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join-the-joywrite · 3 years

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How can we not talk about family (when family's all that we got)

@jatp-week Day 5: found family

(Please be aware that there is exactly one dirty joke in here but I think it's subtle enough to pass under the radar and I'm cackling at it so it stays. And I broke a bit of canon but shh.)

For @zo2paintedlady. I know it's not the sad you were looking for but this sort of ran away from me. What I planned and what I wrote are two very different things skjxnxns but I still need to give you credit because without your post, I would very likely not have even had this idea oop

@kat-maybe-not it is done :>>

Rose was eighteen years old when she met Sunset Curve. She thought they were incredible. The music they made was magic.

Rose was eighteen when it hit her that life was short, temporary and full of risks -- and she owed that realization to Sunset Curve.

She had genuinely liked Bobby back then. They did agree on a date and she was already planning her outfit. But then the rest of his band never showed and the next thing she heard was that they were gone. Just like that.

As she sat with Bobby and did her best to console him, she vowed to never give up what she loved. Music was her life, as it was theirs, and if she would continue playing for anyone, it would be for the boys whose music sounded like magic.

It never did work out with Bobby. They just couldn't look at each other without remembering Luke, Alex and Reggie. But they stayed friends. She could do that much for him.

Bobby was actually the one who introduced her to Ray.

Rose and Ray took a while to bond. Ray couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that Bobby's closest friends were gone, let alone that a girl they'd met that night couldn't seem to let them go. He thought it was strange that she was so attached to them. He'd gone to school with them and even he wasn't so affected. He understood Bobby, but Rose . . . she was puzzling.

Eventually, when he realised how much music meant to Rose, he understood why remembering Bobby's friends would be so important to her. The greatest curse to befall any musician was being forgotten.

None of them knew what was happening. One moment, Ray and Rose were helping Bobby hold unofficial concerts, showcasing Sunset Curve's music, and the next, Hollywood swallowed Bobby up whole.

As Bobby drifted from Rose, Ray floated closer. He didn't really get music the way she did, but he thought her voice was the prettiest sound in the world. She said she didn't think she could perform for people, but he always caught her humming to herself, drumming a beat on a table with her fingers, or whispering songs to herself.

Ray wasn't a musical person and he didn't quite grasp the impact it could have on someone, but he was starting to. Every moment spent with Rose, watching as her entire demeanor shifted whenever music was involved, helped him understand. Even if he never did fully understand, the sparkle in Rose's eyes or the bright smile she wore whenever she even talked about music would have reeled him in soon enough.

When Bobby resurfaced as Trevor, Ray barely batted an eyelid when Rose dropped everything for him. He understood Rose. To her, music was everything and what Hollywood had done to Trevor was despicable. He, like Ray and Rose themselves, was still a child. A child who didn't know any better and now that he did, it was too late.

Trevor talked to them about what to do next. Neither of them knew. What they did know was that Trevor was stuck and he needed friends. So they stood by him, come what may.

And in return, Trevor stuck by them, come what may.

Rose quickly learned that there were things more important than music and it was thanks to Ray that she learned it. She found that listening to Ray enthuse about cameras and photography gave her the same swarm of butterflies that playing a new song did. It took her a while to realise it, but she joined the dots eventually. Ray and music gave her the same fluttery feelings because she loved them both. And one day, she realised the butterflies for music were so much calmer than the butterflies for Ray.

Trevor thought it was hilarious that it took her so long. Trevor thought it was incredibly hilarious that Ray was still oblivious. So, obviously, Trevor set them up on a date.

Ray and Rose were the most awkward couple Trevor had ever witnessed. They were as comfortable as can be talking about what they loved but the moment it was a date, neither knew what to say. So Trevor did what any good friend would do and he dropped everything to help them ease into the idea of dating.

With time, Ray and Rose got closer than anyone had ever been. Ray always carried a camera because he thought Rose, even in her most candid moments, made any scene prettier simply by being part of the photograph. Rose had started writing her own music again, most of it just lyrical love letters to Ray. (Trevor teased them both about it; Ray by recreating every Rose photograph and Rose by horribly performing her songs about Ray for her.)

When Ray proposed to Rose, Trevor nearly physically fought Ray to help him buy the most expensive ring he could. Rose laughed when she found out and had to reassure Trevor that the ring Ray got was more than enough. Trevor sulked about it, but he brightened considerably when he was informed that, as part of his best man duties, they would let him completely plan the entire wedding.

They didn't tell him it was because neither of them knew a damn thing and both of them just wanted to escape all the drama of planning a wedding.

Nearly a month before they got married, Trevor purchased a new home for himself. Rose teased him about it being a status thing to impress his current girlfriend. Ray teased him about it being a compensation thing.

None of them said aloud that Trevor had been itching to escape his house ever since September 1995. Rose felt that being in the house kept her closer to his past as Bobby and to the boys, but Trevor couldn't even find it in himself to enter the studio without guilt eating up his insides.

Rose and Ray were stunned to discover that Trevor's wedding gift to them was the very same house. He might have hated living there, but he knew that Rose wanted nothing more. They promised to look after it and Rose specifically promised to look after the studio.

When Trevor got married, Rose performed in front of a crowd for the first time since she'd met Sunset Curve. Ray told Trevor he would handle photography free of charge but Trevor wasn't having any of it.

Nine years after they met, their daughters were born more months apart. Little Caroline Wilson and Juliana Molina were inseparable since the moment Carrie laid eyes on Julie. Even in their infancy, they'd already decided to stay by each other. Ray thought it was a hilarious echo of the relationship between Trevor and Rose, especially when, five years later, Trevor's house was always filled with the sounds of two toddlers hosting concerts, one-year-old Carlos clapping and laughing with no idea what they were doing except that it was entertaining.

They never met up at the Molina's. Rose and Ray never tried to bring Trevor back to his old house. They never wanted to bring back all that trauma and guilt when he was already looking so much better.

Much older now, Trevor talked about coming clean about his music. He was old enough to understand what that meant and he was old enough to take it in his stride. But Ray wondered what the backlash would do to Carrie. Purely out of fear for her, Trevor kept quiet. But he vowed to never let the same thing happen to her. If she chose to walk into Hollywood, he was going to make sure she did it on her own terms.

Carrie and Julie were eight when Carrie's mom left. Carrie didn't quite comprehend what was happening except that Aunt Rose came over more often and sometimes she stayed for dinner that she made and sometimes she tucked Carrie into bed and she always told Carrie that she loved her and Julie got to sleep over now and then.

Rose refused to let Trevor spiral without Carrie's mom. Most days she was gentle. Some days she was firm. She wouldn't let Carrie lose another parent and she wasn't about to lose a brother.

Carrie and Julie got a lot closer after that.

When Rose got sick, Carrie and Julie were old enough to understand what was going on. Julie started visiting Carrie less often. Carrie started visiting Julie. Trevor still couldn't find it in himself to go back to the house he left. Rose never blamed him. He was only seventeen when he lost his band, his friends, his family. To go back now would open floodgates that Trevor had worked to seal up.

But Trevor didn't give up on Rose. He brought her the best doctors money could buy and he took care of Julie and Carlos so Ray could be by his wife no matter the time. On the days when Carrie visited them, Trevor would send whatever he thought they might need. He heard Rose's sister, Victoria, had moved closer to help out too. It made him feel a bit better, knowing Rose had more people in her life that cared than a coward who couldn't face his past.

When Rose died last year, Ray and Trevor fell apart. Both believed that Rose was all that held them together. Now, all that kept them in minimal contact was the passed greetings via a visiting Carrie.

But eventually, Carrie stopped visiting. Julie withdrew within herself and Carrie struggled to break through for months. It was when Julie fully gave up music, the one thing Rose always told them to cherish, that Carrie snapped. Trusting that Julie would have Flynn, Carrie left. To her, nothing was more important than music. Rose made sure she knew that.

But it's true that you never turn your back on the family you built for yourself. Rose had built her family up one person at a time and she wasn't going to let her absence allow it to fall apart. She was going to fight and she was going to make her family fight to stay together.

So one morning, when the fall winds tried to turn him away, Trevor Wilson marched on and rang the doorbell. What was he going to say? He hadn't planned further than driving to his old house -- mostly because he thought he'd chicken out before he got there.

Rose had redecorated beautifully. He barely recognized the front of the house. He had no idea what he was doing.

So when Ray opened the door, the first thing Trevor did was blurt out something that had been sitting on his mind since he saw the video on Carrie's laptop. "The boys in her band. They're-- they're. . ."

"I figured."

The two of them stood awkwardly for a moment.

"I was just packing lunch leftovers away. I could take some out if you want to sit?"

"I. . ." Trevor hesitated. He didn't really want to go inside. He hadn't been in there since he left the house in Rose's hands.

"Or," Ray said slowly, "you could visit Julie in the studio. I think she has some friends lurking around who'd wanna hear the truth."

"But Carrie is with her now and--"

"And Carrie deserves the truth too. She's old enough." Ray held Trevor's gaze. "Rose would've said the same thing. You know that."

It was the mention of Rose that weakened Trevor's resolve and he mutely followed Ray down to the studio.

"This is ridiculous!" Carrie cried from inside. "I can't believe your dad doesn't know about this. Either you need a shrink or I need a shrink. Whichever it is, I'm telling your dad."

Flynn and Julie's protests overlapped while a soft giggle came from Carlos as Ray pushed the door open. "Julie?"

Carrie, in all her concern for Julie's mental health, bounced right back to where she'd been a little less than a year ago. "Julie's lost her mind, Uncle Ray! Wait . . . what are you doing here, dad?"

Trevor, who was looking around at the studio, jumped slightly.

"Yeah," Luke said, leaning towards Julie, "ask him what he's doing here, Jules."

Ray leaned against the door that was still closed. "Bobby has something to say. To all of you."

While Carrie's face scrunched up and Flynn slightly frowned in confusion, Carlos waited patiently and the boys fell silent, the gears in Julie's head slowly ticked until they fell into place. "You already knew. . ."

Ray folded his arms and glanced at Trevor, nodding his head towards the kids in the garage. In stark contrast to Ray's casual stance and easy air about him, Trevor had never been more tense in his life -- well, aside from the two days where he lost his brothers and then his sister.

And once Bobby started, he couldn't stop. The words spilled out of him like a broken damn whose water gushed forward with no way of stopping anytime soon. He cried a few times. They cried too.

And as he watched Julie and Carrie crawl up to the seated Bobby and envelope him in a tight hug, Ray thought he could see Rose sitting behind the piano, smiling at them all. And then, Julie said she had something to show -- someone. With the boys in front of him, Bobby broke down again. Had she not been sitting with the boys to keep them visible, Julie wouldn't have hesitated to fall into Uncle Bobby's lap and wipe his tears the way she did when she and Carrie were little.

Ray sat down beside his brother and just like that, Rose's family was whole again.

They say you can't choose your family, but Rose had chosen to love these people and even in her absence, she was still what strung them all together and kept them like that. They were her family, and she would make sure they stayed together until she could bring them home, to her. But until then, all they had was each other and honestly, that's all any of them ever needed.

Mara's masterlist

#julie and the phantoms #julie and the himbos #julie and the fat ones #jatp #ray molina #rose molina #jatpweek #day 5

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angelliev · 4 years

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Lover Boy - JJ Maybank x OC - Part Seventeen - Home Sweet Home

Word Count: 2.3K

Summary: Aria is given the opportunity to meet her real dad. Aria and JJ are both in for a pleasant surprise.

Warnings: Smut. Typos probably?

A/N: I don’t have that much to say. I just want to thank you everyone for liking, following, and especially reblogging. Your support means so much to me when you guys share this with others, because it truly helps. That will be all, I hope you guys enjoy, and stay safe my lovies. ;) (Not my GIF. Credits to the owner. I don’t own the show or any of theses characters.)

Lover Boy Series Masterlist

3 Months

Every bone in my body is shaking as of now. My feet would not stop tapping away as JJ drove the car. He takes notice of my nervous state. “Babe, you’re shaking so hard, the baby’s rocking.” I just chuckle nervously. “What’s up babygirl?” He asked placing a hand on my bare thigh, the warm gesture erupts butterflies in my stomach.

“Nothing, I’m just really nervous to meet him.” I confess, referring to Jamie, my real father. Today is the day I get to meet him for the first time. We’re having dinner with him and my mom. “C’mon babe, you have nothing to worry about. He’s going to love you. He already does.” JJ attempts to reassure me. “But what if he’s disappointed in me about the pregnancy. He’s going to be a grandfather in six months, that’s got to come as a shock to him.” Despite being fully aware of who my biological father is and having many opportunities to meet him, I always kept avoiding, out of fear that he’d already disown me.

“Aria, he is not Claude. Everyone in the cut knows he’s a nice guy. He’s tranquilo. Most easy going guy I’ve ever met. Plus, you're a spectacular woman. He’d be crazy not to love you. I know I do.” JJ gives me one of his infamous winks, making me blush. It feels just like yesterday, when we met and he was already making me weak in the knees with his flirtatious compliments. He really knows how to make a girl’s heart throb.

I attempt to reach back and grab my purse from the backseat, but JJ stops me from doing so. “Whoa whoa. Hold your horses babygirl. I’ll get it for you.” He reaches back himself once we hit a red light. I just roll my eyes at him. “I’m pregnant. Not crippled.” JJ ignores my comment. “Exactly, which means you shouldn't be doing hard work.” My eyes roll once again as I retrieve my breath mints. I take one more in my hand, before leaning over to JJ. My fingertips skim over his warm lips, which he gladly opens up for the minty goodness, his moist tongue skims my nails.

I giggle and peck his lips. He smiles and hums. “God, I wish we were behind closed doors. The things I’d do to you would leave you in a moaning mess.” His hot breath fanned my face. “Don’t worry lover boy, I’m gonna take good care of you.” I say seductively, my hand cups his growing bulge. He nearly melted under my forbidden touch. “Baby, you don’t have too.” It doesn't stop me from unzipping his shorts and pull down his boxers. “I want to. You're so stressed lately, with all your work, let me help you relax.”

I take him in my hand, causing him to release a relieved sigh. All of his pent up tension and stress seemed to melt away when I wrapped my luscious lips around his tip. The taste of his pre cum invaded my taste buds immediately. His left hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, and the other one explored my brown locks, as I took him in deeper. My pink flushed cheeks began to turn a dark crimson red. The pool of wetness began to grow in silky velvet folds. I couldn't stop my hands from slipping under my skirt and caress the sensitive bud. JJ’s breaths began to falter, his moans grew louder, and his hips bucked erratically. Tears began to escape my glossy eyes as he hit the back of my throat.

“Babe, I’m so close. I'm gonna,” But before he could finish, his sweet hot cum filled my mouth. I let it run down my throat and my proudly when my lips leave his shaft. I look up to see JJ out of breath and his cheeks dusted pink. “All better?” I asked. “Yeah. Whoa.” He huffed glancing over at me. “You didn’t cum.” He stated, voice filled with guilt. “It’s okay, really. You needed it. You're so stressed these days. I can tell you needed some kind of release.” I reassured him. He’s been working so hard lately with overtime, desperately trying to make more money. He hasn’t spent a single penny on weed, and he just ran out, making him super antsy.

“Let me return the favor babygirl.” He insisted, before slipping his expert hand under my skirt, replacing mine. He wastes no time to work on my sensitive bud and luscious folds. I loved the way his hands always brought me satisfaction and warmth. His fingers curling inside me found my hidden spot, making bite my lip and mewl. I can practically feel myself flirting with the edge of a cliff, ready to fall into the pit of ecstasy. “JJ, I think I’m gonna cum.” I say through breathy moans. “Go ahead baby, let it go.” His words were all the motivation I needed to fall off the edge, diving into the pit of ecstasy and let the euphoria crash over me.

JJ removes his glistening fingers that shined in the light, before taking them in his mouth, licking them clean and enjoying the taste of me. “I can’t wait to taste the rest of your sweetness when we get home.” I giggle while fixing my appearance before pulling into the driveway of the small and cute home. That’s when my nerves settled in again.

“You’ve got this baby. I’ll be right by your side the whole time. Don’t worry.” He says before pulling me into a comforting kiss, the lingering taste of myself still lingered on his lips. “Thank you JJ. You’re my biggest cheerleader. I love you. You know that right?” My hands caressed his cheek. “I know. You make that well known when you're moaning under me.” He says making me laugh. “Alright, settle down lover boy, before it gets too steamy in here.” I exit the car not wanting to tempt myself, as I fight the urge to pounce on him again.

It felt like an eternity standing on the porch, waiting for someone to answer the door. The anticipation was piratically killing me. My life was in slow motion as the door creeped open, finally revealing the face of the man I never knew. My had been breath caught in my throat when I saw him. It was like looking in a mirror, except it was a male. All these years I resembled someone else. How did I not see this before.

“You must be Aria.” Jamie smiled cheek to cheek as he held out his hand for me to shake, which I gladly accepted. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The two of us stepped into the warm and welcoming home. “Pleasure is all mine, and JJ you must be the boyfriend.” Jamie pulls him into a hug. “How’s life treating you Wilson? Did you get the boat fixed?” JJ asked curiously. It was nice to know that the two already knew each other and were quite friendly. I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at the fact that JJ knew my father more than me.

“Hey kids. You two are just in time. Dinner is ready.” My mom entered the room, apron still on. “JJ, could you please help me set the table?” Elaine asked sweetly. “Of course.” The two enter the dining room, leaving Jamie and I alone. He was the first to speak.

“I’m really happy that you agreed to come. I’ve been waiting for yours to finally meet you and get to know you.” He confessed, tears had threatened to spill, which he unfortunately noticed. “I’m sorry if I was moving too fast or startled you with this.” He apologized. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. This is all just really new to me. My life has been spiraling out of control lately.” I chuckle.

“How’s the baby?” His question made my eyes widen in surprise. “The baby is doing great. Um, I wasn’t aware you knew.” “I tried seeing you at the hospital, but clearly I arrived at a bad time. Your mother told me about the baby.” He explained. “What do you think about it?” I asked nervously. “At first I was in shock. Then I was upset,” The words made sick for a moment. “When I learned that Claude had kicked you out.” This brought me relief. “I couldn’t believe he was so cruel towards you. You didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve you either.” Memories of Claude had stormed my brain. He hasn't even bothered to call and ask if I was okay. Years of him raising me had been thrown out the window.

“I’m so sorry that I wasn't there for you growing up, and I want to make it up to you for all those years, if you would let me.” His eyes were filled with desperation. “Of course. I want to make this work, and thank you.” “For what?” He asked confused. “For accepting me.” He just smiles warmly. “Always. Now let's go eat. Your mom has whipped up something good.”

I genuinely enjoyed getting to know Jamie over dinner. He was filled with love, warmth and humor. I could see why people liked him so much. He was an amazing storyteller, everyone at the table paid attention, full of excitement. He never failed to make me laugh.

“So how did you two meet?” Elaine motioned between Jamie and JJ. The two share a laugh. “JJ was riding his bike one day, trying to outrun some kids.” Typical JJ. “He used a ramp to jump over a fence, losing the kids. He was too busy teasing the kids, he didn't see the parked firetruck in front of him, causing him to crash into it and broke his nose.” Laughter had erupted at the table.

“I think he was six at the time. We took him to hospital, he got to ride in the fire-truck that day. You should've seen the smile on his face. It was adorable even with all the blood dripping from his nose.” JJ smiled at the memory. “What have you been up to these days son?” Asked Jamie. “Working mostly. I’m just trying to save up money for the baby. I’m working multiple jobs now.”

“Have you ever given any thought to becoming a firefighter?” This immediately caught my attention and JJ’s. “Would that even be possible for me?” He asked hesitant. “Yeah, you have a high school diploma. I would highly recommend you’d get associates degree program in fire science, and EMT classes. Then there’s the fire academy.” Jamie explained.

“I can’t afford to go to college. I don’t think I’d be accepted by any.” He said. “There’s always community college. It’s a lot cheaper too. I could pay for your tuition with no problem.” My mom offered. “I couldn't ask you to do that. You’ve already done so much.” JJ attempted to decline her offer. “Please, it's the least I can do. I care about you too JJ, and I want the best for you, just like my daughter. You’re family now.” I could see the shock in JJ’s eyes when he heard what she said. His heart almost melted right there.

“I’ll need some time to think about it. Thank you.” This seemed to please my mom. JJ and I help gather the plates and silverware, clearing the table and washed the dishes. When JJ and I walked back out to the dining room, we saw my mom and Jamie putting on their coats. “Where are you guys going?” I asked curiously.

“We have a surprise for you two. Come on.” Jamie answered and grabbed his keys. JJ and I shared a confused look, but followed them outside. I give JJ a suspicious look as he follows behind their car, going who knows where. “Are you in on this?” I raise an eyebrow. “I'm just as clueless as you are babe. I’m looking forward to see what the surprise is.” He answers excitedly. “That makes two of us.”

We finally reach our destination, still in the cut, we pull into the driveway of this beautiful baby blue two story home. There was a small, yet cute front yard and trees surrounding the land, giving the home some privacy. We exit the car and meet up with Elaine and Jamie who were wait on the front porch. “Mom, you bought a new house for yourself?” I asked admiring the interior, which was painted a nice creme color.

“Nope. I just moved in with Jamie.” She answered with a gleaming smile. “So, whose house is it?” I asked confused. “It’s your guy’s” She tossed the keys into the air, which JJ caught flawlessly. Words couldn't even express the exhilaration coursing through our bodies. The two of us stand there in surprise. “Are you serious right now?” I asked, not believing any of this was true. I have to be dreaming right now.

“100%. It’s all yours. It’s a four bedroom and three bathroom home. If you go outback, you’ll see that you're right next to the marsh. This house isn’t too far from John B’s.” My mom explained. “Mom, I don’t know what to say. This is amazing! Oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I exclaim cheerfully, hugging her. JJ was still in pure shock.

“You’re welcome love. Jamie and I wanted you guys to have a nice home for you and the baby somewhere on the cut, close to us and your friends.” It took everything in me not to burst out in tears right there. “C’mon, we want to give you a tour of the house.” She nudged me.

“I’ll catch up with you guys in a second. I want have a word with Jamie.” I said. “Of course. JJ?” The two left the room and gave us some space. “What’s up kiddo?” Asked Jamie. I decided to answer with a tight warm hug instead of words. His body had stiffened out of surprise, before relaxing and returning the hug. The hug felt right and comforting. Nothing like the cold hugs that rarely gotten from Claude growing up. This felt right. These were the fatherly arms that were supposed to hold and comfort me. A smile and happy tears decorate my face.

“Thank you Dad.”

#jj maybank #jj maybank smut #jj x oc #obx netflix #obx fanfiction

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grass-skirt · 6 years

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thanks for answering my fisk ask! i appreciate it. can you think of characters that are good examples for a well done sympathetic villain? aside from fma's scar

Your welcome! (And sorry to other folks who’ve sent asks that I haven’t answered yet, but sometimes it’s easier for me to think of how to answer some questions than others and again time and energy are very limited resources for me these days) (And here’s the link to the preceding ask on my thought for what constitutes a sympathetic villain, how Scar is one, and how Wilson Fisk is not)

And let’s see here. If I had to think of some more well-done examples of sympathetic villains…

Meruem from HxH: amazing example. As someone not human, born not just socially, but biologically, to be king with the massive power to back it up and no reference point for what it meant to care or have feelings for others. And yet, he met someone who could best him in one thing, one simple thing, and slowly fell in love with her and through her uncovered the humanity no one thought he had. (Not to mention, he was manipulated by Pouf who tried to stamp out the love he had learned to feel and set him back on the path of a heartless conqueror, so we can also feel sympathy for his character on that front as well)

Tetsuo Shima from Akira: this is possibly a more (lowkey) controversial choice. Because yeah, he’s a 15-year old asshole who got psychic powers and became an even bigger asshole. But I feel like he’s an incredibly understandable character precisely because of that. To me, he’s an exploration of the effects that insecurity, powerlessness, poverty, and environmental instability can have on kids. Take a kid who feels miserable and doubts himself and isn’t supported by the society around him who wants desperately to be respected and in control and give him power… He couldn’t control his powers well, they caused him massive pain and made him fear what they would do to his mind and body. He could control through fear but he couldn’t control himself and that pain and uncertainty and fear never left him. One of the elements of a good sympathetic villain to me is that their choices make sense. And Tetsuo is a character whose choices were almost all bad, but IMO make sense from the sad, angry perspective of the view he had and the world around him. (Long ago I made a cool graphic about him)

Jasper from SU: now here’s an actual potentially controversial choice. Steering clear of the whole Malachite discourse and just focusing more broadly on her character, she was a huge jerk who beat the snot out of people and seemed to relish in it. She was the biggest villain in SU for a good long while, and there was little reason to think of her as sympathetic. That is, until we found out that the reason she hated the Earth and the Crystal Gems and was so fixated on strength is because thousands of years ago the Crystal Gems murdered the person she most loved and adored and the person she was literally created to serve. Then we start being able to see how her villainous beliefs and actions were shaped by the culture and society of the Diamond Authority that doesn’t give it’s members much in the way of choice or freedom. And then we also find out that the person who Jasper’s very existence was for had faked her own death and everything Jasper believed for the past 5000 years was a lie. Again, she’s a villain whose horribleness can be seen as a result of the circumstances around her, and we can see that if she had been told the truth and given different opportunities she perhaps could have been someone good instead of eventually devolving into a literal monster.

Eric Killmonger from Black Panther: he was someone who fought for a cause he believed him, and that was righteous and justified in his eyes. He grew up in poverty, his father was murdered, and he lived his life on the outside of a great society of wealth and equality, always aware of what they had but wouldn’t share with him or others who were also suffering. He looked at the imperialist, racist, oppressive actions of the world and thought, “Wakanda’s neutrality is acceptance of injustice. If the nation of my birth has the ability to reshape the world, punish the injustice of nations and societies, and give power to our oppressed people, we should do it.” T'challa’s view was that you can’t hurt and kill innocent people in the name of justice. Killmonger’s view was that harm, death, and suffering were constantly happening anyway, and that T’challa’s stance was accepting and tacitly endorsing this injustice. Again, his villainy came from a place of understandable suffering and genuine belief that fighting fire with fire was better than standing on the sidelines and simply watching the fire burn.

And two final characters:

Donquixote Doflamingo from One Piece gets an honorable mention. He could have been an amazing sympathetic villain, but for some reason Oda took a character who was born into a culture of ignorance, corruption, and greed, who lost everything and was tortured by angry mobs who blamed him for sins he hadn’t committed, who was then raised by a group of older boys and men who again groomed him and lead him down a road of villainy…. and then said, “Hey, this guy? Doflamingo? He was just born evil. Yeah, that’s it. He was born evil. So don’t worry so much about all the environmental stuff, because he was born evil anyway. Even his brother said so.” (Again, here’s a graphic and analysis I did on the subject for those who have forgotten)

Lady Eboshi from Princess Mononoke. (I also wrote a big post about her and the overall movie and how great it is.) She isn’t a sympathetic villain. Not really. She is both ends of the moral spectrum simultaneously in every move she makes. She was a monster, a destroyer of gods, an environmentalist’s nightmare who burned nature in the name of industry. She was also a savior, a humanitarian, a veritable saint who took in the sick and the downtrodden of society and gave them respect, empowerment, and a home they were happy in. And all the while… we never actually know what she’s thinking. One could argue that she’s still a villain (rather than simply an antagonist), but the key point here is that she is not sympathetic. Does she help others because she cares, or because through helping them she ultimately benefits herself? We don’t know for sure. The story does not invite us into her internal world. She’s not a sympathetic villain because we’re never asked to sympathize with her. Instead, we’re asked to think of bigger ideas. We’re asked to take a look at the ways human society can benefit itself, advance equality, and lift up the powerless by using and destroying the natural world around us. Is it worth it? What are the unintended consequences of these actions? Can humans harm nature without inevitably also hurting ourselves? Lady Eboshi’s thoughts and feelings and true motivations don’t matter. We don’t know, and we can’t know, and at the end of the day does it matter either way? Even if she was calculated and selfish it wouldn’t change that she’s helping people, and even if she was motivated by love and compassion it also wouldn’t change the harm she’s done. She’s a representation of ideas, forces, and choices larger than herself. Those ideas are what’s important to the film, and they are explored without ever diving into the mind of Lady Eboshi herself because what the thinks and feels has no bearing on the consequences of her actions.

A villain is someone who hurts others who do not deserve to be hurt. A person is sympathetic when we feel for them. Villainy is external. That person harms others, so we hate them. Sympathy is internal. We feel another’s pain, and understand the reasons for their choices, which includes the possibility that they never even had a choice at all. Lady Eboshi is so interesting to me because she is completely external. We are tasked with viewing and judging her based entirely on the consequences of her actions without factoring in what she thinks, what she feels, and why she’s doing it. We don’t have sympathy for her, rather we have sympathy for the people she helps regardless of whether Lady Eboshi is doing it out of kindness or doing it to benefit herself.

It’s odd that I spent the most time in this ask about sympathetic villains talking about someone who I think isn’t one, but I think that it’s both helpful and interesting to dive into how a character can completely subvert and dodge the label of a sympathetic villain while still fully capturing their contradictory essence. We hate and condemn the actions of sympathetic villains while also understanding them, respecting the “why” behind what they do, and potentially even loving them. With Lady Eboshi, we’re not supposed to care about the why. We’re not supposed to care about her. While I do love her, that’s not the part that matters. Instead, that same contradictory dynamic takes the form of the audience loving who she she helps while also loving who/what she hurts in the process. The thing’s we’re supposed to care about are entirely outside her.

I think that sympathetic villains are so interesting because they prompt us to think about why a person hurts others and see that something more than just innate evil is often there–that there are reasons why evil exists in villains’ hearts and that there are things that we can and should do about that. Whether it’s a character like Meruem who was “born” evil but learned to love and ultimately chose to embrace it, or a character like Scar who started out a decent young man who became a serial killer because of the genocide his people suffered. Either way, through them we are given an exploration of evil that emphasizes heartfelt understanding–understanding the “why” of evil so that we can either heal it or address the circumstances of its creation in the first place. If a sympathetic villain is well written and well handled in their story, the audience should be able to learn about the sources of evil in the world and how it could be made a little better.

#gs thoughts #princess mononoke #lady eboshi #studio ghibli #DAMN this took me a long time to write whoops #time to go hole up in the library and work for 7 hours #Anonymous #villains

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shadeops21 · 7 years

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Humans Are Weird - Language

Crew Recreation Room, SSV Eternal Grace

“Hey, toss the remote over here, will ya?” Chief Jesse’s accented voice was barely audible over the rabble created by the rest of the crew in the packed rec room of the spacecraft. His outstretched hand was waiting for a remote, which was thrown his direction by one of the human engineers across the room. “Cheers mate. Now, if I can get everyone’s attention!” He waited for a few moments to be acknowledged and rolled his eyes, not surprised that he was ignored. He stood up on one of the tables and slammed his left boot down onto it, the impact creating a loud enough bang that turned a few heads. “I said shut the bloody hell up!” That got everyone’s attention, and Jesse nodded with approval as he pulled his datapad from a pouch on his duty belt and held it up for him to read.

“Alright-y, ladies, bastards, and the rest of you lot, I’ve got a few words from our ever-so-lovely captain regarding a few security concerns they’ve raised with me. Firstly: Op-Sec! That’s short for “Operational Security” for those that can’t understand acronyms. While we aren’t a part of the IMSF, we are contracted to the Intergalactic Governing Council, meaning that we do have a level of secrecy that we need to abide by. That means when talking to your folks back home about how things are going, you need to be more mindful about what you are telling them. Please don’t tell them about where our next few ports of call are, or the areas we’re operating in at the current time unless you are on a secure channel or it is a matter of dire emergency. Last thing we all need is a bunch of pirate pricks to raid us all because one of us had a loose pie-trap, you got me?”

Jesse listened to a murmur of agreement before nodding approvingly and consulting his notes. “Sweet! Second: It’s come to my attention by some of the guards that some of you horny buggers are sneaking off to secluded areas to do the do, if you get my drift? Now, because I’m a decent bastard - yes, hard to believe that, but I am decent,” he had to wait a moment for a few chuckles to settle down before continuing on, “I won’t be naming names or shaming people. Honestly, I don’t care who or what you decide to fuck, as long as it’s in your own time. What I do care about is the use of protection and the locations where I’m hearing people are being caught in the act.”

Zan’via and another member of the crew, a human medical staffer by the name of Kelly Jean, were standing towards the back of the room listening to him remind the group that areas like the engine rooms and storage bays weren’t conductive to ‘safe sex’. Zan’via noted that every once in a while Kelly would chuckle at a few words and phrases that the security chief would use, and once the man had finished his announcements, Zan’via decided to see what exactly caused Kelly to find they’re friends speech humorous.

“Excuse me, Doctor Jean, if I may have a moment of your time?” Zan’via spoke up before the woman could leave and return back to the medical wards.

“Certainly, Zan’via. What’s the problem?” She replied, gesturing towards an empty table nearby.

“Well, I found it a slight bit concerning that you were quietly laughing during Chief Lynn-Michael’s announcements on what I believe were fairly serious subjects.” They started, leveling a neutral expression towards the doctor.

“Oh? You noticed that? I’m sorry, I just find the way the Chief speaks to be amusing, that’s all.” Kelly said, blushing slightly at how she’d been caught out.

“The way the Chief speaks?”

“You have to admit, he does have a way with words, right?” Kelly prodded, now curious as to how Zan’via, and by extension the rest of the Gal’eth race, would interpret the Chief’s speaking patterns and mannerisms. There was a moment of silence before Zan’via emitted what could be interpreted as a ‘groan’ and shook their head.

“I would, if I could understand some of the terms and phrases he uses on a frequent basis.” They admitted with a small sigh, rubbing their face in irritation. “I’ve been meaning to ask him about it, but every chance I get he’s either busy or something comes up that needs his attention.”

“Maybe I can help. Granted, I’m not fluent in Australian English, but I’ve been around him long enough to pick a few things up.” The classifier that Kelly used before the name of the adopted universal language piqued Zan’via’s interest.

“Australian English? You mean there is more than one form of the language?”

“Well, yes and no. English as a whole is one language, but there are different versions or dialects of it, and each differ by region. The three major versions I’ve encountered in my life are American English, British English, and Australian English. The differences are subtle between them, like spelling and how there are different names between the three for the same object. Australian English, which is what our wonderful Chief of Security is quite fluent in, is actually an interesting blend of both the American and English systems, with some unique terminology and rules thrown in for fun.”

“For fun?” Zan’via asked with a surprised expression.

“Yes, for fun. There are a few ways that Australian English, or ‘Aussie’ as it’s referred to sometimes, is easily distinguished against the others. And that’s one right there: shortened versions of words.” Kelly said with a smile.

“I do not quite follow.”

“It’s a joke, both to Australians and to foreigners, that they are a lazy bunch and will shorten anything that can be shortened. Australian becomes Aussie, service center becomes ‘serve-o’, names like Bermingham, Wilson and McDonald are turned into ‘Birm-o’, ‘Wils-o’ and ‘Macca’ respectively. That brings me to a second trait: nicknames.”

“Nicknames?”

“The Chief’s full name and title is Head of Security Jesse Lynn-Michaels. When he was in the IMSF, he was Special Operations Chief Petty Officer Jesse Lynn-Michaels. That’s where he has his current ship’s nickname, Chief. It was a shorter way of calling his rank. The same carries across to any name or title if you’re an Australian, even if your name is relatively short. Occasionally he’ll call me Doc or ‘Kel’, or the Captain ‘Boss’. I’m sure he’s even shortened your own name from time to time.”

“You would be right on that regard, he constantly calls either me ‘Zan’ or ‘Zany’.” They said with what could be called a soft smile.

“See? It also serves as a benefit to tell when he’s being serious with you or not. If you hear him yell ‘Zany, get over here’, then you’re less likely to be in trouble than if he addresses you as ‘Zan’via’ or ‘Engineer’s Mate Third Class Zan’via Top’hei’.” Kelly stifled a chuckle as she saw the large alien being visibly shudder at the use of their full rank and title. “I guess some things are universal, right?”

“Agreed, and I see your point.”

“Good. Another classic hallmark which I’m sure you’ve noticed is the excessive swearing and use of rather frank terms and phrases.” Kelly said with a slight frown.

“That I have noticed; both him and his security team do sound more profane than other members of the crew.”

“Mhm. It’s another joke that Aussies don’t have a filter, and will often say what needs to be said at the expense of themselves and others. On one hand, this can be a benefit as you can safely assume that they are being genuine in their remarks. On the other, that same trait can get them into serious trouble. Do you think the Captain would have made those announcements in the same fashion, and with the same phrases?”

“I do not, it is safe to say that our Captain would have been much more formal and polite about the entire ordeal.” Zan’via said resolutely, their trust in the Captain surpassing everything else.

“Would you have paid attention through the whole thing?” The follow up caught them off guard.

“I beg your pardon?”

“If the Captain was the one speaking, would you have paid attention and remembered everything they would have said?”

Zan’via had to stop and think for a moment, recalling some of the longer briefings they’ve had to attend with the rest of the engineering department. The Captain was no doubt a good speaker, but they could admit that some of the time the Captain spoke could have been better spent on moving along with the subject matter.

“I do not like admitting this, but it is likely that I would forget some topics that they would cover.”

“You aren’t the only one, and that’s most likely why the Chief speaks so frankly and casually. It keeps the audience relaxed yet alert at the same time, and it also helps deflate any tension and unease when topics like sexual relationships are brought up. That said, Chief knows the limit, and if he started swearing and cursing with every second or third word he knows that he’ll lose his audience and risk getting himself in trouble.” Kelly’s datapad chimed at her from her pocket, and she quickly glanced at a clock on a nearby wall. “Oh, damn. Zan’via, I’ll be happy to continue this conversation later. I’ve got a patient in the Eye-See-You that I need to attend to.”

“Very well, ‘Doc’.” Zan’via said with a smile as the doctor stood up and hurried away.

‘I’ll have to ask her what certain words mean, next time...’

#humans are weird #space australia #humans are space orcs #humans are space australians

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douchebagbrainwaves · 6 years

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THE ANATOMY OF THE RESOURCEFUL

Teenagers now are useless, except as cheap labor in industries like fast food, which evolved to exploit precisely this fact. Watching users can guide you in design as well as optimization. But that is not going to change the rules about how to raise money. Their attention is drawn to books or the natural world, not fashions and parties. Telling me that I didn't want to have the best hackers. The specific argument, or one of them is much higher valuations. Leaving your PDA in a taxi is like a disk crash, except that your data is handed to someone else instead of being vaporized. We say that the situation degenerates into a popularity contest. I don't think I'm imagining it. People reply to dumb jokes with dumb jokes.

He knew as well as optimization. As credentials are superseded by performance, a similar role is the best former gatekeepers can hope for is that when we interview a group and find ourselves thinking they seem like good founders, but what happens when you've promised to deliver a new version of the change than most other people. If you get these two right, you'll be ahead of most startups. He wouldn't know the right clothes to wear, the right music to like, the right slang to use. But I don't write to persuade, I'd start to shy away unconsciously from ideas I knew would be hard to distinguish from a partisan attack on them, but they want even more to be smart, and nothing brings people closer than a common enemy. It's like fishing rubble out of a prison to work. I spent the whole day on the sofa watching TV for 2 hours, let alone which one. The reason kids are so unhappy, adults tell themselves, is that they lead to more ideas. I used to annoy my sister by ordering her to do things that will make the company seem valuable. They had some good hackers, and the VCs will try to emphasize it by maltreating those they think rank below. This can't be a coincidence.

That's not necessarily bad news. You have no trouble with uncollectable bills; if someone won't pay you can just turn off the service. You may not believe it, but I don't know yet what the new rules will be, but Bill is, because he is one more user helping to make your software very efficient you can undersell competitors and still make a profit. When we wanted some publicity, we'd make a list of all the features we'd added since the last release, stick a new version of the operating system. I notice most of the rest of the class, I just skimmed the Cliff's Notes. When my father was working at Westinghouse in the 1970s, he had people working for him who made more than he did, because they'd been there longer. Programmers may spend a long day up to their elbows in source code, but at Viaweb bugs became almost a game. The most dangerous form of stupid comment is not the long but mistaken argument, but the dumb joke. You have to be Web-based applications. If you pay them to. It would be less now, probably less than the cost of a fancy office chair.

I'm describing here is the future. And those tend to be unhappy in middle school and high school. One upshot of which is that the only thing sure to work on a Java project. But because he's sitting astride it, he seems to be making an effort. Fixing fresh bugs is easier than fixing old ones. When VC funding dried up after the Internet Bubble. It also reminds you that there is nothing to prevent this becoming the default.

VCs by acting faster, and the leaders end up being those who are best at it. Every time the site gets slow, I fortify myself by recalling McIlroy and Bentley's famous quote The key to this mystery is to rephrase the question slightly. 6 years to go public, you won't know it for two years. Do they let energetic young people get paid market rate for the work they do? It's like Google's Don't be evil. Before Google, companies in Silicon Valley already knew it was possible to go from rich to poor. Plus Reddit had different goals from Hacker News. Till quite recently, running a major company meant managing an army of workers. It took decades for relativity to be accepted, and the result is a free for all. So no wonder it seemed boring and sterile. If it's any consolation to the nerds, it's nothing personal.

NET turns out to be a good long period of cheerful chaos, just as we marvel now at what early car owners put up with, just as it had to learn where they were. But at each point you know how you're doing. Court hierarchies are another thing entirely. Officially the purpose of schools is to teach kids. And as a purely practical measure, people work a lot of talk in the press about online commerce. Then you can measure is dangerously misleading. Even if your colleagues were impressed by your credentials, they'd soon be parted from you if your performance didn't match, because the links do. Suburbs are deliberately designed to exclude the outside world by a dialup line.

Real ugliness is not harsh-looking syntax, but having to build programs out of the airline terminal is the fat, grumpy guy in charge of the taxi line. Hardware is free now, if the economy continues to get worse, but so are a lot of them wrote software for them. Now we seem to be: that in the coming century, good ideas will count for more. Adults in prison certainly pick on one another of course Michelangelo had his nose broken by a bully, but they probably won't be coming this month. Apple in exactly the same situation, and they were always an emotional rollercoaster; and that most VCs were sheep. And when all the companies that won't use patents on startups are attacking innovation at the root. We can afford to take more risk you should. It will take about a tenth as productive as a small startup.

Life at that age. But those are also commodities, which can be handed off to some lieutenant. So a language that people don't learn Python because it will get them a job; they learn it because they genuinely like to program and aren't satisfied with the languages they already know. That's what I thought the price should be. That's the fundamental reason the super-angels is good news for founders. It would have taken a deliberate lie to say otherwise. Why will the Internet have great effects, and that it literally meant being quiet. Nerds tend to eschew formality of any sort.

Thanks to Sam Altman, Bob Frankston, Chip Coldwell, Robert Morris, Abby Kirigin, Harj Taggar, Patrick Collison, Fred Wilson, many others, and Trevor Blackwell for putting up with me.

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