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2frosty4you · 3 months

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Hiii! If reqs are open, can I request for all the mercs finding out teen merc reader grew up with very neglectful parents, and is basically a mother to her younger siblings? The only reason she even took up a job as a mercenary is so she can pay the bills for her little brothers and sisters, since her parents are too busy using their money on drugs:/

Mercs find out teen!reader takes sole care of her siblings [Platonic

Hardest thing about this was actually getting a name for it :cry:

╔═════════════════╗

Scout

✧ He says he relates, but in reality he doesn't. His family was filled with successful boys (fatherless) and his mother who they all loved. He sent his paychecks to her every time.

✧ When you explained that you had to take care of your siblings from a younger age over the campfire he became quiet.

✧ Doesn't make a joke, but the awkward air was getting to him.

"so.. how many siblings ya got?"

✧ He only says this to break the ice

✧ After a while he understands why you're always on calls with people, always away on ceasefire and always take any off days you can get (hardly any)

Soldier

"AN AMERICAN CARETAKER SHOULD NOT INTAKE DRUGS FROM THE FRENCH!!"

✧ He's trying, but not hard enough

✧ He offers you one of his extra helmets and his raccoons. He cares for you like a strange rabid dog you found on the street.

✧ Shares his food with you, gives his loyalty to your brothers and sisters with a goofy salute.

✧ Don’t let him meet your siblings unless you want him to get them to dig a trench around your house

Pyro

".. mph?"

✧ They don't understand why your parents aren't using their own money.

✧ They don't understand a lot of what you explained

✧ They'll begin to offer any candies they have to you, not like they weren't already. Protects you a lot on the battlefield and draws pictures for you and your siblings (mostly balloonicorn)

✧ Would like to meet your siblings though, they've got plushies to share 100%

Heavy

✧ He pats you on the back and nods, he didn't need to mother/father a group of kids but having no father made his family's life harder.

✧ Teaches you some night hearty meals that could feed a battalion

✧ Also teaches you self defense, even if you know it already it's never enough (heavy tells you that like :nerd: )

✧ Also makes you sit and have some time to yourself, he's your 'father' now. No ifs, buts or whys

Engineer

"pardon."

✧ He says, frying pan in hand as he was cooking breakfast. Staring at you like he was going to kill a set of parents.

✧ Tries to keep you safer on the battlefield, not wanting you to suffer more than your family has done to you.

✧ Teaches you to cook, like heavy

✧ Cooks breakfast for you first, and when you have a rough time its 100% only you getting proper meal.

✧ Will drive you to your family's house, and stand there like a guard as you let him meet your brothers.

✧ Probably would build little contraptions for them and help tutor them.

✧ Loves you like family, including your siblings (not your parents, not at all)

Demoman

✧ He's drunk when you tell him this, he raises his bottle and spits out

"aye, fuck ya parents"

✧ He passes out immediately

✧ If he's sober when you mention it again he's going to be more caring(slightly) and since hes always at least tipsy he'll offer you his bombs like a drug dealer.

✧ If you say yes he'll blow up them and their crackhouse.

✧ Is on the fence about meeting your siblings, he doesn't really want your brothers seeing a drunk, half-blind Scot stumbling around.

Medic

✧ His eye twitches, a large insane smile on his face as he turns to you while having his elbows deep in the corpse of the enemy heavy.

"Did I mishear you?"

✧ He removes his hands from the corpse and comes over to you shaking you like crazy. Ranting about how a teenager shouldn't be caring for small children and asking if you had symptoms for any mental issues.

✧ He's insane, I'm not gonna sugar coat it.

✧ But he is smart and teaches you how to do some basic first aid

'no medic I'm not going to remove any appendices please stop cutting into scout'

✧ Wants to meet your sisters, offers them to play with his birds and offers up some plushies

'MEDIC DON'T GIVE THEM SYRINGES' 'and PLEASE put away the baboon heart'

Sniper

✧ Asks for you to repeat what you muttered and then offers to 'get rid' of your parents (sniper put down the rifle.. and the jarate)

✧ Drives you back and to your family home, is uncomfortable around small children so he's going to 100% either stay in his truck or be leaning against it the whole time.

✧ Don't worry he didn't bring any jarate with him.. Just don't check the truck (please)

✧ But if he mentions taking care of birds your siblings demand to see them, so they get along well

Spy

✧ He will assassinate them, won't tell you, but it'll be suspicious when your mother dies from an overdoses while having and obvious bullet hole through her chest

✧ Look, he wasn't a father to scout but he'll be a father for you. Better than your last father at least, and a little better than he was to scout.

✧ Teach your siblings french 100%, you won't know until they start speaking it and you're left dumbfounded.

╚═════════════════╝

Posted 1.03.2024 if you see any typos or anything pls tell me!!

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bibliophilicstranger · 26 days

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Harry/Hermione are more like James/Lily. Not Ron/Hermione or Ginny/Harry(the two ships that everyone wants to convince are like them)

I agree and disagree. I agree that neither Hinny nor Romione resemble Jily, however I also don't think Harry and Hermione are Jily reborn.

Harry and Ginny are only physically somewhat akin to Lily and James, but personality wise are very different. Ginny is far sportier, though she has a quick temper, and also has a bit of a hero-worship streak that Lily certainly never had for James. Like Lily she's popular, but I don't think she's as academic (her Slug Club admission was practical rather than academically based). She was never a prefect, which displays that her grades and disciplinary record was unsuitable for such a position.

Harry, despite Snape's remarks, is not much like his father. He's good at quidditch but he's not as arrogant, he's terrible with women, and he's a leader by necessity rather than by choice. Harry has James' ability to lead, but unless circumstances require it, he doesn't put himself forward to do so (he often goes along with Ron and Hermione's decisions unless there's a crisis/Voldy-level decision). Harry doesn't start confrontations, he tends to react to provocation and will escalate a fight, but he's not going around pranking Draco or Umbridge. Fight Draco after his mum has been insulted, yes, but that's not out of the blue. He asks for Umbridge to be pranked, but that's a practical matter as part of a larger scheme. Harry has a mischevious side, but it tends to come in the form of sly humor rather than large pranks. I also suspect that if Voldy had died in 81 and Harry had experienced 7 normal years, Harry probably wouldn't have broken the rules much at all, unless it was in defense of a friend. Whereas James seems more to have broken rules as much for the fun of it as anything else (though the Animagus/nights out were for Remus, so that is a point in common).

Hermione has more in common with Lily, certainly. She too is tempestuous but kind-hearted, zealous to the point of blindness as times and utterly loyal to her friends. Her academics are more in line with Lily's, as is her background. Yet Lily is portrayed as having a more charming personality; we never hear of her having the same friendship struggles Hermione had. Lily was popular and well-liked beyond just her teachers. Hermione has a much harder time relating to her peers. She has the brains and the ferocity but not the veneer that makes those socially acceptable. It's not a bad thing (personally I'm a Hermione, not a Lily), but it does make their experience of the world much different.

Ron is not much at all like James beyond a few superficial points: they're both pureblood, they both love quidditch, and they're both from Light families. James is somewhat arrogant, a natural leader, and from a privileged background. Ron is neither arrogant nor a leader, and his financial status is well known. Ron suffers an inferiority complex while James is more likely to believe in his own superiority. James is also naturally intelligent and a good student and Ron... isn't. He's not quite as moronic as a lot of fanfiction portrays, but beyond being good at Wizards chess, we don't see much scholarly aptitude from him. Their attitude toward the Dark Arts and Dark Wizards is similar, but James is more confrontational, whereas Ron tends to be reactive. James would start a fight, Ron reacts to taunting rather than starting it. Frankly I also can't see James ever abandoning his friends the way Ron did.

What we know of James and Lily's relationship is little, but we know that after he grew up a bit and started taking life more seriously that they got together and fell in love. They spent six or so years at odds first, so by the time they got together, Lily had probably accepted James as an equal. We know James was smart, so he could probably keep up with Lily to a degree, even if their interests were different. I do think they were partners, that they worked well together. When Voldemort attacked they didn't bicker over who would fight even if both could, James acted to defend while Lily went for Harry. Honestly we know so little about them canonically that comparison is difficult.

I don't really see Hinny as a relationship of equals. I don't think Ginny ever totally loses the fangirlish/looking up to Harry attitude. Harry never looks at her like she's a partner. Ginny doesn't become a fourth member of Harry's group when they become involved and he detaches from her when planning year 7 rather than work with her. She's more an emotional escape than emotional support. I think Ginny's popularity and presumably larger friend group (quidditch team, journalistic collegues) might wear on Harry over time.

Romione has a few more similarities with Jily, but I don't see the same success in their relationship. Ron and Hermione are friends in a way Jily weren't, but their incessant bickering is a source of conflict. Yet the reason for conflict differs. Lily needed James to grow up; once he stopped hexing people for fun and was a little less arrogant, they were able to build a relationship. Ron seems annoyed with Hermione's very character, and she gets frustrated with his as well. Her love of knowledge and bookishness isn't going to change and those seem to annoy him. I also don't see it as a relationship of equals. In Ron, Hermione is never going to have a partner who can keep up with her mind. She's going to always be assertive and he seems to chafe at that.

I don't think Harry and Hermione are Jily reborn, but they do have the potential to have an equally strong relationship in their own way. Harry and Hermione don't have a conflict-based relationship (he was never antagonistic toward her the way Ron was), but a friendship based one. I do think they would be equals and partners: they have a history of dividing labor between them to share the load well. Harry isn't as smart as Hermione, but he's shown more academic interest than Ron has when not around Ron (and might show more once he no longer has Voldy to worry about). Harry and Hermione might need to discuss minor habits they find annoying in one another and how to handle them, but they don't fight the way Jily or Romione would for the other to change.

I don't think Hinny, Romione, or Harmony are Jily reborn, but I do agree that Hinny and Romione are less like Jily than Harmony is.

#harry potter #harmony #hhr #harry x hermione #anti romione #anti hinny #jily #honestly there's not enough canon for jily #and i don't get where romione comes from #why do they like each other?#canonically do we get a why?#i may dislike hinny #but it at least makes a little sense #if only because she's attractive and he's a hero #it's been a little while since ive read the books #so im hoping i filtered fanon out enough for this

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kitkatt0430 · 22 days

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Talk Shop Tuesday: How did your Eobard vs Eobard series first come about?

Eobard vs Eobard (AKA the Herobard series ^_^ ) came in part from curiosity about what the future Eobard was trying to get back to in S1 was like now that he'd altered the timeline so much. Would Eobard's own life even have played out the same way he remembered or would it be different? And if it was different, could the Eobard of this timeline even be considered the same person as the Eobard of the OG timeline?

It also came in part because Eobard has a habit of getting in his own way over the course of the series and wouldn't it be funny if it was even more literal? Eobard isn't getting what he wants because a literal second Eobard is busy getting it all first - his own worst enemy is himself and he doesn't even realize it.

From there I looked back over the DC wikis to refresh my memory on the various comics Eobard backstories to decide how I wanted the new timeline Eobard's life to diverge from old timeline Eobard's. And I quickly decided that of course new Eobard was going to love his brother a lot - in fact part of his identity he built while recovering from his parents abuse would revolve around being a good big brother. Comics Eobard erased Robern from existence, something that EoWells will have done in his timeline, so it was important that new Eobard not only didn't erase Robern but was incredibly close with him.

Gideon was also someone I wanted new Eobard to have with him. EoWells has a Gideon so I wanted to keep that parallel. I wanted this Gideon to have a different origin point, so instead of coming from the Flash Museum via theft she became an AI companion Eobard's parents gave him in an attempt to fix his social development - it both helped with defining the kind of abuse Eobard primarily suffered from his parents - neglect and verbal abuse - but also meant that Gideon had been Eobard's closest companion from a very young age. About nine or ten, not too long before Robern was born, probably given by Eobard's parents as an attempt to 'fix' him before the baby arrived.

With Eo and Gideon - and I think that was about where I started calling him Eo because that became Gideon's nickname for him - established as having been together for so long, it made sense that she was more of a sibling to him than a friend. And Eobard was probably a little bit co-dependent with her and vice versa - Gideon was wary of risking Eobard's life to become a speedster, but at the same time she definitely wanted that because speedsters live longer than regular humans and she wants to keep him as long as she can - so he has a tendency to put his relationship with her first, though Robern is a close second as adults.

Meloni came about because Eobard and Robern needed an adult in their lives after their parents died. I wanted Eobard to still be young enough to need a legal guardian when that happened so it would make sense why he didn't get custody of Robern himself. But also old enough that he was believably college aged (early) and thus wasn't around enough to really see how his parents were treating Robern so the realization Robern wasn't actually the much loved child his parents pretended he was would hit harder after they died.

I picked Meloni to name the character based off the comics character, but while she's got a lot in common with that comics character... she's really much more of an OC with the same name. She looks a lot like Iris due to being a direct descendant of Iris and Eddie's - it took a while to decide on her having a much more direct relation to Eobard and Robern too since Eddie & Iris' descendants would be distant enough relatives that she wouldn't really have a legal claim if she weren't also more closely related to them too. By then, despite being descended of two branches of the same family, Meloni's parents would have been distantly related enough that it wouldn't be a problem of incest/inbreeding for them to have married. This worked since I had already decided pretty early that Eobard & Robern would not be Eddie's descendants, but Malcolm Thawne's (either a brother or a cousin at this point) - with Eddie saving the life of one of Malcolm's kids being the real reason why Eddie's survival is necessary to Eobard's existence and why Edward became a family name for the Keystone branch of the family.

Once I had these four characters built up in my head, I finally started writing the first fic of the series. Eobard and Gideon in the past (to them, present for the main action of the series) about to learn about the Reverse Flash - not included in the new Timeline's Flash Museum - the hard way. That was also when I decided that of course new Eobard would have a very different code name and color scheme, but that the color scheme would be a reaction to not wanting to have anything in common with someone who'd hurt the Flash.

Even when he doesn't realize he's doing it, this Eobard is constantly rejecting the path that would lead to the Reverse Flash existing in the new timeline.

#talk shop tuesday #kitkatt0430 answers #thank you ^_^#fandom meta #the flash #fanfiction #eobard vs eobard

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ildi-dragonheart · 1 year

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Yosano & Poe friendship my beloved

just had a burst of imagination and now all i can think of is yosano and poe friendship

they have lil get togethers at poe's place where they drink tea and spill tea (mostly about ranpo, their co-workers, and maybe mushitaro)

they're like a little book club of sorts now because they are besties and poe loves to recommend books to yosano and yosano loves reading the stuff that he recommends her

poe also asks yosano for help when it comes to the medical-related aspects of his book like if a person can die from this kind of wound or how long will it take the body to decompose after murder or something like that

yosano ofc loves to help him out and even suggests ideas that could possibly make the mystery harder for ranpo (but they both know that's impossible)

(lol i can also imagine ranpo being unaware of all that happening and when he does find out he becomes this jealous little baby brat because he just found out that yosano is spending more time with poe than him

"poe-kun invited you for what?!"

"he invited me over for tea."

"for tea?! since when was this??"

"uh...a few weeks after our beef with the guild?"

"WHAT")

yosano is also probably the only other person aside from ranpo who can drag poe out of his house so he can touch grass and get some freaking sunlight, especially when he's really deep into his writing and stuff

like she definitely drags him to go shopping with her

karl didn't really take to yosano early on because he probably found her creepy

but after she gave him some yummy treats during one of her first visits to poe, she became #2 on karl's list of favorite hoomans

(poe's #1 ofc and ranpo's...somewhere on that list surely)

ofc yosano loves karl very much.

i headcanon she has a secret love for really really cute and childish things and fukuzawa, ranpo, and now poe are the only ones who know

(that also kinda makes ranpo jealous cuz "akiko i'm right here-")

yosano can also be a bit really protective of poe given how shy and anxious he can be at times

she definitely became his therapist friend who helps him try to overcome his anxiety

in return poe becomes somewhat of a couples therapist because yosano amd ranpo would come to him to rant about the other when they have an argument or something and they needed to stay away from each other to cool off

poe doesn't get paid enough for that

he has heard things he really regrets hearing and shouldn't have heard

he also wonders why they come to him and not someone else like why-

he doesn't even understand romantic relationships that much but they're his best friends who he helped get together so he can stop suffering while watching them pine for each other so-

aroace poe supremacy

poe gives her so many amazing gifts too like

he definitely gave her a really cool and elegent knife set or something because she told him that her current blades were getting dull and rusty during one of their little tea parties once

and now ranpo has declared a gift war between them and it's really just who can give yosano the better gift on her birthday and any gift giving holidays out there

they both know how to skate and they like skating together during winter and ranpo tags along although he doesn't knwo how to and just ends up slipping and falling over the ice

anw yes poe amd yosano friendships i want more interactions between them like now pls asagiri- i have so much more headcanons for them pls- even if it's in the anthology or in wan fjskdhsj i need more

#bsd #bsd yosano #bsd poe #ranposano #poe and yosano friendship supremacy #bsd headcanons #ildi posts #ildi thoughts

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farewell-persephone · 10 months

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2, 21, 37, 48 😎

2. One of the most meaningful things someone has said to you?

tried to think of something more specific but just keep coming back to the fact that every time I see my friend Zach he tells me he loves me before we part ways. helps with the feeling that I'm a burden or an embarrassment that I always experience when I'm around anyone, especially this last time given everything that happened.

21. Share a song or two that you find calming?

this is harder than I thought it would be because "calming" kind of implies "neutral" to me and I just don't listen to music that makes me feel neutral. this is probably the closest I can think of. Japanese train nu-jazz

37. A show/game/book someone could consume to know you better?

show: maybe Dark idk

game: Fallout New Vegas

book: Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

48. Ah, 48. This question is very important

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart displayed scatological humour in his letters and multiple recreational compositions. This material has long been a puzzle for Mozart scholarship. Some scholars try to understand it in terms of its role in Mozart's family, his society and his times; others attempt to understand it as a result of an "impressive list"[2] of psychiatric conditions from which Mozart is claimed to have suffered.

Examples[edit]

Self-portrait in pencil of Maria Anna Thekla Mozart, from 1777 or 1778

A letter dated 5 November 1777[3] to Mozart's cousin Maria Anna Thekla Mozart is an example of Mozart's use of scatology. The German original[4] is in rhymed verse.

Well, I wish you good night, but first, Shit in your bed and make it burst. Sleep soundly, my love Into your mouth your arse you'll shove.[5]

Mozart's canon "Leck mich im Arsch" K. 231 (K6 382c) includes the lyrics:

Leck mich im A[rsch] g'schwindi, g'schwindi!

This would be translated into English as "lick me in the arse, quickly, quickly!"

"Leck mich im Arsch" is a standard vulgarism in German, euphemistically called the Swabian salute (German: schwäbischer Gruß). Although contemporary German would rather say "Leck mich am Arsch."[6] The closest English counterpart is "Kiss my arse".

Context[edit]

Musicologist David Schroeder writes:

The passage of time has created an almost unbridgeable gulf between ourselves and Mozart's time, forcing us to misread his scatological letters even more drastically than his other letters. Very simply, these letters embarrass us, and we have tried to suppress them, trivialize them, or explain them out of the epistolary canon with pathological excuses.[7]

For example, when Margaret Thatcher was apprised of Mozart's scatology during a visit to the theatre to see Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, director Peter Hall relates:

She was not pleased. In her best headmistress style, she gave me a severe wigging for putting on a play that depicted Mozart as a scatological imp with a love of four-letter words. It was inconceivable, she said, that a man who wrote such exquisite and elegant music could be so foul-mouthed. I said that Mozart's letters proved he was just that: he had an extraordinarily infantile sense of humour ... "I don't think you heard what I said", replied the Prime Minister. "He couldn't have been like that". I offered (and sent) a copy of Mozart's letters to Number Ten the next day; I was even thanked by the appropriate Private Secretary. But it was useless: the Prime Minister said I was wrong, so wrong I was.[8]

Letters[edit]

Benjamin Simkin, an endocrinologist,[9] estimates that 39 of Mozart's letters include scatological passages. Almost all of these are directed to Mozart's own family, specifically his father Leopold, his mother Anna Maria, his sister Nannerl, and his cousin Maria Anna Thekla Mozart. According to Simkin, Leopold, Anna Maria and Nannerl also included scatological humour in their own letters.[10] Thus, Anna Maria wrote to her husband (26 September 1777; original is in rhyme):

Addio, ben mio. Keep well, my love. Into your mouth your arse you'll shove. I wish you good night, my dear, But first, shit in your bed and make it burst.[11]

Even the relatively straitlaced Leopold used a scatological expression in one letter.[12]

Several of Mozart's scatological letters were written to Maria Anna Thekla Mozart, his cousin (and probable love interest, according to the musicologist Maynard Solomon).[13] These are often called the "Bäsle letters", after the German word Bäsle, a diminutive form meaning "little cousin". In these letters, written after Mozart had spent a pleasant two weeks with his cousin in her native Augsburg,[14] the scatology is combined with word play and sexual references. American academic Robert Spaethling's rendered translation of part of a letter Mozart sent from Mannheim 5 November 1777:

Dearest cozz buzz! I have received reprieved your highly esteemed writing biting, and I have noted doted thy my uncle garfuncle, my aunt slant, and you too, are all well mell. We, too thank god, are in good fettle kettle ... You write further, indeed you let it all out, you expose yourself, you let yourself be heard, you give me notice, you declare yourself, you indicate to me, you bring me the news, you announce unto me, you state in broad daylight, you demand, you desire, you wish, you want, you like, you command that I, too, should could send you my Portrait. Eh bien, I shall mail fail it for sure. Oui, by the love of my skin, I shit on your nose, so it runs down your chin...[15]

One of the letters Mozart wrote to his father while visiting Augsburg reports an encounter Mozart and his cousin had with a priest named Father Emilian:

[He was] an arrogant ass and a simple-minded little wit of his profession ... finally when he was a little drunk, which happened soon, he started on about music. He sang a canon, and said: I have never in my life heard anything more beautiful ... He started. I took the third voice, but I slipped in an entirely different text: 'P[ater] E: o du schwanz, leck mich im arsch' ["Father Emilian, oh you prick, lick me in the arse"]. Sotto voce, to my cousin. Then we laughed together for another half hour.[16]

Music[edit]

Mozart's scatological music was most likely recreational and shared among a closed group of inebriated friends. All of it takes the form of canons (rounds), in which each voice enters with the same words and music following a delay after the previous voice. Musicologist David J. Buch writes:

It may seem strange that Mozart made fair copies, entered these items into his personal works catalogue (in which he tended to omit ephemeral works) and allowed them to be copied. The reason he favored these small and crude pieces in ways similar to his more serious and important works remains a mystery.[17]

Reactions of family and friends[edit]

Historian Lucy Coatman argues that Maria Anna Thekla and Mozart likely had a shared sense of humour, something which she believes has been "discounted throughout much of the historiography on this set of correspondence".[18]: 3 While scholars are not aware of her replies to her cousin, it can be assumed from what is known of their relationship and his continued correspondence that she was likely not offended by Mozart's vulgar references.

In 1798, Constanze sent her late husband's Bäsle letters to the publishers Breitkopf & Härtel, who at the time were gathering material in hopes of preparing a Mozart biography.[19] In the accompanying letter she wrote "Although in dubious taste, the letters to his cousin are full of wit and deserve mentioning, although they cannot of course be published in their entirety."[20] K.A. Aterman suggests that this ambivalence is a result of the "change in the taste and the 'refinement' spreading to, and in, the rising middle class" in the early 19th century.[21]

In the 18th century[edit]

Gottfried Prehauser, an actor of 18th-century Vienna, playing Hanswurst

Schroeder (1999) suggests that in the 18th century scatological humour was far more public and "mainstream". The German-language popular theatre of Mozart's time was influenced by the Italian commedia dell'arte and emphasized the stock character of Hanswurst, a coarse and robust character who would entertain his audience by pretending to eat large and unlikely objects (for instance, a whole calf), then defecating them.[22]

Schroeder suggests a political underlay to the scatology in popular theatre: its viewers lived under a system of hereditary aristocracy that excluded them from political participation. The vulgarity of scatological popular theatre was a counterpoint to the refined culture imposed from above.[23] One of Mozart's own letters describes aristocrats in scatological terms; he identified the aristocrats present at a concert in Augsburg (1777) as "the Duchess Smackarse, the Countess Pleasurepisser, the Princess Stinkmess, and the two Princes Potbelly von Pigdick".[24]

In German culture[edit]

The folklorist and cultural anthropologist Alan Dundes suggested that interest in or tolerance for scatological matters is a specific trait of German national culture, one which is retained to this day:[25]

In German folklore, one finds an inordinate number of texts concerned with anality. Scheiße (shit), Dreck (dirt), Mist (manure), Arsch (ass), and other locutions are commonplace. Folksongs, folktales, proverbs, folk speech—all attest to the Germans' longstanding special interest in this area of human activity. I am not claiming that other peoples of the world do not express a healthy concern for this area, but rather that the Germans appear to be preoccupied with such themes. It is thus not so much a matter of difference as it is of degree.[26]

Dundes (1984) provides ample coverage of scatological humor in Mozart, but also cites scatological texts from Martin Luther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, and others who helped shaped German culture. Karhausen (1993) asserts that "scatology was common in Mitteleuropa [central Europe]", noting for instance that Mozart's Salzburg colleague Michael Haydn also wrote a scatological canon.[27]

Some of the phrases used by Mozart in his scatological material were not original with him but were part of the folklore and culture of his day: professor of German Mieder (2003) describes the Bäsle letters as involving "Mozart's intentional play with what is for the most part preformulated folk speech".[28] An example given by Robert Spaethling is the folkloric origin of a phrase seen above, "Gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett dass' Kracht", claimed by Spaethling to be a "children's rhyme that is still current in south German language areas today".[29] Likewise, when Mozart sang to Aloysia Weber the words "Leck mich das Mensch im Arsch, das mich nicht will" ("Whoever doesn't want me can lick my arse") on the occasion of being romantically rejected by her, he was evidently singing an existing folk tune, not a song of his own invention.[30]

Medical accounts[edit]

An early 20th-century observer who suspected that Mozart's scatological materials could be interpreted by psychological pathologies was the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, who amassed a large collection of musical manuscripts. His collection included the Bäsle letters (at the time, unpublished) as well as the autographs of Mozart's scatological canons "Difficile lectu" and "O du eselhafter Peierl".[31] Zweig sent copies of the Bäsle letters to the psychiatrist Sigmund Freud with the following suggestion:

These nine letters ... throw a psychologically very remarkable light on his erotic nature, which, more so than any other important man, has elements of infantilism and coprophilia. It would actually be a very interesting study for one of your pupils.[32]

Freud apparently declined Zweig's suggestion. As Schroeder notes, later psychobiographers seized on the letters as evidence for psychopathological tendencies in Mozart.[33]

Some authors in the 1990s interpreted the material as evidence that Mozart had Tourette syndrome (TS).[34] Simkin catalogued the scatological letters and compared their frequencies with similar vulgarisms from other members of Mozart's family—they are far more frequent. The scatological materials were combined by Simkin with biographical accounts from Mozart's own time that suggested that Mozart suffered from the tics characteristic of Tourette syndrome.[35] His claim was picked up by newspapers worldwide, causing an international sensation, and internet websites have fueled the speculation.[36]

While often discussed, the Mozart/Tourette hypothesis has failed to sway mainstream opinion on this issue. Indeed, German psychiatrist Thomas Kammer (2007) states that the work proposing the hypothesis has been "promptly and harshly" criticized.[2] The critical commentary asserts both medical misdiagnosis and errors of Mozart scholarship.[37] Kammer concluded that "Tourette's syndrome is an inventive but implausible diagnosis in the medical history of Mozart". Evidence of motor tics was found lacking and the notion that involuntary vocal tics are transferred to the written form was labeled "problematic".[2] Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks published an editorial disputing Simkin's claim,[38] and the Tourette Syndrome Association pointed out the speculative nature of this information.[36] No Tourette's syndrome expert or organization has voiced concurrence that there is credible evidence to conclude that Mozart had Tourette's.[39] One TS specialist stated that "although some websites list Mozart as an individual who had Tourette's or OCD, it's not clear from the descriptions of his behavior that he actually had either".[40]

Coatman, who supports a social and philological explanation of Mozart's scatology, has suggested that such retrospective diagnoses reveal a problem with the perusal of letters as a genre. Following ethicist Osamu Muramoto,[41]. she states that "retrospecive diagnosis can be challenged not only on an epistemic level but also on the ontological and ethical ones".[18]: 5 She notes that by projecting modern sensibilities back onto the letters, scholars from a range of fields have "failed to understand the historical context, language usage of eighteenth-century Salzburg, and indeed, the personality of Mozart".[18]: 2

Scatological materials[edit]

In letters[edit]

Benjamin Simkin's compilation lists scatological letters by Mozart to the following individuals:[35]

his father, Leopold Mozart: twenty letters

his wife, Constanze Mozart: six letters

his cousin Maria Anna Thekla Mozart: six letters

his sister Maria Anna Mozart (Nannerl): four letters

his mother Anna Maria Mozart: one letter

his mother and sister jointly: one letter

his Salzburg friend Abbé Joseph Bullinger: one letter

his friend, the choirmaster Anton Stoll, for whom he wrote Ave verum corpus: one letter

In music[edit]

The canons were first published after Mozart's death with bowdlerized lyrics;[citation needed] for instance, "Leck mir den Arsch fein rein" ("Lick me in the arse nice and clean") became "Nichts labt mich mehr als Wein" ("Nothing refreshes me more than wine"). In some cases, only the first line of the original scatological lyrics is preserved. The following list is ordered by Köchel catalog number. Voices and conjectured dates are from Zaslaw & Cowdery (1990:101–105); and links marked "score" lead to the online edition of the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe.

"Leck mich im Arsch" ("Lick me in the arse"), K. 231 (K6 382c), for six voices. (Score). Composed some time in the 1780s. First published as "Lass froh uns sein" ("Let us be joyful").

"Leck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauber" ("Lick my arse right well and clean"), K. 233 (K6 382d). (Score). First published as "Nichts labt mich mehr als Wein" ("Nothing pleases me more than wine"). The music of this canon was once thought to be by Mozart but was shown in 1988 by Wolfgang Plath to be by Wenzel Trnka, originally to the Italian words "Tu sei gelosa, è vero".[42] As the editors of the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe note, the work almost certainly should be considered a work of Mozart's, but as the author of the lyrics rather than as the composer.[43]

"Bei der Hitz im Sommer eß ich" ("In the heat of summer I eat"), K. 234 (K6 382e). (Score). As with K. 233, the music is not by Mozart; originally it was the canon "So che vanti un cor ingrato" by Wenzel Trnka.[citation needed]

"Gehn wir im Prater, gehn wir in d' Hetz", K. 558, for four voices. (Score). 1788 or earlier.

Difficile lectu mihi Mars, K. 559, for three voices. (Score). C. 1786–1787.

O du eselhafter Peierl, ("Oh, you asinine Peierl") for four voices, K. 560a. (Score). C. 1786–1787. A slightly revised version, "O du eselhafter Martin", is catalogued as K. 560b.

"Bona nox" ("Good night") K. 561, for four voices. (Score). 1788 or earlier.

#ask #kvtie-pie #lmao thanks Anna <3

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senseiwu · 2 years

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Holy SHIT people should uhm be aware that spreading negativity about characters on positivity posts about them is uhm. The worst. Anyway, misako rules, she mostly suffers from the writers trying to fit characters into situations where it's hard to find an "excuse" as to why they're only being introduced now. That's not her fault??? I think she rocks and honestly WE DON'T TALK ENOUGH ABOUT HOW SHE CAN. DO. SPINJITZU. I SO OFTEN THINK ABOUT THAT BRUH. And they should have brought back her friendly rivalry with wu that was fun :) Also man i LOVE thinking about her relationship with garmadon btw. Cause like s1/2 garm hates everyone But her and lloyd. He says that she's the only one who ever understood. AND THAT HNNNNN SO MAKES ME IMAGINE HOW THEIR RELATIONSHIP USED TO BE YOU KNOW. Like man i imagine garmadon becoming more distant from wu and his friends as time goes on. Everything becomes harder for him. But i like to believe that while his father for example used to tell him to stand above it or even supress it, misako told him it was okay and comforted him. MAN i'm soo emotional about them. I think that misako has a really big heart and is a very understanding person! Also ahhhhh i wonder how exactly she learned spinjitzu, the bros probably taught her, that must have been really fun, the shenanigans ^^. But also AHHH her Grief after losing not just garmadon but wu as well because they cut ties... Part of why she gave lloyd away was probably that she was didn't think she could raise him after that trauma you know 😔, like she must have been in a bad place ✊🏻

It’s a freaking awful thing to do, and it happens so many times on Misako related posts. Not just here on Tumblr either.

Yeah, her introduction was not the best, and we needed to see something about her and Lloyd at least like discussing what happened. It’s clear from how they are now that they’re close, and despite what people say, he does care about his mother, and love her (and vice versa). But it would’ve been nice to see that. Or have some insight into her situation at the time. Who knows, maybe we would have had something if they hadn’t planned to end Ninjago after Season 2.

We know a little bit about how she learnt Spinjitzu! I don’t know how much Garmadon was involved, but Wu is the one who mainly taught her. It’s talked about in the Book of Spinjitzu, which is still at my old house so I can’t tell you what it says unfortunately </3 It’s not talked about enough and we’ve not seen it since S2, I believe.

Imagine if she used it in the fight against Garmadon outside Dareth’s apartment.... idk I feel like that would’ve taken that scene to a whole nother level (it was already intense but like,,, aa)

I like to think that Misako maybe like,,, had a calming effect, I guess, on Garmadon. Like, it would be affecting him, but her being around would make it not so bad, or she’d be able to soothe him easier than most.

YEAH DUDE looking after Lloyd alone after losing Garmadon in TWO ways (he’d fully succumbed to the venom... then been banished to the Underworld after trying to kill Wu....) and then knowing he’s going to have to fight his father one day.... She’s not the type of person to sit around and do nothing. And it would be too dangerous to bring Lloyd around Ninjago with her. Enrolling him in a boarding school.... people make it sound worse than it is. A boarding school is not an orphanage or something like that; she didn’t not want to be his mother. ANyway, I could rant about that forever ^-^; so I won’t and I’ll stop there.

#asks #ninjago #misako montgomery garmadon #sorry if this stopped making sense at some point my brain stopped a while ago

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squirrelkiln-art · 1 year

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Unearthed Revision - Chapter 6 Notes

If you haven’t read Chapter 6 of the Unearthed Revision, read it here! This post is gonna have some behind the scenes details and minor spoilers for the chapter it’s about.

Woof, I forgot to post this. I have art I’m gonna scan tomorrow, hopefully more engaging than these posts. Art is harder for me these days but it’s still fun!

Minor spoilers ahead!

Where to begin. I definitely put off this chapter until last minute, as you can tell by the timing. But I really do like it. It’s probably the most adjusted chapter of the rewrite so far, with a lot more character changes and such.

One of the biggest things I’ve changed is Max in general--as I’ve gotten older it’s really hit me that Max failed Ben in a lot of ways as one of his main parental figures and Ben is going to be facing repercussions because of it. Max isn’t some comical villain or anything, just a man who makes mistakes and falls into old habits.

Part of this is specified when Max makes a decision and no one but Rook--who has the most to lose being a Plumber under his command, but the least personal relation to Max--stood up to him when they disagreed. Gwen even thinks about how she admired the move.

I kinda hated this chapter to begin with when writing. I don’t know, something about it felt off to me. Coming back to it now I feel much more confident in the writing. Also, it’s one of the more extreme rewrites in the way of word count and context.

A small change included me changing the degree to which Rook’s smelling was advanced in comparison to humans. When I first wrote the chapter I think I just googled “Cat smelling compared to human” or something like that, but I changed it a bit to be less extreme. (Rook still suffered tho, RIP.)

Was the lock put in a plastic bag by the perpetrator for any specific reason?

In universe, it was because they needed to act fast and make sure they had all the pieces of the lock to avoid showing a trail, like dropping a component on their way to the garbage bay.

In reality? Nah, honestly. It was just convenience. I don’t know if you all have taken apart relatively simple mechanics like a light switch cover, but the more high tech you get the harder it is to take care of every individual thing. I imagine the Plumber locks are rather complex, so as an author I knew that the lock would be properly ruined if the perp had just tossed it or smashed it. I’ll be the first to admit it was a shortcut.

A thing to notice about this chapter are the steps forward and back at the same time. Yes, they now know that the person who changed the locks didn’t need a particularly high intelligence to use the jammer on the faux look, but now that means they’re low on filters again. To keep the bummer of that realization from lingering, the story provides another prompt to follow instead.

I went through this chapter and the past couple to make sure I kept using “Gwendolyn” and not “Gwen.” Around minute four is when the name “Gwen” stopped looking real to me.

Fun fact. Ben makes sure to use her full name, as she prefers it now, but Max continues to call her “Gwen.” The only time Ben called her “Gwen” is when he was thinking of the past, having needed a pick-me-up in Chapter 3. Perhaps it’s similar for Max, being stuck in the past. (Kevin, however, gets an excuse. They’re dating. It’s a different vibe.)

That’s all for now. It’s late and I have to do work still. If you made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

#Unearthed Behind The Scenes

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khaleesiofalicante · 2 years

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HI! I FINALLY HAVE TIME! VERY TIRED BEEN UP SINCE 7 BUT REALLY WANNA READ AND LIVEBLOG CAUSE I MISS THAT SHIT

also I think I might be lactose intolerant? but I only get really fucking bad headaches, nausea and the like from milk but am pretty okay with other dairy products and it...oh wait no ice cream and yogurt also make me sick after I pass a certain limit and is this why cheese makes my stomach feel weird sometimes? okay theory, I am not TOO lactose intolerant. main problem is milk and the rest I can have in limits. makes sense.

also HOW ARE YOU?? I'VE BEEN SO SWAMPED WITH THINGS THAT I'VE SPENT MOST NIGHT SO DRAINED AND DEAD IT'S CRAZY.

BUT I DID CATCH UP ON IALS AND READ THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS OF LBAF.

alright! CHAPTER 4!!

david loml it'll be fine...probably idk man I am really scared for y'all

Alright random person...I will fight you in an abandoned parking lot for this DO NOT DO THIS SHIT

David :((

First I cry over IALS mavid...now I have to cry over lbaf mavid. what is this happening

DAVID! NO DO NOT DO THAT TO YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!

also there's this thing called Communication. Not sure y'all have heard of it though. Lmk if you need a dictionary :)

to the fucker attacking the institute, motherfucker I will literally push you off a building

maybe it's someone who wants him to not be the head of the institute for whatever reason?

Anyway Anjali so hot so efficient would literally die for her

david you good bro? God I love it when the kind ones go feral

no but srsly you good? Well no but like...Im worried. For his health. David :((

“Ask for help,” she said again. “And if you are feeling overwhelmed, take a break.”

QUEEN SHIT

“Revenge means you are being harmed in return for the suffering you’ve caused,” Anjali told him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You did the right thing. So, even if it is Asmodeus, this isn’t revenge. This is an attack, David. And I intend to put an end to it.”

God I love it when women

the picture I WILL SOB DO NOT DO THIS TO ME

Them :((

“Why do people call me baby boy or baby girl?” David wondered out loud.

AJHSHUIDC JACE

petition to only call david baby boy or baby girl from now on

I've been watching The Crown (it took me three days to get through episode 1 but let's not talk about that) so I am literally hearing all the dialogues in with an english accent. It's...something

Some people drank alcohol to relax. David drank tea.

Bitch same.

I've lately fallen in love with Earl Gray. I drink it while I'm studying. I sit down at my desk with my tea and only then do I get to work. Helps me focus and keep my anxiety at bay. Good shit.

same energy as me realising how quickly I had been going through my tea. I...I've been way too stressed lately too, hon. NOT THIS WEEKEND THOUGH HHAHA

he would love a cake <3

oh to have someone buy me overpriced magic chocolate

DARK?? HUH

prince...?

WJAT IS HAPPENING WOMAN EXPLAIN

that's so romantic though 🥺

LEVI?? TIS YOU??

in my relating a bit too much to david era kjkcuhud

Bitch I know you're stressed as fuck so like?? TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF?? Srsly, shit's really hard rn for you and it's gonna get harder. Take a nap or something

“Mon ange,” David chuckled and pointed at the screen. “He went back in time and is literally trying to sleep with his own mother.”

I AM SORRY, WHO IS DOING WHAT NOW

NOT NOW! FUCK NO!

not the ICE CREAM

also yeeeeeeeeeee camilaaaaaaaaaa

david and anjali wedding CRYING SOBBING SHAKING LOOK AT THEM

that's a really long proposal dude you're not writing an essay

“My fave power couple is getting hitched. Do it soon!”

Live footage of me

omg the talk with the parents huduifuifugiugf

I love rafe so muvh omg

anjali truly the best person out there

THEM OH MY GOD THEM

I am so soft rn no one talk to me

Marry me. Marry me. Marry me.

SOBBING

they're so amazing I could cry

how bout I punch Kingsley

Oooo marcus

marcus is kinda cool though. I'll probably not like him by the end of this but still

what...what is he working on

what the fuck you on dude?

i love camila so much

damn girl!!

oh marcus...Yeah I remember now what he was doing...

ah yes, the seashell

cool motives but like...that's not gonna happen

we don't live in a perfect world bud. exploitation and prejudice are the first two words that come to my mind when I think of his thoughts becoming a reality.

He didn’t like it when Mallory was in a bad mood. He wanted her to be happy.

Mal in a bad book ends horribly for every person she has ever interacted with

DON'T SMOKE

I was watching The Crown and George is LIKE SICK AS FUCK MAN IS DYING LEAVING BEHIND A DAUGHTER NOT PREPARED FOR THE CROWN JUST YET AND HE'S SMOKING. Sir you just went through a surgery to remove one of your lungs?? you have cancer?? You're coughing up blood?? AND YOU'RE SMOKING!!!

"I know," she smiled at him. "My destiny is Max."

Oh no...I will stab :)

“I’ll ask Jeff to ready the jet,” he smiled at her.

The...what...that is so bad for the environment dude I'm pretty sure there is a beach in New York...I forgot how rich they were for a second there...Taylor swift core

Sometimes...you just wanna get stabby with someone...the someone is two someones...

If they do something to Anjali...

Sigh

AYY IT'S SELENA AND GIGI

AND LEXI

lexi...I love you so much but please...just talk to liv about this

YOU CAN'T DO SHIT LIKE THIS OH MY GOD

lexi YOU CAN FUCKING FLY

I will repeat advice I gave in part 2 (?). Fly there, tell her, fly away.

gabriel and selena >>>>

“Relationship drama waits for no one,” Selena huffed. “Besides, stop making excuses, Lex. Just do it.”

putting off stuff like this makes it so SO much worse lex.

LIV AND LEX ARE SO AMAZING

OH I HAVE A STORY

We threw a farewell for someone right? and that day my friends and I were all sitting together and one of us had a permanant marker so like rational people, we wrote on our hands. I wasn't sure what to write but then I remembered seeing an anon say that their shipname should be lixi so that is what ended up going on the place underneath my thumb. You know where you can feel the bone? I wrote "Lixi" right there. Nice day that was.

which reminds me I need to make plans for my birthday next week with my friends-

ANYWAY

No amount of biceps or boobs will distract her today.

me to me every morning

and I love you guys <33

The man went to Idris to talk to the Inquisitor.

Good luck and god bless!

SCREAMING

Lexi stared at the numbers. It gave her a fucking headache

Me in maths everyday.

My math test went so well today I got everything right EXCEPT MY DUMBASS FORGOT TO SOLVE THE LAST PART OF THE LAST QUESTION I HAD THE TIME I SIMPLY DID NOT REMEMBER TO SOLVE IT FURTHER I WILL THROW MYSELF FROM A CLIFF

ahem

“Wait,” Lexi said. “Are you saying these are not demon attacks?”

Imma get the knives

Lexi was going to help Gabriel figure this out. She was going to find out who was hurting her brother like this.

Hurting him with paperwork!

And she was going to kick their ass!

AHHUKDCUIFV HELL YEAH LEX

lots of blob thingies

“Have you guys seen shadow demons? They’re the demons of Lucifer.”

foreshadowing

I am sorry they materialized WHERE

grabriel is so cool omg

THE SONG CHOICE YES

She was talking about some issue with the warlocks in LA not being able to use magic

foreshadowing

lexi NO METAPHORS PLEASE

Lex I told you not to go with metaphors...sigh

this is really entertaining though.

LMAOO LEXI PLEASE-

Oh. OH DISCOVERY

Shit. white...who's magic is white?

FUCKING HELL

and on this note a very good night I can't wait to sleep. LOVE YOU!

Evieeeee. I missed your live blogs so much 😭😭😭

Here is a meme that perfectly captures my reaction to it

I like the live blog too akskskssm but the random gossip 😍😍😍

Your Lexi energy is unmatched 😎

#lbaf

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matt-the-radar-techncian · 2 years

Note

when I think about this, i feel like when Rose is being compared to other characters who made some questionable decisions, arguably a lot more questionable than hers, people are a little bit more harder on Rose?

Like for an example when Anakin Skywalker is talked about, it seems people are a little bit more easy on him? Sure, people also acknowledge that this is the guy who slaughtered defenseless younglings who looked up to him and did and involved of a lot of fucked up shit as Darth Vader but I don't see the same level of aggression with him like people do with Rose/Pink. Maybe I'm a bit wrong but I assume it may have something to do with the fact that Palpatine was manipulating Anakin, the Jedi Council being part of the reason why he fell to the dark side and being paranoid about Padme's fate thanks to those visions of her suffering as she was giving birth to Luke and Leia and he couldn't explicitly say that to the council or even Obi-Wan (who i believe would have his back and been supportive) because of that fear he had of being expelled from the Jedi Order and likely thought that his reputation wouldn't matter when considering what happened to Ahsoka (who was like loyal to the Jedi Order until that framing thing happen and most of the council turned against her) and the fact that attachments and love are forbidden among the Jedi Order and those reasons are why people are seemingly more sympathetic, empathetic and more understanding to Anakin then Rose?

It's kinda weird to say but yeah. Also related to this, do you think Anakin and Rose has some things in common other than the fact that both was burying the the past of the people they once were (Anakin to Vader and Pink to Rose respectfully) and are more or less opposites of each other?

Ooh this is a good one. It probably has to do with how each character is presented and how much time the viewer spends with them

In the case of Rose we're originally shown only glimpses of a character that is idolized. Then we get a few flashbacks showing what she was like towards the end of her life. And then you start to learn more and more about what she did earlier, and some of it is pretty morally gray. People got the sense that the show wanted them to think she was a terrible person because it only seemed interested in focusing on her mistakes

Compare this to Anakin/Darth Vader. In the Original Trilogy he's pretty one-dimensionally evil, and you only see a few cracks in that persona when he shows some level of care for Luke. Even so, he does do the right thing at the end, and his death is shown as very poignant and even sad. This makes the audience think "he was a bad guy, but he did the right thing when it counted," although I doubt very many people would say he's a "good person" after finishing just the OT.

Then you have the Prequels and especially The Clone Wars where Anakin is a main character. Now you have a character who hasn't done all those bad things yet so you feel better rooting for him, and it's a lot easier to look past all of his terrible actions (most of which he hasn't even done yet in the first place)

Basically it's because Rose is initially presented as good and perfect, but eventually the cracks start to show and in past she was much less perfect than you originally thought. Meanwhile with Vader it's the opposite, you're initially shown this monstrous more-machine-than-man, who is later shown to have had a much more sympathetic backstory. It doesn't matter if what Anakin did was pretty clearly morally worse than anything Pink Diamond did, or that Pink made some mistakes in her youth and tried to change them while Anakin started off good and then descended into darkness, what matters is the final impression that the audience is left with. All that matters is that Rose is a lot worse than you thought, and that Anakin is a lot better than you thought, and that change in perspective is more impactful than the actual magnitude of their actions, at least for some viewers

There's also the fact that Anakin just appears in way more content than Rose does. Rose only appears in a few flashback-centric episodes per season, meanwhile Anakin is the main character of 3 movies and over a hundred episodes of TCW before he's put into the Vader suit, so it's simply a lot easier to get attached to him, especially in TCW where he's much more likable. Can you imagine if the only content we got of Anakin was a few flashbacks scattered throughout the Original Trilogy, and if the PT and TCW didn't exist? You wouldn't have anyone saying that he's sympathetic at all, you might even get people criticizing the movie for "trying to get you to feel sorry for an evil murderer." I suspect if there were more episodes featuring Rose/Pink as the main character (or even a movie or other spinoff) whether set during her rebellion or any other time period, people would be a lot more forgiving of her, simply because they've had more time to get to know her

It's also just that the SU fandom has a unique aversion to liking characters who have done "bad things." Back when the show was first airing, you had people getting very defensive about liking "toxic" characters, saying that you're not allowed to be a fan of Jasper, Lapis, and even Pearl at one point because of their past actions. (See also: people saying that the ending of Change Your Mind is actually fascist propaganda because Steven doesn't somehow shatter all the diamonds.) This mindset definitely doesn't play well with the nuanced nature of Rose's character or presentation

It's a level of purity-chasing that I've never seen before or since in another fandom. It's not like people who like Anakin as a character think he "did nothing wrong," they just appreciate a character who starts off good and then is corrupted by evil, only to break out of it at the very end. For some reason lots of SU fans just couldn't latch onto Rose's story about growing up in a controlling family and breaking out of it in order to try and do good, even though all the pieces are right there in the show. All they care about is "she did bad things and that means I hate her"

Interestingly, I never saw this level of hate towards Peridot, so it's not like the fandom can't accept that characters can change for the better after doing bad things, so I think it comes down to the audience not looking beyond what is directly shown and thinking about what characters' overall arcs and motivations are. The exploration of Rose's character was very nonlinear, Lapis is absent for long stretches of the show, and even some of Pearl's actions don't make perfect sense until you look at them in hindsight after the show is over. The average Rose hater only sees the actions happening onscreen in the moment and doesn't look at the bigger picture of the character

Compare this to another character like Eren Jaeger who, again, has done things far worse than any dictator in history. He also started off as a young and good-hearted kid, but we watch him get more and more extreme until he almost doesn't feel like the same character at the end. People who like Eren don’t think he's morally correct, they just want to see a plucky protagonist turn into a ruthless anti-hero. (In fact, the biggest criticism people have of Attack on Titan is at the very end where the manga tries to make Eren seem more sympathetic. Sometimes people just want to watch a guy go crazy and try to destroy the world)

#steven universe #su #rose quartz #pink diamond #star wars #anakin skywalker #darth vader #attack on titan #aot #eren jaeger

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rainydawgradioblog · 1 month

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Live through this

If you asked me what album was the most important in becoming the person I am today, I would not hesitate to say Live through this. The album, which turns thirty this week, has been a part of my life for literally longer than I can remember. My mom has been a fan of Hole since they first began getting big in the early nineties. She would play the album whenever she cleaned the house, usually with me in tow. I remember sitting on her chair watching the music videos for “Violet”, and “Doll parts” before I could read. It wasn’t until middle school that I began listening to Hole independently of my mom, and could appreciate the music for myself. Live through this is an album for every feeling I had as a teenage girl. It’s an album for when you dont understand your place in the world, and for when you are all too aware of it. Every part of the album has meant so much to me at different times throughout my (albeit short) life. it's an album for when youre angry, depressed, confused, lonely, and all the other terrible feelings experienced throughout life. It's an album to turn on when you want to feel understood, or feel like someone else gets it. It doesnt shy away or ignore the harder parts of life, but rather gives a voice to the feelings that arise throughout those times. Even as I have aged out of my teenage girl angst, I still find myself listening to the album pretty much weekly. It has stuck with me throughout the years, and has a song for whatever emotionsI am currently dealing with.

I’m not going to try and defend Courtney love. She's certainly an interesting person with a rather colorful personality. But she created an amazing album, and growing up it felt like she was the only artist that really understood the suffering of the teenage girl. You can understand her emotions as you listen to the album, which just makes it all the more powerful. Even the songs written about the rather unique experiences throughout Courtney’s life allow you to understand, and relate to her struggles.

The release of live through this was not witbrought on a swirl of rumours that it was ghostwritten by Courtney’s then husband, and Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain, who had also committed suicide a week before the album was released. He did provide uncredited backing vocals on two of the songs, asking for it, and softer,softest, but multiple people, including Love herself have dispelled rumors of him ghostwriting over the years. Although Live through this is 30 years old, it feels timeless. It is an album that has been enjoyed by teenage girls of the past, present, and probably the future.

It's also worth mentioning in 2009, the movie Jennifer��s body, named after the fifth song on the album premiered. Starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, and featured the first song of the album violet. It always bothered me that Megan Fox never wore any of the outfits shown on the promotional materials in the actual movie. Totally different wardrobes!

xoxo sleepzo

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kidmachinate · 5 months

Text

It Can Always Be Worse...

We're not homeless. That's the extent of what is "good" right now. That fact along with one bright moment of the year I was happy to be a part of, this year has easily been my worst in my time on this earth. It's not even close.

I'm no stranger to job gaps or life just happening because who isn't? However, truly this year has been little to no time to recover. I'm thankful for my local and online friends for times in which were exceptionally hard mentally but the sad part is, they have continued to be. I'm also thankful for the support mentally or in some minor cases financially for my mother. She's listened to a good portion of my horseshit this year that I wouldn't think of burning my partner with or really want to bother friends with either. I'm...not as sad as I feel I should be, but deeply depressed. It's been hard to feel for much. My partner has struggled a good part of this year as well. How we're still in this together I truly wonder sometimes but we haven't given up and somehow managed to pull off a successful visit with her daughter. As the non-biological father (and not a high bar to cross) to compete with the blood borne one (couldn't help myself here), she opened up to me and seems to have accepted me as well. Outside of select convos that I believe are pushing my partner and I in the right direction, I want to go back to a period in which we can thrive again.

There are others too struggling...but it is harder for me to relate when there is more of a support net or lack of responsibility overall is part of the equation. I don't want anyone to suffer but what suffering is there truly with little or no consequence. I think many of us take this for granted. Doing the thing as they say, isn't always as simple as we'd like it to be. Financial and/or health concerns can easily make the simplest tasks a problem. I'm mostly healthy but...there's quite a bit of typical checkups and other visits I literally haven't done in a decade. I was hoping for that to be the thing that changes towards the end of this year and breaks the curse before years end but here we are with only none days left in it.

It's hard to imagine worse but I know there is. That isn't really hope to push forward but a way saying what goes down just come up...eventually. You can't flex assets. People don't care or it is out of reach. Probably best you don't anyway. Suddenly people may get interested in you for the wrong reasons. I don't want to flex material items and this year it has been easier than ever not to do so, although I rarely do. I would like to flex a financially free lifestyle in there in the future and in the more immediate future to just be comfortable again. I don't need anything to change...except my paycheck. That can always grow because I'll keep living the same way regardless of income. I have the discipline...I just need the chance. The opportunity. It's out there somewhere. Broken, beaten, and scarred along the way...I'm still looking. I seek a better life for our home. I can't give up. Tell someone you love them today.

#life struggles #depression #hope

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therealvinelle · 3 years

Note

Ok I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I'm just now copying your Norwegian Bella AU into a text translator, and if you don't already have 50 people in your inbox demanding a translation then shame on ALL OF US because this is glorious! And while Google Translate does have a certain charm (it translated "piper hun ut" as "she beeps") I'm curious to see how you'd put it in English.

Troquantary is referring to this post. In which Bella doesn't speak English.

Fun fact, you're the only one who's gone into my inbox to request this. I was so sad, had the translation half-written and everything, but I was too proud to beg. So thank you, Troquantary, for popping this ask.

As for the dictionary fuckups, sounds about right. I made a few typos, too, that made Google Translate suffer even more. (Such as managing to mix up "henne" (her) and "hendene" (hands), resulting in Aro patting Bella instead of clapping his hands. Poor Google.)

Also, there are a few cultural references and language things that would be lost in the translation, in an attempt to keep them I included notes clarifying things.

Some things, like Aro and Carlisle's very old man way of speaking, are easier said than done to translate, you'll have to bear with me there.

Additional notes are that I added a few things to this version, many of them because translating is hard, but a few because while translating I thought "oh you know what would be much funnier-" and then wrote that.

Alright, without further ado:

When Renée left Charlie she did not go to Florida, she went to Oslo. And she went all in to make her daughter a true Norwegian, hiring Norwegian nannies and making sure never to speak English around the child. Since transatlantic flights are expensive, little Bella Swan rarely got to visit her father, and as such she never did learn what should have been her native language.

She quickly forgot what English she did have in favor of Norwegian, with the exception of words like “Yes”, “No”, and “I’m Bella”.

The few trips she took to visit her father were all the more awkward than in canon since she couldn’t play with the Black kids. Let not the blame fall upon Charlie: he took Norwegian classes and speaks conversational Norwegian. He can’t speak to Renée, because her Norwenglish is incomprehensible even to Norwegians, but he can communicate with Bella.

Not that he’s had a lot of chances to do so.

Bella makes it to seventeen years old, she’s in second grade at Handels* and is a major outsider among the preps there, and then Renée marries a handsome skier**. Together they shall travel the continent all winter to participate in as many skiing races as they can, and in the summer they’ll take gigs at Hurtigruta to see the coast.

*“Handels” is the nickname for an Oslo high school infamous for its pupils being rich and beautiful blonds who are going to be CEOs when they grow up.

**Skiing as a sport is huge in Norway

***Hurtigruta is a famous ferry that travels across the Norwegian West coast

Bella, who sucks at skiing and is too young to work at Hurtigruten, takes the hint.

With dread in her stomach and dictionary in hand she goes to her father in America.

Where she doesn’t speak the language.

Faen.

Charlie gives her a car, and I wish this meta was set in the present because I could have joked about electric cars and the automat only driver’s license*, but Twilight is set in 2005 so I can’t. The car part proceeds without drama.

*An increasing number of Norwegian youth take the driver’s license for automatic cars only, and we’re the country in the world with the highest percentage of electric car purchases.

School is worse than in canon, because she is now a thousand times more sensational than if she was merely the new student. She is from another country! All of Forks keels over with excitement.

To make matters even worse, our girl doesn’t understand a word of what people are saying.

She is too awkward to let them know she doesn’t know English. It’d become a thing, and they might think she’s dumb. To be fair, it’s not good that she’s been through primary, secondary, and now a year and a half of high school and still sucks at English.

So she nods, smiles, mumbles “Hi, I’m Bella” to the new faces, and blushes heavily when anybody says anything.

People assume she’s shy. That’s a bit boring, but oh well.

She has her biology class with the redhead hottie she noticed during lunch. She watched him and his family, they were fascinatingly pretty, but she doesn’t know anything more about them. Sure would have been great if she could have asked the tiny girl (was it Jess?) about them.

Biology proceeds as in canon - Edward badly wants to eat the delicious girl, but fortunately doesn’t.

She runs into him in the office when he tries to switch to another biology lesson, but she has no idea what he’s saying so she only has the suspicion that this somehow concerns her. Which is still uncomfortable, but Bella is probably the problem here. The hottie surely can’t be.

He’s missing from school for a week, Bella finds that weird.

He returns, and to her great horror he starts talking to her.

“Hello”, he says.

Bella dies inside. He’s too handsome!

"I'm Edward Cullen," he continues, and ok, she got that. The hottie is called Edward, that’s good to know. She’s not sure she caught that last name, though, Köln?

He says something else, it’s gibberish to Bella even though she’s concentrating, and at the end there he says “Bella Swan”.

She gulps.

"I'm Bella Swan," she confirms and nods. That should be correct. God, she hopes it’s correct.

He smiles a crooked, boyish smile. She’s awed. She didn’t think it was possible to be so beautiful.

He says something else.

Bella didn’t catch it.

She blushes even harder, she hasn’t been more embarrassed in her life. Here he is, the most handsome guy in all the world, and she has nothing to say to him. Literally, they don’t speak the same language.

She should tell him.

It’s one thing to chicken out of telling the town she doesn’t speak English, but there’s something different about Edward Cullen. He deserves the truth.

But...

He’s the most beautiful person she has seen in her life. He is American, too, so the odds of him knowing Norwegian are microscopical. If he finds out she doesn’t understand a word he says he’ll stop talking to her, and selfish as she is she doesn’t want that.

So with a slightly guilty conscience (but not enough to fess up) she contributes to the conversation with enough words and smiles to pull through. "Yes", "No", "Thank you", and "That's nice".

He is surprised by several of these answers, but instead of giving her odd looks and losing interest he grows more invested in the conversation.

Class ends.

The next day the near accident happens, and he saves her. She is stunned - dear god, did he just pick up a whole car? After teleporting across the parking lot..?

Soon she’s in the ER, and more than a little bit stressed about that fact since she knows the Americans have a terrible healthcare system.

She hopes Charlie has an insurance.

An insanely beautiful man walks into the ER, and Bella is shocked. He is just as handsome as Edward and Edward’s lunch friends!

He introduces himself as Carlisle Cullen, and Bella can only assume this is someone’s older brother. Possibly related to the blonde girl.

He smiles at her, says something, and she answers, "I'm Bella Swan."

He frowns.

That must have been the wrong answer, then.

His hands return to investigating her scalp, and to her great surprise he switches to perfect Norwegian, "kjenner De* noe ubehag når jeg holder her?" Do you feel any discomfort when I touch here?

*De is the Norwegian polite pronoun for “you”. Du = thou = the French tu, and De = you = the French vous. These polite pronouns went out of use in the 1980’s, save for when addressing royal persons, and would be considered antiquated in 2005.

He hurries to add, "Norsk lærte jeg i... fjor sommer. Det var et nettkurs." I learned Norwegian… last year. Online class.

"Hvilket da?" Which one? Bella asks, because Charlie needs to hear about this. The doctor has beautiful, if slightly outdated, pronunciation.

The doctor’s smile turns uncertain. She gets the feeling there’s something he doesn’t want to say. "Husker ikke," I don’t remember, sier han etter en litt vel lang pause.

That’s a shame. And weird.

"De hadde hellet med Dem i dag, som ikke ble truffet av den bilen." You were lucky today, not getting hit by that car. he then says, noticeably changing the subject.

"Det var ikke hell, det var Edward," It wasn’t luck, it was Edward, she replies sharply.

The doctor definitely looks uncomfortable.

She continues, "Han krysset skolegården på et blunk, og plukket opp hele bilen. Jeg så det," He crossed the schoolyard in a moment, and picked up the whole car. I saw it,

The doctor laughs. "Om han kunne det hadde nok gymkarakteren hans vært meget bedre. Nei, frøken Swan*, jeg beklager å si at det høres ut som at De er litt omtåket. Det er helt normalt ved hjernerystelse." If he could do that, his PE grade would be a lot better. No, Miss Swan, I’m sorry to say you seem confused. That’s normal with concussions.

*Addressing a young woman as “frøken” is even more outdated than using polite pronouns.

Why does Bella get the feeling he’s lying?

She’s discharged.

We’ll jump ahead to her trip to La Push - that trip uneventful, since Jacob knows she doesn’t speak English. They stick their hands in their pockets and stare at the sea.

The next day she’s shanghaied to Port Angeles, because apparently she said “Yes” at the wrong time when talking to Jessica (Turns out Jess’s name was Jessica!) and accidentally said yes to a day trip to Port Angeles.

Like in canon she wanders away from the others, and as in canon she is nearly gang raped. And again as in canon she is saved at the last moment by Edward.

He buys her dinner, and she can’t believe her own luck- and misfortune. A date with the most handsome guy on the planet (hence the luck) and she can’t say a word to him (hence the misfortune)!

He says things to her, lends her his jacket, and really this is it for Bella, she’s peaked, life can’t get better than this.

(That’s a lie, it would be better if she spoke English.)

He’s so amazing.

She’s gotten pretty good at navigating conversations with him, so she nods and aha’s her way through.

In his car on the way home the tone takes a more serious turn.

He asks her about something, and it’s a serious question, that much she’s gathered. She answers in the confirmative.

He is silent.

Did she say anything wrong?

(Edward, on his end, just asked if she knows what he is. She said yes, so calmly, not even a trace of fear in her.)

A few days later he takes her out on a walk in the woods.

He shows her a meadow in the woods, and when he steps into it he lights up in the sunlight.

Bella is in shock.

She knew there was something different about him, but- holy cow. This guy isn’t human.

Is she dating a god?

She stumbles into the clearing after him, and they spend a day together where he says things, and she can barely hear any of it (nevermind understand it) because she’s so distracted by how pretty he is.

The next day he takes her to a house in the middle of nowhere. She doesn’t want to guess that this can be where he lives. Surely gods don’t live in houses?

He shows her inside the house, and introduces her for Dr. Cullen and a lady with a name she doesn’t catch.

Bit weird that these two are acting like a couple of parents, they’re far too young and divine for that.

Edward shows her around in an old-fashioned office, and she doesn’t know what to make of i when she sees a painting of Carlisle. Edward launches into a long story when he sees her watching it, unfortunately she doesn’t catch any dates or artist names. At one point she heard the word “suicide”, though, and that’s not good.

She doesn’t get much out of the story.

The baseball game doesn’t happen because Bella didn’t pick up on what Edward wanted and didn’t realize she was being invited to a thing. They spend the afternoon watching a movie instead.

The relationship continues, impeded slightly by communication problems, but she’s mostly able to cover those up.

Until her birthday comes around.

She gets a papercut.

Jasper lunges at her. Edward throws her into a glass table, and then everyone is leaving.

Carlisle is kind enough to switch to Norwegian when he’s stitching up her arm, perhaps remembering the last time she was his patient. "Jasper har ikke vært på dietten vår så veldig lenge." Jasper hasn’t been on our diet for very long.

"Diett?"she asks. She’s never seen Edward eat anything. She wasn’t clear on what the Cullens ate, honestly she thought they were above such things. She was thinking maybe photosynthesis. The knowledge that they apparently eat food astounds her, but diets?

"Dyreblod istedenfor menneskeblod," Animal blood in stead of human blood, Carlisle clarifies.

Whachasay?

Carlisle gives a slight smile. “Jaspers liv som vampyr fikk en brutal start." Jasper’s life as a vampire got off to a brutal start.

...

Vampire?!

Bella’s missed something here.

Oh dear lord, oh fy faen, she has missed something.

“Åja”, uh huh, is all she can say, and suddenly she’s very aware of the fact that she’s sitting there with a bleeding arm.

And Carlisle.

Who is a vampire.

Over the course of the following conversation Bella makes a host of discoveries.

Edward has been a vampire this whole time, and he’s a telepathic vampire. Whether Bella should be a vampire too or not has been a matter of hot debate, but due to religious reasons Edward doesn’t want that.

Carlisle also brings up how Edward died of the Spanish flu.

"Jeg var under den oppfatning at Edward fortalte deg bakhistorien min?" I was under the impression Edward told you my back story? Carlisle asks at one point, and Bella just has to ask very nicely if he’d be so kind as to repeat it.

Turns out the guy is nearly four hundred years old.

Jaha.

Jahahaha jaa ha.

That’s… a lot.

She wanders out of the house in shock, and hardly notices Edward’s strange behavior over the next couple of days.

One day he picks her up at school, and takes her behind the house.

That works out.

He’s a vampire, but he never hurt her. He is endlessly beautiful, perhaps easier to love now that she knows he’s not a god. He’s her Edward, and that’s suddenly easier now that she knows.

They can still be together.

But now that she knows this about him, it’s about time he knows something about her as well.

It’s time to finally be honest with him.

So when he opens his mouth, she opens her mouth as well, but she doesn’t get any further than to “Edward-” before he launches into a monologue.

She’ll have to wait until he’s done before saying her piece. It’s a bit embarrassing, but it doesn’t seem like he intends to stop talking anyway.

And what he’s saying seems to be serious, so it’s probably best to let him finish.

Edward concludes his monologue by kissing her forehead. Then he disappears.

Where did he go?

A big unsure, Bella goes back to the house. She’ll just have to wait until he gets back.

She doesn’t know what to think when Charlie returns from work and tells her the Cullens have all left.

Oh, god.

Edward must have found out she doesn’t speak English.

She made a mockery of him.

He has every right to leave.

Knowing this doesn’t make it any easier to live with.

Bella sinks into a depression.

The hallucinations begin, as in canon, though Hallusinward speaks Norwegian. Thank god for small mercies.

The friendship with Jacob (dictionary in hand) blooms, as someone has to help her see those hallucinations.

The cliff diving happens, and Alice shows up. Bella’s not sure what this is about, but she has gotten good enough at English to know that something bad happened, and Alice wants them to do something.

She’s a bit surprised to find herself on a plane to Italy, though.

Alice tells her to “Run to Edward” and ok, she got that, actually.

So she saves Edward.

After that she’s taken into the sewer, which turns out to house dozens of vampires.

Bella, Edward, and Alice are received in some kind of hall, where an unusual vampire has quite a bit to say. She understands some of what he’s saying, at least the part about “la tua cantante”. She knows a bit about Italian, see, so she knows that he’s talking about a song now.

She wishes she knew the context.

At one point he takes her hand, and appears fascinated by it. She wonders if he’s a palmreader. Not very vampirey, but what does she know.

He asks her a question.

"Yes," she says.

Saying yes has gotten her this far, after all.

But when he lights up and claps his hands together, and Edward and Alice stare at her in shock and betrayal, she knows she must have said the wrong thing.

The two are dismissed from the room before Bella can do or say anything, she’s just listening to Edward make a racket outside in the hallway.

Not good.

The unusual vampire brings her further down in his sewer palace to a basement, and she is given comfortable clothes to wear.

This is getting terrifying.

The vampire leans towards her - and she chickens out.

"Jeg snakker ikke engelsk!" she squeaks. "Non habla ingles!" I don’t speak English.

Han stanser, og ser forvirret ut. "Que- Hva behager*?" I beg your pardon? spør han etter et øyeblikk.

*A very formal, and slightly outdated (you can use it, but people will think you’re putting on airs. And they will be right) way of saying “excuse me?”

Sobbing, Bella tells him the whole story, from how she didn’t want to be the weird kid in school to how she’s now somehow in Italy without knowing why nor what she just agreed to.

When she’s done the vampire starts laughing.

"Dette forklarer jo en hel del," This explains quite a bit, ler han. "Men, kjære Bella, jeg er redd det ikke endrer noe." But, my dear Bella, I’m afraid it changes nothing.

He tells her that she has agreed to serve him and his army of undead warriors into eternity.

Well fuck.

"Du skal få slippe det, når du ikke visste hva du samtykket til - men skjebnen din forblir den samme. Loven er loven." You’re released from that promise, as you didn’t know what you agreed to - but your fate remains the same. The law is the law.

After a moment of silence, during which she looks terrified, he hurries to add, "Vi har en lov. Du må bli en av oss." We have a law. You must become one of us.

A law that Bella Swan has to become a vampire?

People are finally speaking Norwegian, and Bella is still lost. And it’s too embarrassing to keep pestering this poor, polite man with questions.

So she nods.

He gives her a glittering smile, and bites her.

When she wakes, Aro offers her an English course. A language course that, naturally, leads to her staying in Volterra. Why not learn a few more languages while we’re at it, dearest Bella?

Some time later Edward breaks into Volterra to save his Rapunzel, only to barely recognize her now that she’s a vampire who says things. Lots of things, she talks all the time now. WHAT DID ARO DO TO HER.

Too mortified to admit that she never spoke English, Bella claims she’s been brainwashed.

Aro is having too much fun to correct her, and the whole sad affair sets off a regrettable flood of rumors.

#troquantary #norwegian things #bella swan #twilight #twilight meta #twilight renaissance #evighetens kyss #evighetens kyss meta #evighetens kyss renessanse

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cowboycakes · 3 years

Text

Do You Get My Letters

✥ Pairing: Levi x fem!Reader, somewhat Reiner x fem!Reader

✥ Themes: Fluff, angst, sadness, big ass plot twist

✥ Warnings: Female bodied reader (she/her pronouns,) Pregnancy and birth (nothing gory.) Mentions of death, violence, and threats. Manipulation.

✥ Synopsis: You are carrying Reiner's baby when he betrays Paradis. Levi decides to step in.

✥ Word Count: 2.2k

(there is a part two up to this fic, but i've decided i'm going to rewrite the ending at some point.)

Anon's Request: Hi! I saw your requests are open so here I want to give my little scenario a try! 🕳🤸🏽‍♀️ I thought abt this last night, I’m currently rewatching AOT after 6 yrs and yet to finish season 4, so sorry if I’m wrong abt timelines/the plot? My request is the reader was with child with Reiner, but b4 reader told him, he betrayed and exposed his mission. Levi stepped in to help reader. And btw, I just finished watching ep 3 of season 4, so maybe Eren telling reiner abt his child and he regrets leaving the reader? And reiner jealous at the fact Levi is most likely considered his child’s father at that point. I can’t come up with an ending, so I’ll leave it up to you if you do take in my request. If this isn’t your type of writing I totally understand!

Note: This story is canon divergent. It is set in season 4, but in a universe where Reiner is not revealed as a traitor/the armored titan until a few months before season 4 takes place, as the reader was having relations with him until then and did not know his secret. I’m sorry if that change bothers you, I just wanted to write this as sort of its own story. This story contains season 4 spoilers! It also has nothing to do with the canon ending of AOT.

---

Dear Reiner,

I hope this letter somehow gets to you, I don’t quite know where to start.

In a perfect world, I would be so happy to tell you this. You’d be ecstatic too, I think. And before you try to second guess me: I’m sure by now, don’t worry.

I’m pregnant.

I guess we weren’t careful enough before you left. I feel like an idiot. And lost. But I’m not hopeless. I know myself, I can make it work somehow. With or without you.

I’m still in shock about you. How could someone so close hide so much? You’re a talented spy I suppose, a great asset to Marley. You made me trust you with my entire life. You made me love every false thing about you. And this is the rude awakening I get in return.

I’ll raise our child to value honesty and kindness, all in spite of you.

Sincerely,

Reader

---

The paper was damp with tears after you lifted your pen for a final time. You wished you could just keep the whole thing a secret: go make a quiet life for yourself somewhere else. It wouldn’t be right. Not after all of the dishonesty that man had spewed to you over the past few years. You had to tell him.

The door to the office room you’d settled in to write the letter creaks open. It’s Levi. He looks at your puffy eyes somberly, sympathetic. He was the first person you had told about the entire situation. Not because you were close, just because you needed help.

You fold your letter and stick it into a sturdy envelope. Levi takes it in his hand.

“That piece of shit doesn’t deserve a thing from you. Not a letter. Certainly not tears,” Levi says, using a clean handkerchief to wipe a stray drop from your cheek, “but I am proud of you.”

You take the handkerchief from him, feeling more tears stream down your face.

“Proud? I’m a fucking idiot,” you say through your sobs.

“Don’t even try to pull that self pity shit with me. Things happen sometimes. And you’re strong enough to commit to getting through it,” he responds.

You stand up, pushing your chair out. You look at him as you dry your face off again.

“I’m alone. How the hell am I supposed to do this shit alone?”

“You are not alone,” Levi replies. You’re shocked when he pulls you into a hug. “I’m going to help.”

You had never seen this side of him before. You look at him as you pull away slowly, tears still welled in your eyes.

��Are you sure? That's a big burden, Levi. None of this has to involve you.”

“Not the biggest burden I’ve ever taken on,” he shrugs. “There’s a lot of death around here, Y/N. Everyone is going to be happy about the little bit of life you’re giving us.”

You chuckle. He’s cynical, but he’s right.

He licks the envelope as he walks toward the door.

“Want me to run you a hot bath or something? Is that the type of shit pregnant people need?” he asks.

You laugh, a little harder than normal. It felt so relieving to laugh.

“Sure, Captain,” you respond softly.

---

Dear Reader,

I received your letter before the battle in Marley. I actually got to hand it to Reiner myself. He knows everything now. He broke down in front of me after reading it, going on about how much he regrets everything. How he wishes he could change things and be there for you. He begged me to kill him right there.

The world will eventually not have suffering like what you are going through now.

Eren Jaeger

---

Your jaw had dropped reading it. He begged me to kill him.

You hand the letter Levi had just delivered back to him. He reads it with a furrowed brow.

“Do you think…” you begin, your voice shaky, “do you think I could send another letter?”

Levi purses his lips, “Possibly. I can ask Jaeger. But right now, you need to bring your blood pressure back down.”

You were over seven months along now. You had found out about your pregnancy late, after being in denial for four whole months. Hange insisted on checking you out after you’d thrown up every morning for a week.

Levi had since gone on a parenting book reading spree; he made you read several of them too. He knew just about everything you needed to do to make a healthy baby: what to eat, what not to eat, how to exercise, when to go to the doctor, etc. It was really sweet how much he cared. You knew it gave him hope, something to fight for, something to come home to.

You were terrified when he left for Marley. You kissed him for the first time when he returned. Just about everyone you knew had to fight. You wished you could be out there fighting with them like you were supposed to. Maybe you could have made a difference.

Levi takes your hand, squeezing it to bring you out of your thoughts.

“What can I do?” he asks.

“Get me a glass of wine,” you grumble.

“Absolutely not.”

---

Dear Reiner,

Reader does not know I’m sending this. So keep it that way, or I’ll kill your sorry ass. Or maybe not, you’d probably enjoy that. In that case I’ll get creative.

How does it feel? Being a fucking deadbeat? Is it everything you’d thought it’d be and more? Fucking her and leaving her with nothing, like she belongs in a whorehouse. Reminds me of what happened to my mother. Pieces of shit like you came in and sent her to her death, leaving her kid behind to starve.

I wasn’t about to let her suffer like my mother did. But you were. I’m glad your choices haunt you, Reiner. You fucking deserve it.

I’ll be there for the both of them from now on, doing everything you were never capable of. She’s due any day now, I’m sure she’ll try to write to you.

Levi

---

You feel your first contraction while napping on the couch with Levi. You were settled in between his legs, your back leaning up against his chest. He had his hands on your stomach; he loved to feel the baby kick and tell them some of the happier stories in his memories.

The two of you had grown so close over the past few months. You slept together every night now. You didn’t want to leave each other’s sides if you didn’t have to. Levi would cuddle and massage you any time your pregnant body was ailing you.

You had fantasized with him about life after the war. He wanted to be a husband, a father, to live peacefully in the countryside. And he wanted more than anything for you to join him.

The first contraction wasn’t painful enough for you to make much more than a grunting noise, but Levi woke up the second he felt your stomach contort a bit. He was on very high alert these days.

“Holy… shit…is that what I think it is?” Levi whispers, “Don’t answer. I’m getting Hange.”

He crawls out from behind you and sprints out of the room.

The pain worsens and becomes much more frequent while he’s out looking for Hange. You stand up eventually after getting the urge to walk around - and your water breaks. You start panicking, unsure of how dilated you were and how much time you had left before pushing. You really wished you’d done more than just skimmed through those birthing books right about now.

Levi and Hange eventually come sprinting back into the room with a wheelchair and cold rags to find you whimpering in pain on the couch, trying your best to control your breathing.

You’re rushed down the halls to the Scout’s infirmary, where Levi had made sure the perfect room was set up for you - and it had been that way for two months.

The next hour goes by in a blur. Hange knew the biology of how to deliver the baby, and Levi knew how to coach you. He helped you hold your legs back when you pushed, and helped you count out your breathing. Hange attended to everything that might have made Levi faint, like checking your dilation and making sure the baby was coming out at the right angle. You got lucky having these two by your side.

Through all of your efforts, you finally hear a cry. You look up to see Levi holding your tiny new baby as Hange wiped them clean. He was smiling, way bigger than you’d ever seen him smile before, with tears in his eyes.

“Here,” he says softly, handing her to you.

You cradle her on your bare skin. “She’s so perfect, Levi! Look how sweet she is!” you coo.

“What are you going to call her?” he asks, stroking your hair as you gleam down at your baby.

“I was thinking,” you smile, “Kuchel.”

Levi lets out small gasp. Tears start streaming down his face, his efforts to stifle them failing.

“Really? I think that’s,” he wipes his eyes, “a wonderful name.”

—-

Dear Reiner,

She’s finally here! Oh my god, she’s precious. Levi and Hange helped to deliver her. Labor went smoothly. Levi started to cry when he saw her for the first time. She really is just that perfect. We are calling her Kuchel, after Levi’s mother. He cried when I told him that, too (don’t tell him I’m sharing those crying details.) I've decided to give her Levi’s last name as well.

Levi set up the perfect nursery for us.

If you really did feel guilty for leaving - don’t be. I’m happy.

She has your eyes.

Sincerely,

Reader

—-

Dear Reiner,

Kuchel said her first word today. Of course it wasn’t mama, she’s such a daddy’s girl. She started crawling awhile ago, we are now working on standing up on our own. She has all of this blonde curly hair, too. She’s growing up so fast.

Reader

—-

Dear Reiner,

Levi proposed a few days ago. It was so perfect. We found a nice house with room for a farm that will be perfect for a family.

I can only wonder how you’re doing, now that the war is over.

Are you even alive?

Reader

—-

Dear Reiner,

I’m expecting again. Levi is beyond excited. I am too, of course. Kuchel started school this year. She is such a smart kid.

I still wonder about you. After all these years.

Reader

—-

Message after message, word after word. No response. You had decided he must be dead. The devastation after the war would argue that he was.

That is, until you found yourself rummaging through one of Levi’s desk drawers, looking for baby Isabel’s lost pacifier.

You felt the bottom of the drawer shift. A false bottom?

You pry at it until it comes open.

Letters.

Dozens of opened letters. With Marleyan postage stamps.

You pull out the first bundle you see. They’re all from you. Unopened. Unsent. You set them aside, your jaw quivering.

You pull out the second bundle and gasp.

—-

Dear Reader,

Eren showed me your letter. I am terribly sorry. Let me fix this, somehow. You can come to live with me in Marley. I will take care of you. Please.

I’m not just a traitor, a liar, a farce. Everything between us was real. I can explain everything. Just trust me.

Love,

Reiner

—

Dear Reader,

Do you get my letters?

I’ve only heard rumors about our new baby girl. I wish I could see her. Just once. For a second. Do you have a camera? I know they’re hard to come by in Paradis. I can send one.

I’d do anything to change this. You know I would.

Love,

Reiner

—-

To Levi,

You son of a bitch. I know exactly what you’re doing. You think this is protecting her, but it’s not. Just let her talk to me. She would listen, she would understand. You said yourself that she writes. You manipulative, sick bastard. That is MY child. She will never be yours. No matter what you brainwash her to believe, your dirty Ackerman blood does not run through her veins. She deserves to know. You are the farce, Levi.

Reiner

—-

There were dozens more. All opened. All from Reiner.

You sink down to the floor, tears spilling from your eyes.

You are the farce, Levi.

But, why? He was just protecting you, right?

The office door opens. You jump, shoving the letters back into the drawer.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” Kuchel asks.

You take a deep breath, staring down at the letters, thinking about everything that could have been.

“Are you happy here, Kuchel?”

“Yes!” she chirps, “Every day!”

“Then it’s nothing, baby. Mommy just got hurt. She’s better now.”

Your daughter giggles and skips out of the room, leaving you to hide away the rest of the letters.

༺♥༻

I REALLY HOPE I understood your request, Anon! I actually had a lot of fun writing this. It isn't something I would normally think to write, but I'm so glad you shared this idea! Sorry for the sad ending, I love playing w people's emotions ;)

༺♥༻

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman #levi aot #reiner x reader #reiner braun #reiner x you #levi x you #attack on titan #aot x reader #aot imagines #levi imagine #reiner imagine #snk reiner #snk levi #tw: pregnancy #tw: threats #tw: manipulation #tw: mentions of death

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adlbeay · 3 years

Text

I wanted to talk about the themes in the Walk in the Dust event. The story of Arknights has always had a high level of thematic consistency, but it’s especially prominent in this event. I feel like a lot of the discussion of the story in certain places comes down to “lore” and surface-level plot details, so I wanted to get this out there somewhere.

The two big ideas that are covered in Walk in the Dust are that of revenge and the homeland. Let's talk about revenge first. Long post and story spoilers under the cut.

In the beginning, we are introduced to Elliot, aka Passenger, who by the time we meet him, is an aimless husk of a man. He is utterly empty inside despite being the most powerful figure in the Reefsteep black market, with vast wealth and political influence under his thumb. Having completed his decades-long quest to slay everyone who was involved in betraying his teacher, he has no more goals for his life. After killing the Lord Ameer of Ibut, the last of his targets, he realizes that the revenge he had been pursuing was ultimately empty, that the weapons he built and the schemes he engineered to that end no longer moved him. Even the death of the Lord Ameer didn't matter one bit in the political landscape of Sargon.

As for the Sargon army... We live in different times now. The ruling Padishahs simply care not about what is happening here in this barren wasteland. My guess is that it matters not to them whether it's the father or the son that's in charge. Actually, to tell the truth, it hardly matters to me either.

Ultimately, no one cared if the Lord Ameer was murdered or simply died in an accident, not even Elliot himself. Sargon continues to be exploited by the Columbian military and the ruling Lords. Professor Thorne remains dead. His research, once entrusted to Elliot to prevent it from becoming a weapon of war, has nonetheless been used by Elliot himself to bring even more death. Now, 22 years later, Passenger sees finding Kal'tsit as his only path to salvation, so that she can once again give him a purpose like she did when she rescued him the first time.

Folinic's mom, Lillia, also shares the same kind of story. Her husband was killed in Chernobog when the count decided to purge the researchers working on the sarcophagus device. Among the children of the families broken up by this incident are Lyudmila (later Crownslayer), Alex and Misha (later Skullshatterer), and Luisa (later Folinic). Lillia finds Kal'tsit after months of searching, intending to take revenge on Grand Duke Vanya not just for her husband, but also for Luisa, who never got to know her father because of it. Kal'tsit tries to talk her out of it, even during the final phases of the plan, but Lillia's mind is set. She entrusts Kal'tsit with taking care of both Luisa and Lyudmila, as she knows she won't be able to come back to live a normal life after this. And... she succeeds. Although it is Kal'tsit who ultimately administered the poison, their plan works flawlessly and Duke Vanya is finally dead.

Except it still ended up being completely meaningless. The Grand Duke was in a glorified nursing home already near the end of his life, and if Kal'tsit didn't kill him then some other conspirator from the Ursus political backstage would have done it anyway. He was already crippled and blind, and as we find out during the confrontation with the Emperor's Blade, even Kal'tsit only agreed to Lillia's plan because it defused the conspiracies of other powerful figures who would have used the Duke's death to spark another rebellion. The only thing that Lillia ended up accomplishing was making sure that Louisa would grow up without both a mother and a father, and Lyudmila would never get the answers she really wanted about her family's death. And, although she ended up not doing it, she was even also planning to go back to Chernobog to kill Sergei, Alex and Misha's father, for his betrayal.

And this carries on through the future outside the event. Crownslayer ends up joining Reunion because she thinks it will give her the answers she wants and avenge her father. Folinic almost lets her anger at Atro's death get her into a confrontation with Wolumonde. In the end, Crownslayer is stopped by Kal'tsit and Folinic is calmed down by Suzuran, but we might be able to imagine what would have happened if they managed to carry out their vengeance.

The theme of homeland is one that's intrinsically tied to Kal'tsit and has at least a bit of relation to the broader story outside of the event. It's harder to talk about since it's not clearly split into individual stories like previously, but there's at least one character that exemplifies this theme the most: Old Isin.

Old Isin is appropriately to his name, old as rocks. He remembers being a servant to some lord of a long-lost city that very few even know once existed, and spends his time telling fortunes while trying to seek out people who, like him, also share that past. According to Kal'tsit, the city's people were scattered when it was destroyed, and now only Isin even remembers the origin of the name "Reefsteep". Even then, Isin only has vague memories, and believes it to be his unforgivable sin that he has forgotten so much about the city.

Old Isin originally helps Kal'tsit and Elliot because he hopes that she can help him remember about the lost city, and thus absolve his "unforgivable sin". And Kal'tsit indeed does help him. Isin begins to recall the conquests of armies a thousand years ago, something even with his age he should not have been a part of, much less remembered. Kal'tsit dispels the illusions clouding his memory, and reveals that what Isin remembers is only the stories that the padishah recounted to him, that the glory of his old city was only a memory of another memory. In truth, the city in Old Isin's memory was merely a stepping stone for the padishah's ambition to conquer the uncharted deserts, and was abandoned just as easily when that campaign failed. His homeland's glory was just an illusion created in his mind by the padishah's charisma.

Which brings us to the Emperor's Blade. Wherever he stands is the dominion of the Empire of Ursus. Whatever he does carries out the Ursus Emperor's will. Or at least, that's how the Royal Guards imagine themselves, single-handedly carrying out their homeland's legacy. Kal'tsit lays it out clearly:

Kal'tsit: Tell me, what does the current Ursus Emperor think of the Pine Valley affair? Or do you mean to tell me the seeds of that uprising, the origins of the crisis were all the will of the Emperor? Feel free to keep deceiving yourself, but the truth is the young emperor is unaware of the events that transpired there. You believe he has no need to know. You... all of you seek a bygone era. You are just caught up in the former emperor's grand vision!

As does Patriot in Chapter 8:

Patriot: I fought with your fathers. Your strength and tactical acumen are no less impressive than theirs. But you look at the Ursus of those times with rose-colored glasses. What you see is nothing more than your wild fantasies.

The Royal Guards are described in not too unclear words as soldiers who probably believed too much of their own grandiose affect. They are unparalleled fighters, to be sure, but it isn't hard to infer that those words about executing Ursus's will and each Royal Guard being his own nation are words intended to strike fear into their enemies rather than statements of any real truth. Indeed, if you know anything about the internal politics of Ursus, the idea of "Ursus's own will" can be seen as more of a nostalgia at a bygone era when Ursus was, or at least seemed, united in conquest under the previous Emperor. The perceived glory of their homeland is what motivates the Emperor's Blade, but like with Old Isin, the truth behind it is shaky at best.

We also have the contrast between the retired veteran at Pine Valley and Grand Duke Vanya. While talking to Witte, the veteran cuts off one of his own fingers, claiming that the scars he has suffered in Ursus's wars, once considered symbols of his glory and honor, were ultimately meaningless, and he wants this self-inflicted wound to be his only legacy to Ursus. At the same time, the Grand Duke is postulating about how the seeds he had sown in the winter would give birth to beautiful flowers. Even though his actions and the crimes he committed never bore fruition, he is convinced even in death that Ursus's soil will bloom.

The issue of a real or imagined homeland, and its loss, is also shared by the Sarkaz as a whole not only in this story but in the main story and many other events. It's even arguable that Rhodes Island's mission to help the Infected was originally inherited from Babel's goal of establishing a stable homeland for the Sarkaz. After all, as pointed out in many places, the Infected and Sarkaz share much of the same discrimination.

Sarkaz Mercenary: Home...? How could us devils... us Infected possibly have one... Kal'tsit: The Sarkaz have tried to rebuild 'Kazdel', their home for centuries, though they have never succeeded. Everyone has a different idea as to what the term 'homeland' means, but as it stands right now, Kazdel is perhaps as close as you can get to the term's original meaning.

And in Twilight of Wolumonde:

Armed Infected: We’re going home? To what home?

Mudrock: Kazdel. There may be no place for Sarkaz outside of Kazdel. But in Kazdel, there is a place for you. Not because of tolerance. But because there is... nothing there. Kazdel... is where the homeless go. A land of rootless people.

So what does all this have to do with Kal'tsit?

In the ending cutscene, Passenger asks Kal'tsit whether this "Rhodes Island" is yet another passing persona to be used to accomplish a goal and discarded when it's complete. Like the persona of the Trusted Advisor, or the Servant, or the Laterano Cleric, will she abandon Rhodes Island as well? Kal'tsit initially puts up a front saying he has no right to ask, then bluffs about having thousands of answers, but is pushed by Passenger saying he'll even accept a lie. In one of the only times we get to see Kal'tsit faltering, she actually has no answer to this.

Unlike the other characters we see throughout the story, Kal'tsit has no homeland. No matter how fake or illusory it is, Old Isin and the Royal Guard have something to believe about a place where they can belong. The nobles in Victoria, as incompetent as they appear from the outside, are dedicated to defending the peace of their home despite having no ruler. Even the ostracized Sarkaz can ultimately go back to Kazdel, as unpleasant as that might be. But while Kal'tsit wanders the earth to keep the homelands of others from falling into chaos, she has no homeland of her own to go back to.

In one of the trailers for Chapter 9, we hear a recording from Theresa, addressed to Kal'tsit: "I hope this Rhodes Island can be a place to call home, a place you can always return to."

#arknights #arknights spoilers #kal'tsit

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