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modosphere · 4 years ago

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Silent Night

Christmas Eve Styles Family Home Malibu, California 2023

“They look so adorable, don’t they?” Rose smiled, appearing next to me. I nodded, turning back to Ed, Dany and Hughie as they stared, unblinking, at the newest range of Power Rangers storm through a skyscraper. It was extremely gushy of me, I knew, but seeing Dany clutch his red Power Ranger in awe made me feel happy. “Looks are so deceiving…” Rose added, making me laugh. She had that right - especially since Ari had been born, I’d learnt that despite all of the innocent looks, brother and sister were anything but.

Maybe if it didn’t remind me of myself and Adam so much, I wouldn’t have minded as much as I should.

I followed Rose into the kitchen after looking at the boys one more time, the three of them practically falling off the sofa, they were watching the TV so raptly.

Christmas with Rose had officially become tradition. Everyone put it down to Rose’s food and amazing hosting skills, but I knew better, even if I didn’t say it - it was understood between Rose, Harry and I that even though Rose had never gotten her memories back, hosting Christmas was something she was comfortable with; like the constancy of it was therapy for her or something.

Five years. Five years since the accident and it still felt too close, too raw. It still hurt, knowing Rose couldn’t remember such a huge part of her - our - lives - and having to watch her hope deteriorate. No matter how many times the doctors had warned her that her memories returning was becoming less and less likely, she’d never given up, saying her brain would magically heal itself like one of those medical miracles she always saw on TV. She’d just kept… Waiting. Yes, okay, she’d still lived her life while she did wait, but she hadn’t been living properly - she hadn’t been living her life as Rose Avery.

Just a few months into her job with with the London Met, she’d given it up - and not because of her pregnancy with Ed, but because she’d claimed she couldn’t be “taken seriously” when the paparazzi were constantly snapping pictures of her and Harry together. Of course, I’d known that was a lie. Rose Avery, or what little had been left of her, was who had sent in the application for the London Met job; but Rose didn’t know that person anymore. So by the time Ed was born, the only version of herself she knew was Rose Styles.

Of course, that didn’t mean my best friend wasn’t in there any more. It just meant she… She wasn’t exactly the same best friend I’d always had. I’d always dodged the question when she’d asked, but the old Rose wouldn't have been able to adapt to being a 1D wife as quickly as this Rose had; she’d charmed the fans, embraced the limelight, where the old Rose would have been too insecure to make it last. It had been a good change.

But she was more stubborn than before. So it had hurt more and more to watch her diligently wait for a brain miracle that wasn’t about to happen.

It was silly to think about now, but… Well, nobody else had bothered to keep hope for Rose’s memories as more and more time had gone on. Why should they? Rose losing her memories somehow made everything… Easier. Liam and Harry’s underlying issues stopped existing when Rose couldn’t notice them and feel insecure about them anymore and Eddie had… Extracted himself from the situation by then. The stupid boy had given up too, and now that Rose only remembered Ryan as a friend, he’d considered hanging around as pointless.

I’d tried to maintain hope, really. But deep down, I’d lost it before Rose had. How could I? Just because I’d not believed in happily-ever-afters only to have one handed to me at the last minute, it didn’t mean I expected that to happen all the time. Too much time had passed for Rose to suddenly just… Remember. And honestly, the entire time, it felt like the Rose who I’d known before the accident was in there somewhere deep down, wishing she wouldn’t fully remember. Her life was simpler this way.

But Rose wasn’t stupid - after two years, she finally accepted that her memories were gone.

It hadn’t been pretty.

I’d felt so… Obsolete. Even if she couldn’t remember it, how many times had Rose been there for me? Pulled me through, made me smile when I’d thought I couldn’t anymore? But when Rose finally accepted that she’d lost access to an entire part of her life, I… I was useless.

What kind of a friend did that make me?

The only word I had to describe how she’d been when the doctors had told her there was nothing more they could do, is depressed. She stopped going out as much, she struggled to find things to do at home. She just… Lost interest, until one day she and Harry had gotten into a ridiculous argument in front of a two-year old Darcy.

It had been insane. Rose and Harry didn’t argue; they sniped and sighed and moaned at each other, but they didn’t argue, not properly - certainly not the way Aman and I did when we kicked off, in a flash of fireworks and shouting. But Rose had gone totally insane - shouting, screaming, throwing things. Once she’d calmed down - and that took a week, a whole week of ranting coffee sessions and threats of divorce -, I’d managed to get her to agree to getting some time away. It had actually been Harry’s idea, but… Harry had been public enemy number one at the time.

She’d spent two weeks away, two terrifying weeks where I didn’t know where my best friend was or if she was okay. Even though Harry had promised he’d be able to handle things by himself, Ed had stayed with us for a while. We’d been home in London and Harry and Rose hadn’t bought their California place yet - so Ed and Darcy stayed with us during the day and Harry took baby Darcy between recording the new album of the time.

That said, it was no secret that Harry being alive this long after being given responsibility of his own breathing was nothing short of a miracle - so I’d made sure he and Darcy had spent plenty of time with us, too. If Rose needed time away to get her shit together, then fine, but I’d at least make sure her husband didn’t lose himself and his baby girl to baby wolves during the time she was away.

Rose had come back completely refreshed, and had acted as if nothing had happened. As cruel as it sounded, seeing her finally so content with herself had made me relieved. In an odd way, the accident had set her free in a way she never would have been if she hadn’t lost her memory - and now that the gap in her mind was here to stay, what was the purpose of wishing it wasn’t? Yes, I wished Rose remembered all of our jokes and all of the milestones we’d had when she’d first arrived in London, but I still had her here, with me - we were still together. So my selfishness, for once, just had to shut up and deal.

So even though it was a really dumb thing to reminisce about so much later… I still felt so proud of Rose. She looked so elegant in the sleeveless, olive-green dress she’d taken at least a month to choose. Elegant and content.

We’d gotten through it all.

There was a party in full swing, with tinsel wrapped around the banisters and scented candles lit in every room. Rose had hired catering staff to keep serving guests snacks and fancy flutes of champagne, even though she had cooked one of the most amazing meals I’d ever witnessed for dinner. The guests were mainly industry friends of Rose and Harry, some of them people I knew from way back when, but all of the familiar faces were here too - Niall was here with Alanna, Hughie and Izzy, who was sporting her ridiculously tiny pregnant stomach at seven months; Liam and Kara were here with the twins, who were called that even though they weren’t; Ryan was kicking around somewhere, chatting up some models. Rose’s family hadn’t been in touch since the accident, but she had a new family now - us. And we weren’t going anywhere.

The only couples that were missing were Louis and Vivienne and, of course, my beloved ex-husband and ex-childhood best friend. Lou and Vivienne were spending Christmas in Mexico as part of their honeymoon… Yep, honeymoon. The two idiots had finally stopped playing with one another and had decided to get married in a tiny ceremony in the middle of nowhere, with just their family as witnesses and baby Scarlett as a bridesmaid. Although we’d all teased them about being cut out, we weren’t angry - honestly, so long as Vivienne was finally committing, I was more than happy. She’d taken long enough. That girl’s commitment issues were legendary and God only knew how Louis had been not-so-subtly trying to tie Vivienne down for years now.

As for Zayn… Well, I didn’t miss him in any way. He’d finally gotten one child ahead of me - Layla had given birth in England to their newest son, Syed.

It was pathetic, really, how Zayn felt the need to get Layla to pop out another baby the moment he found out I was pregnant. Mikael, his eldest, had been announced as on the way less than three months after I’d announced I was pregnant with Dany. It was sad, really. No, actually, not sad - downright pathetic. It also turned out that Rianna, their only girl, had been cooking in Layla’s stomach when Zayn had tried to make my and Aman’s baby his through raping me.

God, I hated him. It hit me in waves, the space between them always making me think I was over it, but… The mere mention of him made me want to tear him to pieces. He’d seen Ari, my baby Ari, as some sort of sick substitute for his pitfalls as a husband when we’d been married. Who did that? Who tried to hijack the innocence of a brand new baby, to try and use in their own sick agenda?

Oh, right. The creep I’d once made the mistake of marrying.

It really was a godsend that I’d met Aman. If I’d hadn’t, I would have always just assumed I had really shitty taste in men.

I did worry about Layla, every now and then - though reason, as well as everyone I knew, told me I shouldn’t. I didn’t care if it sounded egotistical; every fibre of my being told me that Zayn had married one of my friends, someone who had been at my wedding the first time around, out of pure spite. Did he treat her right? From what I’d heard and seen he did, but I knew better than anyone what a two-faced prat Zayn really was.

That said, Layla and I weren’t built the same. Zayn couldn’t just get up and leave Layla whenever he wanted - she’d take him for everything he had if he dared. In a sick way, they kind of deserved one another.

Anyway - it was because Zayn and Layla were still in England that Aman and I were celebrating Christmas with Rose for the first time in at least two years. It was nice, to be back again. Therapeutic, almost - it felt like nothing had changed even though everything had, and for the better.

“Where are Darcy and Zarina?” Rose asked, nudging me and snapping me out of my nostalgia. She handed me a pack of extra long candles and motioned with her head to the candles on the table. It was pathetic. I was a mother of two, but was still too scared to use normal-length candles.

“The playroom, the last I saw, with Alanna and Izzy.” I told her, trying to shake off the overwhelming sense of oldness that I felt whenever I saw Alanna. Alanna was five years old now - five, huge years old. It felt like only five minutes had passed since we’d all been waiting outside Isolde’s hospital room, listening to her scream as she gave birth. How had five years changed everything so much? Putting aside the motherhood, I even had a new husband; and after two kids, I didn’t even think of him as new anymore.

Hell, on paper, I was even a respectable businesswoman. That had never been a… Thing, five years ago; but then, five years ago, I hadn’t had shares in Conde Nast, or had been developing the media branch of the Zafar Inc. I’d barely learnt what an eyelash curler was back then - and now, I could apply mascara in a moving vehicle, with my son playing Power Rangers next to me.

“You really need to explain why you’re dressed like a tramp to me.” Rose sighed, eyeing me. Um, rude. “Like, seriously, what is even going on over there?”

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s not hospitable to insult your guests?”

“I wasn’t hosting the party where that was said.” Rose grinned cheekily, making me laugh. “So. Explanation?”

I looked down at myself. I hadn’t thought my outfit wasn’t presentable! Less on the fitted side that baggy, yes, but still appropriately festive. My jumper was oversized with a strip of black lace running down each sleeve, but my jeans were skinny and my heels weren’t ugly. I was just… Covered.

“How do you know I haven’t just gotten really fat?” I retorted. “I could actually be crying on the inside right now, because of your comment. I could be really offended. Ever think of that?”

“Nice try!” Rose snorted. “You enjoy being some kind of yoga dominatrix way too much in bed with that sexy husband of yours to ever really let yourself go.”

There was no point pretending she was wrong, so I let her see my smug smile. Hey. I had talents in the bedroom now.

That had definitely changed in the past five years.

“You really need to tell me what’s going on with you.” Rose continued, swatting my hands away from picking some strawberries from reindeer’s nose. Oh, yes. Rose had made a reindeer cake. “I know there’s something and I will keep you hostage until you tell me.”

“As flattering as your obsessive behaviour is,” I said in my snootiest voice. “My bank balance and ability to strike the fear of God in anyone who questions me, means that I could do something about it.” I grinned as I took one of the strawberries, ignoring Rose’s narrowed eyes. “You’re just a pop-star’s wife. If this were an episode of Gossip Girl, which our lives clearly are nowadays, I am definitely Lily van der Woodsen enough to win a rich-people’s smackdown.”

“I’m going to let that one go, just because I know it comes from your jealous place.” Rose told me, flicking me with the napkin she’d been holding. I laughed, dodging it. “You’re just mad that the world knows how hot I look in a swimsuit, after last month’s shoot. And I know something is up. I’ll get it out of you.”

“Good luck with that.” I grinned, stealing another strawberry and laughing as Rose looked like she was about to tackle me. “And who cares if you look better in a swimsuit - I’m a yoga dominatrix in bed according to you, remember?!”

Of course, Rose just laughed.

It didn’t take long for the rest of Rose’s guests to slowly disappear. Everyone wanted to look glamorous and rested for Christmas Day and after an hour or so, it was just us - the original group, but the extended edition.

We ended up sitting on the patio - or “porch”, as the new English-to-American dictionary in my head informed me - overlooking the sea, the wall-sized window of the lounge allowing us to watch as the children slept. Despite Niall’s initial worries that Hughie wouldn’t get along with Ed and Dany thanks to how close they were, the three of them were sprawled across one another on the sofa, asleep.

Dany’s arm was hanging off the sofa’s arm-rest, his fingers loosely linked with Ari’s hand through the bars of the cot Harry had brought down for Darcy and Ari to share.

Pathetic as it was, it made me feel… Happy, knowing how close Danyal and Zarina were. Everyone, including Aman, kept telling me that it didn’t mean it would last into adulthood, but… Well, how could it not? It had been some kind of miracle, having Danyal at all - and then having Zarina so healthy, especially considering the challenges she’d been put through before even being born. Dany had never become jealous of the attention Ari had gotten when she was born; if anything, even though he was barely older than he, he doted on her.

Even now, after being (fairly) happily married for four years - and having actually loved him for more than that, unlike the first time -, I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. My children adored one another, my husband and I didn’t hate each other and then there was the news I had to tell Rose…

I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected this all to happen so quickly but now that it had, I didn’t regret it; which was strange, because before now, I’d been a barrel-full of regrets whenever things were moving too fast.

Apparently, my incessant need to be a control freak was subsiding. Ever so slightly.

I was - for lack of a better term - maturing. Supposedly. It was hard to believe when it was just Aman and I arguing over what channel to watch once Dany and Ari were in bed, but seeing my friends around me… We’d all matured.

Like Niall and Isolde. They were sitting beside Aman and I, Niall sitting on the floor with Isolde’s sock-clad legs resting over his shoulder. Although Izzy was just as fierce as ever, finally being with Niall meant she’d mellowed slightly - but only slightly. They balanced one another out, now. Isolde wasn’t as bitter about being thrust into the limelight, because she’d finally realised it wouldn’t affect Niall’s duties as a father. Even Aman had been ecstatic when they’d finally announced they were getting married - just after Isolde had found out she was pregnant with Hughie, at an intimate, fairy-tale like ceremony in Ireland with Alanna as a flower girl. We’d been invited - Niall had insisted there’d be no trouble with Zayn there - but it… It hadn’t felt right. As much of an amazing pair of friends Niall and Isolde had been to me, I couldn’t ruin the balance. Zayn had been there first.

Plus, you know, Aman still wanted to stick his head on a spike and attach it to the back of one of the cars.

What with Vivienne and Louis finally tying the lot - the boys truly were like dominos, once one got married and had children, the others followed -, Liam and Kara were the only ones who hadn’t gotten married. That wasn’t exactly surprising - even when Kara had found out she was pregnant with Charlie, she’d wondered if it was the right choice. Considering she was all too ready to give the rest of us much needed uncomfortable advice when necessary, it was nice to be able to pay her back a little - they hadn’t even been living with one another until Kara was at least four months pregnant, which was when Liam - and everyone else - put their foot down.

Still - seeing them snuggling together on the seat opposite made me smile. Liam had made some really sucky choices in his life, including forcing Kara into rehab and then forcing himself into her life, but by an amazing bout of luck it had worked out; even better, Kara wasn’t afraid to call Liam out on his crap. Of which there was plenty.

Harry and Rose didn’t count in my proud reminiscing. Harry and I had finally managed to get back on track after his… Behaviour following Rose’s accident and in a weird way, it had made us closer. It also made me tell him regularly that he was a giant loser who I’d happily rip apart if he ever hurt Rose, but I knew I didn’t have to say it. I’d seen Harry and Rose happen. And even though I still wasn’t sure if Harry had been the best choice out of him and Eddie, he had turned out to be the right one - he was here, with her and I knew better than anyone how Rose needed that.

“Thank you again, for inviting us to dinner tomorrow, Rose.” Liam sighed as he stretched. “I’m really looking forward to it. When you still hadn’t invited us at the beginning of the month, I was getting a bit worried.”

I snorted loudly at Kara’s mortified expression.

“I am so sorry about his atrocious manners.” Kara muttered, nudging Liam hard in the ribs. “I think what he means, Rose, is thank you for your wonderful hospitality.”

“Hospitality.” Rose smiled… Except that was not a happy smile. Oh, no, how much wine had she had? “You’d know all about that, too-”

“How about more cake?” I said loudly, ignoring Aman raise his eyebrows at my sudden enthusiasm. It wasn’t enough to stop everyone from noticing what Rose had said, but I was hoping it would lessen the impact. I started picking up some of the empty bottles and dishes on the table, mouthing Kara a sorry when I was opposite her. “Rose? You know I can’t be trusted in your kitchen alone. Come on, up you get.”

I glared at Harry as Rose silently strutted into the kitchen, looking annoyed. What the Hell was that? Had Rose not wanted Kara at the party? I understood Harry putting his foot down and saying she had to be - there was no way Liam could come and not Kara - but Rose was volatile. She didn’t like being forced to do things nowadays, even if she knew they were right.

One of the accident’s little side effects.

Rose was already sipping on a fresh glass of wine when I found her in the kitchen. Some of the cleaning team were already here, packing up dirty dishes from earlier in the night.

“What,” I said slowly. “Was that just now?”

“You didn’t let me finish.” Rose shrugged. “So it’s not like I said the whole of what I was going to say.”

“Everyone understood where you were going with it.” I sighed, handing the pile of dishes to one of the cleaners. I did not clean. Some things never changed. “I mean, a crack about-” I stepped closer and lowered my voice. Liam had worked hard to make Kara’s past disappear. “- her past career? Not cool, Rose.”

“What’s not cool is everyone, including you, acting like she’s one of us!” Rose protested, setting her wine glass down angrily. “Sure, Isolde is our friend and you’ve known Vivienne for a long time, but she’s practically a random stranger, sitting in my house - for what?”

“Rose.” Where had this come from? It was no secret that Rose wasn’t exactly warm with Kara, but she’d never been outright nasty, either. “We’ve known Kara for a long time-”

“Since when is how long you’ve known someone a good measurement?” Rose snapped. “You knew Zayn for less than a year when you guys shacked up. What difference does time make?”

… What?

I didn’t say anything for a few seconds - not just because I was stunned at the guerrilla tactics, but because something was wrong with what Rose had just said. Something that was setting off alarm bells.

No. No, I was imagining things - Rose was just angry and lashing out and so I was making excuses for her. I was being stupid.

Except…

I pushed it to the back of my mind, seeing how Rose’s eyes had widened at what she’d just said.

“I’m going to go back into the other room, before you say more stuff we both regret.” I said quietly. “And unless you want to drive your guests away before lunch tomorrow, I’d suggest you calm down before you go back in there, because nobody else is a fan of the bomb you just dropped.” I didn’t have to say the rest - that Rose was lucky Vivienne wasn’t there, because Vivienne would have lost it, or that Harry was aghast at her behaviour -, and so I left the kitchen, leaving Rose in there.

Something feels wrong! She shouldn’t - no. I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t doubting her.

Rose came back out onto the deck a few minutes later, all smiles and apologising about her outburst - she claimed it was a stress-related event thanks to problems with the turkey. She even apologised to Kara; she “explained” how she meant Kara had been to so many parties and things, Rose had been expressing how flattered she was - but that, after I’d explained how it had come across, she was sorry if she’d been misunderstood.

It was a lame excuse. A ridiculously lame excuse. But everyone, including Kara, pretended to accept it because that made things less uncomfortable.

Rose and I didn’t talk for the rest of the night.

. . .

Christmas morning was like something out of Miracle on 54th Street.

Harry and Rose had bought presents for Danyal and Zarina and left them under the tree, and of course we’d bought gifts for everyone before arriving. We’d stayed over - like we’d planned to, despite Aman being disgruntled at the thought of relying on anyone, regardless of how well he and Harry got along -, but the weird feeling at the back of my head was still there. Like I was deliberately missing something, like I was ignoring something huge.

I carried on ignoring it.

“Those PJs are hideous. Explain.” Rose laughed, handing me a mug of fresh coffee. Aman looked at me, confused, as I subtly put it beside me and it wasn’t hard to read his mind; she doesn’t know?

“Hey, I dressed for comfort.” I protested, rather put out that nobody else loved my pyjamas - Aman’s Harvard sweatshirt and a pair of my comfiest grey joggers. “And are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help for later? Please say yes. Otherwise I’m stuck babysitting these two idiots.”

Aman and Harry snickered as they high-fived over my head.

“She’s just jealous of our love.” Harry told Aman happily.

“Unless you tell me what you’re hiding from me, it’s your punishment.” She shrugged evilly. I smiled - I wasn’t over what she’d said yesterday -, though promising myself I’d tell her tonight. I had to. One bitchy comment didn’t make her any less… Rose. “And anyway, I’ve told the others too, that everyone has to starve until it’s time to eat. Christmas dinner has come out fabulous.”

We all stopped as Dany and Ed started to wave their arms excitedly at their newest present - ones, I realised instantly, Harry and Aman had chosen for them. Matching water pistols, in loud colours. The boys were already making shooting noises and the toy wasn’t even out of its packaging yet.

Darcy and Ari watched them from where they sat in their fathers’ laps, snuggling close under the same blanket.

I smiled as Danyal tripped over Ed’s legs, to squirt Ari in the face with water. Ari hated water in her face - she screamed blue murder whenever I washed her hair. Considering I was the most hated person on the planet when I washed her face, her outraged giggle in response to the water pistol was almost offensive.

Almost.

Darcy, on the other hand, ripped the pistol out of Ed’s hands and attacked his face with it.

Ah, the girls.

Ari giggled loudly at Ed’s outraged face, watching carefully as Dany yanked Ed’s T-shirt to his face and told him “wipe it”. So mature, just at three.

“What’re you thinking?” Aman asked me quietly, unnoticed as Rose and Harry discussed something between themselves over our heads.

“Nothing.” I smiled, attacking Ari’s cheek with kisses and laughing loudly as she pulled my face down and attempted to do the same thing back. It wasn’t quite perfect, but it was definitely good enough for me - her skin was always so soft, but her strength always surprised me. “I’m just… I’m just glad that we have such a big family.”

. . .

The rest of the day passed in a lazy, festive blur.

I, as tradition dictated, was amazed at the seamlessness of Rose’s efficiency. There was officially no room for my kitchen ineptitude and even though that meant I spent the day becoming increasingly freaked out at how Rose and I had given birth to boys who were essentially younger, more mischievous versions of their fathers, I did feel kind of guilty that I wasn’t useful at all.

Not guilty enough to actually help bark out orders at the catering staff, like Rose was, but enough to prove I had a conscience.

I was in charge, with Harry, of getting the children ready - that was an experience. Harry had lovingly tied Darcy’s long brown hair into a little bun and had spent the entire time grinning at her, as she stepped into her sparkly red dress.

Ari, on the other hand, had kicked and screamed at the prospect of wearing anything remotely feminine. She hated dresses. I was sure she partially thought she was a boy like her brother - Dany was in black trousers and a white shirt and Ed was even wearing a little tie -, but Aman put it down to Ari “being confident in her femininity”.

All that meant to me, was that Ari only ended up wearing the Dolce & Gabbana printed dress Harry had bought her for Christmas because Darcy pointed out that hers was still more sparkly and Harry promised Ari she could wear one of Ed’s hats with the dress.

Ari currently was obsessed with hats. She wore her father’s Yankees cap to bed.

Surely Dany should have been the more difficult one? But no. Dany was laid-back when it came to clothes and getting dressed. His only demands were Batman underwear and vests that weren’t itchy - he had sensitive skin -, but other than that… He didn’t care what he was wearing. But my little girl? No. No, the only dress she’d ever willingly bought in the two years she’d spent on this planet, was a dress that was covered in comic strips.

Was I meant to be proud or embarrassed at how much she was like me?

Harry did Ari’s hair too, which was a miracle in itself. He managed to brush it through and pull it into a neat pony tail - complete with a red rose clip on the side. If I’d have tried that, Zarina probably would have bitten me.

“You know Rose is going to have something to say about that outfit?” Harry grinned, seeing what I was wearing when I finally got dressed.

I was wearing a beige cashmere jumper that did not at all cling, the same black skinny jeans from the day before and a pair of beige loafers, a long, thick black cardigan thrown on top.

“This isn’t trampy!” I protested, allowing Harry to stand behind me and latch my necklace for me. “It’s elegant! And I’m wearing jewellery, so it’s still festive, too.”

“This is to do with what you’re hiding, isn’t it?” Harry asked - and I laughed because really, when was Harry ever that observant? “Your hair looks nice.”

I’d left it out and done nothing to it, including brushing, but just told him thanks.

Everything was lovely. Louis and Vivienne briefly Skyped from Mexico to wish everyone a merry Christmas and Zayn text the others. Isolde’s cravings for cinnamon were quenched with Rose’s special “mulled apple juice”.

Everything was lovely, right up until when it wasn’t.

“Are you sure you don't need a hand with the burning pud?” Kara asked Rose, as we all waited around for dessert. “Trust me, I can handle a blowtorch. Occupational hazard.” She joked.

She wasn’t being malicious, or goading Rose. Kara was just… Like that. She hit things over the head and dealt with them, she joked her way out of awkward situations. We’d spent enough time talking for me to know that Kara found it difficult to not just punch someone as means of effective communication. This was her, trying.

But it backfired. Spectacularly.

Everyone laughed, except Rose. Even Aman had snorted into his glass and he made a conceited effort to not acknowledge Kara’s past, most likely because his affinity with prostitutes (that sounded so wrong) wasn’t something he planned on making public knowledge.

“Occupational hazard?” Rose repeated, looking… Furious. The alarm bells in my head got louder. “Considering you’re so proud of your career, why don’t you just come out and say the rest of the men here would make good clients? That’s what you’re thinking, right? I mean, when you talk about occupational hazards, you fail to mention the genital herpes or whatever else you’ve got, do you?” Rose laughed once, darkly. I… We were all too shocked to move. “Then again, I suppose pretending being a slut is an actual profession helps you to pretend you’re not really just some washed-up crack whore.”

Everyone stopped. Everyone, except me - because at the crack whore part, I had to shut my eyes and pretend I wasn’t seeing the smug expression on Rose’s face, right before she calmly walked out.

What - what - had possessed Rose to just… To… Lash out like that? What had she been thinking?!

I wasn’t the only one thinking it.

“Is that some kind of fucking joke?” Liam said angrily, staring around the table. I looked at Harry, but he was staring after Rose, his expression horrified. “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

“She’s probably just stressing out over dinner.” Kara said quietly - and that somehow made everything worse, that she, out of everyone, was the one jumping to Rose’s defence. “I should have kept my mouth shut, really. I knew she was upset yesterday and I pushed the dark humour-”

“This isn’t your fault!” Liam snapped - before looking at me. “She’s your best friend! Want to tell us what’s going on, or what?”

“Hey, it’s not Soph’s fault!” Kara told him, looking annoyed. Oh, great. Not only was Rose calling people crack-whores under her own roof, but apparently now I was inadvertently causing a domestic. “I’m Soph’s friend and she’s never-”

“We thought Rose was your friend too, but she’s turned out to be a grade-A bitch-”

“Alright!” Harry shouted loudly. “That’s my wife you’re talking about, mate, do you want to calm down?”

And just like that, everyone was arguing.

This was insane. Insane. Rose didn’t - Rose didn’t like confrontation! She may have developed more of a spine since the accident, but she didn’t like causing trouble and she certainly did not enjoy her parties being given a bad reputation. This made no sense. This made no sense, how had I missed her freaking out like this?!

You didn’t. You knew something was wrong, but you ignored it.

This was my fault.

“Everyone, just calm down-” Niall was saying patiently, but it wasn’t working. “Look, why don’t we let Harry talk to Rose, while we cool off in here and see what’s happening next-”

“I think I should go.” Kara said firmly. “That’s what should happen next. I was the one who started it, I don’t want to ruin what’s otherwise been a lovely Christmas-”

“We’re not going until she apologises!” Liam spluttered, now in full mouthing-off mode. Wonderful. Just wonderful. “Soph, are you going to sort this out or what?”

“That has to be the second or third time you’ve said that.” Aman said quietly, looking up at Liam with an annoyed expression. I poked his leg under the table. No. No. Now was not the time for his overprotectiveness to rise up; particularly when, ever since the… Incident when I was pregnant with Ari, he’d had a much lower tolerance for any of One Direction. “Has it ever occurred to you that it’s not Soph who’s responsible for Rose’s actions?”

“Well then, do you want to tell me who is?!” Liam was still shouting, but he seemed a bit… Calmer, at seeing Aman’s expression. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The effect of Aman’s silent but scary temper was not something I needed to worry about right now.

Aman pretended to think, pointedly ignoring my incessant poking. Rude.

“Rose, maybe?”

“Liam, will you please just shut up and calm down?” Kara groaned loudly, shoving him away from where he was towering over the table. What was going on with Rose? What was so bad, that she couldn’t just tell someone? Me? “Manny, Soph, I’m sorry, none of this is your fault - none of this is anyone’s fault! Rose has the right to not want an ex-hooker in her home and honestly, if you guys think I haven’t heard stuff like this before, you’re underestimating how good I was at my job.”

“How are you still cracking jokes right now?” I was trying not to smile. How could Rose not like Kara? This was exactly why everyone else did! Kara was covering for Rose’s almost unforgivable blunder, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Please don’t leave. Let me talk to Rose and find out what’s really going on.” I squeezed Kara’s hand. She’d been such a good friend to me, for ever since I’d known her…

And just like that, I was angry. How could Rose do this? How dare she? She’d never been jealous or possessive before and if this truly was about me accepting Kara as a friend like she’d said, then she was insane. Kara had been there for me since the beginning. She hadn’t expected me to hate her because of my faith or whatever else; damn it, she’d been there for me on my wedding day when Rose hadn’t! On the day of my reception, Kara had kept me calm in a way nobody else could have - not even Rose, who had been too busy playing house.

That’s unfair. You forgave her back then, you can’t take it back now.

Yeah - not unless I’d never forgiven her in the first place.

How much did Rose think she could get away with? After the accident, I’d kept justifying her erratic behaviour as her way of coping after the accident, but how could I keep saying it was okay? This was not okay!

“Kara, sweetheart, I’m so sorry about what Rose said. You know we don’t see you like that, you’re just as much family as anyone else here is.” Harry sighed, glancing at me with false smile; play along. “Probably more than this one, since she’s so posh these days.”

“Whatever.” Kara muttered, shooting me a grin. “These peasants just don’t know how to deal with upper classes, huh, Soph?”

I grinned, feeling sick. What the Hell had Rose been playing at, lashing out at Kara like that?

“I’m just going to go and check on Rose, see what’s really going on.” I told everyone as I got up, squeezing Aman’s shoulder on my way. He understood what that meant - keep it together here. Sometimes, this whole soulmate thing wasn’t such a giant inconvenience. “And Liam - just pour yourself another drink and calm down, alright?”

“Yeah.” Liam muttered, letting Niall firmly push him back into his chair. Thankfully, he shot Aman an apologetic look. “Sorry, everyone.”

“You can’t be perfect all the time.” Aman joked, now apparently silently communicating with Niall.

“Yeah.” Niall added. “Makes the rest of us look bad.”

That was the last thing I heard before going into the kitchen - and finding Rose calmly looking out of the window, drinking a glass of wine.

I shut the door behind me.

“What the fuck,” I asked slowly. “Was that? Where did that even come from?!”

“I’m sick of her acting like being a whore is such an accomplishment.” Rose shrugged. She could pretend to be calm all she wanted - I knew her too well. I could see she was still livid. What kind of a best friend would I be if I didn’t? “I would have thought you would have backed me up and understood that, but apparently not.” I stared, speechless, as Rose looked at me disapprovingly. “I heard you out there, with Manny and Harry, covering for me. I don’t need you three to cover for me.”

“When you drop crap like that, you do.” I laughed, though not at all because I found this funny. “You invited her here, Rose! And even if you didn’t really want to, since when were you so… It’s the holiday season. You love the holiday season.”

“Oh, of course I do!” Rose suddenly shouted, making me jump as she finally turned to face me. “Of course I love the festive season! I hold Christmas every year and play happy families and you know what? You’re right, I do love that part. But what I don’t love is everyone pretending everything is just dandy! Everyone is pretending what she is doesn’t matter, that how she met Liam doesn’t matter, but when I was deciding between guys - and not giving them hand-jobs in alleyways during it all -, I was the bad guy! Somehow, when Liam was being a shitty boyfriend, I was still the whore - and she is, and what, she gets nothing?”

We didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Rose was breathing heavily and staring at me with wide eyes, like she’d said something wrong - but she hadn’t - except she had, because something felt wrong, that feeling at the back of my mind was back -

Oh, Soph, you idiot.

“… You remember.” I whispered, feeling my heart begin to thrum in my throat. I tried to swallow down the feeling - to calm down. “You… You remember.”

Yesterday. Yesterday, when she’d mentioned Zayn - it had seemed wrong because it was wrong. That was before the accident. Rose didn’t remember anything between leaving Australia and the night of the accident, when Harry had told her they were together, when he’d lied; but I’d… I’d thought it was fine. I’d thought what she’d said about Zayn was fine, because I was so used to Rose’s voice talking about my first marriage that I’d forgotten she wasn’t the same Rose anymore.

“No.” Rose muttered… But her voice was shaking. Oh, my God, she remembers. “No, no, I don’t-”

“Yes, you do!” I argued. It made sense now. It made sense! I’d gotten so used to lying to Rose about her past, because I’d had to, that hearing the truth after so long had been like… Like taking a break and only a small part of my brain had noticed. “Yes, you do! Rose, this is - this is huge! How long have you remembered?” Why was this being hidden? This was amazing news! We’d all thought it would never happen, this was great… Except it wasn’t, it wasn’t, because Rose looked… Guilty. Or at least like she was trying to hide that she felt guilty. “Oh my God, Rose, how long have you remembered?” I asked again, but this time, differently. I wasn’t excited this time.

“You don’t get to judge me.” Rose finally muttered, stabbing her finger in my direction. “You… You don’t get to judge me!”

“How long, Rose?!”

“I didn't go away because I had some kind of depressed break down, okay!” Rose suddenly shouted. Oh my God. Oh my God, she’d remembered and I hadn’t even noticed. “I know you love to think of me as this depressed loser who you need to constantly save, but-”

“What? Are you insane?”

“- I remembered! I was playing with Darcy and she was crying because Harry wasn’t around, like always-”

“She’s a child, Rose!” I snapped, seeing where this was going. Rose had been so excited to have a girl, so excited - because she saw her as a substitute, as the universe’s way of compensating her for a mother and sister that didn’t care. I’d warned her, I’d told her she couldn’t think about it like that - Darcy was a person! If we hadn’t learnt that everyone was a real person that we couldn’t just know inside out, what the Hell had we learnt after all of this time? “You do understand the concept of a child, don’t you? She’s innocent!”

“She made me remember!” Rose suddenly screamed, making me jump back. “Do you not get that? That little bitch-”

“Rose!”

“- she made me remember! And you know what? I was better off forgetting!” Rose hissed. I’d… I wanted to believe it was the drink, that all of the wine had gotten to her head, but I knew that wasn’t true. This was years’ worth of venom bubbling to the surface, venom I thought she’d trusted me enough to share in the beginning. But she hadn’t. She’d lied.

Like she was lying now.

“Two years. Two years.” I said, finally realising the maths. When she’d went away. When we’d all thought she’d lost hope, when I’d thought she was mourning.

This was huge. Huge. And I had so many questions. Did she remember everything? Had it come all at once, or was she still piecing things together? Why had she hid it, when had she decided to?

How could she have?

“Does Harry know?” I demanded. Harry. Harry. Oh, God. He’d… He thought he’d cheated her somehow, cheated himself into having a happiness he didn’t deserve. After Eddie had died - or gone away to -, he’d taken that all on himself, blaming Rose’s rejection of Eddie on himself. He’d been struggling with that ever since, he still was - but Rose knew? “He - he’s taken on your guilt about Eddie! He blames himself!”

“And there it is.” Rose muttered cruelly, staring at me up and down. “Perfect little Soph, upset because she’s losing control of micro-managing my life.”

No. No. I knew exactly what she was talking about and she did not get to say that to me.

“I did what I had to, as your friend.” I told her seriously. No. No. There was absolutely no way in Hell that she was putting that on me, acting as if I did what I did for kicks. “I did what I did because the doctors told me you were at risk and because I had to deal with damage control, when Harry and Ryan and everyone else panicked-”

“Like that’s the only control you have over my life!” Rose snorted. “What about my marriage, hmm? What about the fact that ever since before Harry and I got together, you’ve always been in the middle, you’re always acting mediator when nobody even wants you there?”

I couldn’t help it. As much as I told myself I’d changed, that I was more mature and mellow, that was a load of crap. I was not taking anyone’s crap ever again - I’d made that promise to myself a long time ago.

And Rose did not get a pass card just because she was feeling sassy.

“Well according to you, I’ve always been there - so it’s not hard to imagine your marriage falling apart without me being there to pick up the pieces of your dramas!” I snapped back instantly, not even having to think about it.

I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to have this conversation, this argument, with Rose. There were too many things for us to be bitter about.

But it felt really good to just say it.

“This is exactly what I mean.” Rose laughed - and it wasn’t scary to hear anymore, it was pissing me off. “Perfect little Soph, with her perfect little life, looking down on everyone else. You act like such an angel-”

“No need to act like an angel, when we know I’m a queen.” It was meant to be a joke - to calm things down, because logic told me we needed to - but it came out more serious than I intended. Not that, at this point, I cared as much as I could have. “Just because you are too wrapped up in pretending to be someone else, doesn’t mean everyone else is as screwed up!”

“I’m not pretending!” Rose gasped. Seriously? Seriously? “I am being the person I am, the person I was meant to be - before everyone screwed me over and took advantage of me trying to be everyone’s friend!”

“Such a victim, all of the time!” I yelled. “Do you ever realise how self-involved you are? How pathetic it is? Your problems revolve around which boy to choose - and you act like you’re hard done by, when you’re the one who put yourself in that situation!” I groaned. This was ridiculous. This was just insanely ridiculous and not because of this conversation. “You can’t run from your feelings, Rose! You can’t pretend to not feel guilty! You - you-” I had to take a second, to calm myself down. I had to say this. I had to say this properly, for his sake. “- you’ve been lying, for two years about having no memory. Eddie wasn’t dead then. He was ill, but not dead and he deserved to at least know you chose to stay with Harry! You made him give up!”

“Don’t you dare-” My mouth fell open as Rose shoved me angrily. She was not serious. “Blame me for his death. That’s on you. You were so eager to focus on my problems and make yourself look like the golden girl in comparison, that you didn’t know how to be a good friend.”

In fairness, the moment Rose had touched me, I’d began to have an out-of-body experience. I wasn’t in control anymore - not the so-called mature, mellow Soph who balanced out the power-hungry rage monster that had been inside me since God knows when. I wasn’t in control anymore.

I couldn’t take responsibility for what I did next.

Without even thinking about it, I was standing to my full height, glaring up at Rose with a hatred I’d never expected to feel towards her. I was fuming. She hadn’t just lied to me - this wasn’t, despite what she wanted to think, about my bruised ego. She’d lied to everyone - to everyone, to all of the people who’d weaved their lives into the giant lie that had come from us trying to protect her.

How dare she?

“I’m not scared of you.” Rose told me quietly, glaring down at me.

I stepped closer.

“Maybe you should be.” I muttered. “You are not the person I thought you were. My friend isn’t here anymore.”

Rose shrugged. It didn’t even bother her. It didn’t even bother her.

“Whether you think I’m a sucky person or not is your problem, but you owe it to me to keep your mouth shut.” Rose told me, making me gawp at her. Really? I owed her something? She was a lying, conniving bitch who had been manipulating us all for the past two years - and that was a long time to maintain a lie this huge - and I owed her something?

It wasn’t just the anger. I didn’t honestly believe I was just angry. I was hurt, too - betrayed. She’d never told me. She’d never told me about her memories coming back, or even how she felt about me interfering in her life. She hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me the truth when I’d only ever bore my soul to her and that betrayal hurt me so much right now, I wanted to lash out and hurt her - because it was easier to deal with whatever nasty things I’d said, rather than accept that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust her again.

“You’re lying. To your friends - forget that, to your husband.” I shook my head. “Harry’s my friend, too. I’m not going to lie to him out of a sick sense of loyalty.”

“Yes, you are!” Rose shouted again, pulling me by the arm before I could leave. I swatted her off. I could hear voices outside the door - clearly, they’d heard shouting and Harry was worried. Hearing the voices too, Rose began to hiss. “Yes, you are. I kept your secret when you were pregnant and you didn’t want Zayn to know, at the risk of my relationship with Harry. I didn’t tell anyone you fell in love with Aman when you were still married to someone else, I have kept your secrets for years when I could have screwed you over the entire time - so you owe me.”

Just like that, something… Left. Something flew right out of me, something that suddenly made it so much easier for me to no longer care.

It’s like flipping a light switch. Just like before.

“So you’re not asking me as a friend.” I nodded, finally understanding. “You’re blackmailing me, as a person. As someone in your way.”

Rose shrugged, her arms folded over her chest.

Wow. Wow, I really hadn’t seen this coming.

“Fine. I’ll cover for you. If I’m asked, I won’t lie, but I’ll cover for you.” I promised, feeling… nothing. Empty. Rose wasn’t my best friend any more - and if I was being honest, she hadn’t been for a long time.

“Good.” Rose said primly, making me roll my eyes as I went to turn away. “And get out of my life, while you’re at it.”

I thought about that for a grand total of, ooh, a second?

“No.” I laughed. “No way in Hell. Just because you’re too weak to admit today, or even tomorrow or the day after that, you need me. You called your three year old girl a bitch today, Rose.” I shook my head. God. God, how had she gotten so twisted? And coming from me, that was saying something. “Just because you’ve forgotten to be a good friend, doesn’t mean I have. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Harry is my husband and Darcy is my daughter!”

“Darcy may be your daughter, but Harry was my friend long before you decided to mess him around!” I snapped. “I’m already lying to him for you, that’s all you’re getting from me.”

Harry had just stepped in, when Rose said it.

“God, I hate you, Soph.”

Only Harry saw how I closed my eyes. In defeat. Because I knew, better than anyone, exactly what she was like - and when she meant it.

I had been so wrong about us.

“What the Hell happened?” Harry asked, looking between us with wide eyes.

“It was my fault. Rose was angry about me not telling her what was going on.” I forced a smile, tried not to notice the lie - lie number one, the beginning of the end of our friendship; and no, that wasn’t just dramatics. Unless Rose told Harry that she had her memories back, our friendship was just going to keep breaking down; and it didn’t look like she was going to be telling the truth anytime soon. “She doesn’t approve of the news.”

“What news?” Harry looked more confused than ever.

I turned to Rose, hoping that, even if she wasn’t the person I knew any more, the next bit stung.

“That I’m pregnant again.” I said, the news sounding… Boring now. Who even cared? “I wanted to tell my best friend, but apparently it didn't quite work that way.”

Rose barely flinched.

“Like I just told her,” Rose said to Harry coolly, staring down her nose at me. Wow, she really wanted to stop doing that before I backhanded her. “She should stop popping them out so quickly. Someone might think she was doing it for the wrong reasons - you know how people have babies just to trap their husbands.”

Ouch. That one hurt.

Was this what I was in for? Jabs about my past from her, constant reminders I was keeping the secret of a clear sociopath?

“Sorry, Harry.” I forced a smile, told myself to play along. I wasn’t going to freak out in front of her. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. “I think I should go.”

“But-” Harry stopped as he hugged me tightly. “Ignore her, Soph, this is great news. You don’t have to go-”

“Trust me, Harry.” I smiled genuinely this time. He deserved more than this - from me and Rose. “I do.”

It was just then that we heard Darcy calling for her mum.

“For God’s sake, Harry, go and deal with her.” Rose snapped, rubbing her temples.

“I’ll go.” I said, before either one of them could say anything. God. God, I wanted to hit her. I wanted to hit her, but I wanted to shake her at the same time and beg her to be the person I’d always thought she was. “And… Listen, I was thinking - send Darcy over for a sleepover sometime soon. Ari and Darcy don’t see one another enough.”

Darcy shouldn’t have to deal with a mother like that.

Maybe Rose was right. Maybe I was an interfering bitch who couldn’t keep her nose to herself - but that was exactly what had gotten Rose happily married to the guy of her dreams. I’d kept my end of the bargain, I’d become the journalist and introduced her to One Direction. Apparently, that was all she’d wanted.

But I’d helped her get her ending. So whether she liked it or not, I was going to make sure Darcy had a chance at that, at least. I knew Rose and her family, I could see the signs - Rose was turning into her mother.

As I hugged Harry goodbye at the doorway, ignoring Kara’s worried expression, I promised to keep an eye on Darcy. For my friend’s sake.

The one I didn’t have any more.

#silent night

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minaa-munch · 5 years ago

Note

Question for mun! What do you think of Minato imitating Hashirama and how he rescued Kushina only because she was Uzumaki?

Oh boy, why’d you have to ask? [I’m kidding, I love development questions. They give my neurons a reason to not implode]. Before I address your question though, please note that I have a different interpretation of Minato. Naturally, said interpretation pertains to how I write the character and is not up for wide-scale public acceptance. To each their own, ne?

Disclaimer: Canon = manga. I rarely consider the anime on its own, though I may refer to sourced articles from reddit/quora/narutopedia/databooks. I’m very picky about my sources, since unfounded bouts of OP makes my tea taste bitter and I like my chamomile nice and refreshing, despite the claims of a certain copy nin likening it to steeped weeds. >> You know who you are.

Lets start with the times: Konoha was an established hidden village with a fair number of geniuses to its leaf adorned headband; Hiruzen’s generation, the White Fang, Konoha’s Ghost, Legendary Sanin - and the list goes on. These shinobi were role models; icons for the younger generation to follow - and to become Hokage; the best of the best, was on everyone’s bucket list. As a refugee, Uzumaki Kushina said she wanted to be Hokage to prove a point and Minato chose that time to say it too because it was akin to acknowledging her as one of Konoha.

Just because no one else said it, doesn’t mean they didn’t aim for it either. Who hadn’t learned about the legendary Shodai and the formation of the village? Who didn’t know about the honoured Uzumaki Mito who was somehow still alive whereas everyone else from her time had died? These figures, legends were heroes and idols for a lifestyle where the main trade was murder and espionage. Undoubtedly, their names and lores were used to instil a certain patriotism within the budding leaves of the village; to ensure that the new generations learned to set aside their differences and work together in the service of the Daimyo.

I digress. It wasn’t just Minato who wanted to be like the Shodai or the Nindaime, or the Legendary Professor [Sandaime], everyone did. He simply happened to have the means to make it happen: Beat the Sandaime’s record at the academy [undisputed so far], stumbled across the Nindaime’s technique and adapted it to be faster [thus hijacking the title of the fastest shinobi] and fostered a reputation on the battlefield which, true to Konoha’s brand of genius, made enemy nin soil themselves.

To say he didn’t plan on said reputation would be somewhat incorrect. Minato was a reputed [ha] genius, ne? Not on the same level as Itachi but pretty…lethal, to put it lightly. The system fostered his persona, and he outstripped it by becoming the youngest Hokage in history. That’s a worthy legend in itself, but is it legend enough to overshadow all previous Hokage?

Which brings me back to your question: Did he rescue Kushina just because she was an Uzumaki? Also interpreted as: Did he plan on marrying Uzumaki Kushina from the get-go?

Maybe. There isn’t enough evidence in canon to completely refute it; but there isn’t nearly enough to support it either. I tend to lean towards the latter since such planning would involve him honing in on Kushina as a ‘target’ since learning her clan affiliation. He was what, nine years old? Maybe ten when they met? I don’t know about you, dear anon, but I prefer a dash of realism when it comes to character studies. At that time, Minato, being the clan-less thingus that he was, was probably more invested in proving himself to his beloved Jiraiya sensei [role model x] and the Sandaime and everyone else who saw him as a genius born once every decade.

Random fun fact: Minato “stalking” Kushina is a filler in the anime. It never happened in the manga. See why sources are so important?

But then how is it possible for the parallel to be so apparent? I’ll give you two reasons; the first is a boring one called literary trope. The second one is kinda…conspiratorial. You see, when a system is as prone to birthing geniuses as Konoha’s most certainly is, the fact that there is a potential genius candidate and a Jinchuriki in the same age group becomes an opportunity. The Jinchuriki is always close to the Hokage, and the Hokage is always one who is recognised by the people.

Additional side-note: Jinchuriki goes missing; everyone panics and no one bothers to notice the cherry red strands of hair left behind by one intelligent kunoichi. No Jonin/Chunin thinks to look underneath the freaking underneath and pick up on it? Come on; this is a generation that grew up around wars. They’re not idiots. [insert nudge no jutsu here]

Case and point. Minato was well aware of his reputation [he bloodied his hands and soul for it after all], and had probably realised the nuances of the system at some point, and had grown to be sceptical of it. Consequently, he had an ego massive enough to think that he could change it for the better. [Remember when he and Naruto talk about the cycle of hatred? He indicated that he was aware of the problem, but didn’t know how to fix it because his generation had failed on that note]

Hokage? Hokage. He was well aware of how his persona might appear to the general populace. His sunny disposition and charm was probably more likened with the Shodai than anyone else. If you don’t think he took advantage of it, then you don’t know just how sneaky Konoha’s Kiiroi Senkō can be. He didn’t hail from a special clan, neither did he possess any kekkei genkai so his reputation was honestly all he had.

But to strive especially hard to mirror Hashirama and Mito? Nah. Minato was a strategist; he would use his public image to ensure Konoha’s loyalty and his popularity - and also his fearsome reputation which crossed borders thanks to all those useful rumours. Kushina had an image of her own to maintain [she was a fearsome kunoichi in her own right] - the manga doesn’t expand on their time enough to disprove or approve, so I suppose it boils down to one’s interpretation, ne? I like to think that Kushina isn’t blind enough to be manipulated by the flake she has to teach the basics of fuuin to. You can’t expect a relationship between such bull headed characters to blossom without experiences and nuances tinged with enough blood, sweat and tears - they rely on each other, anon. Kushina is one of the few people that keeps Minato sane, and Minato is probably one of the very few people who gave Kushina a sense of purpose other than that of a mere vessel.

Hashirama and Mito weren’t a fairy tale romance - theirs was initially political which turned lofty, depending on who you ask. Minato’s and Kushina’s wasn’t a sparkly re-edit either, unless said re-edits are tinged with war and the knowledge that you might not return from your next high ranking mission.

Note on Minato as the Yondaime:

If there was any Hokage he would take administrative cues from, it would be the Nindaime’s lore/records because of all the decrees Tobirama introduced to streamline the system. Minato is a strategist, and had the luxury of one Nara Shikaku, a genius of a Jonin commander, who had been at the game longer than himself. He would introduce similar reforms. Any political nuance would be treated like an occurrence on the battlefield because that’s how Minato had programmed himself to work.

He has his goofy moments too - but only with people he knows and can trust. Their generation was kinda...mucked up, as were the generations before theirs. If you think about it, Naruto’s generation is the..second gen that grew up soft and squishable in comparison.

#masked reporter #thanks for asking #er..don't let me get on the soap box #I get borderline salty #but hey to each their own #Namikaze Minato #Uzumaki Kushina #character study #Yondaime #Flake Sensei [Minato]#Mentions: Hashirama #Mentions: Nindaime #Mentions: Sandaime #Mentions: Jiraiya #Mentions: Mito #Mentions: MinaKushi/KushiMina #queued #because /someone/ drew nice blobs with eyes #grumpy senju sea urchins

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mellicose · 5 years ago

Text

Doctor ... WTF?

An impassioned rant about the steady decline of Doctor Who, the trajectory of the Thirteenth Doctor, and the righteous indignation after The Timeless Children, not only as a Whovian, but as a woman-

I love how certain people are spinning The Timeless Children as being good, yet the BBC has released (2)TWO statements basically telling fans the following:

“Doctor Who is a beloved long-running series and we understand that some people will feel attached to a particular idea they have of the Doctor, or that they enjoy certain aspects of the programme more than others. Opinions are strong and this is indicative of the imaginative hold that Doctor Who has – that so many people engage with it on so many different levels.

We wholeheartedly support the creative freedom of the writers and we feel that creating an origin story is a staple of science fiction writing. What was written does not alter the flow of stories from William Hartnell’s brilliant Doctor onwards – it just adds new layers and possibilities to this ongoing saga.”

Creative freedom, huh? Ask Joe Hill about it. Or Gaiman. The writers, including Chibnall, are only free to do what the Beeb and the other show investors tell them.

They go on:

“We have also received many positive reactions to the episode’s cliff-hanger. There are still a lot of questions to be answered, and we hope that you will come back to join us and see what happens, but we appreciate that it’s impossible to please all of our viewers all of the time and your feedback has been raised with the programme’s Executive Producer."

Uglylaughing.gif

There is a huge, monumental difference between 'not being able to please everyone all at the same time' and basically making a whole fandom, New and Classic, young and old, come together with the same level of disgust and disappointment.

I also find the people arguing "Canon? What canon?" about the Doctor now being the Lord and Savior of the Shining World of the Seven Systems to be foolish at best, and disingenuous at worst.

No canon?? So what have I been steeping myself in for years - a vague approximation of a tale? Please. Of course, writers have embellished and alluded, but tampering with the unspoken but well-known 'no touch' rule about the Doctor's origin is ... well, it's canon, in and of itself...

...which Chibnall completely wrecked, and I can't imagine why. Hubris? By all accounts, he was a fan. I thought Moffat was a dick for bringing back Gallifrey, but now, to me, my disappointment then vs now is like comparing a fart to a shitstorm.

Please excuse the scatological references, but I'm using it deliberately. It is a swirling turd, which I and many others wish we could flush down and forget forever.

In another RadioTimes article - which basically is the BBC - amongst the usual apologetics, Huw Fullerton drops this little gem:

“The glory days of David Tennant et al were in a different TV landscape, and if the Tenth Doctor touched down now it seems unlikely he’d command anything close to the ratings he did over a decade ago.”

Yeah, you can all take a break to have a hearty laugh. Or throw up. Whichever. Did they just hint that, basically, the incarnation of the Doctor who continues to get as much love (if not more) than Four, who still consistently gets thousands of butts in seats in conventions worldwide, and has made the BBC hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling in merchandising “wouldn’t command the ratings he did in 2008?”

As Gary Buechler of Nerdrotic said in his response to this article: “Actually, if David Tennant had been given as many chances as Jodie Whittaker, it would’ve had Game of Thrones-level ratings.”

And I agree. Not because I’m a Tenth Doctor stan, but because it’s just ... categorically true. His seasons consistently got average rating of 7.5 to 8 million viewers - and this in a time before BBCiPlayer, so 7-day catch up ratings meant nothing. It was butts on sofas then, which, to me, speaks of a massive, sustained interest.

But Huw goes on to say that such things mean nothing. And that the huge, telling sink in both overnight and 7-day ratings between the 11th and 12th seasons, and the dismal 4.69m 7 day ratings for The Timeless Children - the lowest for a NewWho finale since its reboot - shouldn’t be taken as a loss of interest from the fandom.

Then, pray tell goodman, what does it mean? Does it mean that fans are following the Thirteenth Doctor’s adventures in spirit? Ratings are tanking. Outside of the precious few who blindly tweet and write articles about the show solely based on its now female protagonist, people are notoriously furious, especially after the execrable season finale.

Yet BBC’s Piers Wenger, who once produced the show, says “I don’t think it’s been in better health, editorially. I think it’s fantastic and I think that, the production values obviously have never been better.”

Right. Okay. So, putting Tom Ford makeup on a pig makes it haute couture, huh? The writing is appalling, and after two excruciatingly painful to watch seasons, the Doctor has failed to appear - all I’ve seen is borderline sociopathic navel gazing from an ‘alien’ wearing a pastel duster.

How dare you besmirch the unfailingly cool reputation of the long coat, Chibnall? Jodie? How??

I will not let someone piss on my head and call it rain ... ‘because it’s a woman.’ Assuming I’ll accept it just adds insult to injury. Who do they think we are, as female fans? I will not cosign garbage to further an agenda that is ultimately damaging one of my favorite things ever, Doctor Who. I agree that politics, and a positive moral, have always been a part of DW, but at it’s best the writing was so good that it only added to the entertainment. Now, the BBC is feeding us all the bitter pill, without the kindness to hide it in a piece of tasty cheese. It gives the impression that they believe we are already so indoctrinated that we no longer need artifice!

Well, not only am I not indoctrinated, but I refuse to ingest.

I refuse to allow people to silence me because the Doctor is now a woman, and so am I. That, I shouldn’t say anything, or complain, because it’s an act of rebellion on womankind, not only in entertainment, but in general. Well, to that I say ... er ... I disavow.

Disavow. Disavow.

And this from a woman who once criticized Peter Davison for saying that casting a woman was “a vital loss of a role model for boys,” taking it as a sexist comment when in truth, it was just a relevant narrative concern about gender-swapping the traditionally male-presenting Time Lord. Just changing a character from male to female doesn’t do anything but demonstrate a tone-deafness about the emotional and physical differences between men and women, which exist whether we want to address them or not. This is why genderswap reboots are terrible. They are trying to further the feminist agenda, while surreptitiously painting traditional, every day femininity as weakness, and something to be avoided at all costs. I reject the modern Hollywood representation of what a ‘strong woman’ is meant to be. I can be clever, yet sensitive enough to comfort a friend when they confide their fears about a cancer relapse. I can be funny, and not at the expense of the man in the room. I can be brave, but not at the expense of my friends. The mind boggles as to why they thought their current tack with the Doctor was going to be any good. The Doctor is a woman, but more importantly, she’s a Timelord. Where are they? Is the alien that we’ve known and loved for the last 60 years truly gone away, and Thirteen is from a whole different timeline? If so, I don’t want to know her.

And it breaks my heart.

Why continue to support a corporation who thinks of me, the fan, as no more than a heartless, thoughtless consumer? A drone? A sheep who has no conscious idea of what I like or need?

I’m done. It’s been two seasons of absolute dreck, with absolutely no sign of a course-correction due to the overwhelmingly negative response. I may be many things, but I’m no masochist - even in the name of love. And Chibnall, knowing that many fans would go back to the classic stories to cleanse ourselves, went back to the beginning and took a giant shit there too.

Oh, the cleverness! the absolute schadenfreude of not only tampering, but rewriting the Doctor’s origins! I suppose that tells me he truly was once a fan. But no longer. Even if it turns out that the Master is as full of crap as Chibnall and it’s all an orchestrated lie, I don’t care anymore. Every inexplicable, terrible thing that happened before has already exhausted my patience with the narrative.

As veteral DW writer and script editor Terrance Dicks said:

If you’re concentrating on putting forth a political message, rather than on doing a really good show, I think there is a danger, maybe, you can do both but it would be hellish difficult, and I think that there’s maybe a danger that the show wouldn’t as be as good as it could or should be, because you’re not looking at the right aims.”

It seems like all that has been lost in time. Big corporations are buying up beloved science fiction properties, and systematically destroying them by trying to mix their politics into the mythos. [see ‘the fandom menace’]

I say, don’t support things that make you unhappy, in the name of nostalgia. That’s how they continue to upset us, while lining their pockets with our hard earned money. Complaining amongst ourselves, writing emails, or making angry Youtube videos no longer works anyway. Now is the time to just ... let it go. No more special edition DVDs, novelizations, or pretty action figures. Hit them in the pocketbook. We will still have fond memories of better times. I will not let them hijack, retcon, and retool them too.

There is a telling paragraph hidden in the depths of the article, which makes my DW fangirl sink:

It’s not as simple as “the ratings are down so Doctor Who will be cancelled,” as for the publicly-funded BBC there’s an interesting question about exactly what ratings are for beyond bragging rights. Obviously they need to make TV that people want to watch – but which people?

Not us, Huw. That’s who.

#dw #doctor who #doctor who season 12 #doctor who season finale #tenth doctor #dw negativity #the timeless children #or as I call it:#the timeless sham #issa no from me dawg #that little comment about dt really made me snort #i really hope he heard about it and had a long knee-slapping laugh #oh dear #the bbc really are deluded #they are truly drinking a koolaid whose potency boggles the mind #like can they see how off the mark they are?#do they have friends?

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nicketynic · 5 years ago

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Bellarke January Joy Day 9: Don’t Let Go (1/2)

For @bellarkejanuaryjoy.

Canon divergent from the end of 6x09, only in the way that I originally didn’t think Bellarke would reunite until after Josephine was donezo. I stubbornly refuse to let go of the reunion scene my brain came up with. (Also, off-screen Becho breakup, and full honesty, I don’t know whether the rain on Sanctum is toxic, but I’m not letting that get in my way)

Bellamy stormed out of the tent, not caring that he had stepped out into a downpour, as long as he put distance between himself and Gabriel...Xander...whatever he wanted to call himself these days. The man may be the lesser evil compared to Russell’s santimonious take on serial murder, but being around any bodysnatcher for too long left a bad taste in his mouth.

He was soaked within moments, hair and clothing clinging to his body like a second skin. It was only after he pushed back the heavy fall of hair plastered to his face that he spotted it, a flash of yellow several yards away, standing out blatantly against a blurry landscape of greens, browns, and grays. Any real details eluded him through the blinding sheets of rain, but it was still enough to electrify every sense and fill him with a dangerous sort of hope.

His heart pounded, hammering out a desperate tattoo in time with the rapidfire mantra of her name in his head. Clarke, Clarke, Clarke. He fought desperately to keep his hopes from rising too high. Gabriel may have claimed she was in the clear, but nothing in this place had been trustworthy from the moment they landed. Still, despite himself, he started moving without conscious choice, and just as he was about to start running, that tantalizing glimpse of color became abruptly clearer as a familiar beloved figure raced toward him.

Clarke’s absence over the past days, from her supposed death to her life hanging in the balance for the hundredth time since the Dropship, had been a desperate misery bourne of knowing what it was to lose her, ripping and tormenting until he was forced to slap a bandage over the gaping wound of her loss in order to make that wretched deal with Russell. Losing her was the equivalent of having his heart torn away from the very core of him, only to be hastily returned shattered and broken from the moment he met Clarke’s soulful eyes and found an imposter looking back at him.

The overwhelming longing and ache to have her back at his side had fuelled his every moment since realizing she was still alive, and now here she was, propelling herself towards him with that same desperate need that had been haunting his every breath and step.

They finally drew close enough to one another for their eyes to connect and Clarke nearly sobbed with relief, the naked awe and love etched across his face all she needed to abandon her reservations and fly into his arms, strong and warm as he wrapped them around her. She clung to him, revelling in the real, tangible evidence of Bellamy pressed against her.

Pulling back just enough to meet his gaze and speak, she paused as he raised a hand to cup her cheek, a calloused thumb tracing the progress of the soft smile she gave him. A beat of something heavy and unspoken passed between them, and then Bellamy dipped his head to brush his lips against hers. Once, twice; soft, tentative, and questioning. Lips parted just enough for a shuddering breath to fill the air between them and then they collided together, desperate and hungry for contact.

Strong hands found her hips, lifting her to him and her legs locked around his waist, anchoring her to his body. Their hands were anything but idle, his caressing her hips and back as she arched encouragingly into his touch, hers stroking his jaw and neck, tangling in his hair, tugging and urging him closer and closer still. Anything to erase the infinitesimal space between them, until she would never have to part from him ever again.

The rain continued to pelt down against their skin, cold and biting, but Clarke hardly noticed as Bellamy kissed her with an intensity akin to a starving man presented with a feast. His heat was intoxicating, scorching her everywhere and burning her from the inside out. Eager to explore more of her, he broke the kiss to trail down to her neck. She gasped and hummed in approval, but the absence of his mouth on hers, consuming her every thought and sensation, brought forward a whisper of doubt in the back of her mind. A reminder of everything she had seen and felt in the mind prison Josephine trapped her in, how real and tangible it all had been, and the cold, heavy weight of doubt began to plague her.

What better way for a sociopath hijacking her brain to make certain she faded away quietly than letting her believe she had escaped and gotten everything she wanted?

Fear settled heavy and tight in her chest, a low whimper rising in her throat. Bellamy paused his attentions, uncertain for a beat whether the sound was one of pleasure or distress, question answered when he licked his lips and realized he tasted salt. She was crying.

Clarke was crying and he panicked. If he had misunderstood, if he had crossed the line, misinterpreted the signs from her, he would walk himself out into Sanctum’s wilds and be done with it.

“Clarke...Clarke, what’s wrong? Did I...I thought you wanted...did I hurt you?”

She vehemently shook her head in denial. The day Bellamy Blake touched her without consent was the day she could be sure he had been bodysnatched himself. “No, Bell, it’s not…” she trailed off, face collapsing into an expression of abject misery, and he immediately cupped her face in concern.

“Talk to me, Clarke.”

She sobbed and his heart twisted, helpless and raging against all those who had ever hurt her. Her eyes were dark and haunted, red-rimmed with tears, and he struck by a profound desire to bundle her up and take her far, far away, leave behind all the chaos and pain and finally have the time to heal in peace.

“Is this real?” she pleaded brokenly, and that longing only continued to grow. “Please, Bell, tell me this is real?”

He took her hands, placing one against the pulse in his neck, slipping the other beneath the collar of his shirt to rest over his heart. “This is real, Clarke. I’m real. I’m right here. Can you feel me?”

Clarke nodded, focusing on the palpable proof of his life and his devotion, the steady beating of his loving, loyal heart. “Bell,” the whisper of his name was soft and tender as she tipped her forehead against his and held his gaze.

Bellamy took in a shuddering breath, framing her face in large, warm hands. “I’ve got you, Clarke. I promised you together once, I won’t let you down again.”

#bjj2020 #bellarke #the 100 #my fic

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evening-blossoms · 5 years ago

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So um. I'm a total idiot and forgot an entire day of my own challenge. I was gonna keep it that way since nobody had noticed but... that day was something I'd wanted to talk about for a while so...

Welcome to the very late and out-of-schedule day 10 of my SGE Challenge

Characters I would rewrite

Buckle down cause oooooh boy do I have shit to say - and because of this I'll be deviating from what I usually do and write a rant post instead! Given I don't want to make a way too long post, I'll simply go over a brief explanation of why they're in the list and what I'd change.

Kei of Foxwood (tw: drugging mention)

So this fucking asshole here apparently will get a redemption arc uh. I Actually already talked about this in this post I submitted but I will go over it again because it was kinda poorly worded imo (especially because it was written by sleep-deprived me at 3am)

Which is poorly driven given it starts with "Oh No! My beloved Rhian is dead, what shall be of me without my dear?". No. A good redemption arc should start with "Fuck I did something terrible and genuinly regret this and want to work on becoming a better person and fixing the mess I've made." Also, seems like Kei's form of redemption will be death and no, he should live with the consequences of what he's done.

Speaking of which - his redemption will also feel like an insult to the readers because seriously? He's way past redemption point for me now. He already was from QFG when he drugged Dot (which was something quite unecessary and Soman used an Extremely complicated and sensitive topic for the sake of shock value - but that's a whole new rabbit hole I'm not jumping into right now). And in ACOT he follows Rhian's orders which include attacking practically defenseless teenagers

So with that in mind, I'd either have Kei die the piece of shit he is or rewrite his arc from QFG in order to make a good redemption. First, erase that part with Dot and find another way to get to the keys. Again, it was an act that can be considered violence against women written down just for shock value. Given we do not have other scenes with Kei (except for the dungeons one), I'll leave it that for QFG.

In ACOT, start on his very first actual scene - the dinner scene. Have him hesitant on following Rhian's orders there, and perhaps hint it goes a bit deeper than hesitance. Then escalate it to him openly challenging Rhian's orders during that moment before the Blessing. The attack on SGE would be the first moment we see a greater act from him - maybe somehow going behind Rhian's back to stop that attack??? His last scene in the book is during the carriage ride with Sophie - when Kei tells her he's been going behind Rhian's back to stop the attacks he was able to, and knew he had to fix he'd made when he locked Tedros in the dungeons back in QFG. He agrees to help her somehow - but it goes terribly wrong when Japeth survives.

I myself still need to see a bit more how that could be well executed but that's the basic idea - have Kei's actions start from much earlier and have doing the right thing as motivation, not his love for Rhian - if anything, that should be a source of struggle.

Hort of Bloodbrook

This is can be either a rewrite of his own arc or a rewrite of the light he's written in.

He is a Nice Guy tm. Lets not try to pretend he isn't because he is.

He spends the entire first trilogy obssessing over Sophie, and acting entitled to her because he's a guy who's "genuine and truthful" or what so ever. Sure, Sophie might not be a perfect innocent girl and she did treat people who cared for her like shit at times, but that doesn't change the fact she never liked him. And even though she was wrong in parading him around like a "suitor" when trying to win Tedros' attention, she never again makes mention to liking Hort, or wanting to date him, or what so ever, and honestly, good for her! You should never date someone just because they have feelings for you.

Liking someone doesn't make you entitled to having them, and it doesn't make them obligated to like you back. And this what Hort can't understand. And not to mention he acts pretty sexist during the School Years:

"Every time he was free of rivals for Sophie’s attention, they always returned, more meddling than ever. Why couldn’t these toads mind their own business? Or die like Rafal did? True, he’d had Sophie to himself these past six months, but most of that was spent waiting out her I’m-an-Independent-Woman phase..." Quests for Glory, chapter 9: "Who Would Want a Hort?"

And also later during ACOT, in which he treats Nicola pretty badly

“Not bad enough, whatever it is,” Hort’s voice said, hijacking the demon. “He got us into this mess by fawning over Rhian like a lovedrunk girl.”

“Oh, so being a ‘girl’ is an insult now?” Nicola’s voice ripped, the demon suddenly looking animated in agreement. (A Crystal Of Time, chapter 5: Sophie's Choice)

There are other examples but I don't want to digress so this is how Hort is. I'd like to rewrite him into a person who had a immature crush on a girl and bent over backwards to get her attention - all of this a product of his own insecurity - but that grows out of it and in the process, also into a mature person who's confident in himself.

Also, in case someone doesn't understand: the problem isn't a crush. Having crushes is totally normal and ok, and so is not having them! The problem is when your crush over someone becomes nearly obssessive because of your immaturity and inner problems.

And as I was gonna talk about the light Hort's written in: all of this bullshit, and he's written as the nice underdog who we are supposed to root for. Soman keeps romanticizing him and that kind of behavior and that's terrible. So I'd either change Hort's behavior or write him in the light of what it truly is.

Rhian of Foxwood

Honestly? I liked him as a villain. I have no problem with him believing he was doing Good - in fact, I liked it! It's a good contrast to the previous villains, who knew they were Evil, wanted to be this way and took pride in it.

What I would change are just two things: one is that last kiss scene with Sophie during chapter 25 of ACOT, since it was absolute bullshit after all the shit he did to her which I don't feel the need to list - we all know it.

Second thing, I'd have made him a seer! Soman missed a huge potential when he made Rhian a Sader without giving him the seer abilities. That whole "Third Mysterious Pen" deal was unecessary, and it could be replaced by Rhian's visions.

And guys, come on - EVIL SEER IS A DOPE CONCEPT.

Nicola of Woods Beyond

Don't get me wrong, I love Nicola - and this is kind of why she's in this list, actually.

She's an amazing character - bookworm represent! She's also one of the few poc representation this book has, so I like it went to someone as amazing and smart as Nic.

So for that I think Nicola should have been explored more. She's usually put as background character and only brought up when it's convenient - she's basically plot device. Which sucks because again, she's awesome. I'd have explored her ability to apply what she learns in stories to real-life issues a bit more, and paired her up with Agatha more times! Both are brilliant girls and I feel Agatha was at times dumbed down so Nicola could solve the problems, and honestly, I hate it when a character is dimmed so the other can shine.

So I'd have put them together - Agatha, experienced and quick-thinker, and Nicola, an extremely smart girl who doesn't really have half the experience Agatha has in the Woods. They both learn from each other - it's a deal of teacher (Agatha) learning from the student (Nicola).

And allow me to push the Nicphie agenda here - I'd totally expand her relation with Sophie - explored their feelings going from mutual hatred to mutual respect to liking each other to very lesbian love. The Best enemies to lovers.

Also, SOMAN WHAT WAS THAT OF CAVING IN THE SCHOOL FOR EVIL AND SADER TELLING THE DEANS TO ACCEPT HER I DEMAND EXPLANATIONS

And lastly I'd remove the Hicola part super unecessary lmao

So that's it! I actually have some more to talk about but I didn't know how to word it properly and I don't want to make a super long post lmao. I might make a part two of this, but separate for the challenge!

I apologize for the disruption in schedule, I legit forgot day 10 lmao. I'll be doing Day 13 tomorrow so hopefully everything will go back to normal!

#long post #sge rants #the school for good and evil #school for good and evil #sge #sge challenge #day 10 #im an idiot lmao #kei of foxwood #nicola of woods beyond #rhian of foxwood #hort of bloodbrook #tw drug mention

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unfortunate-stranger-losers · 5 years ago

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All Those Things They Couldn’t Say - A Runaway Baudelaires AU

{ao3} {tumblr} {masterlist}

Chapter Twenty-One - Beatrice and Bertrand go on a short Road Trip

The trolley slid to a stop, and Beatrice shook her husband’s arm. Bertrand was asleep on her shoulder, finally able to rest a little without fear of waking up. When the bus finally opened its doors, Beatrice helped him to his feet, and they clutched hands as they walked down to the door.

The Trolleyman gave them an odd look. “Are you two alright?”

“Yes.” Beatrice said. She glanced down at the dried blood on her clothes, looked back up, and said, “We’re actors. Forgot to change our clothes from the theater.”

The Trolleyman smiled and nodded, accepting this, and Beatrice and Bertrand waved as they stepped off.

As soon as the trolley departed, Bertrand said, “Soon as we find new clothes, we’re stealing them. We’ve been in this shit for way too long.”

Beatrice looked around the parking lot. “Okay, dear. What car do you want?”

“Something we can sleep in.” Bertrand considered. “If the kids are there, we’ll want something we can fit the who family in.”

Beatrice considered, walking more into the lot, and then she moved to a small car. “This could be a tight squeeze but could hold us to our destination and then to a train station. Get us the fuck outta here.”

“Not that small. We’ve had smaller.”

“True. Alright, I’ll hijack it for us.” She moved to the windows, and then knocked on them. She smiled. “Good news, Bert. The windows are thick. We won’t smell the goddamn horseradish.”

“Thank fuck.”

They had to pull over to the side of the road about halfway through the night, and thankfully the windows did prevent the horseradish smell from reaching them. Beatrice passed out, completely exhausted, and Bertrand didn’t have the heart to wake her when morning came. The two of them had crawled into the backseat to hold each other as they slept, and he looked down at her, sunlight filtering through the windows and dappling her skin. Her hair, finally washed at the gym they’d managed to stop at before the trolley, was fluffing up, brushing against his arm as she slept against his chest. He smiled slightly, and slowly moved, trying to adjust their position so he could slide her onto the backseat without waking her and he could continue driving. She groaned and, still asleep, gripped his shirt, trying to keep him against her. He let out a small laugh, tears springing to the edge of his eyes, and he gave her a gentle, soft kiss on the forehead, hoping to calm her down. After a minute or two, her grip slipped, and he managed to slide her onto the backseat and crawl into the front, turning the car back on.

He drove for another hour or two, just watching the grass sway in the breeze and the sun hit the road ahead of him. God, he’d missed nature. He’d missed being outside. He couldn’t wait to get his children and get the hell out of there, find them someplace to stay until they could figure something out. Once, they’d camped out on a hill for a week, and Violet and Klaus, who had been so small then, had begged him to roll down the hill with them, and pick dandelions, and splash in the creek, no matter how dirty they’d get their clothes.

Once they were all together, they were going to go back to that hill, and they were going to get as dirty as they damn well pleased.

Bertrand turned, and then immediately slammed the car to a halt. He stomped on the brake, jolting as the car stopped, and he immediately shut it off, breathing raggedly, eyes wide.

He heard Beatrice stirring behind him and, God, he wished he had something better to wake her up to. But he could only let out quick, panicked breaths as he stared ahead, and when she yawned, he said, “Bea. Bea, we’re in trouble.”

Beatrice instantly sprang into action, not one for remaining tired when something was wrong. She leapt into the shotgun seat, stared out the windshield, and then let out a cry, throwing a hand over her mouth.

The front of Monty’s house had police caution tape, some blowing in the breeze, some still clinging to the doorway or poles. Monty’s beloved hedge maze was torn up, looking like it’d been hacked apart by a wild animal, and there were one or two smashed windows.

“No.” Beatrice shook her head. “No, no, no…”

Upon seeing his wife’s panic, Bertrand suddenly felt his own fear shoved aside, and he whipped around, grabbing her shoulders. She turned back to him, terrified, and he said, “Bea, listen. Listen. Here’s what we’re going to do.” His mind was racing, a hundred miles an hour. “We’re going to see if anyone’s there.”

“Yes.”

“If not, we’ll see how long it’s been since anyone’s been there.”

“What?”

“If it’s been…” Bertrand shut his eyes, trying to figure out how long they’d been captured. “Longer than since Josephine died, we’ll know the kids went here first and then to her. If it’s shorter, we’ll figure out how long. We’ll search the tunnel in the Reptile Room, and look for things our children may have left behind, and figure out what happened.”

Beatrice nodded quickly. He could see her eyes darting, her breath coming in quick gasps, and he knew soon she’d start shaking, and she’d fall into a panic attack if he didn’t do something.

“Hey, hey. We thought this might happen.”

“We- Monty- the children-”

“It’s okay. We have a plan, alright?”

“I- I can’t- darling, I-”

“Bea.” Bertrand started rubbing her shoulders, and then gestured his head. She leaned over, leaning against his chest again, burying her face in his shirt. He hugged her close, and started humming a little, waiting a moment before singing softly to her.

“Doesn’t take much to make me happy and make me smile with glee. Never, never will I feel discouraged, cause our love’s no mystery.”

Beatrice smiled a little, and her breath slowed.

“Demonstrating love and affection that you give so openly. I like the way you make me feel about you, baby, want the whole wide world to see.”

“You remember that song.” Beatrice murmured.

“Of course.” Bertrand smiled. “Wedding dance, Bea. Not gonna forget.”

“I seem to recall it being much faster-paced.”

“I’m not about to break out into a full pop song right now.”

“Not for a while, I don’t think.”

They huddled together for another moment, and then Bertrand said, “Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

They sighed, and he opened the car door. They slowly emerged, clinging to each other, and they made their way up the driveway. The smell of horseradish was faint now, which was good, because it wasn’t a scent that made either of them feel good. They made it up to the door, and Bertrand pushed it, watching it creak open. He narrowed his eyes; the lights were still on. He would’ve expected the police to turn them off before leaving… don’t panic. Just stay close to Beatrice.

They wandered in, looking ahead at the door to the reptile room, which was swinging ajar. Monty would’ve never left it unlocked. He could even see, just by peering in, that there were open cages, and there wasn’t the sound of any reptiles inside. All gone.

He gripped tighter onto Beatrice, and they wandered into the kitchen, where she collapsed on a chair, trying to take slow, deep breaths. Bertrand walked to the counter, seeing a few muddy lizard prints, a few remains of chocolate spills, some icing stains and a few chips in the paint. Some of those looked like teeth marks, and Bertrand ran a hand over them, wondering which lizard did that. Then he stopped, staring down.

“Bea. Bea, are these Sunny’s?”

Beatrice shot to her feet, rushing over as fast as she could. She gripped onto the edge of the counter, and then let out a joyous cry, nodding. They could recognize the bite pattern of their youngest anywhere.

“So she was here.” Bertrand said.

Beatrice froze. “You don’t think-”

“No. Olaf couldn’t have gotten here before us.” Bertrand said, that thought settling into his mind. “Not after we escaped. And we… we would’ve known if he got them. Meaning that they were here and then left.”

“Do you think… Monty…”

They looked at each other, both with a sadness in their eyes.

“He killed Josephine.” Beatrice whispered.

Bertrand silently put a hand over hers, and she sighed, trying to contain herself. “I would have hoped we left all this behind.”

“I know.”

“And maybe it would be easier. After not talking to them for fifteen years.”

“I know.”

“But… we never got to see them again.”

“We didn’t.” Bertrand choked back a sob. God, there were so many people he wanted to see at least once more- Kit, Dewey, Jacques, R… Lemony… “But, Bea, we have our children. And we need to find them.”

Beatrice shut her eyes, and then nodded. “Let’s figure out how long it’s been since anyone’s been here. Then we get to work.”

Bertrand smiled. “That’s my girl.”

She laughed a little, and then pulled away, moving to the fridge. “If there’s any food left, we can probably guess how long it’s been there.”

“Can’t have been long.”

Beatrice opened the door, kneeling down and peering inside. “Pickles, obviously, some peaches- not a lot, though, he must’ve been running low. And…” her face changed, then, confusion spreading across her features.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Beatrice stood, pulling out a half-full jug of milk. Bertrand wrinkled his nose, stepping back. “Ugh, Bea, that’s gonna smell worse than Lousy Lane.”

“No.” she shook her head, slamming the milk on the counter. She twisted it open, and then turned to Bertrand. “It isn’t spoiled.”

“Maybe Monty hasn’t been gone long.”

“Or maybe someone’s here.”

Bertrand considered, then shook his head. “Bea, if the kids were here-”

“What if it’s someone else?” Beatrice hugged herself, looking down at a scar on her husband’s arm. “I’m not getting taken by surprise again.”

“Bea-”

“Stop.” she held up a hand, and they heard some kind of a faint noise, like a hiss. At first, they thought maybe something had opened- some vent, or maybe a can somewhere. Then, after a moment, they realized it was a hiss.

“Holy- no.” Beatrice shook her head. “No, there’s no way…”

She turned, and in the doorway slithered the Incredibly Deadly Viper.

Beatrice and Bertrand stared in shock for an instant, and then they both shouted, “Inky!”

They raced forwards, sliding onto their knees in front of the snake. It reared up and hissed, its eyes lighting with delight. Beatrice threw open her arms, and it slithered around her, squeezing in a sort-of hug, before flinging onto Bertrand, wrapping around his shoulders and hissing in his face. Bertrand laughed, immediately wrapping his arms around the serpent’s body and squeezing it to him.

“Oh, Inky, baby!” Bertrand said. “We didn’t think we’d see you again! How’d you get off the island?”

“Are you alright?” Beatrice put the snake’s head in her hands, cooing. “Did mean ol’ Ishmael banish you, too?”

“How’d you get here-” Bertrand paused, then laughed. “Did Monty find you? Oh, Monty loves his reptiles, doesn’t he?”

Inky hissed and nodded, before slithering back to the floor, laying its head on Beatrice’s knee.

“Oh, our poor baby.” Beatrice said, stroking its scales. “I bet Monty thought you were a snake, didn’t he?”

“What happened?” Bertrand asked. “Can you tell us?”

Inky slithered away, before gesturing a little with his tail. Fortunately, the Baudelaires remembered enough of training it to know what it was trying to impart upon them.

“You… Monty… here.” Beatrice said. Inky nodded.

“Children here… like us-” Bertrand beamed. “You saw our kids?”

Inky nodded excitedly, and then made a few more gestures.

“Sunny loves you, of course she does.” Beatrice put her hands over her heart. “She’s our daughter, and you’re our little Inky.”

“If we could’ve gotten you off the island with us, we would have.” Bertrand assured it. “We promise. But please continue.”

Inky made a few more gestures, and their faces darkened. “Olaf came. Killed Monty.” Beatrice said quietly.

“Kids… trapdoor.” Bertrand smiled. “Maze. They got out.”

“Do you know what happened after that?”

Inky shook its head, but then made a few more gestures with its tail.

“I… didn’t quite get that, Inky.”

Inky made a sound like a sigh, and then gestured with its tail that they should follow it. It then slithered away, and Beatrice and Bertrand only exchanged a confused look before running after it.

It went to the stairs, carefully sliding up the railing, glaring down at the steps as if it had personally offended it. Beatrice, guessing that the snake was not fond of going up stairs, skipping most of them, Bertrand close at her heels, as they made their way to the second floor. Inky slithered down the hall with some kind of urgency, only occasionally stopping to taste the air before continuing down, clearly looking for something.

It finally stopped at a door, bouncing against it with its head. Bertrand pushed it open, and Inky slithered in, gesturing with its tail.

Beatrice crept in first, listening attentively. This room was clearly one of the guest rooms, though it didn’t look like it had been used, so her first suspicion of one of the children left something here went away quickly. Then she paused, straining to listen, and she realized she heard something beneath the hiss of the viper as it slithered to the other side of the bed.

There was a faint, muffled crying.

She froze, holding out a hand to make sure Bertrand, who was close behind her, didn’t make too much noise. They listened attentively, eventually placing the crying as behind the bed, where Inky had gone. And after listening, they realized it was coming from a young boy.

Beatrice froze, and raced forwards, calling, “Klaus? Klaus!”

She swung around the bed, and then froze.

A young boy jumped up, leaping back, as Inky slithered under the bed. He threw up his hands, absolute terror in his damp eyes, and he almost fell into a dresser with how fast he stumbled away. Beatrice jumped back, throwing up her hands to try and show him she was unarmed, and Bertrand quickly ran beside her, staring ahead.

“I- I- who are you?” the boy said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and continuing to shake. “What are you- I’m sorry- I-”

“It’s okay.” Bertrand said carefully. He also briefly put up his hands, and then stepped forwards. “It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you. We thought you were… someone else.”

“I- get away from me!”

Bertrand stopped approaching, but he didn’t retreat, staring at the boy. “I’m sorry we startled you. My name is Bertrand, and this is my wife, Beatrice. What’s your name?”

The boy shook, his eyes darting around the room. “I- I shouldn’t tell you. Nobody was supposed to come here, not without Jacques-”

“Jacques?” Beatrice jumped. “Jacques Snicket?”

The boy froze. “You- you know him?”

Bertrand put his hands over his mouth, to keep from crying at the thought. Beatrice slowly stepped beside her husband, putting a comforting hand on his arm. “Yes.” she said. “Old friend. But we haven’t seen him in a while- what’s he doing here? Investigating Monty’s death?”

“I- I really don’t know.” the boy shook his head, trying back up a little more. “He won’t tell me- he was supposed to be back by now- please just leave me alone, I don’t want any trouble I just- I just-”

He stopped, staring down at his shaking hands and finally breaking, letting his tears flow. After a moment, Beatrice stepped forwards again, and held out her arms. “Hey. It’s okay. It’s-”

The boy leapt forwards and hugged her tight, and Bertrand quickly embraced them, too, as the child sobbed. After a moment, Beatrice carefully maneuvered them so they could sit down on the bed, and Bertrand edged away, keeping an arm around Beatrice and this boy.

“I… I want my parents.” the boy cried. “I want my siblings, I-I- I…”

“It’s okay. Everything’s going to be alright.” Beatrice muttered.

Bertrand put his free hand on the boy’s knee. “You said Jacques was gone. Did he just… leave you here?”

“I- he’ll be back…” the boy pulled away, wiping his face with his sleeve again, squinting his eyes. “I- who are you?”

“Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire.” Beatrice said cautiously. “We were hoping- we were hoping our children might be here. But we’re glad we found you.”

“I- I don’t-”

“Would you like a distraction?” Bertrand asked. “From your… feelings? Sometimes that helps me calm down.”

“I- I don’t know…”

“I could recite a poem.”

Beatrice smiled slightly, and then joked, “Bertrand’ll take any excuse to recite a poem.”

“I’m trying to cheer him up.”

“Showing off and cheering him up are not mutually exclusive.”

The boy laughed a little, too, before curling his legs in so he could hug his knees, slowly removing his arms from around Beatrice. He rocked slightly, and Beatrice smiled, rocking with him a little. “Are you alright?”

“I- I think so.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

She paused. “You said you- you wanted your family.” she and Bertrand exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing- Jacques, lost child, VFD house… “Are they around?”

The boy shook slightly. “My- my- my siblings are at- at school. My parents- are- they- there was a fire…”

“Oh.” Beatrice said. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

She put her hands on his shoulders and said, “Why are you with Jacques?”

“He- he found me here- I went through a tunnel- my Mother put me in a tunnel and told me to wait but I couldn’t get out so I wandered and found my way here- and Jacques came and- and told me to wait here.”

“He didn’t take you to the authorities? Or your siblings?” Bertrand asked.

“He- it might be- be dangerous. Everyone thinks I’m dead. And- and he’s taking me to- to VFD, when he gets back-”

“And there it is.” Beatrice muttered.

“What?”

“Okay, yeah, that’s not happening.” Bertrand said, standing up.

The boy’s eyes widened in panic. “You- are you firestarters?”

“Fuck no.” Beatrice said. “We’re not part of either side of VFD.”

“We can explain, but first,” Bertrand said, “Where are your siblings? Are you sure they’re ‘at school’?”

“Y-yeah. Last I checked.” the boy nodded. “The newspaper said they were sent to Prufrock-”

“Thank God.” Bertrand said. “That’s our next stop.”

“We’ll get you to your siblings,” Beatrice promised, “And away from VFD.”

“No, no- VFD-”

“It’s not good.” Beatrice said. “We can explain more, uh… I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

The boy looked between them, as if trying to decide whether or not he should dare to trust them. Then he looked down at his legs and nodded.

“Quigley. Quigley Quagmire.”

#asoue #asoue netflix #asoue au #a series of unfortunate events #runaway baudelaires au #all those things they couldn't say #my fanfic #mine #asoue fanfiction

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years ago

Text

Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 199: Dubious Hearts

His eyes snapped open and he breathed his first breath of fresh air in many years. It was still the early hours, just before dawn and he looked around the streets of Storybrooke. He noticed a few changes, but it was mostly the same. What wasn't the same was the masses of land beyond the quaint town.

"So...this is the United Realms?" he questioned.

"Indeed...my new Master once caused a cataclysm so devastating that it ripped the realms apart. But Snow White and her Prince have undone his wrath," Mephisto responded, as he waved his hand, revealing a shadowy realm and Jekyll followed him through the invisible barrier.

"Welcome to Nephilim...land of the banished and fallen. A land where the heroes cast us," he said.

"Not a very cheerful place," the doctor commented.

"That was our curse, placed upon us by the heroes that cast us out. For Seth, it was the Olympians that banished him and for me, it was also God-like beings that cast me away," he continued.

"God-like beings?" Jekyll questioned curiously.

"Asgardians," he spat distastefully.

"Asgardians...one of those wouldn't happen to be Fandral the Dashing, would it?" Jekyll questioned.

"Oh yes...he played an integral role in my defeat. I wasn't aware that you knew him as well," Mephisto responded.

"Oh I know him...before Charming was my nemesis, it was Fandral that denied me the woman I wanted. Rose Red rejected me for her beloved Fandral and I pined her for many years," Jekyll explained.

"Then I met Snow White...her counterpart and as much as I once wanted Rose Red, I want Snow White even more," he added.

"In due time. First we must discuss the terms of our...agreement," Mephisto said.

"Is this the part where you warn me that you own my soul?" Jekyll mused. But the air was stolen from his lungs at that point and he fell to his knees, as gold ethereal manacles appeared on his wrists.

"Oh...I already warned you of that, dear Doctor. Make no mistake...the powers you now have serve me. You'll be allowed to pursue your own interests, of course. But ultimately, you will help fill my empty fallen realm with souls," he said.

"Why do you need me to get souls for you? Don't you just go around making deals for them?" Jekyll inquired.

"Yes...I make many deals like the one you have just made. But you were an easy mark, doctor," Mephisto said.

"You make the perfect minion, because you are all too willing to do anything to get what you want," he continued.

"In the past, I have tempted otherwise righteous souls to make deals with me to save people they love. They never make good charges. They always end up finding a way to serve the forces of good, despite my owning their souls," he said.

"But you...you're evil and will think nothing of devouring innocent souls to fill Nephilim for me. In exchange, you'll have the power to pursue Snow White," he added.

"You are no longer a free agent, doctor. You serve me," he warned.

"Of course...our interests seem to be aligned. I will torment my lovely Snow's people, causing her great anguish, in which she will beg me to stop," he said.

"Yes...but I encourage you not to reveal yourself too soon. One of your new powers will allow you to possess people for a short time, though no magic users. They will know of the invasion, but an ordinary mortal won't be aware of the short hijacking," Mephisto advised.

"All the better. I can get close to Snow periodically with her being none the wiser," he said.

"You can also eavesdrop. Master Seth wishes to know everything those heroes are planning. But for now...I require a deposit in the amount of two souls," Mephisto continued.

"And the bodies?" Jekyll questioned. Mephisto smirked.

"Leave them...it will cause quite a conundrum for your nemesis and his police force," he replied. Jekyll nodded and ventured out into the night.

~*~

The Major gazed out the window of the penthouse apartment she had acquired in the newest apartment complex in Storybrooke. Her presence had gone unnoticed, for it was extremely easy to blend in with so many lands and Kingdoms in one place. Since the day she had killed Cecily Clayton and taken over the Collector's operation, she had learned much and her eyes had been opened to worlds beyond her imagination.

Her meeting the night before with none other than Shan Yu had been very enlightening. She knew that with magic in this realm, she could never hope to gain the control and power she desired. But Shan Yu's master, this mysterious Seth, had offered her a unique opportunity. He wanted to banish the Charmings from the United Realms and replace their memories with a fake life. He explained that he would curse them into a very good life so that they would never seek out anything else, but he said that they still needed a handler.

It wasn't exactly the kind of power or control she had been seeking, but this pair had already shown that they were exceptionally unique and carried a power within them that she really wanted working for her. So she had accepted this offer to participate in the plan and would continue her own agenda. And with no memories of this life, the Charmings would be none the wiser as they unknowingly helped her ascend to power.

~*~

Snow and David followed Regina to Zelena's that morning and smiled, as Jade answered the door.

"Hi sweetie," Regina greeted her with a hug.

"Hi Aunt Regina," she greeted in return. Alice saw her grandparents from the breakfast table and jumped up to meet them with hugs as well.

"Zelena told me what is happening. Did you really have to see that awful doctor again?" Alice said with worry. She had only heard the horror stories about Dr. Jekyll and the woman she had come to love as her grandmother had been through so much that she was deeply worried about her.

"I did...but I wasn't alone," she promised. David smiled and hugged Alice next.

"I didn't like it either, but fortunately, he cooperated for the most part and we never have to see him again," he promised.

"I tried to get through the wall with magic, but Creepyl must have done something to it, because it wouldn't move. So you'll have to knock the wall out, muscles," Zelena said, as she handed a sledge hammer to him.

"Okay...let's do this and get those notes to Hyde then," he said, as he took the sledge hammer from her and they followed him to the basement.

~*~

Winter glared at Rodmilla Tremaine through the bars of their dungeon.

"You should take a photo...it will last longer," the older woman spat, as she glared at the raven haired beauty.

"No photo could capture the full scope of your misery...the misery that you have coming to you," Winter said.

"Isn't torture a bit dark, even for you, dear?" Rodmilla taunted and Winter smirked.

"Don't let my appearance fool you," she warned.

"I look exactly like my counterpart, but my malevolence knows no bounds. But I'm actually not going to torture you, per say," Winter said. Rodmilla chuckled.

"I knew you didn't have the stomach for it," she goaded, but that was a mistake, as Winter used her wand and flames sparked and filled her cell. Rodmilla cried out in alarm, as she backed away, but had no escape.

"This is what I experienced after the first sleeping curse, every night I went to sleep," she said.

"I didn't put you in that sleeping curse, you little bitch," Rodmilla reminded.

"No...you only encouraged your daughter to go after my husband and she went as far as to drug him. Then when she failed at that, you proceeded to torture me and hold my safety over his head. You tried to force him to sleep with your daughter in exchange for my life," Snow reminded, ignoring her wails, as the flames threatened to swallow her.

"You should burn in hell for what you did to us...and I can easily make that happen now," she added.

"Go ahead, you little bitch. Because I relished every lash I spent on your back and my only regret is that I could not inflict more pain upon you! You think you know evil? You're not even in my league, honey," Rodmilla goaded, even through the flames. Charming growled and drew his sword, ready to skewer her. But Winter held him back and waved the wand and the flames died.

"You know what? You're right...no amount of physical pain would ever truly hit you where it really hurts," she said, as she waved the wand to carry out her will.

"My darling…" he protested, but she smiled at him and caressed his cheek.

"Oh trust me, my love...she's about to suffer greater than any physical damage we could inflict," Winter said, as her smirk finally unnerved the old hag.

"What have you done, you little retch?" she hissed.

"It's all gone. Your mansion is dust, your money was all just generously donated to our son's reserve and to the orphanage where our daughter volunteers," she said with a gleeful smirk.

"You didn't…" she growled.

"Oh, but I did...and now you might finally know what it's like to have everything taken from you," she added.

"You've spent your entire life, leeching off one rich husband to the next, abusing people, and stealing your way into a life of riches. You murdered and tortured along the way with glee, but your looks have long faded you now and no man will give you second look," she said.

"You are alone and you will now reap what you have sewn," Winter added.

"I'll make you pay for this," Rodmilla promised. But Winter smirked.

"No...you won't, because you no longer have money, power, nor status. No one will help you or pay you any mind," she said, as she made her disappear. She would now be returned to Storybrooke and left to her own devices, homeless, penniless, and alone.

"Are you sure about letting her back into Storybrooke?" Charming asked. She smiled and kissed him tenderly.

"Oh yes...taking away her power and wealth and leaving her to navigate this world without either is a far more fitting punishment than anything else we could ever do to her," she promised.

"You are brilliant, my love," he boasted, as their lips met again in a passionate kiss.

~*~

Snow watched her husband work on the wall and hit it repeatedly with the sledgehammer with great interest. Honestly, the man could make just about anything sexy, but him pounding a wall with the tool in a sleeveless shirt and sweat glistening on his muscles was almost too much. Her thoughts were indecent and she was certain the smirk on her face was very telling of those thoughts. For a basement, it seemed very warm and he noticed her stare on him.

"Is me beating the crap out of a wall really that interesting?" he mused.

"You have no idea," she replied, with a naughty gleam in her eyes.

"Ugh...do you two have any shame?" Zelena asked.

"Not really," Snow said, as David finally made a hole in the wall that was large enough to step through.

"Careful…" Snow called, as he shined a flashlight around and found that the doctor had indeed hidden something in there and it was more than just his notes.

"What the hell…" he said, as he looked around.

"What is it?" Snow asked.

"More of the serum," he answered, as the three of them poked their heads inside and saw the large chest he opened and it was filled with vials of the serum.

"Why in bloody hell did he make so much of it?" Zelena wondered.

"Because he planned to use it on the whole town. This must have been his back up plan if separating you two didn't work," Regina surmised.

"How would that even work? Surely he didn't think going around injecting everyone was possible," Snow said.

"No...but maybe this has something to do with it," David said, as he held up a device that looked a lot like the one he threatened to use on the town that would have dispersed the water from the river of lost souls through the air.

"He probably planned to use this to spread the serum into the air," Regina guessed.

"Looks like the sleeping curse saved the town even more than we thought," Snow said.

"Hyde still has a couple vials. We'll save two and then I'm going to destroy the rest," Regina replied.

"Do you think that's wise?" Zelena asked.

"I think it's unwise not to. With all the villains crawling around the United Realms...it might be too much temptation if any of them find out about such a stockpile," Regina replied.

"She's right. This would have been bad enough with just Storybrooke, but can you imagine the chaos if this serum somehow separated everyone's darker halves in the United Realms?" David asked.

"It would cause our own apocalypse. Seth wouldn't have to do anything. He could just sit back and watch everyone destroy themselves," Regina agreed, as he took two extra vials for Hyde to experiment with and Regina used her magic to vaporize the stockpile.

"We'll get this notebook to Hyde," David said, as Snow leafed through it and found what they were looking for.

"This is it...the recipe for the serum," Snow said.

"Have him get to work as soon as possible and take that thing to him," Regina replied, referring to the device.

"Why?" David asked.

"Because injecting our darker selves might not be so easy. They'll see us coming a mile away. See if he can work on an airborne solution. Forcing them to breath it in may be easier than injecting them," she replied. Snow nodded.

"Good idea...we'll see you later," Snow said, as she and David joined hands and left, while Zelena used her magic to repair the wall.

"I'm going to go see how training is going and then I'll see you for dinner at Granny's?" Regina asked. The redhead nodded.

"We'll be there," Zelena replied, as Regina disappeared in a puff of violet smoke.

~*~

Bobby concentrated and struggled to harness the power of wind. He was finding it much different than handling lightning or even his earth powers.

"You're thinking too much, baby brother. You have to feel the wind…" Eva instructed.

"I'm trying…" he lamented.

"Clear your mind and let your feelings take over," she said.

"Your mind is naturally putting up a barrier to keep from being overwhelmed, which will be very important later. But trust me and let those emotions in," Eva instructed, as Rumple observed quietly nearby. Bobby did as she asked and then stumbled slightly Eva almost moved to catch him, but Rumple put his hand up, signaling her not to interfere.

"I...I feel everything!" he cried out.

"I feel your emotions...you're happy," he said, as Eva smiled gently at him.

"And Mr. Gold is slightly annoyed, but I think he always is slightly annoyed," he added, making Summer giggle.

"He is," Eva confirmed, as Rumple rolled his eyes and Belle tried to suppress a smile.

"The Dark One...scary wielder of dark magic or just cranky grandpa?" Leo quipped.

"Mind your tongue, Junior," he warned, but there was no malice behind it.

"And wow...I can feel people that are really far away too," he said, as he looked at his older sister.

"Is it like this all the time for you? How do you think?" he asked.

"I've learned to control and suppress a lot of it. You'll get better at focusing," she replied. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on one purpose and that was using this power to protect. And once he did that, none of them were surprised when the power of wind swirled around him. He opened his eyes and formed it into a miniature twister in his palms.

"Wow...I did it!" he exclaimed. Eva smiled.

"You did," she said, as Rumple nodded.

"And though you have much training to do in order to master it, it's time to learn water now," he said, as Summer stepped forward to teach her brother to wield her bubbles.

~*~

"Yeah, thanks for letting me know, Joe. I'll look into it when we're done here," David said, as he hung up.

"What was that about?" Snow asked. He sighed.

"It would appear that our darkest halves popped into the diner this morning and abducted Rodmilla Tremaine," he said. She sighed too.

"Oh no...do you think that they'll kill her?" she asked fearfully.

"I hope not...but that woman tortured you, Snow. I honestly wouldn't put it past my darker half," he admitted honestly. Hyde had been quiet up until that point, as he leafed through the doctor's crudely scripted notes.

"I must say...I'm surprised you found anything. It would be just like the doctor to have the proverbial last laugh," Hyde mentioned, as he looked through the notes.

"He actually planned to have just that we think," David said, as Hyde looked up at them.

"What did you find?" he asked curiously.

"A stockpile of the serum...like enough to use on the whole town, along with this device," David replied, as he handed him the device.

"This looks like the prototype of the device he was going to use to spread the water from the river of lost souls," Hyde recalled. Snow nodded.

"We think this might have been his backup plan. I think he was going to try to make his serum airborne," she said, as he handed him two vials.

"We saved two vials for you to work with and Regina made dust out of the rest," she added.

"Probably a wise decision. I'll get to work right away on reverse engineering this," he said.

"Thank you...we appreciate this," David said, as they joined hands and left the lab to let Hyde work. He looked over at her and slipped his arm around her waist.

"I'm worried about you," he said, but she smiled up at him.

"I'm fine," she promised, as they stopped walking at the corner. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. But his phone decided to ring at that moment and he pulled away to answer it.

"Sheriff," he said, as he took the call, while Snow saw Archie crossing the street. Usually he had Pongo with him, but it was just him today.

"Hello Snow," he greeted pleasantly.

"Hey Archie...no Pongo today?" she asked. He pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"I left him home today and I was about to head to an appointment in my office, but my client canceled," he mentioned.

"Oh…so you have an opening?" she asked. He smiled kindly.

"I do...unless you know someone who might need it?" he questioned, just as David got off the phone.

"Hey Archie," he greeted and the doctor nodded curtly.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Unfortunately no...someone found a couple of bodies in the woods," he replied.

"How terrible," Archie said.

"I need to go...but maybe this is good," he said, as he looked at the doctor.

"Last night was a lot for you…" he mentioned. She nodded.

"The opening is yours if you'd like to talk, Snow," he offered.

"I think I would," she agreed, as she turned back to him.

"But I'll meet you later at Granny's?" she asked. He smiled and kissed her with tender passion.

"I'll see you soon," he promised, as he headed off, while Archie motioned her toward his office. She nodded and started up the stairs, not noticing his predatory gaze on her back, which was very foreign on his face.

~*~

David parked his truck and hopped out, as he joined his father and daughter at the scene.

"What do we have?" he asked.

"One hell of a mystery," Xander answered, as he pulled back the tarp and David looked at the victims. He didn't recognize them, which only meant that they were likely from a realm other than Storybrooke.

"Defensive wounds?" he asked.

"None," Emma answered.

"Then they were probably killed by magic," David deduced.

"That's what I thought too, Dad, but most magic leaves a mark and I'm not sensing any residual magic; at least any kind that I know around them," she replied. His brow furrowed.

"Well, two healthy young people didn't just fall over dead in the woods," David said, as he stood up.

"Bashful is on his way. Maybe he'll be able to find a cause of death when he does the autopsies," Xander said, as the medical van arrived.

"Well...if he doesn't find anything, then we can ask Gold or Regina. They're more experienced in magic than me," Emma replied. He nodded, as the bodies were loaded into the van.

"Let me know when you have something and run their DNA through the new database as soon as possible," David said. Bashful nodded, before getting back into the van.

"Do you think Seth or the Queen did this?" Xander asked, as he noticed the pensive look on his son's face.

"Maybe...they did kill Charlotte La Bouff and her husband Prince Edward, but that was just so they could impersonate them. This doesn't seem like that is the case here," he said.

"We know about them now, so there's no reason to hide," he added.

"I think I miss the days where we just had good old fashioned with evidence and prints. But this scene...it's clean," Xander said.

"Yeah...way too clean. That's what worries me," David replied, with a sigh.

"Well, there's not much more we can do here right now," Xander said, as they taped off the scene.

"Guess we can just head to Granny's now. Your Mom should be about done with her session," he said.

"Session?" Emma asked with concern.

"She's fine...but Archie happened to have an opening and I suggested that she take the opportunity to talk after last night," he replied.

"Yeah...if there was one thing she didn't need, it was having to see that psycho doctor again," Emma agreed.

"Believe me...I hated that she had to do that, but it will be worth if Hyde can reverse engineer that serum and we can re-absorb our darker halves," he said, as they got into his truck and made the short trek back to town, while Xander followed them in the patrol car. He parked near Granny's and they got out, only to see Rodmilla Tremaine barreling toward them, looking haggard and dressed in rags.

"What the hell happened to you?" Emma questioned.

"What happened?" she snapped.

"I'll tell you what happened, you blonde bimbo…" she growled.

"Hey!" David snapped.

"You're not going to talk to my daughter that way," he said.

"Do you have any idea what I've just been through?!" she shouted.

"Well, I did get a call from Joe this morning and I just hadn't gotten the chance to look into your abduction yet," he replied.

"Abduction?" Emma asked.

"Our darker halves absconded with her this morning," he informed.

"They took me against my will!" she snapped.

"Well...you're alive, so it looks like they practiced some restraint," Emma said, as she looked confused by that.

"Which doesn't make much sense. I mean, if there was one person you...or your darker half would want to kill in this town besides the Queen and maybe Seth...I'd pick her," Emma said. He nodded.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Your retch of a wife took everything from me!" Rodmilla claimed.

"Whatever was done to you...it was Winter. Not Snow," David corrected.

"I don't care! I want her to pay for what she did!" Rodmilla snapped.

"So you came to my Dad? Cause you're have a lot of nerve asking him to help you with anything after what you and your psychotic doctor did to my mother," Emma snapped back.

"She has a really good point. They may have kidnapped you, but they obviously returned you and unharmed it would seem. What exactly is it that you want me to do?" David asked.

"Oh, you are just a pretty idiot...aren't you?" she asked in a condescending tone.

"Okay...we're done," David snapped, as he started to walk away.

"She destroyed my house! She turned all my possessions to dust!" Rodmilla claimed, as they turned back.

"Sounds like something for the insurance company to handle then," Emma retorted.

"I have nothing! She turned it all to ash...except my money, which she says she donated to your brat's critter farm and some snot nosed orphans! And I want you to make her give it back!" Rodmilla said.

"Then you need to go down to the station and file a police report. Leroy's on duty and he can take your statement," David replied.

"That's it?! You're going to do nothing about this?!" Rodmilla screamed.

"We're working on a solution to deal with our darker halves. Until then...file the police report and we'll investigate. That's how this works...for everyone, even the rich and powerful like you," David answered.

"Though doesn't sound like you're very rich anymore," Emma commented.

"What am I supposed to do until then?! I have no home!" she cried.

"Well...there's the shelter. They'll take you in...they take everyone," he replied.

"Shelter?" she squeaked.

"But I am Rodmilla Tremaine!" she cried.

"Relax...he said they take everyone, even a rude, self important narcissist like yourself," Emma said, with a fake sweetness in her voice. They turned away and headed to Granny's, leaving the spoiled, evil woman gaping in the street.

"Okay...I know we don't usually celebrate the misfortune of others, but that was fun," Emma said. He chuckled.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed, as David looked across the street at Archie's office.

"You okay?" Emma asked.

"Yeah...just thought your mother would be done by now," David replied.

"I'm sure she'll be along soon. Until then, you can buy your daughter and unborn grandchild some onion rings and hot chocolate," she said, as he chuckled and they went inside.

"I can do that," he agreed.

~*~

His stare on her was hungry and full of wanton malevolence. Being this close to her again made the madness in his mind kick into overdrive. He imagined finally having her...she was so close. He could take her right here and she'd never escape him. He could pin her down on that very couch, rip away every last piece of her clothing, and claim her at last. Her stupid husband might sense her fear, but he'd never make it in time to stop him. He could imagine her screams in his mind and he could almost taste her. No drug or substance could ever be as addictive as she was.

Reading the doctor's notes about her therapy had been quite enlightening. To learn that he had haunted her dreams, even in her cursed state, was quite satisfying to know. It proved that she would never be able to shake him and proved that he was destined to have her. His lustful eyes raked over her form, as she lay prone, baring her soul to the doctor he had invaded for the moment and he relished the vision before him. Unfortunately, the time was not yet right to have her. He couldn't show his hand too soon, as much as he wanted her now and this was a rare time when she was isolated from her idiot husband. But he was a patient man. He would wait and this time, he would have her.

"And then...seeing him again…" she said, trailing off, as she lay on the couch in Archie's office.

"Yes...that must have been quite difficult for you and a bit ill-advised," he said, as she looked at him and sighed.

"I know...but we really needed to find those notes and we did," she replied.

"So...he cooperated?" Archie asked.

"Surprisingly, yes...but I had to promise him something," she replied.

"You promised him something? The man that tormented you? To use your words," he said.

"It's not like it sounds. I told him that I would ask Aphrodite to request that Morpheus ease up on his torment," she replied.

"Ah…" he said.

"I know...bargaining with a madman isn't a good idea," she agreed.

"It was quite unwise. If he had asked for something more...would you have given him what he wanted for those notes?" he inquired. She looked horrified.

"Absolutely not!" she insisted.

"I would never...the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach," he added.

"Of course...I was just making sure that you know that you can't bargain with...the devil. It will never end well for you, Snow," he advised. She nodded.

"I know. But with these notes...we can become whole again," she replied.

"I see...and you believe that is wise?" Archie questioned. She looked at him in confusion and sat up.

"Don't you?" she asked.

"Then you're ready to embrace your darkness?" he questioned and watched her squirm uncomfortably.

"I don't know about that...but Winter is part of me," she replied.

"A part that you push down. A part of you that you hide behind hope speeches and offers of forgiveness," he said, as she looked at him.

"But hope and forgiveness are never wrong," she protested.

"Of course not...but your darker half goes against all that. Are you sure that you are in the right mental state to finally acknowledge that this side of you exists? Are you ready to accept her back and stop pushing her down inside you?" he questioned. She looked uncertain and then down at her hands.

"I...I don't know," she admitted.

"And that's okay. Acceptance will come in time. We all have a dark side and you have no reason to be ashamed of winter," he said.

"I have been ashamed of her, haven't I?" she asked. He smiled kindly.

"It's okay...most of us do not like to admit it when we have bad thoughts or think ill of others, even those that may deserve it," he replied. She nodded.

"Thank you...this really helped I think," she said. He smiled warmly.

"You are most welcome. I do hope we can talk again soon," he said. She nodded.

"I'd like to have another appointment," she agreed.

"How about tomorrow afternoon at three?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'll be here...thanks again," she replied, as she gave him a friendly hug. The demon possessing him at the moment felt his loins light on fire at her close proximity.

"You're most welcome, Snow," he said, as he watched her go. Jekyll's ethereal form left his current host body, with that host being none the wiser of the short invasion and he slithered down the stairs, his eyes boring into her back. He watched her cross the street and enter Granny's diner, before he followed, keeping his head covered by the hood he was wearing and he carefully peered inside the window. He clenched his teeth in anger, as he saw her kissing him, as usual and felt a presence next to him.

"She is quite beautiful...I suppose I see the appeal," Mephisto commented.

"She is the fairest of them all...so much more than beautiful. She has a mind that could challenge even my brilliance and she is strong in many ways," he boasted.

"But my love is unrequited," he said in frustration. Mephisto chuckled.

"I've seen love and what you have isn't love. What he has for her is," he corrected.

"You mock me?" Jekyll hissed.

"Oh yes...you are my charge now, after all. I shall mock you all I please. No, what you have is obsession...an incredibly deep seated obsession and sickness in your mind. You don't love her," he said.

"I could! If she would just let me!" he raged.

"You repulse her...you are one of the few things she is frightened of, but then you enjoy that fear. Which is understandable. Her fear will allow you to control her," Mephisto stated.

"You will soon have her though," he predicted.

"How?" he asked.

"When the time is right...you'll reveal your new existence to her and capture the souls of her children...and her husband. Then in exchange for their release, she will gladly sell her soul to me and be damned to Nephilim forever," he replied.

"You want Snow White's soul?" Jekyll asked.

"A soul that pure and light? Absolutely...and she can be your prize, as long as you keep doing your job. The two souls you captured last night for me is a nice start. But I want the fallen realm filled with the souls of the damned," he replied. He took another look at Snow.

"Then you shall have more souls," Jekyll said, as his eyes drank her in.

"Until tomorrow, my dear Snow. It's time for me to hunt...but soon, it shall be your soul in my grasp and then I shall never let you go," he promised, as he disappeared. Mephisto smirked evilly and cackled, as he disappeared as well.

~*~

As Snow arrived at the diner that evening, she kissed David passionately and he put his arms around her waist.

"Wow...feeling feisty?" he asked and she smiled coyly at him.

"Oh you have no idea...but you will later," she promised, as he kissed her again.

"I'm glad you're feeling okay. I was worried that seeing that psycho would be too much," he replied. She nodded.

"It wasn't pleasant, but it's over now and I have my family, not to mention the most wonderful, loving husband ever," she said, as she rested her head against his shoulder and they heard the diner bell ring.

"Summer!" Carina called, as she arrived with her parents and the two teens became thick as thieves, while Ben and Ari quickly located Bobby.

Rose made a beeline for Snow and the two hugged as well.

"Is it true what I heard? You had to see him?" she asked in a worried tone.

"I did...but I'm okay and Hyde is working on reversing the serum as we speak," Snow replied.

"That's good news," Fandral said, as he gestured to the woman that was with them.

"This is Lady Sif," he introduced, as they shook hands with her.

"It's an honor to meet you...we've heard the stories," David said.

"He's right...and when our grandson Henry gets here, he's going to want to hear them all again," Snow agreed. David chuckled.

"Just a warning…" he joked.

"Not at all...I'd love to tell them all again and thank you for the warm welcome. This place is quite extraordinary," she said, as she continued to talk to Snow and the others, while David pulled Fandral aside.

"Reinforcements?" he inquired. His counterpart nodded.

"The Enchantress is a cunning entity, as is Mephisto for that matter. I don't trust either of them and they're both too quiet for my liking," Fandral said. That pinged his interest.

"Mephisto...does he kill people for their souls?" David asked.

"Usually he finds a lackey to do his dirty work, but yes...he collects souls. Why do you ask?" Fandral responded.

"I found a couple of bodies today. No defensive wounds or obvious cause of death. Bashful is doing autopsies, but my gut is telling me that he's not going to find any conventional means of death," David said.

"If it is Mephisto...there is a way to know," Fandral replied, as he began to explain what he knew about the mysterious entity that boasted to be the Devil himself...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #AU #The United Realms #original season 8 storyline #romance #adventure #family #Fandral the Dashing #Rose Red #Dashing Rose #background cs #background Rumbelle #background OQ #finding you always #the epic continues

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pandoraylamcraziness · 6 years ago

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(after reading littlecountrymouse personal view of these events I felt I had to take this off my chest but I didn’t want to hijack their post)

So I had an epiphany this night before watching this last episode.

I was waiting for the ep, and meanwhile I was watching (mostly listening) some Malex fanvids. It always seemed weird to me how fast I shipped these two idiots. The intensity I wished for them to be happy. The weird connection I had with Alex, even though I loved Michael.

I had this thing with Alex in wich I understood where he came from, but still sting how he continued to go away from Michael over and over again. How he tried to make their relationship a secret, hurting Michael in the process.

One day I realized it’s bc that happened to me. I loved someone but she was scared (of what exactly I don’t know, bc our social circle was very open and had already open queer people). She kept going away, looking away. Tried to simply not talk about what we had. And that still hurts to this day.

So I though that maybe that was why I sympathised with Michael: he was “me”. He was experiencing the same as me, but with one difference: I wished I had his personality. He fighted for what he wanted, he was afraid of being rejected, but still put himself on the open for the chance Alex would choose him for one last time. Until the next last time. Over and over for 10 years.

Michael was who I wished I was, while living the same experiences.

But that didn’t explain why I felt wary about Alex. I loved him, and again, I get where he comes from. I cheered when he smacked his garbage of a father with his cane, feeling a vindication way too intense. I was emotional when he stood for Michael, wanting to protect him. And I was incredibly proud when he started to open up to Michael about his feelings.

But I still felt like I was missing something.

Michael I wanted to protect. Bc he was going through the same things as me. I wanted to throw a blanket at him and hug him and tell him everything was going to be ok.

But Alex? Why I felt this visceral with him?

Until this night when I was listening fanvids and a phrase I had listened thousands of times suddenly resonated with me and I had the hardest epiphany wearing pajamas and laying down in my bed with my dogs:

“No. I’m tired of walking away. I’m tired of not saying what I wanna say”

Now, I had spent the last year saying to my friends and whoever listen to me the importance of representation in media. And not bc you had to “fill a quota” or bc people want to see themselves on tv (shocking!), but bc media shape the way we see the world. Shape the way we react in certain situations. Can shape the way we see friendship, romantic relationships, family. Everything.

And since “Love Simon” came, I’ve been saying over and over how that movie would have changed my world if I my teen self could watch it. How it would have changed EVERYTHING. The notion that queer relationships are not inherently doomed to tragedy and drama. That yeah, the world is shit and there are homophobic people, but if you have a support network in your friends and family, your relationship does not have to be any different than a hetero one. That queer people CAN be happy. That a queer love story doesn’t have to end in tragedy like it’s part of its DNA. That movie would have rocked my world.

And then I go back to that haunting phrase (to me): “No. I’m tired of walking away. I’m tired of not saying what I wanna say”

That. That was ME.

I suddenly realized why I felt that way with Alex. Bc I recognized myself in him, of all things. He was hurting Michael yes, but he was being a coward with himself. No matter his motives (protecting Michael), he was labeling their relationship as doomed. He wasn’t willing to fight for it bc he didn’t see a way out, a way for them to be happy. For him every time he was with Michael was stolen time. Because no matter what, what they had was doomed from the start.

Until the moment he goes “fuck that” and say that no, he was tired of walking away. He was tired of never saying what he wanted to say.

And that was me. That was me always trying to fight for what we had and in the last minute walking away, never saying what I wanted to say. Never saying “I love you. And I think you love me”. Because what was the point? Our story was doomed for tragedy anyway the moment we fell in love.

And I layed there in my bed with tears in my eyes like a fucking idiot bc I had an epiphany about something it happened 10 years ago, thanks to a fictional character that to that moment I didn’t understand why he bothered me.

And THAT is why representantion matters. Because no matter how some stories like “Love Simon” could have changed my perception of the world, that fucking line, that fucking character would have changed my LIFE. To see someone in that situation and saying “No. I’m tired of walking away. I’m tired of not saying what I wanna say”. Alex fucking Manes would have changed my life. And I have no idea where I would be right now if I could have found him 10 years ago.

So with all this emotional storm inside me I came to watch the ep. Rewatching the Malex moments in 1x12 bc I’m a masochist and I wanted to see them again with this new found perception of Alex. Needless to say I was a wreck before the last ep even started.

Then everything happened, I got sucked into the story and suddenly Alex was trying to tell Michael everything he had in his chest in the worst moment possible. Bad timing is the new star crossed. But I was SO happy, I was ecstatic, so hopeful and SO SO PROUD OF HIM. He did it!! He fucking did it, he opened to Michael and put everything in the open!! I was going to see finally these two happy! I was going to see what could have happened to me if only...

And then in a matter of minutes everything went to shit and a cover of With Me starts to play. And I couldn’t even apreciate the wink to the original show because suddenly all I can see is Alex Manes alone waiting for the love of his life who will never come bc he choose the less complicated choice over him the moment he opened his heart after 10 fucking years.

And that broke me. Because that’s not on Michael or Maria. That’s a writing choice. A writing choice for cheap emotional shock value. And they made it after saying out loud their love was “cosmic”, they were family and how they will probably love each other always.

Because they were together in secret for 10 years, but the moment they open their hearts and decide to not hide anymore, suddenly everything goes to shit.

And what I get is that being brave only gives you heartbreak. And that being a coward destroy your soul into tiny pieces but hiding is better than the alternative.

Great message Carina and co. You just basically said that hiding your love is preferable than being in the open. That a bi guy that loved for 10 years a gay guy, 10 YEARS (!!) would jump into a safer relationship with a woman (who is the BF of his beloved) the moment the gay opens up to him. Great. Just fantastic.

#Roswell NM #Malex #I'm just crying angrily over here #or just sad idk #this is FANTASTIC #another betrayal after the clusterfuck of the magicians #I just can't #can't we have something good FOR ONCE?#meta #ish #malex meta

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osmw1 · 5 years ago

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Crowbar Nurse Chapter 5 — I’m Telling You, That App Isn’t Cursed

Kiryū had a smug look on his face but I just didn’t understand. What did he mean by “break out of the confines of the game”?

It felt a little weird, but well, it didn’t change our goals right now and so we continued backtracking through the level.

Along the way, we taken out a few swarms of zombies and picked up some healing items before finally reaching the place where I dropped my phone.

“Thank goodness, it’s still here!”

I was so glad to be reunited with my beloved Android as I went over to pick it up.”

“The door to the room you were in doesn’t seem to open anymore… I’m certain I had to open it to find you though.”

While I made sure my phone worked fine, Kiryū examined the door leading to what was supposed to be the linen room. … his side pockets, butt pockets, jacket pockets, breast pocket—every single one of his pockets were packed full of medicines and herbs. It definitely wasn’t a flattering look for him… but we had no choice as we didn’t have access to an item box.

And since my dress had no pockets whatsoever, everything we’ve picked up so far has been jammed into Kiryū’s pockets. An item box sure would be nice. I wonder if there’s a good alternative… Just as I was fantasizing about that, a great clank came from the door.

“—it’s no use. I can’t even pry the door open with the crowbar.”

Kiryū shook the strain off his arms as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Maybe the rooms disappear as soon as we leave them… how’s your phone?” “Oh, it’s fine. It works fine but now there’s an app on my phone that I’ve never seen before.” “A mysterious app?”

Kiryū looked over at me with a frown then I showed him my home screen. He squinted and muttered That one? as he pointed to it. It was obvious which one was the odd one out.

“… ‘Untitled’?” “It seems like that’s the name of the app.” “Even the icon is all wonky.” “What were the creators thinking when they chose to use that icon…” “Both the name and the icon look like bad news. Did you go on some shady site?” “I do not go on shady websites! How rude! I only go on proper sites!” “… bullshit. Everybody who visits shady sites say the same thing.”

He still has a frown on his face but so do I. I couldn’t help but feel very troubled by this app. I had no time to use my phone as of late nor the memory of the app ever existing.

“Still… that’s real weird….”

I looked down at the ground and then it came to me.

“—that’s right! I really didn’t go on any shady sites, but something shady happened!” “… whaddya mean?” “Just before I got transported to this world, the screen went dark as a stream of text was getting typed in all by itself. I think something was installing itself on my phone as well.” “… huh?” “And clear as day, I saw some password get entered! I bet that’s how this weird app bypassed the app store and installed itself on my phone. This is super sketch!” “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Kiryū shrieked out in confusion. … it’s probably unlikely on a technical level, huh?

“Eek… i-is it really that unlikely to happen?” “Yeah… that’s impossible. It sure doesn’t sound possible, but… well, our situation right now is defying reality as far as I know. I mean, I guess there are Android apps that can run shell scripts. If your phone had been jailbroken, then maybe—juuust maybe—that might be possible…”

… he seemed extremely perplexed by what happened to my phone. Did I really say something that farfetched?

“… oh, right. If it’s any help to you, I should mention that my screen lock was my date of birth.” “Huh?” “And if I need a longer password, I usually just simply combine my full name and date of birth. So maybe that’s why my password was so easily guessed.” “Wha— bu—!” “Aw, jeez, but it’s totally normal. It’s not like anything actually bad happened before. The worst that happens is, like, my friends unlocking my phone and gifting themselves stickers…” “… look, kid, you might not understand, but these devices can even manage your money, y’know?”

Kiryū continued explaining how painful it was to hear what I had said.

“You’ve gotta be more careful and protect yourself.” “Fine, okay. I’ll be more careful ne—augh!” “You don’t seem like taking me very seriously. Pro–tect–your–self!”

How did he realize I wasn’t actually listening to what he was saying? He sighed in exasperation has he gave me a noogie. Then, he glared at me.

“… change your PIN. Do it. Do it now. I can’t stand it.” “Aww, come on…”

He was being such a pain in the butt. But perhaps he could see on my face, Kiryū stared at me suspiciously.

“… what? Why are you against it?” “Oh no! It’s a zombie! It’s coming at us! Why, I ought to take care of it immediately!”

I slipped past Kiryū as I shouldered my assault rifle and blasted a zombie coming down the alley. He quickly grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and pulled me backwards.

“Hey, don’t go killing so many of them! It’s only changing your password! Why are you so against it?!” “Nuh-uh! It’s way too much work! You’re not paying me enough to go through that much trouble!” “Six digits! That’s all there is to it!” “No way I’m changing it! It’s six digits too many to remember again!” “Stop being such a brat! Just ta—just tap the settings icon! Shut up and do it!” “Nooo!”

I was resisting as hard as I could. Then before I knew it, Kiryū was on top of me, pinning me down. With one hand, he tried to get me to change the settings on my phone. With his other hand, he skillfully slugged and killed an incoming zombie. That’s amazing… how does he kill a zombie with a single punch? There’s definitely something odd about this guy.

“… argh!”

Unsurprisingly, it seemed like that hurt him too. Kiryū stood up and shook his head in vexation.

“… it looks like you’re not willing to play nice about this…” “That’s right! I’ll never change my password! And I know we said we should try to kill as little zombies as possible, but it’ll take forever for us to level up…”

I escaped Kiryū by the skin of my teeth and got up from the ground.

“There’s no point in staying here any longer. Let’s head towards our next target.” “You’re right. Oh, and by the way, Sera… You see that mob of zombies across the street? What are those two gigantic things?”

Kiryū made a face as he looked down the alleyway then I looked the same direction.

“I can tell they’re huge even from this distance.” “Huh… gah! That’s a minotaur and a tank. They showed up even when we don’t even have any good armor… that’s just awful luck.” “Minotaur? Tank? What is this? Are we in some kind of fantasy RPG?”

Being new to the DMC series, he was bewildered by these zombies.

“How rude. DMC is a proper zombie game. There’s just a few things here and there that aren’t entirely realistic…” “Yeah, no kidding…”

Kiryū suspiciously eyed the two special zombies. The minotaur is, well, a minotaur the size of a building. The other one is the tank with a tentacle snaking out from its barrel. I mean, yeah… it’s a bit of a stretch for a zombie game.

“If I remember correctly, the story behind the tank was that it’s created by a zombie-type monster hijacking an army tank along with its crewmen.”

I looked over at him as I sniped a few zombies.

“And then, the minotaur was originally a poor cow that escaped from a pharmaceutical company… or something like that. They’re both ‘pretty strong’. They rarely show up unless you grind too hard or power through the levels too much, kinda like a punishment monster? Ahh, I’m getting a little nostalgic.” “Is this really the right time to be getting all sentimental? We won’t be able to get to where we want to go unless we go through them… doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice.”

Kiryū heaved a sigh as he gripped the crowbar. I’m glad to have him on my side. He was kind enough to take on the zombies for me so that I don’t overlevel.

“Please, hold on. Let me take care of them. Normally, I would be spamming my grenade launcher at them, but… well, I don’t have one.”

I couldn’t help but feel very troubled. No matter how you put it, we have no choice but to go back to the starting area of the game. We haven’t gotten any strong weapons either. We have to kill them to get through and I’ll definitely be leveling up from them.

Ah, crap… I’ve never had to backtrack before like this. I’m really getting knocked off stride…

I really don’t want to, but I have no choice but to wager this bet. It’s dangerous, but I can’t think of any alternatives.

“… honestly, I’d be restarting the game here. But since there’s a bunch of zombies around the tank, let’s see if I can’t do anything…” “Sera, what were you mumbling on about earlier?” “Umm, Kiryū. It’ll get a little dicey, so try to get as far away as you can.” “What? Hold your horses. Is there nothing I can do?” “… there is a lot I could use your help with, but those guys are enemies we’re barely strong enough to kill right now. I know their patterns well though. That’s why I’ll have to use myself as decoy and get them to kill each other…”

Kiryū was even more worried after seeing how I wasn’t happy about it either.

“Using yourself as a decoy is too dangerous, isn’t it?” “But there’s no other way. If I manage to pull it off and smoke starts pouring out of the tank, then I’d like you to back me up. Until then, please stay behind.” “… ‘kay. If it seems like it’s too much, come back right away.” “Okay.”

With Kiryū staying back, I rushed to the other side of the alleyway and into the swarm of enemies.

■Sera’s phone

It is a rare sight nowadays. Though this Android smartphone may be old, it still functions. Instagram, Twitter, and social network games have been downloaded, but there seems to be a link to an old disused personal blog as well. Sera isn’t the tech-savviest person ever, and so her passwords are predictably simple.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

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selenecrown · 6 years ago

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Minato Arisato x Female!Reader (The Great Seal of Nyx)

This fanfiction takes in an Alternate Universe where the Persona 3 Protagonist, when he becomes the Great Seal, he basically becomes a god too. Minato becomes the God of Apathy, Silence, Misunderstanding(s), Hope, Self-Reflection, and Protection. Minato also becomes the patron of people of the Fool Arcana, Unsure Persona Users, and Traumatized and Healing Children.

This takes place a two years after Persona 3: The Answer, but a year before Persona 4 Ultimax.

Elizabeth had figured out a way to break Minato out of the Great Seal, but she was unsuccessful, and Minato had to explain to her he cannot leave the seal as it would lead to Nyx coming once more and this time it not be as easy as last time to stop her with many other gods coming out as well, as they would try and take over too. So, Elizabeth told Minato how to gain unmatched power, like she does.

S.E.E.S., being unaware of this, has no idea of any of this. Thinking Minato is permanently stuck as the Great Seal for all eternity, has already accepted they might not ever see him again even after they die. But even so, they still mourn in his death along with Shinji. But they are unaware of not only has Shinjiro been watching over them, but Minato has lended the members of S.E.E.S. divine assistance when they get into too much trouble.

Author's Note: gUESS WHO REWATCHED AND CRIED HER EYES OUT FROM A PLAYTHROUGH OF PERSONA 3 THE ANSWER?! Your girl Selena!

So, this Fanfiction is brought to you by a girl who needed fluff after watching S.E.E.S. suffer for who-knows-how-long.

It had been two years since the death of Minato Arisato, your beloved boyfriend.

S.E.E.S. and the Nyx Annaliation Team had been disbanded, and the Shadow Operatives were barely starting out.

Former member of S.E.E.S. and the Nyx Annaliation Team and current reserve member of the Shadow Operatives, (First/Name) (Last/Name) was getting out of her college classes for the day and heading off to go her work shift for the day when tragedy struck and shook the lives of the former S.E.E.S. members that had once fought with her.

(F/N) (L/N) had been involved with a train accident while on the way to her job. The train was hijacked and (F/N) tried to stop the hijackers to get the passengers off the train to a safe place, she was successful in disabling the hijackers but not in stopping the train before it hit a construction site. Resulting in (F/N) in multiple major injuries in the chest, arms, and legs. Causing her to be rushed to the hospital after medical officials arrived on the scene.

She had been suffering from blood loss for some time, so by the time she was in the hospital she was half dead from the blood loss.

Her teammates rushed her side after medical officials found her phone with contacts and unsure if any where family, called all of her teammates and told them their teammate had fallen into a coma.

But, she was not dead.

Far from it.

For, her fallen teammate had come to give her a second chance, and see if she was willing to take it.

When you awoke, the pain was gone.

All of it.

Your legs and arms didn't ache, your head didn't feel light, your chest wasn't stinging with pain, and you could actually breathe. Your mental burdens that weighed you down in life had gone away, as if they had left you.

You physical and emotional burdens from life were lifted off your shoulders.

You where laying down in a field full of flowers. Daises, Poppies, Forget-Me-Nots, and Amaranths were scattered across the field of flowers. The only other thing in this field as far as the eye could see was the sky. Here, is was always sunny, that would seem like it was about the middle of the day. With a clear blue sky, with only white clouds that never got in the way of the sun. The field stretched as far as the eyes could see, and so did the sky. Other than the clouds, the only other thing in the sky was a huge moon hanging in the sky that was as big as the sun. It was just. . . There. It was supposed to symbolize a god was looking after this field.

When you woke in this field, you were wearing a bluish-green hospital gown. With nothing else on you besides basic undergarments. As if the hospital just dumped you here after not knowing what to do with you.

You stood up off the ground and looked around into the field of flowers. It seemingly had no end, as if it went on forever and ever. Then, you looked at yourself. All the wounds were gone, and your body felt so much more . . .Energetic then it normally did and when you fully looked at yourself, you saw you where defiantly younger then you remembered, as it looked like you were in high school again.

"Huh? What is going on? Am I dead?" You asked outloud.

"No. You aren't dead yet, stupid." A voice you hadn't heard in years said.

When you turned, there stood Shinjiro Aragaki in his regular outfit before he died. He even had his hands in his pocket! The only thing different is he was standing upright and smiling, whereas before, when he would have been slouched over as if he had something on his back and he was always frowning.

"Shinjiro-san?" You paused to make sure it was him. He nodded at you, and then you spoke again.

"What do you mean by that? Wait, but you're dead, and if you're here---" You spoke quickly as if you were panicking to him, as he sighed at your panic and simply put his hands on your shoulders after hitting you on the head.

"Oww!" You cried, as you were knocked back a little, and put your hands on you as a means of protecting your head. But, you were caught by Shinjiro before you could fall to the ground.

"You aren't even listening. You aren't dead yet. You're here to make a choice if you really want to be dead just yet." He stated, looking at you with his serious eyes.

I'm. . . Not dead?

Not yet?

Wait, so---!

"I'm here to make a choice? What do you mean by that?" You asked your upperclassmen.

Shinjiro sighed again. "Look, you're on the verge of death. You've lived the best you could through such a horrible life. You've done more than enough to change the world around you and other Persona Users. Plus, Minato's been waiting for you for so long. You're more than welcome to die, you've done enough to help others in defeating Shadows."

"But! Just because I've given other ways to defeat shadows and help prevent any other Shadow related catostropes doesn't mean it's all good!" You yelled.

At that moment, you had gotten scared.

Death?

Is he saying you are going to die?!

No! You thought you yourself. I'm not ready yet!

It's odd, since you had been through so much and learned to deal with death, but in that one moment, all of it was out the window.

Not only were you a college student, but a leader at the Shadow Operatives in helping people understand Personas and Shadows. You weren't the head, but you were investigating what exactly was the best way to help other Persona Users who many get into trouble. Such as the human psyche and other things about the cognitive relm.

"The more good I do, the more things come up that are bad! And what about the others?! I can't them behind! Especially not Ken and Koromaru! Someone needs to---" you panicked to Shinjiro.

He sat there and watched you panic and drown in anxiety. It's not that he wasn't paying attention. It seemed you were indeed stuck up on trying to live until everyone else had died before you.

You had always been a really kind person. You put others before yourself to a fault. Even after Shinjiro and Minato had died, you still had that flaw.

It was your fatal flaw. But, it isn't as bad as it was when in high school, when you would sympathize with others to where another's problems were your own problems and you just wanted to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders so no one else would have to.

You had had divorced parents, one who neglected you, the other being abusive. Both parents treated your horribly during life, leaving you mentally scarred. Because of their abuses, you virtually had no self-esteem and thought very negatively about yourself. You were pulled out of the situation and sent to live with an aunt in Port Island who you didn't see often since she was always over seas. Even when she was around, you didn't talk with her that much since she was always working. But, because you had "the potential", you were pulled out of that situation you were in and lived with S.E.E.S. since.

You were too kind for your own good.

Your boyfriend was able to help you heal, along with the help of the rest of S.E.E.S. You were partially healed before Shinjiro and Minato died, but that was put to a major halt after the Abyss of Time failed to disappear. Which caused you a lot of physical and psychological problems at first, but was later healed thanks to what had happened.

And here you were. Half-dead, and worrying out of your mind about the others. Even after all that you had been through so much in life, you said weren't ready to die yet.

As you rambled and panicked, Shinjiro listened until he heard other footsteps to his right. He then let go of you, and smiled in relief at the midnight blue-haired boy. The minute the boy stepped foot into this world, the world became darker, as the clouds covered the sun, and gave the three of you shade.

Then stood the Great Seal, as he was before he became the seal. He smiled at your panicking form. You hadn't changed much, from what he could see.

He knew you still could go back and live, but it would cost you your legs, which would be permanently paralyzed, and your arms, which would be forever unable to be how they use to. And from then on, you would be in and out of the hospital for most of your life do to the wounds in your chest, which had damaged some internal organs.

The Great Seal wanted you to be selfish in that one moment.

While Minato had Shinjiro in this field of empty yet peaceful solitude where Minato could keep Shinjiro close to him and forever under his protection, and Minato made this field as a means a keeping his S.E.E.S. close to him so when all members of S.E.E.S. all die they can stay close to Minato forever, he still missed his teammates being close to him, even after it's only been two years. It was so painful for him to only watch you go through your lives only being able to assist in a life-or-death or mid-life crisis situations, and only being able to be near you when you mourned him and Shinjiro for only so long.

He loved his team.

Even though he chose to become the Great Seal, he missed his former teammates very much. Even though he had no regrets in leaving his team behind, he still missed them and what they had done with him and even after he became the Great Seal.

The Great Seal of Nyx missed his S.E.E.S. and wanted them to be with him for all eternity.

And, most of all, his missed his lover. He had been waiting for you to pass on for so long.

He wanted his insecure, yet loveable girlfriend in his arms. Where he had once had her in his arms, he, until this moment, could not be near her without being unseen to the human eye and only felt by the human soul for a split second.

The Great Seal walked up to your trembling and nervous form and wrapped his arms around her body.

Suddenly, your body stopped trembling and your voice stopped as well. As if it knew who it was, and instantly stopped panicking in response to his very presence.

When you turned to the direction of someone holding you, you saw a familiar hair color.

Wait, this can't be!

Minato is gone! So, why---?

"Minato?" You asked, and as soon as you said his name, he placed as kiss on your cheek.

"It's been too long." Is all your boyfriend said to you, after he released you from the hug and walked in front of you and Shinjiro. He had that smile on his face he always would when he was happy. He still held onto your left hand, as if he didn't want to let you go just yet.

His hand was. . . Warm. Almost as warm as his smile he had on his face. And just as warm as it had been when he was alive.

"Wait, what? But---!" You started to ramble on again before you were shushed.

"Did you really think I was gone, even after all you had been through after the Abyss of Time failed to disappear? How could I do that after all of you came to face Erebus and got him out of my hair for a year?" He asked.

"Wait, you---?"

"I saw everything. Shinjiro and I have been watching all of you for as long as the two of us have been dead." Minato said. He took a step closer to you, and your foreheads touched.

He's been watching us?

Wait, so he saw everything?

How Aigis got the Wildcard ability and how the team split up?

And did he see Metis, too?

So, he wasn't gone after all.

He's been right here! Shinjiro too!

So, it wasn't like you wouldn't see them again, huh? Life sure is strange.

You stood in silence for a while as your mind was processing this information you were given. After some time, you started laughing.

Laughing at yourself for thinking Shinjiro and Minato were gone.

You did start crying too, because of how hard you laughed.

Minato started to laugh along side you, after some time.

After you had stopped laughing, you sighed in relief.

"This is no time to cry. It's okay, You're here now." He said. "I'm here now, right?"

You nodded, as you tried to wipe your tears away. "Yeah, you're right."

Minato then made sure all your tears where gone, and smiled again.

"Come on, I want to show you something." He said, as he pulled you towards a stone pathway leading to somewhere not within sight at the moment, the pathway seemed to be always ahead of you, as if it knew where Minato wanted to go. Shinjiro followed right behind the two of you. Minato escourted you through the world he created.

A huge lake, with animals all around the lake as if nothing was wrong and it was peaceful compared to anywhere else. The water was just as blue as the sky, if not a little more blue. The lake, from what you could see, was pretty big. It looked as big as the field of flowers, until the pathway changed into a bridge.

"A bridge? Across a lake?" You thought out loud.

"It's strange, isn't it? Come on, we're almost there." Minato urged you unto the bridge. So, you stepped unto the stone bridge and walked across it. This, gave you a better look at the lake and when you where halfway across the bridge, you saw your destination. Across the lake was a house. It looked like a mansion more than a house.

If you thought Mitsuru's summer house was something, this would blow you out of the water.

The mansion was huge! Even for a mansion! The mansion seemed to take up the horizon like it was a city scape. The house seemed to be a mid-modern styled mansion. Meaning while it seemed to only have one or two floors, it doesn't fail to dazzle all who see it. The mansion like to dorm, in that it had a similar color scene, red and white. It seemed the outside was mostly red, almost the exact same red as the dorm, with white details all over, like the deck and most windows and doors had white lining around it, as if the highlight them. Even though it seemed like the place only had two floors, it still managed to look tall. The closer Minato walked you to the mansion, the more details you saw on the property. The front had a beauiful garden full of flowers that stood out from the other flowers surrounding the area, that was hiding a large pool sorrounded by reclining chairs with closed umbrellas over some of the chair from view. On the first floor of the mansion was a porch with a table big enough to fit every member of S.E.E.S., including Koromaru, underneath the cover of a gazebo. The gazebo was not far from the house, but even so, it seemed to have a walkway between it and the house. The pool and gazebo seemed to light up the minute you stepped onto the farthest reaches of the house, as you could see small lights around the house power up. The house gave off a comforting and familiar glow, as if it was welcoming you home.

As soon as Minato and Shinjiro past you because you were staring at the house for so long, Minato stopped walking when your grip loosened and your hands fell to your sides and let go of his hands.

"What's wrong?" Minato asked you, as the sun started to disappear behind the house. Shinjiro stopped as well, to look back at the two of you.

"Minato, what's going on?" You asked.

"What did you mean by that?" Minato asked.

"Where are we? Why does this place look and feel like the dorm?" You asked him again, expanding on your question.

"I will explain everything. Please, let's go inside first." Minato said, grabbing your hand again. You nodded and followed Minato and Shinjiro into the house through a double door just past the gazebo.

Once you got inside the house, you definitely could tell something was up. As you walked into a kitchen that looked like the one in the dorm, just bigger, much more modern with a lot more equipment to work with. It had an actual oven, a sink, a dishwasher, several cabinets, and an actual microwave. But other than that, the dishwear normally behind the kichten was still there, with more than just plates. It had tea sets, expensive items, and who knows what else. Other than that, the table that was a few feet away from the kitchen was the same with only a pot of multi-colored Zinnia flowers to make any difference on the table.

You walked past the kitchen to find, suprise suprise, there was a living room. The living room was huge, but looked almost the same as in the dorm. The couches were bigger, but had the same color scheme as the dorm's, the table was still there, though. The TV was bigger, it looked to be the size of the monitor in the commands room, and mounted on to a wall. Which the couches all seemed to be facing in some way. The TV was a curved flat screen, with two bookcases full of movies on each side, with photos on top of the bookcases of S.E.E.S. that you took while all of you where alive.

Minato sat you down on one of the couches, and sat right next to you. Shinjiro sat on the couch across the one you two where sitting in. Minato, soon after sitting down sighed contently.

"What's going on Minato?" You asked, with a worried expression on your face. "This place looks too much like the dorm, and you guys are acting strangely, and---"

Minato simply smiled at you once more, and pulled both of your hands into his lap. "Promise you'll let me explain myself, and stop if you need me to, alright?"

You nodded.

"I'm a god."

Minato explained to you everything that had happened to him over the past two years, explaining how Elizabeth tried to break the Great Seal not long after S.E.E.S. defeated Eberus and Minato had to explain why he couldn't leave, so she gave him unmatched power, just like she did. Minato also had to track down Shinjiro from the Sea of Souls and bring him here so he could keep Shinjiro safe. Actually, the people who ran the place Shinjiro was staying let Shinjiro leave, but with a price. He would have to come back once a year to check up with him to make sure Minato isn't keeping Shinjiro all to himself and the rest of S.E.E.S. would have to do the same when their time came.

You had to stop him once or twice for you to fully understand the situation, (Minato gave great hugs and kisses because that settled you down pretty easily.) But you think you understood.

"However, you aren't dead yet." Minato said. "Your body has fallen into a coma with the others worried about you waiting to see if you want to go back or not."

"But, if you do go back now, your body will be severely damaged." A voice said, as you saw a familiar face you never expected to see again.

"Ryoji." Minato seemed to sigh as Ryoji appeared behind you.

"Wait, what's---?" You were about to ask, when Shiniro cut you off.

"Because this guy was a part of him," Shiniro pointed at Minato, "he's with us now."

"You're making it sound like that's horrible, Shinjiro-san." Ryoji said sadly, putting his left hand on his hip.

"To her it might." Shiniro said.

"In any case," Minato continued, focusing his attwntion back on you,."You have a choice. You can stay here and truly die and leave everyone else behind, or you can go back with an almost crippled body and live with everyone and have no memory of this until you truly die."

Silence stuck the room, as you looked down at Minato's lap, where your hands were. You were figetting with your hands while Minato leaned his head againist your own, and rubbed your fingers sootheingly.

It took you some time, but you made your decision. The whole room was silent while you were doing so, but the boys were slightly tense as to your choice.l on the matter.

"I want to go back." You said. "I don't want to leave everyone just yet."

Ryoji seemed about to say something, until Minato shushed him.

"Alright." He said.

As soon as he said that, he pulled you into a kiss. The kiss was passionate, but it seemed like he wanted you for a little while longer.

Everything around you started to turn white, and the last thing you heard was,

"I'll always be right where you need me to be, even if you can't see me. Don't worry about a thing, (Y/N)."

The world around you started to hurt again.

Your legs and arms ached, it was hard for you to breathe, and your mental burdens were back for another day.

But, the first thing you heard when you woke up was your name.

"(Y/N)!" Ken said, and you felt something move and then heard a bark.

You opened your eyes to see Ken.

"Ken!" You said, as you met Ken in a warm hug. Koromaru seemed come into the hug as well, wanting you to hug him too. You opened your arms to Koromaru as soon as Ken gave him some space to do so, and Koromaru seemed to be happily whimpering.

Not long after, Ken called the rest of S.E.E.S. and a while later, you were surrounded by your former teammates. All hugging you, and crying about how happy they were that you were alive. It took all of them took some time to accept you were truly alive, and once they had all finished they sat down around you and started to explain what had happened.

"You got into a train crash after you tried to save a hijacked train. Do you remember?" Mitsuru asked you.

You nodded. "Yes, I remember."

"Can you remember anything else?" Yukari asked.

"I. . . I remember, everyone telling me it was okay." You said. "It was okay for me to go. You all wanted me to stay, but you all said if I died, it would be okay. I felt horrible leaving you all behind, so I wanted to stay."

"You didn't want to go?" Fuuka asked you,sounding pretty shocked.

"I'm not ready to see them again." You said. "I still have work to do."

"(Y/N), hold on." Akihiko said. "Hold your horses. There's something else we need to tell you."

"Your body. . . It's severely damaged." Junpei said before you could ask.

"To be frankly honest, (Y/N)-san, the doctors are amazed you are even alive." Aigis said, she seemed sad but was blunt about it. "Your legs and arms are badly damaged, and your internal organs have been damaged as well."

"The doctors said you most likely be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life because of how badly damaged your legs are, and you maybe in and out of the hospital for the rest of your life with how damaged your internal organs are." Yukari said.

"That's why. . . The doctors said if you stayed in a coma longer than a week, we may need to consider taking you off life support and letting you die because it would make it easier on you and us to let you pass on." Ken said.

The air in the room got heavier with that in the air. You looked down at the blanket that was wrapped around your legs.

"I---I'm sorry." You said. "I didn't mean to burden all of you."

"What do you mean by that?" Junpei said, changing his attitude trying to lighten up the mood. "We're not yelling at you for coming back!"

"No, we just wanted to tell you so you wouldn't freak out when you found out from the doctors." Ken said, as his frown turned to a smile.

"Yes. You're here with us now." Yukari said as she walked towards you and hugged you again. "And that's all that matters right now."

Despite what the doctors said, Mitsuru refused to let you be bound to a wheelchair. She got you into many corrective surgeries to help your legs stay together while Akihiko and Aigis did their best to try and teach you how to safely walk again without hurting yourself. You had gotten to a point where you walked with a cane, and while you could be in a wheelchair, it was not required but nicer on your knees. Mitsuru also did her best to help fix your arms, which had been somewhat fixed. You could type, but couldn't write. And your internal organs were slowly healing but still fragile. So, Mitsuru gave you people who you could call if seething were to happen to you.

While you could never fully heal, your body learned to function in these harsh conditions.

Not long after, you met Labrys. Who was like Aigis' older sister and you also met the Persona Users in Inaba. You were lucky they didn't put you in the tournament becaise they thought you were weak, but still gained some bad injuries from the temporary Dark Hour. Now, you had to be in a wheelchair.

But, you didn't mind all that much.

Now, you could fulfill a mission with people you knew who might need it. Your mission finally had someone it could help.

Koromaru was the first to pass away due to his old age.

Then, Akihiko and Mitsuru died of old age.

Yukari and Junpei followed suit with not long after Fuuka died as well, and Ken died not long after because of a car accident. Aigis was destroyed due to the car crash that killed Ken, and you could not bring her back.

Leaving you alone in the world with nobody but Labrys, who at this point was not in good health either. But now that Mitsuru was gone, you gave Labrys over to the Investigation Team of Inaba.

You were dying of old age, but you didn't want to leave Labrys behind. While you were lying in your death bed, it was getting harder and harder for you to stay awake.

It felt as if everyone was calling to you. You felt peace in dying. But, you kept telling yourself you weren't ready. Not when---

"What're you doing (Y/N)? Don't you wanna see everybody?" Labrys asked as she held your hand.

Your body functions were starting to shut down, but your brain kept saying it wasn't ready yet.

"No. . . I can't leave you. . . Just yet. . ." You said.

"Don't gimme that. Go, it's okay." Labrys insisted. "They're waiting for you. And, it'll be less painful if you go now. Please."

You sighed, and smiled. "If you say so. . ."

Your took your last breath, and succumbed to the embrace of death.

When you woke up, you were wrapped in a blanket lying on the shoulder of someone. It was warm, and you kinda didn't want to move from where you were.

"There she is." A voice said. "Come on, I know you're here now."

You only responded with cuddling more into the person's shoulder and giving a warm hum.

"But I want to see your face. Come now, let me see your pretty face." Minato insisted, moving his hands to your face and turning his head towards yours.

But you didn't want to move. You had forgetten how warm he was to cuddle into after many long years.

"Look, I get you haven't seen him in a while, but come on, the rest of us want to go see you too." Yukari sighed at you.

"Mmm. Alright." You said, as you sat up from Minato's shoulder. Seeing that Yukari was sitting across from the two of you, with Junpei next to her.

The minute you sat up, Koromaru jumped towards your lap and cuddled into it.

Ken, who was on your left, hugged you. "You're here, right?" Ken asked.

"I'm here." You said to Ken, as he nodded into your arm.

Not long after, Yukari hugged you, followed by Junpei. Afterwords, the rest of your team came and hugged you. Shinjiro said this was a cause for celebration, and the whole team was treated to a feast.

Your team was whole again, never meant to be touched by any outside force ever again.

Minato wanted it to be so.

Here, S.E.E.S. could live in paradise forever and still be with one another, but they could also visit family and friends who had also passed away without dealing with negative consequences of anyone else's actions.

But, even Minato knew that Elizabeth would probably find this place.

But he hoped no one else would.

For, Minato just wanted his friends near him while he does his job.

After the feast and everyone showing you the house fully, you were exhausted.

They had showed you to your room, which was basically your dorm room but with other things you had gained over your lifetime, where you and Minato were currently lying down on your bed.

Minato, seeing that you were tired, said he wanted to stay with you for a while.

Minato cuddled you into his arms, and laid you down on the bed, and whispered sweet nothings to you, hoping it would lull you sleep.

Minato had you in his arms again.

And this time, he is not willing to let you go again.

#Minato Arisato x reader #reader insert #maybe slightly triggering #But full of fluff! So much fluff!#And some really bad symbolism I tried to add in #But other than that I'm super proud of this #Persona 3 imagine #I'm just gonna tag this because why not?

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frustrated-writer-skyeknight · 3 years ago

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"Love yourself" therapy

So I decided to share some links of my personal works from AO3, along with parts of the fic that I really love how it turned out after rereading it.

I think it's very important that you enjoy your works and love them so much, that it won't disappoint you too much even if the fic gets close to none readers (shown by the kudos, comments, or hits a fic gets). You put time into it, it's only right that it makes you smile reading it.

Written in the Wings

Chapter 8: Escapade "Hic, do you really have to do this?" The Tinker fairy nodded, a familiar gleam of determination in his emerald eyes. "More than I had to stop the delay of Spring." He said, "Something out there is calling out to me."

"For the love of Neverland," Jim sighed, shaking his head. "This is like the search for the Moonstone all over again. Fine, I'm coming with you to keep you out of trouble."

Hiccup blinked, staring at his best friend. "What? No," he said. "It could be dangerous! I can't let you get hurt."

"Hmm," Dimitri hummed lazily, "Pot meet Kettle."

Before either of the two could reply to that, there was another even stronger jolt to the basket, and they see that their basket had been picked up by a Snowy owl. The three fairies braced themselves as much as they can.

"Okay," Dimitri starts in a tight voice, placing a hand on Jim's shoulder to steady himself. "I guess we're doing this."

Basically, I love this entire fic that's still ongoing, but my main project now. I always loved the Tinkerbell movies, but starting out with this fic, I just expected to have it end somewhat similar to the movie, that it ends after fixing the great freeze. And I'm so proud of how I was able to push passed that, and create a whole new concept of "Pixies and Fairies co-existing" It's a struggle now to keep writing it because of work, but I truly can't wait to see this baby in its completion

Jack Frost of the Seas

Chapter 11: Mysterious Island, Chapter 12: Ruins of the Forgotten, Chapter 13: Vanquished Evil I enjoyed these three chapters, because it's clearly not taken out from the movie itself and my own spin on it, with some plot relevance and to make JiMitri more relevant too than just one of my OTPs that I wanted to have in the plot. It also helped to create a foreshadow for the later chapters. And of course, this fic is always special to me since I finished it for my beloved deceased friend.

Chapter 16: Edge of the World

This entire chapter. You can technically watch the movie (Sinbad: Legend of the seven Seas) because this chapter is basically a narrative version of it, but I enjoyed writing it cause it was fun to research the terms and putting it into a narrative.

So for me, the enjoyment of this chapter was my experience when writing it.

This was very helpful in figuring out how to write this scene. You guys can probably watch the movie, but I enjoy the opportunities to research this stuff and know just what they're called "Rig the main yard to the fores'le!" - rigging is the system of masts and lines on ships and other sailing vessels. The fores'le or foresail is the lowest sail set on the foremast (at the front of the ship) of a full-rigged ship or other square-rigged vessel. The mainyard is the longest yard attached to the mainmast (middle part of the ship) and at the lowest part of this. So what was asked was that the yard would be connected to the front sail. Normally, I think you would have the main yard to the mainsail and the foreyard to the foresail. That was they would stop dead because the sails wouldn't be taking in winds to move them in whichever direction. "Slack to all sheets!" - To fold up the sails so they wouldn't catch wind. "Cut the fore and main trusses" - Trusses are an assembly of beams or other elements that creates a rigid structure. In this case, the trusses here are the ropes meant to be rigid. So if the trusses of the main and fore rigging are cut, the sails wouldn't be held down so much and they would be flexible to wherever the wind blew. "Aft yard astern!" - Aft is located towards the stern or rear of a ship. A yard is The horizontal spar from which a square sail is suspended. Astern is a movement going toward the stern or rear of the ship. So what was ordered is that the yard at the stern of the ship would be moved further back than it already is. "Swing the fors'le to port" - Port is the left side of the ship, so now the foresail would spread out towards that direction. "Ease the aft!" - To bring down the sails on the aft "Full hoist to forward sails" - Raising up the said sails "Tie off all sails!" - loosen the sails, making sure that the trusses weren't holding them down. "All hands amidships!" - The amidship is middle section of a vessel with reference to the athwartships plane, as distinguished from port or starboard (right side of the ship) (e.g. "Put your rudder amidships"). Everyone present on board the ship would stay in the middle section of the ship.

Treasure Planet, Retold

Chapter 8: "Soft spot for Him"

"A staff?" Hiccup frowned, "That's not gonna..."

Jack zapped the door, and a large amount of frost enveloped the passage. Hiccup, Dimitri and Jim gawked, staring at the door first then back to the captain.

"Aster didn't call me Snowflake for nothing. Like it? It's a special weapon that Manny gifted me after..." The captain trailed off as they heard the pirates trying to get in, "You know, I'll tell you about it en route. Hiccup, you familiar with these?" Jack throws the man a pistol after he powers up.

"Oh, I've seen... Well, more like read and—" The brunette accidentally triggers it, almost hitting the white haired man who barely had time to blink, let alone move. "Uh, no. No. No, I'm not." He responded, chagrined. He handed it over to Dimitri instead, who put the safety lock back in place before pocketing it. "Uh, I have... a flaming sword?"

Jack sighed in exasperation, "Manny, help us..." he shook his head as he retrieved the map from a tiny chest, unaware of Pooka, marveling at the item, "Mr. Hawkins!" Jack called out, jolting Jim in surprise as the teenager was still staring at the frosted door, "Defend this with your life."

Pooka snatched it from the air before Jim could catch it, "Pooka! Bad girl, Give me that!" He groused, reaching for it, the same time Dimitri made a grab for his pet, and they ended up touching hands.

Blush colored their cheeks, as Dimitri pulled away and Jim drew back with the map now at hand, pocketing it as he avoided looking at his friend. Hiccup frowned as he observed the odd exchange.... or lack thereof.

"Hic," The explorer is startled out of his thoughts, looking at the captain who was tapping his foot to the floor. "you said you had a flaming sword, right?"

So far, this is one of my only fics wherein JiMitri is the main pairing and HiJack is the main side pairing, I hope to write more of these kinds in the future. Basically, Treasure Planet is in my SS Top tier list of Disney movies, while El Dorado is SS Top tier of the Dreamworks list. So I really enjoyed writing this fic, and having Jim more traumatized over the kidnap of his friend (Dimitri) than the abandonment of his birth father, who left when he was a baby in this fic so he never really met him. I also hope to continue the sequel of this fic, after finishing Written in the Wings.

#ChildOfSolace plotbunnies #self-appreciation #don't be self-absorbed #but appreciate things that you accomplished

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bobbyseyesmile · 7 years ago

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Blood Money - Chapter 3

GENRE: Mafia AU, Angst, Mentioning of violence

Chapter 3

The first thing Allison noticed in the new surroundings was the bright light and the soft cushion against her neck.

A pillow? Where was she? And why was she in a king size bed with a soft duvet?

As she carefully lifted her head, a sharp pain shot through her skull and her first instinct was to stop it, but her hand was stopped by an infusion line. What the hell?

Allison tried to read the contents of the infusion bag, but it was in Korean. Although she knew how to read Hangul, she couldn’t understand a single word.

Maybe she had only dreamed everything. The kidnapping had never happened and the angry Asian also never hit her! But as Allison rose from the bed and looked into the large mirror, standing beside the bed, she knew that it was not a dream. Her face was black and blue and looked like a makeup tutorial had gone very wrong. The girl softly touched her cheek, where an ugly cut was seen, however, it didn’t hurt that much as she thought it would, actually only her head hurt because it was pushed back and forth like a fucking billiard ball. Also, her view was somewhat blurry, as if a veil settled over her eyes. Carefully, she removed the infusion needle and looked around the room.

It was huge and bright, although two thick curtains covered the windows. In an adjoining room, she found a bathroom and decided to take a shower first. Should the hijackers actually come back, she would feel at least clean and fresh. The day would either way be total shit... Surprisingly, she found fresh clothes and also towels in the bathroom.

After the shower she hesitated to go out from the room. Could she leave the room at all? Should she wait until they came back?

She shook her head. The was beyond question. Who knows how long she would wait, and also her stomach grumbled. Allison had no idea how long she was away from home. A couple of hours? A couple of days? Weeks? She didn't know it.

Surprisingly, when she opened the door and peeked her head outside, she heard noises that sounded like a kitchen. Someone rattled with dishes and she smelled the fresh scent of coffee. Allison's stomach grumbled again and instructed her to follow the scent.

What awaited her in the kitchen, she didn't know. Maybe it was the angry guy from recently... but as she looked around the corner, there sat the tall man who had treated her nicely. He drank coffee and read newspaper, but put it aside when he realized Allison.

"Good morning. It's nice that you're awake. I was no longer sure whether you ever wake up, you slept through several days. But I see you found the clothes in the bathroom." He smiled at her and suggested that she should sit on a chair, on the other side of the table. Allison remained uncertain and her eyes suddenly fell on a woman who inspected her the same way.

"This is Ellen." He told her and nodded to the woman. "She’s my maid. You can talk with her in English, hers is better than mine. Ellen is from America, just like you."

Allison's and Ellen's eyes met and the two woman smiled softly to each other, until Ellen went out of the room and left Allison alone with Seunghyun.

"I’m sure you have some questions." Seunghyun started and nodded once again to the chair on the opposite. This time, Allison sat down and nodded slowly. "Thought so. Do you want coffee?"

Seunghyun didn’t await her answer, he stood up and poured coffee into a cup before he put it down in front of Allison.

"Go ahead, ask." He smiled as he sat back in his chair and inspected the girl in front of him.

He had hoped that her face wouldn’t look that bad after all the beating, apparently Jiyong had not only hit her too hard, no, the girl also had sensitive skin which turned quickly blue. Around Allison’s left eye, an ugly black eye stood out, her lower lip were slightly burst by the last slap in the face, and in general, her face looked like a picture of Picasso. But you couldn’t deny that she looked still beautiful even beaten and completely without Make-Up.

"Where am I?" she asked gently and took the first sip from her cup.

"In my house."

"Why did I woke up in a bed and not in this cell?"

"You were hurt." Seunghyun shrugged his shoulders. "And I couldn’t let you there, after all Jiyong beat you up pretty bad.”

"Why do you care about that? I mean, how am I doing? After all, you and your people have kidnapped me." Allison responded and folded her arms. Seunghyun found that she looked sweet with this gesture. And naive.

"Touché. However I decided to take you because we cannot need you dead.”

"Neither alive..." she whispered quietly so that Seunghyun could only barely understand it.

"We will see." He said casual back. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, suddenly the doorbell rang furiously and Allison winced. "What the...? Ellen? Would you please open up for me?" he called. Ellen showed up instantly and hurried to the door. Shortly afterwards muttering could be heard from the hall.

"Ah, Mr. Kwon, nice to see you. Excuse me? Oh, yes, of course, your brother is home..." Ellen responded but couldn’t even finish her sentence.

"Where is he?" an angry voice called and seconds later a furious Jiyong stormed into the room. His gaze fell first on Seunghyun, but then he noticed Allison on the chair and his eyes narrowed.

"You." he growled quietly and took big steps to approach the girl.

"You wanted to see me?" Seunghyun interjected quietly and once again had the full attention of his brother back.

"Oh, yes! I wanted to know where she went off after I found an empty cell! At first I thought Seungri got her for a little fun, but he assured me he hadn’t. Since then it could only be you. You effete..."

"Watch your tongue, Jiyong." Seunghyun’s look was icy. "You're in my house. Mind your manners."

"What the hell is she doing here?" Jiyong barked back and pointed to Allison.

"She was injured."

"Oh, please... There were only a couple of slaps, she would have survived it..."

"No, Jiyong, she were not to survive that. She has suffered a moderate concussion because you had to play Hulk once again. That was four days ago, and you just noticed now that she wasn’t in the cell anymore? Have you not visited her? Would you have brought her anything to eat or to drink at least?” Seunghyun was casually sitting in his chair, but his voice sounded like a father who reprimanded his son.

Concussion? Allison thought to herself. Well, it would explain this terrible headache and the veiled sight.

"I"... started Jiyong but Seunghyun shook his head.

"No, you wouldn't. If she would not have drank something, she would have died of the concussion. Was that your big plan? Our most important hostage beaten up to death?”

Jiyong combed with his fingers trough his hair and threw Allison a quick look. At his stare, she felt cold sweat on her back and inevitably trembled. Both men had noticed it and Seunghyun called his maid once again.

"Ellen? Please bring Ms. Marino back to her room. Show her the American television programs and then please arrange her breakfast."

"Yes, Mr. Kwon." Ellen nodded briefly and then looked at Allison which stood up confused but followed her through the house.

Seunghyun was nice to her, and the girl was relived about that, but only for a moment because she feared what he would demand in return for...

When Seunghyun was sure that Allison was out of range, he turned back to his brother. He got up and went into the big living room where he settled on a large, dark brown leather chair. Jiyong followed him and sat down on the opposite chair.

"A concussion? Really? Others survive wars or assassinations..." Jiyong muttered and looked to his brother.

"Have you shed a closer look to the girl, Jiyong?" his elder brother asked, but Jiyong only shrugged his shoulders. "How tall do you think she is? Let's say 160 centimeter? And how much does she weight? She seems pretty petite... hmm... 55 kilograms? Could that be right?"

"Yes... it might be." Jiyong replied "What are you suggesting?"

"The blows that met her tiny face, could have torn a grown man from his feet. But this girl was tied to a chair and has caught more than a dozen slaps. Maybe she has not whined or cried like so many other women, but you had left temporarily marks on her. Did you saw her face! Dd you even looked at her carefully, Jiyong?"

"Okay, okay..." grumbled the younger one in return and leaned back in the leather armchair." I may understand that you saved her from death but... is it really necessary that you treat her like a damn Princess?"

"Isn’t it my affair how to treat guests in my house?"

"Oh? Now she's suddenly a guest? Before she was still a hostage." Jiyong wheezed amused and Seunghyun sighed.

"What do you have against the girl?"

"Nothing, Seunghyun. She doesn't mean anything to me. That's exactly what you should feel too. We are the mafia and not the damn welfare!"

"Jiyong... let's face it. What's so horrible about a pair of duvet pillows and some cups of coffee?"

"Our image is damaged!" Jiyong shouted but Seunghyun looked at him unimpressed.

“Image? Are you serious? What's going to happen? Is she supposed to run to our rivals and tell them, that she had waffles for breakfast instead of beaten up? She'll die soon enough and you know that. So why not make her last days pleasant?"

"So you're still planning to use her as a hostage?" Jiyong asked and Seunghyun nodded.

“Of course. Her father won’t give in that easily. Moreover, although I feel a little sorry for her, we will mark Elias Marino with her death and turn him into our bitch. And this, my beloved brother, will give him the last rest. Once he's ruined, we can claw everything that belonged to him, plus contacts with the American and Italian mafia." The older one explained calmly and looked satisfied as he saw his brother smile.

"God... For a moment I really thought you'd worry about the little one."

"I do."

"But yet you are still the sick genius who’d never left a hostage alive..." Jiyong laughed quietly. "Nice to know that my brother is still the same."

The elder of the two rolled his eyes, but then smiled at his brother. "You were really panicking when I told you I was gay, right?"

"It didn't bother me. I was just surprised.”

"I know." Seunghyun nodded and offered Jiyong a cigarette.

"Thank you, but not now. I have another important appointment. Don't forget about my party tomorrow night. You're going to come?" Jiyong stood up from the big leather chair and raised an eyebrow as he looked to his older brother.

"I'll be there." Seunghyun responded and said goodbye to Jiyong.

Seunghyun just sat there for several minutes in the living room and smoked his cigarette, when he finally rose and walked upstairs where he stopped in front of Allison's room. He knocked twice and shortly after she answered with a simple "Come in"

"My brother is now gone. So you can move around the house completely freely. " He said to Allison who sat on the bed and watched TV.

"Thank you." she cheeped quietly and lifted her head. "Why do you do all this for me?"

You're going to die anyway, this is the least I can do... thought Seunghyun, but didn't speak out loud.

"I just wanted to apologize for the behavior of my brother. You're a prisoner in this house anyway, and you can't leave it, so I can make your stay as pleasant as possible. However, there are some rules in this House: First, keep away from the phones and computers. Second, stay away from my office! And Third, If you try to flee, I'll take you back to the cell and lock you up in there, with Jiyong. Understood?"

Allison swallowed, but nodded. Oh, yes, she understood. Not for anything in this world she wanted to be alone with this psycho...

"Very good, then we’ll understand each other. Otherwise you can spend your time however you like. The house has several floors, inquire each one. There is an indoor swimming pool, a library, a fitness room and a home theater."

"Okay... Thank you. " Allison mumbled. She was so confused. Why did he do all this for her if she was just a hostage?

Seunghyun nodded smilingly and was just about to leave the room again when Allison said his name. "Yes?" he asked and turned again.

"What... what do you want in return for all this?" She just had to ask that question. She was afraid of the things that could come to his mind.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and went some steps back inside the room.

"Well, I mean... You're nice to me, but why? You have no reason to be so nice." He inevitably had to smile when he heard these words from her mouth. She might look naive, but she wasn’t. Even though she was so young.

"I'm nice because I want to be nice." He explained quietly. Obviously, she was still afraid, but he understood it, who could have blamed her after all the violence against her? "Your intimation, on a return, was obviously sexually meant. Is that right?”

"Yes..." she whispered quietly.

"Well, then you can breathe calmly. I'm gay, but even if I wasn't, I wouldn't touch you, Allison. You will never experience me as I beat you or otherwise threaten you in a different way. Unless you pity my family or lie to me. I can't stand that. Otherwise, we both won't have any problems with each other, all right?"

Seunghyun held up his little finger to Allison and she hooked in. She liked him, he was not like his brother, a thoughtless bully. He used words instead of his fists and that was what she liked. Allison's father was just like this Jiyong guy... If there were problems with his employees or subordinates, he fixed this with his fists instead of thinking and acting. He was an instinct-driven asshole and as far as she noticed, Jiyong joined this category too. But not Seunghyun. He wasn't like that.

Allison smiled at him and Seunghyun almost felt guilty that he only played the nice guy.

But only almost. After all, this was still the mafia where there was no such thing as a bad conscience.

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ladyknightskye · 7 years ago

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The 13 Ghosts of Darcy Lewis (3)

Summary: Halloween is one of Darcy’s favorite holidays, but the spooky fun is about to be hijacked. Now, Darcy must traverse a nightmare vision of the Avengers Compound and collect the 13 ghosts of the Avengers before midnight or else the spell will never be broken. However, she’s going to have some mighty monsters to fight - the Avengers themselves.

Author’s Note: This fic will be 31 chapters long, but each chapter will be of drabble length (approx. 200-1500 words). I’m using a prompt list of my own making to guide the story. A chapter will be posted each day, with the exception of the first three, because I couldn’t get to posting them before now. :) I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3: Gauntlet Thrown (Spells)

Characters: Darcy Lewis, Pepper Potts, Laura Barton, Jane Foster, Betty Ross

Relationships: mentioned Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, mentioned Betty Ross/Bruce Banner, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis

Warnings: None

Darcy loved Halloween. She loved the costumes, and the candy, and the whole ambiance. This year looked to be especially awesome since she got to party with the Avengers. Well, everyone who lived and worked in the compound was invited, from the mightiest janitor to the lowliest director of operations, and that was just fine with Darcy Elizabeth Lewis. She liked people, and this was a chance to mingle with everyone. Not to mention the fact that Laura Barton, Betty Ross, and Pepper Potts were going to be in attendance as well.

She was just entering the party, glancing around to see if she could find Steve and Bucky – they’d said they’d meet her at the door – when it happened. A shiver ran down her spine, and her skin felt like it had hit a wall of ice. The world went black, then white, then black again, until she found herself standing in a nondescript room. The walls were stark white, and she realized she wasn’t alone. “Guys?”

Pepper, Laura, Jane, and Betty all turned to her. They were dressed in their costumes as she was. Pepper had dressed up as a police officer – of the decidedly not-sexy variety in order to mess with Tony – and Betty was an Egyptian woman. Jane had gone all out as a Tudor era queen, and Laura was a simple demon in an all black outfit with a pair of horns on a headband. Darcy herself was dressed as a witch with a cute little fascinator hat, green and black striped stockings, and a little black dress paired with black lace elbow-length gloves.

“Good, our last contestant is here,” a voice murmured. The five women turned to see a woman melt out of the whiteness, her golden skin and amber eyes a warm contrast to the sterile color. “I am called Enchantress. I have brought you here for a challenge.”

“A challenge?” Laura barked. Betty glanced around fearfully, and Jane and Pepper looked fierce.

“Ah, already one of you shows her true colors,” Enchantress murmured, regret coloring her tone. Betty disappeared, and the other four cried out. “Calm yourselves! She is unharmed. But she couldn’t take the challenge ahead.”

“And I repeat,” Laura snapped, “What challenge?”

“Yeah!” Jane agreed, “Who the hell are you to come here and kidnap us?!”

Enchantress grinned, her lips bright and cruel. “It is a shame isn’t it? That you are so strong of will, yet you have no strength of body or power to match. That was Ms. Ross’s problem – her strength of will was not enough. Do not mistake me, she is a brave woman, but her bravery only extends to that which she needs to defend her beloved from her father. Her fire burns because of another, not in spite of them.”

Jane glanced back at Darcy, and then to Pepper and Laura. “I’ve had power, and I don’t want it again.”

“That is true,” Enchantress mused, “You have Dr. Foster. Are you sure though? I offer not the power of the Aether, but something else.”

Jane shook her head. “No. I’m fine as I am. Now let me, and my friends, go.”

Enchantress laughed, the sound dark and ominous. “I’m afraid the only person you disqualify is yourself.”

Jane disappeared the same as Betty. Pepper and Laura continued to stand their ground, but Darcy approached them. She stayed behind Pepper and Laura, and couldn’t help but feel like the older women were almost like lionesses protecting her. “So, three remain. And you still haven’t told us what this challenge is,” Darcy said finally. “Is this like the Highlander or something? Only one can survive?”

Enchantress grinned, the expression just as sharp and terrifying as everything else about the woman. “No, it is not a challenge to the death. I am not evil, just . . . a little cruel. No one will die tonight. Even if they appear to, it will only be an illusion.”

“So comforting,” Pepper snapped.

“So, can we opt out like Jane?” Laura continued.

The golden woman cocked her head. “No, because I must have a winner this night. I could allow two of you to go, but that does not guarantee that I would have a worthy champion. So, I allowed for two of you to be disqualified before the true test begins. Congratulations, ladies, on winning round 1.”

“Let Darcy go,” Pepper said.

The woman smiled. “You are a protector, that is plain, but I will not.”

Darcy put up her hands. “No, Pep’s right, let me go! Whatever magic mumbo-jumbo that you want to bestow, I’m not the right one for it. I’m just the intern.”

Enchantress’s grin turned cold and calculating. “Are you? Is that what Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes think?”

Before Pepper could let loose an invective, or Laura a cry of frustration, or Darcy a gasp of surprised outrage, the three women were gone. The last thing they heard was Enchantress’s voice – “Break the spell, and win the night.”

#darcy lewis #jane foster #pepper potts #laura barton #betty ross #BAMF girls #13 ghosts of darcy lewis

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firebunnylover · 7 years ago

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Hannah Watches LOSH - Lightning Storm

Lightning Storm

The opening to this episode is the Legion on a mission to rescue several ships from a Space Squid. It is… not going well.

Everyone except Bouncy – who is on the cruiser – gets caught by the squid. Although we do get more Triplicate Girl, and our first mission-appearance of Colossal Boy.

Oh, about that Superman… someone just joined the party, so they probably did watch for a bit.

Their leader tells Wave to distract it and Esper to ready a mind blast. As soon as Esper does her part, the others go in, making the squid let the ships and other captives go.

When Superman tries to help, he nearly gets hit by one of the weapons used by one of the other team.

But when Lightning Lad manages to help, he’s thanked.

Esper delivers another psychic attack, and when the Legion goes to attack, this happens.

That is disgusting. RIP Space Squid.

Aww, Sparky doesn’t want his nerd teammate to embarrass him in front of the cool kids.

Still Superman goes over to thank them.

The leader says that they can clean up the mess. To which Superman goes “Oh! Right!” Gosh what a boy scout.

Later, we see that Colossal Boy has departed the rest of the team, and Superman thanks him for helping earlier. Although Lightning Lad comments they looked like dumb kids during the mission. What a sour puss.

However Bouncy questions who the others were.

However, Lightning Lad’s thoughts clearly contrast Triplicate Girls’ thoughts.

I love how the girls are all gathered together. It’s like they started a poly-relationship.

Actually, can the whole legion be poly-romantic? That takes a lot of trouble out of shipping.

Of course, Lightning Lad goes straight into Tsudere denial mode.

When Saturn Girl says they’ll see soon on Lightning Lad’s fan-crush on the other group, he angrily asks if she’s now clairvoyant. She answers she just has good eyes, as she noticed their ship at the Dinner the Legion was just heading to.

My observant queen.

How are Jupiter burgers different from other burgers? TELL MEEEE

While the rest of the group is enjoying the meal, Lightning Lad is is clearly pining to talk to the other team. Saturn Girl tells him in a slightly annoyed tone to just go over an talk.

Superman is adorable when eating his burger. Look at how happy he is. He deserves to be happy.

Now the beginning of this next scene is actually capable of giving me second hand embarrassment. I dunno why, it just does. Maybe the expectation Lighting Lad is about to goof this up somehow?

While it seems like at first the other group has no interest in him at all, the leader does talk to him just as he’s getting ready to go, telling him he did a good job earlier. He then introduces himself as Tyr, and the others besides Wave and Esper are Hunter and RonKar, and says they are the Light Speed Vanguard.

WHAT A DORK

He’s so star-struck he has to be reminded to introduce himself.

And then Hunter comments he seems a little old for the other Legionnaires.

Bouncy I love u.

But a moment for Lighting Lad’s face at this.

OMG WHAT A LOSER

Regardless, the LSV give him their card.

What a happy fanboy.

But then returning to HQ, we see that the place is filled with people who don’t seem to be regulars at the place. Making Lighting Lad ask Brainy on what’s going on.

Who answers that a recent memo said Bouncing Boy is holding seminars for people who will be auditioning soon.

Aww my nerd son attempted a joke. Too bad it wasn’t received very well.

But turns out Lightning Lad has his own fanboy! Peter aka Porcupine Pete!

He attempts to demonstrate his powers, but it doesn’t go smoothly.

Da booty tho.

Peter apologizes, but Lighting Lad still walks off.

Rude, you go back and spend time with your fanboy.

Afterwards, Lightning Lad is seen alone and the card given to hip appears to be able to make a portal. Which he walks into with no questions.

Wow what if that turned out to be a death trap?

But the design of the place he walks into is pretty cool to look at.

But I think there’s something even better to look at.

THAT’S RIGHT

HE’S BACK

OUR TRASH LORD

OKAY THE FACT THAT HE’S THERE IS PLENTY OF REASON TO SUSPECT SOMETHING IS WRONG.

Nice call back to Champions, and a nice reminder Lighting Lad does not have many positive feelings towards Mekt right now.

Honey, it was a bit more than just a mistake.

When he claims to have moved on to better things, Lighting Lad’s brain clicks and he asks if he’s really with the LSV. Again, another bad sign.

Lightning Lad, he has been constantly on a more positive side of a relationship than you. This really isn’t that surprising.

But aww, sweet older brother. Saying he’s perfect

When Lighting Lad says he’s already in the Legion, Mekt says the Legion is for kids.

Back on the trash baby list.

However, Tyr tells Lightning Lad to hang for a while before making any decisions. And then Lightning Lad calls up the Legion.

Bouncy seems horrified Lightning Lad might be leaving, especially since he helped start the Legion.

That’s one reason?

When Lightning Lad hangs up, Saturn Girl tells the others that she has a bad feeling about the LSV, admitting that she tried to read their minds. However she held back on telling the others earlier because of feeling guilty, since she tries to reads minds only when she is given permission (or if the situation is very serious). But she couldn’t get through because Esper was shielding them.

PUPPY WANTS TO STAKE OUT.

Also, when I first saw this episode, I thought he said “steak out”, which made no sense to me but I found kinda funny since he’s part-carnivor.

Switching back to the LSV, Mekt is talking to Lightning Lad, saying it’s just like old times, which Lightning Lad agrees to.

And then Esper goes ahead and reads Lightning Lad’s mind. Major red flag.

OH **** YOU AGAIN

TINY CHILDREN

... and backgrounds with details but are too dark...

AAAAAAAH

When Esper finishes, Tyr tells her to give LL privacy. When he realizes she was just reading his mind, Sparky is not happy.

Outside the LSV’s ship, Timber Wolf and Superman are staking them out, with the cruiser cloaked. No sign of takeout though. Probably haven’t been waiting that long.

However, I guess either checkers is either a lost game in the 31st century, or Timber Wolf has never really played any games. Given he questions Superman on what checkers is when waiting.

And then questions what Kansas is. Which is a bit more on an alarming side.

However, they don’t have to kill time as LSV gets a move on, heading to a transport that’s being attacked by Sand Raiders.

And the LSV seem to have a good handle on the situation.

Dat eyeliner.

However, the raiders start to pull out… to get the big guns out.

Tyr suggests Lighting Lad to take care of it by himself, and he goes off to do so. Oh trash baby.

He gets knocked down, but then Superman and Timber Wolf intervene. Lightning Lad is not happy about it.

What a loser.

Big brother behavior~

And we get some glorious interaction between Superman and Mekt

Mm, the Superman we had in the first episode would be a little more inclined to believing people can change.

When the LSV start walking off, Lightning Lad asks what Superman and TimberWolf are doing in the same place. Although Superman is 100% honest, Lighting Lad still tells them to leave. Prick.

Superman then leaves, commenting that Mekt was right on people changing.

Oof. Not a good thing to get salt from Superman.

However, before the LSV leaves, they bill the guys they just saved. Who are taking decontamination stuff to a colony, and it sounds urgent.

This puts the LSV in a new light for Lightning Lad.

Especially when Tyr tells him “Whoever said we were heroes? This is business.”

Oof. Not what the trash baby needs.

When Lightning Lad tries to get the LSV to go help out at several places, Mekt turns him down, saying there’s no credit.

But all I could focus on is Dem Legs.

UNF

Also, bonus points for having him examine his nails. He might be considering gloves like his brother now.

However the brothers are interrupted by Tyr, saying the captain of the transport is refusing to pay. And says it’s time to collect.

Finally returning to the Legion HQ, Bouncy is talking to the try-outies, getting them ready. I love him.

However, when demonstrating with one of the applicants, Breath Boy – who can hold his breath for an extended period of time – Superman calls him because they got a distress call.

Upon arriving to the transport with the decontamination units, the Legion sees the LSV ship.

But Saturn Girl quickly finds out what’s going on.

Inside, the LSV are taking the decontamination units. Wow. What pricks.

But dem legs tho. And the way he’s sitting is proof of Mekt being a cat.

Tyr tells Lightning Lad to take care of the captain, but Sparky’s conscious wins out.

Mekt tries to get Lightning Lad to calm down, but Lightning Lad is having none of it.

Triplicate Girl outside comments she can’t believe Lightning Lad got mixed up with hijackers, just when Lightning Lad is knocked out of the transport.

Superman goes out to catch him, holding him bridal style.

Good thing Brainy wasn’t there.

Wow he can admit that.

So, judging from what Lightning Lad said, there was still some hope holding out that his brother CAN do something good, and a long time ago, did look up to him. Oof. This hurts me.

AND WE GET A CONFIRMATION ON WHERE THE POWERS CAME FROM

While the brothers have a go at each other, Hunter throws flares at Superman and Saturn Girl, who are both saved by our beloved Puppy, who then lunges at Hunter. While Superman takes Tyr on and Saturn Girl fights Esper, after being attacked by a mind blast.

Back with the brothers.

I don’t think that face implies anything good.

At what point are we talking about? Recently? Past? AAAAA

Like the touch of Bouncy watching the fight before switching channels and seeing the LSV ship coming head on.

While Wave and Ron Karr fire a few shots at the cruiser, turns out Bouncy has a lot of tricks up his sleeves.

Aww, poor white TG

Meanwhile, SG tries helping TW but gets ambushed by Esper. However, she manages to catch esper off guard and knocks her out.

Timber Wolf starts to get cornered by Hunter, but Saturn Girl manages to turn the table with making Hunter see Glorgs, which I assume are the equivalent of Furbies.

What a pure friendship.

Superman and Tyr seem pretty even in strength, and when both are starting to wear down. However, when Tyr takes out a gun-like weapon (it does not look 100% like a gun, so im refraining from calling it that) Superman uses his heat vision to blow it up, causing a smoke screen and then proceeds to beat him.

With the Ships’ fight, the Legion manages to sneak up on the LSV.

But back to the brothers.

Oof. They were really going for it.

But a moment to appreciate one of the frames of Mekt.

Edited to show the best part better.

ASS

Okay, how heavy was that metal thing?

As soon as Mekt is gone, Superman comes to help Lightning Lad get the metal thing off, saying they have a delivery to make.

Take this out of context and it looks like two boyfriends getting back together.

After seeing the rest of the LSV tied up, we go to the ship, where Triplicate Girl is gushing about Bouncy during the fight, to which Superman says they make a good team.

Giving us the first hint at BB/TG

Awwwww~

However, Lightning Lad isn’t doing to well and Saturn Girl goes to talk to him, giving us a good moment between them.

After that incredibly touching moment, we see there’s still one applicant in the HQ, even after closing hours. Then we exit out the episode.

So final thoughts on the episode overall and the character

Well, obviously I love it because of my Trash Lord. But don’t worry, I’ll gush on him towards the end of this section.

This episode does have its plus and minuses, both of which I will discuss.

In terms of world building, we now know some places are still being colonized in Space, given the guy who is delivering the decontamination units mentions colonies. Honestly, knowing there are still places left unexplored is pretty cool for me as it invites multiple possibilities with different places and beings.

We get far more character development than last episode. In terms of discussing the characters, I’m saving the brothers for last because it’s that good.

Superman is once again not the central character of this episode. But we see that he does have doubts about some people doing good.

Let’s go over a list of people he trusted in the show.

Dr. Londo. Who turned out to be abusive and manipulative.

Alexis. Who tried to kill his friends.

Zyx. Who proved to be very dangerous.

But when Mekt says he’s with the LSV, he is immediately suspicious. Now there is the fact Saturn Girl said that they were up to something, but given everything that has happened, this is a big sign of change in his trust in others. And that he needs a vacation.

And he makes a jab at Lighting Lad as well when it seems Lightning Lad has switched sides. But, he easily goes out to save him when he gets blasted. Showing he still trust Lighting Lad to do what’s right.

We finally get more development with Saturn Girl in this episode. We see once again she’s incredibly observant of people, and doesn’t need to read minds to figure out what people feel or think a fair amount of the time, but does teases Lightning Lad when he’s being tsundere as hell. We also see she knows there are lines not to cross regarding privacy of others’ thoughts. But she can still cave to the temptation of reading others minds without permission, and she held back information because she felt bad about doing it. Yes, give her flaws. Make her more realistic.

But we also see more of the comforting side of her again that she had shown Superman and Timberwolf, but this time to Lightning Lad. Nice to see.

Bouncing Boy is an absolute JOY. He’s so nice to the hopeful applicants for the auditions, even though everyone else seems to have doubts about most of them.

While at the diner, we see a love of food , and I I can relate. Immediately. I am on the heavy side, and was much heavier when younger. And he’s not constantly eating, unlike some other portrayals of fat people I have seen. Heck, we’ve only seen him eat three times before. The fair, at Clark’s home, and the popcorn while watching a movie. He does get food in Q12, but he doesn’t eat that because eyeballs. He is more than just his love of food.

A fat person being portrayed positively is something I enjoy to see. Hence one reason why I love Steven Universe, which has several fat/heavy characters. Plus seeing him goof around is fun to watch as well

And we see he’s very good at maneuvering the ship, most of it being improvisation.

Which makes something in episode 2 make more sense. Him taking offense on B5 insisting on him to use a system to help fly it. He is very good at piloting, so with Brainy trying to make him use a console, it does seem like an insult to his skills.

Timber Wolf returns, but unlike Phantoms, he seems to be coping much better with being with the Legion. The people in this episode he seems to automatically trust are Saturn Girl – unquestionable because she was the one who helped him first, and Superman. And we see that his relationship with Saturn Girl has developed from the second episode, but not in a romantic sense, which is rare to see, outside brother and sister relationships. It’s platonic. Which is so good.

But then there’s the “What’s Checkers?” moment and “What’s Kansas?”. Now this seemed funny to me as a kid, but now, it’s worrisome as hell. We still don’t know if Timber Wolf spent his entire childhood with his father. If he did, then those two questions imply a lack of education on certain things. Things that can be considered trivial in the 31st century. Which further implies his father isolating him from the outside world.

But it is possible that Kansas and Checkers are things that are just not common knowledge to most people in the 31st century. We’ll get more insight into Timber Wolf’s past next episode and in the second season, but still, things to worry about.

And we FINALLY get development with Triplicate Girl. Which the lack of in the last episode she was in was a major let down. And the three parts of her aren’t all the same, the vary in their behaviors, as evident when White throws up from motion sickness. And the fact they don’t go back into one being after the fight means she’s comfortable being split up.

She’s like a reverse Garnet.

She is the all-together version of the three duplicates of her, but the whole version is the original version. While Garnet is the sum of two people, Sapphire and Ruby who were their own persons before fusing. But Triplicate Girl is comfortable with splitting her three personas up, and equally as comfortable with becoming one again. Garnet always wants to be fused. Ruby and Sapphire love each other so much. And both choices are perfectly fine. As long as they are comfortable about it and do so in a healthy manner, anyway.

They immediately saw the LSV as stuck-ups, which is not too far from their true nature. And their expressions the three of her when Saturn Girl began teasing Lightning Lad? They were ready to join in on the teasing. Plus we see her as the copilot(s) of the Legion Cruiser, and going on how amazing Bouncing Boy was with his maneuvers. Perhaps Bouncy can teach her a few things?

Wished that we could have seen more varying behavior between the three personas, but thankfully, the comic the show got did.

We saw Brainy, but he didn’t do much this episode, and we don’t even see him that long. Now in the original airing order of this episodes, this wouldn’t stand out. But knowing what happens in the next episode in the production order, it gives us a different picture. Which we will discuss in the next episode review to avoid spoiling.

But we see that now he’s attempting to make jokes, although he’s not that great at it. Just keep practicing, baby.

We also get our first non-regular legionnaire appearance on a mission. I really wished we had more like this. I love having many characters that vary. The guest character we got was Colossal Boy. Like Brainy, nothing much to say on him. Sadly.

But then we have Porcupine Pete, aka Peter. He has an appearance shorter than both of the two characters I just mentioned, but the writers managed to give him personality in that short amount of time. We see he looks up to Lightning Lad and is a huge fanboy, possibly rivaling Brainy’s own crush. And he can confront the object of his affections. But Pete messes up on his attempt to impress him. Real bad. And you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

Lightning Lad doesn’t deserve him.

And for our villains. The LSV makes far more interesting villains than the F5. The LSV manages to have more than one girl on the team, but we don’t see much interaction between them, unlike the Legion.

The least developed of the LSV is sadly Wave, one of the two women on the team. She never speaks in this episode. We see her laughing with the others at the diner, but that’s it in verbal communication, and we can’t tell if it’s her own laughter being heard. But we do see her motioning to Ron Karr with her hair when they were about to attack the Legion Cruiser. This does leave room for the people watching to speculate.

Maybe she can’t talk at all. If so, then the staff could have taken advantage of this. How? Let’s look at Sandman from ROTG.

Sandy can’t talk, but he uses his sands to do charades. Wave could have done something similar with her hair. That would have been amazing to watch.

Hunter has an accent, which I think is based off an Australian one, but I’m not reliable in distinguishing accents. He also seems to be the oldest, and has experienced with using different weapons. He also has experience fighting fauna from different places in space, as we hear him talking about fighting another space squid elsewhere. Putting the fight with Timber Wolf in an interesting perspective. Nothing else to add.

Then we have Ron Karr, who shares the same voice actor as Timber Wolf, Shawn Harrison. His power in the comics was originally flattening his body, however in the show he is a shapeshifter. I guess the original source’s power can be considered shape shifting to an extent, but I can see how this change can bother the comic fans.

Another power change of a comic character that comes to mind is Negasonic Teenage Warhead, also known as Ellie Phimister.

Originally, her power is telepathy and precognition. However, in the Deadpool movie, her powers have been massively changed to better suit her name. In the deleted scene, when she teases Deadpool, we do get a slight nod to her original power as she tells him she can predict the future.

I thought that the film handled her very well, including the power change. But that’s just my opinion.

I’m not sure why the staffdecided to change Ron Karr’s power. Unless they already were planning season 2, where he plays a more prominent role. Or they just wanted to do more with him, because flattening himself doesn’t let them do much.

Talking about his powers aside, he also pilots the LSV ship, but still gets owned by Bouncy’s skills. I can’t tell what age he is, although for the longest time I figured he was the youngest. Now I’m not sure.

Moving on, there is Esper, the second female member of the LSV.

It is clear she is the foil to Saturn Girl. Esper does not have any respect for privacy. Which is very alarming. She just went ahead and read Lightning Lad’s mind. And didn’t feel guilt afterwards. It’s unlikely she draws the line on when not to use her powers on others without permission. Esper does not think about another person’s consent. That makes her a very dangerous person. Even if she is supposed to be on the same team. And she does not offer the same comfort Saturn Girl does.

One thing I need to get off my chest however with her is her outfit. It is very obviously Egyptian-based. And she does not seem Egyptian. As I mentioned last time, I’m not Egyptian-descent, but this still bothers me. Much more than last time given that it’s far more obvious than the Head of the Council of Zerok (I found out that’s the proper spelling from the story boards).

… And as I’m writing this, the reboot of The Mummy is coming out in theaters.

*painfully heaves in the corner*

But most of the character designers of this episode are not white people (after doing a lot of searching on the names in credits). And Triplicate Girl herself was intended to have darker skin, but her skin was lightened in the final products, sadly. So, could Esper have had a less-white appearance in early product, and only her outfit was spared in post-production? Perhaps.

We won’t know what went down unless someone asks one of the people who was involved with development for this show.

Oh, and if you are looking for an alternative movie to “The Mummy” reboot film, or you saw it and you need treatment to recover from that, I have the perfect solution/treatment.

1999′s The Mummy.

Now to talk about Tyr.

He’s a smooth talker. Very good at convincing Lightning Lad to come and stay. Which is not easy, given his ego, and dislike for his brother. He seems like a natural leader. And I like his design too.

But my favorite thing about him is his voice actor.

Not sure on who he is? Here’s a little hint.

youtube

THAT’S RIGHT. HIS VOICE ACTOR IS KHARY PAYTON, THE SAME PERSON WHO DID CYBORG FROM TEEN TITANS.

KHARY’S CYBORG IS ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME. SO KNOWING THAT HE WORKED ON THIS SHOW EVEN A LITTLE BIT BRINGS A LOT OF JOY TO ME.

However, the ultimate downside is that Tyr is nowhere near as expressive as Cyborg, voice acting included. They are different characters, but one of the things that made Khary’s Cyborg enjoyable is the ablility to flex between joyful Boo-Yahs and very serious dialogue. We know he has the talent. But it’s not used to its full extent.

With that said, this does remind me one of the show’s biggest weakness. The ultimate comparison to Teen Titans’ original run.

Teen Titans had more development with its characters, more expressive animation, and a longer run that Legion of SuperHeroes. When Teen Titans finished season 5, many people were looking for a substitute. And given that LOSH is another DC comics, the comparison was going to happen. That’s something that the staff had to be aware of during production.

Good news is that now, we can say that LOSH is better than the current Teen Titans Go.

And now, our favorite brothers in this show.

If you want an image to sum up their fight in simple terms, here.

But to delve into more detail, we’ll first look at Lightning Lad.

So this is the first time we see him having idols to look up at, and does seem embarrassed by the Legion’s far more childish approaches to things. Even though he can also be childish at times. And we see his more aggressive/jerk side again, more than usual, matching the first episode’s personality again. The best examples are when he’s with Porcupine Pete – walking off is not a good way to console a fan, and when he tells Superman and Timber Wolf to leave him alone.

Does that mean he’s regressed in character development? No. His jerk personality was never fully addressed in other episodes. His ego was in Champions though. Which is something else entirely.

He does apologize to Saturn Girl for his behavior towards his teammates at the end though, and did seem to be expecting consequences of some sort for being with the LSV and how he told Superman to go.

He was very lucky Superman and Saturn Girl were ready to forgive him. However, I won’t be surprised if the others make him do some sort of re-initiation thing as punishment.

We also see he tends to have ideals on what heroes are like, neither of which the Legion or LSV live up to, for different reasons. But sees the LSV as far worse.

But we finally see part of the event that gave him his powers, and got a mention of it from Mekt.

The Lightning Beast attack. Which was him, his sister Ayla – who we finally see, and Mekt, being attacked by a creature far bigger than them, and was not friendly.

It was traumatic enough to turn Mekt’s hair white.

First thing to discuss is how deep that trauma affected him, regarding the previous episode.

Zyx messing with a large monster with powers, and was established previously that they are dangerous and will attack people. Sounds immediately familiar to Lightning Lad’s own story, doesn’t it?

And after they put Comet and Cupid back in their exhibit, Lighting Lad gets really mad. It wasn’t going to help the current situation then, but now that we know he’s seen that situation before, we can deduct something else.

He’s mad because it could have been a repeat of whatever happened back then. Making his reaction much more understandable.

At this point, we don’t know the full story of what happened though. Around this episode’s original air date, when I first watched it, I had looked Lighting Lad up on Wikipedia, and read more on the Lightning Beast attack, which gave all three siblings their powers. And found out that Lightning Lad’s sister, Ayla, who was also a legionnaire in the comics.

Which now begs the question – where is she in the show?

When I first watched this and did research, I figured she was simply not shown yet, or probably had not yet joined the legion, and was still living at home.

But now, it seems a bit more obvious that wasn’t simply the case. Neither brothers mention her at any point in this episode or Champions. Implying whatever situation she’s in, it wasn’t easy for them to talk about.

Back to Lightning Lad.

Regarding the relationship with his brother… it takes an unfortunate turn for the worse.

He clearly doesn’t trust Mekt when he first sees him in this episode, regarding the incident in Champions. And doesn’t see him as a very generous person. It doesn’t stop him from staying with the LSV though. And we see during the fight with the sand raiders, he still cares enough to help Mekt. And does admit he held out some hope that he would do something right, but that hope has ceased.

But during the final fight, it seems like whatever positive feelings has been cast aside. And expects Mekt to take advantage and deliver the final blow. But his expression when Mekt leaves suggest he’s saddened by the turn the relationship has gone.

Oof.

And now for our favorite piece of trash.

First thing. Get rid of the purple pants, Mekt. They don’t look good on you. Everything else of his costume is good though. And eyeliner is on point, and Dem Legs are as fine as ever.

And I like the touch of detail in parts of the episode where his lightning was a slightly different color from Lightning Lad’s. Sadly this detail is not kept consistent in the episode.

And now his role as a villain. Perfect. I completely can see him as a villain in this episode. And I certainly did when I first watched this. Hence making me dislike him.

In the original comics, Mekt was the leader of the LSV, called Lightning Lord, but no one calls him that, and Tyr seems to be the leader. Not sure why the change, but maybe it has something to do with the self-esteem issues we saw in Champions?

We see his selfish side shine through as he’s part of the LSV for financial reasons. But he’s not portrayed as a typical greedy villain, thank god. He also shows his powers in use in this episode, which we did not see last time, implying he has figured out how to use them effectively against people.

Once again, he’s the more positive person of the brothers’ relationship, but even that seems to change at the end of this episode.

He’s the one who wants Lightning Lad to join the team the most. Even calls him perfect for it. And when they are on the ship together, Mekt calls it like old times, and when we get a closer look at them, right when Esper is about to read Lightning Lad’s mind, he’s smiling.

He didn’t offer Lightning Lad a spot for any manipulative reasons. He genuinely wants his brother there just to spend time together.

When Lightning Lad refuses to help steal the decontamination units, Mekt tries to talk to him. Although it doesn’t work. Mekt gets mad and charges up to zap him, but then lowers his fist for a bit.

He zaps him a few moments later though.

During the fight, he comments he got more power from the Lightning Beast. How does he know that? I WANT DETAILS!

But I want to discuss a moment during the fight that stood out to me. When Lightning Lad is starting to corner him and seemed ready to deliver some serious blows, Mekt says something that I’m really curious about.

“Wait! I saved your life! Isn’t that worth something?”

At what point of time is he talking about? The Lightning Beast attack? He is shown trying to beat it with a stick to give Ayla and Garth time to run. But that happened so long ago, it wouldn’t make sense to bring it up at this point.

He doesn’t do anything in Champions to save him. And nothing in the fight against the sand raiders.

That leaves us with one other option.

Remember that when Lightning Lad turns on the LSV, he doesn’t zap Mekt, giving him no reason to zap his brother.

Except Lightning Lad zapped Tyr, who immediately tells him “You’re gonna wish you hadn’t done that.” So… shouldn’t Tyr been the one to hit him instead of Mekt?

Putting Mekt’s statement and the situation together paints us a new image.

Tyr has no emotional connections to Lightning Lad. He’s chill with having him on board, but isn’t desperate to keep him.

Tyr was possibly going to do something to Lightning Lad that would have been fatal, but Mekt intervened. Yeah, Lightning Lad got blasted out of the transport, but relatively speaking, he was unharmed.

This serves as more evidence Mekt does legitimately care for his brother.

But Lightning Lad states he doesn’t owe him for that. This is also a good point. Just because a person does something good, it doesn’t mean you automatically owe them.

But at the end of the fight, he’s overpowering Garth. All on his own ability.

Calling back to Champions now, remember he resorted to making a deal with the F5 in disguise to get first place. He bested Lightning Lad via cheating then.

But now, he’s not pulling any dirty tricks, and he still comes out on top. He’s coming in first, all on his own.

That is probably like getting high for him.

AND HE LOVES IT.

Which is toxic for their relationship, decreasing the positivity he had for it.

His remark towards Lightning Lad when asked what he’s waiting for when his brother is vulnerable is that he likes it better when he owes him, but warns him if he gets in his way again.

I know Lightning Lad at this point won’t hesitate if he must do something fatal to Mekt, even if somewhere deep in his heart he still wants to love him, and expects Mekt to be the same in regards of a fight. But it’s not as clear on Mekt’s end. He leaves a threat hanging over Lightning Lad’s head, but he had the chance to kill him.

So while he’s not as positive on the relationship in the end as he was in the beginning, he’s still the more positive one than Lightning Lad.

That’s all for now, but for the next episode, I fully intend to stream it on my twitch channel. Haven’t decided on exact date or time yet. Will let you guys know eventually

In the meantime, I’m just going to be curled up in a ball while I cry about these two brothers.

#losh #Hannah Watches LOSH #LIGHTNING LAD #MEKT RANZZ #LIGHTNING LORD #saturn girl #legion of superheroes

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