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thanksfornothinguselessreptile · 5 years

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A Shifting World Chapter 4: Goodbyes and Departures

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Work Summary: Things have been going great since Hiccup and Toothless have defeated the Red Death. He has his father’s approval, a group of friends his own age, and is leading the integration of dragons and the Vikings of Berk. When neighboring tribes call together a meeting to discuss rumors of Vikings riding dragons, however, Stoick decides to keep their alliance with dragons under wraps. Hiccup must decide whether he should listen to his father or seek to teach the other Vikings of the archipelago the truths about dragons.

AO3

Rating: T

Characters: Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Stoick, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout

Pairings: Minor Hiccup x Astrid

Chapter Summary: Hiccup makes a promise to his best friend. Meanwhile, the twins are the twins and Mildew is Mildew.

Chapter Warnings: Discussions of death and murder, food mention

“You guys are all so lucky,” Tuffnut said as he shook his head at the nearest ship. “You all get to go to the Thing and we don’t.”

“I’d kill for the opportunity to go.” The scariest thing about that statement, Hiccup decided, was that Ruffnut sounded like she genuinely meant it. “The Thing is the prime pranking opportunity, and none of you are going to take advantage of it!”

“We’ll keep that in mind, I promise,” Hiccup said. He found himself regretting that the twins wouldn’t be coming along, even if it cut down the risk of other tribes declaring war on Berk due to missing beards and painted helmets.

Still, with a whole village to terrorize and no one else in their friend group around to entertain them or hold them back, Hiccup was sure that the missed opportunity would soon be a long distant regret.

Luckily enough for Hiccup, if not for Berk, it turned out that many of his friends were coming along, too. Astrid’s mother, Phlegma, was among the Berk Council, as was Spitelout, Snotlout’s father; both had decided their children ought to come along and get a better understanding of the other tribes. Fishlegs, while he had a mother aboard their ship as a sailor, had been chosen to come because Stoick believed he could have potential as a future ambassador of Berk.

Beyond them, all of the Berk Council were going as well. Well, all except for one, who was heading this way with a frown.

Hiccup was suddenly very aware that the twins had seemed to have vanished into thin air. They must’ve pranked Gobber somewhat recently, then.

“Ah, Toothless, there you are!” Gobber said as he wagged the wooden hand cutout attached to his prosthetic arm attachment as he prepared a lecture. “Remember that you aren’t going on this trip, you sneaky reptile.”

Toothless grumbled in irritation and glanced over at Hiccup as if asking him to reverse the decision.

“Sorry, bud,” he said instead, and gave Toothless an apologetic smile. “You know that Dad would kill me if I smuggled you aboard.” And anyways, even if he did go through with showing the other tribes that dragons weren’t inherently violent and were actually amazing, intelligent beings who were willing to live in peace if humans were, he wanted Toothless here, safe, if things went wrong. Again.

Toothless snorted and shook his head, his pupils narrowing slightly.

“Don’t worry, bud, it won’t be for forever.” If Gobber wasn’t there, Hiccup would have told him he’d try and make it so he could go to the next one, too. However, Gobber was still there, listening. He wouldn’t exactly be the sort that would keep quiet if Hiccup started making plans to go against his father’s and chief’s wishes behind his back.

“Yes,” Toothless said with a disgruntled huff.

Hiccup could understand why. He wasn’t too happy about having to leave his best friend either.

Anything else he had to say, however, was swallowed up by a loud yell several feet away.

“I’m telling you, Stoick, this must be a sign from the gods to give up this unholy alliance with the beasts.” Hiccup had heard that voice enough times since after the Battle of the Red Death that he frowned and prepared to sigh with exasperation even before properly recognizing its owner.

Just as there were dragons too affected by the years of conflict to want to move onto Berk, there were Vikings who resisted the peace with the dragons with their heels dug into the ground. But where dragons were happy enough to avoid Berk, Mildew had decided to make his “opinion” everyone’s problem.

And especially Hiccup’s and Stoick’s.

“If the other tribes catch wind of us ‘befriending’ these monsters–” Mildew swung his staff straight toward a nearby Monstrous Nightmare who’d just dropped off a pallet of supply crates tied into groups with fishnet, ignoring their filthy look “–then we might as well kiss our lives goodbye!”

Stoick, half turned toward Mildew and half toward the freshly delivered stack of supplies, rubbed at his head in a way that told Hiccup that he was sensing an oncoming headache. “You’ve already brought this up. For sixteen Gripe Days in a row.”

“And you wouldn’t listen!” Hiccup winced as the vibrations of the resulting slam of the staff end into the wooden dock made their way up his prosthesis. “But now that the other tribes have come knocking, maybe you’ll finally care!”

Stoick cast Mildew a glare so sharp Hiccup almost expected to result in Mildew bursting into flames without a dragon’s intervention. Unfortunately for all of Berk, it didn’t. “Enough, Mildew. I am sticking to the answer I’ve given you every time before. We are not driving the dragons away.”

Mildew’s voice dropped just a fraction, and turned even more bitter and accusing. “Is it something you’re willing to bet the whole village’s lives on?”

“I assure you,” Stoick said, his voice unyielding, “I have the village’s best interests on my mind. And, like it or not, that includes yours.”

“Besides,” Gobber said, walking from beside Hiccup up to Mildew, “is right before Stoick’s about to leave to ensure we continue living in peace really the time to bring this up? Especially since he heard it before?”

Mildew snorted, sounding for all the world like a particularly stubborn sheep not unlike the one that often followed him around.

“I thought so. Now I suggest you go back and tend to your cabbages, unless you want to help load up the ship.” Gobber used his hand prosthesis to gesture at the supplies.

With one last scowl and “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you,” Mildew stormed off the docks, staff tapping each wooden board along the way.

“Thanks, Gobber,” Stoick said, sounding more relieved than he’d been since the announcement of the Thing.

Gobber shrugged. “Eh, I’ll just add it to list of stuff you’ll owe me for while you’re gone.” He shuddered overdramatically. “Including the Gripe Days you’ll be missing. Not looking forward to those, I’m telling you!”

Stoick laughed and shook his head. “It makes dealing with the other chiefs seem like a picnic.”

Hiccup and Toothless walked toward them. “Can’t you do something about his attitude problem?”

Stoick frowned and sighed. “He gets under my skin as much as yours, son, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

“What does he have against them, anyways?” He leaned over to pat Toothless’s side, to calm himself and his dragon. “They hardly attacked his farm.” Cabbage, to no one’s surprise, was hardly a dragon’s preferred delicacy. In fact, they seemed to avoid them more often than most other crops.

Gobber and Stoick shared a solemn look.

“You see, years ago he set his farm up there,” Gobber said, sounding like he was getting into a long story that had no happy ending. “No one particularly minded, given he was always that… well, Mildewy, for the lack of a better word.” He shrugged. “And he married a woman who was just as grumpy as he was, and they had kids who took after the both of them.”

If Gobber and Stoick hadn’t looked so serious, Hiccup would’ve shuddered at the thought of a family of Mildews.

“They all seemed happy, though, and they kept mostly to themselves, so everything was fine.” Stoick shook his head. “And then, one day, his wife and children were picking up supplies in town when a dragon raid hit.”

“It was the worst in decades.” Gobber bit his lip. “Our best could hardly keep up defending the town from the dragons.” He sighed and shook his head. “By the time dawn came and they retreated, so many had died, even those who hadn’t fought.”

“Including Mildew’s family.” Hiccup never thought he’d feel anything regarding sympathy for the man, but then again he’d always summed his irritability up to stubbornness beyond the usual Viking levels.

“And that wasn’t the end of it.” Stoick’s tone caused Hiccup to brace himself. “Mildew somehow got it into his head that we let them die intentionally because no one liked them.”

“Well, no one did like them,” Gobber jumped in with a conciliatory tone. “But no one hated them that much,” he added when Stoick glared at him.

“Everyone kind of understood that it was mostly the grief talking, and things kind of died down after a while.” Stoick stroked his beard. “And eventually he ended up taking another wife.”

“And that’s when a dragon came to his farm and burnt it to a crisp.” Gobber shook his head. “Mildew escaped. Not his wife.”

“And after he got over that, he married another woman. She was from the Northlander Tribe, I believe.” He glanced at Gobber as if to confirm.

Gobber nodded. “Aye. And I bet you can get what happened to her.”

Hiccup’s stomach clenched. “I’m guessing not a peaceful death by old age.”

“After that, he became obsessed with killing dragons.” Stoick stroked his beard, lost in thought.

“Not himself, of course.” Gobber shrugged a single shoulder. “Let’s just say he chose to keep a farm far from the raids for a reason. But he bought dragon parts off those who did kill them. Bones, scales, heads, the lot.”

Toothless made a nervous sound, and Hiccup reached over to scratch him under the ears in an attempt at reassurance. “Don’t worry, bud. No one’s getting your head.”

“He was always advocating for crueler ways of killing them off entirely, not just driving them off our land for good.” Stoick frowned. “In any case, any intention he had of making his peace with them died with his wives and children.”

“But now we can make sure that no one else has to go through that.” Hiccup knew that losing family to dragons hurt; he’d lost his own mother to a dragon when he was a baby, and that had definitely stung after finding out that it was the Red Death’s fault. Still, he couldn’t imagine preferring being at war with dragons to the peace they had now over it.

“I know, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Stoick placed a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder, being careful not to knock him over. “However, he’s been bitter since the day he was born, and circumstances only made him worse. When you’re chief, you’ll have to deal with worse than the likes of him.”

Hiccup resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Encouraging pep talk, Dad.”

Stoick shook his head and laughed, and the somber tone the conversation had taken seemed to disperse like that. “Next time, I’ll let it surprise you.” He glanced around the docks and the ship, scanning everything. “Well, it looks to me like we’re just about ready to set out here. You get on the ship and I’ll get the loose ends tied up.” With that, he walked off.

Hiccup turned back to Toothless. “Well, I guess it’s time to say goodbye, bud.”

Toothless warbled in a very unenthusiastic tone.

“I promise I’ll be back, with a whole new bunch of stories to tell you.” A gathering of Viking chiefs was certainly never boring, as Stoick had often been inclined to share. “I’m sure you will too, since the twins are staying behind.”

At that, Toothless snorted and rolled his eyes.

Hiccup couldn’t help but smile at that. “You never know, you might have too much fun watching them get in trouble to even notice I’m gone.”

Toothless snorted and shook his head. He didn’t sound particularly convinced.

“It’s just for a few weeks, I promise.” Hiccup held out an open hand. Toothless stared at it and hesitated, then leaned his head over until his nose met Hiccup’s palm. “Take care while I’m gone.” He let himself give his best friend a crooked, mischievous smile and wagged a finger at him in warning. “And no helping Ruff and Tuff with their pranks, alright?”

Toothless seemed to raise the draconic equivalent of an eyebrow, but nodded. “Yes.”

With that, Hiccup forced himself up the gangplank and looked for a place to sit. It was going to be a long journey.

So this is probably the last chapter I’m posting to Tumblr before the Log Off Protest. While the next chapter will likely be published on AO3 around the same time next week, I won’t crosspost it to Tumblr until the protest is over and I log back in. After that, crossposting should continue as usual. Thank you!

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moonlitgleek · 7 years

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I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sound like I was trolling you! I was just wondering how Jon should view Ned after learning about the truth and what it means for Rhaegar. I'm sorry.

No, no, don’t apologize. I made that leap so it’s on me. It’s just… somehow when I wasn’t looking, Rhaegar became the most argued about character on my blog. I don’t mind discussing him - I’ve been engaged in such a discussion over IM for the past two weeks - but I’ve gotten some, let’s say, interesting responses that were pretty much designed to pull my leg. I found the premise of your questions kinda strange and based on a dichotomy that does not really exist in the books, which is why I thought you might be trolling me in the vein of previous responses I got. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad.

I’m gonna start my response to the questions you posed in your previous ask by asserting one point: Ned Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen do not occupy even a remotely similar place in the text. There is simply no way to compare their respective narrative importance to Jon. Ned is the guy who raised Jon and the father Jon looked up to and loved. For better or for worse, he is the only parent Jon ever had and the father that Jon wanted to make proud; his model is the one that Jon strove to live up to. And Jon loves Ned and loves the family Ned raised him in, that’s not going to change just because he discovers that he is not biologically Ned’s. Because he is still Ned’s son in all the way that matter. Ned, for all his mistakes, loved Jon and protected him and gave him a family at a high personal cost to himself. He besmirched his honor in order to save Jon’s life and essentially committed treason and put his life on the line by concealing him. He is an integral part of who Jon is and a vital linchpin to his identity.So Jon would certainly be angry (and he has every right to be), he’d probably lash out spectacularly, but I don’t think it’dlead him to stop seeing Ned as his father or that it’d change how he feels about him. The bonds Jon has with the Starks run deep and true and so I imagine that his dominant emotion once the initial shock wears off would be only sorrow.

But while Ned is personally dear to Jon, Rhaegar would be little more than a name to him, a name attached to a dark history at that. The significance of Rhaegar’s fatherhood in Jon’s arc is largely thematic because the truth about Jon’s parentage is gonna be a major hit to Jon’s self-conception and identity. Because the only identity Jon ever wanted or dreamed of is that of a Stark. He struggled with his bastardy and the conception of his identity in light of it but he was proud that he was Ned Stark’s kid. Finding out that he is not Ned’s son is a hit in and of itself but then to discover that his father is none other than Rhaegar Targaryen, oh that would be just brutal.

This is (one instance) where GRRM subverts the classic trope of the downtrodden boy with a hidden parentage and a grand destiny, because Jon’s origin story is a horror story that is going to devastate him. Not only does his real parentage remove him even further from the identity he desires, not only does it mean that the father and siblings he loves so well are not really (biologically) his own, it also comes with the sobering realization of the circumstances of his own birth. Like, the identity of Jon’s mother has always been a point of tension in his relationship with Ned, and he finally, FINALLY gets his answer, except it’s a punch in the gut. Because the circumstances of Jon’s conception and birth are fucked up. Rhaegar absconded with Lyanna without sparing a thought to the consequences of his actions, so focused he was on getting a third child for the prophecy that everything paled in comparison, even insulting two Great Houses and throwing the realm into war. Lyanna was his means to fulfill the prophecy and get the third head of the dragon in a situation that reeks of consent issues. It’s not a particularly happy origin story.

That’s the truth Jon will find out, the answer to his lifelong question. His mother is the sister of whom his adoptive father couldn’t talk because of how painful it was. His father was the crown prince who is known for carelessly breaking every chivalric code by absconding with Lyanna Stark, the guy whose actions sent the entire realm into war and created the situation that led to the murder of Rickard and Brandon Stark. His father pretty much used his mother as a vessel for a prophecy-child that she died birthing, and then his adoptive father had to claim him as his own bastard - damaging his own marriage and lying to both his wife and Jon himself - to prevent his best friend from murdering baby Jon for the grand crime of existing. Jon was literally born for the purpose of a prophecy so that he could fulfill a destiny his birth father was willing to throw the realm into war for. So how is Jon going to react to that? My belief is that he, in his initial anger and pain, is going to reject said destiny. He’ll reject his Targaryen heritage, he’ll reject the prophecy, he’ll reject Rhaegar and his ready-make destiny and the purpose for which he sired Jon.

And that would be the struggle in Jon’s arc and the choice he needs to make. Is he a hero because his lineage dictates it or a prophecy told it or Rhaegar decided he would be, or is he a hero because he chooses to be? Is he the maker of his own destiny or a puppet dancing to the strings of prophecy and his ancestors’ decisions? Is he fighting for humanity because he is the ready-make prophecy-child fulfilling the purpose of his birth or because it’s the right thing to do? Is he is driven by the prophecy or by hope that humanity can prevail and usher in spring after they throw back the winds of winter? Who is Jon Snow and why is he fighting?

Here’s the thing, Rhaegar prioritized the prophecy above any and everything else. He caused a lot of destruction in his pursuit of a prophecy-child and in the name of saving the same realm he doomed to war. Causing a political crisis that ended up making the realm bleed was an acceptable collateral damage to him as long as he got the third head of the dragon. Jon is going to have to come to terms with the fact that this guy is his father and that he was born specifically for a prophecy; he’ll have to accept his parentage because it’s a part of accepting himself - you have to accept where you came from before you conceive who you are. But Jon’s parentage isn’t going to be what defines him or who he is, his own choices are. Because choosing who you become when you’re faced by the abyss is perhaps the most prominent overarching theme of ASOIAF.

Jon is not going to be a hero because Rhaegar made him one by siring him, or because a prophecy foretold his birth. If my prediction that he’ll reject the prophesied destiny that Rhaegar was willing to throw the realm into war for is true, that means that Jon is not going to be a hero because of Rhaegar but despite him. He did not need either Rhaegar or the prophecy to put him up to fighting the Others or saving people, he was doing that on his own and by his own choice because he recognized that as the most important cause and the right thing to do.Jon’s heroism is his own choice, his destiny is of his own making; he’ll fight not because his lineage compels him to or because it’s the purpose of his birth but because he genuinely wants (and chooses) to do the right thing and save the world.

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #jon snow #ned stark #rhaegar targaryen #r plus l equals j #Anon asks #ask box #that.... might have run away from me a bit #ned as jon's father

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phoenixrocket1987 · 7 years

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A Nod to the Fatherless

Part of why I am writing this blog in general is to put my thoughts out there and to hopefully help people along the way. Not knowing my biological father is not a new phenomena. It is something that many have dealt with and I am no different. So here is my story. My biological is alive and I do know what he looks like and have even spoken to him on the phone a couple of times. Growing up was always a little different for me. I had a mother who assumed both roles of mother and father, a grandmother, uncle, and grandfather. We all lived together and in different combinations from time to time. To say my family was abnormal and non nuclear would be an understatement. I was always a jealous kid. Jealous of those who had dads and more importantly good meaningful relationships with them. I had fatherly type figures in my life. My uncle and grandpa would assume those roles at times as they were needed, Im not sure if they even knew that or were just living their life. My uncle had a daughter who my jealousy was displayed toward on a more than regular basis when she was around. She would come to stay with us for 45 days every summer, and my job or so I made it was to make her life a living hell. Now at the time I didn't know that what I was feeling was jealousy. My actions I still feel terrible about to this day. If she would talk to the family now I would apologize. I lost my uncle in 2000 and my grandfather in 2004. Both hit me very hard, I was 13 and 17 respectively. It was after my pas death that I listened to other family members and decided that I needed to seek out my biological. I called him, he was more receptive than I thought but when I asked why he wasn't around he told me to ask my mother. I had, and that was the problem. I was willing to hear his side of the story. My parents were young and dumb they had me when I was 18 I believe. Both too young to have kids. That's not to say you cant be that age and have kids but they weren't ready for it I don't think. So his answer was disappointing to me since I had talked to my mother and she had always been open about the situation and still is to this day. The emotion that I struggled with the most was anger. It is something that I still struggle with to this day. I have a much better handle on it than I did in years past. It was hard for me to deal with the situation. I would ask myself "what did I do wrong?" Or "What is wrong with me?" For those that are reading this that are in the same situation know that none of it is your fault. You did nothing wrong. I struggled growing up being in situations where dads were around. Particularly when it came to sports. I always had support of some kind in the stands but it always bothered me a little when kids would be greeted by their dads after a game with a "great job," and though I got those it never really held the same as if a dad would have told me the same thing. It is because of these feelings that I lashed out all through my youth. I would get mad, argue, hit things, fly off the handle. When I was confronted with the cause of it and eventually broke down to say it was because I didn't know my father I was always told things like "You're better off without him," or "You shouldn't worry about that," these are great in theory and easy to say by anyone but no one understood how I felt. There were times that I felt alone, felt wrong, useless, and a number of any other negative emotion that you can think of. I know my family thought they were helping by telling me not to worry, but that didn't make my feelings go away, those were just words. My mom dated and even married at one time but those guys always went away, after I would get attached. Sometimes I would blame myself not understanding that what happened between adults was between adults and didn't have as much to do with me. So here is what I have learned in 30 years of living. While I am no expert on this topic I have dealt with it for my whole life. My feelings are what they are. There is nothing that can change that but time and forgiveness. To answer the question you may be asking, yes I have forgiven him but not in the traditional sense. I have not vocally said to him yes I forgive you. I have just gotten to a point in life that I do not worry about it, because I gave it power over me. In taking power over the situation there was a sort of forgiveness that took place. I don't let it bother me in the ways that I did when I was younger. I have 2 siblings through him that I have met and gotten to know. It is awkward for a number of reasons but I have always wanted to know them since I knew of their existence. I also never held anything against them because he was a dad to them. But they had nothing to do with the situation. I am glad that they have accepted me and allowed me into their life. After years of talking to those I trust and reading others experiences I learned that it wasn't my fault and I am and will continue to be ok. I do now have a wonderful stepfather who I get along with greatly. While I may never understand the relationship between a father and a son I am glad he is in my life and I have someone I can talk to. The situation is what it is and I know that one day I will be an amazing father because I don't want any kid to have to deal with what I have dealt with. That is the greatest gift that my father could have given me. To those who may or may not be reading this. Those that may be in a similar situation or just want to talk about it. I keep my inbox open for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out.

#fathers #father #fathersday #fatherless #nofathersday #depression #anxiety #positivity #help

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fooboo24 · 7 years

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me thoughts on the whole “six years later”

honestly idk. i just feel the need to clarify my feelings on the (possible) situation with b//ell/arke, b//ec/ho, and b//ra/ven.

rambling and speculation under the cut

first off, i am as big of ho for b/ell//arke as any out there, let this be known. do i think it has a large chance of happening in show? absolutely. beyond my own otp emotions hoping that it will, evidence and practicality suggest it will end up canon/endgame. it’s just a matter of when.

i do not ship b//e/cho. echo has treated bellamy awfully the majority of the time they have known each other, and bellamy actively distrusts her and probably holds some underlying hatred towards her for what she did to octavia. it’s not a great ship as it was left for now in show.

as for b//rav//en, i have no particularly emotion towards it. i think it could be cute, but considering how much of a diehard bellarke shipper i am, im not exactly singing praises to gods to make br/ave/n canon. however, they have the strongest basis for becoming canon after be/ll/ark/e, i find.

further elaboration, now with consideration to the timeskip and events of the season four finale.

clarke doesn’t know if bellamy is alive, though she knows there is a chance, no matter how small, that he has, and she clings to this. bellamy, on the other hand, believes that clarke is entirely dead, given what we know (i doubt he ever received any of clarke’s radio messages, because if he had, then he would have been on the ground as immediately as possible given resources and time passed). he does not have that same sliver of possibility like clarke does, and therefore probably spent a good deal time (potentially literal years) absolutely despaired over the situation and how he “failed” clarke. bellamy feels shit deep, too. he would likely -not- allow himself to get over it for a long time, beyond not being able to to begin with. so, bellamy spends a lot of time upset and grieving up in space, and in marches potential b/ech/o and br/ave/n.

my thoughts for be/cho involve it beginning as a “vent” for bellamy. he’s frustrated emotionally, both by clarke and his role and the difficulty of living in space, and physically, too, probs - he’s prob restless after spending so long running around like a gazelle in the forests on earth and now he’s trapped on the goddamn ark again, and it’s stifling. and honestly, the dude’s gonna be sexually frustrated, too, lbr. he’s gonna need an outlet, and i think echo could be that. i’m not gonna rule out echo here, she’s her own character, too - she has a great potential to become a “good guy” and redeem herself to bellamy and the others, and the audience, too. i don’t like her much right now, but i’m interested to see where her character might go, especially now that her actress is a series regular.

echo is in a somewhat similar situation to bellamy, though her distress is more pronounced in certain areas. she inevitably probably has ghosts floating about regarding people she “left” on the ground/never got a proper goodbye with, chiefly roan, i think, whom she didn’t really have time to sort out her feelings for (not necessarily romantic, i’m not implying that, but she obviously cared for roan, she was loyal to him both officially and probably personally). beyond this, she proves to be understandably frightened about going to space, looking quite terrified when in the shuttle and raven starts floating in zero g. having been born, raised, and lived on earth all her life, this situation is incredibly stressful, even more so given how long they will be up there is very uncertain, being anywhere from five years to much longer. like bellamy, she’ll have adjustment issues, but even worse than him given that earth and the freedom that came with it is all she’s ever known, and now she’s been confined indefinitely to this stuffy, foreign space station for an indefinite amount of time. for her, it is entirely strange. at least for the others (beyond emori), they are returning to a familiar place, even if it holds negative connotations for some more than others - overall, it was once “home” for bellamy, murphy, harper, and monty for all of their lives up until two (?) or so years ago (i’m assuming it’s been roughly two years since they were ejected to the ground). echo has no attachment or idea of this place. she’s anxious and terrified, things i cannot fault her for considering the situation.

so, here we are: bellamy and echo are both restless and frustrated. they don’t have the greatest relationship, but they’re going to have to learn to get along, in the very least, considering the need to cooperate for their situation and because it’s not going to help if things worsen. overall, the both need an outlet, because it’s equally as non-conducive if they are so worked up they can’t think or operate. so, the opportunity presents itself, given enough time has passed that respective tensions can no longer last and/or that they both have numbed enough to the point where it works out well enough, that they could become each other’s “vents”. i, personally, think this is one of the most viable way that b/ech/o could start. they live in close quarters, constantly interact to some degree, and at first, there’s a suitable enough emotional disconnect between them that it works out well. they’re both young and raring (lmao), and given that two out of the four girls on the station are taken, bellamy’s options are echo or raven (and we’re discussing b/ech/o right now, so raven’s irrevelant for now). emotionally, they may not have much going on, but physically, attraction could be there.

so, yeah, they start banging. why not, they’re both consenting adults - it’s not emotionally the best but it helps ease mounting stress and makes living up in the station a lot more bearable. so, personal assumptions here, say bellamy does his thing grieving over clarke/tiding himself over for two years and echo is off doing her thing, working out excessively to distract herself from thoughts of earth, but at some point it snaps and they’re both there, so they go for it. they fool around whenever they feel like it for a year or so, and it works out fine. i think echo would become more emotionally attached/dependent first, as she comes to improve her relationship with bellamy and begins to trust him more (and vice versa). in the past, she’s expressed the want for bellamy’s approval (think 4x01 - “think you’ll ever trust me again?” “i doubt it.” or something along the lines of that), and she has the most personal history with him, so she’s more willing to rely on him emotionally with all of her stuff going on. bellamy, i think, would still be a lot more detached and it would take more time to allow himself to open up, given he is still probably hung up on clarke (one doesn’t even have to interpret this romantically, but also just in a friendly/partner-sense - i consider it both, because bel/ar/ke is more than just the one or the other) and has other people he trusts more beyond echo, especially raven (and monty), that he can divulge personal issues to more easily and openly. they’ve all known each other longer/been through more/been positively involved for longer, it’s only natural. but it’s not impossible that he might allow some (not all) walls to fall down given enough time (and six years in more than enough for something - or even the beginnings of something - to form) and as he sees echo genuinely open up to him. so, he thinks clarke is dead, and there’s nothing he can do about that, nothing he can do to resolve his feelings for and about her ultimately, and though it was not born of ideal circumstances, he is now involved with another he might be able to legitimately move forward with. he may not move on completely, inevitably will think back to clarke sometimes and fall into a pit again for a bit or longer, may dwell on her memory, but he doesn’t have to stay miserable and cornered off forever. so, maybe, he begins to allow himself to carry on with echo, and things are kind of chill and calm and happy for a bit between them. depending on when and how things happen, by the time they go down to earth again, it’s not preposterous to consider that he and echo may have committed to a legit relationship, and that he’s not as tied down to how he felt about clarke, because she’s “gone”. i love be/l/larke to death, but i also want everybody to be content and happy, understand this, and though i love that Spicy Drama that comes with bellamy not being able to let clarke go entirely, i do think he would eventually attempt to settle himself and find happiness, if not by himself, then by the urging and intervention of the others.

how this plays out is still up in the air, as is all of this. is it inevitable he will be extremely shaken up by finding out clarke is a live and well, and she will most definitely likely take a forefront in all his emotions and actions, leading to echo being sidelined. echo herself will be dealing with the reality of returning to earth, but will also understandably be upset by being potentially ignored by bellamy, especially given if she has become more attached than he. as things settle, he will be faced with the need to choose between clarke and echo, even if it may be a struggle between all three forces in the end - out of my personal opinion (and being a be/lar/ke ho), i think how he feels about clarke will be too much to ignore and will easily overpower his relationship (i think “making up for lost time” will be a big thing with be/lla/rke in season five), or lack thereof, with echo, ultimately leading to the dissolution of b/ec/ho and the beginning of our endgame canon be/l/larke. i think it would be difficult for bellamy to justify staying with echo when clarke has suddenly been reinserted in his life, because no one will quite be on clarke’s level to him - not even raven, who is his next closest relationship. i do not think even six years, some double or three times longer than he has known clarke, would be enough to place someone else on the same pedestal clarke occupies in his heart. i’m not saying someone couldn’t work their way up to a similar position, i def think raven could, but the fact of the matter is that it will not be the same as clarke’s, or comparable just by so many factors. they are both important, but on different levels (i liken it to have two children - they both occupy places of their own in your heart, and to compare them is just not realistic or possible to oneself. they are both important, and just because one “came first” doesn’t diminish the “worth” of the second). clarke is bellamy’s partner in a lot of ways he would never relegate to another, though he may allow another to build themselves up to a similar state with and to him.

NOW, with most of my thoughts about b/ec/ho articulated (i think lmao), i’ll now go on about br/ave/n. first and foremost, bellamy’s next strongest relationship (outside of clarke, octavia, and kane - just people on the station) is with raven. they are good friends, have been for years, trust each other well, support each other, and work together easily and efficiently. they already have a strong relationship and friendship. honestly, i do not think that there is a romantic basis at “this” point in their relationship - i.e., where they are at this point on the station. back in season one, they slept together. raven was upset about finn putting her off and knowing about him and clarke, and bellamy did not have any particular affinity towards raven beyond an inclination to getting laid - if she wanted to have sex with him, that was fine for him, at the time. after this, the moment has never been extensively brought up and clearly both raven and bellamy are past it, having worse things to worry about and being mature enough to realize that it didn’t mean much more than a quick bang with no romantic connotations when neither were at particular peaks in their lives. beyond this, they have grown a solid friendship with ignorance to it.

so, switch to them on the station. once again, bellamy thinks clarke is dead, and so does raven, whom both were very close to. on the station, they are the ones who will feel clarke’s loss the hardest out of the seven of them on board. unlike with echo, bellamy will be much more immediate and open to expressing his feelings to raven because of the previously established closeness there, and likely vice versa. i do still believe that either way, bellamy will understandably take his sweet time grieving clarke regardless of whom he “goes” with or opens up to. raven, too. she will take her own separate time to process clarke’s “death”, but i think she’d be more open with bellamy first over it considering she is a fairly honest character. i feel as though she would talk to him first, because he’d be able to understand the best, and that after some time, he would be comfortable enough venting about clarke back. for sure, they will be the other’s best support system in all they do on the ark.

now, it’s possible that they might “start” the same way b/ech/o would, aka, sexually. it’d be a vent, but with an initial fondness there that would not exist, at first or at all, with bellamy and echo. again, they’re mature adults with a positive, solid basis for what could happen between them. they know how to appropriately separate their sexual relationship from their friendship, and, if they should want to, mix them. but a part of me thinks that their relationship would be much more gradual, as bellamy and raven both find emotional relief in each other by confessing and venting their frustrations in a way that would not force bellamy into a point of total emotional breakdown given a situation where he is unable to express himself in a healthy way like he could have with raven.

so, years go by, and the blow of the loss of clarke for both is softened by their mutual support of each other. their relationship only grows fonder and stronger, a healthy bond long since established. and one day, maybe, when they are alone and comfortable and genuinely happy with each other, a kiss happens. over a bit more time, it happens more, little changes and shifts that display their interest in each other. there’s nothing wrong with this, they’re extremely close, have been for years, and if any characters deserve thorough and total respect and happiness, it’s raven and bellamy (-especially- raven!!!!!). this is where i begin to wobble a bit in my thoughts regarding ships. in a situation like this or similarly, i could really genuinely get behind br/ave/n. it’d be hella cute and entirely warranted and healthy, a rare display on television, though my b/e//l/lark/e heart would scream woe at this revelation. i would not be totally upset if this happened, whereas i’d be more irritable about b/ech/o if done poorly.

so, bellamy and raven have thing going, they express their romantic interest in each other, and enter a real relationship. i think this would also be a relatively healing relationship for both - again, i still think clarke would be on bellamy’s mind, but maybe lesser so with a stronger, consistent relationship with raven going on at the forefront. they may go as far to fall in love with each other and actively express this fact to each other - the reality is, they may legitimately resolve to be together permanently and forever, regardless of everything else (you know, not at the time knowing about clarke about to come back into their lives lmao). problems arise a lot more severely when you factor in clarke again, though, in a way that they cannot with b/ech/o given a lack of history.

okay, so, both learn that clarke is alive and well, and they are excited about being with her again. i do not think that raven would have issues with bellamy being ecstatic to find and be with clarke - she knows they are close, as she is with clarke, and considering how perceptive she is, she is likely the character with the most insight into how bellamy and clarke truly, deeply felt about each other. she knew they cared, and with the romantic aspect considered here (this is a shippy post after all), she knew that bellamy may have potentially loved clarke, and vice versa. she knows that he may still, in a way, and even maybe again immediately with the whole sudden influx of emotions that would come with her being back in their lives. however, she also knows that bellamy loves her, too, and is committed to her, as she is him. she trusts him, and he trusst her - she knows he will not stray and trusts in clarke that she will not overstep her boundaries once clarifications have been made and asserted however way they might. it’s all understandable, there’s a lot going on, but they’re not children, and there is trust there for all.

but this is where things become a little messy, depending on how the situation plays out. possibly, neither bellamy nor clarke are able to separate their feelings from the other, and while this is expressed, i think they have more than enough maturity and respect for each other and raven to -not- act on them. they may insinuate or even outright admit after all that has gone on, for everyone’s sake, but i HIGHLY doubt they would go behind raven’s back, even at their most emotional, because raven simply does NOT deserve that, and if the writers did that, i’d be pissed, even being a fervid be/ll/ark/e shipper. raven deserves so much better, and i hope she will get it in spades. clarke and raven had already been in a similar situation with finn some eight years ago or so, and if my memory serves me correctly, clarke absolutely backed off from raven and finn once she learned what was going on and denied finn despite his repeated advances while he was still with raven. so, from this we know that clarke is unlikely to do anything behind backs, even given how much more strongly she feels for bellamy than she did finn. raven does not need to, once again, go through the paranoia and pain of a lover going behind her back to be with another, especially her closest female friend now at this.

they are all far past the drama of late-teens/early-young adulthood at this point, and are mature enough to not muddy relationships needlessly. bellamy is also not the type to carelessly pursue without appropriate consideration and tact examined situationally. more than this, i like to think that he legitimately loves both clarke and raven in this situation, and would not want to hurt either. he would have a monstrous decision to make, and either way, someone would be spurned, most of all raven should she be broken up with. given how well things are handled, i think if the situation is built up well enough, that it may be realistic for him to choose either one.

but at the same time, i do not think it’s much of an excessive stretch to think that in a sudden burst of emotion upon meeting again or having been together for a while afterwards, that bellamy and clarke may have a moment, one they may both regret and not. raven is not stupid, she would pick up on trying to keep it hidden/push away feelings easily, or bellamy and clarke might be straightforward about what happened in a way that places them all in the same situation as above - a choice needing to be made and someone inevitably coming out hurt in the end. even if all avenues were taken to avoid hurt or anything happening, i think raven may become understandably jealous or unsettled about bellamy and clarke’s closeness as they reacquainted and possibly became... quite friendly and involved.

OR! maybe bellamy would end it with both, wishing to prevent as much damage as possible, and try to take time to sort it all out alone for everyone’s sake. or maybe he won’t get with anyone, though i doubt it will be that easy, honestly. if he does get with raven, i want it done right. i want her respected, and if he ultimately chooses clarke, then i want it to be handled well and realistically in a way that isn’t unnecessarily cruel to her. if he chooses raven overall, then let him commit to her fully and utterly in the way they both deserve, in a way that allows him to get over clarke and clarke to get over him but still be best friends, and for raven to rest easy and be content and happy with him. if he gets with echo, let it be fleshed out well and carried out with some level of mutual respect and fondness between them, instead of simply being shoehorned jealousy drama fodder (same for raven!!!!!). and hey, if he gets with clarke overall, let it be well done! overall, above all, just let any of them be done WELL.

on a separate topic, and my final blabbing, the idea of bellamy having a kid with either raven or echo because “oh clarke ‘has’ a kid now with maddie”... i REALLY don’t like this for multiple reasons. first, it feels like it would be way too melodramatic and unrealistic in a lot of ways - their technical situation up in the station is precarious and difficult enough as it is, without adding a child into the mix - that’s without going into how that would drastically alter the unresolved personal issues of it all (i’ll not go into details about how these relationships would change with a potential child in the mix, because that’s a whole other can of worms that i’m not ready or currently willing to open, considering how seriously it would change the scheme of it all). up on the ark, there is very limited resources for just the seven of them, let alone a baby or two. and the issue of getting back to earth with additional passengers that young (or at all) just complicates it even further. ultimately, i think that, most of all, bellamy and raven would have more than enough sense to prevent a pregnancy and child, even if they get involved (there’s gotta be some condoms left on the ark somewhere... and even if not, raven or echo are more than smart enough to regulate themselves pretty sharply... all of them are, for they all [guys included] realize the severity of it all) - they’d probably be pretty vigilant about not wanting one with all the stress of everything going on around them, at least not on the ark. for harper and monty and emori and murphy, though, i can see maybe having a kid - most of all, emori and murphy. but i feel like it’d be a total accident and it’d be just the once, because they literally -cannot- afford to expend their resources excessively in a way that they would need to to accommodate a child. ultimately, while i COULD in theory understand a child happening, as it’s not entirely out of the scope of reality, i just don’t think it would happen and that it would be a cheap pull made by the writers to give bellamy one.

okay, that’s alllllllllllllll of my two cents on the situation, i think. this is -really- fuckin long (!!!!!!!!!!! over 4000 words!? ...this is also not proofread, lmao...), and i think i might have convinced myself into slightly shipping br/av//en... but either way, here it is. i doubt anyone has read this far, for there’s not really any reason to, but if you have, i commend you, i really do.

well, that’s it, i’m out. peace.

#riley shit #bellarke #tagging in that tag because it's relevant for me and because this is a bellarke positive post #slashes in the ship names because i dont think it's necessary for this to pop up in searches #me: i need to go to bed #also me: i need to write a disseration about fucking the 100 ships at like 5am in the morning #the 100

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