#should he have had a burial at sea? i think so in any other story

[despite-everything]

i've already seen some people complain about how we didn't really get to see the crew mourn izzy. but we saw some of his little funeral with his family who loved him, and then we saw them sailing more competently than we ever have before. all doing the work that he always wanted them to. i feel like some of us forgot that this is love story, yes, but it's in this pirate world. they've seen death before and they will again. but they're honoring him - he became a part of the revenge. he's always going to be part of the revenge. and ed and stede? literally living next to his grave.

[mdzs-fanon-exposed]

MDZS Fanon VS Canon: 7/?

Mo Xuanyu and Xue Yang were Jin disciples at the same time

Rating: FANON – SUPPORTED

There's a not insignificant amount of fanworks that depict Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu interacting during their time as guest disciples of the Lanling Jin sect. While we do not have any concrete evidence that the two characters ever met, it is (mostly) possible to discern whether they were guest disciples at the same time.

The timeline of Mo Dao Zu Shi is often hard to follow because specific years and dates are rarely given in the books, but using context clues, I can piece together a rough estimate of when both characters were present at Golden Carp Tower and use that to identify any points they may have overlapped.

Xue Yang:

Xue Yang's time as a guest disciple is easier to define, so I'll start with him. The earliest time we see him, chronologically, is during the flower-viewing banquet that Lanling Jin held directly following the end of the Sunshot Campaign:

Xue Yang was extremely young at this point in time. Although his face still had a boyish cast to it, he was already very tall. He also wore a Sparks Amidst Snow robe, the very picture of carefree youth as he stood beside Jin Guangyao, like a spring breeze caressing the willow. (Seven Seas Ch. 10, Part 2)

He is already a disciple of the Jin sect, although he hasn't been one for long, according to Nie Mingjue's reaction:

Nie Mingjue frowned. “Xue Yang from Kui Prefecture?” Jin Guangyao nodded. Xue Yang was already infamous at a young age. Wei Wuxian could clearly sense Nie Mingjue’s frown deepening. (Seven Seas Ch. 10, Part 2)

Note that at this point, both Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan are alive (and attending the flower-viewing banquet as well). We can assume that this happens approximately 1-2 years before Wei Wuxian's death, due to factors such as time skips and a reference to the Sunshot Campaign from when Xiao Xingchen leaves the mountain, which we know is about a year after the Siege:

At the time, it had only been a few years since the end of the Sunshot Campaign, and the Siege of the Yiling Burial Mounds had just concluded. (Seven Seas Ch. 7)

and

Twelve years ago happened to be the year right after the Siege of the Yiling Burial Mounds, so they had just missed each other. (Seven Seas Ch. 7)

We can also approximate when Xue Yang's time as a disciple ended. He had to have been a guest disciple of the Lanling Jin until between one and two years after Wei Wuxian's death. We know it was at least one year afterwards, because he meets Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan while still associated with the Sect:

Xiao Xingchen smiled, seemingly well aware that it was in Jin Guangyao’s nature to speak in an ingratiating way. “Lianfang-zun speaks too highly of me.” His gaze then turned to Xue Yang. “He may be young, but since he ranks among the guest cultivators, he must still exercise self-discipline and restraint. The Jin Clan of Lanling is distinguished, after all, and should strive to set an example in many aspects.” (Seven Seas Extra 3)

And it must have been up to two years or less because Xue Yang was both imprisoned and exonerated for the crime of the Chang Clan massacre (and therefore no longer a disciple) while Jin Guangshan was still alive:

“I’m not shielding him,” Jin Guangyao defended himself. “The incident with the Chang Clan of Yueyang shocked me greatly as well. How could I have anticipated Xue Yang would slaughter a family of over fifty people? But my father insists on keeping him…” (Seven Seas Ch. 10)

and

Jin Guangshan began thinking of ways to pull Xue Yang out of jail ... until finally, the Jin Clan of Lanling successfully persuaded Chang Ping to change his story. He withdrew all the grievances he had stated before and announced publicly that the clan extermination case had nothing to do with Xue Yang. (Seven Seas Ch. 7)

And we know Jin Guangshan died eleven years before Wei Wuxian was resurrected, from Sisi's story.

“I’ll go first, then!” She casually curtsied to the crowd. “What I’m about to tell you is an incident that happened roughly eleven years ago.” ... And the half-dead man on the bed must have been Jin Guangshan! (Seven Seas Ch. 19)

Therefore, Xue Yang's time as a guest disciple lasted anywhere from two to four years in total, beginning at the end of the Sunshot Campaign and ending approximately a year (give or take) before Jin Guangshan dies.

Mo Xuanyu:

Mo Xuanyu's timeline is harder to define, because we never actually see him while he's a disciple, and have to rely on rumors and circumstantial evidence. The only reliable information we have, date-wise, is that he was fourteen when he was called to Golden Carp Tower by his father:

And sure enough, when Mo Xuanyu turned fourteen, that clan leader sent over a grand party to officially take him back. (Seven Seas Ch. 2)

Although knowing he's fourteen isn't particularly helpful, we do know that Jin Guangshan was still alive at the time. As for the exact time frame in which Mo Xuanyu could have been accepted as a disciple, Jin Guangyao says this:

“Did you think that I would rise in position with Jin Zixuan’s death? Jin Guangshan would rather bring back another illegitimate son than have me succeed him!” (Seven Seas Ch. 10)

This implies that Mo Xuanyu was accepted into Lanling Jin after Jin Zixuan's death so that Jin Guangyao would be further down the line of succession. This sentence is said when Nie Mingjue confronts Jin Guangyao about sheltering Xue Yang from the consequences of the Chang Clan massacre. Therefore, Mo Xuanyu could have (theoretically) entered the Jin sect at any point between Jin Zixuan's death and Nie Mingjue's confrontation, the latter of which took place after Xue Yang's imprisonment.

However, I believe it is more likely that Mo Xuanyu was brought in during the aftermath of Jin Zixuan's death, for the sheer reason that it would shunt Jin Guangyao out of the line of succession quicker.

We do know that Mo Xuanyu was present at Golden Carp Tower after Wei Wuxian's death, because Jin Guangyao gave him access to Wei Wuxian's manuscripts on possession:

He had written plenty of these manuscripts back then, all penned on a whim and tossed aside just as easily, scattered all around the cave where he slept in the Yiling Burial Mounds. ... He’d wondered where Mo Xuanyu had learned such forbidden magic. Now he knew. Never in a million years would Jin Guangyao have allowed unimportant people to glimpse the remains of a manuscript on forbidden magic. (Seven Seas Ch. 10)

And although we don't know exactly when Mo Xuanyu was kicked out of Golden Carp Tower, we can infer that it happened before Jin Guangshan's murder. During the events in the Sword Hall of Lotus Pier, after Sisi and Bicao's testimonies, one unnamed cultivator says this:

"He spent the last few years before Jin Guangshan’s death busily clearing the land of his father’s illegitimate sons, for fear that someone would suddenly pop out of nowhere and challenge him for the position. Mo Xuanyu was probably one of the lucky ones. Had he not gone crazy and been booted back home, he would likely have ended up disappearing like the others." (Seven Seas Ch. 19)

This implies that Mo Xuanyu's expulsion from the sect happened at some point before Jin Guangshan's murder. Theoretically, this was done because he would be a potential threat to Jin Guangyao's legitimacy (and have gotten killed) otherwise. As Mo Xuanyu was not legitimized, though, it's unlikely that he would have posed a genuine threat to Jin Guangyao's succession. Regardless of the reasoning, the quote here indicates that Mo Xuanyu was kicked out before Jin Guangshan's death.

To be clear, however, this cannot exactly be taken as reliable evidence. As Wei Wuxian says about this exchange,

If they’re just rumors, why so quick to believe them? If they’re secrets, how would you even know of them? This was not the first time these rumors had spread. While Jin Guangyao was in power, they had been suppressed so well that no one took them seriously. But tonight, the rumors all seemed to have become hard facts with irrefutable evidence. They became a solid foundation for Jin Guangyao’s multitude of crimes, proving just how unscrupulous he was. (Seven Seas Ch. 19)

So while it's possible that the timeline here is correct, we know that (as established earlier in the books – see Chapter 1) rumors in the world of Mo Dao Zu Shi are unreliable at best and often contradictory. For the purposes of this post, though, I am choosing to assume that this is at least partially true.

So taking the assumptions I've made into account, we know that Mo Xuanyu's time as a Jin disciple could have lasted up to approximately three years, anywhere between directly following Jin Zixuan's death to just before Jin Guangshan's death.

The timeline:

Now that I have a rough estimate of when both characters were present at Golden Carp Tower, I can try to find places where they overlap. Unfortunately, even with all this sleuthing, I cannot say for sure if they were present at the same time. The chance that they just barely missed each other, though, is unlikely.

Given the most generous interpretation of their respective timelines, Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu could have been Jin disciples together for almost three years at maximum. This assumes:

Mo Xuanyu was accepted into the Jin sect almost immediately following Jin Zixuan's death.

Both Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu's expulsions happened soon after one another, within the same year as Jin Guangshan's death.

This means Mo Xuanyu would have been a disciple since before Wei Wuxian died, and that Xue Yang's imprisonment and exoneration happened on a very tight timeline right before Jin Guangshan's death. This is the interpretation that gives both characters as much time to interact as possible.

Given the least generous interpretation, however, Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu just missed each other. This assumes:

The massacre of the Chang Clan happened very soon after Xiao Xingchen descended from the mountain.

Mo Xuanyu's acceptance into the sect happened just before Nie Mingjue confronted Jin Guangyao.

This means that Mo Xuanyu's call to join the sect would have happened in between Xiao Xingchen apprehending Xue Yang and Nie Mingjue confronting Jin Guangyao about it, which is presumably a very short amount of time. This is also the least likely interpretation, as it wouldn't make much sense for Mo Xuanyu to have been accepted so late and during such a controversial period for the sect.

The most likely interpretation is somewhere in the middle: that Mo Xuanyu and Xue Yang were, in fact, Lanling Jin disciples at the same time, but that they did not have much overlap. I believe it is probable that Mo Xuanyu would have been accepted into the sect within a year or so of Jin Zixuan's death, and that the Chang Clan massacre happened at least half a year after Xiao Xingchen descended, meaning the two would have had around a year of overlap between them.

In conclusion, I can say with relative confidence that Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu would have been Jin disciples at the same time. However, I cannot confirm this as canon, as there is not enough evidence available in the books. Therefore, this must be rated as SUPPORTED FANON: the text does not directly state this is true, but it is a distinct and likely possibility.

[a-really-mediocre-writer]

Hi I love your writing and I’ve noticed you write for Chris Manawa, who I feel is under appreciated. There’s not a lot of writing on him so I was wondering if you could write something with him and reader on the boat and having a sweet moment together, like maybe messing around and play fighting? Just some fluff maybe some suggestive flirting. Thank you!

Sorry if my writing is a little messy English is not my main language.

Chris Manawa

GIF not mine, credit to @yanxidarlings

AUTHORS NOTE: hi guys so i havent written a fanfic or anything in like 3 years and my writing style may have change, lmk though if you would like me to write any other stories! requests are always open, and i have a few ideas for stories in the future as well. also after revisiting my only other chris oneshot i have realised that these are both set after his mom gets to walk the plank whoopsie

ANYWAYS I HOPE YOU ENJOY <3

---

Although the boat saving our lives from being snuffed out by the apocalypse was a luxury that it seemed no one else could afford, it had its downsides…such as the constant close quarters with everyone on board, as well as the boredom. It feels like such a selfish thing to admit whilst knowing about the fates of those we knew and loved that we couldn’t save, but at the same time I didn’t ask to be thrown into this hellscape, surely I should be allowed a pass on my lack of gratitude.

One of those who were not able to survive long enough to see life on the boat was Liza, Chris’s mother- the boy would not let us forget his grief and her loss, with it being written across his face as if it was stuck in a permanent frown. Most of us if not everyone aboard tried to avoid him and his snaps and cold tone, however as one of the only other teenagers on the sea with him I felt it was my duty to at least try to connect with him, especially after he had saved my life during the city riots at the start after I had lost my own parents in the chaos and the dead.

Chris was sat looking up at the stars on the outer deck of the boat alone. The day had been a rough one, with Liza’s sea burial not going so smoothly, tensions were high between him and his father Travis.

“Hey stranger” I said warmly as I emerged from the inner boat wrapped in a blanket, making my way over to the troubled boy.

“Hey..” He replied solemnly glancing over to me, his eyes following me until I was sat cross legged next to him. I held a spare small blanket out to the boy who declined the gesture by pushing it gently back towards me. Rolling my eyes playfully, I sat up on my knees and wrapped it around his shoulders, making him blush and stiffen for a moment, only to relax once I had sat back down again. The silence between us was deafeningly awkward.

“Soo.. Whatcha doing out here?”

“The stars are so peaceful tonight..” He quietly replied as he gazed up into the moonlit sky.

“Yeah, that’s one good thing about life nowadays.. you can see all of the stars you wouldn’t be able to with all the big city lights back at home.” I smiled gently at him and he glanced down at me before going back to star gazing. He was in deep thought and holding back tears as he kept his head held high trying to stop them from spilling out, eventually failing as I watched one stray tear roll down his cheek.

“Chris, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I am here for you and can be a shoulder to cry on if you need it…I really care about you…” After a few moments he lowered his head to look at me and his eyes were bloodshot and glossy. He stared into my eyes as if searching for something lost, and eventually raised the corners of his mouth into a weak smile to tell me,

“Thank you.”

After a few moments of silence and us smiling at each other he looks to the side out to the water, “I feel like… no one understands what I feel here… my dad doesn’t care that she is gone, he didn’t care about her he’s too busy with his new family… you are the only person that I think cared that she died.”

We sat in silence for a while, thinking about what he had said, before Chris broke it again.

“Sorry…That was pretty heavy…”

I let out a soft chuckle and reassured him, “Hey, I can handle anything you know… I’m superwoman but for like…listening to people I care about” attempting to lighten the mood a bit and nudging him on the shoulder, which seemed to work as I caught him smiling to himself and playfully nudging me back.

“Yeah yeah don’t get cocky…” He smirks at me and I mock offence, dramatically putting a hand on my chest and joking back to him, “Me? Cocky? I could never- How dare you even THINK that…” I giggled watching him roll his eyes at my dramatic outburst.

“You are so immature,” he starts, “Sometimes I wonder why we are friends…” He stares at me for a moment as if he were analysing my every movement, before his eyes land on the blanket wrapped around me like a burrito and he decides to quickly snatch it from me, laughing and saying “Maybe it’s because you’re so generous for giving me your blanket”

“HEY!!” I shout as I sit in shock for a split second before lunging at him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders in an attempt to get the blanket back around myself. We are both wriggling around at this point trying to reclaim the blanket, as we forgot that the couch had a limited space, so when he eventually tried to get me off of him we both rolled down the steel drop from the couch to the deck, landing with a thud onto my back and physically wincing at the sudden pains shooting through my back. I was more shocked however to feel Chris landing on top of me, and when I opened my eyes he was there leaning over me, his hands either side of my head. We both just stare into each other’s eyes for a few seconds too long, getting lost in his dark coffee coloured eyes; this then led to me scanning his face and admiring his undeniably handsome features and plump lips that he had begun to nibble into nervously. Feeling the blood start to rush to my face I decided to break the silence.

“Okay okay I didn’t realise that it was that serious to you…keep the blanket Manawa!” I giggled and poked his sides to shock him, which worked and his cheeks began to flush. He picked me up and I gasped, grasping onto his shirt incase he dropped me, but instead he put me onto the couch and sat next to me, opening up the blanket inviting me to sit wrapped up with him, which I accepted and crawled into his side, getting comfortable next to him as he settled the blanket over us both.

We sat awkwardly close to each other in silence for a few minutes, neither one of us wanting to scare the other away, but then Chris grabbed my hand underneath the blanket and without looking at me he said, “Thank you, Y/N… I needed this distraction from..everything…” he glances over at me “…you mean a lot to me…even if we have only just met, I feel like I have known you a lifetime, but it’s only been a month.”

I smile warmly at his words and glance at him before engulfing him into a tight hug, which he takes a few seconds to return.

“Chris, you mean a lot to me too. I would risk anything and everything for you, you are all I have left…” I feel the tears start to well up as i pull out of the hug and look him in the eyes, “…so you better not do anything stupid” I laugh and wipe my tears off of my face. He sits with an arm over my shoulders and laughs quietly about what I said.

“Maybe you aren’t ALWAYS immature and crazy… At least you aren’t boring.”

[andreafmn]

I'm Not Afraid - Chapter 1

Word Count: 3,325

Characters: Female Reader Argent Character, Original Male Argent Character, Derek Hale, Allison Argent, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore

Story Description: (Y/N) Argent arrived at Beacon Hills to put to rest her father's sister, Kate Argent. For the first time, her family has decided to settle down and sustain a life in this interesting small town. After 17 years, (Y/N) has the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships but will she be ready to face the complications that come with relating to her cousin's, Allison, friends; especially, the infamous Derek Hale. She will face the adventure of being associated with the Derek and McCall pack as well as being faced with the discovery of certain aspects of her life she never imagined.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Teen Wolf, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and MTV Network. The only thing I own is Argent Reader insert, her immediate family, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others' storyline.

Chapter: 1/?

Chapter Description: (Y/N) finally arrives at Beacon Hills for the funeral of her aunt and meets a certain wolf to which she feels a special connection.

A/N: Second fandom I'm writing for. I love Teen Wolf so much and the trope of hard Derek but only soft for you makes my heart sing. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

Next ->

Chapter 1

I hugged the black coat to my body as hard as I could whilst pushing through the sea of press. Our family's last name became quite known after the reports about my aunt, whose burial we were attending. She had allegedly burned down a house with people in it.  She killed them in cold blood. I hugged my grieving uncle and his less grieving wife, then my cousin who had a painful look on her face. I hugged her the longest. She let herself crumble on my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Even though she was a horrible person she was still our aunt, family.

I took my seat behind Allison when my father, my mother, uncle Chris, and aunt Victoria stood up. Allison didn't lift her head and neither did I. I just tried to comfort her.

"It's been such a long time I don't expect you to call me grandpa." We both looked up to see a white-haired man who resembled the Argent features. "Don't worry about it, just call me Gerard." He hugged both of us, an overpowering aura emanating from his being. When we were engulfed, I looked to the side and saw two boys squatting behind a gravestone. If they were hiding, they were doing a horrible job at it.

"But I prefer Grandpa," Gerard said walking to his seat. I sat back down and drifted off during the whole ceremony. Once it was over, I joined my parents and we drove to our new house. I have a feeling that life here will be very interesting.

That weekend I decided that I had been putting working out off for too long. I changed into comfortable workout clothes and gave food to my dog, Brody. I headed out the door, put my earbuds on, and started to jog. I really didn't know where I was going since it was a new place for me, all I know is that I kept running until I reached the woods. The bad thing about this, I had no idea how to get back home. Even though I knew of this sidetrack and I knew I would be late to get back home, I kept running, needing a release from the mundane feeling of being new in town and having to reunite from our estranged family in a funeral.

I had gained a lot of momentum. God knows how fast I was running at this point that is until I hit something, it almost felt like a wall. When I looked up, I saw a very handsome guy. Spiked hair, green eyes, and slight stubble. If it weren't for the fact that I was already sweaty I would have started to sweat showers of how nervous I was. That is until he opened his mouth.

"Watch where you're going." He growled at me.

"How about you fucking move and not be a prick?" He looked at me with big eyes, probably in surprise, but quickly changed to his menacing look. Who was he trying to fool?

"Well, this is private property, which means that you're trespassing, meaning you should pay more attention to your surroundings."

"I'm sorry but a burnt-down house with almost no walls or roof is barely a property. So, how about you stop being an idiot and I can be on my way." I started to jog once again but he gained my attention once more.

"You're new here, aren't you?" I turned around to face him.

"What's it to you?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a yes." The cockiness oozed out of his pores.

"And why the hell should that matter?"

"Because no one would dare talk to me that way."

"Who would be afraid of a little sour wolf?" He tensed up. "Dude, chill. I'm just kidding. But I doubt anyone would be afraid of Mr...."

"Hale. Derek Hale." He said extending his hand to me. Gee, after screaming at me he wants us to be acquaintances. I thought about not shaking his hand, but I didn't want to be rude. Well, more than I have been already.

"(Y/N). Argent." I shook his hand. Strong grip. Suddenly I felt a rush of déjà vu; I had met him the day before. "Wait, aren't you that guy I accidentally hit with my grocery cart yesterday?"

"Yeah, that really hurt. You hit my ankle. You could've had me limping."

"But you're not, so be grateful I didn't break your ankle." He laughed. "Damn, if I had known how cocky you really were, I would've hit you harder."

"So, you admit that you hit me?"

"Oh yeah, of course, I hit you. Accidentally that is."

"Yeah, yeah."

I looked around trying to find where the hell I had come from but there wasn't even the slightest trail as to where I was to go.

"So, miss (Y/N). Do you even know your way home?"

"No, but I'm sure I can find my way back." Then, he took keys out of his pocket and pointed to his car.

"Come on, I'll drive you around and you just tell me when something seems familiar."

"And why should I go with the guy that almost ripped out my throat for bumping into him? For all I know you could be driving me to my death." I crossed my arms over my chest, and he let out a loud sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping. But I'm trying to be nice. That doesn't happen very often."

"Alright, Mr. Hale. I'll let you take me home just because you are being nice now, after being a prick, and I'm exhausted."

"See, no one can resist me." I rolled my eyes at his cockiness. Seriously does he buy cans of it on eBay?

"Don't get cocky with me. I can punch the living daylights out of you." He chuckled and started to drive.

We drove for about 20 minutes until I finally recognized the curb that led to my house. Upon arriving at my driveway, I got out of the car and walked to the driver’s side.

"Give me your hand” For some reason, I felt compelled to do so. He took a pen and wrote down a number. "Call me if you ever need a tour of the town."

Three weeks later, I walked inside the school to meet up with Allison. I moved here with my family since dad had some business taking float. Being the new kid in town is never fun. I would know. I switch schools almost every year. The pro and con about this would be not being attached to anyone. Usually, I'm the one who doesn't talk to anyone and is called a freak. A derogatory term given to people who are way too different from others, but a title I wore proudly.

"Oh my gosh, (Y/N)! How have you been?" Allison wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. It was as if she hadn't seen me just three weeks ago.

"Hi, Allison. I've been good, getting acclimated to the new town. You?" You would think that because we were cousins, I would be more affectionate towards her but honestly, I wouldn't see her again for like three more years, so what's the point?

"I'm good. A little rocky at the start of coming here but good." Then, a boy with a buzz cut and one with great brown hair walked by and smiled at Alli. "Ooh, you should come meet my friends. Stiles, Scott!! Come here." The boys turned around with goofy grins on their faces.

"Hey, Allison. Who's this?" Buzzcut kid said.

"This is my cousin, (Y/N). She just moved here from Virginia."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Scott." The one with the great hair said.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Stiles." I shook their hands and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, too, buzzcut." Allison and Scott laughed but Stiles only ran his hand through his hair, suddenly becoming hyperaware of his lack of locks.

"Allison. Who might this sexy lady be?" I rolled my eyes. The last thing I need is a narcissist with a god-complex trying to get close.

"Oh, Jackson, this is my cousin, (Y/N)."

"Hi." He extended his hand and looked me up and down.

"Hi." I smiled sarcastically, and when I didn't extend my hand, he dropped his.

Finally, after standing awkwardly behind Allison whilst her friends talked, the bell rang. Talk about saved by the bell.

"Hey, (Y/N), what's your first class?" I checked my schedule.

"Um, chemistry."

"Oh, good, then you're coming with us to Mr. Harris' class," Scott said pointing towards him and Stiles. I smiled and walked behind them.

Once we got to the classroom everyone turned to me, the ever-present sign of being new in the class evident in the stare of my classmates.

"Um, hi, my name is (Y/N) Argent and I'm new." The teacher, whom I guess is Mr. Harris, turned around to face me.

"Oh, yes, Miss Argent. Welcome. You will be sitting next to Isaac Lahey. Lahey, raise your hand." Once Isaac raised his hand, I noticed he was sat near Stiles and Scott. Two people I was trying to avoid. As I walked past, I accidentally pushed Stiles' book on his lap, startling him, resulting in an awkward descent from his lab stool onto the floor.

"Hi, again. I guess we are gonna see a lot of each other for the rest of the school year." I nodded and he scratched the back of his neck. "So, um, what school did you come from?"

"Lancaster High," I responded whilst writing down what Mr. Harris was writing on the board. Stiles kept trying to talk to me, but I would only give him short, cold answers or just ignore him. That is until Mr. Harris called our attention, that's when he finally got the memo to shut up.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to introduce myself since we're gonna be seated next to each other all year. I'm Isaac."

"I figured." I tried giving him my best smile. The vibe he was giving off seemed like he needed it. "I'm (Y/N)."

"Well, nice to meet you, (Y/N). Now I'll leave you to the class because if I don't I know I'll be failing even more than I am."

"Oh, well, maybe I can tutor you some time. I'm actually really good at science. My mom was a chemist professor once upon a time so I'm bound to understand all this."

"Really?!" His puppy eyes seemed to light up and I nodded. "That would actually be amazing."

"Sure thing. Now let's get back to class."

After Chemistry finished, I put everything in my bag as quickly as possible and sped to my next class, Math. Thankfully, none of Allison's friends shared this class with me but I did share it with Isaac.  I didn't consider him much a friend but more an acquaintance in desperate need of help.

As the day progressed, I noticed the rest of my classes were shared with one or more of Allison's friends. They all tried to strike up a conversation but were quickly discouraged when met with my one-worded or vague answers. Especially, Stiles. He tried especially hard to get answers out of me, only being met with the occasional laugh or stare at his comical occurrences. He seemed like the kind of person you could just open up to. The same could be said about Scott. His shy nature was alluring, and he portrayed himself as a very trustworthy and loyal being.

But I would not allow myself to let them in. My whole being yearned for a real friendship, someone to share nothing and everything; never again.

At lunch, I sat outside and ate my food quietly, a book in front of my face to shield my eyes from the sun the prevalent stares of my peers. After some minutes of appreciated loneliness, the empty table was filled with conversating teenage bodies. I smiled politely but, in my mind, I was cursing them out.

"So, (Y/N), how's your day been?" Allison asked whilst munching on an apple. I swallowed what was left of my bite and answered.

"Fine, thank you." This time no one pressed on after my short answers, finally getting the hint of my disinterest. In the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac sitting under a tree munching on half a sandwich. I excused myself and went to join him, heavily enjoying his tranquil aura.

"Oh, hi, (Y/N)." He smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, Isaac. Is that all you're eating?"

"Yeah. I'm not very hungry." He looked down as if he were ashamed.

"Nonsense! Here," I gave him the other half of my burger and another bag of chips I had in my bag. "You can't tell me you're not hungry. You're a boy in peak development."

"Thanks." He smiled as he continued munching on his food. I put on some music and we continued eating in silence. No conversation required.

The day went on smoother than it started. Classes flew by fairly quickly and the incessant chit-chat seemed to diminish. During last period I was like every other student, anxiously waiting for the bell to signal the end of the school day. When my pleads were answered, I packed the necessary book into my bag and left the rest in my locker, expertly avoiding any more social encounters. Quickly, I made my way to the waiting open car door of my father's car, ignoring Allison's beckoning me t.wards the small group of friends.

"How was your first day, darling?" My father spoke up breaking my attention from the scenery.

"Like any other first day I've had." I smiled. "The towns might change but school is always the same."

Finally at home, we were greeted with the sight of my mother cooking; people were coming over.

"(Y/N), honey, Chris, Victoria, and Allison are coming over tonight. So, go do a quick workout and come back to get ready." I nodded and ran to my room to change into workout clothes.

My routine would normally consist of waking up, working out, go to school for a dreading eight hours, come back home, workout again, do my homework, eat, and go to sleep. I lead a very monotonous life and it had been this way since I could remember. One of my earliest memories was of my father teaching me archery alongside Allison, a great distraction to our always disrupted home life. As I got older, my father started training me in boxing and knife maneuvering. How would these skills help me in life were still a mystery but I felt safe knowing them.

I got changed and decided to take Brody out with me on a quick jog through the woods. "Hey, boy, ready to go?"

He jumped on me which I took as a yes and started for the woods. We ran down the same trail I had been going on for the past three weeks. Mostly, I went down this track in hopes that Derek would make an appearance, and today was not the exception. As the ruins of his house came to view so did his tall figure.

"Trespassing again?"

"It doesn't count if I know the owner." During our greeting, Brody's leash slipped out of my hand and he ran to jump on Derek, leaving slobbering licks on his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled and helped me bring him down.

"I guess he likes you, even though he doesn't like anyone but me. Guess you're special."

"Maybe." He grinned.

Out of nowhere, I hit him in the shoulder. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to run me over with your shopping cart two days ago. It was uncalled for."

"No, it was revenge. You hit ME first. In the ankle."

"You're still on with that. Come on, sour wolf. That happened three weeks ago, and it was an accident."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll give you a ride home. It's getting kind of dark." This had also become part of my routine. After "bumping" into Derek he would offer to drop me off at my house, claiming it was for security.

"Okay, we're here. By the way, the offer to show you around town is still up. Just call me whenever." He said as he stopped the car in front of my house.

"Alright, will do, and thanks for the ride, Derek. I'd invite you in, but my family is coming over."

"No worries, maybe another time."

"It's a date. Anyways, thanks again. See you when I see you."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Night." He waited until I entered the house and drove away.

"Munchkin, is that you?" My father screamed from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" I screamed back.

"Okay, well, go take a shower and get ready your uncle will get here soon."

I hurried up the stairs and hopped in the shower letting the hot water stream down my body calming any aching muscle that was palpitating. In my room, I searched through my closet for an acceptable family dinner outfit, deciding a grey sweater and black jeans would be enough. I braided my hair out of my face and went downstairs to help my mother set the table.

After we put the last plate the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I ran to the door and was greeted by my uncle. "Uncle Chris!" I jumped and he hugged me. There was no doubt that he was my favorite family member, his presence was always welcoming. His wife on the other hand was as cold as the winters we spent in New York. She was nice but absolutely scary. "Hi, Aunt Victoria."

"Hello, (Y/N)." I hugged her and said hi to Allison.

"Come in, guys." They walked in and I closed the door behind them.

"So, (Y/N), how have you been?" Uncle Chris asked while stuffing his mouth with mom's famous lasagna.

"I've been good. I mean, moving all the time takes a toll on you at first, but I got used to it. It's easy now to pack it all up once the school year ends."

"Oh, honey, that must be so hard on you," Victoria said. I could not read her tone, her words spoke in sympathetic notes with an underlying melody of sarcasm.  Not knowing what to answer, I bit my lip and nodded.

The whole evening was spent on us catching up and eating, laughing, playing games, but the good times came to an end when the clock hit 9:00 pm. It was stupid to set a curfew, but my mom usually had everyone in bed at this time, 10:30 as of late.

"You better come around the house more often." Uncle Chris demanded and hugged me.

"Yes, sir." I raised my hand to my eyebrow and saluted, as did he.

"Let's go, Chris. And thank you for the lovely dinner, Rebecca," Victoria said linking arms with my uncle and smiling at mom.

"No problem. Come by any time." They talked for a bit more and after they left, I went upstairs to change for bed.

"Momma, I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Okay, honey. Goodnight." I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail.

Before bed, I made sure everything I would need for the next day was packed into my bag and made sure my alarm was set. I pulled all the throw pillows from my bed and set them aside, then making my way to the window to draw the curtains. Something caught my attention in the backyard, though. My eyes squinted trying to make out the figure in front of me. Blinking the confusion away, I made a double-take and looked back at an empty yard. I laughed to myself as I crept into bed. Why would Derek be in my backyard?

Next ->

[cartoonus-maximus]

My thoughts, notes, and theory noodles for “Fazbear Frights #10: Friendly Face” ...

I hate that cover so much, ngl. It’s gonna haunt my nightmares, I’m sure of it!

But I really enjoyed this volume. The stories are all bangers, in my opinion, even if two of them feel more FNAF-adjacent than proper FNAF stories. (But I think that’s pretty forgivable at this point, given that some of the past stories in this series didn’t even feel *that* close to the core franchise. Looking at you, “Blackbird” and “Puppet Carver!”)

The last two volumes have really felt like they were just half-assed stories written for the sake of creating enough volumes for all the epilogues. But the stories in this one seemed more like proper stories that could actually hold themselves up, so I was pretty happy about that.

By this point in the series though, you can tell that the editor/s just did *not* care. Characters are called by the wrong names, the wrong words are used, and there are weird jumps between sentences that an editor should have smoothed out. You start to get the feel of how little genuine interest the publishing team had in these books, and I think that’s pretty sad, given how much love the franchise gets from its fanbase.

Anyway, on to stories about cats, sea monkeys, springlock suits (and their failures!), and, as always, dead kids.

Spoilers under the cut:

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

"Friendly Face"

- We're introduced to a 13-year-old boy named Edward, who lives alone with his mom, who is a lawyer. - He looks so much like his mother, their resemblance is "uncanny." - Edward is a science geek, and briefly gets in trouble with his mom for reading at the breakfast table instead of eating his breakfast. - Due to his short attention span, Edward messes up a science experiment in school, which results in the entire class getting hit by a cloud of pepper flakes. ( yikes! ) - His best friend is Jack, a boy with naturally upturned lips that make him perpetually smiling, and who likes listening to audiobooks. A frequent place that the boys (and other classmates) like to spend time at is a local hill that supposedly used to be a burial ground. - Jack is... weird. I'm not sure how else to describe him. He talks more like a robot than a teenager, and I'm not sure what to think of him. He seems harmless enough, though. - I've read that this story was originally supposed to be the origin story of Andrew, our little angry boy Cassidy stand-in, either Jack or Edward was originally meant to be Andrew. The back of the book description even still says "Andrew" when it means to say "Edward" (the editors have been asleep for the past few books). While neither boy shares any personality traits with Andrew, if Andrew's childhood/home life was anything like these boys', I can see where his anger may have started from. - Edward's father left when he was three, and now lives on the other side of the country with his new wife and three new children. His only interaction with Edward is to send cards on Christmas and Edward's birthday. - Jack's parents are not huge parts of his life. His mother focuses on her career to the point where she neglects him and the house, and his father drives trucks across country, and even questions if Jack is really his son. When Jack's father is home, he spends more time watching sports on television than spending time with his son. - The boys are bullied by a pretty girl named Julia. (Kind of a repeat of Julius from "the Breaking Wheel," but with a different gender.) - The boys are dropped off in their neighborhood by the school bus, and are startled when they hear a kitten crying in one of the neighbor's flower bed, and they find a scared black kitten hiding between lawn gnomes. - Jack decides to name the kitten after Michael Faraday. This is mildly important because the boys keep talking about the concept of what would happen if an unstoppable force were to meet an immovable object. Like, seriously, the topic is constantly brought up, but never really expanded upon past that initial question. - (The name also makes me imagine Scott typing into Google "famous people named Michael" and then looking for like... one of the *last* people on the list to refer to in the story.) - Faraday the kitten seems to accidentally turn on the television and switch the channel to the correct station. - Months pass, with Faraday living comfortably in Jack's home, jointly cared for by Jack and Edward. When the boys get to work on building a treehouse in Jack's backyard, Faraday gets distracted by a butterfly, and chases off after it. The boys go to rescue the cat as he scampers off. - A construction dump truck comes down the street just as Faraday runs into the street, Jack chasing after him. Edward screams, and is frozen in horror as both his best friend and cat are run over. Hearing the commotion, Jack's father comes out to see what happened, and also lets out a cry of horror and pain when he sees what happened. - Edward falls into a severe depression after this incident, understandably. He reads and re-reads his favorite books over and over, trying to force the image of his dead friends from his mind, and his schoolwork and chores all cease to happen for him. His mother gets sick of him "moping" after a few weeks, and blames Jack's death on "that stupid cat" they found, a statement that hurts Edward deeply. - As the next few weeks pass, Edward tries to find ways to distract himself. He runs out of books to read, and moves on to watching TV. While watching one day, he sees an ad from the Freddy Fazbear Entertainment company, advertising their new line of "Friendly Faces," which seems to be a line of animatronic pets designed to look like the deceased pets of the buyer. The ad promises that the buyer needs to only send in a few hairs of the deceased pet, and Fazbear Entertainment can recreate the pet's exact face/likeness. - (Right off the bat, this made me think of Henry recreating his deceased daughter in the original novel trilogy, and I'm wondering if Henry is the main mastermind behind this "Friendly Faces" line as a way of practicing before rebuilding Charlie.) - Edward calls the number on the screen, and receives an address in return. He wants to pay for a duplicate to be made of Faraday the cat, so he can memorialize his friend Jack better. - Crossing the street gives Edward some unwanted flashbacks, but he heads to Jack's parents' house to acquire some of Faraday's hair from the spot where his friend and cat were killed. Having acquired the hair, he puts it in a Ziploc bag and mails the bag and his money off to Fazbear's. - Wow, Edward's mom really doesn't understand that her son is *grieving* the *death* of his *best* *friend!* She acts like he's just in some phase or something. DX - Edward's 'Friendly Face' takes longer than usual to arrive, due to a "production anomaly," he's told. But, sure enough, the package eventually arrives. - Edward eagerly opens the package, ignoring the ominous storm clouds gathering over head or the equally foreboding sound of a neighbor's dog barking and whining in a frenzied manner. He pulls out the black cat facsimile, only to scream in horror when he finds himself face to face with something that has Faraday's body and Jack's face. But not just Jack's face - Jack's *dead* face.  0_0 - (Not sure how no one at Fazbear's noticed that one. Or did they just look at the human face on the cat body and just be like "... Yeah, that seems right and normal and like something a child would ask for!") - Without hesitating, Edward shoves the Friendly Face back into the shipping box without touching it. Not wanting his mom to see the thing in the trash, he decides to bury the Friendly Face, and goes to bury it in his backyard, despite the thunder storm that's starting up outside. He buries it in the yard, while the fake Jack face smiles up at him from the hole in the ground. - Just a note: the Friendly Face hasn't been activated yet, and Edward buried the user manual with it. So we're not told at this point how the Friendly Face can be turned on, and everything beyond this point is a complete surprise. - Edward is awoken by a quiet pattering in the middle of the night. With the storm outside getting stronger, the power is out, and Edward is forced to use a flashlight to try to find the source of the noise. He registers the sound as being something akin to "metal tapping on wood," and looks out into the hall outside his bedroom. - Finding nothing, and unable to determine where the sound is coming from, he begins walking around in the dark, trying to find whatever it is. He hears the sound coming from wildly different rooms and directions around him, but peeking into those rooms, he finds nothing. Even when he hears the sound right behind him, when he whirls to look, he finds nothing. - Terrified, Edward runs back to his bedroom, closing the door behind him and bringing his flashlight under the covers with him. - Edward recites the number of pi to calm himself down. (... Boy, this is why you get bullied at school.) - Another sound gets his attention, but this time, when Edward sits up to look, he finds himself staring into the mud-streaked face of the Jack Friendly Face, grinning twistedly at him. Edward screams, and his mother rushes into the room, but by now the thing is gone again. - His mom teases him about imagining monsters under his bed, and even goes so far as to jokingly check for him. (Yes, your son is a terrified, stammering mess and you're going to make fun of him. What a great parent you are. -rolls eyes- ) - In the following days, Edward starts seeing the Jack Friendly Face at random times, always in places where he'd expect to see Jack or Faraday. It's unclear if he's actually seeing the thing, or if he's imagining it. - Edward is too afraid to go into the backyard to see if the thing is still buried there or not, and has no idea if the Friendly Face could unbury itself. (Hmm... Fetch could, so I wouldn't put it past the Friendly Face.) - Ironically, Edward's new favorite science theory is that of Schrodinger's cat. (Which, if you aren't familiar with it, is a scenario to help explain String Theory, the idea being that you don't know if a box contains a cat or not unless you look into it.) - The tapping, chittering sounds that the Friendly Face makes follow him everywhere now, and he constantly hears it nearby, both at home and at school. He's unable to sleep, and is now running on empty. - Edward continues to get bullied at school, both by pretty bully Julia and mean boy Eddy. - He gets followed home by the Friendly Face one day, the animatronic abomination behaving like a normal cat. Seeing the thing behaving like a living animal, Edward wonders if burying it was something akin to burying someone alive, and whether or not the thing is mad at him. - Edward panics, and runs through the woods, the Friendly Face hot on his heels. He runs across the highway, trying to get away from the thing, and is hit by a semi truck, dying instantly. - The Friendly Face sits down near the side of the road, staring at Edward's lifeless body. We now get to see into the 'mind' of the Friendly Face, and we learn that it thought it was playing with Edward, its master and friend, and that it didn't ever mean any harm. Now, looking at where Edward landed, it's waiting for Edward to get back up and play with it some more. - I don't really have anything to say about this story that I haven't already said. There really wasn't much to this story, aside from the implication that someone at Fazbear's is trying to figure out how to recreate a dead animal or person. (Side-eyes Henry and William both.)

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

"Sea Bonnies"

- brothers Mott and Rory are having fun in the arcade at Freddy's. Rory is 7, and Mott is his 13 year old brother. Unlike most of the sets of brothers in these books, Mott and Rory get along, and seem to enjoy having fun with each other. - Mott has brown hair like his father, and is apparently considered a good-looking boy for a middle schooler, while brother Rory has bright red hair like their mother. When it's pointed out that the brothers don't resemble each other very closely, Mott teases that his brother was left on the doorstep by sea monkeys. - Even at 13, Mott still likes going to Freddy's, and even sings along with the animatronics. - At Freddy's, Mott runs into Theresa, a pretty girl he knows from school. She's also here with her younger brother. They both like music, and talk about their favorite bands. - The pizza at Freddy's is served by a "ponytailed server on roller skates," which is a reference to how waitresses would get around in old '50s-style restaurants, but is also similar to Scrap Baby's design. - Rory wins a container of Sea Bonnie eggs and care materials from his arcade tickets. The image of the Sea Bonnies apparently looks like a cross between a sea monkey and a rabbit, as the Sea Bonnie are actually sea monkeys that have been genetically engineered to look like Bonnie. Rory is very excited about his winnings. - The boys go home, where their mom is making dinner. Their mom has red hair and blue eyes, and she usually works evenings. - Their dad works as a pilot, I think? I'm not sure, I think I missed something there. But the point is that their dad is usually away at work. - Rory already has a pet goldfish named Fritz, who will now be sharing space with the Sea Bonnie eggs. - When Mott reads the instructions for the Sea Bonnies, he's surprised to find weird additional ingredients mixed in with the eggs and their food, including borax, blue food dye, and soda. (Sounds like instructions for making slime.) - Mott and his friends Lyle and Nate are working on a science experiment for school that involves growing colonies of bacteria and seeing what effects antibiotics have on them. - The Sea Bonnies hatch and take over the fish tank they've been placed in. Mott thinks they look like creepy little rabbits. The creatures propel themselves through the water by twitching their 'rabbit ear'-shaped fins. When Rory puts a hand on the side of the tank, the Sea Bonnies all collectively move toward his hand, clustering together on the side of the tank. When Rory and Mott get into an argument, the Sea Bonnies all turn to watch... and maybe listen? - (Mott's such a good kid, and a good brother. I'm not used to this kind of character in these books.) - Throughout the following day, Mott keeps hearing strange whispers from the direction of the fish tank as the Sea Bonnies call his name and taunt and bully him. - Rory has a book he wants read to him before bed called "Foxy and Bonnie’s Adventures on the High Seas," and sleeps with a Freddy plushie. - After putting Rory to bed, Mott sees something going on in the fish tank, and goes to check it out. To his horror, Fritz the goldfish has been taken over by the Sea Bonnies, which act like little parasites. The Sea Bonnies continue to whisper taunts out at Mott, calling him names and mocking him at every turn. - Fritz the fish is transformed into a purple, disgusting, undead version of itself, which sets off all of Mott's inner alarms. (And makes me think of the theory that Fritz Smith, the technician you play as in FNAF2, is post-scoop Michael Afton.) - While Rory is out playing with a friend, Mott takes the fish tank out of his room and carries it to the bathroom. Sensing Mott's intentions, the Sea Bonnies agitate the water, and are apparently powerful enough to make the water in the tank into a frothy whirlpool. Having decided that the Sea Bonnies present a threat to him and his brother, Mott pours them into the toilet and flushes them. - Predictably, Rory bursts into tears when he learns of his pets' demise. Mott feels bad, but is also happy to have gotten rid of the little creatures, thinking they posed a danger to his brother. - Mott has a nightmare about eating a bowl of cereal, but the cereal is actually a bowl of Sea Bonnies. It's enough to wake him up and send him running to the bathroom to throw up. He gets a drink of water, but the water feels funny, and swallowing it feels like swallowing something slimy and clumpy. - Mott wakes up the next morning with a horrible stomach cramp, and feels like he ate something bad. To make things worse, he starts hearing the Sea Bonnies' whispers again, calling him a "wuss" and "stupid" and mocking his pain. - Mott tries to hide how bad he feels though, because his mom has an important work event to go to and he doesn't want to interfere with her day. (Boy, it's not your fault that you're sick! It’s okay to tell your mom!) His mom thinks he must have eaten spoiled lunch meat and gotten some minor food poisoning, and fusses over him; she touches his forehead, and says that Mott feels strangely cold. - His mom calls a family friend, who is also the boys' doctor and the father of one of Mott's friends, asking him to check in on Mott for her later in the day. She then takes Rory to school, leaving Mott alone at home. - The pain and whispers get worse, and Mott ends up getting brought into the doctor's clinic for a brief examination. The doctor, Dr. Taber, checks over him, while the Sea Bonnies whisper "You don't know what you're dealing with!" into Mott's head. After running some tests, Dr. T also comes to the conclusion that Mott is suffering from food poisoning. He sends Mott  to take a nap in his office until he can drive Mott home. - Once at home, Mott goes to bed, and sleeps for several hours. He wakes up the next morning, very thirsty but otherwise feeling fine. He still hears the whispers, but now assumes it's just all in his head, and he starts responding to the whispers in a mocking tone of his own. - Mott thinks of the fishing trips his dad takes him on sometimes, and wonders if they'll get to go again soon. - Mott starts feeling sick again. The whispers get worse, and start getting louder, until the Sea Bonnies are shouting at him. Mott hums to drown them out, and then starts playing loud music. - His innards start feeling really bad, and he calls Dr. T again. Dr. T decides to try giving him a catscan. Mott actually feels like the Sea Bonnies are eating him from the inside out, and the scan reveals "abnormalities" all along his organs, starting on his stomach and moving outward, affecting even his heart and lungs. Dr. T and his partner are confused by the abnormalities, and stare at the scan results for awhile, trying to figure out what they are. Ultimately, they think there's something wrong with the scanning machine, and decide to try scanning him again tomorrow. - Getting a look at the scan results himself, Mott immediately recognizes the abnormalities as little clusters of Sea Bonnies scattered around his innards. When he speaks to Dr. T, saying that he knows the cause of this, his voice is low and painfully neutral, sounding like a robot's voice even to his own ears. - "They're eating me from the inside, and they're using themselves to replace my organs!" - Dr. T, of course, doesn't understand or believe what Mott is telling him about Sea Bonnies eating his insides, and neither does Mott's mother. Neither of them really know what to do with Mott. - Mott spends his evening staring off into space, having no energy or motivation to do much else. He wonders how much longer he has as a human with human parts. - His arm itches, and he scratches it absentmindedly. To his surprise, he breaks skin, and sees a Sea Bonnie pop out with his blood. The Sea Bonnie dives back inside of him. Mott also becomes aware that his skin is changing color, taking on a blue-purple color. Unable to deal with the realization that the Sea Bonnies are eating him and replacing him bit by bit, Mott freezes and goes back to staring off into space. - Looking into the mirror, Mott sees Sea Bonnies swimming around inside his eyeballs. Avoiding his mother and brother (afraid that he'll infect them somehow), he runs outside, where it's nighttime and raining, and heads toward the doctor's clinic. His mind is very one-tracked right now, like he can only focus on one task at a time. - When his arm itches, Mott scratches it, only to remove a large chunk of his own flesh. The bloody chunk of tissue is infested with Sea Bonnies. They reattach themselves to him, unbothered. - Now out in the middle of the woods during the night, getting rained on, Mott realizes that his body is almost completely gone now, replaced by something horrible and alien. - "Every time he took a step, pieces of himself came apart." - "Not Mott. Mott wasn't Mott anymore." - Mott starts desperately tearing parts of himself off, pulling pieces out of his arms and face and chest, only for those pieces to literally climb back onto him and reattaching. - Mott isn't walking anymore so much as scuttling along the ground. He can't think very clearly anymore, only able to focus on one task at a time, and his memories are so scattered that he can't clearly remember what his mother or brother look like. - Claudia, the woman who works the desk at the doctor's clinic, opens the door when Mott arrives. She sees him standing out in the rain, his skin mis-colored and his eyes staring forward vacantly. When she asks if he's okay, he smiles and answers robotically, telling her "It's a nice day. Everyone should be out." - Claudia watches in confusion as Mott then turns and walks away into the darkness and pouring rain. He vanishes from view, as though he's disintegrated. - I'm pretty sure part of this story is just a re-imagining of Michael's scoopage and replacement by Ennard for a time, since it's about a guy who tries to do right by his younger sibling but ends up turning into a creepy, disgusting, undead version of himself that *isn't* himself. (And because it's not a Fazbear Frights story without referencing Michael done getting himself scooped!) - And if it's more of an explanation of how Michael thinks/feels after being replaced by Ennard for a time and becoming the purple corpse man we all know and love, it brings up a few interesting points. Like purple!Mott's inability to focus on more than one task at a time, leading to him wandering around during the night, only able to think about finding Dr. T (and Dr. T is referred to as being "like a father" to Mott, which makes me think of corpse!Michael's message, promising to find his father). Or the robotic way purple!Mott speaks, with no emotion or inflection behind his sentences. Or how purple!Mott can't remember things very clearly, and has to force himself to try to picture his family member's faces. Does this mean it's possible that corpse!Michael doesn't remember things well? Is that why Golden Freddy and Scraptrap keep having to remind him "It's me?" Interesting thoughts, for sure.

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

(stock image I found of bully girls)

"Together Forever"

- "These old locks always get stuck!" ... Ah. It's *that* kind of story. - Our new main charas are Jessica and Brittney, two stereotypical mean popular girls in high school. They're only sophomores, but have been voted as homecoming queen and princess, respectively. - Both girls are, of course, white girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, and wear expensive trendy clothes that almost match one another's outfits. - Jessica and Brittney bully Mindy and Cindy, two younger girls who have the misfortunate of having lockers near the mean girls. But the joke is that Mindy and Cindy don't really register the bullying, and believe that the older girls probably hate themselves but, unable to take that anger out on themselves, they take it out on Mindy and Cindy. - One of their classmates is a boy named Evan, who they both like. Evan apparently dresses like a "retro-styled hobo," whatever that means. - Both the mean girls and the younger girls they bully are in the same robotics class. Their school, for some reason, has a robotics class instead of any arts-related classes. The class is taught by a bird-like man named Mr. Thornton, and they are currently working on studying old animatronics that were donated to the school. This fleet of animatronics for them to work on includes a few large, human-sized characters in clothing, and a lot of smaller, dog- and cat-like robots. (Like Fetch? Or the Friendly Face?) - Brittney jokes that Thornton is a glitched robot himself, since the man often spaces out and leaves sentences hanging. (No, that's just how nerds talk. Trust me, I was raised by two nerds.) - Jessica complains about the class, but secretly admits that she actually likes robotics, if only because robots always do exactly what she tells them to do, unlike people. - Jessica and Brittney are given a human-sized pig waitress animatronic to work on. The pig is named Rosie Porkchop, and she's dressed up like an old-style waitress in a frilly dress. She has a special user's manual, because apparently she has some specific design features that the girls will need to learn about before working on her. Rosie's stomach opens, revealing an empty space large enough to hold a person, or maybe two children. ( ... Go on.) - Rosie is a springlock suit, which the girls learn means she can function as either an autonomous animatronic or as a costume for a person to wear. In suit mode, like she is now, her springlocks are dialed back, and she appears fairly empty, with space for a person to fit inside. In animatronic mode, however, the springlocks engage, and the empty space becomes filled with inner mechanisms that fold out and connect together. - The girls decide to program the pig animatronic to attack Cindy and Mindy, or to at least harass the younger girls at the upcoming school dance. After they learn how the springlocks work, Jessica and Brittney decide to program Rosie to stuff Cindy and Mindy into her stomach and hold them there for the entire evening of the dance. - Jessica and Brittney come back to school during the evening (after hours) to work more on Rosie. They joke about programming the robot to do things like "fetch" (which I thought was funny), and then learn that Rosie is programmed to "approach children, but avoid adults." - The robotics lab is spooky after hours, filled with robotic heads and parts. The girls are startled when a robotic rat suddenly springs to life, and question why anyone would ever build a rat animatronic. (Chuck E. Cheese would like to know your location.) - The girls finish programming Rosie to attack Mindy and Cindy, but, when they turn her on, Rosie immediately grabs Brittney and shoves her into her stomach. Jessica, the more tech-savvy of the girls, tries to fix the program or turn the pig off, but Brittney, screaming hysterically, is dragged literally kicking and screaming into the robot's stomach and sealed inside. - Inside Rosie's stomach, Brittney is currently alright and in one piece, but she's very scared and can't get out. On the outside, Jessica tries to figure out how to get Rosie to open up again. When none of her attempts work, Jessica start flipping random switches, and accidentally turns on Rosie's animatronic mode... and Brittney is skewered to death, releasing a horrible screech of pain and then falling silent. - Jessica finally gets Rosie back into suit mode and opens the stomach hatch, and comes face to face with mangled bloody pieces of her best friend. Jessica screams in horror, and Rosie wakes up once more, grabs Jessica, and shoves the second teen into her stomach. - Inside the robot herself, Jessica finally sees what's left of Brittney's face, her best friend having been literally ripped to shreds, and the shreds now wrapped horribly around several of the inner mechanisms of the springlock suit. Jessica cries and screams, trapped inside the robot with the remains of her friend. - Brittney starts talking, somehow, telling Jessica that she's cold and scared. Jessica asks how her friend is talking, and Brittney doesn't really have an answer for her. - Rosie's suit mode gets somehow flipped off again, and Jessica is skewered and torn apart. - Mindy and Cindy arrive to school early the next morning, going to set up for a presentation in the robotics class. They see the Rosie Porkchop robot, already turned on and ready to perform the tricks Jessica programmed into her. Rosie greets them in Jessica's voice, much to the younger girls' surprise. Rosie also refers to herself in a plural form, like there's more than one of her, and ignores Cindy when the girl tries to correct her. - Cindy and Mindy are amused by the animatronics antics, and don't notice when blood drips out of her. - Mr. Thornton takes a closer look at Rosie, and notes that the switch that toggles Rosie between animatronic mode and suit mode doesn't seem to work anymore. He says he's glad for that, since the manufacturer said the springlock suits could be dangerous, and, due to some past incidents, have been discontinued. Apparently, the suits have been known to randomly switch between suit and animatronic modes in the past, causing many injuries. - Mindy and Cindy take credit for programming Rosie (and receive A's), while Jessica and Brittney, who are dead but still conscious and aware of their surroundings, watch helplessly from inside Rosie. They can watch and hear, but can no longer speak. - So all in all, this story explains how the springlock suits work (and how they malfunction), and answers some questions that I've had for years about them. There's an endoskeleton that is broken down into pieces and folded up (locked in place) on the inside when in suit mode, making room for a person. When in animatronic mode, those endoskeleton pieces fold back out (spring back), filling the inner space and inadvertently crushing anything in their paths. - This explains why in the original Springtrap design he has a full, functioning endoskeleton, and also why that endoskeleton has bits of flesh wrapped around it in places; when the springlocks snapped, the endoskeleton parts popped back into place, tearing through William's body in the process. I've always wondered he wasn't just a corpse in a costume, and now I have my answer. So I'm pretty satisfied with this story. - Also, because the story ends on two people trapped inside a springlock suit, it's referencing Golden Freddy, further cementing the theory/common understanding that Golden Freddy is a springlock suit that contains the spirits of two people: "Crying Child" Afton (William's son) and Cassidy "the Vengeful Spirit" (one of William's victims). - I find it very interesting that the two souls trapped inside Rosie are unable to speak, but Rosie speaks in Jessica's voice anyway. No explanation as to how or why she does.

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

"Epilogue 10"

- Det. Larson tries looking into the history of the 'Jeff's Pizza' building, but can't figure out who the original owner was. Apparently the building has been bought and sold so many times that no website seems to have a complete list, and both the original owner and current owner seem to be hidden. He gets help from Chancey, the oddball detective with a Southern accent and cowboy slang. - Larson pulls up the dates connected to the blood samples he'd taken from the ball pit and tries to connect them to past unsolved crimes. What he finds is that, on each date that the blood samples turned up, a teenager went missing; further investigation reveals that the missing kids were last seen with a "metal, female-looking, clown mannequin." (So we now know that Sarah wasn't Eleanor's first victim, and definitely not her last. But it's also interesting that she's being described as a mannequin now, when the first time we saw her she was compared to a doll.) Larson doesn't know what the connection is, when kids are going missing, and the dates are lining up, but the blood is all from one single person. - Larson learns about someone named Dr. Talbert, who was apparently called in at one point to comment on Eleanor, apparently being considered an expert in the study of Remnant. Larson doesn't know what Remnant is, but learns that it resembles "liquid mercury," and that it's terribly difficult to obtain a sample. - Meanwhile, Jake tries to figure out where Ranelle's father is. Her memories are disjointed, and don't make any sense to him, and she tenses up whenever he actually asks her about her father. Finally, he approaches her directly about it, and she nods, and starts leading him to her father's home. - Her father's home is close enough for them to walk to, but is across the railroad tracks and is on the outskirts of town. The house looks extremely uninviting from Jake's pov. The front door opens, and a man's voice calls out from inside, assuming they're delivering a package or something and giving them directions of where to put it. Jake thinks the inside of the house is much more inviting than the outside was, with furniture pieces covered in throw pillows and family photos on the walls. - Jake sees a picture of two men standing together, and recognizes one of them as Dr. Talbert. (Sidenote: Talbert's name is miswritten as "Taggert" in this sequence, and the editors just straight didn't care.) - Another photo shows Dr. Talbert standing with his teenage daughter, who has long, curly black hair and brown eyes. - Outside, Detective Larson approaches the house, having tracked down the home's occupant as the owner of the 'Jeff's Pizza' building. He steps inside, and is startled to see the Stitchwraith and a strange teenager. - Taking no notice of the detective, Ranelle focuses on the picture of Talbert's daughter, adjusting her appearance to look like the girl in the photo. - Larson has another one of his now-common hallucinations, and sees Ranelle for what she really is: Eleanor, the metal clown girl who "feeds on human suffering." Larson draws his gun to shoot the monster girl, but she simply smiles at him, which causes him to fall to the floor unconscious. - While out of it, Larson sees visions of Eleanor stuffing human body parts into a Plushtrap Chaser, Eleanor antagonizing Delilah at 1:35 AM for the umpteenth time, Eleanor holding onto Pete's body during his autopsy, and then Eleanor with the patient in Room 1280. He ends up following Eleanor through a maze on the astral plane, and sees Toby's body hanging from the wooden pegs of the Hide And Seek game; Eleanor and Toby exchange smiles "like they were sharing a private joke," and then Larson is thrown into another vision. Next, Larson sees Eleanor grab Sam in his Blackbird costume, throwing him in front of the oncoming train. Larson pulls Sam away and the young man lands in a nearby ditch inside. - (So, two things real quick. One: Eleanor is apparently the root cause of all the stories I couldn't make heads or tails of. And two: Larson can manipulate the things in these "visions," so they aren't just in his head -- he's *really* there. So has the time travel abilities of the ball pit or Andrew's spirit rubbed off onto Larson? Or was Eleanor the only thing with time travel ability this entire time?) - From Jake's pov, he sees Larson enter the house and then immediately pass out. Jake doesn't know why, and has just missed a lot of important plot points. - The owner of the house, who is apparently Dr. Talbert (???? Even though I thought he was dead???), comes out to greet Ranelle, and is apparently very happy to see his daughter again. He doesn't seem to see Larson at all. This is when Jake finally gets a good long look at Ranelle, and recognizes her as Eleanor. - Eleanor makes a scene to make it look like Jake attacked her, and, believing her to be his daughter, Dr. Talbert pulls out a gun (!!!) and shoots Jake's battery pack, shutting down his Stitchwraith body. Talbert then prepares to use Remnant to heal "Ranelle." - Unable to move but able to listen, Jake realizes that Eleanor's goal was to obtain Remnant, which she believes will keep her alive forever. As soon as the Remnant touches her, her entire appearance changes, taking on the form of a grey-skinned, fanged beast with gaping eyes and an unhinged jaw. - ... Are you seriously about to tell me that Eleanor is someone/something *other* than Elizabeth Afton? Because it seems like that's what that ending is saying, and I ain't happy about it. - Also why is Dr. Talbert???? Still alive???? We literally saw him die! The Stitchwraith touched him and he died! Black tear stains and all! There was a whole police investigation into his apparent murder! I'm going to scream from frustration!! DX

[moral-turpitudes]

New Beginnings:

Masterlist | Rules | Peaky Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Fluff, Mentions of Adoption, Slight Descriptions of Drug/Alcohol Abuse.

Word Count: 4,122

Characters: Johnny Dogs x Female!Reader (Polly’s Eldest Daughter)

Requested by: Anon, you can find it here. This was a bit challenging but I hope you like it! :)

Summary: Y/N and Michael Gray get the surprise of a lifetime when their blinder cousin Thomas and his friend Johnny Dogs show up at their doorsteps, but little does Y/N know what’s in store for her regarding the company.

“Is she alive?” Polly asked the local medium who’d been known for telling fortunes and such. The medium’s eyes were dark beneath her jewel-toned veil as she answered the female blinder.

“Your eldest, Y/N, is in London. Go find her and your boy Michael. He’s living on a farm out in the country side.” She said flatly, her voice void of emotion.

“And what about my youngest daughter, Anna?” Polly asked, knowing in her heart that the truth wasn’t always the easiest thing to hear.

“She’s dead.” She said, tightening her grip on Polly’s hand as she shook with emotion, tears streaming down her face as she remembered the little baby girl placed in her arms years ago before her death. Knowing too that her son and eldest daughter were ripped from her arms at such a young age after their drunk of a father died lodged between a boat and a dock in the cut.

“Thank you.” Polly said shakily before leaving. Putting a few shillings down on the table as the woman nodded and watched her leave.

“What’d you expect aye? She tells you what you want to hear Pol’....”Thomas said, as she told him about her meeting with the medium earlier that morning.

“I just needed confirmation is all. God I can’t believe they’ve been out there all these years. You have to help me find them Tommy. Please.” She said, pulling her hands to her mouth nervously as she bit at her nails. Her eyes still tinged red from crying and her makeup smudged slightly.

“I’ll do what I can with the information we have. Until then I think you should take the day off unless you think you can work in the condition you’re in.” He said, looking over the papers from her son Michael’s entry into an orphanage and then glancing at the adoption papers where he’d been named Henry.

“Henry of all names...can you believe it? Disgraceful.” She said.

“Any word on Y/N? She has to be nearing 28 by now. The poor woman will probably faint when she finds out.” She said, feeling herself wanting to close herself off into her apartment as the thought of re-kindling a barely-there relationship loomed over her.

“I’ve found her adoption papers. They kept her name, but she’s in London as far as this goes. This address is where she’ll be.” He said sliding the document towards her and running his index finger over the crinkled paper.

“Alright.” She said, shakily lighting a cigarette.

“Pol’...I’m serious. You need to prepare for this if this all works out alright? Can’t have our best woman down. We still need you.” He said, looking into her glassy eyes. Tears threatening to spill once again.

“I will. I’ll go home right now. But please bring them to me once you get them.” She said. Thomas nodded as he watched her walk out the door quickly. Her nerves rattled as she sped off to her lavish apartment that had been vacant for far too long.

“Johnny?” Thomas said over the phone, the rowdy traveler making it to a payphone to report how their latest burial was going.

“Oi! How are ya Tommy? Just got done burnin’ the old bastard. What’s next?” He asked.

“You’re going to help me get Polly’s children back. She has a son named Michael in his late teens and an older daughter named Y/N who’s 28.” He said quickly, checking his pocket watch.

“Christ....alright.” He said, looking out at the burning pile in the distance.

“It’ll help her make peace Johnny. She needs this for more than just her. For the whole family really.” He said.

“I know I know. If only that poor bastard Gray didn’t die a drunk then none of ya would be in that mess aye?” He said, a long silence lingering over the phone.

“Perhaps.” Thomas said, his mind remembering all the hell their family went through as they grew up. The poverty, the fights, the nights sitting up in fear as their father yelled at their mother, their mother succumbing to her visions and bouts of depression, the feuds with the other families around them, the long nights in the trenches of France, and the whole family business being shoved onto their shoulders with no parental guidance besides their aunt Polly. She being the one saving grace of the whole family.

As Thomas and Johnny drove out to meet Michael, Polly sat at home pacing back and forth as she wondered how the next few hours or even days would go. Knowing once Thomas put his mind to something he always tried to finish it, especially if it involved family.

“I’m here for Henry. His mother wants him home.” Thomas said bluntly to the woman who’d practically raised him.

“My Henry? I have the papers...He’s mine.” She said.

“Aye, and I have the papers too. I’m his cousin. And I know his birth mother would love nothing more than to see him since he was ripped from her arms. Let the man go and meet her. Once he’s done that he can make his decision.” He said, eyeing the woman coldly.

With tears in her eyes, the woman called for Michael to come forward, the fawn-haired young man running over to him.

“Hello Henry. Your mother wants to see you.” He said. Michael’s face evolving into one of confusion.

“But she’s right here? Who are you anyway?” He asked, a sassy tone to his voice that reminded Thomas of Polly.

“I’m your cousin Thomas Shelby. Your birth mother is Polly Gray. Your real name is Michael Gray. Now you can stay here on this little farm or you can leave to meet the woman who’s fought to find you for so many years. Which one will it be?” He asked impatiently, lighting a cigarette.

Michael nervously looked around and pulled his little sister in for a hug, telling her to be good and then giving his adoptive mother a hug. Knowing she was fuming inside.

“I-I’ll ring you alright? I’ve been wondering why I never had pictures here of when I was younger...and...I’ve been wondering why you all look different than me. I-I think it’s time I go find out for myself mum.” He said, giving her one last hug before going off with his blinder cousin and his friend Johnny Dogs.

“Now on to your sister.” Thomas said, driving off towards the busy London area.

---

Your head pounded as you got up. The drinks from the night before doing your head in as a sharp knock sounded at your apartment door. You shrugged on your red laced robe and lit a cigarette as you hastily put your wild locks in a bun, your eyes burning from the sunlight streaming in through the window nearby.

One more sharp knock sounded as you neared the door, making your blood boil slightly.

“Bloody hell. Hold on a moment will ya?” You yelled out, tying your robe around your nude frame. The stranger in your room snoring loudly in the back room of your haphazard apartment.

“What’s all this then? It’s a little early to be soliciting people don’t ya think?” You asked, blowing out a cloud of smoke as you took in the men before you.

One had piercing blue eyes, who had one of the coldest looks you’d seen on a man in a long time. Knowing he’d probably seen more hurt than happiness in his past years of life.

The other two had darker eyes, one of them younger and oddly familiar as you thought about your own facial structure. You had the same eyes. Eyes that never matched your adoptive parents. Eyes that the kids in the orphanage always picked on for being too brown in color when theirs were reminiscent of the sea and the sky and all the green earth in between.

The seemingly oldest of them looked on from the distance. His cigar dangling from his lips as his dark eyes scanned you up and down. He had a rough look to him, like he’s seen more sun than anyone here. That he’d lived everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“Who are you all and why are you hogging my doorstep?” You asked.

“We don’t have a lot of time, but long story short, I’m your cousin Thomas Shelby. And this young man here is your brother Michael Gray. We only just found him. Your mother...Polly Gray...has been looking for you all these years.” He said bluntly.

“What? I thought she was dead or something. God knows father was.” You said, remembering the drunken man vaguely as well as a beautiful dark haired woman you were sure to have gotten your good looks from.

“You remember them?” Michael asked, a bit envious that his newfound sister was able to remember such a thing.

“Mhmm. Well...when do we meet her aye? I have some business to take care of.” You said, fiddling with your hands as Johnny continued to stare.

“Go do what you need to. We’ll wait out here.” He said.

“Who’s the rough looking fellow? A bit quiet aye?” You asked, pointing to Johnny.

He cleared his throat and took his cap off. His bright smile catching your eye as you blew smoke out from your lips.

“Sorry. I’m Johnny. Johnny Dogs. Traveler and helper of the Shelby family and such. Nice to meet you Y/N. Heard lots of good things ‘bout ya.” He said.

“Oh really? Like what? That I’m a drunk like me father? That I’m a whore?” She asked with a smirk, her laugh sending Johnny’s heart over the edge.

“Gods no. That you’re beautiful actually. Polly said so herself. She remembers ya well.” He said with a small smile that was soon extinguished by a cold glance from Thomas.

“Right....well I’ll be out in a moment.” You said with a slight smile, walking back inside and throwing your best clothes on and hurriedly doing your makeup.

“Well hello there love, who are you getting ready for this morning?” The man lying on your bed half naked murmured as you put on the last of your makeup.

“Get out.” You said, pulling your coat over yourself as you grabbed your purse.

“What? After last night you want me to leave?” He asked.

“What is this? A bed and breakfast? I said get the fuck out of me house!” You yelled, not even bothering to remember the lads name as you followed him down the hall, his pants put on haphazardly as he ran shirtless out the door.

“You’ll pay for this!” He yelled, causing the three men to look on curiously.

“Actually you did sir, thanks for the tip love!” You yelled.

“Fucking asshole.” You added under your breath.

“Who was that?” Michael asked as you got in their car.

“Just a joyride love. Don’t worry about it.” You said, not bothering to filter yourself as Thomas smirked slightly. You we’re definitely Polly’s daughter. There was no doubt about it.

As you all neared Polly’s house you and Michael exchanged a nervous look with each other, knowing you might as well have forgotten her since it’s been so long. Your adoptive parents never mentioning her unless you started acting up. But the vague memories you did have always swirled around in your mind.

“Here we are. She said you could stay there with her if that’s something you both want. But I’ll let you both go on.” Thomas said, helping you both up to the apartment.

You knocked hard on the door, your hands shaking as you looked to the ground. You hoped for this day for years but you never thought it would happen so soon.

“Do ya want me to help em’ wit their bags Tom?” Johnny whispered from the car as he watched the woman standing nervously with her brother.

“No. Just stay in the car.” He said, bringing the rest of the bags up to them as Polly opened the door.

“My god...” she said, her hair a bit disheveled as she adjusted her dress and shawl around her shoulders.

“Mum? H-hi. Um....it’s me...Y/N...and Michael.” You said with a small smile on your face.

She didn’t say anything, instead just rushing forward and enveloping you both in a hug as Thomas stood by awkwardly.

“Thank you. Tommy my god thank you.” She said, giving him a short hug as well as you and Michael made your way inside the lavish apartment.

“Just make sure you’re all at the office early tomorrow alright? We’ll have a family meeting.” He said, a small smile on his face that hadn’t been there in ages.

“We will.” Polly said, waving him and Johnny off as she closed the door behind her.

“Now Michael...I know you don’t know me very well. But I want you to know I’m here for you always alright? You too Y/N. I can’t believe I have you back.” She said giving you each a tight hug as you wiped tears from your eyes.

As the night went on you all both gradually settled in, Polly agreeing to let you go to your apartment when you wanted since you were of age. But for now you accepted your place here, wanting to get to know the woman you’ve searched for all your life.

“Michael...it’s alright if I call you that right?” She asked hesitantly.

“Mhmm. I-I guess it’s growing on me. Never felt much like a Henry.” He said, unpacking his things.

“Right, well I’ll leave you two for the night. I’ll be expecting you both up early for Tommy’s meeting tomorrow. Welcome to the family.” She said, her mind racing as she left the room. Her heart slowly mending back together after being torn to pieces so many years ago.

---

At the shop the next morning, Michael and you both walked in a bit on edge, having gotten the rundown from Polly about what the business entailed on the way there. The workers around you eyeing you up as you lit a cigarette and walked past them in your heels and red overcoat. Michael looking around as well but with a smug smile on his face as he made acquaintances with the younger blinders rather quickly.

“Alright so the new members of the family as you lot can see are Y/N and Michael Gray. They’ve both confirmed they preferred their natural names so that’s what you’ll all call them. The papers and everything else are being sorted to give Polly any parental rights, and Michael...I have a proposition for you.” He said eyeing the young man who had a tough-yet laid back demeanor about him. The innocence of his past life slowly fading the longer he stayed in Birmingham.

“Alright. What is it Tommy?” He asked, smoking a cigarette carefully since he’d only done so once before at college.

“You’re going with us to the races. After we see what you’re made of, I’ll consider you for an accounting position.” He said.

“Sounds good to me.” He said swallowing hard and looking towards his mother.

“It doesn’t bloody sound good to me. I’ve just gotten my children back and you want to put them through some peaky initiation?” Polly snapped at her nephew. Ada, Arthur, John, and Finn looking at you and your brother with curious eyes during the awkward silence that ensued.

“It’s the only way Pol’ he’ll be fine.” Thomas said flatly, his voice still void of emotion.

“What will I be doing? I can’t stay cooped up here all day.” You said, blowing a cloud of smoke from your lips as you stared down your blue eyed devil of a cousin.

“Well, you could work here with the rest of us or you could work with the Lee’s and the rest down at their stop. Think of it as being a liaison for us.” He said.

You looked around at the dark and cramped place, your mothers familiar eyes knowing what you’d pick. You were an adult and had been on your own for many years, knowing full well how to handle yourself for the most part and besides, if you got to get out in the open air for a while it wouldn’t be half bad.

“I can do that. Just tell me how to get there and I’ll go.” You said. Thomas handing you a map as he grabbed his car keys.

“You can still stay at the house you know.” Polly said as you gathered your things.

“I know mum. I’ll be back, it’s just work. Don’t worry.” You said giving her a hug and Michael a fake punch on the shoulder as you waltzed out the door.

“It’s better if I go with you. You don’t know them.” Thomas said, opening the door for you.

“....alright. Do I need to do anything before we go?” You asked.

“Just please tell me you know how to shoot a gun.” He said, starting the car.

“Just point and shoot right? I remember one thing before dad died and that was going hunting with him in the woods. Just that once.” You said.

“That should be good enough. Take this.” He said, handing you a small handgun from his jacket.

“Do I have to kill anyone?” You asked, the thought making a shiver run down your spine slightly.

“Only if they come after ya or the family.” He said.

You nodded your head silently as you understood. You’d heard of the blinders while being in London, and from Polly’s rundown before getting to the shop, but you’d never thought you’d be related to them in such a way. But maybe this was the start you’d needed. At least now you weren’t making a living off cleaning houses and singing in taverns.

“Here we are.” He said after a long while of silence. Your eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight that spread across the vacant land where a slew of vardo’s were parked. Bonfires lit near them as they sat around the flames. Various animals roasting on a spit as music played in the distance.

“This is where I’ll be?” You asked, not seeing an actual brick and mortar house in sight. But remembering bits and pieces of the old vardo you had grew up briefly in with your mum. Her late teenaged self doing the best she could to care for the three of you young children.

“Mhm.” He mumbled as he led you through the tall grass to the people you’d be spending most of your working days around.

“There they are! What a sight! How are ya Tom?” Johnny asked rather loudly, a smile dancing across his face as he greeted you with a quick kiss to your hand.

“Good. Y/N here is going to be staying every few days or so. She’s the new liaison between the families here. Teach her what ya know and show her where she can call from. She’ll be reporting to me about anything going on that may need our attention. Think of it as security aye?” He said, eyeing Johnny as he stared slightly at the gorgeous woman.

“Will do, will do. Say let’s get you shown around, we have a place for ya all set up.” He said, taking your hand in his which made you smile. A flush of red hitting your cheeks as you looked on at your new place of work.

“Don’t do anything stupid Johnny.” Thomas said threateningly, knowing he could sense that Johnny had some feelings for his cousin.

“No worries Tom.” He said, tipping his cap to him as he led you to a vacant vardo.

“So what’s a woman as beautiful as you doin’ round these parts anyway? Did Polly drive ya off already?” He asked, setting your luggage down.

“No. I volunteered to come out here. Didn’t wanna be cooped up in that old dusty building.” You said, brushing a stray hair behind your ear.

“Well you’re in luck, darlin’. No dusty buildings here. Just a few snakes though.” He said as you jumped slightly, eyes making a mad-dash to the ground.

“I’m just messing with ya, doll.” He said, leaning up against the back steps.

“Is it hard being out here all the time? I know a few bars in London we could go to sometime. Get ya out for bit.” You said looking into his brown eyes that glowed almost golden in the bright afternoon sun.

“Not as hard when we have pretty women such as yourself here. Say...I’ll take ya up on that offer. How ‘bout later this week after we show ya the ropes?” He asked.

“Sounds good.” You said, smiling as you helped him carry things to the pond nearby. Children running around and skipping stones as you both made small talk while washing various clothes.

“How long do you all stay out here? It’s beautiful.” You said after a while of learning how to do various chores.

“Oh about a month or so. Never too long in one place in case the coppers come by bootin’ us out. We belong to ourselves, not to them. The sooner you learn that the better off you’ll be here aye?” He said, a hint of warning in his voice.

“Did someone tip you off one day? I’d never do that. I’m just working for Tommy and me mum.” You said, never wanting to come between anyone’s business.

“Yeah. Lost a few people a couple years back. Wasn’t good. But that’s all done now. New beginnings aye Y/N?” He said raising his flask to your glass of whiskey as you all sat near the pond.

“To new beginnings.” You said, staring off into the sky as you realized you’d be here more often than you’d thought.

---

The next few weeks seemed to fly by as you got used to living half there and half at Polly’s place. It was a hard decision but one you felt deep down needed to be made as you sold your apartment in London to be closer to your mum and Michael. Turns out he wasn’t as good and innocent as he’d claimed to be, gradually going on business with the boys and coming back high as a kite on cocaine. It was something even you hadn’t done in a long while, and something you swore one night to never do again after a bad spill landed you in the doctors. So it was safe to say your hard partying days were over, except for when it came to Johnny.

Over the course of the few weeks you’d been working together and updating Tommy on the business there, you grew closer and developed feelings for the rowdy traveler. Johnny’s smile and snarky remarks always bringing a wide grin to your face when you’d hear him with the lads or when you’d both go off drinking with people at the camp. But unfortunately, good things seemed to come to an end once the month was up, seeing as Tommy visited at a bad time one night and caught the two of you together. You’d been slightly embarrassed, but didn’t think he had it in him to ruin a good thing. But ruining things was Tommy’s specialty.

The night was abruptly ended when he dragged a naked Johnny away from you and threatened to terminate both of your positions with the company if things continued. But you were stubborn and strong willed just like your mother, and kept seeing him anyways even if it meant you were out of the company.

“I don’t see why I can’t love one man Pol’ Tommy’s gone and probably fucked every woman in town! He’ll he has enough children by various women to worry about already and here he is worrying about what I do with my life and my time?” You yelled as you packed your things away. You’d discussed moving out there with Johnny to spare the family drama. Thomas could tell you liked it out there and he had to admit, you gave him good information on people you’d come across, even if it was by letter or by pay phone more often than in person. And Polly knew you were like her, wanting to be free to do whatever you pleased and as much as it pained her to see you leave for a life on the road, she loved that you were the only one who kept that spirit alive. The only one who decided to throw away the silver spoon you’d been fed with half your life, to live for yourself and for a man that made you happy, even if he worked for the blue eyed devil himself.

Johnny Dogs Tag List:

@flysafepapi, @gaytommyshelby, @ta-ka-shi-ma

If you’d like to be added/removed just send me an ask/message! :)

[captcas]

Something to Hold Onto by captcas

Emma Swan has always had two superpowers. First, she can always tell when you’re lying. Second, she can retreat into the magical storybook she was found with to visit her fictional friend, Killian Jones. When Emma gives the book up, she wonders if she’ll ever see Killian again. read on ao3

Phoenix, AZ; November, 2000

Pregnant?

Emma slides down the tile wall of the Shell bathroom. Usually she’d do everything in her power to avoid touching anything in a gas station restroom. Right now she can’t find it in herself to care about the amount of infectious diseases she’s being exposed to, her eyes fixed on the two pink lines that just threatened to change her entire life.

Threatened? More like promised.

She jumps when she hears a knock on the door, “Ems? You ok?”

It isn’t until she wipes the tears from her cheeks that she realizes she’s started to cry. Neal knocks again, “Ems! You good?”

Clearing her throat, she musters up the will to answer, “Yeah, uh, just a minute.”

She scrambles for her backpack, desperate for an escape she’s not entirely confident will be there.

It’s been too long.

When her fingers touch the cool leather of the mysterious book that has somehow woven its way into every important moment in her life, a sense of calm overwhelms her. She knows that avoiding her problem isn’t going to change anything, but right now, she couldn't care less. As she settles in her lap, the positive pregnancy test laying the floor in her periphery, she thinks back to the first time it allowed her to escape.

Des Moines, IA; 1989

Emma hears footsteps coming from down the hall and quickly pulls her blanket over her head. She hates the way it makes it hard to breathe but she also fears what’ll happen to her if she gets caught up past curfew again. She holds her breath as the door creaks open and doesn’t move again until the door shuts and the footsteps walk away. Coming out from under the covers, she takes a deep breath of fresh air. Once she’s sure no one else in her bunk is awake, Emma pulls the thick, leather book out from underneath her bed. This book is one of the only things her parents left her; a book, a blanket, and a name. Ever since she could read, and even before, if her foster parents were kind enough, she’s poured into these stories– escaping reality for ogres, pirates, princesses, and true love. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear the stories almost seem ever changing and expanding. She never has to choose what to read, the book opening and picking a story for her– although she finds herself partial to the updates of the young Snow White.

Tonight she opens to a brand new story titled “The Brothers Jones”. She’s never heard of this fairytale, but that’s how most of these stories start out until they twist and turn into well-known characters from movies that the other kids watch to pass time. It seems rather short, but Emma doesn’t mind, especially seeing as it’s way past her dictated bedtime. She hunkers down into her pillow and begins…

Once upon a time there were two brothers. Liam, the eldest, was outgoing and mature, helping their parents around the house and picking up odd jobs around town to help with trips to the market. Killian, on the other hand, was quiet and kind. He often found himself staying home to take care of their mother. At ten years of age he was too young to get a real job, so their father, Brennan, and Liam took care of earning money in hopes to keep their mother alive.

One night, Killian’s mother took a turn for the worse, her breathing slowing until it stopped. The family gathered around, comforting one another over the loss of Alice.

The following days seemed like a blur for the family, preparations for her funeral taking up most of their time. When the day finally came, the Jones boys were distraught. Her burial became too much for young Killian so he took off to the one place which could calm his worries, Brennan and Liam calling after him as he ran. Liam wanted to go after his younger brother but Brennan stopped him, urging him to give Killian some space.

Emma pauses for a second, shining her flashlight over the picture of the two boys which accompanies the start of the story. Her finger traces over the face of the younger one, she thinks to herself that she wishes she could meet this Killian. She glances a moment longer and turns back to the story…

Killian ends up by the docks, his legs moving on their own accord. He finds an empty slip and decides to sit on the end of the pier, crying over the loss of his mother.

Emma suddenly feels as though she’s drifting to sleep. The words seem to be floating off the page and wrapping themselves around her. When a flash of light surrounds her, Emma is sure she’s dreaming. She shuts her eyes in fear, unsure of where this dream is taking her.

Suddenly, her bare feet hit cold ground. She shivers, still too scared to open her eyes, her hands acting as a makeshift blindfold. She hears what sounds like a seagull and smells what she can only imagine is the sea. It’s a comforting quiet disrupted by the soft sound of someone crying. In a quick bout of bravery, the young girl opens one eye. Gasping, she removes her other hand from her face and her eyes grow wide. Sitting in front of her is Killian Jones, the boy from the storybook. She hesitates, but slowly walks towards him. She now knows he’s the source of the quiet sniffling and pauses, unsure she should bother him. Before she can turn around and explore more of her dreamworld, Killian looks over his shoulder and wipes his runny nose on his hand. He looks at her intently, and Emma is drawn to the deep blue of his eyes which seem to shine brighter through his tears. His eyebrows curve in confusion and he speaks, “Who are you?”

His voice is the most beautiful thing Emma has ever heard. His accent is unlike anything she’s heard before, but it’s melodic and reminds her of her favorite song. She hesitates to respond, but somehow feels comforted by his presence. “I’m… I’m Emma. Are you… Killian?”

His eyebrows shoot to his hairline but he gives her a soft smile, “Yes, miss. I’m sorry I don’t recognize you, I’ve never seen you here before.” He scratches behind his ear as she struggles to explain where she came from.

She’s sure she can say anything, she’ll wake up in the morning and Killian Jones will remain the figment of imagination he is, so she’s honest. “Oh! I’m not from here. I’m from Iowa! Well, at least I’m from Iowa right now…”

“Iowa?” Killian questions her once again. “I’ve never heard of such a place. I don’t get to travel much. Is it close to here?”

Emma decides to sit down next to him, both of their legs swinging over the dark water. “I think I’m pretty far from home. One minute I was reading in my bed and the next I was standing behind you.” Emma flinches at her own honesty but reminds herself it can do no harm. She’s finding peace in this dreamworld, she almost feels as though she has a friend.

“Well, Emma, I don’t know how you’re here but I’m afraid you’ve caught me at a bad moment.” He hangs his head, fiddling with a hangnail on his left hand.

“Your mother…” Emma says it in barely a whisper but Killian hears it all the same. She clasps her hands over her mouth.

“How did you––” He looks afraid of her and she hates it.

“Killian, I––,” She reminds herself again he’s just a dream, “The book I was reading… you were–– are a character in it. That’s how I knew your name, and about your mom. I also know about your brother, Li––”

“Killian? Is that you? Killian!” Emma is cut off by who she can only assume is Liam looking for his little brother. She scoots a bit away from him and hides her face in embarrassment while he turns to talk to his brother. Confusion was etched across Killian’s face before they were interrupted.

“Aye, Liam. It’s me. I’m sorry for running, it’s just… mother… she––” Killian is practically toppled over by a hug from Liam.

“I understand, Killian.” Liam looks as though he’s been crying but smiles and rubs his brother’s head. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” It’s then that he notices Emma. “Brother, who is this?”

Killian’s neck heats up with blush and Emma has to suppress a giggle. “Liam, this is Emma of Iowa.”

Emma chuckles loudly this time and Liam looks a bit confused but brushes it off quickly, “Ah, hello Emma. I hope my little brother hasn’t burdened you with our troubles too much. Where is your family?”

Killian mumbles something that sounds like “younger brother” and Liam smirks slightly. She supposes it’s something between siblings and ignores the ache for a family that lives deep in her soul. Emma snaps out of her melancholy to answer, “Oh, um, they’re at home.” She shoots a look at Killian, urging him to help her keep her secret. She once again is warring with the part of her brain which says none of this is real but shoves it down in light of Liam’s stare. “I should be going.”

Killian looks like he’s about to say something when Liam speaks, “Ah, yes, well we should be getting back to our parents as well.” Liam’s voice cracks at the word parents, but he continues his strong facade in front of his brother. “Ready, Killian?”

“Aye, I’m right behind you, brother.” Liam hesitates but turns away to leave Emma and Killian to say goodbye.

Emma speaks first, “I’m so sorry about your mother, Killian.” She looks down at her hands, she’s never had parents, but she can imagine watching one die is not easy.

“It’s ok, Emma. Liam and I will manage.” Emma can tell he’s being brave for her but she lets him continue. “You go home now, I’m sure your parents are worried.”

“I don’t have parents, I’m an orphan.” It bursts out of her before she can stop herself, her innate need to be honest with Killian taking over. She’s scowling now, ready to spit back any pity he throws her way, but when she looks up, all she sees is understanding. He nods at her.

“Will I see you again, Emma? Friends are all too rare in my life.” She smiles softly, happy to have made a friend herself.

“I hope so, Killian.” They smile at one another and she hears Liam call him from a distance. Killian nods once more and runs to his brother, glancing back over his shoulder one last time. Emma smiles, and watches him fade from sight.

As quickly as Emma landed in this world, she is back in her bed. The book sits open on her side table. She grabs it, hoping to see more of Killian’s story to add fuel for the rest of the night’s dreams. Emma is shocked at what she sees. Side by side are the text of her encounter with Killian, and a perfect sketch of the two of them sitting on the edge of the pier. Emma expects to be scared, but instead she’s comforted by the drawing of her and her new friend. She closes her book, and places it in it’s hiding spot, easily drifting off to sleep with memories of ocean air and the sound of Killian’s voice.

Phoenix, AZ; November, 2000

She hasn’t visited him since Ingrid— it’s not fair that she uses him like this, but she needs him.

And he promised. They promised.

With a deep breath, she opens the book and thinks of her friend as the warm light surrounds her and takes her away...

Sea air fills her lungs as she finds her footing– the breeze a sure sign she’s landed wherever Killian finds himself these days. She orients herself by finding the water and spots a ship coming into land– Emma would know that ship anywhere. While she can tell it’s the Jewel, the vessel’s usually regal presence seems tarnished somehow. As it nears the shoreline, she sees Killian at the helm. A smile spreads across her face before she can stop it– he always looked so at home on the water. As he nears the beach, Emma senses something different about her old friend. He’s older, each of them learning long ago moves differently in their separate worlds– almost as they need it to rather than on any set timeline– but she can’t shake the feeling there’s more to it than age.

Killian directs the crew effortlessly, not a single soul arguing with him. The ship hits land and Killian gazes over the side long enough for Emma to notice the heavy space beside him. Something’s missing– someone’s missing. It dawns on her as the ramp hits the sand… Liam.

Killian walks off the ship with a swagger she doesn’t recognize– a false confidence she’s positive only she would recognize as a front. Second guessing her decision– maybe she’d stayed away far too long– Emma reaches for the leather book. Selfishly, she takes one more look at her friend, or the man which used to be. He scans the beach with a stoic look that only falls away when he meets her gaze. A smile breaks out across her face as he runs towards her. She lets go of the book, anxious to learn more about where she is and what Kilian’s been up to. He barely says hello before she's wrapped in his arms choking up at the pure innocence of his laugh when he picks her up and twirls her around.

“Emma Swan!” Killian puts her down, swiping a soft curl from her cheek, “It’s been so long, love.”

Emma can’t speak, she’s changed since they last met, but not like him. Studying him, she releases him from her grasp and her hands trail down his arm, hesitating when her left one hits something foreign. Killian flinches and tucks it under his jacket. She’s still unable to put a finger on what’s different, but her old friend, always sure and steadfast, seems… lost. She can’t help but speak candidly, “Killian, where is Liam?”

He smirks, a mask unfamiliar to her aside from her brief glimpse of him exiting the ship, “Ah, yes, ‘fraid my brother was lost to the sea.” He gazes off before seemingly being startled into remembering her existence, “Emma! You can’t be here, it’s dangerous.”

Emma looks around for the first time since she arrived and realizes this place is unlike any portside town she’d landed in previously. “Where exactly is… here?”

If she didn’t know better– Killian Jones is not afraid of anything– she would’ve sworn she saw fear flicker across his eyes, “Best you not know. Why are you here? Is everything alright?”

His genuine concern reminds her of the pregnancy test she left in the Shell bathroom. Never one to mince words and never sure how long they truly have, Emma breaks the news abruptly, “Killian, I’m pregnant.”

Now she knows its fear– coupled with a brief flash of sadness that she doesn’t have the energy to dissect– that crosses his gaze, “Emma, ho–”

She cuts him off, she doesn’t want to answer the questions, doesn’t want to disappoint him, “It doesn’t matter. I will be ok, I just… needed to see you.”

He nods before turning to a small man in a red beanie who has hovered close by but out of earshot for the entirety of their conversation. “Smee, it will be dark soon. Gather supplies and take the crew aboard. I will return shortly.” The man nods before yelling a feeble attempt to wrangle up the rest of the crew while Killian leads Emma closer to the water’s edge. She knows there’s more to everything happening here than he’s letting on, but she also knows that if he’s not telling her, it’s with reason.

They find a small alcove, hidden from the ship, and Killian takes her in his arms swaying slowly. She can’t help but giggle, “Killian, what are you doing?”

“Just, I know you probably don’t have long, but please– before you go, just– one dance.” She nods, this tradition is one she should’ve seen coming. They danced the first time when Emma was nervous for her first homecoming dance– he taught her how to slow dance. Her next trip was to tell him she’d moved again and never gotten to go to the dance after all– so they swayed once more... that was the last time she’d visited.

As they settle into a comfortable stance, Emma feels something cold hit the small strip of skin exposed at her back. Logically she knows it should be his left hand, but the chill feels metallic. She stops herself from flinching, not at what must be a prosthetic, but at the temperature of the metal. Meeting his gaze, she can tell her lack of response comforts him briefly before the exhaustion and fear returns to his features. He forces a smile before pulling her closer— clearly, he doesn’t want to be here anymore than she wants to be home, so she dances. Killian hums quietly, a melody she’s heard many times before and often sings to herself when she needs the comfort of her friend. They don’t speak at first, the soft sound of his hum and the distant white noise of waves hitting the sand more than enough to fill the air around them.

Emma feels another wave of fear fall over her and breaks the silence, “I don’t really know how, Killian.”

He leans in closer, “It’s easy. Pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.” He winks at her and they feel like children again— twirling in fields of flowers and playing along the shoreline. For a moment, she forgets the monumental changes waiting for her at home and just tries to be happy. Killian spins her around, dipping her, and making her laugh like she hasn’t in what feels like her entire life. He slows and begins to hum a different shanty she doesn’t recognize but causes her to sway back and forth all the same. She has to stop herself from jumping when he speaks again, “I know you’re scared, Swan, but you can do this.”

Emma doesn’t tell him that she knows she can’t, that she knows Neal can’t– or that he won’t. Instead, she just savors the moment with her best friend.

Whether he’s real or fiction or an impossible dream stopped mattering long ago— Killian is always here, a constant in her inconsistent life, and that’s worth everything to Emma. She gazes into his eyes, as easy to lose herself in as the ocean, and he looks back. They’re practically nose to nose and Emma can see every scratch, bruise, and line of exhaustion that covers his face.

He’s still one of the most beautiful humans she’s ever seen.

Maybe it’s that realization that causes her to lean in ever so slightly. His eyebrow raises quickly before mimicking her movement. They have history, it’s patchy and incomplete, but it’s theirs and no matter what Emma always finds herself back in this fantasy’s arms.

He’s fiction, always has been, but he’s been an escape all the same. Emma doesn't second guess her decision to kiss him– no harm, no foul when this is all a dream anyway…

But it never comes.

Their moment is disrupted by a loud cawing noise. It almost sounds like a bird, but the way he flinches and the stoic fear that settles across Killian’s face hints that, whatever made that noise, is not to be messed with. His back stiffens beneath her hands before he moves in front of Emma. Using his left hand– no, hook– he pushes aside the tree blocking their view, “I’m sorry, Swan. You need to go. Now.” He turns back to her frantically, and with fear in his eyes growing, she has no choice but to believe him.

Her heart is beating loud enough that she's positive he can hear it too and she’s not sure if it’s the imminent danger or the fact she almost kissed him.

He’s not real, Emma.

Still, the look in his eyes fools her into playing along once again, rushing back towards his ship as darkness falls like a blanket across the beach. Emma stops him, selfishly pulling him behind a bush for just one more moment alone. “When will I see you again?” She isn’t sure why she’s asking when it’s always been up to her.

He smiles at her before pulling her tight, “Just hold onto this— to us and our parallel existences.” His right hand cups her cheek and she takes a moment to find comfort in his warmth, “You’re one of the only reasons I’m alive, Emma Swan. Let me be your something, as you are mine.”

Emma can feel herself crying now, the reality she’s returning to feeling scarier than whatever has Killian rushing her home, but he’s counting on her to survive, so she will. “I’ll see you soon, Killian.”

He smiles at her one more time, bright and hopeful, “Aye, Swan. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, she feels the warmth bubble inside of her as the light surrounds her once again and takes her back. In no time at all she’s sitting again on the dingy tile floor of a gas station in Phoenix. She holds the book close once more before putting it back in her bag. She sighs, remembering Killian’s faith in her, as she grabs the pregnancy test and goes to break the news to Neal.

As she leaves the bathroom, she’s startled by two officers with their guns drawn. As she’s told to raise her hands up, the lifted watch Neal gave her for her birthday catches the harsh fluorescent light and the positive test falls from her hand clattering against the linoleum at her feet.

Phoenix, AZ; August, 2001

“Emma, are you sure?” The doctor questions her as he wraps her crying son in a towel.

She refuses to look, the tears and sweat stinging her eyes. Emma knows if she holds the small boy, she won’t be able to give him up. The doctor turns away, placing the small boy into a bassinet behind him and Emma feels a weight lifted from her. Being given up herself, Emma swore she’d never put a child in that position, but she also never thought she’d be giving birth in prison.

The recollection of her own upbringing sparks something inside of her, “Wait!” The doctor turns around, something like hope in his eyes. Emma knows he thinks she’s changed her mind, but in reality, her decision has only been further solidified by her choice not to send him off alone. “There’s a book. In my personal belongings. It’s leatherbound and full of fairy tales– please, send it with him.”

The doctor looks at the guard who nods before sending their partner to retrieve the storybook. She’ll feel safer knowing even a piece of her— and a larger piece of Killian– will be with her son no matter where he ends up. The book made her feel like her parents at least cared enough not to send her off alone, and she hopes it provides the same comfort for her son.

It can be his something to hold onto.

Slight melancholy aches through her at the realization she’s given up her right to visit Killian ever again. She thinks he’d understand– support her even. Still, Emma smiles softly as the book is placed next to the hospital crib before drifting off where memories of distant lands keep her fast asleep.

Boston, MA; October, 2011

“Another banner year.” Emma blows out the blue star candle, and makes the simplest of birthday wishes. As she begins to unwrap the cupcake there’s a knock at the door. Startled, but curious, she opens it to a young boy looking at her like she’s standing on her head.

“Can I help you?” Emma’s had a long night, and while she could really go for some girl scout cookies, she doubts the small boy outside her door at 8pm is here to sell her any.

“Are you Emma Swan?” He tilts his head as he asks, a simple movement that Emma almost finds endearing.

“Yeah. Who are you?” She’s trying not to be impatient, but she really needs to take a shower and wash off the scum from her skip earlier that evening.

“My name is Henry. I’m your son.”

Well she wasn’t expecting that .

Storybrook, ME; 2011

Henry’s adoptive mother is– something. Regina Mills is not who Emma expected when she spent late nights picturing Henry with a family, but he has a roof over his head and everything he could ever want. And the town, Storybrook, is quaint and safe. Henry seems healthy.

What more could she have wanted for her son?

Maybe to not have the gut feeling that something— no everything — is off in this town.

Regina (aggressively) asked her to leave after dropping Henry off, but she can’t find it in herself to head back to Boston just yet. She wanders into a small diner that touts an attached inn, and the warm atmosphere is beyond inviting. Against all previous plans, she settles herself onto a stool at the bar and orders herself some hot chocolate. As she sips her drink, she takes in the rest of the diner only to realize almost everyone is looking at her. Almost. There’s a dark haired man with his back to her sitting in one of the booths. Emma finds herself fixated on him, and the fact that, unlike everyone else in the diner, he couldn’t seem to care less that she’s here.

A waitress in a short red skirt drops off soup at his table before making her way back towards Emma. “Hey, new girl. You want some food?” Startled by her forwardness, Emma responds with a stutter, “I– uh– no– I’m not– uh.. Why is everyone staring at me?”

The girl– Ruby if her name tag is anything to go by– belly laughs before answering, “Girl, we haven’t had visitors to this town in ages .” Emma isn’t sure how to take that but Ruby doesn’t seem to mind as she keeps talking, “I mean, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever had a visitor in this diner. Strictly regulars. That’s why they’re staring, hun. Not to mention, you’re pretty easy on the eyes.” She shrugs her shoulder in Emma’s direction and winks with a wolf’s smile.

She’s spunky and Emma likes her, “Well, I’m happy to be your first. Do you have any rooms?”

Ruby scoffs again, “All of them– no visitors remember? Except room 9, Sailor Boy over there has taken up permanent residence in that one.” The waitress motions towards the man in the back booth before flagging down an older woman asking for a room key.

Emma glances again at the dark haired stranger, wanting to know more, but having no real reason to strike up a conversation. Before she can approach him, she’s being handed a key and ushered up the stairs to her room by a pushy old lady that everyone seems to affectionately call Granny. She settles in for the night, her curiosity about the town and its residents only growing the longer she stays.

When she wakes up, it’s to Henry knocking on her door again. She opens to find him practically vibrating, “You stayed?!”

She can’t help but smile at his excitement, finding it hard to tamper her own, “Yeah, kid, I did. Don’t you have school or something?”

Henry smiles, “Not for another hour, wanna grab some breakfast?”

Emma nods and follows her son– not sure she’ll ever get used to that– down the stairs to grab some breakfast from the diner. They order from the counter when all the booths are full, but decide to move when one opens as their food is ready. Emma thanks Ruby, grabbing their plates of waffles, before turning towards the booth just as someone walks behind her. The plates crash to the ground, both her and the man she bumped into bending down to help with clean up. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

“My fault, lass. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Emma knows that voice– would know it anywhere.

When she doesn’t answer, he looks up at her, concern etched across the animated eyebrows she’s known for almost her entire life. If she wasn’t positive before, she is now, the blue eyes that haunted her dreams for years after giving up the book are staring directly back at her. “Killian?”

He looks stunned, but there’s no recognition in his eyes— eerily similar to their first night so many years ago on the docks. The warmth of his gaze, the excitement at meeting once again, and the hint of infatuation Emma always stopped herself from hoping for are gone without a trace. The unsettled feeling that’s sat in Emma’s stomach since the moment she and Henry crossed the town line the night before seems to boil over. All the air feels as though it’s escaped her lungs, suffocating her as she realizes the only person she’s ever come close to calling her best friend has no idea who she is. Her fear is solidified when he speaks again, “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

@mariakov81​ @lfh1226-linda​ @kmomof4​ @superchocovian​ @pirateherokillian​ @teamhook​ @nikkiemms​

[sparkedupsilver]

Fixing Vikings 6B (or atleast trying to)

Okay so me and @dottiechan have watched the Vikings season finale and were - like many people - less than overjoyed at how it went. I'm not going to delve into everything that didn't sit right, because I'm sure plenty of people have made some very valid posts already explaining that. Here, however, I am going to reveal my take on what might have been a better (??) ending for the show, drawing on conversations me and the wonderful @dottiechan have been having. A lot. Obviously, spoilers for all of s6 I think. Just a warning, it's a long one.

Not sure how much I'd change for the early episodes beyond some obvious character building stuff. More on Ingrid. More on her and Gunnhild bonding. That storyline changes so that there is no rift - Erik is not strong enough to tear them apart, not when Ingrid knows who he is and tells Gunnhild. He is either killed for his crimes or banished. Harald re emerges, stakes his claim to Kattegat. The wedding scene happens, but it's turned into him being sacrificed/killed instead. The women present as a united front, and the rest of their arc in the series is them falling the rest of the way in love, dealing with issues in Kattegat, and the birth of the child. (It looks, thankfully, nothing like Harald. If it's a son, they call him Bjorn.)

Hvitserk and Ivar actually talk more in Russia. Hvitserk about what happened during 6a with his addiction and fears, and about Thora. Ivar expresses regret, explains the power trip and madness he had spiralled into during his time as king. It's not quite forgiveness, but it's a start. His final conversation with Katya ends with him finally being able to see her for who she is - that is, not Freydis. The camera cuts away to show that Katya is played by a different actress who looks similar (her "true self", not as Ivar has idealised her). His relationship with Igor is the same. They decide to go back to Kattegat in hopes of finding where Ubbe went, and to make some kind of peace with the dead Bjorn. Gunnhild and Ingrid regard them with suspicion and distaste, but agree that they can stay for a short time to honour their status as sons of Ragnar. Hvitserk has his chat with Bjorn's burial mound (which we've never seen inside of since episode one and never will again! That bitch is properly laid to rest all comfortable this time!), and has an encounter with a god that doesn't end in sex but does reaffirm his faith and direction. Ivar has a simultaneous conversation with Bjorn on the beach of Kattegat, mirroring the one from the end of 6a. They put forward their plan to raid England to Gunnhild, who sees it both as an important piece of the Lothbrok legacy and a way of getting Hvitserk and Ivar off her back. She has control of Harald's men, after all, and sends them off with the agreement that they never come back.

Meanwhile, Ubbe makes it to Greenland. Asa does not die, but does start to get sick when they are there, shaking everyone's faith in the endeavour. Kjettil still loses it and the others flee, only this time they pause to take essentials for the boat. They still forget to take the sunstone/it gets lost early on. They have a similar experience of being lost, of losing people despite lasting longer due to having some food and water. We have lots of little scenes of Ubbe cuddling an ill Asa, with an arm around Torvi and baby Ragnar. They find land, at very long last, but it's impossible to tell where it is. It looks almost familiar though, and it isn't Othere's golden land. It's actually Ireland, and they get chased out by the Irish who are already sick to death of Northmen invasions. They decide to go back East to England for safety. That's right, we're getting an Alfred and Ubbe reunion.

It's a surprisingly happy affair - Alfred is glad to see them alive still, and Ubbe is weirdly proud of how his kingdom thrives. The East Anglia settlement still stands, and Alfred agrees to let them stay until they have all recovered and can make their way back to Kattegat, where Ubbe has decided to pay his respects to Bjorn. We also get proper introductions, with Alfred showing Ubbe his son Edward (who has... strangely bright blue eyes...), and Ubbe showing him baby Ragnar, and a slowly recovering Asa, who Alfred remembers from last time. Things get a little stilted after a while, though - Ubbe and Torvi are no longer Christian, and Alfred is more devout than ever, after having to harden against ceaseless Dane and Northman attacks. The Greenland refugees move out to East Anglia to avoid any building tension.

Unfortunately, it's right where Ivar, Hvitserk, and the army land, hoping to drum up more viking warriors. There is a very tense reunion between all three of them, with Ivar and Hvitserk trying to coax Ubbe to join them. Ubbe tries to convince them that England is not worth it, that they have something close to peace already and that they should attack the Irish instead. Either way, lots of grievances get aired.

Sigurd's death is finally brought into the light by all three brothers. Ubbe gets a chance to go off about the fact that he feels like he had to raise them all, about how everything revolved around Ivar when they were younger and they couldn't properly grieve Sigurd because of Ivar's feelings. Ivar gets to voice his own pains around growing up without the use of his legs, how he hated being pitied, how Aslaug smothered and babied him or left him alone entirely. Hvitserk talks about how torn he has always been, about how he's always followed someone around and how without one of them to guide him he doesn't feel whole. He talks about going under the ice, and Frankia, and how he has spent his whole life afraid of the next thing, so he pours it all into being a fearless warrior and relying on his brothers. It's both exhausting and bonding.

Here's a possible ending:

Ubbe caves and joins them. He's viking, it's in his blood. It would be both honouring Ragnar and surpassing him to finally take England, so they try it. The battle at Eddington happens almost the same way, with Ivar's tricks working at first. However, Alfred has the numbers and knowledge of the terrain, and eventually overwhelms them. Alfred and Ubbe meet on the battlefield. There are references and maybe even flashbacks to their time together. Ubbe hesitates. Alfred doesn't. His death does, however, fuel Hvitserk into fighting harder, despite how obvious it now is that they're losing. Ivar rushes to Hvitserk's defense, finally coming face to face with Alfred as he tries to save his brother. Alfred is injured and fended off for now, but Hvitserk is close to death, and begs Ivar to run. The last son of Ragnar retreats, regroups, and heads to Ireland, vowing revenge but knowing he'll never take it. He will, however, make a damn fine king of the Irish (if I remember correctly).

Not everyone escapes with him. Torvi, injured and desperate, tells Othere to take her children and go with Ivar, because the East Anglia settlement will no longer be safe. We don't see if he succeeds.

Flash forward so many years. Wessex, the villa. Edward is a young man now, Alfred an older, distinguished king known for his great deeds. There is another boy, about the same age. Piercing blue eyes, blond hair. Undeniably Ragnar's descendant. He wears a cross over his fine Saxon clothes, and when Alfred calls him to take a look at the old Roman papers, he calls him Athelstan.

Across the sea, we see an equally aged Ivar the Boneless, staring out from a cliffside. He has lived a surprisingly long life, and looks well for it. Beside him sits a young woman. Bright blue eyes. White blonde hair. She knows her family's name, her history. She is Asa Bjornsdottir, and she has been raised by her uncle. Now, she's getting ready to take revenge. The show ends with them sat together, overseeing her new fleet, Ivar spinning one last story.

Obviously this has it's own plot holes, and there are things that would have to still be addressed, like Othere and how Floki would make his reappearance (let's be honest, it can't end without him). It could end with another Brother's War, with Ubbe siding with Alfred, or any number of variations, but there's my attempt in broad strokes to maybe fix some of the bigger problems I had with the ending.

[octalove]

V: Letting Lie

(Batgirl/Red Hood)

Description: There’s a breakthrough in the case, and Reader takes things into her own hands. Part one, two, three, and four.

The hospital was white. All white. Like a dream. White walls, white floors, white curtains, white stretchers, white papers fluttering around on clipboards, doctors in white coats. Mr. Wayne’s suit was black, so I focused on him. Black suit, blue tie. Black hair, blue eyes. He was filling out whatever paper the nurse had given him. Something about seeing it all play out, despite the face he had put on for me, made my eyes well up with tears. He was afraid, so I was afraid.

“Mr. Wayne?” His eyes shot up as he looked desperately at the nurse. He was so helplessly at the mercy of whatever news they brought us. We both were. “Will you come with us? We’ll have a nurse stay with the girl.” The nurse looked down at me with a warm smile. White teeth.

“We need to borrow Mr. Wayne for just a second. That okay, baby?” I just nodded, not really considering it something I could say no to. No, please, I want him to stay. I’m scared and I want him to stay. A male nurse came and sat by me. He talked to me about school, my favorite subjects- science, math. He asked me what I wanted to be, and I shrugged.

“People who like science and math make good doctors.” He said. I shrugged again, but then considered it more.

“Is it hard?” I asked.

“It’s very hard. Not a lot of people can do it.”

“…”

“But it’s worth it. You help people, you know?”

Mr. Wayne appeared from around the corridor. The look on his face made all the papers stop fluttering. Made all the doctors stop rushing. Made the world stop where it was. Somewhere, maybe, in retrospect, I knew before he said it. I kept my eyes trained on his face, even though I wanted to look away.

“Y/N…” He said, taking a seat beside me. “Listen to me, sweetpea. Your parents-” His voice was cautious, considerate as he tried again. “Your moms got hurt really badly tonight… They- they’re both…“ A tear landed on my hand as the memory grew into a reality, which was bigger than I was. White sheets, red blood. He took my hand, and wiped it away.

“They’re gone now.”

*

They didn’t talk about Jason Todd.

And since they were the only people in his life at the time he died, nobody talked about Jason Todd. We met a couple of times, before Bruce took me in. I hated my expensive gowns, and he hated his expensive obligations, and we hid together at parties, all the while Dick insisted we’d get married. He lived, albeit briefly, as a smart, capable boy, and died as a smart, capable Robin. I had trouble looking at his face- pictures and old year books. When I did, I was looking into the face of a boy who died an untimely, tragic death. That was it. That was his story. Jason Todd died alone, afraid, and probably in a lot of pain. I went to his funeral.

If at all he came up (I could only think of one or two occasions), Bruce would tense, his eyes falling away, and Alfred’s gaze would cloud with memory. Dick, at least, could share a story or two, coveting the fondness and pride he had for his brother without dismissing the whole subject. Tim and Damian didn’t ask. They just tried not to die with the uniform on.

So walking into the cave and seeing Jason Todd’s face plastered on the central monitor seemed like the single most unlikely thing to occur in the Wayne household. I would’ve placed Bruce adopting another child before digging up and displaying dead ones.

Tim, Dick, and Babs were huddled close, faces wound and tight, while Bruce looked distracted, fascinated with his W.E. ballpoint pen. I dragged my feet a little to alert them all of my entry, but only Babs looked up.

“Y/N.” She said.

“Hey. What’s going on?”

Everyone just sort of concluded that someone else would explain, or take the lead, but no one made any attempt to do so. Finally, Bruce sighed.

“Come here. Sit down.” Okay. If there was anything in the world that could make your intestines feel like they were getting turned to ramen noodles by a paper shredder, it was Bruce Wayne telling you to come here, sit down. I searched the others’ faces as I did so.

“What happened?” I asked quietly, trying to fill the chasmic silence.

“I’m going to go over everything. Do you remember…” He trailed off- just for a second. It wasn’t often I saw him battle with something like that. His face was tired, and his eyes revealed a struggle as he fought whatever emotion he was grappling with. “Do you remember Jason?”

I nodded. “Sort of.” An echoing memory passed. Lacy table cloth curtains and chocolate covered strawberries as we camped under gala snack tables, whispering and laughing. Bruce watching me when my parents went out of town, and Jason giving me a tour of the library. The red roses on his burial. Sure, sort of. His blurry picture was on the monitor, anyway.

“Okay. Very good.” Bruce began again, perhaps relieved he would have to go into detail to refresh my memory.

“We’ve been putting a lot of information together regarding the Red Hood. We’ve been able to deduce his origins were The Viper House, but before that, Arkham. He began working out of the Asylum, and contacts there had a lot of information about him.”

That, I didn’t know. I supposed I wasn’t the only one slinking around in shadows. He was addressing everyone now, going through visuals on the monitor.

“He began to placate what was left of Joker’s operations in Coventry before he started on general crime. Oracle was even able to get some information from Harley Quinn.” I looked at Babs with some surprise, and she just nodded along.

“The very first sighting of him- in Coventry- was April 27th, seven months ago. The fifth anniversary of…”

I nodded. I knew what April 27th was. A vapid, despairing day in the manor that Bruce spent in his office and Dick didn’t call. I didn’t follow, but if Bruce had linked Jason’s death to Red Hood, I knew he must have something big.

“All of the information we gathered, on top of his intimate knowledge of us, vigilante or otherwise, has lead us to a clear conclusion. The encounter in Crime Alley on the 21st was just another confirmation.”

I almost flinched as my eyes flew to Tim, but no one seemed particularly interested in me. I texted him quickly, careful to avoid Bruce’s eye.

You told him?

- I told him I was the one who saw it. It was important information.

Shit, Tim. Was he mad?

He didn’t answer, looking back up to the briefing. I slid my phone into my pocket, guilt weighing in my chest alongside the other myriad of emotions building.

“He’s been around longer than seven months. Much longer. And it began with Jason’s death.”

I furrowed my brow, putting together a puzzle with with bent, broken edges, like trying to fit a triangle into a square-shaped hole- just one angle missing.

“Are you saying… Joker didn’t kill Jason? That this guy did?” My body felt cold.

Bruce looked at Dick, who didn’t return his gaze. Then, he turned back to me.

“I’m saying... that Jason is Red Hood.”

I let confusion twist on my face. “What? How? That’s not possible. You think he lived? We- I mean, we had a funeral.”

Dick shook his head, answering on Bruce’s behalf. “He did die, but… are you familiar with the Lazarus Pit?”

I went over my tangling thoughts. The crime scenes. The anger. The vigilante justice packaged in a case of blood and bullets, shipped right to Gotham’s largest looming criminals. The warehouse, the alley. The button. The leather on his gloves as he ran his fingers along my face and pressed it, leaving me all alone.

Tell Batman,

It was all falling in line; bubbling up and searing together like hot, melding flesh pulled together in the burning waters of the Lazarus.

I’m getting impatient.

“So… what are you going to do?” I asked.

Dick’s face was pained. Solemn. “I… we want to try to talk to him. There’s a reason he’s doing all this, and there’s a reason he chose now. If we want to figure it out, we have to find him.”

I swallowed. “I can help.”

“No.” Bruce declared swiftly. “Absolutely not. The only thing we know about him is that he’s dangerous. Red Hood may have Jason’s DNA, but we need to work under the assumption that he isn’t the same person.”

I could answer that. He wasn’t.

“Do not look for him. Do not engage him. Is that clear?” He was talking to me, Tim, and Damian. We all nodded.

“Any unapproved interaction could jeopardize the case, and give him more insight into our movements. We want to try and remain one step ahead. That is all.” The explanation was for Damian, who operated on bargains, not orders. Again, we all nodded. After a moment, I sighed.

“Well… I have school in the morning. Will you tell me if you learn anything else?” I asked. The three of them nodded, and Dick muttered a ‘goodnight’. I turned, mind working against the grain of what I should do and what I wanted to do.

Just go to bed, I willed myself.

Just go.

*

Night fell, black and smoggy. The sea was hissing and writhing, unsettled with the gale of a promised storm. I wasn’t entirely certain what would catch Red Hood’s attention. It seemed that our history comprised of him finding us, and not the other way around. Gotham Docks seemed like a good place to start. Ever since Kuznetsov was found in his watery grave, his men belonged to Hood. They moved drug imports that came to Port Adams- actual drugs- pharmaceuticals, over-the-counters, hydrocodone, acetaminophen; all legal things. But Gotham City taxed the living hell out of medicine imports, so people like Kuznetsov (may he rest in peace) smuggled them in fishing vessels for cheap, and got them into the hands of big pharma and medicare companies for a lot of money.

I’d picked a cozy spot on the roof of a bait shop that made me feel safely invisible as my eyes swept over the docks. Batman didn’t typically prioritize crime of this caliber; over the counter meds weren’t going to blow anyone’s heads off the way crazy clowns and mafia bosses were. It made the busy henchmen on the boardwalks nice and blatant. It wasn’t hard to find tonight’s operation.

I needed to make a scene. Make some noise, throw out some names- one name in particular. Wherever he was, I hoped it’d be enough to make it worth dropping in. I was used to making quick, efficient work of criminals, not stalling. Making a scene meant no disappearing in shadows, or quieting the sound of my breath.

There were a couple of men dollying crates in and out of a packaging plant. Disguised as fishermen, naturally. As they approached the building, several feet from the propped-open door, I dropped. Embracing the momentum, my weight striking the old wood made a salient sound, and sent the startled men gasping and staggering backward.

“Holy shit!”

“B-Batma-

“B-B-Batgirl?” I clipped. “Were you gonna say Batgirl?” It didn’t really matter which bat they thought it was. The fear all worked to the necessary effect.

“Jesus, Joseph, and Mary,” The man muttered, scooting backward along the wood as I let my step fall heavy against it.

“Where is he?” I asked, drumming up my vicious, raspy voice, like smoke on the sea.

“Where-where’s who?” He stuttered. The other man was taking advantage of my focus and scrambling to his feet. Any second, he would bolt into the building. Perfect.

“Red. Hood.” I said, loud enough that the fleeing man would hear.

“I don’t know! Hand to god, I don’t know!” The man on the ground pleaded. I looked down at him, letting the fear and shadow distort my face.

“I don’t believe you.” I kicked him in the chest, sufficiently knocking the wind out of him, but left him there, turning my attention to the packaging plant.

Adrenaline was in my limbs, pushing and pulling with the running blood under my skin. When was the last time I had a good fight? Carjackings and bank robberies felt so small, and predictable. Everything was always stable. Batman always had it under control, watching dutifully from rooftops, appearing in split second if I needed help.

Tonight, Batman wasn’t here. I felt no eyes on my back, no voices in my ear. It was under control, but it was my control.

The men inside had already sufficiently scattered. I didn’t bother to hush my footsteps as I entered. The icy breeze from the open door made my cape flutter, despite its weight- and that was the only sound.

Suddenly, boots on concrete, and a man let out a defiant cry as he shot toward me, with a rusted tire iron raised above his head. I moved on practiced instinct, side stepping and leaving him stumbling, before delivering a hard, well-aimed kick that he wasn’t getting up from. Two other men concluded (incorrectly) if they went together, they could take me.

It was a blur of fists and make-shift weapons comprised of packaging tools, but they were easy to parry and subdue. I kicked the second one back with enough force to send him through a thin wooden partition, which cracked and splintered under his weight. I swung my eyes around the scene.

“Anyone else?” I knew they were there. Tucked behind conveyor belts and crouched low, using fish barrels for cover. No one answered the call of duty.

“I’ll ask again,” I called. “Where. Is. Red. Hood?”

Suddenly, a flash of color, and I went backward and downward, catching myself enough that my arm slid across the concrete instead of my face. I let out a sharp breath just in time to dodge another blow.

“All this,” The computerized tilt of his voice couldn’t smother the anger in it. “For little old me?”

I kept my eyes trained on his hands, because I could entertain close combat, but knew I’d need to bolt if he drew his guns. That didn’t appear to be his intention. I dipped away from one of his swings, but he swiped at the fabric of my cape, grip closing, and used it to heave me into a barrel. I gasped at the force of it as I reckoned with shattered wood. Barely recovering, I rolled out of the way as he swung low. I went for the door, figuring I could use a little more space, since he had a hundred pounds and a few feet on me.

Outside, a frigid wind was cascading across the docks, biting my skin and casting droplets of salt water all around. Red Hood moved imposingly slow-paced, attending the cuff of his jacket sleeve, while I put a hand on the railing and tried to find my footing again.

“There are easier ways to get my attention, sweet thing.” Drawing to a halt, he didn’t look like he was going to attack me again, so I wiped the blood from my lip and straightened.

“Sorry. You forgot..” I was still breathing heavily. “To give me.. your number… last time.”

He laughed; a terrible, beautiful thing. “I guess I did, didn’t I?”

I fought to remember why I was here, and consequently, tried to pull together Jason Todd with the faceless man before me. They seemed to foil one another- a triangle through a square-shaped hole.

“So what do you want?” He asked, more serious this time. Though a reasonable question, it almost sounded rhetorical for the sheer lack of curiosity in it. I swallowed.

“Show me your face.” I said. It was so quiet, so hushed by the jeering sea that I was surprised when he tilted his head in response.

“Liked our little game that much? Had to crack a few skulls just to play it again?” I was frustrated, wishing he would come close, like he had in the alley, and let me touch him. Let me push away the helmet and know.

I tried to convey my seriousness with a look, but he just rolled his shoulders.

“Is that all, little bird?” He seemed annoyed; like I’d dragged him here only to concern myself with the small matter of his secret identity. The secret identity of Gotham’s most prolific crimelord. I wanted to make him understand, but I didn’t know what to say. He didn’t say anything else, either. He didn’t say “no” or “whatever” or “goodbye”. He just started walking away.

Jason.

Suddenly, I stopped myself. What if he wasn’t? What if Bruce was wrong? I’d throw out a name- an accusation- at a monstrous stranger who had no connection to me or my family. He’d laugh his terrible laugh and know that the world’s greatest detectives weren’t so great after all. Nervousness consumed me, tightening around my throat, placating me while I watched his form get smaller as he walked away, the darkness threatening to swallow him up.

“Jason!”

He stopped. His boots dragged to a jarring halt on the wood. Slowly, then, he turned around. The shadows were long and cast over him, turning his helm the color of old blood.

“Come back.” I said. “Please.”

His body language was unreadable, a mix between relaxed and hesitant that left him standing there, looming, and left me unsure as to whether he was going to leave, or pull a glock on me. Then, he lifted his hands. His thumbs dragged beneath his jaw methodically, until there came a hiss from his helmet, and he pulled it off.

“Jason.” I repeated. My voice was tight. It shook. His gaze followed me in the dark before he approached, gate slow and heavy, and sat down on a fishing crate.

“What? Do I look different? Put on a little weight?” Maybe he was joking- I couldn’t tell. The soft rasping of his voice startlingly contrasted the voice scrambler, and blended with the bubbling waters below our feet. But something eerie laced it. It was still foreign to me. “It’s okay. You can tell me.”

I had previously thought I might be able to do this; face him. After all- I should be happy to see him again, alive after five years of Bruce’s grief and wretched hollowness. Years of operating in the long, dark shadow cast by his headstone. But somehow, the man before me was instead a confirmation. A walking death certificate. Jason Todd- the other Jason Todd- was still gone. Bronze skin, of which small, light colored scars adorned. Midnight hair mussed from his helmet, leaving a couple strands to fall over his dark eyes; eyes that used to hold warmth, and now held a malefic coldness. When I drank in the features of his face, I found my chalice empty. He didn’t approach me this time- didn’t draw near enough to feel his heat. Just sat there, elbows resting on his thighs, leaning forward and looking at me. I had trouble holding his gaze, but I did. Then, he gave me a chilling grin.

“Did you miss me?”

His voice knocked something loose, as my mind placed him as a memory. Someone I’d actually known. I had a million burning questions. “How? What happened?”

He pulled out a cigarette, shrugging. “I’ve been busy. Dying’s a lotta work.”

“Why- why are doing this?” This being spending seven months as the most prolific crimelord in Gotham. There was a spark of his lighter. Using his hand to shield the flame from the winds and misting water, it nurtured an orange glow on his face, bathing his skin in auburn light for just a moment. I blinked, and it was extinguished, replaced, again, by the blue darkness. He took a deep drag.

“Know how I died, dollface?” He asked. I did, so I nodded.

“Remember what happened to the bastard who killed me? After.” I studied him, still reeling a bit from accepting the man before me as the boy he’d been. I remembered there was another attack after Jason’s death. Joker took forty pounds of C4 to a shopping center in Fashion district at the beginning of May. Amidst the rubble were Robin: Missing posters. Bruce didn’t make them. Joker kept up his streak thereafter. He didn’t stop until his death, last year.

“Nothin’.” Jason supplied the answer. A hard, bitter, sorrowful nothing. It burned cold, like an inverse flame.

“Batman doesn’t kill. He doesn’t kill, and killers do. So they walk, and keep killing, and he calls it justice.”

I let it all sink in. Batman was the only thing standing between Gotham and complete corruption. I saw, in my memory, all the people I’d helped. All the victims who’d ever clung to me or thanked me through tears. All the pride I’d ever felt carrying the mantle. Batman didn’t kill because you can’t go back from killing. If he did, it wouldn’t be vigilantes against criminals- it’d be dogs eating dogs. Domestic war. Jason had been Robin. Surely he understood the philosophy of it?

But, then, what did it get him? He took those philosophies to the grave. When he finally crawled back out, he did what anyone with a vendetta might do. He overcorrected.

“Tell me somethin’, little bird.” His eyes leveled steadily on mine as I looked back up. “You call that justice?” I swayed under the intensity of it. I was afraid to disagree with him, but I didn’t even know if I wanted to. There were a lot of times I watched Joker slip through Batman’s hands, free to blow up another shopping center, when he could’ve stopped him if he just-

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

He got up, cigarette hanging from his lips, gaunt eyes burning through the blue dark.

“I think you do.”

The sea hissed, and the wind writhed, and I watched as the night swallowed him up.

[curiosity-killed]

bitter wine

word count: 2094 cw: mentions of desecration of corpses, brief/implied self-harm, descriptions of violence just some noodling on a potential solution for the trouble of tcp’s saggy, plotless middle. in which Reimon gets mean when he’s mad and Callebero just. honestly. babe’s having the shittiest fucking birthday

“If it were Dameron before me, I would rip out his throat,” the prince said, sharp and savage. His lip curled back a little, disgust in the way it pulled from his teeth and fury in the dark slash of his brows. Leaning back slightly, Reimon raised his eyebrows and didn’t bother looking to his empty hands or many injuries. “Oh?” he asked. “With what weapon?” The last time he’d met him, the imperator princep had been a child with a vicious blade held to their throats. Now, he stood before Reimon clothed in servants’ spares and enough injuries that he should have bled out before even making it here. Fine tremors seized through his legs sporadically; with the lashes on his back still raw, he wouldn’t be able to stand upright much longer without support. There were other chairs in the room, but Reimon did not offer a seat. “My teeth, if necessary,” the prince still spat.

He said it with such conviction that Reimon could nearly picture it—the barbarous emperor tearing out his half-brother’s throat with the same mindless bloodlust of a wild dog set loose on a goat. He’d heard more savage stories of the Aeridians and their mercenary past. An empire founded by highwaymen maintained little squeamishness around spilt blood. “And me?” Reimon asked, interlacing his fingers lazily so they caught at the first knuckles. “I have no weapon, as you can see, and the guards are beyond a closed door. Will you kill me as well?” The prince’s jaw tightened, chin lifting even as his gaze dipped low and to the side. His lips pressed together in a way that must have made the ragged cut through them sting. “Jisel cares for you,” he said after a moment. “You are not worth betraying her trust.” He stared, struck silent. A low rage flickered, licking up into incandescent flames in the cage of his chest. This murderer, this monster, thought he deserved to know his sister so well? A dog draped in silk robes was still a beast, a low and base distortion of man. “How noble,” Reimon said slowly, holding his voice steady in the same way his mother did around the pushier members of court. “Should I laud you for your mercy, Your Eminence? Title you a saint and crown you with speedwell and bow at your feet?” The prince met his gaze, chin lifting slightly and dark eyes hooding. His hand had folded into a fist at his side, but he didn’t flinch from the taunts, not visibly. Reimon canted his head to one side, looking pointedly up and down his frame. Aeridians were so tightly laced, wrapping themselves in layer upon layer as if it could hide the sins that were written on their skin. Dressed now in commoners’ clothes, the black tattoos of the prince’s arms and lower legs were bared to the world, and a fat, dark scar peeked out from under the short hem of his tunic. “The Bloodletter holding back—such a miraculous trick might rival a talking bear,” Reimon continued. “We could put a collar on you and parade you around the capital. What do you think—would your knights and generals recognize their prince then?” A muscle bunched at the back of the prince’s jaw, his lips working briefly as if to spit out words. Reimon smiled, polite and thin as a garrote. There. “Those knights who died for you,” he said thoughtfully, “would they be honored by a prince like you? What a shame, to have all their throats cut only so you could bow down as a side amusement in our court.” The tremors had increased, become fine shakes running through the prince’s whole body, even as his breath picked up. His broken hand curled together now to join the other, surely a painful reflex. Loosening his own hands, Reimon reached over to pluck his cup from the table with his fingertips. He took a long sip, not bothering to look at the prince. “It’s a shame they’re already dead,” he mused as he lowered the cup to fit precisely in the water ring left on the wood, “or we could have had a whole troupe to dance for us. The Bloodletter and his loyal guards, muzzled and leashed. Do you think we could train them to beg on command?” “Do not speak of them,” the prince snapped finally. It was funny, how he thought he had any command here. Turning toward him, Reimon tilted his head as if in thought. “I’m sorry, what part do you not enjoy?” he asked pleasantly. “The reminder that your loyal knights are all dead in a wood none of your saints could ever find or that they died for nothing but a pathetic, broken husk who has so little to offer their memory?” Some part of the prince must have held Jisel’s concern in high regard—or else, more likely, his injuries were too grave to even try attacking: the hate in his eyes was a living, snarling thing as toothed as the dragons that guarded the deepest seas. Reimon held his gaze, unflinching. For all his conquests and all his glory, the prince was nothing more than a prisoner here. A plaything or a servant or a sacrifice, all depending on Reimon’s own whims. He’d never thought himself a vengeful man, but now, with the architect of his family’s downfall trapped before him, Reimon suddenly understood why cats toyed with their prey for so long before biting through their necks. “Your mother died at my father’s blade,” he said, and a jolt ran through the prince. “Perhaps when you’ve worn out your novelty, I will add you to the collection. Two imperators princep killed by the same bloodline would certainly be an accomplishment.” Despite the surprise that had snapped through the prince like a taut bowstring at mention of his dead mother, there didn’t seem to be much impact in theorizing on his own death. Reimon supposed that it was to be expected. From what he’d heard, Aeridians were raised bowing to Death itself and kissing its bony hands. Mortality might not be so fearful a thing in the face of such customs. “We could even be generous,” he offered, turning his tone light and almost friendly. “If both your heads were stored in the same chest, wouldn’t it be a touching reunion?” “You—” the prince started, taking a single step forward. He froze, fists still clenched and breath coming in rapid hitches through his chest. With his shoulders squared and hands tight, he looked a single step away from swinging a punch. Reimon really didn’t have a weapon around him, and he hadn’t trained in martial skills since the doctors determined his body too fragile for such exertion. If the prince decided to kill him, if the goading snapped his surely thin restraint, then Reimon had no plan in place. And yet—

Above the braced shoulders and clenched jaw, his eyes were too bright. No tears fell, but they glistened, precarious along the edge of his eyes. Reimon stared, gaze caught on the glitter of them. The imperator princep, the Bloodletter prince of Arradine, didn’t weep. Hell, Reimon would half expect him to dance over his enemies’ corpses like a fleet-footed nightmare. “Fuck. You,” the prince enunciated, the words rolling and crisp in Aeridian. Reimon had learned most Aeridian curses in secret, stealing books off the shelf to share with his younger brothers and the closest of his personal guard. Learned in laughter and conspiracy, they didn’t carry half the weight that Capallan curses did. If he wanted to hurt someone, if he wanted to be sure they knew how much he hated them, he would always use his native tongue. The prince met his gaze with a furious stillness, eyes bright and hands clenched, and for the first time in the hour he’d stood here, he spoke in the language of his home. Reimon smiled. “How unfilial,” he remarked, as if chiding a younger sibling. “Of course, I imagine it would be a disappointment for her to see you now. Your mother was a hero, wasn’t she? She died nobly, holding the line so her own knights could escape, and you—you just left them to die along a dusty road while you grovel at the feet of her killers.” He’d been sixteen when Aliras died on his father’s sword, barred from the battlefield for the sake of succession. They hadn’t known, then, that it didn’t matter whether he died on the field or in the comfort of the palace—he would never sit on the throne. At the time, the streets had filled with clamors for Aliras’ body, commoners and courtiers alike frothing at the mouth at the thought of ripping her into five pieces and waving each of them above the parapets like bloody banners. Yet when the king returned with his soldiers, there was no head on a pike, no arms ripped out of their sockets. When Reimon asked, once, what became of the body, his father had frowned down at him and said she was given a proper burial, in an unmarked grave. No one knew where the grave was, and no one outside of a select few knew that she had even been afforded one. Her son was not among them. “It’s a shame what happened to her,” he lied easily. “My father the king respected her as a valiant opponent, but the armies were so furious after what she’d done, there was no stopping them once they got hold of her body.” The prince’s eyes widened, horror smoothing the lines of anger from his face and making him look completely taken by surprise. The knuckles of his fists had started to bleed white, cracks of red lining the tendons where they stretch over the bones. “I’m sure you’ve seen street dogs with a carcass,” Reimon continued pleasantly. “I assure you that looks domestic in comparison.” Shaking his head slightly, as if in disbelief, the prince swallowed. A tear slipped to trail down his bruised cheek, but he didn’t seem to notice. Smiling indulgently, Reimon gave a slight nod. “Oh, yes,” he said. “Did you really think we would honor someone who killed so many Capallans?”

“No,” the prince said. “No, you—” His voice came out small, almost fragile. He made no effort to wipe away the tears that curved sluggishly down his cheeks, just scoured Reimon’s face as if searching for the lie in his words. Meeting his gaze, Reimon kept his expression perfectly even and amiable. The prince’s brow furrowed, his lips parting slightly. Reimon raised his eyebrows, waiting. “What,” he asked, “do you think you’re the only one who would want revenge? You may have my father’s crown locked away in your palace, but your mother greeted the afterlife in so many pieces the finest tailor couldn’t have sewn them together.” He’d been pressing for a reason, needling to prick the prince’s skin a thousand times over for his offenses. This was the man who cut through their armies until he snatched the crown from his father’s head. He took Jisel, kept her from them for years. He deserved every slice Reimon landed. But—as the prince stared at him with cracked-open horror in his eyes, his lips trembling with the tears that slipped one by one from his eyes, no satisfaction welled in Reimon’s chest. His stomach twisted instead, reminded too much of fights in his childhood when his words grew too sharp and Laisa or Adamil’s eyes would grow glassy with tears. “Guards,” he called, raising his voice to be heard beyond the study’s walls. The door opened promptly, and Reimon flicked his hand in a gesture for them to take the prince from his sight. The prince offered no resistance as each of them took one of his arms and tugged him from the room.

Left in the sudden quiet, Reimon reached for his wine and then paused with his fingertips resting along the rim of the glass. The prince deserved every blow that landed. It should be a victory to have the imperator princep weeping before him. His fingers pressed tighter against the glass, until a dull ache bit into the bones. Jisel cared about this prince, for whatever reason. She called him her close friend, dear. Biting the inside of his lip, Reimon slid his hand down to cup the goblet’s belly. The wine didn’t wash the sour taste from his mouth.

[untamedficrecs]

Hiiiiii i’ve been looking for this type of fic but haven’t been able to find one yet. Do any of you know of fics that deal with jc after wwx died. like how the dealt with it and his thoughts, idk i’ve been in an angst mood lately lol

Hi! so I’m not sure if these are exactly what you’re looking for but I tried my best!! (really sorry for how long this is about to be!) 

our hero by grapefruitsketches

Rating: Teen & up | Jiang Cheng-Centric | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 1485 Author’s Summary: Jiang Cheng searches for his brother at the bottom of the cliff. He's not sure what he hopes he will find.

☆ personal comments: this is set right after wwx dies and it’s just jiang cheng trying to go through the emotions of losing everyone he cares about. it’s pretty short but i still think you’d enjoy it! 

storm by jiujiu (kiki_bw)

Rating: Teen & up | Jiang Cheng-Centric | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 1439

Author’s Summary: It's easier for Jiang Cheng to be angry than to try and make sense of his convoluted emotions. Or, Jiang Cheng stumbles back to Lotus Pier after the siege at Burial Mounds where Wei Wuxian dies.

☆ personal comments: much like the above fic ^^ just a lot of jiang cheng feels and pain ;;~;; 

wayward son by seofon

Rating: General | Character Study | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 727

Author’s Summary: Jiang Cheng’s heart is a patchwork quilt of a thousand black holes. He replaces the pieces that have run ragged with wear and haphazardly sews together lacerated edges. He walks the fine tightrope between love and hate and prays he won’t fall off. He’s been assembled by war, for war, and sometimes he doesn’t know whether there are any soft lines in the melody of his soul anymore.

☆ personal comments: it’s not long but definitely should read, it goes through jiang cheng’s character and covers a little bit about how he tries to cope with everything. 

and sever the rope to set you sailing from my harbour by morifiinwe

Rating: Teen & Up | Jiang Cheng-Centric | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 7433

Author’s Summary: If he was to be honest, and he was only honest late at night, when he was stressed to tears and there was only Jin Ling to hear him, Jin Ling who will remember none of this, Lotus Pier will always be lonely to him. He rebuilt it for more than just himself. It was for his softly smiling sister, married and happy in Lanling, for his obnoxious brother, whose promise Jiang Cheng held on to. He would never say it out loud, and certainly not to Jin Ling, but he missed Wei Wuxian. He missed him like he had lost a part of himself, missed him while he hated him, and hated himself while he missed him because look at all that he did.

Or, Jiang Cheng, through sixteen years of quiet grief.

☆ personal comments: i was 3 paragraphs in and was already tearing up. this is just sadboi jiang cheng hour up in here. this fic probably fits best with what you’re looking for. it’s also got a lot of uncle jiang cheng feels...and just...im sad...so you can be sad with me :(( 

storm to weather by mikoiifish

Rating: General | Character Study | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count:  5301

Author’s Summary: Forgiveness is complicated.Jiang Cheng watches his brother’s back as he walks away – rides away, accompanied by Lan Wangji as always – and wonders if it’s time he forgives himself.(Truth be told, he forgave Wei Wuxian a long time ago.)Or, a story of reconciliation. 

Character study of Jiang Cheng as he navigates his relationship with Wei Ying.

☆ personal comments: this is more snips of jiang cheng’s life and his feelings and thoughts but there are parts that somewhat go into his time after wwx dies and how he deals with things. it’s a really good fic tho...def has angst if that’s what you’re looking for!! 

(what obstacle can stay) the sea-seeking river by monocerosrex

Rating: Teen & up | Jiang Cheng-Centric | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 26085

Author’s Summary: Making it all the way home carrying her family on her back was impossible, but for all her ill-health Jiāng Yànlí was of Yúnmèng. Her arms trembled with effort, her breaths sawing in her chest; her muscles screamed, but still she fought to uphold her sect’s creed. Her focus wanted to narrow to the pain, the wet ground, the sad tinkling of her clarity bell, but the sniffling of her baby brother—both her baby brothers—kept intruding, driving her on. Her newest brother was still wracked with fine tremors at the thought being carried towards dogs, and her youngest brother clutched her robes in unspoken guilt. Jiāng Yànlí had no doubt his other hand gripped Wèi Wúxiàn in similar sentiment.

Jiāng Chéng's story, told through a series of (mostly) missing scenes

☆ personal comments: this is more just snap shots of jiang cheng’s life but it’s a really good fic and you should def check it out. it’s got some angst and sadness in there. 

the meaning of family by wuxiansmelody

Rating: Teen & up | Jiang Cheng-Centric | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 2040

Author’s Summary: To Jiang Wanyin, family means a great many different things over the years.

☆ personal comments: very quick read this is just a mix of emotions that jiang cheng goes through as the meaning of family changes for him over the years..its pretty good! 

cocaine and able by brojorlas

Rating: General | Character Study | One Shot | Status: Complete | Word Count: 2433

Author’s Summary:  He would find no answer on that mountain, would only begin to feel what might be called closure long after the dust had settled, after he had been given time and space to process.

☆ personal comments: just...lot’s of jiang cheng feels. just..him. 

[teaplease1717]

Story: Ashes of Love and War

Chapter: 13 / ?

Couple: Todoroki Shouto / Yaoyorozu Momo (TodoMomo)

Rating: M (for language and violence)

Betas: @flourchildwrites​ (Link)  & C’s Melody (Link) 

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638800/chapters/71473683

Thank you everyone who still reads and follows this story! I have this arc done, but will be posting it slowly - think once a month (maybe a little faster depending on my schedule).

Anyways, in regards to this chapter, it’s a bit different. It will be from Momo’s pov again. It was originally supposed to be part of chapter 12, but then got too long and I needed time to think about the conversation with Aizawa so I decided to make this section its own chapter. But you can think of it as chapter 12.5.

Also, please don’t judge my strategizing and war planning too harshly.

XXXXXXXX

Momo followed automatically after Tokoyami and Todoroki downstairs. It was still dark outside.

A strange quiet had fallen over the orphanage after the attack. Men sat in a stupor in the courtyard as the able-bodied walked amongst them, checking for injuries in whispered voices.

In the far corner of the yard, carcasses of the stymphalian had been stacked for burning. Next to the pile, in a single file line, the shapes of unmoving men lay on the courtyard ground, ready for their burial ceremonies.

Momo dropped her gaze and tried not to count the dead. It wouldn’t do any good to think about it. All she could do was pray their souls were judged worthy of paradise in Elysium.

Tokoyami led them down the hallway and into the kitchen.

Aizawa was already there, standing over a table covered with a map of the island. He didn’t look up as they entered.

Momo studied him in the dim lighting of the room. The flames in the tripods flickered, casting dark shadows over his face, but Momo couldn’t read his expression. Whatever worry and exhaustion he had shown in Eri’s room was carefully concealed again.

The kitchen door opened behind her, and Asui entered with Fukukado.

The pirate captain’s arm hung in a sling. Momo noticed that Fukukado had cleaned the blood off of her face, but despite the remaining blush of battle, she looked gray.

“Causality count?” Aizawa asked in a clipped voice, finally looking up and meeting Fukukado’s narrowed gaze.

“Six dead. Two missing,” she said tightly. Her dark green eyes had lost all playfulness. She looked tired and stressed. “Half of my remaining men have serious wounds, and a quarter of those might not make it through the night.”

Aizawa’s lips thinned. For a moment, he was silent as if he were contemplating something; then he reached into his chiton.

“Asui collected what she could of the medicine from the stockroom.” His expression was grim as he pulled out a small leather bag. “There’s not much. We were only able to recover three bottles of Eri’s elixir,” he said, pulling the tinctures out and setting them on the table.

The statement fell on the room as heavy as if it were the night sky, and they were the titan Atlas. Momo’s legs buckled under her. She knew it had been bad but somehow she had hoped…

But, three. Only three? She covered her mouth with her hand and drew in a deep breath. That wouldn't be nearly enough to heal everyone. She shivered and wrapped her other arm around her stomach.

Next to her, Momo felt Todoroki shift closer.

Aizawa continued. “We’ll ration it amongst the critically injured. It should be enough to keep them hanging on long enough for us to make more once Eri is better.”

Fukukado’s expression flickered. “And when will that be? What’s her condition?”

Aizawa was silent for a moment. “In a week or two, when she’s sweated out the poison,” he said finally. Then he turned and looked at Momo. “For now, we’ll have to give them what we have. Yaoyorozu, there’s one barrel of alcohol left.” He laid his hand on something beside him, and for the first time, she noticed the lone wooden barrel. “Use it to help numb their pain and get them sleeping for now.”

Momo swallowed thickly and nodded.

“That leaves us to other pressing matters,” Aizawa continued.

He leaned forward and pressed his knuckles against the table. He stared down between his hands, and his expression rippled for a split second before he regained his composure. He straightened and stared around the room.

“We are out of food.” Momo sucked in a sharp breath. “It appears the stymphalian somehow found our food and wine storage.”

“But how?” Asui asked, pressing her finger to her chin. Her eyebrows pulled down. “We always make sure to secure the door and the stymphalian don’t have hands to remove the wood. How would they have been able to get in?”

“I don’t know, but they did,” Aizawa said. “I have a few of Fukukado’s men doing inventory now, but from the initial count, the most we have left is a week’s worth—if we ration. That doesn’t leave us a lot of time. The best option would be to take the pirate boat and retreat, but with so many hurt and the possibility that we could be attacked at sea, that is no longer a viable option either.”

Aizawa paused and took a breath; his nostrils flared. “I believe it’s obvious now that this was a coordinated attack to smoke us out. And, as much as I hate to play into those creatures’ plan, the only way out of this, for any of us, will be to counterattack. And quickly,” he said tightly. “We need to strike them when they’re not expecting it and before they get more power to retaliate.”

Momo’s stomach curled in dread. From the corner of her eye, Momo watched as Tokoyami went over to Asui’s side and put his hand on her shoulder. Asui reached up and squeezed it briefly.

Momo swallowed, pretending not to notice. The room felt cold, even though the night was still warm. Her arms tightened over her stomach.

“But what if they planned for it?” she asked quietly. “Like how they had planned to steal Eri tonight?”

Aizawa’s eyes narrowed, and Momo realized he hadn’t told anyone else yet.

Tokoyami looked up at her. “What do you mean—steal Eri?”

Momo shifted as everyone looked at her.

“The one pulling the strings,” Aizawa said slowly like the words were acid, “has told the stymphalian that if they eat Eri they will turn back into humans.”

“What?” Fukukado’s eyes widened. “How do you know this?”

Aizawa hesitated for a moment; Momo could see him roll his jaw. “When this first started a little over a month ago, a crow with purple and green plumage landed on the island and told the stymphalian that whoever ate the intestines of a half-monster with silver hair would turn back into a human.”

Momo’s eyes widened. That must have happened about the same time as when their boat sank. It couldn’t be, could it?

She brought her hand up to touch her throat.

“So you think a god is involved? Why didn’t you disclose this,” Tokoyami demanded.

Aizawa’s eyes flashed. “Would that have changed anything?”

Tokoyami didn’t answer. The truth was it wouldn’t have. They were indebted to Aizawa and had no way to leave the island even if they had wanted to.

“But—a god? I’ve never heard of gods using monsters...” Fukukado said.

“Just because they don’t doesn’t mean they can’t,” Todoroki said evenly.

Tokoyami’s head jerked up and his eyes narrowed on Todoroki. “Do we even have enough power to fight against them all? Even without a god helping, we are at a disadvantage.” Tokoyami’s statement was to the room, but his eyes remained narrowed on Todoroki.

The demigod’s expression was a mask. His face was neutral as if the information didn’t change anything.

“That’s true,” Asui said quickly. “Don’t you think they are trying so hard because they have a plan to defeat us?”

Aizawa’s expression was hard. “It’s risky, but I think we can pull it off. Hado went to get additional help from some sympathizers and our own patron.”

Momo looked around the room; it was the first time she realized the aurai was gone.

“The stymphalian’s benefactor has stayed out of the fray—for now. But we don’t know how long that will last,” Aizawa said in a low voice. He was studying the room carefully. “We need to strike before the stymphalian realize we have others coming or before their patron steps in.”

“But can we do it by ourselves?” Asui asked.

Aizawa rolled his jaw. “Ideally, we’d wait for Hado to return with help, but we don’t have time. We can’t afford to suffer another attack.” He took a deep breath and looked around the room, his black eyes hard and unyielding. “We’ll have to wage an offensive tomorrow—before dusk.”

He looked down at the map and pointed at a space off the island where the pirate boat was docked. “We’ll put all the injured that can still walk and the children in Fukukado’s ship. The rest of us will break into two groups.” He dragged his finger across the map to point at the rocky northern part of the island. “Todoroki, Tokoyami, Asui, and I will attack the main lair. Fukukado, you and your men will be our back-up, helping to guard this place but also nimble enough to come to our aid if need be.”

Aizawa looked up, and his expression was intent. “We need this to be quick and decisive. There is no second shot.”

“What about me?” Momo asked, stepping forward. “Should I be in your group or Fukukado’s?”

“Yaoyorozu?” Aizawa paused and looked at her. “Your shoulder is still hurt. You'll go with the children and injured to the ship.”

It felt like she’d been slapped. Her stomach dropped, and Momo swallowed but forced herself to straighten as she met his dark gaze. “It’s a minor injury. I can still fight.”

“Your job will be to act as the healer and to look after the men,” Aizawa said sternly.

Basically, to stay in a woman’s role.

Momo drew a short breath and felt rebellious rage burn across her chest, but she pushed the anger away. Her fingers curled into fists at her side.

They couldn’t have an argument here. Not now. They needed to stay unified. She gave a small, resigned nod, and it seemed to satisfy Aizawa enough. He turned to address the rest of the room.

“For now, Todoroki, help Fukukado and me move the injured inside. Asui, you and Tokoyami start preparing beds for them; we have some spare sheets in the closet. You know where they are. Yaoyorozu, get the men as comfortable as possible. Divide up the three vials of medicine the best you can. As for the morning patrol, I will take it.” He paused and studied them for a moment. Then he turned and folded up the map. “That is all for now but not for tonight.”

With that, Aizawa adjourned the meeting and swept out of the room with Fukukado and Asui. Todoroki hesitated. Momo could feel his eyes watching her closely, but she refused to acknowledge him.

She was angry. Just because she was a woman didn’t mean she didn’t have people she wanted to protect.

After a moment, Todoroki left, and Momo stood alone with Tokoyami.

Tokoyami seemed uncomfortable. It was the first time they had been alone together since their argument over a week ago. And she was surprised that he had stayed. A small part of her was grateful for his presence—it meant that he still cared. But even that didn't overshadow the feeling of being left behind, like useless baggage.

She trembled.

“You’re angry,” Tokoyami said after a moment, looking at her.

Momo was tempted to roll her eyes but ignored the urge.

“Yes.” She turned and walked over to the kitchen table and stared down at the three remaining vials Aizawa had left. The silver liquid glittered. “The strategy for tomorrow is too risky. I understand but-but—" Her hands curled into fists. "How could Aizawa just decide that I should be swept aside to tend to the wounded? I’m a strong fighter. I can help!”

“It wasn’t Aizawa,” Tokoyami said, his voice soft.

Momo looked sharply at him. “What?”

Tokoyami swallowed visibly. Then he straightened and met her eyes. “When I was down here earlier, I asked Aizawa to consider the option of keeping you with the injured.”

Momo stared at him, mouth open. Her mind faltered.

How?

Why?

Did Tokoyami think her unreliable because she had been growing closer to Todoroki? Was this out of anger? Retaliation?

As if reading her mind, Tokoyami continued quickly. “It wasn’t because of your relationship with Todoroki.”

Momo’s eyes narrowed. “Then why–”

“You're human.”

“So, I'm a liability?” she snapped.

Momo knew it was unfair, but she was so sick of it. She was sick of others making her feel like she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself—Aizawa, Todoroki, and now Tokoyami.

“That's not it! There are just some things a human can't do against overwhelming evil.” Tokoyami moved towards her. “It's going to be a tough battle as it is. Please understand.”

If she wasn't so hurt, a part of Momo knew she would have agreed with him. She had always been a healer. That was her area of expertise, but the fact that he didn’t even consult with her stung.

She pressed her lips together. "But I can fight. You know I can fight. I saved Eri earlier and was holding my own against the stymphalian.”

Tokoyami’s eyes flashed. “What you did earlier was reckless—jumping off the veranda to catch Eri. You could have been seriously hurt. Your skill is adequate against a couple of humans but not against creatures of darkness. And tonight proved it.”

“But what about all those other times?” Her voice shook with rage. “I defended you at the temple, didn’t I? And I chased off Moonfish and held my own—”

“And all those times Todoroki had to save you.” His voice was bitter.

Momo’s lips twisted, and she looked away quickly, her chest constricting. His words weren’t untrue, but they hurt, like knives digging into her heart. It felt like her chest was being hollowed out, and she swallowed thickly.

“You’re always angry at me these days.” She could feel the pressure in her cheeks and eyes. Her fingers tightened into fists until her knuckles turned white. Then she looked up, meeting his eyes. "Don’t you trust me?" she asked softly.

Tokoyami's expression flickered, and he at least had the audacity to look abashed. "I trust you. Of course, I do,” he said quickly, stepping closer. “But these last weeks have been taxing and extenuating circumstances. And when I saw you almost die tonight...” His voice broke slightly, and he swallowed before continuing. “You're human, Yaoyorozu. There are just some things a human can't do. No matter how good of a fighter you are, your flesh is mortal. If you go out there—if you fight—you'll die."

He stepped closer and grasped her shoulder gently. “With Eri sick, if you get hurt, there's no one to heal you. Please understand.” He squeezed her good shoulder tenderly. “I can’t afford to lose you," he said softly, releasing her.

Momo didn’t say anything. She dropped her gaze to the ground. She felt nauseous.

Tokoyami hesitated. He opened his beak as if he were going to say more, then shut it firmly and turned, exiting the kitchen and closing the door behind him.

Momo heard the door click shut and stood there trembling for a few moments. Her chest hurt, as if her heart was in the pit of her stomach.

Tokoyami had said that this was for her own safety, but his words had been hollow. The truth was she had become a nuisance.

She was so weak and pathetic. No wonder he wanted to abandon her. She couldn’t do anything, couldn’t protect anyone. All she ever did was cause problems, and now she was suffering the consequences for her actions.

Momo’s jaw tightened as she struggled not to cry.

If she were more reliable, if she were more likable, then no one would have abandoned her.

Claustrophobia enveloped her, cold and suffocating. She couldn’t stay here. She needed to get out. She felt trapped and useless.

Choking, Momo turned and hurried out of the house.

Her feet carried her out to the edge of the cliffs. The wind whipped around her. The smell of dark magic had lessened, replaced with the sharp tang of blood and burning flesh.

Momo paused, looking out at the sea, and breathed deeply. It felt like the world was caving in around her.

In the back of her mind, Momo realized that she was having a panic attack. She had seen these symptoms in the men and women of Troy over. But she had never...she was made of stronger material than this...

Her eyes started to burn, and Momo wiped her face with the back of her hand. This was so unsightly and nothing that a priestess of Apollo should be. She was the top healer at Apollo’s temple, she wasn’t supposed to break down like this, especially when Tokoyami was only asking her to do her duty as a priestess.

But she felt betrayed, and she hated herself for the feeling.

Tokoyami was only asking what was reasonable, and Momo knew she would have done the same. But it hurt. Fukukado’s men were human too, and Tokoyami didn’t care that they were fighting—just her.

It felt like everything was falling apart between them.

Back in Troy, she had prayed to the gods for Tokoyami’s safety. She had been willing to trade anything, and the gods had answered her wishes. They had sent her Todoroki, and it should have been enough. But she had somehow thought that everything would stay the same between Tokoyami and her. However, the harder she fought, the faster everything seemed to fall apart, like sand slipping between her fingers.

And it was all her fault. Wishes had consequences. The gods never gave anything for free.

Momo drew in a sharp breath and rubbed at her eyes. It seemed all she could do lately was cry.

She was pathetic.

[tlkfanficfest]

TLKFanficFest Prompts - Round 1

This round will be open for two weeks and be done on July 5. 

All the prompts are alphabetized below, into different categories. Anyone can try writing any prompt and all prompts may be filled by multiple people! 

Please remember to tag your completed prompt fill with #TLKFFF2020 and @tlkfanficfest so they can be included in the Fill Post. 

If you write only on AO3 please send your links and what prompt it was for to tlkfanficfest@gmail.com to be included.  

PAIRINGS

Aelswith/Alfred, first meeting

Aethelflaed/Aldhelm, “Why are you awake right now?”

Aethelflaed/Aldhelm, “you have bewitched me, body and soul.”

Aethelflaed/Uhtred, “Ask me what I did while you were gone; I promise I can draw every action I took back to you.”

Eadith/Finan, Eadith trusts Finan with her life, but she needs to convince him she trusts him with her body.

Eadith/Finan, Finan watches Eadith and Aethelstan and wonders how he got so lucky for a second chance at a family.

Eadith/Finan, he teaches her some self defense

Eadith/Finan, it was never about pleasure for Eadith until Finan

Eadith/Finan/Uhtred, After a run in with some Welsh raiders, Eadith tends to both Finan and Uhtred’s wounds.

Eadith/Finan/Uhtred, relationship negotiations

Eadith/Finan/Uhtred, Uhtred won’t intrude on the relationship building between Eadith/Finan, even though they’ve both expressed interest in him joining so they hatch a plan to seduce him, together.

Ealswith (Sihtric's wife)/Sihtric, first meeting!

Finan and Uhtred roadtrip

Finan/Eadith: “I never get a full nights sleep around you.”

Finan/Sihtric, a jealous Sihtric but not the "bad" jealous type, more like insecurity. and Finan being oblivious to it until they talk and actually communicate (so angst with a happy ending i guess haha)

Finan/Sihtric, that first night after Finan knows Sihtric didn't really abandon them.

Finan/Sihtric: "You fought for me."

Finan/Uhtred with Uhtred catching the common cold and Finan loosing it because he thinks it’s “the sickness”.

Finan/Uhtred, “I’m worried about you”

Finan/Uhtred, stuck in a confessional box. Can be as naughty as you like. Bonus for Aelswith coming to pray whilst they're stuck.

Finan/Uhtred, they know each other like the back of their hands.

Finan/Uhtred, we are bound.

Finan/Uhtred/Gisela, Uhtred returns a changed man, but Gisela doesn't mind the Irish warrior he brings with him

Gisela/Hild, hurt/comfort

Gisela/Iseult/Uhtred, Isuelt lives, she travels north with Uhtred and meets the beautiful Danish girl, Gisela. The women want to take their friendship further, will Uhtred mind? And will he be allowed to partake? The women weave a special pagan magic together.

Uhtred/Gisela/Finan is a thing and they need to figure out who is the baby daddy now that Gisela is pregnant.

Uhtred/OC, OC is from Irland and her name is Brigid (like the Celtic goddess) and Finan is like “Lord, we have to take her with us, she needs our help. And I’ll not ‘ave ye cursing us for a second time.” Because he is paranoid if they don’t take her and help her than the Celtic gods will curse the harvest at Coccham.

NO SPECIFIC PAIRING

"A mad ardour upon you to race horses, where the serried host is ranged around; very splendid is the bounty of the cattle-pond, the iris is gold because of it." - from an Irish poem, 'May-time', 9th-10th century, author unknown

"Keen is the wind, bare the hill, it is difficult to find shelter; the ford is marred, the lake freezes, a man could stand on a single stalk." - from a Welsh poem, 'Winter', c.11th century, author unknown

"The ocean is full, the sea is in flood, lovely is the home of ships ... the rudder is swift upon the wide sea." - from an 11th century Irish poem, A Storm at Sea, author unknown

A night with Erik

Aldhelm has a Nice Day for once

Aldhelm, resting and thinking back on his life, Finan and Sihtric come across him. They talk.

An Aethelflaed focused story inspired by Queen of Peace by Florence and the Machine

Any pairing welcome, but Osferth would be a great pick, It’s too cold outside and we should share body heat. For survival only of course. Or not... hehe !

Coccham crew get drunk and start flyting against each other

Coccham squad in a naturist camp

Father Pyrlig sneaks healer reader out of King Edwards court for Uhtred and his men to keep safe. She has made an enemy out of Aethelhelm.

Finan and Uhtred roadtrip

Finan has to reconcile his past as conversations with Irland bring his brother back into his life.

Finan, "Don't pretend like you're asleep. Should I find a way to wake you up?"(obvs on the smutty side... I can see it already!)

Hild watches the guys train. They show off for her.

Jealous possessive Finan please!

Mafia AU, any pairings

Osferth saves Finan and Sihtric’s life from Danes and has a little smirk at the end.

Osferth, Edward, and Aethelflaed following Alfred's burial

Radio station AU of any description. Wessex FM, Bebbanburg Beats, Mercia Magic...

Sihtric and Osferth bonding over being bastards

Someone attempts to kidnap Osferth much to his friends dismay. They want revenge against Uhtred.

The Coccham crew get a little tipsy and Sihtric ends up with his most interesting haircut yet

The Cookham squad mourn the death of Steapa.

Uhtred has the hiccups

Uhtred is visited by the actual Night Walker and they have a philosophical conversation around the campfire.

Alfred requests Uhtred's company on a brief pilgrimage to the sea at the south of Wessex. Uhtred is suspicious of his motivations, especially given the dissenting nature of their religions, but he soon realizes that perhaps Alfred has a bit more than God on his mind when he's praying.

IMAGINES

Finan, Finan shares his cloak with the reader at the fire to keep them both warm. His hands wander occasionally.

Finan, him being soft and him caring for kids in my life

Finan, reader makes sexual noises to turn him on

Finan, with a Dane reader

Finan/Reader, Finan comes home to find reader gone. They had gotten into a fight that day before he was to go off to battle with Uhtred. She told him that if he left she wouldn't be there when he got back. Lots of angst with a sad ending.

Sigfried, reader saves Siegfried from an assassin.

Sihtric rescues the reader from drowning.

Sihtric/Reader, Enemies to Lovers, smut should definitely take place. They have been on opposite sides for years until one day changes everything forever.

Sihtric/Reader, reader is a spy sent by Haesten to spy on Uhtred and his men. Sihtric finds her and marches her back to their camp by sword.

Uhtred, the reader is half trapped underneath a horse and Uhtred stays with her while Osferth goes for help. Uhtred flirts and comforts her.

Young Ragnar/Reader, ex-lovers meet again on one fateful day. There is some angst but it has a happy ending.

RPF

Alex/Eliza, accidental kiss at dusk

Alex/Eliza/Mark, it kind of just happens

Alex/Mark, Alex is in love with Mark, Mark is oblivious. Alex comes up with more and more excuses for them to rehearse together. How long can Mark hide his feelings when they rehearse hugging scenes AGAIN?!?

Alex/Mark, unspoken promises

Eliza/Everyone, Eliza’s just touchy feely with her friends

Ensemble (any pairings), some of the cast goes to a music festival for the weekend

Mark raids Eliza’s closet and tries on a few things. (bonus points if what he tries on is garters/suspenders)

[lulusoblue]

this isn’t me vagueing or anything, or I’m not intending to because people have previously expressed the same of what I’m about to rant on, and I don’t want to @ or refer to any blog specifically for reigniting my bafflement of this take because this isn’t a personal grudge match against anyone, just a general *what* of this concept, but

jesus h christ on a stick, why do people want BioShock Infinite’s Elizabeth to have been a racist?

I get an AU fic of another timeline where Comstock’s motives weren’t messy as fuck and he didn’t just plan to force his messiah with a spinal shock collar from the word go, like “what if” stuff, but like saying she should have been racist in the original game and actually wanting this change because it would “improve” her character?

like, disclaimer because I am a white woman who may not have a say in things like this anyway, but honestly the racism angle was a huge mistake in Infinite in the first place, and should never have been done in this game because the lead writer is a white man and I can bet my bottom dollar he most likely did not consult anyone on race or racism beyond what historically accurate heinous racist acts to not depict in the game so players could “sympathise” with the flying racists getting their dues post-Finkton.

You know how important the racism of Columbia is to him? How relevant is it to the ending of the game? Answer: it isn’t. BioShock 1’s ending has the failings of Rapture relevant to the ending regarding the player’s choices. The ending of Infinite, however, focuses on Elizabeth, Booker and the multiverse, where nobody mentions the Vox or how Columbia was a failure or anything. Nothing with the Vox Populi or Columbia’s hubris is linked to the game’s ending. Both are left feeling superfluous. It was just something to stick into the background rather than be a story element that properly tied in with the story’s real focus. If you wanted Levine to write a better racism story I would have to ask you why??? Do you trust him to?????

What reason was there that we switched from extreme nationalism and its consequences in the demos as late as 2012 to “racism bad but the victims of it are also bad if they fight back” in 2013? Who fucking knows. Probably shock value, because I don’t see how time and resources would cause such a change from what Irrational put out there in interviews leading up to release. Given how Levine tried to retcon Daisy’s story in Burial at Sea (and keep in mind Black Lives Matter didn’t start as a movement until a few months after Infinite’s release and before BaS Episode 2 was released) he certainly didn’t commit to “Daisy and Comstock are the same”. If he had conviction for his “both sides” story, he wouldn’t have tried to rewrite it to Daisy choosing to play monster as a necessary sacrifice for her cause (which itself is its own can of worms with how it now plays out).

Considering as well how we had that article revealing how long it took to get a playable build out of Irrational thanks to Levine’s lack of solid direction, as well as the recent revelation that he had never read Ayn Rand when making a game about a city BUILT ON HER IDEOLOGY, I’m pretty sure the poor writing around Columbia’s racism and the Vox Populi in the final game was just made up as he went along to push out a finished product, because it had been five years at that point and 2k was piiiiiiissed.

Then we have how Elizabeth is your companion character, your escort mission. Friends, do you know how escort mission characters were viewed back pre-2013? Bad. The AI could just look at a player funny and they’d draw a 5 page comic on how awful a character they were and post it to deviantart. One of the worst levels in BioShock was when we had to escort a very killable Little Sister with a fishbowl filter on our FOV, and one of the major complaints people had with BioShock 2 was how they had an OPTIONAL escort mission to get more mutation juice. We didn’t start getting games with escort characters like Elizabeth or Clementine or Ellie, characters people actually cared about and WANTED to protect, until around 2012-2013.

You think the people creating Elizabeth, the escort mission character built to be a likeable, enjoyable to be with and empathise with her character, who can never get hurt or kidnapped in combat and actively helps the player, should have had her been a racist??? In a post-Mass Effect world??????

Ashley Williams is a woman from a military family. She is a proud member of the Alliance military who has concerns on working with aliens after having had no prior experience working with aliens. However, you can ease those concerns and help her warm up to building alliances in the first Mass Effect game. Ashley grows to trust alien squadmates, and even without your character’s influence will regard two anti-alien groups with disgust for their outright racism and human centrism.

And here’s the kicker, even with that nuance to her character, in a game of plenty of other more overtly racist and prejudiced characters? ASHLEY IS STILL THE BUTT OF THE SPACE RACISM JOKES. She had flaws, she developed, she proves her loyalties to the point of refusing to work with you when you’re forced to join one of the human centric groups, AND SHE’S STILL MOCKED FOR SPACE RACISM. EVEN IN PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL SHE’S RETROACTIVELY REGARDED AS BEING DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH. THAT IS HOW MUCH THE FANDOM AROUND MASS EFFECT HAS AFFECTED HOW ASHLEY IS SEEN.

And you want Infinite to have Elizabeth be very obviously racist with real life racism? (which is the vibe i’ve been getting) Like, you think all the people behind Elizabeth’s design, her game functionality, her interactions and personality, would give players ammunition to hate a character you’re supposed to enjoy having around on purpose? You think they’re going to give the actual racists and bigots and nazis of the internet a mascot????? Because we already had the facebook header image debacle for a Columbian propaganda poster, you KNOW they would.

And personally I don’t think it would make great character development, because the game is not in the format for that kind of exploration of character’s story. BioShock Infinite is not an RPG with you making dialogue choices with squadmates where you feel like you really influenced them to see the error of their ways. Infinite is a linear shooter. There is no real sense of the passage of time in a linear shooter, the player will experience it like it really doesn’t happen in the span of 20 hours.

Unlearning racism and religious brainwashing is not a quick fixit, and a quick fixit is how it would feel in the 20-40 hours you take to play through the entire game. If Infinite had had Elizabeth going from “I’m racist” to “*sees a black person suffering* maybe racism is wrong???” to “i am no longer racist, I see the error of my ways, you can like me now” in the span of what feels like less than a day to players in a linear game, people would be super critical of the pretty white girl getting cured of her bigotry way too quickly and how the game makes it like we’re supposed to applaud her for being so brave and mature and open-minded, and how much Levine really doesn’t understand nuance or anything about how internalised racism works.

BioShock Infinite’s final release proved that the Vox Populi should not have been handled the way they were. Yes, more media should be discussing and making audiences aware of what is racist, and how irrational it really is when you get down to it, but BioShock Infinite should not have been that media. It was originally written for two opposing sides in a city built on extreme nationalism, much like how BioShock was for objectivism, and then changed relatively last minute. It was written by a white man who’d already written the franchise’s only gay named character as a horrific monster of a man (Cohen) and has expressed how autism is what made a person evil (Tenenbaum). It was written with Elizabeth in mind, a main character who was literally designed to be an escort mission players would actually enjoy, most likely from Day 1 given how much behind the scenes stuff we know of her.

I wouldn’t trust someone like Levine to write a story of a character unlearning racism over the course of a game’s story, i don’t think he should ever have touched a story where racism is a such a prominent element with a 100 foot pole.

[inessencedevided]

The Untamed, episode 43 - watching notes

The sun is setting on this show for me and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet 😔

(As if I will! Ha. Imma blog about nothing else the next ... probably years)

Last time on Sophie watches the untamed: We're still in the restricted section. The twin love-struck idiots of lan and wwx found the Collection of turmoil and suspect Jin Guangyao of intentionally bringing about Nie Mingjue's qui deviation.

As much as I love the "hihi. Wwx is wearing his boyfriend's underrobe" aspect of this, I also like the visual incorporation of lwj's colour scheme into wwx's clothes. (Not just through the undertone, his black tone also has slight grey seam.) It's as if now that they are finally fully committed to each other, wwx is displaying it for all the world to see

Jin Guangyao tore out a page to hide the evidence. That's not how to do that!!!

My heart is breaking for Lan Xichen. He looks like a man standing on a train track and watching the light speed towards him in horror while he's unable to move away

Feels like exactly no one on this show is getting their happy ending

*thinks about yi city and cries forever*😭😭😭

"Wangji, Jin Guangyao,in my eyes, is a totally different person from how you and other people see him." And we all know that lwj knows exactly what that's like

PARALLELS! 😭

(Sorry, I have a thing for those)

And lwj looks so pained

Thinking about it, it's now the man lwj loves against the man lxc loves (in whatever way. I still ship them. Not sure if its "canonically" romantic though). They can't both be right, so ... one of them is going to get their heart broken

Great, first the Yunmeng brothers, now the lan brothers are breaking my heart 🥺

Lwj says he's visiting "Grand Master", that's Lan Qiren right? What happened to him anyway? Haven't seen him in ages

I love how, even though it is wwx's word against jgy's right now, lan Xichen is still genuinely kind towards wwx

The whipping scars! I hadn't even thought about those anymore 😳

I'm probably going to get my heart ripped out soon, but before that

"You are not qualified to talk to me."

Sickest. Burn. Ever.

Also, no disrespect to the actor, but that's a backpfeifengesicht if I've ever seen one

(Backpfeifengesicht: "German compound word for a 'face that should be slapped'. Ex:. When GWB smirks on TV, my German friend Uwe tells me that he sees a 'Backpfeifengesicht'." Urban dictionary)

He went to burial mount after wwx was killed??? 🥺🥺🥺

I've noticed something with lwj. When he's distressed, he won't look people in the eye or not even at their faces, just in their very general direction. To me it seems like he almost... can't? Any thoughts on that? Cause I'm intrigued but I can't think about it too much right now cause I'm already writing half an essay in this commentary again 😅

Oh fuck YOU Jiggy!!!

Holy shit ... holy shit

Lan Wangji 🥺🥺🥺

He fought against everyone?

This is how he showed his grieve???

He went to the place wei Wuxian had called home and ... what? Protected or ot so they wouldn't desecrate it? To search for him? To ... what?

Oh god, Wangji! 😭

That image... I'm speechless. It's so powerful

He's half-mad with grieve and kneeling in the ruins of his dead loves home, having fought himself to exhaustion and I'm... not okay 😭😭😭

He had to repent for THREE YEARS??

Oh no, you don't

Holy ...

Holy shit

How can my heart break and be so full at the same time 💔🥺

Lan Wangji ... my love

I'm ... so proud of him and yet so sad

Here he is at his lowest, finally standing up to the orthodoxy he knows to be wrong

This is inhumane 😳

The corporal punishment of the lan sect always was but THIS

Fuck them

Or Lan Qiren specifically

That's his nephew. How can he even look at himself?

"Eradicate evil. Establish laws. Than goodness will be everlasting."

IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING EASY!!!

WHAT EVEN IS "GOODNESS"? WHOSE VERSION OF GOODNESS? DEVINE EVIL! HOW FAR REACHING INTO THE PRIVATE SVERE SHOULD THUSE LAWS BE? DOES IT STOP AT "DON'T STEAL FROM PEOPLE OR AT "DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE AT DINNER"?

what I'm saying is: there are about 200 ethical question ls being raised by this rule alone!

And now lan Wangji had 3 tears to contemplate them

Wwx asking "why would he bother ...?" BECAUSE YOU ARE LOVED YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!!

Ohhh! We're getting their parents' story 😱

Oh this IS a Lan episode 💙

So another Lan falling quickly and never looking back?

I'm sensing a pattern here 🤨

Wait what?

Let me get this straight:

Their father loved a woman who DID NOT love him back and then killed one of his teachers

(And I hope we find out why. That sounds like there is a REALLY interesting story there)

Then he takes her to cloud recess and DESPIT HER NOT LOVING HIM, marries her, fathers two children with her (um... how voluntary was that????) locks her up (as punishment for the murder?) then locks HIMSELF up and then fucks of and leaves his children with their uncle

What kind of disaster human being was their dad????

Did he do the right thing WHEN HE MARRIED AND PROBABLY RAPED A WOMAN WHO DIDN'T LOVE HIM???

NO!!!

The fuck kinda question is that ??

If you have to marry her against her will and then lock her up, guess what? That's not love, that's wanting to possess someone

I hope that maybe the connotation is different in the og Chinese,but I'm not holding out much hope

That explains why Qiren is such a lovely character through 😒

But god, my heart breaks for lwj and lxc :'(

Little Lan Wangji!!! 🥺🥺🥺

Oh darling ...

Oh no ...

Look at him look at his crooked little headband😭😭😭

He went there every month!!!

Oh Wangji 💔💔

Stubborn, steadfast, loving Wangji!

That seals it. I KNEW why he was my favourite character

He isn't so passive all the time, because he feels too little! He feels entirely too much!!! 😭😭😭

And that explains why lwj was so worried about wwx's demonic cultivation harming him!!! 😭

Oh god, it was such an old hurt for him. I had no idea 🥺🥺🥺

All of these characters need a therapist

Lxc playing the flute to what ... deal with his emotions? Express his grieve? Remeber their mother? (And god, do I want to know more about her!!) Either way, It's making me tear up 😥

"It's so difficult to determine others personalities depending on our perspective." Welcome to the human condition, my friend 💙

And that's love

I ... wish I could show you my face right now

I'm smiling through tears right now

It's so utterly beautiful

He looks so vulnerable here! With his hair (almost) down

And given what we've just learned, that's remarkable!!!

He closed himself off became the immovable stone-faced second Jade of Lan and yet, somehow, wwx wormed his way into his heart and sure, both of them needed to overcome a lot, but here they are, vulnerable and open,not letting their parent's fate decide theirs

I'm... *sniff*

I can never get enough of lwj with his hair like this!!

It's so domestic, so soft

And look at his face! 😭

And mister "alcohol is prohibited" is now serving it 😭

Oh my god this scene is so beautiful

I'm speechless

Was the second flute Jin Guangyao as well?

At this point I'm just expecting more plot-twists

He looks so young! 🥺

Both of them are exhibiting so much growth in this episode!! Wwx realising that the fact that the cultivation world had always looked for a scapegoat and that he himself was just the most convenient target, that it's not to any personal failing of his, that's HUGE!

And I'm so proud of him :')

Lwj starting to play in the distance :')

This is so utterly peaceful

My heart is bursting 😭😭😭

The music, the scenery ...

Also, both thinking they have a clean conscious!!! 😭😭😭

Again, it's them holding the same morals that's important! I cannot tell you how happy that makes me!

(But wwx still cannot drink like a normal person :D)

The contrast to lxc sitting alone couldn't be starker 😔

Wait, why are there puppets at burial mounds again?

Are we going back to burial mounds? I'm weirdly excited 😅

Aaand Jin Guangyao just proved to them that he's lying. Poor Xichen

Yup, I'm pretty sure his heart just snapped in half

Little Apple!!! I've missed him 😁

Gosh, they're laying it on thick with the domestic husband bliss this episode and I'm here for it.

I love lwj's soft smile when he looks at bunnies so much!! 🥰

Bunnies, bunnies everywhere

It's the invasion of the bunnies

Who ever is the show runner *banging pots and pans together* IT'S GAY!! cab you all hear me? These two love each other! It's G - A - Y!!! Gay!!!

Probably

Lwj's shocked look when wwx says that he's not popular with little animals, as if to say "how dare they!" :D

Holy shit ... HOW MANY SCENES CAN THEY INCLUDE IN THIS EPISODE THAT MAKE THEM LOOK SO GODDAMN MARRIED???

Is wwx sitting side saddle?

Wwx plays wangxian :')

He finally remembers how lwj recognized him :')

Sneaky, show, very sneaky :D

Wwx about to casually steal some melons, lwj *wordlessly takes out money* ^^

MIANMIAN!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!

I'd given up hope that we'd see her again!!!

I'm so happy I could burst!!!

Lwj's little exasperated head-shake before he stands up from crouching behind some hay 😂

Aww, look at her family! 😍😍😍

She build her own live :')

And look at this badass woman protecting the ones she loves!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WEI WUXIAN??? You don't remember her???

You better remember my wife!!!

Aaand another freeze frame. But I'm willing to forgive it because THIS EPISODE WAS SO GODDAMN BRILLIANT!

It made me realise why I was so drawn to lan Wangji as a character. Of course he is mu favourite character! He ticks every single box

Let me explain. My favourite characters almost always share the following characteristics: seems either cold and distant or ethereal and aloof, as if they are above such puny human things like feelings™️(bonus if they're actually not human and their argument is "I'm [insert species]. We can't feel [insert emotion they are definetly feeling very strongly]"). then, over the course of the story, we (along with they themselves because they were in denial) discover that it's not that they feel too little, they feel entirely too much. They're a sea of emotions so deep that the surface is calm, but don't you dare be near them when the storm is coming because all hell will break loose. (extra bonus point if that storm involves them rebelling against the oppressive society they were born into and adhered to until then because they realise their consciousness won't allow it any longer.) afterwards they realise that making themselves vulnerable once in a while is actually a good thing and they proceed to fuck the Rebel™️ who they've secretly been in love with the entire time, a feeling they only now allow themselves to act on

The last part sadly isn't always canon, but who has ever had time for that?

You know what this episode made me realise most of all? The Lan sect are just as human as the rest of them. In fact, they seem to be especially prone to acting rashly on strong emotions. (I don't remember the exact story, but didn't the founder of the Lan sect also have some kind of tragic love story?) It should be obvious, but the impression you get is that they are so detached from their wants, so rigorous and disciplined in their righteousness, that they are almost super-human. But no. Thise 3000 and some rules? They weren't born out of some enlightened mind that had the secret of live figures out, they're a crutch. Abiding by them without question rids one of responsibility to make even the tiniest moral choice for oneself. But that won't work because a) they're bounty to contradict each other at some point and b) that's not how human beings work. They're messy and unpredictable and beautifully complicated. The way Lan Qiren choses to apply them, he completely disregards that. At that point, the rules aren't there anymore to grant a harmonious society, but simply for their own sake. (Or maybe as a wall to hide behind)

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose

I think this liveblog has been the longest so far. I'm sorry for going on so many tangents, but lwj's backstory hit me really hard. I hope you guys weren't too bored 💚

(I also apologise for the mountains of typos that probably accumulated in this post. I'm too tired to check.)

[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Greenland Incident

The post I typed up got deleted on Reddit (!!!) So I’m reposting here. :)

It’s a bit long but has the story written from professor Schneider’s POV. Enjoy!

This is taken from Dragon Raja III: Part I Chapter: Shadows of Greenland.

Schneider took off the oxygen mask and moved his face into the light. Even as he smoked cigarettes, he was on oxygen. When removing the oxygen mask, he will carefully hide his face in the shadow so this is the first time Manstein saw Ned's (Schneider's) face. It's a horror movie mask. The face is a nightmare, the flesh and blood under the eyes are completely dry, only a layer of dry skin is stuck to the bone, the lips and nose are atrophied, and the front teeth are directly exposed.

"It's ugly isn't it? Actually, I am only 37 years old this year but I have the half century old face of a mummy. When the students hear my cough, they think I am an old man in my 50s. But I am even younger than you." Schneider said, self-deprecating.

Manstein shivered slowly: "How can this be?"

"This is the mark left by a mission," Schneider said. "That was 11 years ago, when we first heard a heartbeat signal from the deep sea."

"This (The Japan sea mission) is not the first time we have found embryos in the sea?" Manstein was taken aback.

"No, No. Eleven years ago, that was in Greenland. We found a similar embryo." Schneider spit out a complete smoke ring. "You might have guessed it. I was talking about the  unresolved case in the Greenland Ice Sea. The dive team was annihilated, but the school board ordered all files to be sealed and the investigation was forcibly terminated. If you want to hear this story, you have to be patient, because this story is very long, and please order Norma (EVAs human personality) to leave this room. You with a black card now, you can do it."

"Why should Norma leave?"

"Because Norma doesn't know. The so-called top secret cannot be stored in the system or the drives. It can only be stored here." Schneider tapped on his forehead. "After listening to this story, you can't say a word. You can't even write a memo for yourself. This is a rigid rule of the college. You can only remember every detail I said firmly as far as you can. If you forget it, there's no remedy."

"What happened 11 years ago, can you still remember every detail of it now?"

"Of course, I can." Schneider said quietly. "That was the only trip to hell in my life. How could I forget?"

The icy cold permeated from Schneider's words. Manstein felt that when he mentioned something that happened 11 years ago, the ugly and powerful man in front of him ignited his anger, an anger restrained for 11 years.

"Norma, leave this room and leave the two of us alone for a while." Manstein said.

"Understand that, starting now, the central control room will be outside of my monitoring range for 15 minutes." Norma said.

All the equipment n the central control room stopped running, the cameras and recording equipment were locked, and the lights went out one by one. Norma left and the surveillance was lifted. At this moment, the central control room was independent of the campus, and the shadows of the trees swayed on the high windows, which looked like the depths of an ancient church.

"It was the autumn of 2001...." Schneider slowly began to narrate.

"It was the autumn of 2001. A person with the ID named 'Prince' posted a message on the Internet saying that his tugboat had caught strange bronze fragments deep in the Greenland Sea. He posted a photo and it seemed that there were some intricate ancient characters on them. These characters were completely consistent with the 'Ice Sea Bronze Column Tablet' secretly collected by the college."

"The Ice sea Bronze Pillar Tablet is considered to be a rare artifact that has been passed down from the Dragon Age to today. It once stood in the dragon-kin built cities. The dragons are accustomed to using pillars to record their history and the center of the city is always a huge pillar standing upright. However, the icy sea copper column tablet is only a part of a column that had broken and it is estimated that it is less than a third of its original length. It is the most detailed dragon text material that humans have found to today, recording the war history of the dragon clan, but we still can't interpret it because there is no text for comparison. Those texts are just meaningless patterns for us."

"I was just a young assistant professor at the time, keen to interpret Dragon Words. I think if there is another copper pillar in the depths of the Greenland Sea, then the comparison of the above text may be able to interpret the true history of dragons. So I contacted the 'Prince' anonymously, saying that we were an ancient writing research institute and hoped to purchase these fragments."

"At that time, someone offered an amazing price, but the Prince expressed that he was willing to donate the fragments to research institutions instead of selling them to merchants. He sent the fragments to us without taking any money, and attached the coordinates of where he found them. We immediately sent an elite team to scan the seabed with sonar. We originally hoped to find a huge pillar on the seabed, but we caught a strange heartbeat signal right on the seabed."

"The Greenland Ice Sea is not as deep as the Japanese Trench. Large animals like beluga and tiger sharks live in it. So we didn't think it was a dragon embryo at first. But we observed it for several months. Nothing moved. We had to focus our attention from the pillar to the heartbeat signal. This was too strange. If the thing is a whale or a shark, then it should hunt around. If it is a giant turtle of unknown species, but dormant, then its heartbeat shouldn't be so strong. 

Someone put forward an amazing idea, that is: it is the embryo of a dragon. The seabed is its burial ground, it has experienced death, and cocooning and then reviving turned it into a fetal state. It is undergoing a long incubation.

"The idea was too bold, but the heartbeat signal was too strange and too tempting. Everyone of us was fascinated by this speculation. Since the establishment of the Secret Party, we have only received one dragon embryo, which is a weak one out of three generations. Dragon blood lines are already weak. If we can get a strong embryo, analyzing it can help us learn more about this ancient life."

"So you decided to dive?" Manstein asked.

"No, we weren't so rash. Because everything is just guessing. The safest way before a human goes is to send out a remote controlled submersible to survey the area. But whenever the underwater robots approached the seabed, they would lose control. We recovered the underwater robots and found that their circuits somehow burned up. This added to the evidence that the thing on the seabed was an embryo of a dragon. When an elder dragon is said to be in the process of incubation, a certain field will be developed to protect themselves. People who step into this field will have fatal hallucinations. Biologically speaking, the hallucinations are all because the cerebral cortex is stimulated, and the cerebral cortex is most easily stimulated by an electrical current."

"So the electric field of embryos burned the robot's circuits?" Manstein said.

"We thought so. We didn't want to send people to dive. If it is indeed the embryonic field that burned down those robots, then the impact on the cerebral cortex would be terrible. Even though all my students are A pedigree, I'm still not sure if they can fight against the field of embryos. In the hallucinations created by dragons, only the most powerful hybrids can maintain self-awareness. Any gap in the psychological defense line will be crushed by the hallucination. This has been recorded in the archives of the secret party." Schneider said. "But this time the school board intervened. They ordered us to dive as soon as possible to confirm the target. Their reason was that we could not wait for the embryo to hatch. At that time, even if it was risky, we had to act."

"Diving was the decision of the school board?"

"Yes. Today they sent you to stop the Caesar Team Embryo dive, but they were the creators of the Greenland plan back then."

"Under pressure, we made a dive plan. We purchased the most advanced diving bell from Germany at the time. It was a kind of all-metal diving equipment. Metal is an  excellent conductor. It can form an electrostatic barrier and should weaken the embryo field. Everyone in the dive team was to wrap their whole body with a fine metal mesh and took nerve tranquilizers orally. They are all the best hybrids. We thought they should be able to resist the interference in the embryonic field after they were fully armed. There were six people in the group. If one person had a problem the other five could force him to evacuate. In order to kill the dangerous embryo we also made a special underwater rifle for the dive team, using bullets polished by the Philosopher's Stone which is lethal to dragons."

"Although they were going to perform a dangerous mission, the students were still excited. Young people are fearless and they had the opportunity to get lose to a dragon embryo, which was as exciting as the opportunity to visit the Kingdom of God."

The weather was unexpectedly good on the day of the dive. The six members of the dive team went down on three diving bells. I provided support on the ice. At first, everything went smoothly, the ocean current was calm. The marine life was calm. They even observed beluga whales. But when the depth reached 170 meters, the leader of the dive team suddenly yelled in surprise in the communication channel, saying that they saw a gate. This is very strange because the seabed in that area is 300 meters deep, and their depth is 170 meters, which means that they are still 130 meters from the bottom. Visibility was very low. But at this point, they saw this gate. Is there a gate suspended in the middle of the sea?

"I became alert and worried that they had strayed into the embryonic field and had begun to have hallucinations. They excitedly discussed the gate in the communication channel. This is completely against the rules of communications. They should not talk about it in the communication channel. This channel is for essential communication only to avoid misunderstandings. I loudly ordered them not to approach the gate. I wasn't sure if it really existed but my instinct told me that the gate should not be opened."

"But they completely ignored my orders. I only heard their hurried muttering and strange noises. It was like someone was breathlessly reading a certain scripture in a deep well. Then the team leader spoke and yelled, "The gate is open! The gate is opening!" Then, "No! Don't Go in!"

"Then the gunshots were heard, loud. I could hear them paddling and the sound of their respirators. They had left the diving bell and were fighting with something. The situation was very chaotic. Someone shouted in the channel but because of the current interference, I couldn't hear what they said."

"I originally told the diving team not to leave the diving bell, because the electrostatic barrier in the diving bell is their important protection, but why they violated my order... there's no perfect explanation. After five minutes, the communication was cut off. We could no longer receive signals from the depths of the ice sea. I decided to forcibly recover the diving bells. Those diving bells are connected to the ice breaker with safety lines. However, we recovered the safety lines, only to find that the safety lines were cut with diving knives. The cuts, judging from the fibers, were made by the diving teams own knives. They cut the safety lines themselves."

"I was frantic and decided to dive down to rescue them. There were no more bells, but I was confident in my physical fitness. I could dive to 300 meters without protective gear. I could dive to 170 on one breath. When I reached the waters where the incident occurred, there was no gate nor were their corpses. The water was clear with no trace of blood, even though I clearly heard the gunshots in the communication channel. At that time, the surrounding water temperature had dropped below zero. It was so cold that any disturbance in the water would form ice crystals."

"I then noticed something behind me that had been silently swimming with me!" "The predator was so cautious to keep itself from being discovered by me. But the super cold seawater was  formed a thin film of ice in front of me and it reflected the light on my diving helmet. I saw its dark shadow in the thin ice, just like the totem on an ancient mural. It was slender, its long and thin tail swung slowly in the sea, like a butterfly in flight. I heard a sound and my spotlight stopped working from the cold and I was surrounded in completely darkness. I thought I was going to die. The embryo had hatched. It killed my students! It was behind me but I can't do anything about it."

"Desperation brings out courage. So I remembered that I was still holding my underwater rifle. All the special ones were handed over to the dive team. I only had an ordinary one filled with ordinary bullets. But I can't sit and wait for death. So I turned and took a shot in the dark."

"I then saw blood. I had actually hurt it!"

"How can an ordinary rifle harm a dragon? That thing was only used by divers to kill sharks and can't even kill a large shark. And you were too far down for it to work effectively." Manstein said.

"I can't answer that, but there was a strong smell of blood penetrating the seals of my helmet. I wasn't injured. The dragon was." Schneider said.

"I could clearly feel it right in front of me. I and the injured dragon are facing each other in the dark, very close. But I still couldn't see it."

"It hissed at me and in an instant my oxygen mask shattered into pieces, and the cold current rushed into my air supply carrying with it, the dragon's blood. I lost consciousness."

"My companions heard my screams and brought me back up from the water with a safety cable. When the water rushed out, I was frozen in a piece of the sea ice weighing several tons. Like a fish frozen at a market."

"Fortunately, the rescue helicopter arrived in a few minutes. After I woke up, the doctor said that I had suffered from the extreme cold. I danced with the god of death and inhaled that cold air it breathed out at minus 200 degrees. It necrotized my face, the temperature of my brain dropped and my blood was frozen. My chance of survival should have been non-existent."

"The doctor tried his best and managed to save my tongue. But I must wear an oxygen mask at all time, and change the plastic trachea every two or three years, otherwise my respiratory system will fail and I will die."

"I used to love hand rolled cigarettes, but this box of shredded tobacco is what I have left over from 11 years ago and I haven't finished smoking it. I only roll one cigarette occasionally to smoke when I am reminiscing about that period. I remember the past more clearly. I assure that every detail I said is true, because I dare not forget. These memories are painfully carved into my mind."

"We were unable to successfully capture or kill that dragon. It is still alive, hidden in the deep sea of the world, looking for opportunities to surface. A few hours after the incident we used diving robots to explore again. The fish disappeared quietly in the ice sea and no trace was found. We explored the seabed but did not find embryos or copper pillars, as if everything we experienced was just a nightmare that disappeared when we woke up. A few years later, a marine minding company found a wealth of manganese in the seabed and build an offshore mining platform. Today there are thousands of marine miners working there. Nothing supernatural happened again, until not long ago, we observed exactly the same heartbeat signal deep in the Japanese Trench."

[skipping down because they talk about other things]

"Only one in 100,00 people can evolve safely after being in contact with the blood of an elder dragon. I was actually one of the lucky ones. I was able to survive the bottom of the sea because it had already begun to increase my potential. But I am not a person who is fully able to accept dragon blood. My body is riddled with holes. strengthening me while destroying me. I have endured the pain for 11 years. The most likely in the college to turn into a Death Servitor is not Chu Zihang, but me."

"I'm not afraid to dive, but my body can't bear it. Now sitting in front of you is a dying patient. Were it not for the dragon blood's corruption, I would have died already."

"Does the principal know?"

"He knows. The college has formulated a special medical plan for me. I change my blood every year, but the dragon blood can never be cleared. I'm not sure how much longer I have left." Schneider knocked on his heart. "I have an explosive device the size of a pacemaker right next to my heart. Once I lose control, it will explode. I will suddenly fall to the ground and it will not be of any trouble to you."

"Must you be so cruel to yourself?" Manstein whispered.

"People who are cruel to others must learn how to be cruel to themselves. Otherwise they are just cowards." Schneider said slowly, "many people think that I would never perform assignments after the Greenland incident. That I would shrink back into my research. Because of that incident, I lost six students and I am the way I am now. They thought that a person who survived hell should value their life all the more."

"But I chose to be the director of the executive department. I am the last member of the Greenland team. Those young people whose lives were blooming like flowers died. And I survived. If I were a stupid coward, wouldn't that be ridiculous?"