#especially when he would later go on to name him his partner/co-leader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

decennia · 3 years

Note

i give u free reign to infodump ab all of the knights and the og army bc i am vv intrigued agjgssgsh

THERE IS SO MUCH HERE OMFG MORAL OF THIS STORY NEVER ASK ME TO INFO DUMP BECAUSE I WILL TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT—

I've separated it into sections:

The Knights of Walpurgis, and the motivations for their assigned sins.

Dumbledore's First Resistance, and the motivations for their assigned virtues.

The dynamics between the opposing contenders.

Given the sheer volume of information, I've included a cut. Please enjoy this manip that I am still very proud of.

THE KNIGHTS OF WALPURGIS (later known as Death Eaters) Tom Riddle (Pride)

Pride and arrogance were very large contributing factors to Tom Riddle's downfall in the end, and honestly, the whole idea for the gifset came from Florence + The Machines' Seven Devils playing while casually thinking of Dagrim and Tom, and then about how perfectly Tom would fit as Lucifer.

Dagrim Patil (Avarice)

When questioned about what she wants, and what Riddle promised her in exchange for her unwavering loyalty, her response is, quite simply: everything. Dagrim grew up starved not for affection, but recognition. And what she was denied in childhood, she would take in adulthood by force. Her philosophy is that if something is worth wanting, it is worth taking.

Cantankerous Nott IV (Lust)

We know so little about Theodore Nott's father from the source material, other than he was elderly, and he raised Theo himself. And that he was a Death Eater, of course. His name is an ode to his ancestor, the Cantankerous Nott who created the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood directory. I assigned him "lust" purely for the events leading to the conception of his son (sis, it gets messy).

Abraxas Malfoy (Envy)

Abraxas Malfoy envied Tom Riddle to the point of a half attempted mutiny. He was quickly put in his place, his co-conspirators made examples of, and spared only for his close friendship with Dagrim, who pleaded for his life. Riddle, who trusted Dagrim to a fault for all she'd done to earn it, conceded. Abraxas would later prove himself to Riddle again, regaining his seat among Riddle's favoured generals. He was the one who taught Lucius to never disobey the Dark Lord, and he was not a kind teacher.

Ulysses Mulciber (Gluttony)

Indulgence and excess, spoiled rotten and filthy rich. The Mulcibers were the richest of the Sacred at one point in their lives, rivalled only by the Malfoys. Ulysses never knew the meaning of "enough," and was a glutton not only in all manners of vice, but also for cruelty, dealing it out carelessly with little to no regard for the repercussions he was well protected from by his noble standing and wealth. He was one of Riddle's greatest allies and sponsors, and instrumental in his rise to power.

Carmilla Avery (Wrath)

Carmilla was in the year above Riddle, and was quick to anger and slow to calm. Her temper was legendary, and even her younger brothers – also admitted into the Death Eater ranks – feared her. She had an untempered fury, a rage at the world for no reason at all. She developed an unhealthy codependency with Abraxas Malfoy, who served to have a soothing presence over her. People seldom survive crossing her, as her reputation dictates.

Serafine Lestrange (Sloth)

Serafine is not lazy (as the sin "sloth" would suggest), she just lacks the motivations to pursue the goals that are expected of her. A particularly bright witch, and a wealthy one too, she never applied herself at school for she didn't see the need. Instead, she fell into a fascination of the Dark Arts, where she met Riddle, perusing the Restricted Section. She is rather discontented with life, disillusioned from already such a young age. She initially joins Riddle's gang for the excitement of it all.

DUMBLEDORE'S FIRST RESISTANCE (later known as the Order of the Phoenix in its official conception in 1970)

Albus Dumbledore (Patience)

Name a man more patient than Dumbledore, I'll wait. Better yet, he'll wait, because he's patient as hell. So patient, in fact, he waited until after Harry's supposed death to come to him as a hallucination and tell him about how he was a Horcrux.

Rathin Patil (Temperance)

Temperance is abstinence, and I wanted to explore the kind of toll having his sister so far gone into the dark would have on any man, let alone one who really cared for her and wanted to do right by her. Rathin is not a perfect man, he is still fallible, and unfortunately, he develops a dependent comfort in inebriation when Dagrim disappears with Riddle. He pulls himself back together, especially when he becomes Isaiah Moody's partner at the Ministry, and he begins to pursue Miraya.

Miraya Varma (Diligence)

Methodical and persistent, Miraya Varma earned herself a position at the Ministry immediately out of Hogwarts where she would later go on to form her own task force within the Ministry specifically designed for the interrogation and recommended sentencing of dark wizards and witches. She has been known to put her duty first, up until the birth of her son, Divyansh Patil, father to Padma and Parvati.

Isaiah Moody (Humility)

For a very long time, people seldom knew the Moody name, and that was the way Isaiah liked it. He believed that his line of work would endanger his loved ones (in spite of his wife being in the same profession) and so he never took credit for the numerous arrests he made. It was Isaiah who suspected something was strange about Morfin Gaunt's arrest while investigating the Riddle Massacre, and consulted Dumbledore about it. Once his identity was discovered and he was viewed as a threat by Riddle, an attack was made on his heavily pregnant wife, jeopardizing her and his unborn boy's (Alastor) life.

Minerva McGonagall (Chastity)

Mini Minnie is seventeen, my dudes. But not only that, Minerva grew up with a religious father (he was canonically a reverend), who probably taught her his values. Also given the fact that Minerva was the first of the younger generation to participate and involve herself in the war (she sought out Dumbledore and enlisted herself into his Resistance, fearing her family would be made into another statistic if she didn't at least do something to intervene), she really didn't have much time to think about something as arbitrary as the concept of virginity. Also, it's the 1950s.

Corinne Scamander (Kindness)

Corrine is honestly the greatest. She has all of the tenacity of Tina, and the best qualities of Newt. It was Dumbledore's previous bond with Newt that encouraged him to recruit her, and she willingly accepted, because of course she would. She'd always been the soft spoken girl with a tender touch and a love for life, and she was often the advocate for hope in the resistance. She was adept in a few healing charms she'd learned from her father, and was something of a specialist in magical beings, proving herself to be highly valuable while Riddle was expanding his ranks with all manner of dark creatures.

Declan Diggory (Charity)

Sacrifice is in the Diggory blood, and Cedric's grandfather, Declan, was not the first to prove it. He also, unfortunately, wasn't the last, but he sure was one of the best. Selfless to a fault, Declan would willingly get hypothermia if it meant someone else would have warmth. Diggory's contributions to the war effort consisted of offering sanctuary and shelter to muggleborns who received death threats, and orchestrating the evacuations of targeted muggle residences. He was the leader of a small faction of the resistance, including, but not limited to: Fleamont Potter, Enoch Longbottom, Wilhelm Shacklebolt, and Ramona McKinnon.

DYNAMICS (just the contenders for now because this is hella long)

Albus Dumbledore vs. Tom Riddle

Adversaries, a fair deal of mistrust and guilt from Dumbledore's side (upon reflection, he'd been the one to introduce Tom to the wizarding world; even though he knows that if Riddle had been left unchecked, the risk of him becoming an Obscurus would've resulted in catastrophe all the same). Riddle sees Dumbledore as nothing more than a foolish old man, a pest, and an obstacle to overcome at first, but learns to begrudgingly respect Dumbledore's strength and mastery of magic (after all, Riddle only knew him as the Transfiguration teacher before, and thought the accounts of Dumbledore's victory over Grindelwald had been exaggerated to great effect). Riddle's hubris was believing he could defeat Dumbledore on his own, thinking himself already stronger than Grindelwald ever hoped to be.

Rathin Patil vs. Dagrim Patil

Rathin had always been very protective of Dagrim, and loved her dearly, although his acts of affection were often misinterpreted as pity and condescension. This only served to push them further apart. When Dagrim turned to the Dark Arts and found solace in Riddle, it revolted Rathin, as he was hugely against the corruption the Dark Arts has on the performing witch or wizard, and wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. He still very much loves her, and it hurts him to fight her. Dagrim, on the other hand, finds catharsis in duelling her brother, believing it to be justice for the way her parents treated her and the little he did to dissuade them.

Miraya Varma vs. Cantankerous Nott

A mutual respect and an academic rivalry, Cantankerous and Miraya were not friends by any means, but not enemies, either. Cantankerous even went as far as to warn Miraya of an impending attack, allowing her to evacuate the building. But although he knows she's clever, he also knows that she's incredibly stubborn, and displayed little surprise to find her awaiting him in the now vacant building. They are equally matched, and their unique relationship spans several decades, even into Cantankerous' failed run at Minister for Magic, and Theodore and the Patil twins' time at Hogwarts. She was present at his trial following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and watched as he was sentenced to life in Azkaban for his crimes as a Death Eater.

Isaiah Moody vs. Abraxas Malfoy

Given his profession, Isaiah has a lot of enemies on the Sacred Twenty-Eight who are loyal to the Dark Lord. One such enemy is Abraxas Malfoy. When Tom gets word of Moody's involvement in solving the Riddle Massacre, he sends Malfoy and a newer Death Eater, Evangeline Rosier, to hinder the investigation. Abraxas and Evangeline were responsible for the attack on Isaiah's heavily pregnant wife, who, if she hadn't been an Auror herself, would've never survived. Alastor Moody was prematurely born at St. Mungo's following the attack, and all of Isaiah's efforts were turned on exacting vengeance on those responsible. Malfoy went into hiding, but Isaiah, ruthless, managed to hunt down Rosier. She died under questioning, setting in motion a vicious cycle of vengeance between the Moodys and Rosiers. Once Isaiah had been killed by Evangeline's brother (Evan [who was named after her] Rosier's father), Abraxas deemed it safe to rejoin society.

Minerva McGonagall vs. Ulysses Mulciber

On the list of things Ulysses loathes, he would put half-bloods above muggleborns (although he turns a blind eye to his Dark Lord's blood status when it conveniences him). Half-bloods only serve as a reminder of the lowest and weakest of his kind; the unworthy muggleborns, the lecherous blood traitors, the vermin muggles. Mulciber prides himself as something of a "purifier," and finds great enjoyment in pruning family trees that have been poisoned by muggle blood into purity once more. He takes a great interest in Minerva McGonagall, given that she is an incredibly powerful witch at such a young age, and he wonders how glorious she would've been had she been a pureblood (a twisted and untrue belief among the Sacred Twenty-Eight during that time). Minerva, the threat of Mulciber weighing heavily on her, places her family under Dumbledore's protection. She vows to stop Mulciber and his perverse idea of justice.

Corinne Scamander vs. Carmilla Avery

It didn't take much to enrage Carmilla Avery, and Corinne had been caught in the tempest Carmilla's fury since the day they'd met. Carmilla, who took great pleasure in picking on people she deemed lesser, made a target out of Corinne, perceiving her kindness for weakness. During their time at Hogwarts, Corinne had gained the attention of Avery for being a blood traitor and a muggle sympathizer, which only strengthened Carmilla's vindication. Corinne, who had been friends with Rubeus Hagrid prior to his expulsion, and who had almost fallen prey to the basilisk when she had heard Myrtle Warren's cries from the bathroom, never lowered herself to Carmilla's level nor did she rise to any of the challenges. This hurt Avery's ego, as she thought this was Corinne's way of claiming herself better than her. It wasn't until after Hogwarts that Carmilla's growing resentment came to a head, and, without the protection the school offered Corinne, Carmilla was looking to finally put an end to the blood traitor line of Scamander.

Declan Diggory vs. Serafine Lestrange

Declan and Serafine were childhood friends who drifted apart during their time at Hogwarts, particularly when she fell in with Riddle's crowd. She is viewed by Dumbledore as having the power to sway the entire outcome of the war, for if Serafine could be persuaded into leaving Riddle, her cousins (one of whom is the father of Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange) would surely comply, and the families who held the Lestranges in high regard would be inclined to follow. This makes Declan and Serafine key pieces in Dumbledore's game of strategy. However, Serafine was disowned long before she defected from the Death Eaters, leaving the Lestranges firmly in Riddle's grasp. Although Serafine claimed to feel nothing for Diggory, she still refused to deal any real harm to him when they duel, in spite of having ample opportunity to do so; something which Riddle picked up on. She was later forced to torture Declan in front of him to prove her loyalty to the Dark Lord, something which Declan permitted her to do, knowing she had very little choice in the matter. He was left for dead, but Serafine would later secretly return with Corinne to get him medical attention. She gives her son, Francis, "Declan" as a middle name.

108 notes · View notes

bungoubookclub · 4 years

Text

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS & The Art of its Characters

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

As an artist and casual manga reader I tend to be picky with my choice of reads, though I've bent my standards every now and then, Bungou Stray Dogs is a manga that I find absolutely exceptional-- no surprise considering it's one of my favorite series. An interesting story, beautiful and striking artwork, and an amazing cast of characters.

Written by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by the talented Harukawa35, the story follows Nakajima Atsushi, an orphan who has a life-changing encounter with a mysterious man named Dazai Osamu, and through an unforeseen turn of events, ends up becoming an agent at The Armed Detective Agency-- an organization that employs skillful individuals with supernatural abilities. From there Atsushi makes friends and foes alike, and tries to find the purpose of his life.

It's formulaic premise of "young protagonist becomes affiliated with organization and battles other organizations", reminiscent of most shounen titles, is where most of its similarities with that demographic end. Instead of expanding its world and delving into lore, the series focuses on its characters, their growth, and their relationships with the world, each other, and themselves, befitting of a seinen title. It has a unique gimmick to its characters as well--that being that their namesakes are real-world authors and literary pioneers.

Kafka's background in literature credits their adaptation of these literary figures into characters, making good use of their analytical and writing skills in interpreting the authors and their works into characters with abilities that pay homage to their namesake's famous works. Their skill as a writer is nothing to be looked over either, having written 8 novels, 2 light novels, and co-wrote one screenplay-- specifically for the series' film, "DEAD APPLE".

Its gimmick lends itself to the characters especially, often making references to the author or their works through their personality or character design, and becomes the foundation for the characters's overall story.

The character Dazai Osamu, for example, is a suicide-maniac determined to die a painless death, preferrably with a lover to accompany him to the other side. This is a direct reference to the real-life Dazai, who had attempted multiple suicides, one attempt being with his wife, however, he had survived while his wife did not. Dazai's character also meditates plenty about morals and ethics and what it truly means to be a human being, depressing over the fact that he will never probably be considered "human" by society's standards; his real-life counterpart's famous novel, No Longer Human, is a meditation on human society and what it truly means to be a human, and how to fit into the mold of what we generally deem as "human"--it also happens to be the name of Dazai's ability, which allows him to completely nullify any other ability through physical contact, rendering the once supernatural ability user into a regular human.

Their abilities work as great metaphors as well, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald, the leader of an enemy organization known as The Guild, is a good example of this. The Great Gatsby is one of the most notable works his real-life counterpart has written, the novel's themes focusing on wealth and criticising achieving "the american dream"; the character's ability, "The Great Fitzgerald", enhances his physical strength and prowess depending on the value of the items he exchanges it for, be it either cash or objects. This quite literal metaphor ties with how the character sees the value of people through their economic and social status, and becomes one of the driving forces behind his later character arc. From this we can determine a cruel and heartless man, but one who values hard work and ambition, stopping at nothing to achieve what he wants.

Aside from the characters themselves, some of their relationships and interactions are also influenced by their real-life counterpart's relations with contemporaries, as well as the time period during which they were active.

The real-life Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and Nathaniel Hawthorne, for example, have opposing views on religion, specifically Chrisitanity; Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, deals with the themes of sin and repentance through Christian faith, while Akutagawa's "O-Gin" is a historical fiction that takes place during the edo period and reflects on the spread of Christianity to the people of Japan and how the paranoia of the government manifests, it's also noted that during his final moments while reading the Bible, he claims that he can believe in the devil, but not in the existence of a God. In the manga, during a confrontation on the port, the characters Akutagawa and Hawthorne exchange lines of dialogue, a notable taunt coming from Akutagawa, "Irmão'', being a direct reference to the ancient ministers who have introduced Christianity to edo period Japan.

The characters are intensely rich in personality and humanity, showing that not every character is strictly black or white, Dazai and Tanizaki Junichiro--another member of the Detective Agency--are great examples of this; Dazai's character is a mystery, and is, personally, very hard to break down. He is a man who has shown to have very flexible morals and ethics, but is also extremely loyal and attempts to be a goodhearted person. Relatively, Tanizaki is led to be believed that he is a docile and kind person--a running gag in the show being that he is very shy-- but is willing to commit any atrocities for the well-being of his younger sister, including murder. He puts his and his loved one's interests first, and that nearsightedness can put him and others around him in danger.

Besides the written aspect about the characters, the designs done by Harukawa35 are so beautifully crafted to convey their person through a glance. Their clothes, physical features, shapes, color palettes, even down to their silhouettes are uniquely distinct from one another and feel very personal to that character. Here are some of my favorite examples:

Atsushi's belt, which gives his silhouette a sort of "tail", referring to his ability which allows him to transform into a tiger. His purple/gold irises are striking visual cues that allude to his supernatural ability as well.

Akutagawa's billowing cloak; aside from it's practical use for his ability, it also gives him a distinctive silhouette, along with the ruffles of his shirt and the cuffs of his sleeve that contrast the sharp edges of Rashoumon.

Margaret Mitchell's outfit which, although impractical in a battle, conveys her character of a southern belle very well. Her soft, bright color palette compliments the design of her partner, Hawthorne, who mostly dons darks and greys. Similarly, the soft and round shapes abundant in her design contrasts that of Hawthorne, who is sleek, angular, and sharp by comparison.

Nakahara Chuuya's overall design, which characterizes him perfectly (accurate considering the fact that he was the most difficult character to conceptualize, according to Harukawa). The dark colors of his outfit contrast the bright orange of his hair and blue eyes, giving the idea that despite his position as an executive in the Port Mafia, his personality is as wild and stark as his features. The billowing cloak gives his silhouette a sense of dominance to make up for his small frame, broadening his shoulders and making him appear bigger. And accessories such as his hat, gloves, and choker are all very symbolic to important aspects about his story:

the hat being a gift from Arthur Rimbaud along with the chain accenting it, possibly taken from Paul Verlain;

The gloves covering his palms as he never uses his fists in battle, and only removing them when he becomes possessed by Arahabaki;

And the choker symbolises his loyalty to Mori Ougai and the Port Mafia, for which he is called a "Dog of the Mafia" by Dazai.

And speaking of designs, the various rivals and partners in the series have not only great complementing visual designs, but chemistry, story, and writing as well. Rivals/Partners such as Soukoku (Dazai and Chuuya), Shin Soukoku (Atsushi and Akutagawa), and Mori Ougai and Fukuzawa Yukichi-- the leaders of the main opposing organizations, the Port Mafia and the Detective Agency, respectively--all have amazingly distinct contrasts in terms of visual cues, my personal favorite being Shin Soukoku's black and white theme, as seen in their contrasting color palettes, outfits, and personalities.

I could go on about the Rivals' various dynamics and stories, Character analyses, and such and such, but @bsd-bibliophile has made much better analyses and are very detailed and more refined in terms of composition and content (I would not be able to touch upon Atsushi's themes of existentialism without having to delve into the author's works and the character's story, much less with any finesse, my skill level is nowhere near that standard :'))), so go check their blog out for further in-depth reading!

To wrap it up, Bungou Stray Dogs is a great manga with not only fantastic writing in its story, but in its characters as well. To be able to convey rich, layered stories through people has always been the reason I've wanted to work with Characters and more specifically, Storytelling. This series has rekindled my passion for Storytelling and has made me appreciate how important and fantastic Literature is as well (seriously, to be able to paint images in your mind and make people think and feel through words alone is a skill that I can only dream to achieve).

47 notes · View notes

letaliabane · 5 years

Text

Willing To Try

anon request: Ooooooh can you do “Shouldn’t you be with him/her?” with Javi pretty please???

Photo cred. to me

warnings: mostly angst (also let’s pretend Elisa and Javier didn’t sleep together for 1x04 just for the purposes of this story? PLS)

Prompts (If you would like to request a prompt, please include the name of the list and the number of the prompts)

15. Shouldn’t you be with her/him? (Angst/fluff list)

You sat back down at your desk, watching as your partners Steve and Javier joined you in your shared office.

You had just had a mass meeting with the ambassador and the leaders of the DEA apartments. They had informed you that they were keeping an eye on M-19, a group that once had been enemies of Escobar.

But now it was theorised that they conspired with him and were allegedly the ones who attacked the Palace of Justice Supreme Court. They wanted to be kept informed if anyone came in with information, particularly members of the group.

However, this was difficult part, because Javier was currently harbouring Elisa Alvarez, the co-leader of the M-19.

‘How the fuck do you get yourself into these situations Javier? All three of us are going to get caught and lose our jobs if we keep her in hiding any longer!’ Steve muttered as he glared at Javier, arms crossed over his chest as he leant against the desk.

He scoffed, shaking his head, ‘Maybe next time when your wife decides to bring home a hand grenade like Elisa how about she hands it to you instead of me?’

You just rolled your eyes, continuing to finish the report you had abandoned before the meeting. At times it was just best to stay out of it and let the two stubborn fools but heads. Just before he could leave the office, Steve spoke up, ‘Are you fucking her?’

Your hand froze mid-writing, glancing towards the two men. Javier looked between the two of you before chuckling, ‘Sleep with a communist? That would be downright un-American!’

When he disappeared from your sight you let out a heavy sigh, Steve immediately looking towards you. He knew you were harbouring feelings for the popular, good looking agent long before he even arrived in Colombia.

Javier and you had been partners for a year or so before they brought in Murphy, and boy had you got along like a house on fire. You’d sometimes share a beer and a pizza after a long day at the office, or you’d go to one of the nearby bars.

However that changed due to frequency of his visits to his “informants,’ and you

You saw Steve like an older brother and opened up to him, telling him how conflicted you felt. Yes, you knew the stories of Javier Peña that ran throughout the office, how he was a womaniser and slept with every woman he came across, besides you that is.

But you wanted to get to know Javier for who he was, you knew he was a good man deep down, but you also didn’t want to end up as another woman on his list of one night stands or informants he had slept with.

‘I probably shouldn’t have said that-’

You rolled your eyes at Steve’s attempt at softening the blow, keeping you eyes on the scramble of words that were your report, ‘Don’t bother Steve, you heard him. Of course he’s fucking her. Why do you think he wants to keep her around.’

Steve only sighed in reply, remaining silent, not wanting to worsen the tension that was already in the air. It was hours later when Javier returned to the office, only to watch as you grabbed your gun and essentials from the drawer of your desk, Steve doing the same.

‘What’s going on?’

Steve looked up at his voice. ‘We got a lead on where some of those who were involved with the attack on the supreme court are holed up. We’re going to do some recon, scout it out.’

‘Why didn’t either of you or anyone else let me know?’

You were quick to answer before Steve could even open his mouth, barely looking towards him. ‘Why would we? Seems like you’ve had your hands full recently.’

Javier’s eyes flickered towards you, completely shocked by your words. He'd noticed the changes in your attitude toward him over the past few months, once being very good friends to barely a “hello.”

‘And what the fuck is that supposed to mean Y/N?’

‘What does it matter, besides,’ You said as you step in front of him, finally looking him in the eye, ignoring the anger present within them, ‘You probably should go check on Elisa, make sure she’s still waiting for you at the apartment.’

You quickly side stepped him as he gaped at you, ignoring as he called after you, knowing full well he was watching you until you disappeared into the elevator.

Javier glanced towards Steve who also seemed to have frozen at your words while reaching for his gear. He just gave a brief shrug, grabbing his things before following, leaving Javier alone and confused in the silence of the office.

You hissed as Steve knelt beside you, pressing the freezing ice pack to the darkening bruise around your eye. Once he knew you had a steady grip on the back, he moved to check the bandage wrapped around your waist, spots of blood decorating the gauze beneath.

You and Steve had gotten into a scuffle when realising two of the M-19 members had indeed been at the hideout you had intel on, and felt cocky when you watched them leave the base. Unarmed and unwatched by others.

Well, you thought they were unarmed. And it was Steve’s bright idea not to take guns to take them down.

Both of you hadn’t expected the knives they had hidden within the belts of their pants. Steve escaped with a couple of scrapes, however you ended up receiving the brunt of the attack, one of them slashing you across the waist. It wasn’t too deep of a cut, but it did need stitches.

‘Ow! Fuck Murphy! If I knew you were this bad I would’ve called your wife!’ You screeched, tugging his hand away from your wound where he had pressed down on.

‘Oh sorry big baby for not being gentle!’

You rolled your eyes at him as he pulled your shirt back down, giving you the look over once more, ‘anyway stitches are holding up well so just take it easy this week and allow it to close properly-’

‘And recover my dignity,’ I mumbled, Steve chuckling as he rose from the floor, packing away the medical bag. It was then a loud knocking echoed through the apartment. You jumped from your spot on the couch and Steve reaching instinctively for his gun.

‘Oi Murphy open up!’

Steve sighed at the sound of Javier’s voice, however you weren’t as glad, staring at him in disbelief. ‘You told him?!’

‘What? He called asking how it went when you passed out in the car, what was I supposed to say? He was worried and wanted to check up on you!’

You groaned, throwing your head back against the back of the couch as he went to the door, quietly muttering to one another before Javier noisily making his way over. When you peeked your eye open he stood at the end of the couch, hands on his hips as he took in the sight of you.

‘What the fuck happened to you?’

‘Oh nothing! You know these bruises and this knife cut just appeared out of thin air!’ You bit back, rubbing your temple as it thrummed in what you knew would be a terrible headache.

Steve sighed, ‘I’m gonna head off, you two need to talk.’ You glared at him about to retort, but he hurriedly turned and left your apartment, leaving both you and Javier in a very awkward, tense silence.

You sighed, rolling your eyes as Javier looked anywhere but at you, ‘You can leave Peña, just make sure the door doesn’t hit you on the way out.’

He finally looked at you, his annoyance reaching its peak as he turned towards you, ‘What is your problem Y/N?’

‘We are not doing this right now,’ You said as you stood up, turning to head towards your bedroom, but he stopped you by grabbing your arm.

‘Yes we are Y/N, we haven’t spoken for months now and I don’t know why! I didn’t say anything but now its getting in the way of our work-’

‘Look I don’t really want to talk about this, not right now and especially not with you,’ You muttered, ignoring the hurt that crossed his face, ‘Besides shouldn’t you be with her?’

His eyebrows furrowed, confused, ‘Her? With who?’

‘Don’t play dumb Peña, I’m talking about Elisa! You two seemed so snuggled up when Steve and I found you two at your apartment the other night. Why don’t you run along and go see her?’ You uttered, staring up into his face.

You took in the hurt that filled his eyes, cause by you. There was a tug at your heart, your anger faltering for a moment. You wanted to take it back. But what if didn’t feel the same way?

Taking a step back, you began to pull away, but before you could turn away he tugged on your arms, pressing his chest to yours so you couldn’t pull away.

‘I didn’t sleep with her Y/N, I know I have a reputation for that and I won’t deny it, but not with her. She was escorted out of Bogotá this morning. All she was was an informant. Nothing more. I promise you that.’

You’re not sure if it was the way he held you in his arms or the sincerity in his eyes that convinced you. But either way you believed him.

You sighed as he gripped your arms gently, bringing you closer to him. You moved your eyes to the floor, gulping. ‘I-I’m sorry … it’s just-for so long I’ve-I’ve liked you, and yet I couldn’t help but feel like all you saw me as was a friend, a colleague, and I just felt the need to pull away so I didn’t feel the hurt.’

Javier leant into you, using his hand to nudge your chin up. ‘Y/N, I’ve felt the same way for you too.’

Your eyes widened, mouth agape. ‘What?’

‘With the rules and regulations of the DEA, I just thought it would never cross your mind. A-And I just have never been good at this,’ He pointed between the two of you.

‘Talking about my feelings Y/N is foreign, and something I’m terrible at. And I’m sorry that I didn’t have the balls to talk to you. I was afraid to ruin what we had already, though we weren’t talking, I still wanted you in my life.’

You couldn’t help but smile softly as he mumbled around his words, looking anywhere but at you, taking your hands into his, playing with your fingertips. You tipped his face up gently, pressing a hand to his cheek.

‘You could never lose me Javier, even if it meant I was a bitch to you without you ever telling me about your feelings.’

He chuckled loudly, and your smile widened. You hadn’t been alone in a room with him for so long you almost forgot how he looked when he did, and you couldn’t help but find it so beautiful.

‘I’m willing to make this try and work Javier, even with all the precautions we have to take as agents, I’m ready to do it with you.’

Javier smiled gently, gripping your hand, ‘I am too. I know I’m not good at any of this, but I really am willing to try.’

Still smiling, he pressed his lips to your forehead gently, face cradled within his hands. You couldn’t help but tremble against him as he did so, leaning you’re face upwards before pressing your lips to his.

He instantly responded, his lips dancing across your gently before firmly pressing a second kiss to yours. His hands moved down your back as yours wrapped around his neck, pulling him in closer as you tugged on his lip-

‘Ow!’ You cried softly, pulling away as he gripped your hip near the cut, his eyes instantly widening.

‘Shit I’m so sorry-’

‘No no, it’s okay Javier,’ You chuckled, pecking his lips as you kept him close, nudging his nose playfully as he also joined in the laughter. You felt his hands once more lower to your back, careful of where he placed them. With a sigh, you both smiled against each other as you kissed.

Masterlist | Pedro Pascal Masterlist

Tagged: @pascalisthepunkest

A/N: Remember requests are open! I head back to uni soon so get them in early! Feedback is really appreciated! (Btw there is some smut coming for our boy Javier AND I MEAN PROPER SMUT THIS TIME)

Remember requests are open for Pedro Pascal characters! Check it out and request whatever you like!

#javier peña imagines #javier peña imagine #javier peña #javier pena #javier pena imagines #javier pena imagine #javier pena x reader #javier peña x reader #javier peña x reader imagines #pedro pascal #pedropascaledit #pedro pascal imagines #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x reader imagines #javier pena x reader imagine

180 notes · View notes

cryptocism · 5 years

Note

ive been scrolling through ur blog for a while (cuz ur dc opinions are Top Fucking Notch) and i saw what you said abt bart in tt 03 and f:fma and while i totally agree (it killed tt 03 for me lol) im super curious abt how youd do his development if given the opportunity?

I’ve been thinking about this one like A Lot so buckle up this is long:

it would kind of depend? On whether or not he’d be in an ensemble team like Teen Titans or with his own solo series.

I understand metatextually why he became Kid Flash in TT, since they needed him to be more mature and a more recognizable character and having him upgrade costumes/codenames is a good shortcut for both. But I’ve already talked about why it didn’t sit right with me.

So, lets flip the script a little bit - the start of TT would be largely the same. Our boy Bart is on the new Titans team, and things are kind of awkward after YJ disbanded, also Max is gone and Bart’s relationship with Wally is still not doing great. Things are rough, Bart has newfound doubts to deal with, especially now that the world seems to have gotten harsher and everyone seems to have a lot less patience to deal with him. The pressure to be more mature and a recognizable character is coming from other characters now rather than an authorial need: he’s reminded to take things seriously, or that he should know better by now, that he needs to slow down and think more. So Bart decides a change is necessary, and we get the library scene. He reads all the books, he reappears as Kid Flash, saves Tim via bullet catch, disassembles a gun, takes down Slade, etc. etc. Here’s my departure from canon though: it doesn’t work.

Kid Flash is not a solution, or a magical cure for immaturity. Reading a whole library so he’s miraculously smarter and more mature and capable is, at its core, a pretty naive conclusion. And it makes sense he would think that. But it doesn’t work. He’s still impulsive, distractible, hasty. He can’t put a lid on his own sense of humor. People still think he’s annoying or lazy or careless. And he keeps trying - he knows all this stuff now, he read a whole library! - but he’s still apparently too much the same person as he's always been. And even though he’s trying very hard to live up to the Kid Flash name, it still doesn’t feel like him. Wally doesn’t like it, since Bart is literally just imitating him now, which makes things between the two even worse. And Bart keeps worrying about what’s supposed to come afterwards, since “Kid Flash” is inherently temporary, and while Impulse was only peripherally related to the flash legacy, Kid Flash comes with expectations.

Bart is trying very very hard to be ‘grown up’ and ‘mature’, but he hasn’t actually learned anything other than a bunch of facts (which are still useful, but) he’s just trying to be who everyone expects him to be.

And this is what i mean about the ensemble thing, because this arc would be in conversation with the rest of the core four, who are also trying very hard to be people they’re not, but all in different ways. Bart obviously with the codename change, but Cassie, Tim, and Kon all have similar issues, they’re all trying to imitate people.

Tim is doing his Batman jr. routine, reverting back to the persona he had at the start of YJ. He’s cagey and mysterious and does questionable things without telling anybody, because he’s de-facto leader of the team again, and he has to be better than he is. No more kid stuff, the Titans are serious, he has to treat it like a job, not like a sleepover. And this whole act is putting distance between him and his friends.

Cassie is trying her hardest to put herself in a support role. Donna’s gone and she has some big shoes to fill (she and Tim could probably bond about that if he weren’t stubbornly trying to brood at all hours of the day) and she’s doing her best to just Be Donna. Cassie and Tim would work better with their team roles swapped, and they both sort of know this - Cassie is naturally charismatic, thinks on her feet, can maintain good PR, and when she’s confident in herself is great at leading. Tim is partial to planning ahead, secrets, and keeping in the shadows, and is better at being a confidant and emotional problem solver among the team (when he allows himself to be open among friends, that is).

But they’re both trying to fit themselves into what they see as pre-ordained roles: Robin is leader, Wondergirl is a supportive mediator. But Cassie’s got a temper and little patience for people being idiots, and Tim’s not predisposed to spotlights.

Kon on the other hand has a story that’s less about who he should be and more who he shouldn’t be. The Lex Luthor dad storyline is here (minus the mind control shit, although the threat of it is still brought up) and Kon is doing his level best to do nothing that could be interpreted as something Lex might do. While everyone is doing their best to Not be their own person, Kon has no idea if he ever was his own person. He’s questioning everything he does, wondering if it’s some kind of evil gene showing through when he’s angry or petty or selfish. He’s going through lots of clone angst.

So they’re all dealing with expectations and who they are or aren’t supposed to be, trying to fit themselves into boxes that don’t suit them and then convincing themselves that this is how it ought to be. Kon ought to avoid feeling or acting in any negative light because any sign of Luthor is a sign of evil, Cassie ought to tone herself down and act like Donna, Tim ought to step up and lead the team and act like Dick, and Bart ought to listen better and be smarter and slow down and grow up and do his level best to just Be Wally.

Throughout the issues they’d all get a spotlight on their various crises, taking them through complimenting character arcs. Kon would realize through a couple close encounters and chats with ma and pa and talks with his friends and citizens of metropolis that nobody is all good or all bad. Clark can be a real asshole sometimes and Luthor’s actually done a fair bit of good (usually in his own interests, but still we’re gunning for nuance). Turns out he doesn’t have a dark side to be tempted by, he was made from 50% complex person and 50% complex person, just like everyone else. Which means he isn’t destined to be the next Superman, or Superman’s next supervillain. He’s just like, a person. With his own thoughts and feelings that have nothing to do with genetics.

Tim would wear himself out and hide it from everybody until he killed himself, but it’s only when he sees Cassie also wearing herself out too that his ‘somebody needs somebody’ instincts kick in and they’re actually able to talk about how miserable they both are. Through some trial and error they’re able to figure out a good co-leader system for leading the team, having each other’s backs along the way, which allows for them both being able to help out the other members of their team with their own shit i.e. Kon and Bart’s identity issues.

Bart is, like Cassie and Tim, wearing himself out trying to be this perfect version of Wally that never actually existed. He actually hates the recognition the new name gives him, because people have expectations for him now, ones he can never seem to live up to. He’s bad at following orders still, which makes him a pretty shit sidekick for Wally, in fact he’s just pretty shit at being a sidekick in general. But, he reasons, he’s supposed to be grown up and responsible now, and responsibility is all about doing shit you hate until you die, so he’s probably on the right track.

It’s only later, once he gets some support from his friends, who help him deal with things like Max and YJ disbanding and stuff that he’s able to actually sit down and have a heart-to-heart with Wally. Wally confesses that he understands the pressure to live up to a legacy, and how he did his best to just Be Barry when he became the flash. In fact while Bart was trying to live up to Wally and be a good sidekick, Wally was trying to live up to Barry and be a good mentor. Wally’s the one to tell him that Bart’s always done his own thing, and is at his best when he does. They both agree they suck as partners, but maybe they should’ve tried to be family first. And there’s probably a racing metaphor in there somewhere because speedsters love their racing metaphors.

ANyway Bart returns to Impulse, forging a new path, getting along better with Wally now and hanging out with him just as civilians with no pretense. He learns some valuable lessons about how maturity can’t be learned in a book, and that he’ll get it himself the more he lives and learns from experience. The Titans all get along better now that they’re all sure of their places in the group, and they can all go on just being themselves without worrying about expectations or roles to fill or whatever.

...If Bart still had his solo series instead though, id actually want it to go in a sort of different direction? The thing about living up to predecessors and trying to be some ideal version of another person works well for the Titans because they can all deal with a similar issue in different ways, but I think it would also be interesting to do the complete opposite.

Lots of shitty things happened in very quick succession in Bart’s life that he had no control over: Max’s disappearance, having to move in with Jay and Joan (who are nice, but whom he barely knows,) leaving his friends in Alabama, Young Justice breaking up… Basically, things kind of suck for Bart, and all he wants is for them to go back to the way they were. Instead of trying to be grown up or mature or whatever, Bart is resisting every single encroaching thing about coming adulthood. Because all growing up ever seems to mean is that everything changes and either you have to leave the people you love or they have to leave you.

So this series would focus mostly on that, both in his civilian life; going into high school, not knowing anybody, the few friends he does make are less interested in ‘kid stuff’ and more focused on dating and interpersonal drama, high school itself seems to be geared entirely toward the “what are you going to do with your life” question, when he visits his old friends back in manchester, they’ve all kind of grown up without him. And in hero life; everyone from Young Justice is trying to move on and not talking to each other, his father figure and mentor is gone and he's not really jiving well with the rest of the flash family, and people just seem to have less patience for Impulse now that he’s older.

Growing up is hard. It’s hard and no one understands. Especially not when you’re also a superhero and have dealt with some quality trauma like losing loved ones and feeling yourself die. So it makes sense that Bart would resist that in every way possible, do his best to pretend like everything is still how it used to be, for once in his life just trying to make everything stay put. He refuses to get rid of his old stuff, he doesn’t want to treat any villainous threats seriously, people in school keep talking about college and jobs and tuition fees and Bart wants none of that, he acts out, refuses responsibility, gets reckless under the pretense that he never used to have to be cautious.

And this is the part where I’d bring in Inertia, cause Thad was robbed and I want him to have an actual arc that doesn’t end with infant-splosion. Also he can have a good ol companion arc to Bart. Welcome to foils everybody, where two identical boys with opposing life experiences get to thematically compare and contrast with each other as they deal with the trials and tribulations of growing up.

So, I’m ignoring every appearance Thad ever made after Impulse 1995, picking up instead where his story left off where he swore vengeance on his creators and disappeared into the speed force. And he’s off to do exactly what he said; Thad Thawne II is going to kill his namesake/grandfather/creator - the president of Earthgov.

But, turns out assassinating the president of a whole fucking planet is a lot harder than he thought - Thad has planned extensively for every moment of his life, so once he starts going off script things predictably go a little off the fuckin rails. Thad fails, obviously. For one because despite how much President Thawne might deserve to die, Thad at this point hasn’t done anything worse than attempted murder, and making him a killer would put a wrench in any kind of redemption arc he could have. Also he’s acting on rage, in a highly emotional state, basically going up against the entire government. Of course he’s going to get caught by the science police and brought into custody.

Bart, meanwhile is jumping with both feet into any kind of escapism he can find, which involves various time travel shenanigans and lands him in the 30th century. He gets to reunite however briefly with his mom, but the mission he had gets derailed by the appearance of Inertia.

Every time Bart and President Thawne interact, the president always seems to make a bid to sway Bart to the Thawne side. This never works, which is part of the reason Inertia exists in the first place; a version of Bart that the president could control. When Inertia landed in the 30th century, hell bent on assassinating his creator, the President subdued him and eventually coerced him back over to the Thawne side of the family feud. No longer a rogue agent, Inertia is back to his old self, all about destroying Bart and the rest of the Allens.

They have a battle, taking place all over the 30th century city, and Bart does his best but Inertia has the entire Earthgov police force on his side, and Bart eventually gets captured. He gets taken to some kind of holding facility, meets with the President who monologues as him while Inertia stands beside him like a good lackey. Then suddenly the speed-inhibiting cuffs or whatever Inertia had put on Bart to stop his speed malfunctions, and Inertia drops the act, now Impulse and Inertia working together to take down the Earthgov people holding them there.

Turns out as soon as Inertia knew he couldn’t take out the president, what with all the military force President Thawne had on his side, he bided his time until he could. He uses Bart’s help to finally get President Thawne cornered, and the assassination plan is back on track. Except now Bart is the thing stopping him. He makes the argument about how murder bad. Heroes don’t kill, etc. Inertia insists he isn’t a hero. But Bart reminds him that that’s not how Max saw him.

Inertia hesitates just enough that President Thawne is able to get away, and now the two of them have to make an escape attempt back to the past. Bart insists on trying to take Meloni with them, and they try but ultimately fail somehow (maybe someone has to stay behind to make sure they can make the trip safely, idk. At first Thad is willing to stay behind, since there’s nothing really for him in the past. But Meloni knows that President Thawne would destroy him if he did, and she can’t let harm come to either of her sons - and she does consider Thad her son, just like Bart. She’s had far too little time with either of them, but she loves them all the same. She tells them to take care of each other, and is the first to encourage them to be like, actual brothers.)

After yet another tearful goodbye, Bart swearing he’ll find a way for them to all be together again, Bart and Thad go back. And they do end up having to lean on each other, because shit’s tough for the both of them. Thad initially wants to apologize and possibly reunite with Max and Helen, and then finds out Max is gone. And Bart has someone who understands exactly what he’s going through.

Things get a little more lighthearted from here. Bart and Thad don’t get along well at first, since they’re both going through rough times and lots of changes and their first instincts are to lash out at each other. But eventually they form a sort of camaraderie through shared grief, then shared fish-out-of-water experiences. Which evolves into shared inside jokes and video games and comic books and they become slow but steady friends.

They upgrade into brothers when Bart defends Thad against the repeated (and not entirely undeserved) suspicion he receives from the rest of the Flash family. Jay and Joan take him in, but it’s clear they don’t trust him, and neither does Wally. Bart stands up for Thad, arguing that he’s as much of a Thawne as Thad is, and treating Thad like he’s the next Cobalt Blue is just going to ensure that history never changes and stupid family feuds are forever. After this, Thad starts trusting Bart a little more, and kind of solves Bart’s problems regarding encroaching adulthood with his friendship. Neither of them really had a childhood, and Thad hasn’t experienced 21st century life at all, much less the societal expectations to grow up. So Bart gets to have fun again, and Thad won't judge any of his games or his books or his attitude or interests for being childish or lame because he’s fascinated by the experience of anything regardless of the target audience.

And from there it's a series about these two becoming brothers and growing up and the different lessons they learn and wacky characters they meet along the way. Thad ironically also puts Bart in a position where he has to take on more responsibility, since even though Thad can imitate heroic actions and is actually pretty good at it, he doesn’t understand what makes them heroic. Bart has to draw on a lot of the things Max taught him and now has to teach them to Thad.

There’s crossover comics with Superboy, where Bart laments about having to deal with grown up stuff, and Kon gives him a new perspective on the whole “being young forever” thing, since that was a reality Kon actually had to deal with and it sucked.

Through various misadventures they meet new and familiar characters to give them different perspectives on the whole passage of time thing. Villains who despise children or childish things, villains who embrace it but probably too much. People who talk about growing up as the worst time of their lives, others talking about it like it was the best. Kids and adults alike trying to force Bart and Thad to act a certain way while treating them another.

The two of them come to opposing conclusions about this; Thad wants to embrace change completely, partly because he wants to experience firsthand all that life has to offer, but also his worldview depends on believing that anyone can change, and anyone can be better, because he has to believe he can be redeemed for all the shitty stuff he did. Bart, on the other hand, knows his life isn’t perfect but thinks, based on recent events, that it’s all just going to get worse from here, and so resists change as much as possible.

Thad, in his haste to experience everything, sometimes ends up going too far, either burning both of them out, or pushing them into situations that they’re not ready for or are ill-equipped to handle. Bart, on the other hand is so resistant to change or responsibility that he stops them from doing actual necessary things like planning their futures or doing chores or making new friends. This acts as the crux for their main conflict that slowly builds throughout the series, and then in a finale to the arc, they both figure out a way to get Meloni back to the past, and to raise some stakes they have a falling out in the middle of the mission about it.

Bart accuses Thad of trying to leave him behind, or trying to be the better version of him again, and that old insecurity about Thad replacing him crops up. Thad thinks Bart just can’t handle anything outside his personal bubble and wants to force him to live in the real world. Plus he also feels kind of abandoned by Bart, who often would leave Thad to do the scary adult things on his own.

Tensions still high, there's suddenly an external threat to deal with - probably president thawne and the science police - and they attempt to continue arguing even while fighting the president. I’m making this up as I go so lets say yada yada big climactic moment it's looking like the two might fail to get Meloni back and they’re both still angry with each other and Bart just… can’t take it anymore.

He keeps losing people, and the ones he keeps he always seems to screw up with. And at the end of the day he’s just a kid who wants his mom. Is that really so much to ask? So there’s a reversal, a parallel, if you will, of the assassination attempt from the beginning of the series, this time with Bart. Or, because I don’t think many people would buy that Bart would actually ever for real kill someone, maybe he’s finally about to get his mom back, but she doesn’t want to go (since she made that deal with the president that he wouldn’t harm anyone of the Allen family so long as she stayed with him) so he’s trying to force her, risking the lives/well-being of the entire Allen bloodline across all of time.

This time it’s Thad who has to talk him down, who has to remind him about being a hero, who has to remind him that trying to go back to some magical time in the past where things were better is just going to stop him from learning and growing as a person, and that doing anything and everything possible to get there is just going to lead to Bart doing something he Actually Can’t walk back from.

Alright but here’s the thing because having Bart be forced to leave his mom again for like the billionth time is tired and overdone, and personally the whole message about heroics involving extreme and damaging amounts of sacrifice can only go so far. So here; Thad and Bart are both right.

Like on the one hand, yeah, it’s childish and selfish for Bart to want to be with his mom at the expense of literally everyone else in his family. On the other hand, the fact that they can’t be together because some asshole is upholding a stupid grudge is bad and unfair and wrong. The issue needing to be fixed is not the kid who wants his mom, it’s the jackass keeping them apart (and who also wants to kill/imprison people). So Bart convinces Thad that they have to save Meloni, and Thad convinces Bart that there has to be another way - one where they get their mom back and the Allens don’t have to be hunted.

The whole story would be leading up to the two of them coming to this conclusion; the healthy middle between the two extremes. Where they have the maturity to plan ahead and sort through their differences and figure out the best course of action with the least amount of collateral, but they don’t let go of that adolescent need for justice and fairness - that thing that makes you dig in your heels and say “no. That’s not fair, that’s not right.”

SO here’s where I’d put the title card: “Bartholomew and Thaddeus Take Down The Government”. How do they do it? No idea! I’m flyin by the seat of my pants here! Do they run for office? Do they publicize the president’s crimes in such a way he gotta go to jail? Do they somehow turn public opinion against him enough to get him out of office? idk!!! And I don’t remember enough about Earthgov’s political situation to put an accurate read on what exactly they might do to disrupt it.

Either way they don’t kill him, manage to free their mom, and they all go back to the past together. And a new arc would involve the three of them getting settled in the past; Meloni would be a main character now, and hers is a two-pronged fish out of water story where she’s trying to figure out how shit works in the past, with overtones of the struggles of being a single parent.

And... I’m not going to say any more about that because this is long enough already oof.

TL;DR I think a coming of age story would be cool for Bart, and having to deal with growing up when he never really had a childhood. Also the comic itself would be aimed at younger audiences, who can probably relate to having a Bad Time in the Teens and wacky hijinks with friends and siblings.

#soapbox #anonymous #asks

187 notes · View notes

xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx · 5 years

Text

Not Alone - Gerard Way x Reader

Request: Hello! I was wondering if you could do a Gerard x fem!Reader where she was bullied in the past and years later she encounters with the bullies and they start bothering her again and Gerard saves her? Tysm💜 Warnings: bullying, violence (shoving) Word count: 1 746

If you were being honest, being back in your hometown was not nearly as traumatizing as you had assumed it would be. Christmas had pulled you back into this tiny town in which your family still lived. For years you had managed to avoid it, always finding an excuse for your parents to come visit you instead, but this year you had finally decided to face the demons of your past.

The resentment about your hometown was not, as for many other people, grounded in a bad relationship with your family, but rather the unpleasant time of high school. Everyone, literally everyone in the whole town, had always known that you were the involuntary social outcast, the favourite victim of the bullies at school, and too weak (you preferred the word gentle) to save yourself. Even though everyone had known, nobody had ever made a move to help you, and your parents had been shut down by the school’s director, saying you had no prove for what you claimed the other students to have done. And since there was no other school in town and your parents could not afford to home school you, you somehow had learned to survive.

So there was a very good reason indeed why you had never been keen on returning here. As mentioned, the town was small, and chances were that you would stumble into some of your former bullies, or at least a cheering bystander as soon as you left the house. But when you had come home for Christmas, you had not come alone.

During your time away, you had started working for the cartoon network in New York, where you had gotten to know your adorable co-worker Gerard, who you now dated. That he wanted to stay in the relationship, even after he and the band, which he had founded a couple of years back, had made it big, was still a miracle to you, but you definitely did not complain; you loved him.

Now, against all better judgement, you had agreed to do the grocery shopping for your mother. She was already busy decorating, and sending out last minute cards, while simultaneously stressing out over getting the house clean before your grandparents arrived tomorrow morning. So you had figured taking that burden off her shoulders would be the least you could do, especially since the main Christmas grocery shopping was already done, and you only needed to get food for the following days, making sure you would not have to bother with going to the supermarket while you would rather have a peaceful time together.

Of course you had immediately told Gerard he would have to accompany you, which he enthusiastically did. Right now he had disappeared to the section of cereal, eager to choose something for your whole family, while you had continued to the snacks.

Slowly walking along the shelves, you once again wondered why one company produced three different kinds of crisps all with the same flavour. Rummaging through your memories you tried to recall the brand name your brother had mentioned as his favourite yesterday evening, when suddenly you heard someone walk up to you. Assuming it was just a person looking for a specific kind of food, like people do in supermarkets, you took a small step to the side to let them pass, but did not look up.

From the corner of your eye you saw the person had stopped right next to you, leaving not even a dozen inches between you. Normally you would have felt a little uncomfortable due to a lack of personal space, and continued your day, but now the person did not turn to the shelf, the tips of their shoes pointing straight at you. And these were not Gerard’s shoes.

A feeling, which you had not felt in years, overcame you, your instincts telling you to run as fast as possible, but instead you slowly looked up.

“That’s not the way to greet your old friends, (y/n).”

The voice had gotten deeper, but the snarling and dripping venom were the same as back in school. Looking up completely, you found a group of four men blocking the aisle. Their faces looked older, more grown up, more dangerous than what they had looked a couple of years back when you had last seen them. But there was no doubt; these were the same people who had made your life hell.

“You just left without saying goodbye,” said the one standing directly behind Hunter, who was their leader.

“We thought we could give you a proper send off on prom night, but you never showed up,” Hunter added, making the men behind him laugh.

Truth be told, you did not want to know what they had had in mind for you back then.

“But there’s plenty of time for that now, right?”

As if they were remote controlled, they all took a step towards you at the same time, but you did not step back. Never mind Hunter was almost standing chest to chest with you now, you were sick of their stupid games, terribly scared too, but most of all pissed off.

“Leave me alone,” you hissed at them, surprised by how confident you sounded.

“Oh, what’s this, little (y/n) got feisty while away,” Rick, who stood further in the back, laughed, “you should learn to shut your mouth.”

“Fuck off,” you just mumbled, and turned your back to them, trying to walk away from them.

But of course that did not work. It might have worked with normal people, but not with guys as fucked up as these four.

You had not even taken three steps, when a hand landed on your shoulder, and pulled you pack, forcefully slamming you into the packed shelf, causing several bags of snacks to tumble to the floor. Instinctively you curled into a small ball, immediately protecting face and stomach, as years of their torment had taught you; but before the first painful kick, which you expected to hit, found you, a voice sounded through the aisle, and your heart immediately jumped to your throat.

“Touch them, and you’ll regret it.”

Gerard’s voice usually was not very impressive, but years of screaming around on stage had given him the skill to sound dangerous, and luckily only you and him knew that he was bluffing.

On the one hand you were incredibly happy that he was there, by your side to help and protect you, but on the other hand you were scared what these men would do to him. He was great with words and all, but if he would have to defend himself he would probably be even worse off than you; he was just a gigantic teddy bear, and today he even almost looked like one, wearing the hand knitted sweater his grandma had made for him.

“What d’you want?”

“I want you to fuck off, unless you want the police to pick you up here. They’re on their way.”

Gerard sounded calm, as his steps approached you, making your bullies move away from you simultaneously.

“Seriously dude?��

“You heard me, they’re on their way.”

Calmly he knelt down next to you, carefully placing his hand on your back, and only then you felt that he was shaking.

“Why’d you call them, what’d you tell them?”

Hunter was almost shouting, not out of anger, but out of what sounded like fear, and made you even take a careful glance at them.

“That my partner is being violently attacked by four men in the supermarket…”

The only sounds that followed Gerard’s pretty relaxed statement were those of shoes rapidly clacking against the tiles of the floor as the men ran away.

“Did you really call the police,” you wondered, slowly allowing yourself to relax.

“I tried, but the line is occupied,” Gerard admitted, grinning gently at you. “Did they hurt you?”

Helping you up, he worriedly glanced up, and down your body.

“I’m fine I think,” you answered. Your back hurt a little from where you had been slammed into the shelf, but your thick winter jacket had blocked the worst. “They gave me a good scare though.”

“Me too,” Gerard agreed, “I always thought you were being a bit overdramatic with all the bullying, you know, distorted perception due to trauma or something, but hell, this is worse than what you ever told me!”

“Everything alright lovelies?”

An elderly lady, dressed in the uniform of the supermarket, peeked around the corner into the aisle.

“Yeah, we just-“

“Oh, don’t think I don’t know. These boys have been terrorizing the town for years.” Quickly she hurried over, and Gerard and you helped her collect the bags with crisps, which had fallen out of the shelf, off the floor. “They are well known to the sheriff, and that Hunter is on probation, so if he gets into trouble again, he’s going to jail for a while.”

Gerard and you exchanged glances, obvious that neither of you minded if Hunter would be locked away.

After the lady had helped you find the brand of snacks your brother liked so much, and had recommended some of her favourite post-Christmas crisps, you headed back to your shopping cart, and soon made your way over to the register, where the lady, who had introduced herself as Maggie, helped you check out.

“Here, for you,” you handed her a five dollar bill after you had paid, “Merry Christmas.”

Not waiting for her to break in a huge smile you turned, and started walking away, only seeing Gerard smile widely, and wave good bye at the lady.

“She sometimes gave us lollies for free,” you explained, once you had walked up to your car, “I don’t think she remembers me, but I sure remember her. Also five dollars probably won’t make up for all the lollies she gave me.”

Gerard chuckled, and helped you load the groceries into the car.

“People like that are the backbone of our nation,” he agreed, and both of you laughed.

After everything was stored away, you got into the car, and turned on radio and heating. Slowly you drove off the parking lot, careful not to slip in the snow that had started falling. Maybe the incident in the store had not been necessary, but at least you were not afraid of coming back home now, knowing that Gerard would always be by your side to help you.

Taglist (if you want to be added or taken off, please let me know):

General: @robinruns @justawriterinprogress @lookalivefrosty @jayloverthe3rd @butterfly-writes @angelevansfalls @rene-royale @500240

MCR: @deadlovers

#gerard way x reader #gerard way x reader fluff #gerard way imagine #gerard way fluff #gerard way fanfiction #my chemical romance #my chemical romance imagines #my chemical romance imagine #my chemical romance fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #bullies #tw: bullying

83 notes · View notes

katniss-shmeverdeen · 4 years

Text

A Trip Like No Other

I wrote a short story and want y’all to enjoy it; This is a long one so grab some popcorn and settle in.

“I can’t believe you’re making me wear this,” Lucas said in disbelief. He looked in the bedroom mirror and analyzed the red and black get up Brantley put him in.

“Oh come on, you’re about to begin the last year of your twenties, you gotta start it off with a bang”

“Yeah and this ain’t it, Brant. If I wanted to be ring leader to a bunch of clowns, I would go back to my last job at Bridgeport. They never could make a decent cappuccino.” He eyed Brantley in the mirror,

“And who are you supposed to be?”

“Uh, Tyler Chatwood” He waited for Lucas to react, but it didn’t click. “The Cubs” Lucas turned to Brantley and shook his head. “Really dude? It’s our home team, how can you not know these guys?

Lucas turned back to the mirror to adjust his top, “Believe it or not, some of us couldn’t care less about sports, especially their names.”

Brantley adjusted himself in the mirror as well, “Alright we’ll work on your sports knowledge later, right now we have to get out there and make sure our friends have the best Halloween yet.”

Lucas turned and grabbed his top hat off the bed post, “Fine, but if any one calls me Hugh Jackman, I’m leaving”

“And go where?” Brantley had to raise his voice because Lucas was already out the door, “You live here!”

“Maybe I’ll find a nice hovel!” He heard him shout from the hallway, making his way toward the party in the living room.

Lucas entered his living room to see about twenty people in all kinds of different costumes and outfits. Some went above and beyond to make sure their costumes were as accurate as possible. Lucas could’ve sworn he saw Heath Ledger because that Joker costume was anything but a joke. Others put in so little effort that he wasn’t sure they even knew what kind of party this was. He saw a man with disheveled hair and paint-splattered jeans wearing a shirt that said ‘This is my party shirt.’

Black and orange string lights were hung around the room, along with fake spider webs, bat and ghost decals on the walls, and spooky music playing in the background.

Brantley did a bang up job getting this all together. He’d always had a knack for this kind of stuff, and went all out to make sure parties were enjoyable for everyone.

Lucas made his way to the punch bowl in the kitchen and poured orange Fanta into a black plastic cup.

Before he could even get a sip of it, a burly man dawning a toga with some stains had an arm around him and was shaking him vigorously, making half of the pop in his cup jump onto the counter.

“Hey hey! There’s the birthday boy!” He shouted unnecessarily, his mouth was a centimeter from Lucas’ ear and the music wasn’t even that loud.

Lucas did his best to smile, but it was hard to do that while holding his breath to avoid breathing in armpit-stench. “Curtis, oh boy, it’s uh, always good to smell- see ya, buddy.”

Curtis let go of him, but stood just as close. Lucas took a step back while rubbing his shoulder and turning his head to get a good breath in.

Curtis was one of those clowns at Bridgeport, always over-friendly and not concerned about doing his job well, just talking with customers and co-workers and not understanding their social queues.

He continued using his loud voice, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my favorite boss, we sure miss you at the ol’ bean shop!”

Lucas tried smiling again, but it was more of a grimace. He had been in this situation too many times and he was trying to think his way out of it. Before, he could use the customers or co-workers as an excuse to leave the conversation, but now there was no backup to fall on.

“I’m sure you do; Listen, with all this party stuff going on and this being the big 2-9, I’ve sort of made myself anxious about all of it and that’s resulted in an upset stomach, so I hope you’ll understand my need to get to the bathroom as soon as I can.” He didn’t give Curtis a chance to respond before he made a mad dash out of the kitchen.

“Well make it quick, we got a lot of catching up to do!” Curtis yelled even louder as he poured himself more drink.

Lucas arrived back in the living room and looked for Brantley. He spotted him in the corner trying to make a home run with Alice from Wonderland. Lucas made his way through the crowd, giving quick smiles to those he made eye-contact with. Brantley was just about to get Alice’s number when Lucas grabbed his arm, “Excuse me, I need to borrow Romeo for a second.” He dragged Brantley down the hallway and stood close enough to him so others wouldn’t hear their conversation. “Please tell me you have a good reason for inviting Curtis.”

Brantley shot back at him, “Don’t blame this on me; I was at Bridgeport inviting people you actually like, and he overheard us talking, therefore inviting himself. I talked to the current manager and she said he wasn’t scheduled to work that day, but I guess he wanted to clock in out of the goodness of his heart.” While Brantley was explaining, Lucas was dragging his hand down his face so hard his skin almost came off. “After you made me wear this costume I didn’t think this night could get much worse, but Curtis and a few others being here proved me wrong.”

“Well if that’s how you feel, I’ll just tear down the decorations and tell everyone to get out since tonight’s so horrible.”

Brantley started to walk away, feeling under appreciated for all his work to get this party together.

Lucas walked after him, “Brant, come one, that’s not what I meant. It’s just…” He took off his top hat and focused on that instead, ”I’m at another dead-end job, bills are piling up, I’ve been single for three years… I don’t know, I guess I’m not as happy with my life as I would’ve hoped so I don’t really see much reason for celebration… and I think the whole Curtis thing was the straw on the camel’s back, ya know?.

And to add salt to the wound, this February was ten years since I lost my dad.”

Brantley never could stay mad very long and was usually the one to ease tension,

“Well I know one of those things you can try to change tonight. A certain red-head in a maid costume’s been eyeing you all night”

That made Lucas perk up very quickly, “Really? Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started.” He slapped on his top hat and confidently strode back to the party.

After about an hour of mingling, flirting, and avoiding certain people, Brantley decided it was time for Lucas to wish himself into the next chapter of his life. The partygoers still at the house at this point sang while Brantley brought the cake to the kitchen counter where Lucas was sitting on a barstool. Lucas had seen some extravagant cakes before, but this one was in the top five of most gaudy. He tried to be appreciative, but it was hard when his own face was staring back at him. There were also black and orange balloons, black cats, and some kind of goblin creature taking up a third of the cake. He made a mental note to avoid eating from that section. The candles were arranged in a way to avoid the icing creatures, so Lucas would do his best to get them all out in one go. He sat with his eyes closed for a second, trying to think of a good wish. He knew it wasn’t real, but you never know what might happen, especially if you’re Lucas Whittaker. He decided on something that could cover all the bases, and leaned forward as he thought to himself, “I wish for this year to be different.”

Before Lucas opened his eyes again, he heard a stranger’s voice. “Oh it’ll be different alright.”

Lucas’ eyes shot open and saw a man standing where Brantley had been. This guy looked like he lost a fight with Hot Topic’s discount rack, complete with chains and an outdated graphic tee.

Lucas stood up and looked around the room. The music was dead, everyone else was gone, and the house became twenty degrees warmer.

He looked at Mystery Man like he’d just been shot, which he might as well have been. “Where are Brant and the others? What did you do with them? Who are you? Why are you here? How are you here?”

Mystery Man put his hand up to stop Lucas from winning the prize for the most asked questions in a minute. “Hey kid, I only answer so many questions for new clients, you’re pushing the limit.”

“Client? I didn’t sign up for any of this, what do you want?” Lucas asked, his patience running out quickly and his sweat increasing.

“Yes, client. I have someone you want, you have someone I want- well, technically I have both of them, but I can’t retrieve one. Anyway, for us to get those people back, we have to work together, which I guess would make us more like business partners.”

Lucas marched over and grabbed him by the shirt collar, getting close enough to smell last night’s dinner still on his breath. “Listen here, you sorry excuse for an angsty teenager, bring Brantley back or I will personally air-mail you to the foot of Satan’s throne.”

Mystery Man looked at him with so little interest, that if he were any more bored, he’d be dead. “Interesting, considering the man whose throne you plan to send me to is standing right in front of you.”

Lucas released him in a huff, reconsidering everything, while the King of Hades smoothed his newly wrinkled shirt.

Lucas paced by the fridge, trying to digest his current situation. “This is not happening, this isn’t real, I’m dreaming. That’s it, I’m still at the party, passed out on the couch having a drink-induced nightmare. I knew I shouldn’t have had that shot of tequila and hot sauce.” He stopped contemplating long enough to realize he was alone. He cried out to the empty area, “Are you kidding? What do you want from me?!” He looked around, but there was no answer, just Lucas, the kitchen, and more questions than he had at the start of the day.

He exited the kitchen and went to the front door to get his keys from the hook. “Alright, I’ll just have to find Brant myself.” He reached for the knob and started to open the door when he heard the man again,

“I wouldn’t advise that.”

The Lord of the dead appeared on the same couch Lucas had been in earlier that evening, making Lucas jump so far out of his skin, he had to hold himself back from decking Hades all the way to Tartarus.

Hades continued, “Going in blind will get you killed, and you won’t be able to return my son to me.” Lucas looked at him with confusion and disbelief, “I’m sorry, I must’ve blacked out for a second. Going in where? And did you say your son?”

Hades pointed at the stereo, and they were suddenly listening to some old-school ACDC. “Yep, my time on the throne is almost up and since it can only be ruled by my descendants, I figured it’s high time I bring him home to learn the ropes and eventually take his rightful place.”

After a few seconds, Lucas asked, “What does that have to do with me?” Hades stood and got in Lucas’ personal space, “You and my son are a lot closer than you might think, here let me show you.”

Before Lucas could ask what he meant, Hades snapped them to Lucas’ childhood home. They stood in the living room, looking at a family of two snuggled on the couch, with candles lit, orange and black decorations, and only the glow of a scary movie to illuminate their faces.

“Can they see us?” Lucas asked, careful not to make any sudden movements in case they were about to ruin the time-travel continuum. Hades gestured to the living room and said with a sly grin, “Don’t worry, this is only a projection of your past, we’re not here.”

“How? I don’t remember this night at all.” Lucas walked around, inspecting the decorations, furniture, and the father and son. He leaned over and gave them a closer look. “I sure miss you dad, I wish you were still here.” He stood up slowly and walked back to Hades, crossing his arms, “So why are we here? What does this forgotten memory have to do with your son?” Hades glanced at him and looked ahead again, “Three, two, one,” and on the next beat the doorbell rang. Lucas’ dad, Anthony, answered the door, but was quickly drained of any happiness when he saw who it was. Mystery Man himself was standing on the doorstep of Lucas’ home, looking not too different than now. Anthony spoke in a hardened tone, “What are you doing here? I told you never to come back.”

Hades put his hands up in a surrender pose, “I’m just here to see the boy, it’s been another six months already since we got together.”

“Yeah, and I was hoping the last time I saw you would be the last time I saw you. I especially never want you around Lucas ever again, you’ve brought nothing but trouble to him.” Anthony grew angrier and more impatient, but doing his best to speak in hushed tones, “Do you know how much ridicule and humiliation he’s been through with friends and in classes because he tells people you’re his friend? Do you know how many times we’ve had to change schools because the teachers and parents overhear him saying he knows Hades? I need you out of our lives forever. He just turned thirteen and he deserves to live his teenage years, as well as the rest of his life, without you, and he can’t get that with you showing up whenever you feel like it, or at all!”

Hades peaked into the living room and saw Lucas sitting on the couch, elbows deep in popcorn. Looking back to Anthony, he let out a defeated sigh, “Fine, if that’s how you feel, I’ll leave for good.”

“I hope so, that’s what you said last time.” Hades snapped his fingers, but nothing changed. “There, now he won’t remember me at all, if anything, I’m just another one of his scary nightmares.” He started to walk away, but turned back, “Just don’t come crying to me when he wants to know what happ-“ Anthony slammed the door in his face before he could finish his statement. He walked back to the couch and re-joined his son as if nothing happened.

Current Lucas turned to Hades, more confused than before, “That answered nothing, like, this makes less sense than before you showed up today. What does any of this have to do with me, your son, saving Brant-” Hades turned to Lucas, hands behind his back, “Lucas, what has your dad told you about your grandparents?”

“What? How is that relevant?”

Hades walked over to the fireplace and wiped the dust off a picture frame of Lucas and Anthony at his sixth birthday, “Do you have any fond memories, stories, hand-me-downs from either of them?”

Lucas tried to answer best he could, sorting through his memories, but struggling to find any of those things in his mind, “Uh, grandma had my dad when she was twenty five, but grandpa wasn’t really in the picture. Dad said… he said grandpa would drop in every now and then, but really that’s the only memory he has of his dad. Ironically, he said our names are related. I only remember his name also started with an L and I know it wasn’t Lucas, but what is similar to that?” Hades sat next to Anthony and relaxed as he watched Lucas talk this out. “Anytime, champ, we got a schedule to keep.” Lucas glanced up at him with a sarcastic look, “I’m doing my best here, Captain Impatient. So… Lucas…Luscious?…” He chuckled a bit, saying sarcastically, “Lucifer?” He stopped laughing when he saw Hades not joining in the laughter, “No, no, no, no, no this can’t be true. You are not my grandfather, I am not the grandson of the Satan, I’m not related to you!” He stormed out of the house into the front yard. He was pacing again, hands on his head and tear on his cheek. Hades showed up in front of him again, “Welcome to the family, let’s get to work.”

He snapped his fingers again and returned them to empty party house. Lucas was in his usual clothes this time, a pair of regular fit jeans, hiking boots, and a plain t-shirt with a flannel unbuttoned.

Lucas didn’t give a rip about the location change, all he did was sit on a couch in silence and wipe away his tears, but finally said in a whisper, “How do I get Brantley back?” Hades was elated, and clapped his hand on Lucas’ back. “That’s the spirit! So, all you have to do is go into the Underworld, find your dad, and bring him to me in my throne room!”

He had an overly enthusiastic grin on his face, waiting for Lucas’ response. He just stared at Hades with hatred. The grin left Hades faster than he could snap-travel, “Look, I can’t get him out because only mortals and demi-gods, like your father, can be where he is. Plus, if I try to go in there, the souls will attack me like I’m the last zebra in a lion’s den.” Lucas kept his head forward, looking at the hanging bat decorations, “So why does it have to be me?”

“I’m glad you asked! You are my grands-“ Lucas cut him off, “Don’t. Say it.” Hades sighed, “Fine, you’re my relative, so you have immunity to the underworld’s effects. Anyone else would be dead in ten minutes, but you have the ability to walk in and out unnoticed like one of your AA meetings.” Lucas shot him a glare that would make Cerberus run for the hills. “How do you know about that? I’ve never told anyone, not even Brant.” Hades tried in his most innocent voice. “What? I can’t keep up with my favorite grandson just out of pure love?” Lucas kept his eyes on Hades waiting for the truth, “Alright so I might have been keeping tabs so I would know when the right time came to do all this,”

he said, as he gestured about the living room.

Lucas yelled in frustration, “The right time would’ve been never!” He stood up and turned back to address Hades on the couch, “You know what? You’re crazy and I’m getting out of here!” He did just that and slammed the front door, leaving Hades inside.

Lucas was walking away from the house, but he could only get so far without Hades on his heels, but in this case it was his toes. Hades appeared right in front of Lucas mid-stride. He quickly turned and started the down the sidewalk. Hades eyed him and shouted, “When will you learn you can’t escape me? I can go anywhere and anytime, and believe me, I do have time, unlike Brantley.” That was it, no one, not even the Devil himself, could put Lucas’ best friend in imminent danger and not expect repercussions. He turned to look back at Hades with a cautious, but curious look, “What does that mean? What’s happening to him down there?” Hades sauntered forward, eventually meeting Lucas under a street lamp, “Remember when I said other people will die quickly down there? Well, I felt gracious enough to spare his life a bit longer than normal, but he’s still dying nonetheless.” Lucas was very interested in the shoes while Hades explained all this. With a hand on his hip and the other on his forehead trying to keep it from exploding, he said, “Fine. Let’s go down there. Use your magic trick to flash us to… wherever in the hell we’re going.” Hades gave the biggest smirk he could muster, “I thought you’d never ask” and snapped with both hands.

Lucas woke up in a library, at a four-person table, surrounded by books so thick they could’ve been used for bricks. The library was small, max occupancy around 100 people. It was a place Lucas had frequented a lot his senior year, he needed silence to concentrate on polynomials, and his dorm was the last place that would be found. He looked at the seat across the table, watching Brantley feverishly take notes on paper, while studying two encyclopedias. “Pleasant dreams, champ?” Brantley said, while keeping his focus on his work. He was met with a hand on his face, “Brant? Is it really you?” Lucas said in disbelief. Brantley swatted at his hand in frustration, “Yes, it’s really me! What’s going on with you?” Lucas retracted his hand and examined it before looking back at Brantley, confused, “Are you sure we’re not in Hell?” Brantley let out a short breath, “Might as well be with all this work we’re doing.”

“No, this can’t be right, I was just talking with Lucifer, well, Hades an-“ Brantley cut him off in a hushed tone, leaning over the table, “Dude, keep your voice down! Most people aren’t used to hearing stuff like that,” They both gave a smirk to someone walking by, “and quite frankly neither am I, especially since you haven’t mentioned him in two years!” Lucas sat back in his chair, “Wait, you remember me talking about him? Why didn’t you ever mention that to me?” Brantley gave a concerned look, still keeping his voice down, “Because like I said, it’s not a subject matter I’m particularly fond of, let alone something I want to be talking about out loud.” He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms,

“I remember the days after you had one of those nightmares, you came to school so… sullen and beat down, you were a completely different person. I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want you becoming that person again, living in that pit. Now shut up and study, you know how hard Mr. Herrington’s tests are for you.” Lucas looked at Brantley as if he had three heads, “Mr Herring- I haven’t had to study in five and a half years, dude. We graduated already.” Brantley looked at him with the same confusion Lucas had, “Okay maybe you shouldn’t study, it’s obviously frying the little brains you do have.”

Lucas looked at him cautiously, slowly standing up, “Rrrright, uh, I’m gonna go, uh, over there.” He pointed and walked toward the non-fiction section hastily, leaving Brantley wondering what was happening to his best friend.

Lucas paced up and down the aisle, muttering to himself, trying to figure out how and why he was reliving this night. Hades had to be messing with him, right? Lucas knew for a fact that he wasn’t a student any more. One can never forget the sweet release into freedom after walking across that stage.

Before he realized it, a librarian walked over to see him not looking at books, “Excuse me, sir, is everything ok over here?” Lucas looked at her startled and tried to muster an answer, “Uh yes, yeah, everything’s fine, great, in fact. I was just, uh, rehearsing my, uh, monologue for an upcoming audition.” He stood as if someone had him at gunpoint, praying the woman would leave quickly. She nodded with concern and swiftly shuffled away. Lucas let out an exasperated sigh and muttered to himself, “And my audition for the insane asylum.” He meandered to a shelf and pulled out ‘What to Do When a Loved One is in Danger.’ He paused for a moment, “Okay that’s eerily specific.”

He opened to a random page; he didn’t expect much, but he didn’t expect to see only one word on the page: ‘HELP.’ His eyes got wide ‘HELP ME,’ his heart beating faster with every flip of a page, ’HELP ME PLEASE’ he had to grab hold of the shelf to keep from falling over, ‘HELP ME PLEASE, LUCAS.’ He threw the book on the ground, shattering this illusion and shifting him to another location.

This time Lucas woke up groggy and sweaty. He knew he wasn’t dreaming because he would never sleep in such a warm environment. All those “nightmares” about Hades had traumatized him from being in hot places, even trips to the beach were pushing it. He looked around, but couldn’t see much. Everything was dark and the room was small. There was a thin layer of gray smog, just enough to irritate his eyes. His wrists were throbbing. He looked up and saw he was chained in manacles hanging from the ceiling. He was in a T-position, just barely able to relieve his wrists of pain if he stood on his toes, but if not, he would slump down and cause them to catch the edge of the shackles.

He could hear labored breathing, which might’ve been his own, but he couldn’t be too sure. He couldn’t be sure of anything lately.

Lucas looked across the room and saw the faint figure of a man about his size. His heart racing, in hopes it was who he thought. “Brant?” He said, but his voice sounded like a lawn mower trying to start up after a long winter in a shed. No reply. Lucas said his name louder, and a little smoother this time. The man spoke, sounding similar to Lucas’ first attempt, “No, no. My, uh,” he cleared his throat, “my name is Anthony.” Lucas could not believe what he was hearing. His thoughts running a marathon now. Was it really his dad? Where’s Brantley? Was this actually another dream? Where’s Hades? How can he get out of here? How will he survive? Lucas paused and tried to collect himself,

“l’m sorry, can you run that by me again?”

“Uh, I said my name is Anthony” Lucas’ eyes got wide with hope “….Dad?” Anthony became more alert and hopeful, “Lucas? Is that really you?” Lucas let out a sigh of relief, “Yeah dad, it’s me, it’s really me and I’m really here…

I think.” Lucas wasn’t too sure, but it sounded like his dad was choking up, and it wasn’t due to the smog, “Oh my boy, you’ve grown up so much. I’m so sorry you had to go on all this time without me.” There was silence for a while before Anthony spoke again. “How long has it been?” Lucas took in a deep breath and let it out just as slowly, “Ten years” Silence again. “Dad?” “It’s been ten for you, but for me it feels like I’ve been down here for a hundred. And the worst part is that I believed Hades’ lies. The night I died, Hades spoke to me in the car. I don’t mean in a philosophical way or in my mind, he literally showed up in my passenger seat and paused time to have a discussion with me.

We both knew that driver wasn’t stopping and he said only one of us could live through that accident. I asked him why we both couldn’t live and that’s when he told me about one of us needing to take over his throne. I didn’t want to come, but he told me it was the only way to ensure your safety and his absence in your life. I had just enough time to look at you sleeping in the back seat before the car got T-boned.” He chuckled a bit, “oh you were exhausted.

It’s hard to be the star of the show, especially when it’s your last one and your crush is your co-star.” Lucas had a hard time not sniffling. That was his favorite show and his favorite high school memory, and he never would’ve guessed it’d also be the night he’d lose his dad forever.

“But, the next thing I knew, I was hanging here and yelling at him to release me. I don’t know why I actually believed him…. I guess I just wanted the best for you.” Lucas’ heart felt like lead. He never would’ve guessed that his dad had sacrificed himself to save him. Dream Brantley was right, the subject matter did make him sullen and dismal. After Lucas let the smog and thin air dry his tears, he said in a low voice, “Why didn’t you tell me about him? Why let me forget?” Anthony used the same soft voice, “Because you’re curious, you’ve always been curious. Remember your fifth grade field trip? You came home and refused to go to sleep until you knew how that animatronic mouse was alive. It ruined you for about three months, we couldn’t even drive past that place without you bursting into tears. So I hope you can understand why I held it from you…. You being who you are, I assume your life has been good, you’ve got great friends, a good job, found a nice girl, a really cool house probably… and a life without him. I wanted to tell you, I really did, I just thought I had more time. Also, I didn’t think he would actually hunt you down.” Lucas did his best to make eye contact with Anthony, “It would’ve been better coming from you than finding out when he dragged my best friend to Hell.”

“Would you have believed me?” His dad said, using an accusatory tone. He waited for a beat, then said lightly, “What does it matter? You would’ve done your research and pieced it together yourself.”

“Dad, that’s not the point, what matters is that you didn’t tell me the truth” Anthony raised his voice, “The truth would’ve wrecked you and sent you into a lifelong tailspin like it did for me!

Before I kicked him out of our lives, he brought nothing but turmoil. He tried so many times to take us on field trips down to his world. He gave you poisonous spiders and snakes as pets before you were even three years old. He tried to set you on fire to build up immunity. I didn’t choose this life, but I refuse to follow in his footsteps as a ruler and father.”

Lucas shot back at him, “Well you might not have much choice!” He waited and let himself calm down “Unless we can figure out a loophole or some other way to get us out of sitting on that skele-throne, we’re stuck down here.”

“Well if you have any bright ideas, let me know, I’ve been trying to figure out how to take him down since the moment I arrived.”

Just then, there came a loud noise that sounded like twenty banshees were sending out a warning signal, which was very likely. Lucas almost near soiled his pants, but he kept it together long enough to ask what was happening. He looked around to see if there was any immediate danger “I’ve been down here a long while and only heard that sound a handful of times. He’s coming.” Lucas shot Anthony a concerned look, “What?” Anthony corrected himself, “Well actually, we’re going to him, which isn’t much better.”

Lucas barely had the chance to ask what he meant before the two of them were standing in the pit of a blacked out colosseum, or rather Lucas was, while his dad was at the right hand side of the Devil himself. He looked down and saw a sword in his hand and a shield in the other, both just as black as the dirt under his feet. He was decked out in full, matte black Roman armor instead of the outfit he came here in. He even had a helmet with a plume. It’s a good thing he also had a cape to complete the look or else he might look stupid.

Lucas looked around and saw he was alone in the pit. The only audience he noticed right away were the human-shaped shadow figures filling the seats in the arena. They weren’t cheering, but they weren’t booing either, actually, they weren’t doing anything at all. He could tell they didn’t have eyes, but that didn’t erase the feeling of being under a microscope. Lucas finally spotted Hades. He was sitting in the first tier of seats, the podium, reserved for senators and royalty. Lucas was being cynical before about the skele-throne, but that’s exactly what was under Hades’ rump, a collection of black and gray skulls, fingers, feet, and every bone in between, sloppily constructed to resemble a chair of sorts. Lucas thought he might be hallucinating, but he could swear the bones were reaching out and crying for help. Mist curled up around each movement of a hand or call of the mouth, but he assumed it was Hades’ sheer will-power that kept those bones in place.

Anthony was still in shackles, but this time they were rooted in the floor and the cuffs were held together by a short chain. He was standing next to Hades, just over his right shoulder. He was out of Hades’ line of sight, but still close enough that Hades could grab at him if the need arose.

Hades sat up properly and addressed Lucas, as if just noticing his presence in the underworld,

“Welcome, my grandson! I’m surprised it took you this long to wake up!” Lucas looked at him, then at the colosseum, “Where am I?” then noticed his dad, and pointed with his sword, “What’s he doing up there?” then it dawned on him Brantley wasn’t anywhere to be found and started looking frantically around him, then back at Hades, “and where’s Brant?”

Hades muttered so only he and Anthony could hear, “Jeez kid you really do ask too many questions,” he cleared his throat and spoke so Lucas could hear, “You mean you don’t see him standing right next to you?”

Lucas turned so quick he almost got whiplash, his best friend standing next to him in the same body of armor as he. Lucas dropped his weapons and gave him a bear hug, letting out a sigh of relief and disbelief, “Oh my gods, I thought I lost you, man! I got your message in the library, I’m so glad you reached out.” Brantley did his best to return the hug, but his confusion was holding him back. “What? What message? What library?” Lucas quickly released from the hug and returned the level of confusion, “You-you didn’t send me a message crying out for help?”

“No; the last thing I remember is you about to blow out your candles and the next thing I know I’m down here ready to perform a grade-school play of ‘300’,” Brantley said, as he examined his garb and location, “and where is ‘here’ exactly?” He gave Lucas a questioning look. Lucas turned back to Hades, who was wearing the same smirk as when he sent Lucas down here. Hades sat forward and leaned his elbow on his knees, “You see, champ, my little magic trick from earlier sent Brantley to this exact moment.” Lucas turned back to Brantley and whispered in disbelief to himself, “So you were never in danger, and if you didn’t send the message, who…” his eyes got wide and he turned to look at Anthony, “Dad?” With misty eyes, Anthony nodded, assuring Lucas of his hunch. Anthony knew it was a long-shot to reach out for any mortal soul, but he was desperate and knew that Lucas would always be there for him, even in the after-life.

Lucas turned his attention to Hades and shouted, “So you lied to me? Brant was never in danger?” Hades stood and shouted so the shadow figures could also hear, “Of course I lied! I’m the inventor of lies!. Lies that life will be full of rainbows and cotton candy. Lies that dads won’t keep secrets from their kids. Lies that life has a good ending.” his voice became calm again, “And by the way, I’ll always be king down here; I would never even dream of letting anyone else take over, especially my own kin.”

He sat back down, examining the dirt under his nails and propping his feet up on the edge of railing, “Though, I did tell the truth about one thing, you really are my grandson.” Lucas heard a human-sized thud next to him and turned to see Brantley had passed out, hopefully due to shock of that information and not a heat stroke. He bent down to wake him up, his patience paper thin by now, “Come on, Brant, wake up, we don’t have time for this.” He tried shaking him, but after that didn’t work he went with a hardy smack across the face, waking up Brantley and immediately sitting him up-right. He asked in a mumble, “What happened? Whose grandson?” Lucas gave him a quick response, “I’ll explain later, get up!”

He turned to address the King of Lies, “So why do all this? Why drag us all down here?” Hades made eye contact with him, which was the first time Lucas was truly terrified of him. “Because you and this degenerate next to me are the saddest excuses for humans I have ever seen, and I can’t let that continue, especially if you’re related to someone like me.” He turned toward Brantley now, “as for you, I needed incentive for Lucas, and you simply chose the wrong person to hang around all those years ago, so really it’s your own fault you’re down here.” Brantley had to grab Lucas to hold him back. Hades was back on his throne with his feet propped up on the railing, “And that is why you, dear grandson, are going to fight him,” he said, “which shouldn’t be too hard, though, since his body isn’t equipped to survive down here.” Anthony tried to reach for Hades, but his chains just shook a bit.

“You’ll fight to first blood- no that’s too easy, to the death! The winner will be able to roam the underworld as much as you want, but the loser will be my lackey for the rest of time, that is, after you’ve had time to regenerate into your ghostly form. So let’s get this show on the road.” Lucas and Brantley looked at each other with facial expressions as if to say, ‘is this really happening?’ Brantley spoke up this time, “You just admitted to being the biggest liar in history, how are we supposed to trust your word on that?”

“I’m just here for a good show, I don’t care who lives or dies. Plus I have some lunch-deprived Hellhounds who can join if you don’t start soon.”

They turned to each other and started discussing how to get out of this, speaking in whispers. “Alright what do we do?” Lucas asked. “I don’t know! You’re the one with semi-godly powers!” “Yeah, not semi-godly knowledge!” “Well, can’t your dad do something? He’s got even more power than you, right?” “I sure hope so, otherwise we’re dead” “Don’t remind me” “Well we gotta do something, neither of us can stay here, and I’m sure not leaving my dad behind.”

Hades was on the verge of losing his patience, not that he had much to start with anyway. “Today, princess!” No response from either of them. “Alright, time for the Hellhounds then.”

That got their attention. Hades was about to send them in, but Lucas turned toward him, putting his hands up, “No, no! We’re uh, we’re…” Brantley interjected, “We’re trying to decide who would be a better servant for you, sir, ya know, we want to leave you with the best!” Which wasn’t entirely false, they really were trying to decide who should stay, both of them too loyal to let the other die.

Hades relaxed, happy that they were finally coming to terms with their situation, “Now that’s what I like to hear.”

Brantley spoke in a strangled whisper, “Okay now we really have to think of a plan” Brantley could see the wheels turning in Lucas’ head, “What are you thinking?” Lucas answered, a little too excited, “Do you remember our high school production of Les Misérables?” “Of course, I was forced to do that instead of be in detention all semester.” Brantley said, wondering how this pertains to anything. “Well don’t be too sore about it, that’s how we met,” Lucas mentioned. Brantley shook his head in agreement, “Anyway, do you remember the dance-y fight scene between those two guys?” Brantley was even more confused and concerned than before, “Dude, that was like, twelve years ago, of course not!” Lucas stared at him, waiting for a different answer, knowing Brantley was not good at bluffing. “….Yeah I remember.” “Let’s use that to at least buy us some time and hopefully my dad will think of something.” Brantley let out an exasperated sigh, “Let’s give it a shot.” With that, the two started to recall the fight sequence, a little rocky to start, but eventually it came back to them. They knew they would have to make it bigger and better for Hades, so they were overly dramatic and yelling insults that would’ve gotten them kicked out of Radio City. At some point, Brantley even managed to draw blood from Lucas. Lucas was more impressed about it than anything, considering this is only the second time Brantley has ever wielded a sword, let alone a sharp object.

Back at the podium, Anthony was trying to conjure up a plan and quietly get out of his restraints, but it was useless. In defeat, Anthony looked to the floor and he noticed there were metatarsal bones, phalanges, metacarpals, and a bunch of other bones that he assumed are in hands and feet, forming from mist on the floor and falling from the chair. They were probably here because Hades was putting more attention into the fight than keeping his seat in tact.

Whatever the reason, it gave Anthony an idea. It was a long shot, but he had to try.

Lucas had just executed some brilliant improv by drop kicking Brantley, too bad he moved out of the way, sending Lucas air born and landing on his back so hard his chiropractor could feel it. Sadly, it was all for nothing because at that very moment they heard a howl coming from the podium, not one like a dog or wolf, more like someone had shoved their hand in a running blender. Lucas was never more concerned for someone’s life than right now. The guys ran and jumped over the railing to find Anthony standing over Hades. The throne that had been there before was gone, well not exactly gone, just being used for a different purpose. All the bones that made up the throne were now evenly distributed on top of Hades body, holding him down and clamping his mouth shut. About five Hellhounds were charging toward all of them, but Anthony spoke right before they hit them head on, “διαμονή,” and they stopped in their tracks, giving head turns of confusion.

Anthony looked down at Hades with relieve, “Ya know dad, this is the first time I’m actually happy to have some of your power.” Lucas looked at his dad in awe, “Dad, how did you do that?” “For the Hellhounds, you tend to pick up a few things after being down here for so long, and that includes command words. As for the skeletons, I knew I had some of his power, and I assumed that included control over the dead. So I had the falling remnants of hands get me out of that bear trap, and while his Royal Highness was distracted by you two ballerinas, I decided to literally take a stab in the dark, and reached around and used the longest bone I could find to take him down.”

Brantley bent down to Hades side, “Huh, very intuitive.” He tried to grab the bone, but his hand went right through it. “I knew it wouldn’t kill him,” Anthony mentioned, “but I hoped it would at least buy us some time or distract him long enough to get us out of dodge.”

The three of them were looking down at Hades, he was glaring at them, writhing, and trying his best to wiggle out of his restraints. The bones were obeying well enough before with just Anthony in control, but now that Lucas was putting his power into it as well, there was very little chance Hades would get out of that on his own. Hades tried to speak through the hands covering his mouth, but it just came out as one long muffled sound.

Lucas bent down to hover above Hades. The bone Anthony had used to stab Hades was still in his chest, and Lucas pushed it in further, “I bet you’re wondering why we’re doing this. Well, as I seem to recall, you don’t care who lives or dies, it’s just a good show you want.” Hades looked at his hounds, trying to communicate what to do next, but they just stood there, one even came over and licked his face, but the bones stayed in where they were.

Lucas looked his grandfather dead in the eyes, while still hunched down, with Anthony and Brantley standing behind, “Thanks for the good show, champ.”

Anthony shouted while keeping eye contact with his dad, “επίθεση.” All five hounds pounced on Hades, and it wasn’t to cuddle up with him, while Anthony and Lucas snapped with both hands, sending all three of them topside.

#shortstory #creativewriting #Hades #underworld #fantasy #mythology #greekmythology #writing #halloween #costume #magic #blackmagic

3 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 4 years

Text

Stargirl: What is Eclipso?

https://ift.tt/2ZMmxp2

This article contains Stargirl spoilers.

“I know you’re in there, Eclipso.”

With these words burgeoning supervillain Cindy Burman has introduced a whole new world and threat to Stargirl. After killing her father and attempting to defeat Courtney and co. it’s clear that the Dragon King’s daughter is keen on getting revenge, which is lucky as she’s just invoked the name of a deep cut character who could be a way of introducing an entirely new supernatural layer to the series.

Get ready to meet Eclipso.

1963 was a massive year for comics. At the House of Ideas, the X-Men, the Avengers, and Iron Man were bursting from the pages, changing the future of comic books and ultimately Hollywood forever. Meanwhile, their Distinguished Competition saw the Silver Age as a time for reinvention, taking classic characters like Green Lantern and The Flash and turning them into legacy characters. That doesn’t mean that new characters weren’t being created, though, and in sci-fi horror anthology House of Secrets #61 Bob Haney and Lee Elias imagined a new type of archetype for the publisher. It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde style creation who was both hero and villain and first appeared in the story “Eclipso: The Genius Who Fought Himself.”

After a trip to Diablo Island to take a photo of a solar eclipse, Dr. Bruce Gordon ignores the warnings of the indigenous population and ends up offending a god, Morphir, and then killing him. So basically your average colonizer shenanigans. It’s a surprisingly nuanced take on what could have been some classic comic book racism where instead the blame is solely on Dr. Gordon and his ignorant and arrogant actions.

After killing the god by tripping him over a cliff, he heads back to his homeland to complete his work on the Solar City, a futuristic utopia fueled entirely by the sun. Alas, he is nearly thwarted by the god he apparently killed when an eclipse struck during the ceremony… but the big reveal comes in the in media res opening page when it’s revealed that the villain is none other than Gordon himself, becoming his own literal worst enemy. The split is explained by Morphir cutting Gordon with his black diamond before he falls to his death, and in a humorous twist the villainous side of Gordon always hides his costume and the black diamond he took from Morphir before his good side wakes up.

Though Eclipso’s early adventures are incredibly fun to read, the version of Eclipso that we’re more likely to see came to the DC Universe many years later. From his debut in 1963, Eclispo evolved in the pages of House of Secrets, his powers becoming less directly connected to solar eclipses and expanding to more general light phenomena.

But it was in 1992 when Eclipso was reintroduced in the gem-heavy Eclipso: The Darkness Within event (there’s literally a plastic gem on the cover of the first issue… I know, I own it!) that we get to know the new version of the character who was revealed to in fact be a villainous spirit who had possessed Gordon rather than Gordon himself. That is clearly the version that we’re dealing with in Stargirl, so if you want some idea of where the story might be going in season two then keep reading.

In this iteration Eclipso is discovered by a maniacal and murderous treasure hunter who once again goes against the wishes of the native population, this time in “The Upper Congo.” His quest for riches leads him to a black gem which he kills his partner to possess and then has chopped into thousands of pieces in a London jeweler in the 1800s. Stealing from indigenous people and trying to get rich has bad consequences (shock!), and 100 years later Lar Gand discovers a strange planet where the demon Eclipso has been collecting the pieces of his shard and hiding. We then meet modern day Bruce Gordon who still believes he is to blame for the creation of Eclipso. He soon learns that isn’t the case when he discovers other shards of the black diamond which the spirit is using to possess and control super powered earthlings.

Stargirl Season Finale Ending Explained and Unanswered Questions

By Rosie Knight

This concept of Eclipso as a sentient being that lives in or is connected to the black gem known from here on out as the Heart of Darkness is a consistent part of the villain’s modern lore. That’s why when you saw Cindy pick up the black diamond shape gem in The Wizard’s basement, she referenced the rogue who we could then hear laughing in his shiny prison.

In Eclipso: The Darkness Within, they build on the connection and struggle between the villain and Gordon by adding a motivation that Eclipso wants to destroy Gordon’s solar research as solar power and light are what defeats the villain and keeps him trapped in his jewel shards. We know that Blue Valley and the project for New America was keen on clean energy and there is a likelihood that Eclipso was trapped after trying to stop the Injustice Society and their plan to keep his power. But there’s a different theory that I am far more inclined to believe, and it’s one that would introduce a new teen hero.

It’s likely that Cindy will probably try to harness the power of Eclipso, likely becoming its host like many DC characters before. One of his most formidable vessels was Jean Loring who readers will remember is the ex-wife of Ray Palmer and the superhero murderer in the controversial comic event Identity Crisis. All of that is to say that there is a precedent for Eclipso being a woman, though honestly Stargirl hasn’t been too worried about following conventions in the past.

But whatever route the creative team decides to go with Cindy and Eclipso, there’s a chance that they’ll decide to explore his origins and stray from the somewhat problematic aspect of colonial explorers and the theft of native artifacts to use a story and vision for the character that was introduced during the New 52 era of DC Comics. Excitingly, it’s an arc that ties Eclipso to one of DC’s strangest and most fantastical fantasy spaces: Gemworld.

Stargirl Episode 13 Review: Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two

By Lacy Baugher

During DC’s New 52 era, Eclipso was reimagined as Lord Kalaa, an ancient inhabitant of Gemworld who’d turned on his own people and become a tyrannical leader after his powers were sparked by a… you guessed it… eclipse. If this doesn’t sound familiar, don’t worry as it took place in lesser known series like Team 7 and Swords of Sorcery: Amethyst.

The important part to note is that here Eclipso is part of the Gemworld royalty born from the House of Onyx and the House of Diamond who, after enslaving and oppressing the House of Amethyst, was imprisoned in a gem by the then Princess of House Amethyst, Lady Chandra. But he returns and is defeated by Princess Amethyst, but not before he kills her family. Now that Cindy has the Heart of Darkness, there is a large chance that we could see DC finally bring Amethyst Princess of Gemworld to the small screen.

If Cindy unleashes Eclipso it could be an easy way to introduce Amethyst to the DC TV universe. The young Princess could head to Blue Valley in order to get revenge on the creature who killed her parents or simply to trap him back inside the gem for the good of the universe. Either way it seems like a far more interesting route rather than trying to tie it to his early origins, especially as DC Universe played with some similar aesthetics and themes with their recent representation of Rita Farr and the origin of her powers in Doom Patrol.

Whichever route Stargirl goes, this is a very interesting twist into the supernatural for the series. The first season has leaned into an Americana nostalgia that despite featuring giant mechs, superpowered teens, and numerous supervillains felt very grounded. It’ll be really exciting to see what happens now that a totally cosmic and creative new threat has been introduced, especially in the hands of someone as maniacally messed up as the iconic Cindy Burman.

The post Stargirl: What is Eclipso? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3kLn30e

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

4 notes · View notes

antoine-roquentin · 5 years

Text

vanity fair article on epstein from 2003:

Thereafter the details recede into shadow. A few of the handful of current friends who have known him since the early 1980s recall that he used to tell them he was a “bounty hunter,” recovering lost or stolen money for the government or for very rich people. He has a license to carry a firearm. For the last 15 years, he’s been running his business, J. Epstein & Co.

Since Leslie Wexner appeared in his life—Epstein has said this was in 1986; others say it was in 1989, at the earliest—he has gradually, in a way that has not generally made headlines, come to be accepted by the Establishment. He’s a member of various commissions and councils: he is on the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of International Education.

His current fan club extends to Cayne, Henry Rosovsky, the former dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Larry Summers, Harvard’s current president.

same author, daily beast, july 9, 2019:

Epstein’s name, I was told, had been raised by the Trump transition team when Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. attorney in Miami who’d infamously cut Epstein a non-prosecution plea deal back in 2007, was being interviewed for the job of labor secretary. The plea deal put a hard stop to a separate federal investigation of alleged sex crimes with minors and trafficking.

“Is the Epstein case going to cause a problem [for confirmation hearings]?” Acosta had been asked. Acosta had explained, breezily, apparently, that back in the day he’d had just one meeting on the Epstein case. He’d cut the non-prosecution deal with one of Epstein’s attorneys because he had “been told” to back off, that Epstein was above his pay grade. “I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone,” he told his interviewers in the Trump transition, who evidently thought that was a sufficient answer and went ahead and hired Acosta. (The Labor Department had no comment when asked about this.)

Who Is British Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s Longtime Partner?

Surprisingly, given Maxwell’s relatively high-profile role in both the English and American social scenes, fairly little is known about her or the exact nature of her relationship with Epstein: she’s been alternately referred to as Epstein’s romantic partner, his best friend, his fixer, and a “madam” catering to his sexual desires. Here’s what we do know about the woman who has been a member of Epstein’s inner circle for decades — and whether we can expect to see her playing a larger role in the criminal proceedings against him.

Maxwell is the daughter of British media mogul Robert Maxwell, who owned and operated a number of British tabloids and was at one point estimated to have been worth nearly $1.9 billion. She was educated at the prestigious Marlborough boarding school in the U.K., and went on to study at Oxford.

The Maxwells were active in both British and American social circles, and the family apparently had ties to Trump before even Epstein did: a 1989 clipping from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lists Trump as a guest on Robert Maxwell’s yacht, the aptly named Lady Ghislaine. In 1991, Maxwell was found dead under mysterious circumstances after reportedly having fallen overboard from the yacht. It was later discovered that he was in a significant amount of debt at the time of his death, and had embezzled from his employees’ pension fund....

She also continued to cultivate friendships with extremely high-powered individuals such as Trump and Prince Andrew, reportedly introducing Epstein to the latter in 1997 and former President Bill Clinton, even appearing as a guest at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010.

wexner is currently at the centre of a controversy in israel. his charity, managed by epstein, paid millions of dollars to former labor leader ehud barak, who is trying to start a new party to challenge netanyahu. barak was israeli defense minister between 2007 and 2013, around the time that epstein negotiated his deal. likud and its publications are working overtime to tie barak to epstein. wexner’s long history of charitable giving especially in israel, plus his work in the fashion industry shipping goods internationally (victoria’s secret, abercrombie & fitch), make him a good candidate for odd jobs needed done by american intelligence. america largely controls israel’s politics through political donations by billionaires, a system it set up in the 1970s when it took likud from podunk party to the premiership. it seems reasonable to assume that wexner, and by extension epstein, were/are part of this.

maxwell is a british media baron (the inspiration for the villain in tomorrow never dies) who has a long history of working for israeli interests and was publicly accused of being a mossad agent directly. the israelis used to be a pawn of the brits before the americans, and he died in 1991, so my guess is that he a mediator between those two nations. interestingly, the yacht that was named after ghislaine ended up belonging to emad khashoggi, related to the iran-contra arms dealer adnan, the dead journalist jamal, and, through marriage, dodi fayed, of princess diana fame. my guess is, the maxwell daughter is more the one running things that american intelligence needs doing, and epstein is more of the cover story.

which begs the question, why has he been arrested now? three occam’s razor type explanations probably cover most of it. first, the original plea deal came long after epstein had been arrested. it’s not like the higher ups that epstein knows monitor every case that every us attorney works on. it takes time for that pressure to be applied, and epstein could end up weaseling his way out again. second, media coverage by the miami herald was key to this investigation. the us attorney’s office even specified this in their statement. it could be that epstein is too hot and has to be burned. third, us attorney for SDNY has a history of making politicians out of prosecutors who worked on enough high profile cases that they built a media following (see rudy giuliani, james comey). probably the current attorney thinks he can score this as a high profile case and switch jobs if the pressure from up top is too great. but there is one more salacious reason i can think of. the intelligence community is known to not be big fans of donald trump. perhaps somebody thought that letting the epstein thing blow up would hurt trump, given his ties to the man.

52 notes · View notes

badlydrawndrawnings · 6 years

Text

Rewriting Goro

While Trying to Incorporate the Canon Parts (because I been wondering how the game could have kept Goro as in Canon while fixing the character/whole thing better).

Goro doesn’t think of his ‘didn’t think this plan out well’ plan of working with Shido in order to take him down and inadvertently becoming a supernatural hitman. Goro didn’t plan on killing him in canon, so it’s the same here. Since no one is taking down Shido and all the others rotten people, he’s going to do it. Goro still decides to become a teen detective. I headcanon Shido gave Goro some help with some influence and connections (Goro couldn’t get that famous with just faking a few cases + real work at times), and since Goro isn’t working with Shido in this rewrite, Goro is just a plain wannabe teen detective. However, he isn’t that bad, and while not on the levels of Naoto, he gets a new nickname different from canon: The Black and White Detective of the Law.

Goro sees the world as black and white: those that are guilty criminals, and the innocent people hurt by them. Goro is set on getting the guilty no matter wait. At the beginning, Goro arrest real criminals that escape their crimes. However, in some cases, Goro make a few known criminals psychotic, as the law fail to put them behind bars the first time around, meaning the second time is a 100% guarantee (arrest for new crimes people). Goro keeps an eye on Shido, who is slowly gaining power and influence. Eventually, Goro learns of Wakaba Isshiki, and due to a terrible mistake, is under the idea she’s willingly working with Shido (quite the opposite though, as she’s trying to stop him from getting her research). While trying to get her to be psychotic, Goro inadvertently injures Shadow!Wakaba, causing a much late mental shutdown. Ergo, Wakaba’s death still happen, and Goro has no idea he’s related to it.

Now, Shido been keeping an eye on rivals and allies, and he learns of Goro’s existence after Wakaba’s sudden death (Shido added the note for the sake of it). Shido has no idea Goro is his kid until some investigation, and he realize there’s no way he can get Goro to work with him. Not voluntary of course. Being the smart man that he is, Shido, with lots of help to make sure it won’t be trace back to himself, gets Goro to do his dirty work. Goro now takes down associates of criminals, believing them to be guilty, not knowing half the people he arrests are framed by Shido, since they’re (admitting guilty of very minor crimes) rivals/innocent people getting in the way. This is how Ohya’s partner ends up in her state: it’s in a similar way to Wakaba. Unknown to Shido, Goro manged to learn about Madarame, Kaneshiro, and Okumura, and Goro plans on taking the them all down, as they have some connection to Shido (Goro is now trying to exposure Shido the good old fashion way).

Of course, Goro’s plan get derail by the Phantom Thieves, as he plan on taking down Kamoshida. Goro doesn’t take their arrival of his world so great. 2.5 years down the drain, and they think changing their hearts will fix everything. To Goro, while the PT get the confess to their crimes, it’s not a true confession. Has it been truly justice, the criminals would be face with the reality of their crimes without any outside help to help them (Goro is totally ignoring he makes people go psychotic cuz he in denial). Goro first meets the PT in Madarame’s Palace, just when it collapses (because honestly the game did Black Mask’s threat level poorly; if you got someone like that, actually show him a few times to and maybe let them interact). Goro/Black Mask and Joker fight, and Black Mask swears he’ll take down Joker if it’s the last thing he’ll do (”I’ll won’t have some criminal trash get in the way of true Justice”, something like that). Now the PT is out looking for the Black Mask. With this rivalry/hatred in the Metaverse, Goro and the Phantom Thieves in the real world get along great...kind of.

Goro befriended Joker after learning about Shido’s drunken night and the ‘attack’ of the teenage delinquent (Goro sees Joker as innocent as mention above). Goro finds him at Cafe LeBlanc, and Joker starts the Confidant/Co-Op earlier. At this point, no one know Goro’s reputation, so the rest of the PT at this point (Ryuji and Anne, granted she does say Goro is familiar), are okay. It’s only after Madareme’s change of heart does it change at the TV Station. Goro calls them criminals, stating what they’re doing is wrong. It sours things, but Joker is still dead set on being Goro’s friend because he think Goro can change his black and white views. The rest of the PT (even those that join later) go ‘FINE”, and they use Goro as a mean to learn info about the problems of the police. In this world, Goro is just working with just the police, having no relationship with Sae (he knows of her, but they never talk as he’s at the bottom of the ladder). As such, Makoto’s issue/joining is still the same, sans Goro (Goro doesn’t know Sae, so he can’t really say much to Makoto).

It’s after Futaba’s Palace does the PT suspect Black Mask involved in Wakaba’s death. However, they know Black Mask isn’t working with the Conspiracy, as Shadow!Madarame and Shadow!Kaneshiro assumed the PT were allies with him. Thinking back to what he said about “Justice”, they realize the Black Mask’s justice became so skewered, he may have help caused Wakaba’s death, allowing the Conspiracy to play him. Maybe. Everyone is split. They don’t know if they’re being play, if their original assumption is right, or they should just ignore him because he’s actually not their priority at the moment since they haven’t seen or heard any trace of him in a while (they assumed he backed off). The fight of Ryuji and Morgana is more about what they’re going to do with Black Mask, as those two have the biggest different views: Ryuji and rest of PT are on team ignore him and Morgana on team being play. With being ‘abandon’ and his feeling less useful since no one is taking his word, Morgana leaves, trying to prove them wrong (so canon stuff here) in both ways.

Things go out of hand when it’s time to change Okumura’s Change of Heart, both the real and Metaverse world. In the real world, Goro confronts the PT earlier, showing the photo of them entering Okumura’s Palace. He’s upset with all of them, especially Joker, calling them out for befriending him just to get intel, and he runs away, ignoring Joker’s call. They’re scared that Goro, in his anger and ‘betrayal’ (from Goro’s POV), will turn the photo in. However, they still have to worry about Okumura, so they’re extra cautious if Goro accidentally turns them in on the day of the change of heart. While it goes as plan, the PT are soon met with the Black Mask, trying to make Okumura go psychotic. They have a brief fight, ending with Black Mask getting shot by one of the PT (I say Haru, grabbing Makoto’s gun to save her father), and Black Mask shoots Shadow!Okumura, killing him. Everyone FREAK OUT, including Black Mask. As the PT run away, Black Mask lingering behind, realizing what he had done.

So the PT is now worried about Goro turning them in, the Black Mask wanting to get them for shooting him, and the fact Black Mask did something that could affect the change of heart process. Like Canon, Okumura dies, and they figure the Black Mask has no idea this was even a thing (remember, everyone freaked out). They almost get hearts attacks when Goro meets them at the school festival, telling them he won’t turn them in..if they can prove him wrong. At the cafe, at the proper meeting, Goro tells them about how he be investigation a politician, and that he may be behind everything going on for the last few years, telling them there’s word of Sae being in his pocket, unwittingly at least. If they get a change of heart on Sae, he’ll deleted the photo,and he’ll give the name of the politician so they can change his heart. As they bring up the Black Mask, Goro tells them he saw them, and that he certain the person had no idea shooting Shadow!Okumura would lead to his death, and swears he’ll capture the criminal, turning him in when they save Sae.

Everyone does learn Goro is going to betray them to the Police (not the Conspiracy; they know he has a beef with it, especially with the politician leader. Their theories are wacky, with Ryuji having the wackiest of all: Goro is related to the guy) so he can reclaim his title (everyone see how ironic it is). So the plan is alter a bit: Get Sae’s Palace to sneak out the real Joker, distracting everyone with a fake (and Sae to be their ally). Also, the PT is bit nicer here canon since Goro isn’t trying to kill Joker, but it’s still an act. Joker is upset by this because he thinks he can get Goro to spot what’s he doing and let him (and the others) go free. On the day of the canon heist, they start things off as plan, but unknown to them, Shido deep’s pocket are with the police, and they plan on framing Goro for murdering Joker. However, luck is on the PT and Goro’s side...sort of. The PT are fed lies that Goro, aka Black Mask is working with the Conspiracy, and that he killed Joker, so everyone is angry at Goro for his ‘hypocrisy’. In truth, Goro manged to catch wind of the PT plan, and rescued Joker from getting a headshot, and the two have a heart to heart chat. Goro is upset this is the second time they the PT lied to him. Joker brings up how Goro did set a trap though, and Goro explain he was hoping to convince Sae to get Joker a light sentence, as Goro was going to give up all the info he has of the Conspiracy as well so the two can go to jail together in a rewritten rank eight:

Goro tells Joker about being Black Mask, how the Conspiracy -before it even became it- ruined his life, and the guilt for getting played by Conspiracy into killing, hurting,and arresting innocent people. He tells Joker to get the PT stand down. At this point, the news break out Joker is dead, so Goro suspects he’s being frame. Goro wants to take down the Conspiracy by himself, saying the PT brand of justice isn’t going to work in this case. So they part ways, and everyone is shock to see Joker alive. As Joker tells them what Goro told him, the mood is a bit sour, since they still think Goro is playing them. However, since their leader is alive, it’s a real 50/50 split. Excluding Joker, Anne, Yusuke, and Haru -she truly thinks now it was in accident, like Wakaba- believe Goro. Makoto, Morgana, and Futaba for not believing -she angry for what happened in her life after her mother’s death anf don’t believe it. Ryuji of all people is in the middle, as while he hates Goro, the story they hear doesn’t make too much so...if anything, he wants to hear it from Goro himself. Everyone can agree to take Shido’s heart (they figure it out) before Goro does his plan...whatever it is.

Everything follow canon, with a few differences. The Cleaner is more of Shido’s second hand here, and he doesn’t back down easy as the PT get the letters. He does a bad number on the PT, and they barely won. To make things worse, while trying to escape. they run into Goro . He complains to Joker for not telling the PT to stand down, since they’re going to ruin everything, and that he’s going to turn them in. The not believing Goro team call him out for ‘working’ with Shido and that he should turn himself in. Goro is upset at this accusation, telling everyone how he can he work for such a scumbag of a father. So everyone is going ‘wtf’, and Goro tells them how he’s the bastard child of Shido, and how he ruined his family life to where his mom killed herself (Ryuji feels vindicated).

Everyone is now more or less on the same team, and they try to get Goro to rejoin the team to change Shido’s heart, since they didn’t actually kept their word to Goro. If they do that, Goro turns himself for the things he did as Black Mask. Goro doesn’t want too. Since at this point his black and white view is turning grey, he’s was hoping to maybe cling onto whatever he has left of his reputation. He doesn’t want to give into society’s view of his status of a bastard criminal, and they fight. The PT win the first time, and they try to get Goro to change his mind still, bringing up all of their misfortunes on how society tries to paint them the wrong way too. They’ll say they are willing to stand by his side, knowing how he was with no one for a long time It almost works, but Loki convinces Goro that it’s another trick like all the others, decides to summons Loki and becomes Black Mask, finally ‘accepting’ who he truly is.

Of course the PT beat his ass, and they still try to get Goro to rejoin them. Back to his senses, Goro does agrees, though he doesn’t look too convince it’s going to work out easy. As they all start to leave, freaking Cleaner comes back, with reinforcement. Goro, being the closest, tries to pull the stunt he does in canon (doesn’t help the Cleaner is actually targeting Goro) but the PT decide to help and they escape back to the real world. Goro is grateful and thanks them...and also ask for them to call Sae. He realize he’s more useful as a witness than taking down Shido, and that a change of heart, Shido will have supporters/allies to keep his plan up. So Goro is secretly arrested by the police, and he gives up all the information he has of Shido and the Conspiracy.

So Goro is out, leaving the boss fight as it is with Shido. As the PT confronts Shadow!Shido after finally defeating him, telling them about how Goro is his own son, and that how it’s his own flesh and blood that’s going to help take him down. As the Palace does his collapse, Shadow!Shido gets the last laugh, telling them that Goro is already dead the second he turned himself in, and that they’ll be joining him soon (cue cutscene of Goro getting a visitor). The PT escape the Palace (no one beats on Ryuji since everyone has important things to worry about, and it’s Ryuji who brings up after they meet up again). They contact Sae, and she’s upset, as it turns out Goro ‘killed’ himself, but all signs points to a murder. However, since Goro’s evidence he collect is still good, they can use it in Shido’s trial (it sucks that there’s no witness though to back the evidence up). Goro did left something behind for Joker, ranking up the Confidant/Co-op from the dead (idk the item. Thinking cuff links or the tie).

So everyone mourns Goro, and get the shock of their live when Shido admits to his crimes...including Goro, telling the world about his son and how manipulated from afar. So the PT has some hope justice will be done, but of course, there’s still the issue with Mementos and Yabadadoo. Speaking of which, learning the truth of that gets a stronger reaction, as everyone is upset Joker and Goro (and in some ways, everyone else), were pawns. For Goro, they realize he died believing everything will turn out fine (when it isn’t). Everything is the same as canon, and Joker turns himself in, more for Goro since died almost for nothing. And like canon, Joker gets out. Everything ends the same way like the game.

It’s honestly not the best rewrite, and the tweaks of the Confidant/Co-Op make no sense at times. However, Goro’s character is still the ‘same’ like canon, being the traitor while getting his story flesh out to be believable and make him more understandable. And he gets a solid conclusion. It’s not a great one, but it’s better than the AWOL Schrodinger Cat situation the game did.

#persona 5 #goro akechi #akechi goro #this is a text post #character rewrite #plot rewrite

2 notes · View notes

burstzen · 7 years

Text

Nvtfoa Destiny Ch. 3: Guardian Partner

Hello everyone! I apologize for not posting anything last month, I just wasn’t feeling it due to apathy and motivation being on the down-low. But i am back with another chapter of this au, which is relatively short. All Nvtfoa characters belong to @mrevaunit42 and @marionette-j2x while all Star vs the forces of evil characters belongs to Disney, enjoy!

-0-0-0-

Connor sighed as he sat in the co-pilot seat as he turned his head to his left side that was towards Nova, who had an irritated look that could intimidate any Fallen. Connor was about to say something but decided against it considering the events that had just transpired.

Connor thought to himself and what had just happened in the abandoned hanger he had cleared out with Nova. He wondered why she even decided to risk so much on this espionage, or why she decided to suddenly appear and ask him directly instead of just leading him to who knows where that nearly got him killed the last time he was there. Not to mention, there was still the lingering mystery of what exactly he could do as a Guardian and how he was able to summon some sort of etheric bow to take out a 10ft Fallen-

“... How did you make it out of there?” Nova asked, making Connor exit his cycle of questions running rampant throughout his head as he turned towards Nova.

“Umm…,” Connor started off, not sure on how to respond with an appropriate answer, “I… Shot them.”

Nova rolled her eyes and sighed in slight frustration, “I know that Mr. Obvious, but how did you make it out with an Archon Priest on your tail? Even if you had my sword with you, it wouldn’t have been enough with how weak you are now,”

Connor felt slight offense to her words, but dismayed the sting that was present, “And you can’t even use the light properly enough for anything to manifest! Seriously, how did you even get out alive!?”

Nova’s voice was filled with concern and frustrated questioning, in a moment of slight panic at her tone, all Connor could do was respond with was, “I shot a purple glowing bow at it…”

Silence took the cockpit of the ship as she turned her head towards Connor, mouth agape and eyes widened in disbelief. Seeming like she didn’t want to nearly collide with a mountain again, Nova turned her head towards were she was flying again and tried to calm down. Unfortunately, Connor still noticed an emotion of panic in her eyes as silently said, “Dad is gonna to kill me…”

“Your Dad tried to catch you when we left right?” Connor asked, trying to get some more context about the situation Nova appeared to be in.

“Y-yea.,” Nova said with hesitance in her voice, showing her discomfort about the topic with sifting eyes going towards Connor and then towards the sky ahead of them. Then after a moment, her face and posture changed from one of nervousness to serious contemplation.

“Why are you so nervous about him? What could he do to you to be so nervous?”

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Connor felt as though fleeing to fight another day wasn’t such a bad idea as three pairs of eyes looked at Nova and Connor with varying degrees of severity, but the other two gazing eyes could not compare to the level of discernment Marco Diaz had. He alone had a look that could have mountains breaking in a cold sweat in no time.

Marco himself was opposite to the pair of Guardians and he was covered in a mixture of thin, but bulky looking red and black armor that had a rectangular black outlined red plate on his left shoulder. His Titan mark was a cloth of bare red with the Vanguard symbol positioned on the bottom of it.

Star was there again as well on the right of the table, however, she was wearing white plated boots and a cyan blue robe this time with white outlines. She also wore a holographic warlock bond that had a blue version of the Vanguard symbol, but still had a final small white triangle on it. Star herself had a disappointed look on her, however, it was laxer than Marco’s or the other person sitting across from her.

The final Vanguard member was someone who sat on the left wore a maroon cloak that hung from the back of his neck with a black version of the Vanguard symbol and wore all black armor. He himself had Maroon hair that stood up, but more interestingly to Connor, had blue skin with his eyes also slightly glowing the same color as his hair.

Marco sighed as he set both hands down in the table, seeing as though he was trying to not look at Nova or Connor directly.

“Umm…” Connor spoke. The three pairs of eyes shifted in Connor’s direction and he immediately regretted saying anything, but continued to face towards the unknown Vanguard member in the room, “I’m Connor, what’s your name… er, sir?”

“Tom, Tom Lucitor, and judging by your gear and info gathering your our new Guardian that Nova decided to take a walk through enemy territory with,” Tom replied with a cold, yet somewhat understanding gaze as he looked at Connor, “From my understanding, you only just arrived in the Tower just today right?”

Connor nodded as he felt more tension in the room by the line of questioning, “So tell us, why did you decide to go with her? You could have easily opened the cargo door and stopped her from her little adventure, so why risk your life for the second day in a row?”

Connor shifted his head towards Nova who was looking at her father with a half frustrated and a half worried expression on her face and then looked back at the Vanguard leader to say, “I… don't really know. I guess I… wanted to look out for her.”

All eyes were suddenly on Connor as the room got quiet and the three Guardians at the ends of the table looked at each other with a slightly confused, yet impressed looks on their faces.

“You’re definitely a Guardian that’s for sure,” Star said, “But, Connor, there’s no reason why you would just suddenly go with someone you never knew and that applies especially to here because you just got resurrected close to a day and a half ago. Why go with her?”

The question permeated Connor’s mind as well, however, he already knew the answer… He just wasn’t sure on what to think of them.

Every time Connor looked at Nova his mind felt this odd sense of… Nostalgia,. This feeling tethered itself to other emotions like protectiveness, care, and joy that confused him… yet felt like his whole body said yes to just being beside her.

“... I feel like I used to know her, and I don’t know why.” Connor said, gaining the attention of Nova who looked at him in awe.

In fact, the other three Guardians also looked at him in awe as their interest suddenly felt like it was primarily on him and only him.

“That’s something that doesn’t happen every day.” Marco suddenly spoke, “Typically Guardians lose all senses of their previous lives, not to mention it concerns Nova in particular.”

He began eying Connor in suspicion and this made him feel as though he was on trial for crimes he never committed, “This isn’t your typical affair, not to mention an etheric bow to kill one of the main leaders of the Fallen households?”

“Crazier things have happened, but nothing as of recent… Not like this,” Star said gathering the attention of Connor, “I mean, if anything, it just means your someone to keep an eye out for.”

Marco nodded and then turned back to Connor, “But from our understanding, you used a bow to defeat the Archon Priest? That’s also not something that happens every day, considering Nightstalkers are very rare, especially for a brand new Guardian.”

“But it would make sense on how he managed to beat an Archon, I mean there’s Gunslinger and Bladedancer sure, but having a tether from a Nightstalker against something as strong as an Archon is basically game set and match if it was to get hit by it in combination with that sword.”

Star nodded, “Yep! But Nightstalkers have to be more on the calmer or focused personality wise, that must mean that said Newblood is calmer than he looks when he is getting shot at.”

Connor was in an awkward position as the Vanguard leaders talked about him, seeing as they appeared to know more about what was going on with him more so than what he knew himself.

“What’s a Nightstalker?” Connor suddenly asked, gaining the attention of the three in front of him and Nova beside him.

“Whoops, sorry for leaving you in the dark Connor,” Star apologized, “A Nightstalker is someone who can use the void as a Hunter! Which is what you seem to be judging by your story.”

Connor nodded, still confused but slowly getting the grasp of things as she continued, “They very rare among Guardians and don’t typically just come from or start at rebirth of a Guardian, that and you seem to have a history with our daughter is putting up a few red flags that can’t be ignored.” Connor’s head quickly spun around to Nova as he whispered, “Your PARENTS are part of the Vanguard!?”

“I’m guessing Nova didn’t tell you? She tends to do that a lot,” Said Marco, who simply pinched his nose in slight frustration, “She also tends to go out on her own and not report back in on what she is doing. Not to mention she goes in alone without a fireteam.” Connor could see the slight wince as Nova’s eyes flickered slightly in response as her gaze turned towards only Marco.

“So, seeing as that is the main topic at hand…” Marco said, finally meeting his daughters gaze, “Nova, you directly disobeyed orders whilst you were under watch from another Guardian and endangered the life of a freshly rebirthed Guardian all to do a mission which was to be done at a later date my another fireteam.”

“However, you did do the mission and helped the tower greatly by saving time and the potential lives of other Guardians at risk and for that, your punishment will not be one of imprisonment.”

The four other Guardians looked at Marco in slight surprise with their eyes partially open, but Star and Tom smiled a second later with a knowing glance as they turned their attention towards the Red Guardian.

“Therefore, my only choice is to put you on patrol duty for a month, With this order, the patrols will take place on earth, and only earth, understood?”

Connor turned to Nova who looked like she had been a statue all of her life as she mouthed words, but no sound came out, “You will have an average of twenty-five patrols a day starting today and will only be able to come back towards the end of sunrise. Are we clear?”

Nova’s face was contorted to a face of anger, frustration, shock, disbelief, and incomprehension all into one face. Connor looked back towards Nova as sympathy began to wash over him and turned towards the Vanguard leaders in response to her reaction.

Connor felt as though he knew her, but to no end, he could not figure out why. With her leaving like this, and for that long, he may never find out the answers he was looking for for a very long time. So he turned to the three Guardians in front of him with a determined, yet nervous glance as he spoke out a question.

“May I go along with Nova?”

The Vanguard leaders looked at Connor with confused, yet intrigued glances as Nova simply stopped walking as Nova turned her head around towards the black haired Guardian. “Why?” Was all Marco asked as he and the two other leaders stared at Connor, waiting to see what his response was.

Nervousness crept up Connor’s spine as he scrambled for a reason. A moment passed and he said, “I’m a new Guardian right? So I’m going to need someone to teach me what to do and how to do it. From what I can guess, patrols are pretty boring and aren’t the riskiest thing in the world, wouldn’t that be a great way for me to get to grips with the situation and train me to become more of a Guardian than I am now?”

Tom chuckled, Star squealed with slight giddy, and Marco simply lets out a disgruntled sigh at the situation. Connor looked at the sudden shift in tone with surprise as, at this point, he felt as though he might have said something wrong. “Give me a moment with to discuss your request Connor, for now, I ask that you wait outside the door with Nova.” Connor nodded and walked out of the room with Nova and onto the plaza of the Tower. The view itself was gorgeous as they looked out to see the city and its various buildings and countless lights that flickered off just as the sun was about to fully escape the peak the distant mountains with the massive dormant Traveler floating in the center of the city. Behind them was a community of Guardians doing there own business and only taking a few glances towards the two who were on the balcony. “Why did you want to stay with me?” Spoke out Nova, grabbing his attention from his gazes at the surroundings, “You could have just been done with me or never have seen me again so that I wouldn’t get you in trouble again… or in danger again for that matter…” Connor felt a ping of sadness and empathy creep into his chest as Nova’s face was conflicted with emotions, and Connor guessed that it wasn’t one due to her punishment just now.

“I’m the person responsible for… taking you against your will,” Connor smiled slightly and slightly rolled his eyes as he stayed quiet while she continued, “I’m the one who wanted to be selfish there and-”

“Who said you took me against your will?” Connor suddenly spoke out, catching Nova off guard and buying a look from her.

“I could have easily done the right thing and stopped you, and I could have easily ignored you, but I didn’t,” Connor said with a calming tone. He didn’t know what he was doing, only pure instinctual thought and natural reaction were determining his success, and the same type of nervousness from being in the vicinity of the Vanguard leaders began to form in his spine as he continually made eye contact.

“I could have done a lot of things in that situation, but I didn’t… and I probably wouldn’t have,” Great confusion filled Nova’s eyes as to where Connor was going with this and Connor just kept a calm smiling, despite Connor’s rising feeling of tension throughout his body.

“And knowing I had the option of to purposely stop whatever you were doing and then choosing not to do anything about, but to instead support you, means that I have become just as guilty as you in all of this… so it’s not entirely your fault.”

Connor looked away for a moment before staring at the Big ball of white in front of him that was the Traveler to distract himself from Nova’s gaze as he felt more confused, yet invested in her that he wanted to admit. Every part of his conscious wanted to remember these feelings towards the girl beside him, to remember why he even knew her name before he even heard her say it.

But nothing came to pass as he struggled in vain with his memories, as only recent events began to surface and nothing else.

Connor sighed a little as he looked back at Nova, for she too began to gaze upon the Traveler and wonder her own thoughts that Connor could not even begin, or dare to guess. Eventually, she looked back at Connor who was staring at her and then smiled, she quickly looked away as Connor noticed small a small tint of pink at the center of her cheeks.

“Even if you’re right, I shouldn’t have even allowed you to confront ahead of command with one of the enemies… even if you did take him out almost single-handedly.” Nova said after a moment.

“Almost?” Connor said in a mocking tone, gaining the attention of Nova who responded with her own mocking smile.

“Yea! if it wasn’t for my sword, you wouldn’t have made it out of that situation, Nightstalker or not!” Nova’s words caused an eye roll from Connor as the argument continued.

“Well, who was the one who dealt the final blow?”

“Who was the one who damaged AND dragged the crew away whilst said Guardian made the killing blow?!”

“Who was the one who used the sword to were him down?!”

“Who was the one who gave you the sword in the first place?!”

At this point the two of them had their arms crossed and Connor couldn’t help but begin to break his own facade with a smile and laugh. Nova did this as well and the two laughed in the middle of the tower plaza as passing Guardians looked at the two with varying glances.

“Okay, okay. Almost single-handedly, but that just means we make a good team.” Connor said as his brief moment of laughter passed, “Think we should stay together and figure this whole thing out?”

Nova looked Connor in the eyes as he felt the answer before the words even left her mount, but she still said, “Sure. Let’s stick together Connor.”

#nvtfoa #nova vs #nova vs the forces of adolescence #au #mrevaunit42

12 notes · View notes

smokeybrand · 3 years

Text

The Worst

I wasn't really planning to touch this one because I'm so goddamn tired but this sh*t with the Duggars is itching my booty so I'm going in. I got time today. Josh Duggar f*cks kids. Some of those kids were his own sisters. He was caught, convicted, and sent off to conversion therapy camp instead of jail because his pops' unwieldy power in Arkansas. In 2015. This all came out in 2015 because of rather diligent reporters and investigators. That's when we found out about the transgressions, which actually took place before then. Dude went through all of that, did all of those terrible things, BEFORE 2015! By the time all of this came out, the "issue" had already been resolved and that coward hid behind his "faith" through PR snippets and cats just okey-doked it. Sure, the Duggar lost their show, but who cares? They're still supported by the religious zealots on the Right. They still wield unheard of power in Arkansas, all because the Duggars are “Christian” in the “right” way. Because they're "good" people. Well, it's 2021 and ol' Joshy-boy is facing forty years for the same sh*t he got busted on, way back before 2015. I guess f*cking kids is “Christian” in the “right”, according to how these people interpret the bible. Why the f*ck is this even a thing? How the f*ck is this a thing. More importantly, where the f*ck are all of these bible-thumping, Conservative hypocrites, who support straight up insurrection, now that one of their own is about to be nailed to the wall for the most heinous sh*t a person can do? Today, I awoke and chose all the violence.

Duggar was convicted as a minor but was never held accountable for his bullsh*t and now, some sixteen years later since he was exposed as a predator and threat, cat is on the hook for some verifiable, factually provable, horrific sh*t. The feds found terabytes upon terabytes of graphic child porn on his personal computer. Dude had a whole ass Ashley Madison account a while back, for which has since apologized,but those thing are used strictly for adultery. So, Joshy-boy is on record for molesting kids as a minor, cheating on his wife through the interwebs, and has now got the feds on his butt, because he picture of kiddy butts on hand. You see, that's a patter of escalation. Josh Duggar is a monster and it makes me wonder how that monster was allowed to roam or, more importantly, how man other monsters are hiding in that f*cked up family. Of course, the family is denying the claims but, with that verifiable history, you can really be telling me this asshole ain't out here f*cking all of the underage partners he can get his hands on. Really? He f*cked his sisters, man! There are no limits to this dude's disgusting predilections. He's been doing the same sh*t he got nailed with from before, for decades. Why would he ever stop? Who stops their bullsh*t, especially after getting caught and let go with a slap on the wrist? If I burn down an orphanage and you make me pick up trash as a consequence, I'm just going to keep committing arson on sh*t because picking up trash ain't sh*t. The juice id definitely worth the squeeze at that point and I am thirsty, bud. So was Joshy-boy, but for kiddy-diddling, not theoretical arson.

Josh Duggar has been getting away with f*cking kids for decades. Decades of slipping the noose because of his clout and the fact his family is viewed as 'God fearing.” I'm not even going to get into that toxic mess, and how it enabled this scumbag, but ol' Joshy-boy has little girls in his own home, where, because of his "faith" his word is law. What the f*ck is he doing to those kids? He diddled his little sisters. That's fact. He was convicted of that in the court of law. That's fact. He has a record for that and was never properly disciplined for it. That's fact. If he could do that to them, and get away with it unscathed, it's not unheard of to think he could do it to his own. And that's not to slight his boys because, if he's been doing this since he was a kid and escalation is a thing, pretty sure a little boy butt is fine now, too. Of course, this is all speculation on my part but I'm comfortable throwing around these alleged accusations considering the actual evidence onhand. I'm comfortable say Josh Duggar f*cks because he f*cked his sister when she was a kid. One is more than enough, bud. Which is why I don't understand how he has gotten away with this sh*t for years after. Why wasn't Duggar put on a list like a regular person? Why wasn't he forced into proper therapy? Why wasn't he watched like a hawk for the rest of his life? Why was he allowed to escape consequence and re-offend for decades? Why were his sisters forced to interact with this dude on that show for years, when every KNEW what he did to them? Why the f*ck was he allowed back around kids and no one said a peep until the feds found straight up, hardcore, graphic child pornography on his home computer?

Sh*t like this is why i don't understand how Conservative people feel like they know the moral way. They use the bible as some sort of blanket, get-out-of-jail-free card, refusing to even acknowledge their transgressions. Even Matt Gaetz is doing that sh*t. Sure, he's leaning heavy into the "cancel culture" lie, even though there are literal Venmo receipts of him buying sex from a minor, but he claims this a witch hunt predicated on his loyalty to 45 and his strong Conservative values. Values that are intrinsically linked to that Jesus jargon. So, according to him, he can traffic women for sex, at leas one of which was underage but we'll see how many actually were, while being engaged to a woman he claims to love, but this is persecution? This is a politically motivated attack? He's the victim? Really? It doesn't even stop there. Most cats who still believe in 45, and i mean actually believe in him because they think that asshole is some sort of real life Second Coming, conveniently dismiss his long record of adultery, the fact that he uses their faith as a disingenuous prop, and, more to the point of this discussion, THE COUNTLESS ACCUSATIONS OF CHILD RAPE! Dude beat up a fourteen year old before raping her, because he wanted to take her virginity by said rape, but Epstein raped her first, so she was “defiled” when it was his turn to rape her and he was mad about it. So, I repeat, Trump beat up the fourteen year old girl before he raped her, for already being raped. Your president did that sh*t and I know he did because she sued. Put that in your pocket because we're going to circle back around to it in a bit.

There was an entire documentary about Epstein on Netflix and 45's name is riddled throughout it. There are Cosby levels of victims in his ledger and, like Cosby, where there's smoke, there is definitely fire, bud. Trump has for sure f*cked at least one child and that's more enough. He should be castrated and tossed into a hole, not uplifted as some great leader who is going to lead America into it's next golden age. If you actually think that, you're a f*cking idiot, and I mean that in the most aggressively disrespectful way possible. If you actually, in your heart, believe that Donald f*cking Trump is some sort of moral barometer, that he is the one best fit to guide this country into the future, you are the worst kind of person and don't deserve a voice in our democracy. The girl who sued him over her traumatic experience, is in that doc and recalls her story exactly the same way she's told it for decades, exactly as i heard it a decade and half ago. See? Full circle. This chick sued him and he settled. He paid her to make that sh*t go away, per usual, the December before his inauguration and no one talked about that. The difference in her case and the many, many, other settlements, is the fact that Trump doesn't pay anyone without at least three appeals or the Feds force him. He shot this chick an undisclosed amount of loot almost immediately. I don't even think her case made it to trial. I think they were still in Discovery and he whipped out the checkbook. Why was that? Maybe he didn't want her talking after he became President? Or maybe because she could substantiate the horrible f*cking claims she has never deviated from making, for two whole ass decades? I f*cking wonder.

Now, I'm not, in anyway, saying the Left doesn't have their issues. Of course they do. When you get to a certain amount of wealth and power, your moral compass goes wacky and you end up in the papers for giving everyone herpes or trying to start a cult or some sh*t. Celebrities are f*cking weird, bud. What I am saying is the fact that most of these ridiculously damaging and hypocritical f*ck problems, tend to err on The Right more than the Left. I mean, Hilary Clinton has buried bodies, for sure, and i don't mean just Benghazi but, since 2000, the Right has been riddled with some of the most egregious acts you can imagine, in terms of Christian morality. There's a list you can check out on Wikipedia and that hard "R" pops up a great many times. Lots of infidelity on the Left. Lots of the OTHER stuff AND infidelity on the right. It's pathological with these people. The harder you thump that bible, the harder you're apparently thumping some strange. Be it trans trysts, adulterous liaisons, getting it the gay way, straight up sexual battery, or outright rape, the Right is just out here, throwing their sh*t around at whatever will gush. However, when caught, they hide behind their “faith” as a deterrent from actual accountability. It's f*cking disgusting, dude. I mean, Bill Clinton got head from a co-ed in the Oval office but Trump gave head to a nine year old in one of the elevators at Mar-a-Lago. These are not the same and just because one overtly pretends Jesus is his savior, doesn't mean he should get that pass or that the comparison is in anyway apt.

The cognitive dissonance between espousing the virtues of Christ and actually living them is always so stark with these Conservatives. It's a tool to them, not a calling, not a guide. But so many of their proliferate eat that sh*t up. F*cking why? These people are pandering to you. They don't respect your beliefs. They literally f*ck kids. How can they be good Christians and do sh*t like that? None of those people are genuine in their belief. How the f*ck can you just give these assholes the pass? How can you exalt them as idols worth following, protecting, and aggrandizing? None of those frauds worship the way you do. Hell, the people you look to in order to deliver the Word, don't even live the Godly life. They're multi-millionaires flying around in personal jets they bought from Tyler Perry, because God told them they shouldn't have to fly coach with all those demons. Those demons are you, you f*cking sheep. That's how they see you. From your Orange demagogue to your sycophant senators to your televangelist false idols, you are the demons. You are the fodder. You are the rubes. And they know you'll turn the other cheek as they spread them kiddy cheeks, because all they have to do is hold a bible upside down from time to time and say “God is good.”

0 notes

voltprose · 7 years

Text

Arranging Fate (1)

“And the last toast to our newlyweds!”

Glasses raised as the room filled with rowdy cheers, welcoming the new young mistress into the mob family. And today Hanae would have officially changed her last name from Inoue to Oh.

She had only agreed to the proposal just a few weeks ago and now she was in Hong Kong, marrying the young boss of the prominent Ice Dragon clan, fortifying the relationship between the two families.

The Ice Dragon clan was much bigger than she had expected, and with many business associates eager to establish themselves with the new heavy weight entrant into the industry. They certainly would not bless their union, but it was nonetheless definite that the new joint family would be a formidable competitor and it was in their best interest if they were to co-operate to further all of their trades. So in the end even after the closing speech, it was still rounds and rounds of pleasantries, toasting and courteous talks through the entire evening.

Unfortunately, this was something Hanae had trouble adapting to. Other than her father and Takeru – his right-hand man – she did not have a great deal of interactions with the members of the mafia, much less with its business partners. She revealed her disinterest in the business and her father respected her decision, instead grooming a young boy whom he had taken in some many years ago.

She quickly excused herself from the ceremony, the corner of her eyes sighting Soryu in a deep conversation with her father which she thought was inappropriate if they were to be disturbed. So she simply asked for one of the Ice Dragon members to pass a message to them after their talk – that she had returned to the hotel suite.

“As I thought, I still hate this place.” She sighed, downing her glass of wine as she looked into the city skyline. Hong Kong – the wretched city that took her mother away. Even after twenty years the gunshot still rings ever so clearly in her ears, and the dreadful scene replayed over thousands of times in her dreams now.

The first few years were especially terrible. Hanae was kept awake most of the nights, and when she did fall asleep it was only for a brief moment before the nightmares would return. Eventually she learnt to deal with the loss, but the truth was – she really did miss her mother very much and often wondered how different her childhood would have been if she were there.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound from the room – footsteps, then the tone of the unlocked door. Instincts kicked in and she cocked her weapon, the barrel focused as the door slowly swung opened, though it was all for naught when she saw her guest at the entrance.

“Oh, it’s just you.” Hanae admitted, inwardly laughing at her own silliness while she brought the aim of the revolver down. Putting aside the heavy security detail of the hotel, her personal bodyguards were always on standby – this time one at the stairway and the other near the elevator. There was just no way an intruder could have just sauntered to the suite door like that.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized softly, regretful that this was how she had greeted her husband on their first night together. “Shall I put on a bath for you, Soryu? It has been a long day after all.” She asked, albeit rhetorically as she returned from the terrace, shutting the glass door behind her while appreciating the night breeze of the city that accompanied her for the past hour.

November 11th – It was an Autumn wedding in the evening. The date, picked out by one of the greatest geomancy masters in Hong Kong, was one that would signify a lifetime of unification between the couple – the abundance of the number one in the date to serve as a catalyst. Though Soryu was not so much into such divination, for he rather believe that hard work would triumph over any supposedly predestined fate, he still made arrangements for the master’s services as a way of showing his sincerity in marrying the only daughter of the Inuoe family.

He went about the day as usual, the traditional observance of the marriage meant that the betrothed couple would not be able to see each other until the actual ceremony, only this time with the participation of Isao Inoue – the current leader of the Inoue mafia and also his father-in-law to be from that evening onwards.

“Mr Inoue and Mr Oh, it’s time to leave for the ceremony.” Inui informed, showing them the way to the prepared cars when Soryu shot a small look of annoyance at his interruption behind Isao’s back. He had just begun to make some small progression on their possible collaborations when his impeccable timing disrupted their flow of conversation. Though he quickly regained his composure, giving an inward sigh at his unnecessary impatience – there was just absolutely no reason for him to rush into any business partnerships given that he was handed a pass to the future governance of the big mafia family by ways of marriage.

Hanae was slowly led to the altar, her father on the side as he handed her palm to Soryu. There she stood – petite, unassuming and unafraid – and he often wondered, since the day she accepted his proposal, why she would give away her whole life for the benefit of the mafia business which she had no interest in. And it was only then he saw the resolute in her eyes, so similar as if they were a reflection to his.

At the directions of the marriage officiant, Soryu lifted her veil and pressed his lips to hers while the crowds cheered for more. It was only right that on this joyous occasion he should indulge in their wishes, and so he did, giving a small smile at his bride after the deed.

He could not express how grateful he was when the last guest – a huge business partner no less – finally left the hall. The couple first started the evening by going around each table, greeting all the associates and members of the Ice Dragon clan. And once that was over, Hanae excused herself to the restroom and never came back to his side – only later told by a member that she had returned to the suite. If he, as a seasoned participant of such group meetings was so overwhelmed, he could only imagine Hanae feeling worse.

And Soryu couldn’t say that he was surprised when his presence at the door was received by the aim of a revolver – hers. “Don’t worry about that, head to bed.” He insisted, tugging her on the arm as she was making her way to the bathroom. “You’ve had a long day too, and we will be going to the main office tomorrow. I want you to be well rested.” His gaze down, apologetic that her first duties as his wife was going to mafia gatherings that she had so disregarded even in her own family.

#oh soryu #voltage inc #kissed by the baddest bidder #voltage fanfic #soryu oh #arranging fate prose

6 notes · View notes

him-e · 7 years

Text

Sansa and Ned, kingmakers

x, x

It’s been often discussed how Sansa and Ned share some character traits and how their storylines have common points (Littlefinger being a mutual false ally, the Vale, etc). But with season 6, everything clicked into place, at least for me. I know many viewers were frustrated that Jon was made king instead of Sansa, and while I think it would have worked MUCH better if the writers had kept Robb’s will in the story, I would make the opposite argument—that it was a good writing decision, as it highlights Sansa’s political trajectory as a mirror to Ned’s. Because, like Ned before her, it isn’t in Sansa’s cards (at least at this stage) to be a queen, but to ride at a king’s side, and be, at least in part, the architect of his success. (warning: spoilers for season 7)

(pictured: Ned and Sansa smiling affectionately at their bffs)

to begin with, there are a few narrative parallels between Robert’s rebellion and Jon&Sansa’s /Reconquest of Winterfell/.

both are a reaction to a violent, sadistic tyrant;

both were sparked by an explicit threat to the rebels’ right to exist: Aerys wanted Ned and Robert’s heads, Ramsay more or less threatened to rape, torture and kill everyone with the Pink Letter;

both are in response/connected to unforgivable crimes committed against the blood of Winterfell (Rickon is Brandon, the trueborn heir horribly executed, but he’s also Lyanna, the captive Stark, the other catalyst of the war, dying tragically in front of her brother who came to her too late);

both wars end with a bittersweet victory, tainted by the burial of (a) beloved sibling(s);

the prelude to both is a… complicated journey back to Winterfell that begins in the Vale. In Sansa’s case, it happens long before the wheels of the war are set in motion; in a sense it is what sets those wheels in motion (although I’m talking specifically about her arc in the show, I’m moderately confident that she will make that journey in the books too, and it might be an even closer parallel to Ned if she, as it’s often speculated, travels by boat from the Vale to White Harbor)

Sansa’s saving the day with the knights of the Vale is reminiscent of the battle of the bells, where Ned came to Stoney Sept with a Stark/Tully/Arryn army (!!!) in time to save the wounded Robert and turn the tables against the royalists;

finally, both wars bookend the secret of Jon’s parentage: the end of Robert’s rebellion marked the beginning of Ned’s lie about Jon, the conclusion of the battle for Winterfell, with Jon being crowned king at Sansa’s side, heralds the end of the secret and the unveiling of the truth—clearly for the audience, and soon for the characters as well.

Father and daughter, in different times and circumstances, make the history of the seven kingdoms through a war that sees them as co-leaders and that ends with the extinction of an entire house and the rise of a new king.

it’s interesting how Sansa’s position in the war mirrors and contrasts Ned’s.

neither of them were supposed to raise the banners during their life. Ned as a second son, Sansa as a girl, they weren’t prepared to deal with this. But due to extreme circumstances and extreme violence perpetrated against them and their blood, they had no choice but take the survival of their home in their own hands.

not unlike Sansa with lord Glover & Lyanna Mormont, Ned was initially met with skepticism and had some trouble convincing people to jump on the rebel bandwagon.

they both have extremely high, personal stakes in this war (even more so for Sansa, who has directly experienced Ramsay’s sadism on her own skin).

but they take almost a sidekick role, more or less implicitly pushing their partner forward as as they recognize the latter makes for a better “face” for the rebellion (Robert because he had an actual claim to the iron throne, Jon because he’s male and a relatively experienced commander)—it is Robert’s rebellion, much as it is the battle of the Bastards.

they’re at his side when he triumphs (Sansa literally, as she’s seated next to Jon during his crowning), but the victory is tainted by an opening rift between them. For Ned and Robert, it was the disagreement over the brutal murders of Elia’s children, for Jon and Sansa it’s a mix of mutual trust issues and Sansa’s growing resentment for being passed over; in both cases, what began as a closely-knit duo evolves into at least one person being severely disillusioned about the other (and we know that in Ned’s case the disillusionment re:Robert was never really resolved, but intensified when 15 years later he is named Hand).

unlike Ned towards the Iron Throne, however, Sansa has an interest and an actual claim for the seat of Winterfell (that she’s only partially and ambiguously aware of during the whole campaign), and Jon’s rise as King in the North happens at the expense of her own birthright being literally bypassed in front of her eyes. This makes the conflict between Jon and Sansa more layered, and possibly running deeper, than the one between Ned and Robert.

there’s a sibling or sibling-like relationship between both Ned and Robert (fostered together) and Jon and Sansa (raised as half-siblings). While Ned knew that Robert wasn’t his actual brother, seeing him in that sense was a deliberate choice of the heart. For Sansa, it’s almost the opposite: the reason she trusts Jon and is willing to ride at his side is largely because of a sibling bond they actually don’t share (though a family bond still stands, via Lyanna). Who knows if Sansa eventually comes to make Ned’s choice—prioritize nurture over nature and accept Jon as a brother despite not sharing any parent with him. It will be interesting to see how this evolves post r+l=j.

at some point, both Ned and Sansa end up doing something against the other person’s back and keeping a dangerous secret that could be perceived as a betrayal and does contain the seed for a potential threat to the other person’s rule. Ned secretly adopts the last natural son of Rhaegar Targaryen, passing him off as his own bastard. Sansa secretly asks for LF’s help, allowing him into Winterfell’s politics, with all his schemes and personal agendas (and we know LF will try to undermine Jon’s rule). Notice how we’re supposed to sympathize with Ned, but not with Sansa. Ned’s protecting his nephew, while it looks like Sansa’s motivation is either ambition or a lingering hostility towards Jon’s bastardy, neither of which seems particularly noble.

again sooo unlike Ned, Sansa is (seemingly) positioned as the ruthless one in dealing with the remnants of house Bolton AND those who didn’t support their cause despite being bound to house Stark by centuries of vassalage. See: “they can hang”, her execution of Ramsay—and even before that, in season 5, her possibly planting in Ramsay the idea of killing Roose, Walda and the newborn heir (I’m not saying that Sansa intentionally used Ramsay as a proxy to wipe out the entirety of house Bolton, but… yeah, it makes an interesting counterpoint to Ned’s righteous fury at the deaths of little Aegon and Rhaenys).

one of the reasons why Ned was frustrated with Robert at the end of the Rebellion is that Robert ignored his advice to send Jaime to the Night’s Watch as punishment for breaking his oath. Guess who’s also frustrated that the king doesn’t listen to her advice?

yeah.

NOTE: due to the purpose of this post, Jon takes Robert’s place in this Rebellion 2.0, but it goes without saying that’s merely a circumstantial parallel, as the two couldn’t be more dissimilar in personality. Of course, Jon is also = Ned in this scenario, as many of the things above also apply to him, see especially the /going to war against a tyrant who left him no choice and committed atrocities against his family/; also the whole parallel/contrast situation re: Lyanna and Sansa, with Ned rushing to save his sister who was dying inside a tower VS Jon watching his sister come to him after saving herself by jumping off a tower (and how both Sansa’s and Lyanna’s captivities were a major factor in the war, though in different ways). (there ARE some fascinating aspects to Sansa’s season 5 storyline, imo).

I’m not going into this in depth, but it would also be interesting to compare/contrast all the above with the other “kingship” experience in house Stark’s recent history, Robb/Cat. (note how Catelyn has a “breaking of trust” moment too, when she released Jaime behind Robb’s back.) I’ve often seen Sansa compared to Cat via their common role of counselors/supporters of the newly made king, and not without reason, given the deliberate similarities between the two king in the north scenes and the two storylines in general (they were pretty heavy-handed with the Cat/Sansa parallels throughout season 6). But while Catelyn’s role is more in line with a typical mentor figure, due to the generational gap and, well, Catelyn being Robb’s mother, Ned and Sansa are, respectively, Robert’s and Jon’s age peers. Their role is less of advisors and more of co-leaders.

Catelyn generally took a socially-conscious sidelined role, and exerted her influence through soft power and private conversations, or as an envoy. Sansa’s role is more upfront. She marches at Jon’s side, not behind. She participates to parleys and war councils. She discusses military plans. She addresses their allies and bannermen directly, and personally demands fealty, even when Jon’s right at her side. She even shares with Jon the same cloak and Stark insignia, establishing the two of them as part of the same package.

A package that she personally designed, btw.

(just a thought, does this make Dadvos the Jon Arryn of the situation? I bet it does.)

But here’s the problem: Sansa is a woman. She doesn’t physically lead her men to battle. She’s a leader, but not a military commander. This makes her political role in all of this harder to define, compared to the one Ned had in Robert’s Rebellion. Is Sansa a part of Jon’s retinue? A privileged advisor? Is she the equivalent of some, huh, queen consort, minus the consort part (I guess)? Is she Hand of the King? Is she Lady of Winterfell, implying that the two titles, lord of winterfell and king in the north, are now de facto distinct? And if so, is she Jon’s first vassal?

Or is she nothing but the king’s sister and the next one in line for succession (until Bran shows up)?

It’s all very blurry because it’s an unprecedented situation, at least in the North, and I think this confusion is at the root of a lot of the current tension between Jon and Sansa. It’s also why we see her in various stages of assertiveness throughout season 6: she is, herself, uncertain of her role, of what her prerogatives and boundaries are (see the war council pre-botb, in which she waits until everyone leaves to question Jon’s plans: it’s like, the more Jon grows into his role as military commander, the nearer the big battle gets, the more Sansa retreats to the shadows, painfully conscious that this is not her purview. The more anxious she gets, too). It’s clear that one of the main future challenges for Jon and Sansa as a team will be to sort out this confusion and define their respective roles.

in light of these parallels, what to expect from season 7?

It looks likely (and spoilers confirm) that Jon and Sansa will have to part ways, at least for a while. Like Robert and Ned at the end of the Rebellion, Jon has to consolidate his rule across the country and this will bring him South, to Dragonstone and King’s Landing, while Sansa stays in Winterfell, entrenched behind its walls, reluctant to ever leave it again, like Ned himself did for so long. But fast forward 15 years after the Rebellion, and you’ll see Ned in King’s Landing again, sitting on the Iron Throne in Robert’s stead, as Hand of the King, and that’s exactly what Sansa is going to do in Winterfell during Jon’s absence. This will be a great testing ground to exercise her political skills, but what I’m actually interested in is how she might—like her father before her—be involved in a mission to thwart a treasonous plot against the King, a plot that features Petyr Baelish in a prominent role. The person Ned trusted to help him expose Robert’s enemies, and who betrayed him. This person is now whispering in Sansa’s ear, earning her trust, making himself *indispensable* like he did with Ned in King’s Landing. This person is simultaneously one of the puppeteers behind the War of the Five Kings, orchestrated Ned’s execution by manipulating Joffrey behind the scenes, and is now trying to use Sansa to undermine Jon and take control of the North. This person has to be dealt with VERY carefully, because, not unlike the Lannisters in AGOT, he holds a good portion of the wealth and the military resources that allow Jon and Sansa to maintain their rule.

It’s time for Sansa to come full circle, by confronting and defeating her father’s nemesis and fix the ultimate wrong, the original wound** that split house Stark in several broken pieces and sent it on a downward spiral: Ned’s death. Where Ned failed—his begrudging trust in Littlefinger being the reason of his fall—his daughter, his legacy, will prevail, by virtue of knowing the enemy intimately enough to predict his strategy and use it against him. The Ned in Sansa has shrunk (a bit) to make room for something of Littlefinger’s, and that’s precisely why she’s going to win this battle.

** because it is the original wound, it makes sense that Sansa, despite being formally in charge, isn’t alone in this. That Arya and Bran will play a role in casting LF down. It will be a joint effort by all of Ned’s children to bring the end of the man who destroyed their father.

in conclusion:

season 6 has firmly convinced me of Sansa’s potential as a political agent, but not necessarily as a queen—a ruling lady of an important castle or region, or, even better, a /hand of the king/ type. She’s still learning, she’s made some obvious mistakes along the way, and the fact that her political training comes from Littlefinger whereas Ned’s came from Jon Arryn inevitably makes her approach to /power/ a bit different than Ned’s—a bit more on the *scheming* side, as it seems that Sansa is growing more and more confident with the Game, in a way Ned was never able to be.

But that’s only for the better.

#got for ts #got**#got talk for ts #////#//#sansa**#jon**#ned**#js**#robert's rebellion #botb #starks**#sansa and ned #jon and sansa #jon x sansa for ts #got spoilers #parallels #rape tw

274 notes · View notes

pinkfan-gurl · 7 years

Text

Let’s Make a Deal

chater four of a 100 high school au

As Bellamy bolted from the classroom, he tried not to be too upset about the project.

There were a few pros to his predicament, first of which being that he was partners with Harper; she was cute to look at, always had an extra granola bar, and she was smart enough to carry her own weight for the project.

Not that the last part mattered all too much—Bellamy prefered doing partner work himself; that way, he knew he was going to get a good grade on the assignment. Everyone in the school may have viewed him as lazy with nothing to live up too, but Bellamy had plans.

Plans that didn't involve staying in Edison, New Jersey all of his life. Plans that required higher than a 2.0 GPA.

When Bellamy got to room 221 where the student-council meeting was set to be held, he was barely fazed by the blonde at the front of the room. Clarke was always first. Bellamy suspected that her apt to be first in the class was her subtle way of proclaiming to everyone else that she was in charge and no one had better cross her.

"You're here early," Clarke said without looking up from her book. The desks were neatly arranged in a circle with Clarke's podium at the head.

Bellamy snorted, settling into a desk on the opposite side of the circle as Clarke. "I could say the same about you, but I don't think it really constitutes to you any more."

Clarke's eyes narrowed but she didn't look up from her page. "And the barbarian does have a brain. I'd never have guessed it."

"Impressed by my vocabulary skills, huh? News flash, Princess: I'm not as dumb as you and everyone else takes me for."

"I don't think you're dumb; I just think that you lack a decent personality."

Her eyes remained glued to whatever novel she was reading, and Bellamy ignored her right back. It was just like Clarke to leave an insult hanging that he wasn't even sure how to respond too. So instead, he fished around in his bag for the half-empty Dr. Pepper he had stashed and pulled out his notebook.

When he started jotting down different notes about the Crusades, out of the corner of his eye, Bellamy noticed that Clarke had raised an eyebrow though she didn't say anything. He redirected his attention back on his notes. That's right. Let the princess be impressed.

Less than ten minutes had passed when the flow of student council members had made it's peak. Harper came in, only to take a seat near Clarke and engage in a conversation.

Fine, he thought. Go sit with her highness instead of sitting with your history partner.

Sterling and Fox filtered in a minute later holding hands. Then a pile of books slammed down to Bellamy's left and suddenly Miller was there. "Hey, dude."

"Hey." Bellamy ignored the unamused glare that Clarke and Harper were shooting in their direction. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Miller shrugged. "I didn't realize you were going to be here so— " he sat down on the desktop and glanced briefly at Clarke before turning back to Bellamy. "—early. Oh, I got you bro. The princess is quite the catch."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. "As if I'd ever have feelings for Clarke."

Miller laughed, "Yeah, that's true. I don't think that'll ever happen. Especially with Wells in the way."

Bellamy grinned along, but he wasn't so sure about where Wells stood in the Clarke equation anymore. They hadn't seemed too close from what he had observed over the last few weeks, but it was possible that he was mistaken. He hadn't been paying that much attention. "Where's Monroe?"

"She should be here in a few." Miller waved a dismissive hand. "Probably had to pee or something. Maybe fix her hair. It sucks that Murphy didn't want to do stu-co this year."

Bellamy shrugged. "This never really was his thing though. Murphy would rather kick someone's ass on the street than this."

Monroe made it to the room three minutes before the meeting was due to start. What surprised everyone, however, was that the golden boy, Wells Jaha, who had been student-council president for three years running and was known for being punctual, was two minutes late.

Bellamy noted that the younger boy was out of breath when he stumbled into the room and was walking funny on his ankle. "Sorry I'm late," Wells breathed, hands clamped over his knees. "I was on—"

"—it's fine," Clarke cut in coldly. Another prime example in which Clarke's relations with Wells seemed to be over, in Bellamy's opinion. Her eyes focused in on Wells, daring him to challenge her. "Take a seat."

Wells slouched into a seat two down from Monroe. "What's going on with them?" she whispered to Bellamy and he could only shrug in response.

"First project on the table is going to be organizing homecoming—" Clarke paused for the collective groans, "—which gives us about six weeks of preparation. So we can't waste any time during meetings." She grabbed a marker from off the whiteboard ledge. "I think—"

"Clarke?" Sterling interrupted. Clarke recapped her marker and turned toward him. "Don't you think it would be a good idea to get student council president out of the way real fast?"

Clarke rolled her eyes, which Bellamy found somewhat obnoxious. "Is it really necessary?" she asked slightly annoyed.

"Yeah," Bellamy agreed gruffly, "we all know Wells is going to snowball the competition anyway."

Clarke stiffened suddenly, like the thought of Wells being in charge made her skin crawl. Wells slumped down in his seat slightly. "Okay," she relented, "we can pick this year's president real quick."

Bellamy pretended to be occupied by his phone while Clarke passed out blank sheets of recycled paper. He still thought it was a stupid idea since Wells was going to win regardless. When a blank note was placed on his desk, Bellamy quickly scribbled Wells on the blank space, folded it up, then gave it to Monroe who was getting up to give hers to Clarke.

When Clarke had all eight paper slips back in her hand, she handed them to Harper to read off.

"First one is for Wells," Harper read and Bellamy set his head down on his desk. He was expecting as much. With a disdainful scowl, Clarke wrote Wells's name on the board and added a tally point beneath it.

"One for Clarke."

That wasn't a surprise either. The princess was the only real competition that stood in Wells's four year wrote her name on the board and added a point.

"Another one for Clarke. Another one for Wells. One for Bellamy."

Bellamy's head shot up, eyes wide. He couldn't have heard that right—someone had voted him as president? Over Clarke and Wells?

Sure enough, Clarke had written Bellamy's name on the board in swooping letters and—wait, was she smiling as she gave him a tally point below his name?

He couldn't be sure if he had seen it right because Miller was clapping him on the back saying, "Yeah, Bellamy!" while Monroe gave him a playful shove in the arm. Bellamy grinned, slightly embarrassed.

Harper continued, "Another one for Bellamy. Another one for Bellamy." She raised her eyebrows, nodding like she was impressed by the turn-out. Bellamy couldn't find it in himself to be offended even in the slightest because he was surprised too. "And another one for Clarke."

"Damn," Sterling muttered.

"Final standing is that Clarke and Bellamy are tied with three votes each and Wells is in second with two." Harper pitched the paper slips into the trash, then sat down.

Bellamy glanced over at Wells, expecting the mini-superintendent to be furious by his loss but he just sat silently with his fingers steepled together. In fact, he looked like he had been expecting this turn out all along and welcomed it calmly like one might welcome death.

The thought made Bellamy scowl.

"Well, what now?" Miller's demand broke Bellamy from his thoughts.

"Is there going to be a tie-breaker?" Fox asked meekly.

Clarked scowled. "We really don't have time for that. This was only supposed to be a half hour meeting and we've already accomplished less than I would have prefered too."

"What you would have prefered too," Bellamy repeated. Clarke gave him a look, but Bellamy's gut swelled with annoyance. "Look, Princess, you weren't elected as the superior authority, okay? We need to settle this now."

"We don't have time for—"

"Then who's going to run this thing? Make the rules? You?"

"Both of us," Clarke responded sharply, taking Bellamy back. The tension in the room spiked and everyone held their breath. "We were both elected, alright? From now on, we can work together as co-leaders until we find a time to settle it out. Deal?"

Bellamy reconsidered the proposal. It was better to share partial authority than being demoted right on the spot.

Locking eyes with Clarke, Bellamy nodded once. "Deal."

…

For once, soccer didn't relax Jasper. The run in with Wells and the promise he'd made was making him jumpy.

Already he had missed two goals that should have been easy shots and his passes were off by at least a foot every time, if not more. The team was already down a few players who had to skip for student council which meant everyone on the team was supposed to up their game.

Instead, Jasper was on a downward spiral. He passed the ball to a girl named Charlotte, but it skimmed right past, missing her by several inches.

"Jordan!" He winced as the coach yelled at him for who knew what time that day. "PASS the ball! You're playing with other people, not the benches and trees! Lock it up!"

Practice ended less than fifteen minutes later, but it was still an extra few minutes for him to embarrass himself further. Not only did he miss another goal, but the ball he kicked bounced off the goal post and hit one of his teammates in the head. Luckily she had been fine, but Jasper still felt horrible.

"What happened out there?" Monty asked as Jasper approached the benches on the sidelines. "You haven't played that bad since the sixth grade."

He hesitated momentarily. "Wells came and talked to me right before practice and it's been bugging me."

Monty's eyebrows immediately shot up, then narrowed just as quickly. "What did he want?"

"He wants me to get him a list of Clarke's after-school activities and stuff so he can join them and make her fall in love with him again."

"You didn't agree to that did you?"

"Uh—"

"Jasper, you didn't." It was more of statement than question.

Jasper scratched at the mark his socks had left around his calves. "She was really happy when she was with him, so if he can win her over maybe she'll be happy again."

"You really think that Clarke is going to kiss and make-up with him? After what he did?" Monty shook his head in disbelief.

"You seem pretty quick to shut the idea down."

"Only because I know how Clarke will react to it and you do too. If she ever found out you gave him a list like that, she'd be livid."

"That thought did cross my mind." Jasper searched Monty's face, looking for an answer but came up empty. "What should I do?"

"Not give Clarke's schedule to Wells for one thing. We both know she'd never sell you out so it's not fair if you did that to her."

"I guess you're—" Octavia sprinted in their direction and Jasper choked his words back down as she approached them. "O-oh, hey there, Octavia."

Octavia grinned. Her hair was pulled back in a knot of braids and a single ponytail holding it all together. "Hey, Jasper. Monty." She nodded and Monty nodded back.

"What brings you over?" Jasper leaned up against the fence, hoping he looked cool. He ignored the huff from Monty.

"A bunch of us are going to Dairy Queen after the game on Friday just to hang out." She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "I was just wondering if maybe you and Monty would wanna tag along?"

"I don't know," Monty started and Jasper knew he had to think fast before Monty ruined everything. "Clarke is usually our ride so—"

"—of course we'll come!" Jasper interrupted, sidestepping in front of Monty. He could already feel the storm of wrath building up behind him, but Jasper forced himself not to show it. "We'll totally see you there!"

Octavia's smile faltered slightly, and Jasper figured she must have been picking up on the tension between him and Monty. "Great. It'll be really fun." She turned like she was ready to jog off, but peered over her shoulder and said, "Clarke is welcome too, so. No biggie if she needs to tag along." Then she was on the other side of the field again.

Jasper sighed deeply, a dopey love-struck smile on his face. But he barely had time to replay the event in his mind before Monty was hitting him in the arm. "Ow! What the—"

"Are you crazy?" Monty demanded.

"No. Don't you see? This is the perfect time for me to make a connection with Octavia!" He sighed again, staring out to where Octavia was packing up her soccer bag.

"Clarke will flip if she knows you're going out with Octavia. Her and Bellamy are like, sworn enemies."

This time it was Jasper's turn to be indignant. He knew Clarke had a rivalry with Bellamy that extended back to the eighth grade over some argument about gun control policies which eventually gave way to their great dislike for each other throughout high school; however, Jasper didn't really get the point of it all.

In his mind, it's like, yeah sure —have your disagreements. But Bellamy was actually a pretty cool, stand up guy and Jasper admired him a lot. And Clarke hating anything to do with Bellamy Blake made things harder for Jasper and his crush on Octavia Blake because obviously Octavia had a lot to do with Bellamy as his sister and all.

Of course, only Monty knew his feelings on the subject.

"Clarke won't have to find out. I overheard her talking to Abby and she has to meet-up with some guy named Finn for a project Friday so she'll be gone all night. It's perfect and when will something as perfect as this going to work out again?"

Monty pursed his lips. "What are you gonna tell Abby and your dad then?"

"I'll tell them I'm going to hang out with you at your house and you can tell your parents that you're going to my house for the night."

"All of this just to hang out with Octavia?"

"I'm a man in love, Monty. Men do crazy things for love."

Monty clenched the top of the fence until his palms had indentations. "I'm in, but on one condition."

"Name it."

"You promise not to give Wells that list."

"Deal."

#the 100 #bellarke #bellarke high school au #clarke griffin #bellamy blake #octavia blake #lincoln #jasper jordan #monty green #raven reyes #finn collins #clarke x bellamy #bellamy x clarke

2 notes · View notes