#star wars stop giving me cool characters and then taking them away challenge | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

booksarelife-stuff · 3 years

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our secret moments in a crowded room

Jily (James Potter/Lily Evans), minor Wolfstar (Remus Lupin/Sirius Black)

My entry for the September Jily Challenge! @jilychallenge

Prompt: I tripped on the red carpet and you caught me

Partner was the amazing @kates836! Thank you for being an amazing partner!

In a fake PR relationship with Severus Snape, Lily can’t help be distracted by the real person who has her heart.

Word Count: 4,077

Read of Ao3 Masterlist

The car took a sharp left and Lily tried to stabilize herself so she didn’t touch Severus, who was sitting beside her. She made eye contact with Mary, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Mary shot her the millionth apologetic look.

Lily glanced back down at her phone, just in time to see a reply to the picture that she had sent of her in her dress.

Ahdjsfhkjdsf I can’t breathe. How dare you send this to me right before I walk out on the red carpet.

She smiled widely down at her phone.

I don’t know how I’m going to function with you that close and can’t do anything about it.

She smiled faltered for a second, because yeah, that was truly going to be torture for her too.

I’m about to go out. I can’t wait to see you.

Lily bit her lip before typing a reply.

If you think this dress looks good on me now, wait until you take it off.

The message bubbles appeared instantly and Lily’s smile turned smug.

You shouldn’t have said that. I’m going to think about it all night now. Love you

Love you too

She locked her phone and handed it to Mary, who would be holding all of her personal items for the rest of the night. Severus sighed deeply beside her and Lily tried not to roll her eyes.

If Lily had it her way, she’d be arriving with a very different date. But Lily didn’t have a choice. What the studio wanted, the studio got. Including a semi-fake relationship with her co-star, Severus Snape.

They had just finished filming the final season of their wildly popular show, The Hollow Hour. The show definitely didn’t need this kind of press to be successful, but Lily still didn’t have a choice in the matter, considering she had already booked a leading role in another one of their shows.

On-screen, Lily and Snape played Tara and Gideon, characters who had been in love since they were children and fighting in a war where they possibly wouldn’t make it out. Off-screen, Lily could hardly stand the presence of Snape.

It didn’t start out that way. When they’d first met, Lily had thought he was pretty cool. The show had been her first big break, as she had only done television guest appearances before then. Snape had a few movies under his belt, one of which was super popular. Their friendship had started out as his kind of giving her direction when it came to the whole fame thing.

Then, it got a little invasive. He would just be in her trailer, coming in without knocking. He started asking for more date-like hangouts. His disgusting political beliefs started coming out through their conversations and his apparent hatred for their co-star, Remus Lupin because he was openly gay. And he started acting as she owed him something, especially since the show took off.

The rumors had started before Lily realized that Snape was the creep that he was. People saw them pining on screen and going out for the occasional drink after a long day when Lily could still stand him and suddenly, people thought they were in love.

It had been a real nuisance in Lily’s life. Every interview, she tried to squash the rumors, whereas Snape would encourage them. It didn’t help that the show got popular, like really insane amounts of popularity. The character shipping took a sharp left turn into people shipping them.

Snily, they called them. From fanfiction to edits and art to covers of glossy magazines. It was everywhere. No matter if Lily was doing interviews from one of her movies, they would ask about Snape.

And since Lily was some sort of a masochist, she knew exactly what the fans thought of their relationship. They thought Lily denied the relationship because she was very private about her life, and Snape would never say it outright because he wanted to respect her but also wanted the world to know that she is his.

It didn’t help that Snape had accumulated a very dedicated fanbase. Like worship-the-ground-he-walked-on kind of dedication. To the point where Lily would get occasional death threats because she was “hurting him by denying their relationship.”

They never seemed to believe Lily when she said no, much like Snape and their studio. Lily couldn’t flat out deny the relationship in interviews anymore until after the final episode. It made her want to dry heave.

The car was slowing, and Lily could hear the buzz of fans and reporters. They were in the queue now for the red carpet. Mary unbuckled and twisted around in the seat, doing a final check of Lily’s hair and make-up.

Lily smoothed down her green satin dress, her legs bent awkwardly to not crease the dress and also not puncture the fabric with her stiletto pumps. Lily’s after-party dress was hanging up in the back, but Lily didn’t know if she was actually going to attend.

It had taken her a long time to feel beautiful at these types of events. Being considered plus size in this industry felt like a death sentence, especially since Lily refused to play the “funny fat friend” or anything like that. But she felt good tonight, especially with the way it hugged her curves and the bit of cleavage showed.

Severus looked like himself, just in a suit. His greasy hair was covered in dry shampoo and tucked behind his ears. He turned towards Lily and smiled like a cat who got the cream.

“We could make this real, you know?” he said, for probably the millionth time. “You and I would work.”

Lily tried not to crinkle her nose in disgust. “Severus,” she said. “You know I have no interest in that.”

There had been many times where Lily wished she could speak her mind and rip him a new one, but she could not get branded as a diva. So, she played off these uncomfortable moments with a laugh and polite words, even when she was telling him no for the millionth time.

She saw the corner of his lips turn down in a slight frown and averted her eyes to stare straight ahead.

The voices outside got louder and suddenly the car was stopping. Mary jumped out of the car quickly as Lily unbuckled. Moody, Lily’s driver, and bodyguard, also got out quickly to open Lily’s door.

She had to take Moody’s hand to step out. She wobbled when she shifted her weight to her high heels but quickly corrected herself. She was going to have blisters for weeks after tonight. Mary appeared from the other side of the car, hands already straightening Lily’s dress.

They were covered from the cameras here, so no one saw Mary make sure Lily’s breasts were firmly taped into the dress. The low cut of the dress required her boobs to be placed perfectly and one slip would probably cost Lily her career. That’s why Lily had Mary, her best friend since they were children and who now worked as her PA. The back of the dress was practically nonexistent and her long auburn waves tickled her with every movement.

Mary quickly batted away one of her dark coily curls that snuck out of its bun before giving Lily a once over.

“You look gorgeous,” she said, smiling. “He’s not going to want to take his eyes off of you.”

Lily gave her a real smile and a quick hug before stepping away to get around the car where Severus was surely waiting. She already had her red carpet smile on and tried not to pay attention to the up and down look Severus was giving her.

Severus reached out his arm to escort Lily, but Lily walked past it. They said they had to arrive together, not actually walk together. Mary let out a snort of laughter as she followed Lily out to the carpet—to walk with Lily but hidden away.

The lights were blinding as Lily walked out on the carpet. Cameras flashing every second, people yelling questions at her. Lily was now a pro at this, after so many years of practice. The screams intensified, signaling Snape was now making his appearance.

Lily moved slowly down the carpet, making sure her smile stayed in place. Towards the end of her walk, Snape did sneak up on her, wrapping an arm around her waist taking extra care to let his fingers drag against her bare skin. She fought to not recoil away from him.

She smiled and laughed though she wanted to push him away.

The entrance to Royal Albert Hall was full of reporters and cameras. Lily never really minded this part of the red carpet because most of the time it was just questions like “who are you wearing?” or the occasional fun game with whatever fledgling media company had weaseled reporters in.

Lily was heading towards the first available reporter, a young woman who was smiling widely as Lily approached. But a familiar head of dark curls caught her eye, and she couldn’t help the way her attention turned immediately that way.

It had been six weeks since her boyfriend of three years had touched her. Six weeks since she had felt the indentation of him next to her in bed, felt his warmth, had him within her fingertips.

And James looked so good, it made Lily want to pull him away and find the nearest secluded spot. The way his tailored suit hugged the angles of his body, the body that she knew like it her own.

She could feel her heart start pounding in her chest, and she hoped the cameras weren’t picking up the way her hands were shaking.

“Lily Evans!” the young reporter cheered. “How are you on this fine evening?”

“I’m doing great,” Lily said, smiling and resisting the urge to look at James.

“So, you arrived with rumored beau and co-star, Severus Snape,” the reporter cheered. “Care to confirm anything?”

Lily fake laughed. “We just carpooled. Better for the environment.”

The girl’s face tightened a bit, but the reporter knew better than to press.

Lily answered her questions with ease. Who was she wearing? Did she feel good about her role as a presenter? What was she going to do after the final season of The Hollow Hour?

Once the interview concluded, she turned to go to the next reporter.

But there was James, looking at her with a slight smile on his lips. His dark brown eyes did a quick once over of her, appraising her every curve quickly. And goddamn, he wore his glasses instead of his contacts, reminding Lily of the quiet moments in her flat where they were tangled together, his glasses pushing into her face. His normal frizzy curls were more defined thanks to whatever hair product his stylist made him use. His brown skin was as flawless as ever, glowing in the camera flashes in the fading day.

It couldn’t have been more than a moment where their eyes met, but it was enough to thoroughly distract Lily to the point of missing the small bump in the carpet. Her shoe caught and the sensation of falling happened before she felt strong arms catch her.

“Are you okay?” James asked as Lily’s world steadied in his arms, the concern in his eyes.

Lily felt her cheeks redden, both from the embarrassment of tripping on the red carpet and the fact that she was in James’s arms. She nodded but when she stepped back, her right shoe gave out.

She moved away from James’s arms, but took his hand, their fingers clasping each other, to keep her balance as she lifted her dress up to see the heel completely snapped off.

“Well, that’s great,” she said with a laugh. James laughed with her. She wobbled for a second and James’s hand grabbed her side to steady her, his fingers making her burn.

Lily couldn’t help but smile softly at him as Mary appeared, getting on her knees in front of Lily, urging her to turn slightly. She let go of James’s hand and used his shoulder to keep her balance as Mary undid the straps on Lily’s shoes. Mary, who was definitely getting a raise after this, took off her own black kitten heels and gave them to Lily.

She was now several inches shorter and her dress dragged a bit on the ground, but it was better than no shoes at all.

“I owe you my life,” Lily told Mary, who smiled in response. Lily didn’t miss the way she gave James a glance and then a teasing smile back to her. She turned back to James. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem,” he replied. “I’ll see you around?”

She wanted to say that she would see him tonight, preferably with no clothes, but she just smiled and nodded in response.

As she let go and James stepped away, the last thing on her mind was the cameras catching every moment.

~~~

To Lily’s detriment, her manager had called Mary to tell Lily that she had to be seen at the after-party with Snape.

Lily tried not to recoil at Severus’s hand on her lower back as he led her to the after-party. The cameras were blinding against the darkness of the night, but Lily let herself be led into the venue, Moody doing his best to push back against the raging crowd.

The venue only had a few selective members of the press inside, but it was little enough that it put all the celebrities at ease. There was no real food, just snacks because seeing your favorite movie star get sloshed would sell magazines and get them trending on Twitter.

Lily’s stomach growled. She couldn’t remember the last full meal she had.

Severus kept a firm hand on her back. She smiled and laughed at the right times as they talked with winners from the night. A live band started and Lily’s ears rang with the loud music. She kept knocking back glasses of champagne because at least the buzz would take the edge off the hungry looks in Severus’s eyes and make her not recoil when he tried to whisper in her ear.

Her saving grace came in the form of Remus Lupin somewhere south of midnight.

She came back from the loo and purposefully walked away from where she knew Severus was waiting. The alcohol was thrumming through her veins, and she felt light. Her shoes—or Mary’s shoes—had been kicked off long ago, and she was stumbling through the crowds of famous people.

Remus stood at the picked-over snack table, probably looking for any scraps of leftover chocolate. He had been Lily’s co-star since day one and her favorite to boot. Severus hated him, mostly because Lily liked him more, but also because he was openly gay and in a long-term relationship with the model, Sirius Black, who Snape also hated.

Remus had been the reason she and James met. She also knew that where Remus was, Sirius wasn’t far, and if Sirius wasn’t far, neither was James.

And she wanted to see James more than anything.

“Boo,” she said, poking Remus’s side. The man jumped, almost dropping his chocolate-covered strawberry.

“Bloody hell, Evans,” he said. Lily laughed, already feeling better. She clumsily picked up a biscuit and took a bite.

“How’s your night been going?” she asked. Remus let out an amused huff.

“Same old, same old,” he said. “You?”

Lily didn’t respond and Remus laughed, knowing exactly how her night had been going. They grabbed a few more snacks and Lily proceeded to follow him, hoping that he would lead her to the person she needed to see.

James was sitting at a table across from Sirius, and Lily’s heart immediately started beating rapidly. His suit jacket and tie were gone, just leaving him in his tight white button-up. The top buttons were undone, hinting at his chest that Lily knew better than the back of her own hand.

The sluggish haze of the alcohol in her system reminded her of when they first met. It had been at The Hollow Hour season one wrap party, and Remus had invited James and Sirius. He had caught her eye from across the room, the curly black hair and glasses were a dangerous combination for Lily, especially with the dark jeans that had hugged his very nice arse. She was so nervous that she had had to take a shot before she walked over to have Remus introduce her.

She had taken him home and when she woke up in the morning, recovering from the best sex she had ever had in her life, she found him making breakfast for her.

He stayed the whole weekend.

Then they texted non-stop and started having dates, sitting in Lily’s apartment with take-away and cheesy movies.

And here they were, three years later, hopelessly in love, and pretending that they weren’t because her stupid television show needed promoting.

It hadn’t been meant to be a secret for so long. In the beginning, they just wanted to figure each other out without all the press breathing down their necks. It’s just how it all happened.

It wasn’t like the important people in their lives didn’t know. Their parents and most trusted friends did. And they already decided that once the whole thing with Snape stopped, they were going to go public because they wanted to move in together and finally go on real dates.

Lily saw the way he perked up when he saw her. A small smile on his lips, his shoulders moving back. There was a moment when Lily could have sworn that there were no other people in the room until someone bumped into her.

She slid into the booth beside him, not caring about how dangerous that was, especially when their legs touched.

“Hey,” he said, his deep voice tugging at her in a way she missed while he was gone.

“Hey,” she replied. She could tear her eyes away from him and she didn’t know if she wanted to, either.

“Bloody hell,” Sirius said, not even jarring the couple. “Get out of here before you start shagging on the table.”

James raised his eyebrows in question, which Lily answered with a smile. He reached down for his pockets.

“I’m texting Moody,” he said.

Anticipation pooled in her stomach and as she grabbed another biscuit to eat because it was something to do, her hands shook. James placed his hands on Lily’s thigh and she couldn’t think of anything else until he leaned over and told her that Moody said it was all clear.

Even in her drunk state, she located her shoes and practically sprinted to the back door where Moody was waiting.

There were a few paparazzi pictures taken as Lily quickly hopped into the back of the SUV and Moody got into the driver’s seat. He handed her her small bag that had her phone in it that Mary had been carrying. She was too excited to even get her phone out as Moody did two laps around the block before pulling right back into the same spot.

The second James jumped in and the door was closed, Lily was on him. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her, meeting their lips in a deep, but sloppy kiss. Lily kicked her legs up onto his lap and pulled him down as laid down the best she could in the back seat. James laughed a little against her lips, causing Lily to pull away and laugh too.

“Next year, we’re going to this together,” she said, opening her eyes to see him in whatever light that shone in from the windows. She got flashes of his eyes and his wide smile as she sat up, still keeping her legs on her.

“Absolutely,” he replied, pressing a light kiss to her lips. “And we’re going to still traumatize Moody on the way home.”

Said man let out a snort. “No, I’m getting a divider.”

Lily barely remembers the rest of the car ride and getting to her flat. All she remembers is the taste of James’s lips and the feeling of his hands on her.

~~~

The blaring noise of a phone call is what made Lily wake up. She jumped violently, kicking James in the process, who let out a pained groan as Lily disentangled herself from him to be able to reach her nightstand to turn off the god-forsaken ear-splitting sound.

Her hand smacked into the nightstand, but her phone wasn’t there. She realized it must be James’s.

She nudged him and he groaned, but she could feel him move around in the bed. Finally, it stopped and James spoke.

“Hello?” he fell silent. “What are you talking about?”

Lily, who was already falling asleep again, opened her eyes at his tone and suddenly, he was shaking her.

“I’ll call you back Sirius,” James said as Lily sat up.

He hung up the call and threw his phone down on the bed. He tugged at his hair as Lily watched him with wide eyes.

“They know about us,” he said.

“What?” Lily exclaimed, reaching for his phone.

She typed in the passcode and saw the million phone calls from his manager and publicist. She opened Twitter, and right there, trending number one, was a still of James’s arm around her when she broke her shoe.

"Lily Evans, caught in a love triangle."

"Actress Lily Evans and actor James Potter are rumored to have left the BAFTA after-party together despite Evans arriving with Severus Snape."

She clicked on the first article while her stomach soured.

"Lily Evans and Severus Snape have long been rumored to have been dating, but last night’s events have seemingly squashed the rumors for good."

The article went into detail about the rumors between Lily and Severus, before finally getting to last night.

"James Potter, actor, best known in his role on the popular historical drama "Mountainside Valley', was able to catch Evans on the red carpet when her shoe broke. The footage from the cameras that were rolling by the pair has been released.

According to sources, the two are familiar with each other. Lily’s co-star, Remus Lupin is both friends with Potter and is even dating his adoptive brother Sirius Black, so we can speculate that they have met before. Based on the videos, they do seem to be familiar with each other.

What really solidified the relationship between the two actors comes from an unknown source who attended the after-party. 'She sat next to him and then a few minutes later, they left.'

Fans seem to be having a lot of mixed reactions to Evan’s alleged actions.

@snapewife45346 wrote: 'ALL LILY HAS EVER DONE IS HURT HIM. HE NEEDS TO LEAVE HER ASS FOR GOOD!!'

@snnnily394 on Twitter wrote: 'i don’t think it’s true. She would never do that to him.'

@taraisgod wrote: 'They have never said they’re in a relationship, you all are just projecting. Let her be happy!!'

@mountainbaddie wrote: 'Evans UPGRADED'

Lily set down James’s phone, unable to do anything else. She met his eyes and took a deep breath.

Her gut reaction was that it sucked. It sucked that they didn't come out on their own terms. The studio was probably pissed, or maybe they thought the bad press was good press.

But as she looked at James, sitting beside her on his side of the bed, the bed he only rarely got to occupy these days, she realized that maybe it was a blessing.

“We could deny it,” James said, a frown tugging at his lips. “Say that we’re best friends if you think that’s what the studio would want.”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t want you like a best friend. I don’t want to deny myself of you anymore.”

He smiled, soft and sweet. Lily yanked the bedsheets off of herself and crawled over to him, straddling his legs. She was only wearing a pair of knickers and one of his t-shirts. His hands immediately snuck up the shirt and caressed her hips, his thumbs teasing her panties.

“Joint statement?” he asked, as Lily leaned in. She kissed him soundly.

“In a minute,” she said, kissing him again.

#jilychallenge #jily challenge #jily fic #jily fanfic #James Potter/Lily Evans #James x Lily #James Potter #Lily Evans #Lily Evans Potter #Harry Potter fanfic #hp #marauders era #minor wolfstar #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #celebrity au #secret relationship #established relationship

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kryptsune · 4 years

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World Building Wednesday!~ Etherium

🌼 I decided to share one of my AU worlds that is not Fell based. Yes... I know... what is the world coming to? Etherium in essence is my stab at an Outertale based universe though the story and the designs are very different. I really enjoy this one though I don’t talk about it too much. Let’s get started!

Etherium AU

Classification: Outertale Alternate “Nicknames” Info:

Sans: Nova- Nova is the trickster though he is mostly associated with that of Loki. Loki is described specifically as “Playful, malicious ( ok maybe not that one), helpful, and nihilistic.” He helps others in a kind of goofy over the top way. He just doesn’t take much seriously. Nova is one of the youngest. He acts very childish at times coming to question how long he has been among the pantheon. Some argue his many centuries gave him a nihilistic outlook on life or that he is too young to understand the true ways of the world.

Not to say that Nova can’t be serious but he is pretty laid back. It’s one of the reasons unlike the others he doesn’t really keep his cultural ties in his design. He should have more Norse in it but nah… varsity jackets are cozy right? I mean he is wearing star shorts for stars sake. When asked about his job he mentions, “Hey, there kiddo. Nice of ya to drop by. Been up to? Heh well got a “new” job which is pretty cool. Not as cool as Pollux but I help arrange stars. Ya know, like the ones you see in the sky you can make pictures out of? I think you humans call em… constellations. One time I made this giant whoopee cushion one. “Then I lost ma job. Got a second chance though. Andromeda's constantly watchin me. hehe no harm done though.” Both Pollux and Nova refer to each other as brothers but it is unclear if they are biologically related. Their abilities and strengths are nearly opposite and their mythos even more so.

Papyrus: Pollux- The presumed older brother of Nova. Pollux is associated with Egyptology specifically wisdom. Pollux tends to be the opposite of Nova in that he takes his job very seriously. Once on earth he was known as Thoth gracing humanity with a mechanical and architectural knowledge that astounded the world. His mind and intellect put him at the forefront of innovation making him one of Capricorn's best and most trusted advisors.

He enjoys testing the mental prowess of others using puzzles and riddles of his own design. Unlike canon Pap Pollux cares more about balance in life. Something his younger brother seems to lack. Not all work and not all play. He is kind, helpful, and willing to give advice to anyone that is looking for it. To the little human Frisk he is a good mentor and teacher. (Pollux has made it his pastime to create a series of challenges to prove a humans worth. If they pass then they are able to speak/ see them. No one has managed to prove themselves.)

(more characters and info below the cut)

Undyne: Andromeda- Andromeda is not different from canon Undyne as she embodies the Mayan mythology. She is mostly closely associated with the feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl. A deity of wind and rain. Also known as the life giver. Though Andromeda tends to harken back to her more aggressive roots she has a deep respect for the King and acts as his guard. Just like Pollux she too acts as an advisor, though more on matters of security than strategy or mechanics. Such a position is where she first met Elara and to this day the two are inseparable sharing their very different cultures. Her favorite kind of anime to watch are mech based.

Alphys: Elara- Very similar to canon Alphys just as this version of Undyne is. Alphys is based off of Sukuna-Biko-Na (少名毘古那) or the shinto god of medicine and rain. Elara is still very much a scientist and one that has a unique fascination with living things. Everything from the planets, to humans, animals, and plant life. She particularly enjoys spending time in her private greenhouse creating and taking care of all of the plant life. Before the monsters were forced to leave their place among the humans she was able to collect all the DNA of the plants and animals on the planet.

They are stored in a kind of ark in which to preserve them if anything threatens their existence. Elara is very traditional in her work as her medicines are derived from her magic as well as herbal substances. She is very curious however as she is not allowed to interact with the progress of humanity but rather watches from afar. This is where her love of anime takes hold. Her favorites are ones like Sailor Moon or any type of magical girl anime. She will sit with Andromeda and watch them for hours. Her demeanor is very shy at first but once she opens up she will be a friend for life.

Asgore: Capricorn- The head of the cosmic pantheon he is the King as he is in the original. He is associated with Celtic mythos though he has taken on many pantheon roles in his lifetime. Ambisagrus, a god of thunder and lightning, Ancestor God, Sky God, God of Wind, Rain & Hail is what he is based off of. One such role is that of Zeus who’s main symbol is that of lightning and thunder. Just like the Zeus of mythology Capricorn is constantly debating his involvement with humanity.

Whether that be to stop their technological advances or aiding in their lives. A large portion of his time was spent with his subjects not so much his wife Aurora who is the jealous type. Capricorn is not a ruthless leader but he does know that sometimes hard decisions must be made. Just like UT Asgore he is kind and benevolent, however, he has a temper if you make him angry enough. His magical abilities lean more toward lighting then fire but he has that ability as well. He tasked Elara to watch over human development should a problem arise.

Toriel: Aurora- The Queen to Capricorn she is known to be easily jealous. It would explain why Zeus wife Hera also shares these traits. Her Gaelic deity tie is that of Arianrhod a goddess of the moon and stars. She creates life from the stars she creates sometimes causing them to take a form of their own. They are almost like living constellations. Some say that the Queen made such life to combat her own loneliness which her Son and Husband spent time away. In addition to the stars she is also known for being a loving mother and caregiver. In her time on earth she used to watch over and protect children and their families. Aurora though previously jealous of her simple in the universe has come to accept and embrace it. She is kind but rather over protective. Anyone that forsakes life will feel her wrath.

Muffet: Umbra- Umbra is associated with Hindu mythology as a goddess of wealth and prosperity. Though earthly riches do not concern Umbra she still has a taste for the fine silks and gold that she once had on earth. A little about the goddess that she represents: Lakshmi's name comes from the Sanskrit word laksya, meaning an aim or goal. She is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. Unlike UT Muffet, Umbra also focuses on a spiritual wealth. A peace of mind.

She is ever the optimist even when things do not turn out to go her way. In times of need she is called those in the struggles of self worth trying to bring them into a different understanding. There have been many a time when Umbra calms Capricorns quick and rash judgements, much to Auroras displeasure. Just as with the rest of the pantheon she is kind and helpful even with her yearning to return to the people she so loved before they were forced to the outskirts of the galaxy.

Grillby: Helio- Helio derived from sun is my OT Grillby. He out of all the characters could care less about either being a deity or an observer. He is known to be at a middle ground. He would rather live his days running a social establishment but during his time on earth he was known for his magic. Originally he was the right hand of Capricorn being depicted as a war deity for his fiery nature. He was the general of grand armies. His armor is something he hung up long ago but if called into court he will wear it once again. It’s design is very reminiscent of Roman centurions.

Though depictions of him are curious since his name back then was referred to as Merlin. He was best known for him magic and alchemy and the concoctions he made during a period of time far lacking in imagination. Just like Nova, Helio, tended to interfere far too often in the affairs of man though noble in purpose. He tends to be outcast among the pantheon for his past conduct but he is content in his lab mixing crazy concoctions. Everything from love potions to disguises. His forte is all about alchemy and magic.

Asriel: Azicree (Azi)- Azicree or Azi for short is the Crown Prince. By monster standards Azi is still very young, however, he has lived for far longer than any human can fathom. His mother used to shelter him until he begged for his father to let him prove himself. He still acts like a child always curious and desiring some form of exploration. Much to Capricorns dismay Azi enjoys spending time with Nova and the two become pranksters in general. He tends to not do as he is told, which is why they are in this mess in the first place. His reckless behavior had him appearing to a human that begged for his salvation.

The matters of life and death are ones that are not to be messed with. Those that do find their souls being tainted for all eternity turning them into something other than just a monster. 9X is an example of such tampering. Azi does learn his lesson and begins to try and shape up to be a worthy successor to his father if such a thing ever did come to pass. He studies off of all those he knows especially Pollux who is more than happy to share such knowledge. His associations are non existent since he was born after the times of gods. His abilities seem to be mimic based.

He is able to learn about abilities and use them at will. It is rare that monsters have children and as such Azi is the little prodigy child even though there are many times he just wants to be a kid. He makes friends with Frisk very quickly and learn a lot from the human visitor.

Gaster: Nero is the Gaster of this universe. He is Capricorns pantheon counterpart. In essence the Hades to his Zeus. He is the monster that everyone thinks about when darkness takes hold. He is the one that associates with apocalyptic events such as ragnarok. He is however not evil by any stretch of the imagination. He would be better suited to be called a god of chaos. He tends to reject the laws placed upon the rest of the pantheon regardless of repercussions.

It’s speculated that both Pollux and Nova were a part of him and crafted into the monsters that are known today. Nova being his more devious side which Pollux is more his intellect and drive. He has been locked away for a very long time in a prison aptly named Tarturus. His abilities are space and time oriented very similar to Nova which makes him difficult to imprison. He of course has been in his cell for quite some time and it is unclear if he actually has had a change of heart or using it as a manipulation tactic.

The only one he speaks with on occasion is Azi wanting to learn more about this planet they all used to call home. It is information that the others tend to not speak of. His father more so as he is afraid it will instill a yearning in his son. Nero’s genius is on par with his godly abilities such as creating artificial intelligence. Something that is not considered life. He uses Azi as a template for this new program...

FLOWEY:

F- Friendly

L- Life-like

O- Operating system

W- With

E- Earthbound

Y- Yearning

F.L.O.W.E.Y was created by 9x and Nova with Azi as a template. He is a charismatic AI who was originally created as a helper as well as to teach the Prince about their planet of origin. Unfortunately Flowey does not have the same reservations about disobeying his father as Azi does. Even going so far as to integrate with key and vital systems in The Capital. He even manages to intercept a human vessel that he finds exploring. Flowey is not evil he just is driven to be the best help he can without regards to any type of consequences. He helps Frisk meet and learn more about their existence. He acts as a companion.

However when Frisk becomes friends with Azi Flowey's AI goes haywire. He begins to feel emotions he is not technically allowed to such as jealousy. This causes him to try and eliminate those threatening him which in this case would be all the monsters. Eventually Azi attempts to program himself into the interface changing it’s initial programming.

Blookie: Nebula

Riverperson: Omni

Gerson: Quasar

The Ursas: Ursa Major/Minor

Greater Dog/ Lesser Dog: Canis Major/Minor

MTT: Gigabit

Character Origin/Mythos:

Sans- Norse (Trickster) Papyrus- Egyptian Undyne- Mayan Alphys- Japanese (shinto) Asgore- Celtic Toriel- Celtic Muffet- Hindu Grillby- Medieval (Merlin) Asriel- Celtic through lineage Gaster- Greek/Roman Blookie- Western Guard dogs- Constellations (Native American) Riverperson- Greek (Charon) Gerson- Chinese (Divination/ wisdom)

Background and Context:

A long time ago there lived beings of great power. They could bend space and time with a simple thought and bring life to their creations. These were the gods. Ones of great benevolence but also great and terrifying power. Humanity, a primitive race just starting to understand life itself, became their focus. At first their interaction was very rare only occasionally appearing to help but as time went on those interactions became more drastic. Their assistance and knowledge was seen as godlike to this humans.

They would bring gifts and offerings to their new deities in hopes that they would look favorably upon them. That they would impart their wisdom and magic if they were pleased. In time this became more and more tradition. A religion built upon pleasing these deities so that their lives would be far improved but this became a conundrum for the beings. Some remained benevolent and helpful while others becomes greedy and wrathful. The power began to go to their minds corrupting their souls. These instances were written down in variation by the humans making up grandiose stories of fiery chariots and jealous gods. Thus mythology came into being for humanity. A way to explain the things in which they did not understand.

As with each religion and deity the monsters each became associated with a specific culture or mythos. Some being pinnacles of their pantheon and others being lesser deities molded to suit a specific task. These monsters rarely interacted with ones of their own kind but as power shifted some of them took on roles of others. One monster could have been the god of war in Greek mythos but end up also as the god of thunder in Norse. There were no limitations to their influence. One such “deity” was that of the trickster. A monster that tended to be rather childish in his ambitions jumping from pantheon to pantheon looking to lighten up his other “deities” stern demeanors.

The monsters began to pull away leaving their presences in name only and occasional help but this was short lived. It caused problems, war, destruction, and feuding powers sadly began to use their civilizations as almost pawns. Their meddling almost destroyed that which they wanted to originally protect. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The “gods” faded from existence only being remembered in myths and legends. The great prophecy of the Norse. The architectural marvels of the Egyptians. Now they reside in the furthest reaches of the galaxy. They spread out among the stars but a group of them resided in a Capital of sorts. A station at the edge of the Universe. One which no human could ever reach.

The Humans Impressions:

When the monsters left the humans to their own devices they worship continued long after. Eventually the magic and the miracles that had once been performed faded into history. The monsters were all but forgotten unless mentioned in mythology or scary stories. The humans never harbored any animosity toward them since they no longer believed in their existence in any form. They only understand what their ancestors depicted them as. The monsters as well don’t really have anything against humans either. All in all, they just go about their jobs and enjoy the universe, helping from time to time discreetly if need be but never showing their faces.

Main Plot Synop:

The plot to Outertale is very simple as it is more based around the world than it is the actual plot. It is very similar to that of the regular UT timeline with some notable differences. Once the humans reach an age of technological advancement they begin to spread out and search the stars. Some of them encounter monsters which they mistake for aliens (hilarious enough. I mean Jerry looks like an alien.) They begin to build colonies living more and more outside the reach of their own galaxy. Humans however tend to turn on their own creating factions within the space colonies. Some more prosperous than others.

Frisk’s colony was one such beast being cut off from the other colonies as a drifter. Unfortunately Frisk’s family was nearly non existent and being stuck on a space colony was little to be desired. After seeing a streak of fire slamming into the outskirts of the colony. Frisk decides to investigate. They have always been the curious type disobeying orders and questioning everything. The colonies outer and more dangerous regions became their playground finding old pieces of technology. Eventually they stumble upon a crashed ship. One that It seems to damaged to be used but it’s nothing like they have ever seen before. Everyone else on the colony consider it to be cursed.

The strange runic language is confusing but Frisk finds that there is one lone computer onboard that seems to still function. It flickers with a bright yellow light showing an almost pixelated Flower with a =) face on the screen. Over the next few days Frisk returns to decipher the runes with the help of their new friend which they find out is called Flowey. It is a project that the curious human enjoys and for once it is nice to have a friend. Eventually the runes are deciphered claiming some sort teleportation capability. Once Frisk is close enough the system fires up on its own sending the human straight to the monster Capital on the farthest reaches of the universe. A place that no human has ever been.

The rest of the story is an exploration of this new environment. Frisk befriends the monsters who don’t attack first. They actually mostly want to engage with the human showing off their ability a little bit. A part of them misses the previous worship. Nova seems to take a particular interest in this new human especially when they befriend Azi. They work to help shut Flowey down only for Azi to impart his knowledge on the interface helping it understand. Frisk has nothing to return to so they stay with the monster and become Azi’s human tutor so that one day maybe the monsters can return and live side by side the humans once again. Both Azi and Frisk are almost like siblings coined the star children.

#undertale #sans #outertale #Etherium AU #undertale au #kits multiverse #friskys multiverse #concepts #my au #pollux #nova #mythology #WBW #Worldbuilding Wednesday AU edition #fun fun

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noctualilith · 4 years

Text

And there was only one shower

Here is a fic that got inspired by a certain tiktok (this one: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJVHQx9q/) shared in the Hazelnoots discord server and the discussion in the saucy channel thereafter. It’s my first solo fic *eek* I wrote this directly live on the server over three days nights, coming up to a surprising 6k+ words in the end, cheered on by a lovely live audience THANK YOU you know who you are! <3 Now it’s ready for the wilderness of the Internet, thanks to the rad queen of semicolons and the best beta @bkfstclubmember. All credit and gratitude to @lumosinlove for creating such an amazing universe and these lovable characters!

Soo, let’s imagine a slightly different timeline where Finn and Leo don’t kiss on their balcony and don’t get together that night, but maybe a little later. I am not thinking about the logistics too hard here because when I start to do that it will run away from me but let's say a roadie somewhere where Leo's family has relatives or a house so they can stay there, and he usually rooms with Finn so he invited him along.

Also: That is a real shower gel and description, I kid you not. I did research.

CW for smut, angst, panic attack in a shower

"There is actually only one shower, but it has like, two showerheads, so we can use that one."

A look, slightly longer-than-usual eye contact, and then Leo turned on his heel and headed up the stairs to the said shower. Finn was suddenly glad he declined the food, because his stomach dropped when he realized the implications. Was that...? It couldn't have been. But then again, why not?

He pushed all the air out of his lungs in a huge exhale, hands gripping the edges of the kitchen island where he was sitting just moments before, content to look but not touch. Never touch. Never let it be known that he liked to watch Leo cook, or read, or laugh at tiktok videos on his phone, or do anything that required his full focus for a moment and thus gave Finn a cover so it was safe to look and not be seen looking. He felt seen now. Did Leo notice? Has he noticed all along? Shit. Only one way to find out.

Finn started towards the stairs; the thudding of his steps almost drowned out by his heart beating out of his ribcage, so loud Finn was sure it was audible all the way to that cursed, blessed bathroom with only one shower.

"Are you coming? I got a towel for you. It's straight down the hall, last door on the left!" He heard Leo's voice coming closer and then he almost stumbled on the last step, his eyes taking in the miles of pale skin and long long legs, clad only in "...are those--Star Wars boxers?"

Leo looked down and then back up with a wry smile. "It's a trap?" he quipped with a raise of his eyebrows and Finn could swear he saw a challenge in his eyes.

A head tilt was his only warning before a towel hit him in the chest and Leo was retreating again, calling over his shoulder "You might wanna get naked, I heard showering in your clothes isn't nearly as effective!" followed by those same Star Wars boxers flying through the air in his direction.

"Oookay, let's do this," Finn muttered to himself and pulled off his hoodie together with the t-shirt underneath while walking down the hall and left it on the floor because nothing made sense anymore and there was a boy he really liked telling him to get naked.

Finn really really hoped this was what it looked like and at the same time it terrified him beyond imagination. Not that he hadn't imagined. He had imagined a number of things, but this actually happening? Not one of them. So far it had always been himself alone in the shower, eyes closed, trailing a hand down his own chest and imagining Leo's long fingers instead, oh god those fingers, his memory of Leo's grip on his mug of hot chocolate serving as a good enough reference for how he could grip other things and oh-- and... he might have a problem even before stepping into the bathroom if he didn't stop those thoughts now. After all, the improbable has suddenly become possible and was waiting for him on the other side of that door where the sound of running water was now beckoning him closer.

Finn pushed the door open, a cloud of steam greeting him and obscuring his vision for a moment. When it cleared, he could just about make out Leo's silhouette behind the glass partition running from wall to wall on the far end of the bathroom. The glass was now fogged up from the steam and blurred everything behind it, except for the shower door left open like an invitation. Leo's head turned towards him and Finn felt his skin heat up in response, helpless to stop the blush rising in his cheeks and willing his body to behave under Leo's gaze, at least until he had a confirmation that his longing wasn't one-sided. Until then, two could play this game, Finn thought as he stepped into the bathroom fully, letting the door close with a click and hooking his thumb in the waistband of his jeans. He could give Leo a show and see how he liked the tables turned.

Popping the button open and pulling the zipper down, Finn turned slightly so the arch of his back was in full view and threw a quick look over to Leo who stilled completely and was definitely watching him. Good, watch this, Finn thought as he slowly pushed the jeans together with his underwear down over his hips and thighs, drawing a sharp breath when his cock sprang free, thankfully still not visibly interested thanks to Finn internally freaking out even as he was leaning into the performance. He could swear that his gasp was echoed from inside the shower, but it might also just have been his imagination because the water was still running, and his thoughts were sprinting, the simple act of undressing suddenly taking forever and at the same time not nearly long enough.

They have been naked around each other plenty of times in the locker room, the showers at the rink, and then there was that one memorable time at the sauna during the team spa day... but this was different. This was deliberate. This was putting himself out there and meeting the challenge that rang clear in the room, as loud as Leo's silence and Finn's blood rushing in his ears, making him dizzy and bold at the same time.

He made sure his ass was on display as he bowed down to push his jeans over his calves, getting his socks and finally stepping out of the clothes. This time the gasp definitely wasn't just in his imagination and a satisfied smirk found its way to his lips. Still turned away from the eyes that he could now feel on his back, he straightened again, flexing just so, the way he knew made his shoulder blades look especially awesome. Reaching to grab the towel Leo threw at him earlier, he turned back to the shower and padded towards the glass door. Now or never. And never was not an option anymore.

"Took you long enough," Leo quipped after a pause as Finn stepped into the pocket of humid air in the, frankly, huge shower, sliding the glass door closed and turning the other showerhead on. Leo's voice sounded a little higher that usual and Finn couldn't guess if his cheeks were so rosy from the hot water or from his own little performance. It was a lovely look on him either way and this time Finn looked his fill, suppressing the urge to look away when the cornflower-blue eyes met his gaze and held it. Then Leo took a step towards him, and another, and another until he was right in front of Finn, still holding his gaze, their noses just shy of touching.

Finn couldn't help but take a stumbling half-step back, lips parting on a gasp, not knowing if the next sound out of his mouth would come out as a question or a plea. His eyes flicked to Leo's lips and back up, and from the corner of his eye he registered Leo's hand raising slowly and reaching towards his shoulder to-- "Use whatever you like, the shampoo and shower gel stuff is all on that shelf right there behind you. I personally like the honey and milk one the best, it smells so delicious." Leo's voice was normal again, conversational even, as he reached to grab a shampoo bottle off the shelf on the wall behind Finn's back and stepped away towards his own half of the shower.

Finn swayed after Leo's retreating figure unconsciously, his words only half-registering through the daze of suddenly having had Leo so close, naked and wet and right there--

"Harz?"

"...huh? Uhm, yea, yes. Shower gel, ah-- thanks."

Finn shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, now damp and sticking to his forehead and neck. He pressed one hand to the wall under the shelf and stared at it as if it had offended him while focusing on the coolness of the tiles to steady his still wobbly knees. Damn you, you win this one.

Turning his mind to the game they were now apparently playing, he took stock of the bottles on the shelf and spotted a winner.

"Honey and milk, you say? I personally would go for a Dark Temptation myself. A subtle, sweet fragrance with a hint of spice and hot chocolate," he read out loud from the label on the bottle before squeezing a generous amount into his palm, putting it back on the shelf and turning to face Leo again fully, drawing himself up to his full height and knowing what Leo will see when he chooses to look. Finn's cock was half-hard, not getting the memo that the moment was over before it really began, courtesy of Leo being a dirty player. Finn was eager to even the score.

"What do you say, Knutty. Is that something you would like?"

Leo was busying himself with his own bottle of shower gel, but Finn was sure he was paying attention because as soon as he turned towards him, Leo's eyes were on him. An edge of amusement played at the corner of his mouth and a hint of a challenge was visible in his posture, relaxed but ready to return the serve at the most opportune moment.

Finn shifted his weight mostly to one leg, cocking his hip playfully as Leo gave him a thorough once-over, his gaze slowly roving down Finn's body. He knew the second his plan worked by Leo's eyes widening and his shower gel bottle hitting the floor a beat later, the sound loud in the spacious shower. The hand that was holding the bottle was left grasping at air, fingers clenching on nothing and Finn noted with smug satisfaction that Leo's cock was now taking interest in the game too. If they could still call it a game. Finn wasn't backing down now; it was time to raise the stakes.

He walked towards Leo, stopping when he reached the dropped bottle which was now helplessly spinning in the water vortex flowing down the drain. Without acknowledging Leo's situation, he dropped into a crouch, retrieved the bottle and slowly looked up at Leo from under his eyelashes, now darker and clumped together with the wetness, framing his eyes prettily. He used to be insecure about it, no boy wants to be called pretty. Now, he used it to his full advantage, holding Leo's gaze as he held the bottle out to him, using every ounce of his will to stop his eyes from straying to Leo's hardening cock just inches from his face.

"You dropped something."

The little broken whimper that escaped Leo's throat almost made him break too, but Finn managed to swallow the answering sound that was building in his chest and held Leo's gaze unflinchingly, daring him to give up. To give in. Please give in.

He honestly couldn't anticipate where their next dance step would lead, but he was ready for any direction except backwards. They had passed the point of no return somewhere between the honey-scented soap suds coating Leo's strong shoulders and the background music of the water hitting the tiled floor and washing away all the pretenses. However, it still caught him unprepared when Leo dropped to his knees in front of him, ducking his head so that they were face to face and swallowing hard. His chest was heaving with gulping breaths as if he only now came up for air after being submerged underwater for too long. His eyes were flicking between Finn's searchingly, almost desperately, all playfulness from the moment before gone. Finn could drown in those blue eyes and go happily. He'd give up solid ground forever, willingly, if only Leo asked him to.

"Ask me," Finn breathed into the space between them.

Leo whimpered again, the sound like a static shock raising goosebumps on Finn's skin. Leo's hands fluttered up to Finn's face, wanting to touch but not daring for the question yet unspoken. The condensating humid air left droplets of water running like sweetwater tears down both their cheeks.

"Baby," Finn whispered again, "ask me."

Leo's whole body trembled at the endearment and his hand finally found its place cradling Finn's jaw, so careful and reverent as if he was handling a soap bubble, expecting it to burst at any second now, but trying to keep it intact for as long as possible. That is why you don't touch those, Finn's mind supplied. You look, but you don't touch. Oh.

"Oh, Leo," Finn suddenly saw that they had both been dancing to this particular tune for much longer than he realized. That for every time he had watched Leo from a distance, Leo had been yearning for him to come closer. For every locked bathroom door, there had been a too-loud music playing from Leo's room at the same time. For every late-night mug of hot chocolate Finn had brought to the boy sitting on their little balcony gazing up at the night sky, there had been a breakfast ready for him when he stumbled from his bedroom in the morning. Leo had been right there with him, neither of them brave enough to risk popping the bubble of I wonder and maybe and find that it only held air and apologies.

He covered Leo's hand on his cheek with his own, intertwining their fingers and turning his head to press a soft kiss to his palm, eyes closed for a long while, just holding this precious moment in his heart, writing it into his memories. This was the very edge of a waterfall and they were holding hands, ready to jump, high on the possibility of flight and aware of the inevitability of falling.

He heard Leo suck in a breath and felt his fingers twitch in his hold. Willing every ounce of the bravery he felt all the way to his bone marrow to pour into Leo through their joined hands, he kept his eyes closed and waited.

With the white noise of water still beating down around them and the sense of sight temporarily surrendered, he clung to Leo's pulse under his fingertips driving his own beating heart, anchoring him to the simple, undeniable fact that he wanted this with all his being. He felt the soft exhale that carried Leo's words before he heard them, his voice being the clearest sound of them all.

"Finn-- will you have me?"

Finn's yes was already on the way to meet the question the second it left Leo's lips, an affirmation of every cell in his body straining in Leo's direction.

"Yes, baby, yes, yes --if you'll have me."

He opened his eyes and was met by the most radiant smile making a home on Leo's face. I'm staring at the sun, Finn thought unbidden, his own laughter bubbling from deep within his belly, as Leo closed the distance between them, bringing their lips together. By a sheer feat of heroism, Finn kept perfectly still, letting Leo come to him, so ready to be kissed, finally-- only for Leo to stop a hair's breadth away before their lips met.

You little shit, Finn thought as Leo hovered painfully close, his whole body buzzing with the need to cross that line, and I'm so in love with you which wasn't even the most surprising event of the day if he was honest with himself. One last dance, before they collected the prize, he could give him that. One last exhale before the gravitational pull inevitably led them to crash together. Only now Finn was going to win either way, on the tail end of a second that seemed to teeter on the edge of eternity.

In the end it was a tie, with both of them leaning in at the same time and slotting together seamlessly. Something inside of Finn clicked into place as he felt Leo's soft lips on his, pressing the first close-mouthed kiss into him with the weight of his whole body behind it. They swayed in their crouched position, Finn's arm shooting out to catch himself as Leo lost his balance and landed against his chest with an oomph, his knees bracketing Finn's thigh.

The skin-on-slippery-skin contact was delicious and Finn found himself wanting more, sneaking an arm around Leo's waist and pulling him even closer, causing the other boy to burst into giggles as he squirmed away from the fingers brushing over his side.

"Leo," Finn sighed as he lifted his eyes from the collarbone in his view which he was contemplating biting down onto later, "kiss me?"

A nod, another giggle and then those soft lips were back on his again. Finn tightened his arm around Leo's back in response and was rewarded by those lips parting with a moan as Leo practically straddled his thigh, his cock trapped between their bodies. Finn didn't waste the opportunity and licked into his mouth, matched with a push for every pull. Finn was dizzy with it, a low buzz getting progressively louder underneath his skin, demanding more.

"Please," he gasped out, not knowing what exactly he was asking for, only that he wanted. Each sensation was amplified by the newness of everything, a series of firsts and oh they had so many to cross off.

Leo shifted forward with purpose then, lifting up slightly and pressing his thigh into Finn's crotch and yes, Finn wanted that first too.

"Yeah?" Leo's low purr against his temple made Finn's skin break out in goosebumps, a cascade of shivers from the crown of his head all the way to his toes. Finn let his response be in kind, meeting each roll of Leo's hips with his own, bruised knees be damned.

Finn felt like melting in the overheated air, Leo's breath hitching in his ear with each insistent grind of their hips, the steam rising from the hot water swirling around them. Leo's hands were warm, slipping for purchase on the wet skin of his chest, traveling upwards and finally landing in his hair on the nape of his neck.

But nothing burned as much as the spark at his center, feeding off their closeness and eagerness, roaring into a blaze with a particularly delicious slide of their bodies. Gasps were chased by groans, half-formed words followed by unbidden pleas as they drove each other closer to the edge.

The fingers in Finn's hair tightened and pulled, tilting his head up and then Leo was watching him attentively, with so much emotion and desire in his eyes that it stole Finn's breath. It felt like when he would miss a step and just barely caught himself before falling, elation mixed with terror, only now he was unable to stop the inevitable fall. He hoped Leo would be there to catch him.

As if he could read his thoughts, Leo licked his lips and the word that he offered next was like gasoline to Finn's fire. "Come."

He felt the blaze at his core erupt at the command and consume him wholly in a blinding flash of bliss, dripping like melted lava between them. Leo held him through it, eyes never leaving his face, even when his own orgasm took him half by surprise, Finn's name leaving him on the end of a cry.

They clutched at each other and Finn lost all his bearings for the endless moment it took him to float back into himself. He found it almost poetic, something about a phoenix metaphor nudging his thoughts in the haze that enveloped them. Remade in the arms of the boy I've been carrying a flame for.

The thought left as soon as it came, replaced by the hesitant kiss to the bridge of his nose. Another two on his eyelids, soft like butterfly wings, left and then right and he realized his eyes were closed. Then the world filtered back in an unwelcome rush of splashing water as Leo pulled back from their embrace, ripping a sound of protest from Finn's lungs. No no no don't go. Not this. Not again. Not with Leo too, please oh god.

He knew the routine by heart and this felt awfully familiar all of a sudden. Kiss, come, never speak of it out loud. His mind, ever so helpful, conjured the beloved pair of green eyes and the half-smirk tinged with sadness, the soft dark curls under an ever-present snapback. Logan.

Finn felt frozen cold all of a sudden, doubt creeping like ice over his skin and making his empty hands shake. The horrifying possibility of this being another impossible situation was like a physical weight on his shoulders, pushing his aching knees into the tiles underneath, mind spinning.

He didn't dare to look at Leo and at the same time he needed to see him, needed to know. Even if the knowledge could shatter him like a sheet of ice. Damn his tender heart, and damn his own refusal to guard it better. Damn this fucking shower, too.

The sound of falling water got louder and then Leo was in front of him again, holding one of the showerheads in his hand. Finn's shoulders were drawn up and tensing more and more with each second, his gaze fixed on the water running down the drain and his hands now clenched on top of his thighs where they fell when Leo left the circle of his arms.

Finn's next breath sounded too much like a sob and he heard an answering rush of exhale from Leo. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut again, desperate to stop the hot well of tears behind his eyelids, he waited for the words he was sure were coming, too raw and open at the moment to brace himself against the storm of emotions that gripped him, old and new. Maybe the water would hide the tears if he was lucky. Maybe he'd compose himself enough to cover the sobs tearing at his chest with a laugh when he finally managed to leave the floor and clean himself up. They were in a shower after all. Wasn't he lucky.

He heard shuffling, and a thud of what was probably Leo setting the showerhead down on the floor as he crouched in front of him again. Finn's vision was blurry when he gathered the courage to lift his head and open his eyes again, but he could make out the worried expression on Leo's face, eyebrows drawn together and eyes wide, taking in Finn's state. He opened his mouth to speak and Finn gritted his teeth in a last effort to hold himself together, expecting to know the words already, words that would find every soft part of his bruised heart and hurt it anew.

"Sweetheart," Leo murmured instead, "what's wrong?"

“Wha--?" Finn couldn't comprehend the softly spoken words, Leo's concern a stark contrast to the expectation of rejection still tearing at his insides, making his head spin and Leo's voice sound far away against the hurricane of emotions roaring in his chest.

"Harz," Leo tried again, "you have to breathe. What can I--" His hands came up of their own accord, reaching for Finn but not daring to close the distance all the way. "Can I touch you?"

Finn swallowed, his throat clogged with the bitter taste of the desperate, familiar plea to please stay please talk to me that he was so used to forcing back down every time. Every time with Logan. This was not Logan. This was not Logan and it broke Finn's heart in a new way. He loved Logan. He was falling in love with Leo. He was dying here, naked and kneeling on the floor of this fucking shower and wasn't that poetic. What am I even doing?

"You're hyperventilating and making me really worried, please tell me what to do." Leo was still reaching for him, watching him intently and biting his lip, waiting for his response. Finn realized he must have said that last part out loud.

He forced his clenched hands to relax, feeling the sting of the indents his nails must have left in his palms. Lifting his arm felt like an impossible task, his body tense and aching, all his muscles protesting at being forced into the uncomfortable position and frozen in panic for too long, fine tremors running down his back and a dull ache spreading from his knees. His fingers wrapped around Leo's wrist, his grasp too weak for how much he needed the contact, and then Leo was there, gathering him in his arms and tucking his head under his chin, talking softly against his temple.

"You're okay. We're okay. I promise. I don't know what happened and you don't have to tell me, but I've got you. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. We'll stay here as long as you need. When you're ready, I'll help you up and we'll shower, and then we'll go to my room and cuddle up under a mountain of blankets. You can have my hoodie, the one that keeps ending up in your room, I packed it as an extra, you're in luck today, huh? There is a tea in the kitchen I think you'll like, but we don't have to make it if you'd rather just go to bed right away. We have time for everything."

Leo was rambling, the cadence of his voice grounding Finn and bringing him back to here and now, his heart not trying to beat out of his chest as much anymore. Leo was holding him close, was staying, was talking to him and Finn's next exhale was an echo of a question.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

Finn wasn't sure what sound he made that caused Leo to prompt him to talk; he wasn't even sure what he was asking, but getting an answer was suddenly the most important thing in the world. However, trying to order his still racing thoughts felt like a Sisyphean task just then, so he focused on the sensations first.

The dampness of Leo's skin where his neck met his shoulder and where Finn's head currently rested, hiding his face from the glaring lights for a little bit longer. The unyielding strength of Leo's embrace, both arms wound around him like a safety net. The ache radiating from his joints and the answering pain stabbing just below his ribs with every breath, an adamant reminder of all that transpired just minutes prior - the astounding and the awful. The undeniable fact that Leo was still there and willing to listen which led Finn to hope he would also be willing to talk.

There was no changing what had already happened, but Finn could learn from his past regrets and write a different story this time. He felt the slowly returning clarity of his resolve like a solid ground beneath his feet, trusting himself to stand under his own power again. The lump in his throat gave way to a question that had been growing like a vine around his spine, straining towards the light. Towards the sun.

In a flash, Finn remembered Leo's blinding smile when they both finally gave voice to their desire. He needed that voice to banish the darkness now, and the only way to do that was to speak it.

"Leo, you--" the words came out as little more than a croak, and he cleared his throat in order to be heard. He needed to be heard. "You want me? Like, all of me? After this?"

Leo tightened his arms in answer and his voice was firm but gentle when he replied immediately, like he didn't have to think about it for even a second, because "I've wanted you for months, mon dieu, you have no idea, do you? I want it all with you. This, yes, and that from before, too, and also all that will come after. I like you Harzy, so much, merde, I'm half in love with you already."

Finn was tempted to pinch himself just to make sure he heard right. Leo laughed into his hair, breathless like he couldn't believe it himself, and then he took a breath to continue, now in a hushed tone, as if the next words out of his mouth would shatter at impact otherwise.

"I really really hope you want all of me too."

Finn almost dislodged their hold onto each other as he nodded vigorously, unable to form words but desperate to make sure Leo understood that yes, he wanted this too.

Lifting his head, he reached up blindly, his hand landing on the side of Leo's neck and then he was pulling him in for a sloppy kiss that was more laughing into each other's mouth than anything else, relief pouring off both of them in waves. Finn was dizzy with it and he never wanted it to end.

His body had a different idea though, the rollercoaster of emotions leaving him exhausted and shaky as he tried to support his own weight, Leo pulling him up and towards the still running shower, walking backwards and pressing quick kisses to his lips every two steps.

"Let's clean up and then we can lie down, hm? Sounds good?"

Finn went where he was led in a trance, his eyes following Leo's every move and cataloguing everything anew, like the delicate curve of the shell of his ear and the curl of the blond hair dark with water sticking to his temple. He felt so overjoyed he was almost numb with it. A part of him was still terrified that if he leaned into it too much, it would burst like those soap bubbles and he'll be by himself again, hollow chest and empty hands.

"Fish, hey," Leo's face filled his vision and there was a warm fluffy towel being wrapped around his shoulders, and another one around his waist, "do you want to eat something? I really think you should eat something. Come on, let's get dressed and then I'll make us something."

Leo started towards the bathroom door, one hand intertwined with his and a sudden impulse made Finn pull on that hand and reel Leo back in, their chests bumping and a surprised smile blooming on his face.

"What--?"

"Tell me again," Finn whispered into the space between them. The surprise was replaced with understanding and Leo freed his hand to cradle Finn's face in both his palms, large and warm and safe.

"I want you, Finn O'Hara. I'll want you after we eat, too. Come on."

Leo really did pack the hoodie that Finn would steal from the dryer and then deny the knowledge of when Leo couldn't find it. It was soft from wear and wash, the hem falling past his hips and the sleeves too long, going past his fingertips. Finn used to wish it smelled like Leo, too, but he had to contend himself with the clean scent of freshly washed laundry. The risk of getting caught stealing it from Leo's room was just too much.

Now he was handed that same hoodie and when he pulled it on, Leo was watching him with a soft smile.

"It suits you."

"I'm sorry for stealing it. I just-- I don't know. Wanted to have something of yours, I guess."

Leo shook his head, plucking at the frayed strings hanging from the collar and leaning closer, nudging their noses together.

"It's okay. You can steal it anytime, okay? Now, you stay here and I'll be back in a minute."

A kiss, a rustle of sheets and Leo was gone, replaced by the sound of his steps on the stairs and then the clatter of cabinet doors opening and closing in the kitchen.

Finn clamped down on the feeling of panic beginning to rise to the surface again, trying to unmoor him as soon as Leo wasn't near and anchoring him anymore with his sure hands and quiet confidence. Finn decided there and then to believe him, so tired of being thrown around at the mercy of the hurricane that was always raging in his hopeful heart, always ready to throw him for a spin and the most inopportune moments. (And it had a name, too, a cry against the howling winds, Logan, Logan.) Here was an offering of a safe harbor and he was accepting it.

He hadn't heard Leo come up the stairs again, and the creak of the door startled him from his reverie. Leo padded to the bed and set a tray with two steaming mugs and a plate of sandwiches onto the bedside table.

He then sat on the bed cross-legged, facing Finn and regarded him for a moment, his gaze contemplative, like he was debating something with himself. Seemingly coming to a conclusion, he nodded to himself and let a slow breath out through his nose.

"Finn, I'm gonna ask you something and I want you to know that whatever you reply, it won't change my answer, or my feelings toward you, okay?"

He waited for Finn to indicate that he understood, and when he got the hesitant nod, he continued. "What's the story with you and Logan? I heard you say his name just now. I've noticed you two, the looks you give each other. I also know you were at Harvard together. And after what happened in the shower after we... I'd just like to know what to expect."

Finn felt his empty stomach lurch and swallowed the faint nausea starting to creep up his throat. He never talked about Logan to anyone. Logan never wanted to talk, never wanted anyone to know. What was their story? It came down to the single, painful truth of it all.

"I love him."

Finn heard his own voice ring in the silence of the bedroom like a gunshot at an execution. He's been dying from the wound for eight years and his heart wasn't close to running out of blood anytime soon. He wasn't sure if he'd ever said it out loud before though and saying it now made him brave.

He saw Leo blink once, twice, and before he could say something, Finn rushed in with a confession in a steady voice that surprised even himself.

"I meant all of what I said, what I did earlier. I don't know how this can even happen, but I do want you. I think I've been falling in love with you since the day you stood on my doorstep introducing yourself and didn't know what to do with your hands. I want you, Leo. And-- I want him, too. Logan. But he doesn't--"

Finn had to pause, drawing in a shuddering breath, the enormity of the yet unspoken words compressing his ribs and making it difficult to fill his lungs. Leo was looking at him with sad eyes and nodding, wordlessly encouraging him to keep going. Still there. Still listening. Not leaving. You miracle, Finn thought. How are you real?

He plowed on with determination now, committed to get it all out and do it right. "We were both so scared of what it meant. Of people finding out. Never really talked about it. And when I tried to, he just-- I can't lose him and if that means loving him from a distance, I'm okay with that."

"You're obviously not okay with that," Leo jumped in, not able to stop himself from speaking and immediately recoiling when he realized what he said. "Merde, sorry, that wasn't-- that didn't come out right. Sorry."

He placed his hands on top of the blanket between them, palms upwards in a silent invitation and Finn complied eagerly, craving the contact. Eyes fixed on their joined hands, he nodded.

"You're right. I'm not okay but I don't have any other option. And this is not going away. Are you sure you're okay with that? Isn't that too weird?"

Leo hummed and ducked his head to meet his eyes, still cast downwards as he waited for the verdict. "What if I told you that I understand?"

That was not what he expected, and he looked up at Leo sharply, eyebrows furrowed.

"What if I told you I liked Logan, too? And that-- he almost kissed me not that long ago? Still too weird?"

Finn gaped at Leo's admission, seeing his own apprehension mirrored in the boy in front of him and not knowing what to do about it in the moment.

He took stock of his heart and his head then and found nothing but a golden joy slowly spreading and filling his veins, all the way to the tiniest capillaries that until then housed the tar-like fear of all his what-ifs.

He wasn't scared now. He wasn't jealous either and there was a thought he'd contemplate later. Right now he was holding hands with Leo and talking about Logan and for once, it didn't hurt. It felt like a new chapter. He wanted to write a different story, after all. Only this one wouldn't end with a kiss; it would start with one.

"How are you real?" he gasped out, incredulous, pulling Leo close by his shoulders and kissing him deeply, pouring all that golden joy into the kiss in hope that it would speak for him, that Leo could taste it on his lips.

They didn't talk anymore that night, except to hand out mugs of tea and share sandwiches and pick sides on the bed. Finn was bone tired by the time their kisses grew sleepy and the soft regular puffs of Leo's breath against the hollow of his throat lulled him to sleep too, their legs tangled together.

He breathed in the scent of Leo's freshly washed hair, hearing his voice in his mind, honey and milk and I want you, Finn O'Hara replaying in a loop as he was pulled under, the hurricane quieted for now into soft waves rocking him gently, ocean blue and deep sea green and full of promise.

FIN

#and there was only one shower #lumosinlove #inspired by Coast To Coast and Sweather Weather #LionFish #Finn O'Hara #Leo Knut #fanfic #Coast to Coast fanfic

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

Text

Amphibia Weekly Reviews: Bessie and Mircroangelo/The Third Temple “The Things We’ve Set into Motion Cannot Be Stopped”

Hello all you happy people. It’s been a long road, with an even longer road trip, but the season’s almost over: just two more weeks of Amphibia.. and with all the build up weighing down on our heroes two things are clear: this cannot end well for Anne or anyone involved, and this is going to hurt. It’s going to hurt a LOT. it’s going to be some...

... how have I not used more MST3K gifs. Questions for later. Point is with emotional pain immient, a revolution on the way this episode only ratchets up the tension.. while also sparing some time for makeover jokes and a breather episode about snail mentorships, fashion montages and giant crabs. I do love me some giant crabs. And i’ll tell you allllll about it under the cut.

Bessie and MicroAngelo:

This episode finds our heroes preparing for the third and final temple, loading up the wagon and preparing weapons, maps, potions, all that good stuff.

We end up getting two plots out of this. The first is the titular one: so Polly can help prepare, Hop Pop gives Bessie the task of watchin gher snail and certified cutie MicroAngelo, that tiny Snail who I assumed would disappear forever after his intitial apperance because that’s usually what cartoons does. But much like One Piece, Al Ewing and that owl what watches me while I sleeps, Amphibia never forgets.

It’s some Looney Tunes style shenanigans.. not the bugs or daffy, more on him later today, kind more the “Bigger more responsible party protects the smaller more vunerable or reckless one” kind you’d see eveyr so often. Tom and Jerry also really loved this. And Amphibia wears it well, with some good gags and really cute bonding and some really excellent animation on Bessie, giving the old girl plenty of life and animation. The only part I genuinely do not like is Hop Pop blaming Bessie for.. running after micro angelo afte rhe ran off. Aka doing the job you assigned her.

Someone i’m looking at. Regardless otherwise it’s just some fun, adorable slapstick with a downright precious ending. And hop pop DOES apologize.. and wish he was a cute snail. I do not have time to unpack all the implications there nor ponder what Hop Pop would look like in a snail costume. This week’s given my brain enough nightmares.

So anyway, our subplot has Marcy trying to give Anne a Makeover... and her past attempts with Sasha have been objectively horrifying so Anne is rightly scared, though the armorer who comes to help with it has a blue crab so tha’ts where all my attention. I fucking love crabs.. they just look so neat. Some see the fact a spider crab being out and about in animal crossing as horrifying. I see it as oh look at my cool terrifying crab friend. About the only crab I don’t like is this asshole.

And even then he can be VERY funny. .he’s just also an exploitative douchebag and having worked in food service, let me tell you I.. I get why Squidward is the way he is. That said Krabbyland is a masterpiece entirely because he’s such a terrible person, so it ballances out when the show’s doing it’s best.

Point is I like crabs and I like this subplot.. though mostly because it says a LOT about who Anne and Marcy are and where there at. Part of why Marcy is so gung ho about helping Anne is she figures this is her last shot to be whoever she wants to be. But really she’s just projecting: it’s been obvious since we properly met her that Marcy.. likes living HERE more than earth. On earth she’s an outcast: her hyperfixations, her tendency to babble about things she likes, her smartness... alll things that just make people turn away from her or pick on her on earth, with only two people relaly understanding and appricating her.. maybe more but we don’t know the situation with her parents yet. As someone who is a lot of those things, I get where she’s coming from.

So ending up in a world straight out of an rpg... she florished. Everything that made her life difficult at home suddenly made her florish: her skill with RPG’s meant she could blend in easily with the courtly high class of Newtopia, gave her a love of taking on missions, and allowed her to put her hyperfixation, knowledge and enthusasim to real world use, creating massive improvments in an already ritzy city. Everything that made her an outcast in our world made her a hero there. It’s why I worry about what’s to come: to both Grime and Andrias.. she’s the perfectly made pawn: too desperate to have Sasha back to see the kinfe he wants her to plant in Marcy’s, and too happy to be accepted to see the rpg convention, the benevolent ruler turning out ot be a puppet for the big bad, starring her in the face. Amphibia’s given her her freedom.. but it’s also left her very vunerable and may leave her alone.

As for Anne.. she realizes how far she’s come: from selfish and kind of distructive to selfless and self reliant.. and still kind of destructive but hey, you can’t cahnge eveyrthing about yourself. It’s why when given heavy armor.. all she needs is the core of it.. something simple to guard her but nothing too complex. She’s fine with who she is.. and it’s why she’s in the best place of the three girls. And why she’s left smack in the middle of the war to come. A war she can’t stop and that will leave her having to choose one... or do the right , hard thing and choose neither and try and free them from the bad influences they’ve embded themselves in. Either way this is going to hurt both her and the audience.

Final Thoughts: Bessie and Mircoangelo is good classic cartoon fun with a suprisingly deep subplot. Simple, but a nice pallete clensar, especially since the next episode is pretty tense and given it’s ending and eveyrthing that’s been building this season, it’s likely only going to get worse from here, so it’s nice to have a quick and breezy break before hell comes to frogtown.

The Third Temple:

Before we get to the final temple we get a flashback showing how Sasha met Anne and Marcy. The other two were playing on the swings when two big dillholes pushed them off and Sasha selflessly and fearlessly stood up to them. And promptly beat herself up more than the bullies who dodged her and eventually got so freaked out by whatever the hell this was they ran and a friendship was born. But noticably she’s a lot diffrent 7 years ago, aproximately, than she is at 13: she’s every bit as fearless and willfull.. but the compassion she once had got buried under a need for control. It’s easy to see now WHY Marcy and Anne loved her so much: she was their friend, their protector, she cared about them.. and while she never STOPPED somewhere along the way it became less about doing the right thing for the women she loves and more about getting her way.

And now the two have had time to heal from what their friend girlfriend became.. it’s time to rip that wound wide open as finally, after almost a season of waiting, Sasha reunites with Marcy for the first time and Anne for the second.

Naturally her return is in time for her gem to be charged, though our heroes unware of that didn’t seek her out before going in. This time Frobo’s riding claw though weirdly dosen’t come inside. Which is a problem with Frobo’s addition to the cast as the whole: they’ve kept him out of any episode since his induction into the family and only properly explained it once. It just dosen’t make a lot of sense to me; Yes he is massively powerful but his childlike thought process counters that. He’s easy enough to write in but is left out becasue the writers don’t want to deal with an extra character. And I had more than enough of that shit when watching Ducktales. I don’t need it when your main cast isn’t NEARLY as large or hard to juggle. It’s just galling to have spent an entire season showing he was following them, give him a whole episode.. and then just forget about him because i’ts convient. Hopefully he’ll play a bigger role as things progress and we find out where he came from because his misuse is a dark spot on an otherwise great second half of the season.

Frobo does get to prove himself useful though and open s the temple door he just weirdly dosen’t come along. But this does leave the door open for Sasha to come in as our heroes struggle with the first puzzle: Turns out this dungeon was built by a bro, seriously the temple languge is very broey and VERY hilarious contrasted with how normal for a fantasy setting the others were, as is fitting the strength gem, so our heroes have to compete feats of strength. Unfortunately this does not mean wrestling the ghost of Jerry Stiller to the ground but instead fighting some Lava Worms, and fighting just ONE of them and lifting the provided warhammers is a challenge for Anne.. and she’s the only one who can with Marcy not having enough upper body stregnth and the plantars all de-hydrated spongebob style.

So naturally Sasha ends up being their savor, easily dispatching them and getting some help from grime who while also dehydrated, is still phsycially strong enough to be of some help. Marcy is overjoyed to see her.. and is the only one. Given Marcy hasn’t been on the wrong end of Sasha and Grime like they have, it’s understandable: while Marcy’s grappled with Sasha’s actions and grip on her and Anne, it’s been clear it hasn’t hit her as hard as it has for Anne and she likely dosen’t get the full scope of it like Anne does. To her Sasha just made a mistake and she’s back now and tha’ts what matters. To Anne and the Plantars... sasha and grime tried to kill them and Sasha then tried commiting suciide to save them. The scars of that haven’t really healed for them, nor should they.

And given Sasha has spent the season clearly blamiing everything on Anne defying her and has been raising an army based on her resentment, and given she flew into a jealous blinding rage at finding her exes were fine and dandy without her she.. wholheartdly apologizes.

Yeah she apologizes.. but tellingly while she talks about her and Grime being left homeless following the battle.. she leaves out everything after: The fight with Yuan, the growing rebellion, driving her friends away, the horrifying army Grime now commands. Something’s off.

Anne naturally dosen’t trust her to do this herself and insists on coming along sitll. The next task is juts.. asking how much you lift bro, which Sasha easily passes by lifting, bro.

The final test in Jim Crunch’s Temple of Fitness, I mean who else could’ve wrote this, is of course a big fight with a giant statue of a toad, fitting how each temple so far was built by one of the civlizations: there were frog statues and symbols in the first temple, the second was guarded by a newt and the last now has a toad guard.Though curiously.. the test itself is wholly designed for a human. Before it wasn’t 100% clear even with the hyroglyps if the chosen ones had to be human or not.. but now it’s impossible to argue otherwise. There were hints : The fact the guardian pegged her as a possible chosen one on sight , the ruins in the background of the title cards which also depict the watcher with a thousand eyes (which is what i’ll be calling him till we get his, her , they or it’s actually name. ).. but here the chamber includes a gravity increase dbz style, meaning our heroines are the only ones who can stand as the Plantars and Grimes frog and toad bodies respectively aren’t strong enough to stand anymore. And while Marcy tries it ends up falling on Anne and Sasha with Sasha being Angry Anne doesn’t trust her.. and Anne not refuting it, pointing out she has EVERY REASON not to. As she puts it “it’s not just toad tower”. For most of their lives Sasha has been controlling, caring about what she wants and not what the people she loves wants. It wasn’t just the fight there... it was simply the wakeup call to how bad a person Sasha had been.

And for the first time in the episode.. Sasha is geniune, apologizing for what she did, and genuinely admitting how she treated Anne wasn’t wrong. it was something she coudln’t admit to herself episodes ago.. but faced with both loosing two more people due to her behavior, and having plenty of time to reflect on said behavhior.. she finally relaizes it’s her. Fuck man.. what else is there to say.

Oh right the giant monster thing, which Anne trusts Sasha to finish.. and we get anothe rDBZ homage as Sasha removes part of her armor, which creates a CRATER, which lowers her weight enough to fight the thing. She gets a thumbs up and the honor of recharging it.

Anne suggests opening the box.. but Marcy is VERY quick to shoot that down and suggest talking to the king. And while her reason SOUNDS good,, they don’t want to get warped somewhere ELSE at random.. it’s very clear from her actions and how quick she tried to stop it that she needs them to get to Andrias for whatever he’s talked her into. And I emphasis talked her into: Marcy trusts the king, and was in a very emotional place when he was about to talk to her at the end of season 2a... and he knew it. He knew she was at her most vunerable, most malable and trusted him completely.. and knew right then and there was his shot at getting vengance.. for him and his master. Whatever he has planned.. it’s not good. The mechancial lovecraftian horror he keeps in his creepy basement full of lost souls is a dead giveaway from that. But I don’t.. fault Marcy for it. It’s not just because I sympahtize.. to her Andrias is a good noble king trying to help her. He’s the kindly mentor she always wanted, a person who enjoys her skills dosen’t care how much she talks and has complete faith in her, something even Anne struggles with.

But it’s VERY clear, to me at least he’s been likely using her from the moment they met: to her sh’es just an optomistic pawn, someone gullible enough to do whatever he says. I’ve always felt that her “missions” probably had some darker purpose she wasn’t aware of: getting Andrias things he needs for his army, an army she has no idea is opressing people. She’s insulated from that and instead surronded by adoring people who accept her for once. Even going to wartwood, she hasn’t yet made the connection between the toad towers and what their purpose is. I think deep down she might suspect this stuff.. but she can’t ACCEPT that the one person who every had nothing but faith in her.. is a horrible person who opresses others and somehow has even WORSE plans in store.

Sasha likewise is facing the pressure of her parental figure.. while her patching it up with Anne was legitmate... her and Grime’s own plans rely on getting in there and Grime simply sees the other two as pawns , and just like the king he wants he wants to overthrow, their use expires once his plans in motion.

But the thing is.. it’s clear despite assuring Grime she’s still all in.. her face in the last shot, as seen above.. says otherwise. Her apology was legitmate, not just an attempt to get close to the one thing in her way of power, but what she’s come to realize: she’s gone from blaming Anne for it.. to realizing it was her. But she’s also stuck: while Marcy is unaware of the strings her pupeteer is pulling her towards.. Sasha is all too aware of what her mentor is planning. And the thing was she was all too willing to go for it. She blamed Anne for what happened at the tower, blamed Anne for turning marcy against her and blamed the plantars and co for turning anne against her. But in the harsh light of day... none of that’s true. Marcy dosen’t hate her, neither does anne, they didn’t turn against her.. they were just tired of her shitty behavior and wanted the friend they found that day on the playground back, the woman they loved who’d go to hell and back for someone and not the bitter, manipultive person she became. She’s once again realized it was her fault.. the question is if that’s enough for her to do the right thing or not. And the hardest question of all is IF not reblling isn’t the right thing. Wfhile the Toad’s probably shoudln’t be in charge either, Andrias REALLY shouldn’t. There’s NO easy answers here, no happy outcome that makes everyone live’s better. There’s no easy way out, no shortcut home.. just the louder and louder drumbeats of war and one girl’s decision of whose side she’s going to take.

Final Thoughts on the Third Temple: As with the other four sasha episodes thus far, this was frogging brilliant. Shoudln’t be a suprise and it makes me both look forward and dread the war to come

Next Week: The plantars try to bury the hatchet with Sasha and Grime, the girls enter a battle of the bands, and the finale comes ever closer.

If you liked this review follow me for more, and join my patreon. At just 2 dollars a month you get acess to my discord, exclusive reviews, and get me closer to my stretch goals. See you at the next rainbow

#amphibia #the third temple #bessie and microangelo #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #marcy wu #bessie amphibia #microangelo #hopidiah plantar #sprig plantar #polly plantar #bro

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thedroidsyouarelookingfor · 3 years

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2021 Reading Challenge:

Star Wars the High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

★★★★☆

My thoughts under the cut...

The Nihil attack the planet Valo, where the Republic Fair is being held.

Here’s the non-spoiler thoughts:

My feelings on the first wave of the new High Republic multimedia project started off very positive. I was excited to explore a new era and see the Jedi at their height. Light of the Jedi didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, the young adult and middle grade books weren’t as good, and the later even introduced some really mind-boggling story choices that made me uninterested in any further reading that featured two specific characters prominently. Because of that, and some apprehension concerning the state of Star Wars in other mediums, I just became very wary about starting this book. I finally bit the bullet when my husband purchased the audiobook on Audible, and with no excuse not to at least give it a try, I started reading it just two days ago.

Now, I cannot help but directly compare The Rising Storm to the first major book in the series. TRS unfortunately suffers from the same problem that LOTJ had: too many characters! It is so difficult to keep track of all the characters, and even harder to care about even half of them. The audiobook narrator did help this to an extent, but some of the accent choices were very bizarre. Some aliens were so heavily edited with sound effects that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I had to stop what i was doing and crack the book open to read along. Other characters sounded too comical for me to take seriously, with notable examples being a vague female Shrek impression, Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, and even a senator who sounds just a bit too much like Droopy the cartoon dog.

I would also say that the book rarely felt tense, with prolonged action sequences bogging down the flow. I definitely feel like some fat could have been trimmed here and there for a better reading experience. As for plot progression, too be honest, in the grand scheme of things it appears as if only the last few pages have any baring on the future of the series. Something is coming, and we’ve only just got a glimpse at it. I will go into details below, but if you don’t want to read any spoilers, just know that I love Bell Zettifar with every fiber of my being and he, along with good girl Ember the Charhound, deserves a vacation.

Spoiler talk now...

Concerning Elzar Mann...

When we see Elzar and Avar together at the end of Light of the Jedi, I became immediately apprehensive that they would focus too much on the “forbidden love” angle which is, as some of you may know, my least favorite recurring theme in Star Wars. This wouldn’t be a problem if the world building of the prequel era was different, but since it is what it is, I feel we are doomed for the rest of eternity to have the Jedi have silly rules that make no sense, and characters constantly can’t make up their minds on what’s okay and what’s not. I hate it. I hated the love vs. sex stuff in Master and Apprentice and how crudely it was presented. It seems the High Republic writers are not willing to leave it alone any time soon. So here’s my complaint with TRS. What do the writers want us to think about Elzar Mann? Cause I’ll tell ya my journey with him. At first, he’s a cool guy. Does things differently. Oh, look at that, he’s in love with Avar. But they can’t be together. Do I feel a little sorry for him? Yeah, maybe. He’s on a new planet now. Away from Avar. The author writes his inner thoughts a lot. He’s met a new woman. We hear him sexualizing her body in his mind. We read him flirting with her. We read as the author writes (in my opinion too explicitly for Star Wars) Elzar spending the night with this woman. Later on, he meets with another woman. They’re about to connect through the force, meaning she will see his thoughts and memories. He thinks about his connection with other friends, with his former master, with Stellan, and with Avar. When he thinks of Avar it’s memories of them having sex as padawans. Not their emotional bond, but their physical relationship. Is Elzar really just a middle aged white man who is obsessed with sex ...because that’s literally what he seems like to me. Thanks, I hate it. I have no idea what the High Republic writers are going for with Elzar, but he comes off as a lech! And out of all the things in the world a main character for Star Wars in the year 2021 could be... that’s not very high on my wish list. If I thought for one moment before this book that Elzar was in love with Avar, that feeling is gone now. Dude has issues and should just leave the Order. Go live your life somewhere else, bro. Be free. Now, he does have an interesting connection to the Force and he gives off generic Action Movie Hero™ vibes sometimes. But after all the weird stuff about how he thinks about women, i just don’t personally vibe with him. I have a feeling he might be our “fall to the dark side” character, but who knows.

Stellan Gios, besides being best buds with Elzar (who I now low key think is a bit gross), was a much cooler character. I still think it’s lame that the main two characters of the book are two white men, but at least this one felt better to me. I liked him. I hope we see him a bit more in the future though because I don’t really feel like I got a good grasp on his character...the problem with too many different focuses in the book.

We meet a Tholothian named Ty Yorrick. We don’t get her full story here, but it’s clear that she was once trained by the Jedi. She’s now a mercenary, but is currently helping Elzar and Stellan with the crisis on Valo. I was slow to like her, since she is shown manipulating a woman who has a crush on her, but that woman ended up being a bad apple and Ty proved herself to be a caring and compassionate woman. So I ended up liking Ty a lot. And from what I can tell, she’s doing the right thing. She’s out in the galaxy helping people. She can have as many lovers as she wants and she’s not breaking any silly code. She left the Order. But she’s still a force for good (at least most of the time). So I don’t want Elzar to “guide her back to the right path” as he so pompously states. Being a part of the Order should not be the only path for force sensitives. And thank the Stars she’s a lesbian, or Elzar would probably be obsessing over her next lol. One last note on Ty. She is briefly in jail during the events of this book, and escapes with the help of a padawan named Ram. Now this is a minor complaint, but that was so obviously a plug for the middle grade book that it was almost annoying. That’s not going to make any sense or get any closure unless I go read that other book.

Bell Zettifar is by far still my favorite character. Precious, brave Bell. So pure. So troubled. If anything bad happens to Bell or Ember I will be honestly livid. Bell is the most interesting character in this whole initiative. He’s already been through a lot and Ember is basically a support dog. DO NOT KILL HER OFF. LET US HAVE THIS. I adored his dynamic with Loden in the first book, and I almost feel it was too cruel to reunite them so briefly at the end of TRS, just to have them meet such a horrible end. Bell really went through it in this book. I hope we continue to see his journey, with Ember always by his side. And I hope it’s a happy ending.

Speaking of the faithful charhound, there were several great animal moments in the book. I was happy to see the Jedi riding dragons into battle and trying to save the escaped fair animals. Chancellor Lina Soh’s two funky space lions were also featured prominently and I love them. They are fierce and loyal and I want one. Then, of course, we are left on a cliffhanger to find out what beast Marchion Ro unleashed on poor Bell and Loden.

Andddd speaking of Marchion Ro, he’s still super terrifying. My only real problem with the Nihil is just how unbelievable they are. They seem too chaotic, there’s too much infighting. I feel like they would have destroyed themselves by now. Prediction: if that mummy lady doesn’t somehow kill Marchion, I have to imagine Lorna Dee and Marchion may take each other out in the end. The book put a lot of focus on the Tempest Runners. Sometimes I found the petty squabbling of the villains to be uninteresting. But Marchion always had me a little tense. You never know what he’s going to do.

So overall, the story was fine. Nothing great, but nothing bad. A stepping stone of a book, really. Besides my complicated feelings about Elzar, there are still a lot of really interesting ideas and characters presented here. But I feel they really need to tighten up the storytelling a bit. Focus on fewer characters. And hopefully those characters aren’t always middle aged white men going through a midlife crisis.

Don’t be cowards.

Give us an alien protagonist.

Burryaga is ready for his time in the spotlight.

#star wars #the high republic #high republic #star wars books #books #star wars high republic #star wars the high republic #star wars reads #my books thoughts #book thoughts #my book review #bell zettifar #ty yorrick #stellan gios #the rising storm #star wars the rising storm #reading challenge #thedroidsyouwerelookingfor reads

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manicdragondreamgirl · 4 years

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I haven’t had chemistry since like 2008, and I’m also an idiot who likes to make my friends upset, so I rated the periodic table in order to tilt my friends:

Hydrogen - this is like your childhood friend who has always been with you more or less and always will be down to get a drink and chill even tho you haven’t spoken in years. Solid bro imo 7.5/10

Helium - always down for a good time, even if probably created Alvin and the Chipmunks which in some places is considered a war crime. 4/10

Lithium - Gives me bitchy vibes and is flammable as fuck if I remember. Skinny bitch with an attitude 3/10

Beryllium - idk this sounds like a sailor moon villain lol for that it can have a 6/10

Boron - more like BORONG amirite ha ha wait no seriously I have no idea lol 5/10 clean neutral rating

Carbon - *screaming* 2/10 I will not be taking questions

Nitrogen - cool cool cool tight tight tight 9/10 Nitrogen just is the cool hot chick you wish you were

Oxygen - kid who takes up all the glory for the group project even tho you did all the work, 4/10 for natural charisma

Fluorine - lol what are you knockoff chlorine lmfao bitch 3/10 reminds me of the dentist

Neon - I can vibe with this boy for his contributions to signs which cause my eyes to scream 8/10 modernized Art Deco thanks you

Sodium - 10/10 this is me and I won’t be taking questions next element

Magnesium - magnesium is a close relative of magnificent and therefore I think the case is closed folks 9/10

Aluminum - 10/10 for providing a home to my Diet Coke addiction I’d be dead without you

Silicon - 6.9/10 :smirk:

Phosphorous - This has a very soundly name and it’s welcome to do that but idk, not a fan, seems like he’d be smelly, 2/10

Sulfur - 1/10 pretty sure that dog farts are purely comprised of this and as such if I was leaving negative ratings I would

Chlorine - 7.8/10 for being in pools so we could swim without brain eating amoeba in the south you a champ

Argon - he seems like a nerd jk this guy has a good color 9/10 for just being himself

Potassium - I hate bananas and this word gives me the physical sensation of biting into one but only by thinking of abstract letters and making them into something which we can nutrientise from bananas and to me that shit is bananas, b a n a n a s — 3/10 for making me sing hollaback girl thru adhd word association

Calcium - hm my brain went to mega milk so you get a 2/10 today bud I don’t make the rules

Scandium - pretty sure this is fake lol what’s next faxdium, e-Mailite and copinium? 5/10

Titanium - this song’s a banger and also is the only thing that lets me wear earrings 10/10

Vanadium - if your erection lasts for longer than like idk it’s supposed to then don’t take vanadium wait what do you mean it’s not an ED treatment 4/10

Chromium - decent bloke shame the browser eats all your memory 5/10

Manganese - if a weeb tries to tell me how to pronounce mayonnaise one more time... 1/10

Iron - excellent tool against the fey, in your blood, what a bro, 10/10 this bitch slaps

Cobalt - has a powerful energy; I respect him. 8/10

Nickel - if I had a nickel for every time someone made this joke lol 5/10 he’s doing his best

Copper - taste bad 3/10

Zinc - isn’t that the dude in the green tunic and white tights who saves premcess Lelda or something lol 7/10 those games are good

Gallium - seems like a prick 4/10

Germanium - sounds like a child pronouncing geraniums which are superior 3/10

Arsenic - bad vibes coach 1/10

Selenium - isn’t this just sailor moon lol 10/10 love this bitch

Bromine - farmine wherever you aremine - 9/10 I love a good bro

Krypton - he’s okay I guess 5/10

Rubidium - yet another Steven universe villain who will be redeemed I imagine 4/10 seems a bit dull

Strontium - I feel nothing when I see this lad’s name and that seems like a shame 1/10 I don’t like it

Yttrium - this is an atrium in Yharnam, or something 8/10 would love to sit in one and make contact with higher beings

Zirconium - oh wait THIS is the sailor moon villain from the dead moon circus! 9/10 I enjoyed that arc

Niobium - seems sassy, I like that in an element 7/10

Molybdenum - I hate this one, rancid. 1/10 for making me have flashbacks to difficult Ancient Greek vocabulary there is no fucking way that sound combination is anything but Beta and Delta borking and then Latin being like oh imma steal that

Technetium - 6/10 decent name but seems a bit forced

Ruthenium - 5/10 kindly old lady element I guess lol

Rhodium - 10/10 this ain’t my first rhodium babee this lad has good vibes what a name what a king

Palladium - 10/10 for making me think of paladins

Silver - 12/10 I’m breaking the rules for this silver is the best it is so cool and also it is the other best tool for dealing with supernatural creatures when iron has failed you highly suggest Even if I am extremely allergic to it going into my ears...wait hold on

Cadmium - 2/10 sounds like a total douche

Indium - 8/10, i just think it’s independent and neat

Tin - 10/10 good ear sounds when involving rain and roof shapes and automatically reminds me of Nora Jones’s come away with me album which is also 10/10

Antimony - 7/10 decent protagonist good name all around seems rad

Tellurium - tell ur mom what? That’s so early 2010s league of legends humor bro 2.5/10

Iodine - strikes fear in my soul from having it poured on my wounds but this is why I have more pain tolerance than god 5.3/10

Xenon - I think this is a declension of Xena warrior princess which is a win in my eyes, 8/10

Caesium - kind of has a cunty Latin name, 4.5/10

Barium - yeah boss, bury’im! 7.5/10 I love a good mobster gag

Lanthanum - A bit pretentious on the Tolkien spectrum sorry bud 3/10 sounds like you’d be the dickwad elf everyone hates

Cerium - 6.5/10 I like this one, gives me a clean vibe

Praseodymium - the fuck who sneezed all their alphabet soup onto the paperwork and called it an element Christ we can’t keep doing this 1.5/10

Neodymium - oh my god what did I just say 1/10

Promethium - thank Christ we’re back to greek 9/10 Prometheus was a Chad I could get behind

Samarium - 5/10 gives me boring wizard vibes

Europium - 4.5/10 don’t rename opium chrissake can’t take these nerds anywhere

Gadolinium - 5/10 it’s a starship knockoff but it’s trying to be bold with the G sound

Terbium - 2/10 I don’t vibe with this one

Dysprosium - sounds like an antidepressant that has a lot of shitty side effects 3/10

Holmium - sounds like someone anxious asking their beloved to hold them 8/10 I like hurt/comfort fics

Erbium - you can’t just describe something as herby you daft bastard 2/10

Thulium - sounds like a spell I like it 8.5/10

Ytterbium - macguffin in a shite sci-fi show that gets highly overrated because BBC produced it and superwholock stans emerge and go utterly feral 1/10

Lutetium - bards are an element I agree 10/10

Hafnium - sounds like a river (my dog) sound and has a cute vibe, I’d offer it head pats 7/10

Tantalum - noooo you can’t be sad yuor so sexe haha 6.9/10 tantalizing

Tungsten - 10/10 this is a lad with history

Rhenium - 5.5/10 it’s ok

Osmium - 4/10 I wasn’t a big wizard of oz fan

Iridium - 9/10 sounds like iridescent and that’s in my top 10 favorite words and concepts

Platinum - 10/10 best Pokémon game

Gold - 7.9/10 all that glitters and all but it’s still pretty on some people, silver is better tho

Mercury - yikes 8/10 so it doesn’t kill me

Thallium - sounds like the brother character in a ps4 exclusive western rpg that oddly falls under the radar in terms of reviews and gets shafted at awards for no reason 7/10 I’ll support you tho

Lead - 2/10 that’s gonna be a no from me dawg pretty sure I still have lead in my hands from stabbing myself with my mechanical pencils

Bismuth - 6/10 sounds good in mouth and reminds me of biscuits for some reason, I’ll take it

Polonium - to thine own self be true so stop trying to act like the arts don’t influence science jk pretty sure this is named for Poland but hey that’s where we get the Witcher so you get a pass 6/10

Astatine - 1/10 I don’t even know what you are

Radon - 7/10 this motherfucker knows his shit and how to party, rad is right

Francium - I bring you francium...and I bring you myrdurdium... 7/10 for a good vine

Radium - killed the video star probably 9/10 I can get behind her

Actinium - as opposed to passtinium I prefer actinium in the voice of writing 8/10

Thorium - overrated Norse god 5/10 because lightning is still cool

Protactinum - sounds like some pretentious condom brand 4/10 wouldn’t do it with a dude who bought these

Uranium - I always thought she was a hot sailor scout 10/10

Neptunium - same for her I knew they weren’t cousins you couldn’t lie to me 4kids 10/10

Plutonium - sounds like a macguffin unfortunately 5/10

Americium - I read this with a pivotal letter missing and nearly died, 7/10 for the laugh

Curium - 10/10 gives me Curie vibes and also reminds me of curiosity which reminds me of—[old yellered before the association could set in]

Berkelium - what I shout when I want Burke (fam dog) to slaughter innocents and raze territories 2/10 world was not meant to know his commands

Californium - 1/10 California is cool with geography but probs could stand to chill with the ego sorry to my friends in Cali

Einsteinium - 6/10 it’s alright but we’re really running out of ideas huh

Fermium - 3/10 this one is porny

Mendelevium - 1/10 my brain didn’t like parsing this and I stand by my earlier statement of running out of good names

Nobelium - 0/10 you didn’t name any noble gases this cowards this gas can’t be a noble oh wait it’s NOBEL I take it back 5/10 seems an alright chap

Lawrencium - fear the old blood my sorry dead hunter’s ass I’ll never get back my life from the hours I spent trying to beat this lava shitting bastard 2/10 for being a boss who eats Taco Bell specifically before being challenged to have fresh lava shit with which to punish you for having the audacity to exist in his space

Rutherfordium - my god what a snob 4.2/10 I respect him a little but only because he sounds like a right lad

Dubnium - DROP THE BASS 10/10

Seoborgium - not sure about this one but it can have a 7/10

Bohrium - as an American English speaker this sound combination makes my pathetic throat become a black hole as I try to properly create the sound of it 10/10 I love when my body becomes a massive void in the universe

Hassium - lazy 2/10

Elements 109-118 can go fuck themselves I hate them all, collective 6.66/10 for their general demonic vibe

#the periodic table #made by an idiot #it’s me your manic dragon dream girl #long post

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darkarfs · 3 years

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the worst movie tie-ins in the history of wrestling

Wrestling is stupid, and will show its ass at the mere mention of cross-promotion, especially when it comes to movies, which is it's cooler older brother that can get away with a lot more. Hell, the 2nd ever SummerSlam's main event, in 1989, was Hulk Hogan facing the main villain, Tiny Lister as Zeus (RIP), from the film they were both in, No Holds Barred. So wrestling's always wanted a piece of that. So... - Army of the Dead Let's just get this one out of the way. Here's the thing; I thought the WrestleMania Backlash's card was fucking perfect...except for this weird business. WMB MIGHT've been the best show of the pandemic (hot take) were it not for making sure we sell Big Dave's big zombie heist movie. If they had just kept some of the guys in zombie makeup on the Thunderdome's webcam footage, that would have been borderline charming. But instead, the Miz (who was WWE champion 3 months ago, don't forget) and Damien Priest (who they're making WWE's pop-culture liaison so far on the main roster, for some reason) had to sell for zombies in a lumberjack match. If this was the first ever wrestling show you watched with a loved one who had never watched wrestling or hadn't since like, the end of the Attitude Era, would you for a second want them to stick around after Miz and Morrison get, for all intents and purposes, kayfabe killed and eaten, and then watch Damien Priest shoot the logo at the ceiling? My money's on "no." - Shaft Speaking of the Attitude Era, anytime someone tells you that wrestling was cooler in that 3-year time frame, point them to the June 15th of 2000 episode of SmackDown, where a storyline that ran throughout the show followed Patterson and Briscoe through New York City to find Crash Holly and his Hardcore Title. Now, I admit parts of this are kinda funny, like Briscoe just wanting to give up and find a "gen-yoo-WINE New York hot dawg!" That's fun! And who does Crash Holly run into but none other than Shaft, and his woman, the only one who understands this complicated man, John Shaft. So, we have real Samuel L. Jackson, playing fake John Shaft, talking to real/fictional Crash Holly, and man is it weird. Anyway, Shaft agrees to be Crash's bodyguard for the night, and he slaps around Patterson and Briscoe in a nightclub. After all, what better way to get across how cool and badass a character is than having him knock around the fucking Stooges? - The Wrestler Well, this is complicated. The Wrestler, starring ancient wooden lion Mickey Rourke, is a somber tale about an industry that, in its heyday, left people physically spent, washed-up and addicted to adrenaline at best, and dead at worst. It famously moved Roddy Piper to tears because he recognized what destruction and brokenness the industry once left in its wake. Which is why it's super-weird that WWE jumped at the chance to promote maybe the bleakest possible look at their world in 2009, and did so by having Chris Jericho smack the shit out of three old wrestlers at WrestleMania 25, including Roddy Piper. And then have Rourke jump into the ring, wearing his "do you want to take peyote in the desert?" starter kit and bring out his amateur boxing chops. Tonally, it's just really bleak. Like if the creator of Super Size Me screened the premiere at the world's biggest McDonald's. - Bride of Chucky Poor Rick Steiner. You didn't deserve this. You're the sane Steiner. They shouldn't have made you talk to the puppet. So, WCW was heading into Halloween Havoc 1998, and after years of stomping all over the WWF in the ratings, the wheels had come off, and dramatically. Like, all at once. Like the car in the Blues Brothers. To boost PPV buys, they spent a fortune bringing in the Ultimate Warrior to rekindle a feud with Hulk Hogan, mostly by hiding in his fucking mirror. And the Steiner Brothers, one of the best teams of the early 90s, had been feuding with one another since Scott turned on his at SuperBrawl. What was the best way to build hype around this match at Halloween Havoc? Why, to have Rick get into a war of words - and lose - to Chucky. Yes.

Serial killer doll voiced by Brad Dourif, and it's so sad. Chucky cusses Rick out while Rick challenges the fucking doll to a fight, which is promptly ignored (Chucky's video segment is pre-recorded, and you can tell because he starts talking about 3 times in 3 minutes while Rick's mid-promo and missing his cues to stop) and then is made fun of. And all the while, people were probably wondering "what's going on on Vince's show?" and the answer is...that was the episode of Raw where Austin fills Vince's Corvette with cement, which is slightly more badass than being teased by a puppet. - The Goods Here's the thing: Raw is, right now, a bad show. It is bad TV. It's been bad for a while now. And as bad as it is right now, it's still not as fuck-awful as it was in 2009, aka the Age of the Guest Hosts (which, in kayfabe, was given to us by Donald J. Trump, so blame that ambulatory Nazi scrotum for one more thing, he's certainly earned it). For those of you fortunate enough to not be watching what was objectively unwatchable at the time - and hell, I sure as shit wasn't checking in very often - from mid-2009 to around mid-2010, a celebrity would be the special guest host of Monday Night Raw, often to promote a TV show or movie, and it was nearly all horribly-written, cheesy wank. Imagine if every week was the week of the zombie attack at Backlash. That's what it was like. Bob Barker was funny. The Muppets were good. And THAT'S the end of the list. MacGruber coming out to blow up R-Truth made me want to fall on a knife. The A-Team coming out to beat up Virgil was fucking awful. Go straight to fucking HELL, the Three Stooges, Dennis Miller, the reverend Al Sharpton, the 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers, Don Johnson and Jon Heder, the poor entire cast of Hot Tub Time Machine...and then there's Piven. Jeremy Piven. He showed up with Ken Jeong to promote a movie no one remembers...called the Goods. He stunk up several segments, infamously called SummerSlam "the Summer Fest" and then got roughed up by John Cena. Wrestling's the worst. Stop watching. And many did. For a looooooong time. - Robocop 2 This one's infamous, so I'll keep it brief. Robocop 2 came out in 1990, and goddamn, I don't know how much money the producers threw at WCW, but it was enough for them to rebrand an entire PPV "Capitol Combat: the Return of Robocop" and marketed the entire thing around the fancy metallic gentleman. The branding really made it seem like Robert Cop was old friends with the promotion, and indeed, old friends with Sting. Makes sense; two big, heroic idiots running on BASIC. He had been feuding with the Four Horsemen, who locked him in a cage at ringside. Out comes Robocop, called completely straight by Jim Ross, who rips the cage door off his hinges, and then leaves. An accumulated 85 seconds of screen time. Totally worth being the centerpiece of this PPV! But a little context as to why WCW fans hated it so much: 1989, the year before, was regarded by WCW fans as one of the best in company history. The era that gave us stuff like Chi-Town Rumble and the still-very-much-lauded peak of the Steamboat/Flair feud. To go from that to Robocop was seen as a bit of a slap in the face, because WCW was always seen as the more traditional "wrasslin'" company and was never into cheesy pop-culture crossovers, which is why the last one...is all the funnier.

- Ready To Rumble First of all, those dumbasses at Turner had to give Michael Buffer - who they still had on retainer - around $350,000 just to use that title, because he owns the trademark to that phrase. Strike 127 million, capitalism, that a guy gets to own a phrase and gets paid an obscene amount when he or anyone else uses it. Secondly, I initially wasn't going to do movies where the promotion itself is producing the movie, or oh holy HELL would See No Evil and the infamous May 19 shit be on here. But unlike See No Evil, this had a hand in killing a decades-old wrestling promotion, so it feels weird to not include it. On April 7th, 2000, bad movie Ready To Rumble was released, a film about two hapless dorks trying to help Oilver Platt, aka the lawyer from the West Wing, become WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Two weeks later, to promote the movie, they made David Arquette, the lead actor in the movie, the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He pinned Eric Bischoff, who wasn't the champion, of course, in a match where he was teamed with Diamond Dallas Page, his best pal and the company's top babyface at the time, but who is also one of the villains in the film to make it extra confusing for the mainstream casual audience the movie was made to attract. And, to be fair, Arquette didn't want to do it, NO ONE really wanted to do it, and it tanked viewership for WCW once and for all. At the very least, David took his payday from the wrestling appearances and the film and gave it to the families of Owen Hart, Brian Pillman and to Darren Drozdov, who had been paralyzed from the neck down in a wrestling match the previous year.

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iam93percentstardust · 4 years

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Five Favorite Works of mine from the past year

I was tagged by @therollingstonys!

The rules of this circulating challenge are as follows: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I decided to go with the stuff just from 2020 since I did this at the beginning of the year for 2019

New and Missing Stars

He gives her a choice: stay and become the monster Stregobor accuses her of being or leave and give up on her revenge.

In the end, it’s not a difficult choice at all. She isn’t stupid enough to believe herself capable of besting a Witcher (and it’s painfully clear that he will feel obligated to stop her). Above all else, Renfri has only ever wanted to live.

Did you guys know when you write for a new fandom, you get notes??? Because I didn’t. In all seriousness though, I wrote this in a single night because I just couldn’t get the idea out of my mind. I absolutely love the way it turned out and other than one or wording choices there isn’t a single thing that I would change, which almost never happens. I reread this one almost once a week, I still love it so much.

Electric Impulses

All children, even genius ones, deserve a friend and when one of Tony Stark’s friends destroys his favorite toy, he decides that the friends he creates are better than the ones he meets. Inspired by his father’s stories about the Howling Commandos, he creates holographic versions of his childhood heroes. As he grows up, peerless and lonely, Tony continues to upgrade his holograms until they become fully-fledged AI, capable of moving around the tower and offering advice and above all, loving him.

This shouldn’t be a problem and it isn’t – until the Avengers move in.

My very first MTH fic! I didn’t think I would love this one as much as I did since it wasn’t a prompt that I came up with but honestly, I absolutely adore this fic with all my heart. I very much love the version of Tony that I wrote in this and I really love the AI versions of Steve and Bucky who, by the end of working on this, were as real to me as any of the human characters I wrote for this.

Eyes Turned Skyward

Tony has an erogenous zone at the base of his wings.

Bucky probably wouldn’t have even noticed if it hadn’t been for Nat brushing her fingers against Tony’s back at breakfast. It’s an innocuous motion, probably nothing more than to let Tony—who startles easily—know that she’s back there. But Tony stiffens.

And then he shudders.

And Bucky sits up and takes notice.

Oh man, what to say about the Eyes Turned Skyward verse... It was my first attempt at writing wing!fic and I was trying to write a soft dom so I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out since I see so much more of the traditional BDSM relationships in fandom. But I’ve been blown away by the response to it. I have several more installments of this verse planned and I’m really looking forward to writing more for it.

Spoils of War

Captured by the cruel Warlord of the North on the way to his wedding, Tony is bonded to two alphas who want nothing to do with him. Lonely and miserable, he struggles to survive in this harsh new world while his father prepares a rescue mission. But things are not what they seem and Tony soon finds that it is not his life he is in danger of losing but his heart.

So when I first posted the original ficlet that inspired this full length fic, I got a very lovely comment that called me a bitch for not tagging it as Steve/Bucky. Now, anyone who’s had more than a couple conversations with me has heard about my pet peeve for fics that tag every single relationship that appears in the fic, whether it’s significant or not (part of why ‘and now for a ficlet’ and ‘did you lose a bet or something’ were so difficult for me to tag) so I was really worried when I posted this that I was going to get more of the same response. And, honestly, Steve and Bucky were a lot darker in this fic than they are in some of my other stories so I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the comments that I’ve gotten.

One of the things that always interests me about posting a story is the kinds of things that people comment on. For ‘Electric Impulses,’ I got a lot of comments about how sad the story was, which wasn’t something that I was expecting at all. ‘Spoils of War’ has - surprisingly to me at least - gotten a lot of comments about the relationship between Tony and Papa and I think that’s kind of cool.

Ask Me Again

The first time Steve asks Tony to marry him, Tony doesn’t even hesitate to tell him no. Steve isn’t terribly surprised. They’ve only been dating for two weeks. Steve had gone back to the tower after SHIELD had fallen, strode up to Tony, and gotten as far as, “As the world’s leading expert on waiting too long,” before Tony had stopped him by kissing him. It’s been two whirlwind weeks since then and he’s already certain that he wants to spend the rest of his life with him but asking him right after the first time they have sex had probably been a bad idea.

So, no, Steve isn’t surprised Tony tells him no.

He’s more surprised that Tony says sleepily, “Ask me again in the morning.”

He means to. He really does. But the morning brings with it a board meeting that Tony’s running late for and a possible sighting of Bucky and he forgets all about it.

I don’t usually write post-Civil War fic so this was a fun challenge to work on and is probably one of my favorites of the tumblr prompts that I’ve gotten over the last two months.

I’ll tag @ad1thi @omg-just-peachy @pineapplebread @maguna-stxrk @s-horne @firebrands and @ishipallthings

#alle answers #ask memes #please take my comment about new and missing stars as a joke and not a rebuke #it's a much smaller fandom and as i said a newer one

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typewritingyip · 4 years

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Returning to the Right Life

Narnian Preference

A/N: This is a continuation for “A Life Worth Waiting For” with my named reader Maude! Once again thank you to the CairParavelNetwork for having these fun challenges every month!

Warnings: Minor Angst, Fluff, and possible character death? mentions of gore?

Word Count: 4,171

Cair Paravel had not been this quiet in nearly fifteen years, since before the five thrones had the children of Adam and Eve sat upon them. Sliding along the polished floors I go up to General Otmin, trying not to panic.

“General-”

He smiles kindly, fixing the crown on my head since it had fallen askew.

“My queen, you looked panicked, are you alright?”

I take a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure, be like Peter in the situations of worry.

“May we talk a moment in private General?”

Now he frowned, like I already had been, I wasn’t the one that would usually go to the general when something had gone wrong. Only if something horrific had happened.

“Yes, my queen. This way, please.”

We had down a hall together where we talk in hushed tones, my own worry breaking through my usual composure to the point where I was on the verge of tears. As much as I liked to seem strong in front of the crowd or even in front of the General, just to seem like the others, I was always the odd one out. No matter what we all made it seem like, they all were the crowns of the four directions and I got what was left. The General set up the search party of over a hundred Narnian soldiers, at which I promptly joined to give them the exact locations of where the other four disappeared. Leaving my crown on my throne, feeling unworthy of it.

For the next week we scoured through those woods, being gentle and asking the trees to part during the search. Though I was kept away, everyone unsure whether it was the four royals on a new journey or some danger that would take away the children of Adam and Eve. I stayed under the stars every night, too scared to enter the woods or return to Cair Paravel. Yet when the crowns were found, I stood there and stared at the forests as the trees moved back to their places. As their crowns weighed heavily in my arms. Wherever they were, I knew we wouldn’t be able to get to them. My heart sank in my chest, aching as the last trees settled again and the wastes looked the same as it had when they all ran into those trees just days before.

Later that night, when I finally returned to Cair Paravel after several long hours of walking. Still holding the crowns as if they were life lines to the people I cared about so much. It was dark and quiet in the castle; the other residents having retired to their beds for the night. I slowly made my way into the royal treasure room and put each crown in the corresponding chest that belonged to them. I broke down in sobs on the floor, wanting nothing more for them to return home or for me to be with them on this next great adventure they thought was so important.

The castle was quiet, no one spoke that next morning as preparations for that afternoon were made. I remained in my bedchamber for most of the morning, not touching any of the food brought to me and soaking in a hot bath full of soft flowers, trying to wish away my new found problems. Even after getting decorated in ornate clothes everyone remained silent.

There wasn’t even the sound of a drawn breath as I walked toward the thrones that afternoon. The sun shining and reflecting through the glass roof, making Cair Paravel sparkle in its beauty. My hands shook while holding several symbols of royalty for Narnia, my own sword resting around my hips as I walked. The ruffle of the skirts and shuffle of shoes were the only noise around the hall other than the occasional sniffle. Slowing to a stop at foot of Peter’s throne, the one in the middle for the High King of Narnia. From behind me someone nudges me forward gently, stepping forward again I stand at the pedestal of that throne, it always seemed bigger from a distance. Turning slowly to face the crowd, straightening my back to look stronger than I felt.

“My fellow Narnian’s, big and small, I stand before you today not as one of your queens but as your friend. Your friend feeling this intense pain and sorrow that you all do, that we all feel, not only did we lose four of our leaders, our closest friends, but people we all called family.”

My voice breaks slightly on the word family, I had spent the last week searching in the rain, through the trees and mud. Turning over every stone to find them even it didn’t seem to make sense.

“Whatever they are doing, wherever they went, what may have happened to them, know they are just on their next royal adventure, likely like the one that brought the five of us to all of you those many years ago. In time, they will return for this is their home. Narnia is their land and home as much as it is any of ours. I will stand with you all as I stood with them as an equal, as a member of this family, as a Narnian.”

We had known we were not like them, being the children of Adam and Eve, but that made us no more important or powerful than the people that filled the hall of Cair Paravel. My mouth was very dry, slowly I kneel down for Mr. Tumnus. I knew he was heartbroken but was so thankful he was doing this for not only me but for Narnia. The crown I had worn for the past fifteen years was gently removed from my head. The silver filigree I had grown into was exchanged for a regal gold, engraved with flowers and a lion's head. Mr. Tumnus offers a hand and I take it gently, letting him help me up. Slowly rising, I look out at them all, the Narnian’s I swore to protect and be one of the queens for.

My new title fell onto my deaf ears, trapped in my own mind as the reality of this whole day began to settle in. In an instant, when everyone began to make noise, I lowered myself to Peter’s throne for the first time ever. The Narnian’s went quiet as for the first time in weeks one of their kings or queens sat on the thrones of Cair Paravel. For a moment ever person in that hall fell silent, the pain and loss washed over us all. Sitting up straight unlike how I would have sat upon my own throne, I clear my throat and gesture in front of me as the High King would, as Peter always had. Slowly groups of them began to get in a line with their questions.

Sighing slowly, I put on a smile, glancing toward the Beavers as my nerves began to rise. Both of them nodded reassuringly, calming my nerves a faction as I look back to the Narnian’s that stood before me. In that moment, I finally understood how all the others had felt or at least knew I would come to. The stress Peter felt every day, he was the High King and was the one everyone expects to know all. The way Susan would worry of the questions that would be asked and the notes she would take when something she wouldn’t have thought of was brought up by a Narnian. Even Edmund’s cool composure of how he’d speak up when there wouldn’t be a good answer, even if it was the right one. How Lucy would keep all of us collected and working together, to know and understand we served the people along with ourselves as a family.

Then there was myself, how I had thought I knew the whole picture from top to bottom, studied every aspect of what it meant to be a royal, till now I wasn’t even close and didn’t know if I ever would be. All of those responsibilities now fell upon my shoulders. Bowing my head gently, reaching up to prevent the new crown from tumbling off the first question rang through the hall,

“Your highness, what are your plans for Narnia now that the others are gone?”

It was the question I knew would come but was petrified to face, gulping slightly, steepling my hands,

“I will do what the people need of me, like the five of us always have. Like I will continue to do.”

The crowd seemed to collectively sigh of relief, smiling a bit I gain confidence as the questions flow, answering what I could, giving supplies to people needed them, and sending guards for patrols in areas that the Telmarines seemed to be poking at. Their so-called King seemed to think it was all his land and would often cause trouble in Narnia.

It wasn’t long after that the Telmarines declared war, not only against the royals of Cair Paravel but Narnia as whole. Changing from the long regal gowns that would be worn in the throne room to the more battle secure dresses that would be worn under armor.

Too many battles were waged, to many lives lost in the name of Narnia. I felt like a terrible leader, leading my people into slaughter but the Telmarines were horrific when it came to battle. They wanted the Narnian’s extinct because they were unable to understand who and what we are. For years we fought before attempting to come to a peace, signing a treaty upon the battle field for the holiday, all our troops were tired and wanted to be home with their families and out of the cold. They didn’t even wait the day before they attacked. Burning down Cair Paravel as I fled into the night.

That was the day everything changed, both in my own life and for the entirely of Narnia.

The return to living life in England was difficult, my mother insisting I stay in the country side, sending money when she could. The war in England was bad but she’d never understand the way one fights in a war, how they watch their friends die on the blades of the enemy. In my short life, which in her eyes had only been eight years, but for me it was twenty-eight years. Even as time went on and the memories I had of Narnia began to fade, some things would always plague my nightmares.

Being a child with the memories of three wars, things always kept you up at night.

I studied with the professor after the Pevensies’ left, even when we had to move into a much smaller place, to the cottage in Cottage Grove; the two of us found that entirely to funny. After all I had no other place to go, the past year had been hard on the five of us. My mind was always on Narnia, everything from the first days that which seemed so clear now to my last hours which seemed to fade when I didn’t think about them for more than a few hours.

No longer feeling like the strong adult Queen of Narnia that fought in the war for the Narnian’s. Not the battle-ready warrior but the mildly out of practice one. It all felt off, wrong in some ways but there would be days that it didn’t feel so strange to be myself.

When I woke up that morning, it felt like any other day in the country side. The sun poked through the clouds for a moment before it started to drizzle. Starting out in the garden to weed the veggies and water the plants, we might get quite a bit of rain but it never soaked into the garden, the water always running down the hillside off the edge of the property.

After that I went into the cottage for lessons, being in the sun room while the rain starts to pour down. Practicing maths first since it was what I struggled with the most. Tapping the eraser of my pencil against the table to a rhythm, music playing from the radio in the kitchen mixed with the rain, bringing me to be extreamly distracted. Remembering days upon thrones where the rain would patter against the glass ceiling.

“Have I lost you Maude?”

I jump slightly and look up, breaking the end of my pencil as I turn it to the paper again.

“Sorry sir, the rain...”

He smiles a bit and ruffles my hair gently, already a mess from the wet. He gently closed the textbook that rested upon the table I worked at.

“Let’s take a break, have a snack and get our brains back in order, yes?”

Nodding, I quickly get up and grab hold of my notebook, rushing out of the sun room. Returning to my bedroom, closing the door firmly and falling to the floor. Opening to a bare page and starting to draw the image stuck within my head, the thing distracting me. Cair Paravel in all its shining glory, the rain falling on the glass ceiling and reflecting upon the marble flooring.

Something felt off, nothing felt right. My thoughts of Narnia would fill my mind often but never like this, never to the point of distracting me. Pushing myself up, going to my window I push it open and stare out, the leaves from the nearby willow tree blowing in the storm. Flying everywhere I felt a tug of something, pushing myself up onto the seat, all I could do was stare as the rain and leaves flew past my face.

It felt like magic, feeling this painful tug and quickly hopping out the window, thinking I’d land in mud, not sand.

Falling onto all fours, I got a very unpleasant mouth full of sand. Spluttering and sitting up, it takes my eyes a second to adjust to the sunny coastal area I now found myself in. Looking around, my heart feeling lighter than it had in a year. Smiling brightly, pushing myself to my feet I take off towards the water. Stumbling as I attempt to remove my socks, having not been wearing shoes in the cottage. Pulling off the sweater wrapped around me, dropping it right before hitting the waves. Kicking up the water, spinning in several circles before falling back into the waves to let them sweep over me.

Happily getting soaked from head to toe, but in that moment, I truly didn’t care. After the longest year of my life, I was finally home. Sitting up and brushing the hair out of my face, looking around in mild confusion. I wasn’t quite sure what part of Narnia I was in, it didn’t look entirely familiar but the oceans were never my favorite place to spend a warm summer day.

Then in an instant, none of that mattered as four people came running my way, in English school uniforms. Screaming with laughter I start kicking water at them, shoving Edmund into the waves and hugging Lucy tightly. It had been far too long since I’d seen my family, we’d written when we all could but this was different. We were all in Narnia, for the first time in a year and for the first time in six that I’d gotten to see them there.

Standing in the waves, hugging the others it was such a relief to be here together. Finally, back home together for the first time in such a long time. We continued to splash around in the waves for a while longer, enjoying the warm sun England hadn’t seen in months and the land we hadn’t seen in a year.

Slowly we all make our way out of the waves and gather our stuff, picking up my socks and slightly damp sweater, laughing happily as Edmund shoves me a bit.

“Hello.”

I look at him then smile a little shyly, sitting down and pulling on my socks.

“Hello Maude... it’s been a while.”

Laughing a bit, I take his hand when he offers it pulling myself back up from the sand. Looking around, finally speaking my mind.

“Where do you think we are?”

Peter laughs and gestures around,

“Well, where do you think?”

Rolling my eyes, pulling on my sweater,

“I meant where in Narnia, my High King.”

I bow and Lucy quickly follows my lead, both of us bursting into laughter. Edmund looked around, then up the cliff side, frowning.

“She’s right, I don’t remember their being any ruins in Narnia.”

We all look the same general direction as him and stare in shock, what seemed to be large ruins of some cliff side thing were crumbling above us. There was no wait it could be Cair Pravel, this looked like ages of over growth. My mouth felt dry, knowing what I knew it was and knowing there couldn’t be any actual way that was it were very different things.

Slowly heading down the beach together, I slip my hand into Edmunds. Each in turn adjusting their clothes and pulling on bags, tying sweaters around waists and leaving jackets hanging off branches.

Heading up an old worn footpath, it felt warm, good to be back in Narnia but bad because the feeling was off now that we were heading up to these ruins. Something just didn’t feel right. Pulling Ed to a stop, I wait for the others to get a little ahead before speaking.

“Edmund, I need to tell you something.”

He frowns a bit and keeps the walking pace slow,

“What’s the matter?”

Sighing, I look at my feet, kicking at a rock,

“There’s so much I have to tell you about our last time in Narnia, after the four of you left through Spare ‘Oom.”

“You’ve been back?”

Shaking my head quickly I sigh and stare at the sky,

“No, of course not. But I haven’t been truthful, I didn’t follow you four back through the wardrobe. I stayed in Narnia for another five years after we all thought you disappeared.”

He quickly pulls his hand away, looking around.

“Do the others know?”

I shake my head again,

“Of course not. You and Lucy would be the first people I tell... and I’ve now told you first.”

He continues to stare, still walking up the hill towards the ruins.

“What happened after we all left?”

He sounded concerned and slightly afraid,

“Another war... for Narnia and I don’t know how it ended. The night I went through the wardrobe-”

I go to speak but find the memories just after there anymore and shake my head,

“I’m not sure what happened... But whatever it was, I doubt it was good.”

He sighs slowly, brushing his hands through his hair, biting the corner of his lip.

“The others can’t know about this. It would destroy them, for now, we keep this between ourselves till we find the Narnian’s”

He sounded so much like his old self, his older self, being the level headed one what knew doing the right thing wasn’t always the best thing. Nodding slowly, I put my hands into the pockets of my sweater.

Getting to a steeper part of the hill, struggling over the roots and tall grass, apple trees surround us. I quickly use Edmund as a step stool to grab one before continuing up.

“Does anyone still have their sandwiches?”

“Well, I left mine in my bag and I left my bag, in the train station, and then I left the train station in England.”

We all laugh a bit at that, brushing out hands through the grass and leaves around us, just all happy to be back in Narnia.

Then we came up to the ruins, rather vast, at which we all promptly began to explore.

Walking around and munching on the crisp red apple, I brush my hand over the ancient stone, frowning and feeling sad. Whatever this place had been, it must have been beautiful. Still unable to truly think this could be Cair Paravel. We all spread out to look around, admiring the ruins and the trees among the walls, although it was sad it had become very beautiful in a way. I start up a set of broken stone stairs to get a better view of it all.

“Wonder who lived here.”

From all our vantage points we glanced towards Lucy, having feelings at the same time. Susan picking up something shiny from the ground, frowning at it before looking around.

“I think we did.”

I glance towards Edmund and head over towards Susan,

“Hey, that’s mine. From my chess set.”

“Which chess set?”

“I didn’t exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?”

Lucy looks around before running off, muttering to herself and I quickly follow. My heart pounding in my chest as we all follow. Coming up to a large stone slab we slow, seeing pedestals on top of it and parts of what had been beautiful stone thrones. Lucy starts to position us in front of the very thrones we had sat in, pointing at broken pieces of architecture.

“Imagine walls. And columns, there. And a glass roof.”

We all stood there, looking at the remains of-

“Cair Paravel...”

My throat felt tight, like this was somehow my fault. Though, in a way it was. Not following my own heart when it came to the war, when it came to the Narnian’s, whatever made me leave, should have made me stay. We all walked away from the thrones and went towards where the old treasury was, if it was still there that’s where all our weapons would be.

Continuing to examine the damage only further broke our hearts, knowing our home had been taken from us in some way, and it had been a very long time since we had last been in Narnia, even if it had only really been a year.

“Catapults.”

I glance over, my heart beginning to race again as images flash through my head.

“What?”

“This didn’t just happen, Cair Paravel was attacked.”

I look at them before going to the nearby stone wall and start to clear it up, helping Edmund and Peter push it aside so we could get down to the royal treasury, if it was all still there. Getting down to the wood door, it crumbles and falls when trying to be opened. Peter and Edmund share a moment while trying to make a torch only for Edmund to pull a real torch out of his bag, sharing a weak smile we all head inside and down the stairs.

“I can’t believe it, it’s all still here.”

Brushing my hand against the wall, it all looked so familiar so much the same, but with crumbling walls and pillars. Hurrying down the steps I go to my own chest and open it, staring inside I tear up and pull out a dress, the one I wore when I'd been recrowned. Shifting many things aside I pull my sword from the back of the chest, smiling softly.

“I was so tall.”

“Well, you were older than.”

“As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you’re younger.”

We all were trying on or holding things from our adulthood, I very gently slip the golden crown upon my head, it resting slightly askew being a little big now.

“What is it?”

Lucy was staring at Susan.

“My horn, I must have left it on the saddle the day we went back.”

I pause, thinking hard back to that day and remembering how we very meticulously put everyone’s things down here that first morning, but not remembering Susan’s horn being among the items. I glance at Edmund and he seemed entirely confused by the crown resting upon my brow. I turn and slide it back into the chest, grabbing my sword and setting it aside along with my shield and some old armor from when I was much younger.

Peter went to his chest and pulled the sword, staring at the engraving, at the spoken words that led us to rule this land and the lands around it.

“When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets it’s death.”

“And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”

Lucy and I glanced at each other, repeating the words.

“Everyone we knew, Mr. Tumnus and the beavers... their all gone.”

Everyone shares a look before Peter speaks up,

“I think it’s about time we find out what’s going on.”

I look down before stepping forward, looking to Edmund before around.

“But first, I have to tell you the secret I’ve been keeping and please try not to be too mad... I know it was wrong to hide it from all of you so I'm sorry but... I’m sure you’ll understand.”

Taking a deep breath, I start to speak.

#cairparavelnet #cairparavelnet:augustevent #chronicles of narnia #narnia #edmund pevensie #susan pevensie #peter pevensie #lucy pevensie #NARNIA FIC #narnia x OC #MaudeAU

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intothestarkerverse · 5 years

Text

Paper Hearts

The Starker-Office AU the world needs.

Tony Stark is a paper salesman who hates his job but is secretly in love with the beautiful receptionist. A glimpse into their unorthodox courtship and happily ever after.

Tony Stark hated his job.

Selling paper was one of the most boring professions he could think of, and it had a very obvious expiration date that drew ever closer the more digitized the world became. At best, he thought, he had another few years before he had to hit the unemployment line and look for another job he despised. Nothing left to do but collect his paychecks until then, really.

His boss was an idiot.

Scott Lang was no where near as funny as he thought he was. His jokes caused Tony actual, physical pain. The way the guy was a lapdog for Hope from corporate, that was even worse. Didn’t help that for some reason Scott thought he and Tony were best friends. The indignities he put up with for this job were not worth the pay check he took home. Not. At. All.

The guy across from his desk was a killjoy. You’d think Steve Rogers had some amazingly important job with how dedicated he was to it. First one to arrive. Last one to leave. He was a puny little, sanctimonious nerd that Tony loved to play practical jokes on…which was really only one of two things that made the job bearable. The second? The second was Peter.

Peter fucking Parker.

The receptionist.

Light of his life.

His reason for waking up in the morning.

The only damn reason he hadn’t left this fucking job in pursuit of something that didn’t make him contemplate using his letter opener to carve a giant hole into the middle of his chest.

Peter was young and beautiful and sweet and he sat directly in Tony’s line of view. He caught himself staring at the kid way more often than he should. He would day dream about running his fingers through those fluffy chestnut curls, tugging on the strands in the throes of passion. He pictured what Peter’s lips would look like wrapped around more than just the straw of his water bottle. He committed every centimeter of Peter’s face to his memory, knew every piece of clothing in the kid’s wardrobe…enough that he recognized when Peter had treated himself to a new sweater or pair of skinny jeans. Tony stared because it was all he was allowed to do, and it was the only thing that got him through the day. Peter caught him, too, but either the kid didn’t realize that Tony was head over heels in love with him…or he didn’t care.

Tony really hoped it was the former, but it didn’t matter really because Peter had a fiance, Quentin Beck, some handsome asshole from the warehouse who had been promising Peter a ‘happily ever after’ that the kid had yet to realize was really a ‘never gonna happen’. Quentin wasn’t ready to grow up, settle down, be a fucking man, and Tony had caught him flirting with people who weren’t Peter enough times to know he was a piece of shit. Quentin Beck didn’t know what he had, but Tony did. He hated that fucking guy, and the feeling was clearly mutual.

Someday. Someday, Tony was going to sweep Peter off his feet, steal him away from the asshat and show the kid what a happily ever after should look like.

Someday.

If he ever worked up the nerve.

Until then…

***

Tony leaned against the reception desk, drumming his fingers on the Formica counter and waiting for Peter to finish his call. Peter glanced up at him through a curtain of eyelashes, biting back a grin and holding a finger to his lips as he quickly scrawled a message on a notepad for Scott.

“Mhm, yeah, no, I’ll totally have him call you back…Yeah…Soon, for sure…Uh huh…Yep, I have here that it’s important so he’ll definitely get back to you…Yep…Cool, okay. Bye.” He placed the phone back in it’s cradle carefully and turned his attention to Tony, resting his head in one hand and blushing intensely under the other man’s gaze. “That was corporate. You could have gotten me into trouble.”

“I’d never get you into trouble, Pete. I’d sooner die.”

“This job’s not worth dying over, Mr. Stark.”

“You might be…”

Peter choked out an embarrassed giggle. “Stop it! You’re the worst. Did you just come over here to tease me or did you need help with the copier again? For someone with half a degree in computers, you really suck with copiers, you know that?”

Tony shrugged, so what if that was one of his many excuses to spend a little time with Peter during the day. He could hardly be faulted for that. “Got you a present. Wanted to make sure you got to enjoy it properly.”

“Oh yeah, what did you get me?” Peter looked more than a little skeptical, and in all honesty, he probably had a right to be.

“Wait until Rogers gets back from his coffee break and then enjoy the show, Kid.”

“Oh my god, what did you do?”

Tony chuckled, stealing a piece of candy from the bowl Peter filled every week. “I may have hacked his computer last night…sent him a very official looking email from the US Army inquiring about a very special kind of paper needed for a top secret mission and included a referral from one of his best clients.”

“You didn’t!”

“He’s always acting like his job is a matter of life and death, let’s give the geek a thrill, huh?”

“Mr. Stark, that’s so mean…”

“I could abort the mission if you really think…”

“I mean it would be a shame to waste all that hard work…”

***

“No.”

“Seriously, Steve, I haven’t even gotten to ask…”

“I know, but whatever it is you want, Tony, it can’t be good. So, no. My answer is no.”

Tony frowned, hanging his head in frustration for several seconds. “I know you got Peter in the office Secret Santa thing…”

“How do you know that? Did you just conveniently skip over the ‘secret’ part?”

Tony was trying really hard to be nice here. Steve wasn’t making it easy. “I asked everyone else. Paid them. Did them favors. Tracked down the lucky bastard who was gifting Peter…and Fate hates me, so here we are. Look, Rogers, I know we’re not friends…”

“Whose fault is that?”

“Mine. Mine. It’s clearly mine. I accept the blame. I do. It’s just…I have something planned for Pete and I need to be his Secret Santa. I will do literally anything. Name your price.”

“I can’t be bought, Tony. Peter has a fiance, or did you forget that? Whatever you want from him, it can’t be good.”

Tony groaned, hitting his forehead against the top of his desk. “I know Peter has a fiance, Rogers. Believe me, no one is more aware of Quentin’s existence than I am. The guy’s a jerk…a bigger jerk than me, and that’s really saying something. You know it’s true. He’s a piece of shit and Peter deserves better. The guy is going to give him some generic piece of crap for Christmas, no thought at all. You know it. Peter’s a good kid. He deserves…he deserves a lot more than that shithole. Let me give him something nice. I’m not going to break up his relationship. I’m not going to lead him down the path of temptation. I just want to give him something nice and make him smile without him feeling like he needs to do something for me, okay? Rogers…I’m begging you.”

Steve stared at him for several long minutes before he sighed and nodded. “Fine. Yeah. Okay.”

“Bless you, Steve Rogers. Consider this our armistice. War over.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

***

Tony had never wanted to hug anyone as badly as he wanted to hug Peter in that moment.

The kid looked defeated.

He was seated at a little card table towards the back of the comic book shop with several stacks of his own self-published comic in little piles all around him.

No one was stopping to look at them. To talk to him. To acknowledge his existence at all.

His eyes were glassy. The kid was literally minutes away from crying and he just couldn’t let that happen.

“Just your luck that you’d have your debut on a rainy day, Parker.”

Peter jumped, scrubbing a hand over his cheeks and putting on a brave face as he looked up at Tony with a paradoxical mixture of relief and fear. “Tony! You…you came.”

“Course I came. Wouldn’t miss this for the world. But seriously, you know rainy days are terrible for business, right? It’s a proven fact. Why…I’ve never seen so few people in here before. Gotta be the weather.”

“Yeah…no, yeah, I’m sure you’re right.” Peter looked like he didn’t quite believe Tony, but he was also apparently eager for an excuse to explain his lackluster turn out. Had anyone else from the office even come? Ass holes. All of them. And where the fuck was Quentin?

“So, let’s see…” Tony reached out for one of the books, carefully flipping through the pages and perusing the content with a little humming noise. “Hey, now, do you take inspiration from people you know?”

Peter was blushing. “Maybe…”

“No maybe about it, Peter, you cannot tell me this handsome bastard isn’t based off me.” He flipped the book around, tapping at an image of a roguishly handsome superhero in crimson and gold armor. “You know I’m a raging narcissist, right? I was going to buy a book anyway, but now I have to buy the whole series cause I’m one of the stars. You in here, too?”

Peter nodded slowly, his blush darkening. “Yeah…but I won’t tell you who. You’ll have to figure that out…”

“I do love a challenge.” Tony closed the book and reached out to add one from every pile to the one in his hands. “So, how much?”

“Um…they’re ten a piece but…”

“But obviously that’s much too low so I’ll give you a hundred for the set of five.”

“Tony, no…”

“Fine. A hundred and fifty it is. You’re a tough negotiator, Pete.”

“Tony!” The smile on Peter’s face was worth every fucking penny. And who needed to eat, anyway?

***

“Mr. Stark! You promised that the goatee was not because of my comics.”

Peter was standing at his desk with both hands over his mouth. His face was as brilliantly red as the home made Halloween costume Tony had donned for work that day…the costume he had based entirely off of Peter’s comic and the character he just knew was based on him. Had to be. And dammit, if he was right…if he was right, than Peter had even made himself Tony’s fucking love interest…and wasn’t that just the most interesting thing he’d ever read in his whole damn life?

“So, I lied. It’s not my fault. You’re such a damn good artist that I took one look at my comic book self with that awesome facial hair and said, ‘Fuck, Tony, why did you never realize that you’d be even more devastatingly attractive if you just had an impeccably groomed goatee?’ The world has you to thank for it, Pete, and I’m definitely keeping it because it’s been a hit.”

Peter’s hands dropped from his face to his sides. He was chewing on his bottom lip, looking pensive. “Who…I didn’t know you were dating anybody Mr. Stark. I’m glad…they like it. I guess…”

Tony didn’t bother to correct him. Not yet. A little jealousy might do the kid some good, let him know how much Tony wanted to choke the fucking life out of Quentin every time that piece of shit showed his face.

***

Peter was wearing a new soft blue sweater over a button down shirt and Tony was trying very hard not to swoon over how fucking adorable he looked. He was playing with his gum, winding it around his finger before popping it into his mouth to begin again. He had his phone concealed in his lap so no one could see him playing on social media while he was supposed to be working. That was probably why he didn’t hear Tony approach until the man was standing directly in front of him, leaning against the reception desk and looking at Peter with what Tony recognized was something very close to the heart-eye emoji. God, this kid.

He really couldn’t take it anymore.

He had to make a move.

Be brave.

Be bold.

Be the fucking hero in that kid’s comic.

“What are you doing tonight, Pete?”

Peter jumped a little, looking up at Tony with a little flush of surprise. “Tonight? I don’t know. Quentin’s got poker at Drax’s, so probably just going to lay in bed and catch up on Netflix. Why?”

Tony smirked, dropping something on the desk in front of him.

“Oh my god, how did you get this? It’s not even supposed to be released for another two weeks…” Peter’s excitement was quelled by the sudden realization, “Is this a bootleg?”

Tony nodded. He was never going to admit to how much he’d spent for a bootleg copy of something he cared absolutely nothing about because in the end…it was going to be completely worth it. “Come over to my place tonight. We can break the law together.”

“You think if the FBI raids your place while we’re in the middle of it that we could at least be cellmates, Mr. Stark?”

“Don’t worry, Pete, I’ll protect you in the prison yard. No one would dare put a hand on you.”

“I’ve always thought you’d make a great prison husband.” The witty banter ground to a halt with Peter’s last quip, his light brown eyes flaring wide. His mouth had runaway without his better judgment, but Tony wasn’t quite ready to let it go yet.

“Oh, I’d make a great husband, prison or not.” Tony held Peter’s gaze for a second longer than was probably comfortable for both of them, the kid’s face was red as a cherry tomato when they were interrupted by the sound of an exasperated sigh from behind them.

“Tony…could you just grow up already? Some of us are actually trying to work…”

Peter giggled into his hand, leaning to the side to look around Tony at Steve Rogers’ desk. “I thought you and Mr. Rogers had finally ended the Civil War, what did you do this time?” He was careful to keep his tone soft enough that it didn’t carry.

“Hm?” Tony was still distracted by thoughts of Peter as his prison wife, but managed to pull himself out of it to look back over his shoulder and shrug. “I super glued everything to his desk last night.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Peter was under his desk now, hugging his sides and laughing himself breathless.

***

It was far from the first time he and Peter had spent time together outside of work. They were friendly, in fact. Quentin didn’t share any of Peter’s interests, and that left plenty of things for Tony to exploit. Movies Quentin wouldn’t be caught dead seeing. Video game releases. Comic conventions. Hell, Tony had even gone to a few games of D&D with Peter because he would take literally any excuse to spend time with that kid.

Now, they were cuddled up on Tony’s couch in his apartment with enough snack food to weather the apocalypse and a bootleg that Peter was dying to see. Though, for something Peter was dying to see, he didn’t seem as enthusiastic about watching it as he had earlier that day.

“Pete? You okay? Something happen after work?” He’d been fine when they’d said their goodbyes that day.

Peter ran a hand through his curls and let out a long, shaky breath. “I think Quentin might be cheating on me. I don’t have proof but…Drax didn’t know anything about a poker game tonight and it’s just, it’s little things, you know? I found this little church I really liked for the wedding and I mentioned it to him, that we could maybe set a date…but he brushed me off. MJ…you know from customer service? She says I’m an idiot, that he’s never going to marry me and now I’m afraid she’s right…do think she’s right, Tony?”

Tony reached out, drawing the younger man close and inhaling the scent of his shampoo as he tucked Peter against his chest. “You’re not an idiot, Peter. You’re way better than that piece of shit in the warehouse deserves. You’re beautiful and smart and funny and talented, and if you were mine…we’d have fucking eloped the second you said you’d marry me.”

Peter pulled back with a watery smile, “Yeah?”

“Mhm. They increased the limit on my credit card last month. Enough for two tickets to Vegas, a week long stay in a crappy casino and a quickie wedding chapel. I’d lock that shit down before you had a second to realize that you could do better than me, too.”

“Better than you?” Peter sounded as if that idea was more insane than eloping to Vegas minutes after a marriage proposal. “Tony, there isn’t anyone better than you.”

“If you believed that, you wouldn’t be with that piece of shit, Quentin Beck.”

Now, Peter just looked confused. “In what universe did I ever have a choice between you and Quentin?”

“This one.”

Peter’s head slowly canted to one side, brow furrowing and eyes narrowing. “No…”

“Oh yes, Pete.” Never in his wildest dreams had ever thought that Peter thought Tony was out of his league. Was the kid blind? Did he not own a mirror? Did he not know how brilliant and funny and talented… “Oh yes..” Those last two words were repeated a hair’s breadth from Peter’s lips as Tony leaned forward to bridge the distance between them.

It was everything Tony had ever thought it would be and so much more. Peter’s lips were soft, his whimpers were music to Tony’s ears. Tony let himself bury his fingers in those chestnut curls and inhale the scent of him, revel in the taste of him, live in that moment as if it was the only one he was ever going to get.

The kiss went on until neither one of them could breath, until they were forced to pull back with heaving chests and swollen lips. Peter stared at Tony for several seconds before he threw off the blanket and walked out of the room.

What.

What the fuck.

Tony was dumbfounded. Was Peter not into it? Had he just been shot down? Was Peter not even going to talk to him…

No.

Peter was back.

With his laptop?

Tony frowned, watching as Peter dropped the computer in his lap followed by something small and golden. Glancing up, Tony caught sight of Peter’s now empty ring finger.

“Put your money where your mouth is, Stark.”

Tony stared. “What…”

“Two tickets. Vegas. ASAP.”

“Wait…” He couldn’t be serious.

“No, you said you wouldn’t make me wait. I already Snapped Quentin. We’re broken up. I’m single…but I don’t want to be. So buy me those tickets to Vegas and a ring…when we get there.”

Tony slowly opened the laptop, stealing glances at Peter ever few seconds as he booted it and pulled up a travel site. “You’re not…this isn’t a joke, right?”

“Not a joke. You’re not the only one who’s been pining, Tony Stark. Why do you think Quentin hated you so much? He knew I was super into you…hell, Tony, I made you my lover in my comics…You’ve been my unattainable crush since I started my job. You’re the nicest guy I’ve ever met. Most supportive. We have fun together. We have a lot in common. We just…”

“Yeah.” Tony was smiling now, not even second guessing himself as he typed in his credit card numbers. “I don’t know if we can get a week off work…”

“Four day weekend is good enough for now. I’ll call Mr. Lang and let him know we won’t be in. I’ll have to tell him why…”

“God help us.”

***

Four days later when Tony and Peter returned to work in the same car, they arrived to find an impromptu wedding shower waiting for them. Quentin had quit. Left all of Peter’s stuff in the warehouse in a pile in the middle of one of the docking bays. But whatever, the less they had to see of that prick the better. Scott seemed happier about their elopement than they were, and he’d gone to great lengths to print up t-shirts proclaiming that everyone in the office ‘shipped Starker’. Even Rogers was wearing one.

Tony pretended to hate it.

Really he fucking loved it.

Maybe his job wasn’t the absolute worst after all…

#starker

257 notes · View notes

alistircrat · 4 years

Text

Hetalila Fanfiction Recs

Here’s a list of some of my favorite Hetalia fanfictions. Most have pairings, which I’ll specify. I put this up because I know I’m always on the lookout for good fanfiction and I wanted to help out anyone else who’s in the same boat :D Feel free to add onto this or rec me some too ;) Also a good master list of the ones I like LMAO. I’ve noticed I either like tragic, angsty fanfiction or really fluffy ones. A lot are rated M. And a LOT of USUK and Spamano #srynotsry Disclaimer: I did not write any of these; they all belong to their respective authors.

Update: Ive had this sitting in my drafts for like over 4 years and i began it when i was super into hetalia n fanfiction LMAO, what better time to post this when i should be studying lmao its nearly 4 am halp

UsUK

The Secret : Rated T, 32k words, 5 chapters, Drama/Romance, Complete Arthur's sister, engaged to prince Alfred, is killed before she even meets him. Arthur's parents do not want to shame themselves by ending the engagement and force Arthur to dress like his sister and marry Alfred instead. But can this secret be kept? (note: very interesting!! I loved every second of it)

The Courting of Alfred Jones : Rated M, 26k words, 13 chapters, Romance/Hurt/Comfort, Incomplete Alfred Jones is the most popular guy in school and also extremely homophobic. This is why Arthur is his new favourite 'victim', but Arthur has no intentions of grovelling in the dust for him. Punk!ArthurxJock!Alfred (note: Rated M, so there IS some explicit material and I advise viewer discretion. Another highschool AU. Sad that it’s probably not going to finish but it’s worth the read)

When I Only Wanted to Save the World : Rated M, 29k words, 11 chapter, Romance, Complete Alfred is a firefighter in New York City. When he gets badly injured, he takes a trip to London to recover. There he meets a man named Arthur, who ends up helping him recover from wounds he didn't even know he had. (note: warmed my weeb heart)

United Again : Rated T, 31k words, 7 chapters, Humor/Romance, Complete Arthur gets a letter in the mail informing him of his school's ten year reunion.

Unexpected : Rated T, 5.7k words, One-shot, Humor/Drama, Complete World Academy. When Arthur was asked to tutor the star of the American Football team, he expected several things. Sitting in an apartment full of Asian children was not one of them. (cute!)

The Invitational Year : Rated M, 208k words, 41 chapters, Romance/Drama, Complete Alfred is an awkward dork, despite the fact his dad is President. Arthur is a member of British royalty, and he's a perfectionist loner. Both boys are given an invitation to attend the prestigious World Academy and, naturally, they're roomies. (note: A favorite of mine! Quite long but very much worth it. Highschool AU. Can be silly yet dramatic. Anyways, you should read it! Viewer discretion due to sexual themes)

The Sophomore Year : Rated M, 173k words, 34 chapter, Romance/Drama, Complete After meeting at boarding school, Alfred and Arthur became unlikely friends and then lovers. Now, they'll face their sophomore year in America and all the challenges that come with being young, famous, and madly in love. (note: sequal to The Invitational Year)

And All That Jazz : Rated M, 98k words, 22 chapters, Romance, Complete Alfred is approached by the Student Body President, Arthur, for help on his math exam. They hate each other, but maybe opposites can attract with the help of something unexpected. (note: I love this fic. Highschool AU. Also involves music...cuz liek yknow the title)

1912 : Rated T, 52k words, 9 chapters, Romance/Drama, Complete Cynical, overweight and bored in the dull twilight of his empire, Arthur finds distraction in the form of rekindling his relationship with Alfred on board the RMS Titanic during her doomed maiden voyage.

The Arrow was Shot : Rated K+, 5.8k words, One-shot, Romance, Complete In order to win his family's respect, Arthur enters a tournament to win the Princess of America's hand in marriage. At the tournament, he befriends the mysterious Alfred- a fellow competitor who is equally determined to win. As he and Alfred grow closer, he begins to question what is more important to him: his family's respect... or Alfred.

Flirting with Failure : Rated T, 2k words, One-shot, Romance/Humor, Complete Alfred just wanted to get one date with Arthur Kirkland before the semester ended. To do that he had to speak with him. Thus, he was set up for failure.

Hero Frequency : Rated T, 12k words, 3 chapters, Romance/Humor, Incomplete America's got the coolest and most awesome band in school, and he's totally going to win the Battle of the Bands contest. Or at least he might, if he can get England to put aside their past issues long enough to play guitar...

The Gentleman and the Hero : Rated T, 57k words, 21 chapters, Romance, Complete World Academy students have been paired up for an anonymous email exchange program, so they can talk to someone about school and personal problems in private. These are the emails of two students nicknamed 'The Gentleman' and 'The Hero'. (note: I also love this. I find it very cute and also very in character. I want an email buddy lol. Highschool AU)

Breathless : Rated T, 35k words, 4 chapters, Angst/Hurt/Comfort, Complete Arthur Kirkland never thought that golden boy Alfred Jones would ever have a reason to attempt suicide. Then again, how much did he really know about the oh so popular blonde? The rumor mill would surely chew him up and spit him out. (note: p sure this is another favorite of mine. Though angsty, I really enjoyed the development between the two. Highschool AU. Really great read!!)

Static : Rated T, 45k words, 9 chapters, Drama/Romance, Incomplete Sequel to Breathless. Arthur always thought that the incident with Alfred's arms would forever be the biggest hurdle their friendship would face. But as the looks change and the touches linger, it becomes frightfully clear that he was dead wrong about that. (note: continues after Breathless, but not finished ): worth the read anyway)

Ask Me Anything : Rated T, 7k words, One-shot, Romance/Humor, Complete Alfred starts to follow Arthur on tumblr. It's not long until they become friends... and possibly more.

The Cost of Affection : Rated M, 61k words, 32 chapters, Angst/Romance, Incomplete Being a whore is easy: all Arthur has to do is spread his legs and take the money. He doesn't have to face his past; nor does he have to deal with love. And for good reason - because when he does fall head-over-heels for someone, he's forced to realize that his sins go beyond prostitution, and that even as he rediscovers himself, his past is coming back to haunt him after all.

You Can’t Take the Sky Away From Me : Rated T, 113k words, 32 chapters, Adventure/Romance, Incomplete Ace pilot America is on a mission for the World Military when a chance encounter with a group of sky-pirates leads him to team up with their captain, England, against a malevolent group that wants to fill the sky with zeppelins. (note: Steampunk AU. This is a really cool fic!)

We’ll Meet Again : Rated M, 43k words, 13 chapters, Romance/Angst, Complete WW2 AU. London pub owner Arthur Kirkland is driven to distraction by loud, brash American fighter pilot Alfred Jones. Unable to stop it, Arthur finds himself falling for Alfred's charms... just as the pilot is preparing to leave for war. (note: a hetalia fandom clASSIC. MUST READ. unfortunately the OG fics were deleted so someone reposted it, giving credit to the OG author George deValier. this will rip ur heart out n tape it poorly back together)

Franada

La Patisserie de La Rose : Rated M, 35k words, 6 chapters, Romance, Complete Accountant Matthew Williams is used to being unnoticed, ignored, and forgotten. That is until pastry chef Francis Bonnefoy appears like a burst of colour in his dull, grey life.

AmeViet (yes, Vietnam!)

Hard to Get : Rated T, 57k words, 20 chapters, Adventure/Romance, Complete During World War Two, serious, limited Vietnam meets the boisterous America. Amid fighting, friendship, and stress, America tries to get Vietnam to like him, but she won't let that happen. Or will she? (note: One of my all-time favorites, unforgettable. I can never find fics of this pairing, it’s so hard! But this is a really great fic, highly recommend. also after learning more about Vietnam history, i might give this yet ANOTHER re-read with my new perspectives)

Of Broken Promises and the Taste of Freedom : Rated T, 1.4k words, One-shot, Hurt/Comfort/Romance, Complete Vaguely, Vietnam wondered if this was what freedom tasted like. If perhaps, the hot waves that crashed through her body and set her skin on fire was what it was like to know that you are truly free.

GerIta (apologies, I don’t read too much GerIta LOL)

Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart : Rated M, 104k words, 18 chapters, Romance/Angst, Complete WW2 AU. Feliciano Vargas is a passionate, if slightly scared, Italian resistance member. Falling in love with a German fighter pilot was the last thing he expected... and it will test his national loyalty, and his heart, to their limits. (note: another VeraVerse, so well written! you will not ragret. also a repost since Og was deleted, all credit to George deValier)

RusAme

Dear Diary : Rated T, 55k words, 17 chapters, Humor/Romance, Complete Alfred F. Jones isn't gay. Just read his diary; you'll see. (note: I absolutely love high school or college AUs, omg. Also this is hilarious. I can really relate to how Alfred's rambling)

PruHun

The Most Awesome Date Plan Ever : Rated T, 7.5k words, 6 chapters, Romance/Humor, Complete It was foolproof. He had worked out every plan, every detail and each possible outcome almost guaranteed him Elizaveta's love. Until it was ruined by Gilbert's two cockblocking best friends. (note: funny and cute)

Táncol? : Rated K+, 24k words, 6 chapters, Humor/Romance, Complete Elizaveta is determined to find out who Gilbert wants to ask out for the school dance. If that means bullying his friends, being hired by Gilbert to slave over a cake, and invading his diaries, so be it. (note: Another favorite! Very cute)

Hello Hurricane : Rated T, 61k words, 18 chapters, Hurt/Comfort/Tragedy, Complete Sequel to "Táncol?" Elizaveta, Ludwig, Francis, and Antonio are forced to watch Gilbert slowly fade away every day. (note: It might seem like I have lots of favorites, cuz I do and this is one of them. Warning, I cried a lot towards the end. Highly recommend)

PruCan

That Song Called Love : Rated T, 62k words, 25 chapters, Romance/Drama, Complete Matthew had always resigned himself to a fate of musical obscurity on a supporting instrument, but after meeting an ex-delinquent named Gilbert, he just might learn to take the lead. (note: contains other minor pairings. Although she doesn’t play a huge role I’m so happy Vietnam is in it Dx)

Operation Not to Hot : Rated T, 10k words, 2 chapters, Romance/Humor, Complete Gilbert Beilschmidt is dorky, nerdy, and has serious confidence issues. He doesn't really care about himself until he sees Matthew Williams, AKA super-hot-hockey-jock. With Matthew's heart in mind, Gilbert undergoes a complete transformation. (note: funny story. Prussia being Prussia)

Overdue : Rated T, 12k words, 8 chapters, Romance/Supernatural, Complete "Well, Gott, Mattie, at least look someone in the eye when you tell them you're a ghost. Make a good impression!" (note: cute lil one-shot series)

I Have all Summer to Fall For You : Rated T, 162k words, 38 chapters, Incomplete At school, Gilbert makes fun of Matthew, and Matthew just wants to be left alone. But then when the hot days of summer roll around, and they have nothing but free time, things happen that NO ONE could have planned for! (note: MY ALL-TIME FAV PRUCAN FiC Ever. Probably will never finish but the length and quality make up for it)

PruAus

Please Don’t Read the Verdict : Rated M, 57k words, 11 chapters, Romance/Crime, Incomplete District Attorney Roderich Edelstein is faced with a gruesome, controversial murder. He has three months to build a case against the accused, but more than his will to prosecute may be destroyed in the process. (note: sadly not done, but highly interesting!)

Lily of the Lamplight : Rated M, 27k words, 4 chapters, Romance/Angst, Incomplete WW2 AU. Austrian musician Roderich and German soldier Gilbert are forced into an army prison unit and a fight for survival on the Russian Front. But in the midst of blood and death and hell on earth, how long can they fight their desire for each other? (note: MY 👏 FAV 👏 VERAVERSE 👏 I loveeee this fic, I’m so SAD it’s nEvEr going to be completed. Savor those 4 chapters. Luckily theyre long *cries* Also love the set of main characters, including Prussia, Austria, Berwald, and Poland. Also listen to the song the title is based off of, i luv it too)

SuFin

Cheers to a New Life : Rated M, 94k words, 47 chapters, Romance/Family, Complete Sweden could only find a job as a Kindergarten teacher and the famous Kirkland's little Peter happens to be enrolled into his class. But it is not Mr. Arthur Kirkland who is picking Peter up, it's this angel with the greatest ass Berwald's ever seen. (note: viewer discretion, mostly on later chapters. also has cute lil Peter/Sealand)

My Heart, In Segments : Rated T, 14k words, 10 chapters, Family/Hurt/Comfort, Complete Berwald is a man left alone, and Peter was a kid left behind. Berwald's not really the perfect dad, Peter's not really innocent anymore, and Tino's not really sure he's ready for something so real. But, maybe... Maybe it's time.

In Want of a Wife : Rated T, 41k words, 18 chapters, Romance/Humor, Incomplete Berwald's life is turned upside down when he is accepted into Hetalia International University, and everything changes for the better when he catches a glimpse of his future wife who lives down the hall. Who cares if Tino doesn't accept it yet? (note: Human AU; Lietpol is a bonus in all this hehe)

Treatment : Rated T, 55k words, 12 chapters, Romance/Humor, Incomplete Tino is a young psychology major, well known for being kind and eager to help others with their issues, but less so for his habit of profiling "patients" on campus. His therapist's eye has fixed on Berwald, but will he be the one who ends up on the couch? (note: Though not fully done, it’s one of my favorite sufin fics. Also hilarious bahah)

Catch Perfect : Rated T, 35k words, 8 chapters, Romance/Friendship, Incomplete When Berwald loses everything he is forced to move into a share house with an insane Dane, a sociopathic Norwegian, an unfathomable Icelander and a perfect Finn who makes it all worth putting up with. (note: can be crazy and random, which is probs why I liked it so much. also by George deValier I believe, reposted onto wattpad after it got deleted)

DenNor

Hummingbird : Rated T, 61k words, 12 chapters, Tragedy/Hurt/Comfort, Complete Lukas' only goal in life was to take care of his younger brother, until he was diagnosed with an irregular heart rhythm. His originally peaceful stay in hospital was interrupted when the loud, cheerful Mathias was moved into the bed beside him and refused to leave him alone; yet as his health began to deteriorate, the Dane decided to fall in love with him. (note: I love this fic so much, it’s also another favorite of mine. Very cute but with lots of angst, ahhh just what I ordered)

Secret Crowds : Rated M, 3.4k words, One-shot, Hurt/Comfort/Romance, Complete An explosion leaves Denmark with a permanent brain injury and Norway struggles to find his role in their relationship as the line between lover and caregiver begins to blur. (sad and touching)

I also read a lot of DenNor so im like ?? where the fics at LOL. but i think i read more DenNor doujinshis, so that’s def something yall should look into

Spamano

A Beautiful Story : Rated T, 16k words, 10 chapters, Tragedy/Romance, Complete Lovino Romano Vargas is a suicidal designer who is unhappy with his fate. One day, he chances to meet Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, who turns his life upside down.

Flashlight : Rated T, 38k words, 11 chapters, Parody/Romance, Complete "If I throw a tomato at you, vampire bastard, will you still sparkle under the sauce?" (note: OKAY SO This is actually a Twilight parody w Romano as Bella and Spain as Edward. I don’t really like Twilight but I really like this version of it lmao. Funny and a good read. Mostly Romano’s POV, cRACK )

New Batteries : Rated T, 41k words, 10 chapters, Humor/Romance, Complete Sequel to Flashlight. "WELL, I NEVER LIKED YOU, EITHER. WHAT NOW, YOU STUPID SPARKLY EXCUSE OF A VAMPIRE?" (note: also a parody, just the sequel to the previous one listed. I understand the Twilight plot through these better than the original)

Kismet : Rated M, 174k words, 52 chapters, Romance/Fantasy, Complete Lovino learns the hard way that things change and that they can change quickly. The necklace fell and now he's in a strange land far from home. Will he ever see his brother again? Will he find his way home? Or will he discover home is where the heart is? Fate is a strange woman and can work in mysterious ways. (note: RATED M, viewer discretion. the author has a list of warnings on the first chapter you can look at so you know what you’re reading. Fantasy AU)

Catch You, Catch Me : Rated M, (basically)37k words, 7 chapters, Drama/Romance, Complete Clumsy, clueless detective Romano is on the trail of the infamous handsome and charming thief El Apasionado Caballero. But there's more to this, what seems like a simple game of cat and mouse, than meets the eye.

The Bet : Rated T, 20k words, 9 chapters, Romance/Humor, Complete When someone kisses you, and then moves away you'd think that would be it. But when Antonio comes back from Spain he wants Lovino to be his again. Except Lovino now hates Antonio...which sucks for Lovino because Antonio isn't going to let go that easily.

Zero Tolerance : Rated M, 55k words, 24 chapters, Romance/Drama, Complete Lovino lives a perfect life. Or atleast thats how he is suppose to appear. Antonio lives a life as a dangerous gangbanger. North Side meets South Side as these two are partnered in their Chemistry class. But there is one chemical reaction these 2 arent prepared for- Love. (highschool AU)

Breathless in the Atmosphere : Rated T, 31k words, 3 chapters, Hurt/Comfort/Romance, Complete Antonio only needed money for marble. He needed to make his art. And a chance encounter on the subway offers him a job as a male escort. It was just for the money. He could stop anytime he wanted to. Really. (note: viewer discretion advised. contains prostitution and suicidal ideation)

Before the Snow Falls : Rated T, 19k words, 2 chapters, Romance/Drama, Complete Lovino, jersey number nine, right winger. He was ready to pass the ball, ready to set up the win, but Antonio, opposite team, center fielder, was ready too. Someone thought, and someone didn't, and they crashed. Hard. A few months later, Lovino's on crutches, Antonio has scholarships, and they have to deal with the aftermath of what happened.

Door to Door : Rated T, 3.5k words, One-shot, Humor/Romance, Complete Do not open the door. It could be a zombie, an unwanted boyfriend of your brother's, or a persistant salesman by the name Antonio Carriedo.

Numbered Lithograph : Rated M, 133k words, 29 chapters, Drama/Romance, Complete When Lovino starts attending art school with his brother he finds his most important lesson doesn't come from his professors, but from a culinary student at a sister school: sometimes the flaws hold the beauty. (note: Probably my favorite spamano fic. Very touching. Has fluff and angst)

Bésame Mucho : Rated M, 48k words, 6 chapter, Angst/Romance, Incomplete WW2 AU. Lovino Vargas only ever wanted something exciting to happen in his boring, everyday Italian village existence. He never expected war, Resistance, love, passion, treason, or a cheerful, confusing, irritatingly attractive Spanish freedom fighter. (note: ANOTHER 👏 ONE 👏OF👏MY👏FAVS👏 BUT SAD BC ITLL NEVER FINISH HDUEOFREGH. Also by George DeValier and reuploaded onto wattpad (originally on ff.net)! I’m in love with the writing. Incomplete but sooo worth the read.)

Bad Touch Trio (may or may not contain pairings/slight pairings)

Oh No, We’re Hot : Rated T, 1.4k words, One-shot, Friendship/Humor, Complete In which, after a summer apart, the Bad Touch Trio realizes that they have become really attractive. Really slight hinted Spamano. (note: I absolutely love the BTT, this is a cute short fic about them)

The Trap : Rated T, 4.7k words, One-shot, Friendship/Humor, Complete The prompt was Prussia and Spain meeting France for the first time, thinking he's a girl, kiddy-courting him, then finding out he's a boy, but still kiddy-courting him. Exactly as wacky as it sounds. (note: another cute story about the BTT and their rad friendship! I need this in my life)

Multiple Pairings

Playing Cupid : Rated T, 24k words, 15 chapters, Romance/Humor, Complete In Everett High School there is a secret club called the yaoi club. It is their job, during Sadies, to set up couples. This year Elizabeta has an ambitious plan. She is going to find a date for the infamous Lovino Vargas. Her choice is Antonio, unfortunately half the girls want to ask him too. Will she and her friends succeed? Spamano, UsUk, Prucan, GerIta, others (note: very cute highschool AU! highly recommend! also contains many of the hetalia girls, which is amazing~)

No Pairings

Bad Pasta : Rated T, 13k words, 6 chapter, Mystery/Tragedy, Complete Kiku and Arthur trade rooms. (note: Author also made a game based on this posted on deviantart: Bad Pasta game. I really liked it, especially since I’m into hetalia fangames and whatnot. warning, contains death of characters)

Fun with Former Vikings : Rated K+, 63k words, 17 chapters, Friendship/Family, Complete Brothers that are too awkward to even stand next to each other, husband and 'wife,' and that one guy that drinks a lot. The Nordics couldn't be any more different. And neither could the situations they get themselves into. (note: I love love love the Nordics. This is also probably one of my all-time favs. I love them as bros Dx)

God Only Threw the Humans out of Paradise : Rated K+, 4.5k words, One-shot, Friendship, Complete 12 years is nothing in the life of a Nation. But to a puppy, it's a lifetime. This is a look at 12 years of England's life through the eyes of man's best friend.

Gutters : Rated M, 98k words, 20 chapters, Adventure/Drama, Complete 'The Calamity' has left the world stripped and dying. Alone in a civilian bunker in Munich, Sealand will be reunited with the last known living member of his surrogate family and together, they will set out across Europe to find those they have lost. (note: It’s an adventure story starring Sealand and Denmark. Can be really intense and eMOTIONAL i cried like a bitch, highly recommend. Probably one of my 👏 favorite👏 fics of all time)

Ditches : Rated M, 2.4k words, 2 chapters, Drama/Family, Incomplete Prequel to Gutters. In the days leading up to The Calamity, the world braces and families struggle not to be torn apart.

Breathe Me : Rated T, 66k words, 21 chapters, Angst/Hurt/Comfort, Complete "God I'm so fat." "No, Alfred. You're not. You're –" "Stop it! I am and you know it! The whole world knows! Just stop okay?" Trigger Warning, Human AU, and F.A.C.E. Family. (note: very important TRIGGER WARNING due to mention of eating disorders, verbal abuse, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.)

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nny11writes · 4 years

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13, 16, 18, 43 and 50 for tha ask game please and thank you :P Just, many many numbers lol

13. What is your planning process?

My first reaction was to squint and go “Do I have a process?” which is probably an answer on its own lol!

It depends is the actual answer.

Like most writers I start a fic because of one scene or dialogue or description that I really, really, really wanted to write and then I have to figure out where it belongs.

I almost always start by just...writing. I used to be 100% stream of consciousness writer. I’d sit down at least once a day with a blank document and without ANY forethought or direction I’d start writing a fic. It was always as much fun for me as my readers to see where a story would go because I literally had no clue.

These days, as I’m putting THE THING down on the page my brain is shrieking ideas at me so I start slapping them down too, but I’ve got a better filter so not everything goes down. There’s a lot of [WHAT IS THIS THING PLS PLS FIGURE IT OUT] and [PAST OR PRESENT TENSE MF MAKE UP YO MIND] at this stage.

This is where I actually start planning. I’ve got a bunch of stuff down, a vague direction, and a lot of ideas so this is usually where I sit down to do some planning. Am I aiming to write a short fic or long fic, one shot or multi-chapter, where are we, how many characters, etc. I leave things pretty wide open, while sometimes it’s fun to challenge myself to meet very specific goals it’s usually frustrating to me so nothing is set in stone. Literally. Even when I’ve posted if someone leaves a comment that’s amazing or enough people liked it I’ll usually try to write more in that fic or another fic with those ideas.

How To Quit You is a great example of how my loosey goosey planning works. I don’t know if people realize but that fic was originally supposed to be ONLY that first chapter. I wrote it in an hour tops for 2019 glitra week and all I knew at that point was I wanted to do a western with some romance tropes to it (hence the exes who still love each other thing).

Once I realized how many people seemed to love it and wanted to see more I sat down and planned it out. I first decided how I wanted to write the story (hence going back in time ~15 years) and then I created chapter titles and had vague descriptions for them. Once it was all down I went through it again and made adjustments, then created a timeline (Micah died in 1868, they meet in 1870, Catra works BMR rails 1870-1880 min, etc etc). And that’s it. I made an outline and used it as my idea bouncing ground and map and huge parts of it have changed as we’ve gone along. Catra was going to become a drunkard out in [REDACTED] after the timeline met up with chapter one. I scrapped that because it didn’t fit with other details and changes I’d made. I re-wrote the chapter and now I gotta scrap that and re-write it again do to reasons that would spoilers.

Let’s Try This Again is another hilarious example, because chapters 1-6 were meticulously planned and I charted out a whole story around them that I was going to stick to damn it all! And then Palpatine hip checked me and changed the course of the story. I still included a lot from my original VERY detailed outline, but some chapters were nixed completely and others added in too sooooo...

I’m not a true pantser because I do some planning, but I’m not a planner because I leave huge chucks practically up to the whims of fate. I’m a plantser.

16. Do you use sentence starters, writing prompts and/or fandom headcanons for your fanfics?

Sometimes!

I think some of my best works are from prompts (WHICH ARE ALWAYS OPEN, HINT HINT, NUDGE NUDGE, KNOW WHAT I MEAN KNOW WHAT I MEAN) specifically.

I rarely use sentence starters but I think I’ve done okay when I did.

But fandom headcanons? Oh hell yeah baby now we’re talking!

Can Anakin cook but Padme can’t? Hell yeah!

Togruta have some cat like features so Ahsoka is obligate carnivore and color blind? WOOOOOOOO BOYYYYYYYYYYYY!

"This is not because I like you.” is 100% something that everyone in the Horde says when trying to cover their asses, Catra’s just a useless lesbian and has to use it A Lot More Than Most. Awwwwww yeah, that’s the good stuff!

Glimmer and Catra talk to one another but only have serious conversations sitting back to back post canon. I DON’T MAKE THE RULES!

Like, god, fandom headcanon is practically what my fics live on lol! I’m not great at writing things in canon or sticking to canon, and people are amazing and smart so of course I’m going to steal their cool ideas and then mess with them until they’re my own.

18. What is your favorite writing prompt?

...I gotta be honest I have no clue lol. I’ve liked basically every prompt I’ve ever gotten (there’s literally only been 2 that I got and went “...oh.” and of those two I was able to bend the prompt into things I liked a lot! One of them is actually posted and people like it, and then other is currently sitting in the naughty prompt corner for crimes of FIGHTING ME TO A STANDSTILL every time I write a few sentences for it, but I do actually like it now lol).

I think my favorite style of prompt are ones that are open for some interpretation. You know that joke about you know a writer based on how they respond to a one word prompt like “fall” or “cold” or even “love”? I love that kind of stuff! Heck, even things with a more narrow focus are fun to play with. For one of my prompt fics I was able to flip the script and have the character everyone expects the unrequited pining from to instead be the unattainable beloved instead.

*Marge potato meme* I just think they’re neat!

43. Guilty pleasure tropes and scenarios?

None, because I am very loud about what I enjoy and refuse to have things I enjoy ripped away by strangers on the interwebs.

Okay, more seriously, as far as things that others might think are guilty pleasure tropes and scenarios?

I love a good “morons to repressed idiots to lovers” slow burn. Yes, yesssss, let them be absolute fools and make MASSIVE mistakes that they have no reason to make. There was a miscommunication? Delightful! Oh look, they’re both flirting with one another but think the other one is just joking around with them. I WILL TAKE ANOTHER 200K OF THEM SUFFERING THANK YOU!

I love AUs man, every time I see someone who really hates coffee shop AUs or highschool AUs or modern AUs I end up getting grumpy and I go find some of those AUs to read because I love them. The AUs I love the most change fandom to fandom. Not a huge fan of modern AU for star wars, but an absolute slut for them in She Ra. Palpatine chokes on a bagel and I live, but if that happened to Horde Prime I’d be pissed. *shrug* I just know that some people really don’t like or even outright hate AUs, and I do not understand them at all. Like, good for them and I hope they find the fics they do enjoy! But also, why???????

I think my “cringiest” one is that I actually really like A/B/O as long as they flip the script somehow or delve into how something like that would actually effect the world it exists in. Is sex in public a common and acceptable thing b/c they can’t control themselves? Do jobs and schools give people time off for heats and ruts? Is it considered antiquated and anyone who struggles with their biology is considered lazy or stupid? Do celebrities sometimes get in trouble with fans or even lose their jobs/prestige after showing off their new mating mark? GIVE ME THE WORLD BUILDING I WANT TO KNOW! But if it’s a really boring traditional A/B/O...like, what’s the point there?

Please don’t misunderstand me here. These three examples are all things that are WILDLY stupid in their own rights, and I love them dearly both because of and regardless of that!

50. Can we get a teaser for an upcoming chapter?

It’s All Fun and Games Until...Stop! Stop! We’re Already Gay!

AKA the one where they all go to Mystacor to relax in the steam grotto and have to deal with seeing one another in tight fitting and wet underwear. The thirst is high.

“So…” Bow started conversationally as Sea Hawk put the finishing touches on Bow’s freshly painted nails. “How doomed are they? Are we making bets?”

Mermista and Sea Hawk made significant eye contact before looking at him pitifully.

“What?” Bow asked, starting to sweat nervously. “What!?”

“Nothing, just-” Sea Hawk didn’t even get to finish.

“You need to get your girlfriend to get her girlfriends under control, and like, I knooooow that’s a tall order or whatever. But uuuuuuuuugggggghhh, we are going to die.”

“Girlfriend!?” Bow’s voice cracked painfully. “Ha! A-ha! Ha! W-who? I don’t, I don’t have a girlfriend, what are you even talking about?”

“Uuuuuggggggghh!”

“There, there my dear. We have survived worse.”

#ask game #writer game #fanfiction game #fanfic ask game #wip #tropes #planning process #how do write?#guilty pleasures #thanks for playing! :D #venn364

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kryptsune · 5 years

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🌼Good morning everyone and a happy Tuesday to you all! I had a lot of people ask me about my Outertale on Discord. That beat out pretty much all the other options on the poll so here we go! This is one of the larger ones because I had a lot of fun putting some of my favorite sci-fi concepts into this. I am a huge SG1 fan so you can definitely see that reflected. I admittedly am the fantasy genre girl so any ideas are welcome! I just liked the idea that the monsters in this were more than just typical monsters. DO NOT REPOST MY WORK WITHOUT MY PERMISSION IT IS NOT FOR YOUR USE. IF YOU LIKE MY WORK PLEASE REBLOG INSTEAD! It helps me so much! It makes such a difference.💙If you want more of these just let me know! It’s the only way I can gauge interest! Outertale Alternate “Nicknames” Info: Sans: Nova- Nova is the trickster though he is mostly associated with that of Loki. Loki is described specifically as “Playful, malicious ( ok maybe not that one), helpful, and nihilistic.” He helps others in a kind of goofy over the top way. He just doesn’t take much seriously. Nova is one of the youngest. He acts very childish at times coming to question how long he has been among the pantheon. Some argue his many centuries gave him a nihilistic outlook on life or that he is too young to understand the true ways of the world. Not to say that Nova can’t be serious but he is pretty laid back. It’s one of the reasons unlike the others he doesn’t really keep his cultural ties in his design. He should have more Norse in it but nah… varsity jackets are cozy right? I mean he is wearing star shorts for star’s sake. When asked about his job he mentions, “Hey, there kiddo. Nice of ya to drop by. Been up to? Heh well got a “new” job which is pretty cool. Not as cool as Pollux but I help arrange stars. Ya know, like the ones you see in the sky you can make pictures out of? I think you humans call em… constellations. One time I made this giant whoopee cushion one. Then I lost ma job. Got a second chance though. Andromeda’s constantly watchin me. hehe no harm done though.” Both Pollux and Nova refer to each other as brothers but it is unclear if they are biologically related. Their abilities and strengths are nearly opposite and their mythos even more so. Papyrus: Pollux- The presumed older brother of Nova. Pollux is associated with Egyptology specifically wisdom. Pollux tends to be the opposite of Nova in that he takes his job very seriously. Once on earth, he was known as Thoth gracing humanity with a mechanical and architectural knowledge that astounded the world. His mind and intellect put him at the forefront of innovation making him one of Capricorn’s best and most trusted advisors. He enjoys testing the mental prowess of others using puzzles and riddles of his own design. Unlike canon Pap, Pollux cares more about balance in life. Something his younger brother seems to lack. Not all work and not all play. He is kind, helpful, and willing to give advice to anyone that is looking for it. To the little human Frisk, he is a good mentor and teacher. (Pollux has made it his pastime to create a series of challenges to prove a humans worth. If they pass then they are able to speak/ see them. No one has managed to prove themselves.) Undyne: Andromeda- Andromeda is not different from canon Undyne as she embodies the Mayan mythology. She is most closely associated with the feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl. A deity of wind and rain. Also known as life-giver. Though Andromeda tends to harken back to her more aggressive roots she has a deep respect for the King and acts as his guard. Just like Pollux she too acts as an advisor, though more on matters of security than strategy or mechanics. Such a position is where she first met Elara and to this day the two are inseparable sharing their very different cultures. Her favorite kind of anime to watch are mech-based. Alphys: Elara- Very similar to canon Alphys just as this version of Undyne is. Alphys is based on Sukuna-Biko-Na (少名毘古那) or the Shinto god of medicine and rain. Elara is still very much a scientist and one that has a unique fascination with living things. Everything from the planets, to humans, animals, and plant life. She particularly enjoys spending time in her private greenhouse creating and taking care of all of the plant life. Before the monsters were forced to leave their place among the humans she was able to collect all the DNA of the plants and animals on the planet. They are stored in a kind of ark in which to preserve them if anything threatens their existence. Elara is very traditional in her work as her medicines are derived from her magic as well as herbal substances. She is very curious however as she is not allowed to interact with the progress of humanity but rather watches from afar. This is where her love of anime takes hold. Her favorites are ones like Sailor Moon or any type of magical girl anime. She will sit with Andromeda and watch them for hours. Her demeanor is very shy at first but once she opens up she will be a friend for life. Asgore: Capricorn- The head of the cosmic pantheon he is the King as he is in the original. He is associated with Celtic mythos though he has taken on many pantheon roles in his lifetime. Ambisagrus, a god of thunder and lightning, Ancestor God, Sky God, God of Wind, Rain & Hail is what he is based on. One such role is that of Zeus whose main symbol is that of lightning and thunder. Just like the Zeus of mythology Capricorn is constantly debating his involvement with humanity. Whether that be to stop their technological advances or aiding in their lives. A large portion of his time was spent with his subjects not so much his wife Aurora who is the jealous type. Capricorn is not a ruthless leader but he does know that sometimes hard decisions must be made. Just like UT Asgore, he is kind and benevolent, however, he has a temper if you make him angry enough. His magical abilities lean more toward lighting then fire but he has that ability as well. He tasked Elara to watch over human development should a problem arise. Toriel: Aurora- The Queen to Capricorn she is known to be easily jealous. It would explain why Zeus wife Hera also shares these traits. Her Gaelic deity tie is that of Arianrhod a goddess of the moon and stars. She creates life from the stars she creates sometimes causing them to take a form of their own. They are almost like living constellations. Some say that the Queen made such life to combat her own loneliness which her Son and Husband spent time away. In addition to the stars, she is also known for being a loving mother and caregiver. In her time on earth, she used to watch over and protect children and their families. Aurora though previously jealous of her simple in the universe has come to accept and embrace it. She is kind but rather overprotective. Anyone that forsakes life will feel her wrath. Muffet: Umbra- Umbra is associated with Hindu mythology as a goddess of wealth and prosperity. Though earthly riches do not concern Umbra she still has a taste for the fine silks and gold that she once had on earth. A little about the goddess that she represents: Lakshmi’s name comes from the Sanskrit word laksya, meaning an aim or goal. She is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. Unlike UT Muffet, Umbra also focuses on spiritual wealth. Peace of mind. She is ever the optimist even when things do not turn out to go her way. In times of need, she is called those in the struggles of self-worth trying to bring them into a different understanding. There have been many a time when Umbra calms Capricorns quick and rash judgments, much to Aurora’s displeasure. Just as with the rest of the pantheon she is kind and helpful even with her yearning to return to the people she so loved before they were forced to the outskirts of the galaxy. Grillby: Helio- Helio derived from the sun is my OT Grillby. He out of all the characters could care less about either being a deity or an observer. He is known to be at a middle ground. He would rather live his days running a social establishment but during his time on earth, he was known for his magic. Originally he was the right hand of Capricorn being depicted as a war deity for his fiery nature. He was the general of grand armies. His armor is something he hung up long ago but if called into court he will wear it once again. Its design is very reminiscent of Roman centurions. Though depictions of him are curious since his name back then was referred to as Merlin. He was best known for his magic and alchemy and the concoctions he made during a period of time far lacking in imagination. Just like Nova, Helio tended to interfere far too often in the affairs of man though noble in purpose. He tends to be outcast among the pantheon for his past conduct but he is content in his lab mixing crazy concoctions. Everything from love potions to disguises. His forte is all about alchemy and magic. Asriel: Azicree (Azi)- Azicree or Azi for short is the Crown Prince. By monster standards Azi is still very young, however, he has lived for far longer than any human can fathom. His mother used to shelter him until he begged for his father to let him prove himself. He still acts like a child always curious and desiring some form of exploration. Much to Capricorns dismay Azi enjoys spending time with Nova and the two become pranksters in general. He tends to not do as he is told, which is why they are in this mess in the first place. His reckless behavior had him appearing to a human that begged for his salvation. The matters of life and death are ones that are not to be messed with. Those that do find their souls being tainted for all eternity turning them into something other than just a monster. 9X is an example of such tampering. Azi does learn his lesson and begins to try and shape up to be a worthy successor to his father if such a thing ever did come to pass. He studies off of all those he knows especially Pollux who is more than happy to share such knowledge. His associations are nonexistent since he was born after the times of gods. His abilities seem to be mimic based. He is able to learn about abilities and use them at will. It is rare that monsters have children and as such Azi is the little prodigy child even though there are many times he just wants to be a kid. He makes friends with Frisk very quickly and learns a lot from the human visitor. Gaster: 9X (I can’t even)- 9x (can be pronounced NYX or Nine-X) is the Gaster of this universe. He is Capricorns pantheon counterpart. In essence the Hades to his Zeus. He is the monster that everyone thinks about when darkness takes hold. He is the one that associates with apocalyptic events such as Ragnarok. He is however not evil by any stretch of the imagination. He would be better suited to be called a god of chaos. He tends to reject the laws placed upon the rest of the pantheon regardless of repercussions. It’s speculated that both Pollux and Nova were a part of him and crafted into the monsters that are known today. Nova being his more devious side which Pollux is more his intellect and drive. He has been locked away for a very long time in a prison aptly named Tartarus. His abilities are space and time-oriented very similar to Nova which makes him difficult to imprison. He, of course, has been in his cell for quite some time and it is unclear if he actually has had a change of heart or using it as a manipulation tactic. The only one he speaks with on occasion is Azi wanting to learn more about this planet they all used to call home. It is information that the others tend to not speak of. His father more so as he is afraid it will instill a yearning in his son. 9X’s genius is on par with his godly abilities such as creating artificial intelligence. Something that is not considered life. He uses Azi as a template for this new program… FLOWEY- F- Friendly L- Life-like O- Operating system W- With E- Earthbound Y- Yearning F.L.O.W.E.Y was created by 9x and Nova with Azi as a template. He is a charismatic AI who was originally created as a helper as well as to teach the Prince about their planet of origin. Unfortunately, Flowey does not have the same reservations about disobeying his father as Azi does. Even going so far as to integrate with key and vital systems in The Capital. Flowey is not evil he just is driven to be the best help he can without regards to any type of consequences. He also feels abandoned by Nova as he was not only his creator but also his closest friend. It was why he was made. To be a companion and friend. He helps Frisk meet and learns more about their existence. He acts like a companion. However, when Frisk becomes friends with Azi Flowey’s AI goes haywire. He begins to feel emotions he is not technically allowed to such as jealousy. This causes him to try and eliminate those threatening him which in this case would be all the monsters. Eventually, Azi attempts to program himself into the interface changing its initial programming. Some of Flowey’s previous versions: Blookie: Nebula Riverperson: Omni Gerson: Quasar The Ursas: Ursa Major/Minor Greater Dog/ Lesser Dog: Canis Major/Minor Character Origin/Mythos: Sans- Norse (Trickster) Papyrus- Egyptian Undyne- Mayan Alphys- Japanese (shinto) Asgore- Celtic Toriel- Celtic Muffet- Hindu Grillby- Medieval (Merlin) Asriel- Celtic through lineage Gaster- Greek/Roman Blookie- Western Guard dogs- Constellations (Native American) Riverperson- Greek (Charon) Gerson- Chinese (Divination/ wisdom) Background and Context: A long time ago there lived beings of great power. They could bend space and time with a simple thought and bring life to their creations. These were the gods. Ones of great benevolence but also great and terrifying power. Humanity, a primitive race just starting to understand life itself, became their focus. At first, their interaction was very rare only occasionally appearing to help but as time went on those interactions became more drastic. Their assistance and knowledge were seen as godlike to these humans. They would bring gifts and offerings to their new deities in hopes that they would look favorably upon them. That they would impart their wisdom and magic if they were pleased. In time this became more and more of a tradition. A religion built upon pleasing these deities so that their lives would be far improved but this became a conundrum for the beings. Some remained benevolent and helpful while others become greedy and wrathful. The power began to go to their minds corrupting their souls. These instances were written down in variation by the humans making up grandiose stories of fiery chariots and jealous gods. Thus mythology came into being for humanity. A way to explain the things in which they did not understand. As with each religion and deity, the monsters each became associated with a specific culture or mythos. Some being pinnacles of their pantheon and others being lesser deities molded to suit a specific task. These monsters rarely interacted with ones of their own kind but as power shifted some of them took on roles of others. One monster could have been the god of war in Greek mythos but end up also as the god of thunder in Norse. There were no limitations to their influence. One such “deity” was that of the trickster. A monster that tended to be rather childish in his ambitions jumping from pantheon to pantheon looking to lighten up his other “deities” stern demeanors. The monsters began to pull away leaving their presences in name only and occasional help but this was short-lived. It caused problems, war, destruction, and feuding powers sadly began to use their civilizations as almost pawns. Their meddling almost destroyed that which they wanted to originally protect. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The “gods” faded from existence only being remembered in myths and legends. The great prophecy of the Norse. The architectural marvels of the Egyptians. Now they reside in the furthest reaches of the galaxy. They spread out among the stars but a group of them resided in a Capital of sorts. A station at the edge of the Universe. One which no human could ever reach. The Humans Impressions: When the monsters left the humans to their own devices they worship continued long after. Eventually the magic and the miracles that had once been performed faded into history. The monsters were all but forgotten unless mentioned in mythology or scary stories. The humans never harbored any animosity toward them since they no longer believed in their existence in any form. They only understand what their ancestors depicted them as. The monsters as well don’t really have anything against humans either. All in all, they just go about their jobs and enjoy the universe, helping from time to time discreetly if need be but never showing their faces. Main Plot Synop: The plot to Outertale is very simple as it is more based around the world than it is the actual plot. It is very similar to that of the regular UT timeline with some notable differences. Once the humans reach an age of technological advancement they begin to spread out and search the stars. Some of them encounter monsters which they mistake for aliens (hilarious enough. I mean Jerry looks like an alien.) They begin to build colonies living more and more outside the reach of their own galaxy. Humans, however, tend to turn on their own creating factions within the space colonies. Some more prosperous than others. Frisk’s colony was one such beast being cut off from the other colonies as a drifter. Unfortunately, Frisk’s family was nearly non-existent and being stuck on a space colony was little to be desired. After seeing a streak of fire slamming into the outskirts of the colony. Frisk decides to investigate. They have always been the curious type disobeying orders and questioning everything. The colonies outer and more dangerous regions became their playground finding old pieces of technology. Eventually, they stumble upon a crashed ship. One that It seems too damaged to be used but it’s nothing like they have ever seen before. Everyone else on the colony considers it to be cursed. The strange runic language is confusing but Frisk finds that there is one lone computer onboard that seems to still function. It flickers with a bright yellow light showing an almost pixelated Flower with a =) face on the screen. Over the next few days, Frisk returns to decipher the runes with the help of their new friend which they find out is called Flowey. It is a project that the curious human enjoys and for once it is nice to have a friend. Eventually, the runes are deciphered claiming some sort of teleportation capability. Once Frisk is close enough the system fires up on its own sending the human straight to the monster Capital on the farthest reaches of the universe. A place that no human has ever been. The rest of the story is an exploration of this new environment. Frisk befriends the monsters who don’t attack first. They actually mostly want to engage with the human showing off their ability a little bit. A part of them misses the previous worship. Nova seems to take a particular interest in this new human especially when they befriend Azi. They work to help shut Flowey down only for Azi to impart his knowledge on the interface helping it understand. Frisk has nothing to return to so they stay with the monster and become Azi’s human tutor so that one day maybe the monsters can return and live side by side the humans once again. Both Azi and Frisk are almost like siblings coined the star children.

#sans #undertale #outertale #friskys multiverse #Nova #outertale sans #outertale cast #undertale universe #undertale au #Sans variation #space #space aesthetic #galaxies #concepts #friskys outertale #my art #lore building #world building #I do love outertale so I had to make my own version!

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queen-of-the-avengers · 5 years

Text

Just A Little Motivation

Characters: Steve Rogers x Reader, Tony Stark, Jarvis

Word Count: 1,215

Warnings: just fluff

Summary: You get an idea for a really fun science experiment with your boyfriend, Steve.

Squared Filled: paintball for @fluffbingo // science experiment for @star-spangled-bingo // explosion for @capsavengersbingo // you’re never too old to learn in @as-the-saying-goes-bingo // “are you flirting with me?” “have been for the past years, thanks for noticing” for my first card of @happystevebingo // silly captain america duties for my second card of @happystevebingo

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The movie is playing right in front of you, and no matter how much you tried to focus on the compelling storyline and interesting characters, you couldn’t seem to focus with Steve running his hands over your thighs as if he’s got some other intention other than watching this damn movie.

The movie is a documentary about World War Two, the same war that Steve fought in. It was your suggestion to watch it since you wanted to understand his life before he crashed into the ice way back then. He thought it was so sweet that you wanted to know about that portion of his life even if it was long over.

However, as soon as the movie started, he clearly had other intentions.

“Steven Rogers, cut it out,” you hissed, slapping his hand away from your heated skin.

“Oh, come on, you’re telling me this is interesting to you?”

“It’s not to you? You lived it!”

“Yeah, and it wasn’t that fun to begin with. I can think of a million other things I would rather be doing at this exact moment than remember the dark times of my life,” he muttered, pushing his head in the crook of your neck. When he got the opportunity to touch skin, he kissed it gently before increasing the intensity of them.

“Fine, we can watch something else,” you giggled, turning off the documentary and started to browse through Netflix.

“That’s not what I had in mind. I have a gorgeous girl next to me, and the last thing I want to do is watch a movie with her.”

“Are you flirting with me‍?” you grinned jokingly.

“Have been forever the past year, thanks for noticing,” he played along. You two had been dating for over a year, but you liked to have flirty banter ever so often to keep it fresh. Rolling your eyes, you continued to browse until you found a show you immediately thought was interesting.

“No, no science shows. Anything but those,” he complained.

“Come on! These are really cool! Let’s watch one episode and then we can do what you clearly want.”

“Fine,” he sighed, leaning back to let you enjoy the next thirty minutes.”

The show had a really interesting take on paintballs and what would happen if they were frozen, room temperature, and hot. Does it affect accuracy? Before you could get the results, you turned off the TV excitedly. Steve thought you were ready to have some alone time with him, but the look in your face told him something else.

“What is it?”

“I want to do a science experiment.”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to see if we can blow shit up with paintballs… or something to that effect. Come on!” you laughed, getting up and running out of the room. Steve knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere near what he wanted to do, and figure he would do what you wanted instead of sulking the whole day. He found you in Tony’s lab which was also his garage for his very expensive cars. Apparently, this had been on your mind for a while because you already had the equipment ready to go.

“How long have you been planning this?” he asked.

“Not long. I found it online a few weeks ago and forgot about this. That show reminded me of it. This will be very fun! You’re never too old to learn anything!”

“You know that I worry.”

“Why?” you scoffed as you set up the paintball gun.

“All of your ideas always involve someone getting hurt. It’s never on purpose, but I think I remember someone breaking their leg because you were too rough.”

“Okay, Bruce should have never been in my way in the first place!” you argued but backed off immediately. “We can use some of Tony’s safety stuff, okay? Feel better?”

“Not by much.”

“Help me set this up, please!” you begged, and he didn’t have any choice but to do as you asked.

“Okay, are you ready?” you asked, eyeing the target you placed on the wall since you didn't have anything else to place it on.

“Ready when you are.”

Just to be safe, you and Steve were hiding behind one of Tony’s cars with the paintball gun resting on top. If Tony knew what was happening here, he would have a cow which is why you stayed silent about it. Putting in a room temperature paintball into the gun, you slid on your safety goggles just in case. Aiming it at the red dot, you pulled the trigger.

It’s safe to say that none of the paintballs you shot made it to the red dot. The closest you got was the outer edge of the target, and you grimaced at the mess you were making. At least half of Tony’s lab was covered in paint.

“Maybe we should stop this. Next is the frozen ones, and judging by how you’re doing now, I think you might break something.”

“Hand me the ball, Rogers,” you determined, holding out your hand. Steve dropped a few into your palm, and you shoved each ball into the gun. Aiming for the red dot, you pulled the trigger when you knew it was good to go. Much like the other balls, this one didn’t even hit the piece of paper. Instead, it rammed right into one of his computers, sending it into an explosion.

Quickly ducking down behind the car, you looked at Steve who couldn’t help but give you a bitch face.

“I think it’s fine,” you whispered. Slowly looking at the computer from above, your eyes widened when you saw fire. “Nope, it is not fine. I repeat, not fine!”

“What the hell is going on here?!” Tony demanded when he walked into the lab. He looked to his left and saw the fire, and his gaze immediately went to you.

“It was an accident!” you declared.

“Jarvis!”

“Already on it, sir,” the AI spoke, activating the automatic fire extinguisher built into virtually everywhere. The fire was put out immediately, and the next thing Tony noticed was the wall covered in paint.

“Okay, you owe me a new computer and new paint. This place is a mess!”

“I tried to stop her,” Steve tried.

“Oh yeah, because it looks that way from here,” he scoffed. “Clean this up right now!”

“Fine!” you pouted, placing the gun down sideways on the top of the car. Tony left the room angrily, but he wasn’t surprised you did this. You were known to cause trouble wherever you went. Steve walked over to the far end of the lab to take down the piece of paper with the hand-drawn target on it. Seeing him do so made you let out a loud giggle.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You’ve killed bad men and fought in wars and you’re here with me now cleaning up paint,” you belly laughed. “Silly Captain America duties.”

“I can leave if you want.”

“No!” your laughter was killed. “Please stay. If you help me, I’ll let you do that thing we talked about last night.”

“What are you standing around for? Come on!” he grinned. There was his motivation for the evening which would make for a great night.

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metalandmagi · 5 years

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Fall 2019 Anime Worth Watching

Wondering what anime to watch now that the jam packed summer season is over? Never fear, we’re into the fall, and there’s even more great shows this season! It’s my last rec list of the year so we’re in the home stretch now!

Full disclaimer, this season is packed with great shows, but a lot of these are not available on Crunchyroll...so here’s a link to a list of where you can watch everything legally on streaming! And I’ll but an (*) by everything that IS on Crunchyroll.

And here’s my recs for every season this year:

Summer 2019

Spring 2019

Winter 2019

And here’s my master list for 2020

New shows!

Chuubyou Gekihatsu-Boy (Outburst Dreamer Boy): A comedy in which a normal girl just wants a peaceful high school life, but finds herself surrounded by a group of ridiculous, overly dramatic boys who are all part of the “hero club” who try to make her school life better by helping her make friends. This is all well and good, but all the boys are delusional in one way or another. For example, one thinks he and his friends are basically Power Rangers, and another is obsessed with fabricating dramatic fake anime backstories for himself. It’s Ouran High School Host Club without the hosting. It’s absolutely hilarious, but it’s really flying under the radar because it’s not on Crunchyroll.

Kabukichou Sherlock: A surprisingly comedic modern version of Sherlock Holmes that takes place in the seedier portions of Japan in which a bunch of the city��s quirky detectives try and hunt down Jack the Ripper. I was not expecting this to be nearly as good as it was. The characters are great, Mrs. Hudson is a transvestite cabaret singer, the soundtrack is bomb, it’s an original anime by Production I.G. AND SHERLOCK EXPLAINS HIS DETECTIVE PROCESS THROUGH MYSTERY SOLVING RAKUGO!!!!

Babylon: NO, NOT FATE BABYLONIA! This is a mystery/thriller involving a case of illegal clinical research for a pharmaceutical company that leads down a rabbit hole full of murder, suicide, and political intrigue. IT’S LIKE DEATH NOTE AND MONSTER HAD A BABY AND IT’S FREAKING AMAZING! I haven’t been this interested in a mystery/crime anime since Erased. The first episode will definitely leave you...hanging…. The only problem is it’s not on Crunchyroll, so I have a feeling most people won’t know about it because it’s on freaking Amazon Prime!

Hoshiai no Sora (Stars Align): A coming of age sports anime in which a boys soft tennis team sucks so bad that the school will disband them if they don’t win a tournament. And the team captain is so desperate for serious members, he literally pays his childhood friend who recently moved back into town to play on the team. And said childhood friend has an incredibly interesting backstory and struggling family life that ropes you in right away. How is soft tennis different from regular tennis? No clue, but this show is awesome! You can tell by the first episode it is going to be a great coming of age story, with more mature themes of abuse and class difference.

And it’s not the only sports anime with Sora in the title...

*Ahiru no Sora (Sora the Duck): Another sports anime, in which a short, spikey haired boy wants to play basketball (yeah yeah very original) but discovers that his high school basketball team is full of punks! It’s basically what would happen if Izuku Midoriya wanted to be a basketball player. The first few minutes are basically every sports anime you’ve ever seen, BUT it really lives up to its potential by the end of the first episode. It has a likable protagonist, good animation, and the female characters all wear realistic clothes to play basketball in! If you’re a piece of sports anime trash like me, this is definitely the show for you!

No Gun Life: In a detective noir world where everyone has basically become a cyborg, a guy with a gun for a head works to uncover the plans of an evil organization. That’s it, that’s the whole thing. It’s made by Madhouse AND IT’S A CYBORG WITH A GUN FOR A HEAD! What else do you need?!

Beastars: IT’S JUST ANIME ZOOTOPIA! I’m not even kidding. It’s a school based mystery involving anthropomorphic animals who are faced with the murder of one of their classmates and the disruption of the peaceful coexistence of all types of animals in the school. It involves the whole predator vs prey dynamic and how appearances are deceiving, all with a jarringly serious tone considering everyone’s an animal. The only thing that doesn’t sit right with me is the use of 3D animation...which I notoriously despise no matter how great the show is. But even I am willing to put aside my hatred to keep watching this anime. The characters are interesting, it’s shot really creatively, and I love how ridiculously seriously it takes itself. Apparently it’s going to be on Netflix at some point.

*Shin Chuuka Ichiban (True Cooking Master Boy): It’s Food Wars’ less porny sibling that takes place in 19th century China, where a young boy named Mao is a master chef who travels around spreading his love for cooking! This is a reboot/continuation of an anime based on a manga from the 90s so there’s a really fun retro art style that’s nice to see updated. Apparently it picks up in the middle of the original story, but I haven’t felt like it’s necessary to see the source material to enjoy it or understand it. Also the soundtrack is bomb! It’s a great shounen to watch if you want more cross-cultural cooking anime that’s not straight up porn in your life, and it will definitely make you hungry!

Next seasons and Continuations!

And don’t forget the summer leftovers, and some shows are getting continuations!

*Chihayafuru season 3: This is an incredibly fantastic underrated sports/club anime about a girl named Chihaya who struggles to find members for her karuta club after her best friend who made her fall in love with the game moves away. Never heard of “karuta”? It’s a physically and mentally challenging traditional Japanese game involving 100 poems written on cards that the players must memorize and locate before their opponent….it makes more sense when you see it I promise. This show is goddamn amazing, with incredibly realistic characters, an amazing game that most people don’t know about, gorgeous animation. It’s hilarious, it’s dramatic, it’s sad, and it’s uplifting all at once.

This doesn’t premier until October 23, (so you’ve got time to binge the first 2 seasons!) but this is by far my most anticipated show of the season and quite possibly the entire year! I’VE BEEN WAITING SO MANY YEARS FOR ANOTHER SEASON, AND I’M SO PSYCHED!

Kono Oto Tomare (Stop this Sound) season 2: Speaking of club related anime, in case you missed the first season earlier this year, this is an anime about a boy who tries to recruit members for his high school koto club after all his senpais graduate. What’s a koto club you ask? It’s a large Japanese string instrument that no one cares about or plays anymore of course! Their club is endearingly terrible, with literally only one competent person on the team, but they’re aiming for nationals anyway, because...of course they are. This show seems pretty textbook at first, but it really grows on you the further you get. There are great character dynamics, it’s fun, it’s sweet, and there’s cool music that people don’t hear a lot of! If you like sports or club focused anime, give this one a chance!

*Dr. Stone: An action adventure in which all of humanity is mysteriously turned to stone one day. When a genius high school boy named Senku and his….not so genius friend Taiju awaken 3,700 years in the future, the two must rebuild civilization and turn the world back to normal with the power of science! I know pretty much everyone is watching this already, but I just want to reiterate how amazing it is. It is mysterious, educational, hilarious, and it really makes you think about civilization as we know it today. It was one of the best (if not the best) new show of the summer, and I’m so glad it’s getting a full run!

Vinland Saga: THE VIKING ANIME IS GETTING A FULL RUN!!!!!!!! In case you missed this gem in the summer, it’s a historical drama about a young boy named Thorfinn and his journey to avenge his father’s death and become a great warrior. And it’s all while traveling with his enemies through Northern Europe. It’s a fantastic dark, realistic story in a historical setting that filled the void left by Dororo. Plus it’s animated by Wit, so it looks beautiful. The music is great, the characters are intriguing, the story is interesting, AND IT HAS AN AMAZING ANTAGONIST! It has hype written all over it, so I’m pumped for the rest of the season! Unfortunately, you can only find it legally on Amazon Prime, so that’s why no one’s watching it.

*Fire Force: The (unfortunately timed) action/drama where fire fighters with super powers must protect Tokyo from people who are spontaneously combusting and uncover the evil rooted within their own organization. It’s made by the same person who created Soul Eater, and it definitely shows. The animation is high flying and out of this world. It’s worth watching for the action alone. But be warned, the plot and characters are it’s biggest weakness. It will jump between gratuitous fanservice and hijinks and then rocket into moral dilemmas and disturbing situations with no warning. BUT I still like watching it for the action, and in these later episodes the plot has steered itself back on track a lot more, and I’m way more interested in where the story is going now. I’m hoping that means the second half will give us a better sense of the characters. It also has a top tier muscular waifu!

*My Hero Academia season 4: I’m sure everyone’s already going to be watching MHA, but I guess I’d have my anime fan badge revoked if I didn’t at least mention this one. I may not read the manga, but I know this arc is going to be a good one! I firmly believe this will be a modern classic, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s really worth watching.

And that’s it for this season. I’ll probably do a list at the end of the year of my top shows of 2019, but otherwise, see you in the winter of 2020!

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