#Mary also blames herself for her fathers disappearance but then he appears at the end of the episode so | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

miraculouscontent · 3 years ago

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Didn’t Need Burrow (September 14th-September 27th)

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Oblivio Sentimonster

tbh at this point, we might as well just go, “more akuma-turned-sentimonster.”

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Alya don't learn anything from her experience as Scarabella

*sees “Simpleman” trailer*

Welp, we have a DNB before the episode is out (two technically because I’ve predicted Marinette with all four kids for like--ever).

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow:

Marinette will at some point get akumatised and become even more OP than Chat Blanc and create a whole universe with life and diversity and desires to live in there with no crushing responsibilities, but it will be portrayed as a bad, bad thing and we will have to torment ourselves by seeing Adrien and the other heroes ignoring the fact that their "most beloved friend/romantic interest" is mentally broken and they will keep telling her to go to "sweet baby Adrien" to have a family with.

Naturally, Luka will act either OOC or will be "miraculous"-ly absent, if not disappear from the show altogether at that point so Marinette won't even have a chance to be comforted by an actually good friend.

I call dibs on this ending.

The way they’d spin is probably that Marinette is being selfish wanting to live in her “own little world” and she’s not thinking about everyone else.

This would also probably be another case of the whole “it wasn’t your fault you were akumatized, it was Hawk Moth” thing being through completely out the window because it’s Marinette’s fault, you guys.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: Adrien learns his father is Hawk/Shadowmoth and justifies not telling Ladybug because 'She's keeping secrets from me, too!' This is presented as perfectly valid and understandable reasoning. Bonus if there is no acknowledgement of the fact he is keeping this information from everybody else beyond blaming Ladybug for THAT, too.

I hate that this makes sense because he WOULD be that petty.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: Adrien/Chat Noir will continue down the path of unnecessary roughness and violence. By the time he switches sides and joins the villains for whatever bullshit reason they try to blame on Marinette/Ladybug, his behavior will have degraded so far that he was already acting overtly villainous while he was ostensibly still on the heroes' side. This is never acknowledged beyond some oblique comments about how Ladybug should have noticed how unhappy he was and bent over backwards to fix it.

That’s what she gets for nOt aPpReCiAtInG hIm eNouGh.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: Adrien's spitefulness and/or screwing around as a nominal superhero explicitly causes civilian casualties that are only reversed by Ladybug's cure. Marinette blames herself for their deaths; so does the narrative. Tikki, Alya, and others act as the writers' mouthpieces to berate and blame Mari for her failures, despite her being the only reason that Adrien's victims aren't STILL dead. (Bonus if the same 'logic' is applied to Shadowmoth's victims.)

Well SHE’S the one with Miraculous Cure, so clearly--

Anonymous asked:

DNB: It's eventually revealed that Adrien is directly responsible for the heroes having to continue fighting Hawkmoth/his implied successor well into their adult lives; while Gabriel is ultimately dealt with during the series' run, Adrien isn't willing to give up his 'heroic' lifestyle, and ensures that the Butterfly Brooch ends up in Lila/somebody else's hands. Bonus if their reasoning for blaming Marinette is that a Reveal hadn't happened yet and Adrien 'didn't want to lose her, waaaah...'

And of course they’ll make him look sympathetic because he didn’t want to rat out of his father (if he’d been the one to see the reveal and no one else)!! Can you blame him???

Anonymous asked:

DNB: The concept of getting therapy/psychological help and support is mocked through an akuma lampooning the concept. This stems from the writers getting spiteful/annoyed by so many observations from the fandom about how badly most of the cast needs some form of psychological aid, with the episode supposedly 'proving' that it's not needed/would only hamper the heroes more than help them.

Because a therapist would’ve told Marinette to dropkick Chat into the void.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: If SentiAdrien is a thing, Felix winds up as a body backup drive so the series can have the Angstrese of SentiAdrien being destroyed without permakilling their golden boy. The horrifying implications of Felix's fate are completely glossed over; who cares what happened to his mind/personality/soul so long as Adrien's okay?

oh my god what if Astruc brags that this is why Felix’s model is a copy of Adrien’s and that this is a reference to how Adrien replaced Felix during the making of Miraculous

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: "Simpleman" will be basically "Reverser" 2.0 (very cringe scenes of Ladybug and Chat Noir being rendered useless by Akuma of the Week will be depicted as hilarious)

ugggggggh

Anonymous asked:

DNB: Now that Kagami is on the Adrienette train she'll drag Luka on board with her. Then they'll think of schemes to get them together and meanwhile fall in love with each other and O Fortuna, I need some Pepto now. *GAG*

Single people aren’t allowed to exist unless Astruc can claim they’re aro/ace.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: Post-Reveal, Adrien will reject Marinette while accusing her of only being interested because he's Adrien. The fact that he only wanted her because she was LADYBUG is never addressed, retconned, or denied outright, expecting the viewers to ignore all evidence of his obsessive/controlling behavior. Marinette must then pursue and 'prove herself worthy' of his love in a semi-reversal, with Adrien remaining a manipulative douchenozzle the whole time.

*flashbacks to comics that existed all the way back in Season 1 about Adrien rejecting Marinette because he “””loved both sides of her””” but she didn’t love Chat Noir*

Anonymous asked:

DNB: Marinette will be given little to no heads up that Alya was dropping off her and Ninos siblings.

I imagine we won’t get confirmation on that.

(though also “Rocketear” seems to confirm that Nino is just impulsive about asking Alya on dates sooooo)

Anonymous asked:

For simpleman, we don’t need burrow to know Marinette will regress into season 1 tendencies.

Okay but Season 1 would be better than this.

Anonymous asked:

Don’t need burrow to know the kids will either not be scolded for how they acted or not be changed by any scoldings in their next appearance (bonus if they’re even praised for something along the lines of “saving paris”)

*”The Puppeteer” and “Christmaster” flashbacks*

Anonymous asked:

I just realized another episode comes out in like an hour so I think my DNB is that rolands charm will look very similar to the mayors. Sorry if it’s lame but that’s all I know rn from his late costume

There’s a joke in here somewhere about “all old man charms look the same!!”

#category: salt #Didn't Need Burrow #other: ask and answer

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nxrthmizu · 4 years ago

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#28 with Daminette, please! Also I love your works!

Prompt: ‘Pretending to be a couple and this is a huge mistake AU’

Pairing: Daminette

Words: 2904 words

Note: I kind of changed up the idea a little, hope you don’t mind...

[Thank you so much for the request hun, I’m so sorry it took be so long...

Enjoy! 💖💖💖]

- Cady

---

Damian had always thought that turning eighteen was a privilege. Boy, was he wrong. It was, in fact, a nuisance.

“Mr. Wayne! Do you have a special someone yet?”

“Mr. Wayne, my daughter is 18 and single, would you like to-”

"Mr. Wayne-"

Galas became a swarming mass of reporters and fathers seeking marriage for their daughters. He could constantly feel chills along his back as women stared at him shamelessly as if he were a prize, their predatorial gaze piercing through his soul. Annoyance tainted every aspect of his features at galas, his siblings constantly reminding him to not scowl so much. But honestly, could you blame him? He couldn’t go anywhere without being pestered by twenty reporters about his love life.

Heck, if he wanted to get a cup of coffee by himself, he had to dress up like a criminal avoiding attention. Lucky for him, there was one special cafe that was out of the way and always offered a little quiet for him- As quiet as it could get, anyway.

The Lucky Bug Cafe.

It was quiet and tucked behind a little street, often filled with just one or two students studying quietly and an old couple casually relaxing by the corner. The Lucky Bug Cafe was run by a single, dark-haired woman who looked at him and thought: ‘Ah, he needs somewhere to lay low for a while’ instead of ‘It’s the heir of the Wayne Enterprises, the Damian Wayne’.

It was another casual morning, and Damian needed his fix of coffee before heading to the office, where he would oversee his father’s (And soon to be his) employees while self-studying his business course. A long day lay in wait ahead of him, and Damian would appreciate and nice, aromatic cup of brewed coffee before he had to survive on the machine-made coffee for the rest of the day.

“Good morning.” The dark-haired woman greeted him with a warm smile, her bluebell eyes twinkling under the glow of the yellow lightbulbs. “The usual?”

“The usual.” Damian nodded, hoodie covering his face.

Leaning against the counter, he watched as she bustled around the area, turning on the machine, humming a song to herself as she headed over to the fridge for fresh milk. He glanced at the glass display case under the counter, eyes flitting over the batches of pastries that she had made for the day.

“Could I get five mint-flavoured macarons, please?” He asked as she set his coffee on the collection counter.

“Oh, of course.” She smiled brightly, already grabbing a paper bag. “They’re my new recipe! Do tell me what you think of them tomorrow.”

Damian smiled, his features softening at the woman’s words. “Sure. Oh, and how’s your website holding up?”

Perhaps one of the reasons they clicked so well together was because they were both... Well, famous. Except that he was the future boss of the Wayne Enterprises and she was the anonymous designer of Nette’s Design and Clothing. Articles concerning the identity of the anonymous designer popped up occasionally on Gotham’s magazines, not to mention that the celebrities that wore her work often ended up on the front page of fashion magazines.

“Good. It’s getting a little flooded these days, but I think I’ll manage.” She said with a giggle, winking at him. To anyone else, it would seem like they were talking about a small, by-the-side online clothing commission business, but both of them knew the true value of their conversation. “Need me to make you a new suit for the gala?”

It was then the idea struck him.

He processed it, and a fierce blush erupted on his cheeks, the said man nearly dropping his paper bag of macarons in the process as he fully understood his idea.

“Are- Are you okay?” She asked instantly, worry clouding her features.

“Yea-Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll... Get back to you on that.” He stammered, knowing that if he stayed a second longer, he was going to blurt out his crazy, stupid idea, and everything was going to be over.

Except that he couldn’t get the idea out of his head as he stared at the ceiling, sleep refusing to overtake him. The idea wouldn’t even leave him alone as he leapt across the streets of Gotham, keeping an eye out for crime.

If he brought Marinette to the gala with him, all the reporters would get off his back.

But then again, Marinette would never have peace again, and he couldn’t do that to her... Right...?

“Morning.” Damian greeted her the next day, dressed in a dark green hoodie. To anyone else, it would seem like a normal hoodie, but in reality, it was his favourite hoodie. ‘NDC’ was stitched in with golden thread on the inside of the sweater- The work of his favourite coffee shop owner. She had gave it to him after two months of their discreet friendship, and it was one of his most valued possessions.

"Morning," She replied with a gentle smile, her eyes morphing into little crescents as she did so. "The usual?" Her fingers never stopped moving, constantly wiping the counter clean or preparing a cup of warm milk. It was just one of the things he found adorable admirable.

"Yeah."

Before he could think, his mouth acted on its own. “Do you think you could be my date for the gala?” He blurted out suddenly, freezing when her movements came to an abrupt stop. Bluebell eyes slowly flicked up to his emerald ones, his heart jumping out of his ribs when those soft orbs stared into his. “You don’t have to say yes, I was just wondering-”

“Okay.”

He could feel his heart fluttering happily as she smiled, her eyes twinkling in bluebell crescents and her lips a soft curve.

“If you don’t mind, could I maybe go as... You know.” She asked shyly, brushing one of her hair strands behind her ears. “I know you want a date because... Well.” She laughed. “The attention, but I was hoping I could go as... Nette instead of... Well, plain ol’ Mari.”

“You’re not plain.” He responded instantly like a reflex action, tone cutting but soft at the same time. “But if you want to go as... It’s your choice. And... Thank you. For understanding.”

The smile she returned him was worth more than a thousand dollars, he thought.

---

Slicking his hair into a neat, presentable style, Damian checked his appearance in the mirror for the last time. The day of the gala had arrived, and they had already discussed all the details of the night over text. They would pretend to be a couple so that the reporters would finally get off Damian’s back, and ‘Nette’ would get her first appearance in public- They had both agreed that Marinette would wear a mask in order to preserve her identity, so that she could stay in a quiet world for just a little longer before she planned her official debut to the world.

The suit felt soft to the touch, a silk moisture across the shiny surface of the dark fabric. Gold threads wrapped around the jade green that Marinette had chosen as the accent of the suit. A jade tie with the same golden embroidery accompanied the suit and the dark-moss green dress-shirt that he had on underneath. ‘NDC’ was stitched carefully in the same cursive lettering that it was on the corner of the suit, the trademark of the designer’s handiwork.

Not wanting to answer his family’s pestering questions, Damian slipped out of the house, acknowledging and thanking whatever deity out there for the wonderful man named Alfred Pennyworth.

Alfred gave Damian a knowing smile, handing him the keys to his new car. “Thank you.” The youngest Wayne thanked the butler, the keys jingling in his hands.

“Treat her like the lady she is.” Alfred advised him, stepping forward to adjust the emerald-eyed man’s tie. There was a quiet, lingering thought inside the older man’s head, but after one more glance at the nervous young adult with a cold outer shell, he decided against the remark.

The car engine rumbled to life with a purr, pulling out of the garage. Alfred watched as the tail lights disappeared into the evening, the thought still clear in his mind.

He’s in love and he doesn’t even realise it.

---

“Hey.”

She opened the door with a smile- God, she never stopped smiling, did she? A little twirl showed off her dress, made in the same palette as his suit. Jade green and moss green strips of thick fabric made the dress blossom into a flower shape around her ankles. The top half of the dress hugged her curves in all the right ways, a braided rope going over her neck to hold the dress up. The sleeveless-ness of the dress showed off the smooth skin of the designer, not to mention her striking, sharp collarbones that were on full display.

“You look beautiful.” He managed, knowing full well it was a lie that he had just uttered. She wasn’t beautiful, god, no. She was absolutely stunning and gorgeous, and he would give anything to keep that smile on her lips. He had to mutter up all of his resistance and self-control to prevent himself from reaching out to stroke her soft, dark hair.

“Thank you.” The smile would’ve made him melt into a Damian-shaped puddle, except he had a date and he would have to wait until the night was over to melt into a puddle. “Shall we?”

He offered her his arm, like the gentleman his dad butler had taught and raised him to be. The feeling of her soft skin in his hands made roses flower over his cheeks, his heart beat a little louder, and the affectionate feeling in his chest double in size.

The drive to the gala was the most interesting car ride he ever had. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel as he listened to her sing to the songs on the radio, occasionally joining in shyly, both their voices dancing in an intricate dance of harmony. Her laugh tinkled like wind chimes; her smile glowed like the moon on a clear night; her voice soothed his soul like a warm bowl of soup. There was absolutely nothing on his mind but her and her only.

“Are you ready?” He asked, pulling up in front of the gala’s entrance. Reaching for the mask on her lap, he placed in on her gently, careful not to tug on her hair as he adjusted it.

“For our fake date?” She giggled. “As I’ll ever be.”

A smile danced on his lips as he pushed the car door open, for once, not annoyed by the bright flashes of the cameras. He wanted the world to know how amazing Marinette Dupain-Cheng was, and he wanted her to rise to top of the fashion world and beyond. There was nothing that would make him feel more honoured than the fact that he would be the one that introduced her to the world, watching as she took over the rest of the fashion kingdom like the queen she was.

“M’lady.” He whispered, pulling her car door open as he offered his hand for her, bowing slightly. Whispers clouded the air, quickly replaced by gasps as Marinette took it gracefully, stepping out with the aura of a goddess. He planted a light kiss on her palm, emerald eyes bright and soft in the dying light of the evening.

“Thank you. Shall we?” She smiled in return, never removing her hand from his grasp.

He nodded to her, gesturing for the valet to take his car away, tossing the man the keys. He normally wouldn’t trust anyone else with his car, but at the moment, escorting to beautiful bluenette was the only priority in his mind.

Because she was the only thing that mattered, after all.

---

Funnily enough, he didn’t feel triumphant at all.

Damian had thought that if he got a woman to pretend to be his girlfriend, well, he would enjoy the disappointed looks on the fathers’ faces and the burning anger in the girls’ eyes. Well, it wasn’t the case at all.

He was absolutely mesmerised with the designer next to him, who was talking gracefully to the CEO of one of Gotham’s fashion magazines. She was the definition of grace, beauty, and poise. Everything about her said goddess. She practically radiated power into the room, even when she didn’t realise it. There was a calm to her that made her seem like a cool-headed queen, and boy he would be willing to be her knight any day.

“I’m going to go get some wine.” He whispered to her, arm looping around her waist naturally. They truly did give off the ‘dating’ vibe, but he was too absorbed in her to notice.

“Okay.” She smiled, only this time it made him feel something else. No, not just a little flutter of his stomach, or a resounding thump of his heart. In fact, the first thought going through his head was that he wished, hoped, prayed that he could wake up to that smile for the rest of his life. He could picture it in his mind- Her, curled in his arms, her dark hair spreading into an intricate net behind her, eyes closed softly.

He could see her eyes fluttering open, see her yawn and stretch before nestling back into his embrace, only this time her eyes were open and there was a loving smile on her lips, and she was speaking.

“Morning, love.”

It took him a moment to realise that he had been stupidly standing there after stating that he was going to get them some drinks. Both the CEO and Marinette stared at him expectantly, wondering why he had suddenly got into a daze.

He found a waiter, easily plucking two wine glasses from the man’s tray before making his way through the crowd, who parted for him like the red sea parted for Moses. It was infuriating; He couldn’t get the picture out of his head. Her, nestled into his arms... No, they were on a fake date, and it was only for one sole purpose... It wasn’t as if he liked her... Right?

Wrong.

---

He made a mistake.

It wasn’t until after the night ended that he begin to feel the pain. His heart ached when she left, thanking him for the night. For the next few days, photos of Damian Wayne and the mysterious, masked Nette clouded the cover pages of magazines, reminding him over and over of that one night that he got to live.

His family hadn’t stopped pestering him about what in the world happened, Damian, and after Tim had found out Nette’s identity through the batcomputer’s wide database, it didn’t take long for the rest of the family to piece ‘Damian-might’ve-fell-in-love-with-a-cafe-shop-owner-who-happens-to-be-a-world-wide-famous-designer’ together.

“You should ask her on a real date sometime soon, Master Wayne.” Alfred told him offhandedly as Damian strolled into the kitchen. The butler was busy polishing wine glasses, placing them neatly back onto the shelf when he was done.

“It’s kind of too late.” He muttered quietly, sinking onto the chair, the soft fabric of the dark green sweater comforting him.

Alfred sighed, placing down the glass with a sonorous clink. “It’s never too late for anything, Master Wayne. Not if you take the chance and make a move.” Damian met the older man’s eyes for a second, realising what he needed to do. It was as if someone had took a lighter and relit the candle in his heart.

“I’m going out, Alfred.” He said abruptly, never pausing to see the proud smile on the older man’s face. “I don’t think I’ll be home for dinner.”

“Noted, Master Wayne. Your car keys are on the counter in the living room.”

---

He didn’t bother to pull on his hoodie, barging through the back door of the Lucky Cat Cafe before turning back on second thought, closing the door gently, muttering a sorry to the poor door that just got kicked open in the heat of the moment.

“Why are you apologising to a door?” Her laugh sounded behind her, the woman giving him an amused look.

“I... Kicked it open.” He admitted, before remembering what he had come to do. “Marinette.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Yeah?”

“I know the gala was a fake date, and we did it because it benefitted the both of us, but-!” He caught himself, realising that for once he was doing something without a plan. “But I don’t want that.”

She stared at him blankly. “Um... That’s fine. We didn’t tell the media we were dating, it could’ve been a one-time thing...”

“No!” He burst out, his heart nearly overflowing with emotions. “It took me a long time, but I-! I want to date you. For real. And take you out. And do the sappy things that Grayson does with his girlfriend. And take care of you. I want to date you for real.”

Her mouth was open in an ‘o’, and he wondered briefly if he broke her. Then a smile slipped across her lips, and he could see it again- Both of them, sharing a home, sharing a life, and then a child with dark blue hair and emerald eyes-

“Okay.”

---

sjskjsks I was so worried about the plot!!! Was it choppy? And in the words of my ninth grade english teacher, did it lack fLoW??? I’m so sorry if it didn’t live up to expectations, I lost where I was going with this-

On another note I have this headcannon that the two students and old couple always knew that he was Damian Wayne, they were just ‘oh he’s totally in love with Mari, this is really sweet and we’re going to stick around and watch’ and when he asked her out for the gala he was actually being really loud and they were all just legit eavesdropping and the two students going ‘jskjskjkjkjs he finally asked her out oh my god the ship is sailing’ and the old couple going ‘aww how sweet’ and ‘my boy finally got his courage together, so proud of him even tho im not his dad but still’.

Anyways I was thinking of another way to get around the MDC nickname for Mari as a designer and I thought Nette would be a cool name for her, and DC stands for Design and Clothing.

Once again thanks for sending in the request, sorry that it took so long bby <3

Requests are open, just head over to my blog, check out the rules and specifications, then shoot your request right into my inbox, I’ll be waiting.

Also I’m watching Haikyu and I am IN LOVE with those babies, gonna start writing fics and opening up requests for the Haikyu fandom once I get a better grip on the characters’ personality.

Okay, I’ve been talking too much. Bye and thanks for sticking around to the very end, lol. I can be quite talkative when I’m typing anddd I’m just going to stop now before I write another paragraph

- Cady

#daminette #damianwayne #marinettedupaincheng #feel free to drown me with requests y'all #requests #Cady's requests #cady writesss «#cadyh2o

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lightaroundthecorner · 5 years ago

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TROS - What did I even watch? Or how I lived to see the day Disney murdered a prince, left Cinderella alone in the desert, and hoped for the world to rejoice because it was “fun”?

Dear friends, I’ve been here for the spoilers and I’ve even talked with some of you. I went to watch the movie today, with 0 hope of anything except of seeing my baby Ben Solo and Adam’s fenomenal acting (and listening to some good John Williams).

I knew it would be horrible, but as @nevernerdenoughblog said seeing it makes it even more. Like @clairen45 it felt so wrong. Should I rejoice with a Reylo kiss that Rey gave but seconds later didn’t even cry over Ben’s dead body? I refuse to acknowledge this characterization of Rey. She was the only one that ever believed in Ben Solo, she shipped herself to make him know he was loved and wanted and to help him. Where was this Rey in this movie?

I am sorry guys (especially for the tagging) but I need to write this out or it will eat me and you guys are the few ones that relate to my pain. You know what really hurt me the most in all this? Toxic masculinity disguised as feminism.

1) FAREWELL HEROINE’S JOURNEY

They trashed the Heroine’s Journey. They murdered it and spit in its face. JJ Abrams simply decided that the Heroine’s Journey (done in act 1/ep. VII and act 2/ep. VIII) was not cutting anymore and decided to send Rey on a Hero’s Journey (ep. IX only, new 1st, 2nd and 3rd act altogether), where she has become this almost toxic masculine fighter under Leia’s training — Badass girl? Yes. Full of anger? Yes. Logical? Yes. Connected to anything? No, not even herself, she kept on the run, afraid. In search of the Jedi detachment? Yes. —, only to send her happilly off to a desert planet in the end of her journey and finishing with her alone talking with an old lady.

Which remind us of the start of TFA, meaning she has comeback to what? Luke didn’t even comeback to that “home” in Tatooine the end of his Hero’s Journey? So she went to a place of death to what? This is a slap on the face of the Heroine’s Journey. This is how toxic masculinity corrupts and interrupts the most uncomfortable (to psychologically unhealthy bystanders) and fundamental (to the woman herself) phase of Heroine’s Journey: You want love, family, a partnership, connection, nurturing or progeny? That is weak, it is foolish. You need to fight, to conquer, to take, take and take. Otherwise you won’t be strong or independent.

REALLY???????????

I AM CRYING! WHY? WHY? WHY? Daisy, are you really seriously satisfied with this ending? Because REY DESERVED BETTER.

BTW, BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! The true feminist of this story DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! ADAM DRIVER DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! He always respect the director’s view, does his best to accomplish it and brings his best acting to the table. The only saving grace in the whole movie to me was Ben’s arc because 1) Adam was doing it and 2) He honored his character. Man he deserved so much better!!!!!

I’m not even going to repeat what everyone already said about where is George Lucas’ Fairytale Story, because you guys said it all. But I have a beef with Disney executive decisions:

2) WALT DISNEY - HOW I WISH WALT WAS ALIVE

Walt Disney. Much have been criticized concerning his choices to make HEA in fairytales. But what now? We find balance by wanting our children to grow up to be cynic and seeing the feminine as weak? Unhelpful? Bad?

“Yo independent women! You need no prince even if you have one. He can compassionately and selfelessly die to save you because he loves you and you can go off, happily, to celebrate with your friends! You don’t mourn his body, oh no. You don’t tell him you love him. You forget him. You go be that cool lonely warrior.”

Excuse me but I can kick ass and have the romantic love life and children I want! I can have both! Because I am a human being and I deserve it. This is not a matter of being a men or women. This is a matter of balancing the feminine and masculine within.

But that is not just it. BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! WALT WOULD NEVER, EVER LET A CHARACTER THAT WENT THROUGH ABUSE AND SO MUCH PAIN DIE THE WAY BEN SOLO DID! Is that a Disney movie??????? I mean, what did I just watch????

Walt Disney, the man who promised P.L. Travers, upon knowing who Mr. Banks was to her (her deceased alcoholic father) and what Mary Poppins, her work, meant to her, said:

“George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that is what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

THAT IS WHAT STORYTELLERS DO! Like so many fanfic writers in this fandom @nite0wl29, @stargazer1116, @intp-slytherin97, @eleanor-writes-stuff, @postedbygaslight, @raven-maiden, and so many others!! Btw, thank you all!! My vacation starts tomorrow and I’m going to read again all your amazing fics to regain exactly that: HOPE!

What was TROS? Leia and Luke believing in the good in Rey? The whole Jedi Order believing in her? I have nothing against that but why didn’t they believe or help Ben too? Ben didn’t receive any of that love, WHY? What was wrong with him? What did he do?! He was the most selfless of souls, just like his Father and Grandmother. Is this vicntim blaming??? WHY DISNEY, LUCAS FILM and JJ ABRAMS, WHY?!

I used to think people were wrong when they said Disney was only doing SW for money. Because Walt Disney also said and lived by this rule:

“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together — and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families — that is what we hope to do.”

SW is about family and I refuse to accept ep. IX as SW. It has all the make up of SW, but it lacks the heart and very essence of it.

As dear @eleanor-writes-stuff said, so much for criticizing Rian Johnson, only to consagrate his work. That man honored the storytelling art and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his touch in SW and for how his writing touched and changed my life. And I know Waltz would have approved too because he also said:

“I prefer to entertain people in the hope that they learn, rather than teach people in the hope they are entertained.”

3) PLOT? WHAT PLOT?

Leia’s feelings for Ben have remained ambiguous, you can both read her as someone who wants her baby boy dead (because her death allows Rey to stab Ben to death if she wants to, when Ben was never going to harm Rey) or not. Actions speak louder than words, and this was the movie when Leia would have the chance to assume the responsability for her mistakes and take action, instead of only claiming she believed her son was alive.

If she clearly wanted to reach Ben, was Maz’s words needed? No, they weren’t. It was exactly because Maz needed to voice it that proved Leia’s actions could be read as ambiguous. Again, actions speak louder than words. Her body only disappeared after Ben’s did too because what? She was expecting him to die so she could collect his soul?

I dearly love Leia’s character but LEIA DESERVED BETTER! CARRIE DESERVED BETTER! In the end I’m not sure what to make of the ST Leia. She could have helped Ben but clearly sent him away to Luke because? What?

Ben Solo get his redemption from his own 2 hands + his father’s memory (not force ghost) + Rey’s confession. In the end he becomes the bride of the monster, only to die right after, in a what? Plot twist?

Finn, who? That was so messed up! Rose? Poor Rose!!! Hux? Oh Hux deserved better too. I was glad to see that Poe matured though and grew in his arc.

I’m also mad and confused about other plot points:

Ben throws his bleeded kyber krystal away because of his father. Okay. Why did no one help him when he cried on the Force to crack his kyber and soul, but Luke Force Ghost appears to catch Rey throwing a lightsaber in an on fire tie fighter?

Rey would turn to the Dark side if she killed Palpatine, right? 5 minutes later she won’t turn to the Dark Side anymore even if she still kills him in anger? Just because the self righteous jedi chose to let Ben get thrown down the abysm by himself but Rey was the Chosen One?

Still on this topic, so she choses to give up her soul so Palpatine uses her body as the vessel of his soul and the legion of siths, in order to save her friends, but she won’t take Ben Solo’s hand, even if she claims she wants to + retaining her body, to do the same?

I think force bonds don’t make much of a difference anymore when one of the parts dies. Ben can die and Rey seems pretty okay?

INTERESTING FACT: Beside me there was a father with his 6 or 7 year old son. The child kept asking what was going on everytime the movie introduced any plot twists or too much information too quickly. When the Reylo kiss came on screen, you know what the kid said? “I told ya!” I wanted to cry when seconds later the boy was claiming now was Rey’s turn to bring Ben back. Children understand the Heroine’s Journey and it doesn’t scare them. It is beautiful like that. The father then had to try and explain to the boy that other things were going on and that no, “that guy was gone”. What have you done people?

4) EPISODE X

I must have a clown face. They lied to us about this movie being “The Rise of Skywalker”. Maybe they lied to us about this being the end of the saga? Considering JJ claims this is fun, happy and hopeful, yeah, I doubt they are making an episode X or ressurecting Ben Solo after throwing in the garbage the Heroine’s Journey. I vaguely remember Adam also said he wasn’t going to appear in another SW.

IF they do announce an ep. X, I’m not watching it unless Ryan or someone like him directs the movie.

I loved to see Han Solo’s memory helping his son. That man trully loved him and it is tragic that he screwed up as a father only because he thought he wasn’t enough to be a good one and that Leia and Luke would know better.

I also loved to see Ben Solo as his father son and grandchild to his grandmother and great grandmother. He was beautiful and I love him and he’ll be forever with me.

I liked the Reylo kiss... but Rey’s actions in this movie have affected me so that it doesn’t feel like they scrapped the surface of making justice to this that could have been the happiest and most balanced of all SW couples.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN EPIC. IT COULD HAVE BEEN GRAND. But it wasn’t.

I’ll forget TROS. YBTOTT is now canon to me, because it is a perfect 3rd act in this trilogy, and @postedbygaslight honors the Heroine’s Journey like few writers have the gut and courage to do. Thank you so much Wayne!

And if anyone had the patience to read this to the end, thank you. I feel it too guys, this was awful and horrible.

#star wars #sequel trilogy #heroine's journey #tros spoilers #ep. ix spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #spoilers #I extremelly rarelly consider a movie horrible #but this I can't deal with

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stahlop · 5 years ago

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Once Upon a Time 2x12 “In the Name of the Brother” Review

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10 1x11 1x12 1x13 1x14 1x15 1x16 1x17 1x18 1x19 1x20 1x21 1x22 2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05 2x06 2x07 2x08 2x09 2x10 2x11

So we are now in the aftermath of Hook shooting Belle and losing her memories, what needs to be done about this stranger who blew into town, and dealing with Whale’s issues after the whole bringing back Daniel incident. We also get to see how Victor ended up in the Enchanted Forest back in “The Doctor” and what happened when he used young Regina’s enchanted heart. Some hilarious conversations happened in this episode as well. Emma and Mary Margaret finding out that Whale is Frankenstein and that he brought Daniel back, and then Ruby and Whale’s conversation are priceless.

Summary: Victor Frankenstein makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin for a heart, which he ends up using on his brother who died protecting him. Emma deals with the aftermath of the stranger who crashed into town. Cora makes herself known to Regina and implores her to let her be her mother again. Whale isn’t dealing well with anything and gets help from an unlikely source.

Opening: Color Rumplestiltskin with a magnifying glass in a black and white Enchanted Forest

New Character Observations:

Greg: We don’t really know much about him yet. His phone makes him seem like he’s just a hipster blogger; posting pictures of places he’s traveled and food that he’s about to eat. When Emma questions him he claims to have been texting and driving and that’s why he didn’t see Hook when he hit him with the car. But, we know something is up because he keeps getting phone calls from someone labeled simply, Her. I mean, who puts that unless they’re hiding something? And then it’s confirmed that he’s hiding something at the end of the episode when he phones someone (I’m assuming Her), and tells her that she won’t believe what he saw.

Gerhardt: He is beloved by his father and helps out his older brother, Victor, who is considered the black sheep of their family. He feels bad when his father gives him their mother’s watch which should go to the eldest brother, Victor. He also is alarmed when their father tries to get Victor to be in the military with a commission that he bought for him. Gerhardt is in the military which makes his father very proud. He is unfortunately shot by a cemetery guard when he tries to stop Victor from digging up a body. He ends up becoming Victor’s monster. Hey, at least you can call it Frankenstein because that’s technically his name as well. Solves that problem. Eventually, Gerhardt (as the monster) ends up killing their father after he goes after Victor (still protecting his older brother even after death). Victor locks him away in what looks like a stable, and then tries to shoot him, but he can’t do it. Even after Gerhardt takes the gun and points it at his own head to have Victor put him out of his misery, Victor is a coward and can’t do it.

Character Observations:

Victor/Whale: Poor Victor, he’s just trying to win his father’s approval, but his father is too in love with his younger brother, Gerhardt. We start out with it being Christmas and their father gives Gerhardt their mother’s watch (despite Victor being the elder brother), and he gives Victor a commission to be a physician in the military as there is a war going on. Victor is concerned as it would impede his work. He is obsessed with making the name Frankenstein synonymous with life. Oh, Victor, if you only knew what you will end up making your name synonymous with. Victor’s father threatens to cut off financial support (and use of the summer home which is where the lab is). I mean, no offense, but Victor seems to be in his 30’s right now. He probably should do something to earn his own money so that he can work on his research on the side and not have to rely on the family money for everything. Victor and Igor are packing up the lab when Rumplestiltskin, in all his colored glory, appears and wants to make a deal with Victor. He doesn’t want anyone brought back from the dead, he’s just interested in how Victor does it. He dumps a bag of coins on the floor that keep growing and growing. He wants to learn how to bring people back once Victor figures out how to do it. Rumplestiltskin disappears when Igor comes back, but Victor tells him they’re back in business and they’re going to need a body. Victor is very arrogant. I can see that didn’t change too much when he was Whale. He goes himself to dig up a body (and leaves the carriage right there in the cemetery with him, real stealthy, Victor). Gerhardt finds him there and is appalled. He thought Victor was working with cells and petri dishes. Victor tells him his work has progressed. He thought Gerhardt supported him, but Gerhardt is a little squicked out about digging up dead bodies. And then the guard shoots at them (despite Victor telling him that they have orders and Gerhardt is in uniform). Gerhardt gets shot in the process (and his mother’s pocket watch gets cracked) and dies. Looks like Victor got that body he wanted. And hey, it’s fresh, so even better! Gerhardt is laid out on the slab, and for some reason Victor has cut into his chest (there’s a big line of stitches going down it). I guess it’s for the cool smoking effect we get when the electricity into his body doesn’t work because it’s fried the heart. Victor’s father comes to his lab because someone saw him carrying a body inside. He discovers it’s Gerhardt. He blames Victor and Victor tells him he’s trying to bring him back to life so he’ll have two sons again. His father says he has no sons now. Victor has arrogance and daddy issues. Not a great combo. Victor has Gerhardt in some sort of liquid chamber (I’m assuming something to keep the body fresh). Rumplestiltskin drops by again wondering if the experiment worked, but Victor tells him the hearts can’t withstand the electrical current. Rumplestiltskin says they have hearts that can withstand anything. Victor questions about them having hearts (this is such a weird question, I understand he’s asking about hearts he can specifically use, but it sounds like he’s questioning whether they have hearts at all). Rumplestiltskin gives him the plan that we saw happen in The Doctor and Victor’s on board. And now we are at the end scene from that same episode where Gerhardt is coming back to life (we unfortunately don’t get to hear Victor say “It’s alive!” again). Victor immediately goes and tells his father he brought Gerhardt back to life (why would he do this without waiting a few days to see how he reacts?), but warns him that he’s still adjusting so he’s not the same Gerhardt right now. Gerhardt isn’t looking too good, but his father wants to get a better look at him with the candle. Bad call. Gerhardt knocks the candle away and goes to freak out on the rug. This automatically makes him a monster in his father’s eyes (why? Victor just said he was still adjusting. Listen to your damn son!), and he blames Victor for letting him believe he would have his son back. He lets off a litany of insults towards Victor, and Gerhardt goes into protective brother mode, beating his father until he’s dead. Victor watches the whole thing from a distance and slowly walks over to stop Gerhardt already knowing their father is dead. Victor, asshole that he is in this moment, tells Gerhardt he killed their father, which freaks Gerhardt out and he goes running off. Victor finds Gerhardt in some sort of caged room and tries to talk to him, but Gerhardt is not all there. Victor goes to smooth his hair and Gerhardt freaks and tries to strangle him until he finally realizes it’s Victor. Gerhardt goes to brood in the corner and Victor takes out a gun to shoot his creation, but he can’t do it. Gerhardt takes the gun and points it to his head and pleads with his eyes for him to shoot him, but Victor is determined to save his brother.

Now Whale is all about wallowing this episode. We first see him drinking at the hospital when Hook, Belle, and Greg are brought in. Whale lets Emma and crew know that Greg is bleeding into his chest cavity and needs surgery so he doesn’t drown in his own blood. Emma tells him to fix him because he’s a doctor. Whale asks Gold to fix him, but he refuses. Gold also points out that he’s pretty sure Greg saw him doing magic, so they better hope he dies. Whale asks Emma and crew if they want to let him die. Emma, David, Mary Margaret, and Ruby all think Whale needs to save Greg. Leroy’s not so sure. They tell Whale to prep for surgery. Mary Margaret seems to be the only one who noticed that Whale was drunk. Whale is looking at the watch from Greg’s personal effects, it’s cracked, so it’s reminding him of Gerhardt. David finds him and asks if his arm is okay. Whale immediately says he’s not drunk (that’s not what David asked). David says they need to save him, they don’t let go of people. The crew is waiting to hear from Whale about the surgery when one of the hospital staff comes in looking for him. They discover he’s run off and left his pager and coat behind. Ruby is tasked with tracking him. Whale is at the docks looking at the watch. Ruby finds him there and he tells her not to come near him. He’s really wallowing in self-pity. He throws the watch into the ocean (um, that wasn’t yours) and jumps. Luckily, Ruby has super wolf speed and saves him before he gets too far down. Whale and Ruby are talking. He tells her how he wanted the Frankenstein name to stand for life, but now everyone just thinks it’s the name of the monster (well, since it was your brother, technically it was). He says that magic and science come with a price, and that every time he tries to save a life, someone else dies. Ruby tells him her own woes from being a werewolf, and how Regina actually did them a favor by erasing all the crap they wanted to forget. Whale starts lamenting about how he just wanted to bring life back and maybe if he’d brought his mother back (I’m assuming he was going to say his father would have loved him more), but Ruby cuts him off and says there’s a guy in the hospital who needs his help and he can fix him. Whale does the surgery and Greg pulls through. He thanks Ruby (monster to monster).

Rumplestiltskin/Gold: He is interested in the process of bringing someone one back from the dead. He says he doesn’t actually want to do it, but he wants the knowledge of how it’s done. Why? Does he plan on killing enemies in the future and then bringing them back to torture them some more? It’s never explained here. He basically throws money at Victor, gets him to trick young Regina into giving him a heart, and then we never see him again.

Gold is desperate. The woman he loves has not only been shot, but her memories erased. And whatever Belle’s new personality is, she does not care for Rumple at all. She can barely tolerate him. He immediately uses magic to heal her gunshot wound, and she’s freaking out. Hook takes this opportunity to mock Gold about how he took Belle just like he took Milah, and Gold starts beating the crap out of him (is this how it will always be between these two, Gold beating the hell out of Hook? Because that’s going to get old pretty fast). Emma and David try to get him off of Hook but he’s stronger. Emma makes a point that murdering someone in front of an amnesiac Belle is not a good first impression to make. David asks him what Belle would want, and who knows if that gets him off of Hook or the ambulance does, but Gold finally relents. At the hospital, Gold attempts to True Love Kiss a sleeping Belle. Guess no one told him that True Love’s Kiss doesn’t work on people with memory problems. Belle freaks out when she realizes it’s the mystery man who kissed her. Gold runs off yelling he’s sorry. Whale asks Gold to help him heal the stranger, but Gold says he’s pretty sure the guy saw him doing magic, so maybe it would be better if he didn’t survive. And he’s really not nice about it in the least. Gold is in his shop staring longingly at the chipped cup, when he hears someone enter the shop. He doesn’t see anyone but he does see a box. It’s Cora. Gold says he expected this but had rather hoped she was dead. That was way harsh, Tai. Cora insists her gift is a peace offering. Gold wants to know what Cora wants for the gift. She just wants Gold to leave Regina alone so she can bond with her again. He wants to know what he gets, she says his son and motions to the box. It’s a white sphere with a spindle needle on top. Gold is in awe. Cora tells him he wants him to find the one person who might love him like she is doing. Gold is a little humbled by this and asks if she has any memory restoring spells or potions (he can’t even look at her when he asks this). Cora claims she knows what he has taught her, and then she calls him Master for good measure. They call a truce (though Gold is really hesitant), and Cora wants to seal it the way used to, with a kiss. Ew. Gold doesn’t seem too thrilled about it either. Gold goes back to Belle’s hospital room with the chipped cup (that he has now charmed) and tries to get her to remember by having her hold it and look at it. Belle gets frustrated because every time she tries to give it back Gold forces it back into her hands, so she ends up throwing it across the room and shattering it. Gold seriously looks like he’s going to have a heart attack at the shattered cup. Gold goes back to his shop and uses Cora’s present. He sticks his finger on the needle and then drops blood on the globe, which transforms into an actual globe and there’s a darker part on the eastern seaboard where Bae apparently is. Gold comes to the loft and pretty much demands that Emma will be fulfilling the favor she owes him. He says it will be today because otherwise he’s going to kill Hook. He also threatens the whole Charming family by telling them that if anything happens to Belle while he’s away, he’ll kill them all. Well, isn’t he a ball of sunshine?

Regina/Cora: I’m putting these two together since most of their scenes are together or at least about each other. So after Cora pays a visit to Gold, she goes snooping through Regina’s house for clues on how to get to her. She finds a picture of Regina and Henry and a clay hand print that says For Mommy on it. Then we see Henry going to the crypt to look for Regina, but it’s really Cora disguised as Henry. Regina hears Henry calling for her and looks at him through the magic mirror. Regina lets him in and is so happy to see him. She tells him she was framed and he tells her he knows. Regina is confused how he knows, and that’s when he poufs into Cora and admits to framing her. Regina is not happy to see Mommy Dearest. Regina is scared. She’s edging backward away from Cora. She doesn’t understand how Cora is there. Cora tells her she understands why Regina banished her to Wonderland and tried to kill her. Cora tells her it’s all right and Regina is adamant that it’s not all right that she tried to do that (aww, Regina’s learning to feel bad for what she did). Cora and Regina are both practically in tears when Cora tells Regina that she loves her and just didn’t show it very well. And she never should have made Regina marry the king. Regina crying over her coffin changed her. Regina isn’t buying it. Cora framed her for murder. Cora says she did it only to show Regina what the others thought of her. Regina says the case was pretty airtight, anyone would have believed it. Cora changes tactics, she didn’t want Regina to reject her. Regina sees right through that and says Cora wanted her broken (she knows her mother so well). Regina calls Cora out on being manipulative (yes, yes she is) and starts to argue with her, but she’d rather Cora confess everything to Emma, Henry, and the two idiots (ha!). Cora owes her that. Cora wants to know if that will let them start over but Regina doesn’t see that happening. She says she’s trying to be worthy of Henry and she expects Cora to do the same for her. Go Regina for finally getting a backbone against her mother! And it would seem like Cora really wants to make a go of all this, if it weren’t for the next scene. Regina and Cora are driving into town and Regina wonders if Cora is nervous about confessing. Cora claims it’s just the strange carriage, and then comments that something is irritating her. Oh, look, it’s the clay hand print from Regina’s house. Regina knows she stole that from her house because it’s one of her most prized possessions. Cora says that letting the town know that she was behind Archie’s fake murder will gain her some points, but as long as Emma and her parents are around, Henry will never be hers. Regina was right before, manipulator to the extreme! Cora continues, saying that Regina’s been bad for too long and they’ll never see her as anything else. What does Regina really want from them? Regina just wants Henry back. And Cora just wants Regina back. She claims she meant everything she said earlier and she really will try to make things better between them. Cora asks Regina to let her into her heart (considering Cora probably doesn’t have hers that’s pretty rich coming from her), together they can get Henry back together. And Regina buys it; hook, line, and sinker. I get it, I do. Regina hasn’t had anyone to love her since her father. Henry loved her until he figured out who she was, but it’s not the same as parental love. And all Regina’s ever wanted is her mother to love her. But Cora just lied to her face about being in her house and Regina’s just going to embrace her? What the hell? Regina you are so much stronger than this. And the fact that Cora already has a few thoughts on how to get Henry back, that does not bode well at all.

Emma/Mary Margaret/David: Since they’re pretty much together for this entire episode, they will all be grouped together. Emma, David, and Mary Margaret all arrive at the town line. Mary Margaret goes to take care of Belle since she has no memories. Emma goes over to Hook. She doesn’t seem that surprised to see him, more annoyed than anything else. Hook is still making innuendos to Emma even with broken ribs. He has some choice words for Gold who Emma and David have to restrain when he attacks Hook. Emma and David finally get Gold off of Hook by appealing to the Belle side of things, saying that Belle wouldn’t want him to do this and that murdering someone isn’t a good first impression. The ambulances arrive and Emma directs them to take the stranger first and then Hook. They realize that the guy in the car came into Storybrooke. It’s chaos at the hospital. Emma tells the hospital staff to hide Hook (so Gold doesn’t go after him). She visits him in his room and immediately asks where Cora is. Hook notices he’s cuffed to the bed and asks Emma if she’s ‘really into this?’ Emma asks him again where Cora is, but he’s too busy flirting with her, so she presses into his cracked ribs (ow!). Hook has no idea where Cora is, they each had their own agendas. He does want his Hook back though. He continues to flirt with Emma who is having none of it. Emma thinks he’s awfully chipper for someone who pissed off his enemy and got hit by a car. Hook’s just happy he hurt Gold, even if he had to hurt Belle to do it. Emma’s so not impressed. She tells him she’s picking him for dead guy of the year after everything he just did to Gold. Hook smiles a genuine smile and Emma smiles a genuine smile back. What just happened here? Mary Margaret and David are trying to break into Greg’s phone to get info about him. Emma apparently has some kind of plug in that can figure out the passcode. They use that to find out he travels the east coast and he tweets pictures of his food. They are more concerned about the fact that whatever has kept people out of Storybrooke is gone. Mary Margaret says they need to find Regina but Ruby’s been tracking her and can’t find her. Mary Margaret is freaking out about if Cora finds Regina first and the damage they could do together. Whale informs them about the bleeding into the chest cavity with Greg and they seriously have a discussion on whether to let him die of his injuries or save him. Mary Margaret notices that Whale is drunk. David goes to talk to Whale who claims he’s not drunk when David questions him about his arm. David’s more concerned with saving the guy and getting him out of town. The crew is waiting for the surgery to be over and Greg’s phone keeps ringing. Mary Margaret thinks they should answer it to let whomever it is know that Greg’s alive. David doesn’t want them tracing the call, but Emma informs them that they can use the phone tracker app without even opening the phone. Then they find out that Whale left and hasn’t even started the surgery. Ruby goes off to track Whale and Mary Margaret suggests maybe Doc can do the surgery. And then the best conversation. David says Whale’s not been himself since bringing back Regina’s dead fiance, which surprises Mary Margaret. Emma comments that he’s like a Frankenstein and David confirms that’s who he is. Mary Margaret wonders what the hell happened when they were in the EF. Whale patches him up and Emma wants to go talk to him. Mary Margaret wants to come along, but Emma reminds her they’re trying to be an ordinary small town. Only the sheriff would question someone after an accident. David and Mary Margaret reluctantly agree. Emma goes in to see Greg and asks him to state what he saw in his own words, yet she’s all but practically screaming, ‘if you saw something weird I’m sure I can explain it.” He claims he was texting and saw nothing and he knows that’s illegal in Maine. Emma lets him off with a warning. She happily tells her family that they’re in the clear because Greg didn’t see anything. Emma, David, and Mary Margaret head back to the loft to eat and then sleep, since they’ve been up all night. Unfortunately, this is when Gold decides he must find his son and Emma is helping him do it.

Questions:

Who called Emma about what happened at the town line? I very much doubt Gold did.

Why is there always thunder and lightning at Victor’s lab?

Where are the hospital staff when Gold kisses Belle in her room?

How on earth does Hook only manage to get a few broken ribs, cuts, and bruises after getting hit by a car, and Greg ends up with bleeding into his chest cavity when he was protected by a car? Is Hook’s leather really that protective?

Greg’s ringtone is the Star Wars theme.

Gold and Cora used to seal deals with a kiss. Does that mean they were involved once?

Why is there a guard at a cemetery? Were there that many grave robbers around that a guard with a shotgun was a necessary thing?

Where are the electrodes that Victor is using on Gerhardt when he flicks the switch? Is everything inside the body? Is that why he has stitches everywhere?

How far away is this summer home that Gerhardt and Victor’s father can come over at the drop of the hat? Shouldn’t a summer home be somewhere other than where you live?

How does Cora know where Regina’s crypt is and that the entrance is under Henry, Sr.'s coffin?

Exactly how long has it been since Whale ran off? Shouldn’t Greg be drowning in his blood by now? Mary Margaret and everyone thought the surgery had already started at one point.

Where is Gerhardt being held? It looks like a dungeon or holding cell.

Is Victor’s visit to Gerhardt later than the night he killed their father? Gerhardt’s uniform is now clean with no flecks of blood on it and Victor is in an entirely different outfit.

Is Gerhardt still alive back in the Land Without Color?

I’m sure Greg is relieved that Emma doesn’t arrest him for texting, but would he really believe that after hitting someone while texting the sheriff doesn’t arrest him?

Henry points out that Frankenstein is not in the book. How did the curse get him? Did Regina pluck people from other lands that she felt wronged her or she wanted cursed just for the fun of it?

How was Gold planning on looking for his son before the globe thing Cora gave him? Was he just going to search the entire US?

Observations:

Victor’s father gets him a commission into the Mobile 34th as their Camp Physician.

Leroy mentions the movies E.T and Splash.

Mary Margaret chews her nails when she’s nervous.

Igor says them bringing Gerhardt back to life is magic, while Victor says it’s science. Well, hate to break it to you, but it’s both. You have a magic heart and scientific electrical currents.

Regina has a fully furnished hidden room/apartment under the crypt.

There is a bar called The Rabbit Hole.

Greg is going to pull through but needs a few weeks to recuperate.

Emma’s superpower doesn’t seem to be working since Greg lied about seeing anything, when he apparently saw something. She even thanks him for being honest.

Names:

Gregory means watchful and alert, which, from the end phone conversation, we can see that he definitely is. Also, Greg Mendell is really close to the name Gregor Mendel, who is known as the Father of Genetics (remember the Punnett Squares you had to do in school, that was him). I have no idea if that means anything, but I feel like his name isn’t an accident.

Gerhardt is derived from Gerard which means brave and hearty, which Gerhardt definitely is.

Another very good episode. I’m interested to see how Greg plays into things, because I doubt someone just stumbled upon Storybrooke. It’s not like you need to drive through it to get anywhere. Plus it’s on the ocean so there’s nowhere else to go. I’m also interested in Gold and Emma’s little trip. Will Emma be able to find Baelfire? And what’s going to happen to Belle if she doesn’t remember? She didn’t have a personality before, she was just locked in the mental ward during the curse.

Please leave comments and reblog! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future reviews.

@searchingwardrobes @thisonesatellite @justbecauseyoubelievesomething @laschatzi @profdanglaisstuff @mariakov81

#once upon a time #once upon a time review #once upon a time rewatch #once upon a time 2x12 #once upon a time in the name of the brother

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spellnbone · 5 years ago

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December’s focus was on keeping the Order united and stopping people from blaming each other and themselves for their mistakes. Edgar also received news about the heritage situation at home. While he is developing more tics due to the stress he’s under, he keeps telling people to continue believing in a brighter future -- fearing that if they lose hope, the war will already be lost.

1. standing still -> edgar and isla are watching the enchanted map to see what the other teams on their mission are doing. edgar is taking the minutes in his notebook. upon seeing alaric, sirius and fabian appearing on the map and staying on the same spot, unmoving, he internally panics. 2. home -> edgar spends the day at the potter estate, helping out where he can and debriefing what happened. at night he goes home where fabian shows up. they get drunk together and talk about what happened with alaric. he also offers fabian to stay in his apartment. while he doesn’t care when and if fabian leaves, he doesn’t give him an official pair of second keys either. 3. the sun -> upon seeing the map again, edgar isn’t feeling well at all, adopting yet another tic. caradoc takes him to their habitual costa coffee where they debrief what “the sun” wrote about “the club”. they decide that they need to prepare people for being brought in by the ministry as well as beginning a collaboration with amelia. furthermore, they play with the idea of ‘suicide pills’ for each member of the order in case someone gets taken into interrogation. edgar dislikes the idea -- or rather that he was capable of suggesting something like that. 4. x -> while caradoc is in town, edgar is at the estate listening in on people’s feelings to see if they are blaming each other for what happened or if a sense of hope is still there. he orders all temporary nurses who take care of the patients (mostly sirius, alaric, remus and other injured npcs) to make them coffee and tea manually, as “a body heals faster if the heart is healthy, too.” 5. judgement day -> lily invites edgar to her and james’ private place so he can take the minutes on her side of the events. he never suspected her of having killed mrs nott on purpose, but after guiding her through an elaborated illusion spell retracing the events of the mission, and lily attacks her own image, he’s convinced she didn’t want anything like that to happen. he does, however, come to the conclusion that lily needs time for herself to heal her trauma. he begins calling her lily, not miss evans. 6. x 7. x 8. defenses -> edgar takes james’ retelling of the events as well, quickly concluding that the drama around lily is affecting him negatively. he tells him that truly believing in a truth also means to not be hurt by other people’s lies. 9. x 10. avoiding attention -> edgar and his old school friend artem are having a friendly conversation over some tea and pasta. 11. x -> FULL MOON as semi-jokingly instructed by remus, edgar wrote down the dates for the next full moons down in his calendar. he hasn’t told anyone but he is expecting another outbreak of the illness and has gathered all ingredients for the cure already. when nothing happens, he barrs this theory and sends caradoc an owl that they have once again to start over with their theories. he does however notice that remus returns once again badly injured, and finds himself developing a new theory. 12. on making your future -> nilam reads edgar’s future, and while nilam is one of the few people edgar doesn’t trust in the order, he’s intrigued as to what makes her want to connect to other people on such a deep level. 13. x -> edgar receives a letter from his brother rigby. he refuses to open it, guessing what it could be. 14. distraction -> edgar snatches his twin amelia at work and brings her to go see a play. it’s mostly a light-hearted distraction but he also talks order with her. she needs to help them figure out what to do in case people are brought to the ministry for questioning. he hates the idea of getting her involved more, but it seems better than working on the ‘suicide pill’ and asking people to just take it if needed. 15. x -> edgar opens the letter from his brother rigby. in it he’s told, rigby is now officially rejecting the bones heritage. 16. x 17. x -> edgar goes to see cats in the westend. this is entire irrelevant but very important to me that you all know. 18. x 19. house of good -> after having previously shown donnie carrow the house of bones which seems to be struggling with a multitude of contradicting charms and wards, and of which at least the east wing needs to be fixed for many decades now, donnie and edgar meet again. it is the first time edgar is in the house while imagining it as his very own, that is, himself as the master of it... it’s not official yet, but he wonders what he’d do with the house if donnie were to manage fixing the place. 20. soothing the injured pride -> after edgar disappears for a few hours at the order’s christmas party (he was following a moth), fabian is looking for him. they dance together while most people prepare to go home. the dance stops almost abruptly when edgar says that he’s not going home with fabian tonight but actually going with amelia. he gives fabian his own keys as he still hasnt gotten a second pair prepared for him, almost as though fearing to make fabian moving into his place official. x -> as amelia and edgar are leaving the estate, they find caradoc outside on the fountain, still high. after making sure he’s okay, they seize the opportunity of him being soft and happy, and give him a kiss each before quickly apparating away. at home, they stay up all night eating cake. no one knows but it’s their 28th birthday. 21 . x -> edgar returns home to his flat to catch fabian before the holidays, who said he has a present for edgar, which he takes as an excuse for being excited to get home to someone waiting there for him. they spend the day enjoying themselves. at the end at least edgar is very happy about fabian living at his place while still somewhat scared to make it official due to past relationships that all followed the same pattern of moving in -> self-sabotage -> break up. 22. x -> the inner circle decides lily needs to take some time off missions, and take over nurse duties instead. some consider it a punishment for what she did, others want to protect her. except for mary and james no one thinks lily should just continue without taking a break. edgar does believe it at first, but reading caradoc’s unspoken opinions about it, he sides with them instead. he mostly wants to protect lily and make sure that those who’d want an even more radical punishment for her are satisfied, as the last thing he wants is inner friction within the order, when they should all stand together. a possible betrayal -> after the inner circle meeting, james stops caradoc and edgar to have a word with them. he’s learnt from ainsley that frank might be the reason they got cursed with the illness last month. 23. at the apothecary -> feeling tense because of the decision made on lily’s future, he goes to an apothecary to buy some relaxing potions, meeting peter outside of the order for the first time. paper flowers -> afterwards, he can’t bring himself to go home, perhaps because he missed his train anyway, and decides to just go apologise to lily instead. he does so in the most silly way he can: performing muggle magic, and afterwards kidnaps her to go on an adventure in muggle london. 24. x -> yule at the house of bones. the whole family comes home and they celebrate. 25. x -> christmas morning spent in bed. at first only amelia and edgar who spent the night together in the same bed anyway, but then dell joins, then colter, then their mother who was looking why everyone was late for breakfast, and after a while their father even convinces rigby’s husband to join -- rigby being the only one to think this all terribly childish and uncomfortable and remaining on an armchair at the other side of the room. 26. x -> rigby asks edgar if he read his letter but edgar doesn’t reply. for the rest of the stay, the tension between them is high, though no one quite seems to figure out why... 27. x 28. x 29. x -> ...even when amelia asks about it, edgar refuses to answer. that night he sleeps alone in his bed and writes caradoc and fabian a letter, saying he’ll come home for new years eve. mostly to evade rigby but also to hand in an article for the daily prophet he wrote. 30. x 31. no more cakes and ale? -> as the bones celebrate christmas with their mexican side of the family on the 6th of january, edgar decides to make a quick trip to london. when he arrives at home, he finds his letter to fabian unopened however, and more than a couple of empty bottles of firewhisky. so he goes to look for fabian -- entirely forgetting about caradoc -- and finding him in hogsmeade, drunk, outside in the snow. he spends the night taking care of him, missing the breaking news entirely. they stay at the pub for two days.

#{ it’s rotten work }#{ wait for the wisest of counselors }

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megalony · 5 years ago

Text

Sweetheart- Part 4

Another part for my latest bodyguard! Ben Hardy series which I hope you are all enjoying so far.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr @rogmeddows @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel @scarsout @deaky-with-a-c @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac @vousmemanqueez @jonesyaddiction

Series taglist: @anikatcmh @sillyscissorsnerdsoul

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You do know we're meant to be leaving in five minutes, right?" Ben questioned, a hint of a smirk on his lips as his eyes followed (Y/n) practically running from the corridor into the main area of the apartment. Her eyes widened as her body turned to the left to aim for the kitchen where Ben's voice came from.

Ben had noticed more and more of (Y/n)'s father's workers dotted around the streets lately and two or three had approached them this week. He thought it would be better if they left a bit earlier for her work so then they could take a different route and see which one was safest where no one was hanging around. He had been sat at the kitchen counter for the past ten minutes, checking his watch as he waited for her to get ready. Normally they were both ready on time, grabbing breakfast and leaving. (Y/n) was punctual, Ben wasn't normally left hanging like this.

His brows raised as he looked her over. Her hair was neatly brushed, a few strands hanging over her features here and there but she still looked lovely. But what caught his attention as that she was simply in her bra, underwear and socks.

"Going out like that?" He mused, leaning his left elbow on the counter before propping his head up on his hand.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, ignoring the cocky attitude he was simply radiating at this point as she headed over to where he was sitting. Moving so she was standing between his legs as he continued to smirk, something she knew would disappear the moment they stepped outside. She felt his other hand settling on her hip as he waited to be told why she seemed giddy this morning since today wasn't anything special or different. Today was the same as most other days, go to the shop for work, head to the store to stock up and come back home.

"Don't be cocky." She scolded with a smile as Ben kept his head resting on his hand. His smirk turned into a smile as he waited to be told what she clearly ran here to tell him. (Y/n) moved her hands as she held a blank expression, waiting for him to notice but he stared back at her with the same mirrored look waiting for an explination.

"Nice underwear, now are you getting dressed so we can go?" Ben dipped his finger into the band of her underwear, pulling it before letting it snap against her hip. He knew her underwear clearly wasn't what she wanted him to see or notice but he couldn't help but rile her up a little. It was always fun to push her buttons and see how far he could get, and it wasn't as if she didn't play the game as well. But they did need to get going soon.

(Y/n)'s shoulders fell as her head tipped back like she was a child having a temper tantrum. She didn't think Ben was this blind or ignorant and she wasn't in the mood for playing games.

"Fine." She muttered, trying to hold back a smile as she lifted her chin before turning around. Taking two steps away from him before she felt his hands gripping her hips to stop her going any further away from him. The smile broke out onto her face as she turned her head to look over her shoulder, seeing Ben had hopped off the black leather seat he'd been on, now standing behind her.

"Go on, tell me what I'm supposed to notice." He sighed through the words although he was smiling to show he wasn't annoyed or angry. His hands let go of her hips so she could spin around and face him. Her hands motioning to her stomach as her head leaned to the side, waiting for the penny to drop and for Ben to finally see what she had noticed this morning.

(Y/n) bit down on her lower lip as she watched Ben's eyes narrow before his hands slowly reached out for her shoulders. Gently turning her so she was standing sideways to him before he leaned his head to the right as if he was trying to press his ear to his shoulder. She watched the corners of his lips pull upwards as if they were trying to meet his eyes, causing creases to surround his smile as his eyes seemed to widen and capture stars in their pupils.

It was small, but it was there. A bump.

Exactly what (Y/n) had been looking for these past few weeks and now they were little over four months gone, it was finally beginning to show. Standing sideways made it more visible to Ben but it still made him smile. He had to agree with what (Y/n) had said before, this kind of proof was better than a scan photo.

Slowly reaching his hand out, Ben pressed his palm to her stomach, his thumb brushing over her skin causing her to shiver from the tickling feeling it created. He could feel the barely noticeable rise against his hand, it made all his nerves tingle like they were set on fire and frazzling in his system. But it was a very good feeling. Leaning down, Ben pressed his lips against her own, slowly, gently but passionately at the same time. A feeling that was quickly becoming intoxicating.

Moving his hand from her stomach back to her hip, he gave a gentle squeeze before pulling back.

"You need to get dressed." He muttered quietly, nodding his head to the corridor to signal that she should go and get changed. They were going to be late if they didn't leave now because they were taking a slightly longer route to get to her work today.

It took two minutes for (Y/n) to disappear and grab her leggings and jumper before appearing back in the kitchen. Grabbing her bag from the counter before moving to put on her coat and shoes as Ben was already ready to go. Turning to face him, (Y/n) narrowed her eyes when he held out a breakfast bar to which she shook her head, politely declining the offer. Not that it made a difference when Ben simply held it closer to her.

"You haven't eaten anything yet." His voice seemed a mix between concerned and neutral as he was already getting into bodyguard mode. The moment they stepped out the door (Y/n) knew it would be like walking with a different person- not that it was a bad thing. She had hired him after all and this was what he was like when he was working, she could handle the switches in attitude.

"I'm not hungry." (Y/n) responded as they headed out of the apartment. As she locked the door she caught Ben stuffing the breakfast bar into his pocket obviously going to give it to her later when she eventually felt hungry.

Sometimes (Y/n) wasn't hungry in the morning, sometimes she was. Recently it seemed easier and safer not to eat this early in case it simply got thrown back up later in the morning. She felt fine at the moment and she wasn't risking that by eating something now and having morning sickness later. She would eat something in a few hours when she gained an appetite and knew she could hold the food down.

"Don't blame me when you feel ill." Ben muttered, eyeing her with a trace of a sly smile on his lips before the neutral expression came back to his face and corrected his lips into a thin line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leaning his elbows on the counter, Ben clasped his hands together as he scanned his eyes around the shop he had mapped out in his head down to the last detail. He liked being at the counter or near to it because it gave him a bird's eye view of the interior of the shop and he was close to the workshop if he needed anything.

The counter was a rather old, light brown oak that looked rather brittle to Ben but it wasn't really any concern of his. There were many various sized drawers beneath the counter that the customers couldn't see. It was where they stocked the seashells that could be seen in the window. Each drawer contained a different shell with various sizes. There were a few button drawers at the end and one he noticed that had various sewing needles ranging from sharp to blunt. There was also a drawer stacked with knitting needles too. He had a few weapons to choose from here for an emergency.

The shop really did look like a nicnac store on the inside as well as the outside. There were two main windows with displays of seashells, wool and little shell creations or small collectable snowglobes and magnets. There were many various pottery creations in the other window too. Some were trivial things like turtles or a few Disney ones. Others were pots, plates and ceramic mugs. They all had different colours and designs and Ben loved to see (Y/n) painting them.

Today wasn't a painting day though, it was more a stocking up day to keep the shelves stacked as they had quite a few customers day to day.

Mary-Ann, the lady who owned the shop wasn't normally in but she had been last week and it was the first time she saw Ben. He could hardly tell her he was (Y/n)'s boyfriend because it would make (Y/n) seem like she wasn't working or she was bringing him there to mess around when no one was in the shop. Telling her he was a bodyguard seemed a little risky since (Y/n) had tried to create a new persona for herself here. She used a different name here like she did when they went for the scan and when she used to work as a waitress.

Ben told her he was (Y/n)'s friend who had been helping out here and there in the shop and he was more surprised that she bought it rather than the lie he came up with on the spot. He told her he was a volunteer worker to try and coax her into letting him stay or else he would have to keep sneaking in whenever she was around and she bought that too.

Doing another sweep of the shop with his eyes, Ben kept an eye on the lady standing in the corner of the shop on his left. She was picking up bundles of wool, scanning them and then setting them down for a different colour. There was a young girl looking at the shell ornaments next to the door and then there was (Y/n). Carefully setting the pottery she had painted the day before on the shelf with precision. Trying to set them straight and in line so they looked presentable.

Ben had to admit that if he was into the calmer kind of lifestyle this would be a nice place to work. He figured it was nice for (Y/n) here, she didn't have to have a hectic job that made her worry more than her family problems did. She could just relax and have a calming day here which is what she both wanted and desperately needed.

But Ben was into the more hustle and bustle kind of life at the moment and a bodyguard gave just that style. The threat of being watched, being followed and the danger of being hurt. Things Ben had to be careful of and stop and people he had to protect, people who needed him. It was a job he loved and he didn't really know what he would do if he didn't do this.

Yet he was beginning to see that he didn't want to simply take a few months off and then go and protect someone else. Not if he was going to have a baby. He never had anyone significant waiting for him at home before. He lived on his own in an apartment that was only used a few weeks or months at a time before he went away working. Ben couldn't do that if he had a family waiting for him at home. He couldn't say goodbye to his child and leave for what could be three, four or even five months at a time and then come home whenever a job finished. His mother was right, this wasn't a job he should be doing if he was going to have a family.

Ben allowed that train of thought to continue in the back of his head as his attention turned to the woman who stood in front of the counter he was sitting behind. Dumping three lots of wool in front of him and then reeling off two names of the shells she saw in the window that she wanted.

Pushing the stool back, Ben clicked his neck into place as he leaned down to find the names of the shells written onto the drawers. Unloading three different sizes of each shell before carefully putting back the ones she didn't want. He was glad she didn't ask for a different shell because there was one kind that had points like a porcupine and had stabbed into Ben's hand earlier.

He gave her the change and watched her walk out as he found himself going back to his train of thought, his eyes still sweeping around the store just to be on the safe side. Seeing the girl disappear after putting the shell ornament back down, clearly uninterested.

Turning her head in the direction of the door when the bell chimed, (Y/n) glanced over to see the next customer rolling in as she carefully settled the next clay ornament onto the shelf. Her hands wobbled as she tried hard not to drop the ornament when she saw who was walking in. Snapping her head to the right, (Y/n) caught Ben's eye in an instant, seeing his eyes narrow to ask what was wrong. His skin bristling as he watched her mouth something to him.

'My brother.' (Y/n) mouthed, her head tipping behind her in the direction of the man who had walked in.

Her head ever so slightly shook to tell Ben to stay put. Moving around the tray of ornaments over to where the shelf was that stocked the Disney ornaments. Trailing her finger over one of the Dumbo ornaments as if she was interested in buying it. She couldn't let her brother know she worked here or he would report back to their father, she had to act like a customer and this was the only way she could think of doing that. Her trembling fingers wrapped around the small, delicate item as she held it closer to inspect it although she had taken in every feature on this ornament many times before.

Out of both her brothers, Mark, who had walked in, was the lesser of the two evils. He was the one who had tried to leave but ultimately took the bribe he had been offered and got sucked back into the business. He wasn't as bad but he still wasn't good because he was still working for their father.

"Sis." Mark spoke in a hushed tone as if they were in a crowded room. When her head turned to look at him she saw how worried he looked. His eyes darting back and forth like he was going mad. A few beads of sweat glistening to his forehead as his black curls were somewhat knotted and dancing around his head. He was around her height, maybe an inch taller but he didn't look menacing like their elder brother. He looked small and frail in comparison to his brother.

"Please, just leave me alone." (Y/n) whispered back, settling the ornament down only to pick up another one. Inspecting it in much the same way as her brother scanned the shelf before reaching and taking the statue from her hand and carelessly putting it back.

"Don't turn up to court." He hissed like a snake to the point she was expecting his tongue to dart out and be split down the middle.

"You know I can't-"

"Yes you can, goddamit!" He balled his hand into a fist and rested it against the shelf, looking about ready to knock everything off but he tried to control his sudden anger. His eyes darted over to the counter where Ben was sitting, their eyes locking as Ben's expression went from neutral to stern. Showing Mark he was watching him because he clearly didn't trust him. "Sis, please... you go to court we all go down for this and you still won't be safe. Dad's on the warpath here, he's gonna find you. Do what mum did, take off somewhere, anywhere. Just... please, just disappear."

A look of hurt came onto (Y/n)'s face at the mention of her mother and how her brother didn't seem to care about her. He wanted to save his own skin and stay in their father's good books and by giving her the hint to leave he was doing their father a favour. He was making sure all of them were safe from their dodgy dealings.

"It's too late to save your own skin, Mark. Do yourself a favour and go to the police yourself or just wait to be put in jail. I didn't do any of this."

Her brother could easily take some of their father's papers and documents and go to the police. Get himself a lesser sentence for cooperating and making sure their father was put away. But instead, she knew he was going to try and dissuade her because if she didn't go to court then they wouldn't have enough to put her father away.

"You fucking snitched! This is all down to you."

"And you took the money." (Y/n) spat back, her fury matching his own. "You could have left but you took his bribe and landed yourself in this. You're a coward." (Y/n) knew that provoking him wasn't the right thing to do even if her words were true. He could have escaped all of this but he was greedy and took what he was offered and stayed in the business. He landed himself in this mess because he was too much of a coward to leave.

Pushing himself to his feet, Ben rounded the side of the counter, his skin prickling as he stormed down the aisle to where the siblings were. His eyes darkening when Mark suddenly lashed out at whatever (Y/n) had said.

A fire seemed to spark in his eyes at what (Y/n) called him before his hand suddenly latched onto her throat, pushing her into the shelves behind her causing a gasp to leave her lips. The air started to burn in her lungs as her eyes saw the desperation in her brother's infuriated face. She was condemning both her brothers and her father by going through with this but at the same time, they condemned themselves by going along with their father in the first place.

Mark's eyes darted from (Y/n) to Ben who pulled him away from (Y/n), roughly pushing him away and placing himself between them both. Trying to act like he didn't know either of them or the fact that they knew one another or were related. He couldn't give away that he knew (Y/n) or that she worked here.

"What's the problem?" Ben questioned, his chest heaving as his jaw locked in place. His hands clenching into fists at his sides as he waited for an answer, leaning to the side when Mark did so he couldn't see (Y/n).

"Nothing-"

"Then buy something or get out. Don't harass my customers or I'll call the police." Ben folded his arms over his chest as Mark seemed to debate his choices before huffing and turning to imply that he was going to leave when he saw that Ben wasn't letting him near (Y/n). Not willing for another argument or a fight to break out.

"He's gonna get you soon, you know." Mark spat, looking over his shoulder at (Y/n) who simply shrank away into the shelves she was trying to disappear into. Her body quivering as she wanted to go home because suddenly, work didn't feel so safe anymore. Her eyes followed Ben as he started walking over to Mark, grabbing him by the shoulders before roughly shoving him to the point he almost fell flat on his face.

"Oh get out." Ben stated in annoyance, swinging open the door so he could give Mark a final shove out the door. Closing the door, Ben stood in front of it as he watched Mark stumble onto the street. Casting another look at the shop before he stormed off like a toddler having a tantrum.

Ben slowly moved away from the door when he was satisfied that Mark had gone and wouldn't be coming back in. Walking over to (Y/n), Ben gently tilted her chin up so he could look at her neck, seeing no harm done which he was thankful for. He gently pulled her away from the shelves he was worried she was almost morphing into at this point, holding her to his chest with one arm around her waist and his other hand knotting in her hair.

"Are you alright?" He mumbled the words into her hair as he kissed the top of her head. Breaking his cold work attitude because he could see she was a little shell-shocked.

"I'm okay... he's mad because he knows he's going down if I talk at the trial." Ben slowly unravelled his arms from around her, pulling back as he scanned over her features just to do another check that she was okay.

He couldn't help but lower his gaze to her stomach, her eyes following his gaze before her hand moved to press to the bump that couldn't even be seen due to her striped jumper hanging off her frame. Ben's lips curved into a small smile at the action that told him nothing was wrong with her or the baby which was a good thing.

Yet both of them couldn't help but think that this was getting a bit dangerous now. There wasn't even a date for the trial and her father's men and even her brother were now threatening her and 'advising' her to stay quiet or to even elope somewhere to keep safe.

Maybe this trial was more trouble than it was worth.

#ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #ben x reader #dad! ben #imagine #bodyguard #borhap #joe mazzello #sweetheart

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traincat · 6 years ago

Note

i don't ask this with intention of being like One is Better that the Other, but more like understanding them better; how would you say peter's relationships are different form each other, in a nutshell? (or just with gwen and mj?)

That’s a valid question because they are very different relationships and while I don’t like talking about them with the view that One Woman Is Better For The Man Than This Other Woman, Therefore Other Woman Is Terrible, I do think it’s important to acknowledge those differences and they’re interesting to talk about.

Here’s the thing: in 616, I think it’s very important that Peter and Mary Jane aren’t each other’s first relationship. We don’t know as much about her relationship history as we do about Peter’s – we know she’s seen other people, including Harry, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that for the majority of her life, since she was fourteen years old in canon, she’s known Peter was Spider-Man and for a long time kept that secret to herself. (We also know as per ASM #259 that serious relationships justifiably scare her – but I’ll get to that in a moment.) But Peter seriously dated Betty Brant when he was in high school, and, though I don’t think it gets talked up enough in discussions about Peter and Gwen, before Gwen’s death she and Peter were very much planning to get married.

(Amazing Spider-Man #103)

Cut for length.

(Peter had also briefly thought about proposing to Betty Brant at the end of high school. He’s a marriage monster.)

If I had to use one word to sum up Peter and Gwen’s relationship it would be “passionate.” And not always in a good way. They have a very fast connection in comics, but initially, they don’t really like each other that much.

(Amazing Spider-Man #35)

They’re on the same wavelength – that wavelength just happens to be “this hot person pisses me off so bad.” But then John Romita sweeps in and things get romantic as opposed to Ditko’s more prickly, vampier Gwen take, and Peter and Gwen start to get closer. That Mary Jane enters the picture and is seeing Peter probably doesn’t hurt Gwen making a more aggressive move on him. One thing I want to clarify that in modern day the word “dating” conjures up, first to mind, a serious image when we talk about fictional relationships, but Peter and MJ were very casually seeing each other after they first finally came face to face, something that seemed to annoy Peter actually:

(Amazing Spider-Man #44) In Webspinners #1′s backup story, The Kiss, Peter describes MJ at this point in time as mercurial and indirect, and says that’s one of the reasons he was more attracted to Gwen at the time. Gwen’s very direct, very passionate, and very open with her emotions, whereas Mary Jane and Peter both have their own secrets. It makes a certain amount of sense that Peter would be drawn to that openness. Peter and Gwen also have a keen interest in the sciences in common, which I also think is a pretty important factor in their early courtship when you consider part of the reason Peter felt isolated in high school was that his classmates didn’t share his interests:

(Amazing Spider-Man #53)

Once Peter and Gwen are together, things get pretty serious pretty quickly, with lots of sappy love declarations and both of them bringing the other around their parents.

(Amazing Spider-Man #68) Like I said, one of the things I often see overlooked in discussions about Peter and Gwen is just how serious the relationship was at the time of Gwen’s death. They were if not officially engaged then definitely pre-engaged and making plans for marriage. Peter had even wrangled his way into a staff position at the Daily Bugle specifically with his future marriage to Gwen in mind.

(Amazing Spider-Man #99) Peter used to be super good at this whole responsibility thing, in both his costumed and uncostumed lives.

This isn’t to say Peter and Gwen didn’t have problems – while people paint an image of the college days before Gwen’s death as being some big MJ/Peter/Gwen love triangle, that’s not really true. MJ had a tendency to flirt with Peter, especially in front of Gwen and also Harry, who MJ was seeing at the time, but it was Peter who was at times irrationally jealous of Flash’s flirting with Gwen.

(Amazing Spider-Man #72)

(ASM #80) Poor Flash really suffered as the least dramatic member of this friend group. It’s a little ironic that Peter got so heated up about Flash of all people because, while Flash does at one point profess more than friendly feelings to Gwen, he’s exceptionally gentle about it and never actually tries to threaten her relationship with Peter.

(Amazing Spider-Man #107)

On Gwen’s side of things, Peter’s frequent disappearances troubled her, and she often begged him to stay with her in times of danger – when he was trying to slip out and discreetly change into his Spider-Man costume – so that Peter would prove to her that he wasn’t a coward. (Look, it was the 60s and 70s in superhero comics and machismo was a big deal.) She could be insecure – Peter’s disappearances sometimes made her think he didn’t love her anymore, a feeling which was compounded when she accidentally lost her temper and yelled at Aunt May about her tendency to coddle Peter, causing May to put some distance between them, and after the death of her father, for which she initially blamed Spider-Man.

(Amazing Spider-Man #91) It was that hatred of Spider-Man that made Peter hesitate proposing to her initially, and she briefly left to stay with her uncle and aunt in England thinking that he didn’t care for her as much as she did for him. All those are, when you get down to it, far more serious issues in the relationship than the notion that Mary Jane and Gwen were constantly fighting over Peter.

I said if I had to pick one word for Peter and Gwen’s relationship it would be “passionate” – but I think that’s in part because Gwen herself is a very passionate character. For all her emotional openness compared to Mary Jane’s at the time party girl facade, Gwen felt very deeply about everything, especially about her relationship with Peter. I don’t doubt that if Gwen had lived, she and Peter would have gotten married – it was the natural progression for their relationship at the time. However, I’m not sure they would have stayed married, and not for any “selling the marriage to the devil” reasons. I’m sure they would both have tried very hard to make it work, and I don’t think separating would be easy for either of them, but I’m just not sure if I see them as a successful long term relationship. (Which, for the record, doesn’t make me ship them less.)

With that in mind, I also don’t know if I think PeterMJ happens without Gwen’s death – at least, not in the specific way it does in comics. While he was definitely initially attracted to her – it’s a running joke before Mary Jane appears on panel that Peter desperately tries to avoid meeting her because he thinks that, because Aunt May approves of her and says she’s a nice girl, that she’ll be ugly, which is where Mary Jane’s famous “face it, tiger” line comes in when she reacts to his surprise at the door – the further in love Peter falls with Gwen, the less intrigue Mary Jane seems to hold for him. Before Gwen’s death, he’s even disapproving of her advances, and dislikes the fact that she hits on him in front of Harry when she and Harry are dating.

(Amazing Spider-Man #97)

(ASM #106)

At the time of Gwen’s death, Peter’s impression of Mary Jane isn’t the most favorable in the world: he thinks she’s a flighty, irresponsible party girl – which, to be fair, is the impression Mary Jane has put some serious effort into cultivating. This changes with Gwen’s death with one very important scene that signifies – not necessarily to Peter, who is lost in his grief at the moment, but to the readers – that that’s not who Mary Jane is at all, and it’s the door scene from Amazing Spider-Man #122.

I’ve noted before that Peter has a tendency to lash out verbally towards the people in his life when he’s in the depths of grief, and he can be very good at hurting people, like here when he accuses Mary Jane of not caring that Gwen’s dead and telling her to get out.

And she doesn’t. If I had to pick a scene that I think is the most pivotal turning point in any Marvel comics relationship, it would be this one.

Peter and Mary Jane have a more complicated build up to their romance than Peter and Gwen did. Unlike Gwen, who was very much a heart on her sleeve girl, Mary Jane has secrets of her own, something Peter doesn’t really seem to realize when they do launch into a romance of their own, and when Mr. Marriage pops the question to her the first time Mary Jane ends up turning him down.

(ASM #183)

Mary Jane’s commitment issues are seated deep-seated. Gwen, as far as we know, had no reason not to believe in true love. Mary Jane has many.

(ASM #259)

I love Amazing Spider-Man #257-259 because they totally recontextualize everything about Mary Jane and throw all her previous actions into a sharp and different new light that just makes the most perfect sense. ASM #257-259 reveals two very important things. The first is that Mary Jane knew the whole time, since before Peter ever laid eyes on her, that he was Spider-Man, and that she’s been walking around the whole time carrying this secret.

(Spider-Man: Parallel Lives)

The second is that, with Mary Jane having told Peter she knows his biggest secret, she makes it an even trade and tells him her own, letting him know the details of her childhood that shaped her into the person she is. It’s really worth reading for yourself if you haven’t already and in my opinion it’s one of the best backstory reveals ever written.

(ASM #259)

Peter and Mary Jane enter into a weird stage in their relationship at this point in time. Mary Jane is, essentially, the only person Peter can confide in once he learns she’s known his secret all along. Mary Jane, on the other hand, finds the nitty-gritty details of Spider-Man’s life difficult to deal with, even as she tries to be there for Peter. One thing I see a lot in Mary Jane vs Gwen discourse is that while Mary Jane loves Spider-Man, Gwen loves Peter, which is a completely movie-based fabrication – in 616, Mary Jane frequently wishes Peter wasn’t Spider-Man and worries about him risking his life. They have a very strong emotional – and physical – connection at this point, but they’re not officially romantically together, and during this point in time Peter is still involved in a tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Felicia Hardy.

(Spectacular Spider-Man #116)

“I’ve just ruined a perfectly good lie.” (Spider-Man vs Wolverine)

They don’t officially get together again until Peter proposes marriage – again. Although Mary Jane initially turns down his offer again, she later calls him from her sister’s home in Pittsburgh asking him to come down and help her.

(ASM #291)

Hearing about Mary Jane’s past is one thing, but Peter’s confronted with it when he finds himself supporting Mary Jane as she tries to figure out what to do when her father’s schemes have landed her estranged sister in jail. It’s a really great lead up to the marriage: Peter has to learn to trust Mary Jane to make decisions, and Mary Jane takes the reigns when she needs to help out in a Spider-Man fight. At the end, in the airport, she agrees to marry him.

(ASM #292)

It’s not magically perfect after that – in ASM Annual #21, the wedding issue, Peter worries about Mary Jane’s more lavish lifestyle and how she’ll handle his more staid one in addition to his fears over what his enemies could do to his new wife, Mary Jane struggles with the concept of committing after so many years of running from that, and the ghost of Gwen still hangs over them both.

They do both end up making it down the aisle, of course, though:

(ASM Annual #21)

One of the things I love about Peter and Mary Jane is that, while I truly do think the characters are soulmates, they’re not perfect – they have relationship problems as big as Mary Jane worrying Peter’s identity as Spider-Man will get him killed or about what effects his irradiated blood might have on any children she might have, to as small as Peter having a crisis over Mary Jane paying his bills for him:

(Web of Spider-Man #37)

And of course Peter and Mary Jane have a much more complicated and complex relationship than Peter and Gwen did, but that’s because Peter and Mary Jane had hundreds of issues over which it develops and deepens, even after their marriage, whereas Gwen Stacy wasn’t even in 100 issues after her first appearance before she died. So I think Peter and Gwen have much more of an instantaneous love connection, which is aided by Gwen’s own emotional openness, whereas Peter and MJ are more of a slow burn, with a lot of stops and starts along the way that end up being the foundation for a very strong love.

#peter parker #mary jane watson #gwen stacy #marvel comics #*replies #long post/#traincat talks comics #petermj #petergwen #this ended up just being gwen and mj because if i tackled everyone it'd be sooooo long

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sweetness47 · 5 years ago

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The Shaman’s Choice Ch. 4

Pairing Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader

Characters of the series include: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Jo, reader’s parents, Reader’s grandmother, Reader’s brothers (Darren OC & Michael OC), Mary, Jack, Apocalypse Archangel!Michael

Chapter 4:

@spnkinkbingo square filled (case fic)

@spnabobingo square filled (Jealous Alpha)

@samwinchesterbingo square filled (free space)

Word Count: 3053

Summary: So this is an SPN fic, but contains a lot of wild AU ideas. Bear with me while the story unfolds, and enjoy it.

Warnings for all chapters just in case: MATURE 18+ READERS ONLY! smut, sex, unprotected sex, abo dynamics, knotting, mating bites, claiming, oral, shower sex, sibling arguments, swearing, violence, mentions of brother in love with sister (unhealthy obsession, jealousy)

The entire bunker was echoing as Sam let out a loud “Whoop!!” and kissed his Omega. Well wishes came from all, but none more thrilled than the expectant parents. YN put in a call to her own parents, not giving details, but asking if she and Sam could come by for a visit. (Mom & Dad) were happy to hear from their daughter, and even more thrilled to have them visit.

The four-hour drive was filled with plans for a nursery as well as lots of ideas for baby names. YN made sure to tell Sam about the estate, more specifically the fact that it was quite extensive. She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable with the fact that her family was rich. Sam assured her that he was fine and not to worry.

She worried anyways, because Michael would also be there. They hadn’t spoken or seen each other since that first night she met Sam. Her mind drifted back to memories of when she and Michael were younger, and compared them to Sam’s first impression of her brother. Jealousy.

Sam looked over at YN. “You ok?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, just thinking about Michael. Haven’t seen or heard from him since that first night. Darren has checked in more than Mike. Hell, I’ve heard from my Nana more than from Mike.”

She looked over at Sam and sighed. He sensed her sadness, but he didn’t know what to say. He did, however, want to kick her brother’s ass for hurting YN like that. But he wouldn’t, not without a damn good reason anyways.

She was so pre-occupied that she almost missed the private road. “Turn here Sam.”

He slowed and turned, stopping when he hit a dead end five minutes later. “YN?”

“Apparuistis.” She exclaimed.

Where stood a dense forest now appeared a large security gate. Sam gave a low whistle of wonder as he surveyed the extensive grounds, driving up to the parking area YN had pointed to, and putting the Impala in park. Dean was a tad apprehensive about loaning Baby, but he trusted his brother and YN implicitly. The classic car was in impeccable condition, and would impress everyone.

Both were greeted warmly by YN’s parents, Nana, and Darren. Michael was no where to be found. She asked the question that weighed on her, though in her heart, she already knew the answer. “Mama, where’s Mike?”

The room went quiet. It was Darren who spoke up. “YN, no one’s seen him for days. He disappeared shortly after you and Sam got together.”

Tears fell from YN’s eyes, and Sam wrapped his arms and escorted her to the living room. The others followed, bringing mint tea and some fresh baked cookies. YN felt a bit better after partaking in the refreshments. Her mother sat down beside her, and attempted a distraction.

“So, why the sudden visit, YN?”

YN glanced over at Sam, who smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Well…Sam and I are having twins!”

Sam nearly choked on his cookie, his eyes wide as saucers. Shouts of joy filled the parlour as the family celebrated, hugging both Sam and YN. Sam wore a huge grin for the rest of the day, through dinner, dessert, and the entire night. Twins! He wasn’t just gonna be a father, he was going to be a father twice! He made sweet gentle love to his Omega that night, mindful of her newfound condition.

The next morning, both were awakened by YN’s mother, who insisted they come downstairs immediately, nicely dressed. The two showered, and found nice, semi-formal clothing waiting on the bed for them. The clothes were fine silk, and Sam was surprised at how accurate the fit was. YN giggled at her Alpha’s expression, explaining some of her mother’s gifts to him. She had a knack for size and clothing creation, it was similar to how a photographic memory worked. YN stared at her dress, intricate beadwork adorning the neckline and the bodice. These were wedding clothes, or her tribe’s version of them.

The ceremony itself was short and simple, and YN wasn’t really surprised that this was planned. Sam wasn’t complaining, and neither was she. In reality, she liked this better…no big crowds, and no dress shopping. YN’s father escorted her down after her mother had escorted Sam down. Nana was standing in the parlour, waiting as (father’s name) brought her to Sam, putting her hand in his. Nana took a white silk ribbon and bound their joined hands while chanting, “Benedicite, amare, uxor, cor.”

Then, once the ribbon was secure, Nana looked at the couple and smiled. Raising her hands to the sky she whispered, “Ut benedicat haec duo sunt matrimonia iungeremus.”

The family stood. “Benedicat eis!”

YN smiled at Sam, who looked ridiculously happy, but mildly confused. “This is the kissing part.” She whispered, and Sam dove in, his mouth claiming hers as every one gathered to wish them well. The happy couple received numerous hugs and congratulations, and were thrilled beyond belief when they saw Dean and Jo, who had been invited over by Darren.

The feast lasted the better part of the day and evening. Sam and YN did manage to sneak off for a few minutes here and there, returning with slightly disheveled attire and both were blushing furiously. Everyone just acted as if that was perfectly normal, which it was for newlyweds. Darren had brought his Omega, Nikki as well, one of YN’s best friends, for the celebration. Sam, YN, Dean, Jo, Darren and Nikki talked and laughed for a better part of the night, becoming great friends by the end.

It was 5:00am when YN felt something strong, it was power, but from where she couldn’t guess. Quietly she slipped from the bed and peeked out the window to the grass below. Movement caught her eye. It almost looked like Michael, but the darkness made identifying him difficult. Stupid dickhead! If he’d gotten involved with drugs or some such shit, she’d kill him.

As quietly as she could, she slipped on joggers and a tee, carrying her runners so she wouldn’t make noise. She almost made it to the bedroom door.

“Where are you going, Omega?” came the groggy, yet commanding voice of her Alpha.

“Outside for a minute. I thought I heard something. I’m going to check it out.” YN whispered.

Before she could even blink he was there beside her. “Half truths are almost the same as lying YN. Talk to me.”

‘How can I? It could take you away from me! From our children!’

Her thoughts cried out to him, but she remained silent. Forasmuch as she wanted to tell him the truth, there was too much risk. Or was there. If this was to do with Mike, and her gut feeling, then she needed to keep Sam as far away as possible.

Still, despite the prophecy, he could end up involved or worse, killed. Tears fell from her (eye color) orbs, and she allowed Sam to hold her as sobs broke out. Sam soothed her with gentle words, stroking her hair, until she was able to talk.

“Oh Sam, I am so afraid of losing you, that’s why I haven’t said anything. Please stay here. I couldn’t bare it if you died because of me. Please Sam!”

Her Alpha sighed. He could sense her fear and the truth behind her words. But he had vowed to protect her, to keep her safe, and that wasn’t going to happen if she went by herself.

“Omega, look at me, please.” YN brought her eyes up to meet his. “I made a promise to your father and mother, that I would protect you, and I intend to uphold my promise, and my vow to you. I’m coming with you, and there’s no talking me out of it.”

He held her close, nuzzling her neck as he always did. It brought her some comfort, his scent had become her own personal calming agent. Besides, at least this way she could watch him, and ensure his safety. Plus, there were the pups to think about now, she really couldn’t blame him for wanting to come. She just didn’t want to lose him either, so right then she decided to dig her own path, and stray from the warnings.

“Ok, Sam, but I need to tell you something first. Please don’t hate me.” YN’s voice was barely a whisper.

“I could never hate you.” Came his reply.

He pulled her onto his lap as she began to speak, telling him the whole story: the prophecy, the powers, the mark…all of it. Once finished, she closed her eyes and waited for the yelling and hurt feelings that she was so sure would follow. Instead, Sam stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

“We’ll be ok YN, promise.” He whispered. “I’ve got your back always.”

She wanted to believe him. Her mind blocked out the negative as she and her Alpha made their way outside. She had to believe his promise, or she wouldn’t be able to do this, whatever this was. Michael had disappeared from view, but his scent was strong, too strong. Mike was in a rut, a bad one. Sam noticed it too, a low growl escaping his chest as he followed his Omega closely, senses on high alert. Brother or not, if he made any move toward YN that Sam perceived as threatening, Sam would tear Michael to shreds.

The scent continued deep into the woods. Sam held YN’s hand, never wanting to let go. He had a bad feeling, one that only intensified after hearing YN’s story, and hearing about the prophecy. And now with Michael in a rut? That just added to the excitement.

YN motioned for them to stop, so they waited and listened. Voices, two distinct ones, Michael and one she didn’t recognize, were coming from the clearing. Then light flashed, bright enough to blind the eavesdroppers briefly.

The light faded as Michael’s voice rang out, or at least it sounded like Mike. But YN knew her brother well enough. Whoever was talking, it most certainly was not her twin.

“YN? Come closer. Bring your mate. I know your there. Don’t make me come find you.”

Sam squeezed her hand with some reassurance, and the two stepped into the open. The man before them smelled like her brother, and yet it didn’t smell or sound like him. The saw his eyes, and Sam knew what had happened.

“Michael.” He said quietly.

YN looked at her Alpha with even more confusion. “Sam, what…?”

Sam stopped her. “No YN, not your brother. The Archangel Michael.”

Michael stepped forward, and Sam bared his fangs, growling deep in his chest. “Stay back. You touch her and I’ll rip you apart.”

The Archangel-turned-Alpha flicked his wrist, expecting to send Sam flying against the nearest tree. But he didn’t.

Instead, at the same moment, YN’s voice rang out.

“Clipeum!”

Sam stood as the force went around his form, shocking him but his anger never waivered. YN wasn’t even close to being done, however.

“Ignis!”

Michael was caught off guard at the sudden attack, and his meat suit went flying against the nearest tree. His clothes were slightly charred, but still intact. He wasted no time, and gained the upper hand while YN was focused on the offense. He lifted Sam into the air, slowly constricting his airways.

YN cried out. “No! Leave him alone!”

Michael pondered this, his mouth turning slowly into a smile that made YN shiver. “Why should I? He and his brother have been thorns in my side for a while now. Plus…, he added, “This one took you as his mate, before your brother could claim you as his own.”

YN visibly paled, but she stood her ground. “Michael please. You know he’s my soulmate! Leave him be. Please! I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt him.” Tears fell as she begged the Archangel for mercy.

“Be careful what you promise, YN. Here’s the deal. I’ll leave your Alpha alive, hell I’ll spare all the Winchesters if…” his smile turned dark, and YN felt nauseous, “You renounce Sam and take me as your Alpha.”

“NO!” Sam screamed, his eyes read with anger. “YN, don’t! Live free! I’m not worth that.” He stared at his nemesis/brother in law. “You can’t trust him.”

YN’s heart was torn. Her love for Sam, and her desire to keep him safe, versus an eternity of misery in a loveless union, with her own flesh and blood as her Alpha. She felt sick inside. What kind of choice was this? The outcome sucked either way. If she said no, Sam would die. If she said yes, Sam would live but she would no longer be his. Sam was right though. There was no guarantee Michael would keep his word. Then she had another thought.

“If I say yes, Sam, Dean, and all their family and friends live. You don’t touch them, you don’t hurt them in any way. And when my pups are born, Sam gets sole custody of them, his to raise. That’s my condition. If you go back on the deal, our union is void and Sam becomes mine again.”

“YN! Don’t worry about me! Let me go. Don’t give in to that monster!” Sam cried.

Tears fell hard. “I love you too much Sam. I can’t watch him kill you. Promise me you’ll take good care of our pups. Please!”

Sam nodded, and YN turned to Michael. “Do we have a deal, Michael?” She held her hand out to her brother-turned-angel.

Michael stepped forth to grab the hand, eager to seal the deal. “We do indeed.”

YN’s hand closed around her brother’s hand and smiled. “NOW SAM!”

Michael frowned and went to move, but realized quickly that he was frozen in place. Then fear filled him as Sam spoke an all too familiar verse:

Omnipotentis dei potestatem invoco

Aborbe terra

Hunc angelum omne obsequendum

Domine expuet

Ut deum ad empyreum remittat

YN, still holding his hand, clarified. “See, you are smart, the whole plan was actually pretty good. But, both you and my dumbass brother overlooked a few things.”

Sam stood up, no longer in Michael’s power, and came to stand beside his Omega.

YN continued. “My brother and I are twins…identical twins. Near impossible, I know, but our DNA will prove it. We share a special connection no one else does. Telepathy. I knew the moment he came to you. I knew all of it, all the betrayal. I wanted so hard to believe that my own brother wasn’t capable of that. I tried to find a way to bring him back to us.”

Sam spoke then. “YN told me everything. The reason you can’t move? Her palm has an angel trap on it, bound with her power. She is indeed very powerful, I’d venture more powerful than you. And…”, he leaned in close, teeth bared, “she’s mine.”

YN let his hand go then, and Michael, the archangel, began to leave her brother’s body. But in a parting shot, the angel went to send Sam flying against the nearest tree in an attempt to kill him, but YN felt the thought and pushed Sam out of the way, the blast sending her flying, crashing against a large pine. Bones shattered, and YN cried out, her body crumpling to the ground. Sam screamed her name, his rage directed at Michael, incinerating him and his host. He ran to his Omega, his beautiful YN, checking for a pulse.

He found none.

Sam’s grief was great. His voice howled through the woods as he mourned his loss. As he lay his head on her chest, tears covering her shirt, he stroked her hair and kissed her, then he covered his face as sadness consumed him.

There was movement, but none that he noticed at first. Sam’s tears began to glow, and disappear into YN’s skin. Then his eyes snapped open as the shattered bones of her spine began to pull themselves back together. Her lungs drew breath, and YN coughed as her eyes opened, the oxygen flooding her system.

Sam’s jaw dropped to the ground, staring at the miracle that had just happened. He wasted no time in gathering her into his arms, kissing her fiercely. She moaned, partly from pain and confusion, and partly because she was enjoying the attentions her alpha was showing her. She knew partly the reason for the emotional overflow…she’d died…and honestly she wasn’t sure how she was sitting up and breathing. That’s when she felt it, or rather them…her twins! They had used healing power on her, which was near unheard of. Most infants, no matter their lineage, didn’t have that kind of knowledge.

Sam’s power though, she knew where that came from. She’d given him the ability to share her powers when she had left her mark on his shoulder, in other words, the mating bite she’d bestowed upon him. The prophecy. She shook her head as everything fell into place.

Then there was her twin…the one puzzle piece she had wanted to be wrong about. His behavior made sense now, but it was still alot for her to process. Sam helped YN to stand up, supporting her until he was sure she wouldn’t fall, and together they started back to the house. She had no idea what she was going to tell her parents or Darren, but at least now she felt safe, felt at peace. There were no more threats or immediate danger to her or Sam.

#spnkinkbingo #spnabobingo #samwinchesterbingo

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lovedsammy · 6 years ago

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stars in my black and blue sky -(sam & castiel)

Coda to 14.13. The events of the altered timeline leave a profound effect on Sam and Castiel, one that neither of them can seem to shake without reopening - and healing - old wounds.

Note: I know I’m not the only one that was horrified about the fight that prev!timeline!Cas had with Sam in 14.13, right? Castiel has never physically harmed Sam like that before, and it disturbed me quite a bit. I figured it might’ve bothered Sam, too, and that was the reason for that anxious look he had when Cas came into the bunker at the end of the episode. I used this scenario to bring up instances where Cas HAS hurt Sam by breaking his wall or when Lucifer used his body to hurt Sam, and how this event triggered some of those memories for Sam. Because one thing about PTSD that is common is sometimes things happen, and they can be either completely unrelated or semi-related to the previous trauma, and it can bring it all back. Sam’s behavior in this fic is a result of that.

I also feel like it’s worth mentioning that some of these darker, self-deprecating thoughts are Sam’s, not mine. I disagree with how he views himself. But Sam has a habit of keeping his emotions inside, and trying to placate others when it comes to them. He brushes it off with “the problem’s me”; he’s said before, and that’s the tone I went with in this fic. Sam’s come a long way from his s5 self-blame days, but he still tends to make issues be his problem vs others who want to help him. That’s what people who’ve experienced PTSD and Depression do (I’m guilty of it), and it’s a very real mindset I wanted to address.

Here you go, guys! @avalonsilver @wendibird @sealionfoam @flightoftheseraph @stargazingbros @avacynangell @spectaculacularmooseketeer @winchestersoldiersblog @casquecest @sastiel-daily

Also on Ao3:

Sam’s barely had a moment to gather himself, to try to slow the tremors in his still shaking hands, when he hears the bunker’s metallic door open. His mother and Dean, both blotchy-faced and red-eyed, exchange a quick glance with each other, and then at Sam. And as if on instinct, as though they are all thinking the same thought, they head into the main room. Sam’s heart lurches, and he tells himself not to cling to any half-hopes. They’d just seen John disappear minutes ago, and the temporal paradox should have corrected itself with him returning to the past. But maybe something went wrong, Sam reasons. Maybe it was already too late to change things back. And maybe, some selfish part of him hopes, they could really have Dad back for good. Maybe the universe, maybe God, was finally giving them a win for all that they’d sacrificed, maybe…

A whirlwind of beige and a flash of dark hair appears from behind the door, coming to a stop at the guard rail. It’s not John, but Cas. The presence of the angel was usually one that, for Sam, bestowed upon him a sense of peace and calming. He was his best friend, his family. A constant, gentle wave that always kept him afloat above the surface when Sam otherwise would’ve drowned. All of those long days and nights without Dean, stretching on into weeks and months…. Cas was the only other person besides his mother that Sam could remember being by his side for almost the entire time. Cas always had his back, and apart from Dean, he was the only other person to be involved in Sam’s life for as long as he had.

But instead of being a welcome sight, Sam finds that this time… he isn’t. And it takes him a moment to figure out why. It isn’t that he’d been wishing for his father instead; it’s something else entirely.

His body still aches from the earlier altercation with the angel - or the previous version of him, anyway, well before Cas had met him and Dean. But even with knowing the difference between the two, Sam can’t help the shudder of discomfort that radiates down his frame, and he is only half-aware of acclaiming a defensive stance, his expression wary.

“Mary. Sam, Dean,” Cas greets them, his eyes roving over each of them pleasantly, and displaying a softness that had been absent in the other Castiel. Nevertheless, Sam’s guard stays up, palms clammy at his side. He flexes his fingers, whether or not it’s to reach for an angel blade for protection or just out of nervousness, he’s not sure. Because if he looks hard enough, he can see that version of Cas still, and if he looks even harder… he can almost see Lucifer.

Castiel notices, because of course he does. His angelic powers could surely pick up on the mood of the room. It’s not just Sam that’s feeling apprehensive at his arrival, but Dean and Mary as well. Yet, Cas’s fixation lingers on Sam, his brows furrowing worriedly.

“What happened?” He asks.

“What happened,” Sam scoffs, and God, he feels so emotionally drained, still reeling from it all, that he can’t quite bring himself to speak. He looks to his brother for explanation, and he’s so damn grateful that Dean knows him so well, knows when Sam has reached his limit.

“Well, there’s a story,” Dean says. “Come on, let’s go talk in the kitchen. Where’s Jack?”

Cas gestures over his shoulder. “He’s getting our things from the trunk.”

“I’ll go help him,” Mary says hurriedly, and she brushes past her sons, giving each of them a gentle, comforting caress as she does. And Sam doesn’t know how she does it. How she can comfort them, her children, when she’s just lost the love of her life. How she could be so strong for them when she was coming apart at the seams herself. They were supposed to be the ones comforting her right now. It wasn’t the first time they’d lost Dad. For her, it was.

“Come on, Sammy,” Dean’s hand on his shoulder pulls Sam from this thoughts, and he nods, realizing that Cas has joined them at the base of the stairs. He can feel the angel’s gaze on his back, but he doesn’t make any attempt to address him.

A few minutes later, Jack and Mary come find them sitting at the table in the kitchen, and the boy is just as concerned as Cas is about what transpired. He asks Sam outright, but Sam only shakes his head, not meeting anyone’s eyes. He wants to comfort Jack, to assure the kid that it was okay, that nothing was wrong, but he can’t. And he thinks that must make him a failure of a co-parent. All of this time, through everything that had happened, Sam had been strong enough to console Jack, to be there for him and encourage him. But right now it was like all of that strength that he’d somehow managed to conjure up through the past few months had all been drained out of him, leaving him fragile and withering, weakened.

Sam had thought he’d reached his breaking point the night with Dean outside the hospital after Donatello’s recovery, when he’d launched his fist into his brother’s face and clutched onto the back of his jacket in Dean’s arms. But it was just a precursor to this. He’s cried more in the past six months than he’d cried in his entire life, it seemed.

They remain there for a long, long time, well into the night.

It’s Dean who does most of the talking. Sam manages to chime in every once in a while, and Mary does so even less than her sons. When Sam does muster the courage to look at her, his mother’s expression is distant, faraway, reliving the past twelve hours. She holds on to her can of beer as gingerly as if she were still clutching onto John’s hand, afraid for the moment that she’ll have to let go. It’s a painful realization, that he and his mother were alike in that way, that they both tended to close off when dealing with things that hurt them.

At a quarter past two, Mary retreats back to her bedroom. Probably to cry her eyes out, Sam thinks. He’s not confident that he won’t do the same. Part of him wants to get up and escape back to his room, too, but he quells the urge down. He doesn’t think he’d be able to sleep, anyway. He’d only lie awake with his thoughts, the desires and regrets, especially of his father. But more than likely it would be the other, much darker corners of his mind, the thoughts that he was barely avoiding to succumbing to, that would haunt him. And he was going to put off facing those as long as he could. So he stays, finding some solace in being among his friends and family. Even with how conflicted he was feeling about being near Cas, it paled in comparison to the pain that he’d feel of being alone.

He reminds himself that this Cas, their Cas, has never done what the other version of him had done. He didn’t deserve the blame that Sam was indirectly casting at him. The angel had healed, protected, and safeguarded him, almost from the moment they’d met. Castiel had fought off Lucifer to keep Sam safe, and even his own brethren at times. So, Sam’s issues - they were his own, and he didn’t need to drag Cas into them.

“Your father,” Castiel murmurs around his bottle of beer, awestruck. “I still can’t believe it. I wish I’d been here. I’d have liked to have met him.”

Dean snorts, getting up to toss out the empty beer cans. “Oh, yeah, buddy, believe me, I wish it’d been you, too. Not the asshat version of you with that dickbag Zachariah. You really were Heaven’s soldier. He tells you to kill, and damn, man, you listened.”

At the mention of the other Cas, Sam stiffens, clenching his jaw. “Dean -” He cuts in, warningly. But he must go unheard, because the angel speaks at the same time.

“What version of me?” Cas inquires, tilting his head. “Was there more to it than your father showing up? You said the timeline had changed, but… me and Zachariah…?”

Jack’s curiosity is once again piqued, as it had the entire time they had been explaining what happened. “Wait. Who’s Zachariah?”

Dean waves a hand absently. “Ah, he was just some jackass head honcho angel that we killed who wanted us to start the Apocalypse and really had it out for us. He was Cas’s boss. Anyway, uh, yeah…. I’m guessin’ time was trying to fix itself, like Sam said. You and Zach showed up to try and fix it, found out it was us, and tried to kill us. Almost did, too.”

“Kill you?” Cas demands, incredulous, and for a second, the angel catches Sam’s eye, and it all seems to click in place. “That’s where all of those cuts and bruises on the two of you are from. I did that to you. I… I’m so sorry, I -”

Dean gives a one-shouldered shrug, finishing off his beer with one swig. “Nah. Hey, man, no hard feelings. You had a stick up your ass back then. It isn’t the first time you’ve beat the hell outta me. Besides, you’ve changed for the better, all right?” He reaches over to pat Sam’s face gently, and Sam soaks it up, amazed that even after all of these years, his big brother’s touch can still soothe him so easily. “Anyway, I’m gonna call it. ‘Night, Sammy. You know where I am if you need me.”

“Yeah. Night, Dean.”

He watches his brother leave, mouth going dry, and chugs the rest of his now warm beer. It burns the back of his throat, and he forcibly clears it. He wants to try and make conversation with Jack and Cas, but without Dean and his mother here, he suddenly feels exposed. Maybe he just needed the night to cool off, to reign in this state of panic he seemed to be in, and get a handle on it. That usually did the trick. If he managed to get some rest, he’d be good again in the morning. And he’d be able to brush off this - whatever this reaction was to his friend, and Castiel would be better off for it.

“You know, I, uh…” Sam says after a long moment, “I should… I should probably go to bed, too.” He flicks them a strained smile, and clamors to his feet. They’d gone slightly numb from sitting for so long. “Sorry if I… um, see you in the morning.”

Maybe tomorrow he wouldn’t feel so weird, so raw, and like something had broken in him. He gets to the doorway before Jack’s voice sounds from behind him, sad and desperate.

“Sam, wait,” The boy calls, and it makes Sam pause. Sam hates that it does. He can’t refuse the kid anything, even if it was at the expense of himself. “Sam… are you all right? I’m worried about you. Please… just tell me if you’re not okay. Tell me how I can help.”

The question makes Sam open and close his mouth several times, and he surprises himself when he answers, “I… I don’t know, Jack. I don’t… ”

He feels lost, in a haze, and it has nothing to do with the alcohol. He just stands there, staring at the floor, for what feels like an infinitely long time, in pregnant silence with nothing but the ticking of the clock. For a second, he wonders if he’s dissociating again, like during his post-wall days, unsure if Cas and Jack are even there, and resists the urge to finger the scar on his palm. This was real.

“Jack, can you give a moment to talk to Sam?” Castiel implores the nephilim after the pause, but his eyes are on Sam, who finally meets Castiel’s gaze guiltily, shamefully. Jack appears hesitant, his eyes glossed over and sorrowed, but a nod from Sam encourages him, and he leaves the two of them alone.

Sam wants to say something. Anything. “Cas - ” He tries.

“Sam… it’s not just what happened with your father that’s bothering you, is it? It’s much more than that.” Castiel appraises the younger Winchester, his features pained. “It’s about what happened in the alternate timeline. With the other me.”

Sam stiffly nods. “Yeah,” He says, hoarsely. There was no point in being dishonest, not when Cas could already tell that something was going on with him.

Cas knowingly returns the gesture. “I understand. I hurt you, and I tried to kill you, as well as Dean.”

“Yeah. Well, not you-you,” Sam quickly amends, because damn it all if he was going to let Cas carry the burden for this. “It was the you before you met us. Or, from another dimension or something. But it wasn’t you. And that’s… that’s something that I need to keep telling myself, because it’s so damn stupid that I can’t seem to stop myself from - from reacting like this. It’s not your fault that I can’t deal with my own bullshit.”

“Don’t,” Cas interjects sternly. “Don’t you dare turn this on yourself. Whatever it is that you’re feeling, whatever it is that you need to express, do it. If you need to hurt me back, do it.”

Sam pales, stunned. How could Cas even suggest that? “Cas, I couldn’t… I couldn’t do that to you, man. I’m not gonna hurt you just to make myself feel better. In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never hurt me, so why would I -”

“Now we both know that’s not true,” Castiel disagrees kindly. “I may not have splintered your bones or drawn your blood, but I’m no less guilty of hurting you than that version of me had. I tore down your wall and made you relive the horrors of the cage, and experience all of that suffering all over again.”

The admission makes Sam’s chest clench in remembrance. He practically chokes out, “Cas, I… I’ve forgiven you for that. You know that. It’s not the same thing.”

Castiel sighs. “Yes, maybe you have. Even when you shouldn’t have, you have. But what about how I hurt you when I let Lucifer possess me, and he drove his fist - my fist - into your chest cavity? Was that not a horrible violation to you?”

“Yeah, but you saved me,” Sam answers, readily. “You fought back, you took control, and you stopped him.”

Castiel takes a couple of steps towards him, and Sam has to fight the urge to flinch. “Sam... let me ask you… right now, do you see me? The other me? Or do you still, at times, see Lucifer?”

The question is still spoken in that soft, empathetic tone that Cas has used so many times with him, and yet it leaves Sam breathless. At his reaction, Castiel continues.

“You’ve experienced a great deal of trauma, Sam, and some of it has been at my hand. I am truly sorry for that. This was yet another instance. You need time to process it, and hopefully come to terms with it and be even stronger for it. But that isn’t something you can make yourself do over night. And you never need to feel sorry for reacting to something that has affected you, especially if it involves me.”

Sam’s vision blurs with wetness, and he quickly swipes at his eyes and exhales hollowly. “I thought I was past it. Or at least the worst of it. After Lucifer died, and I confronted Nick, I thought… I thought maybe the fear wouldn’t be as bad, you know? That maybe all that he’d done would just leave like he did.”

“Often, a completely unrelated - or even related - event can trigger a fear response to a situation,” Castiel tells him gently. “The human mind is incredibly resilient, but also very fragile if it’s hurt enough. Your strength amazes me everyday, Sam, but even the strongest people have their breaking point. With everything that has happened recently with Dean, and your father, and now this. It’s no surprise that your mind and body are reacting this way. It takes its toll.”

Sam doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to. Castiel understands, and that was all that he needed from him.

The angel finally approaches Sam further, and this time, Sam doesn’t flinch away. “I am truly sorry for what happened, Sam. I’m sorry that I hurt you, no matter which version of me it ended up being. I’m sorry for this - and all the other times.”

The younger Winchester feels a weight lift off of him. Not enough, but a bit. “It’s okay, Cas. I don’t blame you. Not really. I forgive you. I just… you needed to know, I guess. But… don’t feel guilty about it, okay? I’m glad, so glad, that despite what happened, despite Dad, and everything… that you’re who you are now. Like Dean said: you’ve grown. You’ve changed. And man, even… even with who you were back then. It wasn’t bad then, either. You weren’t. It was the situation, just like this time.”

“And the reasons for those changes are down the hall and standing right here in front of me,” Castiel smiles. “You and Dean, and now Jack - you’ve made me who I am. You saw it. I was just another, obedient, mindless soldier who had very little regard for my father’s creation. I was merely emulating what my brothers and sisters believed, and did what my superiors directed. Heaven is my family, Sam, but it’s not my only family. And while on the subject of family… I am so glad that you were able to speak with your father. I know you’ve wanted that for so long.”

“Me too,” Sam croaks. “We said some things that, uh… needed to be said. For years. I feel like we finally understood each other. And I feel…” He considers. “I feel lighter, when I think about him, you know? Like some part of me has finally healed.”

“You got closure.”

“Yeah. Closure.”

“Sam. May I?”

The question is readable on Castiel’s face, and after a few seconds, Sam closes his eyes in assent. The fingers that tickel his forehead are warm and so is the grace as it flows through him, leaving his skin unblemished and no longer painful, healing.

Sam feels himself start to relax for the first time that day.

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep?” Castiel asks.

Sam shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe. I can try.”

The angel nods. “All right. In that case, I’ll go talk to Jack. He’s probably still worried.”

“Let him know that I’m okay,” Sam says. “And that… tomorrow, I’ll talk to him. I’ll tell him everything. It’s time that he knew.”

He knows by the look on Castiel’s face that he understands what Sam means, and that it wasn’t just what transpired over the past day, but a lifetime of events that lead up to this. His friend jerks his head in response.

“In that case, I’ll leave you to your rest. Good night, Sam. If you need anything… just let me know.”

“‘Course,” Sam smiles, and this time, it’s genuine. “Night, Cas.”

He heads to his bed room, shaking his head with amusement at the sound of deep-rumbling snores coming from Dean’s room, and plants face first down onto his bed. He falls asleep within minutes, and there are no nightmares that night to plague him.

#supernatural #spn #sastiel #samcas #i tried to tag everyone lol #fic #*mine #14.13 #ep: lebanon

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scatterthoughted · 6 years ago

Text

Where There’s A Will...

At the ripe old age of fifteen, Pidge has finalized her will- and Lance is the first to find it (Pre-season 6)

Not a lot happened when Lance was left alone.

Time stopped and took a stretch, granting itself a rest from moving forward just so Lance could lose his mind in boredom. As his Abuela had always said, he was a ‘people’s person,’ an outgoing extrovert who just enjoyed the company (and attention) of others.

He liked to think she meant he was charming and bold- but left to his own devices on a drifting ship where the second closest life form was a cow (no offense to Kaltenecker), he realized it could just as well mean he got lonely easily. And bored. Really, really bored.

Today was one of those days where Lance was put to the test in the most torturous and brutal of manners, risking his mental state for the good of his crew and the universe. Other days he would fight for his life against a tyrannical empire dictator, but today was just as bad.

He was house-sitting. Or, well more accurately, spaceship-sitting. Castle-sitting? All of team Voltron had found some kind of mission within the span of a few days, all close enough that there was no need for the Teleduv. Coran and Allura were free to visit a planet holding trace elements of a long-extinct Altean flower, Shiro and Hunk were due for another diplomatic dinner within the same solar system, Keith had been busy with the Blades for the past few weeks doing missions who-knows-where, and Pidge went out to collect some rare metal stuff surrounding a star for her newest project. That left Lance to man the ship.

Not that he was actually manning it- apparently the mice were more trusted than him, an actual pilot- but he did get the run of the castle. Which was fun for a whole five minutes after Pidge left.

Lance sat slumped on the couch, finishing up his second solo Monsters and Mana game (which was just as bad of an idea as it sounded) surrounded by empty containers that still held residue of Hunk’s gourmet creations. The space mice had made a bed out of his hoodie, cuddled up in a way that was very cute, but also very uncomfortable for him.

If only Pidge had fixed up their ‘playbox’ (what Pidge liked to call the hodgepodge of wiring and reactors she built to support Killbot Phantasm with Altean technology), he’d be beating their high score right now.

But didn’t Pidge take it into her room to fix up a week ago? By Pidge-speed, she would have had it done ages ago- maybe it was functional already, and he could do something other than just sitting around and waiting for his team to return. Which was kind of pathetic.

“Oh, time practically flew- I barely noticed you guys were missing at all!” He shook his hands at the imaginary paladins in front of him. “In fact, I did tons-”

He sat up, having forgotten about the mice dozing behind him. They reminded him a moment later, scratching up the back of his neck with startled squeaks after being so rudely awakened. Lance shrieked and jumped around, knocking containers to the floor and encouraging the mice to run all the way down his body on their path to the stable floor. Not a pleasant feeling.

After a glaring stand-off with four rodents, Lance marched over to Pidge’s room. It was a mess as always, strewn with clothes, pictures, miscellaneous robot things, and other stuff she collected. She had certainly made herself at home in the castle.

Even through all the mess and general stuff she had in her room, it was easy to spot the large console. The wiring was frayed and tangled, sticking out of the top like some sort of monster from an old sci-fi novel. Lance stopped in his tracks and frowned. Not finished then. He scratched his head, finding it odd that Pidge hadn’t finished in the time frame that she usually did when committing to a project- at most, it only took a handful of Vargas for something she already knew how to fix. Lance shrugged, deciding to add it to the end of the list of unexplained Pidge tendencies- right after her hoarding habits and distaste for peanuts (but not peanut butter cookies).

With a huff and decision to maybe try out the pool again, Lance started picking his way through the maze of laundry and metal. He made a mistake the moment he glanced up to check his progress- Lance’s ankle swung right into something sticking out of the wall. He let out a howl at the instant pain flooding his ankle, instinctively clutching it in his hands and and hobbling around on his one good foot. Too far he jumped back, right onto a sweater- one that slipped out from under him, but not before pitching him forward onto the hard ground. There wasn’t even a well-placed tool-kit to break his fall.

He opened his eyes with a groan of pain- today was just not his day. To his surprise, Lance come face-to-face with what looked like an orange hard drive melded to the wall. Lance’s pain was quickly forgotten in pursuit of his curiosity, and he pushed himself up to get a better look at the strange device.

Hidden just under the lip of a low-lying shelf (terrible placement- his ankle still throbbed), it was a rectangle split in two; the upper half a lit-up orange light, and the lower half was what looked like a screen containing a pass-code pad. "Nothing like that in my room...” He murmured in confusion. “...what’re you hiding, Pidgey?”

As the respectful, non-nosy friend that he was, Lance instantly tried every pass-code he could think of. Her birthday, her brother’s birthday, what he was pretty sure was her father’s birthday... it occurred to him after a few Dobashes to be more creative. A super-hacker genius like Pidge obviously had an 80-digit code that was inverse Pi or something; maybe it was the entire Declaration of Independence in Binary or... Oh.

1-2-3-4 worked. Definitely suspicious.

The orange light blinked a few times, and words appeared on the screen that had previously been covered by the pass-code. Lance realized the device looked familiar, like the one they’d used to record their vlogs for ‘team-bonding’ reasons, except more compact. It opened to reveal only one file.

11/233/77645- Will

Will? Who was Will? Did Pidge have another brother he didn’t know about? Lance eagerly clicked on the file, and the orange light suddenly changed colour and concentration to project an image onto the opposite wall. He turned and stepped back to see Pidge, or at least a recording of her.

She was staring into the camera, looking uncomfortable. Her hair less unruly than it usually was (did she actually brush it back?) and she was wearing nicer, non I-needed-to-pretend-to-be-a-boy-to-sneak-into-the-Garrison-so-I-grabbed-my-older-brother’s-turtleneck clothes. Lance sat on the same bed she was perched on in the video, confused and curious about what was going on.

“Well, if you’re watching this, that probably means I’m dead. That I died... somehow.”

Lance’s heart stopped. What was this?

Pidge’s eyes stared straight into his. “I knew from the moment I chose to stay and fight as a Paladin that the missions would be difficult. And, uh, deadly.” She swallowed, but then straightened. “I just want to say now that I knew the risks involved, and chose to help anyway. That no one should blame themselves for how I died, because I was ultimately the one who chose this fate.” Pidge looked down for a moment and the tiniest bit of regret shone through her determination. Her voice wavered so quietly that Lance had to strain for it. “Sorry, Mom.”

Lance stood up with eyes wide, moving towards the projection with an incredulous mind and a pounding heart. She... expected to die by the end of this? That was nonsense, he and the other Paladins would never let that happen to her. They were a team, and teams stuck together. They wouldn’t lose each other.

“I never would have seen life going this way a couple years ago. But then Matt and Dad disappeared, and... I had to do something.” Pidge made fists in her mussed sheets. “Two years ago, I thought that by now I’d be exploring the world of tech in Matt’s footsteps at the Garrison. In the future, I saw myself growing old with my Nobel Prizes. Crazy how plans can change once an alien dictator and five flying cats enter your life, huh?” Pidge had drawn up her knee and rested her head on it, looking to the left of the camera in contemplation.

Lance’s heart sunk. Was she really that unhappy with being a Paladin? Sure, he got home-sick too and the job was dangerous, but it wasn’t all bad. They’d all met each each other and accomplished so much good in the universe because of their five flying cats.

“I’d be so bored with that life now.” She said with a scoff, clearing away Lance’s uncertainty. “Albert Einstein and Marie Curie would have gladly traded in their Prizes for paladin gear. I get to experience the universe’s wonders first hand.” She smiled. “With my friends. Who feel more like family every day.”

Lance was a little stunned. Pidge was the last to admit to gushy feelings to the entire crew- yet there she was, admitting to her closeness to the Paladins she had been prepared to leave mere months ago. Lance felt like a fool for not knowing better- that of course Pidge felt the same way towards the Paladins as they did towards her. Words weren’t always necessary to understand that.

Pidge cleared her throat. “I, uh, guess I don’t say it enough but... I really love you guys.” she looked right into the camera, and the honesty on her face reminded Lance of just how young she was.

Not even old enough to drive yet.

“You won’t catch me saying that to your faces, probably ever. But I don’t mean it any less.”

Yet she had finished a video in preparation for her death.

“Mom, if you’re watching this... which I really hope you are if I never return... know that I don’t regret what I did. Even if I paid for it in the end, I will never regret finding Matt and saving Dad. You know it would have killed me in the end if I did nothing when I knew I could. That just isn’t me.” Pidge’s expression was fierce, pouring out the explanation she never had the chance to say in person.

It was the most difficult thing Lance ever had to watch- but he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His horror and shock rooted him to the spot, along with a pinch of painful curiosity- he’d never seen Pidge so open and up front with her feelings.

“I don’t regret it... but I do regret abandoning you, taking off without a backward glance.” Pidge’s face crumpled. “Their disappearances tore us apart when we needed each other most. I knew I was distancing myself, but I couldn’t accept their death and couldn’t stand being around so much grief...” Tears began to gather and her voice sped up. “I’m so so sorry Mom, I was all you had left and then I just left without a goodbye-” a sob broke through her words “Goodbye’s aren’t even that difficult when you know you’re coming back. I was so sure I would be coming back then, and now things are different which is why this goodbye is so much harder-”

The longer Lance watched, the more his heart broke.

“Sometimes, I-I just want to go home s-so badly-”

He had no idea Pidge held this much grief and regret inside her every day- Lance had never lost someone he loved. He didn’t know she never expected to return home or see her mother again.

The clip suddenly cut off and a new one began, with a calmer but puffy eyed Pidge. “If the Paladins ever make it back to Earth... I want you to have the digital photo album I’ve kept on my mini-projector. It’s got stills and videos of all kinds of things I’ve seen and done across the universe- the planets I’ve visited, the aliens I met. I can’t wait for you to see Beezer, he’s incredible. It’ll be our way of catching up, I guess.” She allowed herself a small smile. “My time in space wasn’t all galactic wars and hyper-drive, and I’ve always thought about how much you would’ve loved it out here. The variety and scope of vegetation alone would have had you drooling.” Pidge’s mouth quirked up at the edges.

The entire ship stood silent in the cold vacuum of space, holding its breath as Pidge ran through the family she fought so hard for, telling them not to miss her too much (but I’d be nice if someone named their kids after her or something) and listing what she wanted them to take- assuming they ever got access to it.

And then she started talking to him.

“Lance...” His head snapped up and he leaned forward, desperate to know what Pidge wanted him to know if she never got around to it. With every other person, she had drilled straight through what she wanted to say, with cuts here and there for when she became too emotional. But here she paused.

And then a new clip began, skipping over what Pidge had been about to say.

“Take care of Kaltenecker for me- you know she needs a strong role model in her life. Also, you get my copy of Killbot Phantasm. Be careful though- since I just made the playbox out of spares and my own convoluted process, if you break it again, there won’t really be anyone to fix it...”

There wouldn’t be anyone to play it with him at all, so what would be the point?

“I have something else I want to tell you Lance... but, uh, not as part of something I know everyone else will be watching. I’ll still probably be able to feel the embarrassment from beyond the grave.”

Pidge wanted her her last words to him to be something embarrassing? Why?

“It’ll be on the second file of this device.” She pointed at the camera accusingly. “Matt is forbidden to touch it.”

Lance frowned. There had only been the one file on the projection device.

She moved on, letting Allura know how much she admired her, telling Hunk that she’d always been jealous of how easily he connected to people.

“Never stop cooking, Hunk- you have a gift. I’m still shocked that you made me like the taste of Werfan Worms.”

To Coran she expressed how appreciative she was of his father-like acceptance and to Shiro she thanked him for being a leader in the moments she was most lost. Even to Keith, she told him how much she respected him and his quiet but fierce loyalty.

“I know you care more than you let on, Keith- I’m the same. But don’t distance yourself when you’re scared. It just hurts more.”

Lance was the only one to get an extra file- but that wasn’t what he was thinking about by the end of the video.

“Life will go on without me, and I need you guys to as well. I know firsthand how difficult it is to lose somebody, and made this because I would’ve traded anything to hear their voices one last time...”

Another cut.

“I guess I’ll be waiting wherever Rover is. Don’t stop living if I do- someone needs to kick Zarkon’s ass if I’m not able to see it through. Also, make sure the next Green Paladin’s good to Green- let them know that I’ll come back to haunt them if they don’t.”

She looked so small in the frame. Her socks weren’t matching.

“As Shiro likes to say, it’s been an honour flying with you all. Someday, I hope we get to fly together again.”

The projection abruptly shut off, and it left a blank Lance staring at a blanker wall. The sudden silence built to a point he couldn’t stand, and Lance began to pace (as much as he could in the cramped obstacle course that was Pidge’s floor) just to keep his thoughts moving.

The possibility of Pidge’s death suddenly seemed all too real. Lance had long ago taken everything the smartest Paladin said as truth- if she thought she had no chance of surviving this war... was she right? What did that mean for the rest of them?

Lance found it nearly impossible to imagine their team continuing on without Pidge. Who was going to hack Galran information right out from under their noses? Who would go along with his goofy charades and suggest jumping into a fountain when they couldn’t afford their favourite game? Who would finish a whole batch of peanut butter cookies overnight?

His hands were shaking and his face was wet.

Lance couldn’t lose her- but watching her will felt like a sealing of her fate. How much time did any of them have left before they had to make the ultimate sacrifice?

“Lance?” The silence was finally broken by the room’s loudspeaker.

Lance yelped and jumped off of Pidge’s bed, heart racing a mile a minute. After hearing her voice ramble on for the past twenty minutes, it took a moment to convince himself that the projection hadn’t just turned back on.

Pidge was back from her mission, alive and well.

Lance came back to himself, wiping away the moisture on his cheeks and in his eyes while frantically tripping over clothing piled in the way to the room’s comm.

“Lance? I’ve been circling the castle for the better part of five Dobashes- you better not be in the shower right now.” Pidge didn’t bother hiding her annoyance.

Lance didn’t need anymore encouragement in his rushing. He held down the comm button.

“Yea-” His voice came out pathetically shaken and he quickly cleared his throat. “I mean, uh yeah, I’m here.”

“I’d be better if you were at the hangar’s instead, unlocking it so that my lion can get in. Honestly, I don’t see the point in the hangar‘s locking safety precaution; if the lion’s quintessence can be replicated, I’d say we have bigger problems on our hands-”

“Maybe you can take it up with Allura when she gets back.” For the characteristically dramatic and upbeat Paladin, his words were oddly subdued.

There was a long pause. “Lance, is everything alright?”

He clenched his teeth against the sudden swell of emotions her words brought on. No, it wasn’t. It was definitely was not alright when the youngest, smartest, and bravest Paladin of them all was prepared to say goodbye. Indefinitely.

“Peachy.” His words were curt. “I’ll get to the hangar now.” Another pause. “Alright, if you say so.” Everything about her tone made it obvious she didn’t believe him.

The eerie silence in the castle did nothing to ease his tense mood, and he’d almost stomped over the space mice on his way down. Indignant squeaks brought him back to himself, and Lance let out a deep sigh when he stooped down to pick them up. Their calming chattering at his shoulder did nothing to quell the battle taking place in his stomach, and every step grew quicker and more frantic. It felt like awhile since he’d heard her voice- could something have happened to her because he took too long to get to her?

Lance reached the Green hanger’s doors at a run, newfound fear (the fear of losing her) making the steady hands of a sharpshooter shake. A pass-code and hand-scan later (ever since Kuron, Allura’s been a tad obsessed with castle security), the doors of the hangar slid open.

From his place behind air-tight doors, he watched as Green made her landing and the doors shut. Lance stepped into the hangar the same moment Pidge did, exiting from her lion’s mouth.

She removed her helmet and replaced them with the glasses she didn’t really need, but not before cleaning the smudges off on her shirt first. Pidge looked up then, and paused. Lance was staring at her as if she were about to disappear forever.

“Alright, something’s definitely wrong. What happened?”

(Part 2 coming soon!)

#voltron #plance #lance mcclain #pidge gunderson #pidge #lance #allura #hunk #keith #shiro #coran

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huff-le-and-puff · 5 years ago

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Template by: @hogwartsmysterystory

I saw this post done by other people and it inspired me to make my own.

☆

Hogwarts Mystery Character Profile- Alexa Clark

General Information

Name: Alexa Marie Clark

Age: 15 (start of 5th year)

Gender: Female

Nicknames: Pip (by Jacob), Lex (by close friends), My Bow(trickle) (by Barnaby)

Date of Birth: 26 August 1973

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: Irish

Species: Wizard, Animagus

Blood Status: Half-blood

Family

Father: Richard James Clark

Muggle

Owns his own restaurant

177 cm and of average weight, light brown hair with a reddish tint, his face is always slightly red

Despite marrying a witch and having magical children, he still refuses to believe the wizarding world exists (he believes he is sending his children to a very exclusive private school)

Makes the best Shepherd's Pie

Has family in America

Mother: Madeleine Marie Clark (nee Rosier)

Pureblood

Sorted into Gryffindor, despite coming from a line of Slytherins

When she married Richard, she was banished from her family (who thought highly of blood status).

Became a potioneer (Richard thought she was just a chemist) until Jacob's disappearance. She became so embarrassed from her son's actions that she quit her job and completely disappeared from the wizarding world and helped her husband run his restuarant.

Petite and forgetful (constantly left potion ingredients around the house for her children to accidentally get their hands onto)

Since Jacob's disappearance, she began to blame herself for not seeing Jacob resort to her blood family's ways and completely isolated herself from the wizarding world and her daughter.

Brother: Jacob Edward Clark

Born in 1964 (nine years older than Alexa)

Half-blood

Sorted into Hufflepuff due to his loyalty and patience towards his sister

After learning about the Cursed Vaults, he knew he had to get the treasure to support his family, and to give his sister some more excitement in her life. He was so determined that he forgot to take a step back to see the damage that he has done along the way.

Affiliation(s)/Organization(s):

Hogwarts

Hufflepuff

Magical Characteristics:

Boggart: A Snake (Alexa fears the unlikely, for snakes in Ireland? Highly unlikely. She fears that something that is highly unlikely is going to happen, such as running into already prevented danger. Plus she also has a giant phobia of snakes due to the rumors about the Chamber of Secrets.)

Mirror of Erised: Alexa surrounded by her family and Barnaby all smiling happily without the weight of war and curses on their shoulders.

First Wand:

Hornbeam

Dragon Heartstring

11 inches

Inflexible

Pets:

Remy (A rat she found her first year that has stuck with her since the very first day)

Franklin (Toad)

Jonas (Cat)

Patronus: Cheetah

Patronus Memory: Jacob coming home from his third year at Hogwarts with a stolen Confusion Concoction he made in class. They used the potion to confuse their father while at their cousin's birthday party the week after Jacob got back from school.

Animagus: Cat

Amortenia:

What she smells- Fresh laundry, sandalwood, cinnamon

What she smells to others- parchment, lavender, fire

Appearance:

Height: 158 cm

Weight: 62 kg

Complexion:

Tanned skin, just like her mother, with freckles sprinkled all over her face

Has eczema all down her right arm. She likes to tell others that it is a burn from fighting dragons when she was a small child. No one ever believes her.

Hair Color/Style:

Medium-length dark brown hair; tends to turn reddish when she spends too much time in the sun

Extremely frizzy so Alexa tends to constantly pull it back into a low ponytail to keep it under control and out of her face

Eye Color: Brown

Hogwarts Information:

Worse Class(es):

Flying: Although Alexa isnt the worst at flying, she prefers to be on the ground. She hates going too fast, causing her to fall a little behind during class.

History of Magic: No matter how hard she tries, Alexa can never remember years and what events happened at what time. Her concept of time goes over her head, never knowing what happened when.

Best Class(es):

Potions: Although Snape is super strict and is constantly putting Alexa down for her work, she is really good with potions due to her mother. She was always on top of her studies for potions came natural for her.

Charms: Alexa is one of the top in her year with Charms (running head and head with Ben Copper). During her free time, she tutors first-year students and is constantly practicing new charms in the Charms Classroom.

Least Favorite Teacher:

Rakepick: From the very beginning, Alexa refused to trust her. Alexa has always gotten an eerie vibe from her and refuses to get too close to her (both physically and mentally).

Favorite Teacher:

Professor McGonagall: Alexa looks up to Professor McGonagall as a mentor. Even though they are from different houses, McGonagall is always there to steer Alexa in the right direction and Alexa appreciates all of the extra help she does to keep her in the right path in life.

Closest HPHM Friends:

Rowan Khanna:

From the moment they met each other, they both knew they would be friends for the rest of their life. Together they would study for upcoming tests and prepare for the Cursed Vaults. However, as time went on they began to drift apart. But once a month they both stay up all night and catch each other up on the drama in their lives as they share Chocolate Frogs and other sweets with each other.

Penny Haywood:

The two girls bond over their enjoyment of potion making together. They constantly gives each other tips about various things without no explanation or reasoning at all. Penny is the girl that Alexa can go to whenever she has a problem. Penny always knows what to say and always calms down Alexa's nerves.

Bill Weasley:

Bill is like the replacement brother for Alexa. Ever since Jacob ran away, she has been lost without any guidance or protection. But when she met Bill, she knew she had someone to call family if she ever needs it. Bill is always there for Alexa, adopting her as his own sister. They have a close sibling relationship that has bonded them forever.

Barnaby Lee:

Alexa and Barnaby was an instant pair as soon as they laid eyes on each other. Although they did not recognize their feelings right away, the two bonded immediately. It wasn't until the Celestial Ball their 4th year that Alexa had the guts to ask Barnaby out. Even then, they were not officially dating until a week before the end of the year when they went on their first official date. Alexa has always been patient with Barnaby's slowness but it was always worth it when he would surprise her with cute sketches of bowtrickles (Alexa's favorite creature) in her textbooks and notes.

Favorite Spell(s):

Episkey- She is always injured or hurt

Accio- Lazy af

Alohomora- She is forgetful like her mother and always forgets to bring keys with her

Depulso- Alexa's go-to dueling spell

Trivia/Random Facts:

Despite having fun being a Curse Breaker, Alexa also enjoys helping and curing others. After Hogwarts she becomes a Healer at St Mungo's until right after the second wizarding war when she takes a 4 year break to help Bill Weasley with the surplus of cursed items from the war.

She marries Barnaby Lee 2 years after graduating from Hogwarts. They have a small wedding with all of their friends from Hogwarts.

Her favorite ways to pastimes include: visiting the magical creatures she has adopted, playing Wizard Chess, and going to Three Broomsticks to have a butterbeer with her friends.

Barnaby and Alexa snuck out of their houses during the summer before their 5th year (during the week of Alexas birthday) and camped out in the woods, enjoying nature and the creatures they found (both magical and non magical)

Alexa has a Weasley sweater that Molly knitted for her. Instead of the sweater having a giant A on the front, Bill told his mum (on purpose) to put a W on it (making Alexa an unofficial official Weasley)

Her favorite bands include: Weird Sisters, Journey, and Blondie

#hogwarts #rowan khanna #ben copper #barnaby lee #hphm #bill weasley #hogwarts mystery

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soapberryspringsrpg · 7 years ago

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Anais Morreaux || Vampire || Taken || Eva Green

rape tw

On the backbone of the French revolution, Anais Morreaux was born in 1799 to parents Arni and Marie Dubois in a small village near Paris. As an only daughter growing up during Napoleon’s rise to power, Anais was a child protected from the chaos of the wide world, growing up at the estate her parents worked at. A butler father and a laundress couldn’t provide much for their child, but she still spent her younger years in happy play and learning with her peers. As she slowly stepped into adulthood Anais started taking lessons and becoming a governess, showing intelligence and diligence in her duties.

As the wars ended, peace spread in the country and Anais was free to pursue work away from the estate she was born at and she moved to Paris to be a governess for two lovely children of a couple who were friends with her previous employer. When she was seventeen, through her connections to the family she met the young and perspective Remy Dubois and the two fell desperately in love. Remy was an honest man, hardworking and sweet, and he courted her gently, but consistently. He lavished her with gifts and attention, all provided by the remaining wealth his family gathered during the wars, and his own sharp interest in investment showed her his unrelenting spirit.

It was not long before they were married. It was a joyous occasion for both families, vows exchanged in the picturesque French countryside and soon enough Remy and Anais had a home of their own. During these few years the wealth of her husband allowed her to pursue her interests in full and she committed to learning languages and history, art and music. She abandoned her old job as a governess, and while she was happy with her newfound life, a deep longing settled in her – a wish to have a child of her own.

This proved to be a challenge; and after five years of trying, Anais and Remy were out of options except adopting. While Anais was more than happy to give a home to a child unwanted, it sat ill with her husband who slowly turned bitter and cold. Their relationship that held such a spark in the beginning was now frayed and distant, and Remy could not accept a child into his home that did not carry his blood. He turned to liquor, while Anais kept her lips tight, more and more spiraling down into despair. Their wealth diminished over the next two years and Anais was forced to take up work again, governing children of others – a constant reminder of what she could not have.

It was one of the nights when she was working late, coming back from her lessons that she returned to their home to find Remy between the thighs of their maid. At a loss for words she crumpled like a leaf while the younger girl ghosted away and after that, her pain bubbled to the surface. She snapped and yelled, screamed herself hoarse, recounting the downward spiral that her life has taken from the moment they gave up on a child. With a cold-blooded stare Remy dismissed her rage, easily blaming her inability to conceive as the cause of their rough life. She was out of options. At that point, she decided that she could not take it anymore and as she stood up to pack her bags and leave, Remy turned violent. That night, he raped her and beat her – a grotesque homage to their early years of marriage, and she stayed put, quiet and withdrawn, unable to process what her husband did to her.

What neither of them could imagine was that from that one night of inconceivable horror, Anais would finally get pregnant. Nobody could tell who was shocked more – her or Remy; but the occurrence alone was not enough to lift Remy up and he continued his cheating and drinking, all in front on his pregnant wife’s nose. Anais kept put, nursing her pregnancy, awestruck that a night that brought her so much suffering was now bringing her the biggest joy of her life. It was short-lived, as those things usually are, as her violent husband kept finding ways to blame her for his problems, and after a severe beating, Anais lost the child, barely escaping with her life. Remy’s mental and physical state deteriorated after that and he died of liver poisoning not two months after.

Widowed and childless, Anais sold the house and moved to a small tenement pavilion, living with severe depression for the next two years. It was there that she met an upstanding war profiteer Gaspard Martin, a man of the world. A mere five years older than her, he was a patient man, courting her relentlessly, much to her surprise. She found herself uplifted and at her thirty years of age, married again. Gaspard was a very hardworking man and he loved to travel, so soon after the wedding he convinced her to expand their horizons and move to the United States. In awe with the turn her life had taken Anais agreed and by late 1830s she and Gaspard successfully made the trip to New Orleans, a booming city, expanding with the influx of the French.

What she found out soon was that Gaspard was not as honest as he had seemed. Instead of mansions and farmsteads he promised, she was ushered into a new life of misery, as her “husband” turned to be a hustler and drug trafficker and Anais was just the latest of his addition to the brothel in the slums of New Orleans. Kept drugged on opium to be placid, Anais was used and abused repeatedly over the next five years for Gaspard’s profit – until she was left for dead in a ditch by Gaspard himself, outliving her purpose as she was already an old maid that “nobody wanted to fuck”.

As life was trickling out of her, a tall, pale woman appeared, shrouded in the night’s cloak. A gentle word, one last kindness, and a sharp pain in her neck followed by a metalling tinge of blood on her lips were the last thing Anais remembered of her mortal life. The next night she awoke, life’s brilliance restored and outshined by her newly awakened vampiric senses, and her Sire Maieve by her side, Anais finally reclaimed herself. Taking back her maiden name, Anais Morreaux stalked the night and found her revenge on Gaspard, drinking him dry in his own bed.

In a twisted comedy of life, undeath was much kinder to Anais. She lived with her Sire for a while in New Orleans, settling in one of the mansions she first dreamed of before arriving. They preyed on the vile and mean, using their allure and strength to overpower their victims, all the while saving those less fortunate.

She and Maieve travelled during the next century, either avoiding conflict and opting for life of leisure; or taking stride with the world current of war, fighting for what they believed in, making life easier for those that they could. It was during the Second World War in France, that Maieve deemed Anais was good on her own, disappearing in the night, and Anais felt her own longing for a child more pressing than ever since her turning. In a desperate plea she turned a dying French soldier and gained a progeny of her own. It was a painful thing, when he saw his new chance of life as an abomination and walked out into the sun, leaving her once more alone and empty. It was then that she decided that Europe had nothing more to offer her, and she moved back to the US and established herself in New Orleans, city of her rebirth.

Over the last century Anais became a household name in the supernatural underbelly of New Orleans, establishing a business of selling flesh – another glimmer of her past that she wanted to rectify now that she had the means. She created a high luxury brothel, catering to humans and supernaturals alike, but always bound to the rules she enforced – utter respect for the workers and no nonsense attitude towards violence of any kind. She also successfully Sired two children of her own, a wandering daughter that she lost contact with right after the 1950s, and a son with whom she shared the business with.

In the later 2017 Anais received a letter from her Sire; last in the line of infrequent correspondence they tenuously kept – inviting her to a new and wonderful place – Soapberry Springs. Maieve did not divulge any details except the invitation and a guide, but promised that in Soapberry all would be revealed. Thus Anais found herself packing her bags and leaving her business booming under the watchful eyes of her son, inviting her daughter to join her if she ever wished – and going towards a bright and different future that would unravel the secrets of her Sire’s disappearance once and for all.

To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? “I haven’t controlled a thing during the first 35 years of my life. I lived under the “guise of choices, but I was never the one making them. And well, since then… I’ve had the luxury of a few lifetimes to do only what I choose.”

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? “Both are important, for different reasons. You need to know what is right in the first place, to be able to do it right. The right things done wrong end in terrible ways; wrong things done right are horrible from its conception.

#sbsanais

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Framing Britney Spears Review: FX Doc Is a Pop Horror Story

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The FX docuseries The New York Times Presents takes a celebrity turn on the installment “Framing Britney.” But this is no tabloid exposé, even as the gossip rags and paparazzi become inadvertently complicit. The series provides consistently dedicated longform journalism as a matter of course. Their beat is varied. It’s covered front line workers, booted a hacking network, and chased a killer.

“Framing Britney” doesn’t present a homicide case, though legal minds might argue a life has been taken away. It is a true crime documentary, but the truth hasn’t been determined, and the crime is hard to define. There is a fiduciary element, and questionable mental health is a contributory factor. It is also a missing person’s case where the exact location of the victim-at-large is known. Well known and splashed across newsfeeds at a moment’s notice if there’s even a hint of a move. That’s part of the problem.

“Framing Britney” does a very good job of breaking down the incredibly confusing legal details. Since what has been called a very public breakdown in 2008, Spears has been under her father Jamie Spears’ conservatorship. This is also known as a guardianship and it is normally limited to people with diminished capacity who might not be capable of making decisions. Spears entered the conservatorship at age 26. She acknowledged it was necessary when it began, but at 39, wants the conditions changed.

The court documents call Britney a “high-functioning conservatee” who is still raking in the bucks. James Spears’ conservatorship may have been legally dubious, but it has been profitable, bringing the star from the depths of a bottomless spending spree to a net worth of well over $60 million. The conservatorship has done so well, even James’ initial co-guardian, the aptly named Andrew Wallet, wants a raise, and The New York Times Presents wants to know why. Britney’s attorney Samuel D. Ingham III tries to explain as much as he can, but he’s only privy to so much information. The documentary makes it seem Spears’ case is too profitable to get resolved. It’s not about health, but money. Even the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge is named Brenda Penny.

The subtext of the documentary has even saturated Spears’ song titles. “Work Bitch,” “I’m a Slave 4U,” “Overprotected,” all describe the neverland Britney inhabits, and “Framing Britney” lets you know it without stating it explicitly. Baby, she’s been hit more than one too many times. And it drives her crazy. It drives her fans mad as well. They’re only angry but they’ve been labeled insane by the opposition. Britney’s father dismisses them as “conspiracy theorists.” Some members of the #FreeBritney movement say they feel so gaslighted they sometimes doubt what they know. But they know, and are very good at getting the inside scoop.

One sequence recounts an anonymous voicemail message to the fan-produced podcast “Britney’s Gram.” It is obviously big news, and the fans who produce it do the right thing. They make all the right disclaimers. They do their due diligence, vetting as much as possible, cross-checking as much information as they can get. The self-appointed Britney-fan-journalists are organized, intelligent, and so well-informed Britney herself thanks them on record highlighting the word. They go to the hearings, take minutes and share them via google doc, insiders confess to them. They are a serious media concern, and this writer hopes when they achieve this goal, they don’t give up on their network and what it can do.

The fan/journalists dig through every conservatorship document available to the public. This may be part of a New York Times series, but they are star stringers, and director Samantha Stark is absolutely justified in treating them this way, albeit with tight editorial restrictions.

This may be the most innovative aspect of the episode. New York Times journalists Jason Stallman, Sam Dolnick, and Stephanie Preiss teamed with Left/Right’s Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, and Mary Robertson on this project. They enthusiastically analyze and incorporate the information they get from the grassroots fan-based press which sparked The Free Britney movement. Over the past few years, cellphone-recorded incidents and social media feeds have been changing the way news is gathered, providing first-hand accounts of harassment, protests and aggravated law enforcement tactics. The New York Times Presents produces one of the best mixes of the evolving media landscape. It is a transitional program, adhering to traditional journalistic values while vetting the upstart alternative media.

“Framing Britney” watches Spears’ followers as they scrutinize the star’s Instagram posts. Since disappearing from public view, these are the only glimpses into the megastar’s life, and she appears to be packing as much into the short clips as she can. Almost every post artfully weaves a mysterious clue, but even the fans admit, anyone can read anything into all of them. Spears’ lyrics have come under similar microscopes leading to vast and dark conspiracies. Britney could be singing about watching The Sixth Sense in “Girl in the Mirror.” The lyrics to “911” could be interpreted as a plea from a monarch-programmed sex-kitten. She never even officially released her response to a famous ex-boyfriend’s teary-eyed breakup song.

The documentary includes insightful interviews, especially with Felicia Culotta, who was with Spears from the very beginning of her career. She is to Britney what Mal Evans was to the Beatles, the one who did the day to day work. She was hand-picked by Britney’s mother and James Spears’ ex-wife Lynne Spears. Culotta stood with Britney for Times Square selfies on the first trip to New York. An early talent manager talks about how dedicated Britney was to her musical and performance studies, and the documentary shows stills of the singer on different instruments. We see the rise of a female pop phenomenon in the age of the boy band.

This is where “Framing Britney” earns its title. The directors indirectly infer not only has Spears been set up for some kind of blame, the entire picture is off-center. Sure, the #FreeBritney movement has become a cause célèbre, and the documentary shows Cher, Miley Cyrus, and others hoisting flags during concerts. But when Britney shaved her head and told people to stop touching her, she was a late-night talk show joke regurgitated on daytime game shows.

The documentary highlights how, from the moment Britney took off Mouseketeer ears and got ground through the American pop-star machine, she was a target and an easy score. “Her rise was a global phenomenon,” the FX advance press promised. “Her downfall was a cruel national sport.” One segment of the documentary shows a chorus line of well-known names making sport of Spears. The series shows Justin Timberlake treating radio interviews like locker rooms, and Us Weekly heading the cheerleading squad.

The piece sheds a completely different light on Spears’ public breakdown in 2007 and 2008. While an interview with former MTV VJ Dave Holmes reveals how professional, friendly and focused she was on set, one the paparazzi squad talks about ducking the famous umbrella attack. Even in retrospect, he doesn’t get it. He still doesn’t think his actions, chasing the pop singer around in a car while she tended intricate family business, had anything to do with her beating on his car door with an umbrella in the middle of the night. He acknowledges Britney had told him to lay off, but the cameraman assumed the requests applied to specific moments, not forever. It makes it seem Britney had to advise the paparazzi on a case-by-case photo op basis. Who does that?

One of the highlights of the documentary comes at a big announcement of her second Las Vegas residency in early 2019. Britney, who did her share of comedy acting on Saturday Night Live, does a perfectly broad impression of a Mel Brooks late-night Tonight Show appearance. She walks onto the stage and keeps walking. It is art. It is a major statement from the fabricated pop star.

One of the sad truths the documentary inadvertently points out is a series of artistic “what might have been” scenarios. Known only as a singer and dancer, we’ve never gotten to know the singer as a musician, because everyone cared about the gossip. People dismiss Britney as a dance pop artist without thinking that dance pop is an art. In spite of its intentionally static rhythms, it is often more intricate musically than rock. Britney, the artist, never stopped looking to expand the sounds. She was one of the pioneers of dubstep, taking it from the London club scene to the tops of all international charts. The documentary shows a series of unrelentingly harrowing questions about dating, boys, and the dangers of her young feminine sexuality. At one point Britney has to respond on camera to the news that some mother in the Bible Belt wants to shoot her dead. “I’m nobody’s babysitter,” the singer mouths, ad-libbing like the young professional she is, before cameras linger a little too long.

Ultimately, The New York Times Presents gives us a horror documentary, as scary and unfathomable as The Blair Witch Project, only more chilling because it is not fiction. Even Stephen King veers from this kind of harrowing suspense. It’s a pop-up, and you have to wait for it. They don’t reveal it until the end credits, though we’ve known it from the beginning. As the producers are thanking their contributors, they mention they reached out to Britney Spears herself. She never responded. They don’t even know if she got the message. This is dramatic brilliance. It is subtle, effective, and as the final visual burning in the mind’s eye, provocatively expansive.

“Framing Britney” is worth watching for the details, the history it tells, and the history it captures inadvertently by virtue of its hybrid journalistic filmmaking. This is Millennial Media and it is fitting the subject is Britney Spears, the most iconic figure of that generation. The full-length documentary, without ever expressly proclaiming it, shows how the star is being saved by her peers. An entire community, linked with nothing but love for their favorite singer, comes together to do right by her. It’s their prerogative. K-Pop fans showed the power of their stans as political weapons. “Framing Britney” presents entirely new possibilities.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The New York Times Presents “Framing Britney Spears” debuts Feb. 5 on FX and FX on Hulu.

The post Framing Britney Spears Review: FX Doc Is a Pop Horror Story appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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watercoloredlie · 7 years ago

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Title: What They Needed Most

Summary: When all was said and done, Amara had told Dean that she was giving him what he needed most. What if it wasn’t just Mary that Dean needed the most?

Notes: So I was missing Pretty Bird and with tomorrow being @laurelwinchester birthday, I thought, what the heck, I’ll write this. I’m aware that the timelines are probably off, but whatever lol. So I hope you have a very happy birthday tomorrow, Becks! You deserve it!

What he needed most. Those words kept replaying through Dean’s mind as he tried to figure out what Amara had meant. The sight of the blonde standing before him took his breath away. He knew from the blonde hair and the white nightgown that it was his late mother Mary Winchester. When she turned around to face him, Dean enveloped her in a hug. The first one he had been able to give her since he was four years old.

To say that she was overwhelmed with being alive again for the first time in over thirty years would definitely be an understatement. They weren’t sure if it was temporary or permanent. Though Amara’s choice of words definitely had Dean feeling as if it were not temporary. Either way, both of her sons were thrilled to have Mary back in their lives.

“Who is this?” Mary’s voice pierced the silence of the room as she picked up the framed photo of the beautiful blonde with the brilliant smile from beside his bed. It was beside a photo of Mary with little Dean.

Dean swallowed hard feeling his chest tighten a little. He had told her about Amanda, Cassie, and even Lisa. But he hadn’t yet told his mother about the blonde that still held his heart.

He sighed taking the frame from her staring down at the picture for a moment. “Dinah Laurel Lance. Lost her about a year ago.”

“Uh..My.. My name is Dean Winchester and I’m an alcoholic.”

It was a first step at least. He wasn’t about to admit to Sam that he had been right. He was nowhere near ready for the ‘I told you so’ speech. Dean said his piece and sat back down. He listened to other people give their testimonials and was about to get up to leave when the last person to speak for the night caught his attention. She was blonde with sparkling blue eyes and a smile that could light up a whole planet. There was an ethereal glow about her that seemed to just take his breath away. She received her chip that day for being thirty days sober.

“Hi. I’m Dinah Laurel Lance. You can call me Laurel. I know it may not seem like it now, but what you did tonight was really brave.”

She had approached him first once the meeting was over and he got over his nerves quickly asking if she wanted to talk more over coffee. It was Laurel that suggested a nearby diner where they sat for hours talking over coffee and pie. She told him about Oliver, Sara, Tommy, her parents, and her drinking. He told her about his parents, Sam, and hunting. It was the most honest he had ever been with a woman from the start.

They had only officially been dating for a few weeks when she asked him to take her on a hunt. He was against it at first wanting to protect her until the night he discovered her own little secret. She took him to the Arrow cave or whatever you want to call it. Felicity had let them in promising to keep Oliver away for as long as they needed. Dean felt as if he had walked right into a comic book movie when he saw the leather suits on display. Laurel stood in front of hers and smiled that brilliant smile that he loved at him.

“I’m the Black Canary.”

A chuckle fell from Dean’s lips as his strong arms wrapped around her waist. “I know. You might wear a mask, but you can’t mask that ass.”

She smacked his chest playfully as he leaned down to kiss her. Of course he knew it was Laurel. Nothing she could do would ever disguise her beauty.

Dean reluctantly agreed to let her go hunting with him and Sam knowing full well she could handle herself. Despite a few bruises and scrapes, the three of them made it out of the hunt fairly well. It was only a few weeks later that the Black Canary was gravely injured during a battle. He had made it to the hospital as fast as he could. She was already out of surgery when he arrived.

“You’re the love of my life, Dean Winchester.”

Of course it didn’t matter that Oliver and her father were standing right there. She felt weak and she wanted Dean to know exactly how she felt about him. Her hand fell limp in his grasp and the doctors rushed in though it was too late. Dinah Laurel Lance was gone.

Her death had crushed him. He was used to losing people he loved, but her loss had totally broke him. Even himself dying hadn’t helped matters because he came back as that which he despised most. A demon. Thankfully Sam and Cas were able to bring him back to normal again. Now here they were with Mary back and all Dean could think of was Laurel.

Sliding open the nightstand draw once he was alone in his room again, Dean sighed as he picked up a small black velvet box. He held it in his hand opening it to reveal a diamond engagement ring. He had gotten it a month before she died.

“Was that for me?”

Her voice was clear as day and he shut his eyes for a moment wondering if he was hearing thing. Standing up, he turned around and nearly dropped the box at the sight of Dinah Laurel Lance stepping out from the shadows. She seemed sort of upset, but it was only seconds later that her beautiful smile appeared upon her face.

Dean took a step closer to her and then stopped. “But how?”

“I’m not really sure. All I know is that Amara says you’re welcome.”

At the mention of Amara, he took her into his arms hugging her tight and spinning her around which made her laugh. “Is it really you?”

“The first time you let me drive Baby, I pressed down too hard on the brakes and you got mad. We got into a stupid argument that wound up with me on top of you in the passenger seat. Then you just had to say that you’d let me drive Baby more often if we ended up like that. Oh and Sam caught us when we were finished. There was also the time I slept over the bunker for the first time and I went to the kitchen because I was thirsty. Cas appeared out of nowhere startling me and I screamed so loud that you ran in with Sam with your guns drawn ready to fight.” Laurel recalled memories that only he and her would know.

Dean pulled back to get a good look at her and grinned softly. “It really is you.”

“It really is me.”

He hugged her again before pulling her into a lingering kiss. It was seconds later that he dropped to one knee. “I know this is nowhere near as perfect and romantic as you deserve. But I don’t want to wait another second. When I picture my life as happy, it’s with you. Dinah Laurel Lance, I never got the chance to say it before, but you are the love of my life. There is no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my days with than you. So what do you say, Pretty Bird? Will you marry me?”

“You bet your ass I will. Yes, of course I’ll marry you, Dean!”

When he awoke the next morning, the bed was empty beside him and his heart sank. Had it all been a dream? Dean sighed in relief when he saw her walk back inside their room. She greeted him with a kiss and smiled. They stayed like that for a bit and then he went to wash up before starting on breakfast. Part of him feared that his mother might have been taken away from him in exchange for him getting Laurel back, but those fears quickly disappeared when he found her having coffee with Sam. He greeted Mary with a hug and then moved around the kitchen happily making breakfast for everyone.

“Slept well last night?” Mary inquired smiling curiously at her older son.

Dean grinned softly watching as Laurel appeared in the doorway just then with her ring on full display. “Best sleep I’ve had in over a year.”

Sam followed his gaze and a gasp fell from the taller man’s lips. “Laurel?”

“Hi Sammy. Oh you must be Mary. I’m Laurel. It’s an honor to finally meet you.” The blonde grinned as she entered the kitchen greeting Dean’s family.

It was only after she hugged them both that they noticed the ring and congratulations was given to the happy couple. Of course it was Sam that asked how she was back and they simply said Amara. It was the same reason Mary was back as well.

Laurel’s return to Starling City wasn’t exactly what she hoped for, but she was relieved to know that her loved ones were all safe. She was thrilled to reunite with Thea and had already put word out to let Sara know that she was back. It was her first night back as the Black Canary that she discovered that she had been replaced. Hearing that her father had given his blessing and that both he along with Oliver believed it was what she would have wanted made her grow incensed.

“What I would have wanted? Are you both kidding me? What I wanted was a boyfriend that wouldn’t cheat on me with my own damn sister. What I wanted was a father that wouldn’t blame me for all his problems. What I wanted was a mother that was actually there for me. What I wanted was some damn respect around here. Look, Tina is a great girl, but you can’t just pass on the Black Canary thinking it’s what I wanted. Dinah Laurel Lance was and is the Black Canary. Dinah Laurel Winchester will be the Black Canary.”

“Laurel, please...”

“Ollie, Don’t. I became the Canary because I wanted to feel strong after losing my sister all over again. I got sober and I felt closer to Sara by being the Canary. Then I was helped to realize that I couldn’t be the Canary because that was Sara and I am not Sara. I am Laurel and I am the Black Canary. It’s more than just a name, okay? So instead of putting pressure on this girl to live up to the Black Canary name, why don’t you let her choose her own identity?” Turning on her heel, Laurel walked out of the Arrow Cave in her gear leaving both men in her wake.

The Lance-Winchester wedding was a small gathering in a beautiful garden in Central City. Thea was maid of honor. Sara and Iris were bridesmaids. Sam was best man. Barry and Roy were groomsmen. Cas officiated the wedding. The whole Legends team was there. As were Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, Harrison, Wally, and Jessie. Even Laurel’s old friend Joanna was there as well. Lyla and little Sara were there as well beside Mary in the front row. Diggle had the honor of escorting Laurel down the aisle.

It shocked the couple that the whole day and evening went uninterrupted. Part of them expected something to interrupt the wedding or maybe the reception. But nothing did. For once, Dean and Laurel had a perfect day.

#laurel lance #dean winchester #the black canary #supernatural #HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKS

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