually, the toddler Oisin was recovered - but his mother was never seen again.

Bond 3: “Yes, yes. My wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. Every man says that about his wife, but in my case, it’s actually true! She’s a wonderful, wonderful woman, and her family always treated me so kindly. I simply lost track of time, that’s all. Yes, I always meant to go back and visit, but the opportunity always… Eh? I trailed off again? I’m not sure why I keep getting lost in thought. Anyway, let’s talk about something else.”

Profile 3: Fionn was never the same after Sadhbh's disappearance. Plunged into a deep mourning, it was said that his entire personality shifted, until he was nearly a shadow of his former, magnanimous self. It was Oisin who volunteered to seek a new bride for his father, perhaps desperate to see his father smile again. It was these events that eventually lead to the Pursuit, another tale that is narrated in the Fenian Cycle.

Bond 4: “Was it hard? Yes, I suppose it was. All the places that I had loved, and all the people I had loved were gone. Even my own father. Even my first son. And then, I was even stupid enough to fall off my horse. Hah. Sorry, Master, I’ll go now. No, no. It’s alright. It’s just that I would never want you to see me like that. That’s all.”

Profile 4: Like the other Knights of Fianna, Oisin lived a long life full of adventures too numerous to recount in full. He married a fairy woman and went to live in Tir na Nog, the land of eternal youth. Eventually, he decided to return to the mortal world to visit his family. His wife gifted him a magical horse, and told him that he would not be able to dismount, or the blessings of eternal youth that he had been granted would disappear.

When Oisin emerged from the Land of Youth, he discovered that 300 years had passed, and the Fianna had all but completely disappeared.

Bond 5: “I will make sure that they remember you. I’ll fight beside you until the end – and then, I’ll make sure that the world remembers you. Really, it’s the least that I can do. But let’s not talk about depressing things. For some reason, I’ve been wanting to write a love song lately. What do you think? ‘Too early…’ It’s never too early for beautiful music! [laughing] Really, you ought to enjoy life a little more, Master.”

Profile 5: DORD FIANNA - The War Cry to Defend Humanity. A war cry to strike fear in the hearts of humanity's enemies, a power that can wake sleeping kings.

This Noble Phantasm would not normally belong to Oisin. It is said, in Ireland, that their great hero Fionn is not dead, but slumbers beneath a mountain, surrounded by his loyal knights, and that the one who blows upon his hunting horn will rise him from his sleep. When he rises, he will resume his duties, to protect humanity.

But the stories of the Fianna exist in the modern age because, after emerging from Tir na Nog, Oisin wrote them all down. Using his talents for word and song, he told the tales of valor and heroism and adventure, the stories of his friends and family to anyone who would listen. After an accident caused him to fall from the horse that should have carried him back to his beloved wife, Oisin lay dying, feeling each of those 300 years seep back into him, even as he desperately tried to finish the story he was telling.

So in this form, the Dord Fianna is not a war cry, but more like a song.

Bonus Profile, Post Interlude: In one version of the story of Oisin, he encounters a certain saint while traveling around Ireland. The saint listens to the knight's tales, but even so, because Oisin is still a pagan and an immortal himself, he and the saint don't get along very well and part on bad terms. Even though Oisin claims that it wasn't like that, and even so, he never holds grudges, he still can't help but make a face whenever the saint's name comes up in conversation.

[lady-plantagenet]

What hasn’t already been said: The Spanish Princess 2

Episode 2: SOdden (or Sod ‘Em depending on your persuasion)

(Dont know how long I’ll be able to keep these puns up)

Catherine, like this woman, does not really fit into this era. But while this woman seems dropdead cool and at least looks the part, Catherine just...

To all those of you keen enough to have come back for another segment of ‘what hasn’t already been said: TSP’, as opposed to have just been scrolling when you see this - welcome back! (Scrollers you too <3)

To anyone who’s seeing this for the first time: what this is a list of observations, jokes, reactions and criticism which occur to me upon a rewatch. I wait every week until Saturday to do this so that I have had my fill of scrolling through the tag and aggregating what has already been said. I tried doing a whole spoof (here where I gave up 10% in) but tbh a) I don’t know the history well enough b) it’s more time consuming than I thought and c) this series is just not as funny or as crazy as TWQ, so it’s untenable. Having said that: This is not a hatepost. I’m not hatewatching this series and nitpicking on purpose but expressing my honest views and trying to find the good in it as well as the bad.

Without further ado...

First Scenes:

The baby cloth lifting into the ceiling of the chapel had nice ‘myth of the demon countess of Anjou (ancestress of the Plantagenets)’ vibes. I am 100% that was unintentional. I get this impression by the cringiness of the baby’s screams (what’s up with those sound effects? It sounded like a zipper).

Henry gives me such softboi vibes? It’s pleasing to me because it’s making me attracted to him as a viewer, but no good in convincing me this is Henry VIII.

I think Catherine’s exposition about how she feels is pretty ok actually, it’s fitting that she would feel anger.

CHARLES’ FATHER IS NOT MAXIMILIAN, IT’S PHILIP (or rather it was). ~~ A quick wiki search guyz, a quick wiki search. Ughh

Again with the whole everyone acting like Catherine is Queen. Can they cut it out? Also while we’re at it, what was Catherine’s attendance in councils even like?

The music was nice

Post Child announcement phase:

Oof I hate to say it but I lowkey wanted de la Pole back in this mother. Mainly because it would mean more Margaret Pole and by this point I am scared her storyline will fade in prominence now that there’s no longer a Yorkist subplot (showhorned as it was, it was the crowning glory of last season tied with Arthur x Catherine).

More x Maggie Pole and all of it over Seneca and learning :’). I already know this will be the best part of the episode.

‘We certainly know stoicism in our family’ ~ I guess she’s referring to Reggie? Because our boi Clarence was no poster boy for stoicism. Though could she be making an ironic reference to her father~?

Edmund de la Pole Debacle:

Well this convo at least passed the bechdel test.

Maggie and Edmund’s interactions here are touching. I know this plotline was rushed but I think it was just right to bring us back here for 5 min as a mournful throwback to the bygone era to which Maggie Pope belongs to and now continues to do so alone. It is emotionless and you can just feel how the York cause was hanging on by a tired old threat by that point.

Maggie Pole is becoming matronly now and I like this transition.

What bothers me about a lot of fans of Margaret Pole is that what they don’t realise is that she wasn’t all like ‘I want nothing to do with my family I’ll stay low and obscure’. While far more cautious than the likes of her ancestors, she did engage in land disputes with Henry VIII and was an outspoken supporter of Catherine and Catholic. Having her be a woman woth dubious loyalties towards the Tudors is accurate.

Scotland with Meg and Jammes:

LMFAO it’s like they read my mind when I spoke of how much I laughed when Meg was like ‘Alexander Steward you pig!1!!’ last episode.

Nice reference to Aulde Alliance

I like James.

Henry and Catherine on the balcony:

Was she commander of the forces? Was Howard appointed that? Regent she was, ok.

Charlotte Hope’s new hairstyles really suit her!

‘Will you please stop cursing’ agahsjdk ahah

No offence to women (of which I am one) but this comparison between childbirth and war is just... wrong. I know Starz think they are being smart but childbirth is far less impressive than winning or surviving a battle - comparing the two diminishes the bravery of soldiers. YET ,having said that, childbirth is necessary for our society whereas war is almost always futile and by comparing them, it wrongly represents violence as something inherently as natural to us as birth and continuing of civilisation. overall not a smart, respectful or accurate parrallel to make.

Meg and prep for invasion + Catherine in her weird armour:

So Margaret dreams that her husband is dead and bloody in her bed. Ughh show you neeed to get more creative. But I did like the whole ‘dreams are how our ancestors talk to us’ line from Angus Douglas.

Re: Meg in her beret... Why is Meg dressed like me going to the London shops in October? Digging the aesthetic but not sure about the accuracy.

Rich of Catherine to bring up Edmund.

Why is Ursula Pole crying??? What is all this to her really?

Did Howard just call the guard... sonny?? Is this some WW2 crossover?

Catherine - James and the tent parlay:

Did Catherine just insult Meg’s intelligence??

Also lmao I’m going to miss James.

Re: Howard saying ‘I’m not going to get insulted by a man wearing a dress’ .. UMMM Starz, you do know that just thirty years ago men were prancing about in dresses and leggings (essentially). From around the middle of the 14th century to the beggining of 16th century (if not earlier), Englishmen were also essentially prancing about in ‘skirts’.

Am I getting a weird cooperation-partnership vibe between Meg and James?

The Battle:

Charlotte Hope looks so good with the helmet, she’d really suit an english hood! Such a shame they won’t give her one!

Ewwww he’s eating mud, why?

Just standard battle scene. They are all the same to me no matter which movie.

Aftermath:

Jesus, I find the whole Meg crying over James IV so heartfelt ‘you arrogant bastard’ for some reason just came out so full of emotion. Can someone please explain why the hell I ship them more than Henry x Catherine?? Like how ??

Awwww Linna is sooooo adorable ughhh. Also this whole Catherine going into armour among all the women crooning over the children gives this adorable sense of Catherine boyish and bloodying herself out to protect their peace, idk. All I have to say is that these series is less eager to pitt women against each other than the previous. I think that’s a step forwards.

Also, good to see Catherine being modest about her victory so Henry can save face. Finally starting to seem like the real Catherine.

‘Go on you dog’ arghh ahah he sounds like some public school rugby lad egging his mate on.

Re: Wolsey cock-blocker; the real Catherine would know it was uncatholic to have sex when you were pregnant. Also Catherine is not technically speaking in confinement if she’s wandering about.

It’s nice to see Catherine sticking up for Howard, she at least learned to respect him during the battle.

I foresee Oviedo having enough of this Christian stuff and wanting to return to the berber domains (I suppose Spain is out of the question)

Knighting Ceremony:

Apparently Margaret Pole herself was made Countess of Salisbury during this same ceremony... right? @houseofclarence

Also Maggie Pole being like: “being a rebel is in my blood, or so they tell me”... gahhh what’s with these shows and the Clarence erasure? Can’t they make one bloody reference to her dad or grandad Warwick? Ugh. Especially with lines like this. Actually? You know what? Ignore my previous comment about the stoic remark and it being an ironic reference to Clarence. I put such subtlety above this show’s writers.

Catherine has a habit of going to the coldest places possible to lose her children...

Haha @ Henry asking Bessie Blount (of all people) where Catherine is.

Conclusion:

6/10

What I’m happiest about is that Flodden got dealt with in one episode because warrior xena Catherine is not what interests me most about this show. Having said that, it was a true shame that James IV died because his were some of the best scenes. This whole show is starting to feel so historical fantasy-ish because the aesthetics are so confused. Granted it’s still pretty (not eyesore like Reign) but it doesn’t penetrate.

I am as always invested in the Poles (and More) but am also starting to get attached to Princess Mary whose actress exudes plenty of charm. This show remains confused with its feminist message because while it shows women being proactive there is so much emphasis on babies that what remains with the mind after watching is this womanish birthdrama, as opposed to a show about struggles which affect both genders.

You might tut at me and say I’m being ridiculous and that it is historically accurate to put so much emphasis on women’s babies and I say that’s swell. I would happily watch a show where that element is strong (most pre 1995 historical dramas are like that with traditionally feminine characters and I gulp them up like sustenance), but if a show promises feminism and women-men being partners I want it to deliver that properly. As I said in my previous post, why do we keep trying to make women engage in acts like war as if such an abhorrent act is the only way to take them seriously? I await the day where cunning, rationality and cool-headedness will be the traits portrayed as feminist ones.

There is nothing else to really comment on... the only potentially deeper message in this is the gender discourse. I am unsure about the accuracy so I can’t speak of the historical value of the interpretation. But what I will say is that though I remain excited for each new episode... I’m just not as invested as I was in TWQ (rewatch every year dont @ me) or TWP despite their many flaws. Some characters pull me in eg Maggie Pole (Carmichael is a bae), Thomas More etc but not the whole cast like TWQ. Anyway... would be interesting to see if anything happens with Lina and Oviedo tommorow as their storyline is conspicuously slow.

[enchantedamusedslightlyconfused]

73 questions.

I was tagged by @wescoasts @machine-gun-casie (BABES)

Almost all my friends have been tagged and I don't wanna be that asshole so ill try not to be. I tag @awkwardrocker @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @trixiehoe @she-who-is-timey-wimey

On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now?

Well it’s finals week so about -864. After that I have two weeks of legitimate nothing where I will bake my heart out so we’ll see

Describe yourself in a hashtag?

#yikes #ughshesinherfeelsagain 

If you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be?

Milo Ventimiglia, Kells, Rook.....being a music video love interest is only my life’s pipe dream 

If your life was a musical, what would the marquee say?

And that’s on daddy issues and no supervision...

What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

I used to model like went to modeling school and got paid for it type shit

What’s your wakeup ritual?

get woken up by my dog tired of hearing my alarm, walk said opinionated quadruped, feed quadruped, get dressed, COFFEE, then take life as it comes

What’s your go to bed ritual?

melatonin gummies (gotta make anxiety fun), skincare when executive dysfunction will allow, brush teeth, fight dog for my spot in bed (moving a 90lb animal is no joke), turn on my sleep playlist or use my ambient noise app, stare at ceiling

What’s your favorite time of day?

witching hour followed by golden hour

Your go to for having a good laugh?

lately tiktok and Kellyvisions, previously vine compilations or Netflix specials

Dream country to visit?

Ireland. I NEED to go to the motherland. My families castle is still standing and I get in for free. its on my bucket list FOR SURE. 

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had?

getting into nursing school and chiropractic school. I’m a loser and I’ve never had a surprise party. I’d melt in puddle of love tbh

Heels or flats/sneakers?

Flats 98% of the time. Heels are reserved for business casual necessity, Halloween, or if I’m feeling myself 

Vintage or new?

both, depends on the item

Who do you want to write your obituary?

Amy-Sherman Palladino 

Style icon?

lmao a what? on the real though catch me fucking with those eco-friendly kitchen witch vibes. All the dainty jewelry, linens and converse/docks fam

What are three things you can’t live without?

my dog, my family (found and blood), healing people however I can (medicine ruined me for any other career and its sucks you guys)

What’s one ingredient you put in everything?

tbh salt, I question a recipes validity if salt isn't involved 

What 3 people living or dead would you like to make dinner for?

Kells and the band (I'd be too nervous for a one on one), a dinner party with my MGK fam, Elvis

What’s your biggest fear in life?

Failure, not accomplishing anything 

Window or aisle seat?

window all day everyday, on the wing preferably cause I like to feel the landing gear #pilotsgranddaughter 

What’s your current TV obsession?

Roadies forever, pry that series from my cold dead hands (also Gilmore Girls and Criminal Minds)

Favorite app?

tie between Tumblr and Pinterest (im an aesthetic slut)

Secret talent?

I am bomb at disney princess songs, the girls I babysit for treat me like a jukebox at bedtime, cutest thing ever

Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

delivered a baby has hands down been the coolest thing I’ve ever done

How would you define yourself in three words?

I fucking hate this question. always have. empathetic, resilient, intuitive 

Favourite piece of clothing you own?

overall: my senior prom dress. its emerald green, backless, with a slit to upper thigh chefs kiss 

everyday wear: Colorado sweatshirt

Must have clothing item everyone should have?

I second Jude: over sized hoodies

Superpower you would want?

nonspecific healing powers so they aren't limited to physical ailments

What’s inspiring you in life right now?

Colson

Best piece of advice you’ve received?

HA. probably that the body remembers more about trauma than the mind and your seemingly irrational physical reactions to things are your brain’s attempt to protect you

Best advice you’d give your teenage self?

his mistake does not define your worth. I went for a variant of these boys aint shit don't judge me cause she needs to hear it

A book that everyone should read?

Harry Potter series (yes the whole thing), Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Giver by Lois Lowry 

What would you like to be remembered for?

empathy, the way I made people feel

How do you define beauty?

FOR THE LAST TIME ITS SUBJECTIVE, things that give you peace, it could be a song, a person, a sunset, a scone, a leaf. If it makes you stop a second and exhale then its beautiful to you

What do you love most about your body?

holy trigger question Batman...my eyes, my hair color, texture, and its ability to grow

Best way to take a rest/decompress?

drive with the windows down and blast music while singing at the top of my lungs

Favorite place to view art?

unexpected places, like street corners, carnivals, just somewhere it takes you off guard and makes you stop and pay attention

If your life were a song, what would the title be?

it’d be one of those crazy long 2000s fall out boy titles for sure, subject matter yet to be determined 

If you could master one instrument, what would it be?

violin hands down, it hits me different

If you had a tattoo, where would it be?

I have a bunch planned, plane on my right shoulder, Kells related between 3rd and 4th ribs (maybe lower in case I ever need a chest tube), watercolor portrait of my dog at some point location TBD

Dolphins or koalas?

dolphins are stoners and they're super smart, but koalas cause they’re grumpy af and honestly same

What’s your spirit animal?

again Jude and I are vibin: I've been identifying with a phoenix as of late. according to pottermore im a greyhound though (yes a patrons is a wizarding spirit animal. fight me)

Best gift you’ve ever received?

seven year old me was stoked to get a functional microscope and metal detector, I was in my egyptology/archeology phase, I still have them lmao

Best gift you’ve ever given?

oh hell idk...I made my cousin cry once cause I made cupcakes for her birthday party, they were cherry limeade flavored and had little straws and everything. that was pretty cool, granted she was seven. I also made my teacher cry cause I made sea salt caramel chocolate cupcakes for her going away party. I guess my baking brings people to tears

What’s your favourite board game?

candy land, battleship, cards against humanity even though there isn't a board

What’s your favourite colour?

forest green atm

Least favourite colour?

bright yellow/orange, its offensive to my general The Dirt Mick Mars disposition

Diamonds or pearls?

pearls (actually opals though)

Drugstore makeup or designer?

not picky provided they are evironmentally friendly. I really like Besame Cosmetics though

Blow-dry or air-dry?

air-dry, I don't have the patience for blow drying

Pilates or yoga?

yoga

Coffee or tea?

COFFEE, im still learning to like tea

What’s the weirdest word in the English language?

holy shit how much time do we have, my favorite weird word to say is fistula or omphalocele (they're medical conditions, don't goole it unless you have a strong stomach) 

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

dark chocolate

Stairs or elevator?

stairs 

Summer or winter?

neither FALL BITCHES   winter if I had to pick cause I love Christmas 

You are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat?

burgers

A desert you don’t like?

red velvet cake....just why is it a thing that exists 

A skill you’re working on mastering?

baking scones or shit that’s flaky in general 

Best thing to happen to you today?

being tagged to do this twice, I felt special for a hot second (thanks babes)

Best compliment you’ve ever received?

that I would make a good doctor (I handled a scary pt situation like a champ, they didn't know I threw up after I made sure my pt didn't die. puking in a foreign country on the download is a skill in and of itself)

Favorite smell?

bergamot, baking bread, baking spice cakes at Christmas

Hugs or kisses?

HUGS CAN SAVE THE WORLD

If you made a documentary, what would it be about?

gifted kid fall off

Last piece of content you consumed that made you cry?

In These Walls - Machine Gun Kelly

Casual Sabotage - Yungblud

genius assholes...

Lipstick or lip gloss?

lipstick for special occasions but actually tinted chapstick or lip stains 

Sweet or savoury?

savory to eat sweet to make for someone else

Girl crush?

Brittney Furlan Lee, Alexis Bledel, Lauren Graham 

How you know you’re in love?

you look at them and just say yep. them. usually while they're doing something stupid 

Song you can listen to on repeat?

imma out myself but Swing Life Away - Machine Gun Kelly

If you could switch lives with someone for a day who would it be?

the grass is not greener ya’ll. id rather go back and relive days 

What are you most excited about at this time in your life?

hopefully passing my first trimester of chiropractic school. fingers crossed pls

[necroarchy]

ARTHAS’ RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET!

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Frost

OOC Contact: Ask/IMs. Discord if we’re close.

Who the heck is my muse anyway?

   Arthas Menethil is the Lich King of the Scourge, which means that he is the tyrannical god-emperor of various undead creatures (zombies, ghosts, wights, vampires, and Frankenstein-esque monstrosities just to name a few). He was originally a heroic, benevolent man before falling to evil and deciding he liked it down in the dark.

   In addition to his Scourge, he is worshiped and obeyed by an assortment of organizations of various living beings, and even a certain pack of werewolves. He is the most powerful necromancer in the world, and has aspirations of killing everyone to raise them as subjects for his kingdom of the dead.  

Points of interest:

Fall of the Lich King happened, wherein he died after Frostmourne was shattered. Bolvar was the Lich King for a while. Kel’Thuzad eventually found and stole Arthas’ body before resurrecting his lord, and they gallivanted around Azeroth during the Cataclysm, trying to find the shards of Frostmourne and stay out of public sight. Eventually (in MoP) they make their way back to ICC, kill Bolvar, and Arthas is the Lich King once more.

My portrayal of Arthas borrows heavily from Rise of the Lich King in addition to Warcraft III and Wrath; I more or less ignore what Chronicles says about him, because I prefer the way that Rise explored his struggle between humanity and inhumanity and it gives me a bit of content to work in regards to building up an idea of who Arthas was in life, and how that stays with him in death.

The Lich King is a god(ish) and Arthas has the ego, power, and cult to back up that mentality. He can and has murdered dozens of heroes with little more than a wave of his hand; is capable of resurrecting ancient, powerful entities to serve him in undeath; grants “blessings” upon those who earn his favor; and possesses an empire of slavering monsters chomping at the bit to do absolutely anything he says. ‘Human’ is not the word for what he is anymore.  

And Arthas was once a man; no matter how hard he has ever tried, no matter what he’s done to himself or to anyone else, Arthas is still plagued by the vestiges of his humanity, which often manifests as him taking a special interest in certain individuals: Jai.na, Andu.in, adventurers, and (negatively) Syl.vanas for instance. As a result, his reactions to people are sporadic: he might show surprising lenience or tolerance for acts of defiance and opposition should the perpetrator tug on the right heartstring.

Arthas has a daughter whom is generally his Deathlord in the pertinent verses. Her status as his daughter is relatively common knowledge post-Wrath of the Lich King, and is a contentious spot for him.

What they’ve been up to recently:

WARCRAFT: Arthas has been (quietly, quietly) aiding in the repulsion of the Burning Legion from Azeroth, for he despises his old demonic masters and has no intention of losing his world to them. He is also busy reestablishing the Scourge as a power to be feared, and returning Northrend under his control. With the conclusion of Legion, he is now focused upon rebuilding his kingdom after the Burning Legion trashed it again and also I’m paying zero attention to what’s going on in Battle of Azeroth so idk any way to really integrate him!!! Also we’re gonna just ignore everything that kickstarted Shadowlands because fuck that noise.

SWTOR: Darth Necrolis, once a promising Jedi Knight, now an insidious Lord of the Sith, seeks out the eldritch knowledge of Darth Nihilus and even the Emperor, Vitiate, in his quest to obtain immortality. Although, gifted with the frightening ability to bind Force ghosts to himself, one wonders if his search is redundant at this point.

Where to find them:

WARCRAFT: Northrend in general, and Icecrown in particular, are the Lich King’s usual haunts, along with other Scourge strongholds such as the Plaguelands or Naxxramas. He may also wander through areas of present note because he’s a curious lad. (Aka the current expansion’s region: Broken Isles for Legion, Pandaria for Mists, etc., etc….)

SWTOR: While Necrolis can generally be found nearly anywhere in Imperieal space, Dromund Kaas and Korriban are perhaps the safest locations to catch him. He may also be within his citadel on the wintry planet on Northrend.

Current plans:

WARCRAFT

RESTORE THE SCOURGE: We trashed his kingdom last time we took a gander through Northrend, and he’s hard at work not only repairing what we broke, but reinforcing it. To that end, he seeks to otain new resources and sources of power. Azerite, for example…

CORRUPT THE KNIGHTS OF THE EBON BLADE: Particularly from Legion onward, the Lich King has his eye on Acherus and its denizens, subtly setting in place plans to turn the world against him and leave them no recourse but to return to the Scourge.

KILL EVERYONE: Self-explanatory.

SWTOR:

CRUSH THE REPUBLIC: Jedi are nerds and he WILL stuff you into a frozen space locker.

OBTAIN IMMORTALITY: He’s going to end up devouring a planet a la Vitiate, I feel.

BIND MORE FORCE GHOSTS TO HIMSELF: More ghosts = more power = good.

BECOME THE NEW EMPEROR: You’re not a real Sith Lord if you’re not trying.

Desired interactions:

SCOURGE AND CULTISTS: What’s a king without his kingdom?

ALIVE: I don’t write a lot with or about Arthas prior to his fall, and I really should. It’s a fun exercise in trying to show those hints of the boy who will be king, and the boy who might not have.

DEATH KNIGHT: Back when he was still on Ner’zhul’s payroll and edging the line of being a little too human in his monstrosity.

POST-RESURRECTION: OR Arthas “Matthias Lehner” Menethil wanders around Azeroth trying not to get caught out as Arthas Menethil whilst hunting down the erstwhile remnants of his shattered sword.

THWART HIS PLANS! I don’t think I have any real developed antagonistic relationships on this blog which is a shame.

SWTOR - LITERALLY ANYTHING: Pls, I’m begging you, indulge my SW love.

Offered interactions:

MONSTER DAD: Arthas adores inhuman abominations and eldritch beasts, whether they were Once a Man or were never mortal to begin with, and he’ll adopt (”adopt”) any and all at the drop of a hat.

DEAL WITH THE DEVIL: For the low, low price of your immortal soul, all your dreams can come true if you just make him an offer. Or, better: he makes the offer to you.

ANNOYING BYSTANDER: Arthas loves to just show up and talk shit at everyone around for no apparent reason, it happens in canon and it happens on this blog all the time. Let’s see you try to kill that big evil demon while the fucking Lich King is off to the side reading a magazine and criticizing your talent choices.

“JOIN” THE SCOURGE: Fight the Lich King! Die to the Lich King! Get resurrected as an atrocity against life by the Lich King!

Current open post/s:

   No.

Anything else?:

    I’m very slow and prickly, but in the way that grandfather spider in Spirited Away was, so don’t worry too much about it.

Tagged by:  reposting ‘cause it’s been a while

Tagging: this was. a lot.

[class-wom]

Legion Chapter 24 “Morning After”-Thoughts – SPOILERS!!!

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 SPOILER TERRITORY

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Okay, as I mentioned in a previous tag from a previous reblog, where Shakespearean tragedy analogies/comparisons are concerned, this is looking less and less like Romeo and Juliet (doomed star-crossed lovers, but hey, at least their folks kissed and made up at their funerals, so to speak!) or Hamlet (huge “pile o’ bods,” including the struggling title character, but hey, at least he finally avenged Daddy’s death and left Horatio behind to tell the tale!) and more like MacBeth.  And frankly, that’s really hard for me to take, because I hate MacBeth!!!  (That being said, yeah, Lenny is now officially a classic Lady MacBeth figure.  Out damned spot indeed!)  And it seems rather ironic to me now that the body count we thought was “a thing” by the end of the Pilot -- dead Lenny, dead Clark -- really is a thing now.  (...or is it?!?  Duh-duh-DUHHHHHHHH!!!)

On the bright side (yes, I’m determined to find one -- LOL!), good and/or bad, there was a lot that happened in this ep that imo needed to happen if we’re going to reach a halfway-decent conclusion for better or worse.  And let’s not make the decision there just yet, though we’re kind of left in a position to anticipate the latter imo.

Clark’s fate? love him or hate him, yeah, he had to go imo, because to me he was a vengeful fly in the ointment who only back-burnered his David-grudge from Chapters 9 to 19 due to lack of sufficient evidence of David being a threat (a terribly useful tool in Farouk’s “bag o’ tricks;” please let us remember how casually Farouk literally flicked him off in the closing scenes of Chapter 18!), and consequently only succeeded in his relentless pursuit and obsession in making a bad situation ten times worse and more complicated in the long run.  I’ve mentioned before that Daniel’s lines in Chapter 20 made the consequences of Clark’s one-track mind perfectly clear, which brings me to Daniel’s fate:  Yeah, this is definitely one to file under “Okay, if you want me to badmouth David, I’ll go with this one; what he did to Daniel was (borrowing from Clueless) way harsh and completely unnecessary and cruel.”  Funny that it happened before he took down Clark, who again did have to be removed if any headway is to be made in any direction imo.  But maybe that’s part of the point being made here:  Okay, fine, go ahead and hate David for savagely taking down Daniel’s mental capacity as collateral damage, if you like.  But in the end, what put him in the line of fire in the first place?  His love for and loyalty to the obsessed (”focused”) Clark.  So could it be possible that, consciously or otherwise, Clark was so focused on taking down David by whatever means necessary that he was willing to put his partner at risk in the process? and doesn’t that make him as bad as David, allowing his obsessions to distract him from and ruin what he holds dear?  Not an excuse, mind, but just a thought.  It’s just that there are so many more of David at this point that it’s easier to spot in his case! LOL!

Which leads me to the next batch of things that happened that needed to imo:  The long-overdue Sydvid talk and Syd’s discovery of David’s alters.  Now regarding the former, this brings me to a tiresome sore point in light of the Chapter 23 gulag scene, namely the “one step forward/two steps back”-type of scenario where David has a much-needed confrontation that reveals his deep-seated pains and struggles beneath his dark persona, but GOTCHA! -- the whole thing turned out to be a trick, and David’s back to his guarded ruthless self as a result.  Still, hopelessly optimistic viewer that I am, I’d like to think some much-needed seeds were planted during the talk:  Even if Syd was deliberately attempting to lull David into letting his guard down (via SK’s Chapter 21 cringe-worthy promise to “teach you to lie so well that he’ll thank you as you stab him in the back”) by saying everything he wanted (and imo needed) to hear.  (Yeah, since David made a point of mentioning how he used to trust her, we’ll see how well he trusts her in future after that stunt!!! 🙄)  I’d like to think that, whatever state she may be in at this point (there’s the possibility that she may not take a literal physical form, but hey, after the whole Lenny S1-S2 Saga, who knows with this show?), she’ll know a lot better than to trust Farouk from now on.  (David was right about that when he said she shouldn’t have trusted him!!!)  I like the fact that she at least admitted that she had been jealous!!!  So at least she came out and stated the obvious; I was pleased about that!

And now that it’s happened, I can go ahead and say it:  Yes, the Sydvid Body Swap, Syd-trick or otherwise, needed to happen, because Syd needed to see what was/is driving David and making him behave the way he has been all this time.  I was shocked as to how quickly it transpired:  I wasn’t expecting it for a few more eps, tbh, and yeah, I was kind of hoping it would end a little more optimistically, with Syd and the Davids eventually talking things over, but depending on wherever Syd is mentally now (in David’s mind? somewhere in the stratosphere? I know that the next ep, which I may miss altogether but follow up on via summaries in the name of continuity, will follow her on the astral plane, so idk, maybe she’s just in a deep coma right now physically), maybe it could still happen with three eps to go? 

Also, on a side note, I liked watching DS’s “Syd-as-David” drag RK’s weakly protesting “David-as-Syd” down the halls muttering, “It’s okay, David! I gotcha!”  Took me awhile to figure out wtf Syd was up to and what she was really trying to pull during the discussion, complete with her tipping her hand about Switch’s whereabouts; I concur with a tweet I read dismissing it as a stupid plan on the part of Syd, quite frankly, thereby minimizing sympathy somewhat imo for her current position.  But I still enjoyed watching that post-swap part for some reason; acting-wise, that had to be a challenge for both DS and RK, so props there!  (And okay, yeah, Syd using David’s powers to blast his knife-wielding followers?  On the one hand, I feel sorry for them, but on the other, I concede with reluctance that it was kind of cool, if for no other reason that I no longer have to listen to them call him “Daddy”!  ROTFL!  Not sure what annoys me more, their calling him “Daddy” or Farouk calling him “My son” or “My baby.”  Let’s put it at a photo finish, shall we?  LOL!)

Okay, on to the Lenny Shocker -- and to me, it was a shocker!  Yet there was a huge dropped ball in this scene that annoyed me:  As Lenny was calling David out on his narcissism, why the heck didn’t he point out that the only reason he was keeping her around and/or she had a body in the first place -- a body destroyed by Syd, accidentally or otherwise, using David’s body and powers, I might add!!! -- was because Farouk destroyed the only tangible family, adopted or otherwise, in order to grant her request for a physical body and freedom?  He would have certainly had grounds to do so, Heaven only knows!  Okay, fine -- not saying that Hawley & Co. had to call up Katie Asleton to get her to film new scenes; a few flashbacks and/or at least the name-drop of Amy would have been good enough for me.  But I’ll give NH credit:  There may have been a case in which he did write such a line in this scene for David, and heck, maybe it was even filmed, only to be cut at the request of the FX execs who argued that it would cause the ep to run too long to ironically run that Twizzlers ad during the commercial breaks.  (Anyone else catch that in the “Lenny Swan Song”-ep with regard to a sponsor choice? that couldn’t have been a coincidence! LOL!)  Perhaps the best part of the scene (at least imo), David shedding visible and genuine tears as Lenny slowly bleeds to death, was supposed to indicate this, that the closest thing he had nearby to remind him of a true family was slipping away from him.  Interesting ref during the Sydvid talk that he later describes this as “abandonment” and equates it with his parents.  I guess that’ll work for now, but I would have liked to at least hear the Amy-ref, since it’s safe to call that moment the turning point in S2, David’s realization of Lenny’s true identity.  JMO.

And while the World Wide Web is crying “There’s no doubt about it, David truly is a villain now!” can we just take a look at Farouk in this ep once and for all and say “Yeah, okay, whatever, but that doesn’t mean that Farouk is good by default!”?  (I know, I know -- two wrongs don’t make a right, as I keep saying, but again, Farouk’s old enough to have a better idea of what he’s doing, and apparently for all his coolness, even he in the end underestimates his competition!) Puppet master, master Chess player (oooh, a Xavier/Magneto ref! LOL!), etc., etc. -- we definitely see Farouk as nothing more than a master manipulator.  Yet he’s not completely successful in his control over D3, and since the D3/Summerland gang has changed so dramatically and frustratingly over the course of this show to the point where I’m not even sure I can root for the Loudermilks anymore (Kerry’s excitement about going to space was kind of fun, though!), I’m not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed in this turn of events and the inevitable parting of the ways.  (Or at least I would hope so; perhaps he’ll use Syd’s apparent condition to his advantage, idk.)  Frankly, I’m coming more and more to the conclusion that there is going to be no true winner at curtain’s end no matter how you slice it; at best, perhaps some parties will come away with a bittersweet sense of closure, and that’ll be about it.

Regarding Farouk’s underestimation of his control over the situation, I liked Switch’s suddenly popping up to help David, but if she’s incarcerated in a hibernation chamber, how the heck did she manage to snap out of it so quickly?  That had a rather deus ex machina-feel to it imo.  I may have missed something, idk; quite possible with this type of a show.  LOL!

And as often happens, I guess I had a little more to say the morning after than I thought I did! 😂

[vixenfur]

Tag at least 5 people you love and give a few words on why!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Since there was so much BS in the fandom today, time to share some love! :)

- @zeta-jane is an absolute godsend of a friend. They are sassy, funny, talkative, energetic and so full of amazing ideas!!! Zeta is always there for me when I need someone to lean on. They’re such a kind friend and they will not hesitate, baitch to fight people who hurt me- probably because they know I’d do the same for them! They’re such good company both online and IRL, and I am blessed to have met them! I am even more blessed to be writing City of Dust and Shadows with them, which has become the longest fic either of us has ever written! We may or may not surpass it with our future collabs, however ;) They are just the coolest person ever and they deserve all the love in the world. I adore them so much!!! TUT 

- @mikayu-chan is such a got damn SWEETHEART. They are trying to see the positive side of things, especially after so much fandom drama in the past, and I’m so so proud of them for trying their hardest to live their best life. They have it way too hard and I want to give them a big ole hug and many days of fun!!! They always make me laugh and we have a great time on calls! I’m glad that we see eye-to-eye on so many things and that we continue to teach each other new things all the time!! They are really an irreplaceable friend and such a joy to talk with, to write with, and to laugh with. I love you Chan

- @crazyloststar deserves the entire world and more!!!! oMg I cannot express how much I love Alex!!!!! Alex is just a big bundle of happiness and fun and she makes me so so so so so so so happy. I love calling with her and talking, I love writing with her and everything else!! We always have so much fun, I swear I can’t talk to her without laughing my ass off at least once XD we’re always DJDJDHDHDHDJD’ing at each other because we just can’t find the right words to express how hard we’re agreeing with each other/laughing omfg. I adore her and I cant WAIT to cosplay KimiYoi and RyuuTenn with her hopefully at next year’s Yaoi Con WOOT WOOT :D!!!!

- @yuudefensesquad is sUCH A GOOD BEAN who deals with SO MUCH and she just needs a big ole hug and lots of Yuuchan i stg. Caydence is such a funny funky lil nugget and I protecc her with my life okay. Her art? Flawless. Her shitposts? FUCKIN HILARIOUS. Her meta? Super engaging and intriguing! Her bravery? ABOVE US ALL LOL. She is just awesome and I’m glad I forcefully adopted her into my lil family of mikayuu nerds bc it just wouldn’t be the same without her. Caydence ily never stop being you. A lot of shit challenges her irl and everywhere else, but she still keeps her head up and man I really respect her.

- @mikaisatop is MY FRICKIN RIGHT HAND MAN. My SOULMATE. SARAHHH I ADORE YOU. You might be busy rn but I love you so much girl ;__; even though she’s busy I always bother her bc I want her to know I wouldn’t ever forget about her!! I’m so happy we got to collab so much and will continue doing so!! Winter’s Waltz is so much fun to write and I’m so happy she is writing it with me anyways despite such a busy schedule. If it weren’t for Sarah we wouldn’t have so much good MikaYuu content and I applaud her for it!!

- @6lilystrings9 IS JUST THE BOMB DOT FUCKIN COM. Lily and I didn’t super duper connect until more recently but omg talking with her is just a freakin BLAST. We always get so hype with each other, even over each other’s fandoms that we aren’t even in!!! Something about the energy in her pulls out the energy in me and we just get GOING lmao. She is so very talented and amazing and a fascinating person all around! I’m so glad we got to hang a bit at KatsuCon in 2017 but I hope we can do that again in the future! I miss her all the time!

- @weirdfairytales is the MAN. THE MYTH. THE LEGEND. Anna is just the biggest definition of a meme I can think of and I LOVE her for it. I’m so glad that we met way back when MikaYuuHell Skype existed and that she thought of the masterpiece that is Cherry Boy one wild night. I’m so glad we continued to be great friends and talk about so many things. I love when our messages get super long cause we just have so many things to say XD Cosplaying Victuuri with her at Katsu was so lit, and I can’t express how much I love her Victuuri fic too!!!

- @hannaadi88 is such. a. sweetheart. I can’t say it enough. Hanna does so much and gets so little I stfg yall need to APPRECIATE HER MORE. Her writing is STUNNING and the projects she makes for this fandom are just outstanding!!! From gift exchanges (I SAID ONS REMIX BEFORE IM SORRY i was wrong XD) to 365 Days of Mika and Yuu, she has put in so much for us constantly! She has also granted us with the lovely fic Scented, and not to mention one of my favorite fics of ALL TIME, Eye of Horus- the Ancient Egypt take on Unwritten!!! And she named it that without knowing my first tattoo is literally the eye of horus! XD I was shook lmfao and I still am. Meeting Hanna was amazing and the day I spent with her and @ihavetobenkyou (who is also a-freaking-MAZING and a big bundle of goodness!!!!!!) is one I’ll never forget. She’s so chill and just gives off this ‘wise’ aura idk why but I just look up to Hanna so much. No matter what she writes I will always support her and you all should too!!!

- @just-another-dream-about-yuu is ONE OF MY FAVORITE HUMANS TO EVER HUMAN. Julia omfg I cannot express how much I love you. TwT Julia is not only one of the most talented artists I have ever seen, but she is so sweet and fun and so full of energy and excitement!! She’s super busy with adulting so she’s not around in the fandom a whole lot but I always make sure to include her bc I won’t let her leave XD JULIA YOU CANNOT ESCAPE…. lmfao I will always drag you back… I won’t ever forget the day I got a twitter notification that someone drew me Unwritten fanart and the croaking sound I made was insane LMAO my friend who was with me was like WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED XD I was so excited!!! I still adore every piece of fanart she’s given me and I always will. Thank you, Julia, for bringing my imagination to life so many times, for showing me what you saw when you read my writing. It means more than I can say.

- @coleglend is the most underappreciated person in this fandom I swear. Or, who was in this fandom- Cole is off doing other things besides OnS, but regardless, she is so very amazing and beyond talented. I can’t even express how beautiful her art is and the emotions each piece sparks in me. Even her new Marvel artworks are just breathtaking and I truly admire them!!! I don’t know anyone who can make such detailed, visually engaging art- everything she creates belongs in a museum I swear. I want to print them and frame them for my walls!!! I look at her art all the time!!! Now that I’ve established how gorgeous her art is, talk about Cole as a person! She’s so sweet and kind and I love seeing her little posts on Instagram and such, even though I can’t understand most of them, I like seeing that she’s with friends and having a good time.

- @linnpuzzle is one of the coolest most amazing people in this fandom!!! Her art is STUNNING and as she knows, I will drop everything to commission her and buy her merch because I just am addicted to her gorgeous art!!! I am so honored to have some of her art as part of my collection of OnS things and I am forever going to treasure the commissions I’ve purchased from her!! Besides being a great artist, I love talking with Linn, too! I’m so glad we have things in common outside of MikaYuu, like Voltron and Kyo Kara Maoh :D Linn is truly too good for this world and she deserves everything okokok.

- @zilleniose-chu is truly an ICON of this fandom. We don’t talk alot outside of business stuff lolol but they are just freakin amazing!!! I adore their art so much- I always have, ever since I first saw their page!!- and I LOVE their AU’s and headcanons!! They are full of such great ideas and humor and they can share those ideas through really stunning and captivating artwork

- @absolute-exclusivity IS AN AMAZIN. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BEAN OH MY GOODNESS i cANT TELL YOU ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVE LYSIA. AAAAAAAAHHHH THIS GIRL IS GONNA SPEND MY BIRTHDAY WITH ME OUT IN LONDON LESSGO GIRL!!! I’m so excited you have NO IDEA. Lysia is so so so energetic and cute and overall such an amazing friend!! She’s so caring and always willing to listen even when things are busy for her!! She’s full of hilarious, tragic, and heart-pounding ideas and AU’s. We always get lit together talking about fics and headcanons and I wouldn’t trade those moments for the world. I can’t wait to meet her and I can’t wait to collab with her and Zeta soon, too!!

- @rindartist is absolutely one of my favorite artists of ALL TIME no doubt about it. Rin is so amazing, always making so many beautiful artworks of MikaYuu, and now of other lovely series aswelll! I may not be into GBF but her art of it is just lovely and I suggest everyone to commission Rin if they have the means!!

- @p0isonpez is someone I’ve only seen from afar but I absolutely love her art and posts!! I am so happy to see someone new in the fandom sharing such lovely things and interacting with the rest of us!! you seem so friendly and kind and I hope we can talk more sometime! :D

- @temesasu is such a sweetheart!! We’re just starting to talk a little more, but I am soso happy!! They are such an amazing cosplayer and their ONS cosplayers bring such a big smile to my face. They are beautiful and able to make themselves look like so many different characters!!! They are so talented with makeup, I am in awe!! :D And they are so kind and fun to talk to, and I hope we talk more! Thank you for sharing your cosplays with us, you are amazing! Don’t stop!

- @seraph-star is such a good precious person who makes endless good content!! Omg, their edits are just so awesome!! they always have me bouncing my head along, or completely enraptured and breathless, or laughing!! They are so good at evoking different emotions through video editing and as a very casual video editor myself, I am so impressed with their work!! I also love their memes and art and everything else that they share!!!

- @angeru-artist is a precious PRECIOUS ANGEL who deserves the entire world!!!! Omg, Angeru makes such amazing art, with such expressive characters and cute little attributes!!! I love it when I see their art and I’m so glad that we share a few fandoms together rather than just one. Angeru is really bighearted and she goes through way too much hard times, and I wish I could just take her away to somewhere better!!! One day my friend we will forget about the world and just have fun!!

- @maqui-chan iS ONE OF THE BEST ARTISTS I’VE EVER KNOWN OMFG. her art is iconic and unforgettable!!!! Maqui’s art has always been one of my favorites of all time and I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve commissioned her LOL!! I JUST LOVE HER ART SO MUCH OKAY!?? ITS SO GOOD GO LOOK AT ALL OF HER GLORIOUS CREATIONS! she is so talented and she can create anything, from angst to smut to humor, leave it to Maqui to create amazing things!! And omg Maqui ignited the fire in all of our ShuuNaru hearts amiright!??? GOD her art inspired me so much to the point to where I wrote a ShuuNaru fic and it was so much fun!!! Maqui, thank you for drawing so many awesome things and creating so much for the fandom!! Even if you’ve mostly fallen out of it, your creations are always going to be treasured by me and many other people- you’ve impacted people way more than you know! Thank you for always making me laugh on twitter aswell XD you’re amazing and ily!!! 

OK OK I;M OUT OF STEAM I’VE BEEN TYPING THIS FOREVER OK i could go ON AND ON about even MORE people in this fandom but that would take me literal ages LMAO

TO EVERYONE ELSE, WHO I DIDN’T MENTION BC MY BRAIN IS JUMBLED AND I AM EXHAUSTED: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. DONT STOP CREATING. THE FANDOM IS A FLAMING GARBAGE HEAP SOMETIMES LIKE IT WAS TODAY. But DON’T LET THAT STOP YOU from having a good time, doing what you love, and creating things that you are proud to share!!! And if your heart leads you elsewhere, to a different brand new fandom, I hope you always remember the people you inspired with your work!! I hope you forget the bad memories and always treasure the good ones. I hope that we can be friends and/or that I can continue supporting you no matter where we all end up in the years to come. And if you decide to support me too, I give you my biggest, most heartfelt thanks.

No matter how ridiculous this fandom can get and how much stupid discourse can dampen the mood and disappoint me, I will never let it stop me from loving MikaYuu and OnS and what I do. I will never let it stop me from writing all that my crazy little heart wants. I will continue to write until my passion dies, and when that day comes I will probably cry as I say goodbye and resort to watching from the sidelines as everyone else carries on. I will never forget the fun I had here. These past 3 years have been so impactful already, and I know the future ones will continue to be- with the old friends, with the new friends, and with friends to be made!!

Let’s spread love more often rather than hate. I encourage anyone who feels inclined to make posts (maybe not as long as mine if you dont want XDD) talking about your favorite creators and friends in the fandom, too! Or, if that seems too corny to you, just continue to draw, write, edit, and cosplay! Continue to make people laugh and smile and cry and swoon! Continue to support creators by leaving comments and kudos, by liking and reblogging, by following and commissioning, and sharing and crediting their work wherever you can! Continue to make a difference!

I love you all so much!

[elfenphoenix]

A Masterpost of my Voltron: Legendary Defender Klance fanfics

All of them are available on Archive of Our Own under the username elfenphoenix, same as here, but since not everyone has a regular account, but might want to read them, I’ve decided to make this masterpost! I’m including both complete and incomplete, but I’ll list the completed works first.

Series

Predestination series:

Canon-compliant up until the end of season 2 (not canon-compliant as of season 3), a previous-life AU taking place before and during the Altea-Galra war. The story rotates between the modern day Paladins, mostly from Lance’s point of view, learning about the events of the past, and the relationship of the former Red and Blue Paladins, Marmora and Althos. It explores the origins of the Blade of Marmora, an alternate explanation of the Lions of Voltron, as well as how the Lions think, behave, and bond with their Paladins. 

Major character death. Fluff/angst/comedy/tragedy

Includes Predestination, the main fic, and two one-shots in the same universe: It’s Destiny, After All and A Reflection of the Past. 

~70,000 words

My Home is With You series:

A Klance childhood friends AU comprised of many Klanceweek 2017 prompts that came together to form a series of short stories. It so turns out that Keith and Lance actually met when they were very little, and have been thinking about each other ever since... they just didn’t know it! 

Includes Remember Me, (Little) Partners in Crime, Our Home, and Secrets

Mainly fluff

~6,500 words

Delivery Boy series:

A pair of Klance "Delivery Boy" AUs, each story having a different one of the pair as the delivery boy. In one, Keith delivers packages to the same house from the same address, almost every day, and ends up falling in love with their recipient. In the other, Lance delivers packages out to a weird shack in the middle of the desert, expecting a crazy old guy, but is pleasantly surprised to see that it's a cute boy instead, and decides that he's going to win over Keith, no matter what, even if aliens get involved.

Includes  Deliver My Heart (in which Keith is the delivery boy), and Special Delivery (in which Lance is the Delivery Boy)

The stories exist in separate universes, but follow the same theme.

Mainly fluff, some angst

~35,000 words

Independent Fics

Wishless

Lance accidentally summons powerful but beautiful demon prince, Keith, who would do anything to escape a marriage he doesn’t want. As a result, Keith is forced to promise to grant exactly one wish from Lance... but Lance doesn’t really have anything in mind, especially when he finds out that apparently there’s a hefty price to pay. But Keith is bound to him until he makes his wish, which gets complicated when angels, demons, love and war all come into play.

Inspired by Yamamoto Kotetsuko’s Konya mo Nemuranai

Teen and up Audiences (Some mature topics/scenes, but nothing reaching smut)

Angst/fluff

75,129 words, 16 chapters

Inhibition:

Keith accidentally gets a bit drunk after a mission gone bad and starts spouting how he really feels about everything, including Lance, which the rest of the crew finds so intriguing they immediately decide to take measures into their own hands.

Takes place between seasons 2 & 3

Fluff/Angst

6,517 words, 2 chapters

C-RAVE-ing You:

Now, Keith definitely never imagined himself at a rave in the middle of a bunch of people in costume, or dancing with people he’d never met. Or Lance. Or, you know, making out with Lance in the middle of a giant group of people. But that’s what happened. 

Klanceweek 2017 Day 7 prompt (free day), also inspired by a group of cosplayers I saw walk by me at a rave during Anime Central.

Fluff, but strong physical intimacy (not exactly smut, but idk how else to describe it)

2,148 words

Falling into the Leaves

Inspired by this fanart, it’s a Klance high school AU meant for fall, when the ever-bickering Lance and Keith are sent outside to rake some leaves and not cause trouble, which results in a surprising amount of fun and bonding.

Fluff fluff

1,989 words

Pidge the Problem-Solver

You’d think that being the only Asexual/Aromantic person on a team would make Pidge obviously the LAST person to go to for romantic advice, but apparently the rest of Team Voltron doesn’t quite get it, because Pidge keeps getting stuck in the middle of everyone ELSE’S problems, and is getting a little bit tired of it. Maybe if she can get them all to just tell each other how they feel and get it over with, they’ll leave her alone…

A multi-ship fic

fluff/comedy/angst

was originally supposed to be stupid and funny but turned angsty after Season 4 came out

22,137 words

Why We Stay

Ghost! Lance AU, where Lance is discovered haunting Keith’s new apartment. Keith isn’t particularly scared of ghosts, but being forced to live with one gives him some perspective on the difference between existing and living, and how important it is to love while you can-- before it’s too late.

Side Shiro/Adam (Adashi/Shadam lives in this one!!!!)

Major Character Death, angst, some fluff

additional tags: suicidal thoughts, frequent mention of death.

77,143 words (my longest fic so far!)

Incomplete

What We Never Said:

With the war against the Galra Empire finally over, the Paladins of Voltron returned to Earth, attempting to go back to the lives they left behind. It’s been a few years since then, and not everyone has adjusted well. Keith and Lance haven’t talked to each other in years, but an invitation to a garrison class reunion has a lot of old memories coming back, and feelings that they’ve both kept buried all of this time. They weren’t able to tell the truth back then, but this might be their chance to let it out. After this much time, what do they have to lose? 

I’m unsure if I’ll ever get the inspiration to return to this one

Angst

2,596 words

[ka-za-ri]

PN 6259-6268 (Ignis x Reader)

EDIT: I’ve been made aware that this fic may crash your app. You can also read it on Ao3 Here! 

Alternative Title: Anecdotes and Table Talks Rating: SFW Pairing: Older!Ignis x Reader Genre: Fluff, Slow burn Wordcount: 17,892 Suggested Listening: Rebirth -- 10cm

Notes: Alright friends, BUGGLE UP. WE’RE GOIN’ IN FOR A LONG RIDE. Happy 1,000 posts to me! I’ve been slaving over this for the past two weeks and it’s finally happening. Thank you for all those people who have patiently waited! 

Tagging: @roses-and-oceans @hypaalicious @cagedbycravings @desperateauboise @r-e-g-a-l-i-a @sweetchocobae @itshaejinju (idk if I missed anyone??? It’s been like seven years since I tagged) 

Books on love could be found on the topmost floor of the citadel library. They're located twenty six paces down the aisle, nestled in between Fine Arts and Science. They were always bound in leather and smelled of freshly plucked camillias and Ebony.  

~~

With the return of the sun and the Chosen King, Insomnia began to rebuild itself from the ground up. As far as technology had grown and flourished in the city, it still required manual labor to actually build a city from the charred remains. As the promise of light returned to the world, the overall feeling of hope and rebirth spread itself through the people.

Of course, no one ever said that rebuilding the city to its former glory was going to be easy. There were only a handful of the Crownsguard left, and they struggled to rally people to reclaim the time that was lost to them for the past ten years of darkness.

Slowly, but as sure as the regular rise and fall of the sun, what spirit that was left within the civilians became rekindled. Insomnia woke from it's long slumber. Those who didn't dare to join the Crownsguard's efforts in rebuilding the Citadel focused their efforts on restarting businesses that had been long closed. In the midst of the chaotic revival of light and life, you found yourself comfortably working at a pastry shop, supplying the working masses with a little sweetness and much needed coffee.

It wasn't your ideal job, but it made ends meet; and it was definitely better than running away from daemons on a daily basis. Still, as your world started to reset, you began to miss what had been and the life you once lived. Time had passed and so had many of your friends. As things returned to normal, you couldn't help but yearn for what 'normal' felt like before. Much of what you missed was based on the connections and friendships you once had and the comfortable memories of a life that was long in the past.

When you heard from rumors floating around that your friend in the Crownsguard had survived, you did your best track her down. It was harder to do than you had initially thought it would be. Ten years was a long enough time for people to change drastically. The faces you thought you would never forget had changed so much. You found it hard to recognize anyone, even if they did introduce themselves to you; so when she returned to your life, it came as a bit of a surprise to say the least.

It was a normal weekday at work, nothing out of the ordinary, save for the one customer who didn't quite understand what, “Sorry, we're out of this item already, you'll have to come back tomorrow,” meant. Business ran itself as usual until a whirlwind of energy and joy entered the shop shortly after the lunch rush.

"I need two of your largest and strongest cups of Ebony, black, if you will," she said rather breathlessly, holding up her fingers to emphasize her needs. "The Royal Advisor is cranky and I'd like to stay on his good side if possible."

"Of course. It'll take just a bit," you said while ringing up her order. Something... about her seems familiar... There was a way that she spoke and a way that she carried herself that reminded you of someone you once knew. The more you thought about her while you made the order, the more familiar her features became.

The pieces finally clicked in your head when you slid the two cups across the counter to her. Your eyes met and everything made complete sense the moment she took the cups from you gave you a wink and spoke again.

"Thanks, lil’ Chickadee."

You blinked twice. You didn't think you'd hear that term of endearment again, considering there was only one person who had ever called you that. Narrowing your eyes and tilting your head slightly, you finally recognized her as the person you had been looking for the past few weeks.  "Are you...?"

She grinned from ear to ear at your question. "The one and only. I thought you'd never get it. Found out through the grapevine that you worked here and I just had to pay a visit. Well that and you know, had to get my boss some hot bean juice," she said, gesturing to her order. "I gotta get going before these get cold and the boss man gets angry. Catch up with you later though? I can always stop by again and see when you're free."

"Sounds like a plan. Good luck with the boss, he seems like he runs a tight shift."

"You have no idea," she said, flashing you another grin before making her way out of the shop.

You didn't realize how relieving it was to find out that someone else you knew had made it through to the end until you watched her retreating form dash across the front windows. The rest of your day was spent in a slight haze of happiness from that small moment.

~~

Ever since that day at work, you had made it a point to see your friend again as often as possible. A quick exchange of your new phone numbers and a promise to catch up was all it took for you to reconnect with her and feel a little more at home amongst the rebuilding rubble.

To your knowledge, she was the only one of your acquaintances who had survived. Granted, she hadn't come out unscathed. Due to an explosion, she had lost her hearing on her left side, and a great scar was forever branded across her face. However, she was alive, and that was all that mattered to you.

Life was less lonely when she was around, and you could always rely on her lively stories to wash away any of the tiredness you felt in your bones after a long work week. She had suggested that the two of you meet up at least once a week to catch up on the events that had passed while the world was shrouded in darkness.

What was initially intended as a regular meeting to tell stories of what happened to the two of you during the last ten years, usually turned quite depressing too fast for your liking. Thus, your weekly hangouts often ended up with the two of you getting completely drunk off of freedom and wine while swapping horror stories of your workplaces. Not that it really mattered to either of you, it was simply nice to have someone around, listening to your stories without the fear of daemons and death at your door.

"Ugh, we're so understaffed all the time, it’s like no one wants to join the Crownsguard anymore. It's not as glamorous a job as it used to be y'know?" your friend ranted over a shared bottle of wine. "Can you believe it? They've got me, the half deaf person, on the phone trying to talk to any contractors who might have the materials that we might need to rebuild half the Citadel. They took me off that duty when I started answering calls on my left ear and asking people to repeat themselves five times over 'cause I swear if I took another call with my good ear, I might as well go completely deaf."

You couldn't help but let out a laugh at her dismay as she poured herself another glass. "So what did they have you do instead once you were off the phone?"

"Told me I was in charge clearing rubbish from the corridors so that people have access to the other parts of the building. And then, they told me that they put me on cleaning up the library this upcoming week. That's something I'm not looking forward to," she groaned laying her head down on your dining room table and letting out a long whine. "I hate clean up duty the most."

"What's so bad about it?" You had perked up when she had mentioned the library. It had always been a dream of yours to get lost in the floors upon floors of books that were rumored to be held there. "It's not like how hard basic training was for you when you first started, right?"  

"I'll take basic training over cleaning up that place any day. It's a royal mess there. I took a peek before leaving just to get an idea and I almost wanted to quit. Books everywhere, some burned, some water damaged, some just... not salvageable anymore. We've gotta go and sort through and reorganize everything again. It's going to be a giant pain in the ass."

"It sounds like heaven," you mumbled softly to yourself, looking at your half filled glass of wine and dreaming of what it would be like to be in the presence of such a grand library. Even in ruins, the thought of being able to work there and organizing tickled your fancy.

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing!"

"Oh no, no, no. I heard you say something. Come on, speak up, you know my hearing isn't that great anymore."

"It... just sounds like heaven. You know, sorting, organizing and all of the fun stuff," you repeated sheepishly, unable to look away at your friend.

"Fun? What part of that sounds like fun to you?"

"I don't know... all of it? I like organizing things," you admitted with a small shrug.

"If you could only see the mess that we have to deal with, you'd think otherwise."

"If you could only get me in there to see that mess, I'll be happy to help you get organized."

"That... Can be arranged."

~~

One week later, you were somehow convinced that sneaking into the Citadel on your day off was going to be a good idea. At an hour much too early for your liking, you followed the directions she gave you the day before to find yourself at a part of the ruins that was not heavily guarded. Through a passageway that was almost too small for you to squeeze through, you met up with your friend. She quietly led the way, not trying at all to hide her yawns.

It was to your never ending dismay to see the once grand Citadel in shambles. For the most part, the exterior had been rebuilt quite quickly. Parts of the interior, however, still suffered from major losses. The library was no exception.

It broke your heart to see whole sections of the multi-floored library in disarray. Countless shelves had been knocked over, and orphaned pages from destroyed books littered the ground. What broke your heart even more were the piles upon piles of beat up books that were deemed “a lost cause.” It was the war zone of lost literature that your friend was tasked to work with. You felt your heart ache with sorrow when you picked up a loose page from the ground to see the edges charred and a gaping hole where passages of text used to be. "This is horrible..."

"Told ya. Just, try to blend in or something, most of the people assigned here today are new recruits that we managed to get so no one really knows each other yet."

"I'll try..."

It was common knowledge that the library was home of some of the oldest, rarest and most coveted texts and works of literature. To know that priceless artifacts such as those could have been damaged and were about to be thrown out made you ache with a yearning to help your friend's cause. Something in the back of your mind yelled at you to do something, even if you were basically an intruder in a sacred space.

You knew that if you didn't do something, you would never have another peaceful night's rest having known that so much knowledge could be lost forever. Some of the newer texts might be found and replicated in other continents, but not the older works. To your knowledge, with the last ten years of darkness, there wasn't a cohesive database set up anymore either. "No chance I can spend a few hours here to help you out?" you asked, turning to your friend who was already sifting through a rather large heap of texts in various states of damage.

"I don't see why not. We could always use an extra pair of hands. Don't wanna bother you on your day off though. Figured you'd wanna wander around and read everything in sight."

"It's not a bother if I asked you to bring me here in the first place. And as appealing as sitting in a corner and reading is, you did tell me to blend in. I don't think slacking off counts as fitting in," you said with a shrug. Glancing at the pile of books in front of you, you gingerly picked one up. You almost didn't dare to breathe when you felt the leather binding give slightly and threaten to disintegrate with a less gentle touch.

"Do you have any paper and a pen?" you asked looking around.

"Somewhere around here, yeah check that back desk. What do you plan on doing?" she asked, pointing you in general direction of where the supplies would be.

"What's it look like I'm going to do?" you asked, sitting yourself at the desk, barely breathing when you flipped to the first page of the book. "We'll lose these forever if you just throw them out. Someone's gotta transcribe these."

"You're kidding..."

"I'd rather give it my best shot than have all of these things go to waste. Now leave me alone, I've got work to do," you grumbled, grabbing at the first writing utensil that came to your hands. As far as technology had advanced, there wasn't much that it could do with such a delicate task at hand. With a blank sheet of paper in front of you and your phone at your side to look up references, you went to save what laid within the book you had picked up.

You didn't want to admit that the mission you set yourself with was much harder than you had anticipated. Not only were the pages frail, large passages of text had melted from the pages as the ink had been washed away. Judging from the condition of the first page, it was hard for you to want to go on; however, the subject matter kept pushing you forward.

After much cursing and squinting at your phone screen, you were able to piece together the foreword and Table of Contents. Upon further inspection of your work, you realized it was a book on the history of Eos from the beginning of time. Finding out that the Citadel itself was so close to throwing a text like this out and lose such an important piece of its own history made you want to complete your task even more.

Scribbling down what words you could make out and ambitiously struggling to figure out what was missing, you barely noticed your free day passing you by. It wasn't until your friend approached you with coffee in hand that you noticed the headache that had started to throb behind your eyes from straining them in the dimly lit library.

She picked up the completed pages you had pushed to the side and let out a low whistle at your handiwork. "Wow, I didn't think that you'd get this much out of that ratty old book. I thought it was gone for sure." Squinting slightly, she assessed your handwriting a little further. "Huh, I think you misspelled something there..."

"Wait, what?" you exclaimed, grasping at the page in her hand. She laughed jovially before putting the sheet of paper back on the desk.

"Just kidding," she teased, laughing again at your expression of sheer frustration. "But seriously, you're kind of amazing. I was afraid we'd have to throw out a lot of books like these. Guess they won't have to go to waste after all."

You let out a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, it's not easy though."

"I don't doubt it. Which is why I plan on fully compensating you for your efforts," a voice unfamiliar to you came from behind the two of you and you startled suddenly. Frantically, you grabbed at your phone and attempted to get away; however, a heavy hand on your shoulder stopped you from doing much else. Turning your head slowly, you were greeted by the deep blue gaze of the King himself.

"Uh... Hi?" you squeaked, shying from his grasp; but his hold on your shoulder only tightened. Idiot, that's not how you address the king. He's going to kill me.

"You don't look familiar, and I'd like to think I recognize all of the people that work here."

"I... Uh... Actually don't work here?" you offered, hoping that the truth would lessen whatever punishment that might be met. You sound more and more like an idiot with every second. Get it together.

"Oh? Then you should be well aware that this place isn't open to civilians. How did you get in here?"

The silence that passed seemed to stretch for all eternity, and you glanced pleadingly at your friend for some assistance in your situation. She was frozen in place and just about as terrified of what disciplinary actions the king himself would be handing out. The hand on your shoulder felt too warm, too heavy; and you wished for nothing more at that moment than to disappear somehow.

In your panic and in your attempt to appear heroic, you did the only thing that came to mind and that was to start talking your way out of your situation. "So you see, I mean, I know that this place is off limits and all that but I heard that a lot of books got damaged during the that whole time in the darkness and I honestly couldn't let that go because you know, they're books and they never did anything to anyone. And so I was like well, you gotta go and help them out, y'know? What if they need to be looked after? So I mean, I may have dragged my friend into this and I didn't mean to, it's really all my fault. It's not like I was planning to steal any crown jewels or anything, I just really wanted to help out even if I don't work here and---"

"Would you like to?" Noctis' voice cut into your rambling – at the right time too. You were starting to run out of excuses to make, and you were starting to feel lightheaded from not taking a full breath since the start of your heroic speech. The awkward silence that followed his question felt heavier than his hand on your shoulder.

"Uh...Excuse me?" you blinked rapidly, looking at him to make sure you hadn't imagined what he had said.

"Work. Would you like to work here?" There was a glimmer of mischief in the young king's eyes, and you found yourself answering his question much quicker than you had anticipated.

"By the Six I'd love nothing more. Yes. Yes. A million times yes," you breathed, realizing that you were being offered a chance to work in a job you had only ever dreamed about. Truth be told, with the amount of charisma that he exuded, he could have offered you a job mopping up the floors using only your nose; and you would have readily agreed.

"You're enthusiastic. I like that about you," he said with a soft laugh. "I suppose you won't mind doing all the paperwork for me?" he asked, raising a knowing eyebrow at your mortified friend who had done everything in her power to melt into the floor but to no avail.

"Yes! Of course!" she exclaimed, vigorously saluting and standing at attention.

"Good. You take care of that. Once everything is signed, please be sure that I have everything in my office. Oh and, make sure that you get a uniform before you go as well," he said before finally taking his hand off your shoulder. "You'll start tomorrow, 7:00. I'll have the desk you sat at earlier today set up for you. You seemed comfortable enough there."  

"Uh... Yes! 7:00! That's a time! That works! I work!" you squeaked, doing your best to mimic the salute your friend had given. Astrals above, shut your mouth before he regrets his decision right here and now. You're making a fool of yourself.

"I expect nothing more than you to do your work," he said, emphasizing the last word, poking a bit of fun at your fumbling words. "Well, then. I'll leave you to it," he jested, throwing a small mock salute at the two of you before turning and heading off.

You hadn't realized how stiffly you had been standing until you no longer felt the warmth of his hand on your shoulder. Once you saw that he was out of sight and heard the door to a different room click shut, you felt comfortable enough to finally slouch and heave a deep sigh of relief. It was silent for a long while as you listened to the dust settle around you against the backdrop of your heavily hammering heart.

You glanced over at your friend who was still recovering from her state of shock.

"So... That... Happened."

"Yeah, it did. How much do you like paperwork?" she asked, slowly coming out of her stupor and realizing that she had orders to follow.

"Well, I guess I'm about to like it enough to get this job I guess. Where do I start?"

"Follow me. You've got a lot to go through," she said, leading the way to a small room tucked in a back corner.

"Where are we?"

"It's just a storage room. It's the only place we've got set up right now to keep paperwork and stuff for new recruits."

Looking around the tiny space, you noticed floor to ceiling shelves lining one half of the room. The other half let in the fading sunlight through heavily tinted glass which looked out to what appeared to be the gardens, or at least what remained of them. A small table accompanied by a rickety chair was wedged into the corner of the room. With a quick glance, you noticed the shelves were lined with thick binders instead of books. There wasn't a chance for you to get a closer look at their labeling as your friend led you to the table in the corner once she had found what she was looking for.

"Get comfortable," she grunted as she set down a thick binder onto the table and an almost equally thick stack of paper. You startled slightly when you swore you heard the small table groan under the weight of so much paperwork. "This is your basic handbook and guide to your benefits and your job. You'll also need to sign all of those forms, make sure you read them all, there isn't a test at the end, but just read it in case someone does drill you for any reason."

You gaped at the monumental amount of documents in front of you. "All of this?"

"All of it," she said with a solemn nod. "I have to head back to helping the others, you know where to find me. I'll check up on you in a couple hours to make sure you're alive."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Any time. Oh. Light switch is here if it gets too dark for you to read. It should be in working order, if not, just jiggle the switch a bit and that should do the trick," she said before she went off on her way.

You waited until she was out of your line of sight before you turned to the mountain of paperwork in front of you. The binder itself looked to be at least a couple hundred pages alone. Well, it's not going to read itself. You agreed to this... Sighing deeply you opened to the first page and got yourself a good look at what life would be like as an employee of the Crown.

~~

I have every right to be here. I mean, the King himself asked me to work here, but I guess that's not even saying a whole lot? There aren't a whole lot of people working here... They were pretty understaffed, I'm sure he suggested giving this job to me just  for more help. That means. I belong here. Right? I signed the paperwork and everything. I feel bad for quitting my other job all of a sudden though. At least my boss understood... I mean, this is the Crown we're talking about… This is going to be a good change. Change is good. This is fine. I'll be fine. I hope I'm fine. Did I button up this uniform all the way up the right way? Do my socks match? Is that something they'll check because I sure didn't.

Your thoughts were moving much faster than your body as you followed your friend on your first official day as Head Archivist. They even gave me a job title, what dream world do I live in, and can I never wake up? Your steps sounded hollow, too loud for the austere palace that you could now call your workplace.

"Nervous?"

"Uh... What makes you think that?" you asked, trying to keep the shaking in your voice down. With the acoustics in the stone corridors, it appeared that trying to hide how badly your voice squeaked and shook wasn't possible seeing as the walls seemed to echo and amplify all noises. Out of sheer habit and the need to do something with your jitters, you idly plucked at the decorative buttons at your sleeves while the corridor you walked in seemed to stretch for miles. I swear, this place didn't feel this big when I snuck in...

"You'll do fine. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"They could behead me for slander if I misspell the name of an ancient king in a language that I don't understand. They could burn me at the stake for making too many mistakes in punctuation, you know I'm not good at that. But I guess I'll be transcribing things, so really, it would be up to the author of the original text to have good grammar, so I guess that's not my fault. Except I guess when it gets to the parts that I might have to make up. Yeah, then they'll just stab me in the face for being an incompe---"

"Stop. You're going to be fine. You haven't even started working yet and you're trying to figure out a way to get out of it?" she clapped her hand onto your shoulder and looked you squarely. "If the king's impressed, then I'm convinced that you'll do fine."

"That's what yo--"

"Enough. It is way too early for one of your rambling speeches."

You sighed and took a deep breath, trying to still the rampant thoughts of self destruction from intruding again. "Right. Work. I can do this. I did it yesterday, I can do it again today," you stated, trying to gain some semblance of confidence.

"Exactly, see? No big deal," she let out a warm laugh before heading back in the direction of the library with you only a few steps behind.

Again, your heart seized up at the ruin before you. The smell of old pages mingled with smoke and gunpowder; and you wondered vaguely if the library would ever return to just smelling like leather, ink and aged parchment. At least this time, I'm allowed to do something about it.

The desk you had used the day before had been set up quite nicely. This time, instead of having to rely on your phone to look up references, the desk you would call your own had been equipped with a computer and a pair of monitors to work on. You let out an internal sigh of relief when you saw it, realizing that you didn't have to strain your eyes anymore from staring a your tiny phone screen.

"I guess this is my home now," you murmured, setting your things down to get a better look at everything that had been set up. "At least I don't think I have to go through basic training..."

"No, but looks like you're in charge of all of these," Your friend said, pushing a cart filled with books over to you.

"Please tell me I don't have to do all of that today," you whispered.

"I don't think you do, but you know how I said we're understaffed?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Expect lots more to come your way." she sang as she skipped off to get started on her own duties.

You sighed as you settled into the chair at your desk. Tucking your belongings under it, you took a good look at everything in front of you and realized that no one had bothered to give you any sort of indication of your regular duties and what sort of quota you were supposed to meet in day. Gods, they're so understaffed they can't even train new people... A feeling of dread filled you as you reached for the first book you had worked on just the day before. "Well, it's not going to transcribe itself..." you murmured, pulling out a sheet of paper and turning the computer on.

It was then that you realized you were an overenthusiastic and short sighted person. The monitors flickered to life after a brief moment of the computer booting up. Once it had completed its start up phase, you were greeted with a digital copy of a training manual and employee handbook.

"Shouldn't have doubted the Crown..." you said, clicking the documents open to get accustomed to your new job. This is going to be a long day...

~~

Loving books and the worlds of knowledge and wonder they held could only bring you so far. The rest of your fate was painstakingly built on your personal tenacity and determination.

Within your first few days, you realized that your title of Head Archivist meant more than "go transcribe all these books." It also meant you were literally in charge of the whole library and its contents along with implementing a classification system. You were bombarded with questions from new and old recruits alike who were tasked with restoring the library to its former glory. Doing your best, you answered their inquiries with the limited resources you had at hand and with what basic knowledge of how a library was supposed to be organized.  Of course, no one had told you that you were responsible for any of this when you started. Then again, you doubted that anyone actually knew what went into taking care of a place like the library.

The first week went as you had initially imagined. You spent your hours looking through salvageable texts and transcribing them into your computer while scouring through what online resources were up and running to see if books could be replaced or if the text was already available digitally. Anything you couldn't find, you assumed was lost forever and needed to be transcribed. Though most nights you left mentally drained and with an aching back, you also felt a sense of relief that you were actually being of some use. You couldn't have asked for a more rewarding job than what you had at that moment.

Of course, when life plays itself out too well, something unplanned was bound to happen just as you started to get into a routine.  A week and a half into your new position, all the help you had previously with sorting, cleaning and rebuilding the library had all but vanished. Any extra help had been reallocated to other parts of the castle in worse repair. Thus, ten days into your new life under the Crown, you came in to be greeted by an empty library and a note that detailed your duties, seeing as the library was now your domain.

"This has to be done in three months... on my own?" you could hardly believe your eyes. The list was short. In fact, it only had one task for you to complete. Even if it was only one thing for you to do, you wondered how in the Astrals' names you were going to complete it on your own. "Organize and shelve everything? Do they expect me to live here?" you asked incredulously.

You asked for this. You said it would be heaven to get to organize everything. Guess what. Looks like you're about to die and go to heaven.

You sighed at your foolishness, wondering if your friend had any sort of hand in this cruel outcome. Either way, books were not going to organize themselves and you had much to do. There had to be thousands of books that were still in an acceptable and shelvable condition to sift through. To your luck, the whole inventory of books had already been categorized into broad subjects. At least that was enough of a start for you to figure out what you needed to do.

Your next order was to further categorize and give everything a home in the newly built floors and shelves of the library. Even as someone who grew up in Insomnia, it still amazed you how fast things could get done with the magic of technology. Apparently though, it wasn't good enough to get the library reshelved. Well, no one else is here to do it. Time to get to work.

You hadn’t lied when you said that you enjoyed organizing and sorting. As a hobby, it let you reach a sort of calm despite the chaos around you. At work, it let you see exactly what the library had to offer, and it gave you an idea of where everything should go.

You started with the most general subjects and references by putting similar topics together and then going through again to alphabetize by the name of the author or publisher. You kept your phone with you at all times to digitally keep track of an individualized number you gave each book which you would then scribe in tiny letters on the back cover of each book for reference. As terrifying as marring ancient, priceless texts were, you were more afraid of not knowing it existed without some sort of reference number to go by.

The job was tedious, slow, back breaking, and at times, mind numbing; but you were determined to see it through to the end which caused you to probably spend more time at work than you did sleeping. However, with a deadline of only three months, you had to be diligent. As tiresome as your job could be, you still felt a sense of pride when the first two sections were completely processed after the first week. After spending some time calculating the estimated number of books in the library, you were on track to finish your task at hand as long as a couple of extra hours went into your work instead of sleeping that is.

The days melted into each other as you fell into a routine of sorting, categorizing, listing and organizing the books into neat piles that would be ready to be shelved. At some point, you were so delirious in your obsession with organizing, you were sure you had cursed out your friend who had come in during a slow day to help you. There was a controlling, neurotic side of you that came out when you were invested in your work. From that one brief interaction, she had understood quite clearly that the easiest way to help you was to supply you with your favorite coffee at regular intervals during the day.

You weren't sure if you were really alive by the time you were three quarters of the way done with shelving everything. There had been days where you hadn't gone home and opted to just sleep on the ground so that you didn't have to bother taking the time to commute to work. You didn't want to admit how many times you had done it, but your deadline was fast approaching; and you really didn't know how to ask for help. The library morphed into something more than just your workplace. It truly became your home and in a twisted sense, your sanctuary where you could be alone and lost in your work.

There were days near the end of your allotted months when your hand would cramp and your pen would slip, and you wondered if you were going to make it to your deadline on time. All it took for you to keep going and pushing past the pain though was to glance up at all that you had already done. You were so close to your end goal. With only a week left, there were only three sections left on the floor that were in a chaotic pile. The rest of the sections had all been neatly stacked and were ready to be shelved. You almost cried in relief when it finally hit you on the last week that you were almost done.

You actually did cry when you saw Noctis walk into the library, three days before your due date, to take a look at your work. You weren't ready to show him what you had done. Your job hadn't been completed. In fact, you were running behind schedule. Somewhere along the line, your calculations had been skewed. The tight time line you had convinced yourself would be accurate had failed you; so when the King himself came to check on your failures, you did your best to hide your personal disappointment.

"You did all this yourself?"

"No... One else was here to help. They're helping with other places. So I did it myself. It’s what you asked me to do, right?"

"How much is left?"

"Just those... I only have a few days left before the deadline that you gave me so I really have to get back to work..." you mumbled, looking at the floor and trying your best to still your dominant hand that twitched in pain from being overworked and writing tiny little numbers for days on end. You knew that if you looked up and saw his expression of disappointment that you weren't finished with your job that it would be all over for you. You'd be out of the job that you had barely started, and he'd find someone better to replace you.

"Go home," Noctis stated plainly.

"Eh?" You looked up in shock, letting his words sink in when your worst fears were becoming a reality. "B-but."

"I'll have others come in and finish your work. For now, go home. Get some rest. You look like death. I'll have someone else finish the rest and take care of it."

"But, I have to go and make sure they're numbered and marked and that they're referenced. I've been organizing everything for so long, what if they mess up? What if it's in a different order? Do they even know what kind of order I've been putting ev---"

"Enough. It’s too early for a speech from you. You need rest more than anything right now. We'll work out the logistics of everything later. I'd rather have you sane and at work than what you are right now." He gently placed his hand on your shoulder. "You did a great job. Much better than expected. Just take the next few days off and come back on Monday looking a little more like a human, okay?"

"Y-yes, sir!"

You heaved a great sigh which let the floodgates of your tears open. You weren't sure what emotion you felt as you choked out loud sobs in front of your King, but it didn't quite matter to you. You had been praised for what you had done in silence for the last three months, and it was all the validation you needed.

Lack of sleep hit you like a pile of bricks the moment you returned home for the first time in days, and you fell face first into your bed. You barely had the energy to take off your shoes and uniform before your head hit your pillow, and you promptly floated off into a deep slumber. Rest had never felt more rewarding.

~~

On your return to work on Monday, you learned that you should have never doubted the ability of the Crown. Not only had everything that you had left been taken care of, but they were shelved as well. You rushed to the last few sections you had no hand in and you were stunned, to say the least, when you saw that everything you had been processed and neatly shelved as you had imagined. You felt tears of gratitude prick at the corners of your eyes when you realized that whoever had taken over had also arranged everything according to the system you had used. How they were able to do it without actually getting into your phone and going through your notes you didn't know, nor did you care.

You pulled out a book from the end of the shelf and opened it to the back cover. There, in tiny black ink letters, was a number unique to the book in your hand that followed the classification system you had used. Whoever had been in charge of your project in the last few days was a master detective, and you were forever grateful for it. Not only were you rested, you were allowed to focus on the duty that you had been hired to do.

Making your way back to your desk, you were greeted with a neat stack of papers. Glancing through them, you breathed a deep sigh of relief when you saw that it was a similar table to the one you had on your phone assigning books to their respective numbers. "Amazing..." you murmured to yourself as you set your things on your desk and sat down to look at everything in front of you in further detail. "How did they manage..."

"It wasn't hard, you're just really good at organizing. You weren't kidding when you said, 'Thought it'd be fun,' huh." You glanced up to see your friend had dropped in. She grinned and slid a large cup of coffee your way. "Took us almost no time at all to get everything up and shelved."

"You guys are amazing."

"Us? Nah, you did most of it, we just put things away," she explained with a giggle. "Well. I'm here to let you know that you're basically in charge of this place from here on out. There may be a few new recruits to help keep everything neat and tidy, but this is your home now."

".... King's orders?" you asked, looking up at her and hoping she was actually joking with you. You had initially accepted your job as a chance to restore old texts. The huge responsibility of maintaining the Citadel Library was not something you had signed up for.

"King's orders," she confirmed with a nod. "I mean, it makes sense right? You've gone through basically every book in here and you know where they go. For crying out loud, you're the one who made up this crazy classification system too. You're kind of perfect for the job?"

You let out a small whine, realizing how right she was. "Well, it's better than my last job..."

"That's the attitude! Now, get back to work! I'm sure you've got lots to do."

"I do? What makes you think that?" you asked, gesturing to your desk which was already getting inundated with paperwork and surrounded by books you had yet to transcribe. You didn't even want to think about the periodicals or journals that you would have to process later. Things had to be done one step at a time, and uploading your notes from your phone into a searchable database was the first order of business.

It would take a while for all of your files to transfer from your phone to your computer, so you spent most of your first day back taking the time to memorize where everything was in the event that someone needed a book in the immediate future. The day went by much quicker than you had expected while you wandered the quiet shelves. The library was truly a work of art and you couldn't help but feel pride bubbling from within your chest knowing that you had a hand in making it as beautiful as it was.

It only took you three days to confidently say you knew where everything belonged, and you could easily direct anyone to the section they might have needed. However, it took you much too long to find out that even if you had memorized the location of every book in the vast library, you couldn't help Ignis Scientia.

"Pardon the intrusion, but the geography section?" a cool, accented voice broke through your concentration as you frantically worked on transcribing a passage in a battered book. Now that the library was officially open and the citadel had basically returned to most of its former glory, people interrupting your actual archival work had become a frequent nuisance to you.  

"Second staircase to the left, go up one floor, it'll be near the front. G Section. It's in the first quarter of the floor, what's the subclass?" you asked, not looking up from the current page you were working on.

"Pardon?"

"You can't expect to go and read through the whole geography section. I need specifics. Mathematical geography, Cartography, physical geography, oceanography,  anthropology, all of those things are there, oh yeah, and general Manners and customs too. So, if you're looking for something, please be specific," you rambled and squinted at the passage in front of you. "And what in the Astral's names is this supposed to be..."

"I suppose I'm specifically looking for books on the kingdoms and territories that are invited to the upcoming ball once the Citadel is in a presentable condition. From your description, it would appear that I'm in need of texts regarding physical geography."

"And from what you're telling me, I'm going to tell you that you'll want to go to books on anthropogeography," you huffed, deleting what you had transcribed into your computer and stared at the text a bit longer before having to rewrite the word as it had been earlier. "Knowing where these territories are isn't going to help you deal with the people from there any better. Still, second floor, G Section, you'll be looking in GF, so that'll be five aisles down. Books in that subject start about three quarters of the way in."

"Thank you for correcting me, I appreciate your expertise."

"Uh huh..." you mumbled, flipping the page you were working on and sighing in relief when you saw that most of the text had been preserved. You waited to hear the retreating steps of the person in front of you so you could get back to work without any interruptions. However, when you were a few lines in, you noticed that he still hadn't moved.

"Is there anything else I can hel--" You stopped mid sentence when you looked up and saw his face. You were forever grateful that few people were around to hear the undignified screech that came from your lips.

The man in front of you was none other than the Royal Advisor to the king, Ignis Scientia. He was unmistakable with his distinctively scarred face. Even if you had never been formally introduced, you had seen his profile a few times from a distance and heard stories of him from your friend to know that you had royally messed up and made a fool of yourself.

Now that you had a chance to see him up close, you noticed how striking and handsome he still was despite the scars he wore. If you had been any less panicked, you would have probably thought they actually accentuated his features even further with how confidently he carried himself. Though, as you were in that moment,  you were mentally kicking yourself for your flippant behavior and instantly started stammering apologies to him.

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know how I was talking to. I’m so sorry. I’m so bad at paying attention. Though that really isn’t a good excuse. It is kind of my job to take care of everyone and I’m so sorry I’m doing a bad job of taking care of you. I’m sorry… What can I do for you?”

At your frantic stuttering, he only raised an eyebrow and quirked the smallest of smiles. "If you wouldn't mind, I would very much appreciate it if you could lead the way. Forgive me, I'm not quite familiar with the new classification system that's been implemented."

"Uh... Yeah, right this way. Follow me," you squeaked, stumbling out of your chair and scrambling to gather the last pieces of your dignity.

"Lead the way."

The sound of your heart hammering at your chest muffled out the sounds around you as you numbly led him through the library. You made a point to drive your heel into the floor a little heavier so that your footsteps were louder making it easier for him to follow you. After a few times doing it though, you realized you were only making a fool of yourself, and your footsteps just sounded overly crass and crude. You went back to walking as you normally did though your mind raced with doubt and worry.  

Is this okay? Can he follow me? How IS he following me? I can't believe it, only a few months into this job, and I've disgraced myself in front of the right hand man of the King. I guess I can get back to my desk to expect a pink slip and a request to move all of my stuff by tomorrow... I guess it was fun while it lasted? I hope I don't get fired, Astrals above, please don't let me get fired.

You were so lost in your thoughts, you had almost walked right past the section you were supposed to be leading him to in the first place. Stopping dead in your tracks, you back pedaled a step and a half before feeling yourself bump into the man behind you. You startled when you felt his arms come up to your waist make sure you didn't fall over. Oh great, like I needed to give them more reason to fire me. "Sorry, I uh.. miscounted the shelves.... Uh... So... We're here," you squeaked, pushing yourself away from him once you had found your balance.

"I'm impressed," he commented, running his hand against the corner of the shelf, trying to find some sort of defining feature to it so he could reference it again in the future.

"Huh?"

"You seem to know the location of everything in here. It's quite a large library. To have memorized so much in a short time, it's rather impressive."

"It's all I'm really good at," you explained with a shrug, leading him into the aisle to where the section started. "That and I mean, I did organize everything so it kind of comes with the job and all." You tried to sound nonchalant; however, it was rare that you received praise for your work. Coming from someone as high ranking as Ignis, it meant the whole world to you. You made note to keep his comment tucked away in the back of your mind for a time when you had doubts about yourself.

"And what would you suggest for reading? I'm sure there's a great number of titles that you could recommend."

He asked a question you could answer with confidence, and whatever apprehension you had felt previously was quickly shoved to the side when you were able to be in your element. "Well, for sure you'll want this one. It's brief, but pretty comprehensive. Got lots of good overall talking points and notes that you can take." You explained, handing him a rather slim book on the history and customs of the people of Eos. "Let's see... What else would work... This one's not bad. Oh, and this one too! Well, if you're going to read part one, might as well get parts two and three, right?" your babbling continued as you pulled book after book out of the shelves to place into his hands.

It wasn't long before Ignis had to clear his throat when you had pulled the seventh suggested book out from the shelves. "I think... this will do to start."

"Uh... Oh, right. Oh... by the Six, I'm so sorry. I made you carry all of these," you breathed, hurriedly snatching all the books from him. "I'll go and get these checked out for you, let me know if you need anything else?"

"No chance that there's an audio or braille edition I may be able to obtain at this time?"

You stopped dead, realizing you had shoved several books to this man with complete disregard of whether or not he would be able to actually make use of the materials you had provided him. Your mind raced, trying to figure out what could be done only to realize that there wasn't anything that was in your abilities to do so.

"The audio book database isn't fully operational yet... I... I'm still working on that... My main priority right now is getting everything archived. Accessibility isn't quite available at this time. I'm sorry," you explained, trying to retain some sort of professional tone, though your stuttering didn't make you sound very convincing.

"Ah, well, that's a shame. I look forward to the fruits of your hard labor. I've heard many praises about your diligent work. Your abilities are quite an asset to us. But for now, just the first book you suggested to me will be fine."

"But there's no audiobook available right now."

"I'll make do."

Reluctantly, you reshelved the additional books you had pulled and took the long walk of shame back to the front of the library to check out the book. "Since it's a loan within the building, there isn't a due date, but just make sure to bring it back in case someone else needs it," you explained, trying your best to keep the shaking out of your voice.

"I'll be sure that I make good use of my time with it," Ignis said, the smallest smile playing on his lips as he took the book from you and made his way out.

Once you could no longer hear his footsteps in the distance, you let out the breath you were holding before you hobbled back to your desk. You hadn't expected your legs to feel as weak as they did; but with the way everything had played out, you were left breathless and panicked at how much work you had left to do.

I'm only human. I can't do all of this on my own.

~~

Weeks passed since your fateful meeting with Ignis, and you blissfully fell back into your routine at work. You took breaks in between transcribing books and researching how to set up an audiobook database to help Ignis' cause. Knowing his position, he'd be back in the library more often after the event that was happening in the next few days. Where the rest of the castle was filled with hustle and chaos to get everything ready, you were granted reprieve seeing as your job was to be the guardian of a quiet sanctuary. Instead of having to rush around, you were happily in your own space preserving texts and being surrounded by what you loved.

Of course, the fates were cruel and loved to play with those who were content.

A soft tap on your desk jolted you away from your work, and you were greeted with Ignis and a rather intimidating stack of envelopes. "Ah, pardon the intrusion, but do you think you could assist me?"

You paused to quickly save your document on your computer and hastily shuffled your work to the side so that he could have room for whatever it was he needed to do. "Uh... Sure? What do I need to help you with?"

"So, as you know, there's an event in a few days."

"Well, you'd have to be living under a rock to not know about it."

"Correct, well, it's in our lack of foresight that we haven't provided our invited guests with any sort of thank you letter for taking the time to attend. It's to our luck that most of the letters have already been prepared; however, we haven't had a chance to address it to anyone. Unfortunately, that task has fallen onto me."

"You. They couldn't have found anyone better to do the job?"

"Unfortunately, in the rush to complete all of the things Noctis has planned, things are a bit hectic. I'm ashamed to admit that I had missed such an important detail."

You could hardly believe your ears when you heard that Ignis Scientia, the ever impeccable and immaculately calculated strategist to the King had overlooked something. Though, considering the circumstances, it was completely understandable that something could have been missed.

"Do you have a list of the guests? I'll be happy to address them for you."

"I do."

"Great, you can just leave the letters on my desk and I'll have them done by the end of the night."

He did as you had asked him to, placing the stack of envelops on your desk. However, he didn't make any additional moves to get back to the rest of his duties, nor did he present to you any sort of list. Instead, he shifted ever so slightly to pull a nearby chair to your desk. Sitting down in it, he placed his elbows on your desk and stared at you. Though you knew he couldn't see you, you could feel the weight of his gaze from behind the tinted glasses he wore.

"Uh... Sir I--"

"Ignis, will just be fine."

"Ignis... Uh... the list? Can I have it?"

"I have it right here," he said, a smile playing on his lips as his finger tapped at his head. "It's really not much use to me carrying around a scrap of paper I can't read."

You let out a nervous laugh, once again internally kicking yourself for being an idiot. Get it together, and act like a normal human. "Uh... so I guess where do we start?"

"Let's see, we should start with those who are arriving from Leide. I do believe several ambassadors of Gladin Quay will be making an attendance."

You nodded, picking up your pen and following his orders. He spoke with an easy cadence. Not too fast so that you had time to write down the names and territories that he named, but not too slow that it sounded like he was patronizing you. Though the stack of envelopes seemed intimidating at first, his voice was soothing and made time fly by between the two of you. Every now and then he'd add an interesting anecdote about the attendees which made the normally tedious task a bit more interesting.

"Hmm.. the last invited attendee would be the royal house of Frelia. They've announced that they will be sending their own crowned princes to the event."

You let out a low whistle at the mention of royalty. "Wow, all the way from Frelia? Magvel is rather far from here," you murmured while writing down the name of the house and the prince's name.

"Yes, but their support to us in the last ten years was integral in our survival. Take what you will from this, but the prince who is attending took to the battlefield himself and refused to surrender to Niflheim forces."  

"Hah, he's as they say. Frelian's don't know the meaning of surrender."

Ignis let out a low chuckle at your comment. "Indeed they don't," he concurred. "That is the last of the correspondences that we must address. I presume there aren't any blank letters left?."

"All of them are addressed and ready," you said, rearranging the stack neatly and handing the envelopes back to him.

"I appreciate your patience and understanding of my situation. I do apologize for having bothered you."

"It wasn't a bother at all. Though, now that you mention it... you could have asked anyone else in this whole building to do this and they would have dropped their work to help you. So why did you decide on me?"

A smile graced his lips as he leaned in closer to you and reached out to pat your head gently. "The reasoning is simple. The space you've made here is welcoming and quiet, I found it ideal for what I wanted to do." He paused to simply take a moment to stroke your hair. "But also, I don't think you realize how pleasant and welcoming your company is," he said before fluidly picking up the stack of envelops and making his leave.

"And you don't realize just how charismatic you are..." you whispered breathlessly after you watched him leave the library. For the rest of the day, you got little work done as you could not stop playing with your hair and being reminded of his small gesture of praise.

~~

Books were a solitary haven that you retreated to when the world was too chaotic. However, as long as you had lived, you never considered how comfortable sharing that safe haven could be.

Though you worked in the same building as your friend, your schedules and duties rarely allowed for you to have any meaningful time together. Being absorbed in your work as you were, you realized how difficult it was for you to really make acquaintances at your workplace. Most days you didn't see the sun; and when you did, it was through the heavily tinted glass of the tiny back room where you had first signed your life away to serve the Crown.

Since the tiny room was still reserved for storage after the renovations, it was rarely visited by anyone and was a perfect place for you to destress. The shelves were filled with paperwork that was almost never needed; and the tinted glass kept it cool, even during the summer months. Almost daily, you brought your lunch there to enjoy in the still quiet of the back room.

Loneliness didn't bother you considering you regularly engaged with people who passed by your desk to ask questions or make small talk. Quite frankly, you actually preferred to be left alone to your own devices most of the time. Lunch by yourself came as a welcome break away from people and a chance for you to read through a book you had been itching to get to ever since you had last shelved it. It was a pleasant, quiet hour to yourself that you appreciated and needed to make it through your day.

It was during one of those happy, quite lunch breaks when you were interrupted by someone who didn’t seem to care much about invading your personal space. You were too engrossed in your book to have noticed someone had come into your little sanctuary. You practically jumped out of your skin when you felt the gentle brush of someone's hand across your back while you were pouring over the book in front of you. You let out an offensively loud screech at the sudden touch and promptly fell out of your chair in your attempt to get away.

"I sincerely apologize if I had interrupted something. I didn't realize that there might be another person here."

"Ignis?"

"Yes. That would be my name."

You groaned slightly, getting up from the ground and dusting yourself off a bit. You let out an awkward cough and couldn't bare to look up at the man in front of you from sheer embarrassment. Considering your first meeting with him had started in a similar fashion, you wondered if he thought it was routine for you to scream at him any time he appeared. "Uh... Sorry... I didn't notice you coming in... Not that it matters because you know, it's a public space and all so you really didn't have to announce yourself coming in or anything so you know, it's okay if you just do that, i just didn't hear you and that's my fault for not no---"

"That's enough. As I said, I didn't expect anyone to be here."

"Oh... Okay. Yeah, sorry about that. So uh, did you need paperwork or something?"

"Actually, I was just coming here since I recalled it being a rather peaceful place for reflection. I suppose you thought the same?"

"Uh... Yeah. I'll leave now if you want to be alone. My lunch break's almost over anyways." You hurriedly started to pack up your belongings, which had thankfully stayed on the table from when you had gracelessly fallen out of your chair.

"You don't have to relocated on my account. I don't mind sharing the space," he said, casually leaning against the shelves.

Though you knew he couldn't see you, you could still feel his gaze and it made you uncomfortable to say the least. Any movement you made seemed to be under extreme scrutiny, and you wanted to do nothing more than to disappear at that moment so the tension between the two of you could also go away. "Sorry..." you mumbled.

"What for?"

"Uh...." Your excuses seemed futile and anything that came to mind only seemed childish to you. As such, anything of substance you could have said simply died at your lips and lingered in the room as a stagnant silence.

"I'll take your silence as meaning you don't have anything to really be apologetic for," he said, a hint of amusement and the barest trace of a smirk on his lips. "As I said, I don't mind sharing the space with you, that is, as long as you don't mind."

"No... not at all, make yourself at home."

You watched as he got acquainted with the space around him. His hands running along the shelves and his surroundings. He made a quick once over of the shelves, taking note of all the binders and stacks of paperwork there. He paused when his hands brushed over your half eaten lunch and the book that had been left there before he had come in.

"Lunch? Alone?"

"Most of the time..." you admitted with a small shrug.

"What's the book about?"

"Oh, it's not much. I was reshelving the Literature section the other day and just happened on some Folk poetry. I haven't had a chance to read a lot in a while so, I just kinda picked a book I haven't read and went at it. You know, acquaint myself with the goods that I curate, stuff like that.... That's a lie, It's just something to pass the time when I don't have anything to do at lunch."

"Would you mind?" he asked, handing the book to you.

"Huh?"

"Read it to me, the subject matter is rather intriguing and I'm not very familiar with it. I'd like to know more."

"I can get it on audiobook if you'd like," you offered, trying your best to avoid having to do what he asked of you.

"I'd like to think that your voice is much better suited to this than that dreadful automated voice."

"I'm really not the best person to ask to do this"

"I think I'm very capable of being the judge of whether or not you're adept at this. If you would be so kind to indulge me. You see, these eyes of mine aren't the best."

"I... I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing again when there isn't a reason to."

"I... I'm sorry, it's all I can really say."

He let out a low chuckle and pushed the book in your hand. "Read it for me? If you please?"

Whatever apologies you had come up with in your mind instantly vanished when the book was in your hands. You could still feel the warmth of the sun and his hands on the leather cover. "If... If you don't mind..." your voice came out as barely a whisper when you opened to the last page you remember being on. "Did you want to start from the beginning?"

"That would be nice," he said, leaning against the shelves again. "Please, make yourself comfortable as you read. Don't mind me. I've been sitting all day."

"Oh... Okay." You flipped back to the beginning of the book and started to recite the first piece of in the book.

For a bit, time stood still for the two of you in the tiny, cramped room. Filtered sunlight came through the windows, giving you just the right amount of light to read by. The syllables fell from your lips easily since you had read the words before. You could feel your cadence slipping every now and then when you struggled to pronounce something you were only familiar with in writing. Ignis didn't seem to mind whenever that happened though. He'd patiently wait for you to finish stumbling before giving you a small nod to continue.

It wasn't until you were several passages into a rather long and episodic series of poems that you realized how long you had been there. You mentally kicked yourself when you noticed how far the sun had fallen past its midday point. "I... I have to get back to work," you said, pushing the book back in his hands.

"What a shame. I was quite enjoying my time here. Perhaps, you could continue tomorrow?"

"I... Uh... Yeah... yeah. I can do that. I mean, if that's okay with you."

"I'm asking you to continue, why wouldn't it be okay with me?"

"Oh... right. I... I guess same place tomorrow?" you asked while you packed up your half eaten lunch and moved past him to get back to your desk.

"That would be ideal. Let's make it a regular thing," he suggested. "I rather enjoy your company. Your voice is rather soothing," he said, his rather composed and nonchalant demeanor at this whole arrangement to spend time with you made you rather flustered, to say the least.

"Yeah... sure. That... sounds fine," you mumbled, scurrying out of the door and back to your desk lest he could sense how much you were blushing. "I'll.. see you tomorrow then."

"I look forward to it."

You were definitively late coming back from your lunch break. However, you didn't mind that fact at all.

~~

Books on appreciating the help that surrounded you were tucked right in the back corner, half a shelf past where books on Geography were kept. Hidden there, whole novels about the time when you discovered a much deeper appreciation for the low timbre and measured cadence in Ignis' voice.

You stared incredulously at the new shipment of books that had been ordered specifically for Ignis' use. They had taken so long to come in that you had almost forgotten about them. By his request, they were to be shelved separately or brought to his personal study. It was strange to you for books to be so tactile. The Braille created constellations of words you couldn't understand, and that fact frustrated you. You were used to being able to comprehend the things that came to your possession.

There were no words for you to read. They were to be felt, and you couldn't understand any of it. Searching online for an alphabet, you struggled to learn the new language in order to get some semblance of organization done on the shelf that had been set up for Ignis. Three hours later, along with lots of frustrated crying, you were no where near close to deciphering the texts in front of you.

"Is something the matter?"

Of course, the one person who you didn't want to see appears to ask you if you were alright. Of course Ignis had to appear right as you were feeling completely useless to prod at your broken pride.

"Fine. Yeah. I'm fine," you muttered, sniffling and unceremoniously wiping your nose on your sleeve. "Just a head cold."

"A head cold causes you to cry at work?"

"...I--"

"You're a horrible liar."

"I know," you mumbled, hanging your head and twiddling your thumbs.

"Mind telling me what's got you so worked up then that you're in tears?" he asked.

"I don't... I can't... By the Six, this embarrassing. Just... Never mind," you grumbled, burying your head in your hands. "Forget it. Just, come back later. I'll figure something out."

"Figure what out?"

"Don't worry about it, it's my job."

"Well then, should I help?"

"What? No! Why? You're the reason why I'm in this position in the first place," you blurted out in sheer frustration, choosing to ignore the strange look he gave you. "I can't understand anything that your new books say. I can't organize anything, they all look the same to me, and anything I'm trying to find online doesn't give me enough information to figure out what I'm doing. I have no idea where the packing slip went because I didn't actually unpack everything and now I'm here with a whole shipment of books to organize and no way to organize them when my job is to organize. Do you know how frustrating that is?"

By the time you had finished your rant, you were out of breath and your ears were ringing. You hadn't realized how loud you were until the silence of the library returned, and the ringing in your ears became louder than your shallow breaths. Now that your tirade was over, your frustration had drained out of you; and you were left with the hollow feeling of dread when you realized you had just vented to the very person you were trying to help out.

There were several outcomes that you expected to come from him. He could turn away and let you continue to struggle with your task; he could tell you to get out and fire you on the spot; or he could simply sigh in disappointement at your childishness before telling you to get over yourself and get back to work. To your surprise, he did none of these things. Instead, he simply walked over to where you had the books scattered across your desk and picked one up.

He brushed his fingers across the cover to effortlessly read the symbols you had been struggling with and handed it to you after a brief moment. "Sacred Texts of Eos."

"Sacred texts...?" you repeated, taking the book from him and staring at the cover briefly before realizing what he was doing. "Got it," you said your mood instantly being lifted now that you had an idea of what was what. Scribbling down the information he had given you and hastily making a brief note on the back cover. "Next?"

"Preservation, Restoration, and Conservation of Antiquities," he stated, handing you another book and you repeated the process of notating the title and putting a note in the back cover for future reference.

"Uh huh. Next?"

"Toxicology and the Study of Poisons."

"Wow, you've got quite the variety subjects in your personal collection, Mr. Scientia..."

"It's always good to be prepared," he stated, handing you the book and raising an eyebrow. "One never knows when this kind of knowledge will be useful."

"Point taken," you said, noting the book and starting separate stacks for when you were ready to shelve everything.

The process continued until the chaotic pile you had fretted for hours over was converted to neat stacks and several pages worth of notes over the course of a few hours. You made quick mental notes of which books and piles would be shelved and which ones would later be delivered directly to Ignis' personal study.

"Last one?" you asked, looking up at Ignis and noticing that there weren't any more more books to be sorted on your desk.

"Last one,"  he confirmed, handing it to you.

"Title?"

"Folk Poetry and the Astrals."

You looked fondly at the cover of the book. Though the braille symbols meant nothing to you, it still reminded you of lunch breaks in a tiny storage room where you would read to Ignis for an hour when the world stood still.

"Had to get your own copy?"

"I will admit I am rather fond of the works that were collected for this anthology."

You let out a soft laugh and ran your fingers across the cover of the book as he had done. The raised symbols connected to nothing in your brain and again, you were overcome with a sense of frustration. "How do you do it..." you murmured, caressing the braille over and over again, trying to will some sort of divine knowledge to come and let you understand what it was that you were feeling.

"Do what?"

"Understand all of this... It makes no sense to me, and you're standing there, casually just reading things off."

"Years of practice helps."

"I can imagine," you murmured. "Hey... sorry about earlier... I yelled at you for no reason."

Ignis let out a low chuckle and gently patted you on the head. "Again, you apologize for something that doesn't need an apology. I felt similarly when I first learned as well. It's admirable that you attempted what you did on your own."

"I got frustrated after a couple of hours, I can't imagine how you felt."

"I was lucky that I had people around me that supported me despite my short comings."

You quietly nodded, looked at the book in your hands and rubbed the cover trying to connect the dots from what he had read to what was on the cover.  "Hey, how are you supposed to read this? I can barely make heads or tails of it," you said, flipping through the pages of the book in your hand and marveling at how it had the same contents as the book you had been reading with him during your lunch breaks but with none of the symbols you were used to.

"Here, let me show you," he said, stepping forward pulling you close against him while reaching out and taking your hand into his. He curled his fingers around yours, leaving only your pointer finger and his out. Running along the top of the page, your fingers brushed against the raised symbols and his soothing voice read out their meaning to you.

"So, you already know the title," he explained softly into your ear; and you tried your best to keep from blushing, though the scent of leather and expensive cologne made it very difficult. "Here, begins the tale of creation of the world we know and the lives we live..."

Through his gentle guidance, you started to see the world as clearly as he felt it through his fingertips.

~~

As colder weather swept in, the thick walls of the Citadel offered much warmth and protection from the snow and wind. Colder weather also meant that many of the newer recruits were unable to train outside. For you, this meant you spent much less time on archival work and more time running around scolding young recruits getting frisky in the back corners of your library instead of studying for the written tests Cor had advised them of. As days grew shorter, the hours you worked at the library became longer. A few recruits had actually diligently wanted to study, and you couldn't turn down their pleas to keep the place open as they crammed as much information as possible before their exams.

You had expected the late hours with students and the rookie Crownsguard; surprisingly, out of all the people who stayed the late, it was the Royal Advisor himself who stayed the latest. How Ignis remained conscious no matter what time of the day it was was beyond you. Often, he would stay much later past midnight while you would struggle to keep your eyes open for any book, no matter how intriguing the subject matter.

After a week of waiting on him to finish, you figured you should at least help him be comfortable during the long night hours. Though the Citadel kept out the worst of the cold winds, there were times when even the warmest parts of the castle became drafty and chilled. Though it was late, you didn’t see the harm in offering a hot cup of Ebony to keep him warm.

"You're working yourself to death," you murmured, placing the steaming cup of coffee in front of him. "It's not very becoming of the Royal Advisor to be dead."

He let out a low chuckle and graciously accepted the cup from you. When his fingers brushed against yours, you wondered if it was your imagination that made it feel like his fingers lingered on yours for a second longer than what was normal. "It's not my intention to die here. I've survived much worse."

"Could have fooled me. What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Just going over the list of houses that will be attending the next gathering in a few months. I'd like to make sure Noctis has an idea of who's who before he makes a fool of himself."

"Well, wouldn't that be a sight," you said, giggling slightly. You reached for the stack of papers he had been going over while he sipped at the coffee. "I'm assuming there's a different list of guests this time?"

"Many of the same guests as last time, though with a rising interest in trade with Insomnia, it's brought in a few more requests for invitations."

"I see..." you murmured, glancing through the list and letting out a low whistle after your brain had pieced together most of what the braille on the page read. You had spent many hours since Ignis had first taught you the basics of reading the symbols to understand it better. In your determination to understand him better, you had spent more hours than you cared to admit in becoming fluent in reading texts as he did. “I didn't think half of these territories were even thinking about trading and commerce between us. I mean, you've even got guests from the Kilvas nation? How long ago did they stop trade?"

"Their borders have been closed much longer than we've been alive. Thanks to Noctis' accomplishments, we've been rather blessed with the recent interest in interaction from other countries that have long been closed off."

"Yeah, but that also means that they've been overworking you, huh?"  

"I wouldn't call it overworking. I simply have more responsibilities than usual. It'll die down once this gathering is over and done with."

You raised a curious eyebrow at how nonchalant he was about having little to no sleep for the last few weeks. Having seen the sun rise a few times on occasion, you knew exactly how much rest he wasn't getting. "Ignis, if you're not running around telling people what needs to be done, you're in here until I have to force you to get out. Do you even know what sleep is?"

Instead of answering your question, he simply turned towards your direction to cast a gaze at you while taking a long sip of his drink. Realizing you weren't going to actually get an answer, you let out an exasperated sigh and idly flipped through the guest list again. He hid his fatigue well, but you could see how strained his shoulders were from long hours of going through papers. You let the silence between the two of you pass, hoping that having the papers in your hands gave him some time to relax.

"How'd you know?"

"Hm? Know what?" you asked looking up from the pages in your hands.

"Exactly how I like my coffee?"

"Ebony has a very distinct smell, you know," you said with a soft laugh. "Also, your love of it isn't very much a secret."

"Well, I suppose that much is true," he commented before going back for another sip. "What are you doing here at this hour? I figured most people would have gone home by now."

"I always have work to do," you said with a shrug and a soft laugh. "I just usually like to wait for you to leave so I don't accidentally lock you in here alone."

"Your shift should have ended hours ago."

"Oh I know, I already clocked out. I was just doing some extra work on the side and some reading. It's not a big deal."

"I shouldn't have kept you waiting for so long then," he said, promptly gathering up all his things. "I was actually waiting for you to finish your work. I didn't realize that I had kept you waiting on me."

You stood there, completely bewildered that he would think about waiting for you. The fact that you were waiting for him in return made the whole situation just that much more absurd in your mind. At the hour it was, you could barely keep your eyes open; and you sorely wished you had made a cup of Ebony for yourself. Though, considering you were planning on doing nothing but sleep once you got home, perhaps it was in your best interest to not have that much caffeine in you.

"Are you ready to go?" Ignis asked, his voice snapping you out of your stupor.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. In a bit. Let me go and get my stuff and lock up," you said, darting away to gather your things and make a quick once around the library to make sure you weren't going to lock anyone in while you were gone. You had half expected Ignis to have already left by the time you came back; however, he was still waiting there for you as you came up to him, panting from running around so much. "Okay, ready now," you breathed, trying to catch your breath.

"You didn't have to rush."

"But it's already late and I'm sure you'd like to get some sleep before having to wake his highness up when the sun comes up for his royal breakfast."

He let out a genuine laugh at your comment and you sorely wished you had some way to bottle the sound and keep it with you. "Perhaps I'll let him sleep in for the day. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the door.

"Absolutely. I can't wait to get to get home and sleep."

"Allow me to make sure you're able to get safely home then," he offered.

"Ignis, I'm locking this place up so that you can get some sleep. I'll be fine on the walk ho---me," stifling your yawn was neigh impossible, try as you might.

"Your yawn tells me otherwise. Please, I'll be fine. Consider it thanks for the Ebony."

"How can I argue against you?" you said with an exhausted sigh and a shrug while you bundled up in your winter coat.

"You don't," he simply stated before taking the lead and heading out.

Your breaths rose in small clouds as he walked next to you. You couldn't help stealing quick glances over towards him and admiring how soft his features looked against the lights of the night. Though he was essentially following you, it still felt as though he knew exactly where he was going. He walked with a purpose and an innate grace that you could only hope to attain one day. Every now and then, as your arm swung back and forth in time with your steps, your hand would brush against his and you'd feel a blush creep across your cheeks. You couldn't tell if it was purely coincidence or if he was doing it intentionally to keep track of where you were.

You realized he was doing it on purpose when his fingers brushed against your hand more frequently, and his touch lingered. As much as you wanted to ignore how fast your heart was beating and how heated your face felt even against the cold weather, there was no denying that his little actions had an effect on you. Eventually, you gathered up what courage you had at that hour and held onto his hand the next time it passed by your own.

Ignis stiffened for the briefest moment before you felt his hand relax into yours, and his posture shifted slightly. It was pleasant to listen to the stillness that surrounded you. As late as it was, and as little sleep as you knew you were going to get, you couldn't help but take the long way back so that you could relish in the warmth of his hand while the cold winter air chilled your lungs. He didn't seem to mind though, every time you glanced up at him, you noticed the slightest trace of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Hey, are you going to be okay getting back to your place?" you asked once you got home and realized that you had possibly led him to a part of town that he wasn't familiar with.

"I'll manage. I'm rather familiar with these streets," he reassured you with a gentle squeeze of his hand. "Though, with how long it took for us to reach your home, I was starting to wonder if you had gotten lost."

"I... I'm sorry..."  you mumbled, moving to unlock your hand from his, though his hold on you remained steadfast.

"What have I told you about apologizing?" he chided.

"But--"

"Enough. It's too early in the day for one of your speeches," he said, quelling any nervous tirades that you might spiral into. "Just tell me, what does the sunrise look like today?"

You glanced past his shoulder to notice the pale blush of dawn cresting over the buildings and casting its warm glow into the fading night sky. Birds began their song in the distance, and the quiet hum of city life began to stir as people started their days. With his back against the peaceful backdrop of the rising sun, Ignis seemed to glow, and even the harsh scars on his face softened in the rosy light.

"It's absolutely stunning," you whispered, gently squeezing his hand as you watched your breath drift upwards in the winter air to mingle with the disappearing stars.

~~

You made it a point to attend as few of the balls and events that the Citadel hosted as possible. Mingling with strangers in fancy attire and making small talk was not something you particularly cared for; however, thanks to much pestering from your friend, you eventually caved and agreed to go.

It was strange, walking around in the Citadel and not being on duty in your library. You had been asked to lock it up to prevent any amorous couples from rendezvousing in its corners. For that, you were grateful since your workspace would be safe from the aftermath of the event. The event itself, however, was not something you had come mentally prepared for.

Dressed to the nines in what formal wear you owned and wearing borrowed accessories, you couldn't help but wish that you were allowed to wear your uniform. At least then you could pass yourself off as being on duty and not feel like the event was made for people much higher on the social ladder than you were. Your friend was quickly whisked away from you by some other obligations which left you alone to fend for yourself in a sea of people you weren't familiar with.

It didn't take long for you to feel overwhelmed by your surroundings. It was hard to keep track of who you were talking to and what they were talking about. The faces that passed started to look too familiar as you were force to socialize with more people. Before long, the sounds and their voices echoed in your head too loudly for you to concentrate. Your heart raced as it tried to find a way out of the situation. All instincts screamed at you to run even if you weren't in any immediate danger.

You frantically looked around for someone familiar, anyone to possibly ground you from what felt like your mind leaving your body and ascending to some other plane of existence while also being extremely aware of how loud and bright everything was. I need to leave.

In your panicked state, you pushed yourself through the crowds of people, keeping your eyes focused on the ground in front of you to avoid having to interact anymore. You sought the only place that you knew would be quiet that night. You let out a blissful sigh of relief when you slipped past the heavy doors and into the dark room. It took a while for your eyes to adjust, but you were able to make your way to the back room where you were least likely to be found.

Once there, you curled up into the corner of the room and let yourself cry like you had wanted to since the night began. The stress of being around people, around all the bright lights and the formalities had worn you down much quicker than you had expected. You had realized after being at the gathering for less than ten minutes that you didn't belong at an event like this. The yearning to leave had built itself up and culminated until it felt like it consumed you. In the dark, you were safe; and when you couldn't take anymore, you allowed yourself to break down in the safety of the tiny storage room.

You let your mind wander as you cried, wondering about the what if's of your life: if you hadn't gone to the event, if you had simply never said anything about liking to organize, if you actually had any sort of place in a castle filled with important ambassadors and emissaries that you embarrassed yourself in front of. You spiraled out of control, and only made the void of negative voices grow in your mind. At that point, you weren't quite sure why you were even upset in the first place. All you knew was that you felt weak, incompetent, insignificant and you would remain that way for the rest of your life.

"Are you alright?"

You jumped slightly in mid sob, looking up from where you were, and squinted through your tears to see who had found your hiding place. You could barely make out the outline of a person in the dark; however, Ignis' voice was unmistakeable. How he seemed to always find you when you were the most vulnerable, you didn't know. What was even more incredible was the fact that he was willing to still be in your presence even if you weren't at your best.

"F-Fine," you mumbled, though your voice cracked from all the crying you had done, and you were doing a poor job of hiding your hiccups.

"You don't sound like it."

"I-I'll be fine," you tried to sound reassuring though the hiccups that followed did not help your case.

"You've been crying here for the last fifteen minutes, I highly doubt that you're fine as you say you are."

"H-how long have you been here?"

"Long enough. Come, take a walk with me," he said, offering his hand to you. You shouldn't have been surprised that he moved easily in the dark, but it was still impressive to you how he was able to navigate to you without making much noise or knocking into anything.

"Huh?"

"Take a walk with me," he repeated. "The gardens are right there, and I think some fresh air will do you some good."

You weren't one to accept help from others when you were in that kind of mood; however, you were willing to do anything to get out of the dreadful headspace you were in. Wiping your tears on the back of your sleeve, you accepted his warm hand and followed him as he expertly maneuvered through the hallways to the door that leads out to the garden.

For the months that you had worked at the library, you had never once considered strolling through the gardens during your free time. You had a perfect view of it from the tiny back room and didn't think once to explore the grounds a little more than your peaceful corner. Now though, gently being led through the paths by Ignis' hand, you let your mind calm itself down from the strange place your mind had placed itself in.

Your footsteps crunched on the gravel in time with his as you let the stillness of the garden seep into your body and slowly bring yourself down from the high that your anxiety had given you. It was quiet between the two of you, but it was comfortable. The moon illuminated the pathways just enough for your eyes to see clearly but not be overwhelmed by light.

"Tell me, what's it like?"

"Huh?"

"The garden, what's in bloom right now?"

"Ah... The orchids are," you murmured, tugging at his hand and pausing to admire them. "They're happy right now, it's not too cold for them. The sun was out today but the trees here give them enough shade so they don't feel like they're going to wilt when it gets hot."

"Is that so? I'm glad they're doing well. What else is there?"

"The lilies at the pond are in bloom too."

"They are? Ah, that's a pleasant surprise. I never got a chance to see them in bloom before. They must be beautiful."

Your breath caught a bit at the back of your throat when you noticed the slightly wistful tone in his voice. "Y-yeah... they are. I'm sorry."

"There you go again, apologizing for things that aren't your fault."

"I--"

"Just walk with me for a bit longer. I don't get the chance to stroll here and enjoy the ambiance it brings. I do hope that the reconstruction has brought most of it back to the way it was before."

"I think so? I haven't compared any before and after pictures. I heard they rebuilt some of the barriers, but left some of the others so that the plants can mingle a bit more. I think I overheard someone say that the head gardener decided to plant more orchids this year to bring color to the grounds. It's like they're blooming with all their might now that they can see the sun again."

"What colors are there?"

"There are so many, Ignis. There are whites paler than fresh snow and pinks as light as dawn. They've put in all sorts of red ones too. They go from being bright to dark, the color getting richer and richer until the darkest ones are like fine wine held up to a light. There are others too down the path that show off their colors even in the moonlight."  

"They must be a marvel to look at,” he commented, continuing to walk at a leisurely pace so that you could admire more than just the orchids. "Which flowers here do you like best?"

Of all the alluring orchids and elegant lilies you had passed, none of them caught your eyes as much as the wild brush of camellias in full bloom. You smiled, taking in their scent and gently pulling Ignis by the hand to the brush.

"This one," you said when you finally got close enough to the flowers and came to a stop to admire them up close. Under the moonlight, they glowed brilliantly white with the barest trace of green at the inner corners of their petals. Standing on tiptoe, you reached out to pluck a bloom and placed it gently in his hand.

"And why this one in particular?" he asked while his thumb traced the soft petals and curves of the flower in his palm.

"It reminds me of your eyes..." you explained with a soft giggle, taking the flower from his hand and reaching upwards to tuck it behind his ear. "It's a perfect match," you said with a grin, hoping he could feel just how much better you felt in your voice.

"I take it that you're feeling better?"

"Much better," you affirmed, smiling your hardest and wishing he could feel how peaceful you were with him.

"Good."

In that moment, as the moonlight hit his face while he smiled at you, you could have sworn that even angels would have been put to shame at the beautiful sight before you.

~~

As hectic as your world was, you always found time to browse the Literature section that was tucked into the top most floor of the Citadel Library. There was always something there that you hadn't read before. Often times though, you found yourself going back to an old leather bound book filled with folk poetry that smelled of moonlight and expensive cologne.

A little more than year had passed since the sun had risen again. The world settled, and so did you and your routine. Though you still stayed late on occasion, your life had become rather regulated. No longer did you have to worry about any insane deadlines, nor did you have to fret over a new book order for Ignis. As boring as normal was, you were grateful for it. It took a year for you to finally fall into a normal routine; and honestly, you wouldn't trade it for much.

Part of the normal life you lived were the visits from Ignis. He had become a rather regular visitor of yours, and you welcomed his company. Considering he had seen you through the worst of your moods, he had become a close confidant and friend. For the year that you had known him, he had gone from the intimidating Royal Advisor to becoming someone precious and dear to your heart. You were grateful for so much, and seeing him patiently waiting for you to open the library with a pair of coffee cups in his hands reminded you how much you were thankful for.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" you asked, accepting the warm cup from him and grinning like a fool when you felt his fingers brush lightly against your own.

"Ah, there was an early hearing of local grievances. I've brought the recorded audio for archiving. Noctis has asked for a transcript as soon as possible," he explained while you fumbled with the key to unlock the library door.

"I should have everything done by the afternoon," you said, pushing the door open and letting him in before you. "Still, that doesn't explain why you're here. You could have easily gotten someone else to do the errand running for you."

He shrugged and walked with you over to your desk. "I offer you coffee and you question my motives?"

"It's not often that the Royal Advisor has free time in the morning to get coffee for a friend," you quipped, taking a grateful sip of the bitter brew and humming in approval. You had expected Ebony, but you were pleasantly surprised to find that your drink had been made just the way you liked it. "How'd you know?"

"Know what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, though with the smirk that played on his lips, he knew exactly what you were going to ask.

"Exactly how I like my coffee?"

He gave you a low chuckle. "I feel like we've had this conversation before."

"We have, but you didn't answer my question."

"Ah, well, I have my sources."

"I'm going to have to thank her later," you murmured before taking another sip of your coffee and setting your desk up for the day.

"Well, I have to admit, it's a strangely specific order you have."

"What can I say, I like numbers," you said with a shrug.

"I'm failing to see how a cup of coffee with three sugar cubes and one portion of creamer stirred four times and four times only has to do with your love of numbers."

You smiled when you heard him recite your order. The way you preferred your coffee had been a habit you had fallen into for good luck. You had repeated those numbers over and over on a daily basis to cement your feelings for the very person who had given you your most recent cup. You never realized how beautiful and colorful your world would turn when you heard the numbers fall from his lips in the order that explained your everlasting adoration and love for the man before you.

"Then I suppose you'll have to simply look for a book that explains it," you said with a soft smile.

"And where might I find that section?"

"Hmmm," you leaned against your desk and sipped your coffee thoughtfully, "I'd suggest the topmost floor, three aisles past the furthest staircase on the left. Somewhere in that area."

"It's not like you to be vague about the location of books."

You shrugged. "It's early, I can't say I'm fully functional yet, I'm allowed to be vague when I just got here."

Ignis let out a soft laugh at your comment, and you relished in the sound echoing throughout the empty library in the early morning. As the sunlight peeked through the windows and shone through his tinted glasses, you did everything you could to memorize the warm moments like this that you were able to share with him. It only drove home how much he meant to you, and you so sorely wished he could see how beautiful the world was after all he had sacrificed.

"Thank you," you murmured lovingly after the last of his laughter had died down.

"For what?"

"For telling me to stop saying 'I'm sorry' so much. I should be thanking you instead for being there for me and helping me break the habit."

He smiled warmly and regarded you with a steady gaze, "I've waited a long time for you to say that."

"Then I'll say it again. Thank you. I'll say over and over until you're tired of it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he whispered, leaning over and tilting your chin up towards him so that he could brush his lips against yours. Any other words you saved up to tell him could wait until later. It was much too early for one of your rambling speeches after all.

-Fin-

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Killing Me Softly

Characters: Dean x Reader, Sam

Word Count: 2,189

Warnings: mentions of suicide, attempt of suicide, I don’t go into too much detail but it’s there, bad thoughts, self hate, a lot of negativity, ANGST, a smidge of fluff if you squint

Request: Hii, could you please do a Dean x reader where the reader has a lot of suicidal thoughts, and she tries to kill herself but Dean break in and save her and then a lot of fluff and cuddle? I know it's depressed but lately it's been an horrible time and idk. Anyway, I love your fics!

Author’s Note: This one is dark, guys. I want you all to know that if you’re ever feeling low, please, my inbox is always open. I want o help you guys. If not, there are a lot of numbers you can call that will do everything they can to help you. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

If you want to be tagged, leave an ask or message and I’ll add you! Same goes for my Series Rewrite! If you want to request a fic, please send them in! I love writing what you guys want!

Feedback is always appreciated

Tags at the bottom

You weren’t ever a happy person. Yes, you’ve had those moments where you laughed and joked with people but at the end of the day, it was just you and the demons inside your head. All throughout your life, you were always compared to a better person, always judged, always feeling like you weren’t worthy enough.

You’ve tried to surround yourself with things that made you happy. For example, you tried being with Dean Winchester as much as you could. Or researching with Sam, writing little snippets of your life in your journal, going on walks, and even cooking but nothing worked.

You couldn’t stay happy for too long before the voices in your head took over.

“You’re so ugly.”

“No one wants to get to know you. You’re a horrible person.”

“Why are you still here? Sam and Dean would never love you. They want you gone.”

“It would make things a lot easier if you just ended it all.”

“You would make everyone’s lives a lot easier if you weren’t around.”

“Go on, you have the pills. All you need is to take them and your pain and suffering would go away.”

The voices never went away, no matter how much you tried drowning them out. You tried blaring your music, you tried reading, you tried talking with Sam or Dean to distract you but they always found their way to the top.

There were nights where you stayed up, crying your eyes out because you weren’t good enough. There was actually a time where you ran away, in fear that Sam or Dean would kick you out if you stayed there any longer.

You ended up falling asleep in the park but when you woke up, you were back in your bed and very worried and concerned Winchester brothers waiting for you. They wouldn’t stop pestering you with questions and you so badly wanted to tell them what was wrong with you but you lied, coming up with some excuse.

You always came up with excuses as to why you weren’t feeling well, not eating when your stomach growled for food, when you couldn’t go on hunts, and many more. Your mind screamed for them to notice that you weren’t happy, that you wanted to end it all. But your body refused to cooperate.

You hated being alone because then your thoughts become your worst nightmare. The last time you were alone, you almost killed yourself. The only reason you didn’t go through with it was because your roommate at the time came home too early and found you before it was too late.

He tried to get you professional help but you refused, not wanting to burden anyone else with your problems. After that, you shut yourself off from anyone who was getting close to you. You hated bringing sadness to other people and you’ve experienced a lot of sadness.

Then after a while, you moved out, until you met the Winchesters. When you met Dean, you felt as if things were going to become good again. You thought you were going to be happy again but turns out, it was false hope.

You were never a happy person and in this moment, you knew it. You were alone since Sam and Dean were out at the moment. You’ve been alone for hours which wasn’t good for you. Those same demons were crowding your mind and you couldn’t take it anymore.

You shot out of bed, screaming in the empty room.

“SHUT THE HELL UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!” You sobbed, begging for them to stop but they wouldn’t quit.

“You know where the pills are. All you have to do is take them and we will never bother you again.”

The voices said to you. You sobbed, not really wanting to die but only wanting the pain gone. After all, that is all you wanted. All you wanted was the pain to be gone and the only way for that to work is if you were dead. You didn’t see any other option.

“Fine, you want me dead so badly, I’ll grant your wish.” You said to no one and got up, walking out of your room and to the shared bathroom. You would hate for Sam or Dean to come home only to find your dead body on their floor but this was the only way.

Why live a life if you were going to be sad all the damn time? Why live a life if everywhere you turned, pain would be a certain factor? Maybe there were some people who just didn’t belong in the world. You were one of them.

You closed the bathroom door and locked it, in fear of Dean or Sam coming home early and stopping you. You were stopped once; you weren’t going to be stopped again. You’ve tried taking a lot of pills but they were sleeping pills. You figured that if you took enough, you would fall asleep and just never wake up. But your body “healed” itself of them too quickly and you woke up a lot of hours later.

This time, you would be taking some prescribed pain killers that would be sure to work. After all the hunts you’ve been on, you have gotten some nice pain killers from doctors. You saved up and now you have enough to actually do some damage.

You took out the bottle and poured yourself a glass of water, sliding to the floor. Tears were streaming down your face because you hated leaving Sam and Dean like this. You popped the top and poured all the pills in your hand, looking at them.

“Just one swallow and this will all be over.”

“Do it, Y/N.”

“Maybe now you’ll actually be good at something.”

The thoughts wouldn’t stop and soon, you found yourself putting all the pills in your mouth, downing them with two big gulps of water. You let the glass fall on the ground, it shattering and the water going everywhere. You didn’t seem to care as you stared at the wall, letting the darkness make its way to you to take you away.

You didn’t even register your eyes closing. You didn’t register your body slowly shutting down. You didn’t even register Dean barging into the bathroom because he heard the glass and was worried about you.

You didn’t even register Dean frantically calling for Sam or even trying to wake you up. You didn’t even register when Dean rushed you over the toilet and stuck his fingers down your throat to get you to throw up the pills you took. This all happened so fast, the pills didn’t even get to settle into your bloodstream.

Your body reacted like how it should and you threw up, the pills landing in the toilet bowl. You threw up until you couldn’t anymore and that is when Dean knew you had every pill out of your body. Your eyes fluttered open and you got tears immediately, feeling like a failure again. You couldn’t even kill yourself correctly.

“Y/N, come on, you have to get up for me.” Dean said, putting you into his lap.

“No, Dean, just leave me be. Why did you have to save me?” You said, getting more tears.

“No, I’m glad that I got here when I did. What were you thinking, Y/N? I can’t lose you. I can’t bear the thought of you dead.” Dean said, getting emotional. Sam rushed into the room with some supplies that might help you out.

You were always closer to the older Winchester than you were with Sam and Sam knew it. He handed the things to Dean and as much as he was worried about you, he knew how much you needed Dean with you. Sam left the room and Dean gave you a glass of water and you remembered the broken glass.

You looked down to see your hand bloody. You must have hurt yourself without even realizing it. Dean was already working on your hand and you sobbed loudly, causing him to stop.

“Dean, why do you care about me? I’m worthless. I don’t belong on Earth anymore. I hate myself and you should too.” You cried. Dean shook his head and you could tell he was very emotional. He needed to gather himself internally because if he spoke now, he would break down and you didn’t need that.

You needed him to be strong but it was hard when the woman he loved tried to kill herself. He always knew something was wrong but he never would have guessed this. He knew something was wrong and he didn’t do a damn thing about it.

“Sweetheart, I’m going to stop you right there. Let me get you to bed and then I’ll tell you all about how much I love you.” Dean said, his voice cracking a bit at the end. He finished with your hand and he picked you up, letting you rest against him. He let out a shaky breath and left the bathroom, not worried about the mess.

He took you to his room since he figured you didn’t want to be in yours. He laid you on his bed and he handed you one of his shirts so you could feel his warmth. So, that you could feel safe, knowing he was always going to be with you. You knew there was no hiding how you felt now so you stripped out of your shirt and wrapped Dean’s around you.

“Dean…” You said with a quiet sob.

“Sh, don’t say anything, okay? Just listen.” Dean said, stripping himself to his boxers and got next to you in bed. He pulled you close to his body and stared into your eyes that were so full of pain and suffering.

“I’m sorry.” You said, immediately feeling guilty.

“For what? Feeling pain? I should be the one apologizing. I figured something was wrong but I left it alone. I’m sorry for not seeing what was truly wrong.” Dean said, wiping your tears.

“Dean, I can’t live like this anymore. The voices in my head always win and they’re mean. I always feel like a burden to you and Sam. I feel like I’m not good enough. Even before I met you, I was like this. Ever since I could remember, I hated everything about myself. I hate the way I look, the way I talk, how I hunt, what I say, everything.” A fresh wave of tears spilled over.

“I wish you could see what I see.” Dean whispered painfully.

“What do you see?” You asked, wanting to know what he saw. You needed to know what he saw in you.

“I see a broken woman. I see a woman that had fought her entire life. I see a beautiful woman who is imperfectly perfect in every way. I love everything about you. I love all the things you hate. I love how you make me laugh, how you brighten my days without even knowing it.

“I love your voice; to me, it’s music to my ears. I think you’re the best hunter I know. You’re such a badass and you make the monsters you fight become afraid of you. I love that you try so hard to make other people like you. It shows that you care.

“I love everything about you and I hate myself because I know now that I could have been telling you this instead of you suffering.” Dean said, tears spilling over his own eyes. Yes, you loved Dean Winchester. Yes, you knew that if you weren’t so sad yourself, you would be with him.

But hearing Dean say these things made you open your eyes. Dean, without even knowing it, made the demons go away and you were such a fuck up because it took you this damn long to realize it.

“Dean, please help me. I don’t want to die. I want to be here, in your arms, with you. I love you so much and I need your help. I just want the pain to go away.” You sobbed, your voice breaking.

“Please, I will help you be better. I need you in my life and I don’t know if you see that.” Dean said, moving some hair away from your face. You nodded and put your head on his chest, smelling his scent. Somehow, that made your nerves calm down.

“I’m sorry, Dean, for causing you pain. I won’t do it again.” You said, moving your head form his chest to his neck. He pulled you in tighter and placed a kiss on your head. You needed Dean more than ever and he was more than willing to be there for you.

This would take a long ass time, but you were ready for the healing process. You were ready to be a better person for the man you love. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy but that was life. You don’t deal with it alone because you won’t survive like that.

You had Dean Winchester and he had you.

Masterlist // Buy me a Coffee? // Series Rewrite Masterlist

Forever tags:

@maddieburcham1 @ginamsmith @mogaruke @whit85-blog @inlovewithbja @spn67-sister @kdfrqqg @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes

Dean tags:

@akshi8278 @mega-mrs-dean-winchester @winchesterandpie

Other tags:

@jensen-jarpad @notnaturalanahi @deathtonormalcy56 @27bmm

[internet-content]

Ok I'm actually really excited to hear that you didn't like Jurassic world because I didn't either and I want to have a more articulate and informed way to tell ppl why I don't like it other than the "unnecessary and forced romance" point and "it just lost the magic" I was just super disappointed w it and I want to hear more abt your opinion on it. Sorry if this is kind of rambling btw

no worries! for those of you who did not read the tags on this post a couple nights ago, I said:  #I did my capstone on this!!#jp is so explicitly and awesomely feminist#(even though it only has 1 human female character)#the other part of my capstone was that jurassic world is shit garbage its shit it sucks and I fucking hate it

first off I want to correct myself, I said that sattler was the only human female but HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT LEX

these are the bullet points of my 14-page senior project (you asked for it):

jurassic park subverts the male gaze (the dinos do basically all of their murdering when they’re unseen or partially obscured, esp. in the “clever girl” scene; this could be down to spielberg’s famous “less is more” approach to monsters to enhance their effect but still)

this one’s a little more of a stretch but isla nublar, the dinosaurs, and nature in general are all coded as female in the context of the film, and humanity as a whole is coded as male. humanity (who is attempting to impose restrictions on the island and life itself by putting up cages and commercializing everything) is inarguably completely and utterly defeated by the dinosaurs and the island, the protagonists barely get away with their lives and hammond is the only jurassic park employee to see the end of the movie. (female-coded) life finds a way. asshole

also the female characters (ellie and of course LEX) are hugely expanded from the novel (where lex was a whiny younger sister stereotype with no redeeming traits) and ellie probably takes more direct action towards saving the humans than any other character. not to mention that most of the heroic male characters are killed, injured, or too old to contribute anything of value (looking @ you hammond, whose masculine god-playing was the cause of this whole shitstorm in the first place; “dinosaur eats man, woman inherits the earth”). also the book ends with the island getting firebombed and all the dinosaurs fucking dead but spielberg wasn’t having it

jurassic world is on the other hand a rampaging sexist dumpster fire which specifically subverts most of jp’s feminist ideas. owen is in charge of the raptors, when they defy him they are killed (this is the movie where a velociraptor is unceremoniously blown the fuck up for daring to violate her master’s control, in a moment that is an echo and inversion of the “clever girl” scene, i’m pretty sure that prior to this the only thing capable of killing raptors was the t-rex)

claire fucking dearing. hhhh. I won’t go into detail about everything (you can go through my sources at the bottom if you want) but this character is constantly belittled for…basically everything she does, no matter what (even when she saves the kids’ lives they want to chill with chris pratt like fuck no he’s a dick in this movie) but ESPECIALLY egregious is how much everybody (her sister, owen, the kids) wants her to be a fucking mom, she’s “defrosting ice queen” personified but it’s like the movie wants her to be defrosted through sheer brute force (alan grant was forced into a paternal role in jp but that was due to circumstance, not so much his brother on the phone weeping and begging him to quit his dumb job and focus on the important things like babies) she’s basically on the verge of tears this whole movie and it’s not hard to see why, it’s really uncomfortable to watch it while paying attention to how the other characters treat her. the 3.5 inch heels aren’t even worth mentioning tbh. oh also there’s also a moment where owen is pressuring her to prove that she’s worthwhile in a survival situation (my paper was called “sexism in survival situations” after the scene in jp) and she does so by…removing her top. hhhhhh I could go on but there’s more than just this one fucking character wrong with this movie

remember zara, the assistant who’s forced to do the mothering while claire goes and TRIES TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE DOESN’T FUCKING DIE thus leaving her nephews to hang out for 4 HOURS AT MOST? (this unforgivable transgression is what prompts judy greer to call her up WEEPING) well you might remember that she lets one of these asshole kids out of her sight and they go on a……..guided tour in a bulletproof glass dome. and then endanger themselves by straying off the path into an area clearly marked as not for access. so I’m pretty sure zara weeps too as a result of this and then later on she is torn apart by like 20 different dinosaurs over the course of a full minute. and a lot of people already know this but it’s just so worth mentioning: this was the first time a woman had been killed onscreen, EVER, in a jurassic park movie. it lasted 60 goddamn seconds, twice as long as it took the main villain of jp (wayne newman’s character) to be killed. i mean. you can just imagine the filmmakers going “you know what? it’s time for a woman to die onscreen, i think that’s what the franchise needs” like

owen grady (chris pratt) really is a pervy piece of shit in this movie, constantly hitting on claire, esp bad since at the end they fucking make out for no goddamn reason. chris revealed in an interview that the first kiss with her after they fight the pterodactyls was unscripted, and a total surprise for bryce dallas howard (colin treverrow, the director, was also there and he confirmed this). I think there’s another interview where she addresses it and she didn’t seem to mind really so ymmv but that’s at least a little icky idk

this movie has more characters overall but the amount of female characters who contribute anything goes down from 2 to 1. it’s been over 20 years but we can’t have 2 women who push the plot forward, okay, whatever (the characters I’m not counting are the lady in the control room who literally friendzones nick miller and zara, who did nothing wrong and died too soon. i liked merlin. she should fire her agent)

god and there’s so much more wrong just with the structure of jurassic world, the characters, the cgi, the themes, everything about it just falls apart under even the smallest bit of scrutiny, I could turn this into a generic shitting-on-jurassic-world post but it’s already long enough

I might’ve gotten a little carried away but like… jurassic park honestly isn’t even in my top 10 favorite movies but I’m so angry about jurassic world. I really hope the person who sent me this anon actually follows me and I didn’t just write this for nothing lol. jurassic world is so bad. its so bad.

“sources” (these are mostly subjective movie reviews that I used to help me form my arguements, this whole post is basically subjective so who gives a shit): Chris Pratt/Colin Treverrow interview, Jurassic World’s Mother of a Problem, ‘Life Finds a Way’: Monstrous Maternities andthe Quantum Gaze in Jurassic Park and The Thirteenth Warrior (it’s ch. 1 in this doc), The Perma-Pump: Jurassic World’s SilliestCharacter, The Death of Zara Young, or: How I Learned toStop Worrying and Hate Jurassic World, Jurassic World Has A Serious Woman Problem

[goingknowherewastaken]

Destined

Title: Destined

Fandom: DC Comics

Relationships: WonderTrev

Warnings: n/a

A/N: Sooo....I’m really really excited for the new Wonder Woman movie coming out next month and I’m really deep into the Steve Trevor and WonderTrev trashcans...It really was only a matter of time before I did a fic like this :p 

Because - well - I’m me, I had to do a Soulmate!AU! I’m using the classic ‘Soulmates have matching Marks’ trope for this and I’m also running with the idea that the Amazons don’t get Marks and are really confused as to why this man shows up with a tattoo on his arm. 

If you’ve seen a lot of the trailers for WW you might also notice that I’ve changed some of the details to make this idea work. So just a forewarning on that!

Let me know if you wish to join my permanent taglist or wish to be tagged in certain fics!!

Permanent Taglist: @wonders-of-the-enterprise @feelmyroarrrr @igiveupicantthinkofausername @trustno1inapt221b (idk if any of you want to be tagged in any wondertrev or any non-star trek fics, but please let me know if those aren’t your cup of tea!!)

(p.s. - I’m also looking into doing some reader inserts with Steve Trevor and if anyone knows of any out there right now, please let me know!!)

Destined

Hippolyta peered up at the high walls of the armory and she drew her horse to a halt, the others behind her following suit. “The Gods gave us many gifts; one day you’ll know them all.” She looked over at the horse next to her and a small smile played along her lips. “This is where we keep them.”

This was her daughter’s first time to the armory and the excitement Diana exuded certainly reflected that.

She dismounted, waiting for Diana to come and join her before taking a hold of her smaller hand and leading her through the open doors. They walked in silence as she brought her daughter deeper into the great stone building and closer to their most prized possession. 

Finally stepping into the open-aired room, Hippolyta had to smother the smile that threatened to bloom as a result of Diana’s amazed gasp.

“It’s beautiful.” 

She nodded in agreement. She had the exact same reaction when her own mother had first shown her the sword. 

“Who would wield it?”

It had been her own dream; that one day she would step forward to remove the God Killer from it’s home. In fact, wielding it was the dream of every Amazon who was able to lay eyes on it, but, alas...

“Only the fiercest among us even could,” she answered.

Hippolyta looked down at her daughter, whose eyes were trained on the glittering weapon. She gently placed her hand over the black lines between Diana’s small shoulders.

“And that is you, Diana.”

It was her destiny.

Okay, now Steve wouldn’t exactly go out on a limb and say that the Amazons had been super hospitable towards him, but - as he flexed his biceps under the golden rope tied around his upper torso - they had been far more hospitable to him then than they were now. 

Well, at least one had been.

“So you did not mean to find our island?” The Amazonian Queen, Hippolyta, kept a measured gaze upon his kneeling form. Her intimidating presence, only made more intense by her gilded armor and fur trimmed cape, ensured his focus stayed on her and not the beautiful, brunette Angel standing several feet from him. 

The rope strained again as he took in an even breath, willing himself to refrain from rolling his eyes. She’d asked him the same questions repeatedly for some time now. To be frank, he was getting quite tired of it. “No, I didn’t. I don’t know how I got here. As I said, my plane was shot down and I hit the water. I only briefly remember waking up on the beach.” His sky blue eyes flickered over to meet Diana’s own dark brown ones. “And the next thing I know I was waking up in your healing house.” 

The silence that filled the room when he finished speaking was near deafening.

Nobody spoke. 

Nobody moved. 

All eyes stayed focused on Hippolyta; who - in turn - stayed focused on Steve. The seconds dragged on as she simply stood there, watching him, with her hands clasped in front of her. Finally, she lifted her chin a fraction. “Seeing as you cannot lie with the lasso around you -” Wait...what? “- I must admit that I believe your story. So, you are cleared on that aspect.”

He blinked, his brows scrunching minutely. On that aspect? What else was he ‘in trouble’ for? The Queen’s words should have filled him with relief; instead they filled him with worry. 

Steve didn’t get a chance to voice his question because within an instant, Hippolyta had strode forward, grabbed his left wrist, and tugged his arm forward. He only just managed to stay upright.

He grimaced when the rope bit into his arm, but she ignored it; opting instead to push the sleeve of his grimy shirt back, exposing his Mark. If he wasn’t so focused on the Queen, he would have noticed the awkward shifting and side-eyes of the women around him.

“Why do you have this?” She demanded, her sharp nails digging into his skin. 

He stared up at her in confusion. “It’s my Soulmark.”

Her head tipped to the side. “Soulmark?”

The way she said it perplexed him even more. “Yeah.” Wow, it’s like they -

“What is the meaning of it?”

- don’t even know what a Soulmark is.

Steve gaped at her in shock. “You don’t know what a Soulmark is?” A quick glance around the cavern revealed to him that the other Amazons were just as puzzled as their queen. Her hand tightening on his wrist brought his attention back to her. “It’s the way we find our Soulmates. No one really knows how the phenomenon started, but everyone gets one.”

“How?” Wow, she did not beat around the bush.

“They just appear. For some it’s when our Soulmate is born and for others it’s there when they’re born. Mine appeared when I was four years old. I was playing at the time and all of a sudden my arm itched like the dickens. I looked down and...” He twitched his arm. 

She tugged his arm again, his core muscles tensing so he wouldn’t fall over. “You are saying that you have had this since you were a child?”

“Yes.”

“This mark? You have had this specific mark since you were a boy?” She all but snarled the words at him and Steve had to focus to keep from flinching away. 

“Yes!” He implored. What the hell was this about???

Hippolyta leveled a glare at him. “Do you know what it means?”

His blond hair brushed against his forehead when he gave his head a confused shake. “Yeah, it means that my Soulmate has the sa -”

“No!” This time he finally did flinch away as she leaned closer towards his face. “Do you know what it means?”

Confusion filled him for several more seconds before the light-bulb went off. “You mean it’s symbolism?” At her curt nod, he shook his head. “All of the Marks are random, they don’t have meaning besides that a Soulmate has the matching Mark.”

With that, Hippolyta pulled away, dropping his wrist. “Come,” she demanded and strode off past him. The Amazon holding the end of the lasso pulled him to his feet and guided him after her. 

She brought them outside to where several horses were tied up. He was then hauled up onto the back of a chestnut horse and had to concentrate on not falling off of it as they rode through the stone pathways. Steve figured they rode for approximately fifteen minutes before they dismounted outside of a massive stone structure and he was pulled through the double doors.

The walk from there didn’t last long; the Queen taking them through corridors that lead up and around until they entered into an open, high-walled chamber with a dome-like, metal sculpture in the center. It was before this twisting structure that she halted, motioning for him to be brought forth. When Steve finally shuffled to her side, Hippolyta dipped her head towards the metal. 

It was then - as he really observed the sculpture - that he saw it. 

The sword. 

The focal point and reason for the structure, it stood suspended in the center. The blade was long and made from a gleaming metal - one he had no doubt created a razor sharp edge. From this distance, he could see the etching down it’s center, but he couldn’t make out what it said. Probably something in a language he couldn’t read. And the handle - his eyes widened when he saw the handle. While the end fanned out into two small points, the brassy metal twisted down into identical dragon heads that circled around the base of the blade.

He cut his eyes down, lifting his forearm and moving the fabric aside. “Oh my God,” he whispered, his eyes flicking back and forth, trying to take everything in. 

They were the same. The sword and his Mark - they were the same. Granted, the Mark was more...abstracted, but the sweeping black lines....

There was no mistaking the similarities.

“Life is killing all the time and so the goddess kills herself in the sacrifice of her own animal.” The Queen’s voice echoed about the armory. “The God Killer. Forged by Hephaestus and wielded by Zeus, it is one of our most prized possessions. For centuries, it has had it’s home here; waiting for the person who’s power is formidable enough to wield it.”

Steve turned his head in shock, stammering, “You - You don’t think that its me -”

“Hardly,” she said, cutting him off. “You are a man - a mortal. This sword has been destined for someone far more powerful.” She looked behind her - a cue - and Steve heard footsteps come up behind him. 

Diana stepped before them, and indecipherable look on her face as she met his eyes. Her golden armor glittering in the light that filtered down from above.

Once again, Steve was dumbstruck by her beauty.

“My daughter, Diana, has been destined to wield this sword since her birth. She was chosen by the Gods to do so.” Her brown eyes flickered away to look at Hippolyta. “And we have been training her in preparation for that moment.”

In one fluid motion, Diana turned around and pulled her braid to the side. 

There between her shoulders sat a mark. 

A Mark that matched his own.

A Mark that matched the sword.

Steve’s breath hitched in his chest and he fell to his knees, the action causing Diana to turn back to him. He stayed on the ground, staring up in awe at the woman he was destined for.

“It seems, Major, that that moment is now.”