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princesssarisa · 3 years

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How "Cinderella Monogatari" Could Have Been Better

I've just finished watching the 1996 anime series Cinderella Monogatari ("The Story of Cinderella"). I'll share my overall thoughts on it later, after I've overviewed a few other versions of the fairy tale. But for now, I'll say that I liked it very much. That said, it does have its flaws. Below are the handful of changes I would make to improve it.

1. Have Cinderella's father be presumed dead through most of the series.

It's awkward to have Cinderella's father still be alive, and not a weak henpecked husband, but merely away on business. Why would Duchess Dalbin so extensively abuse and degrade her stepdaughter knowing that the girl's devoted father will eventually come back? I would have preferred for the Duke to leave on his business trip, and then, a few weeks later, have the family receive the news that his ship was wrecked in a storm and that he's missing and presumably drowned. Only at this point would the Duchess start to abuse Cinderella. This could also add a layer of depth to the Duchess's character. She could be portrayed as genuinely in love with her husband and distraught by his "death," and afterwards she would exclude Cinderella from the family because Cinderella reminds her too much of him, similar to what the 1997 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical implies. But in the final episode, the Duke would come back and reveal that he survived after all: he's just taken this long to recover from his injuries and find a ship home. So we'd still have the blissful family reunion the actual series gives us, but with even more emotional weight.

2. Give Duke Zaral consistent motivation.

I like the series' addition of a "Greater Scope Villain" (to quote TVTropes) in Duke Zaral. But at least in the English dub, his motive seems to change completely at random from "Marry his daughter Isabel to Prince Charles and become the real power behind the throne" to "Murder Charles and force his parents to surrender the kingdom." This could be easily solved, though. Simply place the episode "The Disturbing Painter" (his first real attempt to kill Charles, when he tries to have his portrait painted by an artist who traps his subjects' souls in the painting) after the episode "Traveling Toward Happiness" (where his daughter Isabel runs away with her true love) instead of before. Since the series makes it clear that Zaral really does love his daughter, it would make much more sense for his murderous turn to be caused by losing her, especially if he found out that Charles had helped her elope. To quote TVTropes again, it would be his Villainous Breakdown, and it would give him a real character arc.

3. Cut the episode "Prince Charles's Secret," where Cinderella and her stepsisters are forced to work as maids in the castle.

While of course it's funny to see the stepsisters forced to do the same chores they usually heap on Cinderella, the context is ridiculous. If a wealthy duke like Zaral wants maidservants to spy on Prince Charles, why doesn't he just pay real working-class girls to do it? Why on earth would he insult a family of his own social class by tricking a duchess's daughters into visiting the castle only to have them forced into servitude? And afterwards, why does no one ever mention it again? Realistically, wouldn't a trick like that cause a scandal? The whole scenario is contrived and would be better off cut.

4. Make Cinderella less of a damsel in distress.

Now there's no shame in a heroine not being a fighter or needing to be rescued. But it's still a tiny bit tedious to see Cinderella repeatedly being captured or endangered and Charles repeatedly being the strong one who rescues her. Even after he teaches her how to swordfight in "Lets Get Rid of Those Bandits," she never uses the skills she learned in that episode again, particularly not in the finale when she's captured by Zaral. I say remove Charles from some of the episodes where she's endangered and have her rescue herself instead. Have her use the fencing skills Charles taught her throughout the rest of the series, particularly when she's kidnapped in the finale. Not that she needs to use a sword, but at least she could defend herself with a stick or some other improvised weapon. In the climactic battle with Zaral on the clock tower, I'd have Cinderella and Charles fighting him together rather than just Charles. Again, I'm not saying there's any shame in being a damsel in destress, but it would be more interesting to see Cinderella defend herself at least a little bit more.

5. Have the stepfamily rip Cinderella's dress before the ball, as in the Disney version.

The scene where they rip up her invitation to the ball is already a blatant knockoff of the Disney dress-ripping scene, but without the same power. So why not take the imitation all the way and have them rip her dress as well as the invitation? This would also enhance the next scene where Fairy Godmother Paulette works her magic. In the actual series, the fact that Cinderella is already wearing a fancy gown and Paulette's magic just brings its style more up-to-date is slightly underwhelming. We lose the sheer magic of the dress transformation that other versions of Cinderella have. If her dress were in tatters, this would be rectified.

6. Don't have Charles fall in love with the "mystery girl."

Cinderella retellings that give Cinderella and the Prince most of their romance arc before the ball always have a dilemma: what to do with the plot point of the Prince not knowing his beloved's name or where to find her after the ball? Some versions have found good solutions; this one is mediocre. After his series-long slow-burn romance arc with Cinderella, it's awkward to see Charles become enamored in one night with the girl at the ball, whom he doesn't know is Cinderella. Even if it is just because she "reminds him" of Cinderella, whom he thinks will never speak to him again because he lied about his identity, it still seems ever-so-slightly fickle. I'd prefer to have him only regard her as a friend with whom he can confide about Cinderella. Then, after the ball, instead of being depressed about her disappearance, he'd be depressed because Cinderella "never showed up" even though he invited her. But Alex and Hans would mistakenly think he was moping over the mystery girl and set out to use the glass slipper to find her.

7. Give the stepfamily a gradual redemption arc.

Maybe this is what the series was trying to go for, because there are assorted episodes where Cinderella does especially valuable things for her stepfamily (saving Jeanne's life when they're lost in the woods, learning to swordfight and guarding the house against the bandits, risking her life to find healing herbs for her dangerously ill stepmother, etc.) and momentarily earns their respect. But in every new episode, they're back to abusing her. So in the last episode, it feels very abrupt when they start being nice to her after she's betrothed to Prince Charles. If it were played for laughs like in the 1957 version of the Rodgers and Hammertein musical, and they were clearly only sucking up to her because she was the princess-to-be, it would feel less awkward, but it's not played for laughs. It feels as if we're supposed to see it as a genuine, heartfelt family reconciliation, which is completely unearned. And then when Cinderella's father the Duke comes home, they all reunite as one big happy family and the Duke never even learns that his wife and stepdaughters abused his daughter while he was away!

My solution? Put much more emphasis on Cinderella's gradually earning her stepfamily's respect over the course of the series. Don't have them forget the great things she does for them; have call-backs to the fact that she saved their lives, risked her own safety for them etc. Show them increasingly torn between their jealousy of her and their growing respect and gratitude toward her. While they would still have a final "Kick the Dog" moment by tearing up her mother's dress and her invitation to the ball, I'd show them feeling very guilty as they ride away in their carriage afterward. Maybe Jeanne could ask Catherine if what they did was right, and Catherine would reply that they had no choice, Cinderella looked too pretty, the Prince would have ignored them if he had seen her, etc.; but clearly she wouldn't be so sure. Then, after Cinderella reunites with Prince Charles, there could be a scene similar to the opera La Cenerentola, where Charles would publicly berate the Duchess and her daughters for their treatment of Cinderella and threaten to punish them somehow, only for Cinderella to declare that she forgives them and beg her fiancé to pardon them. This would move them to tears and they would finally, profusely apologize to her for all they had done. And when the Duke comes home, Cinderella's choice not to tell him about their abuse could be emphasized as her way of showing faith in their repentance and giving them a second chance.

I realize that all this would probably take up more than just a few minutes of the final episode. So because we've already cut the earlier episode where the stepsisters work as maids at the palace, I suggest we add a new Episode 23, in-between the actual series' second-to-last and final episodes. This entire episode would take place between the slipper-fitting and the royal wedding, and it would open with her reunion with Charles and end with her reunion with her father. Everything in between would be devoted to her reconciliation with the stepfamily. This would be a much more believable, satisfactory conclusion for them than what the actual series gives us.

It's a good series, but with these changes, in my personal opinion, it would be even stronger.

#anime #cinderella monogatari #fairy tale #cinderella #the story of cinderella #animated series #my opinion #how it could be better #rewriting

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siumerghe · 4 years

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I’m continuing with my The Longest Day in Chang'an history spam (previous posts: 1, 2)

This time I’d like to talk about Crown Prince Li Yu (historical Li Heng, Emperor Suzong) and his relationship with Right Chancellor Lin Jiulang (historical Li Linfu).

While watching The Longest Day in Chang'an I thought the enmity between the Crown Prince and the Right Chancellor in this show was greatly exaggerated for the sake of drama.

In fact it wasn’t. At all.

The third son of Emperor Xuanzong, Li Heng was raised by childless Empress Wang. By 744 when the events of The Longest Day in Chang'an take place, Empress Wang had already been demoted (due to machinations of Xuanzong’s favorite consort, Wu-huifei) and dead (unclear if by suicide or by natural causes - she died very soon after the demotion). Li Heng’s biological mother, Consort Yang, also died (btw, when she was pregnant with Li Heng, Xuanzong wanted to abort the child, but was dissuaded). For Li Heng that meant that had no support in the Imperial harem.

Xuanzong wanted to make his much-beloved Consort Wu the new empress. Alas - Consort Wu belonged to the same clan as the only female emperor, Wu Zetian, whose reign ended not long ago. All the ministers were vehemently against the idea of Empress Wu v2.0, and Xuanzong eventually had to back down.

Consort Wu failed to become empress - it didn’t mean she didn’t have other ambitions. She formed an alliance with Li Linfu (Lin Jiulang in the dorama): she persuaded Xuanzong to appoint Li Linfu as the right chancellor (prime minister), and in turn, Li Linfu promised to make her son, Li Mao, the crown prince.

There is a well-known Chinese idiom 口蜜腹剑 “in the mouth - honey, in the belly - sword” which means a double-faced and treacherous person, basically an equivalent of “Juda’s kiss”. Initially this phrase was used to describe Li Linfu’s personality by one of his contemporaries.

Consort Wu and Li Linfu started by framing three Xuanzong’s sons including the current Crown Prince Li Ying. Consort Wu sent them a message saying that bandits attacked the palace and asking for help. When the princes hurriedly came - in armor and with weapons - they were accused of treason and emperor assassination attempt. The three princes were demoted to commoners and ordered to commit suicide (their wives were executed as well.) Xuanzong killed three of his sons in one day - not sure if it’s a record but still.

It seemed that Li Mao was one step from becoming the new crown prince. However, soon after that Consort Wu fell ill: she was haunted by the souls of the executed princes (or, more likely, by her guilty conscience). Consort Wu made sacrifices to the princes’ souls - it didn’t help, and eventually she died. Xuanzong posthumously honored her as Empress under the name Zhenshun 貞順 ("virtuous and obedient”).

After Consort Wu’s death Xuanzong was inconsolable. At least for some time. Until his trusted eunuch Gao Lishi (Guo Lishi in the dorama) arranged an “accident“: Xuanzong saw his daughter-in-law Yang Yuhuan, who at that moment was leaving the bathing pool. Xuanzong immediately fell in love with her. (Yang Yuhuan - future Yang-guifei, one of the Four Legendary Beauties of China; in The Longest Day in Chang'an she is called Taizhen - by her Daoist name.)

When appointing the new crown prince, Xuanzong hesitated for a long time - almost for a year: he couldn’t decide between Li Heng and Li Mao. Li Mao was a son of his beloved woman, and had many supporters among high-ranking officials and members of the imperial family.

However, it’s precisely because Li Mao had such strong support that Xuanzong was wary of making him the crown prince. Xuanzong himself came to power after two bloody coups and by dethroning his father-emperor, so suffering his father’s fate was probably his worst nightmare. He even built a “Ten Princes’ Residence” for his sons in a far away corner of Chang’an, where all princes lived together under a constant surveillance, in a sort of a luxurious prison. Their contacts with state officials were forbidden under a death penalty in order to prevent princes from getting their own power base at court.

Finally (as they say, by Gao Lishi’s advice), Xuanzong chose the older of the two candidates - Li Heng. (Btw, Yang Yuhuan was Li Mao’s wife. Was it one of the reasons why Xuanzong finally appointed Li Heng, not Li Mao, the crown prince? If so, then bravo, Gao Lishi!)

By his natural qualities, Li Heng seemed perfect for the crown prince position: The Old History of Tang describes him as benevolent, smart and studious, with a very good memory. He was tall and graceful, and was said to resemble the Tang dynasty co-founder, Emperor Taizong.

However, being a crown prince during the Early Tang was a dangerous occupation with survival rate less than 50%: out of 13 crown princes only 5 lived to become the emperor, and most of them came to power through coups and violent struggle. Li Heng was the 14th.

On Xuanzong’s orders, Li Heng several times changed his name: Li Sisheng, Li Jun, Li Yu (this is his name in the dorama), Li Shao, and, finally, Li Heng.

There is an unpleasant story related to this: after Li Heng (Li Yu at that time) was promoted to crown prince his name was changed to Li Shao 绍. However, during the Liu-Song dynasty a crown prince named Liu Shao 绍 killed his father-emperor and seized the throne. Oops. Xuanzong was reminded about this story and changed his son’s name again - to Li Heng. And didn’t change anymore. But apparently, it made suspicious Xuanzong prejudiced against Li Heng.

After Consort Wu’s death Li Linfu continued to plot against Li Heng: he had already antagonized himself with the prince - if Li Heng came to power he would inevitably take revenge on Li Linfu. So Li Linfu tried very hard to prevent it. (Was it Li Linfu‘s idea to suggest such an unfortunate name for Li Heng, I wonder?)

In 746 Li Heng had to divorce his wife, Lady Wei, after Li Linfu accused her brother Wei Jian and general Huangfu Weiming of the attempt to form an alliance with the Crown Prince in order to depose the Emperor and to put Li Heng on the throne. Huangfu Weiming, Wei Jian with his brothers, as well as other people were executed or ordered to commit suicide, and many officials lost their positions. Left Chancellor Li Shizhi killed himself out of fear. Lady Wei was demoted to a commoner and forced to become a nun.

Even after Wei Jian's death, Li Linfu was still angry at the Wei family and continued to pursue people accused of being Wei Jian's associates and torture them, until Li Linfu's later death in 752.

Then in the same 746 year the father of Li Heng’s favorite concubine was falsely accused of witchcraft. Li Linfu supported this accusation. As a result, the concubine’s father and some other people who were close to Li Heng were beaten by canes to death. The concubine was demoted to a commoner and expelled.

In 747 Li Linfu launched another campaign against Li Heng. He engaged Yang Guozhong (Yang-gufei’s cousin and the future Right Chancellor) to falsely accuse people with connections to Li Heng, hoping to find a way to implicate Li Heng in improprieties. Yang Guozong was therefore able to use this opportunity to destroy several hundreds of households.

Then highly successive general Wang Zhongsi (whose daughter Wang Yunxiu gets kidnapped in the dorama) was accused of interfering with the campaign of another general, which was a punishable offense. Wang Zhongsi was a close friend of Li Heng, raised together with him in the palace. So Li Linfu broadened the accusation: he insisted that Wang Zhongsi intended to start a coup to overthrow Xuanzong and replace him with Li Heng. Thanks to other generals’ support, Wang Zhonsi was spared from death so Li Heng also wasn’t punished. Wang Zhonsi was demoted and died next year.

Over the years Li Linfu made other attempts to undermine Li Heng, but Li Heng managed to survive and not to lose his title thanks to his perseverance and cautiousness. However, the prolonged stress undermined Li Heng’s health: he suffered from depression, and his hair turned white prematurely. (Eventually he’ll die being only 52 y.o. from a heart stroke, having outlived his father for only 2 weeks.)

And yes, Xuanzong did plan to retire with his beloved Yang-guifei and pass all state matters to Li Linfu - this is not the dorama’s invention! One can imagine how that would end for Li Heng.

After Li Linfu died in 752, nothing changed for Li Heng: the next Right Chancellor, Yang Guozhong was a close associate of Li Linfu, and he continued the same politics in regards to the crown prince.

Did the Crown Prince in The Longest Day in Chang'an seem to you like a nervous and intimidated person? He had all the reasons to be: remember, 5:13 survival rate, and his three brothers already killed by their father. For years Li Heng had to walk on thin ice in fear that Xuanzong would listen to slander and order him to commit suicide. And all people who were close to Li Heng risked their lives - only because of their closeness with the prince.

#长安十二时辰 #the longest day in chang'an #chinese history #tang dynasty #xuanzong #suzong #li linfu #yang guifei #yang guozhong

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corinthbayrpg · 3 years

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NAME. Adrian Kallikrates (Theseus) AGE & BIRTH DATE. 3000+ Unknown GENDER & PRONOUNS. Male & He/him SPECIES. Rift OCCUPATION. Unemployed FACE CLAIM. Taron Egerton

BIOGRAPHY

(tw death, suicide) As far as his mother Aethra was concerned he had two fathers, one mortal, the other the god of the sea himself. For she’d laid with Poseidon after catching his attention while paying him tribute, and also the king of Athens. Upon hearing the news that a child was conceived, Aegeus chose to return to his home of Athens. But not before leaving his sword and sandals buried on the shores of Troezen. One day his son was to return and retrieve them from under a heavy stone to prove his parentage.

Raised by his mother, Theseus grew into a strong young man and he moved the stone aside and planned to take Aegeus’s sandals and sword back to his rightful home. Everyone knew it was easier to sail to Athens than to take the road, for it was plagued by bandits. However he did not choose the easy path and chose to go by land and encounter the entrances to the Underworld. He was up to a challenge, why shouldn’t he go to Athens with tales of his victories?

And he went through the six labours. Periphetes, Sinis, the sow, Sciron, Cercyon, and Procrustus were all defeated and when he reached home, his father’s wife knew of his identity. She asks him to capture a bull, in hopes the beast will kill him but he is not to be underestimated. He brings the bull back to Athens and at the celebration, Medea attempts to poison him only for Aegeus to recognize his sword and sandals as his own at the last moment. Medea, now thwarted, flees Athens, and Aegeus, whether he truly believes Theseus to be his or not, takes him in as his own, as he needs an heir.

King Minos of Crete, who’s son he has bested, wages war on his father’s home. He demands that every nine years, fourteen Athenian youths are to be brought to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur.

Refusing to see his people plagued by this monster, Theseus himself volunteers to go among the Athenians with intentions to enter the labyrinth built by Daedalus and slay the beast himself. He doesn’t expect to catch the attention of Mino’s daughter Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread to aid him back out of the maze. The Bull of Minos is her brother Asterius, and she seems to paint the picture that the half man, half bull, has never quite had a chance in this world. And yet Theseus knows that brother to a bright young woman or not, Asterius has still slaughtered his people and he is here to see that come to an end.

Aided by Ariadne’s instructions, he makes his way throughout the maze, he steps on the bones of his people long dead before him in the dark. It is a grueling process, but he continues on forward and down, never left or right, but when he finally meets the beast he is sleeping. In the faint torchlight, he gazes upon the creature, not just a beast but also a man. A man responsible for the deaths of so many Athenians. In his wonder, Asterius awakes and Theseus draws his sword.

It feels like a mercy killing and as he makes his way back through the maze with the bull’s head in tow, as he follows the thread, he wonders what afterlife awaits the half man, half beast.

With Asterius and the maze defeated, he takes Ariadne, her sister, the remaining Athenians, and they set sail for home only to stop on the isle of Naxos in search of supplies. The crew falls asleep on the beach, is lulled by the waves lapping against the shore, but all is not well. Under the light of the moon, Ariadne wakes him to say that he must go on without her. It shocks the hero that she wishes to stay to find the god of wine, for Naxos is the home of Dionysus. He has taken her from her cruel mother, he has put an end to the slaughter of his people, he is a decorated hero and yet she has chosen to abandon him so easily?

When the crew sets sail for Athens again, Ariadne is left behind and in his disarray, Theseus forgets the promise he made his father and the king, seeing black sails on the horizon thinks him dead.

The Aegean is named after Aegeus throws himself into the water from a cliff, distraught to lose the son he’d only just gotten back.

And so the once lost prince was finally king and while he ruled well, he could not be without his adventures. Which included kidnapping the famed Helen with his cohort Pirithous, a son of Zeus. Though he did spend time in the Underworld for such shenanigans, as Pirithous had sought to take Persephone as a bride. On the way, they stopped to rest only for their feet to be cast in stone for a matter of months before his cousin Heracles came for him, leaving his dear friend behind to be led away by furies. Humbled somewhat by his time in the Underworld, he did ask Persephone for forgiveness for the youthful shenanigans and she allowed him to return, not because of his apology, but as a favor to Heracles, and Pirithous was to stay behind.

In his absence, Helen had been taken to Sparta, but he didn’t mind, for Heracles had another adventure for him. It brought about a wife for him, an Amazon queen who gave him a son. A son who grew to scorn Aphrodite by becoming a follower of Artemis. The goddess of beauty could not let this go unpunished, and so she foretold Hippolytus would kill Phaedra. In order to keep his stepmother at bay, he was particularly awful to her. This was unlike the boy and she sent one of her handmaid’s to keep an eye on him. She overhears Hippolytus pleading to Artemis about the situation and brings the news to Phaedra, who decides to take her own life to spare the boy the inevitable task.

Aphrodite, further spited, stole away a sword of Hippolytus’s and placed it at the scene to incriminate him, knowing that Theseus would seek justice.

Distraught, Theseus spoke with Poseidon, the god he has always suspected was his rightful father, who sent a creature from the deep to startle Hippolytus’s horses, causing his chariot to crash. But the goddess Artemis appeared before Theseus and told him of Aphrodite’s meddling and he hurried to try and stop his father from interfering. But it was too late and the innocent Hippolytus died in his arms.

In his grief, his popularity with the people of Athens waned and eventually he chose his despair over his people and stole away to Skyros where he intended to live out the rest of his days. However Lycomedes, the king of the island, couldn't believe that the great hero wasn’t there to overthrow him and so, just like his father, Theseus was cast over a cliff and into the sea.

He was granted Elysium for all of his heroics in life, and the first thing he did was try to find Pirithous only to find he had not earned such a fate. Thinking that he had already pleaded for the man’s life once, he went about setting something else right. So he went before Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus and made a case for Asterius. He was a prince after all, born of a queen, cast into the dark, he’d never been given a chance to live. Araidne might have chosen Dionysus over him, but he could show her brother mercy in death that he hadn’t granted him during their lives.

Despite this development, his newfound friendship with the minotaur and fellow heroes in the fields, Theseus is not satisfied. Adventure is something he craves, new challenges, new battles, and when Poseidon told him of what was happening in Corinth, he jumped at the chance to see what new battles he could win.

PERSONALITY

+ Determined, brave, compassionate - Boastful, rash, proud

PLAYED BY M. PST. She/Her.

#taron egerton #rift #taken #male

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jd-the-anime-fan · 5 years

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Whichever question you wanna answer most for all of then

I chose number 4

Has your character witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Derormr at first didn’t care much for the Stormcloak Rebellion but after witnessing Torygg’s death at Ulfric’s hand however, he starts to despise the rebels. Part of his reasoning for forming the Ebonheart Company is to help repair relations between both Nords and non-Nords. Elisif, Sonaire, Horoth and Ushwei know about it

Ingda first joined the Dawnguard for the potential of money, but soon realised the scale of threat they were facing when she met with Harkon. The same is true for Alusati and Ra’thri-Dar. Serana and Athasai know this.

Kayesek failed to save his father when their home was attacked by bandits, his brother disowned him and he moved to Chorrol in Cyrodiil. Despite his brother’s cruel words to him, the event made him determined to try his best at preventing a similar tragedy befalling other families. Only Yaznakh, Enron and Lydia know about it.

Gelor was more or less bored with the lack of life/world-altering events going on when he was a boy as he was born after the Great War and found a shrine to Mehrunes Dagon, left completely undisturbed. He had always had the hidden, controversial opinion that Dagon brought about a catalyst for rebirth from the ashes. When Dagon first spoke to him, it became his main purpose in life to revive the Mythic Dawn. Silus knew before Gelor killed him.

Rena grew up in the slums of Bravil and despite her parents trying their best to provide for her they were still poor labourers. When she discovered her gift in haggling she realised the potential for earning money almost instantly, it made her determined to never fall into poverty again. Daro’adhi is the one who knows.

Lisnna was ostracized by other nobles as she was a bastard of a much-beloved man who was considered honourable. The scandal caused him to give up his position in the court, the death of her mentor during the Invasion of Wayrest, who taught her magic, the only person she felt truly close with gave her the conviction to train her magical abilities and try to take Wayrest back from the Corsairs who overtook it. Mausis, Loueus, Borgakh, Erandur and her colleagues at the College of Winterhold know.

Loueus was always a worshipper of Hircine, believing strongly in the potential for the Bloodmoon Prophecy of the Fourth Era to come about in his lifetime. While it’s a far-off date, the corsairs that overtook Wayrest were commanded to root out any sort of Daedra worship. This included the hunters Loueus grew up with, he was out hunting when they were attacked and killed. Mausis, Lisnna, Erandur and Borgakh know.

Mausis always experienced prejudice on account his Orcish heritage and after the Invasion of Wayrest, in which he lost his adopted parents and many of his mentors. Like his friends, he wants to take Wayrest back from the Corsairs but knows he needs power to do it and uses the skills he has to become a squire in an attempt to work his way up the social ladder. Lisnna, Loueus, Erandur and Borgakh know.

Yaznakh always wanted to join the Legion as her Altmer father was a Legionairre. When she first started losing friends though, that’s when the cruel reality of war sunk in for her. Fighting in the Great War made her stricter and harder but also installed in her a burning desire to stop the Dominion from taking Tamriel or die trying.

Daro’adhi, like Rena grew up in Bravil’s slums. Her parents were Skooma addicts, unfortunately her mother died after a bad batch of the narcotic and her father desperately tried to use their inheritance to pay of a powerful skooma dealer. It didn’t work, her father was killed and she was left an orphan. Because of this, she learned to be a thief to survive and hates both skooma and the scum who peddle it, as she puts it. Rena, a few other rough sleepers in Bravil and several members of the Thieves Guild know.

Ushwei was once loyal to the king of Black Marsh but questioned why more wasn’t being done to help Argonians outside of their home province. While it annoyed him that he typically got a cryptic answer about how any Argonian from outside Black Marsh was a traitor he still loyally served. Until one day a group of Dunmer refugees, a child among them, was caught trying to cross over to Cyrodiil through Black Marsh due to a lack of regulations of Imperial authority on it’s borders. The king spun a tale about how they were spies of the Great Houses and ordered them all executed. Despite his pleas for mercy, Ushwei was ignored and resigned as the king’s bodyguard, claiming he didn’t want to serve a monarch who cowered at the sight of a little girl. Brand-Shei, Madesi, Sonaire, Horoth and Derormr know what happened.

Veesk was always ostracized, so she basically grew up very bitter but once she learned of the Shadowscales, made it her mission to seek out the Dark Brotherhood. Riraisa and the rest of the Dark Brotherhood know.

Enron used to be an optimistic soldier in the Aldmeri Dominion army during the Great War unfortunately, the deaths of his parents and friends, among them the love of his life. As well as his participation in atrocities absolutely broke him. He grew to hate the Dominion because of this, which was only exacerbated by his superior’s flippant attitude towards his loved one’s deaths. However, he saw his desertion as the first step towards redemption and decides to dedicate his life to helping people. Yaznakh, Kayesek and Lydia know.

Sonaire saw her husband killed by hired thugs sent after her and her spouse by her father, who had planned to marry her off to someone else. Coincidentally, she was rescued by members of another bandit group who were rivals of the thugs that invaded her home. One of them, an Orc named Guro, taught her everything she knew about how to fight. She stayed with the bandit group until they were dismantled due to numerous factors. She later joins the Ebonheart Company, though they don’t find out about her past until much later.

Horoth, as a Dunmer raised on Solstheim, was quite xenophobic to outsiders. The feelings of resentment against Argonians he was taught also fed into this. However, after he was helped out by Ushwei, he started to become a bit more open-minded and even grew to have a great respect for both Ushwei and Derormr. Sonaire, Ushwei and Derormr know.

Riraisa’s change was purely accidental, where she was from, due to the events of the Red Year and Argonian Invasion she was taught to never harm a child, anyone who dared to do so were to be given the most severe punishments. After fleeing from town guards as she unwittingly made herself an accomplice to a serial killer, she arrived in Riften. Hoping to find work in the orphanage, she came across Grelod abusing the children in her care, next thing she knew, she’d slashed the old hag’s throat open. She was later kidnapped by Astrid and was inducted into the DB. Veesk and the rest of the DB knows.

Thalas’s parents were nationalistic Bosmer who despised the Aldmeri Dominion, one night after a heated debate during a political trip with several Thalmor representatives. They were set upon by Thalmor agents. She survived the encounter as she was hunting for food to return to her parents at the camp they set up. Thus her vendetta against the Dominion began.

Athasai lost his wife, son and daughter to a vampire. A pure-blooded Bonmasu who charmed his way into the hunting community Athasai belonged to. On the 20th of Evening Star (Molag Bal’s summoning day), the vampire revealed himself along with a coven of other vampires. After killing his family, the same vampire fed off Athasai, though he had already drank blood from each member of Athasai’s family, meaning he didn’t take enough to kill Athasai and inadvertently turned him into a pure-blood Bonmasu. He turned from a mild-mannered hunter into a ruthless avenger, hellbent on tracking down the vampire that ruined his mortal life. Serana, Alusati, Ingda and Ra’thri-Dar know.

3 notes · View notes

forgcdstrength · 3 years

Text

Abigail/Kathryn Nolan

Face-claim: Anastasia Griffith

Status: semi-active

Orientation: biromantic bisexual

Biography:

Abigail is the daughter of King Midas who falls in love with a knight named Frederick and they become engaged. However, the lovers become forever separated when Frederick is accidentally turned to gold by Midas’ golden touch while protecting him from an attempted robbery. She tries everything, including true love’s kiss, to break the curse on Frederick, with no success.

With little hope of bringing Frederick back, she reverts to an eligible status for marriage. Her father strikes a deal with the neighboring kingdom of King George to reward him with gold if he can get rid of a terrorizing dragon. George’s faux son Prince Charming, masquerading as the already deceased James, slays the beast. Midas is greatly impressed by the prince’s skills and offers Abigail to him as a bride. Abigail has little quarrel with the arrangement and goes along with it, commenting that he will do as her future husband. Through the woods, the future couple ride in a carriage together towards their engagement party at King Midas’ castle.

During the journey, Abigail is displeased by the bumpy carriage ride and openly complains about it to Prince Charming, telling him they should have used the Troll Bridge instead. They come to a halt when a fallen tree is blocking the road, so he goes out to assess the situation. Suddenly, Abigail hears a thumping noise from atop the carriage as if something just dropped down. A thief reaches into the carriage to steal Prince Charming’s jewels and rides off. Abigail screams in fright, alerting her fiancé to the robber, and he chases after the bandit on horseback.

After the engagement party goes off without a hitch, Abigail arrives in King George’s kingdom for the actual wedding ceremony. Though George hides the truth from her, she secretly knows that Prince Charming has run away. She has her father’s soldiers capture Charming while he is on the run, and gives him supplies for his journey. He is suspicious over why she is helping him, so Abigail admits that she, like him, is in love with someone else. Abigail takes him to see the golden statue of Frederick. She is desperate for a cure and brings up rumors of the magic waters of Lake Nostos, which can restore something that was once lost. Charming offers to fetch it for her, though she strongly opposes his sacrifice. She fears his valiant bravery will end in failure, and then both of them will be miserable. Instead, Charming states that if he succeeds, her misery will be gone, and, if not, the misery will be his own in death. Abigail accompanies to the entrance of the lake, but he goes in alone. She anxiously waits for his return at the golden statue of Frederick. Finally, he returns with the magic water, which she pours over Frederick’s head. The gold melts off and her beloved returns to human. As thanks to Prince Charming’s for his selfless act, they provide him with provisions for his journey to find Snow White. However, Abigail warns him of King George’s wrath before they part ways.

On the day the Dark Curse is cast by the Evil Queen, Abigail, along with the other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest, are taken away to another land.

After the casting of the Dark Curse, Abigail becomes Kathryn, the wife of David Nolan. Though false memories implanted by the curse, she remembers having a heated argument with her husband, which ended once he stormed out of the house and never returned since. One fateful day, she learns from mayor Regina that David has been a patient in the hospital and was rescued after wandering into the woods since waking up from a coma. She hastens to the hospital and reunites with him. She thanks the efforts of a schoolteacher, Mary Margaret, who saved her husband’s life.

While David is still in recovery, Kathryn brings along old photos from their life together in an attempt to help him remember. She shows him a photo of their dog, Ajax, who he pretends to remember although he actually recalls nothing from his life with Kathryn. Though Kathryn is not supposed to see him outside of visiting hours, she can’t help but approach David while he is out on doctor ordered walking exercise to hand him his favorite baked muffins.

Following her husband being discharged from the hospital, she brings David home and surprises him with a party filled with their close friends, though he doesn’t recognize anyone. They briefly converse with Dr. Whale, who took care of David while he was recovering in the hospital. Despite the happy front, Kathryn senses that her husband is drifting farther away. She hides out in the kitchen, busying herself with supplying snacks to the partygoers, while Regina sympathizes with what it’s like to lose someone she loved due to her own unwillingness to fight for him. With encouragement from Regina, Kathryn goes to look for David and asks around, but cannot find him, as he has secretly left to meet with Mary Margaret. After the party is over, Kathryn attempts to get closer to David by kissing him, but he pulls away and states that it doesn’t feel right. Later, Kathryn is bombarded with David’s decision to leave her. Devastated, she confides in Regina about this, and Regina, in turn, suspecting Mary Margaret is the reason for David’s choice, warns the schoolteacher to not get in the way of Kathryn’s marriage. Later, Regina instigates David into recalling cursed memories of the life he had with Kathryn, causing him to break Mary Margaret’s heart in favor of returning to his wife. After David arrives home, Kathryn opens the door as David tells her he wants to give their marriage a try.

In an effort to reconnect, David drives his wife to the diner during the mornings. While Kathryn waits in the car, David goes to pick up coffee for them. During one upcoming storm in town, she goes with Regina to the pharmacy to grab supplies. One of these things is a pregnancy test, which spills out from her shopping cart when she bumps into Mary Margaret. As she picks everything up, Mary Margaret hands back the test and wishes her luck. The pregnancy test turns up negative, and she only tells David after finding out. In a discussion with him, she is still unhappy with the state of their marriage. David promises to try harder and suggests they attend therapy sessions together.

During dinner with her husband, Kathryn shows David an acceptance letter she got from a law school in Boston and prompts him about moving there to start afresh with him. She suggests that, rather than recreating their past together, they should make new memories in a different setting, which is perhaps something their marriage needs. While she is looking up possible housing options in Boston, David apologetically rejects the notion of moving away with her. He breaks it to Kathryn gently that they can’t be together due to not connecting, but this shouldn’t keep her from her dream of law school. Heartbroken, she runs to Regina in tears and informs her of what happened. Regina has a strange reaction and mutters something about a home wrecker. Kathryn pushes her for the truth, with Regina feigning reluctance to share the information before handing her some photos Sidney secretly took of David and Mary Margaret having an affair. Kathryn is furious that Regina, who she considered a friend, kept all this from her. She leaves to march right into the school hallway, roughly brushing past the gym teacher, Jim, to confront Mary Margaret with a resounding slap across the face that leaves bystanders and the schoolteacher herself stunned. As Mary Margaret starts to apologize, Kathryn unleashes anger towards her for David’s flimsy excuse that they weren’t connecting in the marriage rather than admitting the truth. Shaken, Mary Margaret is surprised to learn David did not tell Kathryn about the affair. Kathryn confirms he did not and it would’ve been the honorable thing to do, and then vehemently declares the two of them deserve each other before leaving. After having time to cool down, she comes to terms with the affair and realizes what David and Mary Margaret have is real love, and writes a letter to her ex-husband encouraging them to stay together. Later, Kathryn apologizes to Regina for her earlier actions. She is still planning to move to Boston and tells her about the letter for David. Kathryn voices the fears she’s always had of leaving town, which indirectly hints at the Dark Curse’s effects. That night, she packs everything up and begins driving out of town.

Unbeknownst to Kathryn, Regina and Mr. Gold have conspired to make her disappear so Mary Margaret will be blamed for murdering her. On the drive out of Storybrooke, Kathryn crashes her car. She is kidnapped and held as a prisoner in a room, where food and water are always provided for her, though she never sees anyone. After some time, Kathryn is drugged and wakes up in a field outside of town. She manages to crawl the entire way to the alley behind the diner where Ruby, in disbelief of who she is seeing, alerts Sheriff Emma to her presence.

After Kathryn is taken to the hospital to undergo a detox and filter out the drugs in her system, Emma comes to take a statement from her. Kathryn recounts everything from the car crash to how she ended up in the alley. She is genuinely confused and shocked when Emma alludes that Mary Margaret was set up for her murder. Later in the day, while resting up, she is startled awake by David’s presence in her hospital room. He apologizes for everything that occurred between them, which she accepts and sadly admits perhaps they were not meant to be.

After the breaking of the Dark Curse, Kathryn reunites with her true love, Frederick – whose cursed name is Jim – and they begin living together in her house.

To stop Peter Pan’s curse from overtaking Storybrooke, Regina undoes the curse she once cast, but as the price of magic, the town will be wiped out and all residents will be forced to return to the Enchanted Forest. Kathryn, because she was originally from the Enchanted Forest, is also taken back to that realm.

After Regina takes magical preventive measures to undo Pan’s casting of the Dark Curse, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke who were originally from the Enchanted Forest, including Kathryn, pay the price by returning to this realm and reverting to their prior personas.

A new curse is cast by none other than Snow White, returning the Enchanted Forest inhabitants to Storybrooke, with Kathryn as one of the many who are brought back. However, as a result of Zelena’s interference, everyone’s last recollection is the final day in Storybrooke when Regina stopped Pan’s curse.

Regina, after bestowing Henry with a kiss of true love, breaks the second curse. Like everyone else, Kathryn regains her lost memories of the missing year in the Enchanted Forest.

In a diner celebration welcoming David and Mary Margaret’s newborn son, Kathryn attends the party and engages in conversation with Granny. As Henry is looking over his storybook about the tale of how his grandparents met each other, David references how he was at the time engaged to Kathryn, who was known as Princess Abigail then. Hook expresses surprise he gave up that opportunity since Abigail is the daughter of Midas, the king who could turn anything into gold.

Verses:

FROM THIS MOMENT ON: follows canon Once Upon A Time up to season three

ROAD LESS TRAVELED: any other AU threads

AUs:

BOLDLY GO: (Star Trek) a Star Fleet captain

Starter Call

#muses #(bio; abigail/kathryn nolan) you are kind of amazing

0 notes

evcrafter · 4 years

Text

Princess Abigail/Kathryn Nolan

Face-claim: Anastasia Griffith

Status: semi-active

Main verse: canon; season three

Biography:

On the day the Dark Curse is cast by the Evil Queen, Abigail, along with the other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest, are taken away to another land.

After the breaking of the Dark Curse, Kathryn reunites with her true love, Frederick – whose cursed name is Jim – and they begin living together in her house.

Regina, after bestowing Henry with a kiss of true love, breaks the second curse. Like everyone else, Kathryn regains her lost memories of the missing year in the Enchanted Forest.

Verses:

FROM THIS MOMENT ON: follows canon Once Upon A Time up to season three

ROAD LESS TRAVELED: any other AU threads

#muses #(abigail/kathryn nolan) you are kind of amazing

0 notes

fcrgedstrcngth · 4 years

Text

Princess Abigail/Kathryn Nolan

Face-claim: Anastasia Griffith

Status: semi-active

Main verse: canon; season three

Biography:

Abigail is the daughter of King Midas who falls in love with a knight named Frederick and they become engaged. However, the lovers become forever separated when Frederick is accidentally turned to gold by Midas' golden touch while protecting him from an attempted robbery. She tries everything, including true love's kiss, to break the curse on Frederick, with no success.

With little hope of bringing Frederick back, she reverts to an eligible status for marriage. Her father strikes a deal with the neighboring kingdom of King George to reward him with gold if he can get rid of a terrorizing dragon. George's faux son Prince Charming, masquerading as the already deceased James, slays the beast. Midas is greatly impressed by the prince's skills and offers Abigail to him as a bride. Abigail has little quarrel with the arrangement and goes along with it, commenting that he will do as her future husband. Through the woods, the future couple ride in a carriage together towards their engagement party at King Midas' castle.

During the journey, Abigail is displeased by the bumpy carriage ride and openly complains about it to Prince Charming, telling him they should have used the Troll Bridge instead. They come to a halt when a fallen tree is blocking the road, so he goes out to assess the situation. Suddenly, Abigail hears a thumping noise from atop the carriage as if something just dropped down. A thief reaches into the carriage to steal Prince Charming's jewels and rides off. Abigail screams in fright, alerting her fiancé to the robber, and he chases after the bandit on horseback.

After the engagement party goes off without a hitch, Abigail arrives in King George's kingdom for the actual wedding ceremony. Though George hides the truth from her, she secretly knows that Prince Charming has run away. She has her father's soldiers capture Charming while he is on the run, and gives him supplies for his journey. He is suspicious over why she is helping him, so Abigail admits that she, like him, is in love with someone else. Abigail takes him to see the golden statue of Frederick. She is desperate for a cure and brings up rumors of the magic waters of Lake Nostos, which can restore something that was once lost. Charming offers to fetch it for her, though she strongly opposes his sacrifice. She fears his valiant bravery will end in failure, and then both of them will be miserable. Instead, Charming states that if he succeeds, her misery will be gone, and, if not, the misery will be his own in death. Abigail accompanies to the entrance of the lake, but he goes in alone. She anxiously waits for his return at the golden statue of Frederick. Finally, he returns with the magic water, which she pours over Frederick's head. The gold melts off and her beloved returns to human. As thanks to Prince Charming's for his selfless act, they provide him with provisions for his journey to find Snow White. However, Abigail warns him of King George's wrath before they part ways.

On the day the Dark Curse is cast by the Evil Queen, Abigail, along with the other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest, are taken away to another land.

While David is still in recovery, Kathryn brings along old photos from their life together in an attempt to help him remember. She shows him a photo of their dog, Ajax, who he pretends to remember although he actually recalls nothing from his life with Kathryn. Though Kathryn is not supposed to see him outside of visiting hours, she can't help but approach David while he is out on doctor ordered walking exercise to hand him his favorite baked muffins.

Following her husband being discharged from the hospital, she brings David home and surprises him with a party filled with their close friends, though he doesn't recognize anyone. They briefly converse with Dr. Whale, who took care of David while he was recovering in the hospital. Despite the happy front, Kathryn senses that her husband is drifting farther away. She hides out in the kitchen, busying herself with supplying snacks to the partygoers, while Regina sympathizes with what it's like to lose someone she loved due to her own unwillingness to fight for him. With encouragement from Regina, Kathryn goes to look for David and asks around, but cannot find him, as he has secretly left to meet with Mary Margaret. After the party is over, Kathryn attempts to get closer to David by kissing him, but he pulls away and states that it doesn't feel right. Later, Kathryn is bombarded with David's decision to leave her. Devastated, she confides in Regina about this, and Regina, in turn, suspecting Mary Margaret is the reason for David's choice, warns the schoolteacher to not get in the way of Kathryn's marriage. Later, Regina instigates David into recalling cursed memories of the life he had with Kathryn, causing him to break Mary Margaret's heart in favor of returning to his wife. After David arrives home, Kathryn opens the door as David tells her he wants to give their marriage a try.

During dinner with her husband, Kathryn shows David an acceptance letter she got from a law school in Boston and prompts him about moving there to start afresh with him. She suggests that, rather than recreating their past together, they should make new memories in a different setting, which is perhaps something their marriage needs. While she is looking up possible housing options in Boston, David apologetically rejects the notion of moving away with her. He breaks it to Kathryn gently that they can't be together due to not connecting, but this shouldn't keep her from her dream of law school. Heartbroken, she runs to Regina in tears and informs her of what happened. Regina has a strange reaction and mutters something about a home wrecker. Kathryn pushes her for the truth, with Regina feigning reluctance to share the information before handing her some photos Sidney secretly took of David and Mary Margaret having an affair. Kathryn is furious that Regina, who she considered a friend, kept all this from her. She leaves to march right into the school hallway, roughly brushing past the gym teacher, Jim, to confront Mary Margaret with a resounding slap across the face that leaves bystanders and the schoolteacher herself stunned. As Mary Margaret starts to apologize, Kathryn unleashes anger towards her for David's flimsy excuse that they weren't connecting in the marriage rather than admitting the truth. Shaken, Mary Margaret is surprised to learn David did not tell Kathryn about the affair. Kathryn confirms he did not and it would've been the honorable thing to do, and then vehemently declares the two of them deserve each other before leaving. After having time to cool down, she comes to terms with the affair and realizes what David and Mary Margaret have is real love, and writes a letter to her ex-husband encouraging them to stay together. Later, Kathryn apologizes to Regina for her earlier actions. She is still planning to move to Boston and tells her about the letter for David. Kathryn voices the fears she's always had of leaving town, which indirectly hints at the Dark Curse's effects. That night, she packs everything up and begins driving out of town.

After Kathryn is taken to the hospital to undergo a detox and filter out the drugs in her system, Emma comes to take a statement from her. Kathryn recounts everything from the car crash to how she ended up in the alley. She is genuinely confused and shocked when Emma alludes that Mary Margaret was set up for her murder. Later in the day, while resting up, she is startled awake by David's presence in her hospital room. He apologizes for everything that occurred between them, which she accepts and sadly admits perhaps they were not meant to be.

After the breaking of the Dark Curse, Kathryn reunites with her true love, Frederick – whose cursed name is Jim – and they begin living together in her house.

To stop Peter Pan's curse from overtaking Storybrooke, Regina undoes the curse she once cast, but as the price of magic, the town will be wiped out and all residents will be forced to return to the Enchanted Forest. Kathryn, because she was originally from the Enchanted Forest, is also taken back to that realm.

After Regina takes magical preventive measures to undo Pan's casting of the Dark Curse, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke who were originally from the Enchanted Forest, including Kathryn, pay the price by returning to this realm and reverting to their prior personas.

A new curse is cast by none other than Snow White, returning the Enchanted Forest inhabitants to Storybrooke, with Kathryn as one of the many who are brought back. However, as a result of Zelena's interference, everyone's last recollection is the final day in Storybrooke when Regina stopped Pan's curse.

Regina, after bestowing Henry with a kiss of true love, breaks the second curse. Like everyone else, Kathryn regains her lost memories of the missing year in the Enchanted Forest.

In a diner celebration welcoming David and Mary Margaret's newborn son, Kathryn attends the party and engages in conversation with Granny. As Henry is looking over his storybook about the tale of how his grandparents met each other, David references how he was at the time engaged to Kathryn, who was known as Princess Abigail then. Hook expresses surprise he gave up that opportunity since Abigail is the daughter of Midas, the king who could turn anything into gold.

Verses:

FROM THIS MOMENT ON: follows canon Once Upon A Time up to season three

ROAD LESS TRAVELED: any other AU threads

Starter Call

#muses #(abigail/kathryn nolan) you are kind of amazing

0 notes

alizaarches · 7 years

Quote

September wondered how many people this eleven-year-old girl had executed, how many human beings that knelt before her, gagged and desperate, whose lives were dependent on the voices of imaginary friends, how many times she had sacrificed the hearts of men as if playing an arcade game. September almost pitied the girl, the Valkyrie. At eleven, September could remember the thrill of his rich aunt buying him the third PlayStation, his rich uncle buying him the newest Xbox, and the intense arguments with his cousins over which one was better. He’d grown into a PC pleb as of late last year, before he’d gotten involved with Los Angeles’s biggest crime boss, known as the Warfather. Some called him the Breeder—whether with his affiliation with abusing the loyalty of his wife or for his unhealthy obsession with creating chaos, September wasn’t sure. He could only the sharp pain that came with the loss of his mother, the sense of being completely alone in the world, with the only person he’d had gone and buried in a field of nameless tombstones, the fear of living life at college while knowing he had nothing to go home to, the hatred of the pitying looks whenever he didn’t go home for the holidays, someone asked why, and he said, “My mom’s dead.” They never asked of the rest of his family. He remembered glancing into alleyway at the dead of night (it helped him think, and his insomnia surpassed all desire to have a good night’s sleep), and seeing four men beating the ever-living crap out of a weaker, more defenseless fifth man. He wasn’t sure what came over him—maybe his insomnia had a whole “moral depravation” his therapist hadn’t told him about, or he’d already seen what horrors humans could do to other humans—but the next thing he knew, September jumped on the backs of two of the men, and dragged them backward. The beaten man seemed to notice his newfound chance of winning, and started fighting back with new vigor. September, of course, had no idea that in the process of saving a man’s life, he was, in fact, pissing off the biggest gangster in the state. The group of four men simply looked once at September, looking quite stupid with his pale fists at the ready to uncoordinatedly swing rapidly in circles, studying him in excruciating detail, and strolled away with a swagger that of a cat that got the cream (with one very melodramatic thug doing the “I’m watching you” two-fingered gesticulation). He didn’t understand why they’d given up so quickly, until he thought of the fact that they were simply memorizing his face like a witness for a police lineup to their chief in command. Over the next week, September continued living his life, unknowing that simply exploring through the empty streets in a quiet suburban place in LA would cause him to be freaking kidnapped. He’d been in his lonely apartment, tossing an innocent crouton-filled salad with his mother’s treasured dressing, when his doorbell rang. He frowned, wondering if it was the cute girl from B12, or the hippie from B11, or the bodybuilder from B6, or the hot guy from B17, or—his neighbors were his biggest source of entertainment in September’s secluded and boring existence. He’d plonked his tongs at his countertop, checked himself out in the mirror to fix his rabid dogear hair, and strode to the door. He tossed it open and found himself with a burlap sack over his head. He screamed with very manly pride and fought back, flinging his arms in every direction, before he was promptly picked up Cleopatra-style and thrown into the back of the car he imagined in his head. He theorized how utterly badass he would be if he pulled a Bond move and escaped from the rope restraints they tied around his wrists, beat his captors with a bag over his head (completely blind, like a less coordinated Daredevil), and steal their car with a smirk on his face. Clearly, since he was kneeling at the feet of a little girl, he did not pull through with his bizarre plan. His kidnappers yanked him to an upright position, dragged him to a random room, and kicked the back of his knees. September’s sight was released from captivity; the first thing he noticed was the building. Bright lights, forcing his eyes to squint and adjust from darkness, long concrete floors, smooth and untouched, paned windows blocked off by wood planks for only streaks of sunlight to peak through. The second thing he noticed were the people staring him directly in the face: a man, with light green irises and facial hair fit for a king, was sitting quite calmly in a foldup chair, his legs crossed in the epitome of elegancy; two faceless goons were standing on either side of the king, each with dark unevenly chopped hairstyles and black camouflage Kevlar vests; and, the weirdest addition to the group of otherwise adult men, a redheaded little girl, with a single ponytail running down her back. Protests filled his ears as September realized that, apparently, he was not the only one brought down to his knees. Other faceless goons dressed in the latest bulletproof fashion were casually bringing victims to the summoning circle like pigs for slaughter. One of the pigs dug his feet into the ground desperately, as if he could stop himself against the strength of yes-men, pleading to the skies for mercy. September liked to think he had more dignity than that, but when staring death in the face, he didn’t know what he’d do. The other sacrificial lamb was quiet, head hung low, with a brunette braid hanging down their shoulder—a woman, he assumed. The king’s lips curved, his ringed fingers pressed against his temple, his light irises shining in the reflection of the spotlights hanging above the altar where the ritual took place (in September’s overactive imagination, at least, but with the way he was stolen from his home like robbery gone wrong, it wasn’t so difficult to believe). Captain Green Eyes gestured with his right wrist, almost a hurried snap, and his assailants jumped at the chance of something deadly—Bandit One unsheathed a very intimidating-looking longsword, swinging it around him like a flagbearer, wiggling his eyebrows to his goony friend as if asking “Are you impressed by my lame lightsaber skills?” Bandit One—September decided to name him Lysimachus, for absolutely no reason—grinned, approached the screaming lamb, and swung downwards. Silence rang through the abandoned building as loud as a deadly song, cutting off a lifeforce that resisted till the very end of his life. The woman was released from her baggy hell, and the expression in her dark eyes was the combination of pure fear and righteous anger. Her braid swayed as she was forced forward into the circle of slaughter, directly in front of the goon king. He touched her chin, gently, like a father to his impatient, rebellious daughter. He chuckled a tad, opened his palm, waited for Bandit Dos noticed his prerequisite, watched the bandit reach behind his foldup throne and hand him something beautiful—a staff, golden in stature and longer than September’s flimsy arm, with a crown of thorns sharpened like nails and a base as twisted and knotted as a bird’s nest. Without a moment of hesitation, nor of regret, he smacked her right across her head, sprouting a spray of blood from the poor woman’s head, and a horrifying crack of a skull as she fell to the ground, motionless, soundless. She went down with her dignity, for better or for worse. The king tossed his staff, dismissing like it was not a thing to fuss about, and turned his light eyes to September. Without awaiting the order, the faceless goons grabbed his arms and dragged him to the alter. He bit his tongue to keep silent, not desiring the fates of either victim he’d witnessed. As he was dropped to his knees once more, he dropped his gaze to the floor. The last thing he wanted was to provoke to the beast, especially not after a fresh kill. The king touched his chin just as gently as the woman before him, and raised his head to lock their eyes. The king smiled, caressed his cheek, and kicked him the chest. September grunted from pain, gravity attempting to lurch him backward, with the assailants holding him up. Before September regained his senses, the king spoke, soft and deep, like a calm baritone: “Valentine.” The reaction was immediate—the faceless scruffy-haired goons packed up their pride and marched out of the room, carrying the bloodied bodies of the casualties, laughter following them as they leave, as if they’d taken sickening enjoyment to humans used as sacrificial pigs. The long metal door shut with a loud clang, ringing through September’s ears like a memory he wanted to forget. The redheaded little girl stepped forward bravely, akin to a cartoon animation, her ponytail accidentally smacking her in the face, causing her nose to crinkle. She seemed innocent enough, this Valentine, similar to a child and less like an heir to a gangster empire. Valentine did an imitation of a salute, from the inaccuracy of which she performed it. “Ready, sir!” she addressed, squeakily. Ready? The king patted her shoulder and gestured toward September. Valentine approached him, childish and, dare he say it, normal. She wore a fluffy, bright yellow coat, with a white shirt with the beta symbol, her red hair ponytail swishing as she walked forward. She knelt in front of him, her small pale hands pressing against his face. She smiled, sadly, before backing away. She reached into her pocket, and displayed the objects in her hand: berries, smoother than raspberries, slightly smaller, too. She touched her fingertips to his forehead, and whispered, “As I take my last breath, I call for the mightiest of miracles.” Before September could even begin to react, Valentine shoved the berries into her mouth and bit down, wincing as if the sensation was painful to her. She gasped, staggered farther away until she stood next to the Warfather. Her eyes glazed over, shining gold, and she fell—ungracefully, as if she’d been pushed. September jolted forward, finally realizing that no one was holding him back. The king gave him a warning look, and glanced back at Valentine. September thought back to the faceless goons, to the merciless extent they would follow their leader, and decided it was wiser to obey, rather than leave; one way would provide him a slightly more painful death. As if nothing were wrong, the redheaded girl stood back onto her feet, her hand covered in the bitten berries, her ponytail tilting too far to the right, her irises the color of blood. September cursed out loud, which made the king laugh, his pupils twinkling, as if this were a typical Saturday night. For a brief moment, September wondered who Valentine was to the king—his daughter? His surrogate child who he gets to perform possession rituals to people who slightly pissed him off? Valentine strolled toward him, as calm as a possessed little girl could be, and giggled delicately, which threw him off quite a bit, because a kid with red eyes who giggled at his misery was very disconcerting. She lowered herself to his height and brushed his dark hair from his ear, humming a song which was unfamiliar to him. She glanced down at herself, pulled on a chain he hadn’t noticed from afar, and ripped off an amulet: a simple silver boxed cord with an onyx pendant enlaced with a gray bail. Valentine tied it around his neck, tracing the gem with a tenderness he didn’t know a child influenced by the Warfather could have. Her eyes darkened to the color of wine, and she spoke, much shadier than the cheerful girl from before, “The goddess speaks to me …” Her lips moved slowly, slurred, as if drunk and blissful in knowing so. “She wonders …” Valentine traced the collar of his jacket. “She wonders what to do with you.” The girl glanced up through her lashes, leaning in closer to him, like an intimidation tactic. She petted the top of his head as if talking to a child, from a fellow child. “Shall she tell me to decapitate you, like Elias? Shall she tell me to literally staff you, like Allegra? Or shall she create a much more deadly, messy, imaginative murder for you?” “Who are you, Valentine?” September asked, incredulous. It was one thing to piss off a crime boss, the most threatening and fiery crime boss in the city, it was another to be on the receiving end of a possessed little girl. The easy, leisurely way her smile spread across her face reminded September of the killers in horror films—the deadly, toothy grin that reflected a dark past, vicious memories, and most likely a tragic backstory. Her canines were coated in scarlet, the child that Valentine was shining through, like a little girl being told not to talk while speaking, and did so in utter spite. She poked him in the nose with an unsaid “boop!” and answered him: “I,” she paused for dramatic effect, “am a Valkyrie. I decide who lives and who dies. The goddess chose me.” She seemed amused by September’s expression, which he was sure she understood loud and clear: the questions surrounding her sanity, the Warfather’s sanity, and his own sanity. She tilted her head, her eyebrow furrowing, as if she were listening to something very far away. Her blood-red eyes cleared, a sharpened focus appearing that wasn’t there before. The amulet around September’s neck warmed, like a phone that had been used for too long. Valentine reached to her necklace and showed the pendant to him; the gem had turned the color of rose petals. “The goddess has decided.” The king’s face brightened significantly, resembling more of an adolescent than Valentine. His fingers twitched as if he were wishing he hadn’t thrown away his staff of murder. “‘The goddess has decided,’” he agreed. “What doth thou has’t to sayeth?” Valentine sighed. She took a glance at September, and seemed to remember it was her charm around his neck. She carefully untied it from his collar and replaced it around her own, likely to keep it handy for other murder-judgment rituals. “‘Mercy’,” she said. “The goddess calls for mercy.” “‘Mercy’?” September asked excitedly. He began to wriggle in his rope restraints. “So, I can leave? I can pretend this was all a terrible dream and I’m not looking at a crime boss and his possessed daughter in the eyes?” The king gave him a very, very dry look that read: Even if The Goddess (with capitals and everything) commanded it, I wouldn’t let you go. A very reassuring expression. Much more reassuring than the one Valentine was shoving in his direction—a pitiful countenance, one with a raised eyebrow, a half smile, and snorting nose. Valentine shook her head in response to his enthusiastic questions. “No,” she said, feeling around the red onyx pendant like it was a good luck charm. “The goddess does not desire a merciful life for you, Mister September Bell. The goddess wishes a merciful death.” The king looked thoughtful. He nodded, as if mentally agreeing with the terms the goddess placed upon him. He reached behind himself, delicately unsheathing a beautiful gun from his back pocket. It was a revolver, golden in its barrel and grip (the Warfather really liked gold, apparently), with loving detail etched across its entire frame, Jellinge style carving engraved into the metal: fond depictions of interlocking knots and elegant symmetrical two-dimensional animals. It was a stunning firearm; September almost didn’t mind dying to it. As it was, a goddess from a religion he didn’t believe in had ordered a little girl and a kingpin to kill him “mercifully.” So yes, he did, in fact, mind dying to the lovely revolver. The Warfather offered the gun to his daughter. “Would you like to do the honors, Miss All-Powerful Valkyrie?” Small, sad brown eyes peeked out for a moment, as if the child underneath the Valkyrie persona was peering through, regretful and unable to do anything about it. A second later, ruby irises returned to their normal, lethal state, establishing the goddess’s attendant once more. Valentine smirked, twisted her fingertips into her long, red ponytail, and nodded innocently, like she was agreeing to a walk around the park and not first-degree murder. “I would be honored.” She bowed, as graceful as a ballerina, and skipped over to her father, snatched the revolver, and strolled back over to the very last sacrificial lamb. She casually unclasped the safety, like she’d gotten used to her life and was unfazed by it. She pointed the sublime gun at September’s forehead. He took a shaky breath, and closed his eyelids. From afar, he heard Valentine speak for the last time: “Any last words?” “You can take your goddess and your disturbing little rituals and shove it up your—” A gunshot rang through the deserted warehouse, and September Bell fell to the floor.

Mercy, by alizaarches

Summary: A man set for dead by a mob boss finds himself relying on the faith of an eleven-year-old girl.

Oh. My. God. This story took SO LONG to write. I continuously got stuck, continuously got writer’s block. You have no idea. Geez. Anyway. Yeah. I have a lot of inspirations for this one, just leading up to this. Some of the heavy influences include: Norse Mythology, BTR (yes, the band), Overwatch, the phrase “child of peace,” and the song The Ride of the Valkyries by Domine (English version).

Originally, this was meant to be the first non-fantasy story I’d written, with a normal crime boss and a normal little girl with a teddy bear. The little girl was originally meant to have something similar to flipping a coin that would help her decide who lives and who dies. Valentine was heavily inspired by the valkyries of Norse Mythology who choose who may go Valhalla or not. Of course, she was also inspired by the whole “scary little girl” trope a lot of people do.

Anyway, this story was a lot of fun to write, despite my eternal frustrations with it. I hope you enjoyed it!

#valkyrie #mercy #norse mythology #scary little girl #valentine #death #brutal death scene #revolver #probably tagwhoring but eh #gold #silver #fantasy #Original Work #original #valkyries #september

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