#if you want to bring epilogues into this debate you can

[chrisrin]

hey! question for the court.

who goes through more trauma, john homestuck egbert or jonathan magnus archives sims?

[heyclickadee]

I understand that people are going to cope how they are going to cope, and trying to find meaning in the handling of Tech in season three is part of that, but it’s also okay to criticize the show.

I like a good character death. Tech’s departure was not that. My issue is not that he’s presumed dead, my issue is that it and the handling of it is nonsense. So (I once again get very negative about my favorite show under the cut):

1. When you kill off a main character, you really have to kill them off. How you do so can vary from story to story, but you really have to do four things:

One, you need a good reason to kill them off in the first place. (“Stakes” is not a good reason. A secondary character, sure, but not a main one. More on that in a minute.)

Two, you need to make it perfectly clear that the character is, in fact, dead.

Three, you need to show the other characters processing and accepting that death. This is important because doing so will allow the audience to do the same and let the character go. This is especially important if you’re writing for a young audience.

Four, you need to make it explicitly clear that the character cannot come back. This is especially true in sci fi or fantasy. Especially if you’re the Character Resurrection franchise.

And guess what the show didn’t do?

Any of that. Any of it. What it did instead was ambiguously remove Tech from the story (uniquely in a show that loves making us watch characters die on screen; last time we saw Tech for sure he was alive), never gave a good reason for doing so in or out of the show, never showed us any character working through the impact of his loss (even though there was ample opportunity for Omega, especially, to do so), and ripped the “could he come back?” box wide open by parading CX-2 in front of our faces. It is never, at any point, handled like an actual main character death. It’s handled as a plot point from which the narrative moves fairly quickly, and treated by all parties as an absence. By all the rules of storytelling, Tech isn’t dead. He’s just ambiguously gone. And that means the writing team did a terrible job if what they wanted to do was kill him off. We should not be debating this after the show has ended if he’s actually dead.

2. I understand why some fans are trying to find meaning in losing Tech. I am not, because that meaning is not offered by the text itself. And, if the plan was to never bring him back, it should have been.

We are not, for example, offered a lesson about how not everyone comes home from the war. In order for that to have been the case, we would have needed to see someone, probably Omega, working through that. We would have needed to see her refusing to accept that Tech is gone—like we do in Plan 99, by the way—and slowly coming to terms with the idea that her brother isn’t coming home. But we don’t get that, not even as subtext.

Something else we could have gotten that would have worked with all the little visual reminders of Tech, empty chairs, name-drops, and even the CX-2 leading? The batch being so haunted by losing Tech and not really knowing what happened to him for sure that they start seeing him everywhere. But for that to work we would have needed, again, to see that as an explicit subplot where someone, probably Omega, again, gets really invested in the signs that Tech is coming back and even starts assuming that CX-2 is him, only to realize that she’s seeing what she wants to see and having to accept that Tech isn’t coming back, but that she can still keep Tech’s memory alive by following in his footsteps. That’s something you can kind of project onto what we’re given in the epilogue, but you do have to project it, because it’s entirely absent from the rest of the show.

As is, Tech’s sacrifice isn’t given any weight. From a narrative perspective, it was an incredibly contrived set of circumstances that accomplished nothing except punting Tech off a train, and gave Tech no choice but to remove himself from the story—exit, stage down. Losing Tech doesn’t, even sub-textually, serve as anyone’s motivation. It does nothing to move the plot or anyone’s character development forward. The primary motivators of season three were Omega’s kidnapping, Crosshair’s PTSD, and Hemlock needing to get Omega back.

Tech’s absence does nothing to move anything forward and only really serves to slow the plot down and make the others struggle to do anything because he’s not there to carry the team like he did in the first two seasons—and nothing about that would have played out any differently if Tech spent the season in a coma in a bacta tank. The only part of Tech’s sacrifice that has meaning is that he loved his family enough to offer it. And that is profound, but that’s not something that would be negated by a return because the love and the offer remain. As for his presumed death? His return couldn’t have taken meaning away from that, because the show never gave it any meaning in the first place.

And no, Tech “dying” isn’t something I have to accept. Tech isn’t a real person, he’s an idea, and an idea that didn’t come to fruition. I can point out the ways the handling of his departure didn’t work all day if I want.

3. CX-Tech was not an overly online theory. I need people to understand this. It was an assumption made by most of the casual audience. My sister, who has no contact with the fandom and doesn’t like me discussing the show at all until she’s seen it, assumed he was Tech. My brother-in-law, who was a die-hard Tech-has-to-be-dead-shut-up guy for the entire hiatus and the first half of season three, was convinced he was Tech. Every kid I’ve spoken to who watched the show thought he was Tech and is deeply confused that he got speared like that. My brother, who doesn’t even watch the show but who does walk by when I’m watching it sometimes, thought he was Tech. You can’t get more casual and away from the fandom than that.

The thing is, the answer we get isn’t that he’s not Tech. It’s, “We’re not telling.” Which means that as it currently stands, a season-and-a-half of CX buildup amounted to a five minute boss fight and a non-answer. That’s…not something that works! That’s atrocious writing if that was the whole sum of their intent all along.

And you can say, well, that was a clever misdirect! Plot twist! Except, one, misdirects and twists only work if the real answer is more satisfying than the false one, otherwise it just falls flat. Two, if it was a misdirect, it’s not one the creative team is willing to own. No one will touch the Tech-CX-2 parallels with a twenty-foot pole, except the Kiners, who have incredibly meaningful explanations for every musical choice but then say shit like, “that chord just sounds good in brass” about Battle of the Snipers (…before going on to say that the four note lose motif from “Plan 99” is Tech’s leitmotif…which is also all over Battle of the Snipers…and is only there according because the batch is divided in that scene, a scene in which Crosshair’s leitmotif is entirely absent even though he’s just supposed to be fighting his own dark side represented by a guy who’s totally not Tech. Sure. I’m going to go eat drywall.) Because acknowledging that and saying that was supposed to be Tech will just make the audience angrier, and they may not even be allowed to do so, and saying that it is Tech—you can understand why they can’t do that, right? The implications are horrific. But that horrific implication is probably what at least some of the casual audience who will never interact with the fandom or a single interview is going to walk away with.

4. The thing that bothers me most about all of this is the combined toxicity of the fandom and the leading from the marketing and social media. Part of the fandom saying that there were never any signs Tech could have survived (in Star Wars, no less) is starting to feel like gaslighting; and while I don’t think there was any malice in the leading in the marketing and social media—I’m even willing to give a tiny bit of leeway for the creative team maybe knowing something we don’t yet—it was handled badly, expectations for this season should have been set early and clearly, and as of right now it all feels like an incredibly cruel prank at autistic fans expense, whatever the intent may have been or may still be.

5. And finally, here’s the thing: I’m willing to give the writers a bit of leeway on this. I’m willing to grant that some choices may have been out of their hands for unknown reasons. I’m even willing to say that maybe they’re not really done with this story yet, that The Bad Batch could just be the first chapter of a longer show that was split up for stupid business reasons, and that the finale is the way it is because they had to have an ending of sorts without actually resolving anything. I’m willing to grant a lot of grace there. In fact, I actually think there’s a very good chance we’ll still get Tech back alive in canon, and sooner than later, if only because no one (not even the voice actors) seems happy about this, most fans are coping but disappointed at best, the creative team got asked about Tech non-stop for a solid year and a half, and the writers don’t seem at all committed. We know from the rest of the show that they know how to definitively kill a guy, and, frankly, Tech in the first two seasons comes across as something of a writer favorite. They like using him!

But whatever I’m hoping or suspecting, and whatever leeway I’m willing to grant the creative team here, the final product is all we have right now. And I am going to criticize that final product for badly handling a (presumed) character death and straight up breaking the central conceit of the show in doing so.

[callmeklair]

unrequited [epilogue]

« it's going to be a long journey »

Yui didn't know how she was supposed to face Reiji after what she just witnessed, no, more than that she is disgusted by the fact how their own father, Karlheinz, despite being aware of his son’s presence continued to say and show such horrendous things.

Should she confront Reiji or walk out and think for some time???

she is not prepared for either.

though it was too late to ponder on those thoughts as Reiji already got his hands on her and took her to Eden’s garden.

To Reiji it was most obvious what he should do, after all he has spent two lifetimes with Yui.

communicate.

he knows, at some point she'll blame herself, that's why he needs to talk with her. he needs to.

after arriving at the garden, both of them were quiet for some time, debating with words that'll sound proper instead of worsening things.

“Reiji-san you remember, right?”

ah, how badly he hoped that would be the last thing she'll ask.

“yes.”

“....”

“....”

“look Yui I can explain–”

“no I understand.”

“wait it's not what you think–”

“no, no, no, don't worry. I'm not misunderstanding things. even though your reason might not be identical to mine. I'm genuinely alright.”

“???? what are you-”

“I don't want Shu to remember. you heard that already right?”

Reiji was silent. he was so confused on Yui's sudden behavior. the girl who is always loyal and would rather die than fall in love with someone else has given up?

he knew how strong her love was. he even heard her genuine reasons on why she gave up on Shu, but something doesn't sit right with him.

was that the only reason?

more than that, she declared she loves him?

he should be happy to hear that but why is he not able to accept it?

“was that the only reason you gave up on Shu?”

Yui opened her mouth to say something but paused for a minute.

“maybe it's all my fault.”

“how?”

she shook her head.

“you are Reiji. you already have a speculation don't you.”

“please stop being so mysterious, that's so unlike you. Yui.” yes he knows the answer but he is also starting to get afraid at the sight of how her eyes are slowly starting to darken and becoming identical to his. he is trembling internally. he needs to convince her. but before that…

he slowly brings her into his embrace, rubbing her back gently to ease her. she is trying to be brave but she is doing that by putting all the weight on her. until she lets it all out properly, she'll keep sinking into the abyss.

on the other hand, Yui is a little dumbfounded at Reiji's actions. it's so unlike him. but even though it's not like him, she understood bit by bit what he is trying to do. after all, even though he is stroking gently, his hands are stiff.

she laughed.

this is no situation to laugh at but his small efforts and actions are making her giddy. she laughed with tears in her eyes as she finally let it all out.

gritting her teeth while the tears streamed down her cheeks, she hugged him back tightly.

“it's all my fault. it's all my fault… Reiji-san. why do we all have to go through a trial just because of my heart and reach someone’s expectations? why do you all have to do those things?”

he kept rubbing her back, letting her wet his favorite black coat, as he looked at a far distance.

“Shu had to cut the vibora leader’s head just for the sake of freeing me and you all had to face the vibora’s wrath while almost getting killed. and then what was the end result? we were sent back to square one because we didn't meet the expectations.”

“at first I badly wanted Shu to remember but then it crossed my mind. Shu changed by coming out of his comfort zone and went through all that length to protect me, only for us to end like this. even though he won't show it, he'll continuously self blame himself everyday for failing to protect me.”

“but more than that, as you already know, I was starting to lose my mind by being stuck in this animesic world all alone as I desperately pestered Shu to remember me like a mad woman. I was starting to get crazy. and if he would have regained his memories and saw me in such a state, it would have added fuel to the fire to his self-blame.”

for Reiji, love was a new word. if anyone told him such a thing, he would mock it and call it a waste of time.

it might be hard to understand Yui's way of thinking when it comes to love, but he'll do his best to get it for her.

“those tea times with you were my only solace. contradictory to my solemn days I spent forcing Shu to remember, I was calm and collected with you. devoting time in your presence made me rethink and differentiate things. it helped me to not lose my mind. maybe that's when, unknowingly, I fell for you. everytime, after I visited Shu, my head was dizzy as I felt myself slowly go numb. slowly feeling like throwing things around to vent it all out.”

“Yui…” there was this one time, he heard things breaking in the bathroom. at that time he thought she was just being clumsy but was she having a hysterical fit then?

was she becoming like Subaru’s mother? was he too late!??

it's like she sensed his thoughts and patted his back to prove otherwise.

she is alright.

Reiji was completely clueless what to say as nobody has ever relied on him or had a heart to heart conversation with him.

heck, he never even initiated such things and never cared if there was a misunderstanding. but now that he is with Yui, it's different.

maybe he should start with something simple?

“I'll support you” he slowly lifted his face away from her shoulders but made sure his eyes never left hers, as their foreheads inches apart.

it's not much, but he'll try. he will try everything he can to make her feel better.

Yui leaned closer and pecked his cheeks like she was assuring him that what he is doing and thinking is on the right track.

“you know, when you are anxious you become stiff and speechless.”

she really knows them all well. no, maybe it's more like how she spent most of her time with him too in both the timelines that she came to understand him in deeper terms.

“then should I take it as yes?” he said pointing at his kissed cheek.

Yui blushed before stammering how it should be her asking that when he obviously heard her confession back in that room.

days passed as Yui and Reiji spent time together to develop their relationship. it was more like Reiji not wanting to rush things with her as he still wanted to make sure she slowly recovers to her normal state.

Yui also figured that if she had a timeline with Reiji which she doesn't remember, then there are chances she might have one with others too.

but it's no use to ponder on it now because right now she has set her future with Reiji. they have decided that they'll face all the upcoming hardships together no matter what.

Reiji also gave her a necklace that connects her with him and vice versa for his own necklace.

this necklace will alert the person if the other is in danger, both physically and mentally.

still vividly remembering what he heard that day and also the events with Shu, Reiji researched day and night on it and after a week, successfully crafted this couple necklace.

now it was the day. their wedding day.

Yui was still unsure because they still have to face the Tsukinamis but Reiji replied that the marriage will only make things easier and those two can't try to lay a hand on someone's wife if they have morals.

the whole Sakamaki household was shocked because it's not been that long for them since Yui arrived. but to Reiyui, it's already been two timelines.

thankfully, the preparations went well and of course it was a small wedding after Yui insisted a lot.

Yui walked down the altar holding Shu's elbow, remembering how he agreed to be her Chaperone by himself. at first she got anxious thinking Shu remembered everything, but that wasn't the case. the only answer they got whenever they asked Shu with a doubt, he'll say:

“it's my duty as the older brother” like he was declaring himself not only Reiji's but Yui's brother too, after all the bride is escorted down the aisle by her father but that isn't the case with Yui as Seiji cannot be reached.

more than that, she still doesn't know how to face him when he finds out she is marrying a vampire.

oh they have a long way to go, but that shouldn't matter. because right now the priority is to spend the time with each other as much as possible and enjoy the moment.

you never know the future.

Yui smiled as she completed her vows with Reiji and kissed him.

it is going to be a long journey.

Yui… you can finally stop crying now, because this man, Reiji, will never let you shed a tear and always keep you smiling.

she said to herself as she walked hand in hand with him towards their carriage to set off for their home.

the end.

[stationintern]

Well, hello there! September has flown by, and I have to say, it was a month. Not the worst, but certainly not the best. In the end, I was not able to read as much as I would have liked, but I managed to scrape together a few delicious fics for you, my beloved mutuals and anyone who happens to come across this reclist (you're my beloved, too!)

Enjoy these fics I've gathered for your October gobbling.

Enterrement de vie de garçon by @wolfpants E, 2.7k

Am I starting a Drarry reclist with a Ron/Viktor fic? Yeah, I am. There's still a solid dose of Drarry in here. There's a solid dose of everyone, actually, and it's amazing. I will forever have the phrase "the gay circle of life" imprinted on my brain. Sexy, hilarious, and incredibly fun.

Scenes from a life by @aideomai E, 33.3k

This is a sequel to Such Great Heights, which is a fantastic fic in and of itself. But, this extended epilogue is just so lovely I decided to rec it on its own. There are a few moments in here that I go back and reread when I need something quick that I know will instantly lift me up. Getting to see the characters aideomai created in the initial fic continue developing and settling into various stages of life brings such comfort and warmth, and I just can't get over how beautiful this entire epilogue is. Some of the funniest moments I've ever seen in fic lie in here, and every time I reread I find something new to love.

Two Weeks by @shiftylinguini E, 21.9k

I've been turned to jelly. A fuck or discomfort fic, if you will. I really, truly, don't think I've ever met a hornier Harry. An adorable Harry & Ron dynamic. Draco is very, very sexy. The parallels between the Magical medical world and the real life one are hilarious, and give you a good chuckle if you've ever been given a pile of pamphlets by your therapist.

Semiplume by @tackytigerfic T, 923

I'm furthering my tackytiger agenda. Very cute and domestic, with beautiful descriptions of everything going on inside Draco's head. Dispels the rumors that Scorpius came from an egg. Though, I did enjoy the debates surrounding that. Harry eats crisps.

Terrible People by @wolfpants, @getawayfox E, 52.8k

Once again, I am reccing two wolfpants fics in one list. I loved getting to follow along as this fic came out, and plan to read it again (and again.) Gay cruises, healer Draco, and stunning art. What else could you want?

Five Weddings and a Potions Accident by @lauren3210

Five weddings, a potions accident, and a scrumptious twist.

Alas, we have reached the end. I sincerely hope you found something new, or that I have reminded you of a past favorite that you can revisit. Until November 1st, friends.

xx, Moon.

[icallhimjoey]

To Have And To Scold

♥ ♥  Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your best friends are getting married, and who else can they ask to be their best man and maid of honour but you and Joe? It's just that... you don't really get along all that well, do you? At least, that's what you think.

CW / disclaimer: sort of enemies to sort of lovers (very vague, im sorry, but you'll see), slow burn, language, drinking, rpf, fem!reader

Author’s note: here's part 4, i hope it brings you at least some answers! (if not, i know part 5 definitely will!) (and also remember there'll be 5 more parts after that!)

Wordcount: 2.8K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten - epilogue

It wasn't insanely cold at all, but it felt nice to hug your coat tighter to your body, arms folded over and shoulders hunched up, as you made your way down the street.

You weren't crying, but knew you would the second you'd get home. Kind of wanted to now, not that you knew exactly why, but you'd definitely watch something sad if the tears wouldn't come on their own accord.

Maybe the thought of Joe fucking hating you would be enough. Because that kind of was it, wasn't it? Joe only was mildly friendly sometimes because you were friends with his best friend's fiancé. That was it. No other reason. Just had to be nice because you and Mark were a weird package-deal he now had to deal with just because he was friends with Poppy.

Well... tough.

Jesus, you were all over the place. Thoughts going from, why does he hate me? to, so what if he does?

Just as you turned a corner, you heard someone run up behind you. There were people about all over, so footsteps nearing didn't necessarily mean they had anything to do with you. But then before you knew it, someone fell into step next to you.

Joe.

Stubborn as you were, you just kept walking and didn't acknowledge him. Didn't say anything, and then, in some sort of weird power play, neither did he.

Silence.

Arms crossed. Shoulders high. Eyes down at your feet. Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.

With every step it became more and more annoying that he was just... there. That he followed you. That he was now walking with you, and that he wasn't fucking saying anything.

Not that you wanted to talk.

You kind of wanted him to leave.

But you could rise above it. Try to be the bigger person. Keyword being try.

You came up to an intersection and you knew that Joe needed to take a left to make it to his place. Instead, Joe took a right and kept up the pace next to you.

"What are you doing?" you refused to look at him still.

"Walking you home,"

It made you grunt under your breath a little, so annoyed by the fact that Joe followed the code of chivalry just so he could tell Mark and Poppy that he'd done the right thing. This wasn't a genuine thing. Joe didn't care about your safety more than he did his own standing with his friends.

"You don't need to, I'm fine on my own, thanks," and you sped up, but Joe followed suit and you secretly debated stopping all together to see if he would too.

"I know you will be," Joe said, voice sort of flat, void of any emotion towards you at all. "But you do understand that Mark would skin me alive if I didn't at least make sure you got home all right,"

How the fuck did him admitting to walking you home for his own sake rather than yours make him suddenly feel more sincere?

It's because honesty was still honesty, even if you didn't like the truth. It softened you a little despite everything, just, a little flicker of, at least you're not lying to me.

But you buried your kinder feelings quickly, shook them off and forced your thoughts elsewhere. There were enough other people about, enough hustle and bustle happening all around you for you to divide attention. There was plenty to look at, plenty to listen to and plenty to think of.

Walking beside Joe without sharing any words only really became weird when the streets became quieter and emptier as you got closer to your flat.

It was silent for a while, just the sound of your in-sync footsteps following you. You realised you were growing more and more annoyed at the sight of your old jeans and ratty trainers next to Joe's pressed trousers and shiny loafers.

So pretentious, you thought.

It's just his style, you thought immediately after, berating yourself for thinking mean shit all the time. Just because Joe didn't like you - potentially hated you - didn't mean you had to think mean shit of him in return. You could be the adult here. The grown-up who was above all of this dumb teenage behaviour.

"I'm sorry," Joe suddenly said, "I shouldn't have said–"

"That's okay," you lied, not needing his apology.

Joe accepted your interruption, and another silence took over.

Rise above, you thought to yourself. Rise above all of it.

When you had to wait at a crossing, you suddenly sighed, loudly.

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have snapped the way–"

"That's okay," Joe said, copying your earlier interjection and you were scared to look up at him in case he was smiling.

You weren't going to accept it quite as easily though.

"It's just," you inhaled a sharp breath, "I don't know, I made a shitty comment and I regret it and I'm sure you've heard it a million times before, because I have too, and," you winced in true regret.

"What do you mean?"

Cool. Joe was going to make you repeat yourself. Rub salt into that wound. Sure. Why the fuck not?

"Do people not constantly ask you if you're dating Poppy?"

"Only everyone," Joe said, and you could hear his smile as he said it. You still refused to look. "Especially, my mum," Joe then added, and you couldn't help the burst of laughter that escaped you.

You quickly reeled it all back in though. Cleared your throat. Kept your smile to yourself, and your eyes down where they had been for most of your walk.

You assumed Joe would elaborate, but it stayed quiet next to you.

Awkward and familiarly distant, exactly like you knew Joe to be.

Suddenly, Joe jogged a few steps ahead as you walked past a pub, and you saw him reach for the door - not to the pub, but to the place next to the pub. You slowed to a halt.

"Gelato?"

Joe couldn't just say ice cream like a normal person, could he?

"My treat," Joe waited patiently, the door to the ice cream place held open by one hand, whilst the other resided in one of his pockets. It was past 10 by now, but there were still people inside getting their sugary fix of Italian desert and you were about to say no, until you stomach growled.

You'd barely had any food tonight, and even though it wasn't exactly the type of weather to indulge in a cold treat, you actually really craved something sweet. Looking at all the bright colours of frozen goodness behind the glass only confirmed that for you.

You gave an exaggerated sigh, playing now, and said "Fine," through an eye roll. As if saying yes to ice cream was a favour you were doing Joe, and not the solution you needed to sober up a little.

The smallest of smiles appeared on Joe's face, head tipping down as you walked past him, stepping inside, before he followed you.

Five minutes later, you were sat at a small table, both with little tubs of beautiful ice cream and little plastic colourful spoons, shoveling straciatella and pistachio goodness into your gobs.

You were practically groaning over how good it was.

"How's yours?" you asked when Joe didn't seem half as into it as you were.

Ever silent, ever cumbersome.

"Oh, s'good," he said before he went in for another bite, and you had to really resist the urge to reach over and go for a spoonful from his portion.

It was like Joe read your mind, because, before you had even really finished your thought, he nonchalantly slid his tub of ice cream across the table.

You just looked at it for a moment as he still held it in his hands, and then tapped it against the surface, signaling for you to dig in.

Interesting.

You took a small spoonful, and Joe was right. That was good. Yours was better though.

Were you the type of people to share ice cream together?

No. Far from it, actually.

But did you?

"Mine's better,"

Yes, you did.

You copied Joe, sliding your tub over to his side of the table for him to have a taste of yours.

Joe took a far larger glob of ice cream from you than you'd taken from him, but you didn't say anything. He'd paid, and you had just claimed that yours was better, so you let it slide.

Joe narrowed his eyes up at the ceiling and worked the taste of your choice of ice cream into his mouth before swallowing and concluding, "Yea, that's good too."

Not agreeing, not disagreeing, but a secret third nonthreatening thing: light diplomacy. It kind of made you chuckle at how safe Joe was being. Earlier you'd been full force trying to ruffle each other's feathers all over. Now, it was careful words, and silence.

You decided to take advantage.

"I feel bad,"

Joe's eyes shot up to look at you.

"I shouldn't have said anything about the picture of you and Poppy," and you kind of meant it.

"I don't know why I brought it up. It was stupid, you can do whatever you want in your own house, it's - it's not fair of me to assume anything, and,"

Joe was about to say something, so you upped your volume to make sure he'd let you finish.

"And, I want to say sorry, I can be... I don't know, vengeful and unforgiving if I don't use my brain, so, I'm sorry. Forget I said anything about it."

Joe listened, and then looked at his last few bites of ice cream before he chuckled.

Laughed.

For a moment you thought he was laughing at you, and you could feel your defenses itch. You were absolutely ready to fall right back into snarky comments and glares.

But then Joe squeezed his eyes shut, scrunched up his nose and said,

"It's unbelievable how much you and Poppy are alike,"

You eyed him somewhat suspiciously.

"Honestly, it's remarkable. Might as well be the same person."

You'd heard Mark say this time and time again, but you were curious what similarities Joe could see. He barely knew you, after all.

"Alike how?"

"Well, for starters," Joe made big eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "Vengeful and unforgiving? Tick," Joe said as he pretended to tick an item off an imaginary list. "Apologising for it? Tick,"

You huffed a laugh, and saw Joe smile too.

"No, I'm joking," Joe continued, "But sometimes she... tonight Poppy got drunk just because she..." Joe paused, and you thought you could sense a little hesitation. "She forgot to use her brain and got a little vengeful and a little unforgiving," Joe finished, keeping things vague and unclear.

"Was it about Mark?" you pried.

Joe just smiled at you.

"She worries too much,"

You mimicked ticking that off whatever imaginary list Joe'd been writing on, because you fucking worried about everything all of the time. Joe huffed a laugh at it, and another short silence fell where you finished your ice cream and then watched Joe finish his.

"I know Poppy gets jealous sometimes," you confessed. "It's truly unnecessary, because I would never, ever. Never. With Mark, I mean," and you visibly shuddered at the thought. "Absolutely not," you weren't sure if you needed Joe to know, or if you hoped that he'd tell Poppy that you said that.

"It's not that," Joe said, which kind of threw you for a loop. "That's not what she worries about,"

And like you weren't in the middle of a somewhat civilized conversation, especially considering it was the two of you doing the talking, Joe collected your empty tubs and spoons and got up, ready to leave. He dumped the rubbish into a bin near the front, and then kindly held open the door for you again as you headed out.

Outside, you carried on the walk over to your flat, but this time, it was a lot more leisurely than before. Slower steps. Hands in your pockets instead of crossed over your chest. Shoulders relaxed. The air not quite as... hostile as before.

You looked at Joe and wondered if you were going to have to ask him what he meant earlier. You could practically see him think. Go over what to reveal to you, and what not to. For Poppy's privacy, you were sure.

Giving him a minute seemed to do the trick, because suddenly, he spoke.

"She worries that you know Mark better than she does... that you mean more to him than she ever will,"

Silly, you thought. Didn't say it.

"She's always like, am I still only second best to him?"

"Oh my God," you didn't want to sound like you thought that was the dumbest thing you'd ever heard, but that just slipped right out.

"No, I know," Joe smiled, immediately agreeing. "Trust me, I know,"

"Second best?" you repeated. "Does she really think that?"

Joe just sort of nodded.

"But we're not... we're not even in the same rankings. I might top the scales when it comes to all of his friends, but, Poppy is... she should hear how he can go on about her. It get's a little gross, sometimes. She really doesn't need to worry,"

Was this why Poppy had so intensely told you that you were important to her at the bar? Had Poppy and Joe talked, and had she shared all of her vengeful and unforgiving thoughts before using her brain and apologising? Was telling you she loved you with your face squished in her hands her way of apologising to you?

"Can you tell her for me? I'll do it myself too, but I imagine it'll stick more when you tell her,"

You rounded the corner into your street.

"I will. It's not... it's not always like that, though," Joe said.

"Oh, no, of course," you got it.

Everyone had their moments, didn't they?

"But can you blame her?" Joe suddenly said, and you turned your head to look at him. Joe had his eyes aimed at the pavement.

"What are you implying?" you asked cautiously.

"Well," Joe started, and if you weren't mistaken, you could see his jaw clench a little. Was that annoyance?

Was Joe annoyed with you?

For fucking what?

You'd been right before. There was definitely some sort of real hatred within Joe that was all specifically curated for you.

Great. Just, so great.

You immediately grew defensive, felt it bubble up in your gut, but tried to keep it there until you knew for sure it was needed.

"Mark's very protective," Joe said pointedly, immediately making you frown.

You wanted to argue, and tried to think of things to prove him wrong, but your mind faltered and words got stuck in your throat. All you could come up with were memories of your earlier teens where Mark's protectiveness was exactly what had made you become friends.

"Guess so," you mumbled quietly, sort of deflated, not really wanting to get into it.

Besides, you'd reached your flat, so rounding of your conversation was smarter than delving into a whole other conversation you would then need to have by your front door. Oh man, even just thinking of rounding off a stuttery conversation with awkward goodbyes made you cringe.

"But you're right," Joe said loudly as you pulled your keys from your pocket.

"The framed photo is a little weird, given that I cropped the two of you out,"

You stilled entirely and just looked at him. Looked to see if you could find a hint of humour. Anything to indicate he wasn't being serious. You came up blank.

"I'll see about replacing it,"

You just sort of blinked at him.

He didn't need to actually go and replace it, what the fuck.

You were a loss for words, completely unable to think of the right words to say, so you just stood there and said nothing until it became weird.

"Good night," Joe then said with a small smile as he nodded his head down at you before turning on his heel and walking back the way you'd come. A few steps out he looked over his shoulder, lips pressed into a tight smile and he waved.

Motherfucker waved at you with wiggling fingers and a kind face and Jesus fucking Christ.

It was dead silent in your street, and you really had to force yourself not to watch Joe walk away, not to listen to Joe walk away, until he was out completely out of sight.

Inside, you pulled your phone out and opened your text thread with Mark. You had one really important question to ask him, and it couldn't wait 'til morning.

"hey, quick q, why the fuck don't Joe and I get plus ones to your wedding?"

---

The Taglisted: 

@ghostinthebackofyourhead @dirtyeddietini @jasminearondottir @josephquinned @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @munsonsgirl71 @thefemininemystiquee @alana4610 @emmamooney @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi @thewondernanazombie @munsonmunster @kellysimagines @mybffjoe @chaoticgood-munson @sherrylyn628 @bdpst-massacre @05secondsofsexgods @lovelyblueness @adoreyouusugar @nadixq @prozacandnicotine @munsonswhore86 @alwayslindie @breddiemunson @eddie-joe-munson @ali-in-w0nderland @pepperstories @phyllosilicate-s @thebellenouvelle @luvrsbian @joesquinns @choke-me-joey @alizztor @jnnyrd @did-it-work @capricornrisingsstuff @quinnsbower @frogers @kennedy-brooke @daleyeahson @eddielives1986 @harringtonfan4 @sadbitchfangirl

(taglist currently full, sorry)

[yojeongin]

DON’T BLAME THE LOVECATS — 36: ENTRE TUS PUPILAS

→neighbor!jaemin x neighbor f!reader

genre: social media au, neighbors au, fluff, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, humor

wc: 2.4k+

an: that’s a wrap guys, all that’s left is the epilogue

m.list | previous | next

Anxiousness and happiness was eating the both of you alive. Fighting amongst themselves to settle which feeling should take over your whole day. 

Things were going alright for Jaemin. He had preparations to distract him like getting flowers from his client (who’s website he finally finished), picking up the food from both places his friends worked at, and debating on where he should hold this little picnic. 

As in for you… you had tried watching a movie, cleaned the apartment, and even tried watching the Barca match but without their star players they lost. Again. It’s obvious not even football distracts you from what you could possibly talk to Jaemin about. 

You were more nervous about how your relationship with him is so far. Things through messages were sweet and as if nothing happened but that’s only virtually, things are always different in person.

He could be a sweetheart begging you to meet with him but once you two are face to face, what guarantees you that he won’t unleash whatever wrath you think he holds? After all, you've refused to hear him out for weeks (rightfully so).

Nevertheless the only thing left in your mind to distract yourself was to take care of the cats. Yeah, maybe if you take them on a little walk while Jaemin is ready to get you, you’ll be fine. After all spending time with your babies always entertained you (no matter the unprovoked scratches and bites).

After putting on Minino’s harness, you make your way to the apartment next door. Knocking three times as tradition to the rhythm you and Mark had unconsciously assigned to each other through the years. 

Being so, the mentioned opened the door with a smile, rubbing his eyes showing he had fallen back asleep after the little group chat discussion about you and his roommate. When he was to open his mouth, Dooie had bolted out the door, the action making Minino kick and scratch you harsh enough to let go of the hold you had on him. 

In that instant you cursed yourself for not clipping on the leach to the harness before coming to them. This always happened and none of you ever learned.  

“Good afternoon, huh?” Mark remarks, grabbing his keys knowing he had to go after them as well. “Seems so.” You groan with a shaky giggle, pulling him by the arm in order to hurry before they wreck havoc. 

“We should buy toddler railings.” He mentions, yawning while struggling to go down the two flights of stairs, your pulling making it dangerous. “They can fit through the bars though.” Bringing him down from that train of thought, Mark frowns rushing behind you. Poor boy, you didn’t give him enough time to put on shoes.

Through the transit of your chase: Mark had multiple pebbles clinging to his feet, you ran out of breath a couple of times considering the cats would go up some building just to jump off when you reach them, and on occasions you both almost fell when leaning down to grab them. In those instances, they sped faster and kicked during the act. These cats really wanted to make you guys suffer just for the hell of it.

That is until they finally halted their spree and purring was all you two heard going up a hill. ’Sneaky little monsters.’ Mark thought to himself; the universe kept showing him cats were smart enough, their minds broader than his.

“Nana?” Your voice broke both of them out of their thoughts. While Mark sported a smile despite his panting, Jaemin wanted to rip his hair out seeing only the plates and cups were out, everything looked a dirty mess and he was disappointed. 

He laughed nervously, looking between you and the cats that immediately snuggled in his lap. “Surprise…” The shaky words left his pretty lips showing his sparkling pearly whites. 

“I wanted to make it a little special but I see the kitties have other plans.” Dooie sniffed his fingers, the obvious scent of food inside the basket more prominent than before. “Oh you’re so—“ The words wouldn’t leave your throat, an airy giggle left your lips instead.

Seeing him this close again was making your insides churn. You really did miss him and seeing how Minino wouldn’t stop rubbing against his sides made the feeling increase. 

Your feelings took over your instincts, crouching down to the blanket he was sitting on top of and making your way to him to take into an embrace. The action alone took both of them by surprise. Mark looked at you two with wide eyes and a smile nodding to Jaemin who didn’t hesitate in wrapping his own arms around you, holding you tight in fear you’ll leave him again. 

Mark took that as his cue to leave. He hoped to take the cats with him but the two made no effort to leave the claustrophobic space you two squished them between. Lifting his hand tiresomely, Mark turns back praying that this time his feet won’t suffer what they did earlier.

“I’m sorry.” Jaemin is the first to break the silence, burying his face in the crook of your neck. “For jumping into conclusions and preferring to part ways instead of talking it out.” He wanted nothing more than to kiss your cheek, leaving that sweet action as a form of a caress. 

You were the one to separate, a look of confusion plastered on your face. Jaemin doesn’t hesitate in taking your hands into his, still not ready to not hold contact. Squeezing them, he nods to himself. “I overheard you and Mark talk about rejecting someone and I got scared…” 

He turns behind him, his grip off you and once his hands find what he searched for, he turns back to you. “I’m also sorry for thinking submerging myself in my job would help but it ended up backfiring.” He laughs, handing you another bouquet of white flowers, this time a small note hidden between them.

A side smile is what you could give him, taking the crisp envelope between your fingers to read what he was trying to say. 

‘You crossed my path and I found the paradise I want to stay in. It’s you, only you. The one who gives me the moon, the one to calm my insanity, forever it’s always you.’

Your smile grew reading over the note. They’re obviously song lyrics but it doesn’t matter, he knew what song to use regardless. “You’re a cheat.” A giggle makes its way to his ears, causing him to return it while squeezing your hands again.

“I wouldn’t reject you, Jaemin. You’re really dumb sometimes.” You scoot closer to him, freeing one of your hands to pet Dooie who now found purchase on your lap. “I can be, yeah. I didn’t want to face rejection, I don’t know how to handle it.” 

He hesitates, rubbing your knuckles with his thumb. “She was my client, those flowers were for you. She owns the flower shop I get them from. I really don’t want you to think I’d quickly find someone new. I make it so obvious that I only want you, y/n. Always have.” 

His eyes softened, body unconsciously getting closer to yours making it more obvious how his eyes sparkled in adoration. “Not always. Pretty sure a few months ago you wanted me gone.” You laugh, rubbing your arm that despite it being spring, you felt cold. 

He shakes his head instantly, taking off his own jacket to wrap around your shoulders. “Y/n, I’ve been madly in love with you for the past year. I only went along with your arguments because— well, it’s really cute how your face gets when you’re annoyed.” 

His laughter earned him a slap on the shoulder, startling Minino who slept on his lap when he almost fell back. “I’m sorry, you’re really cute when angry.” Jaemin holds to the cat now, rubbing its head while the rumbling of his stomach soothes his lower body. 

“Oh you dick! Do you know how many times I wished you got food poisoning because you pissed me off?!” You weren’t entirely angry, just a bit peeved. It did explain why he didn’t start arguments, if anything he only followed up yours with irking responses or questions. 

“See! Like that!” He points at you, chuckling in the process of calming himself down. “Whatever…” You roll your eyes at him, sitting beside him now. “A year, though? Might explain why I dreamt of you often.” A cheeky smile appeared on your face causing a crimson blush to spread across his face. 

“You’re lucky I like you too.” The chaste kiss he didn’t place on your cheek, you did on his, making that blush spread more. “Y/n…” He whines, hiding his face in his hands, leaving Minino to wake up from his nap again due to the missing warmth.

“I guess we have to work on our communication more.” You nod, petting Dooie who now decided to get off your lap, rubbing herself against your cat. “I got your favorite food from the cafe and the restaurant. Shotaro might have begged Winter to tell him.” Jaemin’s smile only made you feel more warmth within you. He even got his friends involved to help him please you.

“Oh and one last gift.” Behind the wicker picnic basket laid a wrapped box, the blue and silver colors shimmering with the sunlight. It wasn’t too heavy when he handed it to you but it sure caused some excitement.

With nimble fingers, you rip off the pieces of paper and soon enough the tape from the box. Jaemin seemed more excited than you, giggling to himself and to the cats every time you got closer to the prize.

When you finally ripped off the top box and noticed that similar combination of red and white, joy overtook you and you took him into another embrace. A quick one though, your mind was more focused on seeing a jersey that belonged to one of your favorite players.  

“I was looking for one not so long ago, how did you know?!” You cheered beside him, pulling it up before you and admiring every detail. It was soft to the touch and smelled great from the softener he must’ve used when washing it after gaining possession. 

Jaemin doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around you, pulling you closer to him once again. “I knew you liked this guy and I saw it on eBay. Almost ripped my hair out bidding with it against someone.” 

He might’ve been ecstatic to know he won but once the gears in your brain turned and you connected the dots which made you realize he was the asshole you had been fighting against for hours, the smile dwindled and your body gained a mind of its own.

“You!” The change in tone made his smile fade, gaining some fear the second he saw you stand on your knees just to pounce on him. It was more of an excuse to be near him but your hands made sure to shake his shoulders causing him to lose his balance and ended up pulling you down with him.

With his hands on your waist and yours on his shoulder, you two stay still for a second. No words left his mouth or yours, the beating of your hearts felt through touches. His eyes kept flitting from yours to your lips, biting his inferior lip. You take notice of this and decide to tease him, squeezing his shoulders and lowering your upper body, making him grow more nervous.

“You want to kiss me so bad.” Your teasing voice makes the blush from earlier appear, Jaemin taking a tighter hold on your waist as the centimeter diminished. “Loser.” Your final words leave your lips, ones you connect with his in a sweet and tender kiss he’s been dreaming about for ages. 

Your arms wrap around his neck now, bodies connected, and both of you in pure bliss that things finally led somewhere. It could’ve been left like that but the universe always has plans for you. The second you two got comfortable, the sprinklers went off. A loud laughter right after that made the two of you separate immediately startled by the water and embarrassment. 

“Oh thank you, Johanna. Thank you for pushing us, Johanna.” The owner of the laugh spoke up, making her way down the hill after checking around the complex to see if anything needed fixing. She was just glad the right timing was on her side to experience the view before her.

Regardless some forced thank you’s left you two, rushing to get the basket, flowers, and everything else that had been taken out. By this point the cats had been long gone and now they were something else you had to search for.

“You’re the asshole I was fighting with all day for this jersey by the way.” What you had intended on letting him know before the kiss was finally spewed. Jaemin’s smile dropped, looking at you through squinted eyes and remembering all those curses he threw whenever you tried outbidding him.

“Oh you’re sick… Why the hell would you bid a hundred more!” He reproached, taking your wet hand in his. “Because I wanted it badly!” You tried defending yourself, he on the other hand grunted. “Do you think if I file a report they’ll give me the money back?” He jokes, smiling now that this other issue was settled. “You won fair and square, deal with it.” You tease, biting your lower lip while pulling him up towards the building you two shared. 

“I planned to listen to the mixtape you made while eating but the sprinklers killed it. Wanna go on a date?” He smiles widely, finally leaving a quick peck on your cheek.

“How about we have it at my place during the match?” He nods, smiling widely at the images that have been created in his brain. “One last thing.”

You hum at his words, stopping in your tracks once you two reach the second flight of stairs. “Would you let me be your boyfriend?” Despite the kisses and words, he was still nervous. 

With a wide and tender smile you nod, taking his face into your hands and giving him yet another kiss that he didn’t fail in returning. “Yeah, I’ll grant you that honor.” The both of you laugh in between kisses, holding each other despite the bother of items you both held onto. 

After years of bickering and that slow progress into friends, Jaemin and your dreams became a reality. Just like the cats, you two could be happily together. 

taglist: @bbymatz @dandelionxgal @w3bqrl @liljeongseong @n0hyuck @minjiville @xxxx-23nct @liliansun @ihrtnyu @kpopwh0r3 @buubbbbly @luvenshiti @igotkpoops @xuimhao @enhapocketz @wonnou @channnaa @najm00

[thecoffeelovingfreak]

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆

chapter VI of and her heart is a bird on a spit in her chest

Pairing: Arlecchino x gn!Minister of Justice!Reader

Genres: angst, hurt/comfort

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: arguing, weaponizing trauma (partially), angst, brief use of alcohol as a coping mechanism, mentions of violence and murder, physical violence due to anger and frustration

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | epilogue

~~~

The lovely sharp scent of Manon’s cologne cast your thoughts aside as you glanced at where she sat. The mixture of sea salt, bitter orange, and cedar suited her well, and you suspected it was chosen specifically for her trip back to Fontaine. Your gaze did not stray as you watched her gracefully sip her tea, her contrasting eyes on Focalors.

Two new guests sat to her right at the large table – a newly famous duo performing magic shows at the oldest theatre in the city. Both were funded by Manon, or rather, the Knave.

The heat of a sturdy hand on your shoulder brought your focus back to the casual end of your morning with the diplomats.

“I am sure that our Minister would be pleased to host you for supper this evening.”

Manon nodded, her hands folded over her lap and eyes focused intently on your features. “Excellent, I will be looking forward to it.”

While you did not appreciate the chief justice extending the invitation for you, you sensed that he must have debated the idea with Furina before you arrived at the courtroom.

“I am afraid I will not be able to come, but thank you for your kindness,” the Marionette – Sandrone, you learned – replied.

You would be alone with Manon after twelve years.

The evening was bound to be eventful.

Recovering from your momentary surprise, you spoke, “That is unfortunate. I hope we will be able to meet privately another time.”

She smiled small, but you felt that it was not genuine in the slightest.

“It was lovely to see you again, Ms. Arlecchino, but I’m afraid we must prepare for our next show this afternoon,” one of the performers, Lyney, stated as he rose from his seat.

“Please excuse us,” his sibling and co-worker, Lynette, requested.

“You are dismissed,” Manon said, waving gently toward the exit.

The conversation flowed for a few minutes longer before she decided to take her leave. Shortly after she departed, you dismissed yourself as well. Catching up to her quickly, you placed your fingertips along her elbow, trying to get her attention and stop her from venturing into the street.

Her eyes were surprised, and she drew her elbow back. You felt crushed at her rejection for a moment, but really, what did you expect? She had not seen you in twelve years, there was no way either of you could just pick up where you left off.

The more she stared at you, the more your words left you.

“If you have nothing to say, I will be going, __. Have a lovely day, and I will see you at seven this evening.”

As you watched her walk away, you were filled with odd desperation. You flexed your hand.

You would be seeing her tonight – you could talk and share as much as you wanted then.

—

Manon’s nerves were unusually on edge as she knocked on your door. Your home was decently isolated on the outskirts of Brume de Lys along the Crête Coulante. It was a lengthy drive, and her heart had raced awkwardly while her thoughts did as well.

With a small flourish, the large dark cherry wood door opened and revealed you in black, purple, and gold. Her heart skipped a beat just as it did when you touched her in the morning.

"Good evening, Man– Arlecchino,” you greeted cordially, bringing an arm out behind you and beckoning her in.

She nodded to you, silent as she stepped foot into your domain. Even if it was your home, she would remain guarded.

“I can take your coat if you would like.”

“Please,” Manon replied, turning her back. The light and warm traces of your fingertips along her shoulders filled her with unnerving anticipation. For what, she couldn’t guess. A small chill in the air greeted her when you removed her dark coat. Shivers ran down her spine as your gathered her ponytail in your left hand and straightened it out, your hand brushing across the back of her neck.

“There,” you stated quietly, “Now, if you would please follow me to the dining room. Supper awaits.”

~

Your dining room was coated in dark tones of cool colors, silver accompanying the shades of night like moonlight. You sat elegantly at the opposite head of the table, a glass of some white wine Manon couldn’t recall in hand, too transfixed on the moment. One of your servers brought a cart out that carried headless fish of various sizes on ice, as well as croutons with garlic, rouille, and multiple plates and bowls. 

“Tonight we’ll be having one of my favorite dishes. It originated among the fishermen in my hometown many years ago, and quickly became loved by those of all classes.”

As the server placed one of the fish on his cutting board, Manon’s eyes became glazed over in thought as she watched him. The knife slicing apart the flesh made her recall how her soiled hands did the same. How your joint wishes for violence drove you apart. A pernicious yet familiar sensation creeped up her spine, gripping onto her heart and poisoning her mind with protective spite.

As the bowls were filled with the flesh in broth, you cleared your throat.

“Please, leave us, Jean,” you spoke, rising from your seat, “I will serve us tonight.”

“As you wish,” the man replied before walking back to the kitchen through a closed wooden door.

Manon observed your movements sharply, watching as you brought the soup and bread to her seat. As you set the dish before her, your eyes met. A harsh look rested in your gaze, and she felt an imaginary arrow pierce through the ice casing of her heart.

“Arlecchino, why did you join the Fatui?”

Your whispered question caught her off guard, as did the fact that you were not moving from where you stood looking down at her and observing her reactions.

“That is private information,” she responded.

“Bullshit, Arlecchino.”

“Why do you insist on calling me by that name? You know what my name actually is. Are you just trying to pathetically provoke me?”

“Obviously it’s working, Marie. Now answer my question.”

“Why are you being so harsh?”

“I’m just trying to figure out what you want with me after all of these years. I figured your career was the best place to start.”

“That still does not explain this anger, __.”

“Am I not supposed to be angry, Marie? You show up in Fontaine after twelve years with practically no word to me. Our organizations work together, you have connections and agents all across Teyvat, and yet you could never find me?”

“Do not act as if this is all on me. You have just as much standing as I do. Take responsibility – for all of it. If you had not sent me away after Henri, we would be together in Snezhnaya, just as we wished!”

“I will not be discussing this here with you. I will be in the lounge.”

“Now you want to run?” Manon asked, rising from her seat and striding rapidly behind you, “Why am I even asking – that is all that you do.”

The door to the lounge slammed open as you fell on the loveseat heavily. Manon simply shut it again behind her.

“I have far less capabilities than you, Marie. All I am good for in this forsaken court is executing whoever Focalors requests I do. All of my studies were for naught. I’m nothing but a puppet for her – just like everyone else.”

“And who asked for that position, __? You’re not a victim.”

“Neither are you,” you snorted, “Tell me, why would you abandon the person you loved most?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you should ask yourself.”

“I did not abandon you, Marie.”

“You might as well have! I practically tore up your hometown looking for you! I ran through the city a bloodied and burned mess trying to find where you disappeared to! I had no choice but to leave the nation, we were about to become public enemies!”

“I went into the sea to heal! A siren needs to recuperate in water to repair a heart of water!”

“Don’t act like that is so obvious, __.”

“You’re a phoenix, Marie! Didn’t your precious guardian teach you anything?”

“Do not speak of them in such a manner.”

“Now you’re suddenly the victim again, of course.”

Red hot fire ran in her veins now.

“Are you fucking kidding me, __? What is this mess? Why are you arguing with me right now?!”

“Why are you arguing with me?”

“Oh for archon’s sake, would you just shut up already?” she yelled, throwing a spare book in your direction, narrowly missing your head.

Your gaze turned frightened before it became ice cold. You stood and approached your small bar cart, grabbing one of the glasses off of it. Manon snatched another book. You chucked the glass at her face, but she blocked it with the book and it shattered to the floor.

You reached for another glass, and another, throwing them at her, and then just simply the floor before her. Shards cascaded over her shoes and the bottoms of her trousers, sliding back to the floor and leaving no damage.

Your appearance was disheveled as you huffed consistently in exhaustion and frustration, opening one of your bottles of liquor and taking a brief swig. Manon threw the book at your knee and you doubled over, grabbing it and dropping your bottle, causing a small cut to grow on your hand.

She walked over to you and grabbed your hair, bringing your head back.

“You want to know it all, don’t you? Fine. I lived on the streets of Snezhnaya for a year before the Fatui came to town. I was scouted and brought to their training facility. It took another year for me to hone new skills and focus on what power I possessed as a phoenix. When the day came for the official scouting and ranking, I was sent to not only a training campus, but one for political, historical, and scientific studies. When I graduated four years ago, the Tsaritsa herself sent for me. She wanted for me to become one of her Harbingers, and even if I would be in the lower ranks, I would have been a fool not to take the opportunity. I had power, control, and guidance. The same year, I was put in charge as the Director of the House of the Hearth, an orphanage that would raise children from all over Teyvat in the ways of the Fatui. I had time to mourn and time to grieve you, but I had a duty and a responsibility to my nation. I did not have access to any dealings with Fontaine until one year ago when our mission plans began. Just because I could not find you, __, and just because I thought you were dead, does not mean you didn’t plague my thoughts every day. It does not mean that now that I know you’re alive, and here in front of me, where I can touch you and see you, that you do not make me question everything. That my heart does not race and I am not on fire.”

A loud smack reverberated around the room as your palm made contact with her cheek, blood swiping dramatically across her face. 

Surprise and hurt flashed freely across Manon’s face before she released you.

“All I hear are excuses, Marie.”

Shock fell upon Manon’s body as she simply plummeted to the floor. Panic and rage, disbelief and sorrow, all coursing throough her mind.

“Perhaps your story is true, but I do not believe your love for me to be true anymore.”

“How could you say that?” Manon whispered, “Where is your love for me, __?” she asked, rising up from the floor as steady as possible. “Do you have nothing left in this dead heart of yours? Did Henri burn it all away?”

Her finger poked jaggedly at your chest. “I know that I left you, __, but you left me too. Why can you be bitter, but I cannot?”

Manon watched as your eyes flooded with tears, your heavy and abrasive cover falling apart at the seams. Sobs racked through your body as you wiped at your face, a bolt of lightning breaking through the sky in the window behind you. A storm to accompany your own flurry of emotions.

“I…I…I never meant for any of this to happen, Manon. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done to you. Nothing I can say will ever repair what I did tonight, and I am not going to beg for your forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve to even be in your presence right now.”

You fell back onto the loveseat oncemore, eyes shut and arms crossed. “I understand if you want to forget me. I never deserved love from you in the first place. I have yet to become the person I want to be, and until then I shouldn’t even want for you. But I do, Manon, and I am still terribly in love with you to this day. I know I have treated you with less than you deserve, and I have acted foolishly here tonight, trying to keep my guard up and get answers. But that would never get me anywhere, would it? Love is not something that you should treat roughly, and we both have killed it here tonight.”

You sniffled and her heart shattered.

“So please leave, Manon. Find someone better, take over the world, do and find whatever or whoever makes you happy because I do not want you to settle for me.”

You rose from your seat and left the room, a small trail of blood following you.

Manon was left to gather herself and process what had happened, taking a seat where you had been just moments before. Memories and thoughts of all kinds circulating through her mind

Her arms ached to hold you, to comfort you. But she had to resist every heart driven urge. That is what life and the Fatui taught her.

So, she rose from her seat, dryed her developing tears, and left the lounge. She walked through the hall as calm as possible and reached the front door. She put her coat back on and strode into the open storm. Rain pelted her, but she kept her head high and continued walking. She was leaving earlier than scheduled, so she would have to tough out the weather without a car.

Her boots were becoming soaked in mud and her pace slowed.

What the hell was she doing?

Turning back around, she began running back toward your home. She covered a surprisingly long distance, but perhaps she was outside longer than she thought. In the minimal pale moonlight, she could hardly make out anything, much less with cloud cover and rain. Nevertheless, she continued, her relentless determination fueling her. When she reached the outskirts of your familiar front gardens, she was hit with a hard force.

You.

Manon fell back into the mud, her training falling short in shock. Your knees rested at her hips, and you forehead met her chest. The cold rain fell onto her face before your head rose. Your eyes were filled with sorrow and regret.

“Please don’t leave me again. I couldn’t handle it. Not after all of this time. I’ll pay every penance you would like me to, but please don’t leave me here. I just want you to hold me again. I just want to see you smile. I want to cook and bake and garden with you again. I’ll even kill with you. I just want you back and by my side. Please, Manon. You are the only person that is most dear to me in this world.”

Your hands gripped her coat and shirt tightly, weakly pulling and shaking.

When faced with your begging, Manon could do nothing but give in. She placed her hand on the back of your head and guided you down to a strong and sentimental kiss. She could taste your tears and the rain on your lips, which only motivated her to keep going until they were gone. Your hands released their grip and splayed over her shoulders, trying to support yourself. She brought her other hand up to grip your elbow and she sighed into your final kiss.

“I hear you, ma lumière, and I hope that you hear me too.”

You nodded, and Manon smiled smally for the first time in years. You leaned back and she sat up with you, not moving her hands from where they now were on your back. You brought one of your hands to her cheek, the blood now washed away, and ran your thumb over her lips. Her smile grew wider, and so did yours.

“I know that we will need time, but I’m willing to take another chance on us,” you whispered.

“So am I,” the Harbinger replied, “And I will wait for however long we need.”

[holylulusworld]

Jeannie in a bottle - Epilogue

Summary: The deal is broken. You are finally free.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Huntress!Reader

Warnings: former genie!reader, kinda social anxiety/anxiety/slight panic attack, caring Dean, mentions of aunt flo

Jeannie in a bottle masterlist

<< Part 4

The deal is broken. You are finally free. What now?

You’re not used to living your own life. Trapped in the bottle you could do nothing but wish for someone to find the bottle to free you.

“What are you up to?” Dean brings you out of your daydreams. You were standing in the garage for the better of half an hour, debating whether to go for a ride in a car or explore the bunker some more. 

“I don’t know,” you reply honestly. “I need clothes and toiletries.” You cringe. “Uh-you know…hygiene products for ladies.”

Dean chuckles nervously. He drops his eyes to your crotch and hums. “You got a visit from aunt flo?” 

“Figures. I get out of that bottle only to end up having my first period in ten years.” You huff and cross your arms over your chest. 

“Do you want me to go to town and get you some tampons or pads?” Dean grins when you look at him, surprised. “What? Can a man not buy ladies' toiletries? I’m a tough guy and brave enough to buy tampons.”

“You’re cute and cocky.” Dean’s grin widens at your words. “Would you drive me to town? I’m not sure I can still handle a car, or anything else. Everything feels surreal. Like a dream.”

“If this a dream, I hope we never wake.” Dean slings one arm around your shoulders. “Let’s get you some new clothes and toiletries. You look good in my clothes, but I think you deserve to go on a shopping spree.”

“Dean, I don’t have any money. I can’t go on a shopping spree.”

“Aw, sweetheart. Let me buy you all the things you will need,” he whispers in your ear. “You can pay me back in kind.”

This time, you chuckle. Dean is definitely a cocky guy. “We will see, Dean. Maybe I can give you a back scrub or watch your car.”

“Breathe, Y/N,” Dean softly says as you try to control your breathing. Being inside the bunker with Sam and Dean was no problem. But the moment you stepped inside the grocery store, your legs started to wobble. 

“I can’t…so many people,” you hate the panic in your voice. You never were so scared before. “Dean…please.”

“I’ll bring you back to the car. You just stay inside the Impala, and I’ll get you everything you need. Okay?” He worriedly looks down at you. “Y/N?”

“Okay.” You exhale sharply. “I-I got a list. Can you get the things for me?” You are close to tears, and you feel ashamed that Dean sees you like that. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey…it’s alright. We will go back to the car, and everything is going to be alright. It’s a bit too much, I get it. We should’ve taken things slow. You were stuck in that bottle for ten years.”

You choke out a sob when Dean wraps his arms around you. “Thank you.”

“Sometimes the world gets too much for everything. That’s no reason to be ashamed of.” He guides you back out of the grocery store. 

You take deep breaths, hoping to even your breathing and calm your nerves. “Can you…can you buy me some pie too? I’d die for a slice of good pie.”

“Sweetheart. I didn’t think I could like you more. But I do. I love me some pie too.”

“What?” Dean grunts as the clerk at the grocery store looks at the tampons and pads the hunter wants to buy. 

“Nothing.” The boy grins, glancing at the tampons again. “Do you need chocolate too?”

Dean shrugs. “I already got all I need. Including chocolate for the sexy woman waiting for me in my car. And yes, she’s on her period and I buy her the products she needs to feel better. Do we have a problem here?”

Dean glares at the young man, huffing now and then as the cashier hurriedly charges for the products.

“I got you everything you’ll need,” Dean proudly places three bags filled with all the things on your list on your bed. “I got you a pair of jeans, shirts, socks, and so on too. Nothing special but it will do for the time being. If you want to, you can order clothes online.”

You watch Dean unpack the bags. He smirks as you snatch the tampons out of his hands. “Please excuse me. I need to…”

“I got you pie too.” He calls after you. “I’ll make you some soul food tonight.”

“Awesome,” you poke your head back inside the room, grinning. “Can we watch nonsense on TV and eat junk food?”

“Sure, sweetheart!” Dean exclaims.

Smiling you look at Dean. “I think I like this new life.”

“Of course, you like it. I’m in your life now…”

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ADWD: Epilogue (Chapter 72)

Finally.

Pretend that's Kevan Lannister.

Please welcome our new POV, Kevan Lannister. His bedchamber is covered in Tywin posters.

The light of the torches made a fiery blaze of Ronnet Connington's long red hair and beard. "Send me against my uncle, and I will bring you back his head, and the head of this false dragon too."

Let the Aegon debates begin!

Shoutout to @decadelongsummer for highlighting yet another "complicated" relationship between uncle/aunt - nephew/niece.

+.+.+

Lannister spearmen in crimson cloaks and lion-crested halfhelms stood along the west wall of the throne room. Tyrell guards in green cloaks faced them from the opposite wall. The chill in the throne room was palpable. Though neither Queen Cersei nor Queen Margaery was amongst them, their presence could be felt poisoning the air, like ghosts at a feast.

I don't want to spoil the story for you all, but whenever someone is referred to as a ghost they usually die.

I know, I know, disappointing. I thought Cersei might make it too.

+.+.+

Behind the table where the five members of the king's small council were seated, the Iron Throne crouched like some great black beast, its barbs and claws and blades half-shrouded in shadow. Kevan Lannister could feel it at his back, an itch between the shoulder blades. It was easy to imagine old King Aerys perched up there, bleeding from some fresh cut, glowering down. 

My goodness, an itch between the shoulder blades?

Stick them with the pointy end. When the third dagger took him between the shoulder blades, he gave a grunt and fell face-first into the snow. He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold … - Jon XIII, ADWD

That Iron Throne sounds menacing.

"This Iron Throne you speak of sounds monstrous cold and hard. I cannot bear the thought of jagged barbs cutting your sweet skin." - Daenerys III, ACOK

x

Next you will be offering me a suit of magic armor and a palace in Valyria. "If Daenerys is no more than a sweet young girl, the Iron Throne will cut her into sweet young pieces." - Tyrion II, ADWD

x

Sansa felt limp with exhaustion as she made her way down from the gallery. She wondered how badly Joffrey had cut himself. They say the Iron Throne can be perilous cruel to those who were not meant to sit it. - Sansa VIII, ACOK

Hopefully it doesn't kill another monarch!

The end of it was this hunched black beast made of razor edges and barbs and ribbons of sharp metal; a chair that could kill a man, and had, if the stories could be believed. - Eddard XI, AGOT

x

All day the lords made plans, and late into the night. It was the hour of the wolf when at last Maegor allowed them to take their leave. The king remained behind, brooding on the Iron Throne as they departed. Lord Towers and Lord Rosby were the last to see His Grace.

Hours later, as dawn was breaking, the last of Maegor's queens came seeking after him. Queen Elinor found him still upon the Iron Throne, pale and dead, his robes soaked through with blood. His arms had been slashed open from wrist to elbow on jagged barbs, and another blade had gone through his neck to emerge beneath his chin.

Man to this day believe it was the Iron Throne itself that killed him. - Fire & Blood

Of course we can't be sure that's what happened.

It might also have been a person or persons unknown, entering and leaving the throne room through some hidden passage. The Red Keep has its secrets, known only to the dead. - Fire & Blood

+.+.+

He had seen no reason for Tommen to join them. Kinder to let the boy remain with his mother. The Seven only knew how long mother and son might have together before Cersei's trial … and possibly her execution.

Throughout this chapter Kevan's going to give us the impression Cersei's end is near.

Pretty clear indication she has a ton of story left.

+.+.+

Mace Tyrell was speaking. "We shall deal with your uncle and his feigned boy in due time." The new King's Hand was seated on an oaken throne carved in the shape of a hand, an absurd vanity his lordship had produced the day Ser Kevan agreed to grant him the office he coveted.

You hear that? When Kevan dies, Mace runs this show.

Lmao, over Cersei's dead body.

+.+.+

"How many men-at-arms accompanied Ser Ronnet to the city?" Ser Kevan asked.

"Twenty," said Lord Randyll Tarly, "and most of them Gregor Clegane's old lot. Your nephew Jaime gave them to Connington. To rid himself of them, I'd wager. They had not been in Maidenpool a day before one killed a man and another was accused of rape. I had to hang the one and geld the other. If it were up to me, I would send them all to the Night's Watch, and Connington with them. The Wall is where such scum belong."

"A dog takes after its master," declared Mace Tyrell.

+.+.+

"Black cloaks would suit them, I agree. I will not suffer such men in the city watch." A hundred of his own Highgarden men had been added to the gold cloaks, yet plainly his lordship meant to resist any balancing infusion of westermen. The more I give him, the more he wants. Kevan Lannister was beginning to understand why Cersei had grown so resentful of the Tyrells. 

#JusticeForCerseiLannister

+.+.+

Randyll Tarly and Mace Tyrell had both brought armies to King's Landing, whilst the best part of the strength of House Lannister remained in the riverlands, fast melting away. 

Relevant information for later.

There's two armies in King's Landing, both belonging to the Reach.

The Lannister forces are dwindling.

+.+.+

"Storm's End." Lord Mace Tyrell grunted the words. "He cannot take Storm's End. Not if he were Aegon the Conqueror. And if he does, what of it? Stannis holds it now. Let the castle pass from one pretender to another, why should that trouble us? I shall recapture it after my daughter's innocence is proved."

How can you recapture it when you have never captured it to begin with?

I'm going to be sad if Mace is never given the opportunity to embarrass himself on the field.

+.+.+

"No man doubts your daughter's innocence, my lord," Ser Kevan lied, "but His High Holiness insists upon a trial."

Lord Randyll snorted. "What have we become, when kings and high lords must dance to the twittering of sparrows?"

I'm obsessed with Randyll Tarly, therefore you're reading everything noteworthy he says in this chapter, in case you see something I don't.

+.+.+

"We have foes on every hand, Lord Tarly," Ser Kevan reminded him. "Stannis in the north, ironmen in the west, sellswords in the south. Defy the High Septon, and we will have blood running in the gutters of King's Landing as well. If we are seen to be going against the gods, it will only drive the pious into the arms of one or the other of these would-be usurpers."

+.+.+

"… as for Connington," Tyrell repeated, "what victories has he ever won that we should fear him? He could have ended Robert's Rebellion at Stoney Sept. He failed. Just as the Golden Company has always failed. Some may rush to join them, aye. The realm is well rid of such fools."

Everything about this screams House Tyrell switching sides to Aegon.

Whatever is left of House Tyrell.

+.+.+

If this truly is the Golden Company, as Qyburn's whisperers insist—"

"Call them what you will," said Randyll Tarly. "They are still no more than adventurers."

x

 "Here and here. All along the coast, and on the islands. Tarth, the Stepstones, even Estermont. And now we have reports that Connington is moving on Storm's End."

"If it is Jon Connington," said Randyll Tarly.

x

"Once Paxter Redwyne sweeps the ironmen from the seas, my sons will retake the Shields. The snows will do for Stannis, or Bolton will. As for Connington …"

"If it is him," Lord Randyll said.

x

"Connington may have more than the Golden Company. It is said he has a Targaryen pretender."

"A feigned boy is what he has," said Randyll Tarly.

Of all the council members, Randyll Tarly is the most dismissive of the Golden Company and Aegon.

I'm not sure if that means he's staying put, or switching to Aegon's side. I've flip-flopped on this opinion half a dozen times.

+.+.+

"We have these tales coming from the east as well. A second Targaryen, and one whose blood no man can question. Daenerys Stormborn."

"As mad as her father," declared Lord Mace Tyrell.

That would be the same father that Highgarden and House Tyrell supported to the bitter end and well beyond.

She's getting there!

I don't think it's a coincidence we're being reminded of House Tyrell's loyalty to House Targaryen.

+.+.+

Grand Maester Pycelle bobbed his head. "Dragons. These same stories have reached Oldtown. Too many to discount. A silver-haired queen with three dragons."

"At the far end of the world," said Mace Tyrell. "Queen of Slaver's Bay, aye. She is welcome to it."

"On that we can agree," Ser Kevan said, "but the girl is of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror, and I do not think she will be content to remain in Meereen forever. If she should reach these shores and join her strength to Lord Connington and this prince of his, feigned or no … we must destroy Connington and his pretender now, before Daenerys Stormborn can come west."

Mace Tyrell crossed his arms. "I mean to do just that, ser. After the trials."

Mace Tyrell will deal with Aegon ✨after✨ the trial, got it?

Who's ready for some spoilers?!

In Arianne II TWOW we'll learn the Golden Company secures Storm's End.

But that's not all.

"Has no one told you?" Halden Halfmaester favored her with a smile thin and hard as a dagger cut. "Storm’s End is ours. The Hand awaits you there."

Daemon Sand stepped up beside her. "Shipbreaker Bay can be perilous even on a fair summer's day. The safer way to Storm's End is overland."

"These rains have turned the roads to mud. The journey would take two days, perhaps three," said Halden Halfmaester. A ship will have the princess there in half a day or less. There is an army descending on Storm's End from King's Landing. You will want to be safe inside the walls before the battle."

Will we? Wondered Arianne. "Battle? Or siege?" She did not intend to let herself be trapped inside Storm's End. - Arianne II, TWOW

There's an army descending on Storm's End from King's Landing. Remember, there's only two armies in King's Landing - Randyll Tarly's and Mace Tyrell's.

Now, at this point in the story, Margaery's (and Cersei's!) trial has taken place. This is ✨after✨ the trial.

I have a question for the audience:

Do you think this army actually intends to lay siege or battle like Arianne (the author) would have us believe?

Wait, there's more!

+.+.+

"The magisters of Pentos have been known to lend money as well," said Ser Kevan. "Try them." The Pentoshi were even less like to be of help than the Myrish money changers, but the effort must be made. Unless a new source of coin could be found, or the Iron Bank persuaded to relent, he would have no choice but to pay the crown's debts with Lannister gold. He dare not resort to new taxes, not with the Seven Kingdoms crawling with rebellion. 

Double check there is some.

+.+.+

"If that fails, you may well need to go to Braavos, to treat with the Iron Bank yourself."

Ser Harys quailed. "Must I?"

"You are the master of coin," Lord Randyll said sharply.

He will be in Braavos in Arya's first TWOW chapter.

Relevant information for later.

+.+.+

"The silent giant." Lord Randyll grimaced.

"Tell me, ser, where did this man come from?" demanded Mace Tyrell. "Why have we never heard his name before? He does not speak, he will not show his face, he is never seen without his armor. Do we know for a certainty that he is even a knight?"

We do not even know if he's alive. Meryn Trant claimed that Strong took neither food nor drink, and Boros Blount went so far as to say he had never seen the man use the privy. Why should he? Dead men do not shit. Kevan Lannister had a strong suspicion of just who this Ser Robert really was beneath that gleaming white armor. A suspicion that Mace Tyrell and Randyll Tarly no doubt shared. 

They're rather calm given the situation. A dead man serving in the Kingsguard probably deserves a bigger reaction, no?

Anyway, this is your reminder we're on the hunt for eating, drinking, and bathroom breaks in all future Victarion chapters.

+.+.+

Whatever the face hidden behind Strong's helm, it must remain hidden for now. The silent giant was his niece's only hope. And pray that he is as formidable as he appears.

Notice we have no idea who will be representing the Faith in this trial by combat? Not even a hint.

It's because it doesn't matter.

+.+.+

"Whatever Cersei may have done, she is still a daughter of the Rock, of mine own blood. I will not let her die a traitor's death, but I have made sure to draw her fangs. All her guards have been dismissed and replaced with my own men. In place of her former ladies-in-waiting, she will henceforth be attended by a septa and three novices selected by the High Septon. She is to have no further voice in the governance of the realm, nor in Tommen's education. I mean to return her to Casterly Rock after the trial and see that she remains there. Let that suffice."

You sweet silly fool.

+.+.+

The rest he left unsaid. Cersei was soiled goods now, her power at an end. Every baker's boy and beggar in the city had seen her in her shame and every tart and tanner from Flea Bottom to Pisswater Bend had gazed upon her nakedness, their eager eyes crawling over her breasts and belly and woman's parts. No queen could expect to rule again after that. In gold and silk and emeralds Cersei had been a queen, the next thing to a goddess; naked, she was only human, an aging woman with stretch marks on her belly and teats that had begun to sag … as the shrews in the crowds had been glad to point out to their husbands and lovers. Better to live shamed than die proud, Ser Kevan told himself. "My niece will make no further mischief," he promised Mace Tyrell. "You have my word on that, my lord."

+.+.+

Tyrell gave a grudging nod. "As you say. My Margaery prefers to be tried by the Faith, so the whole realm can bear witness to her innocence."

If your daughter is as innocent as you'd have us believe, why must you have your army present when she faces her accusers? Ser Kevan might have asked.

Margaery is innocent.

Does the author want us to know Mace's army will be in close proximity to the Great Sept of Baelor?

+.+.+

The Grand Maester consulted his papers. "We should address the Rosby inheritance. Six claims have been put forth—"

"We can settle Rosby at some later date. What else?"

No way this doesn't become an issue down the line.

We've already covered the Rosby Ward Mysteries.

+.+.+

"Preparations should be made for Princess Myrcella."

"This is what comes of dealing with the Dornish," Mace Tyrell said. "Surely a better match can be found for the girl?"

Such as your own son Willas, perhaps? Her disfigured by one Dornishman, him crippled by another? "No doubt," Ser Kevan said, "but we have enemies enough without offending Dorne. If Doran Martell were to join his strength to Connington's in support of this feigned dragon, things could go very ill for all of us."

Don't worry Kevan, Dorne's going to end that betrothal for you.

+.+.+

"It would," Ser Kevan said wearily. Time to put an end to this. "Thank you, my lords. Let us convene again five days hence. After Cersei's trial."

Relevant information for later.

+.+.+

Randyll Tarly left the hall with his liege lord, their green-cloaked spearmen right behind them. Tarly is the real danger, Ser Kevan reflected as he watched their departure. A narrow man, but iron-willed and shrewd, and as good a soldier as the Reach could boast. But how do I win him to our side?

Kevan dies, leaving this up to Cersei.

On the show she won the loyalty of Randyll Tarly, but on the show she was playing Aegon half the time.

I'll continue to flip flop, but my instinct tells me Cersei is likely to blow this (up).

+.+.+

"Lord Tyrell loves me not," Grand Maester Pycelle said in gloomy tones when the Hand had departed. "This matter of the moon tea … I would never have spoken of such, but the Queen Dowager commanded me! If it please the Lord Regent, I would sleep more soundly if you could lend me some of your guards."

"Lord Tyrell might take that amiss."

Love how I spent time in a previous chapter arguing Cersei was controlling Pycelle in that moment, when I could have just referenced this quote.

+.+.+

Aye, thought Kevan Lannister, and Pycelle is not the only council member our Hand would like to replace. Mace Tyrell had his own candidate for lord treasurer: his uncle, Lord Seneschal of Highgarden, whom men called Garth the Gross. The last thing I need is another Tyrell on the small council. He was already outnumbered. Ser Harys was his wife's father, and Pycelle could be counted upon as well. But Tarly was sworn to Highgarden, as was Paxter Redwyne, lord admiral and master of ships, presently sailing his fleet around Dorne to deal with Euron Greyjoy's ironmen. Once Redwyne returned to King's Landing, the council would stand at three and three, Lannister and Tyrell.

The seventh voice would be the Dornishwoman now escorting Myrcella home. The Lady Nym. But no lady, if even half of what Qyburn reports is true. A bastard daughter of the Red Viper, near as notorious as her father and intent on claiming the council seat that Prince Oberyn himself had occupied so briefly. Ser Kevan had not yet seen fit to inform Mace Tyrell of her coming. The Hand, he knew, would not be pleased.

Part two!

By the end of this chapter Kevan and Pycelle will be dead, leaving Mace Tyrell (Hand of the King), Randyll Tarly (Master of laws), Paxter Redwyne (Master of ships), Ser Harys Swift (Master of coin), and Nym on the small council.

Three to one, with Mace Tyrell in the driver's seat acting as Hand. The Tyrells officially control the realm, right?

WRONG.

Despite Kevan's death, Ser Harys will still take the (long) trip to Braavos to speak with the Iron Bank. Why?

The envoy from the Seven Kingdoms had taken two of his guards into his box to stand behind him and the Black Pearl, but the other two had been posted just outside the door to make certain he was not disturbed.

[...]

"How long do you think we'll be here?"

"Longer than you'd like," the old man replied. "If he goes back without the gold the queen will have his head. Besides, I seen that wife of his. There's steps in Casterly Rock she can't go down for fear she'd get stuck, that's how fat she is. Who'd go back to that, when he has his sooty queen?" - Mercy, TWOW

A queen sent him. That queen will have his head if he doesn't come back with gold.

That's quite the spoiler.

"It would," Ser Kevan said wearily. Time to put an end to this. "Thank you, my lords. Let us convene again five days hence. After Cersei's trial."

Not only does Cersei survive her trial, she's returned to power.

Why is the High Sparrow allowing that to happen? Why is a Tyrell dominated small council allowing that to happen? Why is Hand of the King Mace Tyrell allowing that to happen? Why is Queen Margaery Tyrell allowing that to happen?

I have a question for the audience:

Do you think it's possible Cersei killed most of these people at the trial?

I would also like to circle back to a previous question:

Do you think the King's Landing army from the Reach descending on Storm's End is there for battle?

If we are seen to be going against the gods, it will only drive the pious into the arms of one or the other of these would-be usurpers.

Side note, I'll eat rocks the day Nym Sand walks into King's Landing and serves under Cersei Lannister. Preposterous. I could laugh.

Tommen's the last one to die, and according to my watch he's got five days left. Myrcella is down to her last fifteen minutes, if she isn't already dead. That girl is arriving in a body bag.

+.+.+

The man we need is Littlefinger. Petyr Baelish had a gift for conjuring dragons from the air.

Is that a double entendre?

+.+.+

The three men walked together from the throne room. Outside the snow was swirling round the outer ward, a caged beast howling to be free. "Have you ever felt such cold?" asked Ser Harys.

Snow or ash?

+.+.+

The dry moat surrounding Maegor's Holdfast was three feet deep in snow, the iron spikes that lined it glistening with frost. The only way in or out of Maegor's was across the drawbridge that spanned that moat. A knight of the Kingsguard was always posted at its far end. Tonight the duty had fallen to Ser Meryn Trant. With Balon Swann hunting the rogue knight Darkstar down in Dorne, Loras Tyrell gravely wounded on Dragonstone, and Jaime vanished in the riverlands, only four of the White Swords remained in King's Landing, and Ser Kevan had thrown Osmund Kettleblack (and his brother Osfryd) into the dungeon within hours of Cersei's confessing that she had taken both men as lovers. That left only Trant, the feeble Boros Blount, and Qyburn's mute monster Robert Strong to protect the young king and royal family.

Love that segue! From iron spikes to the lack of personal bodyguards available to Tommen. Nothing strange going on here.

She paused upon the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat, gazing down at the spikes below. - Cersei I, AFFC

x

She left him on the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat with its bed of iron spikes and entered Maegor's Holdfast alone. - Cersei V, AFFC

x

"Should Ser Loras fall, Your Grace will need to find another worthy for the Kingsguard," Lord Qyburn said as they crossed over the spiked moat that girded Maegor's Holdfast. - Cersei VII, AFFC

x

Yet all these were as naught against the tragedy that descended on the court and king. On the twenty-second day of the ninth moon of 133 AC, Jaehaera of House Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and the last surviving child of King Aegon II, perished at the age of ten. The little queen died just as her mother, Queen Helaena, had, throwing herself from a window in Maegor's Holdfast onto the iron spikes that lined the dry moat below. Impaled through breast and belly, she twisted in agony for half an hour before she could be lifted free, whereupon she passed from this life at once. - Fire & Blood

+.+.+

I could put Lancel in a white cloak, he reflected. There is more honor in that than he will ever find in the Warrior's Sons.

You can't save him, Kevan. Cersei Lannister never forgets.

+.+.+

His niece had been subdued and submissive since her walk of atonement, thank the gods. The novices who attended her reported that she spent a third of her waking hours with her son, another third in prayer, and the rest in her tub. She was bathing four or five times a day, scrubbing herself with horsehair brushes and strong lye soap, as if she meant to scrape her skin off.

She will never wash the stain away, no matter how hard she scrubs. Ser Kevan remembered the girl she once had been, so full of life and mischief. And when she'd flowered, ahhhh … had there ever been a maid so sweet to look upon? If Aerys had agreed to marry her to Rhaegar, how many deaths might have been avoided? Cersei could have given the prince the sons he wanted, lions with purple eyes and silver manes … and with such a wife, Rhaegar might never have looked twice at Lyanna Stark. The northern girl had a wild beauty, as he recalled, though however bright a torch might burn it could never match the rising sun.

Arya fandom in shambles.

I'd shower 8 times a day too, but I'm slightly suspicious about abnormal bathing habits knowing what I know about Jeyne and Theon.

This woman is actively plotting, we just have to figure out how.

+.+.+

I have no reason to feel guilty, Ser Kevan told himself. Tywin would understand that, surely. It was his daughter who brought shame down on our name, not I. What I did I did for the good of House Lannister.

His father ignored the sally. "The honor of our House was at stake. I had no choice but to ride. No man sheds Lannister blood with impunity."

"Hear Me Roar," Tyrion said, grinning. The Lannister words. - Tyrion VII, AGOT

+.+.+

"It had to be," Ser Kevan muttered over the last of his wine. His High Holiness had to be appeased. Tommen needed the Faith behind him in the battles to come. And Cersei … the golden child had grown into a vain, foolish, greedy woman. Left to rule, she would have ruined Tommen as she had Joffrey.

Won't take long either.

+.+.+

Only the knights of the Kingsguard were permitted swords in Tommen's presence.

Ser Boros Blount was in attendance on the boy king and his mother when Ser Kevan entered the royal chambers. Blount wore enameled scale, white cloak, and halfhelm. He did not look well. Of late Boros had grown notably heavier about the face and belly, and his color was not good. And he was leaning against the wall behind him, as if standing had become too great an effort for him.

I think I get it now.

"Ser Boros," the queen said pleasantly, "you look quite grey this morning. Something you ate, perchance?" Jaime had made him the king's food taster. A tasty task, but shameful for a knight. Blount hated it. - Cersei IV, AFFC

I predict Boros Blount will have a heart attack when he's in charge of watching Tommen, leaving Tommen unattended. Near a window.

+.+.+

The meal was served by three novices, well-scrubbed girls of good birth between the ages of twelve and sixteen. In their soft white woolens, each seemed more innocent and unworldly than the last, yet the High Septon had insisted that no girl spend more than seven days in the queen's service, lest Cersei corrupt her. They tended the queen's wardrobe, drew her bath, poured her wine, changed her bedclothes of a morning. One shared the queen's bed every night, to ascertain she had no other company; the other two slept in an adjoining chamber with the septa who looked over them. Cersei rose when he entered and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Dear uncle. It is so good of you to sup with us." The queen was dressed as modestly as any matron, in a dark brown gown that buttoned up to her throat and a hooded green mantle that covered her shaved head. Before her walk she would have flaunted her baldness beneath a golden crown. "Come, sit," she said. "Will you have wine?"

She's allowed to drink. That's a bit of an oversight.

Masterful performance by Cersei Lannister. When is this woman meeting with Qyburn? I want to know.

+.+.+

"I am well served. The girls are sweet, and the good septas make certain that I say my prayers. But once my innocence is proved, it would please me if Taena Merryweather might attend me once again. She could bring her son to court. Tommen needs other boys about him, friends of noble birth."

It was a modest request. Ser Kevan saw no reason why it should not be granted. He could foster the Merryweather boy himself, whilst Lady Taena accompanied Cersei back to Casterly Rock. "I will send for her after the trial," he promised.

She's scheeeeming. Why does she want Taena?

"Your Grace," that one said, in her sultry Myrish tones, "I have sent word to my friends across the narrow sea, asking them to seize the Imp at once should he show his ugly face in the Free Cities."

"Do you have many friends across the water?"

"In Myr, many. In Lys as well, and Tyrosh. Men of power." - Cersei II, AFFC

x

Drown, thought Cersei. "Highgarden has gold as well. You have my leave to hire sellsails from beyond the narrow sea."

"Pirates out of Myr and Lys, you mean?" Loras said with contempt. "The scum of the Free Cities?" - Cersei VII, AFFC

Does she want a sellsword company? Is that why Harys went to Braavos for gold?

The Lannister army is evaporating, the Reach army is probably going to Aegon, therefore she needs sellswords. If Daenerys has sellswords, Cersei will have sellswords. It is known.

+.+.+

"The bad cat?" Ser Kevan said, amused. He is a sweet boy.

"An old black tomcat with a torn ear," Cersei told him. "A filthy thing, and foul-tempered. He clawed Joff's hand once." She made a face. "The cats keep the rats down, I know, but that one … he's been known to attack ravens in the rookery."

"I will ask the ratters to set a trap for him." 

He clawed Joff's hand once? Sounds like Nymeria. Has the Jon Snow black cat morphed into Arya the cat?

Sorry, no ratcatcher is going to trap her.

The princess [Daenerys] was six, and years past being weaned, but a wet nurse was summoned, for there were some who believed that mother's milk could cure Shivers. Maesters came and went, septons and septas prayed, the king commanded that a hundred new ratcatchers be hired at once, and offered a silver stag for every dead rat, grey or black.

[...]

None of it matter. A day and a half after she had woken her mother from sleep complaining of feeling cold, the little princess was dead. - Fire & Blood

+.+.+

Ser Kevan could not remember ever seeing his niece so quiet, so subdued, so demure. All for the good, he supposed. But it made him sad as well. Her fire is quenched, she who used to burn so bright. 

Dumb. You're dumb.

The fire's only getting started.

+.+.+

Cersei lifted her chin, her green eyes shining in the candlelight. "Jaime? Have you had word?"

"None. Cersei, you may need to prepare yourself for—"

"If he were dead, I would know it. We came into this world together, Uncle. He would not go without me." 

I guarantee it!

I cannot die while Cersei lives, he told himself. We will die together as we were born together. - Jaime IV, ASOS

x

We will leave this world together, as we once came into it. "He will not lose. Not Jaime. Not with my life at stake." - Cersei X, AFFC

x

And Jaime and I are more than brother and sister. We are one person in two bodies. We shared a womb together. He came into this world holding my foot, our old maester said. When he is in me, I feel … whole." The ghost of a smile flitted over her lips. - Eddard XII, AGOT

+.+.+

She nodded. "Uncle, may I ask you a question?"

"Whatever you wish."

"Your wife … do you mean to bring her to court?"

"No." Dorna was a gentle soul, never comfortable but at home with friends and kin around her. She had done well by their children, dreamed of having grandchildren, prayed seven times a day, loved needlework and flowers. In King's Landing she would be as happy as one of Tommen's kittens in a pit of vipers. "My lady wife mislikes travel. Lannisport is her place."

"It is a wise woman who knows her place."

He did not like the sound of that. "Say what you mean."

"I thought I did." Cersei held out her cup. The freckled girl filled it once again.

Not only is she drinking, she's drinking a lot.

Second time Cersei has inquired about Dorna.

"Hardstone has cleared the broken men from Darry castle," he replied. "Lancel's bride awaits us there."

"Will your lady wife be joining you for the nuptials?" - Cersei III, AFFC

She wants Dorna to control Kevan, but Kevan will die.

Ser Harys had been thrilled by his appointment, too dim to realize that he was more hostage than Hand. His daughter was her uncle's wife, and Kevan loved his chinless lady, flat-chested and chicken-legged as she was. So long as she had Ser Harys in hand, Kevan Lannister must needs think twice about opposing her. To be sure, a good-father is not the ideal hostage, but better a flimsy shield than none. - Cersei IV, AFFC

We still have Dorna's father to control.

I'm not sure where this is going. Surely Dorna will be in King's Landing for his funeral, then what? I'm a bit nervous to find out.

+.+.+

"Osney's brothers will not stand by idly and watch him die," Cersei warned him.

"I did not expect that they would. I've had the both of them arrested."

That seemed to take her aback. "For what crime?"

"Fornication with a queen. His High Holiness says that you confessed to bedding both of them—had you forgotten?"

Her face reddened. "No. What will you do with them?"

"The Wall, if they admit their guilt. If they deny it, they can face Ser Robert. Such men should never have been raised so high."

Cersei lowered her head. "I … I misjudged them."

I will not be a happy camper if the Kettleblacks are anywhere near Jon, Sansa, and Littlefinger.

+.+.+

Before he took his leave, he dropped to one knee and kissed his niece upon the hand. If her silent giant failed her, it might be the last kiss she would ever know.

I'm convinced, author. You convinced me.

+.+.+

The rest was shrouded in shadow … except beneath the open window, where a spray of ice crystals glittered in the moonlight, swirling in the wind. On the window seat a raven loitered, pale, huge, its feathers ruffled. It was the largest raven that Kevan Lannister had ever seen. Larger than any hunting hawk at Casterly Rock, larger than the largest owl. Blowing snow danced around it, and the moon painted it silver.

Not silver. White. The bird is white.

At this point I'm giving every bird the side-eye.

+.+.+

Then something slammed him in the chest between the ribs, hard as a giant's fist. It drove the breath from him and sent him lurching backwards. The white raven took to the air, its pale wings slapping him about the head. Ser Kevan half-sat and half-fell onto the window seat. What … who … A quarrel was sunk almost to the fletching in his chest. No. No, that was how my brother died. Blood was seeping out around the shaft. "Pycelle," he muttered, confused. "Help me … I …"

Then he saw. Grand Maester Pycelle was seated at his table, his head pillowed on the great leather-bound tome before him. Sleeping, Kevan thought … until he blinked and saw the deep red gash in the old man's spotted skull and the blood pooled beneath his head, staining the pages of his book. All around his candle were bits of bone and brain, islands in a lake of melted wax.

Once Grand Maester Pycelle came with a box of flasks and bottles, to ask if she was ill. He felt her brow, made her undress, and touched her all over while her bedmaid held her down. - Sansa VI, AGOT

+.+.+

Was this his nephew's work? "Tyrion?" he called. "Where …?"

"Far away," a half-familiar voice replied.

He stood in a pool of shadow by a bookcase, plump, pale-faced, round-shouldered, clutching a crossbow in soft powdered hands. Silk slippers swaddled his feet.

Those shadows can be dangerous.

+.+.+

The eunuch set the crossbow down. "Ser Kevan. Forgive me if you can. I bear you no ill will. This was not done from malice. It was for the realm. For the children."

You cut the tongues out of children.

+.+.+

"There are … there are hundreds of Lannister guardsmen in this castle."

"But none in this room, thankfully. This pains me, my lord. You do not deserve to die alone on such a cold dark night. There are many like you, good men in service to bad causes … but you were threatening to undo all the queen's good work, to reconcile Highgarden and Casterly Rock, bind the Faith to your little king, unite the Seven Kingdoms under Tommen's rule. So …"

A gust of wind blew up. Ser Kevan shivered violently.

"Are you cold, my lord?" asked Varys.

Speaking of shivers and cold, did you know it's believed the Shivers came to King's Landing because of harbor rats from the Free Cities?

And then the Shivers came, and the Stranger walked the land.

[...]

Many of the smallfolk believed that it was carried by rats; not the familiar grey rats of King's Landing or Oldtown, big and bold and vicious, but the smaller black rats that could be seen swarming from the holds of ships at dock and scurrying down the ropes that held them fast. - Fire & Blood

And those little buggers killed precious little Daenerys Targaryen!

It was the hour of the owl when Queen Alysanne was awoken by her daughter shaking her gently by the arm. "Mother," Princess Daenerys said, "I'm cold." - Fire & Blood

Personally, I believe they have an undeserving reputation. Nobody was able to prove the rats were even guilty!

Though the guilt of rats was never proved to the satisfaction of the Citadel, suddenly every house in the Seven Kingdoms, from the grandest castle to the humblest hut, required a cat. - Fire & Blood

+.+.+

"I thought the crossbow fitting. You shared so much with Lord Tywin, why not that? Your niece will think the Tyrells had you murdered, mayhaps with the connivance of the Imp. The Tyrells will suspect her. Someone somewhere will find a way to blame the Dornishmen. Doubt, division, and mistrust will eat the very ground beneath your boy king, whilst Aegon raises his banner above Storm's End and the lords of the realm gather round him."

All true, but when you stab Substitute Tywin dozens of times after the crossbow it kind of makes it look like retribution for Rhaenys.

Doubt anyone picks up on that though.

+.+.+

"Aegon?" For a moment he did not understand. Then he remembered. A babe swaddled in a crimson cloak, the cloth stained with his blood and brains. "Dead. He's dead."

"No." The eunuch's voice seemed deeper. "He is here. Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them."

Yeah, here's the thing about Aegon being trained in arms, it doesn't appear to be a strength of his. Oh well.

To me, it seems like Varys drops the facade whenever he's telling the truth.

Varys smiled apologetically. "I will not keep you long, my lord. There are things you must know. You are the King's Hand, and the king is a fool." The eunuch's cloying tones were gone; now his voice was thin and sharp as a whip. "Your friend, I know, yet a fool nonetheless … and doomed, unless you save him. Today was a near thing. They had hoped to kill him during the melee." - Eddard VII, AGOT

x

"I recall," said Tyrion. "You did not want to talk of it."

"Nor do I, but . . ." This pause was longer than the one before, and when Varys spoke again his voice was different somehow. "I was an orphan boy apprenticed to a traveling folly. Our master owned a fat little cog and we sailed up and down the narrow sea performing in all the Free Cities and from time to time in Oldtown and King's Landing. - Tyrion X, ACOK

x

"Perhaps he read a book and looked at the color of a bastard's hair, as Ned Stark did, and Jon Arryn before him. Or perhaps someone whispered it in his ear." The eunuch's laugh was not his usual giggle, but deeper and more throaty. - Tyrion III, ACOK   

I guess we'll have to wait and see!

By the way, the part about being educated and possessing knowledge of history, law, and poetry is when it becomes clear it's not about Arya Stark. Sorry.

+.+.+

Kevan Lannister tried to cry out … to his guards, his wife, his brother … but the words would not come. 

Lol, loser.

+.+.+

He shuddered violently.

"I am sorry." Varys wrung his hands. "You are suffering, I know, yet here I stand going on like some silly old woman. Time to make an end to it." The eunuch pursed his lips and gave a little whistle.

Ser Kevan was cold as ice, and every labored breath sent a fresh stab of pain through him. He glimpsed movement, heard the soft scuffling sound of slippered feet on stone. A child emerged from a pool of darkness, a pale boy in a ragged robe, no more than nine or ten. Another rose up behind the Grand Maester's chair. The girl who had opened the door for him was there as well. They were all around him, half a dozen of them, white-faced children with dark eyes, boys and girls together.

And in their hands, the daggers.

Wait, who had the last chapter again? Right, Daenerys.

Anyway, here's a bunch of rats children coming through the secret tunnels of the Red Keep to kill Kevan Lannister with daggers.

He's cold.

Final thoughts:

Fam,

WE DID IT!

Not to sound dramatic, but that was the worst experience of my life.

-> return to menu <-

[sapphire-weapon]

Genuinely, I don't think the writers know what to do with Ada anymore. In fact, I don't think they especially like her character. Like she was perfect for the second game, OG and remake, because she was created specifically for it. But when she became a favourite and people wanted more of her, they just genuinely didn't know how to work her in, which led to her mess of an arc in RE6. After that, I feel like they just kinda slowly and quietly removed her from the movies, and even her appearance in RE4R was extremely limited.

What we need to keep in mind about Ada is that the problem with her starts at conception. She was originally developed as a racist caricature in the form of the dragon lady stereotype. Whether or not that was done on purpose is up for debate.

The second issue with Ada is that there was clearly a plan for her character in place with her RE3 epilogue -- which was then thrown out and never honored because of how fucked up RE4 OG's development was.

And then, to make things worse, Shinji Mikami actually did have an idea for the change in direction for her character when his team put RE4 OG together, but then he ragequit out of Capcom and took all of his notes with him before Separate Ways started development.

So, honestly, Ada as a character was doomed from the start. And I can't really blame Capcom for leaning back on her relationship with Leon, because that was the single easiest thing that they could pull on when they were struggling to pick up the loose threads that were left behind in the wake of Mikami's departure.

It was also the reason why fans liked her so much (seriously I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen people express love for Ada without once mentioning Leon's name), so why not center her character around Leon and their relationship?

But then they went too far, and they fucked up Leon's characterization for RE6, and it nearly killed Resident Evil as a franchise.

Because you don't piss off the biggest portion of your fanbase (in this case, Leon stans) and get away with it.

So, for Capcom, it was absolutely worth every effort for them to salvage Leon's character and try to win back the good graces of his fans -- which they did with Vendetta and then RE2make and then RE4make and now Death Island. But it's far less important for them to rehabilitate Ada.

What I have found interesting is that, in Ada's absence, Rebecca has been brought back into the spotlight. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she's being treated like she was always one of the main recurring characters all along.

She hasn't been.

The last time we saw Rebecca, prior to Vendetta, was the original REmake in 2002, and I'm not joking. Fifteen real-life years and almost twenty in-universe years passed between her appearances in this canon, and now she's part of what the devs and the fanbase refer to as "the main five."

But that's not who the main five always were.

Before Vendetta, the main five were Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, and Ada.

And now Ada's been completely pushed out of the picture from a marketing perspective when it comes to this series's branding... which is just kind of wild for me to think about, honestly. And the change in perspective among the fanbase was so easy and natural that it actually took me a few years and a tweet from Dusk Golem pointing it out before I even noticed.

I think the Remake series is Capcom's chance at rebuilding Ada's character from scratch in a way that makes sense -- and I also think that if it goes over well, then they can use the ideas from Remake and put them into OG canon and bring her back that way.

But we'll have to see.

[httyddragonfox]

Fanfic Ideas

Since the finale was a little disappointing, I came up with my own idea of things that could happen in the epilogue. This will cover more of the things they neglected to touch on, a little idea for future spin-offs.

1st: takes place two years after Belos' defeat. Gus offhandedly mentions a fun fact about Caleb or Evelyn he saw when he saw Belos' memories. This gets his friends to pry into what he knows. They might find out Caleb was a wood carver as well, not to mention Evelyn looked a lot like Eda, and she was pregnant. This makes the hexsquad go, "you don't think..." "Evelyn was Eda's ancestor!" "Then that means..." "Hunter you're related to Eda!"

They'll get into a little debate that just because he's Caleb's clone doesn't mean he's related to Eda. They would bring up Caleb's DNA is in both Hunter and Eda. They might also ease Hunter's conscience by saying being his clone makes him pretty much Caleb's son.

Of course they would tell Eda about this. While a little shocked, she says she already considers Hunter family so this doesn't change much. She would be a little shaken by the possibility of being related to Belos, which Hunter would bond with her over.

2nd: Takes place sometime around the epilogue. Thanks to some of their friends who know oracle magic, they request a chance to meet Caleb. They're told that Caleb won't be able to talk to them, but that's fine with them as they just want to talk to him.

When he appears, he sees Eda and smiles. He sees Hunter, and the smile gets a little forlorn. Luz is happy that there actually was a good human in the isles before her, and she's meeting him. She apologizes about Belos, er Phillip.

Hunter apologizes for existing as Caleb's replacement, and for what Belos did to him. Caleb simply places a hand on Hunter's head and smiles. This gets Hunter to tear up, because even Caleb accepts him for who he is.

After meeting him, and realizing Caleb is a good guy, they ask Hunter if he wants to have the last name Wittebane like Caleb. Hunter declines. He's willing to accept Caleb as his father, but he doesn't want to associate with Belos. He tells Darius that even if he can see Caleb as his father, he sees Darius as his Dad. The other characters might joke about how Hunter belongs to so many families, "And Camilia is your Mom, and Luz is your sister, and Gus is your brother, and you're related to the Clawthornes."

3rd: Takes place two years after the epilogue. Luz is in University, and Hunter is still in an apprenticeship with Dell. Dell is so impressed he tells Hunter he can start running his own business away from him, but Hunter wants things to continue (As Dell's not carving much anyways). Hunter starts acting werid. His hands start shaking, and he becomes a bit agressive and snappish, (calling his friends stupid). He confides in Willow that maybe he's too used to being under somebody, that he just can't strike it out on his own. Willow calls him out on this, saying he was willing to walk his own path since he was sixteen. He's hacking away at his work and when Waffles tries to comfort him he nearly hurts her, which starts to make him scared.

The next morning, Hunter won't wake up. Dell and Willow are quite concerned, so they call everybody close to Hunter and inform them what's going on. He seems to be in pain, and he's tossing and turning a lot. A healer notes that he seems physically fine, and he doesn't seem to have a curse on him. The only explanation they can gather is that Hunter is battling something in his mind. Of course, the Hexsquad volunteers to go in and help him so he can wake up. They're sure he's just battling some manifested emotion and he needs his friends to help him through it.

Camilia of course asks questions, like is that a good idea? Eda informs her the kids have magic so they'll be fine, hopefully. She then asks that why don't they all go in, and someone informs her that someone has to be on the outside to pull them out should things go wrong. Darius tells the kids that they better bring Hunter back all right, and Eda reminds them that no matter what memories they might see, they can't change anything, only observe. Luz tells her that they all already know that, Lillith would give her a knowing look, and Eda would say "Just thought I should remind you."

They go in, and they immediately start calling out for Hunter, hoping to find his Inner self. The memory portraits show some scenes of little hunter growing up with Belos, they are not happy memories. One damaged portrait is when he came out of the ground. Seeing the images they start to understand what the adults were telling them.

They eventually run into a wolf, it's fur is matted and it looks feral. They assume this is what Hunter is dealing with and try guessing what it could be...anger, survival instinct? The wolf notices them, they go defensive, but then it bounds up, turning into a puppy and happy to see them. Not the emotion Hunter is dealing with. They all have a guess as to what the wolf might be. Nostalgia? Curiosity? Playfulness? The wolf would turn back into an adult wolf and try gesturing for them to leave, even growling it out between it's teeth, but not actively trying to hurt them. Territorialness? No...they eventually deduce it's Hunter's protective instinct, and since it could turn into a puppy, he's had it for a long time. They tell the wolf that they are not leaving until they know what's troubling Hunter and that they want to help him wake up. The wolf won't tell them, but it won't force them to leave anymore.

They walk for a bit, finding memories of when Hunter was a scout and when he became the Golden Guard. That's when they run into the Golden Guard, at first they think it's Hunter, but when he removes the mask it's Caleb. This one can talk, and he reveals himself to be Hunter's sense of guilt. Guilt for aiding Belos, guilt for hurting palisman, and guilt of living someone else's life. The group come to the conclusion that this must be the manifested emotion that Hunter is battling, so they immediately start to fight him. The guilt complex points out that them being there will just make Hunter feel more guilty, so if they don't want to hurt him they should leave. They defy him and say they aren't leaving until Hunter can wake up again, so they are going to defeat him so that he will stop hurting Hunter. The guilt complex reminds Luz that guilt isn't easy to overcome, and even if it doesn't hurt anymore it will always be there. Luz realizes he's right, because despite feeling okay with herself she is still a little guilty she helped Belos in the first place. She realizes they can't defeat him. Willow is confused because Hunter seems happy with himself for the most part. Gus would point out he did snap at them for not understanding where he was coming from. Luz agrees that that could be because of guilt. Amity disagrees and says he's not guilty, that going out on his own would not make him feel guilty. Willow agrees, because he already did that when he left Belos, and if he was guilty he'd have years to rationalize it. Luz then points out that the Inner Hunter isn't even here fighting him, so the guilt complex can't be what's hurting him. The guilt complex agrees and says he's not hurting Hunter at the moment, he might do it later though if they don't leave. Luz defies him and says it won't be that easy to make them give up and they'll deal with him later if they have to. The guilt complex tries threatening them to leave, which makes the protective instincts jump to their defense.

Flapjack then shows up, he's surrounded by golden light. He tells the two emotions to knock it off. The entire group is happy to see him. They all show him their tattoos. He's thinks it's sweet, but he still questions what they're doing there. They tell him they're helping Hunter wake up, because he's battling an emotion. Flapjack looks downcast. They then ask him, if he's been in there this whole time, why wasn't Hunter aware of it, why didn't he talk to him. Flapjack explains that the palisman in Belos' mind were there against their will, so it wasn't a pleasant experience for him. Flapjack explains he's apart of Hunter now, and Hunter needs to learn how to live without him. Gus asks Flapjack if he wants to see Caleb again. Flapjack realizes they found out about him, but explains he'll see him again when Hunter dies, but Hunter needs him more.

The guilt complex pipes up that Hunter may be dying sooner than they think. Flapjack snaps at the other two for not getting the hexsquad out of Hunter's mind, which they tried. The group is shocked at this, and demands why his emotions haven't been fending this thing off if it's so deadly to him? They explain the protective instincts is mainly for others, not Hunter himself. The guilt complex has already dealt with the guy enough, and Inner Hunter himself told Flapjack to stay out of it, because he didn't want him dying a second time. Flapjack says he's okay with that plan only because this means he can save Hunter if he ends up being being destroyed by him. Sure, this means Flapjack will cease to exist after that, but anything to save Hunter. He couldn't save Caleb, but he will keep Hunter safe. Gus tells Flapjack that what happened to Caleb wasn't his fault.

The group then nervously asks what or....who is Hunter dealing with. Flapjack then tells them that Hunter is battling Belos' ghost.

(It shouldn't have been that easy to get rid of him and ghosts exist in this world)

Everyone is shocked by this, Luz angrily saying "What's it going to take to get rid of this guy?!" Now they know why nearly every part of Hunter didn't want them there. They contact the adults outside, freaking out that Belos' ghost is in there with them. Eda then says, "What's it going to take to get rid of this guy?!" Now some of the adults want to go in there with them, Camila wants to despite not having magic, Eda wants to, as with King, Raine, Lillith and Darius, pretty much everyone in the room; they then remember someone needs to stay outside to get the kids out, someone with magic. Luz tells them Hunter will feel bad enough with them in there, not to mention they'd have to track them down, which the group hasn't even found Hunter and Belos yet. If they need help they'll contact them later. The adults choose to trust the hexsquad as they aren't technically kids anymore, and they are all well-versed in magic.

Flapjack leads the group to where Belos emerged, the memory of Hunter being possessed. There's a big hole on the potrait where Flapjack is, and also the rest of the teens. Belos is damaging Hunter's memories. The protective instinct and Flapjack then help the teens track down the two to where they are now. They are in either of 4 different portraits. Hunter getting his sigil removed, Hunter taking an apprenticeship after graduating Hexside, the last grom he attended, and getting a Flapjack tattoo. The group decides to split up to find the pair. Amity goes into the memory of getting the sigil removed. Gus goes into where they get the tattoos, Willow goes into the grom memory and Luz goes into the graduation memory. This is where we get flashbacks. Amity reminsces on how Hunter was one of the first to get his sigil removed after her dad made the unbranding glove. How despite not having magic, it was cruel to give Hunter a sigil so he would perish on the Day of Unity. It was nice that Hunter didn't have to have that reminder of Belos anymore. Gus remembers how he had to ask his dad's permission to get a Tattoo, but the whole group wanted one to remember flapjack's sacrifice. Hunter wanted it where his sigil used to be. While the coven and everything it brought was bad, it did bring him Flapjack. He wanted to remember Flapjack over the coven, besides he was used to having something there. Willow remembers that Grom, everyone wanted Hunter to be Grom King, but he wasn't ready to face his fears so shortly after everything, so someone else took the mantle (Or he did, it's up to you). That was where Hunter and Willow shared their first kiss. In this memory, some corrosiveness is trying to eat out her memory. Belos was there. Luz remembered that Hunter took every course he could when he was at hexside, like Luz; heck it was Luz's suggestion. He mainly did theory work, if he focused hard he could try fire, earth or lightning spells, but those were hard for him. Potions were a good alternative until he got a new Palisman. Luz remembers he carved Waffles after Dell and Eda taught him how. He told Dell how much he always wanted to make palisman growing up, not just for himself, which led to Dell agreeing to take him on after graduation. Everyone was so happy for him then, especially when he got the apprenticeship. Luz was ecstatic because now he was apart of the kids with mentors club. Some corrosiveness was trying to eat away at Hunter smiling wide and the rest of the group there for him. Luz questions what's wrong with Hunter being happy/living his best life? She then hears behind her, "Because that's not the life I intended for him."

Back with the adults, they find out ghosts manifest due to resentment or some injustice they believe happened to them before they died. Knowing Belos, he would believe what was done to him was injustice. They gripe, "This is just great, we'll never be rid of Belos, because the man's delusional."

Luz sees Belos in his monstrous form. "Aw Luz, we meet again. Are you sleeping well after murdering a fellow human?" She retorts, "You weren't human, and yes I'm sleeping great." He would tell her his main target was Hunter but now he's happy he can deal with her as well. She demands to know why he's going after Hunter. He explains that since Hunter is his creation, he shouldn't get to live as he sees fit, no he should only live to how Belos designs it. Belos goes to strike her, but she's saved by a yellow blur. Hunter had gotten her out of the memory and far away from it. He demands to know why the heck in the name of titan was she in his mind? She retorts angrily that he's crazy if he thinks they wouldn't help him with whatever he's dealing with. He snaps at her, saying "the others are in here too!? Who!? How many?!" Luz explains it's just the Hexsquad, and everyone else is outside worried about him because he's not waking up. Hunter explains that when he realized he wasn't acting like himself, he went deep into his mind to find the problem and he saw Belos was trying to corrupt him, damaging his memories. He wouldn't leave until Belos was dealt with for good, he didn't want anyone else to get hurt. Luz tells him he can't deal with this on his own. Hunter shifts his mind so that he can show her a selection of memory potraits: Hunting Palisman, Eclipse Lake, Any Sport in a Storm and Labyrinth runners, he explains to her that she helped show him the world was more than just Belos, and helped him understand who he wanted to be, and eventually he met the others. They all mean the world to him, but Luz helped him escape Belos, the least he can do is return the favor. Luz sees some nearby portraits that show them all fighting together as a group. She tells him that they're stronger together and he knows that, so keeping them out of it would only involve him needlessly sacrificing himself. Hunter then thanks her for everything, Flapjack then shows up and tells Hunter and Luz that Belos found the rest of the teens. Hunter grabs Luz and they go tunneling through the ground like Willow.

Belos explains to the kids that once all of Hunter's memories are corrupted he will take over his creation and then get his revenge on all of witch kind. He knows they won't hurt Hunter, because they care about him too much. Hunter and Luz appear, Hunter yelling at him that they won't let that happen. The protective instincts show up turning into a dire wolf to attack Belos. The hexsquad regroup to come up with a plan to beat him. Hunter says if they don't succeed in defeating him, and Belos possess Hunter again, he asks them to put him down. The entire group shut this down, calling him crazy. Gus says they will defeat Belos, so they won't do that. Amity points out the last couple times they couldn't beat him, and even with him being killed he still came back. Luz deduces that they have to make Belos give up. Hunter points out that she just named the impossible. Luz says his determination is the only thing that keeps him fighting, so they have to make him realize that's it's pointless. They wonder how they're going to do that, then Luz gets an idea.

She confronts Belos and claims that his whole journey...it's all been about Caleb, hasn't it? It's why he's going after Hunter and not any of them. He screams at her, "What does she know?" She tells him that she knows he brought him back multiple times, and got rid of him multiple times, that he believes he betrayed him, that Caleb fell in love with a witch, that before then Caleb was all he had. That they were witch hunters together. Hunter then joins in, saying that he gave up witch hunting for the witch he loved and the palisman she offered him, she dazzled him with wild magic, allowed him to be a witch. Willow joins in, grabbing Inner Hunter's hand saying, she allowed him to be himself. Amity joins in saying, she gave him freedom from a world filled with fear, all he had to do was leave you behind. Belos would scream that Caleb left him, Gus would jump in, "Left you for a witch right? I don't think he really did. I saw your memories, he loved you!" Luz would point out that maybe Caleb wasn't perfect, but she understands wanting to run away, but that doesn't mean you're abandoning your family, maybe he just didn't have a way back. Hunter would ask Belos if he would have even gone with him, to a world full of witches. He claims he wouldn't have been happy there. Belos yells at him, "You didn't even try to bring me along, Caleb." Hunter would scream at him that he's not Caleb, that Caleb has been gone for a long time and Belos made sure of that. Belos would try defending himself by saying Caleb was bewitched by Evelyn and he was trying to save him. Gus would point out he tried to save him by killing his wife and unborn child, but when Caleb defended them he didn't hesitate to kill Caleb. Belos would scream out that he was trying to save him, as magic made him fight him, his own brother. Gus would add that Caleb didn't want to, but it was Belos that continued it. Luz, furious, would tell Belos he didn't truly love Caleb if he decided that killing him would be the best course of action. Amity would fling out, "You couldn't just leave him alone!" Belos would scream he couldn't leave him alone, any of them, if they took Caleb they would take others. Willow would throw out that Caleb left willingly and was happy. If anyone else left it would probably be for the same reason. Luz would ask Belos what made witches evil, that they had magic or that they weren't human? She would point out he gave himself magic and humans can't do what he can do, so he needs to be put down as well. He'd point out that he's only one who can save humanity. Hunter would point out that if he really cared about that he wouldn't have extended his life to do it himself, he would have recruited others who would have believed him in his time to help him wipe them out. Luz then claims that he just wants to be a hero, he wants to make sure his trip to save Caleb wasn't for nothing. Gus would bring up that he made the Grimwalkers so he wouldn't lose Caleb or his dream of hunting witches with him. Hunter would bring up angrily that that wasn't what any of them wanted, and he never cared about anyone but himself.

Willow would point out that if Caleb decided to leave Gravesfield to be with a human woman, Belos wouldn't have liked that either. Amity would suggest he'd probably accuse that woman of witchcraft for stealing his brother. They would end that battle rant by saying this entire journey, Belos has been angry at his brother and the witches, and he's been taking his anger out on them like a child. He just wants to be right, and he wants to feel good about everything he did. Belos would start to hallucinate here, he'd see Caleb and Evelyn as Hunter and Willow. He'd start thrashing about, claiming they're wrong, they don't know him, he'll win. He tries attacking Willow claiming she's the witch he fancies, and it makes him sick. He'd attack Hunter saying that it was just supposed to be the two of them, that he forgot that, Belos never forgot. Hunter yells at him that if he really wants Caleb back, he should go and see him because he's not here! He then rams through Belos with his flash step, breaking him apart. He breaks down crying afterwards, and all his friends are there for him. Flapjack comes to comfort him as well. They tell the adults they're ready to leave, and before they do Flapjack tells them to thank Waffles for him, for looking after Hunter.

{[EDIT] I feel to make Belos give up they might point out he already died once before, and they'll keep stopping him. They also point out the Caleb thing to make him realize that his actions are just petty at this point and he's pathetic if he keeps going.}

They leave Hunter's mind, all the adults ask if they're okay or if Belos is still a problem. Hunter then wakes up, and he thanks everyone for helping him. Darius ruffles his hair, Camilla hugs him, and even Eda and Dell get close to congratulate him for dealing with Belos, but Hunter says he couldn't have done it without his friends. He holds Willows hand, she kisses him on the cheek. Luz glomps him, telling him they're all glad he's alright. He then looks at Dell and Willow, and says no matter happens next, he'll be ready for it.

TL;DR some fanfic plot summaries. 1: Hunter finding out he's related to the Clawthornes. 2: Talking to Caleb. 3. Journey into Hunter's mind.

[mistbow]

Zaveid, the Wind, Connections, and the Messenger of Love

「恋の妖精さん」 風はいろいろな物を運び、生態系に影響する。それが風の天族になると……

“Messenger of Love” Wind can carry anything, and even affect the ecosystem. And when wind seraphim are involved, it's a different story...

“The wind can bring many beguiling pleasures your way. A letter, a melody... Even the heady perfume of love!”

Seraphim have their own blessings, whether they know [are conscious] of their own blessings or not. And their blessings are always related to their elements.

It is also said, as a joke, that Zaveid’s blessing is “matchmaking (mainly for himself)” (“縁結び(主に自分に対しての)”).

Anyway. Here’s the entire script of the skit “Messenger of Love” in both the original Japanese text and official English localization, as a refresher: 

ミクリオ「スレイ、ほらここ。下界にもイズチと同じ植物が生えてる」 スレイ「本当だ。ジイジの加護に包まれていたとはいえ、やっぱり繋がってるんだな」 ミクリオ「ああ。下界の植物が風に乗ってイズチまで運ばれて来たのかもしれない」 ザビーダ「おっと、風が運ぶのは種だけじゃないぜ」 スレイ「なんだ急に？」 ミクリオ「面倒な予感しかしない……」 ザビーダ「まあそう言うなって。青少年の君たちに関係してくる話だぜ？」 ザビーダ「風ってのはな、便り、メロディ、恋なんかも運んじまうから」 ザビーダ「何かあったら俺まで言うように！」 スレイ「 ……確かに、そういう風に言う事はあるけど」 ミクリオ「ザビーダだけには絶対、言わないだろうな」 ザビーダ「えーー！！　俺応援するし、良い仕事するぜ？」 ミクリオ「浮ついた話を聞きたいだけなのがダダ漏れだ！」

MIKLEO: Sorey, look. The land below has some of the same plants that grow in Elysia! SOREY: You’re right! Gramps’ blessing surrounds and protects Elysia, but I guess the two lands are still connected. MIKLEO: Yeah. Maybe plant life from the land below has gotten carried by the wind all the way to Elysia. ZAVEID: But seeds aren’t the only thing the wind carries, boys... SOREY: Uh-oh, what are we in for now? MIKLEO: Nothing good, I’d imagine... ZAVEID: Now, don’t be like that! This is a highly relevant topic for youths on the cusp of manhood! ZAVEID: The wind can bring many beguiling pleasures your way. A letter, a melody... Even the heady perfume of love! ZAVEID: So if anything like that ever crops up, ol’ Zaveid is here to be your guide! SOREY: ...It's true that sometimes things like that come up. MIKLEO: But you’ve gotta be the last person we’d ever tell about it. ZAVEID: WHAT?! But I’m your greatest ally, your most tireless accomplice! MIKLEO: You just want an excuse to pry into our affairs!

I also want to bring your attention to the way Mikleo reacts to Zaveid’s offer for help here, compared to the more chill Sorey. In Zestiria comedy routines, oftentimes, Mikleo is the “tsukkomi” (“straight man”) of the group, who often acts as the only one reasonable, or at least he thinks himself as that. He’s so earnest, in a different kind than Sorey, that he usually takes himself too seriously, even when others are making fun of him.

But Mikleo has always been prejudiced against the wind seraphim, for some reason, anyway, lol.

ミクリオ「……結局こっちの話は聞く耳なしか。風の天族はよくわからないのばかりだ」

MIKLEO: Guess he’s not willing to listen to us. I never did understand those wind seraphim.

But anyway. The first word in the novel epilogue (narrating Mikleo’s side of the epilogue just like in the game) is wind. It’s a big part of the epilogue, actually.

風が青年の頬を撫で、通り抜けていく。

朽ちた遺跡を進みながら、青年は思い出す。かつて、仲間と共にここを訪れたときのことを。

その頃の青年はまだ若く、幼なじみの人間と同じ年齢だった。

遺跡の歴史について幼なじみと意見を交わし、時にはムキになって議論しあった。そんな自分たちを、ほかの仲間たちは微笑ましく、また呆れたように見ていたのを昨日のように思い出す。

あれから悠久と呼べるほど時間が流れた。もはや人間で同じ年齢の者がいなくなって久しい。

The wind caressed the young man’s cheek and passed through.

As he continued to walk through the ruins forgotten in time, the young man reminisced. He remembered a time when he, with his companions, visited this place.

At that time, the man was still young, the same age as his human childhood friend.

How he would exchange opinions with his childhood friend about the history of the ruins, sometimes getting into heated debates with him. Then, how the other members of the group would look at them smiling, some astonished. He remembered as if it were only yesterday.

It has been a long time since then, long enough to be called eternity. It has been so long that there are no more humans of his same age.

Even more mentions of the wind here:

その意志を余すことなく受け止めたい青年は、ひとりでここを再訪したのだ。かつて訪れたときには見落としていたものが、幾つも見つかった。ひとつひとつ丹念に調べていくうちに、ふいに風が止んだ。

まるで何かの兆しのように。

青年は遺跡に触れていた手を止め、周囲を見回す。やがて風が戻ってきた。けれど風の流れが違う。遺跡内で何かが作動し、風の通り道が変わったようだ。

好奇心に導かれるままに青年は歩き出した。

The young man, wanting to accept in all of that will, revisited this place alone. He discovered several things that he had missed when he visited in the past. As he painstakingly examined each one, the wind suddenly stopped.

As if it were some kind of sign.

The young man stopped touching the ruins and looked around. Eventually the wind returned, however, the flow of the wind was different. It seemed that something had been activated within the ruins; the path of the wind had changed.

Guided by his curiosity, the young man started walking.

The rest, you should know already. The focus on wind is a bit peculiar here, when it’s about Mikleo, the water seraph. As if a sign, guiding him to his reunion with Sorey in the end. Is a certain wind seraph involved in this?

Because I think it’s nice if Zaveid, who everyone (especially Mikleo and Edna) sees as frivolous, even more especially when it comes to things like relationships, actually can genuinely help them out on this very exact matter. He just jokes a lot about it. And “縁結び” is often conflated with “marriage” or “[love] matchmaking” but I think it can be more general: “縁” is a unique word in Japanese, a concept that is hard to translate to English, but think of it as an invisible “connection” that life circumstances bring people together. Something like chance meeting, a fated encounter. Strings of fate, if you will. And “結び” refers to how he will tie that “縁”. Tying of bonds.

So I think there’s some truth to the blessing that is said to be said as a joke. Zaveid brings people together. (Add to this from what you know about him from Berseria too, for something extra.) Mikleo should be thankful for him now.

As said in Sylphystia Ultima,

スレイ「ヘルダルフ…！処断せし瞬天の先導！」 ザビーダ「いい頃合いだな！」 「「シルフィスティア！！」」

SOREY: Heldalf...! The wind that shall lead the way! ZAVEID: This time is now! BOTH: Sylphystia!!

The wind shall lead you the way... and carry the love.

[frogsmulder]

My July Reads

The Girl in the Red Coat by Roma Ligocka (translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo from German)

Started May 2018 finished August 2022 (mostly read in July 2022)

Dark, reflective, nonfiction, historical

Ligocka was inspired to write this autobiography when she saw the premier of Schindler's List: she recognised the girl in the redcoat as herself. She spent her childhood in the Krakow ghetto but managed to escape with her mother in 1945, constantly moving around to avoid death. It is heartbreaking in its retelling, honouring the bewilderment of children forced to face this reality, but also the trauma they are left with as they become adults in a new world. It brings to light how important communication is with loved ones and is another major influence for the penning of this book, with its dedication "For my son, Jakob" after such a complicated relationship with Ligocka's own mother.

I genuinely cried whilst reading it, the loneliness and isolation of Ligocka throughout her life, her frustration with her own identity, politics, and social conventions, and her dealings with mental health all make for a hard but worth while read. I often hard to put it down because of its intensity and cause for reflection.

The most memorable parts for me were the secret garden her mother created for her whilst they were in hiding, her close and then distant relationship with her mother, not being able to understand that the war was over/not understanding what freedom was, and (skip the rest of this paragraph if you don't want to read about bodily autonomy violation) forced abortion.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Started February 2022 finished July 2022

Parallel world, victorian industrial, dark acadamia, mlm gay, amnesia, enemies to lovers, fantasy

You can forget things you don't want to remember by visiting a binder and putting your memories in a book. Emmett Farmer is a binder who suffers with binderbound fever. By accident he discovered his book and his lost memories. He remembers his first love, Lucian Darnay, but Lucian cannot remember him.

This is my favourite book of the year so far, maybe ever. Its also the first lgbtq book I've read and I completely understand it now, I cried when Emmett's parents found out about his gay relationship. It was heartbreaking but thankfully ends on a hopeful note. It took me a while to get into it but once there, the characters are loveable and I couldn't put it down.

My favourite moments are literally all of part 2 and the ending. Which are basically the romantic parts.

The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas (translated by Frank Wynne from French)

Started and finished July 2022

Spiritualism, feminism, anti ableism, novella, industrial France

The daughter of a lawyer and well-to-do family, Eugénie, has no intentions of getting married and regularly sneaks off to bars and coffee houses. When she attends a debate with the aid of her brother about the spiritual world, she learns that she is not alone in the gift she has as a medium. She knows if she tells anyone, however she will end up in the Salêtrière.

The daughter of a country doctor, Geneviève, traumatised by the death of her sister becomes a nurse to help others to atone for not being able to help her sister. She believes only is science and fact: this is her religion.

The Mad Women's Ball was a real historical event where once a year, the Parisian elite could interact with the inmates of the Salêtrière, like viewing animals in a zoo.

I appreciated this book more after reading the author's note at the end and her intended comment on the voyeuristic habits of society and drawing comparisons to modern reality TV. The characters are all engaging but the feminist message I feel was a little heavy at times and distracted from the story. I do wish we got to know more about all of the characters and their stories but I enjoyed the read nontheless. I also wish Geneviéve and Eugénie's relationship could have been more developed. The Epilogue of the book really hit though, especially for Geneviève's character development.

[rainbowjay20]

So I wanted to play with the AI.

I asked it the age-old question. Can you tell me a story? Place? A scientific symposium. Characters? Sheldon Cooper, Dr. House, and Sherlock

Explore

Title: “The Unconventional Symposium”

Chapter 1: The Invitation

Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, renowned theoretical physicist and neuroscientist, received an intriguing invitation in his meticulously organized inbox. It was an exclusive scientific symposium, promising to bring together the brightest minds from various disciplines. The location? None other than the historic Baker Street, London.

Curiosity piqued, Sheldon adjusted his bowtie and set off for the symposium. As he stepped into the grand hall, he noticed a man with a cane, limping toward the registration desk. The man’s piercing blue eyes bore into Sheldon’s soul. It was none other than Dr. Gregory House, the brilliant diagnostician.

“House,” Sheldon said, extending his hand. “I assume you’re here to discuss the intricacies of differential diagnoses?”

House smirked. “And I assume you’re here to bore everyone with your string theory nonsense?”

Before Sheldon could retort, a third figure emerged from the shadows—a man in a long coat, his hawk-like gaze scanning the room. Sherlock Holmes, the legendary detective, had arrived.

“Ah, gentlemen,” Sherlock said, his violin tucked under one arm. “I trust you’ve deduced the purpose of this gathering?”

Chapter 2: The Enigma

The symposium commenced, and the trio found themselves seated at the same table. Sheldon adjusted his glasses, House leaned on his cane, and Sherlock tapped his violin absentmindedly.

“Welcome,” the symposium organizer announced. “Today, we explore the intersection of science and deduction.”

Sheldon raised an eyebrow. “Deduction? I prefer empirical evidence.”

House rolled his eyes. “Evidence is overrated. Sometimes, you need to trust your gut.”

Sherlock leaned forward. “Gentlemen, let’s solve a puzzle. A poisoned professor lies unconscious in the adjacent room. His symptoms—”

“—are irrelevant,” House interrupted. “We need to know what he ate for breakfast.”

Sheldon scoffed. “Clearly, it’s a quantum entanglement between his neurons and the poison molecules.”

Sherlock’s eyes gleamed. “Elementary, my dear colleagues. The professor’s wife—”

“—is having an affair,” House finished. “She poisoned him out of sheer boredom.”

Chapter 3: The Unlikely Alliance

As the symposium progressed, Sheldon, House, and Sherlock engaged in heated debates. Sheldon’s equations clashed with House’s sarcasm, while Sherlock’s deductions baffled them both.

During the coffee break, they huddled in a corner.

“House,” Sheldon said, “your Vicodin addiction—”

“—is none of your business,” House snapped.

Sherlock observed them. “Fascinating. Sheldon, your social ineptitude—”

“—is a result of my superior intellect,” Sheldon retorted.

They fell silent, realizing their shared oddities—their brilliance, their loneliness.

“Perhaps,” Sherlock mused, “we’re all broken puzzles seeking solutions.”

And so, an unlikely alliance formed. Sheldon analyzed the poison’s quantum properties, House diagnosed the professor, and Sherlock deduced the wife’s guilt.

As they saved lives and unraveled mysteries, Sheldon wondered if this symposium was more than science—it was destiny.

Epilogue: The Three Minds

In the dimly lit Baker Street, Sheldon, House, and Sherlock sat by the fireplace. The violin played a haunting melody, and Sheldon sipped his tea.

“Elementary,” Sherlock murmured, “our minds are like black holes—absorbing everything.”

House smirked. “And occasionally spitting out brilliance.”

Sheldon adjusted his bowtie. “Indeed. We’re the cosmic anomalies—the House, the Holmes, and the Cooper.”

And so, in that unconventional symposium, three geniuses found solace—a bond forged not by logic alone but by the shared madness of brilliance.

References:

House Wiki: Gregory House and Sherlock Holmes connections

Screen Rant: House MD Is Really A Medical Sherlock Holmes Adaptation

WhatCulture: The Big Bang Theory Or House? Who Said It: Dr. Sheldon Cooper Or Dr. Gregory House

Granted, it's not nobel prizeworthy, but it could be a good place to start...

[catboyebooks]

so we pause for scoring (i fucked up on a couple sections, but my worst score on a section was 69 points... Nice) and then it's time for everyone to press the buttons on their podiums to start the shutdown. the group talks about how this isn't the end, just the beginning, and this is definitely funnier in japanese because we have people here named owari (ending) and hajime (beginning). hinata also says something about how "we are the ones who are going to create" which i wanna highlight because the kanji he writes his first name with (創) is in the verb "to create" (創る/tsukuru).

and then usami shows back up, her moderator powers restored. she pins AI!junko's hands down using her "magic," slams junko's head into the ground to stun her, fully immobilizes her, and then she just shatters into pieces. all that's left is her phone, which is still displaying junko's image, allowing her to deliver a little dying speech. i don't think she has an audience for it, though, the shutdown is already starting and the sdr2 survivors and the dr1 trio are now in the process of getting booted out of VR. sounding very bored, junko is like wow this is soooo much despair, how fun. she says once you've experienced the kind of despair she has, there's no turning back, implying she feels she sort of already peaked and doesn't have anywhere to go from here. unlike the last game, where she went to her death eagerly, this time she knows she's beat. she gets in one last "this is soooo despair-inducing" and then the phone goes dead.

we cut to the dr1 trio (this is a CG, the background is abstract, but i take it from general context that they can't see the trial room or the sdr2 group anymore) talking about what just happened. they didn't count on usami showing back up, they didn't think that was possible. none of them seem quite sure to make of what's just happened, but naegi says at least they avoided the outcome junko wanted and fought for their own. togami brings up how uncertain their future is, but kirigiri says all they can do is leave it to the group. the simulation is shutting down, there's nothing more they can do to help. naegi says they don't need to anymore. the screen goes white as the future foundation members return to the real world.

we cut back to the group, standing inside the ring of debate podiums. the game world is glitching and rapidly falling apart around them, like they're on a little island in a sea of computer code. sonia says, hey, sorry to bother everybody, but even if we wake up not remembering all of this... it'll still have meaning, right? souda says he doesn't know how to explain it, but he agrees with her, he thinks it will. kuzuryuu gently ribs him for being bad at explaining things and they banter a little bit. it's sweet. hinata interrupts to say time is almost up, and souda admits that he's pretty scared. sonia says she is too. owari says it's fine to be scared, it makes sense, right? the little nidai bot agrees with her and yells "that's the future!"

as the screen begins to turn white and the glitching gets heavier, the group all vows that they aren't going to forget each other.

we get a bit of internal narration from hinata — it's been a while since there was any. he thinks again that this isn't the end, just the beginning. yes, he's scared, he can't help feeling scared, but... and then he finally says "thank you, nanami" aloud.

the camera pulls back, away from hinata, and the screen fades to white. while we can't see her and the dialogue box doesn't attribute this dialogue to her, it's nanami's voice that responds. she thanks hinata in return and says she'll never ever forget about them. she'll be cheering them on from now on, from somewhere. they'll always be friends.

we get the end chapter screen at this point, which helpfully tells us "this is the end." i don't remember, but surely there's some manner of epilogue? there's always some manner of epilogue

[write-orflight]

Settle Down: Chapter 11

**Gif Not Mine**

Prev -  Next

Pairings: SpencerXReader (kinda enemies to lovers)  

Rating: M

Words: 1.9K

Warnings: Child birth, language, tooth aching fluff

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary: Y/N and Spencer don’t get along but turn to each other for the one  thing you need someone else for… A baby. You can plantonically start a     family, right?

AN: Two updates in a row! (Unedited) Now the taglist is officially closed now that we only have the Epilogue left. Thank you to everyone who took this journey with me, let me know what you think! much love, Cia

Chapter 11: A PowerPoint, really?

Morgan called outside the door for more nurses as soon as he heard what you said. Soon 3 women are rushing into the room, one of them clad with a wheelchair. You look at Morgan as they begin to load you in the chair. 

“Derek, call Garcia and tell her to come with my emergency birth bag, then call Dr. Lizzie and tell her the baby is coming-AHHHHH!” You screamed as you were being wheeled out. Contractions, as they turn out, are the worst feeling ever. 

Garcia is barging into your hospital room not long after that baby bag in tow. You kept an extra one at her place just in case you went into labor when the team was out on a case. “I drove just about 90 mph to get here. How are you feeling, mama bear?” 

“Like Satan himself is putting me on a spit roast.” You grunt through clenched teeth. 

“Think of the bright side you’re about to give birth to the cutest, most intelligent baby.” Garcia says. “Plus Dr. Liz told me I need to keep you calm so let’s do your breathing exercises.” Garcia starts huffing in syncopated time in order to get you to follow. You scream in her face. “Ok, so maybe not.” 

“Who’s ready to have a baby?” Dr. Liz says, in a joyous tone as she sweeps into the room. “Let’s take a look at you.” 

“Thank god! Lizzie, I need epidural. Shoot me up, Doc.” You groan from the pain. 

“So someone is a little more eager to meet the world than we thought. It’s too late to safely administer epidural. You’re going to have to go natural, kid.” 

You look at her wide eyed. “WHAT?!” You shake your head. “I-I can’t.” 

“You can, Y/N.” Penelope says. “You can squeeze me as hard as you can.” 

Tears start to fall from your eyes from the combination of pain and loneliness you felt. “I can’t do this, I need-I need Spencer.” 

You hear the door opening. Spencer walked in pushing an IV still attached to his arm, other one draped around Derek’s shoulder as he helped him walk in. Once Spencer was next to you and leaned against the wall, Derek and Penelope stepped back to give you and Spencer privacy in your moment. 

“Alright, you’re crowning. It’s time to push so next time you have a contraction, I need you to push as hard as you can.” Dr. Liz says, you nod. Spencer is pushing some of your sweat matted hair out of your forehead. 

“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be in bed.” 

“I told you I’d be here for you, for this.” He says, grabbing your hand letting you squeeze around his palm. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Spencer, I--AHHHHH!” You say, pushing. Your hand tightly squeezes around Spencer’s who despite how rough you must look right now is looking at you with the utmost awe and admiration. Dr. Liz gives you some words of encouragement as you breathe waiting for the next contraction. 

“You don’t have to say it, I know, Y/N. I know.” He says, hand running through your hair. 

“No, I need to say it. Spencer, I’m so in love with you. I love you so much, I’m sorry I kept hurting you but I need you. I love you--AHHHH!! I take it back, I hate you! I fucking hate you for doing this to me!” 

Spencer kisses the hand you’re squeezing. “I love you too, Y/N/N. And I know you don’t mean that. It’s actually fairly common for all mammals giving birth to feel disdain towards their partne--” 

“SHUT UP!” You yell as you push. “I usually love your facts but right now, shut the fuck up!”  

“You’re doing great, mom. Just one more.” You hear Dr. Liz shout over your screams. 

They don’t tell you this in any book, Doctor’s appointment, or  mommy and me class but for a moment even though it is a fleeting moment. There is a stillness in the air where everything is silent and you are only snapped out of it at the sound of your baby’s first cry. Everything else from the cheers to Spencer cutting the cord is drowned by the sound of your baby loudly entering the word. 

Your baby. 

They place her on your bare chest and your arms instinctively wrap around your most precious being. You coo as the baby continues to cry the fluid out of her lungs. She’s covered in blood and goop but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Suddenly the thing you’ve wanted for so long was finally here and she was everything and more than what you thought, the perfect manifestation of you and Spencer’s love for each other. 

Genevieve Rosalind Reid was born early November 10th. Given the name Genevieve after the song, Lady Genevieve, you and Spencer loved so much and Rosalind after famous female scientist Rosalind Franklin. 

Not more than a couple of hours after the rest of the team is slinking into the room to get a peak at the baby, bearing gifts and congratulations to you both. Spencer managed to negotiate with the doctor to at least have a bed moved into your room so if they were going to make him lay and rest at least he could be near you and the baby. Soon, one by one the team starts leaving the last being Penelope who Derek had to haul away with him. You turn to Spencer once they’re gone. 

“I love you, Spencer. I’m sorry I didn’t say it. I was scared.” 

“I know, Y/N. I love you, why were you scared?” 

“I didn’t want to lose you with my selfishness. Genevieve needs you more than I do, I didn’t want to sacrifice her having both parents because I couldn’t control myself.” 

He reaches across the aisle between your beds for your hand which you stretch to him as well. “I’m not going anywhere.” He says looking you in your eyes. “I would never abandon either of you. I love you, but no matter what happens between us, we’ll make it work. For Genevieve.” 

“For Genevieve.” You repeat back.  

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

It’s been about 9 months since you had Genevieve and you and Spencer we’re still going strong. Though the first couple of months were difficult with Spencer being injured and having an actual newborn to care for. You were still better than before, Spencer made things better. Genevieve was perfect and looking more and more like Spencer with each passing day. In fact, it seemed the only trait she did take from you was a wild stubbornness and love for Disney movies. 

You were out walking Genevieve in her stroller when you got a call. 

“Hey Spence. What’s up?” 

“Hey, where are you?” You hear over the line. 

“I’m walking with Gen in the park.” You say. 

“Do you want to meet at the coffee shop on the corner?” 

You shrug even though he can’t see it. “Sure, get me a cold brew.”  

You push the stroller into the coffee shop ten minutes later and walk over to the corner table you and Spencer have deemed yours. Your daughter is already fussy and making grabby hands for Spencer, who smiles and scoops her out the stoller. 

“Hey, Bug.” He says, sweetly as your daughter smiles brightly at him.

“God, she’s such a traitor. Instantly forgets I exist as soon as she sees you.” You say, as he hands her back so you can put in the high chair for lunch. You’re opening her banana and pears baby food when you notice it. “Why do you have my laptop?” You ask. 

“Well, open it.” 

You give Spencer a weird look before handing him the food to feed Genevieve so you can open the laptop. Your heart stops for a second as you read what’s on the screen. 

“A PowerPoint, really?” You chuckle. “Spencer, what is this?” 

“This is Reasons Why You Should Marry Me.” He says, looking up to look you in the eyes. 

“Yea, I got that from the title, Spence.” You chuckle, wetly. “And you thought a PowerPoint was the best way to ask?” 

“Well, I felt you’d be more inclined to consider it if you knew I spent time on a presentation.” 

“That’s true.” You say, chuckling at the memory of your first friendly encounter. You take the food back from him. “Well, show me what you got.” 

“Okay, Reason #1, You love me.” You laugh, nodding as he goes to the next slide. “And I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“Spencer…” You said, swooning slightly. 

“#2, I’d be a great husband.” 

“That’s a debatable fact.” You say, chuckling. 

“Have I given you any indication that I wouldn’t be?” 

You smile and shake your head no. 

“#3, I have a ring, a very pretty one that Garcia helped me pick out and it’s yours if you say yes.” Spencer says, that makes you laugh loudly because of course she did, no wonder she’d been acting weird at work for the past couple of weeks. “In all seriousness… Y/N, I love you and I feel like I’ve loved since you brought me to this coffee shop more than a year ago and asked me to make the best decision of my life. You are my best friend, the mother of my child… I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to share my life with. So..” Spencer takes that moment to stand to kneel down on one knee. “Will you marry me, Please.” 

The tears that had been threatening to fall since he started were coming in full swing now. You nodded fast. “Yes! 1000% yes!” You exclaim. Spencer takes that moment to slide the ring on to your finger as you hear the faint applause from the bored baristas in the empty coffee shop who have gotten to know you both over the years. Spencer sweeps you into a deep kiss, that you can barely stop smiling for. You pull apart when you hear Genevieve start to babble in her highchair, reaching for the two of you. 

“Oh, come here, Bug.” You say, going to pick her up, kissing the top of her head. “Can’t stand not being the center of attention, huh?” 

“Well, she is her mother’s daughter.” Spencer chuckles when you level a bored expression at him. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He says, starting to pack Genevieve’s stuff back into her stroller. “What movie are we watching tonight?” He asks. 

You think for a second. “How’s Wall-E sound?” 

Spencer smiles when he hears you say the first movie you watched together. That was the night he knew for sure that he was going to marry you someday. You didn’t know it yet, but Spencer did, and he was rarely wrong. 

“Sounds wonderful, baby.” He smiles, as the three of you walk out of the coffee shop, a newly cemented family.

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