#spoiler: he's not the only one who's irreplaceable

[xiaoriae]

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT.

pairing. neuvillette & wriothesley x gn!reader (separate) ★ genre. established relationship au & fluff. ★ wc. 1.2k

synopsis. calling out the fontaine men by their pet names!

contents. pet names (reader's: dear, darling, etc.), lovestruck neuvillette :( , may contain an inaccurate description of the melusine's tail bcs i'm dumb, a really minimal spoiler from the 4.0 archon quest (regarding hydro dragon and rain) in neuvillette's, mention of sedene (the melusine outside neuvie's office), neuvillette just wants his kith >:( , wriothesley might be ooc bcs we all love him despite not knowing him yet, mentions of sigewinne in wrio's, made-up [1] fontaine law and background setting, and an assumption of sigewinne is the one who often treats wrio's injuries(?).

a/n. first, idk who to pull for; either neuvi or wrio bcs i alr have hydro and cryo dps :cries: but srsly, the v4.1 trailer has me on my knees for these two men (in a respectful manner of course).

support banner and animated line dividers by @/cafekitsune on tumblr.

ִ ࣪𖤐 𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄

neuvillete would never admit it out loud.

how you left him in awe every time he heard you calling out for his attention—monsieur neuvillette in a formal setting, but instead referring him as neuvie when in private.

something about it had always made neuvillette's chest just a little bit tightened at the way the name rolled off your tongue oh-so-eloquently, and he often found himself staring at your lips a second longer than what everyone would consider as appropriate.

oh, how he would love to peck your lips, feeling them against his, even for a brief moment.

it was an embarrassing thought sitting at the little corner of his mind. he was ashamed at how easily you had him on your mercy.

"neuvie," your voice came out a tad bit softer after seeing him spacing out—in which was totally not a norm to see him staring far ahead and at you, though not until recently.

"are you alright, love?"

he swore he felt his heart dropped. it was a double kill to him, who recently figured out that he loved you more than he initially thought he would. how endearing of you to call him with such names, it was cute. a perfect adjective to describe you.

"nothing, dear," his voice resonated through the room, and you realised how he looked at the perfect weather illuminating his office through the window.

you looked at him back, skeptical as to why the corner of his mouth seemed to form a fine curve, but you shrugged the feeling as soon as it came. maybe he was happy, considering the sunny and chilly weather outside.

and his feeling mattered to you the most.

"monsieur neuvillette," you called him out again.

this time, neuvillette could barely hide the frown that was about to form on his face. why did you call him that? why the sudden change of attitude? he was confused. especially when he felt the soft touches on his hair.

you were patting his head, occasionally fixing his hair as neuvillette slightly leaned in to feel the warmth only you could exude.

"it is about time for today's trial, chief justice. lady furina must have been waiting for you at the opera house," you gently reminded him, feeling the way his shoulders tensed.

oh—how stupid of him, he thought. he finally understood why you called him by his title, there was sedene all along at the door.

the melusine looked at both of you in amusement, he could tell by the way her tail was wagging.

"another minute, dear?" his voice was low enough, seemingly to avoid the melusine's attention as he sighed.

you beamed a small smile at him, making neuvillette felt ten times heavier to let go of you and go to the court. "no, neuvie," you rubbed soft circles at the back of his hand, and neuvillette fought the urge to intertwine his finger with yours.

he fought the urge to kiss you on your lips—his name sounded so precious coming out from you. it actually pained his heart at how irreplaceable you were in his life. 

"after the court session is over, we can cuddle all we want, yeah?" you pecked his cheek, and neuvillette thought he could die happily if this was the treatment he would get—a reward worth billions of mora if this was what you gave him from cherishing and loving you.

and he would love to hear and love you forever.

ִ ࣪𖤐 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

inside the fortress of meropide, the only person that could make wriothesley's burdens felt lighter was you, and only you. to see that you enjoyed your time being here—although the fortress was everything except fun and colours—and sometimes helped sigewinne with her infirmary stuff, he felt a part of him was proud at how kind and brave you were. 

wriothesley loved looking at you teasing and babying sigewinne. it was another trait that made him clicked with you so well—despite his profession and the countless dangers he might have brought along.

he remembered the first time you insisted to tag along with him to the infamous underwater prison. no one could enter and exit the fortress whenever they wanted, and you managed to prove him wrong. now that your reputation was well-known within the area, it seemed that the law on permitting outsiders to get into the fortress with thorough screening process didn't really seem to be applicable to you.

every garde recognised you. every staff and people and melusine alike—all had acknowledged you in their work space.

so when you introduced yourself as wriothesley's other half, it was understandable that your name made it in the headlines and became the monthly issue from the steambird.

'after all, the duke doesn't really seem to be the lover type, isn't he?'

"hi, handsome," you waved at wriothesley, who seemed to just finish with an interrogation session with one of the criminals. a stack of papers was in his grip.

his eyes widened at the way you called him with that word which often failed to not make his heart thumped against his chest.

"good evening, darling," he scoffed when he felt the way his voice almost cracked. the random terms of endearment you threw at him had always made his actions cut short and his words to be stuck in his throat. "what are you doing here? did i not say to go back home at 5? it is late."

"mhm," you hummed.

pointing at the clipboard in your right hand which wriothesley had realised was there all along, you explained yourself. "was running an errand for sigewinne. the poor nurse had some troubles so i lent a hand or two," you said while tapping wriothesley's shoulder thrice, feeling proud of yourself for contributing a cent around the fortress.

you then involuntarily fixed his tie, still giving him the proud smile you often wore.

wriothesley sent you a soft smile at that, contradicting the multitude of scars littered across his body.

of course his favourite person was the one who was kind enough to help sigewinne—it was as if you silently repaid sigewinne's past deeds of treating his injuries. how could anyone would not love you for that, he thought.

your heart swelled at the sight. your partner was quite soft at heart when he smiled, despite the roughness he portrayed.

you were staring at his face with those sparkles he never knew could exist in one's eyes. it was too much, but wriothesley thought he would just mentally appreciate the pure loving look you gave him.

"this will do. now my man looks dashing as always."

it took him exactly three seconds to understand what you meant. you were fixing his appearance, and he felt his face became a little bit warmer. my man, he unconsciously repeated the words in his mind.

if sigewinne saw the two of you being so lovey dovey in public—well, maybe both of you were done for.

"the gesture is very much appreciated, darling," he chuckled.

"you are very welcome, sir," you replied, mimicking the small chuckles he sent towards you.

"since both of us have already worked overtime, let us grab a bite?" you swung your arm around his, interlocking with the arm that often held you with such gentleness.

"alright," wriothesley gave in to your suggestion, long forgotten where he should be heading before crossing his path with you. "let us go on a date."

all rights reserved © xiaoriae 2023 strictly on tumblr only. any form of wrongdoings under the copyright law is strictly prohibited.

#—writings. #favoniuslibrary #astronetwrk #neuvillette x reader #neuvillette x you #wriothesley x reader #wriothesley x you #neuvillette fluff #wriothesley fluff #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #neuvillette imagines #wriothesley imagines #genshin imagines #genshin impact imagines

[lilimalia]

WHAT WE NEVER HAD // zhongli

SYNOPSIS... the lantern rite festival was always the most glorious season of festivity. And yet, the god of geo found no happiness in his heart roaming his nation. If only he had a person to share with him a sprinkle of the festive spirit....

CHARACTERS... zhongli/morax, childe, guizhong, streetward rambler, cloud retainer, traveller/aether, paimon,

DISCLAIMERS... angst, no comfort, female reader, short series, spoilers for Guizhong's story , lunar new year's special !

BARISTA'S INTEL... sorry to all the lumine travellers! please enjoy the first "official post" and a happy lunar new year's to those who celebrate! chúc mừng năm mới <3.

TAG LIST... @sizure , @imma-too-many-fandoms , @yle-xar

CAFE TUNE... Heather // Conan Gray !

“Paimon votes we visit Xiangling!” the giddy floating fairy cheers, bobbing up and down as her blonde-haired companion nodded in agreement.

Turning her head, her eyes landed upon the silhouette of a brunette man, his attention solely focused on the eccentric storyteller in front of him.

“Eh? Zhongli? What a pleasant surprise meeting you here!” the fairy alludes, companion following alongside as she approached the man.

“Come one, come all, allow me to forward you a special tale for this years Lantern Rite, abundant and glorious as always!” The storyteller speaks, hands motioning the pair in as his eyes begin to glow with pride.

“Listen closely now, for this tale is one you won’t ever hear anywhere else! A speciality for my audience” the man grins, winking sidewise at the blonde traveler, motioning him in for a seat alongside the brunette, who merely nods politely before redirecting his attention.

“Listen closely… for our story begins before the age of war…”

Dainty gray eyes laid upon his figure. So divine, so prim and proper, fingers grasped gracefully around a stone cup of tea as he conversed with the two ladies.

Morax he went by, god of mora, Archon of Geo. Cloud Retainer, the women with red rimmed glasses. And Guizhong, the refined goddess of dust, so elegantly did she sit, reflecting the man in front of her. His eyes gazed so… Lovingly. She held his undivided attention, lips curling into a saccharine smile irreplaceable by any.

“Y/n? Who do suppose is correct Goddess of the Forge?” she calls. Her voice so tauntingly pristine as her grey eyes shifted towards yours.

“Hm? Ah, forgive me… It seems I was dazed. Could you restate the question?” you call. Your own voice slightly breaking, pitching off into a unsettled tone.

It was so mocking. How her figure was so respected, so desirably faultless. Both in brain and brawn… Your own stained with battle scars, body tainted with the wounds of the steel, whilst hers was untouched, silk smooth, faultless. All the things you weren’t.

“Ah, no worries! I had simply inquired about your opinion on my design. Our dear Cloud Retainer here seems to think hers is superior…” Her eyes are so beautiful…

It wasn’t fair… How you both shared the same hue of gray for eyes. Yet somehow hers shined so much brighter compared to yours, so bleak and dull like iron ore.

“Hm… This design… It needs some tweaks, but I do believe that Cloud Retainer’s design is superior within this field…” you murmur, eyes gazing upon the blueprints that laid out in front of you.

“Is that so? Morax! You are righteous… Who do you believe withholds the superior model?” Guizhong questions.

Righteous?... Was she… Mocking you? Questioning your values? Your judgment?

“Upon inspection… I do believe that your design is superior Guizhong”, his eyes are so thoughtful, filled with the beautiful waterlike goldens and browns. His eyes narrow, concealing his bright colored eyes like the lakes that adorn themself atop the mountains.

Ah… As you inspect closer… It’s true his judgment is impeccable. And yours, at fault.

Guizhong giggles in glee, shiny gray eyes, the ones that were the exact same shade as your own, reflected so much pure light. Like white iron ore… in every way. She was better.

You watch as he smiles, playing along with her child like joy. His eyes bubbling with happiness, spirit so moved by her own.

He never looks at you that way… Perhaps he never will…

Cloud Retainer stands behind you, concealing her worry for your state as she watches your own hues dim down with envy, discouragement that you failed to fully tuck away.

The day Guizhong was lost. You saw as he retreated away, you saw the scars she left on him. You heard too, the cries he echoed out in the solitude of the mountains.

You watched her soul slowly slip away, body loosening at the lack of character to withhold it. You never knew what it was that plagued you with such sinful cruelty. But… watching her die, perish in front of you, your own body and mind helpless to save her. You could only feel the slightest bit of regret. Regret that you hadn’t saved her.

When you could have.

Instead you watched by the sidelines, watched as he gazed at her so lovingly, mind and body relaxed around her presence, whilst not once, did he ever glance your way.

That night… When the Goddess of Dust had perished, you fled. Fled away to the mortal realm, locked away in an Adepti contraption. War was at brew; you could feel it. You knew of the harm that would come to you when it did, the pain and hopelessness that would plague your mind if ever you were to succumb to the desires of evil divines that would ask for your aid in battle. 

Goddess of the Forge.

That was your name. Sealed away in stone.

“Many blacksmiths and warriors alike pray to the Goddess of the Forge for the finest of ores and the best of the best in the weapons they wield. Many adventures that come from this nation of Geo have commonly shared the goal of searching for where she lays… However, never found she was…” the storyteller murmurs, hand stretching out to flicker his fan as he gazed over it darkly.

“But of course! This is merely a tale! Who knows if this “Goddess of the Forge” really does exist!” He coughs awkwardly, shivering at the intense gaze that was being radiated from the brunette man in front of him.

“Indeed… What a pleasant story sir…” he mumbles, face solemn. Eye's blanking out in a distant sorrow. His mind drifting off into an unknown world.

A women walks by the station of the storyteller, gray eyes empty and uninviting. She glances at the brunette man, stuck in his own land of thought, as she hides away from view.

It’s been decades. And yet his memory haunts your every waking step. A scar on your body that will never heal yet comes back to haunt you with the acknowledgement of its story. Succumbing you into a void.

It’s so selfish. How all those years ago you could have saved her. You were there weren’t you? Just a couple fields away picking glaze lilies for him, it wasn’t her… Goddess of Dust, that you were thinking about. Not even when she had laid unmoving in front of you and all the others. Not even when the guilt recked your insides knowing you were just a few sprints away from her; could have saved her.

It was him, his milky golden eyes, his proper figure, so collected.

It was never you on his mind, always her. Always Goddess of Dust, always the prettier, shiny, ore. And perhaps it was why you had left, fleeing in agony and regret. It hurt how his eyes were only ever on hers, how they shared fleeting touches, when you were his forever best friend. Always by his side to guide him in battles and spars.

She was everything you could only dream to be...

The night you had left… You had fled to the far breeches of Liyue, residing in a self-inflicted encagement, meant to trap away the deadliest of monsters.

Whether or not he had truly cared for you, shed tears for you, you never were there to see it...

SPECIAL BREWS... Goddess of the Forge // I found that the irony in reader being the Goddess of the Forge compared to Dust which is a much lighter title compared nicely to her dynamic, I do hope I was able to highlight this aspect well... (Haha get it, irony, forge?...)

White Iron ore // Using this comparison felt very natural and more in depth, I found it easier to be able to relay the emotions of the story to the reader by using a similarity, after all, it's salt to the wound for those who have felt incompetent to someone before

BARISTA'S INQUIREMENT... Would you reader's like if I made a gender neutral and male Y/n version? If so please do ask! Part two will be out soon.

word count. 1220

Tag list form !

Part I // Next

©-FUTURIST... Please do not plagiarize, themes are edited by me, reblogs allowed, do not repost on any other platform!!

Banner credits: @veauwa

#genshin x y/n #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin x you #genshin impact x y/n #genshin impact x you #zhongli x you #zhongli x reader #zhongli #genshin #zhongli x y/n #zhongli angst #miwrites #mireqs #guizhong #streetward rambler #cloud retainer #aether #paimon #lantern rite #happy lunar new year #genshin angst

[lannmmm]

Warnings: contain spoilers, read on your own risk; mention of blood; mention of death..

Characters: Satoru Gojo, Suguru Getō.

Uh,. English not my first language,so try not to poke your eyes out while reading.

They definitely will.

"...after my own ten years departure, I was blindly convinced that I remained hated by you, only to find out it was the opposite minutes before my death. What an idiot I am..So are you." - Suguru’s smile really seemed to stay just the same, his gentle voice, soothing all the worries, hasn’t changed at all as well, the warm gaze of his, already eternally tired, eyelids flaunts on his face again, but now this very picture is soaked in the blood of thousands of innocent and not quite souls, including the master of curses himself, and leaves behind only a heaviness in the chest, an arrow passing through the heart.

The pain from his injuries did not seem to prevent him from speaking at all, from looking directly into the soul of his once best and still irreplaceable friend. Getō was determined to say goodbye with dignity and, this time, it must be the real ending?

Indeed, once upon a time, the happiest memories bring the greatest pain, dealing a decisive blow.

"Huh? Why is that?" - Satoru, standing opposite his profusely bleeding person, was now squatting to hear his every, now more than ever, priceless word as clearly as possible, to hammer everything into memory, down to the smallest detail.

Suguru’s penetrating gaze cast doubt on the existence of a bandage,that was then white, which carefully hid Satoru’s sky-blue eyes, which the second one missed so much. It is difficult to remain silent about how much this fact increased the pressure of everything that was happening.

“How did you even think of blaming yourself for everything?” With his surviving hand, Suguru nevertheless lowered the bandage that was already annoying both of them, releasing his adored pure abysses - “no offens, do you think that you could give me the answers I needed? Why? At what cost? For who? And would that really be enough to stop my obsession? ...Huh, I'm afraid it wasn't enough for me to just speak out and cry on someone's shoulder... even if it belonged to the Gojo Satoru himself ~" it was probably strange to try to soften the heavy tension in the air with such jokes, but it was difficult to resist still. It was felt that with each new word Suguru’s voice became hoarser, it became more difficult to breathe, his eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, and only that charming smile remained unchanged.

“You know, Satoru, I considered you my best friend on my own initiative after all. You, the one whom you are now cursing and trying to change, going into the past. Nonsense. Why did you decide that you were obligated to help me? Why did you hang an unrealistic expectation on yourself? responsibility? No matter how strong you are, you cannot save someone who does not want to be saved. That's it!"

Gojo was silent. He would have remained like that for a long time, if only time was on their side now-.. he had to overcome the lump stuck in his throat.

"You're right. If trying to change the past simply doesn't make sense, I'll leave the future to us."

"Satoru.... My, you really are a fool! By 'our future' you mean the few minutes remaining for me? Heh, don't want to disappoint--"

"Next life."

"What?"

"In the next life, Suguru, I will not let you go."

Despite how childishly naive that sounded, Suguru completely melted.

“Do you really believe this yourself?” Getō said almost inaudibly, yet so soft.

“What difference does it make? From now on i do. You also can’t know for sure..” - Satoru slightly pouted his lips, a charming habit of his since school.

With the last of his strength, Suguru pressed their foreheads together without breaking eye contact.

“I believe you and I believe in you.” - it turns out that was the phrase personifying his last breath.

“We will meet again.” - the promise.

#satosugu #jujutsu kaisen imagines #gojo satoru x geto suguru #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jujutsu kaisen angst #jujutsu kaisen headcanons #satosugu angst #geto suguru #gojo satoru #geto suguru angst #gojo satoru angst

[pink-november]

Slay the Princess Endings poorly summarized

warning big spoilers ahead

A New And Unending Dawn

you and the squad kill your gorgeous, divine, irreplaceable other half, the goddess of change and growth, containing death in her multitudes and everything that gives meaning to life and existence, in an attempt to birth a new reality where she doesn't exist any longer to prevent the heat death of the universe or something and definitely not because you got distracted of the philosophical debate you just had with her prior to going to her heart and especially not because you're a Narrator simp (Narrator route when????) or something, noooo sir. atleast you and the gang have each other, right? time heals all wounds after all, even one as irreversible as this.

Leave as Gods Ending

you awake as your greater self, cosmic wings spanning far and wide and shattering the construct you and her are trapped in. she tells you she loves you and though violence and conflict color your dance, you are now together for all eternity. a thousand sunsets and sunrises welcome you, worlds are born anew and worlds are torn asunder as you travel from reality to reality, universes blooming and dying, hand in many many many lovable hands, never to part as you continue the cycle that the Echo sought to tear apart due to His own hubris. you and her, forever.

Leave the Cabin Together

there is nothing but the two of you, once more at the beginning of everything, godhood a terrifying concept to grasp, everything that was once unknowable reduced to the shapes The Narrator gave and nurtured through the trials and pain and happiness you experienced throughout your journey. it is okay. she will be with you. uncertainty fills you both but your love triumphs still and you join hands once again, shadows of your former selves, lesser but enough, ready to face the future… together.

Loop Ending

you and the best boi ever (and other best boi if done right) take the pristine blade ready to confront the Princess once again but oh shit you don't wanna be alone again or become gods because the people outside the construct would just continue to suffer either way fucking hell who gave the birb of stasis and epitome of passiveness the capacity to make reality-altering choices and expect a good thing out of it??? gf seems to disagree with the sentiment (bless her kind and loving heart) and continues to accept everything about you and suggest another option: go back to the beginning, do everything all over again before you knew the truth, and trust that you might make the same choice once more if you find yourselves back here. seems reasonable. you confess to each other before the princess stabs you again and-

You're on a path in the woods-

Oblivion Ending

you deny and deny and deny and deny and deny, your rejection of your Other here hurts her more than any other routes you could have done. you starve your Other of her potential, shrinking yourself in the process of this endeavor. your Other is betrayed in such a way you cannot fathom yet and probably never will, do you even understand the magnitude of the pain you inflicted on her? can you even still? you are bliss. you are agony. there are no wrong decisions, only fresh perspectives. you are bliss. you are agony. you left her to wither. you are bliss. you are agony. hollowness fills the space that is once you, becomes you, and continues to be you. you are empty. you made the wrong choice. you are nothing. you are oblivion. you are together. you exist.

A New And Unending Dawn and Everything about this ending is fucking horrible it physically pains me inside to hear the littol guys be so angry and throwing curses at me. paranoid calling me torturer hurts my kokoro fuck fuck fuck nooooooo -100000/10 ending tbh you just killed your wonderful eldritch gf for this new reality and all your voices fucking hates you??? The Narrator isn't even here to tell you did a good job for doing what He wanted cuz you obliterated Him during your ascent to godhood *sighs* good fucking luck XP

#slay the princess #slay the princess spoilers #stp spoilers #i accidentally posted this one before i finished it so for anyone who saw the initial draft... oops #guess what my favorite ending is from this lmao

[jean-vi]

Lie To Me | Levi x Reader

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Inspiration:  “Chizu ni nai basho e yume wo hasete / Shiharau no wa Risiko der Freiheit” - Jiyuu No Daishou by Linked Horizon Summary: Facing the female titan, you find yourself in a sticky position. Genre: Angst, Fluff (?) Warnings: Major Character Injury, Spoilers for Season 1 of SNK, Most events that occur in this work do not actually occur in the season, but the context is a spoiler. WC: 4.3K A/N: I have been writing fanfic on here for a while under @tae-cup but this is my first AOT Fic. I hope it reads well :) Other: Masterlist

Part 2

    You didn’t think you’d ever get used to riding horses for hours at a time. You understood, fundamentally, that they kept you alive when you were outside the walls, but at the same time, you really did not enjoy the constant jolting. It was truly a beautiful day to be outside, no doubt about it, but maybe this was…a little too outside for comfort. The walls had been your home for many years until you joined the Scout regiment. To be completely honest, it had been a bit of a rash choice, a sort of rebellion against the Military Police that terrorized your family. 

    Your hands gripped the reins with uncertainty. The first time you’d left the walls, all those years ago, you’d been excited. The world felt fresh and new. Now the sky felt like a rotten apple and the people were all the same: excited or nervous recruits and down-trodden experienced soldiers alike. One person caught your eye though. 

    You looked up from the reins to view the people in front of you. Squad Levi. You were a relatively new addition. You were the newest member until the nuisance known as Eren Jaeger joined. It wasn’t that he was particularly annoying, although sometimes his shouting and monologues about freedom did grate on your ears, it was more that he injured himself a lot. You understood the basic fundamentals of his abilities, like being able to heal considerably quicker than a normal human, and regrowing whole limbs wasn’t out of the question either. Being the designated medic, not by choice, you had made a name for yourself by chasing after any squad members who had the slightest ailment. Eren Jaeger? Well, he had lots of them, and it was considerably more draining. 

    The others had laughed and thanked Eren for keeping you off their backs. That was only a few weeks ago. Now, here you were. There was always a grimness to the air on these missions. The usually lively squad was dead silent. The beating hooves of the horses pierced the air. It was too quiet, too calm. 

    Your eyes roved from person to person. You were taking the rear with Eren in front of you. He was just a kid, but he had the stare of someone much older. Next was Petra. She was always a good friend to you. Her smiles and determination brought light into this serious squad. You finally rested your eyes on Captain Levi. 

    At this moment in time, you were having trouble remembering why you were chosen for this team. Still, he had trust in you and so you would have faith in him in return. It was a mutual sort of arrangement. Going into the Scout regiment, you had known some basic first aid. It was a skill taught by your mother. After hearing about your unwavering interest in the Scout Regiment, she had insisted on teaching you the basics. 

    “You can’t stop me.” You hissed. 

    “I know.” Your mother sagged in defeat. “I know you have this–this anger deep inside. I just don’t want you to go into this mess unprepared.” She took your hand and held it firmly. “Let me teach you what I know. I may only be a midwife and I may not be of use to you, but I want you to be of use to others.” 

    You sat down at the dining table and waited as she fetched her bag of tools. 

“And another thing, sweetie,” she whispered as she drew out the needle and thread, “make yourself important, irreplaceable.” 

    A red flare went off, somewhere to your right. A return green flare to your left. 

    “Captain.” Eld called out and the Captain glanced at the flares. 

    “Petra, fire the flare.” He said simply. 

    “Yes, Captain!” The woman responded quickly and sent off the green flare. 

    Well, things were getting interesting. There was already a titan so close. It was a little unnerving. You’d seen scouting missions fall apart before and you really did want this to be the exception. Defeat after defeat. The wounds dragged on. Another set of hoofs joined the marching beat. 

    “Captain Levi, a message!” The new girl shouted as she sidled up to the right of your squad. You observed her carefully. She seemed shaken, but not harmed. The girl was sweating and her hands were gripping the reins too hard to be considered relaxed. 

    “Report.” The Captain commanded. 

    “The right side scouting squads have been decimated! There are huge casualties!” The girl cried. 

    Levi seemed to think for a moment before nodding in the direction of Petra. 

    “Petra, pass on the message.” He commanded. “And thank you for the report.” He addressed the girl who nodded and fell back, racing towards the right. You saw it now; flares screeching into the sky, puffing black smoke. 

    “An abnormal this far in?” You wondered aloud and you had been with the team long enough to see the tell-tale signs of distress. Still, Levi remained a statue-like figure. His head barely turned in the direction of the flares. 

    “The formation has fallen apart. We have no choice but to divert to a more advantageous position.” Levi responded after a short pause. You then sense the shake of the new recruit ahead.

    You considered yourself pretty straight-laced and a person who was rather blunt. However, you didn’t exactly lack human compassion, which you speculated that the Captain in front did. It wasn’t that he didn’t care for human life, it was evident that he did based on his role in the regiment, but he didn’t react much to anything. This stone cold expression of his definitely paid off when you asked for his help in the medical ward. 

    “Hey.” You pulled up next to Eren. His face was downcast and his eyebrows were sinched together. “We’ll find your friends.” 

    It was a promise that was more than likely false. You had wanted to say that they would be alright, but that was certainly a lie. Eren’s expression was that of a boy who was already imagining his friends dead. You didn’t want to see those thoughts come to fruition, they were children after all, but this world was cruel in the worst ways. 

    “I told you to stop saying things like that.” Levi spoke and there was something in his vocal fry that made your heart quicken. 

    “I know, but remember what I said?” 

    The man thought for a moment and then dipped his head. “Continue.” 

    A few weeks earlier

    Levi had always been a good steady hand and a calming presence. It was probably what first drew you to asking him to assist you after missions. You felt a little guilty asking an already exhausted man to continue to work, but he had agreed. He was rather apathetic but he worked diligently. 

    “You told that man that he would be okay.” Levi seemed perplexed, truly, as he looked towards the corpse on the ground. “You shouldn’t lie to the dying, so why?”

    “I don’t know.” Was your first response. It was something you seemed to say often with the man, but this time you took a moment to ponder his question fully. “I guess when a person is forced to deal with death and the inevitable pain, they need to be told lies to keep themselves sane.” Then you took a deep breath. “In less metaphorical terms, in order to keep them on our side until the end, they need to feel secure.”

    Your hands were shaky after long missions or stressful days with lots of patients. The day was just winding down now and it was another heartbreaking loss. Less and less soldiers seemed to come back alive and intact lately. It was mentally and physically draining to care for the wounded, but for some reason, Levi kept coming back. He would hand you the needle and thread and when your eyelids began to droop, he’d finish the job for you. It wasn’t in any gentle or particularly caring way. He’d take the needle and thread, as if commanding you to sleep. But you never could sleep. You’d drift in and out of consciousness sitting on the ground nearby. Tonight was one of those nights. 

    “Get some sleep.” He said quietly as he finished and fixed your rough stitching job. It had been hurried because the soldier was bleeding quickly. Now, the table was covered in blood and you couldn’t stand looking at his disfigured body any longer. You’d saved his life, but he’d never walk again. 

    “I can’t sleep on nights like these.” You responded gruffly. You were stubborn and Levi shared this trait. 

    “I know that, but you need to be able to properly treat people tomorrow. They need your best mind.” 

    You paused and then frowned, shutting your eyes in thought. “So you save the lives of humanity by getting four hours of sleep, right?” 

    “I am here to save myself and only myself. I can get by on four hours. You, on the other hand, are stupidly trying to save the lives of all these dying soldiers. It is a pursuit that will lead you nowhere.” He snipped the thread and set his hands down on the table with a heavy sigh. You ignored his scorn for your current occupation and decided to rest your head against the cold stone.  

    “You say you’re only here to save yourself, and yet you have so little regard for your own life?” You said softly, on your way to dreamland. You heard the soft fabric of his clothes rustle and you felt his gaze slip to your face. The glance was fleeting and warm, but he remained focused on the task at hand.

    “There are some people I can not bring back. I should have died with them years ago, and although they want me to lay them to rest, I will continue to cruelly live on in their name. It is purely selfish.” He responded. 

    You thought on his words for a moment. Levi seemed the opposite of selfish to you. 

    “Some would call that selfless.” You shrugged before the night took you away.

    “My friends.” He was muttering to himself. 

    “Eren.” You tilted your head down to look him in the eyes. “Don’t worry. We will find them.” You’d probably be finding their bodies and even that would be a miracle. With how close the titan had reached, you doubted a bunch of recruits would be able to stand a chance. “And if they’re injured, you know I’ll fix them right up.” You assured further. 

    The boy looked away and you took that as your cue to fall back. Still, even if he didn’t fully believe your lie either, it was something to convince himself of. Captain Levi spared you a glance. You went back to dreaming. You day dreamed about what your life could have been like. You imagined a world where titans no longer terrorized humanity. Would you have still chosen the path of medicine if it weren’t needed for your survival? Would you have…fallen in love? Maybe a doctor or a nurse you worked with? Maybe a stranger you’d met at the market? What did all this daydreaming do you anyway. It wasn’t going to change the situation. 

    “Captain, I hear something.” Oluo shouted. 

    Levi looked behind him and, of course, everyone else followed suit. There was a thud, but it was faint and seemed so far away. In the distance, behind, was a tiny dot. It was moving at an alarming rate, though. 

    “Is that–” You started.

    “ –the abnormal?” Petra finished as you both stared in horror. 

     The Captain gave away nothing. 

    “We continue riding forward.” He insisted and you usually trusted the man but this was absurd. The forest was out of the way and more of a barrier than anything else. It just made no sense. Then it hit you. The useless ODM gear currently strapped to you would become a lethal weapon in the forest. 

    “Understood.” You replied, but you truly did understand this time. 

    “Captain! We could have saved them!” Eren screamed as the soldiers zipping through the trees were swatted out of the sky. This titan really was terrifying. You’d never seen one that looked like it before. Despite being at the back of the formation, you remained vigilant in looking straight ahead. You probably trusted a self-appointed “selfish” man far too much. 

    Eren’s exclamations were becoming more desperate. 

    “There’s another dead.” The boy cried and it did tug at the heart strings. 

    “Eren,” You began, “I work with the dead all day, every day.” You felt the listening ears of your teammates, even Levi, especially Levi. “I know their deaths were violent, but they were quick.” You continued and you heard another crunch. God, you were really sick of people dying. You could feel your eyes wetting as the slaughter continued behind you, but you refused to let tears fall. With a steely determination, you stared straight ahead. “It is much better than suffering a slow, painful, death later on a table in a strange room.” 

    “I agree.” Levi added and your eyes fell on the back of his head. He was so calm and reserved in a time where even Eld was nervous. “Cover your ears.” 

    You had just enough time to register his words and mindlessly react. 

    Bang!

    For some reason, you saw him watching you as the world exploded in light. 

    “Did we really capture it?” You asked, waiting for anyone to answer. 

     “It would appear that way.” Petra murmured. 

    “You guys leave, switch to ODM gear.” Levi instructed. “Get Eren to HQ as fast as possible.” 

    “Yes, Sir!” You all replied in unison. You unstrapped the small medical bag from your horse and wrapped it around your shoulders. 

    The Captain disappeared from sight. You switched to your ODM gear, flying from tree to tree. Everything was moving so quickly and the green of the forest hid most of the sunlight. However, a movement caught your eye. 

    “The traitor.” You heard Eren hiss. That’s when you saw them. The Scout Regiment logo felt wrong to be displayed on a traitor to humanity. 

    “Move! Move! They’re closing in!” Eld shouted and you began to weave through the trees. 

     “Gunther!” Petra screamed and you knew. You knew what happened. Fuck. You didn’t want to see the body of a person you just saw yesterday, but you needed to. You looked back and you acknowledged him. He hung lifelessly, swinging like a pendulum. 

     “Go! Go! Go!” Eld continued and you followed. It wasn’t your business for heroics. 

     Then, a flash of yellow light, like lightning striking. You couldn’t hold back a surprised scream now. Shielding your eyes, you felt your hair sizzle and the air pop. Then, like something out of your worst nightmares, the titan was there. She was fast and agile. Her movements were unlike any other titan you’d seen or killed, but you supposed this was unlike any other mission you’d been on. 

     “I’ll kill her, once and for all.” Eren screamed to Eld as he raised his hand to his mouth. 

    “Stop!” Your eyes widened and you felt breathless. “Please, just let us handle it. We’re the best, after all.” You tried to reason with him. 

     “Trust us.” Petra nodded. 

    Eren looked from you to your squad to the titan. The titan was closing in and you didn’t have much time left. 

    “Trust us.” You pleaded. If Eren transformed, it put so much at risk. You couldn’t risk him getting taken. 

    “Okay.” He finally said and you all breathed a collective sigh of relief. He turned and zipped ahead. “I trust you.”

    You watched his figure fading into the distance as you and the others began your assault. Eld moved in to distract. The wind was rushing in your ears as you positioned yourself on a tree. You didn’t have quite the kill count as the others, but you understood the basics. Petra and Oluo sliced into the titan’s eyes, causing the monster to stumble back into the tree. 

    “It’s protecting its nape!” You shouted and you flew in to join the fray. You hooked onto its ligaments and began slicing. The tendons in the arms were gone and the shield on her nape dropped. You hesitated to celebrate as the others looked on in victory. They wanted the killing blow. 

    After seeing and hearing the cries of all those soldiers she’d killed, you wanted to slaughter her too. You could feel their pain fueling you to push on, even as your gut began to sink. It was just too easy. 

    “Strike the neck, now!” Eld yelled his war cry and you hooked onto her nape to join him. The female titan lunged. You pulled back with a scream, but Eld was already bit in two. Blood began to stain the grass. No. 

    “Eld!” You screeched. You watched as his body fell. No medical miracle could bring that back to life. You frantically turned to the others. “We need to regroup!” 

    “It’s–It’s impossible.” Petra was muttering as she flew away from the titan. “It’s only been 30 seconds or so. That’s just not–” 

    “Petra!” Oluo warned, but it was too late. Blood splattered on a tree. 

    “No, no, no.” You whispered as you retreated. 

    “I’ll kill you.” Oluo went in for the exposed nape. Your eyes widened. 

    “Wait! Stop!” You shouted, but it didn’t matter. You’d never seen a human kicked that hard or that far, but Oluo was gone on impact, you knew that from the sickening crunch. There was no way. All of squad Levi? Gone? 

    You landed on the grass. You felt numb as you stared into the face of the titan. Falling to your knees, you looked up to the sky, past where her form blocked the sun. Maybe, in this giant forest, it wouldn’t be such a bad place to die. You’d be with your comrades. You dropped your medical bag and accepted this fate. The female titan stared down at you and then her hand was wrapped around your body. Her grip was so tight, you felt your bones cracking like sticks and now you screamed in agony. 

    “You killed them!” You were a mess. Tears were running down your face and now you couldn’t breathe. You came face to face with the female titan. Her hair covered her blind eye. 

    A blinding light and Eren had abandoned the plan. You felt the pressure on your body ease up and then suddenly, you were falling. You had no time to grapple to any trees. You just plummeted to the ground. 

     The air left your lungs and every breath, every movement, every shake of the ground, hurt. On a scale of 1 to 10? This was a 10. The two titans were fighting and their rumbling moved farther away. You almost wanted to thank Eren. Now, you’d be able to die in peace. 

    Captain Levi. 

    The whole squad was wiped out in one go. You didn’t have it in you to sit up, so you lay with your back tucked between the grasses. It wasn’t long after the explosion of light that you noticed a familiar figure flying through the trees. 

    Levi had come to a stop above Petra’s body. You were in blinding pain, but you needed to get his attention before he left. 

    “Captain.” You choked out, but for some reason, he heard you. He turned to you and jumped down from the tree. His feet landed softly next to you and he didn’t hesitate to kneel beside your body. His rough, but nimble, hands circled yours. The Captain could have said any number of things, but chose these:

    “Do you want to be saved?” It was simple. He was giving you the option to die peacefully with your comrades or be saved. You usually couldn’t read Captain Levi very well, but when you looked at his face, finally, you were taken aback. 

    Anger. His mouth, set in an ever-present line, was now tilted into a frown. His eyebrows were pushed together ever so slightly and his eyelids dropped into a killer gaze. You had wondered at his emotional capacity for years now, but with this single gaze, you understood him. You understood how he needed to protect himself from the death that surrounded him. You refused to be another comrade that he’d be haunted by at night. Looking at the sky, you realized you had a long life ahead of you. Now was not your time to die. 

    You had your answer, and it was for, just as he said, purely selfish reasons. You couldn’t muster the energy to move or speak, but your eyes slid over to your fallen medical bag. And now Levi had his answer too. You wanted to say you saw him breathe a sigh of relief, but it was probably an illusion. 

    “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.” He parroted your blissful lie as he grabbed the bandages from the bag.

    You found the nerve to speak with that comment. “Maybe you were right. Lies don’t help the dying much. We know it’s over.” 

    “You are not ‘the dying.’” He bit back with a deadly tone. You didn’t flinch. Instead, you wanted to laugh. He finished the wrapping and sat back. “I don’t know what else to do.” He finally admitted. 

    Your gaze moved to the treetops. Everything was fading and going in and out of darkness. 

    “Nothing else you can do.” You mustered. “I’m probably bleeding internally. I’ll die before leaving this forest.” 

    “You will not.” The man said quietly and when he stood, he stared down at you with an incredulous expression. “Why do you accept your death so easily? You will survive and you will live until you are old. Do you hear me, idiot?” 

    You smiled as your eyes slid closed. “I hear you, Captain.” 

    A Few Days Later

    The last remaining member of Squad Levi. You lifted your hand gingerly and stared at the wrappings. They were clean, fresh. That must be good. You watched the dust particles filtering through the sunlight streaming in. A roof. That was a good sign. You were in a bed. Also a good sign.

    “Don’t move.” A harsh voice commanded, but your lips pulled into an easy smile. 

    “Captain, I wasn’t aware you cared so much.” 

    “Do you know how hard it is to deal with all those injured scouts when you get yourself injured?” Levi was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room. His legs were stretched out lazily as he reclined, one hand nursing a steaming teacup. “Don’t do it again.” He took a sip. 

    “Yes, sir.” You grumbled and dropped your hand. The man got up and moved to the side of the bed, where you could see him better. 

    “We are now the only members of the Special Operations team.” 

     You tilted your head back and stared at the wooden beams. What were their last thoughts? Last sight? Probably the forest floor and trees the size of castles. That forest was littered with bodies now. It felt like a terrible nightmare. 

     “I am hardly special enough for any ‘Special Operations.’” You countered. “Why do you even want me on the team?” 

    He gave you a blank stare, which was a common occurrence. “Because you were on it before and you’re alive and breathing.” Levi reasoned. 

    “I think I should switch to being a medical helper instead, full time.” 

    “Why are you arguing with me, idiot?” He frowned. “You are a part of Squad Levi still and you always will be. That’s how it works here.” 

    “I could just get myself thrown out.” You chuckled. 

    “And I’d just argue that you stay, like last time.” 

    The conversation fell silent. Then you shifted to look out the window. “I care for this team, a lot, but there is no team left.” You sighed. “I guess that only leaves me to care for you, Captain.” 

    You heard his footsteps and he was now in front of the window, just staring at you. His usually intimidating gaze was gone. 

    “I wouldn’t have saved you if I didn’t care either.” He stated simply and leaned against the window sill. The light fell so perfectly on his face, highlighting the curve of his mouth, the sharpness of his eyes. 

    “I would have saved you, too.” You added. 

    “You would save everyone if you could.”

    “And you wouldn’t?” 

    “I save people I think I can save.” He shrugged. His grip tightened on the edge of the window. “I don’t know why I saved you. I was sure you were going to die, and maybe I should have let you.” 

    You pressed your lips together. “I’m still glad you lied to me. I will be truthful in saying that I asked you to save me for purely selfish reasons.” 

    “I guess we have that in common.” The Captain crossed his arms. Your eyes widened and he tilted his head. “Did I say something amiss?” 

    “No I–” You stopped yourself. “I just didn’t realize you cared.” 

    “If I didn’t care, why would I spend all those nights with you, fixing up the worst injuries I’ve seen?” 

    “Because you care about…human life?” 

    “Because I care about you, idiot.” He said roughly and moved to your bedside. The man took your hand in his and it was eerily reminiscent of the forest. You could almost smell the dirt. 

    “Maybe I care about you too.” You finally said and he dropped your hand. His face fell back into its usual stone-cold expression. His only acknowledgement was a dip in his head.

    “Get some rest.” He said bluntly and headed for the door.

    “You as well, Captain.” 

    He let his hand brush against the door frame for a moment and then left. A fleeting ghost. A vision. You wished you could hold onto his hand for a just a bit longer. It was nice to be in good company. 

To be continued...?

#aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #snk #aot x reader #snk x reader #levi ackerman #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #fluff #angst #Spoilers: season 1 snk #Jiyuu No Daishou #Levi #Female titan

[sporesgalaxy]

If the Science Team were in the One Piece world how do you think they'd fit in? I haven't gotten to Egghead arc yet so I don't know enough to say for certain, but do you think they would've been working for Vegapunk before somehow becoming pirates or something along that line?

PACING LIKE A MADMAN. Im gonna refer to some Egghead spoilers so here's your warning.

Okay so Vegapunk is tempermental but necessary for the government to keep around, we know this. Vegapunk has leveraged his Totally Irreplaceable Genius Status multiple times to pressure the World Government into going along with things he wants a little more than they would otherwise.

SO. Would it not be in the World Government's best interest to get really really good at replicating & building off of Vegapunk tech without Vegapunk's direct input? Would it not be VERY appealing to the World Government to have an off-brand backup in the event that they decide Vegapunk can't be indulged any longer?

THIS could be the role of Onepieceworld Black Mesa!!!!! The most cutting edge science in the world....after Vegapunk himself. The lab's secret goal is to render Vegapunk obsolete, but they are always still a step behind him, and with less than reliable products to show for it. It doesn't help that for all the finances the World Government pours into Vegapunk, they are reluctant to devote the same exorbident spending to what is essentially a back-up plan. Classic self-fulfilling failure prophecy.

This is also why the World Government will be quick to order Marines to destroy the facility when shit goes too sideways and out of control.

The nature of the Resonance Cascade is harder to come up with based only on what we know now...there's lots of big mysterious forces at play that may be useful to this later. For now I'll lean in the same direction I did for my Psyvrai stuff and say that the fucked up creatures are native to Earth but still very much an unintended consequence of Black Mesa's experimentation. The nature of that experimentation depends on where I go with Gordon, Benrey, and the Coolattas...

Give me a little longer to chew on the characters. The easy ones are Dr. Coomer as a Kuma-esque cyborg who was incompletely robbed of his personhood, and Dr. Bubby as-- god, a half-assed Lunarian clone I guess??? Like the kid Pacifistas but they fucked it up somehow gjdjhg. Well Bubby gets wings so good for him I guess.

#hlvrai #1pc #asks

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Kicho's Main Story Ch. 11 Pt. 1 Dramatic

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes. I didn't proofread this.

Mai: “Oh no.”

I could be erased by an unseen force.

I think he was being considerate by not using that word, but there was no way I wouldn’t get scared of something unexpected and unimaginable.

Mai: “I’m going to die一No, I’m going to disappear?”

Mai: “I一”

I felt suffocated, and my heart thumped wildly as I clutched my chest.

Kicho: “It’s my fault.”

Kicho: “I caused chaos throughout Japan to continue this turbulent world, but by the time I finally woke up, I’d reached a point of no return.”

Mai: “That’s not true.”

Kicho: “It’s true. I brought this upon myself.”

Mai: “............”

I couldn’t completely deny it.

True, it was him, and no one else, who initiated this whole mess, but whatever the trigger, what followed was undeniably the people's will.

(History is not made by one person. It’s made by the people who live there, which I’m part of.)

Mai: “Kicho, look at this!”

Kicho: “What are you doing all of a sudden?”

Mai: "I'm pinching my cheek."

Kicho: "I know. But why are you doing that?"

Mai: "To make sure."

I quickly let go of my cheek and smiled at him.

Mai: "It hurts after I pinched it."

Kicho: "Of course, there's a pain sensation there, too."

Mai: "Then, that means I'm still alive."

Mai: "My handkerchief is gone, but I'm still alive."

(I'm afraid of losing myself, but if I'm still me, I can't just be afraid.)

Mai: "Don't worry. I'm the type of person who always struggles."

Kicho: "Yeah, you're right."

He hugged me and smiled gently.

Kicho: "You're still trying to live in this turbulent world, even though your dreams got cut off."

Kicho: "You're here because you never gave up."

Kicho: "And I loved you for that."

(Ah...)

My heart, beating wildly with fear earlier, was now shaken by a sweet feeling as he put his ear to my chest to check my heartbeat and slowly shut his eyes.

Kicho: "If human life is more precious than anything else, as long as there is love, then for me, your life is irreplaceable."

Kicho: "I will never let it disappear."

Mai: “Kicho...”

(Just having him say that to me is reassuring.)

He looked up as I cradled his head against my chest.

Kicho: “But first, I want to tell you something.”

Kicho: “Don’t do something like what you just did.”

He brushed his fingertips across my cheek and furrowed his eyebrows lightly.

Kicho: “There are plenty of other ways to check you’re alive besides pain.”

Mai: “Even if you say that...”

(That was the only thing I could think of on the spur of the moment.)

Kicho: “You look like you have no idea.”

Kicho: “I don’t care what it is. As long as it’s not your cheeks turning red like this.”

Mai: “Okay. How about this, then?”

I straightened up and dropped a light kiss on his lips.

Mai: “The fact that we're still touching like this means I'm still here.”

Kicho: “I see.”

Kicho: “Not bad, but that would turn your cheeks red, too.”

Mai: “Mnn...”

I accepted his kiss this time as he stroked my already hot cheek.

(My heart is pounding like crazy, and my whole body is on fire.)

(This also makes me feel I’m still very much alive.)

Eventually, when our lips parted, a silvery thread glowed deliciously.

Mai: “Kicho...”

Kicho: "I take back what I said earlier. If you want to make yourself red by kissing me, fine."

Kicho: "Now you know a new method. Next time, don't pinch your cheeks again."

Mai: "Okay, I promise."

(He scolded me just because I hurt myself.)

(That's how much he cares about me.)

The depths of my chest gradually warmed up.

(Still, we can't just sit still.)

Mai: "Um, Kicho? What on earth should we do now?"

Kicho: "Well, we need to meet up with my men first."

Kicho: "Then we'll move you to a safe place and go to defuse the situation."

Mai: "What?"

Kicho: "Well, obviously. There's bound to be conflict."

Kicho: "I can't take you to that kind of place."

Mai: "That would slow you down, though."

Yesterday, all I could do was guide everyone through the chaotic town so they could evacuate because I was powerless to stand up to those with weapons, let alone stop the conflict in Japan.

But even though I knew this in my head, my heart couldn't catch up.

(Even if it's Kicho, this is still too much for him.)

(There's still Motonari and the weapons circulating throughout Japan.)

Mai: "Oh!"

(If it's him, I'm sure...)

Mai: "Kicho. I know someone who might take our side."

Kicho: “Who?”

Mai: “Kennyo.”

Kicho: “You met him?”

Mai: “Yes. I was supposed to be a hostage, but he saved me.”

Mai: “And then...”

------------Flashback------------

Mai: “Are you going to stop the riots?”

Mai: “This could be your chance to get revenge, you know?”

Kennyo: “Are you really saying that to me?”

Kennyo: “There are just too many of them to take to hell. That’s all.”

---------Flashback Ends---------

Mai: “He was trying to contain the riots in the same way.”

Mai: “If he has the same goal as us, we should cooperate.”

Kicho: “I see. You’re right.”

Kicho: “Do you know where he is?”

Mai: “He’s probably at the branch castle on the outskirts of town right now.”

Kicho: “I see. Then we’ll change our plan and head for Kennyo’s place first.”

Kicho: “Things will start moving at once when night falls. Before that happens, we should talk to him.”

Kicho: “Will you go with me?”

Mai: “Eh? I can go with you?”

Kicho: “Yeah, because there’s something only you can do.”

Kicho: “You have the most important role in this meeting.”

Mai: “Okay!”

(I honestly don’t know what my role is, but whatever it is, I’ll do my best.)

I rode with him through the darkness of the forest on horseback.

Kicho: "The branch castle should be at the end of this road."

Mai: "Okay!"

(I hope he's still nearby.)

As I prayed in my heart and strained my eyes to see even a tiny light, something suddenly glinted at the corner of my eye.

Mai: "Kicho, look out!"

Kicho: "----!"

He pulled the reins, and a person, dressed in black, jumped out of the trees and pointed a sword at us.

(Enemy attack!?)

Man: "Who are you?

Kicho: "My name's Kicho."

Kicho: "You must be Kennyo's man based on your outfit."

(Kennyo's?)

I looked closer and saw that it was indeed similar to the one worn by his disciples.

(If his disciple is here, that means...)

Kicho: "I need to talk to Kennyo. Can you show me the way?"

Disciple: "What do you want to talk about?"

Disciple: "You're the mastermind behind those riots. Are you here to take our heads off?"

Kicho: "I'm indeed the mastermind, but that's not what I'm here for."

Disciple: "Do you really expect me to believe that!? I won't let you meet him."

Mai: "W-Wait! Please put your weapon down."

Mai: "We really一"

Disciple: "Shut up. I won’t tolerate this!"

Mai: "Ah!"

As soon as the man swung his sword toward us, I heard the sound of a bell.

Kennyo: "Wait."

Disciple: "Ah…”

Mai: “Kennyo!”

Kennyo, who suddenly appeared and intervened, gently narrowed his eyes at the surprised disciple.

Kennyo: "Thanks for patrolling so late."

Kennyo: "You look tired. Find someone else to take your place and get some rest."

Disciple: "But..."

Kennyo: "Don't worry. I can judge for myself if he's a worthy guest or not."

Disciple: "I understand."

His disciple bowed deeply, picked up his sword, and strode away.

After seeing him off, Kennyo turned to us.

Kennyo: "Mai. I see you're safe."

Mai: "Yes. I'm glad to see you're safe, too."

Kennyo: "You're glad, huh?"

Kennyo: "We've already subdued the rioters and recovered their weapons."

Kennyo: "Looks like you got what you came for too."

Kennyo looked at me, then at Kicho.

Kennyo: “Then, Kicho. What do you want from me?”

Kicho: “We need your help.”

Kennyo: “Just so you know, I don’t agree with what you and Motonari are trying to achieve.”

Kicho: “Yeah, I know that. That’s why I’m here.”

Kennyo: “I see.”

Kennyo: “Mai, looks like you knocked some sense into him.”

Kennyo smiled a little sadly but soon returned to his original expression.

Kennyo: “I understand. If we have the same goal, let’s join forces.”

Kennyo: “I see no problem with Kicho’s army and our army fighting together.”

Mai: “Thank you!”

(I’m glad he agreed. Now...)

Kicho: “No, it’s not like that.”

Kennyo: “What?”

Mai: “What do you mean?”

Kicho: “You told me earlier that if other people share the same goal as us, we should work together.”

Mai: “Yes, I did.”

(Isn’t that why we’re here?)

Kicho: “There are others who have the same goal. And they have more troops with them.”

Kicho: “Perhaps they have already come to this area.”

Mai: "Don't tell me...!"

Kicho: "I'm joining forces with Nobunaga. That's what I came here for."

Kennyo: "With Nobunaga?"

Mai: "Um, wait a minute!"

Mai: "I can understand why you'd join forces with the Oda army, given their numbers, but why Kennyo?"

Kicho: "If he's planning revenge, he would've already sent one or two of his spies to him."

Kicho: "I'm sure they have some information about his movements."

Kennyo: "You mean you want me to give you that information?"

Kicho: "That's right. I could join my men and have them investigate Nobunaga's whereabouts, but it's almost dawn."

Kicho: "I don't have time to waste."

Kennyo: "But..."

???: "Lord Kennyo, I'll guide them."

Kennyo: "-----!"

The scent of flowers suddenly wafted through the air as someone with grayish-pink hair appeared among the trees.

Mai: "Ranmaru!?"

Ranmaru: "Good evening, Lady Mai."

Mai: "Good evening…wait, no! What are you doing here!?"

Kicho: "You know each other? So that means you're the spy hiding under the Oda army."

Ranmaru: "That's right. I heard you're clever, but I didn't expect it to be true."

Ranmaru: "Good thing I joined the Oda forces after you left."

(I can't believe Ranmaru is a spy.)

(Wait, no. From Kicho's point of view, Keiji and I were probably the same.)

(This is probably normal in the Sengoku period.)

Kennyo: "Ranmaru. Why are you here?"

Ranmaru: "I'm sorry for being selfish, but I thought I should get in on this conversation."

Ranmaru: "He started a riot in which he was prepared to turn his former comrades against him, and now he's trying to stop it."

Ranmaru: "I don't know what happened before that, but..."

Ranmaru glanced at me and quickly returned his gaze to Kennyo.

Ranmaru: "At least he didn't change his mind because of something so trivial."

Ranmaru: "Also, if this is something we have to stop, I can't just ignore it."

Kennyo: "............"

Kennyo: "Okay. I'll give you the info."

Mai: "Are you sure!?"

Kennyo: "Yeah, but I don't completely trust you guys."

Kennyo: "I'll go with you to make sure you don't reveal Ranmaru's identity."

Kicho: "What? Does that mean that you'll also join forces with Nobunaga?"

Ranmaru: "Lord Kennyo! That's dangerous."

Kennyo: "It's fine. I'll attend the meeting, that's all."

Kennyo: "Besides, anyone who can vouch for our lives will be there."

Mai: "-----! "

All eyes turned to me.

(I see. This is what only I can do.)

It's not easy to move people's feelings with a single word, much less exchange words without pointing a weapon at each other.

But if there's someone out there who still has hope, there's no need to hesitate.

Mai: "I understand. I'll be your hostage."

A moment later一

Oda soldier: "Lord Nobunaga!"

Oda soldier: "Ranmaru, who was on patrol, has just returned."

Nobunaga: "I see."

Nobunaga: "Why didn't he come here directly?"

Oda soldier: "It looks like he ran into Kicho and Kennyo, who took Lady Mai hostage."

Oda soldier: "They demanded a meeting, so they came together."

Nobunaga: "Oh?"

Oda soldier: "Lord Nobunaga, this must be some kind of trap."

Oda soldier: "We should keep Lady Mai safe while they一"

Nobunaga: "No. Gather the others and set up a meeting place immediately as requested."

Nobunaga: "Until I give the signal, you are not to interfere in any way."

Oda soldier: "Yes, sir."

Nobunaga: "I never thought she would bring that man back to me."

Previous Part╏Masterlist╏Next Part

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen kicho #ikesen kichou #ikesen jp #ikesen spoilers #ikesen #ikesen translations #cybird #ikesen nobunaga #ikesen kennyo

[bazzybelle]

Get to know me (and you)

Thank you @windsweptinred for tagging me! I am sorry it took me so long to get to this.

1. 3 ships I really like right now: Ohhh this is always tough for me. I have so many ships at all times. Ok well if we're going by my current brain rot...

Dreamling: No one is surprised by this. They caught me by the throat and have not let go for the last year. It's so funny coming in as someone who was familiar with the comics before the Netflix adaptation, because they are not at all romantic. Like, I got no romantic vibes from them (and I'm someone who sees romance vibes in everything). The MOST romance I can see MAYYYYYBE (and this is a massive maybe because I only read this arc after the show aired and I was already getting into Dreamling) happens in The Wake (and I won't go into further details because those are massive spoilers). Why do I like Dreamling? They're just so feral for each other in fanon. Plus it helps that the actors on the show had incredible chemistry with each other (I would also consider HellDream and DreamMuse as other potentials because yeah he looked like he was about to make out with those two actresses).

SnowBaz: I still have so much love for SnowBaz. This was the pair that got me through a massive depression/writing slump. Seriously guys, read Wayward Son and Any Way The Wind Blows if you want an accurate representation about depression and intimacy problems and just finding yourself once that biggest event of your life is over. It's about learning to live after trauma and how to heal. Plus this was also the first CANON queer couple I read and helped me to become comfortable with my own queer identity. Yeah... I may move on and have other loves, but Simon and Baz will always hold an irreplaceable part of my heart.

Tie between Ineffable Husbands and BlackBonnet: These are two very new relationships and I just love them both so much. I don't know much about BlackBonnet, because I've only seen gifs of the second season and nothing more, but from what I've seen, omg I am so excited. As for Ineffable Husbands, they are SO interesting to me and I have been enjoying reading the Metas that have been coming out after the second season. It's so interesting to me, to connect this to SnowBaz, to see the reactions after the second season aired. It reminds me A LOT of the explosion that occurred after Wayward Son was released (an explosion that not only continued the closer we got to AWTWB being released, but also contributed to Rainbow Rowell leaving Twitter). I'm not going to get too deep into this (though @carryonsimoncarryonbaz has been trying to convince to write a meta comparing the two because MY GOD ARE THERE SO MANY CONNECTIONS).

2. First ever ship: Honestly? Sailor Mercury/That boyfriend she had... what was his name? Greg? I thought they were so flipping cute. Plus I liked that the nerdy girl had someone who thought she was cute. As the Nerdy Girl myself, it made me happy to see.

3. Last song:

Fegari - Natasa Theodoridou: One of my favourite Greek songs. I've been in a Greek music mood as of late, and this is a beautiful song. It's about a woman who prays to the moon to bring her husband back from his mistress, and to watch over him if she can't. She also asks the moon to take her from the Earth so that she may see her husband from above.

At least... that's what my husband tells me. Greek music is so morose you guys.

4. Last movie: I watched Barbie last week with my husband. We both loved it so much. It's such a great dark comedy.

5. Currently reading: Lots of fanfiction, but I recently bought a beautiful Jane Austen collection, as well as an illustrated collection of poems by Rumi, so I want to dive into those.

6. Currently watching: My husband on the couch. But in all seriousness, we're probably going to watch either Our Flag Means Death or Silo next.

7. Currently eating: Nothing, but I am craving some cereal.

8. Currently craving: xD Cereal.

Tags: @seiya-starsniper @mentallyinvernation @mallory-x @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @ninemagicks @amywaterwings @namistrella @signiorbenedickofpadua @tryan-a-bex @artsyunderstudy @yellobb @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @spockandthings @wellbelesbian @j-nipper-95 @zigzag-wanderer @fleabaggotme @arialerendeair @aristocratic-otter @messofthejess

#belle babbles #tag games #these are always fun #get to know me #get to know you #Spotify

[nirvanai]

aini spoilers ahead, but I got thinking about my “OK, so who actually programmed Tama then?” headcanons again and wanted to share them! To summarize, I have four main theories:

Pewter did program Tama and the game lies

Pewter didn’t, but someone else at ABIS did.

Tama’s AI was self-actualizing/”self-programmed”

Someone outside of ABIS programmed her.

And to expand on them a little, I’ll put the rest under a cut.

So, to start with 1: Pewter did program Tama. Honestly, I think this is actually the least likely theory here, for one main reason: Uchikoshi may mislead or be vague in his twitter replies, but he doesn’t lie about things. So between Tama herself stating that Pewter didn’t program her, and (iirc, correct me if im wrong!) Uchikoshi re-stating that, I really don’t think it’s likely. But I included it here just for completion’s sake, because why not.

For theory 2: Honestly, I also consider this one relatively unlikely, for the simple reason that Pewter is still at ABIS. Think about it this way: if they already had an engineer working for them who was fully capable of programming an additional AI-Ball and presumably then overseeing the Psync machine system, why would the government risk letting Pewter out of jail? Boss may have a lot of blackmail, but even then I find it hard to imagine the government risking such a major scandal unless Pewter was genuinely irreplaceable. And Boss’s dialogue in-game supports this, so I strongly doubt ABIS has another engineer of his level just sitting around in the background.

Theory 3 is one that I actually do think is a possibility. Laid out most simply, it’s the suggestion that Pewter may have thrown together some core basics to her programming etc, but her actual personality was something she developed on her own to suit her and Ryuki’s needs. Given the fact that the Wadjet system does seem to have some level of “sentience” with how it protected Aiba, its not outside of the realm of possibility to consider Tama having “grown” a sentience on her own.

Theory 4 feels unlikely for the same reasons as theory 2- not only would it render Pewter irrelevant, but that also would mean that more people outside of ABIS both know about the AI-balls, and would be capable of making them. The one strand of evidence in this theory’s favor would be the fact that Tearer seemingly knew about the AI-balls when meeting up with Ryuki, however it’s also possible that could’ve been the result of leaked confidential info.

And then, the secret 5th theory that is almost entirely a crack one but also has enough canonical possibility that I genuinely can’t ignore it: Tama was a real person who’s consciousness was transferred to the wadjet system somehow, to become Tama the AI.

Now, I thought of this one as a joke at first, but the thing is: multiple times in the game, Tama will make jokes and references to stuff that has Ryuki questioning her being an AI. Stuff like talking about her family, just a handful of weird tidbits that stuck out in my brain. It’s like 99% likely that they’re intended to be just that: weird jokes from the funny AI girl, but it’s still plausible enough that I had to add it to this post. 

And honestly, as wild as that would be, I do genuinely think it’d be a very interesting possibility to explore? I love the idea of Ryuki and Tama working together to learn more about where she came from, and the ensuing horror and mysteries that could come about as a result. 

Regardless, I do hope that this is something future materials will explore a little more, tbh. I don’t expect it to be high on the list of mysteries to solve, but I’d enjoy learning a little more about it. 

#tama #tama aitsf #tama aini #nirvanai #aini #nirvana initiative #ai nirvana initiative #nirvana initiative spoilers #nirvanai spoilers #aini spoilers #aitsf spoilers #this has been bouncing around in my head of late #and i wanted to share a few random thoughts #don't mind me overthinking random throwaway lines again #but also if i'm onto something with one of these i'll be so excited- #(i do not expect to be onto anything lmao but who knows anything can happen)

[bhobbiel]

Given Anime and Movie Reaction

I watched it not knowing anything besides it was a BL story with a band, and the hair colors (orange and black) of the two protagonists. I feel grateful I did not know much else and I watched the anime first (I was hesitant to watch before reading but I am glad I did)

I have not read the story up to or past the movie and anime- so no spoilers

Spoilers about anime and movie below:

TW: death and suicide

Wow wow wow I have not cried at a piece of media in a while, but episode 9 wow. (To be fair I was an a bit of emotional headspace but still have not felt that specific bittersweet kinda cathartic but gut wrenching movie cry in a long time! Especially not by something new I watched)

Incredible song/singing/ voice acting for the concert scene

This is just notes more than fully fleshed written ideas

I have so much feelings thoughts and analysis. I am reading the manga but I am not to where the movie and show end in the story.

I partially want to read from beginning to understand more of Yuki’s story

On beach- will not remember in 10 years. Someone online said does this allude to Yuki not thinking they will know each other in 10 years alluding to possible suicidal . But it is something somewhat common sentiment people say

I estimate they have probably already been each others lives around 10 years by that point. I

Gut wrenching like tearing up just thinking about that whole concert and flash back scene

Film studies classes often use the montage in the movie “up” as a good use of montage and covering a lot of story in a short amount of time. I feel like this montage is also a good example of an emotional montage. Not to be embarrassing but thinking about episode 9 still kinda tears me up.

Im sorry but them holding hands of Mafuyu from the arrest, and not long after their (I interpret) possible first time having sex with that emotional intimate gesture and eye contact. Even the annoyed face from teasing that only happens after knowing someone for a long time

No one will know Mafuyu from his abuse to his best friend to first romantic love. As much as memory and forgetting is a repeating sentiment there are some relationships and experiences that define who we are and what we carry

It just showcases an irreplaceable relationship. They grew up together. They saw each other in childhood tragedy to a deep first love. They have a dynamic that is once in a lifetime. One where fhy

Guitar: curse and a beginning

One could an

“He wanted to write you a song, but you wanted him to say let’s make one together”

One interpretation: Yuki was working and saving money to get a guitar to write a song for Mafuyu so possibly feeling rejected felt like he was doing everything for him but he did not see it

Mafuyu literally Carries it like a weight and only plays it via new love and friendships. From being open again

.

The guitar is the reason they meet and have romance. The tragedy of one love directly leading to a new one

It reminds me of a sentiment often of older married couples where one dies. Of like the deceased spouse would “want you to find new love” instead of feeling guilty of romance after them

I don’t know if I feel like that it is a sentiment any of the characters or it would make sense for them to have that philosophy but just something that I was reminded of.

“ I am not lonely, friends at school, I like someone new… I wish I could tell you about it”

——-

Yukis death

Shocking, confusing,

Normal type couple fight? Or just to an outsider or to Mafuyu as well?

As a reader it made me feel those feelings that you logically/morally know are not “right” but you would actually feel in that situation.

Like who was at “fault”? Did Yuki have chronic secret mental health problems? Was it impulsive? Was dying an over reaction to a cruel comment? Was it a real idea of proving devotion?

Would he be alive if Mafuyu did not say that? Did he really believe Mafuyu would not try to repair their relationship and took his comment to heart instead of trying to work it out?

I don’t get the feeling there was this super intention of making his loved ones feel guilty. There was love in his life

I am not saying these are “good opinions or questions” but they are real. It’s like going around in circles

It makes you go through the stages of grief and confusion that suic*de can specifically envoke. The confusion the anger the unresolved ness

Would something similar happen down the line even if he was not told that in that moment? Aka if they broke up later or if he was overall prone to suicidal ideation ?

It is interesting that Yuki mom gave guitar to him shows a lot

——-

The movie was more like ooof emotional in that young(ish) adult toxic learning curve romance. The anime was more objective tragedy and showed a once in the life time relationship that was cut too short in such a tragic way. It also showcased “firsts” which has a different feel both as a tragedy and just overall feel. I am young enough for the “firsts” feeling to not feel too far away and what that vulnerability feels like.

The movie (if you are a young adult) feels like a mirror of the pain and learning curves of romance of the clunkiness of your 20s. It’s the feeling of watching your friend make mistakes or you making your own in ways that feel overwhelming. I mean damn they showed that toxic on and off again dynamic omg.

Eventually it showcases I believe both the maturity and immaturity of romance (esp 20s). Both the outward facing personality and qualities one showcases and they more vulnerable truths not everyone sees

#given anime #given movie #given manga

[munson-master]

At the Château | Steve x Reader

Chapter 2: And I feel Just Fine

summary: Steve is worried, there's a Russian plot to foil and you meet robin for the first time. 

TW: mentions of blood, slight physical abuse, spoilers, canon divergence. 

Chapter: One

❀✿❁ ᛬❊☙❤︎❧❊᛬ ❁✿❀

 You had been sitting in the star court mall parking lot for about fifteen minutes trying to get yourself a little more presentable and a little less like you were having a mental breakdown.  Even though that’s what you felt like, like you were literally losing your mind. Your mom, your own mother had just put you in a chokehold and tried to drug you. All the while your sister and her shitty “boyfriend” just sat there and watched.

 Honestly, you weren’t sure if this was even happening right now because no matter how horrifying things got in Hawkins it never came to your home. Never touched your family, the rest of the Holloways being blissfully unaware as you battled monsters from an alternate dimension and secret government experiments gone horribly wrong. The biggest problem your family has was trying to figure out what to have for dinner and whether or not your dad would come home pissed off or not. 

 Honestly, you weren’t sure if this was even happening right now because no matter how horrifying things got in Hawkins it never came to your home. Never touched your family, the rest of the Holloways being blissfully unaware as you battled monsters from an alternate dimension and secret government experiments gone horribly wrong. The biggest problem your family has was trying to figure out what to have for dinner and whether or not your dad would come home pissed off or not. 

 Perhaps you were jumping to conclusions, maybe this wasn’t some horrible aftermath of the upside-down bullshit you became used to dealing with. Maybe there was another explanation, maybe your mom wasn’t trying to drug you, maybe you were just so tired from the drive across several states that your anxiety manifested in an abhorrent way. Or maybe your asshole dad finally pushed your mom over the edge, and she went nuts. But that didn’t explain Heather and Billy or why they were cool with the rotting food and disaster that was your home. 

 He was always so supportive during your phone calls, always willing to listen and share his thoughts but if you were being honest, you weren’t this close with him just a year ago. What if he thought you were nuts and you ruined the great relationship the two of you had been building? You hate to admit it, but he was quickly becoming one of your closest friends, tying with Nancy who you shared an irreplaceable bond with after Barb’s death. He was charming and sincere, if not kind of dumb which only made you love him more. You loved your phone calls with him, loved making jokes and sharing gossip, loved how attached he was to his weird little band of mini monster slayers. How he never failed to step in and protect them and you. He always was the first to stand in the way of a threat, whether it was demo dogs or Billy Hargrove. And with that thought your mind raced back to Billy, why was he with Heather? Why was he in your house?? No matter what was going on you knew at least that Billy being there was bad news. You were there when he beat the literal shit out of Steve. You had his head in your lap while trying to clean some of the blood from his face as the kids formed a plan in the background.

 He was always so supportive during your phone calls, always willing to listen and share his thoughts but if you were being honest, you weren’t this close with him just a year ago. What if he thought you were nuts and you ruined the great relationship the two of you had been building? You hate to admit it, but he was quickly becoming one of your closest friends, tying with Nancy who you shared an irreplaceable bond with after Barb’s death. He was charming and sincere, if not kind of dumb which only made you love him more. You loved your phone calls with him, loved making jokes and sharing gossip, loved how attached he was to his weird little band of mini monster slayers. How he never failed to step in and protect them and you. He always was the first to stand in the way of a threat, whether it was demo dogs or Billy Hargrove. And with that thought your mind raced back to Billy, why was he with Heather? Why was he in your house?? No matter what was going on you knew at least that Billy being there was bad news. You were there when he beat the literal shit out of Steve. You had his head in your lap while trying to clean some of the blood from his face as the kids formed a plan in the background.

 He was always so supportive during your phone calls, always willing to listen and share his thoughts but if you were being honest, you weren’t this close with him just a year ago. What if he thought you were nuts and you ruined the great relationship the two of you had been building? You hate to admit it, but he was quickly becoming one of your closest friends, tying with Nancy who you shared an irreplaceable bond with after Barb’s death. He was charming and sincere, if not kind of dumb which only made you love him more. You loved your phone calls with him, loved making jokes and sharing gossip, loved how attached he was to his weird little band of mini monster slayers. How he never failed to step in and protect them and you. He always was the first to stand in the way of a threat, whether it was demo dogs or Billy Hargrove. And with that thought your mind raced back to Billy, why was he with Heather? Why was he in your house?? No matter what was going on you knew at least that Billy being there was bad news. You were there when he beat the literal shit out of Steve. You had his head in your lap while trying to clean some of the blood from his face as the kids formed a plan in the background.

 If you took a moment, you think that night was what finally convinced you that Steve wasn’t really the asshole you were accustomed to in school. You watched him take on Billy Hargrove and get his ass handed to him just to protect both Lucas and Max. Kids that weren’t his responsibility, he could have walked away after the whole monster bullshit. Nancy broke up with him….he had no reason to stay in the crazy bullshit that came with being a part of your small little group but still he stayed. He helped when Dustin called you and him after getting no response from his friends. Recalling those memories brought you back to the present, Steve would help you no matter what you had to say. You knew it. 

 Slapping the sun visor shut, you pulled your keys out of the ignition and grabbed the bag of bloodied wet wipes before swinging the car door open. You had to find Steve, if you couldn’t get ahold of Nancy, he would know what was going on or at least help in some way. 

 Stomach clenching with worry you pushed through the mall entrance after dumping your trash into a bin just outside the doors. You couldn’t stop your mind from panicking, praying that he was at work, that whatever got your family didn’t get him too. 

 Finally, your wandering eyes spotted the Scoops Ahoy storefront and you quickened your pace to the shop. You pushed through a group of kids just leaving the ice cream parlor and immediately felt a wave of relief wash over you. 

 There he was. There was Steve, scolding Dustin for licking his ice cream scooper. Steve who looked totally not brainwashed, who wasn’t missing in action like Nancy. 

 A hysterical sob bubbled as you literally ran at him, wrapping your arms around his middle completely catching the young man by surprise. That definitely wasn’t what you had planned but the relief that flooded your senses nearly brought you to your knees. Guess no matter how you tried to talk yourself down you really were worried about him. 

 “W-Whoa! Excuse me?!” He yelped and moved his hands to your shoulders to push you away before actually recognizing who was squeezing the literal life out of him. It took him maybe two seconds before recognition lit up his eyes, a smile spreading on his face. 

 As soon as he knew it was you, he pulled you back into his chest, a blush rising up the back of his neck which Dustin saw and smirked at.  

 “Y/N? Holy shit! You're home early!!” He was so ecstatic that you were there at scoops he failed to spot the dried blood in your hair, the tremble of your limbs, or the tears in your eyes. 

 Dustin however did get the chance to notice, the kid was the sharpest little dude you had ever met after all. His eyes went from Steve’s slight blush to you which brought a small frown to his face. He immediately picked up on the blood droplets on your collar, the disheveled appearance of your clothes and the bruise that was forming on your temple. He spoke up just as Steve was letting you go, which you had to admit caused a small stab of disappointment at the loss of his warmth. 

 “Uh…y/n is that blood?” The words immediately turned Steve’s bright smile to a concerned frown in seconds. He pulled you back, hands still gripping your shoulders. 

 “What?! where?? What happened??” Finally taking in your downcast eyes, the blood on your shirt and in your hair. You watched as a handful of different emotions filter over his features, confusion to anger then concern finally arriving back to anger. His grip tightened on your shoulders causing you to wince which immediately had him removing his hands only to place one on the small of your back the other gently grabbing your wrist to lead you to the back of the shop. Robin still hadn’t come back with whatever she took the tip money for, but Steve honestly did not care about being at the counter at the moment. 

 “Dustin watch the front.” He ordered in a slightly harsher tone than he meant to as he ushered you through the door. Dusting nodded, muttering a short “yeah ok” before turning to the front of the store. Normally he would have complained, said something about working for free or doing Steve’s job but he was just as worried about you. It was strange but out of all the kids Dustin felt the most like a little brother, maybe it was the endearing relationship he had with Steve or maybe it was his brilliant mind and sunny disposition. You would absolutely never admit it, but you loved Dustin and Will in a way that Lucas and Mike could never match. The two of them felt like the kind of outcasts you were used to growing up as, felt like your own responsibility because while Mike had Eleven and Nancy and Lucas had Max and Erica, Dustin had you and Steve. You didn't know this, but he saw you as the older sister he never had too, cared about you in a familial way that he would probably never admit to. So, when he noticed the state, you were in the plans for breaking into secret Russian bases didn't matter. 

 Steve gently led you to the table in the center of the room, guiding you to sit before he turned and grabbed the first aid kit out from under the cubbies against the wall. You still hadn’t said anything, which brought his concern up another level. He opened the box on the table before turning back to you once again and kneeling in front of you. He gently gripped your chin, nudging your head up to look at him as he took stock of your injury and made sure there weren’t any others. He took a deep breath trying to rid himself of the protective fury that was building inside. He needed to know who hurt you and he needed to know now. 

Steve was a protective guy by nature and when it came to his loved ones he would do anything to support them and keep them safe. So when he finally saw the bruise forming on your temple, the bit of dried blood in your hair, the way your eyes were red and puffy, he saw red. Whoever did this to you was getting a visit as soon as he got off work. It didn’t matter that he technically never really won a fight, it didn’t matter that he didn’t know the circumstances, all that mattered was that someone hurt you and he was going to find them and hurt them back. But that all could wait because right now you were sat in front of him, looking so shaken and broken. He never wanted to see the look of defeat and overwhelming anxiety that your expression held at that moment, and he would make damn sure it will never be there again. So he schooled his features, took another deep breath and spoke in a calming tone. 

 “Y/N….Y/N I need you to give me a name. Who did this to you? What happened?” 

The question brought you out of whatever trance you were in. Honestly you hadn’t intended to cause such a big fuss, you were just so relieved to see him. So relieved to see that he was ok, that you had made it to him without any problems and he wasn’t some weird zombie person you were imagining the entire way to the mall. You pulled your head back and cleared your throat, back straightening as you wiped your eyes really quick. 

 “Uh my mom??” The way it came out sounded like a question, not because you didn’t know what happened but just because you had no idea how to approach the topic of your family becoming weird, possessed fiends. 

“What?!” Steve on the other hand was immediately jumping to conclusions, his eyes wide and brows furrowed. He definitely didn’t expect that, he thought back to all the phone calls the two of you shared while you were away. You never once mentioned your home being an unsafe environment, you talked about how much of a dick your dad was, how sometimes it felt like you never existed, how you knew Heather was the favorite child. But never once did you mention physical abuse, and that had Steve feeling a pang of hurt at the thought of you not sharing everything with him when he so openly laid bare his soul to you over the past year. But now wasn’t the time, this changed everything because this wasn’t some guy he could go wail on after work. This was way worse and way more serious than some douche bag or a girls fight or whatever he thought it was before. 

 But before he could say anything else, you were blurting out everything. You told him about how you hadn’t heard from your family in two weeks, how Nancy wouldn’t answer your calls. You told him your decision to come home early and how when you pulled up to your house Billy Hargrove was in your driveway. You told him about the rotten food, and the disheveled state of your home. He listened to you intently, worry growing with each word, eyes narrowing at the mention of Billy and then going wide again when you had said your own mother put you in a choke hold. 

The story you told didn’t make him feel better, if anything this was just progressively getting worse but he interrupted once when you mentioned the drugs and how you whacked your head on the table. “Holy shit what? WhAT?!” He ran his hands through his hair and paced back and forth in front of you. 

 “Yeah….I tried going to Nancy’s house and then your house, but you guys weren’t home. I even tried Jonathan’s, and no one was there either.” You explained as your hands gripped your knees. “I….I was so scared you wouldn’t be here...” those last words mumbled so quietly Steve just barely caught them. 

 “Ok…ok that’s…t-that is NOT good…” you could tell Steve started to panic a bit before catching himself. You watched him take two deep breaths before he reached for the first aid kit again. “Well, I am pretty sure Nancy is ok. I just talked to her recently and she was talking about some weird lady that hoards Mulch and like some zombie rats or something? I don’t know man journalism is weird. But I didn’t know about your sister and Billy. Do you …do you think it’s like some more of that weird shit that always seems to happen here? Or I don't know, like has your mom shown any signs of like a mental break in the past? ” As he questioned you calmly, he gently cleaned the cut on your temple before placing a band aid over it. 

 Before you could respond though Dustin poked his head through the window opening interrupting the two of you. 

 “Steve incoming!” He gave a short warning before a girl you had never seen burst through the door carrying what looked like blueprints?? She was wearing the same uniform as Steve which led you to believe this was Robin. Steve had talked about her a lot during your weekly phone calls, not that you were jealous or anything. That literally should have been the furthest thing from your mind, but you couldn't help recalling how you felt when Steve talked about the other girl. How he complained with fondness in his tone about the other young woman. How it made you feel like you were already being replaced when you had just gotten close to him. 

 “It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the county’s recorder’s office.” Robin was already talking as she came in but immediately stopped when she caught sight of you. “Really?? Right now, dingus?? Don’t you think we have bigger problems than your next failed attempt at getting a date?” She put one hand on her hip scolding Steve. 

 You tried not to be offended or hurt at the thought of Steve hitting on girls enough that Robin immediately assumed that’s what was going on. “U-um??” You began to defend yourself or Steve maybe? You weren't really sure, but Steve was already talking over you. 

 “Jesus Christ Robin shut up this is Y/N!” He quickly explained which had Robin looking back at you, something new showing on her expression that you couldn’t really read. 

 “Oh! Y/N! Nice to meet you! Are you breaking into the Russian base with us?” She had moved around to spread out the large blueprints on the table pushing the first aid kit to the floor. 

 “Excuse me? The what?” You looked from her to Steve before going back to her. What the fuck was she talking about? Steve never mentioned she was crazy, eccentric but not like certifiably insane. For a moment though in the back of your mind you were thankful for the distraction, not really wanting to dwell on your family at the moment. 

 “Robin what the hell?!” Steve threw his hands up in exasperation just as Dustin walked through the door. 

 “What? I literally told you I would come back with a plan to get us in. You talk about her all the time. I assumed you filled her in and that's why she’s here! I said I would be back!” She defended herself before explaining to Dustin that the blueprints spread on the table were of Starcourt itself. Meanwhile you were stuck on the ‘you talk about her all the time’ was that good? Was that bad? What did Steve say about you??? You knew this was literally the last thing you should concern yourself with, but you couldn’t help it. Steve of course interrupted that train of thought when he turned to you. 

 “Ok so uh I know you have a legitimate problem and it’s scary as hell but uh can we table that for just a moment so I can catch you up to speed. Since robin so kindly decided to spill.” He grabbed your hand and spoke softly to you, voice getting louder mentioning Robin. His eyes shot a glare her way which she just shrugged off. 

 “So, Henderson intercepted this like super-secret code with his x-men radio thing or whatever-” His voice getting cut off but Dustin who shouted over his shoulder “Cerebro!” 

 Steve rolled his eyes and continued, “yeah that, anyway he got this code and Robin cracked it with her like genius ear skills and then we were on the roof and saw the Russian guy’s load into this room and now we are trying to be American heroes by investigating and they want to break in somehow without being caught.” Steve was rambling at this point, and you were having a hard time following. Something to do about Russians having a base beneath the mall and a secret room or something like that. Your mind wandered a bit as he kept going on about their plans, maybe this whole Russian thing was the answer. 

 Maybe that’s what was going on with your family. Thinking back, your dad definitely was an asshole, but you didn’t think he was like a Russian spy asshole. You think you would have noticed if your parents were Russian spies. Or you guessed maybe you wouldn't that was the whole point in being a spy.  Or maybe they did something to them? Or bribed them. Or threatened them or something. Used some weird Russian drug. Maybe that’s what your mom tried to give you?? 

 As your mind was coming up with one ridiculous theory after the other Steve grew concerned with your lack of response. Looking closer he took note of how exhausted you looked, which sent a pang of guilt at the fact that he dragged you into this Russian mess when you clearly had some bad shit going on at home. He  gently tried to get your attention, to hear what you were thinking. 

 “Ah! Sorry I was just …um … do you think that might be what’s going on at my house?” You asked him, looking back up at him, hands clenching the hem of your shirt. 

 “Uh what do you mean like…is your family working for the Russians? Are you even Russian??” Steve had his telltale expression of pure confusion while Dustin rolled his eyes.

 “If they were Russian spies they wouldn’t like just come out and say they were Russian dude.” Dustin quipped which caused Steve to exhale loudly.

 “Well, I don't know! How am I supposed to know anything about this!” His voice dropped lower when he turned back to you. “I mean it's possible I guess…” He trailed off, one hand rubbing the back of his head. 

“Cool yeah whatever so are you in or what cause I got a plan.” Robin interrupted, turning to you, a slight grin placed on her face. You weren’t sure if you should be thankful for including you or pissed off that she was brushing over your concerns. Either way when you thought about it this was the best way to find answers. And Steve was going which meant if he went in and something happened you would lose your last life line and that was something you couldn’t afford or even fathom. Maybe you could find any kind of notes or evidence linking the Russians to your family, or some kind of research explaining what the fuck was going on I. Hawkins this time. You cling to the hope that maybe it was just an evil Russian ploy because that would mean it was humans you were dealing with and you’ve bested far worse than man itself. Humans seemed easier than interdimensional demons from tears in the universe.  

“Uh in I guess?” You shrugged while Steve shot you a worried glance that you completely missed. 

“Great! So! These are the complete blueprints of the mall…” Robin trails off bringing everyone’s attention back to the maps spread across the table. Dustin commended her with an impressed “not bad.” Which you had to admit was pretty clever of her. 

You listened intently as she was explained and showed where the base was in comparison to where you all currently sat in Scoops. “I mean I don’t really see a way in..” Steve was staring so hard at the blueprints you wouldn’t be surprised if he burned a whole in them. 

“There’s not. IF your talking exclusively about doors…” you immediately caught on to what she was suggesting. 

“Air ducts!” You exclaimed while Standing with excitement to move next to Robin to look at the second map she revealed. 

“Exactly” she smiled in your direction before continuing. “Turns out this room needs air just like any old room and these air ducts lead all the way… here.” Your eyes followed the red line, contrasting over the blue ones printed there. She drew a large circle around the targeted area and you clasped a hand on her shoulder. 

“Holy shit you’re a genius!” You finally felt the excitement overtaken the worry and anxiety you had been feeling. The rest of the group turns their head to look at the vent up near the top of the back wall.

“Woah woah Woah. Wait before we go crawling through vents and whatever else, y/n we should clean you up and get you like some food to eat. You literally had the worst day ever so let's just pause for a second ok.” Steve turned to you with concern shining in his eyes as he tried to reason with you . You had to admit he was right, you haven't eaten since you left the motel you had stayed at during your trip home and that was coming up on 8 hours ago… it had been a looong fucking day. But still you couldn't help but make light of the situation trying not to bring the mood back down.

“Aw Harrington you do care. It's all good. I'll just like grab a new shirt downstairs and I'll be good to go.” You laughed it off while you awkwardly rubbed your arm as a distraction. 

“Do you even have any money on you? Just let me take you to get some new clothes and food. Robin, can you cover for me for like an hour?” Steve stood firm on this insisting which you had to admit was just like him. He really was turning out to be the mom friend of the group which the thought alone made you chuckle. He also had a point in your haste to find him you had not thought to grab money. 

You sheepishly looked back at him. “I mean …no. I do not have any money but I don't want you to have to pay for me. Besides, I really dont need new clothes, it's just a little blood. And I don't want to make them wait for a whole hour, it's not that important.” you argue  back, not wanting to be in the way and also not wanting to waste any more time on trying to figure out what was going on. Despite you being much calmer than you were when you arrived you still had the image of your mother and sister sitting at the table, unsettling smiles adorning their faces. The longer you waited the longer it took for your family to do something horrible. What about Nancy if she really was just working, was she at work with your dad right now? Was your dad a part of this whole crazy mess? If he was, wouldn't that mean Nancy was in danger? All of these thoughts swirled in your mind as you came to the conclusion that anything you needed could wait until this was all fixed.

As you were lost in thought Steve looked from you to Robin with pleading eyes. Robin of course looked back with quick understanding, besides it would definitely suck if you passed out while sneaking into whatever evil Russian plot awaited the group. Steve mouthed a quick thank you her way before grabbing you by the wrist and leading you out the door. 

Which of course you immediately began to protest, “Steve no wait just wait a second!” your words falling of deaf ears as he continued to pull you out the door just as Dustin shouted from the back.

“Hey grab me a churro!” his voice carrying out the door, steves hand still gripping your wrist let go briefly to flash a thumbs up his way before going back to your wrist. 

You dug your heels in, finally forcing Steve to stop. “Jesus Harrington wait a second! Ok let’s compromise, I don't need new clothes but we can go grab food…ok?” You tried to reason with him hoping to cut down the time away from you getting your answers. 

He squints his eyes at you before letting out a huff, finally releasing your wrist to run his fingers through his hair. “Fine. Fine but you're gonna eat like a full meal not just some snacks and we aren't going to talk about Russians or monsters or anything else ok.” He pleaded with you, which brought a genuine smile to your face. You really appreciated the fact that he was giving you this chance to relax without worry. 

“Deal! Let’s go!” You grab his hand again and this time you're the one dragging him towards the food court, a smile plastered on your face. You knew he was just trying to look out for you and if you were being completely truthful you were grateful for the chance to escape your worries and dark thoughts that were swirling in the back of your mind. 

Once you had ordered an acceptable amount by Steve's standards you followed him to a table in the corner of the food court. 

“Ok Harrington this is way too much food how am i supposed to eat all this? You trying to put me in a food coma so I don't come with you to fight Russian super spies?”  you joke as the two of you took a seat across from each other. 

“Nope no Russian talk!” He quickly chastised you for bringing up one of the forbidden topics of this meal. 

“We are going to pretend there's nothing wrong! No Russian Spies, No body snatchers, no upside down bull shit. So tell me how is your Gran?” 

Steve wanted to give you a moment to breathe, to act like nothing was wrong for just a second. He knew the world ending horrors would be there after you ate, the two of you could take just this brief pause and act as if you were just coming home to Hawkins to find everything the same as when you left. Your heart warmed at this realization and you found yourself smiling down at your burger, completely thankful to have him there with you at this moment. 

“Haha ok ok. Gran is good! Her new place is HUGE, she's insane, you know she bought a cow?” you laughed under your breath as you watched his eyes sparkle with amusement. 

“A COW?!” he choked on the bite of food he just took, a grin growing. “Like a living breathing cow? The giant black and white things?? She's like two feet tall! What is she going to do with a cow??” He laughed and you couldn't help laughing along with him. You wish you could have shown him your Gran next to this giant creature ten times her size. Her little 4’11 self rubbing her face on it with a huge smile, pride glowing on her features. You will have to take him with you next time you go visit, it would be so funny to see Steve Harrington out on a farm in the middle of nowhere. 

“Haha she says she could use the company, you have to come with me next time I visit, we could take Nancy and Jonathan and go on a road trip!” you excitedly rambled on, only realizing what you said after it already came out. 

“I mean that is if you're uh cool with spending that much time with them…actually you know what nevermind that was a dumb idea haha” nervously chuckling you back tracked fast, realizing you just asked him to go on a road trip with his ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend she left him for.  When you looked at him for a response though the only thing you could pick up on was the genuine fondness his expression held.

“No no that would be great! Maybe your gran can show me how to like milk a cow.” He calmly played along, easing your worries in one fell swoop. Which did the trick because if picturing Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington on a farm was funny, visualizing him trying to milk a cow was even funnier. You snorted, hads flying to cover your mouth as you laughed out loud. 

“What? What's so funny you dont think I'd be good at it??” he poked fun, pointing a fry in your direction challenging you to say otherwise. This was so ridiculous, the whole conversation was so stupid and silly and exactly what you needed at that moment. Every worry you had, everything that had you stressed out an hour ago melted away as you just enjoyed the meal Steve bought you. Tension leaving your body, as the two of you continued to eat, talking about any and everything that happened while the two of you were apart. No talk of evil bullshit that had you in tears, just a genuine good time that left your heart warm and stomach full by the time the two of you finished up. After the two of you cleaned up your trash you made your way back to Scoops only pausing briefly to grab his hand pulling him to a stop just outside the entrance. 

“Hey…Thank you really truly.” you tried to convey the gratefulness that was swelling up inside as he just smiled back at you.

“It was just a burger y/n dont cream your pants.” He sent you a wink and laughed as you slapped him on the shoulder. You knew your feelings were received and he knew they came from the heart. 

“Now let's go save the country or whatever.” The two of you came back in to see Robin arguing with Dustin about whether or not he could fit in the air vent. Steve looked back at you, rolled his eyes and went to break it up. 

Silly conversations about cows and the likes were put on the back burner of your mind as the group moved forward to the next part of the plan. 

It was time to get your answers. 

❀✌︎❀

A/N: I’m having a very fun time writing this story I’m excited to get to the more major parts but so far it’s been fun. As always thank you so much for reading and if there are any suggestions or comments you all have please send them my way it would be greatly appreciated ❊❤︎

Next Chapter

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #angst #at the château #steve angst #steve harrington fic #steve harrington is a mom #steve x y/n #steve x reader #Steve Harrington x y/n #stranger things season three #steve stranger things

[transgenderer]

can you... expand on that (tlt not being about imperialism)

Elaborate, plz? I'd like to hear more of your tlt opinions

Can you elaborate on the TLT thing with regards of imperialism? I’m not familiar with the series, but I don’t care about spoilers and I want to hear your thoughts on it.

okay so sorry to the third person but i dont want to explain tlt lore so im just gonna assume people know tlt lore. anyway the empire just...doesnt make any sense? which is fine, its not about imperialism. but like, its not clear what exactly the empire is trying to achieve, how its enriching the metropole, etc. its not even clear WHO the empire is fighting? like, we see them occupy territory in NtN but we know that the empire is almost entirely devoted to warfare and yet who that warfare is against is unclear. they move the populations around for like no reason?

i mean, my very loose guess at whats going on is that tLT is actually a critique of extraction-based economic systems (i.e. every economic system since the beginning of time, call me when your premodern society isnt consuming a fixed and irreplaceable quantity of rock), for allegorical magic reasons the biosphere on the nine houses is fucked so theyre almost entirely depend on mining and such, i guess they ran out of material to extract in the solar system (i mean, it is thousands of years later), and so they acquire other planets to mine (plus farm? unclear) them to smithereens (this seems to be described pretty explicitly in NtN), the necromancy means ecological devastation is at megaspeed, the war theyre fighting is over natural resources. obviously itd just be cheaper and easier to extract from uninhabited planets but maybe they need the billionare descendants as like, labor?

so anyway this is bad because 1) "we will run out of resources to extract one day" is, while technically true, kind of a stupid argument imo. like yes obviously eventually, but like, its not modern luxury or whatever that relies on mining, its like...literally bronze age (technically stone age) technology that relies on mining. and a pre bronze age life sucks. and you could make the argument that while yes we could be using it more efficiently, entropy is against us so no matter what you do youll run out *eventually*. so like, then what? you have to make an argument that its running out *soon*, and those are dubious imo, and

2) real life empires were not about extracting natural resources! i mean they were a little. but they mostly werent. the motivations for empire were/are complicated but like, economy is not just "more natural resources good, less natural resources bad", the economy is mostly social and infrastructural wealth, which is complicated to maintain. so again, bad critique of empire.

3) but most importantly, tLT is run by an immortal superpowered godking, and as such the politics in world are totally alien to ours. like, in our world institutions and incentives overwhelm human motives both because humans alone are very weak, theyre only significantly powerful insofar as they can control other humans (or tech), and then also because humans are mortal so institutions outlive them. but tLT doesnt work like that at all, so its capability to be coherent commentary on earth politics is pretty hobbled? which is why it isnt, its a story about its characters, who are complex and whose actions are important on the scale of the characters we know. like yeah jod killed billions but because of the way fiction works this is not the important thing about jod, the important thing is how he treats people we see, which is much more nuanced and complex (alhtough still bad)

uhhhh i had more points. the state of tech in the nine houses is really silly, i know its tied to the resource stuff but it doesnt really make sense anyway. like, tech helps you get more resources. also the nine houses are very short on labor which prioritizes technology. and necromancy doesnt seem to replace technology that well, its pretty limited, esp cuz a single necromancer can only control like, what, ten constructs tops? also the idea of a war-centric economy for thousands of years is really silly. like its just totally infeasible. its fine! the worldbuilding is meant to be evocative and work on first glance, not be a totally functioning system, and it isnt

[paxesoterica]

So I watched the dub of Episode 06, and I started thinking again about that Witch from Mercury theory that Suletta is some random orphan who underwent body modification to look like Ericht Samaya (ala Enhanced Person No. 4), and at this point I think fans should disregard it unless new evidence appears to support it. 

(spoilers for the entire first cour below)

From what I can tell, the theory came about due to a combination of learning that the boy the audience thought was Elan Ceres was actually a body double of the real Elan, and that Suletta’s given age of 17 doesn’t match the fact that the Vanadis Incident that apparently took place 21 years ago (as far as we know at the moment); one of the most popular theories about that discrepancy is that Suletta is a clone of the original Ericht, though aside from the seeming time discrepancy and Suletta’s forgetfulness of her earliest (i.e. 4 and younger) years, there hasn’t been any evidence to confirm or deny it at this time. The body double theory came about then, as an alternate explanation that used technology that has been confirmed to exist in the world of WfM and would also explain the discrepancy. However, the reasoning behind the body double theory is flawed for multiple reasons.

One reason is that it seems like some folks have misunderstood how character foils in stories are supposed to work, and that they are not necessarily supposed to be as similar as possible; per Witch from Mercury’s writing, Suletta and Elan No. 4 are excellent foils in that both are Gundam pilots (witches in the show’s parlance), but the former is ignorant of her mobile suit’s nature, and her use of it makes her feel more confident and powerful, causing Suletta to regard Aerial as a friend and sister, while No. 4 is fully aware of his suit’s nature, and, because Pharact causes him pain and suffering, he regards it as a curse. A key plot point of Episode 05 & 06 in fact, is No. 4 realizing just how different he and Suletta are, and his reaction to that, so, from a thematic perspective, revealing later on that Suletta is just like No. 4 in the body double sense would be redundant storytelling and weaken the gravitas of Ep. 05 & 06, rather than serve as some sort of foreshadowing as some folks are inclined to believe.

Another reason is that, per Episode 11 & 12, while Prospera clearly regards Suletta as a tool, unlike the Peil CEOs and the Enhanced People, Prospera does not see Suletta as expendable, and we know this because, per both the cour finale and the Cradle Planet story, she insists that Suletta, and only Suletta, must be the one to pilot Aerial, and that does not make any sense unless we accept it as fact that there is something special about Suletta in particular that makes her irreplaceable (and thus, not an Enhanced Person, nor an android for that matter, though I haven’t seen much support for the latter theory). Prospera’s insistence on Suletta being Aerial’s pilot is further noteworthy in that, in theory, Prospera should be able to pilot Aerial herself without any need for Suletta: Episode 01 showed us that, in theory, anybody can pilot Aerial when Miorine stole her and attempted to fight her own duel against Guel; Episode 05 showed us that, in theory, any trained Gundam pilot could access Aerial’s permet functions and use her capabilities without harm, as demonstrated by No. 4 when he tested whether or not Aerial was a Gundam; and in Episode 12, we were explicitly told by Prospera herself that she was Elnora, who, per the Prologue, is the most experienced Gundam pilot alive, and thus, should be able to pilot Aerial easily.

Based on the above, Prospera shouldn’t need Suletta for her plans at all, and yet, for whatever reason to be revealed, she does, which makes any theory that Suletta is someone who could easily be expended and replaced untenable (note that this does not invalidate the ‘Suletta is a clone of Ericht’ theory if we assume real-world cloning techniques, because that *does* require a lot of investment of time and would still make Suletta very difficult to replace; it does, however, cast incredibility on the idea that Prospera cloned her daughter 13 times and uploaded the personalities of 12 of them into Gund-Bits rather than, say, make a copy of Aerial’s A.I [presumably combined with Ericht’s personality] and simply replicate that in the other 12 Bits).

#text #mobile suit gundam: the witch from mercury #suletta mercury #elan ceres #enhanced person no. 4 #prospera mercury

[almalvo]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY | S1E2 "Battle at the Binary Stars"

[I will react to each episode individually and in full, raw reception and then post as is unrevised here onto my tumblr for the full span of every and all NuTrek episodes and series that have been and will be released. If this falls under your field of interest - I welcome your company in joining me. Enjoy the ride.] -------

god this show looks so fucking juicy with all its colours and shapes and resolution … BURNHAM IS SAREK'S WARD??????? bro bro is she a sibling in upbringing with spock or something. everyons so fucking pretty ugh these sounds i really want this uniform LMAO THAT LOOK SARU GIVES BURNHAM AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA saru is so good looking UGHH THIS INTRO I CANT I CANTTTT LOOK AT IT ITS SO PRETTYYY i love the feeling DISCO gives me im so happy for star trek getting such a massive visual and all around production upgrade also i just realised since old-trek's Star Trek Enterprise series, we have been inching closer and closer to the one that started it all. Star Trek ENTERPRISE > DISCOVERY > STRANGE NEW WORLDS…

does this… mean we are…. just possibly……… heading into a reprisal of some kind of "Origins" production in the future non-AOS?

if so i know it will never be a replacement of what is irreplacable. but im actually EXCITED to see something like that. if even it were to be a bad project, it would still be such a tickling spectacle - an experience that reminds us of where we came from.

but also.. to see what came before to be such a modern topic to discuss and potentially (i fucking wish) revive the world with its gravity and vision - all eyes on Star Trek once again……… it would be so worth it. it would be. everything.

anyways back to the episode LMAO UGHHH look at the way all the united federation ships warp in among their brethren ughhhhh ughhhhhhh takes my breath awaayy i like klingon whats odd is it sounds so slow in this rendition man the amount of work it took to get this pronunciation right ughhhh everything looks so pretty in this literally movie quality for a TREK series

no but also one more thing - back to the idea about the future of modern trek, since the movie saga has fallen flat, if we head into a modern revival of TOS, featuring AOS cast as a different universe/mirrorverse or seomthing cameo in TV/STREAMING EPISODIC FORMAT would be just… JUST-

...

i am so curious as to how and why burnham and sarek are even existing together simultaneously ugh damn look at the damage on the ship the detail i love saru's eyes hearing this as the ship's computer voice is so odd to me because im so used to Majel's voice but hey its smooth what is happening also oh my god this mind meld scene is so pretty oh my god im so curious how Burnham and Spock's dynamic even IS THE FUCKKK?? what would that even BE??? i only know spock exists because that is one of the few spoilers ive seen of this show - i KNOW hes in DISCO. as well as pike but thats it. what purpose they serve and why? no idea. and how burnham becomes captain?? god im so curious iits so intersting to hear statements as familiar as "weapons disabled" being said in such a new setting. with such a new sound for somehting so classic. tractor beam WHO WHOS EUROPA? WHATS ON THAT SHIP WHOOO

the human and klingon transmission will never be in peace… until far into TOS's timeline.. man this is so INTERESTING. HEARING KLINGON TERRAN. I CANT LIE i miss their fabulous long locks of hair bro klingon ship is fucking knifing through this ship dude that is so hardcore but also devastating af oh my god this antimatter explosion looks so fucking pretty admiral is gone the chian of command shifts how does this go phillipa doenst become admiral does she? then burnham as captain i doubt its this easy nah its so weird to hear klingon so spaced t'kuvma is such a cool name ughhhh lok at all the WARPPPING SHIPSSSS hearing klingon accent is cool love how smart the ship is oh god burnham you MADLAD yo they goin hard the klingon attire is so victorian english inspired not too keen on that ahha ughhh saru is sooo NICE TO LOOK AT such nice features this ready room is very reminiscent of what is to become enterprise internal design i mean, of course. but i just cant help but hype over it all thats interesting, to have a human taught as vulcan. hmm a subtly different circumstance than that of spock. the visual aberration effect is working well in this series ahaha DISCO has a very…. odd feeling from since its first episode that continues into its second one - it doesnt feel super episodic at all? it feels all like a really long montage. the sets are so pretty whoa those armoured vests though? touch screen energising ughh the gold animation of the energising effect is lovely those klingons dropped so fast and easy from those phasers dude these are some of the sexiest phaser designs ive ever seen. the klingons are just dropping like nothing whoa burnham's yell when the klingon grabbed her was so not her XD it didnt sound like her oh wow we are actually seeing the short handheld klingon knife OH SHIT well i see that this is how phllipa is usurped by burnham.. BRO YOU JUST LEFT HER BODY THERE hmmm interesting the pacing of the first two episodes is very… fast

t'kuvma is dead already?? i think its this pale klingon that ive seen on the comic cover whoaaaa all these shuttle/escape pods leaving like baby toads off momma's back XD (if you know, you know.) its so montagey very consistently - i guess THIS is where we start the series as it is to be? i really like this chiaroscuro lighting hm. its over already huh idk if its me - but apart from the visually and audially beautiful presentation - it has an odd feeling to it i cant lie. i think it must be because of this 2-episode montage. i hope it is.

i guess ill find out.

#star trek #star trek discovery #discovery #DISCO #nutrek #thoughts #text #reaction #almalvo

[scalamore]

Chapter 94 Proposal (more thoughts/spoilers)

A continuation from this:

I always refer back to Chapter ~32, it's just so important with how much it affects the plot in the future. At that time, their agreement was basically - Rupert who desperately wanted companionship/human bonds with others, couldn't pass up a chance to "own" someone. he was just that lonely, that he would accept someone as suspicious as Lari. - Lari, who desperately wanted to save her family, first and foremost, and to ensure her future survival, made it ABSOLUTELY clear to Rupert that she is using him as a form of protection for House Belois' survival in the future. - Rupert accepts those conditions: He sees how desperate she is in wanting to protect House Belois from something catastrophic in the future, and she completely believes that he'll become Emperor and have the power to stop it in the future. He also knows how much she's scared of him and hates him, but even so, she's more than willing to offer up her own existence to him, to save her family. He understands how cornered she is, and this is her only option. Such a desperate person cannot betray their "master", even if he has no such power right now as a powerless princess. Even months later, in chapter 45, he thinks how he'll be able to keep her by his side forever, as she said "she'll be by his side as long as he's in power" - and he absolutely plans to become Emperor and stay in power forever.

At the start, it was that simple. When Lari truly became Rupert's person in chapter 70ish, that came with a bittersweet feeling - Rupert trusts her as his ally now, but he didn't completely trust her. He trusted her enough because she promised him her loyalty as "his person, someone who belonged to him". But the thing is, people change. When she first regressed, Lari was fine with selling herself to Rupert to achieve her goals. Four years later, she doesn't want to be treated as an object anymore. Being beside Rupert, who's been treating her well, having her own freedom at the palace, living a rather comfortable life with him.... she's tasted freedom. If Rupert demands that she stay at the palace forever, she will, but it's because he ordered her to, not because she wants to. But they've gotten so comfortable around each other that they freely bicker and speak their mind now, and Lari is able to voice her own opinions and say no. She starts thinking that maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to live life after all this after all? Around this time, Rupert also realizes the promise they made in Chapter 32 is flimsy. Lari may have boldly said that she'll do anything to prove herself to him and become his person, and she currently is - but he doesn't know how long that flimsy promise will last. Chapter 86 shows us his conflict: He truly cherishes her. He likes seeing her healthy and happy. He likes being around her, and her existence is irreplaceable to him. HOWEVER. The more he cherishes and cares for her, the more he starts coveting her, wanting to completely own her, wanting her to belong to him only. Rupert has seen firsthand what it means if he were to truly covet Lari - He's seen how Crazy Emperor treated his mother, how Eva was ruined, and chose death over a life being owned by Crazy Emperor. In the end, it was a one sided, twisted relationship of unrequited love, obsession, and possession. Rupert doesn't want that for Lari. He believes she still hates/fears him, yet she's such a genuinely nice and kind person who still offers warmth and compassion to someone as deficient as him. Because he cares/cherishes her so much, he holds back on those feelings of wanting to get closer to him, choosing to stay distant and watch from afar (ch 63, Ch 86). But after the poisoning incident, the belois trip, getting even closer to her, Rupert truly falls in love with her without realizing it. Not realizing that it's [love], all he knows is that he just prioritizes her happiness above all. Because of that, he cannot, and is unable to order her to stay by his side. He knows that he CAN, but he chooses not to. He knows that if he orders her to stay, she WILL, but there is no way she'll be happy. If anything, she'll resent him, AND THAT HURTS HIM MORE. There is no way he'll be able to face her as the one who traps her in the palace if he does so. So he tries to offer her things that would entice her to stay. A promotion? she denies (she's not interested in power) Money? she denies (he pays her a high salary already lol) MARRIAGE?? BECOMING CROWN PRINCESS AND EMPRESS? (she denies) He ran out of things that he could offer her, so he's stuck. Good thing she's not interested in marriage right now, because if she fell in love with someone he won't have a choice if she really wants to leave. Until then, he'll treat her well, making sure that all her needs are met, she's safe and happy, because he just simply wants her to be happy.

#rupelali #your majesty please spare me this time #manhwa #rofan

[mr-leach]

Curse of Strahd Ask Meme Part 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Original Post by @mandisawesome​

/// SPOILERS AHEAD! ///

Nothing too spoiler heavy but just in case you’re really sensitive to spoilers and you haven’t reached the Old Windmill in your campaign yet, maybe skip this part!

Question 5: Did your party travel with any NPCs?

This one’s probably not a surprise, but we did spend some time traveling with Ismark, seeing as we were asked so nicely to protect him, and all. Of course, none of our characters actually knew each other apart from having barely survived the Death House together, and the four of them weren’t exactly in agreement that they were, indeed, fit for the job in question. Still, they all agreed that someone should protect Ismark on his way to Vallaki, and if they were really the best candidates Ireena could find, then they couldn’t exactly say no.

They didn’t exactly win over Izzy’s confidence for a while (I still laugh when I remember when, some ways into the campaign, Sy blurted out something like “Can you believe we’ve all only known each other for a week?” and Ismark immediately spit out his drink like “YOU DIDn’T KNOW EACH OTHER BEFORE!?”) but at least he’s learning new things about himself, like how to use wizard spells, and how his disinterest in marriage so far might have just be a lack of attraction to women overall, and how WOW, maybe traveling away from home with a group of pretty men/masculine adventurers might not be so bad, actually.

Next: it was only for a short while, but boy did we ever cherish the time our party was able to travel with the adorable Lucian, the little boy we managed to rescue from being eaten by hags and having his bones ground into flour and baked into dream pies. All things considered, he was pretty calm about the whole thing! Mostly grateful to not be made into pie or taken back to his pie addicted parents.

Cinaed came out of his traumatized daze eventually. For now, Lucian is staying at the orphanage in Vallaki, where the party (especially Sy) makes sure to visit him often.

Now I mentioned them earlier but we did indeed steal a twink and we are keeping them forever. Sylras has been an irreplaceable member of our party for a good while now, and even though the party’s efforts to gently teach them how to navigate their emotions and learn right from wrong have been.......well, sub optimal, they seem to like us, so we’ll call that a win.

Seriously need to teach them about self preservation more, though. That or get a kiddie leash for them, or something.

Also worth mentioning is Dolly, who spent a very brief stint as Cinaed’s animal companion. He is a bumblebee bat, and thus Extremely Tiny. Cinaed made him his own bat box to go on our wagon and everything.

“But Leach,” I hear you ask, “why in the world would you trust a bat to travel with your party!? This is Curse of Strahd!!” Well, the answer to that is: Cinaed literally had brain damage when he invited a little injured bat to stay with us. There was an explosion and Cinaed managed to let his temporary amnesia go unnoticed for several hours. By the time anyone reminded him that it was a bad idea to just invite a bat into our wagon for the night, the damage was done. So the party let Schrödinger's bat stay and we all huddled into Dorian’s Tiny Hut for the night just in case Dolly tried to kill us. 

He didn’t, and we figured that was evidence enough to exonerate the little fella.

We were wrong, and Dolly stole our shit at the first opportunity, the wee little bastard. Suffice to say the next time we see him Dolly will be punted on sight.

#dnd #d&d #curse of strahd #cos spoilers #bat #bats #strahd meme #ismark kolyanovich #sylras #mandisawesome #inertia-raptor #art