#this is also very important because the image of amy standing with the rest of the gang in the tardis (on a stool because she’s tiny) and | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

saiilorstars · 4 years

Text

Stars Dance

Ch. 4: The Time of Angels // Story Masterlist

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 11th Doctor x Original Female Character

A/N: I am so excited for this one because it introduces that one character that always pops up to cause trouble with OCs (tee hee!)

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Chapter summary: The Time of Angels is upon the Doctor and his companions, whether he knows it or not. Lucky for him, he has River Song to help...or maybe that makes him even unluckier? Who knows, but what he does know is that her apparently being good friends with Avalon is a bit unsettling seeing as River knows a lot of Avalon's future...along with his.

The Doctor strode through a medieval church-like museum, randomly pointing at displays while giving his opinions on it. Behind him strolled Amy, Avalon and Lena, looking a bit bored of the location.

"Wrong! Wrong! Bit right, mostly wrong," the Doctor pointed to several displays, "I love museums."

"Yeah me too, except I don't go pointing out the errors of history," Avalon remarked, "Why are we here? You promised me an alien planet. Where is it?"

"Patience," he pointed at her and Amy scoffed.

"You have no patience," she informed.

"Where are we, Doctor?" Lena looked around, not at all upset with the location. It was a nice, calm place with lots of interesting artifacts. Leave it to Avalon and even Amy to be disappointed with it.

"It's the Delerium Archive, final resting place of the headless monks, the biggest museum ever!" the Doctor gave a whirl with his arms extended out.

"You've got a time machine, what do you need museums for?" Avalon raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that redundant? And boring?"

But the man continued pointing here and there, completely disregarding her words. In fact, he hadn't even heard her speak. He was too busy going from one display to the next. "Wrong! Very wrong! Oooh, one of mine! Also one of mine!"

"Oooh..." Avalon smirked, "I get it now. This is how you keep score. I didn't think you would be conceited about it...well...smug, but..." she trailed off when she saw the Doctor had stopped at an intriguing display holding an antique box with strange symbols on it.

"Oh great, an old box," Amy sighed this time. She might just die of boredom now. She didn't think it was possible given the fact they had time and space at their beck and call but the Doctor had found a way.

"Maybe it's important," Lena offered, moving over to stand beside the Doctor. She stared at the box, tilting her head from one side to the next as she tried to read the funny symbols on the box. He hadn't even blinked yet, but as much as Lena stared at it she couldn't decide what was so important about it. "Is it?"

The Doctor slowly nodded but was no longer as excited as earlier. "It's from one of the old starliners. A Home Box."

"What's a Home Box?" Amy asked.

"Like a black box on a plane, except it homes. Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home, with all the flight data."

"So what's so important about this one?" Avalon questioned, making rounds on the display box.

"The writing, the graffiti - Old High Gallifreyan. The lost language of the Time Lords."

"And let me guess, you're the only one that's supposed to know it..."

"You'd think since I am the last..." he nodded, "There were days, there were many days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires, and topple Gods."

"What does it say?" Lena asked.

The Doctor looked up with a flat face. The women almost laughed at him. "Hello, sweetie." Next thing anyone knew, the Doctor ripped the case off and snatched the box from its place.

"What are you doing!?" Avalon stiffened as she heard the alarms blaring. "I thought you didn't steal!"

"You rubbed off, now run!" he ordered and went first. The women ran after him with two guards coming out of the door to chase them. Just barely, the group ran inside the TARDIS where the Doctor quickly sent them off and hooked up the home box to the console.

"Why did you just steal it?" Lena asked him, completely out of breath.

"Cos someone on a space ship 12,000 years ago is trying to attract my attention. And here you go by the way," he took out an asthma inhaler from his jacket's pocket and handed it to the brunette.

"You carry one now?" Avalon asked, a small smile on her face.

"Course I do, my baby sister has asthma," he shrugged casually and patted Lena's head who simply rolled her eyes in return.

For Avalon though, it was a touching gesture. He literally never stopped running and his brain - or brains, that was still left unconfirmed - was all over the place. She thought perhaps the stories had exaggerated in that part but no, they were 100% correct. He was everywhere. To stop and remember a small detail like somebody needing an inhaler every now and then was big for him, at least that's how Avalon saw it. He took great care of Lena and she couldn't be more thankful for that. It definitely made her feel better about traveling.

The Doctor had gotten the security feed from the box to start working again. He'd hooked it up to the monitor so they could all see what was on it. A grainy black and white footage of a woman with fairly big hair, wearing a party dress, appeared on the monitor. The image switched to the woman's back facing the screen and three men standing in ahead of her.

"The party's over, Doctor Song…" one of the men was saying, "…yet still you're on board."

The woman turned to face the men, "Sorry, Alistair. I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? Any of you? Because I'll tell you something. This ship won't reach its destination."

"Wait till she runs," the man told the other men behind him "Don't make it look like an execution."

The woman looked at her watch and started saying slowly numbers, "Triple-seven, five…slash, three, four, nine by ten. Zero, twelve, slash, acorn. Oh, and I could do with an air corridor."

The Doctor quickly began typing on the keyboard of the console.

"What was that, what did she say?" Amy asked, confused.

"Co-ordinates!" he exclaimed.

"Like I said on the dance floor, you might want to find something to hang on to!" the woman said over the monitor.

"Ha-" Avalon laughed loudly, "-that's a good line! I'm taking that one!"

"Seriously? That's what you paid attention to!?" the Doctor shot her an incredulous glance before dashing for the doors.

"How was I not supposed to!?" he heard her shout from behind.

He yanked the doors open and reached out. His companions saw him being toppled over by the same woman from the video.

"Doctor?" Lena called with concern. The landing sounded a bit...hurtful.

"River?" the Doctor looked up at the woman on top of him. Her bushy hair was partially covering his eyes.

"Ew, get off. And follow that ship!" River Song jumped to her feet and watched the ship fly away from them.

In a one two, River and the Doctor ran back to the console and worked the controls to follow the ship. Avalon, Amy and Lena stood back and watched the two in confusion.

"They've gone into warp drive, we're losing them! Stay close!" River said.

"I'm trying!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Use the stabilizers."

"There aren't any stabilizers!"

"The blue switches!"

"The blue ones don't do anything, they're just...blue," the Doctor gestured to the blue controls.

"Yes, they're blue. They're the blue stabilizers!" River used the stabilizers and suddenly the TARDIS went quiet, "See?"

"Yeah, well, it's just boring now, isn't it? They're boring-ers. They're blue boring-ers!" the Doctor frowned.

"That's not a real word," Avalon informed and noticed River giving her a small smile, "And how do you know how to fly this thing? Sorry, she," she quickly looked up at the rotor in apology. She'd made the mistake a couple times of calling the TARDIS 'it' and the box was always ready to remind Avalon that she was alive. Avalon had found herself touching sparks every now and then.

"You call that flying the TARDIS?" the Doctor scoffed and sat down to sulk, "Ha!"

"OK. I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination, and parked us right along side," River informed, finishing up with the controls.

"Parked us? We haven't landed," the Doctor shot her a sharp look.

"Of course we've landed. I just landed her."

"But it didn't make the noise."

"What noise?"

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Lena raised her hands, using her inhaler once more before she imitated the TARDIS wheezing sound, making River laugh.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie but that's cos that fool over there-" she pointed to the Doctor who mock-glared at her, "-leaves the brakes on."

"What, so it's actually not supposed to make that noise?" Lena frowned.

River shook her head, "Nope."

"Serious let down..." Avalon sarcastically whispered as she turned to the Doctor with a look. "That's always part of the stories. So what else has been a lie?" she dramatically asked.

"Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise!" the Doctor jumped to his feet, purposely ignoring Avalon. "I love that noise. Come along, baby sister," he swung his arm around Lena's shoulders, "Let's have a look."

"No, wait! Environment checks," River called but the two kept going.

"Oh, yes, sorry! Quite right. Environment checks," the Doctor stuck his head out the door, "Nice out."

"We're somewhere in the Garn Belt," River started reading off the screen, "There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest..."

"We're on Alfava Metraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System," Avalon declared proudly, "Oxygen-rich atmosphere, toxins in the soft band, 11-hour day."

River put her hands on her hips and gave her a sharp look, "Oh and you think you're so hot when you do that, don't you?"

"I like to think I look hot all the time," Avalon triumphantly smiled. "But also, the words on the screen are big enough to see from here," River playfully rolled her eyes at the cheeky ginger.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Lena asked River as she and the Doctor returned to the console.

"Oh, I had lessons from the very best," River declared, rolling her eyes when the Doctor smugly smiled.

"Well, yeah," he fixed his jacket.

"Thank you Avalon," River then said with a hint of a smirk.

"What? I don't know how to drive this," Avalon nearly laughed while the Doctor looked from one woman to the other with a frown. He barely knew River as it was and already she was making friends with Avalon? That spelled trouble a mile away.

River was watching Avalon with a degree of confusion. "You don't?"

Avalon shook her head, "No. I just came on board a month ago."

"Ooh..." River then understood the timelines, at least with the twins, "...right then," she picked up her red shoes, "Why did they land here?" she headed for the doors.

"They didn't land," the Doctor clarified.

"Sorry?"

"You should've checked the Home Box - it crashed," he followed her then shut the doors behind her and returned to the console.

"Doctor, who is she?" Lena asked. At first glance, River looked like a highly educated woman. How could she get the perfect coordinates for the Doctor to track her? It was just a curious sight to see because Lena could tell that the Doctor was a bit reluctant with the woman.

"Yeah, and how did she do that museum thing?" Amy added.

"It's a long story and I don't know most of it," he answered as he worked the controls. A truer story had never been told. "Off we go!"

"Hold on, what are you doing?" Avalon neared him, more curious of the controls after what the woman said of driving the box.

"Leaving. She's got where she wants to go, let's go where we want to go."

"Are you basically running away?"

"Yep."

"And why?"

"Cos she's the future."

"Can you run away from that?" Amy asked.

"I can run away from anything I like. Time is not the boss of me," he declared.

"Yeah but..." Avalon smirked as she looked towards the doors, "I was promised an alien planet and I do believe that-" she pointed to the doors, "-is indeed an alien planet."

The Doctor caught onto what the ginger was heading for and shook his head, "Oh no, no. No," he pointed at her.

She put her hands on her hips and sharply looked at him, "You said 'Avalon, I'll take you to any alien planet you want'. Now, you need to keep that word. I choose this one," she crossed her arms.

"Avalon, don't do that," Lena moved up beside the Doctor, "We don't even know this woman and if the Doctor wants to leave it's probably for a good reason."

"Amy?" Avalon looked at the other ginger, knowing she was just as adventurous at times as she was, "What do you say?"

"Well..." Amy played with her fingers.

"No, Amy, no," the Doctor threw his head back in frustration, "Why can't you be obedient like Lena is?"

"Because we're gingers," Avalon declared, "We're feisty. I want this planet."

He sighed, "Fine, five minutes. You get five minutes and then we're off!"

"We'll see about that," Avalon ruffled his hair and rushed for the doors, Amy right behind her.

Lena giggled, "We should go and take care of them."

~ 0 ~

The ship they had been following had crashed on the top of a large and old stone structure. It was burning in certain areas with bits of debris on the ground and around the TARDIS.

River Song stood several inches from the TARDIS. She was gazing between her handheld device and the scenery. "What caused it to crash? Not me." Avalon laughed.

"Nah, the airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it," the Doctor explained, "According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase-shift. No survivors."

"A phase-shift would have to be sabotage. I did warn them," River shrugged, not feeling very guilty about the matter.

"About what?"

"Well, at least the building was empty. Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries," she started keying something into her handheld device.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Amy asked the Doctor, the twins nodding in agreement.

"Amy Pond, Avalon and Lena Reynolds, Professor River Song," the Doctor gestured.

River turned to them with a small gasp, "Ahhh, I'm going to be a professor some day, am I?" the Doctor winced at his little slip, "How exciting!" she laughed, "How exciting! Spoilers!" she turned back to what ever it had she'd been doing.

"Oh no, no, no there's something more here," Avalon looked at the Doctor with a smirk, "She left you a note in a museum...who is she?" but the Doctor walked off instead of answering.

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum: The Home Box of category four starliner and, sooner or later, him," River informed, "It's how he keeps score."

"I know!" Avalon laughed, moving over to the woman.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?"

Avalon nodded, "It's so stupid!"

The Doctor came up behind the two with a sarcastic laugh, "I'm nobody's taxi service! I'm not gonna be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a space ship," he informed River.

"And you are so wrong...if you want to keep on the good side of the..." she shut her mouth and simply smiled, "There's one survivor. There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die. Now he's listening!" she started speaking into the device, "You lot in orbit yet? Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal," she held up the device and looked at the Doctor, "Doctor, can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon."

The Doctor begrudgingly took out the sonic screwdriver and used it on the woman's device.

"Ooh, Doctor! You sonicked her!" Amy teased him.

"We have a minute. Shall we?" River opened her diary and skimmed the pages, "Apparently far earlier days," she mumbled to herself based on the fact none of them seemed to know who she was. "Have we done the Bone Meadows?"

"What's the book?" Avalon asked her as she eyed the dark blue book in River's hands. It had a TARDIS cover - it was kind of cute!

"Stay away from it," the Doctor warned her specifically since she had a curious eye for books, especially journals.

"Is that a journal?" Avalon ignored him and beamed at River. "You like to write?"

"Mm, not so much. It's more a necessity," River explained.

"It's her past," the Doctor began, gesturing to the diary, "And my-"

"Not just yours," River reminded, seeing this version was much younger than the last. Oh she truly hated the man's thoughts about her in these early days.

"Yes, but you never say who else's," the Doctor rolled her eyes.

"Clearly I can't tell, now can I?" she raised an eyebrow, "We meet in the wrong order and I won't corrupt the timelines."

Four columns of swirling dust appeared behind them and emerged to be four soldiers in desert camouflage uniforms, the leader immediately walking to River, "You promised me an army, Doctor Song."

"No. I promised you the equivalent of an army. This is the Doctor."

The man, Octavian, shook the Doctor's hand, "Father Octavian, sir. Bishop, second class. 20 clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

"Doctor, what do you know of the Weeping Angels?" River asked and the Doctor immediately tensed.

~ 0 ~

Later in the night, a transport ship had arrived and more soldiers had set up a camp. Octavian strode across the ground follow by the group, "The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship. Our mission is to get inside and neutralise it. We can't get through up top, we'd be too close to the drives. According to this," he showed another handheld device, "Behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up."

"Oh, good," the Doctor mumbled.

"Good, sir?"

"Catacombs, probably dark ones. Dark catacombs, great!"

"Technically, I think it's called a maze of the dead."

Lena frowned, already fearing the place, "You can stop any time you like, you know."

"Father Octavian?" a soldier called.

"Excuse me, sir," Octavian said before leaving the group.

The Doctor waved him off then used his screwdriver on some of the equipment on the table.

"You're letting people call you "sir". Don't take you for a man who does that," Avalon remarked as she helped Lena sit on the table. Lena tried to hide whenever she felt tired so Avalon had trained herself to keep her eyes peeled all the time. Whenever Lena slouched, it was time for a break.

"What's a Weeping Angel?" asked Amy. "And is it bad? Like really bad?"

"Hm, now that's interesting..." the Doctor turned to the three women with an expression of sarcasm that Avalon didn't particularly like. "You're still here. Which part of 'Wait in the TARDIS till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing?"

"Which part of I don't follow orders was so confusing?" Avalon countered, a small smirk on her face.

"Ooh, are you all Mr Grumpy Face today?" Amy teased and Avalon laughed, Lena simply shaking her head with a small sigh. Those two sure loved picking at the poor man.

"A Weeping Angel is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced, and one is trapped inside that wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in with a screwdriver and a torch-and assuming I survive the radiation, and the whole ship doesn't blow up in my face and do something clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day, that's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

"Is River Song your wife?" Amy tilted her head, the man nearly strangling her out of frustration. She just completely decided to ignore that whole speech of dangerous things he was facing.

"Oh yeah," Avalon pointed at Amy in agreement. "I could see that - although between you and me," she leaned closer to Amy, lowering her voice, "I don't know how that happened because she's so...you know," she tried making a gesture to express how she viewed River, but she couldn't find the right way to do it.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was trying to decide which ginger to shove into the TARDIS first. Between Amy and Avalon, he really didn't know who would end up killing him out of frustration first.

Avalon hadn't even noticed the Doctor's hardening glare on her and Amy. "Cos River's someone from your future, and the way she talks to you, I've not seen anyone do that."

"Yeah, she's kinda like, you know, "Heel, boy!"" Amy nodded, "She's Mrs Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she gonna be your wife one day?"

"You guys are being nosy," Lena scolded, hopping off the table and moving beside the Doctor. "And rude. You don't know who that woman is so we shouldn't really trust her so blindly."

"Thank you," the Doctor said to Lena. She was such a sweetheart all the time. The Doctor had yet to see Lena properly angry. He didn't think she was capable of such emotion. "And yes, I am definitely Mr Grumpy Face today."

"Don't be, it's not a good face on you," Lena wagged a finger.

"Doctor? Doctor!" River called from a transport.

"Oops! Her indoors!" Amy exclaimed and she and Avalon laughed.

"Father Octavian!" River called.

"Why do they call them Father?" Lena asked the Doctor, the two leaving the laughing gingers.

"He's their Bishop, they're his clerics. It's the 51st Century, the Church has moved on."

~ 0 ~

The group stood inside the transport ship with a large screen and monitors at the end of the room. A black and white footage of a Weeping Angel with its hands over its eyes was being watched, River controlling the video with a remote.

"What do you think? It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault," she said, "I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on loop."

"Yeah, it's an Angel. Hands covering its face," the Doctor nodded.

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian asked.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago. But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

"But this is just a statue," Amy shrugged.

"It's a statue when you see it," Lena informed, giving up on the normal human charade from now on.

"What?" Amy looked at her.

"Dad used to tell us this story to scare us," Avalon smiled and shook her head, "But it didn't scare me."

"I bet it didn't," River nudged her. That was no surprise. It took a lot to scare Avalon.

"Nothing scares me, River Song. If we're going to be meeting you with the Doctor, then it's one thing you should know."

"So where did it come from?" the Doctor asked, preferring to keep those two from getting any close.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan, end of last century. It's been in private hands ever since, dormant all that time," River explained.

"There's a difference between dormant and patient," the Doctor corrected.

"What's that mean, it's a statue when you see it?" Amy looked between them in confusion. Nothing anyone said was making sense, especially the twins!

"The story went that Weeping Angels could only move if they were unseen," Lena explained to her friend, understanding it could be quite confusing.

"Oh it's not a legend, baby sister," the Doctor sighed, missing the confusion one of his ginger companions wore, "It's a quantum lock. In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The ultimate defense mechanism."

"What, being a stone?" Amy scoffed, "Statues can't really move, Doctor. Don't know how that went by in your place."

"It's stone, Amy, until you turn your back on them," Avalon informed, dead quiet as she cast her twin a concerned look. She wanted Lena no where near those awful creatures.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor was leading the group out of the transport while speaking to Octavian, "The hyperdrive would've split on impact. The whole ship will be flooded with radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms, deadly to almost any living thing."

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian asked, well hoped.

"Dinner to an Angel. The longer we leave it, the stronger it will grow," the Doctor said.

"Is there anyone around this place?" Avalon asked suddenly, "Anyone in danger with this thing nearby?"

River was already on it and began reading what her device was saying to her, "The Aplans built the temple, the indigenous life-form. But they died out 400 years ago."

"200 years later, the planet was terraformed," Octavian added, "Currently there are six billion human colonists."

"You lot, you're everywhere! Like rabbits! I'll never get done saving you," the Doctor amusingly smiled and shook his head.

"Sir, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population..." Octavian trailed off, pausing when the Doctor nodded, his amused smile no longer on his face.

"Oh, there is. Bad as it gets. Bishop, lock and load!"

Octavian nodded and started with his commands, "Verger, how we doing with those explosives? Dr Song, with me."

"Two minutes," River waved him off as he walked away, "Ava, I need you."

Avalon froze and looked after River, "Hold on..." she went after the woman, the Doctor closely behind the ginger, "...why did you call me that?"

"Call you what?" River asked as she looked through books on a desk.

"Ava, only one person calls me that and it's most certainly not you," Avalon said, quite serious.

"I know him, silly," River waved her off, still trying to find that blasted book.

"I told you, she's from the future," the Doctor explained again.

"Yeah but she's from your future," the ginger pointed at him. This woman had no business knowing anything about her unless she decided to tell.

"And you're in it," River gave Avalon a big smile.

"But so is Amy and Lena," Avalon reminded.

"Right, yes, Lena the baby sister," River told the Doctor then switched to Avalon, "And Amy, of course, you call 'Amelia' when you seriously want to anger her."

"How do you know all that?" Avalon stepped back, severely disliking the fact a woman she didn't know apparently knew all about her, her sister and friend.

River's grin only widened as she picked up the book she'd been looking for, "Don't fret. One day you'll all figure it out."

With a small irritated frown, Avalon looked back at the Doctor, "Now I get why you're so irritated with her."

The Doctor nodded silently. He wasn't very keen on River knowing his friends. He had no idea who she was except that she kept popping into his life every now and then. It was fine, he could do with a mystery but he drew the line when she tried to involve his innocent friends. They were under his protection and as of now, he was yet to decide if River was a threat.

~ 0 ~

"No one needs me," Amy paced back and forth inside the transport ship, Lena sitting in a chair with her legs crossed.

"I need you," Lena raised a hand with a small smile, getting one back from Amy, "And Rory. How is Rory, by the way?"

Amy stopped pacing and kept to the side, for some reason really hoping the topic of Rory wouldn't ever come into conversation...well not forever...maybe just...a couple more months?

"Amy?" Lena called again, "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Yes, but hey, I'd like to know something," Amy faced her, hoping to change the subject, "How do you and Avalon know about the Weeping Angels? I'm pretty sure that wasn't one of the fairy tales Avalon has in her room."

"Amy I'm going to share my family's biggest secret with you, alright? I really hope you don't get angry with us," Lena announced and Amy nodded, "We're actually humans from the future. Our parents were born on another planet called New Earth." Amy's mouth fell open, no words emerging. "Our several times grandparents were actually from a livestock in a hospital the Doctor managed to save and cure from every disease. Our specific species is actually quite immune to most diseases out there. Well, I'm not immune to the diseases which is why I'm actually weaker than Avalon and the rest of my family."

"But you said it was just a-"

"Forget everything we said cos it was a lie. My immune system didn't develop quite right and mutated. I'm prone to get more sick and tired than the normal species."

"So all this time you and Avalon...weren't humans..." Amy breathed.

"We are, just from the future," Lena shrugged, "We're evolved Humans."

"Lena that's...that's..." but Amy trailed off as she noticed the screen above the brunette where the Weeping Angel image was.

Lena followed her gaze up to the screen and frowned, "What's wrong?"

~ 0 ~

River was busy showing the Doctor and Avalon a book in her hands, "I found this. Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one. Written by a madman, it's barely readable, but I've marked a few passages."

The Doctor took the book from her and finished it up, "Not bad, bit slow in the middle, didn't you hate his girlfriend? No, hang on, wait, wait!" and he sniffed the book.

"Why did you just sniff that? What possible information can you get from sniffing the book?" Avalon raised an eyebrow, River snickering beside her.

Amy popped her head out of the transport, "Dr. Song? Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?" she called.

"No, just the four seconds," River answered absently. She was too amused with Avalon picking on the Doctor. At any moment, the man could just end it all but he never did. It was hilarious.

"This book is wrong! What's wrong with this book, it's wrong," the Doctor shook the book in frustration.

~ 0 ~

"Amy, what is it?" Lena insisted but the ginger just came back inside and forced her to stand away from the monitor, "Amy?"

"The Angel..." was all Amy could say as she focused on the video. The Angel was now facing forwards with its hands down at its side. Amy moved closer to the screen and bent over to see the time code.

"It just...changed..." Lena blinked as she caught the problem.

With the two so focused, neither noticed the door close and lock behind them.

~ 0 ~

"Give me that," Avalon snatched the book from the Doctor and started skimming a few pages, the Doctor frowning at her rudeness, neither noticing how River observed them both.

"That was not nice," the Doctor pointed at the ginger.

"Get that finger out of my face before I bite it," she warned quietly as she read a couple lines.

"You wouldn't dare-" but he quickly jerked his hand away from her after she suddenly leaned forwards and actually tried sinking her teeth into his finger. He took a step away from her with wide eyes, "Are you human or a Parana?"

She plainly shrugged, "Don't know. Go ahead and find out," she flashed a smirk before flipping to the next page.

"Don't you dare either of you," River playfully rolled her eyes, "Not with those baby faces."

"What are you talking about?" Avalon asked, both she and the Doctor sending River a confused glance.

River simply smiled at the pair, "How early is this for you?"

"Very early," the Doctor replied.

"Ah, so very early for you too," River nodded to Avalon, "So no one knows who I am yet?"

"How do you know who I am?" the Doctor curiously asked, "I don't always look the same."

"I've got pictures of all your faces. Neither of you ever show up in the right order though."

"Neither?" the Doctor had caught that last word, glancing at Avalon who had become too engrossed in the book to be paying attention. He blinked when River just sent him a small wink and smirk, prompting a small blush on his face.

"Dr. Song, why aren't there any pictures in this book?" Avalon suddenly asked, only seeing River still smirking at the man as she moved over to the ginger.

~ 0 ~

Amy had picked up the remote of the video and tried turning it off but the image kept coming back.

"If it's just a recording then how can it move?" Lena questioned, already moving back from it.

Amy instead moved forwards and peered at the screen, setting the remote down, "Maybe it's...not...just a recording?" she mumbled.

"Try the plug," Lena pointed and Amy went down to unplug the power source, "Amy it's moved!" Lena nearly shouted when the two had looked back up to see the Angel's face close to the camera, "We need to get out of here!" she rushed to the door first, "Avalon!" she exclaimed.

Amy tried opening the door but found it wouldn't budge. She looked back at the screen and saw the Angel with its mouth open like a predator, her eyes widening, "Doctor!"

~ 0 ~

"This whole book warns about the Weeping Angels and yet not one picture is given as a visual description," Avalon was explaining to River.

"There was a bit about images," River mumbled as she tried finding it on the page.

"Yes! I remember that, hang on..." the Doctor took the book from Avalon and flipped through it until he found the correct page, "That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel.'"

"What does that mean? 'An image of a Angel becomes itself an Angel'," River looked at Avalon, knowing if anyone could figure out a quote it would definitely be her.

"Simple, they're saying an Angel can literally come to..." Avalon blinked, her eyes widening, "...life." She remembered where Lena was at the current moment. "Lena!" she dashed back for the door of the transport ship.

~ 0 ~

Amy was punching the keypad while Lena pounded on the door, desperately crying out for help, "Avalon! Avalon!"

~ 0 ~

The small trio ran to the door and found the door locked up.

"Lena? Are you alright!? What's happening!?" Avalon struggled with the door.

~ 0 ~

"It's the Angel!" Lena exclaimed.

"Doctor! Doctor, it's coming out of the television," Amy added, "The Angel is here."

~ 0 ~

"Lena, remember the story, don't take your eyes off it!" Avalon instructed and looked at the Doctor frantically, "Do something, please!"

He had already taken out his screwdriver and tried using it on the keypad, "The Angel can't move if you're looking at it," he called to the girls inside, " What's wrong? It's deadlocked."

River was busy trying to override the controls to the side, "There is no deadlock."

"Don't blink, Amy, Lina. Don't even blink!" he ordered the girls.

~ 0 ~

"What are you doing?" Avalon asked the man as he tried something new with the screwdriver.

"Cutting the power. It's using the screen, I'm turning the screen off," he explained and then sighed, "It's no good, it's deadlocked the whole system."

"There's no deadlock," River reminded.

"Well there is one now!" Avalon snapped.

"Help us!" Amy and Lena cried together from the inside.

"Amy! Can you turn it off?" the Doctor tried asking but they kept shouting together, "The screen, can you turn it off?"

"I tried," Amy responded.

"Try again but don't take your eyes off the Angel."

"We're not!" Lena assured.

"Just don't look at the eyes," Avalon suddenly warned, " not the eyes.

"Why?" Amy asked.

'What is it, Ava?" River stopped her work, knowing there was something she and the Doctor had apparently missed in the book.

"The eyes are not the windows of the soul, they are the doors. Beware what may enter there," Avalon recited and stepped back from the door, "Lena, don't look into its eyes, you too Amy!"

~ 0 ~

But Amy immediately went for the eyes while Lena made sure to look at its clothing instead.

~ 0 ~

"And step away from the door," Avalon ordered.

"What? Why?" Amy asked.

"I'm Avalon, Amy. Why do you think?"

~ 0 ~

Inside, the two women looked at each other and hurried up to the monitors, still looking at the Angel of course.

~ 0 ~

"What are you going to do..." the Doctor tried asking but River had already pulled him away from the door.

Avalon whipped out a small squarness gun from the inside of her boot and shot straight at the door, blasting a big hole inside, "Lena!" she cried and dropped the gun before running inside for her twin.

"Avalon!" Lena rushed over and encased the ginger in a tight hug, "Thank you!"

"It's okay now, it's okay," Avalon kissed her sister's head, "You didn't look at the eyes, right?" she pulled away and studied her sister for any possible injuries. She couldn't get too distracted and forget about Lena! She could never do that!

"No, I listened," Lena assured and tried to stop Avalon from so urgently checking her over.

"What the hell was that?" the Doctor entered the room with a big scolding face.

"Uh...hello..." Amy waved from her spot, still looking at the Angel for everyone's sake, "A little help would be nice."

"Anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel," Avalon recited and hurried up to the desk and picked up the remote, pausing it when static appeared, "There," River went ahead and unplugged the screen.

"Amazing!" River praised and hugged the ginger.

"I try to be," Avalon laughed, but really out of fear for her sister...though no one would ever know that.

"Uh, hello?" the Doctor waved the squareness gun in his hand, "How? What? And where?"

"I found it inside my room..." Avalon cleared her throat and innocently wrapped her fingers around her curls.

The Doctor tilted his head, his eyes hardening on the ginger's blatant lie. "Really?"

"I know what I'm doing!"

"And you just carry it around in your shoe?"

"Do I have my purse?" she gestured to her free arms.

"Yes, but...shoe? Gun?"

"Oh give it up, you carry a screwdriver. Least people know what my weapon does!"

"Okay, before we get into more bickering..." River stepped between the two, hands apart to keep those two apart, "...how's about that Angel? Was that it?"

"That was a projection of the Angel," the Doctor answered in a mutter, "It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant. And I'm keeping this," he waved to Avalon her gun.

"But that's mine!" the ginger tried lunging for it but River kept her back while the Doctor simply rose the weapon over his head. "You can't do that!"

"My TARDIS, my companion, my decision," he informed.

"I'm gonna kill you!" she declared and continued her attempts to get her hands on him.

River just laughed as she tried pushing the ginger back gently, "Oh, the first of many."

The group rushed out of the transport ship upon hearing an explosion that had managed to rock them.

"It's gone positive!" a soldier called out.

"Doctor! We're through!" Octavian announced.

"Okay, now it starts," the Doctor mumbled and headed outside, a very peeved Avalon behind him with her twin at her side.

Amy rubbed her left eye before following, River catching the action, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. There's just...something in my eye."

~ 0 ~

The group found themselves climbing down a rope ladder where Octavian and several more soldiers awaited. Once at the bottom, the Doctor and Octavian burned their torches to look around.

"Do we have a gravity globe?" the Doctor questioned.

"Grav globe," Octavian ordered and was given a sphere from one of the soldiers.

"Where are we? What is this?" Amy asked as River stood beside her.

"It's an Aplan mortarium. Sometimes called a maze of the dead," River replied.

"And what's that?" Lena, with a shaky voice, asked.

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone..." the Doctor trailed off as he kicked the gravity sphere as if it was a football and it rise into the air where it stopped and showed the number of stone statues, "The perfect hiding place..." the Doctor mumbled.

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Octavian breathed as he saw the millions of statues.

"A bit, yeah," the Doctor nodded.

"A stone angel on the loose amongst stone statues. A lot harder than I'd prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack," Avalon offered, moving closer to Lena's side. One Weeping Angel was bad enough and now she had to protect her sister from a Weeping Angel in hiding? She'd be a little more at ease if a certain alien hadn't kept her gun...

"A needle that looks like hay," the Doctor began, "A hay-like needle. Of death. A hay-alike needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues. No, yours was fine."

"Of course it was," Avalon waved him off.

"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber," Octavian gave the orders, "You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question - how do we fight it?

"We find it, and hope," the Doctor declared and walked off, Amy following.

"From this point on, you do not let go of my hand, got it?" Avalon had taken hold of Lena's hand and put quite a grip on it.

"Got it," Lena nodded and so they went off as well.

River had tried to go and follow the group but Octavian grabbed her by the arm and held her back, "They don't know yet, do they?" Octavian asked her, "What you are...?"

"It's too early in their time streams," River mumbled.

"Well, make sure he doesn't work it out, or he's not gonna help us," Octavian warned.

"I won't let you down. Believe you me, I have no intention of going back to prison. But you better keep your mouth shut with her, not one word, understood?"

"Suppose that's fair," Octavian let her go.

A soldier walked up to the two, "Sir? Side chamber. One visible exit."

"Check it out. Angelo, go with him."

The two soldiers nodded and walked off to check the chamber.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor was shining his torch in every direction before moving, the twins closely behind. Amy was moving to follow as well when she stopped to look at the numerous levels up above. She rubbed the corner of her eye with a finger and found a small grit. She used her entire hand and sand and grit came out through her fingers. Afraid, she stopped immediately and studied her hand to find nothing.

River had walked up beside the girl and looked at her, "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy forgot the moment and shrugged, "So, what's a maze of the dead?"

"Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls..." River paused and shook her head, "OK, that was fairly bad. Right give me your arm," she showed the ginger a syringe with a smile, "This won't hurt a bit."

Amy yelped upon being shot, "Ow!" she shot the woman a small glare.

That had hurt.

"There, you see. I lied. It's a viro-stabilise," River shrugged then turned for the others, "Oi, twins! Come here a sec," she waved the syringe.

The two Reynolds came towards the women, still hand-in-hand as Avalon had ordered, "What is it?" Avalon frowned, disliking any needles that went near her sister.

"It's a viro-stabilize," River repeated, "It stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You're going to need it when we get up to that ship, no matter how evolved you are."

Avalon held her own arm first, "Go ahead."

"Does it hurt?" Lena frowned, flinching when Avalon was shot, though the ginger only crinkled her nose.

"No," Avalon replied and gently lifted her arm for River. River injected Lena who flinched badly again. Avalon rubbed the spot where Lena had been injected and looked at River, speaking very quietly, "You know he's listening to us, right?" she made a small nod to the Doctor who was conspicuously reading off River's device a few feet ahead of them. "Does he do that a lot with you?"

River bobbed her head for an answer. "He thinks he's so clever. Ask me a question, any of you."

"Um..." Lena thought, "What's my big brother like in the future?"

"Cos you know him in the future, don't you?" Amy joined in.

"The Doctor? Well, the Doctor's the Doctor," River answered, hiding her smirk from the man behind the women.

"Oh, well that's very helpful. Mind if we write that down?" Avalon asked.

"Yes, we are."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor finally turned to them, still 'reading' from the device.

"Talking about you," River shook her head.

"I wasn't listening, I'm busy."

"Yeah, you might want to turn that the other way," Avalon swayed on her feet, "Just a suggestion."

"Oh, shut up," he frowned and turned away, this time actually focusing on his work.

"Just a heads up, he's big on eavesdropping," River nudged the ginger and walked around the three women for her own work.

"What's that got to do with me?" Avalon frowned and looked at the other two.

Lena shrugged, "You talk a lot when you write, maybe that's it."

"Still doesn't make sense," Amy mumbled, "Anything that women says, actually. She acts like his wife and then she gives these little hints..."

"Hints of what?" the twins asked together.

"Nothing," Amy moved around them as well, seemingly upset about something.

She actually liked that River person, despite the Doctor's apparent uneasy feelings on the woman. River seemed funny, she seemed sneaky and flirty. She moved around like she was practically married to the Doctor but then...she'd say these little things, like her last words to Avalon, that made Amy confused...upset. River was from the future, that was a fact, and because of that she knew exactly who ended with who in the future...

Amy had a little desire for the Doctor's 'who' to be herself...just for a tiny bit...nothing permanent.

But for some reason, River kept leaning more to Avalon and that bothered Amy. Avalon had always had a much closer relationship to Rory and Amy believed that when Rory actually confessed his feelings to her that the relationship with Avalon would sort of...waft down a bit.

That wasn't the case.

Rory and Avalon were always super-duper close, sharing laughs and whatnot, even sports! Rory hated sports! But because Avalon liked them, so did he...just to make her happy. Amy repeatedly heard from Lena that Avalon only had a platonic love for Rory, like a brother, and nothing beyond that. But there was always a bit of doubt Amy had for Lena's words...and somehow that made her shift a little more to the Doctor for some reason. Technically, he had landed in her garden, in her backyard; Avalon was only a guest at that time. She can't also take the alien, no! Amy knew she didn't want anything permanent, anything real, with the Doctor but perhaps a little...adventure...wouldn't be so bad.

Avalon couldn't have him too, no sir.

~ 0 ~

"Once hearing gunfire, the group ran back down to the main chamber where a young cleric stood, having just fired the weapon at a statue. The Doctor quickly moved up to see but only saw a regular stature.

"Sorry. Sorry, I thought... I thought it looked at me," the cleric nervously said, still shaking a bit.

"We know what the Angel looks like. Is that the Angel?" Octavian, rather rudely, asked.

"No, sir."

"No, sir, it is not! According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil. So it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of decor."

"Don't be rude," Lena spoke up, getting everyone's attention.

Usually she'd be all for staying behind everyone and letting them do their things but the man had been clearly afraid and simply shot to save his life. She could empathize because she practically lived to be afraid of things. She'd never once been reprimanded for her fears, not even by Mels and that was saying something as the woman lived to make trouble.

"I bet if you were afraid you would've shot too," she said to Octavian then looked at the cleric, "Are you okay?" the cleric nodded with a small smile, appreciative that someone wasn't irritated with him.

"My baby sister has a point," the Doctor agreed, "What's your name?" he asked the cleric.

"Bob, sir."

"Ah, that's a great name. I love Bob."

"It's a Sacred Name. We all have Sacred Names, they're given to us in the service of the Church," Octavian explained.

"Sacred Bob. More like Scared Bob now, eh?" the Doctor playfully teased the cleric.

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, good. Scared keeps you fast. Anyone in this room who isn't scared is a moron. Carry on," the Doctor declared and took Lena's hand, quite forcefully from Avalon who shot him a small glare for it.

"We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes," Octavian said then looked to Bob, "You stay with Christian and Angelo. Guard the approach."

~ 0 ~

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just gonna collapse? There's a whole ship up there," Amy kept looking up every time she remembered where they were.

"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River remarked, not at all perturbed.

"Had dinner with their chief architect once," the Doctor said, "Two heads are better than one."

"You mean you helped him?" Lena looked at him.

"No, I mean he had two heads. That book, the very end, what did it say?"

"Hang on," River took the book out of her backpack and handed it to Avalon while she re-closed her bag.

"Read it to me," the Doctor ordered.

Avalon rolled her eyes but did as told. She wasn't very pleased he'd taken her twin from her but did, nonetheless, know that he would protect Lena like she would. She just wasn't quite used to sharing the job with anyone else, except her family of course. Avalon flipped to the last page of the book she held and started reading aloud, "What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels."

~ 0 ~

"Are we there yet? It's a hell of a climb," Amy sighed as they walked. Her lights were mighty tired and it didn't look like the climb was ending anytime soon.

"The maze is on six levels representing the ascent of the soul," River explained, "Only two levels to go."

"I'm getting tired," Lena complained.

"I'd recommend a rest spot but this may not be the ideal place," the Doctor said.

"Perhaps the city?" Lena joked.

"How about the Aplans? We could visit them some time."

"I thought they were all dead?" Avalon reminded.

"So's Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team. Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. That's having two heads. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."

"Doctor, there's something. I don't know what it is..." River trailed off as she kept looking around, something in the pit of her stomach telling her to get them out, apart from the regular danger that always came with the Doctor.

"Yeah, something wrong. Don't know what it is yet either, working on it," the Doctor casually waved her off, "Then they started having laws against self-marrying and what was that about? But that's the church for you. Erm, no offence, Bishop."

Octavian just made a face at those words, "Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor."

They arrived at a narrow passage lined with statues on either side.

"Lowest point in the wreckage is only about 50 feet up from here. That way," Octavian pointed.

"Church had a point, if you think about it. The divorces must have been messy," Amy chuckled.

However, the Doctor suddenly stopped and closely looked at a statue, his eyes widening when he realized it, "Oh!"

"What's wrong?" Lena asked.

River also blinked as the light bulb lit up in her head, "Oh!" she looked at the Doctor.

"Exactly," he nodded, slowly pulling Lena behind him.

"How could we not notice that?" River did the same with Avalon, though that particular ginger wasn't too fond of the idea. She was never the one to go behind people's back for protection. She hated it!

"Low level perception filter, or maybe we're thick," the Doctor said.

"Speak for yourself!" Avalon exclaimed, forcefully moving beside River.

"What's wrong, sir?" Octavian asked.

"Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are," the Doctor instructed, "Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in danger."

"What danger?" Avalon's eyes immediately fell to her twin.

"The Aplans," River began.

"What about them?" Amy asked, confused on what was so important. They were dead. They said it so many times.

"They've got two heads."

"Yes, we get that. So?"

"Oh..." Avalon's eyes widened, now realizing the problem.

"Oh what?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"The statues-" the Doctor began, "-don't have two heads," the ginger's eyes widened, "Everyone, over there. Just move, don't ask questions, don't speak," everyone moved to a spot with no statues, "OK. I want you all to switch off your torches."

"You're kidding me?" Avalon shot him a sharp look.

"Just do it," he reiterated. Everyone turned off their torches except for him, "OK. I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment."

"Are you sure about this?" Lena looked at him, unlike her twin with a nervous face.

"No."

"You make me feel so much better, big brother."

The Doctor shrugged and switched off his torch for only a split second. Upon turning it back on, they saw all the statues in front of them facing them unlike their previous position.

"Oh, my God! They've moved!" Amy gasped as the Doctor ran ahead.

Quickly, the rest of the group followed the Doctor and saw all the statues lining their way to the ship, "They're Angels. All of them!" he exclaimed.

"But they can't be," River breathed.

"Clerics, keep watching them," the Doctor backtracked and saw the Angels moved forward, "Every statue in this maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."

~ 0 ~

"There was only one Angel on the ship. Just the one, I swear," River was saying to the group.

"Could they have been here already?" Lena offered.

"The Aplans, how did they die out?" the Doctor asked.

"Nobody knows..." River blinked with realization.

"We know," Avalon scoffed. How could they have missing something so huge!? Now here they were, close to death, and she had no way of protecting Lena!

"They don't look like Angels, though," Octavian pointed out, still clinging to a bit of hope that they were mistaken.

Amy nodded in agreement, "And they're not fast. You said they were fast. They should have had us by now."

"They're dying. Losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries, starving," the Doctor sighed.

"Losing their image," Amy shrugged.

"And their image is their power. Power. Power!"

"Doctor?" Lena frowned at his almost excitement. This was not the time for him to get excited over a dangerous situation!

"Don't you see? All that radiation spilling out, the drive burn. The crash wasn't an accident - it was a rescue mission, for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army and it's waking up."

"We need to get out of here fast," River snapped, almost angry. How could she be so stupid and call him and the girls in? Granted, she believed a much older version of them would come to help out. But no, to her luck the baby-faced group had turned up and now were in danger because of her miscalculation. Oh, she was just awful!

Octavian had begun speaking into his radio, "Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please. Any of you, come in!"

"It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you? All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active!"

"I know, sir. Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir."

The Doctor's head snapped over to Octavian and he quickly moved to take the radio from him, "Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor. Where are you now?"

Octavian frowned, "I'm talking to my..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up!"

"I'm on my way up to you, sir, I'm homing on your signal," Bob said.

"Well done, Bob. Scared keeps you fast, told you, didn't I? Your friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to them?"

"Snapped their necks, sir."

"That's not how Angels kill you," Avalon frowned, "At least that's not what dad used to tell us. They displace you in time."

"Unless they needed the bodies for something," the Doctor mumbled, about to speak into the radio when Octavian snatched it from him.

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs? We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."

The Doctor took back the radio and gave him a look, "Don't be an idiot! The Angels don't leave you alive!" he then spoke into the radio, "Bob, keep running, but tell me, how did you escape?"

"I didn't escape, sir. The Angel killed me, too," Bob said, much to the group's shock.

Slowly, the Doctor spoke into the radio again, "What do you mean the Angel killed you too?"

"Snapped my neck, sir. Wasn't as painless as I expected but it was pretty quick, so that was something."

"If you're dead, how can I be talking to you?"

"You're not talking to me, sir. The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion."

"So when you say you're on your way up to us..."

"It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes."

"No way out."

"Then we get out through the wreckage. Go!" Octavian exclaimed, shooing the women.

"Go, go, go. All of you run!" the Doctor agreed.

"But we can't..." Lena frowned.

"Here," he took out her asthma inhaler and placed it in her palm, "Now you can. I'm coming, just go, go, go!"

The women ran off with the clerics, leaving the Doctor and Octavian alone.

"Called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men," the Doctor said to Octavian, genuinely sorry for his choice of words.

"I know that, sir. And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families," Octavian walked off.

The Doctor shook his head and spoke into the radio again, "Angel Bob, which Angel am I talking to? The one from the ship?"

"Yes, sir. The other Angels are still restoring."

"Ah, so the Angel is not in the wreckage. Thank you," he quickly ran along the passage and saw Amy just waiting, "Don't wait for me, go, run."

"I can't!" she cried and the Doctor hurried back to help her, "No, really I can't."

"Why not?"

"Look at it. Look at my hand. It's stone!" Amy looked down at her hand on the rail, seeming like stone.

River, Octavian, the twins and the other clerics arrived at an open chamber where they could see the ship above them.

"Well. There it is - the Byzantium," Octavian looked up.

"Well, it's got to be 30 feet. How do we get up there?" River asked.

"Check all these exits. I want them all secure."

The Doctor was flashing his torch in Amy's eyes and sighed, "You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you? What did Avalon say?"

"I couldn't stop myself. I tried. I don't do orders either," the ginger frowned.

"Listen. It's messing with your head. Your hand is not made of stone."

"It is. Look at it!" Amy nearly shouted, but really how could he not see it?

"It's in your mind. I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go."

"I can't, OK? I've tried and I can't. It's stone."

The Doctor's torchlight began flickering, alerting him the Angel was nearing, "The Angel is gonna come and it's gonna turn this light off, and then there's nothing I can do to stop it. So do it, concentrate, move your hand!"

"I can't," the ginger whimpered.

"Then we're both going to die!"

"You're not going to die."

"They'll kill the lights," the Doctor reminded her as the light flickered off and the Angels moved closer.

"You've got to go, you know you have. You've got all that stuff with River and that's all got to happen," Amy reminded, deciding to believe that it was River who he'd end up with in the future, "You know you can't die here!"

"Time can be re-written, it doesn't work like that," the Doctor reminded as Amy looked back at the Angels, "Keep your eyes on it. Don't blink."

"Run!" Amy exclaimed.

"You see, I'm not going, I'm not leaving you here."

"I don't need you to die for me, Doctor, do I look that clingy?"

"You can move your hand," the Doctor said.

"It's stone!"

"It's not stone!"

"Those people up there will die without you. River, Avalon, your baby sister! If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them."

"Amy Pond, you are magnificent. And I'm sorry."

"It's OK. I understand. You've got to leave me."

"Oh, no, I'm not leaving you, never. I'm sorry about this," and then the Doctor bit her hand, making the ginger scream in pain and jerk her hand away, "See, not stone. Now run!"

"You bit me!" she accused, rubbing her hand.

"Yep and you're alive," the Doctor reminded.

"I've got a mark! Look at my hand!" she held her hand for him yo see but he used it to yank her behind him.

"Yeah, and you're alive, did I mention?"

"Blimey, your teeth! Have you got space teeth?"

"Alive. All I'm saying," he concluded and ran off with her.

~ 0 ~

A cleric sent off to check passages returned to the group, "The statues are advancing along all corridors. And, sir, my torch keeps flickering."

"They all do," Octavian reminded.

"So does the gravity globe,' River added.

"Clerics, we're down to four men. Expect incoming," Octavian gave the warning.

"Yeah, it's the Angels. They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves," the Doctor explained while he looked for another way out.

"Which means we won't be able to see them," Avalon mumbled, her hand gripping Lena's, "And we can't stay here so do something, please!"

"There are more incoming!" Octavian exclaimed.

"Any suggestions?" River looked around for ideas.

"The statues are advancing on all sides and we don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium," Octavian reminded.

"There's no way up, no way back, no way out," she looked at the Doctor, her heart racing as she thought of the full-on danger No pressure, but this is usually when you have a really good idea.

"There's always a way out," he said and heard his echo. The lights flickered off again and the Angels appeared far too close for their liking, "There's always a way out," he repeated, assured.

"Doctor? Can I speak to the Doctor, please?" Angel Bob's voice came through the radio.

Bitterly, the Doctor took hold of the radio and spoke, "Hello, Angels. What's your problem?"

"Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, sir."

"Why are you telling me this?" the Doctor looked at the group, feeling awful of the horror he saw in Lena's face. The girl really wasn't up for this kind of adventures. He himself didn't like this! He assured Avalon he'd help protect her because in reality he had grown attached to the little brunette, she really did remind him of a little sister and this was not how he wanted to care for her.

"There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end," Angel Bob brought the Doctor out of his thoughts.

"Which is?"

"I died in fear."

"I'm sorry?"

"You told me my fear would keep me alive but I died afraid, in pain and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down."

"What are they doing?" Avalon whispered to River, seeing the Doctor tense at the words being said.

"They're trying to make him angry," River replied.

"Is that very smart?"

"Not really."

"I'm sorry, sir. The Angels were very keen for you to know that," Angel Bob said.

"Well then, the Angels have made their second mistake because I'm not going to let that pass," the Doctor snapped, "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"But you're trapped, sir, and about to die."

"Yeah, I'm trapped. Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it. A great big, whopping mistake!"

"What mistake, sir?"

But the Doctor ignored the Angel and looked at Amy, "Trust me?"

"Yeah," the ginger nodded.

He looked at the twins, "Trust me?"

"Of course," Lena replied, Avalon nodding in agreement.

He looked at River next but before he could even repeated the question she nodded, "Oh I do," she answered.

"You lot - trust me?" he looked at Octavian and the clerics.

"Sir, two more incoming!" one of the cleris guarding the passage reported.

"We have faith, sir," Octavian answered.

"Great," he took out Avalon's gun much to the ginger's shock.

"Oi, that's mine!" she tried reaching for it but River held her back.

"You said you trusted me," he reminded.

"But not with that! You don't know the first thing about them!"

"Oh, but I do..." he mumbled quietly, his gaze falling for a moment.

Avalon stopped as she saw him, feeling there was something he was hiding and a painful something by the looks of it. She sighed, "Fine, go ahead," she motioned for him to do whatever he was planning.

"Right, I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do...jump," he jumped in place as example.

"Jump where?" Octavian questioned.

"Just jump, high as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On my signal."

"What signal?"

"You won't miss it," the Doctor aimed the gun at the roof.

"Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake?" Angel Bob asked from the radio.

"Oh, big mistake. Huge. There's one thing you never put in a trap, if you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what would that be, sir?"

"Me!"

The Doctor fired at the gravity globe and made it explode...

#11th doctor #11th doctor x oc #doctor who #ocappreciation #ocapp #11th doctor imagines #dw imagines #11th doctor fics #noblecrescentedit #oc: Avalon Reynolds #fic: stars dance #amy pond #river song

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duchess-katarin-lemeur · 4 years

Text

Nantes Meeting

Who: @duchess-katarin-lemeur @emery-sutherland, @camille-laubert @armel-lemuer @simeonleguen @gxmer-ami @madeline-lupu @adelaidelibrarymaid @simeonleguen @juno-bouchard @resolutexsarai @cristian-capulet @stargazingalexei @micaiai-lemeur @oliviaxstephan @chloemoigne-ofnantes @ivy-muir When: Wednesday, February 19th Where: House of Nantes Chateau Why: Katarin calls for the House to work out their cause and event for the Aribiter’s challenge. All did not go well.

Kat was grateful to have the support of every member of her House. They may not all be blood related but were all family. “Everyone, thank you for coming to the Chateau this evening. It has been a bit delayed but here we are. You all know the arbiter has put forth a challenge. This is something I cannot do on my own. Though I do have an idea of what our House can do. As champions of knowledge, I propose we look towards the youth of Breton, specifically in the area of STEM education. Your thoughts?”

“A bit dull don’t you think?” Camille sighed. “Are we planning to raise money so they can build bridges? Surely there is something more exciting. At least teach them the value of money and make my job easier in years to come.”

Juno pushed a hand through her hair before pushing up her black framed glasses to rest on her forehead, ones that she always wore to meetings. She knew she had a mountain of work waiting for her, but she was loyal enough to her house to help and attend the dinner. “Youth are the best bet of course” she mused “But maybe raising money for something that others won’t see coming from us, something to make us stand out a little more. I have always loved something with a more practical approach, perhaps skill sets for the real world of work experience. It could bring in the idea of teaching the value of money, as put by Camille” she said with a small gesture to the other.

"'Practical' is so relative. Our House is literally focused on technology; it would seem weird if our charity focus was outside of that." Ami furrowed their brow, not quite sure what the goal was. "But if we wanted something creative or out of the box, maybe we can look into tinkering with VR and creating a system that can help patients with therapy, physical and mental." Running a hand through their hair, they also offered, "And of course if we need to raise funds or any sort of promotion, I'm happy to do a charity stream on my channel to boost the cause."

Morgan raised her hand, interjecting briefly. “I work with a lot of youth and I think a STEM education program would be fantastic. Inner cities lack a lot of funds and so a lot of children who wish to learn these things are unable to because of a severe lack of opportunity. Perhaps it’s not a creative approach, but I do believe it would be a very meaningful and impactful one.”

“Practical can come with technology, they can be paired?” Juno offered “Perhaps skills and experience with technology, there could be something there.” she then gave a purse of her lips, she was no tech wizard herself, but there was an ever growing use for it and it was true that Nantes was indeed focused on it. “But I do enjoy the idea of the VR, if it’s workable” she added, taking a sip of her drink and looking away thoughtfully, her gaze only coming back when Morgan spoke up.

“I think we need to narrow our focus a bit. There are many good ideas, the VR being one. That is something that we can do outside of this challenge. We have the resources for it.” Kat surveyed the room. “Let me be a bit clearer. We are going to focus on the youth of Breton for this challenge and I want it focused on STEM education. Now, what form that takes is what we are discussing. Though, Morgan, I do agree that we work with disadvantaged children. Providing opportunities is something that the entire family can do.”

Camille could see how this was going and it was clear most of it was going to be out with her skill set. Managing the money was where she would shine but that didn’t stop her voicing her opinions. “Giving disadvantaged children and their families an exciting opportunity is all well and good but it has to be something that actually achieves something. No point letting them build a roller coaster and ride it then sending them home with nothing but memories. At least building bridges would stop them getting their feet wet and teach them some life skills.”

Cristian jotted down each of the comments into the meeting's notes for the evening, knowing Her Grace would want to review everything after no doubt. He couldn't help his irritation though, even not as a blood member of the house. 'All of these ideas regarding youth are excellent, but Camille I think it goes without further stating if you're only going to bring negativity to the table, you're more than welcome to leave. Nobody is forcing you to be here and we need to be working together positively contributing ideas in order to further Her Grace’s as well as the house’s positive image in the community."

Sarai cleared her throat; she agreed with Cristian’s comment, but preferred discussions that were a little calmer. Or not to be involved in the discussion; she’d have been just as happy at home, but the support was necessary. “I believe the experience of a STEM project is, in itself, a valuable one for the children. Particularly those from a disadvantaged background. We want to see more young people involved in those areas, and they’ll need a place to get started. Perhaps the library could be utilised in the research aspect?”

Micaiai was considering all of the options, his brow pulling together, “We could always bring some resources from the family together and start something that would be reoccuring rather than a one off. Take it beyond the challenge and make it something of our own. That way it is not only an important task for the children but also something that could eventually help us train future workforces. That is vitally important.”

Armel had been quiet for most of the dinner; he wasn’t much for making plans and preferred to just open up his checkbook and make things happen. But after rolling his eyes for the hundredth time, he felt he couldn’t be silent any longer. “Must everything be all about the children?” he asked, surveying the room. “You,” he began, lazily gesturing to Sarai. “You’ve got a good point about the library - I feel like we should look into extending a wing or opening one of our own for the public, with resources for all ages. Perhaps we could offer certification courses for adults. We could make it a non-profit institution and even petition the other families to make donations in the future. When Katarin is elected Queen, they’ll be clamoring for her support anyway.”

Emery sat quietly, listening to everyone discuss their various opinions. Unable to voice anything solid as this seemed to be outside of her expertise. Working with children, that was something that she could support. She had dedicated her life to helping children, but she could only sit patiently and see if something would inevitably come up in which she could actually assist. It was difficult to voice an opinion surrounded by people she hardly knew, or didn’t really know at all, and wanted to make sure that when she gave her input, it was something of value.

"I'm worried that if we open an extended wing or something in a building and we plaster our name on it, it might gives us a bad look; it might come across as us trying to do good by simply throwing money around." Morgan grew a little frustrated with the discussion and wanted to focus the conversation back into helping those at a disadvantage. As someone who grew up with next to nothing, it was important to her to give back and help as much as she could. "I do like the idea of possibly offering certification courses, but I'm more in line with supporting an outreach program that gives children a chance to gain a STEM education."

Until now Chloe had watched everything silently. She wasn’t the type to interject often, but for the sake of Kat she would speak up at least once or twice during the meeting. “I have to say, a STEM program in school would have meant the world to me when I was younger. I needed that place to express myself and didn’t really have it. I can’t even count the amount of times I shoved into lockers because I would rather be reading a book or working on my laptop. Shedding a positive light on that could really help teens and younger kids.”

Adelaide finally spoke up. All of the opinions had been moving so quickly before, but if she didn’t speak up at all, she knew she would regret it. “Would it be impossible to combine them? There are several branches to the Public Library throughout the city, including in the more disadvantaged areas. If we provide the funds for them to expand, we could include as a condition that one area of that expansion in each is a place for students to run STEM experiments and a staff member to provide support and education. That way we don’t have to start the outreach from scratch and it would have more longevity than a standalone program.”

Camille folded her arms at Cristian’s comments and muttered to herself under her breath. Glaring at the man for a moment she turned her attention back to the discussion, cheering up considerably as others were going along the same line of thought. “Exactly,” she said to Adelaide, shooting a smug expression across to Cristian. “It needs to have a clear purpose and last, not just an overnight one off event.”

Ivy raised her hand timidly, rather overwhelmed at even being at such a big house event. “If we can target young teens, say from around eleven to fourteen then that’s the point people are beginning to make their first decisions. Show them the benefits of STEM education and as Chloe has already said, let them know that there are all these paths out there. If they don’t get the chance to experience and find out about things when they are young they might miss out on the chances when they get older.”

“Sounds like putting these ideas together might be the best approach. It lets us focus on the strengths of the ideas we want,” Ami commented as they ripped off a sheet of paper from a notepad. “But seriously, if video games are involved, count me in. Kids love video games and video games can totally be educational.” They let someone else take over the conversation while they crumpled up the paper from earlier, and when the Duchess wasn’t looking, threw it at Camille. Stifling a small chuckle, they mouthed, “Stop pouting,” before paying attention to whoever was speaking next.

Madeline had been slightly late to the dinner due to an emergency, but by listening to the others, she had a decent idea as to what was going on. She always could get behind an idea that focused on the children, but the bickering over how exactly to implement it was bothering her. “If I may, why are we the ones deciding what is best for the children? This is our event, but it is clear that we all wish for them to be the ones to benefit as well as the community at large. I think that we should allow them to tell us what they want within reason. Perhaps involve the librarians, teachers, and members of the community. We might be surprised as to what they come up with. Besides if we hold a symposium of sorts for the community that we wish to help, it will foster a sense of comradery and excitement about the prospects.” She cleared her throat, looking around at the others. “Or not. It’s just an idea.”

Juno had taken to simply allowing the others to speak. The blonde was distracted and it was likely obvious she knew she'd likely be questioned on it at a later date, her gaze scanned the room as others began to speak "I'm always willing to go with a majority in regards to the STEM, I believe this whole task is to show our House's problem solving above everything. So we may have to agree to disagree in many respects. I'm just happy to help in whatever way I can really" She murmured, perking when she heard an idea. "An open forum" she nodded as Madeline spoke, agreeing with the idea, her finger drawing around the rim of her glass as she thought.

Olivia didn’t usually feel comfortable speaking up at things like this since she didn’t grow up in Breton, but since children were involved, she felt rather inclined, “As someone who does have a child...I actually do agree with Madeline as well. I think it could be a good idea to involve the ones we’re aiming to help. Children like being involved, and in turn the parents of those children do want what’s best for them. Maybe we can narrow it down to a few final choices that we can all agree on and then let the community decide on the final decision. I think they would like that we took their opinions into consideration since, like Madeline said, just because we might think something is useful, doesn’t necessarily make it true.”

Kat listened to the back and forth calmly, pleased with the ideas but not entirely pleased with the behavior. They were supposed to be working together. She cleared her throat and spoke again. “First, cousin,” she said, directing her gaze to Armel. “In this case, yes, this is all about the children. It may be cliche but they are the future of Breton and Nantes can make its greatest impact through them.” She paused, tapping her nails on the wooden table. “This is what I am hearing. There is a concern that this will be a one off event. This was never my intention. I want something lasting and sustainable. I agree with Morgan that we must consider those children that are at risk or at a disadvantage due to their station. As far as having community input, I agree. Though I would propose we start with the schools before going right to the population at large. They are the most informed on what our children need. So, how can we best support making sure STEM education is accessible to every child in Breton. I propose starting with the schools in Vannes. We ask our educators what they need. At the elementary level, maybe we start a mentorship/sponsorship program providing schools what they need. For older students, a scholarship program...as for the libraries, certainly they have the capability to be utilized in some form. Beyond what program we establish, we need to also plan an event to kick it off. Something that will raise funds and get our community involved. Ideas for that? And please remember we are working together, not against each other.”

Ami straightened up, having heard the tone carried out by the Duchess. Clearly they needed to take this more seriously, and they did really want to help out. "Again, not to be a broken record, but I really am happy to host a charity stream if we want to raise some funds. A lot of people will do 24-hour streams and I can ask some of my friends to help out and any of you all are also welcome to hop on," they explained. "I'm not too familiar with the school program here but I think a mentorship program is a super dope idea."

“One possibility for an event would be a charity auction? And the items could be lesson plans or supplies for different aspects of the STEM program. That way it would raise money, and it would be another way for the community to be involved in voting on what material they most want covered for the future of Vannes.” Adelaide proposed quietly. “But we can design the different items based on the feedback we get from schools, teachers, and parents so it would still put their voices first.” She had a few other ideas, but she rarely thought in terms of single events and it sounded like that was the option that needed to be nailed down first for the good of the family.

Juno couldn’t help but feel slightly satisfied at the point Kat made, about everyone needing to work together. She felt it had added onto her point about how the task had clearly been to test their ability on working together as a house. The Lawyer couldn’t help but sit a little smugly until she cleared her throat and took a drink of her water. The lawyer looked back to Kat, silent as she allowed others to speak, but more concerned for what she imagined was a fraying string of patience in the others mind from the bickering around them. The blonde nodded slowly as Adelaide spoke, at least making it look like she was taking in the point- a good one at that.

Simeon hadn’t meant to be late. He had gotten held up at work and then from there it had been awful getting there. Traffic and just general unluckiness. As he crept into the room, he gave an apologetic look to the blonde at the head of the table. “I’m sorry for being late, Kat--Uh… Katarin. Duchess.” Calling her anything but Kat was always weird to Simeon, but he didn’t want to disrespect her in front of the rest of the family. Moving to sit down beside Chloe, he swallowed hard before glancing at the younger woman. “Can you fill me in?” he asked quietly.

Armel rolled his eyes at the latecomer. “We’re doing a STEM program for the children.” He tried his best not to sound quite so dismissive of the idea, but well - he was skeptical. “It seems you all have this figured out without any additional input from me. Why don’t I leave everyone to it and Camille can inform me how many zeroes to put on the check. I’ve got a business to look after.”

Up until that point, Alexei had remained utterly quiet, sitting in the back corner and not sure that his input would have mattered all that much anyway. But when Armel spoke with such disinterest, he found himself letting out a sound of displeasure. “Sure, Armel-- Run off when it actually matters.” He found himself saying, though it was said lowly and could be easily missed.

Armel turned toward the direction of the voice, his brow raised. It was hard to hear what was said, but something said so soft could never be good. “Did you have something you care to say to me?” he asked the submissive, calmly folding his hands across his lap. “Please, do go on.”

Simeon swallowed hard, looking between Alexei and Armel. He didn’t… want people to fight. Not just because he didn’t do well in tense situations but also because they were literally supposed to be family. Maybe not by blood, but all united under one house. “Is there something wrong with helping children?” He piped up, feeling his heart thump a little like it did whenever he spoke in large groups. But he was hoping that Armel would just answer him and maybe not fight with Alexei.

Cristian gestured for Simeon to relax, turning to face Armel as he calmly spoke up. "The same offer goes for you, Sir. Everyone's contributing ideas right now and working together. If you insist on making everyone uncomfortable and not being willing to be an adult about this, you're welcome to see yourself out instead of wasting Her Grace's time.”

Alexei did his best to not make a scene, knowing full well the last thing he needed to happen was for a fight to break out. He was good at that-- but he was genuinely trying. He looked to Simeon and then to Cristian, glad that they seemed to be putting what he had been feeling in much more eloquent terms than he ever could. “I’m sure he’s got better things to do than be here.” Alexei said, knowing full well the dominant had heard what he’d said before. “We don’t want to bore the poor man with productive ideas.”

Cristian raised an eyebrow, turning to face Alexei, calmly adding, "I think enough has been said on this-- can we please refocus? Everyone?"

Kat, having watched the display, was far more angry than before. Standing, she looked towards the lot of them. “That is enough,” she declared, glaring at the room with an icy gaze. “This is meant to bring our house and Breton together. And while I am most appreciative of any support that gets me to the throne, I’m beyond disgusted that there seems to be no ability in this room to pull together.” Her gaze traveled over the assorted members of her family until it landed on her cousin. “Armel, if you do not wish to be here, leave. Your negativity regarding the direction I have determined that we will go is not appreciated nor needed. While your support is and will always be appreciated, it is clear you are far more interested in your business.” Having made that point, she looked around to the others. “If anyone else wishes to leave now, I suggest you do so before my patience wears thinner.”

The sudden voice of Kat ringing through the air had Alexei freezing slightly. He had planned to fall silent after what Cristian had said, but couldn’t help the glare he found himself shooting Armel. Alexei didn’t exactly have the patience for dominants like him, no matter how much he tried to hold his tongue. He looked to the duchess before his arms were crossing over his chest and he fell back into the silence he had been in. Back to the patient observer only.

Armel stood up from his chair, happy to be excused despite how furious his cousin was. She could be dealt with later - for now, he wanted out of this charade. “I’ll speak with you soon, cousin,” he said curtly. His eyes traveled across to Alexei and narrowed a bit; the submissive was on his radar now. He’d handle the disrespect later. “Do let me know how much will be needed.” With a final glower across the room, the dominant exited, glad to be on his way to the real business.

Simeon did not like hearing Kat get angry. He winced a little before his eyes dropped to the floor and he reached idly for the fork on the table just for something to fidget with. He sorely wished that he could speak up again, not that she needed him to come to her defense or to run her meeting--and he wouldn’t be able to anyway. Instead, he just went quiet and did his best not to call attention to himself. Tension was, in a word, the worst. And tension in Kat was something Simeon didn’t want to see at all. A frown settled on his face and he just shook his head to himself.

As Armel stormed off, leaving the meeting, Morgan was pretty glad to see him leave. While she didn't agree with everyone butting heads, especially when it resulted in the Duchess scolding everyone, it'll probably be easier to be productive now. "Okay, so regrouping. Our focus will be some sort of STEM-related educational outreach? And we also need a way to raise some money, right?" she asked, trying to break the momentary tension and to bring everyone back on track.

Micaiai trusted his sister to take care of the situation and instead remained as quiet support for her as she put the rest of the family in their place. He placed a hand on his sister’s arm after a moment, and gave her a small smile of support. “We will need to raise some money. I’m sure we can come up with a great campaign.” Straight back to business.

After filling Simeon in on what had happened thus far in the meeting, Chloe decided to sit back and simply observe. For a house that was supposed to be working together to get Kat chosen as queen, they were definitely struggling. “Armel could have been on to something. If we can get this program for the kids up and running, what do you think about having an offshoot in the future of teaching adults that have been disadvantaged skills like making a resume and working on a computer? That would be a good long term goal, and could go along with what he said about helping other ages too. Obviously it wouldn’t be a focus right now, but it would be something we can work towards.”

Camille was still annoyed after the way Cristian spoke to her and then, as far as she was concerned he was still trying to call the shots despite what the duchess had said to everyone. Watching Armel leave she barely heard what was heard next, her annoyance reaching boiling point. Pushing back her chair she stood up suddenly. Looking at Katarin Camille’s anger was evident in her voice,“This was supposed to be a meeting for Nantes to share ideas but since your new assistant seems to think he is the only voice that matters I will go and get on with far better things. It is clear he thinks he has all the answers anyway.” Looking right at the man she smirked, “Since my views and expertise are irrelevant in your eyes good luck with getting the charity status sorted on the accounts and the tax relief, I’m sure it will be easy peasy for someone of your calibre.” With that she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Adelaide was shocked at all of the behavior she was seeing, although she couldn’t help being a little awed by Kat. The Romanos never would have allowed such disrespect or lack of cohesion towards their Head of Houses at any time, let alone when something was so important. But she gathered her courage again, trying to help refocus the discussion back to the point so she wouldn’t have to sit through too many of these contentious gatherings. “If the charity auction idea doesn’t work, perhaps we could do something like a fair? Bring in different professionals in the STEM field to give lectures and demonstrations over the course of a day or a weekend, and people could buy tickets for individual speakers or the whole event. In between we could also have a lot of fun hands on activities for kids to get them excited about the possibility of more classes like this. That way we can keep the event tied to the charity itself.”

Micaiai stepped in then, his eyes looking far more angry than he usually looked. He eyed down the rest of his family, “If anyone else has an issue I would politely ask that they leave now and discuss it privately and respectfully with your Duchess.” He swallowed, fingers tapping down on the table. “Is that clear?”

Cristian bit his tongue, both embarrassed and appalled by Camille's response and childish exit, not understanding how in the world his request for peace and cooperation somehow came off as his voice being the only one that mattered or that he even had all the answers. He'd made a point to not make any suggestions, despite several coming to mind, since it wasn't his family and felt out of line. He merely had wanted everyone to feel encouraged to contribute and to keep a positive atmosphere, but apparently even that had backfired. He made a note to apologize to the Duchess after, once the family had dispersed. Versus chiming in at all, he kept his mouth shut and eyes on his computer the remainder of the meeting, lips curled into an embarrassed frown as he waited for the meeting to conclude.

Madeline rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. She was in awe of the Duchess for remaining so poised in the situation. She’d be having words with Alexei about what happened later, but that was hardly the issue at hand. “Just to clarify seeing as things got a bit… off topic. We are going to invest in an on-going STEM education project for the youth. It will start in Vannes and then move to the rest of Breton as a whole. In order to do this, we are going to enlist the help of the educators to find out what they need. The funds are going to be raised from an auction that Ami will stream in order to get to a wider audience.” She hoped that there would be peace for the rest of the meeting. “Does that sound about right to everyone?”

Kat was grateful to Madeline for summing up the majority of what had previously been said. “Yes, that is the gist. Though instead of an auction, I believe I prefer Adelaide’s idea for a fair. I think it involves more of the community and gives us a better opportunity to interact with the community at large.” She was beyond tired of trying to maintain the peace in her house and wanted to wrap this up. “Thank you for those that kept their heads and contributed well-thought out ideas. Your support is appreciated more than I can say. In the coming days I will meet with key people individually. I think there is more than enough work to be done that all will have a role.” Kat, looked around the room, managing a smile to those still at the table. “Do not let this evening weigh on your minds. We are a strong house with strong personalities. However, any future meetings of this nature will not be a repeat of this evening. Thank you all for attending. If you will excuse me, there are obviously things I must attend to.”

#para: nantes #para 01

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cypher2 · 5 years

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The best goalies have a powerful presence in goal, and their confidence extends outward to their defenders and the rest of the team. This is the case of the American goalie Hope Solo, who is riveting to watch as much for the brilliant, acrobatic saves she makes as for the psychological intensity with which she confronts opposing forwards. Like many other goalies, she didn’t start out in the position, and she learned by scoring goals, not stopping them. As a girl, she was a strong forward, constantly scoring goals. As she recalls it, “No coach would have ever dreamed of taking me off the field and sticking me in goal.” She found solace from a difficult life on the football pitch. “I knew how soccer made me feel,” she writes, “and I knew I wanted to hold onto that feeling for the rest of my life.” She continues, “Life was calm and ordered on the soccer field,” where she felt “free and unburdened.”

“Goalkeeping isn’t glamorous,” Solo writes. “It’s tough and stressful and thankless.” Because youth soccer coaches often put less athletic kids in goal, there’s also a “stigma about goalkeeping,” When Solo was recruited into an Olympic Development Program (ODP) in Washington state, she started playing the position regularly. During her first game with the ODP team, the starting goalkeeper suffered a concussion after colliding with another player in the net. The coach, perhaps sensing something about Solo that would make her a good goalie, asked her to take over for the injured player. She did well and began playing occasionally in the position. Though Solo kept playing forward on her club and high school teams, she found that her knowledge of “how a forward attacks” allowed her to better position herself in goal and know when to run out and break up plays. Anchored in two roles, with a “double identity,” she learned how to think like a goalkeeper and a forward at the same time, closely watching attackers so she could position herself to stop them from scoring.

In 2000, she got her first invitation to train with the US Women’s National Team, then coached by April Heinrichs. The team was fresh off their epochal victory in the 1999 Women’s World Cup, which had drawn record crowds. Solo was a young and untested player, and she found the “skill and confidence level” of the veteran players “daunting.” She found herself in goal behind the legendary defender Brandi Chastain, who had scored the winning penalty kick against China in the 1999 tournament final. Chastain had become an icon not only because of her goal, but because the image of her celebration -- in which she had ripped off her shirt, revealing her sports bra -- was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and heralded by many as a symbol of the bold strength and success of female athletes. For the young Solo, it was terrifying to be on the field with the famous player. At one point, Chastain turned around to the young goalkeeper and “barked: ‘That’s your ball.’” Solo recalls, “Oh fuck, I thought. Brandi Chastain is yelling at me.” In another practice, Solo maladroitly punted the ball up into the air, and the striker Mia Hamm stopped short, looked at her, and said, “Do you want me to fucking head the ball? Then you need to fucking learn how to drop-kick it.” Solo was mortified: “Oh God, I thought. Now Mia Hamm is yelling at me.”

A goalie’s size is important. Being tall, and having long arms, is an obvious advantage when trying to protect the goal. Yet perhaps even more important is the size of the goalie’s personality. A successful goalie projects authority, commanding and controlling her defenders. She arranges them to defend the goal on free kicks and corner kicks, calculating angles and interpreting the positioning and movement of the opposing players. The confidence of defenders depends on the strength of the goalie--knowing that the goalie has things covered in front of the goal enables them to stand firm, as well as take risks when necessary. When a team has confidence in a goalie, the defenders can move more freely up the field toward the opposing goal, putting more strength in the attack and pressuring the other team. In this sense, the goalie, though invisible in the attack, plays a crucial role in giving the rest of the team the space and inspiration to move forward quickly and aggressively.

Solo learned about the importance of authority the hard way. She first played for the US Women’s National Team in a game against Iceland in April 2000, and she was chosen again to play archrival Mexico on Cinco de Mayo in Portland. The US dominated the game, winning 4-0. At one point, with Mexico on the attack, Chastain let a ball through and Solo had to dive to make a save. Solo writes, “Brandi turned around and yelled at me--’Come on, Hope!’--blaming me for not coming out for the ball.” Solo knew it was actually Chastain who had made the mistake, but--too respectful of the authority of the veteran player--she didn’t respond. “That was my mistake,” Solo admits. Afterward, Heinrichs spoke to Solo about that incident on the field and her interaction with Chastain. ‘”That tells me you’re not ready, Hope,’ she said. ‘We all knew Brandi made a mistake. Yet you didn’t have the courage to call her out and yell back at her. You’re not ready to lead the defense.’”

In time, of course, Solo would be ready. Though she missed the 2000 Olympics, she played on the under-twenty-one team, and Heinrichs soon brought her back onto the roster of the national team. She attributes much of her improvement to a goalkeeping coach at the University of Washington, Amy Griffin. Soon after Solo started playing for Washington, Griffin handed her a note that said, “A goalkeeper cannot win a game. A goalkeeper saves it.” What Griffin taught Solo was ultimately the key to goalkeeping: the “intellectual side” of the position, the endless work of observation, of calibration, of constantly adjusting one’s position, and of readiness in relationship to the flow of the game. Before training with Griffin, Solo writes, she had taken a relatively direct approach to guarding the net, waiting in goal and using her size and reflexes to stop what came at her. She learned that the key to goalkeeping at the highest level was to think tactically, remaining a few steps ahead. That meant taking charge of positioning defenders, reading the runs of opposing players as they moved across the field, and understanding “how to anticipate and predict what was happening in front of me.” The key to this was figuring out where the opposing players would likely move and shoot from, and calculating the angles so that she could position herself most effectively. Goalies constantly have to make critical decisions about where to place themselves, and Solo learned how to know when to leave the goal line to confront an onrushing player and when to stay back. All this new awareness made the position “much more interesting.” Rather than “ninety minutes of waiting for my defense to make a mistake,” it became “ninety minutes of tactics and strategy.”

One of the highlights of Solo’s career came during the 2011 Women’s World Cup when the US faced off against Brazil in a riveting game. In the second half of the game, with the US leading 1-0, the referee gave a red card to US defender Rachel Buehler when she tangled with Brazilian striker Marta Vieira da Silva, known as Marta, in front of the goal. The call was controversial, but it was only the first of a bizarre string of refereeing decisions. The Brazilian player Cristiane Rozeira stepped up to take the penalty kick, and Solo made a brilliant diving save. The referee, however, immediately called for the penalty kick to be retaken. It wasn’t clear why at the time, although it was later understood that the call was for encroachment--one of the US players had started to run into the penalty area before the ball was kicked, which is indeed technically a foul, although quite rarely called. Solo argued with the referee and got a yellow card. Then Marta walked up to take the second penalty kick and struck it fast into the net. Solo was beaten this time. The sequence was enough to drive any goalkeeper mad. Solo kept her composure, though, throughout the rest of the game, even making key saves. In the shoot-out, Solo blocked one crucial penalty kick, winning the game for the US.

In the 2015 World Cup, Solo’s goalkeeping was once again critical to the US success. Against a powerhouse German team in the semifinal, Solo saved the game early on when the referee granted a penalty kick. German star striker Célia Šašić stepped up to take it. I was there in the stadium that day, and I could barely watch, sure that Šašić would make it. Solo did something odd, clearly aiming to psych out the German striker. She started to sort of stroll away from goal. It almost looked, for a moment, like she had just decided that she was done, that she was leaving for good. As Carli Lloyd remembers, “It was a very leisurely stroll. If there were flowers nearby, she would’ve stopped to pick them.” It was a dangerous move: the referee could have given her a yellow card for it. Just in time, Solo turned back, came into goal, and stared down Šašić who, very uncharacteristically, sent the ball wide to the left of the goal. We went crazy in the stadium. “Sometimes,” Lloyd recalls, “even in the heat of a big game, you can feel the momentum shift on the spot.” That moment was “one of those times,” and the US went on to defeat Germany, and then win against Japan in the final.

Laurent Dubois | The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer | March 2018

#hope solo #uswnt #wwc 2015 #wwc 2011 #woso #interviews and articles #thinkin about buying this book bc it seems an interesting read throughout #also @hope write another book please

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goodbyecringe · 4 years

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(Un)Natural Selection Chapter 13

Enjolras

I could see the bruise on Éponine’s wrist before she even got in the car. She had deep circles under her eyes that made her cheeks look more hollow than usual.

“How are you doing on this glorious Saturday?” I said, handing her a pair of sunglasses.

“I’m fine,” she said, in an unusually quiet voice.

“What’s happened to your wrist?”

“Oh, I was trying a bracelet earlier and it got stuck on my wrist. My maids had to pry it off of my arm without breaking it. I’m sure it’s worth more money than I make an entire year,” she laughed.

I decided not to push it any further and let silence overtake the car during the drive to the cafe. I knew that the stress of the competition was starting to get to Éponine, but she had too much potential. I figured that Courfeyrac would have some helpful advice and decided to consult after the meeting. I ran through my speech as I drove, since Éponine didn’t seem to be in the mood to converse.

When we finally arrived at the Musain Éponine broke her silence.

“I’m sorry Enjolras, I guess I’m just a little on edge. I’m supposed to gain 4 pounds by next week, and it hasn’t been going very well,” she said looking at her hands.

Of course I had noticed how skinny she was, but I didn’t think it was that bad. How many people in her situation were malnourished and hungry.

“4 seems like quite a lot in seven days,” I sympathized.

“I’m eating twice as much as the other girls and I still managed to loose two pounds since last week,” she chuckled.

“Well maybe you just need to reduce some stress,” I said getting out of the car.

“We have history lessons everyday, then some sort of Princess lesson, and then we spend the rest of our time waiting for you. In my free time I try to avoid the Women's Room and prepare for tonight.”

“Is tonight special for you?” I asked, opening the door for her.

“Well, this is the only part of my week that I’m not glared at whenever I speak. It’s bad enough that I’m the only girl that’s seen you three times, it only makes things worse that I’m-” she cut herself off.

“You’re what?” I asked as she walked ahead of me to the backroom.

“Going to be sent home if I finish that sentence,” she smirked.

It was the first real smile I had seen from her in at least a week. When we entered the room she went ahead to speak with Feuilly and Bahorel, leaving me with my lieutenants. It was refreshing to be in Éponine’s company since every other girl I had been out with clung to my side like a leech. Even Liberty, who I heard was adamant on no one pushing her wheelchair, had insisted that I push her.

“How have you been faring Enjy? Found that wife of yours yet?” Courfeyrac laughed handing me a drink.

“I haven’t even sifted through half of them yet, Fey. And I’m afraid the only one that’s different is about to crack,” I said watching Éponine.

“Why would you say that, Enjolras? What’s wrong with Éponine?”

“I think she’s worried about all of the associated formalities that come with royalty. However, I’m technically not allowed to interfere with these manners,” I sighed.

“Don’t even say another word, mon ami,” Courfeyrac laughed, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“Well then let’s get started with the meeting,” I said, taking my place in front of the tables.

This week I decided to stress the importance of revolution to Les Amis.

“Welcome everyone. As we begin this meeting I’d like everyone to close their eyes and imagine sitting at a banquet table during a feast. You’re sitting next to your parents, siblings, cousins, and some family members you might not even know. However, at the beginning of the meal you notice a man that they’d never met at the end of the table. This outlier is poorly dressed and obviously hungry. I’m sure that you feel a strong desire to give this man food and warm clothes, but doing so would require you to give up good conversation and maybe even experience some strange looks from your family members.

Would you go help the man at the end of the table? Many people wouldn’t because by doing so they too might become outliers to those they care about. However, I must stress to you that this is the right thing to do. Our current status quo must be broken so that we can build it back up correctly. It is not right for those at the middle of the banquet table to have so much when there are people that have so little,” I paused, noting that Éponine had stopped taking notes.

“May I interject?” She said standing.

“Of course, Éponine,” I said, taking a sip of water.

“If it’s wrong for the privileged to have so much, why are you okay with living in such luxurious palace?”

The room went quiet as everyone immediately turned to me. In all honestly I was surprised no one had asked sooner.

“This is actually a question that keeps me up at night. I’ve made so many lists of the pros and cons that I could recite them in my sleep. The palace employs hundreds of jobs to citizens and if we were to suddenly downsize the unemployment rate would skyrocket. The Royal Family must also present themselves in a way that reflects a positive image of Illeá to foreign countries. If you don’t mind me playing devil’s advocate, in the last five years the palace has decreased spending by almost 20 percent.”

“So what will you do when you’re King?”

“Several tedious things, Éponine. Decrease the Royal budget to go towards the caste relief program, increase job opportunities, and bring in business from other countries. However, if you’re looking for an answer that includes instant gratification you might be hoping for revolution.”

Éponine’s eyes widened as if I had just sent her home.

“You would commit treason against your father?” She asked sitting down.

“During this modern age we have different techniques,” I laughed.

Éponine was very vocal throughout the entire meeting. Even after the meeting and during the car ride back to the palace. When we arrived back she lingered at a counter in the kitchen.

“So you have to gain four pounds?” I asked as she sat down.

“Mhmmm” she hummed.

“Well how would you like a peanut butter and banana sandwich? Maybe one sandwich will go a long way,” I proposed with my limited medical knowledge.

“I’ll never deny a sandwich made by a Prince,” she laughed.

I pulled out the bread from a cupboard and took a deep breath.

“Éponine, since we’ve been on three dates, the public will be expecting an inside look on our relationship. Would you like to get dinner on Thursday night?”

“Will you be cooking?” she smirked.

Why did I expect Éponine to give me a straightforward answer?

“It may come as some of a shock to you, but my cooking skills stop at sandwiches,” I said lathering on a layer of peanut butter.

“Sure, I guess I could carve some time out of my busy schedule.”

“Yes, all of that time standing around and waiting for me,” I sighed.

“You don’t have to sound so upset about having several dozen girls at your beck and call,” she laughed.

“Actually, I never wanted to have a Selection. I’ve never had plans on marrying.”

“Ah, so Combeferre and Joly weren’t lying earlier.”

“No, I was furious when my father made the announcement. But Ferre was able to convince me that a wife would be good for my image. If Illea sees that I can be compassionate and caring my politics will seem less radical.”

“You do get quite passionate during those meetings,” she smiled as I handed her a sandwich.

“And I hope to find someone that can handle those passionate meetings.”

“Then you should bring all of the other girls to the meeting. I’m sure some of them would love them,” she groaned.

“I think you mean some of them would love to agree with me,” I said, slicing two more pieces of bread.

“Don’t knock it before you’ve tried,” she mumbled.

“Are you encouraging me to go dates with multiple women?”

“I won’t get very far if I play the jealous type, or would I?”

“No, you’re right. Jealousy is not a desirable trait, but given the circumstances I wouldn’t be surprised if that was a common emotion.”

“Well yeah, if you’re watching someone you love go on multiple dates with other women,” she said standing up to put her plate in the sink.

“So you don’t love me?” I asked, smiling.

“Sorry to disappoint, but no. You’re a really nice guy but I’ve only known you for a few weeks, Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever been in love,” she said, jumping on top of the counter.

“Me neither, which is why I guess we’re both floundering,” I laughed, taking a bite of my sandwich.

“Floundering? I didn’t know I was doing that badly,” she said as her eyes widened.

“I mean, I’d be worried if you were already head over heels in love with me. But I’m surprised no other guys spent eighteen years throwing themselves at you.”

Éponine’s face twisted into an odd expression as she stared at the bruise on her wrist. Almost immediately she slid off of the counter and started walking towards the door.

“I-It’s getting late. I should get to bed so my maids don’t yell at me for getting dark circles. I’ll see you for dinner though!” She called, picking up the maid’s uniform.

Once again, as soon as I felt like I was getting somewhere with Éponine she pushed away.

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julietakesoncomm380-blog · 4 years

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*February 13*

In this essay, I will examine the critical questions: What is a narrative that is important to me or U.S. culture? What truths does it promote? What truths does it limit or ignore? What are the societal/ethical advantages and the disadvantages of this narrative?

To investigate these questions, I analyzed season 5 episode 9 (“99”) and 10 (“Game Night”) of Brooklyn 99. By combining tone with word choice, as well as chronicling the events following Rosa’s coming out, the two episodes of Brooklyn 99 share a narrative that coming out with regard to sexuality can be scary. Overall, this narrative is productive for society because it shows the complication of the process and does not paint a potentially harmful and inaccurate picture by showing either all acceptance or all rejection.

Brooklyn 99 is a comedy about a fictional New York City police precinct. It follows the work of the precinct, as well as the relationships between the detectives themselves as well as with their captain inside and outside of work. Jake is the funny one, Amy is the nerdy one, Charles is the pathetically adorable friend to all, Terry is the big teddy bear who can also lift a thousand pounds, Rosa is a private, tough, Latina, and Captain Holt is the all business, homosexual, African American captain. In “99”, the squad attempts to get Captain Holt back to New York from LA in time for a job with the commissioner. Charles gets a little nosy and Rosa ultimately comes out to him. In “Game Night”, Rosa Diaz comes outs to the rest of the squad and her family, which is the storyline I have chosen to follow.

Palczewski explains that narratives are everywhere, and often times, they do a lot of things. Narratives often teach cultural values or lessons that are widely accepted in that culture. This idea goes hand in hand with the concept of social truth. Social truth is “beliefs and values that do not refer to some objective reality, but to social reality – those beliefs about what is right that people have arrived at together,” (133). Narratives are also interesting and enjoyable to the audience, but while being that, they can educate their audience and allow for new perspectives to be seen. Narratives include events that then in turn cause other events, or at the very least are related to one another.

One of the narratives evident in these episodes of Brooklyn 99 is that coming out can be scary. When Rosa actually comes out, her word choice and tone tell us this narrative. When Rosa hesitantly comes out to Charles, she tells him quietly and almost ashamedly, “I didn’t say anything about being bi because I didn’t think it was anyone’s business and I also didn’t want anything to change,” and in that case, she had nothing to be scared of, as Charles was supportive. Her word choice tells us she was hiding this part of herself and not necessarily looking forward to any consequences that came with telling people. Another instance in which these episodes promotes the truth that coming out is frightening using word choice and tone is when Rosa comes out to her parents. She takes Jake out to dinner and invites her parents without telling him, hurriedly and panickily insisting to Jake that “This is happening and I need you to be here with me and maybe just step in and do it for me,” which is later followed up by a defeated “I thought I was ready to do this but I’m not.” Rosa’s word choice clearly shows that she is uncomfortable and anxious about coming out to her parents, and though a friend’s support would help, it ultimately does not end up making it any easier. Her tone reflects her uneasiness and eventual change of mind in regard to her coming out. Combined, her word choice and tone make it clear that she is not having an easy time doing this and she is concerned about the consequences.

In “Game Night”, the events following Rosa coming out to the squad are shown and these events continue the narrative that coming out can be terrifying. After coming out to her coworkers, Rosa fields numerous questions, including: How long have you known? What made you decide to tell us now? Are you seeing anyone now? And one so “not tasteful” it was not even asked. Questioning Rosa’s personal life is something the squad somehow feels entitled to despite Rosa never being a very open person before. Becoming more open and vulnerable to people whom were usually left in the dark can be terrifying. Rosa responds with short answers and still tries to keep as much private as possible. There is also the possibility that things would not have gone as smoothly as they did for Rosa. Captain Holt says, “I must say, this is going considerably better than when I came out to my colleagues.” This instance also shows the truth that coming out can be scary. Captain Holt’s coworkers were “not, as the kids say, awake” and it showed, because they seemingly did not accept him. The portrayal of both stories here is important and both still continue the narrative that coming out can be scary. Coming out, you kind of never know how people are going to react. There will likely be a barrage of questions that you really do not feel like answering, and then there is also the fact that people could act negatively, sometimes to the point of violence, and you do not know if that is going to happen.

While showing the squad’s reaction, “Game Night” also show Rosa’s family’s reaction to her coming out and follow the events that come afterwards, again continuing the narrative that coming out can be scary. At Rosa’s following family game night, her father tells her “no matter what you call yourself, you still like men. So, you can still get married and have a child.” When Rosa replies she can do that with either a man or a woman, he replies “Yes, but it will be a man because this is just a phase,” and later tells her “There’s no such thing as being bisexual.” This narrative that coming out can be scary continues because Rosa’s parents, the people who created her, are denying that a part of their child exists. And while a person’s sexuality is not all they are, it is still a part of them and for Rosa’s parents to tell her that she is wrong in that or deny that part of her exists proves how scary coming out can be. It is just one more part of your identity, but it is a part of your identity that can completely change how people feel about you. This event has shown things changing, and change is always frightening. Another event that perpetrates this truth is when Rosa’s father comes to talk with her after she has come out to her parents. While her father accepts her, “Mom needs a little more time,” and he feels it would be best to “put game night on hold for a little while.” Rosa revealing a part of her identity has changed her family drastically. Coming out also means facing those changes that you cannot control, yet still happen. This ties into the idea of social truths. For some, especially more recently, it has become a social truth that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is normal and acceptable. For others, such as Rosa’s traditional and conservative parents, it is a social truth that being a part of that community is wrong. Social truths depend on your audience. Rosa knows this, and that is in part why she is a little less anxious to come out to her coworkers than she is coming out to her parents.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to this narrative that coming out is scary. It is beneficial to those who may not be out to see the reality of what could happen. After Rosa’s family cancels family game night, the squad stands in, creates a comforting community for Rosa, and has their own family game night. I think it is really important to show that some people could need some time and may not react as well as you would like, while others will act as if nothing has changed. Portraying an audience that all received the news well could be creating a false image for viewers of the show which could then lead to a harsh reality shock, so it is beneficial that there is some negative response to Rosa’s coming out. It is also helpful to those who are already out to possibly see their story portrayed in a television show to create a sense of validation. A possible disadvantage is that it does not show what happens if neither your friends nor family accept you, although many people who can control their coming out chose to do so when they feel safe. I do think overall, its largely beneficial to society because it does show both extremes of reality and shows that while some may not accept you, there are many who will. Besides all of this, it is showing that being LGBTQ+ is real and okay. For some reason, having an LGBTQ+ character on a show is still rare, so any normalization of being part of that community is a great thing for the community. There is a community of people that have both accepted and chosen to love Rosa the way she is. Rosa is not portrayed as a bad character or by using stereotypes. They have added another identity to her character, but she is the same Rosa as she was in season one.

Valentine further explains how narratives, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community, work in practice. For a community that has been so excluded and marginalized, a collection of public narratives is so important. Before LGBTQ+ people were telling their stories, there were people who did not know how to tell their stories because they did not have the correct language for it, they did not have the community. That has changed through the production of narratives in the LGBTQ+ community. There are new stories, and new ways of telling those stories. Most basic is the oral history, but it ranges from dramatic monologues to comics to portraits to music. But the presence of all these other types of storytelling is all thanks to the oral history. It created a community that developed in so many ways. Rosa is contributing her story to this community. She is making LGBTQ+ storytelling for other a little bit easier by telling her own story. Captain Holt tells Rosa, “Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place. So, thank you.” Telling her story not only makes the world a better place, but it allows for that to continue. Her story will help others express their stories, continuously making the world a better and more interesting place. It is thanks to people before Rosa coming out that she had the ability to tell and share her story, so it will be thanks to Rosa, as well as people before her, that people will continue to do so. These narratives, especially on television, allow for these stories to not only be given and listened to within the LGBTQ+ community, but with the world. The values and ideas these stories portray are becoming more and more wide-reaching and more and more accepted.

In summary, the two episodes of Brooklyn 99 following Rosa’s coming out share a narrative that coming out can be frightening. Word choice and tone make this obvious in her actual coming out, while the events following make it clear later on. They show both realities of the consequences to coming out while creating a strong sense of community and overall benefit the audience in this way.

“Game Night.” Brooklyn 99: Season 5, written by Justin Noble and Carly Hallam Tosh, directed by Tristram Shapeero, FOX, 2017.

Palczewski, Catherine Helen, et al. Rhetoric in Civic Life. Strata Publishing, 2012.

Valentine, James. “Narrative Acts: Telling Tales of Life and Love with the Wrong Gender.” Forum Qualitative Social Research, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/viewFile/412/896

“99.” Brooklyn 99: Season 5, written by Andy Bobrow, directed by Payman Benz, FOX, 2017.

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ofaurcra · 5 years

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TASK #001: EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT.

GENERAL INFO

full name: CHIURA AZAMI nickname(s): AZA, MIMI, AMI gender & pronouns: SHE/HER sexual & romantic orientation: BISEXUAL & BIROMANTIC age & dob: 22, 9TH NOVEMBER 1996 birthplace/hometown: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN parents/siblings: CHIURA AKEMI (MOTHER) & CHIURA TATSUYA (FATHER), AZA ALSO HAS A SIMILARLY AGED BROTHER. pet(s): TONKINESE CAT (KIMURA) (X) & SINGAPURA KITTEN (ROMI) (X) astrological sign: SCORPIO dominant hand: LEFT handwriting style: neat, small & cursive (very pronounced swirls joining letters or flicking them off) language(s) known/spoken: JAPANESE, KOREAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH religion: AGNOSTIC current living arrangements: OWNS HER OWN UPTOWN STUDIO APARTMENT occupation/major: FASHION DESIGN AND FLOWER SHOP MANAGER

PHYSICAL

picture reference: (X) blood type: AB+ nationality: japanese skin tone/color: honeyed glow birthmarks & scars: birthmark on her neck and one behind her ear, they’re usually a very pale beige and she has a scar located on her pelvis from being shoved into a brick wall when younger and scraping across the skin. height: 5′4 build: petite but athletically toned allowing for surprising strength hair color: platinum blonde currently, silvery tonage hair length: (X), (X) her hair is currently this length and style eye color: naturally rich chocolate brown but she’s taken to wearing jade hued contacts more recently. diet: healthy and balanced but she isn’t overly worried over it, she quite likes her salads and all her fruits anyway and will happily choose them over sugary snacks. the only time she really binge eats is on her patisserie visits, if she has people over for breakfast (cause she goes all out she is an extra bitch) or if she’s having a movie night with friends. exercise & level of fitness: she tends to swim and run a lot but is more prone to relaxing exercises which help the mind and body like yoga and meditation, she’s very flexible and used to do gymnastics too. but in general she gets the recommended amount of aerobic activity recommended for healthy adults. how’s their posture ( or lack thereof )?: she usually stands very upright, with her chin in the air so her posture is really good and she often has her arms crossed if she’s being all ‘business workaholic’ aza but if she’s being more relaxed and casual she tends to slant one leg out more and jut the knee with a hand usually resting on her right hip. typical style of dress: (x), (x), (x), (x), (x),(x) body modifications: (x) - this tattoo can be located on aza’s index finger, (x) - this tattoo is located on aza’s back lying just above where her bra strap would sit, (x) (x) - the first image references the design of this tattoo and the second shows the location being just beneath the breast and across the ribcage, it is a tiny tattoo that she shares with ( @sunsbloom) signifying her bond with ivy and referencing the shared zodiac of scorpio between them. (x) - this tattoo can be located behind aza’s left ear. (x) (x) - both these finger tattoos can be located in the places on the images. (x) - this tattoo is dedicated to her brother and can be found on her inner thigh but it is incredibly tiny. (x), (x), (x), (x) - these ones are located in the same places as they are on the images. what can be noticed is that aza has a surprising amount of tattoo’s yes but all are tiny designs and usually incorporate floral elements because she feels such an affliction for flowers, she also prefers to use white ink or red where she can if it works stylistically. finally, she’s hoping to get these (x) with america squad ( @hijinae, @ofdaeseong) as a tribute to their friendship.

MANNERISMS

how does your muse walk?: it’s a bit of a sashay when she’s in the mindframe of getting things done with a lot of hip swinging and fast pace, its not an intentional boss bitch walk but it happens naturally when she’s in a rush. if she isn’t stressed or busy then her walk becomes more of a peaceful and slow paced saunter where she appears to admire or take in her surroundings a little more and get a little zoned out. how does your muse talk?: aza has a delicate and gentle voice, it’s soft and comforting but it’s not quiet at all, she talks clearly and with confidence and when in a position of leadership she can project it without issue. it tends to sound like she’s drawling out words when she’s with those she is comfortable with in a somewhat unintentionally seductive way. she just has a sexy voice asfhfh what can u do. what does their laugh sound like?: twinkly, it comes out in quiet and soft peels and is more akin to a giggle, it kind of lingers in the room long after she’s finished because her laughter is usually short when its genuine as well. how does your muse typically smell?: she favors fruity perfumes which aren’t overpowering but strong enough to catch on the breeze when she moves her hair or embraces someone so scents like patchouli, musk, white amber, grapefruit, wild berries, caramel, praline, jasmine, freesia, peony and pomegranate are some of her favorites. what kind of air do they carry?: somewhat regal, a don’t fuck with me vibe like she’s always sizing you up and knows your next move before even you do to strangers. to friends she’s like a strict but overly affectionate mom. do they have a(ny) catchphrase(s)?: as the legend ariana once said ain’t you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch. what are their nervous ticks?: she runs her hands through her hair a lot, like frequently in a matter of seconds or minutes and pushes it back a lot haphazardly, she also bites her lip or chews things more when stressed.

PSYCHOLOGY

what makes your muse happiest?: spending time with the america squad or ivy since those are her bestest friends, in the past phone calls with her brother really lifted her spirits when she was struggling but its been a while since she’s had one, going out for coffee or picnics in the summer. what upsets them the most?: liars and hypocrites, in general but especially in family dynamics she cannot stand parents who have children and then don’t love them unconditionally as a parent is expected to. she’ll flare up if her friends have family issues and she sees their parents talking down to them automatically because she knows what that feels like and most of the time in her experience with rich upbringing the parents aren’t so perfect either. what are their hobbies? how frequent do/can they do them?: she likes to sketch when designing her fashion and she’s pretty good at painting, likes exploring fashion or art museums and exhibits, likes finding new cafes and quiet restaurants or patisseries for hangout spots, loves spending time in botanical gardens and at the library reading. she’s a bit of an adventurer by nature she just loves to be going places but more quiet hobbies are things like baking, journalism and a bit of blogging. do they have any guilty pleasures?: other than food not really but aza does occasionally enjoy to socially smoke if she goes out partying. she’ll also deny it to all hell and back because sorbet is healthier but she could eat five tubs of ice cream in one evening. is your muse an extrovert or an introvert? neither?: she funnily enough is sort of both, i would say she is more extroverted now because circumstances have definitely forced her to be so if she isn’t working one of her many diverse jobs she is going out and exploring but she used to be a huge introvert. and if there is one sign of rain find her under a duvet with hot cocoa sleeping the day away and marathoning on netflix. do they have high or low self-esteem? what about confidence?: she loves herself what more can i say. she doesn’t believe in vanity she thinks its important to be in love with yourself and i would say her self love comes from a place where it is well earned because she definitely struggled with low self esteem and confidence issues in the past being so silenced and controlled by her father. are they easily stressed and how do they normally respond to it?: definitely, if you worked the way aza does you would be as well. it doesn’t help she’s prone to anxiety attacks from stress so she doesn’t respond very well. if its a minimal amount she can be alright, she tends to just walk away and take a break until her head is clear but sometimes if she is overwhelmed she’ll just break down and cry over the smallest things and shut down on herself, going quiet and unresponsive, she tends to get shaky and her breathing worsens. what is your muses worst fear?: following in her parents footsteps and one day being a neglectful parent, she hates the idea of letting anyone down especially her own potential family. what is your muses biggest dream?: making it as a fashion designer i suppose, she doesn’t want fame especially after seeing how it made her family act with people due to their empire and riches but she wants to live comfortably and be able to show her talents and fresh perspective off more. is your muse a morning person or a night dragon?: definitely a night dragon but she tries to go to bed and get up at the same time when she can because its supposedly healthier to have a routine. how intelligent is your muse? do they acknowledge it?: aza is very cultured and i would say she has a philosophical and extremely open mind. her intelligence is one of the kinds where it is more of wisdom than it is scientific and factual or academic alone. though she did incredibly well with her grades academically she’s still god awful at maths and will not engage with it. describe their sense of humor: dry witted, sarcastic, sometimes dark, crude.

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES

are they currently in any sexual or romantic relationships?: there aren’t any plotted out for aza yet (but like pls do come love her down) but knowing her anyway i’m just going to say she probably is in sexual relationships because aza is prone to having flings. what is their experience with relationships?: OOF its not great, mostly negative since her life has became more stable in daegu she’s slowly starting to feel and receive and learn how to allow herself for healthy ones but in the past she had a lot of fucked up ones due to miscommunication and her fear of commitment primarily. how does your muse view the idea of friends with benefits? have they ever had one? would they ever?: yes yes and yes. BUT aza is way more cautious about it because she’s very aware that usually its a one sided kind of fun where one person ends up falling harder than the other and being hurt. how important is sex to your muse?: i want to say she isn’t that shallow and it isn’t important but... it is, i think for aza its a way to feel things and immerse herself in those emotions without having to feel vulnerable at all but at the same time that only applies to good sexual partners. if not aza thinks sex is just...average at best, its not bad and its not mindblowingly good its just kind of nice for a while and then its done. what are their biggest turn on and turn offs?: OH LAWD, okay well turn on’s: neck biting, choking, broad physique, a lil bit of manhandling like yes slam her against the door and yes pin her down to the table and yes you can lift her and push her on the counter. turn offs: anything too weird like foot fetishes or watersports or something and doNT for the love of god pls don’t ever spank her, she will freak out, spankings are triggers for her big time. does your muse find it easy to make friends?: yeah i mean azami is pretty agreeable, she gets along with basically everyone. its hard for her to have enemies although she may have healthy rivals and frenemies there is never truly really any bad blood between azami and others. she likes to work through the kinks in relationships and she’s stubborn so she won’t give up on people without one hell of a fight. she even tends to stay friends with her ex’s because in her eyes they should be adult and able to wish each other well in their lives and be happy for one another without tension or awkwardness. how important is friendship to them?: considering that for aza her friends have been like her found and chosen family and her only real soulmate connection that runs truly deep in this world is ivy emotionally speaking i think friendship is the most important thing in the world to azami. quantity or quality of friends?: 100% quality of friends how important is family?: suprisingly although azami’s family are trash and can rot she does find them important and she always will love them and she always will wish that her dad was proud of her. also even though she hates that her brother kind of shadows her and makes bad choices bc of it and she shoulders the blame a lot of the time he is the center of her world and she would do anything for him. she hates the fact she couldn’t be there for him the way she wanted growing up and protect him as much as she’d have liked are they close to their family? why or why not ?: hnhh i mean this one is obvious but no she isn’t close to her family. she did not fit the mold of prim and perfect princess who does as daddy says and knows her place without question even if its wrong. her mother simply shut her out as a way to cope with the fact aza wouldn’t pretend like she would. its also to do with the fact that she had aza far too young and didn’t get a chance to live her own life as she constantly made sacrifices for her and to keep the family together but aza doesn’t know so much about all of that.

FAVORITES

activity: reading animal: cats and she likes chinchilla’s beverage: strawberry smoothies and vanilla and honey milkshakes book: milk and honey by rupi kaur color: pastel pink and mustard yellow designer: ralph laurent food: coq au vin and churro’s flower: wisteria gem: garnet holiday: valentines mode of transportation: car or cycling movie: burlesque musical artist: lana del rey quote / saying: l'avoir c'est avoir les étoiles scenery: starry nights in flower covered fields, bright days in quiet secluded peach orchards and strawberry farms. scent: jasmine weather: sunny but with a light breeze vacation destination: bali

ATTITUDES

greatest dream: fashion designer of haut couture dresses greatest fear: letting down her family and loved ones most at ease when: in a quiet cafe getting work done, having a movie night cuddled up with jinae,dae and the cats, shopping and spending time with ivy doing anything really, looking at art or reading poetry in the sunshine. least as ease when: facing unwanted advances, having phone calls with her family, facing a tight deadline with a heavy workload. worst possible thing that could happen: losing the opportunity to be a parent because she’s too afraid of messing her kids up the way she was and losing the chance to be happily married and living alone forever because she can’t open up to someone on that level of vulnerability. biggest achievement: modelling for some lesser known brands and being included in photography shootings for freelance friends. opening up her flower shop and balancing two other jobs as well as her education. being invited to attend some fashion shows by having some designer connections biggest secret: azami doesn’t really like to keep secrets so there isn’t anything scandalous other than the fact that at one point when she was younger she had a slight crush on dae and if anything that’s just laughable to them now so she doesn’t really give it much thought. top priorities: work, coming up with new innovative and fresh ideas for all of her work and not only dedicating herself to her study of and love of fashion, making time for her friends no matter how busy she gets, remembering to go easy on herself and allow herself to take breaks and vacations.

#daegu:task #if u read all of this god bless u and ur crops may u have a fruitful harvest

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aflamethatneverdies · 5 years

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3.7.3

We are introduced to Patron-Minette in greater detail. There’s nothing sublime about these creatures, only grotesque whereas with the amis there was much sublime and light imagery in their descriptions.

We are first introduced to Guelemer. He is described as a Hercules who had the power to defeat monsters, yet he became a monster himself because it was easier. A lot of descriptions of the Patron Minette carry a similar thread, being good is an active process, but the criminals chose an easier route, to satisfy their indulgences and cravings to the point where they have become egocentric and dangerous.

Guelemer’s description is very loosely sort of reminiscent of an inverse Bahorel: Geulemer’s muscles were crying for work, but he was indolent, old before his time and not fashionably dressed. Bahorel is not Guelemer because he cares, he actively cares so much. Moreover, as Pilferingapples mentioned in explanation about Guelemer that he was involved with the White Terror and therefore he’s a dangerous assassin undermining the Republic, as well as a criminal undermining society.

Babet is a contrast to Guelemer’s brawn by being called lean and wiry. He’s also impenetrable, his eyes reflect no light, there’s only darkness there. He can talk well and dabbles a little in being a chemist and as a showman. Yet, he puts all that to use to extract teeth from healthy people instead of helping advance the knowledge of medicine, he exploits and feeds on the superstitions and destitution of people. His talk is also a bunch of nonsense meant to deceive people instead of bringing understanding. Babet adopts superstition and hypocrisy. I also find the line about his family interesting. He lost his family like ‘a man loses a handkerchief’ and it is his apathy and unconcern about that incident that really stand out to me since there is so much emphasis on families and found families and on building communities where people help each other being a good thing.

Claquesous is described as darkness, a mask, he keeps everything hidden and works in the shadows. The mine where they work is already dark, but we also get further mention of dark symbolism with Claquesous. It’s also interesting that he does not have a face or a name, when names have important meaning and significance. He has chosen to have no identity so that he can blend more completely into the night.

It’s also interesting that he also does not have a voice, his belly speaking more than his mouth as a ventriloquist, this is probably a pun in French I guess. He exists as nothing, creating more fear in the minds of the people as he could be anywhere and commit any crime, we also know that he is a dangerous criminal and a police spy as well. He lives exclusively among the darkness and the shadows more than the others.

Montparnasse is so young when we are introduced to him, he’s a gamin turned murderer and also an idler like the rest of the group who probably took his name from the Montparnasse graveyard maybe? He commits murders and robbery just to appear fashionably dressed because a girl complimented him on his looks. He does remind me of Bamatabois if he was poor because Montparnasse if he was rich would be yet another Bamatabois making fun of people like Fantine. He is also described as feeding on a diet of wickedness, I find the comparisons interesting with a hungry appetite fed on evil. It is also interesting that he is described as a very selfish and vain dandy to differentiate him from a flaneur. The fact that he likes putting flowers in his buttonhole (he’s interested in beauty for the sake of beauty) but in this instance all of that is surrounded by death and the murders he has committed, is a very interesting image.

3.7.4

It’s more and more obvious that these four men aren’t really four individuals with different personalities (unlike the amis) but instead form a collective without a leader, they are the ‘monstrous polyp of evil’ dwelling in society.

The amis form a family but they are also individuals and each of them is important to the group and each brings something to it, whereas here in the lowest circles of hell the members of Patron Minette merge together to form a type of parasite feeding off of society and making it weaker and disease ridden.

Patron Minette are also compared to spiders laying traps (animal imagery again) and setting up murders during the hours of the night as in a theatre drama.

Once the morning dawns they disappear to sleep. Hugo is insistent that these men (they are men named here only) are once again a symptom of a deeper problem and they keep appearing with different faces and names, which is why faces and names are not important for them. They are part of darkness and feed and live off of it.

They are also not associated with religion or light imagery and said to have no other soul but the gloom. Considering how much the emphasis was placed on man’s soul in the convent digression, the fact that they have no soul and nothing of what makes them human is interesting.

I love the last paragraph, light makes them disappear like bats from a cave, the focus on illumination in society is highlighted once again. This book is really not that subtle.

#brickclub #3.7.3 #3.7.4 #long post

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funkymbtifiction · 6 years

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Is there going to be tritypes for Les Miserables ? I keep thinking it could be heavy with enneagram 4 either as a core or part of the fix. Thank you.

Jean Valjean: 8w9 2w1 6w5 sp/so - The Rescuer.

Valjean’s experience with authority and the law hasn’t been a favorable one, ever since he was convicted unfairly for many long years for stealing due to starvation, he has been defiant of any sort of authority and has sought his own survival over all else. However, once he’s become his own boss and he’s the one who makes the rules after the bishop assists him and show him the virtue in caring for others (integration into 2), he’s able to access his wing and become relaxed and peaceful (8w9). Under stress, he isolates himself, reduces his needs and becomes very detached and analytic in regards to circumstances, moving to 5.

He’s always tended and cared for the needs of those under his care, first with his sister’s family, then with the whole town of Montreuil-sur-mer when he opens his factory, and he prides himself on his fairness in regards to his employees and citizens during his time as mayor, not to mention he strives to follow the noble example of bishop Myriel (2w1).

Valjean is naturally alert and suspicious which has allowed him to escape and adapt to every new situation many times, he relies mostly on his own knowledge for his conclusions and despite he appreciates support, he is usually fine without it (6w5).

His instinctual variant reflects how he mostly cares for his safety and that of those under his care (self-preservation) but he also feels he has a responsibility to society and despite he’s reluctant to become mayor, he proves to be perfect for the job (social).

Javert: 1w9 6w5 3w4 so/sx - The Taskmaster.

Javert lives to right the world’s wrongs, he has the detached air of righteousness characteristic of 1w9, a colder attitude compared to 1w2 who reaches more for others and focuses on meeting their needs over following every word of the law. He’s ever suspicious and endlessly loyal to his code of honor manifested in the law, he feels without it the whole world will fall to pieces, it is his duty to uphold everything it entails. He doesn’t follow it completely blindly but it is made up of principles his own experiences have reinforced, which he has analyzed and approved (6w5). He is concerned with being a model of virtue and he would never allow his image be ruined by his actions, which is why he strives for perfection in everything, however there is a brooding quality to his image, as shown in his deep thoughts and internal conflicts. When the image of perfection upheld by his 3 fix is threatened, the dark and intense aspect of the 4 wing comes forth (3w4).

His instinctual variant reflects he lives mostly for society, however there is an intensity about him that is explained by his sexual second, which mainly justifies his fixation with Valjean. He simply will not rest until he sees him behind bars, for all of those years he’s managed to elude him. His self-preservation blindspot can be seen in how attending to his own needs is most likely seen as selfish by him.

Marius: 4w5 1w9 7w8 sx/so - The Visionary.

The sweet Pontmercy boy is continuously delving deep into his intense feelings in a very analytic way. He’s quite detached unless something very important to him is discussed (his father, the issues with his grandfather, his family’s differing political views, his love for Cosette) in which case, get ready to know exactly how he feels about it in the most poetic way (4w5). He is very concerned with morality and doing the right thing and isn’t afraid to call people out if he feels they’re doing something wrong, even his own kin, as seen when he promptly left his grandfather after he found out what he had done to his father, however he’s not as people oriented as his friends and prefers to ponder the theoretical aspects of morality on his own. Groups aren’t really his thing (1w9). He definitely is the head in the clouds type, envisioning the wonderful life he’ll have with Cosette by his side (when he’s not drowning in pessimism over not being able to be with her, or when the guilt he feels for his friends’ fate doesn’t take over, that is). It takes Cosette to get him to see the brighter side many times, but there’s a wonder and zest for life in his best moments. His 8 wing shows when he becomes confrontational and assertive at the barricades, he is able to stand his ground very well. He’s usually self contained but can be impulsive on occasion (7w8).

He has a tendency to focus on one person at a time, first it was his father, then Cosette. He generally shows a disregard for groups (until he warms up to Les Amis) and is very self absorbed but he’s even less concerned with his own needs: leaving his grandfather’s house over a political and familiar dispute with nowhere else to go is definitely something only a self-pres blind could do.

Cosette: 9w1 2w1 7w6 sx/so - The Peacemaker.

Cosette is content doing what others expect of her, she loves harmonious environments and is concerned with doing the right thing, especially in regards to her father, she never considers running away with Marius because it would be ungrateful of her (9w1). She lives for others, to give and receive love and she loves to help those less fortunate than her (2w1). Lastly, there’s an adventurous spirit in her, like the adventurers who run barefoot, she is curious about the world around her and very optimistic but also cautious (7w6). Her instinctual variant reflects her focus on Marius and Valjean (sexual) and society at large (social).

Éponine: 8w9 2w1 6w7 sx/sp - The Rescuer.

Éponine is quite resentful she has to do what her father asks of her, she wishes she could have her way. However, he’s about the only person she listens to, as she’s in the words of her own brother “only a kid but hard to scare”. She’s very good at finding her way around the poorest streets of Paris. She’s usually fierce and assertive but will become peaceful around the right people, like Marius. She’s more than content with going along with his wishes because she loves him (8w9). Everything she does is for Marius, even in the book where she’s far less selfless, she still does what she does in hopes she will get love back from him, which is basically type 2′s main motive. Even if she’s hurt because Marius loves Cosette over her, she still does the right thing and not only gives him her letter but selflessly (not so much in the book, it must be said. Sorry, book Ponine) sacrifices her life for him (2w1). Ponine can be a bit naive when it comes to Marius but she makes no mistake, knows she can trust nobody and is ever alert whenever she has to deal with Patron Minette, her father’s criminal gang. Her 7 wing makes her sweet and funny, often telling jokes to Marius to lighten the mood (6w7). All of her attention is on Marius and she uses every tactic she knows to help him find Cosette. Her social blindspot explains her little concern with the motive behind the revolution and the fact she shows scorn for those society sees as superior to her.

Fantine: 2w1 9w8 7w8 sx/so - The Peacemaker.

Fantine’s main motivation is her enormous love for her little Cosette. After being left heartbroken when all the love she gave to Thólomeyes isn’t reciprocated (and basically the worst nightmare of a 2 comes true), she feels there’s nothing but her daughter left for her in the world, which is why she gives her life completely and selflessly for her. She is deeply concerned she had to give up her virtue and pride for her daughter, but her love for her knows no limits (2w1). She usually has a very peaceful and quiet demeanor, she’s a dutiful and careful worker but do not dare violate her boundaries, as she won’t hesitate to stand her ground and assert them (9w8). She left her family and home in search of love and adventure, a full life. She used to be a very cheerful and optimistic child, if quite guarded compared to her friends due to her 9 fix, if a bit naive which caused her to blindly give all her love to Thólomeyes without ever suspecting or doubting him until he left. Her 8 wing shows in her assertiveness and willingness to take chances. Her instinctual variant reflects how she mostly cares for others’ needs, first Thólomeyes, then Cosette. She’s concerned with the way the foreman and her coworkers feel about her as their suspicions could lead to her getting fired. Her self-preservation blindspot shows in how freely she was able to leave her home with very little preparation and forethought.

Gavroche: 7w8 8w7 2w3 so/sp - The Free Spirit.

Gavroche is the true definition of a free spirit, he wanders around the streets of Paris adventurously getting himself in and out of trouble and confidently asserting himself and the rights of the poor, forever fearless. He doesn’t hesitate to defy the French officials and offer his life for the cause (7w8 and 8w7). Gavroche has a very soft spot for his two younger brothers and quickly takes them under his wing when he finds them starving in the streets on their own, without even knowing they’re actually his brothers. There’s a flamboyant quality about him, he’s an expert at making what he does look easy and no big deal (2w3). Social concerns are important to him as seen in his devotion to the revolution and he’s adept at taking care of his and others’ needs easily.

Enjolras: 1w2 4w3 5w6 so/sx - The Researcher.

Enjolras will not rest until his ideals in regards to French society are true, despite his visions and goals could be said to be utopic, he knows he needs realistic measures to take care of the issue and the people affected by it right now (1w2). Despite he insists “their little lives don’t count at all”, he bases his identity on his beliefs and his noble cause which leads him move his fellow companions with such a passion it makes them all the more eager to follow him. He also has a somewhat poor and defective vision of himself and is very quick to notice and point out what’s wrong or not working in every case. He might not realize it but there is an image of dignity and perfection he likes to maintain (4w3). He’s self referential when dealing with fear, he finds out his own way of dealing with things and he trusts his own council (5w6). His disregard for his own needs and his focus on society justifies his instinctual variant.

Grantaire: 4w3 9w8 7w8 sx/so - The Gentle Spirit.

Grantaire has somewhat of a pessimistic view of life, despite he’s more optimistic and playful in the musical. In the book, he’s similar to Marius in their poetic outlook and emphasis on their feelings (which is very much in line with the Romantic spirit of the novel) and has pretty much given up on the cause, he’s only there because Enjolras inspires him, which explains his instinctual variant. However, there still is a small spark of hope in his saddened heart. I’m giving him a 3 wing for the way he’s characterized in the musical, more showy and jesty, teasing Marius on his newfound love (4w3). He pretty much goes along with what the others want and he will do anything for them, even spark and deal with conflict if necessary (9w8) and his optimism, even if little, is still there, waiting to be awaken (it is emphasized in the musical). He’s also quite the escapist, he acknowledges his darker feelings but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to deal with them (7w8).

Thénardier: 3w4 7w6 8w7 sp/sx - The Mover & Shaker.

Thénardier loves to put up a show, he’s charismatic and is able to get anyone to like him (3w4), impulsive, opportunistic, suspicious (7w6) and aggressive in pursuit of what he wants (8w7). He doesn’t really care for society and regards it with spite.

Mme. Thénardier: 8w7 3w4 7w8 sp/sx - The Mover & Shaker.

Quite similar to her husband, Madame Thénardier is even more assertive than him, we can see she’s the one who’s in charge at the inn. She’s playful and flirty and out to get what she wants.

Bonus:

Courfeyrac: 7w8 9w1 4w5 so/sp - The Gentle Spirit.

Courfeyrac is quite adventurous, he does like to go out and have a good time, but he can also be fierce when the situation calls for it (7w8). He is pretty chill and laid back most of the time and very concerned with doing the right thing, he gladly helps Marius when he basically has no one else to turn to (9w1). His deep feelings are expressed in his ideological beliefs and in his commitment to the cause (4w5).

Combeferre: 5w4 1w9 2w1 so/sp - The Mentor.

Combeferre is detached and analytical, he studies the works of the great thinkers of their time in an attempt to make sure their cause has a secure theoretical foundation and he’s the perfect man for the job (5w4). He has a strong aim for perfection and he definitely won’t settle for any less, while also always being very easygoing and well, always happily lost in a book (1w9). His main goal is ultimately to help and provide for those that suffer the most, which he considers is the best thing he can do (2w1).

I think the rest of Les Amis are pretty much either 4′s or 1′s with social instinct. I am open to tritype ideas for them but most of what we know comes from headcanons as neither the musical nor the book provide much information on them other than “deep Romantic (as in the art movement, not necessarily the usual meaning of the word) student with very high standards who’s fighting for a very important social cause” and a few peculiarities regarding their studies and such. ;)

- INFP Mod

#les miserables #tritypes #enneagram #question #c: enneagram

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thewritingduckling · 6 years

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A China Rose: Chapter 19

Summary: Y/N was once an employee at Prince Adam’s castle along with being his childhood friend but she doesn’t remember. Caught up in the curse, she ends up in Villeneuve where she stands out. But circumstances arrive and she somehow returns to the place she once called home, and a beast she once thought a friend.

A multi-chapter fanfiction. MASTERLIST

Author's Note: Here's chapter 19! So close to the dance. But not yet cause I'm evil. I tried so hard to find a gif of Beast in the bath or in his prince makeup but I couldn't and it annoyed me to no end! As usual tags and questions are OPEN but requests remain CLOSED. I hope you guys all enjoy!

Chapter 19: Preparation

He’d done it. He’d asked you to dance. Had he meant to? No. Was he glad he did? He wasn’t sure. As soon as he’d blurted out the question he’d immediately felt like smacking himself in the head, hoping that you had never actually heard him. He didn’t want to be rejected by someone he’d already pushed away once before. So imagine his shock when you had said yes. At first Adam felt pure joy and he let out the large amount of air with relief. You weren’t rejecting him like you had done before (although this time around he hadn’t done half as many stupid things). Then he realised that he hadn’t danced in almost a decade, could he even more? Not only that, what was he to wear? He wanted to impress you but how? He felt the blood drain from his face and he immediately ran out of the room. He practically sprinted upstairs before pausing at the top of the first flight. He was going to need help to get ready. He didn’t even know if he had any appropriate clothes, let alone know if he could even dance anymore. With that thought he yelled for Lumière who, after a long poignant wait for Adam, came running out from the room that headed into the dining room. Lumière paused looking into the ballroom and quickly Adam coughed. Lumière looked up and sprinted up the stairs before climbing up the banister to try and be at Adam’s eye level.

“Yes, master?” He enquired. Adam looked at him and tried to explain what he’d done but he failed. He could feel a blush spreading across his cheeks.

“I… um… I…” He began whilst Lumière stared at him waiting. He then heard a ruffle from downstairs. Adam immediately looked towards the noise and saw it was you leaving the ballroom, arms full of art supplies. He knew you could barely see anything from behind them all stacked up but in all honesty he didn’t want you to see him after he basically ran out of the ballroom. Adam grabbed Lumière and pulled him into a dark corner of the stairwell as you staggered past them both a large smile on your face. Adam’s eyes followed you and Lumière let out a rather large gasp of realisation.

“Did… Did something happen between you two?” He questioned. Adam simply looked down at his feet, remaining silent. This silence was broken when a large squeal was heard from upstairs. “That was the Madame.”

“FINALLY A DRESS! I CAN MAKE A BEAUTIFUL DRESS!”

“I… may have asked Y/N to dance.” Adam whispered. Lumière’s metal mouth seemed to melt as it dropped. “It’s tonight.” Still Lumière stared, slacked jawed. “She said yes by the way.” Adam looked away from Lumière's shocked face, feeling like a small child who had just done something horrifically wrong.

"Mon ami!!!" Lumière exclaimed. "This is wonderful!"

Adam looked up shocked at Lumière's response.

"My goodness. You must hurry! We must get you prepared along with the ballroom. We must have music and a feast with only the finest food!" Lumière quickly jumped out of Adam's paw and began to run down the stairs before pausing and turning back round to face Adam. "Go mon ami! Begin with a trim, then a bath. We will all be with you shortly. I must inform the others of this new development. For preparation obviously." Adam nods and begins to head up the stairs thinking that perhaps everything would be fine.

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He was wrong. So very, very wrong. He was not fine. He was well aware that the curse was coming to an end and he needed this to go well but apparently everyone else felt the need to reinforce this piece of information. They also were reminding him of how to act and Y/F/N was simply just there scrutinising him in silence with a clear facial expression that said 'hurt her again and you suffer more that you already have'. Adam gulped as Mrs Potts tried to drill home how important the evening was.

"This is it!" She said enthusiastically, whilst Adam was doused, by Chapeau, in another bucket of water. "Now or never!"

"The clock is ticking." Cogsworth added unnecessarily.

"There are only four petals left mon ami!" Lumière reminded. "Which means tonight you must tell her how you feel!"

Adam sighed. He knew what this night meant. He knew the staff only meant to help, to put him at ease but it was doing the opposite. He knew that you were probably his, their, last chance yet hearing it out loud from so many people did nothing to squash his fear and anxiety. However, that wasn't the main reason he was nervous. It was you. He couldn't understand you, (some of the time) and what he wanted desperately to be able to do was understand your heart, so he wouldn't have to fret over your response if he told you he loved you. He did love you. He had to admit he always had, since you were both children, but he had to grow into his father’s image and pushed you further away. He refused to do that again. Ever again. That was what scared him. That he loved you and he could admit it to himself but not you. He was terrified of you not feeling the same. He still remembered the time when you both fell in the castle lake, or made a book fort in the library, or played on the library ladders and made and obstacle course. He loved you back then, now he could identify the feeling, but you didn't remember those memories. You only knew him now and he hoped that that was enough.

He shook himself as he stood from the water shaking his sodden coat and grabbing a towel whilst his nerves began to get the best of him.

"She'll never love me." He whispered to himself, loud enough for all to hear.

"Do not be discouraged!" Lumière proclaimed whilst Adam dried himself behind the curtain.

"Look at me!" Adam exclaimed as he stepped out from behind the curtain dressed in a striped robe. "I feel like a fool. She deserves so much more than a... than a beast." He added solemnly.

"You care for her don't you?" Y/F/N asked thought it sounded more like a statement of fact.

"More than anything." He mumbled out as he looked at Y/F/N for the first time in the evening. The paintbrush nodded when he saw the look in Adam's eyes. There was fear and so much longing there. Lumière clearly saw the doubt in Adam's eyes and tried once more to encourage him.

"Well then, woo her with beautiful music and romantic candle light..."

"Yes," Plumette added, "and when the moment is just right..."

"But... how will I know when the time is right?" Adam questioned.

“In my experience,” Cogsworth stated after clearing his throat, “you will feel slightly nauseous.”

Adam unsurprisingly felt even worse than before. Lumière noticed and shot Cogsworth a look, silencing Cogsworth in a heartbeat.

“Don’t worry, mon ami,” Lumière reassured turning back towards Adam. “You will do fine. The problem was before she couldn’t see the real you.”

“No. The problem was that she did.” Mrs Potts said disagreeing. A loud poignant silence fell over the staff and Adam. Adam looked at Mrs Potts wide eyed and he felt his guilt and nerves grow. “For years before the curse,” Mrs Potts went on, “she above all hoped that you’d change and be the boy she remembered and loved but you just continued being cruel, selfish and angry. When she left and the curse was set we hoped against all hope that you would change but you didn’t and now we are running out of time. The truth is the staff, all of us, love you.” Adam almost forgot to breath. “Before we loved you despite of who you were but now we all love you because of who you are.”

Adam felt the corner of his mouth twitch. The staff all nodded and Y/F/N stepped forward.

“Most of all Y/N loves you. She never stopped. So you go out there and tell my daughter how you feel or I swear I’ll make Mrs Potts serve you cold tea for the rest of your life.”

“Whilst in the dark.” Lumière added.

“Covered in dust.” Plumette chimed in.

The staff all waited staring at Adam and Adam for once smiled without having to try too hard. He felt he was ready and nodded as the entire staff began fussing about how he looked. This time though, he felt like his looks wouldn’t matter.

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On the opposite side of the castle in your room you stood still letting Garderobe primp and pamper you. You were struck by a large case of the nerves ever since you had reached your room. You had dumped your art supplies on your bed which had woken the Madame from her slumber. You had told her about the dance and squealed with utter delight. She had immediately started planning a dress and for once you didn't have a single complaint; so in shock from being asked to dance that you didn't mind what she gave you. You trusted her enough to know that she's never make something that was outside of your comfort zone (which was simple garments). Whilst Garderobe began on the dress you drew a bath and washed yourself clean whilst pondering your feelings for Adam. You admitted to yourself that you felt happy around him and you found that you actively sought out his company and reading in the library with him not there felt slightly empty. If you had your father by your side you would have admitted to him that your feelings for Adam had become deeper than friendship but was it love? You weren't sure yet. Now, however you were about to go and spend an evening with him, having a meal and dancing in the ballroom.

After your bath you stood in front of Garderobe as she made the final touches to your dress. She had banned you from looking in the mirror so for the past 2 hours you had either been blindfolded or had your eyes shut whilst she did your hair, makeup and dress. During those past hours your thoughts had switched constantly between pondering how you felt about Adam and how you looked. You remembered how when you first came to the castle the Madame was slightly appalled by your preference of comfort and practicality over fashion. She'd made many dresses for you in the beginning that you were certain that you'd never be able to walk in but as time went on her designs became more and more you, though she had flat out refused to make trousers citing that ‘a lady does not wear them’. You had told her you were a simple country girl who liked trousers yet to no avail and you were content with your new dresses that had pockets.

"Okay I believe you can look." Garderobe said.

You opened your eyes and gasped. Garderobe had truly outdone herself. You almost didn't recognise your reflection. You were wearing minimal makeup only a slight rouge and lip. Your Y/H/C hair had been swept back into a gold head piece and a gold branch wrapped round your ear. You had a golden chain with a red rose pendant attached hanging around your neck and you could see bright red and gold shoes sticking out from underneath your skirts. The dress, however, your dress, was the greatest part of the ensemble. Words really couldn’t describe how beautiful it was. The skirt was full and floated as if it were like a cloud. It glowed like a halo and every slight movement you made caused the dress to almost shine as it caught the light. You smiled up at Garderobe who stretched out her drawers and somehow a layer of gold dust magically fell from the ceiling adding gold, glittered accents onto the skirts and bodice of the dress. You didn’t question how the gold fell from the ceiling; after living in the castle for so long you had just learnt to accept the bizarre and different. Pleased with her work, Garderobe pushed you gently out of the door into the empty corridor. You felt your nerves take over when you heard the door behind you close. You wrung your hands together and realised that your china hand was smooth and shiny. You looked at it to see that it was bare and for the first time in years lacking in paint. You normally would have wanted to cover it so that no one could see how the china slowly blended into skin but this night, you wanted Adam to see the real you, hand included. So with a deep breath you headed away from your room towards the grand staircase where you hoped that your prince for the night would be waiting.

Tag List

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I apologise to anyone who isn’t tagged on the above list, I’ve tried everything I can think of to get them to work. I’m sorry.

#batb #batb fandom #batb fanfic #batb fic #beauty and the beast #batb 2017 #batb fanficton #beast #beast x reader #beast imagine #prince adam #prince adam x reader #prince adam imagine #dan stevens

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