happilyeverbeginning | THE RESCUE ME MEME

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THE RESCUE ME MEME

WELCOME TO THE RESCUE ME MEME

Mugged, kidnapping, held hostage, imprisoned, arranged marriage – one way or another, your character needs a rescue pronto! This meme is about exploring all the different ways of rescuing, so mix and match your favorite tropes! Drop your character, your preferences, and whether you’d like them to be rescued, the rescuer, or both! This also doesn’t have to be shippy – save a friend, a family member, an enemy, or a complete stranger, because everyone could use a hero!

Original Flavor
Your standard save! Burst onto the scene! Take down the bad guys! Save the victim! It doesn’t have to be needlessly complicated to be fun!

Disguise The Limit
Work smarter, not harder. Instead of a big fancy entrance, disguise yourself as one of the guards or the big baddy themselves to sneak past and save the day. Hope you’re good at acting!

Teamwork = Dreamwork
This is about partnering up to save the day! Two heads, or more, are better than one – are you reluctant enemies working for the same cause, or do you all care about each other just that much?

Making Mistakes
You thought they were in danger, but… oops. A light misunderstanding, “it’s not what it looks like”, or your victim was the enemy all along! Better have a back-up plan, in case you make more trouble than you planned to solve!

Last Second Switch
You’re one of the baddies who was in on this from the start, but now you’re having second thoughts. Is the plan going too far, or did you wind up caring for the victim? It’s up to you to stop this at the last possible moment – or take advantage of your power and help the victim escape in a sneakier way.

Saving Screw-Up
You were trying to be the big hero… and instead you wound up in the same trouble as the victim. Now you’re sharing a jail cell, or tied up next to them, maybe they’ll even switch victims since you’re a better target! A for effort, at least?

Accidentally Awesome
You were just going about your business and suddenly stumbled into a crime! Sure, you could just walk on, but you’re not that type of person! Even though you don’t know anything about the situation, step in and show them your stuff! Your ordinary day just got a whole lot weirder!

It’s Up To Me
This is taking way too long – save yourself! Kick some ass, take some names, and then… run into the person or people who were trying to save you. Maybe you’ll be the one saving them instead!

Rescue Sex
Don’t you worry, dirty birdies, I got you. Nothing quite says “hot” like watching someone get extremely feral in trying to save you. Hey, if you don’t even make it home before the clothes come off, we don’t blame you.

Here are a few other small tropes to work with, and there’s even more here if you want more spice!

Seduce the guard/baddy into letting you go or grabbing the keys!
Minions saving baddy from heroes!
You’re saving a beloved pet, or a precious artifact!

Say it with me now… I NEED A HERO!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ... My my. A shame he had used that mask to cover what was actually a rather attractive face - er, probably not a good idea to think in that direction. ]

You're the one who needs to catch his breath and recover! I insist you take the bed. A night upright will hardly kill me. I won't hear argument otherwise.

[He sighed, knowing this type of person was one he couldn't quite fight off. Well, she was a friend of royalty, could hardly threaten her; seemed counterintuitive given the circumstances anyway. But he did have another idea.]

Just lay in the bed with me then. We both need to be at our best, and there's enough room at least.

...

[ He did not seriously just suggest that. Yep, her entire face is one big tomato now. ]

Are you out of your mind?! Absolutely not! Now lay down before I force you to!

[He should have expected the answer. Yet now it was his turn to be mad. He slammed his palm against the wall as he closed in on her.]

Look, we're in the middle of enemy territory and both need rest! I'm not asking for sex. I'm asking you to just trust me to get you back home. But to do that, we both need to be at our best.

Geh...!

[ How dare he use up his remaining strength to intimidate her like this! The nerve! She makes a few more small noises of protest before turning her head away sharply. ]

... Very well. It seems you're giving me little choice about the matter.

[He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. Right, fatigue. Almost forgot. Least he didn't have to raise his voice any more than necessary. Despite his rather aggressive stance on Maribelle's decision, once he turned around without another word, his fire faded. He nearly fell right onto the bed, hardly able to scoot himself to the edge to make room for Maribelle, his back turned to her. Thankfully there was enough room for her, but it was clear Hei wasn't doing any more fighting today.]

[ She's not terribly surprised, although she's still annoyed. He was that ready to collapse and still made demands of her... it's almost impressive. Maybe when he recovered his energy, he'd stand to be more polite and understanding!

... Although as she thinks this, she does realize it's rather snobbish. Ultimately, he was her savior. After exhaling deeply, Maribelle finally laid down beside him, her back to his own.

She did say he had her gratitude, but would he have preferred a more straightforward "thank you"? ... She'd have to make it up to him. And... she actually did feel very safe around him.

With that one last thought, she allowed herself to drift off into sleep. ]

[He'd eventually drift to sleep, not having much choice. Though there would be times he shifted in the bed, unable to fully rest, not when all of this was bringing every bad memory of his past. If Maribelle ever woke up, she might find Hei struggling to keep his breathing, especially as soldiers eventually drew near. Of course they couldn't find the hiding spot, but still...bad memories were pouring in.

By the time they gave up the chase, Hei sighed heavily, a hand on his face. Why of all times was this happening? Maybe it was just because this did happen before. At this rate, getting sleep was kinda hard....]

[ Maribelle did eventually start to stir because of all the shifting, much to her annoyance. With a quiet grumble, she began to sit up, ready to complain... but that died in her throat when she saw his trouble expression. The way his body almost seemed to tremble...

... Wordlessly, Maribelle moved to take his hand and give it what she thought was a comforting squeeze. Everything would be all right. Everything would have to be all right. ]

[He shouldn't be like this. He was supposed to be the one to be helping Maribelle, not cracking under pressure. Yet being back in this cave and being so tired made all the bad memories flood in.

Then he felt Maribelle's hand on his, gripping it. Right, he wasn't alone. This was different. A simple gesture did make him feel a bit more at ease. He returned the squeeze, taking a deep breath. Maybe he owed her an explanation.]

I used to live on this continent after my sister was kidnapped, and ran away from them for years. That's why I'm like this. Sorry.

[ Her expression softens even more. While she is an only child, she has often felt like Chrom, Lissa, and even Emmeryn are like family to her. If they'd been taken, she doesn't know she'd handle it.

Especially in this cruel land, run by the wicked Lord Gangrel... She doesn't even want to picture what happened to his sister, and is afraid to ask what happened to her. But... if sharing the story gives him comfort, it's the least she can do. ]

You do not have to apologize for a traumatic past. You do not have to apologize for suffering... you are human, same as I.

But I'm supposed to be getting you out of here. I thought I was done facing these demons, but...I guess I'm not.

[They were only amplified the longer he stayed in this area. At this point, being captured was hardly on his mind. He just couldn't forget all about what he endured alongside his sister.]

...I told you I owed Emmeryn and her family a favor. They were the ones who hid me a few years ago when I snuck into their territory. They hid me so well, they left no trace of my existence. I was considered dead to the world for a long time.

[ True, having her savior be one that was clearly suffering wasn't ideal, but she wasn't going to voice that. And, in a way, would she really rather have one that was emotionless? No. ]

I'm not surprised to hear that the Exalt and her kin aided you... but to have your whole identity erased, even for your own safety... is something I cannot fathom. That must be a pain of the soul.

That was the easy part. Who I was before...you saw what I could do.

[Sneaking in and out with little issue, and even brutally killing the guards. They weren't saints, far from it, but he could do it without much thought. The fact it came so easy was why it bothered even Hei at times.]

To help my sister, they forced me into experiments and to become an assassin for them. Gangrel doesn't even know we exist, as far as I know. [Otherwise, he would have gone straight to him, no doubt. There was still some venom in his voice as he remembered, and if they were so easy to get rid of, it would be the only time he'd welcome his killer instinct.] They just wanted monsters they could control, so they used my sister as a bargaining chip.

[ Just when she thought it couldn't get worse! Maribelle closes her eyes, her heart aching for him and his sister. What sort of awful experiments... and of course, she doesn't actually want to know. Her imagination is working overtime already.

Tears are beginning to form at the edge of her eyes, her sympathy growing all the more. ]

... By the gods. I can believe it so easily, yet it is so cruel and twisted to hear...

[As good as it felt to just get it off his chest, maybe he shared too much at once. Maribelle was still dealing with a lot today as well. He didn't shift, nor move his hand away from hers, but did close his eyes.]

I'll stop there. Haven't told many people about this, but....thanks. I'll try and make it up to you.

[ At that, Maribelle opens her eyes and shakes her head. ]

You don't have to stop... if sharing this gives you any sort of comfort or ease, no matter how small, I shall proudly take this burden. It is the least I can do, for all the help you've given me.

[His gave a calm sigh, keeping his eyes closed.]

Are you sure? You may not be able to sleep well either.

[ Maribelle dryly gestures around them for some dark humor. ]

What makes you think I'll be sleeping well to begin with?

...Fair point.

[Sharing a bed with a killer, in a cramped cave in the middle of the night, potentially with enemies waiting just a mile or so away didn't scream luxury. The question was, where to actually keep taking this. Well, if she insisted on the handling his worst...

Eyes closed again, as he recalled the memories.]

My escape from there wasn't my first attempt. After about the fifth time, I realized I couldn't leave, not just yet, not with how weak I was. So I built areas to hide in, places no one else but me and my sister knew about. Even if one was found, they never guessed three more were set-up to replace them. They punished me of course with torture, but they could never outright kill me, all because they needed me for the results I was getting. They thought the benefits outweighed the risks.

My sister was ill though. She was too young for what they wanted, aimed to make a killer of her too. But one day...I saw her final moments.

[His body did begin to tremble a bit, as if being brought to that very place all those years ago, witnessing her complete erasure.]

She was gone in a flash, nothing left but a smoking crater. They forced her to use too much power, and she was gone. Knowing they lost their bargaining chip, they tried to keep me held down. What happened next was a blur from my anger--

[A lie really. He remembered it all, driving his blades into each of their bodies before running away. But such details would be left out.]

--But I was back to hiding in these small caves again, trying to just process everything. Back then, it was easy to just sleep it away. I'd see my sister smiling again, or give her a hug and tell her to be strong. Without it...I just broke. I even stayed out here, desperately thinking maybe she was transported elsewhere and not dead.

[The shaking stopped, yet he gripped Maribelle's hand harder than before.]

I hated killing. Still do. Probably goes without saying, I was just a puppet after all. Yet whenever I imagine their faces, think of what they did to my sister, it becomes so much easier.

[ She knew this story would contain more grief, but she hadn't expected outright horror as well! A... smoking crater?! What in all hells could have done such a thing? It makes her stomach twit and turn, and she can only hope the sister's agony was brief.

He's stopped shedding tears long ago, but it appears Maribelle will take over that for him, as fresh tears roll down her cheeks, making her a mess. She never lets go of his hand - instead, now she holds it with both of her own. ]

I'm so sorry... To think that such cruelty could exist, is something my worst nightmares could not have dreamt up... And to make you relive such terrors for my sake, to save me...

[He wasn't used to this, people feeling bad for him or giving him this level of comfort. He tried to dodge it whenever he could after Emmeryn helped him. No one but her and a few others within the castle even knew he existed, or even knew about his deadly skills. So having his hands held like this caught Hei off guard, enough that he turned around to face Maribelle.

And his eyes widened at seeing her tears, stunning him from forming any kind of response. His eyes broke of contact, as if ashamed, only to fall onto the hand still being held by Maribelle. Unable to really speak, he used his free hand to reach into his robe, and taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe the eyes of the woman comforting him.]

I...it might have been inevitable anyway. It's not your fault.

[ She allows him to wipe her eyes, though she can tell her tears won't be stopping anytime soon. How could they, when she's been listening to the saddest thing she's ever heard? She tries to calm down, taking a few slow breaths. She almost wants to hug him, but she doubts it would be accepted.

It takes another few quiet, awkward moments but she manages to find her voice again. ]

... I know my own apologies mean little, and what had happened was no fault of mine. But... such things, such words... are all I can offer. I can think of nothing else I can say or do that would help you, which only makes this all the worse.

[It's still so weird to Hei to have people genuinely sad about his story. Emmeryn was already hard to believe until he saw the results of her actions. This woman, he had expected to bicker with her every step of the way after their brief fight. Hell, even before then, given how those in a high position abused their power a lot.]

I don't quite know what to say either with all of this. But...maybe when we get back, you can try my cooking? One of the few other things I am good at.

[ ... Wait, what? While Maribelle's flood of tears doesn't really stop, the sudden offer makes her look up, startled. ]

Huh? ... Me, trying your cooking... would help you... feel better?

THE RESCUE ME MEME

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