#and instead you chose to mentor my idiot brother. why. do you know how many people would sell their souls for such an opportunity

[incorrect-natshig]

hhhhh i kinda wanna jump on the whole “telling you our natshig au ideas” thing so here i go (i’m gonna try and write a fic about this but i tend to get burnt out after the first chapter so here’s hoping i follow through because i really like this one)

ok so natsuo and tenko meet at a park when they’re around 2 after hana jumps at one of those poles on a climbing frame and hits her head and touya (who’d been playing with her and fuyumi) laughs so hard he falls off too. so obviously rei and nao rush over to see if they’re ok with natsuo and tenko following them like little ducks. once they get there rei and nao recognise eachother since they were friends in school but lost contact after rei married enji

so the mums stay in contact and have play dates for the kids and thus begins a natshig friendship (with touya and hana being very aggressive best friends as well)

so one day natsuo says to tenko that if endeavour ever hit him then he’d run away to tenkos house. tenko of course thinks this is a great idea and remembers that when he’s outside crying after his dad hits him

so little tenko picks himself up and toddles on over to the todoroki household with mon following him on his adventure

hana comes out, can’t find her brother, and promptly loses her shit and her mum soon follows and eventually kotaro comes down, sees the side gate open and (quite understandably) believes his son has been kidnapped when in reality he’s skipping away to his friends house

by the time tenko gets to the todorokis, rei knows that he’s missing and near has a heart attack when he shows up at her door

luckily the only casualties of tenkos quirk is a few toys, so significantly less trauma. nao is still pissed at tenko for scaring her so bad so he is grounded but at least he’s not an orphan! :D

fast forward a few years and natshig are minding their own business when they see some guys trying to grab a kid and natsuo decides to punch the shit out of them. they then decide to become vigilantes since tenko has a “villainous” quirk and natsuo has no quirk at all and they don’t think any hero course will take them

the end up bumping into dabi who cant very well just leave his brother with next to no street smarts so he teaches the boys hand to hand and how to not get arrested

of course these dumbasses end up arrested by eraserhead

in exchange for letting them go and not saying anything, aizawa makes them take the entrance exam with the promise that they’re basically guaranteed a place so he can nurture their heroic spirit or whatever

so tenkos family is mostly supportive since hana is going into her third year there and nao divorced kotaro after he refused to take responsibility for tenko running away, but obviously endeavour isn’t too happy about natsuo and says he won’t survive and will be dropping out in no time

dabi is annoyed they got caught, but willing to support them anyway

they both end up graduating, but not before natsuo snitches on endeavour to aizawa and he helps fuyumi get custody of her brothers and a steady income so she can provide for them

endeavour gets arrested and dabi goes home because endeavour may not be dead but he is in jail and all that time spent with natsuo and tenko unfroze his cold dead heart so he just wants his siblings back

cue emotional reunion cut short by hana drop kicking the poor man for not at least leaving ominous notes pretending to be a ghost

that’s basically it and actually writing that gave me a smidge of motivation to write it so maybe i’ll do it??? i’ll sign this in case i do and you or someone else wants to read it when i write it

~🦋

This is just too good for words💖✨

#sorry this took so long but #HANA AND TOUYA BFFS. why didn't this occur to me. anon your brain is huge✨ #especially the canon fix #i'm willing to bet nao gave him a piece of her mind after that #vigilante bfs YES💖✨ #and dabi mentoring them?? absolute gOLD✨ #dabi: [watching them trying to take out robbers in direct view of a security camera] #dabi internally: these dumbasses haven't changed a bit #dabi: rule number 1 of being a vigilante - whatever happens. do not get caught. #natsuo three days later: [over the phone] hey dabi? we broke rule one #aizawa's probably so done at this point #hana being the elder sister who gives out 'helpful' tips #hana: so. i heard aizawa's in charge of you both. #hana: [thumping him on the back] good luck. you'll need it #tenko: ?!?? #hana and dabi reunion would be so dramatic #probably more than natsuo's reaction #hana: you would've been an amazing ghost. i would've believed it. you could've scared the living daylights out of people!! #and instead you chose to mentor my idiot brother. why. do you know how many people would sell their souls for such an opportunity?! #dabi: i'm sorry?? i won't do it again? #hana: [punching him] you'd better not #if you do end up writing it i'd LOVE to read it💖💖 #how do you all come up with such top-tier ideas honestly😌 #thanks for the ask!! #🦋 anon!! #natshig #shiganatsu #not a quote #au

[letsunity]

The Lucky Batch ☘️

Cold Lullabies

With the information that Raffle delivered, Kenlha wanted to hear their side of the story. However, she struggled to muster the gut to do so, knowing the pain they must feel.

Every day, Kenlha misses Morast, wishing that she’d never been their padawan. Maybe the Clawdite would still be alive if Kenlha was dumped with another master, someone like Kit Fisto or Ki-Adi Mundi, the latter being a sociopath. Mundi was better than Mace Windu, the prick.

She has an idea how they feel. Though instead of losing one, they’ve lost many. Not only their batchmates but prior mother-figure, Master Bastet. 

Master Fisto, Master Koon and Master Kenobi believed that she was best for this squad, they trusted her to care for them. In order to do that, she needed to know as much as possible.

Not only that, but share as well. They’ll be fully open to each other, no secrets between them. That’ll build trust and maybe make them almost competent. 

The twins, however, are crafty bastards. 

Foxy would direct the conversation in one of his many attempts to flirt. Thumbs would egg him on while Ballast laughed. 

Pepper, being the only medic, could say that he was busy with one of his idiot brothers. Given how often this lot gets injured, she can’t argue that he’s was a busy guy. 

It was a waiting game. She’d have to ambush one of them, get them comfortable with her. 

This togruta space witch is even craftier than these twins.

While trying to mentor Brisk and Luna, she’d wait. 

Eventually, Kenlha’s time came, just not how she wanted it to. 

On one of the missions, Pepper was hurt, the fool more focused on protecting Foxy. He got an infection from the wound, even contracting a virus. Foxy was adamant that they not go back to Kamino, leaving them to follow Pepper’s fevered orders. 

It inspired her to start practicing medicine, only for her to realise how complicated it was. 

With perseverance and a visit from a clone named Kix, Peps was on his way to getting back on his feet. 

Since he couldn’t run away, Kenlha would take advantage of the only moment she had. 

“Looking better by the day,” Kenlha complimented, sitting next to Pepper’s bed. “You’ll be giving out stickers any day, buddy.”

“Goose will be thrilled,” the medic continued, wondering how high it’s body count was now. “Ryder needs a new Nexu sticker. Then I can make the hot Cheetos dipped in mashed potatoes scratch and sniff for him.”

It was sweet to see the new Ryder bring such a gift to Pepper, he adored it. 

“Is it alright if I ask you something?”

“You can always confide with me, Ken. Doctor patient confidentiality ensures your secrets are safe with me.”

He was a soft boi, a good brother to her and an excellent doctor. When she looked into those mismatched eyes and his soft smile, it was easy to forget what he’d endured. What both twins went through together. 

“I’d like to know about before me and before Master Bastet. I’m a Jedi, I can sense your instinctive caution around me, even though you don’t show it. As your General, your sister, I want to be there for you as you are for me.”

Perhaps it was the fever, maybe it was exhaustion, but he gave somewhat of a summary of what transpired with Master Laverna. She could feel the trauma, especially regarding the force-choke.

He had to hold his neck, recalling the events as though he was re-living them again. 

Raffle forgot to mention that the Jedi’s death was an accident, but in her opinion, he deserved it. While she’s biased, being their sister, she can’t stand people mistreating the clones. 

Being so close with the twins, she’s disgusted by that dead Cathar.

“I... sometimes I don’t think Foxy should’ve gotten involved,” the medic sighed, like a weight was lifted from his chest. 

Understandably, Kenlha was surprised, though she wouldn’t voice it. He was sharing with her, she can’t ruin this. She can understand him more, and by doing that, she can be a better sister. 

“He had a padawan, a girl, possible 11 or so, named Teles. I cut off her leg, but didn’t cut high enough, and she died, likely septic shock. I held her hand as that light fell away. Nothing he could’ve done to me would compare to feeling her going limp and cold.”

He felt responsible for her. He did everything he could and she still died. It’s a pain that Kenlha empathised with more than she wished she did. Her eyes burned as salty water seeped through her ducts, dribbling down her yellow skin.

“I often feel that I killed my master, Morast Tane. They were strict, but they were better to me than anyone before. They tried to guide my energy onto something productive and constructive, kind of like a parent to me,” Kenlha started, recalling the events herself.

“It was on a hot planet called Nevarro, magma and volcanic ash littering the ground. While fighting an army of droids, some damned flyers shot from above, causing the ground to become unstable.

I didn’t think. I jumped into the air, slicing through those bastards. One that I bisected fell, crashing into that unstable ground and causing Master Morast to fall. I tried to pull them up, but they fell into the lava. 

The only word they could muster was Run before the cries started. Being outmatched, outgunned, we had to leave. There wasn’t even anything to bury them,” Kenlha sighed, the sensation of something clawing at her throat adding to the tears. “I know the pain of being responsible, even when others tell you it wasn’t your fault.”

The medic absorbed her tale, allowing her a few moments to recollect herself. The togruta held his hand, supporting herself and him in the emotional moment. 

There were days she wished it was her instead of Master Morast.

“Do you remember the Endeavour, that ship that crashed down, killing two-thousand troopers?” Pepper started, his voice trembling. “I... could’ve stopped that from happening.”

She waited, feeling his grip tighten around hers.

“At Geonosis, while Foxy, Mozzarella, Springer and Locke were fighting droids, I and a few others were sent back to look for surviving Jedi. Instead, I found someone with my face, only far younger.

I knew who he was, everybody did. The Maker’s chosen child, the payment for his involvement in making us. The one that he named Boba, raising as his own.

If I’d just taken him in or hell, even shot him, then all of those clones would still be alive. Master Windu and Master Skywalker wouldn’t have been hurt. Instead of that, I let him go, lying to my fellows that I didn’t find anybody.”

“While the Endeavour was a tragedy, I think you did the right thing. They were only a child, weren’t they? Even by Mandalorian standards, he was a kid, right?”

“Master Bastet said something similar. And she’s dead too. I tend to have bad luck regarding Jedi.”

He was afraid to get close to her in case she died. It’s an understandable fear, she was terrified of ever having a master again.

Kenlha was scared to even be a Master, worried that she’d never live up to Morast with her young girls. Brisk and Luna were outliers too, so she had an advantage there, but still. 

There are days where she wondered if Morast would’ve been better for them.

“I won’t promise that I’m not gonna die. We all die eventually, many earlier than they should. What I will promise, Peps, is that I’ll be here for every day that it gets hard. During the days it feels like there can’t be a tomorrow, I’ll be right here to listen. All of us, even Goose.”

“Foxy’ll need an ear, too. He’s an idiot, but he’s my idiot.”

“He was adamant that we steer clear from Kamino. Would I be pushing it if I asked why?”

She watched those green and brown eyes ponder, thinking over her question. As with before, he chose to share.

“Foxy and I aren’t just twins. There’re loads of twins, Echo and Fives from the 501st for example. We, however, are literal twins. Our clump of cells split and we grew attached at the shoulder,” he explained, motioning to his tattooed shoulder. “The Kaminoans, having not seen it often, experimented on us to prevent it from happening again. Our earliest memories have made us dislike them, especially the one named Nala Se.”

It made sense and she could agree with it.

“Then to ensure that we don’t go, I think I’ll have to learn some doctor lessons from you. I’ll be your, um, what’s that dumb thing Jackal says?”

“P-to-the-wan?”

“Yep, I’ll be your medic padawan,” she smiled, earning one from him as well. It was a beautiful thing, given his experiences. “Have a sleep, pal. We’ll give you a few minutes of peace.”

“There’s tape in Boots’ room,” he chuckled. She smirked, knowing that it would be for Ballast. “It... was good talking with you, Ken.”

“You too, Doctor Bro.”

Kenlha will talk with Foxy as well. She’ll talk with all of her siblings, assuring them that she’s there for ‘em. Not just her clones but her padawans, too. 

She wasn’t going to lie, it felt good talking to Peppy about her feelings as well.

Feelings aren’t accepted in the Jedi Order, so he made her feel valid. It was something she desperately needed from someone, and she was happy it was from Peps.

This is a good family she’s found.

Love you guys!

Tags: @lynnpaper @just-another-dreamerr @maygalodon @radbatch @oo-hazel-oo @foxlock​ @lusiawonder @catboy-tech @cosmicghostie @monako-jinn-stories @namesmox @generaltano @lavenderstaars @mango-peachjuice 

I am evil, yis 😈😈

PS - it’s 3:23am lol brain is working overtime!

#The Lucky Batch #Clone Force 37 #Chaos/Comfort

[joytoasheshq]

below is my sample application for robert baratheon-lannister. apps won’t be posted with acceptances. this is an example to give you an idea of what i’m looking for in apps, but there is not an exception that applicants write each part in the same style or of the same length as me; i’m self-aware enough to know this sample is a lot! hope this is helpful and enjoy!!

OOC.

name: roman

age: 26

pronouns: they/them

timezone: est

triggers: {omitted}

in the game of thrones you win or you die, would you be open to your character dying?: he’s gotta die for things to get better, kill this motherfucker, but only once he’s served his purpose and i’ve had some fun with him

anything else: i smell like beef

IN CHARACTER.

full name: Robert Steffan Baratheon-Lannister

gender + pronouns: cis man + he/him

age & dob: 35 years old, July 25, 1983

faceclaim: Oliver Jackson-Cohen

personality:

Those who’ve known Robert his whole life will tell you what he was like in his youth with something of a wistful smile. That he’s always been CHARISMATIC, a natural people person, who somehow attracts loyalty from anyone who gives him the chance. Maybe it’s a little different now, a little less charming, and a little more entitled, but it’s a charisma that still exists, one that he still turns on when he wants something or needs to get something done. One a lot of the people of Westeros are still charmed by, if not the elite.

There’s PASSION to everything he does, every little choice full of so much intensity that at times it’s overwhelming. Everything he does, he does fully, whether it’s good or bad. There’s no such thing as middle ground in his world, he cares deeply, or he doesn’t care at all. And that comes with the BOLDNESS. In a way, it always felt like he had to be bold, had to make choices strongly and quickly, without fear. After all, he was barely nineteen when his father died, leaving him with not only a business to look after, but also a family.

More often than not, though, he’s RASH about what he does, not giving anything much thought, but letting explosive emotions rule action, without considering consequences. STUBBORN and NARROW-SIGHTED, unwilling to consider any other option once he’s made his mind up. He willfully blinds himself to the problems around him, because he doesn’t think there’s any point in trying to change things if it’s not going to work, in his mind.

There’s an unwillingness to acknowledge mistakes, or accept consequences when the choices do lead to bad outcomes. It leads to a lot of anger, and that’s something he’s never dealt with properly. In his mind, it’s much easier to deal with pretty much any problem with a PHYSICAL solution; it’s something he is very good at, but rarely is the appropriate response to a problem, especially now that the fighting’s been done for so many years.

headcanons:

storm’s end & the eyrie (cw death)

Family has always been about a name in Westeros, a person’s whole identity inexplicably wrapped up in something they can’t even control. It’s fucked up, at least to him. It’s fucked up, but he’s aware, even if most people think he’s too much of an idiot to be, how caught up in it he is, too.

Appearance is everything, after all, and even if he hasn’t managed to keep up his own public appearance, he cares about the name, even if the people he considers his family don’t share a surname with him.

He loves his brothers, of course. That is something he will always argue, no matter what it seems to the outside world, no matter what it seems to either of them. But he’s never been able to bring himself to feel truly connected to either of them. Stannis is too different at his very core, almost as if they didn’t share a father at all, for how utterly unlike both of them he was. And Renly, well, he was already a teenager when his youngest brother was born, and he ended up more like an amusing plaything than a brother before their parents’ deaths. After, he was a burden, passed off to be raised by close family friends instead of looked after by his own brother. Robert already found someone who actually felt like what a brother should be in a way Stannis never quite had, and Renly couldn’t by then, after all.

So he loves his family, yes. But his family hasn’t been anyone with solely Baratheon at the end of their name in quite the way it should be for a long, long time.

He was so caught up in it all, so caught up in his own life, that he hadn’t considered the idea that things could change.

It was all going fantastically after all. They lived lavishly, and his parents were good, genuinely good. His mother and father and their partners ran the business, Stag Realty Group, ran the real estate market of Westeros. They’d made sure he was set up with a good future, one that he chose, and that started with finding a mentor in his mother’s close friend, Jon Arryn. And that’s where he found the people he would come to consider his family, that’s where he met Ned.

The thing is, it actually wasn’t going fantastically, but he didn’t notice until it was too late to try to help. His father didn’t have quite as much time, as years passed by, to devote to his children, Aerys asking more and more of him as he deteriorated himself. Not as much time, either, for the love they’d all built. More strain, less openness, Robert didn’t even realize he’d been making up for it by spending more and more time at the Eyrie with the ones who still had time for him.

And then the family he’d let himself forget was gone, a storm breaking it completely. A shipwreck with his parents and their partners on it, returning from a business trip on Aerys’s behalf across the Narrow Sea. And he watched, he stood there with Stannis on the docks, there to greet them after a few weeks away, and instead saw them all die. Somehow, it was harder to look at Stannis than to look at the wreckage together, to identify the bodies together, to go through belongings, to go through wills together.

It’s hard to look in the eye of someone who looks like the death of your childhood, after all.

It’s hard to look at someone who thinks the same of you.

the trident (cw violence, blood, murder)

The thing is, it wasn’t self-defense. Maybe for a moment, at the beginning, when he’d tried to ask him why he’d done it all, when they stood there, the riots raging on the other side of the river, looking at each other. He couldn’t help but remember how they had played together, laughed together, way back when as kids, when names meant nothing, and something as silly as love couldn’t get in the way of things.

Love.

That was only a moment, though, because Rhaegar smiled. Had said so simply, voice somehow clear over the din of the riots...

You don’t understand love, cousin. If you did, we wouldn’t be standing here, you would’ve let her go a long time ago.

No. No part of what he did to Rhaegar could be considered what the court ruled it, not before those words, and certainly not after. When he went to the Trident to meet him, he knew exactly what he was going to do, one way or another. The words just sent him over the edge, forcing him to take action sooner. But he had already decided.

Why else would he have had the brass knuckles gripped in his pocket?

Dozens of witnesses, and yet not one of them was able to say for sure how it had started, although most swore it was Rhaegar. He still wonders how many of them Jon had bribed with power or safety, how many of them were threatened to lie under oath to guarantee he’d walk free. How many of the jurors were gifted generously afterward for their verdicts with Lannister money. And yet he doesn’t ask, even though he knows he could easily find out. Because he knows it was him who began it. He had to do something about that smile, had to prove him wrong by fighting for the love he seemed to think he didn’t understand.

It was lucky that his cousin had had the same plan. Lucky, oddly enough, that he’d pulled the knife so soon, had caught him just under the collar bone with the blade, before he’d pulled his decorated fist from his pocket. That was enough to put it on him.

Robert Baratheon would’ve died instead, Jon had insisted, if he hadn’t defended himself from Rhaegar Targaryen’s vicious attack.

He hardly remembers most of it, just the smell of copper, his own grunts of pain mixed with Rhaegar’s, the sear of the blade cutting any part of him he could find as they struggled. And the blood, he remembers the blood blooming from broken skin as he kept hitting, over and over again, long after he should’ve stopped.

He’d never admit to anyone now just how convinced he was that he would end up locked away for the rest of his life. He’d never admit how much sleep he’s lost thinking of what he did, or worse, not regretting it at all. Would never admit how he still hears those words now, and wonders what they meant.

How selfish, that after everything, that was the only time he truly felt fear. Not even when he heard that Lyanna had been kidnapped, not when he had helped in the fighting, not when he stared down the cousin he used to love. No, dying would’ve been easy; he’s so intimate with death already.

Living is much worse.

And now he’s not so sure that he hasn’t been punished anyway, even though he walked free. He thinks maybe the power is his real punishment in the end. What is the realm, anyway, when what he had been fighting for was his love, his humanity?

There was a gun, he’d had a gun somewhere, and he learned during the trial that Rhagaer did, too. And yet, neither of them had used them.

No, it wasn’t self-defense. It was something much more personal.

king’s landing

He changed his middle name when he changed his last name. It was a two-for-one deal, after all; since he already had to change his last name, then why not do another while he was already at the courthouse signing the paperwork? It was a whim, but it felt right, and that’s really all it’s ever taken to get him to do something, an urge and some confidence.

He always hated his middle name, anyway, first because it sounded stupid, and then later because it attached him to the Targaryens. Aegon, after his great-grandfather. Who throws Aegon on their kid, even smashed between two semi-normal names? No, he shed the weight of a name like that as soon as he had the chance, having always conveniently left out his middle name even before the betrayal that led to the rebellion. He used to tell people his parents just forgot to choose one. That was easier.

He’d rather just be a Baratheon, anyway.

So that’s what he chose. Steffan was his late father’s name, and it only felt right to pay tribute to him. He was a good man, a good leader, the sort of person Robert always hoped he could be. Maybe he thought somewhere in the back of his mind that taking his name might make that easier. But it didn’t work.

Because he’s a fucking Lannister, too, apparently.

Here he is, with the stupid fucking hyphenated surname on every official document he has to sign. Hell, it still looks like a third grader learning cursive for the first time is writing the Lannister part, tacked onto the signature he’d already perfected. The issue of the last name still makes him roll his eyes to this day. Even knowing her well, he’d foolishly assumed Cersei would take his surname. But he should’ve known, because hasn’t he done things equally as wicked as every other Lannister in history?

“Why should I have to be the one to take on your identity? We’re getting married, it’s not some life changing thing.”

“I’d disagree with that, but fine, I’ll bite. It’s not fair to lose your name. Hyphenate it.”

“You hyphenate it, if it’s such a throwaway thing.”

“As much as I like you, sometimes you really just make me want to punch myself in the face, did you know that? I’ll hyphenate, if you hyphenate, too. Fair’s fair.”

“Alright then, Lannister-Baratheon it is.”

“No, no, no, how the fuck do you think it’ll look to the realm if I’m Robert Lannister suddenly? Besides, it sounds better alphabetically. Baratheon comes first.”

“No, it doesn’t, Lannister does.”

Silence.

“There’s no law saying we have to match, and if there is, well, I can get rid of it...”

blacktyde (cw alcohol, drugs)

It’s not something he ever planned on becoming, somehow who relies on escapism to get through one fucking day, one fucking night, but here he is.

It’s not like he ever imagined his life as any of this, anyway. And that’s the problem, it’s always been the problem. He never wanted to rule, not really, all he wanted was to bring her home safely, to be together, to have a life. But he couldn’t even do that right, and now that life is gone for good, just like Lyanna.

Before, it was always just something those around him laughed at, or rolled their eyes at. It was a joke, the way he never tried to reel in any of his appetites. When he was younger, it was something amusing, to see how he literally charmed the pants off of anyone he wanted so easily, and never hung around much longer than that, it was impressive the way he could drink anyone under the table, it was cool how he never backed down from a fight, and always won.

Boys will be boys, that’s what they say.

No, boys will be men who have no fucking clue how to cope with any hint of emotion; who have to keep drinking, and fighting, and fucking to even try to deal with reality when things don’t go their way.

Now it’s just depressing. But he can’t stop, doesn’t know how, or maybe worse, is too afraid to confront any of what happened to stop.

There’s been too much loss, and he’s tried too hard to fill in the gaps that can never be filled. So that’s what he keeps doing, because what the fuck else is there? It’s easier to be halfway to drunk at any given moment to keep the thoughts hazy, easier to find a pair or two of random arms to keep him warm in the hard moments than to let himself risk a heartbreak, easier to get to sleep if he’s sent off with a sip of the evening than to wake up thinking he’s smelling the copper of his blood mixed with his cousin’s.

It was nice, for a while. He knows, even if they all think he’s too fucking stupid to realize. He knows that they’re all tired of the act, knows that they see through it. For a while, it was excusable. Maybe even further than that, the city was glad to have a Protector so human, one who was as unafraid of standing against injustice, as he was to show his vices. But that ended years ago. He knows they whisper about how incompetent he is.

The funny thing is, though, that they think he doesn’t agree. Because he does, truly. He knows he’s been a horrible Protector, maybe as bad as Aerys, in a different way. He knows, but somehow he can’t bring himself to do much about it.

It’s always been easier to ignore a problem, after all, until it’s taken care of, or it consumes him whole.

INTERVIEW

ii. what’s your morning routine?

“Morning routine? Is this a personal interest piece you’re writing?” he laughs, shaking his head as he runs through the truth, crafting a lie.

Wake up late hungover from shade of the evening, coffee with whiskey (mostly the latter), scalding shower to try to feel less dirty, another drink, listen to messages, ignore messages, swipe through Tinder, swipe through Grindr, lie on bed for half an hour thinking of every mistake you’ve made, get up, get dressed, look in the mirror, hate yourself, wait for someone to tell you what to do.

“It’s like anyone else’s. Alarm wakes me up, I’ll go through messages before I even make it out of the bedroom. Sometimes I’ll go for a run if I manage to wake up early enough. Stop on the way back and get Cersei her venti iced almond milk cappuccino with cold foam, extra shot of espresso, and three pumps of hazelnut. Or whatever. Drink half of it myself before I can make it to the Red Keep,” a wave of his hand brushes that one off. People like that sort of thing, a little humanity thrown into it. Not that that matters anymore, not that the whole city doesn’t know how horribly human he is.

“Usually, though, I’ll go through the news with some coffee, then take a nice hot shower, wake myself up. Breakfast with the family, sometimes Jon comes up early and goes through the day, then I get ready and head to work. Work being downstairs, but you know, nice to forget that sometimes. Simple.”

vii. have you ever lost someone you loved?

“What a cruel question. Who hasn’t in this damn city? To death, to circumstances, to life. If there’s one common thread in my life, it’s that. Loss. But I’m not special in that. Any of us who lived through the riots share that. I think that’s why it hasn’t gotten to that point again, in over a decade, no matter how much we all disagree. It’s not me, that’s stopping it––I’m not an idiot, no matter what the people think––it’s knowing how it feels to lose what you love. We can’t bear the thought of doing it again.”

ix. who was your last text to, and what did it say?

“You know I probably can’t tell you, right? Like, it was probably something important. There’s a council meeting tomorrow,” he says raising an eyebrow, but shifting to pull his phone out of his back pocket.

“Are you saying you run Westeros through text messages?”

He stops where he was, looks up as his thumbprint unlocks it with an amused smile, before looking back down as he goes on.

“Are you saying you wouldn’t if you had the option? What year do you think this is? Texting is faster than emailing, I’m not going to get on a fuckin’ conference call with them, and gods know I don’t want to see their faces every day,” he laughs, a hint of something bitter to the words.

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, thumb finally stops. He goes on before the reporter can question it. “It was to Ned. I said: ‘knock, knock, motherfucker, I’m outside with a dozen boston creme donuts with your name written on them, and yes, I do need something in return.’”

A long pause.

“Are you saying you were bribing Eddard Stark?”

EXTRAS (OPTIONAL):

pinterest board!

character tag!

old playlist! (yes, it is exclusively fall out boy songs because bobby b is a walking emo song)

likes: Being surrounded by people, expensive clothes, Ned Stark, being shirtless, drinking, an intricate skincare routine, Cersei’s voice, using his Alexa for anything at all, beautiful people, being praised, making fun of Littlefinger to anyone, too-sweet coffee, sleeping in, skin-on-skin contact, a well-placed punch, a life of luxury, fucking with Stannis, Davos’s onion rings, shade of the evening, candles that smell like men (you know the ones), bubble baths with other people

dislikes: Targaryens, wearing suits, aging, responsibility, council meetings, the cold, storms especially on the coast, monogamy, sailing, the smell of blood, the justice system, board rooms, listening to Tywin, being alone, being sober, the Narrow Sea, having to be serious, thinking critically about his actions, dealing with the Martells, having every action judged, sharing a bathroom with Cersei, conversely having to go downstairs to take a shower when she’s taking too long

random hcs:

He still has the brass knuckles he killed Rhaegar with. He knows he shouldn’t, knows that if the public found out, it would look even worse for him than it already does, and yet. After the trial was over, after the council had chosen him to lead, he used that power to get that piece of evidence back, even if it is an illegal weapon. He hasn’t used them since, but it’s a comfort, knowing he has them. It’s a small thing, to have a tangible reminder that he got the revenge he needed, even if it was too late.

In all honesty, Robert doesn’t really have many true friends. He has plenty of acquaintances, plenty of people who try their best to act the part, to get something from him. But there’s only one person he really considers his friend and trusts wholly, and that’s Ned Stark.

His favorite drink at Hightower is their version of Pink Drink, and you’d be hard pressed to get him to have a coffee when that’s an option.

His favorite alcoholic drink is any. Literally just whatever’s closest.

Even though after his parents’ deaths he was put in charge of Stag Realty Group and Storm’s End, it was never going to be his business. He was more interested in what he learned from Jon Arryn, ended up with a degree in law instead, using it for his political motivations. He wanted to be loved. Instead, he put his parents’ close family friends, the Penroses, in charge of the real estate group on his behalf until Renly is old enough to take over, and he worked his way into politics, taking over his father’s empty council seat a few years later. He didn’t even bother to offer Storm’s End to Stannis.

His passion for law and politics has long since cooled into indifference, though, now that he’s seen how royally fucked the whole system is, and knows it doesn’t matter, anyway, that the people with enough money can do what they want, run the city from their high horses, and that the people’s love doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

The only person he has ever been in love with is Lyanna Stark. He loved her for years and years and years, and did everything he could to win her love, too, which was easy, because of how well they fit together. They gave each other the adventure and excitement they needed, and he looked forward to every moment spent with her, every moment apart like a small eternity. She made him want to be better, because she deserved someone who was good. And it feels a whole lot like the good parts of him died with her, like she was the only thing keeping him from becoming what he is now.

Well, maybe he’s a little in love with Ned, and maybe he always will be, but that’s neither here nor there, since Ned’s happily married having built what Robert considers the greatest family in the world, and he knows he isn’t interested in being married to two people at once. (He knows, because he asked.)

Cersei does mean the world to him, even if not in the way a spouse necessarily should. He respects her deeply, and at this point feels more comfortable with her than without. The thing about her is that not for a minute did she ever expect anything else from him, but exactly what he was. Even from that first night spent together, in which they both hesitated to leave, a change of events in which they both stayed and slept next to each other, there was never any illusion. She’s the only one who’s ever been able to handle how he is, and he feels that he could say the same vice versa. He’s not in love with her, but maybe he loves her, in his own strange way, without realizing it.

Thanks in part to the unconventional family situation he was raised it, Robert finds it nearly impossible to even fathom monogamy. To him, it’s not cheating, because he knows Cersei knows, even if it’s not always him who tells her. Even if he were married to someone he was in love with, he would still crave the openness of polyamory. And it’s easier now, too, to indulge in his desires with whoever he wants, because it keeps him from getting too close to any one person, and the potential of losing love again.

As such, he’s bisexual as fuck, and would never let something as silly as gender keep him from having fun with someone. Are you attractive and consenting? Then you’re Robert’s type.

#lsrp #lsrpg #got rp #asoiaf rp #mature rp #sample app

[chaosstar290]

My thoughts and opinions on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 thus far.

The game’s only about a month and a half away from being released, and Super Mario Odyssey releases in just about a week. These are two of my most anticipated games for the Switch. Now, it’s pretty obvious that nearly everyone’s really excited for Odyssey. 

But as for Xenoblade 2...not so much. 

From the artstyle, and character designs, and the voice acting...lots of fans and gamers alike are pretty much giving it The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker treatment. From Youtube comments, social media sites, and game message boards...many fans weren’t happy with it. I was one of those people when the game was first announced. I kinda thought the artstyle looked way too generic, anime, and similar as to games like Tales of Berseria.

However, I did some research and mostly figured out as to why Xenoblade 2 looks the way it does. In the most recent interview with Monolithsoft director/writer, Tetsuya Takahashi said a couple of things as the reason he chose the direction he made with the game.

The Tone:

Let’s start with the overall tone of the story. No doubt that the bright and cheery look of the game has thrown off many people into thinking the plot will be “kiddy” or “generic, shonen, harem, fanservice, etc.” trash. All Xeno games up to this point has stories that were more serious, dark, and adult themed. This here ties in with what Takahashi has to say:

“A young adult story with a taste of boy-meets-girl. Lately it feels like all I’ve been doing are games full of devastation, like where your hometown burns down at the start, or the spaceship you’re riding crashes (oh wait, that is all I ever do). Sometimes I just wanna try something different! I’ll leave the stories about the solemn old men and stylish hot guys to someone else (even though there’s way more demand for that stuff), and go ahead with this.”

“ I want to make something that people can look back on fondly one day as something that really shaped their lives. Something like what I loved as a boy, like Oliver! (by Carol Reed) and Galaxy Express 999 (by Rintaro). — That’s why I started working on this game. “

So it seemed that Takahashi wanted to try his hands on making a more light-hearted, character-driven plot. Which mostly explains the more brighter tone of Xenoblade 2. He draws inspiration from this due to some young adult/coming-of-age books and films he experienced as a kid. Mostly in his case, the 1968 musical, family drama film Oliver!, and the 1977 adventure, space western anime Galaxy Express 999.

In addition, we’ve been getting quite a few JRPGs this year in the similar tones that Takahashi mentioned. 

While it would be nice to have Xenoblade 2 following this trend, I can kinda understand where Takahashi’s coming from. As someone inspiring to become a writer myself, making the different story with the same tone and setting can be tiresome. Sometimes the creators just wanna to go with something different. even if their fans won’t like it.Plus, making original stories in this day and age is pretty hard to do. 

People who’ve read tons of books, watched a lot of story-driven cartoons, movies,or anime, or even play many plot-heavy video games for years already know so many tropes and cliches these days. Writers have to borrow some old tropes from movies and such from the past, and figure out ways to add a unique twist to it. Sometimes it succeeds, while other times it fails. And this is pretty much the similar route Takahashi’s going with.

Sure the story might end up being “shonen,” but knowing the guy...I’m sure the story might end up being good. I can’t say for certain why, but I do have some faith in him. Speaking of such, let me explain the next thing many people have against Xenoblade 2.

The Artstyle/Characters:

If it’s no surprise, Xenoblade 2 has a cast of a mostly kids group instead of young adult and such. Which sets a lot of people off, and makes them think that the cast might not be as likable. Especially the main character, Rex himself. And no, this isn’t about his pants. No matter how ridiculous they seem.

Many gamers nowadays come to conclusions that having a young kid or teenager as the protagonist is a sign of something bad. Mostly due to the fact that they might be whiny, bratty, or angsty. But before I dive deeper into this topic, let me talk the main character of the original Xenoblade, Shulk.

There was a time in JRPGs last gen where many main characters would end up being too unlikeable. They were either very one-dimenional, oblivious, annoying, idiotic, cowardly, or overly negative with zero character development. Takahashi’s goal for Shulk was to make a more likable and relatable protagonist than in most JRPGs. He was originally going to be a silent protagonist, but Takahashi rejected that idea. 

He figured in order to make Shulk a more likeable protagonist, Takahashi tried giving Shulk a bit more of positive interactions and words of encouragement, especially in battle. Takahashi tried to make Shulk react much like he thought players would react to the scenarios. This was followed by giving him a bit more of a intelligent personality so he could interact with the world and characters better. Takahashi even took advantage of getting feedback from the Super Mario Club, whose assured that his intake for Shulk was positive.

Unfortunately, Shulk’s character got mixed reception from game reviewers. Some saying that he was pretty darn enjoyable with a fantastic voice actor and character growth, while others saying that he was rather "a  vanilla, personality-less, unequivocally bland warrior" who "makes other JRPG heroes look like Marlon friggin' Brando."

However, Shulk does get pretty great responses from the fandom these days. Mostly getting praise for not being an idiotic, whiny brat, or some emo-ish ultra hot obnoxious macho man...who’s very mature, intelligent, and quick-to-the-bone instead.

For the most part, I’m one of those people as well. While Shulk may have seem bland or generic form an outside stand point, playing the game for myself, I was actually surprised by how likable and down-to-earth Shulk was. His interactions with some of the cast was nice as well. For example, with Reyn, him and Shulk felt like real close friends. Brothers even. With Dunban, Shulk looked up to him as a mentor and a hero. Dickson also felt like a father figure to him. Shulk wan’t just some one-dimensional character...he felt like a real person. This, lead by his incredible voice acting, made Shulk one of my favorite JRPG protagonist of all time.

It’s just too bad the Super Smash Bros. version of himself gets a bad rep.

Now where was I...? 

Oh yeah, Rex.

Now it’s no surprise that compared to the more mature/older main characters from the previous games, Shulk and Elma, many people think Rex will probably be some annoying, bratty, angst kid like I said. And as I said before, this is the issue people have with making a kid as the protagonist in JRPGs nowadays.

Although, thinking about what Takahashi said about trying to make Shulk a likable protagonist, I think I can see Rex being handled in a similar manner. For a better example of a kid protagonist done right, Oliver from Ni No Kuni is one of them.

Some of the things I liked about Oliver was his honesty, determination, courage, kindness, strong sense of justice, and character development. He never strikes me as the whiny/bratty type when I got deeper into the game. He stroked me as a brave and sweet kid. And while he may not be the best JRPG protagonist out there, I really did like how his personality and character was handled, especially for someone his age.

I think I could see Rex being as well-developed in a similar way, especially with Takahashi saying that he’s a lot more mature than people let on. But only time can tell how Rex’s character will be handled, since we know very little about him.

Speaking of characters, let’s talk about the artstyle. 

This is the major thing Xenoblade 2 gets a lot of flack about. Compared to the more realistic styles from Xenoblade 1 and X, going to a more “childish” anime look was a major kneejerk to a lot of fans. It’s no surprise that a lot of JRPGs these days are going in for more anime-esque artstyle to gain popularity, which is getting a lot of negative response. Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates being prime examples of this.

It’s no surprise to the older side of the FE fandom out there that the reasons Awakening and Fates get so much popularity is due to the fact that the games went in a more anime-ish approach with the characters and story, while making the games easier for newcomers to play...this choice made the veterans real upset about the direction the series has been going in lately.

And despite Shadows of Valentia going for a more classic approach with the characters and story, the gameplay and lack of many support conversations made the game not sell as much as the previous titles.

The anime artstyle approach that Xenoblade 2′s going with is making the fandom feel the same way. However Takahashi had this to say about the  artstyle change:

“Targeting a wider audience was one of our goals but we wanted to make it to where the characters had more facial expressions. Masatsugu Saito’s character design is a way to make the protagonists more expressive.”

For those of you who don’t know Masatsugu Saito, he was the guy that did the animation for the CGI anime film, Escape From Paradise.

As far as video game designs, I think he only did one character design for Fire Emblem Awkening, which was Celica.

Not sure if this counts, but I believe this is the first time he’s designed characters in a video game. 

Many see this a negative thing, but I think the reason Takahashi chose Saito was probably for the eyes.

In most games, using cel-shading artstyle can be a way to make the character a lot more expressive. Which I think might be a good thing, because if you can recall in Xenoblade X, the characters expression in cut-scenes mostly stayed the same. 

This was a major issue lots of fans and myself had with this game. While there were cinematic cut-scenes, the characters mostly had expressions like this 75% of the time, compared to how much more expressions there were in Xenoblade 1. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the characters in X, I was just mostly disappointed in the lack more expressions in the cut-scenes. And the more realistic visuals, heavy focus of exploration with the lack of a proper main story were probably to blame for this.

Whereas in Xenoblade 2, the characters show more a lot more expressions. The eyes and the artstyle help this out for the most part. 

Visuals also getting improvements for not just the lighting and shading, but also for the facial expressions. While this may not change a lot of minds about how they feel with the art direction in the game...let me show another game that’s gone though a similar processes.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

This is a game that received a massive amount of negativity for a reason.

 Before Wind Waker was announced, Nintendo showed a tech demo in 2000 about how a Zelda game would look on the GCN. This was something Zelda fans were excited for the realistic look. It was every OOT/MM fan’s dreams...but alas...they’re hopes and reams were crushed when Nintendo showed...

This.

The Wind Waker’s cartoony artstyle made Zelda fans cry and scream in rage like never before. Everyone thought that Nintendo was losing their touch. Of course, despite the positive reviews the game got, hardcore Zelda lovers still weren’t interested. Of course, over 10 yeard from now, many people now consider the game to be an ageless classic despite some gamers still not a fan of the artystyle

Later in the years after Wind Waker was out, fans rejoiced when Nintendo announced the more realistic The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

While I enjoy both The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess for different reasons, and I promise this isn’t a WW vs. TP debate, I will say there is one aspect I loved in The Wind Waker more:

Toon Link’s facial expressions. 

This easily is one of the reasons why I love this version of Link. Nintendo chose this artstyle to a similar reason of Takahashi’s, to make the characters more expressive. And they nailed it. Even without any dialogue, Toon Link’s face would speak for itself. I could tell if Link was happy, sad, scared, shocked, meme worthy, or even annoyed just by his facial expressions alone. They couldn’t have done something like this in a more realistic artstyle as much.

And this is the same thing with Xenoblade 2. Had they used a more realistic style, the characters wouldn't be as expressive. Do I still think Monolith Soft could’ve went with a different artstyle? Yes, but now I understand why they went with this style.

TL;DR 

I’m really hoping people will give Xenoblade 2 a chance, instead of giving it The Wind Waker treatment. Yes, the graphics and character designs aren’t the best...but honesty, did the previous Xenoblade games get any praise though for those similar issues?

C’mon now...let’s be real here...

But hey, at least Xenoblade 2 still follows the trend of having some freaking gorgeous environments. Combine that with the gameplay and music, and I’m cautiously optimistic for this game along with Super Mario Odyssey. Don’t let me down, Monolith!

Additional Notice:

Also..the cutscenes in this game look freaking awesome.

#xenoblade chronicles #xenoblade chronicles x #xenoblade chronicles 2 #the legend of zelda #the wind waker #twilight princess #tales of berseria #nier automata #persona 5 #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem fates #super mario odyssey #ni no kuni #this too me forever to write btw #i have no life #my ramblings #unpopular thoughts