#what a horrible ship name sorry i love this ship with my whole heart but we need something better.

[catsburgers]

good evening steter nation i started this redraw of the miku/luka magnet img as a joke then got carried away. yeah thats all im writing another flipside gang fic for funsies. :P

[cheesewelsom]

An AU where all their children marry each other. ( hanahaki AU too ) [ and instead of the flowers being the ones the crush likes, it's now what the crush represents ]

( At this point, im too tired of not shipping Incest okay? It's the incest show anyways, save me my scraps of pride. )

Everyone's aged up for the appropriate setting.

Aemond and Lucerys are getting married. Everyone supports it, Even Alicent who everyone thought wouldn't agree because of her religion..

But she does.

The marriage was like basking in Golden sunlight and purple rain, it was beautiful, majestic and the married couples faces looks so much like flowers happily dancing in the wind.

Alicent could almost see her and Rhaenyra's faces standing in front of the alter, saying those vows with thrumming hearts and happy smiles.

Maybe in the past... Far into the past it could've been..

But not now.

[ The flowers are now planted ]

The next wedding, Jacaerys and Aegon's.

She was so proud of him after he changed, spite what everyone told he couldn't, he did and apologized.. even if apologies didn't reach for what he had done, he tried everything to be better. And he was.

He is.

Both Alicent and Rhaenyra were tasked with finding the Priest, Decorations everything..

It felt like she was getting ready for her own wedding, but she couldn't go too ahead of herself.

She asked Aegon about idea's, tossed them around and then she'd report back to Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra did the same.

Again, she imagined the whole wedding to be hers and Rhaenyra.

[ Flowers come out of her mouth, they look majestic. ]

It was selfish, but it uplifted her spirits.

The next comes in the form of Rhaena and Helaena. She almost pukes.

[ The flowers angerly decided to stay down, rustling in her stomach and thorns scratching her throat )

She didn't know if she could do this, she didn't. This wedding was more taxing than the first two. A lot more taxing.

The only relief if that there is no brown haired person in front of the alter.

The flowers didn't think it was enough, sadly, and they started acting out horribly.

She wanted to be distant with this wedding, but after a few minutes of not talking and being awkward in the room, Rhaenyra had enough and pulled her aside.

" I don't know what has gotten into you? Why are you not putting as much effort as i seen with the other two? Heleana's starting to get nervous and your children- " before Rhaenyra could even finish, Alicent's stomach hurt and her lungs felt like hell, the flowers decided to come bursting out.

And burst out they did.

Cascading down her mouth were a flurry of purple flowers from old.

An old Valyrian Flower, from the place where her fathers model copied from..

Rhyserys represents Freedom, Love, Joy, Fairness, Good-natured and to some lengths, Romantic.

They also represent sharpness, Determination and Protection..

They grow anywhere, in any weather. They're blue fading into purple, flowers on vines, They're full of life, green leaves, and two cool colors.

Now vines are coming out of Alicent's mouth, with a dance of what seems like a hundred flowers, and blood, so much of it attached to the thorns and Rhaenyra's panicking because Alicent might die.

Alicent pulls of the vines, she pulls and pulls until they're out.

"Sorry, couldn't speak.." Alicent mumbled as blood dripped down from her mouth.

Rhaenyra is just looking at the heap of Vein flowers on the floor, with tiny specks of blood. Then she stomps..

"What the fuck are you? and how dare you hurt her! " She keeps shouting at the flowers while stomping at them. A string of angry curses, names, and insults follow.

Alicent just looks dumbfounded and laughs, even if her throat feels like a thousand needs poked through her she still did, her voice sounded terrible, so did choking on blood, but it was hilarious..

Rhaenyra didn't think so as she fussed her towards the Maester even if she told Rhaenyra she was okay.

After the whole family got together after hearing about the visit from the Maester, she told everyone she was alright. She's happy that Rhaenyra kept it a secret.

Next wedding is on the battlefield, Alicent got kidnapped the Targaryens are trying to her back, alot of shit goes down and now Alicent is in the middle of the battlefield, Struck down by an arrow to her stomach, Rhaenyra holding her close as they near the tents.

"Alicent, Alicent please don't close your eyes, don't fall asleep, just listen to my voice okay? " Rhaenyra's voice was scrambled and panicked, a broken foot isn't exactly was she needed right now.

Alicent smiles as she touches Rhaenyra's face.

She was ready to face death ever since she knew the flowers. She read a book about them and how the only way to get rid of them is through confession or being cut open to tear them away with her emotions.

She couldn't imagine herself as a person without loving Rhaenyra, so she didn't.

She kept it all inside, ready to die with her love.. now she can die for her.

"You look so pretty. " She weakly beats out of her lungs, the flower's grow against the arrow.

"Thank you, but now is not the time for that Ali. You can stare at my face as long as you'd like, I'd even stay still as a statue for you, you just need to be there for it, okay? "

"Don't you think the weddings looked nice? We worked really hard on them. "Alicent inched on. It was now or never.

"Alicent, just say yes okay? Just breath for me even if i know it's nearly impossible with the flowers and the the whole arrow but i need you to breath, i need you alive, breathing air, looking at my face, at your children okay? "

"The vows of the seven, it's quite funny how Targaryens have so little faith in them but still use them in matrimonial ceremonies.. is it because the old Valyrian has no records of any rituals? "

"Ali, why are you still talking?? I love hearing your voice, a nice thing to know that you're still alive but if you keep using your breath like this you won't make it. Just please, let me make sure i see you tomorrow okay? Let me hear your voice tomorrow as i force you to finally ride Syrax with me because life is too short already and fate is trying to take you away from me again. "

"Rhaenyra, that almost sounds like a love message. " Alicent would laugh is she could feel her lungs.

"Because it is. " The world stops. " I don't know how you can't even see it, even your son with one eye can clearly see us in front of an altar for all to see yet you still hide. And when i found out that you're were love with another- "

"I confessed first. " Alicent cuts her off, "in- in the book it said that if you let the person you are in love with, see the flowers that have bloomed in your lungs because of them, it is said that you have confessed eternally love for them to see... You practically stomped on my heart which comes in the form of flowers from my lungs. "

"... That's a shitty wedding speech. "

"What? "

"You were talking about weddings, then suddenly bring the fact that i stomped on your confession and called the things that caused you pain, a heart. I had every right of being angry at the things keeping my love in agony. "

"No.. wedding speech? "

"That's the thing you settle on hearing? But yes. I am saying that if you'd like that- "

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Clone, Stranger. " Alicent cuts her off again with a smile.

Rhaenyra rolls her eyes.. " again, i couldn't follow. "

They repeat together.

"I am hers. "

"And she is mine. "

" From this day, till the end of my days. "

"You said plural, that means you owe me more days to come, Alicent now live please. "

"Hm, the flowers are moving the arrow...i really don't think- "

"Don't worry love, we're here. " Rhaenyra looks up to see a Maester, they shove Alicent in and everyone just sits in silence.

The war is done, but Alicent ends up alive but unconscious. It was said that something saved her, a blockage of some kind saved her from the arrows full impact, bad side the shield was down to early..

It takes a couple more moons until alicent started to wake. Rhaenyra was on her side reading through hanahaki disease..

" You know.. someone said that id be fine now. "

Rhaenyra turns to Alicent side eyes and hugged the daylights out of her.

"I thought you were going to turn me in to a widow so soon after our marriage. "

" You're settling on that as our marriage? " Alicent cheekily asked.

"No, our engagement. "

"Really? "

"Of course not Alicent! I would die before the my memories of my marriage OR Engagement were about war and my love one dead.." Rhaenyra takes Alicent's hand and kissed it. "You deserve better than that... But if there was a ' who's had the most dramatic wedding, can we please say that? "

"We can.. we practically did the vows anyways. "

"Sweet, now i can really focus on planning our engagement! "

"So soon? "

"Well...after i found out fate seems to want to tear us apart again and again, it seems like soon isn't too close. "

"I sadly agree.. "

Rhaenyra smiles.

[jjaylove27]

True Love

Part Five

HOOK POV

"We can do that Sparrow. You feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm feeling a lot better. I finally have what I needed."

"Good I happy for you."

We started walking back to the ship and just walking in silence. I wonder what the papers are maybe Gold finally decided to give up the pages. That's a funny thought. We are finally back at the ship and Y/N takes a deep breath.

"You know how I said I forgot all my memories well that was a lie. I didn't forget them at all. The person I was in love with and married to had forgot them. Gold took his memories because he doesn't think he should be happy."

"That's awesome new. What are you doing here talking to me?"

"That's the thing Killian my story involves you more then I lead on. You are my husband. Our whole love story is right here in these pages."

She holds the paper out for me to take. I just look at her. She's just my little sister. We couldn't have been in love. I'm with Emma now and I love her. I can't just leave her for a wife I don't remember.

"I'm sorry Y/N but I'm with Emma. I can't just leave her for a past life I don't even remember having."

She just stares at me like her whole world was just ruined. If what she said is right I did just ruin her whole world. She nods her head and puts the papers she was holding down.

"If you get curious this is our story. I'll leave them here."

Then she just walked away with her head down and wiping away her tears.

Y/N POV

A couple day's have passed. I haven't left my room at Granny's. He chose to stay with Emma. I can't force him to leave her as much as it hurts me. I think it's time for me to go back home. I can't just sit here and watch Emma and Killian live the life I should of had with him. I picked my self up and decided to go talk to Regina about going back. I walked out of Granny's and was walking to Regina's house when I see all of them.

"Hey Y/N what are you up to?"

"Hey Snow I'm going to Regina's to see if she can send me back home. Just would rather be home with my dad."

"What? You can't just leave? You just got here. We are your friends and family."

"Hook I got the paper's I have my answers. It's time to go home to dad and move on."

"No, don't start calling me Hook. You never liked calling me that. I was more then just a hook."

"Look you made a choice and I'm respecting you're decision."

I just walked off. I heard a lot of yelling going on behind me and people running after me yelling my name. So I just started running. I ran to the docks and darted into a ship that wasn't being used to hide. What do I do.

HOOK POV

She leaving... No I have to convince her to stay.

"Hook what's going on?"

"Look Snow she knew the whole time about her past. I'm the one who doesn't remember anything. I said I couldn't leave Emma and now she's leaving."

"Hook you have to let her go."

"What Emma? I can't.."

Then I took off running after Y/N. I just got her back.

"Y/N! Y/N Sparrow! My little Sparrow!"

She ran up the docks and once I got there she was gone. I just stood there looking for her. I stood there for 10 minutes. Then I went back to the Jolly Roger I grabbed the papers and started reading them.

Read about how I use to tease her. How I always thought she was pretty. When I ran off with the Jolly Roger and got with Milah and broke Y/N heart. How I came back after Milah died and I reconnected with Y/N. How I fell more in love with her. How I finally kissed her. Asked her dad to marry her. How we got married in the exact spot I'm standing. Our first dance was to Jack's horrible singing. I can't just let that all go. I have to try for her.

I got up and walked to Emma's apartment ready to end things. I knocked on the door ready to do what I had to do. She finally opened the door and smiled at me.

"I'm sorry Emma but I have to end this. I might not remember her but I do have feelings for her. I have to try for her."

"I understand. I hope we can all be friends."

"I hope you find your true love Emma."

Then I turned around and walked away. I went to Granny's hoping that Y/N was there. She wasn't. I'm back to square one. I went back to the Jolly Roger. There she was stand there looking out at the sea.

"I may not have my memories. But I would like to be friends and see where that leads. So please don't leave me. I still having feelings for you."

She jumped when I started talking. Then she slowly turned to look at me with tears in her eye's.

"We can be friends. What about Emma?"

"I ended it with her. It wasn't fair."

Y/N POV

I nodded my head. He was willing to try for me. So I sat down and took a deep breath. After all of these years of searching I finally have him back. I looked at him and he is studying my face.

"So as friends do you want to go get a drink of rum with me?"

"That sound's like a good idea. I should have some on this boat."

He grabbed us each a glass and pored me and him a glass of rum.

"I was on this boat the other day checking that they have all of their supplies and they had zero rum on the ship. What kind of captain doesn't carry rum?"

"They kind that isn't like your father my luv."

We sat there and had some good laughs. Then he walked me back to Granny's where the first time in a long time I had the best night of sleep.

[cow-tag]

Holding the universe in his arms/////Fuck it we ball jonatello fusion fic real

literally so fucking exausted i might not even continue idfk but i needed to get it off my google docs so i can continue or smthn idfk but here yall go enjoy

The crystal glowed with an eerie light, illuminating the room and reflecting off Donnie’s goggles. They carefully chipped a piece off and held it under a microscope, watching the colors swirl and change. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before, and it certainly wasn’t recorded in human history. ‘Makes sense’ they thought, huffing to themself lightly. ‘I found it on a crashed Kraang ship, so it’s probably some sort of alien material.’ 

The object glowed and almost pulsed. It was mesmerizing, one could fall asleep if they stared at it for too long. But Donnie wasn’t going to sleep. Not just yet. 

Now, Donnie should have expected what happened next. It’s rare they get a moment of peace with their family. But, surprisingly, the person that tumbled into their lab with a laugh and a shout was not an orange and green blur. Donnie looked over at the absence of orange for a split second, but immediately turned back when they saw the intruder. Of course he would bother them at this exact moment. 

“Heeeyyy, Stickmaster!! What’s that shiny rock ya got there?” 

Arnold Casey Bernid Jones Junior. The way Donatello got his full legal name is not important. What is important is the fact that he is their greatest rival. In love, in snarky remarks, in machinery, you name it. Except intelligence. They trump him on that topic. But either way, he has no reason to be here, and Donatello had no reason to put up with him. 

“Nothing you need to know about Puckhead, now get out of my lab before I lose a foot up your ass.” Donatello doesn’t move from their spot examining the crystal, not even when they hear a chuckle and a soft “Hot.” come out of Casey. He’s been doing that lately. He’s been.. Flirting. More so than normal. Which in and of itself is a feat, considering the walking pansexual disaster flirts with almost everyone he meets. No, the flirting is not strange. It’s that he’s been flirting with Donatello. An insane thing to hear, Don was shocked the first time they heard any words of romantic affection come from his mouth. But, alas, this is true. It started out small, just little “damn!”s and wolf whistle coming from the human. But it’s been escalating more as of late. Patting their shoulder and giving them a sly smirk, random offhand comments about their attractiveness, a couple sexual innuendos thrown in with their regular banter. Donatello hated it. They hated it so much, they hated the way their face flushed when he got close, hated the way their stomach flipped when he smirked. It was ridiculous, unnecessary, horrible, but somehow the best feeling they’ve ever had. 

“Come on, I just wanna look! Just a little peek?” Casey whines, slumping over Donatello’s shoulder. He was close. Too close. They could feel the warmth emanating from his body, feel the unnaturally loud thrum of his heart, could feel his hot breath on their neck. He was too close. Far too close. They shrug him off the best they can, which resulted in him groaning and spinning their chair, and by proxy, them, to face him. He steps back and crosses his arms, a slight pout on his tan, freckled face. It shouldn’t have been endearing. “Listen, Shit-for-brains, I have work to do. I need to study this.” They turn back, hearing another loud groan come from their ally. 

“Doonniieeeeeee, you’ve been in here for days! That's the whole fukin’ reason I'm in here, Leo told me to come and get ya before she came in to whoop your sorry ass into bed.” Donnie scoffed, of course that was why he was here. Their sister. He would never come in here on his own terms. 

[a small part of Donnie deflated at that last thought. They smack that part of themself upside the head, and focus on ignoring his presence.]

“Well, you can tell her that I am just fine staying where I am. I have been keeping up with my hygiene, and have been eating and drinking properly. There is no reason I should need to leave.” Casey barks out a laugh, pushing Donnie’s tools across the table to lean in front of them. “‘You can tell her that I am just fine staying where I am’” Casey mocks them with a high, nasally voice, adopting a smug, reserved look as he does so. “Bull! When was the last time you went out and ate?” He then yells, reverting back to his regular, loud voice. Donnie shrinks back just a titch at the volume, before scoffing and crossing their arms. “This morning.” They say, pushing the goggles up on their forehead. 

Casey raises an eyebrow. “And what was the date of this, ‘this morning’?” he says, eyeing them suspiciously. Donnie pauses. 

“April 3rd.” 

There's a moment of silence before Casey bursts out laughing again. “April 3rd?!? Dude, it’s the fifth today!” Donnie jumps back at that, rushing to their laptop to check the human’s facts. He was right. HE WAS RIGHT?! Donnie had been cooped up in their lab for two whole days?! They swear it hadn’t been that long! But the universe was against them in this. And apparently was hellbent on making it worse, because Casey then grabbed the crystal. “So, on account of this new realization you have just had,” He said, holding the glowing thing above his head in a ceremonial way, “I am going to confiscate this until further notice.” 

Donnie stood up and shouted, lunging for the crystal. He somehow managed to swerve away from them, laughing and jumping around. “Casey! I don’t know if it’s safe to touch! It could be unstable!” They moved to grab it again, but he was too quick. How was he too quick?! “I dunno don, seems pretty safe to me.” He runs the crystal from the middle of his thigh to the side of his collarbone, smirking the whole time. It pushes up the side of his hoodie for just a moment, putting his hip and lower waist on full display. Casey wasn’t likely to be seen without layers of black clothing, and Donnie was surprised to catch a glimpse of freckled skin before the hoodie fell back down. Apparently Donnie was Immensely tired, because not only was Casey faster than them, that last little trick he pulled was effective in slowing them down even further. They curse themself for being so easily flustered. 

Casey laughed at Donnie’s state, hopping back and forth around them. Crystal in hand, he was literally running circles around them. Donnie continued to try and fail to grab the crystal from him, resulting in the pair entering a sort of dance. Casey came close, Donnie lunged, Casey dodged and barked out a laugh. The crystal seemed to grow brighter in Casey’s grip everytime the two made some sort of contact, illuminating his face in an ethereal way. This was not helping Donnie’s case at all. At some point Casey started dancing around the mutant, his laugh filling the room with joy. Donnie hated it. He came close, grabbed their hand. The crystal grew impossibly bright. He let go, spinning around and around, dragging Donnie with him. Donnie was dizzy and annoyed. This was so ridiculous! He was messing with a potentially dangerous force, with no regard for his safety! And while this was no different than normal, it was endlessly infuriating. To top it off, Casey ended the spin with a dip, holding donnie in one arm and the crystal in the other. He held the crystal far away from Donnie, but the light still managed to reach his eyes. 

There was a moment, a still moment, where everything was calm. Where, for a moment, the light filtered through Casey’s fingers with an unearthly glow. Where, for a moment, Casey’s normally dark eyes seemed to hold an entire galaxy. Where his smile was as big as could be, missing teeth and all. Where his dimples indented his cheeks in a way that perfectly matched the splattering of freckles on his face. Where all the acne scars seemed like stars, light spots scattered across his face. Donnie saw themself in his eyes, along with the galaxy they held. Logically, they know it was just the reflection of light off their goggles. But, for a moment, it seemed as though they were peering into puddles of space. And, for a moment, Casey was just so impossibly beautiful that they could not stand to look at him anymore. 

Thankfully, the moment was ended by the pair being enveloped in white light, forcing them both to close their eyes. 

[With how observant they were, Donnie seemed to miss Casey’s flush as he dodged and weaved, seeming to miss how loud his heart was. They seemed to miss that Casey did not have a galaxy in his eyes, because he was looking at Donnie like they were his whole universe.]

[im-no-jedi]

my thoughts on the TBB season 2 finale

I’ve been more than open about my feelings at this point. I enjoyed the majority of The Summit actually, it’s just Plan 99 that I wish I could erase from my memory forever LOL

you know what, I’ll just go ahead and name everything I did like about these episodes, since I’ve done plenty of complaining already 😝

like I said, I did genuinely like The Summit as an episode. there were a lot of really great moments up until everything started to go wrong (thanks Saw Gerrera, I hate your guts 🙃)

the beginning part on Pabu with Phee. oh. my. GOSH. that was the cutest thing ever. Tech/Phee is officially up there with Kanera and Han/Leia as one of my favorite SW ships 🥰 awkward Tech was SO cute. and relatable 😝

Tech being so adamant about rescuing Crosshair, oh my heart, he misses his brother SO much 😭💙

I have to continue to talk about how freaking happy I am that Echo is back. idk how often he’ll be around in the next season, but I hope the group permanently stays together now. I missed him SO much 🥺

Wrecker was SO funny and sweet in this episode. the part where they’re like “we need to be precise” and they ALL turned to look at Wrecker, OMG that was literally the funniest thing to ever happen in the entire show 🤣👌🏻

Tech Spiderman swinging up to that sensor tower was 👀

Team Sneaky going off to do sneaky things, while Team Chaos handled the homing beacon, LOVE to see it. I was so proud of my baby girl for getting through the hanger, with Wrecker watching her back the entire time 🥰

😳😳😳

seriously why was this episode just one big Rogue One reference LOL

when Tech and Hunter went off, and Tech was like “it could take forever to locate the problem”, and Hunter almost immediately finds the hidden bomb, I love my man so much 😙

that part when Team Sneaky was fighting off Stormtroopers and Hunter used one of the bodies as a human shield, babe please I’m already simping 🥵

as much as I hate droid deaths, Wrecker stepping on the mouse droid and it getting stuck on his foot was so silly 😆

and now for what I enjoyed in the accursed Plan 99...

gonna start off with an obvious one... Hunter sniper shooting down that ship with his little DC-17 blaster in one shot. sir. SIR. IM ALREADY STUPIDLY IN LOVE WITH YOU PLEEEEEASE 😍😍😍🥵🥵🥵

as horrible as it was, from an artistic perspective, Tech’s “death” was an absolute masterpiece. since I already knew that was going to happen and had even watched that moment in a clip on Twitter with the sound off, what really did me in was the music (darn you Kiners 😭💔) and Omega’s reaction. that’s what got me sobbing fr. I can appreciate something from an artistic perspective, even if I don’t like the subject matter 😞

the part where Omega was woozy after the crash mimicked the end of Reunion with Hunter after he’d gotten shot by Cad Bane, and I genuinely loved that 👌🏻

THE WHOLE SCENE WITH HUNTER COMFORTING OMEGA OMFG MY DADGUM HEART. him smiling when she woke up, the softness of his voice, brushing the hair out of her face, putting a hand on her shoulder and then wrapping his arm around her for comfort... and then to top it off, the way he gently brought up the idea of living on Pabu and asking her if that’s what she wanted to do too. I am WEEPING over this man 😭😭😭💙💙💙

as mad as I am at Cid, it was obvious she meant what she said about Tech. and she genuinely felt bad for what she did. I want her to come back in season 3 and do something to make up for doing that. she HAS to 🥺

as much as I hate Hemlock with every fiber of my being... “who knew Clones are so paternal?” WE BEEN KNEW MY DUDE. sorry, but I’m going to relish in every single confirmation that Hunter is Omega’s dad tyvm 😊

I’m terrible, I know, but I genuinely love to see Hunter in a state of despair, so him picking up Tech’s broken goggles with that sad look on his face was *chef’s kiss*

I was very proud of my girl for taking charge and trying to rescue her brothers. proud mama right here 🥺💙

also, again, I’m sorry, but the whump in this episode was very good. I might’ve enjoyed seeing injured Hunter and Wrecker in the hands of Imperials a little too much 😝

the absolute BEST scene in this episode (and one of the best scenes in the show period)? ECHO IN THE WALKER. OMFG. Ham and I SCREAMED. and to top it off? “Echo?” “Gotta be Echo.” THE BEST THE ABSOLUTE BEST THAT EPISODE WAS WORTH WATCHING JUST FOR THAT MOMENT 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I once again state that I love seeing Hunter in despair and permanently have that look of pure horror he made while watching the Imperial ship fly away with Omega engrained in my mind forever, thanks 😌 and he had tears in his eyes I SAW IT. STOP SAYING HE DOESN’T CRY PLEASE 😤

last thing I’ll say about Hunter I swear lsdkfjghlgfkd. but uhh, that last part about him saying how they’re gonna find Omega no matter what it takes... my man’s about to enter his Joel Miller phase and go John Wick on the Empire and I HAVE BEEN WANTING THIS FOR SO LONG YES PLEASE GO FRICK THEM UP BABE 😍😍😍

the way Omega was genuinely happy to see Crosshair again... the way she desperately tried to wake him up... ohhhhh next season is going to break me in the best way possible 🥺🥺🥺

that’s everything I think! time to wait impatiently for season 3 now✨

......why tf did I have more positive things to say about Plan 99 than The Summit lolololol

[haruzen-ampy]

Missing Prisoner EP

Hi phighting fandom, I'm here with my first ever completed fanfic!

Alt. fic name: The Traumatized Eyes Under The Bright Visor

Word count: 2170 words

A few things to note: this is like half head canon half canon kinda stuff, im not good at writing, boombox is aroace here i aint shipping shit with him 🗣📣📣📣🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯‼️‼️‼️‼️,hes also ran away from lost temple to playground, and everyone in this fic is so ooc im so sorry

TWs : swearing, domestic abuse, implied self-harm

TL;DR: Boombox telling Rocket about his horrible past.

The sun sets lazily, putting down a soft peachy tint across the Playground buildings. The soothing evening breezes revitalizes two worn out phighters on their way home. Boombox: Hey Rocket, wanna listen to a fun fact? Rocket: Hmm? Ya! Sure,whassit Boom? Boombox: I'm actually not from here,Playground. I'm a Lost Temple member. Escaped their agonizing past. Rocket snickers: I dun buy it,yo! Yer height is lying for someone who "ran away" from Lost Temple! And I dunno if I could believe ya! Raises his eyebrows, Boombox asks: Then how many percent of you thinks that's true? Rocket: Like 50%-70% ish???  Boombox: Then if you want to, I'll make it to 100% for you. Rocket: Then go on den! Ya must have a long story to tell. Luckily for ya 'am free this whole evening!  Boombox: Hmmm... Where should I start?

A genius. A musical prodigy. "Someone who was born with musical talent". His childhood was showered with praises and cheers as his trophies keep filling up his shelves. His parents were proud of him, and he do,too! But who would deny he isn't talented, for someone writing and composing a whole original song at the age of 6?

Rocket: So ya are just flexin bout your past!  That isn't something to be mad of, agonizing, or traumatizing to you. And I'm jealous too, having both pa-

Boombox: This is just the beginning, Ket.

A stubborn, wild kid at heart. All he love at the age of 12 was his parents, his boombox, the arcade, this world, and freedom. Then time goes by, anxiety and negative thoughts creeps around. Night time you can hear him sobbing about every single thing to ever exist. But it's all natural right? As his friendships began to crumble, his grades falling, the time schedule and deadline piling high, or the phight practice was too rough to deal with. But as a Lost Temple dweller, he have to keep his expectations high.

.

.

.

-Wake up, sleepyhead...

-Wake up, dear...

-Wake up. 

-BOOMBOX CAN'T YOU JUST WAKE UP EARLY FOR ONCE!?

Yea. He blacked out last night from all the crying and making up tunes for his songs, but nothing feels like a burst from all the bore sound he makes. What day is it today? Sunday. It's Sunday. Yet his mom woke him up at six, due to one singular time he was late to school, earning him a phone call from the teacher, and leaving his parents disappointed. But that isn't that serious to the point his mom have to forcefully do it?

But that wasn't all his teenage pain caused by his parents during these years Boombox had to suffer.

High school was a nightmare. And it wasn't because he was constantly bullied, it was his performance and the teachers. It's either the whole class gets a low grade together, or he's the grand sacrifice and gets the worst grade in class, while everyone gets a much higher score despite he grinded all of his free time and training time into studying for those tests. 

Eyes upon eyes of judgements from his teachers, always so fixated on his behavior,be it bad or good.

And of course, messing around with the school rules means some kind of punishment. A new rule in this household. To the thirteen years old then, they are just restrains to keep him in place.

Rocket: So ya said you were shit at school right? That explains why your Phinisher was so simple, and the way you dive head first into the enemies just to wait for Medkit to patch ya up.

Boombox: I'm not that much of an idiot like you think, 'Ket. You may not believe it, but I could analyze when to do it and when I should refrain myself. I could differentiate a new phighter in the scene from an experienced one.

Rocket: mmmmm kay Mr Wisebeats, continue then.

Indeed. Despite his grade was so horrible, he can skim through a long essay and have a clear grasp of what it's saying. Besides, the child prodigy is still inside him. Damaged and tattered. But it's not ready to give up just yet.

Many of the articles he spent reading were about mental illnesses,abuses,and the most important ones are effects of childhood trauma on daily life. And maybe… that’s the first time he knew something he, nor his parents know. He was clearly damaged from every word his parents thrown at him in a fit of rage. 

“I love you,dear” can never cure him. And neither does “I always care about you.” At first, the child was crying streams of tears. Knowing he is being refrained from his usual stimulations. His tears slowly dry up. And now staring blankly at someone he was forced to identify as his parent figures. Because he was taught not to talk back to his parents,but if he can, it can be longer and more logical than everything they have to say to him.

He never heard a single “sorry” or “It’s my fault” from them. In this family, he’s the one whose sorries and fault spills out.

Food never tastes flavorless when they have a family dinner. He supplies them with his tears. The last to enter the table, the first to exit the meal. Because he got nothing good to say, nor does his parents. He wants to skips every feast they have together.

Giving the other a sympathetic gaze, Rocket asks: That sounds rough. Did ya have anyone to talk to then? Boombox smirks: I’ll give you a hint. Your beloved. Rocket: Sword? Fer realsies? Stop teasin me while you are dumping your own past! Boombox: We are just one year apart. If Sword and you can be together, then I could be his friend during those dull years of high school. In fact, he helped me with my epic getaway! he chuckles. “You can ask him after we’re done.”

Sword was pretty rowdy and reckless in his teenage years. And meeting up with Boombox as a senior was a spin of mood from all of the Junior High nightmares the latter faced. It feels magical. Sword always listens to him venting about his parents,how he hates them,and how he desires to run away and never come back,vanishing his bloodline away. Arcade workers never see one of them alone, and loud noises of trash talking with occasional cackles here and there makes the younger one feels better. Was it comfort that he has been looking for? They have many things in common. Yet the only thing Boombox desires was the freedom that Sword had. The presence of the older one made the green-horned demon know what to do. It’s either he has to deal with his parents, sooner or later, or those chains will ruin his dreams and ambitions.

But he also has another plan in mind if all fails him.

His room’s door silently closes. He despises his blinding and glimmering past sitting for ages on his shelves. But they cannot shine in this void of sorrow. Nothing was there except his electric piano, his blanket, himself, and his reflection staring at him the way he stared blankly, yet focused at it. His drafting compass was there too. …He hesitantly grabbed it. Thoughts racing around his head. Should he be doing this? Should he not? Maybe a bit of blood leaking won’t hurt. Maybe it does. What if he will get addicted to the pain and it will be too late to stop in the future. Will he regret this? clink. And the compass is now lying, lifeless in the corner of the void. -What were you thinking? No no no nononono no!!!!! Your future is still bright! What if Sword wakes up one day and you don’t again? You are not easing anyone’s pain. You don’t, and never want your friends to cry and bawling about you right? Please. You will find a way through this mess.

Teary-eyed and weary, he blacked out again. Hope is still glowing inside him.

-So this is goodbye then? -I think so. -Y’know, I sometimes wish I were you. Having guardian figures isn't even mortal to be bothered with normal affairs. -I guess…? Venomshank is kinda busy, so he wouldn’t care much about how I perform academically, nor my future job, or a partner. I’m not so sure your parents would be the same as him. -They said they want me to become a classical composer or a pianist, or I have to throw away my gear and be normal demons and doing 9-5 jobs just like ‘em. But they also told me they wouldn’t care about what the shit I will be doing after graduating from high school though. -Do you actually believe them? -... 30%. -Say, you have to sit through one more year of high school right? -Yea… but to be honest, I’m fucking ready to drop out of school everytime. -So call me when you have considered everything unbearable in this current household. We will be escaping when the stars are still here. -Thank you so much, bestie! -Eh, that’s the least I can do to help you.

What time is it? 7pm on an unusually hot spring day. His last academic year is about to end. He’s kinda glad that both of them haven’t argued with him for a week. Because apparently he hurted one of his parents as an act of self defence after one gets mad when he accidentally did not answer their call and spanks him.

“That should be the last thing I need to pack.” He thought to himself. Dialing a familiar number, telling the older one to ready to stand outside the younger one’s house,and get ready to roll when he signs he’s fully set up mentally and physically. He heads out of his room, trying to find his parents. They are out for some groceries. But they will be back soon. He knocks on his windows and open it, before landing on the ground and head straight into the taxi with Sword waiting for him. -Got your stuff with ya? Is your gear with you? -Yea, everything checks out. Where we heading? -My mentor's friend. He knows like. Tons of thaumaturgic shit. Normally he would use it to trolls others though. But I ask him to be extra nice to you and hopefully nothing goes wrong. -Did you bribe him with something. -What kinda question is that? I wouldn't even do that to a deity like my mentor! -Ya sure?Answer the question, Sword. -He asked me to buy him a massive amount of eggs. I'm motherfucking broke. Venomshank's gonna kill me for sure. -BAHAHAHAH- That's what you get from doing deals with shady deities! -SHUT UP,ALRIGHT? YOU BETTER BE GLAD BECAUSE HE LET YOU ALONE INSTEAD OF REPLACING YOUR GEAR WITH SOMETHING USELESS!

They then proceed to have their regular conversation with jokes here and there. The night never felt so relaxing, and the wind combs his messy hair which he would normally pull due to stress.

The Blackrock bridge is their destination. What’s Sword thinking? Or at least, planning? Does he really have to participate in a ritual for him to actually achieve freedom? The red-horned demon bends over to knock on the bridge base, calling for someone named Darkheart. Moments later,he greets with a seven feet tall demon, dressed with worn down robes and cape, a hat sits neatly on top of the gigantic demon’s head, and a boney, grotesque wing pokes outside of his body. Boombox felt chills running from his spines by the look of him. But Sword will be the one who do the talking.  After a small talk, the deity told him he’s gonna be teleported to an apartment room in Playground, which the said apartment owner will be dealt with later. Of course, he would ask about the legitimacy of it,but then again, it’s magic. They will totally believe it,... right?

Sword told him there’s someone he knows and friends with there, which he should check the demon in question out later.

Now he’s ready for a new life ahead, without daily shouting and threats from his parents. May the future be kind with him, for a soul that never tasted true platonic love.

Rocket: Wait, is that why you stumbled into Ranged Royale just to find me back then? Even we haven’t met? Boombox replies: “Sword gave me a lil bit of your appearance info to find ya. He said I should make some connection in a newer place.” He spins his phone out of his pocket: “We could call him to fact check right now if you want to.” Rocket sighs: Fine, but are you sure he’s free right now? Boombox: Sword’s online right now, I think Venomshank gave him a day off or something. Rocket: Alrighto! Call ‘im for the sake of verity then! 

And the evening continues.

[honorarycassowary]

for the bingo: sauron and melkor

Sauron

Every so often I think about that tumblr post that went something like, "If you don't want people to ship your villains, you need to leave them unseen. Nobody writes slash fic about SAURON." (The rest of this post is Sauron slash fic justification.)

The #1 thing I think about re: Sauron is his basically entirely offscreen character arc. There are so many moments when he could chosen to do things differently! And the fact that so much of it is just stated to happen and has to be viewed through inference is actually a bonus for me, since it allows so many contradicting headcanons and fanfic to develop.

He was one of Aule's most powerful and trusted Maiar - how did his departure affect the other Maiar? Did any of them choose to follow Melkor because of him?

What were those early years with Melkor like? Tolkien wrote about Melkor gradually becoming more twisted into hate and cruelty and weakening as he poured his power into distorting Arda. I imagine the early years as Sauron and Melkor pushing the boundaries of what God intended, doing forbidden mad science, etc.

Then Melkor is captured and goes to naughty angel jail and Sauron singlehandedly maintains all his evil operations waiting for him to return. He didn't know Melkor would come back! Was he experimenting and developing the desire to rule the world in his name? Keeping everything in perfect stasis for his master? (This is also a character dynamic seen over in my Transformers ships with Megatron/Shockwave, which also abbreviates to M/S. COINCIDENCE??? Most certainly.)

His change of heart after the War of Wrath. It's FASCINATING to me that he spent millennia doing horrible sadistic magic science and then stopped! Was this purely out of fear of the Valar I think he genuinely intended for this to be a new leaf, but "I want to do good things now. No I don't want to think about any of the bad things I've done or help fix them or unpack any of that. Let's just act like this didn't happen." is an inherently untenable framework for a redemption. That said, I do wonder who he helped and when he went back to his old ways. The first time he ran into humans who weren't overawed by his divinity and questioned him? thearrogantemu's These Gifts That You Have Given Me proposes that he made it all the way to Ost-in-Edhil with good intentions which is so compelling to me.

Celebrimbor. Sorry dude you would not like to be OTPed with the guy who murdered you but them's the breaks. I love all permutations of their relationship. Sauron scheming to murder him all along? Give me all the dramatic irony. Sauron coming in with evil intentions but deciding Celebrimbor is so fascinating they should be bound together in a parody of love? Sure thing. Sauron actually loved him, flipped out when Celebrimbor was less enthused about loving a guy who enabled the murder of at minimum hundreds of people he knew? Delicious.

It is fucking hilarious to me that the Valar couldn't capture Sauron after the War of Wrath and Numenor - a kingdom of more-or-less regular old humans - kicked his ass so hard he had to go live with them as a prisoner. Comedy about an angel as old as the universe forced to hang out with Iron Age courtiers when.

That said, there is so much horror in you know ... capturing the head of a foreign kingdom and they're not human, they look human but they're wrong, and their very soul is permeating the land you live in and changing it.

Also I'm interested in the whole Melkor-worship thing he had set up. This certainly was a way to destroy and humiliate Numenorean culture, but I wonder if he thought/hoped that sufficient worship could be used to free Melkor.

There's some really good meta out there about Sauron forging the ring fundamentally preventing him from ever growing or changing any more. This is made physical when his 'death' after Numenor prevents him from shapeshifting but fundamentally it was there before; when he made the Ring to concentrate his power, he concentrated his soul as it was at the time - bent towards conquering, towards deception, towards Melkor and his domains - and made it static. After this, he can't redeem himself, even in the halfway, eyes-averted way he did after the First Age. Jewelry: not even once.

There's not a good place to put this, but I love the Finrod vs. Sauron song battle in the Lay of Leithian. Hands down my favorite part.

Melkor

I'm first and foremost a Sauron fan and therefore pretty much all my Melkor thoughts are already written up above. If I was invested in the other Valar, maybe this would be different - I need multiple characters to bounce around together like upsetting pinballs for real fannish thought to happen, and unfortunately for Melkor Sauron is better at interacting with other people.

[itsdappleagain]

YO I WANNA HEAR ABOUT YOUR OCS!!! anna florence catherine sascha ari all of them!!!! their names sound so cool!

HI THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!! I took all day to work on this, didn't finish it, and then the site reloaded and I lost everything so I'm going to do this...one more time. I'm so excited to share them with you but aAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA tumblr why

OKAY hoping this works this time so sorry its taken this long

EDITING AGAIN SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN LIKE WEEKS OH MY GOD

Anna:

Full Name: Anna Aguilar Gender and Sexuality: Genderqueer lesbian Pronouns: She/her usually or whatever she's feeling at the time Ethnicity: Latino Birthplace and Birthdate: New Mexico, USA. November 13th, 1868 Guilty Pleasures: The expensive things in life which she so rarely has any access to. Chocolate being a personal favorite of hers. Phobias: Losing those she loves, painful death, spiders What They Would Be Famous For: Probably the whole outlaw thing, or maybe the "is the devil" legends that are told about her, immortalizing her as a demon forever. You know. Normal stuff What They Would Get Arrested For: What wouldn't she be arrested for OC You Ship Them With: FLORENCE!!! OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Also!! Probably Florence!! Well, in the beginning. Afterwards, probably John Price (stinky bastard sheriff) or Jesse (who I forgot to put on here but is a cool little guy) because she did something stupid and he's seriously going to kill her this time (nah they're friends) (usually) Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Would probably be sci-fi or fantasy Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: If she were alive present day it would probably be when a really good book is made into a horrible movie and they botch everything Talents and/or Powers: Knife fighting, riding, using smoke and mirrors to make things look the way she wants to and manipulate situations Why Someone Might Love Them: Her passion, fierceness, loyalty, charisma, and strong sense of her own morals (however those morals may be perceived by others) Why Someone Might Hate Them: Her recklessness, tendency to be blinded by her motivations, willingness to do whatever it takes for what she wants, boldness, and cocky attitude How They Change: Begins as a desperate, lonely, and heartbroken teenager seeking revenge and ends as a legend, feared by most as the Devil herself, kidnapper of the deputy and terrorist towards the powerful (but really just loves her wife) Why You Love Them: MY GAY LITTLE COWGIRL...

Florence:

Full Name: Florence Morgan Gender and Sexuality: Cis lesbian Pronouns: She/her Ethnicity: Caucasian Birthplace and Birthdate: New Mexico, USA. January 2, 1867 Guilty Pleasures: Women?? MHHDJSG Phobias: Water (like...rivers), being tied down for her whole life, fast speeds What They Would Be Famous For: The deputy from the legends who gets kidnapped by The Red Devil, never to be seen again. What They Would Get Arrested For: Treason, attempted murder, accessory to a crime maybe? OC You Ship Them With: ANNA!!! OC Most Likely To Murder Them: ANNA AT FIRST (we love that enemies to lovers) but then yes John would try probably Favorite Movie/Book Genre: fantasy! we love that escapism Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Maybe the damsel in distress trope Talents and/or Powers: Hunting/skill with weapons, quick thinking, agility, persuasiveness and keeping a cool head in the face of danger Why Someone Might Love Them: Her cool head, logic, strength and agility, tendency to see the good in people, and kind heart Why Someone Might Hate Them: Her way of weaseling in and out of situations, tendency to shut down after stressful situations, and persistence in areas many don't want explored How They Change: Begins as a trapped girl about to be in a horrible situation with a man who wishes only to exploit her, and ends remembered not for her acts of bravery and heroism but as the one the devil took, forever passed down as the warning to other girls not to step out of line. Not how she wanted to be immortalized.. Why You Love Them: MY OTHER GAY LITTLE COWGIRL>>>I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH

Catherine:

Full Name: Catherine [Unknown Last], Codename Starlet Gender and Sexuality: Cis pansexual Pronouns: She/her Ethnicity: Caucasian Birthplace and Birthdate: Utah, USA. November 29, 2001 Guilty Pleasures: Spending money on stuff she does not need at all but it makes her momentarily happy so Phobias: Darkness, heights, being alone What They Would Be Famous For: Her costuming and ability to impersonate people with great accuracy or her style ;) What They Would Get Arrested For: Well member of VILE for one but specifically? Theft, impersonation maybe? OC You Ship Them With: I'm not sure yet?? I tried shipping her with Ari once but idk if I like that. I've also considered Sascha. OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Sacha lol Favorite Movie/Book Genre: ROMANCE Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: MISCOMMUNICATION GOD thats the WORST (for her totally not projecting) JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER Talents and/or Powers: Ability to imitate the voice and mannerisms of most anyone, combined with a skill for costuming, acting, and makeup that can let her impersonate anyone, and is talented in never stopping talking Why Someone Might Love Them: Her kindness and friendliness, curiosity, style, passion, and positive attitude Why Someone Might Hate Them: Never. Stops. Talking. Always friendly, always wants to be around you, and has a tendency to accidently make others feel bad about themselves at times. Can be oblivious How They Change: Begins as a somewhat oblivious, innocent, and naive kid entering VILE and ends as a still cheerful but more willing to do the previously unthinkable thief. Why You Love Them: basically a modified self insert at this point. or an idealized one. i love her. she's silly

Sascha:

Full Name: Sascha [Unknown Last], Codename Kiemen Gender and Sexuality: ???? asexual Pronouns: She/him Ethnicity: Caucasian Birthplace and Birthdate: (not sure where specifically sorry idk germany very well) Germany. October 23, 2001. Guilty Pleasures: Idk if it counts but just like retreating and not talking to anyone for DAYS? Oh thats the best. Guilty because sometimes she doesn't tell anyone and just disappears which makes them worried Phobias: Fire/extreme heat, heights also, loud noises What They Would Be Famous For: Her athletic prowess, especially in aquatics, and flexibility in this area What They Would Get Arrested For: AGAIN member of VILE but probably theft, aggravated assault, or murder depending on the day OC You Ship Them With: Maybe Cath? I don't know! She's a little bit of a loner OC Most Likely To Murder Them: whoever tried would probably get murdered first Favorite Movie/Book Genre: horror lmao Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: the power of friendship saving the day. shudder Talents and/or Powers: Agility and athleticism, extreme comfort in the water in almost every way- swimming, scuba, diving, surfing, you name it. Why Someone Might Love Them: Strength, straightforwardness, skill, probable secret heart of gold Why Someone Might Hate Them: Can be antagonistic and pessimistic, rude, and a loner How They Change: Begins as a lonely, troubled, rude kid taking her anger out on the world and ends as a focused and supported adult thief who becomes one of VILE's most feared. Why You Love Them: he said grrrr >:(

Ari:

Full Name: Aristedes "Ari" [Unknown Last], Codename Vinegaroon Gender and Sexuality: Cis bisexual Pronouns: He/him Ethnicity: Latino Birthplace and Birthdate: Mexico, but moved to Arizona when he was little. May 24, 2001. Guilty Pleasures: Kids cartoons...he's afraid people will make fun of him (he doesn't know they already know) Phobias: Dude will throw himself headfirst into LITERALLY ANYTHING he's not scared of much. Except his secrets being broadcast to the world What They Would Be Famous For: I don't know if Ari would be famous but maybe within VILE he would be famous for his quick strike and different mindsets in and out of work. What They Would Get Arrested For: Once again- member of VILE so all the implied theft, murder, breaking and entering, etc. OC You Ship Them With: Maybe Catherine as well :) OC Most Likely To Murder Them: probably sascha. not anyone's fault sascha can just be a little murdery. they love her for it Favorite Movie/Book Genre: mystery! Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: love triangles, ew Talents and/or Powers: Stealth, charisma, leaving very little trace, skill with the whip and extreme accuracy, getting out of tight situations Why Someone Might Love Them: Cheerfulness, flirtatious air, charm, charisma, ability to get extremely focused and down to earth when working Why Someone Might Hate Them: The flirtatiousness and cocky air, the near violent switches between how he thinks in and outside of work, tendency to be bold and brash and throw himself headfirst into shit How They Change: Begins as a humor-as-a-coping-mechanism flirty kid who wants to make friends but stop them from getting too close and ends more vulnerable but all the stronger for it. Why You Love Them: HAPPY FUN TIMES BUT COULD ALSO PROBABLY KILL YOU

[local-neko-girl]

Chapter Three:

She awakes on the Phantom, horrible headache and in a weird dizzy daze. She remembers everything then sits up fast, surprising Ezra.

“Hey! You’re awake! Are you alright?” Ezra asks, then gasps as he sees her eyes are still red.

“Where’s Maul? What happened?” she felt a little panicked.

“He got away from us. Ashoka is also… gone. She was fighting Vader last I saw before everything exploded.”

She sighed, a deep despair filling her chest.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re eyes, their red?” he was confused.

She leaned back into the bed and closed her eyes.

“I think the temple did something to me… I don’t.. I feel weird.”

She sighed.

“So I take it Kanan nor Ashoka told you about me?”

“No, just you used to be a Jedi too.”

“I’m more than that. I’m… have you ever heard of a Sanguine?”

“No never, who are they?”

“I am them. I’m the last of my kind. A Sanguine is a naturally born force wielder, but our kind were born with a curse. We need to drink blood to survive. To live.”

Ezra took a step back, worried.

She chuckled,” You don’t have to worry, I know how to control it.”

“So, you’re a vampire then?”

She laughed,” I guess that’s what they started to call us and made us a myth.”

“So wait, how old are you?”

“Very old. My father was a great Sith Lord actually. And my mother, surprisingly, was a very powerful Jedi Master. I was frozen for a long time too.”

“A Sith Lord? And a Master Jedi?”

“I know, they seem like quite an unlikely pair right? She loved him. And he loved her honestly.”

She looked at him again, and he was a little shocked still, so she knew her eyes were still red.

“Somehow I reacted to the temple and it’s messed with me. I’m not sure how though.”

There was a moment of silence.

“So… how do you know Maul?” he asked.

There was a stabbing feeling in her heart at the mention of his name, an aching pain of sorrow.

“He.. he used to be my Master actually.”

“Wait, he did? What happened?”

“So, long back, I was on the dark side. It was only natural to me given my nature. And he ended up taking me on as an apprentice. Well, he had to leave for a mission to Tatooine, and when I was off on my own, I was captured and held prisoner for many years by a cruel and sadistic man. My sister, she was a Jedi, managed to contact me after years, and when I escaped, I ended up back on the dark side and was trained by Count Dooku then. My sister didn’t want me there, but it was honestly safer being among droids than clones I could drink from and kill. So I joined the Jedi, and my master was Plo Koon. He was an amazing man, and a great teacher. He died in Order 66 sadly, same as my sister.”

She paused, trying not to cry at retelling the story.

“Maul and I got very close during my training. And when I heard that Obi Wan had killed him, it tore me up inside. But inside I knew he wasn’t dead. And then I saw him again during the clone wars on Florum. It was… a dark time for him. That was the last I saw him…”

“The way you talk about him, sounds like you had feelings for him.”

Kanan walks into her quarters.

“Hey Ezra, would you mind giving me and Arvanna a moment to talk?”

“Yeah sure,” he said. “Feel better.”

He nodded and left. She looked up at Kanan, confused as to why he was wearing a mask, noticing his eyes.

“Oh no, what happened to your eyes?” she asked.

“Maul. He blinded me in a fight.”

She was silent and learning that made her heart ache even more. How could he? Why?

“What happened after I passed out?”

“Ezra did his best to carry you back to the ship and help me walk as well. He said you had weird markings around your eyes, and were mumbling the whole time.”

“I think the temple did something to me.”

“I told you to stay in the ship, there was a good reason I told you that.”

“I-I know. But when Ashoka said his name I just… I just had to see him.”

Her voice got softer toward the end.

“I know a little about your history with him, but it was extremely dangerous for you to come out.”

“I know. I’m sorry Kanan.”

“I’m sorry too, I wish I could have been able to help you.”

“You have no reason to be sorry. Things happen.”

There was a moment of silence amongst the two.

“So my eyes are still red,” she said. “And I feel… weird. I don’t know what happened and I don’t remember anything when I was unconscious. Ezra said I had markings around my eyes, and was mumbling something.”

“I see. Well we’re headed back to Chopper Base.”

Kanan could feel how anxious she became after that.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is there somewhere you could drop me off? I… there’s someone there I don’t want to see right now…”

“You mean Rex?” he asked.

Another stabbing pain in her heart hit and her breath caught again. Kanan could sense that.

“We don’t have any other stops and have to get the Phantom back to base. Would you please come with us? I can tell Hera to just escort you to a room.”

“No. I can’t. Please drop me off someplace,” she asked again, voice softer.

He sighs, knowing he can’t force her to join them.

“How about we get you a ship and you can leave from there?” he asked. “There’s really no where I can drop you off, and I have to report back.”

“That’s fine then. I can pay for the ship too.”

“I’m sure that will help us too.”

“When will we get there?”

“Actually, we’re a few minutes away. I have a cloak you can wear if you don’t want to make contact and just want to go straight to a ship.”

“Okay, yeah that would be best.”

He nods and they both leave her room and go to his for him to give her the cloak. She takes it and puts it on immediately. The ship sounds like it has docked and she takes a deep breath.

“It’s showtime,” she sighs.

Ezra, Kanan, and Arvanna all exit the Phantom, and everyone is waiting for them right outside. Arvanna keeps her head down as everyone mourns the loss of Ashoka. She saw Rex come out, and did her best to stay back and away. Out of sight. They all walked inside and went to see Commander Jun Sato, to give him the news. After everything was dealt with, she just kept quiet and her head down, shrouding her face.

“Another Jedi friend?” Sato asked Kanan.

“Not exactly. Could we get her a ship? She has money to pay for it.”

Sato was a little confused, but everyone wondered who the Jedi was.

[seyaryminamoto]

Sorry but can I ask for some examples of redemption arcs you deem better than Zuko's? I am not asking this contentiously, I'm legit curious as I'd like to expand y reference pool for the concept.

Tbh I should have braced myself better for this question one day xD I've said that line enough times in the past that clearly it was going to bite me in the ass if I didn't start compiling my list, and here we go, you caught me without a proper list in hand! Hence why it's taken me a while to answer xD

Anyway, I'm going to list off the characters I can think of who fulfill my personal preferences in terms of redemption arcs. Not every character in the list will sit well with everyone, as I know a lot of people have a knack for holding characters' wrongdoings against them forever and ever and for some of the audience, seeing any changes doesn't mean the characters have answered for their mistakes in full, and so on and so forth. I will try to point out a few faults in the ones who do have certain things they still should answer for even if the redemption arc works for me, but in general, the characters listed below have ticked these three specific boxes in order to be featured here at all. These three boxes are:

Faced genuine consequences for their past mistakes

Unlearned toxic behaviors, objectively (as in, didn't repeat said toxic behaviors once the bulk of their growth and journey was done)

Did not feel entitled to rewards of any kind (be it others' trust, acceptance, love or approval, let alone more ambitious rewards than that) solely on the basis that they had a change of heart.

So! With that in mind, let's get into it:

1. Aeryn Sun - Farscape

The first name that always comes to my mind whenever someone says "better redemption arc than Zuko" ever since I watched Farscape is Aeryn Sun. I'm going to be blunt: Aeryn's arc is everything Zuko fans have deluded themselves into believing Zuko's arc is. It seriously is. She's a soldier brought up in a very toxic culture that promotes violence and emotionally represses its people. On the very first episode, that culture turns its back on her, effectively betraying her while pretending SHE is the betrayer, leaving her with no choice but to join the rogue band of protagonists, a group of prisoners of war that her culture persecuted and that are very pissed at her for belonging to said culture, even though they reluctantly accept her among them because they don't really have much choice at the time.

Over the course of a single season, Aeryn's arc sees her clashing with everyone on that ship in various ways, bonding with people who have very good reasons to hate her, saving their lives just as they save hers because, whether they like each other or not, they're stuck in this mess of a space adventure together. Her redemption arc is so smooth and gradual that when she's facing mortal danger and one of the prisoners (the one who hated her the most, initially) is sitting by her potential deathbed, keeping her company when she looks like she's at her last moments, you actually find it absolutely moving and beautiful that these characters could reach such a point of mutual respect and understanding over the course of a SINGLE SEASON, and that growth process was believable for all the characters involved. Aeryn's journey is incredible, honestly. That her personality is closer to Azula's than Zuko's also helps in showing a very nice glimpse of what an Azula redemption could look like, if, you know, Azula was a space warrior xD

So, how does Aeryn fulfill the three points I bring up? The first one has a whole episode dedicated to it: at one point, the show uncovers flashbacks from Aeryn's past before she gets stuck with the crazy space gang, flashbacks that reveal she had a hand in horrible events that took place on that very ship long ago. She participated in a horrific, inhumane practice that one of her first friends on board, the Pilot, is still reeling and recovering from: when Pilot realizes she was involved in said horrible thing, he lashes out very violently at her. Even though Aeryn has already learned better and changed, she faces consequences for her horrible actions in the past, actions she now deeply regrets and that she does her best to make amends for, openly, without shirking off her responsibility in those actions to someone else. She faces her wrongdoings and acknowledges them, ready to face any punishment the wronged party feels is necessary because she understands this is not about how much she changed, but about how much someone was hurt by her choices and actions in the past. It's a goddamn refreshing thing to see, and this is just one example of her facing consequences for her past, the events of ONE episode. She spends most of the first season facing said consequences and learning from it all, every step of the way.

Unlearning bad behaviors is literally what her whole arc is cemented on: you can't look at Aeryn in the last two seasons and compare her with the Aeryn in the first one and conclude that she's still the same person. She outright has a subplot in a space station helmed by her former culture and people where Aeryn gets to see just how much she has changed when someone else she knew in her past acts pretty dreadfully towards her, spitefully, as a rejection for who she has become. The other character then serves as a mirror where you get to see who Aeryn used to be and how different she is now. She goes from the stern, stoic, heartless warrior to someone who's guided by her heart instead, whose expertise and strength goes into helping those she cares about, into protecting lives rather than destroying them. Her arc, ultimately, is about helping her find her humanity and realizing that this humanity inside her is valuable. That it makes her BETTER, no matter how much heartache she endures along the way.

Lastly, she never acted like her growth and change had earned her the friendship or the trust or the faith of any of her friends. She never behaved with any sort of entitlement to rewards of any kind for who she had become: her journey was a reward in itself, because she experienced so much stuff she NEVER imagined possible and she was profoundly grateful for it. That she was rewarded in some ways is evident, it's absolutely fine... but she wasn't fishing for rewards. She wasn't waiting for someone to put a medal on her lapel. That was never her attitude, because in fact that's one of the things she unlearned from her culture:

"What did you imagine, for your life?" "Service. Promotion. Retirement. Death."

That's an actual exchange between her and another character: the beauty of the dialogue is in the fact that all of this is what she has tossed away because she no longer wants/needs any of this after the journey she's been on. Her priorities have changed completely and she has accepted that change with open arms, becoming an incredible, admirable person in the process.

So... honestly, Aeryn is in the absolute top redemption arcs in the history of television for me. I'm honestly putting her as my #1 here because I can't think of anything better. I won't pretend my opinion is absolute because it's not... but out of everything I've watched, I can seriously say hers is such a good redemption arc that even when the writing started to get really weird in this show (namely in the final season), her growth remained crystallized as something so great that nothing they could dare do would dampen it. She's the gold standard for me, and unfortunately that means most things will fall short next to her. Zuko, sadly for him, absolutely does. If his character arc were remotely as impressive as Aeryn's was, I'd probably not be a Zuko fan anyway because, like I always say, his character has certain things that just don't do it for me. But I'd be an advocate of his writing, of his growth, of his progress and change: I'm not, and once I saw Aeryn's character arc, it became increasingly easy to see exactly why. Hers is seriously what redemption arcs should be modeled after... and Zuko's arc had the potential to be this good. Unfortunately for him, his writing doesn't come anywhere close to Aeryn's growth and redemption arc.

2. Thor - MCU, up to Thor: The Dark World EXCLUSIVELY

I am at war with the MCU. Everyone knows this. I've had such a bad falling out with it that I need to be pushed into watching any new content they release and I don't even want to watch most of it. But when the MCU was starting out... oh, when the MCU was starting out...

Thor's redemption arc is simple. It's very, very simple. It gets to the point in the space of a single movie. There's, surprisingly, a lot of growth within that single movie (growth that, to my absolute bitterness, the whole community of movie-goers decided to sleep on and still don't care to acknowledge). This guy goes from the reckless fool that wants to rush into battle mindlessly because someone injured his ego, to the guy who will readily sacrifice his powerless body in order to save those he cares about: he will also sacrifice his thus-far only way to meet the woman he loves in order to save the world. It's the quintessential "selfish to selfless" arc and, because of its simplicity, it works.

How does it fulfill my requirements? Thor's banishment from Asgard is the obvious consequence to his stupidity from the start of his first movie. But that's not even close to the entirety of the consequences: he is no longer worthy of wielding his hammer once he finally finds it again. His arrogance, his belief that he had everything under control, gets beaten out of him when he finds that the power he always would fall back on is no longer his for the taking. Thus, he hits a low point that goes even lower when Loki tells him that Odin is dead and that he's still not allowed to come home: Thor doesn't throw a tantrum demanding to be made king instead of Loki in this scene. He's so lost and so broken that he eats up Loki's lies and accepts his condemnation as something he has earned. This gets so overlooked by everyone, whether fandom or even the more recent MCU writers, that it's embarrassing. Only then, when he's questioning who he is and what he'll do with his life now, only when he gets his chances to bond with Jane properly, to listen to her wisdom and knowledge (as well as Selvig's) does Thor begin to be worthy again. He's ready for a more humble life, for the best life he can try to lead in Midgard, and there's even details that got deleted from the movie (to my utter outrage) such as him visiting the coffee shop where he broke the mug to replace the one he broke. Like... it's so blunt and direct and STILL so overlooked??? But it's PRECISELY what a redemption arc is supposed to look like! :'D

All this is also part of the unlearning of his behaviors: when he realizes he's no longer worthy of his alleged destiny, Thor starts to change. He stops taking his privileges for granted, stops believing he's entitled to anything (hence, point #3), and fully changes into a perfectly decent guy who will stand up against a huge Destroyer to plead with his brother not to hurt innocents anymore. In the bravery of his diplomatic attempt to reason with Loki, Thor proves he has changed. He makes it clear he is no longer jumping into violence mode immediately. He doesn't want to fight Loki later on either, but Loki goads him into doing so: even then, the final nail on this redemption arc is the fact that his defeat of Loki isn't a matter of smashing his brother to tiny little bits like most Marvel movies like to do: he defeats Loki by taking away his ability to use the Bifrost to destroy things anymore. He is no longer an advocate for destruction, which is exactly what he is when the story begins: thus, GROWTH! And so, I've also pointed out that he expects no rewards, Mjöllnir's return to him is practically a surprise, but he's not an arrogant ass about the return of his power. By the end of the movie, he's telling his father he has a lot left to learn: even his eagerness to take a throne he's not ready for is gone, giving way to a man who's much more responsible than he ever was.

This is the Thor from The Dark World, too. He's a responsible guy, with his humorous moments, but in general, he's a good man with his priorities straight. I could really just use the first movie as a reference, but The Dark World gives him a line that I think is crucial to understand his character growth: "I'd rather be a good man than a great king." I heard this damn line around the same time as when The Search Part 3 was coming out, too... and that comic carried the exact opposite message with Zuko. The whole scene with him putting on the Fire Lord's hairpiece as some sort of symbol of him "accepting his destiny" feels like the exact opposite direction Zuko's growth should have taken: his growth was meant to be personal. This guy was just like Thor, not ready to be king at all. The difference is Thor acknowledges it, reflects on it, and Zuko doesn't. Even if his rule is not going particularly well in the comics, he won't question the "divine right to rule" that he's so certain he possesses. Ironic, considering people act like Azula is the one who acts that way, all because she said that line... meanwhile, it's Zuko who privileges a throne over being a decent person at most stages of his life, with only a handful of moments where it seemed like something was more important than his advancement :') sad, isn't it? But Thor, up until Thor: The Dark World, embodied exactly the opposite concept. And as poorly managed as the MCU may be in current times, they pulled off a great redemption arc in their early days and I will never be ashamed of bringing it up as some of the very best writing Marvel movies EVER did.

3. Marisa Coulter - His Dark Materials

First seriously controversial choice... it's possible that those who haven't read the books would likely think I'm insane for picking out this character, but to be perfectly honest? She fits the bill for my favorite redemptions wonderfully because of what a messed up, flawed character she is.

Marisa Coulter is a terrible person. She has done absolutely unforgivable things. She has hurt people she loves, people she hates, she has hurt herself in a thousand ways, and it seems like she never stops doing it, too. The newest adaptation of the books has done a brilliant (in my opinion) job of showing how damaged she is, where that damage has come from (a very oppressive society), and how she struggles with her own nature. But the most important thing about her character, for me, is what the show hasn't adapted yet: the final book of the trilogy (skip ahead to #4 if you don't want spoilers xD).

Mrs. Coulter is first found in the third book attempting, in a very twisted way, to be a mother to her child. She has wronged this child many times in the past, and she's literally wronging her right then and there... but she is terribly aware, too, of many things. The first of those things is that, if given the choice, her daughter would have nothing to do with her. The second of those things is that her daughter is safest in hiding with her, away from the two factions of a war that are literally hunting down this little girl. She's trying to protect her: when the previous book ended, she literally KILLED a man, one of her closest allies, to ensure he wouldn't find her daughter and that Mrs. Coulter would have a chance to protect her. Then she goes rogue and abandons her entire life, EVERYTHING she's worked for, for the sake of keeping her daughter safe...

... And it fails :') they're found eventually, her daughter is taken from her, and Mrs. Coulter loses her shit. She becomes a prisoner to the daughter's father, no less, and here's when we start to see her true colors: we see how hurt she is, how feral, how fiercely she loves her daughter even though she's, for one thing, completely aware of how unlikely it is that her daughter could ever love HER, and for another thing, how ready she is to spit in the face of authority (literally too xD) if that means standing her ground and what she believes in, and right now, what she believes in is in protecting her daughter however she can.

Suddenly, this woman becomes an actual action heroine, stealing hi-tech vehicles, defusing bombs at risk of getting blown up and killed in the process, and fighting METATRON, the actual angel of Abrahamic tradition, in order to keep her daughter safe. She literally sacrifices herself and spends the rest of her existence plummeting into an endless abyss to protect that girl...

... And that girl never finds out that's what happened to her mother :')

So... faces consequences for her wrongdoings? Yes, since her daughter hates her for those wrongdoings and there's never any patching up that relationship after its downfall. The more the story progresses, the easier you can see that this relationship is becoming Mrs. Coulter's entire purpose in life... and it's a relationship she absolutely destroyed with her early mistakes. The consequences she faces are so severe she never bounces back from them, literally. There's no forgiveness for Mrs. Coulter, not from a lot of readers, and certainly not from the one person she cared about most (her daughter).

Unlearned bad behaviors... she did indeed, a little too late, unfortunately, but I'd say she does. It doesn't have enough bearing on the plot once she gets taken away by Asriel, but she starts to act like her daughter, something Asriel outright remarks on: she used to be the absolute antithesis to her daughter, the perfect lady with ideal manners and complete control over her emotions, and now she's acting just like that wild child did, recklessly spitting at someone and rebelling as openly as possible. I'm pretty sure that's a very strong case of unlearned behavior xD she takes advantage of her deceptive abilities to sabotage the organization she belonged to (the Magisterium), all be it to save her daughter... and then she indeed fights the Authority himself (Metatron), right after having spent her whole life enforcing whatever she thought the Authority wanted from her. She doesn't necessarily become a great person, no... but she takes advantage of her worst traits for better causes. She repurposes her darkness in order to do the right thing and save the life she wants to save (her daughter's :'D).

Lastly, never expected rewards... well, it's not only that she never expected them, in her case, it's that she never EVER got them. There's zero rewards in the cards for Mrs. Coulter. She's only a tragic figure for (some) readers: she's a despot and a monster in her world and her daughter will always be in the dark regarding what happened to her, so she has no idea that her mother made the right choices in the end. Zero rewards, whatsoever, and she knew she'd get none, but she still leapt into that abyss and didn't hesitate, all be it for Lyra's sake :')

This is what a tragic redemption looks like for me, and that's clearly not what Zuko was going for, but it's, IMO, brilliant. It proves there's no single way to redeem a character, and that you absolutely can pull off an amazing character arc of this nature even if the payoff isn't "and they lived happily ever after." An arc that you could say resembles hers is Darth Vader's, which I haven't featured here because... well, it works, but it doesn't tick the boxes quite as well as I would like it to. Still does in general, but there's enough room to be improved in it, if you ask me. Mrs. Coulter's arc feels like what Vader's arc could have been like if it had been fleshed out better, and it's an incredible story if you ask me. She never did become a perfectly good person and I have no trouble admitting that (hence why I know some people would never consider hers a redemption arc), but I don't think I needed her to be a perfectly good person... because what she did, all on its own, is such an extraordinary feat of love that she never managed to show Lyra in any other way. Now that she's to be eternally absent from Lyra's life, Mrs. Coulter succeeded at giving her daughter the very best life she could have... and that's a life without her. Sad, tragic... and yet so goddamn effective!

4. Regina Mills - Once Upon A Time

This is another controversial choice due to a reason I have no trouble acknowledging: yes, Regina should have faced real consequences for her behavior with the sheriff/huntsman and I wish she had because, if she really had, we'd have one of the best redemption arcs in television, uncontested and near-impossible to criticize. Unfortunately, they dropped the ball massively with that storyline and treated something so serious, a crime that ugly, with such disregard and disrespect that it definitely mars what is otherwise a great character arc.

Past this initial hurdle... Regina is the almost mastermind of everything wrong in Once Upon a Time. She's another person who was hurt and damaged so badly by someone in her past (her mother) that she ends up becoming terribly similar to the very mother she hated. She's out for her own benefit, for her revenge over something that, admittedly, is HORRIBLE, but that feels excessive, in the end? It's not that I would defend Snow because I didn't like her one bit x'D but Regina's rampaging war over the man she loved and lost is pretty unfair due to the fact that this idiot girl, Snow, was manipulated by someone else (Regina's mother, Cora) into revealing information she shouldn't have relinquished at all. It sucks, but ultimately, the bigger bad is Cora, not Snow.

But that's really just the starting point: Regina is the indisputable villain in the first season, with occasional glimpses into her past and depth, but all in all, she seems to be a pretty shitty person :'D she has great one-liners and great eye-liner, but all in all, she's not a good person. She's basically enslaving a whole community in order to punish all of them for the crime of trying to live happily ever after upon ending her tyranny in the Enchanted Forest. Once season two arrives, it's the reckoning: Regina is screwed over by the circumstances and it's clear as day that she's not getting away with her transgressions anymore.

The process of her growth is very slow, she does a lot of shitty things after getting caught too, but little by little, she starts to understand why her adoptive son couldn't possibly love her as she was. It's a veeeery gradual thing, but eventually, Regina manages to become someone who takes a stand against other villains and other characters in order to do the right thing: if I recall correctly, the season 2 finale is basically her trying to contain a magical bomb thing that could nuke the whole town xD then Emma comes in to help her so together they save everything and all is right with the world (?). As the story progresses further, she's even given the chance to give Henry (the son) a forehead kiss that becomes True Love's Kiss in a much more wholesome way than what we're used to seeing: it's proof of how much she has changed that she, the dark witch, loves her son so profoundly that she can now use the purest form of magic (TLK :'D). Her growth eventually gets weird because the whole show goes bonkers in a terrible way, but all in all, the concept of her growth works in ways that Zuko's just... drops the ball at, frankly?

First of all, consequences: her son's rebellion against her is what jumpstarts the entire story. This is a consequence that she causes for herself because Henry decides he's got to find a "savior" to fix the fucked up world he's being raised in. This is the very first consequence she faces, and then she faces many more as the story progresses (with the exception of what I mentioned in paragraph 1 in this section, which... ugh). Her journey to redemption is far from easy, especially as most people around her aren't all that forgiving at first, but she manages to become a much better person over time because of the consequences she faces, because they prove to her that she's doing something WRONG and, unless she fixes it, she's going to lose the one thing she still loves (as in, Henry), forever.

Second: unlearning behaviors. From condemning communities to everlasting curses, Regina ends up being the one saving them. From using her magic to her own ends and for her own purposes, she starts using it to protect others, even if it's dark magic. She's still a sassy asshole and burns people at least once out of every three lines she tosses in their direction, but she uses her darkness for different purposes now, deliberately empowering herself with it in order to do the right thing now, something unthinkable for the Regina we see early on in the story. She learns to respect others she despised, she stops sabotaging other people's lives, hell, I HATE the whole storyline with Robin Hood but when she "loses" him at the end of the third (was it?) season, her reaction isn't to obliterate everything she's worked towards just to get him back. She's angry, she's frustrated, but she's no longer as destructive as she used to be, not even in the face of a similar catastrophe than the one that drove her into darkness the first time.

Third: rewards...? I don't really think she was looking for a reward by the time she's killing that nuke xD I won't pretend I remember this whole show perfectly but I think that whenever she was doing things for selfish reasons (aka wanting a reward), she faced consequences for it and didn't get away with what she was looking for. It was only when her actions were truly selfless that she received any form of reward at all, and that means she wasn't looking for a reward in the first place, especially whenever she thought she might have to die in order to save her son.

In short, hers is a less intense arc compared to that of Mrs. Coulter but still worth bringing up. It's profoundly flawed, much like Zuko's, but it gets some things right that Zuko's doesn't, especially the consequences department. Regina usually doesn't get away with the shit she tries to pull (save for the sheriff mess... ._.), things backfire on her often, and she doesn't get to pretend someone else is responsible for it: it's her fault, her responsibility, her problem, and the show persistently makes that clear, which is why it forces her to start on her own path of redemption, since she really can't shirk the responsibility of her faults to anyone else. And it's clear since day one that the only person who can fix everything she broke is her, so that's what her journey is all about.

5. Vidia - Tinkerbell franchise

I am being 100% serious about this one. I know the Disney Fairies are hardly taken seriously as media content and seem way too childish to be treated as such :'D but I treat it as a very fun set of spin-offs that proved a looooot better than what I expected when I first watched them.

So, what's the deal with Vidia? She's an asshole from the start, a selfish and self-absorbed fairy who wants nothing to do with Tinkerbell, which is honestly 100% valid and I don't really think the first movie was trying to make that into Vidia's mistake xD it was Tink's mistake to think she could be friends with everyone, even someone who made it clear, constantly, that she wanted nothing to do with her. But Vidia eventually gets so sick of Tinkerbell and her constant attempts to befriend her AND switch to a different talent than the one she was chosen for that Vidia does something really nasty in order to get Tinkerbell into a fuckload of trouble. Eventually, Vidia's schemes collapse under their weight when Tink figures out a way to sort out the problems she caused... and Vidia reveals she's the one who pushed Tink into making her initial mistake, in a moment of anger and carelessness. Thus, she gets punished for being the instigator for the trouble Tink causes, and Tink is beloved by everyone now :'D

The next time we see Vidia, it's in movie 2 and only for a very brief glimpse of her acting dismissively at the blue fairy dust... right until she gets a small moment to herself and we see her actually rejoicing in it :'D it's a small moment but it's cute nonetheless.

The redemption arc happens in movie 3: Tink is right back to her dumbass antics of trying to befriend someone who wants nothing to do with her! :'D but when Tinkerbell ends up in trouble because Vidia, as usual, was trying to teach her a lesson, the whole world of fairies is bound to be revealed to the nasty humans! :'D and so, Vidia tries to fix her mistake, enlists help and starts a rescue operation for Tink. In the process, she comes clean about how her own foolishness landed them all in this mess... and the other fairies don't blame her, to her utter surprise: that moment of remorse becomes a moment of acceptance. Later, when Tink is almost captured by a human who wants to sell her to museums as some sort of rare butterfly, Vidia shoves Tink out of the way and the one who gets captured is Vidia herself! Effectively sacrificing herself for Tink's sake! Effectively crystallizing a friendship that Tink had no idea was in the books at all, at this point!

So then the fairies rescue Vidia, everything gets sorted out, and now Vidia is genuinely friends with Tinkerbell and all her friends :D which is a very wholesome and happy ending... but it's not an ending just yet.

Three movies later, Vidia and Tink are the best of friends. Vidia is a sassy little shit, who trolls Tink whenever she has the opportunity... but their bond is so tight it's really impossible for me not to interpret theirs as the very best of friendships within their circle of friends. It's effectively a full bounce from antagonist to best friend and when you see the payoff, IT'S BEAUTIFUL! :'D

So, Vidia, kind of like Thor, gets a simple arc, much simpler than some in this list (because she gets two movies for the consolidation of the arc, so nowhere near as much as those who got whole seasons of TV shows or book sagas). But she faces consequences for her actions in both instances where she acts out, her main flaw is being a shithead and not wanting to be a team player, and that behavior is 100% corrected by movie 3, where she's absolutely in this group and she's firmly cemented as Tink's best friend from that point onwards.

Three movies later, she's the very best character in that cast and continues to have an incredible friendship with the headliner :'D So, consequences were faced, behaviors were unlearned, rewards were not expected (crazy girl was ready to get gutted and dissected in a museum as long as it wasn't Tink getting that treatment?! Like, man, that's one HELL of a sacrifice xD) but still got to be friends with Tink later on, because she proved herself and Tink is just thrilled to have a new BFF as far as anyone can tell... again, very simple, but very effective and it works on all three fronts I need it to. Vidia isn't at all that bad a person/fairy xD but even in that case, she gets a redemption arc that works as though she were much worse than she is... and in that process, it gives her a great opportunity to prove that giving some people a chance (or more than one) goes a long way if they've never had anyone giving them a chance before.

6. Ruki Makino - Digimon Tamers

Oh, my female lone wolf... :') Digimon is my first fandom, outright. I've loved it for ages, and it's given me several redemption arcs that are worth rejoicing in. Several of them happened in Digimon Tamers too, one of which is possibly even better than Ruki's, and that's Impmon's redemption arc. That was one hell of a cool redemption arc xD and it definitely ticks all my boxes. But for the sake of brevity, I'll leave Impmon as a reference of another great redemption arc and focus instead on Ruki's:

Ruki is the loner of the Tamers crew. She starts out as an emotionally stunted girl who treats Digimon as data and nothing more. They're not living beings to her, no matter if she has an actual corporeal digimon (Renamon) who often beats up other corporeal digimon :'D and she spends several episodes acting like her understanding of the world is absolute and not wrong at all. But when things get complicated, when she starts to realize this isn't a silly card game and that these creatures are actually alive (and that her own life can be endangered by them, too), Ruki has a bit of a breakdown and wants nothing more to do with it, or so it seems. Her digimon ditches her because she, as well, is struggling to find meaning in her life. After a chaotic incident, Renamon and Ruki are reunited and Ruki finally opens up slightly... but only slightly, at first.

Her growth is gradual, all in all, but it helps her become someone new, someone different, without sacrificing everything else she has been. She becomes a girl who literally makes leaps of faith right into what looks like mortal peril in the hopes that, in doing so, she'll be able to save her friends' lives. A girl who won't escape the Digital World without making sure she can bring Impmon with her, and who takes a huge risk in saving that little troublemaker no matter the horrible things he did in the past, because she sees herself reflected in him, herself and her mistakes. It's a beautiful character growth and a very underrated character arc.

The thing with Digimon is that it prizes character growth and constantly strives for it (... when it's well-written, that is). Thus, in order for the digimon to reach higher levels of combat, the children characters have to make serious progress, emotionally and personally. This is true for Ruki, who goes from being that emotionally stunted girl to someone who leaps into danger to save Culumon, a digimon she used to find annoying and that she ends up doing anything she can to save from the clutches of what appear to be evil digimon. She becomes self-sacrificial, again it's an arc that hinges on selfish-into-selfless, and it's even represented in the outfit she wears: at first, Ruki's t-shirt sports a broken heart. Eventually, her family gets her a new t-shirt, the exact same model but the heart's no longer broken. It's so simple, but it shows how she's gone from such a lonely girl who pushed everyone away into a kind soul who protects others (such as her friend Juri... or that thing that looks like her @_@).

So, consequences for her mistakes: Ruki gets harassed and chased after by a creepy IceDevimon who wants her to become his tamer, it freaks her out horribly, and it's because she's a cold-hearted little shit so the nasty big ice demon claims they're basically fated partners. It's another mirror she refuses to look into, and one that shatters her perception of the world and herself: when she chases Renamon away, Renamon doesn't return until Ruki needs her and KNOWS she needs her. Her angry outbursts have consequences, consequences that render her lonely and miserable until she finally realizes she's going down the wrong path and takes her time to understand what she wants to do with her life instead.

In unlearned behaviors, Ruki stops isolating as much as she used to, learns to work with a team, takes Juri under her wing and makes friends with people she would have never imagined herself bonding with. From disdaining characters like Culumon or Impmon because they were weak, she ends up taking huge risks to save them when the situation requires it. The Ruki from the very start of the story would have never considered sacrificing herself for "mere data", and yet so many episodes down the line, she's doing everything she can to protect those two little annoying fellows, no matter the cost to herself.

And in rewards... Ruki's not really doing things for a reward, I think, but because she realizes she's not at peace with herself as she is. She's looking for that peace, so if someone wants to interpret that as a reward, that's their business xD but as far as I can tell, she's not kind to Juri because she thinks Juri will do something for her in return. She's not saving Culumon or Impmon because she expects to make them her new digimon partners and use them in battle or so: she's doing all those things because these people and digimon matter to her. Because she wants them to be part of her life, and she's ready to put in the work to keep them there. Her situation is of course not nearly as dark as that of some characters listed here... but it's a very nice glimpse into what a wholesome character growth arc looks like, especially a wholesome redemption. It flows far more smoothly and hits the nail on the head as bluntly as Zuko's arc attempts to... only, in Ruki's case the growth is absolutely tangible and reflected fully in her choices and actions, in ways Zuko's, regrettably, is not.

7. Jaime Lannister - A Song Of Ice And Fire EXCLUSIVELY

This is a common character mentioned in terms of character arcs and redemptions, or at least, he used to be until the TV show butchered his arc and character completely, all be it to provide fanservice and to satisfy the craving the showrunners seemed to have for at least featuring one incest couple on their show at a time... :')

Anyway, the show doesn't really concern me. I'm going to talk about the original Jaime Lannister, controversial man as he always was.

I admit, I have a love for the Lannister characters due to how messed up they are because that genuinely makes them interesting. I actually don't hate the relationship between Jaime and Cersei: it's beyond twisted and that's precisely the point of that relationship. Of all relationships we get to see in the books, it seems, for a long time, to be the most passionate one and I have no doubts the bulk of it comes from the very concept of it being transgressive on EVERY possible level it can be. Judging from the point of view of a moral human being, their relationship is disgusting. From a more artistic point of view, it's a very intriguing portrayal of just how dark and messed up human beings can be.

Thus, I don't really see Jaime and Cersei as "the villains" and I never did. Both were far more complex than that from day one, and GRRM fortunately knew better than to portray them with more simplicity than he did.

Jaime is basically the stereotypical golden knight with the shining armor. He's the perfect guy on paper, as much as he thinks he's an idiot, he really isn't that stupid, and he's a great warrior too. How do you take this stereotype of the golden knight and turn it into something awful? Well... through his relationship with Cersei :'D

This relationship is the entire driving motivation of Jaime when we're first getting to know his character. He's not a POV character until Book 3, if I'm not mistaken, but we get a very thorough glimpse of what a corrupted knight he is when he has that very intense conversation with Catelyn Stark while he's her son's captive. It still sticks with me how he goaded and taunted Catelyn all through that conversation like a complete boss while showcasing that he's 100% loyal to his sister while Catelyn's Eddard allegedly had committed indiscretions and cheated on her, ergo, presenting himself as a much more pure person than the very upstanding Ned.

This is basically what makes Jaime interesting. He's not unaware of why he's fucked up, but he happens to take all the greatest values of knighthood and uses them for aaaaall the wrong reasons and purposes. His redemption's ENTIRE purpose is making him come to terms with that disconnection in his choices, actions and honor as a knight, while losing the more material things he valued and that he mistakenly assumed were what made him a worthy knight at all :'D

Once Jaime's journey with Brienne begins, we actually get to see how his mind works. We get glimpses at flashbacks where Cersei berates him for flinging Bran out the window (despite she's the one who asked him to do ~something~). We get to see how she's basically his everything in the most messed up way possible... and we also get to see him butting heads with Brienne, who's 100% everything Cersei is not, and yet ironically embodies what Cersei, in some ways, always wanted to be :'D so Jaime's journey is complicated, I can't remember all the details about it, but his clashes with Brienne end up resulting in his development of respect for Brienne over time, all the way to him losing a hand for her (his sword hand, no less) and jumping into a bear's cage in hopes to help her survive a brutal battle despite he wasn't in much better shape than her at the time.

In those sacrifices, in those moments, Jaime is losing the perfection he was completely built upon. The golden polish that makes him the ideal knight, all stripped off him completely... while, simultaneously, he displays the most nobility and honor he ever has, in his entire lifetime. His character arc is based on him realizing honor and nobility are NOT what he has always assumed they were, what the textbook concepts of such things pretend they are... instead, it's in the things he learns about during his journey with Brienne. It's in developing respect and true understanding with someone, no matter how different from yourself they may be. Cersei, in Jaime's head, represented his "feminine half" in a very idealistic and messed up way, which suggests a very strong narcissism, despite Jaime's not even aware of it, I think (Cersei, on the other hand...). Brienne is basically everything he never thought a woman should be... and that's exactly why it's so pivotal and crucial that she's the one who brings him to understand true respect, nobility and honor as a knight. He actually treats her like an ally and friend once their journey ends, defending her from the heartbroken Loras who wants to avenge his dead king by killing her, and he sends Brienne on a key mission to find Catelyn's daughter.

All his growth is then profoundly showcased in his interactions with Cersei... well, after their reunion in the Sept of Baelor, that is. Where Cersei expects her brother to be exactly who he used to be, Jaime has been profoundly changed by his experiences. This is one thing I cannot forgive the show for: where Cersei comes to Jaime in hopes to seduce him and, in doing so, convince him to support her and let her have her way... Jaime, in the show, thinks with his dick and accepts everything she asks of him because of that. Jaime, in the books, refuses to go along with it because he now has a stronger understanding of duty and honor than he ever did before. It strongly looks like the first time he has refused Cersei anything, and it blows her away in the worst of ways. She's outraged and storms out on him, and from there on, she treats him terribly in retaliation for his behavior. Jaime is hurt because, as much as he's growing, he isn't exactly ready to toss aside the very twisted relationship he's had with Cersei all along just yet. Toxic relationships tend to be difficult to get rid of that way. So things get worse and worse until Cersei decides she just needs an excuse to get rid of her brother and sends him out on some missions away from King's Landing.

Ah, but I forget myself. Tyrion, Jaime's little brother to whom Jaime was usually very nice, discovers through Jaime's confession (while trying to break Tyrion out of King's Landing before he gets unfairly executed) that Tyrion's wife from ages ago actually loved him and that Tywin had Jaime break up their relationship as violently and horribly as it happened because it wasn't convenient for the Lannisters :'D Tyrion flies into a rage and then tells Jaime what we as readers already know: Cersei is 100% unfaithful to Jaime and always has been. This knowledge arrives very late for Jaime, it's somewhat difficult to fathom that he'd be so unaware of it, frankly... but it happens well after Jaime has already rejected Cersei at that crucial moment. This knowledge, too, sours things between them to a point where Jaime's journey through the lands north of King's Landing is mostly him brooding over all the people Cersei fucked while he wasn't available or paying attention :'D it doesn't help his development much, no, I have no trouble admitting that x'D

But... the final moment of Jaime's appearance in the fourth book is really what I consider the cusp of crystallization of his character arc: Cersei is in BIG trouble, and she begs him to come save her. Her letter is written in desperation, she trusts and believes he will come forward to help her. She trusts him that much! :'D

... And Jaime burns that letter.

The fact that the show refused to feature this moment is just... man, you can't take such showrunners seriously if they CAN'T do something like this. It's absurd to completely fuck over a character's very long arc, very complex and very interesting arc, just to continue drooling over an incest couple. It's ridiculous. Because they're not even exploring Cersei and Jaime in the very layered and complex way GRRM did in the books... no, they were really just in it for the incest. Which says more than enough about the priorities those showrunners had.

Basically, though, Jaime faces consequences for his past wrongdoings in many ways: he gets captured and imprisoned by the Starks, he loses his hand, he loses all his prestige, his pride as a warrior, his sister... all these things that he valued and that he thought made him the perfect knight were slowly but surely taken away from him, and they left him beaten and bloodied, lost in a world he had no place in anymore. If someone faced consequences for his wrongdoings, AND THEN SOME, it's definitely this guy.

The unlearning of toxic behaviors is basically everything I wrote up there xD Jaime spent most his life in a very messed up relationship with his sister and then it's by HIS choice, by HIS decision that there were boundaries to abide by, that there was honor he had to adhere to, that this relationship falls apart. It hurts him, yes, but Jaime stands his ground and no longer allows Cersei to manipulate him and use him the way she did in the past. He also respects people he had no respect for (Brienne being the prime example but Catelyn Stark as well), and he realizes there's no point in being a knight in shining armor if what's underneath that armor is... well, basically shit, to put it as eloquently as the show would xD

Finally... the rewards. Again something the show fucked up at majorly.

I actually love the relationship between Brienne and Jaime in the books... platonically. Platonically. 100% platonically.

And this is why.

Jaime himself knows Brienne's worth by the time they part ways. Even if they feel a romantic connection could exist between them, I'm absolutely certain Jaime would not feel worthy of Brienne in the least. Their inverse Beauty and the Beast situation sounds very pretty on paper, but once you really think about the characters as they are? Brienne is not about to let a man derail her whole life, that's EXACTLY the one thing she doesn't want and won't stand for. Jaime? He would never want to be that man. He respects her too much. He knows he's a huge mess and he would always think she deserves better than him, the guy who has spent his entire life in a relationship with his sister. His actions with Brienne, to me, have NOTHING to do with him trying to win her over romantically. He has never betrayed any interest in doing so, but even if, like I said, the urge were there, I don't think Jaime would genuinely act on it out of, once more, RESPECT for Brienne and for everything she stands for. This man drank respect women juice by the gallons when he met that awesome warrior lady, and what the show did to them was, on one hand, blatant fanservice, and on the other hand, a brutal character assassination, FOR THE BOTH OF THEM. The sudden, shortlived relationship where Jaime bails as soon as he hears Cersei is in trouble reduces him to the garbage man he is actively trying NOT to be in the books, and Brienne into the helpless woman pining over a man who doesn't deserve her that she has always tried NOT to be. It's not beautiful, ironic or interesting: it's plain stupid. Because, like I said, it was done for fanservice primarily, and it was a massive disservice to both characters in the end.

Point and case being: Jaime in the books is not hoping Brienne will fall into his arms, hopelessly in love, now that he dumped Cersei for good. Jaime in the books is actively, genuinely, looking to set things right. He tells Tyrion the truth when he does because he wants to be honest, because he's done being the Lannister moron who just follows on his sister and father's footsteps without thinking anything through. He has a heart, and it's so much better than he realized it is, and that heart guides him into doing what really is the right thing, no matter how difficult it may be to follow it at times (he has effectively lost both the people he cared about most in the past, Tyrion and Cersei, at this point in time, because he's done the right thing). So... there's really no reward for Jaime. The point of his arc is, if anything, that there's no NEED for reward when you're a true knight. And only when he's lost his hand, the woman for whom he used to fight for and all his prestige as a golden knight in shining armor, does Jaime Lannister truly become a knight.

And THAT's why his arc is goddamn beautiful, in its very twisted, fucked up sort of way :'D So, yes, Jaime absolutely fulfills my three requirements (BOOKS ONLY!) and he's a really good example of what a solid redemption arc looks like, not only when you contrast the beginning and the end, but when you actually analyze how that development takes place and how he becomes the man worth rooting for that he is, at least in what we've seen so far in the books. In comparison to Zuko... well, Zuko happens to become EXACTLY what he always intended to be, only, he's supposed to be a nice Fire Lord rather than an asshole Fire Lord, sure. He's not forced to reason with his goals and needs in depth at any point in time the way Jaime is. And yes, Zuko changes, but he sacrifices next to nothing that truly means anything to him, and gets back everything he sacrificed eventually, to boot. Imagine how cringworthy an arc it would be if Jaime Lannister supposedly changed his ways only to come right back to Cersei a "changed" man but without losing a hand or truly making sacrifices that mean anything, and he returns to his role in the Kingsguard just like that, betraying next to no hesitation or growth when it comes to anything he should have been reasoning with :'D maybe even marries Cersei and nobody cares, so he gets to fulfill his whole life's dream, just after a life-changing field trip where he made one (1) new friend and that's it!

... Well, minus the hand, that's basically what GOT represented him as, which is exactly why he's completely worthless there, heh...

8. Chocolove - Shaman King

This guy had the greatest redemption arc in Shaman King for two reasons: first of all, he was done VERY DIRTY in the original anime adaptation of this manga, and he came off as a very pointless, annoying character whose sole redeeming quality was his spirit companion, who happened to be a really cool jaguar :'D

Fast forward to 2021's adaptation and Chocolove gets the makeover of the century. Not only because the new show is handling his character better... but because it's closer to the actual, original storyline now, too! :'D

Chocolove McDonell is a huge dork. He likes to make bad jokes. This is basically all you know about him when you watch 2003's show.

In 2021's show, Chocolove McDonell is a tragic character, a victim of gang violence who then became a gang member, commiting violence just as bad as that which was committed against him, until someone helped him find a better path in life that might guide him towards real peace :')

He became an orphan early on in life due to gang violence, then he becomes a gang member too and, no matter how young he may be, he commits several crimes of his own, including murder of innocents for robberies and such. He's such a dark character in those flashbacks that it's very hard to believe he can be the same goofball you see in recent times: but Chocolove is found by a man who teaches him a new path. A mentor who helps him find a love for comedy and life that Chocolove had in him all along, but no one helped him find until this man did.

Then the mentor gets killed :'D by Chocolove's own gang.

The lessons of the mentor don't go to waste, though: Chocolove decides he has to change the world with laughter. He knows what the world of violence and crime is like, and he believes a better world than that one can be built. That's his true goal as a shaman and why he wants to become the Shaman King. It sounds silly as a premise... until you actually see the darkness this premise came from, which makes it a very touching concept instead.

Chocolove wouldn't be on this list, however, if it weren't for the fact that the children of the guy he killed on one Christmas night have been hunting him ever since :'D

The two kids show up on this super OP golem and they murder Chocolove's old gang (whom he had reformed, following fit with everything he learned with his mentor). He has to face those kids and face what he did: his own parents were murdered and now he's confronted by two kids who are a perfect mirror of who he had become during his gang days. So Chocolove outright DIES in this confrontation, is brought back to life later, and is shown having reflected on some really profound things once he comes back. He's so much stronger, but his true hope isn't to silence these kids, to make them feel bad for him and his suffering, to accept their dad is dead and to move on... no, it's to save them from the pain he has inflicted upon them, just as he wants to save the world with laughter.

He wants to fight for reasons that are truly worth fighting for, and he sacrifices his eyesight in order to become a stronger shaman yet to fulfill his true purpose.

So, once again the roundup: the children of the man he killed are, without a doubt, the consequences for his past actions. It's a complete, direct way to confront everything he did and everything he regrets, and the story pulls it off really well.

Unlearning toxic behaviors is what his journey with his mentor consisted of, as well as the whole message he's putting forward by reforming his gang and becoming a champion of laughter rather than violence. His whole character is basically a testament to unlearning toxic behaviors.

As for rewards... there are rewards indeed, I suppose, in what Chocolove achieves in this story. But I don't think that's what he's really going for. It isn't a matter of wanting people to worship him for having steered them in the right direction: he wants people to laugh so that they may find happiness and turn away from violence, because that's what he learned will be better for the world and for each individual. I really don't think there's any selfishness in that and, upon glancing at what the wiki says about Chocolove's future, I really do think he wasn't taking ANY sort of action for the sake of rewards at all. Hoping to become the Shaman King is a bit of a reward for sure, but what Chocolove wanted to achieve with that power is so distant from material or selfish goals that it's reeeeally hard not to root for the guy xD So, in short, he's a very good example of redemption, far better than a few other characters in this show who, yes, aren't half bad in their redeemed state... but I don't think any of their stories really hold a torch to Chocolove's.

9. Blackwall - Dragon Age: Inquisition

... I'm gonna be honest here, writing this one actually hurts xD because Blackwall BROKE MY HEART, and yet his redemption arc is possibly the best one in all of Dragon Age. But he still broke my heart. I'm still getting over it. That's where the consequences are, spoiler alert x'D

Anyway, Blackwall is a polarizing character in DAI (what ISN'T polarizing in Dragon Age, tbh...?). A guy who spends most the story lying to you can only achieve that sort of a reaction, right? :'D

The thing is that, when you meet Blackwall, he's a Grey Warden. A slightly sketchy Warden, sure, but he seems to be a stereotypical Warden indeed. Maybe a bit fanboyish. Maybe a bit odd. But then you see him interacting with his fellow Wardens during the quest of Here Lies the Abyss (if you brought him with you), you see him inspiring the other Wardens to STOP fighting and to return to their true purpose, and you can't help but think this guy's so cool! :D

... And then you discover Blackwall is long dead and the guy you've been hanging out with is Thom Rainier, who has been pretending to be Warden Blackwall for many, many years now.

Thom Rainier was not a good man. He was not a saint by any means. He was a captain in the Orlesian army who actively helped Orlesian lords fight each other in "the Game" by taking up unsavory jobs that were criminal and dreadful. The main horrible job he did entailed murdering a family of innocent civilians, children included, for the political advancement of one political party: the outcome saw Thom Rainier and his men being hunted down by the Orlesian law. His men were unaware of what they'd done for the most part, so Thom Rainier was the only one who truly understood the magnitude of the crime even before it was committed... and he still commanded it anyway, because he had been paid to do it.

It's a horrible story. It's dreadful. It's so bad Thom Rainier can't even live with himself afterwards. He spent most his days in taverns until the real Blackwall found him one day and recruited him to join the Grey Wardens. But, in typical dramatic fashion, the real Blackwall dies before Thom Rainier can complete his Joining ritual, he panics and fears the Wardens will think he killed Blackwall if he comes back with the dead man, and in a fit of said panic, decides he'll impersonate the real Blackwall... and that's how the players come to know him as Blackwall :'D

This whole backstory is revealed to the player veeeery late in the game. So late that my cute little elven Inquisitor had fallen in love with this big bear of a man, and she loved him dearly... and then she found out he had ditched her after banging her in a barn (yep .w. so classy), and when she finally tracks him down, turns out he's interrupting an execution in Orlais: he's interrupting the execution of one of his men, because he's here to take responsibility. He turns himself in to the law and reveals his true identity.

Turns out that, in all your heroic actions as the Inquisitor, Blackwall finds himself inspired to do good, to be a force of positive change in the world... but he knows that he can't just overlook the past and pretend none of it happened, which is what he's been doing so far. He's very much remorseful for it all, so he decides to fix it as best he can... and the only way to do that is to save his men, if he can, and to accept the punishment he deserves for his crime, too.

The game actually forces you to get him out of that situation because the writers are wicked that way xD I actually played through that quest recently and thought that, if possible, I'd just leave him to get executed by Orlais as he wanted to be, but no. He gets very angry at you for breaking him out, though, goes without saying... and he wants, he absolutely WANTS, to face the consequences of his past sins. Whatever good he's done in the present cannot feel right until he atones for the past. And that makes him a very compelling character... no matter how heartbroken my Inquisitor felt about this whole thing :'D

Alas, you can forgive him and get him to be your boyfriend again if you're like me (?) I did it, yes, and it wasn't the same ever again, every time I talked to him I couldn't resist clicking the meaner options because my Inquisitor was still upset at him xD but you can also choose to send him to the Wardens for good this time, once the main story ends. You can force him into serving the Inquisition against his will too, if you want to be an asshole (?) so those are your choices, and that's how you choose to deal with this man on his redemption arc.

Any of those choices, however, impacts Blackwall/Thom's arc very little, all in all: he's a man repenting, and he's ready to pay the price for his mistakes. You name that price, you determine what it will be, and he will face it when the time comes. You can't change his mind about that need for atonement: that's 100% on him, and that's what his whole character is about. The only thing you get to decide is how you will react to it all.

So, Blackwall absolutely faces the consequences of his actions, even if very late after committing them. He's inspired by the Inquisitor to set everything right, and it's a very touching story even if it still leaves a sour taste because of how Blackwall spent so many years running away... and yet it becomes a poignant lesson in not taking for granted that it's "too late" to atone. He decides to own up to his mistakes and to do things the right way, even if it takes forever. Not everyone will accept this, of course... but he's still doing his very best to atone indeed, and that means a lot more than pretending you did the right thing, playing up false innocence, or justifying your actions with embellished explanations :'D

He unlearns his behavior, of course, seeing as he never again commits the crimes he did after the disaster with the Callier family. He's a brooding drunk afterwards, but then he becomes a warrior who battles Darkspawn and trains common folk to defend themselves. He's done awful things... but see, the funny thing about Grey Wardens is that they give everyone a second chance, no matter how badly they may have mishandled their first chance at life :'D Blackwall may be an extreme way of showing just how absolute that Grey Warden concept of second chances is... but it works very effectively, if you ask me. He makes the most of this second chance, and even decides to face the necessary consequences for his crimes despite he could just as easily have continued to lie forever, but he couldn't stand doing that.

As for rewards... he's definitely expecting no rewards, the man outright gets mad at you for not letting him die in atonement for his crimes x'D it's you who chooses to reward him for being a better man, but he absolutely doesn't do ANYTHING in hopes of a reward of any nature. Does he disapprove if you turn him into a servant of the Inquisition against his will? Well, yes, but that doesn't mean he won't do it xD also disapproves if you say good riddance to him, but it doesn't really change his willingness to face those consequences. Basically he'll just be upset at you for trying to get in the way of justice being dispensed just so you can take a petty vengeance over having been lied to (which, yes, is VERY petty compared to what Orlais wants from him, and I think we all can acknowledge that). So... the man is a good man in the end. He wasn't always, but he is now, which is the point of any redemption arc. And while it's definitely difficult to accept that he deceived you for as long as he did, the cutscene where he's finishing building that toy for the kids in Skyhold just hits so damn hard that I can't stay mad forever. He's a much better man than he knows, so much better than other men in this very same franchise :'D and he has no interest in being acknowledged as one: all he wants is to do right by people, to help those who need help and to accept every consequence of his past if need be, for he won't feel worthy of a future before he does that. There's a humility to many redemption arcs, such as his, that certain arcs just... can't hope to attain and frankly are not any better for it.

10. Soren - The Dragon Prince

I admit, I never anticipated Soren redeeming himself. I really thought Claudia might be the one to do it... but I do admit, Soren's redemption was a lot more wholesome than I ever thought possible for a character who starts out as the idiot sort-of-bully who messes with the protagonist as often as he does.

Soren isn't a bad guy, deep down. He's just a jock, and he's pretty dumb. But for someone raised by a father as messed up as Viren, Soren is remarkably decent, if you ask me.

Still, Soren only gets to really shine in season 3. Season 2 doesn't help him much, though it breaks him pretty badly right before Claudia heals him with the dark magic she uses to set him all back to what he used to be :'D in this sense, I think Soren's character is a bit like Jaime Lannister's: he has some limits, yes, he's not truly evil and he's a big goofball in general, but for most the first two seasons, he's really not much to write home about. He gets smashed by a dragon in the second season, which paralyzes him and that was a very interesting development up until Claudia, like I said, heals him with dark magic. By then, Soren's a little weirded out by circumstances around him and when he faces Viren with Claudia on the next season, he's taken aback by the fact that his father is gaslighting them as blatantly as he is. Claudia gets swept up by it, he's completely disappointed and heartbroken.

So, Soren's arc really builds up from slowly coming to terms with his own limits, as far as I can tell, and gradually seeing Viren for what and who he really was. His sister can't really do that, but he does: he helps Ezran escape, he turns his back on Viren when he and Aaravos start doing insane magic to turn warriors into crazy monstruous beings, and he runs to help Callum, Ezran and Rayla shortly after having been completely dreadful to them back in season 2. Soren even scores one of the best dialogues/monologues in the entire show when he inspires everyone to fight Viren: "the only way to stop this is to look evil in the face and say 'no more'," and who would have thought a character who came off as a completely hopeless jock would be the one to say those words in this show? xD

Soren faces consequences for his actions, yes, by earning both the distrust of his father and his sister, and of Callum's group. Hell, the dragon's attack that leaves him so badly injured is just another conseqeunce for his behavior. He wants to play heroics, to pretend he's some great hero and warrior, only to find himself paying such a steep price for it that he's completely lost as to what he's doing and why he's doing it at all by season 3.

His unlearned toxic behaviors are, of course, everything he regrets and repents for in season 3, his willingness to stand side by side with those he had once seen as enemies (elves), his leadership and help to those who are supporting Callum's group. He's still using his warrior training... but now he's using it for the better. All the way to attempting to KILL his own father, whom he no longer sees as a great hero or a man worth the admiration he used to feel for him, because now Soren serves Ezran, the actual king he's supposed to serve, rather than Viren, who basically just controlled him because he was Soren's father. Soren is a true knight now, taking a stand for what matters, even remediating the wrongs of the past generation (where Viren greedily sought power and took down King Harrow when he could, now Soren fights for Ezran's right to be king, all the way to confronting his father as he does).

Lastly, rewards... well, I don't think the rewards Soren gains are remotely as big as the ones he would have gotten if he had just closed his eyes and let Viren do whatever he wanted. He would have become more powerful, much stronger if he had let Viren mutate him :'D he would have stayed with his father and sister, whom he loved and cared about. Instead, he turns against them and helps the kids who may or may not hate him (at least, he expects two out of three will hate him), all be it in order to do what he has learned is right, and to serve the true king he wants to serve, Ezran. So... yes, Soren is definitely a redemption arc done right. Could it have benefited from muuuuch longer process? I would say so, yes. But with what we were given, I think it works fairly well for what it is. Would I have loved to see Claudia redeemed? Absolutely, and admittedly it's what season 2 really seemed to suggest would happen? But who knows if the future will bring something better... at any rate, Soren, for what we have in TDP so far, is a good example of a good redemption arc.

11. Steve Harrington - Stranger Things

This one is, I think, one of the most popular examples of good redemption arcs in modern-day media. The thing with Steve is he wasn't THAT bad, something that becomes starkly obvious once Billy shows up, but he wasn't exactly the most upstanding guy either. In general, he feels like a popular guy with a bit more nuance than usual in the first season. This nuance comes from the fact that he's in a relationship with a girl who used to be a regular nerd, not popular at all, and while he could be as big a bully as his asshole friends are (because he's part of THAT crowd), he generally doesn't act like that. All he really wants, at first, is to have his relationship with Nancy and nothing else really seems to be much of a big deal for him.

Then Jonathan comes into the picture with literal pictures and, while I'm not going to excuse Steve at all, Jonathan wasn't exactly the most appropriate guy either, taking pictures of their group's secret pool party mess without anyone's awareness that he was even there, and taking some pictures of Steve's girlfriend that do NOT paint Jonathan in a flattering light in anyone's eyes... other than Nancy's, of course. Steve was not at all entitled to beat up Jonathan or break his camera, his territoriality over Nancy is absolutely wrong, but let's be real: the behavior exhibited by Jonathan is not what most people would consider agreeable ways to flirt with your crush, worse yet if said crush is already taken. It's very valid, imo, to feature Steve considering Jonathan's behavior as creepy because IRL, I think that's what most people would and should react like.

But like I said, this doesn't justify Steve's outburst... and he knows it. His attempt to "defend Nancy's honor" by beating up Jonathan and doing all the shitty things he and his friends did in retaliation for her dumping him was completely childish and stupid. And like I said, he knows it. That's why it doesn't even take longer than one season for Steve to regret being such an idiot, and why he finds himself in a surreal, supernatural chaotic adventure (or misadventure) with Nancy and Jonathan when the first season is ending: he wanted to apologize to the two of them, and because of his great timing, he ends up joining forces with them against the nasty monster :'D

By the time we start season 2, Steve is a much more mature guy. He's a fascinating way to explore what comes AFTER redemption, if you ask me. People who pretend redemption stories end when the character changes his ways... well, they're completely proven otherwise by Steve and his story, because it ony gets BETTER after he's changed his ways.

Nancy is clearly still hung up on Barb's tragedy and her feelings for Jonathan once season 2 gets going. She and Steve have very strong divorcing couple vibes here, so eventually it's over between them and I don't really remember it being dreadful, just that they go their separate ways. After getting ejected from the teenage drama, though, Steve undergoes the transformation that cemented him as a fan favorite: DAD STEVE IS BORN! From being the jock of the cast, he suddenly takes a protective role with the kids of Stranger Things, especially with Dustin. He's fighting alongside these crazy kids, helping them against some very nasty threats, and just all around being a great guy. He even drives Dustin to the dance and gives him tips on how to do his hair and look cool xD

And in season 3, despite we thought Steve would have already reached the heights of his character, he got an even BETTER deal than I thought possible: his contentious relationship with co-worker Robin is a TON of fun to witness, especially once she starts to show she can be one hell of an asset to Steve and Dustin's investigations. The more Steve and Robin spend time together, the stronger the chemistry between them... chemistry that Steve misinterprets, as does the general audience that didn't get spoiled that Robin was gay by all early viewers xD she eventually admits this to Steve, just when he's as good as assuming the next natural step in his friendship with Robin is to try to start a romantic relationship with her, now that they really are vibing together... and then you see his reaction to her confession and it's amazing. He's not being a selfish asshole, he's completely understanding of her and their chemistry is even BETTER for it. He's so supportive and they become the BFF team nobody even imagined they wanted for Steve. It's such a great storytelling choice that it just continues to cement Steve as the best breakout character in this entire show.

So... Steve faced consequences for his wrongs with Jonathan for sure, since he lost Nancy, the one girl he was truly in love with. He is implied to have had a lot of relationships but she's the one that he really cared about. In being an ass to Jonathan, which is frankly his only true fault, Steve ends up paying the price of losing the one thing we knew he cared about. He gets no new girlfriend later as a consolation prize either: he has to find other things in life, on his own time, that make his life worthwhile, because his ship with Nancy has very much sailed and isn't coming back.

He unlearns the toxic behaviors in the obvious way, by showing us he's not acting the way he did with Jonathan anymore. He outright regrets it and apologizes to him and Nancy, and there's no sign of him acting like that with anyone else again. Then, when Robin can't be the girlfriend he briefly thought she might be for him, he doesn't fly into a selfish rage: he knows better than that. Nancy may not have been the most painless lesson ever, but it's still a lesson he learned and he won't get in the way of the happiness of a girl he cares about, so lesson very much learned.

Lastly, like I said, there's no real consolation prize for Steve. He doesn't get the love of a lifetime he's looking for. It's entirely possible the story won't ever give him another girlfriend that makes him as happy as Nancy did. But that doesn't mean he's bitter about his growth and development: he's found other things, other people to care about, and now he makes the most of the new friendships he's found with the least likely people (Dustin and Robin, particularly). It's a much less hardcore redemption arc than many of the ones I describe in this post, but it hits the three important points I need a redemption arc to hit and turns a character who could have been a boring stereotype into a truly engaging, interesting character worth rooting for.

12. Johnny Lawrence - Karate Kid + Cobra Kai

Another controversial choice! xD Johnny Lawrence's redemption arc is a bit wonky and weird, I admit as much. The thing is, once you revisit the original movie, you find that he was a dick... and that Daniel was also pretty much picking fights in revenge even when Johnny wasn't doing anything to him. So it's a slightly ridiculous situation all in all, and the true victim of it all is, ultimately, Ali (?) Good thing that girl got out of there on time xD

Anyway, Johnny respects Kreese's agreement with Miyagi that there will be no more fighting until Johnny and Daniel can sort things out directly at the tournament. Daniel, ironically, instigates conflict in a childish, playful way after said agreement is reached... but this isn't about Daniel anyway xD Johnny is, of course, a dick as well, he's annoying and doesn't seem to respect Ali's choice to either dump him or date someone else. Still, by the end of the movie, things start to feel a little odd when Kreese has Daniel injured on purpose by one of his students and tells Johnny to take advantage of the injury. Johnny looks hesitant, but eventually he follows his teacher's order. Once he gets defeated unexpectedly by Daniel with the controversial move that still is in the midst of legality debates (?) Johnny surprises everyone in a... 5 second scene where he picks up the trophy and hands it over to Daniel by saying "you're alright", which suggests he underwent some sort of express redemption arc!

This redemption arc is, in my opinion, finalized through Cobra Kai. I have my misgivings with season 3 of said show (haven't watched the fourth yet), but season 1 was basically the ideal answer to the original movie in terms of working with a sequel that not only honored the original but showed just how complicated Johnny's life has been: his redemption really only started in that scene at the tournament, and he's spent the rest of his life falling apart and being a mess because he's a chaotic guy, practically the living embodiment of a meme of an 80's guy still stuck in the past. He, somehow, becomes the Miyagi to Miguel Diaz, a neighboring kid who's very nice to him and to whom Johnny ends up teaching karate due to Miguel's problems with his own bullies. We get to see Johnny's side of the story, which no doubt is biased as hell... but that side of the story becomes remarkably compelling due to the subversion of tropes here. Cobra Kai went from the karate school of the privileged amoral assholes to the school of the underdogs who are looking for the strength and confidence to overcome the trappings of their status as school nerds. Miguel is the poster boy for this new Cobra Kai, but the story wisely features a character like Hawk, whose confidence and strength turn him into a bully in his own right. Meanwhile, Daniel starts teaching Robbie, Johnny's son, Miyagi-style karate. There's plenty of chaos there, with both Daniel and Johnny following on Mr. Miyagi's footsteps in odd ways (Johnny by helping the weak kids, Daniel by teaching a single student in the arts Miyagi taught him). Everything, then, comes to a head in the tournament that year...

And it all results in Johnny realizing the error of not just his ways, but of Cobra Kai's ways. He's forcibly reminded of his own disastruous tournament, when he was told by his teacher to take advantage of the injury that nearly rendered Daniel unable to keep fighting. And he's forcibly reminded of that... because that's the way his "no mercy" Cobra Kai students are behaving. Miguel has a very petty and stupid teenage conflict going on with Robbie over Samantha (Daniel's daughter) that's basically the same conflict Johnny and Daniel had over Ali... and he's acting on impulse, rage and vengeance much like Johnny was encouraged to in his younger years. Miguel's even worse about it, I'd say, mostly because Johnny IS trying to reel him back, and Miguel won't hold back at all. He's even proud of defeating Robbie as brutally as possible... while Johnny can't even savor the triumph because he's just seen the story from the other side. He's no longer just the proud teacher of a WINNER! No, he's the estranged father of the loser, and he's the one responsible for Robbie's injuries by having taught Miguel to act the way Miguel is acting.

It's honestly such a strong storytelling choice because it forces Johnny to confront his wrongdoings directly. He's no longer just Cobra Kai, he's also Miyagi-do because of Robbie. He cares about his son, and he's wronged Robbie SOOOOO much, throughout all of Robbie's life, and he can't even do right by him when it comes to karate because his son's decided to join Daniel to piss off Johnny (at least, that was his sole purpose initially). Miguel is a surrogate son, one who sees Johnny as a great father figure that Johnny doesn't even feel like he is, because he's screwed over Robbie so many times (mostly without meaning to). Even when he tries to be there for his son, things always take a turn for the worse. And right as the first season ends, Robbie walks away from his father, injured and having lost a tournament, but seemingly having won something much more important: the father figure he's been lacking all his life, in Johnny's life-long rival rather than in Johnny himself.

So Cobra Kai's strongest writing was really back in these days because it really drove the point home about Johnny's growth and forced him to confront things he had been neglecting or deliberately ignoring for all those years. It's a redemption arc done right because it's no longer "Oh yeah so Johnny suddenly had a moment of clarity when his teacher gave him a horrible order and he accepted his loss with dignity!", it's "Johnny is confronted by the reality of his actions and the true horrors of Cobra Kai philosophy when his student/surrogate son beats up his actual biological son because of his teachings". It really improves on the original massively when you look at it this way, and it's the entire reason his redemption arc can make it into this list.

There's a lot of questionable choices in the later writing of Cobra Kai, I haven't even watched season 4 yet but season 3 was mostly unpleasant. Even so, based on what I've seen, I can definitely point to the three signs of an achieved redemption arc with what I saw so far:

Johnny pays the consequences for his mistakes through his son becoming the Daniel to Miguel's Johnny in season 1. He faces consequences for not reasoning with Cobra Kai teachings from his youth and imparting them carelessly to young, impressionable kids who may not be terrible people, all in all, but who are quick to take advantage of those teachings in impulsive ways, without reasoning with them just as Johnny didn't. He actually realizes what his role as a teacher and mentor has to be throughout the second season and we get to see a stark contrast between him and Kreese when Johnny shows that his No Mercy philosophy is no longer what it used to be. Then he outright kicks Kreese out of Cobra Kai, and gets screwed over in retaliation for it, but he creates his own dojo... and he continues to try to follow a newer and much better code of behavior that feels like his own philosophy, his own ways of being fierce without being as impulsively violent and destructive as he used to be. So yes, I'd say he faces consequences very often, consequences that he reasons with and that persuade him to try to be better, even if he doesn't always succeed at that. He faced consequences for his actions in the original movie too, but his arc isn't really as insightful as it becomes when Cobra Kai expands on it.

Unlearning toxic behaviors is basically what Johnny is trying to do in the second and third seasons of Cobra Kai. He's not necessarily doing a brilliant job all around, but he gets to showcase his growth as he starts letting go of the worst sides of his behavior and tries to be better and do better in most aspects of his life. You absolutely can see the progress in Johnny's case, and it's really annoying at times to see the show resorting to cheap drama that dampens that progress and sabotages Johnny's growth just for the sake of convoluted storytelling, but what can you do...

Finally, rewards: the only thing I think Johnny wants at this point in time is to do right by the next generation. I could be wrong to think he'd accept Robbie turning his back on him permanently if he KNEW Robbie's life will be turned around by doing so... but in some ways, that's exactly what he did in season 2 by accepting Robbie was with Daniel and even trying to get his kids to stop hounding him and mistreating his son. If doing the right thing means he'll earn Robbie's affection and respect, he'll be happy for it... but sometimes, Robbie can be very messed up :'D and even in those cases, Johnny is shown making difficult decisions that Robbie might not forgive him for. He makes them anyway, though, because he's learning better and becoming a better man. All of which includes owning up to his fuckups and doing better as a father and teacher to all the kids in his charge. If season 4 messed up all this growth and development somehow, I don't know yet... but until season 3, at least, Johnny manages to retain a lot of his core character traits and repurposed them for the better, letting go of so much baggage he didn't really reason with and understanding he has to be better, do better, in order to make his life worthwhile. What was a mediocre redemption arc in the original movies becomes so much more than that when this show puts him in complicated situations and positions as a teacher for all those kids, as well as his role as a father to Robbie. It's complicated... but like I said, unless season 4 really messed up majorly, his redemption arc is most likely the best element in the entire show and the one narrative thread that really kept me invested in the show back when I first watched it.

13. Diana Cavendish - Little Witch Academia

This one's a bit complicated because Diana wasn't really evil at all or a villain or anything like that xD Diana was, instead, the smartest girl, top of the class, too good to be true, heiress to a big magical family and all that. She's a very interesting character and posibly the best one in the entire story... and she's constantly at odds with Akko, the protagonist, during the majority of LWA. She solves problems in unexpectedly effective ways, whereas Akko sorts out issues in completely ridiculous ways. They're both contrasting characters and rivals... and yet Diana always holds at least a modicum of respect for Akko that Akko doesn't even seem aware of, on the most part.

Their rivalry is persistent up until the moment when Diana is supposed to leave the academy because of her family issues. Akko, meddlesome as she is, pokes her nose into that business and ends up following Diana all the way back home, trying her very best to get Diana to come back because the school won't be the same without her and Diana has always wanted to be a witch. In helping Diana, Akko awakens a new power in the Shiny Rod, and Diana proves she's a much better person than stereotypes of her role suggest, by often putting other people's lives and safety first, well above her own needs and obsessions with her family's legacy.

Sometime after Akko learns the truth about what happened to her magic, Diana also puts together what happened to her own: Diana spent years unable to perform any magic at all because Shiny Chariot, childhood idol of both Akko and Diana, stole their power when they were children. Diana managed to regain her power and became a remarkable, studious and talented witch because of her hard work, whereas Akko was 100% unaware of what had happened to her and didn't really know why she couldn't perform magic the way others could. Once they learn about it, Akko is very depressed... and Diana is the one who starts getting Akko out of that rut. By the finale, Diana is the very last person standing next to Akko as they try to prevent a global disaster from happening, nukes included and everything xD

Diana's isn't a classic redemption arc because she really doesn't have that much to answer for. Being arrogant isn't exactly a sin in my books, being proud isn't one either. Still, you can see a very interesting change in her character and true growth the more she sees that Akko, the chaotic girl with no magic or magic family to speak of, becomes an actual witch through her determination more than anything, a witch who thinks magic should be used to make people smile. It's really an interesting situation since Diana is about as stern and unwilling to smile as Akko is happy and emotional all the time... and yet in Diana's growth, you can see her smiling more often as things move forward, as she gets to understand Akko better and respect her as the witch she is.

So, once you get to the bottom of it: Diana faces consequences for her actions when she, in all her studiousness and looking down on someone like Akko, is forced to acknowledge that maybe she doesn't have all the answers, and that Akko may just be relating to magic in a very valuable and important way that Diana has long set aside. So Diana may be lauded and beloved by all the important people... but she knows, deep down, that Akko has answers she doesn't, and that those answers are worth respecting. She embodies that respect with more and more strength as the story progresses until she becomes one of Akko's best friends.

Unlearning toxic behaviors is what I already said above, I guess xD she stops looking down on Akko on principle, stops pretending Akko is inferior and instead becomes as helpful to Akko as she can be, down to even being the one to find Akko and talk her out of her horrible depression after she learns the truth about Shiny Chariot. She knows Akko is valuable and that Akkko matters, and she's not afraid to admit it, no matter if she's a member of the very famous magical Cavendish family and Akko is a nobody, socially speaking.

Lastly, no rewards... she really isn't expecting rewards, in my opinion, when she sacrifices the opportunity to take back her family's control form her villainous aunt, all be it to save Akko, her aunt and her cousins when she has to choose between both things. She's not ambitious in a reckless way. She gets rewards because of her excellence, no doubt, but she's still trying harder and getting those rewards never feels like her endgame goal because she just never stops with her overachieving tendencies xD but most importantly, unlike the Croix/Chariot conflict about who gets to be the magical blessed lady with the fancy Shiny Rod, Diana actually accepts Akko in the role of wielding the rod without much issue. She encourages her and even helps her in that process, and that's really just a testament to how selfless she is, in the end. Once more, rewards are not what she's looking for, even if by the end she earns Akko's friendship anyway.

14. Artemis Fowl - Artemis Fowl saga

This one probably should have been so much higher on the list xD but it's the problem with redemption arcs done right, sometimes they just escape your notice because they're solid character arcs, so solid you barely recognize them for what they were xD

Artemis Fowl, IN THE BOOKS, is designed to be a 12-year-old villainous boy. It's really that simple. He's the titular character, but he's by design the villian of his own book and that's honestly a really fun narrative choice. The heroic character standing opposite to him, Holly (an elf), gets kidnapped by Artemis, who demands for a huge ransom from the fairies for the safe return of their captured LEPrecon officer :'D it might sound silly but it's a pretty fun story as it was. Artemis gets moments when he can be the actual kid he is, but mostly, he acts like an adult in the body of a boy and that's why he's such a ridiculously fun character.

Of course, Artemis has motivations to act the way he does, and it's possible that those motivations are the most humane part of him for the bulk of the story: he wants to help heal his mother's very severe mental illnesses during the first book, caused by his father's disappearance. Then, he also wants to find his father and patch his family back up once more. He achieves both goals... through slightly questionable means in the first case, through slightly less questionable ones in the second one. He does a lot of sketchy stuff all along, and he's very unconcerned with consequences until they literally punch him in the face :'D he has a bodyguard who he assumes will protect him from harm 24/7/365... and that assumption makes Artemis a lot more vulnerable than he realizes he is. For, if that bodyguard isn't around, yes, he's going to get punched in the face. But more than that, he's going to struggle with certain situations and problems where he has to be put to the test in order to really survive dangerous situations.

His bodyguard's last name is Butler, and of course, Butler serves as Artemis's shield on the most part. The moments where you see consequences hitting Artemis are usually when Butler is out of the equation... and on one such case, he's out of the equation because of Artemis's own mistakes and terrible choices. In a reckless, foolhardy attempt to sell fairy tech to a very dangerous man, Artemis winds up walking right into the dangerous man's trap and Butler gets shot, nearly killed in the process. Butler isn't the same ever since, Artemis goes well out of his way to get help for his best friend and bodyguard, but he knows this is his fault, all in all.

Similar situations happen throughout the books, probably more of them than I can remember atm, but very often, Artemis is the one who starts his own problems and the one who has to figure them out. Sometimes he's not the one who starts the trouble, admittedly... but what matters is the times when he causes trouble and resolves it by growing as a human being in the process, evidently. Even if he's so reiterative and makes so many mistakes xD

Artemis's mistakes, to me, never felt like he was treading over the same things over and over again. At most, the situation in the Time Paradox with his mother's sudden illness felt like a possible revisit to his initial willingness to do anything for his mother... and he pays a hefty price for it because Holly realizes he's manipulated her, and their strange near-romantic relationship is frozen over before it can become any more romantic :'D that's her choice, and he accepts that. So, typically, Artemis isn't devoid of consequences in his bad choices. He faces a lot of consequences for his wrongdoings, but Holly realizes there's potential in that annoying know-it-all mastermind to be a good person, or at least a slightly better person, and she says so in Book 2. It's one of the very best scenes in Artemis Fowl altogether, once she hands him the coin that she uses to represent his potential to do good things and be better than he usually wants to be. That coin is a wonderful way to tell the readers that Artemis indeed can change, and will be allowed to grow out of his worst on his own time.

Indeed, as the story progresses, you get to see how Artemis's instinctive, insidious and curious nature changes. His willingness to unravel every mystery remains there... but it's no longer a matter of figuring things out for his benefit, or for the benefit of a few people around him (namely, his family). He discovers threats to the fairy world, he helps them fight against them, he helps keep them properly safe and hidden in their underground world, and ultimately he manages to save the whole world by sacrificing himself to put an end to a very dangerous cataclysm that the most recurrent villain of the books was ready to set in motion. Quoting what I'm seeing on Wikipedia about this last book (do cut me a little slack for having to use Wikipedia for this, I read it forever ago x'D): Colfer stated that he wanted the novel to deal with Artemis' transformation "from being a selfish criminal to a hero who is prepared to sacrifice everything for a good cause." We're talking about a character arc that was always plotted, from the get-go, to hit the points I need in redemption arcs to feel like they actually work xD so it's an ideal example of a redemption arc, in the end, and a more complicated one than most seeing as the protagonist IS the villain who needs to redeem himself.

Like I said, Artemis's every action nets him consequences. He gets away with a lot of things because he's a sly lil' shit, but all in all, he faces consequences in many ways throughout his journey. It's when he sets things right, when he shows he's not really as morally corrupt as he often acts like, that characters like Holly decide he may be worth more than he wants anyone to think he is. As the story progresses, his past mistakes come back to haunt him (such as in The Time Paradox). He has a lot of moments to reflect on his growth and he slowly fazes out his more villainous ways into a more reflective, thoughtful approach to still being a mastermind, but no longer one who's putting others at risk with his choices.

Unlearning behaviors is, yet again, the core of Artemis's journey. He makes a lot of stupid mistakes for sure, impulsive mistakes based on his persisting mastermind-y behaviors, but they are less common as the story progresses, as he faces consequences so steep and severe for his actions that he nearly watches Butler die, that he LITERALLY watches Holly die in front of him one time and he outright turns back time to save her life at all costs. He regrets things much more openly and actively seeks to make amends for his mistakes as he grows, and eventually becomes enough of a good person that he can be, indeed, the hero who is prepared to sacrifice everything (including his life, because he outright does) to do what needs to be done and save everyone else.

Lastly, as far as rewards go, I won't pretend Artemis wants no rewards whatsoever... but the rewards he's after are surprisingly selfless more often than not. The true shock in the first book comes in the form of finding out that all his heinous actions are really the actions of a child with the brainpower and the means to take it upon himself to find his father and heal his mother. That's really what he's trying to do. There's other situations where he does awful things for very stupid reasons (book 3, for instance) and regrets it later (which nets him a brainwipe as consequence for his recklessness).

But the more the story progresses, the more it feels like his interest is in discovering truths, in learning valuable things, rather than in obtaining a financial gain. Book 3 is already the last legs of his selfish criminal career, and he basically was trying to have one last attempt at being his old self before facing that he absolutely can't do that any longer. I really don't think he expected Holly to ever become his friend so I don't think he ever made choices for that sake... I do think that, once they did become friends and allies, she became a big priority for him and doing what was right by her was very important. Hence why his betrayal of her in The Time Paradox was such a rough point for both characters, and why he goes out of his way to make it up to her. Ultimately, he's trying to save his family and friends for the bulk of the books... and then, by the very last one, he's trying to save the whole world instead :'D he would have known there was a chance he might not be resurrected at all in Book 8, but he still sacrifices himself as he does and crystallizes his entire growth by doing so. It's honestly as good as it can get with a redemption arc done right, and Artemis very fortunately gets it right and practically set a standard for me, without my full awareness, of what fully-rounded redemption arcs should look like.

15. Loghain Mac Tir - Dragon Age: Origins

Another DA chracter! And this time one that's very unpopular because few people pick to keep Loghain alive because that means sacrificing your bond with Alistair, who can become your best friend, boyfriend or what-have-you if you have a positive relationship with him for most the game :'D meanwhile, Loghain's arc is very brief and you can end up missing out on A LOT if you already finished most the DLCs and such by the time he joins your party...

This being said, though, Loghain is the epitome of a good redemption arc, in his journey throughout all three games. I never ever imagined I'd like him as much as I do, but after having him become a Warden, the guy really grew on me on record time.

Basically, Loghain is your typical bad guy politician who thinks he has all the answers, has been here for ages and manipulates everything from the shadows in order to stay in power. He wants that power to repeal the Darkspawn invasion and to ensure Ferelden, his nation, stays strong forever! :'D but unfortunately he goes about it in such sketchy and terrible ways that he's always at odds with the Warden, the player character. When the Warden defeats Loghain, this guy is responsible for:

Abandoning his king on a battlefield when his duty was to send in reinforcements to save the day.

Attempting to assassinate a political rival (Arl Eamon).

Attempting to assassinate the last Warden in Ferelden (the player character).

Selling elves of the Alienage into slavery to the Tevinter Imperium.

Associating himself with a nasty-ass nobleman who murdered a whole family in order to gain more political power.

Letting said nasty-ass nobleman torture other nobles and imprison them, turning a blind eye to his BS just because.

Letting said nasty-ass nobleman take Loghain's own daughter Anora as his hostage in order to set a trap for the Warden that you inevitably have to fall into.

Lies and defames the Warden in the Landsmeet in order to present himself as the nicer guy and the true protector of Fereldan values. Particularly accuses the Warden of selling out their own to Orlais (with zero evidence) while there's evidence of HIM selling the very people from the city to a very reviled land of slavers :'D

With all this in mind, this guy is... not good news. At all. He definitely makes plenty of people on this list look like harmless puppies in comparison. He has no excuses of "I did it because I was taught to be a terrible person", or "someone else ordered me to do it", nope, Loghain makes his own choices and he's ready to die for them, as shown once you defeat him in the final one-on-one battle you have against him. So it's very easy, veeeery easy, to be tempted to just kill him and be done with it at this point... but if you don't?

If you don't, Loghain becomes a Warden. As explained above with Blackwall, Loghain's whole past is forfeit now as he becomes a Warden and all his life so far is discarded. He has to serve the very organization he DESPISES, which sounds like poetic justice... but then you discover that one of the ways in which he can serve is by DYING to kill the actual final boss of the game. So you outright get the chance to kill this man if you want to, and you even get an achievement for it! xD

But if he DOESN'T die... Loghain becomes everything a good warden has to be. He's there to support you on your decisions, to impart his wisdom, his experience, his opinions while still respecting yours far more than you imagined possible. Once you get to the expansion, Awakening, Loghain shows up at one point to check on you and I could barely BELIEVE it when he showed up. It seriously felt like seeing a good friend once again xD

Ultimately, you can kill him AGAIN in Inquisition (this guy's just always courting death, clearly) by having him stay in the Fade in Here Lies the Abyss instead of Hawke. This way, Loghain gets that final atonement for all his mistakes by sacrificing himself to help your new hero, the Inquisitor, save the world... if you let him live, he just goes right back to the Wardens and continues service for them, as expected of him.

So, once more the round-up: faces consequences for his wrongdoings? Yes, the game is literally designed to make it so xD You're the one who determines, personally, what kind of punishment suits Loghain best. If you're particularly passionate about hating him, maybe killing him is more cathartic. If you're a little more cold-blooded, you could conclude forcing him to discard his life as a politician and warrior-hero is more satisfactory a punishment since he's NOT going to enjoy his life as a Warden in the slightest. Either choice implicates a punishment for Loghain and it ultimately sits with you, the player, to choose which one you think is more fitting (also at the potential cost of losing Alistair, like I mentioned earlier). If the choice is made for him to die, there's no real redemption arc imo. He doesn't get to set his wrongs right, so evidently when I talk about redemption arc, I mean it's when Alistair is gone (whether as king or abandoning the Wardens for good) and Loghain becomes a Warden. Then he can correct his bad behavior indeed, by no longer being a force of separation that causes extra trouble in a very troubled nation that he was trying to save in his own way. Now he has to work alongside the main character and fight at his best to protect his nation. Basically, his goal wasn't wrong, it's the same one you have: it's his choices and methods that aren't correct, and that's exactly what he gets to fix when you let him become a Warden with you. Even after he's no longer a companion, Loghain becomes an old friend you're actively happy to see in Awakening, as briefly as you do, and in his choices and actions during Inquisition you can actually feel he makes the most sense in the role of the "good Warden", due to his experience and his knowledge of what a corrupt leader with very controversial choices looks like. In the end, his arc works very well because there's really no room at all for him to fall back on old bad habits and behaviors. As abrasive and nasty as he may be with some of your companions during interactions, Loghain's still proving, upon getting this chance to be a Warden, that he's a better man than the bulk of the game's storyline ever let you see him as.

Lastly, there's really no reward in this for Loghain. He wants Ferelden free and safe, that's all he cares about, and he thinks nobody else can guarantee this but himself: that's what drives him to make all the horrible choices I listed up there. When you defeat him in combat, it becomes apparent to Loghain that he's wrong: YOU can do what he thought only he could. In fact, he decides maybe you're the one who truly should do it, the force of unity Ferelden needs, not himself. And ultimately, that's what matters to him: thus, once he becomes a Warden, Loghain doesn't seem particularly bitter about the outcome. All he really wants is Ferelden's safety. Would he have preferred it if said safety had come about without him becoming a Warden? I have no doubts about it xD but I do think that he's not that resentful with his lot in life because his true priorities, his country and his daughter, are saved by your actions as leader of the Wardens and the defenses of Ferelden.

In short... Loghain pulls it off really well for a guy who has a virtual neon sign screaming "I'M THE BAD GUY" hanging over his head for most the story. It's honestly pretty impressive that Loghain gets such a good arc on such short notice, because there's really not that much room for him to really interact with the rest of the party and become a good friend and ally to your main character. Even so... it works so damn well that, once again, I was absolutely blown away when I saw him standing in the Vigil's Keep, greeting me like an old friend, checking on me right before taking off to his new Warden assignment. Maybe I'm too much of a softie in some cases xD but when it came to Loghain, I really found myself far too attached to the guy when I used to think I'd NEVER want anything to do with him. It's a really good storyline and I'm very happy that bringing him into the team is a possibility the game extends to you, no matter if I don't choose it all that often. I really think people who haven't experienced bringing Loghain with them should do it at least once in a playthrough xD it might not have the same effect on them as it did on me, but I'll say, his arc is definitely better than many I've seen out there. Definitely worth the shot if just to experience a very effective, very strong redemption arc in a short span of time.

16. Phil Connors - Groundhog Day

Lastly, what I suspect may be the actual quintessential redemption arc in the history of cinema: the very famous character portrayed by Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

I don't even know if it's necessary to recap this movie because I feel like everyone would know it xD but in case it's necessary, Phil is a weatherman for a TV network who gets sent to a Punxsutawney in Philadephia, a town well known for its Groundhog tradition: if the groundhog sees its own shadow, this will somehow determine whether the winter will be longer or shorter. It's very ridiculous, hence why Phil doesn't want to be there to begin with :'D

Phil, however, is an asshole. He's a self-absorbed guy with a narcissistic complex, whose entire existence revolves around his needs, his interests and his advancement. Thus, when he gets stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive February 2nd for an indefinite amount of time (according to Wikipedia, possibly around 34 years worth of repetitions?), his entire life falls to pieces. The first few times the loop happens, he's confused. Eventually, he decides to make the most of it and goes completely buckwild with his time loop, doing whatever he wants and even whoever he wants, taking advantage of his "you can always start over" situation in order to learn more about people, find out how to obtain money whenever he wants to, to trick complete strangers into thinking they've known him forever... up until it stops going as well as he wants it to, when his co-worker Rita won't get swept up by his charms no matter how hard he tries (in fact, his persistence and weirdness makes her reject him sooner each time :'D). Eventually, Phil reaches such a low point... that he starts committing suicide in the hopes that this is what will break him out of the loop. But after dying, he still wakes up again, every day, and it's still February 2nd, every day.

His desperation eventually sees him coming clean to Rita and telling her everything. She's intrigued, though she doesn't believe him at first, and they spend a whole day testing if he truly knows EVERYTHING, and in the end it looks like he does, because he's already spent forever in this town and knows everyone :'D Their day together is much better this time, but it leaves Phil with the idea to make something better of himself once he wakes up, on February 2nd, without Rita yet again. Their one good day, totally erased.

Thus, Phil's journey into being a better guy begins. It's devastating when he finally decides he's going to help an old beggar on the street, only for the beggar to die because it's what's fated to happen that day, basically. He tries and tries, but it never works and that particular situation always made me sad as a child :'D but Phil starts to do good things all around, to even try things he never had before like playing the piano, he finds out about basically every tragedy and troublesome thing that could happen on a given day in the town, and he has a whole routine to help each person that needs him, one after the other. Eventually, Rita finds herself utterly mindblown upon seeing how much different he is from the Phil she knew on February 1st xD and she starts to develop real feelings for him too. He of course is in love with her, but he's taken for granted that nothing lasts and he just makes the most of the time he's given each day. In a very unexpected way, Phil seems to find peace in this time loop...

... And that's exactly when the time loop breaks.

This movie is called Groundhog Day. It could basically be called "Redemption Arc" instead. That's the entire point of the whole movie. That's the character arc Phil is on. There's no way he breaks this loop until he becomes a better person, and that's that: the loop obeys no logic, no reason, it's just happening, there are no instructions, no understandable motives... it's just something that happens to this one unpleasant stuck-up guy in town. Nobody else was affected by the loop, only him. And the only way the loop breaks, because he basically tested EVERYTHING, all the way to killing himself, was by becoming a better man.

The loop is the obvious consequence to Phil being an asshole: he's stuck in February 2nd until he breaks his own curse of being a dick to everyone he knows :'D Unlearned behaviors are, as ever, what the final chunk of the movie is about. As for the rewards... he got the great reward indeed of breaking the loop, but like I said, he never expected it. He's completely shocked when the radio sounds different on February 3rd, when life finally, suddenly, gets started again once he does things the right way at last. His relief is huge... but his lessons stick with him. At the start, Phil wants nothing to do with Punxsutawney and he can't wait to leave: when the movie ends, he asks Rita to live in this town with him. One would think that, after being stuck in the town for all that time, Phil's first instinct would be to LEAVE, at once xD but instead, such is the peace he found in this place that he's outright fond of it now. This has become so important in his life that he's ready to spend another lifetime in Punxsutawney, but this time willingly. He's grown to genuinely love the place he's in, and like I said, to feel such peace there that he'd settle there forever.

Frankly, this one is bound to be the first redemption arc I was ever exposed to, and that I remembered it last is shameful of me xD but it's yet another case of a redemption arc so strong that the movie outright has become a classic and is frequently considered one of the best movies of all time. I watched this one when I was very young and it stuck with me ever since. The way Phil's redemption isn't something anyone forces him to do, but something he, himself, chooses to do for the first time in his life, makes this arc work smoothly. It's especially important to me that we don't even know for how long Phil has been stuck (by watching the movie only), and we don't even know how many times Phil improved himself, his actions and choices all the way into that final timeloop day, where he finally breaks his own curse. It hits every important point for a redemption arc in the best of ways, so frankly, with a movie of this magnitude, with a narrative devoted exclusively to a redemption arc, it's magnificent that it delivers upon its premise seamlessly.

...

And I guess that's what I've got at the moment xD I really didn't want to drop this ask with just 3-4 examples so I've been adding to it gradually ever since you first sent the ask until I finally felt I had enough redemption arcs to at least give you a comprehensive idea on what really comprises a quality redemption arc for me, and why certain arcs don't reach me the way they intended to.

While I have no doubts Zuko's arc was indeed intended in this manner, I've analyzed him probably a little more thoroughly than I should have, and there's too many elements in which the show comes close to attaining the right components for my standard of a good redemption arc, and then they shirk things away and dial up the elements that, to me, don't matter at all (you've always been good deep down and that's more important than all those times when you were bad and never owned up to it, your mistakes are not your fault because you have a sad backstory, you're allowed to repeat toxic behaviors and commit mistakes you allegedly learned from because you say you're good now and we believe that's true even if we're seeing you haven't changed all that much, everyone needs to forgive you because you're changing your ways and if they're not forgiving you that easily we'll find a way to make it happen extra fast so you can have every reward we want you to get).

It's really frustrating to me with Zuko because it really wasn't that hard to get it right... and it's extra frustrating because people keep using him as a standard for redemption arcs in spite of all the gaps in logic and reasoning within his redemption arc. I have better and worse days with Zuko, the latter frequently happen whenever I bump into his classic, irritating fans who seem to think he can do no wrong and who throw fits of rage every time you want to bring Azula's struggles to the table instead, to say one thing, because the whole world should revolve around Zuko and his pain, and Azula had it super easy and she's a selfish asshole for not suffering over her brother 24/7. On those better days, though, I can see Zuko with slightly more neutral eyes and I can absolutely tell the issue in his writing comes from a lot of inexperience in the writing team, not nearly enough screentime devoted to what actually matters, and even a lack of understanding, by the show's own writers, of what Zuko's growth process really required in order to truly work. Have all the wholesome relationships you want to have between uncle and nephew: Zuko still didn't learn the most crucial lessons someone in his position should have, lessons his beloved uncle absolutely could have taught him if only the writers had bothered making it so. Unfortunately, they didn't.

Fortunately, I can at least point to 16 other characters who got things right that Zuko didn't, 16 other redemption arcs that hit the nail on the head of what redemption TRULY is about, and show us how characters in villainous or antagonistic roles absolutely can turn around and become so much more than they originally were meant to be (all the way to even becoming some of the most compelling, if not the absolute most compelling, characters in their respective stories).

I may update this in the future with more characters if I can think of more, but I'd hope these 16 are a good starting point. I know there are a few others out there who are solid choices too, but admittedly, I'm not a real expert on their stories and there are arguments that can be made against their redemption arcs being great. Anakin and Vegeta, for instance, came to mind: the redemption in Anakin's case is the whole climax of the original Star Wars trilogy, but while we see him making such a pivotal choice, we don't exactly see the journey of growth that I'm usually looking for. Vegeta, on the other hand, has occasional regressions to very unpleasant behaviors because, to be fair, he's violent and aggressive by nature, so even when he changes, there's a side of him that will always be like that. The difference, I suppose, hinges on how he exteriorizes it later in life... but as I haven't watched Dragon Ball in full in a LONG time, I can't fully attest that his growth process is perfect and works wonders. Same is true for Piccolo, both can be good examples of redemption but I definitely don't feel qualified to analyze them as I am :'D There's also some debate regarding a character from She-Ra, Catra... I've seen people say her redemption arc is garbage, just as I've seen people say it's the best one they ever saw. Me? Well... I never watched She-Ra :'D so I have zero judgment on her redemption arc because I have no basis to judge it at all xD Still, if anyone who watched that show wants to know whether or not I'd approve of her redemption arc, the three key points are right there: does she face consequences for her misdeeds? Does she unlearn her toxic behaviors? Does she undergo the entire process of growth and change without doing it just for the sake of an eventual reward? If so, then her redemption would work for me. If any of these elements is missing... then she wouldn't make it on this list even if I watch that show. Yep, simple as that.

Okay... I hope this veeeeeeeeeeery long post is thorough enough to address both what I want in redemption arcs, as well as offering examples of various redemption arcs that fulfilled my requirements! Thanks for the ask and for the excuse to ramble about characters I love xD

[attonitos-gloria]

What asoiaf/got ships/dynamics that aren't from the dance of dragons era do you like?

ANON, thank you for this question, i could spend hours here talking about that actually, and i apologize in advance for the longest answer to an ask ever seen in this blog <3

so, i think the main answer to that is: i love all the dynamics of house lannister, from AGoT onwards. (i like problematic, abusive families???) jaime and cersei reflecting each other's perfection in a sea of shared grief until jaime loses his hand and the mirror shatters; tyrion's devotion to jaime, the way they are tied together through a lie until the moment jaime cuts the thread off. the friendship between tyrion and penny is so so so important to me, too. 

i love, love, love, the ghost of joanna, the what-if that haunts everything, and how it impacts tyrion's life, how he's been forced to carry this blame and associate this blame to his disability... the everlasting impact tywin imprinted in each one of them through consistent abuse that they repeat and pass onto other people, and how they have to literally dissociate to handle the trauma. i i love the weight of the valonqar prophecy. how cersei is delusional and paranoid thinking it's about tyrion because she is too blind to realize that her downfall is right in the mirror, right there in the face of her twin - that is, her own face.

i love how the prophecy creates this rift between cersei and tyrion, because cersei is the only person who could make tyrion feel truly loved, if she could just let go of tywin's ways. where cersei goes, jaime follows; together, the three of them could have a chance to protect each other. but they don't protect each other! they harm each other in horrible ways! how could cersei escape her father? this god-like figure, larger than life? and so she hates tyrion. she shapes her heart after tywin's; she doesn't know any other way. jaime tries to control the damage, but he can't escape tywin either, no one can, so he inflicts more damage on tyrion in tywin's name by lying about tysha. he makes his little brother believe he will never be loved and, by doing that, through terror and shame and guilt, he cages tyrion in the confines of house lannister, too. 

jaime tries to run, then, by joining the kingsguard: he doesn't want to be tywin's golden heir. but then, he is stuck in a court where the king rapes his wife and wants to set the world on fire. he is seventeen, the king is mad, his father is at the gates: jaime can't escape tywin - or rather, he can’t escape his own heart, shaped after tywin, and what he decides to do then haunts him for the rest of his life. (i'm not saying it wasn't heroic of him to save the city; but the timing was just too convenient for house lannister. as were the methods. as were the people he chose to save, and the people he chose not to.) and the war is over, at last. cersei is going to be queen! all she ever wanted! but the new king is not the prince she dreamed of. to ensure house lannister's power, her father marries her off to another man, a man who abuses her over and over. all jaime wanted was to stay in court with his sister. now they are finally there together, but jaime is watching his twin, his queen: married with a violent king and unable to do anything to protect her. a joke of a knight. none of them can escape house lannister's grasp, until tyrion finally breaks free, in the most chaotic way possible. when tyrion kills tywin, he kills the only god he and his siblings ever knew. this quote lives in my head rent-free: 

Snatch scratched at his stubble with the point of his hook. "Nasty thing, a crossbow. How many men you kill with that?"

"Nine." His father counted for at least that many, surely. Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, Shield of Lannisport, Hand of the King, husband, brother, father, father, father.

sorry, i’m never getting over this; tywin is their whole world???? he is a multitude of men? tyrion repeats father three times, one for cersei, one for jaime, one for himself, he thinks there’s no space tywin doesn’t fill and now that tywin is dead the world is kind of void, empty. that’s religious! he is speaking as someone who abandoned his faith, who apostatized!!! (my friend @thistle-and-thorn​ has a theory that tyrion’s arc in ADWD is just grrm processing the lost of his catholic faith and his journey toward atheism. she can explain it better, but i think there’s good arguments for that.) WHY WOULD GEORGE DO THAT TO ME???? 

anyway, tyrion leaves house lannister, but house lannister doesn’t leave him, as it often happens when you abandon your faith: there’s something that lingers. tyrion acts as a monster: he acts like tywin made him. he is not a well-behaved victim. he doesn't mourn and suffer prettily. how could he? after a lifetime of being lied to, of being told he is unlovable, and finding out he wasted the only true love he ever had? no, tyrion is not going to be merciful; he is paying back in the only currency house lannister knows and the only language they understand. lannisters only speak in debts. he is going to be the one to destroy house lannister after all; he's already begun..... and each one of them are really just reaping what tywin sowed.

just... house lannister, man.

i think the future of the lannisters is being utterly destroyed and i want to watch my favorite dysfunctional family burning in despair in the aftermath of their own decisions so badly. like, i just want to see tywin's legacy destroyed, ashes on the ground. i am going to DANCE on tywin's grave when it happens. and if tyrion can’t let go of the tywin that lingers in his heart, he will go down with it? that remains to be seen, though, and i hope meeting Dany will start the process of his healing.

ok. i am VERY sorry about this crazy lannister moment. let's move on.

i love the relationship between tyrion and sansa. i'm completely obsessed with this doomed, horrible marriage. not that i think anything should or could have happened when sansa was a child-hostage in king's landing!! but i like the story being told through them: how tyrion embodies, at once, the knighthood that sansa dreams of (by trying to protect her from joffrey's abuse, by not raping her. 'i am only a little lion, and i vow: i shall not savage you' was literally one of the first thing he's ever said to her!!) and the abuse she suffers on virtue of being a maid (by being forced to marry him, and her overall situation as a hostage of his family); how sansa is a sort of projection of tysha (i've angrily ranted about it here) at the same time he is painfully aware that sansa represents a life he will never have (a family that loves him, a wife that wants him). how sansa wants to be loved but thinks no one will ever marry her for love, only for her claim, at the same time tyrion is thinking he doesn't want winterfell only, he wants her, he wanted a chance of a true marriage with her. and yet, they CAN'T communicate. they can't, it's impossible, like that pathetic scene of overcooked peased and mutton: sansa is too afraid, tyrion is too aware of her disgust for him, there's a fracture between them that cannot be healed or crossed. but they are together in this in a weird way; they are alone together. i think this was one of the few things i liked about the show - i didn't like tyrion's overall whitewashing, but that particular adaptation was made with george's approval and it makes sense in the light of the books. they depicted sansa and tyrion as some sort of tragic team-up in king's landing, as each other's allies in the saddest way possible - because it is a fruitless alliance. it leads nowhere: tyrion is not going to rape her, so their marriage won't give him lannister children; he is protecting her but effectively keeping her in the lannister household so he is not... really, actually saving her (no one escapes tywin, etc). without children, neither of them are going to be given winterfell. it is a barren marriage, a pointless island of safety, but it's what they could do with what they had in hand, that is, each other. and something about this is deeply moving to me? i think there's a lot of hidden kindness in this ship. they break my heart. in every universe, they do, and i have tried not to ship them! but i can't!! they are very compelling from a narrative point of view. that being said, i don't think they will ever be happy together, and that's kind of the reason why i ship them in the first place. i look forward to them meeting again in the books, though. they are my ultimate one true pairing, unfortunately. we don't get to choose who we ship.

i love jaime and brienne. i love how brienne forces jaime to confront his failures and his flaws. i love how she is, in all ways that matter, the anti-cersei: she is not there to reflect his own image back to him; she is everything he wishes he could be one day. she exposes him, she touches his deepest wounds, by simply existing and doing her thing. i think it's supposed to have romantic undertones and i ship them that way, but even without the romance, i still think it's one of the most important relationships of the series. (also love podrick, their adopted son, with uncle tyrion in the family??? like? oh my God: i think tyrion should be everyone's uncle.)

they never met in the books, but after so many intentional narrative parallels i am convinced george wants me to get deeply invested in jon/dany/tyrion. he demanded that of me, personally, he came into my house. these three are going to save the world and rule together. or they will all die in the war or kill themselves in the process; i don't know anymore. all i know is that they'll meet and it will be THE event of the asoiaf series. i particularly have a very soft spot for tyrion/jon? their interactions in AGoT warm me on cold nights; jon's young curiosity about tyrion, tyrion's harsh kindness...

and, because i am crazy about the lannisters: i’m sorry, but given the intentional parallels that grrm created between dany & cersei (different approach to women in power and how to handle your fire weapons no, i don’t think dany is the mad queen of the series) and the obvious similarities between jon & jaime (different approaches to what it means to keep your oaths and break them and being honorable), YOU UNDERSTAND HOW JON/DANY/TYRION IS THE FOUND FAMILY THAT JAIME/CERSEI/TYRION COULD NEVER BE???? *going crazy again and running in circles*

i do believe everything is about house lannister, yes. when i said we were moving on from them, i LIED, i was lying.

let’s try again. moving on!!

sansa is the character i relate to the most: the way she sees the world as a story, a tale, and people as characters in it, with these predetermined roles? and the shattering of this worldview as she finds out that people don't play their part? so with that in mind: the parallels between sansa/ned and sansa/littlefinger is something that i often think about. in the end of the books i believe it will be clear that sansa is, and has always been, ned's daughter, and not petyr's. the parallels and similarities between ned and sansa overwhelm me (this idealism is present in ned's chapters, too, a lot). i think the way grrm inserted petyr there to expose this rift in sansa's character was brilliant: is she going to be ned's daughter and hold on to honor, to kindness, to love through loyalty, to the hidden truth in every ideal she's learned even though the world is not ideal (all the songs can't be lies)? is she going to be petyr's daughter and live in a liquid world based on lies, on cynicism, assuming the worst of everyone and using everyone as pieces on a board? it's where she is now, as alayne. but it's not how she's going to end, i hope? (don't get me wrong; i love petyr/sansa, it's a ship i relate to a lot, unfortunately. and it's so wonderfully written! but i very much want sansa to kill petyr one day. i want all my faves killing their abusive fathers!! hello alicent?!? get it over with girl)

they haven't met yet in the books, but when sansa and brienne meet, i think i will legitimately cry. (something something the lady and her knight)

bran is my second favorite character, and the friendship between him, meera and jojen is the most precious thing to be defended and protected at all costs. it's just too pure. like, the only not-problematic dynamic of this list, full of incest, underage pairings, daddy issues and abusive relationships. bran, jojen and meera are rays of sunshine.

and it's weird, but i have very specific headcanons about lyanna and benjen being the closest among their siblings - everyone talks about lyanna and ned, because he went to war for her and adopted her son, but benjen literally grew up with her when ned and brandon left to be fostered in the Vale? he mourned her loss so much that he took the black when she died? 🥺 everyone out there competing for lyanna's attention, going to war and trying to prove they loved her more than ALL THE OTHERS, and benjen just. couldn't live in winterfell without her. he just quietly went away and no one knows why? i think about that, sometimes.

ok, there's more. this list keeps growing, but these are the faves that consume my time and energy. THANK YOU FOR ASKING. i am SO SORRY about the length of this, it’s just..... i love talking about the blorbos!!! i'd love to know yours, please tell me about them.

[jungshookz]

skate a little piece of my heart; jjk

➺ pairing; jeon jungkook x reader

➺ genre; rollerskatinginstructor!jungkook!! sfw!! fluff!! honk honk humour!! jungkook is a very handsome instructor and y/n can’t tell if that’s a bad thing or a good thing

➺ wordcount; 6.3k

➺ summary; your two left feet and complete lack of balance isn’t the only thing that’s making you weak in the knees this valentine’s day. 

➺ what to expect; “rollerskating is already hard enough as it is, and now i have to do it in front of him?!” 

➺ currently spinning on the record player; how deep is your love; bee gees

                                     »»————-　💫  ————-««

“this is so dumb.”

“safety is never dumb, y/n!” taehyung raps his knuckles against the top of your helmet and you scowl before swatting his hand away, “now, where are your kneepads?”

you let out a groan before tilting your head back slowly, your eyes widening in slight panic at the surprisingly hefty weight of the helmet

your arms flail for a second and you immediately reach up to grip both sides of the helmet before forcing your head back up

jesus

you nearly snapped your own neck there

of course, snapping your own neck would mean not being able to skate because you’d technically be dead… so maybe that’s not such a bad idea after all…

(by the way, it’s concerning how many times you’ve considered literal death just to get out of doing something.)

“are you going to lift your leg for me or do i have to do everything for you?”

you look down to see taehyung down on the ground in front of you holding one of the knee pads and you frown lightly before lifting your leg and placing your sock-clad foot on his knee

“please tell me this is the last of the safety gear…” you whine, “tae, i literally look so dorky right now- no one else is wearing helmets or knee and elbow pads!” you gesture to seokjin and namjoon who are busy putting on their skates over on the other bench before scoffing lightly and crossing your arms 

if namjoon (arguably the klutziest one out of this group of people) isn’t even wearing a helmet, then what does that say about you??

you’ve seen him trip over nothing and scrape both his knees so why are you the only one wearing all of this junk?!

“i took you ice-skating over christmas and you fell flat on your ass more times than i could count, and you insisted that you didn’t need any safety equipment even though it was alarmingly clear that you did. i basically spent two hours making sure you didn’t die-” taehyung looks up at you with a raised brow, “do you want to fall and split your skull open in front of everyone?”

“if it means not having to gear up in all this dorkware- then, yes. i would love to have my brains splat across the rink in front of everyone. in fact, that would probably be less embarrassing-” you grumble, flinching slightly as taehyung suddenly yanks hard to tighten up your laces, “i’m an adult, taehyung! grown-ups don’t need to wear all of this!” 

“grown-ups don’t throw tantrums either, but here you are…” taehyung mutters under his breath, putting your foot down before giving your knee a slap, “perfect! we’re good to go!”

“yeah, yeah…” you reach under to scratch at your elbow only to feel your nails scrape against the smooth surface of the plastic protection shell and you resist the urge to rip it off out of frustration

taehyung decided that it’d be a great idea to bring everyone to a rollerskating rink for valentine’s day this year instead of… letting people go out to intimate dinners and celebrate on their own… because, quote, ‘i just want all of us to spend more time together, and what better day to do that then on valentine’s day?? …ooh, we should call it pal-entine’s day. ha! get it?? because we’re all pals-’

(he was dumped recently, so everyone’s kind of letting him run the ship for now. …basically, no one can say no to taehyung unless they want to see him burst into tears. he’s still in a very delicate state.)

but, honestly… a rollerskating rink!

out of all the places to go to!

you already have two left feet, so forcing said left feet into shoes with wheels is a horrible idea

“i think it’d be best if i just sat back and watched you guys!” you try for the umpteenth time to get taehyung to let you off the hook, “plus, they sell chilli dogs here and they actually smell really good and i kind of want to order one for myself even though it might end in me having to get my stomach pumped-” you gesture back towards the refreshments counter and taehyung shakes his head before sticking his hand out for you

“there’s plenty of time for you to scarf down a rubbery hotdog later- now, c’mon-”

“i don’t even know how to skate!”

“that’s fine, you’ll learn! it’ll be like riding a bicycle except you are the bicycle-”

“you know, i’m just going to be complaining the whole time, and it’s going to ruin your time here. honestly, tae, why am i here??”

“because i’m not emotionally stable enough to spend valentine’s day alone yet and i need to surround myself with as many people as possible otherwise i’m going to be alone with my thoughts and i’m going to spiral!” taehyung’s voice cracks as he snaps at you and you immediately press your lips together and avert your gaze, trying to ignore the weird glances the two of you are getting from the strangers around you

…

“okay, well-” you push yourself up off the bench before wobbling slightly and reaching over to grab onto taehyung’s arm for stability, “i don’t know about you, but i’m most certainly ready to tear up that rink!”

“perfect!” taehyung chirps, quickly reverting back to his ‘everything is fine and i’m definitely not dying on the inside’ state, “and don’t worry. rollerskating is much easier than ice-skating, so there’s less of a chance of you potentially embarrassing yourself here-” taehyung gives your hand a pat as the two of you shuffle your way towards the entrance gate, “trust me, you’ll get the hang of it as soon as you start!”

“you saw me on ice…” you snort, your knees already wobbling as you take your first step into the rink, “i really don’t think i’m going to be any better on wood-”

“well, lucky for you…” taehyung lets go of you and you immediately cling to the railing in panic, “i went ahead i hired an instructor for you!”

you frown as you pull one hand away and rub your fingers together 

god, why are the railings so sticky-

“you- woah, hold on a second-” you look up and over at taehyung with wide eyes when you finally catch on to what he just said, “i’m sorry, you did what?”

“what? i can’t stay by your side and watch you all night.” he shrugs, placing his hands on his hips as he stands in front of you, “we were moving so slowly on the ice that i was sure it was starting to melt underneath our skates-”

“you just told me you don’t want to be alone and now you’re handing me off to someone else instead of spending time with me??” you frown, manoeuvring your stance so that both your hands are gripping onto the railing behind your bum, “why force me to skate if you’re not doing it with me?”

“i mean, i obviously want to spend time with you, but i also don’t want to be skating, like, one mile an hour-” taehyung snorts, “i’m forcing you to skate so that one day, we can skate together without me having to worry about you slipping and sliding all over the place like a baby giraffe!”

“well, why can’t you teach me instead of paying for someone else to do it?”

a brief moment of silence passes as taehyung rolls over to get you to release your iron grip from the bars

“…because teaching you how to skate instead of actually spending time skating sounded really boring-” he mutters quickly, your eyes widening as you turn to look at him

“wha-”

“also-” he cuts you off, placing his hands on your hips from behind as he starts to roll you forwards slowly (though, you haven’t noticed this yet because you’re still focused on the fact that he didn’t want to teach you - you’re a great student!!), “there was a girl who kept smiling at me when i was strapping you up in all your gear, and i need to find out if i still have game or not-”

“this sounds more like you’re trying to fill the empty void inside of you with meaningless sex, which, by the way, isn’t a very healthy coping mechanism-” 

“i will fill this empty void inside of me in whichever way i want, thank you very much-” taehyung snorts, shaking his head, “plus, it’s too late to back out because the policy states that they don’t take refunds and he’s already here-”

“wait, what??” you immediately look back to the front, the fact that you are being rolled towards someone now sinking into your brain, “who- oh my god, stop rolling me-!”

taehyung’s fingers dig into your hips as he comes to a sudden halt, “what??”

“spin me around.” 

taehyung blinks before slowly turning you around so that you’re facing him and you pray to god that you don’t look like some kind of rotating rotisserie chicken right now  

you open your mouth to speak when you finally see taehyung’s face again but he continues to spin you slowly so that you end up in the same position you were in a second ago

...

“for god’s sake, taehyung- spin me around so i’m looking at you, you moron-”

“ohh, okay, i thought you just wanted to spin you around for fun-”

“why would i want you to spin me around for f- okay, that’s not important right now-” you shake your head, “i just want to say that the only reason why i’m doing this is because you kind of sprung this on me last minute and i don’t want to inconvenience anyone, but just know that you now owe me big time- now, spin me back around and wheel me to whoever i’m going to be stuck with for the next couple of hours.”

“noted!” taehyung chirps as he rolls you back so you’re facing the front, “he’s right over there by the other entrance- the guy in the yellow-” your eyes flit around until they land on the guy in the yellow and you immediately feel your heart starting to beat a little harder in your chest at the sight of the guy in the yellow, “his name’s jungkook, he has a shining five-star rating, he’s a wonderful teacher according to all the parents whose kids he’s taught- i’m pretty sure you’re his oldest student so don’t embarrass yourself-”

you feel your mouth go dry when jungkook reaches down to adjust the bottom of his tied button-up shirt before opening the sides of it a little more to show off his chest

he reaches up to twirl a loose tendril of hair around his finger before gently pushing it back and running his hand through his hair, poking his tongue against the inside of his cheek briefly 

oh no

oh, no

he’s attractive

he’s very, very attractive

“tae.” you keep a polite smile on your face as you slink your right arm behind you to attempt to blindly punch him in the gut, “why didn’t you tell me that the instructor was cute?”

“oh, i’m sorry.” taehyung responds sarcastically, “i didn’t think attractiveness was an important factor when considering an instructor.”

“well, it is when the instructor looks like that-” you feel your cheeks warm when jungkook smiles brightly at the two of you before waving enthusiastically, “rollerskating is already hard enough as it is, and now i have to do it in front of him?!”

“i don’t know what there is to freak out about. the guy’s handsome- so what?” taehyung waves back at jungkook before giving your hips a playful squeeze, “if anything, you should see this as a bonus - you get some eye-candy while you learn!”

“okay, well, don’t make me sound pervy-”

“not to mention, he’s your age! so it’ll be like you’re just hanging out with a friend-”

“a friend?! taehyung, i’m wearing overalls, my hair is in pigtails, and all this protective gear that you shoved me in makes me look like an eight year old-!” you gasp when you feel yourself suddenly bump into something hard and taehyung quickly loops his arm around your waist to keep you from toppling over

it’s a second later that you realize the something hard that you bumped into was jungkook’s obviously broad chest, so obviously this rollerskating lesson is already off to a fantastic start 

“woah, you got it?” jungkook holds both his hands out in case you fall over and you let out a nervous chuckle before reaching up to push your helmet up slightly

“i’m fine!” your voice cracks and you clear your throat quickly, “…hello.”

“hi! it’s nice to meet you- y/n, right?” jungkook sticks his hand out for you to shake and you smile nervously before reaching out to take it, “my name’s jungkook! i’m super excited for today. we’re going to have a lot of fun together.”

you don’t know if it’s just because he’s clearly one of those fun and overly friendly! instructors or if he’s just naturally bubbly but he’s talking to you like you’re a child

(you probably could’ve ditched the pigtails today.) 

“okay, i’m going to go off now so let me just hand y/n over to you-” taehyung arm slips from your waist before he gently rolls you towards jungkook, “you two have fun!”

your hands immediately slap down on the railings right as you feel yourself about you slip and you let out a breath of relief

that was a close call

“we will!” jungkook smiles, waving at taehyung as he skates off, “you enjoy yourself out there!”

you watch helplessly as taehyung skates away, jungkook turning back to look at you with a (very handsome) smile

you feel your heart skip a beat once again and you immediately curse in your head 

…you’re screwed.

                                    »»————-　💫  ————-««

“because of the balance and control required, it’ll take a little bit of getting used to- but once you get the hang out it, rollerskating is super fun!” jungkook reaches out so you can take his hand, “do you wanna let go of the bar for me?”

there are a lot of things you’d like to do for jungkook but letting go of the railing and potentially falling in front of him is most definitely not one of them

“you know, i think i’m good!” you chuckle, your knuckles practically going white at how tightly you’re gripping onto the railing, “why don’t you just keep talking while i… you know, get used to the feeling of just standing while wearing skates?”

“okay, if that’s what you’re comfortable with, that’s what we can do. let’s see… ah!” jungkook perks up, clapping his hands together before gesturing down to his own feet, “so, you’re gonna wanna keep your feet shoulder-width apart. can you do that for me?”

you look down at your feet, not at all surprised to see that they’re practically glued to each other

okay

shoulder-width apart

you can do that, right?

you lift your right foot up slowly before quickly moving it farther away from your left foot, your skate skidding slightly against the floor as you stomp down

goD these skates are clunky

you’ll never understand how people find this activity genuinely enjoyable

“see? not so bad, right? now, i’m really going to need you to let go of the bar for me so that we can move onto the next step- i swear i won’t let you fall if you take my hand.”

your eyes flicker down to his outstretched hand and you twist your lips uncertainly, “you promise?”

jungkook places his hand over his heart, “i promise.”

you lift one hand off the rail and quickly take jungkook’s hand, pausing for a second to make sure that everything feels okay before quickly lifting the other hand off the rail

you practically slap your hand down on jungkook’s other palm and let out a breath of relief as soon as he grips it tightly, and you look back in concern when jungkook starts to pull you away from the railing

“there you go! see?” jungkook smiles brightly, giving your hands a squeeze to get you to focus on him instead of the bars, “not so bad, right?” 

“yeah, i guess so…” you puff out, feeling your heart starting to pound harder not onLY because the safety of the railings have been taken away from you but also because jungkook’s hands are… very soft.,,. and very warm,.,. and very pretty.,., and all-in-all very nice

“okay, step two. so, this next part is going to make you feel a little silly, but we have to walk like ducks because it just makes the process of walking easier. you kind of have to point your toes outwards- yeah, just like that! and don’t forget to squat a little-” jungkook hums, leaning over a little so he can look to see if your stance is okay, “perfect! we’re just going to keep practicing until you get used to walking...”  

“you know, taehyung actually took me ice-skating over the holidays and i fell, like… ten times.” you snort, keeping your eyes on your skates as you take one small step after another, “i thought rollerskating would be easier but i feel like there are more rules to worry about…”

“oh my god, don’t even worry about it-“ jungkook snorts, shaking his head, “i’m an awful ice-skater. you’d think it’d come naturally to me because i can rollerskate- plus, i don’t see the fun in ice-skating! i know it’d never happen but i’m always paranoid that the skates are going to slice-”

“-the ice open and you’re going to fall through and plunge into the icy water?”

“exactly! see, you get it.” jungkook grins, leaning down a little to check your posture again, “you know, you’re a complete natural. i don’t know why you were so nervous to begin with!”

you snort in response and resist the urge to tell him that his face was one of the major things that contributed to your nerves 

“ooh, and you know what else i hate about ice-skating?” jungkook gasps, “that if i fall and get my hands on the ground, someone’s going to skate over them and amputate all of my fingers.”

you immediately burst into giggles and he gawks playfully

“are you laughing at a genuine fear of mine, y/n?? i didn’t take you to be someone who could be so cruel…”

“no, i’m not laughing at you!” you smile softly and you can’t help but note how warm and comforting his presence is, “i’m just- i said that exact same thing to taehyung when we were ice-skating and he said i was being ridiculous, so it’s nice to know that someone shares the same opinions on ice-skating as i do.” you instinctively squeeze jungkook’s hands when you feel the wheels roll out from underneath you a little and you end up jerking forward a little 

“woah-! you’re okay- i’ve got you…” jungkook rubs his thumbs over your knuckles reassuringly as he waits for you to regain your balance and start walking again, “i told you i wouldn’t let you fall, remember?”

“yeah…” you smile shyly, feeling your cheeks heat up a little

you don’t feel as nervous anymore

no wonder jungkook has a five-star rating as an instructor

he’s great!

“also, you do realise we’ve walked, like, an entire round around the rink, right?”

“what? we have?” you pause, looking up from your skates for the first time in ten minutes 

you’re almost at the spot you were at right when you first started

woah

wow!!

you didn’t even realize!!

that’s so cool!!

you walked an entire round without falling (a lot of almost-falling, but you’ll take it)!!!

“i mean, i don’t know about you, but i feel like we can move on to gliding now…” jungkook whistles lowly, “you’re a very fast learner so i’m not worried.”

“gliding is…” you lean over a little when you notice taehyung having a blast at the other side of the rink with his new companion, the two of them skating side by side

she laughs at something he says before playfully swatting at his arm

it’s just good to see him smiling and not crying for once 

one of the things that you love most about taehying is that he’s so in tune with his emotions, but when his ex (he forbade you from saying her name) broke up with him, he cried so much that you were pretty sure he had completely dehydrated himself 

so it’s nice that he seems to be enjoying himself! 

“so, gliding is-” jungkook steps over to get right into your line of vision and you quickly look back at him with an attentive smile, “basically turning your steps into smoooooth strokes. instead of dropping your foot straight down, you’re going to be pushing it forward and out. it’s kind of hard to explain gliding… you kinda just have to let momentum carry you forward and do its thing, you know? it’s literally just a one foot after the other situation.”

“well, if you can glide backwards, i’m sure i can figure out how to do it normally.” you point out, jungkook snorting in response

“trust me, you’ll be able to pick it up quickly. remember that when you’re gliding on one foot to keep your other slightly hovering above ground so it doesn’t interfere-” jungkook stops himself when he notices your brows knitting together (you seem to do this a lot when you’re focusing too hard on something), “ah, you know- i find that it’s easier to glide when you’re not actually focused on the gliding!” he chirps, giving your hands a reassuring squeeze, “if it helps, you can keep your eyes on me instead of staring down at your skates.”

hAh

if anything, staring directly at jungkook is going to throw you off your game compared to keeping your eyes glued on the ground

“okay, i will... try not to focus on the gliding while simultaneously focus on the gliding.” your tongue instinctively pokes out slightly in concentration as you push forward with one foot, being sure to keep your other a little above ground just like jungkook said 

you quickly switch to the other foot when you feel your right foot slowly starting to lose momentum, pushing off with your left instead and lengthening your stride so you can skate a little further 

hey

look at that! 

not bad!! 

“look at you go, superstar!” jungkook cheers encouragingly, grinning from ear to ear as he watches you gliding flawlessly, “you were born for this!” 

“you know, you may have a point- woAh-” your skates roll out a little from under you and you lurch forward, jungkook quickly sliding his grip from your hands to underneath your elbows to keep you from falling, “...yeah, so i spoke too soon.” you huff, blowing a strand of hair away from your face as you glance up at jungkook, still bent over at a ninety degree angle

“it’s my bad, i think i may have blown up your ego with all my compliments-” the sides of his eyes crinkle as he laughs, “all good?” 

you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and feel a piece of your soul float out from your body when you realise you basically look like a little old woman clutching onto one of those rolling walkers

wow

the possibility of jungkook being interested in you was low to begin with, but now it’s probably been squashed entirely

“uh, yes!” you clear your throat as you force yourself to stand up stick-straight, your knees clacking together for a second before you get back into position, “all good! i’m all good. we’re good.” 

oh boy 

if it makes you feel any better… it can’t get any worse than this, right?

“i-” you jolt when the music suddenly clicks off and is replaced by the shrill ringing of microphone feedback

“youch.” jungkook winces, raising his shoulder slightly and tilting his head down towards it so he can try to cover up one of his ears 

your brows furrow in confusion as you look up towards the speakers, unsure of if there’s just a technical difficulty or if something important is happening, “what’s going o-”

“sorry for the interruption, skaters! we just wanted to cut in and wish every single one of you a happy valentine’s day...” 

a large disco ball lowers from the ceiling as the lights begin to dim, the room suddenly engulfed in a warm pink glow as visions of glinting sparkles and hearts reflect from the disco ball onto the wooden floors along with the velvety walls

oh, god

seriously?!

you look up towards the speakers and resist the urge to curse and shake your fist at them like an angry old man

haven’t the people here considered that there might be single people in the rink?! 

…on valentine’s day…??

yeah that doesn’t make much sense

“grab your lover and glide along the floor as we play you some romantic tunes on this romantic evening… also, to the owner of a baby blue mercedes-benz convertible- i repeat, a baby blue mercedez-benz convertible... your car is parked in a tow-away zone. that’s all!”

the bee gees’ how deep is your love starts to play and you quickly pull your hands away from jungkook’s, your face flushing in embarrassment at the sudden change in atmosphere

you wobble slightly as soon as you pull away and immediately stick both your arms out in a poor attempt to keep balanced

okay

all you have to do is glide your way towards the exit so that you’re not just awkwardly standing in the middle of the ring while lovey-dovey couples skate around you

it’s only then that you realise that jungkook is facing away from you and seemingly looking for someone

you tap him on the shoulder and he turns to glance at you, “yes?”

“who... who are you looking for?” you frown, leaning over to peer over him so you can see what he’s seeing

“hm? oh, i was just looking for your boyfriend…” he trails off, continuing to look around the rink, “the two of you probably want to skate together right now and you’ll get to show off your brand new gliding skills, which is exciting-”

“boyfri- are you talking about taehyung?” you snort, quirking a brow in amusement, “he’s… oh my god, he’s definitely not my boyfriend. i’m only here for emotional support because he just got out of a relationship- we don’t have to get into it- the point is, he’s not my boyfriend. i don’t, uh, i’m not in a relationship at the moment. i’m… very single.”

why are you still talking?!

you clear your throat as you look for the nearest exit gate

“oh!” jungkook blinks before turning back around to face you, “in that case-“ your eyes widen in surprise when he sticks his hand out for you to take, “shall we?”

you blink down at his outstretched hand cluelessly before suddenly realizing what it is he’s asking

“oh, i-” you snort, immediately shaking your head, “no, you don’t have to do that…”

“what do you mean?” jungkook frowns, tilting his head curiously, “you don’t want to skate with me? after all we’ve been through?? y/n, you’re breaking my heart here!” he jokes, clutching at his chest before pouting (quite cutely) at you 

“n-no!” you laugh lightly, shaking your head, “i mean, of course i’d love to skate with- i-it’s very nice of you to offer, and i know you’re obviously being paid and stuff but you don’t… ah, you don’t have to force yourself to skate with me if you don’t want to...” you mutter, reaching up to scratch the back of your neck, “like, i’m sure taehyung’s already planning to give you an extra big tip for basically babysitting me all night so you don’t have to force yourself to do anything extra-”

“no, i wanna skate with you!” jungkook interrupts, skating over so that he’s standing next to you instead, “plus, it’ll be good practice, right?”

“well, i-” you don’t get a chance to respond before jungkook’s suddenly slipping an arm around your waist and holding onto one of your hands for extra support, “i don’t know, i suppose i’m just not used to gliding without holding both of your hands so i’m just worried i’m going to make both of us fall somehow which would be mortifying-”

“that’s alright, i can hold both your hands if you feel safer that way,” jungkook chuckles, his arm sliding away from your waist so he can swivel around and stand in front of you again, “after all, it’s better to be safe than to be sorry!” he takes your hands gently as he starts to skate backwards, his thumbs rubbing the tops of your knuckles comfortingly

-‘cause we’re living in a world of fools... breaking us down... when they all should let us be... we belong to you and me...

how deep is your love continues to echo all around you and even though you feel a little awkward skating around with your instructor to a very romantic song, you have to admit that this was a great choice of song for valentine’s day 

it’s a timeless classic! 

“so, you, um…” jungkook clears his throat after a minute or two of comfortable silence, turning back for a second to glance over his shoulder and make sure he’s not about to crash into anyone, “what kind of things do you like doing?”

and it’s me you need to show... how deep is your love?

“rollerskating. is it not obvious?” you joke, looking up at him and reminding yourself that you should make more of an effort to look at him and noT constantly at the ground, “um, i don’t know! that’s kind of a broad question, i guess. i like... i like... i like painting-! i mean, i’m not good at it, but it’s a pretty relaxing hobby...” 

“painting is nice!” jungkook nods slowly in agreement before perking up slightly, “say, have you ever been to a pottery studio?” 

“you know, i actually haven’t!” you shake your head before staring past jungkook’s shoulder in thought, “i should go to one... it sounds like a lot of fun! do you...” you cough quietly and avert your gaze slightly, “do you go there often with your... uh, significant other?” 

“me? oh, i’m not in a relationship.” jungkook chuckles before giving you a shrug, “none of my co-workers wanted to take the valentine’s day shift because they actually have someone to spend valentine’s day with, so... that’s why i’m here!”

“oh! so, you’re…” you trail off before pressing your lips together and giving him a firm nod, “i see.”

so you’re both single?

interesting

very interesting 

you can’t help but wonder if he’s looking to change that  

“i-”

“incoming!”

you don’t even get a chance to turn around to see what’s going on when suddenly someone’s basHING into you from behind and making you lose your balance

and the next thing you know you’re stumbling forwards and poor jungkook’s reflexes aren’t fast enough because-

“oh-!” you land on top of jungkook with your legs on either side of him, your knee pads clacking loudly against the ground, “oh, shit-” 

“sorry! my bad!” taehyung glides past you with a sheepish smile before not-so-subtly gesturing to the girl he’s got on his arm and giving you an obnoxious wink and a thumbs up as a way to let you know he’s definitely getting boned tonight

you want nothing more than to rip your skates off right now so you can chase after him and bash his head in 

you turn to look down at jungkook, immediately raising your hands up off his (broad, broad) chest as your entire face flushes bright red, “i am- i am so sorry- are you okay?? is your head okay?? i can- i can give you my helmet!” you wince, reaching up to unbuckle your helmet before hastily taking it off and tossing it aside

“don’t sweat it, i’m completely fine-” jungkook laughs lightly before shaking his head, propping himself up onto his elbows and blowing a curled strand of hair away from his eyes with a puff, “my head’s fine! luckily i didn’t hit it on the ground or anything like that, but my ass-”

“oh, god. i’m so sorry- here, i’ll-” you attempt to get up off the ground only for the wheels on your skates to roll out from under you and for your knee to smack against the ground again, jungkook grunting as you bounce on him a little harder than intended, “oh, jesus christ-”

great

there’s no way you’re going to be able to get up because of these stupid skates and now your very cute instructor is a hostage in between your thighs!

“this is so humiliating, i am... so, so sorry- i’m definitely forcing taehyung to give you a generous tip after all of this is over-” you laugh uncomfortably, your hands about to place themselves on jungkook’s chest again before you quickly move them so that they’re on either side of his head instead

of course, this position isn’t any better because now you’re just staring down at his face directly 

little white hearts from the disco ball float over his face and though you know this is hardly the right time, your heart can’t help but go badumpbadump at the reminder of how pretty jungkook is 

“okay, wait, what if i-” he suddenly sits straight up and your eyes immediately cross at the close proximity of your faces, “hi.”

you don’t know if it’s even possible but you feel your face get even redder and you find that you’re unable to look away from jungkook 

he has very sweet-looking eyes 

they’re a very nice shade of brown 

“i- uh, hello.” you clear your throat quietly, pressing your hands as close to your own chest as possible so that you’re not touching jungkook, “hi.” 

the last thing you want is for him to accuse you of groping him

but maybe it’d be a good thing to get a lifetime ban from the rollerskating rink

then taehyung will never be able to force you to skate again!

“we should take your skates off so that we’re not stuck like this all night.” you twitch when you feel jungkook’s hand slide down the side of your calf before reaching the top of your skates, “do you think you can undo your other one for me?”

“ah- yes. yes, i can do that.” you turn away so you can look back at your skate, reaching down and ripping the velcro strap before hurrying to undo the laces

you feel jungkook fumble at your skate, yanking the tie loose before trying to help you wiggle your foot out of it, “okay, just pull your foot out-”

“yeah, lemme just-” you have to shuffle forwards in order for jungkook to pull the skate off of you and your nose crinkles when you realize you’ve just gone ahead and fully pressed your chest to jungkook’s 

wonderful

just wonderful 

(for the record, he smells really good... but you’re pretty sure you sound like a creep right now, so maybe you should go ahead and scrap that thought.) 

“what happened to not letting me fall?” you joke lightly as you get up off the ground, hoping to ease the tension a little from whatever all of that was, “are you sure you’re okay? i didn’t break anything?” 

“i promise you i’m totally fine-” jungkook gets back up onto his feet and bends down to pick up your skates before popping up to look at you with a grin, “and it only happened because i was distracted!” he pauses for a brief moment before tilting his head, his smile softening, “can you blame me? you’re very pretty.”

oh

you weren’t expecting him to say that

“oh, that’s- ha… that’s very nice of you.” you reach up to scratch the back of your neck before letting out a nervous chuckle, “you are… also… quite… visually appealing.”

quite visually appealing  

why are you speaking like an alien trying to convince everyone that they aren’t an alien?!

“so, there’s still about half an hour left of your lesson left, but i feel like you’ve had enough of skating for now.” jungkook changes the subject quickly and you can’t help but notice that his ears are starting to get red, “we can just sit on the bench and rest... or do you... uh, do you maybe want to share a chilli dog with me?” he asks quietly, and for the first time since meeting him he’s the one who looks away from you first 

“...you know, i think that might be the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.” you giggle, reaching over to loop your arm through his when he sticks it out for you, “i would love to share a chilli dog with you.” 

“not to flex or anything, but i do get the employee discount…” jungkook clicks his tongue, reaching up to pop open his collar obnoxiously before turning to give you a wide grin, “and if that doesn’t impress you, i don’t know what will.”

🎙️help me help you make your wishes come true (send me a request!)

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here?

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read?

🌟or something even shorter?

[gilligould]

Hello! 🥺 I love your posts. I adore following blogs that has Better Call Saul / Breaking Bad content and yours is one of my favorites at the moment. 💗

One thing I noticed about the funeral scene that hurt me a lot was Cheryl's reaction to what Kim said. When Kim talks about how Cheryl would have noticed that Howard was addicted and etc. Because... No. Maybe Cheryl wouldn't have noticed. Howard himself said that his marriage was falling apart and we could see he was trying to save it.

They were distant from each other, despite Howard's attempts.

I think the amount of guilt and sadness that went through Cheryl's heart in that scene was immense. It's just so sad.

When I saw that scene the second time I noticed how deeply sad it was for Cheryl in particular. And I think that after Howard's death, she started to feel extremely guilty for not being able to "save him".

I mean- The only ones who know that the whole addiction thing is a total lie are Kim, Jimmy and Mike (partially?).

This show is simply heartbreaking. And I love every moment of it.

(also I'm sorry if I made spelling mistakes </3)

aww, thank you! this is so kind! 🥰

there is truly sooo much happening during that confrontation between cheryl and jimmy / kim, and so much of it subtextual. upon a rewatch, i was also struck by the toll it is clearly taking on cheryl, in particular. she is in denial, refusing to believe that she wouldn’t have noticed if her husband had developed a drug habit. and yet, they were estranged. realistically, she’d have missed any number of developments that year or so that they were separated. and it’s tearing her up, the fact that her husband’s life could’ve been falling to pieces and she’d been none the wiser, more or less oblivious.

and this is particularly what makes kim’s last act so egregious. she implies that cheryl would have to have known, because she saw him every day. because she was his wife. neither of which are true, not really. the two of them were but ships passing in the night, husband and wife in name and name only. and while kim may not entirely understand the circumstances of their marriage, cheryl does. she wouldn’t, couldn’t have known, because she wasn’t there. not really.

somewhat unrelated, but another aspect of this confrontation that i find equal parts fascinating and devastating was how jimmy / kim approach cheryl’s accusations in different ways. in finally acknowledging the jealousy he harbored due to howard having chuck’s respect, jimmy is being uncharacteristically sincere. in fact, it’s maybe the most self-awareness we have ever seen him demonstrate (more on this here). on the other hand, kim doubles down. she lies, outright, and to cheryl’s face. it’s a horrible thing, what they have done, and she twists the knife in the name of self-preservation. but what stands out to me is the fact that this would seem to be the farthest either of them is willing to go in their respective directions, or at least for the foreseeable future. to our knowledge, this is last lie kim will ever allow herself to tell. likewise, this is the last time jimmy will ever allow himself to be undeniably genuine. it’s the last time we ever see these characters as we’ve come to know them, before they vow to remake themselves as someone else.

[ihni]

I’m wondering what your opinions are on multiple things

1. Neil leaving and the abuse he made Billy go through being completely ignored

2. Stancy coming back

3. Eddie

Oh, sorry, I didn't see this 'til now!

1. I'm glad he left, in a way, because he's a horrible man and Susan and Max are better off without him. But. I'm also mad because it was such an easy way out, to have him leave, instead of like making him face consequences for how he treated Billy. I, for one, would have paid good money to see Neil get arrested. Or pretzel:d. Or eaten by a demodog. (I'm also salty about them not bringing up Billy's abuse at all, especially in the scene where Lucas talks to Max about his teammate Patrick and how he came to school with bruises ... It was the PERFECT goddamn setup to at least acknowledge it! But no.)

2. Nope. I do not like that. Not one bit. Nancy needs to be single because if anyone's a strong independent woman who don't need no man, it's her. And Steve doesn't need to go back to the girl who pretended to love him and broke his heart. They're better off as friends, if that.

3. He's okay. Has very healthy and relatable reactions to the whole supernatural thing, didn't deserve to get blamed for Chrissy's murder, and also i respect a guy who 100% does his Thing. I do not actively ship him with anyone (although he was kinda cute with Chrissy, but they could just as easily be friends!), and I won't seek out fanworks with him, but I don't mind him unless he's used as a Billy-replacement - and if he IS used as such, I press the back button and/or block post. (Billy's my #1). His guitar was beautiful, and I have decided her name is Jolene (Chrissy names her, after Eddie has called his guitar pet names one too many times).

[newswcanonprompts]

Anakin is sent to negotiate with Gardulla the Hutt bc of the success of the Jabba mission (no one in the Council knows Gardulla used to own him)

editor’s note: there is actually a fic that came from this, by the lovely @primeemeraldheiress! here is the link

this one is SUPER angsty, sorry in advance, i missed the original conversation about this prompt and when i got back online everyone was yelling about it, when i read what they did i was in *shock*. like ow. anyways have fun

After being so helpful in rescuing Jabba the Hutt's son, Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan end up being sent on a mission to help Gardulla the Hutt because Anakin hasn't told anyone about his history with her

Possible reactions from Gardulla:

"Skywalker? I owned a human like that, her brat always caused trouble. Good riddance!"

What if she decides that since he's back in her territory that means he belongs to her again

.....gardulla hears him try to call obi-wan master and tries to buy anakin from him (Gardulla asking if obi-wan is anakin's master and anakin being in such a messed up mental space that he says yes, trusting that Obi-wan won’t let her buy him)

Obi-Wan wondering why Anakin is being so specifically arsey with this Hutt. "Force you're worse with her than you were with Jabba."

"Oh yeah, she bought me and my mother. I think I have a reason to dislike her."

The council meeting afterwards where obi-wan rails on the council...

Obi-Wan suddenly getting a horrible feeling whenever Anakin calls him master because he's known the contexts were different but now it is real and in his face

Like it's a different thing for Obi-Wan to know his padawan used to be a slave compared to looking his padawan's former master in the eye and seeing her current slaves.

Anakin manages to control himself in the throne room but the whole way there and back he can't help worrying that one of the really old lash scars that curls around his shoulder will be noticed, that his identity as a former slave will be exposed

anakin not being able to call obi-wan master on tatooine like. point blank. he starts addressing him as master and just. flinches.

anakin usually wears his heart on his sleeves right?? always shows his emotions, feelings, all that. Well, the closer they get to gardulla's palace the blanker his face gets

Ahsoka calls Anakin master and Anakin just grits out a "Please don't call me that, not here."

Obi-Wan suddenly realising why Anakin comes across as arrogant as times. He's spent his entire life trying to up his value because there's safety in value.

Anakin telling them not to use the name "Skywalker" while they're in the palace

Anakin's accent shifts so entirely to the point where it almost sounds like Obi-Wan's because he's so determined to not slip into old roles

Anakin having to be physically held back from getting into a physical fight. Not even using his lightsaber, he just wants to fight

Or, alternatively, all the fight just going out of Anakin because he knows, here, it'll just make everything worse. So he's almost.... compliant and it freaks everyone out

Ex. from @youngcreativenerdgoddess: Obi-Wan is terrified. His former padawan is the most resigned he’s ever been. He looks so....defeated. A look one would never expect on the vaunted “Hero with no fear”. All the fight was gone from him, and that scared him more than anything else in this force-damned war had.

Obi-Wan actually being the one about to lose his temper and then Anakin just puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him there's no point.

Consider: instead of anakin being angry he was sent on the mission, being resigned because of course he was, he knew Gardulla bes

Anakin comes across as an almost perfect Jedi for once in his life and in the context it is horrifying

Anakin’s report to the council is so matter of fact because he thought they knowingly sent him on the mission because of his past experience with Gardulla

Obi-Wan finds Anakin writing what he thinks is a CV then he sees the numbers next to it and it is his estimated value--"for the gardulla mission, if she finds out who I am she'll try to rebuy me"

After the mission, from @jasontoddiefor: "Failed you, we have," Yoda said, his voice full of grief, and Obi-Wan watched in horror as Anakin only titled his head, for once looking his age and not the years the war has aged him. 

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, not understanding.

Examples of bits and pieces from this prompt:

Ex. from jasontodiefor: Anakin in the corner of her palace having a breakdown because he remembers memories he had thought gone, his mother's shouting and the tearful begging and the pain, pain, pain and he hadn't meant to break the vase, it had been an accident, please stop it hurts, Mom-

jasontodiefor: "A game of chance." 

"What?" 

Anakin doesn't look up from his hands, doesn't meet Obi-Wan's eyes. He hadn't since they'd arrived here. "I'd still be here like them if not for a game of chance. I'd be worth more than just a few credits too. Force-sensitive, young, good with mechanics, pretty-"

Ex. from Ro: Obi-Wan has never seen Anakin this silent before. There were nights before, when they were both younger, Obi-Wan himself still trying to heal from Qui-Gon's death and Anakin trying to get used to the temple. And Anakin would get quiet, but he was never this stone cold silent. Never this blank. He's so emotional, Obi-Wan's former padawan (his child), so open with his heart on his sleeve. There is none of that here, none of that bright boy. Anakin doesn't fight it, and that is the thing that worries Obi-Wan the most, because when Anakin doesn't like something he fights, he lashes out with teeth and sticks his heels in. But in this, he is resigned. (Anakin doesn't let Ashoka off the ship. She fights and argues but Anakin doesn't move, doesn't joke. He stands firm with it and Obi-Wan watches.

"Master, I—" 

Anakin flinches, "You're staying on the ship, Ahsoka, that's final." She huffs and leaves, and the only thing Obi-Wan can see is how relieved Anakin looks. There is something wrong here, but Anakin has never liked talking about Tatooine, and Obi-Wan has never pushed.) Obi-Wan has never hated a mission more.

Another ex from jasontodiefor: "But-" 

"You're young," Anakin interrupts her sharply. Ahsoka hates it when he cuts her off. It doesn't happen too often, mostly on the battlefield when he's barking orders at everyone. If anything, he lets her speak out of tune more often than he should or other Masters would, but right now his voice doesn't leave any room for agreement. "Young, underage actually, and female, that's the first 10K. Extra five if they don't sell you as inexperienced, and only stupid slavers would do that, but as a virgin."

Ahsoka pales. Anakin's voice is harsh, but there is an almost easy flow to his words, as if he had recited them in his head over and over again. "Force sensitive, that's next. Another 8K regularly, but you're a Jedi, so that's 20K. A Padawan, mind you, but you're a known face next to mine and Obi-Wan's. Obi-Wan would fetch 40 for his status as a Jedi and councilor alone. And you're a Togruta, you sell better than a human girl. I'd add another 6 for that."

You sell better. Not you would, there's nothing hypothetical about this, Ahsoka realizes. Anakin's narrowing down what would happen to her if somebody just managed to grab her lightsabers, to put a collar around her throat and cut her off from all that she had ever known. "Now, that's just your base value," Anakin continues. "You're also a pretty good mechanic and pilot, though the latter makes your flight risk much higher. Given how dangerous you are, let's say 10K. You're a strong fighter, so you could probably get another 8K in the arena, perhaps a little more depending on what planet you're sold on. Your political value also can't be overlooked. You fight at the front and know much more about the war effort as a whole and that's worth much more, probably another 15." Anakin holds up his fingers like he's counting apples and now how much people would be willing to brand her as theirs. "So we're roughly at 70. That's not bad at all. Not as much as Obi-Wan or I would get, but it's more than enough. You're not coming on this mission. End of discussion."

[forever-rogue]

Hey there, could I please have #2 from your prompt. With it being Din's first, maybe having to either blindfold or blackout the room with the reader? Please and thank you!

2. Kiss

This prompt has me all kinds of soft and gentle and I love one Man(dalorian) so much!

The Mandalorian Masterlist

»»————-　♡　————-««

A huff escaped your lips as you stared at the metal ceiling of the Crest. It was almost pitch black, with only a bit of light filtering in from the small crack in your door signaling that Din too was still awake as well.

Grabbing the scratchy blanket, you pulled it tighter around your body, wishing the chill would go away, but it was pervasive. No matter where you were on the ship or how many layers you wore or blankets you dragged into your small bed, you always felt cold. Rolling onto your side, you squeezed your eyes shut, willing your mind to settle and calm, finally letting you get some sleep. It had been...days since you’d had a good night’s sleep. Your body was desperate for it, and you were sure your mind wasn’t far behind.

But it never seemed to come; instead you spent countless hours lying in the dark staring into the blackness as you tried anything to sleep. To be fair, a lot had been on your mind lately, things you weren’t really sure how to address or even bring up in conversation without worrying about scaring Din off.

Instead you remained quiet, making up all sorts of scenarios in your mind of how the conversation could possibly go. Meanwhile in your waking hours...well your day to day hours, you’d been quiet, retreating more within yourself than you ever had. You didn’t think it was that obvious, prepared to use the guise of giving Din his space and not wanting to interfere with the Bounty Hunter’s work.

But it was fruitless. Din had just been as restless, often pacing around the hull of the Crest for hours after he thought you were fast asleep. There were at least a hundred things he wanted to say, and however he phrased them, he was sure they would scare you off. So he paced - and paced - and paced - and...

Wanting to tear your hair out, you almost jumped out of your small, hard bed and went to the small wardrobe you pulling out another sweater, one of Din’s hand-me-downs that still smelled like him despite having been washing numerous times and threw it on. If you were going to be awake, you might as well make use out of time or find something enjoyable to do.

Poking your head out of the door, you looked around and found the coast clear. Not that you were pointedly trying to avoid Din, you just didn’t need him to worry or fuss over anything. When it came to you and the green bean he was decidedly protective, sometimes almost too much so. But you didn’t mind, not really anyway; it was nice to know that someone was looking out for you.

Sighing lightly, you wished you could go and grab the little one and take him with you. But luckily, unlike his adopted father and yourself, sleep came easily to him. It was almost too much to watch him grow from an excited little blur to practically falling asleep as you held him in your arms. You were going to miss him so damn much when it came to actually giving him back to his people, whether that was the Jedi or more of his own species. But you weren’t going to think about that, not yet anyway. Instead you were going to focus on making every day with him count as much as possible.

And Din.

Once the little one was gone, there would be no use for you either. And then you’d part ways and...something. You hadn’t thought that far ahead. You’d just sort of...been going along with whatever life seemed throw in your way. You supposed you could go back to Sorgan or even Nevarro now that it was safe...maybe you could even link back up with Cobb Vanth and find something to do in Mos Pelgo. Whatever you would be forced to do, it would work out. You’d make friends in many places now, one of them would be able to help somehow.

Pulling yourself back into reality, you slowly, and as quietly as you could, lowered the ramp to the Crest and hopped out, almost stumbled over our own feet as you landed on the soft, grassy floor. You were smack in the middle of the forest, finding it a majestic place untouched by the hustle and bustle of the nearby city. It was calm here, peaceful - nothing but the soft chirping of insects and cooing of sleeping birds meeting your ears.

The sky was clear here, beautiful and giving you access to the millions of glittering stars that light pollution normally absorbed. Humming under your breath, you walked a few paces away from the ship, eventually finding a small log to sit on. You let a long, world weary sigh as you plopped your tired bones down.

You leaned back slightly looked up, naming as many stars as you could, picking out all the constellations that you were father had taught you about as a small child. But even that, so tranquil and all consuming, lost its fun after a little while.

Before you knew it, a few tears ran down your cheeks. You weren’t even sure when you had started crying, or when your thoughts had turned back to the Mandalorian and your son. But like all things in life, it all seemed to come back to them.

Sniffling quietly, you dabbed at your eyes, wishing that you would pull yourself together and get over it. You had to be strong, if not for them for yourself. But kriff. It was hard and there so many things you had left to say and if you didn’t you were positive you would -

“Mesh’la?” your heart jumped at the sound of Din’s voice. You had been so lost in your head you hadn’t hear him approach or anything. Swallowing thickly, you turned around to face him, offering him a small smile before turning away from that swearing gaze, “what are you doing out here? I thought I heard you leave.”

“Nothing,” it was neither the truth or a lie but it would suffice. He made a small sound in the back of his throat as he came over and sat down next to you, where you’d automatically made a spot for him, “couldn’t sleep.”

“You’re crying,” it wasn’t a question so much as a statement as he watched you closely, “what’s going on?”

“Nothing Din,” you swallowed the lump in your throat as you played with your hands in your lap, “just tired is all. Haven’t been able to sleep much lately and I think it’s getting to me.”

“Oh,” he said softly as you nodded. it was silent for a few beats as a sort of awkward tension hung between the two of you. Clearing his throat quietly, he shifted in his spot so he could turn and face you properly, “w-what’s been going on with you lately? Have I...have I done something?”

“What?” your neck almost snapped as you looked in his direction, giving him a confused expression, “Din, no, it’s nothing like that.”

“You’ve been quietly lately,” he pointed out and you realized you were most definitely not as sly as you thought you were, “you’ve been avoiding me...”

“I haven’t been...” your voice trailed off as you shrugged in defeat, neither confirming nor denying his accusations, “sorry.”

“Will you talk to me?”

“I’m scared,” you admitted, “I’m afraid that if I tell you what’s on my mind you’ll want nothing to do with me. And I’d rather just...have you this way than not at all.”

“Please don’t disappear, not again,” he said quietly as he hand slowly, hesitantly, reached for yours. You looked down at his much larger hand, this time not burdened by his leather gloves, but displaying warm, golden skin, “I’ve been...I’ve been wanting to tell you things too.”

“Oh?” you asked as you slowly put your hand closer to his, inch by inch, eventually letting your skin touch his, “what...what did you want to say?”

“I...” he stared at your entwined hands, admiring how small and soft yours looked in his; unmarred and unscarred, pure to the world unlike his which had done horrible things. But yet still, you’d never run from him, never spurned him for his past or judged him. You’d always cared for him with an open heart. You waited with baited breath as his touch sent shivers throughout your whole body, “I’m not always good with words.”

“Me neither,” you admitted with a small laugh, “obviously. But, Din...I...I’ve been thinking about this, all of this...how things are eventually going to change - come to an end. I don’t...I don’t know what I’m going to do when it’s my turn to leave you.”

“Who said you were leaving?” he seemed genuinely shocked as the helmet tilted to side and you were positive there was a look of confusion on his face. You looked up at him, opening and closing your a few times as you tried to decide on whether or not he was serious.

“I just...I came to work for you to help take care of the little one...once he’s home, you don’t need me anymore,” you pointed out as thought it was obvious, “I just, I figured I would have to leave too. Without him-”

“No,” he firmly, but gently, cut you off, “no, you’re not - no. it was never supposed to be like that. I thought you knew that...I thought you’d stay, I want you to stay.”

“You do?” your eyes widened as you met the black T of his visor. Tears were threatening to well up and spill over as he nodded lightly, “I didn’t think...me? Why me?”

“I told you I’m not always good with words,” he admitted with a small huff of laughter, “I’ve spoken more words to you in the time I’ve known you than I have probably in the last twenty years.”

“Din...”

“Maybe I can’t put it well into words, but maybe...may I show you?” he asked with a noticeable shake to his voice. You offered him the smallest and most heart melting smile as you nodded, “can you close your eyes?”

“Yes,” your eyebrows shot up for a second before you realized what was going on and you squeezed your eyes shut as tightly as possible. Your heart was beating so wildly, you were sure that he wildly you were positive he could hear it. Once he was sure you couldn’t see anything, he timidly reached up and released the latch for the helmet, pulling it off with a small hiss and setting it next to his feet. Your heart was surely about to burst when you realized that he trusted you with this; he trusted you fully and completely.

“I’ve never...I’ve never done this before,” his voice was small, nervous, as his hands found your face and gently traced over your features. He couldn’t believe was able to finally experience this, the simple act of seeing you with his own eyes, unobstructed by anything else; to touch you in such a gentle manner with his skin on yours. It was heaven; no - better than heaven.

“Din...”

“May I kiss you?” a small smile spread across your features as you gave him a gentle nod, placing your hands on wrists as you rubbed the delicate skin there.

And then he kissed you.

It was slow, almost achingly so at first, the way he barely brushed his lips over yours, in nothing more than a quick, gentle kiss.

But when your face lit up, eyes still closed, his heart melted and he knew he had to do it again. And so he did; each kiss become more heated and confident as he got his first taste of you. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t have stopped, never ever. He hadn’t realized just how much he needed to kiss, but now that he first taste he was hooked.

After what seemed like a small eternity, he pulled back and rested his forehead against yours. Sighing contently you sneaked a few more kisses before you reached up and touched over his features, just as he had done to you.

“You have a mustache,” you almost giggled as you traced over his lips and he made a small sound of amusement.

“Do you not like it?” he questioned, almost immediately wondering if he should get rid of it.

“No,” you admitted and he panicked lightly, “I love it. I bet it suits you perfectly. It tickles a little bit, but I like it.”

“Does that mean I can kiss you again?”

“Of course,” you beamed at him, “what color are your eyes?”

“Brown.”

“You hair?”

“Brown.”

“I bet you’re magical, Din Djarin,” you whispered, ghosting your lips over his, “maybe...maybe one day I’ll get to see, but until then, I’ll keep all of this in my mind, and my heart.”

“I promise,” he breathed you in gently, committing every bit of this to memory, “I promise one day you will see. But you have to promise me one thing first.”

“Anything.”

“Please don’t leave.”

“Never,” you promised, “never.”