#I think I may have said this about hazel but if so it’s worth repeating | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

icedflames · 4 years ago

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Hello beautiful, can you list all the reasons why Elriel is not toxic and why it won’t be a toxic relationship. I’m tired of hearing people say that Elriel is toxic.

Alright, hang on... This is a long one.

“Azriel just wants Elain for sex.”

False. Until ACOSF, we had no indication that Azriel had sexual feelings for Elain. Based on his thoughts in the bonus chapter, his actions throughout ACOSF, we can infer that Azriel has romantic feelings for Elain. His friend.

The following scenes, read together, imply that Azriel has feelings for Elain beyond platonic or sexual feelings (I have only included my favorites for the sake of brevity):

ACOWAR

But Azriel asked softly, “What about Elain?” Something cold went through me. (Chp. 63)

From the shadows near the entrance to the tent, Azriel said, as if in answer to some unspoken debate, “I’m getting her back.” Nesta slid her gaze to the shadowsinger. Azriel’s hazel eyes glowed golden in the shadows. Nesta said, “Then you will die.” Azriel only repeated, rage glazing that stare, “I’m getting her back.” (Chp. 64)

The gray light of morning had broken over the world, mist clinging to our ankles as we headed into that camp, Azriel still cradling Elain to his chest. (Chp. 65)

She let out a sob at the sight of Elain, still in Azriel’s arms. (Chp. 65)

Cassian gawked at Azriel, and I wondered how often Azriel had lent out that blade— Never, Rhys said from where he finished buckling on his own weapons against the side of the wagon. I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife. (Chp. 69)

ACOFAS

Azriel strode to the lone window at the end of the room and peered into the garden below. [...] “Azriel remained at the window. [...] Azriel said, turning from the garden window at last. (Chp. 16)

Az said nothing. No, he just moved toward her. Mor tensed beside me. But Azriel only took Elain’s heavy dish of potatoes from her hands, his voice soft as night as he said, “Sit. I’ll take care of it.” (Chp. 12)

I made to move toward her, but someone beat me to it. The shadowsinger was clad in a black jacket and pants similar to Rhysand’s—the fabric immaculately tailored and built to fit his wings. He still wore his Siphons atop either hand, and shadows trailed his footsteps, curling like swirled embers, but there was little sign of the warrior otherwise. Especially as he gently said to my sister, “Happy Solstice.” (Chp. 19)

Azriel mastered himself enough to say, “Thank you.” I’d never seen his hazel eyes so bright, the hues of green amid the brown and gray like veins of emerald. “This will be invaluable.” (Chp. 20)

ACOSF

“Because of the shit with Elain?” Azriel stilled. “What happened to Elain?”

Cassian waved a hand. “A fight with Nesta. Don’t bring it up,” he warned when Azriel’s eyes darkened. Cassian blew out a breath. “I take that as a no regarding the meeting topic, then.” [...] Cassian surveyed the shadows gathered around Az. “You all right?” His brother nodded. “Fine.” But shadows still swarmed him. (Chp. 20)

Azriel stiffened. “I know. I helped rescue Elain, after all.” Az hadn’t so much as hesitated before going into the heart of Hybern’s war-camp.” (Chp. 22)

He was still happy to be Mor’s buffer with Azriel, but there’d been a change lately. In both of them. Mor no longer sat beside Cassian, draped herself over him, and Azriel … those longing glances toward her had become few and far between. As if he’d given up. After five hundred years, he’d somehow given up. Cassian couldn’t think why. (Chp. 22)

“No. But we need to summon Lucien,” Azriel said, just a shade tightly, as if he didn’t like it one bit. (Chp. 31)

Elain just linked her arm through Nesta’s and led her toward the family room, where Azriel stood in the doorway, monitoring them. As if he’d heard Elain’s sharp laugh and wondered what had caused it. (Chp. 58)

I also want to add... That the notion that Azriel only has sexual feelings is immediately disproven by a close reading of the bonus chapter:

Rhys bared his teeth. "So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her."

Azriel snarled softly.

Azriel snarled in response to Rhys’ suggestion that his feelings are only sexual. The entire scene was Rhys not understanding that Azriel actually had feelings for Elain. Rhys even suggested that Azriel still had feelings for Mor when Cassian had noted that Azriel no longer pined for Mor.

To add, Azriel is not going antagonize Rhys and potentially kick off a feud between courts if he only wanted Elain for sex.

ALSO!!!!

AZRIEL IS NOT GOING TO DECLARE HIS LOVE FOR ELAIN IN A BONUS CHAPTER. NO AUTHOR WILL EVER GIVE AWAY A MAJOR PLOT POINT/TWIST IN A BONUS CHAPTER. THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT AND WILL BE SAID IN THE NEXT BOOK!

Cassian never admitting his feelings for Nesta in Wings and Embers. Hell, Nesta kicked him in the balls. But we don’t doubt Nessian, now do we?

I answered another anon here comparing Wings and Embers to Azriel’s bonus chapter, comparing the themes and overall feel.

“Azriel feels entitled to Elain as the third sister.”

False. Azriel began to show interest in Elain prior to Nesta and Cassian getting together. Please see the quotes above if you don’t believe me. Also, please see my post on the progression of their relationship here.

Azriel is the first person to figure out what Elain’s powers were. He pulled her from her trance. Immediately after the seer reveal, we start to see Elain revert back to normal.

Azriel is the one who defends Elain against scrying, a very dangerous thing in ACOTAR may I remind you, when she is not there to defend herself.

Azriel is the one who would sit with Elain outside in the gardens.

Azriel lent Elain his most prized possession to keep her safe during the war.

“Azriel coddles her.”

False. Azriel gave Elain truth teller to defend herself. I’d hardly call that coddling.

Let’s take a look at that scene that misguidedly causes people to think that Azriel “coddles” Elain.

Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, “There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to.”

“But Nesta should?” Cassian growled.

Is Cassian coddling Nesta? No. They both have the same reaction.

The coddling Elain experiences is from the Inner Circle constantly thinking she’s meek and reduces her to a simple girl who likes to garden.

“It doesn’t matter what I think. Go back to Feyre and your little garden.”

and then when Nesta refuses to let Elain scry for the trove:

“Why?” Elain demanded. “Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

Very different scenarios. It’s one thing to be protective (one of SJM’s favorite trope for romantic love interests). It’s another to belittle a person and then not let them grow. That is what Elain is referring to. That is the coddling she cannot stand.

“Azriel is too messed up mentally to be with anybody.”

False. This is demonstrably false. It is fanon. When this argument is used, it’s used to discredit Elain as a love interest and prop Gwyn up. If Azriel is too messed up to be with Elain, he’s too messed up to be with anybody. Period.

Nesta parallels Azriel in a lot of ways. And everybody loves Nesta and Cassian’s relationship now. Azriel does not have any of the mental illnesses the WebMD doctors come up with every other day. At the most, he has issues with his self worth and possible depression. At the most.

Saying that a character cannot be in a romantic relationship due to his mental health directly implies that individuals who are suffering with mental health issues cannot get into romantic relationships. That’s wrong and that’s mean.

In Conclusion

Elain and Azriel went from being strangers, to friends, to now possible lovers in a span of two years.

Their relationship is the most realistic one SJM has written. Nothing about them is toxic. They are kind and considerate of one another. Their feelings have slowly progressed and there are barriers to their relationship (namely, Elain’s mating bond to Lucien).

There is a difference between not liking Elain and Azriel together (an opinion) and saying Elain and Azriel are toxic together (a falsehood).

#asks #elriel #pro elriel #elain #azriel #mine

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redinkrain · 3 years ago

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Beautiful madness.

Waverly left the Vera-Vaughn-Greenwood manor moments later, promising Abby to reach out as soon as her daughter was in safety and that she gathered some more information on the artifact Abigael was looking for.

It let an odd feeling in the Demon Overlord mind, like a blur she couldn’t quite figured out. After a lifetime of loneliness, hatred and resentment, here she was, making plan with her long lost sister to burglarize the only antique allowing her to restore Macy’s fire power. A step closer to her long journey to redemption.

Will she even get there someday?

Lost in her own torturous thoughts, the British Lady didn’t hear the witch that changed her whole perspective, talking to her.

“Abby?” Mel repeated, a concerned frown marking her face.

No answer. So the witch held out her hand and took one of Abigael’s in her own trying again “Abby, are you okay?”

It worked. The Demon Overlord seemed to get out of her hypnotic state, looking at their joined hands. Eyes fascinated; like it was the most precious thing in the world. Suddenly something must have clicked in her because in a movement of panic she brutally let go of Mel’s hand and took two steps back.

“Have this unannounced pregnancy made you lost your mind as well as your memory? What about theallergy, Mel?” Abby asked in an irritated tone but the concern was crystal clear for the Vera sister.

Mel voice was soft when she simply replied “Shush it, demon spawn!”.She then closed the distance between them and took both of Abigael’s hands in hers. “See? Baby and I are good! Don’t worry.” Her smile grew some more at Abby’s awe.

“But- How?” it was so quiet that Mel almost missed it.

“I’m not really sure, but it must be the baby.”

Abigael said nothing. Eyes glued to their hands as their fingers intertwined. They stayed silent for some times. Abby didn’t dare to move an inch, a bit scared that the moment might end. For her part, Mel attentively observed The Demon Overlord’s expression the entire time. She would be lying if she said that nothing in her was liking the way Abby was looking so adoringly at their joined hands. But then, their eyes locked and Abigael had that same look on her face than the one she had when Mel asked her if she was doing this just to make amends with Macy. They were telling more than what Abby was actually able or willing to say. In that instant, everything around them ceased to exist. They were so close that Mel’s round belly touched the half-demon half-witch front. Abby wouldn’t do anything unless she was certain of Mel’s consent and for now she wouldn’t ask…

Minutes passed by and still, they were looking at each, like it was the first time they actually saw one another. Without fuss. Without judgment. Mel’s heartbeat went crazy, she couldn’t clearly figured out what it was that made her breathless, but she let herself be lost in those hazel eyes that she learned to appreciate more than she should have.

Stuck, neither of the two women knew how to act around each other in this private moment, so Abby decided to crack a snarky remark to ease whatever was going on.

“Careful there Potion Princess, one might think that you want to steal a kiss from The Demon Overlord!” Abigael said on that tone that drove Mel mad. So she rolled her eyes in exasperation, but kept her hands firmly in the British Lady ones. Then a smirk appeared on her lips when she just retorted to that flirty comment with a sultry tone.

“What if it’s exactly what I want to do?”

She then started to caress Abby’s knuckles softly while The Demon Overlord lost her voice once again. She just kept those eyes on Mel’s, more piercing than ever. And Mel finally get what Abigael meant by “I care deeply about her” when the truth serum kicked in at her trial… Just like that, her heart stopped beating at the realization. Abigael didn’t care about her in a weird frenemy way. No. It was deeper. She cared about her in a romantic way. Everything kind of fell in place. “Our child”resonated in her head. How could she missed it? The change in the woman behavior before her, how she just stopped having one night stands and orgy with Susans. Yes, plural. How didn’t she saw it sooner? How her relationship with Abigael Jameson-Caine had grown and how close they had become.

After all, a few hours back, she confessed to the woman how scared of failing her baby she was. And in all of her softness Abigael find the right words to wipe away her doubts. She didn’t laugh, didn’t used this knowledge to make a sarcastic comment. She just comforted her.

And now Mel’s mind went crazy. Loaded with questions she didn’t wanted to acknowledge till now. What did she felt for the half-witch half-demon herself?

She cared about her, a lot. A lot more than she thought she actually did. But Ruby. Mel loved Ruby. They had been through so much and still, they were together. Stronger than ever. That was what the witch was thinking. What she was feeling. And yet, she couldn’t stopped herself to wonder who was the baby’s other mother?

Abigael kept her lips sealed at first, but after some times she titled her head slightly to the side a bit worried about Mel’s own thoughts.

“Are you alright Angry Spice?” gently tightening the hands in hers.

Mel took one last look in The Demon Overlord’s eyes and give her a small smile before letting go of her grip on Abigael, who already missed the contact she craved.

“Yeah. I’m a bit tired I guess with, you know, the baby, the demon, meeting your sister.” It wasn’t a lie, she was kind of exhausted of the day, but it wasn’t the entire truth.

“If I had known about your impromptu pregnancy Mel, I would not have come bothering you asking for your assistance when danger was involved. I swear.” The hybrid stated embarrassed.

“I know Abby. As you said at the door earlier, my sisters and I are usually the ones running to you for help. I’m glad you came and trusted me enough to introduce me to your sister and let me help you.” The Latina responded. “And, for what it worth, I’m proud of you Abby.”

“It worth more than you know.” Abigael smiled with her eyes. “I should go and let you rest then. You are, after all, bearing a tiny human in that belly of yours. Thank you again, for you help. I’ll see you Potion Princess”.

The Demon Overlord started phase-shifting when Mel gently wrapped her fingers around Abigael’s left wrist. She blocked her power and waited patiently for Mel to pursue what she had on her mind.

“Thank you for the crib and for those things you said about me having what it takes to be a good mom.” Mel really appreciated this reassurance the hybrid provided her.

“Well, you have nothing to thank me for. It’s all you Melanie.” She winked at the Vera witch and disappeared in a dark smoke.

Mel stayed in the middle of the room, closed her eyes, and let out a breath she didn’t remember holding back.

*****************

That night, Mel hadn’t slept a minute. Sure, when her sisters came home and told her all about The Whispering Evil, her freak out level went high. But if she was being honest with herself (which she usually is) her mind was preoccupied by all the questions she had about a certain brunette. “Ugh! Damn you Abigael Jameson-Caine!” she muffled in her pillow. She decided to go to the kitchen and for a drink, maybe that Valerian tea Waverly highly recommended her.

Then cup in hands, the witch sat on the couch in the living room. The one Abby slept on, when her demonic form tried to get rid of her. Sighing for thinking yet again of The Demon Overlord, the Vera witch took her phone and looked at the time. 3:00 AM. “How fitting!” she exhaled. She quickly taped a text to her girlfriend. Thirty minutes later, Ruby still hadn’t responded. “I guess some have less troubles to find sleep than others” Mel spoke a bit bored. Before she could changed her mind and against her better judgment, the witch decided to text Abigael.

3:33 AM – Potion Princess : Are you awake?

A minute later, dots appeared on Mel’s screen indicating that the hybrid was typing.

3:34 AM – Demon Spawn : No. I am actually asleep.

Mel rolled her eyes and cracked a smile at this response.

3:35 AM – Potion Princess : So… How are you able to answer my text if you’re asleep?

3:35 AM – Demon Spawn : My subconscious is especially productive at this time of night.

3:35 AM – Demon Spawn : I had some business to attend actually. Why are you awake?

3:36 AM – Potion Princess : Business? In the middle of the night? I can’t sleep.

3:36 AM – Demon Spawn : The perks of being The Demon Overlord if I may say. Is everything alright? Is our baby keeping you up that late?

The witch scrutinized her screen for a good minute, particularly those two words “our baby”. Again, Mel’s heart just stopped beating in her chest and she felt her cheeks burning. She debated with herself on how to answer properly.

3:38 AM – Potion Princess : Well, you’re the one that claimed the title… So, suck it up and deal with it! ;). Our baby uh? How did you come by this conclusion? But no, it’s not the baby that keeps me from sleeping. I just got a lot on my mind I guess.

Abby’s text was nothing but fast.

3:38 AM – Demon Spawn : You’re so sarcastic at this hour of the night. It’s quite delightful. Is there something you want to talk about? Maybe I can be of some sorts of assistance?

Mel didn’t missed how Abigael just eluded a part of her text.

3:40 AM – Potion Princess : You should go to bed. It’s late and your day was longer than mine apparently...

3:40 AM – Demon Spawn : Nonsense.

And just like that, Abigael appeared in the middle of the Vera-Vaughn-Greenwood living room, wearing a black trousers and a garnet satin shirt with a cleavage that left not much to imagination. Her hair were impeccable (as usual), and she wear those discrete gold hearings. She was still wearing her make-up. Mel glanced at her guest a little too long to go unnoticed by Abigael who just smirked at her when sitting next to the witch.

“So Velma Dinkley, what in that little head of yours prevents you to fall asleep?” Abby asked softly.

Melanie Vera rarely panicked at the thought of talking about feelings. Not with her sisters. Not with Harry. Not with Ruby. Ruby her girlfriend if she hadn’t mentioned it. But now, in front of one Abigael Jameson-Caine, she would gladly take off in a heartbeat. Also, she knew that if she wasn’t having this conversation, she’ll be self-deprived of sleep for the rest of her life. So, here she was…

“You, actually.” She confessed when meeting the half-demon half-witch eyes.

Abigael’s smirk was so infuriating, Mel already knew what was coming for her next.

“Having naughty thoughts about us?” Abby couldn’t bring herself to not take the bait on this one which just made her host rolled her eyes even more exasperatedly.

“Abby! Can you stop please. I’m trying to have a serious conversation here.” the Latina said. Because having this particular talk at almost 4 in the morning was the responsible thing to do. Good job, Mel.

The British Lady took one look into the Vera sister eyes to know that this conversation was important to her. So, she clenched her jaw, and silently promised herself to do her best.

“I apologize. What about me, Potion Princess?” She asked curiously facing the Charmed One.

“We never spoke about what you said during the trial…” Damn it! She completely sucked at starting this topic.

“Oh, you mean when Perky Peanut gave me truth serum against my will and so forced me to answer truthfully at questions I would have rather lied about?” A hint of resentment was obvious in her tone.

Mel put a hand on Abigael’s forearm to soothe her. It seemed to work, because the hybrid closed her eyes for a second before pursuing.

“I imagine you want to have a conversation about what I said about you, isn’t it?” She didn’t dare to look at Mel.

“Yes.” the witch whispered. “Did you meant what you said?”

Abby laughed at that. It wasn’t a full laugh, but still, the Latina hadn’t heard her guest laughed a lot.

“Mel, you do know how truth serum works, right?” The British Lady furrowed her brow in question.

“Yeah I do, but you know what I meant.” Melanie replied as if the question was crystal clear.

“So, what you truly asked was if I still mean it right now?” Really, she guessed her best.

The witch only nodded in approval.

“Well, in all honesty, it is a question that is hard to answer to.” The Demon Overlord observed Mel’s reaction.

“How come?” Mel simply asked, when she could heard the frantic beating of her heart in her chest.

Abigael gave her a small smile, one that would be imperceptible for a stranger.

“I do not know any words that would reflect what you mean to me, Melanie.” Again, the witch heart skipped a beat at the use of her first name. “I do not know when neither do I know how you became such an important part of my life but every chance I get to spend time with you I learn to know why.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “So yes, Melanie Vera, I care deeply about you. More than I ever cared about anyone to this day. Really, I just want you to be healthy, to be happy.” Mel sat still, incapable of breathing, too struck by Abby’s confession, by the vulnerability that she was showing to her. Speechless. “And, don’t be mistaken, I expect nothing from you. I would not dream of it. I know my place and how unworthy I am to ever be a part of your happiness. I woul-”.

The half-demon half-witch was cut off by a pair of lips on her own. Surprised, she closed her eyes and kissed Mel back. It was gentle, like caressing velour for the first time. They were both afraid that the moment was in fact a dream. Then the witch place a final peck on Abby’s lips before retreating.

“Sorry, I didn’t asked for you consent.” Mel whispered.

“For this? You always have it.” Abby replied softly. “Will my answer be of any help?”

“I’m sure it will. Thank you for being honest.” The Vera sister replied, even though she wanted to say more.

“Alright, I leave you to it then. Have a good night, Melanie.” The British Lady focused on Mel’s eyes.

“Goodnight, Abigael. And again, thank you.” The which said just before a cloud of dark smoke made her guest disappeared.

Mel didn’t slept better after that. Her lips haunted by Abby’s and the taste of her tongue against hers.

It’s 8 AM sharp when she got a text from Ruby. And then, a storm was raging within the witch heart.

#abimel #abigael x mel #abigael jameson caine #abigael caine #mel vera #charmed #charmed cw #cw charmed #charmed 2018 #2018 charmed #reboot charmed #charmed reboot #fanfic #fanfiction #that was stuck in my head for days #finally got time to write it

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majorsoapfan · 4 years ago

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Umbrella Academy Season 3 Wish list

This is a long one so buckle up:

Let Klaus and Allison take centre-stage this season in leading the plot. Both are incredible characters and deserve the chance to shine. And I can think of several reasons why they deserve the chance to take centre-stage: out of the whole Academy their powers are some of the most fascinating and in Klaus’ case he has so many that haven’t been revealed yet. They’ve both suffered and lost a lot as well, particularly in season 2 and their hardships tend to get ignored by others. Their relationship together is already really interesting and supportive and they would be an awesome team up. There’s more but I’ll be here forever if I tried to list them.

No Apocalypse. The world ending in eight days was a great plot driver in season 1 and again in season 2 with the reveal that the end of the world actually followed the Umbrella’s back in time. But if the same thing gets repeated over and over then I’m worried that the show will lose it’s edge as a result. In order for the characters to develop new crisis's need to take its place.

Let Five have a rest. Even if it’s just for an episode or two so he can get a solid eight hours sleep if nothing else. For the last two seasons Five has been running around non-stop trying to stop the end of the world and save his family. Without that Five can grow as a person and get a literal break that he really hasn’t gotten in 45 years.

Oh course that doesn’t mean I want Five out of the drama entirely and I do expect to see Reginald and Five scenes in season 3. Five is the only one of his original children that the bastard seemed to tolerate and he did seem to have some form of twisted respect for Five as well. And I wouldn’t put it past the monocle monster to have some twisted plans in store for the eldest member of the Umbrella Academy. He’s had fifty years to plan for the Umbrella’s return after all.

The Sparrows. I just saw the line up of the Sparrows for season three and I am honestly so interested. I can’t wait to see what their powers are like and I already have some ideas. They have so much potential and hopefully they’ll be done well. And so far they seem to be written as the Umbrella’s foils. Marcus is a natural leader who loves his family, while Luther forces himself into the role and alienated his family as a result. Both Ben and Diego long to be the leader but while Diego is more emotional, Ben’s more strategic. Five is driven by his love and desire to protect his family, while Sloane feels held back by hers. Vanya was treated as an outcast and betrayed her siblings trust while Christopher, a literal Cube, is said to be loyal and is treated as a loved family member

That being said though, I don’t want the Sparrows to be the main focus this season or have the attention split between them and the Umbrella’s. Because while I do want to see the Sparrows and their family dynamic and how they interact with the Umbrella’s, I would prefer to see how the Umbrella Hargreeves’ cope with their existent and how this impacts them and how they move forward with this. Or a team up between Sparrows and Umbrella’s would be fine. Or multiple team ups, I’m not picky.

There is a really good fan theory out there about Klaus and Five being twins and while I know that in the comics it’s Luther and Five, the fan theory in season 3 would be so much better in my opinion. And in all honesty it makes so much more sense. Physically they are strikingly similar, especially as children. Their powers both concentrate in their hands and emit a blue glow when they use them. Their powers themselves are literally time and death, which are linked and they have additive personalities, which can be inherited between family members. And I can’t help but feel that this moment:

lends a new level to their relationship then what we see with them as adults. Look at how alike they are! And that fond smile that Five is giving Klaus? Making them twins opens up a wide range of possibilities for Klaus and Five both character and plot wise.

Give Luther a proper love interest. And I can’t believe that this even has to be said but his sister does not count! Literally all of siblings have have romantic interests, all of them so important in the Umbrella’s life in some way or another. It would be nice too to see Luther form a healthy romantic connection for the first time in his life.

While I’m on the subject of Luther and healthy relationships, it also brings me back to the Sparrows and how their number one Marcus seems to be Luther’s foil. And it would be interesting for the show to explore just how seeing the Sparrows and someone so similar to Luther might just affect him. He did spend thirty years of his life after all being Reginald’s little solider and believing that his position as Number One made him the family leader only to find out it was all for nothing. Only Marcus seems to be respected in his position as leader and loves his family dearly, while Luther was mocked and seems to have driven all of his siblings bar Allison away from him because of it. This has incredible potential for Luther’s character arc this season especially if it makes him acknowledge his behaviour to his siblings as they were growing up; particularly to Klaus and Vanya who probably got the worst of it. Allison after all was his closest companion, Diego was his rival (more or less), Ben seemingly got on with everyone and Five would have bitten Luther’s head off if he tried anything. But Reginald’s disappointments Klaus and Vanya? Luther, wanting to impress their dad and follow his orders probably didn’t treat them the best. And I want Luther to admit that and apologise and make the next step in becoming a better person and brother. He’s made incredible progress in season 2, but I don’t want his past treatment of his siblings to be swept under the rug. It needs to be acknowledged and Luther needs to admit it was wrong so he can grow.

Can we get Diego’s season one hair back too? I wondered just how it got that long considering that he was only in the sixties for around three months. Klaus makes sense as he was in the sixties for years. Plenty of time for him to grow it out, not really for Diego. But I really prefer his season one hair so can it make a comeback please?

What I want to see for Vanya this season is for her to realize that she doesn’t need powers to be special. I kinda noticed that she seems to have defined her worth on her powers and that’s not healthy. So a potential scenario: Reginald seems to have made the power-suppressing drug himself, so he may still have it in season 3. Imagine Vanya getting a dose of it that knocks her powers out for a good chunk of time and in the meantime some of her siblings are in danger (I’m picturing Luther and Diego here the himbos) and she ends up saving them. Not with her powers but because of her intelligence and other skills that she has and she realizes that she doesn’t need her powers to be special or to save the day. A logical step in character growth.

Getting some closure on season 2 character like Sissy, Ray, Grace, the Cult (which I really didn’t like) and the Swede and what happened to them once the Umbrella’s left the sixties. And maybe finding out what happened to season one’s characters since the Umbrella’s didn’t exist in this timeline: Agnes, Patch, Leonard, Pogo, Claire.

For Klaus and Umbrella Ben to talk about their issues and make up. I know that our Ben is now up there with the little girl in the sky but that has not stopped Klaus from visiting heaven before. And I think that if Klaus and Ben do not get at least one final conversation to talk through their issues next season then I will sue. They both did crappy things to each other in season two but they both love each other dearly and they deserve the chance to get the closure they both need. I think that Klaus will definitely need it in order to move on completely.

I know I said no Apocalypse but I’m still going to be expecting some major crisis to happen during the last few episodes. An alien invasion or Sparrows trying to kill the Umbrella's maybe? But no matter what the problem is, I really want Klaus to get his moment to shine by being the one to save the day. Reginald said himself that Klaus has untapped potential and we know thanks to the comics what other powers he has. And thanks to Ben’s antics at the family dinner the old bastard has probably written him off as useless and not a threat when making plans to deal with the Umbrella’s. Which means nobody is going to be looking at Klaus or considering him a potential threat to their plans, leaving Klaus relatively safe to start exploring and enhancing his powers. He was supposed to be the one to have done it in season one with the moon and his abilities were brushed to the side completely in season two or used for Ben’s benefit so I think he’s long overdue his moment to shine. And maybe then will the rest of his siblings stop seeing Klaus as a joke.

Lila. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her, her story felt unfinished and she does have a briefcase. She could pop at any moment in the story. She has so much potential and I did love her actress. Imagine her and Five forcing to team up or something? Or maybe her and Allison?

Another character I’d like to see return is Hazel. He’s someone who really grew on me. And there is a chance that he could return and maybe team up with the Umbrella’s this season. Potential scenarios: Five on the hunt for allies to help him restore the timeline hunts down Hazel who in this timeline is working with the Commission and because the Umbrellas don’t exist hasn’t met Agnes yet. Maybe something happened to her because of the Sparrows?

Finally Dave. I’m a huge Dave fan but I really don’t want him to show up in season three. Or if he does then for the smallest amount of time possible just to give Klaus some ‘closure’. Time travel is in the Umbrella Academy universe after all and it’s possible that by Klaus warning Dave about his faith and causing him to enlist earlier and in a different branch as a result he’s saved Dave and opened up the possibility of seeing Commission!Dave later. Which is the perfect storyline for season 4. Season three is only 10 episodes long and there’ll be a lot going on already so shoving Dave into what will already be a pretty packed season won’t give Dave the attention he deserves and will take away from the other focus. Not only that but Klaus’ motivation for the last two seasons is doing something for either Dave or Ben. I want to see Klaus train his powers either for himself or to help someone else. Also, Dave deserves the chance to grow as a character as well and making him a part of season 3 would take away from the main focus of the Umbrella’s and Sparrows. Making him a main focus in season four instead if we get one will give a great opportunity story-wise to develop both him and Klaus as individuals and as a couple.

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chosenimagines · 3 years ago

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Trash talk (Dr Spencer Reid)

Universe: Criminal Minds Summary: Some Fluff^^ Reader (named Lola) is talking to her dead grandmother about Spencer and her insecurities, Spencer overhears most of it

Warnings: Insecurity, Tears

Language: English Request: yes/no Requests [Open]

A/N: Trash talk plays after Seizure! This one shot/imagine can be found as well on my wattpad^^

🖊️ 🖊️ 🖊️ 🖊️

____________________________________________

“I am scared! And you know it. You know that I am afraid and absolutely freaked out!” I slowly breathe out. It is hard for me to say these things out loud. But I need to! Otherwise, the weight will crush me and my soul. “And I know- I freaking know I shouldn’t be but what if he- What if someone else-” I stop. My thoughts are running through my mind like crazy! It is exhausting. “There’s no guarantee! There is no guarantee…”

My fingers barely touched the round charm on my necklace when I raise my hand to play with it. I want to feel the cool metal under her fingertips but I can’t sense it. The coolness was supposed to ground me. I don’t let go of the necklace even tough it haven’t fulfilled its purpose. “I wish you’d still be here! I would like to introduce him to you. You would love him, Granny!” I shed a tear and smile. “He is kind! And- and sweet and supportive and lovely and-” More tears run down my redden cheeks. “And so understanding!” A slight cough leaves my throat. “Spencer is incredibly smart! But you already know this of course. I mean I told you about him so many times before.”, I say sobbing. With a rough movement of the back of my hand I wipe the tears of my cheeks. “I am so in love with him. I absolutely love how intelligent he is! Even though sometimes I feel intimidated by his huge knowledge! Everytime he states a fact I get the feeling of being nothing more than a dumb kid instead of a 21 year-old who studies law at The George Washington University. It’s stupid I know! But I can’t help it.” A short, hysterical laugh bursts out of me. I am going crazy inside and out and I don’t even care about that. In this exact moment I only care about getting everything of my chest. “Probably Spencer will notice soon how childish, stupid and useless I am… I can imagine pretty exact how you would look at me right now! You would shake your head in disbelief and say: “If he doesn’t love you the way you are he will never be worth any of your tears!”” I smile under my fresh tears. Again I wipe them off my face. My grandma never liked when I cried when I told her about people. She always said that I can let it all out after I got everything of my chest! She could understand the story better and I can try to have a neutral look at the story. After she left I still try to follow her advice. “You would add to that: “Don’t you dare call yourself stupid! He may have an IQ of 187 but a number is not everything. You are one of the smartest people I know, Lola!” I sniff. My sad smile becomes a bit wider. “In that case I introduce you to the smartest person I know, Granny! Dr Spencer Reid. FBI-agent; bookworm; owner of three PhDs… God! I really hope that Spencer won’t ever recognize that I am not good en-” “Don’t even think about ever finishing that sentence! Never ever in your entire life finish this lie.” Out of the sudden Spencer kneels infront of me. When did he come home? “Lola Emily Cinder-” I immediately interrupt him. “Even my name is stupid and boring!”, I whine desperately. I stand up and let myself fall backwards on the bed behind me. Spencer sits down right next to me and pulls me into a sitting position. His arms are wrapped around me. “No, it is not! Nothing about you is boring. You are wonderful just the way you are. I am pretty sure your grandmother would agree with me.” Spencer gives my hand a tiny squeeze when he notices the tears that are running down my face again. Then he turns his torso into my direction, cups my face with his hands and looks deep into my eyes. As usual I get lost into his hazel eyes. “You are wonderful.”, Spencer repeats before he continues. “You have an incredible personality. I am jealous of your emotional intelligence. I’d rather have that amount of emotional intelligence you’ve got than being a genius.” His giggle after the word genius ends up in a cough. “I want to be honest with you I’ve never thought that I would fall hopelessly in love with a girl who isn’t like me! I have been searching for somebody similar because I felt my whole life like an outsider due to my intellect, my interests, my habits and my personality. I wanted to find someone who makes me feel included because of every similarity we share. Since I have met you, I have everything I need in my life. You make one odd boy feel like an ordinary man that deserves to be loved! God, I wish you would see yourself like I do.” Both of his thumbs swipe over my wet cheeks. “I can spend hours talking with you or even talking about you without getting bored for a single seconde. Don’t you ever think that you are boring! You never cease to amaze me, Lola.” I look at Spencer in disbelief. The glance in my eyes keeps him going. “There are about a hundred things I love about you! For example, I love the way your presence makes me so nervous that I am not able to give you the precise number of character traits and habits I like- no I LOVE about you!” My boyfriend’s breath goes heavy and fast. Spencer has talked much and fast. He had no time to breathe between the words. I am speechless. I stare at without being able to say anything. “I love you, Lola and I only have one wish.” “And what is that wish?”, I ask. “I don’t want you to trash talk about yourself! If you are feeling bad just call and I’ll be there for you. But please don’t put yourself down.”, Spencer demands. “Okay.”, I whisper and wrap my hands around him. “I love you, Spence! More than you’ll ever know.” He tightens the hug and gives me a kiss on the forehead.

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sepublic · 4 years ago

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The Castle Car and the Train to Nowhere!

This was SUCH an amazing and compelling finale, y’all! The way all these things come together, how it just culminates in humble, silly, yet REAL apologies… Concessions, the parallels in the denizens and one another, I love it SO MUCH!

Firstly, what started as a funny gag photo with Jeremy, Kez, and Morgan, and the meaning expanded upon- SSSOOO clever, like everything in this entire damn series! But also the grief and symbolism, how Morgan is literally like a prison for Jeremy… And she wants to keep him, hold onto him, but she’s not letting him be his own person, and it reminds me of Min not wanting to be left behind by Ryan! And how Morgan takes things personally against Kez for just being herself, for this accident, at Jeremy for leaving her… And how Min learns not to be mad at Ryan and vice-versa, that they FINALLY learn to say sorry!

There’s so much to unwrap… Jeremy going on his journey, but he never really left, just like Ryan going off but not REALLY progressing! And this theme of progression and journeys, wanting to get it over with and rush it, feeling like you’re trapped and not getting anywhere… Wanting a plan or a destination, but as Kez said, sometimes it’s just about the journey! To just live in the moment, to enjoy and appreciate what happened… To not stay stuck over the past, while also taking responsibility, mutually admitting where you went wrong! Making concessions because you LOVE a person, you want them to be their own!

How Kez really didn’t just mean to, just like Ryan can sometimes be thoughtless… How the passengers learn to help the denizens and vice-versa in their examples! Jeremy realizing he never really left the fog, and when he figures this out with Kez’s help, in a sense he goes back to where he started; And only by returning can he start anew his ACTUAL journey, just as Ryan goes back home to reunite with Min, and starts off this whole sequence! And GOD, the horror and creepiness of Kez luring them in for a trap, dragging them along without really telling the plan, no trust and how Min feels like he can’t trust Ryan who just brings him and doesn’t slow down…

UGH IT’S SO GOOD, and how Kez and Morgan learn to confront their issues, how Kez just wants to make up- And Morgan is rooted in place, stuck in the past, maybe kind of like Min? The culmination of Kez being a welcoming bell for people… AND RYAN FINALLY GETTING TO RING HER, we’d never seen ANY ringing and we finally got it! For a moment I thought it’d cut to an actual bell ringing as we see Ryan and Min at a real-life place to check in for their journey… But no, we got it! God, the wordless trust as Kez fully understands and bows her little head, eyes closed… Kez is phenomenal, 10/10, one of THE best denizens in my opinion, alongside Lake!

Just GOD, the motif of the train and passengers and journeys, the denizens going on their own journey… I must say, with how the denizens can actually leave to hound after the passengers even after the puzzle is done, even taking advantage of the local tech- It all seems very unintended, doesn’t it? And Amelia, lol, we get to sort of see her take-over; We know it happens across Book 4, and we see the effects with how she’s trying to figure out the Steward and take Ryan and Min’s boots for her own experiments, only to mess up and cause the Steward to self-destruct! It’s kind of hilarious how everything stops for a moment and Ryan and Min have no clue WHAT happened, they don’t know who One or Amelia are, they heard their voices last time in that Party Car and that was about it… Hilarious.

But damn, Amelia just abandoning everyone and telling them they’re on their own, it’s a contrast to how these people are reuniting and finding solace… Well besides Judge Morpho, I’m glad she’s alive after all- I was afraid she’d be decked into the fire, but no, just out the chimney and gone! She really is unkillable, huh… And the Cow Creamer came back, she’s with her kid again! She’s a good and mature mom… And I SAW Kez’s apology coming and I loved it! And Ryan, Ryan wants to move on, he wants to get away and progress and he’s impatient, but he needs to learn to appreciate the journey, even if he has been feeling trapped and held down…

UGH IT’S SO GOOD, learning to stick with one another! The character themes, the clever bits of worldbuilding across the seasons, coming together like one giant puzzle as we learn and understand more about the setting, even retroactively, as well as some characters… The storytelling is SO concise, sweet, and to the point! Morgan gets to still cope with her own feelings on her own, that theme of enjoying and appreciating what you DID go through, as part of that theme of progress and learning to move on, while still taking it slowly enough to actually take in what’s happening!

There’s accountability with the apologies, admitting you did wrong, that you’ll actually learn and progress from here, instead of staying in the same places and repeating the same mistakes… It’s wonderfully cheesy but also heartfelt, I ADORE how this show isn’t afraid to be dark and twisted like Book 3, but then have a happy ending like this; It’s the RANGE that is granted by the setting, premise, and anthological story-telling!

Amelia doesn’t learn, not until she meets Tulip- And it’s SO fun thinking of how these characters all indirectly and directly interact and come together, the parallels… Amelia meets Ryan and Min, then later inspires Grace, she meets Tulip, who frees Lake who meets Jesse… And Tulip’s efforts get Amelia to change for the better, leading her to eventually meet Grace again, as WELL as Simon, and then Hazel who she made! It really is an interconnected web, a story that overlaps and all comes together as one great end-product and recipe, and DAMN if I’m not salty we’re not getting the rest! We’re missing out on a whole second half… But maybe in graphic novel or book- There’s hope and freedom in that medium, let’s not forget!

Well guys, this was a PHENOMENAL season, and a wonderful way to end the animated version of this tale… Although hopefully, the story continues on in other formats- And who knows, maybe the animated medium CAN be retained, if this does well enough. We’ll just have to wait and see… But in the meantime, this was a wonderful way to end things, and I genuinely hope that Owen Dennis can tell the rest of his story, perhaps in literal books; All of them, Books 5-8, as well as the resolution to Amelia and Hazel! This was purely amazing you guys, and it really made my day… THANK you, Owen and crew, for everything and Infinity Train- I mourn the destination and end after having reached it, but as Kez taught us, you just gotta appreciate the journey, and what mostly certainly DID happen…!

Even unintended, this works as a nice goodbye to the animated form of the series; So what better way to end, than with a song that makes the most of the animated format? And a song taking inspiration from the Infinity Train and the friends met there… I’ve always wanted to see a passenger incorporate those experiences creatively like that! Who knows, maybe Tulip did so with her games… And in the meantime, I’d love to see a reference to Chicken Choice Judy in a future Book, perhaps just a glimpse in modern time to see how they did! But then again, Owen does like his ambiguity; And even if Chicken Choice Judy didn’t make it, I think Ryan and Min can both agree that the brief tenure was still worth it, no anxiety over the destination- They’ll get there, WHEN they get there, as Min said… They don’t need to control, just adapt and survive! No knowledge nor certainty, no guarantees required- They have their hope, faith, their past, and one another as guidance to keep company, and they’ll never be alone from hear on out! They can learn to let go, and move on… Just as Jeremy moved on from the death of his own lover (and child), so hopefully Amelia can learn as well, too. We’ll see…

Until next time you guys… Like Ryan and Min, let’s appreciate what we did get, and keep ourselves open to our next destination, whatever it may be, if nothing; The journey was still enjoyed and happened! To our next destination, or shall we board off at our final stop- We’ll just have to wait and see.

#infinity train #infinity train book 4 spoilers #infinity train spoilers #infinity train book 4 #infinity train duet #infinity train ryan #ryan akagi #infinity train min #min-gi park #infinity train kez #infinity train amelia #amelia hughes #infinity train morgan #speculation #analysis

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ladyinbooks · 3 years ago

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Ficlet Friday time! And here’s a P2P role reversal AU, that the wonderful InkBubble suggested on ao3.

Title: Mirror, Mirror Warnings: Role reversal AU, minor sinister subtext Summary: Hespherus Jones is just trying to get by, at the end of the world.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.

- Edith Wharton

There is a man sitting in his clinic.

It is the first thing Hess realises when he wanders out of the stock room, still idly counting bandages and anaesthetic doses in his head.

The alarms haven't rung; the wards haven't gone off. He hasn't heard footsteps, or breathing, or any kind of noise to indicate that someone has stumbled in looking for help.

And yet.

There is a man sitting in his clinic.

He's perched on the edge of the examination couch, arms braced, denim-clad thighs slightly spread. A scuffed leather jacket that may have belonged with a motorcycle once, and a soft, worn out t-shirt underneath. Short hair, a beautiful jawline, and the kind of mouth Hess would have paid an evening's worth of drinks for, in the Before.

All in all he's gorgeous, in a worn-down, handsome kind of way.

He's also studying Hess right back. He hasn't said a word – hasn't moved – and so Hess takes a cautious step forward. Then another.

“Can I help?” he asks, and tries to keep his voice as gentle as he's able.

Hazel eyes – pretty, pretty, too pretty – travel the length of his body. For a moment Hess is acutely aware of how he must look in return: unshaven, half-asleep after being on his feet for three days. A rumpled, tired, tea-stained mess.

“Are you Hespherus Jones?”

A whisky-soft voice; carefully shaped vowels. South East London, a small part of Hess notes, and trying to hide it.

“I am.”

Another pause, as the man considers this. “You're a doctor?”

“I am,” Hess repeats.

“You're not what I expected.”

And what did you expect? Hess nearly says. Some doddering little old man in his nineties? Some bright young thing, fresh out of university?

He's neither of those. Young enough to do this with energy; old enough not to panic when a patient's spilling their guts out all over his table.

(Not even the first time that happened, when he'd realised he hadn't specialised in surgery and could only do his best.)

“I'm sorry to disappoint,” he says at last, because it seems like the right thing.

The man shrugs. “It's not a disappointment. Just... a surprise.”

He's very still, Hess realises. Very composed. He's sitting loose-limbed, in the kind of deceptive sprawl that could very easily become something far more dangerous, if given the opportunity. A soldier then. Or perhaps a mercenary.

Carefully, Hess takes another step into the room. “I didn't know my reputation preceded me. Certainly not to the point someone would be surprised.”

The man tilts his head. “Hespherus Jones. The man who heals. Defiant courage, in the face of overwhelming odds. I heard about your actions at Chatham. At Whitstable.” He pauses, then adds, “At Romney Marsh.”

“Ah,” Hess says. “You're part of the rebellion.”

“I'm part of a rebellion,” the man says. He seems to find something amusing about his own confession, if the slight curve of his lips is anything to go by. “Maybe not the one you're thinking of though.” He slides off the examination couch slowly, his boots making hollow thuds as his feet hit the floor.

Standing, he's a little shorter than Hess – one inch, maybe two – which is... surprising. Somehow he takes up all the space in the room, standing there in his battered clothes. There's something about him that seems bigger than he is.

“Who are you?” Hess asks slowly.

“Dan.” The man holds a hand out. When Hess takes it, he can feel callouses against his palm; the rough press of strong fingers against his own.

Sword, something says at the back of his mind, and he doesn't know why.

“Hess.”

Dan's mouth quirks, beautiful. “Yes, I know.”

For a heartbeat he stands there, expression considering as he holds Hess's hand. He's warm, Hess thinks, his thumb pressed against Dan's pulse point. It's been a long time since someone's come into his clinic who hasn't been cold, bleeding out, or on the point of destruction.

“Why are you here?” he asks quietly, and almost regrets it when Dan startles, taking a step back. His hand drops to his side, and for a moment Hess mourns the loss of contact.

“I wanted to see,” Dan says at last.

“See?”

“You.” There's something disturbingly honest in the way he says it; in the faint, bemused frown as he looks Hess over, from head to foot.

It's strange; a little bewildering. The assessing tilt of his head is a little unnerving. If it came to it, Hess thinks uneasily, he's not sure he'd win in a fight against him.

He's not sure if that's what Dan's after – not sure if it's even crossed his mind – but there's something... off. It raises the hairs at the nape of his neck; makes him clear his throat, as he takes a step back.

“Well, here I am.”

“Here you are,” Dan repeats. He rubs a hand across his mouth, thoughtful. “The man who heals. Miracles, doctor, seem to be your speciality. It's why I came.”

And that –

Ice slides down Hess's spine, his breath hitching. No one should know about those. No one. He's been so careful not to do anything overt. Luck, his patients believe, and excellent medical treatment, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Never inexplicable; never raising the dead. Just good, steady care and an uncanny success rate.

“I don't know who told you that,” he says at last, voice hoarse.

Dan shrugs, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Nobody told me. I already knew.”

“Well they're wrong.”

“Are they.” It's not a question, not with the way Dan's watching him, gaze steady, eyes just a little too knowing.

And – Who is this man? Who is he? Familiarity under Hess's skin, as though he's seen Dan once before in a dream, or a nightmare. Strong, careful competence, and the way he's standing. It strikes a chord in his soul, something echoing, vague and known.

“Who are you?” Hess repeats, and this time his step back is bigger. He gets a good half of the room between them, and still isn't confident it's enough.

Dan sighs, a soft little breath. It could be amusement or exasperation, and there's no way to tell which, from the way he's watching Hess. There is a heartbeat, where something cracks in his expression, darkness skittering beneath his skin.

“No one you need to worry about yet.”

Yet.

Hess swallows hard. “Then if you don't need medical treatment, I suggest you leave. Now.”

For a moment, he doesn't think it's going to work. Those hazel eyes are still watching him, drinking him in, as though Dan is trying to imprint something into his memory; his bones.

“You're very sweet,” he says at last, sounding almost puzzled.

Any other time – any other place – and Hess might take that as a compliment. Might lean nearer, smiling; might even invite Dan into the back room, push him against the door, and –

“Get out,” he says, low.

“Alright,” Dan says. “Alright.” He slides his hands from his pockets and smiles a little, wry and faintly amused.

Hess watches, heart hammering, as he takes a step, then another, quick and disturbingly light for a man wearing boots. There's not enough time for him to flinch away, before Dan gets a hand on his chin, fingers cradling his jaw as he tilts Hess's head down, so they are eye to eye.

“I'll see you again.” It's not a promise; it's a threat.

“Not if I can help it,” Hess says, around the panic tightening his throat.

That beautiful mouth quirks again in that strange little half smile.

“We'll see.”

Then he's gone, vanishing into the night as though he never existed.

And Hess is left, hands shaking, with the deep and terrible certainty that, somehow, he knows Dan was speaking the absolute truth.

Not long now, something in him says. Not long.

#Path to Paradise #Hespherus Jones #Daniel Waters #Ficlet Fridays

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elucien · 4 years ago

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“i did not want to lose you, nesta archeron,” continues cassian, his voice rough. “i did not want to push you away, to break whatever tentative bond had been between us. i did not know if you felt it too. but when you covered my body with yours... i thought then that you were aware, and that you did not want to lose me. for the first time in five hundred years, i felt as if i were full. it did not matter to me that death had come to collect us, to take us to a realm that we have not seen; all i could think of was that i had found my mate, and she had found me. she had accepted me.”

nessian oneshot: cassian confronts nesta after a brutal fight in the illyrian steppes where it was revealed that cassian withheld knowing the two were mates. the two speak for the first time after that, and nesta accepts the bond.

this is part one.

part two will be released relatively soon.

the night is nothing but the animalistic howls of the wind and great gusts, with enough force to perhaps deter the greatest of the illyrian warriors from tasting the wind, not until the moon meets the lovely obsidian embrace of the night.

it does not stop cassian from navigating them, despite the growls he hears in the thick underbrush of the forests, or the beating of wings that do not belong to him. it does not surprise him, nor should it; he is not the only predator in illyria, and particularly near the steppes. it should not surprise him that nesta has chosen to make her abode here, not when she is as much a predator as the beasts that the illyrians whisper about on the darkest of nights, if not more.

his pause when he lands in front of a door that is roughly hewn, carved from a tree that he has not seen in decades, from a continent he has visited once, in crueler times.

it is fitting that she had selected it.

he does not knock on the door, not when he knows in his very bones that she can sense him.

smell him.

the bond between the two is perhaps an attempt from the mother herself to extract vengeance, likely for the foes that have fallen at his hands. or something else, something he has done in the years he has spent as an assassin, with hair that does not fall at the nape of his neck but was chopped and trimmed neatly, in a style that the mortals had found to be intriguing, stylish.

this is fitting ; to have what he has desired, perhaps above all else, so very close - - - he can smell her on the other side of the door, with that rich scent of rosemary and sage. she likely lingers behind the roughly polished kitchen table, back straight, as proud as any queen.

her footsteps are tentative at first, as if she is in thought, but they stop when she is on the other side of the door.

“nesta.” a plea.

on the other side of the door, slender, slightly calloused fingers lock around the doorknob.

then linger.

“I- I’m sorry.”

there it is; an admittance, a glimpse into his soul. it is an opening, one that she finds acceptable. the door swings open.

nesta archeron simply stands there. stiff. unyielding. yet beautiful, in a way that is utterly devastating. it is a beauty that would not only bring kings to their knees, but one that would have them clamoring to hand over their kingdoms. then there is the matter of her mind ; cunning, cruel, and ancient. she may be new on this continent, yet there is something in her soul that cannot be contained, a sharpness that would take warriors millennia to hone.

perhaps that was why he could not stay away.

why he still cannot stay away.

“get in,” she demands, stepping aside.

she pretends not to notice how his shoulders slump in relief, merely drifting towards what passes as a sitting room in her cabin. the door is closed gently, with a thud that would likely not be heard by human ears, and she does not meet his eyes, not until she is seated in a tasteful armchair, one that is at odds with the rest of her cabin.

an armchair from sangravah, cassian gleans. the exquisite embroidery and the thread that gleams beneath the candlelight cannot be found elsewhere. he’d know, if only because of how often rhysand imported goods from there. pricy, perhaps, but well within the range of expenses that the night court can afford.

he stands behind the other armchair, his wings spread slightly. in their silence, there is only the crackling of the embers, and the snarls from predators that he has not encountered, not in the five centuries he has spent within the steppes. her hurt is near tangible, almost a presence, one that he can thank the bond for.

“when were you going to tell me?” her words are colder than the snow that caps the illyrian mountains. “you knew, for months, and you did not tell me.”

if he did not know her tells, or was incapable of traveling down a corridor that stretches between their very souls, he would think she was unfeeling. he would assume she was simply unbothered.

“you knew,” she repeats. this time, her words are different. “for months, CASSIAN. AND DID NOT TELL ME.”

regret is etched onto his handsome face; regret, along with sorrow. for with the warrior, there is not one, but always both. the emotions are always hand in hand.

“for two years,” he starts, his voice rough. still, he does not move into the sitting room, nor past the border of the thick, rich rug that coats the floor of most of the sitting room. he remains where he is, broad hands resting atop the other armchair. “i knew it the moment before hybern.”

before there had been a blood-stained field, a king hellbent on vengeance, and the murder of a father that she had not known, not fully.

“i knew it the moment we lingered outside of your tent before that godsdamned battle, and all i could do was watch you attempt to battle tire while trying to string words together to speak to me. i felt your fear, and...” he pauses, shaking his head, as if he cannot entirely ward off the emotions, the vulnerability that accompanies the memory. “it made me want to pull you into my arms. i did not want to leave you after that, but i could not have myself saying it, not when you’d only started to stomach me, when you’d begun to speak to me as if i were worth talking to.”

there are some scars that will never heal, even with the guiding hand of time herself.

the death of his mother is one nesta knows will haunt him, perhaps, for the entirety of his immortal life.

she remains in her chair, chin tilted high, as any queen holding court would, but there is a sinking feeling in her stomach. there is a numbness that eats at her, that has her wanting to roar, to rip into the very void that she has spent the past few months staring into.

there is a tear that slides down her cheek, but she does not make to wipe it away. he does not stride forward either. this is her space, entirely hers. he will not near her, let alone touch her, unless it is requested.

it will always be her choice.

“after the war, i...” there is a sadness that haunts those hazel eyes when he continues, sharing a story that she had not thought of asking for. “i did not want to bother you. i understood your loss, and i knew you would want your time alone. i thought you would approach me when you were ready, but you did not. and those days turned into weeks, and those weeks turned into months.”

cassian begins to pace, only pausing once he faces the land that is exposed from a window, leaving his back to her. “you did not discover the bond, but i was well aware of it. each night, i felt this sense of dread that did not belong to me. then there was a cold i could not shake off, one that was numbing. i had found my mate, after centuries of seeking, and bloodshed, and what hurt most was that i could not help you. and that night, the solstice, my control snapped. you were thin - too thin - and your eyes were colder than i had ever seen. no joy, no laughter. i knew i had lost you, and when i followed you, you still did not notice the pull, the draw. i wanted to help you, but i knew you could not bear to look at me, not when it reminded you too much of what you had lost.”

for she had not just lost her father in hybern, but control. she had lost the last tether to the mortal life. she had spent years cruelly disregarding her father, deigning him unimportant, even taunting him. he had not fought for her mother, she believed. he had failed not only her, but the daughters as well. her. elain. feyre.

but when they had needed help most, he had done it, if only for her, and her sisters. he had done what he had promised, and she had not been given the chance to apologize, to ask for forgiveness. she had not walked aboard the deck of the nesta, nor asked for any of his final possessions.

“i did not bother you again,” he says after a pause, turning so that he faces her again. “i did not want to, even when i heard what you and amren said that night on the summer barge, even when feyre and rhysand told me i was to bring you here.”

a frown ; nesta does not attempt to hide the emotion that is clear on her face, not anymore. there had been something built between the two in the long months that they had spent with one another, a bond forged by the hands of the mother herself. with cassian, there is understanding. there is kindness.

for too long she has desired for someone to peer at her, and not just her, but at her very soul, her very essence. for that person to see how she burns and burns, and cannot stop it, no matter how much it threatens to overtake her, and for them to understand. she does not love conditionally, no matter how ideal that may be. she wants them to see her ; the pride, the temper, the cunning, and to accept it all. she is not one trait, she is all.

“but you didn’t tell me.” her voice is light and her words barely audible. “you didn’t tell me, even though you knew.”

it is those words that strike him the hardest, perhaps as any physical blow would. to nesta, it is a betrayal, one that he knows had sent her reeling. he’d deserved the words she had flung at him in that mud-filled field, had seen the pain behind them. yet... she had still allowed him into her cabin rather than turn him away, particularly on a night where the patrols are not flying, not when it would mean their certain death. she is still sitting before him, speaking to him, rather than shutting it out, pretending it all does not exist.

she does not want to push him away, however; it is clear in her words, in the way that her gaze rests upon him, as piercing as ever. he had fought for her. despite the attitude, the cruel insults, and the mornings where he had woken her up himself... he had refused to leave. he had not left her alone, no matter how much she lied about enjoying it.

he had seen every single part of her, and he had not left.

it is enough to have her rising, despite the hurt that still consumes her. there is understanding there, glittering in her eyes, enough to have him relax slightly. but there is also fury.

“you do not know what is best for me,” she near snarls, “and there is no reason for you to have hid that from me for THAT LONG.”

she draws closer, her spine straight, those eyes of hers focused solely on him. there is nothing else in the world but cassian, nothing else that is of importance.

she stops when they are only a few breaths apart.

“i understand why you did it,” the words are concise, clipped. nothing like the fire that is likely blazing beneath her otherwise impassive surface. “but you had no right to do so.”

he still does not speak.

she steps past him, leaving the sitting room now empty.

her footsteps do not pause, not until she is back behind the table that serves as her location for dining.

“you are my mate,” she declares.

there is food that rests atop the mahogany surface, with tendrils of steam rising.

“and you are going to eat.”

#nessian #nesta archeron #a court of silver flames #a court of thorns and roses #my writing #let me know what y'all think <3

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themousefromfantasyland · 4 years ago

Text

The Ballad of Lenore

The Dead Travel Fast

By Gottfried August Bürger

Translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

This is an old ballad written by german poet Gottfried August Bürger. It was later referenced in Bram Stoker's Dracula, as Jonathan Harker cites "For the dead travel fast", here translated as "Bravely the dead men ride through the night."

Charles Dickens too alludes to this line in A Christmas Carol, during an exchange between Scrooge and the ghost of Marley ("You travel fast?" said Scrooge. "On the wings of the wind," replied the Ghost.)

The Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index classifies this tale as 365: "The DEAD bridegroom carries off his bride"

Up rose Lenore as the red morn wore, from weary visions starting; "Art faithless, William, or, William, art dead? Tis long since thy departing."

For he, with Frederick's men of might, in fair Prague waged the uncertain fight; Nor once had he writ in the hurry of war. And sad was the true heart that sickened afar.

The Empress and the King, with ceaseless quarrel tired, at length relaxed the stubborn hate which rivalry inspired. And the martial throng, with laugh and song, spoke of their homes as they rode along. And clank, clank, clank! came every rank. With the trumpet-sound that rose and sank.

And here and there and everywhere, along the swarming ways, went old man and boy, with the music of joy, on the gallant bands to gaze. And the young child shouted to spy the vaward, and trembling and blushing the bride pressed forward. But ah! for the sweet lips of Lenore the kiss and the greeting are vanished and o'er.

From man to man all wildly she ran with a swift and searching eye, but she felt alone in the mighty mass, as it crushed and crowded by.

On hurried the troop, a gladsome group. And proudly the tall plumes wave and droop. She tore her hair and she turned her round and madly she dashed her against the ground.

Her mother clasped her tenderly with soothing words and mild:

"My child, may God look down on thee. ⁠God comfort thee, my child."

"Oh! mother, mother! gone is gone! I reck no more how the world runs on. What pity to me does God impart? Woe, woe, woe! for my heavy heart! "

"Help, Heaven, help and favour her! ⁠Child, utter an Ave Marie! Wise and great are the doings of God; ⁠He loves and pities thee."

"Out, mother, out, on the empty lie! Doth he heed my despair,doth he list to my cry? What boots it now to hope or to pray?The night is come, there is no more day."

"Help, Heaven, help! who knows the Father ⁠knows surely that he loves his child. The bread and the wine from the hand divine shall make thy tempered grief less wild."

"Oh! mother, dear mother! the wine and the bread will not soften the anguish that bows down my head, for bread and for wine it will yet be as late that his cold corpse creeps from the grim grave's gate."

"What if the traitor's false faith failed, by sweet temptation tried? What if in distant Hungary he clasp another bride? Despise the fickle fool, my girl, who hath ta'en the pebble and spurned the pearl. While soul and body shall hold together, in his perjured heart shall be stormy weather."

"Oh! mother, mother! gone is gone, and lost will still be lost! Death, death is the goal of my weary soul, crushed and broken and crost. Spark of my life! Down, down to the tomb. Die away in the night, die away in the gloom! What pity to me does God impart? Woe, woe, woe! for my heavy heart!"

"Help, Heaven, help, and heed her not, for her sorrows are strong within. She knows not the words that her tongue repeats. ⁠Oh! count them not for sin! Cease, cease, my child, thy wretchedness, and think on the promised happiness. So shall thy mind's calm ecstasy be a hope and a home and a bridegroom to thee."

"My mother, what is happiness? ⁠My mother, what is Hell? With William is my happiness, ⁠without him is my Hell! Spark of my life! Down, down to the tomb. Die away in the night, die away in the gloom! Earth and Heaven, and Heaven and earth. Reft of William are nothing worth."

Thus grief racked and tore the breast of Lenore, and was busy at her brain.Thus rose her cry to the Power on high, to question and arraign. Wringing her hands and beating her breast, tossing and rocking without any rest, till from her light veil the moon shone thro', and the stars leapt out on the darkling blue.

But hark to the clatter and the pat pat patter! ⁠Of a horse's heavy hoof! How the steel clanks and rings as the rider springs! ⁠How the echo shouts aloof! While slightly and lightly the gentle bell. Tingles and jingles softly and well. And low and clear through the door plank thin comes the voice without to the ear within:

"Holla! holla! Unlock the gate; ⁠Art waking, my bride, or sleeping? Is thy heart still free and still faithful to me? ⁠Art laughing, my bride, or weeping?"

"Oh! wearily, William, I've waited for you, woefully watching the long day thro'. With a great sorrow sorrowing for the cruelty of your tarrying."

"Till the dead midnight we saddled not. ⁠I have journeyed far and fast, and hither I come to carry thee back ere the darkness shall be past."

"Ah! rest thee within till the night's more calm. Smooth shall thy couch be, and soft, and warm. Hark to the winds, how they whistle and rush thro' the twisted twine of the hawthorn-bush."

"Thro' the hawthorn-bush let whistle and rush. ⁠Let whistle, child, let whistle! Mark the flash fierce and high of my steed's bright eye, and his proud crest's eager bristle. Up, up and away! I must not stay. Mount swiftly behind me! up, up and away! An hundred miles must be ridden and sped ere we may lie down in the bridal-bed."

"What! Ride an hundred miles tonight. ⁠By thy mad fancies driven! Dost hear the bell with its sullen swell. ⁠As it rumbles out eleven?"

"Look forth! look forth! the moon shines bright. We and the dead gallop fast thro' the night. 'Tis for a wager I bear thee away to the nuptial couch ere break of day."

"Ah! where is the chamber, William dear, and William, where is the bed?

"Far, far from here: still, narrow, and cool; ⁠plank and bottom and lid."

"Hast room for me?"

"For me and thee. Up, up to the saddle right speedily! The wedding-guests are gathered and met, and the door of the chamber is open set."

She busked her well, and into the selle she sprang with nimble haste, and gently smiling, with a sweet beguiling, her white hands clasped his waist.

And hurry, hurry! ring, ring, ring! To and fro they sway and swing. Snorting and snuffing they skim the ground, and the sparks spurt up, and the stones run round.

Here to the right and there to the left, ⁠flew fields of corn and clover, and the bridges flashed by to the dazzled eye, as rattling they thundered over.

"What ails my love? The moon shines bright. Bravely the dead men ride through the night. Is my love afraid of the quiet dead?"

"Ah! no;— let them sleep in their dusty bed!"

On the breeze cool and soft what tune floats aloft, while the crows wheel overhead? Ding dong! ding dong! ’tis the sound, ’tis the song:

⁠"Room, room for the passing dead!"

Slowly the funeral-train drew near. Bearing the coffin, bearing the bier; and the chime of their chaunt was hissing and harsh, like the note of the bull-frog within the marsh.

"You bury your corpse at the dark midnight, with hymns and bells and wailing. But I bring home my youthful wife to a bride-feast's rich regaling. Come, chorister, come with thy choral throng, and solemnly sing me a marriage-song. Come, friar, come, let the blessing be spoken, that the bride and the bridegroom's sweet rest be unbroken."

Died the dirge and vanished the bier. ⁠Obedient to his call. Hard hard behind, with a rush like the wind, came the long steps' pattering fall. And ever further! ring, ring, ring! To and fro they sway and swing. Snorting and snuffing they skim the ground, and the sparks spurt up, and the stones run round.

How flew to the right, how flew to the left, trees, mountains in the race! How to the left, and the right and the left, flew town and marketplace!

"What ails my love? The moon shines bright. Bravely the dead men ride thro' the night. Is my love afraid of the quiet dead?"

"Ah! let them alone in their dusty bed!"

See, see, see! by the gallows-tree, as they dance on the wheel's broad hoop. Up and down, in the gleam of the moon, half lost, an airy group.

"Ho! ho! mad mob, come hither amain, and join in the wake of my rushing train. Come, dance me a dance, ye dancers thin. Ere the planks of the marriage-bed close us in."

And hush, hush, hush! the dreamy rout came close with a ghastly bustle. Like the whirlwind in the hazel-bush, when it makes the dry leaves rustle. And faster, faster! ring, ring, ring! To and fro they sway and swing. Snorting and snuffing they skim the ground. And the sparks spurt up, and the stones run round.

How flew the moon high overhead, in the wild race madly driven! In and out, how the stars danced about. ⁠And reeled o'er the flashing heaven!

"What ails my love? The moon shines bright. Bravely the dead men ride thro' the night. Is my love afraid of the quiet dead?"

"Alas! let them sleep in their dusty bed."

"Horse, horse! meseems 'tis the cock's shrill note, ⁠and the sand is well nigh spent. Horse, horse, away! 'tis the break of day. ⁠'Tis the morning air's sweet scent. Finished, finished is our ride. Room, room for the bridegroom and the bride! At last, at last, we have reached the spot, for the speed of the dead man has slackened not!"

And swiftly up to an iron gate with reins relaxed they went. At the rider's touch the bolts flew back, and the bars were broken and bent. The doors were burst with a deafening knell, and over the white graves they dashed pell mell;

The tombs around looked grassy and grim, as they glimmered and glanced in the moonlight dim.

But see! But see! In an eyelid's beat. Towhoo! a ghastly wonder! The horseman's jerkin, piece by piece, dropped off like brittle tinder!

Fleshless and hairless, a naked skull, the sight of his weird head was horrible. The lifelike mask was there no more, and a scythe and a sandglass the skeleton bore.

Loud snorted the horse as he plunged and reared, and the sparks were scattered round. What man shall say if he vanished away, or sank in the gaping ground?

Groans from the earth and shrieks in the air Howling and wailing everywhere! Half dead, half living, the soul of Lenore fought as it never had fought before.

The churchyard troop, a ghostly group, close round the dying girl; Out and in they hurry and spin through the dance's weary whirl:

"Patience, patience, when the heart is breaking. With thy God there is no question-making. Of thy body thou art quit and free. Heaven keep thy soul eternally!"

#halloween #ghost stories #gothic horror #gothic #the ballad of lenore #lenore #horror poem #horror poetry

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kaiawrites · 4 years ago

Text

Satisfied

James Potter x fem!reader

Word count: 1.5k

Summary: You go to a party and meet the man of your dreams, but James Potter seems way to good to be true, there has to be a catch.

Warnings: kind of angsty, my bad writing as usual

a/n: This is a weird post Hogwarts au where Lily has a huge crush on James instead of the other way around. This is also heavily inspired by the song “Satisfied” from the Hamilton musical.

I also had a few more ideas for this so if anyone wants a part 2 just say so :)

—————————

You knew you shouldn’t have come to this party, but Lily had roped you into it, saying this guy who she had gone to Hogwarts would be there. You had heard countless things about him despite having never met him, you had grown up in France and had attended Beauxbatons, and had met Lily upon arriving in London, she was your flatmate.

She had been invited to this fancy party, but as soon as you both had arrived, Lily had been whisked away by her school friends and had left you all alone in this enormous ballroom illuminated by dream like candle light. You were used to these types of parties, you were from a pure blood french family after all, and your parents loved showing off their wealth and the well mannered daughter you were. You were usually quite comfortable in this setting, often seen dazzling around the room, but today was different, as you knew absolutely nobody here. You started walking around, keeping an eye on Lily so that you could find her again once she was done with the group of giggling girls who were fawning over her beautiful teal gown.

You had been so preoccupied with keeping Lily in your line of sight that you hadn’t noticed the person right in front of you.

“Oh god i’m so sorry notice you, all my apologies sir,” you said after bumping into the man in front of you. You looked up at him and all breath left your lungs. He was beautiful. He had beautiful intelligent hazel eyes, unruly curly dark brown hair, and smooth dark golden brown skin.

“No worries, I wasn’t paying attention either,” he said and, merlin even his voice was perfect. You racked your brain for something to say, but you were left speechless by the man in front of you.

“You strike me, as a woman who has never been satisfied,” he added, and you might have come up with a better response if you weren’t still so shocked.

“Pardon me?” You said making him chuckle deeply and making blood rush to your face.

“You’re like me, i’m never satisfied,” he repeated.

“Is that right?” You answered tauntingly.

“I have never been satisfied,” he declared.

“My name is y/n l/n,” you said.

“James Potter,” he answered, gently taking your hand in his bigger one, bringing it up to his lips and kissing your knuckles lightly, making your heart skip several beats.

“Where are you from? I’ve never seen you around here, and Sirius has definitely never mentioned you because i’m sure I would’ve remembered you,” he said teasingly, and it set your heart aflame.

“Sirius?” You questioned him.

“Oh yeah, Sirius Black my best mate, I reckon you’ve heard of him, he’s the one who threw this party,” explain James. Indeed you had heard of Sirius Black, the disowned blood traitor of the noble house of Black. Your father was acquainted with Orion Black, and he had gone on for days about how much of a disgrace Sirius was to your siblings and you and that if one of you ever ended up like him, you would be much worse than disowned. You, of course, didn’t think less of him for that, you frankly couldn’t care less about blood statuses.

“Oh yes I've heard of him, but i’m actually here with my flatmate,” you turned around gesturing towards the general direction of Lily and her friends.

“I’m actually from France, I've just moved here a few months ago,” you explained to him, still abnormally quiet, you weren’t usually one to get flustered, but this man had you tongue tied, like you would forget your own name any moment now, and you felt like every part of you was aflame with some blissful feeling.

Too soon, James had to excuse himself and left to go talk to his group of friends in which you recognized Sirius Black.

You felt like you were on cloud nine. Your conversation at lasted two, maybe three minutes but you were absolutely infatuated with the man. James Potter, even his name sounded great. Still slightly dazed about your encounter with the charming man, you didn’t notice Lily make her way towards you.

“Y/n there you are!” she exclaimed cheerily making you smile, Lily had to be the sweetest person you had ever met.

“Oh look! There he is, James,” she said excitedly pointing towards the place James Potter had just left, and then it clicked. James, James Potter. He was the man Lily was always going on about. All the blood rushed out of your face, and you felt your heart plummet to the bottom of your stomach, breaking into a million pieces at the impact. She had only ever referenced to him as James, and even if James was a fairly common name, you felt stupid to not have realized it was that James.

“Oh god i’m so helpless,” said Lily, looking towards the man of your dreams with adoring eyes. “I wish he would notice me,” she said sighing.

“Do you want me to go talk to him for you?” you asked before mentally slapping yourself. What were you thinking? Nice going y/n you thought to yourself. This man may very well have been the love of your life, were you really willing to give him away for Lily?

“You would really do that for me?” Lily asked, her emerald eyes full of pure hope, and you knew by the look in your eyes that, yes, you were willing to to let him go for Lily. You would never find anyone as trusting or as kind, and you could tell she loved him, probably more than you did, or at least differently.

You gave her a warm smile, behind which you were hiding a broken heart, and you gave her a wink before heading towards James Potter.

You breathed in deeply before placing your hand on his shoulder to notify him of your presence. When he turned around and noticed you, he gave you a grin that somehow made your heart break even more.

“Miss y/l/n, how can I help you?” He asked charmingly.

“Mr Potter,” you said with a polite smile.

“Do you like it?” He asked suddenly.

“What?” you answered confusedly.

“My last name, I was wondering if you liked it because it might be yours someday,” he said with a wink and a teasing smirk, and you choked on air.

When you didn’t say anything, the smile slipped from James face.

“I’m sorry, i’m coming on to strong aren’t I?” he asked with a disappointed look you hated seeing on his face.

“Oh no it’s alright,” you assured him, desperate to erase the look from his face.

“I- uh- would you just follow me?” You asked him, a little embarrassed.

“Of course, where are you taking me?” He asked as he took your arm.

“I’m about to change your life,” you said as you lead him towards Lily who’s face was tinged pink from seeing James head her way.

“Then by all means lead the way,” he said with a smirk.

“Hello James, it’s been a while, how are you?” Lily asked cheerily when you and James arrived to her level.

“Lily what a pleasant surprise, you must be y/n’s roommate yeah? I’m good, how are you?” Asked James, slightly befuddled.

He turned towards you, and you gave him a smile, one he clearly saw through. He seemed to understand everything you were feeling by that one fake smile, and he gave you a look, like he was asking if you were sure. You nodded and felt a hot tear roll down your cheek.

“Yes, thank you for your service in this war,” Lily said, probably referring to James’s work as an auror.

“If it takes fighting a war for us to meet again it will have been worth it,” he said before placing his lips upon Lily’s knuckles, just like he had to yours a few moment prior, though it felt like so long ago.

You knew it had to be done, Lily loved him and you knew he would grow to love her too even if it wasn’t as much. James was also friends with Sirius, and in your parent’s eyes he would be a blood traitor. As much as you hated your family’s ideals, you didn’t want to disappoint them.

“I’ll leave you to it,” you said cheerily, though inside you were starting to break far beyond repair. You turned around and briskly walked away, not looking back at the wonderful future you had just given up on, knowing you would never be satisfied.

#james potter #james potter x reader #hamilton #marauders era #harry potter #sirius black #remus lupin #sirius x reader #sirius black x reader #remus x reader #remus lupin x reader #james x reader

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perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years ago

Note

Also saw you're doing requests so yay!!. Any chance of jercy bakery au? Love your work sm hope you have a great day ☺☺

My Darling Anon how dare you make me fall more in love with Jercy???????? I squealed when i saw this and then promptly started writing even though i should be studying for my (ironically) Greek Mythology test.

i hope you love it because if i fail at least i know it’ll be worth it :) Also this was honestly supposed to be a quick drabble and it somehow ended up as 1,5K+ words so??? #isanyonesurprisedthough

Masterlist

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

Jason Grace smiled as the birds beside his head chirped and then swiped his phone to cut off the amusing sound. His fiery friend, and co-worker thought it was hilarious to steal his phone and change his alarm tone every few weeks. Usually it was something inane and silly like a cartoon laugh track or just a repeating “It’s time to get up BakerBoi” that gets increasingly louder. He had arrived to work with a scowl on his face only to see the shit-eating grin of Leo Valdez waiting at the door.

Now Jason stumbles out of bed, letting his limbs loosen as he pads softly to the bathroom, feeling cool tile and a winter breeze on his exposed skin. He loves mornings like this, when the world isn’t quite awake, and the sky hasn’t decided what colour it wants to be for the day. He knows in is baker’s bones that it’ll be cold and rainy, but he has time for a morning jog before the world starts crying.

“Good morning boss,” A bright eyed, fidgeting Leo greets as he steps into the bakery.

Jason had been there at seven thirty, pulling down the café chairs and cleaning the counters. He already had a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies and about three different types of muffins in the oven. The bread was waiting for the busy hands of Leo and Hazel who somehow always seemed to make heavenly fluffed, soft rolls and the deliciously crusty baguettes. Hazel jokes that it’s the New Orleans blood that flows through her veins. They’re all half inclined to agree.

“Morning Valdez, I like the alarm this week.” He tosses a grin over his shoulder before going back to his icing ritual. Mix, taste, mix, ice.

“I figured you would old man. Even though i much prefer my ASMR food audio from last week. What’s the specialty today?”

“We need to get beignets out and the pain au chocolats before the breakfast crowd. Also the fruit stuffed pastry twists and the honey bread have to be prepped before we open so we can bring them out hot in time for the brunch crowd. Specialty today is a new thing I’ve been working on. Blue blondie doughnuts with Oreo cream filling and sugar glaze.”

“Gods boss, you tryna give people heart failure?”

“Just trying to insert some sweetness into the world,” He winked.

Before Leo could give an undoubted snarky reply a bubbly head of dark brown curls and glittering eyes popped around the door.

“Goooood morning everyone,”

Jason couldn’t help the smile that graced his face at her cheeriness, “Hello Miss Levesque, glad to see a prettier face around here,”

Leo made a strangled noise of indignation from the other side of the kitchen but didn’t get the chance to voice his offense before the last member of their little group walked in.

“Ah there you are Miss McLean, I do wonder how you arrive with Hazel and still manage to get in after her.”

She gave him an exasperated look, “I have to say goodbye to my girlfriend before I come in Boss. You’re the one who banned couple calls in the bakery.”

“Well maybe if we didn’t have to hear you and Annabeth explicitly planning your night’s activities I wouldn’t have had to do that.”

Piper just rolled her eyes and went to grab her apron and a cloth to wipe down the tables.

"Everyone ready?" He asked, from the door of the kitchen an hour later.

"Ready for the storm boss," They all yelled back, as they did each morning.

"Then let's roll like thunder," He grinned, flinging the doors to Ambrosia Bakery open.

"Oh thank the heavens, I could smell the goodness from here and it was a struggle to keep the drool in," One Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano breathed in deep.

"Good morning my favourite customer," Leo smirked from behind the counter.

"Jason tell your bread boy to stand down before I make him,"

"Is that an invitation?" Dark eyebrows wiggled in amusement.

"That is a threat," She growled.

"Well mark me down as scared and h—"

"Valdez I swear if you finish that sentence I'm putting you on wash-up duty for the next week."

A faint "you got it boss" followed Jason into the kitchen, where he allowed himself to smile. It was an ongoing amusement that Leo flirted with Reyna and in return she came up with increasingly terrifying threats.

"Jason, your sister is here to see you" Hazel said, gently shoving him out the way so she could take over rolling the pastry.

"Get the doughnuts ready for the fryer I'll be back soon, thank you!"

He maneuvered around a blushing Leo who had icing on his nose and a suspicious lipstick stain on his cheek, finally making his way to the confectioners stand.

"What's up loser?" He said by way of greeting.

"Hey you're only allowed to call me that if you come baring nice things." Thalia Grace frowned.

"I am nice things," He pouted.

"Not even on your best day." She snorted, "I want to know if you're coming to the gala this weekend. I need a date to steal extra bread-sticks for me."

"Why can't I just make you bread-sticks and we can sit in your lounge and watch bad reality TV?" He groaned

"Because I have to show face or the sponsors aren't going to sponsor. Besides you need a night out. You're gonna start smelling like bread if you don't take a break."

"It's insulting that you think I wouldn't want to smell like breadsticks."

She laughed at, that ruffling his hair, "Just be ready by seven. You better be wearing a suit."

And with that his sister had grabbed her daily croissant and cappuccino and vanished into the drizzling day.

Before he could make it back to his safe haven beside the ovens and marbled counter-tops a flash of black hair caught his eye.

Turning around he couldn't contain the grin that tugged at his lips; standing by the counter already staring intently at the newest creation was Jason's favourite customer.

"Hello Percy Jackson,"

"Jason," A dazzling smile revealed pearl white teeth and the tiniest dimple on a cheek the color of rich toffee.

"I see you've already found Neptune's Tridoughnut,"

A bright laugh escaped a wickedly beautiful mouth, "Oh I love that. How'd you come up with that one?"

Jason smiled softly, debating whether to tell the owner of the 5-Oceans Conservation Company that he was the muse behind all of his latest creations, hence the variations of green and blue.

Instead, as he did every time Percy asked, he lied, "My sister went to an opening ceremony for a new exhibit at the Education center all about Mythology so I thought I’d offer my services and well, they were a hit."

Piper who was walking past at that exact moment coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "Liar" but with a pointed glare she disappeared behind the counter.

"That sounds great. Guess I'll have to recruit you for all my functions," He winked, a small smirk playing at his lips.

Jason cursed his pale cheeks and hoped the blush he now sported wasn't too noticeable, "What can I get you besides a specialty doughnut?"

"Can I get one banana and walnut muffin, a dozen chic chips, and I'm gonna go see mom this afternoon so maybe a couple of caramel pastry twists and some blueberry muffins?"

"Sure. I guess Estelle is off her carrot cake faze?" He laughed, remembering how Percy had to stop at the bakery twice a week to grab carrot and pecan mini cakes just for his little sister.

"Ugh she's onto wanting fruit in absolutely everything now so my mom has been frantically buying boxes of peaches, strawberries and apples to cut up and send with her for lunch at school." Green eyes rolled in fake annoyance.

"Well if she likes fruit things maybe she should try the raspberry and orange pastry twists?" He pointed to a display stand piled with various pastries coloured by blackberry jam, apricot pieces, kiwi slices and mango syrup.

"I could kiss you right now!" Percy exclaimed rushing towards the display, unaware that the baker was frozen to the spot.

I could kiss you, could kiss you, kiss you, kiss...

Jason's brain had short-circuited, his neurons too busy having a dance party with his hormones to process the world.

I could kiss you.

A lazy, unconscious smile took over his face as he stood there in the middle of his bakery, arms slack, head lolled, and eyes crinkled.

"Jason?" A faraway voice called.

"Jason? Hello?"

And suddenly a hand was waving in front of his vision trying to get his attention.

He pulled himself out of his reverie, blinking back into existence, "Right yes the pastries"

"Didn’t get enough sleep last night?" Percy teased, slugging him softly in the shoulder.

He snorted at the implication, "Unfortunately I'm a bit of a grandfather. Sleep early, rise early."

"Oh guess you like morning activities then,"

He sputtered, head snapping up to stare into twinkling eyes, "N-no, I just meant—"

"I'm kidding Mr BakerMan," That brilliant, bright laugh again, "I know you're a homebody. Your sister likes to tell me how boring you are."

He huffed at that, "We'll see if she gets her pear tarts this weekend."

"Speaking of this weekend," A sly grin played at Percy's mouth, "Are you coming to the gala?"

"Yea," He sighed, "Thalia says she needs me to steal bread-sticks ."

Sea green eyes widened before Percy burst out laughing. In a matter of moments tears were streaming down his face.

If Jason wasn't so smitten with that gorgeous smile and those mischievous eyes he may have been inclined to laugh too. But Percy Jackson was a vision he half believed only his dreams could conjure.

When the laughter had mostly seized Percy wiped his eyes and managed to gasp, "That sounds exactly like something Thalia would ask. When we worked on the marine life project together she always stole the mints from every CEO’s office because she said they had enough money to buy a mint factory, they could afford to replace a single bowl."

"Yep, her life goal is to end capitalism. I swear if it wasn't for Annabeth, Thalia would be walking into office buildings with a sack like some reverse Santa Claus where she steals the office supplies and fruit bowls."

"Well I can't wait to see you stuffing your pockets with bread-sticks on Saturday so I guess I'll see you then," He gave another dazzling smile.

"Yea, and say hello to little Estelle for me. Tell me how she likes the pastries."

"Don't worry I'm sure I'll be back soon with a long list of request."

"Can't wait." He grinned.

Percy chuckled, "Me neither, see you Friday." And then he was gone.

Oh gods, Jason thought, how am I ever gonna survive Percy in a suit?

***

Spoiler alert past-Jason: you didn't.

#Okay but i lowkey love baker jason and big boss percy #Thank you Anon #this ask was too cute #PJSSG asks #she speaks #jercy fic #baby fanfic #baby fanfic series #jercy fanfic #percy jackson #jason grace #jason #grace #percy #jackson #PJO #HOO

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diogenescamus · 4 years ago

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How The JRY/Ace Ops + Winter Scene In RWBY V8E7 Could've Been Done Better

From the RWBY Volume 8 Midseason Trailer: ......................................................................... Winter and the Ace Ops are, presumably, heading towards the whale with that bomb. It looks ridiculous to me considering she’s all “CHARGE!!” and they’re shuffling along with this massive thing. But the size does tell us that no, this can’t be a quick in-and-out mission like some of us hypothesized before, nor will it be an easy stealth mission (which is perhaps off the table entirely given Winter’s yell). Whether Team JRY has gotten Oscar out yet, given the Ace Ops information about the whale layout, or if they’re still inside is unknown.

. In regards to the JRY and Winter + Ace Ops scene from RWBY Volume 8 Episode 7 "War", I think it could've been done better. Like, what we got was alright, but a little more thought could've made the whole scene a whole LOT better. This is what I mean. . I think it's cool that Ren's Semblance is evolving to where he can sense emotions in general. It fits. Plus, it gives him some more versatility with his Semblance. . My real issue with the whole Ren's speech scene is that I easily thought up of an obvious way that whole scene could've been improved. Like, it's so freaking obvious, so why didn't the writers think of it? The components are right there. Anyways, here's how that whole scene could've been improved. . I kind of like Ren's whole "no one is replaceable" speech, so I think keeping the "muh feelings" aspect is fine but it can be improved by adding some rationality and strategy to it. If the writers would allow Jaune to be competent (for once instead of always relegating him to inept cringy comic relief) , he could've come up with a brilliant plan that could've turned the tide like this. He could first ask Winter to patch him to Ironwood, saying that he has a plan that could save all of them. Winter reluctantly agrees and gets Ironwood on the line. Jaune explains his brilliant plan that could turn the tide: . Jaune: "General Ironwood, I've come to make a bargain, so that we can both get what we want. We want to save Oscar who's in that Grimm Whale and retrieve the Lamp but you're not going to let us go without a good reason. Ace Ops' mission is to get into that huge Grimm Whale and deliver a bomb so that it can hopefully kill it and save Atlas. But how are they going to get through the hundreds of Grimm surrounding the Whale while also carrying the heavy Bomb? And even if they could get past all of them and make it inside the Whale, we don't know what type of Grimm or who else could be inside the Whale or if the Whale could be able to sense them inside it. They don't have any clear shot of going through those Grimm undetected while carrying the Bomb. That's where we come in. Ren here has a Semblance that allows him to mask negative emotions, allowing him and those under his Semblance to be completely invisible to Grimm, walk right past them. Thing is, he can only use it on 2 people by himself. That's where I come in. My Semblance allows me to amplify Aura and you know that I can do a whole lot from there. I have lots of Aura and you know how strong my Amps are. I've tanked a hit from a Colossus mecha head on and kept on walking. I healed Weiss from nearly dying to a flaming spear to the liver and lungs from Cinder during the Battle of Haven. Ren, Yang, and I are low on Aura but with a few minutes of intense concentration, I can regenerate my Aura and subsequently their's as well. From there, I can Amp Ren and his Semblance, allowing him to mask dozens, even over a hundred. With Ren and I, we can mask the Ace Ops and get them through the Grimm and into the Whale undetected. With Ace Ops backing us, we can fight our way through Salem's forces inside the Whale, retrieve Oscar and the Lamp of Knowledge, and plant the Bomb with some boosting on my end for good measure. In order to get what we both want, we have to work together, in order to save Atlas and Mantle. So do we have a deal?" . There is some silence on the other end as Ironwood contemplates on Jaune's deal before making a decision. . Ironwood: "Very well Mr. Arc, we have a deal. Ace Ops, coordinate with Arc, Ren, and Xiao-Long for the Payload Mission. Ren and Arc are the only real vital assets we need to pull this off but Xiao-Long should be useful as extra muscle, provided she doesn't just betray us like last time. But keep this in mind. Whether you escape from the Whale with Oscar and the Relic or not in time, this Bomb WILL go off. I will not put the lives of thousands of Atlesians at risk for the sake of 4 people. So be prepared to take responsibility for your own lives." . Jaune: "Understood." . From there, everyone gets to work, preparing for the Mission. Ren uses his Semblance "Tranquility" on himself and Jaune so that Jaune can intensely focus on meditating and utilizing his extremely fast Hazel-level Aura Regeneration Factor. The other Ace Ops don't put up a fuss, because they've been there during training with Jaune and his friends, so they know that he's being truthful and accurate in his and Ren's capabilities and how they can help make their suicidal mission an actual success. I may have been a bit overly detailed with all that Jaune said in that but I wanted to avoid CRWBY’s tendency towards annoying vagueness and not have Jaune repeat his stupidly vague "Hit them harder" thing, so I kept it a bit detailed so that both Ironwood AND the audience can know exactly what Jaune is proposing and how it's plausible enough to be effective. So in that scene, Jaune was persuading not only Ironwood but the audience as well. Ironwood and Ace Ops know that they would need the help of Ren and Jaune in order to make the Bomb Mission a success and if that means helping them with finding Oscar and the Lamp, then it's an acceptable risk/compromise that works for both sides' favor. Given that the Grimm Whale "Monstra" (that's the official name for it by the way) is several times bigger than the previously largest shown Grimm, the Leviathan, there's not a strong possibility that whatever Dust Nuke that Ironwood and the Atlas Army was able to cook up at the last minute would be powerful enough to take out the Grimm Whale. Jaune using his Semblance to drastically Amplify the Dust inside the Dust Nuke would act as a logical action to take as his Semblance can be the lynchpin to making sure the Dust Nuke would be powerful enough to destroy a colossal size Grimm like the Monstra. Plus, this serves as payoff to all the set up with the Training Scenes in Volume 7, especially the one in RWBY Volume 7 Episode 6 "A Night Off" which showed Jaune training his extremely fast Hazel-level Aura Regeneration rate. Not only that but it more logically connects JRY's goal and Winter + Ace Ops goals together, which also helps from a screentime perspective. . Anyways, after Jaune has fully regenerated his Aura, he uses his Semblance to Amplify the Aura Regeneration rates of Ren, Yang, and even Winter and the other Ace Ops so that their Auras are more than full. From there, they pick up the large heavy Whale Killing Bomb and then disembark from the Bullhead when they reached the closest they could come. From there, they get out. Jaune touches the shoulders of Marrow and Winter, Amplifying them. Marrow uses his Amplified "Stay!" to freeze the Grimm Horde attacking Atlas, with hundreds of avian Grimm dropping from the skies due to paralysis. An Amplified Winter Summons hundreds of full sized and Giant sized Beowolves, Ursi, Goliaths, Gryphons, and Nevermores, with her army of Summons tearing through the paralyzed Grimm Horde. This serves as reinforcements to the frontlines of Atlas soldiers and Mechas who were struggling against the Grimm, with several of the avian Summons entering the city to tear through the Grimm that made it through. This continues for a few minutes before Jaune, Marrow, and Winter have to stop, with Winter's Summon Army dissipating. Tearing through those Grimm would only be good so far as the Grimm Whale wouldn't stop producing more and more Grimm. By this time, the reinforcements have given the frontlines enough breathing room that they can relaunch the offensive with a second wind. . From there, Yang, Elm Ederne, and Vine Zeki (with his Aura Vines) lift and carry the large, heavy Whale Killing Dust Bomb while Jaune stands with Marrow and Ren in front, touching their shoulders and using his Semblance to Amplify the both of them, so that Marrow could Paralyze any enemies they face and Ren could mask everyone's negative emotions along with using his new Emotion Sensing ability to keep track of Grimm and even provide some protective fire with StormFlower. Jaune, Ren, and Marrow act as vanguard while Yang, Elm, and Vine act as middleguard with carrying the Bomb, and Harriet Bree and Winter Schnee cover the rear, with each using their Semblances to quickly and stealthily take down any paralyzed Grimm or enemies that they encounter, both in the front and rear. With this formation, the group ventures forward through the belly of the beast. Anyways, other stuff happens, blah blah blah, Oscar and the Lamp are retrieved and the Bomb is planted and Jaune uses his Semblance on the Bomb itself, Amplifying the Dust inside. (If he can Amplify Aura and Semblances, then it only makes sense that he can also Amplify Dust which can enhance both Aura and Semblance as well, with the function of Jaune's Amps being akin to a more potent version of Coco's Semblance "Hype") . Meanwhile, Ruby somehow arrives inside the Whale as well. Salem is pissed and is ready to dish out her 5-Maidens-worth of Magic against them but Ruby uses her Silver Eye Burst. It doesn't really hurt or kill Salem, as she's probably faced hundreds of Silver Eyed Warriors in the past who were much stronger than Ruby, but it does succeed in distracting Salem enough to prevent her from instantly annihilating them all with her Magic. Using that distraction, Jaune grabs on to Ruby and Amplifies her Semblance, with Ruby using it to grab all of their allies and very quickly flies out of the Whale at Mach speeds, before depositing everyone outside near the frontlines. We then see Salem watch the Bomb detonate at ground zero, with the Amplified Dust Bomb utterly destroying the Whale and causing a massive shockwave to spread throughout the air. And that's how they could turn the tide. . Anyways, I'm not the only one who was thinking something as obvious as this, right? . To conclude, these are the reasons why this rewritten scenario of how the JRY and Winter + Ace Ops scene in RWBY Volume 8 Episode 7 "War" would've been a logical and obvious improvement over what we've got in the show...... FIRST, the additions here make it clear that JRY, Winter, and Ace Ops are teaming up together. This not only gets around splitting the screentime between JRY and Winter + Ace Ops by having it so that they're both together instead of splitting off. SECOND, it gives a logical reason for why JRY and Winter + Ace Ops would both try to go inside the Grimm Whale and more naturally facilitates a team up rather than them going separately. Also, in my scenario, I had it where Ironwood is actually contacted (instead of being kept in the dark) and is offered a logical plan that allows JRY and Winter + Ace Ops to team up so that they can both get what they want. Even with saving Atlas and Mantle being his foremost priority, Ironwood could recognize the importance of retrieving Oscar and the Lamp of Knowledge, and the fact that Jaune's offer of an alliance is not only logical and beneficial but also is one that is being offered to him straight rather than being done behind his back, makes the offer all the more enticing. Not only that but Ironwood and Ace Ops would already know that Jaune's claims are true and accurate because they've spent weeks training together. THIRD, everything I've pretty much outlined in the scenario not only payoffs what's been set up before in Volume 7 and 8 but also serves as a natural and logical solution for the Good Guys to net out a victory and save Atlas and Mantle without requiring an Ass Pull or Deus Ex Machina. All the components are there to make it happen. FOURTH and finally, this would show JRY and Ironwood/Winter/Ace Ops putting aside their differences and working together to save Atlas and Mantle, which is a FAR contrast to Ruby "Sipping Tea While The Apocalypse Is Happening" Rose and her compatriots'' irrational irascible refusal to work together with Ironwood which only makes things worse for everyone.

. What do you all think?

#rwby

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chosenkeepersworld · 4 years ago

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Starpath Guild

Original Work Word Count: 5,545 words Date Posted: 09/30/20 Author’s Note: Requested by the lovely @tairano8! This is the first time I’ve tried writing Sci-Fi so I hope this goes well since I wasn’t able to do a lot of research. Much of what I wrote here was inspired by Star Trek and Final Space. This work is unbeta’d but I hope you’ll all enjoy it. I’m always trying to improve my writing so critique is welcome!

“Captains Bandit and Shadow please report to Commander Snowball’s Office. I repeat Captains Bandit and Shadow please report to Commander Snowball’s Office" the voice over the PA system announced.

Two figures walked down the hall of their guild's headquarters. On the left was an anthropomorphic cat, in his early adulthood. His fur was reminiscent of a tuxedo, dark fur spread from the tips of his ears down his back all the way down to his tail, while white fur began in a thin line between his eyes trailing down to his feet. His sharp blue eyes strayed to the other cats in the hall, mainly the ladies winking at them as he walked by.

His companion was a little shorter and leaner, black fur covering him from head to toe, those same eyes staring down their path with a scowl on his face. He was clearly the more serious of the two.

Both males, despite their differences, were highly respected officers of the Starpath Exploration Guild.

They were told to wait when they arrived. Once seated Bandit entertained himself with his phone causing Shadow to glare at him.

"Really?"

Bandit raised his head "What?"

"He'll be calling us in soon, the least you could do is look presentable" Shadow sneered

The other male sighed then leaned forward “Will you relax? You’re uptight, all the time, you make people tense every time you’re in the room which is probably why no one likes you”

Shadow’s eyes narrow, his pupils narrowing “At least I’ve never embarrassed myself or my superiors in a critical meeting”

Bandit scoffed “It’s only happened a few times, and the worst punishment I’ve ever gotten was a suspension. I only have one strike left before something happens to actually damage my career” he leaned back staring seriously at the male in front of him “But despite all that I’m still a captain and I do my work well”

"You do the barest minimum if there ever was one" Shadow scoffed

"At least I have nothing to prove, runt" Bandit sneered

Shadow's pupils quickly turned to slits, and his body tensed. His eyes narrowed at his brother, a low growl built in his chest a clear sign of his agitation.

But before either of the two could do anything more, the secretary lifted her head smiling and clearly unaffected by the aggressive display. "The Commander is ready to see you now"

Both males stood up, Bandit walked in first followed by Shadow. Commander Snowball stood by the wide window behind his desk, his back to them. The first time someone meets Snowball, they wouldn't think too much of him, He was a little shorter than the average height of their species, and his fur and coloring, reminiscent of white, fluffy felines with grumpy faces, didn't help his case.

But he worked his way up, and was now considered one of the most respected highly ranked officers in the Guild.

He turned to them, his poofy tail swishing behind him, and assessed both males standing before him. Shadow was who people would consider the more professional of the two but it was also clear to his superiors that Shadow was a little reclusive and eager to prove his worth. While being a runt did not limit one’s prospects, the stigma of being one followed them even to adulthood.

And then there was Bandit, charismatic, loyal, brave and impulsive. One brother knew how to follow orders and protocol while the other had a tendency to run all over the place and do what he liked.

“Please seat” Snowball offered before sitting down as well.

Once both males were seated the Commander began speaking “As you both know I haven’t been as active here at the Guild or on explorations. I’ve been getting on in age and I’ve been missing my family which is why I will be retiring next year.” he watch as the two brother exchanged a look of surprise but the older feline continued on “The rules state that I need to find my replacement” Snowball paused watching the implications of that statement sink in “And I want one of you to be my successor’

Bandit let out a laugh before standing up “Commander I would be honored to be your successor and might I say sir your judgement is absolutely-"

"Sit down, boy." The Commander said, giving him a look "and enough with the brown nosing. I do not have an official successor and if the higher up had not pressured me to pick I would have retired in peace"

"But no, they want me to pick someone and make sure they do the job right before I leave."

Shadow leaned forward "What exactly are you saying, Commander?"

Snowball sighed "I never wanted to pick a successor because it might cause disturbances between the other captains but they gave me no other options and told me to pick two candidates and I did."

"And how will they decide who takes over from you?" Bandit moved forward smiling coyly

Snowball narrowed his eyes at the monochrome furred male "A retrieval crew went to pick up an artifact that was discovered last week but they haven't come back. So I proposed that whoever brought the crew and artifact back may have the position but the welfare of the crew and the safety of the artifact are priority."

Shadow opened his mouth to speak again but was surprised when Bandit leaped from his seat and lunged toward the door.

“Bandit, sit down” Snowball thundered, causing the black and white cat to flinch, his ears dropping and returning to his seat.

The Commander gave a long suffering sigh and glared at Bandit “Neither of you are allowed to leave until morning, so you both have an equal chance at getting there first." He looked directly at Bandit as he said this "We'll also be giving you the coordinates of the planet the ship landed on. After all you won't be able to find the crew and the artifact without it right, Bandit?"

The male blushed under his fur "Yes, sir"

"May the best captain and crew win”

"Since we'll be traveling tomorrow, shouldn't you be taking it easy with the drinking?" Ginger pointed out as Bandit drowned another shot. He wiped his mouth and grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder the orange furred feline shivered at his closeness but Bandit did not notice.

"Ginger" he started "Ginger, Ginger Ginger '' he went on saying her name again and again but never really saying anything else. Normally she liked it when he said her name and when he was making sense but all he was doing now was babbling her name.

“You are the most reliable, hard working and nurturing feline I know and there is no one I would want more as my second in command” Ginger shivered, she also liked it when he praised her “but you need to relax” she crossed her arms and glared at him.

“I’m just concerned”

Bandit grinned at her, his tail brushing up against her arm causing her to squeak and lean away

“Bandit!” she hissed, even as her fur stood straight.

The male only chuckled in response then grinned when he spotted a group of females enter the club then whispered to the bartender. Ginger turned to where her Captain was looking and saw the females, she rolled her eyes. Even after so many years together she still wasn’t used to his tomcat ways, he was always on the lookout for the next female to catch his interest...even though there was already a strong, level-headed female right under his nose.

Ginger shook those thoughts from her head. She turned to talk to Bandit again but he was already headed toward the group of new arrivals, carrying a tray of drinks. She grimaced before turning back to order her first and last drink of the night before going to bed.

"Ladies" Bandit purred as he approached the group "Please take these drinks as a welcome to the best club in town and as a sign for an amazing night" he finished with, in his opinion, a charming smile. The females giggled and each took a drink from the tray until there was one left, he stared at the left over drink sure that he counted right.

Someone cleared their throat behind him, he turned to see a short female, her white fur gleaming under the light, her hazel eyes wide with delight "Good evening Captain Bandit" she greeted cheerfully.

"Patch" he gave a nervous laugh, glancing around to see if his brother was with her "Surprising to see you here"

She giggled "My Captain isn't here, he's in his quarters resting for tomorrow's journey" she shrugged "I came to hang out with my friends since I won't be seeing them for a while but I won't be staying too long either. I have to make my Captain proud" she sighed, dreamily.

Even a blind person could tell that Patch had a thing for Bandit's brother, well except for Shadow apparently. Both brothers entered the guild at the same time, went through training at the same time and joined the guild at the same time. It had been some time since then, which meant the two Captains had been with their crews for a while too.

And Patch's feelings for Bandit's brother had only grown since then, but Shadow's work ethic prevented him from noticing.

Bandit shook his head "What you see in him as a potential mate I will never understand" he muttered.

She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed and her pupils thinned into slits "You just don't understand him" she said, crossing her arms.

The male snorted "I'm his brother, what is it about him that you know more than I do?"

There was a lot to say about Shadow in Patch's opinion and she opened her mouth to give Bandit a piece of her mind but she heard her name being shouted at from across the club, she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to be doing tonight.

The female took a deep breath to calm herself down, she always got riled up when Shadow was involved. She sighed and gave him a look that made him tense, she said her last words to him for the night before joining her friends.

"So much, Bandit. There is so much about him you do not know."

Sleep eluded Bandit as Patch's voices echoed in his mind throughout the night all through the morning. The dual colored male plopped down in his Captain's chair, his coffee sloshing in his cup.

"Rough night, Cap?" his navigator, Leo, chuckled as he came in.

"Just had trouble sleeping Leo"

The rest of his crew slowly streamed in, when Ginger came in Bandit immediately straightened in his chair.

She regarded him "Captain" she greeted coolly then went off to her station.

He turned his head to survey the deck, when everyone was accounted for he sat back "Comms" he called out to his officer "Set?"

"Affirmative" was her response

He called out to his officers on deck and all responded positively.

"Affirmative, Captain. We just received the last SOS call the retrieval crew gave before the Guild lost them" Leo related the coordinates to his partner, the helmsman

Bandit grinned "Excellent. Let's be on our way"

Their ship rumbled to life and took off.

Their destination was a planet a short distance away from their own solar system. There was still time before they reached their destination, this allowed Bandit to check on the rest of his ship and to check on his brother's whereabouts.

He quietly made his way back to the deck, and spotted Ginger at her station typing away at her pad the male grinned and snuck up behind her.

"How may I help you, Captain?" she asked, not turning around when he opened his mouth to scare her.

Bandit grimaced "Aw you ruined it"

She chuckled and lifted her head, there was a small smile on her lips "I've been your First Officer for years, Bandit. I know you" she teased lightly

Something warm fluttered in Bandit's chest as he took in her smile and the rare playful look in her eyes. She caught his gaze "What's that look for?"

He scratched the back of his neck "I know this is not the best time but I just needed to let you know..."

Ginger straightened "Let me know what?"

He took a deep breath to steady his rising nerves then chickened out "Join me for dinner and I'll tell you"

She stared at his retreating form, mouth agape ‘What?” she whispered under her breath.

Bandit headed for his communications officer, he then checked in his brother's location and coordinates. The dual colored male face twisted in displeasure, Shadow was ahead of him, much closer to the planet they crew was stranded than Bandit's crew

At this rate Shadow would get there first and get back first then the prize would be his. Bandit's mouth pulled back baring his teeth, he would not lose to his runt of a brother.

They finally neared the planet, Calthenox, they could see the dark clouds surrounding the planet as well as Shadow's ship. Bandit's eyes narrowed, the fur on his tail standing up.

He collected the team joining him for retrieval then stalked out of the room.

Leo gave a low whistle as he took in the planet's environment and atmosphere "Geez, this place looks…"

"Absolutely depressing?" Bandit supplied

Leo chuckled, his green eyes lighting up "Yeah, that's one word for it" he then turned to the other two currently huddled together, the Communications Officer, Bud and the Medical Officer, Daffodil. Daffodil's poofy cream colored fur ruffled in the breeze, a shiver going down her spine.

Leo grinned "Cold, Daff?"

The poofy feline rolled her eyes "Hardly" but looked out to the distant and barren wasteland "But thereI'm something unsettling out here is something about this place that makes me uneasy” she then turned to Bandit “We should get moving, the sooner we find the crew the sooner we can get out of here”

“She’s right, we need to find them first. Leo, how are the readings you set up earlier?”

“Well” Leo then typed out something on his pad then a hologram of the planet appeared “since the ship landed around this area “ he pointed to a point south of where they were “the crew would have salvaged what they could have from the crash and then looked for some kind of shelter especially if there was anyone injured. My best bet is that they found a cave perhaps, but it would have to have be close by"

"So head to the crash site then we'll probably figure out which way they went?" Bud grunted with approval

"All right team, let's go!"

They had brought transport bikes to get themselves to their destination and as they neared it, they could see a transport shuttle by the crash site causing Bandit to speed up upon the site of his brother by the downed ship.

The taller male brought his bike to a screeching halt. The dark furred male’s ears were flat against his skull, trying to block out the sound. He scowled at Bandit who swaggered towards him and his two crew members that Bandit did not recognize.

Bandit smirked “Well, well lookie who it is, widdle Shadow and his widdle crew”

The runt’s scowl deepened and the two members glared at him, Patch came around from the back of the wreckage, her ears perked up with curiosity.

"What's going on?" Patch asked joining the group, she then caught sight of the expressions on her fellow crew members' faces as well the deepened scowl on her Captain's. The feline's eyes turned Bandit's way, her fur standing on end "What did you do?" she hissed.

The male at his brother's left opened his mouth to answer but Shadow raised his hand, effectively keeping his crew member from speaking.

"What he said is no longer of importance. We have what we came for." Shadow began walking back to the shuttle, but then his ears swiveled around, causing the other to pause as well.

A figure walked slowly towards them, his tattered brown cloak fluttering in the breeze. It was difficult to get a good look at whoever was underneath but if the walking stick was any indication there person underneath was either old or injured.

The cloaked figure stumbled, causing Shadow and crew, as well as Daffodil, to rush over as quickly as they could. Shadow reached him just as he fell over and as he did, the hood of his cloak fell back. Bandit quickly came over to them and balked in surprise when he saw the figure's face.

He was young, very young, dirt and blood all over his oddly soft features. The young boy had long blonde fur, looking over the young boy Bandit noted that he was also quite short.

"Man, this kid must be super young. He's super small" Bandit mused aloud.

Shadow paused, his face scrunching up and looked up the his older brother with an incredulous look "He's a she, you idiot"

Bandit was taken aback and made to respond but the young woman's eyes fluttered open, her amber eyes flickered to each of their faces then tensed, her ears stood up alert.

They young feline sat up abruptly and scrambled backwards causing both males to hold up their hands, palms outward, to show her that they were not a threat. She stopped at a good distance from them taking a good look at the strangers before her, she shifted into a crouch, wincing but ready to take off in case any of them came at her.

"Please, let us help, we mean you no harm I swear" Patch said, slow and calm, taking unnoticeable steps while keeping her hands free and up.

The stranger's eyes shifted to each one of them, before relaxing her posture, her legs finally tweaked and she fell into sitting position.

Daffodil and Patch quickly moved to help the young female up, aiding her as they moved to shuttle.

The brothers shared a look, whoever this female may be, she would be the key to the result of this rescue.

Her names was Hazel, and she was part of the retrieval crew, much of the crew were injured when they crashed and due to the loss of their ship's loss, the world's hostile environment and scarce resources many of the crew succumbed to their injuries, some of the others never returned from scavenging. One by one the crew either died or disappeared until Hazel remained.

The brothers were hunched over together, whispering about themselves. "The safety of the crew come first, Ban" Shadow insisted

"We're getting her checked out but afterwards we need to know where she and the rest of the crew were hiding out. We can't just leave their bodies there" or the artifact the bigger male added silently

"Good point," Shadow said, nodding. They sat quietly for a moment but Bandit couldn't help but stare when a slow smile spread across his face. His brother's ear twitched when Shadow chuckled "I still can't believe you thought she was a boy" Bandit blinked before giving out a loud laugh " It honestly didn't come to mind that we'd see some little girl running around a place like this" he looked towards the the med bay, where Hazel was sitting on the examination table, feet kicking light and tail swishing softly as she talked rather animatedly to Daffodil.

“She kind of reminds me of Luna” Shadow admitted to him "It's impressive that she's lasted so long…" he trailed off, his eyes losing focus as he lost himself in his thoughts.

At the mention of one of their sisters, Bandit instantly felt guilt. The older male had not been home since the accident that caused Bandit to join the Space Exploration Guild in the first place. He had not seen his sisters and younger brothers since, he often wondered how they were now. Bandit had wanted to ask Shadow about them for the longest time, but their rivalry strained their relationship to a point that neither of them could hold a civil conversation.

Shadow snapped out of his reverie and shot his older brother an apologetic smile. It was a rare moment of peace between them but both of them knew that despite their rocky relationship they would never be able to truly hate each other.

"Captains" a voice came up behind them breaking their moment. The masks both males wore slid back on, Shadow's stared at Bandit's communications officer with cool composure. "I hope I'm not interrupting"

Bandit forced out a grin "Of course not, Bud. Is everything alright?"

"Our science officer wanted to let you know that they're analyzing the drones they sent and should have the results shortly"

Bandit could feel his brother's gaze pinning him to his seat. The dual colored male thanked his officer and dismissed him then turned to dark furred male next to him "Brother-"

Shadow shoved away from the table where they sat " Please excuse me" he said, biting back a growl "There are some things I need to take care of in my ship" without anything else to say the young male stalked out of the room.

Slouching in his seat Bandit could only sigh in exasperation, running his paw down his face and his ears drooping.

“Ahem”

Bandit leaned his head back to see Hazel standing over him, a timid smile on her face “Hi, there”

“Oh!” Bandit quickly moved to stand “Ms. Hazel I trust that my crew has been taking care of you” he moved into a practiced stance, standing straight and smiling gently.

Hazel’s face brightened, her tail swishing behind her “They’ve all been very kind. It’s good to finally get some good food and not have to worry about dying from the elements” she laughed.

“Very good” he nodded

The rescued female turned her head clearly looking for someone “I thought I saw Captain Shadow here earlier”

Bandit rubbed the back of his neck “He just left”

Green eyes blinked at him “He’s your brother, correct? You don’t seem very close”

“We have a rather strained relationship, it comes with the whole older brother, younger brother dynamic.” He sat down suddenly feeling exhausted "Sometimes I just wish he backed down a little, he's always trying to prove he's better than me. It feels like I can never make my mark with him always in front"

She regarded him curiously "As an older brother you have a lot of responsibility, right? It only makes sense that you be acknowledged and appreciated for your efforts" she said into the seat next to him "If this rescue can do something for you and your career then why would you allow anyone to stand in the way of that?"

Wordlessly she stood up and went back to the Medical Bay, leaving Bandit to think on her words. A little while later Bandit leaves with a determined look on his face; Hazel watches through the glass doors of the Medical Bay and a smile spreads across her face.

A few hours later they were suited up again, ready to get the rest of the crew's remains and the artifact. To Bandit's knowledge it was only his crew that was going down there, with Hazel coming along of course. The feline was just doing what he needed to do, even if it meant that he and Shadow would never truly get along.

Hazel was right, this was opportunity for him. Why should Bandit let sentimentality hold him back?

"Bandit" Ginger called out softly as she approached him.

"Hey" he sighed, reaching behind him to tighten a doohickey on his suit. He spun around a few times trying to grab on to it. Ginger rolled her eyes and grabbed his shoulders "Hold still, dummy" she whispered before fixing his suit, Bandit held still as she did so.

"Thanks" he muttered

"No problem" she raised her head, surprised. Bandit lacked any of his usual bravado which, to Ginger at least, was very concerning .

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” she asked

"Nothing, it's just Shadow again"

Ginger raised an eyebrow "From the security tape it looked like you two were getting along pretty well" she said as she finished helping him.

He turned to narrow his eyes at her "Spying in people now, Ginger?"

"I'm just making sure both of you will make it back to bade" she crossed her arms "Now, what happened?"

Bandit explained it to her, their talk, their little moment as siblings, Shadow finding out about the drones and the things that Hazel told him after Shadow left. Ginger looked concerned after hearing Hazel's involvement.

"She seriously said that?" Ginger asked, disbelief all over her face.

"She was just being honest"

"You barely know her enough to take any advice she has to give" she pointed out.

"Strangers are unbiased!" He argued "at least it doesn't feel like she's holding me back" he muttered.

But Ginger still heard him, her ears stood up straight, the fur on her tail bristling and her pupils thinned into slits "Well excuse me, sir!" She growled, baring her teeth "All I'm trying to do is keep you from making decisions that you'll regret for the rest of your life!" she stomped away, her tail lashing out behind her "Since you don't seem to value my input as your friend, I'll gladly leave you to your idiocy!"

The automatic doors closed, cutting off Bandit's vision of the orange furred female. He turned to the rest of his crew, all looking uncomfortable and unable to look him in the eye.

Bandit let out an exasperated sigh "Let's just move out team"

Ginger watched from the control center as Bandit and his crew went back down. She watched the shuttle take off then picked up a Comm device "Hey Patch, it's Ginger. You have all the files on the missing crew, right? I need you to send them to me, I have a bad feeling"

With Bandit and his team, Hazel was able to show them the way back to the cave the retrieval crew used as shelter. Bud, Leo and Daffodil watched with displeasure as Hazel plaster herself to Bandit, who was too preoccupied to even notice. They eventually came at a fork in the road.

Hazel turned to each entrance "If I recall correctly the left tunnel leads to the artifact and we used the right tunnel as a place to set up camp.

"Why not just set up camp with the artifact?" Daffodil asked, her gaze narrowed on Hazel.

The young feline flashed her a smile "There wasn't enough room for all of us to fit so one of us would go there to make sure it was safe. We kept watch over the artifact on rotation, so everyone had a chance to rest." She explained "We also hid to be sure none of the scavengers would come in and take it "

Leo eyed Hazel cautiously "Captain let one of us accompany you and Hazel"

Hazel kept a smile on her face, but something dangerous fluttered in her eyes.

However Bandit did not notice but did allow Leo to join him and Hazel. The trio traversed the darkened cavern, the only light available came from the small flashlight on their suits. They were quiet while they walked, Bandit was much too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice the quickly rising hostility between Leo and Hazel.

Bandit cautioned the others once they got close enough to the entrance of the artifact. They walked in slowly surveying the small room and relaxed when there was no else there.

“I hid the artifact behind those rocks before I left to scavenge more food” she turned to Leo “Help me out, would you?” Bandit’s navigator hesitated.

Bandit narrowed his eyes on the other male, his tail lashed out in irritation “Leo, do it. We’re wasting precious time”

Leo clenched his jaw and moved with Hazel towards the far corner of the room. As they did so, Bandit’s Comm rang, he reached up to take the call but before he could say anything Ginger was yelling in his ear.

He turned to face the wall trying to make sense of what Ginger was saying “Ginger, Ginger slow down and say that again?” He heard the female take a deep breath and repeated in the same urgent tone “Ginger is not who she says she is”

The dual colored male froze “Explain”

“I had Patch send over the retrieval team’s files and combed through the individual members. “ she paused to catch her breath “There was someone named Hazel on the team but when I looked at the photo, it was a completely different person. Whoever is with you right now is someone else”

Bandit opened his mouth to respond when he heard the charge of a blaster directly behind him. The male slowly turned to Hazel holding a downed Leo at gunpoint. She gave him a smile but there was a dark look in her eyes “Hang up, Captain. Unless you have replacement in mind for poor Leo here” the blaster lit up ready to fire.

"I have to go" Bandit said

"But Ban-" he cut her off when he hung up.

"Now, take them out and destroy them" 'Hazel' ordered

He glared and complied, his only means of communication now gone. She gave him more orders he was forced to comply with thus leaving him completely defenseless against any attack. Still, he had to find a way to get to Daffodil and Bud but first he had to get to his navigator.

She studied him and smirked "Don't bother trying to get to the others, the other members of our organization were waiting for them, they're either dead or captured"

Bandit's lips lifted into a snarl "Who the hell are you?"

She regarded him carefully "Let's just say that the organization I work for is...intent at righting the atrocities your Guild has committed over the years. It was ridiculous how easy it was to manipulate you with the wide eye, lost little kitten look." She smiled shaking her head "Gave me a real laugh. I honestly still can't believe how well our timing was" she paused for a moment, her ears standing at attention and her expression shifted into something that made Bandit' guts twist into knots.

She smiled again, but this one seemed crueler than the one before "Speaking of timing..."

Bandit's ears twitched, slow footsteps came from the tunnel, straining to look at who might be approaching.

He silently hoped it would be an ally, that way they would be at an advantage. The figure coming in their direction finally stepped into the dimly lit cavern to reveal Shadow's tense form, holding a blaster in the female's direction.

"Female, you are unidentified and in violation of the law. Unhand your weapon and release your hostages or else I will have to use force"

Bandit and the unknown female stared at him, his brother giving him an incredulous look before yelling out "You're seriously playing this by the book? Shadow, you idiot, this isn't the time!"

The black furred male glanced at his brother, anger rising in his eyes.

"I told you" 'Hazel' said quietly, the way she looked at Shadow made Bandit uneasy. She looked at him with a soft expression, it was a look of understanding, a look of compassion it was a look a friend and confidant may have when they see someone they care about struggling.

"I told you he didn't have any faith in you or the decisions you make. He doesn't think you're capable of handling this situation." She told him "Maybe you would have been able to talk me down and I would have come peacefully, no violence necessary"

"For the love of-, she's playing you!"

"Your talents are being wasted, Shadow. You have so much more to give to the world." she could see his resolve weakening, the tension leaving his body "Peace is your goal, isn't it? We can help you achieve that. The Guild has too many people with selfish agendas, using their power and resources for their own benefit, not for the benefit of minorities, not for those who need it most"

"Shadow-" Bandit started to speak but the female continued on "He" she gestured in his direction "is just like them. How many times has the Guild been like your brother? Taking things that don't belong to them and silencing those who are trying to succeed?"

Shadow turned his gaze away from the female to stare at his brother with anguished eyes, memories of all the horrible things Bandit had done as children, taking away opportunity after opportunity from his younger brother for his own benefit.

"Get rid of the weight, Shadow" she spoke softly "Free yourself"

The blaster lit up and the dark furred male whispered something to himself and fired.

#original story #unbeta'd #Starpath Guild #critique welcome #writing

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izcana · 4 years ago

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House of Rosier and All of It’s Glorious Flaws

Before you read this, you should read Lover Boy (the whole series). You don't have to, it can be a stand-alone story, but I think it makes it so much better to see the dynamics of those people.

The story is told from Thomas' P.O.V.

***

"Mr Park, Mr Isaacs, Mr Agnes. This is the 3rd time you 3 have been late to my class," McGonagall seethed, her stony glare fixed on the three boys (us) who looked nowhere near guilty enough for their tardiness. "Detention with me tonight, half past 7." A girl sitting in the first row (one row in front of us) looked back from her (was that 6th year?) textbook disdainfully and rolled her hazel eyes. Who reads a textbook one year ahead in their free time? I was worried about my marks but reading one year ahead was just beyond me. Either she was way too smart or she was just a snob.

"Yes, Professor," Newt and I, the said Mr Isaacs and Mr Agnes (pleasure to meet you) mumbled. We were always the obedient ones and Minho (Mr Park) was the opposite.

"Sure, Prof," Minho snickered, sitting down with Newt at his table with a goblet on it. I mentally facepalmed. He'll definitely get in trouble for that.

McGonagall glared at the Minho. "Double detention, Mr Park." That's what I thought.

She turned her back to the boys and strolled up to the desk. "We will be practising how to do the Vanishing Spell. Take out your wands, please." I took a peek and noticed the girl had closed her textbook, sticking gold-foil bookmark in place. A name was written in perfect (of course...) calligraphy on the cover, though it was partially blocked by the tassel of the bookmark. Typical rich pureblood Slytherin, I thought, eying her Slytherin tie and necklace (family heirloom, perhaps? Whatever it was, it certainly looked expensive...)

There was a rustle as the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin opened their satchels and took out our wands. Such a shame we shared transfiguration with the Slytherins, too. Transfiguration was always my favourite class and McGonagall was a brilliant teacher and all, but the Slytherins made it unbearable. I could just hear their taunts of "Mudblood!" and "Filthy half breed!". Most of the Slytherins were pureblood maniacs, as Minho shamelessly said.

"Good. Now repeat after me – Evanesco. Do not point your wands and attempt this, yet. Make sure you articulate every syllable." All of us repeated the word. Everyone kept their arms at their sides, though I saw some people's (namely Minho) hands twitched as if they wanted nothing more than to jab their wand and get the spell over with.

"The movement to accompany this would be a sharp jab towards the object. Everyone try that, please. Without the word." We all did so again, and this time.

"Now you may try the spell."

The classroom exploded in sounds of Evanesco's! I tried it once and nothing happened (according to Newt, at least), although, in my opinion, it became a bit more transparent, so that's something. Somehow, the girl sitting in front of me managed to get it on her first try and Professor McGonagall beamed at her proudly. I wasn't sure what her reaction was because she had her back to me.

Newt followed my eyes to the girl. "Who's that?"

"Some rich Slytherin pureblood," I muttered, glaring at her back.

"What's got you so sour?" Minho questioned, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Tommy's obsessed with some Slytherin girl sitting in front of us," Newt told him, even though I slapped my hand over his mouth.

"Who is–––" Minho started to ask but he didn't get very far with it before McGonagall interrupted him.

"Mr Agnes, Mr Park, Mr Isaacs, that doesn't look like you practising the spell to me. Unless you want to receive another detention–––"

"No thank you, Professor!" Newt interrupted quickly, jabbing his wand furiously in the direction of his goblet. Before I turned away, I thought I caught a small flicker of a smile on the corner of McGonagall's lips.

We headed to detention at twenty past 7 (we were actually on time, Minho!) To my dismay, the girl from the transfiguration class was there, also. She spared us a glance but turned her head away disinterestedly as if we weren't worth her time or attention. I seethed silently and directed my glare elsewhere.

"For detention today, you'll be organising the supplies for the next lesson," McGonagall said, eyeing the goblets and animal cages warily. "That will consist of cleaning the animal cages and stacking the goblets in the shelf over there," she said, gesturing loosely to the said shelf. "No magic allowed. I won't be supervising you but I'll know if you use magic." And with that, McGonagall took her leave.

I don't think she'd actually be able to know if we used magic or not, but who knows? I'm not willing to test her bluff.

"She's not going to actually know, is she?" Minho questioned, raising his wand.

The Slytherin girl tapped it away. "I'd rather not receive another detention. Don't let's use our wands...we can get it over with, now."

I sent her a fierce glare. "Stop telling us what to do!"

"Why do you hate me so much?" The girl deflected, stacking the goblets. "Have I done something to you?"

"You and your fellow Slytherins...rich and fancy purebloods..." My anger was starting to boil over. I channelled that into stacking goblets faster than she was, which wasn't that big of a challenge considering how slowly she was doing it.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Why should I tell you?" I demanded. Perhaps this was unreasonable, but at the time, I was furious.

"I can't call you 'Mr Agnes', can I?"

"Thomas," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Oh," she commented flatly. I was waiting for the 'Mudblood!' comment but none came. Instead..."You're Teresa's brother."

"Yeah. You know her?" I thought my attitude towards this girl was starting to deflate, as much as I hated to mention it. "Also, what's your name?"

"Cyrah Evangeline Rosier, at your service," the girl ––– Cyrah Evangeline Rosier said, with a mock curtsey.

"Making the service of a Mudblood?" I questioned. She's a Rosier; throwing this kind of stuff around was dangerous for her.

"Why not? We're both in detention, anyway." I noticed she sped up on the goblet stacking. "I think we're done with these."

"Ya know," Minho drawled. "It's unfair that you two are stacking goblets whereas we're cleaning iguana poop. What did you do to get here anyway, Cyrah?"

"I hexed Malfoy," Cyrah answered simply.

"Malfoy...as in –––"

"How many Malfoy's do you know, Tommy?" Cyrah cut in, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Newt complained. "Only I call him Tommy." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Awfully possessive, aren't you?"

"All that aside – why did you hex Malfoy?" Minho asked. He was smiling widely, on the edge of grinning. I could understand why. Lucius Malfoy was one of the most egocentric people on the planet. It was also satisfying to hear that a fellow pureblood and "proper" student had hexed him.

"I made sure he knew what would happen if he hurt Cissy. He stared at Emma for too long and Cissy was upset about it. So...ya know..." She made a twirling motion with her wand. Who's "Cissy"? Probably Lucius' girlfriend, I reckon.

"I'm pretty sure Cissy could have come to her own defence, though," Minho commented. "She's in the 7th year."

Cyrah nodded her head shallowly. "Yes, but she was too upset to do anything about it, so..."

"Who's 'Cissy'?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. Newt gave me a 'don't pry' glance, but I could read him well enough to see that he was grateful, too. I'm sure he wanted to know who 'Cissy' was, also.

"Narcissa Black. My cousin."

"Wait..." Newt muttered, connecting dots, definitely. He had that look when he was trying to pay attention in History. "You're related to Bellatrix Lestrange?"

Cyrah stared at him warily. "Yes."

We were silent during the processing of this information. "How's Aunt Esteeli?" Cyrah asked suddenly. I had no clue what she was talking about.

Apparently, Minho did. "She's doing quite well." Unlike Cyrah, Minho was generous enough to spare us an explanation. "'Aunt Esteeli' is my mum."

"You two...are related???" Newt demanded, his face stretched into a "what the shuck?" expression. I was sure my face was the same.

"Yeah, we're cousins."

We processed this information again. "Ummm, how come Minho's not a...no offence...pureblood maniac?" Newt asked uncomfortably.

"Hey!" Cyrah protested. "I'm not a 'pureblood maniac'! That's Bella," she added on second thought.

"My side of the family are 'blood-traitors', see," Minho explained. "Technically, my mum was disowned after her 16th birthday. From the Néturn family."

"We–––"

"Ah, I see you've cleaned everything up," McGonagall said, coming in at the worst moment possible. "You may go, then."

"Bye," Cyrah said with a small smile and left.

***

If anyone wants a sequel, please message me either here or on Archive of Our Own. Disclaimer: I don’t own Maze Runner or Harry Potter. I wish I did (J. K. Rowling and James Dashner are amazing), but I don’t.

#Harry Potter #The Maze Runner #tmr #hp #harry potter AU #lover boy #newt #minho #thomas #teresa #teresa is thomas' twin #narcissa black #bellatrix black #crossover #maze runner x harry potter #professor mcgonagall

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sepublic · 4 years ago

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Musical Car!

What’s interesting is that the musical has a sign advertising Jesse’s name; Did he stop by the Musical Car at some point and inspire the denizens there with a speech about empathy, and how differences are okay? We know that had to have taken place prior to him, Lake, and Alan Dracula entering the Carnival Car, meeting The Cat, etc. Either way, I’m not at all surprised that someone as open and friendly as him would say such things, especially with an unconventional friend like Lake; And obviously he stuck by his words in the end, didn’t he?

Lemme tell you though… I was legit disturbed by that raid, as well as seeing those poor denizens get legitimately hurt and injured for no reason at all, and that ONE decapitated dude almost getting wheeled, only to be converted into Simon’s thing; Like, screw you Apex. That’s what makes Simon and Grace interesting; I’ve always imagined the concept of more problematic protagonists for this series, so it’s not much of a surprise to see Book 3 dive into this! Given how much more, well… WORSE Simon and Grace are, pehaps it’s not all-too surprise that their arc was confined to HBO Max, given the even more mature tone set by them and their actions!

Honestly, those two rapidly switch and range from terrible, nasty jerks I want to punch, to misfits with banter and chemistry, and plenty of comradery; Especially for people they DO care about! It really drives the point home that not every bad person is PURE evil, like they don’t spend every waking moment plotting how terrible they can be, and most don’t even consider themselves as bad! It’s disconcerting, but a good look into their mindset; With Grace genuinely trying to be nice and caring to the kids and not hurting their feelings, but also repeating Amelia’s lies about the train denizens being there for the passengers’ benefit, and… More on that later.

Also- Glad to see Grace make fun of Simon’s fashion sense and acknowledge it, but at the same time… Either he was ten when he began to wear socks with sandals, AND/OR he was ten when he first met Grace; Presumably on the Infinity Train, although the idea of two individuals knowing one another PRIOR to boarding it is also fascinating! Especially given how Book 2 discussed the idea of fate and pre-determination in one’s paths and all…

It’s interesting to see that not all Apex kids are against the denizens, like some DO want to make friends with them (albeit in a very invasive manner), but Grace and Simon just shut them down. I have to wonder if they themselves also had a similar moment with Amelia, only to be brutally shut down; And Amelia is objectively worse than those two considering how much higher her number is, and how SHE was the one who started this dumb ideology in the first place (instead of just being taught it at a vulnerable moment in her life like everybody else)!

What’s worth noting is that Simon has a device that can detect the presence of other passengers, which is both VERY cool and VERY useful; I have to wonder if it’ll detect Hazel in the Jungle Car however. Given the speculation of her being a train denizen, it’d serve as neat, subtle foreshadowing as to her true nature, and I can see the show touching upon this! Also, the aesthetics of that device reminds me of what The Cat would own; Given how she’ll make a return this Book and has had a run-in with at least Grace in the past, I can easily see it being something she’d own. She IS a collector of useful things, after all… And I have to wonder if maybe The Cat was even a companion of Simon or Grace; Or maybe even Amelia! Perhaps the Passenger-Detector was a ‘gift’ from Amelia…

(I mean, they HAVE to bring her back in Book 3, given how her ideology and actions are a direct consequence of everything that happens, and would fit nicely into her eventual redemption arc. Not to mention it’d give a fascinating insight as to what was going on in her mind when she indoctrinated the Apex.)

Neat detail seeing the Unfinished Car with those corgi diplomats, and nice joke with that one turtle talking to what’s later revealed to be a phone with a line that’s already cut anyway! Grace breaking her Harpoon Pack makes sense; She wasn’t seen with one in the trailer and posters, and I guess it’d help ‘balance’ things if only one protagonist had a Harpoon Pack; So they can’t just skip over cars on their way back!

Speaking of a way back; We have a set number of cars leading back to the Mall Car, so in other words we have a way of keeping track of the journey’s progress! It IS worth noting that the cars could always rearrange… It’s interesting to learn that cars apparently don’t move when passengers are inside; I always assumed that sometimes they might’ve and a passenger wouldn’t notice because all the cars look identical from the outside, and also being inside a pocket-dimension kind of skews around with the sensation of what’s going on outside. It’s possible that Simon and Grace actually felt the movement because of the Unfinished Car’s unusual nature…

Regardless, after that disturbing opening scene it makes sense that One-One is stepping in! Given how he values the passengers more than the denizens (as seen with his second and final interaction with Lake), it makes me wonder how much he actually CARES; Or if he can’t afford to have people ‘breaking equipment’, and/or is mostly doing this to lean the Apex towards becoming better people by confronting them over their actions! At this point, they may end up pushing One-One too much and he’ll have to send in his Steward…

Getting onto some existential crisis, the cruel thing about Simon and Grace saying that the denizens are made for them is… They’re actually kind of right? NOT that this justifies at all their wanton, senseless cruelty towards the train denizens… But it ties back to Lake’s existential crisis in Book 2, the realization and likelihood that she (and maybe even the Mirror World) was made purely for the character development of people like Tulip and Jesse! One-One himself outright says in the Book 2 Finale that, YEAH; Train Denizens are supposed to stay on the train because their entire purpose, their entire means of creation was just to fulfill what the passengers need!

…Obviously, using them for raids ISN’T what One-One (and/or whoever made the Infinity Train/the Infinity Train itself) intended… But the disturbing realization still stands that the denizens’ purpose and creation in life is for the betterment of passengers, to accompany them, aid them… In the past, I’ve speculated how some Cars and their inhabitants don’t seem to have much of a personality beyond being a basic caricature to fulfill the ‘theme’ of a car, as well as aiding in passengers’ journeys! And obviously they’re all PEOPLE, but again this ties back into just how real the pasts and worlds of denizens were, as discussed by Mace; The idea that entire histories and cultures have been fabricated, and pre-programmed into the memories of denizens.

Needless to say, it’s very disturbing… And if Simon and Grace ever change their stance on denizens and even start vouching for them, it’d be a brilliant reversal of their beginning attitudes to have them call out One-One for making sapient people for the sole purpose of serving others; Which could be a dilemma for him given how HE may have been made for the purpose of others! Given how Amelia taught the Apex her ideals, and she was Conductor for a time and thus had rather intimate knowledge of the Infinity Train… perhaps what she says about the denizens being just ‘toys’, made for the passengers, isn’t too far a stretch from the truth; Obviously a dark, twisted, and selfish distortion. But it’s emblematic, reflecting a deeper, underlying issue that could lie with the Infinity Train itself.

(Especially since Owen Dennis said that One-One and the Infinity Train can be wrong…)

Given how Amelia made cars with denizens that only ‘turned on’ once a car was considered ‘complete’ (or close to it), it suggests that she knows all about the artificial, pre-programmed nature of denizens because she’s made a few ones; Which when coupled with how she probably tried to make a Fake Alrick, and ultimately realized that a replica would never be the same… Eerily, it lends to the idea that part of what made Amelia realize this at the end of Book 1, was her mindset that denizens are just follow, fake copies of pre-existing things and aren’t even real to begin with.

THAT is a cruel twist; That the very ideas that founded the Apex and caused our issues in Book 3, were low-key what helped Amelia wake up from her fantasy and realize that she needed to confront her issues! Given how high her number is, it only makes sense that while she’s making progress, she STILL has some more fundamental problems to tackle; Specifically the idea that while denizens aren’t the same or ‘real’ as the original, they’re still people and whatnot!

All in all, a VERY fascinating watch! Just eleven minutes, but I’m hooked in; Sure this does tie a lot back to previously-established concepts, but what story-driven show doesn’t? It really recontextualizes and makes you think back about what WAS discussed already and how it changes with the more we learn and explore!

#infinity train #infinity train book 3 #infinity train cult of the conductor #infinity train season 3 #infinity train spoilers #infinity train season 3 spoilers #infinity train grace #infinity train simon #infinity train amelia #analysis #spoilers #it spoilers

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