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creativerogues · 4 years

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Using Myths to Create a Campaign Setting...

So while researching for this Mega-Post (which will probably become one part of many), I’ve found that myths, legends and folklore as a whole is really just a cool thing to read about.

There’s so much creativity and wonder in every myth, and it’s been super fun to find story elements that have persisted all the way to the modern day.

With that said, and wait for it: Making a D&D Setting can be really really tiring.

So, after rediscovering my love of mythology, I thought I’d take a new approach to all this: Using “Comparative Mythology”.

“Wait! What’s Comparative Mythology?” I hear you ask. Well Comparative Mythology is when you compare myths from different cultures and identify all the things they share.

So let’s start this Mega-Post by ending this long-winded intro and getting to the whole point of this: The Common Myths!

The Creation of Mankind from Clay

The creation of man from clay is a thing that recurs throughout a bunch of world religions and mythologies. In this Myth, Mankind is created from dust, clay or earth by a single deity.

In Greek Mythology, Prometheus molded men out of water and earth.

In Egyptian Mythology, one of the several ‘Creator Gods’, called Ptah, is a Potter who fashions the bodies of humans (and some Gods) from clay.

The Theft of Fire

The theft of fire for humanity is another that recurs in many world mythologies. Where a deity, sometimes the deity of earth, the forge, or the deity that actually created Mankind, steals a portion of the Sun or a Magical Heavenly Flame and gives it to humanity so they don’t freeze to death or starve because they can’t cook their food.

Probably the most famous version of this Myth comes from Greek Mythology, where the Titan Prometheus stole the heavenly fire of the gods and gave it to humanity, the thing he created from clay, so they could build their first civilisation.

The Great Flood

Cultures around the world tell stories about a great flood that leaves only one survivor or a group of survivors. Sometimes the Flood is meant to restart the world, defeat a great evil, or as a punishment to Mankind for some known or unknown thing.

In the Hebrew Bible, probably the most famous example of this, God sends down a global flood that wipes out humanity, with only one man surviving and saving the world’s species by taking them aboard a giant boat.

In Greek Mythology, a Myth says that Zeus, Head of the Gods, sent down a great storm to flood the world after people started trying to sacrifice humans to him, which was completely against the Greek Laws of Hospitality and a big ol’ no-no in the eyes of Zeus.

The Dying-And-Rising God

Many Myths feature a God or Goddess who dies somehow and returns to life thanks to the help of the other Gods.

In Egyptian Mythology, Osiris, who was slain by his brother Seth, was brought back to life by his sisters Isis and Nephtys. Osiris eventually became the ‘King of the Dead’ while his Son became ‘King of the Living’, which may have something to do with a Father-like Figure giving power to their Son, which is another theme that pops up in a few cultures…

In Greek Mythology, it’s Adonis, a beautiful man born from his Mother that just so happened to be turned into a tree. But after being left in a Forest by Aphrodite and told to avoid any wild Boars (also known as Ares in disguise), Adonis immediately decided to do the opposite and hunt down the wild Boar (also known as Ares, the God of War). The fight didn’t really go in Adonis’ favour, and after Aphrodite found out, she stormed into the Underworld and demanded her Boyfriend back, and eventually Zeus got involved, deciding to split the Year in two, the warmer months (summer and spring) where Adonis would be with Aphrodite, and the colder months (autumn and winter) where Adonis would go back into the Underworld. This is why Adonis is associated so much with spring, renewal and rebirth.

The Creative Sacrifice

Many cultures have stories about divine figures whose death creates a certain part of reality.

These myths seem especially common among cultures that are farmers or have agriculture as a major part of their society.

In Norse Mythology, the First Giant, known as Ymir or ‘The Cosmic Giant’ was killed to create the World of Norse Myth.

In Aztec Myth, after Huitzilopochtli kills his sister Coyolxauhqui and his 400 brothers, Coyolxauhqui's severed head becomes the moon, and her 400 dead brothers become the stars in the night sky.

In Greek Mythology, when the many-eyed Giant Argus was slain by Hermes, Argus' eyes were transferred by Hera to the tail of the peacock, hence the beautiful tail feathers of a peacock!

The Seat of the World

The seat of the world is usually noted as a place that sits at the centre of the world and acts as a point of contact between different levels of the universe: Usually Heaven, Earth and the Underworld.

And as a small Sidenote, there’s a LOT of mythologies and world religions that use a giant ‘Cosmic Tree’ to represent the seat of the world, and they usually describe it as “a great tree joining heaven, earth, and the underworld”, with branches that reach the Heavens and whose roots that reach the Underworld.

In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Mythology, Mount Meru (also recognised as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru), is a sacred five-peaked mountain, and is considered to be the centre of all universes, both physical and spiritual.

In Norse Mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense mythical cosmic tree that connects the Nine Worlds of Norse Cosmology.

In Greek Mythology, the “Seat of the World” was the City of Delphi, the literal centre of the Greek Mythological World. Delphi was almost always seen as “the belly-button of the world”, with many tales surrounding the famous Oracle of Delphi. You could also consider Mount Olympus to be a sort-of “Seat of the World” too, since that’s the famous place where only the Gods lived...

The Ideal God

This is usually referring to a King, Queen or some kind of Head of a Pantheon, a God to rule the Gods.

Even actual Official D&D Settings do this by having an ‘Overgod’.

In Norse Mythology, Odin is the Leader of the Gods.

In Greek Mythology, Zeus is Head of the Gods, though Hera (his Wife) also has some influence on the Pantheon.

In Roman Mythology, which is extremely similar to Greek Mythology, they have Jupiter as the Head of the Pantheon and King of the Gods.

In Egyptian Mythology, Ra is Head of the Pantheon, though some interpretations vary on his actual name.

And as a side-note, it seems most ‘Head of the Pantheon’ Gods are male with some sort of connection to the Sky, the Sun, or Storms, and are often extremely wise or extremely powerful, usually depicted as extremely ripped and wielding big ol’ stabby weapons...

And weirdly enough, most have some sort of connection to birds, I can’t really find out where that comes from, but it’s cool nonetheless.

The War with the Titans

This is usually the Myth that creates the “Official Pantheon” for a Place’s Religion. The Titans (or sometimes called Primordials, beings that represent chaotic and destructive elements like Fire and Lightning) fight the Gods, sometimes a few Gods die, but the Gods always win.

Again, the most famous version of this Myths is In Greek Mythology, where the Titanomachy was a ten-year series of battles consisting mostly of the Titans fighting the Olympian Gods and their allies. This event is also known as the War of the Titans, Battle of the Titans, Battle of the Gods, or just The Titan War, which is just a cool name in general...

Gargantuan Giants

By “Gargantuan Giants”, I mean Gargantuan compared to Humans, who in most cultures were less than 6 Feet Tall, so sometimes Giants were as short of 8 Feet, and others they are quite literally the size of the Universe…

In Greek Mythology, there’s the myth of Ourion (or more commonly known as ‘Orion’) the Giant, a Huntsman famous for being placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion. There’s also the Hecatonchires, also known as the Hundred-Handed Giants, as well as the Myth of the Cyclopes and a bunch of other Gods and Demigods who are described as “Giant” in size.

In Norse Mythology, there’s dozens of famous giants, also known as Jotuun in some texts. From Surtur, the fire giant that leads his kin into battle during Ragnarok, to the trickster giant Utgard-Loki, famous for annoying the Hel out of Thor and thoroughly embarrassing him in front of all the other giants.

Mythical Dragons and Serpents

Sometimes just large snakes and other times gigantic snakes, legendary snakes and serpent-like creatures appear in the folklore of a bunch of different cultures around the world. And speaking of Dragons, while they vary from region to region, they’re almost always depicted as gargantuan serpentine creatures with four-legs.

Mythical Serpents in Mythology

In Egyptian Mythology, Atum shaped the world thanks to four mythical serpents. Also in Egyptian Mythology is Apophis, a gargantuan mythical serpent that symbolises chaos, who tries to eat the sun every day as part of the Journey of Ra and his Sun-Barge/Sun-Boat.

In Greek Mythology, there’s the Lernaean Hydra, more often known simply as the Hydra, a multi-headed snake monster killed by Heracles as part of his Twelve Labours. There’s also Python, a big ol’ sea snake with the gift of prophecy, that was then promptly killed by a Baby Apollo...

In Aztec Mythology, there’s Quetzalcoatl, a giant feathered serpent (and sometimes a dragon!) characterised as the God of Wind, the Dawn, the Planet Venus, Arts and Crafts, Wisdom and Knowledge.

And another thing, it seems some Myths depict these giant snakes as pets or living weapons used by Kings, Queens or even the Gods to keep their subjects in check.

Dragons in Mythology

In Eastern Cultures and Mythologies, Dragons are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence and the ability to control rivers, the ocean, the wind and the weather.

In Western Cultures and Mythologies, Dragons are often depicted as savage, winged, horned, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire.

The Myth that founds a Custom

This myth is way more varied than the rest. Many cultures have myths describing the origin of their customs, with most societies often justifying their customs by claiming that the Gods or the Mythical Heroes of their Culture established those customs.

The Curse of Cannibalism

Human cannibalism features in the myths, folklore, and legends of many cultures and is most often attributed to evil characters, with the idea that consuming human flesh is an evil act that usually transforms the person into a monster of some kind.

In Greek Mythology, there exists the Lamia, a woman who became a child-eating monster after her children were destroyed by Hera after Hera learnt of her husband Zeus’ little “escapades”.

In Native American Myth, there’s the famous Wendigo, a creature (or sometimes depicted as an evil spirit) from folklore, with some sources saying Wendigos are created when a human resorts to cannibalism to survive.

The Hero's Adventure to save their Lover

This is usually a story of three parts: Hero gains a Lover, Lover dies through unforeseen circumstances, and finally the Hero goes on an Adventure (most commonly going to the Underworld) to meet/save/resurrect their Lover.

This Myth can also be known as the “Hero goes to the Underworld to save their Lover” Myth, which is also super common when you look at all the different world cultures.

In an old Babylonian Myth, the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar (Goddess of Love, War and Fertility) gets trapped in the Underworld with the Queen of the Dead after trying to save her husband from the Underworld. But then Asushunamir, a gender-ambiguous individual constructed by Enki (a Babylonian Ocean God), is sent to the Underworld to save Ishtar, so I guess that’s two stories in one?

In Japanese Mythology, Japan has two Creator Deities: Izanagi and Izanami. But after the Birth of Kagi-Tsuchi (the Fire God), Izanami dies. So Izanagi decides to just go on down to the Underworld to get her back. But after lighting a torch in the Underworld when he’s specifically told not to, Izanami is understandably peeved and sends a bunch of monsters after Izanagi to chase him down until Izanagi decides to block the entrance to the Underworld with a giant rock so no monsters get out. Yay?

In Greek Mythology, Orpheus (one of Apollo’s kids) walks on down to the Greek Underworld to chat with Hades and maybe get his dead lover Eurydice back. Hades says “Yeah, sure bro! Just don’t look at her before you two get back to the World of the Living again, okay?” But Orpheus, like an idiot, decides to immediately do the opposite after thinking Hades is tricking him, and Eurydice is dragged back down in the Underworld to stay there forever...

The Sun gets eaten by a Giant Beast

This is usually what Cultures and World Religions use to explain celestial events such as an Eclipse.

In Aztec Mythology, they had a God called Huitzilopochtli (Yay! I spelt it right!) who was their Sun God and God of War and Human Sacrifice. Huitzilopochtli also had 400 Brothers and one Sister: Coyolxauhqui. After murdering his sister, Coyolxauhqui’s severed head becomes the moon and several of Huitzilopochtli’s brothers become the stars. And now the sun is constantly at risk of being devoured by the night sky and to put this all short: Huitzilopochtli is constantly fighting off the severed head of his sister (The Moon) to stop her eating/murdering the sun and the earth. FUN!

In Norse Mythology, at some point during Ragnarok (the Norse “End of the World” Myth), the sun and moon are eaten, possibly by Fenrir, but definitely by Mythical Wolf of some variety, sources differ.

In Egyptian Mythology, the Egyptians would pray against Apophis (the giant snake in the Underworld) to squash his nightly attempts to eat the sun as it passed through the Underworld.

And as a side-note, this one doesn't have to be a Beast, sometimes the sun is stolen by a thief, or something happens and it's sealed away or just straight up nopes out and disappears for a few days...

Gods named after Planets

It’s right in the name, a lot of Gods are named after Planets, Stars, Constellations and other Celestial Objects.

In Egyptian Mythology, the Gods are actually named after the various Stars and Constellations that can be seen in Egypt’s night sky.

In Roman Mythology, examples include Jupiter, Head of the Pantheon, as well as Mars the God of War, Mercury the God of Merchants, and Venus the Goddess of Love and Beauty, as well as Neptune, Saturn and More!

The Beast to be Released and Kill the World

This is usually a Wolf, Snake, or other Giant Beast that, when the Apocalypse comes, is released from whatever bindings they have and wreak havoc on the Mortal World. Sometimes the Beast is chained away or trapped in the Underworld, but other times they’re just sleeping until the Apocalypse comes knocking…

In Egyptian Mythology, this Beast is known as Apophis, a Giant Snake trapped in the Underworld that tries every day to eat the Sun (and sometimes eat Ra too!) before Apophis is defeated by the powers of Gods and the apocalypse is stopped for another day.

In Norse Mythology, this Beast is Fenrir, a Giant Wolf and Son of the Trickster God Loki. Fenrir is bound by a series of heavy chains, and when Ragnarok (the Norse version of the Apocalypse) comes, Fenrir will break his chains and go on a big ol’ god-killin’ spree!

So there you go! I’m so sorry for having to cut quite a bit of content, since I didn’t want to make this Post a full-blown essay.

If I missed your favourite myth, or forgot to add a detail that you thought was important or cool, I apologise profusely.

The research for this Post was A LOT, and I just want to thank everyone in the Community who helped out and contributed to this thing.

I hope that when you’re building your own D&D Worlds, you can look back at this Post as inspiration for creating a pretty cool and realistic world for your Players to mess around in...

#dnd #DnD 5e #dnd 5e campaign #dnd 5e homebrew campaign #dnd campaign setting #mythology #Greek Mythology #norse mythology #Roman Mythology #egyptian mythology #creativerogues #communitymade

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kingstylesdaily · 4 years

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Harry Styles’ “Adore You” Is Everything a Music Video Should Be (Including Underappreciated by The VMAs)

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KSD NOTE: there is a mention of suicide in regards to the beginning of Adore You.

On November 18, 2019, a website promoting a mysterious place called Eroda (“No Land Quite Like It”) arrived on the internet. Two days later, the official Twitter account for this fictional frown-shaped island began teasing local seaside attractions. You may have missed it, depending on which corners of the internet you choose to lurk, but not if you were a Harry Styles fan, a group that went into pure overdrive trying to figure out what it all meant.

I, for one, missed it at the time. I was unaware this account was cryptically quote tweeting fans as they tried to piece together what was happening, what it meant, and what it could be connected to (Greek Mythology and Lost were a couple of theories posed in comments, Twitter threads, and Reddit). Meanwhile, the Columbia Records marketing department had been hard at work for months, devising this specific and highly-detailed campaign around the music video for Styles’ second single, “Adore You” from his second solo album, Fine Line, ever since he shot the video in Scotland in August 2019 (Eroda = Adore backwards — clever!).

But it was all leading up to the morning of Friday, December 6 when the video was released, one week before the full-length album arrived. Up until that point, I had never seen an entire Harry Styles music video, but what happened next was inevitable. Somehow, as a self-proclaimed boy band scholar, I had never paid much attention to One Direction. I kept a distant eye on Styles since they disbanded, intrigued by the decisions he was making in his solo career. But I hadn’t yet realized I’d been in the ring all throughout the fall of 2019, fighting to resist the inevitable fascination that awaited. First came the jab of Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stone profile, followed by the cross of “Lights Up”, a song that cracked my Top 20 most listened to songs of the year despite being released just two months before Spotify so thoughtfully compiled that personalized playlist. Then there was the hook of his SNL hosting stint in November (and bless you Bowen Yang for that Sara Lee sketch), which then leads us to the “Adore You” video, the uppercut and ultimate TKO. I surrendered in what felt like a near instant. I was now a Harry Styles fan. (If we’re following this analogy, I sat up to spit out some blood after seeing that cover of “Juice” before my head quickly hit the mat again with a loud thud).

Maybe it’s not quite remarkable that I took time out of a Friday morning to watch a music video, but that I sat at my desk, in an office, with other people around (back when we did those kinds of things) and proceeded to wipe away a few tiny tears from under my eyes by the end of it, was an experience I had not been through… maybe ever? In a world of lyric videos and TikToks, actual, thoughtful, impactful music videos with a full (and sweet!) story are about as rare as a glowing and growing fish these days.

Ultimately, “Adore You” does everything a music video should do. In nearly eight minutes, this video uses excellent visual effects in a cool and interesting way, tells a compelling and heartfelt story, is anchored by an irresistible leading man and an adorable sidekick, is backed up by the catchiest song you could ever dream of, and culminates with a touching and hopeful ending. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears and the soul. It’s innovative and the kind of thing that begs you to watch it more than once to catch all the details (and yes, I do tear up every time).

So one would think that an award show with the specific purpose of celebrating this type of creativity would be extra sure to nominate such a charming and effective clip, but alas, “Adore You” was overlooked in the MTV Video Music Awards main categories this year. Of course, some could argue that that fact only adds to the video’s credibility but I’ll do my best to not be that petty as I’m still rooting for it to win in the three technical categories where it picked up nominations: Best Visual Effects by Mathematic, Best Art Direction by Laura Ellis Cricks, and Best Direction by Dave Meyers, who remains one of the most inventive and influential directors of all time and whose videos with artists such as Missy Elliot, Pink, and Kendrick Lamar have been racking up nominations for nearly 20 years now. He also saw four other videos he directed get recognized this year: Normani’s “Motivation” (Best Chorography), Travis Scott’s “Highest in the Room” (Best Hop Hop and Best Visual Effects), Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” (Video For Good), and Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby’s “My Oh My” (Best Cinematography).

But I reached out to Meyers to specifically ask about the intricate details of “Adore You” and how it all came to be; how he captured such a vibe with the overcast and dreary weather, mixed so wonderfully with the charming oddities of the people that make up this world of Eroda. In addition to directing the video, he also co-wrote the story with Chris Shafer and said, “It’s the first idea that popped to mind after the first listen to the song, and the first idea I pitched to Harry. It was a story that underscored my understanding of what Harry stood for and felt it was necessary to tell it as a narrative to convey his optimism.”

The extended version of the video starts with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction to the world of Eroda, narrated by Rosalia. This includes the “peculiar” people and their professions on the island, meeting The Boy (Styles) and his glowing smile that most people try to avoid, and the quirky superstitions these people continue to live by. “It all served a purpose,” Meyers said of the details. “The superstitions were a set up for how society generally reacts to different things. They fear change or oddity, even if it’s what’s best for them.”

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing phased them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

However, it’s likely that Mother Nature is also a Styles fan, as Meyers recalled, “I seem to remember going up on the hill for Harry’s picnic with the fish and being worried that it was so gloomy. By the time we came to shoot, the sun came out. And then the sun went away as soon as the scene was over. Similarly, we had the worst storm when Harry was contemplating suicide at the start. Pouring rain, drenching him. So I guess in that sense it was fun watching how Scotland provided a backdrop for the emotions we were after.”

And hey, at least they had the weather on their side to add to the mood while shooting the video, as one of their main characters, well, didn’t exist. “It was very odd shooting with no fish,” Meyers admitted. “But was quite rewarding later seeing it dropped in and making empathic sense to the story we were after.”

Of course, the main character they did have on hand is an awfully useful and appealing one at that. Fans became enamored with the moment Styles uses the back of his hand to check the temperature of a coffee pot before dumping the fish inside the water so it could stay alive. I asked Meyers about this particular moment and he said, “The problem we had was apparent when Harry ran in and threw the fish in the pot. We all sorta felt — well, what if it was hot? So I believe Harry improvised that as a solution and we felt it was perfect for the character’s sensitivity and consideration for this poor fish.” And that’s not the only nice thing he does for his fish friend — he also serves him a tiny taco! “The taco was a whimsical way to express friendship between Harry and the fish,” Meyers offered. It looked pretty tasty, too.

The entire video serves as a showcase for what Styles does best and what makes him such a unique artist: his music, his acting, and his charisma, which Meyers knew would offer him a lot to work with. “Harry is a leading man. I felt that from my first meeting and wanted to play with his wonderful range of emotions. So finding a story with a real character arc was part of my focus in building this world.” Meyers described working on “Adore You” as an “all-around memorable shoot: awesome location, lovely Harry, compelling story, great effects, and… it worked.”

It did. And it was a risk: a video this complex and detailed (and one has to assume, costly), attached to a marketing campaign that proved to be even more involved, still came with no guarantee that the fans wouldn’t shrug it off. But as Manos Xanthogeorgis, SVP of Digital Marketing & Media at Columbia Records told Billboard last year, “When you have a video and a piece of art at such a level, it’s an incredible challenge for the rest of the team to build a campaign at that same level of artistry and creativity.” Oh, and that was only step one, as the marketing team engaged in “real-time marketing” with fans online, ensuring they would continue to remain engaged by dropping clues and clips in the lead-up to the video premiere and subsequently the album. “This whole campaign was around mystery and sometimes mystery is more powerful than knowledge,” Xanthogeorgis said. The Twitter handle has remained active throughout 2020, used as a continual marketing tool for Styles’ next videos including the Meyers-directed “Falling” and this summer’s hit, “Watermelon Sugar.”

With that kind of fan engagement, “Adore You” seemed like a no-brainer for the fan-voted categories of the VMAs this year, as they surely would’ve turned out to vote just as feverishly for this video as they did when searching for clues (about a made-up island, at that!). But hey, maybe MTV was just not interested in massive fan engagement this year — after all, it’s not like everything Styles does, including growing freakin’ facial hair, has the internet in a tizzy for weeks. Ultimately, as the impact of music videos (and certainly the ceremony celebrating them) continues to lose relevance, the disregard of this specific project simply feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge a rare achievement in the art form.

While Meyers was sure to describe his inclusion in the VMA nominations this year as “lovely and flattering” (and he better have a moonperson in his possession this time next week, MTV!) it’s still puzzling why “Adore You” wouldn’t be included in the big categories, considering Styles is squarely within their demo, at the very least. That “Adore You” is also a technical and storytelling masterpiece, as well as a full moment that was used as inspiration both for the experience online and in-person at the Fine Line Spotify listening party last December, that also comes packed with one of the most enthusiastic groups of fans around, well, that should have had the entire network drooling.

Of course, some of this can simply be chalked up to a perfect storm. As far as his singles go, “Lights Up” was a nice appetizer, but “Adore You” remains the delicious entree (you already know what’s for dessert). “Adore You” is a perfect pop record if I’ve ever heard one (and I have) and deserved a special video. A Chris Isaak “Wicked Game” sexy vibe wasn’t going to work here. The song tells the story of such passionate, pure, and heartachingly naive and innocent love that it almost had to be directed toward a non-human being. Instead, Styles chose to inject those same carefree, sweaty, sticky, delicious, whimsical beach vibes into the “Watermelon Sugar” clip, which was the right choice, and not just for the summertime season (MTV has since added the Song of Summer category to the VMAs and included “Watermelon Sugar”).

But it’s “Adore You” that has melodies that bring a smile to the faces of babies, get your toes tapping even when you hear it in the dentist’s chair, and likely has my neighbors rolling their eyes when I sing along to it in the shower. The song is so simple it’s deep, a theme reflected in the video, as is the central reminder to help and care for others, a thoroughly 2020 message.

However, not all is lost. Both “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” continue to rack up major spins at radio with the latter hitting number one on the Billboard charts earlier this month. Grammy voting kicks off at the end of September and Academy members should take note. Not only is Fine Line more than worthy of being acknowledged, but having Styles on hand to potentially collect trophies and perform is in your best interest when it comes to viewers and online chatter. Do not wait to take him seriously. This is the album, this is the time. Prove that you aren’t a bunch of stodgy old white men who think he’s just for teen (and um, thirty-something) girls, but that you understand the music he enjoys, is inspired by, and subsequently makes, is the same rock music you appreciate as well. An artist like Styles can be both of those things at the same time, and really, the best of both worlds. Give the album a listen, and then one more to let it all sink in. If you have not yet succumbed to the force that is Harry Styles fandom, I truly can’t recommend it enough — and please know that it will get you eventually.

Source: Decider.com

#kingstylesdaily #Harry Styles #hs: news #hs: adore you #August 2020 #Decider

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hlupdate · 4 years

Link

I, for one, missed it at the time. I was unaware this account was cryptically quote tweeting fans as they tried to piece together what was happening, what it meant, and what it could be connected to (Greek Mythology and Lostwere a couple of theories posed in comments, Twitter threads, and Reddit). Meanwhile, the Columbia Records marketing department had been hard at work for months, devising this specific and highly-detailed campaign around the music video for Styles’ second single, “Adore You” from his second solo album, Fine Line, ever since he shot the video in Scotland in August 2019 (Eroda = Adore backwards — clever!).

But it was all leading up to the morning of Friday, December 6 when the video was released, one week before the full-length album arrived. Up until that point, I had never seen an entire Harry Styles music video, but what happened next was inevitable. Somehow, as a self-proclaimed boy band scholar, I had never paid much attention to One Direction. I kept a distant eye on Styles since they disbanded, intrigued by the decisions he was making in his solo career. But I hadn’t yet realized I’d been in the ring all throughout the fall of 2019, fighting to resist the inevitable fascination that awaited. First came the jab of Rob Sheffield’s Rolling Stoneprofile, followed by the cross of “Lights Up”, a song that cracked my Top 20 most listened to songs of the year despite being released just two months before Spotify so thoughtfully compiled that personalized playlist. Then there was the hook of his SNL hosting stint in November (and bless you Bowen Yang for that Sara Lee sketch), which then leads us to the “Adore You” video, the uppercut and ultimate TKO. I surrendered in what felt like a near instant. I was now a Harry Styles fan. (If we’re following this analogy, I sat up to spit out some blood after seeing that cover of “Juice” before my head quickly hit the mat again with a loud thud).

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing fazed them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

#harry styles #articles #270820 #tw suicide mention

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dreamersleeps · 4 years

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Hawks and the Biblical Archangel Michael

(Another look at BNHA Vol. 27’s Cover)

This is my first attempt at writing an analysis/interpretation piece for BNHA and in general so please feel free to comment or add on to what I have written below. I hope I didn’t miss explaining something properly.

This post was inspired and influenced after reading through @/cutiesableye ‘s interesting analysis and interpretation of the cover of Vol. 27 which is linked here and looking at @/codenamesazanka ‘s post comparing the cover art to a painting called “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” by Baroque painter Luca Giordano which depicts the Saint/Archangel Michael defeating a group of demons (the original post is linked here). If we are comparing Vol. 27’s cover art to these paintings, then Hawks is in the position of the Archangel Michael while Jin is in the position of the demons.

By now, I’m sure that a lot of people are aware of the references of the Greek mythological character of Icarus in Hawks’ characterization. However I want to draw attention towards the possible allusions Hawks may convey with another winged figure: the Biblical Archangel Michael.

Despite the fact that Horikoshi is a Japanese author and that the story largely relies on contextualization that is based on Japanese culture, that does not mean that he can’t be inspired by Western ideas and faiths from outside Japan. When it comes to other Christian references, I think you can look towards All For One/Shigaraki and Ibara Shiozaki from Class 1B who have more explicit references to Jesus Christ and other Biblical references. If Horikoshi wasn’t inspired by this Biblcial figure, this piece or similar art pieces then please take this post as an interesting take on the cover. However I think this take on the cover adds to the narrative. There are some interesting similarities between Hawks and the Archangel.

After a quick search on Google, I realized that quite a few pieces of art of the Archangel from the 1500s - 1700s (not quite sure about the time frame) depict him triumphantly standing atop a pile of the enemy/demons/sinners, wings spread out wide, dressed in a red or blue robe and with his right arm wielding a sword lifted in the air, sometimes with the sun or a bright light shining down on him from behind his head.

Here are a few examples:

“Archangel Michael punishing sinners” by unknown Austrian artist (1700s)

“Saint Michael Archangel” by unknown artist (1490s)

So who is the Archangel Michael?

First of all in the hierarchy of angels, Archangels are those who are at the very top. The title comes from the Greek words “arche” which means prince, and “angelos” which means messenger and they fulfill a number of important purposes. I think which angels are considered an archangel is debated based on holy scriptures between the Abrahambic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) however because the paintings above were produced by those who were of Christian and Catholic faith, I will focus on looking at the Bible. In the Bible, Micheal is the only angel who is explicitly labelled as an Archangel. He is an angel of supreme power and the leader of God’s army.

Based on the information I found online and from my own knowledge, the Archangel Micheal had four main responsibilities based on what is found in the Bible and in Christian tradition:

Combat Satan.

Escort the faithful to heaven at their hour of death.

Be a champion of all Christians, and the Church itself.

Call men from life on Earth to their heavenly judgement.

For this next portion, I’m going to try my best to show how they connect back to Hawks.

First, the Archangel Michael is the enemy of Satan.

In the Biblical “end times” which is depicted in the book of Revelations, it is written that Archangel Micheal will lead God’s army into a final battle against Satan and his fallen angels and be victorious.

A hero’s enemy is a villain and the villain’s enemy is a hero. This current war between the heroes and the Paranormal Liberation Front is happening largely due to Hawks’ role in infiltrating the PLF and the information he gathered. It’s a great clash between the two major forces BNHA society deems as “good” and “evil.” Although Hawks may have not led the heroes into battle but he played a major role in starting it. We have yet to reach the outcome of the war.

Second, he comes at the hour of death and presents a last chance at salvation.

During a period of time before someone dies, the Archangel Michael descends to those who haven’t yet connected to God and gives them a last chance at salvation before their time to decide runs out. He gives them one more chance to essentially redeem themself before passing. After the individual dies, Micheal and other angels escort those who are saved to heaven.

In chapter 264, Hawks says that he believes that Twice/Jin is a good person and offers him a chance to leave quietly and have the opportunity to have a fresh start in life, telling him that he’d even help him. Very simply put, from Hawks’ point of view, this is a ticket out, a chance to be “saved.” Twice chooses to fight for his friends and the LoV instead and dies by Hawks’ hand shortly after Dabi comes to intervene.

Third, he is the Guardian of the Church.

His name, Michael, means “one who is like God.” Throughout early Church history, he has been called the “chief of Israel” and the “Prince of all angels.” One of his major responsibilities is to protect the People of God. To protect the Church, Michael leads angel armies into battle against its enemy, Satan and his fallen angels.

This one might be kind of a stretch but I think you can connect Hawks’ position as the Hero Public Safety Commission’s tool to this role. He is one of the Commission’s valuable weapons, and they will utilize him in order to achieve a certain outcome. Hawks views himself as someone who has the responsibility of protecting others. In this case, his infiltration mission forced him to bear the weight of the safety of Japan’s population on his shoulders. As a hero he had a duty to protect and save.

Fourth, he weighs people’s merits on Judgement Day.

(I could not find the title, artist or year for this painting.)

In the Christian religion, the Day of Judgement, is the day in the future when all people who are living or who have ever lived will be judged by God. In the Bible, the Archangel Michael helps measure people’s good and bad deeds on Judgement Day. In art, he is also often depicted holding scales and people often describe them as the “scales of justice.” Going back to the war during the “End of Times” that the Book of Revelations talks about, the weapon that Michael uses to defeat the enemy is often described throughout Christian history and tradition as “the sword of justice.”

The subject of Twice’s death is a touchy subject and I don’t have the ability to carefully word what I want to convey but harshly written, based on the situation that Hawks was put in and after assessing the possible impact/outcomes of Twice’s role in future events, he makes the decision to kill Twice. He acknowledges Twice to be a “good person” but in that moment he judges him based on where his loyalties might lie and on his past/history. Hawks kills Twice using one of his blade-like feathers that he fights with like a sword. Another interesting thing to note is that the sub-heading of Vol. 27 is “One’s Justice.”

In Conclusion

The event portrayed in these paintings depicts a major clash between God and Satan, and ultimately what is good and evil. In the Bible, there is no gray area, only black and white. So if we take this into consideration, is Horikoshi saying that Hawks is the righteous, holy hero and that Twice is the evil, morally upside down villain? No.

If Horikoshi indeed was influenced by these paintings of the Archangel Michael and his enemies, I do not think he’s portraying the black and white themes the good triumphs evil message it boldly gives off.

In their post, cutiesableye points out that “In comics, a hero at the bottom and a villain at the top mean the hero is losing and conversely, a hero at the top and a villain at the bottom means the hero wins.” On the cover, Hawks is depicted at the top and Twice is depicted at the bottom. Then they ask an interesting question: “But who is the hero here?" I’d think that someone with no context of the story would find the cover to be somewhat ambiguous. Cutiesableye has a lot more great analysis and interpretation about the cover and especially on Hawks’ and Twice’s facial expressions and body language so I highly encourage you to go read their post if you haven’t done so already.

Anyways, back to the question: “But who is the hero here?”

Well on this manga page, Hawks looks more like the villain than Twice does. I think that grayness is what Horikoshi was going for. Both Hawks and Twice are gray characters. That is why so many people have their own strong opinions and interpretation about what happened between Hawks and Twice. Neither of them can be labelled comfortably as “good” or “evil” or in general, “hero” or villain,” and I think that is the point. I’m not going to go in depth about their character and morals but simply stated, Hawks is a hero who now has blood on his hands because he believed that the decision he made would save more lives and Twice was someone who was further categorized as a villain because he found community and family with the League of Villains and later died trying to defend them. However this grayness does not excuse any crimes that were committed on either side. It just makes the conversation more complex.

Another way you can portray this is that Hawks is not an angel and Twice is not Satan or a demon. Like you and me, Hawks and Twice are both human. BNHA is a story about humans and we are not perfect. Although we can show the best and worst in humanity, we can be very gray characters as well. On the surface level, you can say that the heroes represent the “good” side and the villains represent the “evil” side, however if you take a closer look that is not the case. It’s more complicated than that. Through the current (Paranormal Liberation War) arc, Horikoshi is really exposing the gray areas that lie between the black and white.

#bnha meta #bnha spoilers #takami keigo #bnha hawks #bnha twice #jin bubaigawara #mha meta #bnha volume 27 #hawks meta #luna writes #my post

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stylesnews · 4 years

Link

Meyers, however, did not share in that fear, as much of this video provided for interesting and new opportunities he had yet to experience throughout his decades-long career, which he listed off: ”Compelling narrative, CG character, remote location, Scottish crew (nothing fazed them),” also noting that all of the other characters in the video were locals as well. So perhaps they were less fazed by the atmosphere across the four-day shoot in Scotland, but as Meyers recalled, the “weather was nuts. It rained every 20 minutes, then the sun, then cloud over.”

#harry styles #aug20 #adore you #decider #suicide tw

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jenoptimist · 4 years

Text

there was something freaky about the Jeongs and you were going to find out what it was

When the girls around you squealed loudly, you had to wonder if it was really worth being in the indoor community basketball court where your school’s team was playing against another school from a town miles away.

It wasn’t that you had anything against the sport–your dad was an avid fan of the sport which in turn meant that while you weren’t particularly fond of it you certainly respected it. It wasn’t even because you had some sort of grudge against the players, who were all more or less great guys. It was just that there was this really big focus on Jeong Jaehyun. And he was great. Really, he was. He deserved all the hype that he got. Jaehyun excelled in school; class president since forever, always number one in exams and he was even good at sports. Another notable thing was that he was also incredibly kind with good manners and a boy-next-door sort of charm about him that often had people swooning over him, from teenagers to the elderly.

But there was something freaky about him.

Sometimes he went around like he knew something nobody else did and would walk around unseeingly. On semi-frequent occasions you swore that he’d swing his head around to look at you incredulously or smile to himself, head tipped downwards like he was trying to contain his laughter, as if he heard what you said. Which would be normal and all–if you were in his vicinity. But, no, you would be at your designated spot in the cafeteria chatting with Minghao and Sicheng or walking behind the crowd of students during a field trip, and he would just incline his head so that he could look at you. There were also the times where he would be extremely irritable, not come in for a day or two and then come back and act like his usual self. That didn’t happen often but they occurred enough for you to notice–you didn’t know how he got away with it, one of your suspicions inclued that he was secretly a witch or something. Although you knew that the more logical reason was because he was dubbed as the town’s Golden Boy.

However it wasn’t just him, his entire family was freaky. It wasn’t something that you could put your finger on, not exactly, but you knew that they weren’t just any normal family.

There wasn’t any evidence to support your claim, not that you said it out loud or anything because contrary to what your brothers have said about you, you did, indeed, have some self-preservation and self-awareness. Besides, it wasn’t your fault that you had a tendency make more reckless decisions than they did. At that point your mother had already abandoned her dreams for another one of her children to become a doctor. Which was the best, honestly, because it gave you more freedom to do what you wanted.

Even with your lack of evidence you knew that they were just weird. But what was weirder was that nobody seemed to notice that they were weird. Apart from you that was. Everybody seemed to be blinded by the fact that they were a wholesome, good-doing family that were pleasing to the eye–they were practically local celebrities with the way people fawned over them. It was a great achievement that their ancestors founded your small town years and years and years ago, really, it was, but it was strange that not one person from any generation left for somewhere else, like a big city or something. Did nobody find that strange? Was it really possible that nobody in their family tree took the chance to book it as soon as they graduated high school?

The girls surrounding you screamed hysterical encouragements when Jaehyun managed to steal the ball from an opposing player, spun around and began zooming towards the other end of the court before you could blink. You narrowed your eyes when you noticed that halfway down the court, Jaehyun seemed to catch himself. It was barely there, his expression of realization, before he slowed down which allowed the other players on the team to catch up to him.

There was something freaky about the Jeongs alright, and you were going to find out exactly what it was.

There wasn’t any sort of plan that you had in mind to carry out your investigation to uncover the truth, in fact you didn’t even know where to begin and so that paired with the overwhelming amount of homework you obtained meant that you pushed it to the back-burner. You were up to your eyeballs in various essays and math problems that you barely had time to breathe, granted it was your fault that you left a few last minute but the point still stood.

It was your poor time management that brought you to hurriedly end the sentence of the last paragraph on your poetry essay. Fortunately Mrs.Kim collected them at the end of her classes which often worked in your favor. If Sicheng knew that you didn’t finish your assignment he would have scolded you for ages seeing as he was basically an advocate for education which was fitting since him and Jaehyun were in an unsaid competition for valedictorian and salutatorian. Although what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him and you would be lecture free.

“...and that is all for today, please hand over your assignments to the person in front of you and pass them up.” Mrs.Kim ended class earlier than usual and you have been seasoned enough to learn that that meant she had something up her sleeve. After she received everyone’s essays she placed them on her desk and spun quickly to face the class. “For your next assignment, you are going to work on a project. It’s worth fifty percent of your grade and you can choose whatever topic you want as long as it remains relevant to writing or English composition. Since it’s worth that much, you’ll have until the end of the term.” There were no objections until she added, “I’m going to call out your assigned partner.”

The only person you were friends with in the class was Minghao and the two of you looked at each other in synchronization with matching faces of dread. It wasn’t that you particularly disliked anybody in the class, what with the town so small that you basically grew up everyone in your year, but it sure would be amazing if you could work with one of your best friends. Minghao having an affinity for creative writing and such was only a bonus.

You remained hopeful as Mrs.Kim read through her list since she didn’t call out either of your names. That was until she said, “Minghao and Yugyeom.” You slumped in your chair, placing your cheek in the palm of your hand as you moodily waited for your name to be called. “Y/n and Jaehyun.”

The name of your partner had you straightening up in your seat, ignoring the envious gazes shot your way. This was great, you could totally ace this project and jump at the opportunity to analyze Jaehyun at a closer level. When you turned to glance at him, you found him looking at you already so you gave him what you hoped was a friendly smile before you diverted your attention back to where Mrs.Kim was finishing off calling out the names.

When the class was over, you packed up your stuff and zoomed over to Minghao. He threw his arm around your shoulder and the two of you started mock crying over the fact that you weren’t project partners as you walked over to the cafeteria.

“I mean,” he said as he chewed on his apple, “at least we get to make new friends?”

Before you could even reply, there was a small ‘thud’ of a tray being dropped on the table and when you looked over at Minghao’s right, you found Yugyeom about to sit down. The sound was repeated on your left and you weren’t entirely surprised to find Jaehyun settling in the empty seat beside you.

“Um,” he arched his eyebrows in a questioning manner, “that’s Sicheng’s seat.”

The corner of Jaehyun’s lip quirked upwards, “Sicheng has lunch with you guys later.” That time it was your turn to arch your brow at him quizzically. How did he know when Sicheng had lunch with you and when he didn’t? It was weird. But then again you knew that the other jocks had lunch later too, although that was basically common knowledge wasn’t it? Refusing your thoughts to spiral, you chalked it up to his freakiness instead. He definitely saw your expression though he did nothing but give you his award winning smile.

“Uh, okay,” you turned to face Minghao but found him and Yugyeom immersed in conversation. “So,” you said as you bit into your sandwich, “our project.”

“Our project,” Jaehyun parroted with a nod, “anything you want to do?”

“I haven’t really thought about it.” That was a small lie, you wanted to do something related to ancient folklore or Greek Mythology, or basically anything to do with mythical creatures in history or something. But you weren’t about to tell him that because you knew that not everybody had a fascination for Greek Mythology and the like, since it wasn’t as if every kid read the Percy Jackson & the Olympians when they were growing up and developed a somewhat obsessive fascination with them. “What about you?”

Jaehyun considered you for a moment, head slightly tilted, his dark eyes boring into you. “Yeah, same.” There was a small pause. “Well, how about you come to my place on Friday? We could, you know, brainstorm and stuff.” When you nodded your agreement, you traded phone numbers and dispersed when it was time for your next class.

“What do you think of the Jeongs?” You asked as you piled vegetables onto your plate. It was a rare evening where your entire family was present for dinner since your both your dad and oldest brother had early shifts at the hospital. It was a great opportunity to gather some intel on Jaehyun and his family.

“Mrs.Jeong is a great mayor.” Is the reply you earned from your mom once she finished chewing her food, “she’s fair, kind and always thinks about the citizens. But she’s also firm and nobody can do anything without her knowing.”

“Mr.Jeong is the same,” your dad answered before including, “very hands on and always ready to help.” When you looked to Gongmyung for confirmation, he nodded and gave you a thumbs up.

“And Jaehyun?” You asked somewhat hesitantly. The chances of them knowing him were large considering whenever you went to visit the hospital to bring lunch to your dad and Gongmyung, Jaehyun was around talking to whoever–staff, patients, visitors. Your mom probably knew him because he was one of the volunteers to help bag items at the grocery store. Judging what they said about his parents, they would probably sing his praises and not include anything they found off about him.

Doyoung, who had been eyeing you curiously, said, “are you asking what we think about them as some sort of”–he swung his chopsticks around as if it would help him find the word–“approval thing? Do you have a crush on Jaehyun or something?”

The question had you choking on your food, shaking your head vehemently. It was concerning that your mom brightened at what your brother said, eyes sparkling with hope as she batted her eyelashes at you. Gongmyung and your dad furrowed their brows, staring at their plate of food in a huff.

“Oh shut up frog face!” You retorted once you got yourself together. “I do not have a crush on Jaehyun”–from the corner of your eye, you saw your mom deflate into her seat and Gongmyung release a small sigh–“we have a project together and he invited me over on Friday so,” you trailed off, trying to find the right words, “I guess I just wanted to know if, um, you guys are alright with them or whatever.”

Before Doyoung could reply, your mom butted in. “Well, why wouldn’t we be alright with them? They’re a lovely family.” She tittered with excitement, “a project, huh?”

“Yeah, for Mrs.Kim’s class.” You finished the last of your food. “So it’s okay if I go, right?”

“Of course!”

Gongmyung and your dad grumbled to themselves while your mom went on a tangent about baking something for you to bring over to them. Doyoung shrugged his shoulders when you passed him a look and took some meat off your plate, smiling unapologetically when you glared at him.

The Jeong residence was in the middle of nowhere. Okay, admittedly that was an exaggeration but it was only because they lived a few miles from the rest of the people who lived in the town. Practically everyone knew where they lived due to their choice of location. You had never been inside of their house before but you did go trick-or-treating there when you were younger. Doyoung used to tell you scary stories about how the Jeongs ate people because why else would they live in the woods, y/n?

Other variations of his story included how they buried ‘annoying little kids’ around the area. Gongmyung would scuff the back of his head and assure you that the Jeongs were definitely not people-eaters or buried kids.

Maybe it was Doyoung’s fault that you always kept a watchful eye on Jaehyun growing up, what with all those stories. Although if he didn’t tell you those false tales, you wouldn’t have noticed that there was something up with your classmate.

As you finally approached the Jeong house, you marveled at its appearance. There was a cute little stone path leading up to their house, various flowers littered here and there. The house itself was a very pretty and clean colonial house with a porch that had wooden seats and a table. How could Doyoung ever have scared you when their house was so inviting? It was probably the rest of the area, you supposed, since it was all dark, looming trees.

You hopped off your bike and held the handles as you walked up to their house. Unsure of where to leave it, you leaned it against their porch knowing that the chances of it being stolen were slim. Once you were sure it wouldn’t collapse on the patch of daisies, you removed the apple and cinnamon loaf that your mom made for the Jeongs.

It was when you fell on the second step that you were glad that you were holding on tightly to the pyrex loaf pan. If you broke it you wouldn’t want to know how your mom would react. You cradled it in relief and hoped that the jar in your backpack was in tact or else the stuff inside it would be a horrible, sticky mess until you could get home and wash it.

“Are you okay dear?” Mrs.Jeong’s voice chimed from above you and you found yourself looking at her concerned face when you glanced up.

“‘m fine,” you winced slightly, rubbing at your leg, “probably gonna leave a bruise though.”

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, smiling at you serenely. “My husband was supposed to fix that in case we have any visitors.” She griped lowly, probably not wanting you to hear.

“Oh, uh, do you not get many visitors then?” You asked awkwardly as she lead you inside. What were you supposed to say to that? ‘Yeah that sucks, maybe you should invite more people over or something.’ Maybe it would have been better if you said nothing at all.

“Not really. Our other relatives live elsewhere and Jaehyun doesn’t really invite anybody here.” She sighed wistfully before turning to smile at you brightly, “so imagine my surprise when he told me that somebody would be coming here, and such a gorgeous somebody too.”

There was a loud thump upstairs that had you pulling a face whereas Mrs.Jeong just chuckled to herself as if she were in some sort of inside joke. You didn’t know what to say in return but it seemed like she wasn’t expecting one anyway, judging from the way she turned around to lead you into the kitchen.

“You have a very nice house.” You complimented once you took a seat by the island. It was open spaced and minimal, family photos here and there and you had to resist the urge to look at the baby pictures of Jaehyun.

“Thank you, my husband and I weren’t too fond of the idea of getting too many items when inherited this house. Now, can I offer you something to drink?”

You shook your head. “No thank you. Oh, um, actually my mom made this for you,” you slid the loaf pan towards her before shrugging your backpack off and unzipped it, shoulders relaxing at the sight of the perfect condition of the mason jar. “She made this too. It’s peach jam. And that’s an apple and cinnamon loaf.”

“There was no need but thank so you so much. Jaehyun will love the jam.”

“Hey y/n.” Jaehyun greeted from behind you. You spun around and gave a flimsy wave, hoping that your smile wasn’t awkward. “C’mon we can go to my room.”

As you hopped off your seat, Mr.Jeong came from behind his son. “Oh, you must be y/n! It’s nice to finally meet you. Your dad talks about you all the time. Sorry ‘bout that step by the way, I’ll fix that as soon as possible.”

How did he know that you tripped on a step on your way in? The only explanation that you could come up with was that he either saw it happen, like maybe he was looking out the window for some reason, or maybe he was by the doorway and saw his wife standing over you. But that was impossible since you definitely would have seen him on your way in and you were absolutely sure that you didn’t.

Not knowing what to say, and still confused, you chuckled awkwardly. Jaehyun looked as if he were restraining the urge to smack his hand on his face. “It’s nice to meet you too, sir.” You turned to face his mom, “you too, ma’am.” And with that you walked over to Jaehyun and allowed him to lead you to his room.

Just as he was about to close the door, he groaned and left it slightly ajar as he mumbled under his breath. You surveyed his room; there were various movie posters, which looked to be a mixture of thriller and horror, that covered up the entirety of one of the walls. There were a few fashion magazines spewed on his table, a stack of CDs on his shelf and little Pokémon figurines on his window sill. It was neater than you thought it would be, too. Cleaner than your room anyway for sure.

You copied Jaehyun when he sat cross legged on his carpeted floor, placing your bag beside you. “So,” you began as you took your notebook and pencil case out of your bag. “Come up with any ideas?”

“Yeah, I was thinking maybe we could focus on one author and analyze their work? Or that we could analyze a classic so that our project would only focus on one book instead of a lot of different ones.”

You hummed. “That sounds pretty good, were you thinking of any specific authors or books?”

When Jaehyun brought up that he was thinking of Jane Austen’s work and that he couldn’t decide between The Picture of Dorian Gray or Dracula, you launched into a long conversation about the pros and cons of each. Jaehyun’s passion was incredibly clear as he spoke and you were taken away with how absolutely alluring you found it.

You weren’t blind, of course. You knew that Jaehyun was all sorts of attractive and that it was the main reason why so many people fawned over him in school. It was actually ironic considering how nobody batted their pretty eyelashes at him all throughout middle school but did a one eighty as soon as he joined the basketball team and lost his baby cheeks, trading them for a defined jawline and muscles instead. You always considered Jaehyun cute, even back then when he had that awful haircut and hadn’t grown into his ears yet, but having a clear look at him now it was obvious that you found him handsome. Anybody would be stupid not to think he was.

“You really don’t have anything that you want to do?” Jaehyun asked after your lengthy conversation, searching your eyes. “I’m completely okay if we don’t do my idea.”

Although you couldn’t handle the intensity in his eyes, you held his gaze head on as you replied. “Yeah, I had an idea but I didn’t know if you would be, like, into it or anything.” He prompted you to continue with a movement of his hand, giving you a small boost of confidence. “I was thinking maybe we could do something on ancient folklore or Greek Mythology? Like, maybe we could relate it with cultural impact and stuff like that? I dunno, we don’t have to do it.”

“Ancient folklore?” Jaehyun repeated, “do you mean like with mythical creatures and stuff?”

You nodded. “Yeah exactly. Griffins, chimeras, the fae, vampires and werewolves.”

“That sounds interesting,” he replied after a moments of silence, a pensive expression written on his face, “there probably won’t be a lot of groups doing that topic.” You agreed with his statement by nodding your head. “Okay we should do that then! What mythical creature should we start with first?”

Surprisingly, the project was going pretty well. Within almost two months, the two of you gathered a bunch of information online and from the local library in between Jaehyun’s basketball practice and extracurricular activities. It also helped that Jaehyun had extensive knowledge, as did his parents, and they even had a few books of their own that helped to gather necessary information. Although you had to admit, it was quite frustrating whenever Jaehyun shot down any possible facts regarding certain creatures, vampires and werewolves especially. You hadn’t snapped at him yet but you were definitely on the brink of it, all it would take was one more unimpressed stare that he often paired with a dismissive wave.

Another surprising thing that resulted in doing the project was that you and Jaehyun had actually formed a friendship. The Jeongs had come over to your house for dinner several times and vice versa, your mom had ample amounts of peach jam for whenever Jaehyun came over, Mrs.Jeong stocked up her fridge with your favorite soda, and your brothers seemed to have taken Jaehyun under their wing–they did things like go fishing on the weekends and played video games together. Jaehyun and his jock friends even started sitting at your table and greeted you whenever they saw you in the hallway. It was actually really nice, and if Minghao and Sicheng weren’t professionals at sulking, you would have considered Jaehyun as one of your close friends–maybe even one of your best friends and you knew that was weird but there was a feeling you couldn’t explain whenever you were with him. Like you have known him for as long as you’d lived, which was technically true since everybody knew everybody in your town.

Honestly, you had almost forgotten about your opinion about the Jeongs being freaky because it was really easy to overlook their unorthodox behavior (which you weren’t completely sure whether or not they did it on purpose to try in hint that they were other) when they accepted how easily you and your family slotted into their lives.

“Hey loser,” Jaehyun grumbled as he dropped his tray and took the seat beside you, his arm automatically sliding across your shoulder, his hand lingering on the nape of your neck for a millisecond.

That was something that you noticed the Jeongs did a lot–touching you whenever possible, also including your whole family whenever it was possible. At first it started off with little touches like Mrs.Jeong rubbing the back of your head, Mr.Jeong giving you high fives and Jaehyun’s hand lingering somewhat firmly on your arm whenever he needed your attention for something. Eventually Mrs.Jeong would hug you tightly whenever you entered and left their home, Mr.Jeong would pat your head affectionately or clap the back of your shoulders, and Jaehyun?

He did all sorts of touching, a combination of the lot. It seemed that his preferred way, though, was to wrap his arm around your shoulders and push you into his side. When the other students started noticing his favor towards you, a lot of them had asked if you were together but before you could ever say anything, Jaehyun would be there, paralyzing them with his smile and swivelled you away from them.

You couldn’t exactly pinpoint what had triggered the Jeongs to start being so affectionately with you but you were sure that it had something to do with the afternoon that Jaehyun fell asleep in your presence when the two of you were watching a movie. Mrs.Jeong had walked in, glanced between the two of you repeatedly and you couldn’t help but noticed how her expression softened. You remembered looking at her helplessly when Jaehyun threw his arm around you and pushed you closer but she did nothing but wink and exit the room, leaving you confined next to him for the next couple of hours.

Truthfully, you didn’t mind that they were so affectionate with you. It wasn’t as if you were touch starved or anything, but it was nice to know that there were other people who cared for you that weren’t limited to your family, Minghao and Sicheng. It made you feel part of something, even if you didn’t know what it was. You had suspicions of course, but you didn’t want to reveal your cards just yet.

“What’s up,” you greeted, easily melting into his side. You wouldn’t ever admit it to him, but you felt extremely comfortable whenever he had his arm around you and you also refused to feed into the voice that lingered at the back of your mind telling you that you were developing feelings for him.

When you got nothing but a low grumble in return, you slid away from him slightly so that you would have a clear view of his expression; his face was shrewd, brows knitted together as he glared at his lunch. When you thought about it some more, you realized that his grip on you was tighter than normal which made you purse your lips.

“Is it because of the game?”

It was the semi-finals later and everyone had been on Jaehyun’s back, constantly mentioning how he would be leading them to victory and whatnot which had to be all sorts of stressful because of the pressure. When he shrugged in reply, his mouth pressed together firmly as he refused to look at you, you slowly became aware that this was probably one of his irritable days.

“Jae,” you called, wanting to reach out to direct his head in your direction but unwilling to do so because, well, you knew how that would look. The rest of the team, Mingyu and Jungkook in particular, would always make sure to drop teasing comments whenever you and Jaehyun so much as stared at each other for longer than three seconds.

The longer he refused to look at you, the more the aggressiveness in his features increased. Mingyu and Jungkook’s teasing be damned, you were just going to go for it. You wiped the palm of your right hand onto your jeans since they became clammy at the thought and slowly, you brought it up to his cheek and redirected his gaze from his poor, unsuspecting lunch to you. Mingyu and Jungkook started acting up but seemed as though they were at a far distance as you stared concernedly into Jaehyun’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” You asked softly, trying to contain your panic and racing heart when he relaxed into your touch. For a moment, you thought that he wasn’t going to say anything since he just closed his eyes and kept inhaling and exhaling deeply, as if he were doing some breathing exercises. When he opened his eyes you swore that they were a molten yellow, like gold, but you decided not to comment on it because you wanted to root out why Jaehyun wasn’t acting like his usual sunny self.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine. I’m fine.”

Not liking how curt he sounded, you frowned. After a second you hesitantly slid you hand down to the crook of his neck, like he did with you sometimes when he was within your vicinity. There was a soft sound of his quick inhale but you chose not to focus on it.

“If you’re sure,” you paused to search his eyes, not liking how troubled he looked, “but I’m here to talk if you need someone, alright? Always, for anything. Even if it’s something that you think is stupid.”

“Alright,” he repeated hoarsely, “thank you. I’m always here too, for anything. Promise.” The sincerity in his voice made your stomach flip-flop and it seemed like you couldn’t find your voice. In turn you allowed your hand to rest on him for a few minutes longer, meeting his heated stare head on before removing it as you cleared your throat, resuming your original position.

When you saw the shit-eating grins of the others, including Sicheng, you stuck your tongue out at them but you remained silent as you tried ignore how hot your cheeks felt. Even though Jaehyun said nothing either, content flowed through you when you felt his muscles relax beneath his hoodie.

(After he shot the winning basket with a few seconds to spare, the students surrounding you cheering with all their might, you were left breathless. The bright smile that he sent your way was a massive contrast to the expression that he was wearing seconds ago, his competitiveness consuming him. When you mirrored his smile, giving him two thumbs up, it only served to make him smile brighter–if that were even possible. His eyes followed you even as his teammates hoisted him up into the air, only stopping when they became engulfed by the students who flooded the court.)

There was a gnawing in your chest that stopped you from sleeping. It left you staring at the ceiling aimlessly, tracing the alien baby that got stuck on it from when you and Doyoung were competing to see who could throw theirs higher when the two of you were younger. The two of you got into trouble and it was something that you rued your older brother for the months that followed but now it was something that never failed to bring a laugh out of you. You remembered only forgiving Doyoung because he used up all of his allowance to buy you that fancy toy that you had been begging for for weeks.

Deciding that if you weren’t able to sleep, you would go to see if Jaehyun was awake. It was a common occurrence for one of you to go to each others houses in the little hours in the morning whenever either of you was unable to fall asleep. You shot him a text as a heads up, not bothering to check for a reply because you knew that he would probably be awake anyway since it was a Saturday.

Once you were bundled up, you tiptoed down the stairs, slipped on your shoes and left. It was easy to escape since your family were a bunch of heavy sleepers and your bicycle was never chained up to anything or in the garage, it just leaned against the side of your house, waiting to be used.

The cycle to their house was something that you could do with your eyes closed at that point, the cool air whipping against your skin as you began to peddle faster. You wanted to be there as soon as possible, Jaehyun always had the best snacks stashed in his room. When you saw the comforting sight of their home, you began to slow down as you squinted to get a better view of Jaehyun’s room. The fact that his lampshade wasn’t on made you feel a little dejected. Maybe he was asleep.

Not wanting to give up, you got off your bicycle and left it at its usual position by the porch. You fished your phone from your pocket and frowned when you saw that you didn’t get a text from him, which always let you know that he would leave the front door open so that you could slip inside. After some heavy debate, you decided to try and see if the door was open. No dice. With a sigh, you spun back around to make your way back to your ride when something ahead of you made you freeze.

There, by the line of trees that started a few meters away from the end of the path, was a wolf. As far as you were concerned, there were absolutely no wolves in your area even though there was a huge forest. So you must have been extremely sleep deprived because there was absolutely no way there was a wolf staring at you, right? Right?

Wrong. No matter how many times or how hard you pinched yourself, the wolf didn’t disappear. It seemed to be waiting for you to make the first move. You wanted to, honestly, but your feet were firmly planted on Mrs.Jeong’s pristine porch.

With a shaky breath, you slowly took a step forward, keeping your eyes on the wolf in case it made any sudden movements. When it seemed unbothered by your action, you took another then another until you reached your bicycle. Your heart dropped into your stomach when you heard a crunch on your right, knowing that it had to be another wolf because the one you kept your eyes locked on hadn’t moved. Your pulse was all you could hear in the silent night, palms sweaty with nervousness. You were going to get mauled weren’t you? You were going to get mauled in front of Jaehyun’s house on Mrs.Jeong’s pretty flowers.

The whine that kept from the wolf on your right made you slowly look at it’s direction. When it took a step closer you fumbled back, unceremoniously landing on the innocent daisies, eyes wide with fear. Another whine escaped the wolf and it was only then that you heard the panting of different wolf closer to you. When it did nothing but bump it’s snout on the side of your head, you relaxed a bit which the whining wolf took as a sign to creep closer to you. It stayed patiently by your feet, as if waiting for a sign. After weighing out your options, you decided that if these wolves actually wanted you dead, they probably would have maimed you already.

Against your every instinct, you reached a trembling hand out towards it. It pawed it’s way over to you and bent its head so that it was under your hand. The other wolves seemed to take it as a sign to edge closer to you. It tickled when they licked your cheeks and hand, and you couldn’t help but coo at how cute they were. It was a huge relief when you realized that they meant no harm.

Your brows furrowed when the wolf you were petting looked at you, it’s huge eyes achingly familiar and that was when it dawned on you. “Jaehyun?” When it, no he, whined, a small gasp escaped your lips. You turned to look at the others, “Mrs.Jeong? Mr.Jeong?” When you got a response to both, you felt a little faint.

They turned and left you sitting there as you gathered your thoughts, emerging from somewhere after a few minutes and stood above you.

“Are you alright honey?” Mrs.Jeong asked gently after a couple of minutes of roaring silence. She didn’t come up to you like she normally did, trying to soothe you by rubbing the back of your head, and you found that you missed it.

“I’m, uh, I don’t know.” You replied honestly, your thoughts were a mess. You had your suspicions but you didn’t think that they were true. Before you found out the truth, you liked to imagine that you would reenact the scene from Twilight where Bella was confronting Edward about his true nature and it would be this whole thing that you and the Jeongs could laugh about if they got the reference. Although now that you were actually faced with the truth, you didn’t know how to react. It was literally like those expectations versus reality posts that were online.

“Why don’t we head inside so you can warm up, hm?” Mr.Jeong suggested and you nodded numbly, your legs carrying you on autopilot as you entered their house. When your eyes flickered over to Jaehyun, you found him with his head down and you hated how ashen he looked.

You nodded thankfully at Mrs.Jeong when she passed you a glass of water. You took your time to drink it, wanting to prolong the oncoming conversation as much as possible. When the glass was empty, you placed it on the coffee table and, not knowing where to look, you met Mrs.Jeong’s patient eyes.

“So,” you said as the nerves you felt were slowly disippating, “werewolves.”

Mrs.Jeong looked as though she was fighting down a smile, laughter dancing in her eyes, “werewolves.”

“I frickin’ knew it!” Clearly that wasn’t the reaction they were expecting, from the looks of surprise displayed on their faces. “There was always something, uh, how do I explain it? Other about you guys. I could never place my finger on it but you guys were definitely a little weird to me. Not a bad weird! Just, you know, you guys are bit different from everyone else who lives here. I mean, who lives in the woods, right? Not that there’s anything wrong with living out here! Your house is amazing! But, yeah, don’t think I haven’t noticed you guys try to drop some hints.” You felt yourself relax when Mr. and Mrs.Jeong chuckled. “I’ll admit that I was a little scared earlier but could you blame me? I was tired and just wanted to chill with Jaehyun, like we always do.” You gulped a breath of air, “hey, be real with me, do you guys have, like spidey sense or something? Or you know, is anything from the movies real?”

“Wow,” Mr.Jeong laughed, “looks like we had nothing to worry about at all.”

From there they told you about their family history. They explained the truth about how their ancestors actually stumbled across the land and answered all the questions that you had patiently, with fond smiles. They also told you that touching was a way to scent mark you and your family because that was a pack thing and that you had been pack for some time, that it had been cemented the day that Jaehyun was willing to fall asleep in your presence. They then told you that they could hear when people lie, something about an uptick in someone’s heartbeat, and their senses were enhanced compared to a regular human.

The relief hidden in their eyes was plain as day, although the same couldn’t be said for Jaehyun since he still withheld his eyes from you.

“I’m sorry you had to find out that way,” Mrs.Jeong once you couldn’t think of any other questions to ask them. “We were supposed to tell you after tonight’s full moon so that we could formally add you and your family to the pack.”

“Oh,” your shoulders sagged, “sorry I ruined your plan.”

“Don’t worry about it kid, we were expecting something like this to happen sooner or later.” Mr.Jeong assured you. “We can just invite them over for some lunch later and tell them then.” He added after sending a thoughtful look at his wife.

“Yeah, that would be cool.” You responded, “I can’t wait to see their faces!” Doyoung was going to freak and you were already anticipating it so that you could record their reactions somehow.

The two adults laughed and you joined them, keeping a worried eye on Jaehyun. His mom seemed to notice because she stood up immediately, lightly slapping her husband’s shoulder so that he would follow. She gave you a wink, shooting her son a firm look when he looked up after she cleared her throat at him pointedly.

“Is this why your always moody each month? ‘Cause of the full moon?”

Jaehyun’s eyes snapped up to meet yours. “I’m not moody.”

“Aha! Got you to look!” That had him pouting and you allowed a few beats of silence to pass before you laughed at the absurdity of it all. Before you knew it, he began laughing with you too, staring off with small chuckles before it escalated to a full laugh. “Werewolves, huh.” You stated once the two of you were composed.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun wasn’t fully relaxed yet, you could tell–what always gave him away was how he held himself just a tad too stiff and the way he gripped his knees. “I wanted to tell you before but mom wouldn’t let me because even though you’re really nice and seemed like you would accept us, she said she couldn’t take the risk.”

“Understandable,” you said, nodding agreeably, “does anybody else know?” He shook his head. “Is that why you guys don’t have many visitors?” When he nodded in agreement, you hummed thoughtfully, “then how come you asked me to do our project here?”

“You’re going to think it’s stupid.”

You arched a brow, “remember what we said to each other in the cafeteria?”

“Well, yeah but–”

“No buts! C’mon, I promise I won’t laugh.”

The two of you had a stare off but he surrendered because he figured out that you weren’t going to give up. “Okay,” he sighed, redirecting his stare to his knees again, “before I joined the team, back when I was shorter and wasn’t as popular as I am now, you probably won’t remember but it was my birthday and nobody really knew even though we’ve all grown up together. Everyone was more focused on Valentine’s day but you went up to me, wished me a happy birthday and even gave me a card.”

“Oh,” you whispered as the memory came back to you. “I remember that. You looked so sad but I remembered it was your birthday because I heard Seokmin greet you before we had to go back to class, so I made you a quick card and gave it to you.”

“Yeah, I still have that card, and since then I’ve always wanted you in the pack because my mom used to tell me that the pack would always make you happy, make sure you’re never forgotten or feel left out.”

“Jaehyun–”

“Wait! There’s more,” he met your eyes and kept his locked on yours as he continued, seeming to gain confidence in whatever he saw in your expression, “that’s why I wanted you to be pack at first but as we grew up I realized that you would be an amazing pack member because you’re loyal, smart, witty and you make me happy. And you probably think it’s creepy that I know that but my hearing is enhanced because I’m a werewolf, so I always hear a lot of things. I’ve learned to tune out most things but I never block out the sound of your voice.”

“Um,” you were oddly flattered. You never thought that throughout the years that you had been watching Jaehyun that he was watching you back. How did you not notice? It probably had something to do with other wolf traits. You had even more questions to ask at that revelation. “That’s– Wow.”

Jaehyun smiled sheepishly at you, ducking his head, “yeah.”

“That’s actually sort of cute? Like, I can’t believe you actually remembered that?”

“I used to think about it all the time,” he mumbled, “you’re part of the reason why I joined the team. I liked basketball but I also thought that it would get you to notice me since you never hung out with anyone but Minghao and Sicheng.”

“Oh,” you said again dumbly, feeling speechless. “well if it helps, you were always on my radar.”

Jaehyun visibily preened at your words, “really?”

“Yeah, really.”

You looked at him questioningly when he let out a groan, hiding his face behind his hand. “Nothing, my mom just said something.”

“Wait a minute! Does that mean she was teasing you when I first came here?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And that your dad actually heard me fell instead of seeing it?”

“Yeah. I heard you fall as well. Mom kept nagging dad about it after you left to fix it.”

“Hm,” you paused, thinking of any other instances, “is that why you were looking at me funny when you asked if I had any ideas for our project? ‘Cause you knew that I was lying?”

“Mhm and I agreed to your idea because it was unique and because it would be easy, since we’re werewolves and all.”

“Oh true,” you thought some more, “so I could become one too, right?”

“Definitely. Mom’s never turned anyone but gran did when dad asked for it, before mom was the alpha.” He assessed you for a moment, “why do you want to be turned?”

“No,” you responded after some you considered it, “at least I don’t think so. I like being human.”

“Fair.”

“So.” You trailed after a pregnant pause that consisted of you and Jaehyun staring at one another. You decided you liked this look on him, there was something different about the way he carried himself now that the truth about his nature was out there.

It was starting to get brighter, you could hear the birds chirping but you didn’t feel an inch of exhaustion. Not after what you had just learned. Part of you wanted to stay and ask Jaehyun endless questions but ultimately your logical side won.

“I should get going, my parents will look for me if I’m not there for breakfast.”

“I’ll walk you.”

The walk back was full of banter and it was great to listen to Jaehyun tell you how amazing it felt that you finally knew the truth, and how he couldn’t wait until the rest of your family knew. He then told you about other things, like how they sometimes hunted game or the one time he almost shifted in class because he heard someone talk badly about someone else.

“Well,” you said as you stopped by your mom’s car in the driveway. “This is me.”

“No way.” Jaehyun replied sarcastically with a roll of his eye to which you stuck your tongue out.

It was probably the left over adreneline from earlier or maybe it was because you decided that you didn’t care, but you let go of your bicycle in favor of wrapping your arms around him tightly. You didn’t let him go for a while, allowing him to bury his face in the crook of your neck. When you let go of him, he had a cute smile plastered on his face.

“After lunch tomorrow!” You shot him a confused look as you grabbed your bicycle from its position of the pavement. “I, uh,” he scratched the back of his head, “tomorrow, after we tell your family, we should go on a date.”

“Really?” You asked in disbelief.

“Yeah! But only if you want. You don’t have to say yes.” He was uncharacteristically nervous, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, and you couldn’t help but find it adorable.

“I’d love to go on a date with you.”

Your answer earned you a mega watt smile, “great! I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Duh.” You replied sarcastically. It did nothing to wipe the smile of his face, “I can’t wait.” You added seriously.

“Me neither.”

Feeling a rush of braveness, you motioned him towards you and when he complied, you placed a kiss on his cheek and ran to your door. When you looked back you saw him watching you with a dazed expression, sending you flying kisses and stopped to motion you to go inside.

Once you stepped inside your house and shut the door quietly, you placed your head on it and squeezed your eyes shut as you tampered down the high pitched squeal that threatened to make its way out of your throat. When you managed to compose yourself, although unable to calm your racing heart, you jumped at least fifty feet in the air when you caught Doyoung staring at you with his arms folded against his chest.

“Um, hi?” You hoped he didn’t see anything that happened between you and Jaehyun.

“I knew you had a crush on Jaehyun.” He said triumphantly because of course you were wrong. “If he treats you anything less than you deserve, he’s dead.”

You grinned at him teasingly. “Love you too.”

Doyoung made a face in response. “Gross.” Despite what he said, however, he still smiled at you fondly and ruffled your hair affectionately. “Now go to sleep you idiot, it’s five in the morning.”

“Shut up frog face.” Although that didn’t stop you from following him as quietly walked up the stairs. “How did you know anyway? Did you see what happened outside?”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve known that you two have been doing this for ages. It’s not like you’re quiet when you close your door or when you two talk. Did you forget how thin the walls are in this place?”

You hummed. “Thanks for not snitching on me.”

“You owe me big time, loser.”

#tadaaaaah #i would just like to say that this is a belated thing for my main biss #love u 🥺😭🤧#its pretty long and it was supposed to go one dirction but it took a different turn #which i guess i dont mind 🤔#idk listen im happy with what it is atm but i might edit some things later on #or something idk i havent decided smdmskdk #i hope yall like this one 😌✨🦋🧚🏼‍♂️#anyway here come the tags:#nct scenarios #nct #nct au #nct 127 #nct u #nct imagines #nct jaehyun #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jeong jaehyun #jaehyun au #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun #edit: sorry this one isnt gender netural folks #pls forgive me i always try to make it reader-friendly but i added a ‘she’ in this one 🤧#sorry again :(( my other ones (apart from 1 or 2) are gender neutral tho !!! promise !!!!!!!#edit to my edit: i made it gender neutral !!!!! took away the ‘she’ and added ‘gorgeous somebody’ mwah love u all enjoy

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awastelandheart · 4 years

Text

Sebastian’s personality analyzed through his theory-crafted natal chart: The perspective of a professional astrologer.

PART ONE: SUN SIGN.

i apologize in advance to any capricorns i unintentionally read to filth in this post.

i think out of all the bachelors & bachelorettes, Sebastian has the oddest, most abrasive post-marriage dialogue. i’ve heard plenty of people over the years complain about how awkward being married to him is & i, myself, tend to not marry him when i play since locking him in pelican town like that when he so clearly wants to leave feels bad. even before marriage as well, he has a lot of almost cringey & certainly concerning dialogue. Sebastian’s not a man that’s made for marriage or long term relationships i think, at least not in his early to mid 20s which is how old i believe he is in canon. unlike the rest of the bachelors & bachelorettes, his character arc & development don’t do much for melding him into someone worth being with. even Shane who is troubled in a much more obvious way than Sebastian has more moments of reflection that convince the player that he’s a good person despite his flaws. Sebastian may seem to be gentle in his internal struggle, it’s easy to believe that, at most, he’s rude & depressed, but i think there’s a lot more to unpack here that suggests he’s violent, angry to an awful degree, & possibly the worst marriage candidate, if not just the worst townie out of the whole cast.

to start off with, i believe Sebastian’s sun sign is Capricorn. my reasoning for this is a blend between a post on reddit i found that used a simple algorithm to convert the in game dates to real dates. taking into account the slightly flawed method that gives each date 2-3 days worth of wiggle room, “ january 17th ” implies he’s on the Capricorn side of january. to be honest, when i was first thinking about what sun sign i wanted Sebastian to have, i was leaning towards Aquarius since he has several lines about escaping the town & wanting his freedom ( both being very Aquarius-like qualities ), however i think the case for Capricorn is much easier to make. to start off, i’ll give a run down of the most defining Capricorn characteristics, then i’ll move onto showing in-game examples of how Sebastian demonstrates these traits ( while leaving room for his other natal positions that i’ll extrapolate on in more posts to come ).

Capricorn is an earth sign, reveling in stability with a handful of almost toxic traits to display if that stability isn’t achieved. ruled by saturn, or kronos if you wanna get greek, Capricorns are at a constant war with themselves between the general human experience & cutting out as much superfluous expression & feeling as possible. the story of kronos is very reflective of the Capricorn struggle: it’s the tale of a man ( god, but that’s not important ) whose wife is predicted to bear a child who will surpass him & take his legacy. kronos, in his anxiety to prevent this change, begins eating each of his wife’s children as they’re born until one day, his wife replaces one of the newborns with a rock so that it will survive kronos’ consumption. of course this leads to the child growing up & indeed surpassing kronos just as the prophecy foretold. the lesson to be learned from kronos is one of restriction & the inevitability of time.

between their earthly reliability & love of practicality, Capricorns are viewed as the traditional fathers of the zodiac sphere. they guard their values of yesteryear close to their chest. anything too different is cast far away from themselves or, rather, consumed until all traces are disposed of. thankfully not as stubborn as poor Taurus ( another earth sign ), Capricorns have a touch of adaptability in all their logic. their modality is cardinal, implying they take charge of situations. they are the leaders next to Cancer, Libra, & Aries: any good leader knows when to give up their morals for the betterment of their charge. to boot, Capricorn is represented by the mythological creature, the sea-goat ( a creature created by dear old kronos, himself, consisting of the torso of a goat & the tail of a fish ); the goat half delivering on that steady earthly nature of an unrelenting climb to the top of a mountain called life, yet the inclusion of the ocean in this aesthetic implying an amount of emotion only water signs can relate to.

in the typical male-dominated, fatherly way, however, emotional expression does not exist for Capricorns, resulting in this implied depth to lurk well below a Capriorn’s surface. they are deeply independent in a way that leads to intense loneliness. they must do everything for themselves, another thing lovely kronos has taught us here. why look for a different solution to this problem when i so clearly have found one for myself, the ruler of saturn proclaims. a Capricorn’s independence is almost panic charged in this way. they so dearly want to be seen as capable that they will shred their own livelihood as a price. they are masters at self control for it, each having taught themselves the art of stoicism from a young age. Capricorns are at best, friendly in a superficial way. knowing their loneliness is created by their own hands but never knowing how to move passed their own cold & distant heart to enact any change necessary to improve their relationships.

something that is often associated with Capricorns & the other earth signs is the act of earning money. while Taurus enjoys earning money to support their lavish, venus-ruled lifestyle & Virgo sees money as something to worry over thus resulting in them hoarding it, Capricorns crave for their income to be stable & plentiful in order to provide for their loved ones, or for the more lonely Capricorns, to provide for themselves.

saturn is the first planet to take a substantial amount of time to complete its cycle through all the signs. compared to earth, which takes one year to complete its solar rotation & jupiter which takes 12, saturn takes upwards of 30 years. we astrologers take that as symbolical for how Capricorns get significantly better with age, as well as their “ slow & steady wins the race ” attitude. Capricorn is a sign of wisdom but only at the hand of experience. young Capricorns frequently find themselves discontented with their environment & lifestyle, craving a stability that cannot exist without first having established themselves in the world. every seven years it’s said, a Capricorn reaches a new level of understanding & maturity, as it is about every seven years that saturn completes 1/4th of its solar cycle.

Capricorns, like Scorpios, love their privacy. regarded as one of the more shady signs of the zodiac, a Capricorn is the type of person to have everyone believing they know everything there is to know about them while simultaneously only ever revealing surface level knowledge about themselves. Capricorns love having friends & spending time with their loved ones, however they lack a sense of trust that would allow them to form deeper connections. while a Capricorn does experience their emotions as thoroughly as the rest of the zodiac, they have an equally intense insecurity about expressing them. a Capricorn lives their life wanting to be depended on or at least wanting to provide for those that do depend on them. emotions are seen as a weakness that cannot be spared.

with the basic personality of a Capricorn outlined, i’ll now go through some choice quotes that demonstrate these traits & then talk about a few parts of his heart events that do the same.

“ if i just disappeared would it really matter ? ” “ i was thinking... people are like stones skipping over the water. Eventually we're going to sink. ” “ what am I going to do today ? probably nothing.”

when the player first meets Sebastian, he is overtly depressed & never goes out of his way to hide it. there is a solemn dark cloud filled with rain, ready to burst constantly following him & it’s difficult to ignore. this seriousness is very characteristic of many signs, Capricorn being one of them as it is ruled by Saturn, an outer planet with a very melancholic tone.

“ hey, don't let me stop you from getting your work done. if you aren't busy i don't mind if you stick around. ”

this quote demonstrates the productive mindset of a Capricorn. compared to all the other bachelors, Sebastian is the only one to ever really consider the player’s work schedule.

“ i was so close to screaming at mom for throwing away my old comic collection ... but something stopped me. hmm ... with age comes wisdom. ” “ the older i get, the less i'm drawn to the city. ” “ sometimes i feel so angry ... but when you show up i always start to calm down. maybe i'll mellow out with age. ”

while these quotes are also depicting other personality traits, for now i want to emphasize Sebastian’s constant referencing to the passage of time. time is always on a Capricorn’s mind, even the less self aware ones always feel the effects of its passage harsher than other signs. after dating & at points in marriage, which is when these quotes are from, Sebastian begins to view time as something more positive & optimistic. he recognizes that he has anger issues, at the very least, & hopes they’ll get better as time goes on. it’s quite the feat to make a Capricorn see growing older as something positive instead of something anxiety inducing, so from this alone we can really tell that Sebastian is absolutely in love with the player, without a doubt.

“ i couldn't sleep last night so I went for a night ride on the motorcycle. i need to stay independent, even though we're married. that's just how i am. i still love you, though. ” “ hey ... want some coffee ? i needed some ... woke up early from a nightmare & i just couldn't fall back asleep. ” “ hey. i couldn't sleep last night so i took a walk to the caves. ” “ i'm going to take a walk today. i need some time to myself. i'll see you in the evening. ”

Capricorns tend to be almost predisposed to sleep issues due to their immense amount of anxiety that comes with the disconnect between productivity & incapability, or craving emotional connection & viewing emotions as unnecessary. Capricorns are also fiercely independent, so independent that it’s no surprise Sebastian’s the kind of person to sneak out of bed & go off alone when feeling anxious instead of waking his partner up for comfort.

“ i don't want to get soft now that i'm a married guy. maybe i should start eating more hot pepper & working out ? just an idea ... ”

while i’d also be willing to chalk this expression up to Sebastian being anxious about not passing as masc, i’m also willing to attribute this to a Capricorn being afraid of time passing & “ missing out ” on life. growing soft can be a fear of a sign so dedicated to seeming tough & dependable.

“ i don't really feel like doing work today. maybe i'll see what's on tv. ” “ i did some work on the laptop today. ” “ i'm debating whether i should work or just read comics all day. ” “ you know, i should be doing something productive right now. i just lose focus too fast ... maybe i should drink more coffee ? ”

Sebastian references his work so frequently, in typical Capricorn fashion because the urge to justify one’s pleasures by mentioning the fact that they’re also being productive is something ever-present. they are a very guilty breed; on top of their other burdens, they feel especially bad for moments of relaxation or times when they should be doing something, but cannot bring themselves to.

“ you’re probably making a lot of money on your farm, huh ? i guess i should get a job soon … ” “ we should raise more slimes. in big quantities they can be really profitable. ” “ i did some work on the laptop today. i was actually brainstorming some ideas for a game i want to make. with your farming income, i can afford to do what i want with my life. it’s pretty amazing. thank you. ” “ hey. look at me. never forget that i love you ... you’re everything to me. now go make us some money. ” “ are we doing okay on money ? i don’t want to have to sell my laptop ... ” “ *sigh* ... if gas wasn’t so expensive i’d ride my motorcycle to the city today. so what do you do when you aren’t working ? ”

Sebastian talks SO much about money & to me, it’s really hard to imagine concernedape didn’t intentionally make him a Capricorn with this much dialogue about income when no other bachelor or bachelorette has any mention of the topic ( except for harvey who mentions he’s afraid he’s not bringing in enough money from the lack of people in town ). the biggest one that jumps out at me to really signal a significant change in his personality after marriage is when he mentions having the freedom that comes with a steady income, a freedom that now allows him to do what he really wants which is, apparently, to make a video game. another one that jumps out at me here is his immediate association with feeling like he should get a job after assuming the player is making a lot of money. since income is such an important subject for Capricorns, it’s easy to imagine Sebastian feels inferior in comparison to the player since he’s “ just ” a freelancer.

“ i often felt unappreciated at home ... but here i feel like i really belong. ”

this quote kind of hits Capricorn’s need to be appreciated & useful directly on the head & is a good transition for me to talk about the fact that Sebastian never progressed very far in his career while living at home with his family because he felt unappreciated. compared to how he almost immediately has a dialogue line after marriage where he tells the player he’s been inspired to make a video game, it’s easy to see the almost instant maturity Sebastian obtained just from moving out; something he had assumed was in the far off future, implied by his heart scenes.

now let’s break down Sebastian’s heart events.

his first heart even opens with him busy working, already a very Capricorn setting honestly, as i’ve said a few times now since Capricorns are prone to productivity. Robin enters after a moment & informs Sebastian that Abigail is looking for him, to which Sebastian responds to ask if his mother had informed Abigail that he’s working. Robin says that while she had, Abigail still intends on visiting Sebastian at some point today. Sebastian’s next piece of dialogue is very important.

“ *sigh* no one takes my job seriously. ”

this is an incredibly Capricorn thing to say, both because Capricorns always feel the need to be taken seriously & also due to their signature insecurity about income.

the scene continues so that the player can ask Sebastian what his career goals are. he explicitly says: “ well, i’m trying to save up so i can move out of here. probably to the city or something, ” which by itself is obviously very Capricorn, both nailing their need for income, their constant validation that they deserve what they want, & their desire for independence, however his dialogue continues for another textbox that contains the most Capricorn lines i’ve ever heard.

“ you know, if i went to college i’d probably be making six figures right now … ”

Sebastian is so very & obviously obsessed with money, it’s crazy to think he’s any other sign but Capricorn. this portion of the heart scene ends with him saying,

“ but i just don’t want to be a part of that corporate rat race, you know ? ”

this dialogue i’m willing to attribute to another one of his signs at a later date in another post, but in my experience, i’ve known several Capricorn suns that feel the same: that while they strive for a stable income, they hate participating in capitalistic culture.

this first heart scene ends with Sebastian dismissing the player, saying he “ has to get this module finished by tomorrow, ” indicating he has a very set schedule when it comes to his work. organization being yet another characteristic trait of Capricorn.

Sebastian’s second heart scene opens with the player catching him working on his bike. after a moment of introspection, Sebastian starts talking, again, about how when he saves enough money, he’s going to get out of the valley, just him & his bike. this scene doesn’t have anything specifically Capricorn about it & i plan on revisiting it when i talk about his other placements.

likewise, Sebastian’s third & fourth heart scenes don’t have anything outrageously Capricorn in them -- in fact neither scene tells us very much about Sebastian in particular aside from pointing out that he likes tabletop games ( which obviously isn’t exclusively Capricorn by any means, but i’ve known so, so many Capricorn suns that have been hardcore into dnd over the years ... ) & has social anxiety. i’ll most likely dip into his fourth heart scene a little more when i talk about his other placements, though.

Sebastian’s fifth ( & final before marriage ) heart scene is, of course, important, & probably the most memorable for anyone who’s played Sebastian’s route, but it honestly doesn’t tell us much about his core personality. what it does tell us is how he acts & feels when he’s in love, so i’ll definitely come back to this scene when i talk about his venus position.

& that’s on his heart scenes !

so, in summary, i believe Sebastian has a Capricorn sun because he shares many qualities with how astrologers perceive the position. of course this is all just my personal interpretation, but i hope this was an interesting read & shed some light on the kind of person Sebastian is !

#stardew valley rp #stardew valley #stardew valley meta #stardew valley headcanon #stardew rp #i seriously apologize to any capricorns i called out with this #i want u all to know i have a 4 position capricorn stellium so #by writing this i also called myself out #🐸 did i even make a sound? it’s like i never made a sound ― about.#ok to reblog!!

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docfuture · 4 years

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Princess, part 12

[This story is a prequel, set in an alternate 2012, several years before The Fall of Doc Future, when Flicker is 16. Links to some of my other work are here. Updates are theoretically biweekly. Next chapter is partly done so I’m going to try to get it out early in September.]

Previous: Part 11

Recovery--and a start at change and learning. Flicker thought about the wrap up of her first session, and Stella's comments on paying a bit more attention to the ways other people were already helping. "... and I just suppressed thinking about it at all because the frustration got real bad when I didn't," Flicker had said. "Understandable," said Stella. "Did you consider talking to Armadillo?" "I talked to her about some general stuff, but she's... old." Stella nodded slowly. "I can see how the Database might have given you the impression that sex was invented sometime in the 60s. And Armadillo was already middle-aged by then." "That's not fair. It just that the primary sources were so indirect and coded about it. And left so much out. The Database doesn't..." Flicker frowned, then sped up to check a few things. After a while she slowed back down. "Well, crap," she said. "I learned most of my 20th century history when I was randomly bouncing around the Database reading whatever caught my interest when I was 11 or 12. So I missed stuff. And I didn't go back, and made some implicit assumptions." "You might find a discussion with Armadillo illuminating," said Stella. "Have you considered that Doc might not be the person contributing the most to the collective judgement of your social maturity level that the Database uses to set your default access levels? He seems willing to delegate to people he trusts, and of those, Armadillo clearly has had experience with children." "Oof. No, I hadn't thought of that." Flicker sighed. "Sometimes I wonder about the amount of time I spend mentally running circles around things without looking at what's at the center." "Don't be too harsh on yourself. You blame most of your social difficulties on mental differences, poor references, and lack of practice. But the form of your education mattered, too. You never went to school before your graduate work, and you did most of that remotely. You learned from Doc, the Database, and direct observation--primarily of static scenes because of your speed. And the bulk of educational material in the Database was written by and for typical humans, with all the embedded assumptions that entails." "I really like the Database. And the summaries help." Stella shook her head. "Not always. Not if you don't know what's missing. The Database AI made judgements when you were younger about what was appropriate at the time. This shaped your knowledge map, which was already going to be very different from most humans. So do your Database access restrictions. Information revealed selectively or out of order can harm. And if the Database can't reveal A to you--for, say, privacy reasons--and revealing B without A would cause harm, it will restrict B as well. I'm sure Doc must have warned you about that." "Yeah, but a lot of his restrictions seem arbitrary." "Many will, if done right. Database restrictions can and do cause bias problems, but overriding them is inherently risky. The Database AI has to balance that, and there are no optimal choices, because the whole idea of the Database as an 'objective' knowledge map is a illusion. The Database is biased by what gets recorded. Your access to it is further biased, and what you actually do access is even more biased. But the idea that you are necessarily getting closer to impartial truth when you override a warning is dangerous." "So I can mess myself up with overrides." "You already have. Repeatedly. Information shaping is one of my more powerful tools. Cruder forms of it are in widespread use and getting more effective every day. But perceptions come pre-shaped." Stella had sipped from her cup of coffee before continuing. "For example, you are highly proficient in many math-heavy technical subjects not usually mastered until graduate school, and awkward in areas typically covered by early childhood education or peer group socialization. So when you made your implicit assumptions? Of course you missed things. However." Stella was good at an 'I have a secret to share--eventually' style of speaking that was both mildly annoying and very effective at focusing attention. "Yes?" said Flicker. "Anyone would. You just missed different things. Others might have helped with some of them. But no one could predict them all. Not Doc, not the Database, not me. So do what you can, but don't be too hard on yourself when mistakes happen." "Ah. I'll try to remember that." ***** Flicker tried to follow Stella's initial guidelines, which focused on short term recovery, stabilization, and 'stop making this worse'. Avoiding patrols was the most important and hardest to follow advice. Physical therapy and exercise were tedious, but not difficult. The dietary changes... were trickier. Flicker had lost weight from the accident and the isotope exchanger sessions which she really couldn't afford. And her kind of pseudo-shapeshifter healing depended on adequate body mass. Stella forwarded some funny essays on cuisine and recovery for shapeshifters supposedly written by a French werewolf, and had the Database reset her food and drink related warnings, with an eye to both mental and physical health. She'd also pointed out to Flicker that it only took a few early incidents of plasma in the GI tract while pushing the limits of her entropy dumping to cause lasting aversion to eating much while on call. So when she later started to feel like she was on duty almost all the time, she stopped eating proper meals except with friends. Staying off patrol for now made it possible to change that, but not easy. Theoretically, she could eat like an Olympic athlete in training while exercising appropriately, and recover quite quickly, but that wasn't realistic. She was stubborn, but so were her habits. She couldn't patrol, but she could keep busy by surveying--updating Database geographical and obstacle data--and doing interior construction and finishing work on her house. Back-ordered materials had piled up. Flicker used power tools mainly for precision and delicacy; she had custom hand tools for speed and power, and boxes of regular hammers and screwdrivers to replace the ones she wore out or broke. Superspeed and robotic help let her make rapid progress in the half days she was putting in to it. Common areas and guest rooms were finished, and recreation areas, a wider variety of workshops, and Database node expansion rooms were all taking shape. Making time to talk and eat with friends wasn't sophisticated advice, but it was obviously helpful. She'd had dinner with Jetgirl and her husband yesterday. Good food, carefully non-specific sympathy, then after dinner, 'girl talk' with Jetgirl. Which meant tech geekery--they spent a few hours discussing the instrumentation and results from Speedtest, and Jetgirl's suggestions for some issues Flicker had encountered expanding her robotics workshop. Reliable comfort. The aftereffects from the cybernetic interface withdrawal were finally mostly gone, and Flicker's metabolism and appetite seemed to be responding to her exercises. She was definitely putting on muscle faster than a human could. And she'd mentioned her problem to Stavros, the owner of her favorite Greek restaurant, he'd gotten a look on his face like he'd been personally called upon to save the world, and now she had enough takeout in her fridge to feed a starving pseudo-mythological extradimensional being for a week. Today, a visit with Armadillo. She had promised something interesting. Flicker had once asked Armadillo why she hadn't picked the name Glyptodon instead, because that seemed closer in size and fearsomeness to her appearance. Armadillo had laughed and said she'd never heard of them at the time--the late 40s. The two of them were at Armadillo's house, sitting at a table with an impressive feast. It was not unusual for Armadillo; with super strength, near invulnerability, and half a ton of mass, she ate a lot, and saw no reason not to enjoy it. Armadillo was cheerful and a good friend, as well as effectively family. And at an age of 98, she knew a lot of history, especially the kinds that didn't usually get recorded very well. The main reason Flicker didn't visit more often was an embarrassing one: When she'd been younger she'd had episodes of severe insomnia. But Armadilo knew how to spin a story to help. So when the biological part of Flicker's brain was working, it associated Armadillo's stories strongly with drowsiness. Which didn't mean they were boring. Armadillo was sharing some anecdotes from the late Pre-Net era--the 50s through the 70s--when Luce Cannon, Belle Tinker, and One-eyed Jack had been prominent superheroes. They had set precedents that ended up shaping the way the Database had been assembled. The norms Luce had established as a practical way of preserving relationship privacy and security without centralized infrastructure required narrative indirection and implication in order to discuss certain subjects at all. Armadillo was very good at the style needed. Unfortunately, that and the lack of unrestricted Database references hindered the usual ways Flicker updated her memories, so she was having trouble with details. But there were definitely differences from the way she'd thought about the origins of the Database. "Huh," she said. "I always assumed that Doc decided everything important when he first built the Database, and the rest was just legacy format and historical records." "Not entirely," said Armadillo. "Luce knew all about records and careful access--she built her own intelligence operation, after all--and Belle was already starting to convert some of them to electronic form and building early bots in the fifties. But reliability for anyone but Belle was always a problem, and she didn't have the level of conscientiousness about documentation that Doc did." "Um. Doc isn't always that great about documentation. He gets--" "The Database AI or someone else to do a lot of it. I know. But someone does. Heck, I've done my share. Belle was way ahead of her time, but we never found anything but cryptic notebook scribbles for some of her weirder stuff. Left a bit of a mess after she was gone. Doc brought in organization, documentation, robustness, and speed, and then extended it to everything. But the first Database grew out of what he built for Luce not long before she died. And Luce set some access conditions, which Doc won't change without a good reason. So don't blame Doc for all of them." "So the age restrictions are from Luce?" "Some of them, yeah--but they aren't hardcoded, they're more flexible; we knew they'd have to accommodate aliens and extradimensional beings and whatnot. It's really a maturity threshold." Armadillo smiled. "But I have a treat for you." "Oh?" "There are a few things I have personal discretion about. And you've hit a block involving one of them twice now. It's a good example of how we handled a few things back in the day, and might help you understand some of the ambiguity. I can show it to you, but you'll have to put your visor on locked standby or take it off--no unrestricted electronic images of this are allowed." Flicker frowned, but arranged a protocol with the Database and pulled back her hood. Armadillo pushed back a plate, picked up a small case, opened it, and pulled out a large photographic print. "This is a copy of the last known good photograph of Belle Tinker. The original is in my family photo album in one of Doc's vaults." Flicker moved her chair closer to get a better look. It was a group photo, centered on a younger Armadillo. "What's that blacked out area?" "Non-superheroes with living relatives. The photo is from my 60th birthday party in 1974." Given the date, Flicker wasn't surprised that Armadillo was a bit narrower--she'd still been slowly adding mass. But... "Head spikes?" Armadillo laughed. "Yeah, that was my last try at regrowing them. I'd been on a trip to Tokyo the previous year, and there was a translator around during a Kaiju attack. I ended up stopping it by talking to the big fellow about the relative effectiveness of head spikes for challenge bellowing. We had a nice talk, and everyone went home happy. No property damage, even. So I decided to give them another try. But mine were only a little stronger than steel, so they kept breaking off--same kind of problem you have with your hair. I finally gave up in 75? Or maybe 76? But really, I'm the least interesting person in that photo. I'm curious what you think about the others." "Okay," said Flicker. "But that goblet you're drinking out of... Is that a demon skull?" "Yep. The goblet was a birthday present. It would have been rude not to try it out." Armadillo nodded towards a nearby cabinet. "I still have it, but I hardly ever use it anymore. Little call for it, and it's tricky to clean." "Um, okay." Flicker studied the image of the woman with red hair, a lab coat, safety glasses, and an expression of indulgent patience. "Belle has the same kind of 'I could be in my lab working on something cool' face I've seen Doc make. Most of the contemporary sources I found in the Database were really bad at describing her. She'd have been, what, in her late forties? She looks younger than that, fit, and tough, I don't understand what was going on." Armadillo smiled. "There were a few that treated her reasonably--but they tended not to emphasize appearance. Belle did not fit any 'feminine' stereotype back then, there were a number of media bigwigs who really didn't like her, and she didn't humor patronizing reporters. So it was common for them to distort or belittle her intelligence and accomplishments, insult her appearance, attack her character, or just use bad pictures. If they had to write about her at all. That's one reason why the quality of much of what you found about her is poor." Another woman with short dark hair was leaning against the table with a relaxed smile, but a very clear presence. "Did Luce Cannon always look like she was in charge?" asked Flicker. "I mean, it was your party, but..." "She could hide it, but she was keeping an eye on someone who could get overenthusiastic." A girl wearing a black outfit was smiling intently at the camera with a predatory look. She appeared to be around eleven; it was hard for Flicker to judge ages. "Is that a toy sword?" asked Flicker. "It looks awfully realistic." "Nope. That was Katya's first magic sword. She outgrew it; it's in the vaults now." "Magic sword? Wait... Katya? That's Jumping Spider?" "Oh, goodness no; she wouldn't use that name for years. That's Katya the... Hunter, I think? She switched from the Devastator sometime around then. This was only a year after Luce started teaching her." "Did... What... Why is she waving a sword around at your birthday party?" "It was a compromise; she wanted to make a little pyramid out of the other skulls for the picture, but Luce vetoed that as unsanitary. Just as well; Belle said they smelled pretty manky." "Other skulls?" Every time Flicker got a question answered, she immediately had several more--and she couldn't speed up and check the Database because her visor was off. "Besides the one Jack and Belle turned into the goblet for my birthday present. It was Katya's idea, so she got to hunt the demons, and she went a little overboard getting spare skulls. Jack took her to the dimension where they lived--nasty place, but they were immune to poison, which was handy." "...it's a magic goblet." "Oh, yeah, it detoxifies anything in it," said Armadillo. "If I ever want to be absolutely sure I can't be poisoned or I'm worried about contamination, I use it. But it's usually overkill, it makes most non-alcoholic beverages taste kind of funny, and properly cleaning the precipitate chamber is a pain." "Doc never let me hunt demons when I was ten," muttered Flicker as she studied the figure standing next to Belle in the photo. "Mores change, and your adoption process wasn't complete yet. It would have been awkward to explain." "Did One-eyed Jack ever show any sign of aging? It doesn't look like his appearance changed at all in pictures." "Nope," said Armadillo. "At least not from when I first met him in '50 or so until he disappeared in the nineties. White hair, neatly trimmed beard, and the eyepatch. He almost always wore that hooded robe and carried that staff with the magical doodad on the end. Occasionally he'd switch to a really old style suit and a dress cane--he could do an impressive Offended Aristocrat act. But his apparent age never changed. I suspect he was some kind of shapeshifter, and I know he could create illusions, though, so I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure." "Wait. Disappeared? The Database lists him as 'presumed dead' with supporting evidence; someone found his eyepatch and a scrap of robe near a small crater in the Topaz Realm and Doc verified they were genuine." "Yep. Doesn't mean he died. He might have just decided it was time to stop being Jack. Hard to believe someone as careful as him would botch a portal like that, and it seemed awfully pat that it happened somewhere with enough ravenous scavengers to ensure the lack of remains wasn't suspicious. If he was a shapeshifter, there could be someone with his memories who looks quite different running around somewhere. And he had a saying: 'Sometimes you see something coming and all you can do is get out of the way.' I think that's what he did." Armadillo grinned. "But then, I've been accused of being sentimental from time to time." "Okay," said Flicker. "If you're suspicious about Jack, what about Belle? She was declared dead, but all the Database says is that something catastrophic happened to her portal generator late at night and she was gone afterwards. Jack is recorded as testifying that as far as he could tell, she hadn't been murdered or kidnapped, definitely wasn't alive on Earth, and he wasn't able to tell quite what happened with the portal. But Doc said that if she really wanted to burn her bridges, she could have set the portal generator to self destruct, then gone through to somewhere before it blew. He still has the remains of it in the vaults." Armadillo looked out the window. "All true. She seemed kind of withdrawn for a while before that. Well, withdrawn for her--she was always full of more ideas than she had time to try. She'd had a disagreement with Luce and the Volunteer for a couple of years over... I guess you could call it public policy. She made some predictions that turned out to be pretty accurate, and the first part of one of them had just happened--that was '80. It's conceivable she might have just been tired of Earth. But then she was kind of close to Jack, and he was pretty down afterwards--and if she went somewhere else, I don't know why he wouldn't be able to visit. I tried talking to him about it once, and he just shook his head. So I really can't say." "Were they a couple?" asked Flicker. "Database is ambiguous--they at least pretended a few times, but it wasn't clear what was going on. I assume it's okay to ask about that now that they're both gone?" "Heh. It's not forbidden to ask, and they worked well together in the lab when Belle wasn't out causing trouble with Luce. I'll say this; Belle never showed interest in most men--she'd roll her eyes at most of my jokes--and Jack never showed any interest in anyone but Belle. But it could just have been cover; a convenience for both of them." "Oh." Flicker frowned at the last figure--a middle-aged man in nondescript clothing, leaning back in the chair beside Armadillo. His glasses were perched precariously on the end of his nose, his fingers were laced over his chest, and his eyes were closed. "Who is the guy beside you, and why is he asleep?" Armadillo smiled. "Oh, he'd had a long day, then a nice meal, so he just was catching a little nap. He sometimes answered to the name of Chandler Devon." Okay, now I know I'm being tested. Flicker sped up. The name was vaguely familiar--why? She glanced at Luce again, then remembered. Chandler Devon was connected to Luce Cannon in some way, perhaps one of her agents, or possibly romantically linked--but that had been a shaky source. Documentation about him had been really spotty, with large gaps. He'd been a skilled enough amateur geologist to get a few articles published, later in life. But his fondness for volcanoes had apparently done him in--he'd disappeared during the Mount Pinatubo eruption a few years after Luce's death. That made the third nominally dead person in the picture with a missing body. The only person who was definitely dead and buried was Luce--she'd died of cancer in the late 80s. There were several odd things that required explanation about 'Chandler Devon'. Why was he even at Armadillo's party? Had Luce brought him? Why hadn't anyone woken him up for the picture? It was a memorable occasion. Was it a prank? Wait. Armadillo had said she was the least interesting person in the photo. What could possible make him more interesting than her? If he-- Oh. So that's what he looks like when he's asleep. But how did he manage... Luce. Of course. She was the original super spy. Jumping Spider's teacher. If anyone could cover everything he'd need, it would have been her. That explained so much. He'd gone more than fifty years without anyone-- Idiot. Everyone in that picture probably knew. He'd always had a family. A family of choice. They just never, ever gave it away. Even when they disagreed with each other. But still, a few years after Luce died, he decided it was time to stop being Chandler Devon. Could he still maintain cover? Probably; Jumping Spider was 27 by then, and Doc was 17, with the Database up and running. But the Lost Years were about to start, and Doc had seen that coming. No longer worth the trouble, maybe? How much had Luce meant to Chandler Devon? A lot to think about, most of it not even about Belle. But there was etiquette to be observed. And as far as Flicker could tell, it was to indicate obliquely that she'd guessed, but not say anything unambiguous. She could come up with something. She slowed back down--and found herself blinking back tears. "He looks like... someone who works very hard," she managed. "And doesn't get a chance to relax very often. I'm glad no one woke him up." Armadillo nodded slowly. "So was I." She started to put the picture back in the box. "Wait," said Flicker. "Who took the picture? I thought I knew, but now I think I was wrong." Armadillo paused. "Another time, maybe. You probably have enough to cogitate about today already." "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Next: Part 13

#FallofDocFuture #FallMisc

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