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dewitted · 3 years

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I needed to shout this into the void and this is best I could come up with but: on the Azriel, Elain, Lucien, Gwyn clusterfuck

Spoilers for the Feysand chapter//

Let me preface this by saying my ultimate ship is Azriel X peace & happiness. I just want him with someone who will hold his hands and look at him like he lights up the room. I went hard for Moriel in ACOMAF ("Azriel would likely love Mor until he was a whisper of darkness between the stars." -- I mean are you kidding??) But I was also not wholly surprised when SJM obliterated that ship in ACOWAR cause let's be honest, she loves to set 'em up just to knock 'em down. (Just look at Chaol and his many false starts; Celaena, Nesryn, and finally Yrene.) But I LIVED for Elriel once that was introduced, my heart was on fire for Death and the Fawn. Lucien is precious and deserves all the happiness in the world but the pining kernels we had for Elriel were just *chef's kiss*. I wanted Lucien to be happy but I didn't want him with someone who felt like they were "settling" for him, he deserves better than being someone's second choice. He has so many wounds around belonging and rejection that he deserves a love where he is treasured wholeheartedly, which was simply not apart of his dynamic with Elain in ACOWAR/ACOFAS.

Now regarding the above quote, we have had on numerous occasions the association of roses when talking about Elriel/ Azriel in context with Elain. I read this and felt SJM just about scream "Elucien endgame." To me she's clearly laying the foundation that the next book will absolutely be Elriel-centered in all its forbidden romance glory, but things will get very messy and not end well. We've seen in ACOSF the budding of Elain's depth beyond sunshine and smiles and I feel like Rhys' comment here about getting your hands dirty alludes to that. The characterization of a "stubborn rosebush" feels like a nod to Azriel's insistence in seeing Elain as too pure for him, sullied and thorny as he is, to touch or get close to. That deep down he feels his involvement with her would somehow spoil and ruin her, a sentiment we see echoed in Azriel's POV chapter. I can very easily picture him retreating from a deeper emotional intimacy with her for fear of his perceived unworthiness. Now obviously there's also hella tension between them and a recklessness I'm sure we'll be getting more of so I don't think his beliefs on this will prevent anything from developing here, but eventually as their relationship attempts to grow that imbalance will become a wedge. They cannot be equals as Feysand and Nessian are if he places her on a pedestal. Imagine Elain's heartbreak at this revelation, that someone she thought actually *saw* her (something we know is top on her priority list) instead sees her as some idealized version of herself and not the person she's been working so hard to grow into. That realization could very well pierce her heart like a thorn.

I think a lot of Elain's character arc will be centered on how sheltered she has been. If she is to truly become her own person she has to figure out for herself who that is, not be told what's best for her. Once you get dirty and wounded you have the experience to appreciate the things that might spare you from that in the future. Ultimately, I think her time with Azriel will deepened her appreciation for who Lucien is and what he has to offer. Not to mention all the breadcrumbs we've been given that hint towards Elucien: Elain thrives in sunlight and Lucien is the heir to the Day Court; the three sister peaks, two in the Night Court and one further south; Elain's need to be seen and Lucien's uniquely perceptive eye.

None of this even broaches on the beautiful brewing potential of Gwynriel. This post is mainly an affirmation of SJM's hints to an Elucien endgame but I can only feel confident in that with the understanding that Azriel will truly find his match in Gwyn. I've seen plenty of posts floating around that detail all the Gwynriel nuggets we've gotten so far, but at this point the only thing I need from the rest of the series is to know this quiet and scarred bat boy is loved and very much *not alone*.

#acosf #acosf spoilers #acosf theory #A Court of Silver Flames #Elriel #Elucien #Gwynriel #Azwyn #Azriel #Elain #Elain Archeron #Lucien #Lucien Vanserra #Gwyn #Gwyneth Berdara #Feysand chapter

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kitsoa · 4 years

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How do you think Sora's relationship w/Roxas and Xion will be developed in future titles. The brief impression I've gotten is more of a sibling dynamic thing going on. Sora is already pretty dedicated to Roxas's wellbeing and I feel like this will extend to Xion too now that he knows about her. The BH6 world kind of implied Sora sees Roxas like a sib too. From Sora and Xion's side I definitely see some idolizing going on. Once Roxas got over resenting Sora for something he couldn't control. He-

-seemed to believe 100% by DDD that Sora would resolve his situation. Actually Roxas seems to believe Sora can handle anything to almost unrealistic levels. From dumping all his bad memories into Sora to being surprised that Sora is worried (post Kairi murder and Xehanort starting to open KH). I've noticed in gameplay analysis (and my own playthrough) Xion follows Sora around a lot in battle when he's hurt. Later she was the only one to comfort him about Kairi and give him hope she was okay Basically I think Xion (being created from Sora's most important memory: Kairi) is naturally observant of Sora's deeper feelings. While Xion's main decision to sacrifice herself was for Roxas. She also seemed interested in Sora as a person (wanting to meet him. Believing both her and Roxas belonged w/him). All the above seems to paint Xion as seeing Sora as 'special' but also showed a more protective side when she does finally meet him. It could be Roxas has confidence in Sora's strength-while Xion sees his wounds better. Which makes sense since Roxas had to acknowledge how strong and compassionate Sora was face to face. While Xion knew about Sora in a vulnerable state. She also met Sora's desperate best friend, is made from Sora's memories of a loved one and knew Sora was the enemy of the evil org she was apart of. But yeah those dynamics are fun to think about. I do think the games set up Sora being a older brother to Roxas and Xion.

Thank you anon for this wonderful discussion starter.

Ha okay, so. I for one absolutely get behind Sora-sibling dynamics with any of the heart hotel kids. I remember making a wishlist when the BH6 trailer came out noticing just how heavy-handed the brother parallels were getting with Roxas. I want nothing more than for the series to address the unique elements of the Sora-Roxas relationship and expand upon that. If they were given the time to breathe who knows what could have been alluded to. Of course the conclusion of KH3 does not give us much room to consider their relationship because Sora went off and faded his ass to another realm and what-not. We are being deprived of that potential before we can assess it’s likeliness. But say Sora didn’t fade, say the most immediate future does not have any of Sora’s heart hotel tenants more than a gummiship ride away.

Well… I lowkey still think we wouldn’t get the canon sibling dynamic. And like… ugh don’t get me wrong its there it’s just… the relationships in kh are painted in very broad strokes. The most exploration we ever got beyond platonic bonds is the familial bond with the bbs trio and Eraqus. And that stood out remarkably well against the different flavors of friendship the different trios and cross combinations provide. A part of me thinks maybe Nomura’s testing waters with that scenario and maybe he can break the characters out into different dynamics.

Because different types of bonds have different implications and responsibilities. Bonds of friendship are unique in how memories are the key foundation of those relationships. Contrarily, bonds of family have blood or responsibility interwoven. Family as a caretaker. Family as a guardian. Family as one’s identity. The latter aspect is where both Xion and Roxas draw the strongest familial ties with Sora as he is a key part of who they perceive themselves to be (by choice and against their will). The other aspects then fall into place. Do they feel protective or nurturing? Is it the other way around? Sora’s role in a hypothetical needs a ton of exploration. Sora’s feelings toward Roxas in KH3 felt like it came from guilt more so than anything. But that connection can spawn familial responsibility easily. A nurturing older brother kind of dynamic we want to imagine.

(On the flipside, this is also where Ven’s dynamic with Sora could be extrapolated easily because there is canon mutual protectiveness between the two of them)

I’ve mentioned a lot of Roxas and not as much Xion because Sora’s regard for Xion has always been through a proxy. He is technically at square one with her albeit, they do have a unique bond of identity (which is in some ways familial)-- more so with Xion’s perspective. She has a strong fascination and as you’ve observed, a sensitivity toward him. One that you’d hope he’d reciprocate if given the time with her.

Oh anon I want this more than anything but it’s gonna have to live in my headcanons probably well after the next installment cause our stupid big brother Sora is too far away to develop his side of the relationship potential he abandoned. The bastard.

#kingdom hearts #kitasks #sibling dynamic #give me a sibling dynamic please #Anonymous

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energonbunny · 7 years

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First of all, LOVE your blog! Secondly, have any recommendations on Sterek Fanfics?!? I feel like I've read them all but I always need more!!!

Thanks! We’ve been mutuals for a while now and it’s always nice to see you pop up :) I actually have a sideblog entirely dedicated to TW so if you’re looking for a blog that focuses on it then maybe take a look at that, too. @wheredidhiseyebrowsgo is probably the best blog I know when it comes to fic recs/finding fics/etc. so you should give them a follow!

As for Sterek recs, oh geez… So, fun fact, on ao3 I actually have over 700 Sterek works bookmarked! And then I know there’s a ton of little ficlets in my likes on here, too, and really my point is just that there are so many great Sterek works and I will list some of my all time favs in case you haven’t seen them. And I do love all of these but my super-duper faves will have a ★ next to them. I started at the back of my ao3 bookmarks and went in about five pages I figured 25 would be good enough for now, especially since some of them are series so that’s actually more.

★★★He Fucks My Best Friend by mydickisthealpha (667 words, rated M)

“I, for one, would like to vote to keep this as part of all the meetings,” Lydia announces and Stiles flushes scarlet basically everywhere. (My comment: short and funny, Stiles&Derek forget the pack is coming by and are having sex. Scott POV)

★★★As the Lights Go Down by standinginanicedress (62,890 words, rated E)

Stiles is standing there looking bizarre – which maybe isn’t a very nice thing or even a convincing thing to say about a person that Derek’s basically invited over to hook up with (whatever that even fucking means to kids these days) – but he…does. He’s wearing dark jeans, a black hoodie with the hood pulled up so Derek can’t even really see his face aside from his mouth and jawline, and he’s got that metal baseball bat in his fingers again.He looks like he’s come here to literally beat Derek to death.Then, he grins, lifts one shoulder up in a half shrug, and says, “I can’t come in until you invite me.”Derek is mystified enough that all he can say is, “really?” He thought that was a vampire thing.(My comment: AU but they’re all still supes. Stiles is a spark and they are powerful things, him even more so because of plot you should read. standinginanicedress has several good ones you might want to peruse.)

★★★The Domestic Series by thepsychicclam (149,239 words, various ratings)

First work’s description: It’s Saturday night, and Derek Hale is at Toys R Us. Shopping for Leapfrog games. If asked, it wasn’t exactly how he pictured his life. Or his Saturday nights. In which Derek and Stiles have been married for ten years, have two kids, and are planning their five year old’s birthday party.

(My comment: The domestic series is just parent Sterek fluff for the most part and it is absolutely wonderful. Realistic, I think, in the fights that happen and how Stiles&Derek fit together. I love the children.

Also @thepsychicclam has a lot of wonderful works besides this series that should be read if you haven’t but this is definitely my favorite.)

Nothing Short Of Perfect by GotTheSilver (27,019 words, rated E)

In which Derek and Stiles are made aware of their potential and have to make a choice about what their relationship will be.“Let me get this straight,” his dad says. “You’re telling me a witch told Derek and yourself that you could be destined to be together and now Derek will be going to college with you?”Stiles shrugs, resting his hands on his legs to stop himself from fidgeting. “That’s about it, yep.”

★★★My Heart Comes Tumbling Down by DevilDoll (5,689 words, rated E)

“This is a casual, adult relationship based on sex, and it is awesome.” In which Stiles and Derek have a great time buddyfucking until a burrito ruins it all. (my comment: devildoll is one of those I see rarely recced outside of SFiYE [below] and they have some really good other stuff, too)

★★★Stand Fast in Your Enchantments by DevilDoll (76,956words, rated E)

“Stiles knew damn well what a pissed-off wolf sounded like, and every hair on the back of his neck was telling him that somewhere in this room was a very pissed-off werewolf.” An AU in which Derek is feral, Stiles is magical, and they eat a lot of fast food.

Won’t Do Me No Good Washing in the River by DevilDoll (5,939 words, rated M)

“Remember, Derek: you never get back what you lost.” Story by Devil Doll, artwork by Rahciach, podfic by Jinxy. This story has a happy ending, but please read the tags. (My comment: Angst with a happy ending. Major character death but they are brought back.)

★★★The One with the Napping by Captain_Loki (4,768 words, rated M)

It is a unique and somewhat unhelpful talent, but Stiles can fall asleep anywhere.

★★★[Sleep]Walking After You by relenafanel (56,551 words, rated M)

Derek is a sleepwalker who keeps wandering into his downstairs neighbour’s bedroom.Stiles is pretty sure the hot guy from the park is going to kill him in his sleep. He knows he shouldn’t have been so obvious about objectifying the guy’s really fine ass.Too bad it turns out Derek is easier to get along with when he’s sleeping.

★★★Play It Again by metisket (63,206 words, rated T)

In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself.“Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggests bets have been placed.)”

Hemingway Can Suck It by KuriKuri (10,054 words, rated T)

“For those of you who just transferred into this class or simply decided that day one wasn’t important enough to attend, I’m Professor Hale. Welcome to English 346, The American Novel.”Stiles is pretty sure his mouth is hanging open right now and that his eyes are wide with shock, because holy fuck, he thinks he knows why his students transferred. Hell, if he was still an undergrad, he probably would have transferred, too. (Or: In which Stiles is a Biology professor and Derek thinks he’s a student.)

★★★Baking My Way Into Your Heart by theSilence (178,630 words, rated M)

Derek is an uptight college student, all work and no play. His carefully scheduled life is thrown kilter when his regular barista is replaced with someone new. (My comment: Coffee shop/college AU with slowburn. It’s beautiful.)

★★★The Well of Living Waters by Kalpurna (30,322 words, rated E)

King Derek takes a consort. (My comment: royalty AU. Demisexual Derek although I don’t think it’s explicitly tagged. So good.)

Pretty Human Virgin Boy Comes to the Pond- Feed Him All the Best Heads by Delta_Immortal (49,771 words, rated E)

Stiles knew it was a bad idea to go into the woods, but little did he know his actions would cause the death of everyone around him. Running from the thing that killed Danny, Scott and Stiles stumble upon a pond, which happens to hold a strange man named Derek who floats around in the middle of it. Derek assures them they’re safe now.What appears to be salvation is nothing more than the start of the death of everyone Stiles cares about. The being known as Derek haunts him at every turn, unsatisfied until Stiles succumbs to Derek’s whims. Stiles isn’t sure if that involves sexing him or eating him, and he really doesn’t want to find out.

(My comment: pay attention to the tags! This is not a fluffy Sterek fic; what sex there is in this is basically Derek mind fucking Stiles and possessing him. It’s good, I love it, but definitely heed the tags.)

★★★(Sacred) In the Ordinary by idyll (78,759 words, rated E)

The Pack, after college, graduate school and the starting of careers, comes back to Beacon Hills. Nothing’s gotten less complicated after all this time.Based on a kink meme prompt that grew legs and got serious.Note: This is a whole lot of pack!fic with a very slow build Derek/Stiles. (My comment: I have read this fic like 8 times now. The pack dynamics are wonderful and the gang is all older here, coming back to BH after college. Set after season one)

When the Bough Breaks by The Feels Whale (12,068 words, rated T)

Look, Stiles knows he’s not really part of the pack, but really? He wishes the others aside from Scott and Allison would stay a little more up to date on what’s going on his life beyond how it affects them. (my comment: Stiles adopts a baby. Scott is having a pissing contest w/ Derek over Stiles and Allison so Derek and his pack doesn’t actually know Stiles is adopting a baby. Adorable chaos ensues)

The Time Travelling Werewolf’s Confused Spirit Guide also by The Feels Whale (4,832 words, rated G)

Normally you don’t imagine yourself as living in the dystopian future that hapless time travelers accidentally stumble into.Or: that one where Stiles learns the hard way that reality is not static, time is not a river, and sometimes the way things are is not the way they were supposed to be.

How I Met My Werebunny by Moku (19,873 words, rated T)

“This is going to end in tears,” Scott told Derek while he watched the man easily lifting Stiles’ desk up with one hand and driving nails into the ceiling with the thumb of the other. “Probably mine.”Or:When a Stiles and a Failwolf love each other very much, they’ll engage in a prank war. Basically, it’s a mating ritual for dorks in love.

★★★For better, for worse by Vendelin (13,336 words, rated E)

Derek and Stiles have been married for six years. Derek loves his job as a successful lawyer, loves his financial security and his large house. It isn’t until Stiles gets shot while working that he starts to understand that maybe Stiles isn’t loving their life as much as Derek is. (My comment: human AU! Stiles is a cop and gets shot in the line of duty. Derek hadn’t noticed they were drifting apart. Realistic with the coming back together & even has couples counseling. Angsty with a fluffy, happy ending.)

★★★the other shoe by stilinskisparkles (4,633 words, rated T)

They’re lounging on Derek’s bed one afternoon, Stiles halfheartedly trying to make headway on an essay, and Derek’s supposedly helping. Instead, Derek’s spent the last eight minutes mouthing lazily at Stiles’ shoulder, and Stiles is five seconds from giving up completely. (My comment: pretty much just fluff.)

★★★Those Are The Days That Bind Us by s_a_m (52,171 words, rated M)

His father wasn’t stupid. He was an officer of the law, trained to look for patterns. He confronted Stiles about werewolves and they shouted and Stiles tried to explain but his father was so, so, so mad, more mad than Stiles had ever seen him, ever in all his life and then his father looked at him and said, “It’s like you’re not my son anymore.”And Stiles broke.(My comment: I love this one. Has some major angst and an unborn baby does die due to a possession kind of thing. But out of all the “Stiles is kicked out of/leaves the pack” things this one is my favorite. I think Stiles’ progression through this is so good. It does have a happy ending but not without a lot of healing on Stiles’ end. Heed the tags.)

Divided We Stand by KouriArashi (156,742 words, rated M)

Derek is being pressured by his family to pick a mate, and somehow stumbles into a choice that they didn’t expect and aren’t sure they approve of….

(My comment: This is the first work in The Searching Ceremonies. All of it is A++ and even has wolfcop (Peter/Sheriff Stilinski). It’s all AU and the world is very well developed, plus every part of it is over 100k words. KouriArashi also has a lot of other wonderful works that should be checked out.)

Stilinski’s Home for Wayward Wolves by owlpostagain (35,197 words, rated T)

“At least your puppies knock first,” Stiles snorts. “Here I thought their alpha raised them to be well-mannered.” “There’s a sign,” Derek responds stiffly. Stiles, whose curiosity outweighs even his hardest of grudges, abandons his chilly façade of nonchalance in a heartbeat. He jumps right up and all but pushes Derek out of the way in his effort to get to the window, and sure enough when he leans outside there’s a laminated strip of cardstock duct taped to the vinyl siding: DON’T FORGET TO KNOCK Stiles gets cranky when we scare him—Or, in which Stiles Stilinski moves to Beacon Hills for his junior year of high school and accidentally adopts a pack of teenage werewolves.(my comment: fairly fluffy and humorous. owlpostagain is one of those that I never see recced and they have some amazing writing.)

here is the deepest secret nobody knows by owlpostagain (22,322 words, rated T)

“Derek,” Stiles groans. “You have me. You’ve always had me, you absolute moron, how many physically impossible feats of life-saving heroics do I have to perform before you get it?” (my comment: post s2 and the pack is just starting to come together. lots of pack feels)

will to follow through by owlpostagain (42,411 words, rated T)

“It depends entirely on how you look at it, I guess,” Stiles shrugs. “On the one hand, instant healing and the apparently inherited ability to pull off leather at all times. On the other, serious attitude problems and a suspicious disappearance of eyebrows.”“Even Derek’s?” Danny snorts, “that’s a lot of eyebrow to lose.”“I know,” Stiles agrees. “You should see, it’s so weird. Every time I want to ask him where they go, except he’d totally eat my face off.”“There are worse ways to die.” (my comment: Danny&Lydia&Stiles ultimate friendship post season 2. So good.)

#getmeoffthisplanet #sterek #fic rec list #sterek fic recs #sterek fic rec #long answer

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