#Ghost seeing his girl in his armor and losing all ability to think

[ghouljams]

can we get medieval slow burn crumbs pls 🤲🙏

I have had this idea with Knight Ghost bouncing around in my head since I saw an absolutely destructive to my psyche insta reel, so here it is

Ghost helps you get his mail shirt over your head, far too big and far too heavy for you to practically wear, but he's insistent. You try not to tense your shoulders at the weight of it, try not to buckle your knees when it drops into place. You knew knights were strong but to wear this every day without so much as a complaint? Plus the rest of the armor? Your eyes roam over Ghost's broad shoulders as he turns away from you to fuss with the rest of his armor. You always thought he'd look smaller without all the metal, but it almost feels like the opposite it true.

He's larger than life. Life being the operative word here. A living breathing man of flesh and blood, and greater warmth than the fire. His linen shirt pulls tight across his shoulders, revealing the firm musculature as he moves. You grab the mail shirt in your tightening fists, feel the well worked metal press its indents into your skin, still so warm from being on Ghost. You want to touch him. You won't, you're not supposed to. Not supposed to want to. You think that's what the armor is for, to keep you from thinking the man underneath is human, to keep you from wanting him.

"You alright Princess?" He asks, his voice is so low and rasping it makes you want to melt, "Thought you'd be complaining about the weight by-" He turns to look at you again, and his voice falls another impossible degree, "-now. Jesus." His eyes drag over you, fresh kindling for the fire in your stomach, the heat in your cheeks.

You must look silly in your dress and his chain mail, but the way he looks at you... God, the way he looks at you. Not even at your best dressed has a man looked at you like that. You swallow, and hold onto the mail rings a little tighter.

"It's heavy," You tell him, and although you mean it to sound like a complaint, to whine and put on the spoiled princess act that keeps all the other men away, you find your voice quiet almost reverent. Ghost nods, his warm brown eyes meeting yours. The only man in the kingdom with the impertinence not to look away, not to bow his head to your gaze.

"It'll keep you safe," He barely breathes, his eyes don't leave you, can't leave you. There's no where safer to look than your face, and no where more dangerous.

"You're doing a more than suitable job of that already," You know that twitch in his brow, the way his lips draw thin.

You remember the bandits that had ambushed your carriage, the way they're battered their daggers against your door, made slow battle with your guards. How they'd dragged you out of your safety kicking and screaming with harsh laughter. How Ghost's blade had torn through them like paper, his eyes red with fury. The physical shield he'd put between you and your assailants, the sound their swords had made bouncing off his armor was still ringing through your ears. Blood still soaked the hem of your dress.

"I'm not taking any chances," His eyes leave yours, turning his attention back to his armor. It's like having cold water thrown over your head. With you, you think, he's not taking any chances with you. "Can you move at all?" He asks, not looking at you, it feels purposeful. You hesitate, before testing the weight over your arms, hopping to feel the drag of the chain try to pull you down. You shake you head.

"Not much, I don't think I'll be swinging a sword anytime soon." He chuckles, and the heat returns to you, your heart clenching tight in your chest.

"That's good," He nods, "Violence doesn't suit you."

You wish it did, sometimes. You've begged him enough to at least show you how to properly hold a sword, but he always refuses. Always tells you, your future husband won't want your glaring to hold real threats. As if your gaze doesn't already bear his shadow, doesn't command Ghost to act as your sword. Wouldn't he come with you, to wherever you did marry? You couldn't stand to be apart from him.

Ghost lifts you up onto his horse with a quiet grunt of effort. "We'll have to take more rests, she's a strong horse but with two of us..." He shakes his head, pets a hand down the horse's neck. "Do you think you can stomach a few extra days of travel, my lady?" His hand lingers on your dress. His lady, you think, he never shortens the words like the others do.

"Of course, I'm hardly one to complain," for you, you tack on silently.

"Of course not," for me, he seems to agree.

#cod x reader #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost x reader #ghost mw2 #knight!Ghost #princess!reader #medieval au #I want him so fucking badly I am screaming I want him #his lady and her knight #soft pining looks across ballrooms neither of them able to make a move #Ghost seeing his girl in his armor and losing all ability to think #cod ghost

[chalkrevelations]

OK, y’all, I’m back, finally, with Word of Honor Episode 8, and I have … a LOT of notes on this one. I’m trying to figure out how to organize this. Buckle up, I guess, because this is kind of a long one.

First of all, the usual warning: SPOILERS. This is a re-watch, so there are spoilers not only for this episode, but for the entire show. Scroll away and come back later if you want to watch all 36.5 eps unspoiled.

So, this is an ep that’s really good to me, because the found-family dynamic is one of the things that sold me on the show, and a ton of the ensemble work that builds and enriches that dynamic is centered on scenes about food and eating together, on literally nourishing the body(ies) of the family, from A-Xiang’s repeated instances of cooking bread on a stick over a fire, to fish soup with Ye Baiyi, to Wen Kexing’s elaborate New Year’s meal, and all the various and sundry restaurant sit-downs in between. Feeding each other and eating together is how these characters form bonds. Alternately, inability to provide sustenance or rejection of food implies distance. The point at which Zhou Zishu is still denying Chengling’s request to become his disciple, he’s unable to cook a fish properly for the poor kid to eat. Cao Weining falls in love at first sight and immediately buys A-Xiang not one, but two dinners, because the first one gets cold and he’s going to spend the rest of his life providing the best (emotional) nourishment he can for her. Paying for Ye Bayi’s meal earns a favor from him. When A-Xiang is separated from Wen Kexing and Zhang Chengling and Zhou Zishu, she eats up the little corn family she sees as representative of them, as if she can keep them with her by taking the food that represents them into herself. Despite the fact that Zhou Zishu is losing his sense of taste (evidenced by his ability to suck down wine that any and everyone else spits out in disgust), he continues to fully participate in meals, sharing food and both accepting and providing choice bits to Chengling and WKX at Siji Manor, in a scene that is possibly the most heartfelt domestic bit of the show. Rejecting (dramatically so) the table that’s been set for him by Prince Jin is symbolic of Zhou Zishu’s rejection of their relationship. And as we ultimately learn from Ye Baiyi’s storyline, eating is what makes us human, with all of our messy, painful, gorgeous connections to the world, in contrast to the icy seclusion of immortality. Which makes me feel some kind of way about the facts that WKX started out by burning A-Xiang’s mouth on too-hot porridge before he learned how to take care of her and was saved by her in Ghost Valley and that A-Xiang and WKX, who are both trying to find their way back to the human world from the world of ghosts, become the primary physical nourishers in their relationships with Cao Weining, Zhang Chengling, and Zhou Zishu. It also makes me feel some kind of other (ambivalent) way that part and parcel of the immortality Ye Baiyi achieves for a time and passes on is predicated on being willing to only eat and drink ice and snow, and the symbolic ways that separates you from the rest of the world and from forming the various connections we see forged through food.

All of which is to say that I’m delighted by this ep, where one of the first scenes is an extremely awkward dinner scene at the restaurant with ZZS, WKX, A-Xiang and Cao Weining, which not only plays into a lot of that, but is also comedy gold, and possibly one of the best scenes of the ep (and I say that knowing we’re eventually going to be getting to Han Ying, My Beloved). It’s hilarious how irritated WKX is by the mere fact of Cao Weining’s existence (JunJun, your little pouty face, it’s amazing). And it is triply hilarious how much of a whole-ass troll ZZS manages to be when he realizes the opportunity this presents. I’m not sure we’ve seen ZZS this cheerful … well, yet, at this point in the show, as when he’s just realized how much WKX clearly disapproves of this character who’s after his baby girl and how much of a chance this provides to fuck with WKX. It’s such an asshole move, but at the same time, it’s so weirdly charming to see him willing to play like this. It gives us a great character grace note right in the middle of the comedy - it’s the sort of teasing we see from him with Jiuxiao over the hairpin in Ep 1, and at the same time, it’s also kind of subtle, I think, in the way it calls back to almost the entire ZZS-WKX relationship up to this point. ZZS has clearly been paying attention – almost everything he says to Cao Weining is him giving up with both hands stuff that WKX has had to pry out of him with a crowbar. And it’s blazingly obvious that it’s deliberate. When he compliments CWN, ZZS comments that “it’s our fate to meet each other,” directly echoing what WKX said to ZZS in Ep 2. He waves off the price of dinner, telling CWN that “money is just a possession” after making WKX beg for his wallet and deploy the Sadness Eyebrows before he was willing to hand it over in the last ep. He immediately volunteers his name (or, at least, the name he’s using, Zhou Xu), and asks CWN’s in return. He waxes eloquent about CWN’s sect and background. WKX’s entire face journey through all of this is a delight to watch. ZZS repeats that it’s their fate to meet, and WKX’s eyes almost roll out of his head. ZZS invites CWN to sit and have a drink together, and WKX’s mouth literally drops open. Finally, when WKX learns that A-Xiang is not going to make this interloper go away because he’s her ticket into Yueyang sect, he orders her to go find his wallet (presumably knowing that CWN will follow her when she leaves). As CWN leaves, ZZS reassures him that making friends is “mostly about resonance,” and the implication I presume, is that there is resonance between ZZS and CWN (and yeah, in more ways than one, as CWN will be the ZZS stand-in as these two relationships grow more and more parallel), in contrast to a supposed lack of resonance between ZZS and WKX. I … am not entirely sure that this is just to fuck with WKX, although it’s definitely part and parcel of that, or if it’s a little bit of ZZS trying to convince himself, particularly given a moment later in the ep, which I’ll get to later. In which case, sure, A-Xu. You keep telling yourself that. You didn’t get off at ALL on him staring at you like you’re the most gorgeous thing on earth. Uh-huh.

Outside, A-Xiang and CWN have a little foodie moment together, and if there ever was a fandom that needed a food-truck AU, it’s this one. I’m SO glad that after A-Xiang and Cao-dage got married, they settled down together and opened that little restaurant just down the mountain from Siji Manor. (Shut. Up.) Meanwhile, ZZS and WKX continue to drink inside, now that they’ve gotten rid of the kids. They discuss Mo Huaiyang (:spits:), with ZZS calling him a “cunning old fox” and wondering what a big rabbit like CWN is doing in his den (owowowoOW). WKX promises to get A-Xiang to check on ZZS’s disciple inside Yueyang Sect – he kind of emphasizes that your disciple bit, like he doesn’t really care at all what happens to Chengling, nuh-uh. OK, my dude, you keep telling yourself that, I guess. There’s yet another discussion about Philanthropist Wen’s real motives, which he claims are to empty out hell, which is metaphorically taken to mean saving the damned, although he probably literally means razing Ghost Valley and maybe the jianghu along with it, as he warns ZZS once again that “the fiercest ghosts tend to disguise themselves as human.” And because everything has a triple meaning in this show, this also, again, is also, again, a warning about himself – that he may look human, but he’s not, really.

Meanwhile, Chengling’s been delivered to Gao Chong at Yueyang Sect, where he’s undergoing the worst kind of family bonding. We learn where ShenShen gets his sparkling way with people, when Gao Chong’s first move is to frown at Chengling, feel his biceps and want to know if he’s sick, because he’s such a weakling. We also see where ShenShen gets the yelling and threats of violence. Both Gao Chong and ShenShen put the press on Chengling for the Glazed Armor, as he continues to insist he doesn’t remember anything about it, while Zhao Jing continues to be the “reasonable” one, tearfully telling Gao Chong to be nicer to the traumatized orphan for the sake of his father, oh, oops, I didn’t mean to remind Da-ge of the estrangement with Mirror Lake that’s mentally torturing him now and make him so emotional that this conversation gets cut short, no really, that was not my intention at all, my bad. Sure, buddy. Anyway, this gives us confirmation that Zhang Yusen hadn’t been interacting with his Five Lakes brothers for a while before Mirror Lake was targeted. But never mind that, you can trust us, Gao Chong tells Chengling, and follows up by asking him: Besides us, who can you trust? Which does not actually sound that trustworthy, my guy, and I begin to suspect that Five Lakes Alliance is running things because you’re the biggest bullies, as not a single one of you seems to know how to be the least bit politic. Except for Awful Yifu, who’s not so much adept at politics as at skullduggery. ANYWAY, when asked who he can trust, we can see Chengling thinking “MY NEW DADS” like it’s lit up in neon over his head. We also see him continue to press or clutch the place on his abdomen where we previously saw his injury, so that’s still bothering him, and I can’t imagine why it might do that any time he has to argue with one of these Five Lakes assholes about the Glazed Armor, amirite? I do also notice, though, that he calls both Gao Chong and Zhao Jing “bobo,” which I think is a more familial term for uncle? as opposed to “shishu” for ShenShen, which is martial, and I’m not sure exactly what distinction he’s driving home by doing so, but there you go. Chengling is sent away to rest, and on leaving the hall he immediately gets bullied by Xie Wuyang, one of Zhao Jing’s undercover Yueyang twinks, before being rescued by Gao Xiaolian, daughter of Gao Chong. She takes him to his new room, which faces right onto the training grounds, because no one’s told him yet how much he needs to build himself up, right? And we get to see a bunch of little Yueyang shits who acted like good boys and promised Xiaolian to her face that they would train with Chengling but who then immediately turn around and start mocking him as soon as she goes away, so WKX’s assessment of how the jianghu is full of assholes continues to look kind of correct. What is Cao Weining doing in this whole hive of scum and villainy?

We get a brief detour here to go with Xiaolian to meet Cao Weining and A-Xiang, and she agrees to let A-Xiang stay with her, before a disciple comes to get her to help set up for taking Chengling to worship at the Five Lakes Alliance memorial. Xiaolian helpfully lets us know that this is weird, because it’s going to be dark soon. A-Xiang sneaks away and informs WKX and ZZS that this is weird, because it’s going to be dark soon. ZZS and WKX also spot some of the Tian Chuang Action Lanterns and surmise that some “feudal lords” seen outside the city are up to no good, so they go and skulk in the bushes along the road to the Five Lakes Alliance monument.

This is getting super-long, so I’m going to get right to the next important part, which is the bit where Han Ying (My Beloved) and his Tian Chuang forces have laid a trap for Gao Chong and Chengling on the way back from the monument, and they try to kidnap Chengling. Han Ying continues to be cold, haughty, and capable at his job right up to the moment when ZZS jumps out of the bushes to foil the kidnapping with his signature Swiftly Moving Steps and a frankly ridiculous bit of gauzy fabric tied around the bottom half of his face as a disguise. Han Ying’s instant change of demeanor is something to behold – he can’t even notice that WKX has him by the throat around the hearts in his eyes as he recognizes ZZS. Which, let’s face it, he ought to, because ZZS spent a decade and a half running around with all of these guys with the bottom half of his face covered, so you’d think more of them would recognize him, but apparently the Cover Girl bangs throw them off. Anyway, WKX grabs Han Ying and they use him as a hostage to get Tian Chuang to release Gao Chong, Chengling and a bunch of Yueyang disciples. Once everyone else is gone, WKX and ZZS drag Han Ying into the bushes, where he hits his knees ten times faster than WKX has yet for ZZS, so maybe it’s WKX’s own fault that he’s left standing around, ignored and vinegary. Han Ying is back to the puppy-dog he was around ZZS in Ep 1, and interestingly, the way Zhang Zhehan is styled here makes ZZS look more severe than he has in a while – he’s got a lot of his hair up in the high pony that looks a bit like the topknot from the front, all the rest of his hair is back behind his shoulders, and his bangs are pushed back out of his face more than usual, making him look more like his Tian Chuang self as he talks to Han Ying. Who he calls Ying’er, and omg, fuck you subtitles, for not including this because HE CALLS HIM YING’ER AND I’M DYING. (Also, oh god, I just realized that the Ying of his name is the same character as “hero.” Which, just, the simple fact of it, of course, but also it was used in the “hero saving the beauty/beauty saving the hero” (overdubbed) lip-read from Ep 6, and now I’m dying on the floor, because that’s kind of a weird little link between Zhen Yan WKX and Han Ying already. It’s likely coincidence, but it’s potentially USEFUL, yes, all my fic writers out there?) Anyway, Han Ying is desperately worried - he knows something’s wrong, because ZZS isn’t bothering to disguise himself with that awful fake face anymore to keep himself safe from Prince Jin’s spies, and also, HOW IS YOUR INJURY, MY LORD? (DO YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TAKE TENDER CARE OF YOU?) WKX continues to look vaguely uncomfortable about this whole thing that’s going on right in front of his salad. Han Ying swears he’ll do anything for ZZS. WKX clears his throat loudly to draw attention and suggestively asks if he should leave for a while. (I am not shitposting here, this actually, literally happens.) ZSS literally huffs in annoyance and ignores him. He tells Han Ying that he saw signs of Tian Chuang at Yueyang and thought they were after him. We can see Han Ying thinking, “No, if I’d known you were here, you’d have found me on my knees by your bedside waiting patiently like a good boy.” We learn that Duang Pengju (that asshole) has had Han Ying looking for the Glazed Armor since the Mirror Lake massacre, probably to take credit for anything he finds. Han Ying reiterates that he’ll do anything for ZZS, and ZZS tells him to stay out of all this, saying that what Han Ying can do for him is stay alive (well, OW).

After this, we get a scene of ZZS and WKX still hanging around by the side of the road after dark. ZZS sincerely thanks WKX for his help, and says he owes WKX a favor. WKX asks him what’s really going on with ZZS and Chengling. ZZS says that he couldn’t stand around and do nothing while this kid was in danger, likely stirring some Zhen Yan feels in WKX that we don’t officially know about yet, at this point. ZZS asks WKX, again, about his Weird Thing about the Five Lakes Alliance and whether it was a coincidence that WKX was at Mirror Lake for the massacre. WKX goes vaguely Ghost Valley Master wild-eyed and says of course not! before laughing and saying, “I followed you, remember?” He gets friend-zoned and follows up by asking ZZS, “Why don’t you ask what I think of you?” ZZS – pretty unconvincingly, tbqh – says he doesn’t care and stomps off, leaving WKX to stare after him soulfully and call him zhiji. Much like that resonance thing earlier - you keep telling yourself that, A-Xu. The next time we see them, they’re at the marketplace, probably the next day, and you remember that thing I said about bonding via food? We’ve come back full circle to that, too. Zhen Yan WKX is 7 years old again, he wants some reassurance that he is ZZS’s super-special friend, and he works his way through the marketplace making ZZS buy him every sweet thing to eat that he can find. Every time ZZS has to pull out his wallet, he makes this pissy little face, but he keeps paying. ZZS is hopeless at cooking, but if you can’t make your own, store-bought will do, WKX is craving reassurance, and as uncomfortable as ZZS is with how close WKX has gotten at this point, he continues to provide it. I also want to point out another censorship dub here, thanks again to AvenueX on Youtube: As they’re figting over the way WKX is spending ZZS’s money in this scene, when WKX tries to grab ZZS’s hand, and ZZS is all ‘”Don’t touch me,” the voice dubbing has WKX say that repaying ZZS is no big deal, he’ll just let ZZS order him around, with ZZS’s response being to tell him to get lost, then. OTOH, lip-read gives us, from WKX, that it’s no big deal, he’ll sell the rest of his life to ZZS, with ZZS’s response as a threat to sell him to a brothel, then. :hands:

Quick wrap-up from there: They go watch some exotic dancers, only there turns out to be an unexpected pile of heads in the follow-up magician’s act, which turn out to be from the guys who were in the “bridal party” at the Ghost Valley “wedding” a few eps ago, and everyone swears vengeance against the Ghost Valley. WKX and ZZS go to visit Chengling, who is supposedly sick and can’t see them, but they get introduced to Gao Chong. Gao Chong and WKX are weird at each other, and ZZS is increasingly suspicious. He’s got his thinky face on, and we don’t get any literally pokey fingers, but I can’t help but think there are some mental pokey fingers going on, as he turns over all the info he knows in his head. Then some Yueyang disciple comes shrieking in about a dead body, omg, death, destruction, death, and Gao Chong is all, Seriously? In front of guests? before we’re out.

#zhou zishu #wen kexing #gu xiang #zhang chengling #cao weining #han ying #gao chong #shen shen #zhao jing #gao xiaolian #something something food as bonding #word of honor #word of honor episode reax

[siennahrobek]

Qui-Gon Jinn had not expected to wake up at all, much less in a fire fight.

He was lying flat on the ground, his back aching a little like he had fallen from the trees. Blaster fire soared over him, and it took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t, in fact, at this position, going to get hit. He could hear some explosions far off, that rumbled the ground and voices that screamed indecipherable orders. Hopefully, the explosions wouldn’t get closer. He had enough to deal with the blasters.

Qui-Gon didn’t really want to move but he knew he probably should. He just had to figure out a way to stand without immediately getting shot in the crossfire of whatever battle was happening. This was all rather strange. With a long and slow blink, he turned to his side, still too low to be in the range of the shots overhead and looked around.

His surroundings were woodsy but in a bit of a clearing. There would be plenty of cover. However, getting to that cover would be the challenge. He crawled over to a fallen log, trying to keep himself unnoticed. He didn’t know who was around or how close they were. Predictably, he failed.

Qui-Gon could practically hear Obi-Wan’s snarky comment. “Well, of course.”

“There is a civilian, sir!” someone called and Qui-Gon knew it wasn’t Obi-Wan. Not that it could have been anyways. Within the moment, Qui-Gon was surrounded, protected by a small group of armored soldiers. They have Qui-Gon enough time to get to his feet and ignite his saber.

There was not a second to waste. He leapt over their heads in a classic and well-done Aratu jump and deflected blaster bolts that were incoming. He didn’t know the sides or who was who, but these boys had defended him. So, for now, it was an easy side to choose. Aratu wasn’t perfect for this type of thing, but Qui-Gon easily shifted into something simple, a blocking form. Reminiscent of Soresu, he has been told.

“Oh! He’s a jedi!” a soldier said, a bit surprised but not completely shocked by his appearance.

Qui-Gon winced, fearing the next reaction. Not everyone was so pleasant and accommodating when people figured out who and what he was.

“I didn’t know another was stationed here,” another said.

They sounded quite familiar to one another. Perhaps it was the vocoder in their helmets.

He blinked, surprised. There was another jedi out here? This far out? It didn’t seem very likely, but the soldiers sounded pretty sure. And apparently, not too displeased either. That was a point in his favor, he supposed. Perhaps he had gotten lucky and chose the right side.

“Commander Tano!” yet another called out, loudly.

“I’m coming, Fives!” a female voice shouted back.

Qui-Gon just barely turned to see a Togruta padawan rumble and tumble through the forest and to their aid, a green lightsaber flashing with jerky movements.

“Canon fire!” someone yelled.

Sure enough, a giant blast soared over them, creating an opening. “That’s our signal!” the Togruta said. “Let’s get back! Come on, master.”

The two jedi and the squad of troopers raced through the foliage, away from the worst of the battle. It was strange, how this was all happening, and he had no idea what was going on. After several minutes, they started to slow down. “I think we are okay, sir,” a soldier said, trying to catch breath.

“Well then, I suppose this could be a moment to ask,” the padawan replied, turning towards Qui-Gon. She looked him over, scanning as if that would glean something from him. In turn, he looked at her. She seemed rather familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He hadn’t been to the Temple in quite some time. “Who are you? And what are you doing out here?”

“Honestly, I could not tell you,” He admitted. “I don’t even know how I got here, much less where here is. However, my name is Master Qui-Gon Jinn.”

They kept walking, barely even stopped for the pause. The girl blinked at him. “Sounds familiar but I’m not sure,” she murmured. “My name is Ahsoka Tano. I think you maybe should talk to my master. He might know more or ya know, who you are.”

The walk turned into something of an initial silence, but it ended up being rather unbearable. Luckily, the Togruta found it just as terrible as him.

“I haven’t seen you around the Temple, Master Jinn. Like at all,” she pointed out, suspicion seeping into her voice. He wondered if he should be surprised by it or not. “Where have you been?”

He was truthful, there was no reason not to be. “I haven’t been to the Temple in…quite some time. Last, I remember, I was falling on an ocean planet in wild space. I was sure I was going to die,” he confessed.

“The Force works in quite mysterious ways,” Ahsoka shrugged.

“That it does. I will admit, I do have some questions. Do you mind?”

“Go ahead, Master Jinn,” she said. “I will answer them to the best of my ability, as long as it isn’t, like, confidential or something.”

As they trudged through the partially decimated forests, Qui-Gon learned a great many things. There was a war. It had engulfed nearly the entire known galaxy and then some. And the jedi were fighting in it. His heart became stuck in his throat. How long had he been gone? The enemy, the Separatists, were cruel and did horrible crimes, their army made up of droids. They invaded, enslaved and even massacred entire peoples and planets. The soldiers piped in when warranted, sometimes lending out quips and barbs when the subject called for it. They rather liked making fun of the droids, he found.

The soldiers themselves were light and warm and just a little different than most beings Qui-Gon knew and come across in his life. They felt right, like they were meant to be friends with the jedi. It was both a warm and disturbing thought.

All the talk however, rather led him to the conclusion that he wasn’t in the same galaxy he was before.

He wondered what changed.

The camp they came to looked sparse and it appeared to be packed up to move. He wondered if that was a good or bad thing. Solders ran everywhere. A few didn’t have their helmets. They looked identical…all of them. Before he could ask, Padawan Tano called out. “Master?”

A young man turned around. It had been several years since Qui-Gon had seen this boy in person, but his presence was unmistakable… although a bit lighter than anticipated.

“Anakin?” he muttered, confused.

Whatever the man was holding, he dropped it, turning to stare at Qui-Gon in what could only be construed as absolute shock. Qui-Gon didn’t think his presence was that surprising. They had seen each other around over the years although, granted, not lately.

“That’s not…” the man muttered then strode over, fierce and bright. Qui-Gon suppressed a wince as he approached. Ahsoka noticed. Anakin did not. He enveloped the master in a tight and all-encompassing hug. “You aren’t a ghost,” he murmured, shocked and airy. “You are real.”

“Uh. Yes,” he affirmed, brows furrowing in confusion. “I will admit… I did not expect you to be so happy to see me.”

Just because Anakin didn’t appear to resent Qui-Gon for not training him, didn’t mean that the boy was ever particularly happy to see or be around him. The young man finally pulled back, looking at him so intently Qui-Gon wasn’t sure what he was looking for but Anakin looked nearly as confused as the older master himself. “Why not? You are the one that saved me from slavery.”

Ahsoka looked surprised as she glanced between them. “Wait… he’s…”

“I can’t believe you are here,” Anakin interrupted, returning to a near giddy state. The girl just continued to look flabbergasted, like she was seeing a ghost but she stopped speaking on the matter.

“I am beginning to suspect I am not in my galaxy,” Qui-Gon mused, uncertainly. None of this made much sense, at least in the terms of his own. What little research he had done in phenomena of the cosmic and unifying force had usually been in the realm of prophecy, at least when he was younger. Qui-Gon had very little thought on the matter in the past ten years.

“Or you time traveled,” Anakin teased, bright and happy. Qui-Gon didn’t think so but something was niggling in the back of his mind not to argue. “This is just going to blow my master’s mind,” he grinned and spun his head around, looking. He glanced over at one of the nearby troopers, dressed in blue and white, with a large pauldron that jutted out from his shoulder. “Hey Rex, do you know where Commander Cody and my master are?”

Rex stopped and dipped his head in acknowledgement before gesturing in a direction. “Incoming, sir. From the north.”

Anakin grinned even wider, his eyes sparkling in something amazed and mischievous. “Come on, master,” he urged, looking back at Qui-Gon and pulling him towards the direction the trooper had given him. “This is going to be great. I have so much to tell you.”

*

Qui-Gon’s legs gave out at the sight of him because, well, it was impossible.

Anakin hadn’t gotten much in, just a bit more about the war when…. when he came in. And Qui-Gon had spotted him right away, he had seen him and heard his voice and felt him – oh! It could only be a wonderful dream. His brain was practically empty with only joy filling it. The disbelief and logic could not quite settle in at the moment, not with the initial reaction of this.

Qui-Gon had dreamed about this.

He was running into the camp, flanked by a myriad of soldiers, shouting out orders with a child perched in his arms like it was absolutely normal. The child was clinging to him, terrified, of course, but rather trusting with their perch. His hair was lighter than Qui-Gon remembered, and longer, a rather neat cut with bangs swept off to the side. He had grown in a beard, which helped hide his natural baby face. It aged him, Qui-Gon mused, but not particularly in a bad way. Qui-Gon wondered if it made others listen and respect him more. With his under tunics, he had pieces of armor scattered around his form. A pauldron had the Order’s symbol on it while his vambrace sported a red and yellow open circle; two halves that formed a whole.

Interesting, he thought. He wondered the reasoning and symbolism behind it.

Despite all the changes, the impossible age, Qui-Gon would know him anywhere. Even if he could not feel that familiar presence and even through the aging. He would know that voice, he would know him.

He would know his apprentice.

Anakin was trying to support his weight, but Qui-Gon was already on his knees, on the ground, staring in absolute shock and awe, leaning against one of the crates they were standing near. “Obi-Wan,” he whispered in disbelief, tears swelling in his eyes. “It’s…impossible.”

“What do you mean?”

He barely registered the young… padawan? Knight? He wasn’t sure what Anakin was at this point, although the Togruta had called him master. He was rather young for it. Qui-Gon couldn’t answer, his brain was running in circles and his tongue was completely tied up.

“General Kenobi!” one of the soldiers called from across the clearing and camp, him and two others making their way to the jedi knight – no, master. It was clear, Qui-Gon could see, could feel, his padawan was a master. With a dazzling grin, Obi-Wan handed one of them the child. The soldier ripped off his helmet and laughed, receiving the gift with such approval and glee. The child seemed to find this transfer acceptable and held on tight, wrapping thin arms around the trooper. Another just huffed but Qui-Gon feel some sense of vague amusement rolling off of him.

“Waxer! Boil! Perfect,” Obi-Wan snickered but he sounded perfectly pleased. His accent was the same as always, although perhaps a bit polished with some sort of undertone Qui-Gon couldn’t identify. Perhaps it was all the time spent with the soldiers that shifted it. “Mind watching this youngling until we can find his parents?”

One soldier scowled, away from the child. He was trying to project his disapproval, Qui-Gon realized, but no one was buying it. “Sir, that was one time.”

“You’re good at it!”

There was some more laughs and the child that was in one soldier’s arms seemed so sense something and jumped into the other one. He caught the child quickly but awkwardly and everyone just kept chuckling.

“We will find the parents sir!” the first soldier grinned.

Obi-Wan continued to smile and Qui-Gon was amazed. He had seen so much destruction and horrible feats in the little time he had spent here, in the battlefield, on the camp with the wounded and dying. He could feel the pain and darkness in the Force, in the galaxy, but somehow, someway, Obi-Wan could find some joy in the little things he had learned with and about the soldiers. They were his friends, Qui-Gon realized. All of this was hitting him like a brick.

Qui-Gon missed a lot of the conversation after that with his thoughts and he could vaguely hear and sense Anakin talking beside him, barely taking into account Obi-Wan’s presence across the clearing, so worried about Qui-Gon. But the older master…he just couldn’t stop staring.

Ten years and all he could do was stare.

Qui-Gon finally got himself to stand, and he felt hands on him, but he just shrugged them off. He had to move. He had to move, move quickly. Stumbling towards his former padawan, he vaguely heard Anakin call after him, but Qui-Gon did not really hear. He didn’t hear anything anymore; it was rather like he was under the harsh waves of the planet he had fallen into, nothing but crashing and nothing to see as water slammed into his eyes. And the only bit of light was that in front of him, the only thing he could see, the only thing he could focus on.

There was nothing but Obi-Wan.

His eyes never left him.

He was so close.

“Obi-Wan,” he whispered and reached.

Qui-Gon somehow stopped himself before he could crash into the now jedi master and leaned against the table before them. Obi-Wan had not turned, had not even reached for his presence, still going over maps and paperwork laid out.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh. He sounded so fond with undertones of sarcasm and wit. “You sound as if you thought I would not survive. That is a bit insulting, don’t you think?” he snorted and shook his head. A small smile was creeping underneath his beard. One of the soldiers, a commander, Qui-Gon suspected, along with a few hours were just staring at him, unsure. Obi-Wan just continued to speak, so focused on his task at hand. “I noticed pack up is coming along. I hope the natives have been warned and moved. And delegating that to Ahsoka and your poor Captain is such bad form-.”

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon croaked out again.

“You sound absolutely terrible, dear one, are you…” And then Obi-Wan finally, finally, turned around to face him, the words, dying on his lips as he stared at Qui-Gon, near uncomprehending. Qui-Gon could not see what he was thinking.

“Obi-Wan.”

The young man swallowed, staring intently before he took a shaky breath and shook his head slowly. “Someone please get Helix,” Obi-Wan said, cordially, and Qui-Gon was momentarily confused until he realized Obi-Wan wasn’t actually talking to him, personally. “I appear to be hallucinating,” he explained further. He didn’t take his eyes off of Qui-Gon, just stared and appeared to be studying him.

A soldier ran off. Others just watched. Because even though Obi-Wan had said he was hallucinating, they could all see him. Qui-Gon wondered what had happened that made Obi-Wan think this way, that seeing him was more likely to be a hallucination than real. He was dead, Qui-Gon guessed.

“You aren’t,” Qui-Gon’s voice cracked from emotion because in all honesty, it did not feel real. There were so many emotions wrapped up in all of this. He could feel Obi-Wan’s warmth, see his light and it felt impossible. “But I feel as though I must be.”

He then couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and hugged his padawan, wrapping his arms securely around him and oh – he was still shorter than the older master. Qui-Gon could still tuck him under his chin and that he did. He tucked what used to be his little child under his chin and wrapped him so tight like if he even gave an inch back, he would lose him all together.

“What is this,” Obi-Wan mumbled but he accepted the hug, even leaning into Qui-Gon, a bit limp. When was the last time Qui-Gon hugged his padawan? When was the last time anyone had hugged his padawan? He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted the answer.

“Such a blessing,” Qui-Gon muttered to himself, and he was crying now, tears slipping out silently. He couldn’t believe it. Because this was more than he could dream. He had seen Obi-Wan over the years, in dreams, nightmares, even drug-induced hallucinations (not on purpose) but he had never been able to really speak, never been able to tough and hug and reach with the Force. Qui-Gon, at this point, was scared to. Scared to see what he would find.

“I do not understand what is happening.”

Qui-Gon barely pulled back – barely – just to look at Obi-Wan’s face. He was so tired in a resigned type of way; like the weight of the galaxy had been put on his shoulders. Qui-Gon had a sneaking position something like that was, in fact, happening. “Goodness, look at you,” he said instead, trying to smile because oh, this was the most pleasant dream.

Obi-Wan’s expression turned wary, suspicious. “Me.”

“You’ve grown up so well, my dear,” Qui-Gon replied instead because he had. Obi-Wan looked so good and the older master could only imagine how well he was doing in his studies, in his learning, in what he had done and accomplished and grown. “I like the haircut and the beard, it suits you. I think it makes you look older but not in a bad way, distinguished or something,” he chuckled but then frowned suddenly. Obi-Wan frowned back. “But…you…you look so sad.”

“You can see that?”

How could he not? How could anyone not?

Who hadn’t seen this?

“It has only been ten years, Obi-Wan, not ten lifetimes,” he replied, trying to keep with another smile. “I never knew you as well as I should have…but I know that…weight. I’ve underestimated it, but I’ve seen it.”

“Oh,” Obi-Wan mumbled, glancing down and Qui-Gon couldn’t quite read what he was thinking about that. “You kind of look the same.”

Qui-Gon let out a wet, half-hearted laugh and he almost couldn’t stop because that…that was something he would say, although not quite as snarky as the witty teenager Qui-Gon used to think. “One does not often change too much so into life and habits,” he admitted and he projected some type of joy.

“You smell better,” he mumbled and glanced up at him at him, watching Qui-Gon’s face for something. Qui-Gon wondered what he was looking for. “Look nice. It’s trimmed,” he noted, curiously, touching the ends, in some sort of wonder. Qui-Gon just smiled again, his shoulders relaxing.

Qui-Gon hummed. “I kept thinking of you,” he muttered, truthfully.

“This is incredibly strange.”

His note about the hair? Or the scenario? Both? It hardly mattered.

“You seem to be taking the possibility fairly well, however,” Qui-Gon replied.

Obi-Wan let out a light chuckle but there continued to be a hollowness underneath it, like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused or not. Oh, Qui-Gon wanted to know everything that had happened without him, everything he didn’t know. He wanted to know everything because he seemed to have missed so much and he had this strange second chance. He needed make the most of it. Obi-Wan shook his head in some form of disbelief. “Ah, if only you knew all the things we have gone through in your absence.”

“Then I’m sure I’d understand,” he guessed.

Obi-Wan’s eyes were sparkling, partially with tears. “Perhaps…we…we must go,” he added, stepping back and out of Qui-Gon’s embrace. The older man frowned just a bit, he did not want to let go of his child, the one he had lost so long ago. But Obi-Wan kept talking and then Qui-Gon understood the urgency. “The Separatist forces are approaching.”

“The droids.”

Obi-Wan glanced at him, questioning and curious.

Qui-Gon shrugged. “The padawan, Ahsoka, told me.”

His former padawan straightened so much, Qui-Gon thought if he touched him, the man would snap in half. A medic had run up, with a few others, but Obi-Wan waved him off. “False alarm Helix,” he said with some amusement that no one else probably found amusing. “It appears I am not hallucinating after all. It just appears that my former master who was actually quite dead has either been resurrected, time travelled or jumped dimensions.”

“Force shenanigans?” one of the troopers near them grinned. He had scars all over his face and some scruff on the lower half but there was a life to him that Qui-Gon nearly melted in the presence of.

“Yes, Immortal. That is probably the most reasonable explanation,” Obi-Wan replied.

“Clankers are inbound, but Oddball and his squad are ready for bombardment when you give the signal,” another soldier – the commander, Qui-Gon believed – added, stepping in and standing next to Obi-Wan.

“Let’s move out and give Oddball and his boys space to do their work,” Obi-Wan nodded and turned towards Qui-Gon. “We really should get going. Do you mind following us?”

This was currently Obi-Wan’s domain, his galaxy. His padawan may have been at war again but Qui-Gon had to believe there was a reason. There was a reason last time and Obi-Wan did not jump into these things’ willy nilly. It wasn’t something that he enjoyed. He was a creature of duty and compassion and Qui-Gon had spent the last ten years thinking about him and wistfully dreaming of more time. He had it now, he would not give it up so easily. Obi-Wan knew this world, what was happening, what they were doing. And from what little Qui-Gon could gather, he had become quite the leader.

“I will follow your lead,” Qui-Gon vowed, resolute and truthful.

Something softened in his padawan’s eyes, and he nodded, gratefully.

My, what a strange world he had ended up in, indeed.

#don't lose heart #don't lose heart au #qui-gon lives #sort of #au #crossing timelines #obi-wan kenobi #obi wan kenobi #qui-gon jinn #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #fives #captain rex #commander cody #boil #waxer #clone trooper wooley #clone trooper boil #original clone characters #immortal

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Yamata-No-Orochi (Part 2) Princess Tutu

Princess Tutu is a must watch if you haven’t seen it. It’s a bit after the MCs time though so she wouldn’t have been able to see it.

The throbbing bass from the speakers sync with the flashing lights of the dance club at Takamagahara. The crowd is thriving today. You can see glimpses of the masses of people in the pulsing of light. They appear like brief colorful snapshots on the floor below your center platform table.

The Romanceable MC contest continued despite the tragic death of Chance. The official narrative was that Chance died bravely defending you from street hooligans, which is horribly ironic, because that was something that you specifically told him not to do. Now Club Takamagahara was holding another Princess Night with the theme of Knights in Shining Armor. Men walked around like living walls of muscle wearing silver helmets, silver studded leather straps and bronze colored leather subligacula.

It was the exact opposite of what Chance’s life was. He was no knight. He would have been the first to admit that. He was on the underbelly of the world as a gang member, the lowest of his kind as an unstable hybrid and even then he lowered himself further, running sex dungeons for money to maintain the balance between his humanity and his raging dragonblood. And he still smiled and he still dreamed of a Hokkaido winter wedding.

Your chest constricts involuntarily.

“Are you going to be alright? You don’t have to be here.” A voice murmurs in your ear. Diamond is the only contender next to you. As a cowboy style performer, he has no need to dress up like a knight. Cowboys, like handsome knights, are just another font of masculine charm and marital fidelity. They work hard out on the lonely trails, wrangling sheep and cattle but they are true and come home to you, their sweet prairie wife. As sheriffs, they run out the outlaws in the town. “

You look up at him, his eyes are a welcome distraction. “You don’t have to be here either.”

He huffs. “Well, you can’t hurt too bad, if you come up with a sweet comeback like that.”

“Why are you here? Armani and Calypso have backed out.” Rumor had gone around that Chance's killing was related to an out of control fan who had fallen in love with you and had used his yakuza ties to put out a hit job and kidnap you. The other suitors didn’t mind losing a little dignity if it meant living another day.

“I used to work at Bliss Hall, also known as the Paradisio. I knew shady stuff went down. And when the gang war came there, I looked down the barrel of five guns while they interrogated me and patted me down. They determined I wasn't involved and let me go. So… if I was going to die of gang violence I probably would have already.”

“So why are you here?” You reach for the glass of champagne in front of you. Even though you were underage, you were already accustomed to the taste of drink and the smell of tobacco. Your high level of dragonblood didn’t let you get drunk easily as the men found out on your first day as the Main Character on this show. Chu Zihang checked the records on that night, and you had drunk two full bottles of vodka before you even felt the slightest bit tipsy.

He reached for his own glass. “I'm still a competitor. And I'm curious how Chance won three star-hearts in a single night. Is giving up your life the way to your heart? It’s a high price to pay and a lonely existence for you.”

Your mind flashes back to Renata and Chance. “I can see why you're second in the ranking. You dress much flashier than Kazama. But you’re no less of a sharpshooter.”

He presses his hand to his chest and bows.

“I don't need riches or beauty. So if you offer me those things, I'm not attracted. When I first came to Japan,  I didn't care about anything.  I felt my life was over. I was just trying to wait until the end and I wanted my life to end. But every time I reached for the end, there was a man who kept telling me no. I should not try to end my life and, even if it looked like my life was over, I shouldn't just take that conclusion at face value. His final lesson was I shouldn't just accept the inevitable death of others. It took a few times to accept those three lessons, but it was what I needed.”

“What happened to that guy? He sounds like a real keeper.”

You huff. “He was very happily engaged when we met.”

Chances eyebrows lifted. “I bet.”

“But I never forgot what he taught me. Chance helped me to speak those words from my own heart and my own experience. It's one thing to learn a lesson. When you teach that lesson to others, then you know it's part of your life. To see him listen to me and put what I learned into action because he loved me? How could my heart not overflow? Chance didn’t just accept his fate. He didn't just give up his life for me. He fought for us to be together. He… he wanted to live. I needed that in a person.” You run your hands over the empty glass in your hands imagining his smooth childlike face, so peaceful in the rain. “How many people are there out there who can look fate in the eye and say… ‘How about no?’”

Diamond reaches over with a champagne bottle and refills. “Oh You need someone who can rewrite the script! Like in Princess Tutu.”

You blink. “I’m sorry, did you just say ‘Princess Tutu’?”

“Oh come on, don't tell me you've never heard of Princess Tutu. It's just the best anime ever!”

You’re speechless. It was like this suave handsome Ikemen had suddenly turned into Lu Mingfei. “No, please fill me in.”

“Okay, hear me out. Once there was a writer named Drosselmeyer, who had the power to make his stories come to life. He especially loved to write stories with tragic endings! But he died before he could finish his final tale, called The Prince and the Raven, leaving the two title characters locked in an eternal battle.”

“After many years, the Raven managed to break free into the real world, and the Prince pursued him. To seal away the Raven's evil, the Prince shattered his own heart with his sword, causing him to lose all his memories and emotions. Without his emotions, he is reborn as Mytho.”

“Drosselmeyer, now a ghost, decides the story must have an ending. He finds it in the form of a little duck, who has fallen in love with Mytho. He gives her a magic pendant that can transform her, first into an ordinary human girl, then into the graceful ballerina Princess Tutu, another character in the story. As Tutu, it's Duck's job to find all the scattered shards of Mytho's heart and return them to him.”

“What's more, Duck learns that part of Princess Tutu's story is that she can never confess her love to Mytho, or else she'll turn into a speck of light and vanish. However, it becomes clear that Mytho wants his heart restored, so despite interference, she persists. She finds a friend in Fakir, a man who is the son of Drosselmeyer who also has the ability to bring his stories to life.”

“After most of Mytho's heart is returned to him, the seal trapping the Raven begins to break. Finally able to feel love again, Mytho realizes he loves Rue, another character – not Duck. Duck also discovers her pendant is the final shard, meaning she must give up her life as a human to return it. She eventually finds the courage to do so, and becomes a humble duck again.”

“Mytho and the Raven battle once more. When the fight turns bleak, Mytho considers shattering his heart to seal the monster away again. Duck begins dancing to show him he must not give up. As she does, this guy named Fakir writes a story about how she never stops, no matter how many times the Raven's minions attack her. They make that story a reality! This gives Mytho hope, which gives Mytho the strength he needs to rescue Rue and defeat the Raven. Mytho asks Rue to be his princess and they return to his kingdom inside the story. Duck and Fakir continue their relationship, even though she's stuck in her duck form. With nothing left to do, Drosselmeyer departs in search of another story.”

“The point is, you're Duck and you need someone like Fakir who can defeat Drosselmeyer by rewriting the script!”

When thinking about a ghost behind the scenes writing a script, it was clear who the Drosselmeyer in your life was. Z had rescued you and taught you to fight so your life could continue even though you didn’t really understand why. You were just like a duck receiving the pendant. But Z also had plans for you. He'd also forbidden you from confessing her love to Ruri Kazama before you even had feelings for him, only for you to meet him and suddenly he’s a potential contender for your heart with a clear connection with your past?

Z had a script.  And falling in love with Ruri Kazama didn't fit. Why was your love interest so important? Who are you supposed to fall in love with? Caesar asked that in a roundabout way. Why did the person you fell in love with matter to him, if he wasn't your boyfriend?

Chance said that Izanami loved Izanagi on a whim, as a hobby, while she used him to help her live forever.  She loved him and turned him into a monster. She needed him, and consumed him.

Z appeared and kissed you after you entered the MC contest. “I want to get to you before those idiots.” He’d said.

He entered the competition only after you nearly gave a star heart to Ruri Kazama. “I know how the story ends.” He’d said. 

Pursuing Ruri Kazama or anyone else would defeat his script! Whatever script Z wrote required that you love no one but him. 

Your hands tighten on the wine glass and Diamond massages your back. It's not that you had no feelings for Z at all, but Z was acting like Izanami, hiding his true intentions while making overtures of affection.  There's only one way to be sure you weren't going to end up a duck or a monster at the end. Force a confession out of Z!

You look up at Diamond. “Thank you.” Your eyes are sparking with something like anger. You felt fierce and wild inside realizing that you’d been led along by this stranger, assuming that ‘keeping you alive’ was good enough of a good ending to your story. But Izanagi was ‘kept’ alive… as a sacrifice to the White King. Until you understood Z’s intention, there was no telling where he was leading you.

You stand up and lightly tap your glass. The host of the Takamagahara lowered the music and all faces turned to your center platform. “I would like to thank you for coming out tonight. I’ll let you get back to your dancing in a moment, but first I would like to award 3 star hearts to Diamond, for opening my eyes to the truth tonight.”

You spoke looking down on your audience like royalty. Standing in your sparkling silver cheongsam, you looked like royalty. Diamond’s eyes opened wide and he hastily swallowed his Champagne before he could choke on it. He had been kicking himself for speaking so foolishly to this woman. She’d fallen into a deep silence and he figured he’d just killed all his chances of a win. But she liked it!

“And I would like to announce the winner of the MC Romance contest. He knows who he is. He has a deep connection to my past, and I would like to explore that connection further. If you’re listening.”

You raise your eyes to the cameras that broadcast your face to hundreds of screens around Takamagahara. Spectators pushed each other to get a good view and the loud hall descended into a deep silence.

You didn’t remember the tune, but you would always remember the words and you speak them, closing your eyes and placing your hands on your heart. “All happiness may be a fleeting blossom in the shadow of the moon, but I am in that shadow waiting for you in a field of those flowers. Won’t you join me? Together we will dance in the depths of Yomi!”

The hairs rise on the necks of every patron of the Takamagahara. Eyebrows knitted in confusion, hushed puzzled whispers were uttered involuntarily. Your words sounded nothing like a love confession, more like a forbidden incantation written in secret by a practitioner of black magic!

The flashing lights suddenly go dark, every large display screen clicks off in a successive wave. You turn around in horror as those screens replace your face with the words “GAME OVER” in bright burning red text!

The words were on every screen in the room. Your eyes scan the room and immediately spot Caesar moving towards you on the left. You quickly descend from the platform and hurry to him. He covers you, sweeping over you with one arm. “Get downstairs. Now!” 

His eyes meet with someone else's, likely Chu Zihang’s. “Don’t take the elevators, he can probably control those. We’ll take the stairwell.” He said.

You enter the beige corridor of the stairwell. It’s also pitch black. Not even the emergency lights are on. The basement is only one flight down and you can see to the bottom. A lone shadowy figure staring up at you with furious red gold eyes. You leap back and try to pull Caesar out, back to the crowd. “No! Caesar! Run!”

Caesar’s eyes blaze gold and he levels the Desert Eagles in the direction where you’re fearfully looking, but then he lowers them. He didn't hear anything, or see anything.

“Don’t! Don’t hurt him!” You beg.

“Z’s here?”

You gasp. “Yes. He’s mad.”

“Then we can talk?”

Your eyes swivel to and fro from Caesar’s eyes to Z’s eyes which apparently only you can see. Caesar still held his Desert Eagles but there was no fear there. “Yes.”

“Alright… Z. You’re running Takamagahara. The MC love contest was your idea right? What are your plans for MC?” Caesar asks. “I get the feeling you don’t have her best interests at heart.”

Z chuckles from the bottom of the well. “This conversation will have to wait. I’m a bit busy with another client.”

You’re shaking so much you hold on to Caesar’s arm to just keep yourself upright. “He’s gone.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’s busy with another client.”

The door opens, scaring you both. Chu blinks at both of you in the dark stairwell but then he looks at Caesar and holds his questions. “We’ve got a problem. The Uesugi girl and Lu Mingfei have run into trouble. The whole area around the Robuchon restaurant is blocked off and it’s complete chaos. We’ve got to find Lu Mingfei and make sure he’s alright.”

Caesar gathers his arm around you and together you leave the stairwell. “MC, come with us. I don't want you and that Uesugi girl to meet, but until I figure out what Z is… I don’t think you should be alone.”

#Dragon Raja

[doudecim]

I mean, I don't want to sound bitter or anything, but what fuckiting fucking kind of stupidity Tite Kubo has to not at least dedicate a goddamn chapter to Kurosaki Karin? My dudes, seriously.

We first see Karin as this little scrawny thing of dubious gender eating peacefully with her sister, completely unconcerned about the quarrel of her father and brother at her back, and, out of nowhere, within the first seconds of the long, tortuous life of Bleach, says something that sums up and gives a slap to the face of the whole thematic of the series — "Whether you can see them [ghosts] or not, as long as you don't believe, it's the same as them not existing.". She's serious, caustic, observant, demanding, and realistic. She is not easily bothered and could not care less about everything else, except the important things, like caring for her twin sister, killing Hollows with a soccer ball, video games and earning some $$ at the expense of her brother's spiritual prowess (as seen by this, she also has an entrepreneur bone in her body).

The same Karin, an eleven-year-old, has, very unhealthily, forbidden herself from crying and exposing her problems ever since the early death of her mother, something that scarred deeply her other siblings as well. She does it because she feels like a burden in her house, she does it because her steady source of comfort and security is dead. She, as shown in the manga, remembers her mother very vividly and misses her very much — she is terribly lonely, and, pretty much like her older brother, resignedly unhappy. Except that, unlike Ichigo, no shorty Shinigami comes up to give her powers and make her feel useful, which means coping with her problems by throwing herself at every chance of danger and terrible sacrifice, thus saving the day. She has to be strong, she must be self-reliant, because she cannot overload her household, because Yuzu does all the housework, because Ichigo is an angsty teenager and has his shitload of things to do at the streets, because her father works to sustain them, but also because he cannot cope well with his loss and appears to be insane and unreliable 94% of the time.

But, even with this armor, she puts around her, Karin is a very empathetic, compassionate and surprisingly kind person. When her sister cries before their mother's grave, she holds her and allows her to cry. She taunts and tease, yes, but she never belittles anyone, even her coward friends who hide behind her. When the whole parakeet thing came to be, Karin kept her pain to herself and bore the awful memories of Yūichi Shibata, who saw his mother being murdered in front of him. Think about Karin seeing this, having lost her own mother and being a child. She cried and asked her brother to help the poor boy, to cease his suffering. She worries constantly about her brother and is not content in seeing him disappear and then come home broken. She sees Kon taking up her brother's body and Ichigo's moronic efforts to hide his identity as a Shinigami from his family and friends and kindly says nothing to them, even though she is very skeptical and they both are terrible. When Ichigo loses his powers, a thirteen-year-old Karin is ready to stand up and protect him and her precious people and all the innocents that are suffering — this seemed to be the beginning of a very good Karin arc since she had some focus on the initial chapters of the Fullbringer Arc and had some moments all to herself in the beautiful ending 29. But, of course, in good ol' Bleach fashion, Ichigo got new powers and saved the day.

It is important to be noticed that Karin is a lone wolf, and that can be proved by her alarmingly small quantity of friends, which are the kids that play soccer with her. They all seem close, that's true. But none of them knows the real Karin — the one Karin that talks with the dead and can see sanguinary monsters that like to devour people and hunt spiritual aware humans; like her! :D And, well, you also have Jinta and Ururu, but they are shown interacting so scantily that I seriously doubt that they have deep bonds. (Although this should be a thing because God knows how much they need it. And Jinta & Karin are the best duo out there, and no one can change my mind). And we also see that Karin isn't very popular at school since one of her classmates almost shitted her pants by simply talking at her when she was throwing up in the bathrooms.

I think what made Karin very remarkable was also the pent-up power she had within herself. She had large reiatsu, she could sense spiritual energy even from a distance, and, of course, the fact that she fucking saw the memories of some dead kid trapped inside a damned bird. It was a feat never explained and never repeated. Unusual abilities are not strange to Bleach characters, and by that I mean Yoruichi, who can turn into a talking cat. And, of course, she is Isshin and Masaki's daughter, and, therefore, you can't tell me she doesn't have the same potential as Ichigo.

We were just robbed of a Shinigami!Karin, or even a Quincy!Karin, for fuck's sake. Why does God like to shit on Karin's lovers' dinner, huh?

I mean, it's no news that Bleach has lots of wasted characters, but damn boy! Karin holds number 1 place along Tatsuki, no buts. We could've had it all, guys, but, of course, Kubo can't seem to realize that making Ichigo share the spotlight won't hurt his position as protagonist. This can be seen in those novels (which really try to fix the imense fucking mess that the manga left behind) that shows Hisagi as its main protagonist. And, talking about that, I have to announce something, my dudes: Soul Society is very aware of Karin's existence, and Yuzu and her are considered members of the Shiba Clan. Yes, bitch, yes.

I wrote a damn bible, but I also wrote the Truth. Kubo, you ass, give my girl her damned spotlight.

#karin kurosaki #yuzu kurosaki #isshin kurosaki #ichigo kurosaki #masaki kurosaki #hitsukarin #bleach #i mean this is long but it's true #the tea was s p i l l e d #i sipped on facts my dudes #long but worth it #karakura #kurosaki karin

[uchu-the-angel]

Hi everyone I just finished my new OC and after Little Nightmares 2 I decided that Mono should have a family before meeting Six and being trapped in the single tower so meet his younger sister Nil. [warning this character is a cross over to Little Nightmares 1-2, 9, and Bloody Bunny: The First Blood. And that some information on my drawing is not finished because there’s no room. If you don’t like it that’s okay just no hate comments please]

Name: Nil (Undead)

Age: (Unknown time) four, (Little Nightmares 2) five, (3 years after Little Nightmares) eight.

Biological Family: Old sister Duet (Deceased), Older Brother Mono (Alive), Oldest Brother Infinity (Fate Unknown).

Step Family: Dad 9 (Alive), Mom 7 (Alive), Old Sister 4 (Alive), Old Brother (Alive) [just a info 3 and 4 are twins], Grandpas 1 and 2 (Deceased), Uncles 5 and 6 (Deceased), older brother 8 (Deceased).[1-9 are mostly stitchpunk]

Friends: Six (Alive), Seven/The Runaway Kid (Possessed) [go look @LazyArtist13 on Instagram or @artisticlazy15-ln you would know what I mean], Bloody Bunny (Possessed) [another info in Bloody Bunny: The First Blood all dolls are possessed], Mumu (possessed and Alive),

Important: Dark Rabbit (Possessed, Alive, and may not just be her friend).

Other: Master Sloth (Possessed, Alive, and Nil’s teacher).

Personality: when she was four years old she had always been afraid of the unknown but a happy child until the incident, at five years old she is more worried about losing her family again has survivors guilt/survivors disorder after the incident and became muted [also in a different a incident], at the of eight years old she acts more like Mono and 9 in a way how ever she more of saving and protecting everyone also still muted however in her dreams she can talk but only in her dreams.

Abilities: Just like Mono [it’s a family thing] she can teleport through with/without the TVs (thought she glitches every time she use the TVs and takes her energy away the more she use the TVs the more Glitches and less energy she get so she chose without), can build things, make weapons appear and disappear out of thin air, can see and feel aura, see soul of different poison, see and talk to the dead, most importantly she is born with out a heart (not the spirit though it the fleshy part) which means she can’t feel pain or die [Don’t worry she has a soul well actually two souls].

Relationship:

Infinity: Nil and Infinity have a pretty close relationship as they would sleep and play together a bond that would never be broken until infinity was taken away which lead to her having survivors disorder.

Mono: Nil and Mono had your standard sibling relationship but Mono is a overprotective brother just like Infinity but when Mono went missing Nil fears the worst.

Duet: Nil and Duet relationship is interesting as Duet would act like the motherly tip for Nil all the time Duel died falling off a broken bridge.

9: Nil’s step dad and legal Guardian is a brave and respectful leader even though Nil didn’t want to give 9 more responsibilities 9 always let Nil know that he still cares and loves her no matter what.

7: 7 and Nils relationship is mostly how a daughter and mother should act however 7 is mostly overprotective of Nil especially when Nil walks off alone.

3 & 4: you may guess how two twin stitchpunk with flashy light eyes to communicate and are muted with a human girl child with survivors disorder you may think their relationship is bad. Actually no in-fact after some time Nil she got used to having lights in her eyes before they used project to communicate with her now she can understand them with out pictures.

1: for 1 Nil is a waste believe that human children’s are a waste of time and energy even when she’s watching him but after time he found out about Nil’s past and that her family had fallen apart one by one 1 felt bad for her knowing it was not her fault.

2: 2 for the most part is like a teacher for Nil but unlike some people that hates learning new things Nil is the opposite she loves to learn new things and knows how to build things, Nil’s first on she built is her lantern which 2 is impress.

5 & 6: 5 is the one who taught Nil how to take care of an injured will 6 taught her about alchemist.[I don’t know how their relationship goes].

8: yes this tough guy has a soft spot for Nil no matter how heard 8 tries he ends up caring for her even at night 8 protected her from nightmares like a knight in shining armor.

Six: Six and Nil is more like a ‘friend and enemy’ after hearing that Six left Mono at the Single Tower but couldn’t do anything about at least Six gives Nil food that’s a plus.

Seven: well when they first met its more of Seven should not sneak into Nil and Nil only scratched Seven’s neck but they do make things okay even if Seven is protecting Six.

Bloody Bunny: Bloody Bunny just like 7 is overprotective of Nil according to Bloody Bunny Nil reminded of her little sister Mumu even after founding Mumu she still overprotective.

Mumu: this has to be the double the fun, the trouble, and the cutest they almost had everything in common despite their past being different they always have their backs.

Master Sloth: a teacher that taught Nil how to fight and taught her how to control her abilities Nil loves to hear Master Sloth’s stories and welling to listen.

Dark Rabbit: as you may guess Nil did find Dark Rabbit and things didn’t go as well as Dark Rabbit tried to attack Nil but she dodgers them all the time but after the encounter Dark Rabbit started to have feelings for Nil [not live a boyfriend girlfriend will you come out to date thing] as if he know Nil and wanted to protect her from danger even if their first encounter was not good at least Dark Rabbit is making up to her and even heard about Nil’s past and she has Survivor disorder even about her oldest brother Infinity had disappeared he thought of it over and over again almost Infinity and himself are identical he thought maybe his is Nil’s oldest brother ever if Dark Rabbit has to stay in the shadows.

Backstory: Nil was a cheerful and kind girl when she was four years old, she never know about her parents, she has a close relationship to her old siblings Mono and Duet but not as close as her oldest brother infinity, she thought that her life will never change. Until one day a fire started since Mono and Duet are in different buildings except for infinity she had no idea what is going on [basically it’s a reference to the Little Nightmares Comic] the doors were locked and the windows are boarded up she thought they would die in a painful death but the sprinklers were on the fire had stopped but the nightmare did not as children’s one by one were taken away infinity took Nil’s hand and ran away from the place they were been and had injured himself in the process and found a window that was not boarded, Mono and Duet were out side waiting for them however infinity was grabbed and with one last glance to his younger sister before throwing Nil out the window. Nil cried and scream but she couldn’t do anything as her remanded family ran as far away as they could. A year has pasted and Nil became a different girl they had found a new place to call home but after the incident Nil blamed herself for the death of Infinity even though it was not confirmed given her survivors disorder when ever one of her family leaves she believes that they would die after stepping outside and she would not stop them and would have a lot of nightmares even night one day Mono hadn’t returned so her and Duet started to look for him but a creature clawed at Nil’s neck so deep that it even broke her voice box making her muted. As time went on they came to the place called the nothingness which in-fact no one is around but that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous because when they are almost at the other side of a broken bridge they almost feel about Duet died falling will save Nil just as before she lost another of her family and it was all her fault even though she didn’t do anything. Nil kept moving forward but a machine with a needle stab her and took half of her soul away and was half dead when 9 and 7 gave parts of their souls [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9 have the same soul but with different personality] given her the ability to see ghosts and her right eye change to Emerald after. When they got to Duet there was no hope for her but Nil wanted to have her sister with her took Duet’s scarf as if she was on her shoulder during her journey with her new family she found Mono’s mask and put it on she was not longer scared and moved on. Three years past and Nil is now eight years old and she’s willing to bring her new and old family back together.

I know there should be more to her story but I might think of putting her in a comic or animation if I am willing to do so

#bloody bunny the first blood #Nil #little nightmares 2 #little nightmares #Mono’s little sister

[scarlet-nin]

To Fix What’s Broken Is Not Enough

Summary: The first time Dazai sees Yosano, hears how she speaks, the way she threatens her patients into submitting to her care with the promise of a smile, the steel in his grin melts into quicksilver, a poison so potent flowing through his veins he can taste the bitterness of metal on his lips.

The first time Yosano lays eyes upon Dazai all it takes is a smile.

One smile for the warning bells inside her head to shriek alarm.

The first time Dazai sees Yosano, hears how she speaks, the way she threatens her patients into submitting to her care with the promise of a smile, the steel in his grin melts into quicksilver, a poison so potent flowing through his veins he can taste the bitterness of metal on his lips.

His heart misses a beat. The walls he spent years on building fall together like a house of cards in the summer breeze as deep inside his chest something blooms from beyond the ice, a flower. Fragile like the fluttering wings of a butterfly it festers.

“I can’t wait to treat you.”

She says, eyes glinting in the dim-light of the office with a leer for blood after he’s gotten the courage to move past the roots having taken to his legs to speak with her. A curtain of dark hair falling into her face is a sharp contrast to her paperwhite skin. Eyes fierce as they puncture into his own, scraping past the surface of his face with her scalpel to tear off his mask without mercy. The sight of her pristine coat of righteousness laying on her shoulders, imposing with its demand for respect. A coat to call her own. Just like him. A white to his black.

“Seeing all of these bandages…you’re going to end up sooner in my office rather than later. My new regular. It’ll be like unwarping a present.”

The moment passes. His head clears of the smoke obscuring his vision, the flower wilting inside his heart. Petals dropping into acid.

Her image bleeds into another one, twisting once more before the pieces click into place, creating a picture so vivid inside his mind he makes the mistake to smile in her presence.

Yosano stills, losing her sharp edges, the stubborn crease in her brow smoothing out in a single fluid movement as the shock sweeps her along to crush her against the rocks of the ocean.

She sees his shadow in all his twisted glory draped across his shoulders like the coat he used to wear. The invisible hands pulling up the corners of his mouth as elbows settle on his shoulders, the weight of the devil hard to bear.

Part of him wants to cover his eye, shield himself from having to see her. The urge to disregard Odasaku’s last act of life pushes his thoughts into the right order.

“What a pretty lady! Too bad you’re not my type.”

He whines, clutching at his chest. A doctor is dangerous. Always, regardless of ability. Whether man or woman. The sight of them is enough to stir the horrible apprehension of weariness inside his soul.

She blinks, scoffs and shakes her head. He wonders if she knows. Of the doll. How her existence shaped another.

She’s a replica. An inspiration. A faceless base of bottomless horror.

The memory of her skips around in the ghost of a little girl in a red frilly dress. Draws pictures of nightmares as she bosses around and feeds into the delusional born out of loneliness for companionship of a man loving nothing but a city cursing his name in the shadows of the night.

Would she disappear if he were to touch her?

“No, I guess I wouldn’t be.”

She storms past him, heels resonating like gunshots across the office as she slams her door shut with enough strength to rattle the frame.

Off to a bad start, then.

The first time Yosano lays eyes upon Dazai all it takes is a smile.

One smile for the warning bells inside her head to shriek alarm. Head buzzing as she reels back from this demon in human skin, terror is sinking into every crack of her handcrafted armor, slipping past the stiches she made to keep herself together. He rips them open with the sharp edge of his empty smile, eyes darker than the blackest abyss and leaves her to bleed out.

Veins freezing it’s the first time she doubts the President’s judgment. He let death walk in the door with a smile. Despite all the warning signs. This man will be the death for them, either by extension or his own hands.

After all, it’s in the nature of the student to surpass the teacher.

But she keeps her mouth shut and her eyes open. Kunikida plays with fire, throwing around a ticking time bomb while being none the wiser of the possible consequences. Dazai whines and acts more like a big child than an adult most of the time. Doesn’t spare her more than a glance in parting as they avoid each other. He flirts with the older women walking into their office doors and after months of observation her conviction falters.

The comment about her age might not have been about her age at all.

She doesn’t know how young or old he must have been when Mori sunk his claws into him.

All she knows is he smiles like the devil but acts like a fool.

His plans are a handiwork of her worst nightmare. Functional without major casualties or injuries. Efficient. The extent of his grasp on their reactions despite working in the office for only a few weeks is terrifying. An impressive display of pulling the strings. A master manipulator at his finest.

Another Mori. This time right among their midst.

As long as the blood staining his hands isn’t the Agency’s, she could put her grudge aside.

Perhaps even her fear.

The doll and the doctor. Two parts of a whole man.

As the doll, Dazai is void of feeling. Having no sense of wanting nor of happiness, he plays his act with little regard to the well-being of others. No matter how hard he tries, the lives of faceless people dying doesn’t bother him on a personal level.

Not like it does Yosano. Full of will and a passion to save the lives put in front of her with a world of pain and a simple touch of her hand. She breathes life into them, Dazai takes it away.

“Can you undress them?”

“I’d rather not.” Alone in her office with the smell of her personal perfume of disinfectant he tries his best to be compliant.

She frowns, a hint of annoyance creeping into her face as she turns to face him.

“How am I supposed to fix you? I’m fully capable of doing so without the use of my ability.”

“I can do that myself.”

The chance of her giving in due to knowing who must have taught him what little first-aid he knows is slim. But she nods, snapping her head to the side while gesturing to the door without another demand for him to undress.

“Get out of my office.”

“Yes, Mam.”

He winks, the beat of his pulse drowning out his the one in his heart. He flees, ignoring Kunikida’s yell to rest when he’s staying home tomorrow and to call in sick instead of worrying them.

The stiches he does on his arm are messy, a bit uneven and throb painfully but as long as he doesn’t have to be a prisoner to the infirmary, he’ll patch himself up in his apartment, locked into the tiny space of his bathroom with no doctor looming over him.

“You don’t like doctors at all, do you?”

There’s a faint hysteria of laughter hidden in her voice. She’s sure Dazai catches it anyway, judging from the tightness around his eyes, lips going white with the force it takes to keep his smile in place.

“No, sorry, can’t say that I do.”

The cheer in his words is nothing but a lie. She can see the truth in the faint tremor in his hand, the too short breaths in his pattern. The notion of what it means is reducing her to shaky hands, unfit to treat any person until she’s calmed down. It’s absurd. The thought of Dazai being afraid of her, when she’s been scared of him this entire time, is laughable. Or perhaps wary would be the better word to use in this odd case.

Neither one making a step. Not daring to cross an invisible line drawn into the sand by their own hands. Both too afraid to inflict a different kind of Mori’s wrath on themselves.

Dazai with his effortless manipulation could have torn the office apart if he wanted to. He didn’t for reasons Yosano is starting to grasp. Her danger lies in her authority as the doctor. Her words carry more weight in the Agency than his own. At least in concern to his health and she knows how easy it would be to spin a tale to her liking. Her word was law and if she wanted to make his treatment painful, he could do little to complain or protest.

Studying the bandages concealing the skin from her sight, she’s grateful her ability does not work on him. Like throwing a glass against the wall, he would break in the light of resurrection. While Dazai’s mind is his biggest weapon, the additional strain on top of having to shoulder the weight of his misery would have ruined him.

Ruined him like Mori ruined her.

“Can’t fault you for that. Some doctors are shit at their job.”

She says, the smile on her face honest and soft as she holds out her hand for him. The wound isn’t life-threatening so she isn’t going to hurry him.

“Want me to take a look at that now? If I wrap it up quick, I can give you something for the pain. I’d give it to you before, but you could run off afterwards. So, think about it as a treat.”

Slowly, he puts his arm out. She’s careful with her hands, touches feather light if she hasn’t had to use force. As if he were a child she works with quick hands, aware of how painfully stiff he is.

“I felt like I should have given you a warning. A shovel talk if you will. About messing with the Agency but I doubt I’ll have to do that at all. I’m not too prideful to admit you could run circles around my head.”

Giving him a grin full of teeth, she warps the cut up, keeping the pressure as light as she can before giving him a pill for the pain. He blinks, eyes wide as he looks from his newly warped arm to glance at her face.

“We’re done if that’s all. You’re free to leave or you can lay down here for awhile if you want to rest. Try to raid my medicine cupboard while I’m on lunchbreak and I’ll put you on paperwork duty for at least two months.”

She pats him on the shoulder before turning around with a flap of her skirt to clean her equipment. Dazai waits for a moment before stands and leaves, hesitating at the door like he might have wanted to say something but he remains silent.

Dazai, she learns is not an enemy, but a kindred spirit.

Yosano, Dazai learns, is a doctor who works to heal her patients. Her aim is not to fix them, to glue shards back together so they could break again and be shaped into something functional and exploitable, but to care. Her personal gain is of no importance in her job. Her motivator is compassion. Nothing more, nothing less.

Her touch is too kind for a doctor. Ruthless as she may be with an audience, the pain she inflicts is for the greater good of the person. The occasional revenge put aside.

Healing is more than just skin deep. Yosano lives by those words. So, he lets her patch him up, uses her to slack off during working hours and calls her when he needs someone to get himself out of hospital.

The doctor and the doll are so similar, no wonder they share a soul. Both hating their ability for the effects on others. Two people knowing the meaning of death.

The Angel of Death prevents death. The Demon Prodigy inflicts it.

Therefore, it’s only fitting he’s the one to return to hell. To Mori, who has more use for another doll than for a healer as a doctor.

“Dazai-kun,” The devil coos, eyes filled with blood.

After all, an angel has no business in hell.

“—Welcome back to the Port Mafia.”

But a demon can conquer the throne.

#bungou stray dogs #mori ougai #Dazai Osamu #yosano akiko #bsd fanfic #scarlet-writes #angst

[rudderless-in-an-ocean-of-stars]

down, down, down (would the fall never end?)

Find it here on Ao3

Summary:

“choose, alice,” screams mouse, but the gun in his hand isn’t giving her much of a choice at all.

//

the one in which all the masks come off and alice makes a decision

“choose, alice,” screams mouse, but the gun in his hand isn’t giving her much of a choice at all.

its muzzle is pointing right at her sister, her twin, her other half. mouse is half of her too, but not like kate. the half of her that he owns is the dark half, the mangled half, the little girl who cried herself to sleep every night on the cold floor of a cement room in a locked basement. the fifteen years alice has spent by his side are grim and twisted in comparison to the thirteen years beth had spent with kate and the nine months beforehand that they’d spent coming to life together in their mother’s womb.

mouse owns the half of her that is vengeance and chaos personified, the half of her that knows how to peel skin away from flesh and shape it into picture-perfect masks for him to wear. the half of her that is made rusty nails and rabbit holes and the ache of silent sobs as she listens to the sound of footsteps going up a set of wooden stairs that will leave her alone and undiscovered in her cell. the half of her that knows there is a wild and desperate kind of hunger that goes deeper than being deprived of food; it is the kind of hunger that starts to gnaw on a person’s insides, the kind of hunger that lingers in one’s bones even after being fed.

alice is a bitter creature that has starved in the dark for fifteen years and now she is as hollow and cold and cruel as any beast caught and kept ravenous in an empty cage by a brutal captor.

kate owns the half of her that ate chocolate-covered waffles in the park and played tag in the halls of wayne enterprises. the half of her that would seek refuge in her sister’s room after a nightmare and listen to kate read fairytales with a flashlight under the covers until her tears dried. kate owns the half of her that could sleep through the night in her sister’s arms and believe in things like wishes on shooting stars and neatly written happy endings for little girls and boys who are kind and helpful and good for all the days of their lives.

beth had been an innocent and hopeful girl who wanted to give only sweet and lovely things to the world around her. for that precious naivety, she had paid a miserable price. now beth is more ghost than girl, falling endlessly down a hole that she was shoved into without mercy or hesitation or regret by her captors.

mouse’s finger is inching closer and closer to the trigger, but it’s not there, not quite yet. the sudden, brutal realization that kate has no idea this weapon is capable of killing even a bat in an armored suit makes alice’s heart slow to a crawl inside her chest with quiet serenity, filling her veins with an all too familiar killing calm. she feels the knife leave her fingers before the rest of her brain catches up to her body but when it finally does she thinks, perhaps there was never another way for this to end.

he dies in an instant that feels like eternity as she watches his body fold in on itself and crumple to the ground between her and the half of herself that she cannot bear to lose, not for anyone, not even for the other half of herself that is now lying still on the floor with her knife lodged in his brain.

just like that, mouse is dead and alice has crossed the fragile line that kate had drawn in the shifting sands between them on the roof that night, when she’d saved her sister’s life and pretended it was just so that she could call them even.

the words that fall out of her mouth when she regains the ability to speak are this:

“i traded him mr. pandy for it. he wasn’t supposed to have it.” kate stares blankly back at her, and alice shakes herself out of her daze to press on, to say something that might actually make some sense. “the gun is hamilton tech. catherine developed it to be lethally effective against batman. mouse helped me steal it.”

“why?” kate says, and the suit’s voice modulator does little to conceal the heavy undercurrent of emotion lacing her tone.

“i couldn’t let her have it. keep it. maybe even use it. no, i couldn’t let her, not while-“ alice cuts herself off, biting down on her lower lip until the coppery taste of blood fills her mouth. she gestures towards mouse’s body with her now knife-free hand. “and i couldn’t let anybody else use it either.”

kate’s previous words come to life in the back of her head, ringing quietly in her ears.

if you kill again it’s over, and i will stop thinking of you as my sister.

“not even mouse,” she adds lowly, clenching her empty hands into fists at her sides seconds too late to disguise how they shake; kate’s gaze flickers down to see alice’s trembling fingers and the corners of her mouth twist into a frown in response. alice shuts her eyes in a futile attempt to hide her tears as she haltingly forces out the truth that all the rabbit holes in the world couldn’t keep out of the light in the end. “you’re the half of me i can’t live without.”

alice tries not to think of the answer to the question that wraps its hands around her throat and starts to squeeze, sharp nails digging into delicate skin. will kate still want to have any part of a phantom like her, a woman two-thirds of the way into a cold grave long since dug immeasurably deep?

for a moment, alice stands stiffly in place. every breath she sucks in feels less like air and more like the water she should have drowned in all those years ago, where it would have been better for everyone involved if she‘d died alongside her mother in the sinking wreckage of their car. alice is unmoored all of a sudden, a rudderless boat in the sea of inky blackness behind her still-closed eyes. then her knees give out from underneath her, sending her toppling towards the floor like a puppet whose strings have been newly, cleanly severed in a single blow.

it’s over.

it’s over.

it’s over.

distantly, in the final seconds before the last vestiges of her consciousness slip firmly out of reach, alice thinks that the feeling of her body finally hitting the ground doesn’t feel quite as hard or as painful as she’d thought it would after all these years of falling.

#beth kane #alice #kate kane #batwoman #batwoman fanfic #batwoman cw #red alice #the cw made me do it #i’m a lot of things rn #sleep deprived #hyperfixating on fictional characters #but i’m not sorry #:)

[shayde-n-friends]

Reaper High - Next Gen: Children of Nomads and Royals

((After getting 2 Commissions of Ajax, and seeing lots of love being given to Jazz, I decided to just up and make a post about the many Next Generation characters that i’ve created over the years.

Ajax - Shayde and Vega’s youngest daughter. She is the only one of the children who was born with Natural Guardian powers, or at the very least, something akin to them. (Perhaps it was her golden chip? No one knows...not even Shayde’s Ghost.) At some point in her life, she acquired Roulette’s old sword; Worldline Zero. With it’s power, combined with her ability to create rifts in space inherited from Vexus, Ajax discovered that she was able to travel through time using the sword. She’s quite the troublemaker when she wants to be, but more often than not her heart is in the right place. When she makes a mistake, it weighs heavy on her, and goes to the greatest lengths to fix what she has broken.

Avior - Shayde and Vega’s only son and Prince of Cluster Prime, Avior dedicated himself at a young age to defending those who could not defend themselves, and giving people something to look up to when things are looking grim. He studied and trained under some of the greatest heroes he could think of: Saint-14, All-Might, Super-Man and Captain America to name a few...Although, despite his knightly philosophy and manners, he styles himself after Lord Saladin and The Iron Lords. Being about 8 feet fall, he sometimes intimidates the other students at Reaper High. That, and the fact that he has Vexus’ eyes, and teeth.

Weiss - The Elder Daughter of the Royals, and seemingly the most low key, all Weiss wants to do is learn the history of her two heritages. When she was young, Weiss was as happy-go-lucky as her mother. Growing up, she began to learn about Vexus’ crimes, and the banishment of her grandfather. Combined a less than positive school experience, this caused Weiss to become far more jaded. Like Roulette, Weiss has little time for bullies, blowhards but is far more likely to shut them up if they don’t have the smarts to do so themselves. She appears to be the most tame of her family, but deep inside, power greater than her sibling, parents and grandparents combine BURNS...

Morrigin - Daughter of Stake and Number 86, Morrigin is as tough as both her parents and then some. Growing up among Ex-Teens Next Door agents and Clones, Morrigin had no shortage of exposure to extended family, her cousins included. Training from both her mother and father have honed her into a disciplined fighter, and a capable leader, if not a little arrogant. Of course, with her parent’s combined strengths, she also shares their weaknesses, such as 86′s temper, and Stake’s crippling lack of fashion sense and dance talent.

Thomas - Against everyone’s expectations, Volker and Brit remained together after the Apocalypse, even more unexpected was the birth of their son, Thomas. His parents raised him to be a cat-burglar from an early age, though Volker did remind him that not everything should be stolen...just the stuff that people who already have a lot don’t use. At some point before attending Reaper High, Thomas acquired the means to train as a Titan Pilot, but didn’t get his hands on one until getting to the school...Stealthy, Agile, and well versed in assassin combat styles and gadgets, Thomas can easily slip away from any trouble he might find himself in.

Kaze -  If Brit sticking around to raise her child was a surprise, than Misty raising her child with Dreamer was nothing short of a miracle. After they had amassed a small fortune from their Bounty and Treasure Hunting days, the two found a place to call home, and so the inquisitive Kaze was born. Of the Clones’ Children, she is the most in-tune with her heritage, having powers from her mother, as well as Combat skills passed down to her from both parents. She can speak fluent Mandolorian, and forged her own sword in the vein of Misty’s. Even more curious, is that Kaze appears to be able to use The Force, even though neither of her parents were able to...because of this, Kaze is exposed to dangers that others may not be. 

Coyote - Nobody knows where Coyote truly came from. He appears to be a Yautja-Human hybrid, with some elements of what seems to be Crescentian DNA...He is apart of a new tribe of Yautja founded by Marsh after the end of the Apocalypse, protecting the vulnerable Cresentian populace from natural predators and hunters in exchange for bonding with members of the clan as partners on the hunt. Though Coyote has no Partner, he more than makes up for it with his cunning and prowess as a tracker, Capable of wrestling with beasts 3 times his size, and just as able to take them out. He doesn’t speak very often, which is why no one can seem to get a straight answer about his origins out of him...

Samuel - It took Frida a long time to convince Russell to have a child, but the wait was well worth it. Russell made certain to be there during every step of Samuel’s life. As a result, the boy was spared from the parental issues that plauged his father. With his father’s training, and his mother’s inventive ingenuity, Samuel became a prodigy in combat and vigilante justice. Despite his mostly positive upbringing, he never found much reason to speak. As such, he tends to express himself through gestures and actions. He lacks his father’s temper, but has his dexterity and skill with weaponry. Samuel is more in tune with her mother, sharing her mechanical prowess...and her sense of humor.

Helena - Though some miracle of science and biology, Shard and Melody were able to have a child, a perfected techno-organic being known as Helena. Imbued with the powers of both her mother and father, Helena is a powerhouse of speed and power. The only issue being, she is incredibly shy. She has the ability to stop time, materialize armor for herself from thin air, transform into a mechanical beast like her parents, and move just as fast as Shard, if not faster. She’s fiercely loyal to those who she claims only “Tolerate” her as a friend, and doesn’t give herself as much credit as she deserves. The only time she’s been known to come out of her shell completely is when one of her friends are in danger, revealing that sometimes she can be just as cocky as her father. (...And that embarasses her to no end!)

Ragran & Selmaxen - At some point in RH History, Heater began a complex Relationship with a version of Hekapoo from another timeline or dimension. Which one? Nobody knows...what everyone does know is that after the apocalypse, Heater ran off with her for years, and came back with a pair of Twins: Two girls named Ragran and Selmaxen. Ragran shares her father’s vow of silence, while Selmaxen tends to chat up a storm. Both of the twins have the ability to use their mothers scissors, or duplicates from the looks of them, and have power to manipulate, control, and create fire, lava and obsidian thanks to their fathers supernatural exploits in Hell during the apocalypse. They aren’t dependent on one another, but when they team up to do much of anything, their synergy is unmatched.

((This is just too much fun to come up with and write about! Seeing RH Next Gen stuff makes my heart soar, and it saddens me that I fall into ruts so often that I’m starting to lose steam on this sort of thing. But i’ll keep trying to keep my motivation up, and so long as im motivated, i’ll keep writing stuff for RH!))

#Reaper High #Reaper High Next Gen #OCs

[thedistantstorm]

Phoenix Protocol 28

Zavala x Awoken Female Warlock | Mid/Post Forsaken | Slowburn | Gratuitous Descriptions of Light | Self-Confidence/Self-Worth Issues | Redemption

When the Traveler’s Light was returned to the Guardians after the defeat of the Cabal, it did not manifest itself the same in everyone. Miyu, an Awoken Warlock, finds herself struggling with her abilities, her Light feeling different and not her own. With her Vanguard preoccupied with grief and all eyes turned to the Reef, she finds herself turning to an unlikely source in an attempt to rediscover her connection to the Light and define what it means for her as a Dawnblade.

Previously

-/

Dainty footsteps traverse the ballasts between the Hangar and the Tower proper. She moves carefully between throngs of Guardians. It’s cold atop the Tower, certainly a far cry from the warm winds of the Dreaming City. She thought it got warmer after the Dawning ended, but the deckplates are wet from cold spring rain. It does not deter her. She has somewhere to be.

Her robes ripple with an errant blast of frigid air, and she pulls her collar closer to her.

Tess smiles at her with a polite grin as she passes, but it’s Rahool who calls out to her. No doubt because of what’s strapped to her back. She sees Zavala turn toward her, his aqua gaze glowing in recognition before he takes a surprised step toward her.

She turns, then, heading across the small catwalk that separates the one side from the other. Shaxx tilts his head in inquisition or surprise, she’s not sure which, and sends the Fireteam he’s dealing with away. In their place, she faces him.

“What do we have here, Stormcaller,” Shaxx bellows in his traditional holler. “Spoils from battle?”

She dips her shoulders as she unburdens herself with the heavy item. As she removes her helm, she can hear the footsteps behind her.

“It’s Dawnblade, now,” She replies evenly. Though she can’t see his eyes, he lifts his helm to make eye-contact all the same.

The footsteps behind her stop. “Is that so,” Ikora Rey challenges.

Green optics focus on her Vanguard, blink once, then once more. The latent darkness that clings to the weapon must have drawn Ikora here. “Yes,” She agrees, almost-pouty that she’s being doubted and by her Vanguard, to boot. When she speaks again, she tries her best not to snark. She’s been training in the Awoken city for nearly six months. Things change. “That’s so.”

The Warlock, clad in a full set of Dawning Reverie armor, turns back toward Shaxx, taking a knee to unwrap what she’s brought. It’s a Knight’s Cleaver, the blade thicker than the Guardian who brought it is wide, the weapon itself nearly as tall as Shaxx himself. She looks up at him with her build’s approximation of a grin. He’s puffed out his chest, leaned forward slightly. Interested.

“The Knight who wielded that,” She tells them both, “Did this to my sword.” She pulls it from her sash. From the looks of it, Shaxx can tell it’s an old Future Imperfect. The blade itself is shattered about a third of the way from the hilt. There are cracks through what remains of the metallic blade.

“How did you defeat it, Guardian?” The Crucible Handler sounds a touch breathless, always so enamored with hearing about others’ fights. Even Ikora’s eyes find her face, intent on hearing the story. “It must have been quite the battle.”

“I didn’t,” She replies, “My teacher struck him down.”

“Your teacher?”

Lilith nods but does not share further, returning to her feet. “In any case, she sent me here with this weapon and said you might be willing to trade me this,” She gestures down at the Hive Weapon, “For a new blade.” She reaches into her robes and produces a wrapped scroll of parchment, holding it out to Shaxx. “Here are her recommendations.”

-/

“That’s the one who marched through the Tower this morning,” Zavala comments to Shaxx, who stands beside him, watching the Warlock run through a series of drills.

She spins and parries imaginary enemies, landing in a crouch. Her balance is off with the weight of the new sword in her grasp - it is heavier than she is used to - and she topples into the dirt. The Warlock growls in frustration.

“Bend your knees more,” Shaxx bellows, evaluating her. “That sword is not some toy like your last!”

“No blade is a toy,” Lilith snarls up at him. She rises carefully, not bothering to dust herself off before executing the same series of stances again. She wobbles, but manages to stay upright at the end this time around. It only makes her more intent on doing it correctly, so she repeats the process.

Zavala looks back to Shaxx. “Does she remind you of someone?” The larger of them asks softly.

“Miyu has more finesse,” The Commander comments.

“I should hope so. This one is still a babe.” Shaxx gestures back to the Exo at work. “Those are her katas, though. I know them well. And, this one’s armor? From the Dreaming City. I believe Miyu has taken this newbie on as her student.”

The pale skin around blue eyes crinkles. “Plenty of swordsmen use similar technique. Miyu's focus was not on-”

“Look at this.” Shaxx hands over a flattened scroll. “This missive came from that girl.” Lilith cries out as she charges across the training grounds in a flash of fiery Light. “Who says it came from her teacher.”

“That is Miyu's handwriting,” Zavala replies, after studying the delicate notes scratched around a weapon design.

Shaxx nods. “Which makes that Warlock her student.” He tips his head, when Zavala does not react further. “Have you received any news from her lately?”

“She has been checking in as I've asked,” He admits. “But we frequently miss each other. A consequence of my position and her innate need to keep herself busy.”

“Does she speak to you about progress,” Shaxx asks next.

Zavala sighs. “She is making progress, but she’s more concerned with how I’m faring.”

“Of course.” He nods down to the Exo. “Shall I probe this one for answers for you?”

“That is unnecessary,” The Commander counters, backing away from the rail. “I won’t be staying.”

“Fine,” Shaxx grouses, “Be that way.” The sound of his voice tells Zavala that Shaxx is wearing a wolfish grin behind that helmet. “Buy me a pint later and maybe I’ll tell you what I get out of her.”

Zavala shakes his head. “It’s never just a pint with you.”

“No, it’s not,” He agrees, his Ghost transmatting his sword into his hands as steps forward. “But we both know it’s more enticing than revising expense reports and coddling New Monarchy.”

That much wins him the smallest peek of a smile. “Message me later,” Zavala tells his fellow Titan. “I’ll try to stop by.”

-/

Lilith returns to the Dreaming City, still feeling the beating Shaxx had bestowed upon her. She already misses the fresh air and greenery of the City - she never thought she'd have enough of this place and it's beauty, the pastel colors, the perfumed air - but she tries not to think about it too hard.

She finds her teacher near the battered building containing the Blind Well, conversing with one of the Techeuns. Lilith has only seen her briefly, following an encounter to return her after being taken.

Still, Sedia turns to her, nodding her greeting. “Guardian.”

Miyu casts her brilliant gaze Lilith's way as well, and it is then that the other Warlock notices the scorch marks on the sleeves of Sedia's robes and the answering abrasions and tears in the less reinforced areas of Miyu's. Judging by the state of the curse, the cycle has begun once more. It's likely that the Techeun has been recently freed. She seems a bit shaken as she turns back to the other Warlock.

“We're in agreement, then,” Miyu confirms with the queen's faithful.

“Yes. I'll inform Petra.”

“Thank you. Hopefully, it will be worthwhile to test if this particular variable changes anything.”

Sedia seems to phase away after, much like a Ghost. It's not strange, but still out of place to Lilith, who has not much experience dealing with the tech-witches under Mara's employ.

“So, you did the strike for Sedia without me,” Lilith pouts.

“Hello to you too,” Comes the gentle reply. “Did you get what you went for?”

Successfully redirected, Lilith's mouth plates light up in a pale yellow, indicative of a grin. “Yes,” She answers, hand on the grip of her new weapon. “He was excited to evaluate what you sent.”

“It's what you sent, not me.” Her quicksilver eyes are warm. “You were nearly successful. If I hadn't been too far away to pick you up, I would have let you finish him off.”

“I know, I know. I need to be more patient.”

“That makes two of us,” She says, looking off at one of the marble-like towers in the distance. “What did Shaxx say of your training?”

Lilith laughs. “Not much. He mostly beat the crap out of me.”

“Did you draw blood?”

“No,” The Exo admits, continuing defensively, “But I was able to push him back. I even made him lose his footing. Almost.”

Miyu waves a hand. “I'm not upset by that. You're doing well.”

“There's still a lot I don't know.”

“But that's good,” Miyu counters. “That means you have more to gain by studying.”

“You mean training,” Lilith grouses, but she readies her stance all the same.

“If you insist,” The Awoken agrees.

#destiny fanfiction #oc: miyu #zavala x oc #shaxx #sedia #oc: lilith #destiny stories #the dreaming city #the city #miyu the sweet bean warlock #commander zavala #collection: phoenix protocol

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 13)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

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Hmm. I guess I should have known that I’d have trouble getting week 13 up on time. Thanks for waiting! My area got hit with a big snow storm and I was out shoveling later than expected. (I’m actually going back out now that this is posted...) I hope January has brought a good start to the year to all of you!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 2: Reexamination Part 3 (1 of 3)

The next day, there were far more rumors flying around Class 1-C than there had been the day before.

Just before lunch, Miyuu walked out of the classroom, only to run back inside.

“Look out, Izu! Takayanagi’s here again,” she gasped out to Izumiko.

Izumiko frowned, but this time she didn’t know at which; Takayanagi or Miyuu who looked like she wanted to expand the rumors even further.

“You didn’t have to go out of your way to warn me…”

“No! It drives me nuts how you can talk so calmly about this!” Miyuu waved both her hands around in the air as if she was making some big gesture. “Angelica is here with him! Takayanagi brought Angelica here to Class C!”

The other girls around Izumiko perked up at Miyuu’s words.

“What? Is there going to be a fight over a love triangle?”

“A showdown between Japan and France over Takayanagi?!”

“No!” Izumiko said, but she knew very well that no one was listening to her. Even the boys were talking about the approaching visitors now and joining in on the rumors currently flying around the classroom. Angelica was a second year student, and as a result, there wouldn’t have been many chances for first year boys to approach her. What was more, she was the most popular female exchange student, and no boy would want to miss a chance to see her.

I do wonder what Angelica thinks of me…

Anxiety flitted through Izumiko’s chest although it was unrelated to what her classmates thought of the current situation. During the Warring States era game when Izumiko had made Takayanagi’s shikigami disappear, Angelica and Claus had been right there. Right after that, they had definitely seen Takayanagi turn into a dog as well.

Angelica’s not a normal girl either. She has no problems with the magic Takayanagi uses and she was even able to explain what was going on with the ghosts. There are exchange students with special abilities here too, I guess. And they’re close with the diviners…

Izumiko doubted that she and Angelica would ever be friends at this point, but if the blonde girl had come all this way to see her, it appeared that some sort of truce could be possible. As much as she disliked it, Izumiko didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. She stood up from her chair. Seeing as Takayanagi’s arrival had come with even more fanfare than the day before, it seemed reasonable to assume that Miyuki and Mayura already knew about the visit.

The girls in class all shot questions towards her.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get into a fight? Are you really going to let yourself get pulled into this? You’re so quiet! She could eat you alive!”

“What if she wins him over? Doesn’t that scare you?”

Izumiko smiled awkwardly to herself. Angelica was more frightened her of than she was of Angelica. The truth was the complete opposite of what everyone else was assuming.

“I’m fine. I’ve talked with her and she’s nice. Besides, we’re not fighting over Takayanagi.”

Izumiko’s braids swayed back and forth at her waist as she walked out of the room alone. The girls behind her clumped together, watching.

“That picture of Izumiko dressed as a Warring States era princess is really popular, but don’t you think she’s changed a little since then? She has some sort of new confidence to her now.”  

“Could she be a girl who’s grown stronger through love?”

“Before, I never knew if she was here or not, but now she’s the most popular person in 1-C…”

When Izumiko walked out into the hallway, Takayanagi, as well as Angelica, were indeed walking in Class C’s direction. Angelica might not have been dressed up in armor this time, but she was still much taller than Takayanagi.

Not much light came into the hallway on the first floor of the classroom building, but even in a place with such weak light, the shine and slight wave of Angelica’s blonde hair was still visible. She had a matching bright smile on her face, and her eyes were a clear blue grey. Even the way she walked was different from Japanese people. Izumiko could understand why the boys stared at her.

When Takayanagi was standing in front of Izumiko, he said, “Izumiko, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to settle things today after school. President Hodaka will be here, and the more we draw this match out, the more likely tricks and interference are to occur. We can’t let that happen for both our sakes, wouldn’t you agree?”

While Mayura had told her yesterday that the souvenir sweets from Kyoto were safe for her to eat, she had since lost interest in them, and they were now sitting in her dorm room. Right now, Izumiko did not feel the need to thank Takayanagi for them. She had more reason to be suspicious of tricks than he did.

“That’s fine with me. I think I’d rather get it over with.”  

The number of on looking students in the hall had grown from the day before, but Izumiko did see that Miyuki and the Souda siblings were standing among them.

“But how will we do this match?” she asked Takayanagi calmly. “There are club activities after school, and I doubt we’ll find any open space.”

Takayanagi also seemed aware of Miyuki and the others’ presences.

“I don’t mind making the rules that we’ll follow, but you and your friends will most likely claim they’re unfair or something of that sort. Because of that, Angelica agreed to come with me. Let her reintroduce herself to you. You’ll understand why when she does.”

“Hello, Izumiko. How are you?” Angelica’s greeting was straight out of a textbook. She wasn’t treating it as a joke though, and her expression was serious. As always, her nasally voice was charming. “I was very surprised by what happened the other day. I thought Takayanagi was the only student at this school who could lead everyone else. I wanted to talk to you before because you were so cute dressed as a princess at the demonstration. I didn’t realize you were as powerful as Takayanagi. Now though, I really want to see how similar the two of you are. I’d like a second chance to compare you.”

Izumiko gazed at Angelica. The blonde was on Takayanagi’s side. She doubted that had changed.

“Why did you think Takayanagi was the only one?” she asked cautiously. “Is it because you’re a diviner, too?”

“No, I’m more of a normal high school girl than that. I specialize in tarot and astrology, and I have a bit of a sixth sense. I love Japan, and I’ve studied Japanese for a long time, so I was chosen to come to this school.”

Angelica turned her head, making her hair swing back and forth in the process. Then she continued. “However, I had heard about Takayanagi in France. I was chosen to come here by a group of people doing a preliminary investigation about kids like him at this school. I’m a student who’s interested in becoming a researcher in the future, but at the same time, I’m also part of a special group that works under the IUCN.”

“The IUCN?” Izumiko repeated.

Instead of voicing her answer right away, Angelica quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out a notepad. Then she flipped through the pages and read, almost in relief, “The International Union for the Conservation of Nature.—I have to get better at saying that.”

She continued reading from the notebook. “Before the World Heritage Center presents a recommended candidate to the World Heritage Committee Conference, the evaluation process of said candidate is entrusted to IUCN or ICOMOS. The committee for evaluating a human candidate has yet to be created, and while it is unknown if IUCN will receive the bid, it can be reasonably assumed that the candidate will be entered onto the “Endangered World Heritage” list, and the provisional first investigations are moving forward.”

“The international… Union for the Conservation…”

Izumiko had only caught half of the alphabetic name, half of the group’s full name, and half of what Angelica had read out in such a monotonous voice. She was pretty sure she had heard that strange term “World Heritage Candidate” come out of Angelica’s mouth though.

“So, you’re a judge who’s come from overseas to do research? Are you doing the same sort of thing as as Hodaka?”

“I’m not a judge. I don’t know anything about the student government at this school or the chairman. My group is unofficial, and the investigation we’re doing is just a first look into what’s going on here, so we really don’t have any authority. I’m only here to send back a report.”

“Is Claus also…”

“Yes, Claus has the same job as me. He just returned to his country because of an emergency. I stayed behind.”

Takayanagi cut in. “This is the fairness I was talking about.”    

Angelica looked at Takayanagi and nodded.  

“Yes, that’s right. After speaking with Takayanagi, I also wanted to speak with you and the student government members. I want you to know that I’d like to watch the match between you two.”

Izumiko looked up in confusion. “Are you saying you’re going to make the rules?”

Takayanagi broke in again. “Izumiko, Angelica is different from Hodaka. She truly understands what the World Heritage Candidate is being chosen for. Hodaka is only using his abilities as an oracle. This is an international problem.”

Izumiko made sure not to look at Takayanagi. If she did, she had a feeling that she would lose the confidence she had gained recently. Still, even Angelica’s expression had taken on a serious, almost somewhat cold look to it. Angelica leaned forward, suddenly bringing her face close enough to Izumiko’s that she could almost make out the freckles on the other girl’s face.

“There have been a number of prophecies and predictions,” the French girl whispered. “There is a search taking place all over the world right now for someone born in the same year as you. They won’t necessarily be from Japan, but we need to find one person. They could be from anywhere in the world. That person will save humanity.”

While Izumiko was still staring wide eyed at Angelica, Takayanagi said with an air of self-importance, “Isn’t it sad not to know these things? I wanted you to at least have the same viewpoint to think about as me before the match. That way, after it’s over, you can reconsider what you were going up against.”

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 week 13 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation #rdg 6

[jumpboy-rembrandt]

hey do yall wanna hear an au idea i’ve had abt the seven birds as a superhero team? the plot is constantly changing, but here’s what i’ve got (warning it’s a lot and bullet points are used gratuitously):

an alien object falls to the earth, breaking apart as it falls. it scatters around a small city, and the pieces seem to hone in on the nearest living human once they near the ground.

(psst – this is the light of creation)

these seven (mostly) unrelated people slowly realize that they now have…unusual abilities

another alien entity follows, and its agents begin wreaking havoc around this city searching for the missing pieces of the light

(psst – this is the hunger)

individually, each person touched by the light ventures out to fight off these beings, especially since they themselves tend to be targeted.

these agents can get a vague sense of where the shards are, but not who exactly has them. thus, there is some degree of investigation done to find the individuals.

said agents can either be sentient or monster-like

the light-holders are all disguised as they fight – some for anonymity, some so that these agents have more trouble seeking them out, and some just because it seems like the right thing to do.

none of them knew each other before now, but they cross paths often enough that they realize they should probably group up.

most of them want to keep their identities secret, so they agree to do that while also making a few other decisions:

they should all have each others’ numbers. they won’t seek each other out, but it is important to keep in contact.

they should get better costumes (a plea from taako, who subsequently makes them)

they should have a theme

so they decide upon uniform colors and the title of “seven birds” because…idk, maybe they all like how poetic it sounds?

anyway, here’s a breakdown of each member:

magnus was struck by the light while sparring with carey behind their apartment complex. he was knocked over and carey kinda panicked?? but then he got up and said “did you do that?” and she responded “how would i hurl something at you from the sky, you’re fucking huge” and they moved past it

carey and magnus are roommates, so she’s the first one to notice when he starts accidentally breaking things and can knock her down more easily.

the weirdest part was when he was carving a little figurine and she jumped up behind him – to be fair, she thought he was drawing plans for something at the carpentry shop. they both saw the knife go directly towards his fingers and…bounce off. being magnus, he immediately tried to stab his hand and nothing happened. carey, being carey, poked the edge to see if it was dull and, ow, no, it wasn’t.

so, magnus has super strength and armor-like skin. a downside to this is that the changes weren’t entirely magic (think commitment), so he has to eat a lot more than usual and that’s. not insignificant.

the superhero name he chooses is eagle, which he called out immediately bc he wanted the best bird. his color theme is orange. his uniform doesn’t have sleeves, and it was a struggle for taako to even make him wear a shirt.

merle was hiking through the woods, and when he got hit he actually blacked out for a little bit. he woke up in a bed of flowers and, huh, that’s really convenient how it broke my fall

he works part time as an EMT and spends the rest working in a plant nursery. i. think you can guess how he notices what’s going on.

merle’s power is accelerating and manipulating organic growth, which means that he can both control plants and heal wounds. this does take a physical toll, as it is his energy being transferred. he also needs to eat a lot.

his superhero name is dove bc ~peace~ and stuff. his color theme is, naturally, green.

taako and lup were. uh. not getting in trouble. they were just having a misunderstanding. fortunately, said misunderstanding was not as fast as they were bc the misunderstanding was missing their shoes. they stumbled and fell as the light split at the last second and hit them both, but they quickly jumped back to their feet, turned a corner, and were home free.

both of them are studying masters level chemistry, so their discoveries are in public and require a bit of covering up. taako was trying to work out the chemical structure of a fairly simple crystal when it moved. he jumped, then tried it again, and found out that he could even separate out certain parts without needing a reactant.

lup gets bored waiting for a solution to boil and suddenly it explodes

taako’s power is manipulating chemical structures and lup’s is causing combustion or explosions. both require a knowledge of chemistry; taako has to understand the structure of what he’s moving or separating, and lup needs to know about boiling/ignition points and pressure changes etc. again; the energy comes from them. you get the point by now, i think.

taako is starling and purple, and lup is phoenix and red.

they both have pockets containing little beads of easy-to-change materials if they can’t find anything else to use

barry is a phd student, and was in the basement bio lab of the local university when the light phased through the ceiling and hit him. he stumbled backwards and fortunately didn’t hurt himself, bc he basically lives in there and no one would check on him for a while.

the next time he’s forced into a university function, he’s shrinking against a wall wishing he wasn’t there, and then he…isn’t. he falls over into the next room bc he just went through the wall.

i’ll be honest – barry basically has danny phantom powers. the tricky bit is that if he’s exhausted, instead of losing his powers, he can’t keep a physical form very well. finally, a reason for this man to get some sleep already.

his codename is nightingale and his color is blue. thank goodness he can make his clothes and glasses ghost with him, or else he’d be recognizable and useless.

davenport was relaxing with a short flight just outside of town. he notices some strange lights, then realizes one is coming towards him, then barely manages to keep the plane from crashing when it hits him in the head. he quickly lands and checks the plane for damage, but there’s no trace of it.

his mind is wandering during a pretty boring meeting one day when everyone suddenly stops. davenport tunes in and notices that, um, there’s a small boat appearing to float across the table. this completely snaps him out of his thoughts, and it disappears. it’s a good thing the old people on the board like to brush over unexplainable things, bc after a few moments, the meeting picks back up.

he works at a nerd museum. he mostly enjoys it, but also wants to save up enough to move to the coast.

his power is creating illusions and, depending on his energy, materializing them. the illusions barely cost anything, but the materialization is really draining.

his hero name is canary and his color theme is gold.

i wanted it to be albatross at first, but that sounded a little…eh? i liked canary better, esp since it’s yellow

+ instead of having half the symbolism of a curse, it symbolizes freedom!! i think that’s an important dav trait.

finally, lucretia was riding home on her bike and, unlike dav, did crash. strangely, she and her bike were totally unharmed.

lucretia works part-time as a secretary to save up for college, while also working at a bookstore bc she is a Nerd. she got lost in the Deep Shelves and, when a pile of books fell and set off a domino effect, she stretched out her hands to stop them – and they actually did stop.

lucretia can create force fields of any shape, and move them around. that may seem simple, but she can ride them like a hover board, trap people, and, if she’s strong enough, slice things.

her superhero name is bluejay and her color is teal.

other characters include:

julia, magnus’s coworker/boss’s daughter, and they’ve been in love since forever. when the light stuff started though, magnus figured he should slow down.

…yeah, she figures it out pretty soon. magnus is bad at keeping secrets.

carey, magnus’s roommate and constant alibi/excuse-maker/back-up

killian, who works security at the business lucretia secretaries at, and keeps bringing her out to social stuff bc the girl needs it. they also talk abt girls a lot bc they’re both Gay™ – lucretia especially enjoys teasing killian about carey with the “really great calves” from the gym.

killian accidentally said weird shit when first gushing about her and, of course, lucretia will never forget it

noelle was saved by the team from whatever the hell lucas ends up doing in this au. carey offers to share her room, esp since magnus is uh. working a little more irregularly these days and they could use the split rent.

noelle and carey also talk about girls, including killian who could “probably throw me across a room” from the gym.

angus was looking into all this nonsense and figured it was easiest to track down twins who seem to know a lot about chemistry. it wasn’t too hard. taako and lup were appalled that his parents Just Let Him Do That and so there’s a 50/50 chance that angus is in their spare room at any given time.

listen they got a two-bedroom apartment, but apparently they’re still too clingy to sleep alone. nerds.

ren is taako’s coworker and best friend. she knows Something is up, but isn’t entirely sure What. she also knows better than to try and find out. taako will tell her when he tells her.

honestly i low low lowkey dig the idea of noelle/ren but you didn’t hear that from me. if it happens to show up though. oh well.

avi makes frequent deliveries for the hammer and tongs, and is pretty tight with magnus. he’s even tighter with magnus’s dogs, which stay at the h&t bc his apartment is run by ruthless monsters.

johann is the town’s dramatic and overtalented musician, who is almost always in the background. i’m not sure what his deal is, but he sure is good at music.

hurley is a cop who keeps trying to figure out what is going on, but isn’t having much luck

artemis sterling is the very frustrated mayor

certain people are given powers by the hunger, a la hawk moth. these include gundren, magic brian, jenkins, sloane, the hammerheads, cpt cpt bane, lucas, etc.

the major manifestation of the hunger is john, but only merle manages to see him.

unlike miraculous, the hunger is dangerous to its hosts if they become disagreeable. the birds can save the people possessed, but it’s not easy.

there are Mysterious Third Parties that can grant additional powers

one is known as the raven queen. she grants kravitz the power to possess non-organic materials, as well as a scythe that can temporarily dislocate souls and do mild portal shit.

kravitz was a coroner trying to get a gig in the orchestra, but then he almost died and the raven queen resurrected him and he’s got a really strong sense of duty so he’s doing this now, he guesses. at least he still gets to have a normal life when he isn’t busy.

i like to think that after sloane rejects the hunger, the raven queen scoops her up and also grants the ability to possess non-organic objects. she was a good mechanic before, and is super good now. she gets hurley to give up on the whole investigation thing and join her and they live happily ever after, and also kick the occasional ass.

at first, RQ’s orders are to retrieve the light so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, but taako persuades kravitz that the birds are able to use it to defeat the hunger once and for all.

after that, the mission is just to keep as many people out of danger as possible.

istus and pan can also grant powers, but i’m not sure how they’d fit in yet

more random facts:

taako, lup, and barry are actually at the same university even though they never see each other. the mascot is a mongoose.

at some point the bio and chem departments are doing a joint conference thing. taako and lup are wandering around while spamming the birds’ group chat with really awful memes with magnus. meanwhile, barry is trying his best to ignore his constantly-vibrating phone as he talks to a professor about something actually important.

do they find each other in this truly ridiculous way? You Decide.

lucas is in the same department as barry, and even though he’s kind of a genius, he is also. how you say. a dick.

ren and taako work as chefs at the davy lamp. ren is almost definitely going to own it one day, and taako is proud of her.

lucretia and magnus meet via carey and killian, and quickly become close friends. because magnus is incapable of keeping a secret from anyone he knows, she finds out that he’s eagle and so they now know each other’s secret identities.

anyway that’s all i’ve got for now, thanks for coming to my ted talk

#ok i'm going to sleep #this is mostly for my own rference #not that i'd ever write this but it's nice to think abt #text #ipre #idk how ekse to tag uh #bye #fixed the tenses! and added stuff! #superhero au

[pelle-lavellan-a]

Oc Interview Meme

Tagged by: @myronmuse​

I’ll be doing this for Talwinne this time!

Pelle’s Interview can be found HERE

Tagging: @damndirtyrat @nighttimefriend @ironbullsmissingeye @stumblingsbalderdash

1. What is your name? “Talwinne Yevys, though my friends just call me Tal.”

2. What is your real name? “.....it’s Yevys mate.”

3. Do you know why you were called that? “I’m named after my grandfather. He was an excellent man,taught me everything I know about the hunt. Miss that old codger.”

4. Are you single or taken? "Single unfortunately. Apparently I’m not very good with women, or so my pa says. If you ask me I think I’m perfectly fine, Sibs likes me just fine.” He laughs. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

5. Have any abilities or powers? “Like do I have magic? No, I’m a pretty average elf. I’m a good shot, and very good with my feet but I wouldn’t consider those to be powers or somethin ya know?”

6. Stop being a Mary Sue “Why? Maybe Mary Sue likes to be imitated.”

7. What’s your eye colour? ”The most boring and expected color you would think an elf might have. I’m talking about green in case you weren’t familiar.” 

8. How about your hair colour? “It’s just blond.”

9. Have you any family members? “I consider Sibs to be my family. My folks are gone these days, my little brother too thanks to the humans. I’ve still got Sibs though, we keep each other grounded.”

10. Oh? What about pets? ”I don’t know that I’d call it a pet. But I freed this nug in the kitchens one afternoon and it’s been followin me around ever since. It’s kind of cute though, maybe I ought to give it a name.” 

11. That’s cool I guess, now tell me about something you don’t like. “Well first things first I hope snobs, so if you think calling elves knife ears is okay we can’t be friends. I also don’t think I like tarts all that much. It’s weird how the humans lose their minds over a bit of jam. It’s not nearly as good as I thought it was going to be. 

“I also don’t really like Solas. I tried, Sibs seems to look up to him but he just rubs me the wrong way. I wonder does he think I’m a savage too?”

12. Do you have any hobbies/activities you like doing?   “Well! I am going to exclude archery since that was sort of my job n all. I like carving! Like...wood n stuff you know? I think my favorite was carving stuff for the kids back home, especially my little brother Fledge. 

!His name wasn’t actually Fledge, that’s just what I called him since he always reminded me of a little bird trying to hop out of the nest. Anyways! Other than carving I also love looking for ghost, always a great time. I do like patching up armor as well, it’s rather relaxing.” 

13. Ever hurt anyone before? ”More people than I’m proud of. While being a hunter means I had to protect the clan from threats from beyond our little camp, killing monsters and animals was always a lot easier than people...”

14. Ever… killed anyone before? “Oh definitely not! Never, didn’t just say I did a couple seconds ago or nothin.”

15. What kind of animal are you? ”Well that’s a bit rude.”

16. Name your worst habits. “Sibs says I am impulsive and start running my mouth and making terrible decisions when I get angry. He’s not wrong.”

17. Do you look up to anyone at all? ”I looked up to my grandfather a great deal before he died. I also look up to Ingi, my hahren who taught me natural lore with Sibs. He’s a weird old man but he knows his way around a plant, and I have to respect him for that.”

18. Gay, straight, or bisexual? “Ya know I wanna say I only like girls...but some men just have it you know what I mean? Like that lieutenant in the Chargers. I think his name is Krem. Fen’Harel’s balls that man is good looking.”

19. Do you go to school? ”HA! That’s hilarious. Did I tell you I’m illiterate?”

20. Do you ever want to marry and have kids one day? "I mean sure why not? If a girl volunteers to have my kids then Mythal have mercy on her soul. 

21. Do you have any fanboys/fangirls? ”Nah, I’m not cool enough to have fans.”

22. What are you most scared of? “Dogs. I’m just kidding but man you do not want to have a run in with an angry mabari. Do not recommend. To be honest, I used to be afraid of losing my family. But that has already come and gone. 

Nowadays I fear for Sibs. Not because I think he’s going to die but I fear what the world will make of him when all this is over. He just gets beat up time and time again. The world keeps on asking so much from him and then taking twice as much back. I don’t know why but I’m always wondering when he is finally going to snap? I’m terrified of what that would look like, and I don’t think I want to find out. 

“I’m also a bit scared of whatever it is that marked his hand, mostly because for once in his life, he’s got no idea what forces he is playing with or what the consequences of them might be. No one even seems to care to find out, like what if that thing kills him? It’s certainly not natural!”

23. What do you usually wear? “Well as you can see. I’m usually wearing armor most of the time. I like to be prepared for anything. Though I guess I don’t mind donning my dad’s old tunics if the armor isn’t doing it for me.” 

24. Do you love someone? “I do indeed.”

25. When was the last time you wet yourself? ”Oh man that’s a good question. I think the last time I was maybe fourteen years old. Fear doesn’t exactly wait for your bladder to be ready ha!”

26. Well, it’s not over yet! "That’s fine mate! What else ya got?”

27. What class are you? (High class, middle class, low class) ”Hmmmm I have no idea how to answer that question.”

28. How many friends do you have? “I’ve made some friends amongst the scouts in the Inquisition, the Chargers are great company too. So I suppose I have a few good mates!”

29. What are your thoughts on pie? ”The crust is very....odd. I think it would taste a lot better without it if you ask me.” 

30. Favourite drink? “There is this drink that the Iron Bull had me try this one time. It burned my throat good to swallow it but man once I tried it, I had to try again. I keep on forgetting what he calls it but it’s one of those things you drink for the experience more than the taste....because it tastes awful.”

31. What’s your favourite place? “Sibs’ bed. Now listen, it’s this huge bed with the softest sheets I have never experienced and it just screams luxury. Sibs doesn’t sleep in it nearly enough so someone has to take one for the team am I right?”

32. Are you interested in someone? “Well I mean--I’ve seen a couple of lookers around this place. Would be nice to talk to some of them someday.”

33. What’s your bra cup size and/or how big is your willy? ”Ho ho! I thought this was an interview! If you want to know that you’re going to have crack out a ruler and measure it yourself because I have not the slightest idea!” 

34. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean? “Oceans are too fast and too foreign for me to feel comfortable, so let’s go with a lake.” 

35. What’s your type? “I like short people, I enjoy picking them up and carrying them around. I suppose I’m not particularly picky though, I just ask that you’ve got your head on straight.”

36. Any fetishes? ”Don’t know. I’ve always wanted to open that can of worms.”

37. Seme or uke? Top or Bottom? Dominant or Submissive? “You seem very interested in my sex life don’t you? Tell me who’s asking? Is it you or did someone send you to learn all my little quirks?”

38. Camping or indoors? “I grew up camping outdoors so I always feel more at home that way. But inside can be nice too.”

39. Are you wanting the interview to end? ”Don’t think I’ve got a problem with it really?”

40. Now it’s over! “Oh alright then! Well nice talking with you mate.”

#tag games #interview the muse #Talwinne Yevys

[ganymedesclock]

A question about your Lance meta - you keep calling Lance the heart of Voltron but isn't Allura herself the heart of Voltron? Like Lance himself calls her the heart in show

You don’t think it’s a titch ironic that someone would call another person the heart while providing them with emotional certainty and support?

To be a bit more direct, what Lance is explicitly saying is this is the role of the Blue Paladin. He prefaces it by saying “The Blue Lion chose you for a reason” implying everything that follows is what Blue seeks in a paladin.

My personal take on the whole Lion choices is that the first paladin they chose reflects their virtues the most clearly. Thus, with the information that the Blue Paladin is the heart of the team, it makes sense that Lance, who was Blue’s first choice, embodies those virtues to the core.

Furthermore, I would argue that Allura is essential to Voltron, but she’s not the heart. Not the way that’s usually conceptualized in ensemble shows. So let’s talk character roles for a second.

Simply enough, protagonists have a tendency to come in sets of five, and, they fall roughly along these lines.

There’s the Leader. This is usually the main character. When you see people assuming the Black Paladin is the most/only important character, that’s because they’re falling into this cognitive trap. The Leader is virtually always the face of the team and the final decision maker, the one who is thematically opposed to the main villain, and usually the show is named after them.

The leader has a Right Hand. Virtually always, a dynamic force who thematically opposes the Leader. If the Leader is fiery, passionate, and tactless, the Right Hand will be a cool, aloof perfectionist. If the Leader is compassionate, the Right Hand is callous. They’re set up as a significant foil. This sense of opposition basically means that they usually walk a fine line between the Leader’s best friend and worst enemy.

Then, there’s the Brains. While the Leader and Right Hand are usually more flexible, able to accommodate a wide variety of characters, Brains is a bit more rigid- they are, in short, the intellectual, the cognitive, They-Who-Exposit. Usually fits some manner of nerd stereotype and is often framed as lacking in “street smarts” or social skills.

The second skill-defined character is the Brawn. Sometimes stoic and honorable, sometimes bloodthirsty and brash. Usually the physically largest member of the team and defined by strength. Sometimes set up as an opposition to the Brains as someone with more “practical” skills versus the erudite manner of Brains.

And then, of course, the Heart. The Heart is the compassionate, emotional, nurturing member of the team. If there’s a healer, it’s probably them. While this sounds wonderful... it’s worth noting the Heart is one of the most chronically disrespected roles in the hero team. Virtually always, if you have a hero team with only one girl, she’s the Heart. There’s often a point made that the Heart is weaker than all of their associates, has less cool abilities, and struggles with feeling useless or not being able to keep up.

Keep in mind that TVTropes, which, for better and for worse, reflects popular media attitudes pretty well, calls this role “The Chick” and defines it thusly:

The "feminine", "spiritual", and "heart", aspect of the Five-Man Band... and generally the only woman.

It's the people she gathers and keeps at her side who'll do a lot of the heavy lifting. She'll encourage loyalty and teamwork, give them the courage or hope to unlock their true potential, be a Token Good Teammate that keeps her friends from Jumping Off the Slippery Slope. She's usually a Nice Girl, but her demeanor can go anywhere from shy and demure, to brave and adventurous. She is rarely The Heroine of a story.

Her functional role will often be The Heart, the social influence of the group. Sometimes this means she'll serve as the Team Mom, taking care of the smaller details, both within the group and in the world outside. She looks after innocents, delivers The Aesop, mediates the arguments, and slaps some sanity on The Lancer before he ends up getting too dark. It's not the coolest job in the world, but it's helpful.

Note the implications: passiveness, especially in the sense that, when written poorly, this character sacrifices their own emotional depth to be a sounding board, support, and voice of reason for the entire rest of the team. At a glance, they’re flattered by being treated as so mature and wise, where their only “problem” is not being able to help enough- but, like I said. I think that the Heart is probably the single most widely disrespected hero out of this formation. 

Their work is devalued and they’re are often regarded as far more passive than they really are. This is especially true in more individualistic stories, because the Heart is in essence defined by being not just a team player, but the team player. So they’re treated as someone who “settles” or is less ambitious than their peers.

Now, I think because the Heart is, for lack of a better word, traditionally feminine, pretty much every previous incarnation of Voltron has had Allura in this role.

In prior versions of Voltron, the formation went like this:

Keith was the Leader, with Lance as his Right Hand. They usually contrasted in that Keith was the calmer and more sensitive one, while Lance is virtually always the literal and figurative hothead. Pidge and Hunk slotted into Brains and Brawn, this left first Sven (for his incredibly brief tenure on the team), then Allura, as Heart.

Here’s the thing: VLD is a complete departure from that setup on the most fundamental level of how these characters were conceptualized.

Shiro is the clear and obvious Leader archetype. Thematically he’s set as Zarkon’s rival, much emphasis and significance is placed on his relationship with the Black Lion. And he has multiple connections to the team and to the conflict, which is significant, when...

Keith is an equally obvious Right Hand. Again, it’s worth noting his prior incarnations, which have held Shiro’s position, are far more levelheaded, sometimes to the point of being stoic and hard to read. When the Leader archetype is a joining thread to the team, Keith, in a much more classic Right Hand manner, largely defines his position on the team by his loyalty to Shiro- and his connections with the team, and his ability to lead and inspire them, is incredibly tenuous.

Pidge and Hunk are the only ones who have remained in their usually established roles of Brain and Brawn- in this case, playing up not the difference in intelligence versus brute strength, but, the difference between highly cognitive, erudite, stereotypical intelligence versus highly tactile, practical, and even artistic intelligence. (Look at the careful presentation and flair Hunk puts into his cooking, for example)

(I’ll get back to Lance)

Now, when the formation changes in s3e1, I would say that people’s narrative roles actually don’t change as much as they appear to.

What appears to happen is that Keith becomes the Leader, Lance the Right Hand, and Allura steps up as the Heart. This is what would be implied by Lance telling Allura this in s4e6.

But remember, the Lions are arguably connected to these roles- and our heroes are limited by how much they can act like this given role.

Keith is shown to be repeatedly frustrated by Black, demanding answers they do not give, struggling to maneuver their larger and heavier body. He’s framed as unworthy of the Leader mantle as illustrated partially by the fact that the other two Leader figures- Zarkon and Lotor- both have very disproportionate fights with Keith, in which both are shown to utterly dismiss Keith, and not just in a, “I am evil and greater than you” manner, but, in that they do not, in any meaningful thematic manner, recognize him as a rival, nor does he give them any reason to. (more on that, here)

Rather... the person who steps into the Leader mantle, who emerges central to plot lines, and is the one person acknowledged by Lotor (again, when the Leader is often defined strongly by their role as the equal-and-opposite to the “head” of antagonist forces)?

It’s Allura’s armor, Allura’s obtaining of the Blue Bayard, that’s given screentime when we don’t see Lance or Keith obtain their respective new bayards. It’s Allura who turns the tide in s3e2 by allying with Blue, Allura who fends off Lotor and rescues the team in s3e3- and in s3e4, it’s Allura who has a personal reason for challenging Hira and gets a big dramatic fight with her when everyone else is, uh, football tackling each other. And, reading more speculative... it’s incredibly likely that Lotor, who emerges as the main antagonist of s3, is a ghost from Allura’s past, one who she has a connection to even more than implied by their subtle “honor duel” on Thayserix.

When Shiro vanishes in s3, Keith remains a Right Hand figure. If anything, he doubles down on his aspect working with Black, embodying the traits that are so stereotypically a Right Hand thing- the risk of going too far, losing control and focus and getting everyone in trouble, obviously destabilized without his appropriate counterpart of the Leader.

Instead, it’s Allura that rises to the Leader position. Who is defined by her nobility, strength of will, and intimate connection to the overarching conflict of the show.

Now... where is Allura heavily shown to struggle- on many occasions?

S1e2- Allura decides the best way to unite and motivate her team is, in Coran’s words, “[be] really, really mean to him.”

S1e4- Allura attempts to get Pidge to open up to her in probably the least reassuring manner possible.

S1e10- Allura makes plan based on the assumption that her team will leave her to her doom for the sake of the greater good, genuinely thinks this is a smart idea and definitely won’t get shot to hell by these heroic dorks.

S2e1- Allura is manifestly bad with children.

S2e3-thru-s2e8 (Blade of Marmora plotline)- Allura has significant trust issues that, while entirely understandable, weaken the team and make their connecting with a powerful potential ally very difficult.

S3e1- Allura is frustrated by and struggles with the idea of engaging in pleasantries rather than “serious business about the protection of the universe?”

S4e4- Allura is very bad at acting.

Allura’s Vlog- by her own admission, she had to learn to be a diplomat, even though this is something her culture prioritizes.

This isn’t a complete list, per se- but there’s a clear thing here.

Where Blue’s role in Voltron is defined heavily by empathy, emotions, interpersonal bonds, and connecting with others, Allura is not a sentimental team-mom nurturer. She’s an amazing, essential person with some incredible talents and skills, and, like I said, the writing does the furthest thing from disregarding her.

But Allura shares the Leader position with Shiro. As mentioned, where the Leader often is directly opposed by a main antagonist, at the head of the empire are two equals in power: Zarkon and Haggar. Shiro thematically is Zarkon’s equal and opposite, and the two have their dramatic showdowns, but Allura has her own rival- Haggar, and they’ve had their own brawls of magical might.

The point is that Allura is not merely defined as something other than the Heart, she’s shown frequently to fail at the things that are the integral qualities of the Heart.

Now... conversely... I think we’ve left Lance hanging long enough.

Let’s bring back what I said about the Heart, shall we?

The Heart is the compassionate, emotional, nurturing member of the team. If there’s a healer, it’s probably them. While this sounds wonderful... it’s worth noting the Heart is one of the most chronically disrespected roles in the hero team. Virtually always, if you have a hero team with only one girl, she’s the Heart. There’s often a point made that the Heart is weaker than all of their associates, has less cool abilities, and struggles with feeling useless or not being able to keep up.

Lance:

Out of a whole team of people dealing with emotional issues, Lance is by far the most stable and the most prone to discussing his issues before they blow up.

Relationships with other people are a major preoccupation for him. Consider one of the major things he talks about frequently is that he wants to make a romantic connection- not just “obtain hot girlfriend” but as he discusses in s2e2 and his vlog, he’s actually looking for someone more like a soulmate- he only wants to make a connection that will be incredibly meaningful and lifelong, but he’s easily charmed by people being happy or enjoying his presence.

Of the team, he’s the only character who forms an obvious emotional relationship with every other member, in the case of Coran and Allura, within seconds of meeting them. Also with both Coran and Allura, Lance is the first to interact with them.

He flat-out has an obvious struggle in s1 and s2 with “not having a thing”, feeling like everyone else has neatly defined roles and contributions, and actually carefully interrupts Allura and distracts her right before she lists Blue’s virtues.

On that note- Lance is shown to have such a keen sense of feelings and other people that he’s able to flat-out manipulate situations by inducing certain emotions at key points. What I mentioned with Allura he did before, in almost the exact same manner, to take Iverson’s attention off Pidge. He very specifically annoyed the person at a key moment so they’d be frustrated with him and forget what they were talking about before.

Also, in s4e4, Lance is the only good actor on Team Voltron! In both that episode and prior events, Lance is the one who has a good sense of “the show” and is putting on a consistently good performance.

Lance’s weapon is even, to me, a pretty blatant allusion to his status as the Heart rather than the Right Hand. Force- which did characterize Lance as a Right Hand figure, also gave him guns, but they were simple pistols designed to accommodate a very independent, up-close-and-personal fighting style which supplemented his shots with a lot of brawling, frequently putting him literally back to back with swordsman Keith.

However, in VLD, Lance’s weapon is a long-range rifle and his specialty is precision sniping. In action, we see Lance sweeping the battlefield, not hunting the single top-priority targets and taking them out, but, rather, repeatedly checking on his allies and offering precise assistance where it’s needed.

Lance fights, and thinks, like someone whose first priority is supporting others. And his big hero moment in s4e6? He’s not the one doing the glowing superpower boost that saves everyone. That’s Allura.

But Lance is the one who made it happen. It’s Lance who put personal glory second, who defined his own virtues in the same moment he verbally gives them to someone else.

It’s Lance... whose growth as a hero seems to have, as one of its major plot points, setting aside his desire for personal glory to focus on being there for other people, not because he isn’t important, but, because time and time again, he’s shown to do better and be happier when he’s not doing things for personal reputation.

And this is actively framed with the Lions: when Lance is trying to have his “moment”, Black ignores him. When Lance makes the move to support Keith because this is what Keith, and the entire team, needs at the moment, Red- the difficult to please, stubborn Lion, declares that Lance is worthy and calls for him without Lance having ever even presented himself to Red as a candidate.

Because ultimately, Lance was the Heart all along. His strongest actions, his emergence as a true hero, comes from his compassion and comes from his awareness of emotions. And to me- I think the writers are actually setting up a really interesting analysis of the historical devaluing of the Heart role- about how much Lance seems to try to avoid acknowledging his actual heroic qualities.

And how much Lance specifically tries to emulate the classic sort of Suave Casanova, Ruggedly Heterosexual Hero Man- when again, his true position as a hero is very stereotypically feminine. With the obvious implication being- Lance knows what kind of person he really is, and he knows that this is viewed as “unmanly”, “passive”, “weak”.

But these qualities are embodied by a fifth of Voltron. They’re qualities that, in this setting, are written in the stars as the domain of heroes. Not just part of the strongest force in existence- but one of the two things that literally holds the Defender of the Universe aloft.

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Lance #Allura #Shiro #Keith #Hunk #Pidge #readmore #monster post about team roles and mostly Lance and Allura #Anonymous

[turtle-paced]

Why is Sansa so associated with empathy in comparison to the other characters? I mean, she is empathetic and she deserves praise for it, but so do Bran, Cat (to an extent), Dany, Ned, Arya, Jon, Tyrion (to an extent), Arianne, Davos, Brienne, Quentyn, Asha... Maybe all the more sympathetic POVs are empathetic, now that I think about it, so why is this aspect so emphasized regarding Sansa specifically?

The degree of empathy she shows, the circumstances in which she shows it, and the actions her empathy and compassion lead her to in spite of the risks to herself.

Cut for length.

“Some septa trained you well. You’re like one of those birds from theSummer Isles, aren’t you? A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words theytaught you to recite.”

“That’s unkind.” Sansa could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. “You’re frightening me. Iwant to go now.”

“No one could withstand him, “ the Hound rasped. “That’s truth enough. No one could everwithstand Gregor. That boy today, his second joust, oh, that was a pretty bit of business. Yousaw that, did you? Fool boy, he had no business riding in this company. No money, no squire, noone to help him with that armor. That gorget wasn’t fastened proper. You think Gregor didn’tnotice that? You think Ser Gregor’s lance rode up by chance, do you? Pretty little talking girl,you believe that, you’re empty-headed as a bird for true. Gregor’s lance goes where Gregorwants it to go. Look at me. Look at me!”

- Sansa II, AGoT

But that ends with this:

The silence went on and on, so long that she began to grow afraid once more, but she was afraidfor him now, not for herself. She found his massive shoulder with her hand. “He was no trueknight,” she whispered to him.

She’s alone at night with a big, drunk, angry man insulting her and telling her about a gruesome murder and some hideous abuse, and she realises that oh, the big angry man scaring me is in pain. So she tries to comfort him. This sort of thing happens again and again. 

Sansa I, ACoK really sets the tone here.

Morros, a meresquire and a new-made squire at that, was having difficulty managing lance and shield. The lancewas a knight’s weapon, Sansa knew, the Slynts lowborn. Lord Janos had been no more thancommander of the City Watch before Joffrey had raised him to Hanrenhal and the council.

I hope he falls and shames himself, she thought bitterly. I hope Ser Balon kills him.

[…]

Morros dropped his lance, fought for balance, and lost.One foot caught in a stirrup as he fell, and the runaway charger dragged the youth to the end ofthe lists, head bouncing against the ground. Joff hooted derision. Sansa was appalled, wonderingif the gods had heard her vengeful prayer.

Her personal bitterness and hatred of Janos Slynt can’t stand against the fact that his son is currently hurt and being laughed at by Joffrey.

“I lose,” [Dontos] shouted. “Fetch me some wine.”

The king stood. “A cask from the cellars! I’ll see him drowned in it.”

Sansa heard herself gasp. “No, you can’t.”

Joffrey turned his head. “What did you say?”

Sansa could not believe she had spoken. Was she mad? To tell him no in front of half the court? She hadn’t meant to say anything, only… Ser Dontos was drunk and silly and useless, but hemeant no harm.

This is where the actions come in. Sansa’s got next to nothing to defend herself with here. She’s already been beaten just because Joffrey wanted her beaten. As far as she knows there’s no gain for her in saving Dontos. And she still tells Joffrey to stop.

Then she keeps going in that vein. Again in Sansa I, and in later chapters as well.

Sansa found herself possessed of a queer giddy courage. “You should go with her,” she told theking. “Your brother might be hurt.”

Joffrey shrugged. “What if he is?”

“You should help him up and tell him how well he rode.” Sansa could not seem to stop herself.

- Sansa I, ACoK

Tommen sobbed. “You mew like a suckling babe,” his brother hissed at him. “Princes aren’tsupposed to cry.”

“Prince Aemon the Dragonknight cried the day Princess Naerys wed his brother Aegon,” SansaStark said, “and the twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk died with tears on their cheeks after each hadgiven the other a mortal wound.”

“Be quiet, or I’ll have Ser Meryn give you a mortal wound,” Joffrey told his betrothed.

- Tyrion IX, ACoK

First she contradicts Joffrey (and you bet Sansa knew the risks of contradicting Joffrey), but again, within pages and in-universe minutes of hearing that threat:

Halfway along the route, a wailing woman forced her way between two watchmen and ran outinto the street in front of the king and his companions, holding the corpse of her dead baby aboveher head. It was blue and swollen, grotesque, but the real horror was the mother’s eyes. Joffreylooked for a moment as if he meant to ride her down, but Sansa Stark leaned over and saidsomething to him. The king fumbled in his purse, and flung the woman a silver stag.

It’s close to the same thing as happened with Dontos. Consciously or not, Sansa’s prioritising compassion over her own wellbeing. It’s also notable that Sansa continues feeling empathy for her enemies, while at the same time retaining her own loyalties.

Sansa went to Ser Lancel and knelt beside him.His wound was bleeding afresh where the queen had struck him. “Madness,” he gasped. “Gods,the Imp was right, was right…”

“Help him,” Sansa commanded two of the serving men. One just looked at her and ran, flagonand all. Other servants were leaving the hall as well, but she could not help that. Together, Sansaand the serving man got the wounded knight back on his feet. “Take him to Maester Frenken.”Lancel was one of them, yet somehow she still could not bring herself to wish him dead. I amsoft and weak and stupid, just as Joffrey says. I should be killing him, not helping him.

- Sansa VII, ACoK

That last sentence is important, because Sansa’s showing all that empathy and compassion in a situation where people are outright telling her that these things are stupid, and make her stupid. Hanging on to her empathy is a remarkable achievement.

There’s another side to this too. Sansa’s empathy is also the source of some potentially political skills that could be put to uses other than the noble and pure of heart, if she chose.

He hopped down off the window seat and said, “You may sleep here tonight.I’ll give you some of my own men as a guard, some Stone Crows perhaps-”

“No,” Sansa blurted out, aghast. If she was locked in the Tower of the Hand, guarded by thedwarf’s men, how would Ser Dontos ever spirit her away to freedom?

[…]

“I would sooner return to my own bed.” A lie came to her suddenly, but it seemed so right thatshe blurted it out at once. “This tower was where my father’s men were slain. Their ghosts wouldgive me terrible dreams, and I would see their blood wherever I looked.”

Tyrion Lannister studied her face. “I am no stranger to nightmares, Sansa. Perhaps you arewiser than I knew. Permit me at least to escort you safely back to your own chambers.”

- Sansa III, ACoK

She just played Tyrion, and used empathic understanding of Tyrion’s own compassion to do so. In AFFC, under Littlefinger’s tutelage, she’s sharpening her ability to play on the emotions of others.

“I know how hard this is for you, Alayne, but our friends must hear the truth.”

“Yes.” Her throat felt so dry and tight it almost hurt to speak. “I saw… I was with the Lady Lysawhen…” A tear rolled down her cheek. That’s good, a tear is good. “… when Marillion… pushedher.” And she told the tale again, hardly hearing the words as they spilled out of her.

- Sansa, AFFC

Empathy only helps her do this, as it gives her the understanding of whether a tear might work.

#ASoIaF #cw: violence #sansa stark #a game of thrones #a clash of kings #a feast for crows #asks

[avengeher]

All Time Low

Pairing: Bucky/Reader; based on All Time Low by Jon Bellion

A/N: Hello, this is the start of my a to z song series for Marvel. My main blog is @madmusings​ and my side blog is @auswriteforyou​. I have another marvel blog called @thecaptomybucky where I post photo edit/moodboards and head canons. Thanks for reading!

He had messed up. Royally, totally, completely fucked it all up in some misguided attempt to ‘protect you’ or be some kind of knight in shining armor. All you knew is that he was an idiot who thought that breaking your heart in the most unforgivable way possible would ultimately save your life. Like you said, an idiot.

You couldn’t forget though, nor could you forgive what he’d done. The truth didn’t set either of you free in this case because the truth in this case made it so much worse. He hadn't just cheated on you. No, he had full blown intentionally made out with some random girl at one of Stark’s many parties on purpose to get you to break up with him.

You thought it had to be some cruel joke. That the man you loved, went through absolute shit for, was making out with some flavor of the week but when his usually sparkling blue eyes looked deep into yours with no remorse as he started to kiss once more you knew you were not dreaming, and he was stone cold sober. You could still hear Steve’s yell, the way he shoved at Bucky because what the fuck did he think he was doing? And if you could draw, you’d be a millionaire from a still life painting of each person’s confusion in the room.

You hadn’t moved, hadn’t breathed while Bucky and Steve had words - a few ‘I got bored’ and ‘I don’t cares’ thrown around in Bucky’s nonchalant attitude. And if you had paid attention, you would have seen the darkness behind his eyes. You would have seen the way he searched your face for any semblance of  understanding because you knew him so ridiculously well but no. You couldn’t take your eyes off his kiss swollen lips that you had kissed only hours before and wonder what had changed.

Hydra, that’s what. A laundry list of threats reaching Bucky, calling you by name and giving specific details because of course. Of course, the stupid octopus club wouldn’t just let him be. They had lost the Winter Soldier, and he was going to lose his mind. You hadn’t found that out til months after your breakup; months of ignoring him and pretending he was nothing but a ghost in the halls but then that horrific mission just had to be a thing.

Nat and Wanda had been a barrier between you and him seeing as you possessed Natasha’s super spy like abilities and Wanda’s psycho babble genes from being a lab rat yourself so they’d been taking your place on team Cap and Co while you stuck behind the scenes. You’d learned how to jerry rig a toaster into a little robot minion from Tony Stark himself if that meant anything. But then both your girls, Stark, Banner and Thor were all off on separate missions and Hydra, the octopi idiots, decided to attack the city once more. That left you, Steve, Barton and of course, Bucky to their defense and you weren’t going to let either of you’s wounded pride get in the way of innocent civilians.

But this was no ordinary mission, no ordinary fight, because they just couldn’t give you a break. They somehow managed to trigger some deep seated switch in Bucky’s brain and make him go absolutely fucking psycho. Like the Winter Soldier on crack but with a singular mission. You.

It kind of made you miss the old days when the Winter Soldier was just out to deadass murder Captain America. You were also left to wonder how Steve hadn’t shit his pants when Mr. Raccoon Murder Walk was stalking at him because you sure were.

You had tried everything in your arsenal; talking him down, fighting him (which okay, that was a bad choice if your broken rib and sprained ankle was anything to go by) and you had even given reminiscing a shot but he was too far gone. He was lost in his own mind, trapped and hidden away. And as much as you hated him, you couldn’t let him stay that way so you grabbed him by the face and did the one thing you promised never to do to him. You got inside his head.

Blood. There was so much blood, and pain, and fear. You didn’t know a single person could withstand this much pain. It was within that pain that you saw the truth, the little corner of light in his mind where all the memories of you resided and you felt like you couldn’t breath. Your smile, laugh, how you spoke whether silly or serious, was all saved up there. The way you looked when you cried, when you danced, when you were scared, down to how much he loved you. Emotions hit you like a tidal wave as you pressed against those memories, the little bit of light to bring him out of the darkness once more.

How much he loved you, the agony he felt when he received the threats, the rash decision to break your heart because he knew that’s the only thing you wouldn’t forgive. It was the memory of how you looked at him in horror that night that brought him back to himself. You could feel the Winter Soldier slipped away as you used your abilities to draw that memory to the forefront of his mind each little detail scribbled in his mind.

Your lips trembling in anger as much as sadness, how you turned away from him and into Stark, how you refused to make eye contact and how your last words to him were I hate you.

And when you opened your eyes, those sparkling blue eyes were back as you both were kneeled on the ground with foreheads pushed together. You didn’t know what was worse. Being in the dark, or having any inkling of understanding about what the man you’d spent a month hating was doing for you, because of you.

All you knew was that this was an all time low, and you didn't know if you both could recover from it.

#the avengers #the #avengers #avengers imagines #avengers blurbs #avengers aus #avengers au #avengers blurb #avengers imagine #Bucky barnes #Bucky barnes blurbs #Bucky barnes aus #bucky barnes imagines #the winter soldier #imagines #a to z challenge