#can you at least try to pretend you aren’t consorting with the enemy

[lewiscarrolatemybrain]

Morgan Davies’s accent has me imagining Luffy “capturing” a navy captain to “hold him hostage” and while Luffy is whisking him away to go pester Sanji for snacks or something Koby is just deadpanning “Oh naur. Whatever will I do?”

[wizkiddx]

Nothings changed at all

ooh my first lil one  shot on here?!?! not really sure how I feel abt this one but hey ho we move.

summary: 2 years have passed with 2 people living completely separate lives. That’s until Paddy the matchmaker gets involved by not liking exams.

“Y/n?…. Y/n?” Brought out of her ferocious typing, Y/n dragged her attention away from the screen infant of her and looked around the coffee shop to identify the owner of the voice. Sure enough, standing opposite her was an adult and teen who both smiled excitedly at her.

“Nikki! Pads!” Y/n exclaimed while she jumped out of her seat to hug Nikki first, then Paddy. “Wow it’s been ages! You want to join me?”

“Yeh that’d be great!” Nikki smiled already pulling out the free chair opposite, while Paddy stole a chair from a nearby vacant table and pulled it up next to Y/n.

“God you look so grown up since I last saw you!” Nikki grinned, but her eyes held a little surprise making Y/n giggle. It had been at least 2 years since she’d seen the Hollands, and life had changed tremendously for her.

“Yeh well 24 and a qualified doctor now so it’s all happened. But speaking of… what the hell have you done with my fake baby brother Paddy?”

The three spent 40 minutes just catching up with each other, it felt like some weird family reunion. Nikki knew she would be told off by her other sons for ‘consorting with the enemy’ but Nikki really did like and miss her. It was more than clear Paddy did too. Y/n had practically been a part of the Holland family for three years while her and Tom were together, it was fair to say they had all got used to having her around. So when Nikki saw this elegant, grown young woman sat in the coffee shop she couldn’t help but say hi. 

They chatted about everything… well almost everything. There was a large gaping hole in the conversation though, where casual references to Tom would usually lie - but neither felt comfortable broaching that subject with the other. Not yet anyway. Y/n could not believe that paddy was in year 11 and taking his GCSEs, in her head he was still the hyperactive young boy who loved to play spies.

“We only came out today to give this one a break from his revision did we?” Nikki spoke kindly towards her youngest, Y/n raising her eyebrow at the tone.

“Yeh I just proper hate maths and I know I’m going to fail it-“ Paddy sighed, suddenly feeling the need to twist his empty hot choclate mug round and round, clearly nervous just talking about it. He clearly wasn’t especially gifted academically and in a school system where talents for the arts and less ‘mainstream intelligence’ isn’t celebrated - he was just considered a write off.

“We’ve been looking for a tutor for him but… well you know at this point in the year so is everyone.” There was almost a look of resignation in Nikki’s face, quite clear that Paddy had already given up. Y/n knew she had to offer, her history of tutoring meant this would be just like any of her other clients and she knew the curriculum inside out and back to front.

“Well you know… only if you want… but I still do tutoring when I have the time?”Looking cautiously between the other occupants of the little table, she wore a kind smile. It would be weird - yes. Tutoring her ex’s brother. But he didn’t have to know, and the Hollands had always been a second family to her. 

“Mum can she? Please I really need help and-“

“Only if you have time Y/n, sorry I dint mean to guilt you or anything?”

“No no you didn’t! But I would love to, you know Paddy’s always been my favourite Holland!” Nikki laughed at that, nodding her head as she looked deep into Y/n’s eyes. 

“Well then, no harm in trying right?” 

///////////////////////////////

Y/n the tutor was a massive hit. Paddy’s confidence almost instantly sky rocketed, with Y/n’s familiarity with him she knew exactly how to approach different subjects and get the best results. She would come over twice, sometimes three, times a week - but there was never any issue since Tom was away filming with Harry, meanwhile Sam and Dom were sworn to secrecy. The one hour sessions quickly evolved into staying for dinner just so Sam could practice from his cooking course. Then there was a little extra tutoring of english too, then a glass of wine or so. 

Then came the actual exams. A terrifying process not only for Paddy, but everyone else associated with it also. Somehow though, they all made it through alive and without the excuse of tutoring it just became an invite to dinner once a week. Just ‘because’. Nikki and Dom would love to say they only offered because Paddy wanted her there, but truth be told they all enjoyed her company. Especially with two of their sons on the opposite side of the world, it was nice just to have that familiarity again. She would go to the pub every now and again with Dom and Sam and just generally was a part of the families day to day life. 

Then came the night before Paddy’s results.

As expected Y/n had been invited round for a barbecue that evening, with the Hollands and some of Paddys friends families. The whole thing was just a distraction for Paddy who was nervous beyond belief. He really needed to pass to go on to college and chase his dreams of going to university. He couldn’t afford to cock up, even at the tender age of 16.  So fair to say a jovial evening where the word ‘GCSEs’ was banned - it was exactly what the boy needed. Everyone sat in the garden chattering away happily, enjoying the glorious and rare British sunshine. 

Sam popped inside to go to the loo, but on his way was dragged by unfamiliar hands round the corner into a study room. He shrieked in fright, before his eyes widened in recognition.

“Missed us?” Harry smirked as he let go of his twin however he was immediately pounced on by Sam, who had of course missed his twin brother for the half a year he’d been away. Next he turned to Tom, the both of them laughing as he hugged his older brother, Sam having to hide his surprise at his bulkiness. The new role obviously had him working out a hell of a lot.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“We got some time off and mum said Pads is terrified so we thought we’d pop in for moral support.” Harry exclaimed, clearly very proud of themselves for organising it for their littlest brother. 

“ Does anyone know?”

“Um… well you…now” Tom couldn’t hide his mischievous grin, making Sam shake his head at his over excitedness “So what’s going on? Is it a party or something?”

“I’ve just done a barbecue for Paddy friends families… you remember Jack? Another guy called Zak and then two girls too-“

“Ah cool so we will just walk out and surprise him?” Harry asked and Sam was about to encouragingly agree, until something struck him.

“I…um…Tom there’s something you need to know.” His voice was deadly serious and Harry noticed the warning tone; Tom always oblivious didn’t catch on so quick, just scoffed and asked why.

“While you’ve been away…. Paddy had tutoring to help and um well… Y/n-she’s here.” Tom closed his eyes and shook his head, taking a breath and gulping it down before looking intently at Sam.

“She…she what?”

“Mum bumped into her in town and she got Y/n to help Paddy with maths. I don’t know… she’s here for Paddy and well…”

“Mum knows that we aren’t speaking right?” Sam nodded in defeat, taking a small step back from his brother “and she still…she still did this?”

“You were the other side of the country and you know how close Paddy and Y/n were. And by the way she worked it looks as if she might’ve made him pass which would be a miracle in itself! So please can you just be civil?”

“It has been like 2 years Tom” Harry, very unhelpfully, felt the need to input - earning him a glare from both of his brothers. Tom just shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot, eyes glued to the floor.

“Yeh…I mean we are adults” His words were stuttered, as if his brain was desperately trying to force out words his heart completely disagreed with. Harry and Sam knew of course, they knew their brother never really had got over his first love. With a sympathetic smile Sam led the way out of the study room.

It was fair to say to Holland’s were ecstatic about the twos return, Paddy’s face had been the most priceless because although he was 16 - he still really was an overexcited little kid. The whole garden energy skipped about twelve levels when they walked in, Paddys friends and families also a little excited to see ‘spiderman’ in real life. Yet Y/n… she was less pleased. Sam had instantly come over to her asking if she was okay. Which she was. Unlike her ex, Y/n had properly got over him and had serious relationships since. She just felt awkward for him, she was in the way of a family reunion, she was the sceptre at the feast. Bless Sam for keeping her company, they sat on the outdoor furniture in the corner and just chatted, while Mr centre-of-attention relished all the love from his family. She knew she should leave, so leaned closer to Sam to barely whisper. “I’m gonna go now”

“Y/n you don’t have to, Pads still wants you here and-“ 

“Sam could you give us a minute?” 

Interrupted by the oh so familiar voice, Y/n smiled nervously at him, before giving Sam a side eye saying it was okay for him to leave. Swapping seats Tom sat down in Sams seat, running  a hand through his hair nervously. 

“Look Tom I was just going to go so you guys can have a proper reunion and-“

“Please stay. Paddy wants you here and tonights about him so?”

“That’s very kind of you but...well you made it clear we couldn’t be friends. I don’t want to intrude and-“

“That was years ago and I was being naive. For paddy please?”

“Tom I….I’m-“ Stopping promptly as she was interrupted.

“staying yes I agree. Now come on he’s looking…” Tom lowered his voice as he motioned over to Paddy standing with Sam, who appeared to be watching the exchange between the two ex lovers intently “so pretend I said something funny, laugh and then we can go mingle”

“Hard to imagine… you have no sense of humour” She smiled sarcastically, before throwing her head back laughing - as if she had said something hilarious. Tom knew he had to join in, however much he tried to hide the grimace at her remark.

“ You haven’t changed at all” He muttered under his breath following her as she stood up and headed back towards the main group.

“Oh but I have” Tossing her head to look back at him, flowing hair flicking round too “I’ve learnt my worth.” Her words were dripping with sass and a little passive-aggressiveness, but all Tom could think was how amazing she was, how much he had missed that little smirk she did while flicking her head back round and pull Paddy in for a side hug. 

////////////////////////

The evening flew by, all of Paddy’s friends and their families went home, yet Y/n stayed and chatted with the Hollands as if this was completely normal. They had all long since migrated into the sitting room while the sun was setting, playing some board games of Paddy’s choice - his results long since forgotten early that evening. Truth be told, Y/n really enjoyed catching up with Harry and although they hadn’t really had any personal conversations- seeing Tom and taking the piss out of his uselessness at the games was also very enjoyable. After her and Paddy’s turn ended Y/n excused herself to go to the toilet but instead of going straight back to the living room she went to grab herself a glass of water.

“Oh Y/n… I was meaning to catch you” The soft and very very familiar voice startled her a little, the warm tone sending shivers down her spine as if a reflex. Turning round to see Tom leant against the counter with a small smile.

“Well what’s up then?” She tried not to be too open too quickly, as much as her heart just wanted to skip the small talk. 

“Just wanted to catch up, it’s been a while and just feel like we should be friends since my family seem to sort of adopted you” She scoffed at his statement, very obviously rolling her eyes, a little annoyed.

“And who was it that didn’t want to be friends huh?” She raised an eyebrow and this was Toms turn to scoff as he looked down at the ground.

“Yeh yeh I deserve that… shall we just skip past the blaming me huh?” The cockiness wasn’t hidden in his voice and that made her laugh, clearly not that shy. In fact he was terrified, but wanted to look as if he didn’t care, like he was flippant. 

“Alright Spiderman, so how’s life?” …

The truth about their break up was quite simple. Tom had got too busy and had stopped making time to their relationship. Y/n grew tired and had had enough, which he completely understood. He’d tried to promise more effort, flying back for extra weekends but they both new they were hollow, it wouldn’t be maintained. Their last meeting hadn’t been an angry shouty one, rather just depressingly sad. They’d both been upset, recahingn a mutual conclusion it was just the wrong time. Which they had both agreed with... but one thing they hadn’t. Tom thought it was like dangling a carrot in front of his face, having Y/n still present in his life. He had given her an ultimatum, they either keep going on together p as a couple or they would become strangers. And that’s where it had been left 2 years ago. 

They spent the next half an hour or so, chatting away as if nothing had ever happened. It felt normal again, all jokingly catching up about the most ridiculous things - the low hum of the left on radio in the background. That was until a certain song  came on the radio - it was ridiculous, the most insane unlikely eventuality to happen. Their old song. 

Of course that would happen. Y/n released a breathy laugh and Tom’s grin just grew and grew across his face, slowly transferring into a smirk. He stood up from leaning across the counter, that Y/n was now sat cross-legged on top. In his ever so dramatic movie like style, he rounded the counter to her side, and held an arm out to her. 

“Dance with me”

“Tom that’s-“

“Oh come on, dance with me!”

“You’re ridiculous”

“I know. So dance with me?”

“Tooommm” She drew out his name in refusal, but her body said something else as she slid off from the counter - delicately landing on tiptoes as she lowered herself down. 

“Just come here, for old times sake” He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him, transferring his hand to hover at her waist, not touching until she  gave him a small nod in permission. Hesitantly she knew where her hands were supposed to go and slowly drifted them up to round his neck, but balanced  her forearms further on his collarbones so she held her own hands rather than gripping his neck as was natural. They slowly moved in unison, just slightly rocking from one side to another - Tom’s eyes locked on hers.

“So are you happy?” Something about the way he said it made her internally shudder. It was the pure care, all his sarcasm and cockiness stripped back to expose himself just for this moment.

“Um yeh… I don’t know feel like I’m starting to figure out this whole ‘life’ thing.” She smiled up at his chocolate brown eyes, while he seemed to absorb all she said. 

“And he treats you well?”

“He?” She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, cocking her head to the side slightly.

“Oh er… before you said that ‘we’d moved out’ and I just assumed-“

“Ah um yeh I moved in with someone but he’s not in the picture anymore… got the bed to myself again” Tom thought she didn’t seem very affected by it yet still felt guilty for bringing it up.

“I’m sorry… er how long? Are you okay?”

“Yeh I really am. A year and a half so we taught each other a lot, but it was mutual. We’re still friends.” Smiling, Y/n watched as Tom nodded minutely and they drifted to silence, listening to the song bringing back all sorts of memories. “What about you? Got yourself a super model I assume?” She didn’t mean to ask that. Because why did she need to know? She didn’t care about that. Did she? Tom chuckled nervously before replying.

“Umm no. I haven’t really dated anyone since… just all the travelling and everything doesn’t really work with the dating scene.” His voice was quiet, as if hiding something, and he couldn’t meet her eyes looking at the floor.

“Oh… yeh I get that” Unconsciously letting her hands slip back, connecting with the back of his neck- instantly making him meet eyes with hers again. They just stared at each other, still swaying from side to side as the music flowed. He didn’t want this moment to end. And secretly… neither did she. 

“I can’t take you seriously when you look at me like that”  Breaking the intensity, nervously Y/n giggled, leaning away - but Tom’s arms, still on her waist, kept her from going anywhere. 

“Like what?” His eyebrows raised, enjoying her nervous flush present on her cheeks a little more than he should. 

“Like nothings changed” She all but whispered, the gap between the two almost magically diminishing. The pause was long as Tom tried to  formulate the idea he so wanted to get across. 

“ Maybe that’s because… right now I have exactly the same feelings I did two years ago… that maybe I want so badly to kiss you?” His voice was barely audible at the point, but their faces were barely centimetres from each other; noses hovering side by side as his lips brushed hers. He didn’t want to push her, yet at the same time one of his hands moved to her cheek - gently cupping it as his eyes flicked between her wide eyes and pink flushed lips. 

“Maybe… maybe you should kiss me then?” The tension was palpable as she drew out her words, purposefully teasing him a little. Because she wanted to keep him on his toes. When her heard her suggestion she had to stop herself from giggling at the smile that instantly grew across his face, the way his pupils grew in shock . Safe to say he didn’t reply, instead slowly and delicately pressing his lips on hers. She reciprocated tentatively and deepened the kiss bit by bit. Her hands now running through his hair on the back of his head, Toms other hand now on the small of her back - closing the distance completely, their bodies connected. It didn’t last long before she pulled away the most seductive smile on her face, while Tom subtly tried to regain the breath that had been knocked out of his lungs. 

“We should go back” She whispered, while running her thumb over his left flicky eyebrow that always intrigued her. Suddenly his eyebrows furrowed in concern, worried he had made her feel uncomfortable. Instantly recognising this, she calmed his nerves very simply by pressing a fleeting kiss on his lips once again, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the living room.

As soon as they entered Y/n and Tom both realised how long they’d been in the kitchen. The game long since abandoned, probably waiting on one of their returns at their go, the rest of the Hollands now all sat lounging on different areas of the sofa - who all immediately looked up as they shuffled in. Luckily the lights were dimmed for the movie playing on the TV screen, so that no one would see her blushing cheeks. She sat in the middle of the sofa which only paddy was on, and Tom followed sitting next to her - but not too close that it would be suspicious . No words were exchanged throughout, though Nikki did exchange a knowing look with Dom - who had seemingly finally learnt when to keep his mouth closed. Both Y/n and Tom pretend to fix their full attention on the film for a short while, even if both their brains were whirring away with very very separate thoughts to any critical analysis of the storyline. 

After about 10 minutes though, Tom pulled his leg up, just so it was obscuring the view to the sofa opposite and took the opportunity to clasp Y/n’s hands in his. Slickly, even though she wasn’t expecting the contact Y/n didn’t react her eyes still trained on the TV. However, Tom didn’t miss the small upward tug on her lips as she squeezed his hand back. No one noticed.

Except Paddy. 

Paddy from his vantage point on the sofa he was sharing with the two, peered over subtly as he went to the loo - and a massive smirk appeared across his face. He might just’ve got his sister back.

[fymagnificentwomcn]

Women of Ottoman make me so sad especially when people hate on them. Those women lived horrible lives. Most of them were kidnapped, sold, thrown under a psycho Padisah. How can you wait for them to care for your kingdom? Of course they were going to survive for themselves and for their children. None of them deserves the hate they get. I hope God put all of them in peace. No human should go through such terrible things.

Totally agree Anon.

Women from Ottoman Empire cannot be for example compared with women from the West – first and foremost, they were slaves that at the very beginning lost their families, homes and even had to change their name and religion to have any chance at making a new life. Some lost their families very early, and often it also affected them emotionally when they grew up without having familial bonds. Even as consorts, they were one of many, and they had no legal status outside their children, Even mothers of princes other than hasekis were referred to as “Mother of Prince X” in records, and mothers of daughters were even more invisible. They had a very limited access to outside world, there was no way a woman could ascend the throne as a ruler in her own reign, other than as regent. Not to mention all matters connected with fratricide and kafes, it was living in constant fear. It’s hard to compare them to European queens, who had more stable and safe position even if they also had to face misogyny and oppression .

It was no fairytale, even in the show that didn’t show a lot of atrocities involved in slave trade and focused on those women who still somewhat “succeeded”.

I will use this opportunity to discuss some double standards about those who succeeded vs. those who didn’t pertaining to the TV show, but will later come to the crux, I promise.

The faux feminism in this fandom is astounding to me,including the glaring obvious double standards depending on who fan favourite is - and fan favourite is often who is simply “the coolest”, “most victorious”, “most stylish”, “most lucky”, generally young, beautiful, badass, and successful, not sad or depressed. We all know reactions to Hürrem and Mahidevran doing the same things back in original MY - when Mahidevran did awful things to Hürrem, she was just pathetic jealous woman, but when Hürrem did multiple times the same or worse things to other women it was “yass queen” and she ‘fights for her love, so touching, so strong, so great, self defence”. Suddenly Hürrem is allowed to do so because she”s “not like other girls, so not like these pathetic dumb losers”. Hürrem was strong, cunning, and smart, but she also had one clear advantage over all her “enemies” - the love of the most powerful man in Ottoman history. She made multiple mistakes too, but could always count on Suleiman turning a blind eye or forgiving her - something that Mahidevran or others could never count on.

Frankly, even Hürrem vs. Mustafa was often treated more as Hürrem vs. all this “pathetic” women that fought for Mustafa’s case aka Mahidevran or Suleiman’s sisters in fandom. Suddenly Mustafa cannot even defend his own mother because he immediately had it coming for “choosing the wrong side”. Even if you disapprove of him defending/not abandoning his mother, e.g. choosing to poison him sounds a little disproportionate, don’t you think? I said it and I will repeat it again – Hürrem is a character very similar to Cersei – yes, she suffered a lot because of a system devaluing women and yes she’s a survivor and a strong woman who managed to make life for herself in that system – but she’s not a feminist character because she actually only uses the system to her own advantage (and often perpetuates it), and actually displays a lot of traits of internalised misogyny, voicing multiple times how she is different from other girls and this is why she must be the only one by Suleiman’s side, while other women aren’t even entitled to dream about such things. She condemns Mahidevran for wanting to be the only one and being jealous, but then when Suleiman is with other woman she’s all “I’m not like pathetic Mahidevran, I must be the only one”. Same with multiple comments that she often makes… Hürrem was sassy &sarcastic, and had many good comebacks, but it makes me sad how people often cheered on and applauded those worst ones that again display internalised misogyny, like her mocking Mahidevran why she cares about her appearance so much when she doesn’t have a man to share a bed with? Or her again being all “I will give birth to many boys, and you won’t even give birth to a girl”. Again, that whole society was misogynistic and other women also were influenced by it, like they all wanted to give birth to a boy mostly…but often it is about status and wanting to raise/maintain rank, while Hürrem boasts the fact that she gives birth to many boys as again a trait to show how special&strong she is, even part of her reaction to Mihrimah’s birth is her unable to accept the fact that she could give birth to a girl and being disgusted by the fact.. yes, she accepts her later on and her reaction does also stem from being aware of how misogynist the system is, but it shows precisely that – yes, she is influenced by the system and suffered because of it, but at the same time she begins to display same behaviour that she suffered from, tries to cut herself from others in disadvantaged position. And yes, not all characters had similar reactions to giving births to daughters, and mind you Hürrem already had a son&became sultana, plus was Suleiman’s clear fave that could hope for more children. She wasn’t in the worst situation, even Hafsa and Suleiman were very happy at birth of a girl and nobody criticised her for it. Conversely, in MYK Kösem states multiple times that she wants to give Ahmed both sons and daughters, and when she’s pregnant with her second child, she says she wants a girl now for a change. Even when Ayşe hopes for a boy so that Murad’s anger may be melted, she’s happy about Kaya’s birth&clearly loves the baby from the start & is distraught when she is taken from her. Hürrem was never intended to be viewed as feminist, always justified heroine.. this is why instead of making her first bad deed be a revenge on Mahidevran, who had treated her horribly and unfairly, she attacked the person who was most kind to her of them all and who recently went through the same exact shit. Some people hate Gülnihal, but then say Hürrem wasn’t a homewrecker because she had the right to make life for herself in harem.. true, but so did Gülnihal, and it’s not like she could refuse to go to Suleiman’s chambers pls. It wasn’t to be seen as right, it was clearly shown that Hürrem can be both the oppressed and oppressor at the same time from the start. If they had wanted to make her character only all about revenge, they would have again made her gone after Mahi, not innocent Gülnihal, her “best friend”. And people going how Mahi is irredeemable, but with Hürrem it’s so okay because she’s cool while she slays..eh. I admit I never liked Hürrem because personally she never appealed to me, but I totally get why people stan her because she’s an interesting, three-dimensional character (and yes she does have a softer side too), I’m just bothered by some making her some empowered heroine who is excused for everything by the fact that she was a slave and suffered a lot because of it – because you know she is not the only one who went through the same shit – the harem is full of such women, for start. Even statesmen like Ibrahim or Rüstem are slaves (of course as men they have more opportunities for a career etc.), eunuchs attending ladies are slaves… This whole system is based on slavery, yet she often behaves & talks like she’s the only one who lost her family, was kidnapped & mistreated.

And even Nurbanu becoming her successor was accidental because she actually wanted her dead later, though of course Nurbanu was still clearly inspired by her. She never intended for anyone to follow her example and to make her elevation become a permanent element of Ottoman system, and it’s symbolised by her decision to bury the “ring of power” (lol) with her (though of course what Nurbanu did with taking it anyway was plain disgusting).

I think that trying to examine why this character behaves like that is more interesting than simply go YASSS QUEEN.

Thus said, I hate these reductive“takes” calling these women “bitches” because yes there are complex reasons why some of them have become pretty cruel, so while there are no excuses for some of the behaviour, the simple word “bitch” does not cut it at all.

/Yes, I discussed Hürrem here because out of all MY/K characters she seems to be the least hated among major female characters & biggest fan favourite,/

Anyway, the point is that neither Hürrem nor Mahidevran are the villains of the story. The show makes it clear in its last episodes that Suleiman is the true villain – he was the most powerful man at that time, when the padisah’s position was truly strong, as Gülfem put it in the finale “even leaf cannot fall without your approval”. He’s not as dumb or passive as it may seem at first glance -of course he needs to pretend to be objective and just, but he has his own agenda just as everyone else. Moreover, he pretended to be the one trying to ease conflicts… yet he was often the one enhancing them. Even from the start when he gave the ring he had promised Mahidevran to Hürrem&and in many ways humiliated her… then he did the same with giving Isabella necklace he had promised Hürrem. Bah, it was clear he often enjoyed making Hürrem jealous because it flattered his ego. He ultimately even enhanced the conflict between Selim and Bayezid to get rid of the latter, who was “the more dangerous son”. He was always pulling the strings.. he allowed Selim to buy Bayezid from Tahmasp by the way he conducted negotiations because he knew Bayezid would get rid of his brother on the road. It’s practically what Gülfem says to him in last episode again. He knew what backlash was directed at him following Mustafa’s death and he didn’t want another son killed in front of him. As Mahidevran said in the final episode to Mihrimah “It was your father who chose the lives we lived for all of us”. He was the one that determined the fate for everyone. And even if Mihrimah did not want to admit it in any way in front of her mother’s enemy, she pretty much understood then that Selim was also her father’s puppet in a way and it’s my guess why she ultimately decides to leave the palace instead of plotting revenge for Bayezid (and we know she would eventually be back). It was Suleiman who was pulling strings all along throughout the whole show, even sometimes by choosing to refrain from acting.

In MYK, the situation is different that we deal with incompetent, weak or even tyrannical sultans, who are also sometimes danger to ordinary people or break the Imperial law. Kösem acts here like the protector of sultanate and again we see different standards. Can you imagine how criticised Kösem would be if she had used similar methods to Murad’s or even once had gone to on “night spree” and executed people for banning all these dumb prohibitions? Yet for many Murad is the “cool guy” and “poor misunderstood Murad”. Calling Kösem a tyrant.. please you have an actual tyrant here. Look how much criticism she gets for saying “I’m the state”, while Murad calls himself “shadow of God on Earth” , “sole owner of the Ottoman Empire”, “I’m the justice” , “true death” etc. all the time and he’s “badass”. Or how she’s criticised because she dared to try to influence the Divan to convince Murad to change punishment for his prohibitions. She’s an “usurper”, not the guy who enacts unjust law and oppresses his subjects.

And here we come to crux – look at how Suleiman is treated in MY, everyone is flattering him, he’s the one who for most time isn’t blamed for what is happening, everyone strives to be in his good graces, his sons step on their toes around him and idealise him even when he behaves like a total asshat. Even when he dies people try to remember him for his “magnificence”

Now look at Kösem, a female ruler, who was turned by scapegoat by people when something went bad and she had far less freedom to make choices and yet far more criticism, blame shifting and insults thrown her way. Suleiman is credited “for making sacrifices for the Empire”… but he really didn’t have to execute all the people he decided to kill, and his decisions truly affected everyone badly and led to further mess, starting from Ibrahim’s.. It was especially visible in case of Mustafa – he was obviously innocent and didn’t intend to rebel, but after what happened rebellions did begin.Conversely, each difficult decision that Kösem made led to stabilisation in Empire and prevented unrest, yet what she does is interpreted by some as “wanting power for sake of power” because woman cannot act in favour of state nation or dynasty – there’s only personal interest or power hunger. Her life is clearly framed as tragedy both by the “curse” of her witnessing the death of everyone she loved and her death being a parallel scene to her capture - because she was never truly free.

Interestingly, IMO Suleiman for all his talent and his achievements, fucked up the succession issue – succession by combat truly began to run its course during that period & no longer even fulfilled functions for which it was practiced – to put on the throne “the strongest” contender, one with the biggest support, also most successful military commander – while it’s true that era of conquest was naturally over and Empire had to become more sedentary, it still doesn’t make Selim the strongest or best suited candidate for the throne after Suleiman – his not going on campaigns etc. and being more of palace sultan had nothing to do with him recognising the transformation, but simply lack of interest in state matters and preferring to have fun than to rule. He wasn’t some demon, but he was terribly passive & lazy. And him not being a warrior was the least of his problems. Suleiman had extreme power and authority, he introduced first law reform after Mehmed the Conqueror – the fact that he allowed such contest (and well his sons didn’t even wait for his death to start a civil war) was a bad decision when it came to long-term planning. Some may say maybe he would have done something concerning move to seniority if one of Hürrem’s sons had been the eldest… maybe, but we will never know. Contrary, while all Ahmed’s sons died during Kösem’s lifetime, we know her legacy connected with anti-fratricide law lived on – after her death fratricide was a rare occurrence with only a few special exceptions in specific circumstances.

Of course there’s also the matter that Suleiman’s era and Kösem’s era were totally different – here it was even a success to manage to stabilise Empire. And here we need to stress how important context is – I always stress how important it is to assess historical figures in context – for me it’s hard to even compare, let’s say Kösem and Hürrem, because they lived in different ages and fulfilled different roles, let alone comparisons between historical figures from other parts of the world, perhaps even from different age. I can’t understand e.g. why Peirce compared Kösem and Turhan to Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart in Empress of the East – both situations were completely different, the only thing they had in common was that there was a power struggle between two powerful women, which ended with one of them executing the other (and we don’t even have 100% confirmation of Turhan ordering Kosem’s execution because such thing wasn’t officially in her power). I appreciate Peirce a lot, but TBH this comparison was just dumb for a professional historian.

Kösem’s case really shows how loss of innocence may be used as weapon against you – very early on, she gets the lesson even with Ahmed – the moment she first became involved with scheming following the death of her father, he got mad at her for the duration of her whole pregnancy – he didn’t ask why she had done it or any other details – she wasn’t his “ideal fantasy” from the portrait anymore and this was what mattered – and only then changed his mind when after so many futile attempts made by Kösem to talk to him, she finally forced him to listen to her explanations & motivations, and subsequently he became all “I will make everyone pay for every tear of yours & for making us endure pain of separation”. Ah okay, but don’t forget about yourself ;) And once Kösem stopped being “şehzade’s dream” with death of Ahmed and was truly her own political leader, she became to be more and more exposed to this with the passing of time and once she acquainted more and more power.

And don’t forget some male historians praising Turhan for “giving the power back to the rightful hands aka men”… it tells you all, and it’s false anyway, since it didn’t mean Turhan losing interest in state affairs and only caring about the harem (and honestly, “Köprülü was “her man”, she didn’t choose someone she had no influence upon). That was what she decided the Empire needed at that particular moment, not because she realised that politically involved women sucked lmao.

- Joanna

[hungline]

key: (✎) = ongoing ✧ (m) = mature themes, 18+ 

links: main m.list ✧ bts drabble m.list ✧ ao3 

2seok 

« crayons and love »  ✧ uni au / fluff / 1k   ✧ Hoseok's had a bad day, but Seokjin is there to make it better. 

« you and me, we’re like kerosene » (m)  ✧ slice of life / smut / fluff / 1k ✧ Beads.  All seven of them connected on one string with a ring at the end, only one of them big enough to make Seokjin wary. Hoseok’s waiting for him though and Seokjin doesn’t feel like now is the time to tell Hoseok that he’s never used anal beads before.

« got any grapes? » ✧ slice of life / fluff / 1k    ✧ “That wasn’t for you! These are for the ducks! Stop stealing their food!"   

« let’s stop running from us » ✧ meeting the parents au / fake dating au / fluff / angst / 2k ✧ Seokjin has had plenty of bad experiences when it comes to meeting his friends’ parents, so he is more than nervous when Hoseok invites him to his hometown for the holidays. What he is most surprised about though is the fact that Hoseok’s parents seem to think the two are dating and Hoseok is more than willing to go along with it.

jihope 

« jihope bingo 2016 » (m)  ✧ assortment of aus / angst / fluff / smut  ✧ A bingo centered around JiHope.

« trapped in the closet » (m)  ✧ non au / pwp / smut / 2k  ✧ Jimin can't keep it in his pants and Hoseok is more than willing.

« everything led to you » (m) ✧ strangers to friends to lovers au / fluff / mild smut / 6k   ✧ When Hoseok finally gained the courage to ask for what he wanted.

« catch me (if you can) » (m)  ✧ club au / fluff / mild smut / 1k  ✧ Hoseok literally falls in love with the club’s new security guard. 

« a swim in the dark » ✧ teenagers au / angst / fluff / 2k  ✧ Jimin's always been there whenever Hoseok has needed him. This time around, it wasn't any different. It was them, together at three in the morning, with their feet dipped inside Hoseok's pool and that was really all that Jimin had ever known. Or, when Hoseok shoved Jimin into a pool then asked him to prom.

« jihope bingo 2017 » (m) (✎)  ✧ assortment of aus / angst / fluff / smut  ✧ The second round of JiHope Bingo.  

« let’s take our time » (m) ✧ non au / fluff / pwp / smut / 1k   ✧ Hoseok's still sensitive from the night before but nothing would ever stop him from riding Jimin early in the morning 'cause this is what Hoseok craves, what he absolutely lives for. 

« jihope week 2017 » (m)  ✧ assortment of aus / fluff / angst / smut  ✧ A week dedicated to JiHope.  

« the plan » ✧ non au / angst / fluff / 4k   ✧ Jimin’s head over heels in love with Hoseok, but Hoseok only sees him as his cute dongsaeng.

« for us, you’ll stay » ✧ fake relationship au / fluff / 8k  ✧ Namjoon is the mastermind behind Hoseok's life, but all Hoseok wants is to bring little Seokjin home. Park Jimin says he can help him with that. 

« part of the world of the sun » ✧ mythology au / angst / 3k  ✧ Park Jimin loves the sun. When his tribe chooses him, unwillingly, as the sun's future consort, Jimin begins to learn what loving the sun really means.

« jihope week 2018 » (m) ✧ assortment of aus / fluff / angst / smut   ✧ The second round of JiHope Week. 

« round and round » ✧ non au / angst / fluff / 1k   ✧ It takes a while for Hoseok to realize that he and Jimin are circling one another - have been circling one another - for a while now, but at least it all comes to an end one way or another.

« do you believe in magic? » ✧ magic au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Jimin’s the worst when it comes to control. Hoseok is an expert on it.

« skool luv affair » ✧ teachers au / fluff / 1k  ✧ When his student, Kim Taehyung, lets loose that the calculus teacher may have a crush on him, Hoseok doesn't really know what he should think...or maybe he does. 

« i’m coming home to you » ✧ magical realism au / witches au / fluff / 2k  ✧ He doesn't want to do this anymore. He cannot keep pretending to be something he isn't.

« new wave » ✧ mermaid au / fluff / 1k  ✧ "Yep," Jimin murmurs, fighting the urge to look down and meet Hoseok's gaze. "It got me thinking."  Hoseok shuffles on his knees. "Oh? What about?"  Jimin smiles. "Whether you're courting me or not."

« coming soon » ✧ uni au / fluff  ✧ “Hold me back.” 

« coming soon »   ✧ android au / angst / fluff 

jinkook 

« love like you » ✧ fantasy au / angst / 3k   ✧ Prince Seokjin has been cursed to be unable to love and it’s all Jeongguk’s fault. 

« from summer to winter, i’ll be yours » ✧ mythology au / fluff / angst / 6k   ✧ Seokjin had learned long ago that he and Jeongguk could never really be together, but his time as summer is almost over and he'll wait as long as he has to before winter comes to pass.

« cramped space » (m)  ✧ mile high club au / pwp / smut / 1k  ✧ Seokjin needs this to be quick. He really does, but he's also grateful to Jeongguk's libido for packing the travel-sized bottle of lube too.

jinmin 

« touch me soft, love me hard » ✧ non au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Jimin worries about how their performance at the AMAs will be received and Seokjin does his best to reassure him, glad when Jimin returns the favor.

junghope 

« the first and, hopefully, the last » ✧ teenagers au / fluff / 2k   ✧ Hoseok is seventeen years old, has known Jeongguk ever since the bunny-looking kid was born, and he has never been kissed. Luckily, his dongsaeng knows exactly what to do. 

« i got my tongue between your teeth » (m)  ✧ post-disbandment au / fluff / smut / 2k ✧ When they had all agreed to go their separate ways, Jeongguk never thought he would find himself here.

kim line  

« if the heavens ever did speak »  ✧ demon au / fluff / 2k  ✧ Seokjin and Taehyung are lust demons who have their sights set on Namjoon, an unassuming college student who definitely knows there is more going on behind closed doors. Good thing Namjoon is absolutely smitten with them.

« when that moon falls asleep » (m) ✧ slice of life / established relationship au / fluff / 2k  ✧ Aftercare, the fic. 

minjoon 

« to have and to hold » ✧ greek mythology au / angst / fluff / 4k   ✧ Namjoon falls and falls and falls, but Jimin is there to help him get back on his feet and find the truth within himself. 

« coming soon » (m) ✧ sub daddy/dom baby boy au / pwp / smut  

minjoonseok 

« you and me (+him) » (m) ✧ uni au / fluff / smut / angst  ✧ How minjoonseok came to be. 

multi 

« delights of december » ✧ xmas and new year’s au / fluff / angst / 6k   ✧ Three relationships create friction at a Christmas party and things fall apart only so they can be put back together again.

« love is quiet » (m) ✧ unrequited love au / angst / smut / 1k  ✧ When Taehyung first met Jimin, the first thing that ran through his head was "fuck, he's so pretty." The second thought had been "this is your friend's boyfriend, shut up." His third thought was "you don't even like guys." 

« now isn’t the time, nor the place » ✧ soulmate au / fluff / angst / 1k   ✧ Seokjin isn’t Namjoon’s soulmate. Hoseok is. 

« a love as strong as you » (✎) ✧ fae au / angst / fluff  ✧ The trials and perils of fae!Jeongguk learning to love. 

« build me a place i can call home » (m)  ✧ abo au / fluff / angst / mild smut / 3k  ✧ A collection of abo drabbles centered around nesting!

namgi 

« coming soon » ✧ greek mythology au / angst / fluff 

« coming soon » ✧ enemies to lovers au / angst / smut / fluff 

namjin 

« birthdays aren’t important, but you are » ✧ birthday au / fluff / 5k   ✧ That time Seokjin thought Namjoon was cheating on him when he tried to keep a secret.

« houses divided (and then united) » ✧ hp au / angst / fluff / 3k  ✧ Namjoon is pining after Head Boy Seokjin, but he might have to rethink his ideas about Houses first.

namkook 

« kiss, kiss, fall in love » (m) ✧ uni au / angst / fluff / smut / 19k  ✧ Kim Namjoon can admit he’s an idiot. He can also admit that he likes Jeon Jeongguk more than he should. 

« first snow » ✧ long distance relationship au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Jeongguk smiles at the smiley emoticon, the tiny feeling of nerves in his chest dissipating when he realizes that he's about to meet Namjoon! And then it comes back in tenfold when he realizes that he's about to meet Kim Namjoon! 

« namkook week 2018 » (m)  ✧ assortment of aus / fluff / smut / angst  ✧ A week dedicated to NamKook. 

« now you see me » ✧ non au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Jeongguk’s always felt like he was hiding the real him from the rest of his members, the men who practically raised him when they were trying to raise themselves at the same time. Now he feels it’s time to show his true colors to them because they’ll always love their maknae. He is more than sure of that.

« every time i look into your eyes (i see it) » ✧ childhood friends to lovers au / uni au / fluff / 5k  ✧ Jeongguk loves Namjoon, platonically and romantically and any other way that you can love a person, but would he ever admit that out loud?

namseok 

« arranged to be » (✎)  ✧ charbol au / arranged marriage au / angst  ✧ Hoseok has only ever exchanged a few words with Kim Namjoon and now his parents have informed him that they're getting married. Hoseok doesn't know why, how or even what the hell is going on and best friend Yoongi is of no help either. Hoseok's pretty sure he's screwed any way you look at it.

« namseok week 2018 »   ✧ assortment of aus / angst / fluff  ✧ A week dedicated to NamSeok. 

namyoonjin 

« crafts and magic and flowers » ✧ flower shop au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Yoonji hates Namjoon, it’s true, despite what her girlfriend, Jinah, may say about Yoonji actually thinking the glasses wearing blonde is cute. Yep, Yoonji hates him. Still, it’s better if he didn’t find out the two girls who own the flower shop are nature and love witches. Maybe.

« love and school days » ✧ teacher au / fluff / 1k ✧ Seokjin's students ask him how he's able to love two people at the same time and Seokjin explains that it isn't really that hard.

« for you, i’d give up my happiness »   ✧ “for you” mv au / angst / 2k   ✧ The boys all get together to help Jeongguk save up to go visit his girlfriend and Yoongi is the only reluctant one because he's actually in love with Jeongguk, but doesn't want to get in the way of his happiness.

ot7 

« meet me under the mistletoe » (m)  ✧ non au / fluff / mild smut / 2k ✧ Seokjin couldn't sleep, but after some kisses under the mistletoe, he felt whole again. 

« flowers and chocolate » (m) ✧ valentine’s day au / fluff / smut / 3k  ✧ Hoseok hadn't even known it was Valentine's Day, but when Mark oh-so-kindly reminded him, he rushed back home with flowers and chocolate and a proposal he wasn't really sure would be welcomed when he got back to his six boyfriends (but were they really his boyfriends? because he still didn't know and it'd been six years already so here goes).

« blow the candle, make a wish » ✧ non au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Hoseok really, really loves his members. He may as well ask them out.

« around the rim » (m)  ✧ sports au / fluff / smut / 4k  ✧ Yoongi thought they'd forgotten, but they always seemed to surprise him in the most pleasant of ways.

« trippin’, stumblin’ » (m)  ✧ forgotten birthday au / angst / fluff / 1k  ✧ Namjoon should be used to being forgotten. 

« wings are meant to fly » (m) ✧ soulmate au / fluff / angst / smut / 16k  ✧ Jeongguk doesn’t know how many soulmates he will have in total, but by the end of it, at least he’ll get his wings. 

« put on a show » (m)  ✧ friends to lovers au / smut / fluff / 4k  ✧ Seokjin loves his boys. Maybe not in the way that people generally love their friends since he frequently has threesomes with them, but he loves all six of his friends just the same.

« what we feel is the same » (m) ✧ reverse abo au / uni au / angst / fluff / 9k  ✧ In a world where omegas are on top of the food chain and alphas are treated like scum, Namjoon and Jeongguk are doing their best to do right by each other and their pack. 

« when tomorrow comes » ✧ the umbrella academy au / kids au / plaotnic / angst / 2k ✧ Today, Namjoon looks at his siblings beside him then at their brother lying in this hospital bed before them and thinks, I won’t let this happen again.

« arms, chest, thighs, and stubble » (m) newest  ✧ established relationship au / smut / fluff / 1k ✧ It feels beyond strange having someone’s tongue lap at his chin but Namjoon deals with it. He has weirder kinks than this.

sunshine line 

« falling (into you) » (m) ✧ fwb au / friends to lovers au / angst / fluff / smut / 9k  ✧ Ignoring the knife that's been shoved into his heart is a feat Taehyung never knew he was capable of, but when he turns back to face the couple in front of him, Taehyung realizes just how lonely he really is.

taegi 

« heaven is right here with you » (m)  ✧ angel/demon au / angst / fluff / 3k  ✧ Eventually, they realize that they don't need heaven to find peace.

« love blossoms in winter » (m) (✎)  ✧ fwb au / developing relationship au / angst / smut / fluff  ✧ TaeGi’s love during the season of winter. 

« taegi week 2017 » (m) ✧ assortment of aus / fluff / angst  ✧ A week dedicated to TaeGi.  

« sailing for love (sailing for you) » ✧ mermaid au / pirate au / angst / 1k  ✧ Taehyung has a way of making Yoongi do the things he definitely should not be doing and none of it is in Yoongi’s favor. 

taegikook 

« space for you » (m)  ✧ slice of life / fluff / 1k   ✧ Jeongguk latches onto him immediately, bringing Yoongi with him and it vividly reminds Taehyung of how they first came to be. 

« tangled up » (m)  ✧ childhood friends au / tentacles au / fluff / smut / 2k ✧ When Yoongi was eleven, he was forced to leave Taehyung and Jeongguk behind. Now, fourteen years later, he’s back and he is never going to let them go again.

taejin 

« slow hands » (m)  ✧ uni au / smut / 1k  ✧ The gentle hands of a lover, the slow, mesmerizing touch of a man. Maybe that’s all Taehyung needs. Maybe that’s all he really wants.

« overcast and in love » ✧ weather au / angst / fluff / 1k  ✧ “I'm scared,” Taehyung admits, his voice shaking. Seokjin takes him into his arms, holding him close as the tears start and the rain begins to fall upon them. “I know.”

« i jump on you » ✧ first date au / fluff / 1k  ✧ Taehyung is glad he didn't jump Seokjin's bones earlier because their date is going pretty well as far as first dates go. 

« the rainbow connection »   ✧ uni au / established relationship au / 2k  ✧ Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star? Somebody thought of that and someone believed it. And look what it’s done so far.

taekook 

« wings and wine »   ✧ greek mythology au / angst / fluff / 1k  ✧ He may have been the patron god of tricksters and thieves, but at least he was honest and Jeongguk found that to be the most important fact of all. 

vmon 

« double the trouble »   ✧ double proposal au / fluff / 2k  ✧ Taehee and Namjoo are ready to get married. Yoonji and Seokjin see to it that the two like-minded individuals mean it.

« it’s getting dark (but here comes the sun) »  ✧ future au / space au / angst / fluff / 3k ✧ He has been gone three years now and most likely will be gone for three more.

« the scent of a promised change » ✧ werewolf au / fantasy au / fluff / 2k  ✧ There is a boy in the woods.  

« how do i get to you again? » ✧ soulmates au / fluff / 1k ✧ Namjoon doesn’t remember any of the time they have spent together, Taehyung’s appearance, or even his name when he is awake, but they always remember in their shared dream.

« be showered with all those stars » ✧ abo au / fluff / 2k  ✧ Taehyung does not realize he’s in pre-heat until he comes home and immediately starts looking through the linens closet for extra sheets and pillows.

vmonkook   

« strawberry kisses » (m)    ✧ travel au / vampire au / bookshop au / fluff / smut / 5k ✧ When Namjoon and Jeongguk decide to travel to Transylvania, they end up staying long past the summer for one supernatural being with an obsession for strawberries.

yoon2seok 

« to busan we go » (m)   ✧ train to busan au / angst / horror / action / 6k / abandoned ✧ In the crazy of it all, Yoongi is just making sure the ones he loves make it through this.

yoonjin  

« yoonjin week » (m)  ✧ assortment of aus / angst / fluff / smut  ✧ A week dedicated to YoonJin. 

« what a spread » (m) (✎)  ✧ idol actor au / photographer au / strangers to lovers au / smut / fluff  ✧ Yoonjin and their morning routines.

« pumpkin pie » (m)  ✧ uni au / mild smut / 1k   ✧ "Fuck! My ex is here. Quick! Make out with me!" 

« let’s share the weight of the world » ✧ parent au / angst / fluff / 1k   ✧ Seokjin is nervous and excited and a little scared, but he's ready for this. He and Yoongi are both ready for this.

« let’s give it our all » (m)  ✧ soulmate au / uni au / fluff / angst / 13k ✧ Dread fills Seokjin as he continues to watch the video, only daring to speak once Namjoon's screen has gone dark. "Did I confess to Yoongi last night?"

« yoonjin week 2019 »   ✧ assortment of aus / fluff / angst  ✧ Second round of YoonJin Week.

yoonjinkook 

« minty fresh » (m)  ✧ abo au / uni au / fluff / angst / smut / 11k  ✧ Jeon Jeongguk has always had the worst of luck. Even when he met the two most wonderful men in the universe, it was under dire circumstances. Still, maybe his luck isn't so bad after all.

« tear me down (build me up) » (m) ✧ abo au / pwp / smut / fluff / 1k  ✧ Jeongguk fucking hates IKEA furniture. Yoongi and Seokjin make it better. 

yoonkook 

« bitter » ✧ coffee shop au / angst / 1k  ✧ The coffee shop is Yoongi’s entire life, which isn’t saying much. To Jeongguk though, it’s just a summer thing.  

« home for christmas » ✧ xmas au / fluff / light angst  / 1k  ✧ Yoongi freaks out over how to make Jeongguk's first real Christmas memorable, but Jeongguk appreciates the little things and doesn't mind. He's quite at home with how things are. Still, the thought is kind and Jeongguk loves Yoongi lots.

« stardust » ✧ soulmate au / parent au / fluff / angst / 17k  ✧ Soulmates are supposed to be your other half, your same bit of stardust, but when Yoongi meets his soulmate, he turns and runs with his tail between his legs. He has too much at stake to fall back in love again. 

« my memories still go to that cafe » ✧ coffee shop au / fluff / angst / humor / 12k  ✧ "Holy shit," Blondie whispers under his breath — almost quiet enough that Jeongguk could pretend he never even heard him — as his face slowly flushes a darker red by the second. 

yoonminjoonseok

« honeycomb for a heart » ✧ hybrid au / fluff / 1k ✧ Yoongi never actually expected to build his own hive.  

yoonminseok 

« moonless marigold » (m)  ✧ soulmate au / uni au / angst / fluff / smut / 40k  ✧ "You see in black and white until you meet your soulmate." "Why? That sounds horrible, Mom." "Because nothing else should bring to you the beauty of a flurry of colors like your soulmate should, Hobi." 

« they’re like ocean waves » (m)   ✧ surfer au / angst / fluff / mild smut / 4k / abandoned ✧ Jung Hoseok is a hotshot surfer entering the biggest competition of his life and Park Jimin is a judge who just saved his life (but who also actually hates Hoseok?). Hoseok isn't very sure, all he knows is that Yoongi has been in love with him for years and now he wants to have a threesome with Jimin. Go figure. Seokjin just makes sure that Hoseok doesn't ruin all their hard work again.

« moonless marigold 2.0 » (✎)  ✧ soulmate au / uni au / angst ✧ Hoseok has horrible luck and of course finding and attaining his soulmate wouldn’t be easy. On top of that, college fucking sucks.

« two in one » (m)  ✧ slice of life / smut / fluff / 2k  ✧ Yoongi’s barely walked through the door, but that won’t stop whatever Jimin and Hoseok have up their sleeves.

« moonlight in the day » ✧ slice of life / fluff / 1k   ✧ All Hoseok wants to do when he finally gets home is sleep. For a few hours at least, or maybe an entire day, who knows actually. However much sleep will get his jet lag to take a hike is fine with him. 

« if these sheets were the states » (m)  ✧ online romance au / angst / smut / 2k  ✧ The drive from Connecticut to Illinois is long. Not as long as the drive from Illinois to California will be, but at least Yoongi will have company for that leg of the journey.

« late night runs (late night love) » ✧ midnight grocery shopping au / fluff / 2k   ✧ Yoongi doesn't generally hate the fact that he and his boyfriends are night people... But there are times like now when Yoongi wishes that his boyfriends were more of day people instead. 

« the beginning of us (three) » (m)  ✧ abo au / angst / smut / 2k  ✧ Jimin thought that Hoseok was it for him, that he would only ever have him in his life, but then Yoongi goes into heat and shows Jimin that maybe he has always known there was something missing from their lives. Who could have guessed that it would be Yoongi though? 

© hungline 2016-2020 

[arthachbroin]

Prompt: pomegranate

Already long days seemed endlessly longer when there was no night. And the past few days had been...incredibly long. To deal with the attack on the Crystarium, and then the entire business in Amh Araeng --- though the stress of that was Thancred and Ryne more so than the Lightwarden --- and then finally dealing with Eulmore only to watch Vauthry fly away to Mt. Gulg...it was a hells of a lot to process.

At least the Eulmorans were kind enough now to give them all rooms to rest in overnight (so to speak), and then they and the volunteers would head out to the Ladder in the ‘morning’ to get it working. Brona could appreciate that. It gave her some time to be alone --- Ardbert was probably still thinking about things, she hadn’t seen him for a while --- and...she needed that. There had really been no time to process their last conversation with Emet-Selch, and she desperately needed that time, now, time to...come to terms with what she’d suspected all along.

What he was seeing, when he looked at her....that sad, pained recognition in his eyes that would flicker in and out in the moments grasped just between the two of them...she had an answer for it. It had begun in the Ravel, when he told them the truth of what the Ascians were, the truth of what Hydaelyn and Zodiark were. An ancient civilization, lost to the two..the two primals’ battle, after having been saved from an apocalypse only thanks to the summoning of Zodiark...that was hard enough to imagine, but to hear that the Ascians were the only survivors of that first world, that Emet-Selch one of three souls that had not been split among the shards when the sundering occurred? It was horrifying. Oh, not what she was. She was quite confident in her own identity, even knowing--- even knowing she was only a fraction of the soul she had once been. That person was gone, she’s sure, even if they were to make the soul whole again. All that remains is her, is Brona. But...

But gods, how could one man bear all that? Eons of solitude, of despair, of grief and mourning and a loss that no one could ever fathom? Having lived through much of the War of the Magi, she’s no stranger to nigh-apocalypses, but--- to save your world only to have it shattered? Oh, to know that they’re tempered made so much more sense, but...even tempered, he was so mortal, so real, so sad...it was like what she was seeing was the man beneath, the pieces of who he had once been, in those moments. 

And...what he was seeing, was who she had once been. She had suspected, when he spoke of things in the Ravel, but when he explained the scope of the sundering, she had been sure. Whoever she had been, Emet-Selch had known them. Whoever she had been, he...had cared for them. Missed them. She must share some similarities, she thought. Enough that it pained him to look at her, even if he couldn’t pull his eyes away. She wondered, perhaps, if these feelings weren’t hers, were the lingering ghosts of who she had been, but...perhaps it didn’t matter. They were there, how she felt, and she wouldn’t deny it. Even if she still had to stop him, still would stop him, she didn’t want to deny this. Why deny herself something...one thing, one selfish thing, she should be allowed to have it. It wouldn’t stop her from doing what needed to be done, she knew that. So why not let herself have these feelings? 

She sat on the edge of the bed (huge and fluffy, fancy and elegant like the whole room) and rolled a fruit in her hand, something round and bright red--- she wasn’t able to remember its name, but it was in a huge bowl of exotic fruit that sat on the table in the room, and it had looked interesting. She wasn’t sure how to eat it either, but it was something to do with her hands as she thought. The shutters were closed and the lamplight was low, and she could almost pretend it was night, but she wasn’t....she was exhausted, but she didn’t want to sleep. Didn’t think she could, with all the thoughts running through her head. So distracted was she, she didn’t notice when someone else entered the room --- not that she would have heard him, as he didn’t use the door --- and didn’t notice until a gloved hand reached to pluck the fruit from hers. She gasped, head shooting up, and he was there. “Emet---?” 

“A pomegranate,” he mused quietly. “Did you know there was a legend about this fruit, once? I can’t recall which empire, which kingdom. There have been so many over the eons. But I do recall the story. A spirit of nature lured deep into the land of the dead by its king...he offered her a fruit, and she ate it, and it bound her there as his consort for all eternity--- but thanks to a certain hero, she was freed, but only partially...I believe it was supposed to explain the seasons, but who knows? Mortals make up the silliest stories to make sense of what they could never understand...”

Brona watched him a moment--- he wasn’t looking at her, only the fruit, and she tilted her head before reaching and taking it back. “So what does that make us?” She asked him, voice low and daring and unafraid. “Are you the king of the dead, trying to lure me into your realm for eternity?” She openly eyed the fruit, rolling it in her hands. “I wonder what that spirit thought about it all. Was she lured there and tricked, did she mourn the loss of her freedom, or did she choose to go with him willingly, knowing that she risked it all if she did?” She paused, and then looked up at him, meeting pale gold eyes that watched her silently, that same sad pain in them as always. “Isn’t it a little strange, though, that he offered her a fruit? Why would there be fruit in the land of the dead?”

She stood, and on a whim, she held it out to him, still holding his gaze. “Maybe,” she said. “It was the nature spirit who offered him the fruit. Hoping to lure the lonely king of the dead out of his realm and into the world above, she followed him down and gave him the fruit. I think I almost like that version better. What do you think, Emet-Selch?”

There was silence a moment, and for a brief second she thought worriedly she might have gone too far this time, but then a hand moved quickly to grab her wrist and pull her forward--- the fruit rolled out of her hand and to the floor, forgotten, as she was pressed close to his chest; she could feel his heartbeat, his breathing, as if he were truly a flesh and blood man, and to her faint surprise she realized he smelled good, some unrecognizable scent that was strangely pleasing all the same, warm and earthy. “I think,” came his voice, so close she could feel his breath against her skin as she looked up to see him looking down at her. “That if you’re under the impression that you can save me, hero, you’re sadly mistaken. I am tempered. You know as well as I there is nothing you can do, no matter how many pretty words you speak, no matter how misguidedly sincere your desire is.”

“I know that,” she replied, not moving from where he held her. “And I know that come tomorrow, come the next day, come whatever happens next, you are my enemy. What you want...I understand. I even sympathize. And I wish there were another way. But there isn’t, and that means I have to stop you, no matter how sincere your desire is for us to cooperate.” Her eyes flickered away, but then she looked up at him, determined--- it clearly caught him off guard, and his eyes widened slightly in turn. “But that’s tomorrow.” She said, gently. “For right now, for tonight, for this moment, can we pretend otherwise? Don’t tell me you don’t want to. I can see it in your eyes. I’ve always seen it.” She felt him stiffen at that, but she continued. “You’ve never been able to hide it from me. And I’m not stupid, incomplete as I might be to your eyes. I can read between the lines. I might not know who, I might not know what...but I know you see someone else when you look at me.” She closed her eyes, giving him a moment to make whatever face he wanted, safe from her gaze. “I’m not them. You know as well as I that I’m not. But if you let me pretend for tonight that I can save you, that we aren’t enemies...”

Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it was wrong. Maybe it was cruel to both of them, to let him pretend she was whoever he once cared for, to ask him to let her pretend they could be more...but it was only this moment. Only now. Tomorrow they would be enemies again. Tomorrow they would fight, or whatever came after Vauthry’s fall. But maybe it was more cruel to simply let this go, whatever this was or could be, and never even give themselves the chance to taste it. Something she could carry with her even if she ended up having to strike him down, something she could hold onto. Something...one thing, one moment of happiness to fight back the shadows of his eons of pain and loss. Where they didn’t have to be a monster or a Warrior of Light. Where---

And then he kissed her. 

Whatever thoughts she’d had flew out of her head, eyes shooting open--- clearly he’d made his own choice on the matter, on her offer, and it was--- his hand was still around her wrist, but his other came up to cup her face, holding it still as his lips claimed hers. It was...she’d never been kissed like this, she thought dazedly, unable to think much more than that as she returned it. It was dizzying, intense and desperate and needy, like it was, like she was something intrinsic to his survival, like she was the most important thing in the world. No one had ever kissed her like she was this needed, this important, and she melted into it, legs no longer able to hold her weight. Not that she needed to, as she distantly registered him backing her up the few steps into the bed, and distantly felt the backs of her legs bumping against it. She fell backwards easily, and felt his hands pinning hers to the bed--- she didn’t know how far this would go, but crazily, dazedly, dizzily she thought she wouldn’t care at all, no matter how far it went. To be wanted, to be needed like this, even if it was just--- even if it was just him seeing the shadow of the person he had once cared for, once loved if this was any indication, it--- she needed that. 

The weight of his hands vanished for a moment, and heady with the thrill of the kiss she made to fling her arms around his neck, digging fingers into the back of his coat and pulling him closer to her. She could hear, distant, the sound of his boots scuffing on the floor as he lost his balance, feel the weight of him as he fell against her, but she didn’t care at all. Only when his hands returned to her, warm bare flesh brushing against her arms to pull her loose, did any coherent thought return--- he’d removed his gloves, was her first thought, and then she gasped as he broke the kiss, breathing heavily and dizzy, blinking like she’d just woken up as she tried to focus on what was going on now. He was still leaning over her, against her, his own face flushed and breath coming in gasps, but there was something strange in his eyes, not that sad-pained recognition but something she was too out of it to name. 

“What...what did this?” He asked, his voice quiet, and it took her a moment to realize what he was asking. A moment to remember she was in her nightgown, not her usual clothes, a loose sleeveless thing that did nothing to hide the vicious old scars on her arms, the scars she’d gained over the three years she’d been imprisoned in that place, the study halls that had tormented and tortured her until she had been given to...well, that didn’t bear thinking of tonight. It was enough that the scars were visible, and it was those his eyes had landed on, those his fingers pressed against. They were painful scars, streaks of burns and crackles of lightning-scars twining around her arms, discolored patches and blotches where cruel magic stained her skin, marks of all they had done. Her cheeks colored, though it wasn’t shame--- she could never be ashamed, knowing the reason she had gained them--- it...she simply...it was hard to find the words to explain.

“...it doesn’t matter,” she murmured finally, shifting her other hand to rest atop where his lingered over one of the many scars. “I don’t remember. It all blurs together after a while. But it’s alright. If it wasn’t me, it would have been children, and I will never regret a single one of these that I gained instead of them.” She felt him shudder against her, and his head fell to tuck against her, pressed into the crook of her neck. Absently, she moved her hand again to rest in his hair, short and soft, and stroked it gently. “If it makes you feel any better,” she began with a wry smile he couldn’t see. “That was after I killed two people who’d been doing some rather unpleasant things. I can’t imagine I’d been very popular to begin with.”

A muffled laugh escaped him, then, and he was quiet a moment, before he spoke, and she fell silent to listen. “...you are so like her, sometimes,” he said quietly, voice more mortal and real than she’d ever heard it before. “Your compassion, your kindness...that heroic selflessness of yours...I see her in you, then. But--- then you say things like that and it--- you are someone else entirely, someone I don’t know. Someone wild and mad and brave and sharp-tongued and nothing like she was...” His voice grew pained, and...she thought perhaps it wasn’t grief that sharpened that pain, but uncertainty. “I...”

“Don’t think about it too hard,” she told him gently. “It’s not something you can find an answer to immediately, I think. But...” She trailed off thoughtfully, hand still in his hair. “...is it someone you want to know?” She asked at last, uncertainty coloring her own voice. “Because...I would very much like to know you, for what it’s worth. For what time we have in this moment.”

He was silent for a moment, long enough that her breath caught in her throat, but then he shifted back to look at her again, and though his eyes and face were completely unreadable, he watched her for a moment, and then leaned in to kiss her again. It was gentler this time, still needy but not quite so desperate, and he broke it quicker to meet her gaze with his. “That’s an answer I don’t know that I can give you, my dear,” he admitted, voice quiet, and she didn’t think she could blame him for that. “But you are...not someone I would dislike knowing. That much I can say.” He shifted to cup her face with a hand, and she leaned into it automatically. “...for tonight, perhaps, though....I can say yes.”

A moment of silence came after that, but it wasn’t that taut silence of the last few times, where the whole world stilled and froze and waited--- just a gentle silence, as they watched each other, eyes soft, just for this moment. Things would be left unsaid, forever left unspoken, she knew that. Tomorrow would come and they would be at odds again, and in the end she may well have to kill him, and they would never really know what could have been. But for right now, they could pretend that whatever this is has a future.

Music floated up from below, a bright and jaunty tune, and she laughed, shaking her head as they both shifted to sit up and listen. “Celebrating their freedom, perhaps?” She wondered aloud, amused. “I think it’s been going on and off all night. A bit preemptive, I guess, but I don’t think Eulmorans need an excuse.” That got a chuckle out of him, and he shook his head. 

“They don’t,” he said quietly, and watched the shutters quietly, where the music came muffled in from, before standing abruptly, turning to face her and pull her to her feet as well. “Do you know how to dance?” He asked suddenly, and she blinked at him, the embarrassed flush on her face answer enough. He smiled at that, then, and tugged her out into the open area of the floor between bed and table. “You’re free to step on my feet as much as you like,” he told her, and paused to listen to the song end--- the next one was a waltz, she knew that much, and he laughed quietly again, moving to place her hands where they were supposed to go, his hand taking her waist, and he pulled her into the dance. It was awkward, at first, her bare feet stumbling to keep up with his easy steps, and she found herself red and embarrassed and pouting as he laughed at her, though it wasn’t very genuine--- his smile and the warmth that sparkled in his eyes was something she knew she never would see again, and she wanted to memorize it, enjoy it to its fullest. To enjoy all of this, this wonderful night where someone wanted her, needed her, where she could pretend he loved her, or that he could. That they could...they couldn’t. She knew it. But for tonight, for this moment, as they laughed and danced in this room in Eulmore, with the eternal light beating down outside the window...

For tonight, they could both have a taste of the thing they would never be able to keep. Their forbidden fruit, their time together before they were separated again, the king of the dead and the spirit of nature. Though unlike that story, they would never see one another again after this. It was no cycle of seasons, not this tale, no faerie story that had a good ending. But for tonight, for tonight they could pretend.

For tonight they could laugh and dance until they wore themselves out, tumbling back onto the bed where they lay curled up together, still laughing and talking about nothing, about anything at all, about the inane and silly things that had nothing to do with who they had to be in the morning --- and stealing kisses --- until exhausted, she dozed off in his arms. 

In the morning, she would wake up alone, the only sign he had ever been there the covers tucked neatly around her and the pomegranate sitting on the pillow beside her head. In the morning, it would be over.

But...she would have that night, that one night, forever. And...whatever happened next, at least she had that.

[trulycertain]

Dignity

Skyhold fluff, and Gal’s battles with the Helm of the Inquisitor. 1.8k.

Dorian walks into the undercroft to discuss those odd spirit-shards with Dagna, and then stops. And stares. And he can’t quite restrain his laughter. It echoes along with the sound of the falls.

Gal would probably be glaring if not for the oversized helm that covers his eyes completely and ends some way past his jaw. The noseguard touches his chin. He looks like a boy stealing his father’s armour.

“I told Harrit it needed some adjustments,” Dagna pipes up from behind him.

Dorian tries to recover his composure. “…Adjustments. Yes.” He stalks over to Gal, examining it in morbid fascination. “Well, it’ll certainly have a striking effect on our enemies.”

Gal mumbles something, and it’s lost in the echo of silverite.

“Can you see?” Dorian asks. He steps forward and lifts the helm slightly to peer into Gal’s eyes, receiving - ah, yes, a half-hearted glare for his trouble.

“Can when you do that,” Gal answers. He sighs. “I thought the wings were too much.”

“Oh, no, they add something… indefinable.” He remembers, then, and he gently lets the metal go. It slides back into place, probably throwing Gal once again into darkness. “Is this from those plans you found in the Wastes?”

Gal nods, and the helm wobbles. Dorian uses every ounce of will he has to keep his laughter silent.

Gal says, “You’re mocking me.”

“I have no idea what you mean. I’m the pinnacle of solemnity. And you’re laughing.”

Even under the helm, it’s obvious that Gal is biting back a grin. “No idea what you mean,” he echoes. “I’m just glad Sera isn’t here.” They both snort at that thought, and Gal slides the helm off his head, handing it back to Dagna and saying to her, “Thank you. Could you tell Harrit that I’ll be back in to talk about adjustments?”

For a woman raised under stone, Dagna has a remarkably sunny smile. “Sure. We’ll have it done before you can say ‘Corypheus’.”

Gal smiles back - the small, true one he uses for friends, no trace of the Inquisitor in it. It makes him look freer, more approachable, and… interesting. He’s foregone the war paint today, not even wearing the kohl; it’s possibly the third time that’s happened now. Dorian wonders if people have been startled by the fresh-faced stranger who keeps talking like he leads them. “You’re amazing,” Gal says, with that frightening sincerity.

Laughing, she says, “Only a little.”

Gal’s still grinning when he turns back to Dorian. “I’ll just - “ he starts, jabbing a thumb doorwards and starting to leave.

Dorian has, oddly enough, completely forgotten what his business here was. He falls into step with Gal and says, “No, no, I’ll accompany you. We can discuss further adjustments.” Then he says, for Gal’s ears only, “Should I be jealous?” It’s light, an obvious joke. Gal’s interests lie elsewhere. Besides, it’s not as if he has any sort of claim -

Gal gives him a look, even edged as it is with laughter, and then says into his ear, “Not like you have to be. You know you’re amazing.” Gal’s mouth… lingers somewhat, and Dorian feels the slightest scrape of stubble, that smile against his cheek. “And one more word about the helm and I’m putting you in official plaidweave.”

Dorian looks over his shoulder but only sees Dagna, who appears to be grinning into her research and barely pretending not to eavesdrop. She looks up to give him a cheery wave. He returns it, trying not to show his surprise, before he says, “That would be an abuse of your power - “

“I’m stuck being Inquisitor. Might as well enjoy it,” Gal says, looking almost… fiendish.

 “Inquisitor?”

Leliana raised an eyebrow when he walked into this meeting. Gal doesn’t think it’s come down since. She looks too knowing, and like she might be trying not to laugh.

Fuck. He can’t be that obvious. Can he? He used to be good at this. Impassivity, he remembers being told, is the mask of the templar. You must be able to assume it at will. There’s barely been a second’s delay while he tries to focus, and he says, “I’m with Cullen. Adjust their rations? They can’t like being trapped in the Western Approach.”

He’s been listening, and he has been thinking of the Western Approach. (But he’s also been thinking of the night before, and the way Dorian looked asleep, and that low laughter at something he’d said. Also of when he’d given an honest compliment, called him a good man, and Dorian had just stared. Dorian Pavus, speechless.)

There are nods and murmurs of assent. They’ve dealt with most of it: preparations for the Winter Palace, and for protecting the empress. Josephine’s been saying something about dress uniforms and looking at him with interest. That worries him. She’s doing it now, but her interest’s of a different kind - worry’s on her face. She watches him but she doesn’t say anything, and he’s grateful.

He heads to the rookery with Leliana to collect a couple of letters. Goes to the tavern and tells Bull and Krem about a job for the Chargers. Visits Dagna to ask her about the rune that’ll break Samson’s armour, and asks about the helm gently as he can. He knows she’s doing five things at once, usually for him. Shouldn’t ask for more.

There’s more to do, but he’s walking past the kitchens when someone grabs his arm. A sharp-nosed woman, with dark hair and a severe expression, and she nods. “Inquisitor.”

He takes his hand off his sword hilt, nods back. “I…” He hasn’t got her name. It shames him.

She sighs. “I’m a cook. Haven’t got the apron on yet. And we’ve all seen you about. Eat, before you fall over.” She presses something into his hand.

He blinks and moves to thank her, but she’s already gone and he’s not certain following her would be right. He frowns at… something wrapped up and shrugs.

He ends up sitting under the biggest tree in the gardens. A few people have given him odd looks, but generally he’s glared back and they haven’t tried to disturb him. He balances the parcel on his knee and unwraps it, still wary. Raises the contents to eye level and squints.

“Remarkably well-disguised, isn’t it?”

He looks over his shoulder in surprise.

Dorian saunters over and continues, “If it is an assassination attempt. Myself, I think it may just be a ham sandwich.”

Gal examines it one more time in wonder. “She’s used decent mustard. I didn’t know we had mustard.”

Sitting next to him, Dorian replies, “Oh, I’ve noticed. I’ll take it, if you’re not interested.”

Gal pretends to glare at him, then looks back to the sandwich. Rewraps it and puts it aside. He takes the morning’s letters out of his pockets, half-looks at them and mutters, “Inquisitor has first rights on all sandwiches.” They both seem to be requisitions requests. Business in the Emprise, mainly.

“You’re a tyrant.”

“A well-fed tyrant.” He lays the letters next to him, weighing the parchment down with his belt dagger. Then he looks up. He tries not to let everything show on his face, but he knows he’s failing. “I… Good morning.”

With a nod, Dorian says, “Good morning.” There’s a glint in his eye when he speaks again. “Do you know how hard it is to sneak out of your quarters when you’re not even beside me to provide a pretext? I can’t have an important meeting with myself, no matter how hard I try. The guards are trying not to laugh at me. Which might be why one somehow found himself startled by a dead spider.” He tilts his head. “Formerly dead, anyhow. Uncontrolled releasing of magic. Terrible accident. Tevinters are less disciplined about that sort of thing. I think that was what he was saying, at least.”

Gal snorts. “Don’t antagonise the troops.”

“What if they antagonise me first?”

“They’ve been doing that since Haven.”

Dorian pauses and looks like he’s considering that. “True.”

Gal looks at him interestedly. “Are we still doing pretexts? Thought most people knew.”

“If by ‘most people’ you mean our friends and that messenger you terrified with your sex hair - “

Gal puts his face in his palm. “Least I was dressed.”

“There’s that, yes. I’d say she took it rather well, all told.”

“That’s because she already knew.”

“She… I’m sorry?” Dorian raises a brow, his eyes just this side of wide.

“Think she saw me kiss you goodbye first time I left for the Wastes.”

“Ah.” Dorian exhales, nodding.

Gal sighs. “And I’d kiss you now, but half the troops are here for morning rations and Mother Giselle’s glaring at us. Thought you’d mind.”

Dorian leans back against the tree and says casually, “The troops are all here to see if you’re really consorting with the Magister of Skyhold. The Revered Mother knows you are, and frankly I think her face might be stuck like that.”

“...Oh.”

“Rather puts a dampener on things, doesn’t it?”

Gal looks around and considers it. “Could be worse. At least there aren’t any demons.” He thinks about it. Realising he’s tempting fate, he adds, “Yet.”

Dorian huffs a laugh. “Yet,” he echoes. “But I meant what I said.” At Gal’s questioning look, he points to the sandwich. “Eat that, before I do.”

Gal silently looks at his idea of treasure. Looks back to Dorian. Calculates which one of them is faster.

Dorian looks back, obviously doing the same.

Giving Dorian a pointed look, Gal reaches for the sandwich, takes away the paper and bites into it. Then he makes a noise that severely startles the Revered Mother and makes several of the troops turn pink. “’S good,” he manages at Dorian’s loud silence.

Dorian raises an eyebrow.

Gal just mumbles, “Fuck pretexts,” and goes back to the sandwich, making a note to thank that cook and watching Dorian try not to laugh at Mother Giselle’s expression.

  The helm looks slightly less ridiculous after the adjustments, even if the dragon-wings would make several magisters raise an eyebrow. In Dorian’s opinion, anyway.

Gal buckles the chin-strap as they’re leaving Skyhold, walking tall and proud, and almost looks like something out of some old tome. An entirely stereotypical hero, except for the Tevinter pariah in his bed, Dorian tries not to think as they walk through the main hall with Sera and Cassandra.

And then Varric says from behind them, with a smirk in his voice, “Taking the Galahat for a spin?”

Sera cackles, Dorian makes a choked-off noise, and even Cassandra’s mouth is twitching.

Gal freezes. Then he turns, very, very slowly - all six-foot-odd of him, war paint very much present - and then simply looks at Varric. “I…” He put his head in his hands, suddenly looking very unheroic indeed. “Fuck,” he mumbles. “That’s… actually not bad. Or... really bad.”

Varric’s laughter is quiet, but smug. “Yeah, I thought so.”

Gal shakes his head and starts the walk again.

“You’re laughing,” Dorian says, as they head under the portcullis.

“Don’t know what you mean.”

“I can hear you trying not to snicker like an overgrown child.”

“Plaidweave,” is all Gal says.

“Tyrant,” Dorian responds. It sounds far, far too fond.

[truecantaloupelove-blog]

Steven Universe Finale (FanFic): “The Shattering- Part 1″

Hey, everyone! Welcome to my Steven Universe fanfic finale: this is how I’D imagination the perfect end to one of the best kids’ cartoons in the last 50 years. I little background; part of this fan episode was born from my frustration throughout Season 4, I felt the side episodes were taking up too much time, and there wasn’t as much attention devoted to fusion, gem lore, good action scenes and music like their was in previous seasons. Well, if you want something done right, do it yourself, so this fan work has the full package: fusion, battle, the cluster, ALL the Diamonds, some of of our favorite sidelined heroes returning to the action, and so much more.

A word of warning: this story does contain one OC of mine; a homeworld gem agent named Holy War Quartz. I really enjoy her as a character, I think she’s plucky and strong-willed in a very fun way, but I know how people feel about OCs so I tried not to give her too invasive of a roll in the story.

This episode is meant to take place during the final Homeworld invasion of the Earth, where things REALLY go down and get tense. I’ve filled in some of the gaps in lore that we haven’t learned yet, but I’ve still tried to keep it as close to canon as possible.

This is a fan-friendly, inclusive episode for everyone, just like the creators would want. Anyone is welcome to enjoy it, and there shouldn’t be anything offensive or upsetting in this to longtime hardcore fans of the series like me. Part 2 is one the way soon, so with that, enjoy!

Steven Universe—Series Finale:

S06 E25: “The Shattering”

A Fan-Made Episode

 (Opening credits)

NARRATOR: On the last “Steven Universe” things had gotten pretty heated for our heroes—literally. (Shot of all the Crystal Gems and Connie trapped in a cage above a chasm filled with lava and brimstone) The nefarious Yellow Diamond had captured all but one of the Crystal Gems and decided to hold them as hostage for leverage against the remnants of Earth. But any sort of human counterattack was unlikely as Homeworld’s invasion of Earth was in full force; and all resistances to the relentless assault were being pummeled.

(Scenes of battalions of Quartz, Topaz, and Ruby soldiers decimating sieging and decimating major cities around the globe) As if that wasn’t enough; the cluster had finally begun to emerge, and the effects on the Earth’s tectonic plates were cataclysmic. Steven Universe led a brave defense for his hometown of Beach City, but when a great tremor split the boardwalk in two and swallowed the bulk of its citizens into the earth, this battle too proved futile—and tragic.

(A Quartz soldier spears Greg through the chest. Steven is seen holding his bleeding father, crying) Mortally wounded, Greg Universe was left for dead in the infirmary, but the rage of his father’s loss empowered Steven to do something he’d never been able to do before. (Steven screams a howl of agony and begins to transform, growing older, meaner, stronger) The pain caused him to finally break through the barrier of his pre-pubescent body, transforming this meek, effeminate child into a stout, brawny man bent on revenge. Enraged, he cut a lethal swath deep into the ranks of Homeworld’s forces, but even this effort would have come to naught had it not been for the sudden arrival of a new, shocking, and unexpected ally.

(White Diamond emerges, wielding massive twin swords. He intervenes as Steven is about to be overwhelmed in his berserker rage; the two of them pull together and manage to beat back the enemy) Together, these two brave warriors managed to drive off the invasion party—for now. But the Earth is in a dire state, and all of the forces of Homeworld are massed between Steven and his imperiled friends. Can Steven and the renowned White Diamond possibly hope to turn the tides of this war? Can they save their friends and neutralize the cluster before it fully emerges, wreaking devastation upon the planet? Is this humanity’s last bow? Find out on today’s “Steven Universe”!

 (Aerial shot of Beach City; buildings are in splinters and fires are smoldering everywhere. The Big Donut, its roof ripped off and two of the walls collapsed in, is being used as a makeshift hospital; the remnants of Beach City’s citizens who aren’t too wounded to walk scramble around trying to bring the triage under control. Steven stands over his unconscious father, fists clenched)

STEVEN: Dear old Dad, I remember you once told that no matter what happened, there would always be a guardian angel out there to protect me. Well, now I need that angel more than ever, and only too late I learned you were lying. Yet somehow even now, I can’t bring myself to hate you for it.

(He surveys the wreckage of the city) I was once a boy with a home. With hopes and dreams. With a family, or at least what counted as a family in this decadent world. Now, when the true weakness, the feebleness of my world is exposed for what it is, and when all the rot and decay is stripped away, what am I left with? Nothing. Nothing but the fury, and my own restless thoughts to keep me company.

(As he ponders, a mutant gem monster the size of a rhino bursts through the perimeter and tears havoc through the town. Steven goes for his sword but is too slow. The gem monster is about to trample him when a white crystal blade slashes through its deformed body from behind, poofing it instantly. White Diamond stands there, his chest bare-shirted and his lips opened on a snarl)

WHITE DIAMOND: Keep your guard up, Half-Breed! I can’t afford to be watching your back every second!

STEVEN: (Dispassionately) Oh, yeah. Thanks. (He takes the mutant gemstone and bubbles it) Guess I owe you one.

WHITE DIAMOND: I mean it, Universe. You’re no use to me as an ally if you’re dead.

STEVEN: I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that you want to be my ally in the first place: I’ve turned Gems before, but never this fast.

WHITE DIAMOND: Don’t flatter yourself; this has nothing to do with you personally, it’s a simple strategic analysis. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

STEVEN: That’s funny, I thought the Diamonds were on the same team.

WHITE DIAMOND: You really don’t understand your own culture even now, do you? You’re comrades-at-arms must have left you woefully ignorant.

STEVEN: (Bitterly) Well, they weren’t exactly the type for answering questions when asked.

WHITE DIAMOND: I’ll give you the shortened version, if only because it expedites my purposes. The truth is, Universe, that there is only one Diamond Patriarch, the White Diamond. This is the way it has been from ages immemorial: one Diamond, to rule them all. All planets, all gems, all the knowledge and technology of Homeworld ultimately belong to him. All the other Diamonds serve him as members of his court, or, as you more primitive humans might call it, his harem.

I too was the ruler of Homeworld, once, like my predecessor and the predecessor before him. But I made the first mistake any Gem can make: I fell in love. Pink Diamond, she was truly the most beautiful of all creatures, and I loved her more than any of my other concubines. So I spoiled her, and pampered her, and did something no White Diamond had ever done, or ever should do. I gave her a planet of her own, to rule. But Yellow Diamond took exception to our love, she became bitter and envious of her sister and plotted how she might take revenge. It took centuries for her plan to be carried out, but finally she found the perfect opportunity, and in one fell swoop, she tricked me, draining my power and forcing me to take residence in this diminished, weakened form. She deposed me, usurping my throne and my birthright. She set herself up as the new tyrant of Homeworld, with that simpering blue peon at her side. She rewrote history, she massacred millions of gems who resisted her blasphemous treason, and she divided the Gem empire, knowing it to be beyond her capacity to rule.

It is fitting, in a way, that the ancient grudge between us should be settled on this planet, where it began so long ago. I have had to live as an exile and a wanderer for thousands of years, but at long last my aching thirst for revenge is about to be slaked. But I’ve learned how to plot, I’ve learned how to wait out the centuries and play her long game. When I re-ascend to take my rightful place as Lord and Master of all Gemkind, I won’t make the same mistake she did. Let me be clear: Yellow Diamond won’t escape this day with her life.

STEVEN: (Wryly) I thought you said you were giving me the short version.

(WHITE DIAMOND yanks him off his feet by the scruff of his pink shirt. Even in his diminished size, he’s still nearly ten feet tall)

WHITE DIAMOND: I will not have my plans for vengeance foiled by your lack of conviction! This day is about more than either of us, Half-Breed! This is restoring the rightful order to the Universe. I have no love of Yellow Diamond; the Kingdom of Gemkind has gone to ruin in her hands! She knows this, she knows full well that only a White Male Diamond is fit to rule our kind, and yet she persists in her debauched, unholy reign, pretending to be a leader when she was created to be nothing more than a consort. I’m going to end her charade, and you’re going to help me do it, Half-Breed. You play a vital role to my plans, and therefore, I order you to stay focused and alert!

STEVEN: If means getting revenge, you don’t have to tell me twice. Now put me down. (White Diamond does so) So, what is our plan?

WHITE DIAMOND: Yellow Diamond currently holds my stolen energy, which puts us at the disadvantage. However, I still know her weaknesses. If we can make it to the throne room, I only need a few minutes of diversion to reabsorb my power, and once that happens, this entire war will be over.

STEVEN: Seems simple.

WHITE DIAMOND: Not quite. Yellow Diamond and her pusillanimous blue lackey are cowards by nature; her flagship is going to be surrounded by literal legions of soldiers, each tier stronger than the last. I know how her battle formations work; at the frontline, she’ll put the crippled, the forced fusion shard gems. Those, at least will be easy enough to hack through, but they’re only meant to wear us down before the real task begins.  Next rank is the corrupted abominations, a shade more difficult to break through if only because they retain more of their sentience. Then after that, come the hybrids.

STEVEN: (Shocked) You mean there are more human-gems hybrids?

WHITE DIAMOND: Indeed. When Earth was colonized we learned to breed and weaponize the humans, some of whom we collected and carried back to Homeworld as prizes. Under my rule, at least, we only resorted to such a disgraceful tactics due to mounting desperation to provide relief contingents for our soldiers during the Great Gem War. Trained under the right conditions, these hybrids can become even stronger with their powers than natural Gems. However, their flesh bodies make them doubly vulnerable to both physical wounds and attacks to their gems. The half-breeds are a sort of trade-off in battle tactics, they have the best of both worlds as well as the worst. And by all means they are an insult to the purity of the Gem race, but do not underestimate their deadliness.

STEVEN: (Hushed) I can’t believe I’m not the only one…

WHITE DIAMOND: You have already met one such hybrid in the past, believe it or not. The agent known as Holy War Quartz 8-X1J was sent to this very town only a mere couple of months ago, will undoubtedly be among their ranks. Like you, Universe, she is in fact half-human.

STEVEN: Amy…

(He has a flashback to 11 episodes earlier, fighting against a tall, limber blond-haired girl in the temple. She appears to have been making short work of all the Crystal Gems in the flashback)

WHITE DIAMOND: “Amy”? That must have been the alias she took on for her mission. In any case, we must stay focused. Beyond the half-breeds lies the real challenge: Quartz soldiers, hundreds of them. And more likely than not a couple of fusions towards the back. Luckily, if we make it through that, all we have left to deal with are her personal guards.

STEVEN: Sounds like a tall order.

WHITE DIAMOND: I don’t understand your human inanities. But listen, Universe, before we march into this glorious battle, you really should consider finding some attire more appropriate to combat. Unlike me, your body can sustain permanent damage from flesh wounds.

(Steven looks down at his tattered pink star shirt. Since his transformation, it’s become far too small for him, exposing his midriff, clinging tightly to his pronounced pectoral muscles and outright shredded where his shoulders bulge through)

STEVEN: What? You mean this old thing? (He rips the shirt clean off, exposing his sleek, muscled physique) I was going to get rid of it anyway. I’ve outgrown it. (He throws the now pink rag aside and searches through the bodies for something more suitable. He comes across Suitcase Sam’s black rugged black trenchcoat) Ah. Here we go.

WHITE DIAMOND: Hmm. Much better.

STEVEN: Couldn’t have said it better myself. (He throws the black trenchcoat on, leaving it unbuttoned to expose his abs. Then he takes his father’s old bloody bandages and wraps them around his head as a headband of defiance) Don’t worry, Dad. Your old schstu-ball is gonna spill some blood for you.

WHITE DIAMOND: Listen, Half-Breed. You have to realize that even with me on your side, we’re going up against nearly impossible odds. If I weren’t a Diamond, it would be thoroughly impossible for the two of us to overcome the legions of Homeworld.

STEVEN: So what’s new for the Crystal Gems?

BISMUTH: Well in that case, maybe you have room for two more in this party?

(Bismuth and Jasper emerge through the perimeter. Steven sees them and runs up to give them a bear hug)

STEVEN: Bismuth! Jasper! How did you guys make it out of the Burning Room?

JASPER: The earthquakes just about leveled the entire Temple, Rose. The Burning Room was shaken off its foundations and all of the bubbles broke loose. We had to spend a couple of hours fighting through the corrupted defectives, luckily, this Bismuth here was sentient and competent enough to help me. Which reminds me, watch your step, the beasts are still swarming the area.

BISMUTH: (Looking around) Are we making bases out of ruins now? Whose terrible idea was this? (Noticing that Steven is now eye to eye with her) And look at you, boy! You’re more shredded than a six-citrine fusion! Whatever happened to that tubby, weepy pacificist who ran a sword through me?

STEVEN: He’s dead, Bismuth. That boy you knew is gone forever.

BISMUTH: Glad to hear it!

JASPER: What happened here, Rose? I know I was out for a long time, but this! This miserable chunk of rock looks even worse off than I remembered it.

BISMUTH: I was about to ask the same thing! This whole place has gone to matchwood! What’s up?

STEVEN: You were right, Bismuth. About the Diamonds, about Homeworld…everything. And I was too stupid to listen until it was too late. Now Yellow Diamond has her invasion in full force, and I’m worried the cluster is about to break free.

BISMUTH: Well, you know what I say. It’s never too late to turn over to a new leaf. Now come on, chin up, boy. We’ve got work to do.

STEVEN: But Bismuth, I…I destroyed your breaking point. I’m so sorry…

(Bismuth starts laughing)

BISMUTH: You really are something else, Rose. Did you honestly think I only made one?

(She drops the bag slung over her shoulders onto the ground; it’s filled with breaking points)

STEVEN: No way!

BISMUTH: Come on, now, everyone arm up! Something tells me we’re going to be needing these in the fight against those Homeworld upper-crusts!

WHITE DIAMOND: I most certainly agree. These two will prove a valuable asset in out assault on the flagship.

(Bismuth notices White Diamond. Her eyes narrow and she takes one of the breaking points, about to charge him)

BISMUTH: You…!

STEVEN: Bismuth, wait! He’s on our side!

BISMUTH: (Disbelieving) What?

STEVEN: He’s an ally! He saved me! And he’s going to help us stop Yellow Diamond!

BISMUTH: So…we’re teaming up with a Diamond to help stop a Diamond…well, I never thought I’d live to see the day…

WHITE DIAMOND: It’s most unusual, I’ll grant you. Believe me, I never expected to be fighting alongside plebian bismuth and a lowly quartz soldier, but desperate times and all.

BISMUTH: Don’t push your luck. Fortunately for your gem, I’ll take all the help I can get right now. Like they say, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

WHITE DIAMOND: Ha! Seems it’s true even a common brigand knows how to speak wisely every now and again.

BISMUTH: I said don’t push it. But enough chit chat! Everyone suit up! Unless I’m mistaken, we’ve got a war to fight!

JASPER: (Picking up a breaking point) Finally. I’ve been waiting to get back to what I was made for a long time now!

BISMUTH: (Holding a breaking point in one hand and a massive battle ax in the other) That’s the spirit! Now let’s go show those Homeworld elites who’s BOSS!

(Cut to a shot of Yellow Diamond’s monumental flagship. Its shape is a golden arm, appearing as though rising straight out the ground the way it’s positioned, the hand at the top clenched into a fist. Cut to the inside. Pearl, Amethyst, Sapphire, Peridot and Connie are still trapped in a cage suspended over a lava pit. On the opposite side of the room, Yellow Diamond paces the room anxiously while Blue Diamond quivers uncertainly, hunched over in her throne. Their Pearls stand by in attendance, apprehensive. Ruby has been quarantined in a yellow bubble, suspended above them. This doesn’t her from kicking, flailing, and screaming mutely)

CONNIE: (Nervous) So…anyone up for a barbecue?

SAPPHIRE: (Deadpan monotone) Your attempts at humor are doing nothing to set anyone at ease.

CONNIE: Well, I have to try something to keep from losing it right now. Do you want us all to just give up hope right now?

SAPPHIRE: Hope does seem to be rather useless at this point. My future vision refuses to grant me even the slightest possibility of success.

CONNIE: Wait…you mean you’ve already seen the future where we all… (She can’t finish the sentence; her voice trails off)

PERIDOT: She’s right, you know, we’re all completely doomed! I’ve calculated our odds of survival, and they’re currently less than 0.000000017% and dropping! Even if we could somehow escape the Diamonds, there are too many dangers threatening the whole planet right now—(A violent tremor shakes the ground)—like that! I’m not ready to die yet, not now, not on this planet! (She curls up into a fetal position beside Amethyst shaking uncontrollably)

SAPPHIRE: (Grimly) Hmm…true, without Ruby I can’t see the future branching off into alternate possibilities, but, I have a feeling that even if I could, I’d just see the same thing in every direction. There’s only one way this ends.

CONNIE: So…listen, I know if we were to be dropped right now, I’d pretty much be a crispy critter and a puff of smoke, but aren’t you Gems basically indestructible?

AMETHYST: (Blowing hair out of her face) Phht. I wish.

PERIDOT: Hold me, Amethyst!

(Amethyst picks her up like a basketball)

SAPPHIRE: She’s right. A gem’s gemstone can be cracked, broken, or corrupted, but in all cases, the consciousness still remains in some form, even if it becomes scattered and diffuse. If you want to truly destroy a gem, you have to apply a more…permanent punishment.

CONNIE: Like melting you down.

(Peridot lets out a howling sob and Pearl covers her mouth with her hands. Sapphire stays stone faced and stoic)

SAPPHIRE: Once the gem is liquefied, it breaks down into its core components. At that point, the gem is truly gone and the being it once held is extinguished.

CONNIE: So why isn’t Ruby in here with us?

SAPPHIRE: She’s the only who can survive at higher temperatures. Theoretically, she could fuse with all of us and extend her protection to everyone. No, I believe they have a far more creative sentence in mind for her. (Ice crystals begin to form at her base)

CONNIE: Aren’t you afraid.

SAPPHIRE: Of course. I’m absolutely petrified. Livid, too, I’m so furious right now I can barely think. (The ice crystals harden and grow)

PEARL: (Mournfully) Our only hope now is for Steven to come and rescue us. But I don’t see how that could happen.

PERIDOT: (Exploding) It can’t! He’s too far away, he’ll never make it in time, even if he could, he’d never be able to make it past the might of the D—

(Amethyst puts her hand over Peridot’s mouth, muffling her outburst)

CONNIE: I sure wish Steven would come and save us all. We need him.

SAPPHIRE: For his own sake, it’s better that he forgets about all of us. Him coming here will do nothing more than throw his life away with ours, and I’d rest easier knowing that he at least saved himself, and is living on peacefully somewhere far, far away from here.

(Cut to a shot of STEVEN decapitating a forced gem fusion with a berserker howl, his sword cleaving downward in a deadly arc. Beside him, Lion is clawing and making short work of a mass of writhing arms. White Diamond has unleashed his swords from their hilts by chains and whirls them around in viscous swaths, every slash breaking the form of a dozen monsters. He laughs maniacally at the thrill of utter butchery. Behind, Bismuth and Jasper are shattering gems left and right, Jasper supplementing her attacks with spin dashes and her crash helmet. There is very little talking for the first 10 seconds of this scene; the focus is entirely on the fighting. A far shot shows the countless hordes of gem armies, Yellow Diamond’s fist flagship looms in the background.

Gradually Gem shards have begun to litter the ground. Steven stoops down during a lull in the fighting and begins bubbling the fallen shards)

WHITE DIAMOND: There’s no time; leave them be! It will take them a few days to reform anyway.

STEVEN: They just keep coming! Is there no end to this? (Cleaves a twelve foot colossus in half through the midsection)

BISMUTH: We’re thinning out the hoards, boy! Don’t worry, this ain’t nothin’ compared to the stuff I fought back in the great war!

JASPER: EEEIIIYAAAGHH!! (She bludgeons a misshapen octoped to dust)

(The fighting continues. Steven mounts Lion and prepares to fight cavalry style. The gang tightens their formation, hacking devastation on every side as they slowly advance)

WHITE DIAMOND: Almost…there! We’re nearing the next tier!

JASPER: (Bloodthirsty grin) I could get used to this!

BISMUTH: I can feel it! We’ll be fine as long as we stick together!

(A tumultuous earthquake shakes the ground, rending a fissure in the Earth’s crust right ahead of the group. Entire ranks of gem monsters fall into the chasm. White Diamond uses his chain swords to grapple to the other side of the rift, simultaneously Steven leaps the fissure with Lion. Jasper and Bismuth are left stranded)

BISMUTH: Clods!

JASPER: Don’t worry about us, we’ll hold the front back here! You two press on! Everything is for nothing if you don’t make it to the ship!

WHITE DIAMOND: Duly noted! (They charge forward)

BISMUTH: …”We’ll hold the front?”

JASPER: Come on, I have an idea!

(Steven, Lion, and White Diamond have moved into the corrupted monsters. Swarms of deformed, animalistic mutants press them in on all sides, only the murderous frenzy of their blades holds them at bay)

WHITE DIAMOND: (Through the onslaught) I can’t believe Yellow Diamond would stoop to such a depth to keep ahold of her own power! (He chops through a feathered Agate corruption with seven eyes) This is sacrilege! Taking loyal, pure-blooded gems and twisting them into these unholy amalgamates! These are the tactics of our enemies! Depravity! (He grabs a bipedal monster by the tongue and slices it off with a lightning fast thrust of the blade. The severed tongue hangs in his hand, still dripping wet and palpitating. It squirms, it struggles, pulsing under his iron grip for a full three seconds before giving out and disintegrating into nothingness. White Diamond takes the rest of the beast by the head and plunges his sword straight through the gem) It’s too late for you, wretched child. The best I can do is make this quick.

(The creature squeals a primal, bloody scream as its gem shatters)

WHITE DIAMOND: How are you holding up, Universe? Is that meat-sack of a body fatiguing you yet?

(Steven hangs on Lion’s back, still violently swinging, but drenched through with sweat and stained with his own blood)

STEVEN: (Gasping) A little!

WHITE DIAMOND: Take this! (He tosses a small bean like crystal through the ensuing chaos; Steven catches it and gulps it down)

STEVEN: What is it?

WHITE DIAMOND: It’s an uznes shard. Extremely rare. It will revitalize your gem and give you energy to sustain yourself. But use them sparingly, I only have three and I might need one for myself!

(Steven’s gem glows bright and his expression immediately perks up)

STEVEN: Oh, yeah, that is some GOOOOOOOD stuff! (He laughs thunderously and decapitates a row of gem mutants with one hand)

(Meanwhile, Bismuth and Jasper are being driven back by the throngs of gem mutants. The untenable defense has forced them into a strategic retreat, taking out whoever they can as they fall back. But the opposition is overwhelming)

JASPER: (Spotting a cave) Quick! In here!

(They rush into the cavern. Bismuth rips an enormous crag off the wall and shoves it into the mouth of the cave as a barrier. The pounding of the gem mutants from outside shudders through the entire hollow of the cave)

BISMUTH: That boulder ain’t gonna hold forever!

JASPER: Bismuth. Fuse with me!

BISMUTH: What? Are you crazy?

JASPER: It’s the only way we’ll be strong enough to defeat them! We can’t last much longer on our own! (The boulder begins to convulse from the battering on the other side)

BISMUTH:  I don’t even know you!

JASPER: Doesn’t matter; I’ve fused with strangers before! Right now, this is survival; it’s fuse or die!

(Bismuth seems to be weighing her options. The boulder begins to crack and splinter, the howling from the outside reaches a crescendo)

JASPER: I don’t have time for this. We have to do it now!

(She grabs Bismuth by the arm)

BISMUTH: What are you doing? Let go!

JASPER: We can beat them together! Just say yes already! (She tries to force Bismuth into a fusion dance)

BISMUTH: No! No! Stop!

JASPER: Quit…struggling! I’m doing this for your own good! (The dance turns into a wrestling brawl. Jasper grapples Bismuth and refuses to let go as they thrash about the cave. Bismuth changes her arms to hammers and attempts to club her assailant into submission, but Jasper is stronger. She pins the Smithing Gem down and holds her firm under the weight of her body. The gemstone on her nose begins to glows)

BISMUTH: Don’t do it! Please!

JASPER: Just relax. You’ll thank me for this later.

BISMUTH: NO!

(The boulder at the cave’s entrance explodes into a shower of rock splinters. Gem mutants pour in like gumballs. Bismuth screams out a primal wail as her body begins to turn into light, her gemstone blazing. The melting figure of radiant energy wavers for a second, struggling, but then the form resolves. Cut to a shot of outside the cave. The entire side on the cliff is literally demolished by the shock wave of power released from the fusion. Boulders fly everywhere, crushing gem mutants by the dozen. A being of pure light rises, growing twenty, forty, sixty feet tall before resolving into a distinct form. The scream turns into a bellow. Then into a laugh)

Sunstone: AAHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! Ooh, I take it back! This feels amazing!

(Sunstone emerges from the dust of the cave. To call her burly is an understatement. Her body vaguely resembles a top-heavy centaur in form, but that’s where the similarities end. A scorpion-like tail whip protrudes from the end of the abdomen, and along the back, a row of spikes climb upward. Four limbs serve as legs, their ends tapering down to a fang-like point planted in the ground. The other four limbs serve as arms, two with fully formed hands and two with sickle-like blades. The skin of the fusion is a sparkling burnt orange, the face having Jasper’s shape but Bismuth’s rainbow dreadlocks billowing down to the waist. Two sets of eyes, one ochre and one steel, stare down at the throbbing masses of gem monsters in sadistic glee. When she speaks, she talks with two voices at once, not unlike Malachite. She also appears to still be aware of her component parts)

SUNSTONE: I haven’t felt this good in ages! (Switching persona) I know, right? I told you this was the way to go!

(Sunstone notices the masses of Gem monsters trying to claw at her feet)

SUNSTONE: HA HA HA HAHAHAHAH!!! Puny creatures! I’ll show you what true strength is! (She smashes a dozen monsters beneath one of her legs) We are strong now! Nothing can stand against us! No one can stop me! (With a swipe of her tail, thirty gem monsters are sent flying. She pounds the remnant of the cliff face with her fists, making it rain rocks the size of houses) I am mighty! I am powerful! WE ARE SUNSTONE!

(The scene switches to Blue and Yellow Diamond, watching the commotion of battle from on high)

BLUE DIAMOND: There really seems to be struggle going on down there, Yellow. I don’t understand how anyone could have mounted a counterstrike and survived for this long.

YELLOW DIAMOND: There is only one explanation. He must be down there with them.

BLUE DIAMOND: (Suddenly terrified) You don’t mean…?! No, that can’t be! Perhaps we should withdraw. We may not be safe here anymore.

YELLOW DIAMOND: Calm yourself, Blue. It’s all going to be over soon. This planet, this war…everything. Soon she will emerge, and when that happens, we need not fear even White’s wrath against us. (Another seismic wave rocks the ship) Every tremor of this planet’s crust sets her closer to breaking free. I can feel it now. She is very close. No doubt he can feel it, too. That must be why he’s acting so desperate.

BLUE DIAMOND: (Tearing) I just want this to end.

YELLOW DIAMOND: We’ve come too far to turn around now. You swore to me that you were in this to the very end. I’m not about to let you back out!

(Blue starts crying and her Pearl comes to comfort her. From the other side of the room, the Crystal Gems look on)

CONNIE: Can you tell what she’s talking about?

SAPPHIRE: I can’t see anything beyond a few hours from now. Everything just goes black. Which I can only assume must mean… (She trails off)

AMETHYST: Dark.

(Ruby still thrashes wildly in the bubble, her endurance ceaseless and her temper riled. Sapphire watches her with a hard gaze)

CONNIE: You two were really close, weren’t you?

SAPPHIRE: I would say so. Ruby and I were about as close as any two friends could be.

CONNIE: And…?

SAPPHIRE: And I don’t want her to be hurt. She was my best friend. She was almost like a sister to me.

CONNIE: A sister, huh?

SAPPHIRE: Just a sister, if you’re asking. I’m sorry, but I really would rather not talk about this. It’s already weighing heavy on my mind, discussing only makes the burden greater.

PEARL: Kind of like me and Rose, right, Sapphire?

SAPPHIRE: Yes, exactly like that. You two were very good friends as well, weren’t you?

PEARL: I’d say we were just about as close as sisters too. But the more I learn about Rose, the more I realize I never did understand her.

AMETHYST: Hey, could we worry more about escaping right now?

PEARL: There’s no point. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves right now.

(Another convulsion rocks the ship. Peridot squeals and shivers in trepidation)

PERIDOT: Will they never stop?

SAPPHIRE: That one felt different. That was no earthquake.

(Blue and Yellow Diamond rush to the portcullis of the ship bridge. They gaze out the panel and behold the image of Sunstone rising, wreaking terror upon the Gem hordes)

BLUE DIAMOND: Great stars! What is that thing?

YELLOW DIAMOND: A wrinkle in our plans. This…this development may complicate things.

BLUE DIAMOND: Oh no, oh no no no no, I knew it was going to come to this! We’re doomed, Yellow! What are we going to do, what are we going to do, what are we going to do?

YELLOW DIAMOND: Calm down, Blue, we’re not in trouble yet! We still have contingency plans.

BLUE DIAMOND: I’m scared, Yellow.

YELLOW DIAMOND: Silence! I’ve had enough of your simpering; just hush and let me deal with the situation! (She presses a button on a comlink and speaks into it) Put the troop into high alert and have them send me up green squad commander. Inform all units to standby for possible deployment.

(The Crystal Gems see the edge of Sunstone’s rampage from their prison)

AMETHYST: Whoa-ho-ho! That thing is huge! It’s even bigger than Sugilite!

SAPPHIRE: I admit, I didn’t see this before. I have a fairly good idea what that creature is, though I hardly believe it myself…

(The doors to the bridge slide open and “Amy”, otherwise known as Holy War Quartz 8-X1J, strides in. In contrast to everyone else in the room, her appearance is absolutely stunning. Her luscious, silken golden locks drip down to her waist, her flawless white skin smooth and gleaming as ivory apples. Her eyes are shadowed with intrigue and mystery yet crystal blue and sparkling like the crisp ocean waves, they flutter like the delicate wings of butterflies beneath deep, seductive lashes. Her body is sculpted to a figure of perfection; tall, slender, lithe and sleek, yet still voluptuous in all the right places. Her liquid legs could enchant even the stoniest mercenary, her wine red pouting lips could send the coldest woman-hater to his knees begging for mercy. There’s not a trace of flab or fat or weakness in her tight, trained and expertly honed vessel of enchantment. She is everything every woman dreams of being, everything every man desires. She is the ideal female figure in every way. Her clothing consists of nothing but a sheer, clinging white tunic, draped off her form like a billowing curtain concealing a masterpiece of art. A curving diamond window is cut into the bust to expose a blood sanguine gemstone, polished to perfection and radiant like the rest of her. She enters before the Diamonds and kneels submissively)

AMY: How may I serve you, my Diamond?

YELLOW DIAMOND: Holy War Quartz 8-X1J, a situation has arisen on the eastern perimeter of our encampment. You will go and attend to this matter; put down the assailants by any means necessary. I am also authorizing you to command our Special Forces Squad V-284 LL “Hydra” to assist you in this endeavor. Be advised that we believe the filthy unregistered Halfling, known locally as “Steven Universe”, is among the counterattack forces. I believe the two of you have encountered each other once before, on a mission where your results were less than satisfactory. Kill the Halfling, take his gem and bring it us as proof of his demise, and you will be well on your way to redeeming yourself for this failure. Go now.

AMY: It will be an honor, my Diamond. I will not disappoint you again.

YELLOW DIAMOND: Indeed you will not, else you be disassembled and returned to your core components and recycled. Go, time is of the essence.

(Amy exits, determined. As she leaves the bridge, she whips out a chain-flail Morningstar, her gem weapon, from the quartz embedded in her bust. Yellow Diamond looks on in admiration)

YELLOW DIAMOND: You will soon learn what it means to cross a Diamond…Steven Universe.

(Back on the battlefield, Steven and White Diamond fly pell-mell into the ranks of gem soldiers. Chaos reigns in side. Confusion, clamor, and the dust of broken gems scatter the battleground of nightmares)

WHITE DIAMOND: Ingrates! Mutineers! Misshapen clods! How dare you attack me, the father of all Gemkind? Has it been so long that you don’t even recognize your own master and creator?

(A Topaz centurion raises a ten foot axe to cleave White Diamond in half, but Steven springs in on his feline mount, intercepting and eviscerating the ugly blob of a gem)

WHITE DIAMOND: Well done, Half-Breed. To arms!

(They collect in a defensive formation. It’s becoming clear that even with their combined strength and determination, they’re beginning to tire. A row of quartz soldiers launches spin dash attacks against them, but Steven blocks all of them with his shield and then slashes their forms with his mighty blade.

Suddenly a roar like a thunderclap echoes across the plain. Steven and White Diamond briefly turn to behold the monstrosity of Sunstone battering her way through the mutlitudes)

WHITE DIAMOND: Inconceivable! Is this another part of Yellow Diamond’s clandestine freak show?

STEVEN: (Dawning) It’s Jasper and Bismuth! They fused!

WHITE DIAMOND: Our allies found a way to increase their power levels that much? I don’t know whether to call it blasphemy or strategy!

STEVEN: Shut up and fight! You can worry about it later!

(Steven repels a platoon of Rubies that just charged them. By amazing coincidence, it’s the same Ruby squad that visited them on Earth several seasons ago. Steven makes short work of them, poofing Eyeball and Army, shattering Doc, letting Lion chew Leggy to shreds in his jaws, and then pouncing on Navy, the last one standing)

NAVY: No! Wait! Please!

(Steven grapples her and begins to choke the Gem to death)

STEVEN: I’m going to repay you for all those times you tricked me and disgraced my companions!

NAVY: (Struggling to speak) ...have…mercy…

STEVEN: You mean like this? (He rams his sword straight through her chest. Her eyes widen and she lets out a strained gasp of agony of before disintegrating into thin air.)

STEVEN: (Bubbling her) The day I let you free will be the day pigs fly, you charlatan. It’s more than you deserve.

WHITE DIAMOND: Universe! Look up!

(Steven sees what appear to be birds descending from the sky. However, as they draw nearer, their true nature becomes apparent)

STEVEN: Lapises! Lapis Lazulis, dozens of them, headed dead toward us, ten’ o clock!

WHITE DIAMOND: Matri con Skrias! Run! Take cover! Find something to grab onto!

STEVEN: Why?

WHITE DIAMOND: A Lapis’ power multiplies tenfold on Earth! With that many of them, they could—

(He is cut off as a tsunami levels the battlefield. The Lapis Lazulis have conjured a tidal wave of epic proportions and slammed it against the coast. Trees are uprooted. Boulders are supplanted. Only Yellow Diamond’s flagship remains intact. Thousands of gems, fusions, mutants and monsters are swept away with the tide. White Diamond, through superhuman effort, manages to plant his chain sword into the ground even as the surge blasts them full force. He clings to the hilt as an anchor with all his might, even while holding his other sword with the opposite hand. Steven grips the blade end desperately, blood pouring from his serrated hands. As the tidal wave subsides, Steven and White Diamond are left waterlogged and frantically panting for breath)

STEVEN: (Gasping) That…just about…did me in…

WHITE DIAMOND: Here comes another one!

(A second wave of equal force pummels them with unrelenting fury. And then a third and a fourth. Blast after blast of pure typhonic force nearly yanks them out of their bearings. Steven’s grip slips and White Diamond has to latch onto his arm to keep him from flying away. By the time the blows finally stop, both warriors have been pushed to their body’s limit. They lie prostrate on the flooded coast, wheezing and struggling to stand)

WHITE DIAMOND: No giving up, Half-Breed! It cannot end this way. We must think of something…

STEVEN: I can’t go on…I’m sorry, Dad…Rose…

(The Lapises descend like a flock of harpies, darting and wheeling about their prey. One of them levitates several water globules with her hands and morphs them into blades. Steven looks up, weary and defeated. He grits his teeth, too exhausted to defend himself. The Lapis readies her volley. She fires. The missiles race toward their target but they never arrive. A whirring blade chops them straight out of the sky. White Diamond is on his feet again, panting but flailing his chain swords with renewed vigor. He stands over Steven, shielding him)

WHITE DIAMOND: I…am…stronger!

(He slashes more water spears out of the sky as the Lapises unleash a hailstorm on him)

WHITE DIAMOND: I am stronger than you low-caste slaves!

(The Lapises barrage him with hardened aquatic spheres, but the razor precision of his weapons dissipates every one of them to mist)

WHITE DIAMOND: I will not bow down to you! I will not be humiliated!

(They draw water up from the earth, forming a sheet to slice the ground from beneath his feet, but he leaps to the side and severs the curtain in two)

WHITE DIAMOND: I am stronger than this planet!

(Full throttle attack; they slam him into the eye of a literal monsoon, but he stays upright against the catastrophic winds, swords in hands, howling in the face of the storm)

WHITE DIAMOND: I am stronger than fate! I am stronger than DEATH! I am stronger than all of you!

(His weapon finds a home embedding itself in one of the Lazulis. She screams before poofing; White Diamond cries out in triumph)

WHITE DIAMOND: You can’t stop me! Nothing can stop me! I’m coming for you, Yellow! I will be avenged at last!

(A fresh tremor catches him off-guard and rocks him off his feet. At that moment of instability, a water bolt catches him dead on the forehead. His gem cracks. The entire world goes dead silent and slips into slow motion as he falls)

WHITE DIAMOND: (In silent thoughts) No…I don’t understand. Was that really it? Did I really come all this way only to be halted now, with victory in sight?

(White Diamond clatters to the ground)

WHITE DIAMOND: All my life…every day, every waking moment has been predetermined and set in stone for me. A Diamond is born knowing everything for every situation; how to act, how to look, even how to think. Every deed was carefully measured and performed in perfection. Every decision was made before us, and the end was known before the beginning.

But now, coming to the end, everything falls apart. Even in exile, there was never a second I didn’t know exactly what I should be doing: I fought to regain my throne. To realign the sacred balance of Gemkind. Because it was what I was born to do; there was nothing else. Everything I needed to know was taught to me before I was born.

But death…death is the one thing we were never taught. How does one prepare for such an illogical impossibility as death? Now I stand face to face with the greatest, blackest abyss in the cosmos, a darkness I was programmed to never pay an instant’s heed to. And for the first time in my life, I ask myself: was it all for nothing?

No. This wasn’t meant to be my fate. Nothing in this adds up. All those years of tyrannical glory, the kingdom, the colonies, the untraveled worlds and the endless mystery of cosmic beauty, what are they now, now that I face the end of existence, the end of me? This isn’t supposed to happen. How can I be dying? I have so much left to see, to explore, to discover, to conquer and rule. My road can’t just end here, slain ingloriously by the blow of a common footsoldier. I…I’m better than this! I can’t die! I won’t die! Not here, not now! My journey must continue; I’ll stand on my feet and show them what a Diamond is truly made of! I am resolved to live! I won’t die! I won’t die! I…won’t…

(Everything fades to black)

WHITE DIAMOND: (Quivering) Keep…holding…

(The screen goes pitch black and there are a few moments of total silence. Absolute void. Nothing. X. 0.)

(A distant noise is heard, a far off stirring like the intonation of music across a winding corridor. The shot cuts to a close up of White Diamond’s gem. The fissures that cracked its surface are receding into nothingness. The shot cuts out just a little, and we see Steven cradling White Diamond’s head. His pink bubble is wrapped around them, the sound of Lapis Lazulis hissing and snarling can be heard outside it)

STEVEN: Don’t leave me.

(White Diamond opens his eyes)

WHITE DIAMOND: Steven! How…?

STEVEN: I healed you. I healed your gem.

WHITE DIAMOND: You can do that?

STEVEN: (Gazing up at the seething Lapises meaningfully) Yes. I can. It’s the gift of my mother, Rose Quartz. It took another uznes shard, but with my stamina restored, I have all of her abilities as mine, including this shield that surrounds us.

WHITE DIAMOND: Inconceivable! All this hidden potential in a mere Rose Quartz, and it was never explored. How greatly the Gem Kingdom could have benefited from this latent power!

STEVEN: Yes…my powers are very useful for healing. But do you know what else they’re good for? (He drops the bubble) KILLING!

(Steven conjures up a swath of thorny vines to shoot straight up from the earth and wrap around the Lazulis in mid-flight, breaking their wings and crushing their bodies until the very life is squeezed out of them. Every Lapis is poofed in a matter of seconds. Their useless gemstones clatter to the earth in a rain of crystal tears)

WHITE DIAMOND: (Laughing) Well done, Half-Breed! I was wise to choose you as my ally.

STEVEN: Now let’s move! The way is clear— (the sound of rushing winds like a roaring waterfall drums the distance) —no. NO!

(More Lapis Lazulis are pouring out of the windows of the flagship. There are hundreds of them, possibly even thousands, darkening the sky)

WHITE DIAMOND: Stand your ground, Universe! It seems our fight isn’t over yet!

(But the winged terrors speed right on past them, not paying a moment’s attention to our heroes. It soon becomes clear who their real target it: Sunstone, still kicking and howling in the distance)

WHITE DIAMOND: Fate has granted us a diversion! Fly! Fly fast as your feet can carry you! This is our chance!

(The two race toward the flagship, but White Diamond soon becomes tired of Steven’s comparative lack of speed and throws him onto his shoulder. Then he really takes off, surging over the yawning plain with superhuman power. They reach the entrance to the ship in less than a minute)

WHITE DIAMOND: Almost there!

(They both stop short, eyes dilating. The entrance to the flagship is wide open. But there, standing at the foot of the entrance, slapping her Morningstar against her palm, is Amy)

TO BE CONTINUED...