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tiodolma · 1 year

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Merlin saying “morgana will just harden arthur and uther’s heart”and him putting the blame on every other magic user who try to uppend the system for making magic look bad while he’s stays safe and hidden behind the castle walls and under the royalty’s protection is so deliciously ironic and hypocritic.

He’s not even piloting some kind of peaceful activism himself. He’s not even showing another means of peaceful revolt. He’s not even stirring up the hearts of people who think like him, that the pendragon heir is the right choice after all. If merlin and like-minded people wanted that change shouldnt it have been better that more people knew about arthur’s destiny with magic? Shouldnt there have been more social pressure on arthur to fulfill that? Why did that information only stay with a chosen very secretive few?

Coz look i get merlin’s motives. He doesnt want an arms struggle. He wants the change to be gradual and a smooth transition. The magic people and the current admin arent ready, etc, etc.

But how are people supposed to slowly change their stance on magic if he also isnt doing anything other than just protecting the pendragon heir without question and without recognition, without hint that magic was a weapon that can be used for safety?

Why do other magic users have to be the one to “show the way” and not him himself? Isn’t merlin just protecting his own ass while the embittered magic folk risk their own lives everyday, exposing themselves and fighting for their right to live everyday? Is it not unfair for merlin to expect good and peaceful things to miraculously happen while he keeps staying in secrecy and relative safety compared to others like him?

Enough of that. Say. He really thinks that protecting the oppressor’s life by playing God again and again is the path to justice is the right thing. Fine.

It’s still not enough. Coz his champion is ignorant and Highly Dismissive of the values he is supposed to represent in Merlin’s head: freedom for magic, fairness, equality. Arthur is stubborn and willfully blind and entrenched in his own prejudices and uprbringing.

Merlin’s tactic of “i’ll tell him whats wrong and hopefully he will listen if not i will sulk and arthur will be upset that im upset so maybe he’ll reconsider but often he will not until he realizes his mistake because bad sht that i warned about already happened then he will begrudgingly do what i told him to in the first place” isnt enough.

Merlin is just one man, he’s a man that is so low in rank compared to his supposed best friend, the head of state, that his words dont really matter until they do and its only usually because of arthur’s bruised ego.

More people should tell Arthur off jfc. The nobility, the masses, the other kingdoms. They should have all been able to apply pressure on Arthur, not just Merlin or Gwen.

Look this is what merlin needed to really spearhead his ideas or wtv bullsht the prophecy entailed

Merlin had to apply pressure on the monarchy on all fronts.

Launch a propaganda machine, spread the word that arthur is going to bring back magic. Like do write ups, spread pamphlets , give the masses smth to think about and do it under a false name, etc.

Collaborate with others who think like him and Not Hide (difficult to do since gaius loves to rat out and help imprison these kind of magic-kin despite him believing in the same prophecy)

Find a way that Arthur hears those rumors, actually drop hints that magic was protecting the kingdom all along. If not Merlin himself, then Arthur must hear those rumors of him being savior of magic from more people.

Find some noble who is sympathetic to their cause at least. (Like how morgana had agravaine and helios... that means powerful people LIKE THAT existed in merlin’s world. It is also possible that somebody out there would have allied with him and give merlin better political backing if he just tried -moot point again cause gaius would just rat them out to the king and advise against it)

Jfc Merlin should just step into his role as kingmaker in the light. I mean he already is one but he is denial.

i get what everyone here is thinking. This is too smart and “manipulative.” This is something like what Morgana and the other magic-folk do.

Then That means the magic folk were already doing so many kinds of protests and machinations to send their own message. The lot of them didnt even need to kill. They played by the rules of kingdom-making and used politics/established social order as a sort of protest to inspire the change they needed.

Example the Unicorn Guy did so much economic damage that people started to doubt the Pendragon dynasty’s claim to power. It was bad for the Pendragons’s image but good news for the magic folk since the ordinary citizens will just turn against the ruling dynasty on their own! That is an example of an effective non-arms struggle btw! It’s smart and a not a lot of people will have to die unecessarily! And it kind of spurred a temporary change of heart for arthur too!

My point is. Merlin. If he really wanted social change. Should have worked smarter and more efficiently. Governmental change will never happen with just one miracle event.

Most of the successful ones happen when the masses AND the ruling class have the same goal. If Arthur was truly a people of the masses and ruling class, then he would try to satisfy their demands in order to prevent riot or defection.

But what do i know? Maybe knowledge and tactics more complicated than “eliminate threat permanently asap” are inherently evil after all.

#adventures of merlin #bbc merlin #merlin critical #merlin x magic #merlin crit #essays #wars of truth and privilege who would win #gaius is super conservative and paranoid he hates progress and initiative so much

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pompadourpink · 2 years

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Hi! I feel hopeless. I just dont get along with my family

So here's the thing. I wanted to study abroad. They cried and accused me of being selfish. So i studied for our national uni exam ( +8 hours a day for all the year) . I almost lost my mind. I lost my mental well being. I was at home all the year. Now i became successful. But my life is a hell still. I want to spend my summer holiday here in our home. They wanna go to country ( where there is nothing for me to do,no friends, not even a mall) they wanna do garden stuff. And my mum cries and tells me she wants to spend time with me. So i accept staying there for one fucking month even though i dont want to. They always accuse me things that make me hate myself. They pushed me through this academic way, i was found gifted. They made me take all these tests, they said i shouldnt study abroad or study hard. My dad is angry that i want to take a prep year in uni ( which everyone takes here) like wtf. We just dont get along. I dont understand them at all and to be honest im too mentally tired to cope with them. I almost lost my mind this year, i think i deserve a break seriously. What should i do? They always cry and blame me and then i do what they want. All my life. But im still bad. And still selfish.

Hello dear,

I first want to ask you this: if it was anyone else in the world, would you allow them to treat you this way? Would you allow a teacher, classmate, neighbour, to tell you what to do, torment you, and make you miserable? Just because someone shares DNA with you doesn't mean they get permission to treat you like garbage and get away with it. Parents owe unconditional love, not kids.

It's not about you. Bullies do what they do because they hurt and have not healed - what you are is a coping mechanism, a punching ball, an easy target. You could objectively be a parent's wet dream and it wouldn't fix the way they treat you, because they're not trying to make you better, they're trying to make themselves feel good. Remember that South Park episode where Kyle's dad, a miserable man turned online bully, inadvertently drives a woman to sui(ide and is flabbergasted that she did it because he never saw it as a possibility, never thought about her feelings. There's nothing in the world you can do to make things better because if it wasn't you, it would be someone else, and if you didn't want to leave, they'd find something else to bother you about. When someone wants a reason to be mad, they'll always manage to find one. It can get better only if they decide to go to therapy and start getting better - which they might never do. This is not your fault and you do not deserve any of it.

Regarding your studies, go and don't look back. You will feel guilty, sure, because you've been raised to have a sense of duty towards family and absolutely no spine, but you already do, so at least you'll feel guilty while finally doing what you want, what you won't have another opportunity to do, what will get you closer to your goals - and you will be by yourself, free of negative energy, able to start healing and realise how good and strong you are. "I shouldn't have done it" is a crappy feeling but "Shit, I should have done it" is even worse.

What should you do? One, find another support system. Sadly, you will not get a change of behaviour, apology, or the unconditional love you've been craving from them. Find other people you can trust. Stop sharing your plans, goals or thoughts with them: you're not going to make them feel bad and change, you're just handing them new ways to hurt you. Stop putting your hand in the lion's mouth and wondering why you're bleeding. Become a grey rock. Two, find yourself. Go through your beliefs, traditions, principles, and wonder what actually fits the person you are; look for would you rather questions online, watch a lot of movies, read a lot of books, travel, meet people, find out what's inside, underneath all of that pain. Three, rebrand. Treat yourself like your own young child. If your eight-year-old had forgotten to do the dishes, would you call them names and ground them? No, you would say that's okay baby, you didn't do anything wrong, let's put a little music on and do them now together.

Also, check out the malks tag and look for relationship advice - someone who has been abused as a kid will get a very unhealthy, transactional idea of love and is likely to get into abusive relationships (with a romantic partner or a friend), and you have enough to heal from already. Protect yourself.

I would obviously encourage you to get a therapist. If you can't, feel free to reach out, there are a few books and websites I can send you.

Much love,

Mum

#ask #malks

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watarulesbian · 11 months

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my ideal wataru center event

dont like she/her wataru? dont read!

OK. SO.

wataru loooves movies. wataru frequents a movie rental shop, which isnt doing so well in terms of buisness. shes like the only frequent customer. this is of course due to the rise of streaming services, which wataru is quite opposed to, as a movie conissuer (expecially older movies).

the unbloomed is wataru walking out of the movie rental place, happy because shes got an idea for helping keep the shop open! she holds a bag of movies, and says hi to anzu, who wasnt going to stop by the rental shop, but wataru wants to introduce her to the owners so they go in together.

wataru is like "if a movie or tv show is exclusive to streaming services, which many are nowdays, theyre liable to just disappear one day. and disappearing is a fun trick, but not for movies!! movies shouldnt disappear - people put hard work into them, time, money, skill, and most of all, passion!"

anzu is like I Agree Wataru. and anzu rents a movie from her childhood that she hasnt been able to find on any streaming sites. wataru has a far off look on her face when anzu tells her this,

and then we are with fine, and wataru is talking with them about raising awareness about the decline of movie rental shops and the problem of streaming services getting rid of tv shows and movies, virtually erasing them and making it hard to find so many titles... its clear wataru is quite passionate about this, and eichi is all for it too.

fine visit the movie rental shop together, and wataru reveals she went here nearly every week when she was little, even when she didnt have any money to spend she loved looking through all the movies, helping others pick out what to rent, talking to the staff, and it brings her great nostalgia to think about. those were the good old days, before streaming services dominated the movie and tv world.

fine rent a couple movies, some from their childhoods and some theyve never watched before, and then they have a big watchparty with popcorn and snacks (eichis unbloomed he has an enormous pretzel 🥨 and for tori and yuzurus 3 stars unbloomed they have candy 🍬 and popcorn🍿)

watarus movie is one she recalls being her favorite as a kid, but it actually lowkey sucks. the plot makes no sense and parts of the set that shouldnt be visible are visible, a character that she loved as a kid seems really mean now, and no one is laughing at the jokes - because they just arent funny.

toris movie is spy kids. classic! we all loved spy kids!

yuzuru had specifically asked for the newest movie they had, and that was a boring and manufactured very long superhero movie that felt more like pumped out content for money than a work of cinematic art, which wataru was quick to point out.

eichi picked american psycho, to yuzurus dismay, and eichi is like Just jokingggg me and wataru are going to watch it together later tho. I Got Kimetsu No Yaiba Mugen Train!!!!!! and everyones like Yayyy!!!!

later, yuzuru and tori went back to their room, and eichi is taking about how his favorite show is the one wataru starred in as a child. it was mainly a magic show, but wataru also went to different places arround the world and met people who did a variety of impressive things and tried them out. acrobatics, sculpting, baking, soccer, go karting, even drag in one episode, wataru certainly did a lot! she also collected a new mask in nearly every episode. it started when wataru was arround six or seven, and ended when she started middle school.

wataru says she tries to only think about the fun parts of doing that show, but there was a lot of turmoil behind the scenes, and often she didnt want to do it at all. was she mistreated? well, probably. but we are all mistreated as children, no? wataru takes solace in the fact that eichi loved her show, and it brought smiles to him and many other children. theres nothing anyone can do to go back in time and fix child watarus life, so wataru doesnt dwell on it.

fine has been working on their new song, and they were going to do a simple mv, but wataru is like Lets Put More Amazing Into This!!! and it develops into a super flashy carnival themed video with a totally banger song, starring lots of birds, and fine, going arround and winning every carnival game and making carnival snacks for one another. it ends with everyone on a ferris wheel, joyous and united!

also eichi gives the movie rental shop a shit ton of money LOL problem solved

the outfits are like. rainbow and metallic and wataru has her hair in double braids tied with ribbons and everyone else has some sort of fun hat Ok Byeeeee i might remove the tags lol

#wataru hibiki #hibiki wataru

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goops-art · 5 months

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FNAF AUS!!!

Greetings heres a quick guide and summary for all fnaf aus i got:

• Loose screws and bad coping mechanisms [regular au]:

DAxreader, the story is around a kind of enemies to friends to maybe somenthing more.

Everything beggan with a sleep deprived reader, and a machine runing on his last nerves, they fight and argue with eachother never trully understanding their perspectives, until maybe one day they do, but before that multiple things and shenanigans must happend, and also inminent danger lurks below the surface

Tagg: loose screws

•Tales of the aquaplex [mermaid au & eventual reader]:

Life always works in mysterious ways.

But nothing could have prepared anyone for what was next to come.

In a turn of events and a series of mysteries and murderers, Gregory finds their way into one of the most renowned aquarium waterparks, seeking a temporary shelter to stay in while the danger passes on the streets. Unfortunately, the wet attraction becomes a hunting playground in which he's the main target. Luckily for him, a bored Seal-Bunny, done with the routine and the tediousness of life inside the aquarium may offer a helping paw to rely on.

Come and join, as multiple stories and lives are changed as a chain of events falls like dominoes at the introduction of an orphan, where lost links and untold stories surface to attempt to find a resolution, where forgiveness and hope may thrive or get annihilated, as everyone fights to their happy ending.

Tagg: aquaplex

•Aiming for the stars [mecha au]:

It was never an eassy jot yet still you did it without fail, our lovely story beggans with a hard working y/n hopping from world to world never staying too long, their current job is on the great wall that would hopefully keep the monsters and the plague that torments the planets at bay, or well thats what the blueprints safe, it hasnt happend to this planet yet but soon it will come, theres no safety guidelines and osha would be crying at this but a little bit of comradery makes it go well, things where going like normal, until one day they trown off the wall in a crazy accident and end up rumaging trought the wilderness that rare and few ventured in, discovering a secret and a ticket to adventure where will shoot to the stars

Tagg: mecha au

• Twisting spells [howls moving castle au]:

A reteling of the howls moving castle with a couple of spins and extra details here and there, will be based mainly on the book than the movie but crossreferencing of material will happend!

But escentially reader hatter, is the older sister of 3, but at being the eldest her future has been already fortold to be the one who would eventually inherit the hat shop, while her other two younger may be able to seek their fortune and a good life, she cant complain but sometimes she wished she could chase her own freedom, but that is not somenthing for the eldest to have, or can she?

Tagg: howls au

• Castle of lies [treasure plannet au]:

A y/n on the run, is attempting to get back to their cosmic pirate crew because if they dont theyll be promply executed by multiple felonies of piracy, on the mean time two fleeing robots seek refuge in to the nearest vessel they can get themselves to, choosing to shed their old lifes as entretainers for an actual life, the twins hide away in a ship hoping that the crew wont see them until the next port.

Tagg: <tbd>

Unfortunatelly fate dosnt work that way and as such, the epic journey of 3 souls beggan all while is dangling in a massive colums of lies, as long as no body discovers somenthing that they shouldnt know a calm trip is guaranteed. Shame things never happend like that.

Other aus that are just crack or a silly thing:

The cats one (xx), the dating sim one (xx) and the horror plex one *gore and sensible content beware* (xx)

#wip #fnaf aus #still working on this and info may change on the next days

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actualbird · 2 years

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Heeeeeey pal it's Ida!

So I was thinking about Darius and how he's the only one with facial hair... (its a crime we can't romance Detective Morgan) and I was wondering... if the boys grew facial hair, what styles would each of them choose?

Its hard to imagine them with facial hair but it makes me wonder, especially if you have any idea :)

HI IDAAA!!!! :DDD it took me a sec to realize ur the same ida from twitter and not another person coincidentally also named ida KJBKS

okay so ur ask is worded in a way that implies that i should be thinking along the lines that facial hair is something the nxx boys are all capable of achieving but kjbkJBJFG MY THOUGHTS R HINGED ON THE FACT THAT ONLY SOME OF EM CAN ACTUALLY LIKE, MAKE IT HAPPEN.

that being said, lemme dive right into this

can the nxx boys grow facial hair? if yes, what style?

wc: 1.2k

disclaimer: im not putting pics of the facial hair styles in this post bc i dont wanna deal with that kind of gender envy kjfbgf. the names of the styles are in 'apostrophes' in the subheaders for ur own googling

luke pearce: he cant. full stop. in terms of tactile feel, this is a very smooth man.

im being mean to luke here, im fully aware, but hes SO GOOD at SO MANY STUPID "MASCULINE" ACTIVITIES. he can shoot guns, he can do action movie driving, hes deffo the most physically ripped out of all the boys, AND MANY MORE OTHER THINGS THAT DRIVE ME NUTS (affectionately), like. this shouldnt be allowed. there should be a LIMIT to how many societally masculine things a person should be able to do and do well. so no facial hair for luke pearce. cry me a fucking river, luke, this is called FAIRNESS.

so yep, not a single facial hair. it's slightly excruciating for him because it does NOT help his "AWWW LOOK AT THIS BABY FACED BOY" vibe. mc is never gonna stop pinching his cheeks and he doesnt even have any protection against it...

(...still, he figures maybe this isnt too much of a problem. afterall, if he had facial hair, he wouldnt be able to feel gentle touches to his face directly. and luke pearce? this dude Has to nuzzle into somebodys palm for his continued wellbeing. maybe this is for the better)

marius von hagen: he can but he doesnt like it so he shaves religiously.

marius can grow facial hair no problem which is a surprise since his dad looks like how he looks like (austin von hagen has never had a single facial hair, thats an absolute dolphin of a man, so aerodynamic) but MARIUS DOESNT LIKE IT.

it's a personal preference but he doesnt like how it's rough and how it messes with his "i am sexy hot gorgeous fae-like creature of mischief and beauty" vibes. so when marius detects even the slightest of stubble, the beginnings of a whatever-o'clock shadow, hes shaving!! bye bye!!!!

he does appreciate that facial hair is nice on other people, just not on him. he's been to art school. im sure marius has not only seen stupidly hot facial hair-d individuals, he's made out with a solid chunk of them as well. marius has to admit, getting stubble burn is kinda great! still, it's not something he's gonna be the one to give

vyn richter: he can and once hes comfortable changing up his twink doctor aesthetic, he goes for the 'Anchor Beard'.

like marius, vyn can grow facial hair no problem and shaves regularly though it's not that he doesnt like it it's just that...hes Very Comfortable with his current look and it seems like such a risky chore to change that up? his current look is great and it fits him and other people like it and GASP the danger of changing his aesthetic into something people MIGHT NOT LIKE?? MIGHT NOT FIND COOL AND HANDSOME AND WONDERFUL???? vyn would rather dig his own fucking grave

he'd need some coaxing perhaps from a lover or lovers that "Vyn, It's Okay To Change Ur Look If You Want To, If You Look Like Crap, It's Fine, The World Isn't Going To End." once he gets that through his equal parts horrid and hilarious brain, he'll go through a bunch of styles before settling on the anchor beard and variations of it. it's fresh and modern which a nice contrast from his usual archaic aesthetic.

(when marius sees vyn tho hes like "HAHA YOU LOOK LIKE A FUCKING MAGICIAN" and then the only thing you'll be able to hear after that is the screams of marius von hagen being hunted for sport, the sound getting further and further away)

artem wing: he can but he never lets it grow out and maybe thats alright maybe thats better for us because one time he did let it grow and then the entirety of stellis is suddenly SO MUCH MORE (DECENTLY) WHORISH IN HIS GENERAL VICINITY because the style he goes for is the Farmer’s Market Hot™ 'Short Full Beard'.

before i explain the latter terminology above, lemme first explain the first bit. artem can grow facial hair no problem but hes SUCH a stickler for formality and being prim and proper so actually having facial hair is something he never lets happen. he shaves regularly and IMPORTANT NOTE, hes shaving with a fucking STRAIGHT RAZOR (pictured below)

rationalization: artem is old fashioned in very specific (and personally endearing) areas, like he prefers to handwrite with fountain pens in a largely paperless era. thats hot! yknow whats another old fashioned thing thats hot? STRAIGHT RAZORS!!!! hes whipping this out on the reg, pressing the exquisitely sharpened edge against the skin of his throat, dragging it with precise movements. if any poor soul watches artem shave, i wish that poor soul strength to not fuck him ON THE SPOT.

but yeah he doesnt let his facial hair grow but maybe one time he did (uhhh i cant think of a reason bc beards take 2-4 months to grow and lol, artem wing not at the office for 2-4 months? what happened, did themis law firm get sucked into a wormhole? just think of Some Kind Of Reason u like as to why he doesnt shave for a while) and. HM. WELL.

okay time define Farmer’s Market Hot™, a term i came across 6 years ago from this post by tofixtheshadows. the post reads:

"Farmer’s Market Hot is a wholesome kind of hot. Rugged but approachable. It’s not the kind of hot where you immediately go, “Oh my god they’re so perfect, I want to take them home and photograph them/tear their clothes off.” That’s for later. This is the kind of hot for people who would visit the farmer’s market to buy some organic cheeses on their way to pick up their kids from their Creativity Through Music class. It’s the look that says “I’m here to support our local beekeepers.” You see them and it makes you want to settle down. You want to do your taxes with them, raise dogs together."

when artem wing lets his facial hair grow, his beard is so hot, it makes him SO HOT which is unfair because HES ALREADY HOT but now hes walking around stellis in his soft fuckin sweater and going to the grocery very intently studying the fresh produce and his beard along with the rest of his vibes just makes everything about him scream "i will cook you breakfast in bed and it will taste exquisite and i care about the local ecosystem and gently put trespassing insects into a cup to release outside and i am SO GODDAMN MARRY-ABLE" and bros, if everybody wanted him before, they, impossibly, want him even more now

stellis would not be able to fucking cope. when artem shaves the beard off, a sigh of relief rumbles throughout the entire city.

all in all: artem wing won this post. it wasnt even a competition, but he won it.

#tears of themis #luke pearce #marius von hagen #vyn richter #artem wing

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vampkomori · 3 years

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anyone else think neo’s reports are weird about composers i think theyre weird about composers. lets make sense of joshuas status as composer and hazuki as comparison

this is gonna be a bit long. so anyway the og reports are p straightforward about what Composers (specifically, joshua) can and cannot do:

- Joshua can only pick up Hanekoma’s vibe, because Angel vibes are too high frequency for him to pick up

- Inter-planar contact (so, communication between the UG and the Higher Plane in this case) is difficult, which is brought up because

- The Composer, Joshua, only resides in the UG.

- But the Producer, who is an Angel, mainly resides in the Higher Plane, and only occasionally lingers in the UG.

The whole matter of jumping between worlds highlights the difference between their abilities even more:

- As Composer, Joshua is one of the beings who can jump between worlds, but isn’t meant to do so often. His vibe dipped too low, so Hanekoma had to come retrieve him, because as an Angel this sort of travel is simple for him.

the OG reports make it pretty clear Joshua isnt an Angel

*But. unfortunately its not that easy. because by clearing the final time trial joshua gives you an item called Angel Feather (天使のハネ in JP), of which the description says “Our buyer used divine means to acquire this mysterious feather that was once in the possession of Shibuya's Composer.“ (which some have interpreted as, “in the possession of” meaning “it was given to him” potentially by hanekoma, who actually IS an Angel)

and if things are vague, we turn to the JP to clear us up! but its. still vague there bc it says “バイヤーが特別な力で入手した渋谷エリアのコンポーザーが持っていた謎の羽根“ (The mysterious feather that was held/carried by the Composer of the Shibuya area that the buyer obtained with a special power)

so. we are none the wiser about whose feather this is. i imagine its up to interpretation whether its joshuas feather or hanekomas, who then gave it to joshua. but given how clearly the reports differentiate between the Composer and Angels in regards to their abilities, suffice to say theres two interpretations that are most likely

- Composers arent Angels, their power disparity is just too much

- Composers are Angels, but theyre so much weaker compared to the Angels who reside in the Higher Plane that they’re never referred to as Angels, just as Composers

which takes us to neo, and hazukis little lightshow

i think its notable that the reports dont comment on kubos so-called “exorcism”, and only on haz erasing his noise.

haz himself refers to his little stunt as “exorcising” kubo, while in JP he actually says haiki 廃棄, get rid of, revoke, invalidate.

i think its important that he clarified “i didnt erase him, i exorcised him”. because with kubo, the executor, being an Angel from the Higher Plane, a Composer shouldnt be able to erase someone of higher ranking than them. i think as the person who called upon kubo in the first place, haz could specifically revoke his services and send him back to the Higher Plane.

which means kubo wasnt erased, he was just sent back. hes still kickin

we could leave things right here as they are. Canonically, Composers are so far beneath Angels to a point where even if they were Angels themselves, they are so much weaker than them that they could hardly be referred to as such

this is where the facts end. but im gonna keep going and have fun speculating about things and include some i dont have physical proof of (yet)

its notable that in JP, hazuki says that kubo tried to purify shibuya probably because he wanted to be praised by Hazuki. which is weird if kubos supposed to be higher ranking than haz. (in EN, haz just says hes always been an overachiever) but lets put a pin in that for later 📌

which takes us to the matter of Shinjuku’s Producer. or their lack thereof

throughout all of neo’s reports, there is not a single mention of Shinjuku having a Producer. before neo, we kind of assumed every UG’s setup follows largely the same structure. a Composer, a Conductor, a Producer, and then some Reapers. but Shinjuku does not seem to have a Producer. and i think its because it doesnt need one.

its important to remember Who is writing these reports and Who theyre for. the reports are written by shibuyas Producer, and theyre written for the Higher Plane. and shibuyas Composer cant pick up the vibes of any Angel except hanekoma, so he cant be the one writing the reports for beings he cant even pick up the vibes from, especially since he only resides in the UG.

and yet, hanekoma comments that Hazuki should have filed a report, and that haz is disinterested in the lower planes.

in English its a little vague about who hes talking about, but the JP specifies Shinjukus Composer as the subject of this sentence.

throughout both reports, the UG and RG are considered part of the lower planes. its strange for a Composer to have no interest in the very planes they govern, plus for a Composer to file a report to the Higher Plane when its been established that Joshua, as a Composer, cant even perceive anyone from there.

so i think Hazuki may actually be a proper Angel from the Higher Plane, who was potentially demoted to become Shinjukus Composer.

though you can very much interpret haz “exorcising” kubo as simply “sending him back whence he came”, its of course pretty anticlimactic to see this massive laser beam essentially disintegrate kubo on a molecular level, only for it to have been a quick ride back to the higher plane with kubo being perfectly in tact after. if haz were actually much more powerful than an ordinary Composer, itd make sense why he would have been able to erase an Angel like kubo so. thoroughly.

this would also explain why kubo may have wanted to be praised by hazuki in the JP dialogue. with hazuki potentially being an outlier for Composers and being far Higher ranking than kubo, our executor may have wanted to sucker up a bit. maybe get promoted and away from his “basically a janitor” job if haz puts in a good word for him upstairs

theres also hazukis entire demeanor, and how Bad he is at acting like a normal person

we know of four paths that Players can take

they can choose erasure

they can choose resurrection to return to the RG

they can become Reapers

they can become Angels

and Reapers can eventually become Angels, though its yet unclear if the only way for that to happen is

for them to become Composer (potentially the Lowest Angel-rank there is) and thats it.

or if Composers can ascend and become Actual Angels and eventually reside in the Higher Plane, though how a successor for the seat of Composer is chosen in that scenario is yet entirely unknown since Usually the seat only becomes vacant when the previous Composer is defeated

or if they, as a Reaper, need to Ask the Composer who then asks the Producer to send a guy for evaluation or something

or if the Higher Plane has like, a talent scout guy somewhere.

potentially more than one may apply but at least the last point is the most likely, because

Conductors are invited to the Higher Plane (probably to become Angels) upon purification

(interesting to note that Composers are not mentioned as being invited, which would point to “theyre Angels, but like, weak-ass Angels”)

anyway, the point is that so far weve been told that Angels were Players or Reapers at one point. we know Joshua was a Player for sure, given the morsels of backstory we get from him and Hanekoma. but we dont know if All Angels came from the RG at one point, or if Angels that have always been Angels exist.

either way, the point is that for Hazuki to act so non-human like and to be disinterested in the UG and RG, he either must have been an Angel for a very long time, or he was never human to begin with.

this is relevant to how he interacts with joshua in the Secret Ending, though its a lot less obvious in English, in JP their dynamic is clear: Joshua is his senior, and as his junior, Hazuki looks to him as an example.

for one, thats hilarious. secondly, that recontextualizes like everything

‘course, you could keep the interpretation that theyre just Both weak-ass angels and hazuki just made kubo use a flashy dramatic elevator to the HP and nothing groundbreakingly powerful happened, but thats kinda anticlimactic

so. staying w the idea that hazuki may be a demoted Angel from the Higher Plane, then itd make sense for Joshua to have been Composer for longer than him, and for haz to act Like...That, since he couldve been not-human for a Very long time, or Never was one in the first place, but is still a younger Composer bc he got demoted like. 4 years back or something.

it also explains why Shinjuku may not need a Producer, and why Hazuki is the one writing his reports. its because hes still an Angel from the Higher Plane, so he does not need an intermediary to contact other Angels.

so to summarize what im tryna say here

Hazuki may have initially been a regular Angel from the Higher Plane, before he eventually got demoted to become Shinjukus Composer, despite how disinterested he is in the UG and RG. (he is considered to be “infamously unsympathetic”, a trait which is reinforced in the JP version to be something he is known for amongst the Higher Plane, which could potentially be the reason for his demotion)

Since hes Joshuas junior, that means he hasnt been Composer for as long as Joshua has, so Hazuki looks to him to know what youre even supposed to do/how to act/etcetera as Composer. With his Special circumstances, he does not need a Producer as an intermediary to interact with the Higher Plane, because hes already an Angel so he can do it himself.

whatever Angel Hierarchy there may be, Hazuki is at the very least a higher rank than an Executor, considering how kubo wanted to impress him, and how haz effortlessly got rid of him. with kubo being from the Higher Plane, joshua is decidedly lower ranking than kubo, and cant even pick up his vibe. which clearly positions haz into a unique circumstance as a Composer bc of this discrepancy in ranking and power. amen

<><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><>

theres other things that back this up but i unfortunately do not have a source for them, so This section, take with a grain of salt.

Supposedly, in neo’s data files:

Joshua is referred to as an Advanced Angel

Kubo as a Junior Angel, and

Hazuki as a Senior Angel

i only heard this secondhand and have no way of corroborating this myself, but if this is true then that lines up with the super long super sexy little essay i just wrote up there

this “ranking” solidifes Kubos position as Hazukis underling. which, if he were an ordinary Composer, wouldnt even be possible.

Joshua is notably a different rank from Haz, though its difficult to figure out if “Advanced” is supposed to be Lower than junior, or Higher than senior. thats up to interpretation until its possibly ever acknowledged,

but my interpretation is that an Advanced Angel is lower than a Junior Angel. i think “advanced” in this case is meant to refer to the traditional evolution of players to reapers to the composer, advancing from one status to the next.

**Little post-edit, @/inkerii gave me the actual designation in the files! (so this ones backed-up!)

so in the files, theyre designated ranks are as follows

Joshua: 男、天使上級 ※前作 (Male, Senior/Advanced Grade Angel ※from the Previous work)

Hazuki: 男、天使上級 (Male, Senior/Advanced Grade Angel)

Kubo: 男、天使下級 (Male, Junior/Lower Grade Angel)

so haz and joshua are the same rank bc theyre both Composers! since thats an internal data text kinda thing it might not have any bearing on like, potential Technical exceptions since they Are both the same “job”, but mightve gotten it under different circumstances.

as for kubo potentially being lower ranking than even a Composer, i think unless we find out what a Producers ranking is, we cant say much abt whether an Executors lower or higher. i kinda mean it in the sense of, Producers are a Composers subordinate bc they follow their orders and have to create the things theyre tasked to make by the Composer (pins, etc), but may still be “higher” in ranking because they reside in the Higher Plane/jump between parallel worlds, while a Composer cannot. an Executor may be in a similar position where theyre a Composers underling, tasked by Composers to purify things, but may actually be “higher” in ranking because they reside in the higher plane, etc!

i think regardless of whether kubo turns out to be lower ranking than joshua or not, hazuki could still be Even More Higher in a way where he actually has like, sway over whether he could get a promotion! if that was his intent. he could also just be a huge suck up. a real kiss ass. teachers pet for angels

---

theres also the ntwewy Official Guidebook, which has a small comment beneath hazuki that says

and i additionally remember an interview, though i dont have a source for this claim and i could very much be misremembering, but i recall seeing the reason for hazuki not being the final boss is because they did not think players could suspend their disbelief far enough to accept that the twisters would be able to defeat a being from the Higher Plane.

which is perfectly reasonable, but

Composers are meant to be able to be defeated by Players or Reapers. if hazuki really was so powerful that itd be impossible for them to defeat him, then hed be far too strong to be an ordinary Composer, since thats. how you take over in the first place. thats kinda the whole plot of og twewy.

anyway that concludes my case

#neo twewy spoilers #neo twewy #ntwewy #the world ends with you #twewy meta #hazuki mikagi #twewy composer #vampymori.txt #(uses my gay little brain to figure out a way the neo reports dont retcon lore) BEHOLD....#i like this bc its funny as hell to think haz like. did something to be DEMOTED?#SORRY THAT CONCEPTS HILARIOUS TO ME #i didnt talk abt it much but the fact that hes called Infamously Unsympathetic #and in JP it additionally implies that the Higher Plane thinks this way of him as well #that means. they hated his ass so much they were like GET OUT #oh another thing. i didnt know where to add it #but in neos social network joshua is referred to as 'a being from a Higher Plane'#its notable that it says 'a' not 'the' Higher Plane (capitalized) bc the og reports do say the UG is on a higher plane than the RG #so like. its true. just a weird way to say hes from the UG #im p sure joshuas never BEEN to The actual Higher Plane #he wouldnt even be able to SEE anyone there. much less elevate his vibe that high #anyway. godspeed thanks for reading #hazuki demotion theory #is what im basically calling this LOL

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

Text

Dishwashers have become Iphones

Apple is a true business innovator: For more than a decade, they have been steadily perfecting an obscure anticompetitive tactic, turning a petty grift invented by console games companies into a global, cross-industry mechanism for extracting rents and centralizing control.

I'm speaking of App Stores, of course, and not just any app store, but one that's illegal to compete with or switch away from. This started with console companies, who used technical tricks to ensure that they could skim a rake from every program you bought for your system.

Consoles used proprietary hardware or media formats to ensure that software vendors couldn't sell directly to you, that every sale would be forced through their storefronts or licensing systems.

These tactics acquired the force of law in 1998 after Bill Clinton signed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), whose Section 1201 made it a felony to traffick in "circumvention devices" that bypassed "access controls" for copyrighted works.

Broadly, that meant that you could go to prison (for five years!) for making anti-DRM tools. What's more, DMCA 1201's drafters rejected tying the law to acts of copyright infringement, making it illegal to remove DRM, even if you did so for a perfectly legal reason.

For example, if your games console had some code that ensured that the software you were running had been taxed by the manufacturer, then removing that code could become a criminal act - even though that has nothing to do with copyright infringement.

To make that concrete: copyright is supposed to help creators and audiences transact with one another. If you own a console and I wrote some software for it, then copyright should facilitate you paying me money for it and then running it on your console.

But if the console's manufacturer had designed its product so that it got to impose a tax on transactions like this, then I can't sell you my copyrighted work anymore unless I pay the tax. Doing so is a felony, but not because it infringes copyright.

No, it's a felony because it's bad for the manufacturer's shareholders. It's what Jay Freeman calls "Felony Contempt of Business Model."

Now, the defenders of this practice say it's not anticompetitive because I can invent and manufacture a different, competing console, sell it to you, and then sell you my code without paying tax.

But this isn't how competition works. Companies don't get to say, "You can compete with me, but only on the terms I set, and in the domains where I think I have an advantage." Excluding competition in "complimentary goods" (like apps) is 100% anticompetitive.

For several years after the passage of the DMCA, the abuse of Sec 1201 to create "Felony Contempt of Business Model" stuck mostly within the realm of games consoles, with the exception of mixed results in the printer ink market.

Then along came the App Store for Apple's Ios devices: these were designed to be locked to a single app store, so that people who made copyrighted works (apps) and people who wanted to buy them (Ipod/pad/phone owners) couldn't transact without going through Apple.

Apple's paternalistic pitch was that it would only use this power to benefit its customers. The press *loved* this story, because Steve Jobs posed himself as a daddy-figure who would use apps to get us all to pay for media again.

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

The consensus that Apple should be able to decide how other companies could compete with it was advanced by its most loyal customers, who'd long considered themselves to be a kind of oppressed religious minority.

They insisted that there was no reason to allow a third-party app store because everyone who owned an Ios device loved using Apple's App Store.

But when anyone pointed out that if this was true, then there would be no reason to ban third-party stores (because they'd fail), they'd switch tactics, saying that any Ios user who switched stores was Doing It Wrong.

This is the Apple fanboy No True Scotsman argument: "Everyone loves the limitations of Apple's walled gardens, and if they don't, they're not really Apple customers. If they didn't want to be locked into the walled garden, they should have bought a different device."

To understand how weird this is, consider the inverse: we live in a market society based on property rights. Once I buy an Ios device, I get to decide which programs I run on it and who I buy them from. If Apple didn't like that deal, it shouldn't have sold me an Ios device.

This belief-system is intrinsically conservative, in the sense articulated by Frank Wilhoit: "There must be in-groups whom the law protectes but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."

https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/#comment-729288

How else to explain the indifference of Apple trufans for the company's decision to reverse-engineer all of Microsoft Office's file formats and make compatible players for them, and their defense of Apple's strict prohibition on doing this to Ios?

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/adversarial-interoperability-reviving-elegant-weapon-more-civilized-age-slay

But even if you think Apple will never abuse the power to decide who can compete with it to make complimentary products that interoperate with its own devices, the norms, laws and precedents backstopping Apple's business-model innovations can by used by anyone.

In 2015, I wrote a Guardian microfiction that exposed the perils of allowing companies to choose their competitors. It was called "If Dishwashers Were Iphones."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/13/if-dishwashers-were-iphones

It was a letter from the CEO of an "innovative" dishwasher company explaining why his customers were wrong to try to wash third-party dishes in his products.

The comments swiftly filled up with Apple defenders who decried it as an absurd, over-the-top analogy.

To those people, I say, behold, the Bob Dishwasher! It's a cute, countertop dishwasher aimed at single-person households, and it uses a proprietary cartridge for detergent dispensing, at about $0.67/wash - about $242/year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVup5ya0WVQ

The company makes a lot of familiar, paternalistic claims to justify selling a non-refillable, single-use electronics package that becomes immortal e-waste once you've used it up and replaced it: the precision electronics and proprietary detergent ensure optimal performance.

dekuNukem bought a Bob and decided that he - and not the manufacturer - should decide whether the "advantages" of throwing out the cassette and buying a new one were worth it. He reverse-engineered it and made a defeat device he calls a "rewinder."

https://github.com/dekuNukem/bob_cassette_rewinder

The tale of how he did this makes for a fascinating read, especially the analog sleuthing he did using product safety labels to reverse-engineer the "proprietary" composition of the detergent and rinse-aid, which turn out to be commodity products marked up by 7700%!

Extraordinarily, he's actually selling the Rewinder, for $30. This shouldn't be extraordinary, but it is, thanks to the penalties under DMCA 1201 (and the UK equivalent law, derived from Article 6 of 2001's EU Copyright Directive).

https://www.tindie.com/products/dekuNukem/bob-rewinder-renew-your-bob-dishwasher-cassette/

It's not just dishwashers, either. Would-be digital rentiers have figured out that they can turn their shareholders' preferences into legal obligations to their customers by engineering their products so they have to be used in specific ways...or else.

For example, KLIM makes a motorcyclist's airbag vest that deactivates itself if you stop making subscription payments (of course, this means that anyone who exploits a defect in KLIM's IT can shut off all its airbag vests, everywhere).

https://twitter.com/TrashGoat00/status/1387301889356689410/photo/1

If that sounds extreme to you, it's really not. Tesla has many safety features that are marketed as downloadable content, which it remotely deactivates when a car changes hands through a private sale:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/6/21127243/tesla-model-s-autopilot-disabled-remotely-used-car-update

If you find yourself scrambling for reasons that it's OK for Tesla to do this with its cars, but not for KLIM to do it with its airbag vests, allow me to gently remind you that Tesla owners are not an oppressed religious minority, either.

This kind of rent-seeking is just getting started. As I tried to illustrate in my novella UNAUTHORIZED BREAD (part of my 2019 book RADICALIZED), there are limitless ways for Apple's pioneering business innovation to destroy our lives:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/

And as I wrote in my story "Sole and Despotic Dominion," this is a frontal assault on the idea of personal property - it creates a world where property is the exclusive purview of remorseless, transhuman colony organisms (AKA corporations).

https://reason.com/2018/11/17/sole-and-despotic-dominion/

However, that future is anything but assured. Apple is being sued by Epic for antitrust violations over its Felony Contempt of Business-Model system:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/02/technology/apple-epic-lawsuit-app-fees.html

And European competition regulators have opened an enforcement action against the company on the same basis:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/30/eu-says-apples-app-store-breaches-competition-rules.html

Meanwhile, copycats who created their own Felony Contempt of Business Model walled gardens, like Valve did with Steam, are facing their own lawsuits, courtesy of Wolfire:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/04/humble-bundle-creator-brings-antitrust-lawsuit-against-valve-over-steam/

We've come a long way in a decade, and the No True Scotsman defense of the right of a dominant corporation to interpose itself between buyers and sellers, to control its customers' choices after a sale, is finally facing a real challenge.

https://locusmag.com/2021/03/cory-doctorow-free-markets/

#pluralistic

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arlakos · 3 years

Text

Miraculous Rant

Actually, you know what, while im still mad from the previous post I made, lets go off on a rant. No punches pulled. Lets do this.

The lovesquare is the most terrible ship in this fandom. One girl is a hyper obsessed stalker who tracks her crush with her planner for 3 whole seasons, while the boy couldn’t learn to take a hint and stop flirting for 3 whole seasons until he decided to move on with another girl. Ironically that makes them perfect for eachother, but its in a creepy kind of way, not a loving kind of way.

Adrigami and Lukanette in the S3 Finale were wasted events and never should have occured because they were immediately axed in the first few episodes of the next season. I feel sorry for those that were hoping their ships could be real for at least a short actual while, and it makes me want to curse the writers for their story-boner for the status quo of teases

Despite what I said earlier, none of the girls are good for Adrien. Marinette’s stalkery and a borderline yandere, Kagami’s somewhat controlling and too similar to Adrien help him grow as a person, Chloe is a queen bee beyotch and honestly too much like a sibling to Adrien, and Lila is garbage. Fuck it, have Luka date Adrien and they can play some sweet music together (not like that you pervs, I meant they both play instruments).

Nino needs more love. Not only that, but there needs to be more Adrien/Nino bro moments. If Marinette and Alya can have moments together, why not the bros?

Chloe’s character is a mess, and is neither redeemable, nor notably evil. Her role as a villain in season 1 is very hamfisted, such as in the episodes Mr Pigeon and Kung Food. Not only that, Chloe also lacks any of the qualities that makes a good “bully villain” or rival to Marinette, and her sympathetic moments (which are Written by Sebastien) are mostly overshadowed by the fact that Astruc wants her to be a bully, so it just makes her bipolar and confusing when her character is tugged between two writers.

Chloe should not have joined Hawkmoth in Miracle Queen, see my other post as to why I think so. TLDR, its kinda ooc for her to go full on 2d villain like Hawkmoth especially after Miraculer, plus Lila was being build up to be the main antagonist of S3

Chloe got kicked from the Team in Miraculer because people know her identity? Fine. Kagami gets to be Ryuko again despite being known to Hawkmoth in Ikari Gozen? Not cool. Ladybug shouldn’t be a hypocrite and be willing to break her own rules just because “Kagami is my friend and Chloe’s not”. Same goes for her breaking the rule with secrect identities with Alya, only for her to go on and on about the rules to Chat when he pries.

Zoe is a bland character who’s only notable trait that she likes Marinette, which automatically makes her worthy of a miraculous after two episodes and no actual development.

Astruc is a petty frick who makes episodes that give the finger to fans of the show that have a different opinion than him. Queen Banana, Miracle Queen, and Reverser are good examples of this (Reverser did Nathaniel dirty).

Master Fu is a shit guardian. Read my post for more.

FRICK THE FEAST EPISODE. Not only did is ruin Fu as character, it ruined all the good theories as to why the order fell, and wasted the idea of a new villain being introduced or even taking over as the main antagonist! Speaking of Feast, despite the sentimonster destroying an order when he wasn’t even big, he still go beat by 2 kids even when he was supersized!

Marinette is not a good Guardian. Her ability to choose heroes does not make her capable, and just because “tradition is stupid” doesnt mean that Marinette shouldn’t be tested like others before her!

Despite the Kwami’s being ancient magical buildings, they seem to act like kids a lot, and that annoys me when in S1 they are supposed to apparently be mentors to their wielders, like how Tikki was before she was mentally de-aged.

Lila is trash and should be removed from the show. The only reasons her lies work is because the writers dumb down every other character in the show and ignore the fact the people have smartphones with google.

The “Miraculous” Ladybug spell should require both Ladybug and Chat Noir to cast, because not only does the power have nothing to do with creation, but it also “destroys” anything created by the akuma, which thematically makes no sense. Also it would place more emphasis on the two heroes being equals and “two halfs of the same coin”

On that note, Ladybug has too many powers. Not only is she the only one who can purify akumas, and can cast a spell that can fix Paris time and time again like its no one’s buisness, but she also now gets a new suit and the ability to nullify Hawkmoth’s akumas. Like COME ON! Give Chat some powers too.

Mayura’s feather’s shouldnt be able to be purified by Ladybug since they have no dark energy, and (thematically speaking) Chat should be given an ability that allows him to “vanquish” the energy in Mayura[’s feathers similar to how Ladybug can purify Hawkmoth’s akumas. At least it would develop a rivalry between Chat and Mayura, and would make Chat necassary against Shadowmoth rather than being replacable with any other hero.

The are too many temporary heroes. They should have just stuck with the 3 heroes from s2 and leave it at that. Sure, new heroes were cool, but the overuse has made the whole hero thing feel less special. It made sense for the first 3 to have them, but now it’s just like Oprah where everyone gets a miraculous. Except Gabe.

Chat Blanc was a stupid reason as to why secret identities cant be revealed, also Chat could have told LB who Hawkmoth once he returned back to normal was and the show would be over.

Hawkmoth should not be Gabriel. Frick the lore about Gabriel’s wife dying and him going evil to get her back, it makes the story feel too much like a star wars/Darth vader reference and leaves Gabriel acting bipolar, flipping from wanting to save his wife and doing this out of necessity to being a power hungry madman wanting to take over the world ( which is said in his canon music video). Having Hawkmoth be his own character means he can be an actual maniac who wants world domination and not just have villanous plot that rely on obtaining magical jewellery (perhaps doing other evil things/taking a more active role), while Gabriel being his own character means he can be a father that has become estranged from his son due to the lose of his S,O, and thus can have a plot about him reuniting with his son (I liked the end seen in Simon says, ok?)

On that same note, I think Mayura shouldn’t have been Nathalie. Considering Hawkmoth’s plans were repetitive as heck for most of the show, when I heard about the Mayura leaks back in Season 2 (when she was called “le Paon”) I was theorising that Mayura would actually being Hawkmoth’s boss, the villain the was responsible for giving him his Miraculous and the one who destroyed the Order of the Miraculous, and would take over as the main villain in season 3 due to Hawkmoth’s failures. However, that turned out not to be the case.

Not only that, but Mayuras power is a copy paste power with some modifications to make it complement Hawkmoth’s power, by basically giving his akuma’s magic pokemon.

Speaking of Hawkmoth’s power, for a miraculous that is supposed to be used for good, how can his power mind control people and make them become evil? More importantly, for a miraculous that is supposedly weaker than the main heroes of the show, having it be able to multiply and posses people to create an army is kinda strong.

Fuck the Maribat ship that the salt fandom came up with. Its trash, it was made to bash most of the Miraculous cast sans Marinette, and anyone thinks it is good are either those same salters or are the same people who think that Rey-lo and the Twilight Saga are masterpieces of romance.

Whew! I needed that vent. Hope you enjoyed it as as much as I did, and Tune in next time on the next episode of: Arlakos loses his Mind and Rants for 2 pages of writing!

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Salt #Marinette salt #Adrien Salt #Everything salt #This whole show is a salt mine #Rant Time!#I love the show but I hate how its written

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chibichibisha · 3 years

Text

Got an ask about RossAce relationship headcanons, so thought that I could give context for their relationship before I straightly jump into them. Sorry because this is kind of long, but if you fancy them as I do, please let me tell you how two idiots discover they might like each other far from than just the usualy bro stuff after going from “rivals to friends”

At first, when Rossain and Ace meet, they do not like each other. Ross is this jerk that thinks he is way cooler and more intelligent than Ace, and he likes to show this off. He, on purpose, teases Ace calling him "Ace-kun", in a try to belittle him, and Ace is fast to jump into it, since honestly, he is the type to do the same, so it's sometimes the other way around. You know, the tipical fights about students there. Ace thinks Rossain is an idiot who believes he is more than he is, and Rossain thinks Ace is a guy too snarky for his own good, who has no value for him at all. They become rivals instantly after this, (While DeShawn and Deuce do the same, because they usually fight as well), but even if uncooperative, they play some friend role when the ocassion puts them on the same side, as they belong to the first year group.

But this doesn't stay like this, because even if they voice that they do not like each other, they end sometimes hanging together with the group, or having to be like this because joint classes for their year. For the rest, it's clear that they don't have a good relationship because they are too similar, and usually want to be right about the other being wrong. They get used to each other presence as the year progresses, even if they keep teasing each other.

Ross is the first that starts to like Ace, tho. There are some times that they will encounter each other for some reasons, and it's not like they don't know each other, so they can overlook the fact not matching much and go together to do some stuff. Of course, complaining about this, but going anyway. And this is where they find out that, since they are so similar actually, they can have a fun time together. They have the same humor, they are witty and mischivous deep down, and even if Ross wants to looks smarter, more mature and more suave than he is, the truth is that he is just a 16 y/o guy that likes to hang out with others. This makes them see the other on the same level, and establish some sort of friendship despite the rivality they still hold.

Because Ace is not Ross' type, but he would prefer him over anyone else that is saved to his contact list, and he cannot even remember their names. Ace doesn't have anything Ross can benefit from: he is not someone important, he is not specially rich nor popular, and Ross is aware of that and still ackowlesging he has more fun with him than in some random date. He surprises himself thinking about this, but tries to think it's not important, because again, he is not his type.

Ross discovers then that, when he knows Ace more personally, he is able to make him embarrassed and see him blush. And this is not good, because he didn't expect it to like it so much. I mean, yeah, he is the type to enjoy when other people react to his flirting, it gives him some sort of power, but with Ace is different. If he teases him on a flirty way, Ace won't fight back like he usually did, and then complain in a more embarrassed way. Ross finds it so dangerous. Because Ace is not his type, but he likes that side of him a lot, all suddenly. And it annoys him at some degree, because he shouldnt be thinking about him that way.

He still didn't take it that seriously even if it's starting to annoy his own feelings, so he can just act like it's just assholish teasing. Until he sees Ace being sincere for the first time (The Ghost Marriage situation? yeah, that situation). Unlike him, Ross is never honest or true, not only with the rest of the world but with himself too. To see Ace beig actually pretty dependable and honest with his own beliefs and be able to openly say it to other person, gives Ross a sense of reality he has been keeping aside. Because he does not like how his reality. Yet, Ace words make him think that not everything has to feel that wrong, and it's better to see stuff differently, even if those words weren't for him.

So this is when Ross starts to realize he may have a crush with the stupid Ace, and be kinda annoyed about this fact, because he doesn't know how to deal with a real, genuine crush. And less in someone like Ace. His first impression about this is that it might be a useless thing, and he should forget about it, because he could never work it with someone like Ace. Truth is he is too scared of rejection, and he is not able to talk honestly either. And Ace is not the type to voice these kind of things either, since he is more or less in the same situation, so they enter into a weird dynamic were they are a mess: they tease each other, they become irritated or embarrassed, and there's so many situation filled with romantic tension you cannot even count them. Just teenagers being teenagers, honestly.

How they resolve all this? They probably stay in a state like this for some time, they have their first kiss like this probably, and be aware that they have some kind of relationship that they try to not talk about it because they are both dumb idiots.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #Cane twins #Rossain Cane #Ace Trappola #twst Ace #oc/canon #oc x canon #RossAce #Rossain x Ace

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fan-clan-fun · 2 years

Note

Also I wish the concept of using power struggle as conflict was explored more deeply. I thought that Tigerstar as a villain was good, but I think it could be way more interesting. Say we have a strong warrior who was a big candidate for being deputy, but due to an injury, is now no longer able to. So the warrior thinks that they should have been deputy, and starts a scheme to become leader. I feel that would of been more interesting than just "oh yeah he's evil because of his mentor"

I absolutely agree. I believe warriors relies too much on (unreliable and inconsistent) set of morals of who is in the right and who is in the wrong. Though perhaps its the lack of consistency that frustrates me most. But if they were to give up on having a right or wrong which also dictated the afterlife of their characters and stuck to completely morally gray it would actually make more sense.

I havent read past Omen of the Stars arc, but what I hear about most recent books makes me want to headpalm. Like... if they had just said EVERY cat goes to Starclan because it is simply THE afterlife, that would actually allow for some more interesting plot complications. How can you trust that the Starclan cat you are talking to has your best interest in mind? Maybe you would be more inclined to trust the Starclan cat who trains you in sketchy tecniques because there is no flashing neon red sign that says EVIL, EVIL MAN, EVIL BASTARD BOY IN BAD PLACE. It would also explain some of the TERRIBLE decisions of cats who were let into Starclan when they really shouldnt have been like Ashfur. I mean if he was just in Starclan cause everyone is, it would explain why he would have to circumvent other spirits to get his revenge on the real world but.... sorry this has become a tangent.

Yes, power struggles are absolutely a fascinating way to cause tension without having to cause extreme drama and cosmic power struggles from dark spirits....anyway. I personally use this in my rewrite pieces. My Tigerclaw is not the evil to end all evils, instead he is a guy who was shaped by his surroundings, by his treatment by his peers due to his father leaving, by his treatment from his mentor, and by other aspects. He is still morally gray and has serious anger issues, which play into some of the iconic moments of the series, such as his attacking Tiny as an apprentice, and him attacking Bluestar in her den. But the situation with Bluestar has a different feel to it, because her choice to make Fireheart deputy is actually not supported at all in the clan, since he is so young and Tigerclaw ends up doing the job anyway. Bluestar in my WIP character sketch is also a much more ambiguous character, and the things she does are driven by several other issues. I found that in Bluestar’s novel her choices dont make much sense and it is completely unrealistic for the clan not to realize what happened to her kits. So instead she trades two of her kits to Riverclan in exchange for Sunningrocks to be returned to Thunderclan, which is why the attack that starts of Into the Wild is so much more meaningful. To Thunderclan its a sign that Riverclan won’t keep its bargains and that even two healthy warriors is not enough of a price for them to honor. In any case, working with the culture, history, and interpersonal interactions are super powerful to work with.

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fanfic-she-wrote · 3 years

Text

Love Disguised

Sherlock Holmes x reader

Reader confesses her love to Sherlock while he's wearing a disguise.

No warnings

It had been well over a week since Sherlock Holmes went out to solve a very secret case. A case so secret that he couldn't even divulge any of it's details to you or even Watson leaving you both feeling very restless and nervous for the well being of your friend.

Quietly, you sat in a chair by the window overlooking the busy street below watching all the people walk by going about their day while all you could do was sit there worrying about Sherlock.

"Would you like some tea, dear?" Mrs. Hudson asked before leaving the room, carrying a broom and a duster in her hands.

"No thanks, Mrs. Hudson." You replied with a sigh.

She gave you a small smile and said, "Don't worry. He'll be back soon." By the tone in her voice you could tell she was worried too. You gave her a nod and turned back to the window.

"I hope so." You whispered to yourself, leaning your head against the chair as you heard the door open and the sound of Mrs. Hudson's footsteps against the wood floor as she left the room, shutting the door behind her as she went. Out in the hall you heard two voices, one belonging to Mrs. Hudson and the other you presumed was Watson's.

"How is she doing?" Watson asked in a hushed tone so you wouldn't hear him.

"Not very well. Just sitting there staring out the window looking like a lost puppy. Poor thing." Mrs. Hudson answered, shaking her head.

"She's probably worried about Sherlock, like the rest of us." Watson surmised.

"Worried yes, but I think also lonely." Mrs. Hudson pointed out, staring at the door.

"Lonely? What do you mean? I've been here." He asked, pointing to himself. Shooting him a look, Watson quickly understood what she meant.

"Oh..oh!" He murmured, feeling slightly awkward. With a cough he asked, "What shall we do about it?"

She shrugged. "Unless Mr. Holmes comes back, I don't think there is anything we can do." Her voice sounding pitiful as she turned a went down the stairs.

You were so lost in thought that you hadn't even noticed Watson enter the room till he announced it.

"Oh, hello Doctor Watson." You greeted him, forcing a smile. "Any news of Sherlock?" You asked, sitting forward.

"None yet I'm afraid." He answered, taking off his coat.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon. He's done this before you know." He assured you, lighting up a cigar. You sighed once more and sat back in the chair, feeling disappointed. Watson watched you for a moment feeling bad for you, realizing that what Mrs. Hudson said was true. You looked utterly lost without Sherlock.

He walked over to you and patted you gently on the shoulder. "If there's anything I can do, let me know."

"Thank you." You said, giving him an appreciative smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been myself. I just...miss him." You admitted.

"I know, my dear. I know."

A little while later just as you began to doze off there was a sudden knock at the door. "I'll get it!" You shouted, getting up from the chair and heading towards the door. When you opened it a tall, slender man stood there with a great bushy mustache and big nose that he apparently tried to hide underneath a wad of bushy hair that dangled in his face, giving him the appreance of a sheep dog.

"Good evening, Miss! Is Sherlock Holmes at home?" He asked with a sniff.

"No, I'm sorry." You answered.

"We'll, I'm Hebert Yaxley, I had an appointment with him. Could I perhaps speak to Doctor Watson instead?"

"Of course." You said, stepping aside to let the old gentleman in.

"I'll go get him. Wait here please." You told him, disappearing down the hall. Yaxley chuckled quietly to himself, rubbing his hands together. Except his name wasn't Yaxley and he did not have an appointment with Sherlock Holmes, or rather he was Sherlock Holmes in disguise. And what a joke it was going to be when he finally revealed himself.

Once you woke up Watson from his nap you returned to the living room where you found Yaxley sitting quietly at the table.

"He'll be right with you, sir." You told him, giving him a polite smile.

"Now who might you be? Are you Mr. Holmes's sister?" He asked you, looking up at you from under his messy locks of hair.

"No, sir." You answered, shaking your head.

"Ah, then you must be his wife!" Surely, that would get a good reaction out of you. You and Sherlock often bickered playfully with eachother and when Watson would comment that you sounded like an old couple you would get irritated and insist that you didn't. Usually saying something like, "That's just not possible. I don't think I would live to see old age married to Sherlock Holmes." Of course you didn't actually mean it. Sometimes he would say something about you too. That's just how it was and you loved it.

Instead you reacted differently, with a blush looking down at your feet. "Uh...no." You replied, biting your lip. "I'm just his friend." You said this with such a sadness in your voice that it puzzled him.

"You don't like Sherlock Holmes, my dear?" He questioned you further, leaning forward.

"Oh, yes I do! It's just that...I..." You stuttered, playing with your necklace. "It's just that...I would like to be more than friends." You finally blurted out.

Sherlock sat there surprised, unable to say anything. Oh no. What had he done? This wasn't what he had planned at all. He thought if anything you might have picked up on this little charade by now. You were always so perceptive. That's one of the things he liked most about you.

"And now I don't even know if I'll be able to tell him." You confessed, your eyes becoming watery. Sherlock rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Maybe it was wrong of him to leave on a case like he did and not tell you anything. He hadn't realized how much of an affect it had on you till now.

"I'm sorry. I shouldnt be bothering you with my problems. You don't even know me." You apologized, wiping your eyes, feeling silly. Normally you weren't the type to get emotional, but you couldn't help it. You had to know about Sherlock.

"It's quite all right. Maybe I should come back another time?" He said, getting up from the chair. Just as he was about to leave, Watson emerged from his room. He stood there for a moment staring at the man at the table. If he didn't know any better it looked like it could be one of Sherlock's disguises.

"Everything all right?" Watson asked walking over to you, noticing that you were upset.

"I'm fine. Excuse me." You said, quickly leaving the room retreating to your own quarters, feeling rather embarrassed. Once Watson heard you shut your door he turned to Sherlock.

"Holmes?" He asked, leaning close to him.

No longer in a mood to continue, he pulled off his mustache and wig. "Yes, it's me." He replied.

"Thank heavens! Do you know how worried Y/N and I have been? Even poor Mrs. Hudson!" He exclaimed, sounding irate.

"I think I know now." Sherlock answered, taking off the rest of his disguise.

"What do you mean?" Watson asked, following him.

"Watson? Do you think...is it possible that Y/N might have feelings for me?" He asked, unsure.

Watson scoffed. "It took you this long to figure that out?!" Had it been that obvious? He was the world's greatest detective. How did he not see that you were in love with him?

"What do I do?" He asked turning to the older man looking confused, and maybe even a little afraid. He had never been in this situation before.

"Well, it depends. How do you feel about her?" He asked.

He stood there for a moment staring towards your door deep in thought. He did rather enjoy your company. Especially when you hummed along to the songs he played on his violin or the times he found you in his bathrobe because you couldn't find yours. Even when you crinkled your nose in disgust at the smell of his pipe. How cute he thought it was...

"Sherlock!" You gasped in the doorway of your room, suddenly snapping him back to reality. "You're back!"

You went to run into his arms, but stopped yourself, offering your hand instead. Sherlock stared at it not sure what to do. Should he accept it or hug you? You seemed to want to do the latter or did he misread that entirely?

Behind him Watson gave him a little nudge. For once, Sherlock didn't know what to say. His lips parted, but no words came out.

"I missed you." You finally said breaking the silence. He could only smile at you, taking your hand in his. For a long moment, you stood there staring into each other's eyes.

Watson shuffled back and forth on the balls of his feet impatiently, waiting to see what was going to happen.

Suddenly, Sherlock wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a hug. You blinked, feeling confused. He had never hugged you before and you didn't quite know how to react.

"I missed you too." He told you softly.

Your heart skipped a beat. "You did?" You asked as you hugged him back, resting your head on his shoulder, and closing your eyes, enjoying the warmth of having his arms around you.

"Mhm." He answered, nodding his head as he gently stroked his hand over your silky hair. A little flutter inside your heart urged you to kiss him, but you resisted. Maybe this was just a friendly hug? It didn't really feel like it. You thought.

"Sherlock?" You breathed, pulling away.

"Yes?" He asked, looking down at you as you gently caressed his cheek.

You looked so beautiful. He thought, tilting his head into your palm. You skin was so soft and warm against his. He had seen this look before, only on those who were truly in love. It was in your eyes, how they twinkled in the soft candlelight like stars in the night. Was this how he was looking at you now? He wondered.

Sherlock's heart began to race as your faces drew closer and closer together, your lips mere inches apart. He stood there frozen for a moment, his eyes half lidded as you placed a delicate kiss upon his lips. He felt his face become hot, a noticable blush forming on his face as your lips lingered for a few more seconds. When you went to pull away he suddenly wrapped his hand around your nape and pulled you closer, kissing you back. He didn't want to stop kissing you. He couldn't describe what he was feeling, except that it felt right. Through all the moments you shared, this, he realized was love.

Watson chuckled, feeling satisfied. Finally! He thought. Wait till he told Mrs. Hudson about this...

#pretty pleased with this one #sherlock holmes x reader #rathbone holmes #basil rathbone #x reader #reader insert #sherlock holmes

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heyitsyn · 4 years

Text

Milk Bread

Oikawa!Reader x Ushijima

a/n: bahahaha oikawa would literally disown yall though

anon request: Hiii if your request is still open could you also do an Oikawa's lil sis!Reader x Ushijima please~ fufufufu

ushijima and i could go get our own farm and have our own cows and horses and uggghhh

this entire,,,,, fiasco was an actual accident

it all started when you were so hungry that you ended up eating tooru’s milk bread

you were part of the girls track team in seijoh and competitions were starting soon so the team has been making practice mandatory during lunch as well

this caused you to only be able to survive off of snacks rather than your normal bento so you were blazing hungry when you got home

and when you are hungry, you go on a rampage

your brother was staying later practice so he wasnt home when you arrived

the fridge door almost unhinged and out the window by how roughly and quickly you opened it

the only thing in there was bottles of water and vegetables and you were not hungry enough to eat freaking raw onions

then you searched all over the cabinets for anything edible until you stumbled upon a clearly hidden milk bread

you guessed that tooru hid it bc he knew either you or takeru would eat it but heh, he didnt hide it good enough

finders keepers, right?

and as long as he doesnt find out it was you, itd be fine

you giddily opened the bag and ripped off a piece before smiling at how delicious it was

but this was cut short

you were so caught up in your happiness with the food that you missed iwa and tooru coming home until you heard your brother scream

‘Y/N-CHAN!’

your eyes flew open and you froze, mid-bite

his eyes were wide and his mouth was agape as he watched you scarf down the rest of the bag quickly before dashing upstairs

but tooru’s shout for iwa-chan made the buff guy snatch you from the hallway despite you kicking and screaming at him to let go of you

‘IWA-CHAN NO!!!!!’

you yelled but he just tightened his hold on you

‘i bought oikawa that bag, y/n’

you pouted then crossed your arms

‘you bought it for an oikawa, not a specific oikawa though’

so tooru ordered you to go to his favorite bakery, which was all the way out there like an hour away, and buy him a dozen bags of milk bread

‘TOORU YOURE GOING TO GET FAT!’

*offended oikawa*

‘I BURN ALL OF IT DURING PRACTICE ANYWAYS!’

‘hm, explains why you have no cake’

y/n stop thats so mean !!!!

but doorkawa though

so there you were, shoving all of the stock they have in the store into the big cart

if someone were to walk by you right now, theyd stare at the cart then at you weirdly for being a milk bread addiction

and thats exactly what happened

ushijima went to the bakery bc tendou won a bet and demanded a milk bread from this specific bakery

so he was entering the building, a single milk bread in mind, when he saw you, literally shoving all the bags down with an arm into the cart

he paused, like 5 feet away from you, just watching as you continued to take all the bags they had in stock into the cart

but he just wanted one bag so he went up to your cart and wordlessly took a bag which you saw and caught his arm

‘um, excuse me, what are you doing?’

he gave you a stoic face

‘i walked 30 minutes for this bag of milk bread. im sure you can leave one for someone else’

you were about to retort when you saw who this guy was

ofc if your brother was oikawa tooru, youd know his hatred for the apparent ‘farmer idiot’ ushijima wakatoshi from shiratorizawa

the familiar eyes and the furrowed eyebrows

yep, this had to be him

‘you,,,, ushiwaka’

he nodded

‘yes. now if you’ll excuse me, ill be going’

but you again held him back

‘ushijima-san! take this-all of this! i dont need it anymore!’

you pushed the cart in his direction before bolting out the store in a hurry

now ushijima is known to predict almost anything that came his way

but never has he even THOUGHT that a girl would give him a cart filled with nearly 50 bags of milk bread

the store lady pushed the cart to the cashier and only did he finally snapped out of it when she told him the total

‘oh, um, you forgot this bag too’

what was he going to do with all of this bread?

you pedaled your bike home and when tooru saw you empty handed, he started shouting

but you just faked a pout

‘ushijima wakatoshi-san took it from me’

his ears turned red

and all he could see was red

i see RED! rED! ooOOhH rED!!!!

he got his phone out and dialed a number before shouting into it

‘YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS, IWA-CHAN! USHIWAKA-!’

ngl, you didnt really think that he would completely forget about it but he fell for it

you planned to use tooru’s hatred for him and just a single utter of his name could completely brainwash him from the milk bread stealing situation

‘MAYBE HES GOING TO BUY ALL THE MILK BREAD IN THE WORLD UNTIL I GO TO THE DAMN SHIRATORIZAWA! WHAT IF HES DOING THAT?! IWA-CHAN-!’

the entire situation completely slipped your mind a few weeks later and you even forgot that you met ushijima and left him a cart of the treats

but that was quickly remembered

similar to your brother, there was one day per week where you have no track practice so you found yourself in their gym at wednesday, just waiting for iwa and tooru to finish practice

you were just busy doing your homework and trying to help kyoken with all of his missed work when kindaichi shrieked from the side

‘ushijima wakatoshi!’

JAPONN

at the mention of his name, everyone turned to him and followed his line of sight where indeed, the tall farmer boy stood at the door

oikawa tooru was so shocked to see him and his nerve to show up at HIS TURF that he didnt say anything

‘hello. is oikawa y/n here?’

then all hell broke lose

tooru was screaming at you in betrayal

iwa was shouting and hitting oikawa to stop and holding him back from lunging at you

the others were yelling at how you knew this famous player

while kyoken just sitting there all chill

‘you know that guy?’

‘uh-well-kinda?’

‘nice’

you quickly packed up your stuff, confused and surprised, before bolting down the bleachers to the door where you grabbed ushiwaka’s hand to drag him away from the gym where tooru couldnt find you

you finally stopped by an alleyway about a street away from school and turned to him with scrunched eyebrows

‘ushijima wakatoshi-san! what are you doing here?!’

you whisper-yelled

but he just unzipped his gym bag and handed you a bag of milk bread

you were so caught off guard that you just held it on your hands and stared at it

ushijima noticed your expression and pointed at the food

‘i have a lot of it at home. i figured you wanted one’

you slowly looked up at him

‘ushijima-san,,,,, i,,, why-’

‘you seem to like milk bread seeing your cart full of it. i thought you still wanted one and i need to get rid of all of it anyways’

‘but,,,, you shouldnt have come all the way to seijoh! nii-chan-’

then you stopped

wait, hold on

how did he even know your name

‘how do you know my name, ushijima-san?’

he blinked

‘youre a known track runner in the prefecture in both the girls and boys. a friend of mine wanted to recruit you for the school team but you turned it down’

you paused and chuckled

‘ah of course. i actually wanted to go but nii-chan considered it a betrayal so i couldnt go’

‘but you should’ve come to-’

‘SHUT UP USHIJIMA! AND STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER!’

tooru’s figure was panting a little bit away from behind ushijima and he was pointing at him heatedly

you sighed and face-palmed but you flinched when ushijima placed an arm around your shoulders and held you close

‘she has talents that could take her to far places. i understand that she refused it but you might have greatly influenced that decision and never asked her opinion about it. im here to ask her to re-think this decision and join us instead’

‘YOURE NOT EVEN IN THE TRACK TEAM IN THE FIRST PLACE!’

tooru raged and ran forward before grabbing your arm roughly to pry you away from the dirty touch of ushiwaka

‘we’re leaving, ushijima. and you better not talk to my little sister again’

he hissed and dragged you away but you turned your head and raised a hand

‘later, ushijima-san!’

‘SHUT UP Y/N!’

after that, ushijima knew to approach you in secret

you saw him by the gates after practice and you hurriedly hid him away from sight bc the moment someone saw that familiar purple jacket, theyd know immediately

‘ushijima-san! what do you want now?’

you whispered and again, he reached into his bag to give you a bag of milk bread

‘i need to get rid of them. and i also want to hear your opinions about joining shiratorizawa next year’

you laughed, softly clutching the bag

‘in truth, the bread was for nii-chan. and regarding next year, i dont think im leaving seijoh, ushijima-san, so sorry’

he nodded

‘i understand. but i do hope you will think about it, oikawa-san’

you cringed at the formality coming from someone as important as him

‘please, call me y/n. it sounds really weird from you’

‘okay, y/n-san’

‘no, just y/n’

‘y/n’

‘good’

then these meetings turned to another, then twice more, then everyday

it was becoming a routine at this point

track practice ended at 6, about 30 minutes before the seijoh volley so you could easily slip away from tooru, and ushi’s ended around 5 so he was able to meet you at the alley by your school

tbh, you didnt understand how you were meeting as such a shady place and you didnt understand why he would take such a long trip just to give you milk bread and ask you about the school

however, that soon changed

soon, you just talked about school and life in general while munching on food

he would occassionally talk about this first year goshiki and some setter shirabu and how they fought constantly

you knew a little bit of his best friend tendou and his dorm life back in shiratorizawa

he knew that you weren’t exactly in track for fun, but for scholarships since you werent exactly smart

part of you wondered if he used the dozens of milk bread in his house as an excuse to see you and make you eat them as compensation when he couldve just sent them back

yet eventually,

your conversations helped you know a little bit of each other without the title of fastest runner oikawa y/n or u-19 japan ushijima wakatoshi

‘tori accidentally broke a hurdle and sprained her knee so she had to sit out during practice. it was a mess because she was screaming about the pain and caused practice to end early’

you whined while chewing

he remained quiet so you turned to look at him, who was just staring at you

‘ushijima-san? you okay?’

‘waka,, toshi. call me wakatoshi’

you tilted your head to the side

‘i,, i can’t call you that, ushijima-san’

‘please, call me that. we’re friends, right?’

a genuine laugh escaped from you

‘oh dear. i mean, yeah, we’re friends, i guess. but nii-chan would not appreciate this friendship’

‘but doesn’t he like you having friends?’

he was confused as to why tooru’s even in the conversation

‘no, ushijima-san. i meant, he would not like me being friends with you’

‘why does he have a say in this?’

you paused

he was right

why did tooru’s opinion matter?

why did it matter so much that you’ve been hiding in this stinky alleyway with ushijima wakatoshi for a few weeks all because you were scared someone you knew saw you?

‘wakatoshi-san, do you have a brother?’

‘no’

‘hm, makes sense’

you laughed then looked away, straight at the dumpster that stood behind him a few feet away

‘my parents,,, are always working. even when i was young, they were constantly working so i dont really have good memories with them since they were rarely home. my sister, she was already in high school when i was born so the only person i really had was my nii-chan’

ushijima’s stare on you never wavered as he remained looking at you, inspecting you almost, the way your nose curved or your lips looked a little chapped or that crumb that stuck itself on the corner of your lip

‘he has always done everything for me,, in a way, he raised me and i appreciate everything hes done for me, yknow? and i want to repay him for all of that but im sorry to say this, but he doesnt exactly like you, wakatoshi-san. and me being friends with you, him not even knowing we’re meeting up like this, he would get very angry with me. and i dont to disappoint him’

you looked down at the remaining bread and softly sighed

it annoyed you a little that you cared so much for what tooru thought

why couldnt you live your life?

why couldn’t you just be your own person and meet people that you like?

‘we have only have 3 bags of milk bread left’

ushijima’s comment took you aback bc its not like you just told him something so personal or anything

‘huh?’

‘i need to buy some more’

you shook your head and waved your hands around

‘wakatoshi-san, i just told you, like, something really personal-’

‘but i dont care about all that though’

he blinked, confused as to why it mattered to him

‘what-’

‘y/n, havent you noticed that you’ve been calling me by my first name?’

his question made you stop and realize that you were saying wakatoshi

‘oikawa tooru is simply a person who helped raise you, he didnt make you nor does he have control over you. your life was given to you to live and create, not to be molded or shaped by someone else’

you nodded and patted his arm in appreciation, still awkward about having interactions with the guy

but he reached behind you and patted your back, averting his gaze forward

‘you have talent in track so i think you should keep running for a team that shares your skills. like your brother’s talents deserve to be played in a team full of undefeatable players’

you chuckled and shot him a confused glance

‘wakatoshi-san, youre over here telling me to do what i want yet youre telling me to do something else’

he seemed completely innocent to his hypocritical statement as he just looked at you

‘im just influencing you. theres a difference’

you shook your head and continued eating your bread, throwing the entire topic behind your mind

‘youre right, wakatoshi-san. we do need to buy some more milk bread’

little by little, you started to stray away from your brother

like you started coming home late and your wednesdays were now booked up with someone else

ofc he noticed and he went straight to iwa-chan to complain about it

by the second wednesday, he got fed up and actually cancelled practice which caused iwa to beat him up for stopping practice for something stupid

‘let your sister be, shittykawa!’

tooru pouted and rubbed the now sore spot on his head

‘somethings wrong, iwa-chan! i can sense it! shes hiding something and if its kept from me, of course i want to know!’

this led iwa to be dragged along with him as he followed you walking to somewhere

he remembered you getting flustered and smiling at him when you refused his offer to get ramen after practice with the guys

‘i have plans, sorry, nii-chan’

this caused oikawa to be very sus bc no tea, but he knows you dont hang out w other people outside school

so this led him to stalking you instead of talking and asking you like a normal adult

iwa was also there bc he lowkey sus and worried for your safety if oikawa does decide to lunge at your boyfriend

the two boys were huddled behind a car as you were just walking cheerfully, skipping every step

‘iwa-chan, she doesnt have a boyfriend, right?’

‘shes pretty and kind, it would be hard to believe she doesnt have one’

but as they continued to follow you, they started getting confused as to why you were walking in such an unfamiliar neighborhood

this wasnt exactly their turf and when they noticed a familiar looking uniform a boy was wearing as he walked down the street, oikawa almost busted a blood vessel

aw look at him tremble-

‘what in the ever-loving god of anime is she doing in shiratorizawa!’

he whisper-yelled

‘iwa-chan! is she transferring there?!’

‘shittykawa shut the hell up!’

you heard a familiar voice behind you and quickly turned around but saw nothing

you swear you heard hajime’s voice

but it couldve been just your imagination since you’ve heard him call that for nearly 6 years

you continued walking forward and you jumped to wave when you saw ushijima leaning against the school gates

‘wakatoshi-san!’

you greeted and he nodded, acknowledging your presence

‘y/n, you were late’

you giggled

‘why? did you miss me wakatoshi-san?’

‘hm, yes. the milk bread bakery is going to close in 15 minutes’

he said and held out his hand which you gladly accepted

tooru was basically strangling iwa by how he was so ANGY that his little baby sister was fraternizing with the enemy!!!

back on you though!!!

you still blushed when you held his hand but you knew there was nothing about it bc you ltr almost got ran over once

so basically,

you were finally opening up to going out in public w him as long as it was far away

and he suggested going to some ramen shop that they frequent at for some food

you were just walking side by side and humming a tune when you were interrupted by a loud honk that freaked you out and freeze

but ushijima, being a volleyball player and developing quick instincts, grabbed your shoulders and pushed you both to the side, away from the car

youve never had that experience before so you were quite freaked out and you were just hanging on to his jacket for dear life, hiding your face in it

he sensed your panic and placed a hand on top of your head to provide some comfort

‘its okay, y/n. dont worry bc ill always be there to protect you’

you turned red at that statement but ushijima was known to be very naive and he didnt understand that underlying suggestion in his words

‘thank you, wakatoshi-san’

you mumbled and he gently pried you away but he held your hand

‘this will allow me to pull you quicker and to make sure you dont wander too far’

you pouted

‘hmph, im not a child, wakatoshi-san’

he smiled, surprising you bc wowza was he showing emotions?

‘you need to be taken cared of, do you not? no matter what age, ill still look out for you’

to this day, he still kept your hand on his grip and your heart kept beating really fast

all these hangouts were really showing you the real ushijima wakatoshi that was so different from the court and you really liked it

from the strong and cold and cruel player to the awkward, funny, and naive schoolboy

he was an enigma and you were attracted to the remaining iceberg that maintained being hidden under the waters of his physical appearance

focusing on something else, you were tugging him along excitedly bc you forgot your bento at home today and you STARVED

‘lets get sweets!’

you cheered excitedly and with his hand still laced into yours, he looped it around your shoulders so he pulled you closer

‘semi told me he does this to his girlfriend when she gets too hyper’

um, sire, where did that come from?

from oikawa’s spot, he was starting to get hurt by how harshly he dug his fingernails in his palms while iwa was getting angry at how carelessly this farmer was handling his sister

but you werent bothered by his weird oblivious comments

‘im very hungry so we must hurry, wakatoshi-san!’

‘yes, yes’

unbeknownst to you, he kept looking down to observe your faces

when you would see a store, your eyes would widen and youd mumble about wanting to go there sometimes

when you saw a baby in a stroller, youd coo and unintentionally squeeze his hand

it was cute

and it made his heart jump every time

today was no different occasion

and he was finally able to put a pin into this weird action from his organ

lmao im so tired bruh im cackling as i type

earlier today during practice, he felt that jump when you whined to him about leaving your bento at home and expressing your excitement to get some food

that jump returned and he was so focused on texting you that he didnt notice his teammates watching him in shock

tendou even started hitting semi, confused and flabbergasted

‘ushijima-san,,,’

goshiki started but shirabu smacked him to be quiet

‘oh, i might not come to practice on friday since im going to the doctor’

the mention of the doctor, everyone freaked out bc they cant have their prized player injured or hurt

‘what,, whats wrong?’

semi asked and ushijima finally locked up his phone

‘im having weird random jumps in my chest and slight tickles in my stomach. google told me to go to the doctor if it persists so i made an appointment’

they all sweatdropped

goshiki uwu babie was biting his lip to stop himself from sobbing and thinking his senpai and rival was having an illness

but semi and tendou knew whats up

‘wakatoshi-kun, who were you texting?’

they all noticed the slight widening of his eyes and the sprinkle of light that shined through

‘oh, oikawa y/n. we’re friends now’

everyone shared a look bc he didnt really have friends outside the team and didnt bother himself with unnecessary relationships like these

‘oh god’

tendou mumbled and his grin widened

‘i,,im no doctor, ushijima-san, but i think youre experiencing the symptoms of a crush’

shirabu was basically the smartest than the others combined so when he said something like that, they believed him immediately

‘crush?’

ushijima wondered

‘dont tell me you dont know what that is’

goshiki muttered in disbelief

‘im familiar with the definition of the attraction to another person. but ive never experienced it myself’

yall why am i writing him to talk like this

‘youve been so busy with volleyball your entire life that you probably havent had time to actually admire the girls we have in school’

tendou reasoned so ushijima went to go wait for you by the gates and observed the females that passed by

nope, they all didnt strike him for anything

he just gave up until he saw you waving for him all enthusiastically and there it was

a simple glance at your smile and it leapt

it only got worse when you giggled and he clenched his fist to keep his heart from leaping out of his chest

the entire time, he felt it, especially holding your hand

to really be honest, he only did that after what happened and his mother used to do that to him to protect him from other cars

now that he had someone to protect, he was doing the same thing

you clearly didnt mind and just swung your hands along the entire time

eventually, yall arrived

the lady at the front was now accustomed by your appearances and she waved at you

‘hello ushijima-kun! oikawa-chan!’

you greeted her happily while ushi just nodded at her

your brother and his best friend decided it was best to stand outside to not garner suspicion ltr yall are stalking and everyone knows since the bell rang whenever it was opened

tooru felt his heart clench at the thought of you being on a date with this,,, !!!! farmer boy!!!!

the sister complex in this one is quite strong

it got even worse when he saw your giggling form and ushijima holding you close with your shoulders

next thing he knew, he entered the bakery and ripped you away from him

ofc you were surprised bc wtf why was here?

‘NII-CHAN?!’

‘oh, hello, oikawa’

^^ 2 types of people

‘didnt you hear me when i told you to stay away from my sister?’

he seethed

‘yes, i heard you. but i dont care’

‘wakatoshi-san!’

you whisper-yelled bc his answer clearly made your brother angrier

‘well, i need you to start caring bc you are not welcome to be a part of our family! i will never accept you as my brother-in-law! i will never visit! you hear me?!’

your eyebrows furrowed and you flushed in embarrassment

‘NII-CHAN! WE’RE JUST FRIENDS! WHAT ARE YOU SPOUTING ABOUT?! AND WHY DID YOU FOLLOW ME?!’

he didnt bother to hear you and started dragging you by the arm

but you wrenched out of his grip and ran to ushijima, who held you close

‘hes my friend, nii-chan. i dont care if you dont like him but hes nice to me and he hasnt given me any reason to not be friends. now try to be a grown-up for just a few minutes and leave me alone so i can go hang out with my friend and you go back home with iwa-chan’

you firmly stated, glaring at him and tooru felt sad at this entire thing

were you growing up?

despite only being a year younger, you were always that ran to him for everything bc you looked up to him so much

but now, you were refusing and becoming your own person

you were still his baby sister but now, you were a grown woman who could make her own choices

and he had no choice but to accept that

‘okay. but come back home soon, okay, y/n?’

tooru’s quiet voice made your expression fall and you made a move to go to him but he already made his exit

‘nii-chan,,,’

you mumbled but ushijima placed an arm around your shoulders

‘you can go to him, y/n. we can-’

‘no. im,,, happy that he finally realized it. so lets continue’

you smiled up at him and he nodded, going back to looking through the cupcakes

‘how do you think hed take it if he finds out i like his sister?’

he off-handedly asks to no one but you heard and jumped

okay, you were used to his random comments and questions but this one had to be the one that took you aback the most

‘H-HAH?!’

but he doesnt seem bothered

‘my teammates told me that i have a crush on you so if i were to act on that feeling, would you accept me?’

your eyes flittered everywhere and you grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned him down to his level

‘ar-are you seriously confessing to me right now?’

he shrugged, so nonchalant

‘yes. before getting your brother’s approval, i should get yours first. will you let me be yours, oikawa y/n-san?’

your face scrunched up and you nodded, pulling him in for a hug

‘i like you a lot, ushijima-san. like a lot’

he softly smiled and buried his neck in your neck

‘i noticed when you didnt care about your brother’s dislike towards me’

‘yanno, for someone who is so against us together, hes the reason we even met in the first place’

he pulled away and looked at you

‘really?’

‘yep. i told you this, didnt i? i came for milk bread yet left with a boyfriend’

‘over a span of a few months’

you rolled your eyes but still laughed

‘yes, a few months and nearly a hundred bags of milk bread later’

the old lady was watching the whole thing and only made her presence obvious when she squealed

‘OH YOUNG LOVE! GET ANYTHING YOU WANT TODAY, DEARIES! WE SHALL CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF NEW LOVE AND FOR MANY MORE!’

you and ushijima shared a look before busting out laughing, you freezing when you heard his chuckles

he noticed your stare at him and he asked you whats wrong

you shook your head before grinning

‘im already already looking forward to falling in love with you. so make me fall really hard, okay?’

you just unlocked blushy and flustered ushijima wakatoshi

when you went home that night with bags full of milk bread, your brother practically forgave you

but you accidentally blurted out of your new official relationship and you knew what he did?

oikawa screamed

a/n: sorry if i was gone for 2 days bc selling sunset came season 3 came out on friday !!!! but heres an update and i might post another later bc tomorrow’s my first day of school and id be too busy to update but id probably update in wednesday so feast on these in the meantime!!!!!!

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irkenheretic · 3 years

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ok fella, go off on your au and talk about red’s video game and why it’s important to his character arc but also try to stay out of spoiler land. Also as a bonus + describe red’s role in that au with a vine

ok so a schimillion years ago a videogame called anarchisma was released and completely redefined an entire genre and nothing was ever the same again

ok let me explain a little more

a genre of irken videogame is the "rebel sim." basically a game that has a very anti-empire slant to it, ranging from surface-level critiques to extremely controversial ideas in it. it doesnt have to be a simulation game (the genre of "rebel sim" predates the lifesim, an extremely immersive VR game with time-dilation properties so it feels like youre experiencing years of gameplay in real-time, but in reality its been an hour) but thats just what theyre called

to this day, many popular rebelsims (especially those released by established companies and not indie devs) play their stories extremely safe, diluting the genre from a true expression of anarchism to a sort-of vent about the little frustrations of irken life, without an actual rallying cry or call to action or really anything daring about them. back when anarchisma came out, this was mainly seen via the stories being very surface-level and safe, picking a couple scattered issues and not really exploring them other than going "hey.... did you know.... that x thing.... is bad?" (i.e. a short scientist being brushed aside despite their skillset and the fact that they meet the height requirements for their job, as opposed to stating that height requirements for prestigious jobs shouldnt exist at all.)

enter anarchisma. at first you play as a lil' dude named myx, a short engineer. he has a friend named thirteen-13 that follows him around, and myx as a protagonist goes thru the game in a very "safe" way, following the conventions of your period-typical rebelsim that acts smarter than it really is... except for one thing. he keeps referring to thirteen-13 as the "dhar bitae," an irken term meaning "all-seeing..." and the period-typical slang for the control brains

once myx's route is over and done with, you're able to play as thirteen-13. and thats where the real game starts.

thirteen-13, in the game world, is the equivalent to the control brains- he's a computer that ruled over the fictional world but was kept under strict lock and key by his technicians. every time he escaped or was deemed "too defective," a new "instance" of him was reloaded, hence the number at the end of his name. thirteen is his name, and 13 is the instance number. and oh yeah! due to a loophole where he's a computer and not an irken per se, he's actually the first canonically defective character in all irken media!

needless to say the game was pretty controversial when it came out but it also redefined the entire genre. thirteen-13's plot gave rise to the "rebel ruler" trope, a trope that is very common in rebelsims to this day but watered down beyond belief- in anarchisma it works because theres a REASON thirteeen-13 couldnt just fix everything with his vast power: the societal ills the game addresses were around long before any iteration of thirteen, and they're going to be around long after he's gone. it's a bleak game with themes of powerlessness, futility, and imprisonment in an abstract way- when your enemy is a system of ideals and not one lone person, how do you fight?

anarchisma was the first game red played as a smeet. deemed defective and cast away from everything he'd ever known, a rejected smeet only kept alive because his outpost couldn't afford to kill him, this game was red's lifeline. like i said, thirteen-13 was a revolutionary character in that he was defective and proud of it- and that was what kept red alive during all the horrible things that happened to him in his smeethood.

due to the nature of irken videogames, especially irken indie videogames, there are a lot of conspiracies surrounding it. irken videogames tend to be heavily influenced by their developer's real-life experiences, and while this is not always the case, there were some... speculations on the plot of the game and its enigmatic developer. nobody knows anything about this guy so its impossible to confirm or deny if this was pulled from real-life or if he just made all of it up, so a lot of people got obsessive with the game's messaging, and wether or not the developer was trying to tell the populace something with it.

red was one of those people.

the idea that the control brains themselves wouldn't, couldn't, didn't hate him for existing... he was young, and didn't know anything about the world. of course it appealed to him!

as he grows up, his relationship to the game itself and the theories surrounding it becomes distant. he tucks his old comms unit he got from his outpost away- the only thing old enough to play this game; it's too old to run on modern systems. he stops reading theories. he has a nightly audience with the control brains, and he never even so much as looks for evidence about the theory. is he just trying to protect himself? he insists he's not defective; does he know, deep down? does he know that the "treatments" never worked, and he's always going to be defective? is it too risky for him to attempt to find the answer? is he scared of the answer?

and if he is, which is he scared of more?

being wrong...

or being right?

#you: go off #me: OF COURSE QUEEN HERES MY DISSERTATION <3 #anarchisma au #but yeah this whole thing with red and the videogame is the 'core' so to speak of the au #theres a LOT more but yeah . mother fucking viddy game #hhhopefully this wasnt spoilery but yeah #if this is interesting at all to anyone.... thats what anarchisma (the au) is about . read it <3 #when it comes out of course <3 #now calling the tallest #also fun facts anarchisma the game was nominated for basically the in-universe equivalent of game of the year #it didnt win due to the.... extremely conterversial nature of the plot #that snub was wildly regarded as a 'dick move'#it didnt win ANY awards even tho like #even (SOME) people that hated the game and thought it blasphemous to the empire #agreed it shouldve won best music at LEAST

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