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guardmesherlock-rowan · 2 years

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Hunted | Requested

Anon: I don’t know when you’ll reopen requests for fanfics, but I have one starring Edward and the MC. For this one can the MC be named my character for GMS: Elise Chynoweth. The fanfic request, is based on a British reality series called ‘Hunted’ and ‘Celebrity Hunted’. They’ve just finished this year’s ‘Celebrity Hunted’ where 2 out of the 8 celebrities managed to evade the hunters. I’d like a fanfic for Edward and Elise to participate in ‘Celebrity Hunted’, work together as a team to avoid being hunted.

Do you live in the UK? If you want to get ideas for the ‘Celebrity Hunted’ fanfic, I can suggest that you watch the series on Channel 4. There are two series so far. ‘Celebrity Hunted’ is to raise funds for cancer research: 8 celebrities act like fugitives for 2 weeks while avoiding getting hunted by an elite team of hunters. Can Moriarty and Mycroft be on the team ‘Hunter’ because they want to catch my MC Elise?

(I do not live in the UK, I actually live in Minnesota in the USA, to the point that google likes to advertise immigration to Canada to me. I caught a few clips on youtube so please forgive me if this is not accurate)

[If the reader prefers ‘MC’ instead of Elise please find my AO3 post]

Word Count: 4255

Elise threw her arms around Edward, “we’re in!” She was practically shaking with excitement.

Edward grinned, “this is great! Okay I’ll start work on a game plan.” He took out his phone and started typing away.

“Shouldn’t we both work on the plan?” Elise nudged him to look over his shoulder.

“How about you check with who of your friends we might be able to fall back on for help? The best way to get caught is to get too stuck on one plan.” Edward glanced at Elise, a small smile on his face, before he went back to his phone.

Elise took out her own and started to scroll through when it started to ring.

“What is the meaning of this?” Sherlock’s voice hissed over the speaker.

“Meaning of-?”

“Mycroft just called me. You’re going to be on Hunted? And you’re going on it with Hyde?”

Elise grinned at her phone, then glanced at Edward, “Yes, and-”

“You know I would’ve been a better partner in being able to outwit my own brother!” Sherlock scolded from the otherside.

“Wait-” Elise’s mind was racing, what was he talking about?

“I don’t think it’s too late,” Sherlock murmured, “you might be able to contact them and tell them you’re changing your mind about who you want with you.”

“What do you mean by outwitting Mycroft?”

“He’s helping to hunt you down.”

Elise stared at the phone in shock, this was going to be a lot harder than she thought. She leaned against Edward, wondering if they would be able to win for their charity. Especially when going against Mycroft?

Sherlock’s voice crackled over the phone, “Elise?”

Elise glanced up at Edward who was still giving her his biggest grin. It wouldn’t be a game if it wasn’t challenging. As long as they kept it interesting for the viewers then that was all they could hope for. They could still have fun, no matter what. “It’s going to be a challenge but I believe Edward and I can do it!”

Sherlock sighed, “Elise…”

“Can I rely on you to help us if it comes to that?” She asked, her mind rushing through all the possibilities that could be awaiting them.

“Of course.”

Edward leaned over Elise’s shoulder, speaking close to the phone. “Thank you, we should get your number written down so we can call you no matter what phone we use.”

Elise pulled out a small piece of paper, they would have to prepare if they were going to have a shot at this.

—

In the hunters headquarters, some time after, Mycroft Holmes and James Moriarty were plotting, looking over the information they have regarding the 8 celebrities, two celebrities in particular. Mycroft glanced over Edward’s file once again and passed it to James, “We have 14 days to find them. Won’t be very hard, Mr. Hyde has a reputation.”

James barely looked at the information in front of him, “maybe, but with Elise with him he does have an edge.”

A member of the team approached them, “so we have 8 celebrities on the run, what do we know about them?” Indicating towards the headshots of Elise and Edward Hyde.

James smiles at Elise’s photo, “we know Elise is charismatic, charming, and wond-”

“People will be inclined to help her out.” Mycroft cut him off, “her partner Edward however tends to rub people the wrong way, but he was a stunt man for a long time and is very athletic. They may be a good team for their combined attributes.”

“And the others?” The team member pointed at another celebrity team on the board.”

Mycroft focused on them, remembering their information easily, “right-”

—

Edward pulled on Elise’s hand, not giving a moment after their release. “This way!” Elise held on tightly, trying not to slow them down or lose her bag. “In here.” He suddenly stopped next to a plain van with a complete stranger in the driver seat.

“Hi.” Elise waved at him as she crawled into the middle seats after Edward. The driver barely shot her a smile before he turned his attention back to the road as the door closed behind them.

“Hey, the bags are in the back.” The driver said as he pulled into traffic and immediately took the farthest lane.

Edward nodded his appreciation, “Great.” He pulled the ‘bags’ from the backseat and handed one to Elise, “Elise, put anything you absolutely need in here.”

“That’s a suitcase.” Elise worked it onto her lap and zipped it open, “it’s going to be a little harder to move than our backpacks.”

“Yes, but it will help in changing how we look right now, and we’ll probably need to change a few more times before the 14 days are up.” He reached over, giving Elise a comforting pat on her shoulder, “don’t worry, I know a guy for later that should help.”

“Alright,” she smiled, “I trust you.”

—

“We really don’t have any leads on where these two are?” Mycroft looked around the headquarters, they have a trail on almost every team, but it took longer for them to find where Edward and Elise went after they left the initial drop area. But even after finding out about them changing their bags and coats, it hadn’t helped in narrowing down where they spent their first night.

“With how charming Elise is, that's no surprise.” James whispered. “Someone’s out there helping them. I wonder if they’re staying safe.”

—

The ground was cold and hard, but Edward had spread out some blankets trying to make it as comfortable as possible before spreading a tarp over the little area to hide under. “Are you sure this is alright?” Elise asked, looking back at the entrance of the garage and out towards the fields and the house.

“Yeah, they said we could stay in here tonight.” He offered her a hand to sit down next to him. “I think we can trust them, it’s too early for the hunters to start offering reward money, don’t you think?”

“They might.” She shrugged, “but I think they’re trustworthy.” She indicated towards the house.

“Alright,” he laid down and held his arms open for her.

Elise felt the heat creep up her neck. “You want to sleep in each other’s arms?”

“It’s the best way to stay warm.” He took her hand and pulled her in.

Elise leaned into Edward’s chest as the night air cooled with the setting sun. His chest fell with the relaxed breathing of a man asleep. They could be caught out there, they could be caught tomorrow, she didn’t know if the hunters were following their path. She had seen previous seasons, so it wouldn’t surprise her if they were already closing in on them, especially with Mycroft. But, as Elise listened to the steady heartbeat of Edward she found her body relaxing, and sleep slowly crept over her.

—

Mycroft sat his tea down, carefully watching the other man across the table from him, “do you know where your brother is right now?:

“I do not,” Henry shook his head, “he’s participating in some kind of show I believe? But I was not allowed to go with him.”

“He’s being hunted and is on the run.”

“I see,” Henry gazed off to the side momentarily, “I hope he’s staying safe.”

James leaned forward, giving Henry a smile he would recognize. “If he isn’t coming to you for help, then do you know who he would go to? Other associates of yours?”

“Hmm,” Henry took a long drink from his tea before answering, “Edward has a lot of friends in many different fields, I’m sure some of them are helping out.” He looked between the two men in his living room.

Mycroft took out his tablet, “Can you give us some examples of who we might want to talk to?”

Henry shook his head, “no, I wouldn’t be able to say. It depends on what he needs help with.”

“That is a shame,” James leaned closely, offering Henry a business card, “but if you hear from him you will give us a call. Let us know how Edward is doing.” Henry’s expression didn’t change as he took the card.

Mycroft and James left the home behind them, and only commented when they got into the car. Mycroft looked back at the door, “I believe our friend is hiding something.”

“Best to keep an eye on the communications coming to those two in general. Maybe see if there are any friends of friends who might be helping them out.”

“I can send someone to interview Sherlock.”

“Do you think Sherlock would help?”

“I believe it would be helpful if I interviewed him.” Mycroft was grinning. James was starting to return the smile when their phone rang.

“Sir?” A team hunter’s member was on the other line.

Both men answered, “yes?”

“We got a call-in tip. Seems someone saw Elise and Edward.”

James asked, “do they know anyone in the area the tip came from?” The team member ran through the nearest immediate contacts in the area, but they were still several miles away.

Mycroft stopped them, “I’m not sure if they personally know someone in that area, but I know someone Edward might have known to reach out to in that area, let’s go.”

—

Elise sat still on the strange sofa. The place seemed minimalistic, and clean. Despite the man kneeling in front of her who seemed very different from his home. “Hold still.” Edward had quickly introduced him as Erik before showing her to the bathroom. They had both been able to wash the grime from the last few days away, and now he had pulled different cases of makeup out from a backroom. Erik was applying makeup for her. He was quiet and seemed focused on what he was doing.”

“Thank you for letting us use your home.” Elise whispered, trying not to spook him, and got a small smile in return.

Edward burst into the room, “I brought some tea!” He was holding a small try with three mugs on it. Edward was beaming as he set it down. “Okay, now formal introductions, So you know Elise.” He nodded at Erik, “Elise, this is a friend of Jeremy's. He's really good with stage makeup. Apparently he did work back in Paris.”

Erik switched the brush he was using, “I’m a master of stage makeup or movie makeup, I can make it so people don’t recognize you. I’m an artist, and this is only one area I excel in, maybe I will have a chance to show you some of my other masterpieces.”

Edward’s phone rang, and Elise looked to him as he sighed, “while I would love to listen to some of your musical accomplishments that Jeremy talked about, it doesn’t look like we’ll have a lot of time, Hunters are on the way.”

“How do you know?”

He held up his phone, “a friend tipped me off. Come on.”

“I’ll finish up with Elise.” Erik looked over at Edward, “you’ll have to do your own makeup.”

Edward was finished long before Erik decided that Elise was ready. Edward didn’t look completely unrecognizable but Elise stared at her own reflection, she looked so different. Her nose looked somehow shorter, her cheekbones seemed to be sitting at different angles, if she didn’t know what she was looking for the contouring would’ve been hard to spot.

“Great, we got to go.” Edward grabbed a hat, “borrowing, thanks,” from Erik’s and the two of them left the house, hoping to escape the hunters.

—

Mycroft followed the man into his living room. “Do you know which way they went?”

The stranger shook his head, “sorry I do not.”

“So you’re saying that Edward and Elise haven’t been in your home?” James looked around the home.

The man smirked a little. “No, they have not.”

Mycroft nodded, “I’m sorry for bothering you then, please let us know if you hear from them.”

Mycroft and Moriarty left the home and didn’t bother waiting to get in the car before James commented, “He’s playing us.”

Mycroft considered James before turning back to the house, “I’m sure you’re right. Let’s have them check the cameras in the area. They were just here, so we may still be able to find them.”

—

Edward pushed open the door to an apartment that Elise wasn’t familiar with. “Hello,” she called out, “sorry to barge in.” But no one answered. Elise looked around the apartment and found no one home. “Who lives here?” She silently hoped they wouldn’t have to worry about being on the run for real.

Edward laughed, “this is one of Jeremy’s places, he said we could stay here, but we better set an alarm to get going straight away in the morning.” Carefully he went window to window closing them most of the way shut. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who knew Jeremy would be out of town.”

Elise nodded and went to the washroom, she took a photo of the disguise, and began to clean the makeup off her face. “It was nice of Erik and your other friends to help us.”

Edward called from the kitchen, “I told you, Erik is a friend of Jeremy’s, not mine.”

“But he agreed to help you out. You asked and he agreed, maybe the fact he was Jeremy’s friend was a small part of it, but he also could’ve said no.” Elise stepped to where Edward could see her, “so you should give yourself more credit.”

“Thank you, and that is a lot of makeup.” He laughed.

“I don’t want to dig through Jeremy’s things, but I doubt he would have makeup remover anyway.” Elise continued to scrub at her face until it was satisfactory. By the time she entered the kitchen Edward was nearly done cooking them something to eat. Elise’s stomach growled demanding food, but she also paused wondering where they would be tomorrow and if they would be able to have a hot meal then. “Maybe it’s time to reach out to Sherlock.

“I think we should let the heat die down first, You can sleep on the bed. I’m going to go sleep on the sofa after I set some alarms in case they try to sneak up on us.”

“Alright.” Elise walked towards the room Edward pointed to. She would bring up Sherlock in the morning, she was sure he would be busy with cases and might have forgotten that they were on the run at the moment, but she also wanted to at least reach out to Sherlock once after the initial concern he had shown.”

“Good night, Elise.” Edward had partially followed her and was starting to shut the door separating them.

“Good night.” Elise felt the door click into place and crawled into the bed, feeling suddenly vulnerable and cold. She struggled to get any sleep that night. She continued to wake up nearly every hour, her stomach twisted in knots. In the dead of the night she slipped out of bed and towards the door, she slipped it open a little and could hear Edward snoring from his spot on the sofa. Elise smiled a little and shut the door, she wouldn’t bother Edward. She had to thank him for all the work and effort he was putting into keeping them safe.

It was as the sun was just starting to peek through the blinds that Elise finally started to feel relaxed and able to fall into a deeper sleep when the strange clattering and ringing of bells jolted her awake as well as a jubilant cry of “good morning!” Elise fell out of bed and grabbed for her bags when she heard Edward.

“Ugh, how did you find us so early?” He didn’t sound upset, more annoyed. Elise opened the door just a crack and looked out, half expecting hunters to be surrounding Edward but instead she saw Erik from the day before, looking just as disgruntled as Edward with a bright eyed Hercule Poirot setting bakery boxes down on the table .

Erik also dragged behind him a big casem “stop whining like a prima donna, we brought food and my makeup kit, let’s get you two ready for a day out.”

Suddenly Edward bolted upright, he had slept in his clothes as well, “sounds good! Let me wake Elise up.” He moved towards her door.

Hercule tilted his head curiously at Edward, “you two slept in separate beds? Who would’ve thought. But Elise’s already awake, you two should change clothes to something less… ruffled.”

“Of course we slept in separate beds,” Edward reached for the door as Elise stepped back, “Elise needed a good night's rest.” She had barely enough time to move out of the way when Edward opened the door, startling at how close she was, “Oh hey! Let’s get some food into you, Hercule and Erik are here, we should take advantage of this while we can.” He asked Hercule, “how did you know she was awake?”

“Thanks.” Elise reached out touching Edward’s hand for a brief moment before going out to greet Henry and Erik.

—

“Have they contacted you, Sherlock?” Mycroft watched his brother carefully as James looked around the room. Sherlock hadn’t said anything and refused to look up from his laptop. “I’m sorry to hear that, to think Elise didn’t feel they could rely on you for this. Maybe she’s really happy with the support she’s getting from Edward.” Mycroft smiled watching the little twitch on Sherlock’s face.

John Watson stepped between them, “I’m sure Elise will be smart enough to avoid coming here now that you’ve stopped by.”

Mikah Hudson opened the door for them to leave, “yeah, don’t you have other celebrities to worry about?”

Mycroft could imagine the tantrum Sherlock must have been having over this precise issue earlier with how John and Mikah were reacting, he gave Sherlock a teasing smile, “please let us know if you do hear from them.”

John and Mikah watched the two hunters leave before turning to each other. John leaned against a counter, “they only have a few more days before they need to leave, right?”

Mikah nodded, “they just have to keep avoiding them for now, I think?”

Sherlock closed his laptop with a snap. “The fact that Mycroft is out on the field is concerning. Come on Watson.”

“What?”

Sherlock reached for his coat, explaining over his shoulder. “If Elise and Edward have any chance of making it to their extraction point Mycroft and Moriarty will need to be focused elsewhere.”

A little while later James and Mycroft had returned to the headquarters and were retracing what facts they knew when another team member approached them. “We have reason to believe this number is for a burner that Edward and Elise have. It’s getting messages as we were closing in on them. But the number messaging them isn’t the same number every time, I think it’s being generated for each message.”

Mycroft glanced over the little report. He set it down and set off for the rows of tables, stopping at a desk with another familiar team member sitting at the computer. “Come with us.” James and Mycroft escorted the man out, advising another member to dig through the computer to see what they could find.

—

Edward and Elise were walking down the street, pleased with their new disguises, when Edward’s phone went off, he sighed and pulled into a nearby café. He waited until they both had ordered their drinks before he placed the phone between them. “It seems that our biggest supporter has to go offline.”

“What?” Elise reached out for the phone but Edward dropped a napkin on top of it.

“Our contact who was helping us with updates on the hunters, they were caught. They sent one more message advising they were compromised.”

“Are they okay? Will they be alright?”

“They’ll be fine,” Edward waited as the waiter brought their drinks, “but we should probably get moving.”

Elise had barely taken a sip of her drink, “do we have to go now? Should we call Sherlock for help?”

“Hmm,” Edward took a large drink from his cup, “ we can finish our orders to not look suspicious… but no calling Sherlock, let’s swing by and see if they’re home.”

They tried to relax, but both of them had their minds rattling different options going forward. They had made it that far, but they had to wonder how the other teams were doing, and how the hunters would act now that they were so close to the end.

They left the phone under the napkin at the café.

—

Mycroft flipped through the pages before him. “There are a lot of anonymous tips for the celebrities still on the run.”

James shook his head, “for all but Elise and Edward.”

A team member hurried up to them, “another tip has come in, what do you want to do?”

Mycroft shorted the pages into different piles, “where’s the nearest location? Can we verify if the celebrities are still there?”

James turned to another team member, “what about Elise?”

“Keep an eye out for them,” Mycroft interrupted, “but I do believe all these tips are legit.”

James stood for a moment before grabbing a pile of papers. “Once we get all these other celebrities caught we need to refocus our efforts on Elise and Edward now that their little spy has been removed.”

—

Sherlock and John strode up to 221B, Sherlock was scrolling through a list of notes in front of him. “That should keep them busy.”

“I hope so,” John mumbled, reaching for the doorknob which pulled out of his reach with Mikah blocking the way.

“Were you followed?” He whispered in a mild panic..

John startled, “what do you mean?”

Sherlock smiled, “it seems we have company. Come along Watson.” He pushed past him and Mikah and up to Sherlock’s landing. But he stopped taking in the two strangers that sat on his sofa.

“Who are you?” John came in behind him.

Sherlock turned to the strange man, “what do you think are you doing coming here?”

But it was the woman who answered, “we’re were wondering if we could hide here for a little bit.” John’s eyes widened as he recognized the voice.

Sherlock turned to Elise, his tone a lot softer, “Mycroft was here earlier, they already suspect this place, you two need to get moving before anything happens.”

Edward stood up and clamped his hand down on Sherlock’s shoulder, “I’m sure we can trust you to hide us for a night.”

“And if Mycroft comes back? I’m sure Moriarty would have someone watching the place.”

John stepped in offering to hang up Elise’s coat, before addressing Sherlock, “don’t you also have people watching now?

Edward grinned, “that’s perfect! Our insight to the hunter’s movements was caught. So that would be great!”

Sherlock glanced between the two of them before he sighed, “fine, rest for a few hours, but then you two should get a move on before sunrise.”

“Okay, then Elise and I will just nap down here, then get going.”

Mikah stood up, “fine with me. You two can use my room.”

“No,” Sherlock stood up, “Elise can sleep down there and Hyde can sleep in John’s bed.”

“No!” Edward and John both yelled at Sherlock.

Elise stepped up to Sherlock, “wouldn’t it make more sense if Edward and I shared a bed so we could get going at the same time if something happens?”

Sherlock hesitated for a moment, “okay, but if anything happens I will get you out safely.” He softly smiled at Elise.

Edward wrapped his arms around Sherlock in a tight hug. “Thanks, Sherlock!”

Sherlock pushed at him, “don’t mention it.”

Elise gently took Edward’s hand, pulling him away from Sherlock, and back downstairs to Mikah’s room. Mikah offered to take their clothes to the washing machine. Elise was about to accept when Edward stepped in.

“Sorry, we need to be able to go if something happens.”

“If you think so. Good night.” Mikah shut the door behind him leaving the two of them alone.

“Tomorrow we’ll get our clue for where we need to go.” Edward yawned, falling back onto the small bed.

Elise crawled in next to him, feeling more comfortable there than she had at the start. Almost reflexively he wrapped an arm around her, giving her permission to sink into his warmth. “It’s only going to get more dangerous, we can do this though, right?”

“Nothing can stop us now.” Edward rested his chin on Elise, pulling her as closely as he could, “but we should get all the rest we can.”

“Mhmm.” Elise would wake up later with her hand holding tightly to the front of Edward’s shirt.

—

The first rays of sun were lighting the streets of London while Edward chuckled, pulling Elise along. “Come on!”

She shifted her grip on her bag, holding his hand tightly in the other, “coming!”

“I can hear someone down the road.” Edward whispered, “we need to keep moving and find someplace else to hide, we will be getting the information for the extraction site soon.”

Elise moved next to him, looking up at his face. “Do you want to split up?”

Edward shook off his look of concentration to smile at her, squeezing her hand. “No. I am going to get you to the finish line. I promise.”

#shall we date guard me Sherlock #Guard Me Sherlock!#guard me sherlock #shall we date #Edward Hyde #Mycroft Holmes #James Moriarty #Elise Chynoweth #GMS Elise #OC Erik Leroux #GMS Erik

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slipping-through-my-fingertips · 3 years

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If Glee did a Taylor Swift Tribute Episode...

Just my opinions, feel free to add on to them. I know I have some fellow gleek swifties following me. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Obviously they have to do some of the hits but I think some people would have some out of the box picks.

*This post assumes all Taylor songs are available to choose from as of May 14th 2021 but focuses on Taylor’s first 6 albums (if you want more glee and Taylor I have fics with that; LOVER and FOLKLORE) and takes liberties with where this episode’s placement is in terms of canon. But since it’s all made up anyway who cares (but Blaine’s involved so I guess season 3 idk).*

Okay, trying to do a full plot here (completely inspired by @kurtdeservesbetter head canon posts. I hope this lives up to her fabulous posts). This will be my version of glee so everyone gets solos and Rachel can’t hog the spotlight. Also, this is about to be super long (both post wise and episode wise).

Let’s open the first episode with

...Ready For It because the New Directions are in their reputation era. Santana does the opening cough centerstage. Everyone in black and/or camo green outfits (can you just see Kurt in a dark green bedazzled snake jacket, Santana in a black leather dress, and Tina digging out some goth clothes for people to borrow?), snakes everywhere, but probably no Karyn (she just wouldn’t fit on the auditorium stage). Santana takes the first verse but we have Blaine step up for verse 2. (I just love their friendship in the Michael tribute, cute little badasses are BACK. Also him singing “Burton to this Taylor” is such a Klaine thing to do).

Everyone is still dressed in their rep outfits but we’re in the choir room now. Mr. Schue is talking about why Taylor had to disappear and clap back with rep, how rough the industry is for women and tries to uplift the ladies in the room and encourage them to not silence their voices (cue snarky comment from Santana about Rachel needing to be silent).

Then, Mr. Schue goes on about how you can only understand how Taylor got to her rep era by studying her earlier music. So we have a performance of Tim McGraw. Simple, front of the choir room performance, maybe Puck does guitar, and sitting on stools.

Everyone is surprised to find out how pumped Sam is for this assignment but he is all over it. “It's about time we did some country in this room.” Cue Sam and Quinn at her locker talking about their ‘date’ last night, Sam’s all cute and teasing and Quinn is not into it. She tells him it was fun but she was wrong, they shouldn’t do this again. In turn, he does a wonderful performance of Bye Bye Baby. He thought it was more but clearly he’s “a part of her past.”

Then, we’re in the empty choir room. Tina and Mike are there. (I love their cutesy duets) They sing Everything Has Changed and it’s utterly adorable. Can’t you hear Mike asking Tina if she’s “good to go” like Ed does? And while we’re on the subject of cute duets and RED, we flash to the courtyard to see Santana and Brittany. They turn Stay Stay Stay into a duet. “I’ve been loving you for quite some time,” “before you I only dated self-indulgent takers who took all their problems out on me,” “no one else is gonna love me when I’m mad, mad, mad,” and “it’s occurring to me that I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life” it’s perfect for them. Adorable ladies kisses are had.

Let’s toss in some boy drama for fun. Idk shit about football but somehow Puck is praised by their coach over Finn, which gets him all pissy, and Puck’s upset and jealous because Finn is back with Quinn now (this is why Quinn shut Sam now earlier, she changed her mind). Can we say duet of Bad Blood? “So if you’re coming my way...just don’t.”

After their dramatics, we have a Brittany solo in the choir room. It’s after school at this point (or whenever glee club is). Brittany does You’ll Always Find You Way Back Home.

When she finishes Mr. Schue tries to explain that it’s a Hannah Montana song. Britt injects that it’s confusing how she’s really Miley Cryus “like how can you be two people at once?”. Before Mr. Schue can continue, Kurt pipes up “you never specified that the songs had to be sung by Taylor Swift, just that they were her songs.” Mercedes adds, “yeah, Mr. Schue, Taylor wrote that song.” Mr. Schue concedes that he has once again been outwitted by Kurtcedes. The friends do their little hand shake thing.

With a sigh, Mr. Schue asks Mike if he’s ready to go and Mike asks to take things to the auditorium for some dancing room. Everyone’s on stage with him and it’s kind of a group number but Mike is the focus. It’s Shake It Off. All inspired by the music video. He’s tried to fit in elsewhere (i.e. football, with the smart kids, etc..) but he’s really himself in glee when he’s dancing.

Part 2 of Taylor Tribute Episodes

We begin with an ALL GIRL NUMBER of A Place In This World. Just because.

Glee is dismissed and we zoom in on Artie. He’s watching Tina with Mike and Brittany with Santana. Both Tina and Britt have broken his heart by this point. So, he’s rolling down the halls singing A Perfectly Good Heart. While Artie’s soloing, we cut to Rachel watching Finn and Quinn chatting. Artie’s song playing over this scene. Rachel is feeling similar to him at the moment.

She’s pretty sure Finn dumped her to be with Quinn again even though Kurt and Blaine told her they saw Quinn and Sam at the movies last night together making out in the back row. Fine, if that’s how he’s going to be, she doesn’t need him anyway. Cue Mr. Perfectly Fine. Uber dramatic solo performance walking around McKinley’s halls watching Finn and Quinn together ending in the auditorium alone. (see what I did there, both broken hearted peeps singing a song with Perfectly in it (this was not at all planned, actually, happy accident))

After some good old heartbreak, we have Kurt and Blaine on screen. Blaine walks into the auditorium to see Kurt sitting on the edge of the stage. “What’s all the fuss?” he asks from the door. Kurt had texted him “EMERGENCY.” The band starts to play and Kurt just starts singing, Enchanted. It’s time to profess their love for each other, just like they sing Perfect together in the car, this duet needs no audience. Blaine catches up and sings while walking towards his boyfriend. It’s very reminiscent of past New Directions competitions where they come in from the back and make their way to the stage. “Wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you?” Kurt and Blaine both know the answer to that question now but just a few months ago they were both wondering that exact thing.

They kiss before we cut to Kurt and Blaine walking hand in hand into the choir room where everyone else is already. Mr. Schue is praising the performances thus far and of course asks Rachel if she’s ready to solo (some practice for her completion solo). This causes an uproar from Mercedes and Santana. Another classic argument of how she gets too many solos. Mr. Schue tries to shut them both down but Santana tells Rachel to watch her back, and we get three very different reactions to this.

All three girls storm out.

First, we visit Mercedes alone in the courtyard. This solo is all about being hurt over this great thing in her life (glee) and her being denied happiness within that club. Thus, Cold As You. (mostly to indulge myself because she’d blow us away with this song).

Next, Rachel in the auditorium. A huge bridge on stage (very Speak Now Tour of her), belting out Better Than Revenge. Santana’s dropped the last straw (the humiliation, name calling, Finn at one point and now solos,) it’s too much this time.

And finally, Santana walking around McKinley, showing us flashes of Rachel ‘outshining’ her and the rest of glee and Mr. Schue being unfair, while singing Look What You Made Me Do.

Tina walks out at the same time as Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana but no one seems to put two and two together. She feels just as underutilized as the latter two do. She ends up in an empty classroom and sings The Outside. “Nobody ever lets me in” and “on the outside looking in.”

Once the 3, err 4, divas have left the room, Finn sticks up for Rachel. Quinn, of course, has something to say about this along the lines of “you always defend her.” Finn, intimated by her ‘scary Quinn’ fumbles and blurts “because she’s my girlfriend” WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT THIS POINT. Quinn dumps him on the spot, cuts quickly to Blaine and Kurt sharing some ‘oh my god, can you believe this’ expressions, and vanishes from the room.

By this point, Rachel is long gone from the auditorium but the bridge is still there.

Here’s where we go way off script but imagine, Quinn has decided to just quit boys. They’ve all failed her anyway, she’s better off being alone. She walks up the bridge and thinks to herself “god Rachel’s so dramatic, where did this thing even come from” before it hits her “fuck, I’m as bad as Finn. I want her.” Then, she starts singing Clean to herself in the auditorium, likely tearing up throughout and ending with a good cry. (Because Dianna would DELIVER with Clean.)

While Quinn is having a sexuality crisis, the rest of glee is still happening. They’re discussing upcoming competition and debating solos and songs.

Kurt’s all: “Mr. Schue, if I may” and performs a lovely rendition of Call It What You Want. Those opening lines are too good. “My castle (ie McKinley) crumbled overnight, brought a knife to a gun fight (ie couldn’t fight off Dave Karofsky), “I’m doing better than I ever was ‘cause my baby’s fit like a daydream,” and “at least I did one thing right.” When he’s done, Blaine’s a mess in the back of the choir room, and Mr. Schue says: “not really what we’re looking for but very nice, Kurt” however, Kurt’s too busy sitting beside Blaine teasing him about blushing.

Then, the missing girls return to the room having sung out their emotions. Quinn, having realized her feelings for Rachel, ends up soloing You Belong With Me to the New Directions in the choir room. Odd looks all around, no one knows what’s up with her and why does she keep glancing at Rachel? (Faberry just fit so well I had to add it, don’t know if I’m a shipper or not but it’s here now) (also thanks to @spicygemini for pointing out the obvious “Quinn would have ate YBWY”).

Mr. Schue wants to move the group to the audition to perform their final number of the Taylor Swift tribute well but Tina asks to sing first. He’s surprised but allows it, taking a seat with the rest of the New Directions.

Tina sings Beautiful Ghosts. “Watch from the dark, wait for my life to start” because New Directions is refusing to use her talents AGAIN. She’s singing this to Rachel and the girls who were in the Treble Tones. Because she absolutely SMASHES this number, the glee kids agree she gets solo for their next competition (and they deliver on that promise).

To conclude Part 2 of the Taylor tribute episode, we have a group performance of Long Live. “One day we will be remembered”, “all the years we stood there on the sidelines wishing for right now”, “for a moment a band of thrives in ripped up jeans got to rule the world” ie wining completions, “when they look at the pictures please tell them my name...”

#this took so long please enjoy it #Taylor tribute glee episode #glee head canon #gleek swifie #glee #taylor swift

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carriagelamp · 3 years

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I read more books this month than I anticipated. I should probably wait before doing a February book round up, but I already feel like I’m struggling to decide which ones to cut from my list so I’m doing it this weekend instead of next. If I read much next week I’ll bump ‘em up into March’s round up

Asterix and the Missing Scroll / Chieftain’s Daughter

I got the last two “new” Asterix books out of the library so I could officially say I had read them all. Over all my opinion is… they’re fine! None of these would ever become one of my favourites, but they’re all fine stories. The art is good, it is completely in-line with the original, and the stories are… fine. I liked The Missing Scroll quite a bit more than The Chieftain’s Daughter but I never find a ~hurr hurr teenagers~ plotline that interesting, whereas I do enjoy seeing Romans get chased down by unicorns so that’s probably not surprising. There’s some spark I can’t put my finger on that the new Asterix books just seem to be missing though… a bit of humour or cleverness or something. Still, they’re fine reads if you’ve been hungry for more Asterix and I’m glad I read them. (Though the library gave me the American translation of The Chieftain’s Daughter, something I didn’t realize until I started reading and realized that this is wrong??? I’ve been reading these books since I could read and I know this is wrong??? What the hell is happening??? The I realized the publisher was different and I simmered in fury the whole time I read it — WHY ARE YOU CHANGING NAMES AND WORD CHOICES IN A WELL ESTABLISHED SERIES THAT ALREADY HAS AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION YOU ANIMALS WHY ARE YOU DUMBING DOWN THE LANGUAGE AAAUGH

The Bride Was A Boy

This one was cute! The Bride Was A Boy is an autobiographical manga written by a transwoman recounting her experience with transitioning, meeting her boyfriend, and eventually getting married. It’s mostly done in a 4-panel style and is interspersed with lots of information about the LGBT community, particularly in Japan. A lot of it was stuff I was already familiar with, but I still found it adorable and a very worthwhile read. it would be a fantastic book for young queer people who are looking for more of an introduction into international queer space

Cul de Sac: Children At Play

Cul de Sac is just a weird, fun newspaper comic series about the children who live in a small neighbourhood. It fully taps into the children-as-semi-feral-chaos-agents, and there’s something hilariously nostalgic about the whole thing. Lots of times when stories try to portray children there’s always something… wrong about it, something that doesn’t mesh with true childhood, but in this comic I can see glimpses of my grimy, dirty-covered self as a preschooler running around the pages. I would definitely recommend trying them!

The Cremation of Sam McGee

I reread The Cremation of Sam McGee and The Shooting of Dan McGrew and man, they don’t stop being buckwild. These are two really famous Canadian poems that were then illustrated by equally famous Canadian artist Ted Harrison. Harrison’s style is gorgeous and distinct and given what strangely grisly stories these poems are they fit the mood perfectly. Everything feels just a little tilted and wrong and unsettling. If you enjoy an occasional poem (especially ones that are super fun to read out loud) and haven’t read these before, I would recommend them! Or do what my teachers did, and read Sam Gee to a young child in your life and watch them be baffled and concerned and horrified.

There are strange things done / in the midnight sun / by the men who moil for gold...

The Gryphon’s Lair

The second book of the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series written by Kelley Armstrong; I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book! It’s a very cool fantasy series because it really leans into environmental stewardship and the importance of studying animals and conservation so you can find ways to live alongside a healthy ecosystem. In this book Rowan is officially accepted as the Royal Monster Hunter, which means a whole new set of trials and burdens. She has to contend with a baby gryphon that is becoming increasingly large and dangerous, plotting family members, doubt about her abilities, a potential curse, and a daunting quest deep into the mountains in order to set things right. If you’re looking for some very gentle high fantasy, this series delivers.

Hogan’s Heroes comics

What to say here. Anyone following this blog has suffered the knowledge that I’ve been rewatching Hogan’s Heroes lately. When I found out that there was a short-lived, shitty comic series in the 60s? Of course I had to hunt them down. And so I’ve read them! And they sure were a shitty comic series from the 60s! They were, shall we say, of wildly varying quality. Some were actually really funny (like #5, it easily had the best art and best jokes imho), others were a slog, and most were fine and amusing enough to read the whole way through but not much more.

If you don’t know what Hogan’s Heroes is about: it was a 1960s sitcom that took place in a WWII POW camp, in which the Allied prisoners trapped there had a massive, complex sabotage/spy ring right underneath the camp. The whole show is about constantly outwitting the bumbling Germans while keeping up the pretense that they’re all just normal prisoners. The show is hilariously funny and I would recommend that, even if I can’t say the same for the comics unless you’re like me and are just really thirsty for more content...

Magic Misfits: The Fourth Suit (Ripley)

The final book of Neil Patrick Harris’ middle grade series, The Magic Misfits. In this fourth book, the group is fragmented and forced to meet in secret to avoid notice from the mysterious and powerful Kalagan whose cruel machinations have already turned the quiet little town on its ears, putting people’s lives in peril and destroy Leila’s fathers’ magic shop. The Misfits are going to need all their skills to finally unmask this sinister magician and break the mesmerism he seems to have placed over the entire town before it’s too late to save no only the town, but their friendship and trust.

Super charming series, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

Marsupilami

HOUBA! I watched a very bad TV adaptation of this as a kid that still managed to find a place in my heart, and so I decided to finally try reading some of the original comic! On one hand: it was exactly what I had hoped! The art is cute, the marsupilami is so dynamic and fun to see on the page (and has a way better characterization than he does in the show), and it’s really funny! Unfortunately! It is also pretty racist! Yikes! That seems to be a reoccuring downfall for some of these older Belgian comics... I also tried reading the first book of Les Tuniques Bleues and aye ye ye… I couldn’t actually get through that one. That being said, these were older volumes and frankly, North American media was also real fucking racist at that point so I’m not gonna write them off either. I really liked most of this book, and will probably try to get my hands on one of the more recent volumes of both Marsupilami and Les Tuniques Bleues to see if they get better with time. (If you’ve read either of those series and have volume recommendations hmu)

The Pagemaster

I’m a sucker for novelizations, I have no excuse beyond that. I recently rewatched The Pagemaster and decided to read the chapter book. And it was a solid little adaptation! It’s about Richard Tyler, a young boy with a head for statistics which unfortunately means he lives in constant fear of (in his opinion, statistically likely) injury or death. However that fear is put to the test when he gets caught in a horrible thunderstorm and has to shelter in a nearby library with halls and shelves that stretch beyond the imagination and with untold perils hidden among the pages of the books. Richard, with only his library card and three novels that hope to be checked out, has to venture through the different genres and horrors housed int he library if he ever wants to find the exit and get home to safety.

Pumpkinheads

A very charming little graphic novel. Cute art, and really loveable characters. Josiah and Deja work every year at a local pumpkin patch, and are best friends during those weeks. However this is their last year working there before going off to university and as the last day at the patch comes to a close they realize that they both still have regrets. Deja sets off on a mission to avoid work, eat all the interesting snacks around the patch, and get Josiah to find the girl he’s been crushing on every year and has never worked up the nerve to talk to.

After being deprived of human contact for almost a year, this book really hits you right in the heart.

The Screwfly Solution

A deeply upsetting scifi/horror short story! I read it on the recommendation of a friend and, yes, can confirm that this fucked me up a bit. I honestly don’t even know what to say about this that wouldn’t spoil it, but frankly with everything being as it is, this hit a little bit too close to reality. (That being said, it was very well written, like this is a very good story on a literary level and it does exactly what it sets out to accomplish.) If you feel like reading twenty pages and being really disturbed, give it a go! Otherwise go and read any number of the much happier books on this list!

The Whipping Boy

This was a book I remember reading as a lit circle book back in elementary school and really loving. After telling myself I’d reread it for years, I finally sat down with it again. If you somehow got through school without reading this one, it’s about a brat of a prince and his whipping boy — since it would be unspeakable to strike a prince, when the prince misbehaves it is Jemmy who gets whipped. Unsurprisingly, there is no love lost between the two of them, because the prince is always intentionally causing problems that Jemmy has to suffer for. Things begin to change though when the prince decides to run away and drags Jemmy along with him. On the run, being chased by highwaymen, and desperately trying to hide their identities, these boys go on a fast-paced adventure beyond the castle walls. It wasn’t as special as I remembered it being as a kid, but it’s a fine little chapter book.

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real-jaune-isms · 3 years

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RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 10 Review/Remix

WHAT the ever loving FUCK was that just now RT?? You give us several great answers and scenes we really wanted to see, and then rip all that joy away in the last 3 minutes!!! I want to sue for emotional damages, but I really can’t be mad cuz it’s very masterful writing on their part. After years of shows doing redemption arcs we finally have it... the bastardization arc~

We open, perhaps to the disappointment of some, on Ironwood staring out the windows of his office at the battlefield and city in turmoil below. He’s being given a situation update on the destruction of the cellblock two episodes back, and he takes the news a little differently than might have been expected (read: worse). Jacques apparently stayed right where he was and let himself be put back into custody, while Qrow avoided much harm by being a bird and ending up in a spot where the rubble wasn’t landing directly on him. Robyn was only slightly lucky, she was under some large debris but doesn’t seem terribly hurt and is actually conscious when Atlas soldiers uncover her and say she’ll be moved to a new cell elsewhere. Qrow isn’t about to be put back in a cage though, and flies right at the soldier who finds him. Behind a conveniently placed piece of wall he turns back and, as I was somewhat praised for phrasing it in a discord chat, he tackled that man as a man. We can assume he knocks out the guy about to apprehend Robyn, and the two make a getaway. Ironwood doesn’t like this news one bit, though he focuses more on recapturing the two huntsmen he had arrested on paranoid treason charges than the actual war criminal he lost an arm catching whose dangerous work on the city of Mantle still hasn’t been undone. Not cool, dude. He yells at the soldiers who had come to report this, and they leave to try and find the jailbirds. He stares out the window again in contemplation and tries to calm down a little before turning on his earpiece to get an update on the status of some thing or another, probably the bomb, when something massive happens.

With a blinding flash and an array of gold and green, Oscar’s staff goes off with whatever he was charging up. It’s as bright and forceful as you’d expect a nuclear bomb to be, and it knocks Winter and the Ace Ops off their feet as they were heading towards Monstra lugging their own bomb. Weiss and Nora see it from Schnee Manor, and it seems to do a real number on the Grimm around Monstra and in the city. Rooster Teeth had to give a flashing lights warning at the start of the episode for those it would adversely affect, and I can totally understand why after the crazy display this gave us. When the light fades and the noise settles, Monstra has been snapped and is fading away to dust, and in that dust cloud we hear and barely see Neopolitan skipping away with the Lamp in hand. What a little punk... Winter gets back on her feet and is quick to ask her squad for their status, she doesn’t want to have lost anyone or suffered serious wounds from whatever the hell they just saw/felt. No one is hurt, though Elm’s ears seem to still be ringing. But Marrow is very distressed, realizing they still hadn’t heard back from Jaune and the others and they may have been killed in that blast. Nobody has anything to say that would appease him, so they stay silent. Vine tries to put a reassuring hand on Elm’s shoulder but she brushes him off. Guess after they got called out by Ren she wants to show even less emotion and sentimentality than before. Ironwood contacts them under the false assumption this was the result of their bomb, and requests they return to HQ for an update on the new problem he wants to deal with. Marrow naturally points out that the destruction wasn’t their doing, and Winter decides that will be news best delivered in person, so they load the bomb back on the airship and take off.

Cutting into the city, we see Watts and Cinder viewing the destruction of their mobile HQ from a distance. Nobody is returning Cinder’s calls but they know Salem will be back so Watts suggests they come up with a plan in the meantime. But Cinder is fully confident that they can still do what they originally intended, that being having her kill Penny and take the Winter Maiden powers after Watts brings the synthezoid to her. But this was a plan made under false assumptions, because apparently she misunderstood the terminology in his message and thought he could puppeteer Penny to go wherever he demands when really he just laid a new prime directive to send her straight to the Vault as we saw two episodes back. Hearing this pisses Cinder off immensely, especially the part about Penny being set to self destruct as soon as the Vault is open since that means the next recipient of the powers will be randomized again and she’ll have lost her chance to yoink them. Watts is too busy grumpily musing to himself about Penny having free will and a spirit that doesn’t want to succumb to his leet hacks to notice Cinder growing more and more enraged, until he turns around and she pulls him in close to yell at him. But Watts is having none of that, he works for Salem not her, and his plans weren’t made to give this flaming whining goth what she wants every single time. He’s just supposed to get the Vault open for Salem, and this is how he’s doing that. This is not the kind of answer Cinder wanted to hear, and she stretches her arm out to shove Watts to the edge of the roof and leave him on the verge of falling over to his demise. He doesn’t seem terribly fazed, calling her bluff and saying her mission was to bring him back and Salem won’t be a bit pleased if he dies. But you know what Salem is not? Here right now to stop Cinder from dealing with this arrogant self righteous prick once and for all. So she fully intends to drop him and then tear up Atlas on a fiery path to the Vault where she can intercept Penny and steal the Winter powers before tearing her to pieces herself and being the triumphant follower getting everything done that Salem really needed. And Watts just... laughs. Chris Sabat must have had a great time in the VO booth for this one, because he gets to have an absolute roast session the likes of which he hasn’t delivered since Majin Vegeta tore that clown Kakarot a new one. Naturally Cinder’s plan would be to brute force her way to victory and get glory for none but herself with her every whim satisfied along the way. Because that’s always her plan. And it always fails. She tried to storm Fria’s hospital room like that and got her ass handed to her by some teenagers and a dying woman before Penny took the powers before she could. She did the same damn thing 2 Volumes ago when she tried to massacre all her enemies under one roof in an alliance with a woman she thought she could outwit, but ended up blindsided by a surprise Maiden reveal and almost died while her outnumbered forces were on the verge of surrendering without her. And did anyone warn her not to do that? YES! WATTS DID!!! WATTS IS ALWAYS RIGHT, YOU FOOL!!! Well, okay, he’s really not. But he’s more clever and meticulous so he saw the flaws her arrogance left her blind to. And then Watts really tears into her by saying she isn’t smart, she isn’t worthy, and she isn’t entitled to what she wants because she’s suffered in the past. The one thing she is is a goddamn migraine. I’m a little mad Tyrian stole the show’s first cuss 4 years back cuz I really would have liked for Watts to cap this off by calling Cinder a bitch. This roasting literally lights a fire under Cinder and she seems ready to snap and kill Watts here and now, but instead she pulls him back onto the roof and stares off blankly into space before her fire fades and she walks off to sit on the ledge of a different side of the building to really think about his harsh words and shed a single tear. It’s a little unclear if she’s just feeling sorry for herself and realizing she’s more of a failure than she wanted to admit, or if she’s just overwhelmed by Watts reminding her of her childhood trauma. Maybe she’s realizing how powerless she’s truly remained all this time after fighting so hard for her own freedom and independence, and crying at the fact that she seems unable to escape that role she hates so much. Whatever the case, it’s real rough for her but I don’t feel like shedding any of my own tears for her sake. She doesn’t seem like she’s gonna change her allegiances so I don’t feel much need to cheer for her, but maybe she’ll reevaluate her strategy and become a force to be reckoned with as a villain because of this. I wouldn’t mind that. We’ll have to wait and see.

Back in the ruins of Monstra, we see Yang Ren and Jaune are all doing alright, and Oscar seems to be as well. Jaune is using his Semblance to help Oscar heal up quicker so that’s good to see too. Yang answers a call and sees Blake anxiously hoping she’ll pick up. The biggest smile comes to her face when she does, and the two halves of the group are ecstatic to hear the other is still alive and well. Neither are quite ready to tell the full tale of what they’ve been up to, but Weiss pulls up a map of the city and lays out a safe route through the subway tunnels that will take OYRJ straight to the mansion so they can actually reunite. Oscar isn’t about to leave Emerald behind though, and we see her knelt in the chaos holding out her hands as if hoping to catch some of the dust that was once her father figure. Yang is vocally against the idea of bringing Emerald with them, but Oscar advocates for her being every bit against Salem as them so the enemy of their enemy should be their friend. Emerald actually doesn’t seem to want to keep hanging around them and says they should just part ways, but Jaune isn’t about to let her walk free without facing any kind of justice for her past crimes. Ren thinks they need to be able to see past their emotional hang ups and consider the value in having her as an ally, and Yang is quick to remind them all that Emerald is part of the reason she lost her arm. Technically that is true, Adam was working with Cinder and if Yang hadn’t been framed as a brutal criminal she would have been around the rest of the team when everything popped off so maybe that first fight would have gone differently. But I do feel like it’s a bit of a stretch. Yang keeps going about why she can’t just forgive and forget when Em had been such a snake in the grass back at Beacon, but that’s not what Oscar is asking of her. He just wants her to try and give the girl a second chance to be better. He gets a little cryptic about how they’ve already gotten help from someone they haven’t had the best track record trusting, and Ren perfectly guesses he means that Oz has reemerged in his mind. This takes the blondes by surprise, and Oscar stands up for the old soul by saying he took the brunt of the beatings and told him how to impede Salem like he did just there. Turns out we’ll be finding out the secret of Ozpin’s cane today: It’s been made into a magical repository for kinetic energy stored over dozens of past lives to be made into a sort of bomb to set off when needed. I don’t know quite enough about physics to describe how exactly that would work, but it seems to make sense that it does. But the blast that took out Monstra used up the majority of what was in there so he can’t rely on it for that kind of attack again. It seems likely that was what Ozpin used against Cinder in the Beacon Vault, but didn’t use very much of it, and again what Oscar used to bust a hole in the bottom of the pit Ironwood shot him into. Oscar finishes making his case that Oz really does want to aid them, and the others seem convinced. What’s worth noting is that all eyes had been on him during this, but Emerald made no attempt to run away or even lower her hands. Guess she might really want to stick around after all... The moment is interrupted by the not so distant sound of a crying baby, and they all run further down the tunnel to find a subway station where the people of Atlas are taking shelter on Ironwood’s orders. Emerald starts to feel the weight of her action and those she used to side with, especially when she sees kids scared and hungry like she was before Cinder found her. They continue past the station on their way to the manor, and Oscar offers some encouragement to Emerald that they need her help in this war considering what she’s capable of. Considering the feats she performed under stress back in Volume 5, I’m inclined to agree.

We fade away from that scene to Ironwood’s office and the camera rises up the stairs as if being held by the Ace Ops as they and Winter come through the still broken doors to give their report to the general. He’s looking at multiple holographic screens projecting from his table: one with graphics telling him the status of all the airships mechs and soldiers, one pulling up news articles and any other info they can get on Monstra presumably for the purpose of cataloguing it in case they ever need to worry about another one, the third seems to be a map of city to monitor the damage so far, and the last is all the info they have on Cinder. He congratulates the team for their work destroying the Grimm, but Winter admits it wasn’t their bomb that did the job, they still have it intact for him. This confuses Ironwood greatly, but he sees an opportunity in this twist of fate. Penny hasn’t come to the Vault like he wanted her to be programmed to do, so he assumes Watts did a shit job of reprogramming her or just intentionally screwed them over. Yet the truth is something he can’t seem to imagine, she has free will and doesn’t want to do as she’s told. Who’s the real tool now Jimmy? He informs them that Cinder broke Watts out, and he seems to consider Qrow and Robyn escaping to be an even worse consequence. Harriet seems ready to sprint out of the room and haul them back here herself, but Ironwood stays her hand... or foot in this case. With Salem temporarily halted, now is the best time they’ve got for him to have the Winter Maiden open the Vault and use the Staff to lift Atlas higher than she can reach like he wanted so badly. So he wants Winter to bring him Yang Jaune and Ren. Winter doesn’t see the purpose of that, or she does and hates to imagine it’s truly what he intends, but either way she knows she can’t do what he’s asking. He plans to make full use of the lives they hold in their hands, and he’s going to use Jaune and the others as leverage to make Penny do what he says. He acts as if he’s actually proud of himself for realizing this is an option available to him, and I think it’s his Semblance that’s partially blinding him to the moral reasons why it should not be an option worth considering. Winter is left wilting under his unaware and proud gaze, and then Harriet pipes up to tattle on her commanding officer. Winter gave the kids a chance to try and rescue their friends from inside the whale(they don’t mention that friend was Oscar so he still doesn’t know the kid survived his attempted murder), and they weren’t seen exiting before it blew up. I want to say I’m shocked and disgusted that Harriet snitched on Winter just for the brownie points of being honest and taking Winter down a peg, but I’m really not. She’s been a loyal bootlicker since this time last Volume, and this feels like payback for that whole “I outrank you so you can’t stop me from giving them a chance” thing in chapter 7. Ironwood removes the proud and probably intended to be comforting hand he had placed on Winter’s shoulder, as if ashamed to be touching her after she let him down like this. This was his last plan for his definition of success, and now it’s ruined so he can’t do anything. In a fit of rage he smashes his table like the goddamn Hulk and the Ace Ops are left to watch and wonder just how in his right mind he actually is. As he tries to catch his breath, the general gets an urgent transmission that dozens of non-military aircraft have shown up on radar. I and probably a few dozen other people watching this hoped this was an Avengers Endgame moment of tons of allies coming to the rescue of the down and out heroes. But no, its the Schnee Dust Company ships Whitley sent out. Almost forgot about that plan, whoops. Ironwood immediately recognizes this as Weiss’ handiwork for the sake of saving Mantle, because nobody would have guessed Whitley would show some humanity and make this plan himself. Winter immediately shows attentive concern hearing her sister has done this, and Harriet gives her a look as if to say “you are such a bleeding heart for these little criminals...” Ironwood makes the very one dimensional assumption that everything Ruby and the others have been doing is simply to protect Mantle, as if they didn’t have a serious conversation with May about helping Atlas as well as Mantle 3 episodes back. With that knowledge in mind, he decides he needs to make a call.

Speaking of phones, Cinder gets a cheeky text and an accompanying selfie from Neo revealing she has the Lamp and she knows Salem will tear Cinder to pieces if she doesn’t bring it back to her. So she’s proposing a trade; Cinder gets the name to activate the Lamp, and in return she has to bring Neo to Ruby for the revenge she so deeply craves. Watts can’t see Cinder’s screen so he wonders who among their comrades has survived. Unclear if Cinder is going to tell him.

At last, we see Ruby throw open the front doors of Schnee Manor with Weiss and Blake flanking her, to see Yang and the others on the front steps. The sisters immediately embrace and Ruby sheds a tear of relief and joy that they’re all okay. Yang tells her she missed her too, and that seems to be that for the distrust and argument they had back in chapter 1. Ruby goes to greet the guys, and Yang gives Weiss a nice hug too. Then she sees Blake has taken a few steps away from the group and seems ashamed or embarrassed, unable to even look in their direction in Yang’s direction. Yang puts a hand to her cheek, her thumb softly stroking up and down as she turns Blake’s head to meet her gays gaze. Yang blushes and smiles, Bake returns the smile, and the two softly press their foreheads together. The intense sapphic energy of this deeply intimate moment was almost overwhelming, and many couldn’t help but adore it. I know I couldn’t stop myself from being a little giggly. Ren notices Nora isn’t there to greet them, and Weiss seems like she’s going to bring him up to her room and possibly even explain what happened along the way. Ruby takes this chance to go and greet Oscar with a hug, but stops short when she sees Emerald behind him. She seems real mad and is about to go on the attack, but Oscar steps between them and insists he can vouch for her, or maybe he’s saying he can explain? We don’t quite know because they get cut off by the sound of Ruby’s Scroll ringing. May is calling from the crater to say that the SDC freighters aren’t the only thing in the air right now, and she seems very panicked by what she sees. She yells for everyone to run into the mines for shelter, and an explosion is hear before the call is cut short. Before anyone has time to try and puzzle out what they just heard, a loud alarm tone goes off on all their Scrolls. It’s a fun detail that as a Faunus Blake covers her ears cuz the loud noise is especially bad for her. An emergency CCT broadcast is coming in for everyone in the kingdom, and Ruby magnifies her Scroll’s playing of it to be projected into the air for all of them to watch. The cargo ships are shown being shot down by military ships, and then the feed cuts to Ironwood standing ominously under a single light to deliver a downright villainous speech. He claims he has been trying his best to protect the technology and future of the kingdom from those who would do it harm, but I think it is VERY telling he never mentions protecting the people. Because that’s not what matters to him anymore. Not really. He says the only person stopping him from finishing his plans of making sure the currently crippled Salem can’t hurt them anymore is Penny. So he has an ultimatum for Penny and her friends, because he knows they will be listening right now. Either she turn herself over to him so he can have her do her “duty” and save as much of the Kingdom as possible and forget about trying to save Mantle, or he will nuke Mantle as punishment for her selfishness. The more he talks the more angry Ruby and the others get, and we are right there with them. He somehow thinks that if Mantle is destroyed then Penny will be free to only care about Atlas and its protection and will gladly work with him to do so. What a delusional bastard. And if anyone tries anything other than what he has said to do, he will use the bomb. 1 hour to decide how they will respond, and a hell of a lot riding on that choice.

There can be absolutely no question now, Ironwood will be the villain for the rest of the Volume and Salem will probably return at the end to ruin whatever hope putting him down will have raised in our heroes... And I’m kinda excited for how that’s gonna play out. Let’s see how team RWBY get out of this one~

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mi6-cafe · 4 years

Photo

THE LDWS ENTRIES FOR WEEK 1 ARE IN!

Now it’s your turn to READ&VOTE!

Let’s refresh your memory first.

This week the word count was 100 words and this was the prompt:

[drabbles below the line]

HOW DO YOU VOTE?

Read all the drabbles.

Choose three that you like the most.

Fill out this VOTING FORM, telling us your favourites. (You can even leave anonymous feedback for the author).

NOTE: If you are a competitor, you CANNOT vote for your own fic. But please, do vote. :)

The voting period ends at 11:59 PM EST on Sunday night. Results will be posted and anonymous feedback will be emailed on Monday.

Title: 100 Seconds Author: sorion Warnings: implied canon-typical violence Summary: Seconds counting down to words that count.

"One hundred seconds, 007," Q says.

Bond knows. His reliable inner countdown always lets him know how close death is. Eighty seconds until he has to be off the empty German plane.

Sixty-eight seconds to not only outwit his personal death, but the death of everyone the crashing plane will kill in London.

Forty-seven to break the auto pilot, divert destiny from its path and the plane into the channel.

Thirty to grab a parachute, listen to the increasingly panicky voice in his ear.

"James! Fifteen seconds!"

Thirteen seconds for a jump and three words.

"I'm coming home."

Two.

One.

Title: Delayed Author: Ksania/Starrboned Warnings: None Summary: It wasn't flying that scared Q the most.

The stuttering departure board snaps into place, merciless and cold.

Delayed.

Impatient, Q taps his fingers against his thigh.

It wasn't flying that scared Q. He knew better than most how safe planes were, the intricate mechanisms that kept them afloat.

They didn't always land; Q waits for the inevitable to happen.

His eyes blink with the board: one, two, ten thousand - the seconds melt into months. Q stands still while the airport is buzzing around him.

"Q?" James's voice cuts like lightning through fog. "Have you been waiting for long?"

Q shakes his head, smiling thinly.

"Not at all."

Title: Flight Plan Author: Anyawen Warnings: None Summary: A chance sighting requires changes on the fly.

Be a dear and change my flight, won't you?

You'll survive 3 hours in economy class.

FIN2424 to Valencia. Leaves in 35 min.

I'm not a bloody travel agent. Book your own holiday.

I had been hoping to get back to London. Spend some time spoiling your cats. And you. Unfortunately ... <image0805202013.jpg>

… That's Nīkau Tama.

Indeed. They're announcing last call for boarding.

Keep your pants on.

Where's the fun in that?

Ticket confirmation is in your email.

Thank you, darling.

Just catch the bastard and come home, then you can thank me properly.

I prefer 'improperly'.

...

So do I.

Title: Seatmates Author: IrishWitch58 Warnings: None Summary: Departure lounges are lonely, until they're not.

Airport departure boards were depressing if you rarely had the chance to decide your destination yourself. Bond watched the crowds as he waited for his flight to be posted. He was supposed to be accompanied by a Q branch expert but they were late. He'd kissed Q goodbye early this morning, holding him close in the grey dawn light. Saying goodbye was getting harder lately. Someone moved up next to him and he blinked. “Q? But you hate flying.”

“Overstated,” Q responded succinctly. “Valencia is warmer than London and I hate cold worse. There are perks. We're going first class.”

Title: Boarding Author: SouffleGirl91 Warnings: None Summary: He waits to board the plane.

“Flight BA25007 to Kingston is now boarding.”

Heaving a sigh, he stood, clutching his ticket. Was he really doing this? Boarding a plane to Jamaica on the trail of a washed-up double-oh, just to tell him- no. No thinking about that right now. That could wait. It was a long flight. Plenty of time to decide how to tell him.

Shuffling into line, he fingered his passport. He missed having the power to skip the rigmarole and just board. But this wasn’t a sanctioned mission.

The new Quartermaster had better things to do.

This was personal. Bond had to know.

Title: Homeward Bound Author: Iambid/Flantastic Warnings: None Summary: It’s late, Q’s tired and James’s flight is due.

Heathrow is deserted.

Q is alone in the waiting area except for a lone family, waiting for a loved one. He’s waiting for James. He’s not sure if James ever thought of him as a loved one, not since Madeleine…

The arrivals board clatters, the quaintly old-fashioned sound waking him from his doze. He’s so tired, should have been in bed hours ago, but James asked him to be there and even after everything, he can’t say no to him.

He thinks to himself that maybe James is the loved one as he stands stiffly and waits for his agent.

Title: Vision Author: sunaddicted Warnings: none Summary: some dreams are bound to never become real

"I had a dream" Raoul stretched amidst the rumpled sheets, reaching out to land a hand on James' belly "A nice one?" "I was at an airport" "Why?" "Leaving" "For?" "I'm not sure, the flight details kept blurring and changing on the board" James looked down at Raoul, as if the key to his dream lay amidst those distorted features "I was leaving London. Permanently. It felt better than I always thought it would" shame burned on his tongue. Raoul hummed, thumb tracing the pucker of a scar "It was just a dream" and like one, they had no future.

Title: Fight and Flight Author: stormofsharpthings Warnings: no Archive warnings apply Summary: All the comforts of the first-class lounge

It hadn’t been his finest moment, Bond admitted as he prowled through BritishAir’s first-class lounge. He’d had a monumentally stupid fight with Q and stormed out, demanding to take the next mission available.

The departure board flickered. His flight was delayed again and Bond groaned — more hours of inaction to brood over his poor behaviour.

He paced until the board flickered again, showing a further delay, and he slumped, defeated.

After a while, he rubbed his face and looked up glumly.

COME HOME, it flickered.

Bond sighed, a rueful smile emerging, wondering if make up sex was an option.

Title: Time and Place Author: Venstar Warnings: none Summary: Travel

It was a simple process. Approach the board and wait.

“Time Agent 007.”

The only acknowledgment of his name spoken softly through his earpiece was the slight turn of his head.

“Your countdown. 5,4,3,2,1…” The voice trailed off as the board flickered before 007’s eyes divulging his next destination. “You will have seventy-two hours to complete your mission. Good luck in 2424.”

“And when I’m done? How about dinner, Q?”

If a snort could sound posh, leave it to Q to figure that trick out.

Q countered his offer. “How about you return my equipment in one piece?”

“With pleasure.”

#10

Title: The Destination Board Author: ladymars Warnings: No Warnings Apply (Canon Character Death?) Summary: M remains vigilant, even after everything.

She finds the oddest device when she first arrives. A departure board flickering with the destinations of the colleagues she had left behind. M does remember that 008 was to be deployed to Havana and that R had a conference at Frankfurt. Her new friends here tell her there's much more to explore and enjoy, now that she has time to repose, but she decides to linger. No rest for the wicked, of course. She catches an expected arrival at Altaussee, Austria followed by an unexpected one. Huh. She should have suspected he would have boarded a plane for him.

#11

Title: Trinity Author: sparklycitrus Warnings: None Summary: An unholy alliance.

When the airport bulletins all over Europe began to glitch, Q was at home, packing. He’d already given away his cats, and the only things he was taking consisted of a single suitcase and his laptop. The train ticket Bond had sourced him sat securely in his pocket. He was cutting it a bit close, but there should still be time left before everything crashed. Literally.

In a remote part of Russia, Raoul Silva turned from the camera feeds to the man next to him. “Clever boy,” he commented, to which Bond merely smiled, as they watched the chaos unfold.

#12

Title: Buggering Off Author: AtoTheBean Warnings: None Summary: He shouldn’t hope...

JB: Where are you? Oh, for fuck’s sake. NLQ: How did you get this number? JB: That doesn’t answer my question, Q. NLQ: No longer Q, actually. You’re not the only one who gets to retire and bugger off. JB: I came back. NLQ: Then you can carry on destroying someone else’s tech. JB: ... JB: Please. I need to talk with you. Just give me a hint. He shouldn’t hope… shouldn’t invite this man into his fresh start. His thumb hovers above the screen. He snaps a picture of the split-flap departures board, hits “send,” and runs for the gate.

#13

Title: (dis)quiet Author: azure3795 Warnings: none Summary: Waiting for an arrival.

Slots on the display board are flipping, a monotonous voice from the PSA intercom ever drowned out by the bustling of people arriving and departing drones on, and he waits.

He cradles a travel cup in his hands, the half drained beverage inside long since gone cold and sloshes around with dead weight. Logically, he knows it no longer provides the spot of warmth he seeks.

No matter.

“Q?”

He nearly jumps, but uses the momentum to plaster on a smile that doesn’t resemble a grimace. Good enough.

“Bond,” Q greets and thinks not of the Walther in his bag.

#14

Title: A Grand Romantic Gesture Author: scarytheory Warnings: none Summary: Q is waiting for his flight to Berlin.

He was drinking his second coffee when Bond came.

“What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're trying to stop me in some grand romantic gesture?” he was joking, but his smile faded when he saw Bond's reaction.

“Oh, God. You are, aren't you?”

Bond sighed: “I'm bad at this. I should have prepared a speech. Or should I sing?”

“Please don't.”

“Just… Can you please stay? For me.”

For a moment Q wished he could do that. But nothing would change, he knew that, and deep down, even Bond knew it.

“Goodbye, James.”

The plane was leaving soon.

Thank you to our amazing drabble writers for their contributions this week!

Edited: Voting is now closed and results are in! You can view them here!

#LDWS #LDWS2020 #signal boost

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aclosetfan · 3 years

Note

For the Salty asks: 1, 3, 5 and 6?

Thanks so much for playing along! Ima be real with you 2 out of the 4 questions you asked really opened up a can of worms for me, and I’m so sorry. I put the less stressful ones first, and the other two are under the cut! Anyway, these were super fun to answer, but plz don’t hate me for it!! 😂😂

for anyone wondering, here’s the ask list: Salty Asks List

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

lmao yeah. It’s petty, but honestly, people’s personal morals really bleed through into their fandom opinions, and I’m not willing to put up with any unnecessary hate, especially in environments that are supposed to be fun. I’ve even blocked a few people. In the ppg fandom specifically, I’ve blocked a person who, I guess, thought it was necessary to try to gate-keep with racist/sexist/etc. terminology and ideologies, and I truly don’t have time for that 🤷‍♀️ (a lot of people probs know who I’m vaguing, but if you don’t, you’re lucky)

I can’t say I’ve ever unfollowed anyone for any innocent/not-in-conflict-with-my-morals fandom opinions. Usually, if I don’t agree with something, I just keep scrolling because lol whatever. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.

but ngl I have unfollowed people who just get annoying 😬😬 lol

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

I went into this fandom without having too many preferences, so I didn’t have a pairing that I’ve previously hated!

I guess I could say that while I never really hated them, the color-mixing and color-clashing ships weren’t ever on my radar until I came across the fandom content. Now, I really like them! Particularly, Brick and Bubbles!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Before anyone gets pissed off at me, before you get into my answer for this question, I’d like to really stress that you’ve got to go into it with absolutely zero fanon context. Like, erase all your headcanons from your mind. I’m dead serious. Because I literally DO NOT get why ANY rrbxppg ship would realistically work ever.

Okay, canonically, these six little funky science experiments were dead set on ending each other. The boys were absolutely horrible to the girls. And the girls literally KILL the boys. I know in fairytale romances, nothing stops love, but bruh, it’s hard to come back from murder 😂 And yeah, I know Clipsville showed the girls and the boys together as older teenagers, and they weren’t trying to kill each other, but that was an obvious gag. In the documentary, it was revealed that that particular “clip” was made because a bunch of people wanted the boys and girls to interact again, and CN gave into the demand. (also, lol I know it super embarrassing, but I did watch the documentary. I just really like Craig McCracken) I just don’t think that realistically a canon pairing between the two sets of triplets would ever be considered a healthy relationship.

Also, ethically, I just—okay listen, I go back and forth with this allllll the time, but the ppgxrrb ships make me confront the “Would I sleep with my clone?” question way too often. Depending on my self-esteem, the answer changes each time. Like sometimes I’m like fuck yeah I would! Other times I’m like, ew, no, I’d have to consider my clone as a twin! I know counterparts aren’t technically clones, BUT the boys really do come across as identical to the girls in the show. The only difference really is their moral alignment (I’m nixing any gender argument). So, I’m like, omg, can I honestly pair these six together in any way??? Are they too close to each other genetically in some sense for this to be morally right??? Like if you ship Brick and Buttercup together, would that just essentially be shipping Brick and Butch/Blossom and Buttercup together in some messed up way??? Is Brick just Blossom, and Blossom just Brick?? Is it better just to ship color-matching instead of mixing???

On top of all of that, wouldn’t the boys and girls be pseudo cousins since Mojo was the Professor’s lab monkey? Technically, in canon, Mojo ends up being both sets of triplets “creator,” so could the rrb and the ppg be considered siblings of some sort? Some of you are probably like, wow, calm down. Stop thinking about it. They’re science experiments. It’s not so deep. Which I get, but I can’t stop, so let me hit you with something ten times worse: should the girls (or the boys) actually be considered biological siblings? Does sugar, spice, and everything nice make you genetically related? Nothing put in the stirring pot was organic—just a bunch of chemicals. If you ship the boys and girls together this could be a good thing! BUT, but, could some sick fuck use this information to somehow justify shipping siblings (ppgxppg or rrbxrrb) together??? This is a literal nightmare to think about!!

All in all, I can’t think about these pairings too much without getting caught up in the logistics of their existence even if they’re fictional lmaoooo! If it wasn’t for the fandom, I wouldn’t ship them together at all. I just think it’s amazing that the ships took off like they did lol, because their literal (fictional) existence is just one giant mind fuck for me. Anyway, I ship them at the end of the day, but tbh I do it with a bit of a guilty conscience. Is it morally correct to ship clone-like counterparts? Or should counterparts be treated like twins? Does it even fucking matter at the end of the day, it’s just fiction? I don’t know the right answer. But I do know the pairings don’t make sense.

Aside from the ppgxrrb, I don’t think there are many other BIG fandom wide pairings. Still, I just want to say that I don’t get why people ship Ace and Buttercup together. The pairing sounds off a few major alarms in my head for obvious reasons. There’s also a bunch of crack ships that involve crossovers with other cartoons. Generally, I don’t mind them, but it seems popular to ship Aku (from Samurai Jack) and Blossom together. And I’m real sorry to those devoted shippers, but again I do NOT get it. I see a lot of romantic fan art depicting romantic situations with Blossom still drawn as a child, and like I get Aku is an immortal demon, so “age is just a number,” but again, BIG ALARMS go off in my head.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

🙃 🙃 Kind of don’t want to answer this, but I will anyway because only a few people actually read my blog lolol, so lol, yep! And it’s the reds. Don’t shoot me lol. When I was in middle school, I got into this fandom, forgot about it, and then came back when I was hit by a round of nostalgia. I’m finishing up college now, and I can confidentially say that the fanon content for the reds hasn’t changed one bit. Or the demand for it.

I tended to find that a lot of red content follows many archetypes that I’m just not into. Their stories can get a real cringey, real fast. Blossom is always written like this “perfect, except she’s not (but she really is)” character. Like she’s the girl you WISH you could be, but she’s also going through a shit ton of stuff that no person IRL would be able to handle without having a mental breakdown. And sometimes, in some stories, Blossom does have a mental breakdown, but in a sexy way, so she’s still perfect. Generally, there’s still something problematic about Blossom that makes it easy for a reader to relate to her on some level, unlike the way people write Bubbles. And then there’s Brick, who’s broody, hyper-possessive or jealous, and hot figuratively and literally (gotta love the fire/ice trope). He’s the only boy—no! Wait!—the only person who could ever possibly outwit Blossom, and he is just so undeniably attracted to Blossom. They’re the smart power couple that should honestly just hook-up in Chapter One to save everybody time, but they don’t. Nah, they’ve got to survive at least two love triangles before they even consider admitting they’re attracted to each other.

And don’t get me wrong, none of that’s bad, but there are a million fanfics that go through the same song and dance with these two. And it’s kind of easy to tell when someone’s hardcore projecting onto Blossom because the type of person they’re personally attracted to is the way they write Brick. And I’m not knocking anyone self-projecting onto characters, sometimes people got to do that to give themselves a fun mental break, but bro, I don’t want to read about it. For one, smart broody assholes aren’t my type. Maybe when I was in middle school, but not anymore. And two, it’s just not interesting to me, which is a real shame since the reds are a majority of the fanon content.

Maybe if I found more red stories where the plot isn’t character-driven but plot-driven, so I see the romance between these two characters in a context where it’s not the main focus of the story, it would solve my issue with the pairing. I haven’t found many fics like that, though.

I can’t really think of any reds fic where I’m like ey, this aint bad unless it has a “major character death” tag attached to it lmao (which are always plot driven stories). However, in all honesty, since I’ve stayed away from red content for a while now, I don’t know the current state of things. Maybe there’s been a load more development for these two, or people have broken away from the same plotlines, but I’m too busy to check. I do browse people’s fic rec lists from time to time, but it sort of feels like everyone just puts the same fics on their lists and moves on.

And before someone’s like, “well, you can say all this about the greens or the blues,” just know I’m fully aware. The greens make me cringe too because there’s a shit ton of possessive and abusive storylines filling their story tags. And what makes me super uncomfortable is how people make Buttercup hit Butch or call him derogatory names, oftentimes unprompted. I don’t know why people make Buttercup such an unlikeable and overly aggressive person. I also don’t get why they make Butch some perverted idiot, but to each their own, I guess? Still, I see these green-character patterns most often in red-focused stories, which is another reason why I avoid them. I’ve found a lot of green-focused content that strays from the abusive tropes I try to avoid. Considerably less than I’d like, but the greens are typically the b-plot pairing, so that’s to be expected. Personally, I’d really like to see more content with the greens finding some kind of inner peace, and recently, I’ve seen a few fics that have tried to tackle this concept.

And lol, if you’ve read some of my posts before, you already know that I think the blues are an underdeveloped fanon pairing. The fandom can’t ruin that pairing for me because it never does anything substantial with it.

Anyway, at the end of the day, I’m just personally not into the way the reds are popularly written, but I get why people are and that’s good with me.

#salty ask game #lisathefan #an ethical debate in MY ppg post??? It's more likely then you think!#long post #ppg pairings #and all my issues with them #also im a firm believer in the block button being your friend!

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fuwafuwamedb · 4 years

Text

When You Give A King A Chocolate Pt 6 (Hakuno, Gilgamesh)

Previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

___

“One more time!”

The woman was sitting before him, her pebbles in hand and her cup with an unknown number of sticks in it. He could see that the odds were working against her now. There wouldn’t be long before he would have every single thing done and she would, once again, lose.

Naturally, he could no more help the smile upon his features than he could help the wind to stop blowing.

“If you insist,” he purred. “Do not feel poorly about your attempts to beat me, Hakuno. This game, as like all other things, are simply in my favor. I have always held a talent for being able to win at anything I do. No one has outsmarted me, not even in the slightest.”

Those brown eyes threw him a dark look, the golden color all but smoldering.

Rage was there, humiliation at her several losses. She wanted to win and she wanted to win specifically against him. Between the cute scowl and the careful attention to her things, he could see she was becoming defensive.

This would have to be their last game.

While it had removed all thought of the temples from her mind and readied her for being at his side, it had also come at the downfall of leaving her with a vicious and bitter ire that he would have to tame. No soothing words and gentle caresses. He would have to think about other ways to help her. Perhaps food.

Food was always such a pleasurable and indulgent manner to bring forth positive atmospheres.

She had her eye twitch as he played his turn.

The bluff was coming.

“Alright,” Hakuno looked him directly in the eyes, bringing that warm and bubbly feeling to his body.

The words were like the finest of mead, flattering him with its bite. He couldn’t help the smile, the closing of his eyes, his thoughts about how she would look draped across his bed soon.

“What say you?” She asked.

“I will call your bluff.”

“You sure?”

“I will stake everything on it,” he replied. “Show me what you have, Hakuno.”

The growl didn’t come.

Neither did the curses that would leave her to beg him not to repeat their origins to anyone else.

Hakuno brought a hand to her mouth, a slowly blossoming smile coming across her face as she stood up. She lifted her cup, revealing-

“I won.”

Gilgamesh stared across the table they were at, looking at her side and the truth that laid bare there. It was inescapable. His own hand could not beat hers.

“I WON!”

The cheer came with her hands going in the air, her body moving to dancing around her chair and around him.

“I BEAT THE GREAT KING OF URUK! I KNEW YOU WERE WATCHING ME FOR TELLS!”

The laughter sang out to the room like the notes of an instrument. Her dancing was vividly uncoordinated and wild, bringing the sight of that hair waving in the air to his side of the table.

The pleased woman dared to enter his space.

“You seem to have beaten me,” he relented.

“I did.” Her face was close, leaving him able to press a hand to her cheek.

“You should laugh more. This expression suits your face.”

“I will laugh more as I beat you more.”

“Ah, so arrogant after a mere child’s game.”

“The king wins at everything, isn’t that right?” Hakuno was grinning more, leaning against his hand on her cheek more as she held her hand to it. “That means I’ve outwitted you once.”

“All according to plan.”

“Oh?”

He was tempted to pull out one of those sweets she liked, but she would think of those temples if he did. No, rather than that, he leaned in close and pressed his forehead to hers.

“Very clever to think of how your enemy would be perceiving you. Your win was once.”

“I could do it again.”

“Do you think so?”

His fool pressed her lips to his hand. “Would you care to bet on it?”

“A fool makes bets of worth on child’s games, but- should you win again before our dinner arrives- I will allow you to rest in during the morning instead of following my plans for the morning hours.”

“Oh?”

“Think wisely on this deal. If you lose, I will want to share your bed with you.”

She just let those brown eyes gleam, her smile sending another pause to his heart. “Don’t feel bad when you lose, my king. I sometimes can be good with people.”

#drabble #drabbles

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swanqueeneverafter · 5 years

Text

The Long Way Back, Pt.4

Storybrooke Heritage Park. Present Day. (Emma Swan approaches Henry. It has been roughly one year since Emma and Henry drove away from Storybrooke, supposedly forever. With her memories restored after drinking a potion given to her by Hook, Emma Swan returned to Storybrooke once more. Bringing along her son, who still has no memory of his prior life, Emma has come to help her family defeat a great evil currently tormenting the town. Henry is not the only one dealing with lost memories however as the people of the town are also unable to remember the previous year. After establishing that Regina did not cast the curse, the pair teamed up to find the true culprit. Piecing together clues, their search ultimately lead them to believe the Wicked Witch is behind all the recent disappearances. Tracking the witch to an old farmhouse, Emma and Regina, along with Hook and David discover evidence that Rumplestiltskin has also returned. Unfortunately, Mr. Gold's resurrection came at a terrible price: Neal's life. Standing among the trees, thus hidden from view, Regina watches Emma who is about to tell their son the news about his father. Unable to comfort the boy herself, as Henry believes her to be merely the town’s Mayor, Regina tries unsuccessfully to fight back her tears.)

Emma: (Taking a steadying breath:) “How was it?” Henry: (Turns to face her, smiling:) “It was awesome. We should take more fishing trips when we get back home. (Noticing the sad expression on her face:) Mom?” Emma: “Come here, kid. (Both of them sit down on a bench:) You were right. I was not completely honest with you about this case. This trip. The reason I brought us here is because someone was in trouble and the person who needed help was not a client. It was your father.” Henry: “This is about my dad?” Emma: “Some bad people wanted to hurt him.” Henry: “Is he okay? Did you find him?” Emma: “I found him, but it was too late. He’s gone, Henry. (Sobs:) He was a good man. And he would have been a great father. (Sobs:) There’s one thing I need you to know about him: He was a hero.” Henry: “I wish, I would have known him.” (Emma hugs Henry.) Emma: “You did.” Henry: “Mom, you’re not making any sense right now.” Emma: “I know.” Henry: (Faces Emma once more:) “What happened to the person who did it?” Emma: (Sighs:) “They got away, but I’m going to find them.” Storybrooke Graveyard. The Following Day. (Mourners, including Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Tinker Bell, Hook, Henry and Belle attend Neal’s funeral. Neal is laid to rest. Hook takes up a shovel and pours soil onto Neal’s coffin. Regina, David and Belle follow Hook’s example. Then Emma encourages Henry to scoop soil on his father’s coffin. Regina watches him closely, still unable to comfort her son. Lastly, Emma herself takes up a shovel.)

Granny’s Diner. Neal’s Wake. (Sitting at the counter, Regina watches Emma as she throws darts, clearly upset. Despite or maybe because of her anger, every single one of the darts Emma throws hits the bullseye. Glancing over at Henry, who is speaking with the Charmings, Regina stands and is about to approach Emma when Hook joins her instead. Glaring at the pirate, Regina finds herself annoyed at how close the pair are standing to each other. Surmising that the captain probably only knows one way of dealing with his emotions, Regina rolls her eyes at being proven right when Hook produces a flask from his jacket pocket. ‘I know your style, pirate.’ she muses, ‘Approach your prey when they’re vulnerable, get them drunk and then...’ Watching them closely as they both walk over to Henry, Regina’s attention is caught by the arrival of Robin Hood. Staring at him as he orders drinks, Tinker Bell follows Regina’s line of sight and notices something.) Tinker Bell: “It’s the lion tattoo. It’s what was prophesied. He’s your soul mate.” Regina: (Whispering:) “I know. I saw it yesterday.” Tinker Bell: “And you didn’t tell me?” Regina: “Well, right now I have better things to do than to gossip about boys!” (Balancing three glasses, Robin Hood joins them.) Robin: “Care for a drink? (Tinker Bell takes one. Robin Hood turns to address Regina:) I do hope I didn’t upset you yesterday.” Regina: (Introducing Tinker Bell to him:) “Robin Hood, Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell, Robin Hood.“ Tinker Bell: (Shaking his hand:) “I’ve been wanting to meet you for a very long time.” Regina: “And no, you didn’t upset me. I just found a clue trail that needed to be followed. One that didn’t lead anywhere. (Gestures towards the offered glass, then stops herself:) I don’t daytime drink.” Robin: “Ah well, perhaps some evening then.” (He nods and takes his leave.) Tinker Bell: “What was all that about? Didn’t you learn anything from the last time you screwed this up? If you had been open to the possibility of love when you first saw him, maybe your life wouldn’t have turned out so…” (Tinker Bell stops herself mid-sentence.) Regina: “So what? How did my life turn out?” Tinker Bell: “Why am I even bothering?” (She walks away.) (Regina watches her leave then notices Emma returning from the bathroom. Checking on Henry again to see that he’s leaving with the pirate, Regina starts to walk over to Emma when Mary Margaret and David beat her to it.) David: “How are you holding up?” Emma: “How do you think?” Mary Margaret: (Hugs her:) “Oh, Emma.” (Wistfully, Regina thinks ‘That’s my hug.’ Suddenly, Zelena enters the diner, holding the Dark One’s Dagger in one hand.) Zelena: “My condolences. So sorry I’ve missed the funeral, but I could never pass up a wake. Oh, did I miss the speeches? Shall I make one? I mean, I am, after all, responsible.” (Emma lunges forward but Mary Margaret seizes her daughter’s arm.) Mary Margaret: “Emma, no. Too many people will get hurt.” Zelena: “Listen to your mother. Anyone who tries to interfere with my plan is gonna have to deal with the Dark One!” David: (Shields a pregnant Mary Margaret:) “Don’t come any closer.” Zelena: “Don’t worry. I’m not here for your baby. Not today, anyway.” Regina: “Then why are you here?” Zelena: “Now that my cover’s blown, I can finally pay a visit to my little sister.” Regina: “Who the hell are you talking about?” Zelena: “Why you of course, Regina.” Emma: “What?” Regina: “I’m an only child.” Zelena: “Cora lied to you, Regina. I’m your sister. Half, if you want to get technical.” Regina: “Why should I believe anything you say?” Zelena: “Oh, you shouldn’t. It’s a lot to swallow. This is why I brought a gift to help.” Regina: (Scoffs:) “I don’t want a gift from you.” Zelena: “But you shall have it. (Moving closer:) See, my gift to you is this sad, sad day. Use it to dig into our past, Regina. You need to learn the truth and you must believe it. And then, meet me on Main Street tonight. Say, sundown.” Regina: “And then what?” Zelena: “Then I’ll destroy you.” Regina: “This isn’t the Wild West.” Zelena: “No, dear. It’s the Wicked West. (Turning around to face the assembled guests:) And I want everyone to be there. To see the Evil Queen lose.” Regina: “I don’t lose.” Zelena: “Neither do I. One of us is about to make history. See you tonight, sis.”

Blanchard Apartment. The Next Day. (David and Emma are attempting to assemble a crib in the Blanchard Loft.) David: (Looking at the instructions:) “I’ve seen enemy battle plans that were easier to decode than this.” Emma: “Let me see. Alright, it says, ‘Take screws E, with washers D, through bar C, using wrench F, which is not provided’.” Mary Margaret: “Why don’t we just call Marco? He’s really good at this sort of thing.” Emma: (Indignantly:) “No!” David: “No! We’re fine.” Mary Margaret: “Should we even be doing this? Ever since the showdown between Regina and the Wicked Witch, we haven’t seen Zelena or Gold at all. Shouldn’t we be focusing on her next move?” Emma: “We are. We just can’t stop living.” David: “Yeah, this crib is a statement. We’re not gonna lose another baby.” Regina: (Enters the loft:) “And thanks to me, you won’t. I’m finished.” David: “So? Did it work? Were you able to put up a new protection spell?” Regina: “One that can’t be undone by blood magic. Which means, Zelena won’t be able to put her hands on that baby.” (Regina removes her gloves and takes a seat at the table.) Mary Margaret: (Smiles then asks:) “Any idea why she would want to?” Regina: “The number of spells involving baby parts would surprise you. That greeny is clearly one twisted witch. But as long as we’re in here, we’re safe.” Emma: “That’s useless. I think we need to stop playing defense and start taking the fight to her.” Regina: “Did you not see how I barely outwitted her yesterday? She has magic! Powerful magic.” Emma: “I have magic too. You’ve seen me use it. I just can’t always control it. But if we teamed up, if you taught me–” Regina: “Now why does this feel so familiar?” Emma: “I’m ready this time.” Regina: (Laughs:) “Okay. But if we do this, we do this my way. This isn’t drinking stale coffee at a stakeout, (Stands:) or whatever you did as a bail bonds person. Magic is a way of life. You have to fully commit to it.” Emma: “Not a problem.” Regina: (Nods:) “Meet me at my vault in one hour.” (Leaves.)

Blanchard Apartment. Several Hours Later. (After their intense yet successful magic lesson, Emma and Regina return to the loft.) Emma: (Opening the door:) "So you're telling me Gold dangled you off a bridge during your lessons?" Regina: (Entering the apartment:) "No, but I wouldn't have put it past him to try. Although now that I know I wasn't Rumple's first student, perhaps his methods changed over time." Emma: (Closing the door and leaning against it:) "Yeah well at least we know I can control my magic. It's just a shame I have to be majorly pissed or in mortal danger to manage it." Regina: "Magic feeds on emotion, that's the key." Emma: (Nods:) "Gold told me, back when we were trying to stop you and Cora from killing us all." Regina: (Taking a seat:) "You mean back when you first brought Henry's father to Storybrooke? (Realising what she's said, stops talking. There's an awkward silence for a few moments:) I'm sorry about Neal. He was a good man. (Emma nods but does not look at her:) What happened... was partly my fault. (Emma raises her head:) In the Enchanted Forest, I told him to go and find a way to bring Rumple back." Emma: (Shakes her head at this:) "No, this wasn't on you. Belle told me how desperate Neal was to get back here." Regina: "Yes, but your parents had already convinced him it wasn't safe." Emma: "The Neal I knew was a free spirit. If he wanted to do something, there was no one who could convince him not to. Which made the fact that he let me go to prison for him suck even more." Regina: "Emma..." Emma: (Waves it off:) "It's ancient history." (Moves away from the door.) (There's another silence.) Regina: (Trying to sound casual:) "Henry told me that back in New York, you seemed happy... with Walsh." Emma: (Scoffs:) "Yeah and look how that turned out. Why are we talking about this?" Regina: "Because you were engaged to this person." Emma: (Defensively:) "But none of it was real! (Begins pacing:) He was playing me from the beginning." Regina: "True, but what you felt was real." Emma: (Snappishly:) "I don't know what I felt. I wasn't even myself, remember? You gave me new memories for crying out loud." Regina: "But even so-" Emma: (Cutting in, accusingly:) "And what about you and Robin Hood, huh?" Regina: (Frowns:) "What about him?" Emma: "Trusting him with your heart?" Regina: "I told you why I-" Emma: "And the tattoo! (At Regina's startled look:) I overheard you and Tink talking at the counter. I saw his arm, Regina." Regina: "So?" Emma: "So? That means he's your-" Regina: "No, it doesn't." Emma: (Scoffs:) "I remember Neverland, okay, I know what you said." Regina: "Then you'll also remember me telling you that the only one who chooses who I fall in love with is me.” Emma: "And have you?" Regina: "Have I what?" Emma: "Chosen." Regina: (A pause:) "Actually that choice was made for me a long time ago." Emma: (Confused:) "But you just said-" Regina: "I didn't see it coming. I didn't plan for it and at first I certainly never wanted it... but it just happened." Emma: "What did?" Regina: "You. (Emma stops pacing:) The moment you entered my life... the thrill and the excitement I'd feel every time you were near me... I just knew. It's always been you, Emma, and no amount of pixie dust or arm tattoos are going to change that." Emma: (Moving closer:) "Really?" Regina: (Nods:) "With all of my heart." (Slowly, Emma leans down towards the seated woman, cupping Regina's face gently in her hands and they kiss.) Emma: "For me, too." (They kiss again.) Regina: (As they part:) "Is that why you snapped at me earlier, because you saw Robin's tattoo and thought..." Emma: (Shrugging:) "It has been a year... I just thought maybe you'd take it as a sign and want to move on." Regina: (Reaching up and grasping Emma by the lapels:) "I would wait a thousand years if it meant we could be together." (Pulling Emma in for an earnest kiss, Regina feels Emma smiling against her lips.) Emma: (Parting:) "Wow. You know, (Smiling, holding out her arm:) I happen to have a tattoo myself." Regina: (Laughing:) "I've noticed. (Studying the flower on Emma's wrist:) Although it does resemble the flowers on your family's coat of arms, so that might just work against you. (They share a comfortable laugh, the confirmation that they both still feel the same way about each other washing over them. Smiling as Emma takes a seat opposite her:) “So how do you see this working, exactly?” Granny’s Diner. A Short Time Later. (Emma, Regina, Henry, David and Mary Margaret are eating together at a table. Regina and Emma smile at each other from across the table when Henry asks a question.) Henry: "So, Madam Mayor, how do you and my mom know each other?" Regina: (Glancing at Emma for help:) "Oh, I-" Emma: "Well, Henry, you know Mary Margaret and I both moved here after Phoenix for a fresh start. And Mayor Mills kindly waived the town's 'no convicts' rule for us." Henry: (Turning to Regina:) "You did that?" Regina: (Smiles:) "Of course. Actually its sort of the town motto that in Storybrooke, everyone deserves a second chance." Henry: "That's great. So how long did we stay here for, Mom?" Emma: (Shrugs:) "About a year or so, until David and Mary Margaret wanted to move in together." Mary Margaret: "We told your mother that she'd be welcome to live with us." David: "The offer still stands by the way." Emma: (Smiles:) "Thanks, Da- (Catching herself:) David." Henry: "I think I know why Mom moved away." Regina: (Curious:) "And why's that, Henry?" Henry: "Well, I've been here a few days now and, no offense, but compared to New York, this place is kinda quiet. I can see Mom getting restless here after awhile." Emma: (Tousling Henry's hair:) "The kid has a point." Mary Margaret: "Oh well, Storybrooke isn't as quiet as it appears, Henry. In fact your mother saved Mayor Mills from a fire." Henry: (To Emma:) "You did?!" Emma: "Well..." Mary Margaret: (Smiling:) "She sure did." Henry: "Wow, did you give my mom the key to the town after that?" Regina: (Smiles:) "I... made sure your mother knew how much her heroism was appreciated." Emma: (Catching the suggestive glint in Regina's eyes, clears her throat:) "Yeah, but Mayor Mills also saved me too. Both of us actually, right Mary Margaret?" Mary Margaret: "Hm? Oh, you mean the well?" Henry: "The well?" Emma: (Wincing:) "Sure, that's what I meant. The well." Henry: "So, what happened?" (Realising her error too late, Mary Margaret now has to quickly think of a rescue scenario to tell Henry that doesn't involve magic.) Mary Margaret: "Uh, I was showing your mother my engagement ring from David as we were passing the town's Wishing Well and I tripped and the ring went flying. And without thinking I... dove after it." Henry: (Frowning:) "I you dove into a well?" Mary Margaret: "Yep. Pretty goofy, huh? Luckily your mom was there to try and grab me but, unfortunately, we both tumbled in." Henry: (Laughing, to Emma:) "You got stuck inside a Wishing Well?" (Emma smiles but says nothing.) David: (Cutting in:) "And that's when Mayor Mills was walking by, heard you two calling for help and she mobilised the entire town to come and pull them out. Isn't that right, Regina?" Regina: (Smiles:) "Mm." Mary Margaret: "We were both caked in mud, I think I even have some of the photographs somewhere." Henry: "I've totally gotta see those!" (The group continue their dinner, laughing and joking together. Regina and Emma sharing anxious looks before joining in again with the conversation.)

Storybrooke. Mills House. The Next Morning. (David stands in the dining room waiting for his chance to speak.) Regina: (Annoyed:) "What were you two idiots thinking, making up stories like that?" David: (Defensively:) "Would you have preferred we told Henry the truth, about how magic is real?" Regina: "I would prefer if you didn't lie to my son. What happens when he gets his memories back?" David: "Do you really want to stand there and lecture me about lying to Henry?" Regina: (Raising an eyebrow at this, impressed:) "Well, look who has a spine after all." David: (Sighs, folding his arms:) "I didn't come here for a fight." Regina: "Then what did you come for?" David: "To talk. About Henry and Emma." Regina: "All right." David: (Takes a breath, then begins:) "Has Emma told you what she plans to do once we defeat the Wicked Witch?" Regina: "Her name is Zelena and you're making quite the assumption that she can be beaten." David: "Good always triumphs over evil." Regina: (Scoffs:) "In my experience 'good' usually sits around waiting for a Savior to help them." David: "We have that Savior." Regina: "She isn't the Savior, she's your daughter!" David: "I'm fully aware of who Emma is! (Takes a calming breath:) Listen, this is about protecting our family. Zelena already got to Emma and Henry in New York, there's no running from this anymore. Emma has to stop her." Regina: "Haven't you been listening? I barely managed to survive a magical duel with Zelena and I'm one of the most powerful sorceresses to ever live. Emma's magic might possibly be stronger than mine but she doesn't know how to fully harness it yet." David: "Then show her how." Regina: "I've been trying!" David: "You know what I mean. I've seen what you two can do when you work together, when you combine your magic." Regina: (Shaking her head:) "Why is the thought of Emma and I being together only palatable to you when we're saving this town?!" David: "I'm not the one you have to convince!” (They stare at each other for a long, tense moment.) Regina: "It's Snow, isn't it?" David: (Continues, softer:) “Look, I know Emma loves you. She told me as much on the trip back from Neverland. And I know you love her too. I came here today to ask you to convince Emma to stay here in Storybrooke, with her family. I realise how things appear, that we ended up back here one year later with a baby on the way. I get that Emma must think we've moved on or that we're trying to replace her. Nothing could be further from the truth. I need my daughter in my life, Regina. Parent to parent, surely you can understand that?" Regina: (Nods:) "Being apart from Henry has been the most painful time of my life. But it's through my love for him and your daughter that I've learned that putting their happiness above my own is worth the pain. I don't know if I can make Emma change her mind about staying, but I'm gonna give it everything I've got." David: (Nods, smiling:) "I know you will and that’s all I ask. I’ll show myself out." (Taking a moment to compose herself, Regina checks herself in the mirror when she hears the doorbell ring. Expecting to find David returning for some reason, she opens the door to find nothing but a basket filled with green apples.) Zelena: (Suddenly standing in Regina’s dining room:) “A gift. From sister to sister.” Regina: “What are you doing here?” (Regina turns and closes the door behind her.)

Mills House. Later That Evening. (After having her heart literally stolen by Zelena, Regina organised a seance to contact her deceased mother Cora. Although initially appearing not to have worked, Cora's spirit made itself known and set its sights on attacking Mary Margaret.) Mary Margaret: “It’s me. I killed Cora. She sensed my presence and found a way to bleed through into our world.” Regina: (When Cora lunges for Mary Margaret, Regina stands to protect her:) “Watch out! Back down, mother. You will answer my questions. Now, tell me: What did you do to Zelena?” (Cora knocks Regina aside then sets her eyes on Mary Margaret. Recovering, Regina quickly transports herself and Mary Margaret back downstairs. A second later, Cora follows them. Regina uses her magic to fend off the ghost.) Mary Margaret: “Oh! You’re holding her off!” Regina: “But I can’t hold her forever.” Mary Margaret: “Cora, I’m sorry. Please forgive me!” (Cora lunges again, but is forestalled by Regina.) Regina: “Save your breath. She only understands power and weakness. But if she wants to kill you, she’s gonna have to go through me! (Mary Margaret looks surprised:) This isn’t about you. This is about her. And me. It’s time for answers, Mother. What did you do to Zelena?!” (Cora slaps Regina aside and dives inside Mary Margaret’s body, knocking the pregnant woman into a nearby chair. Beset with visions of Cora’s past, Mary Margaret watches helplessly as the events of the past play out before her. Regina rushes to the possessed Mary Margaret’s side.) Regina: “Mary Margaret! Hold on. I won’t let you go.” (Using her powers, Regina expels Cora’s spirit from Mary Margaret’s body, sending her back through the portal for good. Emma, David, Hook and Belle arrive just in time to see the portal close.) Emma: “What the hell was that?!” Regina: “Cora. (Turns to check on Mary Margaret:) Is she okay?” David: (Kneels beside her:) “Mary Margaret, can you hear me?” Mary Margaret: (Weakly:) “Cora. Not what we thought. She’s trying to communicate.” Regina: “She was? What’d she say?” Mary Margaret: “Leopold, my mother. My mother.” David: “Shh. Mary Margaret, relax.” Emma: “She’s not making sense. We need to call a doctor.” Regina: “If she knows something that could help us-” David: “Regina, it’s gonna have to wait.” Regina: “It can’t wait! If we want to stop Zelena, we have to know what the hell she’s doing and why!” Belle: “I can help with half of that.” Regina: (Turns to her:) “What?” Belle: “She’s planning on going back. Back in time.” Regina: “Are you certain? No one’s ever been able to cast a spell to go back in time.” Belle: “Well, clearly, she thinks she can succeed. I mean, brains, courage, a-a resilient heart. Those ingredients are in every time-travel spell I’ve found.” David: “Why go back in time, I mean, we have no idea what she’s trying to accomplish.” Mary Margaret: “I do. She… she didn’t…” David: “Don’t push yourself.” Mary Margaret: “She didn’t want to give up Zelena. She was forced to by… By my mother. Princess Eva. She told a secret. Just like I did.” Emma: “Wait. I thought our family were the good guys.” Regina: (Sighs:) “Life is too messy for it to ever be that simple.” David: “You’re saying if it wasn’t for Snow’s mother, Cora would have kept Zelena.” Belle: “She would have been tutored by Rumpelstiltskin.” Hook: “And all if it weren’t for this Princess Eva?” Emma: “So that means…” Mary Margaret: “Zelena’s going back to kill my mother.” Regina: (Gasps:) “You’ll have never been born.” Emma: (Wryly:) “I’m guessing this is where your help ends.” Regina: “No, think it through, Emma. That means you’ll have never been born, and neither will Henry.” Mary Margaret: “And on this different path, Regina, you may not be, either.” Hook: “Well, it’s a good thing no one has ever succeeded with this time-travel nonsense.” David: “The baby.” Hook: “What?” David: “That’s what’s missing. That’s why none have succeeded. Somehow, some way, our baby is the key. Zelena went to a lot of effort to get close to our unborn child. That’s what she’s after.” Mary Margaret: “What is she going to do to with?” David: “It doesn’t matter. She’s not gonna get it. We’re gonna stop her. Since our baby’s not born, she’s stuck, and we have what we need. Time.” Mary Margaret: “Just not very much of it.” A Short Time Later. (Regina continues to clean up when Mary Margaret enters the room.) Mary Margaret: “Need a hand?” Regina: “Shouldn’t you be on bed rest?” Mary Margaret: “Dr. Whale just left. He cleared me and the baby. Apparently, the human body has a surprising tolerance for ghost possession. And he told me I have a tough placenta, which somehow came out creepy. May I? (Grabs a broom:) You want to talk about it?” Regina: “What’s there to talk about? You officially have a less damaging relationship with my mother than I do. And you killed her.” Mary Margaret: “Well, at least we know, you and me, our history… It’s more complicated than we thought.” Regina: “I know how much you looked up to Eva. I’m sorry you had to learn she had such darkness in her past.” (Regina sits at the table.) Mary Margaret: (Puts the broom down:) “That wasn’t the woman I knew. (Sits next to Regina:) It makes me wonder what happened that changed her. I suppose I’ll never know.” Regina: “Well, we can never know our past completely. If we had, I probably wouldn’t have spent so much time trying to kill you.” Mary Margaret: “Well, we would’ve found something to fight about. I mean I was such a brat.” Regina: “Your mother’s child.” Mary Margaret: “Regina… I had no idea that our parents were almost married. If I had, I would never have-” Regina: “I know.” (Tears form.) Mary Margaret: “But you were so young… and my father was so much older and… I’m so sorry.” Regina: (Shakes her head:) “Leopold was a good man. All he ever wanted was for someone to care for his daughter as much as he did.” Mary Margaret: “I think we’ve wasted our last day being haunted by the past.” Regina: “Now we can focus on being haunted by our impending lack of a future.” Mary Margaret: “Zelena isn’t going to win. Not with all of us united against her.” Regina: “Hope isn’t easy when I know she holds my heart.” Mary Margaret: “Which you’ll get back, stronger than ever. That’s what it means to be the most resilient.” Regina: “That could be another one of her tricks, too.” Mary Margaret: “Regina, I’ve seen what life has thrown at you. And you still fight against the darkness every single day. I know you, and you feel things deeply. With or without your heart, you feel things with your whole soul. (Taking Regina’s hands and holding them tightly:) You deserve your happiness. And this time, don’t let anything or (Meaningfully:) anyone hold you back.” Regina: (Sighs:) “Zelena… said something about me not taking risks. It made me think that maybe there was another way. That maybe I didn’t have to send Henry and Emma away at all.” Mary Margaret: “No. Regina there was only one thing you could do. If you had allowed them to stay, when Pan’s curse hit, Henry would have been left alone. Emma knows that. What you did was one of the most selfless, loving things I’ve ever witnessed. (Gently:) “I’m not going to lie and say that I’ve always liked the thought of you and my daughter together. (Regina gives a sardonic smile:) But the sacrifices you’ve made, the magic you make together and the love you both have for Henry… no one can deny that. (Smiles:) She loves you, I know she does. She might not know how to show it, but I see it.” Regina: “You do?” Mary Margaret: “Oh yeah. When she saw you for the first time at Granny’s after she returned, I could see it.” Regina: (Sighs:) “Great. You and I are finally getting along and now, if everything goes to plan, I’ll be moving to New York.” Mary Margaret: “Oh, I’m not going to let that happen without a fight. (At Regina’s look:) If Emma thinks I’m going to allow the chance for all of us to finally be a family together slip through our fingers, she’s got another thing coming.”

Storybrooke Docks. Several Days Later. (Having decided that she needs to strip the Savior of her magic before implementing her plan, Zelena begins targeting people Emma loves. Starting with Henry. In an attempt to save the boy, Hook brings Henry to the docks before being attacked by the Witch's flying monkeys. Running, Hook, Smee and Henry enter the boat house.) Smee: (Locks the door behind him:) “What now, Captain?” Hook: (To Smee:) “Take the boy there. Far exit. Find a new boat. I’ll stay here to deal with our winged friends. (To Henry:) Henry, go with Smee. Don’t stop, no matter what you hear. (Smee exits. Henry briefly stops once again, watching the flying monkey descending:) Henry, go! (Hook fires his pistol twice, killing two flying monkeys. Henry trips over a coiled rope. A third monkey descends, attacking the boy:) No!” (Aiming, Hook fires his pistol once again, but the pistol magazine is empty. Fired from behind, another bullet hits the third monkey directly in the chest. Emma, David and Regina enter the boat house. David throws his sword at another winged creature.) Regina: “I never liked pets.” (She launches a fire ball at a monkey sitting above. Two surviving flying monkeys remain. Emma shoots one of them and Regina launches a fire ball at their last opponent.) Emma: (Helps Henry to his feet:) “Henry, are you okay?” Henry: “Y… Yeah. What were those things? (David sheathes his sword:) Why does he have a sword?” Emma: “It’s all gonna make sense in a minute, I promise.” Henry: (Confused:) “What are you talking about?” Emma: “I’m sorry I was keeping things from you. You were right. You deserve to know the truth.” (Shows Henry his storybook.) Henry: “About fairy tales? I don’t understand.” Emma: “Do you trust me?” Henry: “Yes, of course I do.” Emma: “Then I need you to believe.” Henry: “Believe in what?” Emma: “Believe in magic.” Henry: (Doubtful:) “From a book?” Emma: “It’s more than just a book. Do you believe in me?” Henry: “Yes.” Emma: “Then take it.” (Emma hands Henry the book. As soon as he takes it, Henry remembers visiting Emma in Boston, both of them sitting together at his castle, Emma breaking the curse, using pixie dust to fly in Neverland, practice sword fighting with his father, leaving Storybrooke.) Henry: (To Emma:) “Mom? (Emma smiles. To Regina:) Mom! (Regina runs forward and hugs Henry:) I remember. (To Emma:) I remember.” Regina: (Relieved:) “Henry. Oh, Henry. (Smiles:) I will never let you go away again. I promise. I love you, Henry.” (Regina kisses Henry lightly on the forehead. A burst of colour travels throughout the land and the Dark Curse breaks. Mary Margaret hugs David.) Emma: (To Regina:) “It wasn’t me. It was you. You broke the curse. (Regina smiles, vindicated. Turning to her parents:) Mary Margaret. David, did it work? Do you remember the missing year?” Mary Margaret: “Yes, everything.” Emma: “How did Zelena cast the curse?” Mary Margaret: (Shaking her head:) “She didn’t, Emma. We did.” Emma: “You cursed yourselves?” Mary Margaret: “Zelena’s weakness is light magic. I mean, it’s clear now, more than ever. You’re the only one who can defeat her.” David: “That’s why we paid the price of Regina’s curse. To find you.” Emma: “The price of the curse is the heart of the thing you love most. If one of you cast it, how are you both still here?” (As the Charmings explain everything to Emma, Henry tells Regina about the year he spent in New York.) Henry: “New York was awesome. The pizza. The Yankees. My school.” Regina: (Chuckles:) “Slow down. I wanna hear it all. The entire year.” Henry: “I found an apple tree in Central Park that looked exactly like the one by your office. Of course, I didn’t know back then, but now I do. And guess what…” Regina: “What?” Henry: “I got pretty good at math.” Regina: “No.” Henry: “Pretty good. Not Stephen-Hawking-good, but good. What did I miss here?” Regina: “Nothing much. Nothing that matters now.” Henry: “Not even the fact that you and Emma are together?” Regina: (Evasively:) “Let’s stay focused on New York. Tell me about the pizza.” Henry: “Come on, mom. How long have you two been…?” Regina: (Clears her throat:) “Do you remember when you got stuck down the mines?” Henry: “Wait. Seriously? Since then?!” Regina: “Well… (Anxiously:) off and on?” Henry: (Smiling:) “Awesome.”

Storybrooke. Storybrooke Sheriff’s Department. (In the final showdown with the Wicked Witch, Zelena was defeated not by the Savior, but her own sister, Regina. Using her own light magic, Regina managed to strip Zelena of her magic, saving the Charming’s newborn son and her own heart in the process. Currently huddled under a blanket, Zelena is locked up in a cell as her sister sits watching her.) Zelena: “Why, Regina? Why not just kill me and put me out of my misery?” Regina: “Because I know why you did what you did. We’re much alike. Our mother ruined you, too. I know what it’s like to not have the life you wanted. The life you feel you deserve.” Zelena: “Oh, boo-hoo. You had to be Queen. You know nothing. I saw it all. You had everything.” Regina: “Did I? So, you missed the part where I lost the man I loved.” Zelena: “Mother did all that for you to achieve greatness.” Regina: (Shaking her head:) “Not long ago I was a lot like you. I wanted to kill someone who wronged me. And I failed. Had I killed Snow White, I wouldn’t be in this world. I wouldn’t be with these people and I wouldn’t have my son Henry. So, no, Zelena. I won’t kill you. Instead I’m gonna give you what I got. I’m gonna give you a second chance.” Zelena: “What if I don’t want it?” Regina: “That would be a mistake, dear. Take it. Use it. Evil isn’t born. It’s made. And so is good. (Stands, moving closer to the bars:) If I were you, I’d consider creating a new destiny. Because if you don’t, I’ll be right there to take your heart and crush it. Now, if you’ll excuse me. (Shows Zelena the pendant:) I should put this somewhere safe.” (Regina leaves the room.) Mills House. That Evening. (Emma Swan walks across the foyer towards Regina's study. Gently pushing it open, Emma leans on the frame as she takes in the sight before her. Illuminated by the light from the fireplace, Regina sits waiting for her, two wine glasses and a velvet pouch placed on the table in front of her.) Regina: "How's-" Emma: (Smiling:) "Mother and baby are fine. (Enters the room:) Henry's staying over at the apartment to make sure everything's ready for when Mom's released from the hospital." Regina: "Was Henry excited to see his new Uncle?" Emma: (Removing her coat:) "Actually yeah. I guess having his parents and grandparents being basically the same age means that Henry being older than his uncle is no big deal." Regina: (Smiles:) "One big happy family." Emma: (Takes a seat beside Regina:) "So, is that what I think it is?" (Emma glances meaningfully towards the black bag on the table.) Regina: (Nods:) "I thought I should wait until we were alone." Emma: "Really? Because you want to use this as a teaching moment?" Regina: (Chuckles:) "Yes and no. (Picks up a bottle of wine and begins to pour some into both glasses:) When I first took out my heart, I was in a really dark place. I had just lost you and Henry for what I thought would be forever. I told myself that living without the pain would help me cope, but your mother convinced me otherwise. Now that I have you back in my life, I'm the happiest I've ever been. (They share a smile:) Or at least I will be, once I have that back in my chest." Emma: (Nods, then picks up both glasses, handing one to Regina:) "To the woman I love with all of my heart, may you once again love me with all of yours. (Regina smiles and they clink glasses, each taking a drink. Placing hers on the table:) So, what do we do?" Regina: "Take my heart in your hand. (Emma reaches for the bag as Regina puts down her glass. Watching as Emma gently pulls out her heart:) Now, (Guiding Emma's hand:) place your hand here, like this. (Moving Emma's hand into position:) Look at me, Emma. (They gaze into each other's eyes:) Ready?" (Emma nods and after a slow intake of breath, Regina pulls Emma's hand firmly towards her chest, replacing her heart.) Emma: (Wide eyed, amazed:) "How does it feel?" Regina: (Smiling lovingly at her, brushes a stray hair back over Emma's ear, cupping her face:) "Like coming home." (Gazing into each other's eyes, Emma moves toward her and they kiss, pouring all of their love into it. The year's separation simply melting away between them. Feverishly, their hands move to begin undressing one another, soon finding themselves laid bare by the fire's light. The flickering flames reflected in each woman's ardent desire to make up for lost time.)

The End.

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

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dailyaudiobible · 4 years

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03/04/2020 DAB Transcript

Numbers 2:1-3:51, Mark 11:27-12:17, Psalms 47:1-9, Proverbs 10:24-25

Today is the 4th day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today. Feeling a little bit more…a little bit more like myself here moving through the jet lag. And today, at least in my life it's a mile marker, a milestone marker. Today is my birthday and I've stopped celebrating the passing of another year in my life in my biological age. I’m 15 today. This is my 15th Daily Audio Bible birthday. So, watch out. You got a raging teenager going lead you through the rest of this year in the Scriptures, but I'll…I’ll try to act more my biological age than my Daily Audio Bible age. But anyway, it's a…at least for me, it just marks…I can’t believe it…15 years. Wow! That is…I can't believe it. But anyway, let's move into the Scriptures and allow God to speak to us into our day. And, so, we’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. And we’ll read Numbers chapters 2 and 3 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, in our reading from the Gospel of Mark today Jesus is in Jerusalem, the holy city that we just returned from and He’s walking in the temple complex and it’s like He gets ganged up on because the chief priests, not the minor ones, like the chief priests and the scribes and the elders, they came to Him and…and they're asking Him, “like, by what…” you know… “like, by what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you the right to do this? And Jesus is like, “I'll answer that question if you answer one of mine.” And then He asks the question about John, “is he from heaven or is he from man.” So, we can read this and ho like, “Jesus is very astute. He's very observant. He knows what's going on. He sees what they're doing. And, so, He outwits them with this question.” And although that's…that's true, there's more that He's asking, then it might seem, because He's not just trying to catch them in their own trap or catch them in their own trick. He’s asking a question that would inform, that would reveal their hearts whether or not they have eyes to see and ears to hear. So, he's like, I'll answer that question, but…but I'm not gonna answer that question if you don't…if you can't…if you don't have eyes to see or ears to hear the answer. “So, let me ask you a question? What about John? Was he sent from God or was he just some crazy guy?” And, so, they discuss it and they're not saying like, “hmmm…let's truly ponder that question.” They're trying to figure out the right answer that will keep them protected and safe in their power. Like, so, they’re like, “if we say from heaven then it would be like, why didn't you believe him? But if we say he was from man then the people are going to freak out because they thought he was a prophet.” And, so, they’re like, “we don't know.” And, so, Jesus is basically then saying, “you don't have eyes to see and ears to hear, so I'm not telling you by what authority I do these things.” And then immediately he launched into a parable to illustrate to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear, especially because He's…He's there with the chief priests and scribes and the elders. And, so, He's telling this story for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear the story of God and man. So, He talks about a beautiful vineyard being cultivated and developed and made right for…for…for growing. And, so, this man who owned the farm then leases the farm to tenant's, right? These would be the ones in authority. These are the ones Jesus is specifically identifying as these high priests, scribes and elders in this parable. But not just them presently. All the way back. The line of the Levites that were reading about in the book of Numbers. Like, we’ve just zoomed a couple thousand years forward and this is them, at least in office. And He was like, “the time for harvest came and the farmer sent someone to collect and that person got beat. These are the prophetic voices that have been sent all along, calling the people, inviting the people back. But the leaders beat them or killed them or struck them on the head or treated them shamefully until finally, God said, “I'll send my beloved son. Surely, surely the people of God will respect the son of God. But instead they identified this beloved son and decided, “if we can get rid of Him, we can have it all.” And, so, they killed Him, right? In the story is the story of God and man and the story of redemption. And Jesus concludes poignantly, “what will the owner of the vineyard do?” You know, like “after all that's happened, after they've beat up servants, killed servants, and killed his son, what's he gonna do? He will come and destroy the tenants”, right? And the tenant's in this story is aimed at the people Jesus is talking to, these religious elite people who are so entrenched in their tradition and so accustomed to their power that they do not have eyes to see or ears to hear. In so many ways this parable is like an invitation to the chief leaders to open their eyes to what they are not seeing, the kingdom of heaven in the world. And just like the parable goes, they left there and plotted. They’re gonna arrest Jesus and get Him out of circulation. So, if there is one thing that we should be beginning to see fairly clearly as we move through the Gospels, this kingdom is here, it is happening, it is moving forward, it will reach its fullness, but it can go completely undetected if you don't have eyes to see and ears to hear, which is why in part we’re spending this year with this word that we’re just simmering on all year, this word “vision”. We also have a word, “settle”. But this word, “vision”, is a specific kind. It's eyes to see the kingdom at work in this world and our place in it. May we not be deeply religious people who are completely aligned.

Prayer:

Jesus, we invite You into that. We way ask again for her eyes to be opened. We may be asking this many many, many, many, more times all year long to keep it on our radar to understand that it's available. We can open our eyes. We just have to look around and stop looking for everything that's challenging us or everything that's bad. We have to look for that which is holding back the darkness. That's the kingdom. And when we see light poking out of the darkness no matter where it's coming from, we need to recognize it. We need to take Your words to be true. Those who are not against us are for us. Wherever light is peeking out, no matter where it's coming from, may we recognize Your kingdom at work in this world. Come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

It’s…well…it’s my birthday. That's going on around here. Probably try to find an hour or two to take a little reflective drive or something and just continue moving through the jet lag. It's…I mean there are some hours now that…that are making sense, but a lot of the hours don't because you’re just kind of moving back…moving back into this time zone. So, thank you for your prayers over that.

Reminding you that…visit the Daily Audio Bible shop. There are a number of resources there for the journey through the Bible in a year. And, so, take advantage of those. They’ve been created for this journey including the Promise Land films that I’ve mentioned a number of times as we were in Israel. That is a great…that resource was created for this journey to. Just to…just changed me when I was able to go to the land of the Bible and get some context, like look around and understand the context of the stories. That's when this whole thing was birthed just to really try to bring as…as comprehensive review of some of the places that we’ll visit in the Bible into our eyes and into real life so that we can see them. So, that's available in the shop. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link and it lives on the homepage and I thank you for clicking that link. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is number to dial or you can just hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Protected by His Wings in Virginia calling for a prayer request. I retired from the Army after over 27 years of service, 21 active duty and I retire in 144 days and I covet your prayers on God’s will…well what I do in retirement. I pray for ears to hear and eyes to see and a discerning heart and I pray that I meet wisdom at this crossroads. And I covet all of the DABbers prayers. I also pray…want to put a shout out for his little Cherry in Canada, Kristi from Kentucky, and Candace from Oregon. I truly love hearing your voices, your prayers and I pray for you daily and I do miss you when I don’t hear you. Lastly, Tina, you called I believe on the 24th…25th of February is when your prayer was called. And you said you weren’t saved but you are hoping to soon be saved. What are you waiting for girlfriend? We love you. Become a child of God today. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Romans 10. Dear sweet woman of God, I hope…hope you say this prayer. I hope you become saved today. Come into His kingdom, come into His arms. He loves you and we love you. I hope to hear from you soon.

Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible by the this is __ __ calling from Cleveland Ohio. I have literally…literally, excuse me, been sitting in my car with full-blown waterworks today. I am grateful to God for you Brian, for you Jill and the entire Daily Audio Bible community. I’m so thankful to my sister Jennifer for introducing me to this community some years ago. Today I want to send a special shout out to Harold. Welcome to the family my brother. I am so grateful, and I was elated to hear the testimony. My sister shared some of it because I hadn’t heard all of the prayer calls. But she shared it on Sunday and then I tuned into some of the calls and I just heard what had happened. I’m so happy for you. So welcome to the community. Welcome to eternity. Just special prayer request right now for my mom who has been fighting this dreadful disease. I’m praying for her strength, praying for healing, praying for my family, praying for my dad. And those of us on the front line with her every day. I appreciate the comments and the commentary that Brian gave today after the message, “what profit a man to gain this world and lose his soul.” And his perspective helped me to articulate what I’ve been feeling and going through with the daily stressors of the unknown and the daily stressors of the known and trying to, you know, just not have fear and not doubt God and to understand that these challenges is where God shows up and He gives His glory. So, I am grateful today. I am happy today. I am renewed today. I’m refreshed today and I love you all and thank you again so much for everything that you do. This is __ __ again from Cleveland Ohio. I can’t wait until there’s an opportunity for me to connect with each and every one of your…face-to-face should I say. I have connected virtually but hopefully one day when there’s another gathering, I will be able to come and touch and agree with some of you…

Hi this is Rachel from Pennsylvania and I just wanted to say, Tina, welcome to the DAB community and…and you hope to be a believer soon, but I think you sound like you already are. Just ask Jesus to, you know, come into your life and lead you and guide you and, you know, as long as you believe He died on the cross for your sins then your saved. I also want to say welcome to Mattie to the community who joined around the time we did the long walk last year. It is so great to have you guys here with us. I also wanted to pray for little Winston who had heart surgery yesterday, February 25th. Dear Lord, just please help Winston to heal quickly and completely so that he can live a full life that glorifies you. I also want to pray for his little Cherry and God’s Smile and Victoria’s soldier. I just pray protection over them from illness and for complete healing. Thank you, Lord for these women and for their encouragement and the joy that they bring every time I hear them call in. I want to lift up our loved ones, all of the loved ones who we’re praying for individually and as a community. I pray Lord that You open their eyes and their hearts and comfort them, give them the desire to follow and to get to know You completely and let them know that You’re real, let them feel Your presence and see You working. Let them learn from their trials and struggles and to come out on the other end with joy and happiness and peace and confidence and excitement to grow your kingdom. I just want to lift up my sister Melissa and her family. They’re expecting a new baby in September and her husband’s getting ready to go under way next week…

Hi this is Jesse from Massachusetts I am a first-time caller and I’m just going to pray for Daniel who is in Singapore and who had asked for prayer for his country that’s facing the coronavirus. So, Lord I just lift up Daniel and I lift up the country of Singapore and in particular the church in Singapore. I pray that You would remind them that You have not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and of love and I pray that You would show Danielle and show the church how You want to use them in this situation which is very dark and scary and difficult for the country and for those around them. I pray that You would give them wisdom to know what to do and…and how to love those around them, especially during a time when it may be easier and conventional wisdom they say that it’s better to isolate Yourself and…and prevent being infected but I just pray that You would give them wisdom to know how to show love in the situation. And Lord I pray for not just Singapore but for the whole world that’s facing this fear of coronavirus. Lord I pray that You would give wisdom to the public health officials to know how to make good decisions to stop the spread of the virus and with the least economic impact on the world. And I pray that You be with the global church as well and that You would just help us to…to show love and know how You want to use us in the midst of this difficult…

Dear heavenly Father I just want to come to You today I just want to lift up all of those Lord who are struggling with any illness, any medical issue. God I just pay right now that You be with them in the midst of their situation. God, that they would know that they have hope in You Lord Jesus. I know we fully can’t understand God some of the stuff that’s going on, explain Lord why cancer happens, why there’s loss of vision, and why people can’t walk God and why, You know, doctors can’t explain things going on God. But we can trust and know that You have us in Your hands. God, I just pray over those Lord who are feeling lonely and lost in their situation, who feel hopeless. God, I pray that You would give them hope. God, I pray peace over them. And I pray Lord Jesus that there would be answers God, that You would come, that You would fulfillment healing in their lives. Lord it may not be on this earth God but that they ultimately Lord will be healed. And I ask that they would just trust in You. Help us Lord God to just trust in You. I pray Lord that joy would overflow and abound in each of our lives and we thank You so much God that You are our healer by Your stripes we are healed. God and I pray for those in…in their hearts Lord Jesus, those who need a healing touch from You in their hearts who need to come to know You Lord Jesus I pray for their lives Lord Jesus that they would not delay any more God that they would choose to walk with You. We thank You and love You in Jesus’ name we pray.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family, To Be A Blessing in California. Wanted to just say I hope __ find you all doing well. It’s a beautiful day in California, which is wonderful and troubling all at the same time. 75°, February 26th. A little early for the warm weather…weather. So, please pray for us to get rain. We need it desperately. Also, I need prayer of protection and wisdom and guidance. I am in a new position at church, which is great. God has plans which is wonderful which are a wonderful and…and yet at the same time I know that I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I will. I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth. I’ll do that too. But in the meantime, with all of those details where I’ll make mistakes, that God’s grace is sufficient in my weaknesses and that people will be forgiving as I will be forgiving too. Yeah, that would be great. Also, continued prayers for my workplace. You know, there are times when it’s easier than others. I’m grateful to have a job and I’m also finding myself a little weary as well. So, I don’t want to complain and grumble because I really want to complain and grumble. I’ve been grumbling trying to tell people but no one’s available so I called the line. Thanks for the prayers. So, appreciate it. God bless.

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lokikingofasgardslover713 · 5 years

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Philandering with Thunder: 1

Masterlist

Philandering with Thunder Masterlist

Thor Odinson x Plus!Size Reader

Warnings: Blood, Angst

A/N: As always! No promise on chapter length and when it will post! This may end up being a cuddly Thor fic, I feel like cuddly, but the first bit is angsty I guess you would say. Reader is a member of the Avengers team that gets caught in a fight between Thor and Hulk while out on a mission. This puts a hitch in the flirtatious nature that the reader and Thor had been enjoying before all this happened. This will be possibly be a short 4-chapter fic but it fluffy!

Words: +1,600

It was silent, all the gunfire, the yelling, the com in sweaty ear unnoticed, only a quiet ringing in blood splattered ears was coming through now. They were yells, screams for her to answer, the vibration from the sounds quaking through numb body but it was silence none the less. The grip of the pistol smooth, warm due to the hand print reader, knuckles white, the weight of the trigger pull biting into index fingers at the ready, vibratory click of the safety made into the grip as a fail safe making itself known. Y/E/C orbs focused on everything & nothing while lungs refused to function, depriving thick curved body of much needed oxygen to keep failing comprehension working long enough to respond with fight or flight.

This wasn’t her first mission, it was her…. god seriously what number was it? Y/N needed to talk with Tony about the way the suit felt constricting, it was squeezing the breath out of her. No, wait that wasn’t the suit was it?

No that was someone wrapping a hand around the pistol harness that wrapped over numb shoulders, between ample breast & across plump stomach. The creak of the harness vibrating through a chest that heart hammered hard in throbbing rib cage…. damn that hurt…. a trickle of sweat sliding along laxing spine. Harness wrapping tighter as it registered she was being jerked down to the ground, pistols still held tight as plump ass hit the dirt, a huff of air escaping forcing unused lungs to take in a breath of rancid gun powder laced with some sort of chemical that made her gag instantly on the lung full inhaled.

A loud balking, sick noise making its way from an aching throat before ever focusing on the god of thunder who had fallen with her behind a cover of blasted metal. Troubled blue & green orbs boring into her own blank stare that still didn’t register they were speaking trying to get her to respond calling her name. Looking down to the massive hand pressed into the shredded right side of ruined suit, blood slowly oozing through the god’s fingers, bright crimson mesmerizing while darkness was trying to creep in.

Y/N calmly holstering the pistols & reached into a pocket of the tactical pants to pullout a can of nanotech spray. Numb gloved hand pried the god’ hand off bloodied side calmly to spray it over the gaping gash that spanned from behind her ribs to plump hip. At the moment filling nothing as the little bots set about their work of preventing her from bleeding to death.

Y/E/C orbs wondering over the bloody hand that remained close as the sting made her hiss, yet another sound she couldn’t hear. Glimpsing the battle axe laying on the ground next to sprawled legs that the god was squatted over, the blade covered in bright red blood, her blood, the enemy’s blood was black or was it blue? Not given much time to ponder as bloody hand wrapped around blood splattered cheek to jerk attention back up to the blonde that was worried over what had happened.

Oh yeah that’s right she thought as the recollection came back. Thor & Hulk had an argument on the battle field, Stormbreaker, it swung wide wasn’t were it was to be, Thor called it back, but she was to close. Friendly fire she guessed, all sounds coming back in a rush, the yelling through the com making her jerk it free to focus on the god before her, gloved hands reaching up to grip onto the armored wrists. Gaze finally locking onto him and registering what he said.

“I’m sorry. Say something, are you ok,” the god repeated over & over again, worried gaze boring into one that was finally focusing on the current events, wait the battlefield it was quiet.

“I’m….. uh….. I’m good,” came a cobbled stammered response that did nothing to lessen the gods concern over his fallen team mate, one that was struck down because of his need to outwit Hulk.

“You were… your side… let me help you back to jet…,” he cobbled himself, moving so that he didn’t hurt her any worse & could help Y/N to her feet.

“No, you’re needed in the fight I’m fine,” she blankly stated, the god cursing the headstrong avenger in his thick skull that still berated him for almost killing her, thankful Y/N wasn’t mortal.

“You’re not fine & the fight is over it seems Hulk & I had a hand in finishing it,” the god sheepishly admitted to the dazed woman who only stared at him, obvious the severity of the wound hadn’t registered.

“Oh… Ok…,�� Y/N deadpanned, holding his gaze, cocking her head at the worried look she was receiving, why would he worry over a trouble maker like her.

It was a stupor, the downed Avenger not registering the god was helping her up until pain shot through the injured side, whimpering like a wounded animal before she was able to stop herself. The god froze as he got her situated, positioning trembling right arm around armored waist & putting strong left around thick waist to give the shuttering woman support. Mismatched eyes looking the woman over closely to assure he wasn’t hurting her in any way, catching how the dazed creature could hardly focus on anything around them to register the field was cleared of all enemy.

“When you’re ready,” Thor admitted snapping her out of it right hand reaching for the bloodied Stormbreaker for it slam into calloused palm.

“Then come on, it’s supper time,” Y/N gritted out taking a stuttering step forward for the god to follow along, allowing her to set the pace towards the waiting jet.

Steve on the ramp waiting for them along with Natasha who glared the god down for his stupidity that nearly cost Y/N her life. The two taking the shivering creature from Thor the moment they stepped onto the ramp, Steve glaring hatefully at the god before turning with Natasha to make sure Y/N was seated on the gurney before pulling he & Bruce to the side to find out what happened as well as tear them a new one for almost killing the newest addition.

Slowly & carefully Natasha helped Y/N remove the ruined jacket & push the shredded undershirt up to inspect the gashed skin, blackened & seared. Though it seemed the nanotechnology was doing its job of closing it to prevent any further loss of blood, leaving only minor cleaning left to do. The assassin hooking a finger into the suit pants on left ample hip to reveal a darkening contusion where the hammer head of Stormbreaker had hit.

“You hurting,” Natasha asked Y/N who was looking over the gash as the redhead released the waist of the pants, reaching for a gauze and alcohol to clean over the healing wound.

“I just took a supernatural battle ax to the ribs & I think it broke a few,” Y/N tried to joke, the redhead moving quick to take Y/N’ gloved hand to hold the large gauze she was using to clean with, so she was free to open the IV sterile pack while realizing Sam was behind her setting up a drip.

“You’re lucky,” Sam spoke up distracting the pale creature from the stick of the needle as he handed the line to the assassin who had it going in no time.

“Good thing I’m not human, because I should be dead,” Y/N tired to joke once more but it was all beginning to sink in just how much in pain her tired body was.

“Still lucky I say,” Sam admitted taking the gauze from trembling fingers to finish up as Natasha was called away.

“You froze,” Sam began, making sure it was so only Y/N heard, “what happened? I’ve never seen you freeze.”

“You’re the expert… you tell me,” Y/N began quietly, looking down at muddied boots now, realizing blood was caking the dirt to them, damn what a mess this will make.

“Shell shock,” he breathed out, tired head shaking yes.

“Gotcha,” was the last Sam said as he finished up to step away for a moment himself.

Haggard gaze finally leaving the criticizing of the murky boots to snap to the god that took a step-in front of her, dirt caked armor having lost it's luster as mismatched eyes raked over the slumped form on the gurney & to the IV drip. The jet shuttering as it began to take off with Tony at the controls, Steve stepping past the two shooting Thor a hate filled glance the god hanging short cropped blonde head in shame but not looking away from Y/N.

“Will you be ok,” Thor began, glancing over the gash that was exposed by the ruined undershirt that was hiked up under ample breast.

“Yep… in a few days. Maybe… I’ve never been hit by a weapon like that so I’m not sure,” Y/N responded flatly, reading his body language still unable to take in his clean scent that was uniquely Thor thanks to the ranker of the battlefield that clouded intense senses.

It grew silent between the two, the god staring at the ever widening & darkening skin that was covering her ribs filling sick at the sight of it, cursing once more, this time under his breath that he let the quarrel between him & the green beast get out of hand. The newest addition had been flirting hard with him the past day, the god had been showing her interest & it seemed Y/N was finally warming up to his attentions, but this, fuck this was a Hel of a setback.

It left Y/N looking after the god as he turned & walked away to the back of the jet to sulk in silence, no longer able to look at her for the return trip as he glared holes in the floor.

Tags open! And re-blogs are ALWAYS welcomed!

Tags: @dark-night-sky-99 @prettybubblesintheair @gramaeryebard @reallyheckinggay @jovanna-shewolf @andiyholly @katstablook @nickyl316h @beets1bears1battlestargalactica @aslandia726 @moonfaery @furstinnajoelle @itsbqueenthings @lookwhatyoumademequeue

@whovianwookie86-captainxev@jazzieomega

#thor odinson #thor #thor x reader #thor x you #thor x plus size reader #thor fanfiction

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ciphergenocide-blog · 5 years

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CipherGenocide

History

Once upon a time, two races Monsters and Men lived in the world in the world, but once between them a long and cold war began, at the end of which people won a victory by sharpening monsters in the basement of Mount Abbott. The monsters locked in the dungeon were in a panic, but the King and the Queen reassured their people, promising them that everything would be fine soon, but for now you need to do what they haven’t done for a long time - the development of their culture. So they lived for many years in a dungeon, developing, studying the powers of souls and magic. Once, the first man fell into the dungeon, it was Chara. The child was found by Drimurra and began to take care of her as if she was her own child. While Chara lived with them in the same dungeon, her soul power interested the royal scientist Guster, he had the idea to improve the souls of monsters so that they could safely extract certain fragments of soul power, thus the human soul would not need to be taken away and absorbed, and both sides will not suffer from this. However, soon, Chara fell seriously ill, and before her death she asked her family to take her to her native village, bury her among purple flowers, her parents could not afford to do this, but Azriel decided to do it himself, under cover of night, while everyone was asleep. The young prince swallowed the spirit of the enchantment, takes the body of the enchantment with him and goes with it through the barrier. When he reached the village, he wanted to leave his sister’s body in flowers, but he was noticed by people who were angry upon seeing the dead man in the monster’s hands, and at that very moment, the struggle began in the body of Azriel, the soul of Enchantment and the prince fought for control, and they were distracted by each other, Azriel's body was mortally wounded. Later, the young man managed to return to the dungeon, but he died in front of his parents, and his ashes were scattered by colors. Years pass, the monsters continued to live further into the dungeon, but over time new people fell, over the past 10 years, 6 children fell with different powers of souls, and at that time Dr. Gaster assembled a unique device that upgraded the monster's soul, thanks to this improvement, the monster, possessing such a soul could extract the power of the human soul without absorbing it himself, 4 volunteers, including Gaster himself, were selected to conduct this experiment. The experiment was a success, the souls were saved, but a person with an empty soul could not recover, the children who lost their strength died. When Queen Toriel found out about what had happened, she left the castle and went into ruins, and the “new souls” project was closed.

The passage of the passage The next person who fell into the dungeon will not spare anyone, as the undead ghost of Enchantment invades it, and begins to follow the bloody path. They kill everyone in their path, even when from the very beginning the monsters spared them. Flaui was killed at the very beginning, just like Toriel, who came to check out the ruins. It comes to Snowdin, the man engages in battle with the Papairus, he offered decent resistance, but even that was not enough ... After a long time, almost all the dungeon was cleared of monsters, all who resisted, even the sellers and those who were not able to fight were killed. The courtroom ... in the way of man stood only Sans, who turned out to be the strongest of all, his soul was modernized, in battle he used it in full force. Sanz absorbed the power of man, LV for LV, the victory was almost in his hands, but a catastrophe occurred outside the barrier. People conducted experiments, but something went wrong, as a result of which an explosion occurred, people died in the city, a barrier was broken, and all who were close to the exit died, except for Sans. It turned out that he was covered with stones before the fire caught him, he survived, but the child died, and Sans was left with everything alone. There was no restart, there was no possibility to "Restart", all that remained to do was to wait ...

Further history Sansa finds Core! Frisk and takes him to her Omega Timeline, where she tells him about other universes, the story of their appearance and what role they play. Also, she answered the question of who he is and why nobody took him for so long, why they only found him, Frisk called him “Forgotten,” but later told him that they would call you all and remember him as “Sayf”. Having received all the necessary information, Sans began his journey through other universes, at the very beginning he was just making a “shot at guessing”, and he wandered into the StoryShift universe. There he first met a man who looks like Sans, he was Chara. At first, Saif doubted her, he was convinced that this was somehow a trick, but after learning Charu better, he got along with her and became a friend. For a while he just sat in this universe and watched all the events in the shadows, not interfering in their history, he saw the first True Pacifist's ending, after which Saif says goodbye to Chara, received a small gift from her and leaves her universe. The next universe he has visited is Altertale. In fact, he did not see any particularly strong changes, but Toriel, who plays the role of Sans, amused him, except for Sans himself, with whom he did not get along, and his Saif envied him for his growth, although he did not call for it. Making sure that nothing threatens this timeline, he goes further and enters the original Undertale, the timeline of the Path of Genocide. Saif intervenes and kills a person several times, while selecting 4 LV for himself, but he almost died from an overdose of the power of another's soul, and he walked back to his universe, where he was waiting [[1]]. Before killing, Error! Sans told him about the universes in other colors, that all this was rubbish and anomalies that littered everything, his goal was global destruction, it seemed interesting to Saif, and he offered his help, but with one condition that He will spare him and leave this world alone, but Error! Sans refused to accept the offer, but then Saif began to melt like amalgameta, he was dying from overdose, Error! Sansu thought it was disgusting, left Saif and was ready to destroy this world, but Saif begged , promised, asked for help, and good luck bnulas him, Error! Sanz leave the poor guy alone, but he will see to it how he will destroy worlds one by one, and disappear. Meanwhile, Saif spends his entire LV and spends it on restoring the soul and body of Papairus, thereby resurrecting him, moreover Saif saves himself from death, his LV is again 1, and OZ has not gone the maximum number. Sanz and Papairus remain united with each other, discussing further actions, Papairus will take Core! Frisk into the Omega Timeline, and Sanz himself goes to do the dirty work, although he had completely different plans. Saif outwitted Error! Sansa, yes, he destroys the universes with him, but only those on which the time line of the Path of Genocide takes place, other universes and those universes he likes most, such as Altertale and StoryShift, he tries to bypass, and don't touch them.

#Undertale #Undertale AU #Undertale Art #CipherGenocide #Sans #Papyrus #My art

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codylabs · 5 years

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Shifting Sands Chapter 4: Council of Nightmares

Chapters: One Two Three Four

Long ago, before they imprisoned ███████, before these creatures had ever arrived on her world, while she was still with him, something had happened. She never had a way to know before, but now she realized:

She was pregnant.

The scientists hadn’t noticed it yet, but it was only a matter of time. They’d been watching her closely ever since she’d killed Dr. &R/\BJ, and there was no chance the child could escape their scrutiny for long. She could feel the egg growing inside her, taking up space, taking up nutrients, and more of both with every passing day. Soon they would notice. And when she gave birth, then they would do something about it… Take it, kill it, clone it…

She couldn’t let that happen. She had to do something…

Perhaps if she could get out of the tube, she could pass the egg early, and somehow get it inside one of the scientists; then the child could complete the rest of its development away from their testing, then eat him from the inside, and then… No, no, that wouldn’t work. Soon as it burst out, they would just quarantine and take it…

She could begin shapeshifting so rapidly and so frequently that they couldn’t track or detect its growth… No, she’d still have to give birth eventually, and then they’d take it…

No.

No, this is no place to have a child.

So she morphed and slimmed the umbilical link she shared with the child, to limit its nutrients and oxygen. With its growth stunted, her child’s only method of survival was to instinctively form a hardened shell, and go into a state of deep dormancy.

One day, she would break down the shell and allow it to grow again. But not now. Not soon.

For now, her baby would fight for its life, just as she was.

They would survive.

“███████ wake up!” She awoke in the middle of the night to see Dr. cl;**4 rushing into the lab, his breath coming fast and ragged, and a wild smile on his young face. “It’s time, ███████! It’s really time!”

“What? What’s happening?” She sat up.

“A mutiny!” He explained. “A mutiny! It’s finally happening, we’re finally doing it!”

“Really?!?”

“Yes! The metalheads organized it; they’re going to saw through the bulkheads to the bridge, the mice are going to disable the power systems, and it looks like we’ll actually be able to get control from the Captain! ███████, you’re gonna be going home!”

“T-that’s great! What do you need me to do?”

“Uh… Okay.” Dr. cl;**4 reached into his coat and produced an ID card. “Do you think you can mimic Dr. Zlfo]n’s voice and tentacleprints well enough to fool a computer?”

She took on the head scientist’s form, and showed him the patterns on the limbs.

“Wow… Okay, great! Awesome!” Now cl;**4 fished around his lab coat for the key to her containment tube. “There’s a chance that the command crew could improvise the life support systems into a defensive weapon; increasing or decreasing the air temperature and pressure, pumping in toxic gases, forming violent vortices, that sort of thing. But Dr. Zlfo]n has authorization to access the life support controls in sector 18. So it would really help us if you went in there and locked down all the air-handling systems on the ship. Would you do that? I’ll be there to walk you through it…”

“I can do that!”

“Thanks so much, ███████!” He opened the tube.

She killed him.

Then she drug the body with her out of the lab. When she found a quiet place, she cut open his body to examine the muscles and bones and nerves, see how the tentacles were structured and how the ligaments lay with the bones. In short order, she memorized and mimicked these same designs in her own body, so that any future attempts at mimicry would have flawless accuracy. Now that cl;**4’s body had exhausted its usefulness, she sealed it in an airtight storage locker, so that nobody would ever discover what happened to him.

And then, while the mutiny filled the ship with chaos and confusion around her, she began to explore. She traveled the length, breadth, and circumference of the ship, learning the way the engines were laid out, the location of crucial components, the positions of passenger dorms, testing sectors, cargo bays, the routes through and hiding spaces within the network of life support tubes that linked everything… She learned many things.

However, after an hour or so, the sounds of fighting died down and security drones returned to their normal patrols, indicating that the mutiny had been successfully quelled. She returned to her tube as well, locked it shut and destroyed the key, so that there was no evidence that anything ever happened.

In the morning, the tired and weary scientists continued about their ordinary work in a defeated way. Nobody mentioned the mutiny, nobody brought up new plans, nobody stepped out of line once. And nobody asked where cl;**4 was. They must all think that he’d been killed in the fighting, which was just as well, really.

As for her, she’d learned everything her plans required.

Now all she had to do was wait for the prophet’s vision to come true. Once the ship crashed, her designs would come to fruition.

And until then, she and her child would survive.

The months stretched on into years.

Elsewhere in the ship, she sensed tensions rising even further. The mutiny had been broken, but its causes had not. She heard the men speak more and more often of strange nightmares and visions. She watched the scientists lose their tempers and yell at each other over small matters. And sometimes, away down the halls, she heard voices crying out in insane, mad rants. Prophecies they sounded like, prophecies of warning and doom and damnation, like they’d all become prophets themselves in these dark days.

The people around her were getting crazy. And as she paced her tube for the thousandth time, she felt herself joining them, ever so slowly. She played little games with herself now, where she fought imaginary enemies, and sought to outwit them and kill them and devour them. The enemies she imagined for herself were always terrible and deadly, yet she always found a way to win…

This madness– She was imprisoned, even within her cage, imprisoned by the walls of her own mind and sanity, the walls that kept her imagination inside her head, kept insisting on the impossibility of her thoughts and dreams and ideas, limiting her mind and stealing her hope… Late one night, her last thought before sleep was a powerful, burning desire to be free of this prison.

And then, in her dreams, something else entirely appeared.

“WELL HEY THERE, HOURGLASS! WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? ROUGH LIFE, AM I RIGHT?”

She frowned up at her new visitor. She’d seen many strange creatures before, but nothing at all like this… This was a level beyond and contrary to anything she’d ever imagined. Something different, something illogical, something far, far worse. Something from beyond. “…Who are you?” She asked the visitor.

“WHO, ME? WHY I’M A TALENT SCOUT!”

“…For who?” She frowned.

“FOR ME!”

She thought about that for a moment. “…And what do you want?”

“AHH HAHAHAHAHA I’LL GET RIGHT TO THE POINT THEN! THING IS LADY, I’VE BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER A GANG OF FREAKS AND KILLERS, OUTCASTS FROM ALL THE LANDS OF REALITY, AND WE’RE FIXING TO SET UP A UNIVERSE OF OUR OWN! UNLIMITED POWER, GODLIKE STATUS, THE SHATTERING OF MORTAL SHACKLES, THAT SORT OF THING! IT’S A PARTY TO END ALL PARTIES, ALMOST A BILLION YEARS PROPHECIED! I SAW YOU IN HERE, AND THOUGHT I’D MOSEY ON OVER AND ASK IF YOU’D LIKE TO GET IN ON THE ACTION? YOU’D FIT RIGHT IN, I SWEAR!”

“I see.” She nodded slowly. “…Why me?”

“WHY NOT? HAVE YOU SEEN THE REST OF THE CREW? THOSE SECULAR DULLARDS COULDN’T FIND THEIR CLOACA WITH BOTH TENTILLUM! THEIR LITTLE MINDS COULDN’T HANDLE THREE MINUTES OF THE PARTY I HAVE PLANNED! BUT YOU… YOU’RE A SPECIAL CASE, AIN’T YA, HOURGLASS? IN THE TIME I’VE WATCHED YOU, YOU’VE KILLED EIGHT PEOPLE, HALF-STRANGLED YOUR OWN UNBORN BABY, AND NEVER ONCE TOLD THE TRUTH TO ANYONE! THAT’S THE KINDA BAGGAGE I’M LOOKING FOR IN A BUSINESS PARTNER!”

“Oh…?” He seemed to know quite a lot about her; more than she’d like. So she went along. “And what would a ‘partnership’ involve…?”

“OH, NOT MUCH, AT LEAST FOR NOW! THE QUESTION YOU SHOULD BE ASKING IS WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU!”

“…And what can you do for me?”

“GIVE YOU FREEDOM!”

“I’ll get out of this tube regardless. I have plans.”

“AND HOW LONG WILL YOURS TAKE? SOONER OR LATER THEY’RE GONNA NOTICE YOUR LITTLE ‘SURPRISE’, AND WHAT’S TO STOP THEM FROM EUTHANIZING ONE OR BOTH OF YOU AT THE FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE? BUT ME? I’M THE ONE PULLING STRINGS AROUND HERE, GORGEOUS. I COULD KEEP YOU SAFE.”

“What do you want from me in return?”

“HEYHEYHEY I WASN’T THROUGH WITH MY HALF YET! FREEDOM FROM THIS TUBE IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP! THE REST INVOLVES FREEDOM FROM YOUR OWN LINEAR DESTINY! FREEDOM FROM FINITY! FREEDOM FROM SANITY AND LOGIC ITSELF! IMAGINE SINGULAR POWER TO SHAPE AND FOLD A FACTORIAL NUMBER OF DIMENSIONS! INFLUENCE OVER TIME, AND THE POWER TO MAKE ANYONE WHO EVER WRONGED YOU SUFFER FOR ETERNITY! ALL AT THE SNAP OF A FINGER!”

“That’s what you want to do for me?”

“I DON’T THINK I STUTTERED PRINCESS! I’M OFFERING YOU GODDESSHOOD ON A PLATTER, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE ME ONE ITTY-BITTY FAVOR! HOW’S IT SOUND?”

The being extended his hand. It sparkled with cold flame.

“…Are you hitting on me?”

“THAT WOULD BE A HOOT, WOULDN’T IT!”

She considered this for a moment, then extended her own hand. “Very well.” She agreed. “Ensure the safety of me and my child, and then give me the power of a god. In return, I promise to be your ally for eternity, and do anything you ask.”

“IT’S A DEAL!!!”

But just before the deal was sealed, the being snatched his hand away. The cold fire extinguished, and he floated off, as his eye probed her carefully and slowly.

“YOU KNOW WHAT LADY? DEAL’S OFF! I CAN TELL WHEN I’M BEING LIED TO.”

“Hmm?”

“TIME GETS AWAY FROM YOU, HOURGLASS! ENJOY THE CRASH!”

And she woke up.

What an odd dream.

Later that day, it finally happened: they discovered her child. They didn’t kill it, or take it, or harm it, but they ran their tests, and they gave into paranoid ramblings as they spent the rest of the day yelling at each other.

And she realized that sanity wasn’t a prison. Sanity was a fortress. Sanity was the strength she needed to stand on her own, and their madness was a wallowing pit of weakness which she regarded from a higher ground. Sanity was another step on the road she took to goddesshood in her own insidious way. She didn’t need to hoodwink some eldritch horror. She was indestructible. She was strong. She was ███████. She needed no one else.

Life goes on. Survival goes on. And they would do it alone.

“███████, you asked for me?”

“Oracle, there is a being here. A being in my dreams. Do you know of what I speak?”

The oracle’s eyes darkened. “I do.”

“What do you know of it?”

The oracle hesitated. And when she spoke, it was with a haunting, slow tone of voice. “Sixty degrees that come in threes. Watches from within birch trees. Saw his own dimension burn, misses home and can’t return. Says he’s happy, he’s a liar; blame the arson for the fire. If he wants to shirk the blame, he’ll have to invoke its name. One way to absolve his crime, a different form, a different time…”

The lyric hung in the air, when for a moment it seemed as if all the crazy echoing sounds in the ship grew still and quiet to listen. ███████ considered the words, then smiled and asked rhetorically. “Is there anything more charming than an inscrutable mystery?”

To which the oracle answered with a gentle smile, her voice once again casual. “There is not.”

She chuckled, and crossed her arms. “…Will this… Being… Be the cause of the ship’s destruction?”

“Not the cause, but I do not doubt he plays a part in its instigation…” The oracle shrugged. “We have entered his territory. He has been given a certain power over us.”

“A power which can be broken by sanity.” ███████ pointed out.

“A power which feeds on insanity.” The oracle corrected her. “But may only be broken by prayer. You are more defenseless than you know…” The oracle turned to exit the lab, but turned and spoke over her shoulder before she crossed the threshold. “It is not too late for the Captain to turn back. And it is not too late for you.”

“…Why should I believe you?” She blurted. “God would surely not be stupid enough to trust me with something as dangerous as truth.”

“He loves you too much to offer you less. You have only to bow and be healed.”

“I shall never bow.”

“And I am stupid enough to hope.”

And the oracle left.

“I shall not bow.” She solemnly promised herself again, in the silence that followed her absence. “I shall survive.”

#gravity falls #shifting sands #alien #scifi #ufo #monster #bill chipher #stanford pines #shapeshifter #sam #fanart #fanfiction #eldritch #abomination #backstory

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romancatholicreflections · 5 years

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28th December >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 2:13-18 for the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs: ‘He had all the male children killed’

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 2:13-18

The massacre of the innocents

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:

I called my son out of Egypt.

Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled:

A voice was heard in Ramah,

sobbing and loudly lamenting:

it was Rachel weeping for her children,

refusing to be comforted because they were no more.

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 2:13-18

He ordered the massacre of all boys in Bethlehem.

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,

sobbing and loud lamentation;

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she would not be consoled,

since they were no more.

Reflections (4)

(i) Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

There is a strong contrast in the gospel reading between God’s efforts to preserve the life of Joseph and Mary’s child and Herod’s efforts to kill their child. The angel of the Lord prompts Mary and Joseph to flee into Egypt for their child’s protection. Herod orders all the male children under two to be killed in the Bethlehem area to ensure the death of Joseph and Mary’s child. God is always at work in our world to preserve and enhance life in its various forms, especially life at its most vulnerable. We tend to be at our most vulnerable at the beginning of our lives, in our mother’s womb and in the first months of life, and also at the end of our lives when we often have to deal with sickness in one shape or form. The gospel reading this morning suggests that there are other forces in our world that, like Herod, work to eliminate life, especially when it is at its most vulnerable. Our calling from God, our mission in life, is to keep aligning ourselves with God’s life giving work. The feast of the Holy Innocents reminds us that far too many innocent lives have been and, indeed, are being slaughtered. The sobbing and loud lamenting at the loss of innocent life that is referred to at the end of the gospel reading is all too familiar to our ears today. Yet the forces for life that have been released into the world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus remain stronger than the forces of death. As baptized believers we can each make those forces for life, that Spirit of life, tangible and visible in the way we live and relate to others.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

A few days after celebrating the birth of a child today’s feast recalls that passage in Matthew’s gospel that describes the death of children. There is a lot of darkness in today’s gospel reading, all of it due to the ruler of the time, Herod the Great. Because of him, innocent children are put to death and the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph become refugees, fleeing to Egypt for their safety. The story has a contemporary ring to it. We think of situations in today’s world where those in power are bringing death to others, including children. We recall the thousands of people who have been made refugees because of the cruelty of some. Today’s feast reminds us that Jesus was born into a violent world, where those in power were often ruthless in their efforts to protect their own position. The birth of Jesus brought a light into that dark world, the light of God’s love. The first reading declares: ‘God is light; there is no darkness in him at all’. Jesus’ life revealed a different kind of power to the power of those in authority at the time. His life and his death revealed the power of love, a love that was self-emptying in the service of others. Our calling is to allow this love to take flesh in our own lives. It is in this way that, in the words of the first reading, ‘we live our lives in the light, as God is in the light’. The calling to allow Jesus, the light of God’s love, to shine in and through our lives, is a noble but challenging one. We will often fail in our living out of this calling. We sin, but as the first reading says, ‘if we acknowledge our sins, then God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins’. There is darkness in each one of us but the darkness does not define us because the light of God’s mercy is always stronger than the darkness of our sins. God remains faithful to us and keeps on calling us to bring the light of his Son into the darkness of our world.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Matthew’s story of the birth and early childhood of Jesus is painted in much darker colours than the story that Luke tells. It is Matthew who reminds us that Jesus was born into a world where the powerful people of the land, men like Herod, abused their power, even to the point of shedding innocent blood. Herod the great who tried to do away with the child Jesus would find his counterpart in Pilate who puts the adult Jesus to death. The first reading says that ‘God is light’. Yet, Jesus, God-with-us, was born into and lived in a world where darkness was much in evidence, especially within those who exercised political power. Jesus came as light into darkness, as God’s light into a darkened world. He came as a revelation of God’s love into a world where the darkness of hatred often reigned. He remains a light in our darkness to this day; his life, death and resurrection continue to shine as a beacon in our sometimes dark world. He promises that whoever follows him will never walk in darkness. We look to him to enlighten and guide us, to show us the way we need to walk if we are to be true to our deepest identity as people made in God’s image. We can also rely on him to scatter the darkness that resides in all of our lives. The first reading assures us that ‘if anyone should sin, we have our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ… the sacrifice that takes our sins away’. We often say that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. In sending his Son into the world, God has done more than light a candle; he has kindled a fire within our darkness, the fire of his love which will never die away.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

The portrayal of King Herod in this morning’s gospel reading is that of a ruler who is prepared to lash out at even innocent children to defend against what he perceives to be a threat to his power. There have been many such figures down through the course of history, even up to recent times, rulers who are prepared to sacrifice any number of innocent people to ensure that they stay in power. This form of kingship, the kingship of Herod, was the polar opposite of the kingship that Jesus came to proclaim, the kingship of God. Here was a kingship which finds expression not in the oppressive use of power but in the humble service of others. The child Jesus who escaped from Herod’s tyranny went on as an adult to say to his disciples, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant’. None of us will ever act like Herod, but none of us can afford to be complacent either; we can all be prone to dominate in one way or another. The first reading this morning declares, ‘if we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth’. We have to be alert to the ways we can fail to take that path of humble, self-emptying, service of others which is the way of Jesus, the way of God.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

We know from the historical sources of the time that Herod the Great had a reputation for eliminating anyone whom he considered a threat to his power. He became increasingly paranoid towards the end of his long reign and had several of his own sons killed because he suspected they were plotting to depose him. The picture that Matthew gives us in this morning’s gospel reading of Herod as a ruthless tyrant is in keeping with what we know of Herod’s character. Herod could not tolerate anyone who might be considered King of the Jews, even if the King in question was a recently born baby and, so, in an effort to ensure this baby would die he ordered the killing of all babies of a similar age. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth and infancy has a much darker quality than the account we find in Luke’s gospel, with its angels and shepherds, and its people of faith like Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna. Matthew suggests that Jesus was born into a world where those in power were ready to sacrifice innocent people if necessary, to ensure their own political survival. As a consequence, the family of Joseph, Mary and their infant son Jesus became refugees in the land of Egypt, far from their own home. We cannot but think of all those who have been made refugees today because of the abuse of political power. Today’s gospel reading suggests that what sustained this family during this vulnerable time of displacement and exile was their faith. Their faith was a light which shone in their darkness. It was Joseph’s relationship with God which helped him to discern the best path to take for his family, and especially for his young son. He emerges from the pages of Matthew’s gospel as a strong, caring and faithful father and husband. Sometimes in our own lives, when other people throw us into a dark place by their self-serving actions, our faith is the only light that can sustain us. Because the Word has become flesh, his light will always shine in our darkness, and as John reminds us in the Prologue to his gospel, no darkness is ever dark enough to overcome that light.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

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