#and I certainly would not have MARRIED HIM

[very-grownup]

Whenever scolding or lecturing posts come across my dash I'm always confused by what seems like the imaginary people they're addressing, but I just spent time this evening with my niece and nephew.

I don't know if I'm the "cool" aunt in their lives, but I'm the aunt who would improvise dance music and bop them around when they were babies. I'm the aunt who wrestled with them and let them climb all over me and plop down and demand my attention. I'm the aunt who watched videos of giant cockroaches with them and let them lead me in games. I'm the aunt who tonight was shown many, many stickers of "Wings of Fire" dragons and asked my opinion on them and a rubber calculator where you can make a big number and then do minus a little number and if you keep pressing the equal sign you can see the big number going down and you can pretend it's the health of an enemy in a videogame. I'm the aunt who sat through so. much. Paw Patrol.

I think you probably have to do time in the Paw Patrol or equivalent mines if you want to be an adult in a child's life that they feel is part of their life, which is more important than being the cool aunt.

I do know I was privileged to have a cool uncle (did you know men-types can also have deep relationships with their younger relatives?). He passed away from cancer last year, tragically young. But he was cool. He was the coolest adult I knew as a child. He had turtles he cared for well enough that they were huge, stately creatures. He would wrestle you in the water and lift you high above his head and splash you down. He would take an interest in what you were doing and find common ground and engage with you about it and listen to you and he was the coolest adult you knew as a child. I was ten or eleven when he married my youngest aunt, so I was approaching teenagerdom which was a dreadful time, but it was when I started to learn about science fiction, mostly through comedy like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Red Dwarf. But he /had/ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He had Red Dwarf /novels/. He gave me a copy of The Princess Bride and Ben Elton's Stark just because. He recommended The Martial Chronicles. He watched The X-Files.

I don't think he was trying to be the cool uncle. He was just himself and paid attention to you enough to see who you were and talk to you about the things that made you feel like an adult.

After he died, there were a lot of comments and memories about how cool and involved and loving he was and I hope he knew that. I'd like to think I might be so remembered by my niece and nephew and the other children I've been lucky enough to have in my life.

It's not about being cool, really, but about being engaged with them in the time you spend together (I only saw my cool uncle for a week or two in the summer until I graduated high school) and being an honest version of yourself so they can find the part of you that they think is cool and building on that.

Because, in retrospect? Geologist with turtles who reads science fiction? Not particularly cool. Certainly not universally cool. And I imagine what other young people in his life responded to was different than what I responded to, what cemented him in my mind as a cool adult. Maybe he had his own Paw Patrol he endured to spend time with my younger cousins.

I don't know, I just love my niece and nephew a lot and I want the world they're growing up in to be better and kinder and I feel blessed when my autistic nephew takes my hand to lead me downstairs to play a game with him or, like tonight, asks me if I have Minecraft on my phone because he wants to be able to invite me to his Minecraft server. It's exhausting but still heart-warming how goofy and unselfconscious my niece is in her excitement when I come over and she forgets she's almost a teenager (she's eleven, but she'll be twelve soon, and that's basically thirteen).

...

God the Paw Patrol years were rough.

I know that a lot of you are banking on having little to do with your nephews/neices as children and then becoming their "cool aunt" once they become teenagers, but I think that you will find, upon analysis, that a random middle-aged woman stepping into a whole-ass teenager's life and arbitrarily declaring herself to be a "cool aunt" is, in fact, the least cool thing it's possible to do.

[1d1195]

Neighbors Extra VII

Read Neighbors here | ~1.8k words

From me: surprise! This has been in my drafts since I finished the original storyline

Warnings: none

Summary: It's the first s'mores fire of the summer. She and Harry are in love with their little life. And Rory hates lying.

“Hey lad,” Harry said. They were sitting on the couch watching the latest Disney movie that Rory had been asking to watch. Harry paused it and Rory looked at Harry curiously. He wondered if he forgot to put his shoes away or a different chore that Mumma asked before she left to see his Auntie. “D’you remember when y’went to the hospital cause y’were sick... and we ate pancakes the next morning?”

“I remember. Mumma made chocolate milk,” he nodded.

“Right,” Harry chuckled. The real highlight of that morning it seemed. “Do y’remember me asking if I could date, Mummy?”

He thought for a moment and nodded. For Rory, that was a weird question when it was asked. But he didn’t think too much of it in itself because he was little. Also, Harry was his best friend, so he didn’t really mind because it just meant he got to play with Harry more often. “Yeah, I remember.”

Harry smiled, took a deep breath. “Do y’think you’d be okay with me marrying Mummy?”

“What’s that? Like have Christmas with Mumma?” his little brow puckered together. “We already do that Harry, silly.”

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. Rory was the cutest thing in the entire world. “That’s merry with an e, lad. I said marry with an a. D’you know what marry means?”

He shook his head. “I hearded it once in a movie.”

Harry smiled and looked at his hands a moment before he looked up at the now six-year-old. “I ask Mummy if she wants t’marry me and if she says yes, I have t’give Mummy a ring t’put on her finger. And then we would have a big party.”

“I like parties,” Rory smiled impishly nodding his head.

Harry laughed quietly again and nodded. “Me too. All of our friends and family would come and... well I’d be Mummy’s husband and she’d be my wife.”

Rory knew those words from kindergarten. His teacher had a husband. “Wouldn’t you be my dad, then?”

Swallowing nervously, Harry nodded. He was wondering if Rory would think about that. “Well, yeah, kind of.”

“I thought you already were,” Rory shrugged casually.

Harry chuckled. He could have cried if he wasn’t trying so hard to keep it together. “Well thanks, lad. I kind of think so too. This would make it a bit more real.”

“Would you and Mumma have another baby?”

“Maybe,” Harry smiled. He certainly hoped so.

“I think Mumma would like a girl,” he told Harry. “So then she would have someone to play with like I play with you.”

Harry smiled. “So I can marry her?”

“Does this mean you have to kiss more?” He wrinkled his nose.

“Probably.”

“I still don’t like kissing,” he grumbled.

“I know, lad. We won’t kiss that much in front of you.”

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged. “You can marry her. Can we finish the movie?”

Harry pulled Rory into his arms and gave him a huge hug and kissed the top of his head. “I love you, Rory,” Harry said knowingly.

“I love you too, Harry,” he giggled.

*

“Mumma, do we have s’mores stuff?” Rory asked.

“Hmm... let me go look,” she said. “I’ll get some drinks, too. Do you want anything in particular, baby?” She asked looking at Harry.

Harry’s heart warmed at her kindness as always. “M’fine, kitten, thank you.”

“Careful around the fire, boys,” she said as she headed back for the house to look for supplies and drinks. Rory was sitting patiently by the fire while Harry kept an eye on him and the flames. Glancing toward the gate leading out toward the front he saw a single hand wave over top and then a thumbs up.

“Hey lad, d’you remember our conversation from a couple weeks ago? When I asked you if I could marry Mummy?”

He nodded watching the flames. “We’ll have a party, right?”

Harry chuckled. “Yes,” he nodded. “Would y’want t’help me ask Mummy?” He wondered.

He shrugged. “Sure!” He wasn’t doing anything at the moment. Mumma and Harry always said he was a really good helper too.

“Good,” Harry grinned. “M’gonna ask her when she comes back out. D’you think y’can give her this?” He asked, handing him a card from the back of his chair’s pocket compartment. He nodded. “Tell her y’made it at school and y’want to give it to her now,” he winked.

“That’s lying, Harry,” Rory pouted and shook his head. “Mumma doesn’t like lying.”

Shoot. Harry forgot that Rory was the sweetest little boy in the world. “You’re right. S’a little fib, I promise she’ll forgive you. This is the one time.” He wrinkled his eyebrows together and pursed his lips. Rory really wanted to help Harry. But he did not like the idea of lying to Mumma. She would get really mad. “I promise this one is okay,” Harry said again.

Rory sighed and nodded. “Okay... just this once though.”

Harry nodded and crossed over his heart. “Just this once.”

“Alright boys,” she said returning with her arms full, silencing Harry’s prep work. “I have the goods. Are we ready for the first s’mores fire of the summer?” She said wrinkling her nose so cutely as she settled the stuff on the nearby patio table. Harry glanced at the gate once more and then back to her.

“Here, love,” Harry said moving to her side and pressing a hand on her lower back. “Let me,” he smiled. “You sit,” he said pressing a kiss on the side of her head so gently she wondered what that was all about. It was just s’mores. And she liked s’mores. She was good at making them and didn’t mind in the slightest. But it was nice as always for Harry to just do things for her after so many years of having to do everything on her own. Even when he did little things like scooping Rory up from his car seat or carrying the groceries in, it just made everything so much easier for her.

She thought about the month and a half she tried avoiding Harry. It was by far the stupidest thing she had ever done, and she wondered often what would have happened if she never got over her silly fears. But fortunately, she didn’t have to worry long, because Harry was right there, making s’mores for her and Rory like he always did.

“Mumma, I made this in school,” Rory said suddenly pulling her from her thoughts. Rory looked at Harry impishly as he handed the envelope to his mum. Good thing this would be the only lie. He was a little worse for wear on the delivery.

“For me?” She smiled curiously and took the envelope in her fingers. She slid open the top.

“Uh-huh,” Rory giggled sheepishly.

Harry glanced at the gate again and then held his breath as she pulled the card from the envelope. “What’s it say, Mumma?” Rory giggled and if she hadn’t already been reading the words on the card, she would have realized Rory had no part in this little scheme.

She turned suddenly after her eyes scanned the card once and she looked at Harry with wild eyes. “Harry?” She asked nervously.

“Harry said I could lie,” Rory said quickly seeing her discomfort and was worried he would get in trouble. He didn’t like it when Mumma was mad at him. Mumma was the best and didn’t ask Rory to do anything except to not lie. “Just this once,” he promised.

“That’s okay, love bug,” she said softly barely looking at him as she did. Relieved that he wasn’t going to upset Mumma, Rory sat back in his chair and waited for Harry to do whatever it was that he wanted to do.

For once, she ignored Rory. Her eyes stayed on Harry as she felt her heart nearly beat out of her ribs. “What does it say, beautiful?” Harry smiled. His eyes were so gentle.

“It says ‘Life is s’more fun with you, will you spend the rest of it with me?’” She read carefully.

Harry bit his lip. “It is s’more fun with you,” he repeated, and he moved in front of her chair and knelt between the fire and her. “Will you marry me?” It was amazing Harry could be so hopelessly in love with her and have her still be so surprised that she was deserving of love that was so all encompassing, Harry sometimes wondered how he could stay upright.

“Really?” She whispered breathlessly and her eyes darted to Rory so briefly, but Harry still caught it.

Harry chuckled. “Yes, really, you silly, sweet thing,” he rolled his eyes. “M’horribly in love with you and would like t’spend the rest of our lives together,” he repeated. “Please marry me?” He repeated.

“Are you sure?”

“Jesus Christ, just say yes!” Her sister’s voice distinctly called from the front gate.

“You brought my sister here?” She asked with a teary giggle.

“Auntie?!” Rory shouted and ran for the gate.

“Um... I brought everyone... I really anticipated you saying ‘yes’ a lot quicker than this,” he chuckled awkwardly. Rory opened the gate, and the entourage of people Harry invited came through the gate. Her eyes lifted to look at them so briefly she barely saw who was in attendance. Her eyes returned to Harry knelt before her waiting expectantly for her answer. “I’ll beg if you want,” he said softly with a grin.

“Mumma, look! Grandma’s here!”

She smiled and waved to her mom standing beside Anne and Gemma who were watching with such happy smiles. “You really want to marry me?” She asked softly. As if no one was in the backyard except her and Harry.

“Very badly,” he nodded, and he pulled the box from his pocket. “Maybe this will help,” he smiled gently. The diamond glittered in the sun so beautifully. Harry was wonderful. He always was and this was no exception. But she closed the box quickly as she answered.

“I’d marry you without it,” she whispered.

He chuckled, shook his head at her. “So that’s a yes?” Harry had never felt so happy. He didn’t think she would say no, but he knew she could convince herself she didn’t deserve happiness if he gave her enough time.

“God, yes,” she nodded and giggled excitedly. She leaned forward as Harry moved toward her as well and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

“You said no kissing!” Rory called.

She laughed against his lips, ignoring her son’s protest and continued kissing Harry. “I’ll love you forever,” she promised.

Harry grinned, nodded, and kissed her again as he mumbled against her lips. “And then some.”

--

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[burningcheese-merchant]

Sooo, I have a thought from an ask i saw about yandere beasts towards the ancients...

What if the Beasts became yandere towards YOU instead?

Although, the Ancients have the same feeling too, which may lead to high tensions in the air.

What would YOU in that scenario?

-A Self-Aware/Yandere lover Anon

Wait, me? Me specifically? Merchant? The person answering this ask? That's certainly an interesting thought...

If the Beasts became yanderes towards me, then I would fucking panic lol. I don't condone this kind of behavior irl, it's fun to write fictional crazy people but nobody wants to endure ACTUAL crazy people. Stalkers are sick and dangerous and need to be put away, and it's a damn shame it's not taken seriously by law enforcement anywhere (not until it escalates to violence, anyway, unfortunately)

With that said, let's terrorize Merchant for a little bit

IF THE BEASTS ARE STILL JUST COOKIES:

Step on them immediately, they're like 3 inches tall wait, would that work? They have powers and are crazy strong. What can they actually do against humans? Would stepping on them just break my fucking foot?

Send my dog after them no wait, I don't want them to hurt my dog. I love my dog very much. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him. I'd never forgive myself if I let him try to eat them and he just got turned into flour or something

Pour milk on them ONE OF THEM IS MADE OF MILK ALREADY GODDAMN IT

Hide the box of cookies I like to get from the store, because they probably wouldn't appreciate the fact that I love to eat cookies (they're just like this 🍪 but still)

Try to trap them in the fridge momentarily, hope they don't destroy my nice fridge

Make a deal where they are allowed to live in and explore my house provided they damage nothing and hurt no one

Give them head scratches (especially Spice, his head looks Very Scratchable)

Give them tiny little kisses if they behave themselves (however, if I give one a kiss, I have to give them ALL kisses, or else the other 4 will retaliate against me out of jealousy)

I will also allow them to sit on my shoulders if they behave themselves and don't try to yank on my hair or my ears or something

Wait, do cookies know what sex is? Are they capable of sexual feelings? If so, how do they deal with them? Do they have the... equipment for that? WHAT IF THEY TRY TO HUMP MY FINGERS OR SOMETHING OH GOD-

Contact federal authorities and hope that they believe me when I say superpowered talking cookies are in my house, so they can come take them away and perhaps experiment on them

Probably never sleep again because there's a batch of little satanic cookies in my house that all want to fuck me for some reason (I'm ugly and a normie, wtf did I do to deserve this 💀)

IF THE BEASTS ARE HUMAN:

immediate death

panic x10000000000

I hc Spice as being at least 6'5''/198cm and 200+/90+ lbs/kg so I'm cooked 7 ways to Sunday just with him

Seriously I'm just a short nerd irl. Assuming they still have their powers, my life is literally over

Do everything in my power to convince them all my loved ones are dead so they don't go harm them out of jealousy (ESPECIALLY my SO, God have mercy, I'll probably have to tell him to go hide in his home country for a while)

Try to barricade myself in a church, hope that the "demons cannot set foot on hallowed ground/in God's house" rule applies to them, beg God to save my sorry ass while they try to break in and drag me back out

Can't call the cops because A) stalking and harassment are not taken seriously by police, B) they won't believe me when I say that 5 supervillains are trying to kidnap and marry me, C) by the time they realize I'm telling the truth, they will already have been hanged/put into a coma/beheaded/turned to flour/cut up into salt cubes

I actually only like men irl so I am in deep trouble with Flour and Sugar especially

Try to flee the country (probably won't work but I'll try anyway and hope they don't get too mad about it), hide out in the Yukon or some bumfuck nowhere village in Russia, I'd rather face a polar bear than these guys

Probably still be forced to let them live in my house in exchange for peace and obedience

...I don't know if tiny head scratches and kisses would cover it this time

Hope that they're all possessive enough to only harass me one at a time, instead of... more than one at a time, because that counts as sharing and yanderes don't really like doing that

Try to pit them against each other constantly. If they're too focused on arguing about who I belong to or whatever, then they can't focus on tormenting me

Would like to try to stab or shoot them but idk if conventional weaponry works on them at all

If I HAD TO pick one to say yes to, it would be Burning Spice. He is sexy af. Then, hopefully, I can weaponize this and get him to defend me from the others

IF THE ANCIENTS LIKED ME TOO, BUT WERE NORMAL:

Yay, sanity. I'll tell them to PLEASE get the Beasts away from me. They can sort out whatever they feel towards me later, we've got a bigger problem on our hands than that

COOKIES: I will keep them safe in my house under the same conditions as the Beasts: behave and do not harm anyone or anything

HUMANS: Look, can I just... send them back? How did any of these guys get here, anyway? Can I please just shove them back through the portal or whatever they used to get here? Even if I wasn't taken, I don't think I'd have the strength or patience to put up with anyone's shit. Can we just be friends? I'd love to be friends. I need a mom friend like Hollyberry in my life

If necessary, I am picking Dark Cacao. Seriously, I love my big, strong men. Merchant is a basic bitch at heart lol

IF THE ANCIENTS WERE YANDERES TOO:

Are you fucking kidding me

Am still picking Cacao, fuck all of you

[torchwood-99]

Galadriel's Successor

Two White Ladies

It has always interested me how both Eowyn and Galadriel are referred to as "the White Lady". I decided to dig deeper into their characters, and the similarities they share, to understand the significance between them sharing this title.

The conclusion I drew from this reading is that Eowyn's ultimate role is to take Galadriel's place, and become her successor in Middle Earth.

It is Faramir who dubs Galadriel and Eowyn both as "White Lady". He first uses the title in reference to Galadriel, whom he expresses a desire to meet, after hearing that Sam and Frodo have met her.

"Yet I envy you that have spoken with the White Lady.’ ‘The Lady of Lorien! Galadriel!"

Faramir later gets the chance to meet, and woo, a White Lady of his own, that of Eowyn. While the narrative named Eowyn "The White Lady" on her introduction, Faramir is the first character in the text to do so.

"Eowyn, Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!"

Appearance wise, Eowyn and Galadirel certainly share some commonalities. Both of them have a predilection for wearing white (hence the nickname), both of them are tall, beautiful, with glorious golden hair.

"Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finwë; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin."

"Lady of Rohan came forth, golden as the sun and white as snow, and she bore a filled cup to Eomer."

Warriors

Their similarities go beyond the physical. Both of them were known to be skilled warriors.

"she (Galadriel) was then of Amazon disposition and bound up her hair as a crown when taking part in athletic feats".

"But am I (Eowyn) not of the House of Eorl, a shieldmaiden and not a dry-nurse? ....But I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.’"

And both Galadriel and Eowyn came to the aid of Rohirric Kings. Galadriel's magic shielded Eorl the Young and the  Éothéod with a white mist, Eorl would go on to be the first King of Rohan. Meanwhile Eowyn famously stood between Theoden and the Witch King of Angmar, sparing Theoden from the Witch King's torment and allowing him a peaceful death, and taking down a powerful enemy herself.

"But Theoden was not utterly forsaken. The knights of his house lay slain about him, or else mastered by the madness of their steeds were borne far away. Yet one stood there still: Dernhelm the young, faithful beyond fear; "

Queens

More than appearance and military skill unite Galadriel and Eowyn. Both of them were proud, and had aspirations of queendom. Galadriel came to Middle-Earth in the hopes of having a realm of her own to rule, while Eowyn wished to marry Aragorn in order to escape what she saw as her dishonourable position in Rohan.

Both Galadriel and Eowyn intended to leave their homelands in pursuit of queendom, and in some ways, their pursuit of queendom was born of a desire to leave their homeland, and the restrictions placed on them there, restrictions on Galadriel's power, and Eowyn's freedom.

In time, both of them come to reject official queendom.

"You will give me (Galadriel) the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night!"

"Then she (Galadriel) let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. ‘I pass the test,’ she said. ‘I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel."

"And again she (Eowyn) looked at Faramir. ‘No longer do I desire to be a queen,’ she said."

However, while they both turn away from their dreams of queendom, and are officially known only as "Lady", they are still viewed as queens or queenly figures by those about them. Their deeds, their goodness, place them as "honourary" queens.

Galadriel is queen in all but name.

"Land of Lórien where dwelt the Lady Galadriel. A queen she was of the woodland Elves"

And while Galadriel turns down the Ring and the power it would give her, she is no less queenly for it.

"he (Frodo) saw her again standing like a queen, great and beautiful, but no longer terrible."

Eowyn's royal lineage is noted upon, and while she does not bear the title of queen, she is held in contrast to her queenly forebears and is not found wanting.

"For she is a fair maiden, fairest lady of a house of queens"

In fact her actions elevate her among the greatest of them all.

"Alas! for her deeds have set her among the queens of great renown.’"

And even as Eowyn begins to heal from her prior despair, which she sought to escape by elevating her position to that of queen, and when that failed, through death, and starts to look towards hope and healing, still she is a queenly figure.

"Faramir had sent for this robe and had wrapped it about her; and he thought that she looked fair and queenly indeed as she stood there at his side."

Equals

Eowyn and Galadriel may reject official queendom, and Galadriel accepts her powers will "diminish" with the destruction of the Ring, yet neither Galaldriel nor Eowyn diminish or submit themselves to the authority of others. Most pertinently, to the authority of men.

Galadriel is noted to be equally (if not more) powerful as her consort.

"They stood up to greet their guests, after the manner of Elves, even those who were accounted mighty kings. Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful."

And while Galadriel rules alongside Celeborn, who is a mighty elf, she isn't afraid to criticise him, or show scorn for his judgement.

And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.’ ‘He would be rash indeed that said that thing,’ said Galadriel gravely. ‘Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life."

Eowyn spares subjecting very characters from the sharpness of her tongue. Even Aragorn, who she holds in high esteem, she does not hold back from criticising.

"And she answered: ‘All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more"

The Warden, under whose authority and care Eowyn is placed into after being hurt, likewise isn't spared Eowyn's sass, when she thinks his words misjudged.

"It needs but one foe to breed a war, not two, Master Warden,’ answered Eowyn. ´ ‘And those who have not swords can still die upon them. Would you have the folk of Gondor gather you herbs only, when the Dark Lord gathers armies?"

And even Faramir, whom she loves, and who encouraged her to find happiness and hope once more, and turn away from bloodshed in favour of healing, experiences some teasing, when she calls out his people's racism.

"Then must I leave my own people, man of Gondor?’ she said. ‘And would you have your proud folk say of you: ‘‘There goes a lord who tamed a wild shieldmaiden of the North! Was there no woman of the race of Numenor to choose?’’ ’

Eowyn then informs Faramir that before they wed, she must leave Gondor and help Rohan to heal from the aftermath of war. That she is in the position of taking on a quest that will take her away from her love, and he is in the position of waiting on her to return when her duty is done, sees something of a reversal of gender roles between the two (a reversal or mutual combination of gender roles that is consistently seen elsewhere in their narratives, in Faramir taking on the role of gentle caregive and prince(ss) in distress, and Eowyn taking on the role of jaded soldier and valiant knight), and indicates the level of equality that will be shared between them as they take on the rulership of Ithilien.

Gifts

While the "White Lady" title was the first similarity I noticed between Galadriel and Eowyn, it was the act of gift-giving that struck me with the idea that beyond them simply being somewhat similar characters with matching titles, Eowyn was to act as Galadriel's successor after Galadriel has left Middle Earth.

Arguably, one of Galadriel's most significant roles within the narrative, is that of gift-giver. After sharing the cup of parting with the Fellowship (a duty we also see Eowyn regularly fulfil), she presents the Fellowship with gifts.

"We have drunk the cup of parting,’ she said, ‘and the shadows fall between us. But before you go, I have brought in my ship gifts which the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim now offer you in memory of Lothlorien."

The presents she bestows upon the Fellowship play crucial roles in seeing them through to the end of their quest, particularly the phial she gives Frodo.

"In this phial,’ she said, ‘is caught the light of Earendil’s star, set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Remember Galadriel and her Mirror!"

In Eowyn's final scene, she takes the role of gift-giver, and presents Merry with "an ancient horn".

"This is an heirloom of our house,’ said Eowyn. ‘It was made by the Dwarves, and came from the hoard of Scatha the Worm. Eorl the Young brought it from the North. He that blows it at need shall set fear in the hearts of his enemies and joy in the hearts of his friends,and they shall hear him and come to him."

Both of these gifts are marks of friendship as well as tools to be used in times of crisis. Frodo (and Sam) puts his phial to good use when facing Shelob.

"The Lady’s gift! The star-glass! A light to you in dark places, she said it was to be. The star-glass!’ ‘The star-glass?’ muttered Frodo, as one answering out of sleep, hardly comprehending. ‘Why yes! Why had I forgotten it? A light when all other lights go out! And now indeed light alone can help us."

While Merry blows his horn during the scouring of the Shire.

"Come on! I am going to blow the horn of Rohan, and give them all some music they have never heard before." "Then he heard Merry change the note, and up went the Horn-cry of Buckland, shaking the air"

As well as having practical uses, they both do harm to their enemies, using the same qualities that bring solace and hope to the heroes.

Galadriel's first appearance in the Fellowship concludes with her presenting these heroes with their gifts, and by the end of the novel, Eowyn takes her place as gift-giver, presenting Merry with the horn. She does so as Merry prepares to depart with the rest of the Fellowship, following shortly after Arwen has remained in Edoras to bid farewell to her kinspeople, including Galadriel. As Galadriel takes her leave, Eowyn takes Galadriel's place.

Ladies of the Forest

While Eowyn taking Galadriel's place as gift-giver harkens her ascension to Galadriel's succesor, the point of this succession is not to take on the mantle of gift-giver. Eowyn's role goes beyond gifting others with the means to go about their tasks. Eowyn has a task herself, a task that Galadriel once took up, and must now put aside.

Both Galadriel and Eowyn become the ruling ladies of fair forest lands, both of which are noted for their great beauty, and sharing a similar beauty, one described as "fair",

"There lie the woods of Lothlorien!’ said Legolas. ‘That is the fairest of all the dwellings of my people."

"When the Enemy returned our folk were driven from Ithilien, our fair domain east of the River""

"So they passed into the northern marches of that land that Men once called Ithilien, a fair country of climbing woods and swift-falling streams. "

with a particular emphasis placed on the trees that grow there.

There are no trees like the trees of that land (Lothlorien). For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers;"

"Before them, as they turned west, gentle slopes ran down into dim hazes far below. All about them were small woods of resinous trees, fir and cedar and cypress, and other kinds unknown in the Shire, with wide glades among them; and everywhere there was a wealth of sweet-smelling herbs and shrubs....Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould, larches were green-fingered, small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness."

While Ithilien has fallen to the enemy, Lothlorien is protected and allowed to prosper by the power of Nenya.

"This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, and I am its keeper. ‘He suspects, but he does not know – not yet. Do you not see now wherefore your coming is to us as the footstep of Doom? For if you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlorien will fade,"

Neyna's powers protects Lothlorien from the evils of Mordor, but when the One Ring is destroyed, Nenya's powers will fade, and so will Lothlorien. After this, Galadriel and her people will be forced to depart Lothlorien. The glory days of this fair forest land will be over.

As one fair forest land fades as its "White Lady" departs, another will blossom and grow once more, thanks to the arrival of another "White Lady".

"I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.’"

Faramir, who has been charged with defending Ithilien, who longs to see it restored to its former glory, and who envied Sam and Frodo for meeting the "White Lady of Lothlorien", has his wish come to fruition, when he meets a "White Lady" of his own, who will take on the duty of healing, nurturing and protecting the forest of Ithilien, as Galadriel did the Golden Forest.

"Yet I will wed with the White Lady of Rohan, if it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the White Lady comes."

Where Lothlorien must be allowed to fade if the Ring is to be destroyed, Ithilien can only regain its former glory if the Ring is destroyed and Mordor brought down. In this way, the fates of these two lands are intertwined. One must fall for the other to rise, just as the Age of the Elves must end, to allow for the Age of Man to begin.

Galadriel, the White Lady of Lothlorien, must leave Middle Earth as the time of the Elves comes to an end, and Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan, Lady of Ithilien, takes her place, a mortal White Lady for the Age of Man.

[girlactionfigure]

It was a "small" act.

But, at the time, she didn’t realize she was making a life-changing, and life-saving decision, not only for her but for hundreds of Polish Jews during the Second World War, helping save them from Nazi execution.

Only when she died, on April 8, 2022, at the age of 107 did the rest of the world learn of her courage.

She was born Carmen Koppel in Vienna, daughter of Frieda and Emil Koppel. Her father, an opera-loving grain merchant, chose her name after Bizet’s Carmen,” according to The Guardian, “She studied languages at the University of Vienna, taking shorthand to help with her note-taking.”

She said “My mother had insisted that I learn something useful, so I learnt to type.”

“In 1936 she married Josef Weitmann, who owned a curtain-making business in Kraków, and the couple settled there and had a son, Sascha.

“After the German occupation of Poland in 1939, the administration wanted to re-establish Kraków as Krakau, a German city. As Jews, [she] and her husband were forced to live in the Kraków ghetto, established by the Nazis in 1940. Its inhabitants were allowed to leave and return only with special permits. Josef was killed while trying to escape; Sascha was smuggled to relatives in Hungary.”

According to the New York Times, “in late 1944, as a slave laborer in the administrative offices of the Plaszow concentration camp in Poland, [she] typed an important version of the manifest of prisoners bound for [a] munitions factory in the area of the Czech Republic then known as the Sudetenland.”

“It was in those offices” that she also added her name and the names of two friends to the list, indicating her profession as “schreibkraft,” according to writer Alex Mindlin.

By typing that list, she almost certainly saved her own life, the lives of her friends, and many others, according to Mindlin.

That “list” “saved them from the gas chambers of Auschwitz, where most of the other Jews from Plaszow were deported,” according to The Teller Report.

Years later after the war, she would meet again the man who had made that list possible, the man who employed her.

She had a different last name by this time, but he still remembered her by her nickname. [She never liked the name “Carmen”, so close friends referred to her after a character in “La Bohème”.]

'It must have been around 1953,” she said. “I had gone to Vienna and I was walking along a street with an uncle. We were passing a coffee house where there was a group of people sitting. This large man ran across and hugged and started kissing me, saying: ‘Mimi, Mimi…’

“It was then that I realised that it was Schindler sitting with some of the Jews he had rescued.”

“The documents that [Mimi Reinhardt] worked on were made famous by Thomas Keneally’s 1982 novel . . . and by the 1993 Steven Spielberg movie ["Schindler's List"], both of which detailed the extraordinary lengths to which [Oskar] Schindler went to save the lives of some 1,200 of his Jewish workers,” according to the Times.

Other sources cite the number of lives saved even higher. According to AFP (Agence France-Presse) and The Times of Israel, “The lists which Reinhardt compiled for [Schindler] helped save the lives of some 1,300 Jews at considerable risk to his own life.”

“Austrian-born Reinhardt (sometimes spelled “Reinhard), herself a Jew, was recruited by Schindler himself and worked for him until 1945.”

This is a new story for the Jon S. Randal Peace Page. The Peace Page focuses on past and present stories seldom told of lives forgotten, ignored, or dismissed. The stories are gathered from writers, journalists, and historians to share awareness and foster understanding, to bring people together. And, as such, the stories are never relegated to one single month - they are available all year in the Peace Page archives and on this page each week throughout the year. We encourage you to learn more about the individuals and events mentioned here and to support the writers, educators, and historians whose words we present. Thank you for being here and helping us share awareness.

~~~~~

Reinhardt, then known as Carmen Koppel, “survived the final liquidation of the Kraków ghetto in March 1943, when 2,000 Jews were slaughtered, because the Nazis deemed her language and secretarial skills useful,” according to The Guardian.

At the time, the Red Army was approaching Poland and workers in Plaszow were being sent west to death camps,” according to The New York Times.

Reinhardt was a “prisoner at a concentration camp near Krakow, Poland during WWII in 1944,” according to the World Jewish Congress, when Schindler recruited her for a job in the camp's administrative office.

“Schindler and his Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern, who had helped to motivate Schindler, prepared the 'list' of essential workers - all of them Jews - for relocation to his new factory,' according to writer Peter Beaumont.

As Schindler’s secretary, Reinhardt “drew up the lists of Jewish workers in the Polish city of Krakow to work in the factory of her German industrialist boss”, according to writer Caroline Frost.

“This was a highly risky enterprise but is estimated to have saved . . . [the] workers from deportation and almost certain death in Nazi concentration camps.”

Reinhardt also “added the names of friends and her own married names until Schindler's quota negotiated with the SS was fulfilled: "Weitmann, Carmen, January 15, 1915, typist" is number 279 on the list.

“The rescue almost went awry” according to The Teller Report.

“On the way to Brünnlitz in 1944, the train carrying Schindler’s workers was diverted to Auschwitz,” according to The Guardian. “Death seemed inevitable. But Schindler used his military intelligence contacts to stop the diversion, claiming that these workers were vital for his armaments factory.”

“They had to stay in Auschwitz for two weeks,” according to The Teller Report.

“Mimi Reinhardt later compared the time to Dante's ‘Inferno’.”

“At the war’s end, [Schindler’s] workers were liberated, and Mimi was reunited with Sascha.”

Reinhardt “settled for a time in Morocco and then New York, where she lived for 50 years,” according to The Guardian. “She kept in touch with other ‘Schindler Jews’ whose lives had been saved by escaping the Plaszów camp under Schindler’s protection, but did not speak publicly about her earlier life until she moved to Israel in 2007.”

In Israel, she joined “her only son, Sacha Weitman, who was then a professor of sociology at Tel Aviv University,” according to The Times of Israel.

Schindler died in 1974, when he “was named by Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum as a member of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’, an honour for non-Jews who tried to save Jews from Nazi extermination,’ according to Frost. “He is buried on the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem.”

The story of Reinhardt’s “small act” came to light when she was being interviewed by the Jewish Agency for Israel. (Note, “Reinhardt wasn’t directly portrayed in the Schindler’s List film,” according to News18.)

Reinhardt “expressed regret that Mr. Schindler, whom she adored, did not become a household name until after his death in 1974,” wrote Mindlin.

“He would have loved it, the attention,” she said.

She added in another interview, "I saw a man who was constantly risking his life for what he was doing. He was human. He must have had a heart of gold."

Reinhardt spent her last years at a nursing home north of Tel Aviv.

She is “mourned by her son and his family, as well as the thousands of people whose parents and grandparents she helped escape certain death,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

She has three granddaughters, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

In the image attached, Sasha Weitman, son of Mimi Reinhardt, holds an old photograph of his mother in Herzliya, Israel, (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit).

Of her contribution to history and assisting Schindler in saving hundreds of her fellow Jews, Reinhardt said, “I was just typing the list.”

~ jsr

The Jon S. Randal Peace Page  

[bethanydelleman]

My lit studies professor said that in the 2005 movie, she's not sure if Elizabeth really married Darcy because she loved him or because she wanted to be the mistress of Darcy's mansion after seeing it. Thoughts?

Huh. I don't agree. This movie was my first time engaging with the story and that's certainly not what I thought, but also, this little moment is one of the things 2005 got right:

For me it's a great representation of the line, "They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!" Given that Elizabeth is more likely to laugh then wallow in disappointment, for me it fits.

P&P 2005 firmly established that Darcy was extremely rich before the proposal (half of Derbyshire). By the time Elizabeth visits Pemberley, she has received the letter and knows that she was wrong about Darcy, so to me her reaction was like, "He's a much better person than I thought and this is what I turned down!" which is the same vibe as the book.

However, there are a lot of people who have never watched P&P 2005 who take this line in the book way too seriously:

“It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began; but I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.” Another entreaty that she would be serious, however, produced the desired effect; and she soon satisfied Jane by her solemn assurances of attachment. When convinced on that article, Miss Bennet had nothing further to wish. (Ch 59)

even though Elizabeth is clearly joking. So I would say blaming P&P 2005 for this idea in general would be wrong.

[presidenthades]

Can you please give your headcanons on the Alicent & Daemon marriage. It'd be NUTS. We know what Daemon does to a wife with brown hair brown eyes no matter how pretty she is 👀

Also how would TargBros™️ turn out in that family in your opinion? (Aemond would be such a daddy's girl lol) Sadly Daemon doesn't interact with his children at all on the show and Baela even said sometimes she hates him. What would Daemon do with a neurodivergent daughter (Helaena)? Would he dismiss her or would he realise she has dragon dreams?

I believe Daemon is snobby about being Valyrian, and he prefers a Valyrian wife. He also simply does not like Rhea as a person. From what little we saw of Rhea, she’s very headstrong. But so are Laena and Rhaenyra, whom Daemon does like.

The difference with Rhea is that she’s brutally upfront about not liking Daemon, and she verbally cuts him where she thinks it hurts. Meanwhile, Laena and Rhaenyra actually like Daemon, and their headstrong qualities are more akin to flirtatious sassiness than Rhea’s blatant dislike. So Daemon has a certain degree of attitude he will accept from his wife/the women in his life, but he won’t tolerate someone who’s just mean to him (which is fair, although he gives as good as he gets).

I also think Rhea being non-Valyrian AND headstrong is even worse in Daemon’s book. He could justify Laena and Rhaenyra with “they’re Valyrian ladies of the noblest birth, they deserve to be prideful.” But Rhea is of First Men blood and proud of it, without any drop of Valyrian blood. I think Daemon would like (or at least tolerate) her more if she were meeker.

That’s all setup to explain why I think Daemon/Alicent’s marriage could actually work. They wouldn’t love each other, but they could have children, share a household, and fulfill various spousal duties without killing each other.

Alicent is of First Men and Andal blood (some readers theorize the Hightowers also have Valyrian blood due to Oldtown possibly being a Valyrian outpost, but I’m going to ignore that theory in this post). That counts against her in Daemon’s book. However, Alicent as a young girl has a very different personality from Rhea (and Laena and Rhaenyra). She’s demure, courteous, and obedient. She is willing to adapt to her husband’s expectations and tastes, as we can see from how Alicent dresses in Targ colors before the Green Dress scene.

She isn’t whom Daemon would choose, but if he had to marry her, I think he would learn to be content with his marriage. He has a wife who listens to him, takes care of household stuff he isn’t interested in, and publicly presents a united front with him/his house. Although she is the daughter of his hated rival, this might eventually become a positive for him, because he can gloat about bedding Otto’s daughter on the regular. 💀

On Alicent’s side, she seems genuinely pleased when Daemon asks for her favor in S1E1. I think she shares many young ladies’ view of Daemon as a dashing (and roguish) knight. That, plus the fact he’s a Targaryen prince, makes him an excellent marriage prospect for her—on paper at least.

In private, Alicent would probably disagree with a lot of Daemon’s actions/decisions. If she tries to talk with him about it, she would have even less success than with Viserys. She may feel like Daemon looks down on her too much, whereas Viserys at least appears to consider her input (sometimes) when she offers it.

The marriage would almost certainly cause friction between Alicent and Rhaenyra, especially if Daemon continues to push boundaries with Rhaenyra. That’s probably the riskiest part about the marriage. Alicent grew up in a society where highborn women ignore their husbands’ dalliances, but it’s hard when the potential dalliance is her best friend/husband’s niece.

In general, it’s a bad idea to count on kids to save a marriage, but I think it would help Daemon/Alicent. Daemon would be thrilled with four kids—three of them sons—who look extremely Valyrian. Alicent in this AU can focus more on her immediate household and children, without also worrying about duties as queen. She also isn’t stressed about Aegon becoming king, because her children being Daemon’s are definitely behind Rhaenyra according to standard Westerosi succession norms. Also, with Daemon as the father, she isn’t worried about Daemon murking them on Rhaenyra’s behalf.

With Westeros being a deeply gendered society, Daemon would be much closer to his sons than with daughters. He’d be more hands-on than Viserys, and he would personally teach them sword-fighting and dragon riding.

Aegon greatly benefits from an attentive father, a less paranoid mother, and less uncertainty over his heir status (or lack thereof). He probably goes on a lot of Flea Bottom trips with Daemon, but Daemon, who wants his sons to reflect well on him, can make sure Aegon doesn’t go too crazy.

Aemond is probably the favorite child. As the second son of a second son, he bonds with Daemon over that. Lots of father-son bonding in the training yard. I could see Daemon telling Aemond he’ll get Dark Sister one day, but he has to earn the sword first.

Daeron probably keeps the same dynamic with Daemon as in the Handbook. Way too chipper for Daemon’s preference, but Daeron is the baby so Daemon puts up with it. Daeron is definitely not being sent to Oldtown.

It’s normal for daughters’ education to be presided over primarily by their mother, so Helaena ends up being the least close to Daemon. I think he does like having one girl, just to break up the boy litter a bit. He probably has a similar relationship with her as with Rhaena. Distant, no idea how to bond, just leaves her with his wife. Maybe throws her a bug-themed present once in a while. I don’t think Daemon would figure out the dragon dreams on his own, because it he doesn’t believe in such things/disdains them.

[szilverer]

unfortunately, it was inevitable for my ghostie to marry their brainwashed stalker, but they're still making it a punishment for him.

(ya might be wondering damn what makes someone inflict poor edward on themself? well, to put it simply. you take what you get)

for starters, this ⬇ was the first dream i came across after my 8 year hiatus.

so i was like, oh, ok. love? what love?

guess chasing love is a main theme for them now. good luck rei. you woke up alone, and you have no family whatsoever. you certainly don't care about that right now, but you will, your ambition will make sure of that.

cue a string of unsuccessful crushes/love interests that were either using them, only interested on something they owned, or just. straight up made their heart skip several beats and then left. (i was also focusing on LF so hard i skipped on acquaintances, and didnt start/continue MYN and other storylines that could've given them possible npc friends/platonic interests. i also thought the bewildering procession needed 125 base persuasive, which i didnt have at the time)

i feel like if they had one (1) meaningful connection that wasn't scheduled to move on without them by the end of the ambition, if there was one (1!!) person they felt would consider sticking around by their side. edward would be deadward. 100%.

but they didn't

they didn't have anyone.

this blond weirdo was the only person that would stay by their side no matter what, at least for a while, and that was only because he had no actual choice in the matter.

this marriage represents reisz giving up on chasing love. pure and simple. after months of having people to come back to they'd be left with nothing. truth or not, this was the mindspace they were in. they were just. so tired

so yeah how could they possibly not take this opportunity to assure there would be at least someone out there waiting for them. that might as well have been the only chance they'd ever get to walk down an aisle anyway.

[lemotmo]

Sorry if this is controversial but I was wondering if you also thought Josh's speech was kind of messed up? I don't remember the world Pre-Glee but I thought Buck was right using someone and then throwing them away is cruel and horrible. People are saying it was about comphet but Buck's words implied he knew he was gay and did it anyways. I don't think a lesbian woman would be "applauded" for doing that to a man?

Well, I think it's a very complex issue Nonny.

A lot of gay men and lesbian women have settled down and married someone of the opposite sex because that was what was expected of them.

Take Michael and Athena. Michael always knew he was gay, but still chose to marry Athena. He tried to make it work and convince himself that Athena and the kids was enough for him to be happy. But he was only lying to himself. He would never be fully happy with a woman.

Of course there are a lot of factors that weigh in here: time period, upbringing, religious indoctrination...

I never made it a secret that I don't like Tommy, but I certainly don't blame him for 'trying' to be with a woman to 'fit' in in society. We know that the place he worked at at the time was not very welcoming towards anyone that didn't fit the 'norm'.

And yes, he was part of that problem himself with the continuing racist and sexist remarks and actions. I'm aware. There is absolutely no excuse for his behaviour.

But that doesn't take away that he was a gay man trapped in a life he didn't really want. So I find it very difficult to 'judge' anyone for trying to 'fit in', because it's such an essential part of being human. We all want to fit in.

Next to that there were and still are (to this day) real life repurcussions if people found out your sexuality. Your family could disown you, your friends could stop talking to you, your job could become more difficult, you would have to be more alert of hate crimes...

So yes, I agree he was wrong for stringing Abby along in a two-year relationship, but he wasn't only unfair towards her. He was also unfair towards himself.

Buck saying it was cruel comes from a place of 'innocence' and 'naivety'. He means well, but he didn't think it through. Which is a very Buck thing to do.

So in comes Josh. He is older than Buck and has more experience in life and relationships. As a gay man he has probably seen it all in his personal life. He knows how some gay man try to 'make it work' with a woman.

It was a good idea to have Josh talk to Buck, but the speech he gave was just NOT IT AT ALL! The whole pre-Glee and post-Glee is just a dumb analogy.

Josh should have talked about his real life experience and how some people try to cope for different many reasons. He should have told him that these people often have a lot of inner hate because they know that they are lying to their partners and feel awful about it, but they are stuck and can't get out.

And that doesn't make it right and these women definitely have a right to be very angry and upset for being lied to, or in Abby's case she had a right to be angry to be dumped, because he didn't even tell her he was gay.

But we need to remember that this isn't just a black and white issue. There are a lot of grey areas here.

[inkshadow]

"i... okay, in my defense, i didn't think that sending you an invitation after years of no-contact was the best idea. as much as i wanted you there..." the words trail off on their own, he knows she's bright enough to finish the sentence. hell, maybe it would've been a sign to not get married had he invited her, knowing how strong those evoked feelings would be. harry tries to cast those thoughts and doubts aside. he's made his choice and what good is there in the 'what ifs', knowing how secure she's in with her relationship with ryan? "it doesn't have to be this year. the leg is the priority. probably best you take care of that fully so you can actually enjoy dancing in front so many people." not that it sounds appealing to her. it certainly made him uncomfortable to be the center of attention at his own wedding. " with a thin-lipped smile, harry gives a deep nod, almost as thanks for not subjecting his wife to such a thing. "well then. shall we get you home? i don't want to steal all of your evening. looks like the sun's going down anyways."

“i’m sorry, do i need to remind you that i wasn’t invited to yours? or are you going to pretend like my invitation got lost in the mail?” despite how it may sound, she isn’t all that bitter about it. if anything, she’s somewhat glad she didn’t have to attend and force a polite smile onto her face for hours on end. acting isn’t exactly one of her fortes and if anyone could see through the facade, it would be harry. it's probably best for everyone that she wasn't around. “either way, it’s all hypothetical… i don’t know if i can really see myself getting married.” the mere act of trying to conjure the image in her mind causes her to frown. she’s gone through enough major life changes this year without throwing that into the mix too. “your wife can sleep peacefully tonight. she’s got nothing to worry about.”

[wake-me-up-inside-imagines]

Oh, anything with him would be great. But maybe something about his love trying to escape and getting kidnapped in the process by some other big mafia boss that wants to hurt Charlie.

Or Charlie's first days with his love and what it was like (Like him awkwardly trying to be romantic with someone that he kidnapped three days ago ?-? )

Of course! I combined the first prompt with another ask I got that was similar in nature, so if you're interested, here's the link!

Since I already did the first prompt, I'm gonna do the one about Reader's first couple of days with Charlie. I hope you enjoy!

Reader's First Days With Yandere! Charlie

Warnings: Reader was kidnapped, Charlie is a yandere (and delusional), forced proximity, implications of potential Stockholm syndrome

Gn! Reader

Divider credit goes to @archonfurina

-The last thing you expected to wake up to on your second day in Charlie's home was an unknown man staring at you from the corner of your room, right in front of your new doorway.

-It was a little terrifying, at first. You've never seen this infamous Charlie before (even though it's only been a day), but you're certain this must be him. Who else would be in "your" room, staring so intently at you? From what you've heard about him, he wouldn't let any of his employees watch over you like this, no matter how high ranking.

-"You're safe," he tells you, but you don't believe him. If you were safe, you wouldn't be here, in some mafia leader's house with no recollection of how you got there. You have no idea who he is, what he's capable of, you don't even know how he knows you!

-Meanwhile, he has no idea what to do. How do you converse with someone when you have no social skills? Charlie wasn't raised in a normal environment, he has no idea how to talk to people, and he did just kidnap you, so what was he supposed to say? He can reassure you of your safety all he wants, but based on the fear in your eyes, he highly doubts that'll work.

-You hesitantly ask him why your here, how he knows you, why you of all people were chosen to marry him, and he can feel his heart break at the fear in your voice, the terror shining in your eyes. He didn't expect you to remember your brief meeting, so he tells you, watching as your horror grows by the second. Was it not normal to fall in love so quickly? What about 'love at first sight?' He doesn't understand, why are you so scared? Yeah he kidnapped you, but you were far safer with him than you would be anywhere else, don't you know that?

-He doesn't understand. he doesn't understand at all. But he knows you're scared, and he knows he's making everything worse, so he decides to leave you be, shooting one last soft promise of safety your way before backing out of the room, closing the door as gently as possible.

-As to be expected, the conversation did nothing to ease your nerves. This guy started stalking you after just one interaction? Why? Why you? What had you done to garner this attention? This was scaring you more and more by the second, but no matter where in the room you looked, you couldn't find any way to escape. There was no window, and you sure as hell weren't going out of the room, where Charlie almost certainly was. You were stuck for the time being, with no idea how to get help.

-Truthfully, the first couple of days with Charlie are pretty boring in terms of interaction with him. You have plenty of entertainment in your room, Charlie made sure of that, but you don't actually see him much. Granted, you know he's at least been there, the vases of fresh flowers and little gift left by the foot of your bed giving away his activity, but you don't see him much outside of his daily visits.

-At least once a day, Charli comes to your room, creeping in silently and watching you try to ignore him. He doesn't say much, often waiting on you to start up the conversation, but he'll start speaking after a few moments of silence, quietly asking you questions about yourself, reassuring you of your safety, and even telling you a little about his own life.

-Fortunately, the silent treatment you're giving him ends up doing the job, and he leaves defeated, closing your door until the next day arrives.

-It isn't until around the two week mark that you muster the courage to step outside of your room, ready to explore the rest of the house. You're tired of relying on Charlie to drop your meals outside your door, and besides that, exploring the rest of the house might give you the opportunity to escape. You can't do anything from your room, that much is clear, so you're only really given one option. He hasn't hurt you yet, and you're hoping he won't now. He said you were free to go anywhere in the house, didn't he?

-You can feel Charlie's eyes on you the entirety of your time outside of your room, his gaze landing on you the second you crept down the stairs. you try to ignore him, you really do, but it's hard when he's just...standing there. Staring. Not moving an inch.

-He tries to talk to you as you explore the first floor, but once again, you ignore him, your gaze darting around for anything that could be useful. It's a little hard when he's actively watching you look for things to escape with, but with all the cameras around, it was always going to be uncomfortable.

-As the days pass by, you get more and more confident, feeling more comfortable going downstairs. Charlie's still there, and he's still trying to talk to you, but you're getting used to it. Sometimes you even engage with him, although never with much warmth.

-The gifts and the flowers keep up consistently, although you never thank him for it. It means nothing when he's keeping you at his house unwillingly. Still, you can tell he's getting hope, and you hate it. You hate that he keeps talking to you, you hate that he's keeping up this 'relationship', and most of all, you hate that your engaging with him, that your need for human connection is greater than your hate for him. You hate him, but you also hate being so alone.

-He's started to get closer to you, and you flinch away at first, but eventually you get used to it. Still, you don't let him get too comfortable, as when he tries to touch you, you move away, glaring at him from a distance. You don't care how wounded he looks, he made you so miserable, he has no right to touch you.

-As the days go by, you get more used to your situation. You get used to Charlie's unnerving presence, to the constant surveillance, to being housebound. You still hate it, but you haven't figured out how to leave yet, so for now your stuck, stuck trying to make the best of your situation.

-You hate him. You hate him, and you want out, but all you can do is wait.

-As for Charlie...he's actually pretty happy. Of course, he's sad that you flinch away from him, that you still seem so scared of him, but at least you can tolerate him now! At least you're out of your room! At least you're talking to him at all! That's progress, right? He's winning you over, right?

-He knows it's gonna take a bit longer to get you to really warm up to him, but he doesn't care. He'll wait a long as it takes, anything for his spouse. Because he loves you, and he'll continue to love you, no matter how upset with him you may be.

-You'll fall for him, he's sure of it. It's just a matter of waiting.

I hope you enjoyed!

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

“To be angry is to be human”

Padme…girl….sweet, sweet Padme…I love you, I really do, but seriously…What the fuck are you talking about.

[menodoramoon]

Hercules jokes. Menodora laughs. How funny. She wonders if Mjaunie were to ever have something like that happen, how people would treat her. Both in the dream, and upon waking. Would she have been married to River in those dreams, as he was there? Neither dream contained him, but he wasn't in Swynlake to be present.

"It's certainly a way to break some pre-conceptions," Moon says, "or alter them. Dreamy first impressions. It's an interesting thought."

She's met him this way, after all.

"I think you're putting too much stock in that gift basket," Menodora says. "I promise you, I'm not that nice." If she was, she might not have started an affair. If she was, maybe her daughter would still talk to her. "But it's sweet that you think so."

She considers the idea of taking a class. She considers the idea of getting out more. She needed to. "Maybe. I'll think on it some more."

Menodora has to wonder what else there was to say. They couldn't talk more about the dream, could they? While she remembered them so vividly, he was more interested in the real her. The worse her.

"I think," Menodora starts, thoughtfully, "I hold onto the dreams because they're so vivid for me. I rarely forget them, which in itself can be a curse. And then it's interesting that everyone else has forgotten and I don't know what to do with the two versions of a person that I'm left with. At once, I want to hug you because I feel like I've known you most of your life, only that life isn't real and never was. I'm excited to know who you are, if you'll have me, but it's a strange sensation all the same."

@kouros-herc

Delayed Gratitude - Mene

[a-most-beloved-fool]

trick - post canon Cardassia garashir

sorry for the delay! It's been a hot minute since I've worked on this one, and I had to wrangle my brain into the right headspace for it!

__

Bashir was staring after the retreating nurses, his brows drawn together in a strange expression. One finger tapped idly at the glass in his hand, a restless motion that suggested that the Doctor was thinking.

Always a dangerous occupation, where Bashir was concerned – and in this case, very likely dangerous for Garak, as well.  

He took a sip of kanar, the flavor heavy on his tongue, and then let himself slip into a practiced expression of vague disinterest, directing his gaze somewhere over the Doctor’s shoulder. He suspected, however, that this would not be enough to dissuade Bashir from pursuing this thought of his, the frustrating man.

But, oh, it was Garak's own fault, wasn't it? He was the one who had allowed the Doctor to grow so close to him, who had invited him to Cardassia, of all things! Truly, he had no one to blame but himself.

And sure enough-  

“Garak,” Bashir began, tone almost frighteningly conversational as he leaned forwards over the table, “how many of my colleagues think we’re married?” 

---

from this ask game

(I know we are now well post halloween, but if people wished to send me more of these based on the game, it is good incentive to write, so i will surely not object.)

[mayxo-hxh]

I personally think that Kikyo would absolutely be thrilled that Illumi found himself a man he wants to marry as strong, handsome and fit to be Zoldyck as Hisoka.

Hisoka is strong enough to be considered an equal to a zoldyck, which means strength is no problem for him. And I don't know about you but the way he assassinated that terradin man that was threatening to reveal illumis identity at the end of the election arc? CHEFS. KISS. THATS A WHOLE ZOLDYCK WIFE RIGHT THERE. And Hisoka is a certain type of fucked up enough to be a Zoldyck, even if he is... mmm.. self aware. Even if he himself thinks zoldycks are a special kind of fucked up. He'd fit.

I always see people make silva and kikyo disagree with illumi marrying hisoka but i soooo heavily disagree. Like what is there NOT to be proud of in Illumi's marriage choice. There is not a single other character IN THE ENTIRE ANIME fit to be Zoldyck than Hisoka Morow and I will fight people on that.

Something a lot of people also don't realize is that the Zoldycks are not a family that discriminates in the slightest (this is a whole discussion on its own but examples are how Kikyo is from meteor city, the butlers are taken from anywhere as long as they have the skill to work and one of the people who attacked kukuroo mountain to hunt the zoldycks now works for them instead. The zoldycks didnt hesitate to hire that mf they fr dont gaf lmfao)

there are soooooooo many misconceptions about the zoldycks in general and i think thats what aids the whole "the zoldycks would HATE hisoka" thing but like. nah. they wouldnt.

I also think about how Kikyo found Silva at such a young age. I bet she was constantly nagging Illumi and asking when he'd get a partner himself. Now he's got it, Millukiiii ITS YOOOURRR TURRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!

[mydaylight]

I understand why people speculate about Bertha's reaction to Larian, because Bertha has been the one who has proved herself to be meddlesome when it comes to her children's love lives so far, but honestly the one who could end being an real obstacle to them is Agnes. I was rewatching s2ep1 today and Agnes is so snobbish towards the Russells that she doesn't even condescend to wish them a happy Easter when she comes across them in church. I am not saying it's certain that Bertha isn't going to disapprove of the match as well, but I think we can expect Agnes to have an equally, if not more, adverse reaction to Larry/Marian.