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softquietsteadylove · 11 months

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Thena, in the movie, once said to Sersi that Gil told her „when you love something you protect it. It’s the most natural thing in the world“

We never actually got the scene, only the hint that he once said it to her.

So i thought maybe you could write a little flashback? It would be interesting!

And I’m sure you can write something beautiful!!❤️

"Wow."

Thena looked up at the sky from within Gilgamesh's arms. To those mulling around on the deck of the ship, it may seem like he was just embracing his beloved wife. In reality, he had an inhumanly strong grip to keep her arms bound in case she lost herself and starting swinging a blade in blind rage.

The trip had been long. They took the first boat they could from the coast nearest Tenochtitlan and headed...as far away as possible. From land, and humans...their family. Anywhere that could offer them solitude. Anywhere that promised that she would not be a danger to innocent beings.

She sighed.

"What?" he asked, resting his chin on the top of her head with her arms locked around her.

She didn't answer, focusing on the stars above them and the sound of the ocean desperately hauling the ship towards another continent.

"Hey," he called to her again, nudging her head with his chin. His spirits continued to be light for one travelling with such a dangerous companion.

She wilted against him, and even then, they both knew he couldn't afford to let go of her. "Seasickness."

It was true, she had been quite seasick for much of the journey. He kissed the back of her head, "nice try."

It was worth the attempt. She looked up at the stars again. Her eyes watered, reminded of Sprite. Every woman with children made her think of Ajak. Every plant and flower she thought of Sersi and every man with a needlessly loud voice reminded her of Kingo.

"Thena." His voice was so soft. Just like the rest of him, it was soft, and warm, and perfect for her.

"Why?" she asked before she could stop herself. It was pointless, and she wasn't usually one for such chatter. Perhaps it was the exhaustion of the journey, or the ceaseless rocking of the ship getting to her.

"Why what?"

"Why," she repeated more firmly. He knew what she was saying.

"We've come a long way for you to ask me that now." He was right, too. They had managed to leave the Domo, and then to turn their backs on their beloved city. They had managed to get on this godforsaken ship.

Her hands found his, tangling their fingers together as he restrained her. At least being in his arms was pleasant, however forceful it needed to be. "When we find this promised wasteland...you will be free."

He waited for her to finish.

"You can leave me somewhere I won't hurt anyone," she suggested, hoping she didn't sound bereft at just the thought of being without him. "You will have done your duty."

"Is that what you are?" he asked, and she could hear a hard edge in his voice. He didn't like it when she suggested he abandon her. "Another mission for me to complete?"

She sighed again, running her thumb along the skin of his hand. They were hands capable of reaching into iron forges without protection--shaping molten glass and smothering hot coals. But they always felt so soft, to her. "I am no one's burden, Gilgamesh."

"Love is not a burden."

She looked up at the stars, hoping it would keep yet more tears from falling. Even as an Eternal, there was only so much hydration she could afford to lose while out at sea.

"I don't chose to love you when it's convenient for me," Gil whispered against her hair, resting his cheek there. "So I don't know why you think I could just...stop."

She swallowed, forcing up words to conjure her greatest fear, "perhaps it would be for the best."

"Then I have bad news for you."

"Gil," she attempted to insist. "You could be free."

"It's not freedom if you're not with me."

So stubborn, he was. "There will be no one around in need of your protection."

"I didn't come so I could protect other people," he affirmed, and even loosened his hold on her just a little. Thena stiffened in response. "I came to protect you."

She was the Warrior Eternal...perhaps no longer. But she was in need of no one's protection. "It is you who will need protection."

"I can handle myself," he chuckled, always finding something to smile about. It was one of her favourite things about him. He kept her hands in his, but let her turn to face him at least. "But I came because I love you--just you."

She tilted her head at him - her beautiful Gilgamesh with his flowery words - and sighed. She was doing that quite often since boarding the ship. Her hands came up to his cheeks, and she only just noticed that he had released them. She ran her thumb against his cheek, "it's dangerous."

"I'm here," he argued. Whether he meant that he was there to keep her from endangering the other passengers, or that he was there regardless of the danger she posed to just him.

"I am a danger to you," she whispered, ashamed to admit under the open sky that she was more concerned about his life than that of the fragile humans around them.

"Never," he whispered back, relishing her touch as if these hands hadn't tried to run him through a mere fortnight ago.

"Why," she repeated, desperation choking her throat closed. "Why strand yourself with me?"

"Because," he began, and paused just to kiss her lips. She felt his breath against the cold and damp ocean air. "Because when you love something, you protect it."

That was exactly what she was trying to do--not just with him, but with their love. She could not bear the thought of it withering, of him growing tired and resenting her. It would be kinder to take that fist of his and rip her heart from her chest.

Her eyes rose to his. "I love you."

They were loving words, and ones she didn't say often. But he knew that they were no placation; she was attempting to argue him out of staying. But he brought her hand to his chest, letting her feel where his heart was beating the same rhythm as hers.

"I love you, Thena," he professed, and as always, the words made a warmth flow through her, more than the sun or any fire could. They did something to defrost her heart. "So I'm not leaving."

She shook her head, but she had no more arguments. No more points or counters, just the equal hopes that he would leave for his own good and also never, ever leave her.

Her eyes closed and he kissed her again.

Every kiss, she savoured, just in case it was the last one she would get.

"It's the most natural thing in the world."

When she opened her eyes, he was there, still. Him and his smile--the only thing she wanted to see for the rest of Eternity. Her hand ran over his cheek, pulling him in to kiss her again.

Maybe she wasn't ready to let him go, just yet. She would try again; gather her strength to try and summon the mettle to send him away. Until then, she would allow herself this one selfishness.

#Thenamesh AU #just Thena and her sweet Gilgamesh #I've written another scene for this line #but it's a great line #and I couldn't decide which I liked better #so I wrote 'em both!#because why not?#just a man and his wife under the stars #no need to worry about Mahd Wy'ry right now #she will try to send him away again #and every time #he'll tell her that he's here to protect her #from herself and Mahd Wy'ry and being taken away from him #in sickness and in health

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emberglowfox · 8 months

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”discord is for gaming” “discord is for talking to classmates” discord is for popping open the general chat in a server at 3 in the morning to go “hey guys i just remembered i can recite all of psalm 24 king james version from memory. im gonna type it” and then doing that

#i was like. 80% accurate. fucked up like 2 lines and some words. but not bad it’s been a while #sparks speaks #college transition going great btw /unsure #containment breach #for some reason

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lady-corrine · 4 months

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Thinking again about how Suzanne esentially subverted the "beloved famous man that is actually a horrible person in real life" with Finnick, who is the complete opposite of that.

Finnick has this whole image costructed around him by the people that abused him for years: the Capitol's darling, their golden boy, the sex symbol of Panem, the man that has countless lovers but leaves them constantly and doesn't look back etc. And you would expect, initially, to meet a man that retains at least a part of that persona in his day to day life. But Finnick doesn't, not even one bit.

You see instead a man that is deeply in love and completely devoted to the one woman he quite literally adores, a man that protects Mags, his old mentor and his mother figure, as much as he can, a man that wouldn't leave Johanna behind, a man that gathers whatever strenght he has left to speak publicly about the abuse inflicted upon him at the government's hands; the opposite of what the Capitol's media and reputation made him out to be.

#don't even get me started on beetee's line about how it's a miracle finnick is still with them giving all the abuse he suffered #that line is haunting #i just love him he's such a great character :((#finnick odair #annie cresta #odesta #mags flanagan #johanna mason #the hunger games #thg

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andthebeanstalk · 1 year

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Today my therapist introduced me to a concept surrounding disability that she called "hLep".

Which is when you - in this case, you are a disabled person - ask someone for help ("I can't drink almond milk so can you get me some whole milk?", or "Please call Donna and ask her to pick up the car for me."), and they say yes, and then they do something that is not what you asked for but is what they think you should have asked for ("I know you said you wanted whole, but I got you skim milk because it's better for you!", "I didn't want to ruin Donna's day by asking her that, so I spent your money on an expensive towing service!") And then if you get annoyed at them for ignoring what you actually asked for - and often it has already happened repeatedly - they get angry because they "were just helping you! You should be grateful!!"

And my therapist pointed out that this is not "help", it's "hLep".

Sure, it looks like help; it kind of sounds like help too; and if it was adjusted just a little bit, it could be help. But it's not help. It's hLep.

At its best, it is patronizing and makes a person feel unvalued and un-listened-to. Always, it reinforces the false idea that disabled people can't be trusted with our own care. And at its worst, it results in disabled people losing our freedom and control over our lives, and also being unable to actually access what we need to survive.

So please, when a disabled person asks you for help on something, don't be a hLeper, be a helper! In other words: they know better than you what they need, and the best way you can honor the trust they've put in you is to believe that!

Also, I want to be very clear that the "getting angry at a disabled person's attempts to point out harmful behavior" part of this makes the whole thing WAY worse. Like it'd be one thing if my roommate bought me some passive-aggressive skim milk, but then they heard what I had to say, and they apologized and did better in the future - our relationship could bounce back from that. But it is very much another thing to have a crying shouting match with someone who is furious at you for saying something they did was ableist. Like, Christ, Jessica, remind me to never ask for your support ever again! You make me feel like if I asked you to call 911, you'd order a pizza because you know I'll feel better once I eat something!!

Edit: crediting my therapist by name with her permission - this term was coined by Nahime Aguirre Mtanous!

Edit again: I made an optional follow-up to this post after seeing the responses. Might help somebody. CW for me frankly talking about how dangerous hLep really is.

#hlep #original #mental health #my sympathies and empathies to anyone who has to rely on this kind of hlep to get what they need.#the people in my life who most need to see this post are my family but even if they did I sincerely doubt they would internalize it #i've tried to break thru to them so many times it makes my head hurt. so i am focusing on boundaries and on finding other forms of support #and this thing i learned today helps me validate those boundaries. the example with the milk was from my therapist.#the example with the towing company was a real thing that happened with my parents a few months ago while I was age 28. 28!#a full adult age! it is so infantilizing as a disabled adult to seek assistance and support from ableist parents.#they were real mad i was mad tho. and the spoons i spent trying to explain it were only the latest in a long line of #huge family-related spoon expenditures. distance and the ability to enforce boundaries helps. haven't talked to sisters for literally the #longest period of my whole life. people really believe that if they love you and try to help you they can do no wrong.#and those people are NOT great allies to the chronically sick folks in their lives.#you can adore someone and still fuck up and hurt them so bad. will your pride refuse to accept what you've done and lash out instead?#or will you have courage and be kind? will you learn and grow? all of us have prejudices and practices we are not yet aware of.#no one is pure. but will you be kind? will you be a good friend? will you grow? i hope i grow. i hope i always make the choice to grow.#i hope with every year i age i get better and better at making people feel the opposite of how my family's ableism has made me feel #i will see them seen and hear them heard and smile at their smiles. make them feel smart and held and strong.#just like i do now but even better! i am always learning better ways to be kind so i don't see why i would stop

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the-one-who-lambs · 5 months

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This is a super super gentle reminder not to put your favorite authors on a pedestal. We're real people living average lives and not trying to be influencers. We criticize ourselves enough and we don't want to be held to an invisible standard (we start to worry we fail to exceed our own selves) or compared to other writers (we are not competing) or tailor our craft to cater to a wider audience (the right people will find you).

#hannah's rambles #compliments are great!!#sensationalizing me is making me a little uncomfy.#got an ask that seemed pretty well intentioned but i couldn't tell for sure.#yall dont have to write as much as i do or interpret things the same way or think of my writing style as the ultimate finish line.#writers on tumblr

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aethersea · 1 year

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honestly it was a red flag when bbc sherlock went “well obviously the word written in blood isn’t the german word for revenge, it’s clearly the beginning of the name ‘rachel’, what absolute idiot would fail to see that” when in the original novel it is, in fact, the german word for revenge, which sherlock points out gleefully to a roomful of policemen who all figure it’s the beginning of the name ‘rachel.’

and by red flag I mean it was a clear sign that the adaptation was trying to one-up the source material, instead of engaging with it with love.

#sherlock holmes #finx rambles #this kinda bugged me even when I first watched it and still thought it was a super cool show #and tbh it WAS super cool in a lot of ways #they had such dynamic and exciting editing #good pacing #cool character introductions #great snappy lines #but this was a small thing that rankled even then

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stephart09 · 6 months

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