#eliot's entire thing is that he went into this willingly and then had to come out the other side a different man

[myhyperfixationisiforgot]

Moreau doesn't give Eliot orders, is the thing.

Eliot knows orders. Eliot could follow orders in his sleep, bleeding out, in languages he doesn't even recognize if he had to. Eliot knows how to give orders, knows how to take orders, knows how to step away from the part that shivers when his CO gives him his target.

That is not what Moreau does.

Once, when Eliot is twenty seven and bored and very, very good at what he does, he kills an unkillable man.

He does it quickly, and quietly, and most importantly, he does it by completely abandoning every plan Moreau's strategists have. And Damien thinks it's grand! He's delighted to see someone so competent and functional in his employ.

So he lets Eliot do his thing. Damien offers him what nobody else could - he offers Eliot his respect. Eliot's not in it because he likes killing, he's in it because he's so very good at killing, and Damien is the one who recognizes that. Damien lets Eliot make plans, he invites Eliot to critique his operation, he listens and prioritizes and trusts Eliot's skill and knowledge, and in return he gets the most dangerous man in the world at his side.

The worst thing Eliot ever does isn't something Damien needs. That's not what Eliot says. Eliot did it for Moreau, not on Moreau's orders.

Eliot is the one who picks the target, Eliot is the one who sees the bigger picture and chooses to do it himself. Eliot does the worst thing in his life because he looks and sees some objective, something that would be good for Damien operation, something that would show his power in Damien's court.

And then his hands are bloody and he doesn't even feel it anymore. There's nothing except pride in a job well done, and it scare the shit out of him, and he can't even blame it on someone else now, can he?

He leaves, and Damien lets him, encourages him, even, because what are you going to do when the deadliest man you know says he's done? The man who you've always trusted and admired because he doesn't lie or brag or bluff tells you he doesn't want to kill anymore, and Damien knows that there's not a force on Earth that could bring Eliot back when he doesn't want to.

Damien Moreau never gave Eliot orders anyway.

#eliot's complicated relationship with his past is so fascinating #eliot's entire thing is that he went into this willingly and then had to come out the other side a different man #so yeah i don't think moreau had him trapped or boxed in or anything #i think eliot did it completely willingly #and that's exactly what scares him so much #leverage #eliot spencer #damien moreau #leverage redemption

[vickyvicarious]

Moreau’s anger in the famous scene with Nate (“a 24yo genius w/ a problem with authority”) is scary. he’s so contained, saying things that coming from the usual bad guy of the week would be ranted, shouted - but he’s so controlled in his anger

So I was thinking about this ask a lot as I was watching the last two episodes of S3. Because it really is true, he is always so controlled. I counted how many times he raises/loses control of his voice and it really wasn't a lot:

At the end of the Big Bang Job, when Nate is going on and on about how he is framing Moreau. He goes from calm and amused to more and more frustrated, and - just once - raises his voice. He snaps, "Who ARE you?!" But then immediately pulls his face back under control. The penultimate picture on this post is literally one second after he yells; he reins it all back in.

When he just saw Eliot on TV petting a puppy and claiming the president held dogfights. When he turns to face Reberra and reassure him this is all under control, despite being obviously very fed up with the crew messing with his election, his voice - only once - goes down into a growl as he says "Tonight, you bury him at the debate. Tomorrow, he loses in what will be the closest election in years. Which frankly only helps legitimize you, so RELAX." Just on that very last word, the rest of the time he does a good job of sounding reassuring and even a little unphased.

When the election results are being counted. "Too close to call. TOO CLOSE TO CALL, how'd you let it get this far?!" This is pretty much the only time he rants in frustration, and even then he quickly pulls himself together. Puts on a convincing show of being unbothered moments later.

Even in that final confrontation with Nate, he finds himself at a loss for words, he is furious and unsure of what to do - but his voice stays quiet and intent. You can hear him seething, but only a few times. He doesn't really lose control per se, not until he is literally being dragged away. Right up until that very second he just gets thoughtful and is staring off into the distance, trying to process how this happened and what he can do to get out of it.

When you consider just how much the crew was pushing all of his buttons, that is not a lot at all. Definitely less than we would usually see from other villains. And that's not exactly a coincidence, because...

Moreau is someone who has built his entire empire on control.

He moves money around for other people, makes sure never to get his own hands dirty. Even the hitmen he sends are trained to not leave any evidence behind - that one guy they scared out with the fire alarm still took the time to clean the room and collect any shell casings, and Eliot confirmed that is expected for someone working for Moreau. He's perfected the art of not laying a trail of evidence, to the point that the crew had to use someone else's crimes to get to him both times they went up against him. They couldn't prove his criminal empire so they instead framed him for stuff the Italian had done. Then he just hid away in the country he'd bought and was doing fine. Once there, they couldn't expose his part in the election so they rigged it even more than he was, and took advantage of the greed of Reberra to get him to turn against him. Nate wasn't lying when he said "honestly, no [we stood no chance against you]."

Moreau doesn't work with people he doesn't know. He just won't do it. He manipulates and abuses his own people, as is evident with Eliot. The entire pool scene is rife with Moreau proving again and again and again that he is not willing to let anyone else hold the cards. He has it drilled into them that they can either be assets or liabilities, and everyone knows what he does to liabilities. People are terrified to turn on him, and pretty much no one willingly does. Moreau understands the value of public perception, so he makes sure that he is pandering to the UN and not immediately eliminating his rivals in San Lorenzo until the election is over, but it's very clear that he would not hesitate otherwise. The fact that he chooses to wait is extremely deliberate as well; he's calculated the odds, and hurting the crew isn't worth it. Yet. No matter how much he hates them, he is willing to wait. He doesn't let emotion rule him.

Even his body language - he smiles. He is deliberately relaxed when others are worked up or when the situation is tense. (Casually sips his drink as Hardison drowns in the pool, laughs at Nate's accusations about him being a terrible person even as he's losing the election.) When he's truly, truly furious, when things aren't going at all as planned - he goes still. In the Big Bang Job, he holds his hands together in front of him and doesn't make a move to step towards Nate. When Eliot is rushing him, he levels the gun and shoots the Italian with deliberate aim, then turns and leaves in a hurry, but by no means running for his life. Then in San Lorenzo, he goes still and dangerous several times when he knows he can't make a move against the crew yet, but the biggest example is when President Reberra signs his arrest warrant. Moreau just stands there, hands on the desk, quiet and still and so thoughtful. It's only, again, when he is literally being dragged away and he realizes there's nothing he can do that he finally loses his iron control and struggles to get away. Until then he always, always tries to stay calm and cool and even relaxed, projecting an unbothered image of implacable power.

It's one of the scariest things about Moreau, this complete control over himself and his people. It means he thinks things through, you just can't get him to react rashly. He's not someone you can con. So the team works around this by, and I love this - turning his perfect control from an asset into a liability. They know he will have the election news on lockdown, so they manipulate everyone else to believe it was their victory. They know he wouldn't risk harming them in front of the world's eyes, so they pretend to harm themselves. They know he has abused the system to lock up his rivals and take all their assets, so they do the very same thing to him. They literally don't do anything he hasn't already planned around (sure, they use methods he hasn't thought of as viable, emailing everyone in the country for example, but the core of the idea isn't anything new to him). They just figure out what he wants to avoid happening and then they make it happen, which only succeeds because he is so determined to ensure it doesn't. If he'd been more ruthless, more short-sighted... they couldn't have won.

#leverage #leverage meta #damien moreau #anonymous #replies #my meta #sorry this took so long to answer! i was almost at the moreau eps so i wanted to watch them first #and then i ended up taking several days to get around to it #but i'm glad i did because this was very much on my mind while watching

[thehollowprince]

Magicians Anonymous

Okay, first off, can I just say that I loved that title of this episode alone, before we even go any further? Because I did. I loved it. Don't know why, but I did.

Anyway, let's just break this down by character.

We'll start with Fen and Josh, for the simple fact that they weren't in this episode at all, which I thought was odd. Given how things ended between them and Margo at the end of the last episode, and the fact that they're in an occupied Fillory with the man who overthrew them three hundred years ago, that can't be the safest place for them.

Margo - she didn't really have a part to play in this episode, except to be snarky (a staple) and then the big reveal cliffhanger. Though I will say that seeing Margo duel weild axes against the takers was pretty awesome.

Side note: the other centurion (Sivart) she was paired with was hot. Plus I loved the joke about Foxes and how they lie. A+ commentary on our broken political system and the media that supports it

The Dark King - I'm using him as a focal point instead of Eliot, because the latter didn't really do anything this episode, except stand around and stair into a bowl to watch the Dark King propaganda machine. But the Dark King - Sebastian - he had a part to play this episode. And I'm not focusing on him just because he was a silver fox (not entirely, anyway), but because it's interesting to see a magician perform magic that our heroes don't or can't. I mean, let's be honest, they maybe relative children in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the more experienced magicians we've met, but they've also achieved some big stuff. I'm insanely interested to see the how and why of his ability to take on the takers.

Also, I'm really intrigued by this whole thing with the fairies. Last we saw them, they were to be included on the advisory council to the monarch of Fillory, but now they're being hunted like animals? What happened in the last three hundred years? I mean, I think @highkingfen and I cracked the whole Fairy-Taker thing last week, but I want confirmation.

Alice - I'm disappointed they put her back in those shirts, especially after we finally got to see her in normal clothes for two episodes in a row, but I will say I was happy to see her and Julia hug. For too long Alice was sort of the odd man out in their group and I'll happy to see them finally pulling her onto the "inner circle". Her little sojourn to the Library was interesting, culminating in a totally random attack from the Visigoths, who I guess are still a thing, led by a guy with a thing for her (that I think is going to come back at some point in the future... maybe like the candy cottage witch). It was nice to see Zelda again, but I would like to know what she was up to. Didn't Phyllis say she had a nervous breakdown?

It was pretty badass of Zelda to burn the books to prevent the Visigoths from claiming them, especially when I thought Alice would have just used her Phosphoromancy to hide everything. I also really like the implications of the Library not being able to spy on people or know their entire life story. It actually lends the idea of free will some credence.

Also, while we're talking Librarians, where's my girl, Shiela? Huh?

Julia - I love you, but you're a dumbass. Have we learned absolutely nothing from dealing with gods? At all? Why would she think summoning one, especially by herself, would be a good idea? I mean, Ember's balls, Julia! Come on! You're supposed to be the smart one.

And while I did appreciate the irony of Julia having to make a life-or-death choice that would irrevocably change Penny for the rest of his life without his consent, I figured we would have moved past that. She was pissed when Penny made that decision for her, but sure... the narrative demands it because we can't figure out how to stop the Apocalypse by the fourth episode.

However, I will say that this should lead to an interesting arc for Penny. He can't be everyone's magical uber anymore, and he doesn't have his psychic abilities, so hopefully we'll get to see what kind of magician he is under it all. Though I have this sickening feeling in my gut that says that he's going to travel again, because of that line about it being "like flying a seven forty-seven blind". So help me, of they kill off Penny again, I'mma be pissed.

PS: I really wasn't feelin' that whole Plum reveal. Not only her waiting until after the eleventh hour when Penny's life hung in the balance, but because it felt like they waited until the last possible second for just the shock value. Here's hoping they do something big with her that makes waiting so long worth it.

And finally, Kady and Fogg - probably my favorite part of the episode, while simultaneously making me irrationally angry. I loved the Magicians Anonymous meeting, which I guess isn't for magicians who quit magic, but magicians who quit substance abuse. Good for them for getting help, though Fogg disguising himself as a low-rent Marina was a little much.

But, things turned really interesting when they took the acid and went on their little trip to find the Dude Emperor so they could discover what happened to the depository. Whoever wrote that sequence has clearly dropped acid before.

All that being said, I'm upset that they took a man who willingly made the choice to be sober and stuck him in a universe where he'll be forever high. That doesn't sit well with me. Hopefully that's not the last time we see Fogg.

Overall, I'd give this episode a six out of ten. It was okay, but not anything fantastic. There was a lot going on, but nothing really happened, if you know what I mean? It felt more like a filler episode than anything else, and given that we're operating on a season that need to wrap up their main plot in eight episodes now, I don't think we have time for fillers. At the end of it all, I was left with more questions than answers, when we still have other questions that need answers.

#josh rambles #tm5 #s5e4: magicians anonymous #the magicians

[douxreviews]

The Magicians - ‘Will You Play with Me?’ Review

Eliot: “Sorry, time out. I thought the weird door swallowed the keys.” Quentin: “Yeah, no, it did, but then—” Eliot: “But then she has them again? I'm not that drunk. This is sloppy plotting.”

Once again the writers break their whole show apart in their season finale. Everyone is really screwed.

Things start out promising. The questers have all seven keys. But they’ve also got an evil library on their toes, a powerful monster to evade, and no idea how to actually get to the castle at the end of the world. So they do some research.

First they track down the architect Reynard mentioned (Calypso, or Callie as she goes by now). She tells them the convoluted story of the seven keys actually is a made-up story that’s meant to guide and shape the questers. The castle is actually a prison built for the monster. Prometheus created the quest because he believed the magicians would save everyone one day, if they had magic. Quentin makes a deal with the monster’s current guard (Ora) to take her place in exchange for a way into the castle. And no one’s happy with that.

Quentin points out that the quest was supposed to change them and it made him stronger, strong enough to do this. It taught them that sometimes they need to do things the hard way (like living an entire life in front of a mosaic). And they’ve all made their own sacrifices in the past. This brings up some serious questions about consent. He’s willingly putting himself in a really dangerous situation and he’s giving up his entire life. His friends aren’t okay with that. But should they respect his wishes, or make their own choices for his best interest? Eliot and Margo choose to make their own choices, shooting the monster with Julia and Kady’s god-killing bullet. But the monster just jumps into Ora’s body, so that doesn’t go so well.

Alice only makes things worse. Turns out, she had her own plan. Quentin did get through to her about the shadiness of the library, but it pushed her into believing no one can be trusted with magic because it only makes everyone different shades of bad. Eliot thinks she’s projecting, but she does have a point. Alice became psychotic as a niffin, and then nearly killed Julia for her magic as a reformed human. Julia did a whole slew of terrible things in the pursuit of magic (imprisoning Quentin in his mind, accidentally helping to release a serial rapist trickster god). All of them have caused some harm with or because of magic, whether they wanted to or not. But they’ve also done a lot of good. Alice saved everyone from The Beast, Julia saved a girl from her own mind-prison, fixed Dean Fogg’s eyes, and brought back the forest of sentient trees she destroyed. So magic doesn’t only make people bad. The problem is that humans (who aren’t all good or all bad) have magic. And, by taking away magic, Alice would take away choice. Which, as Quentin said last episode, is never the answer. Maybe schools should offer magic counseling help magicians make good choices with the magic they have? Just a thought.

So Alice, coked up on fairies, destroys the keys. All seems lost until suddenly Julia comes back, who has her own side-adventure. Turns out, she’s now a full-fledged goddess (Our Lady of the Trees). But she has trouble with the gods’ philosophy. They believe, because everything changes in a blink of an eye from their perspective, it’s better to focus on the big picture and build better worlds than to fix the ones already created. It seems really counter-intuitive to have Julia’s power grow when she helps others, give her the power to feel what everyone’s feeling, and then tell her to ignore it all. Like, maybe the gods should’ve taken a different approach? Julia feels the same way; she can’t stop worrying about Quentin and the fairies and everyone’s prayers for help. So she ditches the apathetic goddess to help out the questers.

Julia pulls a Prometheus, horcruxing her power to create a new set of keys for the questers to use to power the magic fountain. She becomes super weak, loses her godly connection. But apart from that all seems well, until suddenly there’s another betrayal. Irene, her traveler, and Dean Fogg appear with their Fairy-Queen-powered siphon and they transfer the magic to the library.

The shady library dispenses shoddy rations of magic out to whoever they see fit, they lock Alice up for breaking their deal, and replace the rest of the questers memories with ones of their new identities: Julia the architect, Penny 23 the DJ, Josh the Uber Driver, Margo er... Janet the big-shot in some career?, Quentin er... Brian the tweed-jacket-wearing bookstore/library goer. We’re left with a lot of questions. How will they figure out who they really are? What’s going on with Julia’s power? Is Eliot the monster? And what does he want with Quentin/Brian? And, most importantly, what’s Josh’s Uber-rating?

Bits and Pieces

-- So usually I’m not a fan of amnesia stories so I’d be super disappointed in this plot-twist. But after this amazing season I have so much faith in the writers that I’m just eager to see what comes out of it.

-- RIP Fairy Queen. It’s really impressive that I went from despising her to being sad to see her go. Fen seems to be feeling the same way. And somehow, it all really worked.

-- There’s a lot of talk this episode about the big picture. The gods have pretty much abandoned their creations in pursuit of new, better ones, whereas The Fairy Queen refuses to allow a single fairy to be hunted even if giving herself up would put the world at risk. Both choices have terrible consequences.

-- I love that Julia’s goddess name is (was?) Our Lady of the Tree. She’s named after the wrong she righted, the result of all her hard-won character growth. And it fits that her name references a single tree instead of, say, a forest. Because she rejects only seeing the big picture.

-- I love Alice’s frustration at everyone mispronouncing the island Ogygia.

-- So now Fogg is not only useless, but also a traitor. Not a good look.

Quentin, on Julia becoming a Goddess: “Life is unfair, but I'm good with it occasionally working out for people that I actually love.”

Margo: “So my castle is based on your prison?” Callie: “What can I say? I'm constitutionally incapable of designing an ugly building.”

The Fairy Queen to Irene: “I'll die a queen, not some mediocre, power-hungry girl.”

Kady: “What are you doing?” Julia: “What Prometheus did.” Elliot: “Horcrotching.” Josh: “Horcruxing.”

Three and a half out of four terrible, no good traitors.

Ariel Williams

#The Magicians #Quentin Coldwater #Julia Wicker #Alice Quinn #Eliot Waugh #Margo Hanson #Penny Adiyodi #Kady Orloff-Diaz #Josh Hoberman #The Magicians Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

[rosey-writes]

The Alchemist Tributes: Book One

                                               Questioning

                                              Find a Curiosity 

And I was running late. Shoving the last of the bottles into the bag, I threw it over my shoulder as I raced out the building, bolting through the now deserted streets. I could hear the bell begin to chime and two minutes left. If I missed this and the peacekeepers didn’t kill me, Father would.

Wheezing for breath, I finally broke through the last street, skidding to a stop right by the desk.

It was 11:01.

“I’m sorry, you’re late. Please wait with the peacekeepers-”

“You don’t understand, I just got back from work-”

“You are late. Go wait with the peacekeepers.” The woman stared dead into my eyes. And I knew I was done.

“...my brother’s going up there, please.” I looked twelve, may as well try to take advantage of that.

“We all have someone going up there.” She rose. “If you won’t go willingly, I’ll have them escort you.”

My heart was thudding in my ears. Maybe I wasn’t so ready for Death. Maybe it wasn’t like I thought it would be seeing it on TV oh god I wasn’t ready to die-

“Jewelia, please.” I heard a voice from behind me and...no. No way in hell. “Why don’t we make an exception just this once. They haven’t even started.”

Eros Deamorte was helping me through.

I tried to hide my shock behind my glasses. No, it wasn’t my imagination, it was him, the fire red hair, jade eyes, an older, sharper version of his dullard son.

The woman’s face paled, and immediately she takes my hand, pricking the needle and smushing it against the paper, probably much harder than necessary, but I wasn’t pushing my luck. When I got it back, I put it in my pocket, looking back to...I still couldn’t believe I’m speaking to Eros Deamorte. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, sweetheart.” Eros smiled, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll want a front row seat for this one.”

“Huh?”

“Your brother; we all know he’s going this year.”

Something about his tone seemed off. But maybe it was my paranoia. “Right.”

“But hey, can I ask you to deliver a message to the future tribute?”

Well, I wasn’t planning on visiting Illias before he went, but I did owe this guy now. Not a good thing, owing things to a Deamorte. “Of course.”

“Win for us. We’ll need a good mentor next year.”

What? “Why for nex-”

“Oh, look, the ceremony starting.” Eros pats my head, pushing me in with the fifteen year olds. “Good luck, Swift. May the odds be ever in your favor.” With a wink and a twirl, the sprout of red hair bobbed off into the crowd.

While I couldn’t see any of my brothers, I could feel their glare, Father too somewhere with the adults. Most of the other kids were staring at me too now. Wonderful. Clearing my throat, I stood up straighter, a bored expression stitched onto my face.

Before anyone could comment, a flash of smoke boomed onto the stage, and standing in the middle of it, decked head to toe in golds and diamonds, stood the one, the only person dumber than Fiyero and Illias, “Ammolite Gold, everybody! Come on, put your hands up!”

In most districts, the mayor is the one does this part, the song and dance about the dark days. But most districts don’t have Ammolite for an escort. He annoys me. I believe he annoys everybody, though most people are subtler about it. He’s loud, obnoxious, and, above all else, Capitol.

“Alright, so.” He flashed that golden grin of his. And by golden, I mean he spray painted his teeth gold. “Why don’t we get this show on the road? Play the clip!”

War, terrible war- and that’s where I zone out. The reel plays, I yawn, managing to spot the rest of my brothers. Illias was standing very front and center of the eighteen year olds, Bravon further back with the seventeens, and Satin was practically curled up mixed among the sixteens. Honestly, sometimes I feel Satin is just me without the willpower to tell dad he’s an idiot.

Our mentors for this year were up on stage as well, Lamar and Glitta. Far from the most embarrassing ones, I suppose: Lamar quiet and dignified, Glitta cocky and obnoxious but with enough sense to tone it down for on camera. I’ve known both most my life, being neighbors and all, though I never spent much time talking to either - minus telling Glitta if she lets her brats break into my room again, she wouldn't have them anymore.

Finally, the video came to an end, and Ammulite clapped, standing center stage. “Alright, now for the fun part. We’ve got an special surprise this time around!” With that, he pulled a golden envelope from his coat. I have no doubt that he based his entire outfit around the paper. “Welcome to... the Quarter Quell! It’s gonna be a good one, the Capitol came up with it, like, last week. Pretty sweet, right?” Then, he paused, putting a hand to his ear. “Oh. Uh, I mean, they came up with it when the games first started. Yeah. Totally not a rush job.”

Moron.

“But yeah, so, let’s see what we’ve got!” With that, he cut open the top with one of his long, sharpened nails, clearing his throat. “On this - wait, scratch that - on the 100th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that they forced their children into turning on their brethren, they shall choose among themselves who will represent them. Wait a second, this wasn’t on th-" I could see his lips still moving, but the mic was shut.

Really? Doesn’t seem like much of an extra punishment. Maybe for those kids out in 12 who aren’t swimming in volunteers, but here? Illias is still going in. They’re practically vote-ins already. When the name is picked, the mentor chooses from the pool of volunteers, or can just discard the volunteers altogether. Everyone’s just going to vote for Illias and Amazonia.

Ammolite was still talking, mic back on, about what, who cares, “Capitol says you could just use this to send your best, or you could get rid of someone you don’t like, do whatever, man,” as the peacekeepers pass around the tablets.

Illias turned back, glaring at me from his spot, mouthing put me, or else. Well. Now I’m tempted to not to, just out of spite. Whatever, It’s his life, not mine. I typed Amazonia’s name in first, her picture flashing at the top with a is this correct? Dark black hair, creepily green eyes and a smile that says ‘I eat souls for a pastime’. Yeah, that’s her. I admit, I hesitated a moment with Illias. Should I? I mean, I trust him, I suppose, I know he’s ready but...there’s twenty three other kids in there, and at least five as well trained as him… Not that I cared if he died, of course, because I don’t. With a huff, I typed in his name, passing off the tablet. Whatever, it’s not like my vote would make a difference anyway.

Within ten minutes, everyone had cast their vote, and Ammulite came back onto the stage. “Now it’s time for the fun part.” Another puff of smoke, and two balls appeared on the stage, each containing only one piece of paper. Why bother when there’s only one? No clue. I chalk it up to cyanide in the Capitol water supply, killing off brain cells.

“Now, let’s hear one for the ladies.” He sent a wink to the audience, more than a few girls letting out a dreamy sigh, as he reached into the bowl. There was a drum beat, somewhere, before he plucked it out. “Welcome onto the stage… Amazonia Rhode!”

The crowd went wild. I didn’t bother. She marched up the stage, trained soldier she was, taking Ammulite’s hand and holding it up in victory, as he kissed her cheek. Yeah, that surprised nobody.

“And now, onto the boys.” Another pointless drum beat. “Hey, we’ve got another Swift going up this year, sweet!” What a shocker. “Saw reruns of your dad the other week, ripping a guy’s lungs out, awesome.” Gross. “But, yeah, so, everyone, put your hands together for, Eliot Swift!”

Whatever, at least it’ll get him out of the hous- wait, what?

“Eliot Swift, come on up!”

No. No, no they had to have the wrong name in there, it’s not possible, I’m the only Swift who didn’t want to enter the games, no way it would be me. Illias was glaring daggers at me, and I heard laughter from every corner.

No, no, this was not- “Excuse me,” I spoke in a calm, collected voice because I’m not a savage and more importantly there’s no way they voted for me. “There must be a mistake, I believe you’re looking for Illias Swift.”

Ammulite on the stage took another glance at the paper, long and hard. Good, so it must have been a smudged letter. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s Eliot on here.”

…“No.”

“Uh, what do you mean, no-”

“No, it is not my name, it is Illias’s, why, what, who would have voted for me? Did anyone here vote for me?” Almost every single person raised their hand, with the exception of my brothers.

Really? Really? I could hear the jeers and laughter as I was pushed to the front, helped along by peacekeepers and the other teenagers that until now, I held mild contempt for, but now, now I swear they’ll pay.

As I passed the seventeen year olds, I saw him there, that infuriating puff of red hair, giving me that sickeningly sweet grin. “No one’s volunteering.” Sadist. I used to mean it sarcastically, but not anymore.

And so, I stood upon that stage, a shitty star against the sea of smiling faces, the girl next to me licking her lips like she’d found her first meal, mouthing ‘you’re first’. We shook hands, she crushed mine, I think actually broke it, but at this point, I was too high on rage to even notice.

Just my fucking luck.

Finally, Ammulite asked if we had any final words. I blacked out, brain turned off, running on complete autopilot, mind in the furthest reaches of the stem. Without permission from the control room, my hand took the microphone, tapped on it once, and used my kindest, sweetest voice. “I am going to win. Not because I want to bring glory, not because I want to live, but just so I can come back here and slice the smile off of every one of your petty, pathetic little faces. Fuck you, see you all in hell.”

I dropped the mic. On my foot. And squeaked in pain.

This was going well.

#the alchemist tributes #Questioning arc #Hunger games #Fanfic #Hunger games fanfic #Eliot Swift #Fiyero deamorte #Amazonia Rhodes