#first of many official reports that’s why they made her admiral so they could listen to all her stories and she wouldn’t fly away

[thresholdbb]

Can you imagine when Voyager gets back to the Alpha Quadrant and Janeway goes to give her official report on the Caretaker and she starts by plonking a rock down on the briefing room table?

[allysketches]

what's ur opinion on TERFs

not welcome in this blog or anywhere near me in general, in fact, if I see someone like that interacting with my posts it's an automatic report/block.

but I understand the ask and I must make it clear that I want nothing to do with that vile woman who shall not be named as I stand for everything that she's against, and since I can't simply delete her from reality (or send her to prison, since, frankly, that's where she should be) the least I can do is be vocal about it.

it pains me and saddens me deeply that this beloved story that has been for so long a refuge to many people, especially those of marginalised groups and minorities that saw themselves in some aspect of this fantastical world, despite its flaws, and felt empowered by its positive themes - friendship, acceptance, belonging and its power to triumph over evil and hatred - turned out to be written by this terrible, hateful, egotistical person that is now actively harassing and persecuting one of these marginalised group non-stop and with seemingly no consequences... it would be ironic if it wasn't utterly tragic and didn't have very real consequences to very real people.

this simply isn't something we can overlook. she is using her influence and her money to hurt people, and the more she gets the more evil she'll do. trans people's lives have to come first, so above anything, support them, amplify their voices, do what you can. I, for a while now, no longer consume or support anything officially hp, the movies, the books, licenced merch, bc under no circumstances I want to support this woman, whatever small the difference may be at the end of the day...

and, for this same reason, I heavily debated for a long time if I should even post anything hp related to begin with and why I ultimately decided to. I saw how the fandom reclaimed this story and characters and made it their own, working with passion and creativity to transform this universe, each making small differences for the better, to give it more depth, make it more unique, more personal, diverse and inclusive - from short headcanons, to gigantic fics - and so I thought that maybe that's what matters: this collective transformative power, building a wonderful, welcoming community for everyone. adding your own voice to a conversation but also listening to others. going against whatever the creator thinks or wants, in favour of your peers.

it is an admirable thing to love something and not only be capable of acknowledging its flaws, but to try to make it better. 

and for those that grew up comforted by this story, and realised, because of it, that you were not alone, that there is a place for you, that you could be truly yourself and be loved for it: all of this still stands true, nothing that that woman says or does can destroy that, you already yield the power of this message and the meaning of it lies with you, not with her. we can't let the bigots win.

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[not-all-dead]

"It’s not a surprise when the Chief of Police comes out. There have been betting pools for years, and the announcement is met with mostly indifference. What is a surprise, however, is the interview that comes out alongside the announcement. The interview that is complete with a photoshoot of Lin Beifong in civilian clothes, talking about the challenges of her position. No one can remember the last time the Chief has given an interview, and the photo becomes the talk of the town."

How do you think the interview goes? What would Lin say?

link to (what i believe was) the original post of this! with some amazing art that VERY much helped me write this :DD (by @mgthejerkbender)

i was originally just gonna write a dialogue or notes for this but uh- i got a little carried away so here’s a 3687 word fic of the interview oops

CW: implications of past trauma (mentions of r@pe/s*xual assa*lt, public humiliation, not graphic at all), homophobia, sexism

fic under the cut :)

Lin walked into the room in a soft green turtleneck and dark brown pants that almost looked black without the light. There was sound equipment set up all over the place, with two armchairs in the middle of it all. A desk sat over to the side, a typewriter and paper sitting atop it. Quite a few people were rushing around, making sure that everything was in place for the broadcast. She watched a young woman sit at the desk, prepping the typewriter to transcribe the entire thing.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Lin turned to see a man in his early forties standing with a small journal behind her.

He wore a plain suit with a pale orange tie, his greying hair slicked back neatly. His eyes flitted around the room, checking things briefly for himself before focusing on Lin. He opened the notebook to a page about a quarter of the way through and smiled at Lin, nodding at the chairs behind her.

“Care to sit?” he asked, moving toward the chairs.

She took the seat farthest from where they’d just been standing, shifting to get comfortable while she waited for him to sit and get things rolling. She didn’t want to admit it, but her heart was racing. She hadn’t done anything like this is ages, especially not so casually. The topic of discussion also made her nervous, both because her job was something she rarely spoke of with anyone outside a professional context, and because of the announcement that would come with the interview. She’d encountered plenty of bigoted people in the past, and had no doubt that her officially coming out would only press them to question her position more than usual.

She picked idly at the fuzzballs on her turtleneck until the man sitting beside her cleared his throat. Her head snapped up to look at him, her body tensing briefly before seeing that he was testing the microphones. She sighed and relaxed slightly, speaking into the microphone placed before her when the sound technician prompted her to do so. Once everything seemed to be in place and ready to go, the broadcast started.

“Welcome, listeners, to tonight’s special program. I’m your host, Kaja Posicopolis, here with our esteemed Chief of Police, Lin Beifong. So, Chief, how are you on this fine night?” he started, putting on his radio voice.

“Good, I’m good,” Lin responded, leaning slightly forwards in her seat.

“That’s good to hear. I think I’ll launch right into our questions if you don’t mind, we’ve got a lot to get through tonight,” Lin nodded when he looked over to her, giving him the go ahead.

“Why don’t we start with something positive. What’s your favourite thing about your position as Chief? What about the job brings you the most joy?” he turned to watch her while waiting for her answer.

She looked at the floor for a moment, thinking before speaking.

“I think I’d have to say getting to help people. Ever since I was young I’ve wanted to protect others as much as possible, and being Chief makes that a lot easier and a lot more… legal,” he joined her when she chuckled lightly, but her smile only lasted a moment.

“Of course, I’m not perfect, and there are always times when things go wrong. I can’t say that those times don’t affect me, but I try to think of the people we as a force have helped over the years and that keeps me going,” she took a deep breath and looked to Kaja as he glanced at his notepad.

“That leads right into my next question; how do you do it? Not even your infamous mother was Chief for as long as you’ve been, and her time was already impressive. You’ve given so much to Republic City already, why, and how, do you keep giving?” there was a look of wonder and admiration on his face when he finished the question.

“I grew up in Republic City. It always has been, and will be, my home. And who doesn’t want to protect their home? I think that as long as I live here, I’ll be working to do anything in my power to help the city. I hate watching neighborhoods suffer… actually, I’m working on a plan with President Moon at the moment with the hopes of helping out the poorer parts of the city, providing homes for the homeless, all that good stuff. I just want to see Republic City thriving, and I want to help it get to that point. As I said before, it’s my home; everyone here is part of a community, a family, if you will, and that means everything to me,” Lin leaned back, resting against the cushion behind her, setting her right foot on her left knee.

“That’s a beautiful sentiment, thank you. I love the idea of the city being one big family, and that project sounds like it’ll be very good for the future of Republic City,” Kaja turned his gaze back to his notes, stopping the conversation briefly.

“The next question I have here is less uppity; what has your biggest struggle been with regards to your job?”

“That’s a hard one,” she paused. “I’ve had many struggles with work over my years as Chief, but I think of everything that’s happened… being a woman, and a queer one at that, has definetly taken it’s toll. Other things have been more directly challenging, but that’s been present since day one.”

“Would you care to elaborate on that?” he prompted leaning slightly towards her.

She inhaled and held her breath for a split second before sighing lightly.

“Sure, why not,” she gave a small smile to Kaja before starting.

“When I was much younger, just starting out in the force, I could already see the inherent bias against women that so many male officers held. My mother wasn’t immune to their verbal attacks, though she would give them a good… sparring match, lets say, if they ever so much as laid a finger on her. After a few times, that generally stopped happening, but people would still talk. The number of disgusting, awful things I heard coming from some of those men…” she huffed and shifted in her seat, putting one elbow on her armrest and resting her head on her hand.

“Anyway, I started to pay attention to every little thing. I noticed how many male politicians talked down to my mother, and not because of her blindness. Even a few of the men on our own council at the time would treat her as less-than for no apparent reason.

“I saw it happening in my own life and career, too. How my male counterparts got the promotion before I was even considered, despite performing just as well as them, if not better. How I was never asked for input on supposedly collective decisions or plans, and if I was or tried to interject, I was almost always dismissed. It seemed like any man of higher or equal rank to me thought I was some… assistant to bring him coffee and reports and not do any actual work.

“Seeing that attitude so often pissed me off. I made it my mission to prove myself beyond what was necessary. I wanted to show them that I could do anything they could just as well, sometimes even better. My work paid off eventually and I began to climb the ranks, not letting myself rest for a second. And I wanted to help people as well, of course, but it started out more as wanting to teach those bastards a lesson,” she moved again, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward on her elbows.

“Once I became Chief, a lot of people seemed determined to put me down. Practically every man, be he politician or merchant on the street, told me something insinuating that I was handed the position just because my mother was Chief before me. Every time I wanted to yell at them, to show them records of how hard I’d worked to get there, how much harder I’d had to work than most of my colleagues. With the politicians and other major figureheads, how much harder I’d had to work than they probably had.

“It was frustrating, but I got used to it. It was a constant that came with working a so-called, and I’m not making this up, it’s been said directly to my face before, ‘Man’s job’,” she stopped for a moment and looked over at Kaja, who was staring at her in disbelief.

She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at his expression before looking back down and continuing.

“There was also the issue of my queerness,” she shook her head and took a deep breath, sitting back as she continued.

“I started working as a proper officer when I was about eighteen. Within my first year working, I was-,” she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth for a second.

“I had an encounter with a man, an older officer who was overseeing the training group I was a part of. He tried to initiate certain… activities with me, none of which I wanted to partake in. I did manage to get rid of him and filed a report against him, but it wasn’t the last time it happened.

“I was a pretty regular customer at a few of the underground bars for people like me at the time. I did my best to hide my face when I left, but there were always times I was careless, or somebody saw me in the seconds I let my guard down. Usually it was no big deal, but occasionally it was someone from work. Once, it was that man.

“He found me at work the next day and asked me about it. Yelled at me, really. He tried to make it seem like that’s why I’d denied him, and the names he called me weren’t pretty to say the least. He started to physically attack me, throwing punch after punch and not giving me the slightest chance to fight back.

“After that day, I stopped going to those bars altogether. The first time I went back to one was actually just a few years ago. I started dating Tenzin a few years later, and though people weren’t so outwardly expressive of their opinions on my relationships, the disapproval was still present.

“By the time Tenzin and I split up, I think some people still suspected my queerness, but it wasn’t a widely adopted theory. I had my fair share of men approach me, some with better intentions than others, and turned down most of them. Some of them didn’t react all that well, and I ended up filing several more reports. I don’t think any of them actually got charged, though.

“I entertained short romances with some men, some women too. Nothing stuck, not really anyway. I kept every relationship very quiet, including those with men, just for the sake of privacy. When I was with women, it was also to avoid getting hate-crimed, but I really did prefer to keep at least some things private.

“In the context of work, there were also challenges. That first superior to try getting at me like that must’ve talked, telling anyone who would listen about my excursions to the underground bars. People looked at me oddly in just about any shared workspace there was, though a few times I made friends because of it. Those were always good times, even if few and far between.

“Some people just gave a judgemental stare or vaguely rude comment every so often, but a few others took it further. Much further,” she looked up to the ceiling as she recalled another story.

“I had a supervisor when I was probably about, oh, twenty seven or so. He was a few ranks below my mother, and I one below him. He decided that one day it would be absolutely hysterical to cover my desk in obscene printed images of women I didn’t recognize, along with toys of a certain nature. I was mortified when I came in and saw the spectacle. The worst part was that almost everyone working in that part of the building at the time laughed with him, and those who didn’t weren’t exactly helpful.

“I didn’t come back to work for a week after that. It was awful, his stupid prank making me so shamed of who I was, who I loved. I know now that my loving both women and men isn’t a bad thing, and is simply part of me. It was harder to accept that, to accept myself, when I saw people like him in positions of power over me.

“I kept working though, and there was never an incident quite like that one again. A few others were more directly hateful than most, but it was easier to deal with. As with people treating me as less because of my gender, I got used to it,” she turned to Kaja, a hint of guilt on her face after talking for so long.

He shook his head, disbelief still spread across his face. His eyes flitted back and forth between floor tiles as he searched for the right words to respond.

“That sounds awful. I’m so sorry you had to deal with people like that,” he looked back up at Lin.

“So am I,” she scoffed, her fingers picking at her turtleneck again.

There was a small silence before Kaja looked back down at his notepad and then at the clock on the wall.

“We’ve got enough time for one last question, so is there anything you’d like to tell young women and queer people living in the city?” His expression was almost hopeful now, desperate to end off on a lighter note.

Lin smiled in amusement at him before looking down at her hands, fiddling her thumbs in her lap. After a moment, she looked back up at him and started speaking again.

“Absolutely,” she began, her gaze drifting around the room and landing on each individual at least once.

“To all the women working your asses off in the workforce: stand up for yourself. Don’t let any man devalue you because of your gender. Be the best you can be and wipe the smiles clean off their faces as you do it. Start your own businesses, get that promotion, set goals for yourself and fly past them. You can do just about anything you put your mind to, despite what many men might say,” her voice was strong, almost commanding as she began her final statement.

“And to all the young queer people out there; you are so, so strong. Keep loving each other, keep being yourselves. I know how awful people can be, but their opinions do not define you. You are perfect exactly as you are, and nothing can change that. It might seem like it’ll never be true, but I believe we will live in a time when acceptance is the norm. I believe that that time, with hard work and patience with those who need teaching, will be here soon.”

“Perfect. Thank you so much for your time, Chief,” Kaja said, looking at the clock again.

“Thank you for having me,” Lin replied, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“And with that, folks, we wrap up today’s special broadcast. I’ll be back in the studio tomorrow resuming our usual radio program. Until then, I’m Kaja Posicopolis, and this is eighty six point four, your favourite music station,” Kaja finished, staying silent for a few seconds until a man from across the room nodded at him.

He rolled his head around and got up from his chair, setting his notepad down behind him.

“How are you now?” he asked Lin as he stretched his arms out and cracked his back.

Lin scoffed and stood, going through a couple of her own stretches. She straightened her shirt and tucked a few stray hairs back before responding.

“I feel like I just stood naked in front of the entire city,” she said, unable to hold back a small smile when Kaja laughed.

“Well, we’re about to expose you even more. You ready for the photo shoot?” he grabbed his notebook and pen and closed them, watching Lin for an answer.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Lin sighed before following him out of the room.

They walked down several long hallways, eventually coming to a large open room. The walls and floor were a pale grey cement, and there were expensive looking lights set up all over the place. A dark green upholstered bench sat to one side of the room, a tall light shining down on it. A few people saw them coming in and rushed around, turning off almost every other light. One of them knocked on a door that was on the other end of the room, calling for someone inside.

“This seems a bit excessive,” Lin muttered, her eyes wandering the room.

“Only the best for you, Chief,” a man said from somewhere in the shadows.

Lin glanced behind her only to see Kaja talking to someone near the door. When she turned back to where the voice had come from, she had to bite back a laugh. She tried not to, but couldn’t help smiling at the absolute glow that radiated from the man in front of her.

“You like my outfit?” he asked with a grin, twirling around for her.

He had on bright red fit-and-flare pants with a stripe of gold sequins down their side; a matching red low-cut tank top; a purple feather-covered knee-length jacket; gold sparkly platform shoes that made him tower over Lin more than he already would have; and a top hat that belonged with a businessman’s black tie attire.

“It’s incredible,” Lin chuckled, crossing her arms casually over her chest.

“You look sharp yourself today, Chief,” he said with a grin, taking a few steps towards her.

Before she could object, he pulled her into a tight hug. His arms squashed her face against his lower chest, making Lin painfully aware of the extent of their height difference. She laughed and patted his arm, thankfully getting him to release her.

“I’m assuming you’re the photographer, then?” she asked, grinning up at him.

He nodded enthusiastically and spun on his heel, walking back into the darkness. She heard a couple of small crashes and a string of profanities before he came back, a large camera and it’s stand filling his arms.

“Uh- where am I going?” he asked Lin, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

She let out a small laugh and stepped towards him, placing her hand on his arm. She guided him towards the bench setup, stopping them near where the light stood.

“Thank you, thank you!” he exclaimed, setting down the camera’s stand first and then fastening the camera to it.

“Of course,” Lin breathed, suddenly nervous to have her photo taken.

The photographer immediately noticed her mood change and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make you look,” he closed his eyes and blew a chef's kiss to the side.

Lin nodded and took a deep breath, filling her lungs as much as she could before letting it all out. The photographer made a few adjustments to the camera stand, making sure it would stay while he got her in position, and then led her to the bench. He sat her down in the middle of it and walked back to his camera, dragging the stand loudly over so he was more to her right.

“Don’t be so stiff,” he called, looking at her through the viewfinder and flapping his hand in the air.

“Just- pretend I’m not here, you’re just sitting at home listening to the radio.”

He stepped back from the camera and watched Lin as she settled her head on her left fist with her right elbow on her knee. The photographer gave her a big thumbs up, calling “Much better!” and going back to looking through his camera.

He shifted it a few times before taking any photos, wanting to get it right in as few shots as possible considering the price and rarity of film in stores. Lin looked at the camera for the first few, looking away because of her boredom growing steadily. When he seemed satisfied with the shots, he took the camera off the stand and walked over to the bench.

“Room for another?” he asked, not letting Lin answer before settling himself beside her.

The images printed slowly, one at a time. After each was out, he placed them in the shadow under the bench to protect them from overexposure. Once the last one printed, he reached down and grabbed the first. It had settled well, the colours coming out nice and bright.

“It’s perfect,” Lin gasped, staring in wonder at the photo that managed to make her alright with how she looked out-of-uniform.

The photographer grinned at her, holding the photo up.

“I agree,” he said proudly, forgetting his other photos and standing.

Lin watched as he brought the photo to Kaja, engaging the shorter man in a quick and lively discussion before handing off the photo and walking back. He grinned ear to ear at her, and she sighed before relenting and giving a small smile back.

“Nervous, Chief?” he asked, standing before her with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket.

Lin chuckled and shook her head.

“I just haven’t done something like this in ages… or ever, really,” she said, her hands moving to grip the edge of the bench.

“Hey,” the photographer moved to place a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look up at him.

“You’re doing great, Chief, trust me,” Lin let out a breath and really smiled at him this time.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, meaning it with every ounce of her being.

[rukia-writes]

Eren K. X (fem) reader

Setting: modern au

Storyline: Kruger’s daughter introduces her sexy friend from college to her father and the summer gets hotter.

Masterlist

Warnings: 18+, no minors 🔞, sex in the laundry room,a bit of angst

“Oh, that isn’t my shirt. It’s belongs to (Name), our clothes must have gotten mixed up in the laundry. I have one similar in color.”

Kruger quickly thought of a quick lie as his mother then nodded her head and smiled while handing over the shirt. Telling her son that he should return it to her as soon as possible, (Name) thanked her lucky stars silently while still in the closet naked with only a bedsheet around her. She managed to grab her shorts but she forgot about her shirt, everything just happened so fast. It wasn’t long before Kruger had managed to get his parents out of his room, locking the door he sighed in relief.

“You can come out.”

“Sorry about that, I forgot my shirt.”

Kruger watched (Name) come out of his closet trying not to trip over the bed sheets, Reaching to grab her shirt Kruger quickly snatched it away surprising her.

“You don’t need this shirt right? You have plenty of shirts.”

“Yes, but what are you going to do with my shirt?”

“Keep it as a souvenir.”

That was all Kruger replied with as (Name) let him have her shirt.

“Well that’s fine, I have to wash clothes anyways.”

Awhile later opening the door to laundry room (Name) steadied carried her basket of dirty, which was getting heavy as she had to go nearly across the world to reach the laundry room. The laundry room matched the rest of the house, the room itself was huge in size as it had a marble counter in the middle of the room with multiple cabinets and even a little wash station with double appliances.

It was all first for the college student.

Closing the tall door behind her she walked in and turned the corner to see Kruger folding his clothes with his back turned her, with no shirt on oddly enough. Careful not to make a sound (Name) took the moment to examine all of Kruger’s back muscles and admiring several scratches that ran down his back that she caused. Nothing but lewd thoughts ran thru her mind as she scooted closer for a better look. Folding the last piece of clothing Kruger cleared his throat to say,

“How long are you going to look at me?”

(Name) had a look of surprise that Kruger knew it was her as she walked over to the washing machine.

“How did you know it was me?”

“I just know.”

Kruger turned around to see (Name) putting her clothes into the washing machine, it was early in the morning and of course she had another pair short styled pajamas. Kruger was already mentally taking in the sight of (Name) in her short sleeved shirt and shorts that were the design of her college. Of course, they were really short in length, Kruger really took in the sight.

“So, since you took my shirt..can I have one of yours?”

“A shirt of mine?”

“Yes, specifically one you wear to work.”

Smiling (Name) pointed the neatly folded clothes that Kruger just folded, earning a smirk from the man as he simply looked at his stack of clothes and handed over a simple white shirt making her nearly run over to him.

“You can have this one..”

There was a sparkle in (Name)’s eyes as she reached for the shirt only for Kruger to snatch it away making her pout. The gap between them was almost non existent as Kruger dangled his shirt and would quickly snatch it away from her everytime she tried to grab his shirt.

“Kruger, come on. Give me the shirt.”

“I’ll let you have this shirt, if you let me fuck you.”

(Name) blinked a few times thinking to herself did she hear what Kruger said correctly.

“What? Here? Now?”

“Yeah, why not?”

That was all (Name) needed as she rushed to lock the door and of course quickly put her clothes in the washing machine and turning it on. Doing so rather quickly, which Kruger could only smile at he watched her the whole time. Soon enough Kruger had her face down on the washing machine as he took her from behind while the washing machine was of course on and his cock deep inside her hitting her sweet again and again.

The moan and whimpers that came from (Name) were simply shameless as she felt her orgasm arriving faster with each thrust from Kruger. While Kruger on the other hand muttered countless “Fuck” and “so damn tight.” Fucking in the laundry room was a spur of the moment but Kruger made a mental note to do it more as he felt how wet and tight (Name) was on his cock was making him lose restraint. Usually (Name) would get in a few dirty lines but this wasn’t the case as she was too busy getting ready to have yet another toe curling orgasm, Kruger was close as well. Quickly moaning a “Fuck, (Name).” Kruger gave a (Name) a few spanks to her ass making clit twitch making her whimper the man who practically balls deep inside her.

“Spank me-spank me again.”

Kruger obliged as his hand spanked her over and over again until her whimpers were cries, her mind was a complete haze as she took all of his cock and his thrusts until she reached her orgasm with a loud moan that made her toes curl and clench her hands.

The sight made alone made Kruger reach his own climax, as he filled up (Name)’s cunt to the brim with his cum giving a few more sloppy thrusts. The washing machine beeped as the sound in the room was Kruger and (Name) catching their breath.

A few minutes later Kruger smirked in pride as he listened to (Name) catch her breath while putting on her clothes, knowing full well he was the cause as he unlocked the door to see his daughter who was just about to open the door herself.

“Good morning, how are you feeling today?”

“Good morning dad, no headache today. Doing your laundry too?”

“Yeah, I just finished.”

The two talked for a bit before the two seperated, Kruger’s daughter had started walking into the laundry room to see her best friend a bit out breath while straightening out her shirt. Smiling nervously (Name) did her best to play everything off as she talked with her best friend, still she was a bit out of breath and still feeling the endorphins running through her veins giving her a pleasure feeling.

“You okay? You seem a bit of breath.”

“Hm? Oh, I’m fine. How’s your hangover?”

“Much better, sorry I was out there. I really over did it at the bar.”

The two continued to talk while doing their laundry, Kruger’s daughter didn’t notice (Name) putting Kruger’s shirt in her laundry basket. (Name) took one last look at it before continuing on her conversation with her best friend while trying to ignore the fact that she just had another toe curling sex experience, in a laundry room of all places.

That afternoon, two people were missing from the beach home and were out and about in city. Currently watching baseball at a stadium that was packed with people, new reporters and television cameras. Both were actually relieved to be out the house and to have some quality time together. (Name) having to explain what a Snapchat and Instagram was to Kruger as he had no idea what the social media platforms did but he wanted to be in the loop with his daughter and now his young summer love. (Name) did sneak a few pictures of Kruger with her phone without Kruger noticing, they would be for her only. While Kruger explained the rules of the baseball of the game and even how sponsors work when they make an offer to baseball player.

Kruger did spot a few paparazzi in the crowd but he would take care of that later, he just wanted to enjoy his date for right now. So, in his first time in a long time he held (Name)’s hand surprising her at first but then making her look at him with a smile. A smile that made his pulse race.

The two had an amazing date, from watching the baseball game to simply walking in town hand and hand. The two even managed to win a few carnival games before relaxing on the beach, as luck would have it the sun was setting when they arrived giving the beach that orange glow. It was a day (Name) would never forget.

A perfect day.

Later that night, after arriving home the two went their separate ways. (Name) went to her room and Kruger went to his, while taking a shower Kruger was in a relatively good mood. After all, he had a fun and exciting day. Starting his day off with having fun in the laundry room and then having an amazing date. Soon, he thought about the beginning of summer up until today.

That’s when he looked at his marriage finger.

The wedding band that was once there was now gone, however now all of a sudden it felt as though it was there and with it a new feeling Kruger hadn’t experienced in awhile and that was doubt. Once Kruger was out the shower he wrapped around him and rubbed his left shoulder. Many thoughts came to him and they were anything but perfect.

What would his wife think?

If he made things official with (Name) what would his daughter think of him? Would she accept (Name) as his girlfriend?

For that matter what would the world think once the paparazzi found out?

What would his mother and father think?

All these thoughts and more came to him, his door opened and he nearly had a heart attack as he had only a towel around him. (Name) sighed in relief as she began to apologize for being late while taking her clothes off, making Kruger smirk a bit as she in nothing but his Kruger’s shirt that he gave her earlier.

It was the hottest thing he had ever seen.

All his worries went out the window.

“You’re not in your pajamas yet? I figured you would be. Then again, you night owl.”

Kruger watched as (Name) crash on his tidy bed sneaking peaks underneath the white shirt she was wearing and of course getting a sneak peak at her breasts his Achilles heel. Clearing his throat he managed to get (Name)’s attention.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep? I thought you had tiring day.”

“No, I’m fine. Why don’t you come over here and I’ll pat your abs- I mean ass-I mean dick..I mean head! Pat your head.”

Kruger watched his summer flame turn bashful at what just happened, thinking it was rather funny. Patting the spot next to her with a smile Kruger did as she wanted and laid his head down on her lap as she played with his hair. The two talked about everything from college to their date to Kruger’s job. It was a calming atmosphere a romantic one as well. For the first night the two didn’t have any sexual intercourse instead the two cuddled until they fell asleep.

Weeks passed and finally the day before (Name) was to leave back for college had arrived. To Kruger it felt like the end of a great movie, yet he wanted to go back and relive it again and again. That night would be the last night the two would get to share and as always it was late at night when (Name) was able to sneak into Kruger’s room.

This time however was a bit different as Kruger had a few gifts for her from a diamond necklace to her favorite colored roses in a designer hat box. In all honesty, it had been quite some time that Kruger had to be romantic. However, he didn’t seem to be bad at it as (Name) smothered him in kisses. In truth, while sharing a romantic moment (Name) had something she wanted to ask but was a bit too nervous to ask. After all, this would be the last time she would see him. While on the bed she scooted closer to him and decided to give him her sweet eyes which made Kruger put his guard up knowing she was going to ask something a bit bold.

“Hey, I know this might be a bad time but I had to ask...where is the ring or rather are you going to wear your ring?”

The air was a bit tense until (Name) heard him sigh which was usually not a good sign. However, holding (Name)’s hand he gently kissed the back of it making her pulse race a bit.

“The ring is in a safe and no. I don’t intend on wearing it, even after you leave tomorrow.”

Looking over at (Name) he saw her smile at him in one of the sweetest smiles he had seen on her to date. Clearing his throat he scooted closer to her now and asked a question that had been on his mind.

“Just as you promise not see anyone while away.”

“Of course, you have my word.”

“Also, try to keep my daughter in line. I know she likes to wander off.”

(Name) had to smile at Kruger’s comment knowing full well that she wasn’t the only one. Cuddling up to him and placing her head on his chest only muttered a “I don’t want to leave tomorrow.” Kruger heard but he knew it was best if she left and the next day when he had to say good bye to both his daughter and her he wished them both nothing but the best of luck. No matter how much he wanted (Name) to stay with him.

A few months later the summer weather was cooling off, and fall was starting to arrive. It was late at night on campus in (Name)’s dorm as she had on Kruger’s white shirt and was playing with her diamond necklace that Kruger gave her which she received many compliments on. Now if the man could simply text back, it was true she had a test to study for but her mind was definitely on him.

The same could have been said for Kruger as he just finished some paperwork while at home did he realize he fail to text back (Name). Reading her text message he read something he wasn’t expecting.

Winter break?

Ah, that was true.

Colleges did let out for a short period of time for the winter.

Leaning back in his chair he smirked a bit at what all they could do for the winter. From taking her into one of his cabins to simply staying home and watch it snow. Whatever she wanted to do, Kruger just simply missed her not being there. While their love may have been a secret for now it’s possible that one day this wouldn’t be the case. Although currently, for the moment Kruger had something to look forward to.

A winter break with her.

The possibilities like summer would be endless.

Summer series: End

✨Rukia-Writes✨

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Hidden Secrets

I am finally back!  Sorry for the long delay without stories, but my life’s been rather hectic lately.  I have hopefully compensated with a very interesting storyline I’ve wanted to write for a while now.  Everyone has their secrets, and sometimes if they are revealed, things can come to a head...

“They say the only way to actually understand people is to see things through their eyes.  It won’t matter if they’re dead, though.”  -Thomas Drake

“What’s so wrong with loving an alien?  What is so wrong with loving someone, caring for them, being with them forever, so long as both parties are sentient?  Is it really such a bad thing?”  -Admiral Adam Vir, in a speech to the Galactic Assembly on xenophilia

“In all my travels to thousands of worlds, I have actually never met a xenophiliac.  I have, in fact, seen more Chaos cultists than xenophiles.  However, I can tell you this.  Xenophilia is a crime of unimaginable proportions.  It is almost as bad as selling your soul to the Dark Gods themselves.  It is something that no one, of any species, save perhaps the most absolute perverse of the Drukhari would even think of.  Even then, said Drukhari would most likely be spurned by their fellows.  It is a crime of such monstrosity that death is far too fair a fate for its perpetrators.”  -Inquisitor Amberly Vail of the Ordo Xenos

Aboard the Omen

Three figures sat around a table.  All were relaxed, slightly slouching in their seats.  The lights were not the uncomfortable brightness of the medical bays or halls, nor the dim-lit spaces of the engine rooms or hidden maintenance gantries.  It was a comfortable, cozy light, illuminating the fake wood of the table and the three that sat around it.  

“How the hell did we get on this topic of conversation?” asked Admiral Vir, his face swirling a myriad of colors: the green of his eyes, blond of his hair, black of his eyepatch, and currently, red of his face.  

“I’m not precisely sure,” drawled Commander Shepard, “But I believe it has something to do with our good comrade Quill over there complementing extra-terrestrial hips.”  

“Hey!  There is nothing wrong with pointing out that your chief engineer, despite wearing a face mask and enviro-suit all the time, is pretty hot.  Perfect, well-rounded figure,” replied Quill, grinning and adjusting his long, red-brown greatcoat.  “Though, it’s just an observation.  I’m already taken.  By an alien with just as good, if not better, hips.”  Vir buried his face in his hands, and Shepard just sighed.  “What I don’t get, though,” he continued, “Is why the hell Vir here is attracted to Sunny?  Listen, Gamora and Tali are hot.  They have ass.”  At this, Shepard groaned loudly and joined Vir with his head in his hands.  “I don’t get why you’re attracted to an eight foot tall, four armed, beaked, carapaced alien.  Unless you’re into some pretty… interesting… things.”  Vir looked over to Shepard.

“This is how this conversation’s going to go, isn’t it?” he said.  Shepard simply nodded.  

“Yeah,” he replied.  

“I mean, no judgement if you are,” continued Quill.  “I’ve done it with aliens a lot weirder than Drev.  If you’re into that sort of thing… whatever thing a Drev is, that’s fine.”  Vir simply sighed again.

“Jesus, Quill.”  He looked around, staring at the ceiling for a moment before turning back to his companions.  “Alright.  Fine.”  He cracked his neck.  “You know what?  You want me to ‘fess up, I will.  I…”  He trailed off for a moment, working his jaw and wringing his hands before letting out a breath.  “I… like…”  He noticed the expectant looks of the other two at the table.  “Okay, fine, love… Sunny.”  He threw up his hands, face an even deeper shade of red, if at all possible.  “There.  Said it.  Please kill me.”  

“Well.  No offense Adam, but I wasn’t expecting you to start off with that,” replied Shepard.  

“Neither did I,” murmured Adam.  He looked over to Quill once more.  “It’s not that I like Drev.  It’s just that I like… her.  I…  She… Well…”

“C’mon Adam.  Spit it out.”  Vir sighed again.

“I love her.  No matter who or what she may be.  Not because she’s an alien.  Everything about her being… her.  If that makes sense,” he finished lamely.  Shepard and Quill, though, both nodded along sagely.  

“Yeah.  It does,” replied Shepard quietly.  “I… feel the same way.  In a way.”  He laughed.  “I guess tonight none of us are going to have a way with words.”  He let out a large sigh, and his eyes went distant, seeing things that existed a thousand miles away.  “I… think I do love Tali.  I think I do… but I haven’t even told her.”  He gave another laugh, this one much more bitter.  “I’m telling this all to you, but I haven’t even told her.  I… just… I don’t want to hurt her.”  He looked at his own scarred hands miserably.  “I’m a Spectre, and I’m running the most dangerous mission in the galaxy, on an unauthorized ship, and I just… don’t want anyone to hurt her.  And I don’t want to hurt her.  So I haven’t said anything,” he finished.  

“Yeah,” replied Quill, much more soberly than his teasing before.  “I know how you both feel.  I was a bit of a playboy for a while,” he grinned.  His expression became serious once more.  “But, after I met Gamora, and… was in a world without her, for a bit, I finally understood.  What it meant.  To actually love someone.”  He gave his cocky smile once again.  “Despite, you know, her being a super-assassin who can and has kicked my ass on multiple occasions.”  Both Vir and Shepard laughed.  

“You know, it��s funny how just talking can make you see things differently.  Make the world seem better,” said Shepard.  He grinned at Vir.  “Thanks for inviting us over.”  Vir looked at him strangely, frowning.  

“What do you mean?  You invited us.  You said you wanted to talk, and talk on my ship.”  Shepard responded with an equally puzzled expression.  

“No, I didn’t,” he insisted.  “You invited us here.”  Quill nodded in conformation.  

“Yeah.  You invited us.”  

“No I didn’t!” shot back Vir.  

“Well if you didn’t, who did?” asked Shepard.  Their argument was broken by a new voice, filled with righteous hate and vengeance, as cold as an ice-world blizzard.  

“I did.”  Quill, Vir, and Shepard started.  They hadn’t even heard the door open.  The imposing figure of Commissar Ciaphas Cain, clad in his heavy black greatcoat, boots, and cap, swirled through the door, holding his laspistol at the ready.  Vir, being the one in most contact with Cain (Cain was stationed aboard his ship, after all), had heard stories from the Valhallan infantry about Imperial commissars.  They had all said how lucky they’d been to have Cain, as many commissars were hate-filled, imposing men and women who ruled through sheer terror.  Vir had laughed it off.  Cain was calm.  Cain was understanding.  Cain was always one to look for a solution to any problems, and prevent people from fighting.  Even when they had first met, when the Imperials, so unused to aliens, had tried to pick fights with the Omen’s crew, Cain had calmed things down.  He was the perfect officer.  

But now, Vir remembered the Valhallans’ stories.  Cain fit the description of a commissar perfectly now.  His massive height, the dark uniform, the eyes blazing with a hate that was so un-Cain like and outstretched laspistol made him a figure of nightmares from a totalitarian and xenophobic government.  Xenophobic…  Shit!  Apparently, all three men sitting at the table had the same idea at once, and made a motion to rise.  Cain tightened his grip on the laspistol, and flicked it clearly at each one of them in turn.  

“Ah, un uh.  Sit back down,” he hissed.  “Hands on the table.”  The three complied, lowering themselves back into their seats slowly.  Cain kept the gun pointed at them.  

“Cain?” asked Shepard hesitantly.  “What’s this about?”  

“I’m no fool,” replied Cain, “Though I think you believe me one.”  His gloved fingers tightened on the laspistol grip.  There was a brief pause as Cain glared at the three.

What made both Shepard and Vir such good commanding officers was their ability to read people.  They were experts at knowing what people were thinking, and how to react accordingly.  What shocked them both was the expression of pure betrayal behind Cain’s cold eyes.  That was an emotion neither of them expected.  

“I’d heard rumors, of course.  Some tabloid drama, accusing humanity's greatest heroes of xenophilia, of all things.”  Cain scoffed.  “Disgusting, I thought.  How dare they slander you so!”  Cain’s voice dropped from anger to pure fury.  “But then,” he hissed, “Then I heard more official reports.  I heard your speeches.  I saw pictures.  I heard rumors not from some disgusting two-bit reporter, but from your own crews.  I am not blind, though you might think me so.  And this?”  He waved his pistol around the room.  “You were humanity’s best.”  His voice dropped into a whisper, resonating with hurt and betrayal.  “I gave you a chance.  I thought it could not be so.  I thought that even though you served with aliens, they were subservient to you.  To humanity.  But now I have proof.  Proof of your degeneracy.  From your own mouths.  You confessed.  I gave you a chance to say otherwise, a second chance, but you… scum,” he finished, too angry for words.  He noticed their glances at the door and gave out a dark laugh.  “Oh, no.  There’s no one here to save you, traitors.  I made sure of it.”  

“So what now?” asked Shepard calmly, breaking the tension.  

“Now?” replied Cain, laspistol still pointed at the three.  “Now I kill you, as is my duty.  I lock this door, and pretend there is some urgent conference I need you for.  I tell Kasteen and Brocklaw to have Simone set a course to Watch Fortress Novus Galactica, and there the Inquisition will purge this ship, then return for the others.  There is no escape.”  Vir stood up, hands raised, fury on his face.  

“If I’m going to die I’m going to get my say.  I never did enough of that in life,” he said with a bitter laugh.  He fixed Cain with an equally furious stare, looking at the double-headed golden eagles on Cain’s cap and lapels.  Those eagles.  Those god-damned eagles.  “I’ve had enough of people like you.  I’ve had enough of trying to explain myself.  I’m not some sick fuck.  I’m not a degenerate.  I love an alien for who she is, not what she is.  And if you kill me, then you kill me,” he spat.  Cain smirked.

“So be it.”  He was interrupted by a sound.  A metallic click-click.  A sound known by every member in the room.  A sound known to almost every human and alien in existence.  A sound known by all who ever watched human movies, or fought human armies.  A sound that first came into existence in 1835 and was repeated every day, somewhere in human territory across nine galaxies ever since.  The sound of a revolver hammer being cocked.  

“Put the gun down, Commissar.”  The voice of Thomas Drake was smooth.  Unemotional, and uncaring at the drama unfolding in front of him.  His matt-black revolver, held by his dark gloves, was pointed at Cain’s head.  He was at a perfect distance, where Cain could not turn on him before being gunned down.  Vir still stood, Shepard and Quill both seated, their hands still up or on the table.  The only movement Cain made was to clench his jaw and extend his pistol arm farther.  

“Drake,” hissed Cain.  “I should have known.  You knew all their secrets.  You hid this from us!”  

“Of course,” replied Drake.  “Their actions are their own, though, and their secrets were not mine to give out.”  Cain’s hand squeezed the pistol grip even tighter, his augmetic fingers balancing it through his rage.

“I can still kill them, Drake.  I suggest you put your gun down before that happens,” he suggested, his voice tight.  Drake laughed.  

“Yes.  One.  Before I kill you.  One squeeze of the trigger I can’t prevent.  I can prevent two, though.  But you won’t.”  Drake’s voice was delighted, smiling wryly at a secret only he possessed.  “You won’t because I know you won’t.  You won’t because I know your secrets.  I read your book!  Your autobiography!” he announced with malicious triumph.  “I know how your mind works, and I know that you don’t want to die on this ship, or anywhere else, especially for the life of one measly heretic.  So you put your gun down, Commissar.”  Cain struggled for a moment, his muscles clenching and unclenching, before he finally gave a disgusted snort and tossed his laspistol on the table.  Vir, Quill, and Shepard let out breaths they didn’t know they were holding.  

“So then,” sneered Cain.  “What now, oh Captain Drake?  You have already proven you won’t kill me, and they cannot be allowed to live,” he said.  Drake merely smiled.  

“Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘To understand someone you must see the world through their eyes’?” he asked.  The other four occupants of the room nodded, unsure of where this was going.  “Well, that’s precisely what’s going to happen.  Let’s see if you’ll kill each other when you know precisely how you each operate.”  He gave a dark grin and gestured with his pistol at Vir, Shepard, and Quill.  “Now.  You three.  Put your weapons on the table,” he ordered.  The three stared at him in shock.  

“But… why?” replied Quill.  “You saved us,” he said, as if that explained his reasoning.  Drake simply laughed again.

“I like to be the only one in a room holding a weapon.  Especially in a situation as intense as this.  Now.  Guns on the table.  Vir, you aren’t carrying a weapon.  Shameful,” he drawled.  “Your pistols, Quill, and the knives I know you have in your sleeve and boot.  Your sidearm, Shepard.”  The three complied, Drake’s revolver now pointed at them as Cain scowled at the situation.  “Wonderful,” said Drake.  He took a step back, walking through the doorway, and gestured at the four men to follow him.  They complied grudgingly, still shooting death glares at each other.  Drake put a hand to the communications device in his left ear, not moving his gun arm an inch.  “Beam us up, Scotty,” he said simply.  With a whir and flash, the five disappeared from the Omen, only to suddenly see the hallways of the Enterprise around them.

“So.  Kirk and the Starfleet officers are in on this as well.  Why I am not surprised,” stated Cain, looking at his surroundings with grudging simplicity.  

“Maybe.  Maybe not,” replied Drake.  He lowered his pistol, finger coming off the trigger.  “No one’s here, either.  No help from the crew here.”  He tilted his head to a large grey door.  “In that room.”  Looking warily at his gun, trying and thinking how to take it from him all the while, the four followed Drake’s command.  The room was an empty expanse of darkness.  None of them could tell its purpose or how big it truly was.  

“What is this place?” asked Quill.  

“It's called a ‘holodeck’,” replied Drake.  “It is a room that is, essentially, a massive virtual reality.  It’s usually used for some sort of training simulation programs, but this time, I’ve made sure it can read memories.  Oh yeah,” he grinned.  “It can do that.  And that is what’s going to happen.  We are going to delve inside each of our minds, and see what makes us all tick.  Maybe if you see someone else’s entire life laid out in front of them from their point of view you’ll be less likely to kill them.”  Drake took in their apprehensive glances.  “Oh yes.  I know.  All of us have secrets.  And I’m sure none of you really trust this.  That’s why I’ll go first.  Let us begin.”

There we have it.  Cain can tolerate a lot of things, including working with aliens, but absolutely not romancing aliens.  I shall continue this story line, with all of these characters giving their own horrible memories.  As always, I own no one except Drake, and all characters belong to their original rightful owners.  If you have any criticisms, comments, concerns, questions, or requests, feel free to tell me!  

[atopearth]

Collar X Malice: Unlimited Part 6 - Side Stories

ONWARD (Kazuki SS)

Awww, I love how Akito and Kazuki first met. I think it's really cool that it was Kazuki who chased after him and was interested in him because he saw him doing music related stuff. I guess I'm so used to Kazuki being so harsh and whatever with Ichika that having him actively befriend someone is refreshing haha. I thought it was so cute how Kazuki so genuinely thought Akito's music was amazing, that probably really touched him. On the other hand, it's kinda sad to hear that people only talk to Akito to make fun of him, that's so sad. I wonder if Akito just allows it too because of what happened to his sister, so he wants to know how she might have felt? Anyway, I really love how Akito didn't listen to Kazuki, and told him straight the first time he went over to his place and met Ichika that she was just worried about Akito being here considering how late it was, and that he should greet her since he's in their home, and that it wasn't wrong for Ichika to be worried about him, which I'm very glad for. Kazuki is wayyy too blinded into thinking of Ichika as "the enemy" that it gets really frustrating a lot of the time. Anyway, seeing Ichika in third person perspective is interesting, she's so cute~ It's really cool how much Akito expanded Kazuki's world in music, like not only did he introduce him to bands and other people who play guitar that can give him better advice on his playing, but Akito also tried his best to contribute a lot to helping Kazuki mend his relationship with Ichika. LMAO at Kazuki's imagination of what Isshiki was going to be like and then called him ordinary😂😂

I really enjoyed seeing much more insight into Isshiki's feelings to his pro debut being cancelled. I think what hit me the most was when he talked about starting solo again, and people came to see the "tragic vocalist that got mistakenly arrested" instead of listening to his music as a musician, and I think that probably broke his heart quite a bit. I can see why he would have wanted to quit. Isshiki is really admirable though, but I guess hearing about Fujii's death pushed him to putting everything he could into his music, since it made him realise that your daily life can shatter in an instant, so he wants to appreciate every opportunity and chance he has to sing, and share his music and feelings to as many people as he can. Hearing Akito shout at Kazuki saying he doesn't have the right to continue composing music, especially as a pro made me really sad. The whole time from when Akito met Kazuki to them having fun tweaking their music and everything, Akito was suffering. He was happy that he could compose music and find it fun again, but he also felt really guilty for "having fun" because this was something he felt that he took away from his sister. It was because of this "fun" that he chose to ignore her and signs of her plight because it was too annoying to deal with, and that regret torments him to this day. And then now on top of that, the guilt and pain of all those bullies' lives are weighing on him because he told Zero that the whole class was a part of it and practically deserved to die, and then they did... It's understandable why Akito would think that he doesn't deserve anything "happy" since all he's been doing is taking away lives and the happiness of others.

Honestly, I love Akito and Kazuki's relationship, so seeing them make up and have Akito admit he really enjoys composing music etc was really nice. I also loved how Akito gave Kazuki his own guitar pick, it was so pretty! I'm so glad Akito got them to all take a photo before Kazuki's debut concert with Isshiki and officially formed a band with him. I'm glad Akito wanted to keep such a precious memory. And yep, I really loved this side story. I honestly didn't think there was much to add to Kazuki, Akito's and Isshiki's story anymore but I'm glad I was wrong haha! I think the emotions, their thoughts and their feelings throughout the story were portrayed really well to kinda show how much of a journey Kazuki was on whilst all the X-Day stuff were happening. It was like a whole different life compared to Ichika. But anyway, I really liked how we got to see more of the friendship between the three of them and how they all worked hard because of their passion for music, and how they felt connected to each other through listening to each other's music. I think that's really sweet and I can see better why Akito and Isshiki were always so protective of Kazuki and really understood him, and wanted Ichika to acknowledge him and his hard work. Still doesn't change the fact that I didn't like his attitude to her in the main story, but I liked seeing Kazuki try his best to grow in music and as a person with Akito's and Isshiki's support and acknowledgment.

Pride (Minegishi SS)

I guess it's interesting to see that aside from civilians in Shinjuku having to try and get used to normal life again, Minegishi is also trying to get used to dealing with "normal cases" and prioritising those rather than just X-Day incidents. I guess it's to expected since the Investigations HQ is disbanding. Considering how much SCRPO gets looked down upon, I'm really happy that Ichika and her diligence in telling civilians to report anything suspicious helped Minegishi and them solve a case with a kidnapper. LOL when Minegishi said he wants to be closer with all his subordinates and then he told Ichika she can call him "Mine-chan"😂😂😂 Imagine calling him that at the police station😂😂 Anyway, I've always really liked how sincere Minegishi is, so I was really happy when he personally went to thank Ichika for helping out with the case, praised her, and then even took her out to lunch. Anyway, even though the incidents are over, people like Saeki and other Adonis members haven't been captured, so it's understandable for Minegishi to still "care" about the X-Day stuff.

I know Minegishi is mainly interested in Ichika because of how crucial she was to solving the X-Day incidents and he wants to know more about her to see why they targeted her but awww, it would be so cool to have a Minegishi route! Lmaoo at Minegishi's joke saying he came to the station just to see Ichika and receive chocolates from her😂 It was so cuteee when Ichika ran after him and actually gave him chocolates she prepared~🥰 It's so cute how Minegishi loves teasing Ichika because of her funny and honest reactions🥲 I loved the chat Minegishi had with Sasazuka and Okazaki at the cafe hahaha, they're all interested in Ichika in their own way, it's so adorable lol. It's nice to see that Minegishi was in a sense frustrated that he believed he could lead the way to solve the X-Day incidents but in the end relied on one of the many subordinates he didn't take notice of alongside a group of police dropouts. I guess that would be difficult to face when you're so capable. I'm glad Minegishi was a bit more honest with her about his intentions and thoughts. Awww, I loved how Ichika teased Minegishi back in the car ride home! I totally dig their relationship and would have super loved an actual route with Minegishi, so cuteee!

Overall, definitely more of a fluff story than anything else. Makes you wish that Minegishi had a route, but also gives a bit more insight into the idea of the X-Day incidents "ending" and missing it. It makes me miss the main plot of the original game haha, and I guess that was the aim of this route, but at the same time, gotta move forward to accept other things~

Crossroad (Yoshinari SS)

Honestly, I've always loved Yoshinari because he's obviously capable considering he's in the SP, but he's so silly it's hilarious. Lmaooo at his drawings and notes on all the guys, I loved Enomoto's and Sasazuka's ones, totally shows their personalities😂😂 Yoshinari's sound effects are so funny, especially when he's sad🤣 Hahahahah, Shiraishi calls Yoshinari Inari-kun😂 I actually like inari sushi hahaha. Anyway, considering Shiraishi's nicknames for Sasazuka and Enomoto, him naming Yoshinari anything is actually friendly lol. It was so cute how happy Yoshinari was when he got Ichika to laugh, he's so adorable for trying so hard to talk to her so she won't feel so tense and guarded around him. Considering all the "exotic" things Okazaki likes to try, I'm surprised the durian shake is the one that made Yoshinari nearly vomit hahaha, but maybe that's just because I'm used to the people around me liking durian.

LMAO when Yoshinari collapsed from hunger and even made Kazuki be nicer (since he was initially quite prickly with Yoshinari) and carry him to their apartment to feed him lol. It's actually kinda cute how that encounter ended up making Kazuki feel like it was easier to approach Yoshinari and chat with him lol. Omg, I didn't expect Yoshinari's past and his relationship with his parents to actually be so...sad. I mean, I can understand to an extent why his parents might feel "resentment" or whatever towards Yoshinari since he never came home, was in a gang etc whilst they were probably working their asses off just to make ends meet, but I honestly don't think I can really empathise with them if they can say something to him like just die somewhere that won't trouble them or whatever, like really??? That's just such a cruel thing to say to your child. It's depressing to think that Yoshinari wanted to make up with them and tried to be an upstanding guy and worked hard to be an SP and stuff to show them that he's changed, but they didn't even want to give him a chance and literally just disowned him, that's really terrible.

I love how Yoshinari would willingly "make fun" of himself just to defuse and ease a situation (when Kazuki and Ichika clashed after she followed him to his band practice place), but I really love his sincerity. He's not great with his words, but seeing his sincerity and consideration for Kazuki made Ichika understand that she could trust him and wait for Kazuki because someone like Yoshinari asked her to, and that gives her confidence since she isn't aware what Kazuki is always up to. I think it's sweet to see Ichika appreciated that and told him that she trusts him, and I think that really helped Yoshinari too, since he always feels like he's "trouble" because of his past, but hearing someone appreciate him for doing what he did must make him happy. Lmao at everyone in the office being mean to Yoshinari for planning on going on a date with Ichika hahah. Aww, Yoshinari in work mode is pretty cool~ 

Aww, Ichika crying and hugging Kazuki feeling relieved that he's okay and not in danger anymore was so cute. Gotta feel sorry for Kazuki, he's always targeted lmao. Anyway, seeing the scene with Ichika and Kazuki being able to be more honest with each other and care for each other openly made me really happy. It also made me think, this is probably one of the reasons why I always found it "sad" in Sasazuka's route that they made it like Kazuki needed to "grow up" and live by himself so she could be with Sasazuka properly, when I feel like it's so sad that Kazuki and Ichika have finally made up and can be a "proper" family now, but they didn't even get to spend much time together yet. But it's okay lol, since we get to see her bond with Kazuki in moments like these in other routes.

I can understand why Yoshinari is so insistent on detaching himself from Ichika and them though. As an emotional person myself, when I get attached to people, it would definitely affect my feelings, my thoughts and how I handle things regardless of how much I want to stay logical, so I usually adopt something similar to Yoshinari's way of doing things. But I'm so glad that Yoshinari just went screw that after Ichika gave him a scarf for Christmas haha. In the end, as he said, people aren't machines, and life is too short to hesitate and give up on things like that when it's so difficult to find someone you actually like! Too bad the world wants to bully Yoshinari too, so even though he was able to talk back to Okazaki and tell him he seriously wanted to tell Ichika his feelings, the writers didn't want him to lol. Oh, and I loved how all the guys treated Yoshinari like an abandoned puppy outside in the cold and kept giving him food and stuff so he would keep warm whilst on the job, that was so cute hahaha.

Overall, I quite liked Yoshinari's story, I think it was really cute to see how even though Yoshinari is kinda like the "joke" character that gets bullied, he also has a past that allowed him to connect with Kazuki on a deeper level and help mend Kazuki and Ichika's relationship in his own way. I really liked how sincere Yoshinari was to everyone, and I think it's with such a personality that everyone is able to do the same with him. I think a romance with Yoshinari and Ichika would be so adorable with how they are, and I also really like his friendship with Kazuki so I think they would be a really warm family hahahah. If only we got proper routes for all these side characters🥲🥲🥲 Definitely enjoyed all the side stories and in a sense, they were probably much more fun than the actual routes haha!

[ecoamerica]

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[reallifesultanas]

Portrait of Murad IV / IV. Murad portréja

Birth and childhood

Murad was born in July 1612 as the second son and fifth child of Ahmed I and his favorite concubine, Mahpeyker Kösem. In addition to Ahmed's two sons from Kösem, Ahmed had another son, Prince Osman, the eldest child. Murad belonged to a generation of princes who, for the first time in history, did not have to fear the law of fratricide. According to a tradition enshrined in law by Mehmed II, sultans had to execute all of their brothers in order to maintain order. However, Sultan Ahmed did not do this when he left his brother, Mustafa, alive after his accession to the throne in 1603. Thus the sons of Ahmed were already born into a new world. It is a fact, however, that Ahmed was not sure of his decision for a long time, so he repeatedly attempted to execute Mustafa, but in the end, his conscience and Kösem Sultan convinced him, so Mustafa was saved.

Murad lived his early childhood in relative calmness, as his father was a popular sultan, his mother held the rank of Haseki Sultan, and she was a very influential and popular woman. However, all this changed in 1617. Sultan Ahmed died and a kind of inheritance chaos broke out in the empire. The people had enough of the fratricide but Ahmed had not left a legal decree about who should follow him on the throne: his younger brother, Mustafa, or his eldest son, Osman. Eventually, with the accession of Mustafa to the throne, the inheritance officially changed, the throne no longer passed from father to son but was taken over by the oldest male of the dynasty. So Murad and his siblings could survive, but they lived in solitary confinement in Topkapi Palace, while their mother Kösem Sultan along with her daughters moved to the Old Palace.

The following years were quite chaotic, Mustafa was soon dethroned because of his mental illness, and Murad’s half-brother, Osman, ascended the throne. Osman was a very unpopular, bad ruler who, although tried to maintain a fair relationship with Kösem Sultan in his early reign, he later in January 1621 executed Kösem's son so Murad's brother, Prince Mehmed. Murad and his younger brothers certainly lived in awe away from their mothers, their sisters, locked up, exposed to a tyrant ruler, and it cannot be ruled out that they witnessed the execution. Eventually, Osman's brutal murder brought relief to them. But it also gave Murad a lifelong lesson that not even a sultan can be safe.

Accession to the throne

The brutal execution of Osman was attributed to Halime Sultan and her son, Mustafa I, so that Sultan Mustafa was eventually dethroned again and his mother exiled to the Old Palace. Murad, just 11 years old, was the next in the line of inheritance. Given his age, the divan and ulema appointed his mother Kösem Sultan as a regent, until Murad himself became mature enough to rule. Although Murad could relief as he became the sultan, it was certainly not easy for him to start a new life after such a difficult childhood. It is also important to note that Murad was able to spend some time with his mother last time in 1617 at the age of five. He lived separated from his mother for six years between 1617 and 1623, this presumably caused serious difficulty for the two of them to re-establish a mother-son relationship.

Murad was a difficult child to handle. Several letters of Kösem Sultan have survived in which she complains to the Grand Vizier about how much Murad does not listen to her, and sometimes he even refuses to meet her for days. In addition to the long isolation, their similar personalities did not help to form a nice relationship much either. They were both leading individuals, with a very strong will, so they had a hard time getting along with each other. They argued many times, after which Kösem Sultan was the one who wanted to reconcile with Murad. After one of their big quarrels, for example, she gifted a horse to Murad, and at other times she organized a huge ceremony for him. In addition, Kösem has regularly expressed concern about Murad’s health, suggesting that perhaps Murad was already struggling with health problems at the time.

From the time of Ahmed's death, the empire gradually fell into anarchy. They lost several important areas and tried in vain to recapture them. Furthermore, Abaza Mehmed Pasha, who revolted after the execution of Osman II, refused to recognize Murad as his ruler and continued his rebellion. Nor did this rebellion was suppressed by the pashas sent against him. To exacerbate the situation, in 1625 a plague broke out in the capital, killing thousands of people. For the first time in the same year, Murad rebelled against his mother’s will. Kösem made a treaty with the Spaniards at the time, but Murad did not like that, so in the end, Kösem gave up.

Then in 1628, Murad became seriously ill, lying in bed for weeks. His exact illness was not revealed, some said his epilepsy started at this time, others said he had digestive problems. But good things also happened that year, Abaza Mehmed Pasha’s rebellion finished and they captured him. In the same year, Murad gave another signal that he soon wanted to take over the reign and openly confronted his mother when he dissolved his sister Fatma’s marriage to Admiral Çatalcalı Haşan Pasha, whom his mother had given special attention to. In addition, Murad was increasingly disturbed by the fact that his mother let corruption go on. Kösem Sultan herself also gave special attention to pashas she liked and this provoked resentment from many, especially her son, Murad. For example, Kösem gave a very important Janissary position to Hafiz Ahmed Pasha, the new husband of Murad's sister, Fatma. However, this was too much for the Sipahis and the Janissaries. In the end, it was the event that marked the beginning of Murad’s absolute monarchy.

The absolute monarch

In 1632, after the appointment of Hafiz Ahmed Pasha, a Sipahis and Janissary rebellion broke out, during which the rebels executed several loyal men of Sultan Murad, including his close friend Musa Çelebi. To make matters worse, the soldiers publicly demanded that Murad show them his younger brothers. By doing so, they wanted to signal to him that if they wanted to, they could replace him with one of his brothers; on the other hand, such unfounded rumors circulated that Murad and Kösem got rid of the princes. Murad was forced to show his younger brothers. Murad never forgot this and never forgave either the rebels or his brothers. In fact, Murad was immeasurably humiliated at that time, he lost his allies and close friends. No ruler could leave that unrevenged. However, Murad was thoughtful and intelligent enough not to take revenge immediately but only execute the chief rebels when his power was consolidated a few months later.

Either way, after the rebellion in May 1632, Murad took control and resigned his mother from the regent position. Kösem Sultan did not object, she stood aside, but she would have tried to help her son, show him the way. Murad did not appreciate this and did not listen to his mother's advice. Murad was compulsively trying to keep his mother away from politics, and it is clear from his actions that he was disturbed by his mother’s great influence. That is why, as soon as he took power under his own control, Murad sought to replace his mother's men, such as his own brother-in-law, Hafiz Ahmed Pasha, who had already been mentioned, so that he could begin his monopoly by withdrawing himself from his mother's influence.

Although Kösem and Murad's relationship was undoubtedly stigmatized by the 1632 uprising, it would be a mistake to think that Murad completely excluded his mother from his life. He always respected her as the leader of the harem and as his mother, and according to a report from 1632, he even asked for his mother's opinion on his private life. Namely, Knolles reported at this time that after the birth of Murad's seventh daughter, he wanted to marry (or rather gave the Haseki rank) to the child's mother to express his love for the woman, but before he did so, he asked for Kösem's opinion. It is an interesting question of who this woman was, for we know of the only privileged consort of Murad’s early reign was Haseki Ayşe Sultan, but we do not know exactly who her children were and when they were born.

Also, when Murad left the capital for a shorter period, he always left his mother as a supervisor, and Kösem Sultan always reported everything accurately to her son. When Kösem noticed a problem, she immediately signaled it to Murad with the most detailed description. A concrete example of the former occurred in 1634, when, in Murad's absence, Kösem learnt that a mufti had not accepted one of Murad's decisions and wanted to review it. She immediately sent a message to her son, “My heroic lion, come immediately. There are rumours of intentions towards the throne and people are starting to gather”. Murad didn't need anything more, he returned immediately and executed the muft without any investigation. It was the first such event in the history of the empire, they had never executed a mufti before. On another occasion, Murad asked Kösem Sultan to do a diplomatic talk with the Crimean Khan.

The tyrant

Murad's personality is very divisive. Many consider him simply a tyrant, but he is more than that. Many times his cruel acts certainly stem from his difficult childhood and his fear of dethronement. Plenty of legends are known about his cruelty, like that he killed people for pleasure and often tortured them innocently, but also we can hear such things that the Sultan ran through the streets at night with a sword and killed anyone who came face to face with him. In this form, these are, of course, just lies and very strong exaggerations. But it is a fact true that he had many acts that did not make him particularly popular. Kösem Sultan tried to influence her son in every possible way and tried to cushion her son’s aggressive actions with her own charities.

Murad banned alcohol and tobacco and even closed all cafes because he thought the Janissaries and Sipahis gathered and allied against him there. And whoever broke the rules could face severe punishment, even the death penalty. To keep his orders, he often go to the streets in disguise and acted in person against those who violated the ordinance. But it is also a fact that if he experienced an injustice or a frustrating thing at these times, he also tried to do against it. He also changed a lot of basic laws, tightened penalties, and made the death penalty more common for even minor offenses. Legends commemorate a case in which he executed a vizier for beating his mother-in-law. At other times, an ambassador, Alvise Contarini, was imprisoned for a minor crime. Contarini's accounts became unreliable after this incident, as he often wrote lies and exaggerations about Murad because of his personal resentments. This was the case, for example, when Contarini reported that Murad was systematically threatening his mother, siblings, and concubines with a beating. However, all the other evidence reports statethe opposite, claiming he was very nice to his family, so behind that account, perhaps Contarini’s dislike have been the only reason.

While there was no doubt that Murad’s austerity was excessive, he managed to put the empire in order, chaos and anarchy seemed to actually be resolved. Murad sat on the throne after chaotic times when the sultans were less respected by the people than any time before. In the time of Suleiman I, the sultan was almost a deity, an inaccessible, superior creature. And a sultan had to maintain this appearance in order to rule an empire of this size. In the chaos that followed the death of Ahmed I, the people saw, on the example of Osman, that the Sultan was indeed a mortal, simple man, the divine image built over the centuries was destroyed. Murad tried to rebuild this. When this did not go in an easy way, he did so in the way of violence and rigor, but anyway he established order in his country.

Not surprising, that Murad considered Yavuz Selim I as his role model, who controlled with strictness, and who did not tolerate contradiction. Murad, following the theory of his teacher, believed that the decline of the empire began during Suleiman's reign, so it was clear that a former successful sultan had to be imitated by him. In addition, Murad had an undisguised goal of restoring the old succession-system. Although he owed his own life to the change of the succession-system, he still believed it posed too many dangers if a Sultan had rivals roughly the same age and same education as him. While many people clearly condemn this, we have to admit, there was truth in this. The brutal execution of Osman and the way as they used Mustafa as a puppet, are all good examples of how dangerous was the existence of brothers. Murad wanted his own son as his heir, which is why he executed his younger brothers over time, except for the mentally unstable Ibrahim. This, by the way, raises several questions, especially about the sons of Murad.

There are quite a lot of question-marks about Murad’s children. We know from Evliya Çelebi's accounts that Murad had many sons, but almost without exception they all died in infancy, for they were born in rather poor health. Unfortunately, for most of his children, we don’t know when they died. What is certain is that in 1634, according to an ambassadorial report, he had two infant sons in poor health. However, despite these, we must assume that when Murad executed his brothers (1635, 1638) there must have been at least one living son of his who was no longer an infant. His eldest son, Ahmed, was born in 1627 and many say he lived the longest, though no exact date is available for his death. There are also those who say that Murad did not have an older living son at these times, he simply wanted the end the dynasty, so he killed his brothers. The latter is supported by the fact that at the time of Ibrahim I's accession (1640) there was not a single son of Murad alive, so perhaps none of them were alive in Murad's last years. However, this does not mean that in 1635 and 1638 he did not have a son who was still alive. All we know from an ambassadorial account from 1637 is that at least 6 sons of Murad died before the age of one, and the health of the others was very fragile. But we don’t know what and how many children the author meant by the others.

Murad, the individual

We are forced to consider Murad as a tyrant in some ways, even with the utmost benevolence, as his decrees and his punishments, often unbalanced with the degree of sin, suggest so. At the same time, Evliya Çelebi's descriptions reveal much more about Murad's personality. Based on these, it seems that the cruel Murad was just a mask behind which the sultan hid his true nature. Murad believed that people and his soldiers will respect him only if they were afraid of him. We must understand that in such era it was logical. All his actions suggest that also, so maybe that’s why he played the cruel Murad role. Of course, this could not have been very far from his true personality, since otherwise, he would not have been able to carry out his cruelty that much.

But what do we know about Murad, the individual? According to others, he was an extremely intelligent, educated man with a very good sense of humor and was a talented poet. According to Evliya, "He was an emperor with a dervish’s nature, kind-hearted and devil-may-care." The latter analogy may have been particularly fitting to Murad because he had great respect and appreciation for the whirling dervishes. So much that he honored a dervish named Ömer with the address "my father." By the way, they often made music together with Ömer. Murad wrote the lyrics and the dervish added the melody. And we know for sure that, contrary to rumors, Murad was not crazy. He was characterized by a certain level of paranoia, but given what had happened to him in the past - he first-hand experienced his brother's death and then his half-brother's brutal murder - was not particularly surprising. However, among the people he loved and trusted, Murad blossomed and showed his true face. The real Murad was a young man in full force, with whom they could humorize even about the most personal things, with whom they could have fun and converse about serious things at the same time. However, Evliya did not doubt that Murad was a very stubborn and strong-minded man, especially towards his mother.

Evliya is also associated with a famous (or infamous) story that many consider the Sultan to be homosexual. The point of Evliya’s story is that they talked to the sultan about a beautiful person, Handan, who the sultan loves and who Evliya says is really charming also. According to the story, the sultan asked Handan to take a rose from his/her hair and give it to Evliya to cheer up the grumpy Evliya. There would be basically nothing special about the story if it all happened in a Western empire. However, knowing the customs of the Ottoman Empire, it becomes clear to us that Handan could not have been a woman, since a harem concubine could not be in the company of foreign men, especially not with uncovered hair. It also makes it difficult to accurately recognize Handan that the name 'Handan' is a unisex name and that there is no male or female gender in the Ottoman language so we cannot know if Evliya talks about a he or a she. Because of this, many people think that Handan was a eunuch or a young man. It is important to know that in the Ottoman Empire until the mid-1800s, homosexuality was accepted, not punishable. In most brothels (because they were also present in the empire) not only women but also men were available. In addition, since Sultan Mehmed II, pederasty has been accepted among sultans and pashas. Mehmed II (who was probably really gay or bisexual) inherited this ancient Greek tradition, which refers to the homosexual relationship between an adult man and a man much younger than him, after the conquare of Constantinople. Later, there were sultans who took advantage of this opportunity and there were those who did not. However, pederasty was primarily a status symbol rather than a relationship driven by sexual desire.

Many have also rumored that Kösem Sultan has sent men to Murad’s bed when he was young, but there is no indication that this is true. Either way, Murad’s sexual orientation will probably never be revealed and maybe it doesn’t even matter. There were two significant concubines in his life, Haseki Ayşe Sultan, who dominated his reign almost throughout, and who, in addition to Esmehan Kaya, must have been the mother of several other children; and there was another woman whose name could not be reconstructed and who came to Murad's life in the last years of his reign and who became a Haseki also. Ayşe, however, was certainly Murad's favorite throughout his reign, as he even took her with him to his Revan campaign. This thing occurred in the case of the early sultans quite often, but from the early modern period of the Empire, sultans did not let their wives and consorts accompany them to war as it was quite risky.

From the tyrant to the adored sultan

Like Murad’s predecessors, he was aware that the fastest way to gain popularity was a successful campaign. Murad was under particular pressure, for at the beginning of his reign they lost particularly important territories, so he had to somehow rectify this. Murad was truly a man of a warrior nature, and there are also legends about his physical performances. It is true that his health was not very good, but he had a very strong physique. He was a tall, robust man with black hair and eyes and pale skin. So Murad, in addition to being handsome with his physical strength, was also able to impress his subjects on a regular basis. Legends revolve about bows that no one but him could stretch or maces that no one could swing but him. According to Evliya, the sultan often dropped his clothes from one minute to the next and began wrestling with a guard just nearby. On other occasions, the sultan simply lifted Evliya over his head without any particular effort. Such a fit, and quite an agile sultan in relation to his stature, was well suited to warfare. And such a sultan was finally able to convince his subjects and soldiers that they could win the war with him!

After several unsuccessful attempts by his pashas in the first half of his reign to reclaim the lost territories, Murad decided to embark on a campaign in person. His first campaign took place in 1635, and the goal was to recapture Yerevan (Revan). They left Üsküdar in the spring and although they often stopped on the way to execute some bandits in Anatolia or to execute those against whom there were many complaints, they even reached Yerevan by July. Roughly a week after the siege, on August 8, Mirgune Tahmasp Quli Khan, the governor who ruled the castle, gave up the castle and surrendered. Murad appreciated that Mirgune Tahmasp Quli Khan accepted him as his new ruler and a deep friendship developed between them. The man's new name became Emirgün and he was with Murad until his death. According to some, it was Emirgün who pushed Murad to start drinking alcohol more and more often.

After the victory, Murad went to Tabriz with his troops, but they could not keep the city, and Murad also got sick, so they traveled to Van in the winter. And by the end of the year, they had returned to Istanbul, where Kösem Sultan was waiting for her son with a huge ceremony. The whole city celebrated Murad’s victory. Murad immediately ordered the construction of a pavilion inside Topkapi Palace in honor of the victory. It later became the Revan Pavilion. Murad planned every step wisely and always acted when the conditions were right. He did so when he dealt with the chief rebels of the 1632 uprising, and he did so when he wanted to get rid of his half-brothers, Bayezid and Suleiman, who posed a great threat to him. Murad knew that fratricide was not to the liking of the people, he knew that a sultan could easily be dethroned for this, but he definitely wanted to carry out his plans and bring back the inheritance from father to son. He, therefore, ordered the execution of the two princes at the moment when his popularity was at its highest and when the whole empire celebrated the victory of his. Although the execution of the two princes naturally shocked the people, everyone was preoccupied with the victory, the booming economy, so they did not turn against Murad.

Murad's popularity was not really diminished by the fact that the Safavids recaptured Yerevan in the spring of the following year. Of course, he had no idea to accept this either, but he waited again for the most opportune moment. It finally came in the spring of 1638. This time, he did not satisfied with Yerevan, he set a goal for Baghdad. By the end of October, he had already reached Baghdad and encamped around the city, and began the siege. On December 24, Bektash Khan, the governor of Baghdad, surrendered, so in January Murad was finally able to enter the coveted city, as did his great predecessor, Suleiman I, 100 years ago (in 1534). In Baghdad, Murad ordered that the mausoleum, previously built by Suleiman, be repaired and renovated.

Although Murad had a strong physique, his health was never good, and the horrific camp conditions worsened it. Especially since he mostly trained with his soldiers, he spent a lot of time with them to gain their support. His worsening alcoholism also did not help the situation. In Diyarbekir, the sultan eventually became so ill that they had to station there for months before they could reach Istanbul. While Murad was lying in bed, his Grand Vezir Tayyar Mehmed Pasha made an agreement with the Persian Shah to finally end the war that had lasted since 1603 and restored the Amasia Treaty of 1555, restoring peace between the two countries and allowing the Ottoman Empire to keep Baghdad.

Returning to Istanbul in June, the Sultan was greeted again with a huge celebration, glorified by all. True to his custom, he crowned this victory by building a new pavilion the Baghdad Pavilion. Unfortunately, he also tried to keep his other custom, so he ordered his brother, Prince Kasim (and perhaps Prince Ibrahim along with him) to the Revan Pavilion, where Prince Kasim was executed, and some said Ibrahim's life was saved only by the prayer and threat of their mother, Kösem Sultan. Others say Murad didn't want to execute Ibrahim just Kasim. Kasim's execution was particularly significant because, unlike the two princes who had been executed earlier, Kasim was a full-brother to Murad, and, according to contemporary accounts, they were even close to each other. By this time Murad was beginning to be overwhelmed by his illness, alcoholism, and paranoia.

His death and legacy

After Murad returned to Istanbul, he was in very poor health for months. He had several chronic diseases, but we don’t know much about them. Some said he may have had epilepsy, others said he may have had similar digestive problems as his father (Ahmed I) and grandmother (Handan Sultan). These were further aggravated by combat injuries, as Murad himself fought in his campaigns; and cirrhosis due to alcoholism.

Murad was able to recover from his fighting injuries, as in the early 1640s he celebrated Ramadan without any problems, met his vezirs, and took part in events. In fact, to further tire his already sick body, he regularly horse-rided to places, went hunting, and alcoholized with his friends. On one such occasion, Murad lost consciousness and was taken back to Topkapi Palace by his guards. The sultan sometimes regained consciousness, it seems that by this time he already knew he was dying. At his special request, he was transferred to the Revan Pavilion, where he had executed his younger brother a few months earlier. Maybe that's why he wanted to die there too. Not knowing who had been by his side in his last hours, but they probably couldn't have kept his mother away even if they had wanted to as they both were in the palace. According to some, on his deathbed, Murad also ordered the execution of Ibrahim, but there is no evidence of this.

A huge crowd gathered for Murad's funeral, his black horse was walking adorned in front of his coffin, and several of those present sobbed loudly. Thus, it is not true that the people rejoiced at the death of the Sultan. Although Murad was not perfect, he performed many cruel deeds, yet after decades he was the first sultan to conquer and he was the one who successfully restored the peace of the empire for which the people loved him. Murad IV was the last sultan to conquer in the true classical sense since no more sultans led a campaign in person. Murad resembled Yavuz Selim I or Suleiman I, who ruled in the early 1500s, rather than his immediate predecessors. Thus his person gave a strong end to the age of conquests and the heyday of the Ottoman Empire. He was buried in the mausoleum of his father, Ahmed I, because during his short life he did not have the opportunity to build his own mausoleum, and, according to many, he was not even preoccupied with architecture.

Used sources: C. Finkel - Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire; L. Peirce - The imperial harem; G. Börekçi - Factions and favourites at the courts of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-17) and his immediate predecessors; S. Faroqhi - The Ottoman Empire and the World; C. Imber - The Ottoman Empire 1300-1650; F. Suraiya, K. Fleet - The Cambridge History of Turkey 1453-1603; G. Piterberg - An Ottoman Tragedy, History and Historiography at Play; F. Suraiya - The Cambridge History of Turkey, The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603–1839; Howard - A History of the Ottoman Empire; Öztuna - Devletler ve Hanedanlar; Uluçay - Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları; : F. Davis - The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul; Y. Öztuna - Genç Osman ve IV. Murad; G. Junne - The black eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire; R. Dankoff - An Ottoman Mentality: The World of Evliya Çelebi; R. Murphey - ‘The Functioning of the Ottoman Army under Murad IV (1623–1639/1032–1049):Key to Understanding of the Relationship Between Center and Periphery; S. Faroqhi - Another Mirror for Princes, The Public Image of the Ottoman Sultans and Its Reception

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Születése és gyermekkora

Murad 1612 júliusában született I. Ahmed és kedvenc ágyasa, Mahpeyker Köszem második fia és ötödik gyermekeként. Ahmednek Köszem két fia mellett volt még egy fia, Oszmán herceg, a legidősebb gyermek. Murad ahhoz a herceggenerációhoz tartozott, akiknek először a történelemben nem kellett a testvérgyilkosság törvényétől tartaniuk. A II. Mehmed által törvénybe foglalt, de nála sokkal idősebb hagyomány szerint a trónralépő szultánnak minden testvérét ki kell végeztetni, a rend fenntartásának érdekében. Ahmed szultán azonban ennek nem tett eleget, mikor 1603-as trónralépése után életben hagyta öccsét, Musztafát. Így Ahmed fiai már egy új világba születtek. Tény azonban, hogy Ahmed sokáig nem volt biztos döntésében, így többször is megkísérelte Musztafa kivégzését, de végül a lelkiismerete és Köszem győzködése használt, így Musztafa megmenekült.

Murad koragyermekkorát relatív nyugalomban élhette, hiszen apja népszerű szultán volt, édesanyja a Haszeki szultána rangot viselte, igen befolyásos és népszerű asszony volt. Mindez azonban 1617-ben megváltozott. Ahmed szultán meghalt és egyfajta örökösödési káosz sújtotta a birodalmat. Az embereknek elege volt a testvérgyilkosságból, azonban Ahmed nem rendelekzett arról, hogy ki kövesse a trónon: öccse, Musztafa vagy legidősebb fia, Oszmán. Végül Musztafa trónralépésével hivatalosan is megváltozott az örökösödés, többé nem apáról fiúra szállt a trón, hanem a legidősebb férfi foglalta el azt. Murad és testvérei így életben maradhattak, azonban elzárva éltek a Topkapi Palotában, míg édesanyjuk Köszem a Régi Palotába költözött lányaival.

A következő évek meglehetősen zavarosak voltak, Musztafát mentális betegsége miatt hamarosan trónfosztották és Murad féltestvére, Oszmán került a trónra. Oszmán nagyon népszerűtlen, rossz uralkodó volt, aki bár uralkodásának korai szakaszában igyekezett korrekt viszonyt ápolni Köszem szultánával, később 1621 januárjában kivégeztette Murad édesbátyját, Mehmed herceget. Murad és öccsei minden bizonnyal rettegésben éltek innentől, anyjuktól, nővéreiktől távol, elzárva, kiszolgáltatva egy zsarnok uralkodónak, és az sem kizárt, hogy tanúi voltak a kivégzésnek. Végül Oszmán brutális meggyilkolása hozott enyhülést számukra. Ám ugyanakkor életreszóló leckét is adott Muradnak arról, hogy még egy szultán sem lehet biztonságban.

Trónralépés

Oszmán brutális kivégzése Halime szultánához és fiához, I. Musztafához volt köthető, így végül újra trónfosztották Musztafa szultánt, anyját pedig száműzték a Régi Palotába. Az öröklési sorban a mindössze 11 éves Murad következett. Korára való tekintettel a divan és ulema édesanyját, Köszem szultánát nevezte ki régensnek, míg Murad maga elég éretté nem válik az uralkodáshoz. Murad bár fellélegezhetett, hiszen ő lett a szultán, ilyen nehéz gyermekkorral bizonyára nem volt könnyű új életet kezdeni. Emellett fontos leszögezni, hogy Murad utoljára öt évesen 1617-ben tölthetett hosszabb időt édesanyjával, az 1617 és 1623 közötti hat évet anyjától elszakítva, bezárva élte, így feltehetőleg az is komoly nehézséget okozott kettejüknek, hogy újra kialakítsanak egy anya-fia kapcsolatot.

Murad nehezen kezelhető gyermek volt, Köszem több levele is fennmaradt, melyekben a nagyvezírnek panaszkodik arról, mennyire nem bír Muraddal és, hogy az mennyire nem hallgat rá, sőt olykor napokig találkozni sem hajlandó vele. Amellett, hogy az elszigeteltség éket vert közéjük, hasonló személyiségük sem segített sokat. Mind a ketten vezéregyéniségek voltak, igen erős akarattal, így nehezen jöttek ki egymással. Sokszor vitatkoztak egymással, mely viták után Köszem volt az, aki békülni szeretett volna Muraddal. Egyik nagy veszekedésük után például egy lovat ajándékozott fiának, máskor hatalmas ünnepséget rendezett neki. Emellett Köszem rendszeresen fejezte ki aggodalmát Murad egészségével kapcsolatban, ami arra enged következtetni, hogy talán Murad már ekkor egészségügyi problémákkal küzdött.

A birodalom Ahmed halálától kezdve fokozatosan süllyedt anarchiába. Több fontos területet is elveszítettek és hiába próbálták visszahódítani ezeket, nem jártak sikerrel. Továbbá a II. Oszmán kivégzése után fellázadó Abaza Mehmed Pasa dacára annak, hogy mindenkit felelősségre vontak a gyilkosságért, nem volt hajlandó elismerni Muradot új uralkodójaként és folytatta a lázadást. Ezt a lázadást sem sikerült leverni az ellene kiküldött pasáknak. A helyzetet fokozandó, 1625-ben pestis tört ki a fővárosban és több, mint százezer áldozattal járt. Murad először szintén ebben az évben lázadt anyja szava ellen. Köszem ekkor kötött egy megállapodást a spanyolokkal, Muradnak azonban nem tetszett az egyezség, ezért azonnal visszahívatta azt.

1628-ban aztán Murad is súlyos beteg lett, hetekig feküdt ágyban. Pontos betegsége nem derült ki, egyesek szerint ekkor kezdődött epilepsziája, mások szerint emésztőrendszeri problémái voltak. Öröm volt az ürömben, hogy legalább ebben az évben sikerült leverni Abaza Mehmed Pasa lázadását és elfogni a férfit. Ugyanebben az évben Murad újabb jelét adta annak, hogy hamarosan át kívánja venni az uralkodást és nyíltan szembe ment anyjával, amikor felbontotta nővére Fatma házasságát az admirális Çatalcalı Haşan Pasával, akit anyja kiemelt figyelemben részesített. Emellett Muradot egyre jobbn zavarta, hogy anyja szemethuny a korrupció felett. Köszem maga is nagy előnyökhöz juttatta az általa favorizált pasákat, ami sokakból váltott ki ellenérzéseket, különösen fiából, Muradból. Így került például fontos janicsár pozícióba Murad nővérének, Fatma szultánának az új férje, Hafiz Ahmed Pasa. Ez azonban a szpáhiknak és a Köszemet szerető janicsároknak is sok volt. Végül ez volt az az esemény, mely kijelölte Murad egyeduralmának kezdetét.

Az egyeduralkodó

1632-ben, Hafiz Ahmed Pasa kinevezése után szpáhi és janicsár lázadás tört ki, melynek során a lázadók kivégezték a nagyvezírt és Murad szultán több hűséges emberét, többet között közeli barátját, Musa Çelebit. Hogy a helyzet tovább bonyolódjon a katonák nyilvánosan követelték, hogy Murad mutassa meg nekik öccseit. Ezzel jelezni akarták neki, hogy ha akarnák le tudnák cserélni valamelyik öccsére; másrészt pedig keringtek olyan alaptalan pletykák, hogy Murad és Köszem megszabadultak a hercegektől. Murad kénytelen volt engedni a követeléseknek és bemutatta öccseit, akiket a katonák ekkor éltetni kezdtek. Murad ezt sosem felejtette el és sosem bocsátotta meg sem a lázadóknak, sem testvéreinek. Muradot tulajdonképpen ekkor mérhetetlenül megalázták, szövetségeseit, közeli barátját meggyilkolták. Ezt egy uralkodó sem hagyhatta. Murad azonban volt annyira megfontolt és intelligens, hogy nem azonnal kezdett bosszúhadjáratba, hanem csak akkor végeztette ki a hangadókat, mikor néhány hónap múlva hatalmát sikerült megszilárdítani.

Akárhogyan is, a lázadás után 1632 májusában Murad saját kezébe vette az irányítást és lemondatta édesanyját a régensi pozícióból. Köszem nem ellenkezett, félreállt, azonban igyekezett volna segíteni fiát, utat mutatni neki. Murad ezt nem értékelte és nem hallgatott édesanyja tanácsaira. Murad kényszeresen igyekezett anyját távol tartani a politikától és cselekedeteiből egyértelműen kiolvasható, hogy zavarta őt anyja nagy befolyása, az, hogy az elmúlt években sokkal nagyobb hatalma volt anyjának, mint neki. Épp ezért, amint a hatalmat saját irányítása alá vonta, Murad igyekezett anyja embereit - így például saját sógorát, a már említett Hafiz Ahmed Pasát - sorra leváltani, hogy édesanyja befolyása alól kivonva magát, elkezdhesse egyeduralmát.

Bár Köszem és Murad viszonyát kétségkívül megbélyegezte az 1632-es lázadás, hiba lenne azt gondolni, hogy Murad teljesen kizárta életéből édesanyját. Annak hárem vezetői tisztségét és édesanya mivoltát mindig tiszteletben tartotta, sőt egy 1632-ből származó beszámoló szerint kifejezetten fontos volt neki anyja véleménye a magánéletét illetően. Knolles ugyanis arról számolt ekkor be, hogy Murad hetekik lányának születése után feleségül akarta venni (vagy inkább Haszeki rangra emelni) a gyermek anyját, hogy kifejezze szeretetét a nő irányába, de mielőtt ezt megtette volna, kikérte Köszem véleményét. Érdekes kérdés, hogy ki volt ez a nő, ugyanis Murad korai uralkodásáb��l egyetlen kiemelt státuszú ágyast ismerünk, Haszeki Ayşe szultánát, azonban nem tudjuk pontosan, kik voltak a gyermekei és mikor születtek.

Emellett mikor Murad hosszabb rövidebb időre elhagyta a fővárost, mindig anyját hagyta meg felügyelőnek, Köszem pedig mindig mindenről pontosan beszámolt fiának. Amikor Köszem problémát észlelt, azonnal jelezte azt a legrészletesebb leírással Murad számára. Előbbire egy konkrét példa történt 1634-ben, amikor Murad távollétében Köszem arról értesült, hogy egy müfti nem fogadta el Murad egyik döntését és felül akarta azt bírálni. Azonnal üzenetet küldött fiának "Én harcos oroszlán fiam, gyere azonnal! Pletykák terjednek a trónoddal kapcsolatban, az emberek pedig mozgolódnak." Muradnak nem kellett több, azonnal visszatért és minden vizsgálat nélkül kivégezte a müftit. Ez volt az első ilyen esemény a birodalom történetében, korábban sosem végeztek ki müftit. Egy másik alkalommal Murad Köszemet bízta meg, hogy diplomáciai megbeszéléseket folytasson a Krími Kánsággal.

A zsarnok

Murad személyisége nagyon megosztó. Sokan egyszerűen zsarnoknak tartják, azonban több volt ennél. Sokszor kegyetlen cselekedetei minden bizonnyal nehéz gyermekkorából származnak és a trónfosztástól való rettegéséből. Rengeteg legenda ismert, miszerint élvezettel gyilkolt embereket és sokszor ártatlanul kínozta őket, de olyanokat is hallani, hogy a szultán éjszaka kivont karddal rohangált az utcákon és megölt bárkit aki szembe jött vele. Ilyen formában ezek természetesen nagyon erős túlzások, ám tény, hogy sok olyan cselekedete volt, melyek nem tették különösebben népszerűvé. Köszem szultána igyekezett minden létező módon hatni fiára és saját jótékonykodásaival próbálta tompítani fia agresszív cselekedeteit.

Murad megtiltotta az alkohol és dohány fogyasztását, sőt minden kávézót bezáratott, mert szerinte a janicsárok és szpáhik itt gyülekeztek és szövetkeztek ellene. Aki pedig megszegte a szabályokat, súlyos büntetésre számíthatott, akár halálbüntetésre is. Hogy parancsait betartassa gyakran ment utcára álruhában és lépett fel a rendeletet megszegőkkel szemben személyesen. Ám az is tény, hogy ha ekkor igazságtalanságot vagy elkeserítő dolgot tapasztalt, az ellen is igyekezett tenni. Emellett sokat változtatott az alapvető törvényeken is, a büntetéseket megszigorította, gyakoribbá vált a halálbüntetés kisebb vétségek esetében is. A legendák megemlékeznek egy esetről, amikor egy vezírt végeztetett ki, amiért az megverte saját anyósát. Máskor pedig egy követet, Alvise Contarinit záratta börtönbe egy jelentéktelen bűnért. Contarini beszámolói ezen eset után megbízhatatlanná váltak, ugyanis gyakran írt hazugságokat, túlzásokat Muradról, személyes ellenérzései miatt. Ilyen volt például, mikor Contarini arról számolt be, hogy Murad ütlegeléssel fenyegeti rendszersen anyját, testvéreit és ágyasait. Azonban minden más bizonyíték épp az ellenkezőjéről számol be, így emögött a beszámoló mögött valószínűleg Contarini ellenszenve lehetett az egyetlen ok.

Bár kétségtelen, hogy Murad szigora túlzó volt, ennek köszönhetően sikerült rendbe szednie a birodalmat, a káosz és anarchia ténylegesen megoldódni látszott. Murad olyan kaotikus idők után ült a trónon, mikor a szultánokat kevésbé tisztelte a nép, mint régen. I. Szulejmán idejében a szultán szinte istenség volt, egy elérhetetlen, felsőbbrendű teremtmény. Egy szultánnak pedig, hogy uralhasson egy ekkora birodalmat fenn is kellett tartani ezt a látszatot. Az I. Ahmed halála után bekövetkező káoszban, mikor a nép Oszmán példáján meglátta, hogy a szultán igenis halandó, egyszerű ember, lerombolódott az évszázadok alatt felépített isteni kép. Murad ezt igyekezett újjáépíteni. Amikor ez szép szóval nem ment, akkor erőszakkal és szigorral tette, de rendet teremtett az országába.

Nem is meglepő ez tudva, hogy Murad példaképének I. Yavuz Szelimet tartotta, aki vasszigorral irányított, nem tűrte az ellentmondást. Murad - tanítója elméletét követve - úgy vélte, hogy a birodalom hanyatlása Szulejmán uralkodása alatt kezdődött, emiatt egyértelműen egy korábbi sikeres szultánt kellett imitálni. Emellett Muradnak nem titkolt célja volt a régi öröklési rend visszahozása is. Bár saját életét a törvény változásának köszönehtte, ő mégis úgy vélte, túl sok veszélyt tartogat magában, ha a szultánnak vele nagyjából egy idős vetélytársai vannak. Bár sokan egyértelműen elítélik ezért, be kell lássuk, volt igazság ebben. Oszmán brutális kivégzése, Musztafa bábként rángatása mind jól példázza, hogy a szultánok egyeduralma és kiemelt státusza megszűnt azzal, hogy hozzájuk hasonló vetélytársaik voltak és azzal, hogy elkezdtek érző lényeknek tűnni. Murad saját fiát akarta maga után a trónon látni, emiatt végeztette ki idővel öccseit, kivéve a mentálisan sérült Ibrahimot. Ez egyébként felvet több kérdést is, különös tekintettel Murad fiaira.

Murad gyermekeivel kapcsolatban elég sok a kérdőjel. Evliya Çelebi beszámolóiból tudjuk, hogy Muradnak rengeteg fia született, ám szinte kivétel nélkül mind elhunyt csecsemő korában, ugyanis meglehetősen rossz egészséggel jöttek világra. Sajnos legtöbb gyermeke esetében nem tudjuk, hogy mikor hunytak el. Annyi bizonyos, hogy 1634-ben egy követi beszámoló szerint két gyenge egészségű csecsemő fia volt. Azonban ezek ellenére is azt kell feltételezzük, hogy mikor Murad kivégeztette testvéreit (1635, 1638) legalább egy élő fia kellett, hogy legyen, aki nem csecsemő volt már. Legidősebb fia, Ahmed 1627-ben született és sokak szerint ő élt legtovább, igaz pontos dátum nem áll rendelekzésre halálát illetően. Vannak olyanok is, akik szerint Muradnak nem volt idősebb élő fia ekkoriban, egyszerűen csak a dinasztia végét akarta, ezért ölette meg testvéreit. Ezutóbbit alátámasztja a tény, hogy I. Ibrahim trónralépésekor Muradnak nem volt már élő fia, így talán Murad utolsó éveiben sem élt már egyikük sem. Azonban ez nem jelenti azt, hogy 1635-ben és 1638-ban sem volt már élő fia. Annyit tudunk 1637-ből egy követi beszámoló alapján, hogy Murad legalább 6 fia még egy éves kora előtt meghalt, a többiek egészsége pedig nagyon törékeny. Ám nem tudjuk, hogy a szerző mit és hány gyermeket értett a többiek alatt.

A magánember

Szultánként Muradot a legnagyobb jóindulattal is kénytelenek vagyunk valamilyen módon zsarnoknak tartani, hiszen rendeletei és sokszor a bűn mértékével nem egyensúlyban lévő büntetései erre utalnak. Ugyanakkor Evliya Çelebi leírásaiból igen sok minden tárul fel Muradról az emberről. Ezek alapján olyabá tűnik, hogy a kegyetlen Murad csupán egy álarc volt, ami mögé valódi természetét rejtette a szultán. Murad úgy vélte, hogy csak akkor tiszteli népe és katonái, ha félnek tőle. Minden cselekedete erre utal, így talán emiatt játszotta ezt a szerepet. Természetesen valódi személyiségétől sem állhatott nagyon távol ez, hiszen máskülönben nem tudta volna végrehajtani kegyetlenségeit.

Mit tudunk azonban mégis Muradról az emberről? Többek szerint rendkívül intelligens, művelt férfi volt, akinek igen jó volt a humora és tehetséges költő is volt. Evliya szerint "egy császár ő, lelkében egy dervis természetével." Utóbbi hasonlat különösen illő lehetett Muradhoz, mert nagyon tisztelte és elismerte a kerengő derviseket. Olyannyira, hogy egy Ömer nevű dervist az "apám" megszólítással tisztelt meg. Ömerrel egyébként gyakran szereztek zenét együtt. Murad a szöveget írta meg, a dervis pedig a dallamot adta hozzá. Azt pedig biztosan tudjuk, hogy a pletykákkal ellentétben, Murad nem volt őrült. Bizonyos szintű paranoia jellemezte ugyan, de ez figyelmebe véve a korábban vele történteket, azt, hogy első kézből tapasztalta bátyja halálát, majd féltestvére brutális meggyilkolását, nem különösebben meglepő. Azonban azon emberek között, akiket szeretett és akikben bízott Murad kivirágzott és megmutatta valódi arcát. Az igazi Murad egy ereje teljében lévő fiatal férfi volt, akivel a legszemélyesebb dolgokkal is lehetett humorizálni, akivel egyszerre lehetett mulatni és komoly dolgokról társalogni. Azt azonban Evliya sem vonta kétségbe, hogy Murad igen önfejű és hirtelen haragú ember volt, különösen anyjával szemben.

Szintén Evliyához köthető egy híres (vagy hírhedt) történet is, mely alapján sokan tartják napjainkban homoszexuálisnak a szultánt. Evliya történetének lényege, hogy egy gyönyörű személyről, Handanról beszélgettek a szultánnal, akit a szultán szeret és aki Evliya szerint is igazán elragadó. A történet szerint a szultán megkérte Handant, hogy a hajából vegyen ki egy rózsát és adja Evliyának, hogy ezzel felvidítsa a rosszkedvű Evliyát. A történetben alapvetően nem lenne semmi különös, ha mindez egy nyugati birodalomban történik. Ismerve a birodalom szokásait azonban egyértelművé válik számunkra, hogy Handan nem lehetett egy nő, hiszen egy háremhölgy nem tartózkodhatott idegen férfiak társaságában, különösen nem fedetlen hajjal. Emellett nehezíti Handan pontos felismerését, hogy a Handan egy uniszex név és hogy az oszmán nyelvben nincs férfi és női nem. Emiatt sokan gondolják, hogy Handan egy eunuch vagy egy fiatal férfi volt.Fontos tudnunk, hogy az Oszmán Birodalomban az 1800-as évek közepéig a homoszexualitás elfogadott volt, nem volt büntetendő. A legtöbb bordélyban (mert ezek is voltak a birodalomban) nem csak nők, de férfiak is elérhetőek voltak. Emellett II. Mehmed szultán óta a pederasztia elfogadott volt a szultánok és pasák között. Ezt az ókori görög hagyományt, mely egy felnőtt férfi és egy nála jóval fiatalabb férfi közti homoszexuális kapcsolatot jelenti, II. Mehmed (aki valósznűleg tényleg meleg vagy biszexuális volt) vette át, Konstantinápoly elfoglalása után. Később volt olyan szultán, mely élt ezzel a lehetőséggel és voltak akik nem. Azonban a pederasztia elsődlegesen inkább státuszszimbólum volt, mint szexuális vágy által hajtott kapcsolat.

Sokan pletykálták azt is, hogy Köszem szultána gyermekkora óta férfiakat küldött Murad ágyába, azonban semmi nem utal arra, hogy ez igaz lenne. Akárhogy is, Murad szexuális orientációja valószínűleg sosem fog kiderül és talán nem is számít. Életében két jelentős ágyas volt, Ayşe Haszeki, aki uralkodását szinte végig dominálta és aki Esmehan Kaya mellett bizonyára több gyermek édesanyja is volt; és egy másik nő, akinek nevét nem sikerült rekonstruálni és aki Murad utolsó éveiben került mellé és lett Haszeki. Ayşe volt azonban Murad kedvence minden bizonnyal uralma alatt végig, hiszen a nőt még revani hadjáratára is magával vitte. Ez a korai szultánok esetében előfordult, ám évszázadok óta nem éltek a hagyománnyal, hiszen megleehtősen kockázatos volt.

Zsarnokból az imádott szultán

Murad elődeihez hasonlóan tisztában volt azzal, hogy a leggyorsabb út a népszerűséghez egy sikeres hadjárat. Muradon különösen nagy volt a nyomás, ugyanis az ő uralkodása elején veszítettek el kifejezetten fontos területeket, így valahogy helyre kellett hoznia ezt. Murad igazán harcos természetű férfi volt, emellett fizikai teljesítményeiről is legendák szólnak. Igaz, hogy egészsége nem volt túl jó, de nagyon erős fizikummal bírt. Magas volt, robosztus alkatú, fekete hajú és szemű férfi, halvány bőrrel. Murad amellett tehát, hogy jóképű volt fizikai erejével is rendszeresen tudta lenyűgözni alattvalóit. Legendák keringenek íjakról, melyet rajta kívül senki sem tudott kifeszíteni vagy buzogányokról, melyeket senki nem tudott meglendíteni, csak ő. Evliya szerint a szultán gyakran egyik percről a másikra ledobta ruháit és birkózni kezdett egy éppen a közelben lévő őrrel. Más alkalmakkal a szultán egyszerűen felemelte Evliyát minden különösebb erőfeszítés nélkül a feje fölé. Egy ilyen fitt, és termetéhez képest meglehetősen mozgékony szultánhoz remekül illett a háborúskodás. És egy ilyen szultán végre el tudta hitetni alattvalóival és katonáival, hogy vele megnyerhetik a háborút!

Miután uralkodásának első felében több pasát is küldtek, hogy visszaszerezze az elvesztett területeket, ám minden kísérlet kudarccal végződött, Murad úgy döntött személyesen indul hadjáratra. Első hadjáratára 1635-ben került sor, a cél pedig Yerevan (Revan) visszahódítása volt. Tavasszal indultak Üsküdarból és bár útközben gyakran megálltak, hogy Anatoliában leszámoljanak kisebb bandákkal vagy kivégezzék azokat, akik ellen sok panasz volt, júliusra el is érték Yerevant. Nagyjából egy hét ostrom után, augusztus 8-án a kastélyt uraló helytartó, Mirgune Tahmasp Quli Khan feladta a várat és megadta magát. Murad értékelte, hogy Mirgune Tahmasp Quli Khan elfogadta őt új uralkodójának és mély barátság alakult ki köztük. A férfi új neve, Emirgün lett és a szultán kegyeltjeként haláláig mellette volt. Egyesek szerint Emirgün volt az, akinek hatására Murad egyre gyakrabban kezdett alkoholt fogyasztani.

A győzelem után Murad Tabrizbe ment a csapataival, azonban a várost nem tudták megtartani, ráadásul Murad is beteg lett, így telelni Van-ba utaztak. Év végére pedig visszaérkeztek Isztambulba, ahol Köszem szultána hatalmas ünnepséggel várta fiát. Az egész város Murad győzelmét ünnepelte és éltette a szultánt. Murad azonnal elrendelte egy pavilon építését a Topkapi Palotán belül a győzelem tiszteletére. Ez lett később a Revan Pavilon. Murad minden lépését okosan megtervezte és mindig akkor cselekedett, amikor a körülmények megfelelőek voltak. Így tett akkor is, mikor leszámolt az 1632-es lázadás hangadóival és így tett akkor is, amikor féltestvéreitől, a rá hatalmas veszélyt jelentő Bayezidtől és Szulejmántól kívánt megszabadulni. Murad tudta, hogy a testvérgyilkosság nincs a nép kedvére, tudta, hogy egy szultán könnyen belebukhat ebbe, azonban mindenképpen véghez akarta vinni terveit és vissza akarta hozni az apáról fiúra szálló trónöröklést. Ezért abban a pillanatban adta parancsba a két herceg kivégzését, amikor népszerűsége a legmagasabb volt és az egész birodalom győzelmét ünnepelte. Bár a két herceg kivégzése természetesen megdöbbentette az embereket, mindenki el volt foglalva a győzelemmel, a fellendült gazdasággal, így nem fordultak Murad ellen.

Murad népszerűségét az sem igazán csökkentette, hogy következő év tavaszán a szafavidák visszafoglalták Yerevánt. Természetesen esze ágában sem volt elfogadni ezt, de ismét kivárta a legalkalmasabb pillanatot. Ez végül 1638 tavaszán jött el. Ezúttal nem elégedett meg Yerevannal, Bagdadot tűzte ki céljául. Október végére el is érte Bagdadot és letáborozott a város köré és megkezdte az ostromot. December 24-én Bektash Khan, Bagdad kormányzója megadta magát, így januárban Murad beléphetett végre a hőn áhított városba, úgy mint nagynevű elődje, I. Szulejmán is tette 100 évvel ezelőtt (1534-ben). Bagdadban Murad elrendelte, hogy javíttassák meg és újítsák fel a korábban Szulejmán által építtetett mauzóleumot.

Murad bár erős fizikummal bírt, egészsége sosem volt jó, a rémes tábori körülmények pedig tovább rontottak állapotán. Különös tekintettel arra, hogy legtöbbször katonáival együtt edzett, sok időt töltött velük, hogy ezzel nyerje meg támogatásukat. Súlyosbodó alkoholizmusa szintén nem segítette a helyzetet. Diyarbekirben végül olyan rosszul lett a szultán, hogy hónapokig kellett ott állomásozniuk mielőtt Isztambulba érhettek volna. Amíg Murad a betegágyat nyomta, nagyvezíre Tayyar Mehmed Pasa egyezséget kötött a perzsa sahhal, hogy lezárják végre az 1603 óta tartó háborút, és visszaállították az 1555-ben kötött Amaszia egyezményt, így a két ország között helyreállt a béke, Bagdadot pedig az Oszmán Birodalom megtarthatta.

Júniusban, Isztambulba visszatérve újra hatalmas ünneplés fogadta a szultánt, mindenki dicsőítette. Szokásához híven ezen győzelmét is pavilon építéssel igyekezett megkoronázni, így megépíttette a Bagdad Pavilont. Sajnos más szokását is igyekezett megtartani, így édesöccsét, Kasim herceget (és talán vele együtt Ibrahim herceget is) a Revan Pavilonba kérette, ahol Kasim herceget kivégeztette, Ibrahim életét pedig egyesek szerint csak Köszem szultána könyörgése és fenyegetőzése mentette meg. Mások szerint Ibrahimot nem is akarta kivégeztetni Murad. Kasim kivégzése különösen jelentős volt, ugyanis a két korábban kivégzett herceggel ellentétben Kasim édestestvére volt Muradnak és korabeli beszámolók alapján még közel is álltak egymáshoz. Muradon ekkorra kezdett elhatalmasodni betegsége, alkoholizmusa és paranoiája.

Halála és hagyatéka

Murad Isztambulba való visszatérése után nagyon rossz egészségi állapotban volt, hónapokon keresztül nyomta az ágyat. Több alapbetegsége is volt, azonban ezekről nem tudunk sokat. Egyesek szerint epilepsziás lehetett, mások szerint neki is hasonló emésztőrendszeri problémái lehettek, mint apjának (I. Ahmed) és nagyanyjának (Handan szultána). Ezeket tovább súlyosbították a harci sérülések, hiszen Murad maga is harcolt a hadjáratain; valamint az alkoholizmusa miatt kialakuló májzsugor.

Murad harci sérüléseiből képes volt felépülni, ugyanis 1640 elején a Ramadánt minden gond nélkül ünnepelte, találkozott a vezíreivel, rendezvényeken vett részt. Sőt, hogy tovább fárassza beteg testét rendszeresen járt lovagolni és alkoholizálni barátaihoz. Egyik ilyen alkalommal Murad elvesztette az eszméletét és testőrei vitték vissza a Topkapi Palotába. A szultán néha magához tért, úgy tűnik ekkor már tudta, hogy haldoklik. Külön kérésére vitték át a Revan Pavilonba, ahol néhány hónappal korábban öccsét végeztette ki. Talán épp emiatt akart ő is ott meghalni. Nem tudni, hogy kik voltak mellette utolsó perceiben, de valószínűleg édesanyját ha akarták volna sem tudták volna távol tartani. Egyesek szerint halálos ágyán Murad kiadta a parancsot Ibrahim kivégzésére is, ám erre nincs bizonyíték.

Murad temetésére hatalmas tömeg gyűlt össze, koporsója előtt fekete lova sétált feldíszítve, a jelenlévők közül pedig többen hangosan zokogtak. Így tehát nem igaz, hogy a nép örült volna a szultán halálának. Bár Murad nem volt tökéletes, sok kegyetlen tettet vitt véghez, mégis évtizedek után ő volt az első hódító szultán és ő volt az, aki sikerrel állította vissza a birodalom békéjét, amiért a nép szerette őt. IV. Murad volt az utolsó igazi klasszikus értelemben vett hódító szultán, hiszen többé egyik szultán sem vezetett személyesen hadjáratot. Murad inkább hasonlított az 1500-as évek elején uralkodó I. Yavuz Szelimre vagy I. Szulejmánra, mint közvetlen elődeire. Így személye erős lezárást adott a hódítások korának és az Oszmán Birodalom fénykorának. Édesapja, I. Ahmed mauzóleumában helyezték örök nyugalomra, mivel rövid élete során nem volt alkalma saját mauzóleumot építtetni és sokak szerint nem is foglalkoztatta az építészet.

Felhasznált források: C. Finkel - Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire; L. Peirce - The imperial harem; G. Börekçi - Factions and favourites at the courts of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-17) and his immediate predecessors; S. Faroqhi - The Ottoman Empire and the World; C. Imber - The Ottoman Empire 1300-1650; F. Suraiya, K. Fleet - The Cambridge History of Turkey 1453-1603; G. Piterberg - An Ottoman Tragedy, History and Historiography at Play; F. Suraiya - The Cambridge History of Turkey, The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603–1839; Howard - A History of the Ottoman Empire; Öztuna - Devletler ve Hanedanlar; Uluçay - Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları; : F. Davis - The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul; Y. Öztuna - Genç Osman ve IV. Murad; G. Junne - The black eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire; R. Dankoff - An Ottoman Mentality: The World of Evliya Çelebi; R. Murphey - ‘The Functioning of the Ottoman Army under Murad IV (1623–1639/1032–1049):Key to Understanding of the Relationship Between Center and Periphery; S. Faroqhi - Another Mirror for Princes, The Public Image of the Ottoman Sultans and Its Reception

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

The Love Cruise - by GleefullyCaptainSwan 

Read on AO3: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Or on FF

Tagging:  @stahlop  @kmomof4  @lfh1226-linda  @teamhook 

Chapter 2: On Your Feet for the Captain

Killian stood at the base of the plank staring up at the large ship he was about to board. He marveled to think that he, Killian Jones, was about to Captain such a large vessel.

“Can I help you?” Killian turned to his left and down at the short girl staring up at him.

“Sorry, Lass, just admiring the view. She’s a beauty.” He gestured toward the ship in front of them.

“She’s a game changer.” The woman marveled. “State of the art medical equipment. Best in her class.”

“Aye, so I’ve been told, do you work in the Medical center?”

“I do. Name’s Tink Bell.” She announced with an enthusiastic smile. “Are you working on the ship?”

“Aye, I’m her Captain.” He nodded to the girl and looked back up at the massive ship. “It’s nice meeting you, Lady Bell.”

“The girls are gonna get a kick out of you.” She mused, staring at him adoringly before she headed up the plank.

“A goddamned love cruise.” He groaned and mumbled to himself as he followed her up the plank.

“Welcome aboard Captain.” The man greeted him at the end of the gang plank.

“Thank you, can you direct me to my quarters? I’d like to drop off my things before I head to the bridge.”

“Certainly, sir, follow me.”

Killian followed the man through the narrow hallways, his hands lightly teasing the walls as he examined every nook and cranny of his new lover. When he was left alone in his quarters, he stood on his balcony, inhaling the smell of the sea. “Ok girl, I promise to take care of you, if you take care of me.” There was a knock on the door.

Opening the door revealed a man in a white uniform. “Good afternoon, Captain, they are ready to provide the brief on the bridge.”

“Thank you, I’ll be up there in a minute.” The man left him alone and Killian changed in silence into his uniform. Checking his reflection in the mirror, he exhaled and headed to the bridge. He loved the quietness of the ship only the crew on board before allowing passengers to board, he passed many of his crew members, nodding as they strolled by him along the way.

As approached the bridge, he whispered under his breath. “Ok Jones, get your shit together.”

“On your feet for the Captain.”

His chest puffed as he entered the bridge. He had to admit, he felt like a schoolkid walking into the room. Listening to his First Mate, Smee, walk through procedures was almost like a drug to him. When the report was done, he made his way through the ship, introducing himself to each member of the crew he met. When he made it to the atrium, he spotted Robin standing at his desk.

“Well, we made it.” He remarked. “Ready to witness all the debauchery and indecency my heart can handle.”

“Captain Jones, these next two weeks will be a defining moment of our lives.” Robin proclaimed, holding his hand to his heart.

“If I survive the next two weeks, that may be my defining moment.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Killian turned toward the angry voice, seeing Regina Mills making a beeline toward them. “Why are you here?” She glared at Robin.

“Hello, M’Lady, we meet again. You are still as ravishing as the last time I saw you.” Killian rolled his eyes; his friend was really laying it on thick.

“Don’t M’Lady me, why are you here?”

“I work here.” He announced proudly. “Looks like you and I will have plenty of time to get to know each other finally.”

She scoffed, “Not on your life, it’s a big ship, just steer clear of me.” She turned to face Killian. “I see he brought his whipping boy with him. Whatever did they hire you two to do? Cook, entertainer,” She turned with disgust at Robin. “Janitor.” She said looking down her nose at him.

“You might want to offer a bit more respect to your Captain.” Robin said with a shrug.

“You?” She said in horror.

“That would be me.” Killian interjected, holding out his hand. “Captain Jones. I don’t think we’ve officially met, last time I came in right about the time the liquid started flying.”

She paled slightly. “I hope you have better manners than this one.”

“Aye, I’ll ensure he behaves this time, Ms. Mills.”

“See that you do.” She added before stomping away.

“Maybe this is going to be more fun that I thought.” He mused as Robin’s eyes followed her adoringly until she rounded the corner and disappeared.

~*~

“So, you’ll be here when I get back from camp?”

Emma looked over at her son’s face, his small round features staring at her expectedly. “Of course, sweetie, I’ll be home before you even get back from camp.”

“Good because I want to tell you all about it when I get home.”

“And you know how much I love when you give me all the details.”

“And the ship won’t sink right?”

“Henry, we’ve talked about this, the ship won’t sink. People go on cruises all the time.”

“I just want you to come home to me.”

“I will always come home to you, Henry.”

“I love you mom.”

“I love you too, Peanut.”

Emma dropped Henry off at Granny’s, kissing him on the forehead and getting in a cab on her way to The Wooden Nickle to meet with the rest of her group.

“I didn’t think you’d actually show up.” August teased her as she entered the bar.

“Well, you know me, I’m not one to skip out on a challenge.” She shrugged, “Besides, I’m just going to have fun with my friends.”

“I’m happy you agreed to do this.” He said honestly. “You deserve to be happy.”

“I am happy, August.”

“So, you’ve said.” He said simply as Ruby and Will came stumbling into the bar, their hands full of luggage.

“My God, it’s two weeks, not two months.” August teased.

“You can’t limit me to one outfit a day. There are going to be men I have never met on this ship; they haven’t seen all my outfits.” Ruby complained with a pout.

“Explain that to the bloody person who has to carry all this garbage.” Will dropped the bag from his hands onto the ground.

Behind them David walked in the door with his suitcase, staring at the array of bags at Will’s feet. “I thought we were only going for two weeks?”

~*~

Killian read through his checklist from his seat on the bridge. He glanced at his watch; they would be boarding passengers in the next 30 minutes. He felt the familiar flutter of butterflies as he called out items from his list to confirm they were ready to sail. He was excited and nervous to Captain such a large vessel. The sea was the place that he felt the most at peace.

Perhaps that is why he moved into a houseboat after Milah’s death, despite the protests from his brother and Robin.

He couldn’t imagine sleeping in the bed they shared with her no longer there. He also couldn’t sleep there without waking up in a cold sweat remembering the night the phone rang, an unfamiliar person offering him condolences. His wife gone in an instant from an aneurism. There were no goodbyes, no last kiss, she was just gone in a single heartbeat.

But he had to admit that he wouldn’t miss his bed on the houseboat either. Robin had been honest about the size of his quarters on the ship. Perhaps the next 3 months at sea would be a good change for him, a chance to get his head right.

“Sir, passengers are boarding now.”

“Thank you, First Officer Smee, let’s run through the rest of the checklist.”

~*~

“Name and Identification please.” The portly woman standing behind the counter of the cruise ship terminal stood waiting for their documents as they checked in.

“Ruby Lucas.” She announced, handing over her ID.

“Emma Nolan.” Emma passed the ID to the woman.

“I can’t believe we are about to get on that for the next two weeks.” Ruby stared up toward the ship and Emma had to admit it was quite impressive standing below the immaculate ship.

“I hope I don’t get seasick. Do you think I should take my Dramamine now?”

“The worst of it should only last for the first 48 hours.” The lady behind the desk offered. “But I would take it before you get on board. It can be quite disorienting at first.”

Emma dug in her bag, popping the pills into her mouth, and swallowing with the last gulp of her water bottle.

“Alright ladies, you are all set. Here are your cruise ID’s, these will open the door to your room so don’t lose them.”

They finished signing their documents and met up with the boys who had all checked in before them.

“How come you get your own room?” Will was whining as they joined the group.

“Because I paid for this whole trip.” August shrugged and Will winced.

“Works for me, I guess we’re roomies Mate.” Will patted David on the shoulder.

~*~

“Oh my God, look at this room.” Ruby threw herself down on the bed as soon as they entered their room.

“Wow, August must have paid a pretty penny for this.” Emma was astounded at the room, complete with a small sitting area and large balcony.

“This is going to be the best two weeks ever.”

While Emma was nervous about being away from Henry for so long, she knew she would have been away from him at home while he was at camp anyway. At least this way she could distract herself and she had to admit, being on board this luxurious ship was not a bad way to do it.

There was a knock on their door and Ruby jumped up to answer it. “Hello Beautiful.” Will was leaning in their door frame, he was wearing the most ridiculous looking button-down shirt, covered in palm trees and flamingos.

“What are you wearing?”

“It’s my vacation look, like it?” He modeled his shirt, walking through their room and spinning quickly as he got to the other end. “My shorts are khaki.” He ran his hand down his shorts and back up to his shirt. “And this, is the money maker.” He flipped the collar up on his shirt. “Now, which one of you ladies is escorting me to tonight’s launch party on the Lido deck?” He looked between them.

Emma jumped up from the bed and wrapped her arms around Will’s neck, planting her lips on his cheek. “My hero.” She giggled. “Find your own, Rubes, this one’s mine.”

“You heard the lady.” Will said proudly.

“I’m just going to change really quick. Are we meeting you guys up there?”

“Aye, we are heading up in a minute, your brother takes a long time to get ready. Are you aware of that?”

Emma snorted loudly. “Try growing up with him. That hair, right?”

“Bloody hell, he’s worse than a woman with that. I left him fluffing it in the bathroom. I was feeling less like a man the longer he took. No wonder he’s single, eh?” He shut the door behind him, and Emma and Ruby quickly changed into their sundresses for the party.

Once they were ready to leave, they hooked their arms together and found their way to the Lido deck. “My God look at all the fresh meat.” Ruby marveled as Emma felt her anxiety increase at the number of men and women gathered on the deck, many already coupling and pairing up for the evening.

As soon as she saw Will standing by the railing, she ran to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “There’s my date.” She giggled, holding on to him like a life vest.

“Hello, love. Are you ready to set sail?”

“Ready for the adventure of a lifetime.” She jumped when a loud horn blared on deck signaling the ship being ready to push away from the dock.

She felt an arm around her shoulder and looked over to see her brother, smiling brightly. “You look happy.” She chuckled.

“We are on the ocean, wind in our hair, our whole future in front of us, what’s not to be happy about?”

“Well, Will says it took you an hour to do your hair, you sure you’re excited about the whole wind scenario?”

“You aren’t going to ruin my mood with your negativity, sis.”

“Will, I’m pretty sure that girl is checking you out.” Emma turned to seek out the woman that Ruby was pointing out to Will. A few groups away was a short, brunette, smiling in his direction.

“Bloody hell, I’m not a piece of meat. Where’s my girlfriend?” He turned, dragging Emma back to his side and wrapping a protective arm around her neck.

“She’s cute.” Emma whispered.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” He whined.

“Where did David go?” She asked, looking around.

“He’s talking to that girl over there.” Emma swung around and located her brother, standing by the bar, laughing with a short haired woman.

“That was quick.”

“Always the charmer.” Will added.

David came back toward the group with a bucket full of beer. He passed one to each of the group. “Already meeting people?” Emma inquired.

“Sorry?”

“Don’t act innocent, I know what the David Nolan flirt looks like.” She flipped her hair and laughed, her head tilting back as she exhaled.

“Whatever, she tried to steal my beer, so I introduced myself.”

“A thief, those are the worst kind.” Will scowled.

“Well, it was a misunderstanding, so it was all good.”

“What’s her name?” August asked stepping into the conversation.

“Mary Margaret. She’s actually friends with the woman who’s been eye fucking Will.”

“Shit, she has spies already.” He reached out, grabbing Emma by the hand.

“Must be really hard to be you, William.” Emma teased.

“It’s the worst.” He groaned.

~*~

“Let’s take her out, Smee.” Killian announced with an adventurous smirk, guiding the ship out of the dock and into the open seas. The feel of the ship shuddering beneath his feet, the controls in his hand as he turned her toward the ocean was exhilarating and brought him back to the time Liam let him take the helm of the Battleship during their time in the Navy. The sea was an intoxicating mistress and one that he would love for his entire life.

A few hours later after the ship was full speed ahead in the open waters, Killian excused himself from the bridge and made his way back to his quarters.

“Jones, I was just coming up to see you.” He turned to see Robin approaching his room.

“I see you are still alive, so Ms. Mills has not made you walk the plank yet.”

“I’m about to go check her out. She’s giving her ‘Welcome Aboard’ speech on the Lido deck right now. Thought I’d go give her a hand.”

“One that she will most likely break.” He laughed as Robin ignored his comment.

“You coming?”

“To the launch party? I don’t think so.”

“Come on, Mate. It’s your first night as the Captain of this beautiful vessel, don’t you want everyone to greet and fall in love with Captain Jones?”

“That is my exact fear.”

“Fine, but you will have to show yourself eventually around the decks. Passengers always have questions for the Captain. At least put on some civvies and head up top to watch the sunset tonight.” Robin left him in the hallway, mulling over his options for the evening.

~*~

“And again, I want to welcome you all aboard The Love Cruise, may our home be yours for the next two weeks.”

The dark-haired woman was giving a speech about all the fun they were about to embark on, but all Emma could focus on was the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded from all sides. “I’m just gonna get some air.” She yelled into Will’s ear.

“Beer? Yes, I’ll take one.” He yelled back. Emma nodded and then pushed her way through the crowd. Perhaps a drink wasn’t a bad idea.

“What’s the drink of the day?” She asked the bartender as she approached, happy to be away from the large crowd behind her.

“Pineapple margarita.” He held up the large pineapple, “Comes in a pineapple.”

She laughed. “Who could say no to that?” She handed over her ID card and turned to watch as the crowd was whipped into a frenzy, the cruise director and another man hyping the crowd as the music started to blare through the speakers.

“Here you go Miss.”

She took the large pineapple, complete with umbrella and flower and walked further down the deck toward the front of the ship, away from the crowd and noise. The drink was ridiculously over the top, but she reminded herself that she was on an over-the-top cruise where singles came to meet up and perhaps an adult drink in a large fruit wasn’t that ridiculous after all.

She sipped her drink as she leaned over the rail, watching the water in the ships wake ripple in the last light left before the sun dipped below the ocean’s view.

“I hope you have no plans to jump, I’m a fairly good swimmer but the water is quite cold.”

Emma flinched and turned to the offending intruder when her heart caught in her throat. Standing before her was the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. The waning sun shimmered in the dark strands of his hair, his blue eyes reflecting like pools of bright light staring back at her.

Oh my God Emma, say something!

“No plans currently at the moment but I’m reserving my right to jump later.”

“Well then I guess you’ll have to alert me when the time comes so that someone will be there to fetch you.”

His voice was smooth and addicting and she was conflicted on being annoyed that he was interrupting her private moment but also trying to come up with an excuse to get him to continue speaking to her with his incredibly sexy accent.

Stop it.

She realized he was still looking at her and suddenly she didn’t know how long she had been standing there in silence looking like a cat that swallowed a canary. She did the only thing she could do and started laughing. However, she was sure if that was not an improvement on the silence or if she suddenly just turned into a crazy person laughing for no reason.

As if recognizing her inner turmoil, he leaned against the rail beside her and spoke again. “This is my favorite part of the ship.”

“The rail?”

What the fuck, Emma. Why would she say that?

He chuckled, “The bow of the ship. Looking out at the ocean, seeing where she’s taking you, no other feeling like it.”

“You aren’t about to expose some weird kink to me and ask me to pose like they did on the titanic or anything, right?”

He scrunched his nose, “That’s a kink? Perhaps I don’t understand that word as well as I thought I did.”

She couldn’t stop the snort from escaping her and quickly cupped her mouth.

“So, tell me love, why are you not at the party with all the other desperate singles?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was blackmailed into coming on this cruise?”

It was his turn to laugh loudly and she immediately noticed the adorable way his eyes crinkled when he did.

“Blackmailed? Well, that is scandalous.”

“I could ask you the same, unless you were stalking me and followed me back here to get me alone?”

“I can assure you, there was no nefarious plot besides wanting to get away from the crowd, the same as yourself.”

“Blackmailed as well?” She joked.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“My friends mean well, but I’m just not, into this.” She looked around at the boat, and back toward the crowd of people dancing.

“Aye, I suppose I’ve never been a fan of the smell of desperation, honestly.”

She found herself laughing again, something he seemed to be very good at eliciting from her. “I should get back to my friends before they send out a search party or think I’ve hooked up with someone and ask for a million details.”

He nodded to her as she pushed off the rail. “Might I ask for your name?” He paused, “In case you are in need of assistance when you throw yourself overboard in the future.”

She bit her lip, staring at him in the moonlight. It can’t hurt to give him your name, it’s not like you’re going to run into him again on this giant ship. “It’s Emma.  Emma Swan.” She stated quickly, hoping if he was a stalker that giving him her nickname instead of her last name would slow him down in finding her again.

“Nice to meet you, Emma.”

She turned, walking quickly back towards her friends. When she found them, Will was looking around nervously. “Oi, I thought you dumped me already.” He put his arm back around her shoulder and she leaned against him, swaying to the music as they listened to a band performing on the stage under the stars. “Hey, where’s my beer?”

[cutegirlmayra]

Sonic Movie: Sonamy Prompt

Birthday week!!! So, for my birthday, I’m gonna spend this whole week writing prompts for you guys! Yay! Commissions are open still but not for long, prompts are open and we’re at 137! If you’ve already submitted 3 prompt requests please hold off to let others have a chance! Thank you!

I’ve had SOOOO many ideas for Amy Rose in this adaptation of Sonic, and now I can finally write another one! :Db

Prompt:

After meeting Tails, Sonic is reluctant to leave Earth even if it’s only for a quick visit to meet the fighters who are striving for freedom and to prepare for the threat of the Master Emerald’s Chaos God.

It seems Eggman might have something to do with it, hoping to perhaps use it to return home for Christmas, but Sonic knows that’s not a good idea. Worriedly, he bids a hearty farewell to his adapted family and steps into the portal ring with Tails.

It’s there that he meets another Hedgehog, Amy gets easily flustered because, apparently, Tails warns she falls easily for people--but after so many heartbreaks, she’s gone a little extreme with her crush-happy tendencies.

However, Sonic--barely listening to Tails’s warning anyway--zips on over to her and excitedly remarks about all the parts of her that are hedgehog related, and naturally seems to be wooing her without realizing it. He plays the ‘cool new guy’ persona and she immediately falls for it, which surprises him because he’s used to acting cocky and confident but wasn’t expecting it to work this well... Tails scolds him but says he must live with the consequences, then proceeds to laugh behind his back at Sonic’s dense understanding of what has happened.

He grows shy after realizing Amy worries her strength will intimidate potential lovers, and thereby ruining her chances of love. She hints that she’s worried he’ll leave too, but he still doesn’t get that she likes him so much, so instead--he takes it as she thinks he won’t be her friend because of her powers. He admits he felt the same way, that because of his speed, no one would want to be with him without wanting to steal it. She thinks that’s him admitting feelings for her too and agrees to go back to Earth with him, thinking they’re going to get married.

She flirts and teases and swoons easily as he mistakes all this for her just trying to make a friend and feels he relates to that, even stating, “I’d love to be on a baseball team with you! You’d do great!” which confuses Tails because he thought Sonic wanted to have him on a baseball team... (they’re friendship is shaky at this point, but Tails’s admires him and soon learns that Sonic does want to be friends, even best friends. ^^)

When Eggman does get back to earth, also leading to Chaos finding his way to the planet, reigning down havoc and destruction, it’s up to Sonic’s new friends and a recently recruited Echidna (Knuckles was under the impression he needed Sonic’s speed but then sees the evil of his people and joins forces with him.) to save the day! Amy unleashes her Piko Piko Hammer fury and Sonic praises her, even starstruck by how powerful she really is. She blushes and loses her fear that her power will keep her from true love.

They, unfortunately, are defeated by Eggman’s cunning and machines. They flee into the forest where they meet an experimental ‘Sonic’ known as Shadow, who is protecting a little girl named Maria from the government. (President’s granddaughter in this version.) He hates the government and Sonic, who they tried to clone, and only wants to protect the little girl who freed him from his torturous experiments. Amy agrees to look after Maria if Shadow will convince the government to help stop Eggman before Chaos gets too powerful and all seven chaos emeralds.

Shadow and Sonic butt heads with each other but end up working well together (movie finale?) and Sonic turns Super for the first time... being an odd mix of Sonic, Shadow also can turn Super, and they use their combined power to defeat his ultimate form. 

After the fight (More my prompt lol, this is just an explaination), Sonic and his newfound friends play a baseball game together, but Sonic’s sweet encouragements for Amy make her miss 2 swings. Worried, he says ‘home run’ as in make one, but she thinks he’s offering to run her home and gets serious. She explodes the baseball... leaving everyone shocked and horrified as the little kids playing against them look shocked.

Tom and Maddie don’t like Sonic staying out so late but he says he’s only dropping Amy off. Tom is suspicious but Maddie pats his chest and tells him this is probably good for him.

Racing along, Amy begins to feel uneasy about how people reacted to the ball exploding on impact, and if he was scared of her now.

He admits it was a shock, but he’s not scared of her. “It’s hard to be scared of a cute pink hedgehog, right?”

He doesn’t realize his words have gripped her heart and as he sets her down to return to her home, she kisses him and tells him she agrees to being his girlfriend, then leaves.

He’s absolutely taken aback and feels violated as he cries and complains to Maddie, who uses reverse physiology to see his real feelings. “You know what? You’re right. I’ll call Tom, he’s working late tonight.” She picks up the phone and starts calling him.

“It’s not even that late...” Sonic complains, wondering what she’s doing.

Sonic, being dramatic, looks up from whining into his arms on the couch and flicks his ear to her, his eyes watching her.

“Tom,” He’s holding up a sign on a street to let kids coming home from school cross the road safely.

“Yes, I’d like to report a felony.” Maddie looks away from Sonic, trying to sound ‘official’ but also fake.

“...Maddie?” Tom tilts his head, while also waving with his fingers slightly to a little girl who passes him and waved to him first. “What’s this all about?”

“Sonic was attacked by a vicious girl.”

“Wait!” Sonic jumps on the couch, dashing over to her, “That’s not true!”

“But you said she just launched herself at you! You were violated, it was awful!” Maddie continues, as Tom just looks side to side with his eyes... trying to put two and two together while working.

“Y-yeah, but...” He steps back a moment, growing shy. “She’s not a criminal! She just... caught me by surprise!” he admitted.

“Oh... A misdemeanor then.” Maddie concluded, then turned back to Tom, “You saw her explode that baseball, what do you think she did to his lips! We’ll have to schedule him for a check up, he could be positive for..!” she suddenly stopped, her eyes growing wide and putting her hand over the phone. Curious, Sonic runs to compile boxes to stand on and leans his head to her own to hear her next words. She holds in a snort of laughter, then whispers, “Cuties.”

Sonic gasps, and Tom smiles.

A woman in her car is gesturing to Tom, wondering why he’s still blocking them from going when the kids have already crossed. Thinking she’s also waving at him like the little girl did, and having no awareness for what’s going on besides the phone call, he waves to her and continues to take the call.

“There’s only one thing to do, a restraining order!”

“No!” Sonic jumps onto her, clinging to her neck, “She’s so alone as it is! And C-C-Cuties have never been proven scientifically deadly!”

She spins herself, pretending to try and get him off as his feet dangle and swish around her. “Pretzel lady, please! She’s just a innocent girl! She didn’t mean any harm!”

“She’s clearly made her victim delusional!” Maddie sits down on the couch, “That’s it. We’ll have to lock him in his room so he can never see her again.”

“What!?” Sonic then argues that she may need him, what if she gets in trouble?

Maddie, per Tom’s instruction, hands the phone over to Sonic and Tom convinces him that he should pull Amy to the side and explain to her that that kinda behavior is uncalled for and she could be arrested under charges of assault next time.

“Tell her you know a cop.” He joked.

Sonic takes the advice and goes to see Amy again, however, he’s trying to act high and mighty, haughty towards her but she just continues to act like nothing is the matter. He’s deflated by her not reacting at all to his words, and even seems to be pretending she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He pulls her aside, away from the crowd, but Amy gasps and realizes he just pulled her into the Olive Garden parking lot.

They get a table but he’s still trying to put the words together to explain to her the ‘grievous situation’ she could be in with the law and also how she shouldn’t do things like that again but the staff get the wrong idea and start setting ‘the mood’ by placing candles on the table.

Sonic’s words make Amy think he’s proposing, and she delightfully leans in as he leans in trying to whisper to her that they should keep a distance but he’s going about it all wrong.

“You see, heroes shouldn’t have love interests because there’s a-a-a lot of problems that can happen and-” he pauses in his tough boy hero act as he notices the scene and Amy coming in closer over the table. “Ah!” he sits back down and backs away, noticing the romantic setup and wondering how it all happened.

Amy sits back down, disappointed, but states, “I will only kiss the man who will be my husband~”

He thinks she’s being a rascal and playing with his feelings then, and states, folding his arms, “So you are just a flirt! Fooling with heroes hearts and all..”

She giggles, “I’ll fool with your heart forever and ever, Sonic. That’s all I ever want.”

From that time on, Sonic’s exasperated attempts to keep her away or at an arm’s distance is merely because he thinks she’s just teasing and messing with his emotions... However, she is as sincere as she can be~<3

[evyiione]

Solace: Chapter Five

Summary: The story of Jaime Lannister and Y/N about how they escaped Cersei’s claws.

Warning: Angst, Fluff, mild smut, graphic torture scene

Pairing: Jaime x Fem!Stark!Reader

Reader's pronoun: She/Her

A/N: I hope Game of Thrones fans out there will like it!

Disclaimer: GOT belongs to G.R.R Martin and the HBO Company. I only own the story.

Beta: @detectiveperalta on Wattpad and IG

Masterlist

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CHAPTER 5: FALL OF A TYRANT

 PREVIOUSLY

 “I should’ve been there to protect you! I should’ve stayed!” he exclaimed.

“Enough, don’t start with this again. I chose this fate. Besides now that you are here, I already feel better. I know everything will be alright.” you said and kissed him.

Jaime laid down and scooted closer to you. He put his handless arm around your waist and caressed your head with his hand until you both fell asleep.

 Jaime wasn’t worried to get caught with you, he was an early bird so he would make sure you would be back in your quarters before anyone would notice.

Little did they know, a servant had heard everything and reported to Cersei immediately.

 A FEW DAYS LATER

 Jaime, although still depressed at the loss of his sword hand, soon found a way to feel useful once more. Thanks to Cersei, he now had a golden hand. Every day he would train with Bronn, and to be honest he was getting better, mentally, physically and at fighting.

 He presented you to Brienne of Tarth and you immediately liked her; she was a strong woman who didn’t give a shit about what other people thought. You admired her for that.

 Lately, Jaime and Cersei spent a lot of time together for the preparation of Joffrey’s wedding. At first, you were worried Cersei would try to get information as to why he kept rejecting her advances. You knew he wouldn’t betray you, but you were afraid of what Cersei was capable of.

And finally came King Joffrey’s wedding to Margery Tyrell…

 The wedding was grand, worthy of a King, of a great King, which Joffrey was not. And although you were glad that Sansa did not have to marry him, a small part of you wept for Margery.

 The day started on a great note but unfortunately ended on a bad one.

At the banquet, you were seated beside Lady Olenna Tyrell. You watched Joffrey as he humiliated his uncle. You watched as he choked and fell to the ground. You watched as Jaime rushed toward his son as his features contorted in worry and fear.

 As Joffrey drew his last breath, he pointed at Tyrion just as he picked up the cup. Cersei, devastated and enraged by the loss of her son, had Tyrion arrested for the King’s murder.

 Fearing that your little sister would be accused of conspiracy, you forced yourself to detach your eyes from the lifeless body sprawled on the floor to look at your sister, only to find that she had disappeared.

 A part of you was worried for Sansa, but you also hoped that wherever she was, she would be safer than in Cersei claws.

 -------

 After Joffrey’s funeral, Jaime came to you desolated in your chambers. You could see it in his eyes, he felt responsible for his son’s death. As soon as he closed the door, you enveloped him into a hug. 

 “It is my fault” Jaime whispered, as beads of tears started to fall.

 Stepping back and grabbing his head between your hands so he would look at you straight in the eyes, you said: “No, it was not; there is nothing you could have done to prevent it”.

 “I am a Kingsguard, I a - was his father, I should have been here to protect him,” he said resting his hands upon yours.

 “Listen to me Jaime, no one could have prevented it, it wasn’t your fault as much as it wasn’t mine. I am sorry you lost a son, I can’t imagine how hard it must be, but never think that you are responsible for his death,” you said and then took his hand to lead him to your bed, where you both sat.

 “And it is certainly not Tyrion’s fault either. He and Joffrey didn’t like each other sure, but he would never have killed him. Tyrion would never purposefully harm his family,” Jaime stated.

 “I know. I believe Tyrion to be innocent. His trial is in two days and I fear he might say something harsh that might end up with him with a cord around his neck” you said, sharing your worries.

 “Tyrion has a thing for dramatics, whatever he planned won’t end well. I visited him in his cell earlier and told me he was going to ask for a trial by combat. But if his champion was to lose, I need to find a way to get him out. I already lost my son, I won’t stand idly by and let another member of my family die.” Jaime affirmed.

 “I know you wouldn’t, it is one of the things I like most about you. You would do anything for those you hold dear in your heart,” you said, smiling at him before leaning in and kissing him, a kiss he eagerly returned.

 A FEW DAYS AFTER TYRION ESCAPE

 Jaime, although still grieving, managed to move on. He didn’t want to dwell on the past, he preferred to plan his future.

 He only talked about it to Bronn, but Jaime seriously considered the idea of marrying you. You are his light and despite all the things that are keeping him from marrying you, like his status as a King's Guard, he wants to marry you more than anything else. The only thing is that he didn’t know how and when to ask you. 

 But he knew that when it was time, he would know right away. And for him, this moment happened to be when he visited you in your chambers one evening. Here you were, sitting upon a chair, reading a book, the glow of the candles shining upon your skin, creating a golden aura around you. You were perfection personified.

 As soon as he got out of his trance, he rushed to you and got down on one knee, grasping your hands.

 His actions and odd behaviour surprised you and as you were about to ask him what was going on, he cut you off.

 “Y/N, you saved me from myself: you are my own true love and I would be honoured to call you my wife if you will have me?” 

 You froze in shock, your mouth hanging open for a minute, but as he called your name for a second time, you quickly uttered your answer.

 “Yes! Yes, I will marry you!” you exclaimed, throwing yourself at him and capturing his lips in a searing kiss.

 When you broke apart for some air, Jaime got up, lifting you in his arms and started walking toward the bed where he laid you down. He took off his armour, dressed down to his breaches and joined you in bed, encircling his arms around your waist so that you would lay on him. No words were needed, as you both relished in the happiness of the moment.

 -------

 These last few days have been the happiest of your life. Both you and Jaime were happy, even though you were not married yet, you knew that nothing could break you apart.

 Unfortunately, a mission for Jaime will lead him to leave you for a while. He was tasked to retrieve Myrcella from Dorne.

 The day before his departure, Jaime asked you to join him in the undergrounds of the Red Keep. He told you to wear your best dress and to remain unseen. You did as he asked and put on your favourite dress, an elegant gown made of midnight blue and white/grey silk with a plunging neckline. 

 As you reached the undergrounds, you saw many torches were lit, forming a path. Following the said path you finally arrived at the destination when you saw Jaime and Bronn waiting for you, the both of them well dressed and another man.

 Approaching Jaime with a confused face you asked him: “What is all this, Jaime?”.

 “Our wedding.” Jaime simply answered.

 “What? But how? You are still a King’s Guard, you can’t marry me,” you said, even more confused.

 “I know that, but it is just for us. Bronn will be our witness and Maester Lurell will officiate the ceremony. He is an old friend of my family and was sworn to secrecy.” Jaime explained.

 “Jaime, I don’t know what to say…” you softly said.

 “Then just say yes, say that you will marry me. I love you more than anything and want to spend the rest of my days with you. I don’t want to spend one more second without being married to you, without being able to call you my wife.” Jaime confessed.

 At his words, your heart swelled with love and you grabbed his face and kissed him with all the love you could muster before pulling away.

 “The first time you proposed, the answer was yes. The answer hasn’t changed nor will it ever change. Of course, I will marry you! I love you so much!” you said as tears of happiness slid down your face.

 “You heard the lady, let’s get the ceremony started, shall we?” Bronn exclaimed turning towards Maester Lurell, a grin visible on his face.

 After exchanging your vows, Jaime got two strings out of his pouch and held them out to you. Looking at it, you gasped. At the end of each string were pendants: one of a lion and one of a wolf.

 “I am sorry I can’t get you a ring given our situation, but I had this made especially for you. The wolf represents you, and the lion represents me. And if you bring them together, you can see that they fit perfectly as one, just like you and I.” Jaime explained.

 “Jaime, it is beautiful thank you.” You said as tears started to fall again.

 Happy that his gift pleased you, Jaime proceeded to tie the string of the lion pendant around your neck and then you tied the wolf pendant around his.

 Turning back to you and touching your pendant Jaime said: “This way a part of me will always be with you and a part of you with me.” and then kissed you again.

--------

 Life was peaceful for a time in the Red Keep. Ever since Cersei had been arrested by the High Sparrow, life seemed easier for you. Of course, you pitied the woman, she didn’t deserve whatever they were doing to her. You just hoped Jaime would come back soon. You didn’t want to face Cersei before Jaime’s return.

 However, as soon as Cersei recovered she wasted no time attempting to get to you. And get to you she did. As soon as the sky was covered in stars, she had you abducted.

 Someone entered your chambers and knocked you unconscious. When you woke up, you were chained to a wall in an extremely dark and foul-smelling room with only one very small window. You couldn’t see anything else as the night didn’t provide much light.

 For hours, you screamed for help, but nobody came. You tried to yank at your chains to no avail. As the sun rose into the sky, you had given up. But the light provided by the rising sun allowed you to notice a chair and a small round table with a jug and goblet on it. You only got a hint of your location as you heard the bells of the Sept of Baelor ring midday.

 It was then that you heard someone unlock the door. You thought that someone had come for you yet as the door opened and revealed who was stepping in, you knew that this person was not here to save you but to hurt you.

 “Oh, you’re awake. Perfect,” said Cersei as she entered the room.

 “W-What do you want?” you asked. You tried to show no fear, but the waver in your voice betrayed you.

 Smirking, Cersei said “I want you to suffer” before she proceeded to call for someone. “You can come in, Qyburn”.

Then a small man you had only seen in passing entered with a tray full of sharp objects. Your blood ran cold. 

Cersei then sat at the table and poured what seemed to be wine into the goblet. “Qyburn here has invented a few little tools he would like to test. And you seem to be perfect for his experiments. Meanwhile, I will sit and enjoy the show.” and she took a sip of her wine.

Then, the nightmare began.

 ---------

 Over the days that passed under Qyburn’s ministrations, you realized that Cersei’s intention was not to get information out of you: she intended to see you suffer. 

All you could feel was pain. You tried not to show it but Qyburn was rather methodical when it came to torture, slicing you ever so slowly, much to the enjoyment of Cersei. They would come once or twice a day, sometimes at night, and Cersei would sit idly by as Qyburn would try one of his new “toys” as he liked to call them. Sometimes, one of Cersei's guards, Gregor Clegane, you believe, would be called in and would beat you. You experienced the worst of Qyburn’s inventions when one day a chair with straps and metal attached to it appeared. The Mountain placed you into it, strapping you in so you couldn’t move an inch of your body. Qyburn would sit next to you and get several needles and a small hammer from the tray; he would place the needles right under your nails and slowly push them in with the hammer. All you could do was scream, and scream you did.

 --------

 As the boat Jaime was stood in approached the decks of King’s Landing, all he could feel was sadness for his daughter and longing for his wife. The thought of seeing her was all that kept him going.

However, when he only saw Cersei waiting for him, he knew something was terribly wrong. He wanted to go and look after you but knew he couldn’t right away. As much as he hated Cersei, they still lost their daughter: the purest of the Lannisters.

 After comforting his sister, he went to try and find you. He first went to your chambers, but he did not find you there. He then tried the Library but again, you weren’t there. On the way to the gardens, he crossed paths with Bronn and asked for his help. Bronn, of course, agreed to help and then went the opposite way.

 After looking for you for over an hour, Jaime decided to go and confront his sister.

 Jaime stormed into Cersei’s room yelling: “What have you done to her? Where is my wife!?”

 Although shocked by the revelation of his marriage to you, Cersei managed to keep her mask intact. “You mean the Stark slut? Somewhere hidden, away from you.”

 “Tell me where she is now!” Jaime all but yelled.

 “And tell me why I should let her live when our daughter is dead! You failed to take our daughter home safe and sound. This failure of yours will only bring your slut more suffering!” said Cersei nonchalantly.

 "Don't you dare hurt her, she is my only solace in all of the Seven Kingdoms! If you dare raise a hand upon her, I will-" Jaime threatened but was cut off. 

 "You will do what? Kill me? You and I both know you are not capable of it" Cersei spat.

 "You can burn under dragon fire for all I care! You mean nothing to me!" Jaime roared at Cersei.

 "I'm your Queen; you can't frighten me! You can't harm me!" Cersei exclaimed with an unwavering voice but shock and hurt were written all over her face.

 "If you hurt the woman I love, I will make sure you die. I'm not afraid of adding Queenslayer to my list of titles." Jaime said calmly, staring at his sister with eyes so intense that they could cut her head right off.

 "I once was the woman you loved... Don't you remember?" Cersei said, as a last attempt to manipulate him.

 "Yes, I do remember. But now, when I'm looking at you, all I see is a monster," Jaime answered and then left to retrieve Bronn to keep looking for you. 

 As he walked away, he could hear Cersei screaming: “I swear to the old Gods and new that as long as I draw breath, I'll have no rest until she is dead! You belong to me, Jaime!”.

 But he ignored her threat. When he finally found Bronn, the two of them rummaged through the whole palace in hopes of finding you, fighting anyone who dared to stand in their way, threatening anyone who might be withholding valuable information. However, the search ended when they came across Cersei’s maid. Jaime didn’t even have to threaten her because the look of fury on his face was enough to make her disclose your location.

 She led them to you and as soon as they arrived, she ran away.

“Oi, where do you think you’re going?” Bronn exclaimed as he left to follow her.

 “Leave her, she is of no use to us anymore,” Jaime said and Bron nodded, knowing he was right. Then Jaime made his way to the door. He tried to open the door but it was locked. So, he decided to force his way through it. As soon as the door gave way he rushed inside, scanning every corner of the cell until his eyes found her. 

 As a man born in the Lannister House, he was prepared to see all kinds of monstrosities. His time beside the Mad King had him growing accustomed to the gore of life. But nothing could’ve prepared him to see his beloved wife in such a state. His blood ran cold at the thought of what Cersei had done to you. It was only when you called his name that he snapped out of his stupor and rushed to you, carefully cradling you in his arms.

 “Oh, Y/N... I am so sorry. I should’ve never left” Jaime whispered as tears threatened to fall. 

 Looking up at him, you brought a hand to his face, stroking his cheek before whispering words of reassurance. “It’s okay, you are here now. It looks worse than it is”.

 Smiling at your attempt to appease him, he said: “We are getting out of here; we are leaving this town, I am not ready to lose someone else today”.

 At his words, you frowned and asked: “Lose someone else? Who?” without meeting your gaze, he answered, “Myrcella… she… she died on the way back. She knew who I was, you know? She knew I was her father, and she still loved me. Yet I failed her, and I failed you…”.

 “Oh Jaime, you did not fail her, you were here for her all of her life, even if just as an uncle. The fact that she loved you only shows that you did right by her and you certainly did not fail me, you hear me? You didn’t fail anyone,” you said, grabbing his face between your hands and looking at him straight in the eyes.

 Nodding slowly, Jaime let out a shaky breath and stood up, lifting you in his arms.

 “Oi, not to interrupt the reunion but we have to move before we get caught,” Bronn whisper-yelled, still standing guard.

 “Alright, let us go, Y/N is in no shape to walk, so I will carry her while you cover our back. We have to get to the docks” Jaime instructed.

 “Why the docks?” You and Bronn asked at the same time.

 “I told you that we were getting out of King’s Landing, didn’t I? We are going to Esos, and try to find Tyrion. I am sure he will help us convince his Queen to protect us.” Jaime explained before continuing “I am sure the ship is still there, and I got the gold we need to buy the captain’s service” and with that proceeded to walk out of the cell. 

 Bronn walked in front of you both, making sure no guards were in the vicinity. When you were out of the Keep, you were stopped by a dozen guards and behind them stood Cersei, her green eyes blazing with anger.

 Without wasting any time, Jaime put you down, unsheathed his sword and attacked the enemy along with Bronn. The fight was hard, as Jaime and Bronn were severely outnumbered, but they still managed to kill everyone until only Cersei was standing.

 “Bronn, take Y/N, I will take Cersei” Jaime ordered before walking up to his twin.

 “What are you going to do? Kill me?” Cersei asked.

 “I should. I should kill you, this way I know you will never hurt the woman I love ever again… But I won’t kill you, for now. I will just use you so we can escape safely. If any of your guards are following us, or if your new dog attacks try anything, I will kill you.” Jaime said while looking at her straight in the eyes before tying her hands and putting a knife at her throat. 

 Cersei was astonished at the hate dripping out of his words. Never had she imagined that Jaime would speak to her like that or put a knife at her throat. She was speechless, but hatred toward Y/N kept growing inside of her. Nevertheless, she nodded in understanding and let herself be dragged out to the docks.

 As they arrived at the docks, the Mountain and some guards were standing in their path. The knife at her throat pressed harder as a silent command to make her order her guards to do nothing.

 “Let them pass! Don’t engage in combat!” Cersei yelled.

 Following the orders, the guards let the four of them walk up to the small boat. They all clambered aboard, Bronn taking the oars in hand to row to the ship.

 Once aboard the ship, Jaime paid the captain and turned to Cersei. “I will let you go now, but you’d better not have anyone follow us. Otherwise, I will make sure to kill you next time I see you,” Jaime threatened and then dragged her onto the edge of the deck where they could see the guards anxiously waiting at the docks.

 “I will release the Queen! You will have to come and get her!” Jaime screamed.

 As Jaime cut the ropes tying her wrists together Cersei said, “I swear to the old Gods and new, that as long as I draw breath, I'll have no rest until she is dead!” but Jaime ignored her and pushed her overboard.

 --------

 The journey to Esos was long, but it gave you time to recover. Jaime tended to your injuries every day. He barely left your side, the only times he left you alone were at night when you were asleep to either get some air or to talk with Bronn.

 Seven days after you left King’s Landing, you finally reached Pentos where they found an old friend of Tywin who helped them locate Tyrion and the Dragon Queen. When you arrived in Meereen, Jaime asked for an audience with Daenerys, and, although the Queen was not at first pleased to see the man who killed her father, she agreed, under Tyrion’s advice, to protect all of you.

 And this is how you and Jaime were finally at peace together with your friends. And, despite the war looming over your head, you knew you would all come out alive and stronger from it because you were together, and nothing could destroy the love you had for each other and your hopes for a better future.

CHAPTER 1 - CHAPTER 2 - CHAPTER 3 - CHAPTER 4 - CHAPTER 5

[peanutbutterpanda3]

Here's chapter 2

So. All Might," She smiled over the top of her coffee cup. They were perched atop a building, watching the traffic below them. He glanced over, taking a sip as she collected her thoughts.

"Hhmm. I'm trying to think of things I can ask you that I can't just google... Umm... Favorite color?"

"Yellow. You?" He smiled.

"Mm, blue. How does your hair stay up like that?" She queried

"I lather rinse and repeat every time," he joked. She punched him in the shoulder.

"Why are you such a freeaboo?"

"A what?"

"What's with the American antics?"

He took another sip of tea and shrugged, "i grew up with a American hero movies. Thought it would be great."

"And?" She prompted.

"And?" He asked.

"Is it great? Being a hero?"

"...The best," he beamed. They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the sunshine and street noise. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and plugged in headphones.

"Am I being boring? Is she gonna leave? Oh shit, I blew it." All Might thought, panicking.

"Here," she offered a tiny earbud to him, scooting closer. All Might blinked and accepted it, confused.

"I love music, can't go a day without it," she sighed, scrolling through miles of playlists. She found one she liked and hit play, an unfamiliar American song played gently in the background as they returned to people watching. It added a touch of romance to the scene, All Might thought, leaning closer. She smiled and kicked her feet as they dangled over the edge.

"I used to be afraid of heights," she said suddenly, peaking down between her feet, "well, of falling from those heights, I guess."

All Might looked down too, all he saw were people and cars, nothing to be afraid of. He did spot a purse snatcher though. He gently handed her the earbud, "I'll be right back, don't move," he said, settling his drink next to her. He dropped to the street and apprehended the hooligan with little effort. Handing him off to an officer on the next block, he jogged back to their perch. He looked up. Her feet bounced in a rhythm while she listened to her music and sipped her drink. He jumped up to retake his place. She handed him his drink and shuffled closer than before, so he leaned back on his hand, casually placed just behind her far side. She offered him the earbud again and he accepted.

"Shit," she spat a few moments later, jerking out of the calm they had created, "what time is it?"

"Umm, 3:30?" All Might asked, checking his phone. She stood, earbud falling from his ear as she gathered them both together.

"I gotta go. I'm supposed to do this panel for new creators. Um. Hang on, here" she offered him her phone, "put your number in, we can chat." He hesitated.

"I'm not supposed to give out my number... Fans and all that..." He mumbled, smile fading. She looked away and replaced her phone in her pocket.

"Oh. Sorry. Misread... The... Um situation," she cleared her throat, "anyway. I guess then I'll see you later. Some time. You can look up my channel, Valkyrie Cosplays. I usually read the comments so... Maybe we can... Yeah. Anyway. It was really nice to meet you, All Might," she babbled, shaking his hand before turning and running for the far edge of the building, leaping out into the air. A few seconds later, All Might saw her rise far above the buildings and shoot off into the distance.

"Good going, Toshinori. Can't give out your number? What an idiot," he mentally kicked himself for blowing it, "the first girl you talk to in months and you blow her off because of some silly rule." He shook his head and lept of toward the agency to file his reports for the day. He thought about music the rest of the night.

The next morning All Might turned on the radio during his morning workout. The trainer gave him a look, but said nothing as All Might added weights to the bar.

"Goooood mooorning, ladies and gents! I'm your morning host, Present Mic. And heeree we go, kicking off another ten songs in a row to get you through that early morning commute. But first, let's take a caller! Hey, you're on with the Mic! What's your name?"

"Hey. Can I request a song? Can we do this again by NightOwl? Going out to a certain big hero I worked with yesterday. If he's listening, I left you something where we had coffee. Thanks!" The caller said, hanging up.

"Well, looks like some hero's got a secret admirer! Good luck to him and to you, caller! Hey hero! Don't let that one get away! Here's Can we do this again by Night Owl kicking off our ten in a row and maybe somebody's love story," Mic said as the music began. All Might smiled as he lifted to the bouncy pop song. Maybe he hadn't completely blown it yesterday. He'd just have to go find out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ok, if he doesn't show up by 9, he didn't hear it and isn't coming," Valkyrie whispered to herself from her perch across the street. She was watching the building they had sat on the day previous hoping to catch a glimpse of the big blonde hero again. She had called the local radio station at 6, hoping to catch him working out.

"A guy like that had to workout, right?" She scowled. "Maybe not; maybe his quirk was just that good."

She sat on the roof, back against an air conditioning unit, waiting, headphones in her ears. At five to nine, she stood, dusting herself off, frowning.

"Damn. Guess he didn't hear it," she grumbled, stretching her arms above her head and packing away her music, "should I take it with me?.... No, just in case." She thought, turning back briefly.

She turned away, taking off from the to roof with a great flap of her wings. All Might watched her soar out of sight and smiled. He stood from his own hiding place down the block and lept over to their spot. He found a flash drive sitting on the wall, "For AM" written on the edge.

He flipped it over, finding a phone number written on it. He smiled, tucking the drive carefully into a pocket.

When he returned home that night he grabbed his laptop and crashed on his couch. He skimmed his official message boards and agency email before turning to yo_tube finding his new favorite channel.

" Hey, Feathered Friends! I'm still here in beautiful Tokyo for the Tokyo Blast fundraiser! I met sooo many cool creators here! Lots of new cosplay ideas too, so new videos should be rolling out when I get back home. I also met someone my Japanese fans probably know, All Might!" She held up a tabloid magazine featuring a photo of the two.

"He was super cool and awesomely nice! Maybe I'll do a fem-cosplay for next year's Blast. It would be awesome to represent such a cool hero. Leave your thoughts in the comments! Any other heros to meet or cosplay?" She looked at the magazine. "I have no idea what this says. Someone translate for me? Thanks so much! Here is the video of the Create and Craft for Noobs panel I was on today! Lots of great tips for beginners! Also, today's tweet along song, Can we do this again by NightOwl, check it out in the description below. I hope a certain hero is watching. He should totally message me on my social media. Byebye! Catch you on the fly!" She winked and gave a peace sign again before the video went to her panel video. He backed up and paused on her face, studying it. He pulled out the little flash drive looking it over again before plugging into his computer. He navigated into the drive's contents, finding a group of mp3s and a video file. He clicked the video.

"Um... Hey! I guess my plan worked, you found the flash drive! I couldn't stop thinking about you, so," she cleared her throat, looking away and blushing, "I made you a playlist." She was sitting in a hotel room, cross legged on the bed, dressed in shorts and a tank top, hair a little messy, like she had been asleep just before. He studied her face as she gathered her thoughts before speaking again, still looking away from the camera.

"All Might? It would be.... Um... Do you think we could.... I want to see you again. Maybe we could take some time to... I dunno, see the sights? Maybe just get another coffee and chat? You're easy to talk to. It's been awhile since I felt like I had someone to talk to like that..." She looked at the lens, giving a small smile. He felt a small flutter in his chest as she ran a hand over her hair, swinging her legs off the bed to take the camera over to the window of her room. She turned the lens to view the Tokyo sky line, just as the sun began to rise. He had watched that same sunrise on his morning run.

"It really is beautiful here. This city is amazing. I wish I could see more of it," she sighed off camera, her profile barely visible in the reflection on the window.

"I... Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, there is my cell phone number, so text me. If you want. I'll be here... waiting. I hope to hear from you. Um, bye? I guess for now." She turned the camera back toward her face, smiling before the video cut off. He replayed the video again, watching her closely. She seemed... Sad? No... Lonely. That was it. He played through a couple of songs. He recognized the one they'd listened to the day before, and the song from the radio, and a few more popular songs from the States. He pulled out his phone as he listened, pulling up the contact he had made for her earlier in the day. He opened his messaging app, pausing to think of something to write.

It's fine now, why? Because I am texting you!

He hit send before he could rethink the message. He stared at the phone, waiting. Nothing happened. He pulled out the flash drive and checked the number again. It was correct. He refreshed his messaging app. Still nothing. He laid his phone down on his leg and went back to yo_tube.

"Hey, feathered friends! Tokyo Blast is drawing to a close! Just one more day! I almost don't want to come home, I love this city! The food is soooo amazing, and you all know how I feel about seafood"

She made a sour face and laughed. "I might have to extend my trip by a day or two to see some sights! Would you guys mind too terribly? I promise lots of pictures and cool videos? If this video gets 10000 likes, I'll even eat one of those live octopuses" she shuddered and made another face.

He clicked the like button while she continued on

"So, I got someone to translate the magazine headlines for me. Apparently, All Might and I are secretly dating. To be honest with you guys, I would not mind that," she winked, "you know my type."

A few images of her pointing at muscular blonde men photoshopped onto the screen flashed by, obviously cropped from previous videos.

"But unfortunately, we are not an item. Even if it would be great, I have to come home to you all and make more videos! If we were dating, what would All Might and my ship name be? Anyway, my plan is to take a couple extra days after Tokyo Blast finishes up to sightsee and then I'll be flying home, so videos should be going up in a week or so with new props as well as a gift opening vid when everything ships home. I'll also live stream a couple sights as well as the octopus if you guys are feeling mean! Leave your thoughts in the comments! Here is a quick video of some of the awesome people I met today! Today's tweet along song is Zero to Hero from Hercules. Check it out in the description below. Byebye! Catch you on the fly!" She said, with the wink and peace sign. He sat back as her video from the convention played. He had seen the magazines during the day, but no press had bothered him about it. He scrolled down to the comments.

Take all the time you need! We love you!

Show us ur b00bz

Winged Victory!

Val Might

Eat the octopus, valkyrie! >:}

Vallmight

Wingd vic0ry

God leave All Might out of this your just lookign for subs

You 2 wuld b so cut 2gether! Val Might 4eva

He snorted at a couple, frowning at the more rude comments. All Might shifted checking his phone again. Still no response. Maybe he should just text her again with a 'hey, it's me'?

His phone buzzed with an incoming text. His hands spasmed and he flung it onto the chair across from the couch. He took a deep breath, gathering his wits before setting his laptop aside and grabbing his phone. He unlocked the screen.

Hey, AM! U up for a nite out? New club opening 2nite downtown

~Mic

He sighed harshly. It wasn't even her. He left the message unanswered and went back to his laptop. He clicked through her page, looking for popular uploads. He watched a couple of videos before he worked up the courage to search the name he wanted. He pulled up a new tab, typing in "Val Might" to the search bar. Several links popped up. Mostly news shots of them together after the robbery. There was one still frame of them sitting together on top of the building. They were dangerously close together, closer than he had remembered. He felt the flutter in his chest again. He went to images, most were the news shots, the dangerous picture featured prominently too. What he didn't expect was the fan art. The fan art made him blush. He closed the tab and went back to his fan site message boards, answering a couple questions and listening to his new playlist.

"Maybe she can make me a workout playlist," he mused out loud, bobbing his head to the rhythm. He closed his laptop, standing and stretching. He changed into workout clothes and went for his nightly run. He returned and showered, trying not to think of her sleep shorts and tank top as he did. Failing that, he cranked the water to cold half way through the shower. He toweled off, falling into bed with his phone, scrolling through her videos again. He found her liked videos, most of them being music. The most recent liked video was an old video, the face in the thumbnail all too familiar. He clicked it

I can't believe it! It's only been 10 minutes! He's already saved 100 people!

HAHAHA!

There he is!

It's fine now! Why? Because I am here!

He rolled on his side, stopping the video and staring into space. She went searching for him online the same way he had been. She found THAT video too. Why that one? He started to doze off, thinking about saving her from some faceless evil. The way she would look at him as he swept her up in his arms and kissed her. Her arms wrapping around his neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed her against the wall and he--

Jerked himself awake from the dream, taking a deep inhale and releasing a shaky exhale. He looked at the time on his phone, 1 am. He also had a message.

[iwillhaveamoonbase]

I Hang My Flag Up On Display, It Reminds Me That I Came From Miles Away

Summary: Callum and Rayla's youngest daughter wonders why her father hangs the flags of Katolis, Moonshadow elves, and Xadia everywhere they go.

You don't have to read We Could Be Heroes to read this, but there might be a bit of confusion with a few minor things if you don't.

The In The Heights trailer inspired me HARD

-----------------------------------

Eryn stared at the Katolis flag that was displayed next to the Xadia and Moonshadow ones.  She and her family were staying at the Banther Lodge, her siblings laughing as they played with magic while her parents, all five of her grandparents, and uncle were discussing politics, probably.  There were rumors that the flag of Duren was going to be placed next to the Katolis flag soon.  Her Uncle Ezran had been courting the Queen of Duren for months at this point.

“Eryn,” Aisling whispered from behind her.  Eryn almost jumped out of her skin.  She stared at her oldest sibling, her regal face holding an amused grin.  “What’cha doing?”

“Just looking.”

“At the flags?”

“Why are they here?  We’re not in Xadia right now.  And no matter where we go, Dad and Mom have all three of those flags up.  Back in Silvergrove, our cottage next to the Spire, in the castle…”

Aisling shook her head.  “Talk to Dad.  It’s him that does it.  These flags represent something to him that you don’t get yet.”

Eryn rolled her eyes.  “Then you tell me.”

“Dad’s better at explaining it.”

Eryn pouted as Aisling walked back to their brothers to help their perfect whatever spell they were working on.  Much like their father, the four of them had a high affinity for magic and the different arcana.  The whole world had their eyes on their family, not only because they were the children of the half-brother of the future king of Katolis.  Since her parents were the ones to destroy Viren and Aaravos and they both brought to light the reality that most people in the world, human and elf, were decedents of mixed marriages, they were forever regarded as heroes who changed the world in an irrevocable way.

Eryn looked back up at the flags.  She couldn’t go anywhere without people knowing her name.  She couldn’t count how many times she had seen people cry and thank her parents when they met her father and mother for the first time.  The symbols of a new age….  Why did these flags matter so much to her father if he himself was a figure of hope in the world?  He was always telling her that borders were an illusion created by people.  Why hang something that represented an illusion he didn’t believe in?     

Eryn startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  She looked up into her father’s green eyes; eyes she and her siblings all shared.  “What’s going on?  You look really confused.”

“Why do we keep these flags up everywhere we go?  We’re in Katolis right now.”

Callum smiled sadly.  “You have no idea how lucky you are to live in the world you do.  When your mother and I were growing up-”

“We were in a cold war.  Xadia and the Pentarchy viewed each other with hatred.  I know.”

“You know intellectually.  But it’s different to live in that kind of world.  Your mother and I had to fight to be together.  So much life was lost to make you a reality, Eryn.”  Callum looked up at the three flags.  “Do you want to know why I hang these flags on display everywhere we go?  Because it reminds me that we have all come miles away from where we were.  Even now, every day is full of patience and faith that everything that our family has fought for will continue to make the world something better than what it once was.”

“But your work is done.  The world is already better.”

“That kind of work is never done.  The moment you forget where you came from is the moment you lose sight of WHY you wanted the life you have.  I don’t want any of you to forget that you are not only children of Katolis or Silvergrove.  You are not just members of the royal family of Katolis or grandchildren of the Dragon Guard.  You are not simply children of the first human mage trained in the six primal sources or of a traditionally trained Moonshadow elf assassin.  You are all of that and so much more.  People call your mother and I symbols of peace and hope, of a new, connected world.  But believe you four are the representatives of just how beautiful this new world could be.”

“That’s a lot of pressure, Dad.”

Callum smiled.  “Sorry.  You know, my biological father had nothing in this world.  He was invisible until he married my mother, the General of Katolis.  He’s the one that pushed her, me, our family to pursue peace, even in death.”  Callum ran a hand through Eryn’s light brown hair, keeping clear of her horns.  “The pressure will be coming at you from all sides.  People will expect you to be like me or your mother.  You are your own person and you are the only person who can decide what’s best for you.  Ignore anyone who doubts you.”

“Anyone?”

“Anyone and everyone.  I can’t protect you from the world, but I can tell you that the people who want you to fail and prove that all the effort our family has made was all for naught will speak the loudest.  They will scream and demand every last piece of you.  You don’t owe them anything.  But, there aren’t any shortcuts to change.  It will take generations before all the prejudice is gone and even then, maybe there will still be inklings.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Eryn sighed.  “Guess I just have to be ready for people to want to tear me down.”  Eryn watched as her father lightly touched the tower on the Katolis flag.  “Dad?”

Callum smiled down at her.  “As rough as life can be, it’s worth it.  I promise.  I wouldn’t trade you or your siblings for the all the secrets in the universe.  And your mother is the single greatest thing to happen to me.  More than my magic, more than people actually listening to me and realizing I had something to say.  You are blessed, Eryn, in ways you can’t even imagine.  These flags may mean nothing to you now, but they will one day.  I promise.”

-------------------------------------------------

Eryn smiled as she looked at Aisling.  At the age of 22, her sister had been officially recognized as one of the most talented mages of their generation and her knowledge was being vied for by everyone in the Pentarchy and Xadia.  There was arguing and agreements that whoever didn’t get Aisling would get Eryn or her brothers.  Since Katolis and the Moonshadow elves had long claimed Callum as their mage (as well as him unofficially being in the Dragon King’s retinue), they were not the loudest in their demands.

Aisling smiled at the cameras in the conference room on the border, reporters eager to here where she was headed post-graduation from the Border University.  The flags of the Pentarchy and the six elven regions were behind her.  “I know you all want to know just where will I be going?  I’m going to give all of you an answer you’ll hate.  My loyalty is not to any one kingdom nor is it to any one group.  I plan to continue my studies at the Border University until there is confidence in me becoming a professor.  And I plan to stay there.  The border is my home.  I was born on the border.  It’s where my parents fell in love and it’s where I’ve always felt most understood.  My father has always told me and my siblings that we are lucky to have grown up in the world we did.  But, I remember how it used to be.  I remember the hatred and anger at just my existence.  I’ve read the reports and the books about how people like my parents and myself were treated.  I know my history and how families were torn apart during the Expulsion.  I’ve heard the things some of you call me behind my back.  And now, that I have something to offer, you all want me for yourselves.  No.”  Aisling sighed, rubbing her eyes a bit.

“I will never forget that generations of my family came from miles away to get to where we are.  These flags behind me remind me of that.  I’m going to quote my father: there are no shortcuts.  Dark magic was a shortcut and we’ve banned it everywhere.  I will not be used as a shortcut to fame and I’ve heard the way some of you speak about how having me in your schools will make your lives easier.  After all, I’m the oldest child of the Great Mage of Katolis and the Blade of Xadia.  My name alone is going to be a huge draw for many students.  The border is where people who want to learn magic belong.  It’s a microcosm of the world we live in and is the biggest melting pot of all these rich cultures and magic that have started to meld in ways no one believed possible thirty years ago.  My decision is final.  I’m a child of Katolis and Silvergrove, of a human mage and a Moonshadow elf assassin, and I will live and teach where that is most respected.”

As Aisling walked off the stage, there was outrage.  Eryn could hear the naysayers calling her selfish and that she wanted to keep all the knowledge their father willingly shared to herself.  Aisling kept her head high, her long dark brown hair with her purple horns protruding, floating behind her as those bright green eyes stared straight ahead.  The confidence that everyone admired in Rayla was shining bright in Aisling.  When Aisling started to walk past her, Eryn stepped in line to move beside her along with their brothers.  “Really, Aisling?”

“Ignore them.  They have nothing interesting to offer.  They’re just pissed they got called out.”

“You don’t think they aren’t interested in your knowledge, your talents?”    

“I know they are.  But I am not a commodity.  I have free will and will continue to exercise it.  The three of you can do what you want.  Growing up, we’ve moved around so much that I’m not worried about dying and saying I never saw the world.  The border is home.  It’s imperfect and full of tension, but I don’t wonder where I stand there.”

Eryn looked back at the flags as they walked out of the conference room.  The fact that her sister even had a choice between Xadia and the Pentarchy was a sign that things had changed.  The fact that her sister still chose the border, an in-between area was proof that there was still a lot of work to be done.  Their dad had been right; they couldn’t forget where they came from.  It was just as much a piece of them as their present and their future.   

-----------------------------------------

Eryn laughed as she watched her mother doing a complicated shimmy while her father tripped on his own feet.  Callum was dressed in traditional Moonshadow clothes in Katolian red and gold while Rayla was in a Moonshadow purple and green Katolian-style dress.  Callum chuckled at himself as he put a hand on Rayla’s waist and took her hand with his other.  They fell into a quick step that displayed just how connected they were, anticipating each other’s moves at every dip and turn.  The jewels on Callum’s ear cuff, meant to be representative of traditional Xadian horn cuffs, shined while light bounced off the same ones on Rayla’s ring.

Eryn had heard Rayla call Callum ‘My Heart’ her whole life and, now, Eryn felt like she understood.  They moved like one heart, one soul, in two bodies.  Even born miles and miles apart, with a border and a war between them, they had still found each other; the other half to their souls.  Even with cultural differences and vastly different ways of life, they still chose to make it work instead of giving up.

When the music ended, Callum and Rayla went over to the microphone by the orchestra.  It was their 25th wedding anniversary and it seemed like the whole world was there.  Eryn saw the flags on display all over the room while people from every corner of the Pentarchy and Xadia were there to celebrate with the happy couple.     

Rayla smiled as she spoke first.  “Thank you, everyone, for coming.  I wish all of you were back home and this was just a family event, but since when do I get that wish?  I married a prince, what can I expect?”  The light-heartedness in her tone and the well-known fact that Rayla was a private person had everyone chuckling with her instead of upset at her.  “I plan on being married to this dork until the day I die.  And since Moonshadow elves tend to live about twenty years longer than humans, you will all watch as I try my best to keep Callum going until my dying breath.  I’m bad at emotional speeches, so, please, bear with me.” 

Rayla sighed and rolled her shoulders.  “There are days that I can’t believe how different everything is since we were born.  I remember being raised to believe that the war between Xadia and Katolis would never end.  How afraid I was to admit that a human had stolen my heart and I was never going to get it back.  How terrified I was to be pregnant in a world that still didn’t fully accept what I knew in my soul was right.  My husband, this awkward man who makes doe eyes at me all day long while you all worship the ground he walks on,” another chuckle ripped through the room, “told me to keep the faith and to be patient.  The world needed time to heal and it has.  I’m not so arrogant to believe that our marriage was a catalyst for change, but I’m also not a fool.  I know that people still look to us as positive representation, of how an elf-human relationship can work and be happy.  I’ve been blessed with four beautiful children, in-laws who love me as much as I love them, and a man who loves me with all my flaws and issues.  I couldn’t ask for anything more.  Well, except for you all to leave me alone.”

Callum chuckled next to her, taking over the mic before she actually did insult someone.  “Thank you for coming, everyone.  It means a lot to us that the world has changed enough where we can be in a room of elves and humans from all walks of life and regions.  But, as much as I thank you, I would like to address my wife.” 

Callum turned to Rayla, a smile on his face as he got down on one knee.  Eryn’s eyes went wide as a gasp went through the room.  “Ray, I didn’t propose to you the proper way.  And while I know it doesn’t bother you, I want to do it right this time.  I talked to Tiadrin, Lain, Runaan, Ethari, and Ez because he insisted,” a sharp ‘hey’ was heard coming from Ezran to Eryn’s right, “and they all gave me their permission.”  Callum took out a small box, opening it to present a silver ring to Rayla.  Rayla’s face was frozen in shock as a hand had made it’s way to her mouth.  “There is no doubt in my mind that you are the love of my life.  If soulmates exist, you are mine.  You said I stole your heart, but I don’t think I ever had mine for anyone else to take.  It belonged to you long before I even met you.  You’ve given me the best 25 years of my life.  Will you marry me again and give me a million more?”

Rayla laughed a bit, a few tears leaking out.  “Of course, My Heart.”  Rayla leaned down to kiss Callum deeply, causing Eryn to look away.  She was 90% positive her mom had stuck her tongue down her dad’s throat and she didn’t really want to see that.  The applause that erupted around the room made her smile.  She turned back to see her parents had separated, Callum sliding the engagement ring on Rayla’s finger. 

Ezran stood up, a glowing smile on his face.  “I don’t think I need to tell any of you how happy I am that these two willing be staying together.  Rayla’s basically been my sister since she and Callum started dating.  Frankly, bringing her and my nieces and nephews into my life is the greatest gift Callum ever gave me.  I look at these two, and I am reminded of how far we’ve all come.  Callum and I lost our mother, Queen Sarai, to something that, maybe if we had already had peace, would never have had to come to pass.  My wife, Aanya, lost both of her mothers to that same unfortunate event.  I almost lost Callum and Rayla in the war and I’m thankful that they are still here.  Everywhere Callum goes, he hangs the flags of Katolis, Moonshadow elves, and Xadia.  He refuses to forget where we’ve come from and so do I. 

“So, it is with great joy, that I officially can say that the Border University no long belongs to Katolis, but belongs to the whole of the Pentarchy and Xadia.  It’s always been a harbor for everyone to come and learn, but, by pure technicality, was under Katolian rule.  A representative from each human kingdom and each elf region as well as a representative of the border will be in charge from now on.  And, I am proud to announce that, unanimously, my niece, Aisling, has been chosen as the first border representative of not only the University, but also of the Border in meetings between the Pentarchy and Xadia.  People are now coming from somewhere in-between and yet completely outside of what the rest of us grew up with, and they need to be heard.  1600 years ago, during the Expulsion, those voices were ignored.  Never again.  Aisling.”

Aisling came out with a cloth over her arm.  She smiled as she slowly unfurled it to reveal a bright white cloth with different colored threads intersecting to represent the colors of the human kingdoms and elf regions.  The threads were woven together to create a complicated knot.  The longer Eryn looked, the more she noticed that no color was more presented than another, but that the knot was asymmetrical.  A perfect balance of the symmetry and perfection valued in Xadia and the asymmetry and imperfection admired in the human kingdoms.  Aisling handed the flag to Callum and Rayla, who held it close.  “This is the first Border flag, and it’s your’s.  It should probably go into a museum, but Aunt Amaya and Aunt Janai insisted you two have it when I brought it up.”

Callum teared up and pulled Ezran into a big bear hug.  Aisling had avoided the hug until Rayla had wrapped her up into one of her own.  Eryn smiled as she watched her father then move to embrace Aisling.  While Eryn never doubted her parents loved all four of them equally, Aisling had always had a special relationship with their parents that no one else could touch.  She was their first born and her birth had been used by the media to say that a new era was being ushered in.  And, like Callum and Rayla, she would never let anyone forget how far they had all travelled to finally regain the peace that had eluded the world for so long.  None of them could take that peace for granted.                                         

[writingsfromstarfleet]

You’re Safe With Me - Kevin Riley X Reader

A/N: Hello! This is a request for @dancingwith-thesunflowers who’s the sweetest! Thank you so much for this, it was really fun to write (there’s many words because I will never learn when is the appropriate time to stop haha!) and I sincerely hope you enjoy it! X

Chaos. Everywhere you looked, it felt like things were getting worse and worse. People were dying on the streets, in their homes, all around you and you were powerless to it all. There was nothing you could do to help. On Jericho II, illness was common, but cures were rare. It seemed as though this was normal for the people you saw. You entered your home, greeted by your mother and father, cheerful as they could be in times such as these. Your mother offered you some tea from the pot that had just come off the boil, and you took it gratuitously. Sitting, you listened as your father explained his day in detail. You chuckled, hearing him complain brought about a sense of comfort and joy. It was always fun to watch him go off on a rant about anything and everything he could.

The evening's events were cut short by armed government officials bursting through your door. Neither you, nor your mother and father, had a chance to speak before they had pulled you all away into the courtyards and off to the main town square, met with a flourish of insults and shouting from your father. There, you saw ahead that people were being separated, and you looked to your mother in confusion; she pulled you into her arms and whispered to you, reassuring words filling your head.

The three of you reached the front and the men in front of you glanced at a list and looked back to your family. You were pulled to the left, your parents to the right. You screamed and kicked at the guard escorting you away, tears falling as you violently tried to go after your parents, the uncertainty of the situation making you panic. Your mothers eyes told you everything was going to be fine, but the both of you knew deep down it wasn't.

The guard threw you into a crowd of people more or less your own age, and you watched what happened with the other group across the way. They were stood the same as your side, but instead of out in the open, they were in some sort of a chamber with transparent walls; it was practically invisible if not for the faint blue glow of the force-field around it. You could just about see your father, having been one of the last in they were near the back of the glass. He wasn't looking at you, however, rather he was holding your mother who had now shown her true emotions. Screaming for your parents, you watched a guard pull a switch and your parents, along with other colonists, disintegrate.

Sweating and shaking, you shot up at the moment the switch rang out. Breathing a sigh of relief, you knew you were safe on the Enterprise, but you were far from okay. Crying and unnerved at the nightmare that had now become a constant, you found a dressing gown and some shoes, setting off to seek the person you knew could help you. Kevin Riley was your best friend and the man you loved, he didn't know that, of course. But now, none of that was even a second thought, you just really needed him.

Lieutenant Riley was enjoying some well earned sleep, he'd had the longest day of his life and was soundly sleeping away the stress of it all. Scotty had put him through his paces down in engineering, not to mention the report he'd had to do before he could call it a day. His quarters chime rang through the room. Confused, he groggily stood, wondering who could want him at such a late hour.

"It's midnight, if this is Scotty again I'll.." he trailed off as he opened the door to reveal you, looking a little shaken and nervous. "Y/N, hi, uh, come in." He moved aside to let you in and you said nothing but engulfed him in a hug instead. His arms wrapped around you, holding you close in comforting silence. Whatever happened, Riley knew you needed this, and he stood as long as you need, waiting for you to pull away first.

"I had a nightmare, Kevin," you began, trying not to cry again. "About Jericho, that day, I.."

"Shh, it's alright now, you're safe here with me" he told you, bringing you to his shoulder with one arm and running his other hand through your hair. "You're going to be fine."

If there's one thing he knew, it was the trauma of an attack like that. He'd seen it all happen on Tarsus IV, his parents were killed in a similar way by Governor Kodos, he knew the pain it left behind. That's why you'd gone to him, Riley assumed, he was a very close friend and knew exactly how to handle these situations.

You moved back. "Can I stay here tonight, Kevin?" The way you looked up at him with teary, red eyes broke his heart. He placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

"Of course, no question."

The two of you climbed into his bed and he brought you close to comfort you. You responded by cuddling into his side as he played with your hair.

"It gets better, Y/N," Kevin spoke, softly so he didn't startle you with the change from silence. "It gets easier as time goes by, this is normal. Because if I know you, you do overthink, so I want to tell you this won't last forever. They fade, the nightmares, they become less and less frequent and less damaging. You'll get better. You're too strong to let this best you anyhow, that's one thing I'm certain of."

You looked up at him, eyes full of admiration, and you smiled. He smiled back, never once faltering as he looked at you.

"Thank you, Kevin, I knew I could count on you. You're always there."

The mood was tense, for obvious reasons, but he decided an attempt to lighten the mood was due. He shifted slightly, so as not to disturb you and spoke again, the usual hint of mischief in his voice making itself known.

"You know, this isn't the ideal way I wanted to get you into my bed.." he trailed off as you hit him in the stomach playfully, laughing along with him.

"Kevin!" You feigned shock, and he couldn't help but laugh. His laugh was your favourite thing, you could listen to it on repeat for the rest of your life.

"You were the one who told me to always speak my mind, remember!" He pulled you closer, tickling you ever so slightly, an action that made you giggle, so he continued. Finally giving in after what seemed like an eternity for you, the two of you looked at each other with nothing but love in your eyes.

"You know, I wasn't joking, right? I've liked you for a while, Y/N, I just didn't know if you felt the same and I didn't want to ruin the friendship we have already. But seeing you tonight I knew that it was love, I thought you should know.."

Kevin looked nervous. You'd never seen him nervous, he was always fairly confident and cheery. You brushed his hair back a little and brought his face to yours for a gentle but sweet kiss, unable to find the words to express how you felt towards him. It seemed to do the trick, and as you pulled back you were met with the cutest smile.

"Well, that answers that then." You smiled, nodding slightly in agreement. He pulled you into his arms completely, running his hand through your hair again.

"Goodnight, Y/N, sleep well." You kissed his jaw and snuggled in closer, the warmth lulling you to sleep as you muttered your last sentence before it overtook you.

"I love you, goodnight Kevin." The two of you were content to stay like that forever, but the looming responsibilities on the ship were destined to call you soon enough, so the two of you relished in this moment you had together, knowing it was the first of many to come.

Those nightmares never did hold any more power over you.

[ameliasnormandy]

An Agreement between Commanders on Omega.

They didn’t meet on either of their ships. They both wanted neutral ground. Neutral ground allowed them to talk to each other without either of their teams thinking that one had more power than the other. It was more important for their crew, because both crews believed they had the advantage.

It was on Omega. Shepard had been on Omega many times before, she knew Aria Tolok, she knew how Omega worked, and more than all of that, Aria owed her. The problem was that Aria also owed Abigail. The reasoning was different. Why Aria owed Abigail was very different then why Aria owed Commander Shepard, but the point stood that Aria owed both of them. Abigail had also spent some time on Omega, and she had the support of the people. She had the emotions of the people on Omega. The people would fight for Abigail, her crew knew that. Neither crew knew of the others connection to Omega, and both the captains wanted it like that.

              Abigail’s team was the first to show. Victarous, Brax, Maxwell, and Abigail all found their seats around the room. Abigail sat down on the floor in the corner. Victarous sat in a chair beside the table, and Brax stood behind Victarous. Maxwell, however, sat away from them. He tried to find the position that Shepard and her team would sit.

              Commander Shepard’s team came in shortly after them. Shepard sat at the table. Miranda stood behind Shepard. Kaiden stood in the shadows behind all of them. Abigail stood up from her corner to shake their hands. “It’s nice to officially meet you,” she said, shaking their hands. “I’m Abigail and this is my team. That’s Victarious.” The Turian did a slight nod. “Brax is there.” The Krogan grunted, but said little else. “And there is Maxwell.” The human stood up and saluted the other humans.

              “At ease,” Shepard said. “This is my team Maranda.” Miranda took Abigail’s in hers and she shook it again. “And that’s Kaiden.” Kaiden doesn’t even bother to immerge from the shadows.

              “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Abigail said, nodding her head. “I am glad that you were willing to meet me here. My team feels a little unease meeting on an all-human vessel.”

              “I don’t,” Maxwell said.

              “I know,” Abigail said, looking at Maxwell, for her it was impossible to understand how anyone could want to be on an all-human vessel, but that was just a fact that she had become accustomed to.

              “We all know,” Victarous added.

              Abigail cleared her throat. “I am sorry. We are still a little unprofessional. I do hope you can forgive us.”

              “It’s fine,” Shepard said, sitting down at the table. Abigail went back to sitting in the corner on the floor. “Admiral Hackett thought that the two of us would work well together.”

              “He told me the same,” Abigail said.

              “Do you want to work for her?” Miranda asked.

              Abigail tilted her head. “Of course, I would…” she didn’t get a chance to finish.

              “We were told that it would be a joint effort,” Victarous stated.

              Abigail looked at Victarous for a second. “I’m sorry about him he’s just a touch protective. I, as do my team, understand that you would be taking lead on this. I am new. I am well as green as probably an N-7 has ever been. I’ve barely had my commander’s position for more than a few months. I think that with that information in mind you taking lead, and charge would, of course, be the best for everyone.”

              Shepard smiled. “You don’t need to be so nervous.”

              “Thank you,” Abigail said.

              “Now, we should get down to all of the information that we need to,” Shepard said, shaking her head.

              “Sounds good to me. I think that I have written a proposal that will work out for everyone. If it is ok for you to look over it for your approval,” Abigail said, looking down at her omni tool.  “Can I send you my proposal, please?”

              “Yes,” Shepard said, nodding her head.

              “Thank you,” Abigail said, nodding her head. She quickly typed in the code and sent them all her proposal.

              “It’s like thirty pages long,” Brax growled.

              “Yes, of course, I don’t expect you to be able to read it all during this meeting. The only thing that I want you to read is the overview that is on the first page.”

              “Well, that’s a good,” Kaiden said, walking out of the shadows.

              “Yes, it is,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, just slightly distracted. This is very extreme for me. Anyway, my suggestion is for me to make the Normandy my most of the time home, while if it is alright with Maxwell, he will be taking my ship.”

              “I knew that you were more sensible than these aliens,” Maxwell stated.

              Abigail looked down for just a moment. “You will still have to work with them Maxwell, and I will expect daily reports. This would still be my operation.” She then turned to Shepard. “At least part of it, of course. I don’t expect to be leading anything except that ship.”

              “Of course, ma’am,” Maxwell said, but it was clear that he wasn’t thrilled about still having to work with the aliens that didn’t trust him, and he didn’t trust them not to kill him.

              “Why do you want to spend most of your time on our ship?” Miranda asked.

              “I think that I would be more effective if I am on your ship besides, there is a matter that I will discuss with your captain once there is no one around.”

              “What else does your plan entail?” Kaiden asked, Abigail. It seemed easier for him to ignore the comment that she just made then make her talk about it.

              “Not much that needs to be cleared right…” Abigail stopped. “Now, is not the time for this. This is really a bad time. We really shouldn’t be…” Abigail stopped again. “I understand. There might be a few things that I have overlooked. I am sorry for anything that I might have forgotten.”

              “She does that often,” Maxwell said, shaking his head. Maxwell, didn’t know the story but he could always tell when she was about to crack like that, he had seen it enough himself.

              Abigail shook her head. “I’m sorry. I talk to myself a lot. Anyway, the other main thing that I wanted to talk to you guys about isn’t in my report and that is what was going on.”

              “I think she has a few screws loose,” Kaiden stated, looking at Commander Shepard. It seemed to everyone in the room that Kaiden was trying to convince Shepard that this was a fool’s errand.

              “The report also talks about switching some of my team to your ship,” Commander Shepard stated, looking up from her Omni-tool. The only two that were taking any of this seriously was Shepard and Abigail, they both seemed to be aware that if things didn’t change, someone was going to get hurt, and neither of them wanted to be the people to get hurt, nor did they want their team to be hurt, so they had to do what they thought was best, and listen to each other.

              “It does,” Abigail stated, giving her a smile. “I think that would be best, a true intersection of our two ships. Making sure that the two of us have the teams as connected and listening to each other as much as possible.”

              Commander Shepard nodded. “I can see that would be a very good idea.”

              “Is there…” Abigail stopped again. Abigail looked around. She was nervous. It seemed that there was something going on in her head, and she wasn’t sure what could happen with all of the things that are going on her head. She was trying to make sense of it all, but there was no answer, at least not for her. Someone else might have had an answer.  

              Victarious walked up to her. “What is going on?”

              “It’s probably nothing.” She stopped and fixed herself. “Sorry, about that. Anyway, I don’t have a preference on who you decide, and I assume that you will, so I left all of that information up to you. Just remember that my team does have some aliens in it, so anyone that isn’t prepared to talk to aliens probably isn’t a good choice.”

              “Understood,” Shepard said. “I will talk to my team and see who wants to go over to your ship. Is that alright?”

              “Yes, it is. I understand that you have to talk to your team. My team means a lot to me too. That reminds me…” Abigail stopped again. She seemed to be lost for a second.

“What’s going on?” Victarious asked her. “Do you need a moment away from everyone, again?”

“Is she alright?” Miranda asked.

“She’s broken,” Maxwell said. The comment affected the rest of her team a lot more than it affected her. She knew he was right. They had talked about it, when no one else knew, and sometimes, though she wouldn’t admit it, he knew her better than the rest ever could.

“She’s not broken,” Brax said, glaring at Maxwell, “And you say that again and I will actually break you.”

“It’s cool,” Abigail said, getting up and stepping in between Brax and Maxwell. “It has been getting worse lately. It’s fine. I understand. It might seem like to some I am broken, but I can promise you that I have full control.”

“What’s been getting worse lately?” Commander Shepard asked Abigail.

“Not right now,” Abigail stated, she looked around for a few seconds before she continued. “I don’t think that I should be talking about what is going on, right now. Not here. Not with so many possible ears. I do hope that you can understand that.”

“Of course, I can,” Commander Shepard said, looking at her team. Miranda and Kaidan didn’t want to understand. They wanted to know what they were walking into; whatever it was it was getting sketchy. It seemed that they might be walking into a deal with an insane person, and that was somehow worse than a deal with the devil, at least in their minds.

She wasn’t insane, Abigail knew that, but also knew better than to say what the real matter was, they would have strung her up the moment that they could. She didn’t exactly wish to be dead, nor did she wish others to want her dead, only those in her highest circles knew about her secret and she tended to want to keep it that way. Instead, Abigail did what she did best change the subject. “Might I be so bold as to ask what mission we are getting involved in?”

“It’s not something that should be discussed on Omega,” Shepard said.

“Fair enough,” Abigail said, she couldn’t much argue with Commander Shepard, though none of her team knew it was Shepard, considering the fact that Shepard still kept her helmet on.

Then there came the silence. It was an awful silence. The silence made of the dead. The past that everyone seemed to want to forget. So, there this motley group, not a crew, not even people that trusted each other, stood. It was a sad sight. Thankfully, Commander Shepard was able to defuse the situation before too much could occur. “We should toast this new alliance.”

“Agreed,” Abigail said, looking at Brax and Victarious.

Commander Shepard poured each person a glass. She then raised her glass. “To a new world.”

“To a new adventure, and to new friends,” Abigail said, before setting her glass on the table while everyone else drank.

[ohpedromypedros-main]

Sunglasses Are For Sunny Days

A/N: Okay so this is like, my first official Billy fic and the idea’s been floating in my head for a while now. I hope you enjoy it. This side of Billy in this fic is one that is never seen, but considering the circumstances...

word count: 2,720

characters: Billy Hargrove x Reader, Chief Hopper

pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

warnings: physical/mental abuse, mentions of suicide, swearing, cigarette smoking

summary: When Billy finds out the reader’s father abuses her almost daily, he takes matters into his own hands.

You knew as soon as your father's fist connected with your face that you were going to have a very noticeable shiner in the morning. Usually you were good at hiding the bruises your father gave you, but this time no amount of makeup was going to hide it.

Your father despised you, blamed you for your mother's suicide, told you every day since the day your mother took her own life that he wished you had never been born. He emotionally, mentally, and physically abused you on an almost daily basis and you were reaching your breaking point. You came close to committing suicide many times yourself, but fought the urge because you wanted to be stronger than your mother. She couldn't take your drunk of a father anymore, so she took the cowardly way out.

You hated your mother for leaving you with your father, hated her for giving up so easily, but you still missed her every day. You missed the nights when she'd comfort you after your father drunkenly hit you yet again, missed her soothing whispers that everything would be okay one day. You just wanted to hear her voice again.

“You're a disgrace. Get the fuck out of my face before I give your other eye a matching bruise.” Your father spat his words with such hatred you were surprised the very tone of his voice didn't kill you.

“Yes, sir.” You whispered, hurrying your way up the stairs and toward your room where you closed and locked your door, sobs erupting from your throat as you dropped to your knees on the floor. You wanted to scream, to throw and punch things, but you knew doing so would only piss your father off even more, so you kept your cool and just let out your emotions on the floor.

You were not looking forward to showing up at school with a visible black eye, but you had no choice. You put as much foundation on that would cover the bruise, but it still shone through enough for anyone to notice. Putting your sunglasses on, despite it being a cloudy day, you grabbed your backpack and keys before rushing out of your house, not even bothering to see if your father was still home or not. You didn't feel like facing him yet today.

The ride to school was painfully quick and you had to sit in your car for a few minutes to prepare yourself for the amount of questions people were going to throw at you. You knew as soon as the first person asked what happened that you were going to break down. You were good at hiding the abuse you endured at home, no one you knew had a clue, but you weren't sure you were going to be able to hide it any longer after this nice shiner your father gave you.

There was still ten minutes before the bell for homeroom sounded, so when you got out of your car you decided to have a cigarette. Smoking was one thing that helped to calm your nerves after dealing with your father, but you hated yourself for even starting the bad habit. Grabbing a cigarette from your pack and placing it between your lips, you groaned when you realized you forgot your lighter at home.

“Need a light?” You recognized the voice as none other than Billy Hargrove, Hawkins High's newest eye candy and surprisingly one of your closest friends. You and Billy had a lot in common, more than you both realized, so when you first met when he moved here, you clicked instantly. He liked you a whole lot more than practically everyone else in town.

“Please?” You sighed, allowing him to light your cigarette with his zippo. He lit his own cigarette, taking a long drag while pocketing his lighter.

“Rough night?” He asked, making your heart leap in your chest. You thought maybe he saw your black eye through your sunglasses. You decided to play it off.

“You could say that.” You took a drag of your own cigarette, exhaling out the smoke with another sigh. Billy watched you, noticing how tense you were. He also noted that you were wearing sunglasses on a not so sunny day.

“You know, sunglasses are for sunny days,” he chuckled, leaning against the hood of your car.

You chewed on your lip, feeling the burn at the back of your eyes. The tears were coming, you could feel it. Billy tilted his head at your sudden moment of silence, turning his body so he could face you better.

“Are you alright?”

“I can't take them off,” you whispered.

“What?”

“My sunglasses. I can't take them off.”

Billy was confused now, but also concerned. What were you hiding under those sunglasses?

“Why can't you take them off, Y/N?” His voice was laced with concern and just the very sound made you sob. Billy wasn't the type to be concerned for others. His arms were around you in seconds, holding you against his chest with a frown. “Hey hey hey. It's alright. You can talk to me.”

“H-he hit me.” That was all you could get out, your arms slipping around Billy's middle while you sobbed even more.

“Who?”

“M-my father. He b-beats me almost every night. Blames me for my mother's suicide. I can't take it anymore, Billy.”

Billy's face dropped, the all too familiar feeling overwhelming his senses, but he also felt anger. Anger that any man could even think of laying their hands on you. He cupped your face in his hands, making you look at him.

“Let me see,” he spoke softly, his usual bad boy demeanor now replaced with the soft boy he was deep down inside, the boy that was locked away the day his father began beating him.

“Billy, I--”

“Please.”

He waited for you to nod or say that it was okay before taking your sunglasses off, his heart dropping at the sight of your black eye. You averted your gaze from his, not wanting to look him in the eye as he examined your bruise, but he turned your face back toward him anyway.

“I'm taking you to Chief Hopper.”

“What?” You whispered.

“I'm not going to live out my life knowing that your piece of shit father beats you on a daily basis. I know what it's like to be abused by my own father, I handle it in my own ways, but you? You deserve so much better than this.”

“You don't have to do that, Billy.”

“Yes, I do. How do you think I'd feel to find out that your father beat you to death when I knew all along that he laid his hands on you? I'd feel like a piece of shit knowing I could have done something to stop it and that's exactly what I'm going to do.”

Billy took you by the hand and led you toward his car, not even caring that school was seconds from starting. He helped you inside before getting in the driver's side and immediately peeling out of the school parking lot after starting the ignition. You could see how tight his grip was on the steering wheel, how angry his features looked, so you reached over to gently rest your hand on his leg, hoping to calm him some.

“I'm sorry.”

“About?” He asked, glancing over at you for a quick moment before returning his gaze to the road.

“Your father beating you too.”

Billy's features changed, his grip on the steering wheel loosening. You swore you could see a tear form in his eye, but thought maybe it was just a trick of the light.

“You don't deserve it either, you know. No one does.”

He only nodded, biting back his emotions as he continued his drive toward the police station. You were the only other person that knew about Billy's abuse, but only because you dealt with it at home yourself, otherwise he'd have kept it from you too. It's not something he'd have wanted to burden you with. He liked you too much to put any sort of worry on your shoulders.

You stayed silent for the rest of the ride, closing your eyes and just listening to the sound of the Camaro's engine. Whenever he'd reach a red light, Billy couldn't help but to look over at you, admiring everything about you. He hated to admit it, but Billy had fallen hard for you, something he always told himself he would never do. Billy didn't have time for love, until he met you. He so badly wanted to pull the car over and kiss you, show you what it felt like to be touched gently, lovingly, but he knew he had to wait.

When Billy reached the police station, he parked the car and turned off the engine, sitting in silence for a few moments before reaching over to take your hand in his.

“Are you ready?”

“No, but I have no choice, do I?” You asked, giving him a sad smile.

“Not if you want to keep going through what you do at home.”

“I really don't want to,” you whispered, voice cracking as you glanced down at your lap.

“Then we're telling Hopper everything.” Billy gave your hand a comforting squeeze, grabbing your attention as you lifted your head up to look at him. “I'll be by your side through it all, okay? I'm not going anywhere.”

“Thank you, Billy. I didn't know you cared this much about me.”

“You're all I care about, Y/N.”

Your heart raced at his words, never having expected to hear them come from Billy Hargrove himself. With a smile, you leaned over to press a soft kiss to his cheek, your way of showing him your appreciation.

“Okay, I'm ready.”

The two of you headed into the station, earning yourselves confused stares and head tilts.

“Shouldn't you two be in school?”

“We need to speak to the Chief.”

“And you couldn't wait until after school ended?”

“No, actually, we couldn't.” Billy snapped, which enticed you to reach up and gently touch his face.

“It's okay. I'll take it from here,” you whispered, pressing another kiss to his cheek and earning yourself a smile. With a deep breath, you turned back to the many officers in the room. “I need to report an on going domestic abuse.”

Chief Hopper heard you from his office and was in his doorway in less than ten seconds, pointing at you and Billy.

“My office. Now.”

You nodded your head, ignoring the looks from the other officers while you led Billy toward Hopper's office. Hopper closed the door behind the two of you and motioned to the chairs sat in front of his desk. You and Billy took your seats and waited for Hopper to sit back down in his.

“I'm assuming by the black eye you've got there that you're here for yourself?” He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair.

“Yes sir.”

“Who's abusing you?”

“My father, sir.” You whispered, tears welling in your eyes. “He's been doing it for years. Almost every night. He's the reason my mother killed herself. She couldn't handle him anymore and he blames me for it.”

The tears slipped down your face and Billy immediately took your hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze, reassuring you that he was there and not leaving your side. Hopper leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk while he placed his clasped hands beneath his chin.

“Is there anything that contributes to your father's abusive behavior?”

“Alcohol, mostly. He drinks every night. I don't think he's had a sober day in almost ten years.”

“And by coming here, what were you hoping for?”

“Honestly?” You sighed. “I don't even know. It was Billy's idea to bring me here and report my abuse... But if there is anything you can do about my father, putting him away for domestic abuse and child endangerment would be nice.”

“I'm the chief of police, I can do anything.”

Hopper stood up from his desk and grabbed his jacket from the coat rack where he last hung it, clearly already intent on arresting your father. You and Billy stood up from your seats, hands still intertwined with one another, waiting for Hopper to say anything about what he was going to do.

“Do you have any other family in Hawkins that you can stay with once your father is taken care of?” The way he said it sounded ominous to you, but you knew his intentions weren't to kill your father.

“My mother's parents, yes. I haven't seen them in a while, though. My father doesn't allow it...”

“Well, your father will have no control over your life anymore, so go ahead and pay them a visit, explain everything that's happened and see if they're willing to take you in until you're old enough to live on your own.”

“Thank you, Chief,” you whispered, releasing Billy's hand so you could give Hopper a hug. He hugged you tightly in return, giving your back a few pats.

“No problem, kiddo.” He turned to Billy, giving him a smile. “Thank you for bringing her here. You did the right thing.”

“I was going to do it whether she wanted to or not.”

Billy chuckled, taking your hand in his again and following Hopper out of the police station. The two of you leaned against the hood of Billy's car and watched while Hopper got into his cruiser and drove out of the police station parking lot, relief washing over the both of you knowing that from this point on you never had to endure another ounce of abuse.

“Thank you, Billy. I owe you.”

“You don't owe me a thing, Y/N. I did this because I care about your well being and because... well, because I love you.”

Your head snapped up at his words, your eyes meeting his gaze as tears welled in your eyes.

“You love me?” You whispered, once again shocked by Billy's confession.

“Yes, I do. I always told myself I'd never fall in love because I always believed I was incapable of loving anyone, thanks to my father, but then I met you and all of that changed.” He brought his hands up to cup your face, thumbs brushing away the few stray tears that slipped down your cheeks, genuine smile on his face. “You make me the biggest softy, Y/N. You saw through my bad boy facade and that's what made me fall so hard for you.”

“I love you too, Billy,” you whispered, leaning into the gentle touch of his hands.

“I know you do. Why wouldn't you?” He teased, small little smirk on his face. You giggled at that, playfully swatting his chest.

“Oh shut it, Hargrove.” You smiled, slipping your arms around his neck and leaning up to press your lips to his, kissing him deeply and with as much passion you could muster.

Billy's hands moved down to rest on your waist, pulling you flush against him as he returned your kiss, grateful that he finally got that taste of your lips he'd been craving for so long. After a few breathtaking moments, you both pulled away from the kiss, smiles on both your faces.

“Come on, let's get back to school, yeah?” He chuckled, brushing his fingers through your hair.

“Nah, fuck school. Let's sit here and watch my father get thrown in jail.”

And you did. Watching your father freak out and call you profanities for the last time while being dragged into the station was the most satisfying feeling you'd felt in years. And it was all thanks to Billy Hargrove, the boy who loved you with his whole heart and who you loved just as much in return.

Tagging @hargrove-heaven 

If anyone wants to be tagged in any future Billy x Reader fics, let me know!

[queenofcats17]

Theme Park Chaos

So, I kind of wanted to write Bertrum meeting the cast of @ask-joeydrewstudios , so I’m going to do it. Bertrum has mellowed with age. 

Augustus is an oc I came up with to explain who took over Bertrum’s business after he disappeared in the main story. In this, he’s just Bertrum’s nephew who took over after Bertrum “retired”. Or was forced to retire by his sister. 

Gears112 has done a lot of his development.

“Uncle Bertie, you really didn’t have to come with me,” Augustus said as he pulled into the parking lot of Joey Drew Studios. 

“Nonsense!” Bertrum scoffed, thumping his cane for emphasis. “This is an important contract and as the founder of this firm, I want to thank them properly for allowing us to be the ones who will be designing their park.” 

Augustus sighed to himself. His mother had been right. Bertrum really was going to work until he died. Technically speaking, his uncle had retired a few years back. Well, he’d been forced to by Augustus’ mother Charlotte. Charlotte had been adamant that Bertrum needed to step down. 

“You’re almost 90!” She’d said. “For God’s sake, let someone else be in charge!” Despite being nearly a foot shorter than her elder brother, and at least 100 lbs lighter, Charlotte had won this battle. Bertrum had officially stepped down, making Augustus the legal head of the firm. Of course, Bertrum continued to show up at the office despite not technically working there anymore. He’d stopped doing it as much as of late, but when he’d heard the latest client of the firm was Joey Drew Studios, he’d insisted upon coming with Augustus to discuss the plans. Bertrum would never admit it, but he rather admired Joey Drew. He talked often of the other man’s drive and dedication to his craft. If there was one thing that Bertrum Piedmont respected, it was determination and hard work. 

Both men got out of the car and walked to the studio door. Augustus had a folder with some initial sketches he’d done of possible attractions and what the whole park might look like. Bertrum had been looking over his shoulder the entire time, offering “help”. Augustus was pretty much used to it by now. He opened the door, standing aside so his uncle could go in. The inside of the studio was organized pandemonium, which made Augustus smile a little. The studio felt...like home. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way, but it was a good feeling.

“Who’re you?” Augustus looked down to find Bendy the Dancing Demon standing at his feet. For a moment, he just stared at the little demon, unsure how to react to this. 

“I am the great Bertrum Piedmont,” Bertrum announced, clearly irritated with his nephew’s silence. “And this is my nephew, Augustus.”

“Augustus DeLume.” Augustus stuck his hand out, more out of habit than anything else. “Mr. Drew hired me to build a park for him.” Bendy’s face immediately lit up. 

“You’re the park guys!” He grabbed Augustus and Bertrum’s hands. “C’mon! Papa Drew’s office is this way!”

“Papa Drew?” Bertrum echoed, squinting in curiosity. “Did Drew...make you?”

“Mm-hm.” Bendy nodded. Bertrum looked at Augustus, who just shrugged. Bendy dragged the two of men to a door bearing Joey Drew’s name. The little demon knocked on the door, bouncing up and down excitedly.

“Come in.” A voice came from inside. Bendy threw the door open, dragging Augustus and Bertrum inside. Joey Drew looked up from the paperwork he’d been going over with Henry and smiled. 

“Ah, Mr. DeLume! And Mr. Piedmont too! I didn’t expect you to come along as well. I heard you’d retired.”

“He’s supposed to be retired,” Augustus said, smiling long-sufferingly at his uncle. 

“I couldn’t very well let Augustus come here alone.” Bertrum gave Augustus a withering glare. “This is a very important contract and I wished to thank you properly for this opportunity.” Bendy was vibrating by Joey’s desk, grinning so wide his face seemed as though it was going to split. 

“You really are excited for this, aren’t you?” Henry laughed, patting Bendy’s head. 

“Papa Drew said we can all walk around if the park gets off the ground!” Bendy nodded excitedly. Henry looked over at Joey, who smiled sheepishly. 

“I...May have mentioned something like that.” He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “They’re getting restless.” Henry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Well, we’ll see.” He finally conceded. “We need to think this through properly.”

“Yes yes, I know.” 

Suddenly, Bendy stopped. 

“If we get a theme park...Do we have to use those mascot costumes in the basement?” He whispered. There was real terror in his eyes. 

“Mascot costumes?” Augustus looked to Henry and Joey. “You already had mascot costumes made?”

“They were for a meet and greet event a few years ago,” Joey explained, grimacing. “Children...did not respond well to them.”

“They can see into my soul,” Bendy whispered, clinging to Joey’s pant leg. 

“All mascot costumes are a little bit unsettling.” Bertrum shrugged. 

“Yes, but they shouldn’t have to be.” Augustus waved a hand and set his folders on the desk. “In any case, I drew up some plans for the park if you’d like to see them.” 

“Oh! Yes! Of course!” Joey’s face lit up. Augustus relaxed a bit. This was the first normal thing that had happened since he’d arrived at the studio. 

And so he detailed the plans to Joey and Henry, outlining possible attractions, expense reports, and possible locations. Bertrum, of course, jumped in every so often. Henry and Joey listened intently, both noting things in notepads they’d both brought along. Bendy got bored a few minutes in and ran off. 

“So, what do you think?” Augustus asked once he was finished. 

“We’ll have to discuss the expenses with Grant, and there will need to be more discussion about the rides and the layout, but I think this could work. I must say, I’m rather impressed,” Joey said, smiling wide. “Thank you so much, Mr. DeLume, Mr. Piedmont. You both certainly came prepared.”

“Thank you, sir.” Augustus began gathering his papers. “Our company does try to be prepared for everything. You wouldn’t believe how many of our clients don’t understand just what goes into making a theme park.”

“We all made sure we knew exactly what we were getting into with this.” Henry nodded sagely. 

“Very wise,” Bertrum said.

“I should probably get back to work.” Henry checked his watch. “I’ll be back later, alright?”

“Don’t work too hard!” Joey called after him. “And remember! Your coffee privileges have been revoked!” Henry made a noise that might have qualified as irritation before leaving the room. Augustus noted that his uncle was trying to, very discretely, look around Joey’s office. Bertrum’s gaze settled on the picture frame on Joey’s desk. 

“That’s a lovely picture.” His voice went soft as he examined the picture. It was of Joey with the toons, almost like a family portrait. Right next to it was a picture of Henry and Joey, and beside that a picture of Henry, a woman he assumed to be Henry’s wife, and a young boy. 

“Ah, well, yes.” Joey smiled, looking down at the pictures as well. “I like to remind myself of the important things in my life.” 

“Uncle Bertie used to have a lot of pictures like this on his desk,” Augustus said without thinking.

“Augustus!” Bertrum said.

“Do you have a family, Mr. Piedmont?” Joey asked, leaning on his desk. 

“...Of a sort.” Bertrum answered hesitantly. “I have no wife nor child if that’s what you’re asking. I never really felt the urge to get married.” 

“I can understand that.” Joey nodded. “Who were your photographs of, if I may ask?”

“My sister and her family.” Bertrum glanced towards Augustus, who had moved over to the side to go through his papers once more. An almost tender expression passed across his face, something that was most definitely not missed by Joey. 

“You know, I think I’m going to like working with you, Mr. Piedmont.” 

.

They spent a little more time in Joey’s office, which was mostly filled by Bertrum and Joey talking about their respective families while Augustus not so subtly watched them. He couldn’t wait to tell his mother about this. Charlotte would be so proud of Bertrum for making a friend. 

“Ah, look at the time!” Joey glanced at the clock. “You’d both best be going. I imagine you have other clients to attend to.”

“Of course, of course.” Bertrum rose from where he’d been sitting. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Drew.”

“And you as well, Mr. Piedmont.” Joey shook Bertrum’s hand warmly. Augustus and Bertrum made their way out of the office and back toward the entrance. About halfway there, the voice of a woman interrupted them. 

“Bertrum Piedmont. I should’ve known you’d still be kicking, you old bastard.” Augustus frowned as he and his uncle turned to face the woman who had spoken. 

“Lacie Benton.” Bertrum smiled slyly. “So this is where you disappeared to.”

“Do you two know each other?” Augustus asked. He’d heard his uncle talk about a woman named Lacie before. Usually followed by a longwinded tangent about how he would have liked to have her as a daughter. 

“I did some work for him years back,” Lacie said. “Before I got offered the job here. You must be the nephew.”

“Yes, that would be me.” Augustus smiled slightly nervously.

“You’re one of the best mechanics I ever had the pleasure of working with. I was sorry to see you go.” Bertrum sighed. “I trust Drew is treating you well?”

“Eh, he’s alright.” Lacie shrugged. “Got his head up in the clouds half the time, but he means well.”

“Good good.” Bertrum thumped his cane thoughtfully. 

“I guess I’ll be seeing you both around,” Lacie said, eyes going to the folder in Augustus’ arms. “You’re building Drew’s theme park, right?”

“That we are.” Augustus nodded. “Although I’m not sure how often Uncle Bertie will be coming with me.” He shot his uncle a warning glare, which Bertrum utterly ignored. 

“I’m not dead yet!” He said. “I will be coming here as often as I am able for this project!” Augustus sighed, which made Lacie start to laugh. 

“Good to see you haven’t changed a bit.” She said. “Have a nice night, you two.” Then she turned and left, leaving Augustus to usher his uncle out to the car. He had a feeling this was going to be an interesting contract.