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geshertzarmeod · 3 years

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In Other Lands Character Arcs

(Spoilers Abound)

I’m thinking about how the character arcs of all three main characters from In Other Lands center largely on moving away from what their families expected of them, even as each of them doesn’t necessarily think moving away from that is possible. And how it’s their relationships with each other that help them move in the directions they actually want to move in, and believe in their abilities to forge their own paths and lead fulfilling lives. Even if it’s not what their parents or home communities think a fulfilling life entails. This culminates in their refusal (along with Golden) at the end of the book, to let anyone else influence them when it comes to deciding where to be stationed. They’re ready to choose their own paths, together.

There’s something deeply appealing to me about this as a queer person, even as queerness (as defined by orientation or gender) is not actually a central factor in the shifting of each character’s relationship with their families. Actually, the character who comes closest to that is Serene, who is presumedly straight, but whose pushback against the rigid gendered expectations of her society so challenge her community that she and Golden are essentially banished at least for a time. This is only tangentially queer, I’d say, because she does this not for herself, as she seems to proudly fit & identify with elven womanhood, but recognizes the false limiting of manhood within her society and fights fiercely for Luke, Elliot, and eventually Golden, who I’d say is GNC for sure. For Luke, it’s not his being gay but his being monogamous and waiting longer than they expected (though he’s like, still 17!!! that’s still young!!!) to become sexually or romantically active that is off-putting to his family. For Elliot, his father is shocked not to see him with a man, but to see him happy (cue my tears).

I was just thinking this after reading Girl, Serpent, Thorn especially, but I really love when queer books parallel queer narratives of shame and struggle and difference and growing pains, with queer characters, but about issues unrelated to their being queer (especially when they’re about magical/fantasy elements). Then we get to relate to queer characters and see them process a lot of the feelings we have experienced, but also get to see them be loved and value and supported unconditionally in their queerness. Anyway, for an individual analysis:

Luke Sunborn

First, because I know a lot of people might not have read it, I’m going to quote Luke’s perspective from Wings In The Morning:

There were reasons Luke hadn’t kissed anybody. The Sunborns, as a family, loved life and loved love, and treated it as a game. It was fine for them: it worked for them.

Luke had always known that a riot of brightness and different loves and leaving someone laughing was beyond him. He wanted kindness and steadiness: he did not want someone who would leave. He wanted love that would last. (location 2527 in my kindle book, I can’t tell what page)

Luke, the Sunborn champion, expected to excel in battle, and love (read: have sex) freely and easily and non-monogamously, becoming an avid reader because of Elliot - something his father is shocked by and a little ashamed of. Learning Elvish because of both of them. Breaking border camp rules, threatening superior officers, to protect Elliot, and to support Serene, even as he continually complains about it and, on paper, would always argue that those choices are Not Okay and Very Bad. Luke, whose bashful shyness around his crushes, whose concern over his first kiss, whose choice of Elliot as a partner, is incomprehensible to his family, snapping, “I don’t want anyone else,” at the elves. He’s chosen Elliot, even as Elliot still doesn’t at all believe it at that point, and he’s happy with that decision. Elliot’s his choice, and only Elliot. Notorious Sunborn sexual voracity be damned.

Luke’s journey is also largely about him working through his external, and later internalized, biases against magical creatures. It’s pretty clearly an analog to xenophobia, and Luke expresses more disgust, disdain, or fear, the more different a culture is from the one he grew up in. This obviously becomes internalized against himself, when he realizes he is half-harpy. He literally represses his wings from coming out, he sees harpies as monsters and includes himself within this. It’s awful, and it’s sad, and it’s a mixture of Elliot’s meticulous research and adamant arguments that harpies are people, and that Luke isn’t a monster at all (and neither are harpies and other non-human creatures), and Serene’s calm acceptance of him, that helps him move through this.

This xenophobia, although clearly ingrained since childhood, don’t seem to be coming primarily from his family (certainly not from his mother) but from the culture of the borderguard in general. To me, it is implied that his father might at least casually buy into a lot of this, although he would never extend it to his son. It also is an interesting dynamic as related to the other two’s relationships with family, because Luke coming to love and accept himself, and to open his mind about non-human creatures, is actually him coming closer to his mother, rather than moving away. In my view, a part of why he bought in so clearly to this prejudice coming from the general bordercamp culture is because he was pushing away from his parents in the first place - he saw his parents being so wild and free in a way he knew he could never be that he pushed himself into the opposite side, into “reason” and restraint and conservatism. What he needed to learn was how to hold his more “traditional” wants and needs (although like, he’s kind of wrong about that. Elliott Schafer is not the traditional kind quiet love he’s imagining, and he didn’t want that anyway) while still celebrating all of the different approaches and cultures and loves out there, and that’s what he’s learning alongside Elliot and Serene. And he does this partially because Elliot’s love for him as a half-harpy is, according to his previous beliefs, just as wild and out there as his mother’s affair with his biological father, or all of Elliot’s flirting with various magical creatures. And as he accepts Elliot’s love, he accepts that too.

Serene-Heart-In-The-Chaos-of-Battle

From the first moment we meet Serene we know she ran away from home to join the border camp. She’s chosen to join the humans, to fight alongside men, to learn about the borderlands from a human perspective and use that to create an alliance and to create peace. She enters a world where she is looked down on, where she is sexualized and punished for trying to swim shirtless, and has to fight hard to take the classes she wants and have the opportunity to prove herself as she wishes. Instead of deciding her parents and community were right and going back to the elves, she digs her heels in and with Elliot and Luke’s help, fights back, fights to excel at the border camp and make things different and better, and prove her detractors wrong.

Not only that, but she learns to respect men in a way she was not raised to do, learns to treat men as equals and partners, always defending both Elliot and Luke when her community disrespects them. This prepares her for her relationship with Golden (although Elliot still helps her along a lot, especially with their written correspondence) and ends in her and Golden essentially eloping after Golden ran away to fight alongside her. It’s also important that she accepts Golden fighting alongside her. That was not at all a given, especially as even towards the middle of the book, she seems to be thinking of human men as capable of fighting and strength and other “womanly” qualities, but not necessarily believing the same of elven men. She’s chosen a nontraditional path and a GNC partner in Golden, and for the time being, her closest family is not her blood but her beautiful boyfriend, her swordsister, and her loved and loving best friend Elliot.

Elliot Schafer

Last but the opposite of least is Elliot. What Elliot learned from his family is that he will come to nothing, that he will be forgotten, and that he will not be loved. I am so angry on this child’s behalf, for the ways he was neglected not only by his parents but by everyone before Serene. The ways his father had no interest in him because all he wanted was Elliot’s mother back (and I love Elliot’s observation that even if his mother did come back, his father wouldn’t know what to do, and would not be happy). The way his teacher literally accepted a small bribe to just...... leave him at the entrance to the borderlands, and none of the students cared. The way his mother not only left when he was a child but knew who he was the second she saw or even heard about him at the bordercamp, and never bothered to tell him, or show any interest in him whatsoever.Elliot has been taught, over and over again, that he is unwanted and uncared for. That he has to go it alone, and fill his own needs.

Elliot learns to respect Commander Woodsinger and to know that while she doesn’t necessarily love him, she knows him, and appreciates who and what he is, and sees value and strength in it. She, unlike his previous teachers and school professionals, understands him, and likes him, and values him. She’s not warm, but she’s a positive presence in his life, and part of him learning to believe he has value just as he is, and not just because he spitefully decided it to go against what everyone else has told him, but because it’s actually true.

He didn’t want his parents and his peers and the adults who have let him down to be right about this, so he does dream of being loved back. But he shows himself fully prepared to be the one who loves more in relationships, especially with Serene. He’s ready, at first, to take all she’ll give him, and revel in each part of it, even if it doesn’t match up to his love for her. It’s not until the moment he turns down Serene’s final advance (when she’s clearly settling for him) that he realizes how much he wants to be chosen first. And he believes that’s possible, and worth waiting for (and that in the meantime, he will help Serene up and help her find what she truly wants too).

Elliot knows Serene loves him. She shows him he deserves love, and in his devotion to her, Elliot begins to excel and challenge himself and learn to see his brand of obnoxiousness as something that might not be everyone’s taste but isn’t inherently bad. He trusts Serene to love him, at least as a friend, but he doesn’t trust that Luke will, because Luke reminds him of all of the kids who hurt him in the past.

And that’s why the slowest arc of this whole book is probably Elliot realizing that Luke.... actually likes him. Actually wants to be around him, and enjoys his presence, and even like-likes him - loves him even. It just can’t compute for him. And so we get basically an unreliable narration for most of the book regarding Luke. Elliot’s “aha” moment about Luke rewrites years of his life, shifting his understanding of so much of their lives together. And it solidifies Elliot’s discovery that he can be loved exactly as he is, obnoxious and annoying and all. He’s found people who love him for it, and they’ve chosen him, and they’re going to stick around.

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nikakistos · 3 years

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Mikasa will kill Eren

With the series ending in only three chapters at the time of writing this meta/prediction post, i want to share my thoughts about how the battle between the Alliance and Eren will conclude. More specifically, i will analyze all the reasons that make me believe that Mikasa will kill Eren and put an end to this battle.

Mikasa’s character arc

The first important reason that made me reach to that conclusion is non other than Mikasa’s phenomenal and, in my opinion, underrated character arc. So, let’s get to know Mikasa.

Mikasa starts the story as a sheltered kid. She lives in the mountains, far away from any other kids, with her mom and dad being her only company. Her mom and dad were her entire world. She was a naive, innocent little girl who used to overlook the cruel nature of the world, focusing entirely on it’s beauty. She was content living like that with the people she loved the most, without having any grandiose dreams of her own.

And then, reality ensues. Three human traffickers kill her family and try to sell her as a sex slave. Mikasa, being only a child and alone was about to surrender. Without her family she didn’t have a place in the world. She didn’t know how to live without them.

Until Eren comes to save her. Out of the blue he kills the first two of the traffickers and unties her. However, the third one appears and disarms Eren. Before blacking out, the young boy tells Mikasa the words that later became her mantra “Fight! If you don’t win, you die. If you win, you live. If you can’t fight, you can’t win!”

That is the moment that Mikasa’s survival instincts awaken her Ackerman powers. The moment that she accepts that this world is kill or be killed and realizes it’s true nature. And the moment she learns the truth of the world she finds the strngth to kill her assailant. Mikasa kills so that she won’t be killed. And the moment her enemy falls, the old Mikasa dies.

Broken and homeless, Mikasa asks Dr.Yeager what she should do now that she had no one. How could she live on her own? She never learned how to do that. Mikasa, from the very beginning of her life, is a codependent person. She thinks that she can’t go on alone. And at this moment of sadness comes Eren and wraps a muffler around her neck to protect her from the cold. Both from the physical cold, but also from the cold, hard world that took her happiness away. He offers her a home. Their home.

From that moment onwards Eren became Mikasa’s world. He replaced her parents as her new family, alongside with his mom and dad. Mikasa, realizing that Eren was no more than a troublesome kid with a knack for getting into troubles, decides to be by his side forever and protect him. Partly out of gratitude for saving her and giving her a home, parly because it was his mom’s wish, partly because she is in love with him, but also in order to protect herself and her own peace of mind Mikasa latches onto Eren. And she makes the same mistake as before. She starts viewing Eren as a wholly good person. She keeps the image of the scarf and forgets the violence that came before. She projects onto Eren all of the beauty in the world.

After Carla’s death, Mikasa’s overprotective attitude only worsens. She resolves to follow Eren at all times and be there for him, without considering his feelings. She actually had a habit of misinterpreting his sentiments about her clingy nature quite often. Whoever threatens her life with Eren becomes an enemy. So, Mikasa, who never got over her trauma, thinks that Eren is the most important part of the world and that without him she can’t go own. To that end she joins the military, when in reality she never cared about humanity’s struggle against the titans. Mikasa was fine living an uneventful life with Eren and Armin.

However, those sentiments are not fit for a soldier. As a person who dedicated her heart for humanity’s survival, her first priority being Eren becomes a hindrance. A soldier should always put his feelings second. Fulfilling the mission should always be first. While Mikasa proves herself to be extremely effective in the Battle of Trost initially, with her stoic and direct nature saving hundreds of lives, when news of Eren’s death reach her she breaks down completely. She convinces the rest of the cadets to fight, while not being prepared to do her duty. She gives up and she is ready to die, until Eren’s memory and her desire to not forget him help her pull through and fight for her life. This marks the first instance of Mikasa’s growing maturity. She finds a reason to keep moving forward even without her family.

Mikasa is a survivor. Keep carrying on and living even after the deaths of her beloved people has always been a part of her. And this is not something that comes directly from Eren, but from her own self and love of life. Her Ackerman powers only activated due to her own survival instincts. Not from Eren’s orders. While she hasn’t realized it yet, Mikasa takes pride in being alive. In a world where only the strong survive, she feels proud of counting herself amongst them.

Of course, the revelation of Eren being alive makes Mikasa regress. She continues with her overprotective behavior and with her reckless, emotional behavior. Her desire to exact vengeance on Annie causes her to jeopardize the mission to retrieve Eren and sideline Levi. Mikasa was hurt by Annie, becaue Annie exposed her again. She showed her that she is not entirely capable of protecting Eren. She also showed her once more that fighting impulsively and allowing feelings to interfere when in a mission puts her life at risk. The first time, she was saved by Eren. The second, by Levi. So, Mikasa resolves to do better next time. She resolves to become a better soldier. Her sense of responsibility over Levi’s injury pains her and she tries to make up for it. She scolds Eren for not fighting her, despite her having killed numerous Survey Corps members. Her effots pay off and this eventually leads to Annie getting captured.

Unfortunately, Mikasa’s feelings have continued to resurface in critical moments. And those feelings did not concern Eren entirely. Despite Mikasa claiming that she only cares about a small amount of lives, specifically Armin and Eren, perhaps she hadn’t realize that she cares for far more people than she initially believed. Even after promising Levi to not make any more blunders, the only reason that Reiner and Bertholt escaped from her was the bonds she had created with them. She saw them as her comradres. She later tries to make up for her failure by trying to make the rest of her comrades see Reiner and Bertholt as enemies of humanity and prevent them from hesitating like she did and putting a tough front against Ymir, but again, the damage had already been done.

Mikasa had grown to care for more people than Eren and Armin. Mikasa during the Battle of Trost threatened Dimo Reeves who was delaying the evacuation process, because he was getting more of her comrades killed. She saved innocents and civilians. She was angry at the Female Titan for killing so many of her comrades. She created strong bonds within the 104th unit. She even showed consideration for Levi, even though she disliked him for beating up Eren. More importantly, as the series progress, Mikasa starts caring more about the world in general. The little girl who only cared about herself and her family members has now become a soldier who fights for the entire world. She even develops a sense of belonging to Paradis, viewing it as her homeland, when she wasn’t even willing to fight for the island 4 years ago. Her cold exterior starts to crumble and she opens up. She protects a child who killed one of her best friends, a stark contrast to the earlier version of Mikasa who nearly ruined a mission by trying to have her vengeance against Annie. The Mikasa who simply cared for her small world and had no ambitions of exploring the outside world easily embraces the volunteers from Marley and becomes optimistic about their intergration to Paradis. The exact opposite of Eren.

This gradual “defrosting” of Mikasa and her repeated failures, along with the realization of the inferiority feelings she was causing him to have, force Mikasa to alter her treatment of Eren. While she was constantly nagging and smothering him, she starts to become more supportive of him, encouraging him and helping him believe in himself, just like she did with Armin. Not only that, this enables her to become a better soldier as well. While the Mikasa of the first few chapters was willing to disobey orders if that meant being close to Eren, she starts trusting the leadership of Levi, whom she resented, and entrusts Eren to Armin in the Battle of Shiganshina. She understands that she has a role to play as a soldier and that Eren can take care of himself either alone or with the help of other people, without her being near. This results in a huge victory in Shiganshina.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that she has changed completely. Mikasa still refused to obey Levi’s orders and attacked him when he tried to revive Erwin instead of Armin, Despite all, her feelings for the people who are closer to her, Eren and Armin are still too strong sometimes and overpower her better judgement. However, it was at this point exactly, that Mikasa received her second warning. She has to keep moving forward with the knowledge that all the people she knows will eventually die. And she did. Mikasa did give up in the end during the Serumbowl. She has matured.

Unfortunately, Mikasa’s love for Eren is still hindering her. Even now, after all that, Mikasa’s sole dream is living with him forever. She is in love with him, even though he has commited horrible crimes that go against her values. Her introverted, shy nature plus her fear of losing him do not allow her to express her true feelings, but she does have them.

And here comes Mikasa’s greatest flaw. Despite all of her development, she still thinks that without Eren she is lost. She has no goal left. She never learned how to live as an individual and as an independent person. That’s why she believes his lies so easily. She doesn’t recognize her sense of self without him. She still ties her identity to Eren. She has all of the foundations for living as a complete and healthy human being, but her inability to separate herself from Eren is destroying her and clouding her judgement. That’s why she asks Armin what to do in chapter 125, that’s why she tries to stop Pieck from killing Eren in chapter 135, that’s why she says she won’t kill him. And most importantly for her, that’s why she couldn’t admit that she is in love with him in chapter 123. Mikasa simply cannot handle rejection from Eren. She can’t think of a future for her without him by her side. She almost reconsiles herself to loving him from afar.

It is very evident and telling from her reaction to Louise and her first talk to Annie that Mikasa is actually ashamed for prioritizing Eren over anything else and simply following his footsteps. In reality, Mikasa doesn’t want that. She wants to be her own person. She wants to be Eren’s equal, not his follower. That’s why she doesn’t wear the scarf anymore.

Well all these need to and will change. Mikasa has to put her feelings aside one more time and act as a soldier and finish off the threat to humanity. She needs to stop tying so much of herself to Eren and realize for good that she can live without him, despite wanting to be by his side forever. And in order to do all that, she has to stop lying to herself for good. She has to admit her feelings, her true feelings not solely to her, but to him as well. And judging by her own regrets, she will.

Mikasa’s character arc has her going from a happy, naive little girl, to a broken, gloomy, stoic person who only cares about a couple of people to a proper soldier who cares and fights for the entire world, friends and foes included. She opens up, makes friendships, develops a more pacifistic worldview compared to her survival mindset of old. But most importantly, she will become a normal, functioning human being.

Nature of the conflict

Moving on from Mikasa’s characters arc, i believe that the nature of the conflict of the series in and of itself points out towars Mikasa killing Eren. The first and primary conflict in the series is the fight between Humans and Titans. The world has expanded since the first chapter. The series has become more complex. And yet, in the final battle we see some people fighting to protect humanity from the hordes of titans that want to trample the remaining human race outside the walls of Paradis.

In this exact setting we have the Survey Corps, the group of people that from day one fights for humanity’s survival and liberation from the terror of the titans fughting against the biggest symbol of oppression and enslavement in the entire series. The Wall Titans.

The Scouts dreamt of an idealized world when fighting against the titans. And still, even after this world was revealed to be quiet different than they imagined, more disappointing, they still don’t give up. Because they understand that the world is a cruel place, but it also very beautiful. The person who best represents this theme in the series is none other than Mikasa Ackerman. And she is fighting for the Scouting Legion against the person who showed her both sides of the world in the same day. That person has renounced all the beauty in this world and focused only on the ugly side. And he fights for the Titans.

In a series about humans fighting against titans, Mikasa is a character associated with human strength.

While Mikasa (and the Survey Corps in general) is associated with human strength, Eren on the other hand has been constantly referred to as a monster. A devil. Something inhuman. Now of course, technically speaking Mikasa is also part titan and Eren is also part human, however this symbolism still exists.

Judging by the narrative and the themes of the series, an Eren victory is downright impossible. It just doesn’t fit for the titans to defeat humanity. The story has put so much emphasis on the creation of a better world, free of curses and hate. Eren, being the physical manifestation of both can’t win. He has to die. And in such a story, is there a better way to topple the biggest titan of all time, using the trademark weapon of humanity? That it the ODMG.

Foreshadowing

In this part, i will let the pictures do the talking. It is evident from all of them and from my previous analysis of Mikasa’s arc that a full blown conflict between her and Eren is bound to happen. And Mikasa killing Eren has been referenced way too many times for that to be a coincidence.

Every single time in this latest arc that Eren being killed is mentioned, Mikasa is at the forefront. Isayama focuses on her too much in these scenes. Considering the fact that now that Gabi has realized what the true nature of the titans is, the fact that they have wrapped the explosives around Eren’s neck, Armin going Colossal being foreshadowed over a billion times, Eren seems to be in huge danger. Killing the Source of the Titans would likely kill Eren, seeing as how he is nothing but a head without a body. And it doesn’t look like he can regenerate. Stopping the Colossals might only be possible by killing the centipede that is tied to Eren’s survival. And for all the reasons i have mentioned, i believe that Mikasa will be the one to kill it.

#snk #aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #mikasa #mikasa ackerman #eren #eren yeager #eremika #snk meta #aot meta #attack on titan final season #attack on titan season 4 #character analysis #character development #snk spoilers #attack on titan manga #attack on titan predictions #shingeki no kyojin analysis

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lightlavenders · 3 years

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Time for my Entrapdak rant (a.k.a. why Hordak was better for her than literally anyone else, a.k.a. I’m not bias I swear)

as I read through Entrapta/Hordak/princess gang discourse on this site I started to realise the reason why I loved Entrapdak so much in the first place, and I will now talk about that here (some of these points are stolen from better posts). ALSO no matter how much I shit on other characters just know this isn’t an attack of any of them. This is gonna be VERY ENTRAPTA FOCUSED.

OK SO we get introduced to Entrapta pretty early in season 1 and we get to learn a lot about her. It also quickly becomes clear that she’s neurodivergent - something confirmed to be intentional by many of the creators. Entrapta has a passion for technology, science and inventing, and (same as the previous princesses) the best friend squad decide they need her in the alliance so she can build them weapons (whICH SHE NEVER ACTUALLY DOES i think BUT THATS NOT THE POINT).

Throughout the episode though, the squad (mostly Glimmer bc she’s the one who gets to closely interact with Entrapta the most... Adora being completely out of it and Bow with the kitchen staff) seems to slowly run out of patience for her - Glimmer very obviously puts up a front of tolerance despite her frustration. This is unlike the other episodes, where all the princesses get along in the end and become best friends oh boy! So... we have our only neurodivergent character so far who isn’t really welcomed into the group the same way as the others... and her autistic behaviour is only tolerated because they need her... okay, maybe that’ll change later.

Or not? When Entrapta joins the others on the quest to save Glimmer, she is constantly infantilised by the others and not taken seriously. She runs off to study Horde tech and actually helps rescue Sea Hawk, two very helpful things, but Perfuma talks down to her like a child and PUTS HER ON A LEASH? SHE’S 30!!! SHE WAS TRYING TO HELP! And no one tells Sea Hawk off for getting lost and alerting Scorpia to their presence, which wasn’t helpful at all. Then later, Mermista says she’ll keep an eye on her “in case she decides to befriend any more robots” like okay... she isn’t a child, and she didn’t run off because she wanted to play with robots or something?

Okay, so, Entrapta is left behind, which I won’t blame them for because it definitely looked like she died (they get over it pretty quickly but I digress), and she comes across Catra. Okay! Here’s a chance for Entrapta to make a true friend, right? Or not, because Entrapta and Catra’s friendship is built entirely on manipulation. At least Scorpia was sincere.

Here Entrapta is again, in a position where she’s being used for her skills and in a we’re-sort-of-friends-but-I-only-tolerate-you-because-you’re-useful situation, with Scorpia probably being her only true friend at the moment. She starts helping out the horde, because they actually let her do what she wants and at the very least don’t treat her like a child. Then, she stumbles into Hordak’s lab.

I’m gonna say this now because I’ll get murdered if I don’t - Hordak is a bad guy. He does bad guy stuff. But so does Entrapta sometimes (I’ll talk about that later) so good morals don’t need to play into their relationship I think. It’s about how they treat each other.

At first, Hordak is very defensive and angry towards Entrapta, as he would be to anyone coming in to his lab without permission and discovering his secret portal project. But then she fixes said portal and he immediately sees her as an intellectual equal. Again, Entrapta has had to prove herself to someone by making herself useful, but it actually goes further. ALSO can I say how Hordak is the ONLY person who interacts directly with Entrapta who doesn’t treat her like a child or emotionally manipulate her, with the exception of Wrong Hordak, Emily, and Imp of all characters... Even Scorpia is guilty of this later.

So, Entrapta and Hordak start working together, and Entrapta is obviously very excited to have someone treat her as an equal (they’re lab partners!!). On top of that, Hordak is also happy to have someone he can actually trust. Catra and Scorpia at separate times both remark on how Entrapta spends all of her time with him now, and who can fucking blame her when he’s the only one that has literally spent all this time growing close to her and understanding her as a person, not just using her, not just tolerating her, not talking down to her constantly. Hordak opens up his trauma to Entrapta and she responds by opening up a bit in return, literally saying that she doesn’t fit in and that Catra doesn’t even talk to her anymore. They are obviously comfortable around each other, and if Hordak was manipulating her, then why was he so distraught when she was taken away? Why did he CRY??? Why did he consider giving up on his life’s purpose and abandoning what is essentially his god for her???

Anyway, stuff happens, and Entrapta shows that she isn’t the irresponsible child everyone thinks she is by agreeing to shut off the portal. But of course, Catra betrays her and sends her away. To die. How nice. Catra tells Hordak that Entrapta betrayed him, and instead of flipping out and turning all Hal Stewart incel “if I can’t have you no one can” he just gets sad... and then later all he really wants is to see her again, even if it is on the battlefield. I’m not sure what he would’ve done so we can’t say for sure, but I seriously doubt he wanted to hurt her.

sidenote - I’m not gonna blame Scorpia for letting Catra doing this, Scorpia had her own shit going on and was essentially trapped in an abusive relationship and she also later makes up for letting Entrapta down by getting her rescued

SO then the best friend squad go to save her from Beast Island, and she’s literally completely given up. Gee, I wonder why. Could it be because it seems like every friend she’s ever had has abandoned her, scolded her, or outright zapped her unconscious and sent her to die in a monster filled island? But the squad save her and affirm to her that they didn’t give up on her and that they’re still her friends. Actions speak louder than words, guys, but okay, cool! To Bow and Adora’s credit, they were the least patronising and mean out of anyone... so, that’s something. Anyway! Affirmations! Some respect from her friends! I hope this lasts...

It didn’t! Season 5, Entrapta goes along with the others to help find out where Glimmer is. Here is where I quickly have to say something - Entrapta does indeed make some ‘evil’ and stupid decisions sometimes - hacking the black garnet, building robots that attack her old friends, walking out absentmindedly in front of a robot and compromising her team. Some of these things can be explained by her neurodivergence, but do not always justify it. That being said. Entrapta is not evil, she is not stupid, and her “weirdness” does not give her friends the excuse to treat her like a child.

Here’s where it gets bad!! Perfuma puts Entrapta on a leash AGAIN!!!!!! WHAT? Writers? Wyd?? Not only this, but the others talk about her behind her back, and then scold her without any consideration for how she, as a neurodivergent person, was interpreting the situation. They could’ve explained their feelings to her in a calm way, instead of shunning her and expecting her to pick up on their cues, then exploding at her when they didn’t. THEN THEY CALL HER A BAD FRIEND.... and I feel hypocrisy in this chili’s tonight... and then Scorpia... doesn’t say anything? Girl help. Ik we can’t totally blame her since she was new to the squad and probably didn’t wanna get kicked out or yelled at like with Catra, but please... that is your friend...say something. also why did mermista need to pull her hair and then later say “you’re still a weirdo” like what. why do people ship them? because mermista cried when entrapta ‘died’? Okay??

I think Entrapta actually goes through some character development after this which is pretty cool - she outwardly expresses her concern for Glimmer, which is affirming to her friends the squad, and later at the end of the series, intentionally keeps herself focused during the most high stakes moment instead of running off. I’m not qualified to talk about if these traits, which could be considered traits of autistic people, deserve to be treated as flaws to be fixed, that’s a whole other bag of worms, but yay character development.

Finally, at the end, Hordak properly reunites with Entrapta and he decides to rebel against his creator and his purpose to save her life, showing that Entrapta, and their connection, is his priority now. And once Adora saves Hordak from Prime (thanks Adora), the two finally reunite in a spinning hug - that is literally the most physical contact either of them have had with anyone, how could anyone not believe in their connection and mutual trust???

Mermista gives us one last jab, an understandable one considering Hordak was conquering their planet for years on end, but still - “so, are we all just like, okay with this?” yes girl, we are. He’s literally the only one who ever treated her with real respect and love, the only one who ever prioritised her.

I know some people are gonna be like “just ship her with wrong Hordak” and if you really like that... go ahead I guess? But do we need to force a clone who just got control of his own mind into a relationship, or a girl who is very much in love with someone else into a relationship with one of her friends? You can do what you want though, it’s literally fine, I’m the one who just spent over 1500 words talking about why a 30 year old science woman should go out with an alien warlord.

In conclusion - Hordak and Entrapta deserve each other, because Entrapta deserves someone who treats her right, and I love her.

#entrapdak #entrapta and hordak #entrapdak discourse #entrapta #hordak #i had to include a megamind reference #She Ra #SPOP #big ol post #she ra and the princesses of power #i spent so long on this

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miraculouscontent · 3 years

Text

Didn’t Need Burrow (May 23rd-25th)

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Astruc admitted Sabine was based on an ex and Marinette is what he imagined their daughter to be like. He later admits Audrey was based on an ex and Chloe is what he imagined their daughter would be like. Despite moving on, he still bitter and created two teen girls as "payback" against his exes.

The whole “virtual daughter” thing still squicks me out.

Also, I don’t actually take “Didn’t Need Burrows” referring specifically to the staff/fandom since that’s outside of the show, but I also definitely think about them all the time and like sticking them in here.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Building off of the "Adrien knows about Marinette's crush on him and tells Plagg about it" Burrow, Plagg will point out to Adrien that this is a bad idea and what he is doing is wrong and that Adrien is leading Marinette on so as to stroke his own ego. He will not be listened to, and the show portray him as in the wrong, despite him being right, because anybody who stands up for Marinette's agency deserves to be shut down. In the meantime, Adrien will be allowed to continue

Bonus if Plagg will be considered “wrong” because Adrien not leading Marinette on would lead to him being sAd because Marinette isn’t fawning over him anymore (as if he doesn’t have a million fans).

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Zoe will be presented not only as "Chloe if she was good person", but also as "Marinette if she wasn't constantly making mistakes"

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Zoe will be basically Marinette if "Marinette's Mistake of the Week" formula never existed.

Sounds about right.

Amazing what can happen when the show doesn’t have a gun to your head telling you to make mistakes in every episode.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: The show delves into a shitty harem as the writers forget that Adrien is not the main character. Who knows, maybe Zoe will join the harem.

The only reason I feel like Zoe wouldn’t be a part of Adrien’s harem is so she can ship the love square.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: There will be Animaestro-type episode where Marinette "makes alliance" with (read: is manipulated by) Chloe or Lila against Zoe. In the end she is only one punished, while her "partner in crime" (or rather person who manipulated her) walks away completely scot-free.

To the surprise of no one. Can’t have the antagonists be punished, because that would make sense.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: (narrative-wise) Agreste's family drama and Bourgeois's sisters drama will overshadow whatever Marinette character arc will be in season 4.

I’m taking this a step further and saying that Marinette in generall will keep having her plots/”arcs” overshadowed by everyone else.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Marinette will be akumatized. She will be easily defeated due to "bond" between Chat Noir and Temporary Ladybug Zoe. This will be presented like Ladybug's constant refuse to "bond" with Chat Noir was reason why their fights with Akumatized Villains are so hard. (bonus: This episode will be followed by a group of fans that would state that Zoe should replace Marinette as Ladybug Miraculous Holder and not Chloe as Bee Miraculous Holder.)

Uggggh, I’m always waiting for the “love square magical bond” garbage.

Also, the bonus reminds me of the fact that I don’t understand people who hate on both Marinette and Luka but continue to ship the love square. Like, wouldn’t they want to ship Adrien with someone “””worthy””” of him??

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: If Marinette akumatization has Miracle Queen-type set-up, Chat Noir will quickly defeat her and whatever all other Miraculous Holders alone (or optionally supported by Temporary Ladybug Zoe). This will be presented by narrattive as proof of why Chat Noir is Brawn in Ladybug-Chat Noir duo. (Bonus: After that episode Adrien stans will make mass of "I hope this will shut up everyone who think that Chat Noir is useless/weaker than Ladybug/etc." type posts)

At this point, I’ve just grown numb to Chat suddenly being able to do things that don’t make sense for him.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Temporary Ladybug Zoe

Okay but is she keeping the black highlights or do they turn red. These are important questions.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Kagami will be changed (ret-conned) into Adrienette (or other Love Square's part) shipper after "Lies"

Something similar is already on the card so that’s fun. :’3

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Zoe, not Marinette, will be wearing that dress from the Season 4 Concept Art.

*eye twitch*

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Rena Rogue will be appearing even when she isn't needed to defeat Akuma of the Week. This will be probably used to justify Chat Noir's increasing resent up towards Ladybug and (probably) consequent reversal of Love Square.

anything: *happens*

Chat Noir: bad Ladybug

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Ending: Marinette will willingly sacrifice herself to wake up from coma/ressurect Emilie. Both Adrien and Gabriel will be happy that Emilie is back. Adrien will have his happy relationship/ending with Zoe whom personality is (or was ret-conned into) "Marinette in anything but name". (Bonus points: if everyone behave like Marinette never existed after Emilie revival)

I’m sad.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: If Akuma of the Week isn't Reflekta/Mr Pigeon/Gigantitan/etc,.Pig Miraculous"s "Gift" power will basically fail and only make current Akumatized Villain angrier and more determined to achieve his goal, basically restarting whole fight against Akuma.

PIGELLA NO

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Lila will never react to Zoe becoming more popular than her

I imagine Zoe isn’t the same age as Chloe since they’re not twins, so Zoe at least won’t be in Bustier’s class.

Now, if they make her a Lila slave, then we’ll see.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow to know that Marinette is going to hate Zoe for being related to Chloe and this will be limited to her or she'll be the only one scolded for it (likely by Adrien), because you can't hate someone for who they're related to (which actually is a good lesson but ml will probably f it up somehow).

I feel like the writers just look at a character and go, “okay, how can we engineer them in a way for Marinette to mess up around them?

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need Burrow - Chat will find out Rena Rouge knows her identity and becomes angry bc "You and me against the world, m'lady." This will cause one episode of Adrienette becoming closer and Ladynoir drifting apart before Chat magically forgives her like it was no big deal after she makes a huge gesture to get him back.

You’d think they’d have worn out the reset button by now...

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need burrow: one of two things will happen, either Adrien will try to help Luka get back together with Marinette (basically the same plot as Mr. pigeon 72) or the relationship will not be brought up ever again and Mari and Luka don't really directly interact with each other anymore

“Bonus” if Adrien is “taught a lesson” that he shouldn’t meddle, and it’s only because he chose to meddle in Lukanette. “Double bonus” if his attempts actually get Lukanette back together but this is presented as a bad thing (for some reason)..

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Zoe will be(e)come pernament Bee Miraculous Holder.

This won’t be added because I think we already got official confirmation on this?

Oh, or do you mean “permanent” as in her keeping the miraculous eventually?

edit: yes, that’s what they meant (also, A+ pun)

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Every Miraculous Holder introduced in Season 4 will be will lose right to their Miraculous, except Zoe/Vesperia.

lol me just imagining them struggling over either making models or trying to not use those miraculouses anymore.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Luka will be forced to say Adrien and Marinette are perfect for each other in "Optigami".

Wow, show, why don’t you just prove more that you’re purposefully pointing out that you’re giving Marinette a grand total of One “Obvious” Option.

Anonymous asked:

Unsure if this one has been sent yet but | Didn't Need Burrow: Alya is going to continue Marinette to pursue Adrien even after Marinette broke down and said she doesn't have time for love right now.

We have some similar ones I think.

“Marinette’s feelings towards moving on are invalidated/ignored by one of her “friends” to push for the Love Square“

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Sandboy 2.0: Ladybug's nightmare will be about Chat Noir abandoning/hating her

I was dumb enough to raise an eyebrow at this like, “Would they really reuse akum--oh wait.”

Anonymous asked:

I'm gonna try and go for a good Didn't Need Burrow: WHen Sole Crusher gets Marinette we'll either get a lovely King Kong moment between them, or Chat Noir will come in and save her (and it'll possibly be a moment of reverse love square).

If they have Marinette doing the cliche “crushing because they got saved” I’m gonna throw hands.

Anonymous asked:

Don't need to burrow:

Marinette will never have a heart to heart with Luka revealing she's Ladybug or even explain the reason for their breakup.

Just gonna slap a big asterisk on this because it’s like:

*despite Luka being an obvious choice and they could’ve worked out the issue but the show is afraid of the side ship they’ve created working out better than the love square itself

Anonymous asked:

Don't need to Burrow: For Optigami, the episode will barely or never acknowledge Luka's and Marinette's relationship/breakup. It will be ignored and we won't have any cute Lukanette moments. As long as Adrien is in the picture, Luka will be always sidelined.

Honestly that last one is basically one of the commandments of this show.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Lila will now only appear in cameos (probably without even any voice lines).

show writers, shoving Lila under a rug: Leela Ransai?? Never heard of him.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Since Lukanette is over, Luka can be ret-conned from show. Everyone will behave like he never existed at all (and Lukanette never hapenned).

We at least know that Luka now appears in a later episode, but this could easily be worded as “Luka can be retconned away from being Marinette’s love interest and everyone will act like he and Marinette aren’t that close or never made soft eyes at each other.”

Except I wouldn’t count on Lukanette being retconned because that would stop the show from being allowed to make Marinette feel bad and guilty and possibly cause another akuma over it, plus possibly Luka “rejecting” his feelings for her and thus making her feel worse that he sees her in a lesser light.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: There will be an episode that will break "Mr Pigeon" episode record of "Don't Need a Burrow" and close calls.

Not gonna lie, I would be legitimately impressed if that happened. I’m just wondering what predictions would be mashed together to make it as such.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow to know that Zoey (I heard somewhere that that’s how her name is going to be in America, it might be wrong), is going to get involved in the love square somehow.

Bonus:

Or she will replace Kagami’s role as Marinette’s friendly rival, and when her heart gets broken Marinette will be the one to blame, for no reason, like always. Or she will have an interest in Marinette, since it seems they are going to be close friends, only for Marinette to put her in the friend zone, and she gets akumatized. People will blame Marinette for giving false hopes to the girl, even though, she never acted different than how a friend would act.

All girls exist to comment/have an opinion on the love square, obviously, and they’re antagonists/villains if they have a negative opinion on it.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Writers will use Alya bashing concept of Alya proposing Lila as potential new Miraculous Holder. Marinette will obviously refuse, but due to fact that Lila is suddenly ret-conned into being good person this is Marinette's Mistake of the Week. She will repair it by making Lila pernament Miraulous Holder

Waiting for the one episode long Lila redemption...

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Sabrina will be redeemed. She will change from Chloe's servant... to Zoe's servant.

and it’s fine of course because Zoe and Sabrina are best friends and Sabrina is doing this all happily and willingly.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Alya will be changed into basically Marinette's Guardianship mentor

Somehow, this is one of the ones I hate the most because it seems accurate so far.

#((''Sole Crusher'' airing in a bit so needed to get this out now.))#((''Mr. Pigeon 72'' is such trash for most of it so I wanna salt but after seeing the trailer for ''Optigami'' BOYYYY))#((better to wait it out.))#((Four episodes in a week and my brain is mush.))#Didn't Need Burrow #((I'll put these on the spreadsheet later. I'm tired.))

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gwynrielendgame · 3 years

Text

Nyx x Tamlin’s daughter part 3

Y’all cannot stop me from writing this series 😭😭I want to write more gwynriel, but the thought of a love triangle has angered me once again, so my hyper fixation has transferred elsewhere.

If you have any suggestion for future fics leave a comment below.

"Do you think mates are as rare as the Fae say? Everyone in my life seems to have a mate, yet lore claims it to be rare." Nyx turned his head from his spot next to Isa in the meadow. They laid right next to each other as they stared up at the sky. Close enough to touch, yet not feeling it necessary in the moment.

"That iz odd that your entire family iz mated." She laughed. "Your family are the only mates I have ever met, so I would say it iz rare for everyone except them." He sighed deeply.

"What troubles you?" Isa turned her head away from the sky to look at Nyx.

"What if I never get a mate?"

"Then you never get a mate."

"Isa, I am being serious right now." He groaned as he lifted himself up onto his elbows, so that he could look at her without the grass getting in the way.

"I am too. It will happen or it will not happen. No point in fretting over it." She shrugged as if it truly did not bother her. Nyx did not understand her.

"You really do not care if you ever find a mate?"

"I do not need a mate to find love or pleasure."

"But what if you find your mate while with someone else?" He felt the need to point out. He could not love someone while his mate was still out there. Nyx thought it selfish to love someone with the knowledge they were not his mate. What would they do once he did find his mate? What would he do?

"Like my father and your mother?" Isa raised an eyebrow at this.

"Well not exactly like that, but yes I suppose." Nyx laid himself back on the grass and looked back up at the sky. Isa turned her head away after a minute as well.

"Well if they were truly my mate, then they would wait for me. And if the person I was with is not my mate, then fate has us ending at some point, no? I would let everything occur naturally I suppose."

"If you were my mom, would you have left Tamlin for my father if he had not been awful?" Nyx had always been curious about Isa's opinion on the matter. She always seemed so spiteful of Feyre that perhaps she had heard a different story than what Nyx knew to be true.

"Yes. I would have found myself unhappy with life as a wife. I was made for so much more than that." She let out a deep sigh. Nyx contemplated her answer. He supposed that to be true. He could not imagine Isa playing house wife to anyone, but especially one that expected her to pop out babies and display herself only when beneficial to them.

"Would you ever marry?" He asked. She seemed quick to offer a marriage proposal to Nyx when they first met, but that had obviously been a joke.

"For love?" She shrugged. "I am far more likely to marry for political power than I am for love. I am strides behind with alliances among the seven high lords. When I take power the Spring Court will be weak simply because I am unknown of. Other courts will test my strength and intelligence."

"That is strategic." He also felt it was sad. She clearly was not a romantic at heart like he was. "I want more from life than power. I want what my parents have. Is that too much to ask for?" Nyx found himself frustrated with the fact that he had not found his mate yet. He had to keep reminding himself that it took his father five hundred years and his grandfather nine hundred years. It might make him mad if he had to wait that long though.

"I shall pray to the spirits about it."

"About what?"

A noise interrupted them before she could respond. Both of them stood quickly to surveil their surroundings. They saw nothing, but moved to put their backs to each other so that they could not be blindsided. Isa pulled her two short swords from their sheaths as Nyx prepared his ax and shield.

"What was that?" He whispered to her. She shushed him as they turned simultaneously with their backs still firmly placed together.

"Let's get out of here." She finally responded back but before he could respond a figured winnowed right in front of each of them and blew a powdery substance onto them. They winnowed away again just as Isa lifted one sword.

"Shit." She muttered. Nyx tried to winnow only to discover that he could not. Fucking faebane he thought. Nyx's hand went slack around his ax, and then a group of six males approached them. They came at them from Isa's side so Nyx turned to face the males. He stumbled a bit. The line of Fae males stopped about twenty paces away. Nyx did not recognize them. It was possible that Isa did, but she did not say otherwise as they stood across from them. Each male was armed with a weapon and a shield.

"I will take the three on the left. You got the other three?" She asked. He did not respond as she ran towards them. He wanted to wait to let them make the first move, but after she started running, the assailants came forward as well.

He seemed caught in a trance, watching Isa fight. One of her swords clashed with the tallest male while she simultaneously swiped at another one of the fighters. The tallest one swung his arm out, almost decapitating Isa, but she bent backward at the last second. She sliced an artery in one of their legs before checking her surroundings. Nyx assumed she was looking for him, but he had not yet moved for some reason. The second of distraction allowed for the tall one to cut her arm. It was so deep that Nyx swore he could see the bone all the way from here. The only acknowledgment of pain from Isa was a grunt, and then she ran her sword right through him. Nyx was jostled from his trance by an approaching fighter. Surprisingly, he walked up to him at a leisurely pace. Isa, once again, glanced back.

"Nyx!" She shouted as the male lifted his weapon. Isa tried to run back towards Nyx, but was tackled to the ground as she started to flee. Right before the male delivered the killing blow, his face started to droop. Nyx stared in horror as his face appeared to be melting off. The assailant went to grab at his face as he stumbled away from Nyx. His screams would haunt Nyx's nightmares for a very long time after this. He looked for Isa again. She was slicing the neck of one of the males on his knees. To his surprise though, her tattoos were glowing. She used witch magic, he realized.

"Move your ass, Nyx." She shouted from where she engaged all three males.

He continued to find himself surprised that they focused all their attention on her. He was not proving to be much of a threat, he supposed. He willed himself to move towards Isa, but something stopped him. He wanted to help his friend, he truly did. Her use of blood magic made things complicated. He did not want to be associated with the mayhem that was bound to be the consequences of it. As she took out her fourth male, the last two winnowed away. He watched her take a deep breathe of relief. Their eyes made contact, but before she could start berating him, the males reappeared right in front of Nyx.

"Fight!" Isa shouted. Nyx assumed his reflexes were worse than he originally thought because he did not move a muscle. The males smiled at each other and then they burst in flames. It horrified Nyx to watch them burn, to hear their pleas and screams. He could do nothing to stop it. He flicked his eyes to Isa as she intently watched the burning men. Her tattoos were glowing still, and she was reciting something. He could not hear her, but watched as her lips moved. After what felt like an eternity, the males were nothing but ash. He could hear their screams echoing in his ears though.

"Vat da fook vaz dat?"

It was the thickest he had ever heard her accent which meant she was spitting mad. He could not necessarily fault her for her anger, but he was in shock. Even in war, he had not quite seen brutality to that extent in a fight. Nyx continued to stare at the body with the face that Isa melted off. His eyes flickered back to her. She was breathing heavily and had a deep cut on her arm that she was now trying to twist around with a ripped piece of cloth from her dress. Her tattoos were no longer glowing, but several new ones appeared on her hands and fingers. They looked similar to her others, but now they were bright red and irritated as if someone had scratched them into her skin instead of tattooing ink. She wiped sweat and dirt away from her forehead and roughly pulled her hair away from her bruised face in a messy updo.

"Are you actually insane?" Isa asked.

She was more composed now as she slipped into strategic mode. She was planning on what to do now since Nyx was obviously going to be of no assistance and they could not winnow for probably a few more hours. He continued to stare at the bodies, thinking of how easy it seemed for her to do this. Even now, she seemed unbothered.

"I mean when Lucien said you were a mediocre fighter, I assumed that meant you vould at least fight. Not just stand there as I did all the work."

She was digging through all their pockets rather roughly. She was looking for any identifying information from their attackers, but it only managed to annoy Nyx. She did not have any respect for the dead if this was how she handled their bodies.

"You melted his face off." Was all he could say. Her head snapped up to glare at him harder than she ever had anyone else. She was upon him in an instant, shoving him by his shoulders.

"To save your unhelpful ass!" She screeched.

"You set these two on fire!"

"Well I apologize that in the heat of battle I did not consider more humane methods of death." She turned to walk away.

"My father was right." He muttered to himself. Isa stopped cold in her tracks, slowly turning around. Her face was void of emotion.

"Say that again." Her voice was deathly calm. It unnerved Nyx after what he had just witnessed.

"You have claimed that witch magic is not malevolent. Clearly, your definition is a bit skewed."

"I make no apologies for how I save the people I love. And you have no right to pass judgement when you just stood there and watched! You vould have let them butcher me, yet I am the immoral one?"

They both recognized what she accidentally admitted but neither of them was willing to call attention to it or address it.

"Why did it have to be like that though? You could have used any method."

"That iz not how it works." She grabbed at her hair, clearly frustrated. "I request the help from the spirits and they oblige. I do not get a choice in the manner of their help. But trust me, it iz not without a price."

"What is the price for this?"

She pursed her lips. She would not tell him what she must give for saving both of their lives.

"You have been waiting to throw this back in my face, no? Waiting for one moment where you could prove your parents were not in the wrong?" Isa was pacing back and forth at this point, but her tattoos had finally stopped glowing.

"Trust me, I never expected something like this from you." Nyx spat at her. He wanted to reel in his anger. However, he found it almost impossible.

"Do not zit on your high horse and pretend your father would not have done the exact same thing for your mother."

"We are not my parents." He reminded her. She tried to compose herself before Nyx could see her reaction. Unfortunately for her, she was not fast enough. Nyx watched her flinch at his vehement response.

"Vell you are certainly right about that. Neither of your parents would have stood and vatched as the other risked their life."

He had no excuse for why he stood there. Normally, he would have fought side by side with her. He had fought in battles before and he thought he had seen all the evils war had to offer. This was a completely different level. While they had been outnumbered, the males were unskilled and untrained. Isa could have held them off alone with no magic. It may have required more effort, but Nyx believed any magic was unnecessary. As much as he wanted to help, for some reason his body refused to move. The faebane the attackers used did not allow for them to winnow away, but Nyx had never heard of it impacting the body physically.

"You could have shape shifted." She laughed almost hysterically at that.

"If you knew what my other form vaz, you vould realize that death by it vould not be lezz brutal."

He shook his head and finally moved from his position. He started scouting the area to make sure there were no more assailants hiding anywhere.

"Oh, zo now you are helpful?" It was full of sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. She plopped herself down on the ground and closed her eyes.

Nyx was not exactly sure why he was so angry. Perhaps it was because he felt embarrassed that she saved both of them while he stood there like a statue. Perhaps he felt lied to like everything she had ever defended was really just a scheme to win over the Night Court. But truly? It had more to do with the fact that if he had aided Isa, she would not have felt the need to use her witch magic.

"Damn-ti your parents to come retrieve us." She demanded after laying down on the grass and covering her eyes with the crook of her arm to block out the sun.

Now why could he not think of that before? Just another thought to make him feel guilty. He almost corrected her enunciation like he normally did, but he stopped himself in the last second.

"Oh and next time, a zimple thank you vould suvice."

***

"What the hell happened?" Tamlin shouted as Feyre and Rhysand winnowed in Isa and Nyx. Isa was looking worse for wear, but since neither of the children were talking, the high lord and lady did not have an answer. Tamlin zeroed in on Isa's hands and the new tattoos that were present.

"Oh Isa," his voice changed and was suddenly much graver than it had been. "What have you done?"

"Vat I had to." She snapped as she dropped herself down on the couch in Tamlin's study. She was exhausted after the fight and just wanted to sleep.

"Well you look fucking fine." Tamlin turned his glare to Nyx from where he stood in front of his desk. "Care to explain why you leave with my daughter in perfect condition, and return her home on the brink of collapse?"

Nyx clenched his jaw. He did not want to say anything in front of Tamlin or his daughter. He wanted to go home and talk to his parents. Though, his parents kept giving him nervous glances, so he was unsure if they would be willing to do that right about now.

"Just leave it." Isa muttered. Her eyes were closed with her good arm thrown over her face. Rhysand scanned Isa's entire body. His eyes rested on her hands like Tamlin's had.

"What did you give? To protect our son?" His voice was soft and his eyes were sad. He must have known more than Nyx about potential consequences of witch magic. Feyre sat next to Isa on the couch to grab her hand. Nyx was confused by his parents change of heart where Isa was concerned. Previously, they had always been antagonistic towards her, but now they were being...soft.

"My first born." She muttered. Feyre sucked in a harsh breath as Tamlin closed his eyes in frustration. Nyx did not know how to feel. She was willing to give up her first child for him? He felt that only proved his point further. What kind of female was willing to give up a future child for a male she barely knew just three months ago? And one that was not even her mate? Nyx furrowed his brow.

"I never asked you to do that." He defended, but he was only met with three pairs of glaring eyes that told him to remain quiet. Isa must have been exhausted though because her response was understanding.

"I know."

Tamlin did not understand, however. He pounded his fist on the desk.

"Isabelle, you are my only offspring. It is your responsibility to continue the family line. There will be no one to succeed after you die, if you do not conceive multiple children. You know how difficult this is for the fae." Something he said ignited a fire in Isa. She immediately sat up from the couch to glare at her father.

"That iz not a fair responsibility to put on me! You could have more children! All you would have to do iz stick it in a different woman everyday until one stuck."

"Isabelle, watch your mouth." He scolded her as though she were a child. Tamlin walked back around the desk and took a seat. Isa took a long, deep breath before speaking again.

"I do not," she paused nervously, looking around. "Think I vant children." She finished. Isa rubbed her hands together in a way that she normally did when she felt anxious. Suddenly, Nyx felt his parents and him should not be here for this conversation. It felt private. Nyx never knew Isa may not want children. They had never really discussed it, but had assumed- as much as Tamlin did, apparently- that she would have at least one to continue the line.

"Oh." Tamlin awkwardly shifted in his chair. He made eye contact with Feyre and tried to motion to her to say some words of comfort. Feyre patted Isa's arm gently.

"You might change your mind once you find your mate?" Feyre offered unhelpfully. Tamlin put her on the spot and she was unsure what words of comfort Isa may be seeking. Those were not it if her reaction was anything to go by. She huffed loudly.

"Does not matter now, no? I cannot have children without sacrificing the first one which I vill not do. Besides, I am no mare meant for breeding. I vas meant for something more than being stuck at home caring for and nurturing a child."

"That is hardly a fair assessment of motherhood Isa." Feyre shook her head as she said this. "You can still do great things and be a mother."

"Are you to tell me that you took trips to the Court of nightmares to handle izzues while Rhysand stayed home and breastfed Nyx?" Isa raised her eyebrows at his mother. "That you vere able train amongst Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel while pregnant? Vould you have ever earned the title 'cursebreaker' if you had been a mother at the time?"

"Motherhood is not without challenge." Feyre once again defended.

"And that is what I speak of. I do not want challenge. I have too many obstacles to overcome as it is. I do not want to add the obligation of a child to that." Isa pulled at her hair. Nyx felt it best that he stay quiet. There were too many emotions flying as it was, no need to add fuel to the fire.

"Enough." Tamlin declared. "Isa, you are right. I should never have put that responsibility on you. I could just as easily have another child."

Isa let out a breathe in relief. Nyx could see that she feared disappointing her father. He wondered if she would have had multiple children if Tamlin had insisted on it. Luckily for Isa, Tamlin seemed to have changed his ways from when his mother and him were together.

"I think it is best if you were to leave." Tamlin suggested as he stared at Nyx's parents. "I need to check on Isa's wounds and continue this conversation...privately." Feyre nodded before walking over to where Rhysand stood.

"Thank you again, Isa." Rhys murmured before grabbing both wife and son and winnowing away.

"Thank fuck." Is all Isa managed to say.

#nyx acotar #tamlins daughter #tamlin #rhysand #feyre archeron #acotar

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ourneverendingpossibilities · 3 years

Text

Amnesia (2/2)

Anime: Bleach Pairing: Grimmjow Jaegerjaques x reader Rating: M (For language and implied themes) A/N: So here’s the second part!! If I had the patience, it would’ve been one long fic like I had intended.. But my brain was not working and I wanted to post the first half.. I love when my brain does these things... Anyway, I hope you all like! Can also be found on my AO3! Merry Christmas @oi-taigaaaaa ! __________________

The desert sands brush against her bare skin.. Her clothing was tattered around her, and she clung to herself as if she could shield some of the pain. The mask on her face was broken in places it shouldn't have been, but she didn't have the energy to heal herself... Better yet, she couldn't, because she was currently under attack. Why couldn't she defend herself better? What kind of life did she live before becoming this...??

_____ was at a loss for words..

It wasn't until she felt another presence, one that was strong, but warm, did she even attempt to lift her head. But her eyes remained closed, scared to open in fear of what she would see... Why was she here?? Stuck in purgatory without a companion...?

"Oi.... You're not dead, are you?"

The voice, distorted but warm, oh so very warm, made ____ open her eyes.. She was greeted by another arrancar... But he was the shape of a panther... A gorgeous, beautiful panther... His muzzle was covered in blood, and she turns to look at the other creature, dead and lifeless.. Her eyes immediately return to the being in front of her, and she opens her mouth, but nothing comes out....

"Do you have a name, or am I just going to abandon you here?"

She doesn't understand why this being is interested in her, or why he feels so familiar... But she swallows the lump in her throat, letting her arm fall beside her. She feels she can let her guard down a little; he hasn't finished her off yet.

"_-____." she murmurs, meeting those fierce blue hues head on. He moves closer to her, and takes a sniff, causing ____ to flush a little.. Well, stiffen is the accurate description. "W....What are you-?"

"Good... You're not weak." he states, nudging her arm before turning around. He sits in front of her, tail swishing in the sand as he keeps an eye out for any hollows who dare attack. "Heal yourself, girl... Then eat the rest of the hollow and prove your worth to me... Otherwise, I'll kill you and devour you myself."

____ didn't understand why this... Panther hollow would want her to stay with him... But she can only nod her head, realizing he can't see and begins to heal herself. She moves to the dead hollow, about to take a bite when she looks at his face, a curious expression hidden behind her ox mask.

"What's your name... Arrancar? If I'm to pledge my alliance to you, I need to know what to call you."

He lets out a snort of sorts, casting her one last glance, before staring straight ahead.

"Grimmjow... Grimmjow Jaegerjaques."

She swallows the lump in her throat, ignoring the longing emotion clinging to her... She thinks she may know this arrancar in another life... But her memories are hazy, and trying to think about it only causes her pain... She finishes off the hollow, cleaning her face of the blood as she bows beside him, resting a hand on her chest.

"I look forward to serving you... Grimmjow-sama."

___________________

She feels herself roll out of bed, rubbing the back of her head as it hits the ground... What the hell?? Is she a child waking up from a bad nightmare?? She finds herself leaning against the mattress, resting her head against the edge as she lets out a sigh... Grimmjow.... The dream, she had called a panther like hollow, "Grimmjow"... That can't be the same Grimmjow that manhandled her the other day...

Could it?

She rubs her face, trying to understand why he was so angry.... Why he would blame Ichigo for her not knowing who he was?? She never saw that man in her life!! Even if she has met him before, and knew him...

Someone as handsome as him could NEVER be forgotten...

Her cheeks flare up, and she lets out an irritated groan... Right... Ever since she has been in Urahara's care, her hollow emotions have started to take shape in the form of human emotions... Things she shouldn't feel when she was an Arrancar, like sadness, and guilt, are now things she's experiencing... She hates it... Just wants to return to her arrancar ways of feeling nothing.

But she's always felt something.

Otherwise, she couldn't heal... And not many arrancars of Aizen's army had that power. But she did... And yet, he never used her powers.. Because he didn't know she had them. He never got the chance to find out. She just can't remember why; and it continues to haunt her. Her time in Hueco Mundo was long, but she finds that there are memories she doesn't remember, things she should know, but doesn't. She's asked Urahara what Grimmjow was talking about after he left. But she wasn't given an answer, and he'd sent her on an errand with Orihime, leaving her confused and empty.

Grimmjow....

Why does that name continue to haunt her, and why does she feel he was the piece she was missing?

__________________________

"Grimmjow-sama?"

He lets out a grunt; as if telling her he was listening. His head is resting in her lap, and they're laying together curled around a fire she made during these chilly nights.

"Why did you let me live ? You could've killed me and continued on your path to becoming a Vasto Lorde."

His ears flicker, and his eyes open slightly, staring down at the white sand. His paw shifts, and his attention remains on the fire, but he knows she's waiting for an answer. Why did he leave her alive?? It would've been simple to just finish her off and continue on without a companion... and yet; she's here with him, keeping him company during these dreary and barren times...

"The path to being a Vasto Lorde is a long one, and I decided you were worth keeping alive..." he states lazily, closing his eyes once more. "Besides, you didn't want to die. And I'm not one for killing those who have fight left in them, but aren't at full strength."

He hears the hitch in her breath, before a light rumble vibrates under his chin. He opens an eye, and looks up to see her stifling a laugh... How dare she laugh?

"What's so funny?!"

She shakes her head, turning her eyes to look at him, gently stroking his cheek, "I didn't think you were a beast who understood what it means to fight on equal grounds.."

He startles her by knocking her on her back, blue hues glinting in the fire as he sneers at her. His paws pin her down, and his tail swishes, licking his lips at their position. He's the one in control.

"You dare to challenge me, princess??" he grumbles, pressing his weight on her. He hears the gasp, but focuses on her face, watching the way her cheeks change colour under that mask.. Tch... "You owe your life to me... And one day, I'll make sure you remember that..."

He blinks when she smiles at him, using what strength she has to wrap her arms around him. "It doesn't matter what you do to me, Grimmjow-sama... I'll always pledge my life to you... I'd even die for you."

His reiatsu grows darker, and he growls in his chest, moving to bite her neck. He hears the gasp, her body clinging to him as he delves his teeth into her skin. His face goes to her ear, and he growls;

"You're mine _____... and I won't let you die for me."

He looks at her face, seeing her eyes widen in understanding. He watches her neck move as she swallows, before she buries her face in his cheek, holding him close.

"I belong to Grimmjow-sama... And I won't leave you behind."

He lets out a snort, as if agreeing, before picking her up by the scruff of her cloak with his teeth, carrying her to the small cave they call "home".

_____________________

He's waiting for that shithead shinigami to return home. In the back of his mind, Grimmjow could've just met him at his school, caused a scene there... But he didn't want to risk bringing _____ into it. And he knows, she'd step in if only to protect that bastard. It still makes his blood boil.

How dare he steal ____ from him? Kurosaki isn't good enough... He's a fucking weak human! He couldn't give ____ what she needs.. What she desires.. He's always filled that role, and he'll refuse to have her be stolen from him. Especially from a piece of shit like him.

"What do you want Grimmjow? I'm not in the mood."

He rolls his eyes, "Tch. I don't give a shit if you're in the mood or not... You're going to fight me." he starts, pulling Pantera from its sheath. "Or I'll go after that Orihime chick, and make you attack me."

The smirk grows when Ichigo presses the crest against his chest. He's now in his Shinigami form, and jumps at him... What an idiot, an open book. And Grimmjow is happy to tear pages from it, one by one.

Let the fun and blood begin.

______________________

_____ feels the fight before Orihime pauses their training. Both their faces express the same concern, and although the words are stuck in her throat, _____ is thankful for Orihime understanding the look in her eyes. She doesn't return to her gigai, opting to stay in her Arrancar form. Her powers have stablized now, and she's able to control them better without needing it, and it would be too much of a hassle to get back in. Instead of waiting for Orihime to get ready, ____ finds her legs running up the ladder of her own accord, and her body runs to where the reiatsus are clashing, sending shivers down her spine.

Why does the second one feel as if it's calling out for her?

Her eyes narrow as the worry creases on her face.

'Grimmjow'.

______________________

"_____-chan, I hope you're adjusting to being Grimmjow's fraccion."

Aizen's voice was smooth, silky and firm. She tries to hide the tremble of his reiatsu, eyes on his as she nods her head in slight unease.

"Y....Yes..." she stutters, bowing her head, "He's been treating me well.."

Silence lingers, before he nods his head, a smile on his face. "That's good... Let me know if he ever tries to hurt you.. I'll deal with him myself."

A shudder runs down her spine, and she bites her lip, before swallowing the lump in her throat. "....Y...Yes, Aizen-sama..."

She then leaves the room, finding herself able to breathe easier once she was away from him. She feels his reiatsu spike, and immediately her feet take off towards him. She never likes making him wait, because since their transformation, Grimmjow has become more... brash, and destructive... A part of her died when she realized he wasn't entirely the same person... But then again, perhaps he's always been thirsty for blood and mayhem... She just never noticed until now.

She's jarred from her thoughts when she runs right into his chest, almost falling on her butt in surprise. His hand rests on her back, holding her up as he swiftly gathers her in his arms, using sonido to carry her back to his quarters. She feels dizzy at the movement, but before she can process anything, or her surroundings, his mouth is on hers, rough and dominating. He pins her arms to the wall, using items she didn't know he acquired, but her mind was too focused on his taste, his scent.. Wanting to just feel his warmth around her..

Oh how she wishes she can touch him.

"Did he touch you?"

The words are dark, rough, and brings ____ from her thoughts, opening her eyes to meet his. Blue hues dark, full of passion, anger and something else she can't place... And she starts to sweat... His reiatsu is starting to suffocate her, and although she wants to reply to him, she's out of breath, and her mind is racing from the struggle of trying to breathe..

"Answer me, Princess..." he growls, moving to bite her neck, "Did. He. Touch. You?"

"N....No!" She whimpers, trying to wriggle out of her restraints. He put pressure on her body, and he makes her look at him, a gasp leaving her lips.

"G...Grimmjow.... I... I belong to you... and you alone... I wouldn't let anyone else touch me."

'Not the way you do.'

She hopes her eyes communicate her thoughts, and he seems to be silent, assessing her current state. His eyes are hiding something, but it's gone the moment she blinks, and she whimpers when he moves to nip at her cheek, a hand rubbing her sides.

"Good. You're such a good girl, ______." he murmurs, eyes narrowing as he smirks against her skin. "Now... Let me reward you... My Princess..."

________________________

_____ reaches the fight, gasping when she sees the sight before her. Ichigo has donned his hollow mask, and Grimmjow is in his released form... The white and blue flash in front of her, and she feels her body shudder, nearly collapsing at the overwhelming energy... She doesn't know what's going on, or why her body is reacting this way. But she feels sick, dizzy from the flashes in her mind.

The rare smiles. The frown when he's concentrating. The snarls when he's angry. The look of pleasure when they both reach their peaks.

Her hand clutches her chest, and she's kneeling on the ground, whimpers escaping her lips. She can't breathe... She's sinking fast, and she can't find the strength to climb back out of the water. The sound of a crash echoes in her brain, and her head snaps up, searching for the explosion. When she spots it, she sees a bloodied Grimmjow laying in the crater. On instinct, her body begins to run, and her eyes are only on him..

Her master... Her lover... Her companion...

"Grimmjow-sama!!"

__________________________

Fuck his life. How the hell did that bastard get so much stronger in the time they last fought? It's not like Orihime is around to cry for him to stop... He hasn't even threatened her in front of him... Well... He did use it as bait to lure him into a fight...

But he understands why when he feels her reiatsu heading right for them.

Shit... _____ figured out he was here... She knew he was fighting with Kurosaki... She was going to come and defend that bastard... AGAIN. The feeling of betrayal began to claw at his gut, and he growled, doing everything in his power to overtake the bastard. But it seems he saw every move coming... It was as if he became predictable in his attacks, and he was left fending off attacks rather than being the attacker.

He coughed, letting out a grunt as he watched the bastard charge up one last Getsuga Tenshou... Heh... So he was that angry he wanted him dead? Well now... He deserves it... After all, he was the one who forced him into a fight... Must have caught him in a bad mood... Grimmjow couldn't find the energy to sit up, but he managed anyway, feeling his body revert back to normal. He was leaning on Pantera, panting and wincing at the pain...

But his body shook the moment he heard her voice....

"Grimmjow-sama!!!"

With wide eyes, he turns his head to see her running at him. Tch. Her face was ugly with those tears and worry. But it was all directed at him. FOR him. And he feels his body shake... What a time for her to remember who he was, right as he was about to be defeated... But he heard Pantera roar, and he felt Kurosaki release the attack before he realized his mistake...

____ jumped at him, knocking him on his back as she tried to shield the blast for him...

She was going to DIE for him... And he couldn't find the strength to move Pantera...

He finds the strength to crush her to his chest, flipping her under his body so he'd be shielding her from it. The heat was starting to close in on them, and if anyone was going to die, it would be HIM for HER.

Suddenly, there's a glow engulfing them, and his eyes widen, watching as Orihime runs at them, protecting them from the attack... He doesn't understand why she did it... But he sees the determination in her eyes, and feels the concern and unease rolling from Kurosaki as he lands on the ground and runs to them.

"I...Inoue!! W... Why did you do that? You could've been killed!"

Her attention remains on the Espada and Arrancar beneath him, her eyes filled with worry for her friend. She brings down the shield and starts to heal Grimmjow's injuries without his consent, attention on the girl in his arms, clinging to him.

"You weren't going to kill me, Kurosaki-kun... Because I could sense that your attack was weaker when you saw ____-chan try to shield Grimmjow." she explains, directing her attention to him, "You weren't going to kill him from the start... You just wanted him to know you were stronger..."

"It was STILL reckless, Inoue!!!" He scolds, moving to rest his hands on her arms, brown hues filled with worry. "Don't you ever try to shield one of my attacks again!! I... I couldn't forgive myself if I hurt you...."

If Grimmjow was in his normal state of mind, he would've thrown up at the grossness in front of him. But his attention was on the Arrancar in his arms, clinging to him as if she was scared to let go. It seems the two humans are busy with each other to notice them, and he feels a drop in his stomach when ____ pulls away briefly to stare into his eyes... He cups her cheek in the palm of his hand, clicking his tongue softly.

"Stop crying, Princess... It makes you look weak."

He watches the way her cheeks puff up, anger swelling in her eyes before she punches his chest. "Y....You're the one to talk!!" She starts, grabbing his cheek in the same manner as him, "Y...You're the one who was broken at me forgetting who you were!"

He growls, eyes narrowing, "Watch how you talk to me, _____... I won't go easy on you... I told you... I'd make you remember that you owe your life to me..." he smirks, dragging his hand down her sides, sneaking it under her uniform. "Don't think I've forgotten that."

She shudders, and his eyes darken at her actions, watching her beneath blue hair. "M...Maybe I should've let Ichigo kill you.." She mumbles, feeling his reiatsu spike at her words.

"Oh... You're going to pay for that _____-chan...." he whispers, biting her neck. She has to stifle the mewl, a hand reaching up to grab his ear, "I'll make sure by the end of it, you remember just WHO you belong to... And who you're loyal to."

She feels her eyes soften, and _____ moves to kiss his cheek, ignoring the looks from the two humans... "Not if I can embarrass you in front of them first." She winks, before jumping out of his arms and takes off with Sonido...

His eyes widen at her words, but a smirk curls on his lips, clicking his tongue... Well... She has some nerve... But the chase is what makes it fun, and ____ has always made things fun and entertaining... He looks at the two humans, stretching his arms.

"Thanks for healing me, woman.." he mumbles, "And for looking after _____ during her stay." He ignores the gasp from her, before glaring at the orangette, "I'll be back for my rematch... And this time, I'll make sure you don't hurt _____... Otherwise I'll hack you to pieces."

He doesn't wait around any longer, vanishing before their eyes, chasing after the one person who's always stayed with him.

His lover, his companion, his mate.

#bleach imagines #bleach scenarios #Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez #grimmjow x reader #for senpai!#honestly I hope I kept Grimmjow in character LOL #That was my biggest concern #But I think this is how he'd react

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extremelyblackandwhite · 4 years

Text

handmaid - 05

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap

A/N: sorry for the delay, i’ve been having a bit of a writer’s block recently and started getting out of it now. thank you so much for the support so far, hope you enjoy this one xx

NEXT CHAPTER

Sebastian was very much a powerful man in the way he carried himself to the way he spoke. She mostly stood by his side, basking in the glorious power he seemed to so easily hold over everyone who spoke to him. They spoke to him as if he were a king and, somehow, he was. After all, he managed to keep his family’s mob name still on top of any other and somehow even improved it, at least she heard from rumours on the street. All but one single guest had been polite, probably due to the fear he irradiated, that one being a guy named Thompson Williams. Mr. Williams was what Mr. Forrest called a mob rat, feeding on the wealth of those who had built it themselves without dirtying a single finger. His voice was mellow like snake’s venom, the politeness the fakest she’d ever heard, even Sebastian seemed to rush the conversation.

In order to do so, he had decided to finally dance with his fiancée, pulling her away from a pretty blonde haired guy she has been flirting with. Unhappily, Gwen put on a forced smile as he twirled her around the dance floor surrounded by other mob bosses and their wives. Seeing couples always brought a tinge of sadness to her. If there was something she knew is that she had to constantly be by Gwen’s side no matter her status which didn’t give her enough time to fin someone and if she did, she didn’t exactly think they would be happy to live with another couple. Besides, she was already in her early twenties and still to have a significant relationship with someone, the only one getting close being a guy she had met in private school who had taken her first kiss but other than that she just watched everyone fall in love while she waited in the wings.

Soon enough, Gwen was pulling her onto the dance floor, sending her off dancing with several men whose hands would constantly need to be watched fear they went lower than before. Whenever she thought she could step out of the dance floor and go stand, someone else was grabbing her hand to dance or Gwen was pulling her back in. As the seventh song finished, she managed to rush to the side, hiding behind one of Sebastian’s bodyguards before they could pull her back on the dance floor. She leaned against one of the table, soothing her very tired feet due to the unbelievably high heels he was using.

- Are you hiding, Y/N? - Sebastian came up from behind her, making her squeak ever so slightly due to the surprise.

- My feet really hurt. - she ever so slightly raised her feet. - I think Mr. Garret stepped on me a couple of times too.

- Mr. Garret is one for the wines. I wouldn’t put it against him as doing it on purpose.

- You and Gwen make a beautiful couple. - she gave him a warm feeling, not entirely sure why she felt sadness whenever she said so. Maybe it was because none of them really wanted to be in that relationship despite how great they looked together. - Although I must say, I didn’t pen you for dancing.

- Well, I was gonna ask you for a dance considering you’ve danced with every single man here but me. - he extended his hand towards her and despite the numbing sensation of her feet, she could find it within herself to deny him. She placed her hand upon his, tiptoeing a bit towards the dance floor.

Y/N considered herself a good dancer, at least a nice one to lead with but with Sebastian, things were slightly different. Her small squeak escaped her lips as he put his hands on her waist. She could almost feel the texture of his fingers through the thin beige lace fabric and suddenly she wished she had picked a thicker fabric. He was much more skilled at it than her, or maybe he was better at hiding how nervous he was. The latter was definitely true as he found it harder to control the grin that was trying to escape his polite stoic face as he felt her warm skin against his hand.

She turned her face looking at the people who were staring at him. She guessed that being that powerful had the disadvantage of the constant gaze of those trying to usurp his place. However, there was a sort of hiding kindness in his baby blue eyes, light, bright eyes contrasted to the darkness that followed him around. No, there was some sort of happiness in those eyes, a remnant of the child he once was.

- Everyone is staring at you. - she spoke for the first time ever they had started to dance, her eyes moving up to stare at his, the familiar nervousness starting to brew up and manifest itself in the heat up of her cheeks, warmer than the several candles displayed around the room.

- Trust me, angel, it is not me they’re staring at. - he twirled her around, pushing her a bit more towards his chest once she returned to her initial position. Y/N could feel every single cell on her body electrify and heat up.

- Maybe ... maybe you should return to dancing with Gwen. - appearances once again were important and Y/N knew it wouldn’t look good for the couple being celebrated being on two opposite ends of the room. She was the one to step away, half bowing to him and clapping as the song ended. Before Sebastian could even process her words, she had already departed to the sidelines of the dance floor, tapping Gwen’s shoulder and sending her straight to her fiancé.

It was still a harsh truth for her brain to process. As an English graduate, she was, as most graduates of the same course, an incurable romantic adoring the idea of kissing in the rain and small gestures that prove complete knowledge over your loved one. Here there were no hidden love, no unrequited affection, they were just getting married to form an alliance, to follow a contract set way before Gwen was born. Y/N understood her friend’s side and unwillingness to bend to the rules expected from her, she had always been a wild spirit who enjoyed relishing on her youth. However, she wasn’t one to agree with the constant petty remarks towards Sebastian.

- A remarkable party, isn’t it Miss Y/N? - Y/N sighed, watching Mr. Williams walk up to her side, a glass of red wine in hand.

- I would say so. - she replied politely.

- That is a very particular necklace you have there. - Thompson pointed at the necklace nested in the middle of her collarbones. - A gift from Mr. Stan, I would guess.

- No, I’ve had this necklace since I was born. However, with all due respect Mr. Williams, I don’t feel comfortable enough to discuss my personal life with you.

- You seem rather comfortable with Mr. Stan. - Y/N didn’t enjoy the undertones in his voice, taking a few steps behind and going onto a protective state. - Miss Y/N, you can trust me. Whenever you need anything, I’m here.

- I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Williams. I’ll keep it in mind.

- You’ll keep what in mind? - never once had Y/N been so happy to hear Sebastian’s voice and feel him looming presence behind her. Mr. Williams, however, seemed to keep his composure, merely raising his glass as a curtesy to the mob boss.

- I was just paying your new employee my respects, Stan. Offering my aid if ever in need.

- She won’t need your help. - he scoffed at the idea of a lower rank mobster being ever able to provide Y/N with someone he couldn’t. If Y/N ever needed something she was to come to him not to a rat like Thompson Williams who had made a small empire by screwing others over. No, Y/N would never need help from someone like him, if it was up to Sebastian’s will. Gwen too did not enjoy to see her friend speak with guys like Thompson, and like a spy was standing a few feet apart from the three, glass in hand, watching with a few bodyguards in hand if needed. - If you excuse me, my fiancée and I are retiring for tonight.

- Have a nice night, Mr. Stan, Miss Y/N. - she didn’t know how to explain it but her name felt wrong in that tongue. Like it shouldn’t be said and before she could politely reply as she had been taught, Sebastian already had a hold on her wrist, pushing her towards Genevieve who was willingly waiting to make sure her friend was alright.

- We are going home, right now. - Sebastian muttered to one of his bodyguards, ready to end the parade of his personal life. On the other hand, Gwen had other plans not exactly agreeing with leaving a party thrown in her honour that early. Y/N noticed her change in attitude, fully knowing exactly how her friend behaved whenever she didn’t agree with something. - Now means now, Genevieve.

- I’m staying, you can go. - Gwen looked at Y/N, her eyes begging for her to plead with Sebastian so she could stay over. Should she do it? No. Was she gonna do it? Well, it was Gwen, her oldest friend, so with a sight, Y/N turned on her heel to face the mob boss.

- We could go now and maybe let Gwen stay here with the bodyguards. For appearances. - she suggested and Sebastian seemed to pounder it. It was rather clear to him what Y/N was trying to achieve, she wasn’t that sneaky, however, he also did not want to have a fight with his fiancée for everyone to see. - I could stay too.

- No, Y/N, you can go. - Gwen definitely did not want to have a babysitter following her around and telling her to be mindful of her role, despite that being Y/N’s job since they were children. - I know you don’t like these functions anyway.

Sebastian did not reply, instead bolting out of the room followed by one of his bodyguards. Y/N gave Gwen a “be careful” look before rushing after him the best she could in her heels until she reached him, stopping him by grabbing onto the sleeve of his suit. The mob boss stopped, glancing for a few seconds at Y/N before sighing, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her towards the limo. He couldn’t be mad at her for defending her friends, however, he could be mad at both of them not to follow orders, specially his orders. Sebastian was not one to have his control tested yet Y/N unknowingly did it.

- Do not disobey me next time. - he almost growled at her, watching as Y/N moved away from him, her innocent nature returning on full display.

- I’m sorry, Mr. Stan. - she bit on her lip, leaning against the limo’s window.

- I understand your loyalty towards Genevieve but I’ve been in this environment much longer than you and her have been. I know better.

- She’s young, marriage isn’t exactly what she wanted specially to someone like you?

- Someone like me? - she briefly looked to the side and even though she was in the dark of the night inside the limo, she was met by clean white teeth gritted down at her as well as a deep dark angry glared directed at her, of course. - Care to explain?

- A stranger. - she stated, playing with the fabric of her dress as not to look him in the eye.

- No, angel, that’s not what you meant. - he knew when someone was lying, his profession, if that could be said, called for that ability and she was lying. If not, she was at least trying to be kind. - What did you mean by someone like me?

- Well ... your ... your reputation follows you.

- You should know your friend’s reputation follows her too, she isn’t exactly the type of woman I would enjoy to marry.

The atmosphere was heavy and none of them really knew how to break the ice. Every once in a while she would look at him, briefly trying to see if his posture had relaxed but he kept on with his statue like posture which continued even as they rode the lift back to the penthouse. He took back to his office while Y/N stood at the entrance of the penthouse. Sighing, she took her shoes off and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a cup of iced water. Just like she used to do back in her old home, she stripped off her dress standing in a corset and petit coat that gave volume to the dress and sat on the balcony, drinking her glass of iced water.

Y/N knew better not to annoy Gwen or Sebastian, however, it feared her more to disobey Sebastian. He had enough power and men to dispose of her and make it look like an accident, however it wasn’t that which made her not want to disappoint him. It was something else.

She climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

It had been a long day.

tag list: @sideeffectsofyou @lilya-petrichor @xoxohannahlee @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan/reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan/you #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan/y/n #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan drabble #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan AU #mob!sebastian stan #mob boss!sebastian stan

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cinaja · 3 years

Text

Before the Wall part 54

Masterlist

----

Standing at the edge of her camp, Andromache surveys the castle perched at the bottom of a nearby cliff. The castle itself looks unusually small, but its back extends deep into the cliff, hidden from view and protected by tons of stone. Amarantha choose her hideout well. After the Alliance landed their ships on Hybern’s shores a few weeks ago, she took the soldiers remaining under her command as well as the people living on her land and barricaded herself in the fort with them.

For the weeks Andromache’s army has been stationed in front of the castle, glaring over at it has been all she’s been able to do. This, she reflects, is the exact reason she hates sieges. They are tenuous affairs, straining, above all, her patience. Still, as long as they manage to keep Amarantha and her army contained in their hideout, it will leave the rest of the Alliance’s troops free to take Hybern with little resistance.

Andromache tears her gaze away from the castle and looks over at Miryam who is standing next to her, also staring over at the castle, eyes narrowed slightly and fingers flexing and unflexing at her side. She looks like she would love to send the entire cliff crumbling over Amarantha’s head, which is not a particularly reassuring expression from someone who is actually capable of doing just that.

As if following her thoughts, Miryam turns around to Andromache. “I might be able to find a way through the wards,” she says. “I’d have to be careful – Amarantha brough her slaves along and I can’t put them in danger – but I might find a way that only takes out their defences.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Andromache says, “but an attack is not planned. All we need to do is keep Amarantha where she is. As soon as her king surrenders, she will, too.”

Miryam wrinkles her nose. “And she’ll likely be spared,” she says. “Just as everyone else.”

Andromache is not entirely sure what to reply to that. It was always Miryam who pushed for the need to show leniency to surrendering Loyalists, Miryam who convinced the other human Alliance leaders that this is the path with the highest chance of leading to success. Andromache was always amongst those who were more doubtful, angry that the Loyalist leaders would walk away unscathed, but now, Miryam seems intent on reversing their roles.

This is you plan, not mine, Andromache thinks, but doesn’t say it. After all, she knows that Miryam only pushes for this strategy because she firmly believes it is the smartest choice, not out of any actual belief in showing mercy to people like Amarantha.

“You could push for her death to be made a condition for any surrender Hybern will sign,” she says.

“And expose myself as a hypocrite for all the world to see?” Miryam’s tone is bitter, her gaze flickers back to the castle. “What do you think it will look like if I push to punish only the people who harmed me personally?”

Andromache opts to remain silent on that, both because she knows Miryam is right and because she still doesn’t entirely agree. Yes, it would look bad, but how much can one misstep weigh against seven years of running the Alliance with hardly any mistakes at all? Amarantha would certainly deserve death, and as far as Andromache is concerned, the more of these monsters get brought to justice the better.

“If we attack the fort,” Miryam says, “we could avoid any political issues with trying to bring her to justice. And who knows – Maybe if the king sees his most important general defeated, it will push him towards surrender.”

Andromache sighs. “Killing Amarantha won’t undo what she did to Jurian,” she says softly.

It was not a subject she was originally going to bring up. But if Miryam insists on being unreasonable about this, she has no choice.

Miryam presses her lips together. “I’m well aware. It might make me feel better, though. And even if it doesn’t, at least we will have brought a sadistic Loyalist general who more than deserves death regardless of what she did to Jurian to justice.”

“The answer is still no,” Andromache says, even though she would like nothing more than to give in and help hunt Amarantha down. “And I’m sorry, Miryam, but no matter how hard you argue, I won’t have you anywhere near a battlefield with Amarantha on it. Chances of you getting killed would be far too high.”

“I can take Amarantha.”

“Or you’d make a stupid mistake and get yourself killed. You are far too emotionally involved in this. And don’t bother denying it – the fact that we are having this conversation at all proves me right.” Andromache keeps her voice soft but firm. “You are being unreasonable and you know it.”

Miryam looks away, and Andromache feels like a terrible hypocrite. What right does she have to forbid Miryam from going after Amarantha? If anyone harmed Mor, she certainly wouldn’t let anyone stop her from hunting them down. Still, it seems that for today, she is stuck in the ungrateful role of being the voice of reason.

Before she can change her mind, though, Miryam straightens. “You’re right.” Somehow, she managed to chase and traces of anger from her face. “Apologies. Please forget I suggested anything – I have been sleeping too little, and I’m afraid it is messing with my judgement. It won’t happen again.”

“Alright,” Andromache says. Miryam snapping all of her walls back up is far from ideal, but at least it is far less likely to get her killed than the alternative.

Miryam nods. Pushes a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Then we’ll see each other at the council meeting later,” she says.

Andromache inclines her head in agreement and Miryam hurries off with a parting smile, her guards following after her. Andromache remains standing at the camp’s edge for a moment longer, then turns and walks back into the camp.

She doesn’t have anything in particular that needs to be done before the meeting in two hours, she decides to spend the time with her soldiers. She walks around the camp, chatting with the some of the passing soldiers and the camp’s smith. She just finished inspecting the new swords he’s working on when someone wraps their arms around her from behind.

“Hello,” Mor whispers into her hair.

Andromache smiles. Mor lets go of her quickly – she is always careful with how much affection she shows in public – and spins her around to face her.

“Hello,” Andromache says a tad breathlessly. She tugs her hair aside to distract herself from wanting to kiss Mor, which she definitely cannot do in the middle of the camp. She links her arm with Mor’s and starts leading her towards her camp where they will have some privacy. “How is Rhys?”

Mor’s smile dims considerably. “He isn’t doing well,” she says. “The injuries are mostly healed, but… What happened to him hit him hard.”

Andromache squeezes her arm. “I’m sorry,” she says.

Mor shrugs and nods at the same time. “I wish…” Her expression hardens. “I wish I could kill Amarantha for what she did.”

Andromache sighs through her nose. It seems like today is the day of her having to talk people out of killing Amarantha, even though she herself would also like to kill Amarantha. It is very frustrating.

“I just had this conversation with Miryam.”

“And you talked her out of killing her?” Mor sounds incredulous. “Why?”

“Because I believe what happened with Jurian proved to us all how badly it can end when people try too hard to get their revenge. And I don’t want to have to burn either of you two, so it seems I’ll have to be the reasonable one here.” She shrugs. “Besides, if we attack, chances of the humans there being caught in the crossfire are far too high.”

Mor sighs. “Damnit,” she mutters, voice somewhere between joke and seriousness. “Why are you always right?”

Andromache laughs and pulls open the entrance to her tent. “After you,” she says. “I’ve got almost an hour left until the meeting with the council. We could have lunch together if you’d like.”

----

By the time Miryam is back in her rooms in the palace in Sajeo, she has worked her way through a startling number of different emotions. Starting out with anger, she has quickly gone through disappointment, sadness and embarrassment, and is now back at anger, this time at herself for behaving so ridiculously.

“Stupid,” she mutters to herself as she pulls off her leather boots and places them in the corner. “Be any more obvious about the fact that you don’t have your shit together, will you?”

She only realizes she is crying when she feels the wetness on her cheeks. “Shit,” she mutters, voice coming out far too high-pitched. She furiously wipes at her eyes, but that doesn’t do much to stop the tears, so she simply drops down into the nearest armchair and presses her face into her arms.

She doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. During the autumn festival two days ago, everything was just fine, as close to good as it gets these days. She had thought that evening and what Ghost had told her would raise her spirits enough to easily carry her through the next few weeks.

But apparently, her emotions don’t make any sense at all anymore because she barely made it through the surprise-negotiations with Montesere yesterday and didn’t manage to get so much as an hour of sleep last night, nightmares chasing her from her sleep every time she dozed off. Sometimes she dreamt of Jurian – Jurian screaming for her as he lay tied to a torture table, Amarantha laughing, Jurian dead on the ground, Jurian blaming her for not saving him. Sometimes, she was back in the Black Land, a slave again as if she never escaped at all. Sometimes, she has already won the war, but Ravenia is there, laughing at her because she will never get punished, or because her people are dead and she was unable to do anything to save them.

She has no idea where this is coming from. Well, she supposes there are several options. Jurian’s death might be catching up with her. Or this is the worry that comes with being so close to the end of the war, the fear that everything she ever fought for might be snatched away moments before she reached it. Of course, there is also the option that she is finally cracking under the stress. That one would be particularly unpleasant.

At least the tears stopped by now. Miryam even feels marginally better except for the fact that her face is swollen slightly, which is a nightmare since she has a council meeting in two hours. An important meeting, no less, since they will be discussing the threat at Erithia’s border among other things.

Miryam finds a jug of water at her bedside and washes. She kneads oil into her thick curls and applies cosmetics. Once done, she looks at least halfway presentable. Once she changed out of her tunic and into a deep blue dress, she doesn’t think she looks worse than the usual. Tired, but well, they are all tired.

She is just done weaving a blue ribbon through her hair when a light knock sounds at the door and Drakon pokes his head in.

“Ready?” He asks.

One last glance at her reflection in the mirror confirms that she looks well enough for the meeting. “Ready.” Lifting the hem of her dress with one hand, she turns to Drakon. He is wearing blue as well, although it is far lighter than the colour of Miryam’s dress. “You look very handsome,” she says as she links her arm with his.

Drakon smiles. “Thank you. You do, too. I like the ribbon.”

Miryam returns the smile, mood lightening considerably. She squeezes Drakon’s arm and lets the feeling comfort her.

They arrive at Telique later than most, but not yet so late that it would draw unwanted attention. Miryam takes her usual seat next to Andromache, Drakon sitting down on her other side. She has to fight the embarrassment bubbling in her stomach. She really made a fool of herself earlier. It was so stupid. She doesn’t even want to know what Andromache thinks of it, she must consider her truly –

She forces herself to stop that line of thought before it can go any further. Andromache, she reminds herself, is one of her closest friends. You can be foolish with your friends occasionally, there’s no inherent issue with it and she does their relationship a disservice if she acts like Andromache will think less of her for it.

The meeting begins relatively unspectacularly. They spend an hour discussing the updates on the different war fronts and Miryam gives and official report on the negotiations in Montesere. Its rulers, proud to a fault, had been reluctant to admit that they were considering surrendering sooner than most of the other Loyalist countries, but they let it shine through that they would be willing to stay largely neutral for the remainder of the war in exchange for favourable conditions later on. Apparently, they don’t want to be marked cowards for an early surrender, but don’t want to risk punishment for holding out too long either.

Andromache frowns slightly at the report, and Nakia presses her lips into a thin line. Miryam can understand their annoyance – this strategy means that the humans in Montesere will spend a few more months than necessary in slavery. But Montesere will not consider surrender at this point, and save for military action, which might endanger the very people they are trying to save, Miryam sees no way to change their minds.

The council at large agrees that it is best to leave Montesere alone and reach out to them again once a few of the other big Loyalist countries have surrendered so that they will be allowed to save face.

“Alright. Now that this is settled, let’s move on to the next point,” Miryam says. “Drakon and I have noticed a worrying troop movement near Erithia’s northern border. Troops from both the Black Land and Vallahan, as well as some from Rask, are assembling there. Does anyone have intel on what their task might be?”

Silence answers. After a moment, Zeku speaks. “I have no concrete information,” he says, “but given your… history with Ravenia, I’d assume that the target of whatever they are planning will likely be Erithia.”

Miryam nods, trying to ignore the knot that begins to form in her stomach. Ravenia had quarrel with Erithia well before she married Drakon – in fact, she would argue that it was Drakon’s father who started this issue in the first place – but she can’t help but feel that she made it worse with the marriage. Any invasion that might be happening will be at least partially because of her.

“We came to the same conclusion,” she says. “And I think it would be sensible to send some additional troops to Erithia. Even should it not be the target of this attack, that way, we will have enough soldiers in the region to counter whatever Ravenia is planning.”

“I agree with Miryam,” Nakia says. “And we should act quickly so that the soldiers will arrive in time to be of any use.”

Miryam nods. It is the only logical course of action, and certainly not something she expected resistance to. But resistance there is and, just as surprisingly, it comes from one of the lower-ranking Fae rulers, someone who wouldn’t generally speak out against suggestions made by the Alliance leaders.

“Forgive me, Your Highness, Your Majesty,” he says, inclining his head first at Miryam, then at Nakia, “but I am not entirely sure if this is the most prudent course of action.”

He falls silent, apparently waiting for someone to give him permission to continue. Miryam would like nothing better than to let him stew – something is very wrong about this situation – but that might just make it worse. “Go on, then,” she says coolly.

“This is a large percentage of the Black Land’s army, as well as Vallahan’s. Their presence at Erithia’s border leaves both of those countries unprotected and many of their allies short on reinforcements. It might be in our best interest for those armies to remain there for the time being.”

Miryam narrow her eyes at him. Strictly strategically speaking, the plan has merit, but she would bet both of her spellbooks that it wasn’t his idea to suggest this, and that the intention behind it isn’t a good one. He would never have dared without the backing of someone who has more power than he does.

“Only most people don’t assemble an army just to leave it standing where it is,” she says. “Those armies won’t just do us the favour of remaining where they are, they will march on Erithia, and we will need reinforcements to be able to fend them off.”

Silence answers. Then, after a moment, another minor Fae leader speaks up. “If we send soldiers,” he says, “Ravenia might decide to do the smart thing and abandon her quest, which would free those soldiers to return to other war fronts. If we manage to keep them occupied for long enough, if Ravenia still believes she can reach something that way, we might be able to take the rest of the Continent with little resistance and decide the war in half of the time that it would take otherwise.”

A shiver runs down Miryam’s spine. “And how exactly do you intend to keep these armies occupied?” She asks sharply. She looks around the table, but no one seems quite willing to meet her eye. Drakon is looking at her, though, like he is hoping for some explanation or reassurance. Miryam can offer neither.

“This suggestion is ridiculous,” Nakia finally says, voice gruff. Miryam could have hugged her for it. “It should go without saying that purposefully allowing one of our countries to be invaded is not an option and shouldn’t even be considered.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree,” Shey says. “It is a drastic strategy, true, but we have to think of all the lives that might be saved. All the soldiers who might not die if this war ends sooner, the humans we will be able to free more quickly.”

Miryam presses her lips together. That hypocritical, two-faced snake. As if he ever cared about freeing the humans. No, his real intention is quite transparent: This is not an attempt to end the war more quickly, but a direct attack on her. He likely coordinated with the other Fae, asked them to bring the suggestion forth so that it wouldn’t be quite as obvious that this was his doing.

But surely he can’t expect this suggestion to go through. The council might no longer stand behind her as they once did, but they would never allow an entire country to be invaded, its civilians slaughtered. They wouldn’t. And Shey must know. So what is he playing at?

Drakon is still watching her, waiting for her to say something, but she doesn’t know what to do. Without knowing Shey’s strategy, anything she says might end up working against her. Maybe whatever plan Shey actually has relies on her arguing against his stance, maybe whatever trap he is laying will snap shut the moment she voices disagreement with what he said.

“And what about the people this plan will kill?” Drakon asks and Miryam realizes that she waited too long with her decision. “You might not care about them, Emperor, since they are not your people, but I didn’t know that this Alliance left innocents to die.”

Miryam hides her wince. This was far more offensive than anything she might have said, and she doubts that accusing Shey of not caring for innocents will work in their favour, true though it might be. This is on her, though, for not answering herself.

Shey doesn’t jump at the insult. Instead, he merely inclines his head in faked sympathy. “Please take my word on it that no one is considering leaving your people to die, or your country to fend for itself. There’s still enough time to evacuate, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who would be willing to offer resources to help with that.”

Shit. Miryam freezes. She was wrong – Shey wasn’t trying to coax her into some foolish reaction by pushing for unrealistic plans. This is his endgame. He actually does want to destroy Erithia, and by taking the issue of civilian casualties out of the game, he just made the plan a whole lot more realistic.

“And what about their homes?” Drakon asks. He doesn’t entirely manage to hide his desperation. “What about the fields and workshops – are we to starve next year because our entire country has been destroyed?”

“There would, of course, be reparations,” Shey replies evenly. He is playing his part well. By remaining so calm and sympathetic, he makes Drakon look unreasonable and emotional by comparison. “You and your people would receive any means necessary to help rebuild, as well as food enough to last you through the next year.”

Why is he doing this? It makes no sense. This must be an attack at Miryam somehow, but out of everyone in Erithia, she will actually be the one who is least affected. Her emotional connection to the country is not yet that strong, she will only suffer through having to watch its people suffer. All Shey is doing is stripping thousands of innocents of their homes and making them into fugitives for no good reason at all.

And then, she figures it out. Her marrying into royalty scared the Alliance, so now, they are trying to undo it by destroying the country whose leader she became.

It makes a horrifying amount of sense. If Shey’s plan goes through, Erithia will spend the years to come rebuilding and relying on help from the outside. That help might even actually be offered, but what must count to Shey is that it will make it impossible for Miryam to pursue any ambitions of her own after the war.

She needs to stop them. Not for the reasons Shey undoubtedly thinks, but because there is no way she can allow so many people to suffer because of her.

“Still, this goes against some of the very foundations of this Alliance,” she says, voice mercifully calm even though she herself is anything but. “We stand together against any enemies and we certainly don’t leave one country to be destroyed.” She looks around the table. “I realize that this might seem like an easy choice for most of you, but ask yourselves: If it was your country under attack, what would you wish for the Alliance to do? Is this truly a precedent you wish to set?”

A few of the listeners shift uncomfortably in their seats, but most seem unmoved. A few years ago, this argument would have convinced them easily, but now that the war is drawing close it its end, it no longer holds as much weight. There is no real reason for anyone at this table to fear that their country will end up in the situation Erithia is in now anytime soon, so they don’t need to worry about precedents.

Shey doesn’t even bother to reply to her argument. Instead, he only gives her a sympathetic smile and says, “I know that you are personally involved in this situation, Your Highness, so I can sympathize with your stance. But you have to understand that this is the sensible route.”

Miryam stares at him. He completely dismissed her. And not only that – he as good as invalidated any other argument she might have brought forward. To make matters worse, there is nothing she can do to dispute his claim. She can’t deny emotional involvement because she is involved and everyone knows.

“Miryam is right, though,” Andromache says. “And honestly, there might be a time and place to take such risks, but it isn’t now. We are already winning, there is no need to gamble with thousands of lives.”

It’s a lost cause. Miryam only needs to look around the table to see it. A few people seem to be on her side, but nowhere near enough. She turns to Zeku, silently begging him to help her, but he doesn’t even meet her eyes.

“Then let us vote,” Shey says. “That way, we’ll see what the majority thinks.”

Drakon turns to Miryam, eyes wide, but what can she do? Nothing she can say will change anything, and if she tries to stop the vote, she will just make more people turn against her.

“Alright, then,” she says.

The vote isn’t even close. The other humans stick with Miryam, as do two or three of the Fae, and some abstain, but most support Shey’s plan. This is a nightmare. A complete and utter nightmare.

“But that’s impossible,” Drakon whispers. “We can’t do that.” He shakes his head. “How can you decide this, it isn’t even your country!”

“You are, of course, free to decide what Erithia’s next steps will be, Your Highness,” Shey says. “But the Alliance will not send troops to support you should you choose to fight.” He turns towards the assembled leaders. “I believe it would be best to end the meeting here so that Prince Drakon and Princess Miryam may decide on their next steps in private.”

Miryam would very much like to tell him where he can shove his faked sympathy, but that wouldn’t change anything. Not quite able to muster a polite farewell, she rises and waits for Drakon to do the same before stalking out of the room.

“We can’t do that,” Drakon says as soon as they are outside. His wings are trembling and he has his fingers balled into tight fists. “We can’t.”

Miryam nods. “I know.” The desperation on his face makes her chest constrict painfully. This is her fault, they are only doing this because of her. She messed up, she messed up so badly. And in the meeting, she didn’t even manage to follow any strategy. She just let Shey walk right over her. “I’ll try - ”

Drakon doesn’t appear to hear her. “This isn’t an option,” he says. “We need to find a different way, we can’t do this.”

Miryam reaches for his hands, a feeble attempt to offer comfort. “Alright,” she whispers. “Alright. This will be fine. I’ll fix this.”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, she regrets them. What is she thinking, making promises she has no way to keep? She doesn’t have an army large enough to ward off this assault, and she doesn’t have a way to get one. Once, she might have had the political power necessary to convince people to help regardless of what the Alliance wants, but these days, most of the Fae members of the Alliance seem more inclined to work against her than help her. The other humans might help, but most of their armies are stuck in other assignments and even if they weren’t, they likely wouldn’t be able to move quickly enough.

If Miryam could, she would take the words back, but she doesn’t know how. Drakon looks a bit less desperate now, and she feels terrible about giving him hope where there is likely none, but she can’t bring herself to take it away either.

This is her fault. It’s retribution for her mistakes, the Fae punishing her for holding a position she has no right to in their eyes. Only they aren’t punishing her, except maybe by forcing her to watch other suffer for her actions. If anyone gets punished here, it’s Drakon. And his entire country. They are punishing thousands of people who have absolutely nothing to do with this.

She can’t allow this to happen. If it had hit her and only her, she would have accepted it, had prepared to accept it, but this… this goes too far.

“I’ll fix this,” Miryam repeats, this time with more confidence. “Can you wait here? I have to talk to some people.”

Drakon nods, shoulders slumping. If Miryam had to guess, she would say he feels bad for not being able to contribute anything to the solution. She should tell him that this was her fault in the first place and that it is only right that she should fix it, but she can’t bring herself to say the words so she merely squeezes his hands before letting go and walking back into the meeting room.

Everyone else is still there, although they left their seats and are now standing around in small groups, talking in quiet voices. Miryam ignores the looks directed her way, some full of pity, others smug, and walks directly towards Shey.

“Your Excellency,” she says without inclining her head in greeting as she should have. She doesn’t care if he thinks her impolite, being addressed by title is already more than he deserves. “A word.”

Shey inclines his head, expression mildly curious. There is an amused cast around his eyes, though, and it takes all of Miryam’s safe control to keep from gritting her teeth. “As you wish, Your Highness,” Shey says.

Miryam turns around and stalks off towards one of the private meeting chambers without waiting for Shey to follow. She is not exactly keeping to the rules of diplomacy, she knows as much, but in this specific situation, she sees no reason to hide her anger.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this conversation?” Shey asks once they have reached the meeting room. His tone remains politely inquisitive, but now, he definitely seems amused.

Miryam closes the door behind them, then turns to face him. “You are going too far,” she says icily.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

Miryam bites down the reply simmering on her tongue. Takes a deep breath instead. Anger won’t accomplish anything here, it will just make Shey lose whatever respect he has for her and weaken her position further. She needs to keep a cool head and not let him taunt her. She has to fix it, she promised Drakon she would.

The look on his face during their conversation earlier flashes through her mind, and suddenly, the idea of simply extinguishing the blue aura shimmering around Shey seems far more attractive than it did a moment ago. Not helpful. Murdering Shey won’t solve any of her problems, but create a host of new ones instead.

“I think you do know,” she says. “And I would appreciate if we could skip the games and get straight to the point.”

Shey still has that half-smile plastered on his face. “And what would the point be?” He asks lightly.

“I know what you did. I know why you did it. And I want you to fix it.”

Shey’s smile doesn’t waver. “I’m afraid you are mistaken. I did not do anything.”

Miryam ignores him. “What do I have to do to make you fix this?”

Now, she has his attention. She sees it in the slight narrowing of his eyes, in the way his entire posture seems to straighten. “Is this an offer?”

Miryam’s heart is thundering in her chest, everything in her is screaming that this is a bad idea, that she shouldn’t make herself vulnerable like this, but what other course of action is left to her?

“Yes.”

“I see,” Shey says, and then, he says nothing at all for a while. He simply watches Miryam.

She stares back at him, trying hard not to show her nerves. This is the only way, she is sure of it. She doesn’t think that she has the power to sway the council on this, not anymore. She needs Shey. The alternative…

“And interesting offer,” Shey says. “You are aware, of course, that I could ask practically anything?”

Miryam gives a curt nod. She supposes just because Shey asks something, she wouldn’t have to comply and she didn’t really give much thought to what he might ask of her, but now… What if he tells her to jump off the palace’s highest tower? The thought sends ice shooting through her body, she shivers slightly.

“I’ll admit, you surprise me,” Shey says. “I did not think you cared enough about your husband to be this stupid for his sake. Don’t you think this isn’t quite worth it?”

Miryam shakes her head. “I’d explain it to you, but I don’t think you’d care enough to listen. Or understand.” Neither her relationship with Drakon, nor the fact that she would be doing this even if it wasn’t for him. She certainly doesn’t need a personal stake to be opposed to hundreds of thousands of innocents losing their homes, but this is not the type of thing Shey could ever understand.

“I’m almost tempted to take you up on that offer,” Shey says, “if only to see how far you’d be willing to go. But I really have no reason to humiliate you, amusing though it might be. You’ve fared admirably well so far, and I’d rather get this over with everyone’s dignity intact.”

Does he even realize how twisted that logic is, how it disgusts her? Her dignity he may spare, but if she isn’t entirely mistaken, his end goal is still to see her dead. And he doesn’t care at all about the hundreds of thousands of people who are getting caught up in the crossfire.

“Thousands of people,” Miryam says. She doesn’t think he will care – he would never have come up with this plan if he did – but she still has to say it. “You can’t… you can’t just drag thousands of people into this.”

“I believe you were the one who dragged them into this, as you put it,” Shey says. “If it wasn’t for you, none of this would happen.”

The words are a punch to the gut. “I – “ Miryam begins, but Shey cuts her off with a shake of his head.

“There is nothing you can offer to change my mind,” he says. “You’ve already lost, and I have no reason to settle for anything but a full victory.” He smiles slightly. “Go comfort your husband,” he says. “We’ll see each other during the next meeting.”

With that, he turns around and walks out of the room. Miryam stares after him. She realizes, distantly, that she is shaking; she doesn’t know if it’s with fury or despair. How can she face Drakon, face anyone from Erithia? She did this, she brought this about, she…

Her throat tightens and her eyes burn, tears threatening to well up, but she forces them down. Straightens and walks out of the room.

She runs into Zeku as she rounds the first corner. Clearly, he didn’t expect to meet her, nor is he pleased with the fact if his tense body language is anything to go by.

“Miryam,” he says. It’s the first time in months that he doesn’t address her by title, and he looks around to check for any listeners before turning back to her. “I’m sorry about what happened.”

“You don’t need to be sorry, you just need to help.” It is a graceless attempt, but she has no energy left for dancing around the subject.

Zeku adverts his eyes, just as he did during the meeting. When he abstained from the vote and didn’t say a word to back her.

“If it was your country being attacked,” Miryam says, each word sharper than the last, “Drakon wouldn’t hesitate to send help.”

“I know.” Zeku’s voice is heavy with regret, but he shakes his head. “But there is a reason why it’s Drakon’s country getting invaded and not mine, isn’t there?”

Miryam stares back at him, not quite believing what she hears. “You coward,” she says softly.

Zeku doesn’t reply. Miryam shakes her head at him.

“I hope this haunts you,” she says. “I hope you live a long life, and I hope that you will think back on this every day and know that you are a pathetic coward who doesn’t have the spine to stand up for what is right.”

Now, Zeku finally does look at her. Miryam wishes she could take comfort in the shock and pain that is written plainly over his face, but it doesn’t make her feel better at all. Without giving him a chance to reply, she shoulders past him and goes to talk to Drakon.

----

“I hate having to say this,” Sinna says, “but we might need to consider following the council’s decision.”

Her, Miryam and Drakon are sitting together in Drakon’s private study where Miryam just spent the last twenty minutes recounting what went down in the council meeting. Drakon feels like by all accounts, it should have been him telling Sinna, but he didn’t manage to get the words out, so he just ended up sitting curled up in his armchair while Miryam told Sinna what happened.

Sinna took the news surprisingly calmly, but maybe that’s her military training showing. Drakon wishes he was as calm, but he just can’t stop the panic twisting his stomach, can’t control it enough to be able to focus on anything else. He looks around the room they are sitting in and imagines it destroyed, looks out of the window at the city below and can almost see flames licking over buildings, destroying everything in sight.

This is his home. He grew up here, there are a thousand memories tied to this place. Sitting together at dinner with his parents, his sister chasing him through the ballroom, both of them laughing. He is at home here. How can they demand he just give it up?

“But we can’t,” he says, feeling vaguely childish. He jumps to his feet, unable to remain sitting, and leans against the window. “We can’t just give up Erithia.”

He looks over at Miryam, hoping for some support, but she is staring down at her feet.

“We have soldiers of our own,” he says, turning back to Sinna. “And we know the terrain. We should be able to hold the borders.”

Sinna studies the map they’ve placed on the table. “Of course,” she says. “But you have to understand, Drakon, that while we could probably avoid Erithia being entirely overrun, there’s no way we would be able to hold back the enemy. Our borders would fall for sure.”

If they had the council’s backing, none of this would even be a problem. Drakon doesn’t understand why they are doing this. Well, he does understand that this strategy will save lives, but there were other occasions for similar strategies in the past and the council never took them. Why are they doing it now?

“And if we were to fight, how many…” Drakon hesitates for a moment before continuing. “How many would die?”

“It’s hard to estimate,” Sinna says. “A large part of it depends on how the battles go. How much of the country we manage to evacuate before the enemy troops arrive and what the enemy does to the people we haven’t been able to get out in time. Thousands for sure. Tens of thousands, maybe.”

Drakon curses softly. So it’s the choice between Erithia’s land and its people. He can either give up his country, allow it to be pillaged and destroyed, or he can put his people in danger, knowing that many of them would die.

The decision should be easy. He should follow the Alliance’s directive, order an evacuation. They’ll be able to rebuild houses and replant fields, but they can’t resurrect the dead.

But what if the people might want to stay? It’s possible, isn’t it? That they might choose to stay and fight for their homes instead of abandoning them. He would certainly be ready to risk his life if it meant he might save his country, but he can’t expect others to do the same. Certainly can’t ask it of them.

He presses his hands against his face. He can’t decide this. How can he decide this?

“And if we were to evacuate?” he asks.

“We’d retreat towards the Erythrian Sea. That way, we’d be protected by the mountains.” Sinna nods towards the mountain chain that runs through Erithia, parallel to the coast. “The passes would be easy to defend, casualties would be low.”

Drakon nods. He starts drumming around on his leg, trying desperately to calm himself. He looks to Miryam and then away again – he can’t turn to her for this choice. She already begged for Shey’s help in his place, he can’t ask her to take up this responsibility as well.

“Whatever you choose to do,” Sinna adds, “I’m afraid you’ll need to decide today.”

Drakon nods. It is getting difficult to breathe, and he pushes the window open. A cool winds blows in, carrying with it the smell of the forest behind the city. At least the forest would surely remain. Unless Ravenia decides to have it torched. He certainly wouldn’t put it past her.

He desperately wants to cry, but the tears won’t come. He leans his head against the window frame and stares down at the city below.

He can’t make that choice for his people, he doesn’t have the right. But maybe… maybe there’s at least a way for him to let them have part at the decision, in whatever way is possible.

Slowly, he turns back to Miryam and Sinna. “I’ll have a meeting with my ruling council,” he says. “Tell them about the situation, hear their voices. I think… I think it would be right for them to be the ones to decide.”

He doesn’t know if this is a brave choice to make, or a cowardly one. Letting the only representants of the people he knows choose seems like the right thing to do, better than him making a choice alone and forcing everyone else to bear the consequences. Or is this just him hiding behind other people, relying on them to make the difficult choices?

Sinna doesn’t comment on it. She merely nods. “I’ll call a meeting. In an hour, I think.”

The moment Drakon nods, she is out of the room. He doesn’t even get the chance to offer that he can deal with the preparations for the meeting. But maybe this is Sinna’s way of dealing with what happened – to keep herself busy with something, anything, to keep the despair at bay.

“I’m sorry,” Miryam says into the silence that had followed in Sinna’s wake, making Drakon turn around to her. He voice is small, unsteady. “This is my fault.”

Drakon walks over to where she is sitting and crouches down before her. He tries to reach for her hands, but she pulls them away, shaking her head.

“You did everything you could,” he says gently. Surprisingly, comforting Miryam makes him feel better, too. It gives him something to do, a manageable problem to take care of. “It’s not your fault Shey wouldn’t listen.”

Miryam shakes her head. She doesn’t even look him in the eye. “No,” she whispers. “You don’t understand. They are doing it because of me. They are scared of me and so they…” She shakes her head. “I think they are trying to make sure I won’t have an army at my disposal once the war is over. That we will be too busy with rebuilding to even be able to consider a war.”

Drakon doesn’t manage a reply, all he can do is stare in disbelief. Even with his limited understanding of Continental politics, Drakon had considered that option – considered and quickly discarded it. Formal alliances are sacred on the Continent. You don’t get to betray your allies without formally ending the alliance first, and while this probably doesn’t quite count as betrayal, he still assumed…

He can’t believe that the other Fae are putting his country, his people, in danger over a stupid power game. If the Alliance had made this choice in an attempt to end the war as quickly as possible, to save lives and avoid needless suffering, he might have been able to bear it. But this… This is unbearable, if only because it is so unnecessary.

“I made a mistake,” Miryam says. “I should have known this could happen, I should have considered it.” She shakes her head. “I didn’t think. When I suggested we marry, I didn’t think of this possibility. This is my fault.”

Drakon withdraws his hand. “Your fault?” He asks.

Miryam fidgets on her seat but nods. “I’m sorry.”

“So when we married, I had no voice in the matter?” Drakon asks. He knows this was not what she meant to say, but it was certainly the implication, and being annoyed with her over this is stupid, he knows it is, but he can’t help it.

“Of course you did, but…” She shrugs helplessly. “This is my area of expertise.”

“And knowing that, I could not have conferred with my advisors on this?” Drakon presses. “Because if it is your fault alone, it must also mean that the choice was yours alone, and until now, I had assumed we made that choice together.”

Miryam flinches slightly. “I’m sorry,” she says. “That’s not what I meant.”

Drakon sighs. His anger evaporates, leaving him feeling even worse than before. “I know,” he says. “I’m sorry, too. I know you were trying to be kind, I just…” He shrugs.

He doesn’t even know why it made him angry. It should have been easier to pretend this disaster wasn’t partially a consequence of his actions, to place the blame on someone else. He should have jumped at the opportunity. But there are already too many people who act like he is incapable of making decisions, and it stings even worse when Miryam does it, even if it’s with good intentions.

He is about to tell Miryam as much to get the issue out of the way before it actually turns into a problem, but then, he realizes how stupid it is to discuss stuff like this when his country might be on the brink of destruction. He buries his face in his hands.

“It was a good idea to leave the decision to the council,” Miryam says, startling him into looking up. “I think it is the right thing to do.”

“I don’t know what I want them to decide,” Drakon whispers. “I don’t want to put my people in danger, but I also don’t want us to lose our home.”

“I understand,” Miryam says, then winces. “I mean, not really, of course, I’m not trying to pretend my situation is in any way similar to yours, but…” She shrugs. “I’m sure they will make the right choice.”

Drakon certainly hopes so.

----

Amarantha is pacing in the courtyard. Back and forth, back and forth. Jurian’s vision is rocking with each movement. If he had a stomach, he would surely be sick by now, but as it is, he doesn’t even feel dizzy. He doesn’t feel anything at all.

It has been months. Eighty-nine days, to be exact. Jurian counts them, and with each new sunrise, his hope of rescue flickers and dies bit by bit. Miryam hasn’t come. She hasn’t come and with each day, Jurian finds it harder and harder to think of a reason. In the beginning, he thought she might be still be injured, but an injury likely wouldn’t have kept her out of the field this long. He can think of no reason, none at all, for why she wouldn’t have come yet, or at the very least asked someone else to go in her stead. Knowing her, nothing would have been able to keep her from helping him. And yet she hasn’t come.

Amarantha says that it’s because she doesn’t care. That she is likely glad about what happened to him, that she has already forgotten him and is happy with Drakon. Jurian doesn’t want to believe it, and yet with every day, it becomes harder.

No one is coming for him. Not one of his friends, of the people he fought with, the people he loved, seems to care enough about him to try and rescue him from this nightmare.

Amarantha pauses her pacing so abruptly that Jurian’s eye starts spinning wildly and it takes him a few moments to get control of it again. By the time he does, Amarantha has lifted the hand with the ring – with his eye – up to her face so that he is forced to look at her face. He wishes he could look away, could at least close his eyes, but he is forced to look right back at her.

“I assume you heard, my dear Jurian, that my failure of a king is considering surrender.”

Jurian does the only thing he can do in the situation he’s in: He rolls his eye and hopes that Amarantha will understand the gesture as the insult it’s meant to be.

News that the king of Hybern was considering surrender to the Alliance arrived in the morning, and the temper tantrum Amarantha threw when she heard lasted almost half an hour. Jurian dared to hope for rescue for almost twenty minutes longer than that, right until she spun around to him to snap that should it come to a surrender, she would dump his eye into the middle of an ocean before she handed him over to the Alliance.

The bottom of the ocean, Jurian thinks, might be preferable to being a ring at Amarantha’s finger.

Amarantha goes back to her pacing, this time with Jurian’s eye raised high enough for her to look at while she walks. It also gives him clear view of the bone hanging on a chain at her neck.

“These mortal worms are already whispering of freedom,” Amarantha continues. “They imagine your faithless ex-lover will come free them, or maybe one of those mortal queens.”

Something about her tone unsettles Jurian.

“Freedom.” Amarantha spits the word. “These fools. They seem to forget that there is only one type of freedom their kind will ever be granted.”

By the time Jurian understands what she is saying, she has already turned away from him. Her eyes scan the courtyard, then, she calls one of her commanders over.

No, Jurian thinks. He is only vaguely aware that his eye has started spinning again. No. He wants to scream the world, but he can’t. Can’t move, either. He is helpless to do anything.

“I want every mortal currently in this castle assembled in this courtyard,” Amarantha says. “Every single slave, no matter who the owner.”

“Yes, general,” the commander says. “May I ask for what purpose.”

Amarantha shrugs. “How about a competition for out archers?” She asks. “Whoever manages the most hits will be my guest for dinner this evening.” With a smile, she turns to Jurian. “And you and I will watch from the battlements. We’ll want to have a good view, won’t we?”

----

Tags: @croissantcitysucks @femtopulsed

#once again taking forever for the chapter #sorry #but well. at least I'm done now #this is getting really close to the end #before the wall #cinaja talks about before the wall #miryam #jurian #drakon

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kkurainmyheart · 3 years

Text

JEANPIKU WEEK, DAY 1 FREE SPACE

English is not my first language so here's the link for the original in Spanish. And below, the english version.

The night was peaceful, the music that came from the gramophone brought joy to the room illuminated by the softness of the pendant lamp that spread the rays through its bright windows. The room with pink walls and pompous white armchairs to match the curtains that revealed in its decoration the soft personality of the hosts of the place. The white fireplace crackled in a corner burning the logs that had been placed at some point during the day, the fire was reflected in the whiskey glasses that are located on the dark table on which part of the so-called Alliance played cards.

"I'm telling you, I was the best at playing cards."

"I believe you, Jean," Pieck smirked at her side.

Reiner, totally focused, took two cards from the deck and threw a card on the table.

"Even if I don't want to admit it, you're right," Connie mentioned. "He was the only bastard who understood the dynamics of the game, although I was the best at resisting when we drank."

Armin smiled nodding, under the table in a rapid movement he exchanged 3 cards with Annie's, nobody noticed.

"Who was the best drinking of the warriors?"

The boy from Ragako spoke again, before taking his glass and giving him a sip that burned his throat.

Pieck, Reiner, and Annie looked at him. It was not abnormal for this type of questioning between them, after the rumble they had invented a way to become close and maybe, just maybe, it also became a method of mutual forgiveness. Knowing their motives and circumstances helped them heal.

"I wasn't around long enough to know that, but I'm also curious, I guess Porco? or maybe you, Reiner,”

The blonde asked with interest, she had changed too much with Armin's company, she took 3 cards from the deck.

"Actually, it was her," the former titan pointed at the brunette who was sitting in front of him.

They felt Pieck's laughter rise at the sound of the music as she nodded in amusement. Jean and Connie's mouth dropped open in surprise, Armin raised an eyebrow. They had been together for five years, and on none of those occasions had the former wielder of the cart titan had more than a glass or two. Also, just looking at her petite build told everyone that Reiner was joking.

"I'm also the fastest drinking,"

she casually mentioned as she lowered her cards onto the table, 2 scales and a three of a kind to beat.

The petite woman who today wore a white shirt with a beautiful blue cotton skirt smiled as she rested her head on her arms that braced themselves on the table.

“It is impossible!”

"What's wrong Connie?" She said looking at him with bright eyes ”do you want me to prove it by defeating you in front of your friends? Armin please stop cheating” changing her gaze to the blonde who observed her embarrassed.

"You wouldn't in a million years, Angel. " Connie used the nickname derisively as she lowered her cards, four threesomes.

They both looked at each other seriously, making the rest of the table uncomfortable.

"You really didn't use that nickname!"

“I did it! Angel! Angel! Angel!” Shouted the boy sarcastically.

Pieck hit the table with both fists attracting everyone's attention, she felt frustrated and angry, no one called her that except the person who had given her the nickname.

"Bring alcohol! I'm going to make this competitive bastard cry!”

Soon the cards were replaced with glasses and bottles filled with fine liquor. The bets were not long in coming, they were soldiers, after all, betting was a tradition. Reiner and Annie decided to bet their money on Pieck; Jean and Armin had done the same for Connie. After many rounds of alcohol, they not only had a clear winner but two completely drunk people sleeping on the table.

A happy Annie put her money in the pocket of her caramel coat as she hummed the happy tune; Reiner counted his money in front of the losers, it was after 5 in the morning, they had to go home. They decided that it was wise to help clean up the house, while Annie was in charge of carrying the glasses to the kitchen along with Armin, Reiner would make sure that Connie did not choke on her own vomit; That left Jean taking over as the champion of the night.

Jean rolled his green shirt up to his elbows, then wrapped the girl's arm around his shoulder and helped her up; a very dizzy Pieck cooperated in the first meters of their journey; almost reaching the second-floor things got brutal. Jean was careless for two seconds and the girl was with half of her body hanging from the railing, trying to reach something that no one else saw; it was like a little 3-year-old girl discovering the world for the first time

“Sight! A butterfly!” She shouted, spreading his hands.

"Yes, yes Pieck" Jean addressed her calmly while holding her slim waist blocking her unexpected suicide attempt "come here."

He pressed the small woman against his chest to keep control over her, of course, there were no butterflies inside the house; the woman's imagination was at an all-time high and Jean was amused. He had seen other drunks before, but it was the first time he had seen the girl that way, her black hair still clung to the low ponytail with which she had started the day so he could see their expressions of astonishment at everything that she thought that saw.

“Is blue! Look how pretty, Jeanbo!”

The girl let go of his grip this time running down the hallway with white walls and pink carpet with intricate details; she almost tripped over the potted plants of the ficus plants that grow indoors. Jean sighed and took long strides to catch up with her, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her against him.

"Come on Pieck, let's put you to bed."

"But the butterfly?" She looked at him with sad eyes.

She really wanted to go after her imaginary little friend. Jean tried to walk with her to the other side of the hall where her room was supposed to be, they stumbled a couple of times in a clumsy forest of legs.

"Where's my butterfly ?!” She said scared, her eyes showed the terror she felt, and her mouth tightened in a line

"I don't know Pieck," he said tiredly.

He felt the girl cling to him, putting her ear close to his toned chest covered by the emerald shirt. He heard her sigh loudly and saw her tremble and then begin to cry loudly against his chest.

“Why are you crying?” his amber eyes and his voice denoted concern

Pieck stared into his eyes with fury and furrowed brows

"You ate it !!" she yelled

“What?”

"You ate my butterfly!" Tears flowed from his dark eyes like soft summer rain

“Of course not!”

“Yes! You did it! It's flapping in your chest!”

Of course, it didn't. First, there were no butterflies, secondly Jean would never eat a butterfly, and third, it was more than obvious that it was his heart beating indomitable for having her close. Maybe if she had been sober she would have said it, released what she felt like she wanted him to release that butterfly; but Jean, he was sure that she would not remember any of this the next day. So he decided to play around with this a bit.

"Yes, I ate it," he said with a slight smile as he stroked the girl's hair with one of his hands. "What will you do about it?"

Pieck was thoughtful for a moment, then in one swift movement, she laid her head back on the tall man's chest. She whispers against him:

"I'll get you out of there little friend, I promise ." She looked at him defiantly. "Spit it out!"

“Of course not!” Jean laughed at the ridiculous situation

"Don't make me take her out, Jean!" she said with a terrifying command voice, my God! He loved that terrifying command voice.

"I repeat, what are you going to do about it?" He took his hands to his hips, arrogant.

The petite woman stopped staring at Jean's chest silently, blinked a few times, and then her expression lit up in knowledge. She closed the distance between them, pulling the collar of the man's shirt so that they were both at the same height, then without saying a word or changing expression together with their mouths in a dirty kiss, violently sucking on Jean's tongue in the process. He snapped his neck out, and widened his eyes, he really didn't expect that

“What are you doing?” stuttering

"Sucking the butterfly out of you," she replied calmly and smugly, "so be a good boy and come back here. I have work to do and I still feel her flapping here.” She touched her slender fingers to Jean's chest, right above his heart.

He froze for a moment then a smile of understanding adorned his lips, he approached her mouth seductively.

"Let me help you," he whispered.

They began to kiss euphorically and hot, their breaths shaking, Jean's hands pressing her closer to his body, almost merging with each other. At some point, he lifted her up and the woman wrapped her legs around his waist as she played with his ash blonde hair. The tall man's big hands went up and down the brunette's small back. They parted gasping for air.

“Jean…

"Pieck ...

They both brought their foreheads together, she whispered to him with concern as she looked at him with regret.

"I think I swallowed the butterfly, I feel it beating here now." She pointed to her own chest, where her own racing heart was beating

Jean smiled.

“So let me help you again”

He was about to start a new kiss when Pieck stirred to release herself, he left her on the ground again looking at her strangely. She put her hands to her head, wincing.

"My head feels funny, oh my, is your girlfriend waiting for you?" Sighed “I also have a boyfriend? I can not remember”

"If you have it, come on, I'll take you to bed ."

The blonde sighed, took the impulse to take her in his arms, he also felt tired. Pieck rested her head on his shoulder and he could feel the calm breathing of the girl on his neck, she had fallen asleep.

He put the woman on the two-body bed with the blue coverlet; he lit the white lamp on the bedside table; he removed her heels and then positioned her on her side under the blankets; He kissed her forehead; he tucks the dark locks behind her ears and tucks her in.

He walked to the bathroom behind the white door in the corner of the room, filled a glass with water, and retraced his steps to place it on the nightstand. He watched the girl sleep and laughed as quietly as he could. He knelt beside the bed.

"I think you drank a lot today, Mrs. Kirstein”

He took the delicate hand of the girl, the hand that had a delicate wedding band on the ring finger, and kissed it fondly.

"I'm going to take Connie to his home and when I come back we'll take care of your clothes." He placed a kiss on her slightly parted pink lips. "I'll be right back, my angel."

He quickly descended the stairs, the walls of which hung photos of his wedding and his friends. Five years had not passed in vain.

“Let 's go?”

He was still amazed at how heavy Connie could be when he got drunk.

Jean woke up at noon the next day with a butterfly beating strongly in his chest, his wife sitting on his lap looking at him embarrassed.

"Please Jean, don't let me drink again."

"As you order, my Angel."

#Jeanpikuweek #jean kirschstein #jean kirstein #attack on titan #pieck snk #pieck finger #fingerstein #jeanpiku #pikujean #fanfic

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morimakesfanart · 3 years

Text

Sindria's Prophet Ch07

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

**stream of consciousness

**partial nudity

~POV shift~

The sun rose. It was the an important day for Balbadd. As exhausted and injured as everyone was from fighting, they couldn't put off making the new government.

With the crisis over, they had all been able to sleep comfortably, and eat better. Waking up to breakfast at the grand hotel was more than a welcome change after having to eat scraps with the fog troop. Of course there's nothing wrong with eating within one's means, but King Sinbad had developed his palette to be used to more refined things and he wanted to share.

The King had a variable feast of a breakfast be made. It would be thanks for everyone's hard work, and would help prepare them for all of the work they still had left to do. The hotel staff were instructed to tell everyone.

Calm waves announced the arrival of his comrades as they joined him for breakfast. Relief was on all of them. It was nice to see everyone relaxed.

Best of all was seeing Aladdin up and about again. He enjoyed the food as he shared in boisterous conversation with his friends.

They talked of the day's plans. Most of them were going to the palace to help with making the new government. Morgiana understood her limitations in that respect so would be helping give supplies to people in need.

Everyone ate their full, and headed out.

All of this should have been encouraging, but King Sinbad couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. His Beautiful Prophet was missing.

"Ja'far, have you heard anything from Mori this morning?"

His General turned to him, "I guess I forgot to tell you. Lady Mori sent word that she wouldn't be able to join us. So I had some food sent to her room."

The King hummed at that. It was worrying, but she had said that they'd have plenty of time to talk soon.

If what Mori had said was true then she had been removed from her home by Fate. She must have been very confused. Mori had shown that she was able to push her own problems to the side in order to help with the Balbadd crisis. She would become a strong ally.

Now that she could actually take a break, she was most likely mourning the loss of her home. She said herself that she'd never be able to go back. If Mori didn't have a home or family then King Sinbad would fill that void for her just like he had for many others. He wanted to comfort her, but if the Prophet needed space then it was time for the head of the Seven Seas Alliance to do what he could for Balbadd.

---

The magi, and prophet had came to Sinbad as if gifts from Fate, but it was up to him to convince them to stay with him.

Aladdin was currently focused on Alibaba so as long as Sinbad kept them both happy, he could prove his worth to the Magi. Helping Balbadd reestablish itself was 3 birds with one stone since he could also secure another dungeon capturer to his side, and honor his mentor as well.

And yet, even though he had already won her over, he found that he couldn't shake Mori from his thoughts on the walk to the palace.

Sinbad had felt the waves around her the first time they met, and they were only getting stronger. Mori had an amazing influence over the course of Fate. With her knowledge she could figure out exactly how to shift things in her favor and she could even feel the waves to get the perfect timing. He could feel the shift in the greater flow of the waves with every change. It was amazing. She was amazing.

Mori had agreed to become his prophet, but it clearly wasn't enough. Why else would he still be so focused on her? Sinbad would need to gain her true loyalty. She could help him reach his dream or sabotage him, and he might not even realize she had done it. There was no way Mori would do the later -he could feel it- but it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

It was sad that she was ripped from her home, but it was obvious in the waves why Fate had moved her. She was here for him. Why else would he find her as soon as she arrived? Why else would there be no way for her to return home? She may not have given details yet, but Sinbad was certain that in order to prevent the 2 catastrophes she had mentioned, Mori would need his help. Fate was directing her right to him, and him right back at her.

Even without her prophecies, being able to read the waves of Fate was an amazing ability. One that only Sinbad had until now, so he knew better than anyone the potential that ability gave it's owner. Mori could also use magoi manipulation, and was clearly hiding other amazing secrets.

---

Being a King, Sinbad was given a room in the palace all to himself to work. It was a privilege he was grateful for; his thoughts kept wandering. It wouldn't look good to the other's if they caught him spacing out. He had plenty of practice disguising it from Ja'far's watchful eye.

He was stuck on something he had thought earlier. He'd referred to those two as gifts. It wasn't right for him to view them that way, but how else was he supposed to view Mori other than a gift from Fate? He could feel in the waves that she was going to live out the rest of her days in Sindria with him.

The prophet was clearly the type of woman that responded to him, so it shouldn't take much more to bring her fully to his side. It might be underhanded to flirt with Mori to gain her loyalty, but the King of Sindria would do whatever he needed for the future of his country and his dream. Even if he didn't want her -and he did- her knowledge was something he couldn't afford to let slip between his fingers.

Besides, Mori's reactions were very cute. She got embarrassed easily even when putting on a strong front, so he couldn't help but tease her -it was almost an obligation. He'd be doing the world a disservice if he didn't do everything in his power to make her as endearing as possible.

The way she had responded when their waves aligned was also endearing. She might not have said anything directly, but every time their waves flowed together she acted confidently and flirted back.

Never had he imagined he'd meet someone else who could read the waves of Fate. Mori was someone who could understand his experience -someone who he could talk to about the waves and Fate. It made him want her.

After her wonderful display in the lobby, he had wanted to try out that 'zipper' with his own hands. And when she finally agreed to be his Prophet in such a flirty way, Sinbad had gone for it even though the waves weren't on his side in that aspect. Mori may have turned him down, but she'd be in his bed some day. They had an obvious chemistry; it was only a matter of time.

He'd have plenty of opportunities in the future. Mori, herself, said they'd have more time to talk starting that afternoon.

For now he would focus on helping build this new Republic of Balbadd. He was already working on making the proper arrangements for the new Republic to officially become a part of the Seven Seas Alliance. That would help when he'd visit the Kou Empire as promised.

He couldn't help but wonder how that trip would go. Would he really be able to convince the Kou Emperor to back down? He could always ask his Beautiful Prophet later.

But Mori had avoided the first good breakfast he had been able to provide for her. He had wanted to see her expression when she finally got to eat delicious food. Why had she chosen to eat alone? Would she really be available to talk later like she promised?

She couldn't be avoiding him. He'd only made one pass at her to join him in his room. She didn't seem offended by it either. Surely, she was just resting.

She had gotten worried on his behalf so this current problem was only a hiccup. There was no way she was avoiding him. It wasn't like him to worry about such things -especially not when the waves were on his side- and he had other things he should be focused on.

The King adjusted his posture before pulling out the next document. Thinking about her all morning was distracting him from the work he could actually get done. He'd have time to solve that problem after he finished.

"Excuse me, sir." One of the palace guards was in the doorway talking to Ja'far. "There's a girl asking for an audience with King Sinbad. She said her name was 'Mori?'"

Looks like his thoughts weren't without reason after all. He was being guided by Fate.

The guard was told to bring her.

Then the General turned to his King, "Sin, I know you've been flirting with Mori to win her over, but don't push it. She only just agreed to become your vassal. She's read Fate. She might be able to see right throu-"

Sinbad laughed it off. "It'll be fine. You know you can trust me."

It took a few minutes for the guard to retrieve Mori. Sinbad heard her thank her guide before he actually saw her.

When Mori walked in she was wearing an outfit that Sinbad had never seen before; she was even wearing her hair differently. She wasn't showing off her legs which was a real shame. On the other hand, that neckline was very alluring. Seeing her in clothes he was more familiar with was a good feeling. He wondered what she would look like dressed in the fashion of his own country. King Sinbad made a mental note to buy his Prophet a new wardrobe as a welcome gift -she was going to be living the rest of her life in Sindria after all.

Sinbad stood to greet her but before he could make a move she asked, "So when are we leaving?" Mori had an air of excitement but was still a little nervous. The waves were swirling around her.

She looked cute so full of energy, but Sinbad had no idea what she was talking about. He started to cross the room from the desk while giving her the smile that won him hearts across the seven seas. "Good morning, MY Beautiful Prophet." Her blush was the best reward for his efforts. When he got close enough he reached for her hand. "It's a shame you weren't able to eat with-"

Ja'far raised his arm to separate them.

"Huh?"

"Sin, what did we just talk about?"

Ja'far was scolding him, but all Sinbad noticed was the look Mori was giving his General -like he was her hero. That wasn't right.

Mori touched Ja'far's arm tenderly. "I'm okay, Ja'far. I know exactly what type of man King Sinbad is since I've read Fate. I'd never take his flirting seriously." She said it with a smile, but her words stabbed at Sinbad's heart for some reason.

Ja'far lowered his arm and reconnected his hands in front of himself in his normal pose. "Then does that mean...?" Ja'far's obviously relief was growing.

Mori nodded, "I'm not some naïve teenager who would fall for a known womanizer."

How could she say that when she responded to his flirting in such adorable ways?

She placed one hand over her heart. "And I promise, if he does ever cross the line and upset me, I won't hold it against his citizens. The sins of a King are his own."

Ja'far looked on the verge of tears, "My lady, you are too generous."

Wasn't Ja'far against Mori yesterday morning? What was causing the sudden change? It was nice to see them finally getting along, but..

Sinbad tried to pulled her attention and change the subject. "Mori, you said something about leaving. For where exactly?"

"Sindria." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It was great that she was so enthusiastic to go, but there was so much yet to do in Balbadd. How could she think they'd be leaving already? Was this something in the fate she read?

She looked between them confused. "I know I told you the other day. Don't tell me you forgot??”

Ja'far asked for both of them, "What are you talking about?"

Mori's tone turned serious. "Two days ago I told you that a Kou fleet would be coming today."

She had said that. The hair on Sinbad's arms raised. With everything that had happened the day prior he had forgotten.

"With Balbadd in it's current state, you know this will be dangerous for any members of the old regime."

She was right.

There was shouting down the hall.

Mori sighed, "Looks like I took too long getting ready." She suddenly looked very tired.

---

They all stood at the port watching the fleet on the horizon.

"Why would they do this?" Alibaba was still too naïve.

King Sinbad explained, "They must have had their fleet dispatched here from the beginning. They wanted to take advantage of the uprising by forcing us into submission." Even without Mori's prophecy he should have been able to predict this after seeing how involved the Kou Empire was in Balbadd's down fall.

He could feel Mori watching. Her focus shifted to each person before they started talking. Was she reading the waves, or was this a part of the fate she read directly?

Alibaba turned to him, "Yeah but, the uprising was suppressed."

"Even so, it's not as if there's a new government yet." Ja'far stepped closer as he joined the conversation. "And if they insisted that Balbadd is currently without one, you couldn't disagree."

Mori was watching from behind the General. Her expression was blank. She glanced at Alibaba and then focused on Sinbad.

The young ex prince clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Alibaba." King Sinbad took it upon himself to help him. "You must make preparations to leave this country as soon as possible. The first thing the Kou are likely to do is take the entire Royal Family into custody." He continued to explain how the Kou Empire was most likely going to kill Alibaba and others as symbols or just take over completely.

It was a hard truth.

"No way... You're saying I should run away?? Abandoning this country and all it's citizens??"

One that Alibaba was clearly not ready to accept.

"That's right."

Alibaba starting ranting about his goals and dreams -everything he wanted for his home country. King Sinbad could understand him. He had wanted the same for Parthevia when he was young.

"I'm not running away." Alibaba reached for his broken metal vessel. "If they try to force me, then I'll just fight!" He drew that now useless knife and pointed it at the fleet.

Talking with him was going nowhere, and it was clear that it would take too long to get Alibaba to see reason. The best thing King Sinbad could do to keep him safe was to knock him out. He stepped forward and raised

his hand behind the teen.

But Alibaba was missing from his strike.

Mori had yanked Alibaba out of the way. The quick glance of eye contact made it clear that she knew exactly what King Sinbad was going to do. This was the moment she was watching for. She had to have read this as a part of Fate.

And then all of Mori's attention was on Alibaba. "Do you know who's leading that fleet? Because I do. It's Ren Kouen, master of three Djinn.” Her voice was strong and clear.

Sinbad couldn't see Alibaba's expression, but he could see him tense up. If it really was Ren Kouen that would mean trouble. Why had she stopped him? If he had knocked the boy out they'd be able to guarantee his safety. She wasn't acting against him, was she?

"I said I'll fight!” Alibaba restated his position.

"You haven't achieved full body Djinn Equip once and your metal vessel is broken!! How do you expect to fight him??"

Sinbad could see what she was trying to do, but how could she think she would succeed where he failed?

Alibaba went quiet and then started to turn towards Sinbad.

Mori continued before he could say anything. "Don't you dare ask King Sinbad for help in this. Do you want to start a war between Sindria and the Kou Empire? I thought you wanted to avoid meaningless blood shed."

Alibaba froze. She was forcing him to accept his actual abilities. If a person can't accept where they are then they will struggle to grow.

"You can't protect anyone if you're dead. I've read a future where you are able to help protect Balbadd and the world, but you have to leave now if you want a chance of realizing that future."

Alibaba was quiet, and after a few moments sheathed his sword. "Damnit!"

Mori stepped back and let Alibaba leave.

Aladdin followed after his friend. "Let's go tell Morg!”

"Yeah. Then I'll need to go pack everything." Alibaba sounded frustrated but he had accepted the situation.

Mori had gotten Alibaba to accept it. She hadn't gone against Sinbad; she filled the gap in his ability to solve this without violence.

The Prophet sighed, and turned to her King. "I knew you were going to try to knock him out, but I really hoped that you would try talking to him more instead." Mori bemoaned while massaging her temples. "Please learn that you don't have a right to bypass other people's consent."

Sinbad was definitely not ready to suddenly have his behavior critiqued.

Mori continued, "Whenever something doesn't work out the way you want, you always turn to violence or seduction. If you weren't so charismatic, powerful and lucky, you wouldn't have made it this far."

Ja'far piped up in agreement. "His rash behavior has caused countless headaches!”

"When is he going to start acting more like a king?" Mori responded back. It was almost word for word something Ja'far had said the day all of his metal vessels were stolen. Had she read that and mimicked Ja'far on purpose?

"That's it exactly!" Ja'far agreed with the Prophet.

It really was nice that they were getting along. But the way Mori smiled at Ja'far just didn't sit right with King Sinbad.

"Well, Mori," Sinbad tried to cut in nonchalantly, "with your help I'm sure I'll be able to avoid such situations in the future."

Both looked at him as if he had three heads. It was like they were saying with their eyes than nothing could 'cure' his behavior.

At least Mori was looking at him again.

There had to be something he could say to bring the mood back up. "Oh!" Sinbad realized what she had meant the previous day. "When you said we'd have plenty of time to talk, you meant while on the ship to Sindria."

She blinked and then realized what he was referencing. "Yes, that's exactly what I was saying!" Her smile was more than encouraging.

"So," she put one hand the strap of her bag, "when are we leaving?" and quoted herself from her entrance.

A normal person might have found it unsettling how Mori responded to things that hadn't happened yet. Sinbad wasn't normal; he was special. These moments where it was undeniable the that she could read the waves and fate were his favorites. They were encouraging that he had someone he could rely on to fill the gaps in his judgments, so he could make his dream a reality.

((I wish I had this done in time for Sinbad's bday (April 2) but I'll have to settle for having it out for mine (April 7).

I headcannon Sinbad as demi-aro or aro-flux So I doubt he'd be able to understand romantic feelings if he had them. This is basically an entire chapter of Sinbad attempting to use logic and Fate to excuse his feelings.))

#sindria's prophet #magi prophet fanfic #king sinbad #magi sinbad #sinbad magi #sinbad x oc #sinbadxoc #fix-it fic #self indulgent

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moonah-rose · 3 years

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Defrosting Grumpy Three (a Season 8 meta)

I keep thinking about how Season 8 of Classic Who is almost like the first one the show has to a ‘season long arc’ that I don’t feel gets talked about enough. Obviously everyone knows it as “the one where the Master is in every story” but I feel like there is a subtle character arc for the Doctor in this season as well which is tied to the two main characters introduced in the first episode; the Master and Jo Grant.

I’m not the first one to point out that out of Three’s five seasons; this is the one where he’s at his most grumpy and short-tempered. I know a lot of people point to this season as reasons for why they don’t like Three and I totally get that, he’s a real git sometimes, in particular the first and last stories. There are moments where he’s asking for a slap and, no, I’m not talking about him claiming to be buddies with Chairman Mao and a Tory MP. Because I would’ve thought it was obvious that he drops those names purely to gain trust of these people who don’t trust him (at least that’s my headcanon because it doesn’t fit with the anti-capitalist, anti-pollution, anti-imperialist writing). Just him being constantly ungrateful to the Brigadier, snapping at Jo, or just being childish in the most ‘kid throwing a tantrum’ way possible.

But it’s easy to get why. By Season 8 he’s been trapped on Earth for we can assume at least a year. New Who fans who’ve seen the Power of Three and saw how crazy Eleven went when he tried to stay on Earth to study the cubes just for a few days/weeks know the Doctor can’t stand staying still, especially in one time and place. In his first season he could be short-tempered but slightly less so. In Spearhead he’s quite polite and motivated, though that could be the most pleasant form of Post Regeneration Trauma he’s been through. Plus he had Liz, who you can see he immediately clicked with. A fellow genius who finds herself out of place or treated a little unfairly as a female scientist surrounded by men, both of them willing to sass the Brigadier when he deserves it. He also still keeps trying to fix the TARDIS, as if convinced this won’t be as permanent as the Time Lords intended.

But by Season 8 (or you could say even before that, in Inferno) his attempts clearly haven’t succeeded past slipping into a terrifying parallel universe, and now cabin fever is setting in. And Liz, his science bud, has gone off and left. And while it’s sad we didn’t get a goodbye between the two of them, her passing remark towards the Brigadier about the Doctor just needing someone to pass him test tubes and fill his praise kink maybe implies that, at least from Liz’ POV, they weren’t as equals as Three thought, or she didn’t feel that fulfilled working with him, even if she did appreciate him as a friend.

So enter Jo to replace Liz, who is everything Liz wasn’t. Liz had to study and work her way to her position; Jo is a spoiled girl who got to play spy by sheer nepotism. She failed A level science and doesn’t have the same sharp-wit he and Liz shared. Three is mean to her even before she introduces herself as his assistant when she only tries to help, and doesn’t hide his disappointment when she tells him. Perhaps it might also be that she reminds him of his companions before Liz; she’s cute and perky like Zoe and also loyal and determined like Jamie, even though she lacks Jamie’s physical strength and Zoe’s genius. Still, she’s young and he might not want to put her in danger the same way he nearly lost his previous young companions many times in the War Games.

When Three goes to the Brigadier to try to get rid of Jo, the Brig is far more smug than in the previous season, as he seems to have worked the Doctor out by this point. Their little moment at the end of Inferno where Three insults him and tries to escape only to then come back with his tail between his legs acting all buddy has shown him who Three really is; that this whole grumpy shtick of this is just a defence mechanism while he’s so out of his depth. I like to think the Brig hoped Jo would soften him up, to bring out the compassion that was more overt in his previous incarnation, as well as just pass him test tubes and keep tabs on him. His knowing smile when he watches Three try and fail miserably to fire her seems to prove his point.

In the same story we also have the Master showing up for the very first time. He was created to be the ‘Moriarty to the Doctor’s Holmes’. These kind of ‘foil enemies’ that pop up in so many stories, where you have a villain who is supposed to be a perfect match in intelligence or skill to the hero, are more often than not presented as ‘what the hero could have been’ if they chose to be evil rather than good; the Master is no different. And even though it’s not established until the next season that the Doctor and Master used to be friends, there’s clearly an underlining fondness in their banter which hints at past feelings as well as mutual respect. It says quite a lot that Three is more relaxed and friendly during his conversations with the Master half the time they talk than he is with the humans he’s meant to be saving, or even his own close friends. Because, for all their moral disagreements, the Master is his own kind and his only link - other than his broken TARDIS - to the rest of the Universe.

In almost every story of S8, after the Master has revealed his evil scheme only for the Doctor to point out how it will backfire on him, they have to work together or form some kind of alliance of convenience. In Claws of Axos, the Doctor outright pretends to betray his friends and elope join forces with the Master to escape, only for it to be a trick in order to defeat the Axons. But considering Three’s attitude in this season, it’s a very convincing act as much to the audience as to the humans. And then in Colony in Space, the Master offers the Doctor half-ownership of the Universe....and the Doctor clearly hesitates! Yes, the Master tempts him with the persuasion of ruling ‘in the name of good’ but Three has to take a moment to remember what a slippery slope that line of thinking is. He’s so tired of being trapped, sick of being leashed by the Time Lords, that the Master comes along as a devil on his shoulder at his most vulnerable point. Considering the last story involves the Master summoning the actual Devil (or close enough) and is also where Three’s temper seems to be at its peak seems all too fitting.

It’s also interesting that the Master’s greatest fear that appears in the Mind of Evil is an image of the Doctor laughing maniacally over him. It’s the closest we get to an image of Dark!Three in the show. To contrast; the Doctor’s greatest fear isn’t the Master, it’s the eruption from Inferno. Seeing the Earth swallowed by flame - not because of an outside force like the Daleks or Cybermen, but by humans themselves. It’s easy to imagine him wondering why he even bothers with them when they’re their own worst enemy.

(Side note; apparently the Evil Overlord in the Inferno parallel world IS the Third Doctor, according to the Expanded Universe, though I haven’t read up on this. We were robbed of seeing Pertwee play an evil Doctor.)

So while this is going on and the Master is playing his games with the Doctor while also tempting him, intentionally or not, to the ‘dark side’, we also have Jo at his side. And Jo takes all of the Doctor’s snapping and mood swings like a pro, and is very quickly overwhelmed with a lot of the stuff she’s faced which that she didn’t know she was signing up for - being hypnotised, captured by aliens, taken to alien worlds in the far future etc. She screams as most companions did at that time, but because it is what you would expect from a girl fresh out of school and throwing herself into something she clearly didn’t properly prepare for. The Doctor has to save her a lot, more than often because she tried to help only to get herself captured. As much as he does warm to her - because he’s not immune to how adorable she is - it serves to prove his point. Even when he finally gets to leave Earth for a day, she’s too frightened to want to leave the TARDIS. What good is she to him?

Now she continues to prove she has her uses. She has her escapology skills which get them out of a few tight spots. Depending on the writer, she can turn into an Emma Peel-esque agent capable of self-defence and subterfuge. And she’s always patient with the Doctor, no matter what mood he’s in, and extremely loyal. She’s also kind and compassionate with every side character she comes across. There seems to have been a backlash to these kinds of qualities in female characters in the past twenty years or so, what I like to call the Cinderella critique, where if a woman is kind and generous more so than smart, sassy and sword-wielding she’s seen as ‘weak’. Jo is always there at the Doctor’s side when he’s managed to get hurt or knocked out (Three took a lot of naps, anyone else notice this?). Even after he does whisk her away to another planet and nearly don’t make it back, she could easily throw her job away if it was too much, but she sticks with it because you can see that she wants more than anything to be useful and do good for her world - it would be another two season until she found what her own passion was with being an environmental activist but this is where she wants to start.

But it’s not until the end of S8 that we see Jo’s greatest strength and how it saves Three when every other defence he had was gone. He’s spent most of that story chastising her for believing in magic and superstition, as well as anything else he can find to snap at her for like criticising the Brigadier even though he does the same thing all the damn time (this could be seen as a ‘I can insult my bro but you can’t’ moment but it’s still not pleasant). But when he learns the Master is preparing to sacrifice her, he runs in to save her despite knowing it’s a suicide mission. He also gives a cold exchange to the Master when told he’s a ‘doomed man’.

Oh I’m a dead man! I knew that as soon as I walked through those doors so you better watch out! I have nothing to lose, do I?

It’s a telling line that, behind all his patronising and abruptness, he’s reached a point he doesn’t feel he has anything left to keep going. He’s lost his freedom and his knowledge of time travel; but he’ll die before letting Jo die or letting the Earth burn again. When Azal claims the daemons gave humans knowledge, Three responds: Finally he’s turning his anger on the one who deserves it to save the one who has been his friend, even at his lowest points, for the past several months, while still showing his disappointment in what he’s seen of humans living amongst them:

You gave them knowledge to blow up the world and they most certainly will. They can poison the water and the very air they breathe.

When Azal appears, he nearly makes the Master’s greatest fear come true by offering his power to the Doctor instead. And the Doctor looks horrified, immediately doing a Jon Snow and refusing it. Unlike when the Master offered him power before, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment, even though Azal’s powers could probably get his TARDIS working again in a snap. He looks almost scared at the thought of possessing something like that. Perhaps his dark persona in that other world became that way because he did take such an offer?

Azal prepares to kill the Doctor for refusing his offer, which is where Jo saves the day by offering her life for his. A lot of people dislike this ending for the idea of the villain being destroyed ‘by the power of love’ more or less, but this was a lot less common a deus ex machina as it is in New Who. The Doctor explains how it works when they’re free as:

Azal could not accept a fact as irrational and illogical as Jo being prepared to give up her life for me.

Three says it as he’s just as baffled, if also amused, by it as Azal was. Why would Jo give up her life for him? Compare that with when Ten has to give up his incarnation to save Wilf, how he rants that Wilf isn’t important but he has ‘so much more’ to give. Even the Doctor wrestles when it comes to sacrificing himself for others sometimes but Jo did it without a seconds thought, made even more illogical given Three’s often harsh treatment of her. But one thing that is obvious is that Three’s grumpy face is gone; he’s smiling for the rest of the episode, looking at Jo with quiet heart eyes, and letting her drag him into the maypole dance, conceding that she was right and there is ‘magic’ in the world.

Much like Rose was the companion Nine needed after the Time War to enjoy seeing the Universe again and appreciating life, Jo serves a similar purpose in S8 in that she gradually reminds the Doctor through her actions of the strengths in being brave, kind and selfless. She and the rest of the UNIT family are there to remind him of the goodness in humanity and that we’re always learning and trying to improve; as Three says to Azal that ‘they need a chance to grow up’. Jo is the angel on his shoulder to contrast the Master as his personal devil; right down to having her dressed in the sacrificial ‘virgin’ garb opposite the Satanic Master to cap the season off.

Three still has his sour moments after this but he’s far less cantankerous going forward and sweeter towards Jo especially, praising her bravery and learning in future, just as Jo also grows more confident in her abilities and enjoys her adventures with him. He seems far more relaxed on Earth and less desperate to get away because of the people he has around him that make it worth staying around for. Three’s morals and loyalty to humanity might not have been so firm had Jo not been there to ground him, especially with the Master constantly there almost holding out a hand to him offering freedom and excitement. Like all good companions, she saves the Doctor as much as he has to save her, in more ways than one, which she doesn’t get nearly enough credit for. And it’s what adds to the heartbreak of her eventual exit because of the effect she had on his life.

It’s just one of my favorite tropes when a character gets better and softens or becomes kinder not because they had to ‘change for someone else’ but because they were inspired by them, especially if it’s the person they underestimated the most.

#it's about found family yo #classic who meta #doctor who #third doctor #jo grant #three x jo #the master #unit era

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clayandstuff · 3 years

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Becho Musings Part 2

Some more musings about Becho while simultaneously addressing unfounded blorke takes that make my blood boil and have no basis in reality. Focusing on S5 and on since I’ve already covered Becho’s relationship before they got together, this will look at them specifically as a couple. Posting this for posterity on my blog.

TL;DR

Not to accidentally validate any of these blorke claims by talking about them or giving them attention, but they’re so easily debunked by canon I can’t help myself...

Garbage take #1

Echo is just following Bellamy, she doesn’t love him, he is her King, they have a spy/king dynamic (lmao this isn’t even a real thing like wtf does this mean? You can tell blorkes are pressed about the knight/princess racist trope their ship falls into but you can’t just make things up! What a sad, misguided attempt to create a false equivalence between bellarke and Becho. A spy/king dynamic is literally not a thing - and unsurprisingly, it doesn’t accurately represent the relationship between Bellamy and Echo at all - but nice try I guess), Echo is only looking for someone to follow and take orders from, etc.

There’s so much to break down in this hot garbage take:

Before I get into absolutely destroying this hot garbage, let’s quickly address how the subtle framing of these “arguments” purposefully doesn’t acknowledge Bellamy’s feelings for Echo. Attempting to discredit Becho by designating Echo as a follower deliberately disregards Bellamy’s active role in his relationship and his feelings for her. Bellamy loves Echo and that’s clear throughout the show, but it’s wonderfully vocalized on screen multiple times in S5. Bellamy considers Echo his family (5x01 “we’re family and nothing can change that”) and it’s explicitly verbalized in 5x07 (”Our friends are there. People we love”) and once again in 5x12, from Clarke herself, when she told Echo “Bellamy loved you”. So, ya know, Bellamy loves Echo. That’s not debatable.

So first off, Echo’s relationship with Bellamy is not at all like her relationship to the Azgeda royal family (who she was in servitude of and essentially employed by). This is one of the worst takes I’ve ever seen and I’m not sure how anyone can logically come to that conclusion? (Which is mainly due to the fact that this claim is made in bad faith and isn’t actually based on logic or what we’ve seen in canon, but I digress). Not to mention Echo refers to Roan and Nia with honorifics and obviously does NOT do that with Bellamy, seriously wtf show are blorkes watching... Being loyal or devoted to someone does not mean the same thing for every relationship. Context matters. People can be loyal to each other for a variety or reasons, family/survival/clan/duty/temporary alliance/self-preservation/etc. Echo's never even hugged Roan, that already contextually makes her relationship with Bellamy very different from her relationship with Roan. Being devoted to someone because it's your job to protect the royal family (as a member of the Queen's guard and spy for the Ice Nation) is not the same as being devoted to someone because you are in love with them, in a romantic relationship with them, and want to keep them safe because they’re precious to you. Hello??

The other glaring inaccuracy with this garbage take is that Echo is not someone who just follows people or orders. That’s never been her character. She is a soldier, like Bellamy - but even when she was loyal to Azgeda she was never just a good little follower. She singlehandedly took control of Polis for Azgeda and commanded the entire Azgeda army in Roan’s absence. She doesn’t sit around waiting for people to give her orders or tell her what to do next. That’s simply contradictory to what we’ve actually been shown on the show. Mischaracterizing her as such is nothing more than a blorke ploy to minimize (and outright ignore) her strengths and agency as a character, intentionally erasing the fact that she is a brilliant strategist, skilled warrior, and a trusted political confidant.

Also, did blorkes forget that she’s literally a goddamn spy?! Being a spy is not the job for a follower who can’t think for themselves and needs someone to take orders from. A spy is given a mission and it’s up to them alone to make it happen. There’s actually an enormous amount of freedom and trust given to a spy. No one gives you step-by-step instructions to achieve your goal. You are literally on your own, often in enemy territory, having to think on your feet, adapt, and come up with a plan to get the job done. Oops embarrassing they forgot she’s a spy (it’s laughable to watch S7 and think she would ever actually betray her friends. She. Is. A. Spy. Infiltration is her job - we even saw her successfully infiltrate Diyoza’s camp in S5 and Diyoza herself actually admits she “got played” by Echo - CMON. Loyalty is her defining characteristic. PAY ATTENTION)

Calling her a follower is such a gross mischaracterization. Just look at her relationship with Roan (her actual King). She constantly argues with him, gives him push back, and even insinuates that he’s weak (to his face) on more than one occasion (in 4x01 when she flat out tells him “we can’t afford for our people to think you’re weak” and he gets offended enough to call her out on it, and then again when she’s sparring with him in 4x02 and offers to take his place once she knocks him on his ass). She doesn't even follow orders all that well if we're being honest (bless her little panda heart). She's the one who tells Roan to "send me to Arkadia" when she thinks Skaikru isn't being honest. She's the one telling Roan, the king, what to do! Not only does he let her talk to him like that, he actually values what she has to say.

Furthermore, the one time we see Roan actually give her a direct order (to bring Octavia back alive) Echo ends up NOT doing that (lol). She isn’t afraid to speak her mind or make her own decisions. One of her biggest character defining moments (that gets her banished from her clan) is when she decides to act of her own volition and go directly behind Roan’s back, to cheat in the conclave. No one ordered her to do that, it was all her. And there’s also all of the S7 Bardo Disciples plot which further proves that Echo isn’t just some mindless follower (cough cough Bellamy with the Shepard cough cough and Pike...). She’s always been her own person who thinks for herself and does what she believes is best for her people. (Even as far back as her introduction in S2 when she realizes Bellamy is Skaikru but still decides to trust and work with him in Mt. Weather. She also silences all those grounders in the cages with a single command and they ALL shut up and obey her, but sure yeah she’s just a follower 🙄🙄🙄)

So now that we’ve established how she interacts with Roan, let’s look at how she interacts with Bellamy. I’ve already detailed their attitude towards each other before they get together here, but now let’s look at how they act as a couple.

In S5, we see in their first scene together that they are very affectionate towards one another (so much kissing, arm rubbing, smiling, and forehead touching) as they mutually comfort each other. Echo is apprehensive about things changing on the ground because of Octavia and the fact that she’s still banished, but Bellamy makes an effort to get her to smile (even going so far as to joke about her “almost killing” his sister and him being more stubborn than Octavia. He gets her to laugh with him and even exclaims “good!” once she finally relaxes and smiles). He also tells her “we’re family and nothing can change that” - very different from her relationship with Nia (who Echo bowed down to when in her presence) who used Echo as spy/weapon of war, and Roan, who cast her out after using her political knowhow to effectively lead. Then on the Eligius ship in 5x03 they get their battle couple on by working together and fighting side-by-side to take out the prisoner who woke up. Later in that same episode, they jointly come up with a plan to deal with the cryo-sleeping prisoners that isn’t just murdering them (ultimately utilizing Echo’s plan to use them as leverage since Bellamy doesn’t want to kill them and Echo knows that it’s a strategic mistake to leave their enemy with reinforcements if they can stop it). When they don’t agree on something, they always talk it through and compromise (a sign of a healthy and mature relationship, where both people are regarded as equals and their input is valued).

Also, Echo was the one who came up with the plan to counter McCreary’s forces when he’d stolen Diyoza’s battle plans. Echo and Bellamy share a voiceover as they both relay the plan simultaneously to their separate groups. Once Bellamy finishes explaining, Octavia says to him “tell Echo I said well done”, giving Echo credit and acknowledging the fact that this is indeed Echo’s idea. Can someone kindly point me to where Echo is being a follower waiting patiently to be given her orders from her “King”?? Because as far as I can tell that never actually happens...

Side note, anyone else remember how blorkes were irate that Echo was the one leading Spacekru at the end of s5. They complained that it didn’t make sense for Echo to be in charge because “Raven was smarter” and Echo was being “so bossy”. Let’s just take a moment to acknowledge the contradictory nature of the arguments “Echo is so bossy and leading Spacekru” but also “she’s just a follower with a spy/king dynamic to Bellamy”. She can’t be both 🤣 stick to a story please. (Also, I LOVE Raven so this is in no way me shading Raven, she’s amazing and brilliant). Bonus: when the show runner is sick of your garbage takes and calls you out

To reiterate, the contradictory claims and clear disregard for facts and the truth of the show just further proves that their “complaints” are made entirely in bad faith. They are rejecting reality and demonstrate no comprehension of canon - their garbage takes should not hold any weight and are merely a form of lashing out because they’re upset their fanon ship never happened.

Getting back on topic...

So, S5 is where Becho are canonically established as a romantic relationship and the audience gets to see, for the first time, how they interact after 6 years in space and falling love. (Can I just point out that the entire purpose of a time jump is to have our characters change and be in emotionally new and different places - it’s a storytelling device to change the status quo and shake things up - it’s perfectly acceptable to have Becho get together during it given their history with one another. I address this in more detail later so we’ll put a pin in this for now)

Once they get down to the ground, Bellamy fights for Echo (both figuratively and literally) with Octavia and at every turn he doubles down on his love for Echo. To summarize, Echo won’t turn in the defectors and is willing to be banished for it, leaving Bellamy to stay in Polis with Octavia so he can still have a relationship with his sister. However, Bellamy won’t let Echo do that. He doesn’t want her to leave and he doesn’t want to be apart from her. He offers to defect with her! He would chose to give up his relationship with Octavia and Clarke (who he just found out was alive and reunited with) to be with Echo. Echo doesn’t like that plan because she doesn’t want Bellamy to be in harm’s way. She even tells him “we’ve been through this. You’re not going with me” to which he responds “like hell I’m not!” and she tells him “you are not dying for me”. Bellamy seems inconsolable at the thought of her leaving and can’t even look Echo in the eye when he’s telling her that he’ll be in the rover and it’ll only take him a few days to get to her, and once again Echo comforts and reassures him.

While Echo is at Diyoza’s camp trying to take down the eye, Bellamy has been staring at the monitor nonstop for 8 hours waiting for any change or sign that Echo made it there safely. Harper has to come in and tell him "you've been staring at that all night" and to “go, get some sleep”, knowing that if left on his own he would emotionally exhaust himself worrying about Echo and her safety indefinitely. Bellamy responds that the eye should be down by now and even says that he "wishes it was me over there". (This line reminds me of when he took her place in Mt. Weather to get bled in the harvest chamber. He is always willing to put himself in her place if it means getting her out of danger - he loves her and would do whatever it takes to keep her out of harm’s way).

Eventually Bellamy marches through the desert and carries Echo’s sword for her. He even sits by the fire and holds onto her sword because he can’t reach out and hold Echo (meanwhile Echo is being comforted by Emori that she’ll be together with Bellamy soon - I love a good yearning parallel!). When they reunite at the end of the season, they hug, grip each other tightly, and stay pressed together just being in each other’s embrace (again, this is NOT how she acted with Roan or Nia... this is a romantic relationship, and it's obviously played out on screen very differently. Echo never received a singe bit of comfort - physical or otherwise - from anyone in Azgeda).

Before they get out of the rover after rescuing Octavia, the minute Echo and Bellamy are reunited, Bellamy reaches out for Echo's hand and holds it (a callback to earlier in the season when he was reaching out for and grabbing onto her sword in her absence). Then they battle-couple-it-up again and take out the gunners making it possible for Wonkru to march through the gorge. They are equals (and partners) on and off the battle field.

S5 ends with Bellamy staring at Echo in cryosleep, yearning for her once again. And in S6 right off the bat they compromise with each other to get things done. The planet is dangerous and Bellamy doesn’t want to take fighters but Echo counters that it might be a mistake not to bring their to best fighters (Echo vouches for Octavia here) and Bellamy doesn’t want Octavia to come so instead he agrees to wake up Miller - another compromise where they make decisions together and work as a team. In S6 we also see in real-time Echo opening up to Bellamy and trusting him enough to let him in to her traumatic past, strengthening their relationship (directly in front of the audience) as Bellamy promises “from now on, we look forward not back” and comforts her with a loving forehead touch and a kiss.

Bellamy and Echo both come up with the plan to rescue Clarke from Josephine (Echo directly gives Bellamy the go ahead to “go save Clarke” while she stays back and saves the rest of their friends after they set off the EMP taking down the radiation shield). While Bellamy is in the forest, he expresses regret and worry for Echo explicitly two separate times (Bellamy asks Clarke “what about the people I left behind” and Clarke assures him his actions helped to keep Echo specifically (as well as Madi) safe. He has another separate conversation with Octavia about Echo where Octavia reassures him that “Echo’s strong” and “she’ll be okay”). Bellamy also gets more reassurance from Murphy, who informs him that “Echo is in trouble” but he’ll “do what [he] can for her”. He tries to console Bellamy because Bellamy is currently captured and can’t get to her to help. Once Bellamy returns from his mission in the forest, he sees Echo smiling right at him and he sprints into her arms, hugging her desperately and smiling into her shoulder with his eyes closed. Becho is a loving, healthy, mature relationship filled with trust and mutual respect, where both people are treated as equals.

So yeah, no follower spy king dynamic BS. Equal partners in love.

Garbage take #2

Becho is toxic because he got mad at her and called her a spy, etc.

Blorkes love to incorrectly imply that Bellamy’s little outburst in 6x04 at the party means that “Becho is toxic”. Well, if you actually watch the rest of the episode you’d see that there was a loving resolution to this “fight” 🙄

As Echo is walking away from Bellamy at the party, Bellamy instantly hangs his head in regret. He then immediately goes to find her and apologizes. He tells her “I’m a jerk. I was taking my feelings about Octavia out on you” and “I’m sorry”. Then we see Echo open up to him about her past and would you look at that! Their romantic relationship is being explicitly developed on screen! The trust! The love! The tears in Bellamy’s eyes as he listens (it hurts him just to hear what she’s been through)! The way he gets up on his bad leg (thanks Clarke) and goes to comfort her, kisses her head before he even sits down and tells her “Everything we’ve been through has brought us here. From now on, we look forward, not back”, fully committed to her and reaffirming that they’re in this together. Then Bellamy touches his forehead to Echo’s, but that’s not close enough so they kiss to be together. Their love is so palpable.

Show me where this is toxic??? Because it’s not and you can’t just say things. Words have meaning. I don’t understand how anyone can deny that lovingly resolving a misunderstanding only strengthens Becho. Getting in disagreements/arguments is part of every relationship. Becho having one (one-sided) “fight” doesn’t make them toxic. Especially when Bellamy immediately goes to apologize, knows that what he did was wrong and wasn’t fair, and they talk about their feelings and work through it together. That’s like the exact opposite of being toxic.

It's fine not to ship them, but there's no need to be willfully obtuse about canon or what the show presents. Their romantic relationship is not toxic and is arguably the healthiest one on the show.

Garbage take #3

Becho’s development happened off screen, Becho has no development, etc.

In season 5 Bellamy and Echo are revealed to be in a romantic relationship. I’ve already addressed how the ‘no development’ claim is just a blatant lie, so I won’t repeat myself here (you can just read about it in my other post which was previously linked). But let’s talk about why this “argument” is also pretty garbage and is once again made in bad faith.

S5 is THE definitive Becho season (and it absolutely slaps). Blorkes couldn’t accept that Becho were a couple because they intentionally chose to ignore all of their previous development and then had the nerve to (falsely) claim that it all happened off screen. (Which is blatantly untrue, but even if it was true - quick reminder that “lack of development” doesn’t seem to be an issue for Marper - it’s just a problem for Becho 🙄 even though most of S4 was explicitly focused on developing Bellamy and Echo’s relationship while Harper and Monty had sex once and then were instantly a couple...hypocrites 🤷). It’s the flagrant refusal to accept what’s being shown on screen that bothers me. You don’t need to make up lies and spread asinine comments about the characters - you can just acknowledge that the show is going down a route you don’t personally like. You don’t need to twist yourselves into a pretzel to justify your preferred ship. Just be honest about what’s really upsetting you.

I’ll admit that it’s fair to say you wished we could have seen more of their development becoming explicitly romantic, but the ground work is absolutely there and to say there’s NO development and that it all happened off screen (ala Gina the walking plot device who didn’t exist as a character until she showed up as Bellamy’s gf for all of 5 mins before getting killed off) is just simply untrue. And while I’m addressing genuine criticism/complaints, it’s definitely frustrating that we never got to see any flashbacks of the Ring during S5 despite getting to see both Clarke and the Bunker during the 6 year jump. Thankfully, we did eventually get to see Becho’s first kiss flashback (swoon 🥰) in S7 but even without explicitly seeing Spacekru flashbacks during S5, all of Becho and Spacekru’s interactions throughout the season made it perfectly clear how much they all loved each other and were a family. The writing and character interactions easily convey to the audience Spacekru’s closeness and tightknit bond and it was a joy to watch. Because Octavia becomes Blodreina, you need to see at least some of how that happened, so we get bunker flashbacks. And Madi is an entirely new character, so we have to see how she met Clarke. But it’s actually not that big of a leap to get to romantic Becho since it was clearly set up (we also don’t see Memori break up, but again it’s not a big leap to understand why they would given the explanation we got), so Spacekru flashbacks aren’t actually necessary although they would have been greatly appreciated.

Garbage take #4

Bellamy doesn’t care about Echo and abandoned her for Clarke

This is somehow the narrative blorkes like to perpetuate about S6, but again this is completely factually incorrect. If what they are referring to is Bellamy going to get Josephine out of Clarke’s body while Echo stays back and looks after everyone else, it still makes no sense. There is no reading of the show in which this garbage claim has any basis. Bellamy would never willingly leave Echo behind (splitting up to take care of something they previously established they were going to do is not abandoning her 🙄x50).

Here’s what is actually happening in that scene: Echo is the one who tells Bellamy that she will stay and “keep the others safe”, and that he should “go save Clarke”. (keep in mind that saving Clarke actually isn’t the end goal of what they are trying to do here anyway. They are trying to get Josephine’s mind drive to use as leverage with Russell so that their people can have a place to live). Echo told him to go because the alarms were going off and they needed to get Josephine to Gabriel instead of waiting for Jackson to get to them and take out the mind drive. Context fucking matters. Blorkes just love to twist anything onscreen to fit their agenda and it just ends up making them look delusional.

As for “Bellamy not caring about Echo”, show me where????? S6 gave us one of their softest and sweetest scenes (as well as a fireside cuddle) that begs to differ. All of S5 begs to differ. Hell, all of S4 begs to differ too. In fact, the entire goddam show begs to differ. Bellamy “sprint into the arms of my girlfriend Echo” Blake begs to differ. This garbage take has no basis in canon. It’s once again just another bad faith claim by blorkes who are hardcore projecting. Because guess what? Not caring about the other person is exactly the way Clarke feels (or more accurately doesn’t) about Bellamy. Clarke left Bellamy to die in Polis in S5. Clarke physically slapped him in his face. This is canon. That’s THEIR ship, that’s not how Bellamy feels about Echo.

Blorkes like to say Becho don’t have any scenes together, but they’re really just so tilted that Echo gets her own plotlines every season, has relevance to the story, and actually isn’t solely defined by her relationship with Bellamy. She can’t be “just Bellamy’s girlfriend” while blorkes claim that “Becho doesn’t even have any scenes together“. Those are two contradictory statements guys... again, stick to a story please. So we have Schrödinger’s Echo, who is somehow both “just Bellamy’s girlfriend” and also “doesn’t have any scenes with him”. Give me a break. Neither of these statements are true and they’re honestly just dumb. It makes blorkes furious that Echo gets narrative focus each season, so they decide to twist that into “she and Bellamy don’t share any scenes”. But guess what? Queen gets both 👑. She can cuddle by the fire with her little spoon boyfriend and also spread the seeds of revolution while sniping at Russel with her bow and arrow during an execution to save her family and friends.

Also to the people who think S6 was so good for bellarke

Why didn’t Bellamy actually realize that Clarke wasn’t Clarke. Josephine reveals herself to him, he didn’t figure it out 🥴 (Echo was able to piece it together though, so Clecho Endgame I guess)

At the naming day lantern thing, Clarke tells Bellamy that she “lost sight” of him (supposedly) being important to her. She tells him that he is her family too (which he doesn’t verbalize back oop) and she won’t forget it. How nice that that’s something Clarke COULD forget and that she said that to his face 🥴

Bellamy is oblivious that Josephine is impersonating Clarke, so much so that when he hears her say “chill out” to Gaia, he repeats back “chill out? Happiness looks good on you”. He can’t even tell that’s not Clarke and he actually thinks she looks happy 🥴

Why was Bellamy completely unfazed, not jealous at all, and totally cool with Clarke having sex with Cillian. He even says “I take it you had fun with the doctor?” and Josephine!Clarke says back “let’s just say it’ll be a while until he recovers” and Bellamy couldn’t care less that “Clarke” is talking to him about her sexcapades with other people. There’s no angst or jealousy or longing looks or sadness lsdjsdkf. He’s genuinely happy for her. Then he makes an “ugh TMI” face and turns away. As if the thought of Clarke having sex in general is uncomfortable. Great blarke content, much romance 🥴

When Josephine has control of Clarke’s body she flirts with Murphy (and not Bellamy... a huge L in the metastory)

When Josephine is in Clarke’s mind and has access to all of her innermost thoughts and feelings - there’s no mention of any hidden or repressed romantic feelings for Bellamy (but we do get Josephine taunting Clarke about an actual love interest - “it’s why you cry when you think of Lexa”). Where was all this good blarke content guys?? 😩

The crumbs were extra stale in S6 if you ask me... almost as if the story between Bellamy and Clarke is, in fact, not a romance 🥴 🥴 🥴

ANYWAY

Becho as a couple are emotionally supportive of one another, unshakably stable, communicative, open, and loving. They support each other, they fight for each other, and they absolutely cherish each other. Whoops looks like I accidently wrote a thesis paper (and I’m sure I still managed to leave a bunch of stuff out). Thankfully, the show is the show. And it will always be about canon romantic Becho. And blorkes can die mad about it while we rewatch and enjoy the show to our heart’s content 😊

#The 100 #Becho #Echo Kom Azgeda #Bellamy Blake #anti bellarke #Becho positivity #becho musings #this started out as just looking at Becho as a couple #but then I remembered some truly garbage takes that were so smelly #I had to eviscerate them #so please enjoy my now incoherent Becho ramblings #with some anti bellarke sentiment splashed in #I hope this makes some kind of sense #I had to get all this out for my own sanity #help this is so long and maybe a little bit all over the place #TLDR; all blorke criticisms of becho are just them projecting the worst parts of their ship they refuse to acknowledge #I'm so envious of new fans who never have to witness blorkes firsthand #I sincerely believe blorkes don't have a single brain cell between them #thanks for coming to my TED talk #grab a bagel on your way out

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mayquita · 4 years

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Damn You For Making Me Love You (4/15) - Holding Out For a Hero

Thank you so so much, for your likes, reblogs, kudos and comments. It means the world to me.

Beta-Reader: Thank you so much, @ultraluckycatnd I couldn’t have asked for a better beta. Thank you for all your effort, your suggestions, your advice and for always being there when I needed you.

Special mention to @saraswans and @onceuponaprincessworld, thank you so much for your perpetual support and for believing in me and in the story. Thank you again to the moderators of the event, @captainswanbigbang for giving us this opportunity and making this possible. You all are the best :)

Summary: Emma Swan and Killian Jones are close friends and co-workers. And both are in love with each other. The problem? They keep their feelings secret not only to the other but also to the rest of their friends. When Elsa, Emma’s best friend and Liam, Killian’s brother and Emma’s boss find out, they decide to form an alliance and work as a team with a clear goal, to get Emma and Killian to take the next step in their relationship and confess their love for each other.

Rating: M

Word count: ~ 7500 (98k total in 15 chapters)

Also:

Tumblr: Prologue // Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

From the beginning Ao3 / FFnet — Current chapter: Ao3 / FFnet

About this chapter: We return to Emma's point of view. Elsa and Liam begin to carry out their plan. We will see if it brings the desired consequences.

Chapter 3: Holding Out For a Hero

Emma - Some time ago

The first time the Jones brothers suggested that she accompany them for dinner after closing the bar, Emma had only been working there for three weeks. She rejected the invitation with a poor excuse.

Her refusal did not prevent them from trying again a week later. She appreciated their efforts to make her feel integrated, but she preferred to keep the distance, to keep their relationship something closer to strictly professional. Given her long history of abandonment and rejection, she simply did not make friends; she didn’t trust people enough for it. Elsa and Anna were the only exceptions in her life, and so it would remain if it depended on her.

What she hadn't counted on was that she wasn't the only one in this situation that was capable of making decisions or acting in a certain way. She might not have made any effort, but the Jones brothers, especially Killian, were stubborn by nature, so they did not give up and insisted on involving her in every little conversation, banter, or discussion that was taking place in The Kraken.

Her armor began to weaken almost without her noticing. Both Emma and Killian started sharing small details of their past between jokes and innuendos. They were nothing more than mere glimpses of their previous experiences; nothing too personal, but enough to get to know each other better and, at least on her part, allowed her to start lowering her defenses. Still, she kept rejecting their invitations.

Two months after starting work at The Kraken, Liam decided to hire a new waitress, Ruby, due to the constant increase in clientele. Unlike Emma, Ruby did accept the invitation to join them after the bar closed at the first opportunity. This time, Emma was tempted to accept as well but instead, she decided to go home, ignoring a strange sensation that had settled in her stomach; something that was definitely not jealousy. Absolutely not.

A month later, they held a themed party at the bar that proved to be a success, but the previous preparations and subsequent development for the party had drained almost all of Emma's energies.

Emma was exhausted. Not only did her feet hurt like hell due to the damn heels, but other parts of her body were also sore. She even had stiffness in her arms. How was it possible? If she had been told before that her professional career would lead her to accept a job that required that level of physical effort, she would have snorted in disbelief, especially when she had to resort to similar jobs previously in order to be able to finance her degree, the one that was supposed to offer her a whole new world of professional possibilities.

And yet here she was, raising a stool and turning it upside down on the counter to scrub the floor of The Kraken before closing the premises until the next day. Three months later, Emma still wondered sometimes what she was doing there, especially on nights like this one, with a huge crowd filling the bar from the first hours after opening and so much to do for that reason. That thought was becoming less frequent, though, if she was being honest with herself.

You should be proud of yourself. Having so many customers is a consequence of your success. You are only reaping the fruits of your hard work, she told herself in her attempt to justify that her professional achievement was worth some physical and mental exhaustion.

"Swan, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to do that task?" Emma's head turned automatically when she heard Killian's voice behind her while a warm feeling pooled low in her belly and a reluctant smile pulled at her lips.

Her first impression of Killian had been right and hadn't changed over the months. He was trouble, no doubt, with his innuendos and banter, combined with his undeniable good looks. She had learned to handle him soon enough, though, ignoring how her body reacted to his presence —or even just to his voice, as on this occasion — or how her mind betrayed her when her thoughts were occupied by those enigmatic blue eyes more often than what she would like.

She had also soon learned that the Jones brothers were two decent guys, so beyond her undeniable sexual attraction towards the little — younger — brother, she felt comfortable working around them.

"He's right, Emma. You've done enough today helping us behind the bar." Liam approached her, grabbing the stool she was holding while gently pushing her toward the counter area where she had left her laptop and her camera.

Just when she had finished collecting her belongings and was about to head towards the exit, the inevitable dinner invitation arrived.

"Where are you running off to, Emma?" This time it was Ruby who addressed her, her arms crossing over her chest and an eyebrow arched in question.

"I'm going home," she replied slowly. Ruby raised her eyebrow further while the guys remained silent, Robin included, watching the scene. "My feet are killing me," she felt compelled to add as an excuse.

"Oh come on!" Ruby rolled her eyes as she threw her arms in the air. "Just put on the sneakers you came with." Emma's eyes widened in surprise at Ruby's authoritative tone. "This time there are no excuses. The party has been a success thanks to you. We should celebrate it."

"We're going just around the corner, love. It's just pizza, no big deal," Killian added. He had used those same words on previous occasions, but for some reason, perhaps because of Ruby's insistence, or perhaps because he looked hopeful, she found that her decision to refuse the invitation was severely weakened this time.

Before answering, Emma looked at the four people in front of her. They all had the same expectant expression on their faces, as if they really wanted her to accompany them. "Okay, I'll go with you." The words came out of her mouth without her having time to process them, but she did not regret her decision, especially when Emma was rewarded with bright smiles and even clapping from Ruby.

Needless to say, that wasn't the last night Emma accompanied them. She felt so comfortable sharing talks, laughter, and good food until the wee hours of the morning that all her arguments to continue isolating herself ended up fading away. She couldn't be more grateful to these four people, who hadn't given up on her until she had left her armor behind. At least in part. Her battered heart would still be protected at all costs.

A month later, just after Killian's first performance, was the first time Emma went out after work with only the two Jones brothers. Ruby had a date with her girlfriend Mulan, and Robin's babysitter couldn't take care of his son Roland too late that night. So there were only three of them left.

She was about to decline as well, since she wasn't sure she could handle her growing feelings towards Killian when they were just the two of them (plus his brother), but his performance had been a success and they were so euphoric that she got carried away, once again, remarking that she could not miss the opportunity to eat pizza in her favorite place.

From there they established a kind of routine where food was always present in one way or another. Either all the coworkers went out for a late dinner after work, or they met for lunch. Other times, they were just the three of them alone. Over the following months, they not only spent time together in restaurants or cafes, but also chose to meet at one of their apartments.

A year and a half after starting work at the bar, Emma and Killian had their first encounter alone, although this one was quite fortuitous. They had gathered in the Jones apartment for a pizza and Netflix session, as per usual on Mondays, which was the only night that The Kraken was closed. Liam retired to sleep quite early and suddenly they were both alone. What transpired in this unusual situation? They got drunk and revealed between shots (rum for Killian and tequila for Emma) their most traumatic experiences of the past, their secrets, and their fears.

She told him about her past as a foster kid, and the betrayal of her first love, who had not only abandoned her but had allowed her to go to prison for a crime he had committed. She also confessed the reasons why she had returned to Boston after another asshole had broken her heart. He, in turn, confessed his sad past after becoming an orphan and how his heart had also been broken after losing his fiancee in a car accident.

It was a cathartic night, one where Emma felt closer than ever to Killian. But at the same time, she was more frightened. She had never connected this well with anyone else in her life, and she would never do anything to risk losing this powerful connection between them.

Emma had been working at The Kraken for two years when the realization of her true feelings towards Killian appeared suddenly in the least expected way, although Emma shouldn't be surprised that food was somewhat involved.

It was the Monday before Christmas and she had gone to the bar, despite being closed, because she needed to finalize the details for the big party that they would be throwing that upcoming weekend. She had been so focused on her task that she even lost track of time. For that reason, when she heard that someone was trying to open the door of the place, she was startled to the point that she almost dropped her laptop.

"Holy shit Killian, I almost had a heart attack!" she blurted while holding a hand to her chest, ignoring the little flutter in her belly when she realized his presence there.

"My apologies, love." His head made a slight bow as he approached her with a wide grin on his face. Only then did she realize that he was holding a large pizza box.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Well, it wasn't hard to deduce, since you didn't answer your phone, and Elsa informed me that you weren't in your apartment. So I put two and two together and... here I am."

"I guess you haven't come to help, have you?" The delicious aroma coming from the box was too distracting and caused her mouth to start to water while her stomach growled. Killian, as perceptive as ever, noticed it, of course.

"When was the last time you ate, Swan?" There was no accusatory tone in his voice, but rather a hint of concern. Emma had to admit that she couldn’t even remember when she had had a bite last; probably at breakfast. She didn't know what time it was, but the sunlight had long since disappeared. She wasn't going to confess, though, so she simply shrugged while looking sideways at the box.

"I think I took a granola bar a while ago," she lied, reluctant to admit that she had been so focused on her work that she had forgotten even the basics, such as feeding herself. She already had enough with Liam's constant lectures. She didn't want Killian to give her another speech.

Killian let out a heavy sigh while holding her gaze, implying, without words, that he was not buying it. After a slight shake of his head, he placed the box on the counter, so close to her that she had to suppress a moan.

"Luckily for you, I have come to your rescue."

"Eh! I don't need anyone to r..." The words died in her mouth when he uncovered the lid of the box, revealing a delicious and still steaming pizza. Her favorite, to be exact.

She certainly didn't need anyone to rescue her, but just this once, she would consider him as her particular hero. The mere idea of Killian as a hero brought to her mind the reminder of a specific song while she took a mental note to add it to his repertoire, an involuntary smile pulling at her lips as she repressed the urge to start humming.

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life!

Larger than life

Another thought crossed her mind at that moment as a wave of gratitude toward him washed over her. The growl of her stomach was suddenly replaced by a strange tug as the fluttering from earlier became more intense. She needed only a few seconds to look him in the eye to realize the meaning of that overwhelming emotion.

She was in love with Killian. She had fallen in love with him probably a long time ago, but a simple pizza with her favorite ingredients had been enough to accept that feeling for the first time.

Contrary to what it might seem, that realization was not good news at all, but rather the opposite. What the hell was she going to do with that intense feeling bubbling inside her? She pressed her lips together holding back another moan, but this time the smell of the pizza had nothing to do with it; rather the fact that falling in love with her best friend and co-worker was only going to lead them to disaster. Especially because, despite his gestures of affection towards her, nothing made him indicate that her feelings were requited.

Damn you for making me love you, she thought in frustration when he offered her a slice of pizza, a wide grin adorning his lips.

Emma - December 2019

It's getting late, Emma thought nervously as she applied the last touches of makeup. She had spent so much time deciding on the outfit she’d wear to the dinner that now she had run out of time.

Emma blamed Elsa, of course. She had arrived the day before with a last-minute plan. The mother of one of the girls Elsa trained had offered her the chance to get a table reservation in one of the most successful restaurants in the city since she had an unforeseen event and couldn't attend. Since the table was for four people, you could take advantage and invite your two boys to eat something different than pizza or grilled cheese —Elsa's words.

Elsa was right, of course. Food delivery, take-out, or grilled cheese with onion rings at her favorite diner restaurant were her usual food sources. And pizza.

She could almost assure that her daily routine basically revolved between the bar, her apartment or the Joneses, and her favorite pizza shop. It was almost as if they had established their relationship based on their eating habits, to the point that the food had been involved in some way in most of her best experiences since she had moved back to Boston.

What she wasn't used to was going to this kind of fancy restaurant, let alone with her favorite person in the world as a companion.

That's why it took her an eternity to choose the right outfit. Her jeans and red leather jacket were totally discarded, of course. Although she contemplated that possibility for a moment, just to see Elsa's reaction. She would scream bloody murder if she saw her appear that way…

While searching through her closet for a more appropriate outfit, she kept thinking about Elsa's unexpected plan, wondering why she would have suggested that the Jones brothers accompany them instead of her own sister, who would be delighted to go to this kind of place.

Although Killian had dismissed the idea that Elsa and Liam could be seeing each other in secret, she still had some hope. This kind of double date contributed to increasing her suspicions since it was an ideal way to spend time together in a romantic setting while using her and Killian as an excuse. Maybe she was being influenced by the numerous rom-com movies she was watching lately because of the holiday season, or maybe it was just a way to project onto that possible relationship what she would like to have with Killian. Whatever it was, she was enjoying the possibility of the two of them ending together. If they aren't already, that is.

She couldn't wait to see the reaction of her two favorite boys when they set their eyes on herself and Elsa. But for that to happen, she had to choose a damn outfit.

She had tried on all the dresses in her closet, with unsatisfactory results. Too sloppy, too casual, too short, too long... Such was her degree of frustration that she was reconsidering the possibility of her jeans and leather jacket. It was then that she took one last look inside her wardrobe and saw it. The dress was hidden, hanging between two of her leather jackets, which is why she hadn’t noticed it in her first check. But once she found it, the choice was made.

She must admit that she looked pretty damn good in that dress. It was an ivory-colored dress, a little longer than mid-thigh in length. The neckline plunged low between the swell of her breasts and it gathered just below them, creating folds in the front of the dress. The loose-fitting sleeves fell at the elbows. There was also another aspect that had led her to choose that outfit. It was the same one she wore two months ago when her unexpected encounter with Killian took place.

Despite the awkwardness of the moment, she hadn’t missed Killian’s initial reaction when he approached her that night. His pupils had dilated, his eyes had skimmed her body discreetly up and down. She had also noticed how he had tried unsuccessfully to focus his gaze on her face instead of on her breasts. This was, of course, until everything was ruined by the strange behavior of the two of them.

The physical attraction between her and Killian was undeniable. It had been that way from the beginning, but she wasn’t going to ruin their relationship just by relieving the sexual tension between them. He meant infinitely more to her than any one-night stand.

That didn't mean she couldn't perform a certain seduction game, though. The idea of causing a similar effect on Killian was too attractive to dismiss it, so it was decided. She was going to wear that damn dress.

Once the choice of attire was made she had to hurry. She lightly applied mascara so that it was subtle enough to make it appear natural but it allowed her to highlight her eyes. Finally, she combed her hair so that it fell in soft curls over her shoulders. After a final glance at her reflection, she gave her approval to the image in the mirror.

Although they were out of time, Elsa wasn’t in sight when Emma reached the living room. Just then, her friend came out of her bedroom wearing her pajamas and looking downright awful.

"What's wrong, Elsa?"

Elsa almost crawled to the couch and collapsed there. "I feel like shit. My nose is like a spring and my throat hurts a lot," she whispered hoarsely.

This was unexpected. "Oh, then about dinner tonight..."

Her friend sat up a little. "Dinner plan continues, you guys can still go. This is just a cold, I'll be better tomorrow."

Despite her words, Emma was reluctant to leave Elsa alone in her condition. She really looked pretty sick and, after all, this had been her idea. "We can put it off for another time when you're feeling better," she suggested offering her a comforting smile.

"No way! This is the perfect excuse to spend more time with Killian. Don’t miss this opportunity because of me." In spite of her discomfort, Elsa sounded so convincing that Emma had no choice but to accept. She felt a pull of disappointment, though, since the veiled romantic encounter she had imagined for Elsa and Liam would no longer take place. Still, she really wanted to get out of her routine and do new things with both Killian and Liam. A change of scenery would always be welcomed.

"Okay, but if you find yourself worse, promise me you'll call me or Anna, okay?" She couldn't help feeling worried about her friend.

Elsa gave her a small smile with watery eyes from the cold, and before she laid back on the couch, she gestured toward the door. "Now go and have fun. Ah! You look beautiful in that dress by the way. Killian won't know what hit him." Elsa winked at her as her smile grew wider. Emma had no choice but to smirk in response because her friend was right. She couldn't wait to see Killian's reaction.

// When Emma reached the entrance of the restaurant, the two Jones brothers were already there waiting for her. She was greeted with smiles and each of them also kissed her cheek. The almost imperceptible gesture of appreciation on Killian's part did not go unnoticed by her.

Apparently, Elsa had previously informed them via text of her condition. Emma could barely contain her excitement upon learning that her friend had decided to personally inform Liam of her absence. Emma also didn't miss a hint of concern in her boss's expression as they talked about Elsa's state.

A few minutes later, they were at a table, located in one of the coziest corners of the restaurant. Emma allowed herself a moment to appreciate the room, which was decorated somberly, with both an intimate and elegant touch at the same time. Their table was adorned with a blue gerbera daisy inside a sophisticated and transparent glass vase. Three small candles placed in glasses with the same design as that of the vase completed the decoration.

The two brothers sat in front of her. Emma still wore a smile of triumph that had appeared on her face when, a few seconds earlier, she had taken off her coat, revealing her dress. Killian had dropped his jaw slightly as his eyes darkened.

She, for her part, couldn’t take her eyes off him either. The bastard had chosen for the occasion a new shirt she hadn’t seen before. Its top buttons, as always, were unbuttoned, and the blue color of the fabric matched his eyes, enhancing their brightness. Liam, on the other hand, looked somewhat more classic, wearing an American jacket over a white shirt.

Once they had passed the first impression, they began one of their usual talks. However, a few minutes later, even before they had ordered their dishes, Liam's phone began to ring.

Liam's casual expression changed the moment he answered the phone. His brow furrowed, showing concern at first, but as the conversation went on, his brow deepened and his voice was filled with annoyance. “I can't believe it. I can't take a break, not even one day. No! Don't do anything else!” They were some of the expressions he let loose. It seemed obvious that something was going on at The Kraken.

As the conversation unfolded, Emma and Killian exchanged glances of concern since they also felt responsible for everything that happened in the business. Wednesday used to be a very quiet day, but perhaps it had not been a good idea that none of them were present or available at that particular time of the day.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." With that, Liam hung up the phone and got up from his seat. "I'm sorry guys, there's been a mishap at The Kraken. I have to leave."

"What happened?" Killian was the first to speak, his tone of concern evident.

"Do you want us to accompany you?" she volunteered. Since half of the members had retired, it didn't make much sense to continue this dinner, right?

Before he spoke, Liam swallowed while scratching behind his ear; a gesture so characteristic of both brothers that they both did it when they were nervous. Emma tilted her head slightly as she narrowed her eyes. Something was happening here.

"No, it's not necessary." Liam cleared his throat before continuing. "Something has happened to the electric current and Robin doesn’t know how to fix it. I hope I can come back soon."

"But..."

"I'll keep you informed, enjoy the dinner." Without any more words, Liam waved at them and hurried out of the room.

Emma's eyebrows knitted together as she stared blankly at Killian, his expression mirroring hers.

"What the hell just happened?"

Killian shook his head in response as if trying to assimilate what had happened. Meanwhile, a thought had begun to settle in her head. Liam's departure had been too hasty, as had Elsa's illness. Her frown deepened as the idea drifted through her mind. What if...?

"Oh my God!" She hit the table with one hand, suddenly excited about a certain possibility. "Everything makes sense! Your brother just lied to our faces. I knew it!"

Killian tilted his head slightly to the side, raising an eyebrow and looking at her skeptically. "I must admit that his departure has been quite unexpected, but why would he lie to us?"

"Isn't it obvious? He has gone to take care of Elsa, of course!"

Killian's eyebrow rose even more, while he wore an amused expression. "I thought we had already established that the secret dating thing wasn't a possibility, love."

She rolled her eyes and then offered him an unimpressed expression. "You had established it, Jones, not me." A wide grin pulled at her lips as her idea took shape. "Think about it for a moment. You really think that Robin, who has been working for longer than me at The Kraken, wasn't going to be able to solve an electrical problem? It was just a poor excuse, I'm telling you. Those two are up to something."

Killian did not respond immediately. He spent a few seconds with a thoughtful expression on his face as he stroked the scruff on his chin. "I admit that Liam's behavior has been a bit strange. But you know that my brother is a weird guy. I think it's just a coincidence." Before she could reply, he continued talking. "Still, in case you were right, that doesn't stop us from enjoying dinner and this fancy place, right?"

"Okaaay. Although maybe I should call Elsa, you know, to find out if she feels better or needs something..."

“No, you shouldn’t.” Killian shot her a meaningful look before replying. "According to your theory, Liam would already be in charge of her well-being, so..." He pointed at the menu so she had no choice but to let out an exaggerated sigh and kept her inquiries for another time. “And now that we've established that it's just going to be you and me, can we continue with dinner? I don't know about you, but I'm hungry and thirsty." He punctuated the last words, bringing Emma back to reality. Once the initial surprise was over, it seemed that Killian had decided to take advantage of the opportunity offered. “Shall I order us some drinks?" he asked with a flirtatious voice.

His tone had an immediate effect on her. Emma noticed a blush crawling up her neck to her cheeks as she glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes. He was exaggerating his expression — or so she believed— with his arched eyebrows, his sultry gaze, and a seductive smile on his lips, but that didn't stop the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering furiously. This was not a good idea. Even acting, this man was too sexy for his own good.

This place was too romantic and he was especially handsome tonight, and they were together, enjoying a dinner... Stop! This is not a date. This was just something unexpected. She forced herself to keep a straight face, deliberately ignoring her body's reactions and decided to continue on the sure path, the banter.

"Uhm, I'm not sure. You and I know that if it's hard enough to put up with you when you're sober, it's even harder when you're tipsy."

He leaned a little toward her, his gaze even more piercing and voice more hoarse. "Or maybe you're a bit worried you'll find me even more irresistible after a few libations?"

"Seriously, Jones?" She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly as she tossed what was closest to her, which luckily was her napkin. Her reaction, of course, made him chuckle.

Okay, he wanted to play? They were going to play. She leaned slightly forward, her crossed arms resting on the table and her breasts on them, the posture making her neckline even more evident. "You already know that your seduction game doesn't work with me." Now it was her turn to utilize a seductive voice. "So maybe you're the one who would find me even more irresistible. Do you think you could handle it, buddy?"

Killian's smile disappeared completely from his face, giving way to a clenched jaw as he tried to prevent, without success, his gaze drifting towards her cleavage. Emma, in turn, couldn’t stop her lips from curving into a proud smile, totally self-satisfied for the right choice of dress.

Just as he was about to say something, they heard someone shouting her name.

"Emma!!"

Both turned their heads looking for the origin of the voice. Anna, Elsa's sister, waved at them as she walked towards them. Kristoff, her boyfriend, was walking a few steps behind her. They came to their table in an instant, without giving them any time to react.

"Oh, how lucky we are to have found you!" Anna sat in the empty chair next to Emma, as she gestured to Kristoff to sit next to Killian.

"My sis told me about the reservation. I was dying to come to this place, but Elsa told me it was too late to include us. Luck is on our side today, though. When I talked to her and I found out that she was sick, I thought, yes, why don't we try it? I'm sure they can make room for one more at the table." The words spilled out of her mouth, giving no time to the others to process them. "By the way, where's Liam?" Before anyone could respond, she continued. "It's better if he is not here, though, so we both can join you. You see, Kriss, I told you it was a good idea to come." Anna's mouth finally closed, her lips drawing a smile of satisfaction.

Emma shook her head slightly, dropping her jaw a little, trying to process what had just happened. Her gaze shifted to Killian, who had the same confused look on his face, though she could also detect a hint of annoyance in his gaze.

"Wait a moment, we haven't interrupted anything, have we?" Her eyes widened as she pointed to the two of them.

Emma blushed as she realized that her posture was the same as before the interruption, so she quickly sat up, keeping her back straight and moving her hands to her lap. "Of course not."

"So I guess that means we can join you, can't we?"

Again Emma’s gaze shifted toward Killian, who shrugged and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Uhm, yeah, we haven’t even ordered yet."

In this unexpected way, like everything that happened during the night, dinner became again a dinner for four. Emma couldn’t deny that she was relieved in some way by Anna's appearance. The game she started with Killian was dangerous, so cutting it off with the help of her friend was probably the most convenient. That didn’t stop her from being disappointed as well. That kind of no-date would have been a good opportunity to hang out with Killian away from the places they usually did. Oddly enough, occasionally getting out of their comfort zone gave them many interesting possibilities, and as long as they didn’t cross a certain line, everything would be fine.

In spite of everything, the evening was quite pleasant. Anna delighted them with her insatiable verbiage, only slowing down when she had to eat, but the talk was nice and she felt in good company. Besides, Emma didn’t miss the sideways glances Killian threw at her from time to time. The hours passed without her hardly realizing and suddenly they found themselves paying the bill and leaving the restaurant.

The cold of the December night welcomed them as soon as they left the restaurant. Emma felt a shiver run through her body as a gust of freezing wind hit her. Still, she wasn’t yet ready to return to the warmth of her apartment. Just when she was about to suggest going to have some drinks, Anna overtook her.

"Well, it's been a great night, but now it's time to take care of my sister. I'm coming home with you, Emma."

Elsa's mention caused a tug of regret in Emma’s stomach since she had completely forgotten her friend's condition. The reminder also brought back her suspicions regarding Liam, while she wondered if Anna would know anything about her sister's supposed love life and if it would be necessary to inform Elsa in any way that they were already coming home, just in case.

She would have preferred to extend the date a little more, but the truth was that there was no way she would reject Anna's idea. Although she actually only wanted to spend more time with Killian, regardless of the place or the reason, she couldn’t use any excuse not to accompany Anna to her own apartment.

As Anna and Kristoff stepped away from them to say goodbye to each other, she cast a sideways glance toward Killian, who stood just a few steps away. Though his face was impassive, his eyes were fixed on her. Emma gave him a small smile that seemed to activate something in him, because at that moment he approached her, invading without preamble her personal space.

"Although it's a shame that I miss the sight of your lovely attire, I care more about your well-being, Swan." He grabbed the lapels of her coat, pulling her slightly toward him, causing her heart to skip and her stomach to flutter. "Do you need help to fasten your coat?" His suggestive voice did nothing to placate her sudden agitation. He was too close and his gaze was so intense she wasn’t sure that her brain was able to give the order to her fingers to button up the damn coat.

"Says the man who spends all winter wearing only a leather jacket," she managed to say in a hint of lucidity as she rolled her eyes. Killian cocked his head slightly, arching an eyebrow, and his chin pointed toward her coat, without removing his hands from its lapels. Her trembling fingers —because of the cold, of course — began to slowly button up all the buttons, while her eyes stayed fixed on him, giving him a defiant glance.

"Are you happy now?" The words came out of her mouth between puffs of mist. She hated to give him the reason but the truth was that despite the momentary heat that had invaded her space by Killian’s proximity, the air was chilly around her, so she thanked the warmth offered by the coat.

Although Killian had dropped his arms the moment she finished her task, he continued to stare at her, the tip of his tongue peeking out at the corner of his mouth. "Not yet, love." He walked away a couple of steps and she cursed to herself when the cold surrounded her again as she lost the protection of his body. A flash of a smile began to form on his face anticipating his new crazy idea. "I'm sure you've brought with you one of those lovely beanies of yours." The previous hint of a smile quickly transformed into a wide smirk as he approached her again invading once more her personal space. She wasn't going to complain, not if that meant she would feel his warmth radiating back to her.

"Seriously? Do you want me to wear a beanie with this dress?" As she spoke she made a gesture with her hand pointing her body up and down. She didn’t lose sight of the fact that the movements of her hand were followed by Killian's glance accompanied by a gesture of appreciation.

"As I told you before, love, I care about your well-being. Besides, you look pretty adorable with one of those framing your face."

"Adorable..." She echoed his words mockingly as her gaze moved unconsciously to where Anna and Kristoff were. The two of them had finished saying goodbye and they were staring at the scene side by side with amused expressions on their faces.

For a few seconds, she had completely forgotten that the two of them were not alone, so by the time she realized Anna and Kristoff were both watching, she cleared her throat, noticing how her cheeks flushed angrily. After rolling her eyes, she pulled the damn beanie from her coat pocket and put it on. "Happy now?" She repeated her own words with a bit of annoyance.

By all answer, he lifted his arms as he adjusted the beanie on her head, completely ignoring the presence of witnesses. She stood still, watching him from beneath her lashes as her heart hammered in her chest at his closeness. Once satisfied with the result, he leaned slightly toward her and brushed his lips almost imperceptibly against her cheek, sending a chill running all over her body from head to toe. This time the cold wasn't the cause at all.

"Aye, love. See you tomorrow."

For a moment, she froze, unable to react. They kissed each other continuously —cheek kisses of course — but this time she had felt the simple touch of his lips against her skin with much more intensity. The expression on Killian's face certainly didn't help, either. Fortunately, Anna came to her rescue, approaching her and hanging her arm from hers.

"Ah, one more thing." Just as they were about to turn to walk to the cab spot, Killian spoke again, "remember that we have a rehearsal tomorrow."

In fact, their performance as a duo had been a success, so they had contemplated the possibility of repeating it on more occasions if that was okay with her. Of course, it was. What she had experienced on stage was something magical and she was more than willing to repeat it.

"Sure, have you already chosen the song?"

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow, love." Killian winked at her as he offered her one of his adorable smiles, a flash of white teeth and curved lips, causing her to have an almost irrepressible need to wipe it out with her own lips against his.

Killian waved his hand before turning and walking away with Kristoff. She watched them for a few seconds, reluctant to lose sight of him yet. Just when she was going to give up, he turned his head, his eyes looking for her. She gave him one last smile before starting walking beside Anna in the opposite direction.

Surprisingly, Anna seemed thoughtful, so Emma's lips remained sealed, a quiet silence fell over them as they walked. That allowed her to lose herself in her own thoughts.

Her mind led her to the kiss they had shared a moment before. Their kisses on the cheeks were one of the public displays of affection they were accustomed to. Because friends kiss each other, right? Perhaps these displays of affection weren't convenient at all considering her feelings toward him, but she felt selfish in that regard. She was unable to offer him much more and wasn't sure he was interested either, honestly. But at least she could have these little indulgences. And he seemed not to complain at all.

This time the kiss hadn't been different from other occasions, but she had been much more affected by it. She could still feel the tingling on her cheek. Perhaps the cause was the exceptional situation in which they had been involved or maybe their previous banter. Whatever the reason was, the need to feel his lips on her skin again grew more and more.

The silence did not last long. Just as they reached the taxi rank, Anna gave her a narrow-eyed glance as she asked, taking her out of her thoughts, "So, is there something you have to tell me about you and Killian?"

Dammit! She should have known better before flirting blatantly with him in front of Anna. Emma already had enough with one of the two sisters being aware of her secret. The last thing she needed was Anna and her inability to remain silent for more than two minutes in a row knowing it as well. So she did what she did best, that is, feign confusion and/or divert attention. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please!" Anna rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. It was clear that it wasn’t going to be that easy. "I'm very insightful, you know. There’s something here you're not telling me about, and I'm dying to know some good gossip. So tell me, have you two finally decided to be together?"

Finally? Luck was on her side that night, despite the circumstances. Just then a cab came in, so Emma hurried to stop it and get into the car, but not before muttering, "There is nothing between us, we are just friends."

"Whatever you say," Anna snorted as she murmured under her breath.

Once inside, the cards were still on her side, as the taxi driver turned out to be a talkative man and Anna was soon caught up in a conversation with him about Christmas traditions or something similar. Not that Emma was listening really, since her phone began to buzz shortly after beginning the drive. The moment she found out that Killian was sending her a message, everything else ceased to exist.

Hey, beautiful. I don’t think I had the opportunity to tell you before. But you looked stunning in that dress, Swan. - KJ

Her lips curled into a wide smile as she read the message while a pleasant thought settled in her memory. Two months ago she had received a similar message, from the same person, praising the same dress.

Uhm, that sounds familiar to me. Don't you think? - ES

What? That you did look stunning? It’s likely because it’s a fact that you look stunning on most occasions. - KJ

Emma blushed. Apparently, the flirtation was not over tonight. She couldn’t deny that she was flattered by this new closeness of Killian. And even though this might make things more difficult, she was unable to get rid of any gesture of affection from him, even in the form of a simple compliment.

You were not so bad yourself :) - ES

You were right, Swan, I'm now having a sense of deja-vu, but I'm not going to complain. I wouldn't mind recalling this kind of situation over and over again - KJ

Before she had time to answer, she received another text, causing her to almost melt in her seat.

It's always a pleasure to have dinner with you, Swan, no matter if it's in our favorite pizza shop, in one of our apartments, or in one of these fancy restaurants. - KJ

Or in The Kraken when I'm so busy that I forget to eat and you have to come to save me from starvation? - ES

Oh, I especially enjoy those occasions, when you allow me to perform my role as a knight in shining armor ;) - KJ

But I'm not a damsel in distress - ES

I'm perfectly aware of this, believe me, that's why I enjoy those rare moments when you allow me to do something for you, even if it's to offer you a slide of your favorite pizza - KJ

"Who are you talking to?" Anna's unexpected voice caused Emma to almost drop her phone. She felt her cheeks blush as she quickly locked the screen and put the phone in her purse. She cast a sidelong glance at her friend, who was looking at her with an amused expression on her face.

"Liam," she lied shamelessly, as she turned her head and directed her gaze toward the window, ignoring the curious glow in Anna's gaze.

Her heart was still pounding in her chest after her brief but somehow intimate conversation with Killian. For the first time in four years, she had begun to consider giving her heart a new chance. Even so, the fear of losing Killian was still too paralyzing. But little by little, a ray of hope had begun to seep through the cracks. This time, she felt unable to seal those cracks back up.

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Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think :)

What to expect in the next chapter? So their plan has been ruined ... but Elsa doesn't give up and soon comes up with a new plan. Will they succeed this time?

Also, I would like to ask you something. If any of you read the original version, what do you think about this new version? Do you like the flashbacks I've included so far and that didn't appear in the previous version? Thanks in advance :)

#cs ff #csrt #damn you for making me love you #captain swan #cs au #captain swan rewrite a thon #cs au ff #mayquita writes #my cs writings

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