#morganbarb

[yellowmagicalgirl]

watch me crumble with the dawn

Morgana hoped that she would regain her magic sometime soon, if only so she could fix her broken prosthetic.

Eyy, so this was based off of @im-the-king-of-the-ocean‘s Final Fall of the Pale Lady. This was also written for Whumptober Day 12: Broken Down. This fic can be seen as either 100% platonic or pre-Morganbarb.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to add the title.

AO3

FFN

Morgana ached.

Not from the fall out the Shadow Realm to the accursed black rock that humans built their roads with in this century. Or at least, she didn't hurt that much anymore from the fall. The bruises were mostly healed. No, she had fallen on her right side, and her hip had taken the initial impact.

It was her left side that ached. Her left shoulder. Her left arm. What remained of her left wrist.

And, if she were to allow herself to be deluded by her own thoughts, her left hand ached whenever she looked at it and the deep, ugly crack that ran across it. It wasn't even the usual fractures caused by dark magic, because that would be a comfort. Her magic was deep, buried, but it would come back.

Not that Morgana doubted that she would regain her magic! She was the Eldritch Queen, and shadow magic was hers. No one could take it from her. Falling out of the Shadow Realm was a shock to her system, but she knew her magic would come back.

Eventually.

Hopefully...

Hopefully soon.

Morgana did not like this. Without magic, she couldn't fix her prosthetic. Because it was broken, she couldn't move it. It weighed her down, dead stone grafted onto living flesh. And it made her left side ache.

Some part of her wondered if she could ask Barbara to help her fix her prosthetic, but no. That would make Morgana even more vulnerable. Without her magic, she was already weak enough. She could not afford to show Barbara another source of weakness.

Worse, she was wearing short sleeves. On the rare occasion that she had doffed her armor, she had always worn long sleeves and seemingly-decorative bracers over her wrists. They were to make her look intimidating and elegant. They were to make sure that no one would hurt her ever again. Not that she was scared, of course. But she wasn't used to wearing such short sleeves as the tunic that Barbara had given her to wear since Morgana's clothing had been reduced to rags under her armor. She was tempted to go find her helmet, and by extension, the rest of her armor.

Not that she felt unsafe without her armor. She was the Pale Lady. People feared her. She did not feel fear. It was just that Morgana wouldn't have to look at the scar on her left arm that she had never gotten used to. It was just that maybe, the armor would help support her left side.

Morgana didn't leave the underground room that Barbara had set up for her to go get her armor. It was strange. This room could have so easily been a dungeon, but instead it was rather comfortable. Morgana wasn't even sure if the door to this room at the top of the stairs would lock. It was a foolish thing to do for such a powerful prisoner as the Mother of Monsters. If there were anyone even close to as powerful as Morgana - such as Merlin when he was in his prime - she would have chained them up if not killed them outright. But Barbara refused to kill, and the closest Morgana had to chains was the accursed IV.

Barbara had done many foolish things. She hadn't told her allies about Morgana - if she had, then surely one of her dead son's friends would have come here by now, ready to kill her or - if they had the stomach for it - torture her. Morgana was pretty sure that she had given the Child the stomach for torture. At the very least, Morgana had made the Child's stomach strong enough to torture Morgana herself even if Claire would torture no one else.

Once more, no. Morgana was not scared.

It was strange. Barbara was trying to heal her son's killer. Surely she knew what Morgana had done to the Trollhunter. Or did Barbara share Morgana's hatred of Merlin, believing that Merlin had taken her human child and killed him more than Morgana's magic had? If so, that would explain Barbara's peculiar actions, such as how even though she hid away Morgana's helmet - likely so that Barbara's allies wouldn't suspect her - Barbara had shown her where it was. Still, Morgana did not say anything about the late Trollhunter to her host. Morgana wasn't afraid of angering Barbara. However, she did not want to risk losing this source of shelter, medical care, and food.

Despite knowing her helmet's location, Morgana decided not to grab it. The armor was heavy, and the weight might hurt her more than it helped.

She truly hoped that her magic would come back...

..hopefully soon.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

28 for Final Fall of the Pale Lady?

(For that last ask I forgot it needed a pairing so Morganbarb)

28. In [x fic], what is a happy, post-fic headcanon you have about [pairing]?

I’m pretty sure I planned for them to be on a very gradual, slow burn toward romance post-fic.

I didn’t intend for Morgana to be fully redeemed at Pale Lady’s ending.  The big point there was that she chooses the hard path of trying to be a better person, even if it won’t gain her exactly what she wants, over the easy route of returning to her old ways.  The fic was supposed to be about her struggling to make that choice.  Giving her exactly what she wants straight away at the end felt like it would diminish that.

So, Morgana’s not completely good (or ready to be in a romantic relationship either).  A sequel narrative I once vaguely plotted out (and never actually wrote down so I don’t remember it exactly), had her slowly process her past traumas in a healthy way, learn to accept that there are some things she’ll never gain closure on (Angor Rot can’t exactly forgive her since he’s dead and also he wouldn’t anyway), accept that Claire isn’t going to completely forgive her either, and decide that, yes, despite all the guilt she feels, she still wants to do this ‘good person’ thing.

Barbara is there supporting Morgana while this entire process goes on.  The two of them slowly grow closer and eventually manage to get in a relationship (it just takes a shit ton of work and open communication).

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing Q’s

[tunafishprincess]

Maybe Barbara and Morgana? It's from rare pair week and honestly I fell in love lol. Maybe their cuddling and in the background Jims freaking out? XD

Morgana Romance End where Barbara wins over Morgana’s heart and Jim is like, “dang it mom, not again.’

[talesofarcadiafemslashweek]

Femslash Fanfic Recs List

If the story title has a link, that means it’s available here on Tumblr.  Otherwise links to Archive of Our Own and FanFiction.net are available.

Please let me know if there’s a problem with any of the links or summaries (I tried to use the exact summaries the authors gave whenever possible) so I can edit accordingly.

Without further ado, here’s all the sapphic stories I could find :)

(in alphabetical order)

(more could be added in the future too)

Ajaire (Aja/Claire)

Stargazers by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Claire and Aja consider how they're going to cope with the fact that one day Aja will have to return home to her planet and they'll be separated.

...

Claire and the Ghost Girl by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean

Claire meets a ghostly Aja one night in a cemetery.

Barbmura (Barbara/Nomura)

Autumn Blues by @tunafishprincess (AO3 Link)

It wasn't the blindness that bothered her; it was the peace that came after it.

...

Armamentarium by @readingnerd22

Barbara cleans Nomura’s wounds.

...

The Color of the Sun by Nerves (AO3 Link)

Barbara is a woman caught outside of time and space in an idyllic, soft world, knowing no other human than the man Walter. Her existence is peaceful and dreamlike - although lonely. All of that changes when another person enters her world: the woman made of darkness and clothed with the sun. The love that finds them will bring out the darkest that their world has to offer so that they may find the light.

**Please be advised to read the author’s tags on this story, as it a mature-rated story and contains more adult themes.

...

freefall by @angorwhosebabyisthis (AO3 Link)

...

Healing Music Suite No. 1 (series) by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Stories that focus on the sapphic ship of Barbara and Nomura. Includes fluffy ficlets, angsty oneshots, and the odd AU here and there.

**Also check out the barbmura asks & aus section of my ocean king blog or search the ship and/or character names there too, cause I have a lot of barbmura content.

...

Imperfect by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Barbara and Nomura take Zelda (Nomura’s ex-familiar) trick-or-treating, and discuss parenting.  Part of my Familiars AU.

...

Keep Her Warm by @yellowmagicalgirl (ff.net Link)

The power is out in Barbara and Zelda's house. Takes place in an au where Nomura stayed in Arcadia instead of Strickler. Flash fic. Rated for brief angst.

...

Motif by @magic-and-moonlit-wings (AO3 Link // ff.net Link)

A number of paintings in the Arcadia Oaks Museum’s collection feature women who resemble Barbara. Nomura notices. Nomura might also have the starting hints of a crush on Barbara, but she hasn’t noticed that yet.

...

Some Might Call It True Love by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Since the first day of 3rd Grade, (half-troll) Jim has been trying to get his mom together with his changeling teacher, Ms. Nomura.

...

Throwing Vases by @magic-and-moonlit-wings (AO3 Link // ff.net Link)

Looking for a fun 'couples activity', Barbara and Nomura take a pottery class.

Marynon (Mary/Shannon)

Aching to See You at Any Possibility by @yellowmagicalgirl (AO3 Link // ff.net Link)

Shannon was just friends with Mary, and she would be fine with it. She would have to be.

...

The Art of Romance by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Self-proclaimed Dating Expert, Mary Wang, figures out that she's in love with the cute girl in her math class and how to ask said cute girl out.

...

For You, Fall by @yellowmagicalgirl (AO3 Link // ff.net Link)

Mary reveals a secret to Darci.

...

Goblinfighters by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Shannon tries to warn her crush, Mary, that goblins are coming for her.  (a roleswap version of Claire and Present Danger with Shannon as the Trollhunter).

...

Scary Stories by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean

a short scene written by request where Mary and Shannon are camping out and tell each other spooky stories.

...

Stolen Kisses Minific by @yellowmagicalgirl

Mary and Shannon steal kisses from each other.

Morganbarb (Morgana/Barbara)

Artists by @im-the-king-of-the-ocean (AO3 Link)

Morgana never expected to fall out of the Shadow Realm. Nor did she expect she'd ever be given a second chance or that very old pains and traumas could be healed.

Day 1: Autumn (Rarepairs Week) by @eurydykakaput

Barbara and Morgana are out getting coffee.

Day 6: Crossovers AU (Rarepairs Week) by @eurydykakaput

A crossover with Avatar: The Last Airbender.

[yellowmagicalgirl]

5+1 fic I’m not going to write but wouldn’t mind reading: 

Five (former?) enemies that Jim has to chase away from dating his mom, and one former enemy he doesn’t mind dating his mom.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

"I can not give what men call love but wilt thou accept not, the worship that the heart lifts above and the heavens reject not?" (From the poem of Percy Bysshe Shelley _ One Word Is Too Often Profaned) for the 30 mintue ficlet with Barbgana? [I weep at way you create the sense vulnerable adoration Morgana has for Barbara)

Morgana presses her lips together.  She gazes at her pristine reflection in her vanity’s mirror.

“Leave me,” she commands her handmaidens.  Each of them gives a respectful bow of their head, spreads their wings, and flutters from the chamber.

Morgana holds up a smaller, bejeweled mirror to more closely inspect the job they’d done on her appearance.  Her handmaidens have not failed her.  She looks sharp, elegant.   Not one blemish lingers on her skin.  Her lips are the most vibrant red.  Her dark hair flows, silky and soft, into complexly woven braids.

She is, in essence, perfect.  Enchantingly so.

Morgana stands, strides to the other side of her chamber, and removes her dark green cloak from its hook.  Carefully, she drapes it around her shoulders.  Lesser beings would be concerned about trapping their wings beneath such heavy fabric.  It is a show of her strength that she is not.

Finally, Morgana plucks up her mask of spun gold between her fingertips and gently deposits it on her nose.  It is perhaps good, she thinks, that tonight’s event is a masquerade.  She’s been running out of ways to conceal her identity.

Of course, she plans to reveal herself soon to the one she’s romancing, but all good things have their proper moment.  The time for Morgana to expose herself just hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s coming.  Very soon.

When she arrives at the fairy ball, Morgana slips into the crowd.  It isn’t hard.  Most others in attendance are dressed like she is.  All shimmering colors and illusory beauty.  Morgana drifts aimlessly around her compatriots until she arrival.  Her heart skips beats like an out of rhythm drummer upon seeing her.

The mortal woman is distinctive in that, though her deep blue dress flatters her form, it does not sway or mesmerize like those worn by the fairies.  The jewelry she wears on her wrists, her neck, and hanging from her ears certainly is nice (homespun amber does have its merits), but lacks the rarity and glitter of those belonging to the immortal beings she’s surrounded by.  Her head turns every which way, her expression giving away her anxiousness as she searches for the one who invited her.  Another thing that separates the mortal woman from the fairies, who’d never reveal their emotions unnecessarily like so.

Morgana sweeps over.  She makes eye contact with each and every one of her guests who may have fancied themselves a romantic rival, and glares them away.

As this is her domain, the mortal woman, Barbara, too, is hers.

“I can not give what men call love,” Morgana whispers in Barbara’s ear as a way of greeting.  She darts around when Barbara turns her pretty head, to remain out of sight until she reaches Barbara’s other side.  “But wilt thou accept not, the worship that the heart lifts above and the heavens reject not?”  She lingers by Barbara’s other ear, allowing the mortal woman to face and look at her.

Barbara smiles with relief when she sees Morgana.  “I was scared you’d tricked me and wouldn’t really be here.  I’m glad I was wrong.”

She’s not completely wrong, Morgana muses, but doesn’t mention.  It is in her nature, as it is for all fairies, to without certain, particular truths from time to time.  When it suits them.

Morgana loves Barbara, yes.  But that’s entirely the problem.  Love makes one vulnerable.  It gives another power over oneself.  Barbara could break her heart and, in effect, destroy her.  The very thought is terrifying.  Especially because whether or not that happens is entirely left up to the mortal woman’s whims.

Is it not natural, in such a situation, to seek a little more control?

Morgana takes a crystal glass full of wine off a passing tray, and holds it out to Barbara.  “Here, to soothe your nerves.”

To keep you.  Morgana watches the wine stain Barbara’s lips.  For once a mortal drinks of the fruits of the fairy realm, they’ll never be able to find their way out again.

In many ways, Morgana is strong, but she is also foolish.  She slipped up, fell in love, and left herself open and vulnerable to another.  To a mortal, no less.  This affection she feels, it is a weakness.  But, one she can control.  Morgana will never allow herself to ever be hurt by heartbreak.

Barbara smiles at her after finishing her sip of wine.

And, in doing so, she merely sealed both their fates.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

A quick reminder that I do cross-post all my shippy snippets/ficlets to AO3, tho I collect them in Ficlet Collections, as to not flood the Tales of Arcadia section with way too many postings.

The collections are:

OTPs -

The Doctor and The Scholar (Galadrilake - Blinky/Barbara)

Something Entirely New (Barbmura - Barbara/Nomura)

Moments of Connection (Ajim - Aja/Jim)

The Sun and His Daylight (Joby - Jim/Toby)

The Fragility of a Suncatcher (Morganbarb - Morgana/Barbara)

The Daily Going-Ons of the Arcadia Oaks Animal Sanctuary & Rescue (Strickrot - Walter Strickler/Angor Rot, this one also doubles as a place for my work for the animal sanctuary au)

Into The Great Shipping Sea (a general place for short things with toa ships I don’t frequently create content for).

.

I am considering starting a system for RWBY ships I like, but I’m waiting to see what I end up doing for content there before setting something up.

(Rather than making new collections, I’m thinking of just doing series with separate postings.  Given the rwby ship I’ve written for the most is Nuts and Dolts - with 2 postings and a 3rd planned, they’d already be separate anyway.)

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Progress for my last two requests from this meme

tho shading is probably going to take a while, I’m rather happy with how they’re coming along ;)

*I am not taking new art requests at this time*