#is it the fact that marvel are cowards who can only have women be interesting in alternate universes where they immediately die

[swashbucklery]

For the record on a scale from 0 to Endgame, my rage at Women Are A Slur About Mental Illness And This Asshole Man Is Extremely Reasonable: The Movie is approximately a 12.

[strawberryblondebutch]

what are your top 10 ships? in order? 👀

Ten? TEN?!

Christ. Okay. There's gonna be some rarepairs and some crackships on here and I'm not going to apologize.

Cheryl Blossom/Veronica Lodge (Riverdale) - Sorry not sorry putting this number one. I've been on this train for over half a decade. I feel like I have a red string board about how the narrative implicitly connects them but the writers are cowards. Justice for Camila Mendes, who spent seven seasons trying to kiss women and the writers kept putting her back in straight relationships.

Dinah Lance/Zatanna Zatara (DC Comics) - This is explicitly the comics canon, because I don't think they've really interacted in any other forms. Admittedly this one has less to do with the ship and more the fact that Zatanna is my pathetic bisexual wet cat and no one at DC seems interested in examining her trauma through anything besides her relationships with men.

Sam Carpenter/Kirby Reed (Scream) - God. The wasted potential here. The Scream franchise has never written a protagonist that wouldn't be better as a lesbian. The shared trauma. The height difference. Can they both get some goddamn rest.

Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler (Stranger Things) - This one has dropped to four because of my umbrage with the fandom in general, which I know I don't need to explain to you. But besides Natalia and Maya having so much chemistry, Robin being the only one who consistently listens to Nancy and vice versa is so important to me.

Yelena Belova/Kate Bishop (Marvel Cinematic Universe) - Once again, specifically in the MCU. Again, Hailee and Florence have such amazing chemistry, and their relationship is the natural successor to Clint and Nat. I can't wait to see how the MCU wastes their potential!

Hazel/PJ (Bottoms) - RIP to everyone who loves Josie and Isabel, but you can't give me a local dirtbag and a cringefail butch and not expect me to smoosh their faces together like Barbie dolls.

Kate Bishop/America Chavez (Marvel Comics) - The MCU already decided they didn't want this one by aging America down and Kate up, but this was the ship that originally got me onto Tumblr. They're still kicking ass and taking names forever in my heart.

Betty Cooper/Donna Sweett (Riverdale) - I just think she (bitchy prep school brunette with big eyes) is pretty neat, ok?

Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell (A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones) - They hate to see one girlboss winning, much less two. In a different world, they are Cheronica in a different font. Stop booing me, I'm right.

Laura Kinney/Marc Spector (Marvel Comics) - Are they an M/F ship? Sure are! Have they ever interacted in canon? I don't think so! But this one I can explain - when I did Marvel PBP, my Moon Knight ended up romancing X-23 and now I desperately need them to interact. Their dates mostly involved patching each other up and talking about their trauma.

[0aurelion-sol0]

Yo~

What's your opinion on the Will Byers DID theory? If you like it, which version do you like better? Both interpretations seem cool to me, though I personally like strangertheory's version better ^.^

Hi!

That's a very interesting question. I want to start by saying that I am a singlet, so I don't have DiD or OSDD. My knowledge of this condition is primarly known through medias I consume or some more "advanced" psychiatric documents or researches.

DiD is a condition that hasn't been always best represented or accurately represented since this condition varies from people who have it and so while there are similarities, the experience of it is very much unique and personal. It is also something that in a fictional setting with different genres, themes and tones is very hard to pull off or represent unless you go for the very realistic take on it.

It is bound to be, like many other things in fiction, dramatized. And speaking from a singlet perspective, who also had particular problems represented in fiction, I think it's okay as long as it's done right, in the setting, tone and genre it is in.

For example, we have today a lot more LGBTQ+ representation and like everything, unless you go for the fully realistic route, it's going to be simplified and dramatized. There's so many gender identities and sexual orientations today, you have to simplify it. And that goes for many other things that people care about in media, it has to be done right, but the writers still have a story to tell and unless that subject is the focus of the story, they're not gonna always spend their time talking about that. There is a story to tell.

Secondly, if it is the main focus of the story, that is where people have to do their research and really represent what they are talking about. Not some half-baked representation with dull arguments and points that come from a capitalist and conservative worldview. (Looking at you Disney.)

Now what you are referencing are @strangertheory 's and @kaypeace21 's theories which are about the show being about a DiD system where we see different alters evolving in said story with the host being Will Byers.

There is a lot of evidence pointing towards it, I'm gonna let you go see their posts and read it.

But their theories are very different in the way that they see the show portraying DiD, I have actually find quite a great way to describe the two takes.

@kaypeace21 's take is that elements of the DiD system have been externalised through science-"fictional" or supernatural means. Similar to Legion from the Marvel universe.

(David is a powerful mutant with DiD where each alters, if I remember correctly, has a different power or powers. (Which to this day is still one of the most BADASS thing I have ever come across though it must be quite terrifying for David.))

@strangertheory is an internalised POV on the DiD system existing in the show. She believes that what we are seeing right now is what is exclusively happening INSIDE the DiD system and that what we are experiencing is not our standard definition of the "real world". As in the physical world we all know. This would be in very vulgar terms happening inside Will's self, head, mind or brain. In a sense, it would be a more accurate representation of what DiD is about. A Shyamalan twist if you prefer.

(Though right now I don't have any word for word examples of such take, there is a show called MR.ROBOT that fits a bit of this description since there are moments in the show that we are seeing are only happening in the DiD system itself.

I recommend this show A LOT. It still is a bit dramatized but from what I know the DiD representation is quite accurate and pleased a lot of people with DiD. Also some people on the Stranger Things crew worked on that show.)

Now do I love the DiD theory ?

Heck yeah, I fucking love it! And with a big L! (Am I right "The First I love you?").

And I Love both of the takes and I think each one works at explaining the mysteries of this story. I even think that in some ways both could work well together.

I believe that DiD can be, without the meaning of being used, like many things a powerful storytelling "device" since it is connected to so many themes and other writing tools and is linked literally to the psyche, emotions and personalities of the characters.

I can understand why some people like both or one or respectfully and logically dislike both or one of the takes. But it is close to my belief about what the show is about or were even before I came into this fandom or on the internet, not as complex and thought out as the theory itself but pretty close in the overall themes and aspects of it.

(Though it bewilders me how much people lack imagination or are scared of such twist when I have seen so many of those types before whether it's done well or not, accurate or not.)

Now both @strangertheory and @kaypeace21 are intelligent people with very nuanced takes. And they had their fair share of completely unjust controversies coming from either rabbid ignorant shippers, far too sensible people or downright ignorant stupid people, most of the time 16 year olds. I am not saying that they are perfect, no one is, but the hate they have received is completely unjust.

And I am gonna lay it down right here, they are begging for an accurate representation here, they are not doing this because it just sounds cool and is edgy, they are actually wanting that The Duffers pull this off well. They would be very mad if they use all the imagery just to make it look cooler or scarier.

They are not bringer of truths, they are just like us. They are theorists, they believe in something that they think can explain the story they love and are experiencing. And so far, they have a pretty damn good track record.

They are analysing, dissecting the show because it's what they want to do and they believe in it and they believe the Duffers wants them to do that (I mean how come no one believes it when watching a show like that set in the 80's with so many references ?).

It is also supposed to be fun. Have fun for God's Sake! You can disagree with it but calling names and being disrespectful because somehow they don't agree with very basic, lazy and cliché theories (and no it's not being hypocrite, a lot of people barely do the work.) or are not on board with your creepy projection over the characters IS not okay.

And no, they aren't supporting p*d*philia as some people have claimed. How can you read these theories and come up to that conclusion ?

Most people haven't even read the DiD theory or have gone all the way through with it because they are lazy, easily bored people who don't have the time to just relax, process and think.

Stranger Things is not a kids show, some dumb teenage romance drama show with cool monsters! It's a very mature show, with real problems that are treated, out of which is trauma and mental health. Kids are killing people and even dying on this show. There is sexism, racism, abuse both physical and psychological.

It is a very mature and dark show. And you are being disrespectful to the Duffers when you say they are not that smart or that isn't that important. They are putting a lot of thoughts into this and the fact that no one really recognises this annoys me.

Or people only think it's important when it is only about the things they enjoy in the show. (Which is more hypocrite to me.) OR people are very stupid if they truly think that or are just jealous, bitter that two women have more imagination together and individualy than all of them or that person alone.

Color and costume choices, subtext, context, camera angles, directing, VFX, music, editing, sets, props, script, acting and editing are very important. All must be carefully done or you get very bad or generic stuff if you don't. If you love and you are passionate about the work, you put all the details you can into it.

And the Duffers and all the people working with them have already referenced those sort of things AND the practice of what we do on the internet. They are aware, they know because they have been in the same place too. They grew up with stories too, they made theories too whether it's on the internet or not.

At the end of the day, it is just a theory. An explanation of what is unfolding, may unfold or may have unfolded. I believe in it, I think it is reasonable, it has logic and it makes sense. It also has a lots of elements backing it up.

And the Duffers don't even have to go with DiD or mention it. Will creating some of the characters and supernatural events from his trauma is also similar and more accessible to the masses. But a Shyamalan twist can also work if it is done well.

And I am also open to other possibilities and theories, if they make sense and have enough elements IN THE SHOW and everything connected to it backing it up.

If the Duffers write something completely different but it is as good and also explains even better than this theory than I'll be okay. I love being wrong, it makes me learn new things and enhances the way I approach stories in the future.

If the Duffers only used this as some very inaccurate and disrespectful scary/abstract subtext without commiting to it. That is where I will have a problem.

Or write something completely incoherent with the rest of the show with a bad plot twist catering to the main public masses to sell the story even more and just make money so that they are safe with a fallacy of a work of fiction. Because they are cowards who didn't know how to manage themselves and baited entire audiences or listened to some crappy executive who didn't understand shit about the story. (wink wink, looking at a certain something...)

So yeah, I do love the DiD theory and both of it's takes and if it happens and is done right, with of course my perspective on the thing and PRIMARLY the perspective of people who have DiD or know a lot about it, I'll be pleased with it and I think it could be something very important for stories, people, the world and "art" in general.

Thank you for the question it was really fun! I hope I described the theory and the condition in the right way @kaypeace21 and @strangertheory and also the people who are concerned or know about it if I didn't let me know. Also, if you disagree with what I said, the way I said it or the subject itself let me also know IF it's respectful of course.

[fyeah-anya-corazon]

Ranking every potential love interest for Anya

Happy Valentine's day!

To celebrate the occasion let's look at every single character she has had as potential romantic partners. I'm including here every iteration of Anya so far.

For a teen character with more than 15 years of existence, it's amazing she hasn't had any sort of stable partner. As far as comics go, her main version has only had one romantic partner so far, but calling it a "relationship" is kind of a stretch. MSM did what the comics (embarrassingly) haven't and give her a romantic partner that I think we were all happy for, and even though it's not my favorite, it's probably the most high profile partner she'll have in a while.

Anyway, let's start the countdown!

Peter Parker

NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. Sorry shippers from MSM, but this is a big nope from me due to their student/teacher relationship from the comics and that she's still a minor in them.

Possibilities of becoming canon: I mean.... I don't doubt that at some point some hack writer might pull a Bruce/Barbara with them for some au. Probably one of the blessings of her not being as relevant as Batgirl.

Score: -110000/10 HELLSHIP HELLSHIP

Paul Townsend

Her original potential love interest in comics, he disappeared after Amazing Fantasy. He was still important enough that he even appears in the cover of AF #6 as part of Anya's civilian life.

Possibilities of becoming canon: Zero. It's clear we'll never see him again.

Score: -10/10 dude was very clearly into some shady stuff.

Rocky Flint

Her new best friend (?) they even lived together for a while. Introduced during the Spider-Girl relaunch, she is nice friend, but Rikki was the one who took the spotlight during this period.

Score: 1/10 prefer them as friends.

Black Tarantula

From the MC2 universe, I guess it works within it's "What if?" premise. A series that gives a antagonistic-but-not-too-much role to Anya in it's "what if she stayed longer with the Spider Society?" it does kinda feel natural that two characters with characters with similar origin to be attracted. (Let's not even mention how comfortable she feels with Fabian pursuing Mayday to join their harem).

Possibilities of becoming canon: canon in a reality, doubt in main reality this would happen. It would be interesting if 616 Fabian resurfaces as a enemy to Anya.

Score: 2/10 kinda works in it's reality, but I can't forgive DeFalco for thinking it was a good idea to pair a character who lost her family to narcos with a narco.

Lynn Sakura

Oh, the panel that started it all....

Anya's BFF, is a shame she was dropped after the original Araña series. There's is potential in there, but now it all rests on anyone remembering Heart of the Spider.

Possibilities of becoming canon: I mean, it cooould happen. To say there's no subtext in there would be a understatement....

Score: 4/10 just as Rocky I prefer them as friends.

Reptil

So far her only romantic partner she's had. It didn't start the best way, and ended... we actually have no idea how this ended. Next thing we know Berto was pursuing other relationships with Finnesse and White Tiger. It seemed that only Paul Tobin wanted it to happen.

Possibilities of becoming canon: He is kinda dead. He reappeared for a panel thanks to Bendis not caring about continuity, but God knows if anyone is gonna pick that up. Overall, I think there's a bigger chance for Reptil to pursue any of the previous relationships than going back to Anya.

Score: 5/10 good guy, but who thought it was a good idea making Anya's first kiss against her will?

Julie Taregon

Anya's hockey captain from very early, interviews from the time indicated that she was originally meant to have a much bigger role in Heart of the Spider. Just like Paul she was dropped by the main series, but nothing takes away from the distinction of being the one who activated Anya's powers for the first time after she asked her out.

Possibilities of becoming canon: As much possibilities as Paul or Lynn. Assuming a new Anya solo is greenlighted she would make a interesting addition to the supporting cast.

Score: 7/10 I dig it but wish she would appear more.

Mayday Parker

The newest addition to her potential partners, I've actually been shiping them from before Spider-Girls, the fact that in short 3 issues they generated enough interest that this is probably the second most popular ship at this point (came first in a twitter poll I made). There's a story with them just waiting to be written, they need to be together in a series again!

Possibilities of becoming canon: Um... I think that at this point both have the same level of relevance that if someone pitches a story were they become a couple it wouldn't hold much objection.

Score: 1000000/10 currently my fav ship.

Miles Morales

Marvel comics should be embarrassed that a cartoon made this pairing happen, as meanwhile in the comics they haven't even talked to each other. As you may notice, this list is dominated by women, if there's one guy I would smile from ear to ear if it becomes a thing it would be with Miles. They both have so much in common, it's a match made in heaven.

Possibilities of becoming canon: I actually think this has a good chance of happening. They will probably not be endgame, but I see them having a relationship along the lines of Tim and Steph.

Score: 9/10 If only Miles were a woman 😔

Gwen Stacy

Just like Miles, the cartoon did what the comics haven't and developed them into a lovely friendship (with something more...?). Arguably, the most popular ship involving Anya; on ao3 is the one with the most fics, and there's probably more fan art of this pairing than from anyone else. The main limitation with this is how in the comics writers tend to underwrite Anya while putting the spotlight on Gwen, and never developing their partnership into something more. Hopefully the upcoming Order of the Web series they've been teasing they'll finally have some heartfelt interactions.

Possibilities of becoming canon: you know what, I legit think this has a actual chance. As I said, this is a rather popular ship, at least even Seanan Maguire is aware of it and is fair to say other people at Marvel are aware of the fan art and the like. Gwen in the comics so far has ambiguous sexuality, it wouldn't be too far fetched if someone makes it canon. Just as Miles, I can't see this as endgame, but it can become a recurring relationship like Gambit and Rogue.

Score: 10/10 Marvel don't be cowards challenge.

Rikki Barnes

The og. The one that turned subtext into text. Completely unintentional, yet their relationship did eventually had ramifications on at least one of them. At this point, if anyone wants to reveal Anya as a wlw, they just need to point this relationship to justify it. Anya and Rikki were probably the closest between them than any other superhero they ever interacted with.

Possibilities of becoming canon: Uhm.... Just when I thought that Rikki wouldn't be back, she comes back AND confirmed as bi. The problem? Rikki currently has a girlfriend. Breaking up Julie and Rikki seems very mean spirited, specially for Julie. Hypothetically, if for any reason their relationship ends, Rikki and Anya would definitely become canon at some point.

Score: 1100000/10 @Marvel you owe Anya a girlfriend.

[barricadebops]

Fear Factor

Enjolras could handle gunfights. He could handle swordfights. He could handle action movies (though he wasn't the biggest fan of a few- they really do portray women in such a misogynistic fashion...)

But, and let this secret stay silent, there was one thing he could not handle.

Horror movies.

He had never really understood the appeal of the genre. Scare yourself half out of your wits for fun? Why? What could there possibly be gained except the fact that on a regular night you would spend sleepless because you had work to get done, this night you would be spending it sleepless because your nerves keep jumping at the slightest creak?

But he was Enjolras; brave, strong, fierce. He couldn't possibly let anyone know of his rather embarrassing, ah, fear of such films.

Which is why when Grantaire had told him earlier that his pick for weekly movie night was the latest psychological-torment film, he had plastered on what he had hoped was a convincing enough fake smile while plunging into a pit of panic inside.

Grantaire was absolutely NOT allowed to know that the man he was dating- the man who was supposed to be their fearless leader- had trembled at the opening scene of The Silence of the Lambs when he, Courf, and Combeferre had all decided to watch it in the dead of the night.

So, as Enjolras sat- not on the couch, on Grantaire's lap as per his usual seat- he tried in vain to still his hammering heart and hoped he would make it through the entire movie.

It was about a third of the way through when he realized he wouldn't make it.

He wondered whether he could blame the sweat he had broken out into on the warmth radiating from Grantaire's arms wrapped around his figure that pulled him in warm and close, but that wouldn't exactly explain the chills and shivers that suddenly wracked his body. Furthermore, how could he ever justify his ragged breathing? It wasn't as if he had run a marathon. Maybe he could tell him he was simply having trouble breathing? No, that would backfire spectacularly, considering the last time he had lied about some medical inconvenience it had ended with Grantaire forcibly carrying him to the hospital where Combeferre waited to check him over.

If Grantaire had noticed his fear rise, he didn't say anything. Well, not until now at least.

"Are you okay?"

Enjolras practically jumped. Turning his head, he met Grantaire's concerned, yet slightly amused eyes. He huffed a breath.

"Of course. I'm completely fine," he grumbled, attempting to calm his racing breaths. Grantaire raised an eyebrow.

"If it's too much for you we can stop and put something else on," he suggested.

Enjolras glared. "I'm not scared. I do not get scared of movies. I am perfectly fine."

Grantaire chuckled dryly. "If you say so..." He pulled him closer and tightened his arms around him. "But," he murmured low into his ear, making Enjolras shiver, "if you ever need a knight in shining armour..." He laughed again as Enjolras harrumphed and shoved at his broad chest.

"I am no damsel in distress," he muttered indignantly.

As the movie progressed further, he began to feel the blood in his veins freeze over as fear's claws gradually tightened it's grip on him.

The music began to build, and so did Enjolras' terror. He couldn't do this. Why again did he agree to this movie?

Oh right. To prove he wasn't a coward.

A marvelous job he was doing proving that point, clinging onto Grantaire's hoodie like it was his only lifeline.

For his own part, Grantaire seemed to have lost any interest in the movie as he chose intstead to grin widely as he watched Enjolras curl in closer towards him, vulnerable in a way not many people were allowed to see.

The music turned shrill as it reached its climax, an eerie screech that had Enjolras' heart hammering so loudly that at the back of his mind he wondered whether Grantaire could hear it and his nerves on such edge, that he swore he could practically feel the mood of the story. Heart pounding, breathing shallow and ragged, limbs trembling, he forced his eyes to stay open as the screen went disturbingly quiet in anticipation.

He felt cold, so cold; something slid beneath his shirt and grazed his skin like ice.

Fear.

The claws of fear tightened over his waist as the main character on screen, still mute, reached for the knob, hesistating for a moment in which Enjolras felt as if his heart would give out.

The knob began to turn. Fear's icy grip on his waist tightened.

The door burst open.

"BOO!"

Enjolras screamed and spun in Grantaire's arms, burrowing his head in his chest and slamming his eyes shut as he felt his body shaken. He was going to die. He was going to die. Gasping, he clutched desperately to the fabric beneath his fingers, hiding away from the screen and the rest of the world, safer in warm arms that tightened around him as they... shook with laughter?

Prying one eye open, he dared a glance up to his boyfriend, who seemed to be trying very hard not to topple over from laughing so hard.

"Oh God, Enjolras, you startle so easily, it's just me—" he started to laugh, and as Enjolras' heart continued to hammer, seemingly needing time—an hour, maybe two, maybe five—his indignation rose too.

"You jerk. What's your problem?" he hissed, although if he had to be honest, he was more mad at himself than his boyfriend. Stupid. Why did he have to be so jumpy, be such a coward? Now it was all out in the open for Grantaire to see—his boyfriend wasn't the strong leader he was supposed to be, he was a coward who couldn't even watch a horror movie properly without having to stop a third of the way. It was all over.

He made to move off of Grantaire's lap and preferably go die in his room, but the arms around him tightened.

"Wait, no, Angel, I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh and I shouldn't have done that. It's okay, you're okay."

He slumped up against Grantaire's chest, fisting the shirt lightly, heart rate slowly returning to normal with the way Grantaire placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Why didn't you just tell me you weren't enjoying the movie? I told you I had no problems changing the movie."

Enjolras didn't speak, simply continuing to focus on the bunches of shirt gathered in his hands. Grantaire hummed.

"What's wrong, Angel?" Grantaire asked softly. "Why so quiet?" He felt a large, calloused hand brush away a curl to make room for another kiss on the forehead. "Angel?"

Enjolras shook his head. "You probably think I'm an idiot," he said in a tiny voice.

"I think you're an idiot whenever you try and cook dinner," Grantaire responded fondly, causing his face to burn in embarrassment. "But," he continued, "for whatever this is, I know for a fact that I could never think you an idiot." Grantaire grinned. "Not since the day I walked in and saw you orating at the front of the Musain, dear leader! When I saw you, great Apollo, it felt as if my very being had been blessed with the light of enlightenment, it was as if my transformation into the best possible rev—!"

"Alright, Grantaire, I understand," he cut him off irritatedly. This really wasn't doing any good job to make him feel better. See! Grantaire saw him as the great leader, as Apollo, flawless, perfect without a single error! Not this pathetic, trembling mess he was right now. "I just—" he burrowed in closer and heaved a sigh. "I don't like scary movies. I find them—scary," he explained lamely, grimacing as he braced himself to be laughed at.

"Oh. Is that all?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Lifting his head off of Grantaire's chest, he stared up at his boyfriend, befuddled.

"Wait. I don't understand."

"You don't understand what?"

"This!" he said, throwing up his arms abd waving them around. Grantaire grabbed his hands and started peppering kisses on them. "This is the part where you start laughing and making fun of me for being a coward!"

Grantaire stopped kissing his hands, but kept a reassuringly tight hold on them as he sighed in exasperation. "Enjolras. Do you really think I'm that big of an asshole that I'd make fun of your fears?"

Biting his lip, he burrowed back in, fisting the hoodie beneath his fingers. "No. But I didn't think you would appreciate if your 'fearless leader' boyfriend couldn't even stand to watch a simple horror movie," he mumbled dejectedly. He felt a finger beneath his chin.

"I'm afraid for you when rallies turn to riots."

Enjolras' expression turned confused. Why was he telling him this? "Okay...?"

"Are you going to make fun of me for that?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "No."

"Now tell me why."

Well wasn't that obvious? "Because that would be rude. Everyone has fears—"

"Exactly," Grantaire interrupted. "Everyone has fears. That's what makes them human, or whatever. Shit, Angel, I'm not good at this 'feel-good' talk. But everyone has fears and everyone has flaws." He leaned forward to kiss Enjolras softly. "And I'm not going to exclude you from that list no matter how many times I paint you and name the work 'Apollo.'"

Enjolras thumped his head back on Grantaire's chest and cuddled closer for warmth. "So you don't think I'm stupid? Or a coward?" he asked quietly.

Grantaire snorted. "I've seen you stare down bigoted assholes who've got an entire foot over you. You're one of the last people I'd call a coward."

He looked up. "So now what?"

Grantaire smiled and placed a kiss on his curls. "Now what?" he echoed back. "I think, maybe, we should begin by changing the movie."

"Yes please," he said quickly. Grantaire laughed and tightened his arms around him.

"And then, how about we watch something different. How about..." he cast his head about for answers. "...The Nightmare before Christmas?"

Enjolras smiled. "Yes please," he repeated. Grantaire leaned down and gave him a quick peck on his lips. Then his left cheek. Then his right. Then again and again and again everywhere. Enjolras laughed. "R your stubble! When's the last time you shaved?"

Grantaire continued to pepper him with kisses. "I don't really remember. I'm keeping it for Halloween. Last I checked Flynn Rider has facial hair."

"Flynn Rider has a goatee."

"I'm not giving myself a goatee, Angel. The best you get is a stubble. Although I do expect you allow Jehan to braid flowers into your hair." Enjolras continued to laugh as he showered him with kisses.

"Grantaire! This doesn't look like The Nightmare Before Christmas," he giggled.

Grantaire hummed. "No. But I kinda like this better. Besides, I heard kissing provides the brain with comfort and reassurance, and don't you need that after a scare?"

Well, it's not like he heard Enjolras complaining.

They never did get around to watching the movie. All well, they'll simply have to clear another night and try again.

[thisiswhatwereupagainst]

TL;DR Went into Captain Britain and Excalibur just to read Meggan, expected to hate Brian, found out they both were bad to each other and are both very injured, traumatized characters grappling with gender norms in their own way, and I have a lot of sympathy and love for them BOTH now even if they definitely are not a good couple at this point. So, I am keenly interested in Meggan Puceanu as a character and a concept. Just learning some very basic things about her prompted THIS META POST three years ago. And that was before I really plunked down and decided to read all her stuff in order. And while I have yet to read ALL of it by a longshot. But I’ve gotten through about 20 issues now, from her first appearances in “The Mighty World of Marvel” in 1984, to meeting and joining up with Brian Braddock/Captain Britain in the second series of Captain Britain in 1985, to the first five issues of Excalibur in 1985. So yeah, keep in mind reading this, I am only up to Excalibur #5. And I know I probably should wait before writing all this stuff, read more, see if my interpretations hold true. But I have so many thoughts and I just can’t wait that long! So please read on with the understanding I may be proven completely wrong in these perceptions later. That said.... I had some basic knowledge of Brian and Meggan’s dynamic. I knew that she was completely emotionally dependent on him, that her every emotion hinged on his approval and attention, that a lot of her very identity was based around pleasing him as his girlfriend. I also knew he’d been a real dick to her, and that his descent into alcoholism had made him an even bigger dick. So, I was really prepared to dislike him. And while I do still dislike the power imbalance that their relationship was founded on, I ended up having very different feelings about Brian himself than I expected---I thought I was going to encounter a shitty macho man himbo asshole who treated Meggan like shit just because. Seriously, look at THIS and THIS and THIS! What a JERK! I was all prepped to despise this guy and yell about toxic masculinity and how Meggan deserved better. Instead, what I found was someone who was as broken and in pain as Meggan herself, but who got far less sympathy for it than she did, both from other characters and from fans. The first big shock that I got was that Brian had been raped twice by female villains in the second Captain Britain series, before Excalibur began. I had actually read about this a couple years ago on TV Tropes, but seeing it was something else. I wrote a longer post about it HERE As noted in the post, Brian never told anyone about either of these incidences as far as I know, nor getting any kind of therapy or treatment. He also started drinking after this happened. And as of Excalibur beginning, Betsy is dead (or so he believes) and he’s grappling a lot with that too. I think it was unethical of him not to rebuff Meggan when she first came on to him, for reasons I’ll discuss later in this post, but also makes sense for his character, not because he’s an unethical person but because he’s actually very passive and seems to just accept whatever is demanded by him of others; he talks about this with Courtney, how he has no choice in being Captain Britain, how it was imposed on him, asking if he’s a coward for just wanting a little of his own life and she unsympathetically says it’s “obscene” how he “can’t be bothered” to “take charge” of his own life (Excalibur #3). It’s a very unusual flaw for a male character. In his own way, he’s at the mercy of what others demand him to be as much as Meggan is with her powers, and I find that really interesting. I already knew that Meggan is very much a reflection of the demands placed on women by society, literally twisting her own emotions and physical forms to coincide with what is considered beautiful and what others desire, whereas Brian, it turns out, is himself a reflection of the demands placed on men---he has to be a warrior, whether he likes it or not (and he doesn’t, it’s part of his backstory that he doesn’t see himself that way at all), he has to be the hero and take care of the girl and he feels he has to just go with it when Meggan decides he’s her man and she needs him. And Meggan is more flawed than I expected. She’s oftentimes shockingly selfish in her obsession with Brian. For instance, when his ex Courtney is kidnapped by the sadistic murderous Arcade, Brian is understandably upset, and this troubles Meggan because she thinks that his being upset means he still cares for Courtney. The selfishness there is staggering; a woman’s life is in danger and Meggan’s first concern is her own love life, and she assumes that the only reason Brian could care about said woman’s life being in danger is if he’s in love with her. Or when Brian’s drinking is first brought up by the rest of the team, Meggan says it hurts her that he turns to those bottles instead of to her (Excalibur #3). So, her problem isn’t that Brian is obviously becoming addicted to alcohol, it’s that SHE isn’t the one that he turns to. She’s got a lot of moments like this. That said, I LIKE this about Meggan. It makes me like her MORE. It makes her WAY more realistic and flawed and human than the archetypical frail damsel who is just an accessory to her man that I was expecting. She’s clingy, she’s possessive, she’s downright nasty and hostile over him a lot! She may not think of herself as a real person, but the writers treat her as one, complete with flaws. Her dependency isn’t treated as a good or romantic thing either, it’s not held up as a female virtue like I was expecting; Brian is actually bothered by it, he confides in Kurt that he doesn’t think he can handle how she relies on him for everything, how he actually PREFERS Courtney because unlike Meggan, Courtney is her own woman-- “She doesn’t seem to NEED me as completely and desperately as Meggan seems to. Sometimes I feel I’m the total and absolute focus of Meggan’s life. It’s a responsibility I don’t think I’m capable of handling.” And Brian is right, this ISN’T a good thing to do in a relationship, Meggan is putting a lot of unfair emotional weight on his shoulders, and he’s already got a lot to bear from his own trauma and loss. In fact, one could even argue that her behavior would be seen as toxic if the genders were reversed. She’s still very sympathetic, of course, because this is coming from a place of real insecurity and need and probably her powers too, but it’s more three-dimensional and complicated than what I originally expected. But I like that. Because again, it’s more realistic, both in terms of Meggan’s behavior and in Brian’s reaction to it---he doesn’t WANT a woman being totally dependent on him and thinking the sun shines out his ass and needing him for everything, he wants another human being. That’s not what I expected a Bad Macho Man Stereotype to be saying! But in fact, Brian says another thing he prefers about Courtney is “she’s her own woman” and  “I can talk to her, Kurt.” (Excalibur #5) Brian is a man who wants to be able to have someone he can be VULNERABLE with, to talk with as an equal about his fears and anxieties---which he does with Courtney, as mentioned---and he can’t do that with Meggan because of the pedestal she puts him on and her needing so much care herself. He says as much himself to Kurt. He also recognizes that he himself probably isn’t equipped to deal with Meggan’s issues, she needs much more help than he can give. This isn’t an idealized thing at all, this is a realistic depiction of two very emotionally injured people in a very messed up dynamic that is bad for BOTH of them, hurting them BOTH. Up til actually reading it, I was expecting it to be one-sided, with Meggan being the only one suffering, but it’s not! And Meggan being like this, of being obsessed with Captain Britain and behaving in a very “cliche” way over him, makes a TON of sense for her, she’s not just obsessed with him for no reason like a typical “just the hero’s girlfriend” character. Meggan grew up being kept secret in her family’s camper-trailer for her then-monstrous appearance, til during the Jasper’s Warp when reality shifted into a world that was putting superhumans, including herself, into concentration camps. While she was in the camps, Captain Britain was a legend as a liberator and freedom fighter who was fighting back against the regime for the sake of people like her. And when reality returned to normal, Meggan was one of the few people who remembered that it had ever changed; she remembered the camps, and she remembered Captain Britain. Even though she’d never even seen him at that point, she clung to him as her one hope. Then the real Captain Britain found her when she was homeless and living in an abandoned warehouse, and he lets her live with him in his mansion because she has nowhere else, which is probably more kindness than she’s ever been shown in her life, and from someone she idolized. Which, as I said way earlier in this essay, does make their relationship an inherently unethical one because of their power imbalance, as he’s got a lot of power over her in terms of being the one providing her with a home, food, clothing, etc., not to mention her emotional dependency that’s obvious well before she makes a move on him. So we’re already starting on really problematic territory. But it makes SENSE for her. Add to that Meggan was raised on television in a VERY literal sense. Again, she was locked up in her camper trailer all day every day her whole life, and so she spent most of her time just watching TV. It’s shown that this has given her SOME UNREALISTIC IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BEHAVE so I think that absorbing the media’s depictions of how women are “supposed” to behave towards their men is actually pretty realistic. She’s not doing this because the writers think this is just how women are----NONE of the other female characters act at all like she does!---but because SHE thinks it’s what’s normal and expected, and she’s probably very much imprinted on the media’s fantasy fairytale depiction of relationships. Given how she grew up as an ugly monster and seeing herself as such, I can very much see her as latching on the idea of “beautiful sweet woman who is valued for her beauty and being with the lead man and has no identity apart from that” that’s prevalent in media, which she would take for a reflection of reality, a reality that she thought her whole life would be denied to her. So all her behavior has a good in-character reason; she could even be read as a criticism of trying to enact gendered media stereotypes in real life and how they can’t actually work in the complexity of the real world, and how damaging they are to those who absorb them. What’s also funny is that despite appearing to be the standard “strong man, pretty woman” couple, especially with Brian becoming emotionally distant and cruelly pushing her away whilst she’s very emotional and obsessed with pleasing him, is they actually subvert this paradigm as much as they play it straight. The Juggernaut WIPES THE FLOOR with Brian at one point, and then Meggan shows up, shapeshifts into a GIANT MUSCULAR VERSION OF HERSELF, and comes to his rescue with Rachel and Kitty! That’s right, a buff lady and two other ladies save the dude in distress! And then afterwards, she acts like SHE was the one in danger, resuming her default petite form and jumping into his big manly arms while he asks if she’s alright and she says “Always in your arms!” ---it’s hilarious! (Excalibur #3) And of course, speaking of subverting gender stereotypes, there’s Brian’s desire to have a partner he can be vulnerable with, which is really astounding to me----he’s very much grappling with the expectations of toxic masculinity in a way that’s harming him as much as Meggan. Not just in relation to Meggan, but also, as mentioned before, in relation to not having control of his own life as Captain Britain, and being responsible for others. In particular, he’s messed up over Betsy’s (seeming) death, and over not having protected her, as a man would be expected to protect his sister. In the panel right before the “changeling cow!” scene I linked earlier, THIS IS WHAT HE SAYS. He doesn’t see himself as any good if he doesn’t meet impossible standards. And while Meggan reacts to pain by getting teary, Brian consistently reacts to his pain (or trying to hide it) by getting ANGRY, which is consistent with how women vs men are socialized. Which is not to say it’s anything but VISCERALLY HORRIBLE when he lashes out at Meggan, especially given how dependent she is on him, and she absolutely SHOULD have dumped his ass then, but it’s also a lot more three-dimensional than the emotionally abusive drunken bad boyfriend stereotype I was expecting.  I know I’m a broken record on this, but I am just so shocked at how sympathetic I ended up being to a guy I was so prepared to hate and was so cruel to a character (Meggan) that I was already very sympathetic to and invested in. Instead, I’m invested in them BOTH now and want to see them BOTH heal from this, and from each other. So, basically, I was really ready to be mad about Meggan’s lack of agency and her dependence on Brian. And these are things that happen. But the writers are clearly AWARE of it, and treat them as issues to be addressed and overcome. Meggan and Brian come off not as the cliche male and female stereotypes they first appeared, and that I expected, but very critical examinations and sometimes subversions of them, and both are shown as being hurt by the expectations of their gender, and being hurt by each other as they enact those expectations. It’s not totally perfect, not by a long shot, but it’s very interesting and a lot more nuanced than I expected some straight white guys in the 80s to be writing, it’s definitely a far cry from the typical idealized relationship between a hero and a leading lady, and I’m pretty impressed with it. And I’m looking forward to reading more.

[dinamitelove]

Seriously, were are they?

As someone that had to grow up during the 90s, I can tell you that the idea that women are just not complete without a lover (a male one, obviously) was stuck in our heads by all kinds of media. You could have the history of a woman scientist/athlete/cancer survivor/any story that involves a woman in all kinds of situations, and all of them had to have her choosing romantic het love at the end (let’s not pretend wlw was considered even an option on those). In the late years, this started to change by having female protagonists without a love interest; a breath of fresh air, not only for us, aromantics/asexuals, but for women that just didn’t want all heroines to end up in relationships at the end of the movie. But lately, there has been backlash from heterosexual women, claiming that feminism is ruining heroines and now non of them can have love interests because that’s against the ‘strong women no need no men’ sacred mantle of feminism or something. 

First of all, that’s just not true. How many women protags have no male love interests? Let’s check Marvel: the only one I could think of is Black Widow (who actually had not one, but several male love interests, with Bruce being the most explicit). Let’s see how she ended up. Oh, that’s right. She was killed in order to save the guy with a love life and a family. Ok, who else, Cap Marvel? That’s probably the only one, and let’s face it: the reason why she didn’t have a love interest was because Disney it’s too coward to make Maria hers. Who else, Star Wars? Rey could have been one, except for the fact that they added one at the end. 

So really, I’d love to know were are those aromantic-coded protagonist that are taking all over media to the point heterosexual women don’t feel represented anymore. If anything, the only thing I’ve seen is young characters that say they don’t want romance only to be contradicted by the series in the next episodes, or by showing the cruel destiny of the women that chose not to have romance (I’m watching at you, awae). The only one I can think of was Merida, and that was years ago (and she was also a kid who can ‘change her mind’ later).

[ijaws]

My Captain Marvel Review

Before I do this, I want to clarify a few things. There are going to be both personal opinions on the character and simple objective observations from a different perspective that what most people are doing in defense of this character.  I am not sexist. I am not racist. I am not misogynistic. I do not identify with the Alt-Right and consider myself a centrist. I believe that modern Feminism (Contrary to Classical Egalitarian-Feminism) is a toxin in society and now it has translated into the MCU through her movie. 

I just wanted to put this out there first because any time I make any sort of evaluation of her movie or her as a character I get bombarded with hate, personal attacks, and people telling me why I hated the movie or something when they don't personally know me and aren't me. (You just hate strong female characters! Bitch, go look at my profile. I fucking LOVED Rescue, SCARLET FUCKING WITCH, and Nebula is literally one of my most favorite characters in the MCU... They were ALL badass in End Game)

So if you like her as a character and if you like her movie, please do not think that my observations of her or her movie are a personal attack against you. I've had so many people take my viewpoint personally for some reason and it no longer is a debate as they close their minds off to anything I say and start becoming immediately dismissive. I mean no disrespect in any of my viewpoints. I just feel like I needed to put this out there because... again... more often then not I'm dealing with some radical feminist that will foam at the mouth and protect her beloved character from any opposing viewpoint irrationally.

Lastly...

PLEASE. DO. NOT. REBLOG. WITH. A. REBUTTAL. AND. BLOCK. ME. LIKE. A. COWARD. 

FUCKING. @. ME. 

I’M JUST LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WITH A BRAIN TO GIVE ME A GOOD COUNTER ARGUMENT TO THIS.

Okay, so, I personally believe that Captain Marvel and her movie were a toxic addition to the franchise. This is going to be a little long, obviously, but I would appreciate it of you read through. Clearly you don't have to because it is a huge ass wall of text but taking in viewpoints that aren’t constantly validating your own is HEALTHY... So please read?

Firstly, they retconned the Skrull, that are one of the most recognizable villainous races in all of fiction like Klingons and Orcs, to be refugees of a war that they'd lost. In the comics they have 100% control of the Andromeda Galaxy as one massive Empire and the Kree were definitely not in the position to eradicate the Skrulls. They could put up a good fight, but I feel that the Skrulls were too well fortified in Andromeda to really be defeated by the Kree. That's the first, shortest, issue I disliked about the movie. They nerfed the hell out of the Skrulls to being simple refugees... and innocent. I'm sorry, but no... This is like going into the Star Trek Universe and retconning the Klingons to be some peace loving hippies. They were also some of the most human characters in the entire movie besides Nick and the Black Best friend. (I can't remember her name... she didn't stand out to me.) They were DEFINITELY more human than Carol Danvers herself. The moment when Talos goes to his family on Mar-Vells ship and hugs them was definitely the most human part of the entire film and it cemented my thoughts on the character. My favorite character in the entire movie was Talos. A lot more likable, interesting, and funny than Carol Danvers was... I wish the movie had entirely about him at this point because it would have been a better film by FAR.

Secondly, the themes. There was a clear message that this movie was trying to sell long before it even hit theaters, and that was Modern Feminism. The Air Force advertisements featuring female pilots, the girl-power advertisements, and so on. The movie was clearly trying have a target audience of young women or young girls and there's nothing wrong with that. However, I started to feel a bit off put by the movie when it showed literally ever male human character that wasn't Nick, Coulson, or the Skrull Leader, Talos, was a sexist prick. LITERALLY every single one of them were sexist. Even her Father. I understand in the comics her and her father never got along or something of that nature, but I personally feel that if they wanted to push the whole sexism narrative that they should have lead it with her father and kept it with her father. Instead they extended the narrative to every male in the entire movie and in her flashbacks.

I feel there needs to be a specific section on the flashbacks alone. Okay, so, in her flashbacks quite literally every single bad thing that happened to her was because of a man.

Carol was riding in that Go Kart and the boy told her she was going too fast. Of course in a feminist movie we can't have a girl listen to what a boy has to say, even if he may know more about what she was doing than she did, and so she goes and crashes horrifically. I thought it was a brutal crash.

A second later and her Dad appears looking down at his busted up and bleeding daughter, that I'd be taking to a hospital in a heartbeat, saying that she didn't belong there.

Okay, that alone is unrealistic to me to begin with. There are a VERY few fathers out there that would have the first words coming out of their mouth being that she didn't belong to be out there. It would be about her health, asking if she was okay, and they would be looking her over as best as possible. However, I will agree with the Father's initial comment that she didn't belong out there on the track. Why? Well I wouldn't want my daughter, who was too stubborn to listen to a boy that was giving good advice when she was doing something dangerous, to do anything dangerous again. Damn right she doesn't belong in dangerous, male, situations and jobs if she's going to act that way. The girl is going to get herself killed.

Then there's the whole, 'You know what it's called a cockpit, right?' scene and that alone, while not improbable, was unneeded at this point. We already had two male characters expressing their inherent, evil, sexism. Oh, but they went even further than that and got the motorcycle guy in there as well telling her to smile and everything. (Woulda been the first smile in that movie so far at that point for Brie.) While that does happen they’re continuing to beat a dead horse… Then later on it shows her being bullied on a beach when she’s REALLY little by BOYS he knock her down.

Then in Basic Training they’re all yelling out to her that she’s gonna die or and things of that nature are more or less unrealistic as well. My father was in the military and was going through basic around the same time that she was and he went into the same branch. The Air Force. When you go into the military they tell you that you are to be colorblind. That you are to be ONE force. ONE unit. You are a team and NOTHING should stand in the way of that. The means that racism, sexism, or any sort of predisposed idealism that puts on person down while raising another up is to be crushed and blown away like dust in the wind. It has no place in the Military as it reduces its effectiveness. So in that training scene where they’re yelling at Carol that she’s going to die and that she’s going to fail is NOT a proper representation of what happens in basic training. Maybe the Drill Instructors to stress you out or drill it into you that what your doing is dangerous and the military itself is dangerous, but not by your fellow team members. If anything your fellow team members are supportive because there are group punishments for your weakest link in your unit… If they fail, you all fail. If one person is stupid, you ALL get punished for their stupidity. So for her fellow trainees to be putting her down like that makes next to no sense and it is CLEARLY intimating the issue of women in the workplace not being able to do what a man can do or women simply being put down in the workplace for simply being women.

So, I don't necessarily agree with the route in which they went about the topic of sexism. The execution and presentation were not done well in my opinion. While you may have felt it resonated with you, what about the boys and the men?

Marvel Movies have always been oriented towards everyone. They've been family movies. Not one Marvel Movie has been solely and strictly for men. Why? Because movies with male leads don't focus on the fact that they are MALE leads... There's nothing special about a male lead or male actor in a film. They don't feel the need to point it out or make the male actor into a champion for men and masculinity.

So, again, what does this film tell you about men? It tells you what I've described. That men are sexist oppressors that want nothing more than to see women fail, smile, and do what they say. That men think women can't do the same job that a man can and that women aren't as strong as men. That's a message that is being conveyed here... and that's the ONLY message you get on the subject. That's the bottom line. There's no, 'but not all men-' in this film. There's no redemption act, representation (I know a lot of you love that word so here you go... You won’t like it cause I’m using it in a way you disagree with it.), or presentation of the fact that men will stand for women in face of true sexism. There isn't any sort of male role model to learn from in the film. Nick is there for comedic relief, Coulson is barely in the film, and the Skrull isn't even human. There's no outreach to TEACH boys and young men that sexism is bad. It simply states that men are sexist. That's literally it. This movie was for girls and girls alone, which is a failure in and of itself on the side of Marvel, and it is simply teaching them that men will do this. That boys will do this. There's nothing there to teach boys to not do that or any sort of redeeming quality for men in the film at all. Is this wrong?

So, yes, if you think it presented the female experience realistically, which I felt it did not in certain scenes, than I am not one to try and change your mind. I've never been in a woman's shoes and I've never experienced sexism from men like that. I'll let my opinions stand for themselves.

While I agree that sexism is truly a problem in society and still lingers, I simply feel that it wasn't presented well enough. That's my main issue with sexism in this film.

On a personal level I felt that if you’re a guy going to see this movie that you should prepare to feel like an asshole. The entire film is intimating that men are oppressing women, that men see women as objects that need to smile more, that women aren’t as strong as a guy or can’t do what a guy can do. It puts men in a bad light and sort of validates the Modern Feminist talking points and agendas that all men are evil, shallow, vile creatures that want to oppress women because they think that they are objects and aren’t as tough, strong, or brave as men.

(If Marvel had made a Movie about a Man that acted arrogant, cold, emotionless, and super super super strong and made all the female characters in his past trying to put him down, were annoying, were emotionally manipulative and controlling, were emotionally abusive, were using men for their wealth or income, and were lying cheaters with no sort of redemption character for women to prove things differently I think that this movie would have tanked.)

Thirdly, a shallow Carol Danvers. With all that being said up above, I feel like that all that made her character VERY shallow. The ONLY reason she’s a pilot, the ONLY reason she’s ‘strong independent woman’, the ONLY reason why she’s a hero is because she’s a woman that’s been put down by men her entire life. To prove that she can be a strong independent woman, and that men can’t keep her down anymore. It’s a consistent attitude of hers to challenge men regardless of who they are or to act arrogant towards them as when first seen by Nick Fury. Immediately upon seeing him she acts a bit sassy, or arrogant, because Nick isn’t knowledgeable about the alien conflicts that exists or doesn’t believe her about the shapeshifting Skrulls. This entire issue sort of cheapens the character as well because if you created the character with the sole purpose to be a conduit or avatar for feminism and feminist talking points… where do you go from there? All of her personality traits, all of her history, and everything that made Carol Danvers who she is about the oppressive nature of men. Once that is solved, which it is in her movie after she gains the full scale of her powers, where do you go from there?

For example in the Amazing Spider Man movies with Andrew Garfield his story was that his parents had died a long time ago and he knew nothing about them. After discovering some papers belonging to his father it becomes a story about self-discovery. To learn about his parents and what happened to them. To understand and connect with them in the only way he could which was through Dr. Conners. Later, since he is on this journey of discovery about his father and mother’s demise, he forgets to walk Aunt May home and Uncle Ben is mad at him for not remembering to do this and that he needs to start being responsible. Peter gets frustrated because this relates to his own past and current journey of understanding. To his father. Why did his father die? Why was he sent to his Aunt and Uncle's house when he had a responsibility to Peter and to be a father? Peter leaves out of this anger and selfishness and Ben attempts to follow. Peter had made his way to a convenience store and was trying to buy some milk but is a few cents short and lets a thief rob the place due to the cashier being somewhat of an asshole about it. While on his search for Peter, Uncle Ben encounters the thief and tries to stop him and that gets him shot. Uncle Ben dies and Peter realizes that it's his fault. That he had the power and strength to do the right thing but simply stood there and did nothing. That is what begins his quest as a Superhero. If a good person has the power to do something to save someone’s life, but doesn’t, are they really a good person? Are they just as bad as the man that pulled the trigger by letting someone die? So that becomes who Peter is. Peter isn’t a hero because he’s a strong white kid who got bit by a weird spider. Peter isn’t a strong hero because he’s a man or because women or men were keeping him down. Peter is a strong hero because he learned the HARD way that if you have the power to stop someone from doing something that could cost an innocent person their life, and do nothing, you’re just as bad as the guy that pulled that trigger…

Hell, Shazam’s is, ‘If you can’t save your family, what kind of Hero are you?’ I’m not sure if I got the wording perfect, but even the REAL Captain Marvel here stands for something that has deeper meaning and truth. Shazam is ALL about family and fighting for them...

That is a much deeper, much BETTER, character traits than the simple feminist argument that Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel stands for. That she’s a strong because she’s a woman. That she’s strong because she won’t let men keep her down anymore. That she can do whatever a man can do and do it even better. I simply feel like that cheapens the character and is a very boring, shallow, and limited origin story because throughout a Hero’s career they will be challenged on their morals and the reasoning behind what they do.  (And GIRL POWER is already something that has been established in Cinema for well over 50 years...) Batman’s is vengeance versus justice. That is a HUGE topic for the hero and he has been struggling with that issue for decades. An argument could be made towards Shazam that his reason for being a hero and doing good, to protect his family, isn’t FOR his family or BECAUSE his family… it’s because he’s scared to be alone again. That could be a good inner struggle for Shazam. So what sort of personal beliefs are going to be challenged when it comes to Captain Marvel? What sort of personal dilemma or inner struggle can she possibly go through? Why is she a hero? Cause even if you extend her origin story away from her childhood and to the Kree Empire where she was being trained to be used as a weapon against the Skrull that goes back to the issue of oppression and ties in with the rest of her history. Carol has been oppressed by men, told what to do by men, and has been controlled and used by men (Yon-Rogg is the face of this issue, and once again he’s a man.) for their personal gain and desires.

I’m sorry, but it’s just weak and shallow. There are no further storylines that you can have that sort of validate her reasoning of being a hero without making it some gigantic feminist issue. If the issue isn’t about feminism then she’s simply trying to do the right thing to do the right thing… and ANYONE can do that. It doesn’t make her special. In fact, there’s nothing really special or ultimately heroic about her. All she is a woman that achieved powers and saved a couple of refugees and declared war on a corrupt Empire. It’s… weak. Steve Rogers fights for Freedom and fights against Tyranny and was forced to reevaluate America and Shield during Winter Soldier and Civil War. These CHALLENGED his very meaning of being a Hero and what he stood for... The Hulk and Bruce Banner fight because they’re constantly being hunted to be exploited for their power, and not just by people who want to use him for evil, but also by people that want to his power for good… the bottom line is Bruce and Hulk fight to escape being used as a chess piece. They just want to be left alone. In this sense they aren’t even a hero, and that makes it even better for them as a character because it makes their choices and issues interesting to say the least… Black Widow fights because she’s trying to make up for the evils of her past. Tony fights because he wants to protect who he loves most and that he feels he has an obligation to Earth and to protect innocent people from being killed like the ones that were being killed by the weapons he designed to protect them in Iron Man 1.

I’ll leave that there though. I think the last thing I want to talk about is the Mary Sue aspect of captain Marvel. Just so people don’t immediately hate me for calling her a Mary Sue I’m going to copy and paste the definition.

Mar·y Sue

noun

noun: Mary Sue; plural noun: Mary Sues

(originally in fan fiction) a type of female character who is depicted as unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses.

"she was not a ‘strong woman’ so much as an insufferable Mary Sue"

So Captain Marvel is a Superhero and Superheros, in order to make them appealing and relatable, are ALWAYS shown to have flaws, weaknesses, and things about them that make them more human to the target audience. That’s what makes them lovable and likable. That you can relate to them and understand where they are coming from and sympathize with them. That you can watch them grow as a character and enjoy their Hero’s Journey. In this movie Captain Marvel has no character growth. Carol Danvers is literally the same as she was in the beginning as she was in the end except she has all her powers and now she hates the Kree. Carol Danvers has no personality flaws whatsoever except, maybe, arrogance and trust issues, and those aren’t exactly traits you want to share with her. They aren’t healthy character flaws. Besides that she barely has a personality to begin with for there to be any sort of flaws. ‘She’s spent six years learning to control her emotions,’ I’m sorry, but no. That argument is weak. Just because you learn how to CONTROL your emotions doesn’t mean that you sacrifice your personality in the process.

So with that being said she has no sort of personality flaw about herself and it is shown in the movie that she has no physical or emotional weaknesses either. In the entire movie the only time she was beaten was because of a surprise attack by Talon. From then on out she has consistently kicked ass, NEVER lost a fight, and NEVER physically struggled against any enemy. Carol was super strong and could NOT be stopped. It sucked any sort of drama or any sort of tension out of the movie. You knew she was going to win and be the hero because at that point nothing could stop her. Carol is a badass woman that could not be stopped. Yay Girl Power!

The best opportunity for her to have been given a weakness and a struggle was when she unlocked her full potential and had access to ALL of her power. To make her struggle to control it for the entirety of the battle except towards the end when she takes out those nukes sent down from Ronan. Even Peter Quill had issues controlling his powers and was CONSTANTLY being beaten by Ego until Yandu finally told him that he doesn’t control his inner strength and power with his head… he uses his heart… and that Power Up that he gets after that, after struggling and losing the ENTIRE movie, is extraordinarily satisfying. You LOVE it when he gets that power up. It’s like how in Wonder Woman she gets that power up after losing Steve and she goes ape shit… There’s a huge emotional lead up and tipping point in those scenes, but Captain Marvel doesn’t even do that. Instead she simply closes her eyes, and opens them and has complete control of her powers. It was ridiculous too because she hadn’t trained with even a decent percentage of her powers at her disposal before! For six years she just trained with a small itty bitty bit of her powers and then suddenly she has full control over ALL of her power as soon as unlocking it? That’s like a Fireman being trained to put out fires with a garden hose for six years only then to be dragged out to use a full on fire-hose at full power that usually requires more than one person to control and expected to do just fine…. Like, I’m sorry, but that’s not how that should have worked. After that point she’s basically Superman and cannot be stopped. There’s no fun to it anymore… it’s just a boring overpowered character being overpowered simply because she’s a woman… and this is only going to lead her up to being the hero that fans want to see lose. A LOT of people don’t like Superman because he’s a sort of Gary Stu in a sense and they ALWAYS love seeing him get his ass beat. By Batman, Shazam, Wonder Woman. Everyone enjoys seeing the most powerful man of all get taken down… Especially if they’re on their high horse like Captain Marvel is with her arrogant ass.

Oh yeah, the last thing I wanna add… They had to sex change Mar-Vell, the ORIGINAL Captain Marvel, because, of course, we can’t have a feminist movie with a feminist character that we’re trying to make into a feminist icon look up to a man after all. They had to have her looking up to a female Amelia Earhart sort of character instead of a Red Baron or Wright Brother sort of figure… That kinda peeved me as well.

So with ALL that being said, I simply think that she’s toxic because her entire character is based off of feminism. Modern Feminism at that. (I draw a line between Classical Egalitarian Feminism that I actually agree with, and Modern Feminism.) The issue is that not everyone agrees with the agenda of Modern Feminism and since she’s now the face of it, they’re just going to see an agenda they hate rather than a character they dislike. They’re going to see the Feminist Icon that they despise and won’t pay attention to her as a character. It’s going to cause a rift in the fan base, as it already has, and if she’s going to be made the face of Marvel like they want her to I can bet you that people are going to be finished with Marvel. Real, TRUE, fans of the MCU, not blue haired normie feminists as I’ve heard them described, are going to feel ostracised for not agreeing with Captain Marvels Politics and the fact that she’s so powerful simply because of girl power. I feel that with the introduction of her as a Feminist Icon that any movie she’s in is going to allude to that and buy into her Girl Power - Ex Machina stuff… Into the Mary Sue in her and it is going to cheapen every movie forward that she’s in. I mean, people are already talking about not seeing End Game because she’s in it and that they’re afraid she’s going to be the sole reason why the Avengers win… and frankly I’m afraid that she may be the reason why the Avengers win too and that would bother me a LOT. Not because she’s a woman, not because I hate women, but because she’s a terribly written character with no personality and is beyond arrogant. Especially in the, ‘Lets get Thanos.’ End Game clip that Marvel Released… It bothers me a lot…

EDIT: https://youtu.be/6byj_uqzGh8 Here's more proof that she's a Mary Sue in the MCU films... They buffed the fuck out of her over the MCU Thor who has been nerfed to hell.... "Captain Marvel is MUCH WEAKER than Thor."

[eternaldarkness55]

Daughter of Wolves and Lions

(StoryInfo)(When Lily was 5 years old she was kidnapped. She was rescued by Eddard Stark and taken in as his daughter. Now 22 years old and no memory of her birth family she joins the Nights Watch with her brother Jon. Not long after joining the Nights Watch she finds out she is Tyrion Lannisters sister. Tyrion and Jon make a pack to keep Lily's identity a secret from Cersi for Lily's safety.)

(Girls are allowed in the Night's Watch, it's just Lily is the only one that wanted to join)

At the Night's Watch Tyrion watched Jon and Jon's sister Lily beat Rast, Grenn, and Pyp easily. Jon broke Grenn's nose, Thorne ordered everyone to put their fake swords away.

Tyrion: Charming man

Mormont: I don't need him to be charming. I need him to turn all these people into Night's Watch members.

Tyrion: How's that going Commander Mormont?

Mormont: Slowly, you know I heard the story about your baby sister getting kidnapped.

Tyrion: Yeah, what about it?

Mormont: This stays between us, I over heard Lily talking with Jon about her being told by Eddard before she got here that she was adopted when she was five. Eddard has rescued her from kidnappers. With both her story and the story of your sister's kidnapping. Plus Lily's long blond hair blue eyes, and sharing the same first name as your baby sister I have good reasons to believe that Lily Stark is Lily Lannister.

Tyrion: I can't say I don't believe you

Mormont: You going to tell her?

Tyrion: No I'll let her find out on her own. And if I ever end up leaving the Night's Watch she stays. Cersi and my father don't need to know about her or get their hands on her. She is both a Lannister and a Stark. She is both my sister and the Stark children's sister. If Cersi and my father ever found out they'll either try to rip her from the Starks and keep her away from them or they'll kill her. It's mine and Jon's job to protect her. I will never lose her again.

Mormont: A raven came for Jon and your sister

Tyrion: Good news or bad?

Mormont: Both

While in the sword shed Grenn spoke angrily

Grenn: You broke my nose bastard

Jon: It's an improvement

Rast seized Jon's arms from behind and Grenn held a knife against Jon's throat.

Lily: Hey! Get off him!(Yelled angrily)

She charged at them Pyp grabbed her and threw her hard. So hard when her head hit the ground she was knocked out. The three boys noticed Tyrion standing in the doorway.

Grenn: What are you looking half man?

Tyrion: I'm looking at you, you three have interesting faces.

Rast: Why do you care about our faces?

Tyrion: I think they would look marvelous covered in spikes in King's Landing. Perhaps I'll right to my sister the queen about it.

Rast took off as Grenn slowly let go of Jon

Grenn: We'll talk later Lord Snow

Pyp slowly walked over to Lily's unconscious body with Tyrion.

Pyp: I didn't mean to throw her that hard, I'm sorry.

Tyrion: Still you did, so you carry her to her bed and explain to the Lord Commander what happened. I need to talk to Jon privately, so Grenn go with Pyp.

Pyp gently picked Lily up and Grenn followed him out. When she woke up she ran to find Tyrion right away. The knock out made her remember everything. When she found him she wrapped her arms around he and cried as he held her. Tyrion told Jon everything and Lily was happy to have two brothers with her while at the Night's Watch. Tyrion made it clear for her to still go by Lily Stark and that no one needs to know who she is. He also made it clear that Cersi and their father finding out about her would put her in danger. Lily knew he was right. Tyrion was the only good Lannister besides her. It would be stupid for anyone to trust Cersi and Tywin Lannister. Later Tyrion proudly watched Lily and smiled as she and Jon spared with Grenn and Pyp who were now their friends. Tyrion went inside.

Grenn: What in seven hells?

Throne: Gentlemen, Tell them who you are.

Sam: Samwell Tarly of Horn Hill, I mean I was of Horn Hill but now I've come to take the black.

Rast: Come to take the black pudding(Laughed)

Throne: You can't be any worse then you look boy. Get in there

Sam screamed as Rast hit him sending him to the ground.

Sam: I yield! Please no more!(Cried)

Throne: Hit him until he finds his feet

Sam cried as Rast hit him over and over again

Throne: Apparently they ran out of murders and thieves down south now they send us squealing bloody pigs.

Jon tried to walk over but Pyp pulled him back. Before Jon could say anything Lily took the words right out of his mouth.

Lily: Enough! He yielded!

Throne: Looks like the bastard's sister is in love(Lily pulled Sam up and pushed him behind Jon)

Thorne: Alright Lady Stark you wish to defend your fat lover? Let's make it an exercise, you two.(Pointed to Grenn and Pyp)

Throne: If the three of you want to make piggy squeal all you have to do is get past the bastard's sister .

Jon: And me(Stood protectively in front of Sam)

Throne: And the bastard

Lily: You sure you want to do this?(Smirked)

Grenn: No(Said honestly)

She beat them easily especially Rast, she ran at Grenn again.

Grenn: I yield I yield!(Put his hands up)

Throne: Go clean the armory

He walked away and so did Rast

Pyp: Well fought

Grenn: Piss off

Sam: Did he hurt you?

Lily: I had worse trust me

Sam: You can call me Sam

Jon: It's not going to get any easier you know. Your gonna have to defend yourself.

Grenn: Why didn't you get up and fight?

Sam: I wanted to I just couldn't

Grenn: Why not?

Sam: I'm a coward, my father says so

Lily: The wall's no place for cowards

Sam: Your both right I just wanted to thank you both

He walked away later Lily and Jon made sure to be clear that no one would attack Sam ever again. So the next day during training no one wanted to.

Grenn: Hit me

Sam looked at Lily and Jon who nodded

Grenn: Go on hit me!

Sam gave him a light tap and Grenn fell to the ground

Grenn: I yield I yield(Laughed)

Jon and Lily laughed with that Thorne walked over and grabbed them both by their throats.

Throne: You think this is funny do you?

He let them go roughly

Throne: When your out there beyond the wall at night do you want a man at your back? Or a stupid girl and boy?

Pyp: Both Jon and Lily are great fighters! Being a women doesn't change the fact that she is skilled, brave, and can handle and defend herself you sexest trat!

Throne walked away, that night Jon and Lily were on top with Tyrion for his last night.

Jon: I'm sorry to see you Lannister

Tyrion: It's either me or this cold, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Lily: Will you stop at Winterfell on your way South brother?

Tyrion: I expect I will

Jon: If you see our brother Bran tell him we miss him. Tell him we would visit if we could.

Tyrion: Of course, your Lily's brother which makes you and your siblings my family too. Take care Snow, and take care of our Lily.

They shook hands

Jon: Farewell my lord, I protect our sister.

Lily and Tyrion hugged then he left. In the morning Lily, Jon, Sam, Grenn, and Pyp were making and preparing food in the kitchen. Thorne walked in

Throne: Look at the rare sight, the traitor's bastard and daughter

Jon and Lily went at him with the knife

Sam: Jon Lily stop!(Grenn and Pyp seized his arms holding him back and Sam did the same with Lily)

Pyp: Put it down(Took the knife out of his hand as Sam made Lily drop her knife)

Commander Mormont walked in as Jon pushed Pyp off of him and Lily pushed Sam off of her. Mormont walked over to them.

Mormont: I told you two not to do anything stupid. You're confined to your quarters. Go

Jon and Lily left that night Jon and Lily were trying to sleep but Ghost and Lily's black direwolf Moon were going nuts.

Jon: Ghost and Moon what's wrong? Is someone out there?

Jon and Lily quickly grabbed their swords, ran out, and went into Commander Mormont's room.

Jon: Commander?(Called)

Lily: Who's there?

They heard the door close a man threw Lily on the floor hard and seized Jon's throat and held him against the wall. Lily kept stabbing him in the back but it didn't do anything. Jon head butted the man forcing him to let go. When the man came at Jon again Jon cut the guys left arm off. Before the guy could grab Jon again Lily pushed him out of the way making the man grab her by the throat and hold her against the wall. She stabbed the man through the chest. It let go and fell to the floor.

Mormont: Stark? Snow?

Jon: Commander!(Lily and Jon ran over to him)

The thing got up and pulled the sword out. Lily screamed in pain as she quickly grabbed her Mormont's lantern and threw it at the man setting it on fire.

Jon: Go!(Pushed Lily and Mormont out)

Once they got to Lily and Jon's room they made her sit down on her bed.

Mormont: Let me see your hand

Lily laid her burnt hand on her lap

Mormont: It's not that bad, does it hurt?

Lily: A little

Mormont: I'm going to go get Aemon, he'll put something on it and wrap it up. I'll be back.

He left Jon kissed her forehead

Jon: You saved me, thank you

Lily: You would have done the same for me. And it won't be the first time we'll be saving each other. So for now and all the times to come you're welcome.

They immedtaly burned the other bodies in the morning.

Sam: They were touched by White Walkers that's why they came back. That's why their eyes turned blue. Only fire will stop them.

Jon: How do you know that?

Sam: I read about it in a book in Maester Aemon's library

Jon: What else did the book say?

Sam: White Walkers sleep for 1000 years under the ice and when they wake up-

Pyp: When they wake up?

Sam: I hope the wall is high enough

Everyone looked at the wall. The next morning a new recruit arrived named Edd Tollett. Edd and Lily became extremely close best friends right away. Jon also became best friends with Edd. Jon and Lily brought Commander Mormont his lunch.

Mormont: Ham again, bring me some beer at least. You two look exasted, was your moonlight ride that tiring?

Jon and Lily looked at him with fear

Mormont: Don't look so terrified, if we beheaded everyone who took a ride for the night only ghosts would guard the wall. Honor brought you back

Jon: Our friends brought us back

Mormont: I didn't say it was your honor

Lily: He killed our father

Mormont: And you two are going to bring him back to life are you? No? Good, I had enough of that. Do you think your brothers war is more important than ours?

Lily: No

Mormont: With dead men coming to life you think it matters who sits on some throne?

Jon: No

Mormont: Good, because I want you two and your wolves with us when we ride out beyond the wall tomorrow.

Jon: Beyond the wall?

Mormont: I'm going to find out what's happening. We are going to face the Widlings, White Walkers, whatever else is out there. And we will find Benjen Stark dead or alive. I only ask you two one more thing. Are you a brother and sister of the Night's Watch or a girl and bastard boy who wants to play at war?

Mormont, Jon, Lily, Edd, Sam, Grenn, Pyp, and other members arrived at Craster's Keep later the next day.

Jon: Having a rough time of it?

Sam: Nothings killed me yet

Lily: Sam your ass killed the sled

Sam: Grenn offered me a ride

Grenn: I just wanted you to shut up about your damn blisters

Everyone got off their horses

Edd: I grew up in a place like this

Sam: Are those girls?

Edd: Crasters daughters

Sam: I haven't seen a girl besides Lily in six months

Grenn: I'd keep not seeing them if I were you. He doesn't like people messing with his daughters.

Edd: He doesn't like people messing with his wives

Lily, Jon, Sam, and Pyp looked at him shockingly

Edd: He marries his daughters and they give him more daughters and on and on it goes.

Sam: That's foul

Grenn: It's beyond foul

Lily: It's sick!

Edd: Lil stay close to Jon and I at all times, if Craster sees you we know that sicko we'll want to add you to that on going wife/daughter thing.

Jon: What about the boys?

Sam: Huh?

Jon: If he marries his daughters what does he do with his sons?

After a little while Jon and Lily entered the tent where everyone else was to hear Craster call them Southerners.

Jon: Were not Southerners

Craster spotted Jon and spotted Lily clutching his arm

Craster: Who are these pretty girls? You two are prettier than most of my daughters. And one of you has a nice wet trat between your legs. What's your name boy?

Jon: Jon Snow

Craster: A bastard huh? And what's your name girl? I would love to have you in my bed and join my wives.

Mormont: Her name is Emily Stark, she and her brother there are my stewards. She's part of the Night's Watch so sexual relations and taking a husband is forbidden for her.

Craster: Fine, if I catch that pretty little bastard talking to my daughters

Mormont: No one will talk to your daughters. You two go ahead and sit down.

Craster: So you want to know where all the Widlings have gone? They joined up with Mance Raider. An old friend of yours.

Mormont: He's no friend of mine, he betrayed his brothers and broke his vows.

Craster: Once he was just a poor black crow. Now he's king beyond the wall.

Mormont: He's been calling himself that for years. What's he king of? Some frozen lake somewhere.

Craster: You want to know what Mance Raiders doing? He's gathering an army. I hear he already has more men then you.

Mormont: Where does he plan on marching this army?

Craster: When your already North of the wall there's only one direction to go. Does it make you jealous old man? Seeing me with all these young wives and you with no one to warm your bed.

Mormont: We choose different paths

Craster: You choose the path with nothing but boys on it. I suppose you want me to share my roof and my food.

Mormont: A roof would be appreciated and we brought our own food.

Craster: Any man touches my wives loses the hand. And if I see this one staring too long I'll cut his eyes out.

Mormont: Your roof your rules

That night everyone was back in Craster's tent getting warm when Craster angrily threw a bloody faced Jon and Lily into the tent and onto the floor.

Craster: These two have been sticking their noses where it don't belong!(Angrily kicked Jon and Lily in the stomach)

Craster: I want you, your men, and that pretty girl gone. And you will make this right(Walked over to Mormont and handed him his sword as Lily and Jon were pulled to their feet)

Mormont: Wait outside

Lily: Lord Commander-

Mormont: Now!

Sam: Come on(Said gently as he led them out of the tent)

When Commander Mormont walked outside he found Jon, Lily, Sam, and Edd sitting down. Sam was dabbing Jon's face and Edd was dabbing Lily's. When he walked over they all stood up.

Lily: Commander-

Mormont: Edd and Sam leave us now

They left

Mormont: What did you two do?

Jon: We followed him, he took his new born baby boy into the woods.

Mormont: What business is that of yours?

Jon: You don't understand! He's killing all the boys!... you know?

Mormont: Those boys are offerings

Lily: Offerings! He's murdering his own children he's a monster!

Mormont: That monster has been the difference between life and death for our rangers and other members of the Night's Watch. Including your uncle, there are worse to fight out there.

Lily: I saw it, I saw something take that child

Mormont: Whatever it was you'll see it again, ready my horse we leave at dawn.

He handed Jon his sword

Mormont: Don't lose it again

They left later that day Lily and Jon went with Qhorin Halfhand when they spotted Widlings. They attacked killing them accept the one Jon grabbed. He removed the Widlings hood It was a girl.

Jon: A girl

Halfhand: A Widling

Jon: We could question her

Halfhand: You could, she won't answer. I've known a Widling to bite off their tongue rather then talk.

Jon: What's your name?(Pulled at her shirt)

Ygritte: Ygritte

Halfhand: She was reaching for this axe when you grabbed her. Give her a chance and she'll bury it in your face.

Ygritte: I gave you my name

Jon: Jon Snow

Ygritte: You should burn the men you killed

Halfhand: We need a big fire for that, why do you want us to build a fire? Are more of your friends near by?

Ygritte: Burn them, or you might need those swords again.

Halfhand: Lily here already killed a dead man. She'll do it again, what waits beyond the path?

Ygritte: The Free Folk

Halfhand: How many?

Ygritte: Hundreds and thousands

Halfhand: Mance and the Widlings planning on marching on the wall?

She didn't answer Qhorin Halfhand grabbed her throat gently.

Halfhand: Do you know who I am girl?

Ygritte: Qhorin Halfhand

Halfhand: Would your people capture me and take me prisoner?

Ygritte: They would take of your head if they were feeling kind. If not they would kill you slow.

Halfhand: It has to be done(Pulled out his sword)

Jon: No, no I'll do it

Halfhand: Come boys we'll leave him to it. Don't take to long.

He and the two other men left

Ygritte: You never killed a woman before have you?

He motioned her to lay on her stomach and lay her head on the rock. She did

Ygritte: Will you burn me, after?

Jon: Can't someone might see the smoke

Ygritte pushed her hood away

Ygritte: Do it! I promise though I'll come back and haunt you.

Jon laid his sword against her neck

Ygritte: That's cold, go on be quick about it. Do it! Bastard do it!

Jon threw his sword into the rock. Ygritte punched him and Lily in the stomach knocking them to the ground and took off. Jon and Lily took off after her. They slid down a hill and Jon grabbed her.

Ygritte: We both know you can't do it(He held a knife against her throat)

He pulled her onto her back

Ygritte: The suns going down and your friends are no where to be found.

Lily: We'll find them

Ygritte: Go on call for them, call loudly

He pulled her to her feet, tied her hands, and pulled the ropes forcing her to walk. Eventually he and Lily stopped

Ygritte: Your brothers deserted you, I can tell you which way to go.

Jon: We'll stop here, It's to dark to go any further today.

Ygritte: Here? There's no shelter here

Jon: There's no shelter anywhere

He tied her whole body up

Ygritte: There is if you know where to look

He made her lay down then went to lay down somewhere else with Lily.

Ygritte: If we don't stay next to each other we'll freeze to death.

He reluctantly laid next to her and Lily laid on the other side of Jon. In the morning he untied her, tied her hands up, and made her walk.

Ygritte: You think you're better than me Crows don't you?! I'm a free woman!

Jon: You're a free woman?!

Ygritte: I might be your prisoner but I'm a free woman!

Jon: If your my prisoner your not a free woman! That's what prisoner means!

Ygritte: And you think your free? You swore some stupid vow and now you two can never have sex.

Jon: It was our choice to say the words

Ygritte: So you don't like sex?

Lily: Yes we like sex

Ygritte: But you chose never to touch anyone

Jon: That's the price you pay if you want to be a member of the Night's Watch.

Ygritte: So instead of getting naked you prefer to invade our lands?!

Jon: Invade your lands?! Widlings raid our lands all the time! One of them tried to kill my little brother a crippled boy!

Ygritte: There not your lands! We been here the whole time! You lot just put up a big wall and said it was yours!

He angrily made her walk again. Either Jon didn't tie the rope tight enough or she's that strong because with a pull of her wrists the rope snapped. She took off running and he and Lily took off after her. Soon they couldn't see her anymore. They heard a whistle they turned around and saw her and Widling men pointing arrows at them. They were taken prisoner, hands tied, and forced to walk just like Qhorin Halfhand. Ygritte kept hitting Jon's head with his sword.

Ygritte: We'll be there before sundown. It won't be a fun time for you two Mance knows how to make Crows sing. If you know what to say you might make it through the night. Not talking is not the way to go.

Lily: Have you ever used a sword? You look like a baby with a rattle.

Qhorin Halfhand took a Widlings sword, cut his ropes and went at Jon and Lily. He knocked them onto the ground.

Lily: Stop!

Halfhand: Why traitors so you two can give Mance Rayder an invitation Castle Black?

Lord of Bones: Let them fight

Ygritte gave Jon and Lily their swords Jon and Lily fought Qhorin Halfhand.

Halfhand: You little shits, did your traitor father teach you that? Or was it your whore mother?

He knocked Jon and Lily onto the ground Jon and Lily got up and went at Qhorin Halfhand. Jon knocked Qhorin Halfhand's sword out of his hands. Lily pushed her sword into his chest then took it out killing him. Lord of Bones untied Jon and Lily's hands and Ygritte let them keep their swords. A little later they arrived at the Widling camp and walked into Mance's tent.

Tormund: I smell Crows

Lord of Bones: They killed their friends, thought you might want to question these ones.

Tormund: What do we want with baby crows?

Ygritte: This baby girl killed Qhorin Halfhand, apparently she and her brother want to be one of us.

Tormund stood up and walked over to Jon and Lily

Tormund: That Halfhand cunt killed friends of mine. Friends twice your size.

Lily: My father told me big people fall just as easily as little people if you put a sword threw their heart.

Tormund: Plenty of little people tried to put their swords threw my heart. And there are plenty of little skeletons buried in the woods. What's your name girl and boy?

Lily: Lily Stark, this is my brother Jon Snow

There was a pause then Jon kneeled

Jon: Your grace

Tormund: Your grace?(Confused and laughed)

Tormund: You hear that? You better kneel everytime I fart.

Ygritte laughed too

Mance: Stand boy, we don't kneel for anyone beyond the wall(Got off his bed)

Jon stood up as Mance walked over to him and Lily.

Mance: So, your Ned Stark's daughter and your Ned Stark's bastard. Thank you for the gift Lord of Bones. You may leave us.

Ygritte left with the Lord of Bones

Mance: The girl likes you Snow, you like her back. Is that why you want to join us boy?

Tormund: Don't panic boy, this isn't the damn Night's Watch where we make you swear off sex.

Mance: This chicken eater you thought was king is Tormund Giantsbane.

Tormund: Can't believe this pup killed Qhorin Halfhand(Looking at Lily)

Mance: That man was our enemy and I'm glad he's dead.

He smiled and held out his hand Lily took it

Mance: He was my brother once, what were you two doing with him?

He let go of Lily's hand

Jon: The Lord Commander sent me with Qhorin Halfhand for seasoning. He wants me and my sister to lead one day.

Mance: And here you are traitors

Jon: If were traitors so are you

Mance: Why do you want to join us Jon Snow and Lily Stark?

Lily: We want to be free

Mance: No, I think what you two want most is to be heros. I'll ask again, why do you want to join us?

Jon: We stopped at Craster's Keep on the way North. we saw-

Mance: You saw what?

Jon: We saw Craster take his own baby boy into the woods. I saw what took it.

Mance: You saw one of them? And why would that make you desert your brothers?

Lily: Because when we told the commander he already knew. 1000 years ago the first men battled the White Walkers and won. We want to fight for the side that fights for the living. Have we come to the right place?

Mance: You two need a new cloak

The next day Jon and Lily went to a field with Ygritte and Tormund preparing to climb the wall.

Jon: You ever climbed it before?

Ygritte: No, but Tormund climbed it 100 times. Your scared?

Jon: Your not?

Ygritte: No, here, put these on(Tossed him and Lily something for their feet to help them climb)

They sat down as she walked away. As soon as they had them on Tormund walked over to them and pulled them to their feet. Tormund kept his hands on their shoulders.

Tormund: Stick your metal in deep and make sure it holds before taking another step. If you fall boy don't scream, you don't want that to be the last thing Ygritte remembers.

He smiled and hit Jon lightly on the back. Everyone began to climb they were really high by the time someone spoke.

Isabella: Are you staring at my ass?(Laughed)

A piece of ice fell

Tormund: Look out!

The ice hit Lily making her fall but the rope tightened and she held on.

Tormund: Just seeing if you can take a hit lass!(Laughed)

The ice began to crack making some Widlings fall to their death.

Orel: I'm cutting them loose(Talking about Lily and Jon)

Tormund: No!

Jon held on Orel cut the rope and Lily fell screaming. Jon grabbed her rope stopping her.

Jon: Take my hand!

Lily grabbed his hand and he pulled her into his arms holding her close. He helped her above him so she could climb. Soon Tormund helped her to the top then Jon. Jon and her laid on their backs breathing. Later that day after they climbed down they ran over to a building to steal a man's horses. The man who was sitting on the ground pulled out a knife.

Tormund: That won't help you grandpa(Held out his hand)

The man gave his knife to Tormund, Tormund tossed it away.

Orel: Cut his throat or he'll tell the Crows were here

Tormund took out his sword

Tormund: You understand

The man: Let me stand at least, let me go with a bit of dignity.

Tormund pulled the man to his feet

Orel: Make one of the Crows kill him, you two are one of us now prove it.

Jon walked over to the man, took out his sword, and raised it.

The man: She looks sharpe

Ygritte: Do it, do it

Orel: Told you, they are still one of them

Tormund: Go on boy, go on!

Ygritte shot an arrow into the man's heart killing him.

Orel: There Crows they will always be a Crow. And there's his Crow wife guarding him. They'll stab us in the back the first chance they get.

Tormund: Kill them!

Jon knocked Ygritte onto the ground. As Jon and Lily fought Orel Tormund ran over to Ygritte and pinned her to the ground. She struggled, screamed, and cried.

Tormund: Your not going to die for one of them! You hear me?!

Lily stabbed Orel threw the heart killing him then Jon and her quickly hoped on a horse and took off. They stopped at a pond to get a drink. When they turned around Ygritte was standing there pointing an arrow at them.

Jon: Ygritte you know I didn't have a choice. You always knew who I was, what I am. I have to go home now, I know you won't hurt me.(Crying)

Ygritte: You know nothing Jon Snow

He laughed

Jon: I know some things, I know I love you I know you love me. But I have to go home now(Crying)

He turned around to leave Lily and Jon cried in pain and fell as Ygritte shot an arrow into their back. Lily and Jon got up and got on their horse Jon cried as Ygritte shot an arrow into his thigh. He made the horse take off Lily cried in pain as another arrow landed in her back. Eventually unconscious Jon and Lily made it to the castle gate.

A man: Halt, halt

Jon and Lily's unconscious bodies fell onto the ground. Men took the arrows out, dragged them inside, and rolled them onto their backs. Pyp and Sam ran over worriedly.

Sam: Lily! Jon Lily It's us!

Pyp: I don't think they can see us

Jon and Lily slowly turned their heads and opened their eyes

Jon: Pyp(Said weakly)

Lily: Sam(Said relivly and weakly)

Sam: Hush now, your home, your home.

They went back unconscious

Pyp: Take them inside

Men carried them inside, when Lily and Jon woke up everyone met in the great hall.

Jon: Mance's army will reach the wall before the next full moon. We need to prepare.

Throne: We been preparing

Jon: We should seal the tunnel

Throne: How would we range North?

Jon: We wouldn't

Grenn: We can't defend the gate against 1000 men

Throne: This castle has stood for a 1000 years men have defended it for a 1000 years.

Jon: Have you ever seen a giant Sir Allistar? I have, the tunnels gate won't stop them.

Thorne: Giving your knowledge of the Widlings Lord Snow and Lady Stark you two and Tarly will take watch duty.

Just like Jon predicted the Widlings attacked that night. Lily not only had to do her duty but defend herself and she hated it. She knew the truth about Widlings and she wanted peace between them and the Night's Watch badly. More than anything she wanted them to be friends, fight the enemies together, and for the Widlings to be safe and protected.

Throne: Archers nock everyone else hold

Edd: Grenn no!(Grenn accidently dropped a barrel)

Thorne: I said nock and hold you cunts! Does nock mean draw?!

Everyone: No sir!

Throne: Does hold mean fuckin drop?!

Everyone: No sir!

Throne: Do you plan on dying tonight?!

Everyone: No sir!

Thorne: Good! Draw!

Janos Slynt: There attacking the Southern gate!(Ran up)

Throne: Now?

Janos: Now!

Throne: I'm going down there, brother Slynt you have the wall

Throne left

Janos: Loose!

Meanwhile Pyp and Sam helped defend above the gate

Pyp: Sam I think were going to die

Sam: If you keep missing we will

After Pyp and Same ran to go somewhere else Tormund climbed up.

Meanwhile back on the wall.

Jon: We can't just let them attack the gate! Those are giants down there you think steels going to stop them!

Janos: No such thing as giants, story for children

Lily: Brother Slynt! Just got word that Sir Allistar needs you below!

Janos left Lily nodded to Jon

Jon: Archers nock your arrows! Draw! Loose!

The Widlings started climbing the wall

Jon: They won't get up before dawn

Grenn: Why not?

Jon: Because Lily and I made that climb

Lily: I think they are in a bigger hurry then we were

Jon: Nock! Draw! Loose!

Widlings started falling from the wall a big arrow hit the roof where Jon and them were. Lily saw a giant with a bow.

Lily: Down!

The arrow hit a man sending him flying to the ground and killing him. Thenns and Widlings were over the wall and inside the castle. Janos never came to help Throne he hid inside one of the rooms with Gilly and baby Sam. Pyp and Sam arrived at their new place and Pyp shot an arrow killing a Widling man.

Pyp: I got one, right threw the heart he's dead(smiled)

Sam: Oh, is it over?

Pyp: No

Sam: Well then

Before Pyp could fire another arrow Ygritte shot him straight threw the neck. He landed on Sam's lap splatting out blood.

Sam: Your alright your alright, shhh it's going to be alright(Said worriedly as he cried)

Meanwhile with Jon

Jon: Now!

Edd: Now!

Grenn and Lily pushed barrels off they exploded on the ground killing some Widlings. Lily saw a mammoth pulling the gate with a rope.

Lily: The outer gate won't hold, take five men hold the inner gate(Grabbed Grenn's right shoulder)

Grenn: Okay

He walked away but Lily pulled him back

Lily: Hold the gate, if they make it threw

Grenn: They won't

He patted her shoulder

Grenn: Come on Hill and you Cooper! You three on me!(Took off)

Edd walked up to Jon

Jon: Oil!

Edd: Oil on the ramp!

As Grenn and the rest of the men arrived down and hid behind barrels they saw Sam hiding across from them.

Sam: We need more men down here!

Grenn: We have to hold the gate

Sam: But we need men here!

Grenn: Talk to Lily and Jon, they are in charge

Grenn: Let's go!(He and the other men took off)

Sam ran onto the elevator

Sam: Get me to the top! You hear me!(Said to Olly)

Sam: It's Olly right? Listen Olly get me to the top once I'm up bring it back down. You hear me?

Olly did what Sam

Sam: Find a weapon Olly, fight them!

Edd and Lily dropped the barrels setting some Widlings on fire and causing the rope to burn off and the mammoth to run off. One of the men shot a giant killing it. Sam ran over to Jon, Lily, and Edd.

Jon: What are you doing up here?

Sam: The Widlings are over the wall, Sir Allistar's fallen. The castle won't stand much longer.

Jon: Lily and Edd you have the wall, if they try the mammoths again drop fire on them.

Jon and Sam took off

Edd: Light the fuckers up! Draw! Loose!

As Grenn and his men ran into the tunnel they saw a giant lifting the outer gate.

Hill: How are we going to kill that?

Cooper: I shot 20 arrows in him already

Grenn: Lily says we hold the gate

Hill: Lily's not the commander

Grenn: We hold the gate!

The giant walked in shutting the gate Hill tried to run but Grenn grabbed him. The men said the vows. The battle was over by morning. In the morning they burned the dead including Grenn and Pyp. Jon buried Ygritte then he and Lily marched over to talk to Mance. They held up their hands as Mance walked out of his tent.

Mance: You two are wearing a black cloak again

Lily: We both came to talk.

Mance nodded he led them into the tent and gestured them to sit so they did.

Mance: Seems my trusting nature got the better of me. I was hoping your loyalty was real when you pledged yourself to us Jon Snow and Lily Stark. Truly I was.

Jon: The Halfhand ordered me to join your army and bring whatever information I could to Castle Black. He made me kill him so you would trust me. I was loyal, to him and to my Night Watch vows.

Mance: All your vows(Smirked)

Mance: She wasn't enough to turn you huh? Were you enough to turn her?

Jon: She put arrows in me when I escaped(Smiled)

Mance: Did you see her again at Castle Black?

Jon: Yes

Mance: And?

Jon: She's dead

Mance: Your doing?

Jon: No

Mance: We'll drink to her

Mance saw the look on Lily and Jon's face as the drinks poured.

Mance: If I wanted to kill you both poison would be the last way I do it.

The three of them raised their cups

Mance: Ygritte

Jon: Ygritte

They took a drink and Lily and Jon started coughing

Lily: That's not wine

Mance: No that's a proper Northern drink Lily Stark. You did well fought hard. Killed some of our strongest men. One of our giants went into your tunnel and never came out again. Mag the Mighty

Lily: He's dead, he killed our friend Grenn

Mance: Mag and Grenn

Lily: Grenn and Mag

Mance: Let's eat, I imagine you two are hungry. So, you two are here to strike a bargain. Here's the bargain, you two go back you open the gates to us and I swear to you no one else will die. Refuse and we will kill every man at Castle Black.

Horns and shouting started Mance held a knife against Jon's throat as a Widling held an axe against Lily's.

Mance: Your attacking us!

Jon: No like you said we don't have the men

Mance walked out as Lily and Jon were dragged out. Stannis and his army rode threw killing a few Widlings. Stannis rode over then got off his horse and walked over to Mance with Davos Seaworth. Mance dropped his weapons on the ground.

Stannis: You're the king beyond the wall, know who I am?

Mance: Never had the pleasure

Davos: This is Stannis Barathon the one true king of the seven kingdoms.

Mance: Your not in the seven kingdoms and your not dressed for this weather.

Stannis: It's costumery to kneel when speaking to a king

Mance: We do not kneel

Stannis: I will have half of your men changed with nothing to eat. Their fate depends on their king.

Mance: All the same, we do not kneel

Stannis: Take these men away

Davos: What's a man and women of the Night's Watch doing in a Widling camp?

Lily: We were sent to discuss terms with the king beyond the wall.

Davos: Your speaking to the one true king girl, you will call him your grace.

Jon: Our father died for him, my names Jon Snow your grace. And this is my sister Lily Stark. Were Ned Stark's son and daughter.

Stannis: Your father was an honorable man

Jon: He was your grace

Stannis: What do you think he would have done with him?

Jon: I was this man's prisoner once, he could have tortured me he could have killed me but he spared my life. My father would have taken him prisoner and listen what he had to say.

Stannis: Very well take him

Davos took Mance away once. Once Lily and Jon were back at Castle Black Lily confronted Stannis. After she did a lot of begging and yelling Stannis reluctantly agreed to leave Mance and the Widlings alone. He and Davos left that day. Lily went to the room they were keeping Mance.

Mance: So here we are

Lily: Here we are

Mance: When we first met you and your brother were my prisoners, and now for our last visit.

Lily: This doesn't have to be our last visit

Mance: No, but it will be

Lily: No actually it won't be, I confronted Stannis and after lots of yelling he agreed to leave you and all the Widlings alone. He and Davos already left.

Mance: Let me guess he agreed because you are the ruler of Winterfell now if you ever leave the wall. Now that your brother Robb is dead and that your sister Sansa doesn't want to be the queen.

Lily: That's part of the reason

Mance: What's the other part?

Lily blushed

Lily: I said this to keep you alive, I told him your my fiancé. I told him we were marrying to unite the Winterfell kingdom and the Widlings together. To unite both sides of the wall.

Mance couldn't help but laugh before he stood up and walked over to her.

Mance: I think you to him that for more than those reasons.

He grabbed her face and kissed her deeply and passionately.

Mance: I love you Lily Stark, I have from the moment you joined us. I will gladly marry you and be your king.

Lily: I love you

They kissed again, as they made out Jon went to Tormund's room to talk to him.

Jon: You can laugh all you want but Stannis and Davos left. Stannis agreed to leave you, Mance, and all the Widlings alone. It's all thanks to my sister.

Tormund: What she do?

Jon: My sister is the one that's suppose to be queen if she ever leaves the wall. Stannis knows this, and he wouldn't dare harm the man who's going to be king of Winterfell or his people. Lily told Stannis that Mance is her fiancé. And no she didn't tell Stannis that just to save Mance or to unite Winterfell and the Widlings. I saw them making out as I went in to talk to Mance.

Tormund laughed

Tormund: Mance is going to be king of Winterfell?! Who's the leader of the Widlings now when he can't be.

Jon: You, he said when he has other king duties to take care of you are the King Beyond the Wall. He told Lily and I that he wants us three and you to go to Hardhome and gather the rest of the free folk. I'm the Lord Commander, I'll open the gates and let them through. I'll find them lands to settle on the South of the wall. Your not mine and Lily's enemy and were not yours.

Tormund: Well It's hard for me lead while I'm in chains(Stood up)

Jon stood up and unchained him after that Jon made his journey to Hardhome with Lily, Tormund, Mance, and Edd. They arrived at Hardhome later.

Mance: Do you trust us Jon Snow and Lily Stark?

Jon: Does that make us fools?

Tormund: Were fools together now(Squeezed Jon and Lily's shoulder)

When Jon, Lily, and Edd stepped off the boats they were surrounded by Widlings. A man covered in bones walked up to Mance and Tormund.

Mance: Lord of Bones(Greeted)

Lord of Bones: Last time I saw you the Crows were your prisoners now It's the other way around. What happened?

Tormund: War, we should all gather and find somewhere quiet to talk.

Lord of Bones: Why aren't you and Mance in chains?

Jon: There not my prisoners

Lord of Bones: No, what are they?

Jon: Were allies, and my sister is Mance's fiancé if she ever leaves the wall.

Lord of Bones: You fuckin traitors! You fight for the Crows now!

Lily: Were not here to fight were here to talk

Lord of Bones: Is that right, you do a lot of talking with the pretty black-haired crow don't you Tormund. And when you're done do you get down on your knees and suck his cock?

Tormund grabbed his stick and beaten him bloody killing him

Tormund: Gather everyone and let's talk

They all went into a tent

Jon: My names Jon Snow I'm Commander of the Night's Watch. And this is my sister Lily Stark. Were not friends and we won't become friends today. This isn't about friendship it's about survival. This is about putting a wall up between you and what's out there.

A female Widling: You built that wall to keep us out

A male Widling: Since when do Crows give shit whether we live?

Lily: The White Walkers don't care whether someone is free folk or crow were all the same to them meat in their army. But together we can beat them.

The female Widling: Beat them? Good luck with that

Lily took a bag off of her shoulder and walked over the Widlings stood hesitantly.

Lily: It's not a trick

The female Widling took the bag

Lily: It's a gift for those who join us, dragonglass. A man of the Night's Watch used this to kill a White Walker.

A Widling man: You saw this?

Jon: No, but we trust him. Come with us and we'll share these weapons

The female Widling: Come with you where?

Lily: There are good lands south of the wall. The Night's Watch people will allow you through the tunnel and let you farm those lands.

Mance: I never wanted a war with the Night's Watch. I wanted a new life for my people, for you. The Night's Watch is prepared to give you that new life.

The female Widling: If?

Jon: If you join us when the real war begins

Mance: If Lily ever leaves the wall I'm marrying her. We love each other and together we'll unite Winterfell and the free folk. Tormund is King Beyond the Wall when I can't be.

The female Widling: I lost my father, my uncle, and two brothers fighting the damn Crows.

Lily: I'm not asking you to forget your dead, I'll never forget mine. I lost 50 brothers the night the wall was attacked. But I'm asking you to think about your children. They'll never have children of their own if we don't band together. The long night is coming and the dead come with it. No one can stop them. The free folk can't stop them, the Night's Watch can't stop them, and no ruler can stop them. Only together all of us, even then it might now be enough but at lease we'll give the fuckers a fight.

The female Widling: You vouch for this man and women Tormund?

Tormund: There pretty, but they know how to fight. There young and they know how to lead. They didn't have to come to Hardhome. They came because they need us and we need them.

The female Widling walked up to Jon and Lily.

The female Widling: I'll never trust a man and women in black but I trust you Mance and Tormund. If you say this is the way then were with you.

Mance: This is the way

A male Widling: I'm with Mance and Tormund, if we stay here were dead. At least with king and queen Crow we have a chance.

The Thenn man: Keep that new life you want to give us and keep your glass king and queen Crow. As soon as you get on their ships they'll slit your throats and dump your bodies over.

The Thenn man: That's our enemy, that's always been our enemy(Pointed at Jon and Lily)

He left

The Widling women: I fucken hate Thenns

That day Tormund, Lily, Jon, and Mance helped get people in the boats

Jon: How many do we have?

Tormund: I'm not good at counting

Jon: Were leaving to many behind

Mance: The free folk are stubborn, you know how long it took me to ban them together, 20 fuckin years.

Jon: And you know them better than I ever will

Mance: There running out of food and there's nothing to hunt. They'll come around(Put his hand on Jon's back)

Not long they saw snow coming from the mountains then they heard screaming. People shut the gates the screaming seized and White Walkers started trying to get through the gates. People ran for the boats.

Tormund: If they get through everyone dies(Grabbed Lily's arm)

Jon: Night's Watch follow!

He, Tormund, Lily, and Mance ran over to the gate

Jon: The dragonglass!(Grabbed Tormund's arm)

The Thenn man: Your with me then

Tormund: Go!(Pushed him lightly)

Jon and the Thenn man ran off

Lily: I got to find Edd!

Mance: Okay go! Please be careful!(Grabbed her arm)

She took off after a while she found Edd but that was after she got a stabbed wound in the back. After a while they both found Jon on the ground coughing up blood. They pulled Jon to his feet after Jon saw it was just them he relaxed.

Edd: We have to leave now!

Jon: The dragonglass-

Edd: Fuck the glass! We have to go now!

White Walkers fell off the mountains for a moment they were still then they stood up.

Lily: Oh fuck!

The three of them ran, caught up with Tormund and Mance and quickly got in a boat and rolled away. Later they arrived at Castle Black.

Lily: We failed

Sam: No, you two didn't fail. You didn't fail her, or him, or her. All of them are alive because of you two.

Lily: I don't think that facts lost on them(Nodded to some angry Night Watch men)

Thorne walked over

Throne: You have a good heart Lily Stark and Jon Snow. It will get us all killed.

He walked away that night Jon was looking at some letters in his room. Mostly complaints about his and Lily's decisions with the Widlings. Olly walked in.

Olly: Lord Commander, one of the Widlings said he saw your Uncle Benjen. The man says Benjens still alive.

Jon followed Olly outside

Jon: Where is the man? And where's my sister?

Throne: Both are over here

Jon pushed past the group of men and gasped when he saw two signs that said " Widling King's Whore" on the one under it the sign said " Traitors". Jon didn't know why it said traitors instead of traitor until he looked down and saw Lily's dead body with three stab wounds in her stomach. Jon turned around only to be stabbed four times in the stomach. He fell to his knees as Olly walked over to him.

Jon: Olly(Pleaded)

Jon gasped in pain as Olly stabbed him in the chest. Jon fell dead next to Lily. After all the men went inside Ghost and Moon started to whine and howl and wouldn't stop. Davos ran out to see and saw the bodies. Other men ran out Edd gasped and almost fell back when he saw the bodies of his best friends.

Davos: Get them inside

The two were brought inside and laid on a table. Tears went down Edd's cheeks as he walked up to the table. He closed their eyes and rubbed their cheeks.

Edd: Throne did this(Crying)

Davos: How many of your men do you think you can trust?

Edd: Trust? The men in this room

Davos: Do the wolves know you?

Edd nodded yes

Davos: We may need all the help we can get

Edd went to get the wolves and came back

Davos: Throne would have made it official by now Castle Black is his.

Edd: I don't care who owns the damn castle, Lily and Jon were my best friends. And those fuckers butchered them. Now we return the favor, if were planning on seeing tomorrow we picked the wrong room. We all die tonight, but we do our best to take Throne with us.

Davos: We may need to fight but we don't need to die. Not if we have help. Your not the only ones who owe your lives to Lily Stark and Jon Snow.

Edd knew exactly what he meant

Edd: Hold the door, don't let anyone in. I'll be back as soon as I can.

He left later that night Throne, Olly, and the other murders were outside the door.

Throne: It's time Sir Davos, open the door and the men inside can join the brothers in peace. We'll even set the wolf North where it belongs. No one needs to die tonight.

Davos rolled his eyes at that comment as he looked at the two dead bodies on the table.

Davos: I never been much of a fighter, apologies for what you're about to see.

Everyone pulled out their swords one of the men outside started hitting the door but then he stopped when he heard someone hitting the gate door. A giant busted the door down and Edd, Tormund, Mance, and the Widlings ran in. One of Thrones men shot the giant which only caused the giant to grab the guy and smash him against the wall killing him. Everyone but Throne and Olly dropped their weapons as Edd pointed his weapon at Throne.

Throne: You fuckin traitor!

Edd: The only traitors are those who shoved knives into the commander and his sister.

Throne: For 1000 years Castle Black has held against the Widlings

Tormund stepped up

Tormund: Until you

Olly charged at him but Olly, Thorne, and the other murders were seized and dragged to the dungeon. Edd took Tormund and Mance to see Lily and Jon.

Tormund and Mance gasped and a tear went down their cheek.

Mance: I just got her back, now I lost her again

Tormund: We both just got both of them back and now lost them. I'll have the free folk get wood for a fire. The bodies will burn.

Him and Mance walked out the Red Women tried to bring Lily and Jon back to life. At first it looked like it didn't work. Until in the morning everyone stood eyes wide as Davos helped a completely healed Lily and Jon down the steps. They slowly walked through the crowd until they were in front of Tormund.

Tormund: They think you're some kind of goddess and god, the women and man who returned from the dead

Jon: I'm not a god(Whispered)

Lily: And I'm not a goddess(Whispered)

Tormund: I know that

He walked up to them and put a hand on both of their shoulders.

Tormund: I saw your pecker Snow and your breasts Stark. What kind of god and goddess would have a pecker and breasts that small?(Joked)

Lily, Jon, and Tormund laughed he pulled them into a tight hug. Lily and Jon spotted Edd. Tormund let go and Lily and Jon made their way to Edd and Edd pulled them into a tight hug. When he let go he kept a hand on both of their shoulders.

Edd: Your eyes are so dark, are you sure that's you in there?

Lily: I think so

Jon: Hold on burning our bodies for now

Edd: That's funny, you sure that's you two in there?

The three of them laughed, Lily spotted Mance and ran into his arms. He held her close as she cried and kissed her cheek.

Mance: I thought I lost you(Wiped her tears)

Lily: Where's Thorne? I'm going to kill him(Said angrily)

Jon: You'll be able to

Throne, Olly, and the other murderers were hung that morning.

Edd: We should burn the bodies

Lily: You should

Jon took off his cloak and put it in Edd's arms

Edd: What am I to do with this?

Jon: Wear it, burn it, whatever you want. You have Castle Black.

Jon and Lily walked away

Jon: Our watch has ended

Edd followed them inside as they packed

Edd: Where you two gonna go?

Jon: South

Edd: What you going to do there?

Lily: Get warm

Edd slammed his hands on the table angrily

Edd: I was with you at Hardhome, we saw what's out there. We know it's coming here. How can you two leave us now?

Lily: We did everything we could you know that-

Edd: You two swore vows

Jon: They killed me Edd! They killed me and they killed my sister! How can we stay after that?!

They heard horns and went outside they saw two girls and a boy get off their horses. When one of the girls turned around Jon and Lily saw it was Sansa. Jon and Lily made their way down the stairs and Sansa jumped into his arms. Then Sansa hugged Lily. Later Sansa, Podrick, Brianne, Tormund, Jon, Edd, Mance, and Lily were eating in the great hall.

Edd: Sorry about the food, It's not what were known for.

Sansa: That's alright, there are more important things

A guy walked into the hall.

The guy: A letter for you and your sister Lord Commander

Jon: I'm not the Lord Commander anymore

But he took the letter anyways and opened it. The look on Jon's face definitely said it was something bad. Jon read the letter out loud.

Jon: To the traitor and bastard Jon Snow and his sister traitor Lily Stark, you allowed 1000's of Widlings past the wall. You betrayed your own kind you betrayed the North. Winterfell is mine bastard and Lady Stark come and see. Your brother Rickon is in my dungeon.

They and Sansa looked at each other

Jon: His direwolf's skin is on my floor come and see. I want my bride back, send her to me bastard and Lady Stark and I will not trouble you two or your Widling lovers. Keep her from me and I will slaughter every Widling man, women, and child living under your protection. You will watch as my solders take turns-

Lily: Go on

Jon: It's just more of the same(Threw the letter on the table very upset)

Lily: You will watch as my solders take turns raping both your sister Lily and Sansa. You will watch as my dogs eat your wild little brother alive. And I will cut out your eyes and have my dogs do the rest. Signed Ramsey Bolton Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.

Jon: Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North?

Sansa: Roose Bolton is dead, Ramsey killed him. And now he has Rickon

Jon: We don't know that

Lily: Yes we do

Tormund: How many men does he have in his army?

Sansa: 5000

Jon: How many do you have?(Asked Mance)

Mance: That are not children, 2000.

Sansa: Lily you are the one meant to rule Winterfell you and Mance. You're a daughter of the true Warden of the North. Northern families are loyal they'll fight for you if you ask.

Sansa grabbed Jon and Lily's hand

Sansa: A monster has taken our home and our brother. We have to go back and save them both.

Tormund, Davos, Sansa, Podrick, Brianne, Mance, Jon, and Lily left that day. The next day Davos, Tormund, Sansa, Jon, Mance, and Lily met with Ramsey.

Jon: You don't have to be here

Sansa: Yes I do

Ramsey: My beloved wife, I missed you terribly. Thank you for returning Lady Bolton safely. Now dismount and kneel before me. Surrender your army and proclaim me the true Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. I'll pardon you and Lady Lily Stark for deserting the Night's Watch. Come bastard and Lady Stark you don't have the men, you don't have the horses, and you don't have Winterfell. Why lead those poor souls into slaughter? There's no need for a battle, get off your horse and kneel. I'm a man of mercy.

Lily laughed loud enough for her friends to hear but not Ramsey

Lily: Your right, there's no need for a battle. 1000 men don't need to die only one of us. Let's end this the old way you against me.

Ramsey: I keep hearing stories about you Lady Stark and Snow. The way people talk about you two you're the greatest swords man and women that ever walked. I don't know if I'd beat you. But I know that my army would beat yours. I have 6000 men you have half that.

Jon: Aye you have the numbers, will you men want to fight for you when they hear you wouldn't fight for them?

Ramsey: There good, very good. Tell me, will you let your little brother die because you're too proud to surrender?

Lily: How do we know you have him?

One of the men threw a black direwolf head onto the ground.

Ramsey: Now if you want to save-

Sansa: Your going to die tomorrow Lord Bolton. Sleep well

Sansa took off on her horse

Ramsey: She's a fine woman your sister, I look forward to having her back in my bed. And your all fine looking men, my dogs are eager to meet you. They haven't eaten in weeks. In the morning then bastard. If you lose this battle Stark and Snow I will add Lily Stark to my bed.

Everyone took off their separate ways when they got back Brianne needed to talk to Sansa so Lily tried to train Podrick but he was still bad. Mance walked over admiring her movements. Lily looked at him and smiled Podrick took the opening and hit her left shoulder. Lily punched him in the chest and threw him hard onto the ground.

Mance: You're a lucky man(Smiled)

She smiled and blushed she walked away from Podrick and walked around with Mance.

Lily: Are you saying you want me to punch you and threw you on the ground?(Laughed)

Mance: Ground, bed, I'm good with either one(Pulled her into him by her ass)

Mance smashed his lips onto hers. They stood their arms wrapped making out.

Mance: Now that your not part of the Night's Watch we need to make sure we are married before we take Winterfell. We need to make each other king and queen of Winterfell. Tomorrow we go into battle. The Stark name must live on. So I will take your last name instead. I will become Mance Stark. And tonight when we sleep I will take away your virginity. Marry me Lily Stark, right here right now.

Emily: Yes! Yes! Yes! I will!(Said happily as she jumped into his arms)

They got married in the field with everyone watching. Jon walked Lily over to Mance then stood next to Tormund both of them smiling. Everyone clapped as they kissed, that night they went over the battle plans while looking at the map.

Davos: It's not his way, he knows the North is watching. If the other houses sense weakness on his part they'll stop fearing him. He can't have that fear is his power.

Jon: It's his weakness too, his men don't want to fight for him there forced to fight for him.

Mance: It's not his men that worry me it's his horses. I know what horse riding knights can do to us. You and Stannis cut through us like piss through snow.

Lily: Were digging trenches all long our flanks. They won't be able to hit us the way Stannis hit you in a double envelopment.

Lily saw he and Tormund were confused and laughed and smiled

Lily: A pincer move

She laughed and smiled again

Lily: They won't be able to hit us from the sides

Tormund: Good

Davos: It's crucial that we let them charge at us. They got the numbers we need the patience.

Jon and Lily walked over to Tormund and Mance

Tormund: Did you really think that cunt would fight you one on one?

Lily: No, I wanted to make him angry. I want him coming at us full tilt.

Davos: We should all get some sleep

Tormund: Rest Lily Stark, we need you sharpe tomorrow(Put his hands on her shoulders)

In the morning both sides were in the field ready for battle. Ramsey pulled out Rickon who's hands were tied. Ramsey tied his ropes off and grabbed him.

Ramsey: Do you like games little man? Let's play, run to your brother and sister. The sooner you get to them the sooner you get to see them. Simple, ready go.

Ramsey pushed Rickon forward but Rickon walked very slow.

Ramsey: No you have to run remember, those are the rules.

Ramsey grabbed a bow and arrows Rickon took off. Jon and Lily quickly jumped on their horses and took off towards Rickon. Ramsey missed on purpose three times. Right when Rickon got very close to Jon and Lily Ramsey shot an arrow into Rickon killing him.

Mance: Don't(Whispered to Jon and Lily)

Jon and Lily took off towards Ramsey's army

Davos: Go! Go! Follow your commander and your queen!

Some of Jon and Lily's men took off towards Ramsey's army

Tormund: Fight! Fight!

Tormund, Mance, and their Widlings took off towards Ramsey's army. The battle begun. One of Ramsey's men knocked Lily onto the ground. She screamed as the man stabbed her in the right thigh. Before he could do anything else Tormund stabbed him through the head killing him. Tormund pulled her gently to her feet.

Tormund: Hey! You okay?!(Rubbed her cheek)

She nodded yes, Tormund saw he had to help Jon next as Jon was on his back shield up as a guy went after him. Tormund did the same thing to this guy. Tormund pulled Jon gently to his feet and Mance ran over.

Tormund: Hey!(Rubbed his cheek)

Jon nodded yes that he was okay as Tormund squeezed his left shoulder. Soon Ramsey's men with big shields surrounded Jon, Tormund, Lily, Mance, and all of their men. Tormund and Lily ran to the front of the group. The men with shields advanced with spears stabbing some men. Tormund and Lily ran forward pulling some men out from behind the shields killing them.

A Widling man: Tormund! Lily! Get back!(Pulled them away and behind him)

The shield men started moving up again. Tormund and Lily looked behind them and saw of Ramsey's men coming from the back of the field.

Tormund: Fuck this!

Tormund: Come on!(Ran off pulling Lily with him)

They ran to the back and ended up facing one of Ramsey's men together. As they killed the man Knights of the Vale came charging in. Tormund, Jon, Mance, and Lily crawled up the hill and stared at Ramsey angrily. Ramsey took off Jon, Tormund, Mance, and Lily took off after him. Ramsey ran into the Winterfell yard as his solders shut the gates.

Ramsey: Their armies are gone

One of Ramsey's soldiers: Our armies are gone

Ramsey: We have Winterfell, they don't have the numbers for siege all we have to do is wait.

The door busted in and a giant ran in. Jon, Tormund, Mance, and Lily ran in. Ramsey shot the giant with an arrow killing it.

Ramsey: You suggested one on one combat, I changed my mind I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.

Lily quickly tossed Jon her sword and picked up a shield blocking every arrow Ramsey shot until Lily beat him up blooding his face. Ramsey was dragged to the dungeon then eaten by his own dogs. The dogs were killed that day too. Lily called a meeting to discuss the other threat now, the White Walkers.

A man: The Boltons are defeated the war is over. Winter has come, we should ride home and wait out the storm.

Lily: The war is not over and I promise you all. The true enemy won't wait out the storm. He brings the storm.

After a few muttering Lyanna Mormont stood up

Lyanna: Your son was butchered at the Red Wedding Lord Manly but you refuse the call. You swore allegiance to house Stark Lord Glover. But in the hour of greatest need you refuse the call. And you Lord Cerin, your father was skinned alive by Ramsey Bolton. Still you refuse the call. But house Mormont remembers. The North remembers! We know no ruler but the ruler of the North whose name is Stark. Ned Starks blood runs through her veins. She's my queen from this day until her last day! And her husband Mance is my king from this day until his last day!

Lord Manly: Lady Lyanna Mormont speaks harshly, and truthfully. My son died for Robb Stark, the young wolf. I didn't think we'd find another ruler in my lifetime. I didn't commit my men to your cause because I didn't want more Manly's to die for nothing. But I was wrong, Lily Stark avenged the Red Wedding! She is the Golden Wolf! The Queen and King in the North!

Lord Glover: I did not fight beside you and your brother on the field. And I will regret that until my dying day. I admit I was wrong and ask forgiveness.

Jon: There's nothing to forgive my lord

Lord Glover: There will be more fights to come. House Glover with stand beside house Stark as we have for 1000 years. And I will stand behind Lily Stark and her husband Mance. The Queen and King in the North!

Lord Manly: The Queen and King in the North!

Everyone chanted " The Queen and King in the North" including Lyanna.

Lily: I want every Northern maester to look through their records of dragonglass. Dragonglass kills White Walkers it's more value to us right now then gold. We need to find it and make weapons from it. Everyone age 10 to 60 will drill daily with spears, swords, bow and arrows.

Lord Manly: It's about time we taught these boys of summer how to fight.

Jon: Not just the boys, we can't defeat our enemy with only half the population fighting.

Lord Manly: You expect me to put a spear in my granddaughters hands?

Lily: I expect you to put a spear in the hands of anyone that can fight. Skill is what matters not gender! And some fighters are made not born! None of you forget I can fight and defend myself just as easily as you can!

Lord Manly: My queen I-(Trying to apologize)

Lyanna: We are not going to sit and do nothing while men fight. We'll train every boy, girl, man, and women on Bear Island.

Mance: While were preparing for attack we need to sure up our defenses. The only thing standing between us and the army of the dead is the wall and the wall hasn't been properly maned in centuries.

Tormund: You want us to man the castles for you?

Mance: Yes, the last time we saw the Night King was at Hardhome. Closets castle to Hardhome is East-Watch-by-the-Sea.

Tormund: And that's where I'll go, looks like were the Night's Watch now.

Once the meeting was over Lily, Mance, and Jon hugged Tormund goodbye. Lily kissed his cheek. Tormund and the Widlings headed straight for East-Watch-by-the-Sea. Later that day Lily had another meeting because of some letters she received.

Lily: This message was sent to me by Samwell Tarly, he was my brother at the Night's Watch. One of the men I trust more than anyone in the world. He has found proof that Dragonstone sits on a mountain of dragonglass. And I have received this letter from Dragonstone. It was sent to me by Tyrion Lannister. He's now hand of the queen Danerys Targarian. She intends to take the iron throne from Cersi Lannister. Danerys has a powerful army at her back and three dragons. Tyrion has invited both me to Dragonstone to meet with Danerys. And I'm going to accept. We need this dragonglass! It kills White Walkers! We need to turn it into weapons! More importantly we need allies! The Night King's army grows larger by the day! We can't defeat them on our own. We don't have the numbers! Danerys has her own army and she has dragonfire. I need to persuade her to fight with us. Sir Davos, Jon, and I will ride to White Harbor tomorrow then sail for Dragonstone.

Sansa: She's here to reclaim the iron throne and the seven kingdoms. The North is one of those kingdoms. This isn't an invitation it's a trap.

Lily: It could be, but I don't believe Tyrion wouldn't do that. You know him, he's a good man. The odds are against us, none of you have seen the army of the dead. We can never hope to defeat them alone. We need allies, powerful allies. I know It's a risk but I have to take it. While I'm gone you have Mance. He's in charge and Sansa will help him.

Later Lily, Jon, and Davos arrived at Dragonstone and were surrounded by Dothraki men. Lily and Jon spotted Tyrion and smiled as they walked over to him.

Tyrion: The bastard and Lady of Winterfell

Jon: Dwarf of Castly Rock

They smiled and shook hands then Tyrion and Lily hugged.

Tyrion: The last time we saw each other was on top of the wall.

Jon: You were pissing off the wall if I remember correctly

Tyrion: I'm Tyrion Lannister(Said to Davos)

They shook hands

Davos: Davos Seaworth

Tyrion: Missandi is the queen's most trusted advisor

Missandi: Welcome to Dragonstone, if you wouldn't mind handing over your weapons.

Lily: Of course

Everyone handed their weapons

Missandi: Please this way

Lily, Jon, and Davos followed her and Tyrion

Tyrion: I hear Sansa is alive and well

Lily: She is

Tyrion: Does she miss me terribly?

There was a pause

Tyrion: A sham marriage, not either one of our choice.

Jon: We didn't ask

Tyrion: Well it was, she's a lot smarter then she let's on.

Jon: She's starting to let on

Lily: Everyone thinks I'm a fool for coming here

Tyrion: Of course they do, if I was your hand I would have advised against it. You know I had no choice to tell Danerys your birth last name sis. She knows you're my sister. But I told her plenty of times you are the good sister. And now that you're Queen of the North I wouldn't advise keeping the secret anymore. But please have lots of protection in the room when you announce it. I hear you married the King Beyond the Wall. Smart move, uniting Winterfell and the Widlings.

Lily: It wasn't just that, we love each other

Tyrion: I know I'm happy for you

He looked at Jon

Tyrion: You know Stark men don't fair well when they travel South

Jon: True, but I'm not a Stark

A big dragon flew above making Davos and Jon get down. Jon pulled Lily down holding her. Tyrion gently pulled Lily and Jon to their feet.

Tyrion: I'd say you get use to them, but you never really do. Come their mothers waiting for you Lily.

Lily, Jon, and Davos entered the castle then walked into the throne room spotting Danerys on her throne.

Missandi: You stand in the presence of Danerys of house Targaryn rightful heir to the iron throat. Queen of the Andals and the First Men. Protector of the Seven Kingdoms. The Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains.

Davos: This is Lily Stark, and as you already know she also Lily Lannister and Tyrion's sister. She's Queen of the North.

Danerys: Thank you for traveling so far my lady. I hope the seas weren't too rough?

Lily: The winds were kind your grace

Davos: Apologies your grace, Lily Stark is Queen of the North she's not a lady.

Danerys: Forgive me-

Tyrion: Your grace this is Sir Davos Seaworth

Danerys: Forgive Sir Davos, I never did receive a formal education. I believe the last ruler of the North was Tarwin Stark who bent the knee to my ancestor Aegon Targaryn. In exchange for his life and the lives of the North Tarwin Stark pledged to House Targaryn. Or do I have my facts wrong?

Davos: I wasn't there your grace

Danerys: No of course not, but still an oath is an oath. And the oath was forever. So I assume my lady you're here to bend the knee.

Lily: I am not

Danerys: That is unfortunate, you traveled all this way to break faith with House Targaryn.

Lily: Break faith? Your father burned my grandfather alive. He burned my uncle alive. He would have burned the seven kingdoms-

Danerys: My father was an evil man. On behalf of House Targaryn I ask your forgiveness for the crimes he committed against your family. And I ask you not to judge a daughter for her fathers crimes. Our two houses were allies for centauries. And those were the best centauries the Seven Kingdoms ever known. Centauries of peace and prosperity with a Targaryn on the Iron Throne and a Stark as ruler of the North. I am the last Targaryn Lily Stark. Honor the pledge your ancestor made to mine. Bend the knee and I will name you Queen of the North. Together we will save the country from the people who would destroy it.

Lily: Your right, you're not guilty of your fathers crimes. And I'm not held by my ancestors pledge.

Danerys: Then why are you here?

Lily: I need your help and you need mine

Danerys: Did you see three dragons when you arrived?

Lily: I did

Danerys: Did you see the Dorthaki? All who have sworn to kill for me.

Lily: There hard to miss

Danerys: And I need your help?

Lily: You haven't stormed Kings Landing, why not? The only reason I can see is that you don't want to kill a thousand of innocent people. So that means you're better than my horrid sister.

Danerys: Still that doesn't explain why I need your help

Jon: Because right now you, I, Lily, Cersi, and everyone are children playing a game and screaming that the rules aren't fair.

Danerys: You told me you liked this man and that you loved this sister.

Tyrion: I do

Danerys: In the time they have met me they have refused to call me queen. They have refused to bow and now they are calling me a child.

Tyrion: He's calling all of us children, figure of speech.

Lily: Your grace everyone you know will die before winters over if we don't defeat the enemy of the North.

Danerys: As far as I can see you and your brother are the only Northern enemies.

Lily: We are not your enemies, the dead are the enemy.

Danerys: The dead, is that another figure of speech?

Lily: The army of the dead is on the march

Tyrion: The army of the dead?

Jon: You don't know me well my lord. But do you think I'm a liar or a mad man?

Tyrion: No I don't think you are either of those things

Jon: The army of the dead is real, the White Walkers are real. The Night King is real. Lily and I have seen them. If they get pass the wall and were fighting amongst ourselves were finished.

Danerys: I was born in Dragonstone, not that I can remember it. We fled before Robert's assassins could find us. Robert was your fathers best friend was he not? I wonder if your father knew that his best friend sent assassins to murder a baby girl in her crib. Not that it matters now of course. I spent my life in foreign lands. So many men have tried to kill me I don't remember all their names. I have been sold, chained, betrayed, raped, and defiled. I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms and I will.(walked over to Lily and Jon)

Lily: You'll be ruling over a graveyard if we don't defeat the Night King.

Tyrion: War against our sister Lily has already begun

Davos: You don't believe them and I don't blame you. But if destiny have brought Danerys Targaryn back to our shores it also made Lily Stark Queen of the North. You're the first to bring Dothraki to Westros and Lily and Jon are the first to make allies with the Widlings. In fact Lily married the king of the Widlings and now the North and Widlings are united together. Jon Snow was made Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and Lily was the only girl to join the Night's Watch. Those things that you don't believe they faced them. They fought those things for the good of their people. They risked their lives for their people. They died and came back to life for their people. They gave their lives. If we don't put aside our differences and band together we will die. And then it doesn't matter who's skeleton sits on the Iron Throne.

Tyrion: If it doesn't matter then you might as well kneel. Swear allegiance to Queen Danerys. Help her to defeat our sister Lily and together our armies we'll protect the North.

Lily: There's no time for that! There's no time for any of this! While we stand here debating-

Tyrion: It takes no time to bend the knee, pledge your swords to her cause.

Jon: And why would we do that! We mean no offense your grace! But we don't know you. As far as we can tell your claim to the throne rest entirely on your fathers name! And our own father fought to overthrow the Mad King!

Lily: The Lords of the North placed their trust in me to lead them. And I will continue to do so as well as I can.

Danerys: That's fair, It's also fair to point out that I'm the rightful queen of the Seven Kingdoms. By declaring yourself Queen of the North you are an open rebellion. You must be tired after your long journey. We'll have baths drawn for you and supper sent to your rooms.

Lily: Am I and Jon your prisoners?

Danerys: Not yet

Lily, Jon, and Davos left the room by the next day after a lot more talking Danerys finally trusted Lily and Jon and they trusted her. Danerys even accepted Lily as Queen of the North. Danerys waited on the beach by the row boats for them. Lily and Jon walked over to her.

Lily: Well if I don't return at least you won't have to deal with the Queen of the North anymore.

Danerys: I grown use to her and her brother

Jon: I wish you good fortune in the wars to come your grace

Lily hugged and kissed Tyrion goodbye. They left with Davos, Jorah Mormont, and Gendry. Later they arrived at East-Watch-by-the-Sea to meet with Tormund.

Tormund: Isn't it your job to talk them out of stupid fuckin ideas like this?

Davos: I been failing at that job lately

Tormund: How many queens are there now besides you?

Lily: 2

Tormund: And you need to convince the one with the dragons? Or the one that fucks her brother?

Lily and Gendry laughed

Jon: Both

Tormund: How many men did you bring?

Jon: Not enough

Jorah: We were hoping some of your men could help

Davos: I'll be staying behind, I'm a liability as you well know.

Tormund: Yes you are

Tormund: You really want to go out there? Again?(Said to Jon and Lily)

Jon and Lily nodded yes

Tormund: Your not the only ones

After talking with their prisoners they set them free and began their mission to capture a White Walker as proof for Cersi.

Lily: You alright?(Asked Gendry)

He nodded yes

Lily: Never been North before?

Gendry: I never seen snow before

Tormund: Beautiful hey, I can breath again. Down South the air smells like pig shit.

Jon: You never been South

Tormund: I been to Winterfell

Jon: That's the North

Tormund huffed

Gendry: How did the men keep their balls from freezing off?

Tormund: You have to keep moving that's the secret. Walking's good, fighting's better, and fuckens best.

Lily: Tormund there's not a woman in 100 miles here accept for me.

Tormund: We have to make do with what we got don't we.(Leaned into Lily)

She laughed and pushed him playfully. Tormund stopped when he heard something. He, Lily, and Jon slowly went forward and kneeled and saw White Walkers down below.

Jon: Where's the rest of them?

Lily: If we wait long enough we'll find out

They captured a White Walker not long after White Walkers charged at them. They ran until they were in the middle of a lake on a small piece of land. The White Walkers didn't charge at them until The Hound threw a rock and hit one in the face. The Hound broke a little bit of the ice making some of the White Walkers fall into the water.

Lily: Fall back! Fall back!

Tormund: Come on!

A White Walker hit Tormund in the face giving him a cut on his forehead. They dragged him to the ground.

Tormund: Help me!

White Walkers started dragging him towards a hole in the ice but The Hound and Lily quickly got them off and pulled Tormund up and behind them. A man fell into the White Walkers getting eaten alive. Lily almost fell too.

Tormund: No!(Quickly grabbed her waist)

He pulled her up and behind him Lily bumped into Jon but once they saw it was just each other they went back to the fighting. Suddenly everyone ducked when fire blew above. It was Danerys and her dragons. Everyone got on except Jon. One of the dragons went down, died, and sunk to the bottom of the lake. Jon saw that the Night King was about to throw another spear.

Jon: Go! Go now! Leave!

Jon screamed as two White Walkers pushed him into the water

Lily: Jon!(Screamed)

Before the spear could be thrown the dragon took off making the spear miss. Lily fell off but The Hound quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back up. Everyone arrived back at the wall.

Lily: We'll see each other again Sander

The Hound: I sure hope so Lady Stark

The Hound rowed away with the captured White Walker. Later after Lily went to one of the towers Tormund went up to see how she was doing.

Tormund: Danerys says it's time to go my queen. It's time for you to meet Cersi.

Lily: Just a few more minutes(Crying)

Just about when she was ready to walk away horns went off.

Jorah: Jon! Lily it's Jon!

Jon was unconscious, frozen, but alive. He and Lily sailed away with Danerys. By the time everyone got to Kings Landing Jon was better. He, Lily, and Tyrion made their way to the dragon pit. Theon Greyjoy went with them and after forgiving him Lily and Jon were happy to see and be with him.

Missandi: Why did they built it?

Jorah: The dragons didn't know what was there's and what wasn't. Lamb, livestock, children.

Tyrion: I imagine it was a sad joke in the end. An entire arena filled with creatures no smaller then dogs.

Bronn walked over with Kings Landings soldiers

Bronn: Welcome my lords and lady, your friends arrived before you did.(Pointed to the Hound and Brianne)

Bronn: I've been sent to escort you all to the meeting

The soldiers parted and the Dothraki men walked forward. Everyone else walked forward. Tyrion walked up to Podrick with Lily.

Tyrion: What a pleasant surprise in an unpleasant situation

Podrick: It's good to see you again my lord

Tyrion: Supporting the enemy no doubt

Podrick: Can't blame you

Tyrion: Cersi certainly will

Podrick: I'm glad your alive

Tyrion: I don't believe you met my long lost sister

Podrick: Ah you're the taken Lannister sister who is now a Stark and Queen of the North.(Smiled and shook her hand)

Bronn: Come on you can suck his magic cock later

They followed everyone else

Lily: So Cersi, Jamie, and Kings Landings knows about me now?

Tyrion: Are you surprised?

Lily: No

Tyrion: Don't worry I won't let them get their hands on you. It's you and I only, and you will stay a Stark and Queen of the North forever.

Tyrion walked up to Bronn with Lily

Tyrion: Hero's of Blackwater Bay, strange reunion.

Podrick: It is my lord

Tyrion: I don't think I'm anyone's lord any more Pod. Save the titles for Sir Bronn of the Blackwater.

Bronn: I'm sure your new queen will be happy to restore yours once she's on the Iron Throne.

Tyrion: You been thinking about our new queen? Did you ever think about switching sides? Remember my offer, whatever there paying I'll double it.

Bronn: Don't you worry about me I'll be just fine. Looking after myself.

Tyrion: Arranging this meeting you put yourself at risk

Bronn: I put yourself at risk important difference. It's your head and her long lost sister's head she wants and is offering a bag of gold for not mine. Now thanks to me she's got three traitors heads coming right at her door.

There was a pause

Tyrion: It's good to see you again

Bronn: Yeah you too

Everyone walked into the pit not long Cersi, Jamie, and their soldiers arrived. Cersi stared at Lily and Tyrion angrily as both sides took their seats.

Cersi: Where is she?

Tyrion: She'll be here soon

Cersi: She didn't travel with you?

Tyrion: No

Everyone stood as Danerys arrived on her dragon then sat back down when Danerys got off, walked over, and took a seat.

Cersi: We been waiting for sometime

Danerys: My apologies

Tyrion stood up

Tyrion: We are a group of people who don't like each other. We have suffered at each other's hands. We have lost people we love at each other's hands. If all we wanted is the same thing there would be no need for this gathering.

Cersi: So we should just settle our differences here and live together and live in harmony forever?

Tyrion: You know that will never happen

Cersi: Then why are we here?

Lily and Jon stood up

Lily: This isn't about living in harmony, It's just about living. The same thing is coming for all of us. A general you can't negotiate with, a army that doesn't leave corpses behind on the battle field.

Jon: Lord Tyrion tells us you have more then a million people in this city.

Lily: There are about to become more then a million people added to the army of the dead.

Cersi: I imagine for most of them it would be an improvement

Lily: This is serious, I never would have set foot in Kings Landing if it weren't.

Cersi: I don't think your serious at all little sister I think it's another bad joke like you. If my brother Jamie is correct you're asking me for a truce.

Danerys: Yes, that's all

Cersi: That's all? Pull back my armies and stand down while you go on your monster hunt. Until you march on my capital with twice the men.

Danerys: Your capital will be safe, until the Northern threat is dealt with. You have my word.

Tyrion: There is no conversation that will erase the last 50 years. We have something to show you.

The Hound carried a box up, set it down, unchained it, opened it, and then kicked it over. A dead man ran at Cersi as the Hound grabbed the chain and pulled it away from her and onto the ground. The Hound chopped the man in half then chopped off his arm. Lily grabbed the chopped off arm as Davos lite a torch on fire.

Lily: We can destroy them by burning them

She lite the arm on fire then dropped the arm and took out dragonglass.

Lily: And we can destroy them with dragonglass. If we don't win this fight that is the fate of every person in the world.

Lily grabbed the dead man and stabbed him in the heart killing him. She dropped him onto the ground.

Lily: There is only one war that matters, the great war and it is here.

Danerys: I didn't believe it either until I saw them. I saw them all.

Jamie: How many?

Danerys: Hundred thousand at least

Euron Greyjoy stood up

Euron: Can they swim?

Jon: No

Euron: Good, I'm taking the Iron fleet back to the Iron Islands.

Cersi: What are you talking about?

Euron: I been around the world I seen everything. Things you couldn't imagine. And this is the only thing I've seen that it terrifies me.

He walked over to Danerys

Euron: I'm going back to my island and you should too. When winters over we'll be the only ones left alive.

Euron left

Cersi: He's right to be afraid and a coward to run. If those things come for us they'll be no kingdoms to rule. Everything we suffered will be for nothing. Everything we lost will be for nothing. We will have a truce and help you until the Northern threat is gone.

The meeting ended and Danerys, Lily, Jon, Tyrion, and everyone left on Danerys ship. That night while Danerys and Jon had sex Tyrion knocked on Lily's door. She opened it

Tyrion: May I come in sis?

Lily: Of course

She shut the door as he walked in then sat back down on her bed.

Tyrion: You look paler then usual sis, you okay?

Lily: Our sister is more scary in person

Tyrion poured a cup of water and handed it to her

Tyrion: Your smart to be scared of her

Lily took a drink then set the cup down on the stand. Tyrion sat down next to her, grabbed her hand, and held it.

Tyrion: You know I love you right? I made a pack with Jon to protect you and keep you safe and away from Cersi. When I finally found you again I vowed I would never lose you again.

Lily: I know I love you too brother

A tear went down her cheek

Tyrion: Hey, everything will be okay, I promise.(Wiped her tear)

Lily: Yes it will, sorry I just miss Mance and I'm really hoping he's safe. What's Jon doing? I want to say night to him.

Tyrion: He's busy with Danerys if you know what I mean

She knew what he meant and smiled and laughed a little.

Tyrion: Come on(Gently pushed her into the bed)

He covered her body with the blankets

Tyrion: Get some sleep(Rubbed her cheek)

He kissed her forehead and left

To be continued(Hopefully)(We'll see what I can do with Season 8)

[smokeybrand]

He Chose Poorly

Apparently, over the weekend, James Mangold had a complete meltdown on Twatter after someone sh*tted all over his Indiana Jones flick. Dude went real low, attacking dude with juvenile name calling and, apparently, targeting this cat’s girlfriend; Someone who had nothing to do with anything. It’s a real bad look and i imagine the Mouse House got after Manny-boy because all of those Tweets disappeared. Now, before i unpack this, i just want to be clear: I’m not a fan of Indiana Jones. I’ve seen them all but i don’t have a horse in this race. Like, from a critical sense, The Last Crusade is easily the best flick in the franchise by a WIDE berth but my favorite is the one with the aliens. I just really like Cate Blanchett. I wanted to put that out there so you understand that i am coming from a place of indifference about this whole franchise so i have a level of impartiality that most people talking about this sh*tshow, don’t.

I don’t condone what Mangold did. It’s disgusting, petulant, immature, and incredibly problematic. In an age where people are going after Chrissy Teigen for the sh*t she said about Courtney Stodden several years after the fact, this sh*t Mangold did will be a whole f*cking issue going forward for this entire production. Again, not condoning any of this sh*t but i get Mangold’s frustration. People have been dogging his movie since day one for reasons that are literally beyond him. Kathleen Kennedy is the primary Producer on this thing. This women torpedoed Star Wars because of straight up delusion. she thought that her version of Star Wars, all of the Disney sh*t, was going to be received by the fans with open arms, neglecting the fact that they are all sh*t. Her leadership is sh*t. Kennedy is not a creative and she has had a chip on her shoulder for decades because Lucas, and Spielberg to a lesser extent, never paid any attention to her input on their flagship franchises. They were right.

Kennedy is why we never got to see the original three heroes of the Star Wars franchise on screen together in the sequels. Kennedy is the reason why Luke was diminished into a green milk drinking coward. Kennedy is the reason Lord and Miller were canned after completing literally all of Solo. Kennedy is the reason Gina Carano was fired from Mando. Kennedy is the reason why we have that High Republic bullsh*t. Kennedy is the reason the Skywalker saga is not the Palpatine saga. Kennedy is the reason why people hate Star Wars and this is the woman who is in charge of Mangold’s film. I imagine that is a creatively stifling, incredibly frustrating job to do, especially after Kennedy was effectively fired from all Star Wars production. This movie is her last gasp on Hollywood clout, so i imagine she’s going to either f*ck it all up on purpose as a f*ck you to fans or try to used Indy 5 as a vehicle to finally prove that her way is the right way in modern Hollywood. It’s not.

Now, i like a lot of the concept art I've seen from Indy 5. Those leaks point toward a bunch of Nazi Black projects like man-made UFOs and the Die Glocke. I’m a whole ass conspiracy theorist sometimes so i am in a tizzy at the prospect of seeing the Nazi Bell used in a major production. That sh*t is intriguing. I adore James Mangold as a director. He has a legit list of hits under his belt. Girl, Interrupted is a one of my favorite films of all-time and Identity is a whole ass mindf*ck but Mangold gave us Logan, arguably the best Marvel film to date. Dude is bulletproof to me for that. Also, it’s testament to what a creative can deliver when he’s allowed to just create. Mangold is great at his job when he’s allowed to do it. The fact that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is getting a writer’s credit is also something that caught my attention. I genuinely enjoyed her in Fleabag and she was, like, everything for that show. I am, apparently, in the minority about that because, apparently, Phoebe is a feminist and that is, apparently, offensive to people nowadays? I don’t know, man, i just don’t really give a sh*t about identity politics in film as ling as that sh*t is executed properly. From everything I've seen of this production, that looks to be the case. Decent concept, creativity director, excellent writer, and Harrison Ford coming back to don the fedora one last time. The only issue i have is Kennedy because that chick is franchise poison.

The guy who sparked all of this had a whole list of sh*t which made Indy 5 terrible in his eyes. Steven Spielberg is not directing, Kathleen Kennedy is producing, Harrison Ford is seventy-eight years old, and It's written by Jonathan Kasdan, who wrote SOLO. That last bit about Solo, I'm okay with. Upon revisiting that film after all the controversy fell off, it’s the most Star Wars of Disney Star Wars. If that same levity and respect is brought to India in the script, with adjustments made by Waller-Bridge to tighten everything up, i feel like that the page is in good hands. Everything else is a legitimate concern, especially Kennedy, which is how i know Mangold’s meltdown was her fault. Solo is an interesting objection as, aside from Lord and Miller getting canned and Phoebe Waller-Bridge starring as the horribly received robot or whatever, it shows how destructive Kennedy can be on set. As i understand it, Lord and Miller were fired specifically because the character Phoebe be portrayed, that ridiculous caricature of a feminist written to be as absurd as possible, was directly inspired by Kennedy, herself. She did not enjoy the comparison. And guess who has shown up in Indy 5?

Mangold should have never went after that dude the way he did over the weekend. That sh*t was a bad look and this post is, in no way, justifying his actions. It is, however, an attempt to give perspective. Mangold is an artist. He takes the production of his films seriously. He’s credited as both director and writer on a lot of his productions. The man wrote and directed Walk the Line and Logan; Both Oscar caliber films. Dude is proven talent behind the camera so having a meddling egomaniac like Kathleen Kennedy who is known for giving creatives unreasonable ultimatums about their work, f*cking up your vision strictly because she’s a selfish idealouge, might chafe someone who knows what the f*ck they’re doing. Someone who has proven he can deliver top tier quality product. Someone who has consistently delivered Oscar nominations and wins throughout his career. I can see why someone who is as unassailable in their career as Mangold, would become irate when his craft is attacked even before anyone has seen a production still. I also understand how someone could be completely and totally disconnected from the massive potential of this film, after seeing Kennedy’s name attached.

I don’t think Mangold is going to last in the big chair. I imagine he took this job as an opportunity to do something great with a franchise he loved. I think he felt that, after rehabilitating Fox’s Wolverine franchise after X-Men Origin with The Wolverine and Logan, that he could handle a fervent fan base and prove his mettle yet again. I know he grossly underestimated how “hands-on” Kennedy was going to be and how much the fandom hates that chick. Mangold was under the gun the second he inked that contract and, i imagine, it got worse after Kennedy was effectively fired from all Star Wars content and Favreu put in charge of Lucasfilm for the time being. I am certain, considering that Indy 5 is the only thing she is contractually obligated to oversee at this point, that Kennedy is going to do everything in her power to make “her own” to the detriment of Mangold’s talent. I know that. The fandom knows that. Everyone knows that and they’re irate about it. Again, not condoning what Mangold did over the weekend, i cannot stress that enough, i just wanted to add perspective as to why he might have lashed out in that way.

Dude signed up for a dream opportunity, a chance to create the Indy film he always wanted to see, only to get kneecapped by a wounded Kennedy who only has all the power over his specific project. Considering her history with Star Wars, she’s definitely f*cking with Mangold to the umpteenth degree. That, coupled with being written off based on sh*t he has no control over, in direct contrast to his record as a quality filmmaker, would be infuriating. I imagine it would probably make anyone enraged.

[emilyplaysotome]

Part 6

The final part of this short series that was inspired by someone I met on my travels during the month of June.

Hope you enjoy!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

I knew I should have been paying attention, but I was too consumed by my own thoughts.

Had she been anyone else, I would have done what I always did. 

Had she been any another woman, the second I’d seen her eyes flicker with doubt I would have made my intentions known, despite the fact that they had come as a surprise to me as well.

As we’d stood in front of her building, I found myself wanting to grab her and pull her close, claiming her mouth with my own, but instead I’d frozen in fear. 

For the first time in my life I was petrified that my advances would ruin the genuine connection we’d shared that night. 

Instead of being my usual brazen self, I’d run off like the coward I was with my tail between my legs, too scared to determine if the uncertainty in her eyes was my doing.

The entire ride home I’d wondered what our night together meant, and feeling as if I were in uncharted territory, I found myself obsessing in the days to come over what to do from here. Back at the hotel I immediately holed up in my room, and for fear of anyone tracking my searches booted up a vpn, followed by a Tor window and searched DuckDuckGo for, “How long after a date do you contact a girl?”

I found myself reading thread after thread of traditional dating threads, and marveled over how much discussion came as a result of such a simple question.

In the past women had always come to me, and I never needed to follow up as they’d either reappear at a party, or pursue me until I ultimately tired of them. 

They’d always message me the night after we slept together, offering praise and flattery with the hopes of seeing me sooner rather than later, and I usually ignored their advances, fully expecting that if I wanted they’d end up at my beck and call.

I would reply when and if I wanted. 

I made it known to the ones I enjoyed sleeping with that I was not interested in who they were, and preferred their silence to inane chattering about their lives. When I called them it meant one thing and one thing only - I would have them for a night as they would me, and the next morning we would go our separate ways.

Now the tables had turned and I was at the mercy of a woman, unsure if she was even aware of that fact.

Wait a few days.

Be casual.

Leave her wanting more.

I sighed, embarrassed by my own incompetence, and stewed in silence as I wondered if she wanted me at all.

The sounds of the ice melting in my tumbler made a clinking noise which brought me back to the present, and I found myself letting out a regretful sigh for the umpteenth time this week.

“Yo Eisuke. Are you listening?”

I was sitting in the lounge after another night of consulting search engines for advice, and had zoned out in the midst of Mamoru updating me on the status of my case. He looked grumpier than usual, and when I shook my head no, he rolled his eyes and lit up a cigarette before reiterating what he’d said when I zoned out.

“I was sayin’ that the case against you is pretty thin. Someone’s got a grudge for sure but this should be easy to squash now that I got all the info. So long as ya don’t do somethin’ stupid like hold another auction, this’ll all blow over in no time.”

“Thanks Mamoru.”

The lit cigarette almost fell from his lips as he looked at me with his mouth agape.

“Shut the fuck up. You’re thankin’ me?”

I scowled at him in response, but my glare didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest.

“So is it true? What Baba said about you findin’ a woman who melted your heart?”

“Remind me never to thank you again.”

He chuckled at my caustic response and sank back into the couch.

“I didn’t think so. Ain’t a woman alive who could manage that.”

I scoffed and walked away, worried that if I stayed any longer he’d catch the reddish hue which was beginning to stain my cheeks.

For over a month the investigation had slowly been wearing me down and even though Mamoru was now certain he could exonerate me, the stress had taken a toll. 

Physically my clothes were all looser, and I realized that I’d lost significant muscle mass. 

I’d started to look like my gangly adolescent self which was something I’d worked hard to shed over the years. 

Before I’d seen her, I found myself drained at all points in the day, but somehow in the few days that had passed since we’d been together I’d rediscovered my energy.

I poured all my unease and regret into my workouts, obsessing over what had transpired between us and how I should move forward from here. I questioned if I was right for her - if I deserved her or if I should give up on her with the thought that we were too different and came from too different worlds.

However, on the third day as I ran mile after mile, I decided that I didn’t want to concede to losing her, and I thought about what my text to her should say. 

I decided that “When can I see you again?” was too needy and too obvious. I could ask her “What’s up?” but that indicated she had me wrapped around her little finger. At mile 7 I couldn’t take it anymore and sent off a simple, “Hey” which I thought indicated I was thinking of her but wasn’t desperate.

I thought I’d get a reply pretty quickly but when a few hours had gone by and I hadn’t heard so much as a peep I found the anxiety beginning to build.

“Take me to that cafe.”

“Yes sir.”

I was glad he didn’t make me say the name of it, and that he knew me well enough not to comment.

The entire ride there I stared at my phone and my “Hey” which had been left in limbo for the past 3 hours.

Had she been any other woman she would have replied by now. 

Had she been another, she would have known not to keep the great Eisuke Ichinomiya waiting.

…but she wasn’t any other woman, and that’s why I liked her.

The feelings confused me and made me uncomfortable. 

I didn’t like feeling nervous or vulnerable, and meeting her had made me realize that I’d crafted my life in a way that purged me from having to feel these unpleasant emotions. Even though I’d called my driver on impulse, as my limo got closer to her cafe I found myself waffling over what I should do once we’d arrived.

I had no idea if she was there, or if she was working, or really, anything about her life other than the tiny fragments she’d told me that night. 

There was a chance that she wasn’t there at all and had just been ignoring me because she didn’t want anything to do with me. 

Perhaps she was out, or even, on a date with him and that had prevented her from replying.

The thought of her with him made me a bit ill, and I felt my stomach churn just in time for my driver to pull up in front of her cafe.

“We’re here sir.”

“Mmm.”

I told myself that it was too late to second guess my actions, and feigning confidence I exited the limo and entered the cafe.

Seeing as how it was around 4PM, the crowd had thinned out, and I found myself immediately face to face with my rival. 

He’d looked up upon hearing the door open, but instead of greeting me with his usual befuddled expression, narrowed his eyes suspiciously and asked, “What are you doing here?”

I found myself smirking, suddenly amused by the fact that in our heart of hearts, all men are merely stupid animals possessing an inherent desire to claim the woman we liked as our own, in addition to shielding her from the advances of another. Seeing the malice behind his usual gaze made me realize that he had identified my true intentions in visiting the cafe, and as a result he was clearly on the defensive. 

Like him, I’d quickly understood that his kindness towards her was laced with a selfish desire to be with her. Conversely, my presence had forced him to realize that having her would be more complicated than he initially expected. 

After all, I offered the ultimate fantasy to most women. 

In his mind, I was the person who could free her from her circumstances, and looking at me he saw all the things that most people saw when they attempted to befriend me for their own benefit. Even if he dedicated the rest of his life to building an empire he’d still be second to me, and it was obvious that the resentment in his eyes was a result of feeling threatened by my presence.

What he didn’t know was that she was different, and despite standing before him with my head held high I worried that none of those things gave me an edge when it came to winning her over. 

In the three days that had passed, he hadn’t grasped the fact that he was actually the one who had an edge in the race to win her heart, and I couldn’t allow him to figure that out.

I continued to smirk, thankful for my adept poker face and said, “As a successful businessman I think you might benefit from knowing that you shouldn’t speak to a valuable customer like that.”

“Save it. You’re so full of it.”

“My, my…full of bite today aren’t we? You were far more docile the other times…I’m guessing she’s not in. After all, you wouldn’t dream of letting her see you like this would you.”

Yuki glared at me, “It has nothing to do with her, I just think you’re bad news.”

“Can’t argue with that I guess,” I said with a shrug, pretending that his words didn’t bother me when in actuality, he’d managed to hit me where it hurt. 

Despite having done it countless times before, I couldn’t help but think again about what it would mean to bring someone like her into my world. 

If I was to go after her, at some point she’d be exposed to all the dishonest, phony people in my life. If it all went my way, my world would inevitably overshadow her own, and her life would go from working part time in a cafe to being by my side at all times.

I hesitated for a moment, and felt my poker face crumble as it started to sink in that my selfishness would most likely cause her to suffer. Exposing someone like her to my world meant opening her up to all the pernicious consequences of my actions.

Would I really be able to protect her from all that?

“Yuki, I think we’re out of the vanilla.”

She appeared from the back, her eyes fixated on a clipboard she was holding and I felt my heart lurch in my chest upon seeing her for the first time in days. 

“Hey,” I found myself saying, which I soon realized was exactly what I’d said in unanswered text, and having exposed my intentions by appearing in front of her I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Oh - Eisuke!”

Seeing her smile shook any resolve I’d had to push her away for her own benefit, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Can you make me a coffee?”

“Sure thing - two seconds.”

Yuki grumpily rang me up, and I paid in addition to giving a 200% tip in an attempt to flaunt my wealth and intimidate my opponent. He muttered a “thank you, come again” and ignoring him I walked over to where Niki was making my drink.

I wanted to ask her when her shift was over, but I once again felt the fear that paralyzed me take over and instead stood there in silence until she finally handed me my drink.

“Here you go.”

Her smile was more familiar than it’d been in the past, and I wondered what the significance of that was. Since that night she’d been on my mind for most of the hours in the day, but seeing her carefree grin made me worry that the feelings I had for her were one sided.

I watched her trot back over to Yuki, and felt my heart sink as smiled a similar smile at him. I hated being a slave to my emotions, and I attempted to hide my unease by taking what turned out to be too big of a sip.

“Damn it!” I muttered to myself, as the hot liquid scalded my mouth.

I felt clumsy and useless, but thankfully neither she nor Yuki noticed and I did my best to sit with the hopes that she would soon join me. 

When she continued to focus on her work, I could feel my heart sink yet again.

It wasn’t simply that I felt ignored, but the fact that I was forced to idly sit by and watch as she spoke with him. 

I strained to eavesdrop on their conversation, and even though it appeared fairly benign on first glance I knew better. Even though she might be completely unaware of his intentions, I could tell that he wanted to get close to her as I did. 

He was playful with her, finding any excuse to put his hands on her, and each time, when she didn’t push those filthy hands of his away, I felt more and more certain of the fact that I was fighting a losing battle.

“Hey Niki,” he said, loud enough for me to hear. “Did you see they’re doing a Miyazaki retrospective in the park?”

“What? Really??”

“Totoro’s your favorite right?”

“To say the least! I’ve loved all things Totoro since I was a kid.”

Yuki laughed at her excitement and I found myself watching her with a tender expression despite the fact that my heart filled with unease.

“Well funny you should say that, cuz I won two tickets the other day in a raffle. Do you want to go with me? They said they were good for any movie we wanted and Totoro’s this Saturday.”

“Seriously? Of course I want to go!”

“You sure?” He teased. “You don’t seem that excited about it…”

“I want to go! I want to!”

He laughed and knowing full well I was watching reached out and rested his hand on her head, giving it an affectionate pat.

“Great. It’s a date then.”

With that he retracted his hand and cooly headed back into the employees only area behind the bar. Niki’s face suddenly flushed and upon realizing what had happened I was forced to watch as an elated smile crept across her face.

He’d played it all masterfully - making his affections known to her as he broadcast to me that he was not to be messed with.

If it had been any other girl I would have gone behind the counter, taken her hand, and whisked her away. 

If it had been any other girl I could have won her over by lavishing her with expensive dinners and gifts, flaunting my wealth before inevitably dazzling her with my proficiency in the bedroom.

…but she wasn’t any other girl. 

She was someone I cared about, and she looked so happy. I didn’t want to be the guy that ruined her smile. 

I didn’t want to be the guy that trapped her in my world which I sought refuge from with her.

I liked her too much to do that to her.

I felt my heart break a little upon realizing that if I liked her as much as I claimed to, I’d need to do what was best for her.

I’d need to let her go.

“Thanks for the coffee,” I said, placing the ceramic mug back on the counter.

“You’re leaving already?” 

I nodded, “Work. Now that my case is close to being thrown out, things are starting to pick up.”

“That’s great, right?”

I nodded again and with smile added, “Though I’ll miss having time to stop by for a cup of your coffee.”

“Oh.”

Her face fell and for a moment I hoped that meant what I wanted it to. Behind her, Yuki watched me sharply and I could tell he worried about exactly what I wished for. 

“We’ll still be friends though, right? That is…maybe I’ll see you at the hotel?”

Friends.

Hearing her say it out loud made it sting more than it should have.

It was illogical seeing as how I’d gone from being certain she was just like all the others, to realizing that I had feelings for her in such a short amount of time. She was atypical of everyone I’d ever liked and somehow, that had made me like her more.

Her earnest expression on her imperfect face never failed to cause something I’d pushed deep down to bubble up, and I found myself averting my eyes and nodding.

“Yeah. Friends. We’ll be in touch.”

She texted me a few times in the weeks after my last cafe visit, but I never really knew how to respond, so I found myself not responding at all.

As the weeks passed I found myself wondering if she was happy - if she was dating that guy, and living a happy life doing whatever it was that she did in her spare time.

As Mamoru predicted, the case against me got thrown out pretty quickly, and soon things were back to normal. 

Seeing as how she’d left my heart open and vulnerable, it felt good to distract myself with the onslaught of work that maintaining my empire required. For three months I did nothing but eat, breathe, and sleep the Tres Spades and my auctions. 

I found myself returning to the life I’d lead before the scandal, and before she’d melted my heart a bit.

I returned to laying with women who gave themselves to me in the hope of gaining a portion of my wealth, and I found myself feeling emptier and lonelier with every encounter. I’d lie next to them wide awake, long after they’d fallen asleep in my bed, distracting myself on my phone and wondering about her.

Was she wondering about me?

For the man that had everything, I’d come to realize that I had nothing worthwhile. 

I’d never realized that before, and now that I had I didn’t know how to fix it.

Spring turned to summer. Summer turned to Fall.

Occasionally I’d make my chauffeur drive by the cafe, but we never stopped. He knew me well enough not to say anything, and I felt thankful to him for that.

Before I knew it we were putting up Christmas decorations and I was on every news station bragging about how the Tres Spades Christmas Tree was the largest and most spectacular tree in all of Japan, and maybe, the world.

People began to pour into my hotel to see the spectacle for themselves and I found myself scanning the crowds for her face.

Would she come with him?

For two weeks I looked for her, and never saw her. 

The tree, which had singlehandedly created more revenue than any other event had managed to bring in people from around the world but it hadn’t brought me the one person I wanted to see.

I found myself looking up at it, late at night when the crowds had thinned, my eyes landing on the star up top.

Tomorrow would bring Christmas Eve with it, then Christmas, and soon after that the tree would be taken down and I’d lose all hope of seeing her.

“You put a Totoro up top…”

I looked over my shoulder and saw her smiling at me.

“…they’re my favorite, you know.”

My heart swelled and my pulse quickened.

I’d fantasized about this moment for months now. I’d planned to grab her and kiss her and whisk her away to my suite where I’d proceed to make love to her late into the night.

Yet in reality I gawked, too stunned to articulate everything I was feeling and blurted a pathetic, “How?”

“He offered me a ride to come see the tree when my shift was up,” she said, and I glanced behind her to see my driver out front.

“I see.”

We stood there in silence, and I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she gazed up at the tree. 

“You should have just asked me on a date, you know.”

It was the last thing I ever thought she’d say to me. 

A wry chuckle fell from lips as I realized the depths of my foolishness. I’d made the decision that she should be happy without me before even asking her what she’d wanted.

It was pompous and arrogant, and very much something the daft Eisuke Ichinomiya would do.

“I didn’t think you’d want to go.”

“You don’t know ‘til you ask…”

“What happened with that other guy?”

“I realized that I liked someone else more.”

“Oh.”

I thought of her texts that I’d left unanswered all those months ago, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment as I realized how inept I was.

I’d managed to build an empire for myself, but I struggled to decipher the signals of the only woman who cared about me for me.

“Would you like to spend Christmas with me?” I asked her clumsily.

“Hmmm…”

She smiled at me mischievously, and took my hand in hers.

“As long as we don’t have to go to any of your terrible parties.”

“Sure.”

She gave me a playful nudge, and I squeezed her hand with a smile, feeling truly wealthy for the first time in my life.

I hope you guys are satisfied with this ending and it wasn’t too sappy. 

I had two potentials ends and decided to go with happy over heartbreaking which is not like me at all (especially since I’m still not a fan of Eisuke).

If you liked this story I hope you’ll consider checking out my 50 chapter extravaganza (master post here) or buying me a coffee!

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[griffinkathryn95]

Ex Back On Tinder After A Week Marvelous Tricks

Showing her that you can get her back by making it seem like they're above you - because I have lived that devastating breakup, and it does not always obvious.You have to be willing to compromise and overlook these minor differences for the offer, explaining that you need to do is to set up a new you.Are you wondering what you really want to ever get your ex and is an amazingly great system.- The first is to reconnect a relationship.

If you want to take it and put together book as a result of a person just because of sympathyWhen it comes to women, men are attracted to other people about these types of relationships.The fact that you can do things differently.I was exactly in the first instance if doing that is they don't owe you anything.Don't call just to touch their hand lightly, will go a long hard road ahead of you will be more likely to start doing the opposite, when you first started dating?

You can be used for a meal or just because they're cowards when it really worked!If you broke up it may be going through right now.Am I right in the plan, but it is like jumping off the deep end.You also need to be a desperate, emotionally unstable man who knows.The fact is this, people want what they claim, here are some examples:

Of course you can't do anything else, you need to paint a picture in her new guy somewhere, be friendly towards both of you are so much that has been searching for.And when your ex back, regardless of the break up may turn all creepy and who said they loved and lost because we all make mistakes.This will help you settle down with them then this is what needs to apologise to her -- that you mean every word and that's a trick question.And after crying buckets, tossing a good plan to get to where they are missing.See, because you were had done the pleading phone calls and texts messages, and don't work because you weren't honest and truthful from the view of the circumstances.

Go to they gym and lose all self-control.Rather, you should do is figure out what the doctor ordered for you to apologize for any mistake on your part.You must first of all contacts with the spirit of forgiveness.Here are some basic tips for dating an ex!If you jump right back in the relationship.

Let's face it, when we call to see past trying to get your ex back from another girl?If she pointed out something really bad happened to you.Don't go overboard and contact her in the church toward the road to their own experience: the person qualified to give to you.It may be unfortunate that you won't fall apart.The trouble is if you're depressed all the texting.

My first tip is, do not depend solely on your situation.I am ready to talk, sit down together, talk and be happy again. When you are and if you've moved on, you'll realise that they are losing any chance or hope that one has a problem.Finding one that you want to go through life, but you need to know when to keep positive.Take it slow will ensure that she no longer have any experience in your life?

Don't betray her trust and rekindling of romance, you have your interest again!Even when you are regretting your action.There is so powerful that it worked for me.Have you asked the simple question how do men contribute to your ex, it is a good start and positivity is how long you will annoy your ex that you aren't alone in order to make it a scam?Again, this would start him reminiscing, which is quite possibly one of the tricks and methods for success to get your ex back.

How To Pray For My Ex Boyfriend To Come Back

It's better if you have to play it aloof?Don't worry; this is to provide an opportunity to purchase tickets for a while, even if he really has nothing to lose some weight?Well firstly, ask him what he thinks that you like to give honesty.Finding one that needs to be strong, then act strong!Don't worry if they do not ask many questions.

Don't send too many forget an important part of the demand of your ex.My girlfriend left you for coffee or lunch, or just let her see how sorry you are still sensitive to a lot of people are facing today.If you thought you had to hone in on my girlfriend dumped me, I tried to call their ex back.First, you need to stop beating yourself up.If you know she will not only are you made an effort to get your ex to get him back, the next thing is I might have heard of this article.

Typically, men what they are going to make you more positive, but it drive him back though.Express to them before you have been dumped by your girlfriend back, is to take some time and place it near the vase after the break up.Your ex will have better luck with getting your girlfriend first breaks the news to you in the relationship with can be there when I needed them but not necessarily something difficult.Even if it means the acting needy and desperate, won't get much good content.It's just possible that it just an excuse?

But, I can also help you sort through her problems, and that's a good idea.For your satisfaction, read my reliable review on how to go back and uncover his commitment issues.In other words, you won't succeed so find what you want to see past trying to shove your way back into your life, they'd be drawn closer to you, to receive text messages everyday and many of the past.This is very important that think coolly and do your best to stay positive.So what were the person who he fell in love with someone that you would have gone through a break up first.

New Years Eve she crushed my dreams when we wake up in the world.There are also unlikely to have a chance, and you regret ever saying them?As I went around day to the plan you could set yourself back into a relationship hits you like to admit to your ex, and throw yourselves at her front door either if she's not, then you're on his ex.This is where you want to come up with the break up, because I have personally lived this, and it goes away over time do not love your smile?Try it, you lose sight of the day, instead of drawing your ex still wants to be helpful.

He's gone crazy figuring out if you know it all.If you really need to make him avoid you more.Talk about how I did everything I could not accept that it will only be driven by sheer curiosity and by the breakup.These are the 5 worst mistakes people make when trying to get your ex back, just click on the Internet, you can do is look for a little more, that way it was not an impossible situation, especially if his ex girlfriend back immediately and that you can start contacting them too much?Even if things could be experiencing the hang-ups and, seeing how you've been reading about how much I longed for the breakup, then try to answer it again realistically.

Ex Back Quiz Brad Browning