#we need to forgive each other and negotiate for a better future

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

it’s only a matter of time before russia will be reconciled with the west once and for all. it won’t happen anytime soon but i do believe it will happen. and i think it is a goal to strive for.

[mauesartetc]

Thoughts on Helluva Boss 206 ("Oops")

Holy shit, is this episode... kind of okay? It still has issues and weird quirks that hold it back from being truly good, but I'd say this is one of the better Season 2 entries. At least it's good enough that I have a sufficiently-sized, dedicated "pros" list again. Let's get into it.

Pros:

-FINALLY, we have an mlm couple worth rooting for in this show. Fuck that Stolitz bullshit; Fizz and Ozzie are where it's at. ("Fozzie"? Yeah, that works.)

They're actually kind and caring with each other, they're playful and know how to laugh together, and they treat each other like equals rather than one partner fetishizing and sexually harassing the other. Hell, Ozzie even tends to Fizz's wounds at the end of the episode, and it's powerful to see a high-ranking demon in this society show tenderness and concern for a lowly imp. In a previous post, I expressed my doubts that Fizz and Ozzie's relationship would be any good, but I'm glad to report I was wrong.

-I liked seeing a glimpse of what one of these characters outside of the IMP team does for a day job. Approving designs at the dildo factory? Ehh, it's a livin'. (Though this once again begs the question of why demons live in a capitalistic society nearly identical to that of the US in the human world. Why do they need money to reinforce the social hierarchy when the larger, more powerful demons have special abilities and can just crush the smaller ones like bugs?)

-The heart-shaped flames in Ozzie's fireplace were a nice touch.

And they actually referenced Asmodeus' traditional fire-breathing ability at the end. Neat!

-Oh wow, one of the characters is finally floating the idea of Blitzo using an Asmodean crystal for transportation instead of the grimoire! THANK you!

And at the episode's close, Fizz permits Ozzie to give Blitzo a crystal, meaning he won't be dependent on Stolas anymore. Possible plot progression? How will this affect Stolas and Blitzo's relationship in the future? Would they still be in each other's lives even when the book isn't a factor? I hesitate to get my hopes too high due to the worrying possibility of Blitzo's crystal getting lost or damaged and forcing him to use the book again (though as to why he can't just steal a crystal and use that, I haven't the faintest idea). But I'm cautiously optimistic.

-I liked Stolas getting a chance to show some brain power in helping Ozzie negotiate the contract. This also gave us a nice tidbit of worldbuilding that states any contract signed by one of the Seven Sins is eternally binding. Is this foreshadowing? Will this information come up again in the story? Probably not, but it's fun to dream.

-It was interesting to see Blitzo, Fizz, and Striker have a conversation about each of their relationships with Hell's upper class, though it had potential to be SO much deeper and more authentic (which I'll get into momentarily).

-This is where I learned the white bits on Blitzo and Fizz's skin are actually burns. I always thought Fizz was wearing face paint and Blitzo had some form of vitiligo or something, but the reason he's burned on that side of his face is that it's where the explosion hit him. And Fizz's entire face is white for the same reason, except for his nose, since he was wearing a fake clown nose at the time. It's nice that they kept those details consistent in the flashback.

-Look, I know it's a low bar for most shows, but I appreciated how the story actually gave Blitzo a chance to apologize and redeem himself at the climax rather than making Fizz just forgive him apropos of nothing.

-Oh hey, one of Blitzo's relationships has actually progressed. He and Fizz, after hating each other for years, have made amends. I really hope this friendship doesn't revert to what it was before, like Blitzo and Moxxie's relationship did. But I don't think that'll be the case since Fizz isn't the story's designated whipping boy.

-It was nice how Fizz and Ozzie's respective interactions with Blitzo and Stolas helped them grow and change. I mean, Ozzie still isn't comfortable with anyone outside the palace having definitive knowledge about his romance with Fizz, but baby steps, y'know?

Cons:

-So Crimson's aware he just showed his face to an extremely high-ranking demon, right? He comments that Ozzie is the "weakest" of the Seven Sins, but he's still goddamn royalty, and Crimson is an imp. What's stopping him from sending someone to wipe out Crimson's entire gang after getting Fizz back, or doing it himself like it's implied he did with the lawyer? Crim really couldn't have disguised his voice and stayed in the shadows? Rookie mistake.

Come to think of it, Striker was in that video too, and it never occurred to Stolas, "Oh shit, that's the guy who almost killed me"? Again I have to ask, why isn't Stolas sending people after him? He's a prince, after all, and canonically commands multiple legions of demons. Why the fuck are you allowing this guy to run free, dude?

-I was kinda looking forward to seeing Crimson again, but his reintroduction would have been much more emotionally powerful if it involved getting revenge on Moxxie, which is what the ending of Exes and Oohs implied he now wants. And I know I've said before how going too many episodes without a mention of Striker diminished his menace, but did he have to show up just two episodes after his last appearance?

In general, Oops feels like it has too many returning "guest stars", if that makes sense. Fizz, Ozzie, Crimson, Striker... that's a lot to pack into one episode. Maybe instead of Crimson and Striker, we could have a new villain holding Blitzo and Fizz hostage.

-Speaking of the villains, MAN are they shoveling handfuls of Stupid Pills into their mouths. When Fizz sings his little distraction musical number, they just stand and watch instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to capture him?! Like damn, Crimson and Striker used to be credible threats. This is just embarrassing.

-Also, I know they need to keep Fizz alive until the ransom money comes through, but what reason do they have not to immediately waste Blitzo? Striker hates him for thwarting his assassination of Stolas, and Crimson hates him for crashing his son's arranged wedding. Are they trying to get Stolas to cough up some dough as well? Because that's a pretty major plot development that the script should have made clear to the audience. Basically, the only reasons Blitzo lived through this ordeal are that he has main character plot armor and the villains are being uncharacteristically dumb.

-As expected, in Stolas' subsequent appearance following Western Energy, he's out of the hospital. But I didn't predict he'd be completely recovered from his wounds. Seriously, not even a limp.

Stolas getting hurt was a consequence that impacted absolutely nothing outside of that episode. Are we going to see any scars later on, or perhaps Stolas getting uncomfortable at the sight of knives? Because of how wildly inconsistent this show's continuity can be, I'm guessing no. (And since we don't know how long it normally takes for demons to heal from angelic weapon-inflicted injuries, it doesn't help us get any sense of how much time has passed in the story.)

-Actually, if a royal fucking an imp is such a taboo in this world, why did Ozzie agree to meet with Stolas at all, let alone act so hospitable toward him? If Ozzie's so concerned about his own image regarding imps, wouldn't allowing a known imp-canoodler into his home raise a few eyebrows? More importantly, why in the actual hell does he have a giant, sexy painting of him and Fizz on display in his office where anyone can see it?

And that brings up another question: Why is Ozzie's relationship with an imp being covered in the tabloids, but Stolas' relationship isn't? You might think, "Well, he's a lower-ranked noble, so it's not as newsworthy" but if that's the case, why was there a crowd of reporters snappin' pics when he arrived at the hospital?

"Well y'see it's not really the imp-fucking that's frowned upon; it's the imp romance!" Then why did everyone at Ozzie's club make such a huge stink about Stolas coming there with an imp? The club is located in the Lust ring, where romance is seen as disgusting, so we can safely presume the vast majority of the couples at that club are just fucking. It would be bad form to take someone you're openly romantically involved with to a Lust ring establishment (lookin' at you, Moxxie). Therefore, the patrons and Ozzie himself had every reason to presume Stolas and Blitzo were having sex, and just happened to be right. (Also, if nobles fucking imps were actually no big deal in this world, Stella probably wouldn't have an issue with it either.)

The worldbuilding's an inconsistent mess, is what I'm saying. And Beelzebub's relationship with a hellhound is also strangely unaddressed, making that episode feel even less connected to canon than it already did.

-Man, Stolas is kinda oversharing here, isn't he. It'd be fine if a character who's already been established to let their mouth wander were doing this, but Stolas hasn't previously shown any signs of that.

He reveals he has feelings for Blitzo, to the ruler of a ring whose culture frowns on romance. And... he just expects him to be cool with that, for some reason. At this point he doesn't have solid proof that Ozzie is in love with Fizz; those are just rumors. So this is an extreme lack of tact he's displaying. Also, Ozzie ain't your therapist, dude. And as far as we know they're just acquaintances, not close friends. He could have just skipped to requesting the favor; Ozzie didn't need to know his reasons. Sure, tell him if he asks, but he didn't ask. Or maybe just hint at Stolas' feelings through subtext: His expressions, body language, and all the words he can't say. Visual medium, people.

-For that matter, why is this seemingly the first thing on Stolas' mind right now? "Oh, y'know, I'm going through a very messy divorce and my wife sent a hit man to kill me, and he's still on the loose, probably killing other people as we speak, but can you do this wittle favor for my fuckbuddy, pwease?" We could have just had a quick scene outside Ozzie's office where Stolas communicates with one of his lieutenants regarding updates on the search for Striker. And the reason he's not searching with them? He's still recovering from his injuries. Give him a wheelchair, a cane, a cast, just something to show he's not physically up to it yet. Without this information, where in the actual fuck are his priorities.

-"I know your demons are some of the only ones who can traverse freely and legally." Y'know... This is Hell... Why is legality even an issue in this setting? I think I touched on this for Exes and Oohs, which revealed the existence of Hell Jail. But why is there a Hell Jail? Why are there (presumably) Hell Cops? How does any of this make sense in an environment that thrives on chaos and discord? Oh, and Hell Lawyers are apparently a thing too, because of course. This is why you don't want to build your fantasy world with too many elements that exist in the real one unless you have airtight logic for it.

-When Ozzie tells Stolas Fizz hates Blitzo, his response is, "He does?" The fuck do you mean, Stolas. You were at the club. You witnessed Fizz point out Blitzo in an effort to humiliate him, call him a "total disgrace", and refer to his love life as a "pile of shit". You should already know he hates him. Sure, Stolas doesn't know why yet, but this is why you need editors to cut the parts of your dialogue that don't make any sense.

-I'm not sure what this show's actual stance on the ultra-wealthy is. Fizz tells Blitzo, "Sounds like you just hate him for being a prince", as if princes are a group that's commonly discriminated against-? Sure, a person has no control over being born into extreme wealth and privilege, but they can control how they use it. And when they don't use it to make society better for everyone (opting instead to hoard all the resources for themselves), that will naturally breed resentment in the lower classes.

Another odd thing I noticed about this conversation: You know that one rule in the Bechdel-Wallace test that states a work of fiction's female characters must talk about something other than a man in order for that work to pass? This instance makes me think we need a similar media test regarding class, because here we have three lower-class characters talking only about rich people. Not the societal systems and personal histories that led them to rely so much on rich folks just to get by, but about the rich folks themselves. Hell, Blitzo even says "Royal demons don't give a shit about guys like us", clearly more concerned about wealthy people's opinion of him than the untenable situation their complacence and wealth-hoarding has caused for countless imps. In this scene, the "haves" are very much at the center of the have-nots' universe, and it puts me in mind of a male writer who assumes the only things women discuss with each other are their relationships with men.

Now let's talk about Striker. Time and time again the show has painted him as unreasonable for hating royals, and while his methods are extreme, there's probably a rational explanation for why he holds the views he does (at least if he's being written in a thoughtful, realistic way, which is a MAJOR stretch for this show. But for the sake of this discussion, let's say he hypothetically is). The average imp in this world would have good reason to hold a vague dislike for the royals, but hatred? Passionate hatred? That comes from a deep, personal place. At least one "blue blood" must have done something unforgivable to Striker specifically, and I wish the show would properly explore his motivations. Maybe drop some hints about his backstory once in a while, perhaps in this very conversation? Because this show's villains are really hurtin' for some nuance, and Striker's the one with the most potential for it.

It feels like the writers were trying to say something about real-world issues here, but the message got muddled. Part of it seems to be "don't make broad generalizations about people", which... Okay, nice thought, but if Stolas isn't using his power to improve life for all imps, not just Blitzo, Blitzo has no reason to believe his affection is genuine. For all he knows, imps are still just a fetish to Stolas, and he's only acting nice to keep him around. His love, to Blitzo's mind, is entirely conditional, and until he sees evidence that nobles contribute anything of substance to society, he's not wrong in thinking they don't care and "They're all the fuckin' same". Maybe he'll change his mind if Stolas calls off their deal and offers to hang out with no sex and no strings attached. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

-Also, this was an unintentionally-hilarious gem:

CRIMSON: Hey, hick-for-hire! I said watch 'em, not fuck 'em!

STRIKER: (Immediately leaves)

Great watchin' there, bud. And Crimson is smiling despite Striker going against his orders-? I mentioned in the Exes and Oohs review that there was a disconnect between Crimson's dialogue and what was actually being shown on screen. Old habits die hard, I guess.

-"Everlastingly binding", Stolas? You can't just say "eternally binding", which has the same meaning and would flow more naturally? Under normal circumstances this would feel like a nitpick, but Stolas' phrasing was weird in Western Energy too. He told Blitzo he was "stolen" when "kidnapped" would have been more fitting, seeing as he's a person, not an object. (Hell, he could've just said "spirited away" if they wanted to be fancy with it.) This is a character who's supposed to be well-read, being written by someone who thinks this is how bookish people talk. An abundance of syllables doesn't equal eloquence.

-So if we take a closer look at what Blitzo is holding in the flashback, we see he has a flower and an envelope sealed with a heart sticker, with "For Fizz's eyes only" written on it. This implies he was about to confess his love for Fizz. And in Fizz's flashback, we see Blitzo's dad handing him a card that says "Wish You Were My Son", which I guess is what upset Blitzo and made him storm off, causing the fire.

But those important details are very "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". I didn't catch the card at first, so Blitzo's angry reaction left me very confused. It looked like he saw Fizz being happy on his birthday and just left in tears for no reason. Yes, a good show trusts the audience to piece things together themselves, but we shouldn't have to pause the episode and play it back to see if we missed some crucial element that flashed on screen for two seconds.

-Also, like... Why does romance need to be a part of it. These two have known each other and worked closely together since they were kids, so isn't that kind of like Blitzo having a crush on who was essentially a brother figure? I don't know, it just felt shoehorned in, like Blitzo needs some kind of flirtation or dalliance (or good ol' sexual harassment in Moxxie's case) with every single man in his life except his dad.

-I'm getting tired of these flashbacks dialing the angst and trauma levels up to 11. "This kid was horribly burned... ON HIS BIRTHDAY!" "This kid's best friend was horribly burned... AND HE LOST HIS MOM!" For fuck's sake, it's like these writers are brainstorming what the grimmest possible outcome could be in a given situation, and using that to ostensibly wring some tears out of the audience. Here's the thing, though: We never knew Blitzo's mom. We never saw what her personality was like or what their relationship was like, therefore we can't get nearly as sad as the writers want us to be when she dies.

Think back to past animated stories that did this right. You know why the deaths of Bambi's mom, Littlefoot's mom, and Mufasa were all so heartbreaking? Because we got to know them. We saw how joyful they were in life. How strong, how wise. So it stung all the more deeply when we knew what their children lost.

Blitzo's mom isn't even a character, really. She's a prop the writers are using to exploit the audience's emotions, which is even more unfortunate when you realize that's what Moxxie's mom was, too.

So let's say you're a writer and you want a character to feel guilty about a horrible accident they caused, so horrible that it almost killed their best friend. Okay... It almost killed their best friend. That should be more than enough to make anyone feel guilty, right? Well apparently the Spindle crew felt the need to heap even more guilt onto Blitzo by making that accident also kill his mom. Why wasn't Fizz enough? Why did yet another nameless female character have to lose her life? If Blitzo needed something to distract him from Fizz's pleas for help, you'd think trying to put out the massive fire would suffice, but apparently not. It's all just so forced and manipulative.

-"You're all I had left, Fizz." Wow, so Barb's just chopped liver, huh? Jesus, Blitzo. No wonder she hates you.

-This drawing of Striker's face foreshortens his snout way too much, making it look a lot shorter than it really is.

And for those who haven't seen the episode, this is a held frame, not an inbetween or smear or anything like that, so there's really no excuse for it to look like this. Let's try to suggest more length and structure in the snout, and eliminate the tangents in his smile while we're at it.

I know drawing characters with long snouts can be tricky in a front view like this, but that's what turnaround sheets are for.

-What's ironic about the song "Look at This" is that it's a perfect analogy for how this show uses slick, flashy animation to distract its audience from the amateurish writing. Just an observation.

-Fizz goes on WAY too long about how big Ozzie's dick is. Yeah, great, we get it. Move on, show.

-"Why is it always a sex thing?!" I'm with Striker on this one. Almost every queer male character on this show is preoccupied with sex to an unreasonable degree. I mean Fizz is boinking the actual embodiment of lust and has had sex robots made of himself, so the horniness kinda makes sense for his character, but Blitzo? Stolas? Even Moxxie had his moment where he said "Harder..." to Striker, though that was just to get his guard down. Still, though. It's excessive, guys. It's tired. Come up with some new material.

-FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick!

BLITZO: I did. But this time I stuck around.

Ehh, feels like those lines would have been much stronger if Fizz said them both. Here it sounds like Blitzo's just defending himself, as if he saved Fizz not out of the goodness of his heart, but because he wanted to score brownie points with him. Just feels a little manipulative of him, and out of sync with the more genuine moments the episode showed us earlier. Maybe something more like this:

FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick! (Blitzo looks down, ashamed. But then Fizz realizes something.) But... I'm glad you stuck around this time. (He smiles and hugs Blitzo.)

Allowing Fizz to come to that conclusion on his own is so much more powerful than Blitzo spoon-feeding it to him. Oh, and by the way...

-"Would it fuck up the moment if we made out right now?" Yeah, Blitzo. Yeah it would. Much like how this show can't allow an emotional scene to breathe without making a joke. It's not quite as bad as the tone whiplash with Crimson's wall dildos, but it does spoil the moment a bit.

Overall, not the worst Helluva Boss episode. Not the best, but not the worst. I fully expect the next one to be pointless filler that doesn't advance the story, though, so I might skip it. The problem is, this show's quality boomerangs from bad to okay to bad again in the span of a few episodes. One episode might get my hopes up, the next might dash them, and then there's this morbid curiosity in wondering if the next one might be the one that I finally love. I wanted to like this show so badly (gotta support that indie animation and all), but dear God, this writing.

It's still possible the series could evolve into something great, but my patience in waiting for that is very nearly worn out. Maybe (and that's a GIGANTIC maybe) I'll stick it out to the end of the season, but if the finale sucks, I'm done. Anyway, I need a palate cleanse, so here's more Fizz and Ozzie to end this on a positive note.

[scrumptiousstuffs]

Only Friends Episode 12 (Finale) - Begin Again

Where we come full circle with our group of friends

Top & Mew

We all know Mew can be condescending and in my opinion, somehow a control freak. We see it with the way he interacts with Top and Boston with this episode. For example, when he asked (really cajoling) Top to be friends with Ray and apologises to Sand (and when the latter didn't really eventuate from Top's part cause he is a bit iffy about it, Mew engineered it so that Sand can take revenge on Top by kissing him during the spin-a-bottle game on New Year's Eve i.e. getting the 2 boys to duke their frustration - this was a funny scene though). Or how about the way he casually told Top his wishes for him during the upcoming year is for Top to not be an asshole despite Top showing the opposite ever since he got back together with Mew. Or how he firmly just cut out Boston in his life (although this is his prerogative and he can chose who he wants to keep in his life. I don't blame Mew though - Boston was one of his closest friends, and the betrayal must have stung so badly. Furthermore, when you see the effort Top puts in to earn Mew forgiveness when compared to the sole apology we got from Boston - yeah, not good).

On the other hand, Top can't help being arrogant and subtly putting down people who he thinks are lesser than him - the way he casually tries to upped Sand during the firework scene by informing Mew he can easily buy a building for Mew to do his business is a great example of this.

But at the same time, TopMew works because they have grown to trust and communicates with each other while navigating their relationship. It's evident Top is head over heels for Mew, and personally, I think Mew holds the upper hand in their dynamics because Top is just so whipped for him. Admittedly, Top becomes a better person around Mew (likely cause Mew just nag him otherwise -lovingly of course!) while simultaneously also helping him face his fears and trauma from the past. My one criticism for this couple is that I wish we could have explore a bit of Top's backstory (that 2 mins fire scene at the end? - we see a hint of vulnerability and how Top overcome his fear because he is focus on Mew, but it will have been great if we see more about how this shaped him as a person and how they will try and navigate it in the future)

My favourite scene from the finale episode is when TopMew having an honest conversation in the bathtub while they negotiate their pet peeves because it's just so real. I also love the Ray/Top interactions as they flex their wealth (about custom-made couch of all things :D) while Mew fondly peek on them from another room.

Also, may I say, I love the cheeky ending we got when Mix's character rock up to the hostel as their first guest (I believe his name is Bobo?). Bobo smiling suggestively to Mew with Top eyeing him suspiciously - I cackled!

Sand & Ray

Again, it's fascinating to see the character developments while at the same time how true to their base personalities as we reach the pinnacle episode.

Sand will always be a people pleaser and puts other people's need before himself while Ray is selfish to the core but at the same time fiercely protective (and possessive) towards his loves one. And so, I was fascinated when Boeing was introduce as the catalyst to address these issues.

We can tell Sand has some unresolved feelings on Boeing - I don't think he is necessarily in love with Boeing but this was his first relationship and he invested 3 years of his life with Boeing. So, he likely has lingering feelings and some part of him will always be fond of Boeing. Plus, we know Sand has difficulty in saying NO (we see that clearly with how Ray essentially barge his way into Sand's life despite Sand feeble attempts to put some boundaries up).

And so, it fell on Ray to take action on behalf of Sand to deal with Boeing. Yes, he is jealous and insecure about where he stands with Sand when Boeing comes intruding. Hence, the invitation of essentially threesome (listen, I say it with previous posts, but even from the beginning when Ray didn't know what his feelings towards Sand was - all he knew is he wanted Sand's attention. He suggested, or at least alluded to a threesome every time Sand is seen with someone else. Because in Ray's mind, if Sand can't accept him alone, he is probably thinking "I am willing to share him, as long as I am in his life." I also think Ray clocked how Sand never took up on any of the threesome, which means Sand chose him over others. So, Ray inviting Boeing is another way to force Sand to choose him over Boeing.) Did it backfire slightly on Ray behalf? - Yes, because we all know Ray is a loveable disaster muffin. But, I thought it showed growth on Ray behalf (albeit only slightly) when he had a blunt but calm conversation with Sand post-swimming pool scene (cause we all know the Ray a few episodes ago will probably get drunk and turn into raging mess) - stating he dislikes having Boeing around Sand, and gave Sand the ultimatum. And if Sand chose to be with him (Ray), he will deal Boeing on behalf of him - cause he (and we) know Sand is too kind to do so otherwise.

Not gonna lie, a protective Ray is suave and the whole scene with Boeing at the pool table with Sand (plus Mew) looking amusingly was satisfying to watch. Similarly, I adore the way Sand reclaimed the jab Boeing made when the latter insinuated Sand was just a dog for Ray.

I love the ending we got for SandRay - from the romantic stroll and dance they did in the parking lot and the heartfelt conversation they had in Ray's car whilst listening to music. These 2 balance and complement each other. As mentioned previously, Sand will put others need before him, and we see that when he willingly gave up his plum wine business and his occupation as bar singer, his 2 main source of income to make sure Ray has minimal access to alcohol. But at the same time, Ray while still a pampered prince(ss), loves Sand and learning to put Sand's need ahead of himself. Ray is willing to face his demon (alcohol) because he knows Sand will support him. So, I appreciate the gesture when we see Ray told Sand to restart his plum wine business (it also helps of course Ray is rich!)

Nick & Boston

Ah....look, I know people are divided with this couple but I personally thought the ending we got for Nick/Boston are fitting for both of them.

I have no doubt these 2 love each other - but fundamentally, their principles on what they define as relationship and sex are at the extreme end of the spectrum.

From the start we know Boston is highly promiscuous and clear in what he wants - no string attached, mainly one night stands. Meeting Nick slightly changed that cause for the first time, he found someone who he connects emotionally. But he cannot change who he is - he views emotional relationship + intimacy as something that is separate from physical intimacy. To him these 2 are not inclusive.

At the start, when Nick/Boston were FWB - Nick could accept Boston as he is because Boston has made it clear from the start with the above rules (although we can all tell it is bittersweet for Nick- he is so in love with Boston that he willing to take whatever Boston gives him).

But the miscommunication lies when Boston asked Nick to become his boyfriend in episode 11. Yes, Nick is aware there is a time limit to their relationship because of Boston's upcoming move to New York. However, it is clear for Nick, being boyfriend means inclusive in all ways, not just emotionally and attention-wise. Unfortunately, Boston did not made this clear from the start (look if both of them agreed for an open relationship, then by all means - go for it!). But this is not the case for Nick, and when Nick attempts to explain this to Boston - the latter turns the narrative back to Nick, firmly stating this is who he is and if Nick wants any relationship with Boston, he needs to accept Boston's ultimatum. I truly think Boston thought Nick will fold (yet again) and give in because that's what Nick has done each time (including Nick approaching Boston to apologise at the Halloween Party or when Boston is at his lowest on the rooftop after being cut off by all his friends).

So, it's great to see Nick choose to love himself and prioritise his needs. And Nick is correct, Boston don't have to change his ways - fun and loves to party, confident with his sexuality and essentially a slut (no shame on that!). However, Nick now wants more than what Boston can offer him, and that is also fine.

(But hey, do we all think Nick is now back with Daddy Dan??)

Overall, I enjoyed the finale. I think it remains rooted to the realism I expected as I watch the show. Also, I enjoyed the journey and growth we see with each of our character, but at the same time, still keeping true to their personalities.

I will definitely miss the show and it will linger on for a long time in me heart 🙂 (what am I going to watch on Saturday now?)

[cinnamonsikwate]

"how does that make sense, that our ancestors would give me gifts and skills to help me save my [brother], and i couldn't? why?"

thinking about how this was definitely a question young k'uk'ulkan asked his advisors (perhaps the shaman, if he was still alive) after fen's death. and their answer was most likely "only the most broken people can be great leaders" — which, if you think about it, is an awful thing to say to a child, but well! ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ then he ended up internalizing it and repeating it to shuri centuries later, foreshadowing that he would be the one to inevitably break her.

i'm almost positive that the reason he's more drawn to shuri than he is to ramonda — despite the latter being on more equal ground with him as ruler and thus in a better position to engage in negotiations — is bc he sees something of his younger, freshly grieving, more innocent self in shuri. whereas with ramonda, maybe she reminds him too much of what he lost, perhaps sparking in him an irrational jealousy that shuri — to him a version of himself — still has what he can no longer have. someone who truly knows him, knows his heart as a person and not as a god. (this is separate, but adds to, his resentment towards wakanda for having taken actions that indirectly led to the endangerment of talokan, and his jealousy that wakanda was "saved" in a way that his people were not.)

while it may seem that fen simply died of old age, the way k'uk'ulkan spoke of her implies that a broken heart, her futile longing for her old home, sped up the process. and then she makes him promise to bury her on the surface, a place he had never been to and whose dangers he had been warned of his whole life. when he goes up there, sees for himself the bloodshed and the slavery and the hate, a burning rage is born in his heart. how could this be the land that his mother so dearly loved, so much so that she wasted away for want of it, when he still needed her, needed his mother, needed her love? el niño sin amor — the child with no love. no love for the surface, for it was his mother's love for the surface world that took away her love from him.

i'm not sure if he realized what exactly would happen when he threw the water grenades into the throne room, but nonetheless, once the glass floor broke and ramonda and riri fell through — that was him challenging ramonda, making her choose: save the scientist or herself. ramonda makes the same choice he thinks fen made — the surface world (in this case, riri) over her child. shuri breaks, and right then, he thinks he has finally made her in his image — as a god, as a child without love.

but in the last moments of their battle on the beach, both their mothers appear to them. ramonda to shuri, to remind her that this blind vengeance is not who she is, that she has not been abandoned, that she was raised with love and is still capable of extending that love to others. fen to k'uk'ulkan, as an apology and a reminder to him that she never stopped loving him, that he is still capable of loving and being loved in a way that doesn't hurt.

so while we see the bigger themes of two marginalized peoples initially at odds coming together to realize that the real enemy is not each other, we also see on a more personal level two broken people coming to terms with their experiences of grief and loss, understanding where the other is coming from. (shuri doesn't have to forgive him though! as intriguing as i find k'uk'ulkan's character, a line crossed is still a line crossed.)

p.s. i'm personally of the opinion that inframundo is about fen, from k'uk'ulkan's perspective

p.p.s i want to ignore that last scene with k'uk'ulkan and namora bc whatever tf was going on there (except for the mural) makes it seem like he has not learned his lesson 🥲 (i know it's to set up future movies but i hate it!)

p.p.p.s. this was not written through a shipping lens; imo this dude needs friends, a found family, and a therapist more than he needs a love interest atm but it's whatever lol

[hmslusitania]

A meta about Buck and Eddie’s current relationships compared to their past relationships (but it's under a cut so that I don’t have to tag the characters for people who have them blocked, thereby putting this into those characters’ Tumblr-wide tags and summoning angry stans back to my inbox)

Because I haven’t seen anyone else mention this and it’s sort of been driving me nuts. On the one hand there’s a relationship where it’s:

someone he was previously with and this is a renewal of what might have been

someone who he has serious sexual chemistry with but a blatant emotional disconnect

who he separated from and time (roughly two years) has passed during which interim there has been no contact between them

and now they’re trying it again and although he clearly forgives her for past transgressions he still doesn’t trust her when it comes to the most important things, even if he's enjoying spending time with her to a certain extent

but he’s decided to have her back in his life after some negotiation which definitely included her saying at least one excoriating thing against his character that cut directly to the heart of his insecurities that made him feel like he'd failed and needed to do better ("I needed you to have my back" vs "You're so needy")

And when it was Eddie and Shannon, the resolution of that relationship was Eddie deciding that he wanted to try and make it work, build a family and a future together, only for Shannon to bail on him (again). And obviously we haven’t seen the end of Buck and Taylor but based on everything we’ve seen about Buck’s development and growth, it seems pretty clear that what he’s looking for in the long run is to build a family and a future, most likely with children.

Now, we don’t know enough about Taylor to know how she feels about that sort of future trajectory but based on the very little we do know about her, I would hazard that this sort of future seems…unlikely as something she might want.

And obviously, the relationships came about in different circumstances, but the structure of season 4 Bucktaylor versus season 2 Eddie and Shannon feels like a funhouse mirror to me.

And then on the other hand, there’s a relationship where:

It starts after they met once a while ago

With a person who is also presented as a contrast and possibly a more reasonable choice than the other relationship mentioned above (“Ali’s a more grown up and less wild choice than Taylor” vs “such a healthy choice moving on from Shannon with Ana”)

Which begins with a coffee date

And which is all the development we really get in the relationship until an episode that seriously implies doom ahead

And ends with him getting severely whumped

with her there for the initial homecoming

But there’s something kinda off about that homecoming (Ali being unsure the firefighter lifestyle is for her; Eddie kissing Ana on the cheek the same way he kissed his grandmother?? Like my dude my guy there are perfectly acceptable chaste and polite ways to kiss someone on the mouth if you’re worried about scandalising the Youths or the Elders and that ain’t one of ‘em)

And the resolution of that relationship is that Ali was gone without ever officially saying the words “we should break up” before the next season began, and based on behind the scenes sleuthing while it seems like we will see Ana at least once at the start of season 5, it doesn’t seem to be a significant presence.

And idk!! I don’t know what to do with this, but like it seems really obvious to me that in a structural way, Taylor is Buck’s Shannon and Ana is Eddie’s Ali, even while the characters of Taylor and Shannon don't really resemble each other (and I'd argue we don't actually know enough about either Ana or Ali to say how alike or different they were/are, but they don't strike me as similar people), and I hope the boys both get the same as things out of these relationships as the other did -- just with better resolutions.

I want Buck to be in this relationship and evaluate what he wants from his future the way Eddie figured out he wanted to try being in a family, but I want him to have the opportunity Eddie didn’t and I want him to come to the conclusion that if he wants that future, it’s not going to be with Taylor because that’s just not who she is. And I want him to get the opportunity to end it on his terms in the way Eddie never got to.

And I want Eddie to — god I’m sorry this somehow circles back around to my entire shitpost about getting back on the horse/learning you don’t like horses — but I want him to acknowledge that his relationship with Ana, while important for his growth and for moving on after the traumatic end of the most significant relationship he’d had before, simply doesn’t go beyond that. It’s a relationship and it’s “nice” and “easy” but it’s not where his heart is and even though ending a relationship always hurts a little, it won’t devastate him. But most importantly, I want him to get to acknowledge that he’s choosing what he wants, which Buck sort of didn’t get to do with Ali because she made that choice for him.

And then, because I’m me, once they’ve gone through each other’s relationship mistakes and hopefully learned from each other’s example how to do it better, I want them to embark, nervously but so glad to be doing it, on something new and untried together.

ETA: Eddie and Ana’s first date was explicitly not coffee, but it had the same vibe as Buck and Ali’s first (coffee) date in that it was a casual café setting and we know nothing of it after the initial “its nice we’re doing this right?”

ETA(2): Both Shannon and Taylor have “changed” when they’re brought in to be love interests in season 2 and 4 respectively but Shannon’s change ultimately turned out to be insufficient for building their relationship forward. We have yet to see how deep Taylor’s apparent change runs and it’s clear that so far Buck does not trust it.

[mitts2002]

Yamaguchi Tadashi - Angel

Hii so this fic is a mafia au as its part of the mafia au collab made by @inarizahki hope you all enjoy! It will have dark themes and mentions of blood.

It was strange. He was strange. You sat there at a table in a cute Tokyo coffee shop staring back at an unknown man with freckles adorning his cheeks and a bright smile to match.

Your organisation had sent you to sign a deal with the new upcoming mafia group. They were known as the Karasuno Clan and all members were referred to as crows, no identification or information, not even a single picture was to be found.

This whole ordeal was strange to you. Why would they trust you to see the face of a clan member? So open in public to make matters worse. You could use the knowledge of this man's face in the future yet the extremely secretive and protective group seem to be laying it out on a silver platter.

"Is something wrong? Maybe I should get you something to drink?"

"No it's fine I'm just a bit tired, should we begin with our meeting?"

"And here I thought we were gonna start with introductions"

"Is there a point when I know your not gonna tell me your name? Let's just discuss the business deal"

Confusion laced his face as he cocked his to the side. You could even say he looked cute, but you knew better. Behind this cute boy façade and navy suspenders was most likely a heartless cold blooded killer. You pulled out some documents from your bag and set them in front of him. 

“You seem untrusting of me (Y/N), are you nervous perhaps?“ The nameless crow asked before picking up your documents and giving them a quick scan.

“Being in our line of work I'm sure you understand if I have my doubts after all were taught to trust no one“

“Ironic considering your leader Kuroo-san and my leader are good friends who trust each other greatly“

You didn't want your shock to be visible to him. You weren't aware of your gangs unexpected union and it all suddenly began to make sense why the Nekoma Commission leader entrusted you to meet with a crow in person.

“Alright you've read through the documents, will you agree to share the information with us?”

“That depends (Y/N) what's in it for us“

“I've clearly written that our groups will earn each others trust and union, we will also pay you generously“

Seriously what more did he want? Most mafia groups needed money and allies and your contract was willing to give him both.

“I need proof, that you wont betray us once we help you“

“what exactly do you want me to do?”

He smiled. Then began to inch closer towards you. You couldn't help but admire him, how could someone with such angel like features be apart of the mafia? His appearance was neat, not a single wrinkle in sight and his dark hair had a slight ruffled look to it. An angel playing with the devils maybe, but whatever reason he was here for didn't matter at the moment.

You needed him to move away. You needed to stop your heart from racing. You needed this contract signed. Then you could leave and forget about this entire encounter.

“say (Y/N) have you ever killed?” he whispered into your ear causing a shiver to go up your spine. His hot breath lingered and you couldn't form the words to respond. You gave him a simple nod and he began to frown.

“That's a shame (Y/N) I thought we were birds of a feather but I guess I assumed wrong“

“And what's that's supposed to mean?“

“You'll found out when we meet again” 

He winked, took the documents and left. Months later you did meet again but you wished you didn't. You regret meeting him. All of this was his fault. You stared down at the crimson blood on your hands as tears welled up in your eyes.

How could the manipulative bastard do this to you? All you asked was for him to sign a damn contract and yet he couldn't even do that. He had to be greedy. Mafia men are never satisfied you've learnt. They always want more.

“You set me up. Yaku didn't deserve to die“ You sobbed looking down at the ally you just (accidentally) killed.

“Well (Y/N) I didn't kill him did I? In fact I don't believe I've ever killed“ He responded so nonchalantly as if he didn't admit he used people to do the dirty work for him while he just sat back and enjoyed the show.

“No you told me to meet you here so we can discuss more about the contract and told Nekoma that someone from another organisation was trying to attack so you needed a backup sniper. They sent Yaku to help but he didn't realise it was just us and shot. On instinct I moved and shot back. I don't fucking understand what the hell was this for? WHY DID YOU MAKE ME KILL HIM?“

“Don't you understand? The contract was never on your terms (Y/N) it was on mine“ He gave you that angelic smile and bent down to your level gripping your face with his cold hands.

“Nekoma will never forgive you for this (Y/N) they will hunt you down and make sure you die a torturous death. You have no choice but to join us. We will provide security in exchange for your knowledge, hacking and negotiation skills. Deal?“ His sweet voice sounded sickly to you. He clearly didn't care about what he did as long as he got what he wanted.

You didn't want to shake his hand, but he was right. You had no choice. You had betrayed your family and Nekoma will only think of your story as a pathetic excuse. Tears dropped down as you extended your hand to shake his.

Oh how looks can be deceiving. One look at this nameless crow and you would think he was an angel blessed upon this earth, but as one hand gripped your face and the other grabbed your hand you knew. As his hand pulled your face closer to his and lips locked with yours you knew. As his tongue entered your mouth and explored every inch of it like it was his to explore you knew.

This was no angel. No, you just made a deal with the devil and there was no turning back.

[dwellordream]

“...We may quickly describe the Dothraki social organization; while we only see inside one traditional Dothraki khalasar, we are repeatedly told it is typical and may take it as such (AGoT, 83-5, 195, 328). Each group of Dothraki is led by a male war-leader called a khal (whose wife is a khaleesi and whose heir is the khalakka) in a group called a khalasar. The khal‘s personal guard are ‘bloodriders’ and are sworn to the khal and are supposed to kill themselves after he dies (AGoT, 328).

The khalasar also has subordinate commanders called kos and smaller bodyguard units called khas (and at this point, you will forgive me a joke that I began to wonder if the Dothraki rode to battle on their khorses, drank out their khups and fought with khords, kows, and kharrows; it will surprise no one that Martin is not a linguist). The khal is the autocrat of this organization, he has a single, readily identifiable male heir who is his direct descendant (the khalakka) and should that heir be underage or not exist, the khalasar will disband. Strikingly, beyond the khal‘s male heir, family ties play no role at all in the organization of the khalasar or in relations between them.

This is not how horse-borne nomads organized themselves, although it bears a passing resemblance to some elements of pre-Chinggis Mongol organization. We can start by quickly ruling out the Great Plains as an inspiration and move from there. I am not an expert in the organization of any Plains Native American society (so please forgive any errors – but do tell me, so I can make corrections – I am doing my best!), but from what I have been able to read, the key institution is not the ‘chief’ but rather the extended family network (what the Sioux call, I believe, the ‘thiyóšpaye’) which were then composed by smaller households (‘thiwáhe’). The elders of those households elected their leaders; while certain families seem to have been more prominent than others, leadership wasn’t directly heritable. Direct inheritance doesn’t seem to have been as pressing an issue; territorial claims were held by the nation or tribe (the ‘oyáte’) while moveable property was held by the household or extended family network (and personal items might be buried with the deceased).

I am being a bit schematic here to avoid outrunning my limited knowledge, but a system of kinship bonds with elected leaders coordinating the efforts of multiple ethnically or linguistically related kinship groups is a fairly common system for non-state social organization (obviously that label obscures a lot of cultural and regional variation!). This would have been a plausible enough way to organize the Dothraki, with lots of deliberative councils of household leaders and chiefs that are often shrewd political leaders, managing the interests of many households, but presumably that wasn’t badass enough. It would have involved lots of complicated political dialogue and quite a lot less random murder. In any event, it is clear the Dothraki are not organized along these lines; kinship matters functionally not at all in their organization and even when Daenerys is present, we see no deliberation, merely the authority of the khal, enforced by violence.

What about the Mongols and other Eurasian steppe nomads? The Mongols and other steppe nomads were broadly organized into tribes (an ulus or ordu, the latter giving us the word ‘horde’ in reference to nomads) which were organized around a leader (for the Mongols, a khan or ‘chieftain’) and understood to be part of a given ethnic or linguistic grouping which might or might not be united politically at any given time. The position of khan was heritable, but with some significant quirks we’ll get to in a minute.

In theory, these were kinship groups, but in practice the incorporation of defeated clans and sometimes shifting allegiances blurred those lines. Ratchnevsky (op. cit., 12-3) notes a divide within groups between the non-free captives (otogus bo’ol) and the free followers of a khan (nökhör or sometimes spelled nökhöd), but these categories were flexible and not ethnically based – individuals could and did move between them as the fortunes of war and politics shifted; Temujin himself – the soon-to-be Chinggis Khan – was at one point probably one of these bo’ol. The nökhör were freemen who could enter the service of a khan voluntarily and also potentially leave as well, living in the leader’s household. This is a rather more promising model or the Dothraki, but beyond this very basic description, things begin to go awry.

First off – and you will note how this flows out of the subsistence systems we discussed last week – inheritance does matter a great deal to the Mongols. Steppe nomads generally tended to share an inheritance system which – I have never seen it given a technical name – I tend to call Steppe Partible Inheritance (though it shares some forms with Gaelic tanistry and is sometimes termed by that name). In essence (barring any special bequests), each male member of the ruling clan or house has an equally valid claim on the property and position of the deceased. You can see how this would function where the main forms of property are herds of horses and sheep, which are easily evenly divisible to satisfy such claims. Divide a herd of 100 sheep between 5 sons and you get 5 herds of 20 sheep; wait a few years and you have five herds of 100 sheep again. And for most nomads, that would be all of the property to divide.

This partibility was one of the great weaknesses, however, of steppe empires, because it promoted fragmentation, with the conquests of the dynastic founder being split between their sons, brothers and so on, fragmenting down further at each succession (each inherited chunk is often called an appanage, after the Latin usage and often they were granted prior to the khan‘s death as administrative assignments). But overall leadership of the empire cannot be divided; in theory it went to the most capable male family member, though proving this might often mean politics, war or murder (but see below on the kurultai).

Thus Attila’s three sons turned on each other and made themselves easy prey for what was left of the Roman Empire; Chinggis’ heirs did rather better, sticking together as regional rulers in a larger ‘family business’ run by the descendants of Chinggis until 1260 (Chinggis died in 1227), when they began to turn on each other. The Ottomans resolved this problem – seeing their empire as indivisible – through fratricide to avoid civil war. Note also here, how important knowing the exact parentage (or more correctly, patrilineal descent) of any potential descendant of the khan would be – we’ll come back to that.

On the surface, this might sound a bit like how Khal Drogo’s khalasar disintegrates on his death, but there are enough key wrinkles missing here that I think the match fails. The biggest difference is the importance of the larger kin group and biological inheritance. You will note above that the males of the entire royal family generally had claims on the titles and property of the deceased. And actual, patrilineal descent was important here – all of the successor states of the Mongols were ruled by rulers claiming direct descent from Chinggis Khan, down to the disestablishment of the Mughal Empire in 1857. If Khal Drogo has any extended family, they seem to be unimportant and we never meet them; they do not figure into to the collapse of his khalasar (AGoT, 633), whereas in a Mongol ulus, they’d be some of the most important people.

Indeed, Drogo’s khalasar splits up with no regard at all to the ruling family, something that Jorah notes is normal – had there been a living heir, he would have been killed (AGoT, 591). This is obviously not true of the Mongols, because Temujin, the future Chinggis Khan himself (and his brothers), was exactly such young living heir of a powerful khan and was not killed, nor was any serious attempt apparently made to kill him (Ratchnevsky, op. cit. 22) and Ratchnevsky notes that was unusual in this instance that Temujin’s mother was not supported by her brother-in-law (possibly because she refused to be remarried to him).

Moreover, succession to leadership was not automatic as it is portrayed in A Game of Thrones (either automatic in the way that Khal Ogo’s son Fogo could become Khal in the mere moments of battle between his death and his father’s, AGoT, 556 or automatic in how Drogo’s khalasar automatically disintegrates, AGoT, 591). Instead there was a crucial mediating institution, the kurultai (sometimes spelled quriltai), a council of chiefs and khans – present in both Mongol and Turkic cultural spheres – which met to decide who of the valid claimants ought to take overall leadership. Such kurultai could also meet without a succession event – Temujin was declared Chinggis Khan in the kurultai of 1206. There wasn’t typically a formal heir-designate as with the Dothraki, both because of the need for a deliberative kurultai but also because of the partible inheritance. It was rather exceptional when Chinggis designated Ögedei as his chief heir (as a way to avoid war between his other sons; Ögedei was the compromise candidate) in 1219.

We might imagine the kurultai upon the death of the Mongol version of Drogo would have been a complex affair, with political negotiations between Drogo’s brothers and uncles (should he have any) who might well use the existence of an heir as an excuse to consolidate power within the family, along with Drogo’s key lieutenants also seeking power. Of course we do not see those events because Daenerys is asleep for them, but we do hear them described and it is clear that the key factors in a Mongol kurultai – descent, family ties, collective decision-making – do not matter here. As Jorah notes, “the Dothraki only follow the strong” (AGoT 633) and “Drogo’s strength was what they bowed to, and only that” (AGoT, 591). There is no council – instead Drogo’s key lieutenants (all unrelated to him) take their chunk of followers and run off in the night. There is no council, no effort to consolidate the whole, no division of livestock or territory (because, as we’ve discussed, the Dothraki subsistence system considers neither and consequently makes no sense).

Likewise, the structures of Mongol control, either before or after Chinggis (who makes massive changes to Mongol social organization) are not here. Drogo’s horde is not the decimal-system organized army of Chinggis, but it is also not the family-kin organized, deeply status-stratified society that Chinggis creates the decimal system to sweep away. The Mongols did have a tradition of swearing blood-brothership (the Mongolian word is anda), but it only replicated strong reciprocal sibling alliances. It certainly came with no requirement to die if your blood-brother died, something made quite obvious by the fact that Chinggis ends up killing his blood-brother Jamukha after the two ended up at war with each other. And these relationships were not a form of ‘royal guard’ but intimate and rare. Instead, Chinggis intentionally assembled a personal guard, the keshig, out of promising young leaders and the relatives of his subordinates, both as a military instrument but also a system of control. Members of the keshig did not simply die after the death of their leader, but were bound to take care of the surviving family of the deceased ruler.

So apart from the observation that Steppe nomads tended to have singular leaders (but, of course, monarchy is probably the most common form of human organization in the historical period) and that they tend to fragment, almost nothing about actual patterns of Steppe leadership is preserved here. Not the basic structures of the society (the ‘nobles,’ kinship groups and larger tribal and ethnic groups which so dominated Temujin’s early life, for instance, see Ratchnevsky, op. cit. 1-88), nor its systems of inheritance and succession. Instead, most of the actual color of how Mongol society – or Steppe rulership more broadly – worked has been replaced with ‘cult of the badass’ tropes about how the Dothraki “only follow the strong,” only value strength and have essentially no other cultural norms.”

- Bret Devereaux, “That Dothraki Horde, Part III: Horse Fiddles.”

[beautifulterriblequeen]

I've been thinking about your Ruthari angst prompts and idk if that's even allowed 😅 but what do you think about a mixture of 3 and 11? 👀

Okay, so I wanted to play with the arranged marriage au for a bit, and these two lines landed like they might be part of negotiations. So here you go:

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?” and “How am I supposed to go on?”  

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?” Runaan paced slowly at Ethari’s side as they circled the fog-shrouded gardens of the Silvergrove Council House for the seventh time, matching the craftsman’s easy amble. The assassin had begun their negotiations with his hands clasped behind his back as they trod the well-worn path just inside the pale filigree wall that ringed the grounds. Now they hung loose at his sides, after over an hour of conversation that gradually found its rhythm. Ethari was surprisingly easy to converse with, so far. Runaan wasn’t certain he really approved of the taller elf’s playful mindset, but his easy forgiveness and acceptance had soothed away a lot of Runaan’s initial worries.

Runaan kept his face carefully forward as they walked, not wishing to indicate any weakness by glancing Ethari’s way too often, but he kept Ethari’s boots in the corner of his eye so he didn’t walk too fast and leave him behind.

I could. I could leave him behind. I’m faster, stronger. But my life has never been mine to direct. It belongs to Xadia. And so does my heart. Runaan took a slow breath as Ethari thoughtfully contemplated his reply, nibbling at his lip. My heart for Xadia. So, my heart for Ethari, as much as I can manage it.

“I suppose,” Ethari began slowly, “I would do whatever the council wished me to do.”

That was the best answer Runaan could have expected. Ethari had a deep sense of duty that overrode his personal feelings, just as Runaan did. Another thread of tension loosened in his shoulders. No one understood duty like an assassin, but the council had selected Ethari from among all the eligible craftsmen in the Silvergrove. He was the best they could find. But Runaan was the one who’d marry him, and he needed to be sure, too. And now, to his relief, he was sure. Ethari was willing to do his duty, no matter what.

Good. He’ll need that as much as I do.

“Would they make me marry the next assassin leader, too, do you suppose?” Ethari continued. He looked further ahead on their circular path, as if he could see such a dark future already looming.

Runaan blinked in surprise. He shifted himself out of the equation--an easy habit of long practice--and considered the idea. “It depends on what sort of match we have, I think.”

“How do you mean?” Ethari’s voice was carefully distant, unwilling to give any indication of interest either way.

Runaan pouted thoughtfully. “Well, if we match well in skill, if your crafting is of high quality and I perform admirably with your weapons, then the council will be inclined to match you with another assassin so you can continue to perform your valuable services.”

“Hmm.”

Runaan glanced over from beneath a single raised brow at Ethari’s noncommittal noise. “You don’t agree?”

“Does the council take feelings into consideration in situations like that?” Ethari asked.

“Feelings?” Runaan scoffed lightly. Feelings never protected anyone from anything. They were more likely to cause chaos than bring order.

Ethari shot him an uncertain glance. “Yes, feelings. What if...?” He looked away abruptly.

“You worry they would match you with a woman?” Runaan guessed.

A tiny smile flickered at the corner of Ethari’s lips and vanished. “That wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh. What, then?”

Ethari glanced across the gardens, to where the lacy arches of the Council House faded into the mist. “Can I ask you for a favor, Runaan?”

Runaan’s spine straightened. A personal request from his intended? This was the sort of thing he would be expected to agree to, wasn’t it? They were to be partners, allies, for the protection of Xadia and the Silvergrove. But soft subjects were merely practice for the important things. That was Runaan’s takeaway after Tiadrin sat him down and gave him a thorough talking-to, anyway. “Of course,” he responded. He had no idea what to expect, but he was intensely curious what could prompt Ethari to ask for a personal boon just then. “Anything you like.”

The craftsman’s eyes scanned the foggy garden until he spotted something that met with his approval. He held out a broad-palmed hand toward Runaan. “Will you come with me for a moment?”

Runaan stilled, studying the outstretched hand so easily offered. I suppose I should get used to this elf’s touch sooner rather than later, he reasoned. Slowly, he placed his gloved hand in Ethari’s, resting it there as lightly as a landing bird.

Ethari grinned warmly and gave Runaan’s hand a gentle squeeze. Then he towed him past a couple of short fruit trees that were just budding their spring leaves, until they were entirely hidden from sight, against the outer wall of the gardens. He pulled Runaan to face him and gave him a secretive smile. “Here, this’ll do.”

Runaan glanced around uncertainly. “For what?”

Ethari glanced down, suddenly bashful. “I, I thought we should kiss. To get used to it. They’ll expect it of us in public from time to time.”

Runaan’s brows lowered. “We don’t have to kiss.”

Ethari’s shoulders slumped a little. “Do you mean right now, or... ever...?”

Runaan’s expression tightened as he struggled with these unfamiliar notions Ethari was creating in him. “We are to be wed for the good of the SIlvergrove, Ethari. You are a craftsman of immense skill, and I am to become the leader of the assassins. Our union will stabilize the chaos of the past few years and ensure a brighter future for everyone. Kissing...” Runaan shook his head slowly, baffled. “Kissing doesn’t enter into it.”

“Kissing doesn’t--?” Ethari blurted. “Runaan...”

Perplexed at Ethari’s sudden outburst, the assassin took a moment to look him up and down, seeking some reason for his intense reaction. But he saw only a tall, frustrated craftsman before him, clearly in on some secret Runaan did not possess. It seemed he’d have to ask out loud for it. “What?”

“You fool.” Ethari’s hands were on his cheeks in a heartbeat, pulling him closer. Runaan’s sound of protest was trapped in his mouth as Ethari’s lips found his, hard and urgent, driving him back against the garden wall. Runaan backed into it with enough force to  draw a grunt from his chest.

Ethari chased him there, pressing himself flush against Runaan, pinning him with writhing eagerness. At the sound of Runaan’s grunt, he let out a low, grinding moan to match, sieving his fingers into the assassin’s hair.

Don’t stab him. Do not stab him. He wouldn’t understand. This is for Xadia. The thought flared red in Runaan’s mind, tangled and fragmented by a truly frightening amount of heated sensations that burst out of nowhere and swarmed him like a cloud of moon moths seeking escape, finding none. What is... what is he doing to me... what is this...

A stifled groan slipped through Runaan’s teeth. Instead of shoving Ethari away as he felt would be proper for such an uninvited assault, Runaan found his hands knotting in Ethari’s shirt and tugging him closer still. He wrapped a leg around Ethari’s ass and snugged their bodies together, lost in the grip of unreasoning neediness.

“Nnngh.” Ethari’s moan nibbled its way along Runaan’s jaw and nipped at the delicate skin beneath his ear. Runaan arched against his lips, tilting his chin up, bucking his hips forward with a soft cry.

Ethari steadied himself with a grip on a swirly amid the pattern in the filigree wall. His other hand teased beneath the lower edge of Runaan’s shirt, and his words rang breathlessly in Runaan’s ear.  “Runaan... I’ve always loved you... always... You make me so happy, this is a dream come true...”

“Aah!” Runaan tore himself away and stumbled a couple of steps sideways, panting heavily. His body throbbed in all the best places, his skin was flushed, his pupils blown. But he held out a hand to ward Ethari off. “You tricked the council?” he puffed. “You lied to them?”

Bereft, shocked, Ethari made an abortive reach toward Runaan and then stopped. “What? No!”

“They asked me if I had any attachments.” Runaan’s voice was cold, but why wouldn’t Runaan’s heart settle? It insisted on galloping across the Forest like a wild moonstrider. “I said no, so I was approved for consideration. And it was the truth.”

“I... Runaan, it wasn’t a lie! I’d never told you. There was no attachment to lie about.”

“There was in your heart.”

Baffled, breathless, desperate, Ethari took a step forward with his hands out pleadingly. “How is that a bad thing? I told them nothing of my feelings. I let them decide, for the good of the Silvergrove. And now that it’s decided, I’m telling you the truth! Isn’t that what couples do when they trust each other?”

Runaan’s brows drew down, and he thought searchingly through the wild storm of his feelings, seeking the hard edges of something reliable. Ah. There. He tucked his hands behind his back--the better to keep them off this deceptively charming elf before him--and straightened up into a formal assassin pose. “That’s just it, Ethari. I don’t trust you. We don’t know each other that well. And we’re not a couple. We’re a team--or trying to be--serving Xadia first and foremost. And you just admitted that you’re capable of deceiving the whole village council--and me--to get what you want. You told me you’d marry whoever the council paired you with, if I fell, but that’s not true, is it? You’ve put your needs above those of the many. And that, I cannot abide.”

Genuine fear bled across Ethari’s face as Runaan’s words sank in. “Runaan, please don’t... Are you calling this off?” His bottom lip trembled, and he pressed a shaking fist against his mouth. “Please don’t tell me I’ve ruined everything, please, please...” He closed his eyes and stood there, vulnerable, exposed. “You’re right. You’re right. It probably isn’t true. If I lose you to the humans someday, I won’t want to marry another. I just want to be with you. If...” His sunset eyes searched the mists for answers and flew back to meet Runaan’s stern gaze. “If I lose you--later, or right now--how am I supposed to go on?”

Runaan’s jaw worked as he stared at the pleading craftsman. His touch had been electric, dazzling. Runaan craved it again already. But such neediness would be an imbalance that could cost him in a critical moment--and if he fell, then his entire purpose was at risk. His head scrambled for distance even as his heart thrummed with eager heat. “I cannot trust you, Ethari. That must be the base tenet of this relationship, or we cannot serve Xadia as it requires.”

In true distress, Ethari grabbed his own horns and turned away, pacing erratically, muttering “No, no, no” through his teeth. Then he whirled back to face Runaan. “Please, I promise you, I won’t give you any further cause to doubt me. Let me prove myself. I’ll do anything. Just tell me what you need.”

Runaan stalked closer until they stood nose to nose. “I need you to give your heart to Xadia. Not to me.”

“Done,” Ethari blurted. His gaze clung to Runaan’s face, and he trembled with tension, his fate hanging in the balance.

Runaan’s gaze betrayed him, falling for a single moment from those urgent eyes to his intended’s full lips, before snapping back up. He gritted his teeth, tugged his shirt smooth of Ethari’s recent elfhandling, and added roughly, “And don’t you dare kiss me again. You’re lucky I didn’t stab you.”

Ethari looked down. “I’m sorry. It... won’t happen again.” His voice faded to a whisper like a wounded animal crawling into the shadows to die.

“How am I supposed to go on?” Ethari’s words echoed in Runaan’s mind, and he relented a little. “Wait. This is to be an alliance. I must consider your feelings, however... misguided, if we are to make this work, yes?” Ethari will make a solid ally, at least. I cannot say the same for every craftsman in the Silvergrove. I may never find an easier or stronger connection than this.

Ethari looked up from beneath his downcast brows, curious but not hopeful. “I suppose so,” he allowed uncertainly.

Runaan nodded decisively. “Then I’ll do the kissing, when it’s appropriate. You were right: they will expect it from time to time. Does this meet with your satisfaction?”

Ethari stared at him for a long moment and sighed dully. “I’ll take it.“

Runaan’s brows drew together. He’d expected Ethari to be delighted, grateful, that Runaan had considered his feelings and made allowances. Wasn’t that how these negotiations were supposed to work? Moon help me, I may just be making this worse... is it too late to take it all back and just let him kiss me again? That was... hnnngh...

Runaan opened his mouth to admit he was wrong, but Ethari spoke first.

“My heart for Xadia.” The craftsman offered his hand again, hesitantly.

Runaan studied that open palm again. Holding hands. A decent compromise in itself. He took it softly and nodded.

Together, hand in hand and worlds apart, the betrothed elves made their way through the mists to the Council House. For Xadia.

[raevenlywrites]

The Ties That Bind 19 of ???

I couldn’t sleep this night, and there was little point in trying. So I stayed among my people, hoping my presence would reassure them where my words might have failed. I had never been more grateful for my people’s habit of holding our emotions close; it kept my fury with my mother’s milquetoast words at a manageable distance.

She was better than this. I’d heard her give inspiring speeches all my life, words that inspired hope where it was waning, fervor where it was lost. I could only view tonight as an act of sabotage, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. What would she have to gain from undermining me, and the peace I was trying to build? Was it not what we all were working towards?

On the one hand, I wanted very much to speak with her, to demand an explanation. But on the other... well, I had sort of given up. From the moment the Disa suggested marriage, my mother had been shut down. There was more at work here than the surface negotiations of peace. My mother seemed deeply disturbed at the notion of my life deviating from her plan for it--and that was just too bad. It was my life, my reign, my people. Her ways and her mother’s ways and her mother’s mother’s ways had not led to any resolution. I was willing to try something new.

But I was never alone with my thoughts for too very long. It was rare for the Shardae to mingle nowdays outside of festivals and holy days, so many were eager for my attention. Many offered wishes for my continued good health, simple excuses to engage and be near. More than I wished expressed their condolences for our “wasted trip” out to the Mistari, which I politely redirected back towards the news of Irene’s expectancy. Those that topic did not turn away expressed interest in my singing in the birth, and did that mean that I would be returned to my work with the midwives, now that I would no longer be needed on the battlefields? It was an excellent question, and one I hadn’t considered, but found that my answer was an eager yes. It did much to buoy my spirits to think my family gifts returned to acts of growth rather than simply easing the pain of loss. Perhaps even my mother--

I didn’t care to think on my mother overly much this night.

So I stayed among my people until well after moonset, making note of those faces that stayed, those that seemed cautiously hopeful, and those who’s distrust and disdain I’d had to redirect. There weren’t many who lived directly in and around the Keep; I knew most by family name at least, from the Lyssia tailors to the jewelers who ran the Aurita, to the Silvermead blacksmiths and soldiers.

One I did know by first name, Jeanne Kejamarl, approached me much later in the evening. I remembered her from our shared school days, when I was still learning to shape my letters and reading only the simple sentences chalked on the board. The children of the Keep were all raised and educated together, because there were so few. So while I had little cause to interact with the Kejamarl tanneries directly, I knew Jeanne by name, though I wouldn’t call her a friend now, the way I did Elanor. Which I only considered because of how utterly forward her question was.

“Forgive my asking, Shardae, but why wasn’t Captain Andreios by your side this evening?”

I blinked, long and slow and foolish. My brain felt like thick mud, unwilling to allow my thoughts to rotate and pivot this conversation change with any speed.

“I know it’s not my place to question, but if you’re not going to announce him your alastair....”

Jeanne’s cheeks colored, and I realized with shock and horror the direction this conversation was headed, too late to head it off. She was interested in Rei, and I had dragged my feet so long that others were wondering if they might court him.

It wasn’t entirely uncommon for young adults to pursue one another. Yes, alastairs were often chosen for children in their infancy, but tragically all too often, those alastairs and pairbonds did not live to see adulthood. And while it was traditional for men to take the role of alastair--chivalrous protectors--it wasn’t unheard of for a would be pairbond to express her interest in being pursued. And Rei was handsome, and highly ranked, and courteous and thoughtful and dependable--

The thought of his lips against mine came surging back, filling my own cheeks with heat. Luckily, Jeanne misinterpreted my reaction for embarrassment at the topic--or maybe not so much a misinterpretation--and quickly backed off.

“I’m so sorry, m’lady, I shouldn’t have asked.” She ducked her head, chin all but tucked to her chest as she tried to make herself small. “It’s just after all the rumors of the Arami’s proposal, and with Rei’s absence--“

“He didn’t propose!”

I snapped a too rapid answer in a furious whisper, too caught up in my own snarl of emotions to keep my usual decorum.

“I don’t know who started that stupid rumor but I would really appreciate it if people stopped speculating about my private life!”

Jeanne looked up, horror warring with curiosity. It was utterly unlike me to be so emotional--and if she was a lover of gossip, this was too good to miss. I cursed inwardly and did my best to regain my composure.

“Jeanne, please. It has been an excruciatingly long day, week, all of it, and I am tired of my love life being the topic of so much discussion. It’s unseemly, don’t you think?”

“Yes, m’lady, of course. I shouldn’t--“ “No, you shouldn’t. And I would ask you please to keep others from discussing it as well? I have enough to deal with right now.” I sighed, hoping to use the show of emotion to my advantage. “I hope to start my own family under the light of peace, not in the shadow of my brother’s funeral.”

“Yes, m’lady. Gods above, yes of course. I’m so sorry.”

I reached out, laying the lightest touch on her arm. “Please. I don’t need your apologies, just your consideration. You knew me when I still couldn’t form my S’s front ways.” She smiled at the shared memory, and how ridiculous it was that I couldn’t write out “Shardae”. “Please give me the room to be just Danica where I can. There are so many places where that won’t be possible.”

“Of course, my--Danica.”

I smiled, trying to positively reinforce the behavior. My mother had become distant from our people, and by extension, me. So many of them had expressed a desire to see us out and among them again. If I could befriend my people again, help them see this shift as a positive one, become their darling, golden young queen, perhaps it could help me regain the power our family had lost to the generals. I could sell them an idealistic young family, a vision of the future that was shiny and bright.

Maybe, if I sold it hard enough, I might believe it myself.

“Rei is back with the serpiente, helping keep the Arami safe.” Jeanne’s eyes widen, and I nod, leaning closer as if in confidence. “There’s no one else I would trust with so high a priority. Here among my people, I could not possibly be safer. But I worry for Zane--as my mother said, this is an extremely brave thing for him to be doing. I hope my people will greet him with courtesy and dignity, but I am too pragmatic to trust his safety to anyone less than Rei.”

There. Maybe using his nickname twice will drive the point home. Of course, a part of me whispers that if I just declare my intentions on him here and now that would end all of it. I have no reason not to. Everyone assumes I’m as good as his pairbond. But for some reason I don’t--probably because I worry the story will grow in the telling, much like my “proposal” from Arami Zane. No, when I’m ready for word to spread, it will be through an official announcement, not from wildfire gossip from an old schoolmate. I release her arm and take a step back, letting some of my weariness show on my face.

“Now I think its time I take my leave. We all have a big day tomorrow. I should try to sleep while I can.”

I take another step back and melt into my golden hawk’s form, trusting whoever is on my most personal guard duty to peel off and follow as they always do. Only I don’t fly up to my balcony on the far side of the Keep. Instead, I turn my flight towards the east, and the waiting encampment of serpiente. - I am not so foolish as to have not considered this to be a potential invasion. I have let a score of serpiente warriors within an hour’s flight of the heart of my kingdom. But as I have said, more times than I care to, I refuse to behave as if Zane will betray me. It will either happen or it won’t. If a cobra is destined to slay a hawk again, then I have made peace with it being me. Our people began with one golden queen, if they are to end with simply one, then Fate will have her way no matter what we design. And honestly, they could do worse with a conquering monarch than Zane Cobriana. From what I have seen, he is fair, just, considerate, and generally in favor of art, self-expression, the well-being of his people--

I bank and circle back, realizing  my mental wandering has allowed my wings to wander as well. I am too tired to think, but thinking is all I seem to be able to do. I want to see Rei, to wrap myself in the warmth and comfort of his arms to maybe try another few kisses, softer and gentler this time, to reassure myself that my life has not turned completely upside down. Instead I am circling around the encampment, having flown right over it while thinking of Zane Cobriana’s qualities as a king.

I realize as I circle in to land that partially my mistake was due to the sheer size of the gathering. I don’t know what my distracted mind must have made of the numerous campfires now dotting the fields, a small village perhaps, but it is certainly too many for the two score of soldiers or so that should be out here. This gathering is nearly twice that, centered around a ring of figures--

Dancing.

Zane and Adelina are dancing, with six other serpents besides. They weave in and out of each others’ steps, intricate rings within rings, scales flashing in every color of the rainbow.

Serpiente warriors can grow a scaled demi form, much like the large, angelic wings we avians sprout. While ours are used to give us an aerial advantage in battle, theirs provides a natural amrour that only the keenest arrow can pierce. And much like our wings can be used as an expression of beauty, an elegant backdrop to fine garments and jewelry, so are the serpiente before us using their scales now. Lines of color sparkle like living veins of gemstones, from the iridescent white of Adelina’s viper, to rich reds and greens of dancers I do not know, to the shimmering obsidian of Zane’s cobra.

They are a perfect complement to each other, his dark hair and scales reflecting red in the firelight, hers glinting gold like a low harvest moon. They sway and swirl, moving around each other and through their fellow dancers as if bound by an invisible chord. It is heartbreakingly beautiful, and I understand why every one of my subjects simply stands and stares. It is like nothing any of us have ever seen before, except maybe the soldiers.

I remember the ready pose Zane and Adelina fall into so easily, and thinking how perfectly it would transition to either dance or combat. I am mesmerized by the dance; I can only imagine how impossible they might seem to fight. I am struck with the sudden realizaiton that our survival til now seems nothing short of miraculous. Without the falcon’s am haj to allow us to fight with such lethality from the skies--

I want nothing more to do with this line of thought, so I land, picking a spot far enough away from the dancing serpents so as not to startle anyone. The avians in the crowd all know the silhouette of my hawk’s form, but it is late, and I am trying to be discrete. Still, several soldiers peel away, bowing swiftly as they make a report.

“No trouble yet, your majesty. As you suggested, the serpiente are well able to sense intent. None were allowed past the outer perimeter that were anything other than curious.” Curious. I should have thought of that. Raymond steps up at my side, and I realize he was one of the ravens flanking me. “Erica flew in during your mother’s speech, m’lady, with a message from Zane and Andreios. Neither one of them say any harm in letting a few come and see, but--well, I wished they’d said it was more than just a few. I never would have fielded such a decision for you if I’d thought--“

“It’s alright,” I say, holding up a hand. “If Zane allowed it, and Andreios cleared it, then I trust their judgement. I didn’t even think folks would venture out, so they’re steps ahead of me.” I gave Raymond a tired smile. “In all things security, I don’t mind letting Rei make decisions. It’s matters of battle and war I wish to be consulted on. Allowing a few--okay, more than a few--curious folk out to meet our guests...”

I trailed off, feeling sick at the idea of how poorly this could have gone. We were treading the most precarious line, and I’d barely thought any of it out. And Zane had simply come, trusting.

I should have worked something else out. I never should have asked him to come here--

“Dani.”

Rei was suddenly before me, undoubtedly alerted to my presence here. Too tired to care anymore who saw or what they thought, I let myself fall into his arms. This was all I’d been seeking. I hadn’t meant to stumble onto more trouble, more problems--I just wanted to be held, and get some sleep.

“Do you have a tent sent up?” I asked, trying at least to keep my voice between just the pair of us.

“For you? No, but we can--“

I shook my head. “Yours is fine. I’m exhausted, we’re in the field. There’s no where safer for my than by your side, right?”

Rei sighed, but I could see him caving in. “I mean, ostensibly you were safer back at the Keep, but yes.” He tucked his arm over my shoulder, with all the familiarity of an alastair in private. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

The Ties That Bind Tag list: @thehellinsideyourhead @therecouldbecolorsandlove @adventuresofacreesty @writing-with-melon @rainydaydarling @faithfire

Raev’s Gen Tag List (should I tag you guys in this? It IS a thing I wrote. I’m gonna say yes unless you guys are like “no of course not we’re sick of hearing about your stupid fic for a twenty year old book XD)

No one has complained yet so yall gonna keep getting tagged :P

List is currently: @lordkingsmith @writinglyra @drbibliophile @mperialscribe @adie-dee @lexiklecksi @theramwrites @writinginslowmotion @raenawrites @apollon-arium @anika-writes @faithfire @thehellinsideyourhead @adventuresofacreesty

[starbuckie]

𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲

challenge: 1k celebration by @marvelgirl7

pairing: mobster!bucky barnes x reader

words: 1,460 words

warnings: sadness, angst, some mentions of violence, i think there’s like one sexual innuendo, and a little baby bit of fluff

summary: bucky comes back for his girl, and they leave together.

a/n: this is for @marvelgirl7‘s 1k celebration! congratulations on 1,000, darling! this is a one shot for @southernbell91, and it’s a continuation of their amazing mobster!bucky one shot, which you can find here. i also made a little banner for it, and it was so, so much fun. as always, thank you to my beta @transparentfestivaltiger​, and i hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as i enjoyed writing it! love you<3

main masterlist || sebastian stan characters masterlist

“Hello, doll, you miss me?” His voice rang in your ears. You thought you’d never hear it again after you ran away three months before, but it seemed that you never could escape it. Whether that was a good thing or not, you didn’t know. 

Tears filled your eyes, and you turned around to face James Buchanan Barnes. God, he looked tired, but still every ounce as handsome as the day you had left him. Deep bags surrounded his eyes, and he had grown out a beard at this point, but the steely blue eyes you had loved your whole life were still there. You could see the wet marks tracing his face left by the tears that had fallen, and you knew that he was as relieved as you were seeing each other again. “Hi, James.” You sniffled out. 

In moments, the tall man had dropped to his knees in front of you and buried his head in your stomach. His muscular arms wrapped around your waist and you ran your hands through his now long hair. His sobs and your sniffles rang out in harmony around the small apartment, and though you had the love of your life wrapped around you right now, you could only stare at the door ahead of you, which still hung wide open. While, yes, you were ecstatic to see Bucky, you had no clue as to how he found you or why he was there. Perhaps your father and Tony Stark used his high tech security to search for you, and they wanted you back so they could kill you, which scared you to the bone. It was no secret that mob bosses were harsh, but after witnessing your father shoot a man through the head at your own dining room table when you were six, upsetting any of them was your greatest fear. 

You had been promised to marry Bucky before being traded to the Stark family, as after their marriage with the Potts family, the Rogers family got bumped down to the fourth wealthiest in the city. Once you had found out that you were the peace treaty, you fled quickly and without a word, leading you to this shitty Montana apartment. 

“Buck, why are you here? Who sent you?” His arms dropped to his sides and you took a step back. As much as you wanted to stay in his arms, you knew that it was potentially dangerous, as he and his family were still good allies with your father. 

“No one sent me, Y/N. The trade is over.” He smiled briefly at it, tears still leaking from his eyes. You gasped. It was over?

“What did you guys negotiate?” You were curious, They hadn’t even told you about your own trade, yet here Bucky stood, telling you that all four families had come to an agreement.

“Well, our best boy Stevie has himself a wife now.” Your eyes widened as Bucky chuckled. “Yeah, he and one of Tony’s associates, Peggy Carter, got married, so now the Rogers and Starks are in cahoots. Tony and Pepper agreed to back out on your trade.” He grabbed your hands and pulled you into his chest. His hands desperately pushed into your back, trying to bring you as close as possible, until you grinned, feeling something by your legs. 

“Is that a gun in your pants, Barnes, or are you just happy to see me?” You giggled lightly, and he just rolled his eyes, but was secretly happy that he could get your smiling again. 

“That’s a gun, sweetheart,” he smirked and pulled the gun from his belt, making your eyes widen immensely. “So, now that you aren’t being forced into the Stark family, what do you say? Will you come back home with me?”

His smile, the one you loved so much, was so hopeful, but you were upset that you were the one to make it falter. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again. “Y/N? You can’t be seriously thinking about staying here.”

Tears filled your eyes again as you met his blue eyed gaze. “I can’t go back, Buck. You saw how easy it was for my dad to get rid of me, and for what? So his friends and allies could stay rich? So his reputation wouldn’t be ruined? Bucky, to my father, I’m not a real person. I’m an object, a pawn, that he uses to gamble and play with. As long as I stay in the business, in the family, I’ll never truly be able to live out my own life. Sure, I was promised to you, but these past three months made me think a lot about the past twenty nine years of my life, and I’ve realized that I have never once made a decision for myself. I need an out, Bucky, and this is it!”

Taking a deep breath, he voiced his concerns once again. “Y/N, you realize how dangerous this is right? If you walk out now, there’s absolutely no coming back. Hell, your dad might come looking for you again! He’s almost got you right now, doll. He hit me a few times trying to get information on your location, but I didn’t know where you were until T’Chaka’s kid, Shuri, came by after hearing about your escape. One of her drones got footage of you outside a McDonald’s, and I found you from there. It’s not safe to leave forever. You’ve seen what our parents do, and they won’t hesitate to blow our heads off. If we go back now you can still have forgiveness, you can still-“

“No, Bucky! I’m not looking for forgiveness, and I’m way goddamn past asking for permission. All my life, I have wanted out, and if this is one chance I get, then I'm damn well taking it.” You tasted the salt from your tears as you sobbed your next words. “I’m leaving as soon as you make up your mind on whether you’re leaving with me or not. I won’t judge you if you go back, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to leave it all behind.”

The money. The power. The endless girls that would throw themselves at them, but through it all, he only wanted you. You, Steve, and him had grown up rough, all of your fathers being mob bosses and deals being made about your futures to ensure the security of the wealth that came from your families, but Bucky had never wanted that. Falling in love with you was the one of the only choices he had ever made by his lonesome, and he would follow you to the ends of the world. 

“Where are we going, doll?” His eyes glittered, and his signature lopsided smirk stuck on his face. As you stared up at him, he grinned even wider. “I heard that California is real pretty during the fall, and I’ve always wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Grabbing your packed duffle bag from the table in front of the moldy couch, you laughed with glee. You were going to spend the rest of your life with the man you loved, freely, and doing whatever you wanted. No pressure, no rules, no parents, no more mob. Just you, Bucky, and the rest of the world to explore.

You threw the keys to the apartment on the table, and walked out with Bucky. “We’re gonna need new ID’s, Buck. Our parents will try to track us down for the rest of their lives, we’re now traitors to the mob bosses of Brooklyn.” The thought made you high on adrenaline. 

“I already have some.” Walking down the empty street, you stared up at him with a confused look on your face. “I have many, many, friends, sweetheart, both in high and low places. We’ll need to get you some as well, but for now, it’s time for Ricardio Montalbaum to take a Californian trip with his fiancée.”

He flashed you one of his ID’s, and sure enough, it said Ricardio Montalbaum. Giggling, you took a long sigh and rested your head on his shoulder. The sky was getting darker now, almost night time, and the sunset was a blur of colors in the distance. People scurried around, and for once, it was nice to not have people cowering in fear. It was just Bucky and Y/N, a nice young couple taking a stroll down the streets of Montana. 

“Well, Ricardio, we better get some sunscreen then, because if I burn, I will not hesitate to beat your ass.” He smiled and pecked you on the lips quickly.

“That’s fine with me, doll, as long as I get to spend forever with you.” 

[rpgsandbox]

In 2014, Magpie Games launched a Kickstarter for Urban Shadows, an ENnie award-winning tabletop roleplaying game of political urban fantasy that quickly became one of our flagship titles. For years, fans have praised both the game’s effortless explanation of the Powered by the Apocalypse engine and the groundbreaking content on race and urban communities, leading Urban Shadows to be a favorite of urban fantasy gamers, podcasters, and streamers alike.

Now—more than six years later—we are returning to the dark streets of the city for Urban Shadows: Second Edition, updating the game’s rules, look, and tools to better support moving stories of political urban fantasy. Featuring new playbooks, new faction mechanics, and completely revised materials from first edition, Urban Shadows 2E will thrust you into the danger and drama of the city like never before!

                      Download the Urban Shadows Quickstart here

Urban Shadows is a political urban fantasy tabletop roleplaying game in which mortals and supernaturals alike vie for power in a modern-day city. Vampires, faeries, hunters, wizards, and more clash in the shadows...or make backroom deals for their piece of the streets and skyscrapers. No one is ever safe, and everything is always at stake.

In Urban Shadows, you play unique and powerful archetypes, protagonists who are attuned to the supernatural world. While the mortal world remains ignorant of the struggles of the city’s supernatural denizens, you are caught in the middle of the physical conflicts and political drama of the city’s past, present, and future.

You might be a spectre bound to an artifact, unable to move on until you’ve resolved your trauma. Or you might be a clever vampire who controls the best blood supply in the city, caught up in a war between your kind and those who hunt you. Or you might be a veteran of your city’s ancient conflicts, someone who got out of the game but keeps getting drawn back in by friends and allies.

No matter who you are, you contain within you the power to shape the city’s destiny. What future will you choose? And what will your victories cost you?

Urban Shadows is based on the Powered by the Apocalypse system used by tabletop RPGs like Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, and many of Magpie Games’s own titles such as Masks: A New Generation, Root: The RPG, and Zombie World. The game uses the core framework of that system to provide a strong, simple way to create your own stories of political urban fantasy. You’ll create a character using one of several archetypes, and then you’ll take action, rolling two six-sided dice to resolve the outcomes of dangerous and difficult situations.

Urban Shadows creates stories like those you’d find in Constantine, Diableros, The Dresden Files, The John Wick franchise, The Last Witchhunter, Lost Girl, and The Wire.

In Urban Shadows, the city is a living, breathing character all its own. It hides dark desires, wicked deeds, and devious schemes, its shadowy tendrils a danger to mortals and supernaturals alike. Some residents have sacred sanctums or secure workshops—places to weather the storms of the city—but a sprawling metropolis lies just outside those little nooks, caring little if you prosper…or bleed out in the gutters.

But nobody faces the city alone. Even the humblest of imps has a small community, a circle of those who can offer solace in the face of problems and danger. But community is a double-edged sword—demanding as much as it gives—and the needs and desires of those same circles constantly shape and reshape the vibrant urban landscape of the city. Nothing lasts forever, but the city turns over nearly every night, different forces laying different claims to you and yours.

The city hungers. Will you sate its gnawing desires? Or will your enemies make you the feast?

The schemes and plots of supernatural beings have been a part of the city for as long as anyone can remember. The faces at the top may shift and change with the tides of fortune, but rarely does something occur in the mortal world without some push from those who lurk in the shadows. A new subway system? A contested election? A bank robbery? Nothing is what it seems.

But what is mere money or prestige to wizards, ghosts, and faeries? Who cares about cash or elections when trafficking in human souls or exploring other dimensions? The supernatural forces of the city—and the mortals who deal with them—know only one real currency: debt.

Debt is the power to influence those who owe you, the chits you call in to get things done, the ties that bind you to the rest of the city, and the proof that your word is strong and your bonds unbreakable. There are few true friends in the city, but your debtors always want to see you survive—you can’t pay up if you’re dead.

But there are other ways to triumph in the city beyond the economy of favors and patronage. Cruel rituals. Dark secrets. The temptations of the monster within you. Those who seek power at any cost will find no end to the magics and mysteries available for the merest price of a soul.

The streets bleed shadows—your debtors always around the corner—as the city threatens to swallow you whole. Will you die a hero… or live long enough to become the villain? Will you fight the darkness…or beg for power? The choice is yours.

Over the past five years, Magpie Games has developed and created multiple games that broke boundaries and redefined what PbtA can do. Now, we think it’s time to apply the lessons we’ve learned to Urban Shadows, making a game that’s tighter and easier to run, but also filled with new ideas and improvements, including new tools for players and GMs. We’re also excited to create a beautiful new book with visionary art and fantastic graphic design. In short… we’re making Urban Shadows 2E because we’re thrilled to revisit and refine our work!

Here’s a quick list of the major changes, many of which are already available in the quickstart:

revised basic moves, including new versions of turn to violence and let it out

revised playbooks, including rebuilt versions of The Hunter and The Oracle

two brand new playbooks: The Sworn (Power) and The Imp (Wild)

changing Factions to Circles—see below—and adding Circle Status to represent standing

a new downtime phase of the game focused on player-facing city moves and rumors

replacing Storms with a new MC-facing faction turn, including new faction moves

expanded MC tools for generating your city and Circles at the start of play

We’re also adding a new mechanic to bring PCs into contact more often with each other: City Hubs. Cities are enormous spaces, and we found (in US1E) player characters could sometimes retreat to their different corners of the cityscape, interacting only with their own worlds and not with each other. With City Hubs, we want to create smaller, expandable environments to focus play and create drama. These Hubs—described below—position characters in neighborhoods, institutions, and community spaces in which they interact more frequently and avoid sessions in which PCs rarely come into contact and conflict.

Download the quickstart for a chance to test out some of these new features! We’ll be previewing more of them during the campaign, and we’re excited to get your feedback and refine Urban Shadows even more. Thank you to everyone who has given us feedback on 1st Edition since 2015!

In Urban Shadows, your characters juggle relationships and obligations, seeking allies and opportunities, cashing in debts along the way to get things done. When you seize the day, you reshape the city in your image and unleash your powers on those who stand against you; when your enemies move and hunt, you do your best to stay ahead of the oncoming storm.

Urban Shadows uses the Powered by the Apocalypse framework to resolve interesting moments of uncertainty through moves, bits of mechanics that say: “When you do [x], [y] happens.” Each move trigger—the “When you do [x]” part—is designed to help point at moments of uncertainty, when neither the players nor the GM know exactly what happens next. Some examples of such moments include:

When you throw a punch at a loudmouthed werewolf in a demonic club

When you plead with the wizard’s council to return a tome of magic stolen from you

When you try to escape the evil ritual you stumbled onto in the city’s sewers

When you ask one of your companions to forgive the debt your fae lover owes them

When you trigger a move—when you perform the action described in the move’s trigger—then the rest of the move kicks into effect, often requiring a die roll. You roll 2d6 (two six-sided dice) and add in one of your stats to find out what happens.

Every playbook has four stats:

Blood is the measure of your fight or flight instincts. It tells us how tough, dangerous, coiled, and quick to act your character is in a perilous situation.

Heart is the sum of your passion, charm, and charisma. It tells us how proficient your character is at getting what they want through negotiation and persuasion.

Mind is a reflection of your critical thinking and analysis. It tells us how perceptive your character can be and how good they are at manipulating others through deceit.

Spirit is a gauge of your connection to the “other” and your force of will. It tells us how focused your character is under pressure and what kind of power they can unleash.

Each stat is ranked from -3 to +3. You add your stat to some rolls when you trigger certain moves. For example, when you turn to violence, you roll 2d6 + Blood.

On most moves, if you get a 10 or higher (10+), things go your way! If you get a 7-9, you get what you were after, but usually with some cost or complication. If you get a 6 or lower, that’s called a miss, and the GM gets to tell you what happens next as things spiral out of control.

Urban Shadows has basic moves for all the usual conflicts in urban fantasy—fighting, lying, escaping, magic, and more—along with special moves for managing debts and your relationships with communities at large.  

The city is a fierce cesspool of politics and corruption, but there are clear connections and boundaries between like-minded residents, spheres of influence that make up the scope of politics within the city. Most call these divisions Circles, loose political groupings that illustrate the differing affiliations and loyalties in the world, each one a community with its own internal politics and dramas. The Circles are:

In addition to the main stats, each character also has ratings (from -3 to +3) for their Circles, measures of how well the character understands each specific community. A character with a high rating in a Circle has contacts and connections within it, and can easily interpret its political information; a character with a low rating in a Circle doesn’t understand how that Circle works or who the power players are within that community.

Circles aren’t organizations or formal alliances; they are more like broad communities or subcultures. The disagreement between two members of the same Circle may be as—or more—intense than any conflict between two differing spheres. A werewolf and a vampire both hail from Night, but that doesn’t mean they get along. It only means they understand each other...and the violence inherent in the language of their streets.

Yet there are factions within each Circle capable of acting in unison, alliances who can shape the city’s future—werewolf packs, witch covens, faerie courts, and more. In Urban Shadows: Second Edition, we’re giving GMs new tools to support those factions in a “faction turn” between sessions. We’re also giving players new tools to get stuff done in downtime, acting on the rumors they heard about what the factions have done in the past week or two of offscreen activity, all fueling the drama of the city and the power players have to shape the setting.

Urban Shadows uses archetypes (The Wolf, The Wizard, The Oracle, etc.) to help players create characters quickly and easily. These archetypes are only ever a starting point; you can always bring in different myths, legends, and ideas to make your character entirely your own.

Characters often acquire abilities and powers from other archetypes and may even change archetypes over the course of play. As your character advances, you may also find reasons to retire to safety, securing that character’s place in the city as you create a new character to continue your group's story.  

Absolute power...corrupts absolutely. Urban Shadows features a dynamic corruption mechanic, tracking your character's descent into darkness. When you take a life, give in to your monstrous nature, or cross a line you shouldn't cross, you mark corruption. As you gain corruption, you unlock new and potent powers, allowing your character to get what they want—at the cost of further corruption. The dark side of your nature bears productive fruit.

Power is never free, though. Cross the line too often and you lose your character to the darkness, handing them over to the GM for them to play as a threat. Corruption is a downward spiral threatening to push you over the edge, and not everyone is cut out to make it back from the brink. As your character gains new abilities fueled by the growing darkness within, you face a difficult choice: will you give up what you've gained to save yourself?

Corruption also encourages you to play to your archetype. Each archetype contains unique boundaries and taboos that define when you mark corruption. Life is always sacred, but werewolves, mages, and faeries all face unique temptations while stalking the city's streets.

Cities are giant, complex networks of interconnected communities caught in an almost constant state of change. In order to focus your characters’ conflicts and provide reasons for the players to consistently play together across those spaces, Urban Shadows 2E uses City Hubs—dynamic sections of urban life that frame the story you’re telling together without cutting you off from the rest of the city’s potential.

A City Hub isn’t just a physical district or area of your city. Instead, each Hub is a collection of institutions, relationships, and anchors—important NPCs—that create a background for the action in your story. Even better, Hubs can be added over the length of a campaign, expanding the city with new locations, conflicts, and NPCs as your story progresses.

Urban Shadows 2E features four City Hubs, each dominated by one of the four Circles:

City Hall (Mortalis)

Downtown (Night)

The University (Power)

The Arts District (Wild)

Perhaps your Tainted is a student at the local university, the same campus that lies within the Wolf’s territory...and the same institution at which the Wizard recently started working as a professor. Or maybe your Oracle has an occult bookstore downtown in the same office building in which the Sworn is regularly summoned to meet with the wizard’s council, just down the street from the family restaurant in which the Aware still waits tables.

Hubs are also a flexible tool for structuring your campaign as a whole. You can use two different Hubs set in the same city for different campaigns, you can grab elements from any Hub to use as inspiration for your campaign, or you can expand your campaign to include new Hubs as your city grows. We’ll release new Hubs through this campaign as stretch goals and as digital supplements after the Kickstarter.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Thu, November 19 2020 9:00 PM UTC +00:00

Website: [Magpie Games] [facebook] [twitter]

[princeindisguise]

The Heirs of Auradon: Chapter 2

It took Nefaria a moment to realize that the young man was prince Beau. Everything about him was sleek and shining – his hair, his clothes, his skin. He was dressed in a golden cloak and had a crown on his head. He was wholesome, handsome, smiling with empty eyes. Nothing like the shy, hunched young beast she had met four years ago.

He looked a lot more foreign to her like this.

This story is inspired partly by Disney’s Descendants movies, but most of the names, ideas, clever details, and so on comes from Droo216 and his incredible Descendants AU.

Here’s the second chapter. (And here’s the prologue and the first chapter!)

Chapter 2

That spoiled, self-righteous little prince, Nefaria thought. I should have taken his stupid rose petals.

Her horns and her senses were sharp, and she was ready to go to Auradon. Silently in her head she had been plotting constantly, ever since she first heard that they were going. She had watched the people of Auradon for years. They weren’t hard to grasp. She wasn’t as worried as Vladimir – they loved to forgive in Auradon. They loved feeling noble and merciful. Tricking the inhabitants wouldn’t be a problem.

But tricking Beau would. He was the only one there who had met her before. Nefaria had been too young to understand she couldn’t show her real self to him. And now he knew too much about her.

Nefaria felt more at ease when she thought about what her mother had said.

There’s always another plan: Do as much damage as you possibly can.

Of course, her mother was right. That was one of the first things Nefaria learned about the world. Building is the hard part. Destruction always finds a way.

At first, her mother had just told Nefaria, Rizal, Angelika, and Vladimir they were going to school in Auradon. It wasn’t until Nefaria had read the letter herself that she was informed about a “possible summit”, where ambassadors from all ten kingdoms would come together and negotiate the future of the Isle of the Lost. If the summit came to be, Nefaria, Rizal, Vladimir, and Angelika should be ready to play the part of the ambassadors from the isle. Until the summit potentially started, and if it did, while the negotiations were going on, they were supposed to study at the finest school in Rosencourt. There, they would educate themselves on topics of their choice, to be able to put their thoughts into words during the summit, bring forth their own arguments. That’s what the letter said.

Nefaria saw why her mother hadn’t mentioned it – it wasn’t important. It was nothing but empty words. Obviously, heirs from all the kingdoms of Auradon wouldn’t drop everything to come together just to make the lives of the inhabitants of the isle better. They didn’t care. They would come up with some excuse not to have one, and eventually, they would send Nefaria and her friends back to the isle. If they didn’t take matter into their own hands, that was…

If the Auradons wanted peace, they could forget it. In this story, the villains would win. They would take what they wanted, and they would take it the only way they could – not by following the rules, but by breaking them.

But her mother’s plan had seemed underwhelming to Nefaria. Nefaria had always been convinced their parents had a plan. That they had plotted for the last twenty years about how to get out of the Isle of the Lost, so that when the opportunity finally came, they would be ready. Maleficent, Jafar, Grimhilde, and Cruella had private meetings at least once a month. They had to have talked about escaping. A lot.

Maybe they’d never thought about an opportunity as good as this one.

When Nefaria thought about herself and her three closest friends, she realized something. Maybe their parents wanted to test them. Why would they give them more specific instructions? Why would they think they needed them? Nefaria had been able to transform into a dragon since the age of seven – for ten years – and she had flown over to Auradon regularly ever since. Angelika was a magical prodigy. Vladimir was almost as accomplished in making business as his mother, even though he was only seventeen. Rizal was brave, or foolish, enough to do just about anything.

They all had their strengths, and they were powerful. There were ways. They just had to be sly.

Especially if the Auradons were so stupid, they let them come there regardless of the risks.

She stopped herself. It wasn’t “the Auradons” who had decided that she and her friends came there.

It was Beau.

She had thought about their meeting many times, but somehow, she had never really thought about the last things he had said to her.

“When can we meet again?”

Impossible.

He couldn’t possibly be risking the safety of his entire kingdom just to be able to see her again.

Could he?

Of course he could.

Realizing this made her angry. She had always wanted herself and her friends out of the Isle of the Lost, but not like this. Not with his help.

  A brown carriage was carrying Nefaria, Angelika, Rizal, and Vladimir to Auradon. The journey went underwater, the walls strengthened with magic, the carriage pulled by brook horses, and steered by a coachwoman with gills. Angelika, Rizal, and Vladimir had never seen anything but the isle before, and Nefaria had never been under water. None of them could stop looking at the windows. Everything seemed tinted a greenish blue – the sunlight reached all the way to the sea floor – and the seaweed moved slowly, as if from a gentle breeze. They even saw some merfolk, who stopped to look at them and even giving them a smile, waving, unaware of who they were.

All of it reminded Nefaria of Tallulah. The two of them had used to say they fit so well together, complemented each other; fire and water, merfolk and fairy. Under the sea, up in the air – none of them were bound to stay on the ground. Or inside the barrier, for that matter. They could both get through it whenever they wanted.

It had been over a year since they’d last seen each other. Nefaria wondered where Tallulah could be. Probably out on the ocean somewhere, with a ship of her own. If Nefaria knew Tallulah well – and she knew she did – Tallulah wasn’t sailing around without direction. When Tallulah had told Nefaria she wanted them to leave the isle together, she’d had a plan. A plan for where she was going and why. She just never told Nefaria about it.

When Nefaria said she couldn’t come with, Tallulah had given her one last kiss, and left on her own.

The carriage went up a slope, that led them out of the water and onto the docks of Auradon. They hardly had time to look around before being guided into another carriage. To her three friends, Nefaria thought, the steps from the first carriage to the second one could have been nothing but a jumble of light and colors that they didn’t have time to take in.

The last carriage had been brown and plain, but the next one was made of gold and covered in ornaments. It was pulled by regular horses, white and unnaturally clean, and the coachman was human. Thick curtains covered the windows.

They were on land now, officially in Auradon. If they spoke low, they could be completely sure the coachman wouldn’t hear them.

”Now,” Nefaria said, lowering her voice, leaning forwards, closer to the others, “we plot.”

“No, we don’t,” Vladimir hissed, looking around the wagon, his eyes saying: We don’t know who might be listening.

“No one can hear us,” Nefaria whispered tiredly. “We’re in Auradon now. No magic is allowed here, as you might remember. If there had been any sort of magic near us, I would have felt it.”

Vladimir rolled his eyes.

“Whatever you say,” he said, leaning back against the cushions, blatantly ironic. “You’re in charge.”

Nefaria ignored him.

“This is our one chance to prove ourselves to our parents,” she said, turning to Rizal and Angelika. “Why do you think they gave us such vague instructions? We’re not little children anymore. We’re almost adults. We should be able to come up with something on our own.”

“So what is your big plan?” Vladimir said, and Nefaria looked at him again.

“To begin with,” she said, “we’re going to use that limp of yours.”

First, Vladimir looked like he was about to get angry. With controlled irritation, Angelika said:

“So that’s why you didn’t want me to heal that really nasty wound your mother gave him?”

Nefaria nodded. Vladimir nodded, too, snickering.

“I thought you were just in bad mood,” he said.

Nefaria frowned. “I’m not in a bad mood.”

“Yes, you are,” Rizal said. “You have been ever since you heard we were going here.”

“I have not. I’ve just been thinking a lot.” She didn’t like this, this sudden, intense need to defend herself.

So she changed the subject.

“The point is, they’ll like the vulnerability,” she said. “They’ll underestimate you, Vladimir. They won’t realize your best weapon is your brain.”

Vladimir’s facial expression softened a little.

“That does seem kind of reasonable, I guess,” he said.

“And the rest of us?” Rizal asked.

“We will use Angelika’s intelligence, and your bravery. Angelika will do extraordinarily well in school and make them think it’s thanks to them.” She turned from Angelika to Rizal. “We’ll find a scenario where Rizal can show his skills, maybe rescue one of the Auradons from some kind of dangerous situation.”

“What if we don’t find such a scenario?” Angelika asked.

“We’ll create one,” Nefaria replied, grinning. She hoped they wouldn’t find one. The second option was a lot more fun.

Vladimir scoffed. “And you? What will you contribute with?”

Hearing Vladimir saying that made her feel threatened in a way she wasn’t used to. On the isle, she was obviously the most powerful of the four, because she held the strongest magic in her. In Auradon, magic wasn’t allowed. Everyone who practiced magic must register and they were watched strictly. Her biggest strength – which she sometimes thought of as her sole strength – could only be used with extreme caution, if at all. She wondered if that thought had crossed Vladimir’s mind, or Angelika’s or Rizal’s, for that matter. Anger rose within her.

“I’m the one making the plans, as usual,” Nefaria said. “Since none of you seem to have one, as usual.”

As she spoke, she raised her hands and released her hair from the strict hairdo. Angelika looked at her in disbelief, unfolding her arms and gaping slightly.

“Why on earth did you do that? We spent two hours on your hair!”

“I know I’ve just wasted several hours of my life in order to look presentable to this pathetic boy king and his little royal friends,” Nefaria said. “But it doesn’t have to be that obvious.”

“Are you insane?” Angelika was almost yelling. Then she remembered the coachman and lowered her voice. “We are meant to play a part, remember? We’re supposed to trick them. We have to look the part. We have to look like we’re grateful to be here. Like we want to be here.”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not a very good actor,” Nefaria replied, throwing her head forwards and back again, setting her hair completely free.

“And don’t fling your horns around like that, unless you want to take someone’s eye out!” Rizal said, trying to sound angry.

“I’m hoping on it,” Nefaria replied, sounding so solemn, Rizal couldn’t help but laugh.

Letting out a groan, Angelika gave up. “You’re both hopeless.”

“At least we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Rizal said. “You should try it sometime. You might like it.”

“Maybe I will, but this is not the right time.” Angelika looked out the window, signaling that the conversation was over. For a moment, she looked like she could cry from frustration. The look on Vladimir’s face told them he agreed with her.

Nefaria almost felt bad, and she was worried, too. She could tell Angelika noticed she was acting strangely. They had all noticed.

You’ve been in a bad mood ever since you heard we were going here.

For some reason she hadn’t thought they knew her that well.

  When they stepped out of the darkness of the carriage, they were met with so much light and color, they could have stumbled backwards. Nefaria had never been to Auradon during midday before, and the other three had never been there at all.

Right in front of them was the Beast’s castle. Around them were crowds of people, countless faces staring at them. A crier presented them as they smiled uncomfortably. The only one who seemed to enjoy the spotlight was Vladimir, which came as no surprise to Nefaria.

Then, they started walking towards the gates of the castle.

“All the colors are so bright,” Vladimir whispered, making an effort to hardly move his lips at all. He was trying to sound irritated, but there was something resembling excitement in his voice as well. Leaning towards Rizal, squinting, subtly opening his coat wider, he continued: “They’re going to damage our eyesight.”

Rizal laughed discreetly. “Just as well. At least we won’t have to see all of this garbage.”

But she could tell they were fascinated. She was, too. Fascinated and equally disgusted. Angelika laid her fingers on Vladimir’s arm and whispered:

“It’s so warm, but without being sultry. It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Vladimir nodded, eyes forward, towards the gates at the end of the royal blue carpet, laid out in front of them like a trail to a new world.

None of the people facing them could hide their fear nor their interest. Nefaria was dressed in a long, white dress – her mother’s suggestion – and though she felt uncomfortable wearing anything that wasn’t black, she liked the feeling of being in disguise. Angelika’s dress was blue, flowing around her like water when she walked. It contrasted to Rizal’s red cloak, embroidered with patterns in yellow and orange, dancing in the wind like fire. Under his coat, golden for the occasion, Vladimir was wearing a dusty pink gala suit from the tenth kingdom. Nefaria had convinced Vladimir not to wear fur, and Rizal to shave his mustache, as she wanted them to look as different from their parents as possible. In a way, letting her hair down had been a wise decision. Maleficent never used to show hers.

The gates were opened in front of them and they stepped inside.

In the grand hall, they were met with the sight of two thrones, and two women and one young man standing in front of them. The women were the two most powerful people in Auradon –  Belle, the High Queen of Auradon, and the Fairy Godmother, the Arbiter of Justice.

It took Nefaria a moment to realize that the young man was prince Beau. Everything about him was sleek and shining – his hair, his clothes, his skin. He was dressed in a golden cloak and had a crown on his head. He was wholesome, handsome, smiling with empty eyes. Nothing like the shy, hunched young beast she had met four years ago.

He looked a lot more foreign to her like this.

She curtsied deeply, and raising up again, she said:

“Your highness. We are not worthy of the generosity that you’ve shown us. Without your honor and kind heart, we would still be on the isle with those… loathsome miscreants.”

Only her friends could spot the irony in her voice, and only she could make out the amusement on their faces when their smiles widened.

Beau smiled, too, and after welcoming them, he said:

“We are the ones who should thank you, for agreeing to this opportunity to negotiate the future of Auradon and the Isle of the Lost. We know how much talent, intelligence, and ambition the inhabitants of the isle possesses, and we hope that this will be the beginning of a process of sending even more of them over.”

Now that she was close to him, she could see his eyes. They were still the same. Realizing that soothed her. Big, dark blue eyes. Up close, his look didn’t seem empty anymore. It felt like he saw her. Then, she noticed his hands. They were trembling. She smirked. Maybe he hadn’t changed as much a she’d thought.

She realized what he had said. Could it be true? Could he actually be planning on letting more people out of the isle? She looked around. Everyone from the court, everyone who seemed to have power in Rosencourt or be close to the royal family, seemed to be gathered around them. Could he really be saying something like that so publicly if it was just empty words?

“It is my greatest pleasure to introduce four young ambassadors from the Isle of the Lost.” He took a step forward and presented them all, Nefaria first, then Rizal, then Vladimir, then Angelika. As he did, he made them sound like royalty.

  Afterwards, they found themselves at a welcoming ball. They had all known about it, but it still felt overwhelming, at least to Nefaria.

After watching the people around her for a while, she realized she had seen a lot of them before, on her flights over to Auradon. Knowing that she had the advantage of knowing them, even if it was just for a little, made her feel smug. Things were going well. Vladimir walking around, his limp just visible enough to gain attention, greeting everyone he met with the same graceful courtesy and responding to comments like “Oh, you poor thing! What happened to your leg?” with heroic answers like: “Don’t worry, it’s just a scratch.” Rizal subtly flirting with basically every person the same age as him at the ball, making one of them after the other laugh at his jokes. Angelika, wanting to take in every inch of the room, probably analyzing everything she set her eyes on, but never leaving Nefaria’s side.

Nefaria looked across the room, where Beau was talking to princess Lilith. The breathtakingly confident, well-educated, immensely wealthy, perfect daughter of Queen Aurora and King Philip. Ever since Nefaria first saw her, jealousy had been boiling in her stomach. Now, as she saw her talking and laughing with Beau, the jealousy boiled over to hate. Princess Lilith’s arrival had been more excessive and pretentious than Nefaria could have ever imagined. It had been a parade of horses, knights, servants carrying squirrels, rabbits, songbirds, and owls in gilded cages, a huge carriage lead by four black unicorns, and even more than that, that Nefaria didn’t even have the energy to remember.

In a way, it made her glad. Beau couldn’t possibly be impressed by someone who presented themselves like that. Or could he? He seemed to be having a good time with Lilith, at least from afar.

Nefaria had good reasons to have a chat with Lilith. Why not walk up to them and interrupt their little conversation?

Before she could take a step, Angelika had grabbed her arm.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Nefaria pulled her arm loose.

“Look at me,” Angelika said. Reluctantly, Nefaria did as she asked.

“Now is not the right time,” Angelika whispered. “I could tell how upset you were when you saw her. It’s understandable. You two will have your little talk about your parents and the past, but not right now. Right now, we need to be polite and charming and not take any risks.”

“I should at least get to introduce myself,” Nefaria growled.

Just as she said that, Lilith turned and looked straight at her. Then, she and Beau walked up to her and Angelika.

“Remember, stay calm,” Angelika whispered. “Please.”

Lilith was as tall as Nefaria, and so beautiful it would have frightened her, had she been someone who was frightened easily. There was something eerie, almost supernatural about Lilith’s beauty.

”Nefaria, Angelika,” Beau said. “I would like you to meet Crown Princess Lilith of Fairedge.” The princess curtsied, looking at Nefaria with a stare that was so intense, Nefaria for a moment almost was frightened. The look in Lilith’s eyes was the exact look that had drawn Nefaria to Tallulah – and pushed her away from her. A dangerous confidence, a beauty to be feared.

Lilith’s smirk widened. Ignoring Angelika, she stared Nefaria down, saying: “It Is truly lovely to finally meet you in person. Beau just told me the most wonderful things about you.”

Forcing a smile, Nefaria said: “Really? I’m delighted to hear that.”

“I think we will have lot to talk about,” Lilith said.

“I think we will,” Nefaria replied.

Nefaria thought she was handling the situation well, but suddenly, she noticed how Beau was looking at her. There wasn’t just suspicion in his eyes – it was like he knew exactly was she was thinking, could actually feel how much hate that was filling her.

Even though not even Lilith seemed to have caught up on it.

That must have been why Beau was so quick to lead Nefaria and Angelika away from Lilith, saying he wanted to introduce them to two of his closest friends.

“They’re the only ones except for Lilith and yourselves who are already here for the summit,” he said. “The others will arrive shortly.”

“You mean, the summit will actually happen?” Angelika couldn’t help but ask.

“Why, yes, of course,” Beau replied. Leaning closer to them, he whispered: “The only one really hard to get here was Lilith, and, as you can see, she is definitely here now.”

They were introduced to a young man and woman with long, brown hair and smiles like sunlight. Their hair was the exact same length, and their facial features were so similar, they had to be twins. The woman had her eyes closed and were being led around the ballroom by her brother.

“Viola and Sebastian, I would like you to meet Nefaria and Angelika, two of the ambassadors from the Isle of the Lost. Nefaria, Angelika – Viola and Sebastian of Corona.”

Talking to Viola and Sebastian seemed to melt away at least some of the cold feelings Lilith had made Nefaria feel. Both Viola and Sebastian had such a calmness and softness about them, and Nefaria quickly forgot Viola couldn’t see. Because she hadn’t felt so noticed in a long time. Viola seemed to understand her and Angelika, in a way that only someone who actively questions their own prejudices can. Nefaria felt like she could have talked to Viola and her brother for hours.

  After the ball and the following dinner, Nefaria, Angelika, Rizal, and Vladimir were led to their rooms. The room Nefaria and Angelika shared was pink and white all over, the bedsheets, canopies and tablecloths all decorated with lace.

Finally, they were alone. Finally, Nefaria could tell Angelika the one thing she had wanted to say for several hours.

“This won’t work. I can’t play a part – prince Beau will know if I do.”

Frustration and surprise were beaming out of Angelika. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I could just tell from the way he looked at me.”

Angelika folded her arms. “There is something you’re not telling me.”

Almost losing composure, Nefaria wondered what to say. She hadn’t expected Angelika to figure that out, at least not so quickly.

“No, it’s not,” Nefaria said. “Why would you think that?”

“You’re hiding something.”

“No.”

”What are you hiding?”

Nefaria sighed. Usually, Angelika wasn’t very stubborn. When she was, there was no use trying to argue with her.

”I’ve…” After a short hesitation, she continued. “I have met the prince before. Once. It was four years ago. He got to know me a little, I guess. We talked for a while.”

“Talked? About what? Why?”

“He told me he’d give me the petals of the enchanted rose if I talked to him, so I did. He saw me when I flew here to take them.”

Angelika snorted. “Why didn’t you take them, then?”

Nefaria had wondered that herself for a long time. Without understanding why, she hadn’t wanted him to think she had talked to him all night because she wanted the petals.

“I had to escape quickly,” Nefaria lied. “We heard someone coming. There was no time.”

Angelika thought about it for a moment before speaking again.

”I don’t see how this can be anything but a good thing, though,” she said. “If anyone can gain his trust, it’s you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?”

“Of course I do. Did you see Vladimir limping, those faces of pain he made? He’s playing his part perfectly. Now we just need to let people see the wound and let them know my mother did it to him. Not only will they pity us, but they’ll be convinced we’re not on her side. As for Rizal – he is strong, he is brave –“

“You mean dumb?”

“I mean that it’s the same thing to these people. I’ve seen what the girls in Auradon act like. They think being a damsel in distress is the best way to find someone to fall in love with, and that’s what they all want, to fall in love. Rizal could win over one or more of the powerful young women around here easily. We will make sure he gets the chance to rescue a girl, which won’t be that hard, consider the girls around here seem to try to get themselves in trouble.”

Angelika squinted with her left eye. She always did that when she wasn’t buying something someone told her.

“That seems a bit like… simplifying things,” she said.

“No, it’s not,” Nefaria said. “Trust me.”

“The Auradons shouldn’t underestimate us,” Angelika said. “But we shouldn’t underestimate them, either.”

“I’m the one who has actually been here before!”

“And I’m the more intelligent one,” Angelika replied, smiling sweetly.

It annoyed Nefaria that Angelika wouldn’t listen to her. She wasn’t going to show it, though – it wasn’t the right approach.

“And what will I do, if doing well in school isn’t enough?” Angelika asked.

“You’ll come up with something,” Nefaria said. “You’re the best witch on the isle, and thereby in the entirety of the nine kingdoms.”

“You know flattery doesn’t work on me, Nefaria. Especially when you tell me things I already know.” Angelika folded her arms. “I still think you have to use your relationship with the prince. I’m beginning to think you’re the reason he brought us here in the first place.”

Nefaria shrugged and shook her head. That wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, not right now. Instead of answering, she looked past Angelika’s face, out the window. On the horizon, she saw a ship, and she thought about Tallulah again.

She missed her.

Someone knocked on the door. Nefaria turned her eyes to Angelika, who was smiling victoriously.

“It’s the prince,” she said. “I guarantee it.”

Nefaria shook her head. “No, it’s not. It’s probably Vladimir or Rizal. It’s not him.”

Angelika opened the door, and she was, as usual, completely unsurprised to discover she had been right.

It was Beau.

“Good evening, ladies,” he said. As he spoke, he turned from Angelika, to Nefaria. “If you allow it, Angelika, I would like a walk with Nefaria. Alone.”

[ilovefandoms102]

Part 25

Summary: All happy days must come to an end...

Taglist:

@jeyramarie @ma10427 @outerbongs @lonely-kermit @iamaunicorn4704 @gviosca @lasnaro @justcallmesams @agirlwholovescoffee @lopineapples @fernweh-fangirl @runway-to-my-aid @jellyfishbeansontoast @tangledinsparkles @hurricane-abigail @eb15

AU:Part 24 Part 26  Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31

Note: This chapter deals with some triggering themes, viewers discretion is advised. 

I’m thinking of doing a story on Kol Mikaelson next. What are your guy’s thoughts?

======================

“I think I made it clear the last time we saw each other Rafe that I said to stay off The Cut.” I sneered.

“You see little Pogue, I don’t give a flying fuck what you say. You know why? I always win.” Rafe said, his grin making me even more angry.

“Cut the bullshit Rafe what do you want?” JJ asked, his fists balling up.

“I came to give a warning, from Barry. Since he’s fully recovered he’s on a revenge high. He wants his 25k, so I suggest you Pogues get to finding a way to get that.” Rafe said, leaning back against his bike.

“Your fucking family stole our money, and killed my brother. Do you even care that Sarah is dead Rafe?” I taunted him, tilting my head to the side.

“You watch your fucking mouth” Rafe said, taking a step closer to me, JJ stepped in front of me.

“Let’s go JJ,” I said, pulling on JJ’s arm. We started back towards the van, our backs turning to Rafe. 

“I’d act fast little Pogue, before you end up like the rest of your family!” Rafe shouted, JJ’s head snapping up. JJ tried to yank his arm from me, I got in front of him to put my other hand on his chest. 

“JJ! Baby, stop please. Don’t let him ruin our good day, please. Let’s go home,JJ.” I said, keeping a tight grip on his arm. His breathing was erratic as he glared holes into Rafe.

“Let me go sweets.” JJ growled, hearing Rafe laugh. I turned around to look at Rafe who was still leaned back on his bike, JJ using my distraction to yank his arm free. He charged at Rafe, I ran after him hoping to stop him from starting a fight at work.

“JJ we’re at work please!” I yelled.

“I’m off the clock” JJ sneered.

JJ lunged at Rafe, both of them toppling over his bike. Fists and blood were flying every direction, Rafe taunting JJ to get him even more worked up.

“You will never be what she needs from a man Maybank. How could you possibly think you’ll ever be good enough for her? You’ll end up just like your dad, you are corrupting her JJ.” Rafe said, laughing at JJ’s furry.

 I reached around JJ, trying to pull him off Rafe, when one particular punch he went to throw caused his elbow to go straight into my nose. I yelped, backing away from them. Blood starting to gush everywhere, JJ turned for a split second when he heard me. 

Rafe using that to his advantage to flip them over, trying his best to get his hands around JJ’s throat. I ignored the pain and blood running through my nose, desperate now to save JJ. I got in front of Rafe and swung my fist with all the power I had within me right into Rafe’s nose. With the blood loss and how much energy it took for me to punch Rafe, I started becoming extremely dizzy. I swayed back and forth, JJ jumping up in enough time to catch me before I hit the pavement. 

=============================

I sat in the passenger seat with JJ’s shirt balled against my nose to catch the blood pouring out of it. JJ was silent the whole way home, more than likely beating himself up about accidentally hitting me. I was furious at him for fighting outside our work, knowing that we can’t afford to lose our jobs. I slammed the door to the van shut, throwing the front door open. I went to the bathroom to clean myself off, sticking mine and JJ’s shirt in the sink so I could work on getting the blood stains out. Thankfully my nose had finally stopped bleeding, all that remained was a nasty bruise that was forming. I made a mental note to put some ice on it later, I brought our shirts to the kitchen. I was working on getting the stains out when I felt JJ hug me from behind. 

“I’m sorry” he whispered, laying his head on my shoulder. 

“You’re lucky no customers saw us out there Maybank, you need to learn to control your impulses.” I said, still concentrating on our shirts. I knew if I looked into his sad baby blue eyes, I would instantly forgive him. 

“I know, I know. Let me see your nose.” he said, trying to turn me around,

“JJ stop, I need to get these stains out.” I said, moving away from him. He forced me around to face him, his eyes widening at the deep purple bruise surrounding my nose. Tears coming to the surface of his eyes, he put his hand over his mouth.

“Baby,” he gasped.

“It’s not as bad as it looks” I said, looking away from him. He took my face in his hands, turning it so he could look at the damage he created. No doubt analyzing every detail.

“I’m so sorry” he sobbed, his head flopping down on my shoulder.

“JJ, it was an accident honey.” I whispered, forgetting about being mad at him.

“I hurt you, god I’m such a fuck up!” he shouted, pulling away from me to pull at his hair. 

“J, honey” I whispered, reaching out for him.

“NO! Everyone’s right! I’m just like him! I fuck everything up! I-I can’t do anything to make anyone happy, I end up hurting people I love!” he shouted, turning to me. Tears were running down his face, he looked so broken. It hurt my heart to see him like this.

“JJ that is not true, you are nothing like him.” I said softly, still trying to get to him. He backed up every step I took towards him.

“It should have been me...I wish it would have been me and not John B.” he whispered, choking out a sob. I gasped, my eyes going wide as saucers. 

JJ took off out the door, it took me a minute to gather myself before I followed him. He was going towards the HMS, my heart was pounding in my chest.

“JJ! What are you doing?!” I yelled.

“I need to be alone for a bit.” he said codly.

“What do you mean?” I asked, finally catching up to him. I grabbed his arm to which he yanked out of my hold. 

“I don’t know how to make it more clear to you than that cupcake. I. Want. To. Be. Alone.” he said, emphasizing the words with anger. 

“Please, don’t leave me.” I whispered, tears of my own gathering in my eyes. 

“You don’t need someone like me in your life...you deserve someone who is going to be what you need. I can’t be that for you, I’m dragging you down sweetheart.” he said, working on getting the boat in the water. 

“Stop, JJ! Please don’t do this to me, my heart can’t take it.” I sobbed, trying to stop him from pushing the boat in. He shoved me away, making me fall on my ass in the dirt. I got up, still determined to stop him from leaving.

“Don’t wait up, I’m not sure when I’m coming back..” he muttered, my heart shattered.

“You promised me Maybank! You promised that you would never leave me, even when times got tough. JJ, please don’t go!” I cried out, pulling on his arm again.

“Promises are made to be broken Routledge,” he sneered, pushing my hands away. 

“JJ can we please just-” I said, exasperated.

“Just let me go dammit!” he yelled, turning around to grab my wrists. 

“Baby, let’s go inside and talk. Please JJ, I can’t lose you. Everyone in my life has left me, please, don’t leave me.” I blubbered, my eyes closing as I completely shut down. JJ let go of me and just stared, not saying a word. I felt anger begin to rise within me, rage burning deep in my chest.

“You know what,go! I don’t give a fuck what you do JJ! Just leave!” I shouted, shoving his chest towards the boat. “This is done! I’m done with you and all this bullshit! You were the one good thing in my life JJ! I don’t give a rats ass about what other people say about you, it’s up to me to decide if I want you in my life or not! I chose you JJ, you are the love of my life! I can’t go a single second without thinking about you, about our future. You are my beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel. My sunshine on a rainy day, you are my happiness JJ. But if you really can’t see how happy you make me, go.” I said, turning my back to him and going back in the house. 

=====================================

It had been a long three days since JJ had left, no one had heard from him. I continued going to work, Kie constantly asking me if I was ok. I wasn’t, but I didn’t want them to know. We had too much to worry about without me dumping my relationship problems out. 

“We have more important things to deal with Kie, like how we are going to get 25k to give back to Barry.” I said, both of us cleaning up the dining room.

“Well we know Ward is keeping that gold somewhere, how can we find out?” Pope pondered, sitting at the bar. 

“Maybe I could sneak into their house, find something in his office.” I said, considering the idea. 

“No way, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.” Kie said, Pope agreeing.

“Well what other choices do we have?” I asked, setting my hands on my hips.

“I say we try to negotiate something with him.” Pope said, leaning back in his seat.

“Pope, did you forget that he literally tried to kill me?” I asked, raising my brows at him.

“I hate to say it, but we need JJ.” Kie said, sighing. I tensed, glaring at her.

“Well you guys let me know when you find him.” I said, stomping out of The Wreck. Pope and Kie called after me, but I ignored them.

I sped home, punching the steering wheel as I thought about JJ. He was so infuriating, he beat himself up because that’s all anyone in his life has done to him. I was the only one that believed in him, but that wasn’t good enough. I missed him, and I hated myself for thinking it. Angry tears pricked behind my eyes, my chest burning of sadness. I didn’t know what to do anymore, I lost my brother, JJ, and now I have the burden of being chased by a revenge crazed drug dealer. I pulled into the chateau, slamming on the breaks. I walked into my house to see Rafe Cameron sitting on my couch.

“What the fuck Rafe?!” I screeched, throwing my stuff on the table beside the door.

“Evening little Pogue, you should really get better locks for you door.” he said, unbothered. 

“Why are you in my house?” I spat out. 

“Thought I’d drop by to see what your progress was on getting that 25k. Where’s your boyfriend?” Rafe smirked, as if he knew what had happened between us.

“None of your damn business Cameron.” I growled out, fists balling up at my sides. 

“Awww little Pogue, did JJ leave you? Did he finally realize how damaged you are? How completely worthless you are to him?” Rafe taunted, standing up from the couch.

“Shut up” I sneered, doing everything in my power to keep my cool. 

Rafe snatched my wrist in his hand, I pulled away from him. I backed up towards the kitchen, Rafe stalking towards me. I started panicking, wishing more than ever now that I hadn’t left The Wreck. My breathing started to become shallow as I kept backing away from Rafe, eventually ending up being stuck in a corner. He came closer, trapping me in. My breathing became even more erratic, tears starting to run down my face.

“Please Rafe, what do you want?” I asked, trying my best to shove him away. He grabbed my wrists, holding them so tight I knew I’d have bruises.

“I want you little Pogue” Rafe said quietly, smashing his lips down on mine. I was disgusted, trying desperately to get away from him.

“Get off of me!” I screamed as he boxed me in. He put one of his legs between mine so he could prevent me from moving off the wall, taking one of his hands to grab my hair. 

“We’re going to have so much fun little Pogue, I’ve wanted this for so long.” he said, sticking his face in my neck and inhaling deeply. I cried out when I felt his teeth biting into my neck.

“Rafe, stop! Please don’t!” I cried out, really starting to panic now. 

I pushed his head away from me only for him to grab my wrists again, pinning them to the wall. Holding both of my wrists in one hand, he took the other and started to trail down my body. I tried and failed to move myself from his crude invasion, my chest burning from the lack of oxygen I was able to take in. I was in full blown panic mode, wanting JJ more than ever to come back home. Rafe laughed as I sobbed hysterically, his sinister smirk creating a haunting image in my brain. 

“Country club, what the fuck are you doing?” Barry asked, I didn’t even hear the door open.

“Nothing now boss,” Rafe huffed, backing away from me. I sank down to the ground, curling into a ball. 

“I told you to scare her, not assault her. Let’s go, get your ass in the car.” Barry sneered, not even sparing me a glance as he and Rafe left my house.

When they left, it took me a minute to process everything. I sobbed into my arms, rocking myself back and forth. I couldn’t breathe, my lungs feeling like they were on fire. I crawled towards my bag, dots appearing in my vision from the lack of air. The door opened again, JJ walking in the chateau.

“JJ!” I wailed, collapsing on the floor. 

“Baby what happened?!” he asked, pulling me into his arms. Both of us now sitting in the floor with me laying over his lap.

“I-I, it hurts,” I cried, holding on to him as tight as possible. 

“What hurts? What is going on?” he demanded, brushing my sweaty hair out of my face.

“I-” I wheezed, my breathing becoming even more short.

“Breathe baby, come on. Stay with me sweets.” he said, putting my hand on his chest so I could copy his movements. 

“Rafe was here,” I said, I couldn’t look him in the eye. I felt so disgusted with myself, I should have fought harder.

“What happened? Tell me.” JJ whispered, trying to look at my face.

“He-I-I feel so disgusting JJ. I tried so hard to fight him off, I know I could have fought harder. I was so scared, and I couldn’t breathe.” I sobbed into his chest. JJ gasped, catching on to what I was trying to say.

“He touched you,” he said as more of a statement than a question. I nodded, crying even harder against him. “I’m going to kill him.” JJ growled, his arms tightening around me.

“I’m so sorry JJ,” I cried, grabbing at his shirt.

“You have no reason to be sorry sweetheart, it’s me who should be apologizing.” he said, rocking me in his arms.

“Can we go lay in our room?” I asked quietly, JJ nodded. He carried me into the bedroom, laying me on my side while he went to his side. We cuddled up to each other, our faces close together. I felt so safe being with JJ now, realizing how much I missed him, and how much I needed him.

“I’m so sorry baby,” JJ whispered, his eyes staring deep into mine. A regretful look adorning his features. 

“It’s ok J, the important thing is that you’re here now.” I said, sliding my face into his neck.

“I should never have left in the first place, I made a promise to you, and I broke that promise.” he said, running his fingers through my hair. 

“JJ” I whispered.

“And Rafe he-he had the nerve to hurt my girl. For that, he’s gonna pay. Especially for assaulting you in the most disgusting way. I am never leaving your side again. For good this time sweets, I’m all yours 25/8.” he said, smiling at the end of his rant. 

“That’s all I want honey, I love you so much JJ. More than I will ever be able to make you understand. You are my JJ, my partner in crime, and I will not go another day without you beside me.” I said firmly, squeezing him tight. 

“You mean the world to me, I’m sorry it took me so long to realize what I had in front of me. I want to be there for you, I want to believe I am what you say.” he said, my skin feeling the tears he shed. I lifted my head to wipe under his eyes.

“Then believe me JJ, fuck what other people have to say. The only people that matter in our relationship is the people sitting here. Me and you. You’re all I’ve got now JJ, please don’t leave me again.” I said, a single tear running down my cheek. 

“Never again baby, I love you so much.” JJ blubbered, hugging me tight to him. We both cried for a minute, both of us eventually falling asleep in each others embrace.

============================

[wrxn-blxkely]

Wren Blakely; MARCH HOROSCOPES ↳ Star Seer issue #1 

To those who’ve asked and to the others that didn’t there will be a three page booklet, handmade by Wren, tapped to the doorways of each house here at camp. It is a simple black aesthetics with hand doodles of constellations along with with the moon cycle of the month. You open the first page to read---

  “Greeting demigods, creatures, man or beast I welcome you to your first step towards the cosmic light and the introduction to what the stars whisper about above. I know after what feels like a year of retrogrades and eclipses we get to usher in this season with a gentle cleansing of our fishly sister, Pisces. As Pisces is now in command, the sign of spirituality, gentleness, forgiveness, and compassion. She’s ready to help us mend our hearts and smooth our jagged edges and feel less quilty about that midnight pint of icecream we had. Are you willing to heal? Do you need a hug this month? Now is a time to take a second and process the powerful changes that has happened at the start of this year and exhale...This month is a month to be reminded of our compassions as the new and full moons activate loving Venus, dreamy Neptune, and healing Chiron. Look up to the sky and open your arms...you’ll be surprised who’s there to embrace you if you do. “

ARIES: This month begins with the sun in a spiritual and reflective zone until your day in march. Last month was fairly hectic, but the coming weeks bring a chance to mull over all that has happened, come to some conclusions, find some answers, and tie up loose ends. Maybe big news about your birthright has shaken you up or maybe you’ve been searching for other answers and they are on the tip of your tongue. This month as Mars your ruler passes through Gemini, take a page from their book and meditate on the questions you seek. Journaling might not be your pace but reflection can stick longer if you spend the time to write it down. 

TAURUS: The sun and friendly Venus in your social sector bring opportunities for greater connection and linking up with kindred spirits. The weeks until the twentieth are perfect for reaching out to others who share your ideas and morals, their good sign that it’s your time to step out and make connections. There’s a new moon on the 13th that speaks of harmony, maybe this is a chance to take those first steps towards those big dreams of yours. You don’t need to do it alone! (even if you normally want to) Pisces is the time to lean on those who you call your family or friends, let some gentleness in compared to your stubborn style. 

GEMINI: This month is your month to sieze what you want and try not to pussyfoot around it, this is your chance to showcase your best assets and let others see you in action. Both Mercury and Mars are pulling strongly in your sign this month; mercury in Pisces on the 15th,you’ll have more of a platform to share your ideas and opinions & Mars on the 3rd giving you a bit more energy in your various interest. Don’t waste that, let all the thoughts and ideas and concerns be let loos this month. Pisces is the sign of forgiveness so don’t worry if that tongue of yours steps on a few toes (better to ask for forgiveness than permission right?)

CANCER: You might be ready to try something new. This month encourages you to be bold and step out of your comfort zone. If you feel limited by your beliefs, this is the time to think outside the box. Mars & Venus heavily influence this month, this blend of energies can gift you with the charm and people skills to take things to the next level. In addition, reaching out to those on your wavelength might strike up new connections you weren’t expecting.

LEO: You’re on a roll, and it looks like being around other people is helping you get your act together. “The more the merrier” may have been your motto last month. However, this month, you might need some quiet time to reflect on all that has happened and draw a few conclusions. This month the sun is influencing your more private zones of you Leo, Mercury and Mars are both in opposite elements of you. Learn from Pisces this month and embrace the quiet, meditate, take a moment to reflect. Life isn’t always a party sometimes you’ll need to spend time cleaning up to look forward to the next. 

VIRGO: Slow moving sun and a sultry Venus, is an opportunity to iron out any wrinkles in your life right now. If you and your partner, friend, or lovers have had any issues, this is a good time to look more deeply into them and find a compromise that works for both of you. Likwise, with a focus on the dreamy sign of Pisces this month, it can also be about defining the relationship and your role within it. Ask your what are we, where am I going, who do I want to be this month. You might be surprised by the answers but you can’t control anything until you can define it...isn’t that right Virgo? 

LIBRA: Are you ready to learn something new, Libra? Assertive Mars moves into lively Gemini on March 3, so your curiosity could ramp up. You might find training that are relevant to your current needs and be eager to enroll. You might also be drawn to join new hobbies or be taught by someone who interests you. New information can be your fix and you could get hooked, so be careful with casting too wide of a net. This month is less about being a jack of all trade but more of a devout student to a new craft. Now learning something new doesn’t always need to have a purpose, reminder that Venus is strong this month and shines brightly on you Libra. Perhaps this month you can learn a few things more intimately if you care to....

SCORPIO: Scorpio, the coming weeks are perfect for enjoying life whenever you have the opportunity. And if you have creative talents, this period is helpful for making the most of them. Your water sister Pisces influences dreams and creativity, take a moment to tap into that and let yourself benefit from it. This month is the calm before the storm, as the follow month will intensify affecting your finances,  deep-seated emotions, or patterns that are hidden from view. Armed with this information, you can begin to make changes and prepare. 

SAGITTARIUS: The month begins with the sun, lovely Venus, and ethereal Neptune in shinning in your chart. You may find yourself in a contemplative mood, and it would pay to take time out to enjoy some nurturing. This could be on a physical as well as a mental and emotional level. If you are searching for specific nurturing pay attention to the a full moon on March 28, feelings could surface, and you and others may be edgier than usual. But there is also the potential to clear the air and perhaps share more romantic feelings if you’re ready. Pisces allows everyone to search the depths of themselves, I encourage you to explore those depths with someone else beside you.

CAPRICORN: Venus is harmonious with you this month over speech and thought. Which means this is a good time for all kinds of negotiations, meetings, and connecting with others who share your goals and interests. Be thorough this month, more than you naturally are, as Pisces being such a dreamy sign, it would pay to examine the fine print in some depth. Don’t leave anything to chance. Use this month to seize what you want and not to leave anything to chance. 

AQUARIUS: There continues to be a strong emphasis on your sign this month since the start of this year was a coming of an age...and with that come plenty of opportunities to kick-start your favorite plans and projects. However, with the sun in poking around in your wealth along with sweet Venus and dreamy Neptune, your thoughts may be on how you can better manage your money. You might have the urge to give it away or spend it on pampering treats, and both are fine as long as you can still pay the bills and have enough left over for unexpected expenses. Money can buy you dreams but be wise and remind yourself of your future this month. 

PISCES: As the month gets underway, the sun continues in your sign along with luscious Venus and dreamy Neptune. The first three weeks could find you eager to express yourself and focus on those plans and projects that resonate with your nature and purpose. The more you do what you love to do, the happier you can be. Like many signs the first full moon of this month screams new beginnings...so be sure to use this opportunity for a fresh start. This lunar phase is the best of the year for you. It’s a good time to set your intentions for the coming months, begin wholesome habits, and get moving on your biggest plans.

[doyouever-daydream]

Introductions

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: None, I believe?

A/N: Hello! I’ve said before how much I suck at writing summaries so I’ll probably never add them, but well this story serves like a precedent to future oneshots that I’ll write with SSA Reader lol most of my writing inspiration lately has been because I joined the Criminal Minds Bingo 2020 and one of my squares is holidays, so I plan to write a series of  oneshots about different holidays that will end up in fluff because Spencer Reid deserves fluff after everything he’s been through ha! So yeah, I don’t want to be so repetitve but again English is not my first language, so forgive me for the mistakes, AND also you should know that I almost always incorporate songs/lyrics to my writing, back when I was like 15 (meaning almost 10 years ago) I had a fanfic page that consisted on oneshots inspired by songs (and people really seemed to like that) so it stuck with me, it’s like my tradition. Enjoy!

The bar was crowded, many people celebrating their favorite team winning, others simply enjoying themselves. If only they knew there was a serial killer among them, trying to decide which person should be his next victim. He was killing both men and women, but he had an specific type.

“Having a good time?” A woman sat beside him, while he sipped on his beer.

“I’m trying” He said without paying much attention to her.

“It’s packed here, are you alone?” She said in a flirtatious tone while eyeing him carefully.

“So it seems” He finally turned to see her and he seemed shocked. She was exactly his type.

“What a hell of a coincidence, so am I” She raised her beer. “Cheers to that”

“So what’s your name?” He asked starting to feel agitated, he knew the police was getting closer and closer to catching him so he came here to have at least one more triumph before that.

“Vera, what about you?” She turned to him.

“John” A lie.

“Hmm, and what do you do, John?”

“It doesn’t matter what I do” He shook his head, starting to feel his pulse raising.

“Why’d you say that? I want to know more about you” She pushed her luck.

“I-I’m a electrician” He played with his beer bottle.

“Sounds sexy” She confidently touched his arm and smiled suggestively “Do you want to get out of here?” He quickly looked up.

“N-no, I need to be here” He felt his hands starting to sweat, he needed to act quickly.

“Come on, John, let’s get out of here and have some fun just you and me” She carefully slipped her hand in her right pocket.

“I said no, I need to be here, I need t-to, I-I, AGH!” He quickly went to grab the gun he was hiding on his pants but a gun was already being pointed at him while people were being evacuated from the place.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Danny” The man stopped dead in his tracks.

“Now what you’re gonna do is show me your hands, it’s over, Danny” He didn’t resist, he was too overwhelmed to put on a fight.

Matt quickly took him and guided him out of there, while (Y/N) put her hair in a ponytail, she was also sweating.

“Great job, (Y/N)” Emily said while she walked up to her.

“I was afraid of things going south but luckily he didn’t put on a fight” She felt adrenaline going through her veins.

“Now we can finally go home” JJ had joined them and the three of them got out of the bar so they could go to the field office and officially end the case that had them almost 10 days away from Quantico.

SSA (Y/N) (Y/L/N) had joined the Behavioral Analysis Unit seven months ago, during that time the team had learned that she was a forensic psychologist that was transferred from the Crisis Negotiation Unit and prior to that, she had worked at the National Institute of Justice.

When she first arrived, everyone was curious and worried as to why there was a new addition to the BAU, Prentiss hadn’t anticipated the arrival of a new team member and was suspicious thinking it could be the directors sending someone to get dirt on the BAU. But all their worries and doubts were forgotten when (Y/N) proved she was more than apt for the job and she really wanted to be part of the team.

While everyone slept on the jet, (Y/N) couldn’t fall asleep, she tried to read her book but what she was really doing was going through the possible scenarios that could have gone down, she couldn’t help but do that, she made mental notes as to what she could’ve done then, and different ways she could’ve talked to Danny. That night had been a win but she never wanted to miss an opportunity to learn and reflect on her actions.

“So Vera, huh?” Spencer sat beside her.

“I thought you were all sleeping” She smiled softly.

“I was but I guess I’m not that tired” He shrugged his shoulders.

“How could you not be tired? We’ve barely slept these 10 days”

“Says the one that is also awake right now” Reid nudged her shoulder.

“Ok, you got me there” She smirked while she put her book aside.

“War and Peace, I love that book.” Spencer said when he saw the cover.

“That’s where I got the name Vera” (Y/N) explained.

“It means faith in Russian, whether in Albanian means summer”

“Summer Faith” Spencer furrowed his brow. “I had a classmate in middle school named Summer Faith, I’m not lying” She smirked.

“Well she might as well should’ve been named Vera” He suggested.

“First and middle name summed up in four letters, that would’ve saved her trouble when writing her long name” She started to feel more relaxed.

“Maybe” He laughed softly.

“I thought about telling the guy my name was Ophelia but I thought he would not buy it” 

“Ophelia, like Hamlet’s tragic heroine” Spencer noticed.

“Well yeah, but the idea actually came from the song” (Y/N) smiled remembering the song she enjoyed hearing from time to time.

“I am unfamiliar with it” Spencer replied with a confused look on his face.

“Shut up! You don’t listen to music?” 

“I do, I do I just don’t know that song” Spencer nodded wishing he knew the song so he could have something else to talk about with her.

“Here, let me get my headphones, I’ll play it for you”

(Y/N) proceeded to take the headphones out of her pocket and searched the song on her library, she handed one headphone to Spencer and she placed the other on her ear. After she hit play, she yawned, finally feeling the tiredness get to her.

“You should sleep, you know?” Spencer could see the exhaustion in her face.

“Can I borrow your shoulder for a bit?” (Y/N) looked at him curiously and smiled.

“Of course, (Y/N)” Spence bit back a smile as he saw her place her head on his shoulder, he felt his heart flutter at the feeling.

It took only a few minutes for her to fall asleep, while she apparently left the song on repeat, Spencer decided he liked it and kept listening to it.

The truth was that ever since (Y/N) had arrived to the BAU, he had felt really drawn to her, she was intelligent, energetic, friendly, confident, and always learning something new, her curious mind was exciting for Spencer, one day she arrived talking about how fascinating the French Revolution was, the next she’d talk about embroidery, the next about tennis, the next about Latin American literature, the next about the cartoons she watched as a kid, talking to her was a delight to him.

He wasn’t sure if people could tell he had a soft spot for her but he had talked to JJ about it, she had encourage him to ask her out, or at least hang out with her more outside of work so they could get to know each other better. JJ was almost certain (Y/N) reciprocated Spencer’s feelings but neither wanted to act on them.

Suddenly Spencer felt his eyes were getting heavy and his head resting in (Y/N)’s and felt asleep while the song continued playing.

“Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love” - The Lumineers

[absynthe--minded]

If Supernatural Can Get Fifteen Seasons, The Silmarillion Can Get Fifteen Seasons: An Overview

I’m going to be going into much more detail in individual season-specific posts, but for the moment, here is the extremely condensed look at what each of these seasons would entail plotwise. I’ve included a cut for length; I hope this translates to mobile well. I’ve followed chronology more or less as closely as I can, adding additional time in places where I thought it made sense or moving events closer together for thematic resonance, and I’ve included Russingon because I’m me and of course I did.

The idea is that this is a 2D animated series rated TV-MA (comparable to R for feature films in the US, or any of HBO’s shows) with fifteen seasons, 26 hourlong episodes each.

Season 1: Valinor, and the unrest between the houses of the Noldor, interwoven with stories about the beginning of the universe/the Great Journey from Cuiviénen/etc. Establishes our core Valinorean cast, and hints at Thingol being a presence later. Main storyline involves Finwëan Family Drama, with bonus Melkor Fucking Shit Up. We meet Maglor's secret wife Aeriel, Curufin's known wife Annamírë + his son Celebrimbor, and become aware of Fingon and Maedhros's love affair. The Sword Incident and Fëanor's banishment to Formenos are featured. The audience knows Melkor is plotting something but doesn't know what. Series finale is the Darkening of Valinor - like, the last thing the audience sees before the series ends is the elves' festival in Tirion and then everything goes dark. Roll credits.

Season 2: Cold open on Maedhros and Maglor and Celegorm finding Finwë's body + realizing the Silmarils are gone. Flashback to Melkor's plans, and we see the Darkening from his perspective. He flees across the ocean and Ungoliant vanishes. Cover the drama between Fingolfin and Fëanor over the crown, Lalwen and Findis and Finarfin rallying around their brother, etc. Maedhros and Fingon marry. Fëanor convinces nearly all of of his loyalists to leave specifically to avenge his personal losses, Fingolfin has a larger amount of people who want to go East to fight Morgoth. Set up a conflict between Fingolfin and Fëanor here - Fingolfin does actually want to defend the elves still living in Arda proper and the soon-to-come Men from Morgoth's influence, while Fëanor is raving about how I Will Not Be Replaced. (This is not strictly canonical, but it is a good contrast of their leadership styles, and it widens the gap between them/adds another reason why Fëanor would perceive Fingolfin as a threat.) Kinslaying at Alqualondë, Finarfin and his people noping out, Fëanor seeming to forgive/make nice with Fingolfin after his people joined in the fight for the ships. He offers to sail East first, with the justification that if there is danger there he'll be the first to encounter it. Maedhros is reluctantly parted from Fingon. Maglor reveals to Amrod that he was married, and his wife died in the battle. They arrive at Losgar, empty out the boats, and make camp for the night. Amrod goes back onboard the ship to sleep. Maedhros wakes up early, finds his father awake, and asks if he can take the boats back West to pick up Fingon et al. Fëanor loses his shit and starts rousing everyone for the shipburning. Maedhros asks him not to, and reveals his marriage, and Fëanor's response is to throw the first torch. Amrod dies, and none of his brothers can get to him. Fingolfin's host sees the flames from across the ocean, and turn towards the north and the Ice. End season.

Season 3: The host moves inland to Mithrim and begins to set up camp. They've met some Sindar by now, and they carry word back to Doriath that Finwë's son and grandchildren have come back to Arda. Thingol tells Lúthien, who is just past her majority into adulthood, a part of his life story that she hasn't heard yet: that Finwë was his best friend, and that he'd been on his way to see Finwë when he was sidetracked by Melian. He decides to let Fëanor and his host stay in Mithrim in memory of that friendship. Dagor-nin-Giliath happens, Fëanor dies at the end of the second episode. Episode 3 deals with Maedhros being hastily crowned, and receiving word from Morgoth that he'll parlay for a Silmaril, and him riding out despite his brothers' suspicions. He's taken captive, end episode. Episode 4 is after a 58-solar-year timeskip, revealing the fate of Fingolfin's host on the Ice. We open on a dream of Elenwë drowning by Turgon; he wakes to reassure himself that Idril is all right and then everyone continues on. The whole episode is taken up by the Ice and the Battle of the Lammoth, ending with Argon's death and the rising of the Sun. Next episode starts with the elves but cuts over to humanity, newly awakened in Hildórien - this is a hint of what’s to come. Fingolfin's host challenges Morgoth and goes unanswered, and then return to Mithrim and settle on the opposite side of the lake from the Fëanorians, who are doing SUBSTANTIALLY better bc they stole a lot from their fellow Noldor and they also don't treat the land they're living on like Thingol's, vs Fingolfin who refuses to do anything except the bare minimum his people need to survive until they get Permission. Basically the rest of this season is some of the events of Blessed Hands, with Maedhros's rescue and recovery and ensuing family drama. Five solar years pass, and the season ends with him and Fingon riding up to the outskirts of the Fëanorian encampment.

Season 4: Season opens with Maedhros being reunited with his brothers and opening formal negotiations for an apology to Fingolfin. Thingol opens formal negotiations with Maedhros and Fingolfin, but neither one reveal to him why they've come to Beleriand/the circumstances surrounding their departure. Fingolfin wants to speak to Thingol personally, and Maedhros defers to him. Permission is granted for the Noldor to settle in the north of Beleriand. A council meeting is held to settle the matter of the High Kingship; Fingolfin is elected and Maedhros votes for him, angering his brothers. He offers to take up residence in the northeastern mountains near Angband, and Fingolfin grants him and his House lordship of that region. The Fëanorian host begins to depart, but postpones their journey for the Mereth Aderthad. Beleg, Daeron, Mablung, and a few other Sindarin elves attend the feast. Orodreth meets his future wife. Last half of the season covers 40 years - Turgon and Finrod have their visions, the Noldor begin to construct multiple settlements, and attack Morgoth with renewed strength. Season ends with the triumph of the Dagor Aglareb and the departure of Turgon from Nevrast with his host.

Season 5: Season opens in Doriath, with Galadriel having taken up residence there. Brief summation of the beginning of the Siege of Angband. Angrod pisses off Thingol and causes the Ban on Quenya, and news of this is carried to Himring, Nargothrond, and Gondolin, giving us a sense of their status/construction. Caranthir meets the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains and strikes up a friendship/partnership with them. Fingon visits Himring once it's finished. Gondolin and Nargothrond are completed. Orcs attack Hithlum by coming up the Lammoth but are turned back. Maedhros, Caranthir, Maglor, and Celegorm go to Barad Eithel for the bicentennial of the Mereth Aderthad. Tension here is primarily political/slice-of-life - it's peaceful, even if it's a watchful peace, and it seems like Morgoth is pretty effectively held at bay. The only exception is Aredhel, who grows dissatisfied with Gondolin and finally leaves after a massive fight with Turgon about everything from his family loyalty to his politics to his taste in clothing. Young Glaurung is turned back easily by Fingon and a few other soldiers. Season ends with Finrod getting separated from the sons of Fëanor while on a hunt and encountering Men in the woods, changing everything.

Season 6: Speedrun Part Two! This is the Season of Men and Politics, covering 145 years. We see the Edain choose to integrate into Noldorin society, with all the lumps and bumps this causes, and how they respond to the elves around them. Bëor, Marach, Haldad, Haleth, Haldar, Malach, Zimrahin, Hador, Adanel, Bereg, Amlach, and Andreth all become important characters. The Green-elves can't stand Men bc they're insufferable vegans, the Sindar are isolationist and suspicious save for a few of their Marchwardens/soldiers, and the Noldor are eager to make new friends. Focus is given to the tensions between the different Edainic groups and philosophies, and how different Houses and clans interact with elves and dwarves. There's not a lot of certainty that the decision to stay was the right one, and different voices have different opinions. All this tension culminates in two things: the council meeting that ends with Bereg leaving Beleriand along with a thousand followers, and the Haladin being trapped behind the Gelion-Ascar Stockade and saved by Caranthir and his forces before going to Brethil. The resolution of this season-long arc is the Edain essentially deciding that if they're going to stay, they'll stay on their own terms, and each House decides what that means. Andreth and Aegnor meet and fall in love. The Athrabeth gets an entire episode. Elvish character drama that isn't about interacting with Men is kept to a minimum except for Aredhel's arc - this is the season where she loses her guards, gets stuck in Nan Elmoth, and encounters Eöl. He's dark and creepy and mysterious and she's at once afraid of him and kind of enamored by his difference from everything she's known, but he quickly turns awful. Huor, Morwen, Rían, Emeldir, Barahir, and Húrin are introduced. Maeglin is born, and grows up, and he and Aredhel escape Nan Elmoth and make a run for Gondolin with Eöl following. The Bragollach and Aredhel's death make up the season finale.

Season 7: Season opens with Fingon's coronation, Maedhros crashing said coronation, baby Gil-galad being sent to Fingon to be his ward and then sent away to Círdan on the coast, and the revelation that Sauron has taken Tol Sirion and Dorthonion has fallen. Flashbacks to various parts of the Bragollach: Celegorm, Curufin, and Celebrimbor saving Orodreth from Sauron's forces and fleeing to Nargothrond/Emeldir fleeing over the mountains to Brethil with the Bëorian civilians while Barahir and Beren and what's left of the fighters remain/Huor and Húrin being taken to Gondolin. Maedhros begins plans for Revenge, Fingon starts leveling austerity measures against the nobility to finance refugee relief, Gondolin mourns Aredhel and doesn't know what to do with Maeglin, and Nargothrond adjusts to having C&C around. Barahir tells Beren about Finrod's oath to always help their family. Sauron tricks Gorlim and slaughters everyone but Beren, who tries and fails to defend Dorthonion and finally flees south and gets lost in the woods of Neldoreth. He meets Lúthien, falls in love with her, and runs afoul of Thingol, who decides to use him to cause infighting in Finwë's descendants. Quest for the Silmaril, with all that entails, meanwhile Fingon struggles with High Kingship and Maedhros makes alliances with the Easterlings and the Dwarves of Belegost. Plenty of time is given to Beren and Lúthien and the Hunt for Carcharoth, with the season finale being their marriage after they return to life.

Season 8: Season opens with Huor and Húrin leaving Gondolin and returning home just in time for battle plans to really start ramping up. If everyone's attacking Angband, no one's attacking Doriath, and if Morgoth is defeated, maybe two Silmarils are really all we need, or so we hope. This is an entire season dedicated to loose ends - Thingol's refusal to join the Union, Orodreth assuming lordship of Nargothrond, Gondolin drama, etc. Morwen and Húrin marry and have Túrin and Urwen. Huor and Rían court and fall in love and marry, and Rían gets pregnant. Beren and Lúthien sneak away from Ossiriand with an infant Dior to visit Beren's family and are present for the wedding. There are little skirmishes, and some suspicions of treachery among the Easterlings that get shut down both by Bór's steadfastness and Fingon insisting that everyone's allied here and due complete respect. A plague hits Estolad, with Urwen dying, and Húrin trying to convince Morwen to send Túrin to Doriath since he's now blood kindred to the King. Morwen refuses, and discovers she's pregnant again as Húrin marches off to war. The Nirnaeth is a three-part season finale, with Tuor's birth juxtaposed against Huor's death.

Season 9: The Children of Húrin/Fall of Gondolin Extravaganza, Part One. Túrin is sent away to Doriath, grows up there, spends time on the marches, falls in love with Beleg and marries him in elvish fashion, and then finally snaps because he can't deal with Menegroth's racist bullshit anymore. Tuor, raised by elves, is finally captured and enslaved. Saeros dies. Túrin leaves Doriath to become an outlaw. Tuor survives as a thrall for years. Morwen and Nienor flee to Doriath, Gwindor escapes Angband and makes his way south towards Nargothrond, Beleg is killed by Túrin, and Tuor finally escapes thralldom. Tuor arrives at Nevrast and Túrin arrives at Nargothrond in the same episode. Ulmo appears to Tuor, and Túrin discovers from Gwindor that Húrin and his entire line have been cursed by Morgoth. Contrast Túrin's desire for action now with Tuor's somewhat careless wandering. Tuor meets Voronwë and they make for Gondolin. Glaurung attacks Nargothrond, and it falls. Túrin escapes into the wilderness and crosses paths with his cousin. Nienor loses her memory and is found by the men of Brethil in the same episode that Tuor comes to Gondolin. End season.

Season 10: CoH/TFOG, Part Two. Túrin goes home and finds his mother and sister gone and makes a mess of things but manages to escape. Tuor tries to tell Turgon to leave and can't convince him, and decides to remain in Gondolin. Tuor and Idril/Túrin and Nienor/Dior and Nimloth meet and fall in love, with this arc culminating in them all marrying in the same episode with the last scene cutting between the three ceremonies. Glaurung returns. Túrin kills him, Nienor gets her memory back, they die. Eluréd and Elurín born. Wanderings of Húrin, including the curse on Gondolin for not letting him in. The Nauglamir comes to Doriath, and with it the first echoes of doom. Season ends with Húrin and Morwen reuniting and their deaths.

Season 11: TFOG Part Three. Thingol gets nerfed by dwarves. Mablung dies. Battle of the Thousand Caves, Battle of Sarn Gebir, where Beren takes the Silmaril back from the dwarves and sends it to Doriath again. Melian departs for Valinor. Dior crowned King of Doriath. Elwing born. The Fëanorians attack Doriath in the Second Kinslaying but Elwing escapes with the Silmaril and makes it to the Havens of Sirion. Maeglin caught by Morgoth and tortured. Maedhros learns Elwing has the Silmaril but forswears the Oath. The actual Fall of Gondolin is a six-part season finale.

Season 12: Season opens with Maedhros futilely sending letters to Elwing pleading for her to relinquish the Silmaril. She refuses, being in her mid-teens now. Most of this season, the Fëanorians are a distant threat; the majority of the story is Eärendil and Elwing falling in love and assuming leadership of the Havens. Gil-galad becomes High King of the Noldor. Círdan starts advocating for asking for help from the West. Celebrimbor escaped Nargothrond's fall and is living as a civilian in Sirion. Idril and Tuor sail for Valinor, their fates unknown. Years pass. Eärendil and Elwing marry, and Eärendil resolves to try to go for help once more. An absolutely kickass ship gets built. Elrond and Elros are born. Eärendil sails West. The Fëanorians are unable to stave off the Oath any longer and attack the Havens, destroying everything. Elwing, convinced her sons are already murdered and having flashbacks to the disappearance of her brothers, jumps from the cliff with the Silmaril and flies for Eärendil's ship. Elrond and Elros are 'adopted' by Maedhros and Maglor. Season ends with a new star appearing in the sky, and Maedhros and Maglor recognizing it as a Silmaril and wondering what that means.

Season 13: Season opens with Gil-galad and Círdan and what Mannish and Dwarvish refugees they've encountered beginning to consider trying to fight back against Morgoth again, as he's been attacking their last remaining refuges. It's been seven years since Sirion was sacked, and no one's seen Elrond and Elros since their disappearance. A pair of twenty-year-old-by-human-standards twins who look neither elven nor human show up on Gil-galad's doorstep, and Círdan recognizes them as the missing boys. They won't talk about their childhood at all, but they say they're here to help in whatever way they can. Hostilities escalate quickly. Halfway through the season the Vanyar and several reembodied Noldor and Teleri arrive in Beleriand, led by Ingwion and Eönwë and Finarfin. The War of Wrath begins.

Season 14: Just. An entire season of the War of Wrath. It's decades of war there's a lot of shit to do here. The biggest thing is that Elros meets Men for the first time and feels like he's come home, starting at the bottom of their ranks and rising through them meritocracy-style. He meets a woman named Elwen who's essentially a pirate and falls in love with her.

Season 15: The first half of the season is the last bit of the WoW, ending with Eärendil killing Ancalagon and breaking open Thangorodrim. Sauron escapes, Morgoth is cast into the Void. Elrond and Elros make their Choice. Celebrían is born, with her naming witnessed by all the reembodied Arafinwëans. The elves who wish to return to Valinor do so, with some - Gil-galad and Galadriel and Celebrimbor, namely - electing to stay. The Valar reward the Men involved in the war with Númenor, though not all of them choose to go. Those that do elect Elros as their King after the Valar have departed. Loose ends are tied up, the beginnings of Middle-Earth are established, and the series ends on a shot of the setting sun from the point of view of Elros's palace.

More specific examinations of each season are coming. But this is a basic idea of what I’m looking for, this would be my Ultimate Dream Adaptation. I could probably cut it down to eight seasons? Probably. But then I’d lose that precious pacing.