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assortedvillainvault · 1 year

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Disney Villain Polycule Posts Part 5 - Shut Up Frollo Pt.1

Split into two parts becuase I'm having far too much fun with this premise. They're all assholes and they're in love Your Honour, even if they need the extra time to process it.

Frollo Does Not Approve of anything, ever, and PDA is gratuitously upped just to spite him.

Let it not be said that everyone is fine with the DV’Cule existing.

Those that are good-aligned (aside from Lilo) aren’t even aware that they exist as a unit, but that isn’t the point. It’s easy to keep a secret when people don’t even think to look for it.

Amongst villains however, the news spread fast. Albeit sometimes inaccurately.

It didn’t take long for everyone’s least favourite judge to start spitting shade at every opportunity.

“What did he say this time?” Jafar twirled a finger through the steam of his coffee as Hades strode in, face a mixture of annoyed and bemused that only encountering Frollo could achieve.

The god snorted. “Accused us of-” out came the finger quotes, “-forming a dark covenant of lust?? Binding our souls to the Devil?? Oy, as if I haven’t pointed out I predate the guy by at LEAST a thousand years!”

Maleficent rolled her eyes as Ursula cackled from where she rested with her head in her lap. “Ooh, Kinky.”

Hook and the Horned King paused their sparring session, swords angled toward the sand as they took time to grimace at the news (Hook was blushing as red as his coat because Ursula was winking at him from the sofa and His Majesty was polite enough not to comment. It would be hard to date an octo-mer and not enjoy, ahem, ‘binding or being bound’ to some degree.)

“Would that we could just kill him this would be so much easier.” he grumbled, to various noises of assent. The ‘no-kill’ rule of this strange after-world was enough to drive him half mad some days.

Facilier didn’t raise his head from the complicated game he and Oogie had set up at the table. Some hellish combination of dice, tarot and monopoly that only they seemed to grasp and incorporated new games into on the regular. “Y’all are thinkin’ in the wrong direction if ya wanna shut the old coot up.” He frowned as Oogie reached down and moved a chess knight piece onto his railroad with a smug hum. He flipped a card and moved his red checker to counter.

Jafar rolled back in his chair and cocked an eyebrow. “...Go on?”

The bokor held up another card, separate to the game, and Jafar squinted to see the Five of Swords. ‘Victory through deceit, cher, but make it more fun.” He flicked Oogie’s piece away and swivelled to face the room with a lazy grin. “Got himself all twisted up over somethin’ he not only can’t have, but is tryin’ so hard to convince himself he don’ want. He’s spittin’ fire over rumours and run-in’s, but he’s never actually seen us out and about proper.”

“So, what? We walk out holding hands and just ask him to shut up??” Hades sank into the opposite sofa with a margarita and a fresh bowl of worms. “Because no offence, babe, but I’d rather take another dip in the Styx.”

“Nothin’ so banal, cher.” he rose and idly flicked his deck from hand to hand. “I’m sayin’ we make a show of it! Can’t use our arrangement as an insult if we ain’t ashamed of it, if you know what I mean? Once the crusty ol’ fool sees nothin’ he says is landing then all he can do is put up and shut up.”

Maleficent shifted in place, pausing her stroking of Ursula’s hair. Her eyes were calculating, but otherwise unreadable. “We have kept our arrangement quiet for some time, Facilier.”

“And for good reason, m’lady, I’m aware.” He nodded. “I’m just sayin’ that things feel secure enough on our end that if we were to, say, ham it up for the crowd? I wouldn’t mind, nor see it affectin’ anything for me at least here.” Purple eyes scanned the room, the unspoken question hovering between them.

The initial arrangement being secret had been an unspoken agreement. They had all needed time and space to feel each other out, confirm the slow slide from ally to something more in their own ways. Out there they wore masks. In here, those masks had been ever so slowly lowered. Outside drama and pressure wasn’t something they had wanted to interfere with...whatever this was becoming.

As the seconds ticked by, not one of the group said anything to refute the witch doctor. Something new and small but no less momentous was making itself known in their silence. Uncertainty bleeding into mild disbelief, turning slowly, with disbelieving smiles, into the quiet kind of awe they know in their bones they’re not supposed to have.

And what are villains, but those who take that which isn’t supposed to be theirs? This new feeling, light and tingly and vaguely floaty? It’s theirs now. And everyone else can Deal With It.

Amazingly, the Horned King was the first to break the shy new silence.

“How should we go about this?”

Facilier broke into a grin as one by one they began to chip in on plans to shock Frollo, and others emboldened by him, into such a stupor that they forgot how to speak altogether.

The power of PDA shall compel you, asshole.

#YOUR HONOUR THEY'RE IN LOVE BUT ALSO VERY VERY IN DENIAL ABOUT IT #they won't even say the 'L' word ffs #but it's there and it's fluffy and none of them know how (or want to) to get the butterflies out of their innards #disney villains #the DV'Cule #I would die for them and be glad about it honeslty #even as I sit here Screeching #the horned king #hades #maleficent #jafar #Ursula #dr facilier

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pockyteau · 1 year

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HEARTS PLAYERS

✩ a chishiya x reader where hearts players are all one in the same, until they're not

✩ a/n - chishiya is knees deep in denial in this one

Chishiya didn't like Hearts players.

For one, he found the notion of a 'hearts player' rather cheap. It doesn't take a lot to take advantage of a person; despite his disinterest in understanding the human heart, it was no great feat to fool one. However, the mind was a much more complex task - and perhaps he was biased, but Diamonds pretty much had that covered.

Even so, he found some Hearts players slightly intriguing. Was the capability of understanding a person's heart really such a special thing? Chishiya's inability to see the value in a person's emotion, compassion, was what put him at such an advantage to the rest of the people in the Borderlands. Who would choose to trust their heart, something that breaks so easily, rather than their mind?

And so he was slightly curious when the new executive turned out to be a Hearts player.

Chishiya had been expecting the newcomer for some time; the Beach's recent growth meant more competent players would be joining the ranks, and he was interested to see who Hatter might consider skilled enough to invite into the executive board. Despite what most might believe, it was no high honour to be an executive, however lower your assigned number would be as a result. It just meant more people would be out to kill you.

Which didn't bother him as nearly as much as the frequent meetings the Hatter insisted on holding, during which he often contemplated climbing through the open window on the fifteenth floor.

Aside from your status as a Hearts player, Chishiya finds the rest of your introduction a bore. There is already a Hearts player on the executive board, in any case; Mira, who seems to have been here ever since the Beach's beginning, and whom Chishiya mildly dislikes. What does interest him, however, is how you are smiling; there is not one welcome-faced person in the room, and yet your expression is strangely warm. You must be a fool, he muses, but from where he stands most Hearts players often are.

Before he can look away your eyes meet his from across the room, and he is momentarily caught off-guard when your smile becomes directed at him. He gives you a small wave, quick to regain his composure. He sees your fingers twitch at your sides, wondering whether to wave back, and the corner of his lips tug upward into his usual complacent expression. But you are guided into a seat before you can do any more than nod in his direction, and Chishiya leans back in his chair. You are nothing special, he decides, and probably just as predictable as the rest.

But he finds his gaze drifting back to you as Hatter drones on about something he doesn't care about enough to listen to. You look as bored as he is, making a cat's cradle with your fingertips under the table. The action somewhat amuses him, with your eyes lowered in quiet concentration.

Without warning, his vision is abruptly filled with those eyes of yours again as you catch him watching you, meeting his gaze in surprise. Unabashed, he tilts his head at you - after a beat or so you merely smile again, the corners of your eyes crinkling slightly in quiet laughter.

Chishiya sighs, the soft breath soundless to the person seated next to him. Do you think you have found a friendly face, someone to acquaint yourself with? So it's just that. A Hearts player's naivety. He doesn't need to know much more about you than that to guess how competent you'll be at playing games, or how long you'll survive for. He turns away, certain that you've served your purpose in keeping his mind off of this tedious meeting.

But it's strange that you still linger in his thoughts long after the meeting is over.

- Chishiya is slightly annoyed when Kuina asks about the new executive. He doesn't see the need to talk about you, or why Kuina should show such a sudden interest in executive matters - you are just yet another member of the Beach. Why waste time talking about something so unimportant?

"A Hearts player?" Kuina says curiously. She takes a sip of her coffee, and grimaces.

"Yes," Chishiya concedes. "Why do you keep drinking that garbage? You clearly don't like it."

Kuina snorts. "Don't change the subject! And my coffee drinking habits are none of your business."

The blonde shrugs. "If you like torturing yourself, so be it."

"You're literally the worst." Kuina eyes him with distaste, taking another strenuous sip of her coffee. "Right, well. What's this Hearts player like? Any good?"

Chishiya sighs. In his mind, an ideal world, the discussion has already moved far beyond this point. "Don't know." He says impassively. He hopes that the additional and unspoken 'don't care' is evident in his tone of voice, since Kuina is clearly set on this topic of conversation. He raises his palms, giving Kuina a dry smile. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

She groans, and Chishiya's grin widens as he advises her to watch her precariously tipping coffee cup. He expects she will pretend to throw it at him in response; he finds it unsurprising when she does exactly that.

Chishiya considers skipping the next executive meeting, unenthusiastic to spend another hour in a room with a collection of people far more pretentious than even himself. The summer air was rather weighted, and he presumed the warmth in the air would make him drowsy. Yet he could think of no better way to spend his time, either.

He exhales, stuck between the two options, neither any more enticing than the other. Could he play a game? No, it's still much too early. Perhaps he'd better go to the meeting after all - he had skipped quite a few this past month, and although he cared little for the Hatter it might be beneficial to remain in the man's good graces.

As if carried on the lazy summer wind, the brief thought of you passes through his mind, but it is gone before he can dwell much on it.

The conference room is already mostly full when Chishiya arrives. Ann calls it ill-mannered, Chishiya calls it fashionably late. Besides, even Hatter is yet to arrive, so clearly he has come in good time.

Chishiya notices you glance up as he takes his seat at the back of the room. You give him a small smile, like before. He smirks, giving you a wave in return. Strange that you would think you had found a friend in him, of all people.

As you shift your hands on the table top, he catches a glint of pink foil between your fingertips. He raises his brows, making no attempt to inquire about it, but you seem to notice his gaze on your hands. The smile on your lips turns into a grin, and you shoot a quick glance over your shoulder to check if Hatter has arrived yet.

Confirming the Hatter is still absent, you turn back to Chishiya, who watches you with his brow furrowed. Admittedly, he has no idea what you're doing. Carefully, tilting your hands towards the blonde as if guarding a great secret, you open your closed palms to reveal two foil-wrapped chocolates.

Want one? you mouth.

Chishiya can't help but snort, earning him an odd look from Ann beside him. He catches the soft laugh that escapes your lips at his response, the chocolates still sitting on your palms. Certainly, you might not be special, but you were proving to be more interesting than he initially thought; out of all the things he had expected out of today, this was not one of them. He decides to play along, his lips curving in amusement.

What flavour? he mouths back.

You blink. The wrapper is pink, you reply.

The blonde frowns. What does that matter?

Pink means strawberry, you explain. Everyone knows that.

Chishiya feels an odd sense of utter disbelief. What is he doing? he wonders, and what kind of useless knowledge was that?

In the end he accepts the chocolate, which makes your eyes light up in a way that almost surprises him. It's only a chocolate, yet you seem so delighted; it causes a strange twist in his chest, which he passes off as contempt. Of course someone like you would be so happy about such a simple thing. It's another thing he dislikes about Hearts players - they always retain such unnecessary emotion.

But that quality seems so much different, so much better, on you.

Then comes the ordeal of you trying to slide one of the chocolates across the table to Chishiya, which has the both of you concealing laughter behind hands and the clearing of throats. The chocolate ends up on the floor. Ann shoots Chishiya another glare.

Chishiya couldn't care less about Ann.

Chishiya is aware that you are not fond of playing games.

He has picked up on the way you chew the inside of your cheek whenever the Hatter talks about collecting more cards, the way your gaze lowers to the table whenever the subject is breached. He finds this unsurprising. Even as a player of hearts, you yourself are soft-hearted, the gentleness in your eyes and the way you continuously smile contradicting your card specialty - but every executive has made their way on to the board for a reason. What had made it so that you were able to stand in the same room as him? He finds he would be interested to see you play a game. Would you be so friendly with your life on the line?

He is mildly disappointed to see the group arrangement for the evening's games. The group he is in will play a Clubs game, speculated to be low-level. He usually finds it insulting when Hatter delegates these kinds of games to him, the man's frequent disregard for Chishiya's intellect irritating - but whatever. He is much more intrigued by the game you have been selected to play.

Your name is under the group for the Diamonds game, located in Shinjuku.

His eyes lazily trace the rest of the list. He wonders if you are as intelligent as your status as a Hearts player would suggest; many would say Diamonds and Hearts are interchangeable, though Chishiya much prefers his title as a Diamonds player, he was just as confident in his ability to clear Hearts games - but there are some who are exceptions to this common theory. He finds Kuina is listed under the Shinjuku Diamonds game as well. Perhaps she might be able to provide some insight on your capabilities when she returns, if he is bothered to ask by then.

But he doesn't have to wait that long to find out.

He sees you first, on the way back from his own game. His game, a Six of Clubs, was mind-numbingly easy, although he'd disliked the way his group had looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to solve the game himself. They weren't his problem. Why should they expect anything from him? He shoves his hands in his pockets, stopping when his fist closes around a small object wrapped in foil. He realises the chocolate you gave him is still in his pocket.

He wonders why he hasn't thrown it out yet.

"Chishiya?"

Chishiya blinks, realising you must have seen him too. He lifts one of his hands from his pockets to wave, and you give him a smile, although it seems more weary than usual. It's strange, how his throat tightens at the thought, but he lets the lazy smirk surface over his lips. "That's me, yes."

"Glad I wasn't mistaken, then." You joke. "How was your game?"

The blonde shrugs. The nicety is far too bland for him to give a substantial answer. "Nothing remarkable. Yours?"

You pause, deliberating on a reply. "Well, I suppose it wasn't anything remarkable either." You let out a quiet laugh. "I'm not great at Diamonds games, though, so considering it was an Eight I'm lucky to have made it out at all."

Chishiya hums, offering no response of his own. He thinks quite the opposite, actually. He is sure that the wan expression you wear is not because you lack of skillset - judging by the way you spoke so flippantly of the number, you had cleared the game without much challenge. No, the reason was one Chishiya himself had never cared for. It was clear enough by the conflicted look in your eyes, one he had seen on enough people to recognise instantly, that you weren't as indifferent as he was to the lives of other players. Quite a few deaths in your game, then. He sees the way you rub your thumb over the side of your index finger, a habit of self-reassurance and comfort. A habit he had unlearned a long time ago.

Here was another thing he disliked about Hearts players; they were always much too concerned about other people's business.

He presses his lips together. You would be so much more interesting, so much more worth his time if you dropped this soft-hearted quality of yours. But as he studies you he can't explain why somewhere in him too difficult, too abstract to pinpoint feels the need to say something to you, to offer you some form of comfort. This was not his problem, as much as the survival of the other players in his game wasn't his problem.

So he doesn't know why the words escape his lips of their own accord.

"Give me your hand."

You look at him, surprised. Chishiya is also surprised.

"My hand?" you say doubtfully, and the blonde nods. You peer at him for a moment more before uncertainly holding your palm out to him, although you don't lose the apprehension in your voice. "Okay..."

He places the pink foil-wrapped chocolate into your hand, his fingers brushing your palm as he does so. He ignores the warmth that briefly lights up is fingertips. Probably friction, or something of the sort. The chocolate is, astonishingly, still in good condition, and you close your fingers around it and bring it closer to you. The smile returns to your face as you laugh unreserved.

"You kept it?" you murmur, glancing up at Chishiya with a grin.

He gives you another shrug. "I don't like chocolate." This is a lie. He is no big fan, but he doesn't mind the confectionary, either. And he is particularly fond of strawberry, as the pink wrapper indicates.

You raise your brows as if seeing through his lie, but you say nothing nonetheless. Instead you thank him, the content smile still resting upon your features, and Chishiya finds he is somewhat relieved to see your expression is much more relaxed than it was before.

But when you suddenly wrap your arms around him, whispering another word of thanks into his shoulder, he feels himself tense at your touch; Chishiya has never liked physical contact, especially not from people he barely knew. Yet he simply lets you hug him, although he makes no attempt to hug you back. You pull away after a moment, suddenly further from him than he would've liked.

"Ah, I'm sorry...I should've asked first, I just..." You apologise, clasping your hands together in a flustered way. The action makes it difficult for Chishiya to keep the amused look off his face - for a moment he is tempted to taunt you, wondering if he could draw a new expression out of you. Something devastated, perhaps, if you thought you'd ruined whatever relationship you had with him. An interesting change to your usual bright smile.

Chishiya exhales, unable to help the slight upward tilt of his lips. "Don't lose sleep over it," he shrugs. He won't torment you, at least for now. You did give him a chocolate, after all. He's simply repaying a favour. "It's not a big deal."

There it is again, that smile of yours that exasperates Chishiya no end, relieved and tentative. Strangely, he has the sudden urge to move closer to you and observe your happiness at close-quarters. Surely there was a limit to how much a person could smile a day? But he merely dips his head in response as you bid him goodnight and disappear, careful to make sure his complacency never wavers.

It's odd, though. No matter how hard he tries to push it away, a question lingers in his mind for the rest of the night.

Why didn't he pull away from you then?

You begin to sit next to Chishiya during executive meetings.

He can't say he is surprised.

Only, he can't say he despises it either, the way you draw out the chair beside him and ask him if you could sit there with dancing eyes. He should hate that you think the two of you are friends. He does hate the way his throat seems to tighten when you smile, which should be reason enough for him to shut you down.

But for whatever reason, he doesn't.

Maybe it's because he knows that even if he does shut you down, you would pay him no mind. So why bother? It's not as if he doesn't welcome the distraction from the executive matters he is well above hearing about for the fourty-fifth time.

You bring with you more pink-wrapped chocolates, as if you had never really believed the lie he'd told you. Chishiya finds when he eats one that they're much too sweet, even for him - you are content eating the strawberry chocolate, however, the over-sweetness of the confectionary not seeming to bother you in the slightest. Chishiya can't seem to refuse when you hand him one.

"These are terrible," he mutters under his breath, chewing on one of your strawberry chocolates as Hatter points at his card collage.

"Why do you eat them, them?" You grin, folding a pink foil wrapper into a condensed foil heart. The irony of you folding hearts is not lost on him.

But Chishiya honestly doesn't know the answer to your question.

He doesn't know why he lets you press the little heart into his palm either, your touch warming his hands as if he is holding them to a winter bonfire. The twist in his chest is growing stronger, and he can only ignore it for so long. It's strange that he suddenly doesn't know so many things; Chishiya finds uncertainty alarming - to be uncertain was a concept he was unfamiliar with, his ability to predict the outcome of every situation he encountered one he prided himself on. He is always certain; of himself, of the world, of where people stand in his regard. He is certain he dislikes Heart players.

Especially you.

You, who possesses every quality he condemns, who somehow makes him feel the need to understand his own heart no matter how much he tells himself he does not. Something else he is certain of; he does not need the emotions that may surface from doing so.

But when he looks at the foil heart in his palm, the remnants of shared strawberry chocolate, was he really so certain anymore?

#chishiya x reader #chishiya shuntaro x reader #chishiya #alice in borderland #aib #chishiya shuntaro #chishiya fluff #chishiya shuntaro x you #chishiya x y/n #chishiya oneshot

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cptapathy · 4 months

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My takeaway for the new UK guidance on gender transitioning in schools

Please, everyone, respond to the guidance and call it out as how shit it is, don't just accept this shit.

Here is the link to respond to this attack on trans youth

https://consult.education.gov.uk/equalities-political-impartiality-anti-bullying-team/gender-questioning-children-proposed-guidance/

1. If you are under 18, are doubting/exploring your gender and wish to involve the teaching staff but not your parents, then explicitly say to them, "if my parents find out they will beat me"

This is the only way to prevent the teacher from having a legal duty to inform your parents

2. The guidance is rife with "G3nder Cri1ical" terminology, but what do you expect from the equality minister for Britain?

3. Unsupportive teachers will be able to justify their prejudice as "watchful waiting" as laid out in the guidance as step 1

Just to clarify, if a 16yo comes to ask to be referred to by a different name or pronouns step 1‽ is to not honour those requedts for an indeterminate period of time to "make sure." This will be standard across an entire country

4. A direct quote

"Does the child feel pressured to identify differently because they simply do not align with stereotypes associated with their sex? This is relevant as some people think gender identity reinforces stereotypes about men and women"

They need to spend some time on tumblr, ain't nothing about you freaks that reinforces gender stereotypes

5. Another quote

Schools "should not unilaterally adopt any changes, including using a new name or new pronouns, unless or until this has been agreed by the school or college in accordance with the proper procedures and... parental consent"

So, any time a child considers their gender identity, there must be a school meeting about accepting it. They then go on to talk about "contested views"

But if anyone has contrary views, those are protected and "must be respected," not period of denial, and informing the parent to then hold a meeting of if those views are necessary for the school to honour.

6. "Agreeing to a child’s request to have others use different pronouns about them is a significant decision."

No it fucking isn't

7. Children under the age of 11 are not allowed to have different pronouns. It's just an outright blanket ban on using gender affirming pronouns for Under 11s.

8. Over 11 well, now we have to decide if using they/them is a large enough benefit to you that it "outweighs the impact on the school community."

Idiots the lot of them

8. But if we do accept a pronoun change, you will still be referred to as "girls" or "boys" collectively, and we won't stop teachers or other students from not using your pronouns. Did you think this was to enforce your pronoun use? No, no, no, this is just to allow YOU to use those pronouns, god forbid a student decide for themselves how they want to be referred to!

9. Literally just explicit transphobia

"Schools and colleges should exhaust all other options, such as using first names, to avoid requiring other individuals having to use preferred pronouns"

10. The first and only mention of bullying, in full

"In all cases, bullying of any child must not be tolerated. No child should be sanctioned for honest mistakes when adapting to a new way of interacting with another pupil"

Why does that feel like they're defending transphobes from bullying? Oh, right, because that's what they are doing.

11. Did anyone expect anything different to this?

"Responding to a request to support any degree of social transition must not include allowing access to these spaces"

So, it will be a legal requirement for teachers in England to prevent trans people from going to a toilet or changing room designated for their gender.

12. This one is not a legal requirement but rather a "should" statement, which is trans children "should" be held to the same uniform status as other children of their AGAB.

I'm running out of commentary here

13. No one is surprised that trans people are once again banned in sports

The full doc for anyone willing to go through it

https://consult.education.gov.uk/equalities-political-impartiality-anti-bullying-team/gender-questioning-children-proposed-guidance/supporting_documents/Gender%20Questioning%20Children%20%20nonstatutory%20guidance.pdf

Boys, girls, and the genders we aren't allowed to mention, that is my summary of the UK government proposed guidance on trans students.

Please help stop them.

#uk politics #uk #trans rights #transphobia #trans #transgender #transpride #trans pride #trans youth #uk trans #trans uk

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tornadoyoungiron · 7 months

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TRAINTOBER DAY 11 - Roundhouse

Scotsman feels lonely in Australia, so a couple of R Class's invite her to their roundhouse.

I’ve mentioned this before but Flying Scotsman is Genderfluid in my AU. So if you're confused as to why Scotsman is female here, this is why.

~~~

“That handsome English engine here yet? I heard he was going to be here tonight,” the Victorian R Class 761 teased the other R Class that sat beside her in their roundhouse. It was surprisingly empty today as the other engines were out doing night runs.

“Sadie he’s not that pretty!” The R Class 707, City of Melbourne, scoffed and her sister leered at her, deeply amused by her denial.

“And I suppose that was someone else gushing about him to that J Class hmm?” Sadie teased and 707 turned as red as her paint.

“Shut up Summer!” She shrieked but Sadie just laughed at her.

Her peels of laughter echoed around the empty roundhouse as the loud chuffing of another engine started to ricochet off of the walls.

Summer began to quiver nervously, but stopped when a familiar tender started to back into the sheds.

“Hey Jodie, how’s it going?” Summer greeted the smaller J Class engine as she gave a yawn and started to settle in for the night.

“Oh you know, so so,” Jodie tiredly responded.

“So have you met the English engine yet? Mr famous Flying Scotsman?” Sadie probed and Jodie looked at the bigger R Class.

“I have, but ‘he’ is currently a ‘she’ and she’s very nice!” Jodie corrected and Summer looked surprised.

“Oh, I was hoping to-” She began but her sister quickly interjected.

“Flirt with her?” She teased and Jodie giggled as Summer threw her a glare.

“I was hoping to invite her back to the roundhouse,” Summer clarified. “But I figured she might feel a bit weird surrounded by females. I heard they're mostly male over there."

“Yeah nah, I don’t think that bothers her all that much,” Jodie pointed out. “From what I gathered she’s a proper ‘lady-like’ engine. You know, all hoity-toity and class. I offered her a berth here but she didn’t take me up on the offer because she thought it might be rude.”

“Oh, those fucking uptight snobbish engines!” Sadie huffed annoyed.

“I don’t think she was trying to be a snob,” Jodie pointed out. “I think she’s just being polite. She’s in a foreign country after all.”

Sadie and Summer looked at each other before starting to build up some steam. Jodie looked confused.

“Where are you going?” The J Class called as the two of them began to roll out of the roundhouse.

“Picking up a rude cunt!” Sadie shouted back to which Jodie just sighed in response.

R Class’s could be such a hassle sometimes.

~~~

They found the foreign green Pacific sitting in a lonely shed near one of the working freight yards, the smell of diesel fuel and the sharp crackle of electricity stun in the air. She was sitting there with her eyes closed a peaceful look up her face.

“Oi you!” A loud voice jolted her out of her sleep and she gasped, looking around wildly before she noticed a large red and black engine hauling tender towards her at speed. Behind her, a similar-looking engine was chasing the first.

“Sadie, please! This isn’t going to help!” The one lagging behind called to her but it was no use as Scotsman found herself, practically nose to nose with a large engine with German smoke deflectors.

“You think you’re better than us Ms. perfectly famous huh?” The engine in her face, Sadie, demanded angrily.

“Most certainly not!” Flying Scotsman put on her best smile to try and placate the engine before her. “I simply do not wish to intrude on your business.”

“Intrude?” The R Class not in her face questioned. “You’re not intruding! We’d love to share a roundhouse with you Flying Scotsman! It would be an honour! If anything you're being a right prick by refusing our hospitality!"

“Oh, right well, of course! I meant no offence by turning down that lovely J Class’s invitation!” Scotsman admitted flustered. “I will happily accept her invitation if you both insist!”

“It's not just that," the other R Class 707 put in. "You look lonely out here by yourself. It reflects badly on us if you're not accommodated."

Scotsman looked at her buffers for a second before looking back up at the two R Class's before her.

"I am a long way from home," she admitted. "And, I miss my friends, my family. I needed a small moment to myself, away from everything."

"Well if you need space-" 707 started to say but was quickly talked over by 761.

"Then you can make friends here!" 761 exclaimed. "I'm Sadie and this is my sister, Summer."

"Sadie and Summer, what marvellous names!" Scotsman praised. "I'm the Flying Scotsman but everyone here seems to call me Scottie."

"Scottie!" Summer cheered. "Well even if you need space, don't be afraid to come back to our roundhouse. These diesels will keep up all night if you stay here!"

Scotsman smiled at the two R Class's gratefully.

"I do have quite a run tomorrow, I'd like some sleep," she conceded and the R Class's cheered.

"So you'll come back with us?"

"Of course! Of course!" Scotsman beamed, her grin wide. "Please, lead the way!"

"Hooray, it's a girls night!" Sadie squealed delighted before moving so that Scotsman could be coupled to her.

~~~

“Sooo do you have a girlfriend, boyfriend, someone to share a berth with?” Sadie bluntly asked as Flying Scotsman settled herself between the 2 R Class’s.

“Sadie!” Summer was flabbergasted at her sister but their visitor just laughed in good humour.

“No, no, it’s quite alright,” she cheerfully assured Summer. "No, I'm not seeing anyone."

"Oh well then-" Summer squeaked but she was abruptly cut off by Scotsman.

"I'm not looking for anyone either," she clarified and Summer's face fell.

"Oh."

"It's okay Ms Summer, I'm sure a beautiful engine such as yourself will find someone out there!" Scotsman assured Summer and the R Class blushed a deep red.

"Our girl Summer here likes them famous," Jodie revealed. "She has a super big crush on 3801 too."

"No, I don't! Shut up, Jo!" Summer hissed at the J Class who just laughed at her.

Summer rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Scotsman who watched them with a goofy grin on her face.

"What about you Scottie? Got any crushes back home?" Summer asked her and now it was Scotsman's turn to become bright red.

"Well I uh…" she mumbled to herself and Jodie stopped laughing and turned her full attention to the English engine.

"Oh go on, who is it?" Jodie urged. "Your secrets will never leave this roundhouse."

"Ah well it's quite embarrassing really, you see they're not from the same railway as I," Scotsman spluttered incredibly nervous and flustered.

"Not from the same railway? Who cares?" Sadie flippantly cried.

"Ah well, it's a bit taboo over in the UK to have a relationship with an engine of a different railway or the same gender or… a lot of things really," Scotsman exclaimed looking downtrodden.

"That's stupid," Jodie scoffed and Scotsman sighed. "But tell us who it is, maybe it'll take it off your mind."

Scotsman looked unsure for a long time but then smiled.

She was halfway across the world and it was unlikely her secrets would find their way back to the UK.

The City of Truro.

"It's Pendennis Castle!" She exclaimed and instantly cursed herself.

"Oh, the other UK engine here in Australia! How lucky!" Summer gasped but Sadie snorted in response.

"Not lucky, more like planned," she mused. "We ask for Mallard, get Scotsman and somehow her honey boo is also here in Australia? Hmmm? Really now?"

"Ha ha you got me," Scotsman laughed awkwardly. "What a cheeky little scamp am I!

"I think it's romantic! Leave Scottie alone!" Summer hissed at her sister.

As the conversation wore on she regretted more and more for accepting the engine's invitation to their roundhouse.

Oh, why had she lied? Why couldn't she have just said Truro?

The Australian Tour was about to get a lot more interesting for her.

~~~

Scotsman accepts all pronouns being genderfluid. It's my take on why a lot of rail fans call the engine her/she but also he/him and they/them.

They're usually seen as male in Young Iron but can and will change if they feel like it but will always appreciate it if you need to ask.

Video footage of R Class’s 761 and 707 escorting Flying Scotsman out of the city of Melbourne to head west on their tour.

youtube

#traintober #traintober 2023 #ttte young iron #ttte flying scotsman #ttte fanfic #ttte R Class #Australian Engines #on the rails #ttte j class #ttte #Youtube

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go-to-the-mirror · 1 year

Text

Hello, @a-mag-a-day. Apologies for the deception but I rather wanted to make sure you started reading, so I thought it best not to announce myself. I'm assuming you're alone; you always did prefer to read your statements in private. I wouldn't try too hard to stop reading; there's every likelihood you'll just hurt yourself. So just listen. Now, shall we turn the page and try again?

Statement of landscaping-your-mind regarding episode 160 of The Magnus Archives.

Statement begins.

So, from all the stuff I scheduled for today you can probably tell I really like episode 160 of The Magnus Archives, right? Like, good lord, it is... it is a time. (Also, the words were really good (and also there's poetry) so :D incentive!)

Firstly, though, I have to say something. It's not the Watcher's Crown. The Watcher's Crown is the ritual Jonah Magnus attempted years ago. This is unnamed in canon, but Jonny said it could've been called The Magnus Archives.

Secondly... I would like to draw your attention towards the description of the youtube version of this episode. (to paraphrase)

The Magnus Archive discovers that some escapes are a lot easier than others.

Ahahahahaha AHAHAHAAHAHAH WHAT-

I hate this so much. Like, with a burning passion. "The Magnus Archives discovers that some escapes are a lot easier than others" COME TO MY HOME AND KILL ME YOU COWARD! It just hurts, it just... hurts.

He can escape London, but he can't escape his ✨ purpose ✨

You ever think about how The Magnus Archives follows the story of Magnus' Archive? I do. A lot. I haven't even started listening yet, god, this episode am I right?

MARTIN (Joking) Or, (huffed laugh) or it is, and she just cleaned it up really well. (They both make uncomfortable chuckles) ARCHIVIST …Yes. (The Archivist makes an uneasy noise)

THEYRE BOTH SO AWKWARD THEY HAVEN'T TALKED TO A NORMAL HUMAN IN OVER A YEAR

Just their really awkward laughter, oh my godd they're so endearing your honour, I'm so glad this episode and TMA ends at the 5 minute mark (< in denial)

ARCHIVIST Hopefully a long way out there. (soft) But I think we’re okay

THEY ARE IN LOVE YOUR HONOUR

I just love how soft Jon's voice gets around Martin, like, like, eeeee i just love them i love them they're the reason im aro bc i know i will never love someone romantically as much as jmart loves each other /j

MARTIN Oh, n-no, not yet. I was actually gonna head down into the village to go pick something up?

Ooooh yay I get to share my "where are they in scotland" headcanons! I think they're near Dunnet, because it's pretty far north and in the Highland area, and it's also got allegedly the only full time gunshop north of Inverness, and... yknow, it is Daisy's safehouse.

ARCHIVIST Anyway, don’t tell me the phonebox down there doesn’t appeal to your retro aesthetic.

your honour they're lightheartedly teasing each other <3

ARCHIVIST I’ll be fine.

SOFT!

(update im wrtinging with a cat on my lap now hes big. im balancing my computer on my leg.)

MARTIN I assume it’s her attempt at a- a, a varied diet? Eating your greens, you know? ARCHIVIST (Amused) Probably. (reassured) I’m sure it’ll work fine

hhh them <3 it's just like they're so... they're happy. they're so happy, and it's like nothing gold will stay or whatever

they had such a short amount of time

i wish they were ok

MARTIN …I will give you some privacy. Go for a walk. ARCHIVIST (Warmly) Let me know if you see any good cows. MARTIN Obviously I’m going to tell you if I see any good cows.

I'm...

them being happy is almost worse, right. because what once was a surprise we now know will happen, we have to deal with the dread, and it's all bitter now, the happiness is rotten because of what lurks after.

some people can listen to the first five minutes and feel okay, but me?

for me it just hurts.

ARCHIVIST (CONT’D) (Pleasantly) Statement of Hazel Rutter regarding a fire in her childhood home. Original statement given August 9th, 1992. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. Statement begins.

He sounded so happy... he sounded so happy.

This is the first time he's happy before he reads a statement. He was happy, he was hiding from the police and the hunters and Daisy and Not!Sasha with his boyfriend in Scotland. And then, and then Jonah Magnus comes in and decides to end the world like a bastard.

I don't want to hit play. I don't want to know what comes next. I want to stop listening. I want Jon and Martin to be okay. I want it to be the real statement of Hazel Rutter.

I just want it to be the real statement of Hazel Rutter.

I get it, right, horror tragedy! This was the desired effect. I am supposed to be feeling these emotions. These emotions being very sad. Well done to Jonny, lovely writing. Fantastic! I love TMA with my whole heart. I think that it's fantastic. I don't want to hit play though. I'm here for the characters suffering, I got in through The Hermit Archives, I wanted more of the horror! I am here for suffering! I'm here for the suffering. I'm hitting play.

Statement of Jonah Magnus regarding Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. Statement begins.

He could have just ended the world. Like, the whole... forcing Jon to monologue about all the times he was manipulated into furthering Jonah's plan? That's fucked. That is fucked. Just put the ritual there you slimy piece of shit!

It’s rare that you get the chance to monologue through the voice of another, and you can’t tell me you’re not curious.

*me to my dog, in the "talking to a dog" voice* You wanna kill him too! Hey! You wanna kill him too!

Like, okay, so you're Jon and you're reading this statement and you can't stop, and this bastard says "you can't tell me you're not curious." Tell me that's not going to make him think that if he tried a little harder then he would've been able to stop reading. Tell me that's not going to make him think that a part of him wanted to end the world, and that's why he's still reading. Tell me that's not going to make him blame himself even more.

The only way to ensure I did not suffer the tribulations of what I believed to be an inevitable transformation was to bring it about myself.

He's so bloody arrogant. He puts himself above the entire world. It makes sense, he's from Regency era England, but like, it's still... really awful. Awful person.

Beyond that, I was getting older, and mortality began to weigh more heavily on my mind. How much in this world is done because we fear death, the last and greatest terror?

When I fear death I distract myself, not try to end the world. Like, this guy is just so evil. His only redeeming quality is being funny sometimes.

Everyone dies, Jack Magnet, you just chose to be a bastard about it.

Of course, I had to make sure the location was kept under my control while I worked on revising my plans, and so I moved the organization I had founded to assist in my research down to London, and the Institute as you know it, was born.

Right, so The Magnus Protocol's Magnus Institute was located in Manchester, and I'm not an expert on the geography of the United Kingdom, and basically know nothing about Manchester, bar that it has the... football, I want to say, team Manchester United? I don't know how I know that. But it seems as though Jonah Magnus didn't attempt his ritual, or attempted it some other way in that universe.

You see, the role of Archivist has been part of the Beholding for as far back as my research can go. This isn’t uncommon for the Powers; most of the beliefs around them are guesswork and fallible human interpretation, but there are certain through lines and consistencies that can be spotted, regardless of the trappings.

I wonder what the others are. The Dancer could be one - The Dancer in The Unknowing. I think Jonny said in a QnA, but you know, the author is dead, he's speaking to us posthumously, that The Architect could have been one. Not sure what others. If y'all have any ideas... 👀

More than once I thought she must secretly be of the Hunt; but there was never that sick joy in her, that thrill of predator and prey. She had simply decided that this was her position in life, and went about it with a practicality that even I found disconcerting at times.

Ok, Mr. Jonah "orchestrates twelve traumatising events for this one guy and gets him to end the world" Magnus. He cannot talk, he cannot talk at all. Sure, she sacrificed people, but she wasn't malicious. She did it for a cause. Did she believe she was good? I'm not sure she cared.

Jonah Magnus is just awful for his own self gain.

You see, the thing about the Fears is that they can never be truly separated from each other. When does the fear of sudden violence transition into the panic of hunted prey? When does the mask of the Stranger become the deception of the Spiral? Even those that seem to exist in direct opposition rely on each other for their definition as much as up relies on down. To try and create a world with only the Buried makes as much sense as trying to conceive a world with only down.

Gerry's colour explanation makes a lot of sense if you don't conceive of it as a traditional colour wheel. They're growing out in every direction, they all overlap with each other.

Sure, the fear of The Eye may seem in direct opposition to the fear of The Stranger, but let's take Jon, for instance. Is it not sort of Stranger to have some guy in a coffee shop staring at you with his autistic eyes, a person you don't know, but who definitely knows you?

What about the fear of The Buried and the fear of The Vast. Episode 195 covers that pretty handily. They're all interconnected with all of the others. Separating them makes them easier to understand (and invertedly makes them actually separated), but it isn't them, not truly. They are connected intrinsically.

Even the coffin! The fear of being alone in the dark is a part of the coffin.

Because the thing about the Archivist is that, well, it’s a bit of a misnomer. It might, perhaps, be better named: The Archive. Because you do not administer and preserve the records of fear, Jon. You are a record of fear, both in mind as you walk the shuddering dread of each statement, and in body as the Powers each leave their mark upon you. You are a living chronicle of terror.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this. The Archivist is something... defined by how they feed their patron, but The Archive is defined by how they've been hurt to bring it into the world. He's not defined by even a person-like role, he's something molded by Jonah Magnus' desires to end the world.

I wrote a little poem about it, which I shall share here, because I am cringe but I am free, unlike Jon. RIP

He's not a person with a name, He's a vessel of destruction, He's not a person who feels pain, It's necessary for production, That he's scarred and marked, By things that lurk in the dark, Believe himself useless, Or it'll be fruitless, And at the end of the day, He's no person, no name, He's a plan that has come to fruition.

Also, he calls himself The Archivist, perhaps viewing himself as... something that hurts others, rather than something that is hurt for a purpose.

I’ll admit, my options were somewhat limited, but my god, when you came to me already marked by the Web, I knew it had to be you. I even held out some small hope you had been sent by the Spider as a sort of implicit blessing on my whole project and, do you know what, I think it was.

"I chose you" "I'll admit, my options were somewhat limited" Mr. Magnet, he was chosen by the web. Jonah's just not afraid to be puppeted.

So, when Jane Prentiss attacked, I watched eagerly, one hand on the gas release from the start.

This line fucked me up. "One hand on the gas release from the start." Just... like it just sticks in my mind. How he held all their lives in the palm of his hand, how he let Sasha die, and Tim get eaten by worms, because he wanted his bloody perfect Archive.

One hand on the gas release from the start, while all of them almost - or did - die(d).

Like, what gets me is how fucked up Jon was afterwards, how he was asking everyone for their statements, shutting them up before they got to the part where they'd mention Jon and Tim getting eaten with worms. What gets me is how Elias was there and Jon was what, looked like a bloody mummy! He didn't have second thoughts when he saw...

He knew everything. He saw everything. He saw how fucked up Jon was over e v e r y t h i n g. (everything)

That's what gets me.

Between the stabbing and at least two desperate flights into its door, you’re marked very deep by the Spiral.

And, you know, the manipulation, the gaslighting, the betrayal. I saw an interesting post on this, but I can't seem to find it. I'll look in the posts I've rbed tagged TMA meta, I'll link it in a reblog if I find it.

Honestly, I had nothing to do with Melanie and her Slaughter adventure, but when I saw the situation, I made sure to trap her here, so whenever her rage bubbled over you were right there, a ready target.

You know after Jon's second kidnapping that could have totally been resolved how Jonah made Jon stand in front of Melanie while she wanted to kill Jonah with a knife, and how it's like oh, right, yeah, use Jon as a bloody meat shield to get her angry at him, make him the scapegoat, that was intentional. It was intentional to destroy everyone in the Archives' interpersonal relationships, and then have Jon. A ready target for hatred and vitriol.

How is Martin, by the way? He looks well. You will keep an eye on him when all this is over, won’t you? He’s earned that.

I think that Jonah Magnus should eat shit and die.

The power of the Ceaseless Watcher flows through you, and the time of our victory is here.

If you replace the Ceaseless Watcher with Determination then it reads like an Undertale save.

* The power of Determination flows through you, and the time of our victory is here.

Don’t worry, Jon. You’ll get used to it here, in the world that we have made.

This also ties in with the above, I hate that he says "our victory" "the world that we have made." Jon didn't consent to this, Jon didn't want this, Jon was made to be an unwilling conduit of the apocolypse and Jonah Magnus is insinuating that he chose it, the victim blaming little prick!

You who watch and know and understand none. You who listen and hear and will not comprehend. You who wait and wait and drink in all that is not yours by right. Come to us in your wholeness. Come to us in your perfection. Bring all that is fear and all that is terror and all that is the awful dread that crawls and chokes and blinds and falls and twists and leaves and hides and weaves and burns and hunts and rips and bleeds and dies! Come to us. I OPEN THE DOOR!

GREAT INCANTATION! 10/10! And it's actually recitable, unlike the TBI one.

ARCHIVIST Look at the sky, Martin. Look at the sky. It’s looking back.

That is a fucking fantastic final line of the episode. All of it, four seasons leading up to this moment. Look at the sky. It's looking back.

Fuck dude!

(The Archivist begins a fractured, delirious, humourless, laugh that does not end)

That laugh.

That laugh is just... haunting. I love it so much. It makes me want to cry. I used to have it saved on my phone and I'd just listen to it over and over and over again and get more and more disturbed and heartbroken.

That laugh. That broken, horrific laugh.

I can't get over it.

And thus ends season 4 of The Magnus Archives. With a broken laugh in front of a window, leading out to the doomed world.

Episode 160 is quite possibly my favourite metaplot episode of The Magnus Archives, the way the whole plan was revealed, the awful manipulations that were exposed... that laugh.

I leave you all to think on this. To think on the Archive née the Archivist née Jonathan Sims, laughing at the world he has unwillingly and unwittingly doomed.

Goodnight, a-mag-a-day, goodnight. /ref

#tma #tma meta #the magnus archives #the magnus archives meta #mag 160 #jonah magnus #jonathan sims #elias bouchard #tma spoilers #tma s4 spoilers #a mag a day #i am so abnormal about this episode you do not even know #well i think you do now-#landscaping your mind chapter one

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idkyetxoxo · 7 days

Text

Three | Allure | The Last Kingdom

"No, I would never fall for your seductress traps,"

"You just might darling you never know"

───☆⋅☾⋅☆───

I sat outside, the metallic clang of my blades against the whetstone echoing in the air as a man approached, urgency etched into his features. "Forty, maybe fifty men, marching toward us on horseback," the Dane announced, directing his words toward Ragnar, who rose from his spot beside me.

"Close the gate and await their approach," Ragnar ordered briskly. The messenger nodded, hastening to carry out his assigned task. With practised precision, I carefully sheathed my daggers, their edges gleaming in the fading light, before rising to my feet.

Soon enough, the silhouette of approaching riders emerged, led by none other than Bloodhair himself. They sought food, shelter, and parley, seemingly willing to negotiate their grievances with Uhtred through peaceful means.

Ragnar, to my dismay, ordered the gates opened, allowing the Danes entry. I shot him a frustrated glance, my disapproval evident as they strode in unimpeded. "That man knows no honour," I muttered under my breath, my irritation simmering just beneath the surface as Ragnar glanced at me and then simply walked away.

A dry laugh escaped me as I spotted Aethelwold among the Danes. Turning to Sihtric and Finan, I voiced my exasperation, seeking consolation in their shared disbelief. "Surely, this is ridiculous," I remarked, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

"They're your brothers," Sihtric reminded me, his words carrying a hint of resignation and accusation. With a heavy sigh, I acknowledged the truth in his statement. "They'll be the death of me," I muttered, watching with a mix of resignation and apprehension as Uhtred entered Skade's cell, walking straight into her web of manipulation.

"Another fun night?" Sihtric's voice caressed the air as Finan departed, leaving behind a trail of lingering intrigue. My brows knitted in curiosity until his gaze slid down to my neck, where the bruising lovebites peeked out from beneath the exposed skin.

A smirk played on my lips as I crossed my arms, "Jealous it wasn't you?" I teased, my tone dripping with mischief as I raised an eyebrow in challenge.

His response came swift and sharp, a tut of denial escaping his lips. "No, I would never fall for your seductress traps," he retorted, his voice tinged with a hint of defiance.

A low chuckle escaped me, laced with allure. "You just might darling you never know" I whispered, my breath teasing his ear as I leaned in, a suggestive pat on his shoulder accompanying my words.

With a coy smile lingering on my lips, I glided away in the direction of Uhtred, ready to scold him for whatever dalliance he found himself in with Skade.

──☆⋅☾⋅☆──

In the grand hall, a cacophony of cheers echoed as my brother, Haestan, Cnut, and Bloodhair forged an alliance, pooling their strength to lay claim to Wessex.

Beside me stood Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth, their expressions a mixture of apprehension and reluctance toward the impending conflict. "As their sister, I should be standing with them, but I can see this will not end well," I remarked, taking a measured sip from my cup.

"You're the only one with sense in this lot," Finan quipped, earning a smirk from me. "Aren't I just the complete package, then?" I teased, eliciting laughter from him. Sihtric interjected quickly, "Maybe if you weren't so evil."

"Am I evil?" I asked, turning to Osferth, who shook his head vehemently. Leaning back with a satisfied grin, I responded, "See, even the baby monk knows better."

Sihtric's retort came swift and practiced, "he fears the darkness of your mind and what you might do to him if disagreed with," he added, eliciting a wide-eyed response from Osferth.

With a reassuring pat on Osferth's shoulder, I leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "Rest assured, Osferth, I only reserve my darkness for the deserving." Tousling his hair, I added with a mischievous glint, "The only one in danger is the rat over there," casting a pointed glance at Sihtric, who rolled his eyes.

"Beauty and brains, what more could you want?" Finan's voice, smooth as honey, accompanied by a grin as he leaned towards me, wrapping an arm around my waist and drawing me closer. With a wink directed at Sihtric and Osferth, he seemed to revel in the attention his teasing garnered.

"A woman who can also behead a man with a weapon smaller than the palm of your hand," I countered in a low whisper, gently moving Finan's hand from my side to the sheath holding my dagger at my waist. Fluttering my lashes at him, I watched as amusement flickered in his eyes before he teasingly pushed me away.

Turning towards Sihtric, I couldn't resist the opportunity to provoke him further, sticking my tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes once more. The tension in his clenched jaw betrayed his inner thoughts, his gaze fixed on the exchange between Finan and me.

Before our banter could escalate further, one of Ragnar's men seized my arm, pulling me into the midst of my brothers' celebration, where the revelry and anticipation for the battles ahead were notable.

Yet, even as I celebrated with the man at my side, my gaze continually drifted towards Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth. They stood apart, their expressions guarded behind tight-lipped smiles.

──☆⋅☾⋅☆──

I watched as Ragnar warmly greeted the two newcomers, and my heart leapt with joy once I recognized Thyra's familiar face. "Thyra!" I exclaimed, rushing to envelop her in a heartfelt hug.

"I've missed you terribly. These men give me nothing but headaches," I teased, prompting laughter from her as she held me affectionately.

The joyous reunion was swiftly interrupted by Beocca's solemn announcement to Ragnar and Brida. He had come to fulfill the king's order, to formally banish Uhtred and myself from Wessex. Yet, I sensed there was more to his visit as Thyra instinctively guided us away.

Alone with Beocca, we received alarming news of Aethelflaed's peril, orchestrated by Aethelred. Aethelwold's visit to Aethelred hinted at a treacherous bid for the Wessex throne. With Haesten's imminent return, Aethelflaed's hiding place was at risk of exposure. Beocca reiterated Uhtred's promise to Aethelflaed and her unwavering trust in him.

"Uhtred, you cannot turn a blind eye to this," I implored softly, meeting his frustration with understanding. "I know you cannot forsake Ragnar, he is my brother too, but this army he's assembled is not going to stand," I reasoned.

Uhtred's conflicted expression mirrored the turmoil within him as he deliberated, eventually deciding to confer with Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth as well.

As Uhtred departed, I lingered with Beocca, noticing the conflict etched upon his face. He acknowledged the inner struggle I endured, torn between the loyalty to my brothers, grappling with the weight of a decision made difficult by the relentless pull of destiny.

I made my way to where Ragnar and Uhtred stood, having savoured some much-needed moments with Thyra. As I approached, Ragnar's sharp words cut through the air, questioning Uhtred's allegiance. My steps quickened, sensing tension in the air.

Uhtred echoed my earlier sentiments, asserting that the hastily assembled army was bound to crumble. Ragnar's anger flared as he demanded Uhtred's unwavering loyalty. My gaze shifted between them.

Just as Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth entered, Uhtred declared his intent to rescue Aethelflaed. Ragnar's hurt was unmistakable as he confronted Uhtred, revoking our name for betraying their bond. He was no longer Uhtred Ragnarsson.

"Ragnar do not do this" I interjected, pleading with him to see reason. "These men will only tear you apart further, you're brothers," I implored, gesturing to the men gathered around us, hoping to appeal to the bond that once united them.

Ragnar remained resolute. "My decision is final," he declared firmly. His words cut through the air like a blade, leaving a tension in their wake.

Unable to contain my dismay, I confronted him. "So you would deny your own sister as well?" I questioned, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, a shield against his rejection.

"If she wishes to side with the traitor, she is no sister of mine," he declared, his tone final and unyielding. Thyra's gasp of shock echoed my own disbelief, a testament to the rift that had formed between us.

With a heavy heart, I made my own declaration. "Then I suppose I am no sister of yours," I declared, my voice quivering with wounded pride. Swallowing back tears threatening to spill, I turned away, unwilling to let anyone witness my vulnerability.

Retreating to the solitude of a secluded corner, I leaned against a sturdy tree trunk, allowing the weight of my emotions to overwhelm me. Tears lightly marked my cheeks as I sank to my knees, the weight of betrayal pressing down upon me like a suffocating blanket.

Tears rarely stained my cheeks, even in the face of physical torment. I often find humour in pain, a trait others found disturbing, even barbaric or creepy at times but pain has become all too familiar, something I've learned to embrace.

Yet, this moment was different. One of the few men other than my father who embraced the darkness the world draped upon me, who accepted me despite the labels, treated our bond as if it were nothing. As if I were nothing.

The sound of approaching footsteps snapped me out of my reverie. As I quickly brushed away my tears, I locked eyes with Sihtric, bracing myself for his reaction. I anticipated mockery, jest, anything but what followed.

Without a word, he knelt beside me, awkwardness evident in the air between us. With a hesitant gentleness, he pulled me into his embrace, and though I accepted it, the unfamiliarity of the gesture left a lingering sense of apprehension.

Despite the discomfort, in that moment, as he held me close, I allowed myself to surrender to the pain, as he held me close.

He was personally experienced with the anguish of being treated harshly or forsaken because of titles, if anyone understood that pain, it was him.

───☆⋅☾⋅☆───

Ragnar said not today sis 😔 and dw they aren't getting together for a while there's still a lot more suffering and challenges before they even contemplate any meaningful connection.

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coffee-in-veins · 5 months

Note

Would Alhazred help Dismas to improve his reading/writing? 👀

hello hello! thank you for the ask!

actually, yes - maybe not in the ways Alhazred fully realized or was fine with initially, but he did. Dis sometimes stole his scrolls and books (at least those which looked the least cursed) and tried to read them to keep his knowledge of reading alive. most of the time it was a futile endevour, since they were in languages he couldn't read anyway, but Dis was a tenacious bastard and didn't leave his attempts.

eventually, he followed Alhazred into the Athenaeum, and was dumbfounded when he found out that the weird and scary stupid name was hiding a library. which was a blessing in denial.

Dis frequents Athenaeum, actually. so much so Alhazred finally noticed him and offered him help with finding books after swearing at gunpoint/knifepoint that he won't "rat him out". after all, Dismas tries very hard to uphold a facade of a brutally efficient rogue, a murderous sharp-toothed rat, if you will, so having a liking for reading doesn't fit in that image and he worries about it - even if he worries about his social standing in a drastically different way than Reynauld does.

i wouldn't call them friends, but they're definitely book buddies. Alhazred is also happy he can show someone his scrolls without being immediately accused of trying to curse someone.

when Dis became CC-ed, he even became interested in the occult more, in a practical way, but not in a way an occultist would've. he didn't want to throw ceiling spaghetti at people the way Alhazred does, he wanted to see if someone cursed or an actual 'fiend' can still exist near 'normal' people without causing them too much harm.

he got fascinated with the idea of familiars when Alhazred told him about it and eagerly read scrolls about those.

if we're talking about helping in writing rather than reading, that honour has to go to Sarmenti and Baldwin, after Dis became infected with CC. this will be brought up in RRR so keep your eyes peeled ;}

#my shoebox of letters #restructured refractured recalled #Elderwood estate

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smallidarityfan · 4 months

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hiii i pinky promise i voted for smallidarity in the ship things both against bdubs and cleo (i had already done that) and against scarian (while looking through your blog just now) but i want to be anon so i cant prove it. anyways if it is okay instead of art i would like u to make a ship chart of whatever your favorite ships and relationship status headcanons are among the hermitcraft/empires/life series gang, like otp and divorced and qpr and whatever. no pressure to do this though i know its not exactly something you offered but given that you like smallidarity and scar/pearl i am very curious what else you like

Thank you for asking!!! i shouldve done this with or without need to rig the trafficshipping polls, so thanks for insigating me to make it anyways!!! :D

I'll try summarize the preferences I have that I feel dont make much sense?

shipping rant belooww....

👇👇👇

Firstly I can't really describe well why I like Pearl x Scar, but I'll try:

Life series

Scar POV about Pearl: 'Caring motherly and honest person who's smile lights up the room is just the person who I need in my life full of people I can't trust. Oh, she's traumatized? for losing all the people she loves and as a result developed abandonment issues? .... oh..... oh she just like me fr.'

Pearl POV about Scar: 'this guy is kinda wacko tbh but... now I know what he goes through, and I want to be there for him. We're in this together or some shi i guess. and his abs are kinda hot. wait who said that'

(to quote the part in Secret Life where Scar talks about not trusting alliances and Pearl saying "you're growing on me, Scar.")

Hermitcraft

Scar POV about Pearl: 'This lady creates the most gorgeous landscapes..... ohh now she wants to fix my unhealthy chest monster habits.... and she also helps me out when I need it even if i give her minimum wage..... and she also has a cute smile. wait who said that'

Pearl POV about Scar: 'Silly goof :3 also why doesn't he take care of himself well? Anyways, cleaning lady time'

=====

I could talk about Zedango and XBralis but basically they call each other pet names and roleplay gay people just like Smallidarity but with no instance of the "doomed narrative" or "slow-burn in denial" that they have. Otherwise, Ethubs is self-explanatory.

Speaking of doomed narrative, i dont think ive heard much talk about how doomed scott x pearl is..... They were in a trio group in last-life with Cleo, fought in an honourable 4-way battle with treebark, Scott won, they're now soulmates through unpleasant means, Scott leaves with Cleo, leaving Pearl alone and hurt, they had to work with each other despite the saltiness and eventually resulted in Scott sacrificing himself in honour, for her to win. The bitterness lasted in Lim!Life with the enchanting table shtick, then in Secret Life with the whole "We have unfinished business from Double Life, Scott!!!" from Pearl. (you could also count the doggy alliance with Cleo ig)

Do you see it?!! Do you see it?!?!?!?!?!?!

I could also write about Scottyn but it's relatively the same concept of how Scott prioritizes honour against the watchers' encouragement of chaos, and Martyn listener lore ykyk. (also in Lim!Life with Martyn betraying honour, opposite of Scott yk?!)

Now to Scarian........ I love desert duo a lot. They are in fact my favourite duo overall, I just— can't picture them in a relationship? Like yeah, they tick all the marks of a great narrative pairing and they also love each other, but I personally don't think they two are the type to whisper softly 'i love you' in bed to each other with eyes of passion and romance, nor the types to get flustered over romantic gestures by the other. They are, however, each other's comfort character and would hug and cheek-kiss each other just to be a little silly. I do see the appeal of Scarian though! just not with the version of the two that's in my head...!

Joe x Cleo are cute. They just give me the QPR vibes yk. (even though i might not fully get what a QPR means)

Now to disliking Mumdoc.... I only know of their dynamic through HC8 and 9.... and I really only ever got sour vibes from their dynamic....... they then kissing just irks me ig...... (but yk ive only watched a summative 50 episodes from each of them so i dont know the full idea of who they are to each other)

Honorable mention to Stresskall who doesn't receive the attention they deserve... they're so cute.........

Otherwise, yeah that's it !!! the others I mostly dont get, but are all valid nonetheless👍👍

#traffic shipping #hermit shipping #also i only fully watched empires solely from Joel's POV and half of Jimmy's S2 POV so i dont know my stance on any of the ships #other than of course ... yk #also the person who made this tier list didnt add smallidarity originally 😔........#ship talk #<— for long rants like these #adding this to the tags because i dont want to make a post for this #but i just realized my shipping interests match that of the not safe for work side of mcyt 😭😭#a bunch of accounts are getting recommended to me............... i think i turned 18 too slowly #this is a sign i think.#i do not feel very comfortable

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irithnova · 5 months

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More Mongolia headcanons but they're things that could get him cancelled (kinda). In honour of Genghis Khan day (that I'm so so so late for lmao) and that time they tried to cancel him on twitter:

He'll roll your eyes at you and call you a lightweight it you don't engage in drinking with him

Can either be really nice or really nasty when drunk 🙄 depends on who he's with

He cannot fucking drive. I mean he'll get you to your destination but you'll be holding onto your life the whole time. Also if you're driving he'll be in the passenger seat giving you the worst advice ever. Ulaanbaatar traffic ain't no joke

However pretty good at maneuvering a vehicle through harsh weather conditions though but that's pretty much the only time you'd feel safe in a car with him

Notoriously late for things don't expect him to be punctual unless it's something super important

Honest but can be pretty blunt without taking emotions into account so gets confused/annoyed with people when they ask for feedback or advise and then subsequently get upset

Chronically in denial of his bad parenting and would (sometimes) put alcohol in his children's milk to get them to sleep so he could party do other things

Thinks 90% of mental health issues can be cured by going on a walk

Has been calling reindeer herders weird since the 13th century ("Why don't you guys just use horses...") 🤒

Whiteknights for Tibet even if he is definitely in the wrong

#hetalia #aph mongolia #hws mongolia #hetalia world stars #hetalia world series #hetalia world twinkle #hetalia mongolia

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yeonban · 2 months

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Send me ✔ and I’ll bold what my muse would do with/for yours.

@achroanimus asked: ✔ for Nikolai hehe

Acquaintance:

hold the door for them | help them carry something | let them borrow something (I can already see Kolya putting his lil hat on Maki's head while they're in public and saying absolutely Nothing about it) | let them use their phone | smile at them when passing in the streets | shake hands with them | flirt with them in a bar | share a taxi with them | give them a ride home (and don't be surprised if you randomly find Kolya in your house after going for a walk either btw. act normal, as you would with any other critter) | lend them money (IF Maki-kun asks nicely~) | sit next to them on public transportation | offer them some food (we'll never know if it's safe to eat, poisoned enough to give you stomach aches or poisoned enough to give you an one-way ticket into the next world but haha!!) | help them find something they lost

Friendship:

let them stay the night | listen to them complain at 4 am (I feel like for most of the things Maki could complain about, Kolya would be of the same or a similar opinion) | help them get over a break up | go out shopping with them | pet sit for them | help them move houses (once more for the people in the back~, IFFF you ask nicely~) | help them find a lost pet | go on vacation with them (hey Maki-kun Maki-kun Maki-kun, do you wanna see Ukraine) | stay up all night with them | help them hide a dead body (or alternatively give him an experience similar to a heart attack by putting a corpse Maki's tried to get rid of right in public view. you know, as they do for funsies) | provide an alibi for them (OR counter his alibi. depends on the position of the stars and which shoe he put on first that morning) | take their side in a break up | talk about their future plans | be maid of honour/best man/etc. at their wedding (Maki if you ever get married do NOT invite Kolya. trust) | share food with them

Lover:

Married/dating:

Sibling/platonic:

fight | hug | laugh at them when they get hurt | help them hide a dead body | provide an alibi for them | tell them they’re annoying at least once a day | share food with them | help them move houses | walk them down the isle (again. do NOT let Kolya anywhere nearby, the entire experience would go down in flames) | try to sell them online | set up an online dating account for them (Maki randomly waking up to 300 new dms from an app he didn't even install himself. dw bestie Kolya did it FOR you!! never mind the annoying people and incessant ping'ing) | set them up on blind dates | try to set them up with your friends | listen to their problems | help them cook | cook them food | make them watch shows they don’t like with them | tell them they’re an idiot/loser/dork/nerd affectionately

Enemy:

#muse: nikolai gogol.#achroanimus #I'M SOBBINGSUHIDFHSFHDSF their dynamic means SO much to me you don't even KNOW!!!#Kolya feels comfortable around Maki which is frankly wild. Idk he has the same vibe as coming across an arctic fox in the wild??#except the fox doesn't run and you're poking it w curiosity to see what it'll do next. it's cute; funny AND ALSO unpredictable at times #Maki's both indulging and provoking Kolya and honestly those are the perfect ingredients for creating a long-lasting dynamic w him!!

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thoughtsineedtoletout · 5 days

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youtube

The Tortured Poets Department

Track 3 – My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

This track sets the scene with the narrator telling us she has experienced this before; the voices in her lover's head suggest it's a cyclical rumination of anxious and pessimstic overthinking. She analogises her lover to the sickest army doll. I think this lyric is showing a duality of meaning, 'sickest' is often used as a colloquialism for trendiness and stylishness, paralleled to actually being 'sick', inferring his mental unwellness.

Taylor has previously referenced soldiers, battles, and armies in songs, such as in The Great War and You're Losing Me. Soldiers are often attributed to traits of honour, integrity, truth, and resilience. Her use of these metaphors have previously switched between using it for her lover or herself; depending on the narrative of the piece.

What this tells me is that she's been in the wax and wane of this recurring battle for some time, consistently fighting to keep this relationship alive, always on the defence in one way or another, and it is breaking her. This is portrayed in the opening lines of verse one, oh, here we go again // the voices in his head // called the rain to end our days of wild.

Then she goes into how this makes her cry, rivulets descend my plastic smile. I did have to finally break out my dictionary to look this one up; rivulets is a small stream of water/liquid. Here, she is telling us that she's been masking her pain for a long time behind false smiles, until she can't hold them back anymore and the tears are finally flowing from her.

At this point, it feels like the narrator has accepted that this is how it'll always be and understands that the relationship is coming to an end, which is why she's crying.

She then goes on to say but you should've seen him when he first got me, reminiscing on the beginning of their relationship when it was brand new and shiny. This period of time was when he was showing her love, attention, appreciation, respect, and pride of being with her, like when a kid finally gets their hands on that toy they've been coveting for a while and they're just so excited about it.

Eventually, they play with their favourite toy too much; they become familiar and comfortable, it becomes less shiny, and it is taken for granted. The intial excitement fades so they put less care into making sure it doesn't break, so eventually it does from carelessness of how they treat it and it becomes neglected.

The narrator goes on to say I'm queen of sand castles he destroys. She has used kings and queens as metaphors before and I feel like she is tying that into this to tell us where the story is at now. In King of My Heart and London Boy she refers to herself as a queen and her lover as a king, and in Call It What You Want she likens her career to a castle in the lyric, my castle crumbled overnight. Now, her king is the one destroying the sand castles she's been building.

She then says 'cause it fit too right, puzzle pieces in the dead of night // I should've known it was a matter of time, suggesting they were too similar as people and this was their downfall. Anecdotally speaking, I have found that having too many similar traits can mean you end up clashing a lot. For instance, if you are a very passionate person and so is your partner, but the topic you're passionate about is different, this can cause some friction.

The second verse progresses the story into there being a litany of reasons they could have stopped playing house and actually follow through with the real commitment, we could've played for keeps this time. The use of the word litany suggests that it is repetitive and monotonous and they've been in this position a multitude of times.

Put me back on my shelf // But first, pull the string // And I'll tell you that he runs // Because he loves me

The narrator feels like she has been used up and then discarded after her lover broke her. She's also in denial here because she's stating that he is running only because he loves her. This is also depicted in the chorus, he saw forever, so he smashed it up.

He is afraid of commiting to doing life with her and so he runs and he breaks her in the process. However, she attributes this as a fault of her own and says, once I fix me // he's gonna miss me. Reinforcing her denial.

Back to list of analyses.

#taylor swift #the tortured poets department #the tortured poets department anthology #ts ttpd #ttpd #my boy only breaks his favorite toys

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salvidida · 28 days

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Someone posted the above comment to this post regarding the Ishbalan who identifies Ed's (and Al's) implicit racism, and it really highlights two things:

1) How deeply, deeply uncomfortable people are at acknowledging racism (which isn't surprising) and this extends to the prejudices and bigotries of their fave characters.

2) The absolute willful denial of Ed showing that the elder Ishbalan is absolutely right about his read on Ed's attitudes about Ishbalan society. Ed doesn't play the "cry and whine about how wrong he is, he's an ally/not racist" card that irl people who default to, but instead grimaces about this ugly side of himself. The show it quite literally showing you that this is a genuine flaw Ed has! And it's precisely because he's a light skin, white Amestrian who has swallowed Amestrian propaganda about the nations it swallows under its imperial project.

And yet this blogger denies that extremely obvious text given by the show! This is one of the many moments that helps Ed grow and improve as a person, but nope, better to defend his (fictional) honour because if everyone else is right about the exact thing the show is openly discussing, then that likely means something about themselves, their loved ones, and/or the systematic nature of imperialism and racism in the (infinitely more important) real world.

Then again, they think that Ed being cautious around Miles isn't rooted in discrimination, which is especially rich since Ed is nowhere near this cautious around a non-combatant (he never fights Miles, unlike Buccaneer) and has a kneejerk reaction when Miles reveals his eyes to him. But sure, better that they both have a "we shouldn't see race" and "the military unifies us all" talk to paper over the thorny topic of ingrained bigotries.

And then you have this tag from someone sharing the same vid:

Good job! You're a twit! If your takeaway is that 03 Ed is uniquely racist, and happily continuing to be as racist as possible even after the many people, events, and histories he meets, witnesses, causes, and learn about, then you either haven't watched FMA 03 (at all, or in full), or you absolutely do not understand the show and Ed's character growth.

Worse still, I'm willing to bet this person thinks mangahood Ed has never been racist. When, if anything, mangahood (especially Brotherhood) Ed is basically an unrepentant racist, unlike 03 Ed. Brotherhood Ed barks on about being "colourblind", that he "doesn't see race", and that the most Amestris and Amestrians need to do is simply be less militarily aggressive. No other flaws or systemic racism is acknowledged by him, and in fact he can happily befriend, humanize, and trust any number of avowed war criminals while finding Scar* so monumentally putrid and vile that he openly tells him he wants nothing more than to beat the shit out of him. All during a scene while Amestrian soldiers point their weapons at him, feeling smug that they're surely more moral and just than this vigilante Ishvalan because they do the """""right""""" thing by joining the military and "changing Amestrian problems [racism & imperialism] from within". Which is a crock of horseshit that papers over the way racism functions and pretends like that's the real solution to these issues. This kind of assimilationist, neoliberal tactic is a cover for racism, not a solution.

(Does it really need to be said that joining an imperial military doesn't fucking end imperialism? Brotherhood's writers really wrote this crap knowing that the majority of the audience would happily slurp it right up, unquestioningly.)

Brotherhood Ed doesn't give a shit about Ishval or any other victims of Amestrian military conquest. He never even grapples with how his actions in Liore played a part in the Amestrian military invasion of the town. He even goes out of his way to humanize and pity Envy, who helped incite Amestris' genocide of Ishval, and he does this more for Envy than he EVER does for Scar. In fact, only a few scenes prior to this part, Ed complains about having to split up from the larger group working to reach Father and having to work alongside Scar! But if it had been Mustang, genocider war criminal powermongerer extraordinaire? Well, that would have been preferable of course.

And this is just off the top of my head. If I dove into Brotherhood to better quote and document its imperialist apologia and the examples of Ed et al being racist ala liberal pacifism this post would balloon in size.

But sure, it's only 03 Ed who has ever been racist 😒

*Ya gotta love the logic Ed uses here for his proclamation of hatred towards Scar. Mangahood Scar killed his childhood friend's parents (in a fit of acute trauma and momentarily misguided rage), and Scar attacked him and Al due to their involvement as state alchemists. Certainly, Ed not liking Scar is itself understandable strictly from those perspectives (mind you I don't agree with Ed, but it makes sense). But he, nor anyone else, ever challenges the logic of his thinking. Why does Ed get to be the objective moral arbiter on whether Scar is a complex human being or instead a paperthin example of human evils, when Scar's actions (every single one) is a result of having direct experience with genocide, as a victim of Amestris and Ed's military friends? Why is Scar not allowed to despise and enact violence against the monsters who slaughtered his people, his friends, his family, his community, and his entire former life, but Ed is allowed to hate Scar and do whatever it takes to stop him? Why do the countless murders of Ishvalans, no matter how innocent they were (innocence itself being a loaded, colonialist concept when viewed as seeing resistance/disdain towards their occupiers as "guilt"), get forgiven not by the Ishvalan survivors but by Ed when it comes to soldiers and state alchemists, when Scar cannot be forgiven for mistakenly killing a pair of allies? He almost kills Ed and Al, a pair of kids, and that marks him as uniquely horrible, but Roy et al kill scores upon scores of children but that makes them tragic and relatable instead. Brotherhood Ed is a chauvinistic, imperialist racist using petty idealism and his own biases to shield himself from ever challenging himself and the status quo beyond stopping Father.

#fma #fma 03 #fmab

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