#I lied half of my head canons make them not evil .

[crushedsweets]

They multitask (being evil and cute)

[esther-dot]

Hi! I just wanted to ask if you are one of the jonsas who think Jon and Dany won't be romantically involved in the books.

Well...

The streets grew emptier as they passed through a district given over to gloomy stone warehouses. Aggo went before her and Jhogo behind, leaving Ser Jorah Mormont at her side. Her bell rang softly, and Dany found her thoughts returning to the Palace of Dust once more, as the tongue returns to a space left by a missing tooth. Child of three, they had called her, daughter of death, slayer of lies, bride of fire. So many threes. Three fires, three mounts to ride, three treasons. "The dragon has threeheads," she sighed. "Do you know what that means, Jorah?" "Your Grace? The sigil of House Targaryen is a three-headed dragon, red on black." "I know that. But there are no three-headed dragons." "The three heads were Aegon and his sisters." "Visenya and Rhaenys," she recalled. "I am descended from Aegon and Rhaenys through their son Aenys and their grandson Jaehaerys." "Blue lips speak only lies, isn't that what Xaro told you? Why do you care what the warlocks whispered? All they wanted was to suck the life from you, you know that now." (ACOK, Daenerys V)

"Your Grace," he conceded, "the dragon has three heads, remember? You have wondered at that, ever since you heard it from the warlocks in the House of Dust. Well, here's your meaning: Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, ridden by Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya. The three-headed dragon of House Targaryen—three dragons, and three riders." "Yes," said Dany, "but my brothers are dead." "Rhaenys and Visenya were Aegon's wives as well as his sisters. You have no brothers, but you can take husbands. And I tell you truly, Daenerys, there is no man in all the world who will ever be half so true to you as me." (ASOS, Daenerys I)

The dragon has three heads. There are two men in the world who I can trust, if I can find them. I will not be alone then. We will be three against the world, like Aegon and his sisters. "Was the night as quiet as it seemed?" Dany asked. (ASOS, Daeneryrs VI)

Three treasons will you know. Once for gold and once for blood and once for love. (ADWD, Daenerys VI)

Unlike show Dany, book Dany is a romantic, she does fantasize about being rescued, and she is interested in a guy even when he doesn’t particularly care for her. We now Euron wants her and potentially might harness a dragon, so it's possible by the time she and Jon meet, she's disabused of all this and they're only antagonistic. That doesn't really feel like Martin to me though?

His mantra has always been William Faulkner’s comment in his Nobel prize acceptance speech, that only the “human heart in conflict with itself … is worth writing about”. “I think that’s true of any fiction worth reading, that you’re really talking about people. And maybe it’s set in space or in a castle with dragons, maybe you set it in a suburban town where Dick and Jane live, or in some urban hell hole. Wherever you want to set your story, it’s still about people trying to make their decisions about what is right and what is wrong, how do I survive, questions of good and evil.”

I really doubt that he'd write a one-note dynamic. He inserted conflict into the healthiest canon relationship, he emphasizes the conflict within the Stark family, he likes complexity not merely theoretically, but it's what interests him, it's what he writes to explore. And here we have a series of quotes that set up Dany to trust someone (Jon) who has a preexisting loyalty to the Starks that will demand he act in their best interest which aligns with her prophesied treason (betray her for love of the Stark), and seeing all the Dark Dany foreshadowing, what she thinks of the Starks, it's clear they will not be friends.

Now, does Jon need to be romantically involved with her to spice up the two being at odds? No. Jon's time at the Wall has him trying to put aside his love for his family and accept his new "family," and no matter his oath or how many times he tells himself, he can't be swayed in his loyalty and love for the Starks. To me, it reads like a form of an idea that will add layers to his interactions with Dany. No longer is it merely an oath that is meant to make him loyal to "family", it's blood. It's actually family, long lost family, potentially, a new identity, not being a bastard, if he wanted it. The Watch allows him to rise up to Lord Commander, it would make sense for the Targ situation to offer him a high station too, as a form of temptation (not that it matters, he's obvy never gonna betray the Starks). Maybe we'll be lucky and it's only that.

But, we also have the Ygritte situation in which there is an invading force and even though he's sexually involved, he can't be swayed in his loyalty. To me, that too reads like prep for Jon's next "test" to be ramped up and even more trying, worse, much worse. How much "more" might we see here? I'm torn. I've read and liked different spec. If Stumpy is right and we get Jonnel x Sansa 2.0, Jon will already be married and there's just no way in hell Jon is cheating on Sansa, so blood relation vs the family that he grew up with may be it.

HOWEVER, if Jon is KitN, I don’t see how he goes South and puts himself in enemy hands, and if he isn’t, if he defends Sansa or Rickon’s claim, there’s a lot more tension because of what Dany could offer him. If Jon is not only accepted in the North but married to a Stark and king or warden or regent or anything official, imo, there's just not much tension there at all. If Martin wouldn't allow a clear-cut Jon vs FF, but wrote into that "the heart in conflict with itself" for Jon, I'm very doubtful he hasn't planned a similar trial for Jon with Dany/her invasion. Tension makes things fun, he likes making things emotionally difficult and morally complex. And let's not forget, Mance, the leader of the FF/the invasion is presented in a very Rhaegar-esque way, Dany sees herself as Rhaegar once, and Jon was meant to kill Mance. Doesn't bode well.

Also, we gotta look at that word "treason." Jon could be the king who knelt redux, Martin isn't in favor of needless war, a king sacrificing it all to save his people is admirable, and that would allow Jon's actions against Dany to be treasonous. And if we think of this from the Dany perspective, we would want to up the anti of her own feelings of betrayal. She "saved" (in her mind) Mirri, she trusted Jorah who claimed to love her, how can the last treason be worse, far more painful, the most painful? Someone who has sworn to her, ok. Family? Sure, but Viserys already abused her/was a threat. Lover? Well, we all know Daario is a fuckboi and doesn't care for her, so maybe, to make it truly suck, all three? The person she thought she was destined to meet/trust, family she didn't know she had, a potential husband, is her final betrayal? I think the stacking idea for both the relationship and the treason may be it.

I do not think Jon would willingly enter into a relationship with Dany. Unfortunately, that does not mean one will not happen. I don't think it's conclusive they will have sex, but Dany's tracks to Jon say "husband" (some would argue shadowy lover...), and Jon's experiences point to him betraying "family"/someone who loves him. IMO, the odds are it's a one-sided thing.

SO, my very rambling answer to a pretty straightforward question is, I am not. I am not sure that they will have sex, but I certainly think it's very likely Dany will want a romantic relationship as part of her Targ belief. It will end badly for her, as I talked about in the flies/"dead man's revenge" post, but I certainly think there's gonna be layers there, nothing simplistic.

[tavyliasin]

Upon The Devil's Stage - Raphael Romance Event

My second entry into the Make Raphael Romanceable event by @dmagedgoods because I felt like the first wasn't quite romantic enough. This one could follow on as a sequel, or stand on its own as a little one shot~

--- Raphael has returned to sweep Tav off their feet, wondering if they can truly dance to the steps he has set before them. Tav has long waited for this chance, the unspoken promise, drawn to the warmth of the Cambion's flame. --- Click here to read on AO3 1860 Words

Pairing: Raphael x Gender Neutral Tav SPICE Rating: 0/5, we're only here for the romance again~ Content Warnings: None Spoilers: End game and post game spoilers alluded to though not the focus. Canon Compliance: Ah, if only~ This can be the canon of your post-game dreams, if you wish!

Paired Song Whisper by Burn the Ballroom "His favorite days were the mornings She came with confessions of cardinal sin A beast in the business of selling forgiveness Dead eyes on a treacherous grin Yet he laps up the vice like a wolf in the night He's the left hand of God on the stage And with one hand he offers salvation to lovers The other, it taketh awaySo give me your fire, give me your fear Give me your faith when love gives you tears Give me your heart, give me your fate Give me your hand when love gives you hate Give me your prayers up on your feet And I'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats So give me your sins, give me your lies But whisper your love, and I'll whisper mine."

--- Full Fic Below The Cut! ---

Upon The Devil's Stage

Poetry. That’s what he was, a song written in lyrics designed to enthral whilst the music of his rhyme captured Tav’s heart and soul.

Thief. Though he would never admit to such a word being applied to himself, he stole the stage he walked upon, took the spotlight and outshone even that.

Playwrite.

The script he wrote became a performance all were drawn to, characters populating his world, a whole cast of little mice rushing through the maze and hoping to find the promised prize at the centre.

Raphael.

A Devil in name and nature, and yet he was also far more than the abject evil of old fairy tales written to warn Tav away from the temptation - temptation which evidently they had not been warned clearly enough about as they let him lead them in a waltz of his own composition. He called himself a saviour, once, and perhaps it would amuse him to see the daydreams in Tav’s head of the devil as the knight in shining armour, the prince coming to sweep them off their feet.

And yet…no romance novel printed on cheap parchment could compare to the image of the cambion dressed in his finest silks, hair swept back between horns that curved wickedly above like a crown without jewels. Raphael was purple prose brought to life on reality’s page, a vivid violet swirl of perfect cursive script spelling out the poise and grace he wove into every word and motion. 

It didn’t take a contract to have Tav accepting the hand offered to them, to follow him onto the dancefloor that appeared around them as the reality of the mundane melted away. Perhaps the ease in which he transported them both across planes without so much as a question first should have been a concern, but their only worry now was putting a foot astray in the devil’s dance. 

—

Raphael smiled. His favourite client, his Little Mouse, and they were radiant in the glow of his glory. A simple spell had transformed their dreary armour into fine silks that far better matched their status at his side - the soon-to-be Archduke of the Hells could not allow appearances to slide, even without any audience.

How he loved the way they hesitated for half a second before placing their small hand within his own, the way he could hear their heart stop for just a moment as his claws closed around their fingers. Such a fragile mortal soul, and yet Raphael could not deny that they had impressed him. He had told them once, that he had grown fond of them in his own way, and not one syllable of that had been a lie.

—

“Where’s the orchestra?” Tav finally found their voice in the genuine confusion at how there was now a swirl of beautiful music wrapping around them, as they gazed up towards the Cambion’s stern features as if looking for their answer in the charming wrinkles that decorated his face so beautifu- 

“The invisible choir sing when they are bidden, Little Mouse.” He spoke with a slight smile in the edge of his voice, the implication of a hundred lost souls just out of sight and at his command… It was not helping slow the rate of Tav’s racing heart. Raphael held such power so easily, so casually… His words were law, and his laws were as immutable as the Devil’s own capricious charms. “Do you not like the melody? It can be changed in but a moment if-” “No, no! It’s wonderful, really.” Tav almost bit their own tongue to punish it when they realised they had interrupted him mid-sentence. “I- Sorry I didn’t mean to…” Their voice lost all power under the burning gaze of the cambion above them, though to their surprise his expression creased into a smile within a moment. 

“Music, Mouse, was made to be danced to.” Raphael pulled them closer, one hand still entwined with theirs, his other wrapping easily around their waist. It was difficult to reach his shoulder when he was in this form, so Tav had to settle for gripping the sleeve that barely hid the strength beneath.

The musicians, still unseen, rose to a crescendo with a swell of strings as the devil began to lead their dance. 

Masterful feet wove a path around the ballroom, sweeping Tav between the shadows of a hundred fellow dancers who had neglected to attend the grandiose event made for two. No dream that had drifted through their sleepless nights could compare to the reality of the warmth of his hand on the curve of their back, no waking reverie of romance could match up to the almost weightless sensation of their waltz. Nothing could have prepared Tav for the moment he leaned over, taking the balance of their weight on his arm as he dipped them low, leaving his lips just a hair’s breadth from their own. 

Before they could catch their breath, or gather their senses enough to steal the kiss they had long dreamed of, the devil smirked and lifted them back to their feet. Their mind was spinning in the same manner as their body did while the dance continued, each move a push and pull that brought them tantalisingly close only to create distance once more. 

The heat of the cambion’s body, the grace of his movements, the danger of being so close to the power and devilish charm he possessed… Tav felt like they were dancing in the heart of a fire, and they had not one care if they were to burn to ash right there and then. 

—

Raphael savoured each moment like a delicacy. Watching the breath catch in Tav’s throat, seeing their pulse quicken almost imperceptibly through the exposed part of their neck, noticing how their lips almost wanted to chase him every time he pulled away. 

He had often spoken to them of how he preferred clients to be desperate, to be left with no option, no thought beyond turning to him and begging for his aid. This was…not the same, not quite. He did not want them broken and bowed with their knees in the dirt, he wanted…not an equal, but something close. Someone who could challenge him. Someone who would desire everything he was and everything he could be, but one who would not be afraid to chase it. 

And thus, Raphael had set the lanceboard pieces upon the table, making each move and daring Tav to take what they wanted. Were he to be the one to show his desire for them openly? That would not do, the balance of power would shift. He had perhaps gone far further than he might have liked in creating this moment, in calling them his favourite client, in revealing his fondness for them more than once… But that was the limit of his grace in showing them he was receptive to an advance. They had to be the one to want him, and he was to be the one to so generously allow them to be close. 

“You dance well, Little Mouse.” A simple compliment, earning him a smile and the blush that spread across their cheeks - of course, it helped that his whisper was directed into their ear, lips almost brushing the ever reddening tip.

“I could say the same of you, Raphael.”  Ah, there it was. A little more confidence, that edge of bravery returning, driven by the desire he was stoking within them so carefully. He allowed one more soft breath across their ear - a gentle bellows to grow the flames within them - before he pulled away again. 

This time, however, Tav was faster.

—

The tension was infuriating. Tav couldn’t tell if Raphael was merely teasing them, or waiting for them to make the first move. Either way, if they didn’t do something about it soon, they were certain it would leave them with nothing but a lifetime of regret when the music reached its final cadence. 

The depth of his voice, the heat of the air that carried it, the scent of his perfume so close to them… When the cambion tried to move away this time, their hand found a grip on his horns instead, holding him a few inches from their face as he embraced them in a dancer’s dip in his arms. 

“Not this time. Wait.” They had meant it as a request, but desperation turned the words to more of a command.

“Issuing orders? To me?” Raphael’s eyebrows raised, a slight smile toying at the edge of his lips. “My, my, Little Mouse. We have become so very brave in the face of the cat. Perhaps I should drop you right here upon the floor.” 

“You don’t want to do that.” Tav continued, emboldened in the knowledge he could have fully pulled away at any moment…yet he allowed them to hold him here. They even softened their grip to caress his horns, smooth, sharp, dangerous and regal… Everything that they admired in him.

“Oh? And what is it that I want from a mere mortal such as yourself?” His voice was subtly lower now, the spaces between his words saying far more than the sound. 

“I don’t know,” Tav admitted, their hand drifting from his natural crown to the side of his cheek, “but I know what I want. And I’m tired of waiting for it.” They threw caution into the depths of the inferno and stole his lips in a kiss, savouring the heat of his touch and the scent of cherry that was almost intoxicating as he softened, yielding - in so much as a devil would ever yield to a mortal - and returning their affection with his own. The cat might have set the trap, but as long as they still got the reward they had yearned for, the mouse did not care that the cambion’s claws were firmly embedded in their soul. They had danced to his tune, waltzed right onto the board of his game willing to sacrifice every piece they had if he were to ask.

—

Devil. The name that most would give the man with a crown of horns, eyes like living fire, and a burning desire to rule all the hells. And what would that make Tav, now? Willing to take his hand, to follow him into the depths of Avernus and beyond just to be at his side… Ally. No, more than that. This was no brokered deal of warring nations, nor a mere friendship between neighbours. Their goals had aligned, in such a way as they might. Partners, perhaps… Putting a name to the lack of space between their lips felt like a fool’s errand. Saviour. The title he gave himself when they first met had proven true, in its own way. Appearing when he wished to, giving them not what they wanted but only what they needed to prove themselves. To be worthy of him. “Raphael.” His name tasted all the sweeter whispered into his kiss, the last seal of a fate they would choose a thousand times without a second thought as he swept them away into the night.  

--- --- ENDING NOTES --- --- Would you dance with the devil? What song might you pick for his invisible orchestra to play for you as he whisks you around the ballroom? Thank you for joining me with these little event pieces, it's always fun to write some Raphael content~ He's truly fascinating and captivating as a character, we were blessed by some wonderful writing and performances in the game, with the stunning art and animation to match.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Fanfic Recs

some of my favourite Miraculous Ladybug fanfics, in case anyone wants to read them. 

I would have put all of them, but I feel like recommending the author’s fanfic to the author is redundant.

Telling Lies? No Mama

Aishling

(My personal favourite long-form “Lila Exposed” fic. Portrays the class as flawed kids trying to do the right thing. Alya is far more supportive than in canon, and everyone is less of an idiot. Chloe even has a redemption - it can feel a little out of nowhere, but it is in-character for her, and I feel well-handled. Fair warning, Lila is very much portrayed as Evil, willing to work with a terrorist kind of evil, so it may not be for everyone.)

BURN THE WITCH

ChaoticNeutral

(My second favourite long-form “Lila Exposed” fic. Rather than the previous one, Lila is not portrayed as pure evil, but as opportunistic and manipulative, as well as impulsive and over confident. She’s so used to getting away with things that she doesn’t realize that there are some things she can’t lie away. It also has an interesting Akuma for the person manipulated by Lila, and some great characterization for all the characters.)

Threatened

Aki_Usagi

(yet another Lila Exposed fic, but one that changes things up a little. Marinette was all set to face Lila head on when she was the one being threatened, but what if Lila realized that? What if she didn’t threaten Marinette, but her friends?)

A Thief, a Thief

GalahadWilder

(Honestly, a super short drabble set just after Lila accuses Marinette of stealing - and it backfires hilariously.)

Double Monkey Dare

ChaoticNeutral

(a Lila Exposed fic that includes Kim at his most himb. one-shot)

Double Vision

dumbdpaus

(Marinette saves Lila’s life during an Akuma attack, and Lila is forced to do some examination of herself. One-shot)

Occam’s Razor

Flairina

(an interesting, alternative idea for why everyone believed Lila immediately - yes, magic was involved. No, it wasn’t Lila’s. Two-shot.)

what’s up danger

GuardianKarenTerrier

(A look at Miracuclass through the eyes of its teacher. One-shot. From the actual description on ao3:

“Caline Bustier has not seen a single one of her students come through the classroom door in a week and a half.

There would likely be more students on time if they weren’t all coming in through the windows or, in Juleka’s case, technically through the doorway- as much as going hand over hand along the ceiling counts. Caline’s not even sure how she’s doing that. 

She’s not even sure who to blame for this anymore.”)

If At First You Don’t Succeed

Leisey

(a long but hilarious one-shot of the Miracuclass - headed by Chloe - deciding to take the reins and make Adrienette happen.)

Restorative Justice

Kasienda

(Chloe sitting through an in class activity she hates with a passion, and realizing that the two of only people she cares about - Adrien and Ladybug - are drowning under their responsibilities, and deciding to do something about it. Honestly one of my favourite versions of Chloe.)

Crash and Burn

quicksilversquared

(“Everyone expected Hawk Moth to die in a dramatic fashion during some battle with Ladybug and Cat Noir.

No one expected him to die in a car accident on a week day afternoon.

Least of all his son.”)

What the Cat Dragged In

Kryal

(A pretty good crossover fic with the Avengers. Tony Stark, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanov head to Paris, and encounter the local heroes, the villain, and some kids with fascinating insights on how this whole “Miraculous” thing works.)

Little Devil

angelofthequeers

(An interesting take on Marinette being Akumatized, and Chloe becoming Ladybug. Pretty enjoyable.)

-

I think I’ve read a good chunk of these lmao.

[bigmammallama5]

grace, the way i just perked up the second i saw your tags about a stardew AU... i am *very* interested

so i may or may not have put about 140 hours on my first real stardew valley play through (and im not done im just taking my time and holy cow things are expensive) and like. way back in august of 2021 i was like hey @sango-blep what if this happened lol. and she was like IF YOU DONT DO THIS and then it regrettably (or not regrettably?) just kinda sat there until i got to a romance scene last night and the flood gates opened. i wanted to keep it fairly close to the game without it being a lift, which wouldnt make it an au, so the gist is:

Lena, who grew up with the love of her mother completely removed from the Luthors, has grown weary of her genetics job and the popularity contest and rat race that comes with it. Years after her mother passed and now in her mid-thirties, she needs a break. In a forgotten lock box lies a deed to a property in Midvale, a small costal town outside of National City. Aching for change, Lena packs up and leaves it all behind for a new start-only to be met with the strange and otherworldly as she learns to live in harmony with the citizens of Midvale and the wilderness around them as the evil of her estranged half-family encroaches...

also kara is her neighbor who raises bees with a flower garden bc i have a silly meet-cute idea for their first scene together, im keeping the main show cast for funsies along with building a small cast of locals, im still keeping some canon alien aspects of stuff so i have a spring board, and im trying really hard not to spoil anything plot-related bc i dont want to give it away just yet but this might also turn into some form of baby's first murder mystery a la murder she wrote but im not sure yet i have. too many ideas.

so yeah im still fleshing it out but its stardew au but cottage core warping into ghibli-eldritch cottage core and lets hope i can pull it off bc some of that still needs some work and it sounds really fun in my head LMAO

[let-the-worldbuilding-be-magical]

PE AU: Scene 28

Scene 28:

The VKs sit at a lunch table, Doug sits next to Evie, and all of them are in a bad mood.

Taylor, Akiho, and Amir see them and head over.

Taylor: “Hey, Jay, we’re sorry about what happened. Chad was totally in the wrong.”

Akiho and Amir nod in agreement.

Jay’s eyes never leave the table.

Jay: “You guys should go before you get hurt.” He mumbles.

They glance at Mal– her cold glare boring into them the whole time– back at Jay– still refusing to look at them– then, with great reluctance, they walk away.

Ben takes his chance to approach.

Ben: “I’m so sorry, you all. I…” He shakes his head, changing his mind against what he was going to say. “I don’t have any excuses for what happened. It was terrible and nothing less. But I will do everything I can to make it up to you.”

Mal: “Then you can start by leaving us alone.” She growls.

Evie: “Mal…” Evie half-heartedly scolds.

Mal: “Just be glad I haven’t made Doug leave. And that’s only because he’s quiet.”

Though hurt that she was implying threatening Doug, Evie gives her a piteous look.

Jane: “Ah! Chad!”

In the near distance, Chad is holding Jane’s hat over her head, revealing the sliced-up mess on her head.

Chad: “Ew!” He laughs.

Audrey: “Aw, Jane, what happened to your precious haircut from your precious Mal? Did it fall apart after you chose to side with evil?” She mocks her.

Jane shrinks into herself, but making eye contact with Carlos instills a bit of confidence in her.

Jane: “They’re not evil! You’re evil for doing this to me!”

Audrey: “Spreading lies, too?” Her eyes flare. “It’s your own fault your looks match your actions.”

Mal glowers until she’s had enough and searches for a spell.

Mal: “Beware, forswear, undo Jane’s hair.”

Carlos looks to Mal with horror, but, fortunately, the spell only returns Jane to her original haircut. (It still makes Lonnie touch her long hair in fear of losing it next.) It’s not the one she wanted, but it looks nice.

Mal stands up to face the group, a warning gleam in her eyes.

Mal: “There’s a lot more where that came from.”

Audrey: “Excuse me, who do you think you are?”

Mal: “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

Lonnie starts slowly backing away, but Audrey– and thus her entourage– remains defiantly in place. So, Mal starts flipping through her spellbook, scaring them into running off.

Jane glances at Carlos, who nods, signaling for her to go too. Taylor, Akiho, and Amir come up beside her in support so she feels safe and not alone.

Evie: “Maybe it’s best you and Ben go.”

Doug gives her an “Are you sure?” look and she nods. He hesitates, but he gets up and takes Ben, who tries to protest a bit but ultimately concedes, with him.

With them gone, Mal turns back to her friends with a malicious smile.

Mal: “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.” But she can’t even make that smile last. “Let’s grab that wand and blow this popsicle stand.” She says darkly as she walks away.

Her friends follow, not really having an appetite for lunch.

[I understand that this and the previous scene were meant to set up why the VKs didn’t give up on their plan, but it sure didn’t leave any reasons for them ultimately not to. It basically turned the conflict from “Can the VKs be good?” to “The Auradonians don’t seem to be good, so do they deserve to be overthrown?” And with how canon went down, I’m inclined to say yes.

Especially with Mal’s speech to her friends at the end not really countering my point. If the villains overthrew Auradon: Evie would still be smart, Jay could make a team, play sports, and have victory pizza with The Isle teens (after they settled into not living in scarcity), and Carlos could potentially keep Dude if he hid him or convinced Cruella that Dude was “his”. Even Mal could still go to school (after everyone settled into not living in scarcity), and potentially keep Ben alive by claiming he’s under a love spell (and with the way he acts, he’d probably still be in love with her, so she’d also get that).

My solution for this AU was to make the themes about second chances (to tie in with the 3rd movie too) and “What does it mean to be good?”. For the first theme, the VKs need to believe the Auradonians aren’t going to waste it (which includes freeing the other VKs), and for the second theme, they need to have more examples than Ben and Remedial Goodness 101. So, I gave them Ben, Doug, Jane, Taylor, Akiho, and Amir. (Taylor is named and has a one-word voice clip during the tourney tryouts; Akiho and Amir are named during the tourney game.)

(Carlos cares about Dude as much as he cares about all his friends, but Dude can’t argue with him about bringing the villains to Auradon, nor can he back him up if he argues with his best friends, so his mind finds it easier to convince him that he can keep Dude safe and not let his best friends down. But Jane would argue with him, and she could back him up… if he could tell her… His mind is all too aware of the danger she’ll be in if he goes through with the plan.)

(Ideally, Taylor’s line would go to whoever of Taylor, Akiho, and Amir is the best actor, but Taylor already had a line– technically– so he gets to be the placeholder.)

Mal doesn’t restore Jane’s long hair because she knows Jane would likely get attacked again.]

Masterpost

[opalesense]

you asked for it

kaeya & f!reader [NSFW]

4.2k words • ~30 min. read

summary: after a frustrating and touch starved week, kaeya catches you playing with yourself despite promising you wouldn’t while he was gone. needless to say, he is not happy.

warnings: sadist kaeya, lots of degradation, choking, bondage, spanking, belt whipping, facefucking

notes: i’m so embarrassed to post this because i’ve never written a full nsfw thing before hahahhddhdhd anyway i’m going to hell... also if you can spot canon voice lines i’ll give you a smooch

"I’M HOME, PRINCESS!"

 Kaeya's alluring voice marked his distant presence outside the bedroom door. The sound of the front door closing behind him made me jump and snapped me out of my daydreaming state.  I could hear him taking off his shoes and putting his bags down on the dining table, the sounds of his coat shuffling off his body and onto the coat rack making my thoughts race even faster.

 He's home already?  I thought he was coming home tomorrow!

 "Our new recruits did so well in training that Jean let me off a day early.  They don't need anything else from me for now," he said, as if he were reading the questions that bubbled in my head.  "Can you believe it?  I hardly ever get a break.  I guess today is truly my lucky day."

 Panic began to bubble in my stomach now as I heard his footsteps quickly advancing towards me, giving me no time to cover up the sticky situation I put myself in.

 Literally, a sticky situation.

 I had been spending the last half hour curing my loneliness in bed, using my hands to replace the pleasure I was missing so badly from Kaeya.  His sudden return home made me curse under my breath. I was so close to a release too.

 I quickly pulled my fingers away and sprung up from the bed, rushing to the dresser to find some clothes to throw on.  But as soon as I pulled the nearest shirt over my head, the bedroom door creaked open, revealing the handsome figure standing and immediately pinning his eyes at me.

 "Hi, Kaeya!" I turned and took a few steps towards him, immediately wrapping my arms around his torso and burying my head in his chest.  He smelled like sweat and hard work.  "Welcome home, sweetheart!"

 "[Y/N]," Kaeya placed cold hands on my lower back to return the hug and gave me a sweet smile, "what were you doing just now, cutie?"

 "I was just about to take a bath," I quickly lied and cupped his face with my dry hand to give him a peck on the cheek.  "Care to join me?"

 His expression suddenly changed from gentle and loving to unimpressed.  He could see through my lie – I could tell.  He was always so good at spotting my lies. His blank eyes pierced through mine, sending a shiver down my spine.  Or maybe that was his hands slowly freezing up my skin with his vision, the annoyance easily seeping through his sharp stare.

 "Are you sure, princess?" he reached to grab my other hand and lifted it up to his face, licking my wet fingers without breaking eye contact. He let out a deep growl at the taste, his eyes turning more dangerous by the second.  Any hopes of me escaping this lie were completely gone now.  "It doesn't seem like you were... 'just about to take a bath.'"

 "Kaeya..." my body quivered at his strong grip on my hand, "Listen, I’m so sorry, I was just so lonely without you–"

 His face inched closer to mine as he slowly walked both of us to the edge of the bed.  "You couldn't wait for a week?" his sharp voice tickled my ears, "I specifically told you to wait for me, didn't I?  You even promised me you would."

 "Y-yes, I did promise," we stood at the foot of the bed, my naked hips desperately pressed into his.  "I’m so sorry–"

 "Yeah, you’re 'so sorry,'" he mocked me and rolled his eyes with a smirk.  "You better be sorry, sweetheart.  I missed you too, but at least I kept up my end of the promise and didn't touch myself while I was gone, unlike some slut I know," he hissed.

 Suddenly, he wrapped his other hand around my neck and began applying pressure, pinning me down into the mattress.  His clothed knee spread my legs open and pressed against my sensitive clit, driving more shivers up my spine and triggering a moan from my throat that only came out as a weak whimper.  His face leaned down to mine to give me slow, gentle kisses.  "My slut," he whispered between kisses, squeezing my throat harder, "I can’t believe I’m in love with a stupid disobedient bitch."

 The insults only made my core light up with satisfaction.  I closed my eyes and relaxed into his touch, forgetting about all the consequences I knew he would lay out for me in a few moments.  I could tell he missed me just as much as I missed him with how gentle and loving his kisses were in contrast to his hand suffocating me.  We kissed as if this was our last time ever seeing each other, as if the world was going to end in one minute.  My heart thumped with excitement as the realization that he was finally back home began to settle in.

 He released my poor throat and instead ran his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp and deepening the kiss.  His lips began moving with a purpose, groans escaping and movements getting more and more desperate.  "[Y/N]," he muttered into my own lips, "I missed you so much, princess. You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted this."

 He slowly separated his face from mine and nuzzled his head into my neck, biting and suckling my already bruised skin from all the other love marks he had given me last week as a memento before he left.  "I’m not going easy on you after this, sweetheart. Savor my mercy while it lasts."

 I grew restless after a few minutes of him licking and nibbling at my neck and started to grind my hips on his knee, wanting some kind of advancement in this hazy evening.  He took notice of this and paused his kisses, lifting his eyes to meet mine.  I pleaded for more action with a pout, to which he replied by removing his knee and instead tucking his thighs below mine with my legs pinned at his sides.  I let out a shaky exhale at the realization that his bulge was mere inches away from my holes.

 "What's the hurry, princess?" he leaned down to run his hands up my sides, dragging my loosely fitted shirt along with him.  "Is there something you're waiting for?"

 He pulled the shirt up enough to expose my anticipating breasts, perked with excitement at his chilled fingers.  I gasped at the bite of the cold air he was manifesting.  "Kaeya, please..."

 “Please what?" he traced a finger on the underside of my breasts and planted more kisses across my collarbone, "Use your words, baby.”

 "Stop teasing me, please," I begged with shame, "You know I want you...  I need you inside of me..."

 He hummed as if he were processing my answer.  Instead of using his own words, he responded by completely pulling the shirt off of me and twisting it into a long strip.  He grabbed both of my hands and pinned them above my head, purposefully pressing his bulge against my aching hole.  He hesitated to look down at me, his eyes becoming consumed with pure lust.

 "Final warning, [Y/N].  Do you want to do this now?" Any remaining gentleness seemed to slowly spill out of his voice as he made it apparent he was asking for my consent.  My core lit up once more knowing we were just getting started.

 I trembled with a mixture of excitement and fear, not knowing what he had under his sleeve tonight after the touch deprived days that broke our usually consistent sex streak.  We were two lovers in desperate need of pleasure.  "I need to be fucked senseless," my voice shakily begged, "I need to be covered in your cum by sunrise, sir."

 He raised his eyebrows at the vulgar language that spewed out of my mouth, knowing how uncharacteristic it was for me to beg before we've begun.  Judging by the evil smirk that formed on his face, those two simple sentences were enough to send him over the edge and into complete darkness.  An evil chuckle escaped his lips. The glint in his eyes that was once loving and sweet became borderline malicious within seconds.

 "Safeword?" he breathily muttered with a grin.

 "Diluc," I sarcastically sneered at him, knowing how much he hated when I used his brother's name as a safeword, even if it was just a joke.  His hand quickly struck me across the face, catching me by surprise.  The sting made my eyes swell with small tears.

 "Fucking brat, always messing around with me," he chuckled.  "But you know, I could always arrange something for the three of us–"

 "Kaeya!" I interrupted him and he laughed at my flustered face.  We had been joking about a threesome for quite some time now.  At least... I was joking about it. Maybe he seriously meant it.

 He guided his hands to make me sit up then pinned my arms behind my back. "It’s just a suggestion," he grinned at the thought while tying my wrists together with my own shirt.  "Oh, to see my little princess squirm with both her holes pounded crying with pleasure and pain...  That would be quite the sight indeed, don't you think?"

 “Please shut up,” I giggled, bucking my hips into his for an ounce of stimulation.  He tightened the fabric around my wrists and tugged at it a few times to make sure it stayed in place.  He gently laid me down again, enjoying the sight of my naked body fully exposed to him.

 "Now for the fun part," he smiled.

 He sat up to take his own shirt off and set it aside.  My eyes widened at the sight of his toned torso, my mouth practically drooling as my gaze traced his muscular abdomen.  His delectable skin glistened in the light of the fading sunset and I couldn't help but stare at his beautiful body.  To my dismay, my staring was interrupted by his shirt being placed over my eyes as he blindfolded me, pausing the fantasies in my head that came with that delicious sight.

 I felt Kaeya’s hands turn my vulnerable body so my chest pressed against the bed, my back arching to greet his face with my holes.  He snickered at the sight of me being drenched as a result of him teasing me for the past ten or so minutes with kisses and cold fingers.  All I could feel was his chilled breath tormenting my wetness and a hand caressing my inner thigh.  "Seems like you're so eager to be touched despite ruining yourself with your own fingers.”

 "Y-yes," I whimpered as one finger outlined my entrance, making me gasp.  "More..."

 He suddenly slapped my ass with his other hand, earning a yelp from my throat.  "I’ll think about it after I punish you, cunt.  Don't think I have forgotten about that."

 He got off the bed to stand up and pulled my body closer to the edge of the mattress.  "Now, count to fifty."

 I hesitated.  "Fifty? What do you mean–"

   "Do I seriously need to repeat myself for your dumb whore brain?" he responded slowly and sternly as if he were spelling it out for me.  "Count to fifty now before I leave you here and drink at the tavern tonight instead. You wouldn’t want to waste an opportunity to get fucked stupid by my fat cock tonight, would you?"

   I paused again thinking about why he'd want me to count in this situation before shyly starting.  "One–"

 SLAP!

 "Fuck!" I instinctively buried my face into the sheets as his hand stung my ass.  That hurt way more than it should.  That's why he wants me to count?

 "If I hear anything out of that mouth other than numbers I will not hesitate to leave you here.  No cursing, no gasping, no moaning.  Do you understand?  Now pull yourself together and count.  Start from one again."

 I quivered at the thought of him leaving me here after already being separated for a week.  I suppose the pain I’ll soon endure is my punishment, after all. So with no hesitation, I obeyed what he told me to do.

 "One..."

 SLAP!

 “T-two...!"

 SLAP!

 It hurt so bad and it had barely begun.  “Three..."

 SLAP!

 “Pick up the pace, my little painslut.  You can handle it."

 "Four..."

 SLAP!

 “Five..."

 SLAP!

 "You're doing so well, princess."

 Soon enough, we were nearing the end.  I truly underestimated Kaeya's strength with each smack.  Sometimes I forget that he's a Knight of Favonius, that he has a vision, and that he trains nearly every day to maintain his strength.  His blows were hellish now in comparison to the first few counts, which were extremely gentle in hindsight.  And he never hesitated with each slap, as if he wanted to do this to me for a long time.

 “Forty eight..."  I was a teary eyed mess at this point, trembling at the pain that stung like a million needles.

 SLAP!

 “Forty nine..." I whimpered, thinking about how i got myself into this situation, never being punished by him like this before.

 SLAP!

 “F-Fifty!"

SLAP!

 I sobbed at the aching pain while he simply chuckled.  He sat next to me and sighed contently.  "How do you feel, princess?"

 "P-please stop...  no more..." I muttered incoherently as the pain didn't seem to fizz away.

 "You have a safeword you know.  But it would be a shame to stop now when we’ve only just begun," he caressed my bruised skin with care, making me flinch instinctively.   I gulped.

 No.  I'm not going to stop here.

 "Tell me how you feel, my love.  Don't be shy."

 I paused, struggling to come up with the right words when all my brain could focus on was the excruciating soreness.  "I-it hurts s-so much..."

 "I know, baby.  But that's what you get for disobeying me.  You’ve learned your lesson, I hope?"

 "Yes, I-I've learned my lesson, sir," I breathily cried, "I w-won't ever do it again..."

 Suddenly I felt his thumb caress my wetness, eliciting a gasp from my throat.  "Oh?  But it seems like you actually really enjoyed that," he played with my aching folds as I stifled my moans, not sure if I was allowed to make noise.  "Well, princess...  that's not what a punishment is for, don't you think?"

 He pulled away his hand as he stood up which made me whine at the loss of touch.  I heard him undo his belt, but once it was off, I didn't hear him unzip his pants like I had hoped for.  Instead, I felt a leather strip gently trail down my thigh.

 "Your skin isn't that pretty shade of purple I was hoping for either.  In fact, if I had to take a guess, I would say it's red from pleasure instead of pain."

 "Wait, Kaeya!  No, please, it really does hurt...!" I weakly muttered as the realization settled in when he gently tapped my skin with the looped leather.

 "I don't think you realize how long I've waited for a moment like this, baby," his gravely whisper struck a genuine fear into my stomach, "A moment when you'd slip up so I'd have an excuse to make you quiver in pain.  You've been such a good girl for so long that I've never had a moment where I can make you beg for my forgiveness.  Which, as a matter of fact, there hasn't been a single moment so far where you've begged.  I assume you haven't actually learned your lesson yet."

 He brought his hand up to prepare for a blow.  "I'm going to brand you.  I'm going to make your skin raw until I feel tired.  And I can last all night and all day, baby.  You know that."

 He whipped the belt down to meet my thigh, creating a new kind of pain that made me cry out in desperation.  This was a new side of Kaeya that I have never seen before.  A new darkness had consumed him so suddenly that I sat on the fence of being terrified and being turned on at the same time.

 And this was still only the beginning.

 "Convince me to forgive you or bleed.  Your choice."

 He immediately whipped me at a quick, consistent rhythm, paying more attention to my thighs in addition to my already bruised ass.  At times the belt would land on my holes, which made me twitch with excitement and agony at the same time. This isn’t like him. Why is he doing this to me?

 "K-Kaeya, please stop!" I moaned out after a few hits, "P-please stop, I'm begging you!"

 “Try again, slut."

 More hits landed with sharp hisses sizzling off of my skin.  "K-Kaeya, I'm so sorry!  P-please forgive me–"

 “I don't even know what you're apologizing for," he interrupted with that damned teasing tone of his, "Could you remind me again?"

 The blows got stronger, more urgent and unforgiving, hitting any inch of exposed skin even if it was already raw.  "I-I'm so sorry for disobeying you...  I'm sorry for t-touching myself without your permission...!  P-please stop, I just want you inside of me–"

 He paused the hits to emphasize his words, which were muttered through gritted teeth. "I don't give a single fuck about what you want, whore. You’re just a toy for my amusement and somehow you still managed to fuck up."

 He quickly resumed the stings. "I'll be a g-good girl from now on!  P-please...  Please just forgive me!  K-Kaeya!" my voice slowly raised in volume in cries for the pain to stop.

 "Dumb whore.  It’s funny that you think I believe you."

 “Y-yes, I’m a dumb whore!" I scrambled for words and just copied his. There was no use in begging anymore. A part of me hoped I would be beat to unconsciousness under him just to relieve myself of this pain momentarily.

 He let out a groan and a low maniacal laughter, "Seeing your veins under my belt makes my cock twitch, princess.  I'm not sure if I want to stop, even if you kept asking me to."

 I couldn't take it anymore.  The pain hurt so bad but as fucked up as it was, I was still so unbelievably aroused by him.  The thought of him getting so aroused by me pulled out some kind of satisfaction within, despite the borderline torture I was experiencing. Maybe he was so comfortable with hitting me because he saw my body as just another criminal to interrogate and punish. Maybe he was releasing pent up frustration on me. Why is all of this so arousing?

 I felt my core light up as my thighs squeezed together.  For a moment, I forgot about the pain and a wave of pleasure washed over my body, sending twitches through the nerves in my legs. "K-Kaeya, actually p-please stop, I think I'm gonna c-cum...!"

 He disappointedly cursed under his breath and let me feel one last blow for good measure before letting go of his grip on the belt and tossing it onto the bed.  “Fine. That’s enough for now.”

 He climbed over my curled up body so his bulge pressed against my tied hands near my tailbone, my head trapped between his hands on the mattress.  He stayed hovering over me, slowly panting.

 "I don't have enough words to describe how much you're turning me on right now," Kaeya began to slowly whisper.  I could feel how hard he was by how he nestled himself into my tied hands.  "Your body shaking under mine, shaking in pain and pleasure...  And to think you were going to cum by my belt alone...  You really are a slut, [Y/N]."

 "K-Kaeya, I'm your slut...  and I need your cock in me now," I weakly interrupted him, "I n-need to be fucked...  right now, please, I'm begging you..."

 He stayed there for a moment, taking in the sight of my helplessness before standing up at the edge of the bed again.  He guided my shaking torso up to finally flip me on my back, pulling me closer so my head hung over the edge.  My lower half felt so relieved to finally make contact with the soft sheets, which were slightly damp from sweat and possibly my own wetness. I felt him wrap the belt around my neck, letting the loop gently tighten around my throat as he tugged.  I couldn't help but be reminded that he could kill me here if he really wanted to.  I was completely surrendered to him.

 I heard him finally take off his pants with the other leg, the scent of his sweaty skin tickling my nose.  I have never longed to get this stupid blindfold off and lay my eyes on his figure already. It had been so long since we’ve seen each other and now that he’s here I couldn’t even fully appreciate the sight of him. Nevertheless, I felt the shadow of his cock drape over my face and let out an exhale before he tugged the belt to catch my attention.

 “Don't make me tell you what to do."

 I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out eagerly which earned a chuckle from him.  He slowly pressed the tip of his cock into my awaiting throat, groaning loudly in the process.  he was surprisingly gentle about making sure I wouldn't choke immediately.  "F-fuck yes, [Y/N]...  taking all of it in like a good slut..."

 As soon as his long member hit the back of my throat, he tugged the belt tightly and groaned deeper.  My throat spasmed at the suffocating sensation which he responded to by pulling tighter.  I tried my best to relax.  "Behave," he reminded me.

 He began fucking my throat with no mercy, gradually quickening his pace but never pulling out or pausing to let me catch my breath.  He had trained my throat over the past few months for this, but the belt added a whole other level of difficulty and torment.  The muscles of my throat tightening around him more than usual made him breathlessly curse and praise me.  "Such a good slut...  My whore is doing so well taking my big cock...”

 He eventually let go of the belt to place both of his hands on either side of my face and fuck my mouth senselessly, ignoring my sputtering and cries for help at the suffocation.  It felt like I was drowning, but all I could think about was how good it felt to pleasure him, to hear his grunts and sighs of relief. His praises were consistent, a stark contrast to the way he degraded and pummeled me into the ground like a prisoner. Before I nearly passed out at the cut off oxygen, all his pent up frustration over the past week suddenly flooded my throat as his warm fluid was dumped into my mouth, deep groans and heavy breaths filling up the room.  His breath stuttered as I swallowed each pump of cum he fed me with hazy eyes, somehow enjoying this moment despite suffocating as he used his thumb to caress my face.  Kaeya placed a hand on the bed and pulled his hips away from my hanging head, leaning over my body and keeping only the tip of his cock inside my mouth.  I coughed and sputtered for a moment before pulling myself together to swirl my tongue over his tip, inciting a few twitches and extra drops of cum as a reward.  Tears and saliva painted my face, but at last, I finally caught a moment to breathe.

 "Keep licking and I might immediately cum again," Kaeya chuckled, cooling down from the heat of the moment.

 "I wouldn't complain," I playfully responded, letting out small coughs to clear my throat.

 "I suppose that's enough punishment for today," he gently lifted my head back up on the bed to provide better airflow.  He untied the blindfold off of my face so I could finally see him again.

 "Hi, handsome," I grinned, saliva dripping down my cheeks and into my hair. He ran his fingers through my hair and began massaging my scalp.

 "God... you are so inexplicably beautiful right now," he whispered desperately.  He began slowly stroking his cock in front of my face and deepened the massage, a proud yet cunning grin stretching across his face.  "But you'd look even more beautiful with my cum dripping out of your cunt, don’t you agree?"

 I moaned out his name and slowly lifted my knees up to my chest, teasingly using my hands to pull my thighs apart as an invitation. My eyes stayed locked with his. "Punishment's over, right?"

 He silently agreed, releasing his cock from his grip and taking another moment to catch his breath.  I watched him with pure lust in my eyes as he positioned himself at the crevice of the pillows in front of me then pulled my body forward to sit in his lap.  His sensitive cock twitched as the tip of his shaft kissed my dripping hole, aching to rearrange my insides.  He used one hand to pull himself down and shower my shoulder with bites and kisses, the other hand reaching down to massage my wet cunt, preparing for the night ahead.

 "My beautiful, stunning slut..." he growled into my ear between kisses, "I can't wait to see you completely destroyed by sunrise. You asked for it, after all."

[theenbynightingale]

Rating Total Drama ships that showed up when playing with the generator! (Pt. 16)

Alejandro and Gwen (or Alegwen): “I know he's evil, but oof… Those eyes!” Props to Gwen for saying what we all think about this guy. Rating: 4/10

Alejandro and Heather (or Aleheather): Again, don’t usually include canon ships but I included this so I could ramble. My thoughts on this are that if Heather had ended up with anyone else, the end result would be extremely toxic. But there’s a spark with these two that makes them great. Their constant battles of superiority while still having a respect for each other is flawless. He’s the perfect match for her without just being “Heather but a guy”. It’s a ship that could’ve been terribly handled but ended up carrying a lot of World Tour. Rating: 10/10

Alejandro and Josee (or Alejosee): “Well, wouldn’t it be the same if it was Alejandro and some other manipulative person?” NO IT WOULDN’T! Rating: 4.5/10

Courtney and Ezekiel (or Courtekiel): Okay, enough Alejandro ships. Let’s move on. To this. This is not good. She barely tolerated sexist comments from Duncan and that was only because she thought he was hot (I guess she likes trapezoid heads). Rating: 3/10

Dakota and Kitty (or Dakitty): That sounds like a bad rapper name. Anyway, I think Kitty would get along with Dakota after she was humbled. I just think Dakota should have been humbled in a way that didn’t require her to be exposed to nuclear radiation that turned her into a giant scaled monster who barely had a concept of speech SERIOUSLY FRESH TV WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH Y- Rating: 7/10

Ellody and Laurie (or Ellaurie): One half from each of the “early elimination lesbian teams” from Ridonculous Race. Nothing to ride home about other than that one friendly interaction they had together. Though, I think Laurie would find a better and less judgmental partner in Ellody. Though, Ellody seems pretty content with Mary. These are just words. None of this means anything. What am I doing with my li- Rating: 6/10

Gwen and Josee (or Gwosee): Gwen would go crawling back to Courtney after being alone with Josee for less than a minute. So maybe this is a good thing? Rating: 4/10

Gwen and Scott (or Gwott): NO BECAUSE IMAGINE IF GWEN WAS ONLY INTERESTED IN GUYS FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN THEY WERE BONING COURTNEY Rating: 2/10

Leshawna and Ezekiel (or Lezekiel): She’d kill him. There’s no other way around him. If she heard what he said back in the first episode, she wouldn’t have voted him off. She’d have killed him. Rating: 3/10

Owen and Kitty (or Owty): Honestly, it’d be a bit too obvious. Like “Hey, Nemma became a thing so THEY have to be a thing too!” They get along well and they’re fun but I don’t wanna get too obvious. Side note: part of the reasons I mostly avoid canon ships is because of the death threats I’d get for giving Nemma a high rating. Rating: 5/10

Sugar and DJ (or SugJ): SUGAR, I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU EVEN LOOK IN HIS GENERAL DIRECTION, I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL Rating: 2/10

[aquanova99]

In the Breaking Dawn book, Maggie growls at the Volturi when Aro lies to Renesme, could you do a head canon of what the general feel was during that moment, like what was Maggie thinking after she did it, how did Liam and Siobhan react, how did other vampires on both sides of the conflict react…

I do love a good worldbuilding ask they are my favorites and this ask? Anon you’re amazing I do apologize for making this a bit long though 🤍

First we know Maggie’s gift is a no fail lie detector. While I am 99.999999% certain her gift was mostly to prove the volturi were evil (which we do not believe here) and give meyers precious self insert proof that they are not good people. Her gift is more than being able to tell when someone one is lying. The illustrated guide makes it sound as if Maggie’s gift is somewhat similar to Jaspers, she can tell not only when people lie but when they seem uncomfortable in a situation they may try and lie in. Often figuring out the actual truth in the process.

However, her gift is not something she can control. Keep in mind that while Aro does know that Refrigerator is not an immortal child he is right in that no one knew she wouldn’t be dangerous or able to uphold the secret. Now I don’t remember for sure what he lied about, I believe he told Reeses puffs that he wouldn’t harm her parents. But again Restitution is still a child Aro is not going to say “sorry kid im about to unalive your whole family.”

BUT! Maggie knows this is one of those white lies but she’s surrounded by the biggest amount of vampires she’s ever seen. The Romanians have been telling stories of what they used to do to people and exaggerating what the volturi did to them. Maggie is stressed, okay? With all of the stress and pressure the growl comes out on it’s own. We’ve seen this action come from a lot of the other vampires in high stress situations. But again high stakes here. My guess is that the second she let her growl out is she knew what a mistake she had mad. The Cullens and Denali already have a bad picture courtesy of Edward and Eleazar so they all think ‘I knew it. They just came to kill us.’

Now she knows that they don’t want to kill everyone and she probably tries to signal Siobhan and Liam. Liam immediately goes into fight mode though he doesn’t see Maggie admit she was wrong and it’s not like she can explain why Aro was lying because again Recess is right there. Siobhan probably figured it out and hopes with everything in her that something is figured out so they don’t have to fight, she is probably debating taking Liam and getting Maggie out of there.

The Amazonian covens, Benjamin and Tia and the nomads are probably unsure what’s really going to happen. They’ve heard plenty on both sides. The nomads, well honestly I doubt they would stay push comes to shove. They don’t actually have loyalties to anyone and Peter and Charlotte were only there for Jasper who is awol at the moment. The Romanians are probably muttering to the crowd and edging them in anyway they can. Because they knew it! The volturi are ready to kill them all just like their old coven. 🙄

Now the Volturi. Aro is probably sighing because this isn’t what he meant. Caius is probably excited he gets to do something plus he’s sick of the Cullens getting away with things, and Marcus well Marcus isn’t even a person at this point. Now, the guard is half ready to leave and half expects something to happen because why else gather all these witnesses.

Maggie knows if he wanted to Aro had an actual charge against the Cullens. After all they had Charlie in the loop and all of the people in the reservation technically. If Aro wanted to he could have killed the Cullens whenever he wanted to including the time Edward went to Volterra. Because Bella running through a fountain towards sparkles would have gotten the attention of at least one person and you can’t change my mind.

Luckily Alice found Nahuel and the rest is boring history. But had Alice not come back Maggie’s growl may have been the catalyst for a lot of people to sway against the volturi. Or at least to stand their ground.

[serpenteve]

I'm having the horrible realization that Aleksander never actually did any serious wooing of Alina in the books. It's all just Alina her self being horny attracted to him. But this is supposedly???? His grand scheme???? Of manipulation???? Implications! It seems like the girls in these books wasn't the only one slut shamed. I'm- ☠

Leigh wrote a man sexy and captivating and said "it's his fault, actually, that Alina got a crush on him. He shouldn't of.... uh.." Flips through papers. "Ah, had such pretty eyes."

Okay! 👀Yes, we are finally doing this!

I'm flipping through my copy of Shadow & Bone and noting down all the interactions between the Darkling and Alina which I've put in chronological order beneath the cut.

First of all, the Darkling and Alina are only alone together in about a handful of scenes. Most of the time, the are surrounded by other Grisha or Baghra or are in a public place. A lot of the Darkling's actions and words are clouded by Alina's own insecurities. She constantly voices how she feels like she's not good enough, not pretty enough, not strong enough and he takes it in stride and gently encourages and placates her. There are a few lies he does tell her (that the Black Heretic was his ancestor, that he wants to destroy the Fold, and he doesn't know what Baghra's power is, etc) but if we extrapolate the trajectory of her ill-fated romance arc, I think even book!Darkling would have told Alina about his real plans if she seemed like she'd accept them.

A lot of speculation has been made about the Darkling's seduction of Alina and honestly???? Aleksander literally just exists and Alina is thirsting for him because she's desperately looking for validation and re-assurance. I initially head-canoned his first kiss by the lake as being pure calculation and the kiss at the Winter Fete being 100% accidental (because Dark Lord Sasha played himself lmao) but on this re-read, I don't even know anymore. He already came close to almost kissing her after they have a tender moment, catches himself and then immediately leaves before he can catch feelings. Then when they share another tender moment at the lake, he kisses her and then is surprised by it and before he can really process it, Ivan comes by to cockblock.

Like, even Leigh (as much as she has shit on this ship) said at one point that the Darkling has strong feelings for Alina, even if he may not necessarily quantify them as love. So looking back, I don't read anything the Darkling did as manipulative seduction. He obviously lied about some stuff and wasn't transparent about his real plans for the Fold, but as a military commander who sees Alina as an opportunity for a coup, it makes sense that he'd play that a little close to the chest---especially when Alina has proved to be wary of his powers and has a very black-and-white sense of morality. If anything, this is less "the Darkling seduced Alina to manipulate her into being used!!11" and more "local dark lord tried to encourage his protege and accidentally caught feelings and it was a mASSIVE FUCKING INCONVENIENCE TO HIS EVIL PLANS"

But you know who does slut-shame Alina a lot? Baghra. Seriously, Baghra makes Alina feel like shit for her crush on the Darkling numerous times. She has all these lines:

"You want to be [his pet]...Don’t bother lying to me. You’re like all the rest. I saw the way you looked at him."

"Dreaming of dancing with your dark prince?"

"Foolish girl." (After Alina shamefully admits the Darkling might come to her that night)

At one point Baghra creeps on Alina and the Darkling's interactions and even though literally nothing happens between them and when the Darkling leaves, Alina catches Baghra giving her a snooty look. ("For no reason at all, I blushed")

She is determined to shame Alina for her feelings and make her feel like a lovesick idiot for daring to crush on him and this is in addition to all the slut-shaming Mal does. The narrative revealing the Darkling is the bad guy all along while leaving Alina no compelling arc to discover this on her own feels very much like Leigh hitting us all with Baghra's stick, like "Foolish girls! You thought he cared about Alina just because he has a sexy jawline??? HAHA HE LIED YOU SLUTS"

Scenes with Alina and the Darkling in Book 1

Their first scene together is in the Grisha tent. Based on Alina's description of him, she already thinks he's hot as barely any other character in this godforsaken series gets so many descriptions of their grey/smoke/slate/quartz eyes as Aleksander does 😏

The next time they're together he saves her life. Alina is traumatized from seeing a man sliced in half and the Darkling instructs her to keep her eyes on him instead. She is disturbed that he killed the person about to murder her and this aversion seems incredibly contrived and arbitrary on behalf of the author. It's almost like she wants Alina to be vindicated and shamed for not trusting her initial bigotry against him or something 🤔The Darkling admits even he can make mistakes and then he touches the back of Alina's neck (with some secret Heartrender/Healer abilities?) and she falls asleep riding on his horse.

They spend the next few days traveling. Alina notes that the Darkling hasn't spoken to her (probably because he's focused on getting her to the Little Palace without any more assassination attempts) but Alina is a paranoid she's offended him somehow. Again, this is just Alina's insecurity painting a narrative that simply doesn't exist based on what actually happened so far.

They exchange a few words by the stream and Alina fishes for pity points by saying she's ugly and can't possibly be Grisha. Aleksander appears 100% done with her stupidity and says she doesn't understand but he's not in the mood to explain at the moment and walks off ☠️

Alina joins the Darkling and his men for a meal. She notes that the grouse they've killed is meager shared meal but that the Darkling doesn't want to put his men in danger by sending them out to hunt in the forest at night 😌He also sits on the floor to eat like they do and he doesn't take more than the regular portion than they do 😌. Sorry, how is this man the most ~evil~ wizard on the planet? He is obviously a good and fair commander and beloved by the Grisha.

Alina has been checking Aleksander out the entire time so when he catches her, he walks over to talk. He fishes around for information on what Alina has heard about him. He seems sad when Alina mentions she has heard that Darklings are born without souls, though not surprised. He then spins the story about the Black Heretic being his ancestor and how the Fold was a mistake and how every Darkling since then has tried to undo it and how Alina is "the first glimmer of hope" he's had in a long time.

Because Alina is still on that "Grisha are unnatural monsters" agenda, she asks him about the Cut and he explains it but she's still distrubed. He asks her if it would have been better if he used a sword and she replies: "I don't know". The Darkling gets offended and leaves. Alina tries to convince herself she can't have possibly hurt his feelings (because Darklings don't have souls or feelings?) and then feels paranoid that she's failed some secret test. Yeah, the test you failed is called "empathy", Alina 🙄

Two days later, they arrive at Os Alta. Aleksander roasts the Grand Palace as the ugliest effing building he's ever seen. He leaves immediately after dumping Alina at the Little Palace and Alina actually seethes that he isn't paying more attention to her? I understand that it's overwhelming to go to a brand new place, but Alina expecting him to constantly hold her hand and explain everything to her after she basically insulted him is a bit strange.

The next time Alina sees the Darkling, they are scheduled to appear before the King and Queen. The demonstration is a surprise for Alina and Aleksander's lack of transparency of what's expected of her means she's forced to rely on him and trust his instincts. This might be his underhanded way of getting Alina to see that she can trust him; that he will not make her look like a failure or humiliate her; that they are in this together and it will only work if she trusts him.

After the demonstration, Genya and the Darkling trash the monarchy for a bit (Alina is horrified) and then the Darkling orders Genya to get a black kefta for Alina, to which Alina infamously wants a blue one. The Darkling doesn't really put up much of a fight, merely wanting to know why. Alina decides he doesn't approve of her choosing blue and wonders to Genya if he's angry.

After Alina's first day, the Darkling calls her to his quarters to ask her how her day was. Alina is surprised that this is all he wanted to know because she was paranoid he was going to torture her??? She says: "Why shouldn't I be afraid of you?...You can cut people in half. I think it's fair to be a little intimidated." If the Darkling is offended or angry about this, he doesn't show it and merely indulges her. He notes that she has a habit of running her hand across a scar on her palm and asks her about it, tracing the scar himself. Alina gets distracted by his touch but manages to answer his questions: she got the scar at Keramzin, Mal is also an orphan, he is good at tracking. He shows her a secret passage back to her rooms to avoid the main hall.

Alina starts her training and at one point laments that the Darkling is rarely at the Little Palace and when he is, he never speaks to her or barely looks her way and she is convinced it's because she's a failure and can't summon light on her own. It could also be because, you know, he's the commander of the Second Army and is usually seen in talks with other military advisors and the fact that Alina kinda lowkey insulted him with her wariness about his powers???

The next time they are together, Alina interrupts him and Baghra arguing. He politely asks her how she is. Baghra antagonizes her. The Darkling defends her. They talk about amplifiers and because Baghra is being a snarky little shit about it, they take their conversation outside.

Aleksander complains about how annoying his mom is and then asks Alina what stories she's heard about Morozova's herd. At one point he laughs for the first time and Alina practically creams her pants at the sound. Alina expresses her concerns that she can't summon any light and the Darkling says he's not worried and it will happen when it happens and worse case scenario, it will happen once she has the stag. They have a quiet intimate moment, gazing softly into each other's eyes and then suddenly Aleksander realizes he's catching feelings and steps back suddenly like "GoodLuckWithYourLessonsOKayBYE". Baghra watches this interaction from her hut and gives Alina a slut-shaming look.

Alina eventually does learn to summon light on her own. Baghra gives her grief about how it's not enough. The Darkling shows up during one of these lessons and says as much. Alina says she's useless. The Darkling corrects her (“I don't think you're useless, Alina....No Grisha is powerful enough to face the Fold. Not even me”) and then he apologizes for letting her down ("I've asked you to trust me and I haven't delivered"). He wonders if his mother is right and he's crazy to hunt the stag. They have a nice bonding moment, Aleksander lies about Baghra's power, and then he asks if Alina would think him crazy for still wanting to find the stag. She asks why he cares what she thinks, he seems genuinely surprised himself that he cares. Then he kisses her. He seems not to have meant to kiss her because then Ivan shows up for his 5 o'clock shift of cockblocking and the Darkling immediately pretends like nothing happened and walks away with him. Like dude is acting like a fucking dork who's allergic to feelings at this point. I should note here that Alina practically has an orgasm from how giddy she is about this moment. She can barely think of anything else.

The next time they're together, it's at the Winter Fete. They do their demonstration and Alina accidentally reveals her insecurities about how he had kissed her and then disappeared. He responds, "Did you really think I was done with you?" and then they enjoy some steamy kisses and thigh grabbing in an empty room before a random round of Grisha show up for their 6 o'clock shift of cockblocking. Aleksander is annoyed at his own attraction to Alina. He asks if he can come to her that night but Alina doesn't get a chance to respond.

and then the Darklina romance arc falls off a giant cliff and dies a terrible death 😭😭😭

[itsclydebitches]

The Bad Batch: A Crosshair Analysis

Hello, Star Wars fandom! I have just completed watching—and loving—The Bad Batch, which you know means I now need to dump all my thoughts about the first season into the tumblr void. Specifically, thoughts on the complicated drama that is Crosshair. I have no doubt that the majority of what I’m about to say will be old news to anyone who watched the show when it came out (I’m slow...), but I’m writing it all out anyway. Largely for my own sanity enjoyment :D

I want to preface all of this by saying that the above is not an exaggeration. I love the show and I love the entire cast. My enjoyment in each of the characters is directly connected to my enjoyment of the season as a whole, which I say because I’m about to get pretty critical towards some of the characters’ choices and, to a lesser extent, the writing choices that surround those. Does this mean I secretly hate The Bad Batch? Quite the opposite. I’m invested, which is presumably just what Filoni wants. I’m just hoping that investment pays off. 

But enough of the disclaimers. Let’s start with the matter of the inhibitor chip. I’ve seen fans take some pretty hard stances on both sides: Crosshair is completely innocent because he’s definitely been under the chip’s control this whole time, no matter what he might say. Crosshair is completely guilty because he said the chip was removed a long time ago and he chose to do all this, no moral wiggle room allowed. However, the reality is that we don’t know enough to make a clear call either way. The audience, simply put, does not have all the necessary information. What we have instead is a couple of facts combined with claims that may or may not be reliable. Let’s lay them out:

Crosshair was definitely under the chip’s control at the start of the series.

He was able to resist it to a certain extent, resulting in a pressure to obey orders coupled with a primary loyalty to his squad. See: telling Hunter to follow the Empire’s commands—which includes killing kid Padawans—but not turning his team in as traitors when they did not. It’s an in-between space.

Crosshair’s chip was then amplified to an unknown extent. I’m never going to claim I’m a Star Wars aficionado—I’m a casual fan, friends. Please don’t yell at me over obscure lore lol—but within TBB’s canon, no one else is undergoing that experimentation. The effects of this are entirely unknown, which includes Crosshair’s free will, or lack thereof.

Crosshair then becomes a clear tool of the Empire, hunting down innocents, killing on a whim, the whole, evil shebang.

In “Reunion” he’s caught by the engine and suffers severe burns to his face. One leaves a scar that covers precisely the place where the chip would have been extracted.

Removing the chip leaves its own scar behind. If Crosshair’s was removed, we can’t see that scar due to the burn.

After these events Crosshair seems to mellow a bit. He does horrible things under the Empire’s orders—like shooting the senator—but is still loyal to his squad—killing his non-clone teammates to give TBB a chance, saving AZ and Omega, etc.

Crosshair claims that his chip has already been removed. However, Crosshair is arguably an unreliable source if he’s been lied to or if the chip is still there, encouraging him to manipulate the team.

Crosshair claims it was removed a long time ago, which is incredibly imprecise. As we can see from just some of the events listed above, precisely when the chip came out—if it came out—makes a huge difference.

Hunter realizes this and presses for clarification, but Crosshair dodges giving it. Again, a legitimate belief that it doesn’t matter, or evidence that he can’t say because something else is going on? We don’t know.

Hunter checks Crosshair’s head and finds the burn scar which proves… nothing. As stated above, they wouldn’t be able to see the surgery scar one way or another: its existence or its absence. It’s useless data, as Tech might say. I’ve seen a few fans claim that Hunter was also feeling for the chip with his enhanced senses, but 1. I didn’t catch any evidence of that in the scene and 2. Even if we assume Hunter did that anyway, the chips are notoriously hard to spot. Fives and AZ couldn’t find the chip at first when examining Tup. Ahsoka had to use the force to find it in Rex. TBB themselves couldn’t find it at first in Wrecker. If machinery consistently fails to find the chip on the first couple of tries—it’s meant to be a hidden implant, after all—why would we believe Hunter’s senses could pick it up instantly? Maybe he missed it, or maybe it wasn’t there at all. 

Crosshair appears to be struggling with a headache in the finale, just as he was at the beginning of the season and just like Wrecker was for the first half.

The point of listing all this out is to emphasize how ambiguous this whole situation is. I don’t want to use this post to argue one way or another about whether Crosshair’s chip is really out. I have my preferred theory (the chip’s still in, but only partially functional), but at the end of the day none of this is conclusive. The writing takes us in what I hope is deliberate circles. Crosshair says the chip is out? Crosshair is not a reliable source of information until we know if the chip is out. What other evidence is there that the chip is gone? A scar? We can’t see if there’s a scar. Hunter’s abilities? He only checked once for a canonically hard to find implant—if he actually checked at all. And why would the Empire want the chip out? Well, maybe it has to do with that push towards willing soldiers, but if that were the case, why leave Crosshair behind and have the “clones die together”? By that point he was one of the most willing, chip or not. Did they have to take it out because of the engine accident? Pure speculation. We just don’t know and THAT is the point I want to make.

Because it means the rest of the Bad Batch didn’t know either.

The core issue I have here is not whether the chip is in or out, or even how long it may have been in if it is out now. The issue is that TBB spent 99% of the first season believing that Crosshair was under the chip’s influence… and they didn’t try to do anything about that. They abandoned him. They left a man behind. Does this make them all horrible monsters? Of course not! This shit is complicated as hell, but I do think they made a very large mistake and that Crosshair has every right to be furious about it.

“But, Clyde, they couldn’t have gone back. It was too dangerous! Hunter had a duty to his whole team, not just Crosshair.” True enough and I’d buy this argument 100% if Hunter hadn’t spent the entire season throwing his team into dangerous, seemingly impossible situations to save other people. Crosshair became the exception, not a hard rule of something they had to avoid. They went back to Kamino for Omega, a kid they’d only had one lunch with, despite knowing how dangerous the Empire was. They went into the heart of an occupied planet to rescue not just a stranger, but one belonging to the Separatist government. They helped Sid when she asked and there was plenty of compassion for the criminal trying to take her place. Most significantly, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation to go rescue Hunter when he was under the Empire’s control, in precisely the same place. Every explanation I’ve seen fans come up with—Kamino is too fortified, they don’t know where Crosshair is, they can’t risk Omega being captured, etc.—also holds true for Hunter, yet there wasn’t a second of doubt about needing to at least try to help him. And his rescue was arguably far more dangerous given that TBB knew they were walking into a trap. Going after Crosshair would have at least had some element of surprise.

I think the problem with these justifications is most easily seen in “Rescue on Ryloth” and, later, “War-Mantle.” In the former, we do watch Hunter decide that going on a rescue mission is too much of a risk, only for Omega to talk him into considering it.

Hunter: “It’s a big galaxy. We can’t put ourselves on the line every time someone’s in trouble.”

Omega: “Why not? Isn’t that what soldiers do?”

Hunter: “It’s not worth the risk.”

Omega: “She’s trying to save her family, Hunter. I’d do the same for you.”

The arguments that sway him are ‘Soldiers should help people’ and ‘Soldiers should specifically help their family.’ So… what does that say about their feelings for Crosshair? They’re willing to put themselves on the line for the parents of a girl they met once at a drop site, but not their own brother? That’s the message the writing sends. “But, Clyde, the difference is that they had an advantage here. Hera’s knowledge of her home planet tipped the odds in their favor.” Yeah… and Crosshair is stationed on TBB’s home planet. Even more than them collectively having the same knowledge that Hera does, “Return to Kamino” reveals that Omega always had additional, insider knowledge of the base: she has access to a secret landing pad and the tunnels leading up into the city. That knowledge was given and used the second Hunter’s freedom was on the line, but it never once came up to use for Crosshair’s benefit. 

“War-Mantle’s” mission puts this problem in even sharper relief. Another claim I’ve seen a lot is that TBB only took risky rescue missions because they needed to be paid. The guys have got to eat after all. Yet Tech makes it clear that going after Gregor will lose them money. They’re meant to be on a mission for Sid and deviating for that won’t result in a payment. He explicitly says that if they decide to do this, they won’t eat. They do it anyway. No money, no intel, a huge risk “on a clone we don’t even know.” But that’s not what’s important, the show says. All that matters is that a brother is in trouble. This time it’s Echo pushing that message instead of Omega. When Hunter realizes that they’re about to try and infiltrate an entire facility and they don’t even know if this clone is still alive, Echo points out that they took that risk once before: for him. “If there’s a chance that trooper is being held against his will, we have to try and get him out.”

Yes! Exactly right! So why doesn’t that apply to Crosshair?

“Because he tried to kill them, Clyde!” No, that’s the easy, dismissive answer. A chipped Crosshair tried to kill them. AKA, a Crosshair entirely under the Empire’s control. The only difference between his enslavement and Gregor’s is that Gregor’s chains were physical while Crosshair’s were mental. And again, the point of everything at the start of this post is to show that no one knows when or even if that chip was removed. TBB definitely didn’t have any reason to suspect that Crosshair was working under his own power until Crosshair himself said as much. We might have been able to make that case at the start of the season, but “Battle Scars” removes any possible confusion. The entire team watched Rex reach for his blaster when he learned their chips were still in. The entire team watched Wrecker become a totally different person and attack them, just like Crosshair did. The entire team forgave him instantly and had their own chips removed. So why in the world didn’t anyone go, “Wow, Crosshair has a chip too. He was no more responsible for attacking us than Wrecker was. We need to try to get him out, no matter how hard that might be, just like we had to try for all these other people we’ve helped.”

But they didn’t. No one even considered rescuing Crosshair. They only went back for Hunter and, when they realized Crosshair was there too, they didn’t change their plans to try and rescue him as well. He’s treated as a particularly threatening inconvenience, not another team member in need of their help.

The problem I have with how this all went down is that the team treated Crosshair like an enemy despite all evidence to the contrary. Despite Omega outright saying that this isn’t his fault, it’s the chip, the group seems to decide that he’s gone crazy or something and that there’s nothing they can do. “It’s fine,” I thought. “They don’t really get what the chip is like yet. They don’t understand how thoroughly it controls someone.” But then “Battle Scars” arrives and Wrecker is treated with such compassion (which he deserves!) only for the group to continue acting like Crosshair is somehow different. It’s easy to say, “But Crosshair shot Wrecker” and ignore the easy pushback of, “and Wrecker nearly shot Omega.” Up until Crosshair’s own accusations and Omega’s ignored comments, TBB’s understanding of the chip’s influence and the lack of responsibility that accompanies mysteriously disappears when the show’s antagonist becomes the subject of conversation. This is seen most clearly in how Hunter tries to frame things during his talk with Crosshair:

“You tried to kill us. We didn’t have a choice.”

“Can’t you see that they’re using you? It’s that inhibitor chip in your head.”

“You really don’t get who we are, do you?”

Hunter mentions the chip, but he acts as if it’s Crosshair’s responsibility to overcome it: “Can’t you see…” Of course he can’t see, that’s the entire point of the chip, the thing he currently believes Crosshair still has stuck in his head. But Hunter and the others—with Omega as a wonderful exception—never seem to have accepted this like they did for Wrecker. When Crosshair “tried to kill us” it’s seen as a deliberate act that he chose, not something forced on him like with Wrecker. When Hunter talks about their ethics, he subconsciously separates the team from Crosshair: “You really don’t get who we are, do you?”, revealing a pretty ingrained divide between them. Even Wrecker gets in on the action, the one brother who truly understands how much the chip controls someone: “All that time, you didn’t even try to come back.” What part of he couldn’t try is not hitting home here? Again, for the purposes of this conversation it doesn’t matter whether Crosshair was chipped this whole time or not. The point is that TBB believed he was chipped… and yet still expected him to somehow, magically overcome that programming, writing him off when he failed to do that. He’s consistently held responsible for actions that they were told (and, through Wrecker, saw) were completely outside of his control. Even when we factor in his claim that the chip was removed, TBB has ignored all the evidence I listed at the start. No one, not even Omega, challenges this super vague and strange claim, or seeks out proof because they don’t want to believe that their brother could willingly do this. There’s just this... acceptance that of course Crosshair went bad. Why? Because he was an asshole sometimes? Taking it all as written, it doesn’t feel like the batch considered him a true part of the team. Certainly not like Wrecker or Hunter. As shown, the batch will go out of their way, risk anything, forgive anything, for them. They have a level of faith that was never shown to Crosshair. 

“Severe and unyielding,” Tech says and he’s absolutely right, but I’d seriously challenge this idea that any of the others would have automatically done better if the situations were reversed. It stood out to me that each batch member has a moment of doubt throughout the series, a brief glimpse into how they think the Empire isn’t that bad, at least when it comes to this particular thing. Basically, a moment that could lead to a very dangerous line of thinking without others to stomp it down. Wrecker announces that he’s happy working for whoever, provided they give him food and let him blow things up. Tech finds the chain codes to be an ingenious strategy and is clearly fascinated with their development. Hunter initially wants Omega to stay on Kamino, despite knowing that this Empire has already, systematically killed an entire group of people: the Jedi. Doesn’t matter. She’s still (supposedly) safer there than she would be running with the likes of them.

There’s absolutely no doubt that those three made the correct choice in defying the Empire, but I believe that their ability to make that choice is largely dependent on them having each other. They survive together, not apart, and it’s their unity that allows them to make the really hard calls, like setting out on their own and opposing such a formidable force. But if Tech’s chip had activated and he’d been left behind, would he have muscled through to escape somehow...or would he have gotten caught up in all the new technology the Empire offered him, succumbing to both his chip and the inevitability that if his squad no longer wanted him, why not stay? Would Wrecker have escaped, or been easily manipulated into a new life of exploding things? Would Hunter have been able to push through without his brothers, or would he have become devoted to a new team to lead? Obviously there’s no way to ever know, but it’s always easier to make the right decisions when you have support in doing so. Crosshair had no support. His team left him and yes, they had to in that specific moment, but the point is that they never came back. As far as we saw throughout the season, they never planned to come back. They all talk about loving the Crosshair who existed when life was easier, but they weren’t willing to fight for the Crosshair that most needed their help. When he says “You weren’t loyal to me,” he’s absolutely right. The same episode, “Return to Kamino,” gives Omega two powerful lines that the group rallies behind:

Omega: “[The danger] doesn’t matter. Saving Hunter is what matters.”

AZ: “You must leave.”

Omega: “Not without Hunter.”

The key word there is “Hunter.” Danger, stakes, risk, probability… none of that matters when Hunter needs help. Crosshair did not receive that same level of devotion.

Which creates a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. The group is upset that Crosshair isn’t rejoining them, but they fail to realize that he has no reason to trust them anymore. He’s not joining the Empire because he’s inherently evil and that’s that, end of discussion. He’s joining it because above all Crosshair wants a place to belong… and TBB has made it clear—unintentionally—that he does not belong with them. The horrible actions that Crosshair took under his own free will (theoretically) came after he realized that doing bad things while under the Empire’s control was, apparently, unforgivable. If it wasn’t, his team would have come back to rescue him. They could have at least tried. But they didn’t, so Crosshair is left with the conclusion that either what he did under the Empire’s control is something the group can’t forgive him for, or they can forgive that (like with Wrecker) and he’s the problem here. He’s the one not worth that effort.

“The Empire will be fazing out clones next,” Hunter says. To which Crosshair responds, “Not the ones that matter.”

He wants to matter to someone and events show he no longer matters to his brothers. So why not stay with the Empire? I mean, we as the audience ABSOLUTELY know why not. Self-doubt and feelings of isolation aren’t excuses for joining the Super Evil Organization. Crosshair, if he is under his own control, is still 100% in the wrong for supporting them, no matter his reasons. So it’s not an excuse, but rather an explanation of that very human, flawed, fallible thinking. He needs to be useful. He needs to be wanted. Crosshair is an absolute dick to the regs and I have no doubt that a lot of that stems from the harassment TBB has experienced from them (with a side of his inflated ego), but I’d bet it’s also due to Crosshair’s intense desire to be valuable to someone. He keeps pointing out the regs’ supposed deficiencies because it highlights his own usefulness. When Crosshair fails to find Hera, the Admiral says that soon he’ll get someone who can, looking straight at Howzer at the door. It makes Crosshair seethe because his entire identity is based on being useful, yet no one seems to need him anymore. TBB seems to no longer want him. The Empire no longer wants clones. Now even regs are considered a better option than him, the “superior” soldier. Everywhere Crosshair turns he’s getting the message that he’s not wanted, but he’ll keep fighting to at least be needed in some capacity, no matter how small. Even if that means overlooking all the horrors the Empire commits.

“All you’ll ever be to [the Empire] is a number,” Hunter says and he’s absolutely right. But to TBB recently, Crosshair hasn’t even been that. He’s been nothing. Nobody worth coming back for. To his mind, at least being a number is something.

I hope that all of this resolves itself into a conclusion that is kind to each side (preferably without a Vader-style death redemption), especially given the still ambiguous state of the chip, but from a writing standpoint I’m admittedly a bit wary. We’re obviously meant to believe that the batch all love each other, but as established throughout this entirely too long post, this season did a terrible job imo of proving that they love Crosshair. Or, at least, proving that they love him as much as the others. If this was really meant to be just a matter of miscommunication, with Crosshair making terrible life choices because he only thinks he was abandoned, then we as the audience would have seen the batch trying and failing to get him out. Or at least establishing a very good reason why they couldn’t take that risk, hopefully with entirely different side-missions so the audience isn’t constantly going, “So you can risk everything for Gregor... but not Crosshair?” I’m VERY glad that Crosshair was allowed to air his grievances to the extent he did, but the end result of that—Hunter continually denying this, Omega walking away from him in their rooms, neither Tech nor Wrecker actually sticking up for him and acknowledging the chip’s influence during at least some of all this—is making things feel rather one-sided. It’s like we’re meant to take Crosshair at his word and accept that he’s this garden-variety antagonist who joins the Empire because yay being on the winning side… despite all these complications that clearly have a huge impact on how we read the situation. It doesn’t help that the show has already embraced an inconsistent manner of portraying chipped-clones. We know every clone has one, we know only a couple clones are aware of the chip’s existence (and can thus try to get it out), we know they enter a “Good soldiers follow orders�� mindlessness once activated… yet towards the end we see a lot of side character clones thinking for themselves. Howzer decides that he’s no longer loyal to the Empire, giving a speech where a couple other clones throw down their weapons too. Gregor was arrested because he likewise realized how wrong this all was. But how is that possible? Do the chips completely control the clones, or not? Are these clones somehow exceptions? Are the chips beginning to fail? All of that has a bearing on how we read Crosshair—what were his own decisions, how much he was capable of overcoming the chip, whether that changed at all during certain points—but right now that remains really unclear.

It’s details like that which make me wonder if all these other questions will be answered. Will the story resolve all those ambiguous moments surrounding the chip, or brush them off with the belief that we should have just taken Crosshair at his equally ambiguous word? Will the story acknowledge Crosshair’s points through someone other than Crosshair, allowing it to exist as a legitimate criticism, rather than the presumed excuses of an antagonist? I’m… not sure. On the whole I’m very happy with TBB’s writing—despite what all this might imply lol. Until my brain picks over the season and discovers something else, my only other gripe is not allowing Omega to form a solid bond with Tech and Echo, instead putting all the focus on big brother!Wrecker and dad!Hunter. I think it’s a solid show that does a lot right, but I’m worried that, unless there’s a brilliant answer to all these questions and an intent to unpack both sides of the Hunter vs. Crosshair debate with respect—not just falling back on, “Well, Crosshair is with the Empire so everything he says is automatically bad and wrong” take—we’ve just gotten the setup for a somewhat messy, ethical story. For anyone here who also reads my RWBY metas, I’m pretty sure you’re not at all surprised that I’m invested in going, “Hey, you had one of the heroes suddenly become/join a dictatorship and do a lot of horrific things, but within a pretty complicated context. Can we please work through that carefully and with an acknowledgement of the nuance here, rather than throwing the ‘evil’ character to the proverbial wolves?”  

God knows TBB is leagues ahead of RWBY, but I hope things continue on in not just a good direction, but one that tackles the aspects of this situation that many fans—and Crosshair—have already pointed out. As much as I adore the cast—and I really, really do—it was discomforting to watch a found family show where 4/5th of that family so completely wrote off one of the members and crucially have, at least so far, refused to acknowledge that. I want complicated, flawed characters, but that’s only compelling when the storytelling admits to and grapples with those flaws. We have quite firmly established Crosshair’s flaws in Season One. I hope Season Two delves into the rest of the team’s too.

Aaaand with that meta-dump out of my system, I’m off to write TBB fic. Thanks for reading! :D

[onceupona-chaos]

SJM setting up a forbidden romance

(And why I think ACOSF was written to set up Elriel)

This is my interpretation and obviously an Elriel post. So if that's not your cup of tea, be warned.

I made this post to basically organize my thoughts and then I decided to post it (lol). Here I talk why I think Elriel will be endgame based on my perspective that SJM already set up a lot of things that point to Elriel and a forbidden romance.

ACOSF is the first book of a new trilogy, which means SJM wrote it with an overarching plot in mind that we began to know in ACOSF. So whatever happens in ACOTAR5 is a direct consequence of the events in ACOSF.

For example, SJM won't kill Koschei and write another plot. She made her decisions when she was writing ACOSF and the overarching plot already started to be established.

I already made a post talking about the plot. I think Elain is the only character that can move the plot forward, because she's Made, therefore she can find the fourth trove and she has a connection with Koschei, which combined with how little we know about her and her powers makes her the perfect main character. But here I want to talk a little about how Sarah wrote ACOSF preparing Elain's character in terms of romance and how she set up a future forbidden romance.

At this point, it is canon that Elain is Azriel's secret, I'm not going to talk too much about, because you can check this amazing post here.

SJM structured the first book of the new trilogy around the ideia that something is deeply tormenting Azriel to the point he can't sleep and then we find out he has a secret. The bonus chapter made it canon: his secret is Elain, so there's no going back from that.

Just from the book, we know that there's something wrong with Elain and, whatever it is, she is hiding it.

Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie’s garden. Cassian didn’t exactly know why he suspected this wasn’t true. There had been some tightness in Elain’s face as she’d said it.

Alright, so the regular reader knows something is up with these two characters. (That alone is already a reason for the next book be about them, but moving on)

But when ACOSF is read with the perspective of a future forbidden romance in mind, we understand precisely why SJM needed us to know some very specific information.

Azriel's personality traits

SJM highlighted specific personality traits of our bat boy:

Az had a vicious competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant, the way Cassian knew he himself was prone to be, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal. Cassian had lost track of how many games they’d played over the centuries, with one of them certain of a win, only for Az to reveal some master strategy. Or how many games had been reduced to only Rhys and Az left standing, battling it out over cards or chess until the middle of the night, when Cassian and Mor had given up and started drinking.

Sarah made a show to tell the reader the fact that Azriel is competitive, so she needs us to remember that.

That whole scene had one job: to emphasize that Azriel is competitive and strategist.

Now, if Azriel is giving up on Elain and moving on to another character, why bother to let the reader know he doesn't give up easily? If he is going to just give up on the only female that is making him get over his five hundred years passion, why bother to write a scene where he spares with Cassian only to tell the reader that?

Mostly important, why tell the reader that in countless times, Azriel seemed to be loosing, but he turned things around and won?

He's a strategist. Don't forget he planned his strategy for the snowball fight for a year.

“It seems you’ve forgotten how much of spying is waiting for the right moment. People don’t engage in their evil deeds when it’s convenient to you.”

Cassian rolled his eyes. “I stopped spying because it bored me to death. I don’t know how you put up with this all the time.”

“It suits me.” Azriel didn’t halt his sharpening, though shadows gathered around his feet.

When I read this for the first time, I honestly hadn't understood the meaning of the shadows gathering around his feet and it clearly had a deeper meaning.

But reading again, SJM used Cassian's character to emphasize that Azriel waits for the right moment all the time. Not only when he is spying. Being patient, calculating, persistent are arguably Azriel's strongest personality traits, at least the ones that are highlighted in ACOSF. Sarah is letting us know Azriel plays the long game and doesn't give up.

Every information SJM is giving us regarding Azriel (and Elain, more on her later) is essencial for a forbidden romance story. If you know what's going on with these characters, all pieces of information just... click together.

Elain's personality traits

This is a bit more complicated, mostly because Elain is passing through an inner change, which means being prepared for her arc.

However, SJM compared Elain to Azriel in ACOSF:

“Elain was the only one who guessed. She caught me vomiting two mornings in a row.” She nodded toward Azriel. “I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.”

We already know from ACOMAF that Elain is good at secret-keeping. But here SJM not only reminded us that, but she compared Elain to Azriel in secret-keeping, emphasizing both of them are probably the best in secrecy among the IC.

Remember: these two characters are clearly hiding something in ACSF. It's not a coincidence that SJM compared them in this case.

She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friend.

SJM compared Elain's abilities to Azriel's (and his spies) not once, but twice. And if you take into consideration the previous books, it's not the first time she compares these two characters.

Both of them showed defiant behavior

Defiant: refusing to obey authority

Elain:

“What happened.”

When Rhys spoke like that, it was more of a command than a question.

Elain waved a hand in dismissal before flinging open the veranda doors and striding into the open air.

And of course, he have that fight with Nesta. Nesta isn't exactly authority, but she was described as "Elain's guardian", which means their relationship was at least a little hierarchical.

Azriel:

“No,” Feyre and Rhys said at the same time, in the same breath.

Azriel’s eyes shuttered. “I wasn’t asking for permission.”

“We take no risks,” Feyre said, voice flat with command. “Pull all your spies out.”

“Like hell I will.”

Honestly, is this the guy people are thinking that's going to give up on Elain because of Rhy???????

SJM deliberately let us know about them getting over their previous LI

I've seen a lot o people arguing that "they can't be endgame, because the first couple never is".

But... are we forgetting that they were in love with two different people before?

When Elain met Azriel she was deeply in love with Graysen, and he was still into Mor. The readers didn't even know about Mor sexuality then.

Until ACOFAS, we can see that both of them are not entirely over their LI yet.

Elain:

“I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.”

She wanted a human man.

Azriel:

Azriel choked on what I could have sworn was a laugh, his normally shadowed face lighting up as Mor bustled in.

Az, to his credit, gave Mor a smile of thanks, a blush creeping over his cheeks, his hazel eyes fixed on her. I looked away at the heat, the yearning that filled them.

However, we get to see that they are slowly getting closer. Azriel shows he's uncomfortable in spying on Lucien, Elain's throat bobbs at the sight of him, he seeks her out to wish happy Solstice, she gives him a present, they stay up past three in the morning talking and on and on.

Months go by. We already knew they are getting closer and then we have this:

Elain:

She knew Elain had given her maidenhead to Graysen a month before they’d been turned Fae. Elain had been glowing the next morning.

Elain cocked her head. Didn’t dissolve into the crying mess she usually became when Graysen came up.

Elain was glowing: she was in love, happy. She loved Graysen. And now she is getting over him. Not only that: SJM made sure to tell us she has had sex before (and enjoyed very much lol). Elain is clearly being prepared for her arc in terms of character development, plot and romance.

And Azriel:

Mor no longer sat beside Cassian, draped herself over him, and Azriel … those longing glances toward her had become few and far between. As if he’d given up. After five hundred years, he’d somehow given up.

Few and far between. It's a process for both of them to move on. At first they were friendly and then it became something more.

Azriel didn't wake up one day, realized that his brothers were mated to Elain's sisters and went: WAIT A MINUTE I WANT ONE. I would argue he showed interest in Elain since their first meet, just like Cassian showed interest in Nesta. However, Nesta and Cassian weren't in love for anyone else, differently from Elain and Azriel.

Also, Elain and Azriel are very much quieter in comparison, so... it makes sense that they needed more time to get closer and be romantic interested in each other.

But again: why bother to tell us both of them are moving on from their previous LI? Why tell us Azriel doesn't give up easily? Why tell us they are both good at keeping secrets and are hiding something?

SJM knew exactly what she was doing.

[kuekyuuq]

I have to ask...

Where do the anti-supercorp people get the idea from that Lena Luthor is xenophobic?

Are we watching the same show?

I can see how one does not like Lena.

I can see how some of Lena's actions can be considered irredeemable.

I can see that her family was/is xenophobic.

I can agree she made some horrible mistakes in judgement.

Canon told us:

Lena was fired by Lex from LuthorCorp because he thought her naive about her pro-alien stance. The same brother who analysed Lena since she was four. 

Lena was horrified when Lex tied her to a chair and made her watch his attempt to kill Superman by turning the sun red

Lena came to National City in hopes to work with Supergirl (an alien)

Lena actively re-branded LutherCorp to LCorp to get rid of the anti-alien stuff and everything else people connected with the Luthor name

Yes, Lena created an alien-detector, but her intention was one out of ignorance (of the backlash this could cause), not of hate - when Kara much later explains the potential bad the item could cause, Lena is very much listening

Lena helps Kara on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Kara, so Kara can investigate and write articles to dismantle anti-alien organisations (e.g. Veronica Sinclair's fight club, Cadmus)

Lena helps Supergirl on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Supergirl, so Supergirl can dismantle anti-alien organisations

Lena actively seeks to dismantle Cadmus - the anti-alien group - even before Lena started suspecting Lillian to be involved

Lena schemes against Lillian to use Medusa to kill all aliens on Earth

Lena testified both against her alien-hating mother and brother

As soon Lillian told Lena about Lex' former facilities, she starts looking into them - they are well hidden, so it does take her a while (and by this date in the show, she may still not have unearthed all of them) - and dismantles many of them / continues to give Kara/Supergirl information about them (e.g. when Kara asks Lena for tech to find missing aliens, Lena offers to look into L-Corp (= former LutherCorp) database to search for anything useful for that particular cause

Lena encourages Kara strongly to find a way to warn all aliens about the alien registration manifest being leaked - she inspired Kara to "blob"

When Lillian finds out Lena is pro-alien and helping find the abducted aliens, she has her goons try to scare her off ("nothing permanent" - the goons accidentally threw Lena off her balcony...) - even her own family sees how non-xenophobic Lena is

Lena sacrifices Jack (her former boyfriend and still potential romantically involved one) to save Supergirl (the alien) - and (rightfully) blames the human woman, who controlled Jack, for it

When Lena suspects and confirms Rhea to be an alien, she cuts ties with her - because Rhea lied to her, not because she's an alien

Lena starts working with Rhea (confirmed alien) again - to help aliens who "weren't as lucky" as Rhea's people and to further and better Earth technologies; reduce environmental damages by infrastructure / good transports / traffic.... only to be betrayed by Rhea.

Lena learns Mon-El, Kara's boyfriend, was Daxamite and has zero issues about it

Lena has no issue with Sam being half-alien, but with the Reign-half being a huge menace to Earth, so tries to stop her and save Sam

The DEO kept Kryptonite in case any of the Supers went rogue - like Batman and Oliver Queen kept theirs - Lena kept and created Kryptonite and Harun-El to ...cure cancer; to fight against sicknesses, to use as a clean energy-source, to... do good things

...yes, she lied about it. But, her not-so-wrong reasoning was "if I tell, they will take it away. If they take it away, I won't be able to do good with it."

Lena rather had Supergirl drop her than chemicals that could have harmed thousands (human and alien)

Lena becomes quick allies and friends with Brainy (admitably, in many ways he's more AI than alien...) and befriends Nia later on, too

What else does Lena do with her stash of Kryptonite and the knowledge she gained from it? When Mercy & Otis Graves irradiate Earth's atmosphere with Kryptonite, Lena already has created an anti-Kryptonite suit for Supergirl and the fact it’s already at hand saves Supergirl’s life!

That's only up to season four... 

Yes, Lena did shitty stuff in season five. Arguably, for the right reasons, but ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’...  But were any of those things xenophobic?

The problem she has with Kara in season five is NOT because she’s an alien - but because she felt betrayed, personally. Rightfully so? Eeeeeeeh.... while it surely must have hurt to learn your best friend lied to you and played two personalities, at times taking advantage of it, too - which, let’s be honest, Kara did - Kara did have her reasons (initially), it IS selfish for Lena to assume the worst and take the fact itself so personally.  But, everybody lives in their own world, I am sure - dear few readers, who took it upon yourselves to read this monster of a post - we can agree, that we all judge the world and others based on our own perceived reality, based on our own experiences, emotions and circumstance, whether we try to be better than that or not...  I’d even make the argument, Lena is more upset with her intimate friend “Kara” (whom she shared her most intimate thoughts and feelings with) having lied to her, than with “Supergirl” taking advantage of her. Being played, Lena can deal with, but trusting and seeing that trust shattered... low blow. Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but to my knowledge, the only time Lena uses Kara being an alien against her, is when she uses and reworks the Fortress of Solitude's already existing settings to trap Kara in there for long enough for herself to get a head-start on getting Myriad to work (how else was she supposed to achieve that?).  Myriad, which she wanted to use to STOP hate, including racism (xeno-cism?). Brainwashing everyone is most certainly a veeeeeeery misguided approach, but the premise of ending all hate and the resulting pain is very much like the notion of "praying for world peace" - just that Lena got sick of praying and decided to actually go ahead and do something about it ((again: notion good; (attempted) execution horrifying)).

Even Lena trapping Malefic was to that very end. She trapped Eve (human) as well on that line of thought. At the least, she offered Malefic a deal to his liking as payment...? Eve on the other hand.... 

If anything, Lena is people-phobic. She has a hard time trusting anyone, remains suspicious to a fault. ...she did effectively kill Eve on Earth-38, though, by over-writing her with Hope.

Kara forgave her aunt, who came just as close, wanting to use Myriad for very similar purposes - and then forgave Lena, eventually, just as much. The difference being, Astra died. We never got to see if Astra would have actually stopped her plan, convinced Non, and/or would have aimed / worked hard to redeem herself...

In the same episode, where Lena's attempts with Myriad failed (and Hope took the fall) Malefic, who had tried to murder multiple people as part of his revenge against his brother (and had targeted Kelly for a while, too) was set free by J'onn and sent to Mars to do good there.

The whole of National City forgave Supergirl (and her potential for going bad and for her causing actual destruction) only a week after the redK incident...

All that said:

1) Lena lied to Kara and played her. Sure, Lena felt betrayed and from her point of view, with her set of experiences and her own preexisting many traumas and (very bad) coping mechanisms, it was... well, understandable... or at least traceable. But, forgivable? That's ultimately up for her victim (Kara) to decide. And, apparently, she does forgive her. Not easily. But she does; understands both sides, evaluates, listens to others, observes the remorse, and makes her own decision / judgement... which is (initially, tentative) forgiveness.

2) The show is REALLY BAD at dealing with characters' actions’ or events' consequences. Period. There is no real consistency, 'cept that things don't have real repercussions. That is how the writers decided to write the show from season one on. If the writers think Kara forgives Lena and show it, then that's that.

3) Every time I read the notion that Lena was/is xenophobic, I can't help but wonder if anyone who claims such even watched the show.

4) Lena is not her brother. She's flawed. She makes mistakes. But for once, Lena and her character are suffering the consequences. That may not enough for the liking of Lena Luthor haters, or anti-Supercorp taggers, but it is what it is - and it is much more than most any actual bad guy had to suffer through. Bad guys with evil intentions, (mass) murderers, people (alien and human) that rationally caused lasting harm and/or trauma to their victims.

5) Lena is not xenophobic.

Kue out.

[thenerdyindividual]

Okay so yesterday @sterlingdylan made this awesome analysis post about BBC Merlin, stating that it was neither Arthur’s nor Merlin’s fault that Merlin didn’t reveal his magic, something I 100% agree with.

Unfortunately, this post also got derailed by a discussion comparing Arthur’s attitudes to homophobia. Now, to be clear, I do think there are some parallels there. Writers will look to real world bigotry in order to write their fantasy bigotry better. For BBC Merlin, the bigotry does feel a lot like homophobia because magic is: a part of the characters and not something they chose, something the characters must hide or be put in danger, something characters worry makes them evil/monsters, etc. However, parallels are not the same thing as an allegory.  If we try to take BBC Merlin as a direct allegory for homophobia it falls apart because there are genuine reasons for people to be afraid of magic in the canon because it can and has killed people, controlled people, and hurt people. Queer people can’t do any of that with their queerness. Our queerness is fundamentally harmless, whereas magic is not. Also, as sterlingdylan discussed last night, if we take it as an allegory it sets up a concerning narrative about “closeted” Merlin being good, and “out” other characters being bad. Which is injecting a really extreme and problematic moral into the show, and not something we as an audience should be placing on the shoulders of the writers.

I don’t think we need to take BBC Merlin as an allegory for anything, It is enough to discuss parallels to our lives, and examine how the bigotry functions in the context of the show itself. But If we are going to be comparing it as directly as possible to something in our daily lives, then it would probably be more accurate as a narrative about extremism and essentialism. It is still an imperfect comparison because usually extremism and essentialism are not founded on genuine concern, but stick with me. It gets long so the essay is going under the cut.

Uther experienced the death of his wife at the hands of magic. Now, we know that he and Ygraine asked Nimueh for help conceiving. Whether they fully knew the cost or if Nimueh downplayed it is neither here nor there. What is relevant is that Uther was given proof of magic’s ability to harm him and the people he loved. Now, someone who did not hold the black and white “The King is always right” attitude might have taken this instance and pushed for regulation of magic rather than a ban. However, as we witness in later episodes in which he locks up his own children for defying him, Uther can never admit he was wrong so rather than say it was a bad idea to use magic in the way he did, he convinced himself that it wasn’t him who made the mistake, but that magic itself was an inherently evil corrupting force, and started the purge. He took an extreme oppositional view towards magic.

On the flip side, much of the narrative of the magic half of this battle is also about extremism. They are, rightfully, infuriated by and afraid of Uther, but they also let their anger at Uther shade their perception of Arthur. Morgana, starting in season one, was already set against Uther, but was not yet set against Arthur. However, when she met Morgause her train of thought went from justice, to revenge against Uther, to a desire for power, and finally a deep desire to see Arthur dead. Perhaps in some way Morgause really does care about creating a just world for magic users, but she clearly also has a desire for power (as seem when she encourages Morgana to stage a coup and take the throne for herself instead of try to teach Arthur, when he’s demonstrated before a willingness not to lock step with Uther) which are two things that aren’t compatible.

Morgause encourages Morgana to see the worst in the people around her, and encourages her to give into acts of extreme violence against people who don’t necessarily deserve it (ie all the peasants she was prepared to starve when they disagreed with her when she took the throne at the end of season three. A move remarkably similar to something Uther would have done). Morgana no longer stops to consider the times that Arthur stood against Uther, and comes to view Arthur not as someone who can be shown the bigger picture, but as someone inherently against magic rather than the violence it can do. This cycle does not stop with Morgana either, it also reaches Kara who refuses to see the good in Arthur even though he has shown his willingness to make peace with members of the Old Religion (druids), and was prepared to let her get away with attempted murder simply because Mordred and Merlin asked him to show her mercy.

Kara and Morgana both have come to view Arthur as inherently violent and set against magic the same way Uther came to see magic as inherently violent and set against Camelot. Neither of which are accurate views on the situation.

Arthur is the one who was prophesied to break this cycle of extremism and essentialism, and we can see him attempt to try. There are multiple occasions in which he considers that magic may not be evil. Off the top of my head there is the scene after Morgause reveals the true circumstance of his birth, the scene in which he allows Dragoon to attempt to heal Uther, and the scene where he asks Merlin if he should legalize magic in order to save Mordred. In all of these cases someone (usually Merlin) prevents him from exploring that thought deeper. Even so, he does make great strides towards taking up the proper nuanced view needed for this situation. He takes Camelot from a kingdom that relentlessly hunts down and persecutes magic, to a kingdom of fair trials and peace with druids.

Sadly, no one can meet him in the middle. Morgause and Morgana’s insistence on trying to take him down and harm the people closest to him prevents Arthur from learning the good aspects of magic just as much as Uther’s propaganda did. Merlin is the only sorcerer in the entire show not to be set against Arthur, and therefore the only one who could show Arthur how to break this cycle, but doing so presents no small risk to his own and Arthur’s safety. If Arthur took it badly and either banished or executed him, it would effectively prevent Merlin from protecting him. This leaves Arthur trying to draw his own conclusions, and he never gets the additional information that magic can, and is, used for beauty and healing. He can only operate on what he has seen, and what he has seen is magic being used against himself and Camelot repeatedly.

Arthur can’t be held responsible for not incorporating information he isn’t given into his view on magic, and Merlin can’t be held responsible for not risking himself to teach Arthur. We can, however, hold the people around them responsible for creating an environment that prevents Arthur from learning on his own, and prevents Merlin from teaching him. The fault lies primarily with Uther for kicking this whole chain of events off in the first place, and in Morgause who co-opted a genuine struggle in order to gain power. Morgana is also responsible for letting her view of Arthur (someone she has seen stand for justice) be corrupted. In the end the fault lies neither with Arthur, nor with Merlin. The fault lies in the very human tendency to view the world in black and white, and react with violence against those deemed dangerous (despite how much that title is or is not earned).

[embrassemoi]

No Body, No Crime ✁ 1

AU - Y/N L/N is a second-year law student attending Stanford and studying under Professor Aaron Hotchner. Along with his associate attorneys, Ms. L/N is alongside some of the most ambitious and cutthroat law students in the nation. However, her life gets flipped upside down as she’s thrust into a life of murder, sex and lies.

Main Pairing: Spencer Reid x [F]Reader

Content — Mature themes, blood, major and minor character death, violence, angst, triggering themes, bad coping mechanisms, drugs, mental health shit, alcoholism, lots of smut, language, fluff, mystery, thriller, mentions of cheating, canonical typical themes , dark academia vibes, explicit content - read with caution

DISCLAIMER: This story will contain MATURE content. It will include themes such as smut, violence, etc (see content). If you are not 18+ and unable to handle such themes, respectfully, please exit this story. It is not my intention to make readers uncomfortable or trigger them in any way. If you continue to read the story despite the multiple warnings, I am not responsible for any triggers that may pop up.

Also, based off this blurb! 

I am also not a law student, so there is bound to be misinformation!

【 ao3 | Masterlist | Playlist 】

CHAPTER 1: Death and All His Friends

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Blood, she thinks, you never really know how much blood is in a person. Logically, she did know; she had to learn how many pints there were in the human body from med school and the mass amount of profile study cases. From looking at crime scenes, reading textbooks, medical journals and fake charts; blood has never bothered her, if anything, she got used to seeing and being around it.

There are roughly about ten gallons of blood in the average adult, but typically, losing more than forty percent will result in death. That was about two thousand millilitres.

But, you never realize just how much blood a person can hold, not until a human is slaughtered like an animal, eyes glossed over, body turned cold and stiff — splayed out in front of you. It seems like a lot more than what was described.

There’s a saying, bleed like a pig. Well, she understood what it meant now.

God, she sounded like Spencer.

“What are we going to do with the body?”

“Let’s leave it. We need to go back and clean!”

“No, let’s bury it.”

A chuckle of utter disbelief forces its way out of Derek’s mouth in a rush. It’s both strained and ragged and sounds as if he’s about to burst into tears, but the shock and anger seem to immerse deep in his bones and control his actions. His head shakes subconsciously, “You’re — you’re fucking joking, right? It’s the middle of winter! Tell me how the fuck we’re going to bury a body when the soil’s hard?!”  

There’s a collective panicked sigh that goes through the group as the implications finally start to settle in.

“Be any louder!” Emily half-shouts. She paces back and forth, the freshly fallen snow crunches under her shoes as they leave footprints in their wake. Her hands make extravagant hand movements, almost in an attempt to speak with her actions. But, the only thing that has Y/N somewhat grounded is the rusty blood on Emily’s hands. The stark contrast of her pale skin against the deep red does nothing but make bile rush to her throat.

“The body is what gets us caught!” JJ cuts in through her half-sobs.

“The one time it snows in California! Since when do we get snow?!”

Sticky, cold, dry, flakey blood. It brings too much attention to the blood painting her body in a cruel, evil painting. Y/N lifts a shaky hand as she turns to observe the way the pads of her fingers were stained red. Underneath her fingernails, she can see the blood caking, dried underneath and can feel the heavy liquid travelling up her sleeve.

Her fingers pressed together before a hand shoots up, trying to pick off the blood in a hasty attempt.

Everything was uncomfortable — too uncomfortable and it was sticky and disgusting and there was too much happening. Her brain was overstimulated and all she wanted to do was yell or cry or strip herself clean from these heavy clothes, hiding the blood drenching her underneath. A hand went to claw at the fabric — she needed to breathe — she needed air and it was too tight and —

The falling snow had finally come to a stop, the ground becomes muddy, wet snow being tracked all around but aside from that, it’s dry out. Panic is slow seep within her body, only just registering the dull, prickling ache that travels up the side of her right arm. Not to mention the pounding in her skull felt like someone had taken a power tool, drilling a burl hole into the side of her head in hopes of creating a make-shift lobotomy. On instinct, her hand reaches up to her temples, massaging small circles in hopes to find relief.

But then she catches sight of her hand again from her peripheral vision, or rather, it’s as if she can feel it laminating her skin. Blood.

Now there must be smeared streaks of dried blood coating her face. Fuck, now she really feels like throwing up.

A soft wail can be heard in the background somewhere, but it sounds distant and underwater. She thinks it’s JJ. Her high-pitched cries are loud and she thinks that’s Derek’s voice yelling at her and god… it only amplifies her headache.

She needed an aspirin, Advil — maybe Spencer had some.

Her mind wanders back to the group. Emily… Emily — she’s — Y/N doesn’t know where Emily went actually. She could have sworn she was by the trees…

She continued to pick at her skin absentmindedly, and now she couldn’t tell where her blood started and the one that was sprayed onto her ended.

And Spencer, he’s pacing and hadn’t muttered a word since they left Hotch’s house. His body language is closed off, his hand rubbing up and down his arms in either a self-soothing method or because it’s cold out. She assumes it’s the former.

The one time — the one fucking time the asshole is supposed to be smart, his IQ magically drops below zero.

Everyone is arguing and they all hear the faint cheers, laughter, early fireworks and music blaring in the background. The sound of the bonfire crackles in the distance and all she can do is drown it out. She was supposed to be having fun. She should’ve been visiting home, or maybe studying of fucking Spencer, not wearing shoes twice her size, gloves to cover up her fingerprints; not trying to come up with an alibi and there definitely shouldn’t be someone else’s blood clinging to her. She should’ve been anywhere but here. It’s too much.

Lightheaded, Y/N stumbles backwards, supporting herself against a nearby tree. The shadows and black coat camouflaged her, engulfing her into the night and she feels an odd sense of comfort by it. But, it does anything but calms her down as her chest begins to rise rapidly up and down.

Oh god, oh shit, shit, shit! They’re all fucked — she’s fucked. Her DNA is all over the crime scene. The crime scene is on her and probably under the body’s fingernails. There was no way she was getting out of this. It wasn’t even her fault and look where she is.

She should’ve listened to her Grandparents; don’t go to law school, it’ll turn her into something she’s not. Y/N smiles twistedly thinking about it, they were right.

You can’t get away with murder.

Shit, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

“We need to stop wasting time,” Emily announces, appearing remarkably calm.

“W-we should call the police,” Y/N mumbles in a shaky voice. Her voice hitches and she sucks in a cry.

All of their heads, besides Spencer’s, whip over to her; she’s on the verge of breaking — possibly even running off and going straight to the local police station. Her phone suddenly feels heavy in her pocket.

“What we’re not going to do is that! Do you want to spend the rest of your life in jail?!” Derek exclaims. His mouth goes to open again before he suddenly halts, looking over to Spencer and shouting. “Ayo, kid-fucking-genius, could you, I don’t know — think?!”

The yelling makes her shrink in on herself. Yes, call the police, turn yourself in. Obstruction of justice; tampering with evidence, manslaughter, attempting to hide a body, invasion of privacy, possible perjury — all this leads to incarceration and more time. Maybe she could even get a deal, say that she was in shock, dealing with PTSD. Immunity! Maybe she could strike herself and Spencer an immunity deal.

God — they killed her. They murdered someone.

Immense guilt bubbles its way through her before she turns to gag on air. Her hands clutches her stomach as she heaves, distantly hearing the arguing background.

“— about Hotch?”

“What about him? He’s going to put us in jail himself. If we’re lucky, he’ll kill us so we can skip a life sentence!”

JJ cries louder. God was she fucking annoying.

“He doesn’t give two shits about her —” “Could everyone just stop for a fucking moment,” a new, irritated voice cuts in. It sounds like it’s been pushed through gritted teeth, muddled by straining and holding back tears. It’s Spencer.

His eyes shut, the palm of his hands pressed harshly on them before rubbing them hard. But, they travel up to his forehead and through his hair, pulling down so hard that Y/N would be surprised if he didn’t already lose a chunk. But within a swift motion, he crouches to the ground in a fetal-like position; the balls of his feet roll back and forth, making his entire body bounce in small rhythms.

He’s having a panic attack, judging by the way his breathing cuts in and out in large volumes, hyperventilation bound to happen soon.

The entire group stays silent before Derek has enough. He walks up to Spencer, a hand clutching his jacket which forces him to stare straight into his eyes.

“Don’t treat him like that,” Emily tries to cut in.

“If you don’t give us something good within the next few seconds, you better pray to god —”

With newfound determination, Spencer meets his eyes with a fiery look, his chest puffed out a bit and his voice is even.

“We burn it.”

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Friday, August 29th, 2003

Palo Alto, California. Apartment 7

Four months before

A clanging sound reverberates throughout the empty hallway for the third time within the last five minutes. Her keys.

An annoyed sigh involuntarily leaves her lips as she struggles to lift the stacks of heavy boxes in her arms. Her attention was drawn to a bulletin board near her door. A missing person’s photo was plastered, marked with an eye-catching red border. Printed underneath a photo of a man in bold letters: George Floyet, twenty-five-year-old student at Palo Alto University. Last seen on July 30th, 2003.

When Y/N L/N was fourteen, she vaguely remembered people asking her where she saw herself in the next ten years. Now standing outside her newly rented apartment, sweating as she juggled a stack of large boxes without tripping — well, she certainly hadn’t thought this.

Life had many ups and downs, as cliche as that sounded. She hadn’t expected to graduate university with an English and Human Physiology degree, nor had she expected into medical school before ultimately deciding to take the LSATs, pursuing a career in law.

Truly, had Y/N used one word to describe her career ambitions at the moment, she’d say she’s pretty fucked and clueless. Although, she’d liked to consider herself fairly motivated, resilient, perhaps even strong-willed and quick on her feet. Scratch that, if anything, the one thing she did pride herself on was her ability to compose herself quickly and the want to overcome fear. It was a motto, of sorts, which she’d been sticking close to: going with the flow.

If anything, those were the attributes that built the foundation of what anyone needed to become a successful lawyer. Yes, that made her situation sound a lot less… pathetic.

But certainly, standing in the middle of a corridor in a shitty apartment with walls too thin to save money on rent, she’d consider herself pretty pathetic.

Oh, the joys of moving.

Just as she felt one of the boxes tipping, the sound of shuffling fills the hallway. A pair of large pale hands come out of nowhere, swiftly catching the stacked cardboard boxes with ease.

When she looked up, she hadn’t quite caught a look at the man in front of her as he bent down to pick up her keys. But when he finally stood straight, eyes locking, she took note of his features

He was tall, much taller than herself and dressed in black slacks and a light lilac dress shirt which was pushed up by the sleeves. He was young, probably the same age as her or younger. He was wide-eyed, almost doe-like and wore a nervous yet seemingly gentle expression.

“Hello,” said the stranger. His hair was rumpled as if he’d just woken up as darken eyebags accentuated his face. His face was sharp, features dark — but in a soft sharp way that made the shape of his nose and lips the most noticeable. Pink lips, a tired look, pretty face.

This stranger was friendly and very attractive. That was her first impression of him.

“Hi,” she replied, a bit breathless from the weight of juggling the boxes. But still, she smiled and her head tilted to the side slightly.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you were my new neighbour, I hope you don’t mind me helping, you looked like you needed it,” he says nervously, his extra free hand goes back to rub the back of his neck.

Y/N’s eyes shoot over to the door at the end of the hallway, conveniently next to hers: apartment 8. He must've heard the banging against the doors and walls, and suddenly, she felt guilty. She must’ve woken him up.

“Haha, yeah! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so loud.”

“No! It’s fine.”

Now, both stand there a bit awkwardly before she coughs, which has him nodding and fumbling with her keys in his hand, “Er — I have a couple of minutes before I leave for work, do you still need help?”

“Right, yes!”

Y/N hands him over her other box, her hand taking the keys back as she clicks open her door. The smell of cleaning products filled her nose along with the smell of old books. It’s spacious, considering what she’s paying for it. It’s a flat, aside from the bathroom and kitchen and there’s a small balcony that’s connected with another set of railings outside. The view of green trees and flowers could be seen and suddenly, Y/N considers herself lucky when she’s realized the place she’s snagged.

The man trails behind her, setting the boxes down on the kitchen counter before dusting off any non-existent lint off his pants. His eyes quickly scan the area, in an analytical fashion.

He clears his throat, “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

She nods too, walking back up to her door to lead him out. “Likewise, neighbour.”

This time, a real smile crosses his face before looking down sheepishly, a small tint covering his cheeks. “Please, I’m Doctor Reid — but please, call me Spencer.”

“Doctor?” Her face lights up with curiosity. This man looks as young as her, younger — and she’s only twenty-four.

“Oh, I don’t practice medicine,” he quickly adds. His hands go to fiddle with each other, “I have three PhDs and an IQ of 187,” he explains. However, it’s not in a blatantly rude manner — like he’s trying to flaunt it. If anything, he looks embarrassed. His head drops to look down at his shoes, trying to make himself appear smaller, seeming uncomfortable. But like she said, Y/N likes to believe she’s quick on her feet.

“Well then, Doctor,” she teases, which has him going a deeper shade of pink, “I’m Y/N L/N, I have no PhDs, I used to practice medicine and I have an IQ of — probably a hundred or less.

At this, Spencer visibly relaxes as a deep chuckle makes its way out. He nods again, making his way out the door and does a small wave before disappearing back into his apartment. Y/N leaves her door open, but her back is faced towards it as she hears his door click back open and she feels the vibrations of his door closing before the tapping of his feet becomes more and more distant.

There are a dozen other boxes she ends up hauling in, but she’s noticed that Spencer must have somehow carried a few of the boxes to the top of the stairs rather than just leaving them in the lobby.

As she wipes down the surfaces, music blasting through her earbuds before unboxing her new bed frame, a smirk crosses her face; cheap rent, enrolled at one of the top law schools in the country, has enough money saved for the next few months and a cute, tall, polite and a fucking doctor that just so happens to be her neighbour — damn, Y/N doesn’t mind this at all.

【 Next Chapter 】

[miracle-sham]

Stitch Your Ragged Wings and Hope to Soar.

| {Jasonette July 2021, Week 1, Day 5: Fairytales} |

| [Ao3 Link] | | [Masterlist Link] | | [Spotify Playlist Link] |

| The folk tales always speak of those destined for greatness. Heroes alongside their faithful dragons, fighting the ever turning tides against evil. But they're just that, folk tales. After all, what are the chances a border-town apprentice seamstress like Marinette, would ever be offered a different vocation by the recruitment guild. |

| Word Count: 3,428. |

| Warnings/Tags: Kingdom/Fantasy/No Miraculous/Dragon Riders Au, Minor Lila & Adrien salt, Canon Typical lies and manipulation from Lila, Explicit Language/Swearing, and Some Fluff. |

———

| A/N: First things first, the word 'Dragoon' will be used multiple times in this piece and it is spelled that way on purpose (see end notes for further explanation). Secondly, yep! It's a dragon riding/academy au. This is the first piece of the series, which I'm really excited for because I've spent ages worldbuilding for! And for anyone worried about salt mention, it is addressed in this piece but the tag is there because of canon-typical Lila manipulation and lies, plus no Miraculous means no reason for Adrien with his sheltered upbringing to realise she's lying. |

| Also side note, Don’t Like? Don’t Read. Also also, please do not criticise any of my writing. This was written for fun and receiving criticism, even in a compliment/criticism sandwich, is the exact opposite of fun. |

———

It's been a few days of tense stagecoach travel. And to be fair to Marinette, even she hadn't expected to be declared in the middle of the town square as showing aptitude for a position within the Justice League's armée volante—specifically the dragoon squadrons—thanks to the recruitment guild no less.

Unfortunately, Adrien and Lila had also shown an aptitude. Which, seeing as they all come from the same border-town of Paris, meant they were all trapped inside the same cramped coach space for the excruciating four days journey to reach Gotham Town; the place where they are being sent to attend the dragoon academy, which is technically outside the bounds of the town proper. Seeing as the Gotham Dragoon Academy and Somerset Dragon Range are on the opposite shores of the Gotham river to the town itself.

There's only another half-day until they reach the Mooney bridge and then the Somerset

Dragon Ranges. And luckily, Adrien and Lila have taken to sitting on the same bench, the one facing forwards. Leaving the opposite bench all for Marinette.

Not that having a whole bench to myself for this time will help with whether I can continue to survive as a captive audience for Lila. Marinette thinks to herself, rather disgruntled about this whole situation she's unwillingly ended up in. She was perfectly happily remaining an apprentice seamstress, sewing commissions for Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, and the rest of her famous or otherwise clientele, not that fate seemed to care though. Of course, a part of her stipulation she fought the recruiters for, is that along with her studies she can continue her commissions for current and prior clientele alone. Which is to say, better than being completely unable to continue her main hobby and form of stress relief.

The recruiters had also said that baking and cooking would be no problem to practice, as apparently there'll be free reign to "student kitchens" alongside cooking classes so any use of either skill will be "undoubtedly encouraged". Dangerous words, Marinette muses to herself once more, because if I get claimed by a dragon the first thing I'm doing is baking all the dragon dietary-safe treats I can!

“Marinette! What do you think?” Lila asks, voice as cloying as ever.

Marinette startles and half-heartedly smiles awkwardly across at her, “ah, I'm really sorry Lila! I got distracted wondering what kind all of our dragons might end up being and how they might look!” Not, I'm going to love mine regardless of appearance unlike you.

Smiling faux-sweetly, Lila shakes her head. “Don't worry Marinette, I was only saying how we're just like those local fairytales of your town! Three close-knit friends who become powerful and famous dragoon guardians and save the world from the evil destruction of Hawkmoth and his army of shadow dragons! Out of the three of us, I would be our leader, obviously. Since I'm the only one here descended from a dragoon guardian! My grandmother even gave me a token that once belonged to my dragoon guardian ancestor!”

“Wow, you've said it before but I still can't believe how incredible you are Lila! It's going to be amazing training besides you at the academy!” Adrien gushes, gazing at Lila with adoration.

Lila preens at his words. “Thank you, Adrien! But Marinette, since you mentioned what our dragons will be, did you know my ancestor's dragon was said to be the most beautiful of all the dragons in the Justice League squadrons! My ancestor's dragon had orange scales that glimmered red and yellow like flames, and pearlescent white scales along the underbelly. Oh, and the horns were pearlescent white too! Obviously, the dragon I'll get is sure to be a descendant of that dragon and just as beautiful.”

“Wow, no wonder your ancestor's dragon was the most beautiful, they sound absolutely gorgeous! What kind of dragon do you think I'll get, Lila?” Adrien asks, eyes shining with awe and curiosity.

She puts on a show of holding her chin and humming. “Hmm, probably a golden dragon, with shiny scales as bright as the sun!”

“I hope you're right!” Adrien chuckles, “the fairy tales really would be coming true if we both get the dragons you think we will! One with scales of fire, another with scales of gold!”

“It really would.” Marinette echoes weakly, not really believing in her own words.

Lila laughs, “awww don't sound so worried Marinette, your dragon will probably be a plain and drab dragon with some sort of shade of brown, or maybe even grey. But at least it won't be attention-grabbing. So you won't need to worry about people staring and judging or dragons-forbid trying to hurt you for having a prettier dragon than any nobles!”

Marinette smiles, though it turns out far more grimace-like than intended, whoops. “Yeah… that'd be awful. Haha, I'd be really lucky to get a dragon like you described for me, Lila.”

“Oh, I'm so glad you understand, Marinette! Then again, all three of us are besties so of course you'd understand!” Lila titters, crossing her fingers, “we're just like this!”

Screaming internally, Marinette nods and keeps smiling. Dragons-almighty, I'm at the end of my thread here. Hopefully, I'll be able to leave Lila's "friendship" behind at the academy without fear of mine and my parent's reputations being ruined by Lila's mother.

Her attention is briefly taken by the rolling view outside the stagecoach, unable to help herself she mumbles to herself, “the landscape here is so pretty.”

“It is pretty I guess, but not as pretty as my home country!” Lila pipes up, jumping on the new conversation—like a shadow dragon on a sheep.

Marinette shuts her eyes for a second and breathes deeply, chanting internally. The academy will be my fresh start.

———

The academy is not in fact Marinette's fresh start.

It is well past evenfall by the time their stagecoach passes through the gates of the imposing academy. It rounds a large fountain in the centre of the courtyard with a statue of a person encircled by a large dragon. However, due to the darkness and the movements of the stagecoach, any attempts at recognising whom the statue was dedicated after are thoroughly hampered. They roll to a stop before the great stone staircase—where a figure with a smaller giant rat-like creature beside them, is waiting at the top—which clearly leads to the grand front doors of the academy.

Even with the darkness obscuring the view, it's obvious that the academy is a repurposed castle. High stone walls with crenellations and littered towers, a main keep with a multitude of buildings surrounding the inner courtyard. And the most eye-catching of all, the shadowy draconic gargoyles that seem to cling and lurk upon every building.

It's impressive to say the least, certainly the most well-fortified building Marinette has ever stepped foot in her life. Impressive enough that it has her practically clawing to pull out a sketching journal and start creating. However, she's not stupid enough to do that within Lila's presence. No, that'd undoubtedly lead to honey-coated lies and being forced to listen to her prattle on about her wondrous skills and connections to the most prestigious fashion guild in the country.

Marinette startles as the stagecoach door is opened by a footman. She doesn't fuss as Lila exits first, followed by Adrien. As she steps outside last, she nods and smiles at the footman. Whispering as audibly as she can without the other two hearing, she adds, “thank you, sir.”

The footman simply glances at her attire and nods back stiffly.

In the time it's taken to all leave the stagecoach, the figure from the stairs has walked over—a woman with long blonde hair dressed in a casual black leather riding coat, and a not-dog following behind loyally. “Good evening, you must be the potential students from the town of Paris?”

Marinette hesitates for a second before nodding along with Adrien and Lila.

Lila takes a step forwards, towards the woman. “Yes, we are! I'm Lila Rossi.”

The woman nods slowly, “and the other two must be Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, correct?”

“That's correct!” Adrien responds with a bright smile.

Marinette nods and makes an affirmative squeak instead.

“Great.” The woman says, clapping her hands. “I'm Dinah Lance and I'll be one of your instructors during your attendance here. And this,” She pauses to point to the weird giant not-rat with its yellow flecked greyish-brown fur, “is Drake, he's my Ichneumon. You'll learn all about Ichneumon and why they're used within the dragoon squadron during your time here, so don't worry if you've never heard or seen of them before.”

Drake makes a high pitched trill and takes a few steps forward, sniffing the air in front of the three of them. Before scampering in a circle around Dinah Lance.

She smiles fondly at Drake before continuing. “Unfortunately it's a little late to give you the tour of the grounds now, so we'll cover that tomorrow. Tonight we'll guide you to the dining hall for a late night's meal since it's been a long journey for you three or so I've heard, and you must be starving. Then we'll discuss the main details of your attendance, and afterwards, we will show you to the temporary rooms you will be staying in, to begin with. Any questions?”

Lila rocks on the heels of her boots before shaking her head, “no, we've got no questions!”

Adrien copies with a shake of his head too.

Marinette opens her mouth to protest, were you waiting out in the cold for us long? Will the tour teach us about the different places within the academy? Will it take long? What do you mean by the main details? Why are we staying in temporary rooms to begin with? When do our lessons start? Do we need to purchase any uniforms or schooling supplies? When will we meet our dragons? Questions bubbling in her mind like a kettle over the fire, but closes her mouth just as quickly, as she catches a glare from Lila out of the corner of her eye. With that, she also briefly and nervously shakes her head. “N–no, no questions here either, Mlle Lance.”

Internally, Marinette hopes that display is enough to tide over Lila's irritation for now.

Mlle Lance glances over the three of them, seeming to stare at Marinette a little longer than the other two. “Well then, since there are no questions, let us head to the dining hall. And don't worry about your belongings, the footman will bring them to your lodgings.”

“Oh, Mlle Lance, I'd–uh… I'd rather not hassle the staff here, I can manage bringing my belongings up on my own.” Marinette admits, wringing her hands slightly.

Mlle Lance shakes her head, “that's very polite of you but I'm afraid, as you'll be having dinner and we'll be discussing details, it'll be a little while before you head to your temporary rooms. So it'll be far easier on both you and the staff here, if you allow them to do their job.”

“Okay…” Marinette relents easily, trying to ignore Lila rolling her eyes at her.

“If there are no more further questions, then follow after me please, the academy can be rather labyrinthine for those unfamiliar with its halls.” Mlle Lance instructs, already turning around and walking back towards the great stone staircase, Drake on her heels.

———

The journey through the hallways and various anterooms of the academy takes far longer than Marinette could have anticipated. On more than one occasion, she ends up falling behind due to getting distracted by the sheer amount of luxury, art, and finery everywhere. Forcing her to frantically scurry after Mlle Lance, Lila, and Adrien—all three who seem completely at home and unperturbed or uninterested by the décor, unlike her.

By the time they reach the large and ornately carved wooden doors leading to the dining hall, Marinette is flushed bright red from the embarrassment of having fallen behind so many times.

The heavy doors creak loudly as they slowly swing open at Mlle Lance's push, revealing a large dining hall—far larger than any Marinette has seen—with seemingly hundreds of wooden tables and benches. Startlingly enough, there's a boy already seated at one of the nearer benches—eating away at a trencher of hunter's stew.

No Ichneumon in sight, Marinette notes, a fellow student perhaps?

“Good evening, Jason, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be in here at the moment.” Mlle Lance greeted, nodding her head to him.

Jason squints at Mlle Lance and hunches his shoulders defensively. “B said I could grab food from here whenever I wanted.”

Mlle Lance smiles, “and that's perfectly fine. These are new arrivals, so I was just hoping to let them have some dinner without the usual chaos before going over the main details they'll need to know about attending here.” She paused for a moment. “You don't have to stay and listen if you don't want to, since you've heard this spiel many times now. But equally, feel free to stay, I'm sure it'd be nice for you and the new arrivals to get to know each other before meeting the rest of the class tomorrow.”

Jason slowly eyes Lila, Adrien, and Marinette. He places an arm in front of his trencher. “Might as well stay then I guess.”

Mlle Lance nods at him again before guiding the three of them over to the back of the dining hall where the kitchen was connected to. A few cooks were tending to various meals and pots of hunter's stew, as well as prepping trenchers or cleaning wooden bowls, and wood or horn spoons.

Marinette is still half processing everything so receiving a trencher full of hunter's stew from the cooks barely registers in her mind. And next thing she knows, she is seated next to Lila on the end of the bench and table next to Jason, with Mlle Lance sitting opposite her, Lila, and Adrien. The other two have already started tucking into the food, so cautiously Marinette takes a few sips of the stew broth with a horn spoon.

Mlle Lance clasps her hands together and rests them on the table. “Let's start with what you three already know regarding the dragoon squadrons and this academy.”

Pausing in his eating, Adrien grins. “This is the longest standing dragoon academy, and we'll be taught everything from dragon history, to the language of the dragons, to what is known of Hawkmoth and his shadow dragon army!”

“And,” Lila pipes up, “we'll pick our dragons that we'll train alongside and eventually become fully-fledged Dragoon Guardians with.”

Jason snorts, “sorry to break it you two but this isn't some fucking fairytale.”

Before Lila or Adrien could respond, Mlle Lance cleared her throat. “Right well firstly, Dragoon Guardians is somewhat of an archaic term I'm afraid. But you're not too far off with what you know.”

Rolling his eyes, Jason pretends to be suddenly interested in his trencher of stew.

Though, Marinette does catch him briefly glancing up at her with a curious but also disbelieving look in his eyes. She can't help but instinctively curl her shoulders in and make herself as small as possible.

“And Marinette, what do you know about the academy?” Mlle Lance adds.

Marinette hesitates, trembling slightly and licks her lips. “Uh, well I know roughly the same as Lila and Adrien, so nothing that hasn't been said already…”

She catches Jason squinting at her, and she curls up even more.

Mlle Lance nods thoughtfully, “to start with, Adrien, you are correct in that this is the longest standing dragoon academy. You're also correct that we teach our students dragon history—including the history of the dragoons—as well as teaching the language of the dragon. We also do teach regarding Hawkmoth and his shadow dragon army. However, that will be taught across multiple different subjects as it isn't quite as simple as it may currently seem to you.”

Adrien beams at having been mostly correct. “My father hoped I would be chosen to attend a dragoon academy so he made sure I was taught a general overview.”

“And that's more than most know to begin with, so well done.” Mlle Lance praises, before continuing. “However, Lila, here students do not pick their dragons. The process of meeting the dragon who will be raised and trained beside you, is not what most people think of when they first hear about dragoon human and dragon pairs meeting.”

Lila's lips twitch downwards in dissatisfaction and narrows her eyes slightly at Mlle Lance.

Before anything else can be said, Mlle Lance furrows her brows, “one moment students, a matter has just arisen that I need to quickly take care of.”

With that, she rises from the bench and strides out of the dining hall, shutting the door behind her as she exits.

As soon as the door shuts, Jason, with a concerned look on his face, gets up as well and walks the few steps over to Marinette's bench. Quietly, he asks, “Hey, you okay?”

Marinette swallows a breath of air thickly, and still visibly trembling, laughs nervously. “W-well I'm a little over-overwhelmed, I suppose… What with every—”

Only to slam her mouth shut as Lila wraps her arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to her side.

“She's fine thank you,” Lila coos, “just not used to all the displays of wealth in the castle, here, isn't that right, Marinette.”

Marinette pales, eyes widening with panic and frantically nods her head. “Y-yep!”

Jason raises an eyebrow at Lila, unable to keep the slight sneer off his face as he turns ever so slightly to stare at her, “and you are?”

Lila perks up at his attention, flipping her hair back over her shoulder with one hand. “Didn't you hear Mlle Lance there, I'm Lila.” She smiles cloyingly at him and flutters her eyelashes. “I'm the daughter of a very important diplomat and one of my ancestors was an incredibly powerful Dragoon Guardian.”

Jason snorts, and rolls his eyes once more. “Right. Whatever.” He turns his attention back to Marinette and gives her a sharp nod. “What shit has the rich brat got hanging over your head?”

It clearly takes all of Lila's self-control to not immediately switch from her faux sweetness to fury. Her smile turns wooden and her gaze sharpens at Jason. “Excuse me?”

“You're excused,” Jason responds smugly.

“W-what do you mean?” Marinette asks, struggling to process the conversation after the slight cannonball that Jason just casually asked her.

He tilts his head at her, not unlike a bird. “She looks, sounds, and acts exactly like the kinda rich bastards that hold shit above kids who aren't rich, and you're clearly fucking petrified of her. So is she blackmailing you or something?”

Marinette mouths yes at him whilst shaking her head.

Jason raises an eyebrow at her for a second before shrugging with one shoulder, “alright.” He turns on his heel and heads back to his table and bench where his trencher of stew is waiting.

Lila gapes at him.

Adrien rises from his seat and stares at Jason, flabbergasted. “Aren't you going to apologise to Lila, now? You were wrong.”

Lifting his chin, Jason gives Adrien an unimpressed look then flips the bird at him. A few seconds pass before he shrugs and makes a non-committal noise of disinterest, then he starts spooning stew into his mouth.

Lila huffs and scowls at Jason. She turns to glare at Marinette, faux concern practically dripping from her words despite the evident fury on her face. “You should avoid him from now on, wouldn't want the teachers to think you're a delinquent and get kicked out before you even get to meet your dragon.”

Marinette nods slowly and keeps her attention very carefully on her food.

Her patience is rewarded as a few dozen seconds later, Lila loses interest in her and starts eating her trencher of stew whilst starting a new conversation with just Adrien.

Taking her chances, Marinette sneaks a glance up at Jason with a small smile on her lips.

To her surprise, he also happens to be looking over at her. He flashes her a cheeky grin, winks, before going back to eating.

Maybe, she muses to herself as her grin turns giddy, I was wrong about the academy not being my fresh start. Because this definitely feels like a fresh start now, it almost feels like I'm in a fairytale.

———

| Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little fic! Comments, likes, and reblogs are much appreciated! |

| The dragon riders are called Dragoons in reference to the mounted cavalry called Dragoons who used guns/firearms known as Dragons hence the name. And so I decided it only makes sense for these dragon riders to also be called Dragoons. Armée volante means flying army and was what the historical dragoons were sometimes known as, because of how mobile they were. |

| Ichneumon, also known as Echinemon in Medieval Zoology are enemies of dragons (and snakes and crocodiles in some accounts) and defeated them by covering themselves in armour made from mud before attacking. They are also one the only creatures (the other being weasels) that are immune to the Cockatrices' petrifying sight. |

| Fun fact: Trenchers are flat round (often stale) bread "plates" used during the medieval era. They are cut in half and sometimes the fluffy bread innards are scooped out (like pumpkins) so that the loaf's crust forms a bowl instead. Usually the bowls are used to hold stews or soups, though they were also used for non-liquid based food (which is why they later evolved into our modern day plates and cheese boards). |

| Also feel free to send me any comments with any questions you have regarding this fic, I'll be more than happy to answer! |

| @jasonette-july-event |