#she can be ruthless but to her ENEMIES !!! never intentionally to the people shes in charge of protecting !!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

evielallemxnt · 3 years

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"There are T W O types of secrets: those we hide from others ─ and those we hide from OURSELVES."

have you seen GENEVIEVE 'EVIE' LALLEMENT strolling around central park at lunchtime? rumor has it they’re actually A HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE years old, but i’m pretty sure they’re only TWENTY. they’re currently posing as a PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR at LALLEMENT LAW, but when dusk falls, you can usually find them heading home to MANHATTAN by TOWN CAR. apparently they DID attend the met gala this season! @duskintro

* / CHARACTER INFLUENCES: Jake Peralta ( Brooklyn 99 ) + Veronica Mars ( Veronica Mars ) + Nancy Drew ( Nancy Drew ) + Claudia ( Interview With The Vampire ) + Rebekah Mikaelson ( The Originals )

* / ANTHEMS: PRETTY SAVAGE | YOU MADE A MONSTER | 7 RINGS

*** PENNED BY BRI FOR DUSKFELLHQ ***

FULL NAME: GENEVIEVE "EVIE" LALLEMENT

FACECLAIM: Savannah Lee Smith

AGE: 20 ( estimated @ time of changing ) physically | 135 mentally

SEXUALITY: Lesbian

PRONOUNS: She/her

POSITIVE: Intelligent, charming, loyal, brave.

NEUTRAL: Spontaneous, trustworthy, daring, cocky

NEGATIVE: Impulsive, self-destructive, snide, and Machiavellian.

ELEMENT: Fire.

MBTI TYPE: ENFJ.

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral.

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Slytherin

AESTHETIC: Breakfast at Tiffany's, fine tailoring, diamonds and pearls and rubies, late-night bubble baths with red sangria, Chanel No.5, bubbly stocked fridge, penthouse parties, drinks @ The Blond, exclusive social club, wigs and disguises, sly smiles, bad decisions, midnight sleuthing, gossiping until dawn, closets filled with Birkins, eyes that hold secrets, smudged lip gloss, devilish temptations

TW: Death, dying, blood

* / BIOGRAPHY: The history of Genevieve Lallement is a tricky one. If you ask her, she became a creature of the night in some whirlwind fashioned tale filled with love, betrayal, and sacrifice -- all the makings of a heart-clenching closed shut story. But the reality? That's much more of a mystery.

Her genesis is one filled with darkness. No memories. No family. No nothing. The only solace coming in the form of her sire -- Cassius. He saved her from a fever that took many in late 19th century England and told her as much as he knew. That he had found her bedridden and sickly in a run-down isolation ward where patients were sent to die more than to be cured. Apparently, she had reminded him of a sister he’d once lost and he acted on an inner impulse to save an innocent. The staff had told him that she had admitted herself under what they proved to be an alias, so there was no way to notify family or even prove she existed.

She was a ghost. Alone in the world. And dying.

So, he gave her new life. Eternal life.

When she’d awakened from the transition, the ripe young vampire found herself unable to remember, well... anything. It was as if the transformation erased everything human about her, wiped her slate clean as she re-entered the world as someone else. Something else. Cassius said that vampirism isn’t a perfected process. There are some ailments that the immortal blood which now ran through her veins can’t heal. By the time he’d found her, her mind had already been overcome with the sickness that was moments away from snuffing her out completely. To drag her back from the depths of near-death, she had to lose some parts of herself along the way. There were some upsides, though. She clung to Cassius like a newborn, and he grew to coddle her as if she were his own. Being inducted into the Lallement family allowed her to see a world that was previously unattainable as a mortal having had come from the dregs of England. He’d brought her to New York at the turn of the century, and it was a sight to behold as she realized…this was HOME.

As the decades passed, the new Lallement glided through life. The adjustment to vampirism wasn’t as hard as it probably was for others. Sure, she had her hiccups, but it was almost as if the lack of memories helped. There was no other way of living for her to remember or to acclimate from. In some ways, there was no true loss. Her new family filled the voids ( even helped her pick out a new name ‘GENEVIEVE” ) showered her with endless love ─ and the bloodlust helped pick up the slack. For a while. As an immortal, it is easy to become distracted by the power, privilege, and play that is now bestowed upon you. But eventually, the semblance of loneliness and eternity creep in. For Evie, it was plaguing thoughts of the unknown that haunted her. Did she have a family when Cas took her away? Did they look for her? Mourn her? Soon all she could think of was the possibility that they somehow survived the plague and managed to continue on. This led her to try to trace their footsteps back to the town Cassius found her in to look for anything, any semblance of a clue that pointed to her previous human existence. Only for Evie to be faced with the harsh reality that the one hospital in town, the very town she’d believed herself to have been raised in, had burned down not long after they’d fled. Along with the patient records. Any possibility of tracing back her roots had been destroyed in a reckless accident and something in Evie c r a c k ed. Never again to be fully healed.

But if anything, she’s a survivor. Evie turned her sadness into something productive, going on to study criminology and criminal justice in the ’70s and '80s, along with a myriad of other majors she probably got too distracted to finish. Evie figured, if she couldn’t figure out the mystery of her own life, then the least she could do is help others figure out the mysteries in theirs. Becoming a private investigator sort of just happened, but it soon became her life’s joy. Piecing things together, going on recon missions, and doling out the truth was something that Evie not only excelled at but truly found fulfilling. At least ─ during the day. When the sun goes down, she resorts back to her party-girl ways, needing to find some sort of entertainment as a method to keep herself distracted. Because, you see, the only thing Evie hates most in the world is being by her lonesome. It leaves time for that inner sadness and loss to come creeping back in, to remind her that there’s nothing in the world to truly call her own. That the Lallement name is a placeholder for the truth. And that’s the one truth she cannot face.

So, she parties, boozes, pushes the limit because she has none, and there is always a need for M O R E. Because boredom is never on the menu. And when the town car arrives eventually to take her back to Manhattan, merely a few hours before she must be up for work, Evie revels in the few minutes of silence and thinks ─

‘Another day down. Only an eternity to go.’

* / PERSONALITY: Evie is, more than anything, fun. She likes to have a good time and to look good while doing it. Sure, her deviousness occasionally gets her into more trouble than intended, and in some ways, her childlike need to be paid attention to can be exhausting to people, but she is not all play. Evie truly enjoys being an investigator and will isolate herself for days, weeks even, if that means cracking a case. Her job and lifestyle have been carefully cultivated to always keep her busy so the facade can stick. No one knows about her growing concerns with the idea of unlimited time or the feeling of wanting a connection with someone -- anyone. Evie doesn't really give into supernatural politics or bias, and her ruthless side only comes out when hangry or when you threaten someone she loves. Then it's all-out chaos.

* / FUN FACTS:

She's gone to college several times and has studied many things but only holds a degree in Criminology and Interior Design

Currently paying a witch to figure out a way for vampires to get tattoos

Obsessed with all things horror and true crime

Officially identified as a lesbian in the late '60s

Has two poodles named Khaleesi and Drogon

Manhattan PD knows her by name

* / WANTED CONNECTIONS:

SCOOBY GANG/HARDY BOYS/7 RINGS - These are her people, her confidantes, her ride or dies. Can be supernatural or human, mortal or immortal. Whether they met decades ago or the night before, tipsy, in the Cosmopolitan bathrooms, they instantly clicked and have been loyal to each other ever since.

ROOMMATE(S) - Evie lives in one of the many ritzy buildings Manhattan has to offer. While having an entire floor to yourself has its benefits, it can feel quite isolating. So, the vampire opened up her doors to allow in some roommates -- free of charge!

ASSISTANT - As a private investigator, sometimes certain cases can become quite tedious. While her work rarely ventures away from mild cases Cassius needs help with, Evie does also take cases from anyone who needs help. Keeping everything organized, going with her on recon, and even offering their own input and theories is what they provide for her.

PLAYTHING - Now Evie isn't evil, she doesn't play with people's emotions ( at least not intentionally ) but she does indulge in the power and influence that comes with vampirism. Not only would this person be someone to go to for the occasional midnight snack ( where they're the snack sowz ), Evie would also indulge in their life. Making sure they're well taken care of, listening to the things they're going through, and being there for them whenever they need her.

FOES/ENEMIES - When you live forever you might make an enemy or three. Evie has ruffled a few feathers over the past century, that's for sure, and she has no problem continually poking the bear if she finds herself bored enough to do so.

also: literally anything else pls plot with me i'll send you kit kats and a coupon for a free taco.

#dusk:intro #i am: tired #but this was so much fun to do #come plot with my bby!

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mc-critical · 3 years

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Something I can never bring myself to understand is the MY fandom’s seeming obsession with *proving* Mahidevran or Hürrem as the more morally correct, more noble, more respect-worthy etc sultana. Or measuring whose actions and beliefs were the most justifiable or who suffered the most unfortunate circumstances. It seems to completely ignore the fact that most characters in the franchise, sans a small handful of characters, fall into the category of morally questionable or ambiguous. I feel like both Mahidevran and Hürrem are both victims to the same terrible circumstances and the enviornment in which they both lived and were forced to adapt to was a catalyst to a lot of their deplorable actions and beliefs. They both came to the palace as concubines with no family nor money to their names (I can’t recall if this was held consistent in the TV series for Mahidevran’s case or not but I know this is the case for her historically as well), both of them had their worth and their livelihood tied to their ability to produce princes and please the Sultan (who will take any opportunity to remind these women that they are a mere piece of property to him anytime they attempt to assert themselves in any way.) Then there’s the looming threat of the principle of fratricide that basically haunted them throughout the entirety of their motherhood. I’m in no way saying the immoral decisions they made was justifiable or somehow okay (Mahidevran killing Mehmet, Hürrem killing Mustafa, etc.) I just feel that there’s a lot of black-and-white thinking at play whenever the Mahi/Hürrem discourse comes up. What do you think?

Thank you for bringing this up, because it's probably the thing that bugs me the most about this fandom (outside of Tumblr currently). You voiced my overall thoughts into words so well!

I think these double standarts come from many places that can be both the only reasons for a person or just one of the many. In my experience, this "black or white", "all or nothing" attitude stems from the absolutist belief that people should pick sides and root for only one character (usually the protagonist) in a narrative. They're using the standard, superficial narrative roles of the protagonist and the antagonist in terms of Hürrem, thinking that for some reason the protagonist is always morally right in all she does, simply because she's the protagonist and we're supposed to unconditionally root for her. And if they don't like the protagonist, they choose root for "the other side" instead. They're better than that anyway, so of course, we should root for them!!

To be honest, the earlier seasons of the show make an attempt in justifying this assessment, with them having the narrative voice be rooted in Hürrem's favor, despite of all possible problematic actions that tell a different story altogether. MC Hürrem was given very understandable and sympathetic motivations, thorough character exploration, gradual character development and the privilege of far too obvious Plot Armor (make no mistake, every historical figure in the show has Plot Armor, but with the many attempts at her life, Hürrem's in particular, was way too glaring at points, sometimes to a ridiculous degree.) and the writers making her enemies doom themselves by their own failings, with her seemingly only enduring the "charade". (Valide's flanderization post-E38 is the most egregious example of this.) People I've encountered that are excusing Hürrem's behavior, are citing precisely the first episodes to present their arguments, often refusing to go beyond that. Mahidevran's motivations, while as nuanced as Hürrem's, don't seem as delved into in comparison at first (the origins and backstory of MC Mahidevran are shrouded in ambiguity, and while this is thematically appropriate for her character arc, as I explained here, it definetly doesn't help her case in bringing in more vocal sympathy.) and it could seem that her character is simply antagonistic to Hürrem, doesn't go anywhere and later revels in the depths of her ambition and wounded pride earlier than Hürrem began that similar development of hers. Some Mahi stans could see that probable difference of treatment in narrative and support her simply because of that, as well.

Assessing moral ambiguity isn't all that easy in the grand scheme of things, but it especially falls short when the narrative voice seemingly doesn't support it at first. But many miss that there's a very thin line between the actions and the narrative voice, that only turns into a very deep incongruity as the series progresses. I don't know, perhaps determing the moral ambiguity is indeed so complex, confusing and conflicting, since the whole story could get too complex and many might wonder who they'll root for now when everyone is so problematic. And that's a show that began as a simple soap opera, no less! Why would they even put in the effort in this case?

Not many people are used to ambiguous and questionable character development and are still trying to prove that there is one main positive characters in the show, which is why they try to make Mahidevran or Hürrem more morally right and justifiable than they actually are. They are so passionate about the debates they engage in, because this time period and MC is truly so ripe in analysis and it could be very fun to figure out where these characters come from and go through their 4-seasons long evolution in one chosen context, but by doing this, they so often miss the depth and nuance of the subject at hand and it all turns into a one-sided discourse that drives me nuts.

There is a historical context of the issue is also important to note, in my opinion. Both Mahidevran and Hürrem are historical figures and quite a bit of facts and deeds of theirs are now widely known. Most people in the fandom have opinions of them in advance or could've gained opinions of them a while after they began to watch the show. (There are also numerous fictional interpretations of the events during Süleiman's reign and the players in it, which may also play a part in the overall judgement.) Either way, the known historical facts about them (and other fictional interpretations one could've read, of course) could influence their points of view by a certain amount and use these general impressions to present them while analyzing the characters in the show. I've heard numerous arguments that this Hürrem isn't like the Hürrem the history knows about, that she isn't "their" Hürrem and what they read about her isn't depicted all that much in the show, which takes a lot away, according to them. I especially hate when they call MC Hürrem a one-dimensional "evil" caricature that only has vileness and smug about her, no conscience, no complexity whatsoever. (no, MC Hürrem isn't as simplistic and is much deeper and more nuanced. As far as fictional interpretations go, what they're describing is Hürrem in "The Sultan's Harem" from Colin Falconer, not MC Hürrem! In the MC/K franchise's terms, all they're doing is reducing her to the level of MCK Turhan Sultan, which is disrespectful to this character, to say the least. Turhan is the exact thematic contrast to Hürrem smh while Falconer's Hürrem is the most absurdly evil caricature imaginable, at least IMO, please and thank you!) Or even more unbelievably and outright hilariously, considering Hürrem's actions and the Sultanate of Women overall the downfall of the Ottoman Empire o.o and that's why Hürrem is so ruthless, so cruel, always intentionally, of course. This is plain ridiculous. Mahidevran, on the other hand, is presented by this clique as her "victim", as a completely innocent victim that had everything taken away from her. That Hürrem had stood between her and Süleiman and "ruined" their family. This take ignores every other factor of this falling out (Süleiman, that is) and a part of the nuance of Mahidevran's character. Reducing her to a simple "victim" doesn't cut it at all. Conversely, we have fans that simplify MC Mahidevran's character beyond every belief, loving the historical figure, but claiming they made her an "evil" and "stupid" bitch that cries and whines all the time. It's limiting and one-sided and even if it appears so, there are way far more layers to her character, that develop consistently throughout the narrative. The historical context of the time period itself is usually brought up in the debates, too, justifying whoever they want to justify by "It's a war, only the strongest ones survive!" or "You eat or get eaten! We should understand their time period, not judge by our contemporary times !", which is understandable and valid, but the only thing they end up doing is applying this logic only to their preferred characters when it should be applied to everyone. They try their best efforts to make one more morally right than the other, but they continually fail in the process, because the metric they judge them from is plagued by double standarts.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that excusing one of them, but not the other for most situations is wrong, because Mahidevran and Hürrem.... aren't all that different. What most people seem to miss, is that their character arcs are so contrastingly paralleling, because both of their endings were far from victorious and they got it for the exact same character reason, gained in a different way and in a different time. The persistent insistence of the fandom wanting a main character necessarily having a triumphant grand finale fails flat immediately, because there is no true victory in the franchise. They also miss the negative character development of both of them, them having to do the exact same stuff in many instances, both of them letting go of their pasts and/or former attachments, becoming vicious and ruthless in order to adapt to the circumstances, both of them had to make moves out of desperation because they felt threatened and they both protected their lives and the ones of their children at the end of the day. Heck, they're way more alike than they're different in my book. There is no morally right, no more noble here. Both of them had no qualms to do whatever it took to secure their own future and as you said, the narrative presented very neat motivations for them to do so as a whole. There is always a shade of grey and yes, who has the lighter shade of gray could be up for debate due to differing sympathies and perceptions, but that mustn't stop people to at least try looking at the "bigger picture" and try to view their characters with a bit more criticality, depth and respect.

Rooting for both conflicting sides is still seen as questionable and contradictory by some, but there really is nothing wrong with exploring their motivations without justifying them, no matter where your sympathies extend. I think it creates a more unbiased outlook on the both these characters and the themes around them and it's always awesome to see people doing that in any fandom, really.

And both Sultanas are worthy of respect, I said what I said.

#magnificent century #mahidevran sultan #hurrem sultan #ask #stuffandthangs #again this is all in my experience #there could be many other reasons for the double standarts #but they're all equally wrong and one-sided and one-dimensional and transparent

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writingwhimsey · 3 years

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The Tiger and the Oda Princess Ch. 11

Chapter 11

The next day, Shingen made a visit to the dungeon. He sat in front of Kennyo's cell. "I was beginning to think you'd finally given up on me." Kennyo said from his cell. "You haven't come in a while."

"I've been busy." Shingen replied. "I was away for a bit."

Kennyo looked at him. "You look like you have something to say."

"I do." Shingen answered. "About a month ago now, Ava was kidnapped. She was taken to Oda territory in an effort to start a war again."

"By the way you're speaking, that didn't happen?"

"No." Shingen answered. "I had to work with the Oda to rescue her."

Kennyo glared at Shingen. "It would seem the siren's song is strong."

"It's not like I enjoyed it." Shingen snapped. "But we had to stay in Azuchi a while, before Ava could come home."

"You've formed an alliance with the devil." Kennyo stated.

"Yes." Shingen answered anyway.

"You should just kill me then."

"Why?"

"Because I can never forgive him for what he did. He was ruthless...so many innocents were lost."

Shingen sighed. "I will never deny you your grief."

"No, but you will deny me my revenge, when you've had yours." Kennyo replied. "Well, are continuing yours when you think of it."

"What are you talking about?" Shingen asked.

"You fought him, took your land back, and took his woman, made her your wife, and now she carries your child." Kennyo replied. "I can't imagine anything more shameful for that devil. And now that you're forming an alliance, he will be reminded every time he sees her with her pregnant belly."

"Ava isn't part of my revenge." Shingen countered.

Kennyo smiled. "Maybe not intentionally, but...that siren is yours now."

Shingen returned Kennyo's smile with a glare. "Don't talk about Ava like that."

"Her song is so sweet you don't even realize it." Kennyo replied.

"You speak as if I am being led to my doom." Shingen said. "When she is the one who saved me from death."

"And yet you now work with the devil."

"I know it is not the most ideal thing...but it's the fastest path to peace. And while you keep referring to my wife as a siren, maybe she is. But instead of leading anyone to their doom, she is leading us all to peace." Shingen said. "While we were in Azuchi, I had the chance to speak with that devil far more than I ever wanted...and for once I saw that he does carry the weight of what he has done."

Shingen was then getting up and walking away. He had other things he had to attend to. He had just exited the dungeons when Kenshin found him. "There you are, you bastard!" Kenshin shouted at him.

Shingen sighed. "I take it you rode through the night to get here?"

"After I got that disappointing letter from you, yes." Kenshin answered.

Sasuke was running up next to Kenshin. "I'm sorry Lord Shingen. I couldn't stop him."

"It's alright, Sasuke." Shingen replied. He then turned back to Kenshin. "What is it you want? You knew I was in talks with the Oda to form an alliance after they assisted in Ava's rescue."

"Yes, but...I didn't expect an agreement to come this soon." Kenshin answered. "And if you want me to join this alliance as well...you're going to have to fight me!"

"Kenshin..."

"No, you will not protest! If you don't fight me I will leave here as your enemy once more and we will fight to the death!"

"Lord Kenshin..." Sasuke tried to interject, but Shingen held up his hand.

"It's alright, Sasuke. Kenshin, if this is what it will take to get you to join this alliance, I will fight you. Let's go to the training hall."

Ava...

I finished with the embroidery of the Takeda crest on the baby blanket I had been working on. I held it up and smiled at my work. I then looked down at my swollen belly. "I can't wait to have you here and wrap you up in this blanket." I spoke to our unborn child and placed a hand on my belly.

I felt a kick then, right where my hand was. Almost as if the baby were responding. "Oh, are you excited?" I spoke again and then felt a few more kicks. I smiled and laughed. "You're getting quite active in there."

It was then that my stomach was letting out a growl. "Oh, must be lunch time...or maybe snack time, who knows at this point." I said aloud. Then I looked back down to my belly. "You're growing and making me eat so much more."

I was then folding up the blanket and setting it aside. I awkwardly pushed myself up into a standing position. It was starting to take more effort to move around my growing bump. I made my way to the kitchen and the staff excitedly put together a plate of snacks for me. I decided that I wanted to find Shingen and share the food...but maybe only a little of it. That and we hadn't really had the chance to spend much time together lately and I missed him.

I was wandering around looking for him and munching on my snacks as I did so, when I ran into Yoshimoto. "Oh, hey Yoshimoto." I greeted him with a smile.

He returned my smile with a beautiful one of his own. "Hello Ava." He replied. "Where are you headed?"

"I was just looking for Shingen. I picked up some snacks and was wanting to share with him. I figured he could probably use a break at this point."

"Well, I am sure he could use a break." Yoshimoto agreed. "Though I don't think a snack break will be enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Kenshin showed up and challenged him to a fight."

"Whatever for?" I asked, only half surprised.

"He says it's the only way he'll join the alliance with the Oda forces." Yoshimoto answered.

"I see." I replied. "That sounds like Kenshin."

"Indeed." Yoshimoto replied. "They are in the training hall right now. I was headed there to watch the performance. Shall I escort you?"

"Sure." I replied.

Yoshimoto and I walked to the training hall together and I continued to eat my snacks. By the time we reached the training hall, I had eaten every bite. "Well, looks like I won't be sharing."

Yoshimoto laughed. "I don't think he'll mind."

"Probably not." I agreed. Shingen actually seemed to be enjoying feeding me since I had become pregnant. He was almost as bad as Masamune actually.

We entered the training hall, where many people were gathered to watch Shingen and Kenshin face off. I could already hear the clash and clang of steal. Wait...they're not using practice swords? I thought to myself. Well, I'm sure Kenshin wouldn't have been satisfied with anything other than his real blade.

"Ava, Yoshimoto, over here."

Yoshimoto and I turned at the familiar voice calling to us. Sasuke stood over to one side, Yukimura beside him. I was also surprised when I saw Asuna there as well. "I'm surprised you came, Ava." Asuna said, looking at me.

"Well, I was looking for Shingen when I ran into Yoshimoto and he explained to me what was going on." I answered. I then looked over at Sasuke. "So, Kenshin wouldn't take no for an answer?"

"Does he ever?" Sasuke remarked. "I couldn't even get him to calm down with sake, pickled plums, and a banquet."

I nodded.

"I'm really surprised to see you here, Yoshimoto." Yukimura said.

"And miss the chance to witness the Tiger of Kai and the God of War, legendary rivals, face each other?" Yoshimoto replied. "Besides, Kenshin's blade is a piece of art. Seeing it in action is the only way to truly appreciate such a master-piece of a sword."

We were all then turning our attention to Shingen and Kenshin. When I looked at them fighting, I was reminded of the first time I ever saw Shingen in a fight, from the back of Nobunaga's horse. I smiled as I remembered how even though he had been the enemy commander at the time, how I couldn't take my eyes off of him...and how he had flirted with me even in the midst of battle.

The memory brought a smile to my face as I recalled the way he had winked at me. And just as then, now I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I watched as he used both hands to grip his great sword and swing it powerfully. I could see the beads of sweat forming on his brow. I could see his powerful muscles even beneath his clothes and armor.

I felt my breath catch in my throat and my heart picking up its pace. The intense look on his face, the way he fought, the way he moved, the strength I saw...Damn...is it hot in here or is it just me? I thought to myself.

"Ava, would you like to borrow my fan?" Yoshimoto's voice reached me.

I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. "Well...uhm...yes...that would be nice... thank you." I said as I took the offered fan from him and opened it.

"I don't think that fan is going to be enough." Asuna said. "I think I might need to go get a bucket of cold water to dump on her."

"That's enough." I replied, though I couldn't look at any of them. I could only keep my eyes on Shingen. Oh God, this is torture! I thought as I watched him. He's so...just woah...and Asuna still hasn't lifted her ban on sexy time!

Shingen and Kenshin's blades were locked. Shingen turned his head slightly, his eyes instantly found me. He smiled at me and gave me a wink just as he had in that first fight. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me, which only made his smile widen.

Shingen then pushed Kenshin back with everything he had. The fight continued, neither of them making any win against the other. It went on for what felt like forever and I swear the room continued to get hotter. Asuna sighed as she went over and got in the middle of the fight, stopping it.

"I think that's enough. If this goes on any longer, you're both going to wear yourselves out and I think poor Ava might just combust." She declared.

I was furiously fanning myself by this point. "What? It's just...hot in here...plus pregnant women are prone to hot flashes." I remarked as I continued to use the borrowed fan.

Asuna looked at me. "Please, you started heating up the moment you looked at Lord Shingen."

My face began to turn red and so I hid behind the fan. Shingen just smiled.

"If Ava is getting too hot, perhaps she should just leave and let me finish this fight." Kenshin remarked looking at me.

"You know, last I checked I lived here and this is my home. You're the guest." I remarked.

Shingen's smile widened. He was then turning to Kenshin. "I gave you your fight, Kenshin."

Kenshin let out a huff. "Alright, but you'd better have some good sake and pickled plums."

"I already sent out for some after you walked in." Yukimura said. "It should be in the banquet hall right now."

"See, Yuki's on top of things." Shingen remarked.

Kenshin huffed. "Fine, I'll join your stupid alliance with the Oda."

Everyone began to file out of the training hall then. I turned to Yoshimoto to return his fan. "Thanks for letting me borrow this."

He held up a hand and shook his head. "No, I think you should keep that. I have plenty...besides I think you may need it more than I." He was then gracefully walking out of the room.

Shingen was walking over to me, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. His eyes were on mine, warm and whispering seduction. "Had I known I would be showing off in front of my goddess, I would have tried harder." He said, his tone playful and flirtatious.

I suddenly had to start furiously fanning myself again.

"Do I need to dump cold water on both of you?" Asuna said, from behind Shingen.

I started having forgotten that she was even there.

"You dump it on Ava and I'll take care of Lord Shingen." Yukimura said from beside her.

"Are you suggesting we can't control ourselves?" Shingen asked.

"It just might be easier." Asuna replied.

I sighed. "It's been a month. I'm fine. The baby is fine. I keep getting a foot or something in my ribs." I said. "I've been taking it easy and following all of your instructions...can't you loosen up on this?"

"Ava..." Asuna began.

"Come on, you've been looking after me very closely since it happened. I've had no cramps, no bleeding. Everything is just fine. I feel fine."

Asuna let out a sigh. "Fine, but on the condition you guys take it slow and gentle. And if you even feel the slightest discomfort or anything, you stop."

"I would never be rough with my goddess." Shingen replied.

"What if your goddess asked?" I replied, unable to help myself.

Shingen smiled at me. "Well..."

"Yeah, well even if you do want to ask you can't tonight." Asuna said. "Gentle and slow. Got it you two?"

Shingen and I nodded. "Yes."

"I'm guessing you two won't be joining us for the impromptu banquet then?" Yukimura asked.

"No...and let everyone know to not disturb us for the rest of the day." Shingen answered. He was then scooping me up into his arms. "Shall we my princess?" He asked me, his voice pure seduction.

Despite the fact that we weren't alone, I found that I didn't care. I smiled up at him as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "To our room?"

Shingen grinned at me and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. "As you wish." He was then carrying me out.

As we exited the training hall, I could hear Yukimura and Asuna. "I should probably warn everyone that they're going to want to stay away from that part of the palace."

"Probably not just for tonight but for the next few days." Asuna agreed.

Shingen carried me all the way to our room. Giving me light kisses on my forehead, lips, cheeks, and neck as we went. I returned his kisses with kisses and touches of my own, kissing his cheek, the side of his neck, the notch at the base of his throat, and the exposed part of his chest.

I could feel him shiver delightfully at the touch of my lips. "You've no idea what that does to me." He whispered in my ear.

When we finally made it to our room, Shingen shifted my weight so that he now held me with one arm. He used the other to slide the door closed behind us. I had to admit, him holding me with one arm was impressive, especially considering my increased weight from pregnancy. It was also a major turn on, adding fuel to the fire already burning within me.

Shingen took notice of this and lifted his free hand to gently stroke my cheek. Once again, even that gentle touch trailing heat over my skin and sending desire pooling low within me. "Are you enjoying this, my princess?" He asked me.

"You're the expert at reading people. What does my face say right now?" I replied.

Shingen smiled. "Your face says that you want me as badly as I want you." He answered.

"That would be a good read." I replied.

He carried me over to the futon and sat down. He then lowered me into his lap. "I promise, I will be gentle and take this slow." He told me, his fingers tracing along my jaw before coming to rest beneath my chin.

"I know." I replied, relishing in the feel of his touch.

"If anything feels off or you feel uncomfortable in any way, tell me my love." He spoke now, the love and concern in his eyes.

"I promise." I replied. "But I don't think anything is going to feel off...nothing feels more right than being with you."

Fire burned in Shingen's eyes as he gazed at me. He slowly drew in closer. "When you say things like that...it really tests my restraint." He replied, his warm breath washing over my lips as his hovered just millimeters away.

I couldn't wait any longer. I closed the short distance, pressing my lips to his. He smiled into the kiss as his arms wound around my waist. I flicked my tongue out over his lips until he parted his lips and welcomed my tongue inside and meeting it with his.

While we had shared many kisses and embraces since my rescue, there had been restraint there. The kisses hadn't been this passionate and I hadn't realized just how starved for Shingen I was until I finally had him. We parted after an immeasurable moment, both of us panting.

"I have missed kissing you like that." Shingen said to me, echoing my own thoughts.

"You're reading me once again. I was thinking the same thing." I replied. I was then turning in his lap so that I completely faced him, my legs wrapping around his waist.

Our lips met in another hungry kiss. He pulled back after a few moments only to bring his lips to my neck, trailing sweet and sensual kisses as he went. His hands found my sash and undid the knot, pulling it away. I pulled my kimono open for him, eagerly wanting his hands on my bare skin.

He pulled back from my neck and smiled at me, as he traced a finger along my collarbone. "I thought we were supposed to be taking things slowly, my angel." He teased.

"It's been too long." I replied. "I need your skin on mine." I was then reaching to undo his kimono.

Shingen chuckled warmly, his laughter washing over me like waves on the ocean. He didn't fight me as I undressed him. "It has indeed been too long." He agreed, pulling me back for another kiss once we were both bared.

The feeling of his flesh against mine, his hands roaming over my body, lavishing my curves with tender affection. His lips moved down my neck and to my breasts, where he tenderly nipped at the hard buds. I was so hot and already wet. "Shin...gen...please..." I moaned.

"Mmm...as you wish my love." He told me, as he gripped my hips. He guided me onto him.

A cry escaped my lips at the feeling of him inside of me after so long. He continued to lavish me in kisses as I bounced up and down on him. We both moaned as our pleasure continued to build.

In the next moments, Shingen had moved us so that I was now lying back on the futon. He was then thrusting into me. My hand sought his and we laced our fingers together as he continued to sweetly love me. Each thrust was long and deep. I could feel every last inch of him as he moved.

"Ah...mm...yes! Shingen...yes!" I cried out.

"Ava...my angel..." He called back.

We continued on for a while before finally cresting that last wave together. The pleasure was so intense, I was still twitching afterwards as we lay in the futon holding each other. Shingen kissed my forehead tenderly. "Are you feeling alright, my love?" He asked me.

I smiled. "Oh, I feel more than alright." I answered.

"I am glad to hear that."

I snuggled closer, enjoying the afterglow of our love-making. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy, though it was only midday. My body exhausted from finally getting the release it had been craving for weeks...or that may have just been the pregnancy...or a combination, I wasn't sure.

Shingen began to rub soothing circles in my back as he held me tighter. "Feeling tired?" He asked me.

"Maybe...just a little." I answered. "But I don't want to go to sleep yet."

Shingen chuckled. "Feel free to rest peacefully in my arms, my love." He told me. "If you wish, I can wake you with a kiss after you've napped for a while."

"But sleeping seems..." I let out a yawn then. "...like such a waste, when we finally got the all clear."

"I will just love you more when you wake up." He replied, kissing my brow once again. He then lifted a hand to the back of my head and began to massage my scalp.

"Mmm..." I murmured, my eyes closing. "That...feels...nice."

"Rest well, my princess."

Safe, warm, and satisfied, it wasn't long before I was falling asleep in Shingen's arms. Sweet dreams awaited me.

Shingen lay there holding his wife in his arms, gazing at her lovingly. The early afternoon sun spilled in from the open window, casting a heavenly golden glow about her. A tender smile came to his lips. "You truly are a sleeping angel." He whispered to her. "Definitely no siren."

After laying there for a while, just watching her sleep, Shingen gently untangled himself from his love and climbed out of bed. He knew she would likely be waking up soon and would probably be hungry. He put on his kimono and stepped out to find one of the maids. He requested food be brought to them in an hour before turning back to his sleeping wife.

He sat there and reached his fingers out to gently play with her now short strands of hair. It had already started to grow back out just a bit below her chin now. No matter what, he couldn't help but to feel that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

The food was brought what seemed like a short while later and the smell was soon wafting over to their futon. Shingen could tell the moment the aroma reached Ava as she began to stir. "Hmm...that...smells...delicious." She muttered sleepily.

Shingen watched as her eyes gently fluttered open. They soon came to focus on him and he gave her a smile. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, his fingers still playing in her hair.

She returned the smile. "Yes...but what happened to you waking me up with a kiss? And why aren't you still in bed with me?" She asked, pouting playfully.

"I had a feeling that when you awoke, you might be hungry." Shingen answered.

Ava pursed her lips. "Well...I'm kind of always hungry right now so that was a good guess."

Shingen chuckled. "I did expect that I would still be able to wake you with a kiss though, but it appears I should have done that before the food arrived."

Ava's cheeks reddened. "It's not my fault...pregnancy can heighten a woman's sense of smell you know."

She's so adorable right now. Shingen thought. I can't help myself. He was then leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

She looked up at him, her cheeks still red, but a smile on her face. She appeared to warm beneath his loving gaze. "What's that look on your face?" She asked.

"Just thinking about how adorable my wife is." He answered.

Ava was about to say something when her stomach let out a growl. "I guess the baby is telling me to eat." She said, a smile on her face.

Shingen was then helping Ava to get up and she slid on a robe before they sat back down to enjoy their meal together. She happily dug into the food, smiling the entire time. How can one person be so adorable? Shingen thought as he watched Ava eat the fish, rice and steamed vegetables. Everything she did was so cute.

She looked over at him as she finished her last bite of food. "That was delicious. I'm glad you had it brought in."

"Anything for my princess." He replied. He was then reaching up his hand to place his fingers beneath her chin. He traced her lower lip with his thumb. "Are you still hungry?" He asked.

He watched as Ava's eyes darkened in an attractive alluring way. Her lips parted and a slight gasp escaped them. "Not...for food." She answered.

Shingen smiled at her as he snaked his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Good...we have a lot of time to make up for." He then captured her lips in a passionate kiss that was the beginning of yet another round of gentle love-making.

Reach Chapter 12 below:

https://writingwhimsey.tumblr.com/post/657335615431524352/the-tiger-and-the-oda-princess-ch-12

#ikesen shingen #ikesen #fanfic #romance #chapter 11

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the-institute-promos · 3 years

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➤ WANTED CONNECTION: COULD IT BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

CONNECTION TO: Zaki Okoye CHARACTER NAME: Callisto Nkemdiche FACE CLAIM: Kerry Washington AGE: 487 STATUS: Professor, guard or administration staff SPECIES: Succubus

➤ PERSONALITY

Callisto is motivated, driven and ruthless. She has a good sense for what people want and believes everyone can be bought, their minds swayed to her way of thinking, for the right price. She is Nomadic, moving every so often so she can mostly preserve her identity, but also because she enjoys starting over and immersing herself in different cultures and new people. At heart, she is cold and calculating, but most don’t notice anything but her winning smile.

➤ BACKGROUND

Callisto was born in Avato (formerly known as Bey Kioy), Greece in 1533, but her ancestral roots are from Senegal on her mother’s side, and Sudan from her father’s. She was born to hardworking parents who were able to give her a fairly decent life for the time period. She was one of 4 children, but it was clear that her parent’s favorite was Callisto. That didn’t exempt her from hard work. Their family worked a dairy farm, her father became a relatively profitable merchant with their products, having developed strong relationships with vendors and buyers across the Mediterranean. It was those connections that allowed Callisto to eventually leave her family’s home, traveling all across Europe and Western Africa, enjoying and harnessing her powers. She would return home every so often to visit her parents, her siblings were still working there. When both parents passed, they left the farm to her. Instead of allowing her siblings to remain there, she sold it wanting to help fund her international travels. Needless to say, it was the first enemies she had made, but they were not the last.

Callisto found various ways to make money, not against conning someone out of their wealth. It was never her go-to, she was more than happy to work for it if given the opportunity. In fact, usually her travels revolved around work, going to where a job she felt suited for awaited her. Most of her jobs were in large cities, such as London. There was plenty of work there during World War II. Zaki’s father was stationed in the UK during that time, and had met her mother while she was working at a flower shop. Her father was with his friends at a Cafe across the street. Both couldn’t stop looking at each other, and eventually, Zaki’s father walked over and bought her one of the bouquet of flowers she was selling. Callisto had been in relationships before, but she felt a closeness with Zaki’s father she hadn’t before. He was the first Incubus she had been with, and she had always wanted an heir, someone to continue her legacy. She had gotten fairly powerful over her many years, and she didn’t want to be all for not. Zaki’s father did not want that. He felt very differently about what being a demon meant, and after Callisto had threatened to take Zaki away, His father acted quicker, eventually bringing him to America, and away from Callisto.

➤ HOW ARE THE CHARACTERS CONNECTED?

Callisto is Zaki’s mother.

➤ ANYTHING ELSE?

Totally open to collaborate so we can include elements you’d like to add to the character. Her backstory is intentionally left vague so we can fill things in together, but I am more than comfortable giving specific details I’ve thought of for her.

Please contact Mason to discuss this connection further.

Main - Plot - Rules - Ask - Apply

#supernatural rp #town rp #city rp #kerry washington #smut rp

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thehoardofthegreatdragon · 4 years

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Urahara Kisuke: "Come on baby, I know the law" But Actually Illegal

Hello and welcome to Coco has Too Many Feelings Hour. Today, it’s a character analysis of Urahara Kisuke because what gave him the fucking right to be so cool? WHAT GAVE HIM THE RIGHT?

Anyway. This is going to be half based on his dialogue, and half based on general action patterns, since both are damn interesting. There will be spoilers for most things but I’ll try to keep things after the Aizen arc vague. Also, it should go without saying that this is all my interpretation and very biased (extra biased because I Love Him).

[AKA: This is like, just my opinion, man.]

Now before we begin can we just pause to appreciate how beautiful he is? If you haven’t, stare at this picture for at least a minute. Go on, I’ll time you.

Now we can move on.

Kisuke is, in a word, complicated. If I had to describe him (and considering that’s the point of this entire goddamn document, I better try), I’d say he’s a man with unstoppable curiosity and a heart that is far too soft to handle the fallout of his own invention.

No matter where you put him, no matter what time he’s born into, he will create a weapon he shouldn’t have. He has this strange bit of naïveté about his science at first, but it fades as he sees what his science has done to people he cares for. He has a good heart-- a soft heart, under it all-- so he can’t just accept the damage he’s done and move on. He turns that genius to invention, so that he can fix the things he broke. He wants to help everyone he can, because he hurt so many.

But that doesn’t ever make the guilt go away, and it doesn’t stop him from using people when he has to— we see this happen with Ichigo in the Soul Society invasion arc. Kisuke uses him to achieve his goals, but he is far from happy about it and apologizes afterwards.

Alright, into the meat of his character. I’m going to skim over the fact that he is arguably one of the strongest characters in the entire show, a man who plans for every eventuality compulsively because he understands that people die in battle (people die when they are killed), and so intelligent that he was one of the few people Aizen actually was wary of. I’m skimming it, because otherwise this already too long essay would be three times as long and wax rhapsodic about every way that he is, in fact, an incredible badass.

[IM SKIPPING IT FOR ALL OUR SAKES OKAY.]

He will and does help people, but he’s very guarded. It makes a terrible kind of sense, because he worked in the Omnitsukidō, and I don’t think anyone can come out of a spy and assassination agency without some jadedness. The exile doesn’t help either, because now he’s been forced to deal with the fallout from a betrayal and the loss of his home too.

That being said, the exile also made him more of his own man. Freer, in many ways. More able to be the eccentric self he wants to, better adapted to life, more likely to see how people could use him and less likely to let it happen. I think the living world suits him in a way that Soul Society never really did.

At his core he's a good person, but he built walls upon walls around himself. And those walls never come down, and some of them are mirrors, and some of them are smokescreens that don’t look like walls, because he can never be simple and he doesn’t want to be understood. And even if someone does see part of who he is, he wants them to only see that particular part.

He is an eccentric free spirit whose drive for invention cost him more dearly than anything else. His will to create, his truest self— the scientist, with inventions to make and the world to explore— started a war. It ruined the lives of people he wanted to be friends, and people who were friends.

And as a scientist, that’s the greatest blow of all. It’s like Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb. He created a weapon he couldn’t control, but he did it with something he loved with his whole heart. It hurts twice as deeply, when it comes from love.

He’s also a follower more than a leader. Kisuke is the support type, for all his fighting skill— he’s ready with backup plans and transportation and research, but he needs a person to follow into battle. For a long time that was Yoruichi. Then he stood on his own as a captain, but the way he did it was by structuring his division into a support division rather than a truly fighting one (his own way of coping with new leadership, imo. He turned the 12th into the division he wanted it to be, rather than really learning how to lead a fighting division).

Then he had to stand on his own, in exile, and he did. I imagine this was mostly fueled by guilt and determination, because he had to fix the mess he had helped create and defeat Aizen. But even still, he still kept to the shadows and planned Aizen’s downfall, rather than stepping on the battlefield and doing it himself (for many reasons, of course— Aizen was still in Soul Society’s good graces and it would have been suicide, Kisuke is not a foolish man who would throw away the best chance at success for a fight).

And at last, he chose Ichigo to follow. But this is doubly interesting because at first he is uses Ichigo to achieve his goals. Supposedly, Kisuke himself couldn’t have gone to Soul Society to rescue Rukia (because of the exile, though let’s face it Kubo’s world building doesn’t explain how Yoruichi could go so who really knows. And Kisuke being Kisuke, would have found a way into Soul Society if he thought it would help their fight against Aizen. Anyone who doesn’t believe that can see the TYBW arc and Fight Me).

But there were many people who had a better chance of going in his stead, and many ways to save Rukia that didn’t involve a straightforward invasion. This is not to mention that Kisuke used Rukia too, with the intention of forcing Aizen’s hand.

So when Ichigo and Kisuke first meet, he views Ichigo as a tool (and a person, because he’s a good man and never free of the guilt).

But with each battle, we see how Kisuke trusts Ichigo more and more. This progression continues until the last battle with Aizen, and then after that Kisuke stands behind Ichigo with absolutely no hesitation. Throughout the last arc, throughout the remainder of the manga, when Ichigo needed him, Kisuke was there— with supplies, with research, with a path to Hueco Mundo, hell even with a path to the big palace up in the sky. And Kisuke trusted Ichigo absolutely— see the panel where Ichigo asks Kisuke to hold out until he gets there, and everything will be alright because Ichigo will handle it. And Kisuke’s response to that is just a smile and a single word— “Understood.”

The trust between them is absolute. This is surprising, if you think of how few people Kisuke has really trusted over the years, and how few he trusts to this extent.

[It’s also very interesting that of all the people Ichigo choses to tell to “wait for me,” it’s Kisuke but that’s just my loyalty kink showing up don’t mind me.]

Once the guilt of using him was gone, Kisuke could follow the leader he’d chosen. And he did, endlessly.

On that note, Kisuke’s dialogue choice with Ichigo develops in a very interesting way. In the beginning its challenging and on the ruthless side (“don’t use her as an excuse to kill yourself,” for example), into something much more trusting and less challenging (the “understood” for instance, or the “what would you like me to do” ). This evolution tracks with the evolution of Kisuke’s changing attitude towards Ichigo.

We move from Kisuke only promising to help when he extracts something in return (“Do you really think, there is no way to get to Soul Society? I’ll tell you, on one condition.”) to Kisuke offering to help Ichigo before being asked (“My my, you guys sure are having an interesting conversation. So, this Hueco Mundo trip. Shall I arrange it?”).

[Imagine how much literally anyone else would pay to have a scientist of Kisuke’s caliber basically on retainer. And Ichigo gets it for the low low price of absolutely free.]

All this is to say, that I think that Kisuke can and is always ready for any eventuality but that it’s only after his trust is earned by Ichigo that he gives his plans so easily to other people. He has chosen a king, so to speak.

[Don’t call out my power kink or I will personally end you.]

Moving on to dialogue in general, we see many damn interesting patterns. Perhaps intentionally, Kisuke's a bit on a different wavelength, and no one expects the answers he gives to any questions. Its eccentricity, but honed into a weapon and very self-aware. He often interprets questions in different ways than expected, like he’s purposefully setting people off guard.

Consider the following response he gives to an enemy in later chapters (TYBW arc):

“Asking me such a personal question, is really more of a second date thing.”

He’s never met this person before in his life, and his response is to just, straight up flirt. THIS IS FLIRTING. KISUKE. WHY ARE YOU FLIRTING. HE’S NOT EVEN HOT.

Anyway. In general, Kisuke has two broad categories of speech patterns: completely serious and teasing-playful-fake-humble. Unlike many other characters who use a baiting tone and words against enemies (Frankenstein from Noblesse comes to mind as an example), Kisuke uses them on friends and enemies alike. And his tone isn’t really mocking but fake-humble and fake-playful.

Examples of this—

“Oh? You know of me. What an honor.” (Said behind fan)

“It’s wedged in their rather fatally, Yoruichi-san!” (Said to Yoruichi’s ass)

[Seriously, who does this asshole think he is? Yoruichi kicks him and I’m glad she does.]

He's very often cheerful, and usually smiling as he speaks. I’d say his eyes are the biggest giveaway to his emotion because they dont really ever soften. (And because Kubo has a Thing for drawing them covered in shadows and looking badass, see Exhibit: Oh No He’s Hot, pictured below)

In this playful mode, even when he apologizes it’s usually in a way that somehow makes it worse. He’s constantly either annoying people or throwing them off guard or a combination, but in a much more cheerful eccentric way than say, Frankenstein. For example, after he says the line above to Yoruichi (in the middle of a battle, I might add), he says this:

“Why would you kick me? I came to help. I’m sorry, perhaps the expression “wedged in” was a bit vulgar.”

He’s managed to repeat the thing that made her kick him, in a way that almost makes it worse, but in a way that makes it seem like hes trying to apologize. It’s very clever, and also ideal for pissing people off, intentional or not. (But who are we kidding, this is Kisuke. It’s definitely intentional).

But he can also switch to a serious mode quite quickly, seemingly able to interweave the two modes without really needing to break between them. This most often comes out when there is someone to save or protect.

[Because he's secretly a softie, as mentioned above, god I love him]

For example, when Masaki is in danger, even tho he's never met her or the soul reapers before (and when his very existence should make him avoid Isshin), he says this:

“We dont have time to waste. Both of you, please come with me. I will tell you the choices you have to save her.”

It’s to the point, succinct, polite, and also filled with a desire to save. It’s also completely at odds with his playful tone when he speaks in other times. I think this dichotomy is the core of Kisuke. Of course he's playful and eccentric— and this makes him the delightful character he is— but at his core he's a man who cares about people and wants to help. He doesn’t hesitate to apologize when he is in the wrong either, kneeling before Ichigo after the Soul Society arc and not asking for forgiveness but explaining why he is sorry. (Ichigo forgives him, because Ichigo will always forgive him, and that hurts even more).

But even when there are threats to life, if they've been dealt with and he's in a controlled environment, he pulls out the playful act again, though it often has an edge. For example, after he saves Ichigo for the first time he says this:

“What? You sound upset. Didn’t you want to be saved?”

It’s on the edge of teasing but its also much more pointed than anything else he's said to Ichigo at this point. It’s followed by some of the rawest and cruelest lines of dialogue I’ve ever read, because Kisuke doesn’t flinch back from being harsh when he has to be.

Even his cruelty, when he is forced to use it, comes from a place of care and a desire to help. Doesn’t stop it from stinging like hell.

It’s at this point where I descended into crying about Kisuke and how good he was and how much I love him, and so decided to stop.

In summary: Kisuke is a good man who couldn’t stop himself from inventing the most destructive weapon to exist. But he’s a good man, and so he spent a century crafting his own penance.

General Kisuke Dialogue I’ve collected, in case people find it useful:

Stop fighting, you two. It’s my fault, I should have disposed of it.

We have no choice. We’ve got to find it and neutralize it before it causes any trouble.

No way, accidents happen! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. There now, its okay.

Good, let’s move! Operation “recall”

Well look here. We finally find you, and you’re already incapacitated. What a waste. We lugged all this stuff here for nothing.

I’m going to destroy it. Hmm. I’m not sure how to answer that.

This is serious. I won’t take the fall for you.

No no, Kurosaki-san. Your wounds have barely closed. If you move around too much, you’ll die <3.

Do you really think, there is no way to get to Soul Society?

I’ll tell you, on one condition. For the next ten days, you must allow me to train you.

You don’t understand. What I’m trying to tell you is they’ll kill you.Could you win? If you fought them as you are? I allowed you to fight them this time, because I thought it would make it easier for you to understand. At your current level of ability, you wouldn’t stand a chance in soul society. You’re weak. For you to venture into enemy territory now would be suicide. You want to save Kuchiki-san? Don’t make me laugh. Don’t use her as an excuse to kill yourself.

Of course. If you wish to save Kuchiki-san with your whole heart, then you have at your disposal a power stronger than iron. But if your resolve is half-hearted, forget it. For the next ten days, I’m going to put you through the wringer.

What? You sound upset. Didn’t you want to be saved?

He went home. His wound bled a lot, but it wasn’t severe.

Couldn’t you have come up with anything better? [how lame]

Looks like I was a step too late.

What would you like me to do? Shall I book a ticket to reiokyu? It may take me some time though. [to ichigo]

We dont have time to waste. Both of you, please come with me. I will tell you the choices you have to save her.

My my, you guys sure are having an interesting conversation. So, this Hueco Mundo trip. Shall I arrange it?

[I] its usually like this with Urahara. [K] you know me too well <3

Oh? You know of me. What an honor. (Said behind fan)

To be included in such an esteemed group, I don’t know what to say. Its an honor, but he’s giving me too much credit.

It’s wedged in their rather fatally, Yoruichi-san!

Why would you kick me? I came to help. I’m sorry, perhaps the expression “wedged in” was a bit vulgar (makes fake apologies a lot)

Asking me such a personal question, is really more of a second date thing.

You see, even if I don’t tell you, you’ll be up close and personal with it soon enough.

#urahara kisuke #character analysis #bleach #yes I have too many feelings don't @ me #catch coco crying on main again about kisuke #to the surprise of everyone #im a Kisuke stan

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travllingbunny · 4 years

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The 100 rewatch: 5x03 Sleeping Giants

Continuing my joint rewatch of season 5 with @jeanie205. After two great episodes where we caught up with our main characters and saw (or did not see, in the case of Spacekru) their experiences during the 6-year time jump, Sleeping Giants is another excellent episode, this time fully about the present day action with the Eligius prisoners moving into Eden, their conflict with and capture and torture of Clarke, and most of all about the Spacekru trying to find a way to deal with the Eligius crew, get to the ground and save their people.

It’s also a great Bellamy episode, just as 5x01 was a great Clarke-centric episode and 5x02 a great Octavia episode. Raven also gets still getting pretty good character moments here (and has maybe more lines than in any other episode, but to be fair, most of it is exposition).

What particularly struck me - especially after quite a few slower episodes in season 7 - is just how fast, intense and full of both action and loads of new information (about Eligius 4 and Diyoza, but also a lot of setup for season 6, and even for the possible prequel). There are also lots and lots of parallels and contrasts to season 1, and callbacks to previous seasons in general; morality debates, fights, and one very epic (and romantic-looking) reunion of the show’s two main characters in the closing scene.

Timeline: 2 days have passed since the present day events of 5x01 - it is 2201 days since Praimfaya.

This episode is full of action and new information - if you don’t pay attention to every second, you may miss some of it:

First mention of Eligius 3: their mission may have been top secret. but the crew of Eligius 4 obviously knew that the corporation was sending Nightbloods and that one of the planet was a binary star system (Shaw males a comment "Two suns, no sunscreen”).

Eligius 4 was a mining ship; one of its engines got busted in the rebellion of the prisoners, which is why the ship needed a hundred years to get back to Earth (as opposed to Eligius 3 - which we later see took just a few years to reach Sanctum from Earth)

Possible prequel info: Raven mentions great-great grandpappy Blake who was an astronaut with multiple PhDs (but it’s unclear if he was an ancestor of both Bellamy and Octavia, in which case he has to be Aurora’s ancestor).

We start getting some of Diyoza backstory here (there’s more in the following episodes), when she mentions to Clarke that she fought when the “fascist government” tried to take her home. (This could’ve been seen as just Diyoza’s bias, but now that we have an idea - from 7x08 - what USA - under a President Wallace - was like just before the apocalypse, her description seems fitting. Callie also considered the government fascist.)

Instead of more exposition, the show follows the Show, Don’t Tell rule and gives the backstory about the rebellion in a more exciting way, by having Spacekru find and watch a video message that the late captain of the ship filmed and was about to send when he was killed. But the show also still intentionally withholds some info: the captain mentions that the prisoners have learned about Order 11 but we don't find out what that was until a few episodes later - that it was an order to kill all the prisoners. This would change our perception of Diyoza and the entire situation to quite an extent, but so far, all you get from this is that the prisoners, and Diyoza in particular, are very dangerous. The captain was about to send the message that Eligius be blown out of the sky, saying that “Diyoza can't be allowed to weaponize the cargo", which first hints at her terrifying reputation. But considering he was just going to do that, I’m not sure you can’t blame Diyoza for letting McCreary kill him. (Even though Shaw just does that, reminding Diyoza that she promised she wouldn’t kill any of the crew - to which she laconically replies she didn’t promise the others wouldn’t.)

There is, however, already some moral ambiguity there because Spacekru learn that prisoners were seen as “expendable” by the people in power - and Murphy says this sounds familiar, pointing out a parallel between the Eligius prisoners and the Delinquents. In general, season 5 plays a lot with the (imperfect) parallels (and contrasts) between season 5 and season 1. Some of the not-so-subtle callbacks include Diyoza saying “We’re not alone” in 5x01, Clarke making notes and drawings of the weaponry that the newcomers have, which is kind of a "parallel" to how Lincoln made notes in his notebook (except Lincoln was mostly making notes of how many people were there, not their weapons - since they didn’t have any), Clarke being captured and refusing to give any info by staying silent, and Clarke getting tortured, like Lincoln was. And just like Octavia argued that Lincoln didn’t speak English, but Bellamy was sure he did, now Shaw tries to argue that Clarke can’t speak English but Diyoza is smart enough to know she does. (It was really obvious in both cases - someone who doesn't speak your language but wants to communicate would say something in another language and make gestures, a mute person would make gestures, but when someone is looking at you silently and with a stone face, they obviously don't WANT to talk. Octavia seems to have actually believed that Lincoln didn’t speak English, since she was later surprised that he did - but she was still naive at the time. I find it hard to believe Shaw really believed that - he was probably just trying to dissuade Diyoza from letting McCreary torture someone.)

But here’s the thing: a parallel doesn’t have to mean two things are really the same - sometimes, as in this case, it’s more like “this is kind of reminiscent of that other thing, but when you compare them, you see that they’re drastically different”, which is pretty obvious, as in one case, we had a hundred kids with no weapons (aside from one gun and one knife), just going around without a plan and trying to have a good time in a rather small area, vs thousands of organized people with at least hundreds of armed warriors in a much wider territory. In this case, we have a bunch of heavily armed (and that’s an understatement, they really have all sorts of incredibly powerful weapons) adult murderers who came in with the express plan to take over the Valley - which was the only habitable area on Earth, vs a sole woman and a child. In other words, the Eligius prisoners are exactly what the Grounders claimed in season 1 that the 100 were, but what the 100 most definitely were not - a real and massive threat. But on the other hand, there is a reason why this parallel exists - and that’s to point out that the prisoners, no matter how scary they are, no matter how good the reasons to be afraid of them, no matter how bad they may be... are still people who were sent as forced labor, deemed expendable, and now are trying to get back home, to Earth. What else could they do - float forever in space, in cryo?

Another callback in this episode was to season 3 - and it’s a particularly important one for Bellamy’s character arc: the dilemma of what to do with the 283 Eligius prisoners in cryo. Murphy is the voice of ruthless pragmatism and suggests that they simply pull the plug and kill them all, before Diyoza could wake them up from the ground and use them as her army. Echo, though she says she understands why this is hard for Bellamy, backs up Murphy’s suggestion, but Bellamy refuses. You can see how awful even the idea is to him, reminding him of one of the things he has been regretting and feeling guilty for years - helping Pike kill Lexa’s army while they were sleeping. There are differences in circumstance, but it is basically the same thing, kill people in their sleep pre-emptively, before they could be potentially used against you, because if they are, they would be a huge threat to your people. (Well, it is the same thing for the purposes of the show - if we believe that experienced Trikru warriors could all sleep at the same time and not wake up and start fighting - which the show really wants us to believe, though it never made any sense. The Eligius prisoners, however, are really helpless here because they are cryo frozen, so this would really be the massacre that season 3 pretended Hakeldama was.) Murphy brings up Clarke, in what is one of the weirder lines in this episode - “If Clarke was here, this wouldn’t even...” I’m not sure what exactly he was trying to say - did he mean to imply Clarke would be in favor of killing them all (which doesn’t make much sense - it’s not like Clarke was the one more in favor of violent solutions than the peaceful and diplomatic ones compared to Bellamy, in fact, it was typically the opposite in seasons 1-4, especially whenever Murphy was around to witness their actions and decisions, On the other hand, the show went on to give Murphy some weird opinions about Clarke in season 6. Or did he mean that Bellamy himself would opt for drastic measures to protect Clarke?

It’s unclear, and it feels like this line just exists to set up Bellamy’s response and show how much the loss and memory of Clarke is still weighing heavy on Bellamy and motivating him. Bellamy has been trying to be better and redeem himself for mistakes of his past that he made when he was more inclined to react violently against enemies - and, since Praimfaya, he has been trying to honor Clarke’s memory, and be the kind of leader she wanted him to be, and the kind of leader she was. "Clarke didn't die for us to go back and make the same mistakes".

Ironically, Clarke has in the meantime become a lot more like season 1a Bellamy: her focus has narrowed to trying to protect a single person, a child she loves and feels responsible for, and in her present situation, she’s a lot more inclined to opt for violent solutions. We’ve already seen that in 5x01 with the “There are no good guys” scene, and in 5x03 she is quite ruthless when she doesn’t want to mercy kill a prisoner stabbed by one of her and Madi’s traps, even when Madi is asking her to do it. Season 5 Clarke characterization is pretty controversial - and I’m not 100% sure how I feel about it. It was clearly meant to show Clarke changed and not like herself after 6 years isolation with just Madi as a companion - but I don’t like the way it seemed to almost reduce Clarke to the “Mama Bear” trope. On the other hand, this is not entirely new - Clarke was always kind of mother to the Delinquents, even though they were her age, and driven by the desire to protect those she loves and/or felt responsible for - especially in season 2, we saw how far she can go when she is cornered and desperate to save her people. And she is certainly cornered here. We could argue whether some of her decisions here - such as to start attacking the prisoners - were smart, but with Eden as the only livable place, there wasn’t much else she could do other than hide, which she and Madi couldn’t do indefinitely.

Bellamy’s. Echo’s and Raven’s fight with Kodiak - a particularly large and dangerous prisoner that Diyoza had woken up because of the alarm Spacekru had set off - is IMO one of the best in the show, very raw and brutal and desperate. It reminds me of the 2x11 fight where Bellamy also ended up strangling a man after a desperate fight, with the help of Echo and someone else who’s mostly a non-combatant - in S2 it was Maya, here it’s Raven. (For someone who isn’t a fighter and in spite of her disability, Raven has the right moves - going straight for the eyes.) Bellamy and Echo work well as a part of the team, the leader and his right hand, but if you just saw this episode, you’d have no idea that they’re a couple. They don’t get the little everyday moments of chemistry and coupley behavior that we see here with Marper (when Raven teases “lovebirds” about Zero G sex, we immediately see that Marper is who she meant) or that we see with Memori in other seasons, whenever they are together. Here, they are on a break, and it’s so weird after seeing them in S7, watching Emori and Murphy snapping at each other with animosity - but there’s a thin line between love and hate.

Sleeping Giants is generally a great showcase for Bellamy: this is arguably him at his best as a leader, not only negotiating and saving his people while also refusing to commit mass murder, but we also see how good he is at instilling confidence in other team members - be it asking Murphy for his opinion, or building up Emori’s confidence as a pilot. The moment where they smile each other after she lands successfully is one of the best scenes in terms of the Spacekru dynamic - and in terms of genuinely platonic m/f friendships in the show (which should get more screentime).

It’s also a good episode for Raven, who insists she stays behind even though she knows there is a huge chance of dying, and lies to Bellamy that there is an escape pod for two, to stop him from insisting on staying instead, with his own self-sacrificial tendencies. In season 7, Raven felt guilty for not putting her life on the line in 7x03, but she did it here. Murphy ends up unintentionally kind of doing the same - fooled by her lie about the escape pod. Would he have stayed behind if he knew there was no escape pod? At this point in his development, probably not, but he is still showing the desire to contribute and do something heroic. He isn’t even sure himself what his motives are - was it just to impress Emori and show he’s not selfish, or if he really wants to be a hero who is ready to sacrifice and/or risk his life, the way the others do?

There are so many callbacks in this episode! Murphy even says the line "See you on the other side" and Raven tells Murphy: “You're right, dying alone would have sucked", referencing their scene in 2x01, back when they were just starting to not be enemies.

But of course, what this episode is mostly remembered by is Bellamy learning that Clarke is alive, and their first meeting in 6 years, in the epic last scene. The show made Bellamy and the rest of the Spacekru a bit incompetent for a moment when they get themselves captured by two prisoners, so Madi would rescue them and deliver the news that Clarke is alive. Clarke has obviously told Madi stories about Bellamy and described him, since Madi immediately recognizes him. We get Bellamy’s Harper and Monty’s reactions (as they are the Delinquents and much closer to Clarke than Echo and Emori). So Madi rescues Bellamy and then Bellamy rescues Clarke, and it feels like a lot of the plot was written in order to set up that last scene. (Incidentally, Bellamy and Clarke are paralleled with the way they both say the same line: “No, Madi”.)

Let’s be honest here - there was no plot reason whatsoever to put this kind of emphasis on Bellamy rescuing Clarke in this scene, other than to emphasize the importance of Bellamy’s and Clarke’s relationship. He was already planning to use the prisoners in cryo as leverage to rescue Octavia and the rest of the people in the bunker - which he will also do. He could have rescued Clarke in a brief scene and then continued negotiating with Diyoza. In plot terms, this is not a cliffhanger or last scene material. But in relationship terms? That’s another story. And there was no reason to make it look so goddamn romantic - other than to portray their relationship as a romantic one, regardless of their actual relationship status.

The entire scene is filmed to look like a dream. We see Clarke looking at him, with a dreamy look in her eyes. From Clarke’s POV, it looks like Bellamy is appearing out of the darkness, bathed in light (and holding the “Best dad in the universe” cup from Eligius 4).

If this was just your run-of-the-mill rescue of some of our protagonists by other ones, there was also no reason for Diyoza to say the line: “283 lives for one. She must be pretty important to you.” In fact, this line used to bug me - because I thought it didn’t make sense for her to ask that. Come on, Diyoza, you know how hostage negotiations and leverage works! You know he is making a smart play here. Release my people and I don’t kill your people - there’s nothing strange about that. But on second thoughts - I can see Diyoza bulls*itting like that in order to try to suss out what exactly Bellamy’s relationship to Clarke is, so she could potentially use it later in dealing with them. In any case, this line clearly exists to set up Bellamy’s answer: “She is”. Set o dramatic music, as the ending line of the episode.

Rating: 8.5/10

#the 100 #the 100 5x03 #sleeping giants #the 100 rewatch #the 100 season 5 #bellamy blake #clarke griffin #raven reyes #charmaine diyoza #john murphy #bellarke #marper #emori #madi griffin #eligius prisoners

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ioannemos · 4 years

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went a little wild with this: ♤ : star wars, shmi ☻ : firefly, anyone ☼ : uncharted, elena ☮ : national treasure, riley ☯ : star wars, obi-wan, anakin, padmé ☠ : sga, rodney | star wars, obi-wan ☄ : prodigal son, coffee shop AU | the man from UNCLE, high school AU | leverage, medieval/fantasy AU

boy you sure did 😁

cooking headcanon: shmi

food isn’t scarce, even in the slave quarters: that’s short-sighted. but it isn’t good either: think soylent, some kind of protein paste, that kind of thing. so getting the food isn’t the important thing, it’s flavoring, and she knows how to make a little flavoring last a long, long time

in my au where she’s rescued, she starts cooking a lot. she finds cooking enjoyable by itself and it’s a great way to ingratiate herself with her neighbors. plus she doesn’t think they feed anakin (or obi-wan) properly

mood headcanon: simon

(this is more emotion than mood but idc)

as time goes by, living on the edge starts to scrub off simon’s core upbringing. it doesn’t go easy- more often than not, it comes off with blood- but it does come off, and a layer of callus grows over it. his sense of honor changes and warps a little, wrapping around serenity’s crew and leaving others out in the cold. he learns to shoot, and not at kneecaps: if they can’t talk their way out of a situation, it’s better to eliminate the threat than add them to the list of enemies. part of him still hates it (first, do no harm), but he has to keep river safe, and this seems the better way to do it. he looks like an emergency room doctor in the medbay, calm and professional; outside it, he’s a combat medic, ruthless and borderline detached (kinda scary, according to kaylee)

childhood headcanon: elena

elena was introduced to filming in grade school, when her parents got a video camera to film her part in a play. she was instantly hooked

bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon: riley

if you don’t text riley to tell him you’re coming over, you will walk into an absolute disaster zone

bedroom? his bed is never made and he leaves clothes EVERYWHERE. he has a system. (he does not, unless the sniff test counts as a system.)

house? he got cockroaches in his place when he was at college, so he doesn’t leave food around (at least not intentionally), but other than that? hazardous. every horizontal surface has a high risk of being covered in computers (most of them functional but some obviously cannibalized) with multiple screens, laptops (most of them functional), cameras, radios, walkie-talkies, stray cords, half a dozen different gps systems... he has a workbench with a soldering station for fixing/kludging stuff which is usually covered in components, scraps and spools of wire, hand tools half-hidden under printouts, and stray screws

living quarters when away from home? he starts with at least a token effort at keeping his stuff in one place, which is helped by living out of a duffel bag. this token effort generally lasts until the first all-nighter, when it is replaced by riley leaving clothes, coffee cups, and electronics on any available surface

genderbent headcanon

obi-wan: as a young padawan, she’s intense and about one step down from being a show-off. as she matures, she stays intense but gets quiet and standoffish from most people, preferring to communicate with qui-gon through micro-expressions, body language, and their bond (they can have an argument through eyebrows alone). as a young woman, there are certain dangers she has to be aware of that are less likely to be a problem for a young man, and that’s part of what leads to her intensity: qui-gon likes to let crowds flow around him, and she’ll stay in his wake as much as possible, but if someone tries to touch her she’s ready with a razor-sharp expression that says i can read your mind and you should be ashamed of yourself. she’s a hair more tolerant of qui-gon’s pathetic life forms but doesn’t like them any more. after qui-gon’s death... she shuts down a little more obviously than in canon. she still insists she’ll train anakin, tho. yoda is maybe a little more convinced that her promise (threat?) to train anakin without the council’s approval is dead serious

anakin: anakin still races. she’s both wilder and more calculating than her canon counterpart: the more races she wins, the more likely it is that watto will let her keep doing that instead of selling her for other purposes, and as a girl she’s both popular as a bit of an oddity and disliked for the same reason. she’s young enough yet that she can pass as a boy, and she often does. when starting as obi-wan’s apprentice, it’s very rough going. obi-wan’s wall around her grief is initially stronger (she’s not a woman, she’s a jedi who happens to be a woman, she can’t be ruled by her emotions) but once it cracks, it cracks harder than canon obi-wan’s, so they’re able to grieve together and really bond

uh i feel like anakin being a girl really changes the way things shake out? seems to me she’d be more suspicious of palpatine bc okay, sure, she doesn’t have a male mentor, but. old guy taking younger woman under his wing? creepy. also if anakin is the one who could have kids i feel like the marriage thing would turn out so differently. this could go on for pages so i’m going to let your imagination take over from here

padme: listen. i’ve seen exactly one and a half episodes of parks and recreation. but. mayor ben? with the ice rink or whatever? yeah

(i know padme is too sensible for this, don’t @ me, i’m tired of genderbending this without like. actually wanting to write it. anyway if anakin is the (semi) sensible one here, one of them has to be stupid)

drinking/drunk headcanon

rodney: between pegasus natives being unpredictable and atlantis usually under threat of one kind or another, he doesn’t get drunk often. when he does, tho, it’s... a thing to behold. sober rodney hates drunk rodney. his patience goes up, somehow? so he’s willing to explain complicated stuff in easy terms and tolerates being interrupted. if that was it, sober rodney would be fine with it, but drunk rodney also has Great Science Ideas, generally involving setting things on fire, blowing them up, sending them through this process or that, bc what if... it did this? on the rare occasions nobody’s stopped him, it does not work out like he hoped. in the moment, he finds that hilarious. if he overdoes it, he can lean into maudlin or “hey, d’you know... you’re my besht fren,” which is terrible for his reputation as an asshole

obi-wan: he can drink alcoholics under the table. the actual effects hit later, generally in a bleak yet calm “life is meaningless, let me sleep” kind of vibe

coffeeshop au: prodigal son

gil is the manager, dani makes coffee, malcolm comes to the coffeeshop to grade his students’ psychology papers. dani thinks he’s a little young to be a teacher, he thinks her coffee is amazing (it’s... fine? she isn’t sure why he keeps leaving such big tips??)

high school au: the man from uncle

napoleon: class president. adopted, and doesn’t want to talk about his birth family. has a motorcycle. either you love him or you hate him. when asked what he’s doing after high school, he has a great-sounding answer that ultimately means nothing at all, bc he has no idea yet. seems to be just as invested in home ec as track??

illya: transfer student staying with napoleon’s family. also has a motorcycle. doesn’t seem to know how to make friends, so he spends a lot of time alone. may or may not be aware of his resting i’ll-kill-you face. will not talk about his family and will deck you if you keep pushing. captain of the chess team. jostles with napoleon a lot in home ec

gaby: ends up tutoring both of them in... idk, history or something. traded favors (or bribes? maybe blackmail?? nobody knows) to get into shop class a year early. might deck you if you bring up her family. hates home ec

medieval/fantasy au: leverage

nate: totally normal human. barely anyone believes this bc it’s embarrassing to admit a totally normal human caught you at your supernatural shenanigans

sophie: there’s a siren in her ancestry, or a succubus, or maybe just some elf? no one can tell (bc they’re all wrong- she’s 100% human)

eliot: human. used to be a knight. excellent tracker, fighter, swordsman, and occasional chef. doesn’t like crossbows

hardison: human. crazy-amazing blacksmith and inventor. always tinkering with metallurgy, clockwork, and alchemy

parker: was stolen by the elves as a child and has broken free from them... somehow. can use magic but generally doesn’t bc she doesn’t understand the appeal. unless it helps her steal stuff- then she uses it a lot

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illuma-can-you-not-i · 4 years

Text

Every time Sojiro Sakura was the entire Phantom Thieves' Dad: Akechi

Sojiro may be getting older, but he certainly wasn't getting any dumber.

He saw the pain behind Akira's eyes when he stepped through the door after being held in police custody and--god--getting shot in the face. He had no trouble finding the bags under the poor boy's eyes after a sleepless night. He heard the cracks in the boy's voice from screaming in his nightmares. He remembered, clear as day, when the poor boy stepped through his cafe door and ran to him in tears. And since then, there's been a hint of sadness, of grief, every time he spoke. For a while there, he retreated back into his shell, turning into the quiet, resigned boy he met in April, who just stood and nodded and took whatever was given to him.

So when the light-brown-haired teenager responsible for all that trouble, all that pain, casually stepped through his door, he just about choked on his cigarette.

"You better as hell have a good reason as to why I don't send you out right now.", the man growled. Despite the offensive tone, though, the teen didn't seem intimidated or apprehensive. In fact, it was almost as if he hardly had any emotion at all. "...I just came back from the dead?", he attempted with dry humor, wincing as he felt the energy in the room. Sojiro gave him a cold glare. "...And... I'm here... to apologize.", he admitted with a much softer tone. Sojiro scoffed. "You tried to kill my son, tried to frame my kids, all for some political sham. How do you think you could possibly apologize enough to have me forgive you?"

Akechi gave a long, quiet sigh. "I do not require your forgiveness. I am simply here to tie up loose ends.", was his reasoning as he carefully took a seat at the bar. His tone was quiet, and his wording was slow and deliberate; he was choosing his words very carefully.

"You see, I would like to say that my mental state is a recent development, but...that would be a lie.", he started, staring at the dark drown wood of the counter with a fixed concentration. "I admit that I may not know you all that well, but I doubt you've ever had to deal with abandonment, Sakura-san.", the boy who had eyes far too old for a teenager's almost whispered, barely glancing up at the man before returning to stare at the countertop. The day that he was given the news of Wakaba's passing came to mind. The first time he had looked into Futaba's eyes since she had followed after. "I doubt you've ever had to deal with the feeling of hopelessness, the despair that comes from it. The realization that you never had a purpose, that you didn't belong in this world.", he described in a smooth tone of voice, as if he was telling a whimsical story to a child.

"I was a nuisance, and no one wanted me. I had no chance of going on. So, when a man in power offers you a job position that allows you to be a monumental stepping stone in a grand scheme of change, to bring about the better of society, who was I to even consider denial?"

Goro still remembers his own awakening, clear as day. The day, the hour, the moment Robin Hood offered to allow him to grant justice to those who had been cruelly turned away from it. He also remembered the first time Loki offered him the better deal. Justice was only part of his desire, he had realized. It was revenge he was truly after. Even if it was secondhand. Revenge for the people who turned him away, revenge for the sorry excuse of a father who had left him, revenge for the group of teenagers, actual children who had fought against him, everything he had stood for, and yet, naively, still tried to treat him as an equal.

But he never was.

That much has always been obvious.

"Cool story, still murder.", Sakura remarked with a cold tone, trying to withhold a scoff. All the sob stories in the world don't make up for the fact that he is still a murderer. He consciously and intentionally took lives, while having every opportunity to step down, to say no, and didn't.

Akechi didn't seem taken aback in the slightest, however. In fact, he looked to the man, as if expecting him to insult the teen further. He looked back down at the cup when he realized it wasn't the case. "True. I truly have no excuse for my actions. I had become twisted. I was cruel and ruthless and delusional.", he described, his own crazed laugh echoing through his mind like a ringing in his ears. "But now, by some divine power, I suppose, I stand here again. And this time, I'm going to make sure that I put my best foot forward.", he finished, giving Sakura a little fake smile that looked all too familiar to the one he would flash on TV to persuade an audience. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"That's great and all, but how do I know I can trust you?" Akechi smiled, clearly expecting this question. "Well, for one, I'm no longer a 'Detective Prince'. I don't have any sort of authority; if that soothes your worry any.", he started with an apathetic tone. Sojiro furrowed his brows in confusion and a little bit of surprise.

The young man looked back down at the counter after seeing his expression. "Surprisingly, the police force was unwilling to give a man who was supposed to be dead his job back.", the harsh passive-aggressiveness in his voice was enough to make the man grimace. "That's rough, buddy.", he remarked, offering a light-hearted sort of sympathy. Akechi huffed out a bit of a laugh in response. "I just can't believe they replaced me so quickly.", he remarked as Sojiro put a fresh cup of coffee in front of him.

Glancing rapidly between the cup and the man, Akechi slowly took the cup and gave a little sip. A nostalgic feeling swept over him, almost overwhelming his senses. He almost welcomed it, though trying to fight the feeling of the comforting atmosphere letting him relax. He was here on a mission: to apologize, explain himself, and begin the process of turning over a new leaf. And so, he continued on.

"Secondly, everything I could have listed as a motive turned out to be a hoax, planned on the basis of my utter ignorance. Just getting used again, with the plan of getting swept under the carpet when all is said and done.", he described, taking a long sip of the warm beverage, keeping the cup in his hands as he thought aloud. The teen shook his head, a look of frustration at himself taking over.

"It was plain as day, too. But I actually thought that a man who employed me to take out his enemies while he put on a public face was actually going to go through on his deal." As he spoke, his eyes glassed over, void of any emotion. He took a final swig of the coffee and barked a short, humorless laugh. "God, I'm gullible.", he chided under his breath with a heavy sigh.

Akechi set his money on the table and stood up, bowing in gratitude for the hospitality. "I'm off to the courthouse. See if they can legally make me not dead. I'll contact the others when I'm done. May get a haircut while I'm at it.", he listed off, absent-mindedly grabbing the end of a strand of hair and twisting it beneath his fingers.

"Oh, Kaori runs a salon not far from the subway station.", he offered, before his mind finally clicked with what had left his mouth. He really just called Ryuji's mom by her first name, huh. "She, uh, she's cheap, in comparison to most in the area. Does a good service. Plus, if you manage to convince him to go with you, I'm pretty sure she does Ryuji's friends for free." "I didn't realize you two were close." Sojiro shrugged, crossing his arms as he looked away in embarrassment. "It's a recent development.", he quickly explained, trying to get away from the conversation topic.

"Am I on good terms with you?", the teenager slowly asked, looking down at the floor in anticipation. Sojiro took a huff of his cigarette, taking the opportunity to really get a look at the kid before making his decision. The way he stood there, awaiting his decision, reminded him an awful lot of Akira when he first walked into the cafe. In that case, the two of them did seem awfully similar. Both were dealt a shitty hand from the beginning, given an opportunity to fix it, and that's where they began to separate.

A part of the man groaned, going on about how he should have kicked him out from the start, not to listen to a word that this guy had to say. But another part of him knew that people could, can, and will change. After all, Akira was far from the same kid he was back in April. Maybe Akechi could change too, if given the right push.

"...Getting there. Starting, at least.", he summarized. Goro perked up, looking at the man with wide eyes; he was genuinely surprised by that answer. "More specific, please?", he asked, his voice barely above a whispering volume. The man sighed, scratching his chin as he tried to put the details into words. "For everything you put them through, both my kids and so many other people, I still don't forgive you, not for a second, but... I won't turn you away at the door."

The wide eyes softened, showing a sign of relief as the teen visibly relaxed at the response. It was just speculation, but Sakura thought he had seen a spark of joy in his expression as well. A more genuine smile began to take form as he looked at the man, and kept his gaze there. "That's pleasing to hear. In that case, I hope to see you soon, Sakura-senpai.", he bid as a farewell, bowing again before making his leave.

#persona 5 #sojiro sakura #goro akechi #this was so hard to write #i'm not an akechi fan #not at all #Fatherson #kind of #if you squint #I think he's better in Royal though #this one' s for you fangirls #apologies

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linkspooky · 4 years

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Who do you think Emma will end up with? Ray or Norman? And why?

I know you’re talking romantically, but I’m going to use this to put forward a theory of mine. The manga may end with the trio split up, with Emma and Norman staying behind in the world of dmeons, and Ray leaving to the human world with his family, but permanently separated from Emma and Norman his two most important people.

Thematically it makes sense to me to settle on a more bittersweet ending, because like the story of Peter Pan, the Promised Neverland has always thematically been about children growing up. Children grow up into adults by leaving behind the safety and certainty of their childhood.

There are three pieces of evidence I have in support of this theory that the trio is going to be separated into Ray leaving for the human world and Norman and Emma left behind in the demon world.

Norman is a Ratri

Emma’s deal with Zalgo Text God

Ray’s final character growth

We know that Norman’s life was spared for a reason, but I don’t think the reason is just that the queen wanted to eat him. For a long time I’ve had a theory based both on Norman’s accelerated aging (which has not been explained well yet) and his positioning of himself as the heir to William Minerva’s legacy to the point of stealing his name and posing as him is that Norman is a genuine heir to the Ratri clan. He’s the son of one of the Ratri clan members the same way that Ray is the son of Isabella.

One, Ray and Norman have always been positioned as mirror images, and foils to one another. Norman having a father among the Ratri clan would be just another parallel with Ray whose mother was the sister who raised them. They would also be opposites in that regards to, Ray knew from the beginning he was the Son of Isabella, whereas Norman being a member of the Ratri clan would be something revealed to him at the absolute end of the story.

I would say that while the trio are on the same side right now Norman’s character growth is not finished yet. He was offered a hand to pull him back from his self destructive spiral, but the fact that he immediately has to confront a foil antagonist for his former self. That is a human who wields power over demons, and ruthlessly manipulates them for his own survival, and treats these manipulations like a game. The fact that he’s being challenged by a negative foil of his worst self, means that Norman hasn’t fully reintegrated his worst flaws and what he’s done already, with the person he is now. Norman is both the soft and sensitive boy, and also the ruthless manipulator who plays games. They are both Norman at the same time, and Norman will be a whole and complete person when he can live with both sides of himself. Peter Ratri is a confrontation of his worst tendencies.

Norman and Peter are both light haired, tall individuals with long arms and thin limbs. They are both drawn with game boards to illustrate their plans. They both win primarily by manipulating others. They both have te tendency to need to have control of everything and hold the world in their hands before they can feel comfortable or secure.

Norman and Peter Ratri stand similiarly.

The chapter where the attention switches to Peter as the main antagonist we get panel after panel of parlalels like this while they both desperately try to figure each other out.

These parallels are intentionally being drawn. In stories these parallels are meaningful and usually utilized to hint at a secret relation. It’s especially likely in this case because once again, the twist has already been done once with Ray.

The Promised Neverland is also a story about growing up, and in fiction children often grow up through a confrontation with their parents. Ray had to confront Isabella (and will most likely confront her again) and Norman’s final enemy will be Ratri who reflects himself in such a negative light.

Norman is also constantly flitting between his desire to play the villain and the hero at the same time. His self esteem is so genuinely low, made worse by the fact that he’s done disgusting, inhumane things that he can never come back from that he thinks he’s only capable of playing the villain.

Norman has done inhumane things he cannot take back, but he also genuinely wants to become better than how the world treated him. Both of these things are true at the same time, but Norman has a hard time accepting that complexity within himself. He has a tendency to see himself as a bad person, and that’s why he dirtied his hands in a way that Emma would never be capable of.

So, Norman learning that unlike his friends he’s a part of the clan that was responsible for the creation of the cattle Children would probably be a shock to his system. Norman would have to see how he’s different from the Ratri clan, and come to accept that he’s not a bad person, he’s just a person.

There’s also a pattern of the main trio confronting their adult human foils. For Emma it was Isabella, and for Ray it was Yuugo. The only character who hasn’t had an adult human foil to confront yet was Norman, and it’s pretty clear that confrontation is finally coming in the form of Peter Ratri.

2. Deal with the Zalgo Text God

Emma’s deal with Zalgo Text God has two primary conditions, that the cattle children are sent to the human world, and the movement between worlds closes completely.

This is clearly a setup for a deal with the devil type situation where there is going to be a huge loophole involved. Emma has already been snagged in that loophole, and the implication is that god demanded something serious in return, either her life or her freedom.

Which is why I put this theory forward in the first place, the cost of everyone else escaping into safety is that Emma has to stay behind in a world that’s entirely hostile to her. We also see Emma giving hints that she doesn’t like the idea of escaping off to the human world and leaving Musica behind with all the responsibility of letting the demon world collapse. In a way it’s a consequence for both Norman and Emma together. Emma has to follow through with her ideals of saving the demon world by staying behind to make it a better place, and Norman has to stay behind to atone for completely destroying the political system and all the damage he’s done so far.

Emma clearly specificed Cattle Children so the Ratri would not be able to follow them into the next world and hunt them down. If Norman was a Ratri, and Emma did not know, this would be an unexpected complication that would force Norman to stay behind as well, with the bittersweet solace that at least he and Emma will have each other as they try to rebuild the world together.

3. Ray’s Arc

It amkes perfect sense as the ending point to Ray’s arc. Remember where Ray started is that he wanted to sacrifice the rest of their family, and himself so that Norman and Emma could keep on living because they were the two who made his life worth living even though he was all alone in the hell of knowing that their siblings were being killed one by one.

Ray’s turning point is when he decides instead of sacrificing himself to save those two people, to instead try to continue living and opening himself up to the family around him. He’s finally able to accept the love of his extended family, and doesn’t let his guilt at letting other members of their family get sold off to be eaten in the past force him to cut off those around him.

Ray’s resolution is that he has to live to lead his family, because he owes it to them because even after he was ready to sacrifice all of them, they still accepted him in the end.

Because Ray’s family saw his life as worth saving, Ray decides to take responsibility for both his own life and his family. Ray’s arc has had a long middle in which he still continually places Emma and Norman’s importance abve him, even while he’s struggling with trying to learn how to love himself.

The natural ending point of Ray’s arc is for him to keep the promise he made at his turning point. For him to be the one to lead the family and escape into the new world, even if it means leaving Emma and Norman behind. Ray’s the only one who can make that choice because he’s learned to accept the feelings of other people. He may love Norman and Emma, and also want to stay with them, but I believe Ray’s mature enough at this point to be able to accept their sacrifice of staying behind because everyone else in his family, all the cattle children need his leadership even if it means leading them alone from now on.

Norman and Emma will finally be able to be each other’s support, whereas Ray will learn to live on his own. While it’s a bittersweet ending, it also hits the right notes for their final moments of character growth. They all give something up in order to grow up, but they also gain the ability to become fully realized people.

#tpn meta #the promised neverland #the promised neverland meta #norman tpn #ray tpn #emma tpn #norman meta #norman #ray #emma #the promised neverland theory #peter ratri #ratri clan #Anonymous

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kunstpause-archive · 4 years

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5 Questions for Writers

I got tagged by @elveny and looking at this I don’t even know where to start ? Let’s see if we can make a coherent post out of this

Tagging @curiousthimble, @midnightprelude, @captainderyn, @cornfedcryptid, @elfyourmother, @defira85, @edencalder @anchanted-one @tishinada @illegiblewords and anyone else who wants to do it - I’d love to see people’s answers but no pressure to anyone.

1. Do you have a favorite character to write? Who and why?

2. Do you have a favorite trope to write? Or one you want to write?

3. Share your favorite description you’ve written?

4. Share your favorite dialogue you’ve written?

5. Scene you haven’t written, but want to?

1. Do you have a favorite character to write? Who and why?

Of the ones I've written more for probably Aren Surana. I love all my characters to pieces and I always enjoy writing for Cassia or Amara - but Aren is closest to my heart and the things I want to express through writing her are some of the most important to me. Aren is autistic and shares pretty much all of those traits with me and it is very important to me to share her story and her perspective on things with others - and hopefully make the one or other person understand some things in the process.

That said Cassia is probably a close second place - writing her struggle with depression and working through it with familial support was something quite liberating.

And lately there is Althea, my FFXIV OC which I have not yet published anything about but I’ve been writing a few bits and pieces for her and she is rapidly growing into a character I really enjoy writing.

The rest got longish, so under the cut it goes.

2. Do you have a favorite trope to write? Or one you want to write?

I love lighthearted miscommunication and I absolutely love writing more humerous things. My DA2 coffee shop AU was just pure fun to write.

I also really enjoy a lot of the classic tropes from “there is only one bed!” to “we need to make out to hide from the bad guys”.

Also I found out through my fictober project with @elveny that I am enjoying the occasional writing of horror-themed things. (Those are all intentionally bad endings, so skip this if that is something that’s not good for you please.)

I wrote a so far unpublished “magic made them do it” story for DA2 which was also quite fun and I am currently in the middle of an enemies-to-lovers-to-weird-allies thing for Althea.

3. Share your favorite description you’ve written?

from my so far not published enemies-to-lovers thing for FFXIV:

He was the living embodiment of all that she hated about herself. The cold distance, the numbness, the utter boredom at the mundane, the miserable existence without a challenge… but something more dangerous somehow.

A mirror of her undesirable traits would have been something she could have ignored but at the same time he managed to be almost everything she so desperately yearned to be. Unbound by the expectations of those around him, the freedom and single mindedness to follow his heart’s desire and the wild abandon with which he carried himself… He was everything she loathed and all that she wanted for herself at the same time.

And he had the audacity to laugh at her.

This bit from a Divinity Original Sin 2 ficlet Fractured:

Amadia was there through it all, holding and soothing. Speaking soft words of consolation and compassion. Her old heart slightly breaking as she did all she could to help him hold on. On nights like these she looked at him with heavy thoughts. He had lost so much, endured so much. And yet she thanked all the powers still around her that at least for the moment he was still unaware of just how much. His beautiful, fractured mind saving him, holding back the greatest pain, the sharpest memories. She had done her best to shield him from his own past. Every time she could feel him push at his memories, trying to regain the last puzzle pieces she had woven images around them, pulling them just out of reach. Even with all the strength he had gained, all the power he had learned to master so far, Amadia was determined. Determined to keep him whole and away from the what would surely tear him apart if she didn’t intervene. She needed him whole after all. At least for a little while longer. And so she kept holding him, comforting him the only way she could.

“Rest now, my child. Lay down your burden and let me keep watch over you, my dear, dear child." She could feel his mind relax and starting to drift. Away from the memories, the past, the truth. Lulled by her warmth and her words. One more night where he would be unaware, that those words had once been his own.

And I am very partial to this nsfw bit - Bull trying to distract Amara from the murder happening in Halamshiral

Cold stone against her skin as she was roughly turned around and pressed against it. More clothes carelessly pushed aside. A bruising grip on her hip pushing her into place. When the first sharp sting of pain on her thighs went through her she let out a relieved sob, pushing back against his hands, her whole body pleading for him to continue. This was what she had wanted. Needed. And he gave it to her. Again and again until she could think of nothing else but his hands on her flesh and his voice in her ear.

She had lost all sense of time when he turned her around again, lifting her up enough to enter her in one swift and fluid motion. No matter the amount of pain, she was dripping wet for him, her body reacting instinctively to his touch, rough and forceful as it was. His pace was ruthless. Unforgiving he pushed her into the wall again and again. She felt the pleasure building up, growing with every sharp thrust until it was almost bursting when her heart dropped.

The music.

It had stopped.

For a second her eyes went searching in the direction of the lights. Head turning. Were those screams she heard or was it imagination?

Bull’s hands closed around her, covering her ears almost entirely as he turned her head back, forcing her to look at him instead. “Don’t listen!” His words were a low grumble but somehow sounded like both, an order and a plea at the same time. He pushed into her faster, his iron grip around her not letting her move even the smallest bit as he pushed her over the edge and she came with a soundless cry on her lips.

Amara’s eyes had fallen shut, the only sound she could hear being the noise of her own blood rushing through her ears. Again she lost track of time, feeling almost like she was floating in his arms. When she finally opened her eyes again Bull was looking at her with so much love and determination on his face she felt something warm in her chest. It was small. Just a spark. But something she was almost desperate to hold on to. She could also see the worry written all over his face and she sighed deeply, before kissing him softly. “Let’s get out of here. Leave for Skyhold right away,” she mumbled against his lips. She closed her eyes again, her forehead against his as she felt the relief running through both of them when he agreed without second thought.

4. Share your favorite dialogue you’ve written?

this bit from a Hands of Fate related one shot about DAI times:

“I can’t believe Varric wrote a book about me,” Cassia muttered under her breath. “I don’t even know if I should be flattered or extremely embarrassed.”

“I would go with flattered and avoid ever reading it,” Dorian suggested with a wink.

“Oh definitely!” Josephine agreed. “Don’t read it.”

“Ever.” Cassandra’s dry voice added shortly. Bull still didn’t say anything but he was visibly amused by everything that happened.

“So you’ve all read it then?” Dread was on Cassia’s face. “How bad is it?” She eyed the book as if it was a particularly nasty dish she had to eat.

“Not that bad!” Josephine was quick to say. “Really, come to think of it, it is barely worth mentioning.” Cassandra and Dorian nodded eagerly.

“Well, in my defence I actually haven’t read it, I just skipped through the highlights where Josephine had folded the pages.” Dorian was grinning madly at Josephine’s embarrassed squeak. “I must say Ambassador, I am impressed! I did not expect this from you.”

Cassandra tried to save the situation with a last desperate attempt. “There seems to be a lot of... artistic freedom in the book,” she tried to assure Cassia. “Things so obviously outlandish that no one will ever think those actually happened.”

Somehow this had the opposite of a calming effect on Cassia. With a very sceptical look she stared the Seeker down. “Really? Like what?”

For the next few seconds Cassia got to experience something that most people believed was absolutely impossible and could never occur. But at a loss for words Cassandra seemed to actually squirm in her seat. “Like, uhm… like…”

“Like the scene in the chantry!” Josephine helped her out and Cassandra nodded thankfully.

“Yes, like that one! Something so ridiculous… No one in their right mind would actually believe that actually happened,” she explained eagerly, obviously hoping to put Cassia’s worries to rest.

“Chantry?” was all Cassia got out, feeling her throat closing up.

“Page 225 onward,” Dorian supplied helpfully and quickly moved aside, barely escaping another kick from Cassandra.

Almost mechanical Cassia turned the book to the page he mentioned and glossed over it. The little voice that had told her ‘the scene in the chantry’ could mean all sorts of things died a tragically painful death as soon as she had started to read. She felt her cheeks flaming up. “Crap!” she whispered. “He is going to kill me.”

5. Scene you haven’t written, but want to?

The last scene of my enemies to lovers thingy - it’s what started the whole idea and I have it in my head but I am not going to write it until I wrote the bits before.

Also I have so many headcanons about Ascians I need to write some scenes at some point. Just to get it out there.

Certain scenes from the sequel to Hands of Fate are also high on my list of things I look forward to write. But I am forcing myself to write things chronologically bc otherwise I will never get done with the re-edits.

And there is a Heavensward friends-with-benefits ot3 scene I have had in mind for a while. Some day.

#writing meme #Kunstpause writes stuff #this took way longer than I thought #and I feel always a bit overwhelmed when I ahve to pick favourites from my own stuff #they usually change all the time #so this is more of a -currently-

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mc-critical · 3 years

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Pertaining to MYK2, it’s an observation of mine that as Kösem got older she grew more bitter, more angry, and felt overall more resentment towards the overall Ottoman lifestyle and dynasty which was a mere glorified prison for her. I would even go as far to say that her actions toward her children later in life were possibly due to her seeing them as an extension of her trauma and imprisonment in a way? I believe she only clung to power and titles the way she did because she truly believed it would be all she could have going for her and the only thing that could get her to be afforded basic human decency on some level in the enviornment she was trapped in. I especially see it towards the end when she has plans to dethrone her grandson and remarks “when one grandson goes the other comes” and you can see how she’s just..gone. There’s no longer a shred of resemblance to the innocent and life-loving Anastasia. She completely internalized the hatred and the death that surrounded her and became it..I’d even call it a cinematic parallel to Saifye. What do you think?

Overall, I think you hit the nail right on the head.

The loss of innocence is the central theme of the show: we consistently see how it begins to flourish, all the little hints, all the big actions, and Kösem, being the protagonist, will of course be the epitome of it all. It's a given that everything she has experienced would lead to trauma sooner or later, a trauma that really brings hatred, bitterness and then again, misery, because when you look at it, she couldn't take a break even for a second. To me, Safiye killing her father, was namely where it began - Kösem, just like Hürrem, had to completely let go of her past to begin this new life, but unlike her, this character arc was quick and rushed and harder, and she didn't get the fullest time necessary to do it in narrative, for her to actually get used to it. Her past is quite a part of her innocence, of her previous being, and when people (like Safiye and Raihan Aga) tell her to forget about it, she resists so much more, because there is hope that things would be just like before. Say, Hürrem adapted so quickly and so efficiently, because there was a lot to win, but nothing to lose - everyone she knew was perceived as dead, she had nowhere to go, it was lost and it was gone and she had to move forward. (Nigar's advice and the dream with her parents highlight that.) And when Leo appeared, Hürrem had already adapted, already planted seeds in this empire and had found the man she truly loved. Anastasia not only didn't have this chance, she still had nothing to do out there, knowing she could return to her family once again (they didn't kill anyone when they kidnapped her, remember?), was fond of Ahmet, but that was it, and didn't have any heirs yet. What would she do there, why would she forget her home, especially when there was a person just as eager as her to return to his roots (Iskender), and we had someone who was the narrative culmination of her hope to put everything back to normal (her father)? I feel that her refusal to Iskender to escape with him was only an intentionally forced tool for her and Iskender's character arcs, she stayed only out of necessity back then and one could say that, she probably never truly adapted. When her father died, was just when she realized there is no turning back now.

When she symbolically became Kösem, she had fought many fights in her life: she fought because she wanted justice (her exposing Fahriye and Dervish/Handan), because she wanted revenge (against Safiye), she fought for her life. (post-E25 and season 2.) But she did it out of necessity, all the roles she had to take she took out of necessity, she represented the country, acted as a regent even when Murat took that away from her.. only out of sheer necessity. That's what she did in episode 7, she stood up to all these people in need, and when she did that, she was suddenly regarded as a hero, as this blessed angel who saved everyone and could do no wrong, but she obviously couldn't stay so. She perhaps could've gained some kind of a savior complex, to have something to protect out of obligation. And that something had to be connected with her "first act" and with her whole arc in season 1 - that is, the country. She took her whole life to represent the country and protect it. ("The country you talk about wouldn't exist, if it weren't for me!") It turned into the very meaning of her life, she merged herself with it and she had to fight for it. The fights she had throughout the entire show were very exhausting, draining everything out of her, because there were countless times where it was all about to be over. She had to face enemies much stronger, much sneakier and much more experienced than she herself was, and she knew very well that they wouldn't hesitate even for a moment to do what they had to do. They were brutal and they were ruthless, all of them. And they were against this very thing she cherished, the very power she equated to the country. She spent her whole life to fight and protect it, turning her heart into iron and stone, automatically realizing every threat and striving to remove it, no matter what it takes. That goes into her conflict with Murat and into the rest of her children (by that I mean Ibrahim), as well, once she feels they are a threat, she began removing them. But this isn't a facade that can be kept so easily, this isn't some worthy life, so it all bottles up inside of her eventually and she has no time to let it out, because this period, her life, is just so dynamic. All her enemies were tough and persistent, making something happen almost every other day, the revolts, the parental conflicts, the attempts, the traps, the intrigues, the backstabbing... All that including her daily duties and all the meetings she has to attend to to keep things running smoothly. It all takes a toll on her, and it's understandable why when everything falls apart, she just doesn't care. She took the very last strip of her innocence, her humanity, with sealing the pact to kill Ibrahim. And guess what? She did this only for the country, she did this because someone pushed that weakness, that pressure point of hers. All she fought for was doomed the second Murat took things into his own hands, and she realized it. By Murat's death, it was now or never, because the harder she fights for this position of hers, she loses what made her so remarkably human in the first place. It's going hand to hand, really.

There is a point to be made about the parallels S02 Kösem had with Safiye, because while their arcs hit many of the same notes, they divert from one another in quite a bit of ways. Safiye was everything Kösem fought against - she made the darker side of S01 Kösem what it was, because taking revenge on Safiye, what she took away from her, was the primary "shadier" motivator of her character then. Azis Mahmud Hüdai (I hope I'm writing his name right) even warned her to the dangers of power and the similarities with Safiye that slowly grew in her. And there is some irony in this, because Safiye also played her part in the tragic Osman storyline by manipulating him from the get-go that Kösem could act against him because she wasn't his real mother. And the guy she sent to manipulate him was there for a long time. What I mean to say is, Kösem and Safiye had that fight going until the very end, and Safiye openly gave her the thematic ring (тм), perhaps due to the similarities they share. Safiye had this desire for neverending power, she never gave up, even when all odds were against her. She became used to it after so many years and it as well became what defined her. On the surface, the same could be said for Kösem, as well. Both of them did the unthinkable to keep this prestige and these titles. Both loved their power, but in different ways: Safiye wanted power for the sake of power, she loved the very concept of it, to wake up in the castle, to prepare for the day, to issue orders and to eclipse everyone, for Safiye it wasn't something morally right, it was about her and her only. She would lose her life, but never her power. It was already something she had always had and losing it would mean they took something that was rightfully hers, without debate. Kösem had this power for the country she felt obliged to protect, to the point power and country became synonymous to her, whatever she did was for the country, but in her eyes, it was the right thing, for the state to live, for the people to be safe and sound, for everyone to have a tranquil life without imbalance. (in E47 we had this parallel act to E07, where she once again, stood up in front of the people, to calm them down after Murat's unexpected disappearance; we have her show Kasım to the people in E53? etc.) And she would lose her life, as well as her power. (the narrative delivered its own symbolic meaning with her death.) She thought it should be all hers for a long time, but not by right, rather through all she had achieved in her life. At the end, she realized this loss, and accepted it, symbolically giving the thematic ring to nobody, while Safiye did in her death after all, thematically continuing the cycle herself. She no longer gave a damn about the world and all she wanted was to die in piece.

There is also another key difference between Safiye and Kösem - Safiye kept her power through cunning and manipulation from the very beggining, while Kösem consistently reached out: to the people, to the Janissary, to Murat even. Safiye thought they misunderstood her, that you couldn't win this war by peace, while Kösem often tried to find the optimal, peaceable solution - she killed only as a last resort, only when she found out nothing else worked, it took her a whole season-long arc to realize that Murat wasn't worth it (and even in E60, it was hard for her to kill Ibrahim and it all had to come to Turhan's manipulation). Safiye, just like Gülbahar, who was the main enemy to S02 Kösem for a reason, had buried her conscience deep within, while Kösem, even with all she's done, still had the reflection of Anastasia in the mirror and in her head, no matter how much she tried to shut her up. ("Admit it, you liked having power!" - quoting by pure memory here.)

Thing is, what Kösem experienced, truly shaped up who she was, and just like so many, internalized that toxic way of living to a huge extent. And no matter how hard she tried to fight with it, she let it sink in and fully embraced it. And when she finally got out of it, what was done was done, and destruction ensued. But she probably found piece in her death, getting rid of this burden, plaguing her whole life.

#magnificent century kosem #magnificent century kösem #kosem sultan #ask #stuffandthangs #magnificent century

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the-institute-promos · 3 years

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➤ WANTED CONNECTION: COULD IT BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

CONNECTION TO: Zaki Okoye CHARACTER NAME: Callisto Nkemdiche FACE CLAIM: Kerry Washington AGE: 487 STATUS: Professor, guard or administration staff SPECIES: Succubus

➤ PERSONALITY

➤ BACKGROUND

➤ HOW ARE THE CHARACTERS CONNECTED?

Callisto is Zaki’s mother.

➤ ANYTHING ELSE?

Please contact Mason to discuss this connection further.

CURRENT BAN: NONE

Main - Plot - Rules - Ask - Apply

#supernatural rp #mature rp #kerry washington #School RP #smut rp

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fullmetalscullyy · 5 years

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hit and run - chapter 6

summary: Riza Hawkeye is a thief who is trying to get by in Victorian Central. Hard times fell on her family, tuberculosis claiming her mother and then her father when she was barely a teenager. Now, femme fatale Riza steals to put food on the table for herself, her canine companion - an abandoned puppy who just won’t leave her alone - and two brothers with circumstances similar to her own. However, dipping her hands into the pockets of the rich and famous is always a dangerous game.

rated: m | words: 4630

title: “hit and run” by lolo

read on ao3 and ffnet

“This is it,” his mother stated, sounding rather impressed as she handled the envelope once more. Roy stared at it. This is the information he’d worked for weeks to try and get his hands one. Miss Riza had done it in two days.

She was right, he was hopeless.

“Follow them,” Christmas barked. She gestured with her cigarette to Roy. “Tell Miss Rebecca to stay there for the time being. She will remain by Miss Riza’s side.” Roy was already on his way out the door. “Roy?” she called to him, stopping him in his tracks. “We’ll talk about your little trip into The Vaults when you get back,” she stated, but it sounded like a threat. “Stay with them. Make sure that girl gets all help she needs.”

“Understood,” he replied, a hint of bitterness finding its way into his tone. As he left, behind him he heard his mother command for someone to clean up the mess in her office. Regardless, he was going after them whether the Madame commanded it or not. They’d got Miss Riza into this state. It was the least he could do to make sure he provided aid, especially after seeing that injury.

When Miss Riza had walked into that room he’d been blindsided. He felt the colour drain from his face when he saw the blood. Her black clothing hid it well, but the fabric must have been incredibly saturated because it was dripping through it and onto the floor. Roy felt his heartrate increase, the organ thudding inside his chest. This was the result of his mother’s little test. Someone had gotten hurt. Really hurt.

Roy didn’t understand the Madame’s thought process with this whole thing, and he doubted he never would. It was extreme and Roy didn’t agree with it one bit. Now, look what had happened.

He rushed out the front of the bar, looking left and right down the street to try and find out which direction they would have headed.

“They went this way,” a voice called to him. Roy’s head jerked to the right, finding his partner, Maes Hughes, beckoning him forward. Maes waited then fell into step with Roy instantly as he passed, wasting no time. “That looked bad.”

“It was,” Roy stated, jaw clenching. As they rounded the corner, they spotted three people walking forward. Just as they started jogging to catch up, the person in the middle stumbled, arm jerking out of the others and falling forward.

“Riza!” Miss Rebecca shouted in surprise which spurred Roy on to move even faster. Miss Rebecca grasped her arm again tightly, lifting her friend upright, but Miss Riza’s head lolled forward, slack. She was unconscious.

“What can we do to help?” Roy asked, voice desperate when he saw how pale Miss Riza was. This wasn’t good. This really wasn’t good.

Miss Rebecca’s head snapped up to his, eyes hard as she regarding Roy. She wasn’t happy. To be perfectly honest, Roy wasn’t happy with himself either. He’d tried to watch out for her because he knew just how ruthless his mother could be. He’d entered The Vaults on that first night on his own volition, as back up, just in case, because he knew just how awful Kimblee could be. Roy had been following the man for months and he’d seen some terrible things. He didn’t want to subject an unsuspecting person to that.

Now look what had happened.

“I think you’ve done enough, Mustang,” Miss Rebecca replied, voice clipped. She turned to her friend. “We need to go,” she added urgently. The other woman nodded, shifting her grip on Miss Riza so that Miss Rebecca could lift her into her arms.

“I know,” Roy cut in. “And I’m sorry. She needs help, and we can provide it.”

“Just…” Miss Rebecca sighed in frustration. “Stay close and stay quiet.”

Miss Rebecca led them to a crumbling old bank while Miss Riza continued to bleed out on the ground. Every now and then she would groan, and Roy’s gaze would snap to her limp form.

“Hang in there, Riza,” Miss Rebecca would mutter to her friend. “We’re almost home.”

When the five of them strode into a house at the back of the bank Roy was surprised to see two boys standing by the door waiting for them, eyes wide and worried as they took in the state of Miss Riza.

“What happened?” the one with the short hair asked, horrified.

“Al, get the clean linen and bring it to Riza’s room,” Miss Rebecca ordered. “Ed, grab the first aid kit from the kitchen.” Both boys nodded and dashed off. “Mustang, get in there and remove the bedding.” He nodded and entered Miss Riza’s bedroom, a feeling settling in his stomach that it wasn’t right to be in this woman’s bedroom. However, she was bleeding out partly because of him, so he shoved it down and got to work. He stripped the bed in record time so Miss Rebecca and her friend could lay Miss Riza down. The latter whimpered as she lay back.

“Riza?” Rebecca called to her, trying to get a response as she hurriedly begun pulling gauze out of the kit the kid called Ed had brought through. Al entered the room and waited for his instructions, his arms full of clean linen. “Riza, can you hear me?”

She groaned on the bed and tried to roll, whining when her wound stretched.

“Easy,” the other woman soothed her, stroking her forehead. “We’ve got you. Just relax, Riza. You’re okay.”

“No… The boys…”

“They’re okay. They’re safe,” the woman reassured her.

“Gracia, take this,” Miss Rebecca commanded, handing the previously nameless woman a strip of linen. “Tie it around her torso,” she advised quietly. “Then do it again but tie it around the bed. You two.” She snapped her fingers at Roy and Hughes. “Get over here and help Gracia.” They both jumped into action, helping the woman tie the bedsheet around Miss Riza’s midsection so she was restrained to the bed.

Roy swallowed. He didn’t like the look of this.

“Gracia, get the shoulders,” Miss Rebecca requested softly. “Mustang,” she barked, voice harsher. “Get her legs. Hughes, her arms.”

“What do you need us to do?” Mustang asked uncertainly.

“The blade was poisoned.” His stomach dropped. “I need to draw it out and it will hurt like hell.” Roy swallowed, readying himself to restrain Miss Riza so Miss Rebecca could help her. “I don’t know how I didn’t notice it earlier,” Miss Rebecca muttered under her breath, speaking to herself.

“Riza,” Miss Rebecca called to the patient again. “Riza, the blade was poisoned.” Miss Riza whimpered underneath Miss Rebecca’s hands as she readied a syringe. “It will just be like out east, okay? Same as before. Just try and stay as still as you can, okay? I know it will be hard, but you have to try.”

Miss Riza nodded, and Roy felt his heart sink.

“This has happened before?” Hughes asked quietly.

Both women ignored him. Miss Gracia removed her hand from Miss Riza’s forehead and took another piece of cloth from Al’s outstretched hands. She placed it in Miss Riza’s mouth and that’s when Roy realised it was to try and muffle her screams.

His guilt increased tenfold.

Miss Rebecca lowered the syringe and he felt Miss Riza’s body tense underneath his hands. She began to shake, and Roy’s hands clamped down on her ankles, restraining her so Miss Rebecca could do her job. Her breathing increased, chest heaving as low whines begun to leave her throat.

“I know, Riza, I know,” Miss Rebecca soothed loudly over the sound of her pain. “Just hang in there.”

The whines turned into muffled screams the longer Miss Rebecca worked and it was becoming more and more difficult as Miss Riza began to thrash on the bed, her legs trying to kick wildly and her shoulders bucking on the mattress.

“Riza, it’s okay, you’re okay,” Miss Gracia reassured her, tears in her eyes while clamping down on Miss Riza’s shoulders with a forearm pressed across her body, just below the neck. Her now free hand was placed on her forehead, stroking the skin to soothe her. “Not much longer.”

Miss Rebecca’s syringe was filling up with a sickeningly green liquid, but it had still only drawn a small amount. The process seemed to last forever, and Roy felt his heart break for the woman suffering before them.

“There, done! Riza, I’m done, relax.” Rebecca carefully placed the syringe of offending green liquid down on the metal tray beside her then carelessly removed her gloves, tossing them to the side. She joined Miss Gracia and placed a hand on her forehead. “It’s out of you now. You’re going to be okay.”

Miss Riza’s body sagged, exhausted, underneath their hands. Her screams died down to sobs, body shaking as she cried after the pain. Roy wanted nothing more than to soothe her like her friends were doing, but he was the enemy.

You had a hand in this.

Both he and Hughes shared a look and slipped out the room, giving them some privacy as Riza continued to cry. The gag had been removed and the sound tore at Roy’s chest with guilt.

They stood waiting in the main room of the house and jumped when Miss Rebecca came storming out, the bedroom door banging loudly against the wall next to it.

“What were you doing these past few days, getting involved with Riza?” she accused.

“I was looking out for her,” he hissed, his anger coming into play sooner than he thought. He’d been trying to do the right thing, but no one seemed to believe him. They all thought he was intentionally trying to kill Miss Riza.

“And look where that got her,” Miss Rebecca replied venomously. “This is your fault. And your mother’s too,” she spat. “We’ve seen that poison before out east. It’s your mother’s poison. I only found that out a few weeks ago. I’ve almost lost Riza twice now, to your mother.” Her glare was cutting through him, giving no mercy. “Stay away from us from now on. Your help has been nothing but a curse.”

“You know what she’s like,” Roy reminded Miss Rebecca. “You know how relentless she is. I was trying to protect her, and she pushed me away –”

“Gee, I wonder why?” Miss Rebecca cried sarcastically. “She obviously pushed you away with good reason. This is just proof of it. Her instincts are very good. But you kept on coming back and look where we ended up. You, perfectly fine, but my friend, my sister, lying, dying, on her bed. Great help you were,” Miss Rebecca scoffed.

“Becca?” a quiet rasp interrupted their argument. Roy was left reeling after hearing her words because of course, Miss Rebecca was absolutely right.

He was useless. He couldn’t even protect people from his own mother. He loved his mother, but she pushed, and pushed, and pushed, resulting in things like this happening. For too long Roy had seen it happen and the one time he decided to step in and stand up for the new recruit, he ruined it.

Fucking useless.

“Riza?” Miss Rebecca asked surprised, whirling on the spot and rushing back into the room.

“Leave it,” she whispered. Miss Rebecca huffed in response but didn’t argue. Roy was surprised. “He’s not worth it.”

Despite it being like a punch to the gut, Roy supposed that was fair.

“Come on,” Hughes urged quietly beside him. “Let’s go.” The two men turned and left the room, facing the glares of two teenagers as they left.

“Boys?” a voice suddenly asked. Miss Gracia appeared as if from nowhere with more gauze in her hands. “Can you take these through to Becca?” With one last glare at the two men, they entered Miss Riza’s bedroom and closed the door behind them. “They’re very protective of each other, and with good reason,” Miss Gracia explained, looking at the closed door. She turned to face to two of them, expression hard. “I don’t sympathise with you because you knew exactly what the Madame was capable of but never warned Riza –”

“Neither did Miss Rebecca,” Roy reminded her.

Miss Gracia frowned further. “Riza called upon us yesterday to help with the lift tonight. We didn’t exactly have all the time in the world together.”

Roy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

Miss Gracia regarded him for a minute then nodded. “Thank you.”

“What do we do?” Hughes asked quietly as they walked down towards the street.

“Go and report back to the Madame. Tell her what we need to help Miss Riza. I’ll keep watch.”

“Right. Stay safe, Mustang.”

“You too.”

Hughes took off down the street at a run. Roy watched him go, then turned his head to look at the roof of their home, trying to discern the easiest way to scale the building.

While alone on that rooftop, Roy had planned on thinking of a way to try and make this up to Miss Riza after everything his family had put her through, but he was distracted by the voices from the room below. No matter where he went on the roof, there was no escaping it. So, he had to listen to Miss Riza’s whimpers and cries of pain, increasing his guilt even more.

“It hurts,” she whimpered to Miss Rebecca, who shushed her, trying to soothe Miss Riza’s suffering.

“If I die,” she’d murmured. Roy’s stomach tensed and he had to strain to hear them. “Promise me –”

“You’re not going to die,” Miss Rebecca vowed vehemently.

“Riza,” came Miss Gracia’s voice, much calmer. “You’ll be fine.”

“If I die,” she continued, stressing her point as her voice wobbled with emotion. “Promise me you’ll take care of the boys.”

Miss Rebecca sighed. “Riza –”

“Promise me,” she begged, voice desperate.

“Okay, I promise. They won’t go hungry and I’ll keep them safe.”

“Keep them away from the Underworld if you can,” Miss Riza added. “I don’t want that life for them. They’re too good for it.”

“Okay, I promise,” Miss Rebecca reassured her, voice softening. “But I won’t have to do a damn thing, because you’ll be there to do it yourself.”

“Thank you,” Miss Riza whispered, voice sincere.

Roy watched as Hughes approached the door, hearing the knock from on top of the roof. He handed over the medicine for Miss Riza, hearing Miss Rebecca’s cold tone thanking him for it. As he left, he gave Roy nod over his shoulder, which he returned. He’d already told Hughes he would remain here for the night, keeping watch. It was the least he could do. He didn’t plan on telling anyone in the house below him. He wasn’t looking for thanks or praise, Roy was just looking to do the right thing for a change.

He’d been unintentionally dozing around the four o’clock mark, but had been startled awake, senses instantly alert as he heard rock shifting in the rubble behind the house. Everyone below was quiet and probably asleep, Roy hadn’t heard a peep for the last three hours, so it wouldn’t be them.

Peering over the edge, he spotted two figures dressed in black with their faces covered, each wielding a knife.

“This is it,” a man murmured.

“Plant the charges.”

Roy’s eyes widened.

Slipping his knife out the sheath, he turned and sprinted soundlessly to the front side of the roof, shimmying down the drainpipe he’d used to get up there. Rounding the back of the house, he crouched low to watch their movements. Despite being useless at the thieving stuff, Roy was one of the best fighters in his mother’s network, and he took pride in that fact. He didn’t want to take a life, but if it meant protecting those he cared about and the innocent, he would do it.

One was crouched by the door, placing something on the ground. Roy had a pretty good idea who had sent them here, given they were using explosives.

Kimblee.

Roy wouldn’t let them blow up this house. No way in hell.

He pounced on the closest assailant, the man dodging at the last second, but not before Roy lunged and managed to slice his thigh. He cried out in pain and staggered backwards while the other descended on Roy mercilessly. Good. He needed to burn off some frustration and anger towards Kimblee. This would do nicely.

The first man re-joined the fight while his partner fell back, hand reaching out blindly. Roy dodged, but the blade cut into the skin of his cheek, leaving a shallow cut on his cheekbone. Roy hissed in pain, lashing out with a well-aimed strike, slicing the skin of the man’s side. He cried out, doubling over as his body instinctively curved in on itself to protect the wounded area. Roy slammed the pommel of his knife into the man’s head, knocking him flat to the ground, unconscious, right as the other assailant lunge for his face. Roy bent back, his lower back protesting at the sudden and jarring movement. Roy grabbed the man’s wrist, incapacitating him then pulling him towards his body so Roy was right in his face.

“Who sent you?” he hissed while the man smirked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Roy spun, slamming the man’s back hard against the brick wall of the house. He gasped in pain, eyes popping open in surprise. “Tell me!” he barked.

“Mustang?” he heard Miss Rebecca call, sounding extremely surprised, from his left. He didn’t dare take his eye of the assailant, but he heard a blade being unsheathed.

The man chuckled but offered no further answer. Roy slammed him against the wall again, even harder, causing him to gasp in pain. Right then, the assailant’s hand shot forward and Roy dodged instinctively, expecting a knife, but there was nothing in it. Right as he landed his dodge, a concealed throwing knife was whipped out from his sleeve and the man moved again, stabbing Roy in the side. He’d just moved out the way, so had no momentum to keep moving to dodge the second attack.

A dirty, but smart strategy.

Roy cried out, his hold on the man weakening. With a smirk, the assailant slipped away as Roy reached for his side, but he didn’t get far. Roy grabbed him by his collar, slamming him down on the ground.

“I’ll ask you one more time,” Roy warned after pinning the man with a knee on his chest and another pressing down hard on his elbow. His voice strained from the affects of his injury. His side throbbed, the knife still lodged in there. “Who sent you?” Roy pulled the knife out, the blade slick with his blood, and grunted in pain, throwing the weapon on the ground by the assailant’s head. The man stared wide eyed up at Roy, eyes terrified, obviously not expecting to be caught again.

“Wh – What?” he asked, baffled that Roy wasn’t on the ground by now. It would take more than a tiny knife to stop him.

“Who?” Roy roared, tired of all the beating around the bush. He was irritable, bleeding, and running on very little sleep.

“Ki – Kimblee,” the assailant stuttered, horrified at his very probable demise.

“Are there any more coming?” Roy asked through clenched teeth, bringing a hand to his side again to try and staunch the flow of blood.

“Y – Yes. Two more groups of two.”

“Thank you,” Roy stated graciously, slamming the pommel of his knife into the man’s head to knock him unconscious like his friend.

He stood shakily, hand still on his side, and found Miss Rebecca and Miss Gracia by the door to the house, blades unsheathed and ready to fight, but still looking surprised by Roy’s appearance.

“We need to move,” he told them, approaching the house.

There were obviously questions they wanted to ask but recognised the urgency of the situation. As he entered the door, an arrow hit the back of it, an inch away from his head. Roy kicked the door closed and backed up, seeing another splinter the wood and appear through to the other side.

Miss Gracia and Miss Rebecca were equipped and out the house in seconds to fight and protect Miss Riza.

Roy stumbled into Miss Riza’s bedroom, his vision filling with stars for a brief second. The two teenagers jumped up, defensive an equipped with a glare. Roy ignored them, eyes finding Miss Riza. “We need to go,” he told them.

“Why?” Edward asked. Alphonse watched on, his glare not as intense as his brother’s, but he was still cautious. Smart boy.

“There are men outside trying to kill us, that’s why,” Roy snapped. He strode over to Miss Riza’s bed but was stopped short by Edward standing in her way.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” he seethed.

“Unless you want to die,” Roy hissed as he glared at the older brother. “You will move and let me help you all get to safety.”

“Ed,” Alphonse urged, begging him to step aside.

“If you hurt her again,” Edward warned.

“I’m well aware kid,” Roy muttered, placing an arm underneath Miss Riza’s back and the other underneath her knees. “You’ll have to get in line for the people who want to kill me after tonight.” Not looking back he lifted Miss Riza and exited the room. He entered the other bedroom, kicking the door the to secret passage he’d noticed when they’d entered earlier. He lived with the Madame Christmas. He could spot a trapdoor from a mile away.

“Help me with this,” he barked to the brothers, turning in place then wincing as his side smarted. They didn’t need to be told twice. Roy carried Miss Riza down the stairs and far into the tunnel so that if the others did manage to plant more charges and set them off, she would be far enough to be out of harm’s way.

“Stay here,” Roy ordered lowly to the two brothers. “I’m going back to help the other two.”

“But… you’re hurt!” Alphonse exclaimed.

“They need the backup and it’s the least I can do for all that I’ve brought upon you all so far. Stay here, stay quiet, and stay hidden,” he commanded, turning and running back to the house.

The tunnel had multiple routes going snaking off from the main entrance. He’d taken the centre one because statistically, it would be the most likely the other two women would take if they were fleeing the scene.

However, before he could reach the bottom of the wooden stairs, they splintered before his eyes, the wood hitting his face and hands, a blast sending him flying backwards to land roughly on the hard ground.

He rolled onto his stomach, pushing up onto his hands and knees with his ears ringing, head throbbing, and vision failing. Shaking his head to try and rid it of the sound of ringing, Roy failed to do so. He blinked furiously, but his vision continued to blur and double.

Somehow, he managed to get to his feet, a hand placed on the dirt wall to steady himself. As he pulled his hand away, the wall crumbled underneath his hand, the shock of the explosion shaking the very ceiling above him. At any minute it could collapse on top of Roy but all he could think of was going back to help Miss Gracia and Miss Rebecca.

He took one step onto the barely-there steps before a foot struck his chest, sending him flying backwards. Landing roughly again, Roy coughed and wheezed to try and get air back into his winded lungs. His vision was nothing but light and dark shapes, so he had no idea who was going to kill him. His head rolled to the side, still disorientated, but the pain he expected never came. Instead, he passed out on the dirt while shapes still danced above him.

Roy’s eyes popped open again and with a gasp, he sat up sharply. He groaned in pain while his side protested at the movement, his head thumping after the explosion, and his cheek smarting.

“Hey,” Miss Rebecca greeted, voice holding none of the hostility it had done previously when they’d conversed before.

Roy winced, bringing a hand to his side, but he discovered a softness above it. Cracking open an eye, he lifted his shirt and found it had been bandaged up.

“How long was I out for?” he asked, shifting in place. They were still in the tunnel. The light was limited, only coming from a flaming torch Edward held up in his hands. Looking around, everyone was accounted for. Miss Gracia and Miss Rebecca sat on either side of Miss Riza, who was unconscious. Edward and Alphonse sat across from them in the cramped tunnel, eyes regarding Roy.

“About an hour,” Miss Rebecca answered. “I patched up your side.”

“Thanks,” he replied, wincing as he moved further and leaned heavily against the dirt wall. “Are we stuck?” he asked.

“The house is gone,” Miss Gracia stated softly. “The ceiling caved in after another explosion, but luckily we were already far enough in.”

Then, Roy realised they must have moved him further in, because he was right at the bottom of those stairs. He was grateful they hadn’t left him behind despite all he had put them through.

“Why were you at the house?” Miss Rebecca asked curiously. Again, the hostility was gone.

“I was on look out.” Roy closed his eyes against the pain. It was better than it had been an hour ago, but his head was pounding, and the flickering flames were taking a toll on him. Talking wasn’t much better.

“We didn’t ask you to,” Miss Rebecca offered softly.

“No,” he stated during a sigh, finally finding comfort. “But I wanted to. Just in case.”

“You were looking out for us,” Miss Gracia stated, and Roy nodded as if to answer it as a question.

“It was the least I could do.”

“Why did you come back? Before the explosion?”

Roy sighed again with eyes still closed. He winced as the movement of his ribcage stretched the skin on his side. He thought the answer to that question would be obvious.

“I never leave anyone behind,” he replied, opening his eyes to look at the four curious gazes. “I’m shit as a thief, that much has been proved already, but I’m a good fighter. I came back to provide back-up. I couldn’t leave you two to face them alone.”

The area went quiet again and Roy rested his head back against the dirt wall.

“Thank you,” Miss Gracia offered sincerely, voice kind.

“Yeah, thanks, Mustang. We… appreciate it.” Miss Rebecca’s thanks were also sincere, and Roy appreciated that too.

“Don’t mention it,” he mumbled.

“We’ll rest here for another hour then we need to go,” Miss Gracia stated. “Mr. Mustang is too injured to move right now.”

“I’m fine –”

“You were stabbed,” Miss Rebecca reminded him.

“I’m aware of that,” he replied.

“We will rest here,” Miss Gracia reiterated, giving Roy a pointed look, not taking no for an answer.

Silence descended on the group once more and Roy was thankful for it, his head still pounding.

“It’s Roy,” he muttered suddenly.

“What?” Edward asked after a pause.

“I’m not Mr. Mustang,” he elaborated. “It’s just Roy.”

“Same goes for us,” Miss Rebecca stated. “I’m not worth of the title Miss,” she chuckled.

Roy nodded, taking note of her amusement and even smiling briefly himself. “Noted.”

Well, at least they weren’t looking at him like they wanted to kill him anymore.

#royai #royai fic #royai fanfic #royai au #hit and run #emma writes

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