#this is so unbelievably stupid but its becoming more and more canon the more i think about it

[commander--wake]

commander--wake/beyonces_fiancee's top ten TLT fic rec list!

these are my top ten bestest fics thus far in no particular order. criteria to get on this list: I think about them all the time. my mouth was hanging open when I finished them for the first time. I recommend anyone read them, especially you, YES YOU. some of these are deservedly popular/widely read and some are criminally neglected.

I have a taste for dark fic, perverted kinky shit, intimate character studies, slow-burn tragedies, beautiful prose, and good sex writing. assume all of these are bittersweetly tragic at a minimum, fucked-up at a maximum.

the soul that seeketh him by bittybelle

john/a lot of ppl. all of this author's stuff is preposterously amazing but I had to pick one as a representative. so let's pick john fucking the pain away through the cohort, his lyctors, and everyone else within grabbing range, including before and after the Resurrection and his daughter and his other daughter and his surrogate daughter and all the women in the world. john is depicted with such compassion and with no mercy. "the dove in the clefts of the rock" is so good it makes me want to barf too. bittybelle has an amazing faculty for packing a sentence or a paragraph with information, characterization, and beauty as densely as a neutron star yet making it all seem effortless.

the 86 escapes of gideon nav by gimmeshellder (@jeejyboard on tumblr)

gideon & the 9th. my comment on jeej's fic: "This is freaking unbelievably amazing and gives me everything I wanted and didn't get from canon. Gideon's evolution and character are perfectly fleshed out in a way that fanfiction is all about. You have such a wonderfully deft hand and your style has evolved so much into a beautiful direction that marries rly well with canon but also has its own zesty angsty unique spice. Write Alecto pls xoxoxoxoxo" jeej understands gideon's internal workings in a way that I don't think anyone else does (at least not anyone I've read, so if you find that person, direct their works to me pls) and this fic is really important to me for that reason. it respects her life so much in a way that makes me want to cry

pretty when you cry by Elldritch (@elldritch-horror on tumblr)

gideon/cytherea. knuckle-bitingly sexy very slight canon divergence: what if palamedes hadn't interrupted just as "the old panic of confession seemed to rise up", and "dulcinea" groomed and manipulated gideon into becoming her cavalier to replace loveday? my comment: "it's really rare to find someone who writes a skillfully manipulative character who can think on both the level of that character and the one they're manipulating." Elldritch's cytherea is soooooo casual and careful and methodical and the starved orphan gideon is putty in her hands, in an extremely sick and believable way. and the kink/sex writing is so dark and twisted and mmnfnnfnfffff

and my burdens are light by elijah_was_a_prophet

alfred & cristabel, among others. an absolutely insane exploration of cristabel & alfred egging each other on, against a backdrop of all the other lyctors driving one another into sadomasochistic suicidal madness. the academic apologetics at the start warms the reader for what is to come. my comment: "I was already slavering and licking my chops at the footnotes and you did not disappoint!!!!! I’m completely fucking coocoo at John’s stupid memes being inscribed into divine writ and cited alongside the gospels. and the secret note… we need to talk more in this fandom about CILICES and HAIRSHIRTS and the SCOURGE!!! *clap emojis* [redacted spoilers] love the Lyctoral mutual destruction because real life has become so unreal that ripping each other’s bodies apart is the only way to touch the edge (my personal favorite headcanon). bravo!!!!!"

there is a light that never goes out by reconquer (@sophelstien on tumblr)

coronabeth/&ianthe, with a wide variety of side dishes. this is the quintessential corona fic, that explores two separate eras of grief in her life and all the ways that she has been fucked up and fucked everyone else up in her turn. her relationship with ianthe is so searchingly and intelligently explored, and fills in so much around the edges of canon in an unexpected yet "how-could-it-have-been otherwise" way, which is what the best fanfiction is meant to do. bpd coronabeth is my lodestone and this fic is my heartsong

feeling good was easy when he sang the blues by forjodssake

pyrrha/g1deon/wake. can't believe this is less than 6k words, it feels like a whole world unfolding before my eyes. the pre-Rez stuff is so heartbreaking and sparely crafted and the tangled tension between wake, pyrrha, g1deon, the ticking clock in the background, and the keenly-felt deprivation of life and culture that john perpetuated on the resurrected world... music is so lacking in the TLT 'verse but I never realized it until this fic shot a bolt through my chest with the pain and joy of "me and bobby mcgee" - a masterwork

more than the mountain by Raxheim (@theriverbeyond on tumblr)

g1deon/john, plus g1deon/pyrrha/wake. the quintessential g1deon fic. this fic more than anything gave me an understanding of g1deon's mentality: his devotion to john, how he could let it fall by the wayside for wake, how he could live without pyrrha for so many thousands of years... an excerpt from my comment: "the split gideon/pyrrha perspective is so f***ing effective and tragic. I half-wonder sometimes why she was heartless enough not to tell him somehow that she was still alive, but tbh, some things you just can't tell. she's been dead and gone so long that he's calcified into a living rictus without her... and even if she did tell him, they can never have each other again the way they did before. GAWD." and yes the splattergore is PHE NOM EN AL

so I open the window to hear sounds of people by oriflamme (@sunderedstar on tumblr)

gen john worldbuilding, with some john & alecto. the seven days of creation, post-apocalypse. marvelous characterization and very clever structure and a john that is so so so so understandable and so homely-sketched and human that the constant drumbeat of repellent death he cultivates like a garden around himself is almost, almost, almost offset. almost. seeing his relationship with alecto grow makes you understand just what is happening for him in a very upsetting way. this is really, truly excellent and I don't have to tell you about depression-blasting mitski and "the ice cream machines" to beg you to READ IT NOW

lux perpetua luceat eis by skvadern

pyrrha/g1deon, pre- and post-Rez. yet another <5k work that rips my fucking heart out. a brilliantly paralleled pyrrha pov of the two kisses they gave each other: before g—'s death by nuclear bomb, and before pyrrha's death by ascension. my comment: "the mirrored single kisses... gideon being a nerdy devoted engineer (bad posture, shitty fashion, chapped lips, struggles to cry, giant heart) who pyrrha can't help but sacrifice herself for in every lifetime makes me sob buckets of sobs. extremely essential very well done and assigned reading for everyone"

all that singing at the fingers by dire_quail (@direquail on tumblr)

nona/camilla. another one of those "a world in a sentence" authors, writing something that feels ripped straight from canon. a good nona voice (with a flash of alecto that punches through the text like a knife ripping through wallpaper) has a price beyond rubies, and stone top grieving longing suicidal camilla breaks me. that plus the achingly sensual sex language ("petaled swollen and ruined," "drawn helplessly tight on that talented and holy finger") just hooks this fic into my heart.

(honorable mention: three fics on my "marked for later" list that I'm hyped to read!)

at the last trumpet by liesmyth (@liesmyth on tumblr)

LUV me some christian exegesis in conversation with TLT themes. luv me some character explorations of the ninth. can't wait 2 read!

and rising in the dead time of night by a_big_apple (@a-big-apple on tumblr)

I think jeej described this as "in which ianthe tries to vat-baby-trap kiriona" so a of all yes and 2 of all it's a_big_apple so u know that shit is gonna be elegantly crafted

beauty, blossom, die by rnanqo (@rnanqo on tumblr)

idk it just looks dope as fuck and i'm not even an au person like that! I'm just ever so interested to see where the author goes with the notion and how they choose to flesh out the OG lyctors and cavs that we didn't get to meet ^_^

happy reading!

[crows-of-buckets]

Had the stupidest idea of tyrian meeting Daeran as a kid (since they're both nobles) but instead of them being cute friends or whatever Tyrian calls him a cunt to his face and then goes about his day. Daeran thinks of this interaction at least once every few months while Tyrian somehow completely blacked it out of his brain (presumably out of embarrassment but areelu probably had something to do with that tbh)

[oceanwithouthermoon]

i respect everyone's headcanons 10000% but i will not hesitate to block anyone who says "teruhashi's crush on saiki is obviously comphet, shes just a lesbian"

this is literally just a really common thing people in fandoms do when a female love interest they dont like or care about gets in the way of what they personally want for the male character they like (they want him, they ship him with a guy, they hc him as gay or aroace, etc.) and its so obvious when you guys are just using lesbians as a scapegoat for you to push female characters to the side in a more "progressive" looking way that wont get you called out for misogyny... you do not care about lesbians at allll 😭 i would rather my sexuality to not be used for that, thanks.

but anyway, teruhashi gets this the absolute WORST because people misunderstand her so badly and like to intentionally ignore her character development... and as much as i dont like it (as in almost her whole character revolving around a boy), pretty much ALL her development has to do with her crush on saiki. so, going "she doesnt actually like him" when you know damn well that this is directly addressed in the manga as untrue, youre just disregarding almost her entire character 🤷🏻‍♀️ she does have depth without him, but really without him and her true feelings for him, her canon self becomes much more,,, tragic? idk. i guess that goes more for people who claim she doesnt care about him or doesnt even know him than just "her feelings for him are platonic" though.

i really dont care at all if people dont ship them, but writing off her feelings for him just so you can push her aside and/or argue that your headcanons are "more canon" is so fucking unbelievably stupid. just let it be one-sided if you dont ship them?

on the other hand, i dont so much care when its a qpr thing, because at least then you acknowledge that her feelings for saiki are valid, just that you like to see them in a different way, which is cool. if you insist on teruhashi being a lesbian, theres so much aro spectrum or gendery fuckery that you could play around with and you just. dont? because youd rather just ignore her whole character?? lame and cowardly.

[catchyhuh]

Hi! Do you take requests for headcanons?

If so - what would each of the gang (Zeni included, cause he's part of the gang in same way, duh!) consider the most romantic Perfect Date ever (and I mean the kind of date they would be very much smitten by, even though they'd absolutely utterly deny it to the end of times)?

oh my god yeah i'd love to do some requests! it's fun to come up with opinions on things i haven’t even thought about before two bee honest SO LET’S GO

lupin: 

lupin’s perfect date is any excuse to spend time with his arm candy honestly. especially one on one but that’s. that’s a different thing we ain’t gettin into that bit just yet THE POINT IS he's not picky in the slightest. the highlight is his company, not the location or task or whatever else

if it was up to him, he’d probably do the standard wine and dine at some unbelievably nice restaurant, y’know. keep it classy but also flex the fact that he can afford to do this (he can afford to do this because the only money leaving his pockets during the whole ordeal was a tip for the waiter. lupin’s a canonical tipper which is hilarious and very real of him)

but he has some hyperspecific romantic fantasy attached to any and EVERY venue. 

jigen: 

you know how this bitch is. he isn’t really the type to like, go on a DATE date. it’s more like “hey i’m going to the bar. you comin” even if he’s been with this person for years. date dates aren’t his thing

the closest i can imagine would be like. lovers lane type shit. you know? take the car off to some outta the way, vaguely woodsy clearing, park it, lay on the hood and just talk, still very casuaHAVE YOU EVER SEEN WAYNE’S WORLD? THE SCENE WHERE THEY’RE LYING ON THE CAR NEAR THE AIRPORT IS JIGEN’S ROMANTIC IDEAL. STUPID CONVERSATION INCLUDED

fujiko:

ok there’s two flavors here because is this her ideal date for romance or for money. that changes the answer slightly. if it’s money she loves the idea of just hanging on the arm of somebody at some nice, ritzy dinner party, she gets an excuse to dress up, eat some good food, and maybe walk away with a few careless guests’ wallets. but i’m going to assume you wanted romance

because of how (almost uncomfortably) familiar she is with fake, performative dates and the like, she (and never tell either of them this) is a bit like jigen in the sense that real love is very casual and understated to her, almost simple. like of course she isn’t complaining when someone’s she’s actually into is offering to take her to some fucking BALL or whatever but at the same time, the idea of simply just laying side by side with their head on her shoulder or vice versa is. comfortable. and she NEEDS comfortable let’s be real

goemon:

starting to realize how absolutely mundane and boring these answers are becoming ANYWAY goemon SAYS the same as the prior two. he SAYS the same. but really, deep down, the idea of setting aside a special time, date, and place just to be with someone he loves is charming to no end to him. not too picky about it himself as long as it's not too flashy

the simplest, easiest answer, but maybe the most true i feel is stargazing. it’s nice, it’s private without being claustrophobic, and think about the picnic possibilities my guy!!! plus, it’s quieter and more peaceful at night, so there’s less of a chance he and his date would be disturbed. i know i already said “its nice” BUT REALLY IT IS NICE

zenigata:

hm. i’m thinking. 

we’re removing lupin as a factor in the context. unless lupin IS the date but EITHER WAY this is a “you have a whole day to yourself for this date wwyd” ordeal. and the answer is probably STAY AT HOME

HE NEVER GETS TO DO IT SO IT'S SPECIAL TO HIM. AND IT'S COZY TOO admittedly he thinks it's expected of him to do a DATE date but really. not to get too graphically sappy here. i think he’d be content just snugglin dude. he needs a break. maybe a good middle ground between what he wants and what he thinks he should do would be going to the theater?

[postgameroutesix]

Terasaka gang for the bingo- or red pokespe

WHO. GRIPS U BY THE SHOULDERS. terasaka gang it is….ill do them all as a group bc individually the cards would all look pretty much the same LOL please feel free to enable individual or more specific discussion of them smiles

NOT TGE FORMATIVE CHARACTERS LMFAO!!!! along with april augie + skip the terasaka gang i think are the fundamental Lee Characters where once u know how much they mean to me u can understand me a lot more uh oh

ok its not so much “EVERYONE else is wrong about them” because i know my friends have expressed a lot of thoughts and hcs i agree with (like that part refers more to the general fanbase who treats them one-dimensionally) its more so “i understand them more than anybody else has or ever will” u see can anyone else say they essentially dedicated a year and a half to actively studying the terasaka gang, collecting every piece of information that exists about them and memorising every little scene theyre in etc, to understand each of them individually and their relationship? simply built different

“thats a solid design right there” both refers how some of them look (i really like all of their designs and think theyre all really fitting) and how their characters and relationship are crafted - their relationship design is a really unique one that just has so many components bro its enough to make a man sick…..

i didnt highlight “canon isnt real if i dont look at it” for this because, as u know, a lot of my thoughts on them spring off of canon of course and its really just these small specific things in canon that annoy me so i ignore them most glaringly - itona’s living situation. because its one of the most stupid and unbelievable things in that godforsaken series and i will forever be a certified hater of it <3

“bastard” is important to me because while to understand them yes its imperative to account for the soft sides each of them have because they really DO, its equally imperative to remember that they are assholes (affectionate) with unique ways of expressing that softness with which those things coexist!!! they crucially are so willing to sacrifice themselves for each other while being each others biggest haters n annoyers <3 hazama trying to unnerve and put them on edge with her method of helping itona simultaneously anticipating the tentacles taking control again and calling for them all to get away. yoshida + itona making easy jabs at muramatsu’s restaurant simultaneously being his biggest supporters who continue to eat there with him in the future. muramatsu consistently making comments at terasaka’s expense simultaneously trusting him as a leader and following him w/o question. terasaka's whole character bro THE THIRD ACT OF VISION TIME BRO!!!!

also like with itona how his insults being explicitly said to become more akin to a love language over time. its like, i noticed at one point there was a lot of characterization of muramatsu especially as, for lack of a better term, a “softboy” 😭 within fanon and it really irritated me because YES muramatsu is a lot more sensitive than even he realizes but hes both not one to express it as openly as people had him do (he sucks at straightforward communication which i wrote a few pieces examining bc its honestly funny what that then leads to) AND fundamentally retains being a little dickhead. ALSO is the thing where i think the distinction between “nice” and “kind” needs to arise because i think terasaka is THE most enormous example - he becomes a guy who is so kind, so deeply and profoundly kind and fiercely protective, but still mean as hell 😭

im gonna stop before i get too insane. thank u who

[hexhomos]

top 5 jay/vik pet peeves? 👀

I let this ask simmer a bit in the back of my inbox because... oh man you guys really want to see me rant like that? Unbelievable. But I'll indulge anyway since I could on about this forever:

#1 the way people straight up delete everything about Jayce as a character, be it talis or giopara, just to turn around and act like he's "leeching off viktor's genius" or "a big stupid dumb idiot who cant grasp simple concepts XD" "brainless idiotic himbo" like… this is so tiring to me. Are you trying to call him braindead? Because that's what it sounds like. I don't find it funny or charming anymore thanks to the sheer density and frequent malice adjacent to this kind of content.

#2 Related to above, but also found on its own, SPECIALLY in arcane fandom bubbles: a fixation on Jayce's body as a sexual object or sexual accessory to other people as his "Only redeeming character trait". It's become so prevalent I don't like browsing content for him anymore. Fans will legitimately make up bullshit reasons as to why Jayce is lesser than other characters (the council, mel, heimerdinger, viktor, vi, whoever, you name it) and then hold up more brainless no personality idiotbad himboXD porn as the only thing his character could ever amount to. Way to go! You're treating this show's singular brown lead as actually subhuman. There truly are no words. And it's not like it's hard to give Jayce an ounce of interesting things to do: most of what people attribute to viktor as sciency and driven and passionate is something that he shares with jayce; sometimes, its straight up things jayce came up with and worked on all his life getting penned as "viktors thing". I just find fandom, for one reason or another, holds a severe disinterest in treating them as equals. And it makes their dynamic worse. (This last point is not exclusive to arcane, sadly.)

#3 Viktor woobification, and an insistence that he could neeeeever do anythiiiiing wroooooong, regardless of verse. It makes him into such an uninteresting non-character. Viktor was created to *BE* the mad scientist archetype; this was his initial concept and it persists to this day, you can't take away his responsibility for his mistakes, or pretend it was Jayce's fault, and still expect him to be a good character. I don't even know what you're stanning at that point. I've had ppl genuinely argue with me that viktor never hurt anyone in game canon and that JAYCE had stolen blitzcrank and its like ????? Do you even know who Stanwick is. Please just read their bios. Both of their bios. Viktor lies to clean up his own story and even before the lore rewrite he was the one who'd initiate violence by Invading Jayce's Lab And Blasting Him With Laserbeams. This guy's ingame kit requires you to kill 100 minions before evolving a weapon prototype. He has an ability called "death ray". You don't think that's funny? Your loss. (Related: a lot of able-bodied people treat viktor's arcane disability as something to patronize him over, and it can be really, really uncomfortable to see.)

#4 this is gonna seem minor compared to above but watching people try and vilify Jayce at every turn to make Viktor or other characters look better can be so unintentionally funny. They never pay attention to anything about his character, just spin a wheel of bad generic adjectives and go: "JAYCE is an out of touch gazillionaire SOCIAL CLIMBER queaking for STATUS who eats diamond dust, shits gold and hates lesbians; he also PISSED on my WIFE," whole time the guy is just minding his business, indentured for life thanks to vampiric 'patrons' making him swear fealty for project funding, canonically stated to have built a name making gadgets for the working class, doesn't even like socializing in Any Universe (and this is the exact thing him and viktor bond over), etc etc etc... this shit is embarrassing brother

#5 unironic googoo talk jaymel or melvik or anything that exists in the middle genuinely makes me roll my eyes. Sometimes I feel as though people watched the bomb scene and then immediately erased out how disrespectful and manipulative it was. I don't care for any of these pairings nor the implication that you have to 'make good with billionaires to reach ultimate peace uwu' that comes attached to most of their content. The TVshow being as centrist and corporate as it is explains why this exists, sure, but I feel so ?????? When I see people acting like viktor and mel would be best buddies, as if she isn't canonically the richest person in Piltover before we even have a timeskip and *Directly Responsible for enabling and profiting off much of the fuckshit going on in Zaun* lol. Where do you think that money came from? Seriously?? Come on. I cannot fathom how people can see Jayce's interactions with her as leading to any sort of positive outcome. They get 0 romantic buildup worth caring for and are boring as all hell. And the next one is less common but: whenever people try to fit her plotline into leagueverse I just, LOL. The ruling Medarda in league is a 70-something manlet white geezer. Jayce giopara is a fag and his entire bio was designed around viktor. The council plays no part in their story and they're far more interesting for it, thank fucking god.

[hp-fanfic-archive]

an introductory rec list (that no one asked for) to some of my favorite ships: drarry [4/10]

First fic I read for the pairing: Obsession by yesbocchan [2k,T] Harry thinks Malfoy is up to something evil. Until he finds out maybe he's not the only one with an obsession. [just a cute little eighth year fic i saw on tumblr back when i was first getting into fandom stuff (and back into harry potter in general) when i was near the end of high school. it’s cute, it’s sweet, and i was curious about drarry as a concept so]

Fic that really sold me on the pairing: Stealing Sweaters by DorthyAnn [12k,T] It's their eighth and final year and over the course of several months, Harry and Draco have managed to become close friends. Their friends are entirely certain that they ought to be much, much more. So they just decide to... help things along. [listen, everything that DorthyAnn writes is phenomenal, so how could i not fall in love with this ship after this?]

Absolute favorite fic(s) for the pairing: Animus Nexus by MystyVander [96k,T] It's Eighth Year at Hogwarts and it seems Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy hate each other more than ever before. Everybody is sick of it. Somebody was tired of the two enough to curse them, binding them together. What at first appears to be a death sentence to both Harry and Draco turns out to be the thing the both of them needed the most. [it’s enemies to friends to lovers coupled with accidental bonding coupled with discussions of magical theory coupled with wizarding traditions with a few misunderstandings and some angst all set in eighth year and that’s basically the perfect combination for me.] Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 [302k,T] Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness. Pairings: HP/DM (Slash) Timeframe: 1994-2002 Goblet to 4 yrs post-DH EWE Rating T for language, high angst, content. [this fic has lived rent-free in my head for three years and it fucking slaps. there’s angst and fluff and so many bittersweet moments and it’s both canon compliant and completely canon divergent and i am obsessed with it. 40000/10]

Most recent fic I’ve read for the pairing: love me now (touch me now) by swisstae [3k,G] Harry's never had a bath. Draco plans on changing that. OR in which Harry gets his hair washed and Loves It (and Draco. He loves Draco too.) [this fic is adorable and sweet and i enjoyed it immensely.]

Favorite AU(s) I’ve read for the pairing: Alternate Sorting AU (Slytherin!Harry): Malfoy Flavor by Vorabiza [199k,E] Harry’s ready to banish the Golden Boy image and take charge of his life. Unfortunately for him, or fortunately, there are surprises in store for him. [Slytherin!Harry but it’s not an entire canon rewrite like most of the alternate sorting fics i love so much, so that’s fun. also severitus and just the right amount of soul crushingly painful angst. oh and it has a delightfully fluffy little sequel. ] Alternate Sorting AU 2: Electric Boogaloo (Ravenclaw!Draco): Chaos Theory by Tessa Crowley [102k,E] Chaos: when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future. One gene varies, one neuron fires, one butterfly flaps its wings, and Draco Malfoy's life is completely different. Draco has always found a certain comfort in chaos. Perhaps he shouldn't. (warnings for: major character death, graphic depictions of violence, psychological torture, implied/referenced non-con) [as my notes on my bookmark said: GOD DAMNNNNN. I LOVE THIS FIC. I CRIED SO MUCH AND ALSO THERE WAS LAUGHTER AND JUST GOD DAMN. ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. so that about sums it up.] Time Travel AU: Annus Mirabilis by Ren [39k,E] Harry and Malfoy are trapped at Hogwarts around the time the school was founded. Stuck with a different way of doing magic, with no chocolate, and with each other, they have to find a way to work together if they want a chance to go home. [i almost never fuck with time travel aus but… this one slaps. also? hogwarts founders era?? hell yeah. also also? their relationship progresses in a way that feels so natural and the tension is so palpable and the writing is excellent.]

Favorite Series for the pairing: Leo Inter Serpentes by Aeternum [746k,E,6 Works] Just one conversation between two eleven year old boys goes slightly differently, and the world changes. Just how much will be different with Harry being sorted into Slytherin, and how much will stay the same? [Slytherin!Harry? Harry, Draco, Hermione friendship? Severitus? All in a complete series re-write that’s currently six completed works deep? What more could you possibly need?]

Longest fic I’ve read for the pairing: I Do What I Want by XxTheDarkLordxX [509k,E] They say you shouldn't touch what isn't yours... Too bad no one told Harry that. A simple mistake that Harry made in his first year at Hogwarts is coming back to bite him in the arse. The war is over but the threat to his life is just beginning. This story begins with a simple apology that changes Harry’s life. It starts a domino effect that leads to unbelievable connections, undying love, unique past lives, unknown villains and an unstoppable family. Follow Harry and his friends on an epic adventure filled with twists, bumps, comfort, enemies, a new life and a lot of love. (warnings for: major character death, some character bashing) [the first (or first few? i forget) chapters are written in first person but they’re an internal monologue and the rest of the fic is not in first person, just so you know. Also, the concept slaps and the fic is cute and i love to see it (and i’ve read it thrice).]

Fic(s) with some of my favorite tropes: Matchmaking: Ron Weasley: Accidental Matchmaker by Phoenix_Waves [2k,T] "There's not a sexual tension out there that the man can't accidentally detect!" George beamed. "And then ask the stupid arse question that's going to light the spark and fan the flames." Lee added matter-of-factly. A fluffy Christmas one shot featuring our favorite older Gryffindors. [god this is excellent: the obliviousness, the mutual pining, the matchmaking, having the older gryffindor kids around and having a good holiday time- it’s all excellent.] Soulmates: Kiss Me Not by DorthyAnn [21k,T] Sometimes a witch or wizard's magical signature is so completely incompatible with another that they repel one another like magnets. On the other hand, if two magical signatures mesh well together, well there are no stronger relationships in all the world. In a sample of a thousand people, the average witch or wizard will be slightly repelled by four or five people and strongly repelled by only one, at the most. The opposite is true for attraction. But Harry Potter can't kiss anyone at all. [this is actually such a fascinating take on the classic soulmates trope. there’s no predestined person for everyone and there’s no magical guarantee of anything, just magic being a little difficult and i adore that. also the writing style is excellent and the characterizations are spot on.] Accidental Bonding + Bed Sharing: Let's Take A Chance On Happiness by endless_grey [21k,E] Harry works with Luna at her magical antique shop, and everything is going pretty well until a mysterious ring makes an appearance. Cue curse-breaker Draco Malfoy and an accidental bond, and suddenly Harry is magically married to his former nemesis. They need to break the bond before Hermione's fundraiser, but Harry doesn't remember "fall in love with the git" being part of the plan. [i discovered this fic while looking for something else, but it’s so good. i love their dynamic and it’s shift as the story progresses and i love both of their friendships with luna just as much. it’s funny and a little angsty and well written and has two of my favorite tropes in it. what more can i say?]

[inessencedevided]

There's been a lot of cql/mdzs atla-au posts going around lately and I need to add my take.

Because I think a lot could be done with Wei Ying as the avatar.

Imagine the story goes similarly as in canon. He is the son of traveling benders. Maybe Cangse-Sanren is a firebender and Wei Changse a waterbender. They get killed on some mission and he gets taken in by his father's old friend and leader of the Yunmeng water tribe. (This reminds me a lot of kyoshi's backstory, too.) He raises him a long his own children, his daughter who takes to healing more than fighting, and his son who likes nothing more than fighting.

Wei Ying already showed signes of being a waterbender, so they train him, even though he is the son of a former servant. He is, of course, more talented than any other of their students, even Jiang Cheng. Madam Yu still hates him for it.

At some point, they let all the children of the sect take the Avatar test. He passes. Occurs, they don't tell him until he is 16, so he doesn't know. Madam Yu dies though and her hatred for him for upstanding her son only grows. But Wei Ying is happy and loves them, much like in canon and, much like in canon, he is also convinced that he is deeply indebted to him and always brings more trouble than he is worth.

When they tell him he is the avatar on his 16th birthday, he is shocked and scared of his responsibility, but doesn't show it. He laughs it off and tells everyone he is glad because that means he can see the world and doesn't have to annoy madam yu anymore. He only shows cracks to his cheerful facade when they tell him that he has to leave the very next day. That means he will miss Jiang Cheng's birthday. When he tells Jiang Cheng's this, he gets angry and tells Wei Ying that clearly he is very important now and why not run off to the other sects, see if they will put up with him. He refuses to say goodbye after that, so it's just jiang yanli and Jiang fengmian seeing him off.

He goes to king Nie first who is the most renowned earth bending master of their time. He is unyielding and harsh, but unbelievably fond of his younger brother, who mostly uses his bending to sculp intricate and detailed statues. Wei Ying likes him instantly.

Next is fire. He doesn't like the fire lord who greets him and treats him like he is royalty himself, but in a way that makes Wei Ying's skin crawl. He does like the shy boy in his group lessons and his older sister. Wei Ying is good at firebending, even though it should be his natural enemy. Maybe it's his mother's side showing itself though.

Then of course, to complete his training, he needs to learn air-bending. He gets to Gusu and immediately dislikes it there. They are monks and they live like it, too. There are rules regulating every waking moment and the sleeping ones too and he vows to break at least half of them. By now he us 20 and he'll be damned if he lets himself be bossed around like he's 12 again.

He is greeted by their unusually young leader and his uncle and brother. He expects the uncle to be his teacher, but no. Lan Xichen explains that the honor of training the Avatar will go to the youngest air bender to ever become a master, his brother, Lan Zhan.

Okay, Wei Ying thinks, he can live with that. At least a teacher close to his own age should be fun, right?

Wrong!

Lan Zhan is strict, reticent, unyielding and punishes him for every single infringement of the 3000+ rules. He scolds Wei Ying for not taking the enormous responsibility of being the avatar more seriously. He never smiles and never praises him with more than a "passable".

But he is a challenge. One he is good! The best opponent in a fight Wei Ying has had since he was 14. And there is something so fun at making him react in even the slightest way! Also, his ears blush when he is angry and it's cute!

The first time, Wei Ying uses something other than air bending in their training fights, Lan Zhan is furious (Undisciplined!). But tge second time he grots his teeth and fights, really fights Wei Ying. He holds his own again a 3/4s-trained avatar for more than 30 minutes until Wei Ying let's him get swallowed by a whole in the ground that he than seals with a thick layer of ice that will take him way to long to slice open with air bending.

After that, their relationship evolves. It's more of a mutual rivalry, rather than just Wei Ying needling his air bending teacher until he snaps. After a few months, once Wei Ying has progressed beyond the basics (he can fly now! He loves flying! How can the Lans be so serious all the time? They can fly!!!), Lan Zhan introduces him to musical air-bending. Through bending, they can use the sounds to heal and to hurt, amplify them at will or direct them to a specific direction. Lan Zhan demonstrates some techniques on his guqin and then plays a song, though he refuses to tell Wei Ying its meaning.

Wei Ying picks a dixi. He takes to music like a fish to water and soon he is declared a fully trained air bender. His last night in Gusu is when it happens. News reaches them that Yunmeng is under attack from the Wen sect, who have been annexing more minor territoires for years. By the time Wei Ying gets there Lan Zhan at his side, Lotus Peer is burned to the ground. They barely get Jiang Cheng and Jiamg Yanli out, helped by Wei Ying's old friend, Wen Ning. They make it Wen Qing, who takes one look at Lan Zhan and tells him to go because Gusu is next.

(The wens knew where the avatar was abd where he wasn't abd chose their attacks accordingly)

Lan Zhan rushes back (alone. Wei Ying has brother to get back from the brink of death) but he us too late, too. Cloud Recesses is burned, his father dead, his brother missing and he is taken prisoner.

The war happens almost like in canon. The other heirs are taken hostage and given lessons as to how to behave towards their occupiers. They escape through the stupidity of Wen Chao.

I don't think that there'd be a burial mounts though, nor an equivalent to the list golden core. you can take someone's bending but i want Wei Ying to remain the avatar because:

In his desperation to beat the seemingly almighty Wen and his grieve for the Jiangs who took him in, he devices a plan. A) he goes to Lan Zhan and asks him if musical cultivation might help him to learn how to control the avatar state. He says they can try. They do try and after a while, Wei Ying reaches that state. And B) he rensacks the world for scrolls on blood cultivation.

When they advance on nightless City, he is ready. No one kniws his plan. Even Lan Zhan only knows of his having learned to control the avatar state. He needs the element of surprise and he needs it when he stavds in front of Wen Ruohan.

So he waits. By the time he stands face to face with Wen Ruohan and his army, the floor us littered with corpses.

Wei Ying, in front of his brother, Lan Zhan, everyone goes into the avatar state and with the power of all his former incarnations, bebds the blood of every single corpse, as well as every single Wen soldier to turn on Wen Ruohan and then each other. It's a massacre.

When he comes to it again, there is silence. And then cheers. Everyone cheers for him, even though blood bending has veen outlawed for ages. He won them their war though.

Everyone cheers, everyone but Lan Zhan.

They fight after that, a lot.

(I helped you enter the avatar state. You could have died! - my problem, not yours! - You desecrated the dead! What about their spirits? - what about their spirits? I'm the avatar, i can deal with them! - the avatar state is the sacret link to your past lifes ... - My past lifes, yeah Lan Wangji! Let me decide what to do with them. - Wei Wuxian! - Lan Wangji.)

They part on bad terms more often than not.

So when knews reaches that the Jins, a notoriously rich noble family in some corner of the earth kingdom, has taken Wen citizens, civilians mostly, for slave labour, he goes alone. He is furious, more so when he realises that his friends are among them. He enters the avatar stare involuntarily and has the blood of all present Jin soldiers boil in their veins. Wen Ning is almost dead, but he uses his bending to circulate his blood in his body until he can get him to his sister. She is in Lanling after all, having married their heir.

Now because I love Jiang Yanli, in this au, she plays a bigger role. She saves Wen Ning and shows them out of Lanling.

They flee to a part of Qishan that was all but destroyed during the war and then used as a mass grave for the Wens wei ying himself killed, the ones whose spirits Lan Zhan had warned him about.

And the workd turns on it's Avatar.

The avatar is supposed to bring Peace, stand for balance and justice. Not choose a handful of people to protect at all costs.

But Wei Ying thinks, this is just! The world is full of greedy rich people trying to outdo each other for power, so isn't protecting those who suffer from it through no fault of their own justice?

Now, this could go two ways. Either, in a plot more similar to mdzs, the spirits Wei Ying disturbed abd that he is now living on top of, betray him when the rest of the world finally comes to ambush him (cue Lan Zhan trying g to protect him abd falling from grace himself. And the eternally yearning because he list his chance. the avatar is reborn ofc and Lan Zhan vows to protect them because Wei Ying is still a part of them, but they aren't Wei Ying. They are a completely different person and Lan Zhan never loves again.) DEPRESSING

So, let's go the atla route. Wei Ying goes through a spiritual journey, similar to Korra, gets the Wen remnants rehabilitated, makes the right people see sense and basically does the whole Avatar shitck of first finding peace within himself in order to bring peace to the world. *waves hand*

He confesses to Lan Zhan. They adopt A Yuan. Cue kiss in front of a glowing sunset and "The End" displayed to soaring music.

Admittedly, the second ending needs more flashing out, but it's late,so if anyone wants to have a go, feel free :D

[stillness-in-green]

Thoughts on Chapter 314 (and surrounding events)

Being a loose summary of several things I thought about in relation to the leaks, what they say about the series as a whole, a bit of new operating headcanon on the Peerless Thief, and a dash of how fandom is responding to the revelations. Spoilers, obviously.

This chapter makes it quite clear that the HPSC absolutely would have gone in and eliminated the PLF quietly, lethally, and wholly unlawfully if Hawks hadn't reported back the numbers that he did. The only reason the raid involved non-Commission-affiliated heroes at all is because the PLF's manpower was simply too much for the Commission to deal with via their usual methods. I'm both appalled that the disregard for human rights in HeroAca Land is somehow even worse than I thought it was and smug that that tiny little piece I recently posted criticizing the PLF's treatment has turned out to be totally justified and supported by the canon.[1] (Note that this does not absolve Horikoshi of the responsibility to, himself, treat the PLF better than paper dolls tossed into the incinerator of Plot Irrelevance when they cease being convenient to his story.) The fact that the Commission was forced to involve heroes might mean Re-Destro, Mr. Compress and the others are somewhat safer than might otherwise be the case. Because of the involvement of the unsuspecting stooges law-abiding heroes, and because the botched raid became such a huge disaster, there’s far more public scrutiny on this than would otherwise be the case. Of course, "accidents" can still happen,[2] especially in a chaotic environment, but the factors above (combined with Clone!RD murdering the bejeezus out of the Lady Prez) do, I think, suggest that there probably isn't an organized push for quick solutions going on behind closed doors.

I don't think Nagant has been around for a terribly long time or that there was an uptick in vigilantism in recent years—I think the scene where she mentions vigilantes becoming accepted as heroes is just in reference to the early history of heroism. It's in keeping with what Tsukauchi Makoto described in Vigilantes, and forms the basis of the current system—the current system that Nagant was a single cog in a big machine grinding away to preserve.

Speaking of Nagant and the system, it's interesting to me that one of the groups Nagant apparently targeted at the HPSC's behest was corrupt heroes—those who colluded with villains or specifically goaded/incited civilians into using their quirks illegally, thus turning civilians into capital-V Villains in the eyes of the law. One might easily say that targeting corrupt heroes (albeit using a much broader definition of "corrupt") was Stain's whole shtick, but it actually puts me more in mind of the Peerless Thief, Harima Oji. Harima punished greedy or corrupt heroes with theft, and presumably with a measure of declaration and exposure,[3] then distributed their money back to the streets. Someone who ridicules those who abuse their power, and gets away with it for long enough to build a reputation: that right there is a recipe for a folk hero. The HPSC, in whatever form they existed at the time, obviously couldn't let that go on—such repeated humiliations would weaken peoples’ faith in (and obedience to) the system the HPSC was trying to build. At the same time, though, it would also weaken faith in the system to openly acknowledge that system's flaws, to acknowledge that some pretty awful people had found their way into the heroics business specifically for the power and ability to abuse it that the title of Hero afforded them. Public trials would make it a matter of record that some heroes—and, accordingly, heroes at large—did not deserve the public's unquestioning faith. Obviously in a system that was built from the ground up on faith, that was unacceptable. And so Harima was branded a supervillain for exposing the system's flaws, while the corrupt heroes who embodied those flaws to begin with were—and continue to be—quietly disposed of at the HPSC’s discretion.

There's a lot of talk around about how Lady Nagant is stupid, or hypocritical, or delusional, or whatever other dismissive adjective people want to use, because she expresses a preference for AFO's rule over the HPSC's. Firstly, I think it's dubious Lit Crit to fault a character for not being a Paragon of Rationality, especially when they're under the cascading stressors Nagant has been under since she was, what, 13? 14? Forced to live this dichotomy of smiling gallant hero and ruthless covert assassin, had her life threatened by the man who'd taken her in,[4] probably dumped in Tartarus until such time as her trial could be held,[5] and kept in those ghastly, dehumanizing conditions for who knows how long? How shocking, that her objectivity might be somewhat compromised! Secondly, it's not like she's saying that AFO's rule would be a sunny walk in the park. The kanji she uses doesn't even mean "better"; while it can mean serene or tranquil, her more likely meaning is clear/transparent. Her phrasing indicates that she's aware it would be pretty bad; she's simply of the opinion that at least his rule wouldn't be a sham, a pretty lie. It would be bad, but everyone would know it. No one would have these comforting illusions they could lose at any time; if you stepped out of line and got shot in the head by an assassin, well, at least you would probably know you that being defiant was running that risk, rather than never seeing it coming because you'd been told all your life that Heroes Didn't Do That To People. Again, this is a woman whose life was shattered no less than three times by the duplicity of the highest acting authority in this comic.[6] She doesn't have to be Objectively Correct By The Standards Of Ethical Utilitarianism—nor do you have to agree with her choice that because she doesn’t want to live in the Matrix, no one else should get to either—for her opinion to make sense from her own perspective! Thirdly, while I think it's fair to say that the HPSC and AFO actually use fairly similar methods to recruit followers and punish dissenters, we have no idea how much Nagant herself knows about AFO's recruitment tactics other than her own brief experience of it. And while AFO is a controlling and manipulative bastard, at least in his case it's coming from a man who openly styles himself as a Demon King, not an organization positioning itself as lawful regulators of the protectors of society at large while secretly training child soldiers to flagrantly violate every law protecting the human rights and due process of that society's people.

Overhaul's presence is delightful, and yes, he is a victim of Hero Society, if only because Hero Society could have put him in some kind of prison-based rehab facility after Shigaraki was through with him, but chose to dispose of him in Tartarus instead, for absolutely no justifiable cause. I suspect it's only due to Horikoshi not being very interested in the harsh realities of the trauma caused by enforced isolation[7] that Overhaul is the only Tartarus escapee that talks to himself and has dissociated from reality almost completely. Overhaul's maiming was not the fault of Hero Society, nor did Hero Society force him to torture Eri and repeatedly commit cold-blooded murder. But his madness? Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable laying that one at Hero Society's feet, actually. I can’t wait for Deku to have to face the victim that Chisaki Kai has become due to levels of systemic cruelty and negligence that really ought to be criminal—and which, if this were real life, would be.

--------Lately, footnotes are really popular with us!--------

[1] Lady Nagant: *talks about how the Hero Society everyone believes in is illusory, a thin fake over a brutal reality, and that returning to the false simplicity of that status quo will only cause history to repeat itself* Me, two weeks ago: Hero Society will never stop creating its own villains so long as, every time it fails people, it does nothing but shrug and write off the victims as unavoidable, inevitable sacrifices for the greater good.

[2] Yes, I'm still highly suspicious of the "Destro committed suicide in prison" claim.

[3] Compress tells us Harima “preached reformation,” but regardless, you don’t dress up in a modified kabuki costume and waltz midair through nighttime cityscapes raining cash out of the sky if you’re trying to keep your activities a secret.

[4] And her family situation couldn't have been much better than Hawks', if she was targeted by the HPSC to begin with. I would guess she was an orphan in the childcare system, easy to move from whatever alternative care arrangement she was in, be it an orphanage, a group home, or simply mature enough despite her relative youth that she lived alone on government support payments—that kind of thing isn't as unbelievable in Japan as it is in the U.S.—to the HPSC's care.

[5] And given what we learned between this chapter and 297, I doubt she was even allowed to be present for it. Japanese law states that everyone by default is supposed to be present for their own trial, but as in the U.S, that right can be waived if the defendant proves themselves to be a threat to the safety of the judge, court staff and other attendees. And of course, what a threat the HPSC could have painted her as being!

[6] At least until Hori deigns to show us a damn Diet session.

[7] To say nothing of the physical consequences of spending six months stuck in a tiny room with no natural light while frequently being strapped into a straitjacket, of which there should also be several.

[melloian]

The Reboot Comic Expectations

Since am almost finish with the comic (on page 55 ;-; just at the middle-end) imma just talk about this. no this isn’t au introduction v2, this just what would be in the comics. (if you haven’t read it already click here)

Here’s some things that would be in the comics: Changes in dialog  Some episodes will be deleted

The following episodes going be deleted:

Copycat - am just uncomfortable

Gigatitan - am not trying to make Gabriel stupid or laughable that’s why

Santa claws - am not planning to make entire Christmas comic of this, maybe a Christmas special of something else.

Feast - because i changed wang fu backstory

Ladybug - am tired of doppelgangers... i know people liked her but yea.. Oblivio - i just dont like it lmao

All guest star episodes

All #2 version of akumantized villains (expect for stormy weather because she a separate villain) 

There’s be added episodes (and also replaced)

This will start in season 2, season 1 will just have the same amount of episodes (expect for copycat)

There will be filler episodes

Why? Don’t you just hate it when the heroes just fighting every single episode and never explore more about they normal life? it also just a break episode for me lmao. 

Some episodes will be either completely rewritten or slightly rewritten. 

None of the season 4 (and onwards) episodes will be here, it will be replaced with my own

Why? Its a massive spoiler so am just going keep it short and simple, i have different story am going to do with this (and it wouldn’t make sense because Marinette not becoming guardian no more) 

There will be long arcs

Don’t worry is not going be in the first 2 seasons.

Edgy, Dark and violence

Yes. idk am not complete child friendly person ;-;.

Anyways, it would happen in season 3. 

Episode Felix

Instead of the episode introducing Felix (cuz imma introduce him in the first episode but not completely), it going share his backstory instead in his pov.

Around the world specials would be done in mid time when i feel like doing it but it will very long time when its published....

There will be backstory like episodes  There will be episodes only featuring chat noir saving the day and episodes were ladybug saves the day by herself. This also goes for queen bee and other. The episodes will be in the original order Expect for bubbler because i wanted stormy weather to be introduced later.

Writing & Other

My grammar is not good so expect it to sound off

Am not good with fighting scenes so I'll try my best 

I’ll try to make things make sense.

My art style have inconsistent height and things, so am trying to even it off somehow. Am not so great with backgrounds

My comedy epically bad. 

Extras

Will lukanette be in it?

Even though its a good ship, was canon and all, no. I want to make love square believable instead of unbelievable. And i just want Marinette just to confess her crush already. same thing goes for adrigami.

However, luka still would have a crush on Marinette and kagami will still have a crush on adrien. 

Explores ms mendeleiev and other staffs of the school.

There’s be three redemption arcs 

Main one is chloe, the rest will be shown ;)

Pollen actually have a personality 

Power changes

Of course character developments 

Felix would be in some episodes. Will magical charms exist?

No, but in a different way. Its allowed in one of some other form. But its something else Will heroes outfit change? Yes  Future!Alix would be more important character later

Does chat noir gets more powers? 

Yes

There will be an adult heroes Even though i say it going be less heroes, they will be temporary heroes but it ONLY FOR THAT ARC! not for the rest of the comic trust me. (btw miraculous heroes will not be added as temporaries it will be something else. Miraculous heroes will still have the same amount of heroes because am not adding anymore.){besides they only going be called when necessary, they not apart of the team} 

Retcons (Both canon and in my own au)(also SPOILERS!!)

Kagami is a runaway child who been missing since 2 years

Luka and Juleka are not twins anymore, luka is an older brother. He takes care of Juleka because both of his parents are missing. He tries to find both of them.

Miraculous heroes cannot get akumantized unless the accessory is not on them. (nor can the miraculous object can be akumantized.)

Adrien will slowly start becoming less gullible towards Gabriel because he sees something is wrong (retcon in my au) 

The weapons are not toys, they literal weapons lmao. (yes even ladybug’s umbrella, you’ll see)

Nathalie not in love with Gabriel

Gorilla will be named Murice cause it sounds better tbh. Gorilla is just his nickname.

(retcon in my au) Andre Bourgeois being friends with Gabriel. I thought i wanted to explain how Gabriel became a terrorist in the first place. (its in Gabriel’s bio about him being a terrorist.)

Thinking what am going to do with these:

Anarka Couffaine and Captain Hardrock(am thinking about doing something interesting with these two) Bob Roth Mr Damocles  Le Grand Paris Audrey herself  Certain Locations Daroness Anyways that’s all i want to say cya!(this might be edited, also this will be re-blogged every time a new season starts)

[capsgirl19]

wait I wanna hear about the gay subtext and wasted potential of teen beach 2

Okay, strap in because I don’t do elevator pitches. Major spoilers for Teen Beach Movies 1&2. And a readmore because this is LONG!

SO. Idk if this is a common observation, but it seemed fairly obvious to me that Lela fell hard in love with Mack over the course of the first movie. She felt trapped by gender roles, obligated to pursue a relationship with a boy over and over again, never even considering that there might be something more until this girl unlike anyone she’s ever met crashes into her life saying that she can do anything men can do, that she doesn’t have to fit into a little box. I legit thought the scene in her bedroom might be her confessing to being gay, though I knew it wouldn’t be. And like... the necklace exchange? The extended hug at the end? Not to mention in the second one, she’s desperate to escape her own universe so she can be with Mack again, desperate to live in a world where she’s allowed to be her true self. The fact that Brady turns into a garbage fire in that one doesn’t help my opinions on the canon pairings, either. By all rights, Lela’s story in the second movie ought to be a tragedy. She escapes a world defined by rigid expectations that she be in a relationship with a man to get back to the girl who changed her life. And she makes it! And she’s happy! And then it turns out everyone she loves will die if she doesn’t go back to her own life. She makes this tremendous sacrifice to save her entire universe, and honestly a sad gay story is cliche, but imo better than doing what they actually did with that ending.

As a little aside, can we talk about the unbelievable amount of lip service in these movies that the second one undermines with its entire plot? In the first movie Brady was kinda dumb, but a seemingly good boyfriend. Mack was so about Girl Power that she was trying to bring third wave feminism to the early sixties. In the second one Brady is sulky, jealous for no reason, dumps his girlfriend because HIS TRASH ASS fucking forgot they had plans, and never even has to apologize for it. On the contrary, Mack apologizes to HIM! When she never did anything to so much as suggest she’d find his interests stupid! I digress, sorry, it pissed me off to no end.

That finished, let’s get into the meta. While I don’t think the writers realized it, they wrote a super interesting multiverse. We’ve got the prime universe, the one Mack and Brady are from, which is the one all the others spawn from. My theory is that literally anyone can create a universe by writing about one. The intricacy of the created universe is based on how much worldbuilding goes into it, and the better thought-out the universe, the stronger the fabric of reality surrounding it will be, and the harder it’ll be to change from its intended path. This isn’t a new concept, but there’s an interesting level of equity in the fact that secondary universes can rewrite the entire timeline of the primary one if they change enough. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Wet Side Story is a sleepy little universe, not much thought put into how it runs at all. The characters sing and dance their way through the same summer over and over again in a contented daze, like the lotus eaters of the Odyssey. And then along come Mack and Brady, to stretch at the delicate chiffon of this simple place. The characters closest to them begin to stir from their trances, and there’s no way to go back. No way to unknow. Only an endless summer, a stretching eternity of pretending, and Lela can’t stand it. With barely a few months between, she’s pulling that fabric in the opposite direction trying to get back to the girl who captured her mind and her heart, currently in a failing relationship. And then she has to go back. She doesn’t want to. Mack seems to wish she could stay, if only for Lela’s own sake. She and Tanner return to their own universe, but not before Mack tells her that she can control her own destiny and shape her universe to her whims. Lela takes this to heart, becoming the solo star of the film. It’s too much. The thin fabric separating her universe from the primary one tears as she severely alters its timeline, allowing her to throw Mack a leather jacket matching her own through a movie screen, and shoot her a sly wink as she dances along to the movie. This is the end of Teen Beach 2, and oh boy, do I have sequel ideas.

Here’s the setup: so. Lela goes home. Whoever wrote the movie she’s in has long since abandoned caring for the universe they never bothered to build a world for, and their grip is weak. It’s easy to wrest the pen from that loose hand, to bend her world around her until it suits her desires, and she writes a great story. But it still feels empty. Lela is the queen of the beach, but her friends still seem their happiest playing their new roles, over and over again. She ascends to godhood, taking the reins of her own universe, but it’s lonely at the top and she’s as high as a person can go. She is peerless. She has nothing but time to ponder the nature of everything, and to yearn for the only equal she ever had.

The final film doesn’t open with her, though, and this one’s a fuckin’ doozy. Think Infinity War (the comic, not the movie, and maybe a little bit of Marvel’s Illuminati plotline too) meets a lesbian pulp novel. It opens with Mack, a few years later, now in college studying oceanography. Things keep sort of... glitching out. The camera pans past a character or scene from Lela, Queen of the Beach, or maybe even Wet Side Story, but when Mack looks back at it it’s always normal again. She decides she’s being silly, and it’s just been awhile since she watched her favorite movie, so that night she makes some time and puts it on. Lela herself steps out of the screen after one of her numbers and restores Mack’s memories of the timeline that got dead-ended by Lela’s alteration of her own universe. Mack is thrilled to see her after so long, and they hug, Mack explaining what she’s been doing in the time they’ve been apart. For Lela, it’s only been a year, and she never aged to begin with. Lela tells Mack how she took her advice, she changed her movie, but things were still so unbearably lonely. She tells her that whoever created their multiverse is cruel, that they had no regard for the people within, but that it’s alright. Lela knows how to handle indifferent creators, after all. She’s going to merge it all into one universe, no hierarchies, that she personally will oversee. She’s come to ask Mack to rule at her side.

Mack is afraid of her power and afraid of her ideas. She tries to talk Lela out of it, but to no avail. Lela is deeply sad that Mack doesn’t see things her way, but out of love for the other girl and a genuine belief that she’s too powerful to be stopped, once again forging her own destiny, she folds the necklace into Mack’s palm and returns to her own universe to continue her work.

Mack and Brady went their separate ways after high school, not on bad terms, but because a long-distance relationship didn’t seem realistic. This is the first time they’ve spoken since she left for college, but Brady is her only hope for someone who might understand. She manages to jog his memory, and they have to work together to try and prevent Lela from remaking all of creation. There are posters throughout which serve as markers of how close she is to achieving her goals, shifting gradually closer to their final form: Lela in iconic pink jacket leaning against the side of a motorcycle on a black-sand beach, a galactic sky behind her. The title reads, “LELA: QUEEN OF THE MULTIVERSE.” This is also the working title of the third movie.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand that’s all I got! How does it end? I don’t know! Probably Lela doesn’t merge the multiverse into one place, because that’s never a great plan. Maybe she just gets to live in Mack’s universe and go to college and find a girlfriend and have a good life? And her movie’s about Tanner and Bucky now (bc holy god there’s not as much of a story there but Tanner is fucking gay as hell), but it has the same story as the original? That might be good. Could also be called “Mack and Brady Save the Multiverse” idk.

[annalyticall]

Anime Newbie in her Twenties Ranks her First 10 Anime

With the recommendations of my sister @ging-ler​ and friends, I started watching anime just over a year ago and within that time I’ve watched a total of 10 - some clocking in at almost 200 episodes and some with only 12. I told myself a while ago that once I had finished 10 anime shows I would rank them like some Anime Newbie WatchMojo list, so, here we are. Really this is just an excuse to force more of my unwarranted opinions onto unwilling followers.

I should also preface this by saying I don’t think any of the anime I watched this year was bad, and I enjoyed a lot about every show even if I ranked some low. However, the top three anime on my list are the ones I would recommend to anyone following me even if they don’t watch anime.

10. Death Note

Despite absolutely loathing the “protagonist” since episode one, I really enjoyed the first half of Death Note! The story was intriguing with all of its wild twist and turns and I found myself immediately invested in what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, after the death of who I thought was by far the best character, the show seems to go off the rails as it introduces new characters and contrived plot devices in the second half that were frankly hard for me to care about at that point. The ending was satisfying but I forced myself to sit through a lot of painful meandering to get there.

9. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop was the first anime I watched as suggested to me by @mcsherrybr​. The smooth and jazzy art, atmosphere, animation, action, and music were all a lot of fun, as were the lovable ragtag group of misfits that made up the main cast. I enjoyed myself a lot while watching this western/sci-fi melding pot of a show, and I only ranked it so low because the last few episodes were a huge disappointment to my found-family-trope-loving heart.

8. Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden, following the story of a child soldier learning to love, is absolutely beautiful to look at and listen to. The music in this anime is, for me, THE best music from any show on this list. This is also the only anime that made me sob several times while watching it. The collection of short episodic stories that explore the deep facets of human love and connection are incredibly resonant and will stay with me for a long time. However, the strength of the small story arcs made the rushed overarching war story and finale weaker in comparison. Similarly, the memorable characters introduced in the one-off side plots were more interesting to me than the cast of rather bland reoccurring supporting characters. While I will remember a lot of great individual moments, I can’t seem to remember a single character’s name besides Violet’s, but that might also be due to being one of the shorter entries at only 12 episodes.

7. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Going from one of the shortest anime on this list to the longest, Hunter x Hunter was an great and engrossing story during the entirety of its 160+ episodes. It’s colorful and playful, but can also be very dark and at times even heart-wrenching. Because it contains so many distinct arcs, there is a wide variety characters and stories to get attached to, and some, like the Chimera Ant Arc, I even cried over. But this also left me with issues regarding the pacing. The show has great action and introspective moments but will often drag with long drawn-out pauses between fights to explain simple concepts (though I understand that’s a common trope in old shonen anime in general). The world-building is rich but also caught me off guard with some strange ideas, and admittedly not all of them I liked. Some eccentric characters and concepts rubbed me the wrong way and ended up hindering my enjoyment of the show. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and I left with a few more endearing favorite characters, like Leorio and Killua.

6. Erased

Also a 12 episode anime, Erased was amazingly impactful for how short it was. Even as I followed the unfolding murder mystery, I was also touched by the meaningful themes and kind-hearted characters I met along the way. The already-strong story is accentuated with great symbolism, art, and music. The only problem I had was with the mystery itself; I was able to tell who the true killer was within the first 4 episodes, which didn’t lend itself well to suspense and I spent the remaining episodes frustrated that the main characters couldn’t see some obvious clues.This is a minor problem, though, since the finale has less to do with mystery and more about the morals and resolution of themes that I felt was satisfying.

5. Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is gorgeous. The stunning art style, fluid animation, and breath-taking music are all valid reasons to watch it, but the main character Tanjiro and his unwavering devotion to find a cure for his sister-turned-demon Nezuko are the reasons to stay. Tanjiro is unbelievably gentle as he shows even the evil demons he has to slay a hard-fought kindness, and it’s those tender moments between all of the amazing action sequences that really elevate this show for me. The issues I have lie with the rest of the cast. While I love some supporting characters, like the pig-headed Inosuke and the stoic Giyuu, others have very niche personalities that can get annoying if they’re on screen for too long, which they definitely tend to be. Still, the bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko is so strong that it gets me through even those dragging scenes.

And it’s written by a woman!

4. My Hero Academia

Hey so this might come as a shock for anyone who’s followed me for a while: My Hero Academia is not my favorite anime! I do love it a lot - it’s the only anime on this list that has inspired me to read the manga, write fic, and buy merch. There are so many lovable characters and exciting arcs in this show that there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy, both inside and outside of canon. It’s a wonderfully paced and animated deconstruction of the superhero genre and besides its deeper themes and commentary, there’s also just a lot of endearing teenage goofin’ to be had, and the show balances the tone of these two almost-equally engaging aspects of the story fairly well.

The downside, for me, is the show’s sexualization of female characters, especially the teenagers. With the likes of pervy fellow classmate Mineta, it’s a flaw that’s hard to avoid and takes up an unfortunate amount of screen time. There are in-universe characters that protest against this behavior, and the female characters are still well-written for the most part, but that doesn’t make up for the canon material including it at all. It’s not a huge part of the show but it’s present enough that it really knocks the ranking down for me.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Out of my top 5, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the only one that is complete. Because of that, I can tentatively say that so far, it is the best completed story on this list. From beginning to end, the pacing was perfect - the action never dragged, the characters were never unnecessary, and the plot twists were never unearned. I found myself more invested than I thought I would ever be for the large cast of characters, and everything, including its ending, was satisfying to watch. The animation is fluid and lent itself well to the most impactful scenes, especially involving the flame alchemist Roy Mustang. It’s also written by a woman! Really, the only nitpicks I have were with tonal problems - serious moments would sometimes be ruined by too much slapstick or visual gags.

As I mentioned before, my Top 3 are shows I would recommend to anyone who’s unfamiliar with anime simply because they’re good solid stories with almost no distracting anime tropes. This is a good place to start.

2. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland is deceiving; on the surface it looks like a sweet show about a bunch of adorable kids playing together in the spacious green backyard of their quaint orphanage. Once you finish the first episode, however, you will quickly discover that there is definitely something more sinister lurking under the surface. This show is an expertly executed dark horror/thriller that always had me on the edge of my seat. The cute aesthetic never distracts from the suspense, in fact, it adds to the discomfort when the horrific visuals and expressions are contrasted against the character designs. I loved all of the characters, including the antagonist, who manages to be just as sympathetic as she is menacing. The sound design and music are also beautiful and adds so much to the rich atmosphere. I am definitely excited to see where this series will go!

1. Mob Psycho 100

ONE, the creator of Mob Psycho 100, said the single word he used for the concept for the series was “kindness”. Kindness shines through so much of this story following the life of Mob, a super-psychic kid that just wants to fit in, and I adore every second of it. While many shonen anime stories force the child protagonist to get stronger, become more powerful, and fight in battles against hostile adults, Mob Psycho 100 says “that’s stupid. Kids shouldn’t have to be traumatized by immature power-hungry adults. The only strength that anyone should pursue is strength of character, motivated by self-love and love for others.” And it says it with the most beautiful animation I have EVER seen in a show. The simplistic character designs mean the animators can have as much creative freedom as they like with expressions and movement, and they absolutely use that freedom. Humor is a large part of this mostly-comedy anime, but it makes the serious and introspective scenes so much more important when they do happen. The shifts between these two tones never feel awkward or imbalanced.

Mob Psycho 100 has inspired me to become more experimental and joy-seeking with my art, as well as just become a better person in my own life, which I can’t say for many other anime or many other pieces of media period. Even though a Season 3 hasn’t been officially announced yet, I can still safely say Mob Psycho 100 will forever hold a special place in my heart.

[kanamesharisenwrites]

kh’s story snippet celebration sendoff, entry #6

God, what do I even say about this piece? It's so old - the timestamp from my FF.net import says 2012 - and I don't remember much about it. I almost left it out of this collection after cringing my way through a re-read of the first paragraph. Then, I made myself reframe the narrative.

This piece needs to be here; it shows how far I've come as a writer.

Don't let anyone tell you that fanfic is a waste of time. Just look at this piece compared to my recent projects! I'm living proof that fanfic is every bit as valid for honing your craft as traditional written media

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Sai/Sakura Haruno Word Count: 2931 Genre: canon-divergence!AU Rating: T Warnings: canon-typical violence

... [ hypocritical ]

Pain.

The dull throb of injury greeted Sai as his consciousness reluctantly returned to him. This particular circumstance perplexed him greatly. Had he not been merely put to sleep? Sakura's loyalty was steadfast and her medical skills knew no equal but that of their esteemed Hokage, of this much he was certain. Therefore, the probability that this harm was inflicted by her drug, hastily administered though it was, seemed highly unlikely. No, this feeling was not akin to that of being poisoned. Nor did it seem to come from any external wound; a quick scan of his person negated that possibility. Yet, it was still very clear to him that all was not right or as it should be. His throat felt unbelievably tight, the sensation bringing to mind scenes of Naruto shoving complete bowls of ramen down his throat in a singular motion. Sai's heart raced uncontrollably, palpitating to a foreign rhythm, and his insides quaked. There was something wrong with him internally.

Nearby, his companions began to stir. As they also scanned for injuries, all the while cursing Sakura for her heroic stupidity, it became clear to Sai that he alone suffered from any malady. He rose gingerly, taken aback by how easily he could still function in spite of all his present symptoms, and questioned Kiba for his teammate's last known trajectory. The best course of action, for now, would be to find Sakura before his symptoms got worse. With but a nod, he left his temporary workmates and headed out in search of the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sai dashed through the woodland at breakneck speed, something as of yet unnamed urging him on. Something about the whole situation unsettled him. He should have anticipated Sakura's actions and been ready with a countermeasure. Becoming her victim was irresponsible and now his comrade could be engaged in a treacherous encounter with that traitor, possibly without backup; whether or not Kakashi had caught up to her in time remained to be seen. Her tenacity, even with her insane strength, would be no match for the Uchiha prodigy. It was as clear as needing air to breathe. Surely Sakura herself could see that. She had proven time and time again over that her intelligence was more than adequate. Why then would she willingly engage in actions where death was not only possible but the most probable outcome? The shinobi's stomach lurched, forcing him to stall his forward progress in favor of retching in the forest undergrowth. He had no time to waste now, his symptoms now progressing.

Another half-hour of hurdling over branches did little to ease his discomfort. A cold sweat, unrelated to his current exertions, came over Sai making his hands unnaturally clammy. Barely perceptible, yet uncontrollable shaking started to take a hold of him. His body was starting to go into shock. He would need to find her soon.

Sai lost all track of the distance he had traveled, the trees and thickets becoming but a verdant blur in the peripheral. It was of no consequence anyway. His mind was too clouded to focus on those kinds of details anymore. Instead he focused what was left of his cerebral capacity on what he considered to be his mission objectives: to find and determine the condition of one Sakura Haruno, and to have her administer a thorough health examination on his person. As Sai mentally rallied around these precepts, her chakra signature finally came into range. The worn shinobi redoubled his efforts. His reward finally came into view, accompanied by silver and gold and black, and Sai dropped from the sky with a resounding thud.

"Took you long enough to catch up." A weary, whiskered grin greeted him. "Sakura sure knows how to pack a punch, huh? And not just with her fist."

Sai merely nodded. His exertions had taken a toll on him and for the moment he was finding it hard to catch his breath. Non-verbal means of communication would have to do for the moment. And so his black eyes became intent on catching the attention of a pair of viridian ones. It did not take long.

"Sai? Are you okay?" Sakura gave her blonde teammate her half of their current burden, a half-dead kunoichi, and rushed over to Sai with healing chakra at the ready. "You look awful. My sleeping potion shouldn't have had any adverse effects. Were you attacked?"

The moment she touched his damp forehead, the symptoms began to ease. His heartbeat slowed to a near-normal pace and the tension in his muscles started to give way. "No. I... I don't..."

"I can't find anything wrong with you," the kunoichi replied after letting her chakra probe his entire form, puzzlement showing clearly on her face. "Talk to me, Sai. What's going on?"

"I woke up in pain, but I couldn't locate any wounds. It has to be something internal. I think my body started to go into shock. But..." Though his expression remained stoic, his eyes reflected confusion.

"But what?"

"I do not understand. You haven't treated me, but the symptoms are subsiding."

"Sakura," their tired sensei spoke up. "Check his tongue."

"Okay?" Sakura turned back to her patient. "You heard the man. Open up. Now, what am I looking for?"

"A seal. Danzo placed one on every member of Root. It was supposed to keep them quiet, but I have a feeling it sealed more than just their words."

"Are you sure, Sensei?" The pink head turned towards Kakashi for confirmation. "There's nothing here."

"The seal must have broken when Danzo died." The older man scratched his head. "Normally seals don't work like that. They stay in place even after the one who placed it there gets killed."

"I don't get it." Naruto chimed in. "Then why would Sai's seal be gone?"

"Well, his methods were questionable at best, but he was loyal to the village." Kakashi sighed. "My initial guess is that Sai has some information that Danzo thought may be of use to us in the event of his death. I doubt there's anything wrong with Sai. He's probably just feeling the after-effects of the seal being removed."

"I see. Then it could be possible..." She turned back to Sai, a sudden realization dawning in her eyes. "What were your symptoms? I need all of them in the order in which they appeared."

"Constricted airway, heart palpitations, a dull ache in my abdomen, nausea, shaking and cold sweats."

"Okay. You probably felt your throat, heart, and stomach first, right?" The girl tapped her cheek as she sorted out her theories.

"Yes."

"The nausea came later?" His nod confirmed some suspicions, so she continued with her line of questioning. "What were you doing when it came? Were you thinking about something?"

"I left the others to resume my mission. I..." The words left his mouth slowly, reluctant to be heard. "I was thinking that only a stupid kunoichi would drug her teammates so she could run into a suicide mission alone."

"Sai." His name fell softly from her lips and his eyes became glassy. Her lithe arms lifted to embrace his neck. "I'm sorry I worried you."

The warmth of her body against his was strangely comforting, so Sai chose to mimic her posture. "Did he hurt you?"

"Yes." The word came out as a sob and Sakura squeezed him just a bit tighter. "But I'll be okay."

"Good." Sai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then detached himself from Sakura. "An injured medic is of no use to her team."

"You stupid..." Sakura paused mid-punch. The faint track of a fallen tear graced his tactless cheek. Breaking his face no longer held any appeal, so she contented herself with a measured thump to his shoulder. "Whatever. Let's just get home."

Chapter 2: reclamation

Running without sparing the slightest moment to turn back, determination and desperation lent their power to her limp limbs. In a maze of ever-growing darkness, she wandered. Alone. The silence filled her soul with dread, its death toll ringing in her ears. How long had she been running, been searching? It felt like countless fathoms of time with the quiet, suffocating loneliness contorting her senses. But onwards she ran just the same, hoping beyond all hope that something, anything would change this state of purgatory in which she found herself. Just what had she been searching for? It had been so long, even she forgot. All that was left was to go on. And though she knew to do so bordered heavily on the side of insanity, on she went. And on. And on. Always running. Always moving forward. She was hurtling herself headlong into her destiny and the outcome, she remembered only as it became too late, was always the same. The electric blade, crackling with some emotion between love and hate, ravaged the recess that once held her heart and ended her struggle. She was caught in the red.

Sakura awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Her hands came to her chest of their own accord, trying in vain to cover the ache of betrayal that now resided there. It was becoming a morning ritual. It took but a moment to collect her faculties, the shock value of such torturous nightmares dulling with each successive night that they had been endured. It had been ten days since her brush with death at the hands of her most beloved and Sakura was no shrieking violet.

The first night had been the worst. In her panic, she had roused the rest of the team and their prisoner with her struggling. When the spell of the nightmare finally broke, thanks to a sound slap from their venerable sensei, Sakura whispered her fake assurances and rearranged her bedroll. She could feel the knowing eyes of the scarlet prisoner on her for the rest of the night. Contempt for her own weakness, rather than that of his discarded pawn, ran through Sakura's veins under the scrutiny of that gaze. Sleep would continue to elude her.

The next few days were but a blur. Arriving at the village, handing in mission reports, and reporting for duty at the hospital were second nature enough that she could perform these tasks on autopilot. She had joined the ranks of the walking dead. It took a couple of days, but eventually, her friends staged an intervention. It took another bit of friendly violence, this time supplied by an indignant Ino, to set her straight, but it was effective. She went to plotting. After all, one should play to one's strengths and Sakura had always been known to have an intelligent head on her shoulders.

It took a couple more days for her to realize that there were holes, numerous and large ones, in the scheme she was cooking up. Like it or not, Sakura was going to have to call in some back-up. Invitations went out and she lost no time in starting preparations. Time would be of utmost importance; some of the major players could not be counted upon to stay in the village for any length of time.

One by one they arrived, exchanging smiles and civilities before being seated at the kunoichi's small dining table. Sakura did a fair job of hostess duties, pouring tea and filling plates with second and third portions, in between fielding off-color comments between the two younger males attending. When the eating and drinking and carousing seemed to slow, she smiled and began clearing the used dishes.

"It was a pleasant meal, Sakura." The silver-haired shinobi seated at the head of the gathering handed over his empty plate. "But what are we really here for?"

"Observant as always, sensei." The girl added his plate to the pile growing near the sink. "I think it's time we discussed what should be done about Sasuke."

"Sakura." Her name came across Naruto's lips as an impatient growl. "There is nothing to discuss. I already promised you that I would bring him home to you. I don't go back on my promises."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking how we intend on doing it." Sakura spoke carefully, making eye contact with all there as she did so.

"We?" The blonde stood up, knocking the chair out from under him as he did so. "Oh no! I don't think so. You're not going anywhere near him again! It's my responsibility. I'll bring him home."

"We've already discussed this." A sigh came from the direction of their sensei. "Sasuke is my responsibility. He was placed in my care."

"No, sensei. It's me he wants and I'm..."

The table between them splintered, a feminine fist having smashed through it in frustration. "Shut up both of you!" The furious kunoichi bit out. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time one of us tried to take him on by ourselves? Huh?  Huh  ?" Sakura paused to look at them. "Well, I do. I see it every single freakin' night in my nightmares. He was going to kill me. And he was going to enjoy it. Now when I say 'we' that's exactly what I mean. So   we   had better start coming up with a plan so   we  can deal with this once and for all the next time we see that traitorous bastard. Understand?"

"Fine. I get it." Naruto gave his sulky consent.

"You know he's not going to come quietly." The reminder came from Kakashi. "It will be easier to kill him than to capture him."

"But Kakashi-sensei!"

"I know, Naruto, but he might not give us a choice."

"It's fine," Sakura spoke up. "If we have to kill him, it's fine. There's nothing left of our Sasuke in there anyway."

"Sakura?"

"Come on, Naruto. We're deluding ourselves if we think that we'll bring him back and everything will be just fine. He wants to destroy the village and everyone it! If we don't do it, the powers that be will just execute him. If he has to die, I'd rather it be by our hands in the manner we think is best. I only see three choices. We kill him, they kill him or he kills all of us. And if I have to pick one, I pick the one where we get to have the most say." For the first time in days, Sakura gave in to the desire to break down.

"No." A soft, monotone voice cut through the discussion. Three sets of eyes turned his direction in wonder. "You are wrong, hag. There are four choices."

Sakura wiped her wet face with the back of her hands. "Sai, I don't understand. What other choice? Do you actually want to try to save him? Is that the choice you're talking about? Why would you? He's nothing to you."

"Please do not misunderstand me. This is not out of compassion. It is just the opposite actually."

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Naruto scratched his cheek in puzzlement.

"He has rejected the bonds he created with all of you. He has caused you pain. Even now, he makes the hag cry." Sai paused to rub his chest. "He does not deserve death. That is too light a punishment for his transgressions."

"What do you suggest?" Kakashi leaned forward, resting his elbows on what was left of Sakura's table.

"There are things worse than death and we will give those things to Sasuke." The smirk he gave them instead of his usual smile seemed genuine, laced with just a bit of malice. "I have a plan."

The rest of Team Kakashi eyed each other, looking for the unspoken cues as to what each was thinking. Each saw what they felt mirrored back at them, but no one wanted to speak up. No one wanted to be the one to confirm their resolve to do whatever it takes. They were about to change the rules. Sakura would regain her heart by first breaking it. Naruto would leave his childhood behind once and for all. Kakashi would learn to put the needs of the many above his own selfish wishes. They would do what their mentors could not. They would be the ones to break the cycle. They would rain retribution upon one of their own.

"Fine. But if we're going to talk nefarious plans, let's take it to the sofa. I'd rather not get splinters." The kunoichi glanced back at the other half of her team. "Oh, and you two owe me a new table."

"But Sakura..."

"Of course. It's no problem." Kakashi covered the blonde's mouth with a firm hand until the girl turned away. "Don't worry, Naruto. Yamato owes me."

"I can hear you guys, you know."

Darkness invaded her dreams once again. She was running, always running. Desperate and determined. Always moving on. Always moving forward. Again, not a person was in sight, but she did not feel alone. The inky air that enveloped her did not frighten her anymore. It felt... alive. She felt the familiar burn of her overexerted muscles. She knew where she was going. She was meeting her destiny. It was unavoidable. She could hear the lightning closing in, causing the hair on her neck to stand on end. But this time as her destiny hit critical mass, the collision with her heart imminent, the crackle of the electric blade was drowned out by a soft trickling of black liquid. The sound grew and grew until it became palpable, swallowing the chidori in its entirety. The red receded and refused to return.

[scruffandyarn]

The Guardian

(we’ll see how I feel about that title if I actually do more of this story)

Anywho...this all started with a dream about rescuing a dog and Cassian Andor chewing me out.  Good times.  

This is set prior to Rogue One.

I have no idea what I’m doing or where this is going or if there will actually be more of it.  We shall see.

Many, MANY thanks go to several people who have encouraged me, proof read for me, let me lose my absolute fucking mind with this.  @only-a-mindless-creation​ you were the first person I even mentioned having an idea to, thank you for letting some random stranger bombard you with her insanity.  @shenanigans-and-imagines​ thank you for being a sounding board and helping me figure out some specifics. @shejustcalledmeafish​ thank you for your help with grammar and smoothing this out. @yougottakeeponkeepinon​ thank you for answering all my random questions and giving me a confidence boost. @itsspacecowboys​ thank you for commiserating with me over the lack of Cassian content.  Last, but definitely most, @stevieharrrr​ for putting up with all my nonsense, you deserve an award, along with my heart and my eternal gratitude. I hope this lives up to everyone’s expectations.

There are probably others I’m forgetting, and I apologize if I said I’d tag you and I missed you.  I’m horrible at remembering shit.  Please forgive me, and drop me another line reminding me, so if I ever add onto this, I can make sure to tag you.

Now, onto the story

It’s Cassian Andor x f!Reader (no romance in this part)

Warnings: Swearing (this includes f*** and s***, yes, I know they aren’t canon, but fuck it), death/killing of imperials...uh...I think that’s it? Let me know if I missed something.

Word count: approx. 4.2k

It was the modified voices of the stormtroopers that roused you from your pitiful attempt at sleep.  They’d been walking by in small groups every few hours the whole time you’d been in this cage, and each time, you’d jolted awake, making sure to catch as much of their conversations as you could.  Just in case.  

So far, nothing you’d heard seemed to have any value.

“Throw him in there with the other one.”

Looks like you were about to get company.

Sure enough, a moment later, two imps stopped right in front of your cell, their white suits a sharp contrast to the dark ensemble worn by the man they had restrained between them.  You’d never seen him before, but you sure as hell recognized the insignia he wore.

You looked up into the eyes of the Rebellion captain who was about to become your cellmate.  He seemed to be trying to communicate something to you if the subtle movements of his head and eyes meant anything.

Before you could try to decipher what he was telling you, the cell door slid open and he was shoved unceremoniously, his knees buckling, so that he fell at your feet.  His arms had been bound behind his back, so his face hit the ground, a grunt of pain escaping from his lips.

“Seems like there’s Rebel scum everywhere you look.” His captors slid the door closed again before heading back the way they’d come.

You waited until you heard them turn the corner at the far end of the hall before you dared to move.  When you were sure they were gone, you gently lifted your foot and nudged the top of the man’s head.  “You alive?”

He rocked himself until he was able to flip over on his back. “You were supposed to rush them.”

“What?”  His accent threw you a bit.  

“Did you not see me signalling you with my eyes?!”  He snapped, his eyes narrowing in frustration.  “You were supposed to rush out at them as soon as they unlocked the cell.”

You held up your left wrist.  “And how would I have done that? Hmmm?”  The chain from the wall attached to the cuff around your wrist clinked a bit as you tugged on it.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” You rolled your eyes.  “You think I want to be stuck in here, captain?”

“Cassian Andor.” He nodded as you gave him your name.  “Then you are definitely the woman I was sent to rescue.”

“Rescue? This is a rescue?”

“Yes.” He grunted in the effort it took to sit up without the use of his hands.  “Draven sent me.”

“Let me guess, he didn’t seem too pleased about it?” You scoffed.  “I mean, more than usual?”

A wry smile found its way onto the man’s face.  “I take it you know the general?”

“I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with him.”  

Ungracefully, your cellmate scooted himself along the ground until he could rest against the wall of your prison.  “What makes you worth saving?” His eyes seemed to search your face for something.  

“What?”

“Draven didn’t tell me why you were so important that I was pulled from a mission to rescue you.”

He had been on a mission?  Like Leia’s mission?  The one that wound up with you chained to a wall?  What were you supposed to say to that?

“You keep saying that you’re here to rescue me, but the binders around your wrists and the fact that you’re in here with me don’t really scream that you can help me.”  The guilt of screwing up his mission didn’t settle well in your stomach, so you went with tried-and-true deflection.

“I am part of a crew--”

“So, you’re the decoy?” You cocked your head to the side.

“No.”

“Where’s your crew?”

“I’m...not sure.” He started glaring at you again.

You could feel your blood pressure starting to rise.  “Do they know where we are?”

“Probably not.  We split up before the imps found me.”

You growled low in your throat.  “I’ll take a wild guess and say they took anything from you that might get us out of this?”  You yanked on your chain again.

“I don’t understand why the general would be so hesitant to rescue you.  You have such a pleasant personality.”

“I can see why Draven sent you to rescue me, considering the bang-up job you’re doing so far.”  You huffed.  “So, what?  We’re just stuck here now?”

Before he could answer, a new set of voices echoed down the hall.

“Here.”  One lieutenant and one droid now stood in front of your cell.  “He was just brought in.  How would they already know about him upstairs?”

“I do not know, sir.  I was simply told to collect the prisoners.”

Shit.  What were they going to do to you?  You’d been in this holding cell since they’d caught you, chained to the wall like some sort of animal since you’d attempted to barrel your way out the first time they’d brought you food.  

Were they going to torture you?  Attempt to extract Leia’s whereabouts?  Kill you?

Well, whatever their plans, they were stupid to send only one measly officer and one droid.

The two of them stepped into the cell and the lieutenant moved towards you.  “You’ll want to keep this one on a short leash.”  He jerked on your chain.

As soon as you were free, you reached to grab the sides of the man’s head and jerked him forward, shoving your knee up.  No, you weren’t at a great angle to connect with much, but you knew instinct would make him double over.  Sure enough, his head lowered as he folded, and you wrapped your arms around it, twisting as violently as you could manage, until you felt more than heard the give and snap.

You snatched the blaster from his belt and whirled around, ready to put a hole through the droid, only to find its metal arms in the air.

“Cassian, please don’t let her do that to me.”  It seemed to be addressing your cellmate.

You looked down at the man, puzzled.  “What’s going on?”

“K2SO is my droid.  He’s going to get us out of here.”  He looked past you to the officer’s limp body.  “That was fast.”

“I can be fairly useful when I’m not chained to a wall.”  You tucked the blaster into your belt and straightened your tunic to hide it before helping him to his feet.  “If you’re getting us out of here, I’m assuming you have a plan?”

“You’re my prisoners,” came the droid’s almost cheery response.

“I mean,” the captain cut in, “unless you plan on snapping the neck of everyone we pass.”  

“I’ll pass, thanks.” 

Captain Andor nodded to the body.  “If you’re a prisoner, you’ll need to look the part.”

You cocked your head to the side.

“Grab the binders,” he sighed in frustration, “and the fob.”

“Right.” You knelt down and pulled the items from his belt before draping the binders over your wrists.  Then you held out the fob to the droid.  “Ready whenever you are.”

.

“I can’t believe we pulled that off.” How you’d all managed to get out of the base and onto their ship without setting off any alarms was a bit beyond you.

“Get me out of these.” Captain Andor snapped at K2SO.  The droid dutifully moved to unlock the binders that still held his wrists behind his back.

“Thank you.” You hoped to diffuse some of his anger.  “Thank you for rescuing me.  I know you weren’t really given a choice in the matter, but I appreciate it.”  You sighed when you were met with silence.  Was he still thinking about his botched mission?  You turned to the droid who’d also played a role in your rescue.  “And you, too, K2SO.  Thank you.”

“Well, it’s nice to see that some royalty still has manners.” 

His tone would have made you laugh...except… “Royalty?  You...you think--I’m not royalty.”

Two sets of eyes, one human, one AI, turned to stare at you.

“Le--Princess Leia, I--no one told you who I am?”  Why did you suddenly feel like a fraud?  Like you weren’t actually supposed to have been rescued?  Was this all a big mistake?

“This is what we were sent.”  K2SO held a datapad out in your direction.  

There, in the middle of the transmission, was your name, age, physical description, and last known coordinates.  Underneath all of that was the order for your rescue and return to the palace of Alderaan.

“Is that not you?”

“No, that’s me.  But Princess Leia, she’s my...my charge.” 

“Your charge?” Cassian spoke for the first time since you’d boarded the ship.  “You mean--”

“I don’t know what your clearance is, Captain, so I can’t tell you all the details, but I can tell you that Leia and I ran into some trouble on her last, um, assignment, and there wasn’t enough time to get us both out.”

“Draven pulled me from an extremely sensitive mission to rescue a...a...a palace guard?” Cassian slammed his hands down on the control panel in front of him, “Unbelievable!” before spinning around to face you. “Do you have any idea what this might have cost the Rebellion?”

“I never asked to be rescued!” 

“Well, you’re not rescued yet.”  He turned back to the controls and began making adjustments.  “I may still have time to finish my mission before I must return you to your princess.”

“Cassian, are you sure that is wise?” K2SO chimed in.  “Surely, without any sort of training, she will just get--”

“She’ll be fine.  You can make sure she stays out of trouble.”

“Now hold on, just one damn minute!” The disgruntled noise from the droid told you that you weren’t the only one not on board with this half-assed plan.  “Captain--”

“No time.” With one final button, the three of you were flung into hyperspace.

.

You drummed your fingers against your knee for what was probably the thousandth time since the captain had left.  A million thoughts seemed to be flitting through your mind, but you couldn’t quite focus on any of them for more than a moment.  This unease was foreign, and it didn’t sit well.  You were used to having one job.  Yes, life as Leia’s bodyguard could be chaotic at times, but you had a singular purpose.  Keeping her safe.  Everything else could be falling apart around you, but as long as she was protected, nothing else mattered.

Finding yourself on a U-Wing sitting on a planet in Hutt Space while waiting for the pilot to be done with some sort of spy mission...

“So, what’s here on Dandoran that’s so important?” You chanced, looking over at K2SO.

The droid was so still, you’d have thought he’d shut down.

“K2S--?”

“Cassian told me I have to watch you.  He did not say I have to entertain you.”

You pursed your lips, holding back your sarcasm.  “You’re right.  I don’t need you to entertain me.  I’m sorry that my presence is such an inconvenience for the both of you.”  You pushed yourself out of the chair, needing something to do.  “Is there something I could help with?”

“The probability of your involvement causing a catastrophic end to this assignment is very high.”  

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Even without my programming, it is easy to see you have no experience in subterfuge, ergo, your failure would be inevitable.”

You ignored the pain in your palms where your fingernails were digging in.  “So, I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing?”

“No.” The droid finally turned to you.  “You could also stand there and do nothing.”

You decided then that you absolutely hated this. “I need some air.” You needed a minute to clear your head.  That certainly wasn’t going to happen on this ship.

“My sensors indicate that the air quality in here is suitable.”

You turned and headed for the hatch.  “Then I need a walk.”

“Cassian said--”

“Cassian said you had to watch me.” You growled without looking back.  “He never said I had to stay put.”

You could hear the droid following you off the ship and fought the scream that threatened to erupt.

“It was implied.”

.

It took longer than you’d anticipated to find anything other than trees, trees, and more trees.  Oh, and did you mention, trees?  You hadn’t been paying close attention to where the captain had landed his ship--no, your focus had been more on trying to make him see reason and take you home.  A lot of good that had done you.

Now, walking through the dense forest, you had no idea where you were or where you were headed.  Was this even the direction the captain had gone in?  Were you just wandering around in circles, hopelessly lost forever?

Maybe.  But maybe not.  Up ahead, it looked like...

Your heart sank to your feet as soon as you spotted the field.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” You spun around to face K2SO.  “Fuck.”  He froze at your sudden movement.  “They have him.”

“I don’t--”

“Shhhh!” You hissed, glancing back over your shoulder.  Thankfully, no one from the group you’d been eyeing looked over in your direction.  “The Imps over there.  Behind me.  About 400 paces.  They have Captain Andor.”

“I must go retrieve him.”

You pressed your hand against the droid, hoping to still him again.  “And how do you propose that?”

“I am an Imperial--”

“I know, and I also know I don’t see any more like you around here.  You’re gonna stick out like a Wookie in Aldera.”

“Then what do you propose I do?” 

You looked back to see the three stormtroopers pointing their blasters at the captain, even as he set his on the ground near his feet.  “Shit.” You took a deep breath.  “I’m going to walk out there.” You glided your free hand over the blaster in your belt.  This was something you could do.  “Let me get no further than ten paces from him…” You hastily scanned the forest for something...anything… “See that tree over there?  The one that looks like a strong breeze could knock it over?”

“It appears it has been struck by some sort of electrical charge.”

“Yes, that one.  Get over to it, and when I’m close enough to the captain, push it over.”

“I do not see--”

“I may not be good at subterfuge, but I can keep someone safe.  Captain Andor is my charge right now, and I’ll keep him safe.  Alright?”

“Very well.”  

You waited until you saw K2SO in position.  Then you squared your shoulders and headed towards the clearing.

“You there, freeze.” Three blasters were now fixed on you.  Good.

You forced a look of surprise on your face.  “Me?”  You refused to even glance at Captain Andor as you stepped further out of the trees.

“Yes, you.”  The trooper closest to you waved his weapon.  “Keep coming, nice and slow.”

“Well, which is it?  You want me to freeze or keep coming?”

“Shut up and move.”

Widening your eyes in what you hoped made you look frightened, you started walking closer.  “What’s going on?”

“Don’t you worry about it, sweetheart, just keep moving.”

Almost there.

Three.

Two.

One.

Right on cue, a crack, and then a loud crash echoed through the canyon.  Like clockwork, all three troopers spun around towards the sound.  You grabbed your blaster and fired off three consecutive shots, all of them finding their mark in the unprotected necks of your victims.

“You alright, Captain?” You finally looked over to see the man scowling at you as he retrieved his blaster from the ground.

“Why did you leave the ship?” he spat out at you.

Before you could answer, K2SO lumbered into sight.  “That was very good work.  I did not expect you to be able to get all three of them like that.  How did you come to be that proficient?”

“Uh, I’m a bodyguard to a princess who dabbles in espionage.  It’s a necessary skill.”

The droid nodded and turned to Cassian.  “Oh.  You are not happy we left the ship.”

“What gave it away?” He snapped, brushing past you to head into the woods.

“I told you it was implied.” The droid hissed at you before following.

Your jaw dropped in frustration before you scurried to catch up.  “Captain, you did not specify that I was to stay on the ship.”

“K2--”

“--is a droid that followed your order to keep watch on me.  Don’t yell at him because you’re upset with what I did.” You grabbed his arm to stop him, but he yanked it out of your grasp.  “What is your problem?”

“My problem,” he finally spun around to face you, “is that I have a mission to complete, only my droid is having to babysit you, and you can’t even stay put!”

“You would be dead if I had.”

“No, I would have been taken to a cell.  Then I would actually know where the holding cells are on this planet, and I wouldn’t be back at square one, trying to find where they’re keeping the people they’re smuggling through as slaves!”

He turned back around and continued on, leaving you standing, in shock.  Fuck.  How had you screwed this up so badly?

“I--I didn’t know, either.” K2SO stopped next to you.

You looked up at the droid, trying to make sense of all this.  “I thought I was saving him.”  It was what you did.  What you were good at.  “How do I fix this?”

“Cassian will have a plan.” A metal hand rested on your shoulder.  “We should go back to the ship now.”

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

The response you received was a curt nod before K2SO followed after the captain.

Taking another moment, you ran your hand down your face. It didn’t matter anymore that you’d tried to get him to take you back to Alderaan and that if he’d just listened to you, you wouldn’t have screwed this up for him.  You needed to make this right.

You just had no idea how.

.

Turned out, K2SO was right--Captain Andor did have a plan.  It wasn’t exactly new, rather, he flew the ship to a different location, after sensors had picked up movement.  Once he was able to confirm the presence of stormtroopers, he landed again.

This time, you paid attention to where he was setting down.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you to stay put this time, yes?”

Quickly, you jumped up to block his exit.  “Let me help you.  I screwed this up.  Let me fix it.”

“I don’t need you to fix what you broke.  This is my mission.  I’m in charge.”  He turned his attention away from you.  “K2, neither of you are to leave this ship.”

“Captain Andor--”

He completely ignored you.  “Got it?”

“Cassian, I do believe that if--” K2SO began. 

You couldn’t tell from where you were standing, but there must have been something in the captain’s eyes that silenced the droid mid-sentence.

“Got it.” 

Cassian gave a curt nod. “I will be back before nightfall.”

With that, he was gone.

.

Light had started to fade from the sky when you were jarred into consciousness.  You hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but since being left behind, neither you nor K2SO were inclined to chat.  With little else to do other than sit and stare out into the green scenery surrounding the ship, it wasn’t a huge surprise that you’d dozed off.

“That will be Cassian.”  K2SO acknowledged the sounds coming from outside the ship that had woken you, before reaching up to open the hatch.  “Cass--”

The man ran up the ramp as fast as he could. “Get us up in the air, right now!” With his speed, he was unable to stop before slamming into the far wall of the ship, but somehow, he managed to twist himself so that his left side took the brunt of the impact.  On his right side, he had his arms wrapped around what appeared to be a child who was burying their face in his neck.  “K2--”

As the droid moved to follow the order, the sight of white plastoid caught your eye.  Immediately, you drew your blaster and began firing at the stormtroopers that the captain had obviously been running from.  “I’m assuming it’s alright if I shoot these troopers, yes?”

“Yes!” 

You could practically hear his eyes rolling as you moved to close the ramp, firing every time you caught a glimpse of white.  Blaster shots were still pinging off the outside of the ship as it finally began to lift.  K2SO had you up and out of Dandoran’s atmosphere a short while later, and you were finally able to breathe.

“Hey, you’re okay.” 

Captain Andor’s voice caught your attention, and you looked over to see him trying to calm the child in his arms.  Judging by the fur, you assumed the little boy was a Bothan, and one that didn’t seem to understand Basic, if the frantic way his skin was moving was any indication.

“Captain, I don’t think he understands you.” You holstered your blaster before inching closer to the two.  “Do you speak Bothese?”

“No.”  He looked up at you.  “Do you?”

“I’ve seen them before, when they’ve come to visit the Organas, but I don’t know the language.”  You knelt down in front of the child.  “I do know my parents and I were referred to as ‘Kas’ whenever they’ve been there.”  You pointed to yourself.  “Kas?”

Immediately, the child let go of Cassian and latched onto you, his arms snug around your neck.  “I guess that was the right thing to say.”  You shrugged, wrapping your arms around his shaking little body.  “Where did you find him?”

“I was able to open up the holding cells.” He grunted in discomfort as he tried to move.  His right hand cradled his left shoulder, trying to work out the pain from his crash.  “His mother--she was in the cell with him.”  He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.  “He didn’t run out like the others.  Just clung to her body.”

“Fuck.”  You rubbed your hands across the boy’s back, hoping to offer some bit of comfort.  “What about the others?”

“There weren’t enough imps to take them all on.  He was the only child in any of the cells.” He hung his head.  “I needed--”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Captain.”  You maneuvered yourself around so you could lean against the wall next to him.  It was more than a little challenging, seeing as how the boy refused to release you, but you finally made it.  “What’s going to happen to him?”

“I don’t know.  He could join the Rebellion, but… If he doesn’t understand Basic--I don’t know of anyone who speaks Bothese.”

“Would you be averse to me taking him when you drop me off on Alderaan?  I’m sure Leia will be able to contact someone from his home planet who can take care of him.”

The look on his face was something you couldn’t quite figure out.  Something was haunting him, something about this whole situation--but you didn’t have the familiarity to feel comfortable asking about what had him so troubled.

“In the meantime, we should probably see about fixing your shoulder.” You nodded towards his injured side.  “Can’t imagine slamming into the wall felt particularly good.”

He choked out a laugh before turning to look at you.  “You know, you really aren’t a bad shot.  Could use someone like you.”

“Like, to travel around with you and screw up your missions?”  You cocked an eyebrow, not really sure where he was going with this.

“I mean with the Rebellion.  We need all the help we can get.”  He seemed to sense your confusion, so he pressed on.  “I know the princess is your charge, but you could be doing so much more.”

“I don’t--” you shook your head “--it’s my job, I protect her.  I don’t...I don’t know how to do anything else.  It’s what I was raised to do.”

Cassian leaned his head back against the wall and looked up to the ceiling.  “You snapped that officer’s neck like it was nothing.  You killed three Imperial Storm Troopers before I could blink.  You convinced K2 to cause a distraction to help rescue someone you just met.  You managed to recall enough Bothese to calm him.” He nodded to the child still holding you, pausing long enough for you to register that yes, the boy’s skin was no longer twitching beneath your palms.  “Think about it.”  Gingerly, he pushed himself up from the floor and headed towards the rear of the ship.

“He’s crazy.” Your brain was having a hard time wrapping around what you’d just heard.  There had never been anything else you were meant to do with your life.  You had a purpose, and you did your job well.  How could you possibly think you could--

“Actually, he’s not wrong.  Your abilities would go far in aiding the Rebellion.”

You looked up to see K2SO towering over you.

“I thought my failure was inevitable.”

“Perhaps my calculations were incorrect.”

[one-d-library]

Longer Fics

Here are some longer (mostly Larry) fics, most have multiple chapters: Organized by length, this is mainly chaotic but oh well. 

Longer Fics (2) can be found here!

~

TGIF by dinosaursmate {explicit, 20k, smut, friends to lovers, childhood friends, OT5 friendship}

“So, you moved in today?” “Yeah.” Louis huffed. “I’ve had to leave all my friends behind in Donny and move here because my mum got a good job. And this house is bigger than the one we were in, so that’s good. But I just… I was popular, I had loads of friends, I was captain of the football team. I don’t think the school I’m going to even has a football team.” “What school are you going to?” “St. Mary’s.” ”That’s my school!” Harry stopped, and the ball hit his foot. “I’ll be your friend.” Louis smiled, and something about it made Harry’s stomach twist uneasily.

“That’s sweet, Harry. But I can’t exactly hang out with an eleven year old.” Harry’s mouth twisted into a frown, but he kicked the ball back anyway. “Okay.” “We can hang out here, though.”

Louis, 13, moves in next door to Harry, eleven. They immediately hit it off and quickly become best friends, but as they get older, things get a little complicated.

~

The Melody You Never Heard by bananasandboots {explicit, 30k, smut, friends to lovers, slow burn, OT5 friendship, camping AU}

It's one last adventure. One last chance to be young and carefree. One final weekend before they take up their internships, their corporate positions, before they enter the real world, fresh out of university. Niall's his best mate. Liam's been there for him since they were lost, little freshmen, trying to find their ways through an overwhelming first year. Harry can't disappoint them, even if it means enduring four days with Louis. 

Louis, who he does share a history with, a history he's never told anyone about, not even Niall, a history he hasn't brought up in three years because it's stupid and embarrassing and confusing.

Or, the one where Harry gets roped into a four-day camping trip with the boy who kissed him and never called back.

~

Long Before We Both Thought The Same Thing by allasavedtheday {mature, 36k, smut, friends to lovers, slow burn, OT5 friendship}

“So are you admitting you love Harry yet?” Louis pauses in the middle of his story about the movie he and Harry went to see last night to raise an incredulous eyebrow. “What are you on about? Of course I love Harry.” Has Zayn lost his mind? He’s been friends with Louis for nearly seven years and Harry for six, under what circumstances did it appear like they didn’t love each other? “Okay, let me rephrase,” Zayn says, an amused little quirk to his mouth like he knows something Louis doesn’t. “Are you admitting you’re in love with Harry yet?” Louis stares at him in bewilderment, mouth working as he tries to form a response. “I…what?”*

Or, Louis maybe, sort of realises he's in love with his best friend of almost twenty years and he maybe, sort of thinks that said best friend could love him back?

[there is a sequel to this written by the same author, it is If You Asked Me If I Love Him (I’d Lie), it’s really good!! they hide their marriage from their families at Lottie’s wedding but fail miserably]

~

Promise Not to Fall by dimpled_halo {explicit, 38k, 2 chapters, smut, friends to lovers, slow burn, hiatus fic, canon divergent}

Louis raises his eyebrows. “You want to be friends with benefits?” Harry shrugs, “If that’s what you want to call it then, yeah. Why not?” Louis brings his hand to rub the stubble on his jaw, seeming lost in his own thoughts. “Okay, I’ll agree on three conditions.” “One: no sleep overs.” Harry nods, “Okay." “Two: if either of us finds someone else we call it off no questions asked.”Harry isn’t sure why his stomach turns at that, but he agrees anyway.“ And three,” Louis’ face hardens, “you cannot, under any circumstances, fall in love with me.”Harry snorts, “Yeah, okay,” he chuckles lightly.

or- When One Direction goes on hiatus, Harry and Louis reconnect, becoming the friends they once were during their days in the X Factor. It doesn’t take long for their friendship to evolve into friends with benefits, unable to resist the physical attraction between them. Things get complicated when feelings get in the way.

~

The Sound of Your Voice From Far Away by pukeandcry {explicit, 39k, smut, friends to lovers, slow burn, canon compliant}

It'd be perfect, he convinces himself. Things with Lou are – well. They're the way they are, and there's no point dwelling on why it's got that way. But he thinks this would help -- not fix them, because they're not broken. They don't need to be put back together, they're just. Out of sync, maybe. It would help. He thinks it would, anyway, if they could just be the two of them again, to be alone together with no outside influences pressing claustrophobically in on them, just for a bit. And driving down an empty highway with nothing else but Louis beside him is the best way to do that that he can imagine.

Or, after the U.S. leg of the Take Me Home tour, Harry and Louis drive from L.A. to NYC. They figure some things out, like how to deal with the distance that's been growing between them.

~

All Eyes On You by rainbow_kings {explicit,49k, 2 chapters, smut, slow burn, established relationship, road trip AU}

Harry and Louis have been married for ten years and they have three children. When their relationship is threatened with a divorce, they pack their belongings and go on a road trip in means to save their relationship. They promise to stay on the road and only returning once they've sorted through their problems. 

~

Never Let Me Go by loveisalaserquest17 {explicit, 55k, 3 chapters, slow burn, angst, pining, friends to lovers, OT5 friendship, smut}

“Harry! I’ll tell you what,” Louis exclaims, clapping his hands together. There’s a big grin on his face. “If both of us are still single by your thirtieth birthday, we’ll marry each other.” Harry’s head snaps up, eyes widening. “What?”

Harry and Louis have been friends forever, but they couldn't be more different. One night, with a little too much alcohol, they make a pact to marry in ten years if they're both still single. Now, one month before the deadline, Louis is willing to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up with his best friend. But is he, really? | Loosely inspired by The 10 Year Plan

~

Here In The Afterglow by fondleeds {not rated, 88k, 3 chapters, 1970s AU, highschool AU, period typical homophobia, angst, fluff, slight friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, OT5 invovlement}

“If you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have many friends,” Louis whispers, the blossom of insecurity in his stomach unfurling and clawing its way into his throat.

Harry is silent for a long time, and then he speaks; a soft, slow uncurl that makes Louis’ stomach shake. “I’ll be your friend.”

1970’s AU. In a tiny town in Idaho, Louis’ life is changed forever by the arrival of a curious stranger.

~

Unbelievers by isthatyoularry {explicit, 136k, 10 chapters, smut, slow burn, football AU, enemies to lovers}

It’s Louis’ senior year, and he’s dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he’s also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy making his life just that much worse. Mortal enemies “with benefits” was not exactly the plan.

Or: The one where Louis and Harry definitely aren’t friends, and football is everything.

~

And Then a Bit by infinitelymint {explicit, 158k, 14 chapters, smut, friends w benefits, fake relationship, canon divergent + compliant, OT5 friendship + involvement}

“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts.

(aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)

~

Given a Chance by fabby  {explicit, 173k, 12 chapters, smut, slow burn, angst, fluff, nouis friendship, exes to lovers, canon divergent}

Five years after One Direction took their last tour, the last thing Louis Tomlinson ever expected to happen while on a tea run at the local Piggly Wiggly was to run into his ex-boyfriend and ex-bandmate Harry Styles.The odds of them ever running into each other again had to be super slim, right? Wrong.

What happens when you mix ex-boyfriends with a large serving of Small Town America? Will Louis and Harry be able to set aside their differences, or will Louis be able to stay breezy as fuck in the wake of Harry’s arrival?

(or, the one where Louis and Harry run into each other five years after One Direction ends and learn how to love each other again. Featuring: Reggie as the overweight labrador, Niall as Louis’ last grip on reality, and Nowheresville, North Carolina as the setting for Louis’ worst nightmare to come true.)

~

Young & Beautiful by Velvetoscar {mature, 227k, 34 chapters, slow burn, angst, uni AU} 

Louis, to his horror, attends an elitist university in which the name Zayn Malik means something, Niall Horan doesn't stop talking, there are pianos everywhere, and Harry Styles, only son of a drug-addled, clinically insane ex-rocker, has a perfect smile and empty eyes.

~

more fic recs can be found here!

[dianadragonfly]

Okay, hang on bitches, cause Imma bout ta rewatch “The Final Problem.” I’ve seen it once since 2017. And because there is no commentary on the disc I have, I will be providing the commentary.

[[MORE]] Since I started my “rewatch and comment” spree, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Things that had previously stood out in my mind as being particularly not-good are really not that bad. Most were actually really short moments that stood out in retrospect because they seemed incongruous with how well-written and acted everything else was.

Up till season 2, the writers could do no wrong whatsoever. The exact moment I experienced a “well that was overdone” moment of questioning the writers was when Sherlock broadcast a picture of Mary on the outside of the facade in “His Last Vow.” From there, I had moments of doubt and questioning plot and directing choices that took away from the narrative. But, except for the moment John sees Mary die, I never ever questioned the acting choices. The actors are so amazing. And I’m not just saying that because Ben and Martin are hot.

As I prepare to watch the episode, there are several scenes that I dread. Opening with the girl on the airplane reminds me of how much I hated this trick. If the girl is Eurus messing with them, then why do we see it acted out? If we cannot trust that what we see is a reality, then all of the “Mind Palace” theories of TFP (i.e. that it actually took place in a dream or in the head of a character) have some authenticity to them. Ugh.

Damn. I’d forgotten the “Hello. My name is Jim Moriarty” part of the intro. No need for that if the girl is just something in Eurus’s imagination.

Oh shit. I hate hate hate hate everything about this scene of Mycroft.

First of all, there is security in Mycroft’s house.

Second of all, he would have skewered any of those actors with the umbrella sword or shot one of them with the gun.

Why are the paintings crying blood? John and Sherlock couldn’t accomplish that... once we add scary clown it’s just too much. Even for Sherlock.

Oh stop with the heavy-handed East Wind references. Dammit, I loved this show for its subtly. Killer clowns are not subtle, even in pranks.

Now with Mycroft here, in the client position, refusing to sit, with the Baker Street Boys in their chairs - this is what I came for. The light, the look on their faces, the composition of the shot.

Oohh Hudson throwing some shade. John’s half smile...

Is the skull portrait glowing? I can’t tell.

“That’s why he stays!” Fuck yeah. John’s half smile again...

“Middle child. Explains a lot.” As a middle child, I resent that remark. And sort of get it.

So the flashing back and forth in time, with the ashes of Musgrave Hall in the apartment, 5 year old Eurus answering grown-up Mycroft’s questions, the pebble: all of that would be okay, if not a tiny bit less than subtle, had we not just fought a goddamn clown in the scene before.

Oh goddamn. The stupid fucking patience gernade and that song.

Of course Mrs. Hudson vacuums to Iron Maiden.

It’s Sherlock’s turn to half-smile. Cute.

Beautifully shot here with the above view and all three of them at different points on a circle around it.

Ugh. I have to turn away at the “action shot” of them jumping out the window. This is not “Die Hard.” It’s not a cop buddy movie. We just got a really well played, fun little scene where they talked a about Oscar Wilde to avoid talking about the fact that they might die. That’s what I watch Sherlock for.

There was a fan fic written around 2012 that mentions “The Importance of Being Ernest.” Coincidence? Creators reading fanfic? I know Wilde and ACD were contemporaries, but it’s interesting. I can’t think of any other literary works that are alluded to in canon. It’s funny it should be this one.

And now we’ve commandeered a boat. Seriously.

All of the other episodes, I had more patience with on this go-around where I get a chance to type out reactions and reflect on how they are put together. But I’m finding that isn’t the case with this one. I’m just pissed. Give me one or two unbelievable moments or plot twists in an episode and I can sustain it. But between the airplane, killer clowns at Mycroft’s, the patience gernade, and this, I’m already done and we’re 20 minutes in. Sherlock looks like a goddamn vampire bat. And seriously, why does Mycroft need to steal a boat? And write a message in the sand? What the hell? Why dress up?

Sherlock’s security guard act cracks me up.

Oh his face when he sees Eurus. His. Face. Curiosity. Heartbreak. Empathy. Pain. Doubt. Fear. THIS is my show. Not patience gernades, killer clowns, dressing up like a sea captain etc in one damn episode.

She “enslaves” people... magical Eurus who makes people kill their family. Really?!

Oh no. He ignores “Vatican cameos.” I forgot that. He chooses to ignore John’s warning.

His face.... Jesus Benedict can act.

Big bouncy red alert! Okay, what was with the spinning John face when he gets knocked out?

This constant shift between wondering what the hell is happening, wondering if the show has become a parody of itself, and then bouncing back to this heart wrenching narrative — is that the point of this episode? Like “The Empty Hearse” or “The Abominable Bride”? But those episodes explained themselves after they pulled the rug out. As soon as something got to the point of absurdity, it was explained. Sherlock didn’t swing in a window at Bart’s and kiss Molly but we briefly were led to believe he did. Moriarty and Sherlock aren’t really kissing on the roof. (By then we knew what was up though). Sherlock didn’t really attempt to dig up a dead Amelia Rocoletti. We understand it’s a drug-induced dream.

This rapid jumping back and forth with half-assed explainations — I’m coming to believe this off-balance feeling is the point of the episode but I don’t like it. I like it even less than I did before.

Oh Andrew Scott. I love you.

The bastards wait till 5 minutes into the Moriarty scene to tell us it’s 5 years ago. That constant pulling out the rug — I will at least excuse that because there is a plausible explaination given. But it’s a cheap trick. This episode is one cheap trick after another, with only a few moments, here and there, of characters actually interacting.

So it’s late and I don’t know if I have the heart to make it through this whole episode tonight. To be continued....

Edited:

Starting at scene 5 on the DVD because that's when Sherlock sees Eurus for the sort of first time. I kind of just want to bask in Ben's performance here again.

After the last episode, clean-shaven Sherlock in a suit is a relief. He's back... at least a little.

His small smile when he asks her how she got out. . .

I'm realizing how much of this scene had to be Benedict looking directly into the camera and talking to Eurus. That had to be intimidating.

***I've skipped ahead to closer than where I was last night because the small people in my house will want food soon. Parentig gets in the way of fangirling. ****

I still love the Hungry Donkey story.

OH MY GOD! I forgot how much I love Andrew Scott here!!!

Are they making out through the glass?

And now the four of them wake up in a cell but this one has glass. Ugh. The plane again. I love how Sherlock changes his voice here to talk to the girl. He isn't incapable of reading people and reacting to them. He just usually can't be bothered. There’s a fan theory that says Sherlock is autistic. I was going to comment that this skill of his is evidence that he’s not but I stopped myself. He -knows- HOW one needs to act to get people to respond to him, but it’s a learned skill. Which actually might add evidence to the “autism” theory more than the sociopath theory.

Mark Gatiss - I forget what an incredible actor he can be. Whoa.

These scenes - these scenes where they have to apply themselves to a task that Eurus sets for them -- they are so fucking good. Tense and well-acted. I can see every emotion on every actor's face. The rest of the episode should have been better to make it worthy of these performances. It physically hurt watching John try to shoot the governor.

Someone said that Jim Moriarty went from a criminal mastermid to manical Thomas the Train Engine on this episode and I can't unthink that any time he flashes on the screen.

I had a moment, when Eurus was using such clinical language of behavioralism ("prompts") etc that I flashed back onto my life as an ABA instructor. Seriously. I know they are a million miles away but no one watching this would ever think, even for a second, that Eurus was morally right. Why, then, do we do a smiliar thing to autistic children? I had a moment of revulsion then. (Restirct physical liberty and autonomy, make them complete a command that's nonsensical for either reward or aversive. Give prompts. Follow through (deny reward) if one deviates from the prompt). She might as well been saying "Touch table, Sherlock." ("Touch table" is one of the first directives often given in ABA. It's easy to manually prompt (force) a kid to do and helps the kid realize the link between following the requests and obtaining rewards.)

Sorry. ABA rant is slightly off topic.

To be continued in comments ..