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shiemishuzenji · 3 years

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100 OC Question Meme!

created by marchenvillain <3

Your Wings edition: Shiemi Shuzenji!

1. What’s a unique skill they have? Is their any reason why they can do it? Shiemi can harness the power of the sun in order to heal wounds. Her Quirk is a mixture of her mother’s (who can bend light) and grandmother’s (who can heal wounds).

2. What are their favourite possessions? Why? (sentimentality, history, price, etc) The necklace that Hawks gave her is very important to her. She sees it like a symbol of their love.

3. Do they get jealous easily? If so, what usually causes it? She gets insecure, but she never acts on her jealousy. Often times, if women fawn over Hawks, she gets all up in her feels.

4. Are they a good gift-giver? What do they tend to give as gifts? She’s more of a practical gift giver. She pays attention to what someone really needs and she’ll get it for them.

5. What’s their reputation like? Does this reputation contrast what they’re really like? People (especially when she worked in the hospital) hail her as a good doctor but one with little to no social skills. She’s quiet, so a lot of people think she’s mean. Others, like her old boss, like her polite and respectable nature.

6. Do they prefer to have a big social circle, or a few close friends? Definitely a few close friends. She’s content with Aizawa, Kayama, and Mic.

7. What’s their “type”? What romantically attracts them to another person? Men who are confident! If one looks at her track record, her old boyfriends in high school were all jocks who loved the limelight. Hawks is cocky, but a lot of that haughtiness is a facade. She loves that he knows how to tone it down and come back to Earth.

8. What does their dream house look like? She’s a simple woman: a modern white home with a huge lawn for a garden. She’s always wanted to plant sunflowers. I’m a huge horror fan, so for some reason, I’m envisioning the villa from The Human Centipede… Just the outside! eheh... is that weird?

9. If they could change one part of their appearance, what would it be? Shiemi is actually very lithe; her mother says she’s got no meat on her bones. She would love to bulk up! Also, her cup size is a B. She would change that, too, if she could.

10. What’s a simple thing that brings them joy? Well, Shiemi’s love language is acts of service. It really warms her heart when people help do things with or for her!

11. What is their dream pet? A cat! A fluffy white one. Maybe Aizawa had some influence on her? ❤️

12. What’s their position in their friend group? (leader, mom friend, chaos goblin, etc) The voice of reason. She likes to have practical fun! She’s not as rigid as Aizawa, but nowhere near as wild as Mic.

13. How forgiving are they? What do they consider unforgivable? Shiemi is definitely forgiving, so much so that it is sometimes her downfall. However, she believes there is no excuse for villainy.

14. Who do they go to in a crisis/emergency? Any particular reason why they choose that person? Hmmm, it’s funny because most people go to her in an emergency since she’s got that nifty healing Quirk haha! Shiemi has plenty of people to depend on like Midnight or Recovery Girl, but Hawks is the one she always turns to when she needs saving.

15. How good are they at conversation? Are they a small talk master, bad at initiating, etc? The only person she likes to make small talk with is Hawks, really. She’s not much a talker, and prefers to let others do the talking. This is why she and Aizawa click so well because they both can appreciate silence.

16. What food do they absolutely hate? She actually doesn’t care for greasy foods. Pizza, for example, upsets her tummy.

17. Do they show a lot of affection, or are they pretty reserved? She’s not into PDA, but she loves to be held and kissed. When she’s sad, she almost always needs a hug. ❤️

18. If you had to represent them with a flower, colour, and animal, what would you choose? I feel like she’s more of a white lily, which I hear symbolizes humility and devotion. Her color would be blush pink, for her more timid nature and her affinity for that color. As for an animal, I think she’d be a snowshoe hare!

19. What’s their unusual quirk? (Quirk with a lowercase q, haha) Shiemi has always had very strong intrusive thoughts, and I’ve made this obvious from the first chapter. I based this on my own struggle with intrusive thoughts, so Shiemi and I can relate on the issue of fighting our inner voices to be better people.

20. Are they easy to wake up in the morning, or grouchy and sleepy? She’s an early bird! Very easy to wake up in the morning.

21. What’s their ideal date like? She loves night walks on the beach followed a busy night of makin’ love ;)

22. What’s their silliest or most unusual fear/phobia? Probably spiders. She’s not the type to scream when she sees one, but if it’s big and hairy, she’ll leave the room.

23. Is their pain tolerance high or low? Pretty low, all things considering. She knows how to fight, she just doesn’t like to because she can’t really handle her own.

24. Are they a fussy eater? Nope! She’ll try just about anything. She understands the importance of eating healthy, so she makes sure to eat her veggies every day. (Unlike me…)

25. What are their dreams like? As the writer, I’ve always made her dreams symbolic. They often reflect her true feelings or the things on her mind.

26. Are they technologically savvy? Yes! Working in the hospital, she’s a quick learner, and working in the hospital, she’s had to learn how to use all the equipment.

27. Are they forgetful? What do they tend to forget? (plans, phone, keys, etc) No, she tries to be very organized. The most that she forgets would be if she’s got a lot of work to do, she might forget one assignment.

28. Describe their morning routine. Open the curtains first (she needs sunlight), drink black coffee, watch the news, take a shower. Suuuper adult of her, I know. She’s a creature of habit!

29. Are they a good cook? If they are, what do they like to make? She’s an okay cook. Certainly not as good as Hawks! She can make basic food, but a lot of it lacks flavor -- something Hawks has had to teach her.

30. Do they consider themselves a “hero” or “villain”? Hero! Definitely. She’ll heal anyone in need, but she works for the heroes, on the side of good.

31. What holiday do they like the most? (Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, etc) Christmas. It’s the one time of year she gets to spend with her whole family. Even though tensions are high, she still loves her family more than anything.

32. What are they like at parties? Party animal, or awkwardly sitting in the corner drinking punch and reading? She’s the wallflower. She’d rather grab a bite to eat and sit back, people-watching.

33. Are they adventurous, or do they prefer to stay in their safe zone? She prefers to live life on the safe side. Though life with Hawks definitely makes things exciting!

34. What’s their favourite drink? (Coffee, tea, juice, hot chocolate, soda, etc) She loves coffee; preferably black coffee. Her go-to drink at Starbucks is a venti black cold brew or a cappuccino.

35. Are they good with children? Yes! Her serene nature tends to calm kids down. She especially used to love healing kids at the hospital.

36. Do they trust easily? What would you have to do to earn their trust? She’s normally very wary of people. She automatically has her guard up when approached by someone new, but honestly it doesn’t take much for her to let down her guard. For example, she was cautious of Twice when she met him, but once she saw that he and Mr. Compress needed help, she immediately dropped everything to help. Blame her big heart, I guess!

37. Are they a hopeless romantic, or is that stuff just not for them? God, YES!! When she first met Hawks, she tried to act all tough, but she’s such a SAP! In her relationships, she devotes everything to her significant other.

38. Do they get lost easily, or are they good with directions? Nah, she’s great with directions. She tries to have a good understanding of her surroundings.

39. Are they superstitious? She doesn’t believe in superstitions; she’s more of a woman of science.

40. Do they like physical activity, or staying inside? She enjoys a bit of both. She especially likes to go for walks, but doesn’t mind spending the whole day inside reading a book.

41. What would they dress up as for Halloween? A zombie nurse -- and I mean that in the laziest way possible. She would put on her uniform and paint her face and call it a day haha

42. Do they like fast food, or fancy restaurants? Fancy restaurants, for sure. She’s a bit of a snob. She’ll eat fast food if she’s on the go, but she grew up in the lap of luxury, and really enjoys the finer things in life.

43. Are they a chaotic bastard, pure angel baby, or tired mom friend? Pure angel baby. SHIEMI MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS.

44. Do they have a good attention span? Yes, especially when it comes to her friends. She’ll sit there and listen to someone talk for hours.

45. Are they always late, on time, or early? Shiemi thinks that if you’re not 15 minutes early, then you’re late.

46. Do they cry, gasp, laugh, etc, while reading a book, or do they remain relatively stone-faced? Stone-faced. She might furrow her brow if she’s into it, but she’s more internal with her reactions.

47. Do they keep a diary? She stopped carrying a diary when she was a teenager and her parents read through it without her permission.

48. How dramatic are they? She’s not haha She cries easily, but that’s just because she feels very deeply.

49. Do they put a lot of effort into their appearance, or do they just make themselves presentable and go? She’s comfortable with her looks, so she mostly curls her bangs and thinks it good to go.

50. Why would they be a good partner for a road trip? She would be president of the backseat! Delivering snacks, giving directions, listening to you talk and talk for hours!

51. Why would they be a BAD partner for a road trip? She’s not much for small talk. If it gets quiet, she’ll let it happen and whip out a book.

52. What topic should nobody bring up around them, lest the other person be subject to a massive ramble/rant? Anything bashing on heroes, or criticizing hero society. She’s so deep in it that she’s blinded to its flaws. She’ll defend Heroes till the day she dies.

53. Are they clumsy? No, she’s too cautious!

54. Are they a law breaker, or stickler for rules? Stickler for the rules. Not as bad as Iida hahaha but she doesn’t do anything she’s not supposed to. Blame her strict upbringing!

55. Choose a vine you think perfectly encapsulates their character. I LOVE THIS QUESTION! I feel like she’s: “Road work ahead? Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does >:( ” or “Is there anything better than pussy? Yes, a really good book.” OOH, OR “How do you know what’s good for me? THAT’S MY OPINION!!”

56. Do they like to share? Yes, my girl is very giving ❤️

57. What’s the most chaotic thing they’ve done? Have sex with a bird man she just healed the night before :U Shiemi has a high sex drive

58. Which friend do they immediately become a zero-braincelled idiot around? She gets all smitten around Hawks tbh She can compose herself around everyone except for him. Then she’s just a puddle of GOO

59. Do they love or hate surprises? She does not like surprises! They make her uncomfortable and awkward.

60. What sappy thing will they cry at? (romance movies, cute cat videos, etc) Would they deny crying about it later on? She’ll cry during sad movies, but she’s stopped being ashamed of being a crybaby

61. What’s their favourite and least favourite subject in school? Health and science are her best subjects, but her favorite was literature! Her least favorite was probably physical education just because it took her away from the books!

62. Do they take a lot of photos? If so, what of? She prefers professional photos; her camera roll is practically empty!

63. Do they wear makeup? Blush, mascara, foundation, but she only ever wears makeup for special occasions.

64. Describe what their social media would be like. Instagram: “NO PHOTOS” but plenty of tagged photos from Mic and Midnight. Facebook: articles on social issues or new medical breakthroughs.

65. Do they give people a lot of nicknames? No, she doesn’t, actually!

66. What nicknames do others call them by? She thinks it’s sweet when people give nicknames to her -- e.g. “Doc,” “songbird,” or “sunshine.” Side note: I was really into Yagami Yato when I first started writing, so of course Hawks calls her “Baby bird.” And now I really regret not being more original because goddamn... I’m not gonna go back and change it because Yagami doesn’t own the nickname, but just know that I am upset

67. What’s an outrageous story about them nobody believes? Uhh, that’s a great question. I can’t think of anything, to be honest.

68. Are they easy to fluster? What would you have to do to truly fluster them? Yes! Despite being so cool, calm, and collected, it’s easy to make her blush. Hawks is a pro at getting her all worked up!

69. What’s their dream vacation like? She dreams of traveling, preferably somewhere along the Caribbean islands where she can bask in the sun and discover new plants and creatures.

70. Are they a good liar? She is a notoriously bad liar, mostly because it eats her away inside. She can make a lie work if she commits to it enough, but she’ll always come out with it eventually.

71. What do they want to do in the future? She wants a family. She’s always wanted to be a working woman and come home after a long day to her family. She wishes that a certain someone would be a stay-at-home dad...

72. How do they feel about love? Again, she’s a hopeless romantic. She believes in having strong bonds with both family and friends, but she does dedicate most of her energy into her romantic relationship.

73. Are they more book smarts, or street smarts? oh my god, BOOK SMARTS. She wouldn’t last a day on her own out there, but man she could recite a whole scene from Shakespeare if you asked her to.

74. What’s their guilty pleasure? Sex. She doesn’t come off as promiscuous, but she would get some every day if she could.

75. Is there anyone they consider their rival? No, in fact Shiemi tends to keep to herself. She’s respectful and supportive of everyone. She does have enemies, of course, like Dabi or Mr. Compress.

76. Do they have any notable physical features? Her eyes are described as gray, but they’re more purplish-gray.

77. What’s their music taste like? Classical music takes up most of the space on her phone; Joe Hisaishi is a composer that she admires a lot.

78. What’s something they’re really bad at? Keeping her opinions to herself. She’s brutally honest, to a fault.

79. Do they have a good sleep schedule? Yesss, her whole life runs on a schedule!

80. What’s their aesthetic sense like? Oh, I’m not sure how to answer this?

81. What’s something they’re really proud of? Her degrees and awards make her feel accomplished. She has a hard time seeing her worth, but the diplomas on her wall are proof, to her, of what she can do.

82. How would they spend a free day? In bed, reading a book, snuggled up beside Hawks ❤️

83. What are they like as an s/o? Lowkey, kind of clingy. She loves attention and wants to spend all her time with her significant other, doting on them, making them feel good.

84. What’s one thing they like that they don’t want anyone to know about? Her sex drive (> w >);;

85. Do they have a sweet tooth? She doesn’t; she’s more of a savory or salty person. I actually really like this dichotomy between Hawks and Shiemi, for some reason? The fact that she takes her coffee black and he takes his sweet is kind of nice.

86. How would you describe their fashion sense? I once had a beautiful professor at university who only wore maxi skirts and nice blouses. Her fashion sense inspired my vision of Shiemi a lot. If she’s not wearing her hero uniform, you can find her in a pink maxi skirt and a white blouse.

87. Do they like spicy food? She can definitely handle her spice, but she wouldn’t choose it!

88. Are they lucky? Do they believe in luck? By all means, she has the worst luck! Can’t say that she believes in it, though.

89. What would they get into a petty argument over? Shiemi stands her ground on her opinions, but she’s more or less an agreeable person. She doesn’t like to argue or cause tension, but she will if it means standing up for herself.

90. Are they a good artist? She can’t draw and she’s got that doctor handwriting lmao

91. Do they prefer hot or cold weather? Hot! Shiemi’s Quirk is most powerful if she’s in direct sunlight. When the sun is behind the clouds, it takes more energy and time for her to heal someone. Despite all that time in the sun, the poor woman can’t tan!

92. Can they play an instrument? Her parents made her play piano when she was a child, but she doesn’t dabble in it anymore.

93. What type of movies do they like to watch? Romance and mysteries! Her favorite movie is Titanic. She cries every time!

94. What does their room look like? Neat and organized. She’s got a lot of bookshelves in her room and a nice set up for her computer space.

95. How do they feel about bugs? Scared? Fascinated? She’s fascinated by bugs, but from a distance. She won’t touch ‘em!

96. What’s their sense of humour like? (Dad jokes, morbid humour, basic knock-knock jokes, stand up comedy, etc) She laughs really hard at stand up comedy. Since she’s a little more serious, she can appreciate how goofy Hawks is!

97. What do they keep in their bag? Cell phone, earbuds, portable charger, folding scissors for emergencies, Band-Aids, and if she’s not wearing it, she’ll fold up her lab coat and put it in there, too.

98. How competitive are they? She’s only competitive with herself. She doesn’t have to be the best, but she can’t stand being the worst. (I’m the same way.)

99. What would they wear to a formal event? Describe their outfit! She actually wore that beautiful red dress in chapter 10! If you Google “Elizabeth Banks Vanity Fair 2020” it’ll pop up.

100. If you, the creator, met them, would you two get along? Yes! I think that it’s impossible for any author/creator to make a character without at least adding some personal elements in them. Shiemi isn’t a self-insert, but she and I share a love of reading and we’re both overachievers. So I think she and I would make great friends!

#your wings ao3 #shiemi shuzenji #bnha oc #oc #oc questions #my hero academia oc #my hero academia #archive of our own

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harveywritings92 · 4 years

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Soulmate AU: Jacob Frye x Reader 2/3

Soulmate au Chibi clone: basically when you’ve cross paths with with your soulmate a small chibi of them appears to you, it’s about the size of a guinea pig and won’t leave your side the longer you’re in denial of your feelings or until you’ve met your soulmate again, after which they disappear.

-=-=-=

Jacobs's side of the story

Jacob was grouchy, cold and tired when he finally got back to the hideout all he wanted to do was get out of his clothes and crawl into bed and sleep for like a year! He moaned relief to be off his feet and was about to take his boots off... when he saw something scurry out of sight behind a sweet jar... did the train have a rodent infestation?

No, they would've noticed until now. standing up Jacob started lifting up jars and other knickknacks nothing...He hummed confused wondering if he just imagined the whole thing due to exhaustion? Then he noticed his top-hat on the floor was slowly making it's way around the room, it turned as if realizing he could see it!

Whatever was making it move squeaked and started running, Jacob immediately started chasing it unfortunately whatever had his hat couldn't see what was in front of it and they slammed right into the side Jacob's ottoman hard seemly knocking it out.

Jacob pick the hat up and nearly passed out himself when he pulled a little person out of his hat! he staring a the tiny y/nat thing trying to figure what the hell it was? then he recalled seeing what looked like a tiny Henry running around his sister's room. (no, matter how many times she denied it...) He then thought back to when his grandmother told them about a tiny being called a fairy that would appear resembling your soulmate and follow you around until you encountered them again...

Jacob was stunned that it was true! then he looked down at the little knocked out fae in his hands. He?? at least he thinks it's a male was cute, he won't lie about that! and wondered why people were so private about these faeries? probably a society thing! the rich don't want to be bound by the poor?

He hummed using the back of his index finger to rub the passed out fae's cheek; they woke up and grumbled swatting his finger away...his lips twitched decided to show Evie.. she should still be awake, maybe she can give him a more detailed explanation?

Evie said that there really wasn't much to explain, her brother surprisingly got the gist of it. these fairies were basically fractured manifestations of your bonded one's soul, their supposed is to guide you back to your soulmate should you want to pursue them. "So what I just let him r -" Evie cut him off. "Her." Jacob's brows shot up as he looked at his sister bemused.

"Her? how do you know?" His sister cocked a brow and pointed to the counter where he set the fae down; he glanced over and did a double take when he saw mini-Henry blushing and covering his eyes!

Jacob's fae was now in only a white button-up shirt her y/hc was now down to y/hl and the button's on the shirt were down just enough to show small bust, and that they were indeed female, Henry’s fae immediately tossed a handkerchief over the compromised female who looked around tired and confused.

All while Jacob was in awe at the sudden wardrobe change. "When the hell did she change into that?!" he looked at his sister who shrugged. "I haven't the slightest Idea how they change clothes ...it just happens." Evie sighed tiredly really wanting this meeting to end so she could go to sleep.

"Now is that all you wanted to know, or did you have anything else you'd like to share?" she slurred trying to hold back a yawn her brother shook his head and got up and carefully picked up the little lady off the counter she yelped surprised by the sudden motion and looked up at Jacob clearly wary of him.

The hazel eyed assassin took notice of this and made a point of gaining her trust before convincing her to help him find the woman with his fae double, who the real Jacob might add is one lucky little bastard to sleeping next to the real... his face dropped It just occurred to him has no idea what his soulmates name is! that detail sort escaped him in the excitement. "Oi." the the fae in his hand tensed up at looked at him.

"You don't have to be afraid me, you gotta name?" he asked gently as the y/hc color fae tilted her head Jacob frowned wondering if she could understand English? and winced trying to remember those french lessons his father tried to teach him. "urm...q-Quel est votre nom?" he stammered hoping that was right! Again the fae just stared before making a gesture like she was writing.

Jacob’s eyes widened and set her down on his bed and looked around for her to use be for settling on some ink and paper, he watched the little y/sc woman dip her hand in the ink and used her hand to write, while he got ready for bed. while taking his shirt off he heard her chirp and looked over to see what she'd wrote down.

[Y-O-U-R-N-A-M-E ...L-A-S-T-N-A-M-E] Jacob repeated the name a few times it's was kind of odd... but hey! If that's her name then that's her name! He asked where she lived [Whitechapel.] he frowned knowing exactly what goes on in Whitechapel and though Y/n didn't seem the type to sell her body, looks can be ...He was brought out by Y/n huffing and puffing while stomping her foot; her face was red with embarrassment. [I'M NOT A PROSTITUTE!] was messily slathered on to the paper.

Jacob blanched started apologizing as the tiny woman crossed her arms and humph'd at him. Jacob on the other hand mentally sighed relieved that his soulmate wasn't being used in some brothel. "Well what exactly is your profession?" The assassin pressed the y/hl fae eyed him before writing down [Lampworking.] Jacob cocked his head to the side intrigued that's a word he's never heard before.

"You work on lamps or make lamps?" He asked perplexed as he tried to imagine a woman welding a light-post together or making house lamps... the tiny fae chirped and he looked back the paper [It's Glass smithing for beads, marbles, paperweights...] the hazel eyed assassin hummed impressed marbles have their own blacksmiths?... Huh, go figure.

He took a small box he had stored under his bed it had little gifts and bobbles the children had given him as thanks for saving them, and took a small purple marble out of it this was a test; he had to see this for himself.

"Can you tell me what this is?" He handed Y/n the marble which was the size of a football to her, she scrutinized it giving a serious though as she brought it up to the light letting it shine through the glass as if looking for cracks or impurities and wrote.

[A puple Purie* with an ash-gold swirl, nicely made but not by my shop!] She handed it back to him and Jacob hand her a broken black glass bead with half golden bird on it, the y/hc fae examined it for a few moments and looked stunned the up at him excitedly [I know this, I made this!] Jacob blinked taken aback. "Are you sure?" she nodded pointed at the broken bird.

[See the rook? that's my signature.] the hazel eyed assassin took a breath to process what she had said and almost burst out laughing at coincidence, seriously what are the chances they'd both pick a rook as a symbol? the y/ec fae seem to pick up on his giddiness and wanted to be let in on the joke?

[What's so funny?] She raised an inquisitive brow at him. "Tell me lass have you heard of a gang called the Rooks?.." She shook her head a smirk appeared on Jacob's face oh boy was the little fairy in for wake up call, by the time Jacob had given y/n the run about the Rooks, Blighters and Templars the tiny fae had passed out exhausted.

Jacob carefully cleaned her hands and let her use his cap as a bed, He settled down for night somewhat somber as he stared at the tiny fae knowing he can't out right peruse the real at Y/n at the moment... it was too dangerous right now! and if the Blighters or Starrick figured out he had a soulmate they'd kill her or use her to get to him, Jacob can't let that happen, For both their sakes!

He reached over and carefully readjusted the handkerchief she was using as a blanket then caress her cheek with the back of his index finger then rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

Y/n's side

The following weeks were relatively normal for Y/n would go to the glass-smith she used to take Mini-Jacob/M.J with her (as long as he stayed hidden), however he'd get all jealous and stand offish towards her when one of her friendlier co-workers approached her, particularly the sales girl up in the jewelry store upfront, It was obvious the blond haired woman fancied Y/n.. or rather YM/n act and the other male worker knew this and would often tell their younger co-worker to 'Go for it' despite the Y/n's protests and obvious disinterest towards the woman.

This caused a bit of hostility towards her males started getting ideas that YM/n wasn't interested in women...and was more interested in one of them, Luckily the boss shot them down pretty quickly noticing the fae the y/hc woman had snuck in.

He grabbed him much to M.J's distress and wrapped a rag around him making it look like a dress, then snapped. "Look here ya lazy sods!" they looked over at the old man as he held the protesting fae, luckily it was dark enough in the forge that they couldn't get a good look at the little guy.

"The lad's obviously not interested because he's lookin' for his other half, So butt out!" he huffed as the men stared in awe at for a tick before breaking down into snickering and congratulating Y/n who let out a sigh of relief! That could've ended badly, she nodded at her boss who grunted back at her.

Needless to say that was the last time she brought the fae with her! He'd thrown a fit when she left him at home, but it was for the best! the last thing she wanted was being ganged up on due to a misunderstanding...

It's was another slow day it felt oddly cold despite the forge being on, which should've tipped Y/n off that today wasn't going to end well... But she shrugged it off to just waking up earlier then usual Jacob was oddly excitable this morning she couldn't figure out why?

The fae was literally jumping off her walls with so much energy, it was like a squirrel on caffeine! It also took her a while to realize that he was wearing different clothes! large coat, a green vest and a top-hat! She'd be lying if she said he didn't look good in it, It made him seem more mysterious if anything.

She could hear M.J. squeaking and playing around with that Rook bead he's seems oddly attached to it, maybe she should turn it into a necklace or bracelet? He'd probably like that! The Y/nat woman finished getting dressed and put her jacket and hat on before turning to M.J.. "I'll be back at around noon to check on you alright?" the fae hummed before gesturing for her to come closer.

The y/ht woman blinked and complied and was surprised when the Hazel eyed fae gave her a kiss on the cheek! Y/n's eyes widened her face felt hot/looked like a cherry as she gawked M.J. who gave her cheeky grin as she stammered out a goodbye! and ran across the road!

Unbeknownst to Y/n the story of YM/n finding his soulmate had reached the salesgirl's ears and went crying to her older brother who was a Blighter, she spun him a tale of a shameless womanizer who broke her heart and humiliated her! of course the girl's brother ate it up without hesitation, And decided some revenge was in order, He snuck passed the rooks patrolling the area and into the shop he using his sisters directions he found and sabotaged one of the stations; YM/n's station. of course Y/n didn't know that

...All she remembered was lighting her forge than a flash going off! Her boss later told her how he heard a huge explosion! she was sent flying out of the building and into the back alley adjacent to the shop!

when he got to her she was bleeding pretty heavily from her left eye at least he thinks it was her eye? and holding her right arm while attempting to get up before letting out this god awful wheeze and went slack! he though she was dead! Apparently so did salesgirl saw the whole thing who being dragged away bystanders.

Started screaming and crying hysterically "I just wanted to scare him! I never wanted This!" Whatever else she was screaming was soon drowned out by the police and rescuers showing up showing up to control the crowed and Y/n was whisked away to a doctor.

All in sight of Jacob's fae who didn't notice he was crying as he dropped his bead...

[A purie is a cheap clear glass colored marble, they come in various colors and names like Blood Rubies, deep sea blues, green ghosts.]

#assassin's creed x reader #assassin's creed syndicate #jacob frye x reader #soulmate au #chibi! Jacob Frye #Chibi! Reader

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female-fogbank · 5 years

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For head canons: Garcia Flynn... bc I must.

Here we go….

Sexuality Headcanon:A lot of people have disagreed with me on this in the past. I like to think he’s Panromantic Demisexual. The gender of his partner is meaningless as he’s attracted to the person. So, whether it’s a man or woman, doesn’t matter to him. What matters is their personality, interests etc and are they compatible with his or do they spark something within him that he wants to explore.

Yes, he was married to Lorena and had Iris which presupposes he’s heterosexual, that doesn’t mean in his past he didn’t have relationships with both men and women. I think he’s far more open minded about sexuality in general as he never comments on it or judges others for their sexual predilections.

Now, I base the ‘demisexual’ aspect of his sexuality on the way Flynn acts. I think he prefers a strong bond to build sexual attraction to a person.Why? because I have no recollection of him ever having once pushed or suggested he and or any character hook up for funsies (I’m ignoring the joke in Garcy deleted scene as it was a joke, not a flirty invitation). I’ve never seen him use his sexuality to make someone bend to his will which means it’s not something he uses as a ‘tool’.

He is pretty cordial with everyone. I can’t think of a time where he’s outright leered or commented about someone being 'attractive’ or their looks being the primary focus of his attention. He’s always wanted to know people for who they are not what they project to the outside world.

Then we add in that he had a crush on Journal Lucy which he did transfer onto Lucy in S1. To be chosen by future Lucy and given her Journal; something that is a mix of personal as well as factual information, is interesting. Because he built up this bond between them in his head and he admitted that he built her up in his head.

When he realises/accepts Lucy is not the entirely the same woman in the Journal but she is still as impressive in her own way. He wants to know her, as he has the attraction to her but wants to be sure. It’s why he’s happy cruising along in the friendship zone with Lucy. He wants to know her and be sure there is something between them isn’t manufactured by the journal and that she is in the right space before making a move.

Even as I say all this, I am sure he’s more than capable of meaningless sex. He would enjoy himself to a certain extent. But I think he finds it a little empty and possibly a waste of time as it doesn’t give him the desired effect he wants. Cause you know, hormones and loneliness get the better of people. We call crave human connection at some point.

He had the perfect opportunity to get all sexed up with Emma but there wasn’t even an inkling of that kind of relationship between them in the show. He looked at her like Anthony, a necessary cog in the machine to keep things going.

Gender Headcanon: Flynn firmly identifies as a man. He/Him. In saying that, I think he’d be totally ok if he got bodyswapped into a female body. He’d be super scary when he has PMS.

A ship I have with said character:GARCY!! I could go on forever but many people before me wrote it more beautifully than I ever could. But I think what gets me is that Future Lucy chose him in 2014, gave him her journal and he falls for her, for the salvation she gave him with the Journal and then he chose Present Lucy in 1888.

There is this neverending cycle where two people are profoundly connected through time and love to one another. Maybe there are timelines they don’t end up as anything more than friends, but they still choose one another, they still love one another, they still deeply care about one another to keep the loop going to help save the world from RH and save each other.

A BROTP I have with said character:Jynn or Murdervision. Just think of them sparring, Jiya being an annoying little sister to him and him being the overprotective brother to her. They bicker and mess around, laugh and give each other support and advice. It would be a lot of fun to see them interact. I feel like they also more self aware of the world outside of the US and it’s history. That they’re not drinking the kool aid of 'America is great’….it’s more of a 'Let’s maintain history as America can do a lot of damage to world if it wanted to, we got family and friends outside US that can be affected’.

A NOTP I have with said character:Denise/Flynn given Denise is married and only into women. I prefer her sexuality not be shifted as I think her wife and family are fantastic and I want them to remain intact. It’s also a No for me, cause I feel like Denise and Flynn don’t have much sexual chemistry and thus are better as friends. They bond because of mutual respect for their experience and skills, because they are parents etc. But outside of that, Denise needs to forgive Flynn and help build the bridge between them because right now, he’s just an asset.

A random headcanon:Asher Flynn is NOT abusive, Flynn had a normal and fairly happy childhood. I don’t know why people say Asher is abusive as it makes me wonder why Flynn would bring Gabriel into a bad home if that was the case? Hence, Asher Flynn was a good father in my books.

Also Flynn is a pretty decent cook. Why? because he had a grouchy old Croatian grandmother who said he was too pretty and needed to learn how to cook because one day he’d be old and ugly with no woman to cook for him. So, she taught him how to cook.

General Opinion over said character:Flynn is my ideal fictional husband. I would want a man to love me so deeply that when I was murdered by a time travel cult, he would pick up a Journal and go on the rampage to avenge my death. I’d totally be down with him hooking up with Lucy, as I am dead and I want him to be happy. She’s smarter and hotter than me, so I can’t fault his choice.

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silkygoldmilkweed · 6 years

Text

“Brave, Gentle and Strong”: Does the bloody Hound, Sandor Clegane, fit Ned Stark’s standard for a good match for Sansa?

“When you’re old enough, I’ll make you a match with someone who’s worthy of you, someone brave and gentle and strong.” --Ned Stark, Game of Thrones

Does the bloody Hound, Sandor Clegane, fit Ned Stark’s standard for a good match for Sansa? An analysis of where we stand after the conclusion of S7:

STRONG, Physically (.5, out of .5 points possible)

OK, this one is easy. It’s illustrated twice on the show that the Hound is about as strong as four normal men. When he and Arya come across the hog farmer on the way to the Twins, he says “I need about eight hands” (meaning four men) to lift the wagon. The Hound just does it by himself, no trouble. And in the episode “The Broken Man,” even with a bum leg, the Hound can single-handedly carry a beam that takes four normal men to heft.

And that’s just manual labor. We also have seen the Hound cleave at least two men literally in half (at the Battle of the Blackwater), and in the episode “No One” he uses an ax to smash a skull (the ugly one who says “fuck you...cunt”). When he saves Sansa during the Bread Riot, he lifts a man up by his neck.

So...he’s definitely physically strong.

STRONG, Mentally and Emotionally (.4, out of .5 points possible)

This one is much harder to quantify accurately. He’s a rage case. He has a drinking problem for the first two seasons we know him. He’s low-key starving and sick the next two seasons with Arya. He works for a family of psychos and sociopaths and Jaime and Tyrion. He is acutely aware of the difference between suffering and death. Death doesn’t faze him. Suffering concerns him greatly and it’s a tool he uses to punish his enemies.

In the end though, when he says “I’m a big fucker and I’m hard to kill” I think there’s an aspect of his hard-to-kill-ness that is sheer grit. He’s a survivor. He’s a beast. He’s strong, whereas the farmer (Sally’s dad) is not: “He’s weak. He can’t defend himself. They’ll both be dead come winter.” And Sandor Clegane has strength to spare: he shares it with the people he serves.

At first that’s his Lannisters (is he their pet or are they really his pets?), and then it’s Sansa, and later Arya, and later still Septon Ray and the Brotherhood Without Banners and then Jon Snow.

I think his fatalism and pessimism trips him up quite a bit, but all things considered, he’s not perfectly emotionally and mentally strong but he’s improved in this area greatly and he wasn’t doing too badly to start with.

Total points for STRONG: .9 out of 1 Room for improvement: Could stand to be more emotionally vulnerable. His “grouchy old bear” persona prevents him, for the most part, from establishing healthy relationships.

BRAVE

“That’s the only time a man can be brave.” --Ned Stark

“Brave? A dog doesn’t need courage to chase off rats.” --Sandor Clegane

This is another mixed bag. The Hound is terrified of fire. We’ve seen it again and again and again: season two at the Blackwater, season three against Beric’s flaming sword, season four when Arya wanted to burn away the infection, and season seven with the burning zombie polar bear. He hasn’t conquered this fear at all. The best case scenario is that he freezes rather than actually running.

He’s also starts the story very much a prisoner of the feudal system and unable to independently challenge the awfulness of the world in which they all find themselves. He uses many clever workarounds to succeed in Joffrey/Tywin’s world, but he’s not ready to challenge them outright. He talks shit to Tyrion, but he that’s the extent of it. So he’s not completely courageous politically or socially.

Dany is a revolutionary, as Cersei puts it. Sandor very much is not. Sansa isn’t either. They are both basically socially conservative personalities who have internalized the patriarchy of Westeros and don’t spend a lot of time directly interrogating their circumstances.

But...he is “first in battle.” If you have a war going on, the Hound will be happy to start or end any fight you care to throw at him. “Any man dies with a clean sword, I’ll rape his fucking corpse” is his battle cry at the Blackwater, when he is very much in the vanguard while Joffrey cowers in the rear. The minute he’s spotted by Polliver’s men he’s ready to challenge them rather than fleeing. He strides into the fray at the Bread Riot to find Sansa. He takes on Brienne and her Valyrian steel sword to protect Arya. He’s first to strike against the advancing wights during the ice-lake battle. And above all, he’s willing to risk torture and execution to spirit away the Stark girls from the Lannisters who are trying to kill them. He’s willing to try to face King Robb as a Lannister deserter who kidnapped one or more of Robb’s sisters--he never makes it that far because Robb is slaughtered at the Twins, but he was going to show up with one or more of the Northern princesses and face the consequences of his very strange actions.

But what’s weird is that because of his temperament, battle doesn’t seem to frighten him very much. He must know he could die, but he hardly seems to care and it’s likely not because he doesn’t care. He tells Septon Ray that “dying doesn’t cure it either” in reference to violence being a contagious disease.

He wants to live. He wants to fight. It’s his art. Not being able to fight is his fear--fighting is how he serves the people he cares about. If he was heartbroken after Sansa’s rejection at the Blackwater it was because he wanted to pledge his sword to her, for all intents and purposes, and she said no. He wanted to be her killer and she denied that she even needed one, much less him. She cut the legs out from under him as easily as he had cut men down on the field of battle.

“I don’t need saving.” “No, not you. You’re a real killer, with your water dancing and your Needle.”

Total points for BRAVE: .5 out of 1 Room for improvement: Needs to overcome fear of fire, question princes he thinks are making bad decisions and reject societal strictures that bind him.

GENTLE, Verbally (.2, out of .5 point possible)

Has he ever soft-pedaled anything? Not to Arya. Rarely to Sansa. He told her that Joff would be easier on her if she was compliant (“Save yourself some pain girl. Give him what he wants.”), which is the opposite of what every fan thinks she should have done, but OK. He lied for her to protect her after she protected Ser Dontos. He wasn’t too aggressive the first time they ever spoke, which was an odd scene (on the show) where his motivation for even approaching her is unclear--did he sense that she was afraid of Ser Ilyn? was he trying to hit on her?--and he vanishes quickly.

And after Sandor saved Sansa from the Bread Riots, he said nothing kind to her directly, but he did observe that she was physically hurt and ordered that she be cared for and taken to shelter.

The rest of the time he was a dick.

BUT...for all his swears and yelling and empty threats, he’s brutally honest and overwhelming forthright, which is more than can be said for most other characters that the Stark girls encounter. Lying is a form of violence against truth and morality, and the Hound rarely participates in it, generally, but if he does it is almost always with an ulterior motive that benefits a Stark girl.

When it comes to the Stark girls, he is all bark and virtually no bite (more on the exceptions shortly), whereas anyone who threatens Arya Stark in his presence gets the full brunt of the Hound’s swagger and sarcasm. My favorite remains the death of Rorge. As soon as the Hound heard that Rorge said he would fuck Arya bloody with a stick, he established that Rorge would die. He even nonchalantly made it possible for Arya to be the one to kill him--”What’s your name?”--although he easily could have done it himself.

GENTLE, Physically (.2, out of .5 point possible)

Can a brute like the Hound be considered gentle? He loves violence. He loves smashing shit. He’s not delicate, that’s for sure.

He appears gentle enough with animals--Stranger and the wight-wagon donkey--but what about women? He’s not an outright physical abuser like Joffrey or Ramsay, but...gentle?

There are two strikes against him.

The first is the deleted scene with Sansa. He menaces her and grabs her arm hard enough that she says, “Please, ser, you’re hurting me!” and bursts into tears. Sansa doesn’t flee from him but she doesn’t independently flee from anyone who is trying to hurt her, really. But it’s a deleted scene. Without it, you can truthfully say, “He never laid a hand on her except to save her life, twice.” There is a low-level of implied possible future violence that is borne out by the Hound himself when he tells Arya he “should have fucked her bloody” but he did her no harm.

In fact, in both the deleted scene and the final SanSan scene is written, Sansa seems to have a moment of epiphany about him where she says, “You won’t hurt me.” She seems amazed by this realization both times, and yet totally certain in her declaration. So let’s give Sansa some credit and trust her instincts: She doesn’t think the big bad Hound wants to do her any harm, even though his reputation is one of limitless, ungovernable violence.

The second strike against the Hound in re violence is that he backhands Arya while they are in the Riverlands. She stabbed him first. It was arguably self-defense, but if you don’t think the Hound wearing armor needs to defend himself against Arya and her little Needle, there is another interpretation. He wasn’t beating a little girl, he was disciplining his daughter. Corporal punishment is de rigeur parenting in Westeros. Arya later says that Ser Roderik would have “cuffed” Bran for leaving an arrow lying around the archery practice field. Ser Roderik wasn’t Bran’s dad, but he felt entitled to smack around a little misbehaving kid and not only was that not abuse, in terms of Westerosi parenting ethics, it was encouraged as part of successful childrearing. Not “cuffing” the kid would have been dereliction of duty.

I would argue that if the Hound wanted to hurt Arya, she’d be hurt. He didn’t want to hurt her, he wanted to set her straight, get her head right. Yelling and laughing at her weren’t enough, so she got the upgrade to a gentle wallop. It worked too. This was responsible parenting, as far as the mores of Westeros family life go. This is not to say in any way shape or form that it’s ever right to hit little kids. He shouldn’t have hit her. But to claim that it’s prima facie evidence that the Hound is an abuser is to miss the forest for the trees.

So those are the strikes against him. Does he have anything in his favor? Well, he saved both girls from a fate worse than death multiple times. He carried them both to safety at personal risk to himself. There would have been no consequence for him if he abandoned them to violent deaths. He could have skipped out. He didn’t.

He gently dabbed the blood off Sansa’s cheek.

He gently lifted Arya down from their horse.

He gently pushed Arya out of the way when she was in danger and he was about to go kill people to protect her.

He knocked Arya unconscious at the Red Wedding so she won’t impulsively run inside to get herself killed and also to keep her from having to see any more of the slaughter. There’s a kindness in that.

He’s better than Joffrey and Ramsay--he’s not a sadist, he doesn’t love inflicting pain on innocent and helpless creatures--but he’s not entirely what you call gentle either.

He’s situationally gentle. Some circumstances and certain people reveal that he has a capacity for gentleness. Who are those people that reveal the Hound’s little-explored capacity for gentleness? Sansa and Arya, of course.

To quote from the Book of the Mother, “As water rounds the stones, smoothing what was jagged, so does a woman's love calm a man's brute nature.”

We see more of both sides--his gentility and his brutish--when he’s with Arya partly because they are so alike that he lets his guard down, and because they aren’t trapped by the courtesies of court, nor by the incredibly awkward complicated nature of the triangle of Joffrey-Sansa-Sandor, plus Cersei, etc.

The Hound’s capacity for serenity and gentleness has been there all along, but we haven’t seen enough of it to believe that it’s real and that it will remain a consistent aspect of his personality.

Total points for GENTLE: .4 out of 1 Room for improvement: “Gentle” is definitely the aspect of Ned’s formula for a good match that requires the most dramatic improvement in season 8. If the Hound is to prove himself fit for Sansa in the eyes of the general audience, it is his demonstration of “gentle” in regards to the Stark girls in the last days of the show that will tip the scales for or against him. We also need to see more of him talking like a normal person with some wisdom and kindness to him. There was a great deal of this side of him in his re-introduction episode “The Broken Man” but it’s vanished since then, seemingly killed off along with Septon Ray. Interesting to see if a reunion with the Starks will again reveal a Sandor Clegane who has more to say than “fuck off, cunt.”

FINAL SCORE: 1.8 of 3 points possible CONCLUSION: He’s no angel like Jon Snow or Podrick Payne, and yet, and yet, and yet...he has something to offer, and the self-evident capacity for self-improvement and change. We shall see what becomes of him and his lady wolf in the final season.

#Sansa Stark #Sandor Clegane #arya stark #brave gentle and strong #sansan #sansa stark x sandor clegane #sansa x sandor #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire

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kottsworks · 7 years

Text

An Interesting Start

Fifth Tier, Year 425, Day 217

The sun was just hitting the edge of the horizon as Eli made another pass around his cart. He continued his stressful waiting just as he had for the past half an hour. He tightened the straps on the horses. He checked the bars on the cage. Occasionally he even dared a glance at the barracks that he stood in front of. He ran over his checklist again and again. “Just one more check” he kept telling himself. Partly, he did this out of boredom, but he also did it to settle his nerves.

He kept telling himself shouldn’t be worried. There was no reason to be. After all, none of his previous assignments had gone awry. They weren’t very difficult either. Someone would catch important prisoners in newly annexed kingdoms, and they would need to be transported into official Empire lands for “Safe keeping”. All Eli had to do was load prisoners into the back of the cart, and take them all the way back to the other side of the borders. Simple.

At least, it should be.

He figured his best bet would be to act confident, arrogant perhaps. That way, even if he was worried, he can just fake some courage until he finds some of the real thing. As Eli made his fourth ‘final check’, the door slammed open with a tremendous for, startling Eli out of his skin. When he turned to look he saw a large, grisly looking man step outside.

“So yer the rookie they signed me with this time.” he grumbled as he shuffled his way toward Eli. “Yeh better be a good one, else I’ll have to teach yeh a lesson just like the last two.”

“Maybe I’m just here for the pay. Maybe I don’t care whether you think I’m good or not.” Eli replied with a grin.

The old man huffed to himself. “Just shut up and get on. We’re already late.”

Eli quickly decided that he despised this man’s attitude. He dreaded to even imagine the trip that was ahead of him. Despite this, he knew that what he was doing was important. He wouldn’t want to screw it up now just because of one grouchy old timer. Even if it would be painful, he’d just have to endure. Eli helped the brusque man up onto the front bench of the carriage, and then walked around to seat himself. He snapped the reins, and his two horses began to pull the cart away from the barracks. They continued through the streets of the city on their way to the local prison.

The two men sat in an intense silence. Despite traveling through busy streets and near bustling markets, Eli’s nervous feelings slowly began to return the longer he sat next to the stranger. After a few minutes, the old man finally spoke. “Everyone calls me Brandy, if you care to know. How’s about yusself, lad?”

“Eli.”

“hmph, alright.”

Eli waited for a further reply. He fidgeted with the reins in his hands as the heavy quiet returned once again. When he realized the man wasn’t going to continue, he wondered if he should start speaking instead. Perhaps if he lightened the mood, he could work get rid of some of Brandy’s poor attitude. “So is Brandy your real name? Or did you knock back one too many glasses on a night out?” He asked with a sort of deadpan humor.

When he didn’t receive a reply, Eli glanced over and noticed that Brandy had his eyes closed. Aside from his slow breathing, the old man made no other move. Eli wondered whether he was being ignored, or if the Brandy had already fallen completely asleep. Eli sighed internally. Great. Not only am I going to have to listen to his cranky prattle when he’s awake, I gotta lug him around when he’s asleep too. I’m getting real sick of all the crap I deal with on these jobs. Next time she asks me t-

“It is a nickname. And I would watch yer jokes there lad. It might sound silly to yeh, but I am quite proud of the name.”

Eli was jolted out of his thoughts at the sudden response to his question. “Is that so?”

“I got it during my earlier years of constant service. I’ve always been working hard to ensure our Empire’s greatness, since before we were even an empire.”

“You’re a full-blooded loyalist, then?” Eli asked.

“And proud of it! I’ve been crushing rebels since before that ‘Great Fall’ of theirs. Boy, was it great alright. Watching those fools getting put in their place was one of the best moments of my life.”

Eli was confused of who these ‘rebels’ were. “Are you… talking about the members of the Grand Knight Order?”

Brandy gave a look of disgusted shock for a moment. His face quickly changed to realization, then utter amusement. He burst out laughing.

“HA! Grand Knight Order, he says!” Brandy roared, “Ain’t that a riot! And I’d be bettin’ that you grew up with stories of their ‘heroics’ too!” Although the elderly man had a smile on his face, it was not a pleasant.

“Well, even now they still seem like the perfect stories for children. Also, this was before they were exposed. You can’t blame me for believing in the Gold Knights when everyone else did too.”

“Listen son, you ain’t gonna last much longer around here of you keep talking like that. We here in the empire knew what they were before everyone else found out. Just call ‘em what they are; damn, filthy rebels that are stuck in outdated tradition. They’re just a bunch of fakes who are afraid of a good, strong power making some serious and much needed changes around here.”

“I don’t necessarily think…” Eli hesitated.

Brandy cut him off. “Save it lad. Different topic for a different moment. Besides, we’ll be riding together for a couple weeks, I’m sure we’ll have a moment to talk if it’s itchin’ ya.”

He straightened himself to sit upright. “Now, back to the topic at hand. Why do they call me Brandy, you ask? Simply put, it was part of my job.”

After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he continued. “You see, back in the day, your ‘Grand Knights’ still had a decent bit o’ power. On top of that, this was back when the empire was only one country, and a rather small one at that.”

Eli was genuinely surprised at this information. “You’re saying you served before Regal Bindings?” he asked.

“Yeah, so what? I know I’m old, no need to rub it in. Just hush up yer mouth while I’m telling my story. Where was I…” Brandy took a few more moments before continuing. “That’s right. You see, at the time, our country didn’t have the power or support to start arresting the knights outright. Too many people believed in the rebels. So when we needed info, we’d send a Shadow to ‘acquire’ an individual of some import. Now, being a Shadow is a horse of a different color, I would know. But all that is beside the point. All you need to know is that the Shadows sent the prisoners to me, and that’s where my work really began.”

Brandy opened his mouth to continue, but stopped when he looked ahead. “We’re here, lad.”

Eli had already had his eyes on the compound the second it came into view. While not exceptionally tall, the large stone walls created an imposing image. The guards gave the carriage a nod as they passed through the gate.

“Look over there. I guess they already brought the bastards out” Brandy said.

Eli looked over the group of prisoners lined against the far wall. Ten prisoners in all; seven men, three women, and two large guards stood at the ends of the line. Every one shackled, and covered in a variety of bruises and cuts. Each had a look of broken hope and despair plastered on their faces. They slouched as they stood, not raising their gazes from the ground. Eli could see their posture was most likely due to the injuries, though he wondered how broken their spirits were as well. As he brought the carriage parallel to the prisoner line, he did his best to direct his gaze at anything that wasn’t the tortured souls.

A younger looking guard stepped away from the line and up to the carriage. “We were expecting you much earlier. The jailor wanted these ones out already, so we’ve been sitting here waiting for you.”

Brandy spoke first. “Aye lad, I’ll take the blame for that. Took me longer than expected to prepare myself this morning. Didn’t cause too much trouble, did I?”

“No Sir, most the prisoners have been quite tame.” The soldier gestured towards the prisoners. “We did have one that tried to run when we brought the group out. He hardly even made it to the gate before he got stuck with an arrow.”

Brandy gave a satisfied nod “Good riddance I say. Still, shame I held up the schedule a bit. I still got good muscles in these here arms, but my legs aren’t the same.” He accentuated the statement with a gentle pat on his legs. Eli noted that his expression looked quite forlorn, most likely reminiscing about his youth. Now that it was being mentioned Eli decided to take a closer look at the aged man. He found that there was a definite truth in Brandy’s statement. He had solid arms that boldly spoke of strength despite his age. His legs, however, told a different story. Rather scrawny compared to his larger upper body, his legs looked sickly and slightly mangled. It almost looked as if, over the course of years, they had been broken and poorly fixed numerous times. Frankly, as far as Eli knew, that could have been exactly what happened.

Brandy spent another moment in thought, then looked back up at the guard. “Hows about we get this show on the road then, right lad? Get those wastes of space loaded in back and we’ll be off”

“Of course, sir. If you could hand us the keys, we will take care of the boarding.” The guard held out his hand expectantly. Eli reached around to his side and unhooked the keyring. He tossed the keys to the guard and watch as they began manhandling the line of prisoners towards the cart.

Brandy eyed the setting sun on the horizon and frowned. He pulled a match from one of his pockets and reached up for the lantern hanging from a hook on the carriage. Eli merely stayed seated. He considered starting a conversation, but dismissed the idea as everyone else was involved in their own activity. The only sounds were that of the guards roughly putting all the prisoners into the cage on the carriage, accompanied by Brandy’s muffled fiddling with the light.

Finally, Brandy lit the wick and set the lantern back on the hook. “Bah. Anyways, long story short, I used a brand.”

“What?” Eli wasn’t sure what he was referring to.

“I used a brand on those special individuals to get them to talk. Then a feller I worked with thought it’d be cute to call me Brandy. I didn’t really mind, I was proud of my job. In fact, it eventually became a feared name to anyone we captured. I was pretty good with a bar of hot metal back then.” He smugly grinned as he recalled his past.

Eli did his best to hide his disgust. “That’s really grim. Don’t you have any regrets of torturing people?”

“Don’t give me that look boy. I might’ve had regrets if I had done it to people who were any sorts decent. Those rebels ain’t decent by any measure, so I got no problem with it.”

Brandy looked away sniffed disdainfully. He faced Eli and leaned in closely. “Listen, even if it was good folk we were workin’ over, I would still do it. I would do anything for our empire. Always have. Always will.” He leaned away from Eli, and reclined against the back of the seat. All the while he never broke eye contact, and he maintained a look of set determination on his face.

“Sir?”

Both Eli and Brandy turned to look. It was the older guard this time. He held out his hand, offering the keys to the cage door. Brandy reached out and took them from the guard and handed them back to Eli.

“Alright lad, are we good to go?”

“Just about, sir” The guard responded. He pointed towards an area around the corner of the prison compound. “The captain is getting the horses. He should be done now, and then you can leave.” Without any sort of dismissal, the guard turned and met with his companion as they walked into the prison.

Just then, three men riding horses turned around the corner of the building and made their way towards the carriage. The two men on the sides wore simple and sturdy looking armor with swords at their sides. They were soldiers escorting a man riding between them. The man in the center wore well-polished and decorative armor, with and an elegant curved sword in his scabbard. The captain.

Alarms immediately fired off in Eli’s head. A captain? What for? No other assignment he had been on required the presence of a captain. Did they have additional instructions after the job? He fought off the initial urge to panic and whispered to the other driver.

“H-hey Brandy. I, uh… could you remind me what we need the captain for?” He asked, desperately trying to keep his nerves in check.

Brandy returned the question with a quizzical look of his own. “Lord boy, do you just clog yer ears when superiors are giving yeh the details of yer work? They’re here for some extra muscle. A couple of other convoys have been raided in these past months. Hopefully, some extra measures will stop it.”

Eli’s heart could not decide if it wanted to beat twice as fast, or to stop beating altogether.

The captain and his two guards stopped in front of the carriage. “Gentlemen.” He spoke. “It looks as if everything is in order. We shall depart immediately then. This way.” He quickly turned back around and began leading the way out of the prison compound.

The older driver held out his hands. “Gimme the reins. I need something to keep my hands busy. ‘idle hands and the devils work’ and all that nonsense.”

Eli, almost completely pale with anxiety, tried to hand over the ropes with haste. His now worry-clumsy fingers tangled and untangled themselves with little progress. Eventually Brandy was fed up enough to just snatch them right out of Eli’s hands. He shook his head and gave the reins a purposeful snap.

“yer going to be a real handful, ain’tcha?”

Eli simply nodded as he did not trust his voice to speak for him. His hands tightly clamped onto each other in an attempt to hide their shaking. Eli kept telling himself that he had to stay calm. He had to adjust to the new circumstances. He had to complete the mission. He had to. But deep in the back of his mind he knew that something felt wrong.

He knew this was not going to end well.

#Era's Ending #Introduction #Prologue

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