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human-enthusiast · 3 years

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Absurd Person #1 - Monkey D. Luffy (kid)

Let’s start with not only the main protagonist of One Piece but also the first character to give Luffy any sort of injury...

...his dumb, seven-year-old self...

*Disclaimer: I don’t own this image - screenshot from Episode of East Blue

The last time I wrote this, I forgot to hit save and my browser just reloaded the page and lost everything. After that I just went “I’m done” and rage quit Tumblr for the night (which I normally don’t do). That’s how my Sundays usually go😒🥴

Now Onward!

Basic Classifications

Real World Ethnicity/Nationality: Brazilian

Class: farm / country / lower class

Culture (the one he grew up around): Dawn Island - Sea-side village

Fishing community

Farming / Ranching community

Hard work ethic

Small and close community members; relatively friendly; little to non-existent conflict

Selective mix of being open towards strangers (especially with merchant vessels for better trading opportunities) and weariness towards those they expect to be harmful (likes Pirates; I’d imagine the people of Windmill Village were understandably unnerved with the Red-Haired Pirates first showing up).

Core values (personal to Luffy): pride, physical strength, adventures on and outside his home village,

Relation to authority: neutral - shifting slightly towards negative (no clear basis of opinion; can only go off on Luffy’s fascination with pirates as the main viewpoint)

(The added information feels a little scatter-shot but figured I give it a try based on little information from the manga panels and how it lines up with real-world similarities. Most information is based on logical speculation and could change with new information in later chapters.)

I know that the Romance Dawn arc consists of the chapters up until he meets Coby and Alvida (I think...), but the depiction of Luffy’s character in the first chapter seems different from when he is seventeen and setting out to sea. So, I’ll treat kid Luffy as a separate character for the first analysis.

First Impressions and Introduction

Now, I am an anime watcher, first and foremost, so my first impression of this character stems from the Anime. My introduction towards this ball of chaos was when he popped out of a barrel, that he put himself into after realizing that a whirlpool suddenly appeared (how he missed it? - It’s Luffy), and then inexplicably took a nap in. That was the absurd reason I was able to stick with One Piece in the first few arcs (until Baratie became one of the major reasons I stuck with it - I’ll explain why when we get there).

And since the first chapter was used for episode four in the anime, I was already somewhat familiar with how the story started and who Luffy was as a kid. However, reading the first chapter felt....different than what I would’ve expected. And because the anime cut out a few details from the chapter, there definitely are some things to take from kid Luffy at that point.

So my first impression was, as follows:

The kid is unhinged...That explains some things...

Complete wild child of a backwater village from Day 1.

LIKE-- The anime episode DID NOT explain how he got that scar and the guy didn’t bring it up ever. To be fair, that wasn’t a big focus because the anime didn’t make it a focus. Reading that part though did more for his character and a little of his upbringing, through speculation, making it a rather slow-building but also fascinating introduction into this series.

Just a bit of an add-on, but if the manga introduced Luffy in the same level of neutrality as what the Anime did, It may not have fully made it clear if Luffy was going to be the main protagonist. Then again, it’s a shounen manga, maybe it was rather obvious to everyone else. Regardless, his introduction served to

(1) Make his entrance memorable

(2) Establish his character that could either compare or set him apart from his teen self.

(3) Act as a sort of precursor towards the introduction of Luffy’s world and upbringing (which isn’t completely established until the last few arcs of Pre-Time Skip)

Personality

The best way I could describe Luffy at this point is a stereotypical kid...

Energetic, short-tempered, adventure-seeking, easily impressed, and ignorant...

That last description is actually something I brought up in a separate post about the “Fluid themes” of One Piece. Because I found that a small but overarching part in many (almost all) themes and world issues that One Piece reflects has some level of unawareness or apathy. Jimbe put it best during the Fishman Island Flashback when they found Koala (paraphrasing)

“They are afraid of us because they don’t know us.”

Know us referring to acknowledging them as people on the same level as humans.

Because of that and plenty of other instances from the East Blue, it can be a potential center for many characters who go up against or wish to explore the world and find that they are a frog in a well.

And that’s what kid Luffy represents. A rather aggressive frog in a well that wants out.

Granted, he is a seven-year-old, whose schooling has a closer equivalent to the 16th and 17th centuries of our world, living in what appears to be a farming community, so I’d imagine his education only focuses on at least the basic levels of reading/writing, mathematics, etc. A small, unexciting farming village probably has more concerns over their melon crops rather than what the world has going on. Adding in Luffy, you get a kid who dreams about being a pirate and adventuring outside the isolated village, making him avidly interested in a world he has no experience with. Or in a world he thinks is all fun and games.

That’s pretty standard for any child that has a mild and peaceful life. No doubt Shanks and his crew would tell him stories about their adventures. Not as a sort of attempt to make him a pirate, but because he was easily entertained by it, building up this expectation with stereotypical pirate personas. And whether he has his “destructive” tendencies before they became a fixture in Windmill Village, they definitely seemed to amp it up enough for Luffy to try and prove he was “man enough” to be a pirate at seven years old.

Then when you add in this idealistic expectation with the selfishness of a young child, it creates an opportunity to learn. Because, as any kid may go through, will find that their fantasy of the world won’t be what they expected, and will often react negatively. Luffy’s expectation of Shanks is that he is the strongest man worthy enough to be a pirate.

Now, Luffy’s view of a “real man” stems a lot from this stereotype of men solving their problems through fighting only. Which also embodies this rather damaging philosophy of never running away or backing down from a fight (which I refer to as stupid bravery - something that comes up in a certain other character).

The amazing thing about all the combined aspects of this kid is the ability to create a learning lesson for Luffy. Which can become a motivational factor in his pursuit as a pirate.

His easily impressed nature makes it known both when the Red-Haired Pirates talk positively about piracy adventures and when Shanks leaves the village. The difference between the moments can be showcased by the difference in determination and will to make an effort to achieve his dream. As he declared he wants to be King of The Pirates, he sets himself to work at it, rather than try and go with others.

How He Shapes the Story / World Around Them

I don’t know if anybody else made a similar connection (I wanna say someone DID but I can’t remember where) but in combination with Luffy’s general enthusiasm growing up hearing wild stories, his narrative reminds me so much of Don Quixote De La Mancha.

It’s been a while since I last read that story-- and by read I mean translate some paragraphs from Spanish to English during my Spanish I class in freshman year of high school. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Part I entails an old man who, after indulging himself with various stories of knights and valor, decides he wants to partake in his own adventures. Under various delusions and misadventures, his story becomes a rather well-known one.

Don Quixote was called the first “modern book”. That was something my Spanish teacher mentioned regarding its acknowledgment by the world and always stuck with me. It was one of the first stories of the early medieval period to focus on a regular man. Other stories before this tended to be about legends, gods, demigods-- individuals who often were referred to as legends because they were born into high status (often above humans). Either through original texts (often for religious purposes) and then through varying interpretations (such as the Arthurian Legends), these tales were a part of the status quo.

Kid Luffy is a person that reflects so much of the Don Quixote story (And not just because his village has windmills-- the most iconic scene about the knight’s story). He is that simple, normal boy that longs for his own adventures when there seemingly is already a well-talked-about story about someone who achieved infamy. In place of that is a man named Gold Roger whose execution we see in the manga’s opening. At this point, we don’t have much understanding about how it impacts the world as of yet, we just know it is setting up for something significant to the story.

Luffy becomes that “regular” person from a small-town with big expectations for a grand adventure.

That perspective can slowly build into the story by starting in a simple setting with a character going through one of the first dynamic changes in his life. Luffy’s experience with Shanks’s sacrifice sets a course in his own adventure. A story that trails into a rather bonkers adventure at the end of chapter 1.

His development is what shaped his world. It’s the way he learns when as it stems from the consequences of his actions. Especially ones where the smaller ones turn out to be very costly, making it a hard lesson that ingrains into the young kid. His actions created by his old ideologies sparked an intense reaction in the people around him. Especially Shanks, who felt he was worth losing an arm towards.

How The WORLD Shapes HIM

So, for the sake of the fact that kid Luffy’s “World” in Chapter 1 mostly consists of Windmill Village, I’m adding in Shank’s and his crew’s influence to extend and further give credence to his influence. Because, as of this point, Shanks represents a glimpse into the life of a pirate that Luffy strives for.

With Luffy being in a quiet environment all seven years of life, there is growth through basic schooling and healthy child development (theoretically since Makino seems to be the most likely one acting as his guardian), instead of doing things outside that norm. Now Shanks is the odd factor that creates new development into Luffy’s dreams and future ambitions.

The crew’s stories, charisma, and connection towards the kid actively (and probably unintentionally) created a positive expectation if he chose to pursue his dream. While that sounds inspiring, there were also negative aspects. Such as driving his ignorance and impatient nature to seek it out too early in his life.

Shanks then became a mediator. Luffy often has mixed feelings with Shanks as the man begets a level of encouragement while verbally making fun of Luffy for being a kid constantly. Despite that, it doesn’t completely deter Luffy’s ambitions. All it does is slowly drop his high expectations in Shanks after the first bar incident. This is again done by his childish outlook of physical strength and bravery equating to his ideal of a real man.

With Higama, Luffy learns about real-world dangers, and how bravery won’t always be enough to win battles. The same can be said for physical strength but at that moment it doesn’t apply to Luffy.

Shanks’ and the crew’s involvement helped Luffy’s views change. His expectations are fulfilled, which in turn reveal that he was wrong about them.

Finally, seeing Shanks’ sacrifice unfold drove Luffy into a pang of newfound guilt. By then, he was able to change one part of his world views from a childish fantasy into the beginnings of a mature way of thinking.

He gains some level of patience. Along with a set goal to work with. Attributes which are identifiable with Luffy in the chapters last few panels.

Patience = Luffy took time to train and learn to set sail at age seventeen.

Set goal = Be King of the Pirates

Add-Ons

When I say that kid Luffy, after Shanks’ sacrifice, gained a level of patience, it is meant as a deduction during that chapter. By no means am I insinuating that it became a permanent trait for his character. Because as of chapter 1, all of Luffy’s personality has yet to be revealed.

And this will apply to other posts for various characters. They may behave in ways during or in response to a particular event but it doesn’t necessarily equate to that becoming a whole personality trait. Calling Luffy patient, with having full acknowledgment of his personality during the bulk of One Piece, is completely off. But, there can and will be moments where Luffy will act patient when he deems it necessary.

This is a little hard to articulate but I hope it makes enough sense.

🏴‍☠️🐒

After-Notes

Here’s my first attempt at this analysis. It felt scattered even after editing everything. Breaking down characters sounds easy (and most times it is) but articulating and connecting things takes a lot of work.

Here's to hoping it gets easier with the next character. And maybe shorter paragraphs.

Up Next: Shanks (East Blue)

#OPA #One Piece #East Blue Saga #Romance Dawn Arc #Monkey D. Luffy #Chapter 1 #One Piece Characters #Worldbuilding #Analysis

14 notes · View notes

iggyalfi2319 · 4 years

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Between Borrower and Giant#2

BBAG: 1/X/? - A/N

Oh wow! I didn’t expect it to take off 0.0

Thanks guys for showing your appreciation ^.^

I’ll try to keep doing my best!

Note: I don’t use the word “human” for any realm because, as I said, it’s a perspective matter. They are technically all humans but with two different scales. Giants and Tinies. Borrowers are Tinies who ventures in the Giant realm, but not all Tinies are Borrowers. - Some backstory in this one, and Virgil being a protective brother. (I really love my OC squad as much as Virge XP)

Warning: mention of dark past, nightmares, discrimination, mild fights, Tinies massacre.

=====BBAG=====

Power: (noun) A specific capacity, faculty, or aptitude.

Different: (adjective) Differing from all others; unusual.

Discriminate: (intransitive verb) To make distinctions on the basis of class or category without regard to individual merit, especially to show prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, gender, or a similar social factor. - Everything is just a question of perspective.

Virgil’s eyes fluttered softly when he caught the sound and the smell of Cara cooking breakfast.

He wanted to stretch out from his cramped position, before remembering that his young roommates where sleeping on him once again.

They came from very far before reaching this closeness.

Especially the youngest and smallest one, Björn and Milka, his childhood friend. The two were like brother and sister.

Their first encounter with Virgil wasn’t really the best.

- Flashback -

The two lost their parents because of Giants when they were even younger, during a Big Raid. Some Giants had come down to the other realm just for playing Smash and Grab in some nearby Tiny towns. It was like humans playing with ants.

After the raid, Amos and a few other Borrowers from other towns went to check the ruins, in case there was any survivors.

It was a real disaster.

There was giant footprints, crushed houses....and stomped corpses...

Virgil was accompanying Amos, at that time he was a lot smaller, but still bigger than everyone.

10ft for 15 years old.

In that situation, his size was rather convenient for working through the ruins.

The young Giant looked around.

It reminded him when Amos found him in the forest with no memories of what happened to him nor his family. He was just lying in the middle of a destroyed village, with no one else around but him. He was so scared and confused when the man, clearly older yet smaller than him by a foot or two, came to him -

Virgil’s breath started to get shallow.

The massacre surrounding him was making him anxious and scared.

When he heard a small whimper from a pile of rubble.

He immediately went to it, calling the rescuers.

“Leave the clearing to Virgil and secure the place.” Amos instructed. “Get the medical kit ready if they are severely injured.”

They are counting on me... It’s my first rescuing mission...I can’t mess up...

Virgil’s hands where shaking.

“No pressure. You have to stay calm.” Amos said.

The Giant teen exhaled softly and started to work. He delicately peeled off the big pieces of concrete, making sure to set them in a safe place, away from the ruins who threatened to collapse.

Soon enough, with the help of the other rescuers they cleared a path among the rubble.

“See anything yet?” One asked. “No, it’s still too narrow but it’s too dangerous to try to jostle the building any further.” Another shook their head.

Virgil couldn’t help but think he messed up.

When he saw what they were looking for.

“Move away.” He told the team, before grabbing a great handful off the building.

It revealed a small ginger haired boy, curled up on himself.

Instinctively, the teen went to pick him up.

Immediately, the boy let out a shriek of fear and tried to back away from his hand. He shot Virgil a terrorized look.

The sight of the boy’s icy eyes froze him to the core.

The boy was scared of him.

Of course he would be scared of you. He just got attacked by Giants...

Amos was about to tell the boy there was no need to be scared of Virgil -

“LOOK OUT!”

A big piece of concrete flew out of nowhere, aimed at Virgil.

He would have easily avoided it, if only he wasn’t frozen in place, the boy’s eyes locked into his.

The Giant teen got the full blow and was sent crashing down a few feet away.

“VIRGIL!” Amos yelled and ran to him.

“STAY AWAY FROM US! MONSTER!” Another child shouted.

They were probably a few years older than the first, standing rather tall, with short blond hair, glaring at Virgil with their valid brown eye while the right side of their face was badly injured. The smaller boy went to hide behind his friend.

As soon as the icy eyes were off the emo teen, he suddenly unfroze.

“Are you okay?” Amos asked him.

“I don’t know why but I was completely frozen...” He groaned softly. “But I think I’ll manage...”

“Are you siding with that...thing?!” The blonde snarled, trying to be brave.

But they were as shaking as the other child.

“His name is Virgil. And he’s not a thing.” The bearded man scolded.

“H-He’s a Giant!” They protested vehemently.

“He’s actually a special case.” Amos said. “As special as you two.”

The children’s eyes widened.

“How...” the smallest whimpered.

“When you locked eye with Virgil, you totally froze him. So I guess you have the ability to paralyze anyone who looks into your eyes.” The boy looked down.

“As for you...” Amos looked at the oldest. “The piece of concrete didn’t fly on its own, did it?”

“That’s quite some strength you have in here, lil guy...” Virgil grunted, rubbing the sore spot where he received the blow. Luckily nothing was broken, but that would surely leave some bruises.

“Milka not boy!” The little one huffed cutely.

“Björn!” The blonde hissed.

Virgil blinked.

“Sorry for assuming -”

“Keep your apology!” Milka cut him. “Girls aren’t supposed to be strong... so I can be as strong as I want as a boy!”

Virgil snorted.

“You can be a girl and strong at the same time, you just proved it.”

He poked her, as she growled and shoved off his hand with a surprisingly great ease.

“Where Björn and Milka go now?” Björn sniffled. “B-Bad Giants taken Björn’s and Milka’s parents... no family...”

“Did he always talk like that?” Amos asked, wanting to check if it was from the beginning or a trauma.

“Björn is...well...” Milka tried to choose her words, but the boy already looked down in shame.

“Hey, now, it’s okay.” Amos knelt down to their level. “You see, I have a daughter, and she is slow on her growth too.”

The children slowly eased down, but they were clearly still scared of Virgil.

“I get it...” he stood up and went to help on another site.

The kids exhaled in relief.

“Don’t be too hard with him...” the bearded man mumbled. “After all, he lost his family in similar conditions...”

“Are you sure he’s really not one of them?” Milk asked once again, trying to fight the urge to feel bad for the teen.

“We cannot be sure, but in scale speaking, it’s the same as you with him.” Amos tried to explain. “He’s merely doll sized to the Giants.”

Milka still wasn’t conviced but didn’t press the matter.

While the children were getting a medical check, Virgil helped the rescuers by clearing the rubble or carrying injured people toward the safe zone.

The team noted that thanks to him, they managed to save a lot more people that they ever did during all their previous after raid rescue missions.

Sadly for the teen, as expected, rescued people were scared and some even mad at him. For everything Giants did to them.

“You’re not like them.” A rescuer tried to comfort him. “These people are just scared.”

“B-B-But what if I really become a Giant?” Virgil rubbed his eyes.

“Just the fact you’re worrying about it makes you different from them. Also, you grew up with us. Another reason for us Tinies to trust you because we know you’ll never hurt us. At least not intentionally.”

“Exactly! What if I accidentally hurt you?” Virgil whimpered.

“Hey, it can happen to anyone. Everyone makes mistake. Now stop worrying over things that didn’t happen, a storm cloud is literally growing over your head.” the rescuer chuckled.

Virgil smiled slightly.

The night fell.

Everyone was gathered in the safe camp.

Well...almost everyone.

Virgil was a few feet away from there.

He could feel the people glancing at him warily, sometimes glaring. But the worse were the not-so-quiet whispers.

Either despite being the greatest sized type, he was still a Giant who could attack them any time. Or worse, he caught a disease that caused him to grow and was turning him into a Giant and they were afraid it might be contagious.

Virgil was scared about that one.

What if it was true? What if something was clearly wrong with him? What if he did turn into a Giant? What if -

“You should eat something.”

The teen got startled by Amos touching him. He looked down, seeing his foster father with a plate of food.

“That thing is going to eat all the food... They should give it to the ones who really need it instead...” Someone muttered.

Virgil hugged his knees, trying to make himself smaller.

Amos wasn’t the one to get mad easily, but there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

“His name is Virgil, and he’s not a thing.” He said sternly. “He’s my son.”

“It’s a Giant!” Someone else protested.

“So what?” Amos glared. “If he really wanted to harm us, don’t you think he would have done so a while ago?”

He rested a hand on the teen’s leg.

“This young man here is the one who helped us to rescue you. So instead of throwing stones at him, you should give him some gratitude.”

The rescuers who worked with Amos for a long time and who knew Virgil since he joined the Andersen family went to the teen’s sides. Maybe not all liked him, but they at least showed some respect because he was a good person despite the great bumps on the road at the beginning. If the teen could be a real moody pain in the @$$ sometimes, he still tried to do his best to help people he cared about.

“Everyone is tired and stressed out. I think it’s better for all of us to call it a night and go to sleep.” Amos said.

Virgil stood up, his hair shadowing his face.

Of course, people whimpered and cowered, expecting the Giant teen to be mad at them and attack.

“I’ll take the first turn.” He said, walking away from the camp.

Despite his size, he was pretty swift and quiet.

Björn and Milka watched him go, saying nothing.

The next day, they woke up on the sound of someone scratching the earth and wood snapping.

They went outside, looking for the source of the noises.

The other villagers had the same idea because they joined the children outside.

Their breath got caught in their throat when they found it.

Virgil was digging holes in the ground, bare handed. Then he carefully put down the deceased Tinies, planting a wooden cross next to each holes.

There was at least a hundred of corpses.

Each were ceremoniously placed in the improvised graves, a flower in their hands.

“Virgil.”

Said teen jumped out of his skin when Amos went to him.

“O-oh...good morning Amos...”

As the sun was slowly getting up, Virgil’s state was getting visible to everyone.

He looked really exhausted, like he hadn’t slept at all but also got a very rough night. He was all dirty with several injuries that looked like claw and bites marks

“Virgil...what happened?” Amos worried

“Hm? Oh you mean these?” Virgil showed his injuries before shrugging “I had a “little” skirmish with a bear, that’s all, haha...”

Dread fell upon the villagers. Seeing the Giant teen’s injuries, it was certainly not a little skirmish like he said. He had a bad gash on his flank, barely patched up and deep bite marks on his arms.

“You went to fight a bear?! On your own?!”

“Of course on my own, you guys wouldn’t be any helpful...” Virgil huffed.

“Virgil...” Amos muttered.

The worse was to admit that the young Giant wasn’t completely wrong. If Virgil, being almost at the same height/length as the bear, struggled to fight it off, what a bunch of Tinies could have done against such a beast?

“It was sniffing around the corpses.” The emo muttered, starting to work again. “I thought they deserved at least funeral...”

He laughed weakly.

“Too bad I’m not dead, huh-”

A resonating slap echoed through the ruined town.

Virgil was shell shocked.

Amos had grasped is shirt and downright slapped him.

“A-Amos....” Virgil teared up.

“Don’t you ever say something like that again.” The older man’s eyes were really stormy.

Virgil tried not to weep when, Amos hugged him tightly.

The teen broke down, the lack of sleep and stress catching up.

That was the only time Amos raised his hand at him. He was very angry and scared at that moment.

“Let’s get you treated, okay?” Amos spoke softly.

Virgil nodded.

Before collapsing.

“Still think he’s a nuisance?” A rescuer asked the villagers while the others rushed to help Amos with Virgil. 8 persons were needed to move the 10ft Giant.

Though, the teen was worryingly light for his size.

When Virgil woke up, he was surprised to find Björn and Milka seated by his sides.

“What are you guys doing here...” he muttered

“Hey, Björn, look! Mr Giant is awake!” Milka said.

Before deliberately placing the little boy on Virgil’s chest.

“Is Mr Giant okay?” the small Tiny fretted around the teen. His impossibly icy blue eyes locked inton Virgil’s dark violet ones.

“!!!” His entire body froze up, causing him to be unable to move or talk.

“Yeah, Mr Giant ~” Milka said sweetly. “Are you okay?”

“...” Virgil couldn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

While he did believe that Björn wasn’t aware of the use of his ability on him, he was definitely sure that Milka did that on purpose.

Just you wait you sneaky little -

“Björn, my boy, I need you to come with me. Amos wants to discuss about something very important with you.” A rescuer picked up the boy. “Ah! Wait -” Milka reached for him “Don’t worry.” The rescuer said, cradling the small child. “He’s not in trouble.”

Björn cooed softly in their arms.

Closing his eyes.

“Oh and Virgil.” The adult looked back. “Be nice to her, okay?” They walked off.

“Oh no...” Milka whimpered.

She slowly turned around, seeing the Giant form of Virgil towering her.

“Don’t worry.” he grinned dangerously as he slowly creaked his knuckles. “I’ll be V-E-R-Y nice to you.” “I’ve discussed with the village’s elders. They agreed to let you two live with us since you don’t have anywhere to go.” Amos told the boy.

“Huh?” Björn blinked, not sure to have heard right.

“Yes Björn.” Amos said, trying to focus on the boy’s flamboyant hair instead of his big teary eyes. “You and Milka will live with Virgil and I.”

Big fat tears flooded out the boy’s face as Amos hugged him tenderly.

“I wanted to tell you first because I think Milka would have done everything to make you refuse...” He ruffled his hair. “I know she just wants to care about you. But if it’s you who wants it, I’m sure she’ll follow you with no hesitation.”

“Björn is so happy!” The boy bawled out, creating a big wet spot on Amos’ shirt.

“Now now. Dry up your tears and let’s tell the news to Milka and Virgil. Okay?”

Björn paused.

“Does it mean Mr G- Virgil will be Björn’s brother?” He whimpered softly.

“Don’t worry.” Amos reassured him. “I’m sure you three will get along just fine.” SLAM

“GOTCHA!” Virgil said triumphantly when he pinned Milka under his hand onto the ground.

“Oh yeah?” Milka glared, before biting into his finger.

“OW!” The teen drew back his hand and glared back. “Oh really is it now!”

“Bring it on!” She challenged.

While Virgil was clearly advantaged by his size, Milka’s terrifying strength wasn’t something to scoff at.

The two bickered and fought over ferociously.

Every time Virgil immobilized her, Milka easily broke free from his grasp. She tripped him off his feet several times, but he was quick to get back up.

“Milka! Milka! Guess what!” Björn ran to them before stopping abruptly.

“AAAAAAH!” He screamed.

“Björn?!” Amos ran to him, when he saw the scene.

Virgil was restraining Milka by her waist as she was pushing his face away.

“ENOUGH!” Amos’ voice thundered.

Virgil froze and Milka used that opportunity to elbow him in the ribs and made him drop her.

“What on earth is going on here!” Amos crossed his arms.

“He/She started it!” They both said before glaring at each other.

The older male pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily.

“So, since you two seems to get along very well, there’s no problem in me saying that Milka and Björn will live with us, starting today?” Amos told them

“WHAT?!” Both screamed.

“I never agreed -” Milka protested. “I already asked Björn and he accepted.” She quieted down

“What about Cara and the twins?” Virgil spoke up.

He already had to deal with Matthias all the time. There was no way he could stand Matthias AND Milka.

Amos scratched the back of his head.

“I’ll face the consequences later.” He said sheepishly.

Virgil groaned and covered his face.

- End of Flashback -

“Hn..Hn...”

Virgil was pulled out of his reminiscing when he heard soft whines.

He looked down, seeing Björn curled up, crying softly. He was probably having a nightmare.

Björn didn’t grow much over the years, both physically and mentally. On cue, Björn still slept with a pacifier and his teddy bear.

Virgil sighed soft and sat up, careful not to wake the others.

He gently scooped up the ginger haired boy and rocked him against his chest like a baby.

“There there, it’s okay. I’m here.” Virgil hummed softly. “Shhhh.”

The boy cooed softly, gripping his shirt.

Virgil smiled lightly.

“He had another nightmare, didn’t he?”

The young man looked over the person who spoke.

Milka.

“He really likes you.” She said, standing before him. “I’m jealous.”

“Don’t say that.” Virgil shuffled, letting her sit on his lap. “You will always be his big sister and best friend.”

She sighed, crossing her arms.

“Do you want me to comb your hair?” He asked her.

“Huh?” She looked up at him.

“Your hair. Do you need help with them?”

“...” She looked away. “Fine.”

She went to retrieve the hairbrush before giving it to the young Giant and carefully sitting on his knee.

Virgil moved lightly his right arm so he could support Björn against his chest before taking the hairbrush and starting to work.

Despite his size, he was very gentle and careful.

“A lot happened since you grew them out, huh.” He said.

Milka just hummed.

Her vanilla blonde hair now reached just below her waist, as long bangs completely covered the right side of her face, hiding the reminder of the scary event.

Amos came over, about to wake the children for the day, When he saw the scene.

Despite everything they went through, it was clear that Virgil cared about each member of his family.

The old man chuckled softly, deciding to let them bound a little longer.

=====BBAG=====

(EDIT 19/05/2020: art of Virgil and Bjorn here )

BBAG: 1/X/?

Leave a comment and a like if possible ^^

(want to be @? let me know)

#bbag #Between Borrower and Giant #sanders sides virgil #virgil sanders #giant!virgil #anxiety sanders #writing #fanfic #sanders sides g/t #g/t #OCs #OC squad #tiny!oc

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shortcakemonster · 5 years

Text

Go-Away Green pt. 9

Summary: You try to fix everything you messed up, but you get caught up in wondering if you should.

TW: Some dark thoughts in this one, more than usual for this fic.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 10

Peter went back to class in a weird kind of haze. First off, he’d woken up, more or less, in an alley, dressed in his Spider-Man suit. With his mask partially off. And a random man he didn’t recognize webbed to the ground.

He’d had to ask Karen who the man was; Reuben Holt, the leader of a human trafficking ring, the associates of whom Peter had taken out the day before. He vaguely remembered being on the ship, diving into the ocean for some unknown reason...

For the life of him, he couldn’t remember how he’d managed to track this individual criminal down and capture him. Had he seen him on the ship the day before? He’d have to go through Karen’s footage to find out.

Or had Holt merely been trying to abduct someone when Peter found him, and this superhero’s arrest had happened almost out of pure chance? If that was the case, then where was the victim? They were close to Midtown- had Holt tried to abduct a teenager? The thought made Peter shudder.

He wasn’t given much time to contemplate all of this, as soon enough, a black van pulled up to the entrance of the alley and a half dozen people in black suits spilled out. Happy emerged from the passenger’s seat to briefly thank Peter for catching Holt and assure him that they’d have more information soon. After Peter dissolved the web fluid, Happy’s associates made quick work of restraining him and depositing him into the van before speeding away.

After realizing that school was starting soon, Peter went into autopilot and found his regular clothes, changing into them before heading to his first class. Going about this often-exercised routine on this particular day took about twice the time that it normally did, making him late to physics.

He all but lumbered into class, ignoring his teacher’s passive-aggressive remark about punctuality before making his way over to his desk. He couldn’t focus on the lecture at hand, and not because of his preoccupation with Reuben Holt, but because of a strange, indeterminate sensation slowly creeping up on him, spreading over his skin.

A warmth in his hand. Soft skin, fingers clutching his.

He furrowed his eyebrows. When was the last time he’d held somebody’s hand? And who had it been? Peter balled his hand into a fist, trying to remember the feeling.

Whatever it was, it masked over the subconscious suspicion that somebody was watching him. Occasionally, the feeling would bob to the surface, and Peter would look up to locate the source, until an odd forgetfulness drifted over him and he returned to his previous thoughts.

Ned approached him in the hallway between classes. “Are you okay? You seem really out of it.”

How could Peter even explain the feeling? He couldn’t focus, there were strange gaps in his recent memory... Was this the work of one of Holt’s associates? How had they accomplished it? Or was Peter losing his super senses?

He tried to put it into words that Ned (the best friend, not the guy in the chair) could comprehend. “I feel like I’m forgetting something really important.” Hell, that was all that Peter could comprehend, for the time being.

“Homework?” Ned suggested.

“No.”

“Is it May’s birthday, or something?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“The Stark internship?”

Peter shook his head, despite the two matters being partially related. “No. Well... I- I was in an alley before school started, with the suit on, and I can’t remember what I was doing there. There was just this guy lying on the ground, all webbed up. So I had to have taken him out, but I don’t remember doing that at all. On top of that, apparently he’s the leader of a human trafficking ring, which I helped take down yesterday on a freaking cargo ship, but I barely remember any of this! And I can’t- I can’t...” He mad vague gestures with his hands, as if they would help him find the right words. “There’s something else, I think. Something unrelated to all of this, I just... I’m missing something really big, here.” He curled and uncurled his fingers in a claw shape, that weird, empty-yet-full feeling still plaguing his hand.

Ned was, by nature, a very smart person, as well as Peter Parker’s best and most loyal companion in life. Regardless, he couldn’t quite absorb and decipher everything that his best friend had said. “Look, I’m sure if it was anything major, your senses would alert you, wouldn’t they?”

Peter shrugged. That was about a substantial answer as he could expect from anyone, for the time being. He decided he wouldn’t tell Ned about the feeling of being watched, he didn’t want to worry his best friend, especially if there wasn’t really any evidence in relation to the matter.

He had no choice but to continue his school day as usual, trying to look as normal as possible while obsessing over Reuben Holt and that weird feeling in my hand what is it doing.

Come lunch time, Peter got a call from Mr. Stark and excused himself from the table to go answer it. If it was more information on Reuben Holt, or if he could pick the billionaire’s brain for possible reasons as to why he was feeling so strange, then he was all for it.

In typical Stark fashion, Tony didn’t even let Peter get out a polite “hello” before diving into the topic at hand. “Hey, kid. Hate to interrupt you during your education, but I thought you should know that we got that captain guy in our custody, now. Sent the info to your suit, if you wanna look more into it.”

“Reuben Holt?”

“The very one. He was pretty out of it, but I guess that was (Y/N)’s doing. How’s she holding up, by the way?”

(Y/N)!

Peter felt himself light up with recognition. He smacked his forehead at the realization, disbelieving at the idea that he could forget you so easily. Hadn’t you talked, earlier that day?

He let your name fall softly from his lips, and that was his undoing.

An overwhelming mental tidal wave washed over him, making him slightly dizzy. The hand on his forehead was now being used to steady himself, keep himself grounded in reality. He couldn’t even remember what he’d been talking about. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to clear his mind. “Who?”

A pause came from the other end. “(Y/N)?”

Another wave; it was like he forgot the name the very instant that he heard it. Repeating the name to himself didn’t do any good, as it just started to sound like a weird jumbling of letters that didn’t belong on his tongue.

“Mr. Stark, I’m not sure who you’re talking about.”

“You introduced me to her two days ago,” Tony explained. “Super shy, powers of invisibility? Is this really not ringing a bell?”

And for one second, he had a perfect image of you standing before him. (Y/E/C) eyes. (Y/H/C) hair. A faint, but genuine smile. A soft hand holding his.

But then, a tsunami of mental weakening. And with it, several aftershocks.

Peter felt like he was going to pass out. He collapsed against the lockers, trying to steel himself against the sensation. Was that why this was happening? Was he sick? He hadn’t gotten as much as a cold since the spider bite.

“I don’t know anybody who can turn invisible, Mr. Stark,” he barely managed to gasp out. “I think I’d remember that.”

There was a moment of silence, which Peter used to try and gather his quickly disintegrating thoughts together, then-

“You know, I barely got any sleep, last night. I’m probably mixing some stuff up.”

Peter let out a sigh of relief. He couldn’t even remember half of what Mr. Stark had said during the conversation, he was just glad that it was over, that he wouldn’t have to use his mental energy for anything other than trying to piece his memories back into place.

“Yeah, okay. Feel better, Mr. Stark.”

Another pause. “Thanks, kid. Good job on today. Bye.”

Night fell early over Queens, as was customary for the season. You’d exhausted yourself by trying to make everyone at school forget about you. On the surface, it didn’t seem like too difficult a task, as there was only a handful of people at school who even knew your name, let alone had any substantial memory of you. Sure, everyone at school was very smart, but the challenge was lost due to a lack of attachment to you.

But then there was Peter. Much smarter and much more attached to you than... well, anyone else you’d ever known, at least recently.

You hadn’t expected it to work so well. Factoring in his super senses, you thought that Peter would immediately pick up on your efforts. After all, his senses were what had gotten you in trouble in the first place. In this instance, you supposed that your powers were stronger than his, and for his sake, you would have to use them.

Neither of you were truly safe, anymore. Not with each other. A human trafficker had come after you, and that was indeed terrifying. But even more terrifying than that was what he’d intended to you with you.

Be a good girl, and you won’t get hurt. At least, not yet. We gotta get our information somehow, don’t we?

More likely than not, he would have used any means necessary to get information from you, and you had no doubt that the information in question would have to do with Spider-Man and his identity. And yes, you probably would have been able to get yourself out of the situation, given your powers. If you were desperate enough, your abilities could have worked in your favor.

But, still...

Before all this, your powers had been focused on keeping yourself in the shadows, keeping people away from you, protecting yourself. None of that mattered as much as protecting Peter.

That was what this really came down to. That was how your powers worked. When you really, truly needed to accomplish something, your powers always came into play. The boy at Delmar’s. The woman in the alley. The people in the shipping container.

And now, Peter.

Peter Parker didn’t think things through. He was vastly intelligent, sure, but his heart pretty much always ruled over his head. For his sake, you had to favor your head over your heart.

But boy, did it suck.

You’d only had a few days of friendship and attention before it was stripped away from you. Alright, you’d technically taken it away from yourself, and you had all the power in the world to restore things back to the way they’d been before, but of course, there was the issue of keeping Peter safe.

And besides, this was what you deserved, wasn’t it? He was better off without you, anyway.

Wholly invisible, you slowly opened the door to your apartment, ever careful not to make any noise as you entered. You were startled slightly when you saw your parents standing across from each other in the living room. Your heartbeat spiked when you saw your mom crying, until you saw the small, plastic device in your dad’s hand, and that he was crying, too.

You felt time stand still, all the oxygen leaving your lungs.

Your mother was pregnant.

As a child, you’d occasionally wish for a sibling, dreamed of your parents paying attention to someone other than you. You’d go to sleep at night, imagining your parents sitting you down and giving you the obligatory talk about how Even Though We’ll Have To Give A Lot Of Attention To The New Baby, It Doesn’t Mean We Love You Any Less. You’d seen that conversation on multiple kids’ shows. You’d heard your young classmates discuss it with their friends at school.

That conversation was your childhood fantasy, and sometimes you would imagine being sandwiched between two other siblings, of being the infamous Middle Child, never getting any attention from your parents because they were too busy with their other children.

But now, in this particular circumstance, the news made your stomach sink.

You don’t matter, anymore. You never did.

For what seemed like the millionth time in only a few days, you felt a lump developing in your throat, the familiar tremble of your lips as tears began to form in your eyes. You covered your mouth with your hand in an attempt to hide a pathetic sob, but the noise prevailed in spite of your effort.

Your parents didn’t notice.

Which was what you wanted, wasn’t it? Wasn’t this your dream come true?

Your dad hoisted your mom up by the waist and kissed her, then carried her into their bedroom. She laughed the whole way.

You stared wistfully as the bedroom door shut, the noise snapping you out of your daze. Eventually, you willed your legs to move and approached the doorway of your own room. The thought of this room being converted into a nursery briefly passed through your mind as you opened your window. You’d probably have to clear out your stuff to stifle any risk of your parents remembering you. They clearly had bigger things to worry about now, and you couldn’t get in their way.

You climbed out the window and onto the fire escape, noticing how much more difficult it was to accomplish this task when you couldn’t see yourself. The last time you’d done this, you’d merely been flickering.

You made the trek up the stairs to the rooftop, heaving yourself over the side and landing on the concrete. You lay there for a second, staring up at the night sky. The light pollution of the city often made it difficult to observe the moon and the stars in clearer detail, but they weren’t impossible to see. You liked how small the sky made you feel. At least, you used to.

You sat up and crossed your legs, staring at the neighborhood below. The perpetual state of traffic clogging up the streets, the pedestrians knocking into one another, the alleyway where only days ago you’d helped to rescue that woman.

Where Peter rescued that woman. Period.

You sighed, trying to suppress another bout of crying. It wasn’t like anyone would hear you up on the roof, and even if they did, they would be powerless to your ability to make them forget about anything you said or did.

How do you expect to survive the rest of your life without talking to people?

I don’t!

So, this was where you were, now. Your dream scenario. No connections, no relationships, no nothing. You’d perfected your “mind control” abilities, whatever the hell they ever were, and now there was literally nobody on the planet who could even think about you ever again, let alone care about you.

A choked sob emerged from your mouth, accompanied by a brief flicker to your form. You blinked on and off, like a shorting out lightbulb.

God, what’s wrong with me?!

Your conflicted thoughts were answered much sooner and in a much more literal sense that you’d expected, as a sudden sound of whirring machinery- almost like some sort of flying metal suit- suggested that you might have missed a few people in your efforts of self-erasure.

“Hey, there, Invisi-Kid. You got a second to talk?”

Tag list:

@1enchantedfantasy1 @11mb0 @3003st @aubreylovesthegames @bookchic20@catnolannn @embracethemagic @gladerofcabin4 @greenarrowhead @hawaiiantozier @honestlysasha @ivykinsnake @justapotatonow @lucille-lovely @maybesomeday @meyrapp @myhealingstar @satansladydoor @soullesstrashcan @southsidejournal @stone2576 @thekidsofneibolt @timelordy-fangirl2 @uwu-sebastianstan @wicked-wiccan-witch @dat-one-goat @eye-of-the-owl @qandnoablog @millennialpinksimblr @speckles-s @cartwheelandfaceplant @the-spidey-dork @spider-stud@meashy-moo @boogie-woogie-wooogie @be-more-heidi-hansen @cartwheelandfaceplant @khaleesiclifford @veryhealthyobsessions

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #spiderman #spider man #spider man x reader #mcu #marvel #go away green #tom holland #tom holland x reader

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obliterus · 5 years

Text

REVERSE AU//MVA part 1

It’s been a while, but now it’s coming back. Some things have been completely re-vamped, some things have gotten darker and more sinister here. I’m going to begin re-telling the story of this AU on this blog since Shion will be involved, and then offer all other exclusive in-depth character profiles (several key characters that are vital to the plot, and who I want to write again or introduce) on my upcoming multi-muse blog. Since... I’m sure there will be questions and there will be answers.

WELCOME TO MY VILLAIN ACADEMIA!

Please enjoy your stay and remember to do your best, because an attempt isn’t tolerated. Let’s get started, shall we?

Everything that you’ve come to love and cherish, those storybook heroes and their happy ever after endings don’t exist here. This is a story in which raw power and glory run the show and all that heroic bullshit? Well, let’s just say it doesn’t exist! In this world, your abilities dictate your entire life, how you attend school, and even the friends you make! If you’re born quirkless, from the moment you take your first breath, life will be especially hard for you, because you’re as good to dirt in this society. Villains are the top dog here, and your life can only get a little bit better if you entrust yourself into the hands of those with abilities greater than your own. You’re considered a disability to the system if you’re quirkless, you may as well just kiss your life goodbye or die trying!

There are no happy endings here, only the struggle to come out on top, and become the best Pro Villain you can. Corruption is encouraged, using your abilities to get ahead and manipulate are all welcomed here, so is physical violence. Not too much though, we don’t need to mop up blood off campus every single hour on the hour. We have a battle arena if you need to fight out your differences, but please book that in advance. Most of your peers will be anywhere between Green and Orange ranking, so please respect them once you encounter them and their ranking. This is the opposite of the hero stories you’ve come to understand, so please make sure you’re familiar with all of the rules and where you, yourself fall! Have a GREAT year!

My Villain Academia is an alternative universe in which tells takes the canon storyline and completely reverses it! Yes, that’s right. Everyone you know and love is actually a heartless villain in training in this. I shouldn’t say completely heartless, but they’re pretty close. Also, your heartless canon villains are actually morally wonderful underground Heroes. UA Academy is a school that prides itself on producing some of the best Villains not only in Japan but across the globe. With its excellent selection of courses and rigorous acceptance exams, one can only dream of being accepted to UA. The story is narrated by the resident King of UA Academia, Midoriya Izuku, and his journey in becoming a Pro Villain.

The school is separated into two classes when it comes to the Villain Course, A and B. These are considered some of the top aspiring students in all of Japan. They’ll do just about anything and everything to get ahead, but they will not turn on each other. They are required to work together in some fields because powerful quirk users combined can be a beautiful thing in the face of battle, or in establishing dominance, right? It’s designed to set you on the right path and separate the powerful from the weak hearted.

General Studies is offered to students that have failed the Villain course exam but still have the potential to join the Villain course during the spring of their following year. However, General Studies students can usually be seen in one of two lights: Scrubs and targets, or potential villains based on how students present themselves in those classes. They’re sorted into C and D, and E categories.

Support Course are students that have been gifted with extreme knowledge and craftsmanship. These are the individuals that instead choose to support their future pro Villains along their course by designing weapons that can enhance not only their quirks but their combat abilities. Support students are highly treasured at UA, and often shown an extra level of respect so that villain course students can ultimately get what they want to be made. There is no limit to what they can make, and their stock room is filled to the brim with assorted tools. Some legal, some very illegal. Anything goes when you’re in support course territory! They are sorted into F, G and H categories.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the Management Course. They are the individuals single-handedly responsible for starting a Villain’s career. They deal with all marketing, opening up agencies, and provide a line of direction for newborn villains. They are sharp individuals, with great problem-solving skills and are masters of working the system in their favor. They’re a more isolated group of students, who choose to keep their secrets to themselves. They are sorted into I, J and K categories.

Much of the Discourse that should arise in UA isn’t handled by the teachers but handled by the ranking system that is established among the Villain Course students. It is called The Royal Flush and composed up of a King, Queen, Jack, Ace and Ten of Hearts. Each title is worn by a Villain Course student, and with it, comes specific duties that are to be obeyed around the school. Before I outline who this is made up, I’ll explain how society’s ranking system works based on what type of quirk you’re born with. Or NOT born with.

When a child’s quirk manifests, they are immediately classified into a color that will dictate how the rest of their life will go. Let’s start from lowest to highest! Now, these are subject to change if a quirkless child is a late bloomer and their quirk manifests later, OR an individual that was already sorted has a quirk change or an enhancement in their abilities that calls for them to be sorted into a different classification. This is done by the government in which the person goes through a series of tests to be passed on to a different classification.

COLOR QUIRK CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM ;;

QUIRKLESS (Black) If no quirk manifests in a child, they are tapped as black and are donned as a disability to the society overall. They are shunned and mocked, these are the people who have a very hard time finding suitable jobs and education for themselves. They tend to stick together to survive and are virtually non-existing to society unless they do something to prove themselves. A lot of them do the services that many quirk users do not want to do, and this buys them protection and a safe space. The highest suicide ranking is among the quirkless.

LOW TIER (Blue) The weakest on the quirk totem pole. Low tier quirk users are registered under the color blue to signal their ranking. These are the people who are offered the lowest ranking jobs and education. They have a chance to climb up the pole if their quirk changes after they’ve already been tapped as a child. Otherwise, these are the people who are easily taken advantage of and who often deflect for the Hero underground.

MID-TIER (Green) The middle of the pole. Once sorted into this category, I would consider this the middle class of the quirk ranking system. A lot of citizens are mid-tier users. They have the ability to hold decent jobs, can become advisors to higher ranking quirk users, are offered good education, and are respected enough to be left alone. They don’t help the weak if they know what’s good for them and their safety. A lot of UA students are Green users that are trying to advance to Orange if their ability allows, but honestly, being Green is a good thing. It doesn’t get you looked at like the Blues, and it takes some of the pressures of Orange off you.

HIGH TIER (Orange) The second highest ranking on the quirk pole. They are the world’s leaders, offered the highest ranking jobs, exposed to the absolute best education system. The police tend to turn a blind eye to high tier users who act out in society because they are seen as the best of the best. Their power isn’t something to be questioned. High tier users can offer protective services to mid-tier users.

SUPREME TIER (Red) Extremely rare. 5% of the population. These are people that are considered walking Gods because of their quirk abilities. Both feared and praised, they are hunted down for their abilities and turned into lethal villain machines. They can offer protective services to just about anyone they choose and it will -never- be questioned. It is very much a thing that children born and tested as Red, will be registered as Orange and their quirk abilities fairly suppressed.

Now that that’s outlined, going back to The Royal Flush squad. The Big Three were the top dogs of UA while they were there, Mirio becoming King in his second year, along with Nejire as Queen and Tamaki as Jack. The Big Three came to dominate the school, they were the people that aspiring individuals looked to for advice. They handled a lot of disputes, while not only increasing their profiles as Villains but also letting people know that they were not the ones to be questioned. Izuku inherits the King title, reluctant to do so after he inherits his ability, None for All, and was now tasked with building his own elite team to wear the Royal titles through the years at UA. Izuku is the only one to become King during his first year.

Who he picks are a total secret, and one you’ll come to discover later on.

Now, what about the Hero Underground? Is there a silver lining in all of this? Of course! The Hero Underground, known as the League of Heroes, is a widespread society that was started by one man, known as All For One. However, in the Villain realm, he’s known bitterly as Robin Hood. He can steal quirks from the most sinister of Villains and gift them to aspiring Heroes who are desperate to try and make society a better place. There have been rumors floating around forever that Shimura Nana has killed him, but in reality, AFO is safely hidden in an unknown location that’s under intense security.

The League of Heroes fights for everyone. They do not discriminate against Quirkless and Low Tier users and are always welcoming to any Villain that chooses to deflect. Once somebody chooses to deflect, they are stripped of their ranking and are considered as good as dirt to society. Heroes are seen as vermin, with their want for equal rights among everyone else and to have quirks liberated rather than controlled by the government and other systems. Hero Agencies exist in locations spread all over Japan, some greatly hidden behind walls, underground, within a maze of tunnels, or through extensive passwords.

Three misfits, ostracized and hunted for their abilities joined the Hero ranking and own one of the most successful Agencies of all time. (Also a real pain in the ass for the Villains of the society) Chisaki Kai, Todoroki Touya, and Shigaraki Tomura. Three individuals who were born RED, who deflected from villain society and built an Agency from the ground up in honor of liberation. They are walking messiahs to those on the lower end of the deal, and they’ve already saved countless people. They have dodged great difficulties to get to where they need to be. The question is, the government wants them, but more so have been forced to turn the other cheek. The system is just as much afraid of them.

They operate out of an office that’s disguise as a Speakeasy, hidden behind a door with a peephole that Touya maintains. Those looking for their aid are given specific instructions to this door, and will only be let in if their password is said correctly. This office also operates as a safe house for those who just are looking to escape the gruesome system they were born into. Welcome to the Hero world! Let Todoroki Touya be your guide.

(Part 1 end)

#MUSINGS. || a place to lay my head #verse || my villain academia.

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kihyuni3 · 6 years

Text

I Won’t Let You Fall - Jooheon College!AU

Okay, so this ended up being hella longer than I thought I was gonna be so I’m sorry for that but it’s still cute and fluffly so please enjoy.

Note: Some situations in this may not apply to every reader and I’m sorry for that but always remember you can send in a request and I can make it more personal to your situation.

~Izzy

Genre: Fluff, College!AU

Word Count: 2,281

“Come on,” Changkyun whines at you as you pack up your books from the English Literature lecture that the two of you share. “You always take forever.”

You had met Changkyun at the beginning of the semester when he came into the lecture hall, quickly shuffling you direction and declaring that you were sitting in his seat and that anytime he had a class in this hall that was where he sat. After hopping over one seat the two of you quickly began talking and now a beautiful friendship had blossomed from it.

“Okay maybe,” you rebuttal “it’s because I actually wait for the lecture to end before I start getting ready to leave, unlike some people I know.” You shoot an accusing glare in his direction before zipping your bag and throwing it over your shoulder. Changkyun rolls his eyes and practically drags you out of the lecture hall. You had agreed to go to lunch with him after class, a new restaurant had just opened up just off campus and he had been dying to try it.

The walk over didn’t take terribly long, but as soon as you had arrived you noticed that the restaurant was packed.

“Kyun,” you said a bit disheartened “I hate to break it to you, but we’re never gonna get a table with this crowd.” He only looked flustered by the situation for a second before returning to his constant puppy-like state of optimism.

“Well that may be true,” he said grabbing your hand and pulling you into the restaurant anyway “but we can always try.” Then like some kind of magic as soon as he had stepped through the doors someone started calling his name, beckoning him to their table.

“Changkyun!” You heard from not too far off in the mess of tables. Turning your head, you spot a table with a few guys motioning the two of you over. Changkyun leads the two of you over and immediately throws himself into their conversation. You recognize two of them (Hyungwon, from your Algebra class, and Shownu, from the school’s baseball team), but the third you had never seen before. He had dark hair which was pushed up framing his face quite nicely making him appear very handsome and these deep brown eyes, and these cute dimples that would appear on his cheeks anytime he smiled. He must have noticed you looking at him because he interrupted whatever Changkyun was talking about.

“Changkyun,” He said pulling the younger boys attention “I don’t believe you’ve introduced us to your friend here.” As he motioned over to you, you couldn’t help but flush a bit at his attention. Another thing he must have noticed because soon those little dimples were appearing again along with a sweet smile which only made him that much more attractive to you.

“Oh this is (Y/N),” Changkyun mentioned casually “She sits next to me in my Lit. lecture. (Y/n) I think you know Hyungwon, and I’m sure you’ve at least heard of Shownu and-”

“I’m Jooheon,” the attractive stranger stands and offers you his hand to shake, you gladly take it, although the contact causes the flush to return to your face a bit. “Why don’t you guys join us. I’m sure it’ll take you ages to get a table and we just barely got here.” You didn’t have a chance to say anything before Changkyun was already pulling up a chair and accepting the offer. Quickly Jooheon grabs you a chair as well and like a true gentleman is politely pushing it in for you as you sit. At first, the lunch was a bit awkward, as you display know much about Kyun’s other friends, but after awhile you quickly warmed up and found out you had a lot in common with them. Especially Jooheon, who you had grown significantly closer within the past hour. The lunch ended up being very fun and full of laughter.

When the bill arrived for your food, you reached to grab your wallet from your bag but before you even got the chance Jooheon had placed it with his own and handed it to the waitress with his card.

“Hey,” you tried to protest, but the look on his face was so sweet you couldn’t really be mad at him. “You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve gotten in on my own.

“But I wanted to,” He smiled at you, showing those dimples once again “Besides, this means that we’ll have to go out again so that you can get the next one. Was he implying that you two go on a date? The thought of it made you blush again, something that seemed to happen quite a lot around Jooheon. Shownu pulled you out of your thoughts before you could investigate into it any further.

“It was really nice to meet you (Y/n),” He said while grabbing his things to head out “Maybe we could all hang out again sometime.”

“Yeah that’d be rad,” Changkyun answered for you “I’ll add her to our group chat and we can figure something out.” He pulled up his phone and in a few moments, you got a message notifying you that you were added to a group chat with Changkyun and 6 others. You turn to grab your things to leave when you find yourself face to face with Jooheon.

“Don’t forget about going out again,” He said slinging his own bag over his shoulder “See you around (Y/n).” With that, all of you headed your separate ways, and you couldn’t stop smiling not being able to wait for the next time you saw Jooheon again.

—————-———

It had been a couple of weeks since you had been added to the boys' group chat, and since then all of you had become pretty close friends. All together you had hung out a few more time, each time Jooheon getting a little bit more flirty or doing a little bit more skinship. Yet with all of this neither of you had proposed to hang out individually yet. Without your knowledge, Jooheon was growing impatient.

One afternoon after all your classes had finished, you were lying in your dorm just relaxing when you felt your phone go off.

1 New Notification: Text from Honey

You had assumed it was something he had sent to the group message, but after opening it you saw it was directly to you.

Honey: I think I wanna cash in you paying for our next hang out now. Be ready in 30 minutes I’m coming to get you.

Quickly you got off your bed and started to get ready. You were never this nervous when you went out with the boys, but the thought of seeing Jooheon alone made butterflies erupt in your stomach. You didn’t know what he had planned so you stayed pretty casual but still tried to show off a bit. By the time you were slipping your shoes on you heard a knock on the door. When you went to answer it Jooheon stood there in a white shirt with his hair up the way you loved it (I imagine this part is him in the gif). For a moment neither of you said anything you were too busy taking each other in. Jooheon broke the silence first.

“You look amazing.” He said softly. “Are you ready to go.” You grabbed your bag and he led you out of your dorm.

“Actually about that,” You start to feel more comfortable as the two of you walk “Where exactly are we going.” He looked over at you and smiled. He could literally make your heart melt every time he smiled.

“Well I figured we would go down to that little caffé right off campus and get some boba and something to eat, and then when the sun starts to go down a little more we head back to campus and I teach you how to skate.” You had noticed the longboard he was holding before, but just assumed it was how he got to your dorm from the one he shared with Shownu.

When you looked back up at him from his board you could see he was looking for approval for the plan he had come up with. You smile at him reassuringly which causes him to smile as well.

“Sounds good Honey,” He blushes a bit at the nickname you use for him “You’ve thought about this a lot haven’t you.” His blush seemed to deepen as he averted his eyes from your own.

“Actually I’ve been thinking about it since the day we met.” With that, it was your turn to blush.

When the two of you arrived at the little caffé. He had you order first. You figured this was just because he was being a gentleman, but in actuality when he finished ordering you discuss even have time to reach for your wallet because once again he paid for everything before you got the chance.

“Hey!” you argue lightly hitting his arm in protest. “I thought the whole reason for this was so that I could pay this time.” He looked at you and chuckled a bit.

“I guess I lied.” he shrugged going to find a table. You followed him still protesting his decision to pay.

“Well, how am I supposed to pay you back if you keep paying for everything?”

“You are paying me back.” He said sweetly, waiting for you to become a bit confused before continuing “Your paying me back by going out with me, just you being here is enough.” You had nothing to say after that, all you could do was smile and blush.

The time you spent at the little caffé was fun and full of meaningful time spent together. The two of you spent this time getting closer in a way that you couldn’t when you were out with the other guys, and you were thankful for it. Soon enough both of you had finished and the sun was starting to get lower in the sky.

Jooheon stood first and grabbed your hand leading you out back towards the campus. Earlier this action probably would have made you nervous, but now it was something very comfortable to you.

When you arrived back on campus he led you to a nice green area with wide trails and let go of your hand. A feeling which you greatly missed. He took both of your things and placed them in a grassy patch next to the trail before setting down his longboard. As he led you over to it, he saw your hesitation.

“Don’t worry,” He said sweetly, his body much closer to yours than you had realized. “I won’t let you fall.” With those words, you felt much better about the situation. At first, he tried to get you adjusted to standing the right way. after explaining the correct stance his hand landed on your waist to correct your own. As he did this you found your hands resting on his shoulders. The feeling of holding each other was sweet and you didn’t want it to end, but eventually, he would want you to actually try and skate.

First, he adjusted his grip ao that one of his hand was on your lower back and one was holding your own. He had you try and kick off, and after a wobbly start, you got going. He walked alongside you, eventually removing his hand from your lower back, letting you do most of the work yourself. A wide smile spread across your face as you started to figure it out on your own. That is until you started to wobble and fishtail a bit. Your weight becomes uneven on the board and you could feel yourself begin to fall but just before your feet came completely off the board, you felt a pair of strong arms around you. Jooheon had held you up so you wouldn’t fall, now he was just holding you up above the ground just a bit. The longboard was long gone and forgotten, but both of you just stayed where you were his arms around your waist holding you in the air and your arms around his neck, head nuzzled into his shoulder.

Eventually, he had lowered you to the ground allowing you to regain your footing before pulling back a bit but not letting go completely. His arms still draped lazily on your hips.

“I better go grab the board.” He said allowing his arms to draw away from you as you nodded. You stood there watching him jog down the path to grab his path. When he returned both of you just walked back to where you had left your stuff and laid down in the grass looking up at the night sky. For a long while, only a few words were shared between you two.

After a while, you felt Jooheon’s hand creep over to hold your own as he turned on his side to look at you.

“(Y/n),” He started gently, but when you turned to look at him you knew what he was going to say without him even having to finish. With that you move closer to him, free hand moving to rest on his cheek. Both of you found yourselves moving in closer until your lips connected in the sweetest kiss you had ever experienced.

When you pulled away Jooheon just smiled flashing those signature dimples of his, before wrapping you in his arms and pulling you against his chest. You could confidently say that this was the greatest date you had ever been on.

#Monsta X #monbebe #monsta x scenarios #monsta x reactions #monsta x reaction #monsta x request #monsta x drabble #monsta x one shot #monbebe net #monbebenet #monsta x imagine #monsta x jooheon #jooheon #lee jooheon #lee hojoon

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homoregalis · 7 years

Text

Ryder Appreciation! Q & A

So, I just finished for the semester, and it’s time to show some freaking Mass Effect love! I know I still have the 30 day challenge I started TWO FREAKING YEARS ago, and I really want to get to that, but I keep having a combination of life, computer crashes, and the like getting in the way. So, for the time, I’m going to answer some ME:A questions about my Ryder! Dunno where these came from, but I’ma answer all of them!

Ryder Character Questions:

1. Your favourite quote

- “I am Pathfinder. Rah bah bah bah!” in response to the Kett guy on Eos getting all lippy on the radio

2. Share a screenshot of your Ryder:

3. Full Name?

- Elizabeth Miriam Ryder

4. Origin/Meaning of the name

- Nothing particularly. Elizabeth and Miriam are both generic abrahamic names

5. How did you come up with the name and why did you chose it?

- Elizabeth is a name that works for anyone, to me at least. It can be high class or working class, royalty or the great unwashed masses, doesn’t matter, it sounds right. Miriam as a middle name was an aesthetic choice, as most last names like Ryder, that are so short, feel like they flow better off of a middle name to me.

6. Did Ellen or Alec chose the name for your Ryder? Or did your Ryder chose the name?

- Ellen. Alec named Scott. Ellen’s side of the family is of European-Canadian extraction, where as Alec is Asian-American having been born and raised on the continental side of the Sierra Nevadas, right in their foothills.

7. What pronouns does your Ryder use?

- Elizabeth has never cared much, but uses traditionally feminine pronouns.

8. Gender identity

- Female, although she doesn’t ascribe any particular meaning to that. She does what she wants, and by definition it’s feminine because she’s female, as far as she’s concerned.

9. Sexuality

- Bisexual, with a preference for female partners.

10. Date and Place of Birth

- 21st April, 2161 in Hong Kong.

11. Manner of Birth (Was Alec there? How long did it take? Were there any complications?)

- Unsurprisingly, Alec was off doing something or other and generally being a distant, if loving, individual. The births were reasonably easy, although Scott required careful rotation to stop him getting tangled in his umbilical

12. First Words?

- “No!” Turns out Ryder developed a distaste for celery at an early age, and wasn’t afraid to tell anyone about it.

13. Is your Ryder the older or younger sibling?

- (In line with ME:A canon) Older, by a few minutes. Although if you asked Scott he’d just say they were twins.

14. Does your Ryder have siblings? (CanonTwin and more)

- Just her and her “little” brother Scott.

15. Zodiac Sign?

- Taurus the bull, in the Year of the rooster.

16. Does your Ryder have a catchphrase?

- Only if cursing under your breath counts. That and, well, she’ll mutter “Funtastic” when she gets frustrating news too, I suppose.

17. Dominant Hand? Or is your Ryder ambidextrous?

- She’s fairly capable of a lot of things with both hands, like shooting or using scissors or the like, but is definitely right-hand dominant, and favours her right hand, particularly for fine tasks, like writing..

18. What does their autograph look like?

- “E. Rsquiggle” is probably the best description.

19. Describe your Ryders handwriting:

- A sloppy pseudo-cursive. She links her letters, but isn’t super consistent, and will not infrequently capitalize words in odd places, especially on words that start with “h”.

20. Height

- 5′ 9″, or about 175 cm.

21. Weight

- 170-185 pounds, or about 77-84 Kg

22. Bloodtype

- A-negative, from her mother’s side.

23. Any birthmarks that stand out?

- she has a couple of noticeable moles, one larger on her right hip, and another just above her right butt-cheek. Both feel consistent with the surrounding skin, and both are quite round in shape, looking like little more than spots of brown skin.

24. Hair (Length, Colour, Does your Ryder change it on different occasions? Describe it, share some screenshots or if you’re an artist maybe draw your Ryder with different hairstyles?)

- She tends to wear it relatively short, especially when on some kind of off-world assignment, but does grow it out in her down time, with it always ending up in a pony tail tied at the base of her skull. Elizabeth thinks it’s really pretty when it’s braided while long, but can only wear it braided if someone does it for her. Her hair is a black colour.

25. Eye Colour

- Green-Brown, leaning towards brown.

26. Do they look like their parents? Are there more resemblances with Ellen, Alec or a completely different relative?

- Scott inherited Ellen’s more Caucasian look. Elizabeth takes after her father, with his Asian ancestry clear in her features.

27. Do they like the way they look? Would they change anything about them if they had the chance? What would they change and why?

- Elizabeth is fairly comfortable with her body. She occasionally wishes she was a little taller, and had a slightly more curvaceous back-side, but generally she rocks what she’s got, and is damn happy to do so.

28. Any scars? How did they get them?

- She has the visible remnant of a well-healed scar on the left side of her face, from damage she got in a fire-fight with Batarian raiders, and a small scar on her lower lip from where a particularly feral street cat swatted at her as a girl.

The burn scar in evidence. The lip scar requires much... closer inspection.

29. Somatotype?

- She doesn’t know or care, and neither do I?

30. Do they wear make up? Are they good at it? Do they apply it for routine or because they have fun doing it?

- Elizabeth will wear a light foundation, and lipstick when on a date, but generally avoids make up else-wise. She’ll rock the messy make-up look for a night at the clubs with the girls though. Day to day, she doesn’t care to wear make up.

An atypical night out, no eyeliner in sight.

31. What’s your Ryders diet like? Did they listen to Lexis advice?

- Growing up with a busy mother and an absentee/distant father, the Ryder twins learned to appreciate Hong Kong’s street food, and often found their selves eating to-go from local restaurants, leading to a healthy life-long obsession with Chinese cuisine. Ryder eats plenty of veggies, usually stir-fried just enough to char at the edges, but be crisp and fresh else-wise, by choice. Lexi was preaching to the choir.

32. Favourite food and is it still available in Andromeda?

- She loves Mapo Dofu, and while soybeans and tofu were a few of the first food crops to be planted, the szechuan pepper is pretty far down the list. She also really likes Char Siu Bao, but they’re hard to come by too. Scallion Pancakes though are on the menu, much to her relief.

33. Weird food combinations they like?

- Mayo on her hot dogs.

34. How is their relationship with food? Do they enjoy cooking and eating or do they just see it as necessary for survival?

- Elizabeth loves cooking, and finds it tremendously cathartic. She also tends to stress eat though, and tries to be mindful of that. But she loves food, and all the attendant cultural and social elements that accompany a good meal.

35. Fitness (Any exercises? Yoga? Working out?)

- Kicking Kett ass, and a good general exercise regime. She enjoys boxing, and spends a lot of time with the punching bag, as well as the exercise bike where she can watch old tv shows.

36. Does your Ryder take any medications?

- She has medication for migraines and and inhaler as needed for asthma.

37. Any allergies?

- She has worse than usual seasonal allergies, and reacts roughly to furry animals when she first meets them. She’s also been chock-full of allergy meds since arriving in Andromeda, with her allergies going into over-drive around all these alien lifeforms.

38. Is your Ryder neuroatypical? How do they deal with it? Did the events in Andromeda affect their mental health in any way? Does your Ryder use stimming methods?

- Elizabeth has ADD/ADHD and suffers from dyslexia. She has a tendency to pace, and to play with her hands, such as touching her finger tips to her thumb in sequence repeatedly, when she’s having an off day.

39. Wardrobe (What clothes does your Ryder prefer? Did they take any clothes with personal history with them to Andromeda?)

- Elizabeth is decidedly a t-shirt/tank top and shorts girl, and took a decent selection of nice every-day cloths with her (well, as nice as luggage space for Andromeda allowed) as well as a pair of high-heels, a nice dress for polite company, and a couple of all purpose skirts She’s not a big bra person, although she has a couple for dressing up, with matching bottoms. She generally favours boyshorts. She also has the Andromeda issued wardrobe of socks (knee length in her case), shoes, trousers, long sleeve shirts and jackets, which keep her covered for the elements, and round out her wardrobe.

40. Any Accessoires they always take with them?

- Elizabeth has a 4,000 year old Asari family heirloom ring, given to her by a close Asari colleague when she got into the Andromeda initiative, so that her Asari friend knew that some part of her family had made it to another galaxy. Elizabeth wears it on a length of paracord around her neck at all times.

41. Stuff they always carry with them? (Nail File, Earbuds, Gum etc)

- A Flashlight. As a child, Elizabeth was particularly uncomfortable in the dark, and Ellen got her a a little pocket flash light so she would always have a light with her. Elizabeth kept it up, although these days her flashlight has a crenelated bezel that could crack a Turian’s face plate.

42. Any piercings/tattoos? When and why did they get them?

- Elizabeth used to have three eye-brow piercings above her right eye, but never wears jewelry on assignments, and so hasn’t worn them in years. She also has a mosaic of inter-connected tattoos on her left shoulder and upper arm, part of an eventual sleeve, documenting major firsts, like the first time she left Earth, the first Prothean dig she joined, and most recently, being one of the first humans to leave the milky way, which she got before they left, figuring they’ll either make it, or die trying, and that no-one would know her hubris if they failed.

43. What’s their hygiene like? Do they shower after every mission?

- Ryder showers daily and does all the usual hygiene maintenance, but otherwise doesn’t go the extra mile. If she’s feeling lazy on a weekend, she’ll just stay in and not worry about showering and all that, but other wise, keeps clean enough.

44. Scent?

- Pretty generic. A little musky when she’s been sweating her skin off doing something, and back when she helped secure digs, she’d often smell of that weired burned-metal/steak smell of hard vacuum, or dusty from spending time in the archaeology labs chatting with her fellow nerds. Out in Andromeda, she’s finding it a nightmare to not have a slight smell of stale sweat everywhere she goes with the long hours she’s spending in her envirosuit, often days at a time.

45. Do they use any perfume/cologne?

- Occasionally a light perfume for more formal occasions, usually something lightly floral, but otherwise, she’s a speed-stick and go kinda gal.

46. Voice?

- A light, pleasant contralto, with a tendency to speak a little sing-songy, her words a little lyrical.

47. Accents/Dialects?

- Her English is generally neutral, the result of spending her early life in Hong Kong, and later in Canada and else where. There are clear hints though of the lingering Hong Kong accent with its subtle British notes. Her Cantonese is clearly from Hong Kong though, and her French sounds mostly Parisian, although it’s clear there’s an outside influence, the result of it being her second language (after her joint mother-tongues of English and Cantonese)

48. Impediments?

- Elizabeth suffers from intermittent stuttering, although a life-time of experience with it has made it much less common in her speech, and it only surfaces as much any more when she’s upset or angry.

49. Are they good at singing?

- Her voice is sweet, but mediocre, although she can just about hold a tune. Much more a sing-along voice than an opera voice.

50. Describe their laughter:

- Elizabeth’s laughter is usually loud and full. Outside of that it could be a snigger, a bark, a chortle, a giggle, a snort, or just about anything, although she tends more towards bursts of full-on belly laughter.

51. Languages?

- English, Cantonese, and French.

52. Did they enjoy their time in school? Were they a good student?

- Elizabeth would have hated school if it wasn’t for her brother Scott being there to make it bearable. They’re both quite smart, but Elizabeth never enjoyed the everyday grind, and was less outgoing than Scott, and so didn’t socialize as much. Having her brother there gave her someone to engage with who was smart enough to keep up, helped her socialize a lot more easily, and made school doable for Elizabeth. Grades wise, she did excellently on tests and papers, but often only did just enough on busy work, and so had good, but not stellar, grades.

53. Do they swear a lot?

- Frequently, yes.

54. Temperament:

- Although prone to anger and frustration, Elizabeth takes pains to be professional and rational in her work, and to give people the benefit of the doubt. She rants and raves in private, but with friends and loved ones takes the time to try and be supportive, and to have patience even when something is trying, not always with success. Professionally she channels her tendency towards anger into righteous indignation and a vengeful zeal to achieve in spite of those who cross her, if at all possible achieving at their expense in the process.

55. Is your Ryder religious? Did the events in Andromeda made your Ryder question their faith?

- Elizabeth says she was “born Atheist”, religion never being a major component of her family life, and she herself never seeing the need for a god in a universe where science, day by day, kept peeling back the boundaries of the unknown. Andromeda just emphasized that, with the speed with which the new mysteries were being solved using good, old fashion, mortal science. One of her favorite quotes is “Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?” by Douglas Adams.

56. Their opinion on politics/political party?

- Elizabeth understands and sympathizes with the Earth-first stances of some parties, believing that the Systems alliance is sometimes too eager to seek the approval of the council. At the same time, she believes that Humanity’s place is as a major member of the Galactic political scene, and that growing ties with other races is essential. She particularly supports growing ties with the Turians, who have been at times the worst critic of and best ally of the Human cause in turn. With many younger Turians, and a fair few veterans of the first contact war, seeming to support closer ties with humanity, who they see in many ways as a kindred species, particularly since Humanity attained a council seat for Commander Shepard’s heroic actions during the attack on the Citadel (to Ryder) only a few years ago, she feels that her instinct towards galactic integration being vindicated. She supports the tight interplanetary trade regulation that the Systems Alliance maintains, on the basis that Human industry such as Hahne-Kedar would get crushed by the likes of the Elkoss Combine or Elanus Risk Control if they had to compete in the Earth Market the same as they do interplanetarily. It would be impossible to establish the high-end market segment they have if they weren’t able to found their sales earnings in human space. Her view is to look at the suffering that globalized deregulation caused to people in the 21st century, and use that as a lesson for future trade and economic policy. Ryder is also generally in favor of greater recognition for member races of the Citadel accords in formal decision making processes, although she supports limiting executive functions to the most populace races out of a pragmatic desire to avoid grid-lock.

57. Morality?

- She tends towards idealism with a healthy leavening of cynicism. She believes that sometime the most virtuous act, the act that causes the least suffering to the innocent, and which most rapidly solves a problem, is the use of force. She supports Alliance military action in the Verge, and proportionate response against Batarian forces and anti-slavery raids into Batarian space, as well as the expansion of the fleet to make it clear to Arahot that Humanity can and will crush them if pressed. So, she’s in the “speak softly, and carry a big stick” school of morality. That you should seek idealistic goals, but do so with an eye towards realism and pragmatism.

58. Assuming the Renegade and Paragon alignment still existed in Andromeda, how would your Ryder react? What would your Ryder chose?

- Broadly Paragon, with a dash of Renegade. Likely more Renegade than Shepard in ME1 or ME3, and about as Renegade as ME2, on account of having to deal with a broader range of galactic society, not just its best and brightest.

59. Etiquette:

- Elizabeth tends to be polite and formal with strangers, but is usually quick to ease up on formality after meeting someone, although the manners never quite go away, even when shit-talking her closest friends.

60. Attitude:

- She has little patience for people who are disingenuous, callous, or generally incapable of pulling their head out their ass and showing common courtesy. Outside of that, she’s fairly laid back and polite.

61. Outlook on life (pre and post andromeda)

- Generally positive. She sees Human space, and the council now that they’ve gone through the shock of Saran’s attack, as moving in the right direction, and she sees the broad appeal of the Andromeda Initiative to be enheartening. Since arriving in Andromeda, she’s felt affirmed in her positivity with the general goodness of people, although she’s angry that the shittiest people seem to gravitate at the top.

62. Any vices?

- Plenty ;) rich food, good quality rum, and Merino wool are just some of the more public.

63. Virtues?

- A very strong sense of right and wrong, and a tendency to give people the benfit of the doubt, as long as they aren’t just trying to save their own skin.

64. Do they live after a specific motto/philosophy?

- Not really?

65. Priorities in life and job:

- Surviving in Andromeda, getting a date with Vetra, and settling down somewhere with a view.

66. What motivates your Ryder?

- A hunger for new horizons and a chance to spread life beyond the paltry borders of our little galaxy.

67. Self Confidence?

- Miles of it, although, not with out doubt.

68. Self Control?

- Enough, although she does stress eat, and can like a drink too much.

69. Self Esteem?

- Lots, although she can feel that failures in her mission are her fault, even when they aren’t, and to take responsibility for things she didn’t have control over.

70. What would absolutely crush your Ryders confidence?

- Nothing, short maybe of getting her team killed.

71. Any quirks?

- I mean, yes. She’s a human, not a Geth. The most notable is that she has intermittent twitches around her eyes, especially her left.

72. Did your Ryder have any hobbies before Andromeda? Are they still able to maintain them on the Tempest? Did they found new things to do?

- Well, archaeology. She also enjoyed gaming, particularly racing and sports games that support split-screen multiplayer so she can thrash Scott.

73. Closet Hobbies

- Light BDSM.

74. Guilty Pleasures

- The occassional Cigarette, cheescake, ecchi manga.

75. Habits

- Always goes to the bathroom first thing after waking up, hates being awake until she’s had some caffeine so she bee-lines for tea, or caffeinated soda, or a caffeinated energy drink. Always hits the exercise bike up before bed to listen or watch something without just sitting on her ass.

76. Desires

- She’s beginning to want to settle down and start a family. Also, on the down-low, she wishes Drack would adopt her as another grand-daughter.

77. Wishes

- She’d like it if the initiative’s textiles equipment would get up and running fully so she could get some summer dresses.

78. Traumas

- Nothing especially. Her Mother’s death, her Father’s death, and her Brother’s injury are the big ones. Being treated a little as an outcast on account of only being part-Asian when she was young in Hong Kong, fitting neither into the local community, not the immigrant community.

79. Worries

- Plenty, but mostly transient.

80. Any nervous ticks? Do they bite their nails, chew their hair? Do they suffer from the shaky leg syndrome?

- Her legs bounce when she’s restless, and she looks around her surroundings a lot more when nervous. If she’s standing, she’ll bounce slightly, but noticeably, on the balls of her feet.

81. Soothers?

- A nice cool bed.

82. Soft Spots

- Kittens. When Turians do that thing with their mandibles. Anyone who cooks.

83. Accomplishments

- Becoming Human Pathfinder. Settling a bunch of colonies. Her work on archaeological digs, and coming the top end of her Alliance class are both points of pride for her.

84. What do they consider their greatest achievement?

- Eos.

85. What do they consider their greatest failure?

- Alec dying. She feels there must have been something more she could do.

86. Earliest Memory?

- Having noodles from a little bowl as a girl at dinner with her mother and brother.

87. Fondest Memory?

- Seeing space for the first time.

88. What are their dreams like?

- Elizabeth rarely dreams, but when she does, her dreams tend to be quite realistic. She does frequently suffer from fever dreams when sick though, and those are quite disorienting.

89. Happiest moment before their departure to Andromeda?

- When she first got deployed to secure a Prothean dig site. The two things that fascinated her as a child were space and the depth of history in the cultures around her, particularly in Hong Kong and, when she studied there, in Paris. She always knew space was going to become part of her life, but finding out she was going to get to reach out and see, first hand, the uncovering of a truly mysterious past in a Prothean ruin, discovering mind-boggling technological wonders that were 50,000 years old already, that really got to her.

90. Happiest moment in Andromeda:

-The first time she returned to Eos and saw it bustling after all the failures that came before.

91. Most valuable possession?

- SAM. She’s bonded with him in a way that’s impossible to describe, and already in the very short time she’s had him, she knows she’d find loosing him unbearable.

92. Do they collect anything?

- Misfit crew members and rocks. Elizabeth loved rocks as a kid, and found them fascinating, and she has ever since. She had to leave most of her collection behind, but smuggled a couple of the choicer small ones along. She didn’t know her father had a special rock until they arrived in Andromeda. Kinda made her feel a little closer to him.

93. Humour?

- Dry, dark, and cynical. The “worse”, often the better, as long as the joke is well crafted.

94. Likes

- I mean, lots of things? Misty rainy days are pretty far up there, as are cool sheets after a long day, and hot cocoa.

95. Dislikes

- Bad manners and disregard for basic niceness.

96. Favourite things in life:

- Perry the Pyjak, because he’s adorable! Also, Kallo and Suvi’s general dorkiness. And how much Drack is a total goober around his grand-daughter. And generally people having a soft and tender side with the ones they care for.

97. Profile:

- She’s an all rounder, and loves using her biotics to blink through things. *Whoosh-pop!*

98. Preferred Weapons:

- A Mattock assault rifle with scope for distance, as a compromise between accuracy, weight, rate of fire, and ammo capacity, giving her both a ranged precision weapon as well as an acceptable weapon for close to medium range engagements if pushed. For closer up, a modified Hurricane submachine gun, and for medium engagements a modified phalanx pistol that auto-fabs explosive charges, allowing her to put a lot of damage down range quickly.

99. Describe their fighting style:

- Again, a bit generalist. In open engagements, she tries to keep her distance and focus from target to target, methodically picking them off, and generally prefers to keep enemies as far away as possible just so she takes fewer hits. In enclosed spaces, or when pushed, she jumps from target to target, using her biotics to throw and yank enemies about, and to generate a barrier so she can close and use her biotics to “melee” opponents, nevermind blinking about the place to disorient the enemy.

100. Speciality:

- Controlled Biotic pulls. She can capture multiple objects, and keep them captured for a long time. While her other skills are decent, her throw especially being quite potent, her skill at capturing objects in a controlled biotic field is a cut above the rest.

101. Favourite Squadmates:

- Vetra and Drack. While she can tolerate the others, she actively enjoys Drack-and-Vetra’s company. She finds Cora preachy, and too serious, to the extent it interferes with her ability to do her job in ‘Liz’s opinion; She finds Liam obnoxious, although generally competent, despite a tendency to not plan ahead; She finds Peebee childish and trying, having little time for her facade of “mystery”; She finds Jaal’s attitude to be superior, his people to be even more prone to blind bigotry than most milky-way races, and their collective assertion that their emotional openness is somehow empowering to be little more than an excuse to emotionally degrade each other without long term consequence, and while it might not be fair to lump Jaal in with his people, his general adherence to defending their stances seems to be unthinking enough to ‘Liz that she feels he’s contributing to culture that is inherently unaccepting of genuine dissent and disagreement.

102. How do they handle the Nomad?

- Like a pro. Elizabeth had extensive experience driving off-road under various planetary conditions with the Alliance, and the act of driving appeals to some nerdy core of her personality that enjoys the precision of the act, the engineering, and the knee quivering power.

103. How do they maintain their sleeping pattern?

- These days, with SAM’s help, although Elizabeth has struggled to maintain regular sleep patterns since childhood, often relying on strict regiments of alarms to wake, and prescribed medicine to sleep.

104. Any traditions they value?

- Far to many to list. While Elizabeth is a forward facing and thinking woman, she recognizes the importance of the past, and is prone to cherishing the small things from it, like analogue time-pieces, and cooking over fire. Particularly important to her are manners, simple basic manners. She feel that in day-to-day life, they take no true effort, and signify a general respect for your fellow beings,

105. Culture?

- Most of Elizabeth’s culture comes from Ellen and Alec’s generally western Earth background, but an early childhood in Hong Kong definitely gave ‘Liz an element of awareness of Asian cultures and history, as well as informing her own worldview and mindset, and she embraces facets of Asian cultures generally, from appreciating the reverence for the natural world in Shinto and the search for inner peace of Buddhism, to things much more simple, like the slight bow that accompanies every “thank you” that passes her lips.

106. Eating Habits:

- Generally healthy, but sometimes too much. Elizabeth has struggled with Stress eating throughout her life.

107. Any pets?

- Just Perry the Pyjak. She had, with her brother, a cat and a dog as a child, the cat in Hong Kong, where a house-pet was more realistic, and a dog in Canada, where the larger suburban environments made walking and playing with a pooch doable.

108. Work Ethic:

- She avoids it when she can, but if something grabs her eye, or will clearly have a real world impact, she’ll work at it efficiently and well.

109. Does your Ryder have a criminal record?

- A couple public intoxication charges from college, an indecent exposure charge, and a few vandalism charges from graffiti as a teen.

110. Degrees?

- Two bachelors, one in Anthropology with emphases in the application of archaeological methods and xeno-anthropological principles, and one in Political Science, with focus on modern galactic relations.

111. Who is your Ryders best friend on the Tempest?

- Kallo.

She find him so easy to talk to, and so nice. To be honest, she has a bit of a crush. Besides, he’s just the best to hug! Most of all, he’s sensitive and patient. He’s the only crew member Elizabeth feel like she doesn’t need to be strong for. It was something about the way he was cheerful and joking from the get go, but always professional. She felt and instant fondness and connection.

112. Does your Ryder have any role models?

- Elizabeth has a fondness for those who pushed frontiers. She always admired Norgay and Hillary for refusing to say who reached the summit first. Also the early astronauts. To her, those kinds of people, often possessed of a surprising humility in contrast to the grandeur of their achievements, people who went to the unknown places to do the notionally undoable are the manifestation of the human spirit.

113. Any heroes and/or mentors?

- Not particularly, although she approves of Commander Shepard’s pioneering course as a Spectre, and her bright optimism in an often cynical galaxy. Elizabeth still remembers when the press photos first released of Shepard’s crew receiving commendations, and how it was so diverse, so different from what anyone suspected. Turian shoulder-to-shoulder with Humans and a Krogan, a Quarian helping the galaxy despite the tremendous mistreatment most received in galactic society, and the Willaim’s sisters, their family name no longer mud because of their forbears, accepting the highest Alliance and Citadel commendations for bravery on behalf of their fallen sister.

114. What is their reputation in Andromeda?

- Broadly positive. She has a reputation for helping those who need it, and not believing any problem is too small. She also has a reputation for crushing the life force out of you with her biotic powers, or burying a bullet in your head from behind a rock outcropping if you get in her way, or cause undue ruckus, or generally want a fight. She’s well brutal to those she considers threats, and the word is spreading.

115. Do they have a strong opinion on pineapples on pizza?

- They do not have a strong opinion, but they approve of people eating what they enjoy. Elizabeth herself rarely has pizzas with pineapple, but doesn’t mind.

116. Ever stole something?

- Nothing important. Strictly speaking she broke galactic law by ferreting away a small Prothean artifact from a dig, a small piece of a shattered and tremendously damaged base relief.

117. Is your Ryder the kind of person to play pranks? If yes, what did they do?

- Not really. Elizabeth more enjoys word play. Although she does occasionally enjoy getting a rise out of people, and can be a little gadflyish

118. Any “classic” movies they love?

- Apollo 13, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Blasto Movies because they’re like a comedy-action James Bond, and Star Wars Excluding episodes I, XIII, and XIX. Turns out that most galactic cinema is trash. the galaxy lost its shit when Star Wars was re-released for galactic showings, and Elizabeth remembers seeing it in London where it was being shown in the original English, in a theater packed with aliens in the city on business. She swears the Turian ambassador was in the back row.

119. Your Ryder once uploaded a video that went viral. What was it about?

- Biotic gymnastics. She did an Uneven bars set without any bars in full combat gear while on deployment near the verge. Gave her a decent reputation for biotic skill.

120. Describe your Ryder in one vine

- No.

121. What tropes fit your Ryder?

- She feels like a Pint-Sized Powerhouse next to Drack and Vetra, a Brainy Brunette, an Action Girl, a Magic Knight, with Mind Over Matter skills, a real One-Woman Army, who tends towards the cross road of Good Is Not Nice and Good Is Not Soft when someone gets on her bad side. Oh, and she totally has a Violently Protective Girlfriend...

Vetra, in a peaceful moment between murdering Kett and other sundry villains.

122. Favourite Song?

- Just one? Uh, Spirit in the sky by Norman Greenbaum?

123. Do they play music in the nomad?

- Not normally. I mean, in and around the colonies, sure, but out in the wilds? Why play music and ruin the breath-taking awesomeness of the unknown?

#Mass Effect: Andromeda #Fem!Ryder #Ryder #My Ryder #Pathfinder #Pathfinder Ryder #Questions #Answers #Questions and Answers #Q&A #Seriously though Grandpa Drack would be the best can you imagine him dressed up as Santa?

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tesskitty · 6 years

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Title - A little spark

Rating: Explicit

Relationship: Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku

Chapter 1 - when did it change?

Izuku sat at his desk next to the window and listened as Mr. Aizawa reviewed important dates for the future and answered questions as he lectured. Izuku looked at the clock for a moment, honestly a little bored because he already had all the dates written down and memorized. He was always on the ball when it came to hero work. After years of taking notes while heroes fought in battles that could be over in the blink of the eye. He was used to writing and memorizing quickly. His green eyes scanned the classroom but landed on gold spikes that belonged to his childhood friend.Katsuki Bakugo, a man of many words but not as of late. He had been so distant. Izuku would be lying to himself if he would say he wasn’t purposely trying to annoy his classmate at times. Just to get a reaction. Just to get acknowledgment. Anything at this point. Izuku’s mind began to reflect on the past few months.

“When did it start?” He thought to himself. He laid his head on his and closed his eyes. Letting his memories take over.

~3 months ago~

Bakugo was standing next to a window on a staircase in the hallway. It was lunch time so the hallways were quiet besides a student who would walk down to the bathrooms every now and then. Bakugo sighed and watched a flock of birds that flew overhead. He heard a someone walking down the cold hallway and up the steps behind him. At first he didn’t think anything of it.

“It’s probably someone trying to get to class early. Stupid nerds. Trying too hard.” He thought with a smirk on his face. His face quickly fell to a frown when he heard the footsteps stop behind him. He grunted in annoyance and reluctantly turned his head around to meet the gaze of emerald eyes.

“Deku? What do you want?!” Bakugo spun the rest of his body around and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to eat some lunch. You have been here for most of the free time we have. It’s not good to skip meals..” Izuku smiled kindly at his rival and reached into his pocket and pulled out a protein bar. He tried to hand it to Bakugo but he smacked it out of his hand hard.

“I don’t want handouts from anyone. Especially from you.” Bakugo snickered a little. Finding izuku’s kindness pathetic and amusing.

“I am just trying to help you. No need to be so rude.” Izuku said while rubbing his hand where Bakugo left a red mark from hitting him so hard. Bakugo became enraged quickly.

“I don’t need your HELP!” Bakugo grabbed Izuku by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Izuku left out a small cough from the impact.

“Do you know how pathetic you are?! You know how much I hate you right?! You think you’re better then me but you are NOTHING compared to me!!” Bakugo pushed his left arm into Izuku’s neck and pulled his right arm back and ignited a few warning explosions.

“I am going to FINALLY teach you a lesson. I will show you WHO IS THE BEST!” Bakugo was about to blast a fireball in his counterparts face but Izuku pulled his legs up and kicked Bakugo’s chest. It sent him onto the floor with an “oof”

“NO! I refuse to be your BITCH!” Izuku yelled with tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Bakugo took advantage of the moment and swiped Izuku’s feet out from underneath him. Bakugo jumped onto of Izuku and pinned his legs, Straddling him. Izuku threw a right punch at Bakugo’s face but he caught it and smashed his hand into the freezing floor. Izuku punched him in the ribs multiple times with his free hand but ultimately it was pinned down as well.

“HA! Stupid Deku! Once again you lo-“ Bakugo’s mouth stopped immediately as he saw Izuku under him, panting and pinned to the floor. He was completely helpless to anything he might wanna do to him. Anything at all. Bakugo’s face turned red and his heart began to pound.

“What the hell is going on? Why am I so nervous all of a sudden?!” He thought. He could feel himself beginning to panic.

“Fine, you made your point. Let me go.” Izuku said still winded from the small spat. Bakugo stayed for a moment longer and found himself looking from Izuku’s eyes to his lips and back again. After a minute of debate he got up and turned around quickly, feeling a lot of pressure in his pants all of a sudden. Izuku stood up and dusted off his uniform.

“One day, you gotta get your temper under control. I will see you in class.” Izuku said as he walked down the steps with a small limp and toward the bathroom. Bakugo peered over his shoulder and couldn’t help but to check him out as he walked away. When Izuku disappeared he looked at the window again. Trying to calm himself down so he could think straight.

“What. The. Hell. Is wrong with ME?!” He looked down at the people eating outside and sighed.

~current time~

Izuku sat up and opened his eyes to see the entire class staring at him. His face turned red extremely fast.

“H-Hi guys” he said nervously

“Falling asleep in class?” Mr. Aizawa asked sarcastically.

“N-No I promise.” Izuku panicked and tired to defend himself. Aizawa looked unconvinced.

“House arrest. Tomorrow.” Mr. Aizawa turned back to the class and acted like nothing happened. The class laughed a little and turned back to the lessons. Izuku sighed.

“Crap, not again.” He thought and looked ahead. He was surprised by a pair of blazing eyes staring at him. Izuku’s heart skipped a beat.

“What is this? Why is he looking at me? And why is he looking at me with such a look in his eyes. Is that determination? Boldness? What is planning?” All these thoughts and many more were buzzing in his mind as he and his friend looked into eachother’s eyes.

“BAKUGO!” Mr. Aizawa yelled. Losing all patience and scarf flying in the air ready to attack.

“Do you want to be under house arrest too?!” Mr. Aizawa asked. Bakugo spun around quickly and without missing a beat said

“You don’t have the guts to House arrest me again.” He crossed his arms and relaxed in his chair. Knowing exactly what he did. Mr. Aizawa took a long deep breath and relaxed. His scarf returned to its original place and he snapped his eyes to Bakugo’s.

“Because I don’t want you to miss class or get expelled. You will have 1 day of house arrest and a MONTH of cleaning THE ENTIRE DORMROOMS BUILDING. And because I am fed up with you both. IZUKU! You are sentenced to the same punishment as well!” Aizawa proclaimed. Izuku’s mouth dropped.

“Why am I getting extra punishment? I didn’t talk back.” Izuku said franticly.

“Like I said I am fed up with both of you. If you or Bakugo talk back anymore then I will suspend both of you till I feel like I wanna deal with you two again.” Aizawa said and quickly looked away. Knowing he won the argument hands down. Izuku felt a feeling of dread rising in him.

“A whole month of Kacchan being distant and fighting.” Izuku’s mind filled again but with negativity. Then he remembered the moment they had just a few minutes ago. He looked at the back of Bakugo’s head and pondered.

“Did he do that on purpose? Why would he do that? What was that look in his eyes?” He thought some more and began to look for a solution. His eyes lit up as he was struck with an epiphany.

“I will talk to him in his dorm tonight. At least to get a game plan for who does which chores on which days. Maybe even talk about other things..” he looked at the clock.

“Just a few more hours.”

The time after that went by pretty fast. When the bell rang the class began the usual afternoon cleaning routine. About 30 mins of laughing and cleaning the class exited and made their ways back to the dorms for some downtime before homework and study time began. Izuku, uraraka, and iida chatted and laughed all the way from the school ground to the dorms.

“Hey Deku.” Uraraka said with her usual cheery smile.

“What’s up?” He asked looking at her.

“Since you and Katsuki are going to be spending the entire day together tomorrow are you going to talk to him about what has been going on recently? And see if he is ok?” She asked

“Yeah, I am hoping to get to talk to him tonight honestly. Maybe get a plan together or something.” He said

“I think that is a good idea. It is always a good idea to have good team work and learn how to get over arguments and disputes.” The class rep added in.

“Yeah! Thanks guys the back up from you two always makes me feel more confident.” Izuku smiled and laughed happily. Once the class got back to the dorm rooms they broke off into individuals and groups. Some stayed to chat in the common room and some headed up the their rooms to catch a nap before dinner. Izuku stayed with the largest group in the middle of the room. As he was laughing at a joke that was being said he looked over to see bakugo getting a snack from the kitchen.

“Tonight I am going to find out what has been bothering you. I want to help. Maybe you will talk with me this time.” He thought as he watched Bakugo head to the elevator and disappear behind the closing doors before turning back to the group to chat more. After a few hours of relaxing, studying and dinner it was time to turn in. They had a curfew of 10pm and everyone was pretty much asleep by 11. Izuku took a deep breath as he walked the hallway to a door with a name plate next to it that said “Katsuki Bakugo”

“Ok this is it.” He thought as he sighed and knocked on the door.

“Please, talk to me.”

#my hero academia #katsuki bakugou #midoriya izuku #romantic #fanfic

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mrmichaelchadler · 6 years

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Thumbnails 5/22/18

Thumbnails is a roundup of brief excerpts to introduce you to articles from other websites that we found interesting and exciting. We provide links to the original sources for you to read in their entirety.—Chaz Ebert

"Elisha Christian on 'Columbus' and 'Everything Sucks!'": The Spirit Award-nominated cinematographer chats with me about his acclaimed work on Kogonada's 2017 film and this year's acclaimed Netflix series.

“[Indie Outlook:] How did you and Kogonada develop the extraordinary shot of Jin (John Cho) and Eleanor (Parker Posey), framing them in a mirror in a way that gives us a sense of their history. We feel as if we are peering into a reflection of their past.’ [Christian:] ‘That scene took place in the same inn where Jin was staying. There were only four or five guest rooms in the whole inn, and we had our pick of which room we wanted to shoot in. That location is so visually interesting — you could shoot a whole movie there. When we saw the mirrors, we knew where we wanted to place the camera, though my AC couldn’t even stand next to it to pull focus. She had to sit underneath the camera while reaching up above her head to pull focus because the space was so slim. We even had to pull everything off the sides of the camera in order to fit in that tiny area without catching it in a reflection. We saw that if John walks out and stops at a certain point after Eleanor basically kicks him out, he could turn back to her and we’d be able to frame them both in an interesting way. It was definitely a dance. I remember that we were running behind that night. It took a while to set up the shot and get it ready, and we probably shot about 7 or 8 takes of it. We had two other shots planned in the scene, but when we got the take that Kogonada wanted, he said, ‘We don’t need the other shots.’ That’s a ballsy decision, considering the length of the scene. It’s decisions like these that made the movie better.’”

"Peak superhero? Not even close: How one movie genre became the guiding myth of neoliberalism": Brilliant commentary from Salon's Keith A. Spencer.

“Obversely, this is precisely how politics functions in neoliberalism: Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were presented as branded superheroes, who believed they knew what was best for us, and sought to install their elite wonks to enact their benevolent (to them) policies. There’s a relatively two-dimensional view of the world at work: there are good and bad people; they are generally born that way and seldom change. The state in neoliberalism and superhero movies is almost entirely devoted to oppression and surveillance. If the state overreaches, heroes must fix its excesses; if it fails to protect its citizenry, heroes must make up for its shortcomings. In either case, its social welfare function is invisible: because people are innately good or evil, there are no social workers or teachers or other welfare-state employees whose duties might prevent villainy (or supervillainy) through social work. Superheroes are, by definition, more powerful and more important than the state. More importantly, the superheroes’ work may save lives, but it never inherently changes the relationships of production: If the people are poor, they’re likely to stay poor. They don’t participate in redistributive politics except to attack the sort of universally detested social relationships about which there is broad consensus — for instance, slavery. Superheroes can’t and won’t save the middle class; many of them are rich anyway and stand to benefit from the kinds of inherent economic injustices that, say, Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbyn fight against.”

"Turkey's Government Is Censoring the Movies, But the Istanbul Film Festival Is Soldiering On": According to Indiewire's Amy Nicholson.

“No one is sure what the moral rules are. The Ministry of Culture won’t write them down. At least the Hays Code in classic Hollywood had 11 clear don’ts. Specific rules can be subverted. But Turkey’s veto power is capricious and vague. Filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers telling unflattering stories about modern Turkey, could spend years on a movie that can’t be shown. Unpredictability pressures artists to play it safe. Some hire lawyers to help them guess whether their work might be rejected, and if so, hunt for foreign producers willing to take a controlling stake as international films don’t require a certificate yet. But as Saudi Arabia opens its first movie theater in 30 years with a screening of ‘Black Panther’—imagine women who finally got the right to drive this year beholding the Dora Milaje—Turkish people are alarmed that their government, which just disrupted the last major dissenting newspaper chain, threatened people over their footage of Taksim Square, intermittently shut off YouTube and Twitter, and is poised to ban teaching evolution in schools, is making it hard to share their stories with the outside world. Over a bottle of wine, a director sighed as she pointed toward the west, ‘News comes one way.’ The impact was everywhere. ‘I can say that there are less political movies than before,’ said current festival director Kerem Ayan on a group boat trip circling the Bosporus River. ‘But cinema is very creative. Everybody finds a different way to express what they want.’”

"The Résumé: The Winding, Everlasting Career of William H. Macy": Another essential interview conducted by Sam Fragoso for The Ringer.

“I had never done anything that graphic or that sexual before ‘The Cooler.’ I’d taken my clothes off, but that’s different. And it was my adorable wife who finally said, ‘When you talk about it, it sounds like you’re planning to fail. If you don’t want to do these sex scenes, you should call the director and tell him you don’t want to do them. If you do want to do them, you better start thinking about how to make them great.’ It was a fabulous wake-up call. I married well. So I started to look at the sex scenes like any other scene—as an acting exercise. What’s different at the end of the scene than at the beginning? What happened? What’s the objective? What transpired? Where’s the moment where something changed the plot even though we’re just rolling around in bed? And to Wayne’s credit, I said, ‘I can’t understand the scene. I’m having trouble here. What happens here?’ And we talked about one or two scenes and he said, “You know what, you’re right. I can’t find it either.” And he cut them. He cut the scenes. Which is sort of the essence of art, I think: If you can cut it and still tell your story, then you have to cut it. I was shy but Maria didn’t care. She said, ‘I’m an old hippie. This is nothing.’”

"50 Years Ago, a White Woman Touching a Black Man on TV Caused a National Commotion": Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte chat with Vanity Fair's Donald Liebenson about the moment that erupted into an inadvertent scandal.

“For his part, Belafonte thought there had just been a technical glitch. He did not think the touch was problematic: ‘Quite the contrary,’ he says. ‘I was quite pleased. That song, if I remember, was the last thing we shot. There was an enormous sense of release that we had pulled this off without a hitch. It was one guy—Doyle Lott—who said we had to re-shoot what we had just done. We were nonplussed as to what was the problem.’ NBC, alerted to the controversy, called Binder to say the network would back him (‘That was a great phone call to get,’ he says). With that, Binder and Wolff rushed to the studio basement to confront the editor and order him to keep the take where Clark touched Belafonte’s arm—and to erase the others so they could not be used in the broadcast. Somehow—Binder doesn’t recall what did it—word of the controversy got out early, resulting in breathless pre-broadcast news coverage. ‘Incident at TV Taping Irks Belafonte,’ said a March 7 headline in ‘The New York Times.’ The article quoted a statement from White: ‘If there was any incident . . . it resulted solely from the reaction of a single individual and by no means reflects the Plymouth Division’s attitude or policy on such matters.’ Lott’s Detroit office also issued a statement: ‘I was tired. I over-reacted to the staging, not to any feeling of discrimination.’ Binder remembers hearing that Belafonte was about to tell America to boycott Plymouth on ‘The Tonight Show’; he called the singer to tell him it wasn’t the car company’s fault, and reminded Belafonte of his conversation with White. On March 10, the ‘Times’ reported that Lott had been ‘relieved of his responsibilities.’”

Image of the Day

Parallax View's Richard T. Jameson lists his favorite "moments out of time" from films he saw in 2017, including Bertrand Bonello's "Nocturama."

Video of the Day

vimeo

Alexander Jeffrey's short film, "An Aria for Albrights," stars Laura Bretan, the astonishing young opera singer who became a 2016 finalist on "America's Got Talent." Click here to read my interview with her at Indie Outlook.

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tance · 6 years

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Why Draining Your Retirement To Save a Doomed House from Foreclosure Before Filing Bankruptcy is a Mistake

Should I use retirement to pay a mortgage?

Twice in the last two days I have had the same discussion with two prospective clients. Each client owned a house that at the height of the market was worth over two million dollars. In each case, the client had encumbered the house with a loan for about a million dollars a few years back. Each client had suffered significant financial set backs related to the current economic recession. Both clients had been paying mortgage payments close to $10,000.00 per month from their retirement accounts for the past year, and both clients were now at the end of their rope, with their retirement accounts dwindled to a mere pittance.

Monday morning quarter backing on the eve of filing bankruptcy does not bring back a depleted 401K or IRA. But there is a lesson for others in these two cases. Before tapping out your 401K or IRA to continue paying a mortgage on a house that is doomed to end up in foreclosure, know your bankruptcy options.

Retirement accounts are often exempt in bankruptcy

Nearly all retirement accounts that are governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA, as it is called), including pensions and 401Ks, are not assets of a bankruptcy estate because they almost all universally contain an anti-alienation clause that protects them from the reach of creditors. Due to recent amendments to Section 522(n) of the Bankruptcy Code, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), and other similar retirement savings vehicles, while assets of the estate, enjoy special protection capped at $1 million.

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What does all this mean? It means in most cases, all the money drained from retirement accounts to keep a doomed mortgage out of foreclosure for an extra year, could have survived a bankruptcy. Retirement accounts exist to help you survive in your twilight years. It does you no good to waste these assets to delay an otherwise inevitable foreclosure. If you find yourself in this situation, before draining your 401K or IRA, talk with a bankruptcy lawyer with experience in foreclosure defense about your bankruptcy options and foreclosure defense options.

How Can I Repair My Credit?

Whether you filed Bankruptcy or have faced foreclosure, repossession or a delinquency on a loan, it is a fact of life that your credit score can fluctuate. Access to credit is important when applying for a car or home loan or when starting a new business, the lower your credit score, the higher your interest rate will likely be.

Improving credit after bankruptcy or foreclosure

FICO scores range from 300 to 850; the median score is 723. To get the best rates, you’ll usually have to have a score of at least low- to mid-700s, so how can you repair your credit score after it has been damaged?

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Credit Repair Steps to take

Unfortunately, it is far easier to bring your credit score down than it is to make improve it. Nevertheless there are steps you can take.

Step #1: visit annualcreditreport.com

Start by visiting www.AnnualCreditReport.com, a website set up under federal law to give consumers access to their credit reports. Be on the lookout for impostors, AnnualCreditReport.com is free, there will be no need to supply your credit card or make any payment. There are three different consumer credit agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) that compile information that factors into your credit score. Not surprisingly, the three agencies don’t always agree. It is important that you go through each report and identify any errors. Did you recently pay off a debt that is listed as delinquent?

Step #2: Write to the credit agencies

It is important to write to the credit reporting agencies both to correct errors as well as to explain any delinquencies. It is perfectly reasonable to write a letter to the credit reporting agencies explaining why you have been late on a mortgage or were forced to file for bankruptcy. Lenders view your credit score in its proper context. Perhaps you have been a victim of mortgage fraud and were forced to file bankruptcy to protect your assets from an aggressive lender. Maybe the economic downturn has caused a salary decrease that made it hard to stay current on car payments. Whatever the Cause of your credit taking a hit, it is crucial that you weigh in on the problem and voice your perspective. It can help.

Step #3: pay your bills on time

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I advise my clients who have filed for bankruptcy to be meticulous in paying every bill on time after filing. The same principle applies to anyone trying to repair their credit as payment history is one of the biggest factors in determining your credit score. It may be a good idea to open a single credit card, use it only for groceries and then pay the balance in full each month.

Step #4: debt to income ratio

Filing bankruptcy can actually improve your credit score. Why? Because another factor lenders use in their underwriting process is how much of a debt load is the potential borrower carrying? Are they swamped in debt? If the answer is yes, they will be less likely to be able to service more. When large chunks of credit card debt are discharged in bankruptcy it can often have a positive impact on credit just a few months after filing.

Step #5: be patient

Your credit history factors into your score as well. The longer you’ve been borrowing and paying on time the better. In some ways this is the lender’s way of developing a friendship with you. When you meet someone for the first time, you might like them but can only develop a friendship or romance over time. If you have been paying your bills for a long time, lenders are more likely to court you.

Be of good cheer, with a little patience and responsible use of credit, your score will improve.

Free Consultation with Bankruptcy Lawyer

If you have a bankruptcy question, or need to file a bankruptcy case, call Ascent Law now at (801) 676-5506. Attorneys in our office have filed over a thousand cases. We can help you now. Come in or call in for your free initial consultation.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: (801) 676-5506

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