#the song about him being so worried he was unredeemable | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zaenaris · 6 months

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Personally I see a lot of despair in Koko's eyes (see the bags under his eyes) and the epitome of his guilt; guilt for not saving Akane and because he's probably afraid that Inupi also used him for his own gain like everyone else, which is not the case of course but it's a delicate moment and Inupi touched a sore point, but one that was imperative to address because, in the end, Inupi had a point, Koko couldn't forgive himself for Akane's death even if it wasn't his fault. Koko rationally knew she was gone, but he couldn't let his guilt go.

Inupi is desperately trying to reason with Koko, (the way Seishu's voice just breaks when he screams he's SEISHU and not Akane destroyed me, kudos Enoki Junya) but Koko is still not ready to forgive himself and accept that he simply wants to be with Inupi (he needs another 2.5 years and a separation to get to that point) so I, personally, see a lot of despair in that look, I see Koko feeling that he has let down, once again, the people he cares about: Seishu and Akane.

He probably feels that he let Seishu down because he doesn't want to join Tenjiku with him even if Koko made sure to prepare a place for him because, in Koko's mind, Tenjiku was the safest option. And because, for all that time, Koko always tried to do his best.

I've got the feeling that Koko feels he's being judjed by Inupi at that point, he's angry and emotional during the whole fight with Inupi (and in the anime even sadder and more defeated), he shouts at him to "stop looking at him with that face". The official translation in my native language imho conveys better this feeling because Koko says "Don't look at me with those eyes full of contempt" and then he talks in past sentence regarding everything he did, all the requested he accepted in the past in order to make money.

Imho this is Koko projecting his own anger towards himself: sure, Inupi is worried for Koko, a part of him is mad at Koko because Inupi has perfectly understood Koko's problems and his guilt, while Koko clearly isn't ready to face the problem and I guess Inupi is tired, emotionally drained by that situation (let's keep in mind Inupi's fears as well, he wants to believe Koko sticks with him because he wants to, but he's also afraid to be seen as a substitute).

But also let's not forget that, with all the history they have, Koko also probably doesn't feel at peace with himself in his relationship with Inupi for the reasons we know: the fact that Koko saved him while shouting Akane's name and then he couldn't save her.

We know that Koko wants to be with Inupi as he choses to do in the last arc, but they never addressed their problems, even if i'm sure that Koko is happy that Inupi survived;

and I understand it wouldn't have been easy; to this day, I have no idea how Koko might have felt after the fire, it was such a terrible situation.

Then there was the kiss of course, the moment where, imho, Koko admits to himself for the first time he has feelings for Inupi and not for Akane. The same Akane that stopped him from kissing her and gave him an important lesson: "kiss only the person you like".

But it's terrible realization given their traumatic past, saving Inupi "by chance", his guilt for not saving Akane, the promise he did to her to protect her, the life of crime he was living that he hated and Akane wouldn't have condone. Let's not even start thinking about what it mean to be not-straight in a society like Japan...

Anyway, a part of Koko wants to go on, as implied by his character song and confirmed by his decisions in the last arc. But it's not easy, Koko sees himself as unredeemable for a long time, while he knows, because he sees it during the Tenjiku arc, that Inupi can live a good life without him, while he can't see himself living without making money in the worst way for the worst people

And in my opinion it is no accident that he caresses the scar, Inupi's hallmark more than anything else

He would like to be with Inupi, but he knows he has done bad things to get there that he can tell he is not proud of.

Inupi is pursuing an ideal by staying with Toman, which Koko cannot accept because he is too disillusioned and thinks he has no other choice (plus Tenjiku was the safest solution when they had their fight; then we know Tenjiku "loses", but Koko was trying to be rational, at least, before the Akane's topic came up.)

Inupi is more rational/lucid in regards to Akane and Koko's money obsession; maybe it was just a narrative decision, maybe it's a trait of Inupi's personality, maybe Inupi realized and processed many things off screen, whatever, but it seems to me that Inupi has a better grasp of the actual problem in their relationship, his own obsession with Black Dragoon (clearly a way to cope) and has somehow processed the trauma better; not that he's over it, otherwise he wouldn't shout at Koko to stop seeing him as Akane, but I see him more emotionally mature in some aspects or at least, he's more honest with himself about the situation, even if he still has his fears.

(There's is also a whole part of headcanons regarding Inupi and Akane and how he must have felt after the fire and her death, knowing that, in Inupi's mind, he wasn't "supposed to live", the grief of losing a sister that he loved, maybe some irrational jealousy because he wasn't Koko's "first choice" -i hate this term, but try to understand Inupi's pov🥲-, but still being sad because Inupi rationally knows it's a terrible thing to think, especially since she's dead, he misses her, has survival guilt, their whole family destroyed, physically, psychologically and economically, but this is more headcanon/fanfiction territory)

#tokyo revengers #inui seishu #kokonoi hajime #inukoko #kokonui #akane inui #tokyorev meta #tokyorev spoilers #tokyorev anime spoilers #zae talks about tr #zaenaris

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khaleesiofalicante · 3 years

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TID WEEK - CHARLOTTE FAIRCHILD

“No, no, no,” Alec threw his notepad away. “Just no.”

“Alexander?” Magnus walked out of Rafe’s room. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Yes, everything is alright,” Alec replied, not wanting to bother Magnus. “Is Rafe asleep?”

“Only after three songs,” Magnus smiled. “What is it, darling? I know something is bothering you.”

“I thought I had a good poker face,” Alec frowned.

“You do,” Magnus concurred. “But your notepad is on the floor and you are surrounded by crumpled pieces of paper. That is usually not a good sign.”

“I’m fine, my love,” Alec reassured but then sighed when Magnus didn’t back down. “I just…I just don’t know what to do about this treasury issue. I’ve been thinking of a long-term strategy and I…I can’t seem to figure anything out.”

“Oh, Alexander,” Magnus sat down next to him. “You’ll figure it out.”

“When?” Alec scoffed. “I wish…I wish dad was here.”

Magnus held his face and laid a soft kiss on the forehead. “I know I’m no inquisitor, but maybe I can help you?”

“You always do, Magnus,” Alec smiled. “But this…this is so tied up with our history and bureaucracy…I need to talk to a shadowhunter. I need someone with clave experience. I know I can do it; I just need some guidance.”

“You could ask Jia?”

“No, no,” Alec said quickly. “Jia trusted me with this responsibility. I can’t ask her. I need to do this on my own. I can’t…I can’t be the consul who can’t do anything alone.”

“Alec-”

“It’s fine,” Alec put on his best smile. “You go to sleep. I’ll join you in a bit.”

It was already late. They both knew Alec wouldn’t come to bed without figuring this out.

“How about if you could meet another consul?” Magnus asked. “Someone before Jia?”

“None of them are alive, Magnus,” Alec pointed out.

“They don’t have to be,” Magnus replied. “I’ve been learning more dream magic now that Ragnor is back and I gotta say it is quite useful. Actually...I can help you meet one of the best consuls I know.”

“You don’t mean...” Alec gasped. “Charlotte Fairchild???”

“The one and only,” Magnus grinned.

“You can do that?” Alec gaped.

“Darling, there is very little I can’t do,” Magnus winked.

“You mean like doing laundry?” Alec chuckled.

“I just don’t see the point in washing old clothes when you could simply buy new ones!” Magnus explained in exasperation. “Do you want to meet Charlotte or not?”

“Yes please,” Alec grinned.

Magnus led Alec to the bedroom and asked him to lie down.

“Wait, hold on!” Alec jumped up and ran towards the closet. “I can’t meet Charlotte Fairchild in pajamas.”

“And you think that sweater is an upgrade is from the pajamas?” Magnus laughed to himself.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Alec lied down again once he put on some decent clothes.

“Sweet dreams,” Magnus giggled as he laid a quick kiss on Alec’s lips and Alec rolled his eyes, although he couldn’t help but chuckle either.

“Also, this laundry conversation is not ov-”

Familiar blue magic surrounded him and Alec felt his body automatically relax. It wasn’t just the spell, but the magic itself. Magnus’ magic knew him well. It was such an intimate feeling – something only Alec was privileged enough to experience.

The next thing he knew he was standing in the middle of a manor. It was old – but not in terms of the structure. It was sturdy and strong, but the décor implied that Alec had successfully found his way to his destination.

Alec had been to many manors in Idris after the Dark War. But this one…this one seemed unfamiliar. The only thing he recognized was the familiar sigil of the angel wings on the door.

“It burned down,” a voice said, and Alec turned around. “Valentine burned it to the ground - which is why you don’t seem to recognize it.”

And there she was.

She was sitting behind a desk, reading some letters. Alec didn’t know if there was a desk there before, but he didn’t care. He was standing in front of Charlotte Fairchild, his idol.

He was not going to make a fool himself today. Not today!

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Alec said in disbelief. “I’m Al-”

“Alec Lightwood,” she smiled. “The Consul in exile. I must say, it’s an honor to meet you too.”

“Staph!” Alec giggled.

Get yourself together, Alec!

“Truly,” she insisted. “I’m so impressed by everything you have achieved in such a short time.”

“But how do you know?” Alec wondered. “Who I am and what I-”

“Magic,” she simply shrugged. “Your husband is an extremely capable man. I don’t know how but I seem to know who you are and what you do. I even know what Netflix is! How fascinating!”

“Um, good for you,” Alec said. “Do you…Do you know why I’m here?”

“The treasury,” Charlotte nodded. “You are worried about nephilim finances.”

“Without Idris, we don’t have access to the Citadel and w-” Alec didn’t want to rant. “I just don’t know what to do. We’ve been relying on religious institutions, but I don’t think that’s going to cut in the long run.”

“I see,” she looked into her teacup gravely. “How can I help you, Alec Lightwood.”

“I don’t know,” Alec bit his lip. “I don’t know if you can help me at all. I just…I just know I need to fix this. I need to fix it for my people. They are relying on me to lead them and I can’t let them down. But I don’t know how. I’ve been trying and I can’t seem to figure it out. And I’m running out of time. I can’t let the Nephilim economy collapse. I need to fix it. I need to find a way.”

Charlotte was quietly sipping her tea. Alec couldn’t help but be embarrassed a little. Here he was meeting his idol and lamenting about his problems. What would she think of him?

“You remind me of my son,” she said then.

“Oh,” Alec responded in surprise. “I’m not a blonde though. Now my parabatai Jace is just like Mat-”

“I was talking about Charles,” she corrected him.

“Oh,” Alec blinked. “Oh. Ew!”

Realization struck him and he covered his mouth in embarrassment.

“Shit! Shit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. God, this is so-”

“No offense taken,” she put her teacup down. “I know Charles wasn’t, how do you say…oh, yes, he wasn’t a fan favourite.”

“I’m sure he had many redeeming qualities,” Alec offered, trying to salvage his fuck up.

“He did,” she smiled, and Alec couldn’t help but notice that it was a little sad. “But he also had many unredeemable ones.”

Alec didn’t know what to say about that. As a father, it was almost impossible to find fault with his kids. He was sure that Max and Rafe both would have vices of their own, but he didn’t know how to look at them as anything less than perfection.

“One thing Charles never understood was that leadership isn’t just about leading. It’s also about relying. It’s about leaning on the shoulders on those you trust.”

“But as the Consul it’s my job to fix it,” Alec pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help,” Charlotte countered. “It doesn’t make you weak or incompetent. It makes you stronger.”

Alec pouted. He felt like a child.

“I know it makes you feel vulnerable,” she stood up and walked towards him. “I was the first female consul. You don’t think I hesitated every time I needed help? It was torture. I knew I was better with the support of those I loved and trusted. But asking for help meant that I couldn’t do something on my own. It made my question my own competency. Then I couldn’t help but wonder if other would start questioning it.”

“I know,” Alec agreed. It was exactly how he felt every time he needed help too. He was scared to ask for it, wondering if others would think he wasn’t up for the task. It was torture indeed.

“I think Charles would have turned out to be a better man if he had people he could trust and rely on. But he didn’t. But you know who did?”

“Matthew,” Alec replied.

“Yes. But as Matthew might tell you, there is no point in having friends if you can’t count on their support when you need it,” Charlotte said gently.

Alec knew she was right. But right things often were the hardest to do.

“You are the leader of Nephilim. It’s not an easy job. Not at all. So, stop trying to do it yourself. We Nephilim are nothing without our brothers and sisters. Trust those around you. Trust yourself.”

“I…It seems impossible at this point but I’ll try,” Alec promised.

“That’s the best any one of us can do,” she smiled. “Yours is the story that redefines what is impossible. I have faith in you, Alec Lightwood.”

“You do?” Alec asked in disbelief.

“You got Magnus Bane to settle down,” she chuckled. “There is little you can’t do.”

“Thanks,” Alec chuckled back.

They had a cup of tea then. They talked about politics. They talked about their families. They talk about the downworld. They even talked about Netflix.

It was one of the best days – or rather dreams – of Alec’s life.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Alec asked when he was about to leave.

“What’s hard?” Charlotte inquired.

“Being the first.”

He was the first gay Consul. She had been the first female Consul. He knew she could relate.

“It is hard,” she agreed. “But we make it a little bit easier for everyone who comes after us. That makes all of this worth it, don’t you think?”

Alec smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, it does. Thank you, Charlotte. Now how do I, um…”

“Close your eyes and think of home,” she smiled. “And don’t ask me how I know!”

“Okay, okay,” Alec chuckled and glanced at her one last time.

She was small. Even tiny. Alec was surprised by the amount of strength and kindness she carried inside that small body. She continued to amaze him in every possible way.

Her hair wasn’t red and her eyes weren’t green, but Alec knew that she was a Fairchild just as much as Clary. They were two of the strongest women he knew.

“Remember what I said,” she called. “Trust those around you. If you want to lead, you must learn to rely.”

“I will,” Alec promised her again.

“Who knows, it might even help you with your treasure problem,” she winked.

“What do you mean?” Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Our shadowhunters are more talented than we give them credit for,” she pointed out. “We have inventors, writers, poets, painters, musicians and so much more. Give them the opportunity to discover themselves. Let them earn their own income. Maybe they will contribute to the Clave.”

“Nephilim doing mundane jobs?” Alec gaped. “But that has never been done before!”

“Alexander Lightwood-Bane,” she chuckled fondly. “You are a gay man married to a bisexual warlock, raising two child one of whom is also a downworlder. You are a consul who is not allowed to set foot in Idris and currently are working from New York. Nothing you do has ever been done before!”

Alec laughed. “Okay, you are not wrong.”

“My Henry once told me that Nephilim aren’t meant for destruction,” she said gently. “We are meant to create. He told me that we are meant to create strength and preserve goodness. So, let them create. Let them preserve. ”

Alec thought of Clary and her art. Simon and his music. Jace and his plants. Izzy and her clothes. They all had something they were passionate about. They all had something they wanted to show the world. They all had something they had to sacrifice just because of their blood. They all restricted themselves of the good they can do just because the law said they couldn’t.

“You are the Consul, Alec,” Charlotte pointed out. “But the shadow world belongs to all of us. It is the responsibility of every single nephilim to fix it and to protect it – not just yours. So, let them help you. Maybe you could help each other.”

It could work. It could work if they figured out the logistics. Shadowhunters doing mundane jobs to pursue their passions. Shadowhunters helping to rebuild the treasury. It could work.

“Although I must warn you,” Charlotte hesitated suddenly. “People might oppose you and call this idea crazy.”

“That’s what makes it more fun, right?” Alec asked cheekily.

“There is the Lightwood devil I know,” she chuckled fondly, a thousand memories hiding in the winkles of her eyes. “I see why Magnus chose you.”

“Thank you,” Alec meant it with all his heart. “Thank you so much.”

“I only advised what I wish I could have done in my own time,” she said kindly. “I wish all the luck, Alec Lightwood. May the angel be with you always.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Consul,” Alec smiled.

“The pleasure was mine, Consul,” she smiled back.

It was surreal. All of it. The fact that he was Consul. The fact that he was talking to Charlotte. The fact that he might figure this out. All of it was surreal.

Alec never wanted it to be anything else. He loved his surreal life where every day was magic.

“Now it’s time to wake up,” she said, and Alec closed his eyes and thought of the smell of Sandalwood.

“So, what did she say?” Magnus inquired, lying on his side. “Did she help you figure it out?”

“She did,” Alec nodded. “She said that we should rely on things that are familiar. She said that we might tempted to try new things, because it’s easier to choose something new than to trust something old. Old things don’t automatically become clean and perfect. We need to work hard to-”

“Alexander,” Magnus slapped him on the arm. “Are you talking about laundry again????”

“You just need to press three buttons!!!” Alec reasoned. “Come on, Magnus!”

“You are the worst!” Magnus slapped him on the arm again and Alec started laughing and Magnus started to laugh with him.

His heart was overloaded with love, but he had never felt lighter. His head was swimming with possibilities for the new nephilim future and his heart felt at peace. Alec didn’t know that shadowhunters were capable of sleeping like this – without fear and without burden.

Yours it the story that redefines what is impossible, Charlotte had said. So, Alec closed his eyes and looked forward to the impossible future he planned to redefine.

#I am love two (2) consuls #charlotte fairchild #alec lightwood #magnus bane #malec #tid week #tsc snippets #kinda hard to write charlotte pov so this must make do djskskskkssk

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anonymous-note · 3 years

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A Valley Song

Chapter 1 - Pulchritudo in Turpis

Masterlist

Even if he hadn’t fallen into the camp in the middle of the night with a flash of blue electricity, covered in blood and wearing nothing but a towel and an overcoat, Dave doesn’t think he’d possibly be able to not notice Klaus Hargreeves. The innocent, puzzled look on his face when he saw Dave was too much on its own, like he didn’t know where he was, as if he’d taken the wrong turn off the highway, or gotten off at the wrong stop. Then the look of shock and surprise at the bombs exploding and the drill sergeant screaming orders as he dresses robotically, holds a gun with the tips of his fingers, and follows the others dumbfoundedly. It’s all too much to ignore.

No one else seems to notice. They’re all too busy talking about how many more Vietcong they need to kill before they can return home. Too busy with their letters from their parents and girlfriends, with little pictures they hold up to their faces in the flickering firelight. Too busy playing cards or swatting away bugs or visiting the medics to have another look at the damp sores on their feet. Too busy to notice the most beautiful man ever in their presence.

But Dave notices. He doesn’t have letters from home, except for his uncle, who only ever talks about his own war stories from the second World War, or his boss at the hardware store, writing once in a while to check up on him and mention that Helen Weaver came by to ask how he’s doing. It’s not the same as his fellow soldiers, all of whom have families to start if they manage to make it out of this jungle. Especially since he isn’t excited to return to Helen Weaver, like all his buddies are excited to see their girls again.

It took a few years for Dave to figure it out. His uncle has never accepted queers before, only speaking intolerably whenever it was brought up in passing. It was ingrained in Dave from an early age to hate them too, these other folks with their disease and their lust. When he could never comment further on a girl besides an uncommitted shrug and a simple, “She’s pretty,” he began to worry he was like these sex-obsessed demons his uncle spoke of. Hated by God, destined for Hell, preying on children. He thought the army might fix that, might make him a man again, and a real one at that.

The army did the exact opposite of “fix it,” though. Instead of becoming like his uncle or his friends, he was suddenly surrounded by grown men, all in incredible shape and always covered in a sheen of sweat, their tanned skin glowing in the jungle sun. Even with the stink of body odor and vulgarity of men detached from society for so long, he wasn’t repulsed. Instead, it only made him more aware of his attraction to men, and more aware of the fact that he was the kind of monster his uncle abhorred most.

He was lucky enough to meet a soldier who knew how Dave felt, someone who could help him come to terms with himself and understand he wasn’t an unredeemable freak. Someone who listened to him, and kissed him, and touched him, and taught him about himself. Someone who was transferred six months ago, leaving Dave on his own once more. But at least now he doesn’t hate himself anymore. At least he has that.

The firefight was a few nights ago. Dave has been keeping a careful eye on the newcomer, watching him adapt to their surroundings. He keeps to himself, a constant deer in headlights, taking everything in with wide, startled eyes. He’s a mix of working on autopilot and copying the other soldiers, like he doesn’t know what to do or how to act. He can barely hold a gun properly. It’s like he hasn’t had any training whatsoever.

So on the bus to their next location, Dave moves up a couple seats until he’s somewhere behind the man. “Hey, did you just get in-country?”

He jumps slightly, turning to look at Dave. He breaks into an uncertain smile, nodding as he angles his shoulders to face him better. “Uh, yeah.”

“Yeah, shit’s crazy, I know,” Dave says, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’ll adjust. I’m Dave.”

“Klaus,” the man says, taking the hand Dave offers him. The skin of his fingers and palm is soft, none of the callouses Dave developed while being here. But at least he looks more relaxed now, his smile coming easier, his shoulders not quite so tensed, his green eyes the same color as the shrubbery outside, framed by the darkest lashes Dave has ever seen.

He’s beautiful. And he certainly doesn’t belong here.

#anonymous-note #a valley song #klave #klaus x dave #klaus hargreeves #dave katz #the umbrella academy #tua fanfic #klave fanfic

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bytemycupcakes · 4 years

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Anonomous said:

What if the misfits were having a movie night and made Baxter take a break from work for the night and join them. The movie? Titanic. Vaggie noticed how he got visibly more anxious as the movie continued, making excuses to try and leave. When the sinking scene happened, he couldn’t take it and ran from the room. Vaggie excused herself and went out after him to find the scientist wedged in a corner of his lab, shaking and sobbing hysterically. She confronted him and he told her everything.

Baxter explained everything about his past through heavy sobs and broken speech. Upon hearing all this, Vaggie sat in a stunned silence. She had absolutely no idea what to say- so she held him. Wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, the same way she held her brother when he was bullied. Forgetting the fish’s hatred for physical contact. But he didn’t protest. He didn’t push, scratch, or bite. He didn’t even flinch... he leaned into it. He melted into her arms, He allowed himself to break down crying. To let out all the pain he locked away for over a century. Baxter buried his face into Vaggie’s shoulder, his weeping muffled and warm tears soaking her dress. He allowed himself to be vulnerable, breaking every rule he burned into his brain since his time in hell. He barely knew this lady, and here he was, curled up in her arms like a crying child... but he didn’t care. Her embrace was just so loving. Vaggie gently sung to him.

Vaggie gently pulled him into her lap, humming some Spanish tune from her youth. She doesn’t know what it is that reminds her of her brother. She wasn’t sure if it was the glasses, the freckles, or the height, but she held him as if he were her own. Vaggie wasn’t sure when he had fallen asleep. His open sobbing hushed to quiet whimpers. His violent shaking becoming a gentle shiver. But still, she held him and sung. It wasn’t long before her blond partner came looking for her.

It wasn’t long before her blond partner came looking for her. The heavy lab door opened, the princess stepping inside. It was when she opened her mouth to call Vaggie’s name again, did she find her- and froze. In her girlfriend’s lap sat the young scientist. The same scientist they had struggled to approach for a month now. He was brilliant, no doubt, but he was hostile beyond belief. You might as well approach a wild animal. Baxter would hiss at, scratch, and bite staff and patrons. He didn’t sleep for days upon first arriving, paranoid it was all a trap. He jumped at every sound and scratched at his own head and fins as if he were trying to silence his thoughts. Charlie feared he would starve and brought food. He would’ve touch it. Thought it was poison. He did, however, sneak through the vents in the wee hours of the night to the kitchen. According to Alastor, the fish was quiet, If anyone dared approach, Baxter would tear them to shreds.

Charlie wasn’t sure it was Baxter at first. The Unhinged, Untouchable, Unredeemable, Baxter. The one who was more wild animal than person. Baxter- paranoid, insane, hostile, Baxter. And there he was. The same one, curled in a little ball fast asleep in her partner’s lap. And it all clicked. The way he clung to Vaggie, the stories Vaggie told of her brother, the song Vaggie sung to him... Baxter was scared. On the brink of a breakdown.

And finally, for the first time since death, Baxter loved someone. He had waited for the day they’d drop the nice guy act and kill him. By God that would never happen to him. So he fought. and he fought. and he fought, until he had nothing left in him. He was weak. He ran from the living room, believing they had known that. They would strike the moment he broke down crying. But they didn’t. They held him. And they hugged him. And they loved him. And maybe. Just maybe. Family wouldn’t be so bad.

~-----~

Anon: Hey so, I know that was out of nowhere and I apologize XD. I originally was going to say “what if blah blah blah happened” on how Baxter opened up to Vaggie, but somewhere in there it turned into a full blown fan fiction. Again, I’m sorry- I just got so lost in the story, by the time I realized that I was too far to stop, you know? Consider it a gift then :). If you would respond with any thoughts or critique it’d mean a lot but don’t feel obligated if you don’t want to. Anyway, enjoy friend :D

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Byte: Don’t worry about it! It was a fun read and a wild thing to wake up to xD Maybe draft your ask in notepad first next time- I have submissions open and you should be able to send text posts through them, though I know this was a fluke xD I took the liberty of putting things in what I think are proper paragraphs, since each ask being a paragraph would look weird.

But! Overall I really like it :0 Personally I don’t make Baxter nearly as feral, but as someone elses take I love it. Though I usually think of Baxter being upfront about his trauma but in a vague way- So the hotel would know he was on the titanic but not know details- In my headcanons at least ANYWAY my point here is you’re a lovely writer and I certainly hope you dabble in fanfics occasionally, or just in the future!

#Hazbin Hotel #Hazbin Baxter #Hazbin Vaggie #Hazbin Charlie #Hazbin Hotel Headcanons

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jimdkhhopper · 5 years

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a million miles away

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* okay this is my first ever tumblr post and i was v v nervous about it but anyway, here’s some sad girl shit and sad fluffy boyfriend joe. feedback is appreciated my loves ! ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Time present and time past, are both perhaps present in time future. And time future contained in time past. If all time is eternally present, all time is unredeemable, what might have been is an abstraction remaining a perpetual possibility only in a world of speculation and entertainment, expectations and materialistic foregrounding to time present. The time I spent away from her started to deteriorate my strength. Sometimes, being away from her caused me physical pain, like a knife plunging into my ribs and the sharp twist of loneliness taking effect, winding me and knocking me over, breathless. But of course, I would always return to her, no matter how far away I was or how long I was away for, I’d always run back to her warm comforting arms. Times when I would quietly slip the key into the door, unlock our Brooklyn apartment and find her waiting for me, either cooking our dinner and dancing to music or lounging on the couch reading. Those were the moments that I relished in and treasured. I loved my job, loved travelling the world and exploring new places and cultures, I loved it all, but I loved coming back to her even more. I loved the way she wrapped her arms around my neck and stood up on her tip toes when we kissed, I loved the smell of her hair and the childish dimples she had whenever she smiled and the joyful glint in her eyes that showed when she threw her head back, laughing at a stupid joke of mine, that probably wasn’t even that funny.

“You alright mate?” Gwilym clasped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed a little.

I nodded and smiled at him for a brief second. Despite me smiling at him, Gwilym knew something was up, I had been distracted all day, even forgetting some of my lines during filming.

“You sure?” He asked again, his eyes widening in concern and eyebrows raising up his forehead.

“I’ll be fine, I just need sleep,” I said crushing my palms into my eye sockets and rubbing.

I was the only one missing the better half of me. Gwilym was still in his home city, Rami and Lucy were together and Ben was enjoying the single life and indulging in the chaotic and exciting atmosphere of the movie set. I wished I could enjoy the experience more, I tried hard to erase the thoughts of her, the sound of her laugh, the way she caressed the back of my hand and the way she bit her lip when I saw her at her most vulnerable. Not having her physical being with me was proving to be harder than I originally thought. Seeing Rami and Lucy tease each other on set and watching them throw their arms around each other and leave hand in hand every night made a lump form in my throat that I couldn’t get rid of. Every night I would lay in the hotel bed, crisp white sheets pulled up to my chest and my head on the extremely comfortable pillow, and her voice, the most beautiful sound of all would flow through my phone. Talking on the phone and video chatting wasn’t the same as having her with me pressed against my chest, her breath gently fanning my chest as she performed the natural inhale, exhale. Talking on the phone and video chatting would have to suffice.

“You coming tonight?” Ben asked as we left the elevator and emerged out into the corridor.

The cast and crew were going out for drinks later that evening as a birthday celebration for Rami. I wanted to go and socialise and have a few alcoholic drinks, that would numb the homesickness that was bubbling in my stomach and had been ever since I left her in bed four weeks ago. However, I wanted to talk to her more.

“Can’t, sorry Ben,” I said giving him another smile I had given Gwilym in the elevator. We walked down the corridor in silence, my scuffing my shoes against the dark red carpet, when I got to my room, I pulled my key card from my back pocket and nodded at the two behind me. “See you tomorrow.”

“Is he okay?” I heard Ben ask Gwilym as they walked past my door.

“He’ll be okay, he just needs space. He’s missing Y/N I think and Brooklyn.” Gwilym said in a delicate tone.

“Oh,” Ben said under his breath.

I chewed at the inside of my cheek as I plugged my phone in and watched the battery icon change from white to green. Immediately I unlocked the device and sent her a message.

Call in half an hour? Gonna have a shower first x

A chime on my phone a few minutes later and a new text notification had me soaring up on cloud nine when you replied.

Sure Joey, missing you today x

I let out a long sigh and again shoved my palms into my eyes, but this time it was to keep tears leaking from my tear ducts and not because I was exhausted. My head was spinning and limbs shaking as I pulled back the shower screen and turned on the hot water before immersing myself under the flow. I scrubbed my hair so vigorously it was like I was trying to eradicate all thoughts of home, my family and her from my brain. It was strange and unfamiliar to me to feel this homesick and attached to Brooklyn and my comfort for her, I usually was fine when I travelled and filmed for movies and TV shows. A few years ago, I had directed, written and starred in my own movie which took a lot of work and I was away for months filming and working on the movie, yet I didn’t feel anything like this. Shaking the water from my ginger brown hair and roughly dragging the hotel towel over my head I pulled on a pair of pyjama pants and grabbed my phone.

Almost as if she knew, halfway across the world from me, the phone began to ring a picture of her sat on the couch filling the screen.

“Hey,” I said clearing my throat.

“Oh, Joey.” She said softly into the phone. “I know what that cough means, are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” I said lying nodding my head trying to convince myself I was okay, after all, she couldn’t see me nodding my head.

“No, you’re not fine, your voice is doing that shaky thing and I can tell you’ve been crying and had a bad day.” She said.

“What, h-how did you know?” I asked biting my lip. She saw right through me.

“Lucy.” She said. “She’s worried about you, she said you were quiet today and couldn’t remember some of your lines, that’s so unlike you Joey.”

I just hummed in agreement, afraid that if I opened my mouth and started to explain I wouldn’t be able to stop and all the sadness, melancholy and tears from dominating the phone call.

“When she told me you were being a bit quiet I almost didn’t believe her, you’re always so happy and you were looking forward to this one. John Richard Deacon, you even made me refer to you as ‘Disco Deaky’ for two weeks.” She said laughing softly.

“I know,” I said my voice cracking. “I just really…” I had to stop for a moment and recollect myself. “I just really really miss you Y/N.”

“I know, I miss you too baby. But I’m so proud of you, so proud. My friends are sick of hearing about Joe ‘Deaky’ Mazzello, you’re all I talk about.” She said laughing, which made me smile a little. Her laugh was the sound I had been craving all day.

“How was work today?” I asked pulling the curtains shut.

“It was okay, busy. A customer cat called me today and I shouted at him for being scum, nothing new.”

“What?” I asked frowning. “Some guy cat called you?”

“Yeah told me he’d like to see under my uniform and made a gross comment about my figure.” I could hear the sound of pots and pans in the background and the soft hum of the kitchen sound system on.

“Hope you screamed bloody murder at him,” I said wiping away a tear that had escaped.

“You bet I did.”

“What are you cooking?” I asked.

“How did you know I was cooking?” She asked sweetly a small giggle at the end.

“The pans, I could hear them,” I said, checking the time on my phone.

I closed my eyes when in bed, my phone on speaker, picturing her in the kitchen of our kitchen in pyjama shorts and the sweater I always left behind for her. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut I focused on the sounds in the background and the melody of the song playing softly.

“Uptown Girl?” I asked, hearing the familiar drawl of Billy Joel.

“You know it’s one of my favourites.” She said. “And plus, it reminds me of you.”

“Why?” I asked, burrowing my head into the pillow more and pulling the sheets up my body a little more.

“I don’t know, it just does.” She said. “Reminds me of that time you were dancing to it, knocked the lamp over and smashed the window.”

“Hey, I was drunk.” I protested, trying to protect my dignity.

“And don’t I know about it.” She said laughing.

Suddenly, without any warning, my mouth opened wide and a huge yawn flowed from my mouth as if it was water.

“You must be exhausted.” She said. “It’s 2 am for you in London.”

“Don’t remind me,” I said running a hand through my now dry hair. “I wish I was with you.”

“I want more than anything to rest my head on your chest and listen to you ramble on and on about baseball.” You said sighing in sadness. “I love you, Joey, so much.”

“I love you too Y/N, so much.”

“Oh yeah, how much?”

“You have no idea,” I said. “Every day I think, ‘I couldn’t possibly love her anymore’, but somehow every morning I wake up just a little more head over heels in love with you.”

She just laughed a little. I knew exactly what she was doing, her hands would be placed over her eyes and she’d be shaking her head a little, her cheeks turning a fiery shade of crimson like they always did after I complimented her or told her I loved her.

Another yawn slipped from my mouth as I turned over in bed.

“Joe, go to sleep.” She said, this time like an order. “And that’s an order.” As much as I thought.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said stifling another huge yawn. “I love you.”

“I love you too Joseph.”

“Can you leave the phone on, whilst I fall asleep?” I felt a little embarrassed asking such a question, but I liked hearing her work around the kitchen and softly humming to the songs she played.

“Of course, sweetie.” She said placing the phone on the kitchen table. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, talk tomorrow.”

After one last exchange of ‘I love yous,’ I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. It didn’t take long as I was emotionally and physically drained from the day. I went to bed listening to the sounds of my girlfriend humming to our favourite songs and tapping cutlery and pans together in the kitchen. Even though I was miles and miles away from her and everything I found familiar and comfortable I still had an unbreakable bond to her and Brooklyn.

My home and my girl.

#joe mazzello #reader x joe mazzello #fluff #sad girl #bohemian rhapsody #joe mazzello fanfic #my writing #reader

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elizabethrobertajones · 6 years

Note

What exactly qualifies as a “crypt scene”?

It’s a complicated equation that goes like

external influence, causing violence/uncontrollable behaviour, broken by a close friend with unstated but romantic interest on the side of the controlled one, who is not a blood family member, unrequited in interest, just a friend/colleague, or actually an enemy. If it’s a blood family member/otherwise non-blood but obvious paternal/maternal tie instead it becomes a swan song parallel.

That’s a lot to hold in your head but it’s really important to track how it all works and the patterns established around it. 1x22 set up the Swan Song parallel which Sam had failed in 1x10 when he was affected with the anger ghost affliction and it was all a progress from there to get him to the Swan Song moment where he manages not to kill Dean, as John had done in 1x22 when possessed with Azazel. I strongly doubt the actual plot was plotted, but the themes were clear that this was the long-term arc and the show skates around it from season 1 right through.

In season 7, Bobby is the last victim of a Swan Song parallel before Carver era, and in 7x23 he is beating the crap out of Sam against the side of a vehicle when he sees his own reflection in the van window and realises what he’s doing and pulls himself back from the vengeful brink and is allowed to move on.

In 11x14, Cas manages to stop Lucifer from exploding Sam all over the Bunker, but then, curiously, hands back control in order to save Dean, showing a weird distinction in confrontation types. Casifer never attacks Dean in the same way, and their confrontation is staged utterly differently.

In Dabb era, where things are more kaleidoscopic in parallel nature, Mary also gets a fairly standard one of these in 12x03 which is a much later loop back to the original, and the conclusion of 13x23 is Lucifer failing it vs Jack and his OWN NATURE, which had been the attacking force in 5x22 after all, and it’s a Dabb era level subversion which hands Jack over to his true family (via all the challenging them to kill each other that Lucifer did which took the whole parallel out of his hands in a way and abstracted it into theirs) and reveals that Lucifer is abusive and unredeemable to Jack and I would HOPE now with every member of the blood and non-blood family successfully indoctrinated into it we don’t need any more of these direct Swan Song parallels.

So why are the crypt scene parallels different and stand out from this pattern? In Carver era there’s a strong side branch of these stories of supernatural control and begging people to stop with a very specific nature which fits this formula from above, where romance is involved in the main parallels, or absence of romance. There are multiple instances where family connections fail to break it, and comments like “I know you’re in there” and other dialogue from the Crypt Scene in 8x17 are thrown around, before and after that moment, where the pass and fail rate is directly connected to whether there is a romantic connection or not. This starts early on in season 8, from Dean being rage-possessed by the spectre and not stopping for Sam, to Charlie being the means Gilda breaks control from the spellbook, through to season 11 where the Soul Eater refuses to let Sam’s “i know you’re in there” stop it when it attacks him as Dean. Other scenes are staged in the same way with other elements, from the 8x16 set up with the Prometheus and Artemis parallel the episode before the crypt scene, through to the fantastically convoluted method of Mick being the one torn with a mental control he couldn’t break and Sam protecting Eileen while trying to talk Mick out of it, or Ishim taunting Dean that banishing him would kill Cas after he was the one who violently attacked Cas with visual framing almost identical to the direction of 10x22 in some respects and getting Dean to back off from that to protect Cas. All with parallels to his own relationship - romantically coded - with Lily.

And then there’s Thomas J Wright, who directed, yep, 12x10, and 10x22 and 8x17 and 11x21 which had its own odd twist on it, and a bunch of other episodes with suspiciously similar framing and attacks. 10x22 stands out because it has the exact same framing as an attack by a controlled Jensen-acted character against a romantically connected character in Dark Angel, which he ALSO directed. 10x22 also by their own admission had a fight scene they changed, with Misha, Jensen and TJW all agreeing to frame it differently, with Cas refusing to fight back, and the stabbing the book while straddling Cas thing clearly came from TJW’s own personal notebook of favourite confrontation ideas given he’d filmed such a similar one early in his career. He’s also added little bits of unscripted storytelling via the direction in his episodes which continue to build up this idea, such as the Amara touching Cas’s heart to contact Dean silent suggestion, and we don’t know if the back and forth in the scenes where they save Lucifer (and by that we mean Cas) later in that episode but again the dialogue between Amara and Dean weirdly parallels what’s going on there as if they broke a connection. 9x23 also directed by him includes the side by side of Cas smashing the angel tablet and Dean falling to the floor with a huge thunderclap after Metatron has stabbed him, perhaps highlighting the irony that Cas did the thing to save Dean seconds after Dean was stabbed, but also “breaking the connection” between the angel tablet, a source of powerful supernatural magic, and Metatron, who was causing violence against Dean, who was not fully in control of himself and about to lose what control he had left as he died and became a demon powered completely by his id, a reverse crypt scene where the reverse was not so much who was a participant but the effects of a failure. Of course the angel tablet was the fought-over artefact in 8x17. And in 9x22, the previous episode, Cas might not have been controlled, but Hannah, dressed like Naomi and sounding an awful lot like her too, challenged Cas between an us and them with killing Dean in the centre of it, to which he said “I can’t.”

We knew the real reverse crypt scene was coming pretty much immediately in season 9 after Dean got the Mark and we were worrying he’d be controlled by it and become violent and maybe attack Cas, who was paired with him by the Colette parallel. In the end Cas asked Dean to stop, as per Colette, and we got the reverse crypt scene where Dean attacked Cas while under the control of the Mark, and only stopped himself killing Cas at the last moment before walking away. Of course, we also knew it was going to happen like that because in 10x13 a trenchcoat-wearing wife pleaded her raging vengeful ghost husband to stop hurting people (while he was about to kill Dean), and her words were enough to let the husband pass on into peace.

Now Dean’s controlled again, but it’s by Michael, which means we could get a lot of different variations. Dean’s never had this sort of mytharc possession in a way that mirrors Sam being possessed by Lucifer, so a Swan Song flip between them is now a card on the table. But a reverse crypt scene style encounter between Michael and Cas might too. They could look very superficially similar, and Michael could also attack Mary, Bobby and now Jack, who are all inducted into the family via takes on this. The interesting difference is going to be in how it’s told and maybe just even who is directing what encounters, what parallels are offered and what language is used, down to whether it’s repeating things phrased one word or the other difference between conversation from 8x17 or 5x22 or other variations of these 2 thematic trees… If it fits Swan Song parallels it’s about family, but the crypt scene style parallels are the ones written with romantic language, and only used in scenarios where romance is implied, or to show it fails when romance isn’t present, even in encounters between characters for whom a Swan Song parallel would work perfectly.

(Funnily enough, in 12x22, it’s Toni, the Naomi parallel, who puts Mary and Dean under, after manipulating Mary, but Dean’s speech to her mirrors ones to John in season 2, and a father/daughter mirror in 3x05, but it’s Ketch who wakes them both up and breaks Toni’s control :P)

#Asks #crypt scenes for ts

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magicinthelibrary-blog · 7 years

Text

The Rose and the Dagger Review

In this review, Flora and I, (Seelie) are reviewing The Rose and the Dagger tonight. We both agreed on a three star rating, which we explain below. We should give fair warning, these aren’t synopsis reviews, where we say a brief description of what happened and then say whether or not we liked it. We review in depth enough that there are some spoilers. We try to give fair warning before they are mentioned. Of course, MAJOR, PLOT twisting spoilers we try to avoid at all costs, but if you are someone who hasn’t read the book and worries about it being spoiled, you might want to come back when you have read it.

LAST WARNING, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

FLORA’S REVIEW

I really enjoyed this book. I actually liked this book better than The Wrath and The Dawn. It is fast paced and has a lots of action that had me buzzing right through it. As with the first book, it is beautifully written. Renee Ahdieh paints a beautiful world that has you feeling the silks on your skin, the sand between you’re sandaled toes and smelling the incense in the air.

I just couldn’t make myself like Khalid in the previous book. I couldn’t justify his actions at all. In this one he definitely redeems himself. He realizes that maybe he shouldn’t have let a dead vengeful man’s curse control him and that murdering those women was NEVER the answer. Finally! It only took falling in love after having his previous seventy something brides strangled to death. Sheesh! Khalid also shows some amazing forethought and emotional strength in this book. Over and over again he’s put in highly stressful situations that have others around him (*cough, cough* Tariq) flying off the handle, while he remains calm and thinks about the possible consequences of his actions. It saves him and the people he loves numerous times.

Shahrzad is a great female lead. I love how no matter what anyone else thinks or how hard it becomes, she stays true to her heart and what she believes is right. She takes charge of every situation like a true boss, or Calipha as it is, and doesn’t let anything or anyone stand in her way.

In this book Khalid and Shahrzad work together to try and break the curse plaguing Khalid and his kingdom. Having parted ways at the end of the last book, I was worried about when we’d see them together again. Luckily they come together pretty early on, so have no fear. They go to the Fire Temple to seek the help of Khalid’s former tutor and powerful magus Musa Zaragoza. There we’re introduced to a new character who, incidentally, quickly became my favorite: a young magus named Artan. He’s a sarcastic, rude, badass whom I wish had more page time. How Khalid manages to keep his cool during Artan’s taunting and not punch him in the face is beyond me.

Meanwhile all of Shazi’s (I’m going to refer to Shahrzad as Shazi now because, let’s be honest, it’s easier to type) friends and family are still seeking refuge in the Badawi camp. War is on the horizon between the kingdoms of Khorasan and Parthia. We see a lot more of Shazi’s sister Irsa. She is about as opposite from Shazi as she could be. Irsa is shy and usually the one to run away from danger, not into it. Throughout the book, Irsa really begins growing up and coming into her own, no longer willing to be pushed aside. I loved watching the love blossom between her and Rahim. I have been rooting for them since the first book. Their love is so sweet and slow burning that it gave me a sense of foreboding.

Tariq, my baby, I feel so bad for the guy. He loves Shazi so much and has done so much for her but his heart is breaking into a million little pieces. Even though he’s not exactly nice and friendly to Shazi, he still goes out of his way to watch over her and make sure she’s protected. Unfortunately he also lets his anger and bitterness start controlling his actions. He begins leading raiding parties to conquer lands in preparation for going to war with Shazi’s love, Khalid. He’s constantly struggling to come to terms with Shazi being in love with Khalid and not him. Tariq yoyos back and forth between love, understanding and hate so much that he almost makes an unforgivable and tragic mistake.

Shazi’s father Jahandar and her Uncle Reza bin-Latief are just getting shadier and shadier. Everyone in the Badawi camp starts to wonder what their true motives are and where their loyalties lie. I honestly hated the scenes in which we had to deal with these two characters. Shazi’s dad is not seeing anything clearly because he’s all hopped up on the blood magic mojo coursing through him and Reza is a lying, manipulating traitor. Luckily, their scenes are usually small and not very often throughout the book.

I really missed Despina in this book. I’ve never fully trusted her after all the lying she did in the beginning to Shazi but I’ve always thought she had a big heart and loved her spunk. She makes a brief appearance in the beginning and then we don’t see her again until near the very end. However, what an appearance it is! Let’s just say once a spy, always a spy.

Slight spoilers ahead

I felt as though the inevitable breaking of the curse happened a little too easily but was bound to happen. I loved the way the war played out between Khalid and his uncle the sultan of Parthia, Salim Ali el-Sharif. Only a little actual fighting but a lot of cunning and girl power.

In the end there was some heart ache and death but ultimately good triumphed over evil! I was pretty upset about a certain character death but I admit I saw it coming a mile away. I don’t know if it was really necessary or more of an obligatory I have to kill off a main character kind of thing. I always love a happy ending and aside from that, we truly get one in this book. The Rose and the Dagger is a great read that keeps you engaged the entire time. If you enjoyed The Wrath and the Dawn, you’ll love this book.

Side note. Often when I read books they’ll spark a certain song to start playing in my head. At the end of my reviews I’ll be listing the song or songs that became my soundtrack while reading the book. I hope you enjoy.

SOUNDTRACK:

Magic Carpet Ride by Steppewolf

Desert Rose by Sting

SEELIE’S REVIEW

I think it’s fair to say for my review, if you haven’t read the book preceding The Rose and the Dagger, the ending to that first book might be spoiled, so please don’t read unless you’re prepared for that.

So, I think I’m the opposite of Flora with this inaugural book choice, which is funny, because I’m the one who wanted to read it so desperately! I absolutely adored the first book. I couldn’t put it down. The writing was beautiful and the story was intriguing. Why was Khalid killing his brides? It was obvious he wasn’t a villain, it was obvious he would be a hero of the story, so what terrible reason did he have for murdering those girls? I also wanted to keep reading to know when Shazi would act on her revenge. Would it be before or after she realized that Khalid was in love with her and would she realize she loved him as well? Would his reason for being such a monster be a forgivable one?

The first book played out so seamlessly, each scene pulling you further into it’s rich details and engrossing story. Each important scene was drawn out and written in beautiful detail, leaving nothing desired. I felt certain I was going to love this book just as much. Flora didn’t care for the first book (because she found Khalid unredeemable, which is understandable) and enjoyed the second one more. I, on the other hand, was disappointed by The Rose and the Dagger.

Before anyone gets all upset or starts spamming me with hate mail, I have to say going into this that this wasn’t a bad book, just disappointing in comparison to the first. Renee Ahdieh is a lovely author. Flora states it well enough that I don’t need to repeat it, the girl can describe something to the point of transporting you there. **Fat girl alert** I especially love her description of food. Every time she describes the food Shazi is eating, my mouth waters a little bit! Besides food, she also writes some very touching scenes. The beginning of the book has Khalid helping rebuild his city, though no one knows it’s the Caliph helping them, and it’s a wonderful, beautiful beginning.

The Rose and the Dagger would have satisfied my need for a happy ending if a few things would have happened.

First, I wish the stakes would have been higher. We left the last book with a sense of urgency, the city burning around them and Jalal sending Shazi with Khalid’s only true rival, Tariq. He sends her out of the city to keep her safe. He sends her out of the city, at least in my interpretation of the ending, because Shazi is beginning to fear that what has happened is their fault and that the only way to stop it is to kill her like they did Khalid’s other wives. When Jalal sent her out of the city, I took it to mean he was worried that someone in the city (Khalid, a palace guard, one of the mercenaries who claimed to know Khalid’s secret) might try to kill her to put an end to the devastation on the city.

What a way to end the first book! My heart stopped. It can’t end there. Of course, Khalid isn’t going to kill her or let anything happen to her. But she left (to stop her crazy father) and to make matters worse, left with her childhood love! Surely, Khalid is going to be FURIOUS with Jalal and all of them for letting her go?

When we start this book, there isn’t any of that urgency in the pages that we felt at the end of the last book. It’s slow, slightly introspective, a bit flowery, but the stakes just aren’t high enough. There’s no real question on the horizon that made me turn the pages in the first 70% of the book. We know they will break the curse, so the stakes have to be high enough that we care how it’s broken. I turned the pages merely because I was waiting for the stakes to change and for me to care a tiny bit more, but it took too long to get there and then ended too quickly.

Secondly, and this is going to sound odd, but I wish Ahdieh had taken more time on this story and not rushed through it. There was potential in this book if for no other reason then the first book was so carefully and wonderfully written. For example, it might have even been more exciting if we had seen more of the sorcerers. Shazi goes to see Musa, the Fire Mage, to help her break the curse and find a way to help her father, who has been ill since using that terrible book to burn the city. It’s an interesting turn in the tale and just when you think the book is going to get good, she rushes through the most interesting characters! We hardly see them and we never really get a good explanation on Artan and his family and why he avoids them.

The love scenes are equally rushed. Characters we waited the entire book to be together have a moment on the page and then its over. Arguments between characters go unresolved through almost the entire book. Ahdieh could have slowed the story down and made us care more about the characters and each of their side stories instead of rushing us through them. (did it bother anyone else that sometimes you would turn a page and almost be disoriented by the jump, like a scene was left out or you skipped too many pages?)

The ending was easily resolved (Too easily), but that’s not even a problem for me. The ending was when it got more exciting. I don’t mind a too-easily resolved ending, but I do wish it had taken its time getting there, so that I wouldn’t have felt cheated out of the character development and side stories that flitted by in an effort to end the story.

Finally, I think this book might have been better if one of two things had been done: either make the entire story one book instead of two or slow it down and make it three. I think having lost that sense of urgency in the year between books made me lose momentum and I couldn’t seem to gain it no matter how I tried. If it had been all one book, I would have kept going because I still would have felt that wonder with the first half and would have wanted to see how they resolved everything.

Likewise, if Ahdieh had spent more time giving us more of the side characters, more of the stories in the background that make you want to keep reading, more of Jalal and Despina, Irsa and Rahim, Musa and Artan, and more of the villains, Reza and Jahandar and Salim. If the cursed book played a larger part as the villain and not so much a side note so easily destroyed, she could have easily written three books instead of two and I would have cared more to get to the ending.

I think Ahdieh is a beautiful author and if you liked The Wrath and the Dawn, you should read The Rose and the Dagger to settle your curiosity. I will definitely read more of Ahdieh’s books, if they are in a genre that appeals to me. I think Ahdieh had a wonderful premise to a story and my only real complaint at the end of the day is that the second half was too rushed for my liking.

So what do you think? Agree or disagree? If you want to drop us a line, shoot us an email from the contact page.

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