#she plays that role exceptionally well

[optiwashere]

That new Fallout TV show reminded me why I avoid a lot of video game fandoms lol.

Dick jokes in my Fallout? Please ignore the porn star quest line in FO2 or the variety of crude sex jokes in every single game.

Anti-war, anti-fascist, anti-nationalist, and anti-capitalist rhetoric? Well, there's surely no thinly veiled satire in the first... all of the games (other than 3, probably) that deals with the inherent absurdity of capitalism in the face of nuclear war, touching on such topics as genocide, human experimentation, isolationism, and tribalism.

[bumblesimagines]

Imagine:

Being married to Kate Sharma

Request: Yes or No

Pronouns: He/Him/His

~~~

Kate Sharma had arrived in Mayfield with one singular goal in mind: ensuring her beloved Edwina married a good, wealthy man who'd provide her with everything she could ever desire. Of course, that meant she stepped off the boat with the acceptance that she'd never wed nor have children of her own, no matter how many gentlemen Edwina pointed out to her during the first few weeks. She hadn't, however, taken you into account.

The beloved, nephew of the Late Lord Edmund Bridgerton, cousin to the Bridgerton children, and child to exceptionally wealthy parents with steady standing in Mayfair's society. By all means, Edwina should have caught your eye. She was young, beautiful, and the Queen's Diamond of the Season. Most gentlemen tripped over themselves to call upon her, filling Lady Danbury's hall with many gifts for her, and while yes, you had been among those men, you had called upon Kate instead.

It'd thrown her off completely, and she'd been in shock as Edwina ushered her onto the couch and took a seat nearby, trying to pretend as if she and her mother weren't eavesdropping as much as possible. Kate, surprised and undeniably suspicious, had assumed Anthony sent you to distract her from his pursuit of Edwina but you assured her you took no part in it and she allowed herself to trust you.

And that trust proved to be one of the best decisions she'd made, second only to taking on a parental role for Edwina. 

There were a lot of things Kate had envisioned for her own future, truth be told. She'd seen herself become a spinster, a sister-in-law, a happy aunt. Never did she expect to lounge upon a seat with her thumb rubbing her wedding ring and her hand rubbing soothing circles around her protruding belly. But... she was happy. She'd been given the opportunity of being more than just someone's sister. She was a wife, a mother, a good friend, an aunt, and eventually, she'd be Lady (L/N). 

"Hello, darling," Kate murmured upon feeling a soft kick, pressing her palm against her belly and giggling upon feeling another. "You sure are full of energy today." She said softly, pushing herself up in the chair and carefully reaching for her teacup. Kate delicately sipped from it, sighing in bliss as the warm liquid traveled down her throat and warmed her chest. 

"You should be resting, Kate." Her head turned toward the door, a smile stretching across her face at the mere sight of you. 

"I am resting, my love. I refuse to stay in bed until this little one comes."

"Doctor's orders, sweetheart. He said the babe could come at any given moment now." You raised your brows at her and she waved you off with a flick of her wrist, finishing her cup and gingerly setting it aside. You chuckled quietly at her defiance and stepped aside, nodding for the three little ones waiting on the other side of the door to enter. Akshara raced forward ahead of her brothers, her brown ringlets and baby blue ribbons bouncing with her movements. 

"My darling girl," Kate cooed immediately, unable to pull the girl up onto her lap so she settled for helping her sit on her knee. Akshara leaned down once she settled, pressing her cheek against Kate's covered belly and brightening when she felt another swift kick. "Your sibling is so eager to meet you."

"Is it a boy?" The eldest of the trio, Nalin, questioned with wide eyes, resting his arms over the armrest and watching his little sister rub Kate's belly with a gleeful smile. 

"We don't know yet, Nal." You told him as you scooped up Akshara's twin, Edwin, into your arms, feeling the boy drop his sleepy head onto your shoulder. Nalin hummed thoughtfully, moving onto his toes to lean over the armrest and feel Kate's belly. His mother watched with a smile, her eyes softening as she gazed over her children. 

"Well, whether boy or girl, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to play with you and their cousins. You'll have to be patient, love, as we've been these past months. You-" Kate gently booped Nalin's nose. "-took an awful long time to arrive. Your sibling may do the same." 

"Let us hope we aren't blessed with another surprise." You laughed, watching Kate's features contort and a heavy sigh escape her. She slumped back in the chair, carefully petting Akshara's hair, no doubt thinking back on the shocking day in which they discovered in the midst of labor there were two babes instead of one. 

"Yes, please." She laughed breathlessly. 

"Come now, kids. Why don't we pay your cousins a visit and we can give your mother some rest, hm? She'll need as much as she can get when the babe comes." Kate smiled up at you.

"Thank you, darling."

[alcoholfreenayeon]

Mina Girlfriend HCs

SFW HCs

Always so kind towards you. She treats you really well and gets quite worried when you are not well.

She loves hearing you talk, she loves your voice. You could talk for hours and she’ll be happy to just sit and listen to you with a smile.

Takes you out to expensive places for dinner.

Sometimes you have to force her to go out though, Mina likes to stay home and sometimes just doesn’t leave for 2-3 days and you have to drag her out, even if its just for a walk.

You both love watching movies and shows with a lot of action in them.

Mina likes playing video games and she got you interested in them too. You didn’t even realize how addicted you had gotten until during an exceptionally busy week you kept wanting to leave all your responsibilities behind and just finish that level you were stuck on.

Mina doesn’t cook a lot of things but she secretly learned how to make your favorite dishes so she could cook them for you.

She likes it when you are needy for her. It makes her feel proud of herself that she’s someone you can so happy with.

She distances herself from you when she’s upset or stressed. She’s afraid that she might lash out and say or do something harsh which you don’t deserve.

She often finds herself daydreaming about you. Mina frequently even thinks about what roles you both would have if you two were in movies, sometimes she wants to be saved by you and sometimes she wants to be one to save you.

NSFW HCs

Mina is a switch, she doesn’t really have a preference herself generally. Rather it depends on how you are and want. Unless of course she’s really horny. In that case, Mina takes what she wants.

You’d be surprised to find out just how naughty Mina can be.

She likes a certain amount of roughness so be prepared for her to give you that treatment or to give her that.

Mina likes dirty talk especially when it’s slightly degrading. She’ll taunt you, just so you can be rougher with her. Or, she’ll taunt you and mock you just so you know that you are completely under her control.

Loves to choke you, especially when she knows you are getting close, she especially likes to see your eyes roll as you get overloaded with pleasure.

Mina likes some bondage, making you all tied up and helpless while she fucks you till it feels like your brain has turned to mush. It brings her a sense of satisfaction, knowing she can please you so well.

Recently Mina has been getting a bit more bold and hinted at some exhibitionism. She thinks it’ll be hot if you both try doing some risky things in restaurants.

Some of the members had been giving you slightly judgmental looks and you were a bit surprised and hurt until you found out that Mina was talking with the others and accidentally it let slip what she wanted to do to you and what she wanted you to do to her and suddenly it made a lot of sense why you were being judged.

Mina is really good with aftercare, she cuddles you a lot, brings you water and even sometimes will make a quick snack for you two to eat.

She likes it when you begin to make out randomly and roughly with her.

[relicsongmel]

Thinking about Iris' very open disdain for spirit channeling and how it seemingly contradicts many other elements of her character.

Let me explain—Iris prior to the end of BttT is a woman who only knows facades, covering up the truth, and only presenting herself exactly as she wants others to see her. We see this over and over again throughout the course of the story: she hides her real identity while dating Phoenix, she does damage control for Dahlia and Godot to help them avoid blame for their crimes, and she is extremely selective about which information she chooses to disclose to specific people depending on whatever role she finds herself playing in that moment (daughter, girlfriend, accomplice, etc). Her demeanor as a whole is also rather meek and unassuming, and she's shown to be exceptionally kind; she expresses favorable opinions on most everyone she meets, even those continuously treated poorly by other characters (like Larry) or those that have objectively done reprehensible things (like Dahlia).

All of this stands in stark contrast to her saying in no uncertain terms that she hates spirit channeling:

This stands out to me because it is one of very few things that Iris is completely forthright honest about in the early portion of this case. After spending all day avoiding Phoenix and now carefully dodging his questions towards her in hopes of preventing the truth of her deception from coming out (all of this while actively avoiding her responsibilities at the Inner Temple because of Larry's "blackmail" letter which also threatened to expose her "secret"), why is this the one bit of truth she chooses to divulge here? Or rather: why is this the one thing she seemingly cannot lie about?

Obviously the answer lies in Iris' past and the permanent damage that was done to her and her family due to the politics of the Fey clan, with the Kurain Channeling Technique at the root, and the DL-6 incident as the event that brought everything to ruin. Iris bore witness to her mother Morgan losing the title of Master of Kurain due to her inferior powers and the despair that caused her, then three years later saw her aunt Misty who, despite purportedly being so much better than her mother, made a mistake while channeling that led to an innocent man's conviction, disgracing the Fey name and causing her to flee the village in shame. With this in mind, it makes sense that Iris would feel so strongly about spiritual powers doing more harm than good; after all, she has firsthand experience of the damage that can be done to the women that have it.

But what of the women that don't have it—namely, Iris herself? What happens to a spirit medium, born of the Fey bloodline, daughter of the then-master of her channeling school, when she's shown to not have any spiritual powers? I'm of the opinion that Iris' hatred is not only a product of what she's seen happen to her mother and aunt, but also very closely tied to what is, essentially, her earliest failure in life—after all, what good is a medium who can't channel? Fey women are raised to believe that their worth is linked to how well they can perform the service of their clan, which is the same reason why Maya beats herself up for failing to channel Mia in Turnabout Goodbyes and Pearl does the same with Dahlia later in this case. In a sense, Iris' hatred of spirit channeling is an externalization of her own self-hatred—unlike Dahlia, who mainly copes by lashing out and seeking revenge on those who wrong her, Iris is far too gentle and loving to lay blame on any one person. But all that repressed guilt and anger still has to go somewhere—and it manifests through this one small crack in her otherwise flawless facade. The one thing she cannot bring herself to find beauty in no matter how much she tries. The one thing that should have given her purpose but didn't—leaving her no choice but to mold herself beyond recognition over and over into roles that aren't truly her own, but at the very least give her meaning where she was denied it before.

And knowing her? She probably hates that flaw more than anything.

[missbellesmagic]

Our three protagonists and how they play into and through the 1950s propaganda archetypes:

Cooper Howard/The Ghoul: In the earliest parts of his timeline, is the conservative ideal of a Hollywood star. A corporate stooge, mascot and show monkey whose media image is one of rugged Old West individualism that perpetuates the illusionary ideal of Manifest Destiny Exceptionalism, but the moment he begins to question hiss position or suggests seeking actual independence from the system is vilified, first by his wife and then later being branded a communist and blacklisted. The end result of this is him actually becoming a member of the Immortal Cannibal Cabal.

Lucy McLean: Begins as the conservative suburban ideal woman. Subservient to her community and the will of her father, whom she worships. Her main goal is to marry and have children not for her own satisfaction but for the good of the white supremacist eugenic community ideal. Bright, optimistic, domestically inclined, willing to be sold to a stranger for the satisfaction of this goal. Through her journey becomes acquainted with the reality of the world (parallel to going to college or moving to an urban environment for work) and becomes disillusioned with the lies of her upbringing, especially those concerning her parents. Becomes entangled in direct action activism and an "inappropriate" romantic partner (both allegorically and literally falling for a man of color from an opposing class)

Maximus: Begins as the white moderate ideal black man, brow-beaten, subservient, sexless, with minimal support or solidarity within the organization he serves which intends to use him as cannon fodder (it's very telling his one friend is the only afab member of the brotherhood, and the only named character with significant presence of latino descent). Is given his position not through his own action, but through the self-sabotage of another, but once in the field takes the first opportunity to subsume the authority of his master in order to "pass". Through his journey grows into his role, develops an independent morality and sense of purpose, and ends his arc at the head of an armed militia both politically motivated to fight against the powers that be and personally determined to be reunited with his white girlfriend (literally the biggest scariest Black Panther-esque nightmare of 1950s conservatism).

Like even without a thorough knowledge of the 1950s propaganda this property is soaked in their character arcs are very well done but when you take into account the material that inspired this franchise there's just so much to unpack and I am really looking forward to how this progresses in season 2

[themissinghand]

Genshin Impact: Queen's Guard Dog [2]

Part 1!

Summary: In which you are Tsaritsa’s closest retainer and servant, the one who is at the Queen’s beck and call.

You are Brighella, the Queen’s Guard Dog.

Or, the Harbingers treat you a bit differently, and you take advantage of that.

Pairing: La Signora, Scaramouche, Sandrone, Pierro, Tsaritsa x GN! Reader

Note: Part 2 and final part of this series, I won’t do other Harbingers since I don’t really know how to write them. Hope you enjoy!

Part 2 is slightly darker than part 1 in terms of themes, but nothing too serious.

Warning: Mentions of violence and toxic behaviors.

★・・・・・・★

To Signora, you are a sharp sword, a trusted ally on missions in service to Her Majesty Tsaritsa.

You've pledged your loyalty to the Tsaritsa, and with your streak of successful missions, there is no one to doubt your abilities.

Sometimes, there's a hint of playful teasing in your voice when you approach Signora, where you jest about treating her as you would to Her Majesty.

“My lady.”

When you bow before her presence, or when you knelt before her very feet, the power she feels is tantalizing, but who is she to deny?

Your offer, dangerous yet tempting, is nothing but a little gambit. It's clear that your loyalty runs deep, even if it means taking drastic actions to please Her Majesty.

Signora have heard the times where you were much violent and malicious, but even now the shadow of your past still lingers.

On her first and only mission with you, it was a moonless night.

You and Signora embarked on a covert mission together, cloaked in shadows and secrecy. Your destination was a den of conspirators who dared to defy Her Majesty Tsaritsa’s rule.

As you infiltrated their hideout, your sharp senses and honed skills ensured that you moved with deadly precision.

In the midst of this operation, Signora observed your ruthlessness firsthand.

“Why hello there.”

A snap, followed by screams.

Those who disobeyed Her Majesty's orders were met with swift and uncompromising justice. Your actions were as cold as the steel of your blade, leaving no room for mercy when it came to protecting the interests of the Crown.

Signora, who had witnessed countless battles and covert operations, couldn't help but be both impressed and slightly unnerved by your unwavering dedication. She saw the depths of your loyalty, the lengths to which you would go to safeguard Her Majesty's reign.

As you and Signora emerged from the shadows, victorious in your mission, there was a palpable tension in the air.

You had a gentle smile on your face, as if you were on a leisurely walk. There were no stains of red on you, maintaining your professionalism and elegance.

“Dear Lady, I hope I haven’t disgusted you with my actions.” You pull out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood by her lips.

You leaned close until Signora pushed you aside while rolling her eyes.

But you were unfazed by Signora’s action, for you think they are cute and quite adorable.

Like a cat who likes to scratch.

A successful mission as always, and just like usual, you fade away in the shadows to be by Her Majesty’s side.

Signora couldn't help but ponder the dangerous duality of your character—a loyal and deadly weapon in service to Her Majesty Tsaritsa.

How frightening it would be if you were a double-edged sword.

To Scaramouche, you are a mask.

A mask that hides your true self.

A mask that you can put on others.

You play a unique role in his life, akin to that of a father figure.

You take care of him exceptionally well, providing support and guidance when needed. From the moment he joined, you were an inspiration, a listener, and a trainer.

Yet, Scaramouche knows your care is driven by pity. After all, he has told you many things (even when you told him nothing).

So what?

“My dear Balladeer.”

When he calls for you, you answer.

The Balladeer wears this knowledge with a smug demeanor, as if your special attention validates his worth.

“I would never betray you.”

The little head pats and the little nods. The cheeky little smile and the gifts he received.

“Happy birthday my little Balladeer.”

“Let this day be your birthday.”

With your special attention, it felt like a drug, something to keep him content in this dirty world.

You possess the remarkable ability to shapeshift into the very people he's encountered in his life, indulging in his elaborate fantasies.

“I’ll kill you!” Scaramouche cackled as tears flowed down his face, as a sword plunge deep into the Lord of Electro, Bal’s chest.

Blood spilled, but his laughter subsided.

Seeing Bal’s dead body brought so much pain but so much relief.

You brought him close to you in an intimate hug.

“Good job, my little Balladeer.”

Together, you both create a fake reality, one that you both know is built on falsehoods and pretense. It's a charade that you willingly participate in, if only for a fleeting moment.

A mask is easily put on, as it is easily taken off, you play this game of pull and push well.

But Scaramouche doesn’t mind, for he is too far in with this drug of yours.

But an illusion will forever be fake, and just like this relationship, it will never be real.

To Sandrone, you are a rose.

Something so beautiful yet deadly.

As the annual tradition went, Brighella entered Sandrone’s sanctuary of automatons, a place where gears and mechanisms whirred harmoniously, creating a symphony of mechanical marvels.

“My dear Sandrone. It’s that time of year again.”

“Brighella.”

Sandrone greeted you with a gleam of excitement in her eyes, for she had a unique fascination with you.

"I’ve been waiting for you," Sandrone smiled, her gaze locked onto you.

"You never change. I wish my automatons could be as pretty as you."

Her words were flattering, and as you stood there, she couldn't resist the urge to touch your face and body.

“You say that every time.” You responded and leaned forward to indulge her.

Her fingers moved with a delicate curiosity, as if seeking to understand the secrets of your agelessness.

From your eyes, to your nose and lips, she gently traced them with her hand.

With a sly smile, you decided to play along.

You took a delicate necklace from your pocket, and with a mischievous glint in your eye, you carefully tied it around Sandrone’s neck. As your fingers brushed against her skin, you leaned in closer, your lips almost touching her ear.

"Shall we take this elsewhere?" You whispered, your voice carrying a hint of playful suggestion.

Sandrone’s eyes widened, a mixture of surprise and anticipation dancing within her.

But how could she dare covet something that belongs to the Crown?

“Your Highness, I wouldn’t dare.” She says, though her hands drop to your neck, slowly tracing your collarbone as if she was a sly snake.

“A shame.”

You pull back with a cat-like smile, and she showed a face of frustration for a moment before dissipating.

“Now, shall we get to work?” You extend a hand, and she accepts it greedily.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

If only you could be her marionette, how nice would it be?

To Pierro, you are a candle.

“Do you seek revenge?”

A light burning so bright in his life.

Khaenri'ah.

Pierro remembers Brighella as a mysterious figure, yet a figure of power and privilege.

The Immortal, is what people called (worshipped) you as, and Pierro never understood why.

Until he saw the Immortal go against the Gods.

An indescribable, impossible scene of the battle of immortals.

But you fell from grace, as if the heavens were not by your side.

That was the last he saw you.

His light flickered and died.

At least that was what he thought.

In those tumultuous days, where he thought it was the end, you extended a hand to him, a hand filled with promise and a hint of mischief.

“The Immortal? But you perished?!”

With a wave of your hand in front of your face, you changed your appearance from a fallen warrior to a clean butler’s appearance.

“‘I’ have perished. But who says ‘I’ cannot be reborn?”

Brighella smiled, a smile that held secrets and intentions known to no one.

“My name is Brighella, won’t you come with me and defy fate?”

It was an offer of partnership, an invitation for Pierro to seek revenge together.

Who was he to deny?

Pierro, brave and determined, took that hand without hesitation. Pierro had never regretted that decision.

You two had a transactional relationship, a give and take as you will.

It may seem distant, but to the both of you, it was enough to get work done.

Time connects the two of you like a thread, and even if Pierro wishes to, he couldn’t stay away from you.

Because he was like a moth to a flame.

You who shined so brightly, and him who would protect your light. Taking on your tasks in secret and ensuring you have the best of everything.

Over the years, your paths diverged, and Pierro went through profound changes. Life molded Pierro into someone unrecognizable from the man Pierro once was.

Yet, you remained unchanged. Time seemed to have no hold over you.

You was the constant in Pierro's ever-evolving world, a mysterious figure who transcended the years.

Perhaps that was your role, to be the remnant of the past.

A reminder of their purpose and their reason.

And Pierro didn’t want that to change. Ever.

To Tsaritsa, you were like a mirror.

A mirror that revealed who she truly was beneath the crown and the title.

One who had traversed the world and learned of the dirty secrets just as she did.

“You called for me, Your Majesty?”

Tsaritsa saw not just followers but molds, reflections of a world that had shaped her reign.

Tsaritsa sat on top of her throne with elegance, her expression as cold as ice.

“Brighella, report to me on the Harbingers.”

You smile, one of professionalism and acknowledgement.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Out of all of her subordinates, you who have stayed by her side since eternity, are the only one she ‘trusts’ the most.

You were her shadow, her sword, her ever-vigilant guard dog, and no one else could lay claim to what was rightfully hers.

Not even the other Archons could dare to lay your hands on you.

“Your Majesty, may I?”

Tsaritsa returned a nod, and you quickly ascended the steps to her stone and knelt by her feet.

You glanced up, admiring the cold beauty of your master before lowering your eyes to her feet.

Tsaritsa never understood why, perhaps it was your shrewd nature or your hidden desire. Or was it your pursuit for power?

Even now, she could not fully comprehend your heart.

However, she has your loyalty.

Your loyalty was a pledge sealed with unwavering dedication. That was all Tsaritsa required of you.

A gesture that transcended words, you kissed her feet as a symbol of your eternal bond, a testament to the power of their connection in a world where power was everything.

“Your Majesty, I am your guard dog. Use me as you see fit.”

You smiled so brightly, only with her, as she is the only one that can understand you.

“I’ll bring the world down to your feet.”

[velnna]

I want to know more about your butterfly bug man so bad im eating DRYWALL 👀👀👀

Name’s Ashton Rose (he adopted that last name from his stage name Crimson Rose bc he’s that extra). Grew up in a broken home, loads of abuse, substances and material struggles. Used music as an escape and was exceptionally good at it but life kept getting in the way of his pursuits.

For some background, yes he’s technically a bug inspired person. Lives in the outskirts of a vaguely industrialised metropolis that brings together many a fantasy species (we got some good old elves, more bug people, people with horns, wings, you name it). His species in particular isn’t very common or well known, and most of them go under the radar as unremarkable slimey 4-armed cryptids with your average human lifespan and below average consitution score.

The education system there isn’t too bad and Ash manages to graduate what would be something of a highschool equivalent, all the while trying to make ends meet for himself and his deadbeat parents and getting himself into trouble constantly. His musical talent gets noticed by a specific professor during this time (who also happens to dwell in magic shenanigans and there’s a link to the music there but I’ll leave it at that), and this dude does his best to try and steer Ash in a good direction, covering higher education tuition fees and getting him glasses bc the bug’s eyesight is godawful actually

Unfortunately he keeps getting into more and bigger trouble + struggles with substances himself and there’s only so much the professor can do. At some point in his late teens he meets Dahlia, who has a different but comparable background, and they become partners (in crime?) pretty quickly. They both harbour a lot of resentment for their own families and the systems they were brought into and it pushes them further and further away from a lawful path.

In their early 20s Ash reaches a breaking point and then comes into play a thing his species can do but which is regarded as taboo: cocooning lol. Essentially there’s a time slot in their youth when the butterfly ppl can trigger that process, after which that’s no longer possible. It turns them into more beautiful, stronger, better (and sometimes venomous) versions of themselves, with wings that in principle are functional. Not a lot is known about this outside their own communities so after this Ash effectively gets to come back as a different person. He and Dahlia orchestrate a whole heist to take the underground criminal net of the city by storm. His music magic and Dahlia’s venom (she’s a spider hybrid of sorts) play a big role there.

Now they’ve got a drug empire of sorts amongst other nefarious things and Ash is on a mission to unlock a specific sort of power/formula to address things (spoilers?) that pose a threat to his life and ruling. He’s one of the BBEGs btw in case I haven’t made it clear lol

I love them but they’re the worst make no mistake

[natrogersfics]

nat comes home to steve solving a really big problem. bonus points if he ain't doing too well.

Steve Rogers is highly intelligent.

This is a fact Natasha holds as gospel. And no, it’s not just because she’s married to the man. But even if that were the case, she knows that somewhere deep in the servers of one Nicholas J. Fury, she could find droves of IQ tests and reports that would only fortify the claim. She’s seen it in action, too – how quickly he had learned to pilot a modern jet just weeks out of the ice and how adept he had become at utilizing gear that Tony had just spun up in his workshop.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then how naturally he’s taken to being a father. While it’s only been half a year since she and Sarah had come home, with how instantly he could alleviate whatever thought was burdening their daughter with his words or a single touch, one would never guess that this experience is still novel to him.

Of course, their little girl played a big role in that as well. Sarah is everything any parent could have hoped for in a child and more. Sweet, exceptionally smart, and above all else, caring. From experience, she knows that loving Sarah is as easy as breathing, and based on the way Steve’s eyes sparkle with adoration every single time he looks at her, she knows that he shares the sentiment.

Nevertheless, their daughter is still only three, and while her legion of aunts and uncles will swear up and down that she’s the most behaved child in the history of children, she also knows that Sarah can be just as curious and determined as three-year-olds come – something her father is just now becoming privy to. The hard way.

“Daddy,” Sarah whines from where she’s perched on their bathroom counter. “Can we go now?”

“Not yet, Princess,” Steve says, using that patient yet still gentle tone of his that he only ever uses with their daughter. “Daddy needs a little more time to wash off this…” – he takes the tube from Sarah’s grasp, reading the label – “full-coverage concealer.”

Steve’s voice falters with what can only be described as dread before he subsequently mutters a Christ under his breath, his hands coming to rest on his hips as he takes in the disaster zone that is their bathroom counter with the same intensity he would a schematic for their next mission. And as she leans against the doorframe watching all of this unfold, she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from chuckling.

Formulate a new plan on the fly while they were on the battlefield and had bullets raining down on them? He wasn’t coined the Man With a Plan for nothing. Take on multiple hostiles coming at him all by himself? He could do that all day. But knowing what to do when their daughter gets her hands on a stash of heavy-duty makeup? That, apparently, is the one time where Captain America, master tactician, finds himself completely out of his depth.

And boy, does their daughter sense it as she lets out an exasperated sigh. “Daddy-”

“Just a minute, love,” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “Daddy’s thinking…”

“But Daddy,” Sarah says, exaggerating every syllable. “Me and Uncle Bruce are having a tea party-”

“Oil,” Steve says, really more to himself than anyone else as he ignores Sarah’s plea. “Oil’s gotta get this off.” He turns to Sarah. “Stay here. I just have to grab something from the kitchen.”

She’s not sure if Sarah even truly understands the implication of her father’s words, but she certainly catches the uncertainty in them, and that’s enough to make the little girl’s eyes grow wide as saucers. “No!”

“But-”

“There’s a cleansing balm under the sink,” she interjects, finally making her presence known and causing both Steve and Sarah to look her way, and she certainly doesn’t miss the way relief washes over the pair of them.

“Mama, you’re home!” Sarah greets happily at the same time Steve makes a comment about her being back early.

“Mission wrapped up faster than expected,” she tells Steve as she pushes off the frame. He steps aside as she nears, letting her take his place in front of Sarah, only for her brows to lift in amusement when she finally sees the full extent of their daughter’s handiwork. Not only did Sarah smother her complexion in concealer, but she also decided that she needed to use what she’s sure is her liquid lipstick as blush and her mascara to do her brows while she was at it. She laughs softly. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“I put makeup on, mama,” Sarah announces proudly. “All by myself!”

“And it won’t come off,” Steve adds.

“I can see that,” she says, stealing a glance at Steve and smirking when his expression clearly shows he does not buy that she’s only just arrived. She attempts to appear more serious as she turns back to Sarah. “What did I say about playing with my makeup, Little Miss?”

“Not to do it,” Sarah mumbles, eyes downturned. “But I wanted to be pretty like you, mama.”

“Oh, Sarah,” she sighs, tucking a finger under the girl’s chin and lifting it gently so her eyes can meet hers. “You don’t need any of this stuff to be pretty.”

“Daddy always says you’re beautiful when you wear makeup,” Sarah explains, pouting.

“I think mama’s beautiful all the time,” Steve clarifies, stepping closer to them and crouching down until he’s eye-level with Sarah so she can see him smile. “I think both my girls are.”

Sarah’s lips lift in a smile that mirrors Steve’s before she lets her big, blue eyes flicker between her parents. “I’m sorry.”

She and Steve share a quick glance, silently affirming how hard, if not outright impossible, it is to be mad at their daughter. “It’s okay, baby,” she says, running a hand through Sarah’s curls. “Makeup’s not bad, it’s just not for you yet. When you’re a little older, okay?” Sarah nods in agreement, and she leans down to dust a kiss to the crown of her head. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

It takes a quarter of a bottle of Micellar water, a few heaping scoops of cleansing balm, and many gripes from Sarah about her shirt getting wet, but eventually, they successfully get every trace of makeup off her face. “All right,” she says, lifting Sarah off the counter and setting her on her feet. “Why don’t you go pick out some clothes so I can drop you off at Uncle Bruce’s floor for your tea party?”

Sarah takes off with a squeal at her question, prompting her to shake her head at her daughter’s retreating figure.

“You know, I would’ve figured it out.”

She turns just as Steve throws another bunch of cotton pads into the trash. “Oh yeah,” she says, moving to rest her hip against the counter. “And would that have been before or after you doused our daughter in olive oil?”

“Hey, in my defense, none of it was coming off!”

“So your solution was to marinade her?” she challenges, unable to keep from chuckling when he glares at her. “Oh, come on. I’m kidding!” She hooks her fingers into his belt loops, playfully pulling him towards her so she can wrap her arms around his neck. “She’s been trying to get her fingers on that kit for days. She was bound to get it at some point.”

His hands find her waist as he lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry she ruined all your makeup,” he says. “I only looked away for a second to load the dishwasher, I swear.”

“She’s the daughter of two former SHIELD agents, what did you expect?” she says, laughing when he only shakes his head in concession. “Honestly, I’m just glad that I got here when I did.” He lifts his brow up in question, and she points towards the lip gloss stain on his collar. “Saves me from asking you where this came from. Because if I found this in the laundry? Believe me, you’d be prone on the ground right now.”

He scoffs as though the thought of him stepping out on her is the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard, eliciting a laugh out of her. “Your mission go okay?”

“As okay as missions involving kids as hostages can go,” she says, shrugging. “We got them out and that’s all that matters.”

“And you kicked the crap out of the people who took them hostage, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “Naturally.”

He grins, and she swears she catches the pride that flashes in his eyes. “Well, we’re glad you’re home,” he says, pulling her in for a kiss. “Missed you.”

“Did you now?”

He hums in confirmation, and she can only grin as he leans down to capture her lips in his again before kissing a path down the side of her jaw. “I could tell you how much,” he says, his grip on her waist tightening as he pulls her even closer to whisper in her ear, “but I think you’d much prefer that I show you.”

“Actually…” she says, pulling away to show him the smirk that’s formed on her lips. “I’d much prefer to have a bathroom that’s not covered in makeup.” He throws his head back in a groan, and she chuckles as she pats his shoulder. “Get cleaning, soldier.”

He shakes his head as he watches her make her way out, a smug look practically plastered on her face. “Tease!”

Masterlist

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

Could you please tell us more about Leon and Carol's characterizations in the Light Novels that you know of? I'm super curious about their personalities since we don't get a ton to work off of in the Forgotten Land game itself! :)

OMG YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS MY BELOVEDS!!!!! okay so the only one with those two in it ive read myself is the samurai novel ofc, and even then ive only read half of that one, but i do know what happens in the fl novels. tho i wont recount too much from that due to the said, i havent properly read them thing. slight spoilers for samurai novel btw so ill stick this ramble under a cut

disclaimer first of all that since the samurai novel is an au, their personalities could be a bit different from the fl novels (dedede and mk are Veryy different for example), but for the most part i think they act just about exactly how youd expect them to!

leon is exceptionally kind and cares a lot about the rest of the beast pack, to the point of being overprotective at times. when elfilin brings back kirby and bandee to their home saying theyre friends leon just gives them an intense look and acts cold to them, not seeming to trust them. when dedede comes over later and accuses elfilin of being a criminal he gets absolutely FURIOUS, but calms down and apologizes after seeing that hes scaring dedede a little by doing so. he acts how youd expect a leader to too, with an aura of dignity and firm but understanding communications with the rest of the pack, and hes able to put aside his own feelings on things for the greater good.

carol in comparison bounces off of him really well i feel. shes more headstrong and emotionally driven and will huff and puff a little over leon's decisions if she doesnt necessarily agree with them, though she relents to those decisions in the end once leon explains his reasoning. but if its not leon making those decisions she doesnt agree with, watch out. just like the game, she takes position of leader when leons not around and when dedede+meta told her she couldnt go off to forgo dreams to save him she got outright aggressive LOL. shes pretty sharp minded and usually the first to speak her mind. also she shittalked dedede i just wanted to bring that up. we love a mean girl

again im only halfway through, but the beast pack as a whole play a surprisingly big role in the samurai novel. i rlly look forward to seeing more of them >:]]]

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

🗡️ Clipped Wings: Chapter One

Clipped Wings: After living a life in seclusion due to an over protective father, you sneak away to experience life as it really is. Slowly building up the woman you always wanted to be, your quiet life is interrupted when you meet a rather elastic boy and his crew. This is just the beginning of trouble and your carefully crafted life starts to crumble around you. The past never really stays in the past, and now it has come knocking. In more ways than one.  

Warnings: Raw (unedited cause I’m impatient)

To Note: Dracule Mihawk x Reader, NAMED!FemReader, Some physical features have been given (hair & eye color).

Word Count: ~2.3k

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The salt in the air was crisp on this day, cutting through the soft island scent of flowers. You only got this experience up on the bluff overseeing the small cove of the island you resided on. Esmereld Cove was your beautiful home with pristine waters, a lagoon you liked to swim in, and plentiful fruit patches… but it was also your prison. You’d been born on the island, learned to walk and talk on the island, lost your mother on the island, raised to an adult on the island with two nannies and three guards, and had never once stepped foot off the idyllic island. At this rate you’d probably grow old and die on this island as well.

Your father was a paranoid bastard through and through.

You’d been born from a pirate Warlord and a powerful rogue pirate, the combination surely producing an child that could rival those that currently sailed the seas… only the moment your father had taken a look at you he’d swore that no trouble or plight should ever befall you. On the other side of the spectrum, your mother hadn’t cared much for you, running back to the sea the moment she had weened you from her breast. With a wayward mother and busy Warlord father, you had been raised by nannies and protected by the best pirate guards.

Visits from your Warlord father were far and few between for he spent a large amount of time fighting across the Blue and just generally being a pirate. You did have to admit that when you were younger, it had hurt you that he spent so much time away… but when he did come back to Esmereld Cove, he brought back books a plenty and small trinkets to play with. That had been enough for your child self, but when you became a teenager, you started longing for more.

You were bored on this island, you had no friends to talk to, you had no places to visit for the first time, you had nothing new to experience. The pirate in you had started clawing for freedom. It was only natural that a child born from pirates would crave the sea, crave the freedom that it gave, it was cruel to keep you so locked up.

“Almost ready,” You sighed to yourself, leaning back on your palms and enjoying the breeze trickling across your face. It had been an exceptionally beautiful day this day and you had pretty much given Mel, the oldest of your nannies, the slip after lunch. She’d been tutoring you more on lessons of being a lady (you were already well equipped in that area) and you’d decided that you were more interested in feeling grass between your toes than smelling the stuffy library.

Mel was going to be furious once she found you (which would be a while since the old woman hated getting her shoes dirty) and Alanna was far too busy in the kitchen to be chasing after you like she had in your youth. You’d given both nannies a run for their money, your youth had been full of dirty feet, scraped knees, and defiance, but now you simply played the role of a delicate, can do no wrong daughter that needed protecting. In the long run, it was far easier to have them believe you were what they wanted you to be. Precious and weak. Well, you were weak, you could only grow so much on a tiny island. But you wanted to grow strong. As you were sighing to yourself, you heard Mel’s voice calling for you.

“My lady? My lady you must come in! Dinner is ready to be served and you still need to wash up.” Mel’s nagging voice did have reason within it so you pushed yourself to your feet and dusted off the skirt of the dress Alanna had changed you into this morning. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was made from fine fabrics and heaven forbid Mel saw that you’d gotten dirt on it. Again…

“What Mel doesn’t know, won’t hurt her,” You mused to yourself before turning around to take the trail back to the manor. It was only a five minute walk for you, the inhabitable part of the island was really that small, and by the time you were dusting off your feet with Gopher watching you in amusement… you were pretty sure that Mel was going to spend tomorrow morning lecturing you for at least an hour. Skirting your way into the manor, you took the servant halls to get to your room and slipped in.

Mel wasn’t in yet, but she would be soon, so it was in your best interest to get a head start on getting ready for dinner. Grabbing your ivory hair brush, you began brushing out your long locks of midnight hair. It was at times cumbersome to have hair this long, but Mel and Alanna had forbidden you from cutting it save for a yearly trim. When you were younger, you had snuck into the study and stolen a pair of scissors… and then proceeded to hack at your hair in defiance. All sharp instruments had been hidden from you after that incident and you had simply just gotten used to having long hair. It was easiest to just follow along and sneak around behind the scenes.

Holding a clump of your soft hair, you worked on a knot that you’d gotten climbing your favorite tree for napping. You managed to get the knot unraveled when the door to your room was opened and Mel came storming in. The old woman’s face was scrunched in anger and she was huffing and puffing. The moment she spotted you innocently sitting in front of your vanity, brushing your hair, her anger disappeared in favor for exasperation. You blinked at her with your long lashes and resumed brushing your hair.

“Where have you been!?” She puffed out, hurrying up to you with tight eyes. “Just because your father no longer frequents this island does not mean you are allowed to run amuck like a heathen!” She scolded you, taking your hairbrush from you to work on the back of your hair. She wasn’t being gentle about it, but certainly wouldn’t damage your hair. “It is expected that you uphold a certain decorum my lady.”

“I just went out to admire the flowers, their blooms are rather fragrant this time of year,” You told her, reaching forward and straightening several of the dainty cosmetic cases laying upon the vanity. It was so superfluous to you, dressing you in such nice clothing, painting your face and donning jewelry, where exactly were you going to go looking so nice other than your dining room? The only ones who would see you were your nannies and guards.

“Your father expects us to raise you with a certain standard of grace and nobility,” Mel snapped, tugging on your hair a little harder as she pulled it back to do something fancy with it. “That means no slouching, walking with poise, the manners of a noble, and no lolly gagging around this island!” You made a small face when she pulled a little too hard on your hair, but remained silent. Mel continued her rant about all the precise details your father wanted in your upbringing because yet again, you were being wily and noncooperative.

“It was just a walk,” You finally murmured as she slid a hair pin into the neat bun she’d made.

“You were suppose to be in the library learning,” Mel tutted, pinning several flyaway hairs down so you looked like the sophisticated lady you were raised to be.

“It seems pointless when I never leave this island,” You pointed out. “What reason do I have to learn all this if I am to remain on Esmereld Cove for the rest of my life?”

“Your father intends to introduce you to the World Government and society. There are many political opportunities for you to hold power of your own and—” and you stopped listening to Mal because you’d heard this speech a million times before. All your life you’d heard about your fathers plan for your future, but nothing had ever come from it. Pirates didn’t get along with each other and there was no way your father would let you anywhere near the Marines.

“I am going to be old and gray before I actual leave Esmereld Cove,” You sighed and leaned your head back. Mel’s face was devoid of emotion, robotic in every way. “Very well, what am I wearing to dinner?”

Mel picked up the hanger resting on your full length mirror and brandished a silken dress you knew all too well. It was violet, layered, and had many jewels and cloth flowers sewn into the bodice and skirt. Your father had gifted it to you on your eighteenth birthday, both fawning and bemoaning over how the color reminded him of your mother. You both had violet eyes and midnight hair, so the violet dress complimented you quite well. But it was rather ostentatious for a dinner where you would be dining alone.

Rising from your seat, you went through the motions of getting dressed, and donning jewelry. Mel fussed over the skirts of your dress, picking at nonexistent wrinkles. You moved away from your mirror much to Mel’s protest and rolled your eyes. It’s not like the old woman would be able to stop you. She was getting frail in her age and all she had left were her stern looks and voice. You might be weak but you weren’t as weak as she was. You couldn’t help but think of tripping her in the hall and watch as she struggled to get back up. Mean of you, but at times your imagination was all you had. If she did fall, Mel would probably break her hip… and maybe a couple of other bones while she was at it.

By the time you reached the dining room your mood was improved, but the sight of the large table only prepared for one sobered you up. How boring. Don, one of the guards helped you into your seat and pushed your chair in. As Alanna came into the dining room pushing a dining cart to stared at the large seat at the opposite end of the table. When you were younger and your father visited more frequently, he used to sit in that seat and tell you all about the tales of his youth. He’d been a great story teller, but as you grew older you saw the truth in his words.

He fabricated stories for you yet none of it was real or true. In all honesty you lived a carefully fabricated life based on your fathers wants. You picked up your soup spoon and carefully began to eat. Dinner went by just as slowly as it always went, you barely tasted the food . You wished you’d been allowed to bring a book to read while eating, but Mel had strictly forbidden it. To unlady like. She’d once lectured you that ladies didn’t read as much as you. You had to remind her that what else were you supposed to do for reading was a far better option than you running around the island.

It was dark out by the time you finished dinner and were spending a few moments staring at a fancy painting hanging behind your fathers dining chair. It was some ridiculously expensive things, probably worth millions of berries, and stolen. You’d like to see the town painted on the canvas. Your eyes dropped to the wine glass in front of you and you ran your finger around the rim.

“Do you wish for a refill, my lady?” Your eyes darted up to see Alanna at your side. Your eyebrow arched at her inquisition because even your alcohol intake was regulated by Mel. Ladies didn’t get drunk.

“You wish to risk Mel’s wrath?” You questioned her with a small laugh. “I think I’ve given her enough gray hairs over the years. Don’t want her thinking I’m a lush because I have a second glass.” Alanna rolled her eyes and topped off your glass

“You’re an adult, Sylvia,” She told you. “And Mel had taken her job a little too seriously.”

“Well she is being paid to watch me,” You reminded her in a dry tone while Alanna cleared the rest of the dishes from the table.

“I’m sure your father will return soon and bring you with him to see the wonders of the world,” Alanna said with a hopeful smile. “He just has a few things to clean up before it’s safe for you to accompany him. I’m sure of it.” Alanna retreated from the dining room leaving you alone with Don and your wine.

They’d been telling you that your father would back for you for years, but you knew better than to believe them. Your father wouldn’t have left you to be raised on Esmereld Cove into adult hood if he didn’t want you safe and out of pirate life. You weren’t going to leave unless you took matters into your own hands. Rising from your seat, you picked up your glass of wine and turned towards the exit.

“I shall be retiring for the night, Don, please do not disrupt my night.” The guard bowed to you and said goodnight to your back as you strode away. Once in your room, you took pleasure in the sour face of Mel as she helped you out of your dress for she knew that you were on your second glass of wine.She didn’t comment on it at least and sulked out of the room as you buttoned your nightgown. Taking a place on the reading nook you frequented in front of your large bedroom window, you stared at the moon, dreaming of a life beyond the island.

Date Published: 10/1/23

Last Edit: 10/1/23

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[overtrred28]

Stargirl | matildas x original character fic [part eight]

Words; 3.0k

Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC)

Warnings; swearing, mentions of injury (no blood)

A/N; so the games for this chapter weren't easy to find or go off but they still needed to be in there so i did this, hope it not too much of a cliché... enjoy

masterlist

After the Spain and Portugal games there came the AFF Women's championship and a lot of the regular players had left and gone back to their clubs or on a break, especially considering it was only a week later. 

Charli and Astrid had been given the clearance from their overseas clubs to stay on national duty but Kyra and Courtney decided to go back to Sweden and play club games instead. Although it felt weird being in camp without the other two, it gave Charli, Cortnee and Astrid time to spend together with the other girls who were joining the squad for the first time. 

Before the competition started, Charli, Cortnee and Astrid spent their few free days in Portugal before they had to fly over to the Philippines and begin their pre-match training with the rest of the team. They pretty much spent all their time on the beach enjoying the hot weather and good food, grateful to spend a few days relaxing before getting into game mode. 

Training was training, but with a newer team full of even more inexperienced players it gave them the opportunity to develop a new style of play. Without players like Sam and Emily Gielnik there to take that central forward position, the coaches decided to test Astrid and see if she could handle the pressure there rather than on the right or left. Safe to say she could. 

She was communicating well with Cortnee and Larrissa on either side of her, fighting off the defence and working with the midfield to score goals in the mini matches. Seeing Astrid take on this role so easily inspired the coaches when deciding on the starting line up for the next match. 

Match day. Everyone was in high spirits for today, training had been going exceptionally well and the team dynamic was strong. They had been ushered into a conference room of the hotel to talk about the game and reveal the line up. Cortnee and Charli had been talking up Astrid being in the starting XI for the game, but Astrid kept brushing them off, not wanting to get her hopes up. 

Over the past few days they had been analysing the Philippines style of play, so this session was a slight revision and going over their starting line up. Then came time for Tony to reveal his line up. He went through the slideshow, going from the defenders, to midfielders and finally the forwards. Charli’s name had been shown which was no surprise and Cortnee’s was revealed for the right forward position, Astrid looking at the left side and spotting Amy’s name, dropping her head down slightly. Tony began to list the names and their positions.   

“And as the central forward, Astrid Taylor.” He spoke and Astrid lifted her head, eyes wide as she finally spotted her name on the screen. Her jaw dropped and Charli let out a little cheer, patting Astrid on the back, Cortnee ruffling her hair before Astrid finally smiled. She was part of the starting line up for the first time, as the central forward too. 

The bus ride to the pitch was mostly silent, most girls listening to their own music, some chatting amongst themselves. Astrid hadn’t really spoken to anyone since boarding, taking the time to get in the zone, needing to be focused on the game she was starting in. 

The team warmed up, took their time getting changed and had their team huddle, the subs leaving to go sit on the bench, Astrid staying behind for the first time and readying to line up in the tunnel. She gave Cortnee and Charli a hug before they left the change room, standing in front of both of them donning the number 3 again. 

She was nervous, why wouldn’t she be. She was starting for her country for the first time, a true honour and a big deal. She didn’t want to stuff up, she couldn’t, everything had to go perfectly; according to her at least.

The game had been tough from the second that whistle blew. The opposing team were determined to maintain strong possession and keep Australia from any chance at scoring, everytime they did, a tackle or block stopped any chance. The brunt of their tackles had fallen to Astrid as she was constantly trying to get a goal in and have a 1-0 scoreline before halftime. 

As the central forward, she was receiving balls from Cortnee and Amy who were on either side of the pitch. Finally the ball had been stolen off the Philippines again by Charli, passing it up to Vine who was speeding up the right side. Two defenders closed in on her so she shot the ball over to Astrid who was in direct line of the goal again. Astrid had a clear shot, preparing to kick the ball with her left foot this time. 

She saw her foot make contact with the ball, but what she didn’t see was a Philippines defender coming in for a slide tackle, knocking Astrid to the ground in an attempt to steal the ball. As she began to fall her right foot got stuck, a searing pain shooting up her ankle, grunting in response to the pain and landing harshly on the ground. 

She rolled to her back after hitting the ground, grabbing her right foot immediately. Her body could only focus on the pain and everything around her blurred into the background, barely hearing the refs whistle and the concerned gasps from her teammates. The Philippines player had been shown a yellow card and the Australian side was glad.

Her eyes screwed shut from the overwhelming pain, trying to breathe through it, but finding it difficult. Charli was the first to her, running over as soon as she saw Astrid staying down unlike the last few tackles.

“Ankle?” Charli knelt down to Astrid, the girl only nodding in response as she held back her tears. The ref had run over, Cortnee following closely behind, coming to the other side of Astrid, looking down at her. 

“She needs medical.” Cortnee looked to the ref who began waving over the medical staff. 

“Char, this is bad.” Astrid sucked air through her teeth as the pain continued, tears falling from her eyes. If Astrid was crying from this, then it was bad; she rarely cried and had developed a high pain tolerance over time, meaning it was not something minor. 

“It’s gonna be okay, star. They’re coming.” Charli squeezed Astrid’s upper arm, watching the medics run to where they had gathered. The rest of the Matildas stood still on the pitch watching the scene, a few taking this time to get a drink, but watching the scene with concern alongside the coaches. 

“Her right ankle.” Charli told the physios as they removed Astrids grip from her foot to examine it. She hissed in pain as they removed her boot, moving her arm to cover her eyes and the tears forming. 

“Out of 10?” A physio asked while looking at Astrid. 

“7.” A sob wracked her chest, not even thinking about the pain anymore, even though it was very much there. She had already been thinking about the time she would have off from football if this was a serious injury, which it was already feeling like. 

After they determined there was no way she could continue, Charli and Cortnee helped her up, she tested putting weight on it but even just a toe on the ground was way too much. They offered to get a stretcher but Astrid only shook her head, opting to hop off the pitch with the physios either side of her, holding her up. As she made it to the technical area she locked eyes with Tony. 

“Well done, you played exceptionally.” He patted her shoulder and she only nodded in response before they led her down the tunnel and into the medical wing. After they had checked her and asked her questions about how it manoeuvred in the ground, all they could determine for now was at least a two degree sprain. 

The physios taped her up and provided crutches to avoid weight bearing for the meantime until she could go and get scans at the hospital. But Astrid desperately wanted to watch the rest of the game now that halftime was over and the second half had begun. So she crutched her way back up the tunnel and to the sub bench, the girls immediately making space for her to elevate and ice her ankle and watched the game pan out.

The game ended and Australia had lost 1-0, the players shaking hands with the winners, Astrid got herself up and over to where Tony was standing at the edge of the pitch. 

“How’s it feeling, Astrid?” He asked as he saw her approaching. 

“Not too good, so far it’s second degree, 4 to 6 weeks.” She gave him a tight lipped smile, more upset over the timeline than the injury itself, everything was falling into place for Astrid and now it was halted. 

“I’m sorry, but you played so well up until that point, I’m very proud of your progress since joining Hammarby.” Tony gave her a firm pat on the back. “You’ll be back better than ever soon enough.” 

“Thank you.” She nodded and he headed off onto the pitch to his players. 

“Hey.” Charli was now at her side. “You okay?” She hugged her arms around her neck, Astrid let go of one of the crutches and held onto Charli. She tucked her head into the older girl's neck, simply shaking her head and letting tears slip again. “It’s gonna be okay.” Charli whispered in her ear, gently stroking her back. 

“You did so well today.” Astrid moved away and wiped her eyes, moving her hand back to the crutch. 

“Thank you.” Charli smiled brightly at her. Astrid could see the huddle forming behind them, Charli turning around to see where her eyes were focused. “Come on.” Charli bent down with her arms behind her. 

“What are you doing?” Astrid laughed at her. 

“Get on, it’ll be faster.” Charli looked back at her, nodding at her. Astrid shook her head, dropping her crutches to the ground and jumping with one foot onto Charli’s back, the blonde’s arms looping under the other's thighs, hoisting her up gently. 

“This is ridiculous.” Astrid laughed as Charli walked them across the field. 

“But faster.” Charli commented back. What they didn’t see was Ann walking behind the pair carrying Astrid’s crutches to the huddle and shaking her head at the two young players. Astrid had jumped down to her good foot, using Charli and Cortnee to stabilise her on one leg.

“Here.” Ann finally made her presence known, Astrid smiling as she saw the woman behind them. 

“You are an angel, Ann Odong. Thank you.” She took the crutches and placed them under her arms, sighing at the relief in her left leg as the weight was distributed to the crutches. 

Astrid had gone straight to the local hospital instead of back to the hotel with the team, the team physios wanting her to get scans as soon as possible. Charli wanted to go and keep her company but Astrid said no, not wanting to interfere with her sleep after a long game and promising to keep her updated. 

It wasn’t until 12:30 am she finally had her XRAY and MRI done, waiting for almost 3 hours and trying not to fall asleep in the emergency room. The results came back finally after waiting some more and they had officially ruled it a second degree sprain like the physios initially thought. The hospital had supplied her with a moon boot to protect it but not walk in it, still advising no weight for at least a week. 

Astrid was so tired and still in pain that she just nodded and asked to go back to the hotel, ready for bed and the day to end. They got back and one of the physios helped her to her room, Astrid assuring her she was good from there and to go to bed, knowing Charli would be more than willing to help her out. 

She opened the door and immediately Charli jumped up at the sound, rushing out of bed to come face to face with Astrid. 

“JESUS CHRIST!” Astrid almost lost her balance when Charli popped up in front of her. “Oh my god.” She let out a breath, heart racing from the fright. 

“Are you okay? What did they say? How long?” Charli shot out her questions and all Astrid could do was blink. 

“Calm down, let me sit please.” Astrid began to manoeuvre herself around Charli, flopping down on her bed and letting out a deep sigh. “No walking for one to two weeks, four to six for total recovery, no torn ligaments or tendons, just a really bad sprain.” She rattled off what the doctors told her while looking at the ceiling. 

“I’m so sorry star.” Charli sat on her own bed. Astrid turned her head in confusion at her words. 

“It’s not like you tackled me. These things happen.” Astrid let out a soft laugh. 

“I know. But it was your first start and I was so happy for you. You didn’t even get to halftime.” Charli tilted her head. 

“I’ll get to start again, it just won’t be for a little while.” She put a small smile on her face but it wasn’t genuine. 

“You need a hug?” Charli asked. 

“I need a shower, but sure a hug would be great.” She sat up and Charli jumped over to the other bed with open arms, both giggling as Astrid lent her head on Charli’s shoulder. Their arms wrapped around each other and Astrid could not be more grateful for having her best friend here with her. 

The rest of the competition continued, Australia faring much better than their first game and coming out with wins and high score lines against their opponents. But to watch from the sidelines was very hard for Astrid. 

She had never really been injured before, very lucky to only have had minor things growing up that didn’t last very long, so it was very unusual for her to just sit and watch the team play and not even be a possible substitution. But she did and she was the first one cheering when the final whistle blew, hobbling over to her teammates to congratulate them. The games were finished and it was time to return to Sweden with Charli, parting ways with Cortnee again, not seeing each other till the next camp in September. 

Although Charli’s closest airport to her Swedish home was Malmö, she chose to fly even further to Stockholm just so she could make sure Astrid was okay, nervous about flying with her injury. Astrid assured her she would be fine but Charli wouldn’t listen, telling her she would just take a train from Stockholm back to Malmö once she was settled back at home.

So when they touched down in Sweden Charli used her best knowledge of the language to source a wheelchair for Astrid to get around in until they got to the car where Kyra and Courtney were waiting. 

“You’re being ridiculous Charlotte.” Astrid sighed as Charli pushed her from the gate to the luggage collection. 

“Shush cripple.” Charli laughed, weaving through the crowd quite fast, Astrid gripping onto the sides in order to not fall out while also holding her crutches in one hand.  

Charli collected their two bags and wheeled them out, along with their carry-ons, while Astrid pushed herself to the exit, actively looking for Kyra and Courtney in the crowds. 

Kyra and Courtney kept their eyes peeled for the two other girls, expecting to see Astrid struggling on crutches and Charli close behind. Though Charli finally appeared, her signature bright grin on her face and they couldn’t see Astrid close behind. Until their eyes shifted lower and saw her pushing herself in a wheelchair, instantly covering their mouths to hide their laughter. 

Kyra not so sneakily pulled her phone out, filming Charli smiling first then over to Astrid when she finally spotted them, sending a death glare down the camera. 

“Nice ride.” Kyra said from behind the camera. 

“Shut it.” Astrid shook her head as she stopped in front of them. “Let’s just go home please.” She looked up at all three girls who simply nodded, still controlling their laughter. 

“Would you like a hand madam?” Kyra bowed to Astrid, smirking at her while extending her arms. Astrid silently passed Courtney the crutches, placing her good foot on the ground, gripping onto Kyra’s hands and bringing herself up. Courtney quickly put the crutches under Astrid’s arms, the injured girl removing her hold from Kyra. On the way home, they dropped Charli off at the train station, saying a long goodbye and promising to keep her in the loop about Astrid’s foot. 

They eventually made it back to Astrid’s place, Kyra and Courntey wanting to make sure she was set up with everything she needed and made her dinner, only leaving when Astrid was ready for bed and sure she didn’t need anymore help. 

This went on for the next week; the girls going Astrid’s every morning to make her breakfast and take her to training with them, Astrid doing some gentle rehab with the physios while they got to train. Then they would go home, cook her dinner and make sure she was all good before going back to their own place. 

Astrid was more than excited when the physios at Hammarby said she could begin walking in the boot, finally able to get around her own apartment and not have the older girls watching her every move. She was so grateful she had them there to help her, but she wanted some alone time after they returned from training, finding it hard to watch them play and train without her, missing being able to step out on that pitch and play the game she loved so much. 

To be continued...

[cafeleningrad]

Wakaba thoughts again. There're many things to say about the Black Rose Arc but one of them is not only how the gendered order is enforced with a lot of violence but also the social order. Those who have not been deemed special by Akio, non-duelists, are treated terribly as probs, as means to an end. And if they wish to change that they're faced with (emotional) repression.

Akio categorizes people either special by default (although he selects duelists by the degree he can use them for his own goals, and only ocassionally special if they appear unplanned on his radar. What a terrible worldview, as he says this in "Wakaba flourishes", because actually... Wakaba can be great at sports and schools. I mean alwaready way before Saionji's presence was a motivation in her life, on her way home, many friends asked her to hang out, she's well liked. Anthy and Utena both genuinely enjoy her cooking. Wakaba has not only one but three love intersts, in Tatsuya, Saionji (out of his necessity but curious that it was Wakaba of all people), and Utena, all genuinely close. For someone who would stereotypically occupy the role of genki girl side character that's way more than for even some popular duelists. In episode 12, she was the one capable of pulling out Utena of her depression because she understood and adored her so much. Wakaba always was well liked, has some genuinely good skills, her shining in sports, and school was due to her feeling special enough to dare step out of the role of the regular girl although she already had it in her. It's so insidious that the motivational push to bring out the most of herself depends so much on male attention. As the shadow girl play tells us, Ohtori is a place pushing the idea that people, specifically girls, need princes, specifically male attention, but actually, they don't why they need them in the first place or what they should actually do with them. (Girls like Juri or Nanami get a chance at beig special individuals on their own. in spite of being girls. That rug is pulled away from them when Ruka tries to converse Juri by force, and Nanami's exceptionalism entirely depends on her relationship to a boy, namely being Touga's little sister).

Wakaba was always great but all her potential gets locked away behind the social indoctrination of only male attentiondetrmining her worth, and not by the potential she obviously has in herself. However, Akio's social order that she isn't allowed to be anything than a side character although she, with three love interests, being quiet popular for "a normal girl", and the potentieal to be top of her class, could break down her box easily. Further on, she doesn't recognize that it all could be sourced from her won well.

[swallowtailed]

palisade 37 !!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY WEREN’T LYING THAT DIVINE CAN CYCLE

perennial is the time loop and she is in the time loop!!!!! the wheel turns!!!!!!!!! incredible. i love this. 

no wonder perennial was moved by figure begging for another chance.

from a structural pov i appreciate that this is explicitly the last chance bc it keeps pressure on the players without having to resort to multiverse stuff. also a well-timed reveal for the tension in the back half of the season.

it frankly explains a lot that picking clem was a three-millionth-year-in-the-time-loop decision

also this only raises MORE questions about what’s going on off in that arm of the galaxy. they’ve worked out time travel????

oh re the intro, “according to the world i’m a hypocrite or drowned” BANGER LINE. also “the truth”/“the worst”… poor gur

other things did happen in this episode that i am also excited about. what were they again. oh right

thisbe the new bearer of integrity!! golden horns!! really racking up crew entanglements with divinity. extremely exciting. 

(i do think we are gonna need some new words by the end of the season, or a clear decision against.)

that whole sequence was so compelling—i feel like we rarely see thisbe pursue her desires so directly. her determination to reach out and understand is fascinating. and that integrity chooses people who want to change the world—wondering if this could be a direction for thisbe’s new illusion strats. 

and “my head is somewhat heavier but it doesn’t bother me” heavy is the head that wears the crown huh thisbe. excited to see where this goes !

also on engagements with divines, asepsis’s view of its role changing because brnine saw it as “a divine without a community”—sets this down next to palisade discussing his different relationships with different excerpts, “the etiquette you make with one another” (which is a very loving way of looking at it, i think). divines are socially constructed; divinity is contextual. u know.

dre has been fucking killing it as figure this season. that scene with palisade was really good. saying “this feels like a metaphor” about playing duck (lmao) was exceptionally funny because that is always true about figure all of the time

coriiiii…. i am so glad cori is able to trust her crew and find safety questioning her religious upbringing with them.

i do feel like i understand eclectic better now. we’ve gotten a few more flags: he believes in welcoming people who help him; he feels that divines are too much of a risk; he sees the cause as taking over palisade. (it is also kind of touching that he’s so insistent that they adopt a random lock & cross cop, specifically—i found that scene kind of frustrating, but it’s solid character work.)

we also learned this ep that brnine thinks they are the sexiest crew member (they’re right). however this leaves the question of who thisbe thinks is sexiest. assuming it was someone not already present in the scene but aboard the blue channel, that leaves hunting, midnite, or saffron. does thisbe think saffron is sexy?? i would believe that. she has the most physical forms, leaving aside phrygian (who i think murch said she thought was hottest?? wires??), so logically saffron could be attractive to the widest range of people. or thisbe just thinks she’s hot. i’d ship it.

[stylessupremacy]

Toronto II 

If you liked this piece please consider liking, reblogging, recommending, and talking to me about this piece! This is what motivates and makes me want to write! Everything you do is appreciated! :)

Warnings: Mentions of unprotected sex & language

-

We all know Harry is obsessed with Y/n by this point, right? He’s always wanting to be in her. And we all know Harry loves the role he plays in the bedroom - or this case the bathroom.

“C’mon Y/n,” Harry murmured, tugging on Y/n’s hand, “We’ll be fine.” Y/n snorted, trailing behind Harry hand in hand, “What happened the last time we tried to do this? Jeff and Anthony literally caught us.”

Shutting the door behind them both - and remembering to lock it this time - Harry had Y/n pinned against it in seconds.

“Yeah?” Harry nipped at her ear. “Well, they won’t this time. Told them to give me s’time with my girl.”

Harry continued trailing kisses and love bites along Y/n’s exposed neck - Y/n tangling her fingers through his messy curls.

Clashing their lips together Y/n reached for the hem of his shirt, while he did the same to hers; tugging them both off and discarding them on the floor - doing the same for their pants and undergarments.

“Harry,” Y/n moaned as they stepped into the steaming shower. He was kissing down her body leaving love bites on her chest and stomach.

“Shhh, darling.” Harry left one final kiss above her mound. “Just let me warm y’up.”

He ran his fingers between her wet folds, “S’wet for me already huh?”

Y/n whimpered, arching her back forward to get more friction. Harry was collecting her juices for an easy entry with his fingers, while he went back to her chest - sucking, pinching, and massaging her nipples and boobs.

Harry tsked, removing his mouth from her nipple where he was gently sucking and biting it. “You're such a slut huh? Just aching for my cock?”

Without warning, Harry plunged his fingers into her. Curling them, giving her a pleasurable sensation coursing through her body.

“Maybe I shouldn’t ‘ave been this nice.” Harry lowly spoke, continuing the in and out motion with his fingers. “Could’ve just shoved m’whole thick cock up your pussy.”

Y/n always liked it when Harry would open her up first before making his way in - she wouldn’t be as sore the next day.

Even though Harry always cared about how Y/n was feeling during sex, sometimes Harry’s dominant side would overpower when Y/n was being exceptionally bratty.

Secretly Y/n loved it.

Harry pulled his fingers out, the water rinsing her juices off so he could not suck them.

“Turn around.” Harry gruffly spoke towards Y/n. His aching cock waiting to feel any sort of relief.

Harry lined his long shaft up with her entrance and eased his way in. He moaned at the tightness her walls entranced around his cock.

“Fucking hell.” Harry rocked his hips into her, keeping a firm grip on her plush hips.

Y/n whined when Harry’s shaft was hitting her g-spot. “Har- Harry right there.”

A chuckle escaped Harry's lips, “Darling y’act like this is my first rodeo.”

Harry continued pushing his hips into Y/n - building the knots in both their stomachs.

“Harry, m’bout to come.” Harry’s thrust getting longer and sloppier by the second, “It’s okay. I’ll pull out. Don’t worry.”

Feeling Y/n release, Harry was shortly after her - quickly pulling out before any mistakes.

“Remember that time when Niall caught us?” Y/n asked, a small smile forming on her face as she caught her breath.

Harry chuckled, reaching for the soap to clean the both of them off.“Yeah, how could I forget?”

-

“C’mon Y/n, we’ll be quick!” Harry whispered, dragging Y/n with him to the bathroom.

Y/n had joined Harry and the rest of the One Direction band for there ‘On The Road Tour’ - not knowing it would be their last.

Harry and Y/n quickly hopped in the shower wanting to make their activities quick before Harry’s manager came to find them or one of the other boys.

Harry quickly got Y/n opened up a bit and got inside of her.

“Har-” Y/n started to moan but quickly stopped when she heard the door open. Harry stopped mid-thrust to peak his head out.

“Niall? What are you doing here?” Harry asked, trying to play cool, but was freaking out because he could see Y/n’s panties laying on the bathroom floor.

Out in the open for anybody to see.

Niall stuttered, realizing what he walked in on. “So- sorry the door was cracked and I was told to come and get you for a meeting.”

“It’s fine,” Harry huffed. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be there.” Niall nodded, scurrying off like his pants were on fire - quickly shutting the door behind him.

“Darling, m’so sorry to cut this short. I’ll definitely treat you tonight since you’ve been my good little girl waiting patiently.”

-

Y/n was very agitated and upset with Harry. More like jealousy if you asked Harry.

He was about to go and watch his opening act with a hoodie and just a towel hanging low on his hips.

What if the towel accidentally slipped? Plus all the fans would probably figure out he just fucked his girlfriend before he's about to perform.

Y/n quickly grabbed his arm before he walked out of his dressing room, “Harry, you can’t wear that.”

“Why not?” He questioned, not understanding where his girlfriend was coming from.

“What if the fans see you? What if the towel slips?” She rambled off.

“Y/n calm down. Y’know you're the only girl I want. Y’know I only belong to you and y’belong to me,” He huffed out. “Besides, been with y’for seven years.”

“Your pussy is the only one that I would ever want to taste,” He whispered in her ear so Jeff would not hear him. “And it's the perfect fit for my cock.”

Even though Jeff has a pretty good idea of what goes on behind closed doors - due to the thin walls.

“Fine,” Y/n sighed. “Y’sure you don’t want to come with me?” Harry asked double-checking.

“I’m okay, thanks.” Y/n had to get ready for his show. She had yet to do her hair and makeup due to their lengthy activity that had just taken place.

-

Later that night throughout the show, Y/n got over jealousy.

Harry was right, they have been together for seven years and they are stronger than ever. She doesn't know why she ever doubted anything.

Y/n and Harry had some rocky bumps throughout their relationship, but they were still able to get over those hurdles.

Harry would have never been able to write the songs he has if it wasn’t for Y/n and their relationship - or their sex.

Harry will forever be grateful that he met Y/n. Without her, he wouldn’t be where he is today nor be the person he is today.

[mykindofgeeky]

An Exhausting Review of The Wheel of Time

Apologies for the delay. Unfortunately round 2 of @fantasybooktournament ended right before my work week. On top of that Tears of the Kingdom and Gideon the Ninth have been consuming many of my waking hours outside of work. At this moment I am taking a break from both of my current obsessions to try and organize my thoughts about WoT. I will be providing a spoiler free TLDR followed by a more in depth review of the first four books.

SPOILER FREE TLDR:

The Good:

The Wheel of Time is an exceptionally well written high fantasy epic.

It utilizes its main cast well and most of them have satisfying narrative arcs.

The magic is unique and well thought out.

The women of the cast share just as many interesting personalities and skills as the men.

The series plays a lot with gender roles directly related to the magic system.

It has a lot to say about destiny and the heroes journey.

Several interesting mentor figures that all have just as many negative traits as positive ones.

A focus on one character's PTSD that is very believable and taken seriously by both the narrative and the characters around them.

A beautiful ending that still makes me cry when I think about it.

Brandon Sanderson

The Bad:

There are several villains that are sexual predators utilizing brainwashing, violence, and grooming to get their way. Jordan doesn't write sex scenes so none of the acts are recorded in the books but they are heavily implied.

There is exactly one trans woman character and she is a villain. She is also a sexual predator.

There is slavery in this series. It is done by one of the antagonist factions but it is not really resolved by the end of the series.

EXTREMELY LONG.

The insane amount of characters is a lot to keep track of. That said you don't NEED to know every character by name.

Major low point in the series that can be difficult to read due to a dramatic shift in narrative pacing. This starts in Book 5.

While the women are interesting they were still written by an old white guy. A lot of the "strong female characters" we have are described as overbearing, conniving, and arrogant.

The romance is often forced and the end of the series appears to be obsessed with pairing up all the characters without lovers.

Many of the characters have repeating physical habits as well as repeating experiences. Jordan will describe these things the same way over and over. There's a lot of fingering of blades, knuckling mustaches, yanking of braids, and adjusting of shawls.

Jordan clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Eastern faiths and cultures in both his magic system and the religion of the setting. He doesn't represent these things particularly well and it feels very Orientalist to me.

Brandon Sanderson

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

The Wheel of Time as a series is the absolute height of high fantasy epics in my opinion. It represents this sub-genre very well with nearly every trope of in the high fantasy tool box being utilized. That said it also carries many of the perceived negative aspects of the genre.

When I said this series was "very long" it is very much an understatement. The main series of books tops out at 4.4 MILLION words spread over 14 novels and 1 novella. It also has hundreds of characters with well over a hundred receiving a POV throughout the books. Yes that's right, this series has multiple characters sharing their perspectives.

The first three books I'm going to call "What if Robert Jordan wrote The Lord of the Rings?" These books are The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and The Dragon Reborn. Are these books direct rip offs of LotR? No absolutely not, but they do share a lot of the same structure. The fourth book The Shadow Rising is when things really get spicy.

***

The Eye of the World's primary purpose is to introduce important characters, set the narrative pacing of the series, and establish the setting.

It follows a group of youngsters from the village of Emond's Field; Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve. Several strangers come into the village for the Spring festival, Moiraine the Aes Sedai, Lan the Warder, and Thom the Gleeman. These characters serve as guides and mentors in the outside world later on. Shortly after this they are forced into a world of adventure after evil creatures called Trollocs attack their home.

The Eye of the World is a great opening to the series. It invites you into the setting and holds your hand through the first day before plunging you into the first night. The juxtaposition between the warm and gentle opening day and the horrifically violent night afterwards is a perfect synopsis of the two opposing forces of Light and Darkness.

It later lays the groundwork for the main characters' arcs that they will go through in the series while leaving room for doubt on if they will make it at all. There is also tons of foreshadowing not only within the book but also for the series as a whole. These are fun to piece together on a first read and even more fun to find on rereads.

The combat scenes are tense and you can really feel the Emond's Fielders panic contrasted with the wizened mentors calm. The social aspects of how the Aes Sedai fit into the world also provides plenty of tension. One of the main antagonistic forces in the series is introduced early on in Perrin and Egwene's travels and they are portrayed beautifully as the cruel bastards they are.

The ending is a little confusing, especially on a first read. Unfortunately Jordan seemed to have a bit of trouble writing around wanting the main antagonist to be in the book and for the main characters to think they've won in the end. It is a short and weird ending but most of the other books get much better endings.

***

The Great Hunt's job is to flesh out established villains and introduce new ones, flesh out some of the major factions, and provide more POVs on these weird ass situations. It primarily focuses on two storylines: "The Boys' No Good, Very Bad Day? Month? Year???" and "Little Witch Academia: Spy Game."

The Boys (Rand, Mat, and Perrin) are chasing down thieves who stole an important plot device called the Horn of Valere. They need this back because there is a concern that the horn could be used by the forces of evil to summon ghost heroes to fight for them. In addition they stole Mat's fucking drugs (an evil ass dagger from the first book) and now he's in withdrawal. The dagger is needed to break Mat's reliance on it.

The Girls (Egwene and Nynaeve; and new friends; Elayne and Min) are learning magic at the White Tower, home of the Aes Sedai. Egwene and Elayne are "Novices" together while Nynaeve has been allowed to become "Accepted" due to her being a bad bitch. Min is basically in a comfy jail cell and bored because she's not a witch. As they are learning magic they have been accidentally recruited into finding secret "Dark Friends" (followers of the main antagonist the Dark One) amongst the Aes Sedai.

Once again The Great Hunt does its job well. We get to learn much more about the world from several POVs. The White Tower is filled with political intrigue. The factions that have been introduced so far get a lot more development and the new ones are interesting. We see an introduction of several significant bad guys including the Seanchan who are really interesting.

At this point we have had a lot of growth with our main cast. They are still scared of conflict but they know how to defend themselves. They become more comfortable with the outside world some willingly some unwillingly. The mentor characters are starting to step away from being mentors which allows them to be more independent characters in their own right. That tenseness from the first book never really goes away. This book has a lot of twists that will have you on the edge of your seat.

The ending is far more comprehensible in The Great Hunt than The Eye of the World. It is extremely epic with an incredible three-way struggle that is referenced throughout the rest of the series.

***

The Dragon Reborn is our epic conclusion to Jordan's Lord of the Rings. Its job is to finish a lot of what was started, and develop our main cast further. It follows four groups of our cast to the city of Tear where The Dragon is to be Reborn: "The Al'Thor Identity (Crisis)," "Nanny Damodred: Manhunt," "Little Witch Academia: Spy Game pt. 2," and "The Guilt Trip."

Rand has been proclaimed the Dragon Reborn by Moiraine after the events of the second book. Rand is not a fan of this. He is so not a fan of it that he decides to try and speedrun this whole "Chosen One" thing. Of he skips to Tear by himself where he is supposed to claim a special sword that proves he's the Dragon Reborn. Reality literally bends around him on his way leaving a pretty clear path to follow.

Moiraine is not a fan of Rand going off leash and needs to chase him down. She takes Lan (who is basically glued to her ass anyway), Loial the Ogier (elves but thicc), and Perrin. He's pretty easy to follow since there's a Rand shaped hole left behind everywhere he goes. On the way Perrin makes two new friends; Gual the Aiel, and Faile (who are now both glued to Perrin's ass).

Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne are hunting more dark friend Aes Sedai after there was a theft and breakout of several of them from the White Tower. These dark friends stole several items of power and they must be retrieved. The girls are tracking them down disguised as Aes Sedai which is leading them to Tear unbeknownst to Rand and Moiraine.

Mat has been brought to the White Tower to be healed and separated from the dagger. In addition it is revealed that Mat is now connected to the Horn of Valere due to the events of the second book making him a very valuable asset to the White Tower. Mat nopes the fuck outta that and manages to escape after a lucky run of dicing and finding his old mentor Thom the Gleeman. After traveling to Caemlyn to deliver a letter, Mat becomes aware of a plot to murder Elayne. He knows that she's heading for Tear and decides to go after her.

Overall this is my favorite book of the first three. Its a more complicated plot but its easy enough to follow and every time the POV switches you get excited to learn more about that part of the story. This is the beginning of Rand's "madness" which is a side effect of being the Dragon Reborn as well as being a male witch and I enjoy how its written. You really feel for Rand as he acts like a cornered animal with nothing to lose. Perrin's interactions with his two new companions are fun with Gual being a fast friend who gives good advice and Faile being a compelling romantic interest with an acid tongue. I really enjoy how Perrin really appreciates Faile's beauty over time as he gets to know her. That said they kinda fall for each other really fast out of nowhere. Although they are probably one of the more interesting couples in the series. The girls have a fun roadtrip down to Tear with lots of new characters introduced. They aren't as prominent in this book but once they get to Tear they get to do a lot of cool shit. Mat's roadtrip with Thom is a fun reflection of their trip together in the first book with a far more competent Mat and a Thom who sees Mat as more of a man. We also get to see Mat's intelligence shine in this book which is great because he was more of a side character in the first two books.

The ending is a chaotic mess but in a fun way. All of these characters are smashing into each other by coincidence and foiling each others plans, rescuing each other from danger, and of course getting into arguments. There isn't really a big antagonist in this ending but it doesn't detract from the book at all.

***

OK NOW WE ARE GETTING SPICY! This is where the series really starts to shine bright!

The Shadow Rising is widely considered to be one of the best novels in the whole series. Personally it is my favorite fantasy novel hands down! The Shadow Rising is trying to do many things here but primarily it is: expanding the scope of the setting, circling back to previous plot points/details, increasing our main cast's influence on the world.

The Shadow Rising is the longest book for a reason. It is covering many, many storylines at the same time but I'm going to try and narrow it down. Primarily I'm going to focus on four groups: "Al'Thor of the Three-Fold Land," "Back to the Shire," "Little Witch Academia: Spy Game pt.3," and "How to Stage a Coup: Paint It Red."

Rand has been reading. This is a mistake. He decides that he must go to the Aiel Waste in order to become their chosen one, the Car'a'carn, The Chief of Chiefs. He is joined by Mat, Egwene, Moiraine, and his Aiel allies. During their journeys they are forced to discover more about themselves. Egwene goes to desert witch bootcamp. Mat gets a fancy spear and a new hat. Honestly, everything is coming up Al'Thor so far.

Perrin is worried about Emond's Field and decides to go back home and make sure everything is ok. He is joined by Gaul, Loial, Faile, and two additional Aiel Bain and Chiad who have taken a liking to Faile. They show up to the Two Rivers being invaded by Trollocs and the White Cloaks (who are chasing Perrin). Perrin and friends rally the Two Rivers to fight against both invaders.

Nynaeve, Elayne, Thom, and a new friend from the last book Juilin are still trying to smoke out the dark friend Aes Sedai. They track the traitors to Tanchico and begin searching the city. They end up finding more than they bargained for.

Min is continuing to be an endlessly annoyed guest of the White Tower. She is being used as a spy by the Amyrlin Seat (head of the White Tower) but she soon finds herself in a dangerous situation. Elaida the Red Sister is attempting a coup to claim the Amyrlin Seat for herself. Min manages to fine Siuan (the original Amyrlin) and Leane (her right hand woman) but they are both powerless and can no longer do magic. As they are escaping they also collect the dangerous criminal and False Dragon, Logain.

This is what we were waiting for. This is the true first chapter of the series. Everything up to know has been a prologue in my mind. We get serious character development, expansion of the setting, violence, romance, and so much more magic. If you want to read this series but don't think you'll finish it I BEG OF YOU read to this book. The Aiel are so goddamn cool and their culture is really interesting. The magic fights are getting more intense with them being narrated almost like sword fights. The politics within the White Tower and the Two Rivers is really cool. The drama in the Two Rivers with Perrin is so intense! I just can't praise this book enough.

I think I have to leave it there this is already too damn long. I really hope you give this series a chance and see if it is for you. Happy reading everyone!

“You can never know everything, and part of what you know is always wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. A portion of courage lies in going on anyways.” - The Eye of the World

[bestiarium]

The Stallichtjes [Dutch/Flemish folktales]

A Will-o’-the-wisp, also called ignis fatuus is a floating light that appears at night, usually over a swamp or bogland. There is a perfectly rational scientific explanation – if I recall correctly, it’s related to the oxidation of methane gases and other gases – but they play a significant role in folktales of several countries, each of which provides their own explanation for the mysterious floating lights.

One of them is the stallicht (‘barn light’), also called stalkaars (‘barn candle’) or dwaallicht (‘wanderlight’), supernatural beings from Dutch and Flemish folktales. These burning lights were the souls of children who died unbaptized. There are several tales of people who baptize them by making a cross sign, upon which they disappear, presumably to pass on to the afterlife. One story from Antwerpen tells of a woman who encountered a single stallicht floating around. After her initial surprise, she understood what was going on and said “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. The light disappeared but suddenly, hundreds upon hundreds of stallichtjes appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They had seen how the woman successfully baptized their companion and also wanted the chance to get to Heaven. The woman spent the whole night baptizing the lost souls, well into the following morning, and when the last spirit was finally gone, she dropped dead on the spot.

Stallichtjes also play a large role in a myth from Kortenaken (Belgium). As the story goes, there lived a wicked countess in the village of Hoeleden, who absolutely despised any form of religion. She was an exceptionally cruel woman and every time one of her servants had a child, she would drown the baby to prevent the parents from baptizing it (as baptizing was a form of religion and she couldn’t stand the thought of that happening on her lands). (Note that, at least as far as I can find, there is no historical record of such a countess. Unless I am mistaken, this story is purely fiction.)

Her rule was ruthlessly brought to an end, however, as her body was found in the bushes one morning. It was mangled and the heart was torn out, so people assumed it was the work of devils. The body was buried and since then, wailing could be heard in the area at night, accompanied by small floating stallichtjes, which we can assume to be the spirits of the drowned infants.

One night, a man called Waar van Pius happened to pass through the area. Though he was drunk, his heart was in the right place. Most men avoided the area at night because they were scared of the spirits and the ghostly wailing, but Waar was far too drunk to be afraid. When he heard the wailing, coming from underneath the bridge and accompanied by floating lights as usual, he yelled “what do you want, you hellish hooligans!” and a disembodied voice replied “baptism.” As such, the man put the tip of his whip in the stream and sprinkled water over the stallichtjes to baptize them. They disappeared, finally able to pass on to the afterlife, but suddenly a floating, bleeding heart appeared, surrounded by stallichtjes. This was the heart of the countess. Waar van Pius had enough of this nonsense and resumed his path, and the bleeding heart fell into the stream.

Sources: Peeters, K. C., 1979, Vlaams Sagenboek, Davidsfonds, Leuven. https://www.volksverhalenbank.be/mzoeken/zoeken_Subset.php?Zoek=Verteller&Term=9480 (image source: engraving from Josiah Wood Whymper, 1849)