#wish we saw the retribution she spoke of

[nerdsandqueens]

Thinking about Mythal again.

Last year, I started to get interested in the history of "Mother Goddesses" in mythology. In part due to learning about dnd Tiamat and her real life mythological counterpart. How a Mother Creator becomes World Destroyer fascinates me greatly. Especially because it echoes my own journey from over-responsible white knight people pleaser, into someone free from the narratives I've been spoon fed. But it''s led to me feeling deeply betrayed. I poured my heart out to people for years, only to realize they were bleeding me dry.

Imagine out of the kindness of your heart, you gave life and sustenance and love to others. You loved love and life, and so it was no worry to give to those in need. You made the world a better place. You made all feel cherished from your love, and you loved to give that love.

But imagine you did not get love. Or even worse, they hurt you instead. After all you'd done for them. After all the trust you had given them.

In my struggle with people depending on me when I never asked them to be, it feels like I let them nurse from me. Then when I realize they drain me, they feel like parasites. Insects crawling all over me. Invading me. Infecting me.

Imagine if Mother Earth was sentient, and one day felt like every living creature growing out of her skin were crawling parasites. She'd seek to wipe the face of the earth clean. How dare they hurt and infect her.

Flood myths. The sea seen as the birthplace of life, suddenly swallowing up the world it had brought forth.

Benevolence turning into Retribution. Suddenly your very existence is a grand sin to the mother who gave you everything. The life you live. The air you breathe. The world you exist in. What a terrifying reckoning for the muliebrious universe to decide to take her gifts back.

[throneofbriars]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

PAIRING: Inner Circle x Reader; intended eventual Eris x Reader

SYNOPSIS: The reader wrestles with being the only Inner Circle member without powers and begins to realize just how isolated she feels.

WC: 1.0K (just a short little snippet from an abandoned fic that I didn't want to keep locked in the vault)

AUTHORS NOTE: This was intended to be an Eris x Reader fic, but I abandoned it 1k words in because it wasn't going where I wanted it to. I might pick it up again someday if people are interested, but, for now, have this little snippet of a powerless Archeron Sister!Reader contemplating power within the IC.

What does it mean to hold power?

Rhysand held power - he was power and he used himself as a weapon, artfully skilled in being both the blade that felled and the shield that defended. Feyre held power, gifted to her by the High Lords of Prythian themselves, who were unaware of the unfettered access she had to the gifts of the Courts - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Dawn, Day, and Night. 

The power that simmered between Rhysand and Feyre - the High Lord and Lady of Night - was the reason their Court could be as free as it was.  

Cassian and Azriel held power. The Lord of Bloodshed and the Shadowsinger, owners of seven siphons each - a great testament to the raw power that ran through their veins. They used their powers - Cassian’s unforgiving strength and Azriel’s manipulation of the dark - to protect the Night Court. 

Elain held power gifted to her by the Mother - by the Cauldron she so desperately wished to forsake. The female was a Seer, a prophet who was ignorant and inexperienced in reading the prophecies she saw. Elain rejected the Cauldron's gifts, both her power of sight and her mate, Lucien. Though the Cauldron still called to her, still whispered prophecies into her ear, still haunted her with ghosts of a future she had no desire to foretell. 

Even Nesta - bitter, cruel Nesta - held power. It wasn’t a gift like Feyre’s or Elain’s, nor was it inherent like Rhysand’s or Cassian’s or Azriel’s. No, Nesta’s power was taken from the Cauldron, clawed from the damned thing as retribution for the suffering the female went through in the name of its power.  

Lady Death, they called her. A being of frigid night and silver flame; one of the few who could wield the Dread Trove without consequence. She offered the power back to the Cauldron as the price for Feyre’s life and the Cauldron happily accepted. But, Nesta held onto a fraction of that power and it became part of her, the death magic weaving into the very foundation of her being. 

So, what does it mean to hold power? Nothing.

Power means nothing until it’s used - for better or for worse. 

It was unfair, you believed, how meaningless the Inner Circle’s powers were now that they sat idle, waiting to be taken from the shelf, to be dusted off, to be utterly unleashed. 

It was unfair that those who take it for granted were gifted powers that most could only dream of. If you had powers, you would cherish them, use them to make the world better.

But, you didn’t. You weren’t given any gifts by the High Lords of Prythian like Feyre. You weren’t deemed fit by the Mother to be gifted with power from the Cauldron like Elain was. You didn’t have the same claws as Nesta, the claws used to rip power from the Cauldron by force.

You were just you. A Cauldron made female. High Fae. The product of a wicked king’s endless greed. Plain. Simple. Powerless. You.       

“Cassian, you really shouldn’t be using such foul language around Nyx,” Nesta reprimanded, bouncing the winged baby in her arms.

“You should have heard the things said around us when we were growing up, Nes,” Cassian countered, looking pointedly at the female sat next to him. “Your first curse word is a right of passage in the camps.”

“This isn’t an Illyrian war camp, Cassian, and-” Nesta’s words were cut off by Rhys, who spoke up from the head of the table.

“-And that will not be a right of passage we’ll be celebrating. His first flight, sure. When he inevitably kicks your ass- butt- for the first time,” a cunning grin made its way onto the High Lord's lips, “absolutely.”

Those sitting around the table, privy to the conversation - Rhysand, Azriel, Cassian, Nesta, Elain, and yourself - laughed at the High Lord’s words. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that sooner-rather-than-later the little winged child would kick the Lord of Bloodshed’s ass. It was inevitable. 

“The High Lady will have your head if she finds out you’ve been speaking like that around the little one, Cas.” Azriel smiles, equally as cunning as Rhysands, before continuing, “You should keep your big mouth shut.”

“Ha,” Cassian’s laugh is booming, his words cocky. “I’m not scared of Feyre.”

“Why would you be scared of me?” Feyre’s voice rang out from the entryway of the dining room. Flecks of paint decorated her hair and clothing, a testament to her hard work in her studio on that morning. 

Cassian’s eyes went wide, his face falling into one of surprise and - fear? 

“Nothing- no reason,” the Illyrian male floundered. “I mean- who said anything about being scared? I’m not scared; nobody is scared.” 

Azriel snickered as he shoveled another forkful of eggs into his mouth. Cassian latched onto the movement, a silent conversation passing between the two Illyrians before the Lord of Bloodshed turned his attention back towards his High Lady.

“Azriel cursed in front of Nyx-”

“Eat shit, Cassian.” The words rolled off of Azriel’s tongue before he knew what he was saying, his face blanching as the realization caught up with him. 

“Azriel.”

Rhys and Feyre jumped to reprimand Azriel, the others around the table holding back their laughter. You, however, had stopped listening, withdrawing into the comfortable presence of your own thoughts. 

It was always like this with Rhysands Inner Circle. 

Once upon a time, you had enjoyed it - listening to the familial banter of your sisters and their mates… of your family with their family. But you had grown tired, weary of never feeling the sense of belonging, of connection that you desperately craved. 

You were part of the Inner Circle, part of the family… but you were distinctly separate. 

Perhaps it was your own fault. Life hadn’t left much room for hope - hope for connection, hope for family, hope for love, hope for hopes sake. You’ve become certain it’s too late for you to learn how to hope for anything. 

And, though you were tired, though life and fate had left you thoroughly devoid of hope, you would play the role that was assigned to you - you owed Feyre that much. 

One empty smile at a time.

[abeitriz]

Rise my king.

Welp, that was a good writing, well, its not that big because i'm still thinking about what more i can add to the storie.

Warnings: mentions about killing, mentions about wounds, dom reader, kinda sub bakugou?, Reader is an Goddess, SMUUT, not really explicit smut but really simbolyc,

english is not my first language so i'm sorry for any mistake

Minors do not Interact.

Have a good time ☕✨

Darkness.

It was the only thing he could see ahead, the metallic taste of blood was flooding on his mouth, the excruciating pain on his back that burned with every little movement, The screams and howls of the crowd arround him filled his eardrums, he could hear the cries of dispair of the people, HIS people was being tortured and killed by those that call themselfs "the purifiers" commanded by who they called "Dabi" who was the first-born of the king Enji Todoroki, Prince Toya

The darkness seemed to be closing in on him, suffocating him with its weight. He knew that he had to keep moving forward, to keep fighting for his people, but the pain was too much to bear. As he stumbled through the darkness, he could feel his strength fading away. But then, a glimmer of light appeared in the distance, and he knew that he had to conquer it. With every ounce of strength left in him, he pushed himself forward, determined to reach the light and find a way to save his people from the purifiers' grasp.

As he reaches for the light and held onto it with all his might, he experienced a sudden disappearance of all pain and a cessation of every scream, howl, and cry. When he opened his eyes once more, he was certain that he saw Macha, the goddess of wisdom, war, and death, shining in all her divine glory right before him.

He was dead, for sure.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he came to the realization that he had transcended the mortal realm. He found himself in a place that exceeded his wildest dreams, lying on a bed adorned with the finest silk he could fathom. This was a place that he had only heard of in tales and legends. The atmosphere was filled with a sense of tranquility and peace, and he felt a warmth that was entirely new to him. The skies were ablaze with the most stunning and vibrant northern lights. He glanced back at Macha, who was still cradling his head in her lap, and he knew that she had brought him to this place.

The goddess whispered praises and words sweetly to her beloved barbarian, Katsuki, as she caressed his ash blonde hair, expressing how long she had been eagerly anticipating his arrival." Your disdain for those repulsive individuals is palpable, and I am aware that you, my beloved, seek retribution. And because I cherish my creation deeply, I will bestow upon you a small present." said the divinty as she smiled sweetly to Katsuki

Katsuki was about to utter her name when she cut him off to reveal her true name, which she reserved for him alone. As he spoke her name, it flowed effortlessly from his lips, earning her praise. She urged him to rise and accept her gift, taking hold of his hands and reciting an ancient language. Suddenly, he felt a fiery sensation as rune tattoos materialized on his arms and hands, imbuing him with a newfound strength unlike anything he had ever experienced before

"To receive this gift, you must make a vow to me, my beloved, that you will remain faithful solely to me and I will do the same for you. We will stay together until the end of time, and my love for you will never falter. You must also promise to give your eternal love exclusively to me." He nodded in agreement to her demands, but appended a condition to the agreement. "You'll be accompanying me on the earthly plane, won't you?"

She declared that she would fulfill any wish of her king's, then proceeded to kiss him tenderly. He responded by embracing her and silently urging her to shed her golden armor, so that he could explore her body as her king, lover, and mate

As the battle-weary warrior removed her armor, her lover's eyes were drawn to the curves of her body, the softness of her skin, and the fullness of her lips. He couldn't resist the urge to touch her to feel her warmth against his skin, and to taste the sweetness of her mouth.

As they parted for air, she began to explore his neck and collarbone with her lips, leaving a trail of kisses and marks that sent shivers down his spine. He reciprocated by exploring her breasts and holding onto her hips, reveling in the feel of her body against his. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain as she bit him, marking him as hers in the tradition of the dragons. The pain quickly turned to pleasure as his body grew hot and feverish, and she exposed her own neck for him to mark.

As the temperature rose, so did the passion between them, igniting a fire that burned hotter than any battle they had ever fought. They were lost in each other, consumed by the heat of their desire, and nothing else mattered in that moment except for the two of them and the bond they shared.

The atmosphere was charged with an intense longing that had been building between them for centuries. They had tried to ignore it, but it was impossible to resist any longer. As they stood there, gazing into each other's eyes, they both knew that this was the moment they had been waiting for.

Without a word, they began to shed their clothing, each layer falling away like a barrier between them. As they stood there, naked and vulnerable, they were consumed by a raw, primal desire that left them breathless. Every touch, every caress, sent shivers down their spines, and they were lost in the heat of the moment. She ran her hands over his body, exploring every inch of him, while he traced his fingers along her curves, marveling at her beauty.

As they moved together their bodies intertwined in a dance of passion, they were transported to another world, a world where nothing else existed except for the two of them. It was a moment of pure ecstasy, a moment that they would never forget. And as they lay there, they knew that they had finally found what they had been searching For all along. They were two bodies, two souls, coming together in a moment of pure ecstasy.

The intimacy they shared was electric, and it was as if time had stood still in that moment. The vulnerability of being naked with someone else was a new feeling for him. He let her take control, as he sat there, trying to remain as silent as possible, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

He knew that any sound he made could give him away, but the pressure was mounting. Katsuki was caught off guard when the goddess demanded that he make more beautiful sounds for her. He had never been asked to do such a thing before and was unsure of what she meant. As he pondered over her request, a high pitched whine escaped his plump lips, causing him to immediately cover his mouth with both hands out of embarrassment, however, his attempt to hide his embarrassment was futile as the goddess took his hands out of his mouth and leaned down to whisper in his ear. She wanted him to moan, whine, and scream her name to the skies above, claiming him as her own. Katsuki was confused and unsure of how to proceed, but he knew that he wanted to please the goddess. He began to experiment with different sounds, trying to find the perfect combination that would satisfy her desires. As he continued to make "beautiful sounds" for her, he felt a sense of liberation and freedom, as if he was finally able to express himself in a way that he never had before, even though what he spoke had no sence in normal conversations, he moaned words like "my Goddess" or "my Love" and even "more" but he still wasn't sure why he kept screaming that, he knew his body couldn't take more.

But proved wrong as the two bodies intertwined, Katsuki's senses were heightened by the tight, warm, and slippery sensation of her cunt enveloping his member. The pleasure was so intense that his moans grew higher and whinier, his face contorted in ecstasy. The frenetic pace of their movements only added to the pleasure, until finally, the tight knot in his abdomen broke and he screamed with pleasure. Collapsing onto the bed, he felt a sense of release as he filled her womb with his seed. The intensity of his orgasm caused her to climax moments later, both of them left breathless and satisfied.

This moment was the culmination of their desire for each other, a physical manifestation of the love and passion they shared. It was a moment that would be etched in their memories forever, a moment of pure pleasure and connection. The intensity of their passion left them both breathless and satisfied, their bodies entwined in a tangle of limbs and sweat. It was a moment of pure ecstasy, a union of two souls that transcended time and space.

The scene was one of pure happiness as the goddess and the barbarian intertwined in each other's embrace, their bodies wrapped in a passionate hug. The warmth of their love enveloped them and they lost themselves in the moment. Suddenly, the goddess pulled away and looked deeply into her lover's eyes. With a gentle smile on her lips, she whispered to him that she eagerly awaited his arrival at the Sanctuary of Cebtar her sacred temple, it was there that she would officially declare him as her husband to her people and crown him as the sole king of the dragons. She conveyed all the necessary information for him to find the temple hidden deep in the mountains, ensuring that he would not get lost on his journey As their time together came to an end, the goddess gave her lover one last kiss before uttering his name: "Wake up Katsuki"

As Katsuki slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in the center of a mysterious ring of stones. The snowflakes were falling gently from the sky, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere. However, the air was thick with the scent of snow, fire, and blood, which made him feel uneasy. He took a deep breath and stood up, feeling the coldness of the snow beneath his feet. He knew that he had to find his beloved goddess, who was waiting for him in the Northlands, beyond the mountains. With each step he took, the snow became deeper and the wind grew stranger, but Katsuki was determined to reach his destination. He imagined his goddess waiting for him, her beauty and grace inspiring him to keep moving forward.

He knew that he had to be strong and brave for the journey ahead was treacherous and full of danger As he walked, Katsuki noticed the snow-covered landscape around him. The trees were adorned with icicles, and the snowflakes sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight, Finally, after weeks of walking, Katsuki reached the foot of the mountains. He looked up at the towering peaks seeing the temple, feeling a sense of both fear and excitement. He knew that he had to go deeper in the woods, where his goddess was waiting for him. With a deep breath he began his ascent, determined to reach his beloved and fulfill his destiny

To be continued if you guys like It ♥️

Byebye

[aladaylessecondblog]

Red Mountain Waffle House pt. 16

DAGOTH FAMILY SCHISM! BRUTAL PUNISHMENT FOR UNKNOWN INSULT!

Sources close to the Dagoth Family state that Dagoth Gilvoth has fallen out of favor with the rest of his kin. When asked why, one source said, 'He thought he spoke for Lord Dagoth, and he pays the consequences. Not permanently - this House does not dispose of useful members - but retribution comes regardless.'

One has to wonder what grave sin could prompt such a thing considering the general state of the Sixth House, but more than that the source refused to say.

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

Helseth was a man prone to paranoia. Anyone who had the foolishness to count him a friend knew to walk slowly when beside him, for he always had an ear out to hear little sounds of expected assassins or eavesdroppers. Or to listen out for things that might be useful to himself...

...every unknown factor was potentially useful or potentially deadly for him. He had made his rise this way, and so, he imagined, he might avoid his fall.

So it was rather galling, he thought, when he saw his mother's retinue approaching with a stranger in tow. He looked over her with no small amount of consternation, glared even, but she didn't seem fazed by it. Perhaps a bit tired. The woman lowered her gaze and gave a slight bow, and that was all.

Helseth greeted his mother, "Your journey was delayed, I was beginning to worry."

"A rough blight storm struck while we were sailing back, and we had to take shelter for a time. This young woman--"

"You aren't taking in urchins again, are you, mother?" Helseth grumbled, "You know that can be dangerous."

"I am not an urchin!" the new woman protested, and then realizing her rudeness, added, "Your grace."

"Really...what are you then?"

"Only another Hlaalu--" Her voice choked slightly there, "--taking a job offered to me by the Queen Mother, your grace."

"I see. Well, expect your background investigated, as with any job. This is the palace, not some backwater--"

Barenziah gave the woman a look. The latter nodded, and kept her gaze downward.

Then his mother looked back at him.

"I can spare you the time and the trouble. This is Sadara, the missing woman whom the papers have made such a fuss over."

"The Dagoth bride?" Then Helseth looked harshly back. "Why are you here?"

"Avoiding those who do not wish to see me, your grace," Sadara went on. "The family made it clear I am unsuitable and all I want is to be left in peace, until the annulment goes through."

"...I see. You may go - but my people will be keeping an eye on you."

His gaze lingered on her as she walked along with Barenziah down the hall. The Dagoth bride, clearly so dear to the House itself, seemed to be under the impression she was unwanted. The schism within the House...and Nerevar, being now alive, clearly looking for her...she was dear to at least some of them. To keep her there in Mournhold could be handy, to ensure House Dagoth cooperated.

If Lord Vivec could not find a way to keep the Dagoths on a leash, then it was up to him.

Helseth decided he would welcome the woman.

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

VIVEC CAUGHT CHEATING! ALMALEXIA HUMILIATED - SEE SECRET PHOTOS INSIDE!

[The picture is taken from a distance, from the back. Vivec is leaning into a kiss with someone inside the building, grasping a boxy necklace of theirs to pull them into it. Nothing of the person's face can be seen except a Dwemer-fashion beard.]

Almalexia was many things, looking at that picture. Furious foremost among them - but humiliated? No. No, she was never that, that was for lesser women. Women like HER did not slow their schemes long enough to be petty things like humiliated.

No. She would not be cast down like this, she would find a way to take vengeance. What did it matter if Vivec had thrown her over for that atrocious first love of his? What did it matter that Neht had done the same?

She was so consumed with the headline she didn't hear the footsteps that approached the newsstand she was standing near. She did hear the voice that followed.

"I'm here for the Queen Mother's order."

Almalexia whipped around--

Sadara? What was THAT woman doing HERE? She'd thought the woman wouldn't be leaving Red Mountain - the headlines said she was missing, but those hadn't been paid much attention.

"The Queen Mother can't resist Black Marsh cigars, can she?" the clerk laughed, and once Sadara produced her identification and the paper detailing Barenziah's order, in turn produced a fancy looking box with a Black Marsh seal on the top. "She's paid ahead of time, so no need for extra now."

"Thank you, serjo," Sadara said. She bought a pack of gum, turned--and paled when she saw Almalexia. "L-Lady Almalexia."

"And WHAT--" Almalexia's tone went and stayed sharp, "--are you doing HERE, exactly? Do the Dagoths give you nothing, and force you to make a living on your own?"

"Why should they be giving me anything?" Sadara asked. The woman was shaking. "I don't want any trouble, my lady, I'm simply trying to stay out of everyone's way. The Dagoths don't want me there because they've got Nerevar, so I've got to make a living somehow."

"Don't want you there? But they're l--"

Almalexia paused suddenly, and then let a falsely genial smile spread across her face. On a septim she turned.

"The Dagoths are a rather brutish house, aren't they? They dangle the promise of love in front of you and snatch it away the moment you think you have found your place. Come, I bear you no ill will--we can start afresh, you and I."

Oh, this will be EASY, Almalexia thought to herself.

[emma-m-black]

The Daughter - Chapter Ten

Tim Gutterson x OC (FanFiction) - MATURE 18+

This chapter contains an explicit sex scene(s)

Tim Gutterson comes to the unconventional aid of one Elenora Crowder, ward of Art Mullen and daughter of Raylan Givens.

This will be a multi chapter story and will get spicy as it goes. This is a rough draft and only slightly edited for grammar and spelling. Just needed to finally get it out because Tim Gutterson is one of my favorite characters, and there is not nearly enough fanfic for him.

Author Master List

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine,

I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this story, makes me wish I was actually editing it to give everything more substance lol 🩷

CHAPTER: Ten

Elenora and Tim had fallen into an easy routine. In the bit they had been seeing each other, things seemed relatively easy and quiet until Elenora decided to pick today as the day to bring coffee to the office. Now she was standing, looking down the barrel of Tim’s gun as the man behind her held a shiv to her throat.

“PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN!”

It had all happened so fast. She was walking by two security guards and the next thing she knew the inmate they were transporting had her flush up against him.

“Let her go.” Tim spoke calmly as he kept his eyes and gun trained on the man holding Elenora.

“Do as I say or I’ll gut her!” The man yelled again, and Elenora could feel the press of the weapon on her skin. Elenora watched as Raylan and Art emerged from the office, guns drawn and pointing towards her, and her eyes got wide as she watched her father grit his teeth before opening his mouth.

“Don’t...” Elenora whispered as she looked to her father.

The man who grabbed her began to back up and Elenora saw the body of an unconscious guard on the ground. She had not seen him go down, everything had happened so fast. “Who are you? You someone important to one of them?” When Elenora did not answer she felt his hold on her tighten uncomfortably and his warm breath hit the side of her face. “What’s your name.”

“Elenora...Elenora Crowder.” She stuttered out as the man continued to back them up and into the locker room. The man kicked the door partially closed so that he and Elenora were just peaking out.

“So who is it? The old man there, is he your daddy?” The man asked as he pointed her towards Art. “Or what about pretty boy there? Got up pretty fast, had his gun on me faster than I would have thought. You belong to him?” The man questioned, and Elenora was sure he was referring to Tim.

Elenora could see her father take a small step forward so quickly she averted her eyes to Tim. “He’s my fiance. He just became a Deputy. We just moved...”

That seemed to tell the man enough, as he pulled them both into the room and slammed the door shut. Once they were inside the room, she watched through a window as everyone in the office moved to keep both her and the man in their sights, and then he pulled the blind shut.

“I’m gonna need to you to move that locker with me. You think you can do that without trying anything?”

“I just want to go home in one piece. I won’t try anything.” Elenora whispered and then she helped to shimmy the locker in front of the door they had come through, blocking that entrance entirely. They then moved towards another window and closed the blinds there as well. Then they reached the door that led into the conference room and the man leaned himself and Elenora into the doorway ever so slightly. It was then she saw her father standing there with his gun in his hands but pointed to the ground.

“There is still a chance to walk back from the cliff here, Wallace. If you just let the woman go, I’ll make sure to it personally that you don’t see any retribution.” Said Art calmly.

“Don’t blow smoke up my ass. Else I might have to bite into this pretty neck and spit blood back in your face!”

Elenora felt a shudder go through her. She had gotten herself out of a scrape not too long ago, but this, this was different, and her purse with her gun was sitting on the floor next to Rachel’s desk. There was nothing to get her out of this situation except for the lawmen in this office.

“Now, Mr Wallace, I’m just trying to resolve this situation before the tactical team gets here and takes all the credit for bringing you out of there.” Art spoke again in a calm voice.

Wallace’s head pushed forward and got closer to hers, his cheek touching her own. “You the shit? They send you in here to ghost me in case this goes further south?”

“The Chief’s a pretty good shot himself.” Raylan said as he cocked his head to the side where Art was standing with his gun drawn, but also pointed to the ground.

“But you’re better.” Wallace spoke and Elenora watched as Raylan nodded his head.

“Yep.” Raylan said simply.

“I’ll talk to you, cause you don’t bullshit me!”

Elenora tried to focus on her breathing as she listened to the two of them talk. She could see her father talking, and another man, shorter and in a suit. She was not sure who he was, but then she saw Tim out of the corner of her eye. He was hugging the wall and watching her with hard eyes.

“You have to resolve this situation without drawing your weapon. Prove something to this suit?” Wallace asked.

Raylan shrugged his shoulders and holstered his weapon. “You were moving around, dragging this poor woman around. I figure it was a fifty fifty I put you down before you cut her. Besides, the point of this exercise is everybody lives.”

Then Elenora was backed up, and the door slammed shut in front of her. Now it was just her and Wallace. “Mr. Wallace?” Elenora whispered, and she felt him pull back slightly from her, but he did not loosen his grip.

“Mr. Wallace. I like that.” He said with a throaty laugh.

“You know this isn’t gonna end well for one of us, right?”

“I am well aware.” Wallace said simply.

Letting a shaky breath leave her lips, Elenora did her best to keep herself calm. “I’m not gonna try anything. Just so you know.” She turned her head just slightly so she could connect her eyes with his. “At the end of all of this, I want us to both be able to walk from this room.”

“You trying to psychology me? Let me guess, you some kind of doctor?”

“Actually, I’m a teacher. Just graduated. Daddy wouldn’t let me go into law enforcement, so I figured teaching was the next best thing.”

“You about to tell me you're pregnant? That you want nothing more than to have kids with that fiance of yours out there? Try to win my pity?”

Elenora actually let out a laugh. “Fuck no, we both decided we are too selfish and too irresponsible to have children.” She thought back to a prior conversation with Tim. That day, they were in the parking garage.

Wallace then pushed her forward and opened the door to look out into the office. He wrapped his arm around tight once again and soon she was looking at her daddy once again. “You think you can pull this off, get everyone safely out of here? Let this pretty one go home to her fiance?”

The hand next to Raylan’s pistol twitched, and Elenora watched as her father’s eyes connected with her own. Normally, she had a good idea of what was going on in his brain, but right now, she had no clue what he was thinking. “I’m sure my colleague would appreciate that.”

“Yeah? Where is he, anyway?” Wallace asked.

It was then the Elenora saw Tim walk out from Art’s office. His gun was holstered and his hands were at his sides. “I’m right here.”

“You gotta tell me how you land this one? She looks way out of your league.”

Tim smiled. “Your tellin’ me. Don’t know why she said yes.”

“I didn’t see no ring on her finger.” Said Wallace.

Shyly, Tim tipped his chin down. “We’re a little untraditional.”

“Really, how’d you two meet darlin’?”

Thinking back to the night she saw Tim in the bar, the first night they slept together, she smiled. “He arrested me.”

Wallace let out a throaty laugh. “Really?”

“Really.” Said Tim. “Indecent exposure. Got naked and stood in a city fountain as part of some scavenger hunt.”

A smirk rose on his lips and for a second Elenora felt like things were going to be okay, that maybe this would all end well. “I broke out of the handcuffs. Think I impressed him.”

“Well shit, woman, I’m impressed.”

“Think you might let the lady go, then?” Raylan asked. “Perhaps we can make a trade of some kind. Is there something you want?”

“You want a list of my demands? You gonna offer me a chopper, a plane, a suitcase full of money?”

The world came crashing back to Elenora as Wallace’s grip tightened painfully around her and she let out a small squeak. “You want a chopper or a plane?” Raylan asked, his eyes going wide as Elenora saw the edge of the blade come into her vision.

“That’s funny, he’s funny. Had any numb nuts ever fallen for that? I mean, really thought he was gonna walk out of a hostage situation, take off in a seven forty-seven and get a hand job of the stewardess, huh?”

“I suppose you’re right? So you gonna offer to exchange yourself for her? Or you romeo, gonna offer yourself up?”

“Nah, don’t think that would be a very smart idea.” Raylan replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “I was just thinking that I’m so happy that’s not me with that shiv against my neck. How’d you get that in there, anyway?”

“Keister’d it.” Wallace said simply.

It took everything in Elenora not to dry heave at the thought of the man shit on the knife against her skin.

“Keister’d it?” Raylan said and the vague sound of impressed layering his voice.

“Uh-huh.”

“Now I’m really happy not to be the one with it up against my face.”

With that, Elenora felt herself being pulled back into the locker room and the door being shut once again. Walace moved Elenora to the wall and turned her around, pushing her face into the drywall. He held the back of her head to keep her head in place. “I want you to take that shirt of yours off. Nothing funny and I won’t have to hurt you alright.”

Elenora took a shaky breath in to calm her now wildly beating heart. “I won’t try anything.” She then felt the hand on the back of her head pull away. Keeping herself facing the wall, Elenora unbuttoned the blouse she had been wearing and shrugged it from her shoulders. Thank goodness she had an undershirt on. Once it was in her hand, she held it out to the side of her and waited for Wallace to give her more instructions. She did not like the situation she was in, but he was not coming off as someone who was going to rape her.

“Good, now turn around.” Elenora did as she was told and slowly and with no excess movements, turned herself to face Wallace. “Can you tare a strip off, or do you need me too?”

“No, I think I can do it.”

Wallace waved the shiv at her and Elenora took that as her cue to begin. Pulling at one of the seams, Elenora gave a hard tug, followed by another before the fabric gave way. Once she had torn a strip off, she held it out to Wallace, figuring as to what he was going to do next.

“Good girl, now turn around. Drop the rest of the shirt and hands behind your back.”

Doing as she was told, Elenora let go of the remaining shirt and put her face to the wall once again. Slowly, she brought her hands to rest behind her on the small of her back. A few seconds later, she felt Wallace’s hands on hers as he tied her wrists together. “That tactical team is gonna be here soon, so I’m gonna need you to keep doing as you're told, alright. I’d hate to have to cut that pretty throat of yours.”

Once her hands were secure, she saw Wallace bend over and retrieve her discarded shirt. Quickly, he cut a chunk of the fabric off and then he grabbed her shoulder. Wallace spun her around and pushed her back into the wall. “Sorry miss, but that tact team is going to be here soon and they aren’t going to give me a whole lot of options.”

“I understand.” Whispered Elenora.

Wallace stuffed the wad of fabric into her mouth tightly, and once it was secure, he grabbed her once again and held her in front of himself before opening the door once again. “Hey shooter?” He greeted to those in the room, and Elenora watched as the worry filled the eyes of everyone there at the state she was now in. “You got much experience with this sort of thing?”

Raylan took a deep breath in as he obviously tried to calm himself. “Negotiating with a barricaded suspect? Not really.”

“Well, you’re doing a good job so far. You have established a rapport with the subject. But now you got to make a determination. Is the subject emotionally disturbed?” When Raylan did not answer, Elenora felt the grip on her tighten and the shiv at her neck come into view at her peripheral. “Well, you got an opinion on that?”

“You seem pretty stable. Although you did spend all morning with a shiv up your ass.”

“Well, that leads us to the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Is this situation negotiable? Has the subject expressed a desire to live? Has the subject given a list of needs and demands, and are those needs and demands realistic and achievable? See, I’ve done this before, shooter.”

Raylan spread his arms out to his sides. “Tell me what you want, and we’ll find out.”

“Well, we got a big problem. I’m serving four consecutive life sentences, and there is no parole board in their right mind ever gonna let me back on the street.” Wallace said matter-of-factly.

“So, as part of establishing a rapport with the subject, am I supposed to weep with him over all the unsympathetic parole boards who refuse to release him back into society when he clearly poses it not further danger?”

Wallace let out a laugh, and the shiv backed off slightly from Elenora. “To tell you the truth. I wouldn’t put me back on the street, either. I am dangerous. I just want you to know to stop wasting your time. I mean, you ain’t got nothing you can offer me.”

“I understand my problem.” Spoke Raylan slowly. “What do I get for the man who has everything?”

“Well, when you figure that out, shooter. Why don’t you let me know? Until then, I’m gonna stay in here with my new friend.” Wallace made to pull Elenora back in, but Raylan shot his hands out in surrender.

“No, no, listen. Now wait.” It was now that Elenora could see the wheels turning in her father’s head. Maybe now it was the moment that he realized there was perhaps a way out of this, that Wallace really was not just going to kill her on a whim. “Now, again, I haven’t done this as much as you, but I don’t think that’s the way this works, me guessing at the key to your heart. The way this works is you tell me what you want, and I’ll see if I can get it.”

“You done?” Asked Wallace.

Elenora noticed Rachel enter the room and hand a picture to her father. “Who is she?” Raylan held the photo out so that Wallace and Elenora could see it. “Who’s Simone?” When Wallace did not answer, Raylan pulled the photo back. “Mr. Wallace? You want to tell me who she is?”

“What do you know about Simone?”

“Well, nothing. I just looked at some photos of your tattoos.”

“She’s my daughter.”

It was probably for the best that Elenora had been gagged. Right away, she knew this had to be a lie. When she had told Wallace about Tim and her not wanting kids, had he had one he cared about, she was sure he would have said something.

“Well, where is she?”

“I don’t know. With her mother, I guess.”

Raylan was falling for it, hook, line and sinker. “When was the last time you saw her?”

“When she was three. Most beautiful little girl in the world.”

“How old is she now?”

“Fifteen, I guess.”

Now it was just turning into entertainment for Wallace. Elenore was not sure why he would waste his time in this way, but he must have been enjoying it.

“Would you like to see her?”

“Could you do that?” Wallace asked with just a little to much happiness in his voice.

“Well, I...we could try.”

“You could bring her here to me? Well, Marshal, that’d be a miracle.” Elenora noticed the change in her father’s demeanor immediately. The gig was up. “It’d be a real miracle, considering she doesn’t exist. The Simone on my chest, that’s David Simone. He was an enforcer for the wizards MC. I killed him. He was my first. That’s why I hold him dear to my heart. I don’t got no kids. At least none that I know of. Hell, I wouldn’t give a shit even if I did. We got a big problem, shooter. It don’t matter what you offer me.”

Wallace kicked the door shut once again and pinned Elenora’s front to it. “You improve my circumstances. You say you’re gonna get me extra time in the yard, a job in the kitchen.” Wallace shouted through the wood, and the volume made Elenora flinch. “It don’t matter, cause I won’t believe it. I know, just like you know, that I’m headed to Supermax. And I got no reason to believe that the asshole guards at Supermax are any different than the asshole guard’s right here. They enjoy turning men into animals.”

“Don’t you? Don’t you enjoy it?” Asked Raylan from the other side of the door.

“They take away your toilet paper. They don’t let you shower for a week. They feed you juke cakes. You know what juke cake is shooter?”

“Well, I’m guessing it’s unpleasant.”

The blade retracted from view and Elenora closed her eyes for a second as she tried to keep herself calm as Wallace seemed to get more adjusted. “It’s when one of those son of a bitches takes your meal and they dump it in a blender, blend it together, then they bake it in the oven like a casserole, except they burn it black on both sides. Then they feed it to you. I pretend like it’s fried chicken from prince’s hot in Nashville, and I enjoy every finger-lickin’ mouthful.”

“Well, I love fried chicken. Never had any in Nashville. They call it hot ‘cause it’s spicy?”

“Hell, yeah!” Wallace called out. “You take one bite of prince’s and you start sweating like a whore in church.”

“Well, the best fried chicken I ever had was the takeaway at Joe’s stone crab in Miami. Can you believe that?’ A Kentucky boy, I got to go all the way down to Florida just to get my favorite.”

Wallace moved Elenora to the side of the door frame and he cracked the door ever so slightly. “Well, I ain’t never been to Florida, so I, I couldn’t pass judgment, but I will say this. I find it hard to believe you can get any good chicken at a joint with ‘crab’ in its name.”

“That why you’re doing this? Screw with the guys who screw with you?”

“Maybe I just plan on taking one more soul out with me.”

“I think if you wanted to do that, you would have done it already.”

“I got plenty of time. Honestly, I was looking forward to the trip down here. I know how it’s gonna turn out. I mean, I’m under no illusion about that. At least three or four days of nice scenery on the van ride back and forth. Oh, but those two seen that it all turned to shit. Rolled me out of my bunk at three in the morning to feed me cold eggs. Drive me in a van with no goddamn windows. I get here, they put me in a cage, and then they go about tapping on the window like they’re screwing with a monkey at the zoo. Maybe when I gut this one.” Wallace pulled Elenora back in front of himself. “They will get to spend the rest of their lives knowing that her death is on their hands.” Then he shut the door once again.

They stood in the locker room with Wallace’s body holding Elenora against the wall in silence. She couldn’t hear much besides the beat of her own heart as she now started to panic. After what felt like hours, she heard her father’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Did you hear I ordered some chicken?”

“Fried chicken?”

“Well, all that talk about it, you know, got my mouth watering. If you want some, I mean, you can come out of there. I’ll share some with you.”

Once again Wallace opened the door and stuck Elenora in front of himself. “You know a box of chickens not gonna resolve this. But I would have loved to have seen the look on your boss’s face when you told him you were ordering out lunch.”

Elenora was having a hard time focusing on the conversation as she could feel her body starting to panic, and she worked to calm herself. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when suddenly Wallace had opened the door once again and Elenora could see her daddy standing there, with a takeout bag of chicken and a glass of bourbon.

“No one’s trying to play you for a fool here, Wallace. Way this works, you hand me your weapon and these guys are gonna come in. They’re gonna haul you out. They won’t be gentle. Aun’t nothing I can do about that. But you got, what, three days left in your hearings? Every day you come here, I’ll get you a chicken dinner, or whatever, you want something else? You can sit, eat it.” Raylan said before bitting into a piece of chicken.

“We could sit together, shooter talk shit like regular, old human beings.”

“I don’t know if it’s prince’s, but it’s hot. Oh, and looky here.” Said Raylan, as he raised a glass of bourbon to his lips and took a sip. “Ahh, if that, don’t cool it down and heat it up at the same time.” Reaching into the bag, Raylan took out a chicken leg and wrapped a napkin around the bone. “You’re gonna want a napkin. Don’t touch meat with that hand, where it’s been.”

Wallace’s hand reached around Elenora and took the offered piece of chicken. The next thing Elenora heard was Wallace chewing on the bone. “It ain’t prince’s, but it’ll do in a pinch. Don’t suppose I can get a shot of that bourbon?”

“Well, two cups aren’t just for me.” Raylan then handed a cup to Wallace, and Elenora heard him swallow back the liquid greedily. Then she felt the grip on her loosen and then leave her all together. Elenora chanced a quick look behind her and saw Wallace throwing his weapon to the floor. Before she could process what she was doing, she was out of the room, and men in tactical gear were rushing past her.

Elenora rushed forward and felt a pair of arms latch onto her and pull her from the conference room and into Art’s office. The sudden shock of it all caused Elenora to rip herself away from the arms that had held her. She needed to get her bearings; she needed to slow her mind down from the panic that was setting in.

“Hey, it’s me.” A voice pierced through her thoughts, and Elenora’s eyes snapped to find Tim’s. Tim approached her much like he had that night in the parking lot. His hands up, palms facing her. “I’m gonna take that thing out of your mouth, okay?”

Nodding her head, Elenora allowed Tim to pull the gag from her and once it was removed she let out a sob.

“Here.” Whispered Tim as he motioned for her to turn around. She felt the fabric on her wrists loosen and soon she was able to pull her shoulders back into their proper position. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Asked Tim as he looked her over.

“No. No, I’m good. I just need a minute.” Elenora sat herself down on the couch in Art’s office and Tim moved to crouch down in front of her.

“He didn’t cut you? Nick you? Do you need me to get Rachel?”

She knew what the question was implying, and that Tim had not really touched her yet. She could not see through the windows into the other room as the blinds were closed. But she did not need to as her father was stood in the doorway between the two rooms, staring down at her. “No, he didn’t...he didn’t touch me.”

“Can I have a private word with my daughter, please?” Said Raylan.

Elenora looked back at Tim and she noticed that she was able to finally focus. There was a fire in his eyes as he looked at her. It was that look that told her Tim was doing everything in his power to ensure he did not explode in this moment. Standing up, Tim looked down at her for a moment longer and then left the room out the other door.

“Sunshine?” Raylan moved towards her and sat himself down next to her on the couch. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I just need to settle myself back down. I think, at one point, I knew he wasn’t going to kill me, but that still is something I would rather not do again.”

“Tell me about it.” Raylan said as he leaned back on the couch and threw an arm across the back of it. “Seeing him, holding that shiv up against your neck. That is not something I want to see ever again.”

“It was in his butt.” Elenora said and then a laugh left her lips.

“It was in his butt.” Raylan repeated, and he to let out a laugh. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

Elenora moved herself on the couch, putting her back to the arm and tucking her legs up underneath her. “Yeah. I just, I just need a few minutes before I can attempt to be a functional person again.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Raylan spoke. “I’m proud of you, you know. You kept your cool. You didn’t seem to do anything to anger him, seemed to actually seem remorseful for holding you.”

“Well, my daddy taught me well.”

“And that bit about you being Gutterson’s fiance...” Raylan spoke as he looked down his nose at her. She had wondered how long it would take for him to get to that part of the day. “Why you do that?”

“I needed you to get me out of that, and you weren’t going to be able to do that if Wallace knew that you were my daddy. He assumed I had some relation to someone and when he mentioned Tim, I rolled with it.”

“So that whole thing about him arresting you...” Raylan’s hand waved around in front of him.

“Oh no, he arrested me.” Elenora began and Raylan dropped his hand as his eyes went wide. “That wonderful apartment I have. I needed to cross off being arrested in order to get it, so Tim helped me. Hauled me out in front of my friends. I did use that pin trick you taught me to get out of the cuffs, though. Think I did actually impress him.”

“Why am I just hearing about this now?”

Elenora shrugged her shoulders. “Didn’t seem important. He didn’t actually arrest me, just helped to make it look like I was. So I could get the apartment. We never said anything, scared Art might get upset at Tim for going along with it and for me for doing it in the first place.”

“That why you two seem so friendly?”

“Yeah, I guess. Hit it off after that. He’s a good guy. Think you would really like him if you weren’t breathing down his neck all the time, and you wonder why I don’t wanna introduce you to the guy I’m seeing?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to protect you, sunshine. I find it hard to imagine that someone would ever be good enough for you. Maybe you will finally let me meet him?”

“When I trust that you aren’t going to shoot him.”

Chapter Eleven

[iron-hearts-ablaze]

( Sun King ) A warm arm wrapped around her from behind. The dark surrounded them. It was always dark now since he plunged the city into a never ending night. All around them came the fearful whimpers of the citizens. Trapped in this hell on Faerün. A few of the imps held at bay. Her little pets he permitted her. Everyone at their mercy. The mercy of two the city had failed.

He ran his fingers across her shoulder. A purr on his lips as he spoke quietly to her. His eyes gleamed in the dark. “We will make this city kneel, my love. Retribution for all as they had cast us aside. Now, they too, will know what’s it’s like.”

He wasn’t without some ‘mercy’. He could be benevolent even. Offering sanctuary in the glow of light. But today, today he wished to revel in her chaos. Whatever sentence she sought to impose on the worms currently at their feet.

Karlach stood with her arms folded at first, casting her fiery gaze over the city below. Things were dark, but her vision saw through it with ease. Demons and vampires running amok, paving the city streets with blood and viscera. A smell she was not novel to, one she was very much used to at this point. A hand over her chest momentarily. The wound from where she ripped out the engine hadn't completely healed yet, now relying on the Astral Tadpole and the connection to the Netherbrain to keep her alive. For as long as she wanted...

A cambion had flown beside her, kneeling instantly. She glared in his direction before he even had the chance to open his mouth. She kept her intense fury directed at him until he kneeled all the more, his nose barely above the dirt. Only then did she relax a little and look back out over the balcony. She heard his report, gave her orders, and barely reacted when the beating of his wings swept over her.

However, she did smile rather darkly at a familiar touch, an accustomed to voice. "It's beautiful, you know..." She replied, dangerously soft, a hand on his cheek with a caressing thumb. "They were so quick to call us monsters, yet they knew nothing of monsters. They know now... They'll regret everything they ever did and allowed to happen to us. Wipe it clean, make it ours. At long last..."

[iviarellereads]

The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 38 - Maidens of the Spear

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Wheel icon) In which, new friends? NEW FRIENDS!

PERSPECTIVE: Egg embraces saidar before the scream leaves her mouth, and she wonders if the ship they just left will hear their screams and send help, they're only a mile away. Nyn is just standing there, her arms crossed, and Egg notices that the person facing them is a woman, about their age. She doesn't let go of saidar, but El does.

Egg feels a sudden affinity as she looks the woman up and down, and decides it's because she looks like she could be Rand's cousin. But what are Aiel doing here?

The woman introduces herself as Aviendha, of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel. She is Far Dareis Mai, a Maiden of the Spear. They saw the rings, are they Aes Sedai? Egg looks around, startled at the use of "we", but sees few hiding places close enough to be a physical threat. Nyn deliberately doesn't look around for others, but says they are women of the White Tower, what does she want of them? Avi smiles, saying Nyn talks like the Wise Ones do, right to the point. One of their number is gravely injured, can they help her? Nyn says carefully that she'll help if she can, but she can make no promises.

Avi leads her away, as two more Aiel women stand up out of a fold in the ground that Egg wouldn't have guessed could hide a dog. Both are also about Egg's age, and start leading them. El introduces herself, and the two Aiel give their names as Bain, of the Black Rock sept of the Shaarad Aiel and Chiad, of the Stones River sept of the Goshien Aiel. Egg gives her name and origin, and Bain asks if she and El are first-sisters? El explains to Egg that first-sisters are women with the same mother, second-sisters mean their mothers are sisters, and says that no, they're close friends, but not blood kin. Chiad asks why they don't say the words before their Wise Ones? She and Bain became first-sisters.

Egg asks how you can become first-sisters, and apologizes that all her knowledge of them is from the little El has told her. She knows that Far Dareis Mai fight in battle and don't care for men, but no more than that. The Aiel women look puzzled. Bain explains that when they "wed the spear", they pledge to be bound by no man or child. Some will give up the spear, for a man or child, but it can never be taken back again. Chiad adds that if a woman is chosen to go to Rhuidean, a Wise One can also not be wedded to the spear. Bain offers that some struggle against that, though. It has the feeling to Egg of an inside reference.

Bain goes back to explaining Far Dareis Mai. Maidens don't fight each other, even when their clans do, but her clan and Chiad's had a blood feud for four hundred years, so she and Chiad risked retribution from their clans and spoke the words in front of both clans' Wise Ones, to bond them. As first-sisters, they guard each other's backs, and neither will let a man come to her without the other sister present.(1) She smirks a little as she says that it's not that they don't care for men.(2) Has she made the truth clear? Egg is bewildered but says yes, and thanks her. Bain says if they wish to be first-sisters, they should say the words with their Wise Ones. Egg thinks of sharing Rand, and sees a blush on El's cheeks that says she's thinking the same thing, but thinks to herself that neither of them can have him, the way he is. El says that they already guard each other's backs, and Chiad is completely baffled at who would raise a hand to a Wise One that she should require guarding.

Egg is spared having to explain by their arrival at the copse with the rest of the Maidens. Nyn examines the injured one, chiding the rest for having moved her from where she was injured. Avi says if they hadn't brought her to the river, at her own request (to die near water), they would never have found the Aes Sedai.

Nyn mutters and sets about making her herb mixture, and Egg tries to fight the tension in the Aiel by chatting. She asks that they not be offended, but she sees they're all uncomfortable with the water. It's not violent, they could swim in it if they wanted to. All the Aiel look at her blankly. One, Jolien, asks if swimming means... to get into the water? ALL that water? Nothing to hold on to? No thank you.

Egg sighs, and realizes her attempt only made them more tense. She takes saidar, wondering if she could subdue all four of the uninjured ones, but Avi says abruptly that she would never harm an Aes Sedai, whether the injured one dies or not. Egg has the odd feeling that Avi is trying to soothe them. El says she was taught that Aiel never harm women unless they are wedded to the spear. Bain explains that if a woman came at her with weapons, she could teach her the error of her ways. Or, a man might think a woman was wedded if she carried weapons whether she was or not.

El says right, but so long as they don't come at the Aiel with weapons, the Aiel won't try to harm them. All four Aiel look shocked. Avi says not even then. Their legends say that before the Breaking, they served the Aes Sedai, and they failed. That may even be the sin that sent them to the Three-Fold Land. It is said that if they fail Aes Sedai again, they will be destroyed. If they brought their lightnings and balefire, she would dance with that, but never hurt them. Egg asks what balefire is, but Avi says it's just the thing that Aes Sedai used to use to fight. It's said that they've forgotten much of what they once knew. Egg says the White Tower has also perhaps forgotten much.(3)

Nyn works herself up to anger over people stabbing women, and manages to channel a weave that Egg describes as weaving four carpets at once while blindfolded,(4) but when she wipes the injured Maiden's stomach where the wound was, the skin isn't even scarred. She tells them to wash her and be ready to feed her.

=====

(1) Many stories use marriage as the one true way to end a blood feud, but here, it's not marriage, it's something so much more intimate: sisterhood. Not only sisterhood, but something even closer than blood kinship. If you declare first-sisters, you're sharing your entire life with that woman. Even bed partners. Never one without the other. Yep, the Aiel are lowkey polygynous. But it's at the behest of the women, not the men, that a man must take both. There's… a certain amount of empowerment to that, particularly from a man's point of view. (The fandom loves Harriet, RJ's wife and editor, but we also… would like a time machine to go back and ask her, when it was fresh and she wasn't so old, why she didn't question some of these dynamics.) (2) "Don't worry, we're TOTALLY straight, promise!" Robert, Robert please, I beg you from beyond your grave… no. (3) Yeah, there's that funny word again. And, it's interesting that Egg is so young, she's still willing to admit that there are things the Tower doesn't know, and not just things that have been hidden from her. How many Aes Sedai would admit to not knowing something, in public? (4) Nynaeve's use of magic is almost entirely instinctive. She can repeat what she's seen someone else do, but she's been healing, or Healing, by instinct for ten years or more, since her first weaving to Heal Egg. I wonder if she ever got a real chance at healing Rand's side, or not.

[thehoneyknight]

Dreams of Hallownest, sketch pages 65-80

(Radiant Arc 9, 3.34)

(dialogue transcript)

Page 65

Hornet- Honey?

Radiance- Cast out the void. Let your light shine through.

Paladin- Hornet--

Paladin/Hornet- … …

R.Honey- I…

-

Page 66

R.Honey- Must… Change the future!

-

Page 67

R.Honey- What? What is happening to me?

My… mind… is collapsing in on itself…

-

Page 68

Hollow- I have always been a puppet of the gods. Two lights wishing to utilise my mind as a weapon. The absence of mind, the hollow knight. The mind learned, impurity of light.

You give me voice. You strengthen my will. You will not break my mind.

Radiance- No mind is impenetrable. All dreams can be broken.

Hollow- Even yours.

-

Page 69

Argent- If you stopped fighting and accepted me we would have the strength to enact Honey’s plan.

Honey?- My plan!

-

Page 70

Argent- I am a part of you, and you of me. We are together. Honey relies on that.

Honey?- Stop this. I am who I choose to be. I am the future. I am Honey. You are an obscessant memory. You will not control me. No bug ever will.

-

Page 71

Hornet- Getting closer would only lead to our downfall. Some unknown has staggered them. Yet this spell… There is little we can do.

Paladin- Vespa’s Blessing is no longer active. We do not have that as an option.

Hornet- This much is to be assumed.

Paladin- You were aware?

Hornet- … Only of the possibility. The rest I inferred. I spoke with Vespa. She has a message for you.

-

Page 72

Hornet- She could not keep her promise. Do you know which?

Hornet/Paladin- … …

Hornet- It is of no matter here. Vespa’s Blessing. Even if it was enacted, this protection would have no effect on Honey.

Paladin- They sided with The Radiance. After all they have gone through they still deny their own survival.

Hornet- Perhaps. Though the Blessing would fail regardless. Honey is not Infected.

Paladin- Of course they are-

Hornet- No. They stole the light of The Radiance. These actions are those of their own, even if guided by the light within.

It is different. We would be facing something else if it was Infection. Someone unrecognisable.

-

Page 73

Paladin- … … …

Hornet- Paladin.

Paladin- The previous Vessels of the Hive. The past Honey Knights turned by Vespa’s Mask. That light.

Hornet- Now is not the time to question such events.

Paladin- They might not have been Infected, Hornet. There might have been a chance.

Dailon might be right. About Vespa. About… me?

-

Page 74

Hornet- True. Yet reflection on past failures is not the intent of this moment. How did you defeat the Radiant Vessels?

Paladin- I… never gave them the chance to fully form. I saw their Infection- the radiant light within and… broke them. I fought only the first- Kilter. Yet… they were the only one to survive.

Hornet- The first was not broken?

Paladin- They were as far as Vespa knows. I needed… assurance.

Hornet- Then where are they now? --

Paladin- Watch out!

-

Page 75

Honey?- It is done… They leave my dream at last… And soon… We will too. Forever.

-

Page 76

Honey?- (!)

Radiance- You give yourself for beliefs you were designed to reject.

-

Page 77

Hollow- I believe in Hallownest. I believe in those who can change the future. I believe in those who trusted I could save them.

To those whom I continue to fail- is this worthy retribution? Whichever of my kin has claimed the radiant light- I take back my share.

-

Page 78

Hollow- The burden is not theirs alone to bear. I believe in them! I believe in the hearts of Hallownest.

-

Page 80

Hollow- I believe.

[instaquarius]

For Full Res

Since this asshole @theonephun211 (Aka my fiance) decided to watch ALL of Naruto from the OG, Shippuden and into Boruto ((and got me somehow back into the series/fandom again, rewatching the entire show WITH him) I decided to share this old ass drawing I'm still kind of proud of despite years later (This was made back in April 17, 2020) It was for a Narusaku zine thing-

I think I finished this around Novembr of last year based on the Evillous Chronicles series of songs from Vocaloid  (More specifically the Servant of Evil verse with Len Kagamine song cuz I'm absolutely obsessed with the song even though it always gets me so damn emotional and crying lol)

Lyrics works best while reading if you also listen to the Classical version of The Servant of Evil (no vocals)</i>

"Naruto:

You're the Queen of the country,

And I am your loyal servant.

We were two star-crossed lovers

That Destiny tore apart.

Oh, my Queen, in order to shield thee

from dangers evil call,

I will slay, I will kill, I’ll become evil for you

Sixteen years ago, we were born into this Hell called Life.

Both praised and blessed by the people and the Church bells

Our parents planned just how we'd be of best use

Then they split our future in two, there was nothing we could do

They can call you their enemy or curse all they want

They can brandish their swords and be out on the hunt

Never fear, never cry, I will always be near

I'll protect you from the shadows so you'll smile, and be at peace

One peaceful day, in the village of Suna nearby

Unbeknownst to me, her eyes locked onto me

A fair maiden with bright purple eyes, my Queen saw

Jealousy had tainted her otherwise, pure heart

Oh my Queen, you have me as your loyal servant alone

We were fated, yet torn apart, when our futures should have shone

Oh, my Queen, in order to shield thee from everything that hurts

I'll do as you say, even sacrifice all I have

That girl had fallen so deeply in love with thee

For my Queen gave thee orders, “That girl must die!”

I will answer her wishes, so that her mind shall ease

But curiosity lingered, just who was she?

Oh my Queen, you only need me, your faithful, loyal servant

We were star-crossed lovers, always meant to be

“Oh, my Queen, today's lunch is brioche, dattebayo” 

I say your favorite line and you smile, so very innocent and without flaw

Very soon the country shall end with everything that you were

Threatening to kill the Queen, to move on to a new age

"Retribution" is what they are calling, for what they will commit

But I’ll bet they never knew I will always try to protect you…

"Here are my spare clothes, now wear these and run.

Don’t look back at me, and don’t talk to anyone.

It is fine, I have this potion, and I will be here when they strike

They won't know you are gone because I will pretend to be you”

Oh, now I am the Queen, and you are a fugitive

We were lovers, whos red thread was never supposed to break

If they wanna call you evil, well, I know someone just like you

For I am evil, I take the blame, because our blood is just the same

Once upon a time in a country far away

Where a lot of crimes were committed every single day,

My very beautiful Sakura-chan, who was only sixteen years of age

Was crowned as the Queen, and she used to reign

Naruto: They can swear you their enemy, or curse all they want

(Sakura: Finally, long awaited, the time had come)

Naruto: They can brandish their swords, and be out on the hunt

(Sakura: The deafening chimes sounded a little bit glum)

Naruto: Never fear, never cry, I will always be near

(Sakura: The crowd showed not a sign of sympathy)

Naruto: Let not your smile, my sun, turn into icy tears

(Sakura: Grinning to the world, you spoke my favorite line while on your knees...)

Naruto: "Oh, its time for lunch dattebayo"

*Sound of guillotine falling*

Narrator:

She was the queen of the country and he was a servant of hers

They were lovers, fated, but cruel destiny ripped them apart

When the crowds vanish, the Queen stands to weep

Now left all alone she realizes her mistakes..

Sakura:

Now I am alone with no one else to hold 

Far away from the world I once knew

You’re not here with me so I’ll leave it to the sea 

To tell you how much I miss you

"Somehow in our next life, if we ever meet again Let us play together again, and fall in love once more...""

[endeavour12345fics]

The Aftermath, chapter 23

A few days after Christmas, Philip and Elisabeth met up near the Hufflepuff common room. As they were walking through the empty halls, they noticed that a classroom door was open. Philip entered the room first, wand ready for anything. Elisabeth followed him.

At first, they couldn’t se anything in the darkness. Then they noticed a strange reflection and approached it.

They lit up their wands, looking at the reflection. It was an enormous mirror, with an inscription carved at the top of its wooden frame.

“Can you read it? It seems strange, yet somewhat recognisable.” Elisabeth’s eyes were focused on it.

Philip looked at it, and it immediately made sense. “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.” he read, trying not to laugh at his friend’s baffled expression.

"How were you able to read it that fast? That's orientated from right to left."

"Perks of being left-handed." Philip answered with a smile.

Elisabeth didn’t reply. Instead, she looked like she’d seen a ghost for the first time.

“Elisabeth? What can you see?”

She didn’t look at him but grabbed his arm.

“I see my parents. Together and happy like… before what happened to my mother.”

“Did she die?” Philip asked, unable to stop himself. Elisabeth didn’t seem shocked by the question, so he hoped he hadn’t gone too far and ruined their friendship.

“Oh, no. She’s alive, but she’s in an asylum. I don’t want to say she’s mad, but she has… some issues.”

“I see. I’m sorry for asking, I should think before I speak.”

“It’s fine, really. I wasn’t expecting the question, it’s just that.”

He looked at the mirror and couldn’t prevent the lump that formed in his throat. Eleazar and Miriam were looking back at him, smiling and happy. He wished it was true, that they were still by his side, and not mere reflections of what he wanted the most.

“Philip?”

He could hear Elisabeth’s voice, but it was dimmed, as if she was far away. When she touched his arm, it broke the trance-like state he was in, and he turned to her, his eyes full of tears that threatened to spill at any moment.

“What did you see?”

He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He let himself slid to the floor and stayed there, hugging his knees. She sat with him, his hand on his shoulder, as the dam broke, and tears flowed.

“I saw Professor Fig and his wife, Miriam. I don’t remember if I ever told you, or if you heard it from someone else, but they took me in when I was younger. Last year, Professor Fig was finally able to adopt me. That’s one of the reasons why we were so close.”

“I’m so sorry.” She said, hugging him. He retributed the hug, and they stayed like that for what seemed like several minutes.

As they got up, Philip heard a noise from outside the room. “Let’s go. If it’s Peeves, we’re screwed.”

They waited to check if anyone was approaching, then parted ways, going in opposite directions.

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

Philip went to look for Sharp, to tell him what he’d seen. As he climbed up the stairs in the faculty tower, he saw Sharp entering his rooms.

“Professor! Something happened, I thought you should know.”

Sharp turned to look at him. “What happened? Come in, and we’ll talk.”

He allowed Philip to enter the room, closing the door behind them. The fire was already lit, warming up the room.

They sat down, Sharp giving Philip an inquisitive look.

“So... what happened?”

Philip told him as best as he could. How Elisabeth and he had seen the open door and decided to check the apparently empty, abandoned room. How they’d seen the mirror. When he mentioned the inscription, he could see that Sharp was thinking, but he said nothing.

Then came the hardest part: telling Sharp what he’d seen in the mirror. As he spoke, having to stop sometimes to catch his breath, Sharp nodded in an understanding manner, as if he was expecting it. As if he knew what Philip would have seen.

As Philip finished speaking, Sharp picked up his cane and got up from his armchair. Damn cold weather, he thought. As if it usually the pain wasn’t bad. “Would you like to show me the mirror?”

They left the room, with Philip leading the way. As they approached the classroom, Philip stopped next to the door. “If you want to, I’ll stay here, to give you some privacy.”

“You’re welcome to enter with me. In fact, having someone else in the room may make it easier.”

They entered together, and Sharp examined the mirror. He took his time reading the inscription, before looking at the reflective surface. Philip was a few steps to the side, unable to see it.

Sharp made a strangled sound, as if he was trying to repress tears. Philip walked to his side to try and comfort him, and then he saw it.

A younger Sharp, looking healthy, and another young person he could not recognise. By the badges on their lapels, Philip understood they were Sharp’s auror partner. The two of them seemed close, making what Philip knew about the incident almost unbearable to think about.

“Professor?” Philip asked, hoping Sharp could hear him. “Were they your partner?”

“Yes, this was William, my partner in my auror years. You already know what happened to him, and how I came to teach at Hogwarts.” His voice seemed devoid of emotion, as if he was trying his hardest to keep it together.

“Come, it’s getting late, and I still have some lesson plans to finish.”

Philip went to his common room, and Sharp went back to his quarters. He had work to do, but he couldn’t focus. The emotions he’d felt while looking at the mirror resurged, making him collapse into his armchair.

“I’m sorry, William.” he said, his voice inaudible among his sobs. “I should have known something was up, in that Scarborough dock. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

He allowed himself to cry, until he felt that he had run out of tears. Then he poured himself a firewhisky and picked up his lesson plans. He knew burying himself in work to force emotional numbness was a bad habit, but he wouldn’t break it anytime soon.

[re-strictedaccess]

Access Denied ~ Decolonization as a Digital Activist

Hi! It’s Dawn-of-the-Silver-Age again. I’ve been thinking about how we must decolonize technology since reading a blog by Beatrice Martini.

When considering what decolonized technology is, I tend to think about computers, the internet, phones along with devices like braille readers, reading pens, otter.ai, etc. What about you? When I think about the act of colonizing I tend to think of residential schools, the stealing of Indigenous peoples’ lands, and lack of water/poor housing on reservations. We have certainly “othered” Indigenous people and their right to exist on the land that was once their home. When I put these ideas together, I think about “who gets to use a tool or service” (Martini). I think about who has and doesn’t have access to the internet. Language can be a barrier as can money. We need to look at the barriers to technology for Disabled people.

All of this is to ask “How can we use technology to decolonize?”

How-To Guide to becoming a Digital Activist focused on Decolonization:

1. Find a topic that you are passionate and want to learn about!!

2. Find resources on the topic from a variety of perspectives. Primary resources like diary entries, letters, official government documents, photographs; and, secondary sources including: statistics, historical texts, biographies, cartoons, newspaper articles are useful.

a) Consider the origin, purpose, content, and the values and limitations for each source. I.e.-- if a source was meant to be a private reflection, thoughts and feelings expressed are likely to be a person’s honest experiences as they don’t need to hide from themselves. In a public post people can say things to shock or hide things due to fear of retribution.

3. After reading the passages, consider who is included, whose stories are being told, why they are being told, and who’s stories aren’t there.

4. Depending on what stories and perspectives are left out, learn more. Seek people out, read, watch documentaries (they aren’t all boring), learn from them, and pay for their labour.

5. What do you think about what you have read? If the topic relates to your own life and experiences, how do these differ from the source?

6. Start writing and building a presence online to find others like you interested in the topic and start conversations with them to build community.

When starting a digital activism journey, consider who you are, your experiences, access, and where you live.

When I started my journey of becoming an activist and an advocate, I confronted my perspective as a white settler and the differences between my experiences being Disabled and those with intersectionalities, for example, Disabled/male/Indigenous, or Disabled/Black. Our experiences are unequal. We have different views on what is right or wrong in the Disability circle.

For example, for years, I was very anti-ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) therapy and voiced this opinion through digital activism. In my posts, I said that ABA indoctrinates, pushes Autistic youth to act in Neurotypical ways, and is abusive.

This changed after I read Tiffany Hammond’s piece. Hammond is a Black Autistic adult with two Autistic sons. She revealed to me the perspective of those who require ABA so that they are not harmed walking down the street, in the classroom, or in other spaces because of racism and ableism. Hammond’s view on ABA is neither pro- nor anti- – it’s one view, and her experience within the community and her lived experience spoke to me far more than I could have imagined. She saw ABA as necessary because it reduced the possibility of harm to her kids who couldn’t mask their Autism.

I wish we lived in a world where Autistics do not need to worry about it, but we don’t. And, until we do, I appreciate Hammond using ABA to keep her family safe. What do you think?

[howlingday]

Pokemon AU after the Jaune "Outrage" incident, he takes a little bit of introspection of himself on top of the dorms roof (the pyrhha training scene one). His only company the floating form of Crocea mors, who he tells his thoughts out loud to. Crocea? He simply stays silent, lamenting with quite pride at the growth, and sadness at how it always comes so routinely over the years in the Arc's family. At the end of the day, Jaune would like to think he matured a bit more, and got closer with his pokémon.

"And I just... don't know if I can live up to the expectation!" Jaune lamented as he sat on the roof. For the past two hours, he paced back and forth from one edge to the other. All the while, Crocea Mors floated above him, his eye following the young Arc. "I killed a Grimm, with my bare hands, but when I told Mom, she was horrified, and she had to pass the scroll to Dad, who just called me an idiot and scolded me for almost getting myself killed! I already know I almost died, but what was I supposed to do?! I... I wish someone could tell me what to do." He rubbed his eyes and looked up to Crocea Mors, who simply continued to watch. "Did any of my ancestors go through this?"

Crocea Mors didn't respond. He couldn't respond. Not in any way that would have meaning to it. If he spoke or gestured, he wouldn't be understood. Jaune sighed, then turned away.

"You don't have to answer." He walked towards the ladder. "I know I'm a failure."

"I don't think you're a failure." Jaune whirled around and saw Fox Alistair sitting on the edge nearby. When did he-? "You did what you had to do to save a friend. Things got crazy, so you went crazy. Happens all the time."

"So you heard me?"

"We both heard you." His Gallade, Sharp Retribution, blinked into existence next Fox. "Kind of hard not to when you're ranting about our room."

"Sorry." Jaune rubbed his arm.

"Don't be." Fox said. "Sometimes it's better to let it out that to keep it in."

"I... I appreciate that. Thanks."

"No problem." He grabbed his Gallade's arm. "Hopefully, things get better." He held up a finger, pointing to Crocea Mors. "By the way, before I go. You should know that of all the people here, he's the most proud of you, even if you can't understand him."

"Wait, how do you-" Fox and Gallade blinked out of existence, leaving Jaune and Crocea Mors on the rooftop. He turned to his Aegislash and smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Crocea Mors rolled his eye and followed Jaune as he descended. When he reached the bottom, he got a long text from home. It started with the words, 'I'm sorry...' and Jaune called back as soon as he was away from the building enough. No sense the ground floor hearing him, too.

[mandareeboo]

Courtney looking up instead of down when dreaming about hell could just be a joke on how people usually look up when singing about their dreams, but what if Courtney’s just subconsciously reaching towards “home” instead of hell. Meaning heaven since she might be a fallen angel

I've been thinking about it a lot, and the more I think the more convinced I am that Courtney is from heaven, or purgatory, or one of the above, and she's simply lying about it to avoid endangering herself. Evidence:

Episode 1: she keeps referring to everyone around her as "fellow demons" but is clearly in another league. She can speak human language, smth we've only seen royals and Hox do. She tries to keep a running commentary with Temeluches. When Temeluches is sealed she's scared of retribution; but why specifically her? There's a whole house of demons. And we see in-show that no one seems to notice Temeluches is gone- they know he's in the neutral plane, but that's it. Could be bc her sealing didn't work tho.

Episode 3: her greatest fear is "not getting home". But she IS home in the vision. She's in hell. In a cage, granted, but in hell. Gives me vibes that she's going to hell to serve out her "punishment" before going Home-Home.

Episode 4: her cuffs block her from the elevator entirely. She can't go up or down. Why would a banished "demon" need to be locked away from Upstairs? If anything, you'd think they'd WANT her up there to get obliterated by angels. Forcing her onto the neutral plane when we know purgatory exists is weird.

Episode 8: Courtney roots for villains, but never Temeluches. You'd think her loyalties would lie with demon royalty, but she never shows interest in global domination. She admires Pauline for cheating the system and is quick to believe her when she says she can take her home.

Episode 9: Whoo boy there's a lot um. The entire song? Courtney clearly doesn't know what demons get up to- she wonders if how they dress and what they eat in her books is REAL. She claims she's "every sin", which if you were a born demon really shouldn't matter- also says demons (like her) deserve to burn. Reaches for the heavens, but that might've been a gag. She tells Barney and Pugsley she "belongs" down below. Her understanding of hell seems very limited, assuming it's one big punishment fest, when we see it's more like a city with extra fucked up nonsense on the side.

There's also the fact that Courtney's wish to go home seems to skyrocket after meeting the gang- she was waiting for Temeluches for 1,000 years, but once she makes friends it's like she can't leave fast enough. It reads as self-punishment to me. Or maybe she wants to speedrun her punishment. Upon realizing it's not what she expected, she gives up and returns.

"I can't go home ever!" when she's been promised to return to hell also feels sus.

(Not episode related but is the only creature we've met seemingly able to seal a possession and do the teleport thing. Idk about the first but we saw the angel do the latter).

When Zagan reveals they're angel cuffs Courtney is confused, not surprised. If she wasn't aware of her background you'd think that'd be a shock and terror moment. Gives me the vibe that when they were placed they lied to her so she wouldn't try to get revenge.

Episode ten: Temeluches offers her diplomatic immunity. Why??? She didn't attack Zagan OR Temeluches. She barely spoke to the first and talked down the latter. But Courtney seems to consider it for a moment, so it's not just bullshit.

This is reaching but the emphasis on the "Pugsley, trust me" also makes me think Courtney might have said smth along the same lines a 1,000 years ago, and either failed or didn't fulfill that promise.

"Families are hard. Don't worry about it." seems to refer to Courtney HAVING a family. The case could be made it's towards Norma, Pugsley, and Barney, but Courtney's never been able to call them family before with her own emotional issues.

TLDR: yeah I'm buying ham-fistedly into this theory. My working idea rn is that the reason the angel is wearing that weird suit in the finale is less of a "be not afraid" concept (it wasn't talking to humans after all) and more bc angels are easy to corrupt when exposed to things outside of their plane. Aka if their suit breaks they turn into what Courtney is. And smth happened that busted Courtney's suit, so she was banished and told they were demon cuffs to keep her busy.

[riceballsandsake]

Memories of the Dead

A/N: Hi! This is my first work so expect that this is quite boring and there's a lot of mistakes and etc. I actually made this 2:00 in the morning because no shit sherlock, I am longing for my expired fire fist doughnut and someone stole my phone so I cannot sleep peacefully knowing that my cat's pictures are there as well as my selfies. So I decided to vent all my frustrations and my sorry ass here on Tumblr writing trash. Just skip if you don't like it. I'm not that great at writing oneshot lolol

Anyway, let's go!

You were sitting outside your house while drinking tea. A cute little girl is playing in the garden as you watched her with a smile plastered on your face. She looked so happy and contented. A cheerful one just like her father. Having those thoughts broke your heart as you reached for the heart-shaped locket on your neck and gently caressed it. No, it's not because you don't like seeing the little girl happy, it's because everything about her reminds you of him. The moments you've spent with Ace were indeed the best in your life yet, you cannot hide the fact that those memories we're also the most painful. Suddenly, the girl looked at you and smiled, the smile that stretched her freckles. There you thought you'd seen him smiling at you behind the innocent girl's face.

"His lovely smile that defined his freckles. The one that never failed to make my knees weak. The one that made my heart flutter every time," You murmured to yourself while feeling the familiar emotion build inside you. Sadness is slowly creeping its way to your heart.

God, how I wish to see him even for one last time. We were so happy, why did it turn this way? Ace, I love you so much that remembering you is like a punishment sent to me. Is this the payback for all of the things I've done in the past? This pain that I've been feeling for 7 years, which I'm pretty sure will last forever, the retribution that the heavens sent to me? Is being a pirate seeking freedom that erroneous? Was all the happiness and freedom that I manage to attain back then are still here? You looked at the innocent giggling girl and sighed. How I wish I could turn back time to at least be there for her father during his final moments. You pity the girl for not being able to meet her father. You did not expect things to turn this way. You already planned your life with him. Along with his death was the moment you also learned about the innocent life you were carrying which you almost killed because of your own recklessness. Why is your life so damned?

As you were drowned with your thoughts, you did not notice a man just arrived at your humble abode. It was one of Ace's apprentices on the crew. The once hailed as the almighty first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates was staring at your sad face while carrying the little girl that was smiling brightly as she was overjoyed to see her Papa after months of being away from him.

"Mama!" The delighted girl called you out which pulled you out from the thoughts that were about to take over you. Hearing the cheerful voice of your daughter, you lifted your head up and saw a blonde man wearing his usual sleepy look in his eyes looking intently at you as he carries your child and walks towards you. Seeing him, you stood up and spread your arms in an attempt to get your daughter from the tired man.

"D/N, come to me. Your Papa is still tired from his voyage," You told your daughter as you walk towards them with your arms still spread out. Your daughter pouted before she spoke.

"But Mama, I missed Papa! I wasn't able to see him for many many many days! I counted 100 nights because papa told me he will be home when I wake up after 100 nights but it's already 120-uh, I don't know, I lost count. I can't count past 120 yet!" Your daughter retorted which made the blonde man laugh. You turned your defeated eyes to the laughing man and raised your eyebrows at him before speaking.

"Excuse me, Mr. Marco, Is there something funny here?" You glared at him with your arms crossed.

"I see, your mom is mad again-yoi. Should we run inside and hide in the room, D/N-yoi?" Marco playfully told your daughter while exchanging meaningful glances with you which you appreciated since that is how he expressed his concern whenever you feel lonely or when you remember your deceased lover-Ace.

"No, papa! I think mama is just worried about you since you weren't home after 100 nights of sleep," Your daughter said to him.

"Really-yoi? Your mama must've missed me a lot-yoi?" The blonde man said that caused you to playfully roll your eyes while laughing a little at this cute scene with your heart aching a bit as you imagine Ace to be here instead of Marco which you immediately tried to shrug off as you felt bad about the blonde.

"Yes! I think mama also needs your hug because she missed you a lot. I sometimes see her at night looking at the moon crying saying she misses you so much." You were taken aback when the little girl responded by nodding. Marco's eyes were filled with pity, and you averted your gaze.

"Is that so-yoi? Your mom must've really missed me that much for her to cry at night-yoi. Come here Y/N-yoi," He responded with his left arm widely spread while still carrying your daughter in his right arm as he invited you to his arms. Without a second thought, you walk fast to his opened arms and slammed your body for the hug and you felt his hands tightening his hold onto you as if he's letting you know that he is there for you. This act of his caused you to tear up and when he felt his arms getting wet. He put down your daughter.

"D/N-yoi, can you go inside first? Papa and Mama will talk for a while-yoi. It seems like your mama missed me a lot-yoi," Marco told the innocent girl while smiling. Your daughter looked at your shaking form then agreed with Marco.

"Okay, papa-yoi. I'll go inside first-yoi and show you my drawings later-yoi!" Your daughter answered back while imitating Marco's speech habit which made you and the blonde laugh a little.

When the little girl went inside your house, Marco gently tapped your back as you felt your tears flowing out again.

"I'm so sorry. I- I just missed him so much... Our daughter is an exact replica of him. It's making things harder and easier. Seeing her makes me all sorts of emotions. I feel sad because I can never move on from Ace which means that I'll forever feel pain while feeling happy because he left something so precious that helps me cope with my loneliness," You told the blonde doctor while crying hoping your daughter won't hear you. Marco hummed in response. A sign you took to continue your rants.

"It's been 7 years since their deaths. Since Ace's death. I should've moved on by now. You and D/N were always there for me but how is it possible that I cannot forget him? Every single day. Every single night, I always long for him. I always talk to the moon hoping he's there and he'll answer me. I am also frequently asking the Almighty as to why did he had to snatch him away from me? I feel so sorry for you. We've bothered you enough. Starting from Ace's death up until now, you're still here. You deserved freedom. A life without anyone holding you back. A life without a mother and daughter tying you with the responsibilities that prevent you from staying on the seas as long as you want. A life you had before the tragedy happened. If his final request is the one holding you back. Please do not hesitate to free yourself from that burden. D/N is already 6 years old. I can handle her now by myself. You are free to go," You ranted while tears are generously flowing from your eyes. Marco, on the other hand, looked at you with his lazy eyes and furrowed brows. He began to speak.

"Y/N-yoi, memories stay and the emotions are also there-yoi. You are feeling emotions because we are humans, we are bound to feel it because that is what makes us distinct from other beings-yoi. You mostly feel pain and loneliness because you loved Ace so much even if it cost you your life-yoi. I also don't know when are you going to get healed but I know that we'll soon reach there-yoi. The pain won't go away-yoi. You'll just learn to live with it until one day, you will wake up not crying because of him even if you still feel pain from remembering him-yoi," He said while intently staring at you then, he continued.

"Also, don't tell me things about leaving you and D/N behind-yoi. I love you both as my family-yoi. I won't agree to Ace's request if I know that I don't want it and that it would burden me-yoi. I treasure you both and I am happy with you and D/N. You won't see me coming back here if I wasn't-yoi. Besides, I like seeing the kid. He resembles her father so much-yoi," He said with a little smile on his face as he transitioned his gaze from you to the house where your daughter just entered.

"I am always so grateful to you, Marco. Thank you for standing in as D/N's father figure. I wouldn't be able to reach this without you and the other's help," You said smiling while freeing yourself from the blonde's hug as you wipe your tears off your face.

"I am also thankful that you let me enter your life and be D/N's father even though Ace already passed away-yoi" He said as he offered his hand to you.

"Let's go inside-yoi. Better prepare some food or that always starving brat might act feral like her father-yoi" He joked that made the two of you laugh while remembering your deceased lover.

You reach the heart-shaped locket that you had on your neck and take a quick glance at it.

"I will wait for the moment that I could already withstand the pain of losing you even if it takes many years. I will forever treasure the moments and memories we spend and made together just like how I treasure our little sunshine. Thank you for giving me this little bundle of joy. Until we meet again, Ace, my love,"

[dangerousstrawberryshark]

Random Thoughts: A Dark Past

This came into mind; the Male reader is a prisoner of war and is taken back to the mainland. As usual, me and @softboy5393 fanboying over this.

I went overboard with this.

You were taken by a Titan with a long face, like a horse into its mouth. You fell unconscious during the whole time.

When you woke, you were in some room. You looked around to see where you were, you noticed you had a red armband on your left arm. 'What the... where am I?'

Then the door opened. "Ah, I see you're awake." the unknown person said along with others. He had blonde hair and an undercut style which was pushed back. [This] He also had an armband on, but his was more of a lighter red.

You took the people that walked and noticed that Reiner was there. "YOU DAMN TRAITOR!" you attacked him. You didn't do that much damage before getting pulled off of him.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS! DON'T TOUCH ME!" you yelled trying to get away from them.

"So, you're the guy that Pieck took? You island devils are sure are something." The one with blonde hair said, sitting down. Reiner was dusting himself off.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves? I'm Pieck. You already know Reiner. The one with glasses is Zeke and the one next to you is Porco." The girl- Pieck said. She had long, disheveled shoulder-length black hair, a Greek nose, and relaxed dark brown eyes.

"You probably have questions as to where you are?" you calmed down a bit to respond.

"Yes. And why am I here? Why did you take me from my home?" you said, backing away from them.

"You're in the nation of Marley. And it was Reiner's idea to take you."

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It had been 4 years since you were captured. You've kind of gotten used to the new environment. 'So, humanity didn't die after all?'

You were shocked by the outside world. There were these flying ships in the skies, a cart that was driving without horses leading it. The food you have never seen before. A picture that was too detailed for any person to draw.

"That's a blimp, that's a car, and that's a photograph," Zeke said, showing you everything.

You also got to meet others. "That's Gabi, Falco, Sophia, and Udo. They are the next in line to inherit the Titans."

Gabi looked at you with mistrust. She had hatred in her eyes. "Don't mind her, she hates anyone from the 'Island of Devils.'" Zeke whispered into your ear.

It has taken a while for Gabi to get used to you but in due time.

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You were walking with Pieck, Reiner, and Porco in the Liberio Internment Zone. There were stands everywhere and colorful decorations everywhere. You were amazed.

"Today's the festival, M/n. Ambassadors and famous families from all over the world are going to be here for Willy's speech. Of course, since you're with us, you'll be joining too." Pieck said she was your favorite out of all of them.

"Let's go try some things. Try this." she gave you some kind of dessert with a cone?

You gave it one lick... "WHY IS IT SO COLD?!?!" you said, others were looking at you weirdly.

"What's this?" You picked some triangle-shaped food with toppings and cheese? "Mmm, this is good! I never had anything like it!"

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You had a fun time at the festival but now it was time for Willy Tybur's speech. You sat with the others but Porco, Pieck, and Zeke were requested.

Then the sounds of instruments began to play and Willy came on stage. He bowed before starting. "Allow me to tell you a story."

(This is the entirety of Willy's speech)

"Approximately one hundred years ago, the Eldian race ruled the world with the power of the Titans."

"Between the appearance of the Founder, Ymir, and the present day, Titans have stolen the lives of so many people that the present population of the world..." showed Titans eating people. "Could die thrice over and still not compare."

Then the lights turned red, people appeared covered in blood and screaming. "Because of Titans, and an extraordinary number of races, and the cultures ad histories thereof, have been stolen from the world."

"That slaughter has defined human history and the history of the Eldian Empire. And when the Eldian Empire ran out of enemies, it turned to the killings of its own kind."

You were shocked. Was this the history of your ancestors? Were they like this?

"Thus began the Great Titan War."

"Houses holding eight Titans shed blood in combat among themselves. In these desperate times, one Marleyan saw a path to victory. He was our hero, Helos."

"By artfully waging an information war, he led the Eldian Empire's biggest threats to turn against and kill one another. By joining hands with the Tybur family, they forced the unbeatable King Fritz to flee and retreat to Paradis island." the crowd began to clap. You were awestruck.

"But even exiled to the island, the king still held power. Tens of millions of Titans are capable of crushing the world flat still slumber on that island." the crowd gasps at the revelation and fear.

"The fact that our world still exists undisturbed to this day is pure luck. That is the only explanation our Titan experts could muster up. My fatherland, Marley, decided to take the initiative against the island and sent four Titans to neutralize the threat, but that plan failed and only the Armored Titan returned."

'That's why Reiner broke down the walls.'

"In other words, the Eldian Empire, the scrounge of human history, is alive and well."

"Now, the story up to this point consists of facts known to everyone. The truth, however, differs slightly. From here on, I'll discuss the memories passed down in my family alongside the Warhammer Titan."

"The complete truth will be revealed here and now for the first time. Approximately one hundred years ago, the one who ended the Great Titan War was neither Helos nor the Tybur family." Two people standing side by side to him.

One was represented Helos and the other, the Tybur family.

"The man who brought an end to that war and saved the world was King Fritz. He came to regret the Eldian Empire's savage history and the infighting among his own people."

"Above all, he grieved for the Marleyans and the oppression they lived under. When he inherited the Founding Titan, he and the Tybur family devised a plan." The lights turned blue with King Fritz and the Tybur family shaking hands in agreement.

"To establish a single Marleyan as a hero in the war. His name: Helos. After that, King Fritz moved as many Eldians to Paradis as he could. Erecting the great walls around them."

"He left a warning if anyone threatens his peace, countless Titans would be unleashed in retaliation. However, he never intended make good on this threat." Things began to add up to you. That's why the world hates Eldians. 'I'm not what they say we are!'

He continued. "King Fritz made a vow of renouncing war and bound his successors to uphold it, just as he had. Thus his ideology was passed down to each new King of the walls and the Titans with the power to crush the world remain dormant."

"Marley didn't stop Eldia and pure luck hasn't kept the world from being crushed, it was the king of the walls, Karl Fritz, a man who yearned for peace. That's it. That's all he wanted. He said if Marley grew strong someday and came in force to shatter his peace and seize the Founding Titan, he would accept it."

"He believed the sins his people committed were so horrific that they could never be atoned for."

"When the day of retribution finally comes, I will accept it until then let me enjoy this walled paradise, free from strife and conflict. I ask for nothing but a brief span of peace."

"Those were the final words the king left us with." King Fritz stood next to Willy bowing.

The crowd erupted into chatter. "What does this mean?" Gabi was shocked to along with her friends. You were twice as shocked as they were.

"If what he saying is true..."

"So, Marley and the Tybur family didn't save the world?"

"Willy wouldn't lie..."

"That means Paradis doesn't actually pose a threat, right?"

Willy spoked, the crowd went silent. "It's true, to secure our own safety, my family joined hands with King Fritz and became heroes to the world. While our fellow Eldians became devils but plainly, we Tyburs are petty thieves, growing fat on honor we did not earn."

"I stand before you willingly parting with my false glory because I have come to understand that the world we share is in grave danger" the crowd began to chat again. The drums began to ring.

"With the Founder's might, King Fritz erected three walls, using a great host of colossal Titans..." the background changed to colossal titans conjoining arms. "Counted together, the walls surely contains tens of millions of colossal Titans."

"They guard the King's peace as his shield and his spear or they did, but now, that peace is being threatened from within. An uprising has taken place on Paradis, the king has been deposed, the Founding Titan stolen."

The background changed to a devil. "The thief is an enemy to every man, woman, and child outside his island. An enemy of peace, his name... IS EREN JAEGER." Your eyes widen...

"If the colossal of Paradis are ordered to walk, the rumbling will be felt across the Earth and death will follow. Until now, only royalty has had the power to wield the Founding Titan and King Fritz's vow has kept his descendants from using it, but this Eren Jaeger has found a way to use the founder without having royal blood."

"Which means he could begin the rumbling at any moment. Once the walls of Paradis begin to walk, there will be nothing we can do. Except flee in vain from the sound of Earth-shaking steps that will herald our doom." your face turned into a worried one. Was this going to happen?

"These monsters will crush every city, trample every tree and flower, they will literally flatten our world. I have always hated my blood and more than anyone. I have wished that my race would disappear."

Willy sounded like he gonna burst into tears. " However, I confess that I want to live. That despite everything, I believed this world is my birthright just as it is yours."

"The people gathered here may belong to different races, different nations but if we're to survive this crisis then for the first time in history, we must join as one. SO PLEASE, if you wish to live and lend me your strength, help me protect our world's future!" The cameras began to flash. The crowd erupted into cheering.

"If we work together, we can overcome any obstacle, any threat! I ask each of you to join me as I go to fight the devils who would plunge our world into hell! HELP ME DEFEAT THEM!"

The crowd continued to clap and cheer. "Here and now, as a representative of Marley's government, I send this message to the devils of Paradis!"

"CONSIDER THIS, A DECLARATION OF WAR!" As Willy said that, a Titan erupted from the building behind the stage. A Titan you knew very well.

"Eren..."

[leportraitducadavre]

On Itachi, his fandom, and moral standpoints

Once again I come back with a meta, unsurprisingly, of Naruto’s manga and, more specifically, about a character in particular, Uchiha Itachi, his fandom and what it entails and represents. My decision to make him the primary focus of this meta is just to bring light (open the door for more in depth debates) of a deeper, much more complicated problem that Itachi represents, but undoubtedly surpasses him and the Naruto manga as a whole.

Be warned, my take on Itachi’s fandom does not contemplate those fans who merely enjoy him but do not negate important parts of his character, if that’s your particular case, then be assured that I did not have you in my mind when writing this. This is about, let’s say, the hardcore fandom he possesses, that justifies (and to some extent, celebrates) his implications in the UCM and blindfold loyalty to Konoha and its system.

How can I even begin to introduce Itachi’s character? What he was supposed to be and what he surprisingly became? How to start to explain his fenomenon? Itachi was not supposed to be good, from his introduction he was a manipulative, dark character that tortured physically and mentally Sasuke and was a threat to Naruto’s (the protagonist) life. At no point during the first part of the manga were we able to see glimpses of a “good” Itachi that the narrative later on tried to establish, and yet, there were three (conected) factors of imperative importance to understand the raise of his character from the first part of the manga to the other. 

The first one was, let’s call it, his intrinsecal persona's appeal (and everything it encompases).

Itachi’s not the first cryptic male character that gets favored by a large part of the fandom for that mere trait (look at any shönen or show and see how many characters whose sole trait is to be mysterious becomes the fandom’s favorite), added to the fact that he’s powerful enough to subdue men who’s status of geniuses are often highlighted in the manga (Orochimaru and Kakashi), and his... physical charm, you have a powerful combo to make readers incline more and more on his favor. Itachi had sparked their interest. 

There are boxes to fill to attract the public interest to a character, and Itachi filled in all of them. 

The Power-Mystery-Beauty triangle is not an unknown formula (Christian Gray, Edward Cullen, to name characters from mainstream, from other manga there is Light, now surprisingly, Dabi) and in every fiction work it has appeared, it worked to lure the (female) public towards it.

But is that enough? For some, yes, for most, Itachi represents something that they desired profoundly, and that’s entirely attached to Sasuke’s character.

Even back in the first part of the manga, Sasuke’s character was received mixedly, there were people who saw his personality as too abrasive (similar to Itachi’s but because Sasuke was supposed to be with the nice guys, this aspect of him clashed rather harshly with his position on the narrative) and considered him a mere emo who believed himself to be better than Naruto and Sakura (he was, but he also acknowledged this fact, which make some readers disapprove of him even more). 

Itachi challenged that “so-called” superiority, additionally downgrading and humiliating him in a way readers felt he, to some extent, deserved. The dislike of part of the fandom of Sasuke’s character found a way of purchase inside the manga. Naruto wasn’t strong enough (and eventually cared too much) to subdue Sasuke, Sakura was too in awe with him to “stand up against him”, Kakashi saw his greatness and taught him powerful jutsus while paying zero attention to his other students. Until Itachi, no other character seemed to put Sasuke “in his place”, because even the villains of each arc seemed particularly obsessed with Sasuke and Sasuke only, elevating even more his importance and status and sidelining Naruto and (of course), Sakura, who were left with mere participations in what seemed a Sasuke-focused plot. Up at this point, Sasuke was far more important than the actual protagonist of the manga but Itachi, who was actually Sasuke’s goal, who was actually the person Sasuke aspired to surpass, abused him, manipulated him and -more importantly- seemed more focused on getting Naruto -hence, retribution: the only person Sasuke seemed to care about didn’t seem care about him at all.

Itachi’s coolness, strength and mature handsomeness (that Sasuke did not present until Shippuden, but Itachi was literally introduced with), plus the dislike of Sasuke’s character and the belief that he needed to be rectified, the reason of which will be brought up next, appealed the teenage fandom in a way strong enough to catapult him inside the popularity polls just right after his presentation. 

The Self-inserts inside Itachi’s fandom

As I introduced, a large part of the fandom back in the first part already, and in Shippuden particularly, had a deep dislike of Sasuke’s character and wanted him to suffer -to be beaten, to be “owned”, Itachi’s character fulfilled that wish, which takes me to the second factor. 

You can’t explain this point in particular without adding the “self-insert” and “reader-insert” notions that often gets attached to Itachi (Sakura, Naruto and Hinata) fans, 

“Self-insertion is a practice by authors of writing themselves into their own stories, either explicitly or in thinly-disguised form; in a fannish context this most often means fan writers writing themselves into their favorite source material so that they can interact with canon or its characters” (X)

Whilst

“Reader-Insert is a type of fanfiction, almost always written in 2nd person Point of View; the protagonist is always the reader, and is usually paired with one of the canon characters. "Reader-insert" typically has a hyphen hyphen, but is also known as Canon X Reader (sometimes CanonXReader).” (X)

In this particular case, many readers had succumbed to something slightly in between. The manga doesn’t belong to them, so the only one in position to literally self-insert is Kishimoto (canonically), so they are left with the option of attaching themselves personally to a pre-existed character with whom they feel somewhat represented. If not, then at least they attach emotionally to a character because it represents what they desire (this can be more observed in the shipping part of the fandom). Meaning, they use a canon established character that is not literally the reader, but who clearly represents them or represents what they want in their significant (romantical) other. 

Sakura was the only female lead who had a crush on the cool guy, readers (particular female ones) didn’t need much to feel a connection with her (during the first part, Kishimoto didn’t even give them much to do so, but they still attached to her with the prospect of what she might become), while Naruto was the dead last, it appealed to those who also felt that they weren’t popular or were mistreated by their peers.

But what the self-inserts of Sakura or even Naruto had to do with the increasing love for Itachi? 

To explain this in a way that can be understandable: Sakura fans who believed Sasuke disrespected her when not acknowledging her feelings or when downgrading her skills often turned their attention to the man of similar physique and strength to fulfill their fantasies of reciprocation -because canonically, Itachi had neither rejected, nor downgraded her character. In the same fashion, Naruto fans who believe Sasuke is egotistical by not caring for/acknowledging Naruto in the same manner he does (hence, not deserving him), tend to also indulge in the same type of behavior previously mentioned. 

Later on, when the narrative introduces the idea that Itachi stands alongside Konoha (Naruto and Sakura), thus, against Sasuke (from an idealistic standpoint), this particular practice deepens, grows. They feel validated on their idea that Itachi will treat  their favorite character (them) better, while at the same time punishing Sasuke for rejecting them.

There are not many cases of Itachi self-inserts, I’m not denying their existence however because he did fulfilled a wish many readers had (against Sasuke), but Itachi’s self-insert part of the fandom seems to be more in terms of female character fans that desire their favorite kunoichi to be loved/desired/respected? by a powerful, handsome, mysterious character. 

Sasuke’s importance in the narrative (and character growth)

Sasuke escaping Konoha to get to Orochimaru, train, and become strong enough to defeat Itachi and avenge his clan won’t hold up for the four hundred or so chapters Naruto Shippuden lasts. After Itachi’s defeat at his hands, Sasuke had no reason not to return to Konoha, more importantly, he had no reason to fight Naruto as it was the intention and ultimate and most important clash in the manga since the introduction of their rivalry. 

Sasuke’s growth as a character (that I spoke more detailed in this post) was tied to the introduction of a deeper, more important problem: Konoha’s involvement in the UCM. It wasn’t new in Naruto to present the dichotomy and harsh truths of the shinobi system (Hyuga clan, Haku, Jinchurikis), and the intervention of Konoha’s government in the massacre of the Uchiha clan provided the narrative with a reason to have both Sasuke and Naruto fighting in different sides of the battlefield, but also presented a deeper problem: Itachi couldn’t be bad.

He couldn’t stand in the “bad” side of the field because both, that would put Naruto (the hero) in the same morally bad position, and Itachi's fandom (which was massive), was eager for redemption, they demanded it, and Naruto is not a manga that doesn’t get influenced by what its purchasers want. In consequence, they needed to justify Itachi’s actions. We can talk about how abysmally bad they did it, we can talk about how much better this problem could have been sorted out, but that is not the core of this post. 

Kishimoto loved Sasuke, I have said this before, despite the fandom wishes, he stood his ground when it came to Sasuke and his revolutionary position until the very end. Maintaining that ideal as just, put Naruto (hence, Itachi) in the wrong. But because the narrative needed Naruto to be good and in the right, he ended up justifying genocide by justifying Itachi.

Consequently, and with the appeal he earned with his introduction and the Sasuke-hate (self-inserts), Itachi became a favorite character amongst favorite characters despite being a plot holes with legs. Readers eagerly consumed whatever panel proved that Itachi was not the bad guy he was previously believed to be. (proved or at least didn’t show, Itachi still commited genocide, but we don’t get to see such attrocities so its easier to forget he slaughtered innocent people, children amongst them). Readers who liked him were desperate for the narrative’s validation.

Core of the issue

Which brings me to the core of the post and in retrospection, I have already presented it: moral standpoints. This is not new, I’m not introducing any new idea, and this is hardly something that happens solely in the Naruto’s (and most specifically Itachi’s) fandom. Liking or not a character is tied to so many subjective variables that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes a character desirable or despicable despite solid traits being commonly shared on particular troups. And yet, liking or not a character became a moral standpoint for which people judged each other on a personal level. It has happened since always, but the internet did nothing but make more accessible and public this type of clashes. Therefore, Redemption Arcs became the most precious gem inside fictional works and Naruto fell for it, and fell hard. 

It’s almost mandatory to have the narrative’s validation in order to enjoy a character freely and Naruto provided it to Itachi’s fandom. His actions were justified by the manga and the most important (and beloved) characters stood by his side, even those who were victims of him forgave his actions because there was someone (with less appeal and more morally questionable actions under his belt) to blame further. Having the narrative’s moral validation is more important than actually being in the right. 

Itachi was manipulated by the Will of Fire who he learned from Hiruzen who was passed to him by Tobirama who created it because he was raised during the Warring States Period, so his apprehension to the Uchiha was justified. It’s a train of justifications that ultimately holds no one responsible for the genocide of an entire clan/race which then becomes something bound to happen. So to save face, they use an escape goat: Danzo and the Curse of Hatred. They put the blame of the massacre to a single character and the actual victims because, well, they were genetically prone to disaster and killing them was the only way to ensure (temporary) peace.

Liking a character doesn’t automatically mean condoning its actions but because that subjective appeal became more and more the reflection of the reader’s ideals (for some reason I’m not here to trace), those two actions merged, which translated consequently into demanding the narrative’s validation of our tastes. There’s no denial of the pleasing sensation that comes with having the plot’s endorsement for liking a complex/morally gray or even dark character, but that approval turned to be the most important/valuable requirement, which, in turn, made readers justificate (supported by the narrative) despicable actions, such as genocide. 

Let’s go back to the second bullet point, self- inserts, as to discern more in depth their reasons to look for a justification on Itachi’s character: Itachi (an Uchiha that was not affected by the Curse, as his peers were) who the narrative proclaims wanted his brother’s safety and happiness above all things, stands morally with Konoha (hence, the readers’ favorite character). Therefore, justifying his actions is justifying Sakura and Naruto’s actions against Sasuke (manipulation is alright because Itachi did it, trying to kill Sasuke because he didn’t want to bend to their will is alright because Itachi did it), it gives them reasons to believe that they are on the right side of the battlefield, it gives them moral superiority. They’re in the right, they are good people, Sasuke was too deep in his hatred to either see it or correspond their feelings and that’s why he needs to be saved, and who more appropriate to do so than the two characters that were mocked by him during the first part of the manga? Even in the end, Itachi still gives them the retribution they still feel deserve and that Sasuke -still- didn’t give.