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lansyuan · 4 years

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do you love fics where wei wuxian and lan wangji parent the crap out of lan sizhui? do you want to read accidental baby acquisition fics until your eyes bleed? would you die as your heart slowly turns to mush from the softness of this family? bitch the fuck, me too. here are some of my personal favourite fics of wangxian ft their turnip son a-yuan. its a range of canon divergence, post canon, thirteen years of inquiry, raising a-yuan at the burial mounds au etc - there’ll be something for literally everyone. enjoy!

the kite string and the anchor rope by fleurdeliser (38k+)

When A-Yuan gets sick and Wen Qing doesn't have the supplies she needs to properly treat him, Wei Wuxian can only think of one place to go for help.

a crying shame by thunderwear (16k+)

Lan Wangji gets emotionally blackmailed by a toddler. It somehow fixes everything.

to recollect and long for by wonderlands (22k+) *2/3 works posted at time of posting this rec list.

a 3-part series about best boy lan sizhui and his wonderful dads who love him and each other very much.

forgetting envies, remembering your loving hold by cosmicfuss (3k+)

The first time Zewu-jun plays for him he is five and the man is trying to comfort him, playing soft songs good for soothing children. It works to a degree but he wants his gege, he wants his gege to play his lullaby. Zewu-jun apologizes and tells him that his gege is hurting right now, and needs to be alone to get better.

When he plays the xiao, A-Yuan says, "you're holding it wrong!" When he turns fourteen, he learns to play guqin, and is many years ahead of his classmates in that regard. A large factor in that is how much he has practiced Inquiry. He has grown up hearing snippets from the jingshi, of Wangji attempting to reach a spirit that never answers.

When he's sixteen, he hears a familiar tune played in the forest, he and his fellow juniors battling a stone god. It's been years since he's heard it, and he wonders why this man, Mo Xuanyu, knows it so well.

Or, Lan Sizhui grows up and learns, and remembers.

five times wei wuxian tried to embarrass lan sizhui by blackelement7 (6k+)

(and one time he realized just how badly he'd played himself)

or: In which Wei Wuxian starts a fight but Lan Sizhui (with some meddling from Lan Jingyi) ends it.

inquiry by incendir (10k+)

Sizhui cannot fall asleep for a long, long time that night. He hears the ever-familiar melody again. He thinks perhaps he has memorized it by now.

storge by respira (9k+)

Lan Sizhui is a lake.

as the warren grows in number by kore_fics (3k+)

Before Sizhui could take another step he was surrounded by black and red, loud laughter in his ears and warm fingers running through his hair, messing it up. Palms squished both his cheeks together and Lan Sizhui let out a laugh.

Lan Sizhui was home.

tell some storm* by qurbat (31k+) *the moments with Sizhui are in chapter 2, however I highly recommend reading the whole fic, it’s adorable.

"We were raised as a generation of war, A-Yuan," Xian-gege said to him. "If your generation choses to be one of love - well, I don't think any of us would be opposed to that."

In the aftermath of the events at the Guanyin temple, the cultivation world scrambles to understand their current reality. A man roams the countryside with a string of white in his hair. Another sits on the highest seat of power with a ribbon of red around his forehead. The younger generation turns out to be full of romantics. Nie Huaisang is to blame for everything, always. Jiang Cheng realizes that happiness has been more that 16 years overdue.

Wei Wuxian declares that it's time that bitch pays up.

After a generation of war - much to the consternation of the elders, much to the delight of the young, much to the pleased shock of the subjects of the tale - the world welcomes a love story with open arms.

guess we're not eating leaves today by missingnarwhal (2k+)

Baby A-Yuan has cooked up a feast, but only one lucky gege will actually get to taste it!

Set in an alternate timeline where everything is okay after Wei Ying + Wens started living in the Burial Mounds.

response by aki_no_hikari (12k+)

What if Wei Wuxian hadn't been silent to Lan Wangji's Inquiry?

love, in all its small pieces by ynvel (4k+)

Ah Yuan is brought to the Cloud Recesses and exchanges the sun and its ashes for the clouds. Lan Wangji brings a boy home, calls him his son, and renews the promises he made.

Or: Lan Sizhui is adopted by Lan Wangji and learns about his new life. Lan Wangji in turn learns about hope and living again.

child surprise by ariaste (4k+)

He huffs a sigh. “Fine. Just - let’s just make it the law of surprise, shall we? That’s nice and simple, eh? Leave it up to destiny what will bring us back in balance. Let it drop something of yours into my lap, something small, and we’ll call the debt paid.”

Three debts, three repayments.

there's a lunatic in mo village by bastetcg (11k+)

There's a lunatic in Mo Village! And to Lan Sizhui's surprise, Hanguang-Jun has decided to bring the madman back to the Cloud Recesses! How embarrassing!

A mostly canon-compliant look into Lan Sizhui's thoughts and childhood.

on being a big boy by emberloey (1k+)

“My little A-Yuan,” Dad had said the next morning, kneeling down to A-Yuan’s height with a smile, “all grown up now. Soon you’ll be hunting without your poor old dads.”

“Never!” A-Yuan shook his head and latched onto Father’s leg. He smiled up at Father, who smiled back and nodded his head. “A-Yuan always needs Dad and Father!”

in all these shades of blue (i think we found you) by fleetling (5k+)

5 times Sizhui thought about his father's white robes, and 1 time Lan Wangji wore blue.

(Or: Lan Sizhui had never seen his father in anything other than white robes.)

this is when the feeling sinks in, i don't want to miss you like this (come back, be here) by mischievousmurmurs (6k+)

Just now… the butterflies’ conversation. Where did you learn that from, Ah-Yuan?

Ah-Yuan pats his chest. In here, shushu. I feel it in here. And in here, too, he adds, pointing to his head.

Sizhui has never quite been able to remember nor forget the memory of seeing people who he knows loved each other, loved him, and whom he loved in return.

or - a wangxian story, as told by their adopted son.

yours, mine, and ours by casecous (2k+)

When they have both mostly recovered, and A-Yuan is back to his smiling, playful self, Lan Wangji presents him with a forehead ribbon. A-Yuan’s little fingers bump into Lan Wangji’s thumbs as he traces the cloud motif along it.

“You are Lan now. This is very important,” Lan Wangji tells him and A-Yuan looks away from the ribbon to meet his eyes. “You must not take it off as you please. Only family may touch it.”

A series of wangxian family moments.

innocence by snowberryrose (8k+)

In which Wei WuXian gets to raise A-Yuan.

Canon divergence from episode 31.

to recollect and long for by mme_anxious (4k+)

Lan Xichen is there when his brother becomes a father. Lan Sizhui is there when his father's heart breaks, again. Wei Wuxian is there when his son gets drunk for the first time.

Or, the GusuLan forehead ribbon, in three parts.

our little one by writedeku (6k+)

A-Yuan is here. A-Yuan, who Wei Ying loved so much. A-Yuan, who was taught to laugh just like him. Wangji hugs him to his chest and curls over him, ignoring the way the wounds on his back pull and tear. “I have to take care of you,” he says. “I will not leave you.”

(Or: Lan Wangji comes back from Yiling with a child he does not know how to care for and a black hole in his chest. Somehow, he makes it work.)

gathered herbs & sweet grasses by hansbekhart (19k+)

Later, when he’s older, it’s this that A-Yuan will remember most: the stretch of silence, the two of them both dirty and shaking with fever, as he looked at Brother Rich, and Brother Rich looked back at him.

the sacred homeland by particulate (8k+)

He has many names, and some are mouthfuls of blood.

[Or; a chronology of Sizhui, in which he does not forget.]

to the act of making noise by words-writ-in-starlight (19k+)

His father in white plays the song late into the night, and when A-Yuan wakes up confused and afraid, the guqin lulls him back to sleep.

Lan Sizhui hears his father play the same song every night for his whole life, and never, ever get an answer.

when he comes home to you by kika988 (2k+)

Home is Cloud Recesses now, and that's a thing Wei Wuxian is still getting used to. He still feels like a guest here, most days, though Lan Wangji has done everything to make him feel at home. He stands out like a sore thumb amongst the serene disciples and flowing white fabric.

Cloud Recesses has been home to Lan Wangji and Sizhui for years. It is their home, where they've built their family.

The thought warms Wei Wuxian even as it sits a little ill with him. He's an intruder here, in their homes, in their lives, the same way he had been in Lotus Pier.

five times people didn’t know sizhui is lan zhan’s son and one time they did by trilliastra (3k+)

“A-Yuan.” He repeats, reaching out for the boy, growing restless when he can’t touch him. “A-Yuan.”

Oh. Lan Xichen closes his eyes as the tears start to fall. Oh, Wangji.

Carefully, Lan Xichen takes the boy and lays him next to his brother on the bed, Wangji holds him protectively against his chest and A-Yuan stops his little cries immediately.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen tries again, running a hand through his brother’s hair softly, “who is he?”

“He’s my son.”

5 times the lan head disciple broke the rules by liji (6k+)

“I am not aware of any rule forbidding falling in love,” Hanguang-Jun said at last. There was a quiet sadness in his eye, like he was watching a scene from far away. The novelty of it gave Sizhui the courage to ask his next question.

“Have you ever been in love, Father?” he asked.

(or, five times that Sizhui broke the Lan sect's rules growing up)

the seasons change (but i love you the same) by kdkdkd (7k+)

"Hanguang-jun!"

When did you stop calling me Bàba, A-Yuan?

Lan Wangji had always promised himself that he would never become a poor father like his own had been.

Unfortunately, it feels like he has failed to keep that promise.

✨ bonus round ✨ uncle jiang cheng and nephew lan sizhui

tintinnabulum by respira (8k+)

A small bell chimes, the sound soft and pleasant like the water crashing against a pier, like low whistles in an empty cave, like a guqin playing a lullaby.

#the untamed #wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #lan sizhui #lan yuan #wen yuan #wangxian family #wangxian fic rec #myficrecs #creations #listen i just really love this family #1k

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ice-cream-nekogirl · 4 years

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And though I know since you've awakened her again She depends on you, she depends on you She'll go alone, and never speak of this again We depend on you We depend on you…

Amy and Hitoshi:

Awwww… the best Judies~. I also like to call them “The Will and Grace of UA” because Amy and Shinsou are… very much like Will and Grace, very close enough to make playful jabs and insults to each other.

Their love is deep but again, purely platonic and full of loyalty, candor and trust… to the point where it’s slightly gross since these two are almost TOO honest with each other XD There’s a TV Trope called ‘Platonic Life Partners’ and that’s more or less Amy and Shinsou’s friendship.

Amy and Shinsou have been best friends since they were toddlers as Amy notes that their mothers used to bathe them together, much to Shinsou’s immense embarrassment when she brings that up but notes that she doesn’t even remember any of that because they were like 3 at the time. Although he does express in annoyance that Amy used to have a habit of running around his house naked.

As each other’s childhood best friends, Amy and Shinsou are very close and very much like a brother and sister, with Amy even annoying him often like a sister and Shinsou treating her like a pest because she is but can give her real brotherly advice and affection. And despite driving each other crazy half the time, the pair can be their most authentic selves around each other as Amy can vent about anything to Shinsou, and Shinsou can lean on Amy for emotional support and open up to her about things that bother him.

Humorously, Amy and Shinsou have an extremely unfiltered friendship centered around almost WAY too much honesty, with the two being able to share WAY too much information with one another as Shinsou and Amy have no problems discussing private matters or straight up gross things with one another (ex: Amy can casually talk about her period with Shinsou, and Shinsou tells Amy whenever he has a body issue such as jock itch or BO).

Everyone calls Shinsou an ‘enabler’ when it comes to Amy, which is not entirely untrue even though he constantly denies it. But Amy’s just as much an enabler as he is and doesn’t bat an eyelash to his habits. At least until he gets into a relationship with Ashlen and Amy vigorously helps him out but tells him to start being a little nicer and cleaner. But that just shows how close they are, how much they’re like brother and sister and nothing more than that, because Amy and Shinsou are living proof that a boy and a girl CAN be just friends.

Now I’ll start from the beginning…

Amy and Shinsou’s parents were friends with each other, and so when they were born, Amy and Shinsou’s respective mothers liked to set up playdates when they were toddlers. Amy and Shinsou stuck to each other like they were siblings, playing together and causing mischief especially when they were 5 years old.

According to Shinsou however, he and Amy learned each other’s names when they were both 4 years old in daycare, and he tells Ashlen and Tokoyami that on their first day of daycare, Amy clung to him even though they were children who didn’t entirely understand a lot of things. Shinsou also mentioned that he had to share his things with Amy, and admits that while it annoyed him at the time that Shinsou grew fond of Amy, and started to love her and view her as the sister he never had.

As they grew up together, even at a young age Shinsou was perceptive enough to pick up that Amy was even more immature than he was as he watched her get in trouble many times for accidentally knocking over a cake and eating from it, getting lost at the store or climbing into a claw-machine to take a toy.

Shinsou and Amy went to school together, and were each other’s only friends for all of elementary school and constantly played games together but also got in trouble together that Shinsou claims was “Amy’s fault 90 percent of the time”, even though it was actually 50-50 between the two of them. Amy protected Shinsou from bullies when they were kids, especially when they called him a villain and mocked his quirk, much to Shinsou’s slight embarrassment because while he made sure Amy didn’t get in trouble, he felt bad that Amy always protected him. But he also protected Amy from bullies when they thought she was quirkless and told her that he didn’t care that she was quirkless and still liked her just fine.

At least until Amy learned about her witch heritage and began manifesting her powers, and Shinsou felt a little bit jealous that Amy had cool powers such as telekinesis, teleportation and Concilium. Nonetheless, they still treated each other no different, and in fact, their pranks actually got worse because of Amy’s newfound powers. The two even used their powers mainly for shits and giggles whether it was taking cookies and sweets off the counter, pranking Shinsou’s father or pantsing bullies, including a young Katsuki Bakugo that Amy and Shinsou wouldn’t meet up until later in their teen years.

Unfortunately, when Amy’s parents are killed by witch hunters, Shinsou and his family mourned and grieved them, and although they wanted to take Amy in, Fiona Goode and Myrtle Snow said that they were the ones who needed to take care of Amy instead because it would be too risky for non-witches and warlocks to look after her. Likewise, the pro-heroes didn’t want to allow it because they claimed it would be ‘better’ for Amy to be raised by people ‘like her’, even though they actually feared that the radical witch hunters would kill other innocent people.

When Amy left Japan for Robichaux, Shinsou broke down hard and cried when he watched her leave as Amy was the only friend he ever had. After her departure, Shinsou became even colder and more aloof to others, and didn’t want to make any other friends. Instead he proceeded to focus on himself to forget about Amy, but couldn’t bring himself to completely forget about her as he missed her terribly.

Meanwhile, at Robichaux, Amy was miserable for the first couple of months because she wanted Shinsou with her because she knew he would be able to comfort her after all the horrible things she had seen. However, her apathetic caretaker Fiona and cruel witch sister Madison told her to forget about him, and even a sympathetic but serious Zoe and Myrtle told her that there’s no point in crying over Shinsou because he’s not there and not coming for her. Hardened, Amy reluctantly let go of Shinsou so she could focus on protecting her coven. But when the bloodshed was over, after 5 years is when Amy decided that it was safe enough for her to go back to Japan just so she could see Shinsou again.

Cordelia gave her permission as she knew that Amy wanted to see her friend again and also wanted to be a hero with the other pro-heroes who rescued her those years ago, but the Supreme told her to be careful and that the hero society won’t deserve her, much to Amy’s confusion.

As Amy returns to Japan after so long, she passes the entrance exams with flying colors and gets into the Hero Course, but after she leaves the school for the first time, she senses Shinsou’s presence and hurriedly makes her way over in hopes of finding him and catches him at the right time when he’s about to exit UA (as he had successfully gotten in as well). When the childhood friends see each other after 5 years, they are both stunned into silence and slowly approach each other, once they realize that they are not figments of each other’s imaginations they quickly share a loving, tearful embrace. Afterwards, Shinsou doesn’t hesitate to take her to his home to greet his parents after so long and she is lovingly welcomed back by his mother and father. Shinsou’s father tells her that there’s always a place for her at their house, but Amy politely declines as she was given her own home (Fiona’s old mansion) by Cordelia. Nonetheless, Amy enjoys a welcoming party from the Shinsou family and she spends the rest of the day with her best friend.

Although Shinsou was admittedly bummed out and jealous that Amy made it into the Hero Course and she playfully teases him that she’s ‘always been stronger than him’ but a self-deprecating Shinsou doesn’t deny that and agrees with her. However, he does admit to Amy that it has been hard getting through school because of all the discrimination and Amy comforts him by telling him that she understands since while witches were outed to the world, there’s still discrimination. The two best friends then declare that they’ll overcome that together and become heroes as “The Witch and The Brainwasher”.

During the Sports Festival, Amy was on Shinsou’s team and Amy had no problem with Shinsou using her classmates Ojiro and Aoyama, nor did Amy have a problem with him mind-controlling them. In fact, Amy was his biggest cheerleader, even when he was against Midoriya, whom Amy had a crush on at the time. And Amy was at Shinsou’s side when he was defeated by Midoriya, but while he was grateful for the support he also told Amy to focus on beating her own opponents such as Kaminari, and he had no qualms quietly cheering for her during her fights against Kaminari, Iida and Todoroki, but got worried when she fought against Todoroki. Shinsou then checked up on Amy after she was defeated by Todoroki, because he could tell that Todoroki didn’t beat Amy using his full strength and that Amy was distracted by a new power awakening.

Their friendship is eventually recognized by Amy’s classmates when the Sports Festival ended, and because of their closeness, some of her friends such as Kaminari and Sero accused her of having feelings for Shinsou and vice-versa, which did confuse them for a little bit. Amy denied having any feelings for Shinsou and expressed disgust at the thought because she admits that she doesn’t view Shinsou like that. Shinsou, feeling peer-pressured and uncertain about how he feels about Amy, takes her out to the movies to watch Infinity War and play games at the arcade as a ‘date’. And Amy awkwardly agreed to do so, but when he feels nothing other than light-hearted fun with his friend, he confesses that he only loves her as a best friend and can’t feel any sort of romantic love for her.

Shinsou: Amy…You and I have known each other forever, we’re best friends right? Well, I’ve realized something ever since you’ve been gone. Every person has someone in their life that they can’t live without. And that person is someone who steals a bounce-house for you on your birthday because you desperately wanted one. Someone who sneaks you out of class when you get food poisoning and goes into the boy’s bathroom to wash the vomit out of your hair. Someone who picks you up and feeds you ice cream when you’re just so miserable you need to drown it in everything that can’t possibly be healthy. Amy Martinez, that person is you. But I don’t love you. I mean, I do love you but I don’t love-love you like that. I can’t...

Amy: (touched) Hitoshi… I don’t love-love you either, not like that, but I do love you too. I love you platonically Hitoshi Shinsou. and that’s all. Like... seriously that is all.

Shinsou: (smiles) Yeah… me too Ames… okay since this ain’t a date no more and I already paid, let’s just watch Infinity War. As FRIENDS.

Amy: Friends! Ooh but get me a bunch of snacks! Chocolate! (Shinsou rolls his eyes)

Amy, touched by his words, confesses that she feels the exact same way and says that she absolutely loves him, but cannot romantically love him either. Happy and relieved, the friends proceed to enjoy each other’s company and later prank the people in the movie theater and smugly tell the students of 1-A that they’re just friends.

That being said, their relationship has had its ups and downs because of Amy’s new emotional instability that Shinsou quickly picks up on. Although Amy felt bad for letting him see that she wasn’t all there, she felt comfortable enough around him to open up about her issues because she knew Shinsou would never judge her for anything. And she was proven right, and although Shinsou was initially confused and alarmed by the new changes in his friend, he still kept an eye on Amy and realized that her temper is worse than it used to be, and her reactions are much more intense and inappropriate which he assumes is from trauma.

But because Amy up until this point, had acted like her normal and energetic self around him, he still acknowledges her as the girl from his childhood but who had been changed because of things she had seen. So he doesn’t act any different in spite of the revelation that Amy is prone to mood swings, although he does act more fearful when he senses that she’s going to get angry.

Nonetheless, he was extremely worried when she was taken along with Bakugo, and spent the last three nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep because he was worried that she was going to get hurt. To the point of having a mental breakdown until his father comforts him, telling him that Amy’s a strong girl and that the pro-heroes are going to find her which put him at some ease. And he is beyond relieved when Amy does come back rescued, but is dispirited when he finds out that Amy was rescued by Madison rather than the 1-A students and heroes as she tells him everything. Shinsou realized that Amy was upset that her classmates couldn’t rescue her and despite the fear he felt, he stood by her side and comforted her.

Shortly afterwards, his unwavering patience with her is put to a test after the Overhaul arc where Amy’s newfound realization about the pro-heroes abandonment her drives her to the brink. To the point where Amy opted out her classes Culture Festival event and instead went to the General Studies with Shinsou to help with their haunted house and he was well aware that Amy wasn’t well due to her irritability and the fact that he had caught her disassembling things with her telekinesis fueled by her anger.

Shinsou felt way too scared to say anything, he said nothing to provoke her when they spoke, and merely agreed with everything she was saying and even tried to cheer her up as she was working with him by making the jokes she normally would. To his relief some of the jokes worked but he still sensed her anger, but also sympathized with her and felt some anger too when he learned that had the heroes taken care of her like they planned to do for Eri, that she never would have had to leave Japan and could have stayed and not inadvertently have him suffer losing his best friend.

He also realized just how embittered and resentful Amy became towards Midoriya, Aizawa and the entirety of UA and that it wasn’t just a mood swing this time since her anger wasn’t wavering. He began to fear that if they weren’t careful that she was going to explode and potentially destroy the school, and so he did his best to cheer her up. Unfortunately, his fears come true during 1-A’s concert as he sees her bubbling with rage over her classmates having a good time without her, and when she runs out he desperately runs after her to follow, but his efforts are futile as Amy angrily flies back to her mansion.

As he tried hard to call and text her, Amy reluctantly ignored all of his calls for fear that she would hurt him. As Amy was aware that Shinsou had stuck with her the entire time, but knew she was going to do something foolish and reckless, so she deliberately avoided him so she could spare him from getting hurt or in any sort of trouble.

The next day, she starts spiraling out of control and lashing out by attacking UA, but makes sure to avoid actually hurting the students unless they attack her. Distraught by his friend’s meltdown, Shinsou takes it upon himself to try and talk her down and bring her back to her mansion. Although, he didn’t get out of that incident unscathed as he was slightly wounded by falling debris that he ignored for the sake of getting Amy to come down from her high. In the process he had to brainwash some people as students were told to evacuate and get away, but he had no plans to leave her. In the nick of time, Shinsou finds Amy in the middle of her fight with Midoriya, and inadvertently saves Midoriya from being maimed by Amy’s Sentio Furia, as he calls for her when seeing her about to perform the deed.

Looking up at her sadly, A remorseful Amy ceases the attack and she comes down from the fury over to Shinsou who offered to walk her back home as she angrily told the teachers that she’s quitting the school. Later on in the aftermath of the destruction she caused, Shinsou would even defend Amy from Aizawa, The Big 3 and the staff of UA and doesn’t let them put any blame on her and even makes excuses for her actions by saying that she’s been through enough and that she shouldn’t be judged for what she does.

Shinsou: I know it looks bad but, Amy is not bad, she just grew up in an environment that showed her a lot of bad things, the person who took care of her, turned out to be a bad person. She never wanted that life, she was forced into it and learned to do bad things, but it’s not her fault.

Aizawa: She’s unstable Shinsou. Although I admit, I should have considered what could have happened if she was under Fiona’s care. I regret it, it was my mistake trusting Fiona. But the damage Martinez did is done, and that’s my fault. I knew that witches were powerful, yet I didn’t even think to keep her in check.

Shinsou: Aizawa-sensei, please, she’s part of your class isn’t she? She’s part of our school. She’s one of us, yeah… she might be a witch, but she’s here to be a hero, just like everyone else is here.

Aizawa: I know you feel close to her, but there’s a lot you still don’t know about witches Shinsou. You don’t know how much they’re capable of, and that only makes them more dangerous and unpredictable.

Nezu: Exceptionally powerful beings. I supposed we overlooked Ms. Martinez’s capability of destruction and took her at face value when she came in with such an upbeat personality. A loss of a potential hero, but perhaps allowing her to quit was the right choice for the sake of all our students and teachers given her mental state.

Shinsou: (clenching his fists) I know she messed up the school, I know she has issues, but you’re… you’re all talking about her like she’s s-some kind of an animal that needs to be kept in a cage…

Cordelia: (doesn’t even announce her presence) And she most certainly is not.

Although Shinsou also affirms that even though Amy did do some seriously bad things and doesn’t deny what she’s done, he argues that they shouldn’t turn her away either. His best efforts are largely ignored though because the staff was more concerned about the damage and upset that she caused, but before Shinsou could say something is when an incensed Cordelia stepped in and shamed all of the teachers and the heroes in the room, while also telling them to pardon all of her punishments.

But, later on, Amy goes on a hedonistic bender with Madison, which forces Shinsou and several of the 1-A students to go looking for her. They eventually found her, with Amy claiming that she’s going back to New Orleans, but Bakugou and Shinsou manage to convince her to stay. Although Amy is still unwilling to speak with her other classmates, she is taken back home by Shinsou. The following day, as 1-A is discussing their erratic classmate’s situation, Shinsou visits to explain everything about Amy in hopes to clear the air.

Unfortunately, after Amy’s attack on UA her classmates are left shocked, horrified but also greatly saddened by what their friend and classmate had done. To the point of feeling guilty for not stopping her and letting their friendship with her act as a crutch when it came to bringing her down. But when some of them start doubting if Amy was any good to begin, Shinsou doesn’t hesitate to tell them how Amy truly is.

He tried to extend his perspective of her onto the other students, but many of them began assuming that she’s mentally unfit, only for Shinsou to state that her instability isn’t her fault, and also makes sure to let Amy’s classmates try to understand her. However, they all became much more afraid of her than they were initially as witnessing her attack the school and subdue the teachers and the Big 3 showed them just how destructive she is.

Although classmates such as Kaminari and Todoroki were more willing to give him and Amy the benefit of the doubt due to personally knowing her as well. Tsuyu, Mirio, Iida and Tokoyami commented that she’s more dangerous than they imagined due to her being unstable and yet still in control of her power, much to Shinsou’s annoyance as he angrily rebuffs them and goes off on them when some of them even liken her to a villain in the making. He also calls them out for the double standards that they are projecting onto Amy as well during his tirade.

Kirishima: (with a despondent look) Why does it feel so… wrong?

Shinsou: (to everyone in the dorms) Amy was your friend too. That’s why. She cared about you guys, liked you even.

Tsuyu: (in a sad, yet dubious tone) She was our friend, and yet it didn’t stop her from attacking our school, our teacher, and our friend Midoriya. A friend wouldn’t do that, and they wouldn’t be so willing to do that either. We all knew that she was a trouble-maker, but I didn’t know she could be so mean.

Kaminari: Hehe, okay c’mon hold the phone, maybe it’s not what a friend would do but, she must have been having a really bad day or something, I mean she was pretty grumpy before we even got started on the Culture Festival stuff. Amy likes to make jokes like me, but she is not mean, she was just having a bad day, nobody’s really their best on a bad day.

Shinsou: Exactly. You think she meant to hurt anyone? She’s not like that.

Iida: That’s no excuse for putting other students in danger, and she did just that. She let her emotions get to her and she left all of this destruction in her path. Attacked her own classmate, her own teacher and put everyone’s lives at risk, whether she meant it or not. She has no moral restraint…

Shinsou: (clenches his fists) Moral restraint? Is that all you care about? You have no idea what was going on at the time…

Todoroki: Something was troubling her, memories of her past no doubt. I thought something was wrong, but I didn’t even think to ask. I don’t know what was going on, but I’m sure it was painful for her. That anger, I saw it in her eyes, and that kind of anger can blind anyone, but I know Martin-… Amy. She isn’t cruel by nature, I don’t think she intended to truly harm anyone, because she didn’t hurt any of us, except for… Midoriya. But I think there was some restraint on her part, she put us all to sleep rather than harming us even when we tried to get her to stop.

Tokoyami: That’s because Martinez is much more powerful than we took her for. There is some restraint but that’s why she’s so strong. With a power than can expand to such lengths, I can imagine it’s hard to control when her emotions overwhelm her, and yet it seems that she does so willingly, she knows her magic well. Well enough to keep her own restraint on it, and only loses it because she wants to and knows how to manipulate it. She retains a sense of control over her powers even when they spiral out of control, combine that with her lack of regard for others, selfishness and unwillingness to be reasoned with. She’s dangerous, and her losing control of her magic so freely to attack her own allies only makes her even more dangerous to others.

Shinsou: (getting increasingly defensive) So what if she has dangerous powers? That doesn’t mean anything, your quirk is dangerous, Bakugo and Todoroki’s quirks are dangerous, that girl Midoriya saved, her quirk is dangerous, hell… even Midoriya’s own quirk is dangerous, so why is Amy being singled out when your quirks are just as guilty of being dangerous?

Mirio: Because she used her power against her own friends! Look at what she did to our school, and you weren’t there when she was being so mean to little Eri. Then she hurt our teachers, she hurt my friends, and tried to kill Midoriya, her own friend, and whether she hurt her other classmates or not, she still put them in danger and she hurt people. She didn’t care who she hurt, she did what she wanted, and disturbed a peaceful day at school, only… a villain would do something like that don’t you think?

Shinsou: (loses all of his remaining patience as he chuckles) A villain? You think she’s a villain? (suddenly shouting) What the hell do any of you know?! I know her better than anyone! If you think I’m oblivious or ignoring this I’m not! I get it! She’s made some serious mistakes! I know she has! I know she as a lot of issues, I know exactly just how messed up she is, but she is NOT bad, she is not the monster you’re all making her out to be. She is not a villain! She’s a very emotionally disturbed girl and none of you can get that! Just because she’s not some sad thing crying for out for help from a hero or some goody goody two shoes wannabe hero doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve to be helped or treated like a lost cause!

Bakugo: Hey loser! Stop acting like you’re the only one who knows her!

Shinsou: What makes you think you know her?! You don’t know her at all! I understand her better than all of you! (Bakugo seethes with rage but Kirishima stops him from trying to attack)

Midoriya: (finally speaks up) Shinsou! She’s our friend too! You don’t think we’re sad too?! She... has serious issues, I thought she did but I just didn’t see it until later, but you’re not the only one who’s sad, you’re not the only one worried about her, you don’t think we know how it feels knowing a friend is struggling?!

Shinsou: No you don’t know how it feels! You only care about yourselves and a bunch of rando strangers! None of you can possibly understand what it’s like to know that your own family is struggling! None of you!

Shinsou is very defensive of Amy, especially when people don’t listen to him about her, and will even defend her from friends as he quickly states that they can’t understand her the way he does, but is prone to being hurtful and pointing out others flaws when they start pointing out Amy’s flaws regardless of if he’s friends with them or not. It is most likely because Shinsou knows what it’s like to be outcasted in favor of others, much like Amy has been almost all their lives. Also, because Amy is like family to him, he is very protective of her and gets extremely angry if people start assuming that she’s villainous or a bad person, whether he’s friends with them or not.

Nonetheless, after this incident Shinsou makes sure to give everyone a certain ‘protocol’ whenever Amy is in a bad mood, and frequently tells them to be mindful of her so she doesn’t get triggered for the sake of seeing her happy and unbothered. Usually he does this ‘for their own good’ but can easily disregard them if they don’t listen to him about her.

Unfortunately, the next day Amy refuses to speak to Shinsou out of guilt for everything she had done and because she was using scrying in the bathtub to spy on the teachers and her classmates which makes her avoid him once she sees how much she’s burdened him and upon seeing what her teachers and classmates really think of her. Not wanting Shinsou to lose everything and the respect others have for him, Amy considers to cut him off of her friendship so he doesn’t have to sacrifice anything else for her. And also at that point she began to genuinely think that Shinsou would be better off without her, so she stops calling and texting him and ignoring all of his calls and texts.

But Shinsou becomes very upset when she doesn’t answer his calls or texts and he goes to her mansion out of worry. Amy avoids him entirely, feeling that she isn’t going to do any good for him and that he should focus on his heroic progress instead of her. Shinsou on the other hand, despite his priorities is still worried about Amy and cares for her enough to look for her. But then Amy tries to get him to leave her alone by texting that she doesn’t want to be his friend anymore. Hurt, Shinsou angrily yells for her to tell him face to face, but an emotional Amy does come to him and tearfully admits that she lied and still wants to be his friend.

Shinsou calms her down and listens to her side of the story, and he gets a much clearer understanding of her plight and was extremely horrified when she recounted every single horror she lived through in New Orleans. Afterwards he continued to show great concern for her well-being and visited her at her mansion everyday to check on her while she recovered from her meltdown.

Shinsou: So you watched Misty, Nan, Fiona... all of them... die?

Amy: Yeah… pretty much. Then the rest of the other shit happened, and I come back and realized that none of that shit would have happened if the heroes took me in. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Shinsou: (silent for a while even though he doesn’t hide his disappointment and sympathy) How the fuck did you survive all of that?

Amy: I don’t know. I almost wish I didn’t. Maybe it’d be better, it’s why I told you that ‘I don’t wanna be friends’ bullshit, I’m not any good for you Hitoshi… I’m sorry. I just wanted to protect you from me.

Shinsou: Stop. That’s not necessary. Just talk to me, you know I wouldn’t do that for anyone else, but just talk to me if you feel like you’re going to break again. Okay?

Amy: (smiles softly) Okay.

Although Amy started to get more irritable and more irrational when Shinsou had to go train with Aizawa, since she was still mad at him. Despite this and another argument later, Amy and Shinsou reached an understanding as she apologized because she knew Shinsou wasn’t at fault for anything and he forgives him.

As he visited her often, Mallory and Madison told him to give her space and he reluctantly did so when it became apparent that there were times when even he couldn’t do anything to make her feel better. Dejected but accepting of this, Shinsou’s concern for Amy remained but he also made sure to live his own life. Although he did still play his part and do his best to cheer her up whenever she looked depressed and was elevated whenever she showed a willingness to have fun with him during her isolation.

However, in the original timeline when Amy has to return to Robichaux to help her coven due to the rising threat of the Anti-Christ Michael Langdon, Shinsou is once again crestfallen to have to see his friend leave as he tearfully comments that he lost her again. Fortunately, he was able to see her again thanks to Cordelia’s spell keeping him and the rest of 1-A and Aizawa asleep under Misty’s Louisiana Swamp mud when Michael destroys the Earth and they are allowed to emerge and reunite briefly with Amy and the witches. Shinsou would then put his life on the line to save Amy from the Anti-Christ as when Michael begins his attack, Shinsou quickly urges Amy to go help Mallory and briefly fights with Michael.

Sadly, Michael easily overpowers him and breaks his hand when he tries to punch him, and when Michael attempts to follow Amy, Shinsou uses his capture weapon in a desperate attempt to get him away from her, willing to die so Amy can live and save the world. Unfortunately, this move allows Michael to pull Shinsou closer to him, allowing him to grab his neck and snap it, killing him and destroying his soul, which horrifies Amy as she screams and wails for him.

Although Amy was overwhelmed upon feeling Shinsou’s soul disappear, along with the rest of her classmates who fought against Michael to help the witches, it was Shinsou’s death and her friends’ death that motivated her to hurry and rush to help Mallory with the Tempus Infinitum spell.

Thankfully, Cordelia’s sacrifice allows Mallory’s power to awaken and Amy doesn’t hesitate to follow her and give her power to her so they can both go back in time to prevent the Anti-Christ from rising. As Amy and Mallory return to 5 years in the past, she is disturbed by all the memories that come flooding back to her, but remains focused on the task at hand as she and Mallory are allowed to redeem the Anti-Christ and prevent the apocalypse in the new and current timeline.

Amy was aware that she could technically change all of what happened, but agreed with Mallory that they shouldn’t change the entirety of the future and only change some of the worse aspects that impacted the witches as Amy reluctantly agrees. Although, when Amy reunited with Shinsou oncemore, the second meeting (that Shinsou wasn’t aware of) was even more tearful as Amy clung to him and cried outloud for him.

As all of the events that happened in the original timeline play out, Amy finds herself once again isolated in her mansion as she realized that she hadn’t completely changed from the original timeline because of how the events still played out exactly the same. Fortunately in this current timeline Amy is still being cared for by Mallory, Madison and Shinsou and then she would meet her new best friend Ashlen on the internet, who became a source of comfort for Amy. However, Shinsou was somewhat distrustful of her new internet friend, as he became even more protective of Amy and grew wary of anyone else who got close to her because he didn’t want her to get hurt again. Despite that, he trusted Amy’s judgment as she happily kept chatting with her new friend.

When Amy eventually decided to return to UA, Shinsou was ecstatic as the two of them shared an affectionate, tearful hug, especially since Amy had returned during the War arc.

Amy then would take him and 1-A to New Orleans as an apology and as a means to help her friends recover from the events of the War arc.

Although upon being attacked by witch hunters in New Orleans Shinsou was crestfallen when he had to watch Amy get killed by the witch hunters who succeeded in impaling her and was inconsolable when he believed her to be dead. Fortunately Misty and Cordelia were able to find her body in the ocean and revived her as the two friends tearfully hug. Afterwards Shinsou would accompany Amy, Madison and Midoriya to the Murder House and free the trapped souls with Amy constantly protecting Shinsou and vice-versa. And after her mission with Midoriya, Shinsou decided to do something nice for her. Remembering Amy express her regrets for not being able to perform at the Culture Festival, he gets them a spot during a festival in New Orleans where he and Amy performed and sang ‘True Colors’ together and Amy happily thanked him afterwards and called him her ‘very best friend’.

While it might not always be healthy, Shinsou almost always forgives Amy for anything she does no matter how amoral or messed up it may be, and that includes murder, manipulation and deception or even going on a rampage throughout his school.

Although Shinsou is not entirely lenient on Amy, as he can tell her when he thinks she is wrong about something and tries to balance out her craziness by acting as the logical and rational one. Despite this however, because Shinsou is terrified of her temper and her power, he often finds himself buckling under pressure and instead opts to hold his tongue if it means not upsetting Amy. Even apologizing for little reasons when he senses that Amy is in a bad mood or whenever she raises her voice. And because Amy sometimes doesn’t always realize just how overbearing she’s being, she was oblivious to the power imbalance between the two of them, with Amy having most of the power and Shinsou being the one bending over backwards for her.

Eventually Shinsou does secretly admit to himself and later to Kaminari that it can be really emotionally taxing on him to take care of Amy whenever she’s upset because he’s terrified of her either lashing out, having another meltdown, hurting someone or hurting herself. That being said, Shinsou has also had panic attacks whenever he thinks about Amy’s rage and freezes up in fear whenever she gets angry because of her capability for destruction. He pretends that it doesn’t bother him, but because of his friendship with her and unwillingness to admit that his friend scares him, he bottles it up and continues to make excuses for her.

Amy eventually realizes this in the second year when Ashlen enters the picture and she sees what kind of emotional struggles he goes through whenever she got upset and saw how it affected Ashlen too. Feeling even more guilty, Amy apologizes to both of them, and plans to make amends to Shinsou by being a better friend to him, and this shows when Shinsou has his own emotional meltdowns (albeit much more downplayed compared to Amy’s) and Amy gladly looks after him and helps him feel better.

Overall, their friendship is very strong, albeit with some slight co-dependence on their parts as Shinsou and Amy both suffer their own breakdowns at the mere thought of losing each other or no longer being friends, which is why he got pissed at her for lying that she didn’t want to be friends and she broke down immediately even if it was just a lie.

Later on, their relationship remains as loving and close, especially when they add Ashlen into their friend-group as the two take it upon themselves to be their best selves for her, although they’re still not above acting like trouble-makers even with Ashlen around and playfully joking around with her. Nonetheless, they’re a dynamic duo who love each other and will do anything for the other.

And though I know, since you've awakened her again She depends on you, she depends on you She'll go alone and never speak of you again We depend on you, I’ll depend on you...

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boredliondisorder · 4 years

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The MU* Incident

I haven’t spoken in detail about this cycle just because I spent so long (over 10 years!) thinking I was completely in the wrong.

It was 2008 when I met someone I’ll call “Cody.”

I always seem to be attracted to people who readily compliment me without prompting. Of course, at that point I didn’t know I had BPD, or that one of my symptoms was that I felt a universal lack of appreciation in pretty much everything I attempted. Cody gave me what I needed--praise, admiration, time, friendship--and she’d tell me my art and writing were her favorite.

I should have realized something was wrong. I’d literally seen her do this with other people. Befriend them, get what she wanted from them, and then lose interest as if they were toys and she was a toddler. But I didn’t care. We’d RP together and create amazing stories. She was the first person online I ever gave my phone number to, and we’d call each other and text about further plans for RP. I felt loved.

For a while, the fact that I felt unloved by everyone else didn’t matter.

Even though I’d seen it happen before, I felt like my friendship with her was real. So I was confused and upset when she stopped talking to me--when she found someone else to fawn on. I think someone without the problems I had would have been annoyed, but could have eventually moved on. I couldn’t.

If you don’t know what a “favorite person” is, here’s a summary. They are your world. You rely on them for acceptance, validation, praise. For me, a FP is like a parent, though FPs for other people fill other roles. I didn’t know what any of this was at the time, but looking back, I can tell that Cody filled that role for me, and she abruptly decided to move on. She’d become best friends with one of the admin.

I was devastated. I remember staring out into a thunderstorm one night and calling her, only for her to give me one-word replies to nearly everything I said. I tried to win her attention back in any way I could, but she was always too busy. Maybe later, she’d say.

Still on edge from all this, I applied for a storyteller role on the MU* we both played on, because I needed that admiration and validation. I wanted to be able to do things for people so they would give me praise in return. (Yeah, it was unhealthy.)

Cody also applied for the storyteller role. We both got it.

At first I was thrilled, because I thought we’d be working together again. But she excluded me from most of the planning (instead bringing in other people and a couple of the admin.) When things reached their worst point, I demanded that I be included. I was so upset that I’d scratched deep trenches into my thigh, and I told them as much.

Cody called the police.

I’ve learned over time that people who call the police on you do not have your best interests at heart. They don’t want to help you. They are using this as a punishment, because they know what the police do to mentally ill people. I didn’t know that then.

I was scared when the police showed up at my door. They made me come with them. I asked what would happen if I didn’t; they said they would handcuff me and charge me with resisting arrest. So I went.

They took me to the hospital, and the hospital remanded me to a “closed ward.” That’s a mental health hospital that you can’t leave. The windows are barred, the doors are locked, and you’re trapped with all sorts of people--doctors and patients--of whom you’re terrified. One of the patients would find young women in the ward and masturbate in front of them. My roommate would talk all the time, 24/7, and would start shouting in the middle of the night when no one was paying attention. I wasn’t allowed to draw, or write, or read books, or anything.

It was 6 days before I saw a psychiatrist. He was very nice, and asked me pointed questions I no longer remembered. He finally diagnosed me with borderline personality disorder, and I was so relieved. This thing I did had a fucking name.

I couldn’t wait to get back to the MU* and tell everyone. I couldn’t wait to tell them that this shit I did had a reason behind it. That I was sick, and I could get help for this!

I told the psychiatrist that I had a job that I needed to get back to, or I’d be fired. Thankfully he agreed and put me into day therapy for a week, then giving me clearance to go back to work.

I was so relieved when I got home that I slept for a whole day.

When I tried to log onto the MU* to tell everyone one had happened, I found that they’d deleted my characters and logons. Just gone. Didn’t let me save anything from them. They were just deleted.

I wanted to know why. I messaged Cody’s best-friend-admin, and he said that he was done with hearing excuses, that he wanted me gone, that he didn’t care what I said, I was no longer welcome. He said that every time something happened, I came up with a new reason as to why, and at this point I needed to stop lying.

It wasn’t the first experience I had with being told I was lying. But it’s the one I remember most clearly... Because after that he said “maybe when you stop being such a spaz, we can be friends again.”

I told him I didn’t think that would be possible. I haven’t talked to him since.

At least karma took care of Cody. About a year later, there was a horrible storm outbreak in the area she lived, and she told everyone she’d lost her house and she was working 24 hour shifts at the hospital. People did some digging, discovered her house was still fine, and that she’d been fired from the hospital some time ago, which meant she was just sitting around lying about being homeless.

Now that I’ve really looked into BPD and how people treat those who suffer from it, I’ve started to realize I wasn’t in the wrong. I was undiagnosed and very upset, but that never gave anyone the right to treat me how they did.

#self harm tw #borderline personality disorder #bpd #actuallybpd #depression #anxiety #personality disorder #mental illness

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jeanklemwriter · 4 years

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There's a movie from the 90s that's really popular; it's a roadtrip movie about a dad and his son. The dad is worried about his teenage son growing distant and plans a cross-country roadtrip, culminating on a campout on a fishing site that he had been on with his father years ago. He's extremely affectionate towards his son, but painfully unaware that his son is growing up and that that paradoxically means he needs his own space to grow into his own person. Meanwhile, the son is a little shit; he is deeply embarrassed by his father, and wants as little to do with him as possible. In fact, the movie starts with a (pretty terrifying) nightmare of the kid turning into his own dad. Far from a fishing trip, he wants to go to a concert so he can show off to a girl he likes. So he changes the trip route behind his father's back to avoid the kitschy tourist traps his father wants to visit. Along the way, the father and son realize that they *have* grown apart with each other, but they've also got plenty to love each other over; the father comes to respect his son's growth, and the son learns to not be a little shit to his adoring father.

Because anyone reading this that isn’t me is Like That, you know I’m talking about A Goofy Movie.

Let’s ignore for a minute that I hold stuff from Disney in contempt, because that’s neither here nor there--and besides, to this movie’s credit, the basic idea is solid. This is treated as an underloved classic by most people, and the plot alone is reason enough. Kids young enough to have seen A Goofy Movie when it was new have grown up enough to appreciate what it was like for their parents when their kids reached That Age. Also, Goofy is a Good Dad™. The worst thing about him is that he’s painfully unaware of Max’s hobbies, and that’s mostly because... well, it’s Goofy.

But that’s the point I wanna lead into; as good as the basic plot is, I, as the kids say, can’t take A Goofy Movie “seriously”--because this movie wants me to empathize towards Goofy.

Again, ignoring that Goofy is a Disney Character™, trying to tell a dramatic story about him is like trying to make a clowncar wreck serious. To me, it just feels cloying. You’re using a character whose entire shtick is “deeply unintelligent”. Any pathos attempted feels extremely unearned. It’s like making Grave of the Fireflies sexy.

But bear with me, because I’m not here to take a dump on people that like A Goofy Movie. A lot of the stuff I like is usually on the receiving end of this. Y’know, like Kamen Rider.

The first time I introduced a friend to Kamen Rider, it was with Kamen Rider OOO (read “ohs”). By coincidence, it was the only Rider of whom I could readily find footage on Youtube. And the person I showed it to couldn’t stand it. This was a person fairly used to the idea of tokusatsu; they’d grown up with Power Rangers after all. But OOO’s transformation and costume just ruined any kind of attempt at him “taking it seriously”.

Suspension of disbelief is one of those really hard things to pull off, and Japanese media in particular has a higher cliff to scale, I’ve noticed. It’s been pretty bewildering to me for a long time that Goofy is allowed a very personal story about paternal love but, y’know, people ugly-crying in One Piece is weird.

And like, I get it. Some stuff in Japanese pop culture can be weird. Like, take the Nopons for example.

Xenogears/Xenosaga/Xenoblade-creator Tetsuya Takahashi really likes making a) complicated stories about religion, politics, and personal morals and b) putting weird, tiny fluffballs with speech impediments into these stories as significant characters. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has the Nopon, a species of puffball-people who speak in broken English and have the general intelligence of toddlers. A current plot I’ve encountered in my playthrough of XC2 involves Tora, a Nopon who built his own Blade-companion (as opposed to summoning one from a Crystal, like other people). It turns out Tora’s Blade, Poppy, was based off of his grandfather’s (”Granpypon”) design. His father (”Daddypon”) and grandfather aren’t around to see Poppy activated, and we soon learn why: a masked Nopon and a troop of gunmen shot the Nopon scientists dead while they worked on Poppy’s prototype.

Silly? Oh yeah. The sight of a rotund, two-foot-high puffball in a lab coat and evil-looking mask holding a flintlock pistol is some goofy-ass anime bullshit. But can we really call it sillier than Goofy getting mad at Max after Max’s lie is revealed?

Stories hinge on us being able to suspend disbelief. And I’ve spent a long time why it is much of Western pop culture has a hard time suspending disbelief when it comes to Japanese media. I never struggled with that, and I’m not entirely sure it’s because I started watching anime at a young age. I met plenty of kids who had no patience for Digimon, after all.

What is it that makes us want to buy into a story? It can’t be characters alone, because frankly I’m not a tremendous fan of the Nopon in Xenoblade. And writing isn’t enough, else I wouldn’t care that Goofy’s emotional breakdown in his car after he sees Max changed the route on his map feels plain wrong because it’s Goofy. But I’m not sure this is entirely a voluntary thing, either; I don’t want to buy into a story about a rotund mammal investigating his father’s death, but the story has won me over by virtue of its sincerity. A Goofy Movie can’t quite do that with me, even though it’s no less sincere than Tora’s search for familial justice.

I definitely feel like people who watch anime or consume Japanese media in some capacity have an easier time buying into weirder concepts, partly because so much anime has bizarre concepts from the get-go. But having written stuff myself, it’s my belief that when an author writes something it’s because they meant something. There was something they wanted to say to the world. That their mouthpiece wound up being Goofy probably shouldn’t take away from that.

A Goofy Movie is still a good movie, even if I can’t take it seriously. I’m not sure how people buy into it so willingly, given what it is and what it does, but I guess that’s something to be admired on their end. I appreciate that of them. This all feeds into a weird thing about media, and it’s that at the end of the day a lot of what we consume has everything to do with whether or not it resonates with us. A lot of media discussion feels like a competition at times, but it’s ultimately important to remember that not everything is going to echo in someone’s heart the same way. We can’t really expect that of people or works, especially when so many different people make such different things.

So maybe the lesson here is, there’s more to something than “being able to take it seriously”. Maybe that phrase is one of those stopgap solutions people use to verbalize a much bigger feeling towards something that we otherwise can’t quite express--which, I think, is totally fair.

It’s okay if you can’t take Kamen Rider seriously. I have a hard time taking A Goofy Movie seriously.

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vertebralheights · 5 years

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hi yes hello ivy please if you wouldn't mind expanding on what eros was talking about -- tell us more about this skeletons being revived from dead humans thing? :0

*Cracks Knuckles* My time has come, lads.

For ya’ll sake I’m putting this under a readmore.

SO! First of all, a disclaimer. The original idea of skeletons resurrecting dead bodies was inspired in part by the comic/au Skelechara, which you can read here! It’s really pure. I honestly can’t remember how much of my resurrection lore existed in 2015 when I first conceptualized VH so it’s best to cover my bases, as my memory is terrible and I can;t remeber when I started developing that particular aspect of my lore.

A second disclaimer is that some of this is subject to change. I’m fussing with aspects of it all the time. But as of right now, this is ~how it works~ for my version of skele-lore. I’ll be presenting it as a sort of... Bulleted? List? I guess?

A THIRD disclaimer is that for this to flow out of me, I have to throw down some not-yet-spoken about lore with some of my other skeleton ocs who I don’t PLAY but will feature in a future project, so bare with me. Links will be provided so you can take a poke around

Not all skeletons can resurrect human corpses, or any other corpses for that matter. It’s a unique skill that is pretty rare. There haven’t been enough cases of the ability to do much study on it. The skill itself is often kept hidden, as it is a pretty taboo topic as well as pretty dangerous if you don;t know what you’re doing.

As of right now, I only have FOUR skeletons in my massive skeleton roster (that is ever growing) that are capable of this ability. One is MV Boli, who HAS the ability but has never done it and is not aware that she can do it. The second is Zapfino Dingbat, her father, who has done the most research on the topic, and has had the most practice. The third is a skeleton named Jokerman, who is unique in that he himself is a made skeleton. He has three resurrections under his belt, three children named Mania, Vine and Dokdo, all of whom are VH residents.

The fourth is a skeleton by the name of Escrow who is also unique. He somehow managed to learn how to do resurrections, despite it being a skill that is unteachable. He is currently buried in some DEEP LORE but all you really need to know is that he was a colleague of Zapfino’s.

So, onto some particulars:

If a body is to resurrected, it’s best that it is complete. Missing limbs aren’t ideal, but you can work around it. If a body is too badly damaged, chances are you won’t be able to bring it back without a lot of healing magic. A very skilled skeleton healer can heal the bones of a body, even after it no longer has a soul. (Bo’s mother Lucida was one such healer.) If a human can live without it, a skeleton can too. (But if it’s missing a head, sorry pal but it’s donion rings)

The first step in a resurrection after you’ve made sure the skeleton is okay to be resurected, is removing the flesh. The SAFEST way to do this is to remove the flesh manually or ‘the old fashioned way’ which involves many different cleaning measures. HOWEVER, you can bypass this step is you expell a greater amount of magic when you perform the resurrection. This results in the flesh almost literally exploding off the body. This is gross, and takes WAY more magic than is needed. This is where resurrections can get pretty dangerous. This is the type of resurrection Zapfino Dingbat was doing during the war to make more skeletons to serve in the kinds army. More on that in a moment.

Resurrection itself is a very powerful type of magic that comes directly from the SOUL. It allows the resuscitator's SOUL to split open and release a burst of magic strong enough to manifest itself into en entirely new SOUL. Initially, this soul is quite weak, and needs time to form and grow before they can function on the same level as a regular skeleton. This is, obviously, exhausting for someone performing a resurrection. Over time ,the soul becomes permanently cracked and pitted from being opened and split so many times. Similar to a horcrux from Harry Potter, the user may start to sort of ‘lose themself’ from being spread so thin.

Once a body is revived, they often take on a mental age close to their body, but more often they act slightly younger. (A child of six may act like a toddler, a young adult like a teenager, etc. They will catch up, they have lots of time.) They seem to possess no memories whatsoever, starting essentially as a blank slate. They are capable of moving, speaking, and thinking, and within minutes of being resurrected personalities begin to emerge as their soul rapidly takes a more stable form. Personal, emotional aspects form much faster than physical ones. Magic wont start to manifest for at least a day or two, and from there it;s a matter of training and honing their skills. Some took to it, others did not.

During the war, there wasn’t time to allow for these new beings to form and complete their resurrections, so as a result they were very magically weak and died very easily on the battlefield. The original goal of Zapfino’s project was to up their numbers of strong skeleton warriors, but it became a sort of body factory, adding numbers to die, giving stronger fighters a better chance to survive. It was a cruel cycle. Not the intention, but it ended up being the reality. (This is kind of the basis for mine and Ero’s War Verse)

A first step is usually to give them a name and a brief overview of what the state of the world was. These people were pretty much told it was their purpose to fight (and die) and most of them took to it immediately as it was all they knew. If there was resistance, they would be forced to fight. It was a cruel system. Zapfino ignored how cruel it was for the sake of progress. Someday the war would end and he could do something better but for now, this is what needed to be done.

I need to reiterate that these bodies were initially VERY weak and easily killed. It was only with time that they’d become strong and essentially fully fledged monsters. All of the made skeletons alive now are fully capable of magic and are fully formed. The most recent skeleton that was made was Dokdo, made four years prior to current events.

Before I go on, I will cycle back to WHY Zapfino did this. He discovered his ability to do resurrections during his childhood after being taken in by humans black magic users. He mostly kept this talent under wraps as he grew older, only really digging into the idea of creating life, COMPLETE lives, once the war began. I HC that the war started with a different king, Asgore’s father. I think THIS king was much crueler and more violent and was more willing to do some nasty things to get ahead in the war. When Zapfino made his proposal to swipe human bodies and restore them to fight for the monsters, he IMMEDIATELY set him up with resources to do his dark work. Initially, he DID have good intentions. He wanted to rehabilitate them and give the ma REAL fighting chance but the numbers needed were too great to keep up, so they were made and sent out in rapid fire. He was working incredibly long hours doing impossible work. After the old king was slain, the damage that had been done was devastating. Sure, many lives were GAINED but just as many had been lost. He was ordered to cease. And he did. In public, anyway. After Asgore took over the practice DID continue, mostly in privacy. There were OTHER motives now. Dark, darker and yet darker motives.

During the war, many of these bodies died, but not all of them perished. Some of them even managed to live long enough to become great warriors. Some of them found love, married, had children. After the war there was a certain level of unrest within the skeleton community. They weren’t pleased with what had happened to their race, how they were made into pawns for the war effort. Zapfino become somewhat of an outcast in his community because of this, which isolated his entire family. He was still welcome with other scientists and with some of the made skeletons who were more thankful for their chance at life, but all in all, he was shunned as a cruel man. His involvement with the establishment of Vertebral Heights was seen as a redeeming effort by the public, an attempt to right the wrongs. Some, those that knew him or his wife or children, forgave him. Most didn’t.

During the colonization of the underground, as cities and settlements were built and as the core grew, skeletons as a race grew restless. In some monster communities the made skeletons were treated poorly, because the ‘reeked of human’ and ‘were more human than monster’ which unfortunately caused a lot of problems, which were only amplified my misinformation and propganda from various parties.

Eventually a decision was reached that the skeletons, made and born, would leave. The made ones especially. They were going to venture deeper underground and establish a new city. There was talk of exchanges and partnerships, but once they left, connection ceased entirely. After awhile, anyone who knew a skeleton figured they’d died off. So few remained behind, and if they tried to follow the original group down, they never came back. No one ever came back from Vertebral Heights. A search party was even sent by Asgore, and they never came back either. It was given up on, a great loss for monster kind. Or... So they thought, anyway.

SO TO RECAP ON THE BIOLOGY PART, AND SOME STUFF I FORGOT AND AM TOO LAZY TO GO ADD IN:

Can be resurrected from any corpse, human or animal as long as it it in decent working condition.

Initially the body is very weak, and they have no memories.

Memories do come back to them, often in dreams. But it’s never enough to restore them to who they were.

There is no correlation between who they were as humans and who they are now. Just because they were a violent human, doesn’t mean they will be a violent skeleton. This is especially true if the body has had time to sit without a SOUL for awhile.

Resurrection is a rare skill.

With time they can be just as strong as any regular skeleton monster (which is pretty damn strong)

The initial plan was better than what it turned into.

Resurrection can be very harmful to the monster doing the resurrection (Physically and Mentally)

The common monster probably doesn’t recall that this was ever a thing that happened.

The move to VH was inspired by mostly lies and propaganda against made skeletons.

Made skeletons are capable of having children with born ones.

If there’s anything else you want to know ask me I’m sure I’m missing beats here and there but I am so tired.

#;;Skeleton Biology #;;Lore #;;The Gang (Residents)#;;Doctor Zapfino #Anonymous

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astridstorm · 3 years

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Suffer (yes, suffer) the little children: it might save your soul.

For an audio recording of this sermon, click here.

Well, it isn’t always--even often--the case that the readings we’re given so nicely fit the occasion. Today we have a baptism (at the 10:30 service) and the blessing of the backpacks, so very much a day when we celebrate the little ones among us, as Jesus does in today’s Scripture passage.

This is one of the more famous scenes from Jesus’ life. And actually there are two such moments: in one, Jesus and the disciples are in a crowd and parents keep bringing their children to him for a blessing. The disciples get increasingly annoyed, and start to criticize the parents for letting their children just run up and interrupt like that--upon which Jesus criticizes the disciples. And then he says to them (my paraphrase), if you (and all of us grumpy, jaded grown-ups) don’t become as these children are, a little less grumpy and less jaded, you’ll never enter the kingdom of heaven.

In this story, today, Jesus and the disciples seem to be in a private home, and rather than there being many children crowding around, there’s just this one whom Jesus picks up to illustrate to his status-clamoring disciples what true greatness looks like.

I kind of wonder whose child that was, that somehow escaped its parents and wandered into the presence of Jesus and the disciples. My own son (when young) was prone to bolt, so I can relate. Although one translation says that Jesus picked the child up and “cradled” it in his arms. I’ve never thought of Jesus with toddlers or infants--children yes, but that added a tenderness to this moment I’d never considered.

In any case, there are two lessons we learn from Jesus’ encounters with children: one, to be like them, in their innocence, their curiosity, their keen sense of the present moment. It makes sense to me that, to be in a state of childlike wonder, is to have found the kingdom of heaven. To quote the French poet Paul Eluard, and I no longer remember the context, but it always struck me as a perfect for Jesus’ teachings on God’s kingdom: “There is another world, and it is in this world.”

Whether we access it is up to us.

The other lesson we learn from these children in Jesus’ life is to receive them with love, take good care of them. Don’t neglect or by any means abuse them.

In sermons on this passage, you often hear how children in Jesus’ day were less valued, And in a time of high infant and child mortality, I can imagine you would be more guarded with your affection, painful as that is to think of. The need for them, and their labor, was often great, as well. That’s no different in some parts of the world today. We’re privileged (here and now) to be able to treat and cherish our children the way we do, without fear of loss or the need to commodify them.

And yet, we also know that children now, as then, can be frustrating. Irritating at times. Never here at St. James of course, but I’ve seen parishioners shoot looks at parents whose kids were a little too raucous in the pews. Children may have a higher standing in our society today, but we still have our moments, like the disciples.

One of the things no one told me as a new parent was--well, two things. One, how much you’ll resort to yelling. Even non-yellers wind up yelling. It’s humbling. But second, how (sometimes) dull children can be, especially in those years when you have to look after them at every moment. The long Saturday afternoons stacking blocks, dressing dolls and reading the same children’s book over and over--those can be hard times. And of course you feel tremendous amounts of guilt just entertaining this thought because you know time is fleeting and they’re soon going to be grown and gone and all that. But still.

So across 2000 years and vastly different cultures Jesus' message still rings true: get your priorities straight and appreciate these little ones. More.

The writer and Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor preached a sermon on this passage; it’s published in a collection of her sermons I came upon years ago, but I never read this sermon until just this week. I want to read (actually conclude with) an excerpt from that.

She writes:

Do you want to spend time with God? Then get down on the floor with little Sarah over there. Get finger paint all over your clothes and laugh at her dumb jokes and never mind that you have more important things to do, like finishing the laundry or earning a living. She is not filler. She is the main event. Opening yourself up to her is better for your soul than finishing a project or getting a raise or even reading a whole book of the Bible.

There will be no payback. Oh, she may shout your name next time she sees you and run to hug your knees, but you cannot list her as a job reference or ask her to lend you a hundred dollars to get your car fixed. She is not good for anything like that. She is not in charge of anything, she cannot buy you anything, she will not even remember your birthday or invite you over for supper with some friends. She has no status, no influence, no income, which makes her great in God’s eyes. She’s just what you need. And you, you are able to work on your own greatness by understanding that it is what you do when you think no one is looking, with someone who does not count, for no reward, that ushers you into the presence of God.

That last line, again, and you could remind yourself of this every day of your life: (quote) “It is what you do when you think no one is looking, with someone who does not count, for no reward, that ushers you into the presence of God.”

Or as Jesus said: Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Amen.

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fredyates1992 · 4 years

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What To Ask A Reiki Master Blindsiding Diy Ideas

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Reiki 7 Chakra Symbols

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Reiki Chakra Energy Healing Bracelet

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#What To Ask A Reiki Master Blindsiding Diy Ideas #Reiki Therapy Louisville Ky

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all-about-wannaone · 7 years

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Wanna One as Princes [Part 3]

Before my school holidays come to an end today, this also marks the conclusion to this requested “Wanna One as Princes” series. :’) This is actually my first time attempting this kind of scenario writing due to the fact that I tend to write either full-on scenarios or simple categorisations with a rationale. Hence, thank you @theresnowarinbasingse for requesting and I really did have a lot of fun writing this. :) For this time around, I had less of a “writer’s block” and hence ended up with a relatively long bullet list for the remaining members of the band. ^^;; Nevertheless, thank you all for your support and I wish you guys another happy reading experience for the third and final part to this series. :)

PART 1: Yoon Jisung, Ha Sungwoon, Hwang Minhyun, Ong Seongwoo

PART 2: Kim Jaehwan, Kang Daniel, Park Jihoon, Park Woojin

Bae Jinyoung:

Will definitely be mistaken for a scholar, tutor or an extremely young government official because his head is always in the books.

Even when he is walking around town, his head will be buried in a new book every 3 days.

Probably developed a skill of walking without bumping into people when he is too absorbed in the text.

Brings about an aura of gentleness and intelligence; all the ladies seem to take notice of him, especially with the way he looks and his decently tall height.

Gets flustered when people bow and greet him, but returns the greeting with a smile and a nod (which leads to a bunch of squealing girls behind him)

Has hidden spots in the city which only he knows of and they are extremely scenic; loves to go to those places to clear his mind and forget his worries for a while.

Also needs a personal bodyguard because of his tendency to wander to these scenic areas.

Always deep in thought thinking of new ways to improve the people’s lives and is pretty innovative.

Delivers without needing to be asked and this leads to a peaceful, hopeful and happy community that he takes care of.

Word will reach him on the success of his new project; if it works, he will smile to himself and heave a sigh of relief. If not, he will go down on site to find out a little bit more with a positive attitude and can be counted on to make the necessary improvements.

Has an extremely friendly relationship with his community and they would casually invite them to their houses for a chat over tea or even a meal.

Loves children and animals; tells the children interesting stories of all the books he has read and is always seen caring for the dog in the city centre.

Probably writes novels or children’s books when he is free under the alias “Prince”.

All in all, he is gentle, sweet, thoughtful and hardworking despite his young age, showing his maturity to be worthy of a prince.

Still, it is recommended not to fool around with this prince, because he is also capable of dismissing incompetent, lazy and untrustworthy officials.

A little clumsy with the sword as well but has a deadly affinity with unconventional weapons and probably has a better knowledge of poisons than actual swords.

Still tries his best anyway and forces himself to read a bit more into the history of swords to aid his appreciation.

His awkward and slightly nervous nature would definitely be brought into his love life, because of the response that he might get.

Prefers to observe first before striking up a casual (and awkward) conversation to get to know her better.

When he wants to tell her, he’ll probably go “Would you possibly, maybe, likely go out with me? Only if you want to of course!” before getting all red faced; probably said this looking at the floor smh.

Has to repeat it because she could not hear and he inwardly cringes as he tries again, only to be greeted back with a grateful smile and a shy kiss on his cheek.

Lee Daehwi:

Similar to Woojin, he would also be mistaken to be a young and innocent teenager who seems too pure in such a cruel world.

Looks too young for his own good; people have doubts about him.

Shocked when they find out that he is actually the true prince and soon start treating him with the respect he deserves.

Returns the greeting with an enthusiastic bow and a bright smile, confusing others because he bows lower than the people themselves when they greet him.

Full of hope, optimism and only sees the good in people; always seen with the brightest smile which definitely brightens up someone’s day when people see him.

Earned the nickname “Walking Sunshine”.

Definitely has a personal bodyguard because of his naive personality, making sure that he does not get into any sort of trouble.

The older people treat him like he’s their own son and often give him homemade snacks and sweets, or perhaps cook him a simple homecooked meal.

Always grateful and is a great listener, whether it’s to the elderly, teenagers his age, the adults or toddlers, and everyone has a friendly relation with him.

Will go back to the palace to see how problems can be solved and will discuss them with his officials with as much seriousness as he can muster.

Luckily, all his officials are level-headed and are free of corruption, realising that the prince has quite a bit to learn but give their input anyway to the best of their ability.

Will try his best to rectify any issues, from basic necessities to solving neighbourly conflicts.

Might not always work, but is always seeking new, efficient and effective ways by reading up on history, writings passed down by generals and society.

Recognised for his hard work and determination by his teachers, parents, government officials, friends and the community.

The community turns out to be relatively peaceful, grateful and hopeful too; mirroring exactly what they see from the prince.

Is often seen taking care of stray animals which lie around the palace grounds or joining the teenagers for a game of football to de-stress.

Sometimes, he wishes that he was not born in a royal family because of the many rules and the requirements and often turns to his eunuch for deep conversations about life and how to overcome his personal obstacles.

Sweet, kind, positive, resilient and has an appreciation for objects and trinkets hand made by the local people (or the Arts in general).

Does not like combat classes because he hates to be involved in conflict which might hurt others; still trains with a wooden sword until he is ready to take on a real one.

With his pure, naive and happy nature, he is probably bound to confess by accident.

When the girl does something such as being clueless about simple things or cracks a really bad joke, he would say, “Why do I like you again?”

Gets all surprised when he realised what he said and plays it off; hoping and praying that the girl would like him back. (of course she would omg he’s such a smol so why not)

Lai Guanlin:

Possibly the youngest official prince that anyone has ever known and even the people are still surprised that he is their prince.

Might be young but is mature for his age and looks the part; extremely noticeable that he is a part of the royal family.

Doesn’t speak very much and occasionally nods in acknowledgement when people greet him, giving a small smile.

Extremely tall so no one really picks or doubts him in any way; looks confident in the way he carries himself and people look up to him (both literally and figuratively)

Usually finds out about the community’s issues from a lady who sells homemade snacks and sweets.

Treats him like he’s her own son too and he is always patronising her stall (he’s a young boy who loves treats like hers)

Gives some form of input but spends most of his time listening as he eats; a great listener to the people’s concerns and issues that they want to change.

Pretty well read and is a quick thinker; able to rectify issues in less than 3 days.

Everyone’s role model, especially for the sons in the community and they are encouraged to sign up for the examinations to become a government official.

Quick to spot incompetence, deception and possible hidden agendas so nobody dares to fool around under his watchful eye.

Only becomes a kid around children (whom he entertains physically) and animals (especially dogs) and shows his more childish side.

Usually found in the palace garden’s main pavilion doing his work and reading; finds his state of calm there.

Serious prince most of the time, but has his moments when he wishes that he could be like ordinary kids (but doesn’t show it)

Another perfect package and is one of the favourite students; good learner, caring personality, smart, appreciates the little things in life and is always willing to perfect his skills.

Adores his younger brother (ahem seonho ahem) and takes care of him extremely well.

The community follows after him; family-like, hard working and incredibly resilient because they can trust their royal family.

Does not really have any sentiments towards combat classes but he just sees it as something that is absolutely necessary if he wants to become a strong and dependable prince for his people.

Not exactly the best when it comes to handling weapons but practices tirelessly under the guidance of his palace guards and sensei.

When it comes to the girl he likes, it will probably be one of those normal confessions (because he is young and does not know very much apart from being completely honest).

Would be quiet and lowkey, but would show more of his inner self i.e. smiling more, opening up and just being at ease for once.

When he’s comfortable, he will ask the girl first because to him, it is less scary that way and he would be able to better judge his reactions depending on the answer.

If she says yes, he will smile extremely brightly and go, “Great, because I like you a lot too.” and if not (why would you do that to such a puppy), he will just nod and move on eventually with a mature mindset.

And with that, I have officially come to the end of this series! ^^ Once again, I would like to thank you all for keeping up with the series and actually having the patience to read through this entire imagine. :) Honestly, I never expected to get that much attention from this blog, considering how many other great Produce 101/ Wanna One blogs there are out there. Now, I stand at a total of 455 notes across 30 posts and 89 followers strong! ^^ Thank you for all your support once again and I don’t know where I would be without you guys leaving your notes and reblogs. :) They might seem small, but they sure make an impact on the writer. :)

Finally, as for requests. I will be taking them in all the way until Sunday, 1st July 2017. To request, simply head over to drop them via messaging or my ask box if you would like to see more of these “Wanna One as ______” posts! ^^ Hope to see you guys there soon and I hope you guys have had a fun time so far imagining the boys in royal garments as princes in an alternate universe. :)

Goodbye for now and see you guys again soon with more requests! ^^

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focsle · 7 years

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Updated Dishonored OC Meme

Here is Anson’s updated everything, since I ended up shifting his storyline, which was incongruous given where DotO falls in Dishonored’s narrative. Blank one is here. Eyyy!

Name: Anson Lydstern, born Anson Townson. He hated the name. Nickname(s): None Age: 33 in his peak glory days, 38 during the events of DH1, 52 during the events of DH2. Gender: Male Sexuality: Bisexual Height/Build: 5’8”, 120 lbs. A reed.

Personality description: Anson is a cordial fellow. He cares a great deal about his reputation, and as a result takes care not to make enemies and is generally easy to get along with. He’s incredibly passionate about his work, and in certain circles reveals a lot of strange but more-or-less harmless eccentricity. While he’s friendly, he keeps people at an emotional distance. He tends to be leery about people learning too much about him. He has a carefully curated image that is several lies stacked on top of each other, and goes through a lot of self protection to maintain that image.

While he is nonjudgemental and considerate in many areas, doesn’t participate in gossip, and is welcoming of other people’s oddities, he also can be quite classist. He has misguided ideas about poverty (along the lines of ‘work hard and you won’t be poor’), that he holds largely because he forgets where he came from, doesn’t acknowledge that part of his success came from getting lucky, and holds on to those ideas to distance himself from his own background. Sometimes he takes on pieces of worldview from others in his social circle to fit in, so he can have some shitty mindsets. If challenged on those however, he realizes they don’t hold water and he’s easily cowed.

Physical description: He’s slight and lanky, fairly wasp-waisted and always impeccably dressed. He has a boyish facial structure, but a haggard pock-marked complexion that makes his age difficult to place. While he’s well put together, he always is a bit exhausted looking, with dark circles under his eyes. He’s nearsighted, wears pince nez. He’s missing his right premolar and has a gold one in its place. The palm of his left hand is covered in scarring. He doesn’t end up aging well.

Everything else is under the cut. It’s so long...I got carried away...cos I love him...

CHARACTER DETAILS

Introduce your OC and their backstory.

He has a working class background, born in a one room tenement at the outskirts of Drapers Ward. His mother died of illness when he was a toddler, and he was otherwise raised by his father who worked as a contract tailor, piecing together standardize sized clothing orders for ordinary folk. Anson didn’t have an affectionate relationship with his father and was treated more like an employee than anything else, but he was always very matter-of-fact about this as a child. When he was a boy he would be sent on delivery and supply pick up errands throughout the day. As he got older, his dad showed him the tools and skillset of the trade. He respected his father, but also knew that he didn’t want to become him. By the time he was 12 or so, he started to take interest in the wealthier parts of Drapers Ward, but knew this was a world that was inaccessible to him.

When he was 12 he found a rune in an abandoned suitcase washed up by the river, and that’s what first sparked his interest in the occult. He never showed his father.

When he was 15 he got his own sewing machine.

His father died when he was 19. Wanting to find a different life, Anson crafted a pseudo identity by stealing the surname of a wealthy Karnacan textile merchant who had passed away and left no other family, and claiming to be a son coming into Dunwall.

Anson tried to start up his own corsetry business under his new name. It created some tension between him and the Hatters, as Anson was trying to compete with Mortimer Hat, and it led to him getting roughed up a bit in the process when he was younger and didn’t have any protection. Gets a tooth knocked out and a fractured rib.

Anson’s business didn’t really pick up until he started playing into the occultist market, and found a patron in a wealthy oil baroness named Emma Lytton. She saw all the obvious holes in his backstory, but, taking a liking to him and his craftsmanship, said nothing, and pushed his name forward. He quickly became a secret novelty among the elite, a conversation piece at parties, and was elevated to significant social heights by the age of 26.

What’s their occupation? How did they get into that profession?

He’s a corsetier with a respectable front making nice things for the well-to-do, but takes weird occult commissions on the side making corsets with rune-carved boning.

Where in the Empire does your OC live? If they live in Dunwall or Karnaca, what district do they live/work in?

He lives in Dunwall for most of his life, and during the plague ends up fleeing for Karnaca. In Dunwall, as an adult he lives in a nice apartment in the more picture-esque part of Drapers Ward, overlooking the river.

In Karnaca, he lives in the Campo Seta Dockyards, next to the fish vendors.

How do they feel about where they live? Where do they feel safe or “at home”? Is there a place they’re afraid of or that they avoid?

He felt very comfortable in Drapers Ward once he obtained his wealth. He really loved his life. He rarely went to the distillery district, because he had misguided ideas about the people living there and he also didn’t like being in close proximity to Holgers Square.

In Karnaca, he hates where he lives for a long time. It is a far cry from his old home in Dunwall, and he just misses Dunwall in general. It takes a while for him to not feel displaced there. Again, out of fears of the Abbey, he avoids the canal in that neighborhood.

What social class do they belong to? How well educated are they?

He was from a working class background, but as an adult people think he’s a wealthy craftsman, newer money, but of ~good breeding~. He didn’t have any formal schooling, which is something he’s still fairly sensitive about. But he’s got a head for business, numbers, and is definitely skilled in his trade. But definitely not book-smart.

How do they dress for work? For the everyday? For special occasions? Do they carry any weapons or other special items?

He always dresses sharply. Tends to favor streamlined silhouettes and color blocking. When he gets older and lives in Karnaca though, he lets himself slide and ends up just wearing a lot of gaudy banyans so no one can tell he’s getting paunchy.

Who are their friends? Do they belong to any political or social factions (the City Watch, the Abbey, Whalers, street gangs, the aristocracy, occult societies, etc)? Anson has many acquaintances, but few friends. He avoids close relationships because that would require someone getting to know him and he’s nervous about that. He walks in the same circles as the social elite now, and doesn’t want anyone there to know about his working class background. Alternatively, as someone playing at being part of the social elite, he feels like he can’t establish real relationships with someone from the working class. He doesn’t fit in either social world and as a result has a difficult time forming relationships beyond casual friendships.

He does have a few weird occultists he chills with, but even with them he feels like he’s putting on a persona.

Once he feels at peace in Karnaca, he does develop genuine friendships with similar eccentric folk.

Are they in a relationship? If so, with whom? No, for the above reason.

Do they have any connection to the canon characters? Friendships? Rivalries? Relatives? Brief encounters? Not exactly. He probably has clients from the named noble families in game though. I’m sure he has hung out with the Brimsleys afterhours.

What do they think of the Outsider and the Void? Of magic and its practitioners? He’s more interested in the Void itself and the powers that come from it and the history of it, than the Outsider himself. He strives to access the more abstract…of the void, rather than the actual entity. Not that he’d be disappointed if he ever had a brush with the outsider. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

He cares so much about magic though. He LIVES for magic. From the age of 12 to the end of his days, he tries desperately to access it. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn’t.

What do they think of the Overseers? Do they adhere to the Abbey or do they have a different belief system? If they’re not devout, what do they value or prioritize in life? He’s deeply afraid of the Abbey, and it takes a great deal of focus for him to not appear visibly uncomfortable around overseers. He hates the wolfhounds too—perhaps more than the overseers.

His values lie in success. It’s what he admires in other people, and what he strives for in himself. He thinks building a name for oneself is the highest good.

How do they feel about technology and science (whale oil, tallboys, walls of light, the Academy of Natural Philosophy, clockwork soldiers, etc)? Anson doesn’t understand the ins and outs of science, but he is fascinated with it. He has a tendency to conflate science with magic, and really thinks they’re one in the same.

DISHONORED

What do they think of Empress Jessamine as a ruler? Or do they not care?He was fond of Jessamine because he was doing well under her. But he’s also not very politically minded. When he is doing well, he has no complaints.

How are they affected by the rat plague? Poorly. At first, he’s able to skirt around the troubles, until Drapers Ward sinks further into decline. However, his immediate concerns and difficulties are a result of the gang wars happening in his neighborhood, rather than the rat plague. But eventually he falls from his social circle, and is back in the survival mode he found himself living in when he was a boy in the neighborhood. The entrance to his apartment is barricaded, and he makes his way out of it using only the fire escape. He leaves mostly to find supplies, stashes them in the apartment, and then hides out in there. He doesn’t have much of a means to defend himself, so a lot of his time is spent in sleepless anxiety in his apartment. It’s not a good time.

Do they have an opinion about Corvo? Do they believe he’s guilty or innocent? His opinion changes based on who he’s talking to. He doesn’t have very strong feelings about it.

If they live in Dunwall, how do they feel about the Lord Regent’s government and the authoritarian City Watch? At first it’s INCONVENIENCING and he gets very uppity about it. And then as things get worse in Dunwall and Anson loses his influence, he feels less inconvenienced and more genuinely afraid.

What is their fate in a Low Chaos ending? What about High Chaos? In Low Chaos (canonical), his eventual heretical activities catch up to him, and he’s captured by Overseers and tortured into confessing said heresy. However, he manages to escape before his slated execution, and runs off to Karnaca with barely anything. He freeloads off friends for a while before starting to get into the bonecharm market over there. He never encounters the same level of success or influence he had in Dunwall, but ends up feeling freer as a person because he doesn’t have a false image to uphold.

In High Chaos he does not escape from said overseers and is executed.

DISHONORED 2

Do they support Empress Emily and Lord Protector Corvo or their critics? Or do they not care? Do they believe the Crown Killer stories? He doesn’t care much. At this point, he’s kicking back with his cheap cocktails in the dockyards. The affairs of the royal family across the ocean aren’t his concern. He’s heard the Crown Killer stories, but he thinks they’re sensational rumors and doesn’t pay them much mind.

How are they affected by Delilah and Duke Abele’s coup? He’s not particularly affected. He hears about it with mild interest, but doesn’t concern himself very much.

If they live in Karnaca, how do they feel about Duke Abele’s government? Are they affected by bloodfly infestations or silver dust storms? He does have bloodfly issues to deal with, and he gets increasingly unhappy about the number of infestations in his neighborhood, as well as the aggression of the Grand Guard towards civilians during Duke Abele’s reign. But he isn’t very vocal about it. He picks and chooses his battles, and the wars he wages are more on the people playing loud card games in the alley beneath his bedroom window at night, than the government.

If they live in Dunwall, how do they feel about the city being controlled by Delilah’s Brigmore Witches? He’s not living in Dunwall, though when he hears about what’s happening over there he is FASCINATED. Anson would trip over himself for a witch friend.

What is their fate in a Low Chaos ending? What about High Chaos? He has the same fate either way. Eventually dies of a black lung from his chain smoking and Karnaca’s poor air quality, is loved by a circle of weird occultist friends, and he wills away his human remains to them because he is strange and knows someone will appreciate his jawbone.

IF YOUR OC WAS AN NPC…

What would the Heart say about them?

A bolt of silk from Drapers Ward. A bundle of whalebone from Slaughterhouse Row, cheaper in bulk. And a stop at Wyrmwood Way, to purchase the books that will bring him to ruin.

He studies the runes until his eyes ache and his candles gutter out, but what he truly seeks skirts along the edge of his comprehension.

He longs to have a portrait painted of himself. He knows just what to wear.

Now he moves in the circles of the social elite. He will never speak of his late father, hunched over a sewing machine working late into the night, or the leaks in the ceiling of his childhood home.

The woman commissioned a corset with secret symbols carved on every rib. He didn’t think his work would have any effect, but the strange dreams plague her every night that she wears it.

To think he once stood on a fruit crate, selling his skill with all the bluster and theatrics of a street hawker. He holds the key to his own storefront, now.

For those looking for a simple tailor, his business card suffices. His other clients come through word of mouth, his name held in hushed whispers at parties, when the hour grows long and the conversations grow stranger.

He wonders if his father would be proud of him, or repelled by him.

In the Month of Rain, the Overseers will drag him from his home. They’ll take three fingers, before he starts confessing.

Where could they be found in-game? In his apartment. That looks like every other rich person’s apartment because he’s just trying to follow the standard of taste everyone else has to fit in. Til you get to the secret little back room through the crawlspace that has all his weird heretical shit.

What lines would they say when idle or not on alert? “Let’s see, I’ll need a bobbin of thread. Silk damask. Baleen. Oxrush. Hagfish bone. A decent knife.”

And just general tuneless humming.

What lines would they say when reacting to the player? “What finely cut clothing. Who is your tailor?”

If they use magic around him they’d just get like. A breathless “My…”

(If hostile):

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”

“Please, I’m unarmed—take whatever you want and go.”

Would there be any rewards, consequences, or special events dependent on your character (like Callista giving you an heirloom for saving Geoff Curnow, Granny Rags giving sidequests, etc)? He’d probably ask the player to pick up weird ingredients around the level for a vague, cryptic purpose, and then give a rune in exchange as a reward.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your OC? Anson’s trajectory is working class garment boy, to well cut socialite, to small-time fugitive running off to karnaca, to bitter man who lost everything he worked for and found himself in the same position he tried to escape from in his childhood, to resident curmudgeon who is kind of a pain in the ass but also a fixture of the neighborhood and therefore somewhat endearing, to eccentric pseudo-mystic who realizes he has nothing left to lose and so he can actually be himself and live his life…and even though it doesn’t have the same kind of prestige or material value as his life in Dunwall, he’s ultimately happier in Karnaca. And I luv him.

#charlatan corsetier #dishonored oc meme

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robotslenderman · 7 years

Text

MOAR ME Turian Headcanon

(More of my headcanon -- baby turians, Citadel relay statue and Keeper “religion”, what it’s like for a turian to romance a human)

Moar turian headcanon, based on turian languages and bonding. It’s loooooong, so I cut it. I come up with so much worldbuilding headcanon all the time but uh, I never realised just how much until I wrote all this out and saw how long it was. Oops.

Turians are shorter than most aliens up until puberty, which starts at around 9/10 years of age when they’re about 4 feet high, at which point they skyrocket. By the time they’re the age of majority, at 15 years old, they’re as tall as mature adult humans.

Turian vocal chords also don’t develop until puberty. Until then, they communicate with whistles, purrs, growls, rumbles, etc -- a language sophisticated enough that adult turians can understand them, but too basic and context-reliant for universal translators. Aside from that, it’s basically seen as its own language -- there’s a sound for “sir”, a sound for “fuck you”, a sound for “hungry pls feed me”, a sound for “I’m hurt”, etc.

It’s considered a private, home-language -- much like how someone living in Australia might speak English in public but then switch to their native language at home, turians never use this language in public but will use it at home (in addition to their native, spoken tongue) around immediate family, close extended relatives, mates and very, very close friends. It’s considered too intimate to use around anyone else. They’ll use it at home to supplement their spoken language -- in combination, not in an either/or fashion. It’s almost always the language a turian uses to say “I love you”, which can confuse lovers of other species at first.

There are, however, exceptions. Adult turians will use this language with any child, no matter who’s watching, so long as the child is “young enough”. Adult turians might also use it to soothe spooked animals, or incredibly shaken crime/disaster victims. C-Sec officers and hospital staff tend to use it a lot in their line of work.

The “child language” is region-dependent -- much like any other language, different sounds mean different things depending on where a turian grew up. But because of the limited “vocabulary” and how context-dependent a sound is, a kid can generally understand someone who speaks another “child language” pretty quickly, and adults can likewise pick up a kid’s native language and adapt to it.

Who adapts to whom depends on rank -- if a child turian is speaking to, say, the Primarch, the child will adapt to the Primarch’s child tongue as a sign of respect. If a C-Sec officer is trying to soothe a shaken child, the officer will adapt their language to the child’s. If two foreigners raise a child in a new region and the child goes to school and winds up picking up a new child language, the kid will end up using two different child languages and won’t have a problem switching between the two.

Children learn the “child language” from their parents. Adult turians communicate with newborns and toddlers exclusively in this language (which is how children learn it to begin with), but as children get to around four years old, adults start combining the child tongue with their adult tongue. By then the children have already begun to learn the adult tongue simply through watching and listening to their parents, but won’t be able to learn to speak it until puberty.

Child turians learn to read and write long before they are able to physically speak, and tend to use this method of communicating in classrooms (eg, to communicate the right answer during a verbal quiz, which is more common in an alien/Citadel school than a turian one). It can be very disorienting for aliens to be IM’d by a squeaky growly turian kid.

Much like adults do with their mates, teenaged turians still learning to use their vocal chords will use the child tongue in combination with the spoken tongue with other kids and close teachers, but will make a great effort to use only the adult tongue with adults and teachers they don’t know well. It can be difficult at first, but adults in most regions are very, very patient with letting the young take their time learning to make the new sounds, and while it’s totally fine to coach the young through making new sounds, it’s taboo to rush them or show any signs of impatience.

Turians mate for life (metaphorically speaking). Unlike humans, who tend to be serial monogamists or even poly, turians fall in love only once. They can crush on just about anyone before they are “mated” (meaning, fallen in love, not literally had sex), but once they’re attached to someone enough and cross the threshold, that’s it. It’s considered a sign of very bad character if a turian doesn’t alert someone to their growing feelings before they cross the threshold.

While it doesn’t excuse his dickery, this is the biggest reason why Septimus Oraka was totally fucked up by how his relationship with Sha’ira turned out. Most turians would roll their eyes because you shouldn’t have gotten attached to her, she’s the Consort, you should have known better and would also sneer at him for how he reacted to it -- but they’d also sympathise, because ouch.

In cross-species relationships, this was rarely a problem before humans came onto the scene -- asari are widely educated in other species and don’t tend to date as widely as humans do once they hit the “mother” stage and maidens tend to avoid bonding too closely to a turian. Turians rarely bonded with batarians or other non-council species, but it did sometimes happen and trip them up. Turians who bond with salarians often don’t have a problem because the salarians are like “Yeah, cool, lifelong friend!” and the turian either is totally unfazed by not having a sex life or just has casual sex, and the salarian is more like a queerplatonic partner. Quarians tend to be discriminated against by turians enough that bonding with one is rare.

However, when turians started having relationships with humans, being rejected by the one they were mated to became a. Huge. Problem. There’s a reason, aside from good ol’ racism, why turians tell each other “you shouldn’t date humans!” Out of all species turians bond with, human monogamist relationships tend to be the most temporary, and it hurt a lot of turians like a bitch.

Despite turians bonding to a mate only once in their life, they view sex as very separate from love and have no problems with casual sex. Some turians choose to only have sex with their partner once they’re “mated”, but it’s just as common to have casual sex outside of the relationship when they’re separated. Much like how humans have different sexualities, turians have different levels of sexual attraction to people who aren’t their mate -- some turians feel sexual attraction and drive exclusively with their mate, some turians only feel sexual attraction to others when their mate isn’t around, some turians continue to feel sexual attraction whether they’re with their mate or not. Different turian cultures have different attitudes to these sexualities.

Turians who bond to someone who dies or doesn’t return their feelings aren’t doomed to live life alone and lonely. While it hurts like hell, many turians move on and end up in a queerplatonic relationship with another turian in the same situation. Some turians also end up in a relationship with a turian who’s bonded to them in a one-way bond.

This partner is often completely aware that their romantic love is unrequited and accept this, because many semi-bonded/widow turians will treat their new partner with the same level of commitment as they would a “real” mate. But much like human relationships with each other, this is a conscious choice -- and a turian who isn’t bonded back with their partner may still end up rejecting them.

This, however, is viewed with the same taboo that human divorce was. It’s also very controversial in some turian cultures -- some turians believe such unions can never last because it’s not a “real” relationship if only one party is bonded to the other, some turians think it’s totally understandable that the unbonded turian may leave the bonded one. On the other side, some turians think that the unbonded turian must take it as a very serious level of commitment and if they leave it’s a poor reflection on the turian themselves, or even on the turian that bonded to them. Different cultures have different attitudes as being more prominent, whereas some cultures stigmatise the one-way-bonded-partnership entirely unless they publicly claim to be friends.

Some apparent one-way-bonds, however, are totally platonic on both sides as some turians are completely aromantic and have never romantically bonded to someone.

Having said that -- some aromantic turians still bond to another individual in a way that’s very similar to a romantic relationship, but without romantic feelings. The turian feels the same deep sense of attachment and commitment and love, but without the romantic feelings. Some turians are not only aromantic and/or asexual, but also a-bond -- they don’t bond to one individual at all, and prefer to go through life with a group of friends or on their own or some combination. Much like queer sexualities were in human history, turians who were either aro or non-bonding turians were stigmatised hundreds of years ago, however in modern society it’s now commonly accepted.

Turians bunk in hammocks in the military, and use circular nest-shaped beds full of pillows outside of it. Because of their shape, sleeping on human/asari beds are deeply uncomfortable for them. Their cowl gives them back/neck pain if they sleep on their back in such a bed, and their wide hips and shoulders give them neck and lower back pain if they sleep on their side. Sleeping on their stomach is also uncomfortable. In hammocks, turians contort into a certain position to be able to sleep and are able to use the slope of the hammock to rest their heads on their cowl, but it’s not as feasible on a horizontal surface.

A romanced Garrus adapts to sleeping in Shepard’s bed by using a lot of pillows. When he’s in the battery, he sleeps in a hammock.

Turians are somewhere between warm blooded and cold blooded -- their bodies generate heat, but they also get a lot of their heat from Palaven’s hot environment. If they had hotter body temperatures, they wouldn’t be able to cool down enough to survive Palaven’s environment.

Because of this, turians are extremely sensitive to cold.

Turians love snuggling up to humans because humans are like body-sized hot water bottles. Even after the turian’s temperature stabilises, the human is neither too hot nor too cold for the turian.

Lastly -- turians tend to have a pecking order even within families and between them, and use eye contact accordingly. Pecking orders are relative; a family might be considered “above” another, but on an individual level the firstborn kid of the “dominant” family may be considered dominant above a kid in the other family when it’s just the two of them. The “dominant” turian will make eye contact, but the subordinate turian won’t. Turians get very uncomfortable without the framework of a clear pecking order, because they’re used to either being totally in charge or having their hands held. A turian subordinate being treated like a human one -- that is, following orders but expected to be able to take initiative -- would stress a turian out and is signs of an incompetent superior.

Some turians, however, can’t handle the clear-cut rigid binary of turian relationships -- Garrus is one of them, and that makes it difficult for him to get along with other turians. These turians are almost always good leaders, but because they’re not capable of being happy following someone else’s leadership they question, they really struggle to be able to stay inside that framework long enough to get promoted to a position of leadership. Turians like this often handle alien environments better, though not necessarily -- human superiors don’t enjoy being questioned any more than turians do.

Good turian superiors tend to recognise the occasional odd duckling like Garrus, and see their potential. They’ll try to mentor the restless rebel long enough for them to make it into a higher position. This rarely works; most turians that give orders still have to report to someone else at the end of the day. At the end of the day, turians like Garrus have to find their own way, and once they do, they become highly respected by the hierarchy, and by the rebellious youths who are in the same circumstances they once were.

#dusty talks #headcanon #mass effect #turians #ME headcanon #garrus vakarian

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themostrandomfandom · 7 years

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Hey JJ! I'm new to glee (currently in the middle of s2) so I don't know much. Something that has confused me so far is Brittany' characterization. On one hand, she's portrayed as a genuinely good person who accepts everyone (her friendship with Becky, the guilt she feels when she hurts Artie, her love for Santana) but she can also be very cruel (deserting Quinn during her pregnancy, and making fun of Finn, Quinn, and Rachel when they were vulnerable). What is your opinion on this contradiction?

To add on, Brittany also didsome morally questionable things such as accusing Beiste of harassment(although eventually backing off) and being willing to dine and dash. Can youexplain why Brittany can be one of the most loving, accepting characters of glee,while at the same time being one of the most cruel characters (and, unlikeSantana, Brittany doesn’t have self-hatred to explain her meanness)

Hey, @chickennuggets66!

First off, welcome to the Glee fandom! Sorryit has taken me so long to post a reply to your question. It took me a while toget my thoughts in order.

Second, RE your question:

Brittany Pierce is a complicated person—and,unfortunately, Glee doesn’t often give us a lot of insight into what’s going oninside her head. Between the inconsistent way in which her character is writtenand the fact that she is most often wielded as a side character within thenarrative, her actions can appear random and perhaps even contradictory,especially when it comes to how she treats the people around her.

Undoubtedly, Brittany has her reasons for actingthe way she does—it’s just that those reasons are often hard to tease out.

Sometimes it comes down to preference. It’sabout her likes and dislikes.

Other times, it has to do with politics andsocial maneuvering, because even though her classmates and teachers oftenunderestimate her, Brittany did not get to be one of the most popular girls inschool for nothing. She knows how to play the social power game, and she playsit well when she needs to.

Additionally, Brittany has her own personalethics—a sense of what is right and wrong, of what is fair game and what isn’t.

Her own personal experiences and evenSantana’s experiences can also figure in to how she treats people. There arecertain individuals she is sympathetic to because she knows where they’recoming from. There are also certain individuals with whom her personal historyplays into how she reacts to them.

Because the motivations for her behavior areso diverse, I think it’s best to just take them case by case, so let’s startwith the first example you mention and work out from there, okay?

More discussion after the cut.

I’ll try my best to stick to examples fromSeasons One and Two.

____________

Inepisode 1x09 “Wheels,” the New Directions hold a bake sale to raise money forArtie’s bus. Popular kids Finn, Puck, Quinn, and Santana are manning the table.Just then, Brittany saunters up, holding Becky Jackson by the hand.

“Ohmy god!” Quinn exclaims, scandalized that Brittany would willingly associatewith someone like Becky in public. Finn and Puck explain that they believeBrittany and Becky are kind of friends, though it is clear they alsodisapprove.

Brittanyand Becky approach the table, and Brittany not only helps Becky to purchase acupcake, but she also speaks kindly to her and tells her that buying cupcakesis cool.

Throughoutthe whole exchange, Santana can hardly look at Brittany and wears a sourexpression, obviously displeased that Brittany is taking such a big risk byhanging around with Becky, who, at this point, is not even a cheerleader.

Ifyou compare Brittany’s behavior in this scene to Finn, Puck, Quinn, and Santana’sbehavior, then there is no question: Brittany is far more accepting than theyare.

Whilethey’re all concerned about their respective images, Brittany is concerned withmaking Becky feel welcome, and she doesn’t seem to particularly care that hangingout with Becky is considered uncool.

Wesee a similar pattern play out in her Season One interactions with Kurt Hummel.

Brittanyis also friendly to and accepting of Kurt at a time when both other kids atWHMS and Kurt himself are struggling to understand and accept Kurt’s sexuality(see here).

While others mock Kurt, bully him, or try to push him out of the closet beforehe is ready, Brittany allows Kurt to run the show when it comes to how heidentifies, both to her and to others, including his own father (see here).

Consideringthat Brittany takes this tack at the same time when other main characters onthe show, including Finn, are being downright cruel to Kurt, she (again) lookspretty accepting by comparison.

ThatBrittany could be compassionate towards two people whom many would consider themost outcast of the outcasts at WMHS—remember, both Becky and Kurt are at timesrejected by the glee club, which is supposedly a group that takes in those whohave no other place to go—makes it tempting to say that Brittany is able to“accept everyone.”

Butas you point out in your question, that generalization isn’t actuallytrue—because while Brittany shows great acceptance for Becky and Kurt in theaforementioned instances, she also shows cruelty towards others, like Finn,Quinn, and Rachel, on numerous other occasions.

Brittanyisn’t actually nice to everyone—and, in fact, I would go as far as to say thatjust as often as she is nice, she can be equally mean.

Honestly, the only person she is pretty much universally compassionate towards throughout the show is Santana. Telling, no?

Likeyou say, Brittany has the capacity to be fairly vicious at times, as much as orsometimes even more so than Quinn and Santana.

Sowhy would she choose to be nice to Becky and Kurt, who are so far below her insocial status and who are generally considered “undesirables” by the otherpopular kids at WMHS?

In thesetwo cases, Brittany’s personal experiences seem to contribute to her ability tobe compassionate.

On asurface level, Brittany seems like someone who is fairly confident in herself.Not only does she make frequent reference to her own hotness and popularity(“You look terrible. I look awesome”), but she also seems content to do her ownthing and not pay much mind to what people think about her—and particularlywhen one compares her to Quinn and Santana, who, at least on a surfrace level, seem to maintain their public images much more fastidiously than she does.

Buthere’s the thing: Even though it seems as if Brittany doesn’t care what peoplethink about her, she actually does. The truth is that Brittany has a majorinsecurity, and that insecurity has to do with how people perceive herintelligence.

As welearn throughout the show, most people perceive Brittany as stupid, and theyhave no problem telling her so to her face. Rachel talks to Brittany in a loudvoice, over-enunciating each word, as if Brittany were a toddler. While they’redating, Artie tends to infantilize Brittany. Several times, Kurt makes his lowopinion of Brittany’s ideas known. Even Mr. Schue, who is supposed to be hisstudents’ champion and biggest advocate, meanly insinuates in front of thewhole glee club that he believes Brittany is lacking in smarts (see episode2x17 “Night of Neglect”). Sue Sylvester is even worse, frequentlybelittling Brittany’s mind both in public and in private.

—andBrittany is fully and painfully aware of these perceptions (see episode 2x19“Rumours”).

Throughout Season Oneand early Season Two, Brittany actually has fairly low self-esteem, because foras much as she is aware that she is desirable on a superficial level, she isalso aware that some of the most quintessential parts of her person are alsothe things that people most often and most vehemently reject about her.

Yes, people like the way she looks. Yes,people like that she is a cheerleader. Yes, people like her fashion sense. Yes,as a member of the Cheerios and Unholy Trinity, she wields a lot of socialpower at WMHS.

But people tend toreject her thoughts. They tell her to her face that she is an idiot. Santana isthe only one who ever seems to get her jokes. Even the people who are nice toher are often “nice” in a condescending way. They coddle her as if she were achild. She opens her mouth to say something that makes sense to her, and shegets blank stares and muttered comments disparaging her intelligence inresponse. She tries to talk about things she cares about, and people shut herdown.

Brittany knows whatit’s like to be ostracized because people think she’s somehow unequal to them.She gets that it hurts when people talk past you or devalue your thoughts andfeelings because they think those thoughts and feelings somehow don’t count.

—andthat’s where her ability to accept Becky comes in.

Brittanysees other people rejecting Becky because they think that Becky is “less than,”underestimating Becky’s capabilities and the depth of Becky’s humanity, treatingBecky’s thoughts and feelings like they don’t matter, etc., and, frankly, shedoesn’t like it.

Beckyis a person just like Brittany is a person, and neither one of them should beminimized just because people think they’re unintelligent.

Sothat’s why even when other people—and particularly the popular kids—blow Beckyoff, Brittany doesn’t and instead treats Becky like the human being that sheis. Brittany sees Becky’s humanity and knows that Becky longs to be accepted.She also knows that Becky can’t change the thing that causes others to rejecther. Her Down syndrome is part of her identity, just like Brittany’s divergentway of thinking is part of Brittany’s identity. Neither one of them can changethose parts of who they are. They shouldn’t be ostracized just because aquintessential part of their identities makes them “different.”

Thesame is very much true when it comes to Brittany’s acceptance of Kurt.

Kurtis gay, and that’s just part of who he is. He can’t change his identity, thoughGrilled Cheesus knows he tries to. He shouldn’t be made to feel less thanbecause he is gay, just like Brittany shouldn’t be made to feel less thanbecause she is bi, or Santana because she’s a lesbian. Brittany gets that, soshe can have compassion even when other members of the New Directions don’t.

While Brittany is out herself, Santana is (at this time) closeted and in deep denial about her sexual orientation, so Brittany can be sympathetic to Kurt, who struggles with the same issue.

Soall of this is to say that Brittany tends to be very accepting of people’sessential qualities, and she also tends to understand when people feel insecureabout things they can’t change about themselves. She is particularlysympathetic to people whose personal plights are similar to her own or toSantana’s. However, though she is able to accept certain people whom thepopular majority at WMHS reject, she isn’t universally accepting.

Justlike there are some people Brittany can really empathize with, there are alsosome people who Brittany flat cannot stand—and those people are often the oneswho choose to behave in ways thatBrittany finds obnoxious.

Theprime example here would be Rachel Berry.

Now.

Wedon’t know Brittany and Rachel’s history prior to Season One. It seems that theUnholy Trinity are acquainted with Rachel and bully her prior to the start ofthe show, but we don’t know for how long this scenario has been in play.

Theoretically,Brittany may have known Rachel for years—since kindergarten, even—or she mayhave only met Rachel more recently, circa the start of ninth grade, when they both matriculated at WMHS together.

In any case, it is clear that Brittany has ahistory of antagonizing Rachel that predates the start of the show by a fewmonths, at the very least.

Ofcourse, part of Brittany’s willingness to antagonize Rachel probably hassomething to do with the “pack mentality.”

BothQuinn and Santana, Brittany’s two best friends and social guides, openlydespise Rachel, and they often take jabs at Rachel when Brittany is present. Whileit is one thing for Brittany to show kindness to people towards whom Quinn andSantana for the most part ignore, like Becky and Kurt, it would be anotherthing entirely for Brittany to outright go against Quinn and Santana and showkindness to someone whom they are actively bullying.

—andespecially when you consider that Quinn and Santana aren’t the only influencesin Brittany’s life who tend to antagonize Rachel.

SueSylvester, Brittany’s cheerleading coach, has a vendetta against Racheland the glee club. Independent of the Unholy Trinity’s own personal motivationsfor bullying Rachel, Sue sometimes specifically gives them, and Brittany andSantana in particular, orders to terrorize Rachel so as to sabotage the NewDirections (see episode 1x14 “Hell-O”). That’s a very strong directive comingdown from on high, and Sue’s willingness to attack Rachel does a lot tonormalize that behavior to Brittany, as well.

However,as demonstrated above, there are times when Brittany is willing to deviate fromUnholy Trinity and Cheerio social norms—she doesn’t avoid Becky, though bothQuinn and Santana do; she actually likes glee club, though Sue only intendedfor her to be a spy there—so if Brittany is willing to bully Rachel, then thatimplies she has her own reasons for doing so, independent of wanting to pleaseQuinn, Santana, and Sue, and she isn’t just succumbing to peer pressure.

Asstated, we don’t know Brittany and Rachel’s full history together, so it isimpossible for us to say exactly how Brittany got into the habit of callingRachel names, fucking with Rachel’s mind (see here),stealing Rachel’s boyfriends, etc.

That said, from the very beginning, Racheltalks down to Brittany as if Brittany were a toddler, and, in general, Rachelhas a massive ego, which Brittany seems to find annoying. Rachel can be veryholier-than-thou and condescending, even when she is trying to be nice, and itseems that that attitude is perhaps a Brittany pet peeve.

(Morediscussion on that point in a minute.)

Itisn’t simply that Rachel is unpopular that bothers Brittany because, frankly,Brittany ignores Tina and Mercedes, who are also unpopular, throughout most ofSeasons One and Two. It’s Rachel’s attitude and actions—the way that Rachel chooses to behave—that really grindBrittany’s gears (see here).

Brittanycan’t stand Rachel’s constant grabbing for solos, the way Rachel acts betterthan people even when she’s not, Rachel’s frequent sanctimoniousness, Rachel’sincorrect assumption that her singing talent makes her superior to everyoneelse in glee club, etc., etc.

Soeven though Brittany wouldn’t be mean to Becky for having Down syndrome or Kurtfor being gay, she will be mean to Rachel for being a diva—because once someonemakes the choice to be awful, then, in Brittany’s mind, they’re fair game.

Dittofor her meanness towards Finn.

Finnis supposed to be this nice guy and the leader of the glee club, but hisactions oftentimes complicate Brittany’s life, particularly as it relates toSantana (see episodes 1x14 “Hell-O” and 1x15 “The Power of Madonna”). He can bebrash, arrogant, dismissive, and homophobic—and though he is far from thesharpest tool in the shed himself, he sometimes looks down on Brittany for whathe perceives as her unintelligence. Like Rachel, his niceness can come off ascondescending, which is, again, a party foul where Brittany is concerned.

—andall of this has to do with how Finn choosesto behave, not his quintessential identity.

Again,in Brittany’s mind, that makes Finn fair game.

Withour Rachel and Finn examples in mind, we can add another summation to ourunderstanding of Brittany’s behavior: Just as Brittany will show kindness topeople whom she believes are unfairly ostracized for benign essential parts oftheir identities, she will go after people whom she believes choose to behavein ways she finds repugnant—and especially those who have an inflated (andunjustified) sense of ego that causes them to condescend to others.

Basically,if she thinks someone is too uppity, she won’t hesitate to take them down a pegor two if she gets the chance.

So isthat what we see going on with how Brittany treats Quinn? How do we account forthe fact that Brittany once seemed to be friends with Quinn but viciouslyturned on Quinn once Quinn became pregnant with Beth?

Here’swhere Brittany’s ability to play the social game comes in.

Asdiscussed by numerous characters on the show, the halls at WMHS are a cutthroatenvironment. It’s “eat or be eaten” out there, with popular kids at the top ofthe food chain, and everyone else miserable below them. Popularity can be wonand lost based on how one dresses, what extracurricular activities one isinvolved in, the people one hangs out with and dates, and even the way onestyles their hair (see episode 1x18 “Laryngitis”).

Particularlyat the start of the show, the kids who get to the top of the social hierarchyfrequently do so by putting others down. They stand on a pile of the hapless “losers”they’ve wrecked, and the more “losers” they can wreck, the better. That’s whybullies like Puck flourish, and that’s also why it is so easy for even the mostpopular kids in school to suffer downfalls after they make the slightestmisstep.

BrittanyPierce is certainly one of the most popular girls in school, along with Quinnand Santana.

—andthat “along with Quinn and Santana” point is important.

Asdiscussed above, when compared to Quinn and Santana, Brittany looks much moreaccepting than they are.

Shealso seems more unassuming.

Whileanyone can see that Quinn and Santana are dangerous HBICs who are not to betrifled with, Brittany seems more docile by comparison. But that docility is, frankly,an illusion, because the truth of the matter is that Brittany is just as dangerousas Quinn and Santana. It’s just that her dangerousness is more difficult todetect because their dangerousness, in a way, camouflages it.

It’seasy to identify Quinn and Santana as social predators.

Just watchtheir scheming against each other in episode 2x01 “Audition,” and particularlytheir knock-down, drag-out fight during the hallway scene, and there is noquestion that they are the quintessential Mean Girls™,capable of waging the most brutal social warfare. Standing next to them,Brittany looks like an angel—and, indeed, in the aforementioned hallway scene,Brittany appears horrified to see her two best friends coming to blows againsteach other, and she quickly conveys Santana away as soon as Mr. Schue breaks upthe fight.

Within the context of the Unholy Trinity, then, it is very easy to thinkof Brittany as “the nice one.” It’s also easy, by extension, to think thatBrittany doesn’t social climb in the same way that Quinn and Santana do or thatshe isn’t as preoccupied with popularity as Quinn and Santana are.

—but,again, appearances can be deceiving, because the thing is, Brittany does socialclimb, and she is preoccupied with popularity, and, honestly, she can be everybit as ruthless and cutthroat as Quinn and Santana can be.

Sheisn’t as harmless as she seems.

Brittanyis highly aware of social rules, and the way she conducts herself proves asmuch.

Beingfriends with Becky certainly isn’t a great way to boost one’s social status,but Brittany knows that it’s something that she can get away with—both becauseof how people perceive her (“That’s just Brittany being Brittany”) and becauseof how people perceive Becky (“Well, I personally would never hang out withBecky, but Becky needs to be indulged, so I guess it’s okay that Brittanyindulges her”).

Bythe same token, Brittany would never hang out with Rachel Berry, even if shecould stand the girl, because hanging out with Rachel Berry is social suicide.There are no loopholes that would allow a popular person to make friends withsomeone as unfashionable, obnoxious, and blatantly uncool as Rachel Berry andstill maintain their own social cred.

—whichis part of why Brittany is so willing to mock Finn for his romantic interest inRachel.

He isbreaking a “set in stone” rule of popularity, and, since his behavior is out ofline, he can rightfully be punished for it.

Dittofor how Brittany treats Quinn.

As Idiscuss in thisanalysis, we really don’t know Brittany’s personal feelings toward QuinnFabray. The two girls are certainly are part of the same social unit at thestart of the show, but it is unclear whether any genuine personal affectionexists between them or if they’re more friends for the sake of socialconvenience. Do they ever hang out outside of school and cheer practice? Dothey even have a relationship independent of their individual relationshipswith Santana? Really, it is impossible to say.

Allwe know is that, to start the show, Brittany and Quinn run in the same pack,with Quinn as the leader of the Unholy Trinity and Brittany as her lackey.Along with Santana, they present a united social front, which is mutuallybeneficial to all three members of the group.

As Isay in the previously linked post,

Becauseall three members of the Unholy Trinity keep secrets that they don’t want thegeneral populace of WMHS to know, they benefit by forming an impenetrable groupwith an even more impenetrable reputation.

Whowould guess that the members of the mighty Unholy Trinity feel small or insignificantor broken or inadequate—and particularly when they project so much confidenceand crush their competition so unflinchingly?

Bybanding together, they can put down their competition. Anyone who becomes anenemy to one of them becomes an enemy to all of them, and no one can outmaneuverthem as a group. They’re basically unstoppable as long as they stick together.

Butjust because they mutually benefit from their bond doesn’t mean that said bondis stable—in fact, just the opposite.

To quote again from my previous post,

It’s fairly obvious to anyone who watches the first season ofGlee that the Unholy Trinity divides up into Brittana + Quinn as opposed tointo Quinntana + Brittany or Quitt + Santana. Not only do Brittana have thematching friendship bracelets to prove that they’re a pair, but they alsofrequently operate as a duo in the absence of Quinn, just like she frequentlyoperates solo in the absence of them…

In anamiable friendship, the fact that Quinn is the “odd friend out” might notmatter.

But theUnholy Trinity friendship is not always amiable.

Especiallywhen it comes to Quinntana, there exists a distinct adversarial dimension totheir interactions.

Quinntana’sprimary dynamic is one of social power negotiation—i.e., of Quinn and Santana“jostling” over which one of them is dominant within their social sphere.

Interestingly,Brittany is actually the variable that allows this dynamic to exist betweenthem.

On theone hand, by all rights, Quinn “should be” dominant in Quinntana’srelationship. She represents the majority power in their culture—the heterosexualWASP cheerleading captain. Not only does she enjoy majority privilege thatSantana does not, but she is actually literally on top of their social pyramid,as yearbook photos of the Cheerios well-attest.

On theother hand, Santana’s relationship with Brittany actually gives Santana someleverage over Quinn. Basically, Brittany’s loyalty to Santana makes it so Quinnis “outnumbered” within her own clique.

WhileBrittana must ostensibly follow Quinn’s orders, they do have the power to workagainst her if they want to—which is what we see in 2x01, when Brittany leaveswith Santana following Quinntana’s fight.

Beyondjust the simple matter of numbers, Santana has an advantage over Quinn becauseshe possesses the one thing that Quinn has always craved—i.e., real love—andQuinn knows it. The fact that Santana has a relatively stable relationship withBrittany causes Quinn to feel insecure.

Furthermore,beyond these interpersonal dynamics, there is also a dark unspoken truth whenit comes to Unholy Trinity friendship: namely, that, at least during the earlyseasons on the show, said friendship is only viable for as long as it issocially beneficial.

By acting as a unit, the Unholy Trinity maintains theirpreeminence in the WMHS social order, ruling the school as three queens. But thesecond one of them does something that jeopardizes their supremacy, the groupwill divide down into its aforementioned parts, with Brittana going one way andQuinn going the other.

That’swhat we see with Quinn’s pregnancy and Brittany’s treatment of Quinn whileQuinn is pregnant.

Essentially,Quinn “breached the contract” and broke the social rules.

Populargirls are supposed to be sexually active without getting pregnant. Popular girlshave to stay on the cheer squad, and if they can’t or won’t, then they must beshunned. The group will do everything in its power to keep a girl from falling,but if she causes herself to fall, then she is on her own—and, even more so, shebecomes fair game. The group attacks the individual it once protected because,at WMHS, if you’re not going up, then you’re going down, and no one wants to godown, not when the fall comes at such great personal expense.

Again,as I say in the other post,

We have to keep in mind that, during Season One, Brittany andSantana were two very insecure fifteen or sixteen year old girls. When Quinnbecame pregnant and the whole school found out about it, Quinn went from beingthe proverbial queen bee and most popular girl in school to a target for dailyslushie facials. And what’s more? Anyone who associated too closely with Quinn,even Finn the quarterback and Puck the mega popular bad boy, became targets fordaily slushie facials, as well.

Remainingfriends with Quinn would have put Brittana in danger.

And nomatter how much they personally liked Quinn, at that point in their lives,Brittany and Santana were not willing to risk their own high social positionsor endanger themselves for Quinn’s sake.

Sothat’s why we hear Brittany say cruel things about Quinn during Quinn’spregnancy (see episodes 1x06 “Vitamin D” and 1x15 “The Power of Madonna”).Brittany is playing the social game. She is distancing herself from someonethat could potentially ruin her reputation, even though that someone used to beher friend.

BecauseBrittany is Brittany, she gets some leeway when it comes to how she acts andthe people she associates with, more so than the other popular kids. The otherpopular kids think she is weird, so they let her get away with things that forother people would be social suicide. Hanging out with Becky and Kurt and other“invisibles” won’t ding her reputation too much. But hanging out with andshowing open kindness to someone like insufferable Rachel Berry or pregnant Quinn or Finn when heis dating insufferable Rachel Berry would.

—andfor as much as it might seem like Brittany is oblivious to the rat race, sheisn’t. She is highly aware of what she can get away with and what she can’t,and she works the system, especially early on the show, when she is still relativelyinsecure and doesn’t fully recognize her own self-worth.

Now.

Inall this discussion, it has become clear that even though there are “rules”that explain Brittany’s behavior towards others, there are also instances inwhich Brittany behaves hypocritically, seemingly breaking her own rules—suchas, for instance, when she dates unpopular Artie—or acting with impunity.

Andthat’s very true.

Becausethe bottom line when it comes to Brittany is that she is human, and humans canbe messy—especially as teenagers.

Yes,Brittany can be incredibly compassionate at times, and oftentimes she is wisebeyond her years. But other times she acts very much like the high schooler sheis. She can be petty and contrary and mean. She can be disloyal. She can lether biases and assumptions take control of her.

Withoutgiving away major spoilers, I think that’s one area where we see Brittany growover the course of the show: She becomes more conscious of her own motivations,and she starts to be more deliberate about how she treats others. That self-awarenessdoesn’t always translate to her being nicer, but it does make her takeownership for her behavior and for her expectations of how people interact withher in a way that we don’t necessarily see during Season One and early SeasonTwo.

Now.

Atthis point, the one example from your question I don’t think I’ve reallytouched on is that of Brittany’s willingness to falsely accuse Coach Beiste ofsexual harassment, and that’s because I think that example deserves specialdiscussion.

Makeno mistake: That action is deplorable.

Butalso make mistake: That action is not one that Brittany takes independently.

That’snot Brittany going after Coach Beiste because Brittany dislikes Coach Beiste.

Rather,that is Sue Sylvester, an adult who is in a position of extreme authority overBrittany, coercing Brittany to behave in a way that is contrary to Brittany’sown personal volition.

Atthat point in her development, Brittany is justifiably terrified of Sue Sylvester, who has the ability to make her lifehell in ways that most of the faculty members at WMHS don’t fully understand.Brittany does not have enough personal power to defy Sue without posing greatpersonal risk to herself.

Remember:Sue often threatens Brittany’s safety and is both physically and emotionallyabusive to her. While it is no secret around WMHS how Sue mistreats Brittanyand the other Cheerios, none of the other faculty members, including Mr. Schueand Principal Figgins, does anything to stop the abuse.

Sowhen Sue says that Brittany has to accuse Coach Beiste, Brittany does accuseCoach Beiste, even though she undoubtedly knows it’s not right for her to doso.

Noticethat Brittany recants her story as soon as Mr. Schue makes it safe for her todo so. Notice that she casts frightened glances at Sue even with Mr. Schuesitting by her side while she recants, indicating that she still fears what Suemight do to her in retaliation.

Whilethere are examples of Brittany being mean and vindictive to people on the show for her own reasons,this instance isn’t one of them.

So.

Tosum up everything I’ve rambled about, here are what I see as the keys tounderstanding Brittany Pierce as a character in terms of how she treats people, particularly in early seasons ofthe show:

ThoughBrittany may act like she thinks she is the best, she actually has somedeep-seated insecurities related to her intelligence, and her self-esteem is insome ways low.

She is sympathetic to individuals whose plights she can personally empathizewith—and especially to those who have things they wish they could change aboutthemselves but can’t, and especially when they are unfairly maligned for it.

She is unsympathetic to individuals who act in ways she finds personallyrepugnant, and especially to those who are condescending.

She is unsympathetic to popular individuals who break social rules though theyshould “know better” than to do so.

Her reputation for being odd allows her some social leeway to be kind tooutcasts.

However, she still is careful to play the social game when it comes to socialrule-breakers and individuals she finds repugnant.

She is capable of knowing right from wrong, but she still sometimes behavespoorly, particularly when it socially benefits to do so or when she feels she needs to do so in order to please Quinn and, even more often and more so, Santana.

Her behavior can appear idiosyncratic, especially in comparison to Quinn andSantana’s behavior, but she has her own personal reasons for acting the way shedoes. It’s just that those reasons don’t get much play in the main narrative ofthe show.

Anyway,really sorry for jabbering so much. Thanks for the question! Hope this helps.

#Crazy Brittanalyst answers #chickennuggets66

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maryanntorreson · 4 years

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How to make a first aid kit

First aid is one of those things that you never think you need until you actually do. However, having even a basic knowledge of field dressing and emergency care can go a long way. One of the essentials of this type of treatment is understanding how to make a first aid kit. We’ve got all the details of how to do exactly that.

As well as looking at the basics of what first aid is and why it’s essential, we also cover everything you need to know about what goes into a first aid kit and how you can get started making your own. To help you build your knowledge, we’ve even picked out some useful courses that can get you started.

What is first aid?

Before we look at how to make a first aid kit, let’s start off by exploring what first aid actually is. A simple definition is that it’s the immediate (first) assistance (aid) given to those suffering from either a minor or serious injury or illness.

In some situations, first aid could simply mean taking care of something minor, such as a cut, insect sting, or minor burn. Here, the first aider would aim to clean the wound, relieve pain, and prevent any escalation.

However, in other scenarios, the first aider could be providing initial support in an emergency situation. In this case, they would aim to help the casualty survive until professional medical help arrives.

Why is it important?

Knowledge of the principles of healthcare and medicine is always useful. Whether you’re interested in a career in the field or not, you can learn some valuable skills that could one day benefit you as well as other people.

In serious situations, first aid could potentially help to save someone’s life. However, a 2018 study by the British Red Cross found that only 5% of people would feel knowledgeable, confident, and willing to act if someone was bleeding heavily, unresponsive and breathing, or unresponsive and not breathing.

Clearly, having an understanding of the fundamentals of basic first aid can make you an everyday hero.

What are the main aims of first aid?

Even a trained first aider isn’t a medical professional. As such, the scope of first aid is limited to a few essential practices. Depending on whom you ask the main aims of first aid boil down to 3-5 main points. Similarly, these may depend on the severity of the situation.

Below, we’ve outlined these aims and what they mean:

Preserve life

For minor injuries like scrapes, cuts and stings, the first aider can give basic care to treat the situation. However, when the case is more severe, and there is a threat to the individual’s life, treatment is likely beyond the knowledge of basic first aid. In such situations, the first aider must preserve the life of the patient until a medical professional arrives.

Prevent escalation

This point is linked to the one above. A person performing first aid is unlikely to be able to solve a serious medical condition. However, they can take steps to make sure the situation doesn’t get any worse, keeping them as stable as possible until an ambulance arrives. For example, they wouldn’t stitch a deep wound on the scene, but they would help slow or stop the bleeding for as long as necessary.

Promote recovery

The ultimate aim of a first aider is to make sure the injured or ill person gets better, whether by their hand or by another’s. Usually, this means using the available supplies to either tend to a minor wound or stabilise a serious one. This is why it’s essential to know how to make a first aid kit. You might also want to learn about topics such as the basics of anatomy and psychological first aid to make sure you’re as informed as possible.

Protection

As well as protecting the life of the injured or ill person, a first aider must also think about any immediate dangers to the person, the people nearby, and themselves. If a person is unconscious, this can mean removing them from harm’s way or making sure their airway is open.

Why is a first aid kit important?

Whether you’re at home, in the workplace, or travelling somewhere new, a first aid kit of some kind is essential. Having one means you’re prepared for any potential injuries or illnesses that may arise. This is especially applicable for those who have particular pre-existing medical conditions that may need emergency intervention, such as asthma, diabetes, or allergies.

When you’re learning how to make a first aid kit, you can make it as complex or simple as you like. However, the key thing is that it meets the needs of the situation it’s being used for. The size and contents will vary, but the purpose remains the same.

In the UK, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 law means that employers must provide their workplace with a first aid kit. Additionally, they have to make sure there are appropriate facilities and trained staff members.

The University of Glasgow Basic First Aid: How to Be an Everyday Hero Find out more

Charles Sturt University Introduction to Anatomy: Learning the Anatomical Alphabet Find out more

Public Health England COVID-19: Psychological First Aid Find out more

What should be in a first aid kit?

So, one of the crucial things we need to know when learning how to make a first aid kit is what you should include in it. As we’ve highlighted, this really depends on the situation it’s being used in.

You should ask yourself a few questions before you start assembling your kit:

Who will you treat with it? Is this a kit that you’re going to use for your own needs, or is it for people in your care? How many of them are there? Remember, medication should rarely be given to others without the advice of a medical professional.

What injuries might you encounter? In an office setting, you’re less likely to encounter things like cuts and sprains, and more likely to encounter breathing difficulties and chest pains. When outdoors, you might experience more injuries related to the environment.

What environment is it being used in? Will you be somewhere that’s particularly hot or cold? Will you need to have a waterproof or crushproof container?

To make matters slightly easier, we’ve outlined some of the items that all first aid kits should include, as well as some specific examples of where you may want to add extras:

The essentials

Every kit should have a reliable and plentiful supply of the following items:

Bandages. You can use these to support injured joints, as well as limit swelling and keep pressure on wounds. They’re also used to secure dressings in place. Try to have a mix of roller bandages, triangular bandages, and tubular bandages.

Disposable gloves. Whenever you’re tending to or dressing wounds, you’ll want to wear disposable, latex-free gloves.

Mask. A face covering can help reduce cross infection with the casualty. This is particularly applicable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Plasters. Make sure you have a variety of different shapes and sizes available and decide whether you need waterproof ones.

Cleansing wipes. You’ll use these to make sure the skin around a wound or graze is clean.

Gauze pads. Again, you can use these to clear around the wounds, as well as for padding.

Adhesive tape. This tape can be used to make sure dressings stay in place, as well as to hold the ends of bandages.

Scissors. For cutting bandages or tape, as well as for clothing if you need to get to a wound.

Safety pins. For securing loose ends of bandages.

For home

When it comes to how to make a first aid kit for home, as well as all of the essentials mentioned above, you should include:

Thermometer. To check temperatures for those suffering from a fever. A forehead one is preferable.

Sterile tweezers. For removing small splinters and other precision tasks. You shouldn’t remove anything else other than these small, easy-to-remove splinters.

Sterile eye dressings. These can be used for wounds to the eye, as well as for small dressings for babies and toddlers.

Instant ice pack. These packets use a chemical reaction for instant cooling. Useful for reducing swelling and pain from strains, sprains and bruising.

Burn relief gel. Can be used to help cool down minor burns.

Antihistamines. For minor allergies and insect bites, provided you know they are safe to use.

Painkillers. Paracetamol, aspirin, and/or ibuprofen. Remember to only use these when you know it’s safe to do so.

Cough medicine. For minor coughs.

An epi-pen. For severe allergic reactions, especially if you have someone at-risk in your home.

In your car

Many people like to have a small first aid kit with them to keep in their personal car. Again, it can have many of the elements mentioned so far, as well as things like:

Foil blanket. These NASA-designed blankets are used to help people stay warm.

Sterile eye drops or eye bath. This can help you rinse out your eyes.

Sunscreen. If you might end up outside for a prolonged period, sunscreen can help protect you from sunburn.

Fresh drinking water. If you get stuck with your vehicle, this can be a lifesaver.

Anti-nausea medication. For those who get travel sick.

Although not strictly part of your first aid kit, you may want to keep things like a flashlight (with batteries), an extra blanket, hats and gloves, extra glasses (if you use them), and some non-perishable food.

While travelling

People often wonder how to make a first aid kit for travelling, and the answer depends somewhat on where and when you’re going. Along with your essentials, consider bringing:

Medicines you regularly take at home. Make sure you have enough of your prescription to last, as well as a little extra in reserve.

Antacid medicine. For treating indigestion.

Laxatives. For treating constipation.

Antidiarrheal agents. Travellers’ diarrhoea is common, and these, along with oral rehydration, can help manage mild to moderate symptoms.

Water purification tablets. If reliable drinking water isn’t universally available, these can help make water safe to drink.

Hand sanitizer. To make sure your hands stay clean and free from bacteria.

UVA/UVB sunscreen. Excessive sun exposure can be damaging, so make sure you have plenty of sun protection.

Medical alert jewellery. If you have a condition such as diabetes, this jewellery can alert medical professionals and first aiders.

At work

Your workplace should already have taken measures to ensure there is a first aid kit and someone trained to use it on site. You can read more about the HSE’s requirements that outline the legal duties that employers have when it comes to first aid.

How to make a first aid kit

So, now that we know what goes in one, let’s look in more detail about how to make a first aid kit. Of course, you could simply purchase a pre-made one. Although these are useful, once you’ve diminished the supplies, you’ll need to replace them. So, it’s helpful to know how to assemble your own. If you are buying one, look for the British Standard (BS) 8599 ones.

Below, we’ve outlined some of the steps you’ll need to take when making your own first aid kit.

Assess your needs. The first thing you want to do is think about the purpose of creating your first aid kit. Will it be for your home or for travel? How many people will it be used for? What type of environment will you keep it in? All of these points will inform the next steps.

Gather your materials. Once you know the circumstances your first aid kit will be in, you can start gathering all of the items you’ll need (check out our lists above). Make sure you have enough to last for a while.

Choose the right container. Now that you’ve assembled the contents, you’ll need to find a suitable container to house them. Here, you’ll want to think about practicality and environment. For example, a travel first aid kit should be small, durable, but not rigid. One used in more challenging environments may need to have a hard case and be waterproof.

Organise. You’ll want to make your kit organised and potentially even labelled. Ideally, you want to make sure that, no matter who is using it, they can find everything easily. Store related items together and use pockets/compartments to keep things separate.

Maintaining your first aid kit

Now that we know how to make a first aid kit, it’s worth mentioning how to maintain it. Whether you end up regularly using your kit or not, you’ll still want to check it from time to time. As well as looking for items that need replenishing, you should also consider anything that’s expired or damaged.

How to learn first aid

It’s one thing having a first aid kit on hand, but it’s another thing knowing how to use it. Although minor injuries take only a small amount of effort and knowledge to tend to, a serious situation requires far more training. So how can you learn first aid?

There are a few ways you can go about building your first aid knowledge, as well as your general understanding of healthcare. Here are some of the options available:

An online first aid course. We linked our basic first aid course earlier on, and we’ve included it again here. This 2-week course gives you information on some of the basics of how to recognise and manage emergencies. Topics include what to do when someone’s choking, helping someone who has passed out, and helping someone with a severe cut.

An in-person course. If you’re hoping to get qualified for first aid in the workplace, organisations such as the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance provide in-person courses.

Other online courses. At FutureLearn, we offer a range of courses and programs related to healthcare and wellbeing. With something like our nursing courses, you can learn about all kinds of care and medical situations. If you’re more interested in general wellbeing, we also have plenty of options.

Monash University The Science of Medicines Find out more

UCL (University College London) Airway Matters Find out more

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus Find out more

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thejjchandler · 6 years

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Okay, now that I've gotten to laugh my ass off about Huckabee and crew's hypocrisy for the weekend... Some (mostly) more seriously constructed thoughts.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders got requested to leave a restaurant called Red Hen this weekend because the owner felt that she wasn't simply an average person with opposing points of view, but rather a public figure and representative of an administration that has been hostile to various minority groups that included her staff and that Sarah Huckabee Sanders worked in the service of an “inhumane and unethical” administration.

"And it was important to her that Sanders was a public official, not just a customer with whom she disagreed, many of whom were included in her regular clientele."

She apparently made sure she was actually served, and then refused to let her pay. Then she- politely I guess -sent her on her way.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-owner-of-the-red-hen-explains-why-she-asked-sarah-huckabee-sanders-to-leave/ar-AAz44OB?li=BBnb7Kz

Sanders tweeted about the encounter, an act which both set off a social media firestorm and may have been an ethics violation.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/expert-sarah-sanders-broke-ethics-rules-with-tweet-about-restaurant/ar-AAz5vtH?li=BBnb7Kz

The reactions from the Professional Right- especially Mike Huckabee -were absolutely hilarious. It was definitely laughable watching the very same people who have fought to make discrimination by business owners based on "deeply held beliefs" whine and cry foul because a business owner discriminated against one of THEM based on "deeply held beliefs" of her own. And, hilariously, you could see that the little lightbulb in their heads still never went off.

When the conservative right began to lead the charge to allow bigots to hide behind "deeply held beliefs" in order to engage in legal discrimination against groups they were bigoted against, they were told that, duh, when you open that door you will let in unintended consequences. One of those unintended consequences was having other people suddenly able to do the exact same thing to them.

The poor little dears, bless their hearts, especially the Huckabee clan, just weren't smart enough to work that bit out even with people completely spelling it out for them. Apparently, they were under the mistaken assumption that legalized bigotry would be something only they would get to use as a tool in the day to day world, and just couldn't imagine that it could happen to them. Turned out that, oops, they were wrong.

https://nypost.com/2018/04/25/judge-bars-are-allowed-to-throw-out-trump-supporters/

And when it did, the professional punditry and political figures went into overdrive acting as if this was the greatest crime ever perpetrated on mankind. One of THEIR OWN was asked to leave a dining establishment after receiving their meal and told they wouldn't have to pay! The outrage!!! Which was funny given that so many of the talking heads "outraged" over this have defended (if not demanded) that this kind of thing be not only allowed, but codified into state or federal law. These same conservative talking heads have spent years now insisting that various bakers and others be able to discriminate as they see fit based on their deeply held (conservative) beliefs.

It was particularly comical watching Mike Huckabee spit and sputter about "bigotry" on the menu and throwing around cutesy names like "the hate plate" or "small plates for small minds." Seriously, Mike Huckabee... A man who has championed the right to be a bigot (but only a conservative bigot) by not only private business owners, but tried to tie his brand to civil servant Kim Davis during his Presidential bid while hyping her up as some sort of folk hero for refusing to issue or allow the issuing of gay marriage licenses because of her (hate and bigotry) deeply held beliefs.

The humor continued as the average Joe and Jane conservative leapt into action to condemn the exact same thing they themselves have insisted must be allowed when they want to do it, and, additionally, jumped into various discussion threads to explain why the acts of bigotry and discrimination they like and support are TOTALLY different not that you'd understand that 'fact' thank you very much.

Well, actually, it was different. They supported it when they liked it. They didn't like it this time. And the various little dears, bless their hearts, are even now still stomping their feet and insisting that this is totally wrong and totally different and how dare you even suggest that it's anything like the bigotry and discrimination they like and want to see allowed in polite society.

I mean, look, if they want to live like that, there are plenty of countries that would make them feel right at home. Of course, they might have to join groups like ISIL or the Taliban to live there...

And adding to the overall humor are the people who have never been to a restaurant running to their computers in order to write negative reviews about the food, service, etc. or leaving profanity laced comments and making threats. You know, the type of thing they decry if it's done to, say, a cake baker's shop.

It would be really amusingly funny if it weren't really so pathetically sad type of funny.

Of course, I'm not too thrilled with the other side of the coin here either.

When various businesses have tried to refuse service to others based on the bigotry of the owner or owners, I've said one thing over and over again- If you open a business in the public square, you serve the public.

Full stop.

End of sentence.

Can you make exceptions? Of course you can. The X-rated book seller can and should keep out minors just as the ABC store can and should (and must) decline sales to people under 21. If there's a history of gang or outlaw motorcycle gang problems, you can enforce rules banning gang colors in an establishment and banning known troublemaking members or groups. Hell, that one asshole who gets himself banned from a place, gang member or not, is almost a local tradition in some places. And, well, past shoplifters who have been caught are usually not welcome as clientele anymore.

You know, things like that.

But we don't refuse service based on the concept of "I don't like your kind." And that's been very much the same basic argument from many who have decried the bigoted actions of those that the clan Huckabee and their kind have defended for years now. So, I have to say that I find the large number of people who took that stand who now think this is a good thing to have happening somewhat annoying.

I won’t fault you for finding humor in the crocodile tears shed by hypocritical Mike Huckabee over the treatment of his often seemingly soulless and always seemingly dishonest not so little girl. I'm still laughing my ass off at them and every other hypocrite who is only now discovering that discrimination based on "deeply held beliefs" is so much bullshit and completely wrong.

But some on the left are taking joy in specifically the fact that this happened to her at all. Some on the left are practically celebrating the fact that she was told to leave.

That's a bit of a different beast.

As much as I've appreciated the humor the whining conservatives have put on display by going into phony outrage hypocrite mode or by trying to lecture others about how their preferred form of bigotry and discrimination is totally okay and totally different from this form of bigotry and discrimination- It really is a bit like watching a toddler complaining about getting hit on the head with a plastic Wiffle ball bat being held by another toddler when that toddler took the bat from the complaining toddler after he hit him ten or twenty times.

Well, yeah, dumbass, when you treat other kids like shit they might just return the favor. Life lesson learned and STFU with the whining about it now.

Except, as much as they might like to act like toddlers, we're not toddlers and shouldn't act like toddlers in kind.

I've seen people like Sarah Huckabee Sanders removed from various dining establishments in the past. The thing is, they weren't just sitting there quietly eating their food as she and her party were that evening. They would have to actively be engaging inside of the establishment in the kind of rhetoric they were known for outside of the establishment. In other words, they would have to be actively harassing the other clientele and being a disturbance.

They would have to be doing a lot more than just sitting there quietly eating their food.

I've also been in places in my lifetime where people have been harassed out of a business and the owner has done nothing or even seen owners ask people to leave because they didn't want "their kind" in the place because "their kind" meant being gay, black, Asian, etc. I've had the displeasure as a teen of walking out of a place with a friend because the person behind the counter knew the person I was with and kept loudly demanding to know who let the "zebra" into the convenience store. For those of you who don't know, that was once a popular slang insult by racists in many areas thrown at children who had one parent who was white and one who was black.

I never much cared for the people who did those things.

I can't say I care much for the people taking the position of "It's our turn now!" either.

That's always a bad path to walk down as it typically involves being the monster you hate.

It doesn't matter what you think of Sarah Huckabee Sanders. It doesn't matter what rationale you can think up to excuse telling her to leave when all she was doing was quietly dining. It doesn't matter because every reason you can come up with can and has likely been used by some bigot somewhere to do the same thing in an incident you have or would have had you known of it spoken out against.

I have no issue with laughing at them, but a condition to that is remembering to be better than them.

If you have ever been discriminated against or told to leave someplace because of who or what you were, you know what it feels like. You know it doesn't feel good. I know it doesn't feel good, because it's happened to me. A decent human being takes that knowledge- knowing what that feels like and how much it made the other people seem like the lowest of human scum -and tries to never reverse those roles.

"It's our turn now!"

No.

That's really not a good way to live your life. Be better.

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cellerityweb · 6 years

Text

Serious Games Indeed – Raising Awarenes, Changing the World

Games have the power to entertain us and make us forget our everyday routines, if only for a moment. They also have the power to change our mindset as well as the world … even if only a little.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

A girl is lying in bed, all dressed in white. Her pale skin shivers occasionally. Her lips are red as roses. I comb what little is left of her smooth black long hair as she looks at me and whispers: »I love you, don’t worry.« Irit, my sister, died of cancer at age 10.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

I’m in elementary school. It’s the fifth grade. I’m walking by my class and suddenly I hear a loud brawling sound. I turn around the corner by an old classroom structure that’s made of bricks, cracked asbestos and iron – only to see my good frail friend getting beaten all bloodied and gasping for air. I shout out »Stop this!« with all my might. They stop for a second to look at me and return to the beating. I decide to act. I break a wooden branch with sharp thorns and wave it in the air, whipping the two bigger boys to tears. My friend looks at me, covered with dirt and blood and whispers: »I’m ok man, don’t worry.«Zeev, my good friend, died at sea, caught in a whirlpool he couldn’t evade, age 26.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

I’m standing on a steep hill in the South of Lebanon. The outskirts of Bint Jbeil. I gaze upon troops firing bullets at each other. A tank is heading deeper into the road surrounding the village, only to move on top of a powerful landmine. A heavy hand touches my shoulder, startling, holding it tight. A bearded reserve soldier, named Rami, whom I just met an hour ago, an observer in the intelligence core, is being accompanied by his squad behind him. We joke for a minute about how all of this is just like a scene from »Age of Empires« game – »We will win this game bro, don’t worry«. They go over the hill to the other side for their mission. 30 minutes later, a Katyusha rocket hits them directly. Rami, age 30. Killed while serving his country.

Having experienced the ugly face of war first-hand, Tsahi is on a mission – with video games now being his weapon of choice.

My Road for a Gaming Chalice Begins

14 years ago, I was on the verge of leaving my job as a Cyber Security Expert. I loved my job but something in my day-to-day routine was missing. I felt I was missing my true calling and knew that I wanted to do something far more influential. I wanted to change the world with my knowledge. My passion can be blazing hot when I truly put my mind to it. I decided to be a game developer, and with that, my life changed completely.

My first job was as a game programmer at probably the best TV channel for children in Israel, called »HOP!«. How appropriate it was, as my games carried this very sense of hope that I wished to plant in every single one of the titles game I made. Each one carried a fracture of my wounded but slowly healing soul. Soon enough, I became the CTO of the company and carried multiple campaigns for children with disabilities, phobias or just children who wished to know more of the world and learn through playing. After hundreds of games and campaigns, I finally started to work on projects with Sesame Workshop and it was love on first sight.

As a delegate visiting foreign planets, the player’s focus in ‘Quandary’ lies on ethnical decision-making.

Other brands soon followed, including amongst others: »Carebears«, »Strawberry Shortcake«, »Garfield«, »Pocoyo«, »«Justin Time«, »Maya the Bee«, »The Smurfs«, »Fireman Sam« and »Lazytown«. Every moment of my time was filled with color and sweetness. But I wanted more. I moved from company to company, trying to find my own salvation as a sleepless paladin roaming the land on a quest for the Holy Grail, to create a game that not only teaches but also educates, and makes you truly understand someone or something completely different. I established a game studio from scratch for »BabyFirstTV«, creating hundreds of games for toddlers to teach basic English, math, colors and sounds. I led a huge project for Compedia, one of Israel’s eldest Edu games companies, where I taught Hebrew to children abroad. I worked in Tabtale as their game designer, and created games as a freelancer for BBC, PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network and countless others. But what I was looking for was much deeper. I was looking for a place to help me create serious games.

Serious Games – Why so Serious?

By definition, a serious game is a game whose objective is not solely or purely entertainment, but which is also meant to teach, and raise awareness for the said topic, and in many cases to shock and provoke thoughts. I never liked that name, however, I agree that it is one of the names that are most suitable for the cause, and at the very least, differentiates it from other pure entertainment games. But what makes a good serious game?

‘Bury My Love’ is a story about Nour, a Syrian migrant who is trying to find her way to Europe.

The first time I was playing »This War of Mine« by 11bit Studios, I was hesitant. I knew already that this is not going to be a pleasant experience for me. I understood this is about war, and war is filled with pain and casualties. But I never thought that I would find myself completely frozen after playing the game for two hours. I lost my first team member – I lost Katia and immediately stopped playing and needed some fresh air. It took me four additional times to start again and play the game to the very end.

What I found quite unique about This War of Mine, is that it was extremely realistic, and would not make any discounts for the player. You need to be responsible, but every decision you make is hard and you know it will affect someone. You play people who have a face, a history, a name and personality. This is more than just a bunch of pixels on the ground bleeding the same way as all the other bodies. This is, or was, Katia. And it was because of me. And because of them.

Damn these wars.

After that version they released another expansion, »The Little Ones«, which was even harder to play. I’m the father of Tamar, my almost 6-year-old daughter, and I can’t even imagine spending time with her under such harsh conditions. It’s a fact that I will defend her under any circumstance. But in this game, I, as the player, saw how my method of playing changed. I walked the thin line between risking too much while also getting more food and supplies for two people. Facing the questions from the children in the game, this was wicked and hard to read and respond.

One other game that was giving me a punch in the stomach was »Valiant Hearts: The Great War« by Ubisoft Montpelier. The game is a puzzle-based game with four chapters, that is inspired by letters written during World War I and has several characters who help a young German soldier find his love in this story about survival, sacrifice and friendship. The story is woven through all characters and their grave sacrifices, courage, values of comradeship and love. Emotionally, it had such a huge effect on me, even weeks after I played the game. The game reminded me of my grandfather’s stories and that I was be able to visualize his stories through the eyes of the characters, making them more reliable and memorable.

‘The Enemy’ is a VR experience created by former war photographer Karim ben Khelifa.

Additional games that left a huge impression on me: »1000 Days of Syria« is a text-based game that is played from three different points of view, using three very different characters. In »Nanu Planet«, you play Parchi, an explorer that was separated from his love Puchi. You guide him through puzzles and riddles, in order to find each other through the use of metaphors and allegories, telling the player the story of a divided Korea, its history and reasons for separation. »Bury me, my Love« is a narrative-driven interactive fiction about Nour, a Syrian migrant who’s trying to find her way to Europe. »Insight Spark – Journey to the Fire Mountain« is a digital adventure describing two tribes – the mountain men and the forest men – who are hostile towards each other. The players select their avatar from the forest men tribe, and define traits that effect the outer visibility – not inner! – and its powers. When a dark force aims to take over their world, they embark on a journey to find a magic gem to save the world. When the game starts, the players are rewarded for behaving according to their tribe rules and culture, which makes the rivalry between the two tribes remain. As the game progresses, the rules change and the players are rewarded for thinking outside the box through, breaking through different stigmas and thereby encouraging social interaction with other groups and cooperation. And then there’s »Quandary« which provides a thorough playing of a delegation to a new planet, a framework for how to approach ethical decision-making without telling players what to think.

But not all serious games – or games for change, as the marvelous Asi Burak named his association – are painful and harsh. Some aim at creating hope, connecting people and changing how we treat each other, no matter our differences.

Games for Peace – And What’s Next?

Living in Israel was never easy or simple. This place, that some may say is holy or unique by its history and relationship with the surrounding countries, had always been a complex Pandora’s box, and no one wants to really open it wide and look it straight in the eye. Israelis and Palestinians – they look the same, eat the same food and almost speak the same language. But for the love of it, we can’t stop quarreling about land, rights, future plans and who is stronger, or who has suffered more. My generation wants peace. Not just a lip service but a true companionship. Not with the extremists. This is never a good thing, not in religion, not in politics and not in any field of life – extremism is dangerous. My generation plays games. We see this as a way of life, especially those of us who work in the gaming industry. We use games to help us shop, navigate, compete, learn and live in an easier way. So why not deal with conflicts using games as well?

‘1000 Days of Syria’ is a text-driven narrative played from three different points of view.

Four year ago, I joined the board of an interesting nonprofit association, called »Games for Peace«, where the idea was simple but very clever: we would make Israeli and Palestinian children meet in a computer game. We used the Minecraft engine as a basis for our platform. Then we let the children build together, defeat obstacles as a team and learn to get to know each other. No one knows if the other side is Jewish or Muslim, since we show all messages to each side in their own language (yeah, we made that as well). Eventually, after playing together for several months, they met in the real world and their bonds have strengthened. This model has been tested in several other places around the world, and is now nominated for two awards and entered the final stages of two glamorous competitions. There has been a change in the children’s attitudes towards their conflicted rival! But along the good, there is also the bad. All it takes is one incident of terror, one fight to regress this process backwards. Eventually, if not maintained, the great achievements gained in the game process are lost.

My own take on this was always to think of the long run. Touch the delicate fibers of the conflict, not just the popular, politically correct corners. In order to solve a problem or conflict, both sides need to expel all the rubbish inside in order to confront each other, learn about their false conceptions, start to build a connection with the rival side and start creating together.

Additionally, as we’ve seen at Games for Peace, this is not an isolated environment. The teacher must be part of the process, since sometimes, the great unbelievers are the teachers. And what about the parents? What about when the child gets back home, back into a different reality it has to deal with. So, the parents needs to be in the game, involved as a character with its own objectives. And what about my friends? And my Rabbi? My Imam? Yes, the road is long, but at least we are leaping forward in great bounces, with great courage and open eyes.

Serious Games and AR \ VR

We mostly discussed PC and mobile games, but we can’t ignore a huge revolution growing right under our noses. It’s the most common buzzword nowadays: AR\VR. Some will even dare to say Mixed Reality, but it’s a great way to make your player feel empathy, immerse in a world of imagination or realism, and understand more than ever the consequences of a player’s actions. Having a gamified layer on top of your reality or watching it with added game objects through your mobile phone or Meta Glasses is fantastic, but what other use can it bring to the serious games market? Well, instead of watching monsters popping out of sewer holes or defeating flying saucers, or even checking statistics of buildings around you, one could use it as tool to view real statistics on homeless people. Or how about using your mobile device to see how other people around you would look like after not having eaten, slept or washed themselves for days or possibly weeks? And what about conflicts? Could we simulate bullies at school, being the one having to stand up to them? Can we simulate a battle between two religious rivals only to try to pacify them using our game tools?

Indeed, the options vary, but VR is even mightier. Despite the side effects, one can assume a role of a general in an army, a foot soldier, a drug dealer in the Brazilian favelas, a Palestinian Citizen in Gaza, or an orthodox Jew in Jerusalem, and grow empathy towards that character, with actual emotional response and almost the ability to touch the world. One such good example is the VR experience »The Enemy« by Karim ben Khelifa, who has been a war photographer for many years, and decided to create an emotional experience, where each side is one part of the conflict, trying to understand and grow empathy towards each other by playing the rival character.

Will the future tacticians or soldiers fight their wars only in VR? Or is this a tool that must be embedded into the curriculum as part of a grand peace study, hence building a young generation of sensitive, empathic, non-wearing people?

Serious Games as a Business – But What About Funding?

Let’s face it: making games is awesome, right? Making serious games and social change game experiences is noble. But values can’t help you keep on going. In order to fund your growing game company, serving more players is crucial. Game developers need to think from the get-go about their business model and how their game would be funded. When we speak about serious games, the situation is even more delicate. One needs to explore grants by the European Union, like the »Horizon 2020« program or other governmental grants. But grants are a slow, bureaucratic, require tedious work and the developers need to be prepared in advance. Only a small amount of projects is selected, so this goose won’t lay any golden eggs. Of course, we mustn’t forget crowdfunding, although it shows that only 10% of the funds for serious games are crowdfunded by campaigns on Kickstarter, fig, indiegogo and the likes. It’s necessary to remember that a good campaign requires qualified and dedicated personnel with a good funding back-up to make this a quality run.

The secret lies within mixing possible solutions, addressing governmental as well as private grants such as the »McArthur’s Foundation«or the »Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation«, and combining all of this this with meeting with Angels or VC’s that are into serious games, and trying to think on how this game can fund itself. Is this going to be using the Humble Bundle model, so it could fund charities and drive more traffic to your game? Are you teaming up with a big brand without damaging the game’s image and using their marketing resources and well-known name? As always, the funding of games is difficult and you need a great combination of a good game, a great cause, lots of luck,and a heart that’s in the right place.

Conclusions

The campaign ‘Games for Peace’ had one goal: bringing together Palestinian and Israeli kids by having them play together, without them knowing about each other’s heritage, language or religion.

Life is a wonderful game. It has its own rules, actors, and varied objectives. But in order to keep on living,

we must at the very least have our conflicts under control. We first need to challenge our own inner conflicts and then try to solve bigger ones.

But games are a great tool for facing our greatest fears, whether it is black people, refugees from Syria, homeless people on the streets or people who speak Arabic. We are all born the same way as infants, and as such, our society poisons us slowly with varied misconceptions. Games can be the antidote to that poison and this is true especially for serious games. Let’s try to use our skills to change this world and the people around us. If we can develop a serious game, let’s do it. Not just because it’s popular to say that this is what we do, but to really make a change, touch those meridian points within people that are aching, looking for answers, and crystal clear them. Games are great, but their social element – the ability to compete and to learn from each other – is priceless. Without learning or education, no conflict would be solved. So learn how to create games and make games that matter and don’t be afraid to inflict pain and empathy with it – because it’s the way to a better future!

About the Author:

Tsahi Liberman VP Foreign Affairs, GameIS Headmaster, Titan Game Dev & Design School

Im 42 years old, raised and born in Israel. My entire life revolved around games. Basketball games, Comodor64 games, playing »Golden Axe« and »Rampage«, staying over night to play »Meridian59«, »Ultima Online« and »Everquest« with my friends. I ended up developing games and meeting people I adored, putting a smile on the face of children playing my games, as well as learning about math, languages and science in a fun way. Im father to my 6-year-old daughter Tamar, and husband to Noa, my beloved partner in this life, a gifted illustrator. I love martial arts, extreme sports and making an impact on this world by using games of any kind. Contact: [email protected]

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evcrafter · 6 years

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Maleficent “Mal” Bertha

Face-claim: Dove Cameron

Status: semi-active

Biography:

Lady Maleficent "Mal" Bertha is half-fairy, and the main protagonist from the Disney Channel films Descendants and Descendants 2 She is the daughter of Maleficent.

As a natural born leader, Mal takes charge of carrying out her mother's evil plan to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand and enjoys drawing and casting spells, as she feels they’re needed.

As the movies progress, Mal lets go of much of her fears and goals, becoming in tune with her true self; thus she abandons the hollow life of evil, for a life of being good. With friendship and love, Mal ended filling the hole in her heart that couldn't be satisfied through what her mother had taught her.

Mal is a sneaky, smart, and ruthless girl who is a natural born leader and skilled at artistic things involving spray paint. Though she is compassionate to a degree she is also vengeful and doesn't forgive others easily. She is artistic and has a knack for casting spells, but only if needed. As the daughter of Maleficent, she wants to be like her mother: pure evil. Yet whenever she tries to prove herself to her mother, she often disappoints her instead.

But she does enjoy coming up with evil plans and is the most feared at her previous school because of her reputation. She isn't fond of beautiful surroundings or anything pink and finds them to be horrid, but she does sometimes wonder about how life would be off the island. Despite this, she is not necessarily immoral; she is just misguided. Her "mean girl" facade is an act because she does not want to be seen as weak in her mother's eyes; being one is the only way she is respected by Maleficent, who never cared about Mal. Ben is the only person who saw through Mal's act (including herself), and saw her for who she was, a good person and he is the only one who knows Mal's middle name. She also tends to be overly-sarcastic.

In the prelude novel, Mal is introduced as the daughter of Maleficent, the worst of the villains. Mal was born and raised in the Isle of the Lost, along with her mother, best friends and their parents. One evening, Mal dreams of being in Auradon on the edge of a beautiful lake with the soon-to-be-king Ben (to whom she did not know).

She doesn't always do so well in school, except for Advance Evil Schemes and Nasty Tricks taught by Lady Tremaine. For her Ultimate Project she chose to humiliate Evie in which she fails to do. However, when Diablo was reanimated and informs Maleficent of the return of magic to the fairy's staff, Maleficent instructs Mal to retrieve it to prove herself evil. Mal convinces Jay, Evie and Carlos to get the staff back from the Forbidden Fortress in the Isle of the Doomed, an area near the Isle. She saves Evie from getting cursed by the staff at the cost of the the staff losing its magic once returned to Maleficent. Afterwards, the four teens become friends.

In Descendants, Mal is first seen spray painting a brick city wall. Then, she and her friends wreak havoc across an area of the Isle of the Lost. ("Rotten to the Core") After taking a lollipop from a toddler, her mother Maleficent comes. She gives the news that the four have been chosen to attend Auradon Prep. She gives the four a task to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand, and hands over her spellbook to Mal. When they arrive at Auradon Prep, they are welcomed by the Fairy Godmother and Prince Ben, who made the decree that they be given a chance to live among them. Audrey, Ben's girlfriend and the daughter of Aurora, is unwelcoming and rude. Mal and Audrey exchange awkward looks, before Audrey takes Ben away.

Mal and Evie become roommates to a room Mal finds "gross," but what Evie actually really loves. At night, the two girls enter Jay and Carlos' dorm room while Jay and Carlos were enjoying they almost forgot what they are here for then Mal tells that it is their one chance to prove their parents that they are evil.

Then they went to the museum after knowing where the wand is being held. Mal successfully puts the guard into a deep sleep, and they go look for the wand. They enter a room, which contains statues of their parents; Mal stays behind, having a vision of her mother encouraging her to go through with the plan to steal the wand. ("Evil Like Me") They find the wand, but Jay accidentally sets off the alarm when trying to take the wand. They narrowly escape, thanks to Carlos reporting the alarm as a malfunction.

The next day, they have school; Mal aces Remedial Goodness as it's a no-brainer what answer good guys would choose. Jay and Carlos are in the Tourney team, and Evie is asked out by Chad Charming. Mal befriends Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, to get the wand; she plays on Jane's insecurities about being pretty by making her hair more beautiful. Lonnie, Mulan's daughter, asks Mal to change her hair to a cool style likes her; Mal reluctantly agrees, since Lonnie will pay $50 and Evie needs more material for sewing her outfits.

Finding out the wand will be used in the coronation, Mal hatches a plan to become Ben's girlfriend to get close to the wand, since only his folks and girlfriend get to stand up front. She begins baking a love spell into a batch of cookies; however, she finds that a tear of true sadness is the only ingredient missing. Lonnie bothers her (other girls want Mal to change their hair as well), and Mal reveals that the parents on the Isle of the Lost never showed them anything like love before when Lonnie remembers when her mother made her cookies whenever she was sad. Lonnie cries for them; Mal pretends to kindly wipe it away, flicking the tear into the cookie batter.

The next day, Mal uses psychology to trick Ben into eating the cookie, by making him think he doesn't trust a treat offered by the child of a villain. To Mal's surprise, the love potion works a little too well, as Ben breaks out into a song about his love for her after winning the Tourney game with Jay and Carlos' help. She readily accepts his request to attend the coronation with him, but feels a bit sorry for Audrey, who is shallow compared to her and choose Chad Charming (a manipulative jerk) as a rebound boyfriend.

Mal goes on a date with Ben to the Enchanted Lake. While on the date, they find they have some things in common, such as embarrassing middle names, and the status of their parents; Ben explains that while he has the "poster parents of goodness" and her mother is Mistress of Evil, they're not automatically like them as they get to choose who they get to be.

She is then taken aback when Ben tells her that he can see goodness when he looks into her eyes, not evil. While Ben takes a swim, Mal begins feeling conflicted since she's falling in love. ("If Only") When Ben doesn't surface, Mal attempts to save him despite not being able to swim; Ben saves her, albeit a bit confused. Mal points out that there's a barrier around the Isle of the Lost, preventing swimming. When asked if she loves him, Mal says that she doesn't know what it feels like to love; Ben says he might be able to teach her.

Prior to Family Day, Mal and her friends can video chat with their parents. Hearing her mother's subtle message, Mal decides that they're all goners if they don't succeed. Come Family Day, Mal attends with her friends and is introduced to King Beast and Queen Belle by Ben as his new girlfriend; the experience is mutually uncomfortable for three of them.

Playing a game of croquet prior to lunch, Mal meets Audrey's grandmother, Queen Leah, who initially mistakes her for her mother in shock. Ben explains the situation, but Queen Leah is furious at the very memory of her daughter needing to be raised by fairies due to Maleficent's curse. Feeling sorry for the misery her mother caused, Mal attempts to apologize, but is stopped by Chad Charming, who has never trusted Mal or her friends. After Evie knocks out Chad with a sleeping potion, Mal is left feeling hurt and confused more than ever; Ben attempts comforting her prior to leaving to prep for the coronation the next day. Jane and Audrey make fun of Mal, who snaps back at them by undoing the makeover she gave Jane's hair; she threatens to do worse, telling her friends she's looking forward to the coronation.

The following day, she rides with Ben in a carriage to the coronation. He eats a cupcake with the antidote to the love potion in it too early; however, she learns Ben has been free of the spell since their first date, thanks to the Enchanted Lake washing away the spell. Wondering if Ben had been had been faking his affection for her, Mal is left happily surprised he entrusts his signet ring to her. This however, causes her to begin questioning if she should give up this happiness love has brought her, in order to fulfill her mothers' evil desires.

During the coronation, Jane snatches the wand to give herself a makeover; however, the magic backfires and makes a hole in the barrier surrounding the Isle of the Lost. Mal takes the wand, and after encouragement from Ben, decides to choose good as it's brought her more happiness than evil ever did and states the fact that she wants to live here in Auradon because it brings her happiness. Her friends agree, just as Maleficent arrives to take the wand. With everyone but herself and her friends frozen in time by her mother, Mal finally stands up to Maleficent, saying she's never considered what her Mal wanted. Having a stare-off and using a spell, Mal shrinks her mother down to a small lizard, which is equal to the love in her heart.

Fairy Godmother unfreezes time, freeing everyone. Mal shares a moment with Ben, while telling Fairy Godmother not to be too hard on Jane since it was her fault for putting the ideas in her head. With her mother locked up, Mal decides to enjoy the after party with her friends. Mal dances with Ben to Set it Off. She then narrates "You didn't think that was end of the story, did you?" while giving a smirk to the audience as her eyes glowed green.

In the sequel, Return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos find themselves right where we left them in the movie. Enjoying everything that Auradon has to offer. In the Library, she then tells Ben about putting a fake nose on Pin. Meanwhile, she now has great friends, interesting classes, a world filled with hope instead of dreary villains and no future. They originally expected to hate it, but as we all know, they not only decided to stay, but to find their inner goodness. (And when there’s handsome princes, Tourney matches, puppies, and spontaneous musical numbers galore, who can really blame them?)

But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay find themselves falling into their old habits. Evil spells, stealing, and breaking the rules comes naturally to them, it’s not really their fault, it’s how they were raised! In addition to becoming Rotten to the Core once again, they discover a dark mystery at the Isle’s core, and must combine all their talents, both good and bad, to save the Kingdom.

Mal first has a daydream of her, Jay, Carlos, and Evie, huddled around a bubbling cauldron. She casts a spell on some apples to make the taster wicked. The four are then shown passing out apples and watching chaos break loose. ("Ways to be Wicked") She then is being crowded by several reporters in the front of the school asking her questions about the Cotillion and her life in Auradon. Ben and the Fairy Godmother intervene to veer the reporters away from a very relieved Mal. Ben talks to Mal about spending time together, before remembering that he is late for a council meeting and leaves abruptly after apologizing to Mal. Evie and Mal then walk away to get fitting for Mal's dress for the Cotillion.

Mal is then shown in her Cotillion dress getting fitted by Evie in their room. She complains her discomfort to Evie about the dress, along with the stress of all the events she has to attend to even after the Cotillion. She then asks Evie about what they would be doing if they were still in the Isle, which Evie laughs off. The TV then shows Mal and Ben on their tour of Auradon dining with Aladdin and Jasmine, which they stop to watch. The TV goes on to talk about the days until the Cotillion when Mal would officially be a Lady of the Court.

Mal gives a surprised gasp, at this, as she counts the days on her fingers. She walks over and picks up her spell book. She then chants a spell to remember everything she reads at lightning speed and starts to go over a book for "Lady Manners." Evie notices and scolds Mal about how dishonest she was being which Mal shrugs off saying that she was a mess before she started using her spell book. Evie takes the spell book away and when Mal begins to protest, she tells her that her spell book should be put in the museum along with Evie's Magic Mirror. After reluctantly giving up, she asks Evie if she ever missed running wild and breaking all the rules. Evie gives a shocked "no" asking why would they. She takes Mal and leads her back to the TV saying that they were in Auradon and that they were Auradon girls now. They watch the TV talk about Mal's love of strawberries, showing Mal and Ben on a romantic date eating strawberries. As Mal looks sad, Evie tells her that Auradon is the land of opportunity and that they could be whatever they wanted to be. Evie asks Mal to leave the past in the past, and when Mal still looks sad, she cheers her up by showing Mal her Cotillion shoes.

Mal then is shown walking through school with Evie, Jay, and Carlos. Jay flirts with some girls and Carlos asks why he hasn't picked anyone to bring to the Cotillion already, which he responds that he's going solo so that he can dance with all of them. After Carlos calls him the expert, he asks him on advice on asking a girl to the Cotillion, and Jay jokingly responds that he has to look like him. They run into Jane, who addresses Mal, but Carlos cuts in. He nervously asks her if she liked the carrot cake the night before, and Jane says that she had the pumpkin pie. After Jay drags him off, Evie addresses Lonnie and Jane if they wanted a spot for Cotillion fitting at three, and Lonnie hurriedly says "yes". She apologizing to Jane, saying that she will take Jane later. Jane starts asking Mal about decorating at the Cotillion. Mal says she has to get to class, but Jane says that she can nod if she likes it. Jane hurriedly starts listing decorative items. Mal starts to protest after Jane asks her about party favors, but she interrupts and starts listing more items. Jane stops to ask about pen toppers, and Mal eyes glow green. She closes them for a moment, and then smiles at Jane, agreeing with her. Lonnie comes around and tells Mal that she is excited to see what Mal's wedding will look like, and Mal, dazed, agrees before looking surprised. Jane tells Mal that the Cotillion is like getting "engaged to be engaged to be engaged." Mal started stuttering about not knowing about it and that her entire life is just laid right in front of her as Ben walks up behind her. Ben addresses Mal and tries to talk to her but is drawn aside by Jane as Mal waits for him. Jane then talks about Ben's present to Mal at the Cotillion, which turns out to be a stained-glass window depicting Mal with Ben kneeling before her. After Ben reminds Jane to make Mal's eyes green, he says goodbye to Mal, who walks away. Jane then asks about the different shades of green to use, and he chooses one.

While Mal is at her locker, Ben walks up to her. He tells her that he has surprise for her, and she laughs about how many presents Ben gets her. When Ben looks into her locker, he sees her spell book, and asks her if she is going to donate it to the museum. She closes the locker door to block his view and muses about how she had forgotten about it. She says that she has to get to class, but Ben stops her and walks her over to a purple scooter with a bronze bow on the handle. Mal gasps in surprise and tells Ben how she loves it. She then says that she didn't get Ben anything. He reminds her that she told him that she would take him on a picnic with all his favorite foods. Mal says that the picnic is going to be on Thursday. They start arguing about it being Thursday until Ben takes his phone out and shows her. Mal covers up her surprise and says that she was just joking. She says she needs to bake only one more thing, and when Ben reminds her about class, Mal says that she will multitask and walks away laughing.

Mal runs into Carlos's room as reporters follow her and she slams the door, panting. She locks the door, then walks over to the TV, which was talking about her, and turns it off hurriedly with the remote as Carlos watches her. When Mal's eyes glow green, Carlos tries to calm her down. Mal starts to rant about how reporters are always running after her and taking pictures of her. She asks him if he ever missed screaming at people and making them run away from him. He tells her that she was thinking of Carlos's mother, Cruella, which he was usually being the one running away, and tells her no. Carlos then asks Mal if she brought "it" (a truth gummy) and she starts to open a small container. Chad suddenly opens the room silently and stealthily, unaware that Carlos and Mal were in the room, and closes it. When he turns around, he looks surprised to see Carlos and Mal there. He awkwardly says hi, and then tells Carlos that he just wanted to use his 3D printer. Carlos asks Chad about how he got the key to his room, and Chad says that he printed it off last time he was there, when they were sleeping. He tries to defend himself by saying how good Carlos's 3D printer is, but Carlos tell him to get out and leave the key. He angrily walks out and slams the door. Carlos then reminds Mal about the "potion," which turns out to be a truth gummy that will allow Carlos to say what he wants to say to Jane. Mal cautions him about if he really wants to take it because it will make him say the truth all the time and remarks that if she took it, she would get sent back to the Isle. Carlos tells Mal that he will take his chances, but before Carlos takes it, Dude jumps off the bed and eats it from Mal's hand. Dude then starts to talk, much to Carlos's and Mal's surprise and disbelief, remarking that the gummy was "nasty." He continues, chiding Carlos about "man up," and to scratch his butt. Mal, shocked, told Carlos to scratch his butt, then awkwardly turns and leaves. Carlos protests about Mal just leaving him there with Dude.

Later, Mal and Ben are sitting together on the picnic date near a lake. She feeds him a hors d'oeuvre which Ben remarks is the best thing in the world. Ben said that she had made every single dish Mrs. Potts made for his parents. He asked Mal if it really took her three days to make it all, which she jokingly asks him not to even ask her. Ben told her that it meant a lot that she stopped and did all of that for him, and that they didn't have a lot of time being just "them." Ben then asked if there were any napkins. He reaches into the picnic basket, and Mal tries to stop him saying that she can get them herself. However, Ben takes Mal's spell book out, to Mal's shock. She quickly makes up an excuse saying that she threw the book in the basket at the last minute in case it rained during the date. However, Ben started to read the list of spells that Mal had tabbed showing him that she had used the spell book to read quickly, turn her hair blonde, and cook all the food that she had "made." Ben starts to get angry, telling her that he had been falsely complimenting her for fitting in well. Mal, desperate, tries to spell him into forgetting the moment, but she messes up. Ben jumps up from the table, figuring out she was trying to spell him. They start yelling at each other, Mal saying that transitioning into Auradon was hard, while Ben retorts that becoming king has been hard as well. Ben says that Mal has been lying and keeping secrets from him and reminds her that Auradon isn't the Isle of the Lost. Mal retorts that she knows it isn’t and explains that she isn't a pretty pink princess or a Lady of the Court. She then grabs her spell book and casts a spell over the feast which turns it back to "what is real," which turns out to be a peanut butter jelly sandwich and a glass of milk. She then walks away, despite Ben trying to call her back.

Mal returns to hers and Evie's room dressed in her VK outfit. She grabs a pencil and pierces air holes into a blue and black pencil box. She drops it, then starts to cry saying that she doesn't belong in Auradon. She picks up the box again and walks over to the glass cage where her mother, Maleficent the lizard, is kept. She opens the cage, takes out Maleficent and places her in the box. She then smiles weakly and says that they're "blowing this popsicle stand," then places the lid on the pencil box.

Afterwards, Mal drives her purple scooter wearing a purple helmet to a cliff at the edge of Auradon overlooking the sea and the Isle of the Lost. She stops, breathing heavily, and takes off her goggles. She quickly takes her spellbook out and casts a spell on her scooter that will take the driver anywhere. She then drives across the water trailing green magic, slightly hovering over the water and bouncing into it occasionally. Mal rams into the barrier, but passes through it with a gasp of surprise. She then is shown driving through the "market" causing many people to shout in surprise and move out of her way quickly. She stops at a corner and takes off her goggles to see a poster on the wall advertising the Royal Cotillion showing Ben and Mal together. An eye patch is drawn over Ben's right eye , and Mal's face has and "x" over it with "GOOD GIRL" written on her. Mal peels the poster off the wall, crumples it, and throws it over her shoulder. She puts her goggles back on and drives off, many people staring at her as she leaves. She drives on until she reaches a building, turns right, and parks her scooter in an opening. She takes off her helmet, grabs a rock off a nearby table, and throws it at a sign reading: "Danger: Flying Rocks" hanging to the side of the building. It folds to the wall, then a door slides upwards revealing a flight of stairs leading up the building. Mal then starts walking up the stairs to the room above.

Mal later is walking down to Lady Tremaine's Curl Up & Dye. She gets to the doors, but notices that there is hanging sign that says the shop doesn't open until midnight. She pushes the doors open and walks inside to reveal a hair shop with walls and furniture splattered with paint and bubbling bottles. She spots Dizzy Tremaine sweeping the hair-covered floors while listening to "Rather Be With You" on her headphones. Dizzy notices Mal and exclaims with surprise, asking if Evie was with her as well. Mal chuckles and tells her "no", and Dizzy looks disappointed. Mal tells her that she forgot that the place doesn't open until midnight and compliments it saying that it looks good. Dizzy chuckles, and Mal asks her if her grandmother has given her any customers yet. Dizzy responds that she only gets a witch here and there. She goes on saying that she usually does a lot of cleaning. Mal asks her if she did Evie's hair, and Dizzy tells her yes, and that she thought of the little braids that Evie wore. Mal asks Dizzy if she had any ideas for her, and Dizzy examines her. She begins criticizing Mal's hair and nails. Dizzy asks Mal how far she can go with her hairstyle, and Mal tells her to make it so that Mal feels like herself, but way worse. Dizzy squeals happily, then grabs a large pair of scissors. She dyes Mal's hair magenta, then cuts some hair off. Dizzy straightens Mal's hair and paints Mal's nails black. After it is done, Dizzy spins her chair around and Mal gets up to look herself in a paint-splattered cracked mirror. She then pulls out money from her pocket and gives it to Dizzy, who asks her if the money is for her. When Mal says yes, Dizzy exclaims in happiness and runs over to the cashier laughing.

Dizzy stops when she sees Harry Hook walking into the entrance. He tells her to give him the money, and calls her a runt. She reluctantly gives him the money in his outstretched hand. Harry then tells her to give him the rest of the money as well, gesturing to the cashier by hitting the desk with his hook. Dizzy walks slowly to the cashier while Harry puts the money in his mouth. Dizzy pulls out the money from the cashier and gives it to Harry. He says thank you and starts to walk out, unaware of Mal's presence, while Mal watches while chewing some gum. Mal speaks up, asking if Harry still runs errands for Uma or if he gets to keep what he steals. He turns around, shocked, and calls Mal's presence a "nice surprise." Mal says hi to him, and Harry starts walking towards her, telling her that Uma will never give back Mal's old territory. Mal says that it is okay, because she is going to take it back. He chuckles lightly, using his hook to brush through Mal's hair saying that he could hurt Mal. She suddenly grabs his wrist, and takes the chewed gum out of her mouth and places it on the tip of Harry's hook. She looks at him telling him that she bets that he couldn't hurt her without her permission. Harry lifts the hook and eats the gum off of it. He then walks towards the entrance, sweeping the counter with his arm, sending multiple objects flying to the ground. He turns back to Mal, makes a mock bow, and walks out of the shop. Dizzy, who was still behind the cashier, sarcastically remarks about how much more sweeping she has to do now.

Ben, Evie, Jay, and Carlos arrive at the VK's old hideout, and Jay opens the entrance with a rock. The three VK's wait outside while Ben walks up the stairs. He finds Mal in a room with walls full of graffiti. She is unaware that he is there, since her back is turned because she was using spray paint to draw herself, Jay, Carlos, and Evie with black spray paint with the words "Rotten to the Core" while standing on some boxes. Ben comments that at least she didn't draw him with horns and a pitchfork jokingly. Mal lets out a gasp of surprise and whirls around. Ben apologizes to her about their fight, saying it was all his fault and begs Mal to come home while lifting up her ring to her. Mal walks down the crates and tells him that she is home while walking towards him. Ben pushes on, telling her that he brought the limo. Mal says that she doesn't fit in in Auradon even though she gave it her best shot. Ben then says that he can change, that he will skip school, have more fun, and blow off some of his responsibilities. Mal cuts in, saying no and that she is a terrible influence on him. She tells him that one day she might do something so messed up that the kingdom will turn on both of them. Ben shakes his head, pleading her not to quit "them," and that he and the people of Auradon love her. He asks Mal if she loves Ben. He takes the ring and places it in Mal's right palm. Mal looks down at it, and takes it in her other hand, smiling slightly. She then places it in Ben's hand and closed it into a fist. She sadly tells Ben that she needs to take herself out of the picture because it was best for Ben and Auradon. Ben starts to protest, walking towards her, but Mal backs up, clearly uncomfortable with Ben being to close. She tells him that she can't do this, and that Ben should leave. She walks over to the boxes, grabs the spray paint can, and steps up. When Ben keeps standing there, she asks him again to leave. Ben walks slowly away, and Mal looks miserable.

When Ben walks out of the building, he tells Evie, Jay, and Carlos that Mal refused to go back to Auradon. Evie insists that she will talk to her and walks over to an object that resembles an ear trumpet stuck to the wall while Ben walks away. She asks Mal to let her talk to her for a second. On the other line, Mal walks over to another ear trumpet in the room and pulls a heavy lever next to it, then tells Evie to "go away" then Carlos asks Evie and Jay where Ben is. They stop and look nervous, while Evie calls Ben's name. They see a shadow walking over to them through a dark aisle, and Evie angrily tells Ben to not scare them like that. The shadow turns out not to be Ben, but Harry Hook. He says that scaring is his specialty. Jay angrily demands what Harry did with Ben, and Harry said that they captured him. He says that if Evie, Jay, and Carlos want to see Ben again, to have Mal come to Ursula's Fish and Chips alone that night. He goes on saying that Uma wants to have a little visit with Mal. Harry turns to Jay, and makes a mocking sad face saying that Jay has lost his touch. Jay lunges for Harry, but Evie holds him back while Harry laughs and mockingly barks at Carlos. He turns around and walks casually back into the aisle, whistling. Jay turns and starts climbing up a ladder leading up to the top of the building, while the others follow.

After Jay, Carlos, and Evie explained what happened, Mal starts scolding them saying if they hadn't brought him along, he would have never been captured. The other three explained that Ben would've come anyway, and asked Mal what they were going have to do now. Mal says that "they" are not doing anything and that the matter is between Uma and herself, and she would get Ben alone. Carlos tries to slow Mal down, saying that she will still have to go through Harry Hook and his wharf rats to get Ben, and Jay agrees saying that she will need them to help. Mal reminds them that she has to go alone and Jay responds saying that they would wait for her until she gets back. She comes to Ursula's Fish and Chips and talk to Uma, who challenges Mal to an arm wrestling match when Mal was winning and her eyes glowing green then Uma says to Mal for her to bring the Fairy Godmother's wand to distract her and wins also tells her to bring it to her ship at noon.

Carlos, Jay, Evie tells Mal there's no way they're going to bring the wand and Evie commented about Mal's new hairstyle and told her that Dizzy had done it and they were talking, then Carlos interrupted them and Mal resumes to go over the plan to fool Uma and Mal remembered Carlos's 3-D printer he can use it to make a replica wand and also use smoke bombs. While Carlos and Jay returned to Auradon to replicated the wand, Mal and Evie went to Lady Tremaine's Cut Up and Dye and Evie saw Dizzy and she showed Evie a scrapbook and then they made colorful smoke bombs, when they returned to their old hideout, Mal told Evie that she was not returning to Auradon then Evie said I'm staying with you and Mal told her you're an Auradon girl and I'm just a girl from the Isle. Then Mal tossed a rock at the sign and they climbed the stairs to a landing and discuss what they’ve been feeling towards their situations.

After they return with the replica wand Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and Lonnie face Uma and her pirates. But Uma wanted to see if it's real, Mal made up a fake spell to make Dude talk to fool Uma. Mal gave Uma the replica wand and Uma gave Ben back to Mal. Once Uma had the wand, she tried to cast a spell with the wand to lower the barrier and nothing happened. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, Ben got into a sword fight with Uma, Harry, Gil and the pirates. After using colorful smoke bombs to distract the pirates Mal and the VKs with Ben and Lonnie escaped the from the Island and return to Auradon. Once they got back, Lonnie returned to swords and Jane approached Ben about Cotillion and he asked Mal did she want to cancel it, but she didn't say anything. Evie came to Mal telling her we need to talk but Carlos stopped them saying he was tired of them running off to have a girl talk so told that they are her family and told them to sit and talk. After the talk Evie told her that her dress will be there if she wants it and Jay asked Mal that if she can't stand one more day there he would drive her back himself.

At Cotillion Mal was introduced as future Lady Mal, she appeared in her Cotillion dress came down the stairs talked to the former King Beast and Queen Belle then Evie taken her hand to ask if she's alright they turned to look at the stairs when King Ben showed and told Mal he wished he had time to explain when Uma appeared. Uma talked to Mal and started to dance with Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and Lonnie started to leave when Jane told Lumiere to show everyone Ben's gift to his lady and unveiled the stained glass of Mal and Ben. Uma got upset and wanted it covered up and it was refused, she wanted Ben to order the Fairy Godmother to lower the barrier and she refused. Mal told Evie that Ben had been spelled and Evie said the Uma found Mal's spell book, Mal kissed Ben to release him from the spell.

Uma upset then tried to take the wand from Fairy Godmother and Evie was between Fairy Godmother and Uma to keep Uma from getting the wand. Uma then reached the railing of ship, Mal tried to stop her from going over but Uma's necklace glowed, and she went over, after she went into the water she changed to have tentacles like her mother. After seeing that, Mal moved to an area on deck and changed into a dragon in front of everyone and went after Uma they were going to fight but Ben jumped into the water between them to stop it, Uma was rejected and defeated, she gave Ben back the ring and she then left. After Ben climbed back on board the ship along with everyone seeing Mal as a dragon return to the ship and in purple smoke changed back to herself with a different dress, approached by Evie telling her "I did not know I can do that" and Evie saying "Tell me about it" who then blown a puff of a smoke off Mal's dress. Then returned to Ben and kissed him again, afterwards everyone started dancing and Ben placed the ring on Mal's finger and watched everyone bow to the couple.

Verses:

Self-proclaimed Queen of Everything: Mal on the Isle

Possibly a Princess: Mal in Auradon

In the Dragon’s Sights: Once Upon A Time verse

Road Less Traveled: all AU threads

#muses #(mal) i choose good #long post

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