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robinofgothamcity · 3 years

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♡ scenario: you meet roy harper for the first time

♡ pairing: roy harper ( arsenal ) x fem! reader

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / look, finally a fic that doesn't have anything to do with the Super family LMAOOO. i was listening to fun by coldplay and tove lo while writing this fic so it kinda goes based off that song in a way.

you were a successful adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne. you went to college, graduated, got a job in your fathers company, and helped with vigilante work on the side. not to toot your own horn but although you had the privilege of your dad being the Bruce Wayne, you were living a lot more comfortably than people your age.

"coming down to the manor for brunch tomorrow? your brothers are attending it," Bruce asked he put a few things away into his bag. you nodded excitedly, "I'm actually crashing at your place tonight. don't really feel like going home and having to drive all the back up to uptown Gotham tomorrow in the morning," you explained. Bruce shook his head before murmuring that he was heading home.

you still had a few things to put back in files before going back to the manor. you really didn't want to have to do it first thing Monday morning so you walked back to your office, blaring some music in your headphones while you got the filing done. this was the first weekend in what felt like years that all of your siblings were attending brunch. someone was always missing and that usually happened to be Jason. your favorite brother.

"what're we doing here again?" Roy asked Jason as the two of them walked inside of Wayne Enterprises. Jason rolled his eyes, "I have to talk to the bat about something and I don't wanna wait till tomorrow."

Jason walked right in, not bothering to even get an ID checked as the front workers knew all of the Wayne kids by heart. he and Roy made their way to the top floor, passing yours in the process before barging inside. the office was dead silent as the only noise coming in was from the clocks in the hallways. Jason rolled his eyes before going down the hall and reaching your office.

your front door had your name on a gold plate. he always felt a bit envious that you, Tim, and even Damian already had their foot inside of the WE business. he didn't want to work a regular nine to five like all of you did but he did envy that small bit of normalcy you had. outside of the vigilante business, you were a normal person with their life together. he just always wondered why you hadn't brought anyone home yet. you did have your few share of high school boyfriends but nothing that screamed marriage or settling down.

Jason opened the door to see you singing into your phone as you put files into a manila folder. Roy had never met his best friends sister. sure he had heard stories about you from Jason but there was no face to the stories. the two of them chuckled at the way you were dancing as you still hadn't realized that you were being watched.

"ahem!" Jason practically screamed. you felt yourself jump at least fifty feet in the air as you heard the clearing of someones throat. you whipped your head around and nearly felt yourself want to punch Jason for scaring you that way, "fuck you, Todd. at least knock before scaring the shit out of me," you yelled, a few of your coworkers pulling their head inside of your office to make sure their bosses daughter was okay.

you turned to Roy and smiled, "oh, nice to meet you Roy," you said, pulling your hand out for him to shake. Roy's eyebrows fluttered in confusion as he wondered how you knew him, "it's my job to know who my brothers are friends with plus, my dad doesn't really know how to keep his computers closed," you added on.

"speaking of your dad, where's Bruce?" he asked. you jiggled your car keys, "on his way home. I had to stay back to put back a few files but he should be home by now if you wanted to talk to him," you explained. Jason nodded as Roy pulled his head out of the clouds, "so, why is it that this is the first time I'm meeting you?" Roy asked, placing himself in front of your brother.

you giggled, "I work in the vigilante business but I don't actually fight. why? do you think I'm cute or something?" you asked, not really caring that you were full on flirting with Roy. Jason stared at you and Roy with absolute disgust, "if you're going to flirt with my sister and vice versa, at least have the common decency to do it while I'm not here," he said through fake gags.

Jason grabbed Roy by the hair and dragged him out of the office, "see you tomorrow at brunch," you waved bye to Roy who tried to pull himself back to the office to say goodbye but Jason quickly pulled him away from the door again to make sure that he didn't have to hear your flirting with Roy.

the night crawled in as you had made it inside of the manor and up to your childhood bedroom. you were a bit disappointed to see that Roy hadn't shown up with Jason when he finally arrived. you had heard of his past from Bruce. his fight with addiction and the situation with his daughter Lian. you knew Roy had it rough but that didn't take away from his looks or his seemingly funny personality.

you were playing on your phone, scrolling through Jason's social media to see if maybe Roy had some kind of account somewhere but much to your dismay, you couldn't find any trace of Roy on any app. that was until you heard a tapping of rocks at your door. you grabbed one of Damian's katanas's and braced yourself to fight.

"Roy?" you whisper-yelled as you saw the familiar red hair. he gave you the shit eating grin as he motioned you to come down, "are you insane? I'll kill myself if I jump," you exclaimed. he waved you off, "not if I catch you! I felt like your brother was cock blocking us today," he replied. you couldn't help but laugh. it had been years since you've snuck away but thankfully, Alfred had kept the small ladder next to your room so you could crawl back inside when you were done talking with Roy.

you pulled yourself onto the ledge of the window before jumping down. you felt the embrace of Roy's arms on your upper body as he laughed, "told ya I'd catch you!" he said as he placed you back on the ground. you shook your head dismissively, "well, you got me down so what're your plans with me?" you asked, realizing that it was colder than you had expected.

"Wayne Manor has a Burger King near here so I'm figuring like midnight food run?" he asked, shaking his wallet. you agreed as the two of you walked away and jumping the Wayne Manor fence. "Jason would kill you if he knew you snuck me out of my house," you laughed as Roy shrugged, "Jason wants to kill me for something every week, what else is new."

you knew the Burger King was a bit farther down the road but with Roy keeping the conversation light hearted and playful, it felt like only a few mere minutes. "so, what did you mean by you working in the vigilante business but not actually fighting?" Roy asked. "I help Bruce and Damian locations and coordinates when they're on patrol. I'll even help Dick and Tim when they need it," you explained.

Roy nodded, a bit disappointed that you hardly worked with Jason. he could get used to seeing you around. maybe even settling his crazy ass down if you could. "do you think you'd ever work with the Outlaws?" he asked, playing with his fingers. you shrugged, "Jason never asks for my help. he claims he doesn't want his favorite sister being tainted with the gruesome work y'all do," Roy couldn't help but agree. the work Jason and the Outlaws did was a lot different compared to what Batman and his Gotham family did and he doubted that you have seen any kind of bloodshed the way they have.

"I guess your brother maybe has a point," Roy responded as the two of you saw the huge Burger King sign coming your way. for knowing Roy for only a few hours, the two of you got along great, "not really. it's not like I haven't seen bloodshed before. seeing your parents getting shot in the head really traumatizes someone," you half joked. Roy stared at you, mortified, "okay...maybe Jaybird doesn't haven't a point," he tried to say without sounding insensitive.

you both entered the building and quickly ordered piles of food, much to the dismay of the workers. you figured since no one was inside of the building, you could eat inside rather than on the sidewalk. after you got handed the food, you and Roy sat at the table farthest from the workers and dug into it, "if I had known Jay had a very cute sister, I would have stopped by a long time ago," Roy joked.

"I mean, what's stopping you now?" you playfully said, giving the red head a wink.

the following morning, you had the pleasure of being waken up to Damian and Tim arguing from his bedroom as you tried to catch even a few more minutes of sleep. you didn't get back inside of your room until the crack of dawn and had told Roy to crash in your room for the night but he ultimately refused, saying he'd try to catch you tomorrow or even Monday after your shift ended.

Roy hadn't had a night like that in what felt like forever. he had constant karma with bullshit hitting him left and right and for the first time, being with you felt like nothing was wrong. the last time he had felt true happiness like this was when he finally had Lian. his only problem was that he felt like he didn't deserve you.

you had your life together, you weren't constantly running from the police, and that was something Roy wasn't but he couldn't shake you off.

"why the fuck did you get in so late?" Jason asked Roy as he could see the small under bags beneath his eyes. Roy bit his lip, not replying as he texted you back, "on a date," was all he managed to murmur before going back to his room. Jason gave his friend a look, shrugging him off before going to his cycle.

by the time he arrived, you were dragging yourself down the stairs, your eyes locked on your phone as Alfred set everything down on the table. "what's so entertaining?" Dick asked, peering over your phone to see who it was you were texting. before you could even try and cover it, Dick stared at you, surprised, "really? HIM?" he exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

"wait, who?" Tim asked, suddenly interested. you instantly tackled Dick down as Cass took the chance to grab your phone. you pushed Dick off and ran towards Cass who then handed the phone to Damian, "don't you dare say a word you gremlin," you threatened, trying to snatch your phone. Damian gave you a smirk as he cleared his throat, "it's the one and only Roy Harper!" he yelled.

Cass and Steph stared at you, shock written across their face as Dick, Tim, and even Bruce stared at Jason right away. if you were properly trained enough, you would have grabbed Damian by his stubby legs and dragged him away but much to your dismay, you weren't, "no wonder Roy wouldn't stop looking at his phone this morning," Jason replied. you tried to hide your face as they all questioned you over brunch but nothing stopped them. even Alfred tried wrangling them in a few times but they couldn't fathom that the token Wayne sister was dating someone far out his league.

Roy on the other hand shrugged in relief. at least that beat having to tell Jason later on. all he feared was having to face Jason later today but you had messaged him, telling him you were heading back to your apartment after brunch if he wanted to stop by for dinner.

as you were getting ready to leave, Jason saw the way you were constantly laughing down at your phone. he had no idea that Roy had that much of an affect in such a little time that the two of you were together but maybe it was a good thing that Jason didn't know about the little hangout you and Roy went on last night. it would save you a lot of time than having to explain it to them.

you got out of your dads house, screaming to him that you'd see him on Monday as Jason followed behind you, "were you ever going to tell me?" he asked as he watched you get into your car. you smiled, a bit nervously, "I wasn't but Roy was," with that, you quickly started your car as you left a very uninterested Jason in the parking lot. you figured that if you and Roy got farther into a friendship that turned into a relationship, you'd make him do the talking to everyone.

Roy was waiting outside of your apartment building, in absolute awe of the place that you called home. he was holding a few grocery bags, claiming he wanted to help you out with making food but you knew that Roy did not look like the type to know how to cook...at all. it made you wonder how he even did it with Lian when she got hungry or if they just constantly went out to eat.

"so was your brother mad?" Roy asked, as he stared at your very lavish apartment. you shrugged, "not really? he was just surprised that we got along so well for the few minutes we were around each other," Roy laughed, "so you didn't tell him about last night?" he asked, playing with your hand softly.

"he'd murder you then me if he found out you snuck me out last night," he agreed knowing that Kori would probably have to be the one to break up the fight if Jason found out his favorite sister snuck out to meet his best friend, "well, what he won't know won't kill him," you winked as you headed towards the kitchen to start on a few preparations for dinner.

Jason had the gut feeling that since Roy wasn't home, he had probably snuck away early enough to make it to your place before he got home. Jason didn't mind the fact that you were seeing Roy, a part of him was glad that he met someone that could keep him grounded but that didn't mean that he was going to let Roy go off easy. hell, you were still his little sister.

"really? you snuck all of us out to see if Roy was with ( your name )," Damian asked as Dick agreed. Jason shushed them as he took out his binoculars. he just wanted to confirm his feeling before leaving, "he's with her," Jason murmured, seeing the way you and Roy were sitting down on your couch, laughing about something as Roy was holding you onto his side.

Dick and Damian stayed quiet as they watched Jason continue to peek into your apartment. they had no idea what he was thinking but they knew he wasn't as mad as they thought he would've been. maybe this wasn't a bad thing after all?

#dc x reader #dc imagine #dc comics #dc #roy harper #roy harper imagine #roy harper x reader #arsenal #arsenal imagine #arsenal x reader #red arrow #speedy

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doctolka · 3 years

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The Council of Dembirom

::: This is one of the chapters from my WIP, that I wrote the other day... it'd be nice if people could read through and give feedback... but if you don't feel like it, I do hope you enjoy it :::

A Guide to my world building...

Indistinct voices rebounded off the walls as they approached the council chambers. Vevien had found her knight, and the two walked just ahead of Edlaise, arm-in-arm.

While she did not envy them their attraction—to put it mildly—but she did think it had a time and a place. The fact that her consort was a Menatan was no help. It would be far better, and far more proper, for her to chose a member of their own race.

But, you do have to admit he’s a damn fine warrior, she told herself, watching the large man walk, dwarfing her sister. Yes. He was a good fighter. He didn’t use modern Elatan techniques, so when he fought it seemed foreign, and poor quality. But it certainly got results.

It would do them credit to have two of the fiercest warriors on their side of the argument—and the added benefit or royalty.

“Listen here, Locraou! We don’t need that. It would just see the womenfolk killed and the men demoralized! There’s no need for an army, and most certainly no need for it to incorporate—”

“Ahem,” Vevien cleared her throat. Always proper, she was. Never wanted to get an ill-gotten gain over her political opponents. Even if it would save everyone involved a great deal of time and trouble.

“Ah. Princess Vevien, Sir Halifax. Lady Edlaise. Won’t you come in? We were just thinking of getting started without you,” Tuvaulle said, standing and bowing. The rest of their allies, Montre, Libua, Selette and Jacques followed suit. Their opposition remained dutifully seated, frozen under Bedour’s sharp glare.

“It seems to as though you had already started without us, Mr. Tuvaulle,” Halifax said, helping Vevien into her seat. He knew to allow Edlaise to seat herself, thank you very much.

“Listen here, Menat,” Bedour scowled, “you are a guest, and so have no place here but by our leave. You will hold a civilized tongue or you shall be dismissed!”

“Oh, leave off Bedour,” Edlaise said, cutting of Halifax’s reply, “He was stating a simple fact, based on a simple observation! If you take such offense to fact, then perhaps you would like to explain something that does not offend you, such as the fairyland you live in, in which we do not need a standing army to defend ourselves.”

“I—”

“Enough, the both of you!” Tuvaulle interjected, cutting of the beet-faced Bedour. “This is not our business here today, to call names at each other! That’s what we did all last cycle, and I tire of it. As moderator of this session of the Council of Dembirom, I move that we review the arguments on the topic of the defensive army, and of the power of the crown over said army, and then come to a vote. Mr. Bedour, since you are currently the offended party, would you like to begin?”

“I would indeed, Mr. Moderator,” Bedour said coolly, collecting himself as his face bled down to its usual brown.

“Ahem. As you all know, Dembirom has not had a standing army since our grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather’s time. It has been over a quarter a millennium since last we had need of an armed force besides our own city guard, which is perfectly capable of defending even our most remote of settlements from the predations of the lawless and of wolves. It goes without saying, therefore, that we really have no need of an army, of a military, because we have no one to wage war against, and no one who is waging war against us!

“So why does the most recent generation of the royal family demand, incessantly, that we have grave need of a large force of armed men, who will obey only them? I mean not to sound concerned, gentlemen,” he said, pointedly ignoring the three women in the room, “that the royal family seeks to disband this great council of justice and fair law! I do not mean that in the slightest, since we all know the royals are such firm, just people, with no ulterior motives given into their heads by foreigners! But if someone were to—say—dupe the royal family, through criminal wiles and snake-like charm, why, they could gain control very easily of new army, answerable only to the king or queen, or prince or princess, and turn them against us! Why, such a person could weaken us considerably by disbanding this council by force, and open the way for greedy, foreign dictators to thrust their way into this grand city of light, and desecrate our way of life!

“I mean not to sound hysterical, friends. I beg that you do not take me for some lunatic for my very real fears. But I do fear. I fear what it might mean for us, for our people, if the army is used as a mechanism to displace us! I worry, true, about foreign invasions! But do not let lies of Other-Kin and tales of Twisted Children within the borders of this vale reach your ears! They are mechanisms by which a foreign power might seek to placate us, make us think that we must raise an army for the crown to defend our lands, to deal with this non-existent threat!

“Please, gentlemen. I beg of you. Do not allow this Menatan spy to harry your ears with tales of dangerous monsters from children’s stories. The real danger, the very real danger, is that this man gets an army raised which he can swiftly swoop in to control. He seeks a coup with our own people. He seeks to subjugate us to endless years of slavery under the grip of the cruel Menatan kings. We must not give in. We must not allow our people to suffer.

“That is my plea, good gentlemen,” he said softly, burying his face dramatically in his hands, “I pray to Alimis that what I say does not come to pass….”

“Thank you, Mr. Bedour. Do you cede the floor?”

“I do.”

“Very good. Princess, do you care to submit your claim?”

“I do, Mr. Moderator,” Vevien stated slowly, “but first I would like to call witnesses. Sir Jason Halifax, Knight of the Cloud?”

“That is… acceptable,” Tuvaulle said as the knight took to his feet, Bedour mouthing obscenities. “Sir Knight, do you swear to give not false testimony, upon your honor as a knight and a gentleman?”

“I do, Mr. Moderator.”

“Very good, then. We will hear your story.”

“Thank you, Mr. Moderator, Council of Dembirom,” he started, “I am no eloquent speaker. I am no politician, seeking to do with slight of words that which I cannot do with slight of hand. I would like to state, before I begin my testimony, that I detest the slander which the Honorable Mr. Bedour has lain against me, and were I in a Menatan Kingdom I would ask for justice by the blade, for my honor is cleaner than a fresh slate.

“However, being not in a Menatan Kingdom, and perhaps being unfamiliar with the ways of the Esteemed Elatan people, I will forgive this slight, and pay it no heed. Now, onto my account.

“I arrived here, in this Vale of Dembirom nigh on one year ago, following the beckoning of our Lord, Alimis, king of the Sky and husband of the Earth. I was, you see, following in the footsteps of my ancestors, knights in their own right, who did strive to rid this world of the most vile of Other-Kin. I make no game of it, that I was in ill being at the time which I entered this valley of light. It had been several months of tracking this monster through the wilderness, herding it this way and that, trying to keep it away from Menatan settlements, and the homes of innocent Second Children.

“But imagine my surprise, when I reached the heights of this vale, and saw within the gleaming gemstone that is Dembirom, though I knew it not at the time. What I did know, however, was that before me lay a relic, which must not become sullied by the hands of violent Other-Kin, or extremist Second Children, or at worst a Twisted Child!

“And so I harried no more, but sought to end the foul beast which I was tracking. I am sure that many of you have heard this portion of the story before, and so I shall be brief in its accounting. The beast was, in fact, an ogre, with large, protruding teeth and a stubbed nose, spade ears and a balding scalp. It was several men high, and thrice the weight of a horse, and its hue was a wash-out violet.

“I came upon it as Alimis neared his apex, and as it drew close to your grand city, the many mirrors flashed out in divine light, blinding the creature. This is the moment which I took to strike. There is little honor to be had in striking a fellow man when he is blinded, or when he has fallen, but none—save for the foolhardy or cruel—would pass up such an opportunity when there may be a single innocent life yet to be spared.

“Our battle was furious, despite my advantages—my blade was sharp, my plate and will rock-solid, and not to mention my clear vision. The brute was terribly strong, and its great, sweeping blows rent my armor in places. My ribs, I will freely admit, still ache from that day.

“But my conviction was sound, and though I took many a wound, I finally dismembered the beast, and fell to my knees in the bloodied snow, exhausted. And I felt that surely, this must be the end, for I was in no condition to make the long trek back to my fellow Menatans!

“But lo! Alimis was in a kindly mood, and looking down upon me, he sent out an angel, a woman who I took at first to be one of Aorynan, and she helped me to my feet, ignorant of the chill of the wind and the blood which fell from my rent armor, and she supported me as I entered this haven in the mountains.

“And here, I have remained since. I would not eschew such a grand debt to betray your people. I fear that such a notion would only occur to one who would. I cannot stress to you, most Honorable councilmen and women, the need for a large, well-trained military force, even if it is as small as a simple militia. For you were in luck that day that I arrived, and have been in luck since that these beasts have not returned. Or perhaps I should say, have not returned often.

“I urge you to consider this threat seriously, and my word seriously, though I be not one of you venerable subjects. I finish my accounting, and my plea, Mr. Moderator,” Halifax said, bowing sharply to Tuvaulle, “and I thank the Council for hearing it.”

“Very good, Sir Halifax. Thank you for your testimony,” Tuvaulle said, returning the bow in a short manner, “Princess Vevien, do you now wish to make you claim?”

“If it pleases you Mr. Moderator, I would like the council to hear another accounting, today.”

“This is most irregular, Princess. It would have been prudent of you to notify the council before your opposition made its claim known.”

“Prudent, perhaps, Mr. Moderator. But it also would have been prudent for the council to have waited until my arrival—and the arrival of my entourage—to begin their debating.”

“I… suppose that is amenable. Very well,” Tuvaulle said, with a twitch of his lip toward Vevien—he had to know their plan, now, “your second witness may make their testimony, should they take their vows to honesty”

“Thank you for you curtesy, Mr. Moderator. Lady Edlaise?”

“Of course, Princess. Good Lady, do you swear to hold to the truth on your honor as a Lady and representative of the Royal House?”

“I do, Mr. Moderator.”

“Very good. The council will now hear your testimony.”

“Thank you, Mr. Moderator, councilmembers. As you all know, I am the second-born of our king, Jon Lo’Bourelle, and so am free to pursue whichever career I deem fit, so long as the eldest of us lives.

“I have chosen, in no small part because I enjoy working actively to help our people directly, to pursue a warding career, to keep our borders free of all sorts of dangerous creatures, whether they be ordinary wolves or bears, or Other-Kin or even, dare I say, Twisted Children.

“These past cycles have seen to it that I have been increasingly busy, in this regard. Within the past cycle alone, I have killed six Other-Kin that have strayed into our borders. The first five of these were but Greatwolves—which are not beasts to laugh at—and I slew each of them, though it was no simple task.

“Today, I encounter the sixth of these intruding Other-Kin,” she continued. How many times had she rehearsed this speech in her head an in the mirror and to Vevien and Sir Halifax as they prepared for this meeting? It must have been at least a few hundred. “It was nota Greatwolf, much as I might wish that it was. No, this was not something so simple. Today, I slew an ogre.

“Now I see that some of you gawk, and mutter that a woman could never manage such a thing. In this you are wrong. I would gladly bring you to the corpse later, or send for it to be brought here immediately, if you wish. No? Are you certain? Very well.

“Here I must describe the beast for you. It was much as Sir Halifax has described his own ogre—it was quite large, of course, many times the bulk and weight of a bull, with large, flappy ears and tusk-like teeth which jutted from its jaw—but I must say that I would call its coloring more of a purple-gray.

“Regardless of the description of the beast, I fell upon it in the woods south of the village Giros with a swift array of arrows, which did enrage and confuse it. As it thrashed about in the copse, I jabbed at its face from the brush with my spear. I retreated when it finally saw me, smashing the bushes behind which I had hid with one great paw.

“I danced backward, unafraid of tripping—for I know that terrain well, it seems that is the general area that most of these monsters come from—and continued jabbing at its eyes, slipping about it as it charged my.

“I do believe that I managed to blind it—at least partially—before it managed to bat away my thrusting spear and disarm me. But I did still have my trusty sidearm, this arming sword you see here, and I closed on the beast as it clutched at its face.

“Quickly, I scampered up its frame, leaping from bent knee to the thing’s shoulder, where I took a mighty swing at its long neck, clutching my blade in both hands, and severed its spine with a sharp blow. I must admit that I may have been… hasty in my next actions.

“The beast had collapsed—surely dead—but I was afraid enough that I needed to be sure. So I—and I beg your pardon, councilmembers, for the vulgarity and goriness of this—hacked at its neck until the head departed the body, leaving but a long, ragged stump where once the head had sat.

“Now, unlike the Honorable Sir Halifax, I cannot verify where this monstrosity came from initially, nor can I claim that its intent was indeed to do damage to our people and property. But what I feel I must do is to implore you to take this threat seriously. I was not given this scratch be a child’s fairytale, after all!” she said, rolling up her sleeve and unwinding the bandage upon her arm, “and nor was my spear shattered, nor my armor damaged by one!

“The threat is dire, my friends. Currently, you only have two people who have survived a clash with a greater Other-Kin. Many are our friends and neighbors who have fallen prey to even the least of these abominations on a dark night! With an army—or as Sir Halifax suggested—a simple militia, we could secure our borders, and prevent anyone else from being caught unaware, alone and afraid in the night!

“I feel that it is but a small thing to ask. After all, were you not each elected to see to the best interests of you constituents? To see that they are safe? Unafraid? I urge you all to vote to confirm this movement. I, for one, would rather fight with a friend at my side.”

“…Have you completed your testament, Lady Edlaise?” Tuvaulle asked tentatively. She was known for dramatic pauses. I did that once!

“I have, Mr. Moderator. Thank you. Thank you, councilmembers,” she said, bowing slightly to both sides of the council as she took her seat.

“That was great, Edlaise!” Vevien whispered to her, “You should be the one in politics!”

“Princess Vevien? Do you wish to offer your own remarks?”

“All I wish to say, Mr. Moderator, is that any who do not see the truth in the stories of Sir Halifax and Lady Edlaise are blind fools, and that, despite whatever action they might take, these two exemplary individuals will continue to strive to keep them safe from any and all threats to their wellbeing.”

“Very well then, Princess Vevien,” he said, turning back to the court, “Now that these testaments and arguments of both registered sides have been heard, I must ask each of you to dismiss any attendants or witnesses to wait in the hall outside for the duration of the vote.”

:::

The hallway was perfectly silent as Edlaise waited with Halifax and the rest of the various scribes and advisors. No one so much as coughed, or wiped there nose. There was no sound emanating from the council chambers—the time of verbal debate was over. Now it was time for each member to come to their own decision. According to law, speaking during this time could potentially see the speaker’s vote nullified. Edlaise hoped that Bedour attempted to say something.

But he wouldn’t. As much as she disliked the man, and enjoyed insulting his intelligence, he was no idiot. He was the most important person in the coalition against the raising of an army, and he knew it.

Edlaise stared straight ahead as the rainbows filtering through the prism windows changed, stretching, thinning, rising up the wall as the sun began to sink toward the mountains. She stifled a yawn. When were they going to finish up? Surely it didn’t take hours to come to a decision!

A brief murmur from within the council chambers quieted her anxiety, or least, part of it. Would now the verdict be released? Would it be favorable? Had their statements swayed the unswayable?

“Ladies, gentlemen? If you would like to resume your seats?” Tuvaulle said, popping open one the the large double-doors. “I do believe that we have come to our conclusion. If you would bear witness…” he trailed off as the somber—yet contradictorily excited—crowd of courtiers filed into the chamber.

“Now then,” he resumed, “As you all know, today we met with the goal of deciding whether or not to raise a standing army, and if that was done, whether or not the king would have supreme control over the forces. Well, we have done so.

“Miss Cavette? If you would hand me the first ballot box? Thank you, dear. Now. I will proceed to open this box, and, as moderator, shall read out each declaration. I will be clear and concise in my wording so that there may be now confusion. I ask that each of you keep your own tallies regarding the number in favor of each clause, those being as follows: those against the raising of an armed force, and those for the raising of an armed force. I shall begin presently.

“In disfavor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In favor of a military…” Edlaise crept to the edge of her seat, keeping tally. So far, they were tied, “In disfavor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In favor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In disfavor of a military…. In favor of a military… and…. In favor of a military…” Edlaise almost leaped from her chair. The first part’s done with! Now to just get it away from the bureaucrats!

“By my own count, ladies and gentlemen, that comes to eleven in favor of raising an army, and ten against. Are there any objections?” he asked. There almost never were, especially when Tuvaulle was moderating—the man very rarely made a mistake. “No? Very good then. The second ballot box, if you please? Thank you, Miss Cavette.

“Now for the matter of who is to be in control of this newly levied military of ours, and who is responsible for determining its actions. I will ask that the members of the council place their slips into the ballot box as it comes about—you have all had much more than the requisite amount of time to decide, after all—and we will take the count presently.”

“You can’t do that, Tuvaulle!” Bedour shouted, standing abruptly with another of his flushed faces, “This goes against all protocol! I make a motion that Tuvaulle be replaced by an impartial moderator!”

“Motion noted, and rejected, Mr. Bedour,” Tuvaulle said coolly, turning toward him. “I did remind every member of this court of the time restraints upon the vote for each clause—which we exceeded by no less than two hours and twelve minutes, which in turn is forty-two minutes longer than was agreed upon. Therefore, we have already used the voting time for the second portion of the vote.”

“Well why didn’t you give warning!”

“Mr. Bedour. This is not a schoolhouse. You should not be in need of warnings to be able to tell the time. But if it would please you, perhaps the next vote could be upon whether or not to bring alarm clocks to our meetings in the future,” Tuvaulle said scathingly, “Now, hurry along with the ballot box.”

“I move that this vote be re-enacted!”

“Silence, Mr. Bedour! Once more and you shall not have a vote at all! Or need I remind you of the rules of voting, as well as the amount of time allotted for said voting?”

Bedour scowled, but sat down again, his round face a lovely shade of burgundy.

“Thank you, Mr. Bedour. It seems the box has reached you. Has every councilmember had his or her say? Yes? Very good.

“I shall count off in the same manner as before. The outcomes are clear, once again—pro-royal control or anti-royal control. If everyone would keep tally, so as not to waste time… thank you. Let us begin.

“Pro! Pro! Anti! Pro! Anti! Anti! Anti! Pro! Anti! Pro! Pro! Pro! Pro! Anti! Anti! Anti! Anti! Anti! Pro! Pro! And… Pro! I stand at eleven pro-royal command and ten against. Do I hear any objections to this count?”

“I—” Bedour started, raising his hand, but then stopped. Dissenting simply to attempt a forced recount could see the dissenter barred from voting on the next bill. And even if it was as simple as whether time keepers should be implemented, Bedour wasn’t the type to risk it. “No objection, Mr. Moderator,” he seethed.

“Very good then. Princess Vevien?” he said, turning to their coalition, “Would you like the honor of informing your father of his newest responsibility?”

“I would be honored, Mr. Tuvaulle,” she replied. Now that the voting was over, there was no need to be overly formal. “and I thank you for this honor.”

“Very well, I trust you to it. If you would also extend an invitation for him to come to our next engagement, the council will discuss the manner in which we shall levee the troops, and the limits to the power that the king shall have.”

“Of course I shall do so, Mr. Tuvaulle. And thank you, again,” Vevien said, rising to leave. Edlaise heard the strain in her voice, the readiness to be off and be done with this political wish-wash.

“Well?” Edlaise demanded as they left the chambers, “When do I get appointed Grand-General?”

“You don’t. That’s Father’s job. You can be a… private!”

“What? But that’s the literal lowest rank, right?” she gasped, feigning injury, “How could you do such a thing?”

“Come now, Lady Edlaise,” Sir Halifax said from his post behind them—what he called the ‘honor guard.’ From any of the lechers from the Council, she might have felt uncomfortable. Halifax was too honorable for such vulgarity. “Surely, since you are easily one of the best—if not the best—combatant Dembirom has to offer, you will see yourself attain at least sergeant! Of course, you will also likely spend your time training recruits…”

“What? No, I won’t! And I’ll stuff anyone who tries to make me!”

“Ha!” Vevien barked in a most un-princess-like fashion, “I’d like to see a pig like Bedour try to keep you out of the army!”

“I might just stuff that one, anyhow.”

“I might pay to see that. But come, Father is waiting.”

#my writing #writeblr #writersociety #wip #first draft #feedback appreciated

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krizaland · 5 years

Text

Magnet Chapter 2

Thank you all so much for your support! There’s still more to this story! So I’ll keep you posted! Until then, enjoy

CHAPTER

TWO!!

Here’s the song I used btw. First chapter

“Ahem!”

You and Zim’s joyful reunion was interrupted by Dib rudely clearing his throat.

“Dib!” Zim spat out his name like it was poison as he turned to face him.

“Wow, Zim you must really want to be on TV.” Dib flashed a smug grin as he folded his arms.

“This conversation doesn’t concern you! Go wallow in your Dib filth elsewhere.” Zim’s voice was an icy growl as he stood in front of you protectively.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll be more than happy to wallow in my ‘Dib filth’ in the Mysterious Mysteries studio!” Dib announced as he pushed past Zim and pulled you away.

Zim tried to pull you back but it was too late, Dib had already dragged you off again.

Tears poured down Zim’s cheeks as he watched Dib force you into the lunch room.

“I know the cryptic way they hide it. I see how they fake their affection.” Zim sang as he slowly rose to his feet.

“I’ve tried to understand everything. But I guess I’m just a hopeless fool.” Zim wiped away his tears.

“Dib thinks we’re nothing. That we weren’t anything. Just a basic test. An experiment.” Zim walked out of Skool and made his way to his base.

“I know it’s pointless. I know it’s worthless.” He went inside and dramatically threw off his disguise.

“But I won’t give up! I won’t surrender!” Zim climbed into his toilet and pulled the flushing cord.

“I won’t let him steal you from me!” He flushed into his lab and landed on his feet.

“I’ll save you! And then you will love me!” Zim begun to type away at his computer

“I won’t let you do this to yourself!” He put on a pair of goggles and a black body suit.

“I’ll save you! We’re perfect together!” Zim embraced a hologram of you before making his way to Dib’s house.

Once Zim made it to Dib’s house, he found Dib’s bedroom window.

SMASH!

Zim shattered the window, activated his spider legs, and snuck inside.

“I don’t get why they’re not listening. I am fighting an abandoned war.” Zim begun to rummage around Dib’s room.

“I tried showing them the way I feel. But I guess I’m just a hopeless fool.” He wiped away a few more tears.

“Dib thinks we’re nothing! That we weren’t anything! Just a basic test. An experiment.” Zim destroyed all of Dib’s security cameras.

“I know it’s pointless. I know it’s worthless.” He managed to come across a small safe.

“But I won’t give up. I won’t surrender!” Zim pulled out a laser pen from his PAK and zapped a hole into the safe.

“I won’t let him steal you from me!” He rummaged through the safe’s remains.

“I’ll save you! And then you will love me!” Zim had finally found Dib’s camera.

“I won’t let you do this to yourself!” He held the camera up high.

“I’ll save you! We’re perfect together!” Zim smashed the camera into the floor.

“You will see. It will finally be, just you and me! Till the end of the world!” He cackled as he crushed the camera with his spider legs.

“I want you!” Zim threw aside Dib’s chair.

“I deeply need you!” He shredded the wires to Dib’s computer.

“I won’t forget you!” Zim used his spider legs’ lasers to blast Dib’s computer to pieces.

“You’re my sanctuary!” Zim screeched as he punched a hole through Dib’s main computer monitor.

SMASH!

CRASH!

BASH!

Like dominos, Dib’s other computer monitors followed suit.

Soon Zim found himself standing in a pile of shattered screens and sparking wires.

“I won’t let him steal you from me…” A few more tears trickled down Zim’s cheeks as he took a second to catch his breath.

“I’ll save you! And then you will love me!” Zim cackled as he picked off the shards of glass stuck to his gloves.

“I won’t let you do this to yourself!” Zim crushed the remains of the camera once more for good measure.

“I’ll save you! We’re perfect together!” And with that, Zim climbed out the window and returned to his base.

Back at Skool, you were suffering through the worst lunch of your life.

“Are you ok, Y/N?” Dib asked as he took a bite of his food.

“Yeah…I’m just fine.” You grumbled as you hugged yourself.

“Really? Because you don’t seem fine.” Dib noted as he gave you a sympathetic look.

“I said I was fine! Just leave me alone!” You snapped as you turned your head away from him.

“C’mon, Y/N! Zim literally had you caged in! How could you be upset at me for rescuing you?!” Dib whined as he shot you a glare.

“You just don’t get it…” You sniffled as more tears streamed down your cheeks.

“What is there to get?! Y/N, you were in danger! What was I supposed to do?! Just stand there while that alien monster did..whatever it was he was trying to do to you?!” Dib defended as he failed his arms for a moment.

“I wasn’t in any danger, Dib! Zim is upset because you’re threatening his life! He would never hurt me because he actually loves me! Unlike you!” You sobbed as you got up and tried to walk away.

“Gah! Why do you keep believing his lies?! Zim can’t love you, Y/N! All he knows is hatred and destruction!” Dib growled as he grabbed your shoulders.

“Dib, he’s not lying! Why can’t you get it through that big head of yours that Zim has changed?!” You snarled as you slapped his hands off of you.

“Because he can’t change! Monsters like him can never change, Y/N! Never change! Can’t you see? Zim is manipulating you! He’s trying to twist your mind to make you do his evil bidding! Y/N, I’m trying to save you here!” Dib wailed as he grabbed your hands.

“The only one I need saving from is you!” You seethed as you snatched your hands away and turned to leave.

“So that’s it then? You’re just going to turn your back on my help? Just like that?” Dib’s voice went cold as he clenched your wrist.

You let out a gasp as you felt Dib’s cold hand pull you closer to him.

“Go on then, run back to that alien monster. Enjoy your last moments with Zim because once your dad sees these pictures, the next time you see him his Zim guts will be spewed all over an autopsy table.” Dib’s dark whisper burned the back of your ear.

You felt a shiver run down your spine as your heart skipped a beat. Your breathing grew shaky as more tears poured down your cheeks.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Go to him! If Zim loves you sooo much then he’d probably want to see you before he gets experimented on!” Dib mocked, his words dripped with venom.

“Ok! Ok! I’m sorry! I’ll stay with you!” You caved as you struggled to catch your breath.

“Good. I knew you’d make the right choice.” Dib grinned as he loosened his grip.

You finally managed to catch your breath but your tears continued to fall.

“Now, C’mon. Sit down and eat something. I don’t want you to starve.” Dib urged as he pulled you back down to the table

Some of the other Skool children whispered to each other as they watched watched the show.

You sniffled a bit before taking a bite of your food.

Dib sighed as he noticed how upset you were,

“Look, I know I was harsh back there but you didn’t leave me much of a choice. If you weren’t so stubborn, none of this would’ve happened.” Dib explained as he resumed eating.

You didn’t respond. Instead, you just continued your meal in silence.

“Trust me, Y/N. You’ll thank me for this!” Dib insisted as he took another bite of his food.

You sighed as you played with your food. You drew a crude picture of Dib’s face in your food and stabbed it with your fork before putting it into your mouth.

BRRRING!

The sweet shriek of the Skool’s bell put a temporary end to your nightmare.

“Aw man! Looks like we’re gonna have to get you something to eat later, Y/N.” Dib pouted as he got up.

Before you could respond, Dib grabbed your hand and lead you back to class.

You let out a sigh of relief when you made it too the classroom. You and Dib sat no where near each other, so you knew you could get some time away from him.

However, before Dib released you from his clutches,

SMOOCH!

He planted a large kiss on your cheek.

You froze up as your face burned redder than a stoplight.

Dib giggled and gave you a wink as he slithered to his desk.

You rapidly shook away the shock and stumbled to your own desk.

After wiping away Dib’s kiss, your mind went on autopilot. You rested your head on one of your hands as you gazed out the window.

Despite the light layer of grime that coated the window, you could still see out of it.

Two butterflies, one F/C and the other Dark pink, begun to flutter around each other. Your eyes followed them as they continued their playful dance.

You let out a sigh as you watched the show. Oh how you envied those butterflies! They got to relish in the sweet release of freedom, while you suffered in captivity.

Soon your eyelids grew heavy and you let out a soft yawn.

TAP!

Your eyelids popped open as you sat up straighter.

TAP!

You turned to face the source of the tapping and gasped.

There, standing behind the window without his disguise and F/C butterfly wings was none other than

“Zim?!”

“YES! IT IS I, ZIM! I have returned for you, sweet Y/N!” Zim sang as he pointed to the sky.

Your eyes lit up at the sight of your beloved boyfriend.

“Oh Zim! I’ve missed you so much!” You cried as you jumped out of your seat.

“I have missed you too! Which is why I have come to rescue you!” Zim explained as his wings fluttered excitedly.

Before you could say another word, Zim’s hand phased through the window and pulled you through it.

Your body shimmered for a moment as matching Dark pink butterfly wings emerged from your back.

You stretched out your wings and fluttered off the excess shimmer before flying into Zim’s arms.

Zim eagerly caught you and spun you around for a moment before pulling you into a passionate kiss.

Zim let out a growly moan as his tongue playfully wrestled with yours.

Your eyelids closed as you let him explore every inch of your mouth. Oh how you had missed him!

As much as you wanted the moment to last forever, you and Zim needed to part for air.

“I’ve missed you too, sweet Y/N.” Zim panted as he held you tightly.

You opened your mouth to speak but a loud distorted growl cut you off.

“Don’t think you can escape from me that easily, Y/N!”

You let out a gasp as a large Dib-shaped shadow burst through the window and grabbed your leg.

“Sweet Y/N, don’t let go!” Zim heaved as he pulled you with all of his might.

POP!

Zim managed to free you from the shadow’s clutches.

“Quickly, sweet Y/N! Fly away with me!” Zim urged as he grabbed your hand and flapped his wings.

Zim didn’t have to tell you twice! You quickly followed Zim’s lead as the two of you flew far, far away from the shadow.

The further the two of you flew, the smaller the shadow became. Soon the shadow was no more than a speck as Zim led you into the soft pink clouds.

“There! We’re safe now!” Zim panted as he released your hand

“Really?” Your wings fluttered anxiously as you spoke.

“Yes, really! The Dib-shadow is thousands of miles away from us now!” Zim insisted as he took one last glance behind him.

“Oh thank god! I thought he was gonna drag me away from you again! I thought-” Tears trickled down your cheeks.

“Shhh…It’s alright, sweet Y/N. We’re safe. The Dib-Shadow can’t hurt us anymore.” Zim reassured as he pulled you close.

You sniffled as you held him tight.

“I’m so happy to have you back, Zim.” You whispered as you savored his embrace.

“I’m happy to have you back too.” Zim’s wings fluttered as he gently kissed your forehead.

BRRRRING!!

Just like that Zim was blown away once more.

Your eyelids opened for real as the skool bell rudely interrupted your dream.

“Alright, class dismissed! Go home now!” Ms. Bitters commanded as she pointed to the door.

You groaned as you slowly got up and stretched for a moment before making your way towards the door.

“Had a good nap, Y/N?” Dib chirped as he rushed in front of you.

“Yeah. It was alright.” You grumbled as you rubbed your eyes.

“Well, I’m glad you got some sleep because we’re going to spend all night curing you of whatever alien brainwashing Zim did to you!” Dib smiled as he grabbed your hand.

“Gee, Dib. I would love to but I have so much homework to do. So I can’t hang out with you tonight!” You lied sweetly as you tried to pull your hand away.

“Nice try, Y/N but I already told your dad you’ll be doing your homework at my place! You’re not getting out of this that easily!” Dib chuckled as he tightened his grip.

“Ow! Ok! Just loosen up! You’re hurting me!” You snapped as you tried to pull your hand free.

“Sorry about that. Now, follow me! We’ve got a lot of work to do!” Dib sang dramatically as he dragged you to his house.

When you arrived at Dib’s house, you were greeted by Clembrane.

“Hello, son! Dawww! Is this that special friend you’re always talking so much about?!” Clembrane cooed as he bent down to get a better look at you.

“Quit it! You’re embarrassing me!” Dib whined as he tried to push Clembrane away.

“Aww! I’m sorry, honey! Here! I’ll make you both some special pudding to make up for it!” Clembrane sang as he rushed off to the kitchen.

“Heh. Sorry about Clembrane. He’s one of Zim’s experiments. We only keep him around because…Well, he won’t leave.” Dib explained as he lead you up the stair

“Really? So you’re letting one of Zim’s ‘evil’ experiments live with you and make you pudding?” You asked as you raised an eyebrow.

“Clembrane’s not evil! Anymore anyway! He turned on Zim! The only bad thing about him is his pudding now.” Dib whined as he turned to face you.

“Oh reeeally? How do you know he’s not gonna steal your organs or something?” You mocked as you wiggled your fingers.

“Because he’s too stupid to do anything like that! Look, Y/N! I know you’re still mad at me but leave Clembrane out of this. He’s not gonna hurt anybody because unlike Zim, he doesn’t want to! All he wants to do is make pudding! That’s it!” And with that, Dib opened his bedroom door.

The moment Dib set foot in his room, he let out a yelp and his jaw hit the floor.

His bedroom was in ruins! It looked like a category 5 hurricane had swept through it! There were sparking wires and shattered glass everywhere! His beloved computer was damaged beyond repair! There were holes in his chair and even his bed sheets! Even his charging wires had been uprooted!

But worst of all,

His safe had been destroyed

“Woah. What happened in here?” You gasped as you gazed upon the remains of his room.

You had to admit, you almost felt bad for Dib. He had one hell of a mess to clean up.

“Aw man! My camera!” Dib wailed as he cradled the remains of his camera.

Your eyes lit up the moment you heard those words.

“Yes! Now you can’t hold me hostage anymore!” You cheered as you turned to leave.

“Not so fast!” Dib snapped as he dropped the camera’s remains and grabbed your wrist.

“Hey! Let me go! Your camera’s destroyed! You can’t keep me trapped with you any longer!” You yelped as you tried to free yourself from Dib’s grip.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t be prepared for something like this did you? I already saved the pictures onto a special flash drive that I carry with me at all times!” Dib explained as he forced you to face him.

“What?! You can’t be serious!” You wailed as you shot him a glare.

“Oh but I am serious! See?! Here’s the proof!” Dib announced as he took the flash drive off from around his neck and waved it in your face.

You tried to snatch it out of his hands but he yanked it away from you.

“Nice try! But you’re not going to get away from me that easily!” Dib chuckled as he put the flash drive back on and hid it in his shirt.

“You jerk! You can’t let me be happy can you?!” You pouted as you folded your arms.

“Open your eyes, Y/N! Can’t you see that Zim probably did this?! He’s too destructive to be trusted!” Dib insisted as he pulled out his laptop.

“Shut up! Even if Zim did do this. he was probably just trying to get those pictures away from you!” You countered.

“Yeah! So he can keep brainwashing you!” Dib huffed as he typed away at his laptop.

You rolled your eyes but when you noticed that Dib was distracted, you decided to make a run for it anyway.

You bolted down the stairs and rushed back to your house.

You slammed the door shut behind you and caught your breath.

“Y/N? What are you doing home so early? I thought you were studying with your boyfriend today!” You dad asked as he fixed his hair in the mirror,

“Boyfriend?! Dib isn’t my boyfriend!” You snapped as you finally caught your breath.

“Aww, honey. You don’t need to deny your feelings. I remember being young and in love once too.” You dad cooed as he put a hand on your shoulder.

“Ugh. Look, Dib got really mad today and destroyed his room. So I had to come home.” You lied.

“What? But why would he do that?” Your dad gasped.

“Because…I wouldn't kiss him! I refused to kiss him so he threatened to hit me! I dodged his hand but he ended up punching a hole into his computers!” You continued to lie and hoped you sounded convincing.

“Dib tried to hit you?! Oh my god! Honey, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think such a nice boy would do such a thing!” You dad gasped as he pulled you into a hug.

“Dib’s not a nice boy! He’s a horrible person, Dad! He’s just horrible!” You sobbed as you returned the hug.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie. Why don’t you go upstairs, and I’ll get this sorted out with him.” Your dad offered as he gently released you.

“Ok but whatever you do, don’t believe anything he tells you! Dib threatened to tell everyone that I was brainwashed by aliens if I didn’t do what he said!” You knew that wasn’t too far from the truth.

“Really? Why would he threaten that?” You dad asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Because he’s just using me to get on TV!” You blubbered as you struggled to wipe away your tears.

“And here I thought he was truly interested in the paranormal! You think you know a person!” You dad sounded very betrayed as he put his hands on his hips.

“He doesn’t believe in the paranormal, Dad! He just makes stuff up for attention! He even fabricated fake pictures of an alien to show you! He’s just trying to get famous!” You ranted as you flailed your arms.

“I had no idea he was so devious! Don’t worry, honey. I’ll get this all sorted out.” You dad reassured as he patted your head.

“Please. Please Don’t believe him or his pictures.” You begged as you finally managed to dry your tears.

“Don’t worry, honey. I won’t let that terrible boy get away with this!” You dad insisted as he kissed your forehead.

“Thanks, dad! You’re the best!” You sniffled as you made your way back to your room.

You let out a sigh of relief as you went back to your room.

You flopped onto your bed and stared up at the ceiling.

“Oh thank god that worked. Now maybe I can get back together with Zim.” You smiled as you grabbed your pillow and held it close.

#invader zim #invader zim x reader #dib x reader #invader zim dib

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wheremytwinwatches · 4 years

Text

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 27

Last time: Awful ‘finale’ moments happened, the EEC count finally updated, and iTunes decided to be a jerk and leave me with an incomplete show in my videos tab for eternity. Onwards!

And we’re back, with Season Two/the next cour/however this crazy show is split up! We left off with some very annoying threads dangling (Ed/Ling/Envy crossing realities, Al and Greed about to meet The Big Bad, ect.), so let’s get to it! ...this is not the unresolved issues being resolved, this is a happy-go-lucky peasant bonfire. What does this have to do wit- BEARD! The Beard has been sighted, lurking on the fringes of the festivities. Is this where Papa Elric’s been hanging out after walking out (again) on his son all those episodes ago? What does he even do to pay the bills? (Besides being the ‘secret’ bad guy, I mean). GOOD, be sad and lonely as you sit over there, instead of being an actual father and oh my Leto who is this lady? Are you actually hooking up with someone else instead of taking care of… your… Pinako? I know that name… NO. PLEASE NO. AAAARGH IT’S BAD ENOUGH THAT WE’RE STUCK IN A FLASHBACK EPISODE BUT NOW BEARD IS GETTING PROPOSITIONED FOR DRINKS BY GRANNY ROCKBELL WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE’S SMILING NO NO NO DO NOT DO THIS TO MY SHIP LETO SAVE ME

*ahem* I apologize for that. Let’s move on. New intro! A metallic arm reaching up from a field of white flowers, funky guitar music as the title comes up and we see it’s Ed lying on his back looking sad before Angry!Ed comes back and he beats up a poor flower and gets back up. Now he’s facing Titan!Envy, Gluttony, big dude who I guess is Sloth, Wrath… wait, what? Why is… *gets up, pulls off and throws down headphones, rushes to Tephi’s room* “Tephi?! Why is Ling wearing black? Why is Ling standing next to the goths?!” “*shrug* You should keep watching and find out.” AAAAAAAHHHHH. Ed looks about as pissed as I am right now, rushes forward before getting the crap beaten out of him. Roy in a white coat? Another flashback to the Ishvalan Civil War? Now FIRE EVERYWHERE as someone stands above the ashes oh hey Mister Smiley, I remember you from when you murdered the family of the guy who’s Determinedly Frowning onscreen now, I sure hope he comes across you someday! Roy looks into a fire then camera pans to stand next to Hughes (whyyyy), having a staring contest with Bradley. Back to Titan!Envy as he gets a visit from Dentist!Al, a TC making a Philosopher’s Stone that’s eaten by some smug dude in a white suit and fedora (It’s after Labor Day, dude. Get with the program.) More flashes of the now-defunct-Conspiracy in their white Civil War outfits looking sad INCLUDING MUSTACHELESS THE MIGHTY ARMSTRONG CRYING HOW DARE YOU SIR and a flash of yup I got a glimpse of Father not being in shadow at this point, that is clearly Beard without his glasses. Joy. And then they drive the point home with an eye zoom that turns to Glasses!Beard looking at a picture (hmmm, I wonder what picture it is? /[sarcasm]) at a campfire. Now dude with gun arm, sunglasses guy, giant tank and HELLO who is this lady? She just waved her sword and lo, there was an explosion thanks to her tank. New Badass Lady character? Ok, she’s standing at the head of the two guys who just showed up and a bunch of other dudes in fur-collared coats. Oh, hold up! Way back when Ed was talking about the neighbors of Amestris, how up north across the mountains there was a place with a shaky non-aggression treaty with them. Please tell me our boys get their own army.

Now lots of screaming people and a poor horse getting eaten by Gluttony, Ed staring down the Gate of Truth, that terrible scene of him getting pulled away from his brother in the in-between place, Al fighting and getting grabbed by white hands, Ed snapping out of his daydream back in the field and again going to smash the ground… but pausing at the last second to spare the little white flower. Alright, a good intro! Plenty of interesting moments, I’ve got high hopes for this next stretch of episodes. Episode 27 - “Interlude Party” We’ve got the happy-go-lucky plucky string music playing as peasant couples dance around the bonfire and Pinako drinks with Beard in the shadows, making me cry at the terrible terrible implications for my poor ship and saying it’s nice to let loose every now and then. Beard just drinks in silence like the socially-awkward absentee father he is, so Pinako rambles about finding happiness whenever you can, especially in a war-hungry country like Amestris. Just take Ishval, for example... [Lust(?)]: “And no matter how many times it happens they never learn. The human race is made up of violent, miserable fools.” RIOT TIME! Hold on, isn’t this the town that the Goth’s drove crazy after Father Cornello turned out to be a false priest? Ok, now it’s Ishval with the cannons going off and the Blue Eyes marching in. Some dude’s remarking Ishval and Liore have been crazy lately oh hi Hughes! Hmm, looks like flashbacks to all the mentions of Amestris’ conflicts, Ed talking about skirmishes with “Aerugo to the south and Creta to the west” and there it is, the northern country of Drachma! Come on, hurry up and get moving north you kids, I wanna see more of our new Intro characters! Back to the bonfire, a little girl has run up and asked Beard to dance with her. Aw! But he says he’ll just sit there, Pinako needles him about being old until the little girl gives up on the lost cause. [Pinako]: “That girl, so bossy. Weren’t your two boys around her age? When they started planning to bring back their mom?” Wait, what? But- Hold up, I remember this scene of the boys sitting at the grave, didn’t they follow Little!Winry back home for supper right after that? I definitely remember the argument between Ed and Granny Rockbell over supper, and she was just a little bit older then. What’s going on here? Wow. You’re just gonna go “Nah, no point in trying to talk to the boys about committing the Ultimate Taboo to try and bring back their dead mom and my dead wife. More booze, please!”. Father of the Year, everyone! Yup, we are definitely in a recap episode now, presumably this came after a good gap between this and the last cour to remind everyone of all the happy, cheerful times this show has given us! Like Dismembered!Ed crying out over the loss of his younger brother, witnessing the brief existence of the Thing in the TC, and sacrificing his arm to make Al into Soul Armor. Scenes of the Elric Brothers seeking the Stone, discovering the damning secret ingredient for the Stone… the bonfire collapses and the music gets melancholy as Beard looks on. Uh, something’s up with the shadows… “It’s remarkable how weak they are.” Aha, fabricated memory or somesuch! I knew the timing was off with Pinako’s age, this is all some sort of internal dialogue in Beard’s head! My ship is still safe! Huzzah! Ok, so there’s a split between Beard and Father, is what I’m getting here. Beard is still sitting in his rumpled brown coat nursing some booze, while Father is standing with face partially out of camera in nicer clothes, chiding humanity for their weakness and talking about their “one good use as a natural resource”. Aaaand Beard’s glasses are opaque again, he’s back to being Evil. Mid-show cards of Van Hohenheim (still gonna call him Beard) and Pinako Rockbell. Back to flashbacks! Ed’s found the secret Stone-making TC under the Fifth Laboratory, that great fight scene between Ed and the Brother Armor (one of the funniest scenes, too), Ed swearing that he sees Soul Armors as being human too and swearing he will never take the life of another person, #48 about to spoil the plot before Lust shuts him up, Ed encountering Goths for the first time, sudden jump at mention of “important sacrifice” to Gluttony cheerfully taking Al to see Father, Bradley mentioning that Teacher might be a worthy candidate as well (boo!), Lust “killing” potential sacrifice Roy, and Marcoh himself in his cell. Now it’s Hughes… with his last discovery before the Goths silenced him. Marcoh saying his (and my) theory of turning the entire country into a TC like Mr. Freeze did back in Episode 1. [Pinako]: “You’ve always known about their plans, haven’t you? Well, Hohenheim?” Beard finally admits to- wait, what? [Beard]: “Even if I’d spoken up, warned them, it wouldn’t have changed anything.” What do you mean, “warned them”? Of course you wouldn’t warn them about your own scheme, what is Figment!Pinako talking about?

Beard is saying he’s watched humanity for a long time now (How long? And just how is Beard so long-lived? I get he created the Goths, or at least I thought so before Pinako’s line just now…), and he just sees them make the same mistakes again and again- uh, some of the dancers just bumped into each other and exploded, scattering blood on some very confused girls. [Beard]: “They’re so fragile… how could they not break?” Flashes of the Homunculii healing/hulking out, Gluttony going Gate, Bradley revealing his status to Greed as Wrath and kicking his butt, Roy getting tricked by Raven (jerk) to Bradley’s “so let’s discuss potential human sacrifices, my military officials” meeting, the first flashes of Father as Beard talks about how humans lack the strengths of the Goths, they can’t defend themselves. [Pinako]: “But that won’t make us give up. We will never give up!” You go, Mental Pinako! Kick his arguments to the curb! Ha! It’s working, Beard is admitting that it’s a human characteristic (flashes of Badass Roy killing Lust, Ed defying Greed and working out his weakness, Al arguing with Scar in defense of Alchemy, Scar’s brother protecting him from Mister Smiley’s attack and giving his own arm to save his life, Lan Fan giving up her own arm just to distract Wrath after Ling saved her life…) [Pinako]: “They can put us through hell, but it doesn’t matter! Nothing they can do will make us give up! And some day we will win!” Damnit, now Father’s in on the debate, Beard’s vanished for this argument. Father’s saying Pinako can’t change anything, everyone will die and she’ll be left with nothing. He says the only smart thing to do is grab what’s important and run away, suddenly he’s seized her and [Father]: “You act like you have a conscience, but you’re just being sentimental. Isn’t that right, Hohenheim?” Pinako!Mask removed to show Beard, not very happy with this new development. [Father]: “You think you can change things? You honestly believe one act of caring will make you human?!” Beard is gasping for breath as Father rants about how humans are just a resource, left unchecked they will spread like weeds, their basic nature can’t be changed. Beard… Beard slowly leans forward, glasses going opaque. His hands still- Someone’s grabbed his hands, a young woman with short brown hair. [?]: “We will change. Because we can change! I know it. We may be weak, but we just have to be. If not, then we wouldn’t have any reason to go out, to get strong. I know that it may seem futile to you, but it’s not. Because we are getting stronger with every step we take.”

*credits music has started up* [Roy]: “And in turn they’ll protect the ones they love. It seems like the least we tiny humans can do for eachother.” [Ling]: “I-I wasn’t ready for this. Lan Fan was, though. She made the decision that I was too weak to make.” [Al]: “I’m sick of watching people die! And I can’t just sit back and take it anymore! I won’t let anyone else get killed! Not when I can protect them!” [Ed]: “I won’t run away from this.” [Ed]: “We’ll knock that jerk Truth on his butt!” [Ed]: “Al! Al, come on! Please! Hurry, Al!...” [Ed]: “Alphonse! Look at me! I’ll come back! Just you wait!” [?]: “You see? I’m sure we can change! Because we’re weak. And because we die. We have to fight in order to live! And that’s what will make us strong. And if that’s not enough? If you’re still not convinced that we can change?” Yes, yes, I know this can’t last because we have so much show left but Leto damn it if it isn’t awesome to see Beard’s glasses clear again [!!!]: “Then think about us.” It’s Mama Elric! [Mama Elric!!!]: “All of the days we spent with our family in Resembool.” And now Beard is sitting on a moss-covered log in daylight, green grass around and petals slowly falling. He has a blank look on his face, seeing Pinako and Mama Elric and his boys and so many other people standing in front of him. Little Al’s shirt hardly fits him as he clutches Mama Elric’s skirt, Little Ed stands arms crossed trying to look tough- Then geese fly by, and Beard wakes up. He looks over the pristine lake and mountains he made a campfire at, gives a slight smile at the realization he was dreaming, and moves on- after he pauses, looks back at an empty bottle of booze, and says “Thanks for all the help.” ...so, good recap episode, but what the Leto is going on with Beard? Isn’t he supposed to be lurking under Central? Ooh, new credits! We’re at Rush Valley, zoom in to Atelier Garfiel where Winry’s hard at work, looks up and smiles to a lens flare for ok sure, totally necessary for her unzipped uniform while she moves boxes, moving on. Or I guess that’s just staying tied down as she tinkers with tech and banters with customers, now she’s happily talking on the phone with her friend Ed (NOT Al- edited for an earlier typo, thanks TonyC) based on how she’s suddenly screaming into the receiver before she grumpily subsides and then blushes(!). New girl! Lan Fan, rocking the empty sleeve look. May Chang happily walking along with Shao May. Back to the closed automail shop where Winry is still working (get some sleep for Leto’s sake!), now opening the shutter the next day and greeting the sun. Man, I wish I was that happy to work in retail.

#wmtw #where my twin watches #full metal alchemist #full metal alchemist brotherhood #fmab #fmab 27 #ranubis

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