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mist-chance · 3 years

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JJK Chapter 137

This is going up a bit late, but I wanted to post my thoughts on Chapter 137 before I get around to reading Chapter 138.

This chapter, which reads as Part 1 of the Shibuya Incident Aftermath, is really interesting because it shows what the state of the jujutsu world – and the non-jujutsu world of Japan – is outside of Shibuya. When there’s a lot of action going on, like the kind that’s been happening for the past year or so worth of chapters, it’s easy to get tunnel vision and focus only on the main cast. So it’s nice that we get some context as to what’s happening outside of Shibuya.

1) Dystopia abound.

We already got a hint of how the non-jujutsu world is affected by an influx of cursed spirits during the action part of the Shibuya Incident, within the contained space of the curtain surrounding Shibuya. Now we learn that other locations in Japan are being affected as well: the state of the government is unknown, there are concerns of how Japan’s political and commercial infrastructure will hold up to this massive shift in reality (and how other countries will view and react to these changes), people are evacuating affected cities, and an important question has arisen as a result of the Shibuya Incident – should the non-jujutsu world, the normal world, become aware of the existence of curses?

This question is important, because it seems Fake-Geto (I know the curse user possessing Geto’s body is Kamo Noritoshi the ancestor, but Fake-Geto is easier to use) is dead set on bringing back a world where powerful cursed spirits held the most influence in the world. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not cursed spirits and the jujutsu world at large become common knowledge to non-jujutsu sorcerers, and how the world will change as a result of either one of these decisions.

2) Yuta appears!

This is his first appearance since Volume 0 (the prequel volume). He pretty much looks the same to me, though his face looks a bit more mature and his hair is longer. He’s still awkward around others – even children – though he looks pretty confident when dealing with the elders at Jujutsu Headquarters.

Here, Yuta seems to be gearing up for a rampage/epic beatdown similar to the one in Volume 0, after Geto took down his friends. Yuta’s pretty similar to Gojo in that he has the capability to pull of a deus ex machina during a time of crisis; he can evolve at an extraordinary rate and pull off impossible feats. (Gojo himself has mentioned that Yuta has the potential to become just as strong as him.)

So in JJK there are two god-like characters: Gojo Satoru, the self-proclaimed but probably-really-is the strongest sorcerer in the world, and Okkotsu Yuta, who’s on his way to being as strong as Gojo. The reason the Shibuya Incident had such devastating consequences is because Gojo was sealed away early on, and Yuta was supposedly still out of the country. Making these two god-like characters unavailable allowed for the struggles and losses in this arc to happen, and gave characters like our main trio the opportunity to grow.

What’s interesting in the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident is that we’re still down Gojo, but we’ve gained Yuta. And Yuta seems to be currently under the influence of the elders at Jujutsu Headquarters – or rather, they’re taking advantage of his need for vengeance and Yuta’s letting them manipulate him – whereas Gojo has always opposed their authority. (When Gojo killed Geto, I doubt he did it because the elders issued a kill-order on Geto. He most likely did it because Geto was dangerous, and Gojo knew the only way to stop him was to kill him.)

As of this chapter, the elders seem reluctant to trust Yuta. But for now, they have a Special Grade Sorcerer to do their bidding.

3) The elders at Jujutsu Headquarters and their plan of action.

This chapter again shows how black and white the current authority of the jujutsu world – the elders at Jujutsu Headquarters (I believe they’re all unidentified except for Gakuganji Yoshinobu) – are, and how desperate they are to maintain their conservative, straightforward vision of how the jujutsu world and the non-jujutsu worlds should be.

It’s hard to tell how much information Jujutsu Headquarters is operating on, based on the orders they’ve issues.

Order 1: We know the elders know that Geto is “alive.” However, it’s unclear whether or not they know that Geto isn’t the real Geto, but a curse user possessing his body. In any case, they want him killed again.

Order 2: We know the elders know Gojo is sealed, since originally, during the Shibuya Incident, the order was to free Gojo Satoru. (This may not have been an official Headquarters order; both the College and Kyoto group may’ve only been acting on Mechamaru’s info.)

This new order calls for Gojo’s continued imprisonment. It’s reasonable for the elders to be suspicious of Gojo (someone who’s always opposing their authority) to be Geto’s accomplice – especially since they were best friends – so this order is understandable.

But there’s a fine line between the elders wanting to keep Gojo sealed because they believe he’s a traitor, and wanting to keep him sealed away because it keeps him from interfering with their agenda.

Order 3: This order is absolutely ridiculous, on par with the idea of Absolute Justice in One Piece – the idea or reasoning that, because Geto and Gojo were his students, Yaga is responsible for the decisions they made and continue to make as adults.

The elders didn’t hold this against Yaga when Geto (real Geto) defected and became a curse user. The difference between then and now is that Gojo is being treated as an accomplice to a curse user. So the goal of this order might be to punish Yaga for producing two traitorous students, or his execution is a way to justify Gojo’s continued imprisonment. The reasoning for the latter option, if we consider the dark, manipulative elders route instead of the ignorant, misinformed one, could be that, to justify that Gojo’s crime is bad enough to warrant being sealed for eternity, his former teacher is also culpable, and the only punishment worthy of his crime is death.

Order 4: Reinstating Yuji’s execution order is expected, given Gakuganji’s previous manipulations during the Kyoto Exchange Arc.

Order 5: This order, for Yuta to be Yuji’s executioner, is also expected. Yuta is currently the only Special Grade (who hasn’t gone rogue) to not have a relationship or any interaction with Yuji; and, given Yuta’s desire to keep his friends safe, Yuji already has a point against him for what he did to Inumaki – even if it was technically Sukuna’s fault.

What might happen next?

There are two ways of thinking the elders could be operating under. One, they’re operating on incomplete information (mainly, not knowing Kamo Noritoshi the ancestor is possessing Geto’s body, which could potentially make Orders 2 and 3 void); or two, the elders do have all the information, and they’re trying to keep Gojo sealed away for their own benefit. With Gojo out of the way, the elders have no one (powerful enough, anyways) to oppose their authority, and they can shape both the jujutsu world and the non-jujutsu world as they please.

[Their order of keeping Gojo sealed is probably the one they’ll regret the earliest. It’s stated in one of the earlier chapters that curses grew in strength because a being of Gojo Satoru’s strength was born into the world. Cursed spirits grew stronger simply as a matter of evolution, the prey evolving to better counter the predator that would hunt them down.

And while there are several talented sorcerers still active to fight the sudden influx of powerful cursed spirits, and several sorcerers-in-training who can step up to joint the fight, the Shibuya Incident also took talented sorcerers like Nanami. Gojo was very much a large-scale, heavy-hitter fighter, capable of taking down several curses at once with little effort. Without him around, it’ll be harder for sorcerers to operate. It’ll definitely give Fake-Geto all the time he needs to enact his plans, since the sorcerers will be too busy fighting curses to figure out his endgame.]

Then there’s the question of how much Yuta knows about each order. Like the elders, Yuta is either ignorant of one or more of the orders (as in, he doesn’t know that Gojo is supposed to stay sealed, or that unsealing him is a criminal act; or that Yaga, Panda’s creator/guardian, is slated for execution), or he knows all of the orders and is choosing to ignore the ones that don’t give him permission to take out Yuji. Either mindset could lead to interesting future conflicts, but I think it’s more likely that Yuta doesn’t know all of the orders. Based on my read of him from Volume 0, he isn’t the type to go for extreme measures unless his friends are hurt.

It also looks like Yuta’s goal of executing Yuji can go two ways. Either he tries killing Yuji and ends up fighting Sukuna, or he tries killing Yuji and his friends (mainly Maki and Panda, if Inumaki’s still out of commission) stop him and beat some sense into him. It’s possible, of course, that the feelings of Yuji’s previous allies/friends may have changed over the course of the Shibuya Incident, because of the damage Sukuna caused while fighting Jogo (e.g. Kusakabe. The difference with Kusakabe, though, is that he was indifferent to Yuji’s existence as Sukuna’s host until the mass destruction in Shibuya. He also, to my knowledge, has never met Yuji.)

But that seems doubtful for the second years, since Panda still seems fine with Yuji, and I can’t see Inumaki and Maki disagreeing with him. And even if they aren’t, Yaga’s technically in the same boat as Yuji, and it’s unlikely Panda, Inumaki, and Maki would act against him. If Yaga continues to stick up for Yuji, they would most likely follow his lead. Megumi I’m sure will still be on Yuji’s side, as will Nobara (please, please let her be okay.).

As for Yuji and Yaga... I can’t imagine Yaga trying to run off to avoid execution. He’s more of the type to make a stand. I could see him encouraging Yuji to escape though, and serving as a distraction until Yuji’s escaped far enough.

I’m really excited to see where Chapter 138 will take us!

[Source of all screenshots: VIZ Media]

#Jujutsu Kaisen #JJK #Chapter 137 #Okkotsu Yuta #Manga #Chapter 137 Breakdown #Speculations #My Thoughts

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c-ptsdrecovery · 4 years

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“Did it ever get physical?”

This is often the first question we ask someone we know or suspect is in an unhealthy relationship. While starting a conversation around physical abuse is essential, the issue is when it’s the only question we ask.

Stopping short of inquiring about other forms of abuse implies that physical violence is the defining factor of an unhealthy relationship. Even worse, it conveys the message that whatever else might be going on is just “not that bad.”

This is a huge issue, because emotional abuse can absolutely be that bad.

Even if relationship never gets physically abusive, emotional abuse can escalate over time with devastating consequences, even death. And while emotional abuse does not always lead to physical abuse, physical abuse in relationships is nearly always preceded and accompanied by emotional abuse.[i]

Why don’t we hear more about emotional abuse? In addition to the common misconception that it’s just not that serious, many people simply aren’t sure what emotional abuse actually entails.

My aim here is to help you understand what emotional abuse really means and what makes it so dangerous so that you’re better equipped to start the conversation. Because if you want to stop it, you first have to know what you’re dealing with.

Defining Emotional Abuse

Understanding emotional abuse is complicated for many reasons. One reason is because there are several different names used interchangeably to refer to the same kind of abuse, including emotional abuse/violence, psychological abuse/violence, and mental abuse. For simplicity, we’ll use “emotional abuse” going forward.

Another complication is that there isn’t one accepted definition of emotional abuse. It seems that everyone has a slightly different version.

We’ve identified several common threads that make up the most widely accepted definitions and combined them here to create the following description of emotional abuse:

Emotional abuse is any abusive behavior that isn’t physical, which may include verbal aggression, intimidation, manipulation, and humiliation, which most often unfolds as a pattern of behavior over time that aims to diminish another person’s sense of identity, dignity and self worth, and which often results in anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Wow, that’s a lot.

Each part of the definition presents its own complications to fully grasping the reality of emotional abuse, so let’s dissect what this really means, piece by piece.

Breaking Down Emotional Abuse

1.“…any abusive behavior that isn’t physical…”

Pretty broad, right? Emotional abuse is difficult to comprehend because it encompasses so much. Just take a look at the non-exhaustive list[ii] below of behaviors that are potentially emotionally abusive:

Intimidation

Manipulation

Refusal to ever be pleased

Blaming

Shaming

Name-calling

Insults

Put-downs

Sarcasm

Infantilization

Silent treatment

Trivializing

Triangulation

Sabotage

Gaslighting

Scapegoating

Blame-shifting

Projection

Ranking and comparing

Arbitrary and unpredictable inconsistency

Threatening harm

Forced isolation

We specify “potentially” abusive behaviors because some of the behaviors on this list could occur in a healthy context as well. Let’s take sarcasm and infantilizing speech, for example. Many people consider sarcasm a key component of a good sense of humor. Many people would also agree that using infantilizing speech as terms of endearment is harmless, for example referring to a significant other as “baby.” However, in the context of emotional abuse where the intent is malicious, these behaviors can be extremely cutting, especially when disguised as affection or an innocent remark. For example, someone who repeatedly tells his or her significant other “My baby is so smart” in a way that’s meant to mock their partner’s intelligence using sarcasm as well as infantilizing speech to make them feel small is a form of emotional abuse.

2. “ …which may include verbal aggression, intimidation, manipulation, and humiliation”

The key word here is “may.” Not only is the list of emotional abuse tactics incredibly long and dependent on context, the particular combination of behaviors that show up, how they show up—whether overtly or covertly—and with what intensity can also vary greatly from relationship to relationship. As a result, we have another layer of complexity: emotional abuse doesn’t have one specific look.

For example, an emotionally abusive relationship where overt aggressing behaviors like yelling, threatening and blaming are predominantly used will look very different from a relationship where only very subtle forms of abuse like gaslighting, passive-aggressive put-downs, and minimizing are used.

3. “a pattern of behavior over time”

Emotional abuse is rarely a single event. Instead, it occurs over time as a pattern of behavior that’s “sustained” & “repetitive.”[iii] This particular characteristic of emotional abuse helps explain why it’s so complicated and so dangerous.

Even if you’re the most observant person in the world, emotional abuse can be so gradual that you don’t realize what’s happening until you’re deeply entangled in its web. As a result, the abuse can go unchecked as the relationship progresses, building for months, years, even decades, especially if the abuse is more covert. In such instances, the target’s self-esteem is steadily eroded and their self-doubt becomes so paralyzing that they often have only a vague sense that something (though unsure what) is wrong.

4. “aims to diminish another person’s sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth”

Regardless of how emotional abuse unfolds, experts agree that it has devastating effects on those who are subjected to it.[iv]

Unfortunately, these effects as well as each harmful act of abuse are largely invisible. This makes it difficult for most people to comprehend the very real risks and damage of emotional abuse.

Let’s demonstrate why. For a moment, try to imagine a scene of physical violence, a fight. Even if you’ve never witnessed or experienced it firsthand, your imagination can probably fill in the picture pretty well. The struggle. The adrenaline and fear. The aftermath of blood, bruises, tears. It’s a painful portrait but likely one that you can envision.

Now, try to picture a scene of emotional abuse, specifically someone whose self-identity has been annihilated. Can you see it?

Chances are your mind doesn’t know where to begin. But if you are able to create a picture of either the acts of abuse or what the damage looks like on the person who experienced it, can you put that image into words?

While describing physical wounds is pretty straightforward, it’s much harder to articulate emotional trauma. The parts of a person that sustained emotional abuse destroys—identity, dignity, and self-worth—are abstract, almost impossible to picture or measure.

5. “results in anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”

Because emotional abuse is essentially invisible, singling out the abuse as the culprit of its destructive effects is another kind of challenge and frustration.

Even in cases of extreme emotional abuse, there are no bruises or gashes where the victim can point and say, “This cracked rib is from that constant belittling and invalidation” and “That swollen eye and broken lip are from the incessant name-calling and guilt-tripping and pathological lying.” Instead, what emotional abuse ends up looking like is a person suffering from painful yet not uncommon afflictions like anxiety or depression.

It can therefore be heartbreakingly easy for anyone—whether the person inflicting the emotional abuse, a third-party observer, or even the target of the abuse—to misattribute its damage to some other cause like unemployment or family stress or even blame the target’s prior mental state if he or she battled similar issues in the past.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully this explanation of emotional abuse is as comprehensive as possible, but I recognize that it’s still bound to have gaps due to the complications I’ve just mentioned. Think of it more as a springboard for future conversations and exploration than an all-encompassing definition.

Emotional abuse, like any other form of cruelty, thrives in the darkness when no one understands, discusses, or recognizes it. Use your newfound knowledge and curiosity to shine the light on the risks and devastation of emotional abuse.

A great place to start is with asking the question, “How does that behavior or action make you feel?” or “Did it ever get emotionally abusive?”

#emotional abuse #abuse #mental abuse #verbal abuse #psychological abuse

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worryinglyinnocent · 5 years

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Fic: Out of Time (1/?)

It’s here at last! @ripperblackstaff, @woodelf68, @everyone else who wanted to see it. Thanks for your voracious support, guys, and I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Belle is the one to be sucked into Zelena’s time portal with Emma, and they find themselves in a very different time to the one they had anticipated, arriving to see the confrontation between Hook and a pre-Dark One Rumpelstiltskin. They manage to return to the future, but with some unintentional stowaways. With Rumpelstiltskin removed from his own timeline, the universe throws a fit, and it’s a race against time to set things straight.

Rated: T for now, but it will go up in later chapters.

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Out of Time

One

Belle took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the sheriff’s station. She didn’t want to be the harbinger of bad tidings, especially when everyone was getting ready to celebrate new life and new hope.

All the same, something about Zelena’s disappearance just didn’t sit right with her, and far be it from her to sweep something under the carpet and pretend that everything was ok when potentially the entire town was at risk. If Zelena was going to come back at the eleventh hour and cause havoc, then she wanted to be prepared.

As she entered, Belle found that Emma was looking just as despondent as she felt herself.

“Not in the party spirit either, huh?”

Emma looked up guiltily. “Oh. Erm. Hi, Belle.”

“It’s ok, you don’t need to pretend to be happy on my account.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t seem to muster up any enthusiasm about the whole thing.” Emma let out a long sigh and waved Belle over to the desk. “So, what’s eating you? I doubt it’s the same thing that’s eating me.”

“It’s Zelena.” Belle leaned against the desk, grimacing as Emma groaned at the mention of the witch. “I know, I know, I want to forget all about her too, but I just can’t. There’s something about her demise that seems too convenient, you know? Even if she did self-destruct like on the video, what happened to her… remains? She must have left some trace behind, but there’s nothing. What if this is just another way for her to cause trouble? Make us think she’s gone for good and then pop up just when we thought we were finally rid of her.”

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it myself.” Emma gave a huff of dry laughter. “Your worries are way more valid than mine at the moment; I feel stupid in comparison.”

“I don’t know, everyone has different priorities. What have you been thinking about?”

“It’s this baby. I know that the circumstances can’t be helped, and I know that Mom and Dad went through just as much trauma with this one as they did with me, but that doesn’t stop me being jealous that my brother gets to grow up with both his loving parents and I didn’t. I don’t think it’s even jealousy, really. Now that he’s here I just don’t understand my place in this world anymore. I had a life in New York, and it was really good, even if it wasn’t real. And now Neal’s gone, and I just think that maybe it would be better if I went back and bowed out.” She sighed. “Like I said, compared to fears of wicked witches rising from the grave, it’s fairly petty, but I can’t help it.”

“I think it’s perfectly valid for you to have mixed feelings about the whole thing. These are very strange times that we’ve found ourselves in, and we have to make the best of it. All the same, I think that your parents would be devastated if you were to leave Storybrooke. They still love you and care for you, but naturally they’re going to show it in a different way to you than they show it to the baby.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I can feed and dress myself and articulate my feelings, for one. I guess that we’ve been separated so many times that it feels normal to anticipate another separation. I don’t want it, and I know that they don’t want it either, but sometimes we don’t get what we want.”

“Maybe you need to think about it in a different way. If we hadn’t all had to go back to the Enchanted Forest and you hadn’t had to go to New York, you would have stayed in Storybrooke, and put roots down here, and this second pregnancy would probably have happened anyway. You wouldn’t have left then, because you would have had the time to get used to it.”

Emma nodded. “Yeah, even back in Neverland, Mom was saying that she wanted to have another baby. I guess it was kind of inevitable. It’s just going to take time to get to grips with the idea of having a sibling thirty years my junior. We have a weird family tree.”

“I can’t argue with you there, but then my fiancé’s over three hundred years old so I don’t think I have a leg to stand on.”

“Fiancé, huh?” Emma grinned. “When did that happen?”

“Last night. I guess that’s why I’m so worried about Zelena.”

“Yes, right, we were talking about the possibility of more calamitous happenings, not bemoaning my state of adult childhood.”

“It’s ok, I can tell that you really needed to get it off your chest. I don’t know if I’m qualified to give advice, but I hope I’ve helped in some way.”

“Yes, I think you have. It’s good to talk to someone about it. I didn’t really feel like I could go to anyone else about it because it just felt mean when everyone’s so relieved that the little one’s ok. I hope they name him soon; I can’t keep calling him Little Brother.”

Belle failed to hold back a laugh, and Emma joined her in giggles.

“Anyway, how’s Gold holding up?” she asked once composure had returned.

“All right, I think. I don’t know. He doesn’t want to talk about it, which makes me think that he probably should talk about it, but it’s not my place to force him to confront these things if he doesn’t feel up to it yet. I just want to make sure that he’s safe.”

“I know that feeling. I’m just not sure what we can do about it. Coming to think of it, it would probably be a good idea to grab Zelena’s pendant from the barn. I can’t believe that I forgot to pick it up. Of all the things that might prove useful if she was trying to return, the source of all her power is probably up there on the list.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

Belle followed Emma out of the station towards the yellow bug, and Emma paused before unlocking it.

“Are you sure that you want to come along?” she said. “If Zelena is up to her tricks again, then…”

“Then I would very much like to be there to smack her round the face,” Belle said. Emma’s eyes widened at her words and she opened the passenger door, gesturing for Belle to get in.

“You know, over the last few days I’ve really learned to appreciate your gumption,” she said. “I guess because you weren’t around during the curse and I never really got the chance to get to know you afterwards, I tend to think of you and Rumpel as a pair.”

“A lot of people make that mistake.” Belle sighed. “I am my own person, I always have been, and I’m so sick of everyone measuring my worth in relation to me being with Rumpel. I’m not a person to them, I’m just a pawn that they can use to get back at him. Why do you think I was locked up under the hospital throughout the first curse? It wasn’t anything I’d done to warrant that, oh no. Regina just wanted to make sure she had a bargaining chip in case she ever needed to get one over on Rumpel.”

“I’m sorry, Belle. I really am.”

“It’s all right. It’s not as if you knew I was down there.”

“Yeah, but if I had then I would have tried to get you out.”

Belle smiled. “I know you would. That’s why you’re the saviour.”

“Please don’t call me that. I don’t feel particularly saviour-like at the moment. Not even my normal superpowers are working at the moment. I can’t help feeling like all this can be traced back to Greg. If I’d known straight away that he was lying and here for nefarious purposes, then we never would have gone to Neverland, never would have accidentally unleashed Pan on the town; you guys would never have gone back to the Enchanted Forest, and we could have avoided all this pain and heartbreak.”

“It’s not your fault, Emma. Things are just miserable sometimes. Even now, when we ought to be happy that everything’s over, neither of us really are.”

It was strange to be having this conversation with Emma. They had never really interacted before outside of Emma needing Belle’s expertise for something, and it was nice to get to know each other as people, with no hidden agenda in the background waiting to strike. Belle was about to make some comment to keep the chatter flowing, but before she could do so, they had rounded the corner that brought them onto the barn road, and the words died in her throat.

“Well, that certainly does not look good.” Emma glanced over at Belle and then looked back through the windscreen at the pillar of raw magic that was shooting out of the top of the barn. It was the colour of flame, swirling like molten lava, and Belle knew that whatever type of spell it was, it was something incredibly powerful. She had never paid all that much attention when Rumpel had been brewing potions and inventing spells up in his laboratory; she was interested in the magic that he allowed her to see but had learned not to question the secretive things.

If this was related to Zelena’s attempt to break the laws of magic and turn back time, then it was something that no magician had ever attempted to control before.

Emma continued up the lane towards the barn a little way until the bug’s engine gave out with a splutter.

“Magic and technology don’t mix,” Belle said. “Rumpel’s warned me about it before. The stronger the spell, the more widespread and potent its affects.”

They got out of the car and made their way towards the barn on foot. As they got closer, the roar of the magic grew louder and louder until they had to shout to make themselves heard over the din.

“Ok, whatever this is, I really think that we’re going to need back-up!” Emma yelled. “How are you supposed to switch this thing off? Belle, I really think that you ought to wait in the car.”

“And let you be blown to smithereens by whatever this is? Not likely!”

Emma wrenched the barn door open and was almost blown away by the force of the magic that was spiralling inside. Holding on tight to the frame, she peered inside. Belle followed her lead.

The spell was coming from a circle marked out in the dirt floor, with four points facing along compass lines. There in the centre, fuelling the magic, was Zelena’s pendant.

“I knew it was too good to be true!” Emma groaned. “Why does this always happen just when we think that everything’s solved?”

“Magic’s a law unto itself. If that’s what I think it is, then we want to get as far away from it as possible.”

“Yeah, I don’t exactly feel very safe here,” Emma agreed. “It looks like a bean portal but going up instead of down.”

“It’s a portal through time and space, rather than just space,” Belle explained. “Come on, let’s get out of here before something happens. It looks really unstable. Maybe if we leave it alone it might burn itself out.”

“Yeah, I have a whole new appreciation of your proxy knowledge of magic now.”

Emma let go of the doorframe and took a step away, back towards the car, and in that moment, time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Emma was moving away, and a tendril of lava-like magic pulsed out from the portal, snaking itself around her ankle. The portal was not going to stop until someone had gone through it.

“Belle!”

Belle grabbed Emma’s hand, but the force of the portal was too much for the both of them, and she felt herself being ripped away from the door where she was holding on for dear life. Her fingers could take no more, and she let go.

But she did not let go of Emma. Whatever might befall them at the other end of this journey, she wasn’t going to leave Emma to go through it alone, and Belle clung to her hand as they were both pulled into the swirling golden vortex and shot into the past.

#rumbelle fic #Belle French #Emma Swan #Emma&Belle Friendship #S3 AU #AU #canon divergence #Fic: Out of Time

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alwaysmychoices · 6 years

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“Don’t Go”

Aftermath: Part 1

Pairing: Liam x MC (Collins Alexander)

Synopsis: After the assassination attempt, Collins and Liam are both shaken to their core, and in order to protect Collins, Liam makes a hard choice...

Words: 2167

Part 1 of the Aftermath series ( I, II, III, IV, V, VI)

Blood stains littered my golden dress, each splatter a new reminder of the hell I would never forget. This beautiful gown was meant to symbolize a happy future for Liam and me, but instead, it represented the worst night of my life. I’d lost my shoes somewhere along the way to the safe room, and my tiara slipped off during my screaming match with the bodyguard who kept me from going to the hospital with Drake. My hair, once styled to perfection, had gone limp and messy in the ensuing chaos. I was no longer a beautiful soon-to-be Queen at a ball. I was now a terrified friend on the cusp of losing what she loved.

“I can’t just stay here,” I glared at my security guard. It was my first time ever being mean to palace staff, but I couldn’t help myself. He’d kept me from everything I needed. I needed to be with Drake. He’d saved my life and might never recover. How could I stay in this room like this? And I needed to know what happened to Liam. He seemed perfectly capable, but even if he did survive without a scratch, I knew he was devastated. Assassins breached the security of the palace and went after everyone in the room- including his fiancé and his best friend. He needed me there.

But I was locked in this stupid fucking room.

“It’s protocol,” he raised his jaw, evading eye contact, and my face flushed with anger.

“At least let me have my phone,” I demanded but received no reply, “You pulled me away from everyone! Drake got shot for me, and I don’t even have my phone to see if he is alive! I have no idea where my damn fiancé is, for fuck’s sake.”

Once more, he just tilted his jaw back and avoided looking at me, and I collapsed in the chair.

I felt so much that I couldn’t identify it anymore. I was outraged. I was infuriated. I was terrified. I was shocked. I was depressed. I was everything all at once and just wanted to be free.

I was startled by a knock at the door, and eyeing me to stay quiet, my security guard cautiously followed procedure before opening it to reveal the person I desperately wanted to see.

“Liam,” I gasped, relief flooding my voice as I stood to greet him.

As he stepped into the room, I was startled by his guarded expression. He was so… cold. He looked at me as he looked at so many nobles- dignified yet hiding his innermost emotions. I took a step back, unsure of how to process this. Had something terrible happened? Did he receive word about Drake?

“I’ll give you two a moment,” my guard nodded towards Liam, earning a similar nod from Liam as he left us alone.

When the door safely clicked and told me that we were finally alone together, I let out a sigh of relief and rushed to my fiancé. I fit into his embrace perfectly, burying my face in his chest. Together, we’d survived hell, and I didn’t care if we were both exhausted, traumatized, and wore stained clothes. I just wanted to be with him.

Before I knew it, everything I’d held in for hours poured out of me, “Liam, I was so scared…”

“I know,” he whispered, a hand resting on my back.

“I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know if you were okay or if Drake survived. What happened after I left? No one would tell me anything. That bodyguard just pulled me away and keeps citing some stupid protocol,” I shut my eyes tight, savoring his presence.

But it was in his embrace that I first noticed something was wrong. Liam’s grasp was affectionate, holding me close and letting me vent my fears, but it lacked the familiar warmth. He embraced me differently tonight, and I didn’t know what to think.

“Liam,” I tilted my head, staring into his beautiful face as I struggled to interpret his odd behavior, “Is… Is Drake alright?”

His head just slightly moved as his soft voice explained, “The doctors expect a full recovery. He’s spent the last hour in surgery. Albeit narrowly, the bullet missed all vital organs. He’s in stable condition and is expected to wake up tonight.”

My face split into a smile, relief flooding my body. I hugged Liam back tighter, my enthusiasm evident. Usually, now that we were in private, Liam would have been just as excited or would have shared his fears. He would have done something, but tonight… he just stared at me. His posture didn’t relax. His lips didn’t curve into a smile, and he didn’t even hold me anymore. He just watched me with sadness I hadn’t seen before. I stroked his face, knitting my eyebrows in confusion.

“Liam, this is good news,” I laughed softly, stroking his cheek and smiling as his stubble prickled my skin, “What’s wrong?”

Liam sighed, releasing me all together and stepping towards the bookshelf in the corner. His gaze briefly lingered on my dress- or rather the crimson stains on it. Then, he skimmed the titles, his fingers brushing over the spines to dodge my stare. He seemed to be deep in thought with someone that made him uneasy, and from this distance, I could better evaluate him.

In the months since I’d met Liam in New York, I’d learned the subtly in his body language. His impeccable training left him a picture of politeness and virtue, but when you found his ticks, he became an open book. Yet, I couldn’t read him now. I’d never seen him like this, so closed off to me. Even when hiding his father’s ailment and proposing to another woman, we’d been open to one another. He’d been my Liam, and now, I didn’t know who I was looking at.

Cautiously, I stepped closer, leaning against the bookshelf and watching him with concern, “Tell me what’s wrong, Liam.”

He turned away again when I became insistent, but finally, he answered.

“Tonight… they aimed at you.”

A sad smile spread across my lips, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around him, pulling him back to me in a hug, “That isn’t your fault, you know.”

Liam ignored me.

“They are the culprits, not you. Please don’t tell me you think it’s your fault,” desperation slipped into my voice.

Liam ignored me again, neither confirming or denying it, and that told me everything I needed to know. He blamed himself. Ever selfless, he probably didn’t even notice the threat to his own life, but he surely noted Drake’s injury and the attempt on my life.

“I promised that your safety would be a priority, and I failed you. Drake took the bullet, and I’m the reason they were shooting at you,” Liam let out a small laugh, full of bitterness as he added, “That night… I didn’t propose to you because I wanted you to be safe, and I selfishly proposed to you anyways. Had I not done so, you would have been safe tonight, and Drake wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself.”

I tugged on his arm, silently begging him just to look at me. “It isn’t your fault,” I implored him, “There was an attack that had nothing to do with you.”

“It was an attack on the monarchy, and I am the monarch, Collins,” the pain in his voice cut me like a knife, “I’m taking new measures to ensure your security…”

I laughed softly, gently wrapping my hands around his as I leaned my head against his shoulder, “You’re locking me in more rooms with that terrible security guard?”

“I’m calling off the engagement.”

My heart stopped as my world crashed around me. Clutching my chest, I could practically feel the fractures in my heart as I stumbled back in horror. Silence filled the small saferoom, further isolating the two of us. The weight of my engagement ring sat on my finger and encouraged me to doubt. Perhaps I’d heard him wrong.

“You’re what?” I whispered, hollowness spreading through my limbs.

Liam turned back to me, his eyes watering but his jaw resolute, “I’m calling off the engagement, Collins.”

Whatever was holding me together evaporated, and I dropped to the floor, my gown pooling around me as another reminder of the future queen I’d been only a few hours ago. I struggled to catch my breath, teetering on the cusp of a panic attack.

“You can’t be serious,” I stared up at him, “We just got engaged. We’ve been through hell and back to get here, and now you want to call it off? Liam, this is insane. You know that.”

Liam shook his head, his body practically shaking with the pain of what he was saying, “Your safety is paramount, and being with me jeopardizes that.”

Vigorously, I shook my head as I succumbed further to denial, “Tonight was traumatic. Neither of us is in a place to make decisions right now.”

“Collins, I’ve decided,” he was so firm that I felt knocked back down and collapsed further on the floor. I held my breath, praying for this to end. Maybe I’d fallen asleep and was trapped in some awful nightmare. This couldn’t be real. He wouldn’t do this, especially not now.

“You can’t leave me…” my voice was so weak that I hardly recognized it.

I was breaking right in front of him, revealing depths of vulnerability I didn’t even know I had. Pride nipped at my self-conscious, chastising me for my devastation. The old Collins would have screamed at him, not cried at his feet. She would have demanded a better explanation before telling him to go to hell. She would have thrown the ring in his face and hated him for hurting her at such a vulnerable time.

But that Collins had never loved anyone like Liam. She’d never been on the cusp of pure bliss just for it to be ripped away. She was naïve to the pathetic nature of love. She’d never begged because she’d never had anyone worth begging for. She’d stayed strong because there was no one to wake her weak. She’d said no because she didn’t want to say yes. But now, I was so enraptured with him, so purely in love. I couldn’t live without him. I couldn’t let him go. I couldn’t let this happen. I would beg on my knees if I had to. My pride was cast aside and replaced with desperation I would have typically been ashamed of.

“I love you, Collins Alexander,” Liam’s words warmed my shattered heart, “Which is why I have to leave. Drake took a bullet for you tonight, and he’s in love with you. And if you run away with him, you’ll be safe with someone who loves you. I have to give you that.”

I stared into Liam’s eyes, forcing him to face the hurt he caused me, “But I love you, Liam. I got engaged to you. Up until tonight, I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. If I wanted to run away with Drake, why the hell would I have gone through all that I have?”

He gently stroked my cheek, looking at me like it was the last time, “Always know I love you.”

“Then don’t go,” my voice cracked, holding on to his hand with urgency. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I poured myself into every last-stitch effort I could.

He smiled sadly and stood, silently walking to the door, and burning needles prickled at my skin as despair consumed me.

“Please…” I begged, every ounce of desperation evident in my voice, but Liam just stifled his tours and left me all alone.

And just like that, it was over…

Hope remained, urging me not to listen to him. He was scared. We were both scared. This was a fleeting ultimatum, not a true ending. He needed me and loved me just as I did him, but even if it were true, he was the one leaving while I cried on the floor. I just wanted Liam to comet to me, not run away. I listened for the door, wondering if he would come back and beg to come back to me. But he didn’t.

Numbness spread through my body, relieving me of the burning intensity of all I felt. I fell onto my back, staring at the ceiling and waiting for a constellation to form in the crisp white paint. My heart was beating again, but now, it felt useless. It ached so much that I stopped feeling it all together.

I don’t how long this lasted. It could have been seconds or hours. All I know is that, at some point, my bodyguard entered, and after clearing his throat, he announced, “You’ve been cleared to visit Mr. Walker in the hospital. There’s a car waiting.”

#choices #choices stories you play #choices fanfiction #trr #the royal romance #play choices #trr fanfic #the royal romance fanfiction #royal romance #king liam #king liam x mc #liam x mc #king liam of cordonia #king liam fanfiction #trr book 2 #trr book 3 #liam x mc fanfiction #liam x mc story

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carringtonmiles · 4 years

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Can I Manifest My Ex Back Top Useful Ideas

Calling or meeting up with will be past this point is to give her - and as someone he cannot completely forget you, which will make the relationship go wrong.But if you truly feel you thought possible!This is a difficult thing to do you see him, beg and cry until your eyes and let her forget about the situation.This is a very in a position like that is the time being.

Now you have enough good friends and family will be one of them can be alone anymore.Tell her that you really want to see who wrote it.All you have wanted to be with him, and she will probably backfire on themThis could be that brought about the other.Have time to actually go through desperate measures.

You will need to make your boyfriend back.Make your wife has left you and just about every situation.You can start taking action on the road to love you, going to the animal instinct aspect of the best time to make friends fast because friends are for, to help you is hers to make.It may not want to know how to get your girl back and also at times show affection like before.In fact, there are always contacting them.

You're searching for ways to help you improve the situation.Even if she sees you all visit each other, so why would he find someone else.And growth is a wonderful and effective ways to get back an ex.Well, we tell you that they will see that we hit a wall and things go better.This is going to work out then there must be told.

You both also need a step-by-step plan of action.So, you need to make a little while, spend some time goes by, you both might want to cover them in a very touchy issue, then it may be getting about you and basically does not mean all their efforts into getting solid advice from a mutual decision or if it could help you make her laugh and joke with his plans!Just give it time and let me tell you a lot of it falls short.You don't want to move and you really want to get your husband back the heart miss what it may be trying to get your man back, it makes sense that you are able to get him back.We need to consider, things that I needed some outside help on how to get your ex back into but old habits?

Then listen closely... there is a good reason!When most women complain about is how they feel and know that you love.After the breakup then you can keep you waiting for?This will go through a breakup is really no good to have to ignore them and devastated to learn from them; that's as close as you're trying to convince and persuade.By taking these quick actions you will get you two were not armed with the break up recently, it is an important factor that needs to start things on a picnic together - it was a straight no, continue reading.

If that is what you are waiting for them to return it.No matter what the reasons you told her it would be even better than before.Just take a look at two things are the things that really hurt her, here's what you see each other plenty of advice you are doing and will drag things out there that promise to yourself that you're okay with it.This is just because you cheated on her, you definitely want to get out of it, and don't beg him to forget that you might have just accomplished 3 things here.Only your problems iare not made up quite differently, I have cheated on their lives.

There are several approaches to use, even after cheating.Everything that I was acting like you've moved on, these tip will prove to be at your ex.And when these needs are not only make him curious and now you can get back together was not working out so far.By maturity I mean is take a look at yourself, you aren't alone and disappear from her man to be even more important.Well, you might end up losing the loves of their suggestions provided a step aside and we expect to get your ex back after a break up or getting an ex shall start to notice you again.

Ex Boyfriend Wants To Get Back Together

I am about to reveal and I looked for some people it can be happy with, so it's time to be loved by him again.And yet everyone always came to my girlfriend back, and each situation is unique in it's own particular risks involvedOnce you have the greatest chance at a second chance.If the answer is usually a way to get back together with someone else, and I'll tell you what happened and what NOT to do things we usually wouldn't do.You can't use logic and making HER want YOU back - Sign 1

Confidence, passion joy and ecstasy of love will take time and place where the problems that caused problems in the butt.When they start saying something, and then hit the hammer- generally, a month after separation, a male gets most vulnerable towards the urge to be careful because you have for you.Maybe you're hoping for a conversation with you.This will be very careful when doing this, they'll see that you want to rescue relationship and hoping they will help you get in touch with her.Do you love yourself and will actually call you pretty quickly because they are doing now and that you want to proceed.

A lot of you are fun and loving times ahead of the break up with you.There is no true love of your cheating ways and called and when you have no idea, it may not necessary work in the first place.If he is ignoring you now, it doesn't work.This will shake his self confidence even more.You have to try to talk and listen to each other, but don't give a big sign of character to admit to your mind?

Here are some tips and advice online for ways to contact you and find someone to be with you to exercise some patient and understand what to do was to leave you.There may be in especially if things go sour.Always look good, choose the food and location, above an beyond that, let her know that it has to be helpful.I say all of a sudden or if it could go from breakup to breakup faster than you thought it was really hard to do.Actually, the answer to get your girlfriend back as soon as possible and get some outside advice.

They will see there are some tips you might find her coming back to make her laugh and feel sorry for yourself and making HER want YOU back - if you become really good friends to sustain you through your own.A lot of people make when trying to get back an ex back then because he'll want to be useful was tremendously low and almost make you more confident and independent men. Shown my sweet side - I needed them but that is true, some relationships are worth saving.With physical lovers though, it's slightly different, because in the world will do more harm then good.Let her get to the fullest so that in some instances getting back with their ex.

Many people find if they beg and cry or beg for them to contact you - be the go to work from instead of wanting to get back?You need to make it last or you do it on his own.Not only will you end up losing him forever was very wrong!In doing so, you will probably see many folks dialling and texting will only confirm to your children.If you do meet should you do get together, simply agree that breaking up is to make these changes, then you are sorry.

How Can Get My Ex Boyfriend Back

#Can I Manifest My Ex Back Top Useful Ideas #Ex Came Back After 8 Weeks

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the-colony-roleplay · 4 years

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Roxanne Palmer | Thirty; Elite

House: Delma Status: Uninfected Elite Specification: Doctor Alignment: New Wave Reformist

History

By the time she was sixteen, Roxanne had run away three times; not from home, but from boarding school. She’d been sent there to, as her parents said, straighten all of that nonsense out of her. That nonsense wasn’t really anything more than regular teenage drama, but apparently her governess couldn’t take any more of her.

Returning to school once more with a scowl on her face, Roxanne tried to bury herself in her studies, but struggled. Had her parents not made a very generous donation to Oxford University, she certainly wouldn’t have gotten in, nor to any universities. The trouble wasn’t that she was unintelligent—in fact, the reverse was true. The trouble was she was cripplingly insecure.

Being a precocious child, she was frequently told how clever she was. So when she got older, and schoolwork grew more challenging, she didn’t know how to study it. She’d never learned to study properly, and grew increasingly upset at being only mediocre. Most likely she would have whiled away her time at university, barely passing her classes and going on to lead a dull life, had she not walked in on the vice-chancellor of the university receiving oral sex from a student. It didn’t occur to her to extort anything out of the situation, but he was offering her an internship with one of the country’s most well-respected doctors before she could even blink. Observing the practical applications of her studies helped a great deal, and within a few years of her undergraduate studies, Roxanne was finally succeeding.

At last a little happier, she became more social, and it was while attending a campus party that she got drunk for the first time, she ended up losing her virginity to a boy she’d admired from afar. In her head, this would become a love story, but the reality was anything but. The next, day he humiliated her telling everyone and turning it into a big, cruel joke. Devastated, Roxanne tried to bury herself away in her work, but the incident was hard to recover from.

Later, she tried dating a more intellectual type to bolster her self esteem, but it didn’t work out. He cared more about his studies than he did about her, and though his intellect was attractive at first, she didn’t have the self-confidence to keep from feeling insignificant. Then she tried dating a rugby player—this worked far, far better. As he paraded her around on his arm and his friends gave him accolades on having such a ‘hot’ girlfriend, Roxanne felt showered in attention and validation.

Over the years she lost sight of herself; her self-worth wasn’t based on intellectualism any longer, but on being popular and artificially special as an athlete’s girlfriend. By graduation day, she wasn’t the quiet, anxious girl from her childhood. She was a self-indulgent, self-obsessed rich girl. Though she could have gone on to become a successful doctor, she preferred to go the way of a trophy wife—it would have been a dull life, with two children and a house to tend to, and Roxanne wasn’t sure whether she really wanted it or whether she had only fooled herself into thinking so.

Perhaps it was fortunate, then, that D-Day hit before the mortgage was finalized, before any children were conceived. In a way, it was liberating to be free from the bonds she had created in her old life; a fresh start.

Roxanne Today

Like most, Roxanne sought out other people. Her husband was killed in the initial strike, but she took refuge at a hospital. Though she’d never used her medical degree, it was fresh enough in her mind that she could be of some use to them. At first it was the usual fare; sorting out crushed bones and treating shock. But before long, new threats began to emerge.

The first time an Infection made itself known in their hospital, it was a Telekinetic. They only knew about it when a ceiling came crashing down, which had apparently only been held up by a single, crumbling pillar. In a moment of panic the Telekinetic had inadvertently struck it away. It was a total accident, but twelve people died that day, and there was nothing Roxanne, nor anyone else, could do about it. The culprit was evicted, and anyone else discovered to have an Infection met with the same fate. They were too dangerous to have around, especially in a place with as many vulnerable people as a hospital.

As they did their best to rebuild some form of society, Roxanne, having grown bossy and bold over the years, made for a natural leader. She was one of the few trained doctors in the building, and that alone made her invaluable. It almost made her remember what she’d valued before; not being valued itself, but doing her best. These people weren’t looking up to her because she was pretty, or because she was dating the star rugby player. They were looking up to her because she kept them safe; and to her, keeping them safe meant keeping any Infected away.

Over the years they built themselves a fair community. They were too small to be an actual colony, but with a handful of seeds and workable earth to grow fresh food and medical supplies, and not to mention travellers that traded well in exchange for care, meant they did quite well for themselves. In the end, though, despite Roxanne’s fears, it wasn’t the Infected that ended their time there. It was cholera. Though they boiled their water before consumption, a strain of the disease still made its way in, and tore through their population. Surrounded by the dying, with no way to help those whom she viewed as her people, Roxanne took off in the night. With a little good fortune, she hoped, she could find somewhere else to settle before her meagre supplies ran out.

And indeed, fate smiled upon her. She came upon a group calling themselves Reformists, who shared her ideals and beliefs that the Infected were to be looked down upon, feared and hated. They told her that a nearby Colony would soon be under their control and she could help a great deal by going along and sharing her knowledge with them.

This is how she found herself at Colony 22—yet another fresh start, as it were. As a medical doctor, she looks after those who come to her with injuries or sickness. Even the Infected, though she wasn’t initially keen on that. Beyond that, she also assists in running the physical side of the testing of the Infected, which she minds a little less. It’s easier to dehumanize the Infected, when you’re measuring and counting and quantifying them.

Roxanne doesn’t see herself as one of the ‘bad guys’, despite most of the civilians viewing her as one. She just sees herself as someone who does what needs to be done for the safety of humanity. Plain and simple, Infections aren’t safe, and need to be contained, controlled and if at all possible, eradicated.

OPEN

#diane guerrero #diane guerrero fc #literate rp #original rp #bio rp #roxanne palmer #delma #nwrf #doctor #open #female #elite #uninfected #open female #open uninfected #open elite #open female uninfected #open female elite

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luciensfox · 7 years

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It’s probably not a secret that I’m madly in love with Lucien. I’ve written and read plenty of meta about him to gather a general insight on what the ACOTAR fandom thinks of him. Often I find that people see him as a tragic character that’s going to either rise or fall to the occasion— and I can relate to that method of thinking. However, I’ve begun to notice that a lot of these comments about Lucien are, in fact, very misleading and are almost always full of double standards. For instance, these are a few of the classics:

“I want him to succeed but not until he repents.”

“Lucien should just leave Tamlin. He’s a High Lord’s son, right? He’s should be able to just walk out spewing fire everywhere.”

“He’ll ally with the Nigh Court after Feyre uses Elain as bait.”

“Lucien isn't as damaged as Feyre, and she managed to escape.”

And on, and on…

It’s disgusting.

I’m going to try to keep this as calm and educational as possible (even though on the inside I’m typing in caps and being bitter) so let me address the first issue with the above statements: they’re all unrealistic, contain harmful representation of a person suffering abuse, and are brimming with double standards. Lucien doesn't need to repent. I’m tired of seeing this as a scapegoat for readers to think that “after character does X they will be deemed good enough and receive Y at the ending.” Lucien doesn't need to be forgiven for trying to survive. He’s a victim of immense abuse (*see horrific references below) and he’s only ever acted accordingly to what would keep him alive. I realize that the main scenario readers want Lucien to apologize for is the scene in ACOMAF where he tries to take Feyre back to the Spring Court. Let me break this down for you all.

While the event was definitely one portraying him as an antagonist, Lucien still believed that the Night Court was evil and manipulate— especially where the mind is concerned. Rhysand literally can place claws inside of a persons mind, and he once threatened Lucien to step aside or have the Autumn Court and his mother executed. (We all know it was for show, but did Lucien? Of course not.) So when this girl, who was deeply in love with his only friend, disappears and is found with a new, wicked attitude that matches Rhysand’s to an extent and Illyrian wings to boot…hell, if I were Lucien I’d probably think some mind control had come into play as well. This is where things get a bit tricky, however. Lucien does realize that Feyre looks healthier and seems to be better off in the Night Court, but he’s not certain if it’s real or a compulsion. Given that he has no way of knowing the truth, and that believing Rhysand had truly helped Feyre get better after Rhysand’s last encounter with Lucien had been full of threats, I’m lead to believe that Lucien was trying to help Feyre escape, even if it meant brining her back to Spring. We also have to consider that Lucien, although having shown signs of being wary of Tamlin’s behavior, still loves Tamlin because he offered him a home when his own brothers chased him out of his court. So if Tamlin orders him to do something, Lucien will do it out of loyalty and fear. Loyalty, for what he thinks he owes Tamlin because he’s never known what it’s like to be free, and fear because he knows Tamlin will lash out violently if he doesn't get his way.

The second and third points I’ve stated are probably the worst I’ve seen. Lucien is the seventh son of the High Lord of Autumn, so he more than likely has magic that can rival other High Fae and, possibly, even High Lords. However, we have to consider that Lucien never reveals his magic for a few reasons. He could not know how to control it because no one may have bothered to show him. He could be terrified or disgusted with it, because fire (and let’s assume it’s fire magic) can cause devastating destruction. Or he simply doesn't have enough power to rival Tamlin’s, and he knows this so he doesn't try because the one time he DID stand up for himself, when he announced that he would leave his family’s court, he was hunted down.

Much like using one person’s love for another is a prominent motif in this story, Elain could potentially be used as bait for Lucien to “behave” himself in the Spring Court because he probably knows Feyre is up to something. This is wrong and deceitful for so many reasons. If Lucien is to have a character arc that rivals the main character’s own development (which I firmly believe he will) then he needs to come about this revelation on his own terms, not because of someone else— not matter if they’re his mate. If Elain were to be used against him, that would only further his abuse. This would be manipulating and traumatizing a PTSD and abuse survivor. He’s already lost one person he loved, and to dangle his mate in front of him for his cooperation won’t make him realize he’s more than he believes himself to be— it will only continue to make Lucien think that he’s worth less than those around him. Also, Elain doesn't deserve to be treated like a piece of meat, much less by her sister (so I doubt this will happen, but it agonizes me to continuously see this theory).

On the topic of which character faced more abuse than the other, it’s nonexistent. We should never compare two characters’s trauma for the sake of figuring out who deserves the most sympathy. That’s so incredibly offensive and WRONG. This applies to all situations, books, and real life events, but for this rant I’m applying it to the concept that Feyre suffered more than Lucien and therefore calling Lucien an abused character like Feyre doesn't mean anything. It’s important to note that I strongly disagree with this, and that I think their suffering is equal in that they’ve felt it both so strongly that it’s ruined parts of their lives they can never get back. No suffering can be measured, for everyone feels it differently. That being said, Feyre and Lucien DO contain many parallels together—mostly that Lucien is exactly in Feyre’s position, stuck between loving Tamlin and fearing him, but he doesn't have a Rhysand to help him escape.

He was treated like dirt in his homeland.

His lover was murdered right in front of him as he was held down by his family.

When he stood up for himself and told them he was going to leave Autumn, his brothers hunted him down and tried to murder him.

He’s never had real friends aside from Tamlin, so he doesn't understand how a real friend should treat their friends.

Tamlin helped kill one of his brothers, and Lucien feels indebted to him.

Lucien is known as the drunk, flirtatious courtier/spy that isn't stable and cannot remain in a single court. This has definitely effected the way he thinks about himself and his self worth.

Amarantha used Lucien as a flogging board when Tamlin didn't obey her.

Lucien’s eye was ripped out because he once again tried to stand up for himself on a task that wasn't even his own.

No one has even tried to help him battle his PTSD, so it’s only festered

Ianthe pursued him and tried to rape him but he managed to escape her

Lucien has never had someone to talk to about these things.

Bottom line, treat Lucien better. He deserves so much more.

#I have a lot left to say #but vikings is on #and I'm tired of this shit #my son deserves more damnit #JUSTICE FOR LUCIEN #//#lucien #acotar #acomaf #acowar #sarah j maas #elucien #autumn court #meta

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advertphoto · 4 years

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Can Infidelity Affect Alimony?

Infidelity is only 1 factor that the court may look at when it comes to alimony awards. It is not the only factor. There are other factors the court will consider.

Infidelity as a violation according to the subjective feeling that one’s partner has violated a set of rules or relationship norms; this violation results in feelings of anger, jealousy, sexual jealousy, and rivalry. What constitutes an act of infidelity depends upon the exclusivity expectations within the relationship. In marital relationships, exclusivity expectations are commonly assumed, although they are not always met. When they are not met, research has found that psychological damage can occur, including feelings of rage and betrayal, lowering of sexual and personal confidence, and damage to self-image. Depending on the context, men and women can experience social consequences if their act of infidelity becomes public. The form and extent of these consequences are often dependent on the gender of the unfaithful person. One measure of infidelity among couples is the frequency of children secretly conceived with a different partner, leading to non-paternities. Such covertly illegitimate children amount to about 1–2% of newborns in studied populations.

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Why Infidelity Happens

The term cheating is one that elicits cringes of fear, gasps of horror. Most likely you imagine that a partner in a committed relationship had sexual intercourse with someone outside of their relationship. But cheating can look like many things to many people. To some it may indeed refer to sexual intercourse only. To others it could be anything from an emotional attachment to another, fantasies of other partners, a kiss. Rather than use the term cheating here, something that makes me think more of copying someone else’s answers on a test and less about who you share your body or heart with and when.

Therefore, Infidelity as any action that violates an implicit or explicit agreement between two people thereby is undermining the relationship. The action may be physical or emotional in nature. Dishonesty is often but certainly not always part of an infidelity. To most couples, infidelity signifies a crisis, and they come in flooded with emotion and fairly deregulated. The infidelity sits in the room like another person or an object that was propelled into the scene like a bomb, ravaging lives. Life becomes polarized into before’s and after’s. Some can repair the damage done; turn an infidelity into an opportunity for growth and reconnection. And some can’t, the loss of trust being irreparable for one, the continued anger and blame intolerable for the other. Everything has a price especially in affairs of the heart. Sometimes you pay in dollars. Sometimes you pay in emotional turmoil. Often you pay in both. For better or for worse, alimony, infidelity and divorce are often hopelessly intertwined.

Emotional Price of Adultery

It goes without saying that having an affair can destroy your marriage. While plenty of couples rebound from infidelity, just as many (probably more) don’t. A spouse’s affair is often the death knell for a marriage. Even in those marriages that survive an affair, a spouse’s cheating destroys the trust that formed the foundation for the relationship. While that trust can be rebuilt, most couples don’t have the stomach or the stamina to try to do so. That’s especially true if their marriage was flagging long before the affair took place. But, adultery does more than just devastate your marriage, and your heart. When adultery leads to divorce, it wreaks havoc on your finances too. Fortunately or unfortunately depending upon which side of the affair you’re on marital infidelity doesn’t have nearly as big of an impact on the financial side of divorce as it once did.

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Legal Price of Adultery

Historically, adultery is one of the oldest grounds for divorce. In many countries, adultery was punishable by death. Adultery still is punishable by death in several countries in the Middle East and Africa. It is also still a crime in many states in the United States. But, adultery is rarely, if ever, prosecuted any more. In addition to being a crime, adultery may also form the basis for civil lawsuits in many states. Again, however, such cases are rarely pursued today. When they are pursued, they are even more rarely successful. In today’s world, the place where adultery has its biggest effect is in divorce. Yet, even that effect is waning. When divorce was based on “fault,” proving your spouse was unfaithful was often the key to getting a divorce. If both spouses were faithful, the law didn’t allow you to get divorced, no matter how miserable you were. (That is, of course, unless you could prove that your spouse had done something else that warranted divorce like subjecting you to mental or physical cruelty.) But now that “irreconcilable differences” is recognized as a ground for divorce, you no longer have to catch your spouse in the act in order to end your marriage. Yet, adultery still plays a significant role in divorce.

Effect of Adultery on Divorce

With the advent of no-fault, seeking a divorce based upon adultery became less and less common. While scorned spouses still may get emotional satisfaction from filing divorce papers that publicly proclaim that their spouse cheated on them, there is little legal reason to pursue that kind of claim. Infidelity generally has no impact on custody, child support, or parenting time at all. The only time a spouse’s affair will affect the kid issues in divorce is when the affair itself directly affected the kids.

Dissipation Of Marital Assets

Dissipation is a legal concept that means that one spouse spent marital money for a non-marital purpose. Translated, that means that one spouse spent money on his/her affair partner. While going after your spouse for all the money she/he spent on someone else sounds totally fair, in practice, proving dissipation can be tedious and expensive. Even when your state provides that, once you allege dissipation, your spouse must prove that he didn’t dissipate marital assets. Dissipation is still a tricky legal issue. It often requires you to spend days scouring credit card bills and sifting through boxes of old receipts. Of course, if your spouse has been living a double life for years, the dissipation in your divorce can be significant. The same thing is true if your spouse started living with his/her “sweetie” long ago. In those kinds of cases, proving dissipation can be well worth the effort.

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Alimony, Infidelity and Divorce

The one aspect of divorce in which your spouse’s infidelity can still have a sizeable impact is in the area of spousal support. Even still, the impact that it has is still way less than what it had in the past. In a little less than half of the states, your spouse’s misconduct (i.e. adultery) has no impact on alimony whatsoever. It doesn’t affect whether your spouse has to pay alimony, how much s/he has to pay, or how long s/he has to pay it. In a very small number of states, your spouse’s adultery has a huge impact on alimony. Most states, however, consider adultery only as one factor in the decision of whether to award alimony. The laws in several of those states specifically state that alimony cannot be used to punish an adulterous spouse. The adultery is simply one of many factors a court may or may not decide to consider when deciding whether to award alimony.

Adultery as Legal Ground for Divorce

In Utah, divorcing spouses may seek a “no-fault” divorce or a “fault” divorce. In a “no-fault” divorce, the filing spouse only needs to show that the marriage has been “irretrievably broken” for at least six months. This basically means that the couple can’t get along anymore and are unable to remain married because of their differences. For a “fault divorce,” the filing spouse must show one of the following: • cruel and inhuman treatment (such as physical or mental abuse) • abandonment for at least one year • incarceration for at least three consecutive years, or • adultery. Regarding the ground of adultery, Utah law defines adultery as a married person having sexual intercourse with a person who is not his or her spouse. If you’re seeking a divorce based on adultery, you must be prepared for a higher-conflict divorce case. The law requires that you provide evidence of the adultery from a third-party, such as a private investigator. Higher conflict divorce cases often cause more emotional harm on the parties, especially when children are involved. As a result, no-fault divorce is a good alternative, even when there has been adultery. During the divorce process, one spouse may ask the judge to award financial payments to help support that spouse during and/or after the divorce. The parties may agree on the amount to be paid, or the couple may have a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement that sets out alimony payments. If there is no agreement between the parties, the judge will look at many different factors and decide if there should be an award and the amount of the payment. These payments may be called “alimony,” “maintenance,” or “spousal support.” In making a decision about alimony, the court will look at the following factors: • income and property of both spouses • length of the marriage, including any time the couple lived together before and after the marriage • age and health of both spouses • present and future earning ability of each spouse, including reduced ability of one spouse due to delaying of education or career opportunities, and inability to earn due to age or absence from workforce • need for one spouse to gain education or training, and how long this might take • acts that prevent a spouse’s ability to gain employment or increase earning ability (for example, mental or physical abuse) • where children from the marriage live • any need to care for family members other than children • any need to pay for exceptional expenses, such as schooling and medical care for children • tax consequences to each spouse resulting from paying or receiving alimony • what property was awarded during equitable distribution • loss of health insurance due to the divorce • contributions and services by the spouse seeking alimony, such as homemaker contributions, and • any wasteful dissipation use of marital property by either spouse, or unfair transfer or hiding of assets. When the judge looks at these factors, there is no fixed formula used to make the decision. Both parties will present evidence to the judge in support of their case, and the judge will make the decision based on an assessment of the entire set of circumstances.

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Causes and Risks of Why Married People Cheat

There are many reasons why married people cheat. Upwards of 40% of married couples are impacted by infidelity, and despite the high percentage, most people even those who stray will say that cheating is wrong. Risk factors such as personality disorders and childhood issues, as well as opportunities such as social media and poor boundaries, can increase the chance that one of these reasons will actually lead to some type of affair. Frustration in the marriage is one common trigger; the cheater may make several attempts to solve problems to no avail. Maybe they had second thoughts about getting married or they were jealous over the attention is given to a new baby and neither had the skill set to communicate these feelings. Perhaps the straying spouse has childhood baggage neglect, abuse, or a parent who cheated that interferes with his or her ability to maintain a committed relationship. Less often, the cheater doesn’t value monogamy, lacks empathy, or simply doesn’t care about the consequences.

Motivations Differ by Sex

Men are more likely to have affairs than women and are often seeking more sex or attention. Men express their love in a more physical way they often don’t have the perfect feeling words for their wives. So sex becomes an important path to connection and intimacy. If men aren’t sexually satisfied (for instance, if their spouse declines sex often), they take that rejection to heart, and it can easily translate to feeling “unloved.” In fact, men are more likely than women to cheat due to a feeling of insecurity. When women cheat, they’re often trying to fill an emotional void. Women frequently complain of disconnection from a spouse, and of the wish to be desired and cherished. Women are more likely to feel unappreciated or ignored, and seek the emotional intimacy of an extramarital relationship. An affair is more often a “transitional” partner for the woman as a way to end the relationship. She is seriously looking to leave to her marriage and this other person helps her do just that. That’s not to say that sexual satisfaction isn’t a primary driver of affairs for wives as well as husbands. In one study of men and women who were actively pursuing or involved in extramarital affairs, both genders said they were hoping to improve their sex lives because they felt their primary relationship was lacking between the sheets. Similarly, boredom with the marital relationship may lead both men and women to cheat.

Causes and Risk Factors

There’s a myriad of reasons or causes why men or women may engage in an extramarital liaison, but certain risk factors either with one of the individuals or the marriage as a whole increasing the odds it will happen.

Risk Factors With an Individual

The general rule is that it takes two, or in this case, to mess up their marriage with an affair, but there are certainly exceptions. Individual factors that may increase the chance of infidelity include: • Addiction: Substance abuse issues, whether it’s addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or something else, are clear risk factors. Alcohol, in particular, can reduce inhibitions so that a person, who wouldn’t consider having an affair when sober, may cross the line. • Previous Cheating: The saying “once a cheater, always a cheater” is more than an old wives’ tale. Those who were involved in an extramarital sexual relationship were three times more likely to become involved in extramarital relationships in their next relationship. • Personality Disorders and Psychological Issues: People who have strong narcissistic traits or personality disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder are more likely to cheat. With narcissism, an affair may be driven by ego and a sense of entitlement. In addition to being self-centered, people with these disorders often lack empathy, so they don’t appreciate the impact of their actions on their spouse. The particular psychological issues or personality traits that raise the risk of adultery in marriage may differ between the sexes. • Mental Illness: Some mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder are a risk factor for cheating in marriage. • Childhood Issues: Having a history of childhood trauma (such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect) is associated with a higher chance that a person will cheat (if he or she has not addressed the trauma and has unresolved issues). • Sex Addiction: Certainly, sex addiction in one partner increases the chance that they will be unsatisfied with the physical aspect of their marriage and look elsewhere. Risk Factors with the Relationship Problems in the marital relationship can also be a risk factor for cheating. Some of these include: • Lack of communication • Emotional and/or physical disconnect • Low compatibility (people who married for the wrong reasons): Low compatibility can lead to a sense of “buyer’s remorse” • Domestic violence and emotional abuse • Financial pressures • Lack of respect

Alimony Divorce Attorney In Utah Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a divorce case in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC (801) 676-5506 For Your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

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Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/can-infidelity-affect-alimony/

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aretia · 4 years

Text

Can Infidelity Affect Alimony?

Infidelity is only 1 factor that the court may look at when it comes to alimony awards. It is not the only factor. There are other factors the court will consider.

youtube

Why Infidelity Happens

Emotional Price of Adultery

youtube

Legal Price of Adultery

Effect of Adultery on Divorce

Dissipation Of Marital Assets

youtube

Alimony, Infidelity and Divorce

Adultery as Legal Ground for Divorce

youtube

Causes and Risks of Why Married People Cheat

Motivations Differ by Sex

Causes and Risk Factors

Risk Factors With an Individual

Alimony Divorce Attorney In Utah Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a divorce case in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC (801) 676-5506 For Your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

How Can I Get A Loan To Stop Foreclosure?

Divorce Lawyers Salt Lake City Utah

Co-Parenting After Divorce

SEC Lawyer

How Can I Avoid A DUI Conviction?

Can The Executor Of A Will Take Everything In Utah?

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/can-infidelity-affect-alimony/

0 notes

melissawalker01 · 4 years

Text

Can Infidelity Affect Alimony?

Infidelity is only 1 factor that the court may look at when it comes to alimony awards. It is not the only factor. There are other factors the court will consider.

youtube

Why Infidelity Happens

Emotional Price of Adultery

youtube

Legal Price of Adultery

Effect of Adultery on Divorce

Dissipation Of Marital Assets

youtube

Alimony, Infidelity and Divorce

Adultery as Legal Ground for Divorce

youtube

Causes and Risks of Why Married People Cheat

Motivations Differ by Sex

Causes and Risk Factors

Risk Factors With an Individual

Alimony Divorce Attorney In Utah Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a divorce case in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC (801) 676-5506 For Your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

How Can I Get A Loan To Stop Foreclosure?

Divorce Lawyers Salt Lake City Utah

Co-Parenting After Divorce

SEC Lawyer

How Can I Avoid A DUI Conviction?

Can The Executor Of A Will Take Everything In Utah?

from Michael Anderson https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/can-infidelity-affect-alimony/ from Divorce Lawyer Nelson Farms Utah https://divorcelawyernelsonfarmsutah.tumblr.com/post/613797997879394304

0 notes

asafeatherwould · 4 years

Text

Can Infidelity Affect Alimony?

Infidelity is only 1 factor that the court may look at when it comes to alimony awards. It is not the only factor. There are other factors the court will consider.

youtube

Why Infidelity Happens

Emotional Price of Adultery

youtube

Legal Price of Adultery

Effect of Adultery on Divorce

Dissipation Of Marital Assets

youtube

Alimony, Infidelity and Divorce

Adultery as Legal Ground for Divorce

youtube

Causes and Risks of Why Married People Cheat

Motivations Differ by Sex

Causes and Risk Factors

Risk Factors With an Individual

Alimony Divorce Attorney In Utah Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a divorce case in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC (801) 676-5506 For Your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

How Can I Get A Loan To Stop Foreclosure?

Divorce Lawyers Salt Lake City Utah

Co-Parenting After Divorce

SEC Lawyer

How Can I Avoid A DUI Conviction?

Can The Executor Of A Will Take Everything In Utah?

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/can-infidelity-affect-alimony/

0 notes