#( I still need to work more to develop Eleanor but so far I just noticed this similarity lmao ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

khoicesbyk · 3 years

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The Royal Romance.

Second Chance Romance.

A/N: I’ve decided to go into my own little TRR/TRH world and create an AU. This will be fun! So; Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Explicit. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: Leo Rys and Hana Lee | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,000 words. (more or less. I stop counting after editing and re-editing. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

Prompt Time! Using @wackydrabbles prompt 70: “Not everything is a joke.” It will be in bold in black.

Tag List: @lifeaskim @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @kingliam2019 @txemrn @pixie88 @choicesfannatalie @lucy-268 @bebepac @choicesficwriterscreations @wackydrabbles

I AM UNAPOLOGETICALLY NSFW! READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY!

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

This is a fun side story that I decided to write. I hope you enjoy the pairing.

Chapter 12.) About Last Night.

Leo Rys has always done his own thing and lived life by his own rules. He enjoys the freedom to go where he wants, when he wants and for however long he wants. With him no longer Crown Prince of Cordonia, he wasn’t beholden to the responsibility, commitment and weight that the crown carries. To him, that life was more a living nightmare than a dream come true.

Having the lives of Cordonia and all her people in his hands scared him. Which is why he told his father that the crown should go to his younger brother, Marquise. Marquise would be a far better king than Leo could ever hope to be. And he was right.

No matter where his new nomadic life took him, Leo always made sure to come home from time to time. Especially when there was a ball or party being thrown. Like the party for the debut of his soon to be sister in law, Duchess Shanelle Dawkins of Volterias.

The party was great. The drinks were flowing like a river. The people were mixing and mingling. And the dancing was on point. But the best part about the night is that he was home. Even though he was no longer Crown Prince, Cordonia is still in his heart and is still home. And he is home to celebrate his brother and future sister in law.

But that night wouldn’t go the way he’d plan it to go.

After catching up with old friends, rivals and several old flames, Leo was sitting at the bar going on his third whiskey neat, when he saw Hana. She was being tortured by Ambassador Kennett and his endless yapping. Whether it was about politics or worse his penchant for golfing, fishing, hunting or his vintage 1956 Roadster, the man NEVER knows when to shut up. So he had to rescue her from him.

He Interrupted their conversation and successfully saved her from a fate worse than death. And to make sure that they weren’t followed by the ambassador, he took her out on the dance floor. It might’ve been the alcohol in his system but, he noticed how petite and pretty she was. And that she was blushing.

“Maybe she…nah I’m not her type.” He thought to himself as they danced.

After dancing to song after song, Hana’s were getting sore so he suggested that they take a break and go for a walk. When she agreed to a walk, they took a stroll to his favorite side courtyard in the whole palace. It was one designed by Marquise’s mother Eleanor. She would sneak him and Marquise out of their lessons, just to spend time with them there. So it’s always been one of his favorite places to go to.

They sat down on a bench and talked about what their lives were like growing up. What they saw themselves doing in 10-20 years. And what his favorite destinations to visit were. And for her, he was something she never expected. He’s funny. He’s got a great smile. She loved his soft baby blue eyes. And he’s quite the accomplished dancer. She had never had a crush on someone but she felt like she was developing a crush on him.

“How about another drink?” He asks her.

“Haven’t you had enough to drink Leo?” She asked with a teasing smirk.

“Nooooo! Besides I got this killer bottle of tequila that I got in Guadalajara back in my room, that I’m dying to open. Soooo…pretty please?” He asks her, while batting his eyelashes. It made her giggle when he asked.

“Okay. I’m curious about this bottle you have.” She replies.

“Sweet! Follow me m’lady.” He says as he offers her his arm. When they got to his room, Hana was impressed by the size.

“You got one of the bigger rooms in the palace!” She says to him.

“Perks of being part of The Royal Family. I still get to be spoiled even though I abdicated the throne. Dad made sure that I got my favorite bedroom.”

“I’m glad that you and him are close.”

He sat down on the bench at the end of his bed before he spoke.

“Ohhh yeah. He was more disappointed than angry about me abdicating. He was hoping that me becoming king would mellow me out. But if anything it made me hate the throne even more. Which is why I don’t envy my younger brother. He bears the weight of an entire nation. Their expectations, their fears, their anger, their frustration and especially their judgement. I didn’t want that life for myself. I saw what it did to my dad. How it changed him. Made his paranoia even worse than it was before mom’s death.”

“So that’s why you left?” She asks as she sits next to him.

“Yes. Because, I was never meant to be a king. It wasn’t in my heart nor was it something that I wanted to do. I have a temper. Marquise has temperament. He always wanted the throne but, because of hierarchy and the rules behind it, the throne went to me. And believe me Hana, it wasn’t an easy nor overnight decision for me to come to. I knew I’d be disappointing my dad and leaving Marquise to bear the unbearable burden of the crown, but I just knew I’d never be the king that Cordonia desperately needed.” He replied.

Talking to her made him face some of the demons he’d been running from.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, Leo.”

“Nah. It’s the alcohol. My dad calls it my truth serum. Speaking of which! We got a bottle to open!”

He got up and walked to his suitcase and pulled out a bottle of golden tequila.

“May I introduce to you the finest tequila in all the lands? This is Dioses del sol y de la tierra. It is the best tequila I have ever had!” He said as he introduced her to the bottle.

She just shook her head and giggled.

“Let the shots begin m’lady!”

They drank, danced and laughed together. Hana wasn’t like Madeleine. She was a nightmarish robot who was after the crown. She was pure, wholesome, beautiful and sweet. And an absolute joy to be around. Especially when she was drunk.

“I have never had this much fun ever!” She drunkenly squealed.

“I sure have! I have it all the time!” He said to her.

“Of course you have! You’re freeeeee!”

“You gotta try it sweetheart! Freedom is the best medicine for the soooouuuul!”

Hana took a swig from the bottle then spun around but lost her footing and would’ve fallen if Leo hadn’t caught her.

“Whoa! Noble lady overboard!” He said as he caught her.

“Wheeeeeeeeee!” Hana said with a giggle.

With the bottle finally gone, the pair were sitting on his bed giggling at each other.

“Oh my God! Leo! This was soooooo much fun!”

“Yeah I know. We gotta do it again the next time I come home!”

They started laughing at each other again.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re very very handsome?” She asked him.

“Not really. The ladies usually go for my brother.” He replies.

“Well I think you’re really handsome.”

“That’s the tequila talking. But it’s a good joke.”

“Not everything is a joke, Leo.”

“You’re serious?” He asks her. She nodded her head yes.

“Ohhh…so if I kissed you, you wouldn’t be mad?” He asked. She shook her head no.

“Ohhh well in that case…” he trailed off before kissing her. The kiss was sloppy at first but got hot and heavy fast. When the kiss came to an end, they were breathless.

“Woooooow!” He said to her.

“Was it bad?” She asked.

“Hell no! As a matter of fact, I’d like to do it again.”

“Fine by me.”

He pulled her into his lap as he kissed her again. Her skin was smooth. Her lips are soft and supple. She tasted like tequila. Not that he was complaining about it. There was something about Hana that he couldn’t get enough of. With his arms around her petite frame he deepened their kiss. One thing is for sure, Leo is no slouch when it comes to kissing. He broke their kiss to look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Hana. I shouldn’t have done that.” He said to her.

“No you shouldn’t have. But I’m glad you did.” She replies. Every ounce of shyness Hana had was replaced with lust thanks to all the drinking they were doing.

“Is this about to go where I think it is?” He asks her.

“I wouldn’t mind.” She replied.

With that he kissed her again, harder and deeper than before. They were blissfully drunk and horny for one another. He trailed kisses from her jaw to her neck. Eliciting a sound that was a mix of soft moan and a gasp. They made quick work of getting each other out of their clothes. She was beautiful to him and he was hot to her.

He resumed kissing her neck with his hands all over her. When his hands reached her nipples, he ran his thumbs over them making them harden under his touch. She couldn’t help but moan when he touched her. He kept rubbing her nipples and sucking on her neck He let one hand travel lower between her legs. When he reached her center, she was warm. But he was about to make her hot.

He began using his fingers to circle her clit and play with her entrance. The sensation was causing her to grind against his fingers. He wanted her soaking wet for him. Thankfully it didn’t take long for that to happen. When she wanted more, she groaned impatiently.

“I guess that means you want more.” He whispered in her ear.

“Yes! Yes!” She moaned.

He took that as a cue then grabbed a condom out of his wallet and put it on. When he turned back to look at Hana, he was in awe. She really was beautiful naked. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at him. With a crook of her finger she beckoned him to her. With a sly grin he went to her. He climbed on top of her with lust in his eyes and a question on his lips.

“Are you ready?” He asks.

“Hell yeah!” She replied.

She didn’t know what to expect when it came to sex with Leo. But if anything she wasn’t expecting him to be big. But when he entered her, she found out that she was wrong. He was well endowed. He went slow to allow her muscles to get used to him being inside her. She moaned impatiently because she wanted him to fuck her.

Taking that as another cue from her, Leo found his groove and began to really fuck her. Every thrust from him was fast and hard. He was going deep inside then coming almost all the way out, just to slam back into her. Her moans, groans, cries of pleasure, shrieks and whimpers were fuel to him so he would keep going.

He had one hand on the headboard behind her to steady himself and the other rubbing her clit. He wants her to explode with him. The stimulation from him sent her over the edge and crashing into her orgasm. Feeling her muscles squeeze his length sent him to the moon. He emptied himself into the condom then passed out with her.

When Leo woke up later, he was hungover and pretty sure he’d just had in a weird dream that involved him and sex with Hana. The dream became reality, when he saw the empty tequila bottle and the used condom. That’s when he looked over and saw Hana passed out next to him.

“Oh shit! This is VERY bad!” He muttered, before grabbing his phone and texting the person he knew to text: His brother Marquise.

#choices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #khoicesbyk #choices fanfiction #fanfic #the royal romance #hana lee #leo rys

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ashsinmywcke · 3 years

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@annalis-e--shadowofpanem

From the corner of her eye, she could see Vermilion checking for the validation Annalis’e felt in the moment. She was right. It was no less of a heavy burden than the rest of the duties she had, or the responsibilities that she assigned to herself. But it was rare to receive the clear, instant sign that Ella gave her, a sign that she was doing the right thing.

There were no words she could offer in the moment. All she could do is offer a nod of understanding, and hope that what she did next lived up to the hopes Ella placed squarely upon her shoulders. She carried it with determination, up the ramp and into the crate. Into the dark.

The ramp hinged up and sealed the box shut. All was silent, save for the shuffling of Vermilion’s dress as she gave her body something to do to distract herself from the nausea she anticipated.

After awhile… nothing. And then…

Vibrations and tones rang over and over from Annalis’e’s phone, slotted in the side compartment of her bag. Having been useless on a distant world, it came alive with undelivered messages, emails and other notifications as it came in contact with her home network for the first time in a little less than a week. Vermilion cleared her throat, trying and failing to swallow. She knew before the ramp lowered itself again that Dagilach was behind her.

As the crate reopened, she recognized the growing Lux Hall in an instant: the sunlight through the vast open skylight stung her eyes, but the sound of the far side of the mountain welcomed her home with open arms. But the ramp touched down on an unfamiliar platform at the end of another side of Lux, which opened into the inner cavern of the mountain and overlooked a ravine. Caution markings were painted around the box, and a glass barrier separated the crate from the rest of what looked like Lux’s newly constructed west corridor. Unfamiliar too, was the sound of Unity’s voice over the intercom: “Unscheduled Connection complete.” Guards with weapons trained on the three immediately lowered them as Annalis’e stepped out. “Stand down,” a voice over the radio said, “Unscheduled arrival. The Director is now Palace-side.” Annalis’e took her phone from her bag before a Shadow came to whisk away the bag. “Welcome home, Director.”

“You’re early!” Cyanne rushed to open the glass barricade, welcoming the travel party into the Lux Hall, albeit informally. She made her way to the crate. “I would have been here to welcome you home.” Her fingers went to work, checking Annalis’e pulse, checking for bruises. ‘Was everything smooth?”

Annalis’e smiled, waving away Cyanne’s constant prodding. “We’re fine,” she replied warmly. However, poor Vermilion rushed from the opening and doubled over, hurling into ravine. “More or less,” Annalis’e chuckled. “I see you had the crate moved ?”

“Yea,” Cyanne replied. “I figured if you’d be using it regularly, it needed it’s own designated space outside the lab. East and West hall are brand new, so picking one of them made sense. And the west had an open, defensible space to make an arrival platform. Plus the space makes it easier to study and integrate.” As Annalis’e turned back to the crate to offer Ella a hand, Cyanne finally gave notice to the third arrival. “A local?”

“Yea…there was a development…it’s complicated.”

Cyanne shook her head, with a warm smile of knowing approval. “No. No its not. We’ll get her settled in, and I’ll call Paris and Eleanor, we’ll set a meeting time where we discuss what you’ve found and decide if this idea Mors De Lumine bullshit that Delun cobbled together can actually do some good. That about it?”

Annalis’e scoffed. “Yea. Yea it is.”

“Ok then. I’ll leave you too it. I’ll call Nora and Paris have them Palace-side by morning. I’ll let Molly know you’re back, too.” Cyanne turned and marched. It was great to see how much Cyanne had grown from an insubordinate reconditioning brat into the confident tech-savy Shadow she was now.

Vermilion returned. Green in the face. Silent, aside for her heavy breathing.

The commotion at platform finally died down. The guards returned to their stations, and Annalis’e didn’t even notice the arrival alarm until it was silenced. All that remained was the continued chatter of Shadows going back to work, and the distant waterfall. Annalis’e could finally give Ella the attention she no doubt needed. “Ok….now you can ask questions. I’m sure you have more than a few.”

The door of the crate hinged upward, clanked and bolted resolutely into position. Darkness folded around the three with a terrible absoluteness, darker than the inside of a cave. Ella had to work very hard to hold herself still, to not run and bang desperately on the door.

She shut her eyes tightly and waited. Surely something would happen; a jolt, a feeling of movement or acceleration. Anything. After all a person could not take a single step across a threshold without feeling their foot set down on the other side. She waited.

Beeps and notification tones rang out within the metal box. Ella’s eyes popped open panicked, glancing around and just catching sight of an illuminated phone screen, her expression pulling into one of confusion.

“Wait, what...Did it not work?”

The door swung downward, and Ella Ardente looked out into an expansive stone hall. For a horrible moment her brain lurched to the conclusion that she’d been taken to the palace, that it was all over...But no. The air smelled and sounded like rushing water, and there were other people here. Guards but also other women, one of them rushing forward to greet her escort with familiarity and kindness. Ella stepped slowly down the ramp, holding onto Annalis’e like an anchor, casting her gaze about in a stunned way.

Taking her first breath was even more proof that Dagilach was lightyears behind her; her head spun momentarily with the excess oxygen in the air. It would take a few days to adjust.

“I...” She faltered at the offer for a moment. There were so many questions, enough to take weeks to answer. But looking about at the grand architecture and the hangar and the people busying around with purpose Ella’s eyes swung back to Annalis’e. She looked at her with a wary wonder.

“Who... Are, you?”

#sorry for the delay been a weird week!#annalis'e #Dagilach 4452

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hayleyarts · 4 years

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Broken Without You (Jasper Hale x OC) | chapter 3

Author’s note: I’m not as proud of this part as I should be, but I’m still trying to develop some plot and character dynamics. there’s no warnings for this one, maybe some language, that’s about it.

Previous part

Summary: Eleanor Rae visits with an old friend and contemplates her overthinking. She thinks that perhaps she simply needs to find her own safe place to calm down when life gets a little too much to handle.

Word count: 1626

Track 03 - Nobody by Mitski

It didn’t take long for me to arrive to the old diner downtown; I could probably drive there in my sleep. I was a frequent customer of the family owned establishment because my mom usually worked night shifts meaning I had to fend for myself for dinner. They were nice enough to let me work for a meal – doing odd jobs like dishwashing or taking out the garbage. Luckily for me, they’ve gotten to the point where they feed me for free.

As I enter the diner, the little bell signals my arrival. Seth looks up from his spot behind the counter with the pot of coffee, greeting me with a smile, “Hey Ellie. You’re early?”

“Yeah you know, no rest for the wicked.” I smile at him. Seth Clearwater is probably the only person I’ve ever considered my friend; which I suppose is a little depressing considering that he’s almost seven years older than me and should clearly be in university instead of working at a restaurant.

“Should I tell Cecil that you ditched?” He raises a brow quizzically at me.

“I’d rather you didn’t.” I narrow my eyes, sitting at the bar stool across from him. Seth was a lot different compared to everyone else in this town, but different in a good way. I’ve known him forever because his sister used to babysit me when I was younger. This is when my mom first started working the night shifts, and she was desperate to find someone to watch over me for cheap. Leah was more than willing to look after me whenever my mom was working; anything to get away from all her cousins who seemed to drive her crazy. I always got along with Seth, but something happened when he was sixteen; he started acting strange. I tried to ask his parents about it, but they couldn’t really say much to a nine-year-old without confusing them. He was gone all the time, and soon so was Leah; the Clearwater parents taking over the babysitting until I was old enough to look after myself. Finally, after what felt like forever, Seth finally started to spend time with me again, though he was still not the same Seth that I hung out with before.

Seth started being really interested in my life and actually caring about me. When Maya and I had our falling out, he was the one who comforted me the whole time; threatening to beat the shit out of her friends. I always thought he was kidding, but I think he was being completely serious.

“Did something happen?” He wipes off the counter huffing a loose strand of hair out his face.

I roll my eyes, pulling the extra hair tie off my wrist and handing it to him. He smiles, taking it and quickly pulling his hair up in a ponytail. “Do you consider me a nobody?”

He raises a brow, “No? Who said you were?”

I huff, “Well no one, but it feels like everyone at school treats me like I’m invisible.”

Seth frowns, furrowing his brows, “Well you know how people are when it comes to gossip and not knowing how to move on from things,” He glances down at the counter, his knuckles clenching against the marble countertop, “You’re not a nobody and whatever people say about you is bullshit.”

“You really think people are still talking about the whole thing with my dad?” I rest my forehead down on the counter.

“I hope not, but you know how people are.” He sighs, wiping around where my head is before placing a clean mug down and pouring the black coffee in it.

“Do you know the Cullen’s?” I glance up at him. His reaction was strange, he blinked and looked away quickly. His brows furrowed slightly before glancing back at me with a small smile.

“Yeah, they’re family friends, why?”

I shrug, “They’re all dicks and they think they’re top shit because they drive fancy cars and are drop dead gorgeous.” I mumble quickly.

“Okay, what did they do?” He chuckles, “They’re not all dicks. Maybe just Rosalie.”

I huff, sitting up and sipping the coffee, “They were gossiping and laughing at me at lunch today.”

“Are you sure?” Seth raises a brow, “Did you hear them say anything about you? Did you hear them laughing at you in particular?” I think about his question. I mean, technically no, I didn’t hear them talk about me in particular. They seemed to be just enjoying their lunch break. But if they weren’t talking about me, why did Jasper pay so much attention to me while they were talking? Did he know I was admiring him during history class and then again as they were entering the cafeteria? Did he care? Was that his way of showing how I was making him uncomfortable, by making me uncomfortable?

“Well, no…” I shrug, glancing up at him.

“Besides, maybe they just want to get to know you?” He raises a brow, “They’re good people so I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“How are you guys family friends? You’re like a million years older than them.” I furrow my brows.

Seth eyes me for a second, as if he was thinking about a response, “Carlisle and my dad were good friends.” I could tell he was lying, but I also didn’t want to question him about it considering his father passed away when he was seventeen. But there was something about his answer that didn’t sound too genuine.

“Makes sense.” I nod, looking around the diner. It looked about how you imagine a small restaurant. After Sue bought it and fixed it up, she added some cultural art pieces on the walls of the Quileute tribe, bringing some life into the old building. The tables were completely redone with dark varnish and the seats all replaced. Seth ended up taking over when his mother got sick, trying to keep the restaurant alive.

“Do you want me to get you something to eat?” Seth breaks my thoughts, “Did you have lunch?”

I sigh softly, “Yeah I ate, don’t worry.” I take another long sip of the coffee before standing and stretching my back, “I’m probably going to go home.”

“Okay, well text if you need anything. I can bring you supper tonight if you need.” Seth smiles that boyish smile that he seemed to never grow out of.

“I should be okay, but I’ll keep that in mind.” I make my way to the door.

“Don’t make it a habit to skip Ellie.”

I roll my eyes, flipping him off as I leave the restaurant, calling out, “Thanks Mom.” I laugh along with his faint chuckling, returning to my worn-down Jeep and hopping inside. I start the engine and pull out of the lot for the restaurant. The drive through town is depressing, the scenery all the same. The buildings all consisting of old brick and wood that has been falling apart for years. It’s when you leave the town’s boundaries, that’s when you’re faced with beauty that is the forests surrounding Forks, Washington. As I drive through the trees, I roll my windows down along with shutting off the radio; wanting to be completely emersed in the sounds of nature.

As I approach the turn off for my house, I decide last minute to skip it; continuing my drive deeper into the forest. It got to the point where paved road turned to gravel and then the road stopped altogether. I pull over, shut off my Jeep and hop out. While surveying the scenery around me, I notice a few deer off in the distance. I’ve never been this far out in before; usually I take my usual scenic drive home and that was it. Something was telling me to come out here, and I’m not sure why, but I wanted to hike deeper in. I tighten my ponytail and begin my hike on the path between the trees.

I definitely didn’t have the right choice of shoes for a hike; wearing converse I’ve had for years. I try to take a step over a tree root, almost losing my footing all together. It was nice, however, being able to be alone in silence. While other high schoolers are out partying, I’d rather be here, in the silence of nature. It was freeing being alone. I’ve always wondered if I disappeared in the woods for a few days if anyone would notice. Within town, I’m invisible, but here among the moss-covered trees, I feel important.

I smile as I approach a clearing in the trees, and I’m met with the most beautiful field of daises. It felt like a completely different world; the sun shining on the greenest grass and butterflies fluttering from flower to flower. This isn’t the rainy world I was used to. I run through the flowers to the middle of the clearing, plopping down on the slightly damp grass. I lay back, watching the clouds float by.

“Wow…” I mumble to myself as I take a deep breath, relaxing back into the soft grass. This place seemed to radiate in an energy I’ve never experienced. Everything seemed happy and calm and there weren’t any worries. Why was I drawn here? Did the universe know about my stress and anxiety and wanted to calm me down? I’ve always believed everyone has their own place in the world, and I just haven’t found mine yet. Maybe my place is this meadow in the middle of my small rainy world. As I lay in the sunlight, all my worries disappear. There are no ex-friends, no gossiping strangers, and no Cullen’s. It’s just me and the meadow; a nobody in a field of daisies.

#twilight #twilight fanfiction #jasper hale #jasper hale x oc #jasper hale fanfiction #twilight renessaince #twilight reimagined #writing #creative writing #fanfiction #oc

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fulcrumahsokaamidala · 5 years

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Saturday Spectacular #19

Happy Saturday!!! So this is me thanking awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and all the time they put into their fics. ♥️ I want to recommend spectacular fanfic stories I read this week! ♥️ All posts will be tagged #saturday spectacular fic rec

Hello friends, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. It’s been a crazy few months. This semester I started college and am getting an associate's degree in one year that means I’m taking 23 credits this fall term. It’s been a bit crazy but I’ve still been read fic so this what I’ve read since September 21. It’s not going to be in order.

light upon darkened dreams by @alexiablackbriar13 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: After the events of 8x04, Oliver remains awake long into the night, getting lost in his thoughts about his children and Felicity. It's a good thing he isn't asleep, because he catches Mia suffering from a horrific nightmare. How can a father comfort his daughter from the future from a bad dream when they're still practical strangers to each other?

Artemis by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: When the Queen’s Gambit sank, two people were stranded on Lian Yu. Five years later, four came back.

Daughter of the Demon by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: What if in 1988 while traveling through Las Vegas Ra’s al Ghul bumps into a nice waitress named Donna Smoak and they have one-night stand together? A little bundle of joy named Felicity Smoak is the result. In 2014, the Demon Head becomes aware of his youngest daughter’s existence.

The Ravager by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Slade Wilson’s plan for revenge against Oliver took time, money and no shortage of lives to pull together. His plan didn’t anticipate Felicity Smoak. How will his plan change now that his lost-lost daughter is working with the very man he’s trying to destroy?

Felicity of Themiscyra by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Years ago, Donna Smoak left the island of Themiscyra and her sister Queen Hippolyta behind to live in man’s world. She never told Felicity the truth about where she came from. As a result of the Undertaking, Felicity discovers some of her Amazonian abilities and makes an interesting new friend: Diana Prince.

The Daughter That Was Left by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Before the Gambit, Oliver Queen met QC intern Felicity Smoak. When he boarded the Gambit, he left something behind. Now, five long years later someone is waiting for him.

I Scream But No Sound Comes out by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: When Oliver returns from Lian Yu after five years, he comes back different. What happened there damaged more than just his body. How will his friends and family deal with this new Oliver?

The Point of No Return by @oneofthosecrazygirls-fics | Arrow | Completed

Summary Oliver and Felicity prepare for their first date. This fic is part of the What Should’ve Been ‘verse, but can be read as a stand-alone fic.

Can’t Help Falling in Love by @smoaking-greenarrow | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Collection of fluff fics based on Tumblr prompts! Some are angsty, but most of this is fluffy. Enjoy!

Let the Light Shine Through by @griever11 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Your heart starts healing and it’s a slow process. After all, it’s been in shambles; sharp, cruel pieces of rubble lying on the bottom of your rib cage for so long. Wounds heal, as they say. They’ll scar, and they hurt, but they heal.

Baby Daddy by more0rLessJess | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Bartender Oliver Queen was living his twenties to the fullest, he lived with his best friend John Diggle, and his brother in everything but blood, Tommy Merlyn just moved into their apartment as he started his professional baseball career for the Starling City Rockets. On top of that, his childhood best friend Felicity Smoak, who was no longer goth and instead blonde and beautiful, was back in town and they were hanging out again. Oliver thought his days were going to be filled with partying, one night stands, and boys weekends while also spending quality time with the girl everyone kept telling him he was in love with. Until his ex girlfriend dropped a baby on his doorstep who turned out to be his son. After a lot of thought and Felicity Smoak peptalks, Oliver decides to keep and raise his son with the help of his friends. Or the Freeform sitcom Baby Daddy AU that no one asked for but I needed to write. Aka Oliver and Felicity are childhood friends and are hopelessly in love with eachother and everyone knows but them, oh and now they're raising a baby. What could go wrong?

call me my love, day or night by @alexiablackbriar13 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: As Mia and William are enjoying their Monte Cristos, Oliver receives a phone call from somebody who is not Curtis. Somebody who is far, far more important.

and you'll blow us all away by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Oliver desperately tries to connect with his daughter but it seems all he needed was a photograph and the memory of a woman both of them love more than anything. [Post-8x04 Oliver & Mia moment]

Fight To Live by CSM | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Post 803. Oliver's conversation with adult William and Mia does not go as planned and there is only one person that can help him. Takes places directly after the episode.

New York's Finest (Supernatural) Detectives by BillCipherpines | Brooklyn Nine-Nine & Shadowhunters | Completed

Summary: Jake Peralta is 100%, without a doubt, definitely sure that his friend Simon Lewis is a vampire. But when he sets out to prove it to his friends they get sucked into the world of Shadowhunters and realize that petty drug dealers are the least of New York's problems. But not to worry, New York's finest Shadowhunters are on the case

The Unlikeliest Places by @griever11 | Arrow | Completed

Summary: 'It all starts on an unassuming Friday evening. Or rather, if she’s being honest with herself, everything else in her life ends on that Friday.'

An AU meeting fic where Felicity Smoak accidentally-on-purpose stumbles upon some shady activity as an IT tech for Queen Consolidated and realises that she really isn't being paid enough for any of this.

In Another Life (I could be your man) by angelicmisskitty | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Their lives couldn't be more different - and yet Oliver can't take his eyes off the beautiful blonde woman that leaves the subway every morning at 7.43am. There is something about her that makes him look up every morning - something that also makes him aware he'll never be good enough for her, or that she'd even notice him.

He had no idea how much his life would change the day he rushed over to help her...

Olicity AU - no Lian Yu, no saving the city (at least not in the way we know from Arrow :D )

Here At Last by thecomebackkids99 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: A 8x04 spec fic of what happens right after Mia, William, and Connor are transported to the bunker.

Against All Odds by CSM | Arrow | Completed

Summary: Post 3x14. Time Travel. Going back in time. Changing the future is not an exact science but he knows if anyone can do it, it’s her. If there is one thing Eleanor Queen can do, is be a hero. After all she has heroes’ blood pumping through her veins.

Lucas' Adventures by CSM | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Post 2x07. One late night in the foundry Oliver finds an abandoned baby, who he later finds out is his biological son, the only thing is the baby seems to think Felicity is his mother, which is impossible. Or is it? aka, Mia Smoak gets tired of her baby brother and sends him to 2013 where their unsuspecting parents find him. Companion piece to Impeccable Genetics.My contribution for the Olicity Summer Sizzle

“Time for a story” Drabble Series by @smkkbert | Arrow | WIP

Summary: This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. It started as a drabble series, but developed more and more into a full domectic AU. Although some chapters are still drabble-like, there are longer storylines by now.

With You by @griever11 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Post 8x03 Leap of Faith. Oliver, William and Mia have a lot of feelings and in classic Queen fashion, have somewhat of a hard time expressing them. Oliver learns about the future and his kids try to make sense of the past.

in the here and now by @alexiablackbriar13 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Set immediately post-8x03. “Dad?” Oliver stares in utter disbelief at the trio who have appeared on the bunker platform along with him in a blinding flash of light. For a good couple of seconds, his brain just… stops functioning. He’s so astonished that he can’t think, he can’t breathe, he can’t feel anything but shock.

The Blame Game by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: After they recover from their sudden appearance in the past, what's left of FTA still need to deal with what happened before they left. Mia and Connor both seek a moment of peace and Mia's brother and father are the guiding hand she needs as she feels like she's drowning.

There Are Two Sides to Every Story by @oneofthosecrazygirls-fics | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Susan Williams and Bethany Snow are two of Starling City’s most prominent journalists...but their styles are very different.This is a series of articles written by these two journalists from the time of the sinking of the Queen’s Gambit to the present day.**set in the What Should’ve Been ‘verse**

Campfire Stories by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Samantha has finally agreed to allow William to spend a month of his summer vacation with Oliver, Tommy, and Felicity. William asks to spend his first weekend with Oliver camping - alone. Oliver is more than a little nervous to spend time alone with his son when he still feels like a stranger.

The First Time by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Every love story has a beginning, theirs started with a death.

Home Is Where You Are by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Felicity is away on business and missing home. Tommy surprises her with an unexpected visit.

The Italian Restaurant by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Felicity, Oliver and Tommy go on their first date which leads to other firsts.

Cobble Hill by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Tommy surprises Oliver and Felicity with a proposal that will mark a milestone in their relationship.

Up All Night by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: After a close call in the field, Oliver and Felicity reconnect.

Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Donna arrives for an unexpected visit and Felicity must decide if she is going to reveal the truth about her relationship with Oliver and Tommy.

Wherever You Are, There I Am by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: The history of Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn's relationship.

Burgers & Lies by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Tommy confronts Felicity about a secret she has been keeping.

Welcome Home by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Felicity has been away for two weeks and missing her guys. Oliver and Tommy are very happy when she returns from her trip early.

Twenty Questions Over Brunch by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Thea has a few questions for Felicity about her relationship with Oliver and Tommy.

Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: A night out in the public eye might be more than their relationship can take.

Three by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Felicity hasn't been acting herself all week. Tommy and Oliver finally confront her and they aren't prepared for what she tells them.

Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Oliver and Tommy tell Thea about their relationship.

House Warming by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Oliver, Felicity and Tommy celebrate their first night together in their new home.

Perfect by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Felicity receives a call in the middle of the night from a distraught Tommy.

Nine to Five by @griever11 | Arrow | Completed

Summary: The new receptionist at Oliver's office is weird, quirky and really cute but totally not his type. At all. Or so he tells himself. An Arrow/The Office AU.

keep this love in a photograph by @alexiablackbriar13 | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: An alternate 8x01 scene.Moira suspects that there is more to her son than meets the eye when Oliver returns home from the island after twelve years.When she catches him with the photo he's carrying around of him with Felicity Smoak and a baby, a confrontation and an emotional conversation ensue.

Mothers know best by @smkkbert | Arrow | Completed

Summary: Since they have been kids, they have been best friends. Since they have been friends, their mothers wanted them to be together.After coming back from the east coast, Felicity takes over a position at Queen Consolidated, the company her best friend will soon take over from his father. Their mothers still push for them to be together, and they seem closer to that goal than ever because wedding bells are ringing. The only problem is that they both plan to get married to someone else.

The Legacy of a Queen by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Series of one-shots from a future AU where Oliver and Felicity are able to raise their children after they defeat the Ninth Circle and Oliver hangs up the hood

A Brother in Arms by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | WIP

Summary: “I just… she really found me and sent you here?” He asks quietly and John’s face morphs from concern into a sad smile as he nods.“Oliver, you know she’d be here herself if it weren’t for Mia.”“I… it’s been a week. She said she’d find me but I didn’t expect…” Missing moment from 8x01 where John and Oliver discuss Felicity finding Oliver and sending John to Earth-2 to help his brother.

Providence by @so-caffeinated | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Will Queen has struggled in silence in the year since he was shot. But when a shadowy crime lord known as Domino targets the only woman Will’s ever truly loved, fate forces him to confront his demons in ways he never could have imagined… Whether he wants to or not. Amelia Prescott has fought to take control of her life since learning two years ago that her personal and professional worlds were manipulated by others. But nothing can prepare her for just how hard she’ll have to fight to set her own course, especially when her heart belongs to a damaged man and a crime lord threatens her every professional move… And her life. Destiny brings them together, but as chaos reigns and personal demons haunt Will and Amelia both, it may also threaten to tear them apart.

What Are You Doing Here, Miss Queen? by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | WIP

Summary Sara Lance prides herself on knowing people, she gets them in a way a lot of others struggle with. So when a mysterious blonde shows up to help with the fight of their lives, Sara is surprised when there's something about her that she just can't put her finger on. That is until she figures out that this supposed 'Green Arrow from another earth' is actually Oliver's time-displaced daughter. [Sara sees straight through Mia's Crisis disguise, confronts her about what she's doing in the past, and forces father and daughter into a conversation that is clear they needed to have]

the true meaning of sacrifice by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Around five years after Crisis, Felicity is surprised and angry when a group of three heroes show up at her door demanding help from her.

i will find you again by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: a short-introspective on oliver in s8 inspired by the scene in the trailer as he takes a moment to remember the reason he's fighting. his wife, his children... they give him the strength he needs to be the hero the universe requires

Paging Dr. Smoak by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: When Oliver Queen gets into a car accident, he meets Dr. Felicity Smoak. He had no idea how much a chance meeting would change his life.

little wonders (twists and turns of fate) by @alexiablackbriar13 | Arrow | Completed Summary: Oliver and Felicity's drunken mistake of a hook-up in the bunker comes with unexpected consequences in the form of a... souvenir.Deciding to remain romantically uninvolved, the two of them will have to battle all the trials and tribulations of maintaining a platonic relationship while Felicity is pregnant and the two of them are living together, coping with all the emotional baggage that they both bring to the table - and dealing with the fact that they are still very much in love with each other, but scarred by the events that broke them apart in the first place.

time falls away (in these small hours) by @alexiablackbriar13 | Arrow | Completed

Summary: Missing scene and side-story oneshots and drabbles set within my S5 post-bunker sex AU little wonders (twists and turns of fate). (Will contain spoilers) Summary for little wonders: Oliver and Felicity's drunken mistake of a hook-up in the bunker comes with unexpected consequences in the form of a... souvenir.

Must be what I need by Nerdofmanytalents | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Thea gets to meet the reason for her brother's preoccupation of late. Its both exciting and terrifying.

Hawkins: The Upside by allonsysilvertongue | Stranger Things | WIP

Summary: A collection of one shots featuring Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper.Recent Update: "I think you're beautiful."

Welcome to Starling Prep Elementary by inlovewithimpossibility | Arrow | Completed

Summary: When William Clayton and Adalyn Smoak bond over being the two new kids in Starling Prep Elementary's first-grade class, their parents are not prepared for what comes of their children's friendship. Plus, it doesn't hurt that both Oliver and Felicity are single.

Our Version of Events by @machawicket & @geneeste | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Action star Ollie Queen is trying to clean up his image and land parts that require him to do more than appear shirtless while fighting stuntmen. Pop star Felicity Smoak wants to be seen as an adult in time for the release of her new, grittier album. And talent manager John Diggle’s got an idea about what coverage of Oliver and Felicity’s brand new (and totally fake) romance could do for them both.

Workouts and Babbles by @elasticmonk | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Oliver comes to the rescue of one cute blonde at his gym just as Felicity stumbles upon one handsome mayor at her gym. They both have something in common, but will it bring them happiness?

Bodyguard by originalhybridlover | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Felicity needs a new bodyguard and Diggle referred her to an old friend, Oliver Queen. Unknowingly she meets the man she would one day marry.

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

@hope-for-olicity @emdee8907 @malafle @laxit21 @icannotbelieveiamhere

#saturday spectacular fic rec #weekly fic recs

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jayalaw · 4 years

Text

Brooklyn Nine Nine: The Heist Aftermath (Spoilers)

@ashleybenlove

It was normal for Jake to be late. The 99 knew that. He had gotten better about it, however, after marrying Amy. That was why what she said surprised them.

"Jake's not coming in today," Amy said, using the same voice she did when having to tell Holt that a murder suspect had lawyered up and gotten away without confessing. "He had to go to the hospital."

"What?" Boyle stood up. "Did he get injured? Is he sick? I'll donate my kidneys if he needs them."

"He's sick," Amy said. "But no, he doesn't need a kidney."

"We can donate fingers," Rosa said. "Or any limbs. I know a guy."

"Okay, that's creepy and he doesn't need fingers." Amy walked towards her desk.

"Which hospital is it?" Scully asked. "I can recommend twenty to thirty doctors at the Brooklyn University Center. They love writing papers about me."

"He's at Interfaith Medical." Amy plastered a smile on her face. "He won't be ready for visitors for a while. He's sick but doesn't have a life-threatening injury."

"Jake never ready for visitors?" Holt's office door was open. "Peralta in my experience always craves attention and people."

Amy's lips fluttered; the 99 knew that was a sign for her swallowing a swear word. That and Holt coming out of his office for something this trivial.

"With all due respect, sir, I can't disclose that," she said.

"Oh my God." Holt's voice dropped. "Santiago. In my office."

Amy followed, eyes wide. She walked in, and Holt shut the door behind him. Then, reaching his desk, he pressed a button on his computer. Loud country music played.

"Brad Paisley?" Amy asked.

"He is quite muffling." Holy sat down. "Peralta had a breakdown, didn't he?"

"Dammit!" Amy exclaimed. "Sorry, sir, how did you-?"

"Please sit." The captain gestured. "Word will get around in the office, but I need to know how to cover for him."

Amy sat.

"Jake never misses work and he would arrive even with a broken bone," Holt said. "He doesn't need surgery because you said his injury wasn't life-threatening but he is sick enough to go to the hospital. If he had an illness like mumps then he would be stir-crazy, and I know that from my experience. So the process of elimination said it was a mental health issue."

She wanted to bury her face in her hands. Holt leaned forward, as if he wanted to comfort her.

"You need to tell me everything."

Amy wanted to say it started with little things. Jake started making copies of grocery lists, double-checking them, and insisting on going alone. He said he wanted to ensure they had a well-stocked fridge.

It had all seemed great. Normally Jake considered a box of muffins equivalent to groceries for the week. Amy always made triple-copies of grocery lists and had an app for coupons. Things were getting weird, however, when he started locking up case files and wore the key around his neck. Sometimes Amy caught him staring at her out of the corner of his eye, and not with his usual devotion.

Then he stopped talking to her about cases unless they were working on it together. He would ask about how she was feeling with the baby but never disclosing his thoughts on the latest game. Sometimes he'd pick up Sudoku and blackout the answers with a Sharpie. One time Amy even noticed he had bought a temporary burner phone. She was worried he had been asked to go undercover again.

"I can't confirm or deny," he'd say.

"Jake, you're not a lawyer," Amy replied. "This is really freaking me out. You're not this organized. Please tell me you're not being forced back into the mob."

"No, nothing like that. I just don't want to be vulnerable in time for the next heist," he'd say, in a joking tone. "After all, you did hire someone to be my therapist just when I was making progress with my life."

That had ended the conversation for the night. Amy had tried to justify her trick as a means to an end. But she noticed how the circles grew under Jake's eyes, heard him shuffling to the couch rather than sleeping next to her. When they had sex, he was much quieter. No talking about Die Hard or playing ping pong. He would get her pillows and tea to support her morning sickness.

Then one day, Jake took a Saturday off. Normally he went into the 99 looking for a case. Amy knew he wasn't there, though; he left her a note saying he scheduled a doctor's appointment, but writing five different hospitals on various Post-Its. All were covered by their work insurance.

Jake had actually read their health insurance plan through and through. That's when Amy realized something was wrong. Jake pretended he never got sick or needed to go to the dentist. She did a little detective work, only to find that she couldn't find Jake's phone or computer. Later, she'd find out he put them in a safety deposit box. The key was mailed to Boyle, who guarded it with his life.

By the time she figured out which hospital it was, Jake had committed himself. He said he didn't want to see his wife, the nurses reported to a stricken Amy, and he had gotten the histories of all the psych doctors to ensure none of them were actresses. Amy had to speak with the doctor, who explained Jake had developed a dysfunctional paranoia. It was likely a sign of PTSD. He was also cross-examining the doctors as they prescribed pills and talked to him.

She spent all night in the hospital waiting room, desiring an answer. That was awful. So was having to answer questions about her husband's medical history and any potential allergies. The worst part, however, was remembering how much she had paid that actress. That money could have been spent for a better cause.

"I'm taking as many gifts to Jake as possible." Boyle showed off the basket. "Who doesn't love blue cheese and rock crackers?"

"Everyone," Amy said. "You need to check with the doctors to make sure he can receive all of that. Until he's not a danger to himself."

They were in the evidence room. They were working the night shift. Amy didn't want to go to her apartment alone.

"Well, a bit of paranoia never killed anyone." Boyle gave a chuckle. "Eleanor would always threaten that if I got remarried she would stalk me and ensure I would never find happiness. But I'm still here!"

"That's not reassuring." Nevertheless, Amy stroked the bow on the gift basket. "I'll be sure to drop it off for him."

"You know if you drop it off, Jake will give it to the orderlies and members in group."

"I'll tell him it's from you." Amy undid the bow. "Just need to take the chocolate because that I need."

"I don't think Jake trusts you anymore," Boyle said bluntly. "He doesn't trust anyone in the 99 except for me."

He fixed the bow in the gift basket. It crinkled under his fingertips.

"Did you have to say that?" Amy said.

"I'm his friend, Amy. I have to defend him. The therapist prank was not cool."

"Do you think I don't feel guilty about this?" Amy asked. "You think I want to see my brilliant husband locked in a room where they only give him meds that wipe out his brain and one crossword at a time? He's a Sudoku expert!"

"Jake actually is more of a Kwazy Krush guy," Boyle corrected her. "He just can't play it because they don't allow cell phones or laptops in the psych ward."

"That's not the point." Amy took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's always been heist stuff. I know I went too far. But how can I get him to trust me again?"

"Show him that you're worth trusting," Boyle said. "And wait for him to recover. Ultimately, I know you're sorry, but does he know? Can he trust his mind when it tells you that you won't betray him again?"

Amy had no answer. Jake had stopped trusting her. He stopped trusting himself. And it was her fault.

Life went on at the precinct. The detectives solved cases. Perps tried to break out. Holt interviewed potential assistants and screened them for spies.

It wasn't the same, though. Holt pulled all his strings to make sure no one outside the 99 knew about Jake's breakdown. Everyone tried to visit him, but he was curt with most of them except for Boyle. Jake's tone changed as a cop interrogating a suspect, not a man among his friends. Rosa offered to smuggle him a knife and Jake told her bluntly why that would be a bad idea. Terry brought drawings from the girls. Jake took them and asked casually if Cagney and Lacey knew that Terry had faked an explosion to win the heist. Hitchcock was banned from the hospital after he sneaked into the ladies' bathroom, and Scully got distracted ball the new doctors he could befriend.

Holt sent Kevin, stuffing him full of Nick Cage quotes. It was a peace offering. Jake talked to Kevin about Greek literature -- he even received some books from the man-- but treated Holt the way he treated tuxedos. There was formality tinged with distrust. Holt was wary as well, perhaps feeling guilt over how off-the-rails things went.

Jake was still not talking to Amy, apart to ask how she was feeling with the baby. Amy wondered if the nausea was from morning sickness or the stress. She started seeing a counselor at the hospital, to try and process her feelings.

He wasn't opening himself up to anyone. Even Boyle mentioned he was out of his depth. Being a best friend and former wedding organizer did not prepare him, but he tried his best. Jake was paranoid that every single action was for the next heist or deception. His doctors weren't allowed to talk therapy sessions or medications with Amy. There was no way she could advocate for him. Jake had given himself to the medical system. And they knew the 99 was partly to blame.

Everyone was waiting. It wasn't like when he was undercover, and they only had to worry about his life. He was a few blocks away, fighting with something they couldn't see.

Finally, their captain called a meeting. They gathered in the conference room.

"The good news is that Jake should be back to work in a week," Holt said.

A cheer went around. Amy already knew, but the precinct had largely not been talking about it. Jake had finally talked to her when as an apology gift she smuggled in John McClane's favorite choice of alcohol. He wasn't allowed to drink with the meds, but it was the first time he had laughed during her visits. He still had to see the therapists at the hospital as a regular patient, however, and they recommended the two see a marriage counselor, whom they could verify was not an actor. Jake was still filling prescriptions for Klonopin so he could sleep. Amy knew they were addictive but she didn't want them to lie awake at night together.

"He's taking desk work, at his request. Boyle and Jeffords will be supervising him to make sure all is well."

"I can't wait for the guy to store food in his desk to rot," Rosa said.

"I'm practicing for when Jake will leap into my arms," Terry said.

"Now for the bad news; we are suspending the Halloween Heist indefinitely," Holt announced.

"WHAT?!" the detectives said.

"You heard me." Holt leaned forward. "Until further notice, we will spend Halloween the way we have before, with no competition and lots of paperwork on the busiest night of the year."

"But it's tradition!" Rosa said.

"You don't even know if the heist caused Jake's illness!" Amy protested.

"Where else will we prove ourselves?" Hitchcock asked.

"Aww, I wanted to show Jake I would always be by his side!" Boyle said.

"I think you're finally showing sense, Sir."

That brought all the protests to a halt. The silence in the room was deafening. Only Terry looked relieved if a little guilty.

"Who said that?" Holt asked.

"I'm Officer Gusman," the woman in the back said. "Been a uniformed police officer for a few years."

"Who are you?" Rosa asked with disgust.

"I've been working with Detective Lohank," Gusman said. "You normally don't see us because we're on the night shift."

"And you think to stop the heist is finally showing sense?" Rosa said, an edge in her voice. "Are you questioning the Captain's authority?"

The woman went pale. Then Detective Lohank stood up.

"Office Gusman and I completely agree," he said. "You've all gone too far with your plans and need to one-up each other."

"We've been watching this heist go on for years," Gusman said. "The rest of us stay out of it because while you are doing your Halloween shenanigans, we are busy trying to do our jobs and be decent human beings. But you can't even make it harmless. We have to dodge your drones, keep from stepping on broken glass, and witness pickpocketing in real-time. You've stolen dogs, for crying out loud!"

Amy went red. She had stolen Holt's dog, despite being deathly allergic. It hadn't been her proudest moment.

"One thing this precinct has taught me is that you are only as good as the people around you," Lohank added. "I've seen you all work as a team. But every time this happens, you all work to tear each other apart. And for what? To be called a 'detective slash genius'?"

He made air quotations.

"Uh-oh, he never does that," Rosa said. "He's serious."

"Sir, you are a great Captain, and I think you could be the greatest," Gusman said. "But your pettiness is infecting the rest of the group and drove one of our best detectives to a nervous breakdown. Yes, we know; we're not stupid."

"It's actually PTSD manifesting," Amy said in a small voice.

"Whatever it is, why do you feel the need to destroy each other on what's supposed to be a night of fun?" Lohan asked. "Someone's going to die for real during a heist and you'll be too concerned about winning to notice. That's not what a detective represents. We are made to serve and protect."

"Detective-" Holt started.

"You don't check yourself into a hospital because you have a problem. Jake checked himself in because he wanted to get better. But why did he need that in the first place?"

"Okay, that will do, Detective," Terry interjected. "You've made your point. No Halloween Heist this year."

"Dismissed," Holt said.

The 99 stood up. Rosa kept sitting. She had won the heist three times that year, and mocked Jake for his innermost secrets.

"Lohank, you surprised me today," she said. "Well done."

"I may not be the best detective, but I'm still a detective," Lohank said. "Jake's a good guy. Do us all a favor and treat him like that. Enjoy the prize."

He walked off. Rosa didn't move. Amy went over to her. Rather, she waddled because her baby fat was showing.

"Jake and I are setting boundaries," she said. "We've agreed no more pranks, and I am not interfering in his mental health plans or therapists. I am not touching any of his medicines or giving him any gifts with tasers in them. And I've color-coded notes to help with reminders and showing he can trust me. I think we may actually recover."

"Sounds great," Rosa said sarcastically. "But it won't be the same."

"It won't," Amy admitted. "But we have to try and make something out of it."

She pulled out the book of Sudoku. Jake had left it in the apartment, most of his answers blacked out. There were still a few pages he hadn't completed.

Amy would give him the book, and let him do the last pages privately. No sabotages, no need to tell him the answers, just space. And no more pranks related to the stuff inside your head or with Tasers. She could commit to that. If Jake wanted to get better, then she had to make the effort.

#brooklyn nine nine #brooklyn nine nine spoilers

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clexa--warrior · 5 years

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Since launching back in 2010, The Walking Dead has seen its fair share of controversy on its way to becoming one of the biggest shows in the world.

Fake-outs, cliffhangers and particularly brutal character deaths have all caused a stir online, but few controversies have been as long-lasting as the treatment of the show's LGBTQ+ characters.

The 'Bury Your Gays' trope refers to the onscreen deaths of LGBTQ+ characters who are viewed as more expendable than their straight counterparts. It's a cliché that has plagued film and TV for decades, with shows like The 100 being slammed by audiences for killing LGBTQ+ characters in service of other, more developed, characters.

Its impact was noted by GLAAD in their report on LGBTQ+ diversity in TV back in 2018 saying: "Broadcast television (and television as a whole) has yet to recover from the past two seasons, which included the deaths of an overwhelming number of lesbian and bisexual women characters."

It's not until recently, when the use of the term 'Bury Your Gays' has received more attention, that LGBTQ+ characters have been treated with more care by writers.

But The Walking Dead, like most TV, has a long way to go.

For large stretches of the show's nine-season run, there have been a number of queer characters in The Walking Dead universe. Tara, Denise, Aaron, Eric and Paul 'Jesus' Rovia have all existed in the background of the show's main conflict, sometimes having a moment in the spotlight but rarely being seen expressing their sexuality.

Unlike The Walking Dead's many straight characters, LGBTQ+ characters are almost never given meaningful screen time, moments of intimacy or significant development to allow audiences to invest in their ultimate fate. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if they were still alive on the show. Of those five queer characters, four have been buried in various and increasingly brutal ways, leaving precious few LGBTQ+ characters behind.

Denise was the first to die, shot by future Savior Dwight in the season six episode 'Twice as Far'. It was a shocking moment that lacked any real emotional impact due to the lack of screen time given to Denise until that episode.

Denise's relationship with Tara had been hinted at briefly but the only meaningful screen time she'd been given was in her role as Alexandria's medic. It wasn't until the hours before her death that audiences were given a glimpse of her morality, which had begun to rub off on Daryl and Rosita, only for her to be killed off for the sake of a cheap shock that only served to motivate Daryl's character.

Flash-forward to season eight and we find another of our LGBTQ+ characters dying for the sake of motivating another character's development. Eric is shot in the abdomen and left to bleed out during an attack on a Savior outpost. Season eight's controversial war with the Saviors saw a great deal of overblown tragedy for all the group but the loss of Eric felt particularly needless. He died to motivate Aaron, whose character already possessed sufficient dedication to the cause having watched as Glenn and Abraham were brutally murdered in the season seven premiere.

Once again, the show was killing off an underdeveloped LGBTQ+ character in order to serve the story.

Even though season nine won back a lot of viewers and critics, it also saw two more LGBTQ+ characters meet untimely deaths. Both Tara and Jesus faced particularly violent ends for the sake of making the show's new villains, The Whisperers, seem all the more threatening.

It's a tactic that The Walking Dead has taken flak for in the past, most notably with the death of Glenn, but these particular instances of a character dying to raise the stakes on the show only serve to underscore how little care has been taken with the show's LGBTQ+ characters.

"I spent a long time hoping my character was going to have more to do," actor Tom Payne, who played Jesus, told The Hollywood Reporter regarding his character's death. Jesus, a fan-favourite comic character, has a deeper, more meaningful arc on the page alongside some incredibly cool fight sequences that the show elected to omit in favour of giving more screen time to heterosexual characters, all before killing off yet another of the dwindling queer population.

This isn't to say that being LGBTQ+ in The Walking Dead universe should make you indestructible. If these characters were developed and their deaths motivated by more than shock value or the need to introduce a more terrifying villain then they might not have seemed so expendable.

But by having them killed in these ways, the show is telling us that they only exist in service of other characters and not because they are fully fleshed out in their own right.

While the show has sometimes mishandled straight character deaths too, they aren't often as noticeable because those characters – take Carl or Abraham, for example – are given much more screen time.

In the case of Eric and Denise, we'd barely gotten to know and understand their characters before they were dispatched. When Abraham was killed, a significant chunk of screen time was devoted to developing his character, making the impact of his death more meaningful – even if he was still being used to establish Negan as a terrifying new villain.

One of the main issues the final season of Game of Thrones faced was the writers keeping main characters alive despite insurmountable odds to serve a purpose to the plot. No character in The Walking Dead should be protected by plot armour – this is the apocalypse after all – but they should at least be more developed, allowing their death to have more impact beyond cheap shock value.

Back at the tail end of season nine, The Walking Dead introduced a new lesbian couple in Yumiko and Magna. Both characters had already appeared on the show, but late in the season they shared a kiss and confirmed their relationship.

The big issue with both Eric and Aaron and Denise and Tara's relationships was the subtlety of their affection. Unlike Rick and Michonne, they rarely expressed any intimacy or displayed affection lessening the importance of their relationship and the emotional power of their deaths. With Yumiko and Magna, it seems the show is trying to rectify their past mistakes.

"Obviously in the comics, it's obvious that they're a couple. But we wanted to make sure that it was also obvious in the show," Eleanor Matsuura, who plays Yumiko, told Digital Spy back in February. Matsuura fought for Yumiko's relationship with Magna to be more overt, hopefully helping to improve queer visibility on the show moving forward.

With season ten now underway, the show has a lot more work to do to win LGBTQ+ audiences. Maybe Yumiko and Magna can be a new frontier in representation for the show? Perhaps the show has learned the tough lessons from their previous mistakes and the future of The Walking Dead is more diverse and future queer characters will be handled with more nuance and care, even in death?

Let's just hope that Yumiko and Magna aren't the show's next victims.

#the walking dead #bury your gays #the lOO was mention again as in what not to do

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furidojasutin · 5 years

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Title: War of Hearts

Pairing: Fraxus (Freed x Laxus)

Characters: Laxus Dreyar, Freed Justine, Bixlow, Evergreen, Ivan Dreyar, OC Eleanor, (Mother Dreyar, Makarov Dreyar)

Universe: Modern AU??

Rating: K+/T

a/n: Gosh here it is!! Some time ago I wrote a little preview for this oneshot and now I finally finished it >.< It’s the second idea that got inspired by Shadowhunters and #Malec so if you know the series you’ll recognize it >BD If not, then well more surprise for you! I also highly recommend listening to ‘War of Hearts’ by Ruelle while reading (it’s so perfect). Hopefully you’ll enjoy this and I could provide some feelz aaahh >.< ;w;

‘I can't help but love you Even though I try not to I can't help but want you I know that I'd die without you’

“Ah, Laxus! Come in!” Freed opened the door with a subtle smirk, gesturing for his visitor to step inside. He hadn't anticipated to see the blond man so soon after they've had the conversation just prior, and a meaningful one, too.

“Uh yea, thanks.” Laxus followed him inside, letting the door fall shut softly behind him.

Clear hesitation was in his movements but that either didn't seem to bother Freed or he failed to take note of it.

“I don't have much time. I only wanted to tell you about something.”

“So?” Freed was holding a bottle of wine, studying its label. “Can I at least offer you a drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“Shame,” Freed hummed and proceeded to pour himself some of the alcoholic beverage before rejoining Laxus' side. His gaze was expectant when he waited for the other to continue on.

When Laxus realized that Freed was waiting for him to begin, he briefly scratched the back of his neck. That was before he straightened his posture and determination seeped back into his eyes. He had to pull himself together. This was the right decision. “So, what you told me earlier... I thought about it.”

Freed's face lit up at hearing this. A contented expression settled on his face. This was a good sign.

“I really need to change somethin' about my personal happiness, and the way the institute influences my life. It can't go on like this.”

He nodded. So Laxus had really taken his words into contemplation, huh? “So what are you going to do?” There was a small smile on his face. It was so subtle, he wasn’t sure Laxus would even notice it. And perhaps there was a sense of pride or this weird feeling of happiness he tended to feel around the blond man.

Freed was so certain that this would finally be the bit of positive development he was craving that the lingering moment of somewhat tense silence Laxus created didn’t bother him before he replied.

“I proposed to Eleanor.”

Then Freed’s face dropped. It was bound to happen. Or maybe he just thought that his facial features slipped and it was his heart cracking instead. Or it was his brain desperately trying to comprehend what just happened, searching for anything logical about this. Laxus couldn’t be serious.

Was he?

“You proposed to-”

“I’m gonna marry her in a few days.”

“Right.” Freed swallowed. His fingers tapped against the glass in his hand and he avoided the eye contact Laxus was forcing now. What was he attempting to do? Prove something? He wasn’t tipsy enough for this. “So that is- Huh, that is what you figured out from my words?” He believed he didn’t quite manage to keep the air of scorn and emotion out of his voice.

And he didn’t see the brief change in Laxus’ expression, nor did he notice the struggle in his orange eyes as he was still mindlessly letting his gaze swerve anywhere but towards the man standing in front of him.

Still, Laxus was the one who broke the silence again. “As the future head of the institute, this is the only right decision.” It was hard to keep looking at the other man and his expression that had turned gloomy. He took a deep breath, striving for a harder voice than necessary and yet still it was shaking softly as he continues. “You don't have to like it but you have to understand.”

Laxus' words more than stung and Freed still avoided the eye-contact. Fingers began tapping against the glass again and then, with a rushed movement, he gulped down the rest of the alcoholic liquid. Why was Laxus doing this to him? Why was Laxus doing this to himself?

“You're a honorable man, Laxus, as am I. Family is important to you. I get how a marriage would influence the success of the institute.” A political marriage. There weren't any feelings involved. There couldn't be. When Freed looked back up his eyes were hard but at second glance they held a hurt spark. “But is this really, really what you thought I meant when telling you to live for yourself? Is this the message you got? You think I would encourage you to enter a marriage with a person you don't know, let alone love? Blindly? So you end up unhappy with your personal life? What do you think I-”

“Stop talking!” Laxus didn't know that he would end up interrupting the other but suddenly his entire body was shaking. There was rage in his chest he was unable to interpret and he sure enough was overwhelmed with the situation. Thoughts were raging, and his heart was. “Who do you think you are? Why do you think you have any right to tell me what's right and what's wrong?” He almost kept shouting and the line of words that escaped weren't thought through. This, this wasn't what he wanted. But didn't Freed get it? Couldn't he see that this was the only thing he could do? “Why do you think I would risk anything for you?”

The words stabbed through Freed's heart like a knife. He hadn't seen the sudden outburst coming and his expression hadn't hidden this fact.

Laxus' eyes were a blazing fire, his chest heaving and lowering, until he realized what he'd just blurted out. His breathing began to become more even again and the realization slowly spread across his face, even if just slightly scratching the surface.

They just stood there for what felt like an eternity, tension dominating the air around them, until Freed spoke.

“I see.” His voice was lowered though not quite a whisper. He averted his gaze from the man he loved and turned his back on him, slowly walking towards the table in his living room to pour himself another glass of wine. “Then there's nothing else we have to talk about, Laxus. Leave.”

Laxus wished that the moment of blowing off steam would at least have done something to calm his nerves afterwards. Instead, it had made everything worse. He suddenly felt lost, his inward battle grown with the rage and words he hadn't wanted to say.

For a single second his lips parted to retort something. But then he slowly turned around, grabbing the door handle of Freed's apartment and froze in place for another few seconds. He was making the right decision, wasn't he? Even if it was painful. Sacrifices had to be made. Freed had to understand.

Or perhaps he was being too stubborn and too much of a coward all at once.

With the same hurt in his chest Laxus left and the second he was away Freed's head dropped and his grasp tightened around the glass, almost crushing it.

xxx xxx

Four days had passed since Laxus had spoken to Freed at his apartment. It was the last time they had seen and talked to each other and although he wasn't quite ready to admit it to himself, it had been the worst few days in a long time.

“Hey buddy, you okay?”

Engrossed in his own thought, Laxus hadn't heard anybody approach. His shoulders twitched and he looked back over his shoulder to see one of his closest friends behind him. No, I fucking ain't. But he could impossibly say that. Tomorrow would be his wedding. He had to do this. There was no way around it.

Maybe it would become easier, maybe the pain would become less if he kept on telling himself this over and over again.

“Yea. Just a bit nervous.” It wasn't really a lie.

Bixlow patted the broader man's shoulder in comfort. “That's normal. You don't marry everyday, do ya?” He shot Laxus a wide grin, despite noticing that something has been bothering his best friend. Something he wasn't telling him.

“Yea...” Laxus' head was feeling heavy. All he wanted to do was to get this damn wedding over with.

How he would he be able to look Freed in the face ever again?

Heaving a sigh, Laxus stood up from his chair. His muscles felt sore from working out too much this day and his hair was tousled. In a few hours he would get married and he doubted he'd be able to find much sleep.

“It's the right thing,” he muttered and grabbed his used towel from the chair.

“It's your decision.” Bixlow watched his friend with attentive eyes. His grin was less wide now but still present. If anything, Laxus needed all the support he could give right now. “If that's what makes you happy.”

There it was again. Do what makes you happy. But would this really make him happy? Laxus was so damn aware of the answer to this question and yet... yet...

He clenched his hands to fists without really taking note of it, earning a hidden concerned look from Bixlow. When his body became less rigid again, he simply turned his back on Bixlow and began to leave the work out room. “See you tomorrow.”

“See ya, buddy. Sleep tight.”

“I'll try.” No, he'd most likely be awake all night. How often had his thoughts swerved back to Freed the last days? Far too often for him to count. Thoughts of him had been consuming him.

With a heavy frown on his face, Laxus disappeared from his best friend's sight.

Once Laxus was gone, Bixlow emitted a sigh, his facade crumbling to pieces. It was an understatement to say that he was worried. Laxus was a dutiful person and he had troubles dealing with and showing his emotions. With his gaze stuck to where his friend had disappeared, honest concern surfaced in Bixlow's expression.

“Is this really what you want, Laxus?”

xxx xxx

“You look gorgeous, sweetie.” Evergreen smiled, giving a gentle tug to Laxus' purple bow tie. Taking a small exhale, she gave one last pat to his shoulders. “You'll be fine?”

“I guess.” The nervousness was getting to him. In a few moments his future wife would walk through the doors and at the end of this he would be a married man. His heart was clenching at the thought and he was barely able to grasp a straight thought. Shit.

“Alright. We're all here with you.”

Laxus didn't notice how slightly pained her smile was when she turned around to take a seat in the first row of chairs. His mind was racing and he doubted that it would get any better in the course of the next minutes. How was he supposed to remember and say his vows?

Bixlow, as his groomsman, was standing behind him. The room was crowded already. He could spot his father and his grandfather among the people. Ivan was wearing a self-satisfied expression while Makarov was waving towards him to encourage him and once again this one question claimed his mind again.

Would this make himself happy?

He was just about to turn towards Bixlow and talk to him when suddenly the entire room went quiet at once. The two big doors of the church opened and a few seconds later music began to play in the background.

From this moment on, all the spotlight was on her only for as long as she walked down the aisle together with her father.

Laxus gulped softly and stood straight. He strove for an unreadable expression for as long as nobody was paying much attention to him.

Eleanor was objectively beautiful, that was undenyable, and the dress she was wearing let her shine even more than usual. Her wedding gown was classic – white and with a long train following up behind her as she walked. Her smile was beaming and her brown eyes were sparkling. Long dark locks were held together in a pinned-up hairstyle that was neither too strict nor too casual.

It was the image of a fairy tale. She was an amazing wife and he should be thankful.

But he couldn't be. Not sincerely.

He missed how almost everyone was smiling and holding their breath once she reached him. His eyes naturally swerved towards Bixlow for a second, almost as though asking for help, and got an encouraging look in return.

Alright, this was it.

Visibly taking a deep breath, Laxus forced himself to smile. Gently, he took Eleanor's hands into her own and her radiant smile stung in his chest. She seemed so happy even though she knew that this was a political step. That no deep feelings were involved.

She did know, didn't she?

“Are you alright?” Eleanor whispered, her tone soft and barely reaching his ears.

Laxus gave a small nod, exhaling softly once more, before strengthening his smile. “Yes.”

He didn't think it was possible but her smile widened at this response and they both turned to the minister so the ceremony could begin.

The minister gave them both a humble smile. “Today we have come together to witness the joining of Bride and Groom in marriage. They met each other, fell in love and are finalizing it with their wedding today.”

Laxus' mind was still making it hard for him to concentrate on what was being said. He had lost the minister at the first few words already, his thoughts getting back to swirl around one particular person. Love.

He did fall in love, he was pretty sure. But...

Eleanor's hands still in his own, he stood there absolutely rigid. The good thing was that nobody would notice, most likely. Except for Bixlow perhaps. He just hoped that Eleanor didn't get suspicious.

While the minister gave his introduction, he constantly felt his future wife's gaze on him. It practically burnt his skin with how intense it was and no matter how rude it was, he couldn't bare looking her in the eye the entire time.

His own gaze drifted over the crowd without any destination, then over the walls and all the white and purple decorations. Everything was beautiful. Anybody would be more than joyous about the entire set up, such a wonderful wife, such a meaningful day.

But he wasn't. All he felt right now was tension and uneasiness.

“Laxus, it's time to say your vows.”

The voice sounded so distant at first that he didn't react immediately. It was the gentle squeeze on his hands that brought him back to the here and now entirely and when his eyes swerved back to Eleanor he could see a warm but slightly concerned smile. He couldn't mess this up.

Again he glanced at Bixlow, then at the minister and then at Eleanor. Pull yourself together now.

A moment of silence filled up the entire room before Laxus forced out another smile. This time, with all the effort he could muster up, he managed to make it look natural and easy and sincere. His orange eyes were locked with Eleanor's brown ones.

This was it. This would settle everything. He would say his vows, then it was her turn and then it would be done. He was going to be married.

“Eleanor,” Laxus began, forcing his deep voice not to shake. He needed a moment to remember his vows but Eleanor was still standing there with her patient and warm smile. He corrected his posture, broad body statue standing tall and proud.

With a sigh and another attempt to dismiss his heart, he finally continued. “I-”

This time he didn't interrupt himself.

Suddenly, the doors had fallen open with a loud thud. Whoever just entered didn't seem to have any care in the world.

Heads turned towards the entrance, and gasps sounded from everywhere in the hall.

Laxus' eyes went wide and he thought that his heart stopped beating right then and there. Evergreen's surprised expression turned into a knowing one, then into a large smile. Bixlow, hidden behind Laxus' back, grinned.

“Bastard, what are you doing here?” Ivan had raised from his seat, his voice bellowing. His eyes were pure rage, dangerous-looking and intimidating and his face had turned red from only shouting these words already.

Laxus could still do nothing but stare. He was unable to move, unable to register anything around him but the man who had stormed into the room.

Freed didn't pay any attention to Ivan even though it was tempting to and not all too easy to just ignore him. His long green hair was tied into a pony tail. A light blue suit paired with a fitting bow tie and a black waistcoat were covering his tautly-muscular body and it was stunning.

He was stunning.

Laxus was unable to keep up with anything. He faintly registered the minister's voice and then his father's voice again. This was his wedding. The wedding he had arranged on his own will to influence the reputation of his father's institute. A wedding that was free of any genuine love, at least on his part. And now the man he undoubtedly had feelings for was crashing it.

His mouth opened to say something but closed again without releasing any words.

Freed was just standing there in the aisle. Everybody was looking between him and the altar. Freed's stance was determined and so were his turquoise eyes, except that they also harbored a spark of insecurity, of question. He knew he wasn't technically supposed to be here.

“Who invited him?” Bixlow had sneaked away from his previous place to briefly join Evergreen in the front row.

Ever just grinned widely, voice kept low so nobody else would hear. “I did.”

At that, Bixlow's grin only widened. The two exchanged a meaningful glance and then he sneaked back to his previous place.

Evergreen was confident that this was going to help Laxus to find his own happiness. She couldn't bear seeing him enter a life that she knew would make him more than miserable.

“Laxus?” Eleanor's voice was shaken by an air of concern again, though this time of different nature. Her eyes had lost their sparkle and she gently squeezed his hands again to get his attention.

Laxus, still paralyzed, ripped his gaze off Freed to look at Eleanor instead. She was still smiling but it had gotten a crack and he spotted the lost shine in her brown eyes. He was unable to speak. Unable to breathe properly. He was lacking social skills one way or another but this was the worst.

Again his mouth opened and closed without saying something. His gaze drifted over to Freed.

Freed began to move again, walking further down the aisle with nervous determination. His heart was racing in his chest right now as hard as Laxus' was.

“Don't get anywhere near them!” Ivan had made his way towards Freed fiercely, almost spitting in his face as his voice rang through the hall anew.

Freed, so focused on Laxus only, had barely noticed Ivan coming up to him. But as the man almost went to stand in his way, Freed raised a hand. His eyes became just as fierce as Ivan's for a split-second and his deep voice told more than a thousand words could. “This is between me and your son.” He knew why he was here. This was his only chance.

Ivan was so caught off guard by this retort that he was left speechless long enough. His face was crimson and his eyes storming with pure disdain but he shut up if only not to give off more of a negative expression. Every move was going to influence his institute, and his own reputation.

Freed had gone half way down the aisle when he stopped again. He wouldn't dare walking up to Laxus entirely. He didn't want to force anything.

This was going to be Laxus' decision. Laxus' statement. Laxus could reject him or be with him.

It was silent again, only the music playing in the background and Laxus still didn't know how to breathe properly.

He is right there.

“Buddy, you okay?”

This time, Laxus was unable to respond immediately. His heartbeat was driving him mad. All eyes were on him and he hated it. Panic had risen in his chest, oh how he hated being vulnerable. How he hated dealing with his own emotions.

His orange eyes met Bixlow's red ones and he swallowed. “Yea... Yea, I-” What did he want to say?

He looked back at Freed, looked into those sincere eyes. He now noticed how Freed's chest was heaving and lowering and realized how the other man must feel right now. He put himself on the silver platter.

It was on him to decide how this was going to end.

Do what makes you happy.

“Laxus?”

Eleanor's soft voice made him jerk his head back to her. Now her smile was more obviously pained but little did he know for what reason. It was difficult for her to see him like this. It was bound to happen. “I know.” She knew. For the third time this morning, she squeezed his hands and all he could do was stare. This plan might not work out... but she didn't want to force him into this life if this wasn't what he wanted as well. “It's okay, Laxus.”

Laxus released and audible breath. Whether or not he liked that she knew about this was something to think about later, once he could think again at all. Everyone was looking at him still.

Evergreen with her wide smirk. Bixlow with supporting grin. His father with his blazing eyes, screaming threat. Eleanor with her cracked but encouraging smile.

And Freed. Freed, with his focused and waiting eyes. His look and body seemed more tense now. He must have become more insecure as it was taking so long for him to make any move at all.

In these very minutes, everything came crushing down on him. This wasn't going to make him happy. He could be as stubborn as he wanted, tell himself every lie that he could come up with. This, this wasn't what he wanted. Everybody knew, and he was the last person to realize this fact about his own happiness.

What he wanted was out of reach.

And he could change that. Right now.

“It's okay.”

Laxus heard Eleanor repeat her words and suddenly, his hands slowly slipped out of her gentle grasp. He was finally moving.

‘I can’t help but be wrong in the dark ‘Cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts I can’t help but want oceans to part ’Cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts’

He distantly felt Bixlow give a pat to his back and he didn't look right, didn't look left as he walked down the three steps and then moved down the aisle.

This war he had fought with himself was so useless. No other person should be deciding over his own life. He shouldn't be giving up on his own happiness just for business and reputation. There were other ways to stabilize them and he, as the future head of the institute, would utilize them properly.

Ivan, his entire body shaking, rushed up to him midway but Laxus didn't even grant him a look when he walked past him.

“Laxus! Don't you dare walk any further!”

“Enough!” The hiss was out before he could stop it. His gaze was stuck to the one man waiting for him and Freed's eyes were on him as well.

Laxus was pretty certain that he wasn't breathing anymore and he waited for the second his heart would burst through his rib cage.

Ivan was left behind and with how fast Laxus had walked he was suddenly standing right in front of the shorter man.

There was barely time for more eye-contact. There was definitely no more time to think.

When Laxus entangled his fingers in the front of Freed's suit, his eyes fell closed. He heard a deep, and relieved, exhale when he leaned towards the other man and all tension seemed to fall off Freed's shoulder's when their lips met.

The kiss wasn't careful and not hesitant. As soon as Freed realized that this was his answer, everything fell into the right place.

Their lips moved in unison and time stood still just for them. Laxus didn't dare to loosen his grip on Freed's clothing and he was unable to describe how it felt when Freed firmly placed his hands on his waist to keep him close.

It would be kitschy to say that finally kissing Freed felt as though fireworks were going off in his entire body – but it would be just as true. Laxus was dazed and intoxicated at once. They leant into each other, craving to feel the other, craving to feel just how real this was.

By the time they pulled apart for a brief moment, he could see all the emotion swirl in Freed's eyes. His own face was most likely a mess of emotion as well and he couldn't remember when he last revealed so much. Perhaps he never had.

They both exhaled before pulling each other close once more, not caring about any of their surroundings.

The cheers from various people, including Evergreen and Bixlow, were going past their senses as they were kissing.

This had to be the bliss everybody was referring to. He had been a fool to fight it. His happiness was tied to this very man and he had to thank him for showing up later.

He loved this man. And this man loved him.

Nobody had ever made him feel the way Freed did and now that he was beginning to hold onto this feeling, he would never let go of it again.

He would never let go of Freed again.

The kiss seemed to last for an eternity and felt too short at the same time. Too much emotion had been bottled up and released all at once. Breathing heavily, Freed and Laxus' rested their foreheads together while still not letting go of each other.

Now they both heard the cheering crowd clearly and let their gazes swerve shortly. Ivan, paralyed and his body quaking, didn't dare to start shouting again and even though Laxus knew that he had to expect something from him later, he couldn't care less right now. Eleanor was smiling softly even though she seemed a little awkward and Evergreen, Bixlow, his grandfather and his mother were all waving at them.

What would he do without any of them?

Exhaling once more, Laxus looked back at Freed who was smiling now. Almost immediately, he noticed a smile appearing on his own face and it felt so good to smile sincerely for the first time in days.

This was his future.

And it began with Freed.

#fraxus #fairy tail #freed justine #laxus dreyar #bixlow #evergreen (ft)#ivan dreyar #Sel writes #sob ss #my stuff #ft #freed x laxus #AU

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craniumculverin · 5 years

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Ripper!AU Characters

A while back the ever talented @donc-desole drew some great art of their Bloodborne Ripper!AU, and I fell in love with it instantly. I’ve been slowly working out a story and background for this AU since then. These character summaries were one of the first things I started writing and have added to and kept up to date as the story develops. Most of these folks are tertiary and some may not even have a role in the story by the time I’m done, but I wanted to figure out how most of the NPCs fit into this universe.

Also, if you’re a fan Des’ OCs as well you’ll notice a certain doctor’s name. ;)

Alfred - An up-and-comer that’s relatively new to Yharnam. Gentleman, academic theologian, fleeting soldier, amateur pugilist, literal lady killer. He’s currently working on his dissertation to complete his theology doctorate after an extensive, years-long mentorship that equated an education up to that point. It’s slow going given his preoccupation with stalking about in the dead of night, but he persists; for his own fervid pursuit, as well as to follow-through on the wishes of his late mentor and benefactor. The reproachful scholars at Byrgenwerth University are particularly interested in his enigmatic past - a topic he’s all too happy to leave be. He’s taken strongly to one of Yharnam’s aristocracy, much to her vexation. And fear of mutilation.

Annalise Cainhurst - A life-long resident of New Pthumeria and one of its few remaining that can truly claim to be of noble blood. She holds an unknown amount of power in Yharnam’s activities, and may have been involved in the politics of the recent civil war. In fact very few seem to know what it she does, though everyone seems to know not to mess with the sole heiress of the Cainhurst nobles - other than Alfred that is. When not pulling strings, she’s taken to writing articles in the local paper under a pseudonym, and is quite popular with cult naysayers. The higher echelons of the local Church of Healing cult apparently despise her; maybe something to do with her pastime? Or perhaps her evident immortality?

Percival Hewlett- A doctor that practices in Yharnam, and likely Alfred’s only real, albeit begrudging friend. A rather eccentric and introverted man that was a respectable medical practitioner long before his move to the city. Stories of Byrgenwerth University’s ventures into the medical frontier proved tantalizing enough that he left his established practice in London, thus leaving behind his own share of secrets. Like most of Yharnam’s foreign doctors he’s had to take up a position in the local cult - however, like most of said doctors, he sees it simply as a means of gaining access to the Church's resources. Alfred trusts him fully, and in turn Percy has taken to minding his more self-destructive habits - or perhaps more accurately, taken an interest in studying him.

Siegward - Alfred’s beloved canine companion. An English mastiff pampered to the utmost degree and treated better than Alfred treats himself at times. Despite multiple outings every day he still carries more bulk than any other dog in Yharnam. While under his mentor’s tutelage, Alfred saved him from an irate nobleman whose prized bitch was bred with the wrong male, Sig being a part of that litter. Since then he’s been the closest companion Alfred’s ever had, thus his rather extreme protectiveness of the animal. Red meat is often a part of this dog’s diet, despite his master’s lack of visits to any local butchers…

Iosefka - A New Pthumerian doctor who was one of very few allowed by the Church to travel beyond the country's borders before they were opened to the outside world. During her time spent abroad she happened to meet Percy Hewlett - he was one of but a handful in England that took her completely seriously as a medical practitioner, not only because she's a woman but also her "unconventional" practices. His acceptance and their shared research interests quickly forged a friendship that has lasted since. It's Iosefka's clinic and row house that Percy rents, and her good word that continues to ease tensions between he and other Church members. The two meet from time to time for tea and a chat, usually about their studies or more annoying compatriots.

Djura - The man every dog-loving Yharnamite knows - or hates, in Alfred’s case. The seemingly homeless, one-eyed native veteran earns his keep around town as both a dog walker and sitter, whether it’s requested or not. Many of the pooches he looks after never quite make it back to living with their owners, yet oddly most don’t seem to have a problem with that; the man takes care of every dog he “shelters” as if it were his own flesh and blood. He’s taken up residence in one of the larger empty buildings of Old Yharnam, same as where he keeps his multitude of kennels. An overall helpful and well-known old coot, he seems to be more knowledgeable than he lets on, in a number of areas.

Eileen, aka the Crow - Nothing much is known about the woman other than this: she acts only at night, kills those that deserve it, and has never once been caught. A vigilante of sorts, she’s taken it upon herself to erase those that aid the ever growing crime-rate in Yharnam. Thus far only murderers, abusers, kidnappers, and similar ilk have been targeted, so many Yharnamites are content to let her go about her business. Alfred, on the other hand, has had to be very careful during his night time escapades. Annalise has also had to deal with the Crow’s snooping - or at least her cousin has…

The Crow of Cainhurst - A mysterious man that Alfred has never seen unmasked, he's apparently a “distant relative” or “cousin” of Annalise. He comes and goes silently from her manor seemingly as he sees fit, though nearly always converses with her before leaving. As it is, he likely carries out his mistress’s more unsavory dealings and orders. He has no quarrels with sharing his disgust and mistrust of Alfred’s attempted courtship of Annalise, earning him Alfred’s utter disdain. Neither ever dare to raise a finger against the other however, as the noblewoman all but demanded they play nice. The only association he has to the other Crow in Yharnam is a bitter and historied rivalry.

Gascoigne - A retired clergyman and soldier that assists at the Healing Church chapel near his family’s home. Many believe him to be in some official capacity since he’s so often seen there, but really he’s the groundskeeper more than anything. He left the clergy long ago - originally in New Pthumeria as a missionary, he joined the civil war effort and eventually found himself in the same regiment as Henryk. He was forced into retirement due to injuries from some sort of "beast," leaving him scarred and with sensitive vision. He’d met his wife while still a clergyman, marrying only after he’d returned from the front. His two daughters are adopted, and he’s as fiercely protective of them as any true father would be. He and Alfred are far from friendly, mostly due to Gascoigne’s seemingly unfounded suspicions of the man.

Viola - Gascoigne’s wife and mother to their adopted daughters. She met her husband while working as a nurse during the civil war, and tended to him when gravely injured. One of few women in Yharnam that Alfred both personally knows and holds in high regards - and so receives his particular brand of chivalry. She’s a gentle woman, kind to all but just as firm in what she deems needed and appropriate. She’s become fond of Alfred with how kindly he treats her youngest, despite his peculiarities and her husband’s distrust. He seems in need of a motherly figure in his life, and so long as he continues to be a gentleman toward her and her girls, she’s more than willing to be just that; regardless of her husband’s overbearing wariness.

Eleanor & Madeline - Gascoigne and Viola’s adopted daughters. Their biological parents were victims of the civil war, and were known by both Gascoigne and Viola before their demise. Eleanor, the eldest, was old enough to remember some of what happened, while Madeline was just a babe at the time. Ellie is more reserved when it comes to interactions and letting people near. Maddie, on the other hand, can find a friend in even the most peculiar of people - Alfred, for instance. She is an avid artist-in-the-making, drawing with her chalks on the family’s front walk as her father tends to chores, while her older sister enjoys receiving piano and singing lessons from their mother. They are both very fond of dogs, for whatever reason.

Henryk - A veteran soldier and altogether mysterious older man. He is close friends with Gascoigne from his time looking out for the younger man during the war, and considers Viola and the girls his family just as much as they do him. He can occasionally be seen having a drink in a certain tavern outside of Yharnam. Other than that the man is an enigma - he comes and goes often, sometimes gone for weeks at a time. What he does with the bulk of his time in his later years is known by very few, and he seems content to leave it as such. Alfred finds him rather unsettling, more than he’s willing to admit.

Constable Valtr - A Swedish constable from a village deep in the forest that flanks Yharnam, Alfred’s only met him off the clock with drink in hand. He’s a jovial sort with an adamant personality and unwavering resolve when it comes to disbursing justice - or so his comrades have said; frankly Alfred is just fine with never having to find out firsthand. Some of the men at the tavern he frequents defer to him regularly or let him speak for them altogether, making it obvious he’s a leader of sorts among them, beyond his position as a man of the law. Even old Henryk treats him with a good deal of respect.

The Madaras Twins & Yamamura - Three men that are almost always with the Constable at their favored tavern. The young Twins run a butcher shop, but don’t seem much more than local thugs, brutish and loud in their revelry. Yamamura on the other hand is very reserved, the times he speaks always in his native tongue though Alfred is certain he knows English. On the rare occasion he wishes to speak to someone Valtr translates for him. Alfred’s familiar with the three from his occasional visits to the tavern - he even had a good-natured, drunken bout of fisticuffs with the Twins, much to Valtr and the tavern’s bettors’ delight.

Arianna - A New Pthumerian prostitute typically seen along the streets of Old Yharnam. Very personable and flirtatious, regardless of whether she’s currently working the alleys or "taking time off.” She holds herself with a surprising amount of poise for a common tart - perhaps that’s part of why she’s one of the more sought after courtesans the capitol has to offer. Though they’ve hardly interacted she holds a place in Alfred’s past, not that he would ever willingly admit it. Despite or perhaps because of that, she’s long been in Alfred’s sights for a very different sort of late-night soiree…

Gilbert - A quiet, very sickly gentleman, drawn from his homeland by Yharnam’s reputation as a place of medical advancements. He had hoped for a cure to his terminal illness, but instead found himself "aiding" the Church’s brightest minds as their guinea pig. He crossed paths with Alfred early on in the latter’s time in the city, becoming a cultural lifeline for the man. Since settling in, Alfred’s more than repaid the kindness by Gilbert’s estimate - he referred him to a certain clinic, run by one Dr. Hewlett. His existence has become far more bearable since leaving the Church doctors' clutches, and is simply glad to know whatever time he has left will be peaceful.

Sister Adella - An English nun that’s part of a convent far outside Yharnam. She rarely ventures into the city, and has little reason to given its proclivity to the resident cult. She originally joined an abbey in England associated with an orphanage, before being relocated to her current convent. She and Alfred have shared history, though neither really considers the other more than an acquaintance. Soft spoken and nervous, though on occasion can become quite impassioned.

A Hunter - Before truly moving to Yharnam Alfred spent a good deal of time touring his new homeland of New Pthumeria, during which he crossed paths with a certain individual on a number of occasions. They only ever told him they were "a sort of hunter working under contract," never giving their name and rarely uncovering their face. Despite the odd sense of discretion, they and Alfred got along swimmingly. After the first few meetings the two began spending time or continuing their travels together before parting ways once more. They're one of only a handful of people whom Alfred has allowed to pet Siegward - a good indicator of how highly he thinks of them. As of yet they don't appear to have shown up to Yharnam since he settled there.

#bloodborne #bb #ripper!au #alfred bloodborne #executioner alfred #alfred the executioner #queen annalise #percival hewlett #they're p much the main three really #donc-desole ocs #original content

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megashadowdragon · 5 years

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youtube

some of the comments in the YouTube comment section

“So in other words slut shaming is wrong in real life but completely ok in fiction. Kinda shows what these people truly think about themselves and their scantily dressed sisters.” “ Wait a minute an sjw is attacking my girl velvet? Oh boy, I could make a huge thesis paper on why this person's claims just doesn't work but all I'll say is just because velvet is dressed the way she is it doesn't make her in any way weak at all. Moreover it's the fact that she is still a strong woman regardless of her fashion sense. Her journey her struggles and her character development were all the things that bundled up into the reasons why I love her so much as a female lead and as a character “

“ Thanks once again for protecting our waifus form out of control censors and rabid sjw feminists you are the best. All these girls looks beautiful, powerful and unique compared to their boring and outright puritan designs we she in western games. Have you seen the female fighters in MK11 they all wear burqas just with different colors so unimaginative... “

“What kind of Catch 22 nonsense is this? So if a female character is made by a man then it's shameful because it's appealing to the male gaze. But if it's made by a woman then it's internalized misogyny and still appealing to the male gaze. It would be nice if they pick which is fine and what isn't. So the ideal solution is to just not have female characters and just have male characters, but then it would be seen as sexist to not include female characters. You literally cannot win.Show less” “ "She didn't choose the outfit, the creator did" No shit “

“

Funny story: “High heels” as we call them today where originally designed to be worn by Nobles (mainly MEN) while riding on hose back. They where never meant to be worn as walking shoes by anyone, regardless of gender, even less so as dress shoes. The where never originally designed to support a person’s weight. The long heels where used in the same way as a cowboy would use the spurs on their boots, its one of the reasons they’re so sharp.

“

“ Femininity is in part defined by both what men want from women and what women are willingly to do. Generally speaking women want to be beautiful and men want women that way too. It seems to me that these feminist believe feminine beauty is only for men when it's convenient for them. When it's their clothing it's "sex positive" and empowerering when it's animated characters it's "internalized misogyny". It's a double standard that they use like a weapon. Ps. One that occasionally works. Like when Hi-rez covered up Furia's thighs because of complaints. “

“ Fictional characters having no real-world agency has to be the biggest non-argument I've seen and is definitive proof that these losers know they have nothing to complain about, and are just doing it because they need to complain about something to make themselves feel good, but complaining about real issues is too hard apparently. Going by the logic of fictional character having no real-world agency, it's wrong to make any character anything because the fictional character has no say in the matter. They can't be an orphan, a female, an [insert race here], [insert sexual preference here], etc. Heck, or even existing in the first place!

“ Actually Velvet's clothes kinda reflect her state of mind. The tattered state signifies her broken condition while the red and black colours allude to how she has become a violent daemon who only wants revenge against Artorius. But it's not just her clothing that fits her character but that of the other characters in the game as well. Aside from the obvious main characters, I noticed a theme with the uniform of the Abbey high ups. The less the person values emotions, the less colors he has other than the standard white and gold. We see Artorius mostly lacking any other colour other than the white and gold while Teresa and Oscar have little more. Laphicet has more blue and a collar (can signify his enslavement) while Eleanor wears clothes that are mostly blue with little white. And finally with Shigure, his colors are a contrast as he merely fights for the Abbey because he feels like it and not because he is committed to its ideals. Coming back to Velvet, I consider her to be one of the best designed female characters in fictional media. Not only does she possess traits that make her an empowering female character but she also has a decent amount of other likeable traits as well. On top of that, she is not devoid of human flaws like how she is so obsessed with her revenge that she does not care much about anything else, leading to situations like when Phi was forced to open a portal to the leylines or how Innominat almost made her sink into despair. Overall a good character who is also quite human. And this in turn actually fits the themes of human morality in the story really well. While people criticise the slow starting part of the game, it actually serves the purpose of showing us how circumstances changed Velvet from a sweet top waifu material to someone akin to a genderbent Guts/Edmond Dantes. Then as the story progresses, we see her acting like a villain but still root for her because we know what she has been through. Then because of Phi, we do learn that her human side still remained within her and later Phi is able to help her. In the end, she kills Artorious not out of revenge motivated by pure hatred but because the Shepard had lost sight of his own self and ideals. I noticed that most of the "maxims" Artorius talks about don't exactly feel like maxims when you compare them with Immanuel Kant's philosophy (someone who Artorius seems to follow quite a bit as Kant considers actions driven by principles to be moral instead of those driven by emotions, which he considers irrational) as they have a definite condition/purpose behind them (such as controlling emotions IN ORDER TO control the tide of battle.). From what I read about the Maxim's Kant Spoke of, those maxims were supposed to be unconditional i.e general truth like do good. So we see that Arthur's maxims have conditions which contradicts Kant's definition. Except one. Don't despair. The same one Velvet reminds Artorius as she stabs him. In the end Arthur actually became more of an act utilitarian in his wish to create a peaceful world by removing emotions. That's some really amazing writing right there. Makes me glad I got this game and made me more interested in the Tales series. Hopefully we can see Velvet and Phi reunited in Crestoria. He deserves to be with her far more than Sieg deserves to be with Jeanne. “

#tales of berseria #video games #games

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hellospunkiebrewster · 6 years

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Fathers - A Duty Sideshot

Author’s note: I’m so incredibly sorry that there is no new Flight Risk today. This sidetracked the hell out of me as I started to put my final touches on the chapter. All the baby fever fics for Father’s Day got to me and in my natural fashion I couldn’t be too happy about them. This is a tribute to all the different kinds of fathers in someone’s life. Real, biological, adoptive, foster, step, overprotective, intimidating, goofy, serious, or fun. I cried so much writing this and I thought I put Duty behind me, but it’s so obvious I haven’t. If you haven’t ready my series Duty, it’s here:

Part I: Déjà Vu - Part II: Hopelessly Cold - Part III: Bitterness - Part IV: Rage - Part V: Promises - Part VI: Oath - Part VII: Dysphoria - Part VIII: Toska - Part IX: Credence - Part X: Unconditional

Summary: Eleanor reflects on the fathers she’s had over the years and what each of them has taught her.

Perma-tags: @madaraism, @mfackenthal, @blackcatkita, @never-ending-choices, @darley1101, @pbchoicesobsessed, @flyawayblue56

Tags (I tagged those of you who were tagged throughout Duty): @queencatherynerhys, @theroyalweisme, @crayziimaginations, @boneandfur, @lizeboredom, @gardeningourmet, @hopefulmoonobject, @hamulau

Eleanor Charlotte Rhys adored each one of the men she considered a father to her; she loved each one differently and no one more than another. It was fun, having so many fathers to call hers even if her past was marked with sadness and loss. They managed to pull her from it but still maintain an acknowledgement that it existed and deserved to never be forgotten. She was thankful for that because to do so would be a disservice to one of the greatest men to ever walk the earth. But still, each of them had something unique to offer and a valuable lesson to teach her, and for that she was grateful.

Uncle Leo. A man tossed from his country because of his heart. Even her own mother had a difficult time looking him in the eye. But Ellie saw something more, something special in the way he looked at the world around him. It was her Uncle Leo who taught her to follow her dreams and that they were limitless even when she felt so weighed down by the crown. Being sworn to the throne at not even the age of five was terrifying and rarely afforded Ellie the time to breathe and so it was one summer in her early teens that Ellie persuaded her mother to allow her to spend a month in the states with her Uncle Leo.

Even though her royal guard surrounded her every moment of the trip, from the time she stepped out of the limo onto the tarmac of the Cordonian airport, to the moment she returned to the palace, Eleanor had never felt so free, so normal. The sand of the beautiful beach her uncle’s house shared squished between her toes in a way she had never felt before. They’d sneak out and skirt her guard to see a show in New York City or paddle a boat to a nearby cove to watch the sunset through the trees just so. She cherished that summer as her uncle recalled stories of his youth, a carefree but sheltered time with his brother. The minutes spent without her guard liberating and exhilarating, but always short. Once the cloak of surveillance enveloped her she felt relieved.

As the month rolled on, Eleanor found herself counting the days to her return to Cordonia even as she continued to adore every moment. The solitary life of a fox was not for her, flitting from place to place not calling anywhere or anyone home. She was born for the throne and no taste of freedom would pull her from her responsibility to her country and her people.

Uncle Bertrand. Ever a stick in her side. He always meant well. Bertrand was a stickler for rules and tradition. He reminded her why things were done a certain way, why titles were important, and why the dessert fork was located at the top of her place setting. Eleanor never retained all of it, but his lessons instilled a sense of pride behind how she pinned her medals just so and solidified the depth at which she bowed her head when greeting a guest. Never too far, you are queen after all. Being the expert of courtly traditions, Bertrand was tasked with ensuring she understood the meaning and origins of all of them.

She recalls being in full regalia late in her teens, wobbling on her high heels as Bertrand places a book on her head. A queen must walk with poise and never stumble, lest she give others something to talk about. Attention spans of people at court were short and if their queen tripped at an event the day after cementing the largest trade deal in the country’s history, only one moment would be talked about over dinner and it wasn’t the important one. Things were done a certain way out of respect and tradition. While it may seem outdated, sticking to it in many cases did little harm to others. It was in the grey areas however, Bertrand told her, that she would be asked to help the country forge a new path and develop new traditions to keep them ahead of an ever changing world.

As the book slipped from her head for the umpteenth time, Eleanor wondered what sort of lesson this was supposed to teach her. She watched Bertrand’s face as he sighed once again and scurried over to gather up the book. He smiled a rare smile and nodded at her. When she looked at him, confused, he merely shelved the book and complimented her inability to become frazzled by his ridiculous request. An important quality when one must speak with vapid and self-centered nobles.

Uncle Max. The brightest spot in her childhood. Maxwell never ceases to make her laugh and forget whatever issue had her down at the moment. He could never erase the largest pain of her life but he worked hard to help her deal with it in constructive and healing ways. He was more than the resident goofball; he was perceptive and loyal. Her most vivid memory of him was one afternoon as the sixth anniversary of her father’s passing. The age of ten can be a difficult time for a young girl and she envied more than anything her friends’ families, so whole and perfect. Not this broken amalgamation of people who never perfectly fit together. She couldn’t very well invite them all to parent’s night.

Her Uncle Maxwell senses something wrong and offers to help her pay tribute to her father, spending the better part of the day wandering the maze, standing at the well with her, in search of the perfect flower. Each time they think they’ve located it, another appears just around a bend or a few steps ahead. By the time they’d scoured the gardens they had well over a hundred. Her Uncle Max helped weave them into a gorgeous wreath and took her to hang in at the Royal Tomb. Never once did he make her feel like her feelings were silly or small.

As she hung the wreath at the placard indicating her father’s grave, Ellie noted just how valid her Uncle Maxwell made her feel that day. He took her broken heart and mended it with smiles and laughter, weaving it all together with the beautiful love he had for her. That they all did. It didn’t matter that they weren’t the same as the families of her schoolmates, they were something more. It didn’t matter that they were different.

Uncle Drake. The rock. Ever present and always reassuring. He’d taken it upon himself after her father’s death to give her some semblance of a childhood because it was what she deserved. She also realized at some point it was what probably held him together as well. He clung to her and kept her as safe as he possibly could. He played incessant princess games with her, fueled merely by her shrieks and laugh. She put him through a ringer, from the moment she got her first period when her mother was out of town to the time he caught her in the gardens during her first kiss, at her fourteenth birthday celebration. He was never angry or upset with her; he could never be. She was mortified when he chased the noble boy off, even if she laughed at the memory later that same night.

She never quite understood her mother’s and Drake’s relationship as she grew up. Somewhere in-between being friends and something more. She’d asked both of them on numerous occasions if Drake was going to be her new father. It was something neither of them ever needed from the other, a deep understanding that their relationship was never meant to be. Had her father still been alive, neither of them would’ve needed it. So it was that Drake took up residence eventually in an extra bedroom of the royal suite. Always nearby when needed, never too close for comfort when they both required space if the memory of her father became too real for them. She never understood it until much later, the need to just feel someone’s lips against your own, their skin under your fingertips, so you could feel like yourself, like you were alive.

As she watched Drake chase a fourteen year old boy through the hedge maze and away from her, Ellie noticed how Drake’s loyalty to her and her mother outshined all else in his life. Underneath the deep crimson of her cheeks, it was a quality she hoped she herself had.

Her own father. Whom she could scarcely remember. The fiercest love she would never know. What she does know of him are fleeting snips of moments. She can sometimes recall them with no issue and on other days she can scarcely remember what his face looked like. She knew he was a man to be reckoned with, proud, honest, kind, and humble. He was a king in every possible sense. His duty to his country and people was unrivaled. His love for his family was unmatched. He treated each of these two halves of his life as if they were his whole self.

She remembers how he would peek over his glasses at her, when he worked late at night in their living room. Instead of scolding her and sending her back to bed, he would offer her a seat next to him. Her tiny hand would bunch into his shirt as she leaned sleepily into him. The morning would break and the two of them would be found on the same spot. Her father dare not move lest he wake her and pull her from sleep. She remembers how his eyes shined when he laughed at her silly stories from the day. He was a king, but he was never too busy to lend an ear. She remembers his arms, strong and comforting around her, as he holds her close during a particularly scary storm one summer. She remembers resting her head against his upper arm in the limo on the way to some sort of boring public appearance. She never was sure if these were her own memories or those she created from the memories of others.

As she is lifted and spun around one day after her father returned home from yet another long trip abroad, she wondered if all the other children she knew had fathers who were superheroes like him. She supposed that her dad was special and more important than the rest. When she looked back on her memories of him, she realized he taught her the most important lesson of all: how to balance the crown and the self.

It is because of these five men that Ellie cannot choose who should walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Tradition dictates that a member of her regent council should be responsible, but to do that would fly in the face of all the great men who made her who she is. In the many long and boring planning meetings, she put her foot down time and time again on the subject when she was met with opposition. The conversation would then turn to other traditions and customs, detailing their meaning and what they entailed as the planning committee ran through the schedule of the ceremony.

It is because of these five men that Ellie decides to have each of them escort her a part of the way down the nave of the cathedral. Leo first, a few meters before he kisses her cheek and Bertrand puts his arm out for her to take. Tears shine in his eyes, this tradition was something she’d so beautifully and masterfully modified to bring her wedding into one that would be remembered forever. A few meters. Maxwell awaits her, his arms wide, drawing her into a tight hug before he remembers where they were, a few more meters. He kisses both her cheeks. Drake stands proud waiting his turn, trying hard to belie the fact that he’s already crying. Her hand slips into the crook of his elbow and he walks her a few more meters to the crossing, where the nave and transept meet in the cathedral. As she starts to let her hand fall from his arm, she feels him grasp her hand and he looks at her wordlessly and nods.

It is from here she walks alone. The furthest distance of her journey to be done in memory of the man she wishes she knew the most, her father, the king. The man. Her left hand slips from her bouquet to a small, discrete pocket custom sewn into her gown only days before. It is here where she keeps her most prized possession with her on this momentous day. The letter from her father, words meant only for her. Words that kept him alive in her heart. Her fingers run over the envelope’s surface within her pocket, a reassuring texture on this pivotal day in her life. As she starts her final steps and catches the glance of her husband to be, she wondered if he would’ve approved. She has to believe he would and her heart is so incredibly full.

#playchoices #play choices #the royal romance #trr #choices fanfiction #trr fanfic #trr au #duty #eleanor charlotte #long post

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agent-nova · 6 years

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WESTWORLD AU

OKAY I know I’ve been working on this for a while, but I feel like I finally have a handle on it! I hope you guys like what I have! I may not explicitly list everyone, but you can guarantee that everyone is a part of this. Thanks for reading!

@the-roanoke-society

Westworld is a unique experience where you can live out your fantasies set in the classical western town of Sweetwater. You’ll encounter a wide variety of characters during your time in the park, with the danger and difficulty increasing the further out you travel. In Westworld, you can truly live without limits.

A Delos Destination

There are three groups of characters:

Staff are those responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the hosts, the park, and the guest experience. They are employees of the Delos corporation and are tasked with both maintaining the current park and innovating with new updates for the hosts. Realism and complete immersion is the ultimate goal.

Guests are those fortunate individuals that have been either invited or have paid their way to Westworld (Which isn’t cheap at $40,000 per day). Upon arrival, all guests will be able to choose from a bespoke wardrobe and also various weapons as desired to carry with them while in Westworld. Once guests board the train to Sweetwater, what happens next is entirely in their control.

Hosts are next-generation synthetic beings complete with programmed emotions and tailored responses. Each host has been carefully scripted and planted to lead guests during their journey in Westworld. From the farmer’s daughter to the rogue gunslinger, all are part of a carefully planned storyline that ebbs and flows at the guest’s choosing. Do not be alarmed by their capabilities and realistic emotions. Their core code prevents them from harming guests.

Meet Our Hosts

‘Lauren’ Looking for a good time in Sweetwater, or maybe a place to rest your head? Visit the Mariposa Saloon and ask for Lauren. She’ll put you up in a room, direct you to your next adventure, or introduce you to some of her friends.

‘Jack’ New in town? Not to worry! Returning to Sweetwater after some time away is Jack, a fount of information on everything Sweetwater has to offer! If traveling alone, don’t hesitate to ask him to come along!

‘Charlie’ If you see Charlie during your travels, run away, for danger will surely follow. Proud owner of the highest bounty ever offered by the town of Sweetwater, taking him down will surely be a challenge!

Other Notable Hosts

Aly, the town doctor. Any ailment, any injury, Aly can handle it. It’s a dangerous world out there.

Kieran, the local bounty hunter. If you’re interested in pursuing some of Sweetwater’s more menacing folks, talk to Kieran, he’ll show you the way.

Prudence, the farmer’s daughter, a good companion for a scenic tour through Sweetwater and some of the surrounding scenery.

Cillian the town preacher. You can find him in the chapel, should you need his services. (Marriage officiating available upon request, requires advance notice.)

Walter, the sheriff of Sweetwater, can be found in the center of town, full of information on things to watch out for, as well as all the bounties available.

Alessandra provides a glimpse into the mystical side of Sweetwater, offering tasks for those not satisfied with traditional fare.

Joann is by far the best sharpshooter in town. Itching to try out that gun strapped to your hip? Just visit Joann outside the Mariposa Saloon and she’ll take you out to the range and get you in fine form!

Crowley, the proprietor of the town’s inn. He sees to every guest’s specific needs and desires. The inn can be located beside the Mariposa Saloon.

Rum, Charlie’s illusive partner in crime. Pulling off heists with Charlie keeps him busy, but any free time he gets, he checks in on Angela. He’ll look the other way if you do, but if you’re aiming to cause trouble, keep an eye on her.

Angela is in charge of the bar at the Mariposa Saloon, and don’t mistake her kindness for weakness. Frequently seen associating with Rum, of Charlie’s gang, it would be a mistake to get on her bad side. That said, she has many pieces of advice for newcomers.

Parker is a friendly presence in Sweetwater, and can be found by following her dog out to the edge of town. If you’re looking for information on the various hosts in town, she’s got all the information you could ask for. (If a guest needs to leave for any reason, approach Parker and inform her of the issue.)

For the main plotline concerning Charlie:

Beginner: Head out with the scouting party, including the Sheriff and/or Jack Intermediate: Request the help of Kieran to pursue the bounty Advanced: Go it alone

Meet Our Staff

Hamish MacOighre - Behavior Hamish is the lead designer of most of the interactions and their subtleties that hosts have with the guests. Constantly innovating and updating the hosts with small features and reactions that make them increasingly realistic, Hamish is the face of the cutting edge of technology when it comes to the Delos experience.

Harry Hart - Quality Assurance Always focused on the guests’ experience, Harry ensures that all aspects of the park are running smoothly and updates are integrated seamlessly. He is the be-all, end-all when it comes to decision making at the world’s most innovative experience.

Morgan MacOighre - Narrative Truly the driving force behind all of the creation and innovation that occurs in the park, Morgan creates the unique, multi-faceted plot lines that guests keep coming back for. Despite guests being completely unpredictable when given free reign, Morgan manages to surprise and enthrall even the firmest holdouts with the lure of adventure.

Jason Black - Head of Security Not to worry, the park’s hosts pose no threats to guests, but in the even there is any situation that requires caution, Jason and his team of experts are there to eliminate any threat. The safety of Westworld’s guests is of the highest importance.

Roxanne Morton - Risk Assessment Jason’s second-in-command, Roxanne is constantly monitoring the park operations to ensure that Jason and his team isn’t needed. She has pioneered the use of hosts to eliminate conflict as it arises, before things get out of hand. Truly the guests couldn’t be in better hands.

Rae Clementine - Manufacturing Every strand of hair, every plank of wood has to come from somewhere. It is all made in-house, through the manufacturing department. That horse? Created the same way the hosts have been. A new town? Built from the ground up from scratch, every detail handled with Rae’s careful eye. Working closely with narrative, Manufacturing also handles the creation of new hosts, as needed. And no one does it better.

Other Notable Staff

Eleanor Graves - Behavior Lead Hamish’s right-hand, Eleanor oversees the hosts and makes sure that they are cleared to be returned to the park. She puts them through rigorous testing and assists with implementing any new updates Hamish hands down. She has the advantage of working with the best.

Gary Unwin - Body Shop Lead Ever wonder how the hosts make it back to the park following their decommissioning? Gary and his team make certain that there’s not a hair out of place, a shoe left untied before they are sent back up to Behavior. Extracting bullets, replacing things that can’t be salvaged, and even full rebuilds as necessary, are all in Gary’s wheelhouse.

Louise Franz - Clothier As each guest arrives to the park, they pass through rooms of bespoke articles of clothing to wear during their time in the park. This is the work of Louise and her team of genius designers. Everything feels and looks accurate to Westworld, and the variety they are able to provide the guests is outstanding.

Joe Moretti - Marketing It takes a huge personality to market this caliber of an experience to the masses. Joe is responsible for outreach and influence, his friendly personality allowing him to charm potential guests as well as future investors.

Amaris O’Connell - Logistics It takes a lot to keep the park fully-functional. Supplies are needed, and the park is quite remote, taking up its own island so development can proceed unchecked. Beyond park supplies and staff, Amaris also procures food and creature comforts for the staff during their time with Delos.

Cassiel Murphy - Guest Transportation With the park being on an island, Cassiel is one of the pilots tasked with transporting guests and staff on and off the island, flying to various destinations as needed. The flight to the park is a luxurious one, and it marks the beginning of the guest’s experience.

Zed - Delos Representative An observer sent from the Delos board of directors to ensure that their vision is being carried out properly and responsibly. Has found work to be less straightforward than before upon encountering Roxanne Morton.

Incoming Guests

Party of 2: Drake Annabelle Duration of stay: One (1) Week Itinerary: Claim to be looking for a relaxing getaway. (Will remain together during their time in the park.)

Party of 4: Connor Xander Ely Karen Duration of stay: Five (5) Days Itinerary: Looking for all the excitement and action that Westworld has to offer. (While arriving as a group, some plan to split off upon arrival to the park.)

Two late bookings, still waiting for final travel plans.

(I hope you guys like this! I did the best I could with trying to find names, etc. Now you guys can create to your heart’s content if this is interesting to you! I know I’ll be posting bits and pieces here and there when I have time! I highly recommend you watch the show if this seems interesting to you!)

#WESTWORLD AU #The Roanoke Society

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sciencespies · 3 years

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Looking Back at the Legacy of 'The Great White Hope' and Boxer Jack Johnson

https://sciencespies.com/history/looking-back-at-the-legacy-of-the-great-white-hope-and-boxer-jack-johnson/

Looking Back at the Legacy of 'The Great White Hope' and Boxer Jack Johnson

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | Feb. 25, 2021, 8 a.m.

“There’s nothing you need to make up about Jack Johnson.”

Documentarian Ken Burns would know. His 2005 series “Unforgivable Blackness,” based on the book of the same name by historian Geoffrey C. Ward, brought the true story of the life and career of Jack Johnson, the black boxer who fought his way up through the pugilism ranks to become the world heavyweight champion, to television.

But before Burns, those who weren’t around for the so-called “Fight of the Century” that saw Johnson outslug James J. Jeffries in 1910, would have known Jackson’s story through the play and movie The Great White Hope. That work of historical fiction, by playwright Howard Sackler, perhaps reveals more about the time in which it was written than the time in which it is set.

The play’s message about the nature of racism and racial conflict succeeded in providing audiences with an opportunity to better understand different perspectives through the prism of its characters, but the film adaptation failed to deliver the same powerhouse impact. That said, both served to launch the careers of two actors on the rise and brought to the public a poignant story of interracial romance and the struggle for interracial couples to find acceptance in America.

Alexander and Jones in a publicity still from the 1970 film

(Photo by Afro American Newspapers / Gado / Getty Images)

Sackler’s much-lauded play arrived in 1967, as the civil rights movement’s struggles were at last bearing fruit. In The Great White Hope, black boxer Jack Jefferson—a name change borne out of legal concerns—becomes so successful that a fight is set up between Jefferson and the reigning heavyweight champion of the world, a white man. In addition to developing a story which focused on an equivalent of the Johnson-Jeffries fight, Sackler constructed a storyline based on the relationship between Johnson and his first wife, a white woman named, Etta Terry Duryea, represented in the play by the character of Eleanor Bachman. In addition to mirroring the tensions Johnson and Duryea endured in pursuing an interracial relationship during the early 20th century, Eleanor’s ultimate fate mirrors that of Duryea, who died by suicide in 1912.

The play’s title came from the descriptor assigned decades earlier to any white boxer who stepped into the ring to challenge Johnson, although it was most famously used to describe Jeffries, who had retired from the ring more than five years before the landmark fight. Upon being wooed into returning to the ring, Jeffries made his reasons perfectly clear, publicly announcing, “I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro.”

As history reveals, Jeffries proved no such thing: not only did Johnson win the fight by a technical knockout in round 15, but as fellow boxer John L. Sullivan told the New York Times, “Scarcely has there ever been a championship contest that was so one-sided.”

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Sackler drew inspiration from these events, seeing in Johnson an opportunity to tell a story about a man who becomes a hero but is nonetheless destined for a downfall, someone who many—including the play’s director, Ed Sherin—likened to the titular character in William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. “It’s about a man who essentially moves out of his tribe and gets clobbered,” Sherin told The American Theatre in 2000. “And in [Sackler’s] mind, it wasn’t about black-white. The historical circumstances made that the paramount issue in the play. But it’s not. And it taps off white guilt about the way the black man was dealt with, but that was not [Sackkler’s] position at all. He wrote a play about a tragic hero, somebody who oversteps himself—as Coriolanus did.”

***********

The Great White Hope began with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to Arena Stage, a Washington, D.C. theater, which at the time was best known for being the first integrated theater in the city. To find the right man for Jefferson, Sackler reached out to actor James Earl Jones, an established performer was working in Europe.

“Howard suggested that I start getting into shape, which was really important—the man was a boxer—but which I was not and am not and will never be!” says Jones, laughing. “In fact, the young man who was my understudy onstage, Yaphet Kotto, resembled Jack much more than I did.”

James Earl Jones looks at his reflection in a Broadway dressing room mirror on December 10, 1968.

(Photo by Harry Benson / Daily Express / Getty Images)

For the role of Bachman, Sherin went with an existing member of the Arena Stage company: actress Jane Alexander, who would later become Sherin’s wife. Despite the racially charged subject matter, Alexander had no hesitation about diving headlong into the material.

“I really looked forward to doing things like that,” says Alexander. “Of course, civil rights were very high at that time in the ’60s, and we did not shy away from controversy at Arena Stage. We did quite a lot of things, tackling the Vietnam War and racism and so on, so I didn’t have any problem with the subject matter.”

Alexander also politely disagrees with her co-star’s self-assessment. “[James] is a big man—he certainly looks like a heavyweight champion!—and he got in such great shape,” she says. “He was just gorgeous-looking at the time. But he was formidable…and when he gets that look in his eyes, he’s scary!“

The Great White Hope only played for a few weeks at Arena before its success catapulted it to Broadway. Although the audiences were initially almost entirely white, Alexander says that the number of black theatergoers began to increase steadily as the play received more acclaim, hitting the 50/50 mark by the end of the first year. As a result, she also began to notice that black audiences reacted differently to the play than white audiences.

“They didn’t like my character at all…and who could blame them?” concedes Alexander. “I was causing him all these problems! So they would sometimes cheer or laugh at my death…and that was not easy for James Earl, because [he] looked at it as a love story. He had a very difficult scene to perform over my dead body, and they were sometimes not happy with him being emotional about me.”

Even worse, Alexander also began receiving hate mail. “Sometimes they were just disgusting letters from white bigots, male and female. Really awful letters. But I got a couple of death threats. That’s when I said to my stage manager, ‘I can’t open my mail.’”

Jones, for the record, didn’t receive any such threats, but the fact that his co-star did receive them, he says, “sort of measured the height of the bull****.”

Both Alexander and Jones received Tony Awards for their work in The Great White Hope.

(Photo by NBCU Photo Bank / NBC Universal via Getty Images)

Muhammad Ali at a November 12, 1968, performance of The Great White Hope on Broadway

(Photo by Tom Wargacki / WireImage)

Fortunately, those who appreciated The Great White Hope far outweighed those who didn’t, and one of the play’s biggest fans was one of the most famous men in the world: Muhammad Ali, who understandably saw some parallels between himself and Jones’s character. (“What Ali actually said was, ‘This is my play, except for the white chick,’” recalls Alexander, laughing.)

“Muhammad Ali had just done a Broadway play himself—or, rather, a musical—called Buck White, where he played kind of an activist,” recalls Jones. “He considered himself a stage actor, I think, so he’d come back and wanted to talk actor to actor about my work. When the audience left the theater, he used to love going up on the stage and say, ‘Watch this!’ And he’d take a crack at a scene, and then he’d say, ‘And that’s the way that ought to be done!’ I loved it. And the way he’d interpret it? He wasn’t always wrong!”

Ali was also responsible for one of Alexander’s most cherished memories from the Broadway run of The Great White Hope, during the third of his backstage visits.

While the film version of The Great White Hope received its fair share of critical acclaim, with both Jones and Alexander—in her film debut—earning Oscar nominations for their work, few would disagree that it’s a lesser work than the play. The first sign that Hollywood had done some major streamlining: the play originally ran for three-and-a-half hours, whereas the film version clocks in at a streamlined 103 minutes.

“I missed some of the lyricism in the beautiful long monologues—or soliloquies, if you will—that some of the actors had, specifically [James],” says Alexander. “They were cut, a lot of them. “

Jones pulls no punches when offering his take on the play’s cinematic adaptation. “I apologize for the film, because it wasn’t right,” he says. “The big mistake happened when the decision was made not to have Ed Sherin direct the film. It was a big investment on the part of 20th Century Fox, and they made an attempt to work around the cost of filmmaking. They decided to make it… I wouldn’t say ‘cheap,’ but they thought they couldn’t afford to take a gamble on [a first-time film director].”

“They made a decision to shorten it by using a formula which… Well, I won’t try to define it, but they wanted to make it a romance,” says Jones. “Which it was in real life, but it was a mistake to try and ignore all the dynamic stuff going on in that man’s life in favor of trying to make it a love story of this poor black guy and this poor white girl who wanted to be together in life. But America just didn’t let them do it.”

Jones’s description of the film’s romantic plotline is dripping with sardonic wit, something which becomes evident when he abruptly begins chuckling.

“The truth is, I think Ken Burns’ documentary is more important than the film or the play we did,” says Jones. “I thought there was no way you could capture all the dynamics of that man’s life, all the gorgeousness and physical beauty, the human beauty of the man called Jack Johnson. But Burns captured it. Whether you’re a boxing fan or not, whether you have any corner of the race issue you want to explore, it’s something everybody should see.”

Jack Johnson (right) defeated Jim Jeffries in a 1910 boxing showdown.

(Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

“He stuck around late enough that the stage manager had already put the ghost light onstage. Only the doorman was left, and I was in the wings. And Muhammad Ali walked out in that dark theater and turned to a naked, empty house, and he reprised the last line of the second act: ‘I is here! I is here! I is here!’ It was amazing. And nobody ever witnessed that but me. “

**********

The success of The Great White Hope soon led to conversations about adapting the play into a film, but those conversations didn’t include Alexander until after the show swept the Tony Awards, winning Best Play and earning Jones and Alexander trophies for their roles, too. The acclaim even extended beyond the traditional theater community, with the play winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well.

“I was told that [film director] Martin Ritt offered it first to Joanne Woodward,” says Alexander. “She turned it down, saying, ‘You should get that girl who did it on Broadway.’ And then he went to Faye Dunaway, and Faye turned it down! And then what happened after Faye turned it down? The Tony Awards happened. And the next day, I got the offer.”

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Burns, who interviewed Jones for “Unforgivable Blackness,” believes the problem with the film adaptation extends well beyond trying to force it into being a love story.

“The much more important thing is something that you find throughout well-intentioned history and art about African-Americans, which is that somehow they always need to have a white person around to justify them,” says Burns. “In The Great White Hope, here’s this incredibly talented physical specimen who plays in all these incredibly dangerous tropes about black people, and yet somehow you need well-intentioned white handlers in whatever form—romantically or fight-wise—to sort of nudge you to the right direction, as if they’re unaccompanied minors who need to be accompanied.

Adds Burns about the real story he found while making the documentary, “What’s so important about Jack Johnson is that he defies all conventions we want a heroic black man to be in. He doesn’t want the job of hero. Somehow we want our African Americans to conform to some version of our idea of an acceptable black person. Jack Johnson just takes dynamite and pushes the plunger on that.”

“I admire the play, and I admire the movie, and it’s heart is in the right place, and it’s intentions are good, but it’s in a narrow bandwidth that doesn’t permit the full scope of Jack Johnson, good, bad, and otherwise,” concludes Burns. “It constrains him with narrative devices that aren’t needed.”

Boxer Jack Johnson

(Photo by Sean Sexton / Getty Images)

Jones in boxing attire

(Bettman via Getty Images)

Even with its flaws, there’s no question that The Great White Hope made an impact on those who saw it, on stage or screen.

“I remember walking down the streets of New York for the next decade, and black men would just come up and say, ‘Hey, Jane, how are ya?’ or something like that,” says Alexander. “I remember once I was in an airport, and Snoop Dogg yells across the terminal, ‘Jane!’ I recognized that he was a big music star, but I didn’t know who it was, so I just sort of inched over a little bit…and he just said, ‘Hey!’ That’s all! But I felt very warm inside that black men recognized me, seemed understanding and supportive, and… I think they were saying that they knew that it was a difficult role.

“It was surprising to me the number of white people who wondered why I had done the film. There were a lot of firsts there. The racism was not as overt as it is today, but it was there, and I was surprised it was there in my parents’ friends, who would just question me and say, ‘Why did you have to do that for your first film?’ I was thrilled! Race relations were different at that time. We didn’t march in the same way. If you look at the marches in Selma, Alabama, you won’t see a lot of white people. But I was part of the Poor People’s March in Washington (in 1968), and I went and listened to Martin Luther King speak. But now we have Black Lives Matter, and there are a lot of white people and black people walking side by side. That’s progress.”

#History

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gduncan969 · 3 years

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What Do You Think About the PANDEMIC?

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.“

One of the hardest things to do these days when chatting with friends and acquaintances is to stay off the topic of COVID-19. Have you noticed that talking about all the restrictions— the lock-downs, the virus mutations, the confusing rules, is simply driving more and more of us into a pit of despair and affecting our minds, making us more irritable, anxious and afraid. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times we tell ourselves or our friends “I’m not going to talk about it” that before you know it, the conversation is soon firmly focused on the pandemic’s latest twists and turns and the air is soon filled with the latest bad news that’s making us ever more anxious. How can we break this vicious circle and change our conversations to be encouraging rather than depressing, to see past all the negative stuff that’s going on right now and discover how God is doing a mighty work in the midst of all of this? If our trust is still in the Lord then come what may, He is still in control and our present and future are secure in Him so let’s first think about and talk about that instead. Of course, that assumes we truly believe He is in control in which case our minds need to change gear to one of finding out what He is up to and how we can help. We should be looking for ways to use this pandemic for His glory rather than allowing it to drive us to despair and here’s some comments on how we might do so.

Firstly, it doesn’t mean taking a “head-in-the-sand approach” that ignores the reality of all the negative things that are happening and simply hope that things will get better someday; that’s no more than “blind faith” which says, “I believe it will get better but I’m not really sure that it will but I hope it will”. Blind faith is not biblical faith. Blind (or dead) faith is the kind the apostle James speaks of in James 2: 14 - 18 where he tells us the only proof to real faith is the works its produces, not the talk that boasts of it. Biblical (or real) faith sees clearly through difficult circumstances to the One who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), the One who has already given us the victory —even when the circumstances remain unchanged—and allows us to act upon what we now see by faith! Whether we like it or not, our biggest problem with this pandemic and the way we talk about it is rooted in our failure to understand or even find out what God is using it for—and He is using it! It’s much easier to worry and be anxious than to seek out what God is doing in all of this. Yes, there is lots of bad news but with the eye of faith we can look through it all and see God working a mighty victory for His Church! The Holy Spirit is using this pandemic to awaken the Church from its slumber in preparation for the greatest awakening the world has ever seen and if that sounds very dramatic, it is! Let’s be honest and admit that over the last several decades our churches have had an increasingly waning impact on our society, especially in the West, so much so, that the authorities didn’t blink an eye when they declared church services to be “non-essential.” How this happened is another subject but a quick look inside many of our church services by the unsaved would tell them we are not demonstrating in our lives what we preach with our mouths. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:20 ”The Kingdom of God is not in talk but in power” (RSV) meaning that we can talk all we like about the Kingdom of God but can we demonstrate it to others. That’s what God is in the process of changing through this pandemic but it takes faith to see it and that kind of faith doesn’t come easy because it flies in the face of the physical evidence surrounding us and our self-imposed inabilities, yet it is essential if we are to rise above the anxiety and fear and begin to demonstrate God’s power to heal, deliver and “save to the uttermost those that are lost” (Hebrews 7:25).

So, how do we get there? Jesus told us if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can pick up mountains and throw them into the sea (Mark 11:23). I can’t say I’ve ever cast a mountain into the sea but I can definitely say I have a mustard seed of faith and so can all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, what else do we need to walk in victory over this pandemic and bring others with us? The answer is simple: plant your seed of God-faith in the plowed-up soil of your heart (not your head), water it with the promises of God’s Word, prune it with your prayers to develop fruit instead of leaves and watch it grow. Soon you and others will be eating the fruit of your works in prayers answered, not by human effort but by faith alone.

This pandemic is an attempt by the devil to destroy God’s plan of salvation for the whole of humanity. That’s not an oversimplification, it’s the truth! So far, he has successfully closed the churches, denied them the ability to assemble together, to join in worship, to lift one another up, to lay hands on the sick, to eat together in holy communion and minister to one another as the body of Christ. How has the Church responded? Mostly, it has acquiesced to the government’s demands and quietly obeyed in the name of being obedient citizens but also to a fair extent, out of fear of catching the virus. This was an understandable response in the beginning but a year later and with increasing restrictions, it crosses a line because it has resulted in the greatest falling away in church attendance in history and it is continuing as I write! Worse still, it appears that most of those who have left will not return even when the restrictions are lifted. Churches are closing their doors, families are being destroyed, relationships broken, suicides increased, spousal abuse and drug abuse are spiraling upwards and added to this are the threats of new waves of infection, failure of vaccines, stricter quarantines and a host of other difficulties. One mother told me she heard her young son coughing in the bathtub and after each cough she could hear him saying to himself, “I’m OK, I’m OK”. Why?—because if he wasn’t OK he knew he would not be allowed to visit grandma and grandpa and that terrified him because he was already shattered by the cancellation of school and having no time with his friends and grandma’s house was one of his last “escapes”. Another grandparent shared a similar story about their granddaughter whom they hadn’t seen in many months. Simply telling people, “this too shall pass” may be true—today’s national newspaper says the pandemic will be with us for years to come—but it’s not very helpful for those who have lost their job, or their business, or if someone they love has committed suicide or died of COVID. These are the observable effects of the pandemic and it has not yet appeared what the final effect on the world economy will be. It is no wonder that so many are very afraid of this pandemic. The good news is that God is preparing His Church to demonstrate the power of the Gospel to a fear-ridden world that has run out of hope for a secure future through man and his politics. He is sifting out the tares from the wheat and bringing His Church to their knees in prayer, turning them away from all the worldly schemes and practices that have crept in over the years, practices which have pandered more to pleasure than progress.

So, how do we bring a “sure and certain” hope into this depressing situation? The answer is first to occupy our thoughts and conversations with what God is doing in all of this rather than what the devil is doing. If we haven’t figured that out yet, then to keep seeking until He opens our eyes to His plans. We cannot change our conversations about this pandemic if we don’t have a clue what God is up to and we will sound hollow if we try to reassure others with our hope rather than our faith. It’s easy to talk up all the negatives because these require no faith at all and “misery loves company” so it is very easy to find ourselves simply adding to the worry and fear of others rather than alleviating them. Galatians 6:2 says “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ;” it doesn’t say “Add to one another’s burdens,” but that’s what we do when we simply add to the litany of bad news that abounds right now. How do we operate as burden bearers rather than as burden bringers? Eleanor and I attended a small church in Southern California for a short time many years ago and the pastor told us of an incident that happened when the church treasurer came to him with the news that the church was fast running out of money and would soon be unable to pay its bills, including salaries. The treasurer was really worried about the situation but rather than joining him in panicking over the situation, the pastor told the treasurer not to worry and not to tell anyone else. In the meantime, in order to alleviate the treasurer’s heavy burden, he took the church books away from him for a season and did the church finances himself. During that time, the pastor went to the Lord in serious prayer and received by faith God’s reassurance that all would be well. Throughout that season the treasurer would often ask how the finances were doing and the reply was always the same: “We are doing fine”—even if they weren’t! The pastor was not lying because he had already received by faith the bills paid and the salaries covered and godly faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). He already had what no one else could see. It wasn’t too long before he handed the church books back to the treasurer and they showed a lot more black and a lot less red ink! He knew how to hear from the Lord and that’s what is needed in this battle against the fear and anxiety caused by the pandemic.

God’s plan in this pandemic is not that we should be afraid but that we should be awake to the opportunities it brings! The pandemic has plunged the world into a time of great fear and uncertainty for the future and I have yet to meet anyone that is looking forward to the “new normal”, whatever that means but I meet all kinds of people worried about the future for themselves and their loved ones, especially the young and the very old and how they will survive in it. All of us, I trust, have faith in God to protect us but Jesus told his disciples in Mark 11:22 “Have the faith of God”—the God kind of faith—the faith that possesses what cannot yet be seen and is willing to walk through the trials that serve only to strengthen and increase its power, not to crush it. Remember that genuine faith starts first in what we are convinced of ourselves (our thinking) before it is manifested in our speaking. Otherwise we will be speaking in hope, not faith. Our thoughts must change from “I think I can” to “I know I can” and only then can we lift another’s burden of fear and anxiety over this pandemic. If we don’t think right about the difficulties we face, then we cannot speak right or change them and our faith is therefore of no effect. It’s not enough just to say it will be OK and hope it will come to pass, we must first receive in our hearts and minds that it is OK and then speak it. This is the kind of ministry faith that allowed Peter to say to the beggar at the temple gate (Acts 3:6) , “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” and it’s the kind of faith that will bring relief from all the anxiety and fear over this pandemic and the incoming “new normal”. This faith allows us to recognize God’s plan for this pandemic and it’s a plan not to destroy us but to rouse His Church from its slumber and rise to the challenge these times have brought upon us. We will never think straight about the difficulties we face if we dwell on all the negative circumstances surrounding us so how do we develop this kind of faith? How do we get our thinking straight so that we can speak to others the good news of what God is doing in our midst? The bible gives us the answer in Philippians 4:8:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.“

It’s not our circumstances that need to change but how we think about them. Paul instructs us to seek out and concentrate (meditate) on the good things God has done and continues to do rather than regurgitating all the bad things about our present circumstances and bemoaning our powerlessness to change them. That line of thinking always ends in despair and despondency.

“whatsoever things are true..” There’s a lot of good news about this pandemic but it’s being downplayed in favour of the fear-generating kind. Just look at the numbers and see why many doctors are saying this pandemic doesn’t qualify as a pandemic because it is nowhere near deadly enough—and the death-rates are diminishing! So, rather than moaning about the restrictions and worrying about the virus, let’s think about all the positive news showing us that while we should be cautious, there is no reason to be afraid. The more people are convinced of this, the sooner we can convince our government to give us back the rights they have taken from us.

“whatsoever things are noble..” The pandemic has forced us to re-examine the evidence and decide what is true and what is false but it’s hard to decide truth from falsehood because of the politics and apparent hidden agendas involved. For the Christian, hearing from God is critical because He has promised to “lead us into all truth” (John 16:13). There are lots of people working very hard and achieving great success in the battle against this virus. It truly is astounding that in the space of less than a year we have several vaccines that are proving very effective in protecting us and there are also lots of people who are experts in their fields of medicine, immunology and virology who have laid their reputations on the line and called out the government over their misrepresentation of the truth about this virus. Think about that.

“whatever things are just..” We can be thankful there are groups of lawyers willing to defend those who have been charged under the draconian COVID rules of behaviour. It is comforting to know there are those in the legal profession who recognize our government has way overstepped its authority when it imprisons citizens in their homes or in quarantine hotels, or selectively shuts down businesses and churches considered to be non-essential. Canadians have not lost their sense of justice and most recognize the injustices of the current COVID rules. Many legal actions are currently underway and the few that have been resolved have favored the plaintiff’s argument and there’s more to come! Think about that.

“whatever things are pure, lovely and of a good report..” One of the hardest things to deal with in all of this has been the growing sense that the motives of those in control and in the media are less than pure. There appears to be a hidden agenda more concerned with controlling our lives, how we live, where we can work, where we can travel, where we can worship and what we can say and it is causing considerable anxiety among the people as to where our society is headed. Governments appear to be using the pandemic as an excuse to exercise unlimited power to act as they see fit without parliamentary involvement and without any such mandate from the people. They speak of a “new normal” and a world-wide “global financial reset” that will radically change the way society operates but this is not the will of the people, or of God. Much of the struggle over motives has been trying to discern those speaking from a pure heart and those speaking from pure opportunism. Politicians of all shapes and sizes have been discredited by their hypocrisy as they break their own COVID rules and fly off to sun-filled destinations or sneak into closed restaurants or hair salons for special treatment. Where is the purity of purpose? Where is the loveliness in all of this? To find this, we must look to those who have placed their reputations on the line as they challenge those in control to behave more honorably; the doctors who challenge the fearmongerers; the lawyers who take to court the abusive actions of the authorities; the media who refuse to censor the news. Think on them and pray for them.

Finally, if we are to survive this pandemic and remain sane and healthy through it we must enter the fray armed with all that God has provided for the battle we are in (Ephesians 6: 10 - 18). This will take effort, courage and determination but also confidence in the outcome realizing that our enemy is not flesh and blood but principalities and powers in the heavens. We cannot do that until we have conquered the enemy in our minds who wants to bind us up in fear. Victory in that battle depends fully on our ability to guard what occupies our minds. Lastly, Philippians 4: 6 - 7 tells us:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

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pythonissam-despair · 4 years

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❧ 15 Seconds of Fame | CH.2 Trial End

While Chuubey torturing Yukitori was an unexpected development from the infuriatingly passive rabbit, the moment quickly fell to the wayside with the wave of outrage that came next. What started the arguing could be Yukitori, but maybe it was something far deeper and scarier that had been bubbling inside all of you since the last trial.

Condemning Kohei was exactly what he wanted, some would argue, while others felt entitled to their disgust over his motives. Toki Hikami wasn’t a friend to many, but didn’t their life matter? Wasn’t there a line that had to be drawn...?

But where exactly was it? Where was civility earned and where was it discarded?

A hand rises to reach a podium, then another. Kohei Narasaki’s entire body protests, screaming in pain, but he ignores it. This was his moment, and he wasn’t going to let a stupid Incubator and some punishment ruin it. His show ends when he wants it to, and he says that it’s going to go on. This is his circus.

Slowly, the Streamer pulls himself to his feet, nearly leaning on his podium for support. He raises his head, still smiling.

“Oh, no need to apologize, J4CK4L-san! I’d be absolutely stupid to not know what was going to happen to me! So don’t sound so sad! This goes for everyone, actually! I want you all to kill me with a smile on your face!”

He chuckles, before he turns to Masumi.

“You heard me! I’m not that dumb. And I had to think about that a lot! Being forgotten... is a fate worse than death. If you wanna hear a secret, it’s actually one of my greatest fears! Honestly, I don’t care whether I live or die! But being forgotten... I couldn’t stand that!”

He sighs, admittedly a little disturbed by the thought. However, he brightens up again.

“People outside will forget me! They probably would have anyways. Maybe they even have by now! Nobody stays relevant forever. And hey! If everyone forgets about Kohei Narasaki, then nothing is even lost!”

He spits out the name with venom, nothing but pure hatred in his voice, before he bounces back.

“But you’ll still remember me! You’ll still remember me, because you’ve killed me with your own hands!”

He hums. “I guess I should set the record straight while I’m still alive! But! I kinda lied about my wish, just a tiny bit! “Fame” probably was the wrong way to put it! What I really wished for... was some form of freedom.”

With that, he detransforms, shooting Eleanor a glance as he does. Looking her straight in the eyes, he pulls off his wig.

A beat passes as Kohei Narasaki scans the room, a faraway look in his eyes. He speaks in a level voice,

“Hello. My name is Kohei Narasaki. I’m 18 years old. I attend high school in Nagoya, where I receive good grades. I obey all rules and instructions, and I don’t cause problems for anyone.”

With a quick motion, he puts back on his wig, and like putting a mask back on he’s smiling, carefree Yukitori.

“But, Kohei Narasaki hasn’t been me in years! I’m Yukitori, or Ko, or Yakitori, or Mx. Wig, or asshole, or Witch that we’re about to kill, or whatever you want to call me, but most importantly I’m me! That’s what I wished for. To be Yukitori more! To be myself more! For everyone to see me.”

“I was probably never going to get out of here anyways. So, why not at least try to get something out of it! Because, you know, I’m really, really selfish! I want everything I can get, and I want to be happy. And you can hate me if you’d like! Call me a terrible person, and I won’t deny it! I really don’t care! I mean, love, hate, I’m happy people have such strong feelings about me! But if I get to live and die as myself, no matter how long or short, I’ll be happy.”

He’s here for a good time, not a long one.

There was a bit more time to debate about morality, but everyone was still working on borrowed time. After their initial display of 'discipline' towards Yukitori, the Incubator fell into their normal silence. They nodded at some points being made and preened themself through others.

Truly, they didn't seem to care either way. It's only when they take a glance at the resident Streamer after a time do they pipe up again.

"...It appears time is up. If you were not prepared-" They launch themself off their column and safely away from the doomed Magus, "you may be in for a rough ride, hm....?"

It's then that you notice the change occurring.

Pain shoots through Yukitori’s body, not unlike when he threatened Chuubey. His grip on his podium tightens. He chuckles lightly. He knows what will become of him. That it’s useless to fight it. That in just a few moments, he is going to die, and everyone outside will forget him. His fans. His friends. And it’s just cruel irony that it’s not until right before he ceases to exist that Yukitori realizes that he doesn’t want to be forgotten.

But it’s not like he has control over that anymore. He chose his own fate, and this time he can’t run away from the responsibility.

Well, at least he can go out with a bang.

Yukitori rolls back his sleeve and pushes forward a glove on his hand. His bracelet flashes, before revealing the familiar shape of a Soul Gem. The normal bright teal is gone, replaced with a deep black, cracked around the edges. He chuckles again, louder this time.

“Well… Guess this is the end of the line for me. It was fun while it lasted.”

As his Soul Gem floats, cracking under the pressure, Yukitori steels himself with one last breath, before he breaks out into a smile. Shakily, he lifts one hand in a peace sign.

“Well friends, thanks for watching! This is Yukitori, signing off for the last time! See you all later!”

And then the gem explodes outward, blasting the room with waves of bright energy.

[ CW; Ommetaphobia/Scopophobia ]

. . .

Loud, almost ear-splitting carnival music fills the air and greet you as your eyes adjust. The walls of a giant circus tent surround you. The brightly-colored walls seem nearly reflective, as if you looked hard enough, you’d be able to see yourself in them. If you did look, however, you’d see your reflection has been distorted like a funhouse mirror.

Bright, blinding spotlights shine down to draw attention to the main and only attraction: the Witch himself. A TV head with multiple tendrils stands in the center of the tent, waving his eight legs around, almost goading you to come closer. His screen flickers between scenes featuring screams, audience laughter, static, anything to make you turn your attention or wrath his way.

Surrounding him are 3 Minions , two of whom are rather lumpy humanoids in black and white clown costumes sporting shattered TV screens as heads. They carry change and move with a loud clinking sound. They're joined by one humanoid in brightly colored garb with a megaphone speaker on its head. It sings the praises of the ringmaster across the room for you all to hear.

Kohei Narasaki is no more. All that remains is Leoncavallo, the Broadcasting Witch.

[ The Third Witch Hunt Begins ]

#pythonissam despair #plot #trial summary #chapter two #yukitori #chuubey #leoncavallo #cw; scopophobia #tw; scopophobia #cw; ommetaphobia #tw; ommetaphobia

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qqueenofhades · 7 years

Text

Black Sails s4/finale thoughts

Okay, so I caught up on episodes 4x05-4x10 with @thelittleschemer over the past few days, and as such finished the season/series. Now I have many thoughts and need to write them down, welp.

I held off on finishing the show because I didn’t want it to interfere with what I had planned for TDH, and I can definitely say that it did not change anything about what I had worked out for the ending of said fic (which I really need to get around to doing soon). I was pleased to see that there were/will be a few points of concord, but yeah, TDH will definitely remain its own entity/story.

Tagging @prairiepirate and @ransomideas, who have expressed interest in my thoughts on said subject, heh. Under the cut for length and possible unpopular opinions.

Okay, first and foremost: Overall, I really liked it. The writing generally remains some of the best on TV, the acting is phenomenal, and as usual with Starz’ historical dramas these days, the production value is jaw-dropping. The sets, costumes, ships, etc are all just so real, and it definitely set up well for Treasure Island. It finished off its narrative arcs cleanly (or mostly so) and it continues to provide some excellent meaty commentary on the nature of stories, who tells them, who remembers them (hums “Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story” because lbr, theme song of this whole show) and the roles we play in creating and managing and remembering our own. This show was (and remains) incredibly intelligent and complex and subversive, you have to pay attention to all of it or you’re going to miss important plot developments (and probably still be confused on a few points) and it’s otherwise not at all what you’d expect from the premise (and first few episodes). As I said, just overall really impressive on many levels. The final few episodes also had a very POTC feeling to them, with mysterious islands that nobody can find, ghost stories, swashbuckling sea battles, hidden treasure, and so forth, and that was a lot of fun.

That said: Time to deconstruct it!

My main issue with the second half of s4 was that they seemed to throw all constraints of time/space/travel out the window, especially when it involves the characters sailing long distances at sea over incredibly cramped time-frames. Possibly writing TDH has made me too well-informed in said matters, heh, but they’d have us believe that Jack sailed from Nassau to Philadelphia, back to Nassau, out to Skeleton Island, and then back to Philadelphia in what.... a week? It’s been hard to gauge a reliable timeline for the show, since they’re moving historical events around freely and playing fast and loose with the facts to tell a good story, but we have the Maroons arriving and Madi’s mother saying that pirates from as far away as Massachusetts (which made me briefly hopeful for a Sam cameo, I AM NOT GONNA LIE) have heard of the fall of Nassau and have come to fight. In what... again, a day or so? I realize it’s important to keep the plot moving, and that nobody is actually going to watch two weeks of Jack and Anne stuck on a ship on the way to Philadelphia (although lbr, it’s probably still amusing), but for a show that has prided itself on its gritty realism, it kept taking me out of the story because I was all, NO WAY THEY’RE THERE ALREADY. WAIT. WHAT. THEY’RE BACK AGAIN? OKAY THEN.

(Aka, every historical/historical fantasy show has to contend with the fact that they need to get characters/news to places faster than historically accurate transport can actually take them, so things get compressed and skimmed over and squashed together, etc. It wasn’t enough to ruin anything for me, but I did keep noticing it, so yeah.)

My other issue was the involvement of the Spanish. Once again, I understand the narrative choice behind the decision: they needed a wild card/way to shake things up/break the standoff between the English forces and the pirates, and re-change the balance of power on Nassau. However (and I feel like they were aware of it and tried to finesse it to some degree in the narrative) are we really supposed to buy that the Spanish hate pirates just that bit more than they hate Rogers, agree to sail to Nassau, sack the place good, and then.... pack up and leave, never to be seen again or to have any further involvement with trying to reclaim the Urca gold (which would at least be a full-circle thing)? Within the span of an episode? I feel like the writers needed the shakeup, and to obviously provide an impetus for Rogers’ poor decisions to blow up in his face, but they knew they didn’t have time to adequately deal with the outcome, so we had the Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition and then poof, gone. This connects to the other sense I had, which was that they knew they had to wrap things up for the final season and find a way to stop a full-out war from happening, so the Spanish had to disappear after their use as a one-off shit-stirring device, the Maroons and the pirates and the English had to hastily make treaties to avoid said war, and despite a few really excellent action scenes, it still felt, idk, a bit... anti-climactic? As if they wanted a relatively happy ending for these characters (which is understandable) but didn’t have time to play everything out, so it just got compressed and a bit watered down.

Speaking of characters...

I love that the show has such intensive character studies/conversations/setpieces. However, I also feel as if the pacing ended up being a bit off as a result. We kept having long, multi-minute scenes of just two characters talking to each other (and again, exchanging important information in most cases, so you can’t really tune out), followed by a brief action scene, usually followed by yet another long dialogue scene. It’s always enjoyable to see the acting chops on display (I mean, these are not easy scenes to work through and require a lot of line memorization and facial nuance and other skill), but at several points I was wondering when everyone was going to stop talking and get back to the issues at hand -- as noted, if they’d cut some of the talking and focused on solving their plot problems, it could have flowed somewhat more smoothly. It felt as if they went too often to the well of “flashback followed by voiceover explaining plot twist” and had to TELL us information rather than SHOW us. Which again, it’s a good problem to have when your narrative is rich and complex and intelligent and has a lot of moving pieces, but again, everything could just be a bit, well, tighter. At least, that was the overall impression I was left with.

I was successfully kept on pins and needles over Madi’s fate (I had a few choice words when it looked like she was dead) and I hope she and Silver do end up together (I think it’s implied she does come back to him at the end) because I really like that relationship for both of them. It added a bit of selflessness and sympathy to Silver’s otherwise completely self-interested character, as did the scene where Flint presses him to explain his past and he doesn’t; we can tell he simply wants to forget everything that existed before Long John Silver (and I love how both that persona and “Captain Flint” were treated and twisted as distinct narrative entities for both characters) and that his life has probably been incredibly tragic too. He’s just dealt with it differently than Flint (which again, fits with them well as each other’s foils/yin and yang.) Their conversations/one-on-one faceoffs were some powerhouse acting from both Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold, and I appreciated the way things came full circle between them/to the logical end, but with a twist and with callbacks to their relationship in the pilot (as well as Silver finding the cook belowdecks). Madi is also generally a queen of everything and I love that she, a dark-skinned African woman, was made a central love interest and given emotional and narrative power/sympathy in her own right, and that the subject of slavery and her telling off Rogers to his face remained front and center. The show has always been so good with that (and LGBT representation, to the point where it’s a shorter list to think of who ISN’T LGBT than who is) and I really appreciated that.

On the subject of Rogers: Luke Roberts did an incredibly good job. Like damn. You can see the anger and insanity and grief rising and rising in him, but he’s almost scarier because it never breaks the dam entirely, because he’s always (almost always) self-controlled and dangerously calm and driven to do whatever he has to, and yet has no qualms with absolutely anything that is going to take. I was yelling at him for being the worst (and as noting, side-eyeing the decision to involve the Spanish both on a story and a meta level), and rooting for him to get his just desserts, but also genuinely being scared of him and respecting that he was good at what he was doing. You’re aware that he CAN hurt/kill/otherwise cause serious problems for our faves, and you’ve seen him do it, sometimes in gruesome detail. So yes, he served as an effective villain. You never could relax with him on screen, or be quite sure which way he was going next.

As for him and Eleanor, I’m still not entirely sure what to take away from that. I never bought that she genuinely loved him, as Eleanor is way too selfish to do anything, even a relationship, without personal benefit, and she got together with him in the first place as an alternative to incarceration/hanging. Even Flint questions whether her relationship with Rogers is somehow different from all the men she’s bragging about overcoming. Eleanor’s motives/nuances remained opaque until the end -- I believe that she wanted to rule Nassau again, and that she wanted to survive (hence the sad irony in her fate: that everything she did and everyone she sold out trying to save her neck led to her dying anyway) and that she saw in Rogers a way to do it. Likewise, I think he loved the idea of controlling Nassau through her more than her, and that it was easy for both of them to attach their feelings about ruling/controlling this place to the person of the other, to the point where even they might have been fooled/willing to believe it was true (if somewhat twisted) love. Hence as well why neither of them ended up in charge of it, she died, and he was ruined by his wife’s family, but not the wife he expected.

Jack and Anne were, as usual, fab, though as noted, their Super Speed Ship Travel had me side-eyeing hard. I noticed that their story, at least for now, ended far more happily than it does in history. Glad that Max got the chance to come out on top (I never ended up fully connecting to her as a character, but she’s definitely a BAMF).

Billy.... damn. Talk about a 180. Going from the man willing to do anything to keep your crewmates safe from Flint, to shooting them down in the water aboard a boat full of redcoats? Not cool, bro. Not. Cool. (Though I did enjoy the final face-off between him and Flint on the yards.) When that’s contrasted with Flint giving orders to make sure everyone is evacuated from Nassau and nobody is left behind, it strikes you how much they’ve changed places and how Billy has become objectively no better -- indeed, possibly worse -- than Flint, and doesn’t even have Flint’s self-awareness to know it. He has gone down a road by himself, by choice, and which fits fairly well with his upcoming role in Treasure Island/estrangement from the others (real talk, how does he get off?) but which made him pretty hard to root for by the end. I also think it’s no accident that he got paired with Rogers. Both characters are convinced they are acting for a greater good on their respective sides, but both are willing to do anything to achieve it, stubborn and independent to a fault, and unwilling to take any responsibility for their mistakes.

And okay, so... Flint.

He is my favorite and as such, I’ve had to save him for last, since I probably have the most thoughts/investment on the end of his story. In a nutshell: I have mixed feelings. I was convinced that he was going to die for most of the season, so I am obviously happy that he got some measure of solace/happiness/reunion at the end. However, I am also not sure that it wouldn’t have worked better for him to die, or at least leave his fate more open-ended. Hint that Silver wasn’t telling the whole story and that Flint was still alive, but for it to remain ambiguous where he went or what he did or why.

This obviously is a strange place to be for my favorite, but after a season of fairly hard-hitting emotional moments/notes and some pretty bloody action, I almost feel like they chickened out of killing Flint at the end and wanted to give him some happiness instead -- aka, an unexpectedly sunny “Everyone Lives!”-type finale for what has been a pretty dark show. Which again -- I have no problem with, because heaven knows the man deserves some happiness, but I still found myself vaguely unsatisfied with how it was pulled off. See above for my feelings on how well they dealt with the legends/personas of “Long John Silver” and “Captain Flint” in their own right, and I did appreciate that the end of season 2 (Flint wants to leave it behind and settle down with Miranda, but she’s killed) was paralleled with the end of season 4 (Flint does get a chance to leave it behind/is reunited with Thomas). However, on a narrative level, this... doesn’t quite work for me, because Thomas was never built up on-screen to be a character capable of carrying this emotional weight. We saw him only in a few season 2 flashbacks. We saw a bit of his and Flint’s relationship and how that backfired, but all we ever really knew about Thomas mattering to Flint was that we were told he did. We cared about Thomas because we cared about Flint and Miranda, but there was never really enough for him to become any more than a motivating/backstory figure in Flint’s own story.

Hence, I feel as if Thomas worked better as such (a backstory figure) rather than as Flint’s presumably somewhat-happy ending. Yes, I am a diehard Flint/Miranda shipper, but I was more invested in Flint and Miranda’s relationship because of all the time the narrative spent on making me care about it. We saw them together for two seasons. We saw their arguments, their disagreements, their tender moments (”I was hoping to have you all to myself for a few days”/”I recognize you, do you recognize me?” will never not kill me). We saw Miranda fighting to be with Flint and reminding him that she has been loyal and devoted to him for ten years, and him finally accepting that and letting her come with him to Charlestown and the two of them planning to make their home together and leave piracy behind... only for, yeah, welp, noooo. We saw Miranda’s relationships with other characters and we saw her own struggle in how exile had changed her and the sacrifices she had made for allowing Flint and Thomas to be together and the blame she took for the scandal. We had Flint wanting to die and be with her and his flashbacks/dreams of her for half of season 3, and him even saying that this was worse than losing Thomas (”But you... I am ruined over you.”) In other words, I was invested in them because the show spent so much time making sure that I was. I cried out loud when Flint compared Silver’s apparent loss of Madi (the woman he was willing to give up the war for/wanted to be his wife) to his own loss of Miranda. Flint and Miranda were both real characters in their own right, and Thomas just by nature of his role in the story was someone that they had lost and whose memory they still honored. To pluck him out and make him alive again seems a bit, well, pat.

Don’t get me wrong, my super bi ass is definitely incredibly appreciative that Flint, a bi character who has had two great loves in his life (Thomas and Miranda) ended up with his same-gender partner, and that they got to be reunited on screen. But I also feel as if the most poignant and fitting end for his story would either for him to explicitly die, and for his reunion with both Thomas and Miranda to take place in the afterlife (I so wanted that scene of the three of them together again/Thomas and Miranda being there to finally bring Flint back to them) or for his fate to not be spelled out, as it is in Treasure Island. I.e., for it to be pretty clear that Silver didn’t kill him and let him go, but for us not to know where he went or why, and that is why the legend remains and lives on. That way they can have the symmetry of him letting the persona of Flint “go back to the sea,” and to also keep the tragedy and romance and true loss of his story. He HAS changed forever in being Flint. He can’t give that up, he can’t wake from his nightmare. He’s lost everything and everyone (including his ship, poor Walrus). The ending with Thomas was nice enough, but again, I don’t care that much about Thomas in his own right, because the narrative never spent time on making me do that. I am happy FOR Flint because I love him and I know it’s what he would have wanted, but I don’t feel the gut-wrenching relief/sadness/cry-for-days-but-love it that I would have with Flint dying and finally getting to be with both Thomas AND Miranda again, and for us to see them once more as a threesome and a whole. Again, I feel like they ducked out of bringing Flint’s story to a sadder and arguably more fitting end, and while I can’t argue with my fave getting to live, yeah.

Anyway! Damn. That was a long-ass meta. As I said, overall I did like it very much, I certainly had feelings, and the rest of the show was generally so well-written that I can forgive them some pacing and plot hiccups here and there in this season. As I said, this is absolutely one of the smartest and most subversive and diverse shows on TV, and I am sorry to see it end. I would watch the shit out of Treasure Island if they do it (as I think they were kicking around). I just wish they could have hit some even more powerful notes in a few places. But thanks for the great adventure.

#hilary for ts #black sails #black sails spoilers #black sails meta #captain flint #flint x miranda #silver x madi

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