#I want to shake her hand like that emperor in mulan

[apocalypsekids]

A wild Sevika crosses your path, wyd😳

#sevika #arcane #sevika fanart #arcane fanart #my art #CHRIST I hate tumblr compression pls click for better quality 😣 #yes I have a type #and that type is vi I have yet to draw her cause when I look at her too long I get flustered😳 #sevika is my favorite character though #she doesn’t have much development yet but I am very excited to see where they go with her #also she’s fuckin uhhh ripped #hardcore sevika respecter #I want to shake her hand like that emperor in mulan #if she were younger uh 👁 yes I would have a crush #thank you for your service ma’am #she’s so cute #anybody who doesn’t think sevika is cute #idk #she’s so cute tho #she’s so funny #fuckin sweeping down finns chair all loyal #poor girl gets so beat up she deserves better #she should have died by now but she didn’t because she’s my favorite. she just keeps getting back up man #99% of the show she’s just 100% done with everybody #she’s so prettyyyyyyy I didn’t do her justice

[the-crows-typist]

hi hi lemilia~ can I get a ficlet with sebek and and fem reader using the word "flower" if you don't mind? thank you so very much~ -☁️✨

The Possibilities are Endless

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." - The Emperor, Mulan (1998)

The garden of the Ramshackle Dorm was known to be barren with no life seeping through its dry soil. The trees never bear fruit nor did the flowers ever bloom as the seasons passed. The dorm’s prefect was different from the dreary environment, she was bubbly, she was playful…She was happy. Despite her disposition, despite the fact she was not from this world, despite the fact she may never go home, the smile on her lips was as radiant as the sun’s rays in the early morning.

Something Sebek came to admire and envy.

It wasn’t long until Malleus and the prefect would meet under the moonlight one fateful night and would quickly become friends. Two quiet and misunderstood people finding solace in one another where she was not judged because she was different and he was never feared for how powerful he is. It was a trusting connection, a pact, a willing agreement to keep each other company.

 Sebek first heard of this friendship not long after Malleus eluded his guards’ search and was soon found inside his room. There was a small smile on his face as he talked about her, how nice she was to him despite not knowing who he was. The first year blinked, never ever seeing the prince look so calm, so happy, so open.

He wondered if the prefect was capable of magic…But that soon changed when he saw her in the garden trying to plant in dry soil. 

“The land is infertile.” He said, appearing behind her in an instant. This human. Just looking at her eyes, Sebek knew she was not capable of magic and yet, someone as protected and secretive as Malleus was quickly disarmed in her presence. “No matter how many times you plant, those flowers will not grow.” He explained, the self-appointed guard explained. 

 “I’ve purchased some fertilizer so it should probably help.” She explained, her eyes holding a kind gaze under the sun hat that protected her head. “The dorm looks really sad so I thought it would help to plant something colourful.” He looked at the pack seeds next to her. Petunia, stock, and sweet alyssum. Flowers that burst with color. He knew those plants would help liven the otherwise uninhabited dorm but with the dry soil, she was just scattering seeds for the passing ravens and crows to eat. 

 He took his pen, kneeling down next to her and giving her a look of contemplation. “Before you can even think of planting these flowers,” a hand went up to her hat covered head then pushing it down her face making her squirm. “You must make sure your soil is fertile. No matter how many seeds you scatter, nor the times you try to water it, nothing will happen.” 

His pen glowed, the tip touching the soil and letting its energy flow within the barren ground.

Sebek did not know why he was helping someone like her, they did meet up until the night Malleus decided to walk around alone but he knew of the things she had done for the school, for the people around her. She was one of the three first year students that broke the magic chandelier but at the same time she was the one who risked her life to save the people she considered friends, despite it being obvious that they thought the opposite, from overblotting and burning themselves dry of their magic, their life force.

Each battle, each injury, each blot of ink that stained the otherwise pristine crystal of a magical pen, she was able to stand against it...All with a bright smile on her face. She was a strong individual, Sebek affirmed to himself.

Something he’d only ever hope to be.

His magic flowed through the ground like tree roots, enriching the soil with his energy then disappeared when his pen was pulled away. “That should do it. I’ll let you do the rest from he—“

“That! That was a revitalizing spell, right?” She asked, her eyes shining in curiosity and excitement. Sebek found it endearing almost immediately. “Professor Crewel demonstrated it to us during alchemy class.” He gave her hand for her to take and lifted her up, her hat now adjusted to hang by the string around her neck. “It’s another version of it. I only gave energy to the soil so your flowers can grow and bloom.”

“Thank you so much! The garden will look beautiful thanks to you.” She smiled at him, her palm feeling warmer in his hand. She was precious. 

“Sebek Zigvolt, Diasomnia, I’m a first year just like you.” They shook hands, her own were warm against his gloved ones. It was a nice feeling. 

“Sebek.” She blinked a few times, holding his hand in her own. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!” 

His visits to the garden were frequent from then on with each greeting consisting of him coming from behind and tipping her hat over her face to tease her. “The garden is looking good.” He commented, seeing sweet alyssum growing nicely on the steps to the dorm. The petunia sprouts growing along the allotted sections of the garden that overlooked the walkway to school and there were even clumps of grass that began growing in patches. 

“Yup, the spell you put on the garden did wonders.” Water was sprayed along the budding flowers. “I can’t wait to see it in bloom. I even thought to get other seeds so the garden would look nice during the summer!”

“Oh? What were you planning on getting?”

“Sunflowers! Oh, and maybe even some magnolia. The color would go great with what I have now, don’t you think?” Sebek nodded his head and pointed over to the side far side of the garden. “You can line the sunflowers by the perimeter to create a natural barrier.” 

“And the magnolias can go by the dorm’s pathway! No wait, I have pots near the door. I can place it there!” 

“Can magnolias handle pots?”

“Only one way to find out.”

It was concluded that Magnolia cannot handle pots a months into its growth. Sebek and she watched as the Magnolia tree was carted off to Pomefiore since their garden could handle such a big tree. 

“We should look into smaller plants next time.” The prefect commented to which Sebek nodded his head.

“We should.” 

With each visit, Sebek began to learn more and more about her, how her world was so different from his, what her own family was like, what they were doing the last she saw them...Sebek’s heart twisted seeing the sad expression on her face.

“I hope they’re doing alright.” She said, snipping some petunia of their leaves. “I miss them.” 

He placed a hand over hers. “They are. And I’m very sure that you’ll get to see them soon.” 

She smiled at him, but this smile lacked the vibrant shine he was so used to seeing. 

The garden continued to grow with every meeting until the once dreary dorm transformed into a haven of reds and oranges, of yellows and greens, of blues and violets. It was a beautiful sight to behold for Sebek and his partner, his confidant...his...someone whom he cared for very much.

The winter holidays were fast approaching and Sebek decided to spend his last day with the prefect in the garden that both of them worked hard on. The two exchanged parting gifts with one another with Sebek receiving a pack of chocolate covered sunflower seeds and the prefect receiving a lovely scarf that was decorated with sunflower patterns,

“Oh, thank you so much. It’s beautiful!” She twirled around it, the cloth swaying with her movements. “It’s so warm too.” She pressed the cloth to her face and giggled as she felt the softness of the fabric. Sebek sat there for a moment and readied his magical pen. 

“I have one more gift to give you.”  He turned around, back facing her.

His pen shined brightly against the dim light of the winter sky. The same spell he used that would give life to the otherwise barren land that was once Ramshackle’s garden.  The green energy travelled through the ground and breathed life to the freezing flowers.  “I don’t want your work to be put to waste because of a few inches of snow.” 

“I won’t be able to help you during the breaks so this should lighten your work load while I’m go—”

A sniffle and a sob, the prefect’s eyes were suddenly full of tears. Her form shivering and Sebek catching her as she went over to hug him close. “Thank you...” She sobbed into his shoulder; her shaking shoulders were calmed by his hands. “Thank you for being with me.” 

“Thank you for being there, Sebek.” 

As he held her crying body in his arms, he remembered all the trials she had to endure, the battles, the confrontations, the overblots. One way or another, she had to face them alone. There were moments he wondered just how much she had to cover herself to be able to smile the way she did.

She was the strongest person he knew, but even the strongest person had a breaking point. 

“I’m sorry. I must look like a mess right now.” She sniffled again, wiping her hands over her tear stained face. 

To his side, he leaned down to pick a single flower from the stem.

Stock.

The flower slipped into her ear, his hand cupping her cheek to wipe away one last tear that fell out of her eye. “The winter holidays won’t be long. When I get back, I’ll come to you. I promise.” Their foreheads pressed together as the winter wind blew through, the scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, and the flowers dancing around their feet. 

#requests #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #sebek zigvolt x reader #sebek zigvolt #twst sebek #sebek ficlets

[ladynightmare913]

Secrets of the Darkened Seas

Welcome to chapter 8! 

Just a small reminder that the next chapter will be posted on Olivia’s blog! I would like to say a special thank you to my best friend and co-author Olivia ( @asunshinepuff​​ ) for inviting me to work on this story with her. As you may have noticed, we have decided to change on how we release the chapters of our story. We will be alternating from my blog to @asunshinepuff​​‘s blog. 

As always, a reminder that there is some lore included within this, however, it will be explained over time so no worries. There are very subtle mentions of lore within the previous chapters so perhaps read back and see if you can catch it.

Under the guide of Fantastic Nautical Creatures by Newt Scamander, the included lore on different types of merfolk will as always, be taken from the book “The Secret World of Mermaids” by Francine Rose. We will not take credit for its writing. The different types of mermaids will be explained later so don’t worry. We have also taken the liberty of creating some of own original types of merfolk.

These chapters contain many original characters created by Olivia and myself. All credit for our creations goes to each other for our respective characters because we have both worked so hard to bring these character to life and I would never dare to take credit for any of Olivia’s characters. 

Now without further adieu!

Chapter 8: Captain Hua

“At least not completely human,” Brielle thought over. Remus bolted from his seat, rushing out the door. The children startled awake. 

“What happen?” A very sleepy Tadase asked softly. Rubbing his eyes awake, his hair flying in different directions. Brielle sighed as Regulus demanded another song. She shook her head slowly.

Remus marched up to the captain’s quarters, raising his hand to knock on the door but it opened before he could. 

“Stomp any louder I’d think you were a troll with a stone for a head.” The voice of Captain Hua stopped Remus in his tracks. 

All of the adrenaline seemed to have left Remus as he looked up to the captain who only had a raised brow. Remus cleared his throat, “I wish to speak to you.” 

Min-Jun back away from the door, leading Remus into his quarters. Walking to a large wooden desk that was littered with maps and charts. Min-Jun sifted through the papers quickly. “I was charting our course to the Asian Sea.” 

Remus nodded, “Yes, I know. Brielle spoke to me about it.” 

Min-Jun nodded slowly, “Though I take it that it was a brief conversation given your current state.” He looked over Remus’ frame in amusement. “I know what you want to ask, so ask it. I cannot give you an answer if you don’t ask.” 

Remus frowned lightly. Had Quinn gone behind his back and told Min-Jun what he had been doing? Was it Opal? Min-Jun didn’t look surprised for the most part. So perhaps Min-Jun was assuming Remus had another question all together. Remus took a breath before he decided to take a seat in front of  Min-Jun’s desk. The captain himself had taken a seat, he looked completely relaxed. 

“Brielle’s song didn’t affect you.” Remus started. 

“That is not a question, rather a fact Remus.” Min-Jun gave a hint of a smile. It unnerved Remus a bit.  

“Why, did her song not affect you?” Remus finally asked. 

Min-Jun huffed a silent laugh. His gaze only showed the familiar warmth that Remus had grown under. “Remus, it was never my intention to have a secret. One kept from you especially. You just never seemed to notice.”   

Remus relaxed, the Captain seemed sincere. And as blunt and cold Min-Jun was, he had never once doubted the sincerity in his words whenever he spoke. Min-Jun smiled once more, rising from his seat he walked over to the small library to his left. “Tell me Remus, what do you know about the Ballad of Mulan?” 

Remus thought over the name. “I have never heard of it. Why?”

Min-Jun simply pulled out a gold scroll that Remus had seen before over the years. It had the engraving of the dragon emblem on the gold metal. “Mulan was a fierce warrior, she stole her father’s armor, impersonated as a soldier, fought in a war,” Min-Jun turned to Remus, holding out the scroll, “and her name was Hua.” 

Accepting the scroll, Remus stared at the captain in slow comprehension. “Your name… is Hua.” The captain nodded. 

“She lived nearly 3,000 years ago. I am her descendant.” 

Remus gawked at him, leaning into his seat. Min-Jun continued. 

“Once Mulan returned from the war with the blessing of the Emperor of China, to her father. Later she bore three children, the first born was a male. All bearing her name, and her descendants later form the Hua Clan. I am from her bloodline.” 

Remus opened the scroll, inside were chinese characters, and the portrait of an asian on horseback weilding a sword. Remus traced the words gently. “But that doesn’t explain why the song had no affect on you.”  

Min-Jun nodded his head. “Within the Hua Clan, there is a legend.” 

“A legend?” 

“Yes, that Hua Mulan was the daughter of a great war hero, and of a Phoenix.”  

Remus’ jaw dropped. Min-Jun chuckled. 

“Newt had the same expression.” 

“She was the daughter of a phoenix?!” 

“Yes, raised alongside her father’s human wife and half sister. The legend also states that she married a man, who was secretly a dragon.” 

Remus fell off his chair. 

“Are you sure you have no correlation with Newt?” The captain’s brow raised in amusement. He carried on. “It was just thought to have been a legend, but when Mulan’s descendants took to the seas, they found themselves to be immune to many things, including the song of a mermaid. The dragon emblem on our flag is the emblem of the Hua Clan.” Min-Jun helped Remus up. “It’s probably why the kraken stayed away from our ship for so long.” He mused. “I haven’t been tempted to test that theory.”   

“That sounds wise.” Remus laughed awkwardly. 

“Yes I thought so.” 

Remus sat back down, looking down at the scroll, the symbol of what Remus now was the Hua Clan Emblem. “And your swords?” 

Min-Jun smirked. “Perhaps that story should be explained for a later time. I’m sure you have much to think over.”  

Remus nodded slowly, not really paying attention. Min-Jun helped Remus out of his quarters, who couldn’t seem to process Quinn grinning at him. Or Quinn slapping a hand to his back. 

“You alright there Remus?” Quinn smirked knowingly at Min-Jun. 

Remus slowly looked over to Quinn. “Why are you so calm about this?” 

Quinn shrugged. “We grew up together. I just grew up knowing that Min-Jun was from-” He paused, looking to the Captain, “Did you tell him the other part?” 

The captain shook his head. Quinn nodded in understanding. “Makes sense, the lad probably might burst with just how much he still has to learn about the world beyond the sea.” 

Min-Jun smiled before his eyes narrowed, turning his head slightly. He stared at the back of the cabin for a moment before he looked at Remus. “Sirius is awake. Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.” 

“ You’re not worried about him hurting anyone else?” 

Min-Jun smirked. “With you keeping watch? He’d sooner turn to ash before he even thought of pulling another stunt like earlier today.” 

Remus smirked in return, watching Min-Jun and Quinn depart. Min-Jun being the son of a dragon, actually made things make more sense. How he always seemed to know when a storm was coming and how he moved so silently. It was no wonder how the captain gained the name White Sea Serpent. Shaking his head, Remus walked into the infirmary, opening the door, he nearly groaned at the sight before him. 

There was Sirius, laying on the ground. Glaring at him. Remus only raised a brow. How bold of him to glare at him with murderous intent when he was bound. 

Tag List: Let me know if you wish to be added!

@spookypotato @whataboutmyfries @sunflowerfox87 @wonder-womans-ex @violetatapiamills 

#remus lupin #sirius #remus x sirius #enemies to lovers #wolfstar #quinn scamander #opal teresi #min-jun hua #brielle #tadase #regulus black #asunshinepuff ocs #our ocs #pirate captain #pirate and mermaid au #mermaid song #mulan #descendants of mulan #ladynightmare ocs

[elsanna-shenanigans]

February Contest Submission #2: Quo Vadis

words: ca. 6000 setting: Ancient Rome AU lemon: no cw: Blood, violence, injuries, death, swords

Quo Vadis - Part 1 [abridged] 

—

“Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi,” Anna said.

She heard Elsa sigh and turned to face her, the older woman stood with her arms folded over the stomach of her simple toga. They were standing in front of the gladiator dorms. A small dirt patch surrounded by small apartments jammed into a corner of Rome not far from the Colosseum. The true training area was in a city further south.

“Must you become a gladiator?” Elsa asked her.

“I’m a good fighter already, this would be an easy way to earn us money.”

“You could die, Anna, did you even consider that?” 

“I’m quick on my feet Elsa, I would be amazing with a blade.” 

“You do realize this is selling yourself into servitude?” 

“How is that different from what you do now?” Anna asked, referring to Elsa’s job with a local shopkeeper. She was stuck working with this man till her debt was paid. Thankfully he was a kind soul with a large family and just needed someone to help with the day-to-day. He afforded Elsa a lot of freedoms and she was careful to never abuse them. 

“I’m not risking my life for entertainment,” Elsa argued back. 

“Elsa, when was the last time you saw a gladiator die?”

“Last week…”

“The emperor gave the thumbs down, it happens.” 

“And that could happen to you!” 

Anna shrugged, “Then I will die like a Roman, not a poor coward.” Anna folded her arms across her chest. “I’m signing up.” 

At that, the two men standing behind the nearby table perked up. One had been watching them intently, the other was busy picking at his nails. Both had whips, a stark reminder that however well the gladiators were treated and however much they were loved by the masses, they were still locked into contracts of servitude. Just like Elsa, but much more dangerous.

“What do you want, woman?” the one who had been watching asked.

“To sign up!” She answered, trying to project as much confidence as possible.

“A woman, willingly signing up? Now I have seen everything.” 

“Do you know what you’re getting into, girl? You do not fight like the men, you are just entertainment,” the one picking his nails asked.

Elsa looked desperate and scared, she reached out and grabbed her arm. “Anna please, please just think about this,” she begged 

“I have,” Anna replied and then looked at the men “If no one watches, I will make them watch!” 

“I love you,” Elsa choked out, a common phrase. 

Anna looked over her shoulder as she walked away and casually threw back a response, “I love you too.” 

“How sweet,” the nail-picker remarked. “You are in a 5-month contract, you renew unless you are with child. I am Mattias, I am your lanista, tomorrow you will fight.” 

“Tomorrow? Don’t I get any training? Or a room?”

“No, women do not train and thus do not get dormitory space unless they are a fugitivus. You are not, so go home. If you do not return, I will have you killed or worse.” 

***

The first thing she noticed was how loud the Colosseum was. People shouting and cheering above the sound of clashing swords and metal on metal. The second thing she noticed was that she was one of four women. All prisoners, Anna was the only one who had signed up willingly. 

She watched one named Megara select a trident and net before sitting down on the bench with the other two women. Roman soldiers stood at the entrances, looking bored. 

Mattias had been watching stone-faced from the wall. Once Megara had selected her weapon he turned to Anna. “Pick up a sword and shield, you’ll fight her.” 

Anna did as she was told. She was surprised at how heavy the shield was and she struggled to secure it to her arm. Mattias just turned up his nose, it wasn’t his problem. He felt getting stuck with the women was beneath him, something he said frequently. Anna had only been here for an hour and he had already mentioned it seven times. 

“Let me assist,” the woman named Mulan said in broken Roman. Anna hesitated then held out her arm. 

Once the shield was secured tightly to her arm Mulan smiled before sitting back on the bench again. Megara rolled her eyes and spat on the floor. 

“It is dishonorable to fight for the entertainment of others. I view this as sparing, training if you will,” Mulan added. 

“Whatever,” Megara muttered and put her helmet on. 

Anna copied her, the helmet she selected was big and moved around on her head. 

“Doesn’t matter, loose, tight, it’s all for show, we never fight for real.” 

Mattias pointed to the door. Megara stood and walked through it, Anna followed. It was a long hallway that sloped upwards and ended in a closed gate, beyond which was the arena.

Anna’s heart pounded, she was nervous. Next to her Megara yawned audibly. 

“Hope this is everything you signed up for. Some of us didn’t have the choice,” Megara said, her tone dripping with venom. She continued before Anna could reply. “You walk out first, I’ll come running. Doge the net, I’ll always swing it to your left. Hit my trident, I’ll drop it, then I’ll net you, take your sword and win. Got it?” 

“Wait, you mean we’re not going to fight?” 

“No, idiot. Just go through the motions, no one gets hurt, we get food and go home. Now go!” She shoved a confused Anna forward as the gate opened. 

Anna stumbled out into the sunlight and squinted. She looked around the arena, Mattias and Megara weren’t kidding, no one was watching. People were milling around, eating, or having conversations. They paid little mind that she was even in the arena. The loudness she had heard earlier was now a dull roar of sounds not unlike the market on a busy day. 

Quick footsteps behind her made her turn to see Megara running at her with her net spinning. Anna held her sword and shield at the ready like she had seen other gladiators do. In the back of her mind she knew this wasn’t a real fight but her adrenalin took over. 

Magara’s net hit the ground to Anna’s left, causing a cloud of dust to flare up.  

Anna hid behind her shield and heard Magara grunt as she swung again, the net flaring out in a wide arc to Anna’s left. Magara was watching it fly and not looking at Anna, it left her open and vulnerable. 

Some kind of deep-seated instinct took over. Anna planted her right foot and lunged forward leaning into the shield so it carried nearly all of her weight. She connected with Megara and sent the other woman flying backward. 

Anna held her footing and crouched low, she gripped her sword tightly and held it to the side of the shield. She watched Magara stand up, her muscles and actions stiff. She was mad.

“Bitch!” she yelled and came running. Her net was gone. She charged with the trident. 

Anna sidestepped the charge, slashed with her blade when the other woman passed. It easily cut into her thin leather armor. It wasn’t enough to go all the way through, but enough that she must have felt it. So much for dull weapons. Megara pivoted on one heel and shouted, thrusting wildly with her trident. Anna blocked each jab with her sword. Her shield was old and wooden — she wasn’t sure if it could withstand an attack. 

An opening presented itself and Anna repeated her shield bashing but Megara was ready this time and kept her footing. Landing one pong of the trident in Anna’s arm. It stung but Anna didn’t have time to think about it as she swung her blade at Magara’s throat. 

Her lack of training showed itself and she missed the throat and buried her blade into the flash of Megara’s bicep. Both girls now sporting arm wounds, disengaged and stepped back, circling, waiting. 

Megara made the first move, taking a running charge at Anna, her trident held forward like a battering ram. 

Anna ducked behind her shield again and braced, the trident made contact and sunk into the wood. Anna took a gamble that Megara had a bad grip and moved her shield arm down and away. The trident came with and Anna delivered a kick to Megara’s midsection. 

Somewhere in the stands, she thought she heard a gasp. 

Anna stumbled a bit on her recovery, the trident was heavy and threw off her balance. She tried to shake the shield off her arm but Mulan had secured it too well. 

Megara came running at her and Anna couldn’t swing the heavy shield/trident combo fast enough to block her. The other woman tackled the redhead and sent them into the dirt. Her too-big helmet flew off and the impact dislodged the trident but it didn’t matter. Megara straddled Anna’s hips and held down her shoulders. 

“You know if you didn’t just completely disregard everything I said and tried to kill me, this would be very hot,” Megara said, so close that Anna could see her eyes through the helmet grate. She meant her words. 

In an arena full of strangers, Anna felt embarrassed and flushed and awkward. It left her open in a way she had never thought to prepare for and this time Megara took advantage. She grabbed Anna’s head and smashed her own helmeted head into it. Hard. 

Darkness. 

***

“I think she’s waking up,” came Elsa’s voice.

“Oh joy, guess I’ll cancel the elaborate funeral plans I made, praise the gods or whatever,” Megara replied.

They both sounded very far away. Anna brought a hand up to touch a knot on her temple. 

“Ouch,” she mumbled. 

“Oh you’re fine softy, just shake it out. You’ll have a headache today, it will be gone by tomorrow. Serves you right for trying to kill me,” Megara said, sounding annoyed. 

“Thank you for bringing her home,” Elsa said, her voice lacking any discernible tone.

“Don’t mention it. And don’t expect it again, I only carried her here because it was her first day.” Megara didn’t wait for more conversation and left abruptly, leaving the sisters alone.

Elsa was watching her. Which felt welcoming until she saw her worried face. Then the guilt sat in. 

“Anna.” She touched Anna’s face with gentle fingers and Anna felt herself leaning into her hand. 

Today felt long and Elsa felt comforting. 

A single torch burned on the wall. It was late afternoon yet inside their small home it was dim. Anna found herself thankful, maybe Elsa was distracted by the slash across her face and didn’t notice the bruise now forming on her head, or the wound on her shoulder, or the mess that was her back. 

Elsa saw because of course she did. Anna watched her light the room more. They were lucky that, although a lower class, Elsa’s employer-provided them with a space behind and above the shop. The lower floor had a small table, a hearth, and a water basin crammed near the entrance. The rest of the space was storage for the shop itself including an area where Elsa mended cloth goods. A ladder next to the table went to a loft with two beds. There was little in the way of privacy, but the shop owner never entered the loft. He was an old man and the ladder was not stable. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t get hurt,” Elsa mused now, seemingly satisfied that Anna was alright. 

“Yes well, it is just the first day, I’m finding my footing, my style,” Anna boasted, earning a frown from Elsa.

“I still don’t like this, you know.” 

“I know.” 

Elsa leaned down, glancing quickly towards the passageway to the shop front, and kissed the cheek without the slash. “Promise me you’ll be more careful,” 

Anna felt a warming comfort wash over her body, Elsa always doted on her but something about that touch felt different. First Magara and now this, maybe that hit to the head was messing with Anna more than she thought. 

“I’m going to lie down,” she announced, standing up slowly, a little off balance. Elsa eyed her but said nothing. 

Elsa followed her upstairs and covered her with a blanket. This one she had stitched a small flower in the corner that Anna always pulled up to her face to sleep. 

Elsa brushed Anna’s bangs aside, her hand lingering on Anna’s face. She was staring right into the redhead’s eyes. Sky blue locking with the sea. “I love you,” she whispered 

And Anna knew she meant it. 

*** 

The next few months passed without incident. Anna only fought once a week. To call the activity a fight was being generous. They were more of a dance, a flashy show with no stakes or consequences. Even so, Magara always seemed to hit a little harder than she needed to. Anna suffered no deep wounds but on days she fought Magara she would always return home with small cuts and bruises. 

Part of Anna didn’t mind because Elsa would always tenderly care for her on those days. Anna did notice though, that her touches lingered longer, her proximity was closer, her eyes seemed to look directly into Anna’s soul. Anna took it for increased concern and nothing more. Even if the back of her mind screamed otherwise. 

On her off days of fighting Anna cleaned the blood, sweat and who knows what else off the men’s armor. She found herself growing increasingly more jealous of them every day. The men had more action, the crowd actually cared what happened. A hard hit was met with thunderous applause no matter if it was against armor or into flesh. 

Others often turned away from the wounds, but Anna looked and studied; tried to imagine what led to a slash on the thigh or a jab to the ribs. Had they not blocked? Did their opponent have a longer reach? She wanted to know more, needed to know more. 

When the opportunity came up to work in the ring, collecting discarded weapons or other objects between matches, Anna took the opportunity. Mattias himself suggested it, because Anna was terrible at cleaning, much too distracted. 

From the arena side, she studied the matches, the styles of fighting. The popular gladiators knew what they were doing with their weapons, their feet working in coordination with their swings. Newer gladiators or perhaps those less skilled stumbled around. Throwing their whole weight into a swing or a block, leaving them open and off-balance. She loved the sword and shield battles the most — the Secutors, Provocators, Murmillo fighters. She made sure to watch them all intently. 

*** 

The dorms were nearly empty except for a pair of young boys—of noble descent based on their clothes—bashing sticks together and shouting. Anna paid them no mind. She walked to the small storage room where the tunics were kept and tripped over something on the floor, spilling the clean linens she was carrying. 

“Ow!” came a man’s voice

Anna spun around to see a man half laying on the floor, his shoulders propped up against the wall and his arms and legs sprawled out on the floor. She recognized him as the smaller man who was defeated earlier and spared, and lowered the fist she just realized she had raised on instinct. 

“What are you doing here?” she demanded 

“Hiding,” he answered.

“A Roman doesn’t hide—” 

“I’m not a Roman,” he said, cutting her off and holding up his hand to show the branding there. 

She sat her mouth in a thin line and looked at him. He was small, lacking in much muscle definition and boyish features to his face overall he looked defeated and empty. 

“Who are you?” she demanded, not having caught his name before the fight. 

“Kristoff.” He sighed and sat up straighter. “I was a soldier once from a land far from here. Now I am just another body for the arena till they finally put me out of my misery.” 

“I saw you today, why do you not fight? You were a soldier, you must know how.” 

“There is no glory in these fights, everything I’ve ever known was taken from me. What am I fighting for? The praise and respect of people from the land who burned mine?” He looked her right in the eyes as he spoke. His brown irises, the color of drying mud, held no secrets. 

And Anna felt pity for him. Her life was merely half a step above his and only because she wasn’t branded slave. She did, however, still love her city and her people, and she hated how he was in a position to fight for the respect of the masses, the honor of being a Roman. He was living the life she thought she wanted, yet he wanted to throw it all away. 

Then all at once, an idea washed over her. Elsa always said she got ideas like she was struck with an arrow. And Elsa was going to hate this. 

“You don’t want to be a gladiator.” It was more of a statement than a question. Even so, he nodded. “And I want to be a gladiator.” 

He tilted his head. “I’ve seen you, you are a gladiatrix.” 

“I’m a puppet in a play.” She knelt to his level. “What if we work out a deal. You train me, I fight using your name and we split the winnings.”

At this, he laughed, a full-bellied laugh that caused him to throw his head back against the wall. “A woman who sold herself, lowered herself for a few coins, now wants to fight as a man. Wouldn’t it be easier to just sell your body to lonely souls?” 

She slapped him and he stopped laughing, choosing instead to rub his face and glare at her. “I’m serious,” she stated. 

“I can see that, you’re stronger than you look, that hurt.” He paused for a moment then added, “You could die, either by the blade or when they find out you’re not me.” 

“I’d rather die by the blade like a Roman.”

He sighed, “I’ll help you train. Mostly because I don’t think I can change your mind. And, if I’m honest, not fighting in the arena is ideal. Tell me though, what about the armor issue?” He placed a hand on his chest then gestured vaguely at hers. 

Anna had seen him fight, he was billed as a Provocator but dressed more like a Secutor for some reason. Meaning he had previously fought bare-chested.  Provocator gladiators were newer to the game, less popular, and typically only fought each other, they also happened to wear a breastplate.  

“You have your full armor right?” she questioned. 

***

“You’ve been coming home late,” Elsa said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Anna looked up at her, the torch lights dancing in shadows across her sister’s face. It made her look older, more serious. Anna wondered if she was mad or just tired.

“Mattias, has me doing more.” 

Elsa stared at her, icy blue eyes seemed to be cutting right through. 

“You seemed to have gained some muscle and you’re eating more. When we go to bed you’re out as soon as your head hits the pillow. Whatever he’s having you do must be some hard labor.” Elsa reached across the table and grabbed one of Anna’s hands and flipped it so the younger girl’s palm was facing up. She watched in silence as Elsa traced the outline of blisters with cool fingers. 

“You’ve been fighting more haven’t you?” she asked.

“What? No, just training.” She placed her free hand on top of Elsa’s. “I promise.” And it wasn’t a lie, she had spent nearly all her free time training with Kristoff in his tiny single room in the gladiator dorms. People assumed the wrong thing with her going to his room followed by the sounds of grunting. Let them think that, as it was as good of a cover as any. 

Elsa leaned in and moved a copper strand of hair behind Anna’s ear and she felt her breath catch. “You never tell me about your day anymore.” 

She was so close, Anna could almost taste the mix of smells from the shop still lingering on her skin. And she wanted to tell her everything, tell her about the training with Kristoff, about her plan to fight in his place, about her first fight tomorrow, about splitting the money, about how Megara seems to keep flirting with her, about how much she likes Elsa being this close.

She couldn’t do any of those things because, above everything else, Anna didn’t want Elsa to worry. So instead she smiled and said, “My days are boring, I cleaned a sword, I shined a helmet, none of that makes for a good story.” 

“None of your stories are boring to me.” Elsa leaned back again and Anna felt herself moving forward to keep the closeness before she caught herself. “I have the day off tomorrow, I’m going to come to watch you fight.”

Anna panicked, her eyes wide, and she clenched a fist “I do–I–I mean I don’t fight tomorrow.” she lied 

Elsa narrowed her eyes, “Is that so?” she challenged. 

Anna stood abruptly, she had to get out of Elsa’s gaze, it felt suffocating. Of course, she fought tomorrow but not as herself. “I’m going to bed, goodnight.”

“Anna wait,” Elsa grabbed her wrist and held Anna in place with the lightest of touches. “What are you hiding? What are you not telling me?” 

Anna’s free hand was wrapped around one of the rungs of the ladder to the loft. She clenched and unclenched her grip, stalling. A million things were running through her head as she weighed her options. Then a single thought drifted down like the first snowflake of the season, till it settled in the forefront of her mind, spreading out and taking over. It was a stupid idea, it would change the subject completely but it was so incredibly stupid that she considered bashing her own head against the table instead. 

She turned to face Elsa. The older woman didn’t look mad or upset, more so worried and confused. She was about to become even more confused. 

A leap of faith disguised as a step and Anna was there, the distance between them narrowed. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t pause, before she closed the gap entirely, capturing Elsa’s lips with her own. She felt her sister gasp and Anna tried to pull back but pale hands anchored her. To Anna’s surprise, Elsa deepened what was supposed to be a quick peck. 

The kiss was like a flower, finally blooming after a long winter, bursting with new life and exploding with colors. It was so vibrant that it frightened Anna, so she pulled back abruptly and put a few steps between them.

“Anna I—”

“I’m going to sleep.” She turned and scurried up the ladder, leaving Elsa alone downstairs. 

  ***

Anna arrived early, to avoid Elsa and to make sure to change into Kristoff’s armor when no one was around. She was, thankfully, one of the first fights of the day. She felt uneasy as the other gladiators started to populate the space, the air turning into a mix of leather, sweat, and iron. A few of them gave her a weird look since she was sitting on the furthest of benches, full armor, with a helmet on, while the rest of them were considerably dressed down. Some weren’t even dressed at all. 

She had seen naked men countless times. Still, it never got easier. They looked so rough, all hard edges, hairy, and solid in the wrong places. Not soft like the women she fought with. Not soft like Elsa. 

Her mind drifted back to the previous night, her thoughts twisting into a mix of confusion and shame. She had heard of family being together, always a brother and sister. Not two sisters. Not them. How was she to further Rome’s population if she were to be with a woman? This was of course all assuming Elsa wanted anything to do with her. 

Foolish thoughts that did nothing more than distract her. She pulled on the linen wrapped around her hand, concealing her skin that lacked the mark Kristoff had. 

“Provocator! I see you dressed correctly today,” a well-dressed man said. He walked towards her, his toga held across his arm so as to not drag on the ground. “Cloth around your breast? Does the armor hurt you? Is that why you do not wear it?” He seemed genuine in his concern, this must be the man who owned Kristoff. It was in his best interest that his gladiator was comfortable and able to move well. Even so, the fact he was looking that closely worried Anna, and she knew she could not verbally answer. 

Instead, she nodded and proceeded to twist her torso back and forth to show the ease of movement. This seemed to please the man. 

“Well if you only need simple cloth to wear your armor correctly you should have mentioned it sooner! Nevertheless, do try to win today. You’re embarrassing me and I am beginning to lose my patience.” 

Anna pounded her chest with a fist and nodded. This also pleased him and he smiled, and just like that he was gone. An empty man looking over his cattle for slaughter.

It wasn’t long till Anna was standing at the gate, waiting for it to open and the battle to begin. Her heart pounded so hard it sounded like someone was knocking on her helmet. She checked her arm straps on her shield once more and rolled her shoulders. She was nervous but she had to focus, this wasn’t a dance, this was real. 

The gate rose before her and she stepped out into the bright sun. The noise of the crowd picked up as it always did when a new gladiator entered the arena. She spotted her opponent in the middle of the field. Another provocator, his helmet had two circles of latticework much like hers, only he sported two tall blue feathers that matched his loincloth and shield. 

She approached him and the match began. He pushed forward with his shield and swung weakly with his sword. Anna met his attack with a loud bang as shield hit shield. He stepped back and lunged forward with his shield again, Anna blocked and tried to swing her sword into his elbow. He responded by rotating his shield, blocking her swing but leaving his legs open. Anna disengaged then stepped forward into a lounge, he parried by stabbing with his shield, throwing off her momentum. 

A few more lounges and blocks and it was clear that he favored his shield to his blade. So much so that he often left his sword arm completely open. It was covered in thick heavy armor so she knew she couldn’t easily land a hit but she could force him to block differently. He came at her again and she slashed at this armor. To no one’s surprise her blade did little more than scratch the leather. The crowd loved it though, roaring. 

The man wasted no time in trying to hit her exposed kneecap with his shield, a move she had seen him do on another opponent recently. She jumped back and he followed with his shield. Again, she went to slash his blade arm. This time he rotated his shield to black, leaving his stomach completely open. Anna maneuvered mid-swing, her blade cutting a Z shape in the air before she sliced deep into his surprisingly soft flesh. She followed with a shield bash and a stab into his leg.

The man dropped his blade and grabbed at his largest wound, he pulled his hand up and looked at the blood before dropping to his knees and looking at the emperor with a raised arm. 

Anna could not believe he was giving up that quickly. All around them the audience erupted in boos. He had not fought well, gave up after two wounds. A better gladiator would have kept fighting. Thus Anna was not surprised when the thumbs down was given. 

She didn’t think, didn’t allow herself to. She approached him and grabbed his helmet. He grabbed her upper thigh, at least he was willing to die an honorable death. Through the latticework on his helmet, he looked her right in the eyes and she felt his grip tighten. 

“You are no ma—” 

His words cut off when Anna plunged her sword into his neck. The blade went in too easily, then stopped, and the awful sound would haunt her forever. He was dead; his lifeless body slumped to the side. 

Blood.

There was so much more blood. So much more blood being this close and not four stories up in the stands.

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and Anna stood and stared at them, she rolled her showers back and puffed her chest, doing everything to look tough and victorious like she had seen others do. Thankful for the distance that they couldn’t see her shaking hands and more thankful still for the helmet that hid her tears. 

***

“My Beautiful boy!” the rich well-dressed man called to her as soon as she was back undercover. She had to give him credit for how quickly he moved. He stopped short of reaching her, obviously not wanting to get blood on his pristine toga. “I said win, not to kill the man!” he laughed. 

Anna grunted as deeply as she could in response. 

“Oh it is nothing, I’ll pay his lanista. Worth every coin my boy, what a show! The crowd loves a kill. Keep this up and there will be great things in your future!” The man walked away, not bothering to excuse himself. He was above Anna, above Kristoff, and had no reason to be polite. 

Anna continued down the dark hall till it opened to the dimly lit room. Thankfully her luck continued and the baths were completely empty. Most of the men liked to wait till the end of the day to trade combat stories over the steam. 

“You survived,” came a deep voice from a darkened corner, the torch on either side had been extinguished, casting a black shadow and completely concealing the figure. Even so, she recognized the voice to be Kristoff’s. 

She exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “I did, the other guy did not.” 

“You killed someone?” Kristoff stepped out of the shadow and gestured for her to take his place. 

Once she was concealed she removed her breastplate and handed it to Kristoff, who put on his own body. His only unique armor, decorated with his symbols, was his helmet and chest piece.

She had just handed him his helmet back when loud footsteps drew near. Anna pressed her back into the corner as much as possible when a man entered the baths. 

“Kristoff, why did you come all the way here in armor?” he demanded, he was another gladiator, not a lanista or guard, he was large with a long scar across his face. 

Kristoff hesitated to answer as Anna struggled to remove her leg guard.

“I wanted to bathe in my victory,” Kristoff finally said right has Anna got the guard off. The arm would have to stay.

“You’ll make your helmet rust, why is it so dark?” He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.

Anna reacted quickly. She fell out of the darkness into Kristoff, giggling and hiding her armor-clad arm behind him. The man stopped and smirked.  

“Women love a man in armor.” He turned to leave. “Enjoy your victory bath. If she wants more, come find ME!” 

“That was too close,” Kristoff said once the footsteps had faded. 

Anna nodded. “We’ll have to be more careful next time.” 

“Next time? We nearly got caught this time.” 

“No, we just didn’t have a good plan, people already think things about me going to your room every day, so of course I would meet you here too. Let’s play up that story.”

“I don’t like that plan,” he said, helping her out of her arm guard. 

“We’re not actually going to do anything, just let them think we are so they leave us alone long enough for me to change.” 

He grumbled something under his breath and she leaned close to him without thinking much of it. Anna heard his breath hitch when she accidentally brushed against his chest. She looked up at him and he looked down at her. His eyes were half-lidded, his pupils full. He tilted his head to the side with a wordless question. 

Anna felt nothing. 

She stepped back, letting the arm guard fall to the ground with a thud. Kristoff let out a sigh and climbed into the bath without removing his loincloth, defeated. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Anna said hesitantly and he waved her off, staring at a different wall. 

***

“I heard a gladiator was executed today,” Elsa said over dinner. 

Anna nearly dropped the chunk of bread she was holding. “What, how did you hear that?” 

Elsa didn’t seem to notice or if she did she didn’t say anything. “When the emperor gives the thumbs down, the word travels fast from the arena.” 

“Oh, yes it does.”

“However, I didn’t have to wait for the news, I saw it.” 

This time Anna did drop her bread, earning her a puzzled look from her sister. “You were there?”

“I told you I would be, I didn’t see you fight, however, just two other girls.” 

Anna could feel her staring but she refused to make eye contact. Instead, she picked at her bread, tearing off small chunks. 

“I don’t understand why you’ve been training so hard,” Elsa continued. “The fight between the women was barely a fight. Not that anyone would notice. Hardly anyone watched.” 

“Yes, no one cares. We just fill the time, there’s hardly a point,” Anna replied. 

“So why all the intensive training?” 

“To uh… get better, to make it look more real.” 

Elsa didn’t buy it. Anna risked looking at her face and saw the distrust. Her sister knew she was up to something. How do you tell someone you’re breaking countless laws just for the thrill of combat? And what a thrill that had been. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so alive. 

Well, she could. It was the other night when she kissed Elsa. 

“Seems like a fruitless task.” Elsa stood, cleaning the remains of her meal. “Please tell me the next time you fight, I wasted a lot of time at the circus today. I need to get up early tomorrow to make up for it.”  

She started to walk towards the ladder when Anna reached out and grabbed her wrist, Elsa stopped and looked at her. Really looked at her. Behind the tired icy blue eyes, Anna saw pain and that in itself made Anna feel guilty. 

“I thought you had the day off?” 

“You and I both know I never really have a day off.” Those same eyes flicked down to Anna’s lips and lingered there for perhaps a beat too long before looking back to the ladder. She tugged her arm away and Anna let her go. Neither of them was ready to acknowledge the other night.

Once Elsa was up in the loft and Anna was left alone, the weight of the day finally came crashing down on her. 

She had killed a man. 

Shoved the sword right into his neck and watched his crimson blood spill out onto the dirty sand. What if he had a family? A lover? A life had been cut short by her blade. Back in the arena, she had justified the kill because he had fought without honor. But wasn’t she also fighting without honor? She wore the mask of another, she deceived Rome — yet killed in its glory. 

She felt sick and leaned forward till her head rested on the cool surface of the table. Closing her eyes she breathed slowly in and out till the pounding in her chest subsided. She wanted nothing more than to talk to Elsa about everything, but she couldn’t. Desperate, broken, and alone, she mumbled into the darkness; “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi.“ 

#elsanna #submission #february 2021 contest #prompt: ancient worlds #cw: blood #cw: violence #cw: injuries #cw: death mention #cw: weapons

[whattodowithace]

Loyal, brave, and true (Jun)

Title: Loyal, brave, and true (PART 2 of 3)

Pairing: Reader x Jun (ACE)

Genre: Some spice, Mulan based AU

Word count: 760 (4,114 words in total)

Writer: Kpopmadness (Ju)

Jun is awoken to the sound of the lieutenant going through each tent yelling loudly for everyone to be dressed and outside in two minutes. Jun scrambled to his feet, his eyes hardly focusing and his fingers barely able to lace up his boots. He hadn't slept more than an hour the night before, and he was feeling the drag effect it was having on his body.

Jun thought he had everything and started for the door when a voice behind him called, "You'll be needing this."

Jun turns to see a hand holding his fathers sword out to him. He recognized the man as Seyoon, who was in a bed just a few beds from Jun. Heat rushes to Jun's ears at how stupid he felt for forgetting something so important.

"Thank you." He says quietly, strapping his sword onto his hip.

Seyoon nods and heads out the door, not saying another word. Jun follows, not knowing what else to do. Outside, everyone is outside of their tent and lined up, quiet chatter filling the camp as they wait. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon and there was a coolness to the air that Jun knew would be gone by the time the sun rose. So he decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

The familiar call to attention rang through the morning air from the lieutenant, making everyone stand up straight. The next hour passed with everyone eating breakfast, Jun hardly eating anything even though he knew he needed the strength for the day of training ahead of him.

By 5:30 everyone was fed and accounted for. By then the sun had rose more, giving off gentle pink light that filtered through the trees. Everyone stood in a line again, waiting to see their commander for the first time. This camp was one of the best camps Jun had been told. Their commander said to be the best despite everyone misgivings.

But no one could have prepared him for the figure that walked down the row of boys soon to start their training, no one ever breathed a word about how this person carried themselves despite the jaws that dropped to the floor. Because no one said that their commander was a woman. And not just any woman. She was an empress.

There was the emperor, reigning over twelve cities, and then some monarchs made an alliance with the emperor. The empress ruled over a province that was a neighboring city. She was unmarried, and said to be crazy. Her father, a former emperor, never had sons. Only one daughter, her. She was strong willed, and despite her beauty, she was a skilled swordsmen.

"Is this everyone, lieutenant?" She asked, turning to her second in command slightly.

"Yes, sir." He said quickly, keeping the formality of calling her sir rather than ma'am.

"But she's a..." One of the men starts, earning him a cold glare from the lieutenant, making him shut his mouth quickly.

The commander talks slow strides to him, her eyes reminding Jun of a hawk when it locks eyes on it's prey.

"What is your name, solider?" She asks him, her voice quiet.

"Chan, sir." He replies weakly, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

"Chan..." She repeats. "Chan, I want you to listen closely. And I will only repeat it once. Do you understand?"

Chan nods, uttering a 'yes sir' under his breath, the color draining from his face, leaving him deathly pale.

"Talk out of line to me like that again and I will throw you out of this regiment. Understood?"

Jun felt his own heart stop, his hands starting to shake with nerves once more. Chan nods his head and complies, looking as though he's about to pass out.

"As for the rest of you." She continues, addressing everyone after stepping away from Chan and walking down the line. "You will address me as 'sir' or 'commander'. Save your highness for when you are actually worthy to step into my kingdom." She says firmly, walking back down the line.

"At home I'm sure you're all viewed as very pretty little boys but you stop that act today and you will start proving to me you can be a part of the emperor's army." She says, her voice ringing through the air.

"I was assigned to train you, and you have six months to grow up into soldiers. Your training starts now."

Jun feels his heart lurch in his chest. His body stiffening, his mind knowing nothing could prepare him for how sore he was about to become.

#acewriters #a.c.e #a.c.e jun #a.c.e junhee #a.c.e fanficton #a.c.e kpop #a.c.e x reader #kpop x reader #kpop #kpop fanfiction #kpopmadness writings #ju admin

[fairyhaven13]

Alright, just watched the new Mulan, and I wanted to put down some thoughts here. I’ll put the non-spoiler stuff first.

It was okay. Right down the middle of the okay-scale. Which is a bit disappointing, because I was actually a bit excited for this one. It didn’t deliver anything profound or mind-blowing. Most of the personality was dulled down to “Woman Power!!”, so, it flubbed that in the same way it flubbed Jasmine’s personality in the live Aladdin. There just wasn’t much besides that message hammered over and over and over again, which meant the story was sort of lackluster. The cartoon definitely had more life to it.

Also, it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a war movie or a cheesy martial-arts movie paying tribute to the cartoon. It had Jackie Chan-esque physics all over the place. At one point, Mulan runs across rooftops as a kid, does a Kim Possible landing, flips a pole around her body for seemingly no reason, and then poses with the peace sign. Sort of like a corny acrobat show. Complete with a random narrator pointing out obvious facts as you watch them happen. Not sure why they went with that.

Spoilers under the cut.

So, their big gimmick for differentiating this from the original was to give the bad guy’s hawk the Nagini treatment. In other words, she’s now a magic, transforming woman at the mercy of the baddie. All she does is complain about it with every conversation. Even her talks with Mulan are nothing but, “doesn’t being a woman suck? Aren’t you sick of it? Let’s be powerful women together!” She absolutely does not pass the Bechdel test.

Her first conversation with the bad guy is essentially, “I could destroy you, but I won’t, because I need you to conquer China for me.” Then, suddenly, her next conversation is, “I see now, I’m your slave. I am powerless against you.” But, nothing has changed between her and the others? She’s still a super powerful “witch” who can take over people’s minds and turn into a bird, or a flock of birds. Why does she take this guy’s crap? Then, in the end, she does exactly what you’d expect and shakes off her shackles to help Mulan. She does this by leading Mulan to her master and then taking an arrow for her, which kills her. But, like, why? She has so much power, why didn’t she use any of that to stop the arrow?

Because she wasn’t there to be strong. She was there to have “women power!!” solidarity with Mulan, and then die. Why did they even add her? It’s such a weird choice, to take an animal character and make it into an oppressed woman just so you can see how oppressed she is.

With her as-well-rounded-as-a-cube personality, she’s actually less flat than the other supporting characters. They kept in Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po, but took away their comic relief aspect. Which is most of what they were, so you’re left with guys who act just goofy enough to be weird, but not enough to be funny. They also kept Li, but made him a fellow soldier instead of the leader, and he ended up being the Token Romantic Interest who said a few surface-deep lines and held Mulan’s hand for a brief second. It’s sad when the cartoon characters have more dynamic personalities than the live-action.

The cheesy fighting was annoying, too. People defied gravity to run up walls. Mulan rode a horse through an avalanche without any difficulty. The Witch and the Emperor both used cloth ribbons like living tentacle-swords to grab and spin people, somehow. Oh, and Mulan and the Witch both have magical Chi powers, which other people can feel the power of as they use them and go “whoooa.” That’s all the explanation we get as to why Mulan knows how to fight without any training, or why the Witch can transform into birds. It’s weird. 

Mulan was strong in her own right in the cartoon. She toughed it with the men, learned to fight with the men, and was an equal. In this, she is only equal because she needed her magic Chi to get there. It lessens her strength, making her rely on that. It’s the only reason why she becomes the best soldier in her group, because she has magic fighting powers. It’s dumb. It’s needless.

So, yeah. The movie was just okay. Not terrible. Too dumb to be great. I wish it had taken itself seriously, because we know that Disney can make good wartime movies. Rogue One was brilliant. Mulan could have been brilliant, too.

#Mulan #review #movie #dissappointed #live-action #remake #i was just expecting more #i know disney can do more #but their live-actions have been lackluster #why don't they do their best #instead of making weird choices to be edgy

[abduloki]

So they removed Shang’s character because :

“I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn’t think it was appropriate.” 

Love interest can be sparked based on his attraction towards her confidence and courage. It doesn't has to be sexual only.  In Zhao Wei’s Mulan, both Mulan and Shang (Wentai) became generals through battlefield promotions after several top commanders died in battles. They supported each other throughout the long war and gained respect from each other, seeing the other overcame obstacles and tribulations. 

The struggles and hardships the two went through brought them closer together. Although they knew how they really felt towards each other, they kept in checked, knowing that emotions have no place in the battlefield with soldiers looking up to them to lead and enemies to fight. In the end, they sacrificed their love for each other for their loyalty to the kingdom when Shang (Wentai), revealed later to be the Emperor’s son, had to marry the Princess of the enemy (who is against her dead brother’s war against the kingdom) to unify the two sides and usher in an era of peace. They hugged and parted ways, no kisses (in case you don’t want anything sexual).

Zhao Wei’s Mulan not only portray her as a fearless soldier in the battlefield but a gentle daughter to her ageing father, a caring sister to her best friend, Tiger, whom she grew up with as a child and now serve together in the battlefield, a protective “motherly figure” who protect her children aka men under her charge.  Most importantly, she’s portrayed as a human, like everyone of us, with fears and uncertainties, have a moment of weakness when she broke down in the beginning, having her first taste of war, taking lives and losing those close to her. Admit to her men that she has flaws but promise to be a better general.

The kind of character that we can all relate and sympathize with as we can feel ourselves in her shoes, the emotions she felt throughout the story, understanding the hard decisions she had to make and questioning ourselves what we would have done in her place. 

There was a moment where Mulan convinced the Princess to overthrow her warmongering brother for a chance for peace but the Princess was uncertain, asking what could a woman like her do? Mulan revealed herself as a woman herself to motivate the Princess. If she can do it, so can her.

In the beginning, Mulan’s father urged Mulan to stop practicing martial arts and settle down with a man he has chosen for her, as she is after all, a woman. If she likes fighting, then she should pray that she’ll be a man in the next life. Mulan chose to go in her father’s stead the next morning, not only to spare him from death but also to prove to him that she is worthy, that a woman can fight. If this is not an indication  of a strong woman, I don’t know what else is. 

There is also another way of retaining Shang, making his relationship with Mulan, similar to that of Matt Damon’s character and Jing Tian’s Lin Mae in The Great Wall, where the two shared a special relationship, from disliking each other, thinking they are different, to respecting each other, realizing they’re actually the same after all, after fighting side by side throughout the war.

Like Zhao Wei’s Mulan, they too parted ways without kissing. Matt Damon simply shake hands with Jing Tian, saying, “Thank you, General.” and went off his way as she looks over from the top of the wall at him leaving. While many people complain about Matt Damon whitewashing the show about Ancient China, the main hero is actually, Jing Tian, the female commander who led the defense of the wall and led the assault on the capital with Matt supporting her.

You see it’s possible to make a film about a strong woman while having a man in her life and to make a relationship based on love, trust and respect without anything sexual.

#mulan #hua mulan #mulan 2020 #mulan rise of a warrior #disney mulan #the great wall #liu yifei #zhao wei #jing tian #lin mae #strong woman

[mystical-flute]

Home is Wherever I’m With You: Chapter 5

Links coming later!

“Ah! There you are, Mulan,” Emperor Chen said, a wide smile on his face.

Mulan bowed, before looking up in confusion. “Your majesty, is everything okay? Chi-Fu sounded urgent when he told me you wanted to see me.”

The Emperor rolled his eyes. “As you can see, I am perfectly fine. I just wished to speak with you about a new task I have for you.”

“Of course, what is it?”

“I have been invited to the wedding of Princess Anna of Arendelle, and I have decided TingTing is now old enough for her first journey outside the empire. I would like you to head our security for this,” he explained. “I trust you will put a fine team together to keep myself and TingTing safe.”

“I will, your majesty. As I always have.”

While Mulan was certain the group she’d gathered would keep the Emperor and his daughters safe, she was still concerned with Chi-Fu, who had offered to stay behind and keep watch over the empire. In agreement, Mulan had offered to let Shang stay behind to guard him. Next to her, Shang was the strongest warrior of the Quian Empire, after all. And would most certainly not be afraid to use force should it come to that.

The journey to Arendelle was long, but after a week of travel they arrived in the northern kingdom, greeted with much joy by the people.

“Emperor Chen, Princess TingTing, welcome to Arendelle,” Queen Elsa said with a polite bow.

“Queen Elsa… I do apologize for missing your coronation. I hear it was quite a show,” Chen replied as he stepped out of the carriage.

“Oh, no, we understand. We heard tell of the war that was going on in your empire around that time,” Elsa explained. “But yes… My coronation was certainly memorable. Come, let’s get you settled in. You must have had a long journey. Your horses will be taken to our stables for food and water.”

Arendelle was… a lot to take in, from the people to the food, Mulan was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all at the ball following the wedding.

She had never been a fan of formal events, and with all of the royals surrounding her, she felt very constricted, so, after making sure Chin-Po and the others had an eye on the Emperor and the princess, Mulan took a deep breath and stepped out into the cooler air.

“Are you okay?” a voice asked a few moments later.

Mulan jumped, looking over and felt her back straighten when she noticed the Arendelle queen standing behind her.

“Your majesty, yes, I’m fine… I was just getting some air,” Mulan said, bowing deeply in respect.

“It’s a bit warm in there, I don’t blame you,” Elsa replied with a giggle. “You’re Mulan, right? From the Quian Empire?”

“I am, yes. You know my name?”

“Princess TIngTing has been singing your praises since she and her father arrived,” Elsa explained. “She told me you were the one that saved their empire.”

Mulan chuckled modestly. “It wasn’t just me. They just gave me all the glory.”

“Either way,” Elsa said with a smile. “It’s very brave.”

“I just wanted to protect my father from having to go off to war,” Mulan said, rubbing the back of her neck. “It’s luck that it worked out the way it did.”

Elsa’s face suddenly turned wistful as she looked out at her kingdom. “Indeed. Sometimes all we have is luck, isn’t it?”

“Is everything okay, your majesty?”

Elsa blinked, shaking her head quickly before smiling. “Yes, of course. I was just caught in a memory. I think I’m going to head back inside. Would you like to join me, Mulan?”

Mulan nodded. “Yes, I think I will.”

She missed the knowing look on Emperor Chen’s face as she and Elsa returned to the ballroom.

-----------

“Please help! Our daughter’s hurt!” Emma called after a chaotic drive to the hospital.

“Doctor Whale! Doctor Anderson!” a nurse cried, rising from her seat to meet them. “Follow me. This room’s open.”

“Henry, I think we ought to wait outside,” Gold said, and Emma was suddenly grateful for her father-in-law’s presence.

Two doctors rushed into the room. 

“What happened? I’m Doctor Anderson, this is Doctor Whale,” the younger of the two said, staring at Audrey.

“I was running in the woods behind Mr. Gold’s shop - I didn’t know there was a cliff there… ” Audrey explained, still shaking as the nurse assisted her. “Something just… freaked me out.”

“Was it those freaky puppets he has in his window? I can’t say I blame you, kid,” Dr. Whale said, with a shake of his head, sliding a pair of gloves on before frowning as he glanced over at Emma and Neal. “You two look like you could get checked out yourselves. Margaret, do you mind?”

“Not at all, doctor,” the nurse said, pulling away from Audrey and gesturing for Emma and Neal to sit on the opposite bed. “You guys aren’t from around here, are you?”

“Boston,” Emma said with a wince. “It was my husband’s idea to come here.”

“I just thought it’d be good to give the kids some fresh air,” Neal added. “This wasn’t exactly what any of us were expecting.”

Margaret smiled, gently dabbing away a streak of blood off Emma’s cheek. “No, I don’t think anyone goes out of town and expects to get into a fight with the woods.”

“On the upside, this isn’t the worst injury I’ve ever had,” Emma said, looking over at Audrey and giving her a weak smile. The last thing Emma wanted was for her to feel like this was her fault.

Margaret gave her a concerned look, but didn’t say anything. “We all do reckless things when we’re young,” she remarked, although Emma wasn’t sure if she was talking to her or to Audrey. “I’m all done with you both. Anything else that needs my attention?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Neal said. 

Emma nodded in agreement. “How’s Audrey?”

Whale gave them a small smile. “Given she fell off a small cliff, her injuries aren’t nearly as bad as I thought. But I am going to need to x-ray her ankle, so we’re going to wheel her off and get that taken care of. You’re welcome to wait here or in the lounge, if you’d like.”

Emma sighed in relief, reaching to give Audrey’s hand a squeeze. “Neal and I will be here when you get back.”

Audrey nodded, giving her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”

“You didn’t, Audrey. We promise.”

When she was wheeled away, Emma leaned into Neal when he pulled her close.

“What the hell caused her to do that?”

“I don’t know. It was that doll my dad gave her, right? Maybe it triggered a memory,” Neal mused with a frown as he led her back into the waiting room. “You said she didn’t have any memories of before she was found at the lobster shack, right?”

“None that Amanda ever mentioned,” Emma confirmed, sitting down in one of the chairs.

“We’ll figure it out, Em. We always do,” Neal said with a small sigh, kissing her temple. “I’m going to go let Papa and Henry know what’s going on.”

Emma nodded. “I’ll be here. I’ll tell Audrey where you went.”

When Neal had disappeared out the doors, Emma heaved out a heavy sigh and put her head in her hands, trying to collect herself. Maybe thinking this town looked like it was something out of a Lifetime movie was a bad idea. 

Maybe she’d now suddenly cursed them to act out a Lifetime movie.

Did mythical deities care about Lifetime?

Soon, the scent of hot chocolate caught her attention, and Emma lifted her head to find a woman with short black hair standing in front of a vending machine.

“Is hospital hot chocolate any good?” Emma croaked out.

The other woman looked over in surprise. “Oh - well, it warms me up and gives me a little bit of energy at least, but no, it’s not nearly as good as homemade… or even the pouches you get at the store,” she said with a shrug. “There’s also no cinnamon to put on it, but that’s just a weird little quirk of mine.”

Emma’s eyes widened as she rose to her feet. “I’ve - I’ve never met anyone besides my son who likes hot chocolate with cinnamon on it.”

The stranger smiled. “I’ve never met anyone else who likes it either. Would you like a cup?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, thanks,” Emma said. “Are you sure though? I can pay you back - ”

“I don’t mind at all. You look like you could use a bit of a pick-me-up anyway.”

She gave Mary-Margaret a grateful smile. “So, are you a nurse that just got off work?”

Mary-Margaret shook her head. “I just volunteer here. What brings you here?”

Emma stared down at the cup in her hands. “My daughter had a bit of an… accident, so… I’m waiting for her to get back from getting an x-ray.”

“Oh - my goodness, I’m so sorry,” Mary-Margaret replied, her eyes wide with horror. “Would you like me to sit with you until she gets back?”

Part of Emma wanted to shake her head - that part of her that still felt like she didn’t need anyone, that she was better off alone, but the bigger part of her knew that having someone with her, even if it was a stranger who’d been kind enough to buy her a hot chocolate, would be better than being left alone to her thoughts.

So she nodded in agreement, sitting back down in the chair. “I’m Emma. Emma Cassidy.”

Mary-Margaret’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh! You must be Neal’s wife. I’m Mary-Margaret Blanchard.”

Emma frowned a little. “You know Neal?”

“We met this morning. He said you guys were visiting Storybrooke for the weekend.”

Emma nodded. “That’s right. Can’t say I expected a hospital would be on our list of places to go though,” she said, shaking her head.

“I can’t say I blame you,” Mary-Margaret replied. “Neal said you were from Boston. That must be exciting, huh?”

“It keeps me busy,” Emma said with a small shrug. “I don’t really consider places to be home. Not in the way someone might think.”

“How do you mean?”

Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Growing up, I didn’t have the easiest life. I didn’t really know a lot about stability. Not until Neal. So for me, home is less of a physical place, like Boston or Tallahassee or Storybrooke - it’s more about being with my family.”

“I think that’s sweet,” Mary-Margaret replied with a small smile. “It sounds lovely.”

She couldn’t help but laugh slightly. “Thanks, I think. It works for me, at least. Have you always lived here?”

“I have. I wanted to go to Penn State for college but… my father refused to let me out of the town. Threatened to not pay my tuition. So I ended up going to college here instead. He ended up passing away a year after.”

Emma frowned slightly. “How come you haven’t moved since then?”

“I just… keep getting busy with things. Something always seems to happen whenever I think about leaving. Besides, I don’t know if I’m really made for the big city, come to think of it,” Mary-Margaret explained, wrinkling her nose slightly.

“Mom!”

Henry’s voice cut through the quiet waiting room, the ten-year-old bursting through the door with Neal and Arthur behind him.

“Ah, good, everyone’s here,” Dr. Anderson said, approaching the family as Margaret wheeled Audrey over to an elevator. “Audrey’s scans came back. We didn’t see any serious trauma, but we did notice a concussion and would like to keep her here for a couple of days just to watch her, so Margaret is taking her to a quieter room. She’s also broken her ankle, so we’re going to go ahead and get a cast on her. I… would also like to have her meet with our town’s psychologist, Dr. Hopper.”

Emma frowned. “Psychologist? Why?”

“Audrey still seems a bit shaken. I’m not saying you did anything wrong, but sometimes a neutral ear can help calm someone down,” Dr. Anderson explained with a smile. “It’s just a precaution.”

She couldn’t say she was comfortable with that, but she relented with a nod. It was for Audrey. All Emma wanted was her to be healthy.

Waiting for Audrey to finish speaking to Dr. Hopper was agonizing. Mary-Margaret had gone home, her calming presence gone from the room, which left her with Neal, Henry, and Arthur, the latter of which she still didn’t fully trust, even if Henry was immediately smitten, trying to teach him how to play Mario Kart on his DS.

She couldn’t take her eyes off Audrey, watching every twitch of her hand or flinch as she spoke with the doctor, and she hated that he couldn’t do anything to make her more comfortable. As much as she trusted the doctors, it hurt her to see the teenager looking so frightened.

“She’ll be alright,” Neal murmured, Emma’s hand clutching his and unsure if he’d said that for her or for him.

Finally, Dr. Hopper rose to his feet and approached them, a concerned look on his face.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy… you mentioned that Audrey was homeless when you took her in?” he asked quietly.

“That’s right,” Neal said.

“And that she didn’t have any recollection of her childhood?”

“Right, her caseworker mentioned that,” Emma said with a small frown. “Why?”

“Trauma can do a number on a person’s psyche… oftentimes it will create almost a lock over the traumatic memories, and allow us to forget them until they’re triggered by something that reminds us of that time. Food, music, a certain car… whatever that memory was. Does that make sense?”

“More than you could understand,” Neal muttered as Emma gave a solemn nod.

The therapist seemed a little concerned at the response, but cleared his throat and continued on.

“Right, well… I believe that’s what happened to Audrey. She must have had some traumatic memories of her past, and they were triggered by the doll in Mr. Gold’s shop,” he explained, anxiously adjusting his umbrella. “This is going to be a complicated thing to resolve, Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy.”

“Well, whatever it is, we’re on Audrey’s side. We are her foster parents, after all,” Emma said.

“That’s the thing,” Dr. Hopper said slowly, taking another deep breath. “Audrey… already has parents. She had been missing from Storybrooke for six years now.”

Emma felt her heart stop, color draining from her face.

“Oh my God…” Neal muttered. “So… what do we do now?”

Dr. Hopper fussed with his watch. “I’m afraid that’s above my pay grade… the sheriff will likely get involved, her mothers need to be contacted - ”

“Now hold on. If Audrey ran away from home, how are we supposed to be sure that contacting her mothers is a good idea?” Emma snapped.

“As I said, Mrs. Cassidy, that’s not my job. But everyone will be working for the good of Audrey. I promise.”

Neal ran a hand down his face. “Can we go see her?”

“Of course. If she feels she needs to talk to me again, here’s my card,” Dr. Hopper said, handing it over to Neal. “Or if either of you need to talk.”

“Thank you Dr. Hopper. Henry, can you stay with your grandfather for a bit?” Emma sighed, waiting for the acknowledgement from Henry before entering Audrey’s room.

Audrey was staring down at her hands as they entered the room and took seats next to her bed.

“Are you mad?” she finally mumbled.

“No, of course not… we just want to understand. If you’re comfortable telling us,” Neal replied, brushing her hair away from her face.

Audrey nodded, taking a deep breath. “My name is Audrey Dale… I was adopted when I was a baby, and grew up here until I was 10. I ran away because my moms were always yelling at each other, and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Emma felt her heart break, and all she wanted to do was bundle Audrey up and get her the hell out of Storybrooke.

“That happened to me too, once,” Emma said quietly. “It was my last foster home. The foster parents never really loved any of us, and it was obvious. They were always yelling about money, about how the state or their jobs weren’t paying enough…”

“My moms loved me. They just didn’t love each other,” Audrey said, biting her lip.

Emma rubbed Audrey’s back gently and gave her a small smile. “I’m glad you knew love.”

“What’s going to happen? I don’t want to leave you guys… I like living with you.”

Emma let out a sigh. “I don’t know. But I promise, Audrey, we are going to fight for your best chance.”

-----

Emma and Neal had gone back to Granny’s to change, leaving Audrey alone for the first time since the incident at the pawn shop. Well, without any human companionship, anyway. Dr. Whale and Dr. Anderson had agreed to allow Snoopy to stay with her, so long as his leash was secured to something so he couldn’t escape further into the hospital. She was used to just having Snoopy for company, and having him curled up against her side was a calming presence she needed.

It was odd, being back in Storybrooke, and while part of her wanted to run back to Boston and never look back, there was a small part of her that was happy to be here, a part of her Audrey hadn’t been sure she’d ever see again.

“I don’t think this is what Neal had in mind when he’d brought us here,” she murmured to Snoopy, who let out a snore and shifted in his sleep.

“AUDREY?!”

She snapped her head toward the door at the shout, absently calming Snoopy as her eyes filled with tears when Li Dale ran into the room.

“Mama…” she choked out.

Li had always been the one there for her school events, despite her busy job at the town’s garage. Every recital, science fair or art show, Audrey could count on Li being in the front row.

“Oh my baby! Look at you… you’re okay! I didn’t want to believe it when Darren called me, but you’re here…” Li gasped out, pulling Audrey into a tight hug, the familiar scent of motor oil and peach blossoms surrounding her. “Where have you been?!”

“Boston, mostly…” Audrey said softly, pulling out of the hug and patting Snoopy on the head. “I’ve been in the foster system since I ran away.”

“The foster - Audrey, didn’t you tell them who you were? Where you lived? You know I would have come to get you.”

Audrey swallowed. “Because I didn’t remember who I was, where Storybrooke was. Dr. Hopper says I had trauma that repressed my memories of this place until my foster parents brought me here.”

Li stared at her, eyes wide with confusion. “Repressed - ”

“You and Mom were always fighting! I couldn’t stand it anymore! That’s why I ran away,” Audrey explained. “But Emma and Neal aren’t like that. They love Henry and I, but they also love each other! I feel happy there!”

Li’s hands came up to her mouth, Audrey could see her palm shaking just slightly. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore, sweetheart.”

“Why not?”

“Because - ”

“Audrey?”

The new voice was more of a frog’s croak rather than a human woman’s.

Renata Dale entered the room, blonde hair loose over one shoulder, and eyes wide, almost dazed as she approached the bed.

“Hi, Mom…” Audrey murmured.

“Renata.”

Renata glanced over at Li, not fully meeting her gaze. “Li. So Darren called you too, huh?”

“Of course he did.”

Audrey felt it all rushing back to her. The tension with the two women, the fear that voices were going to be raised again, the fear that someone was going to physically lash out… 

“Mama, what was it you were saying before?” she quickly said, causing both women to stare down at her as if they’d forgotten she was there.

Li blinked several times as she remembered where she’d left off. “Your mother and I got a divorce about a year after you disappeared. There’s no more yelling at home.”

Audrey’s eyes widened, hand frozen against Snoopy’s back. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Renata cut in. “It isn’t because of you we couldn’t keep our heads on straight.”

Li looked like she wanted to say something else, but held back before her attention was caught by the doorway again. “Uh, hi. Can we help you?”

“Henry!”

There was more relief in her voice than she’d meant to use as her brother entered the room with two cups in his hand.

Henry grinned, plopping into the chair near her bed and holding out one of the cups. “Hi Audrey! I brought you a shake from Granny’s. Dad said it might help cheer you up!”

“Um, kid, who the heck are you?” Renata asked.

“Henry. Who are you?”

“I’m her mother.”

“Henry’s my foster brother,” Audrey said, sensing the tension beginning to build again.

“And I’m his mother.”

Emma and Neal entered the room slowly.

“You’re Audrey’s foster mother?” Li asked quietly.

“Hi… I’m Emma Cassidy. This is my husband Neal.”

“Foster - ”

“Let’s discuss this outside… I think it’d be best to not upset Audrey any further,” Neal added. “Buddy, can you keep her company?”

Henry was either oblivious to what was going on, or good at masking his concern, because he nodded quickly and grinned. “Got it, dad!”

Li and Renata seemed reluctant to leave the room, but both followed Emma and Neal, disappearing down the hall.

Audrey hoped whatever was happening wouldn’t cause anymore anger.

------

“You two are planning on adopting Audrey?” Renata asked, her face going white. “But - but Li and I adopted her when she was a baby.”

“That had been our plan until her memories came back, yeah,” Neal said with a nod and a frown.

“But… legally speaking, we are her mothers. You two have no grounds to stand on here. But thank you for bringing our daughter home safe to us.”

Li let out a sigh. “Renata, this isn’t going to be as easy as you hope it’ll be.”

“What are you talking about?”

Li looked at Emma and Neal sadly. “Audrey really loves you, y’know. She mentioned how safe and happy she felt with you guys. It would devastate her if we ripped her away from you.”

Neal nodded in understanding. “She told us you guys love her too.”

“This is a hell of a situation to be in…” Li said, frowning. “What are we going to do? She said you were from Boston. That’s hours from here.”

Emma and Neal looked at each other, smiling weakly at each other before they turned to Renata and LI.

“That’s right, but the good thing about our jobs is… we can work pretty much anywhere,” Emma said. “We discussed it with our son, and we decided that since Audrey has you two here, we’ll just have to stay here.”

Li blinked in surprise. “You - what? You’re willing to move to Storybrooke for her?”

“It’s as you said, Audrey loves both families. Even if our adoption fell through, it wouldn’t be fair to rip her away from one of them. So we’re willing to move here if that means keeping her happy.”

“And - and your son is okay with this?”

“It’d kill Henry to be away from Audrey. The two have been inseparable since we brought Audrey home,” Neal explained.

Li sighed. “Okay. Thank you. You’re right. We need to work together, for our daughter.”

Renata gave them a weak smile. “You better go tell Audrey the good news then. She’ll be thrilled.”

Neal nodded, he and Emma heading back to Audrey’s room, where they found the kids hunched over their DS systems.

“Henry, c’mon, get your stuff ready. We’ve got a long day tomorrow,” Neal said.

“Tomorrow? What’s tomorrow?” Audrey asked, biting her lip.

“I’m going to head back to Boston to get more of our stuff, and Emma’s going to enroll Henry in school,” Neal explained.

“Enroll him in school? But - ” Audrey said, cutting herself off before her eyes widened. “Are - are you guys moving to Storybrooke?”

Neal nodded. “That’s right. You and Henry are so close already, we decided it wouldn’t be fair to separate you two by going back to Boston while you stayed here with your moms. So we decided it was time to settle down somewhere a little quiet.”

“Your moms agreed to work with us, for your sake,” Emma said with a small smile. “Which is more than we deserve given you’re legally theirs, but… we’ll see you tomorrow, okay? We promise.”

Audrey nodded. “Okay… I love you.”

Emma leaned over to kiss her head. “We love you too.”

As they left the hospital, they could hear Audrey excitedly introducing Li and Renata to Snoopy.

#home is wherever i'm with you #swanfire #emma swan #neal cassidy #audrey cassidy #mulan #elsa #frozen warrior

[fishylife]

i watched the first episode of the rise of phoenixes

- the premise of the story is actually quite similar to nirvana in fire, at least on the part of ning yi. he’s an unfavoured prince trying to get justice for his dead elder brother, which is exactly what happened in nirvana in fire. i’m curious about whether feng zhiwei will have her own personal goal in the story.

- the costumes look pretty fancy and expensive. i just realized that i usually decide how fancy costumes in a period drama are by looking at the men’s costumes. the women’s costumes can always be dressed up with fun colours and exquisite jewellery. on the other hand, the men’s clothes are usually plainer, which draws more focus on the quality of the materials themselves, and i must say they look pretty high quality and luxurious in this show.

- pretty sure the tiansheng dynasty is a fictional one. however, i’m not knowledgeable enough on historical costumes to know what time period this story is based on :(

- so many actors i know! when i saw the emperor i was like “hey! that’s sima yi from three kingdoms!” and feng zhiwei’s mom is of course jingwang’s mom from nirvana in fire. and apparently wang ou is also in this show! I know bai jingting is in this too :P

- i’ve actually only watched chen kun in mulan, and i’m already drawn to how charming he is, which is strange to say. he plays this sort of “pathetic” prince who just wants to make clothes, but in his conversations with xin ziyan, it’s clear that he understands more than he lets in on. he just doesn’t have much ambition, especially after the third prince that he looked up to passed away. but now that xin ziyan told him about how the third prince wanted him to achieve success, he’s down with following through. i’m just so fascinated by how calm he is. yeah, he cries a lot in the first episode, but i think that’s really due to emotions about his family, rather than him getting stressed out about the technical stuff.

- i’ve never seen ni ni in anything else before, but i already love her. she’s just so cute! she’s a mixture of the wild tomboy (because she wants to go to school! how outrageous!) but also a pious daughter, sprinkled with the cute and feminine charm that she always seems to bring to her roles. i’m so excited for her to meet ning yi!!

- a little bit early for meaningful moments, but i loved it when feng zhiwei’s mom was like, you gotta be brave and take risks if you want things to change. feng zhiwei was going off about how they should just take the royal gifts and flee the house. they don’t enjoy their life at feng zhiwei’s uncle’s home, so i thought this was what mom was alluding to. but i wonder if mom is more invested in the happenings of the royal family than we might have thought, and she thinks feng zhiwei marrying a prince, no matter how lowly, could shake things up. anyway, her words still ring true in any situation. you can’t get out of a bad situation by doing nothing. 

- i’m starting to see how this is really an underdog story. ning yi is pretty low on the power rankings of the princes, and feng zhiwei is living in the shadow of her uncle’s family. but they both have their smarts (and later on they probably have each other too) and that is what will get them what they believe is right.

- i have heard that this show is good up until the 50 episode mark though so i’m a little worried that the story unravels and stops making sense in the last 20 episodes.

- i have also heard that this show has a sad ending, but at this point, i expect that out of pretty much all serious cdramas. i’m starting not to mind sad endings, because sometimes there are some causes that are more important than life itself (at least that’s how it was in the olden days) and i can jibe with that. sad endings have also taught me to appreciate the journey more.

#thinking out loud #tv #the rise of phoenixes #天盛長歌

[responsable-pour-toujours]

That what brought them here.

Well, that and Sally’s insistence on touching the fish. [Daughter AU. One shot. Small children believe anything can be be-friended.]

Officially, he is there as a spotter, a second set of eyes to keep watch for anything unusual. The Council may have taken a hit with the destruction of the stockpile and the closure of the Bureau, but he puts nothing past them, not when one of their few remaining assets remains a question mark in their inventory.

He’s not keen on letting anyone affiliated with the Council get their hands on another child. He’s seen what they did to his son. He doesn’t want to imagine what they’d do to his granddaughter.

Granddaughter.

It’s a word he’d never imagined he’d get to use. Not after Will. Not after Ava.

Yet, here they are.

--

He’s loosely aware of the fact that Sally has necessitated some alterations in Will’s movie habits; little girls don’t really have a taste for bad sci fi or romantic comedies until they’re at least out of pre-school, after all.

Disney movies, however, are a different story.

For the most part, they seem to have skipped the princess cannon. As far as he can tell, they’d started at Emperor’s New Groove, and picked their way haphazardly through from there. Mulan and Atlantis had gotten good reviews, as had Mary Poppins. They’d detoured, then, into what he has come to refer to as “the dog movies”: 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, and Oliver and Company.

Somehow, they’d even begun working their way through the Pixar films: Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Wall-E, and most recently, Finding Nemo.

That’s what brought them here.

Well, that and Sally’s insistence on touching the fish.

“They’re fish, kiddo,” Will had tried to reason with her. “They’re not like Jane. They live in the water. You don’t pet Jack’s fish.”

“But maybe they want to be pet. Jane likes pets.”

“Kiddo, they don’t … we don’t pet fish.”

Jack had listened to the conversation with barely concealed amusement, and had quietly emailed the Point Defiance link to Will.

--

Slowly, she is growing more comfortable out in public. She still clings to him or Will, yes, but there isn’t the same kind of fear in her eye. He thinks that, one day, she might even manage curiosity.

“Kitty!” Sally chirps from the safety of her father’s arms.

“That’s a tiger, Sally. Very big, very dangerous kitty.”

“Can we pet it?”

“No, kiddo. Not that kind of kitty.”

“How about that one?” She asks, pointed to a small leopard nearby.

He watches Will sigh, a smile creeping across his lips. “If it’s here, we probably shouldn’t pet it.”

“But kitties!”

“Jane would be sad.”

Sally considers this for a moment, then nods, seemingly placated. “Okay, no petting, then.”

--

Will deposits her into his arms at the start of their aquarium visit. “Your turn.”

He holds her up to watch the tropical fish, smiling as she excitedly points out a small clownfish, insisting on it being the real Nemo.

In the background, he hears the click of Will’s shutter.

“I wanna pet them,” his granddaughter insists as they stand before the shark tank.

“You wanna pet everything.”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I don’t wanna pet the octopus.”

“Okay, not the octopus, but just about everything else.”

“They’re friends!”

He shakes his head. “Alright, let’s go pet some friends.”

--

The ray flaps against the side of the tank, seeming to enjoy the attention. He crouches down with Sally, one hand on her back and the other in the tank with her’s.

His granddaughter’s face is nothing but delight.

He doesn’t even hear the camera click.

--

He finds a large sealed envelope waiting for him on his desk after lunch that Monday.

“Thanks for the help,” the enclosed note reads.

He reaches in and pulls out the contents, a single photograph.

He realizes he’ll need a frame.

#dad #grandpa jack #daughter AU

[whattodowithace]

Loyal, brave, and true (Jun)

Title: Loyal, brave, and true (PART 1 of 3)

Pairing: Reader x Jun (ACE)

Genre: Some spice, Mulan based AU

Word count: 589 (4,114 words in total)

Writer: Kpopmadness (Ju)

The sun beats down on the dry land relentlessly, causing heat waves to rise off the earths surface, making man and beast run for the luxury of shade. Jun trudges on with the line of men that were all going to the same destination. The heat the least of his concern even though it made his dark hair stick to his forehead and his clothes cling to his body. Jun's hands shook as he walked, his feet dragging behind him slightly. He knew he had to do this, but he was scared. Much like a lot of the men that lined up behind him, even if they acted like they were not.

It was an honor to be called upon by the emperor to help him fight a battle against a common enemy. He had made a decree that a son should be given from every family. If a son was not available, then the father would have to fight. The Huns encroached closer and closer each passing day. Making them a large threat to the emperor's territory. The Hun left only destruction and horror in their wake.

It was for this reason Jun stood lined up with other men to receive training to become a solider. Being the only son of his fathers house, he was to take his place and bring honor to his family. And though he desperately wanted to protect his family, it didn't stop his heart from pounding in his ribs at the fear of the unknown.

"Name." A man in royal attire said crisply, not looking up at Jun.

"Park Junhee." Jun stuttered, his hands shaking worse than before.

"You are your fathers only son?" The man asked, actually looking Jun in the eyes this time.

Jun nods. "Yes, sir." His gut twisting in unease. But the man simply nods and scribbles something on his scroll before snapping his fingers. Another solider steps forward and forcibly gives Jun a stack of clothes and blankets, Jun almost dropping them to the ground in nerves.

Jun follows the crowd of boys ahead of him, his eyes darting around nervously, looking for anything slightly familiar. But there was nothing. A call for attention from a second in command officer rings through the air like a knife, making Jun's back straighten as he quickly lined up like everyone else, heads held high, clothes and blankets still in hand.

"You aren't home anymore, boys." The lieutenant says firmly as he walks down the line. "You will act and behave as a solider of the emperor should act. You will address me and your commander as "Sir" at all times and spoke only when spoken to. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of "Sir, yes sir!" rings through the air from everyone. Making the officer nod once before ordering. "Go to your assigned tents and get settled. Your training begins tomorrow at 4AM."

Jun complies like the rest of the men but feels a lump tighten in his stomach. He would give anything not to be here, but he knew it was what he had to do. So he tightened his jaw in determination and set out for his tent.

..............

"They aren't much of a troop, commander." The lieutenant officer says to a figure that stood at the entrance of her tent, watching the new recruits fumble to their homes for the next six months.

"No." She remarks, a smirk tugging at her lips as she twirls a lock of hair around her finger. "Not yet they aren't."

#acewriters #a.c.e #a.c.e jun #a.c.e junhee #a.c.e x reader #a.c.e kpop #a.c.e fanfic #kpop #kpop fanfiction #kpopmadness writings #ju admin