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#still a corporate slave but whatever

rentumblsstuff · 2 months

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Random Hatchetfield Headcanons

The first time Alice Woodward ever smoked weed was when (after much inner turmoil) she asked Deb to shotgun it with her.

Max has two snaggletoothed incisors which is why people swear to god he has fangs.

Deb also has a snaggletooth which is what inspired the vampire part of Alice’s vampiric sapphic play. Alice also thinks it’s ironic she made a vampire character when Deb is a vegan.

Ruth as a Sophmore hit on Senior Alice a lot. Alice thought it was funny and she and Deb “adopted” her. Max and Steph also put the PANIC in bi panic for Ruth.

Max would find it weirdly hot that Grace wears bathing suits under her clothes because of the idea that he gets to see what her body looks like before even she does.

The hospital is downtown, so Becky Barnes definitely got infected in TGWDLM. Despite never wanting to do it again, Becky climbs the tree as someone calls the HFPD to save Kathy’s cat because she’s still infinitely compassionate even under Pokey’s control. Plus, Pokey knows she wants to get over the trauma associated with climbing trees, so he makes her do it to give her a big number about finally overcoming her past. She accidentally flings the cat as soon as the song starts, which is why in Show Me Your Hands, the cat dies so quickly even though it JUST got called in.

Peter infected Steph who infected Deb who infected Alice in TGWDLM. Pete and Steph would have been Sophomores and Deb and Alice were Seniors, but I always imagine Steph and Deb knowing eachother because MRFC said Steph is in the Smoke Club on Twitter at some point. Assuming Steph’s been a little punk for a while, she’s been in the smoke club since at least Sophomore year, and probably a new inductee the same year as TGWDLM (2018).

Alice and one of her parents (maybe Bill) were also raised in purity culture because we know the Woodwards and the Chastitys go to the same church. The Woodwards probably take it with a grain of salt though (Alice has expressed dislike over Grace’s prudishness)- either that or one of her parents (probably her mom) wasn’t originally from said church and also raised Alice with “this is what you’re learning here, but here’s also what I learned at my church at your age.” Bill was likely the one raised in purity culture because he does NOT LIKE DEB and thinks that if she HAS TO date a girl, she should date someone like Grace Chastity, implying she’s an exemplary teen girl. Ms. Woodward lets Deb sleep over and probably knows she smokes and likes her anyways; three points for Alice’s mom not being the puritanical one.

Ted reads romance novels. He’s a former geek turned sleazeball- you know he reads the smuttiest novels ever and calls them “his research”. He refuses to read any book with the friends to lovers trope because it’s too upsetting to think about. (Side note Time Bastard gave us a definite date that timelines don’t branch/reset before depending on whichever theory you believe because the homeless man is in every timeline, meaning that Jenny’s death is fixed in time and never changes: October 7th 2004, so the timelines change anywhere between October 8th 2004 and 2018.)

In whatever timeline Emma finally gets to have her weed farm, she meets Paul when he tells her he was prescribed that marajamij for his anxiety and he was too scared to try Xanax. She thinks he’s kind of cute for a wet cat of a corporate slave. “Fuck the patriarchy? Yes please.” (Side note Paul seems so uptight and unfuckable like bro gotta be blank down there like a Ken doll and has no discernible kinks from what I remember while Emma is laid back and chill asf and like… normal in comparison so yeah sure Paulkins canonically fucks but does Emma enjoy it?? Like dude even Pete’s more fuckable than him come on.)

Pete and Steph don’t kiss when they admit their feelings for eachother even though one of them would die before ever getting to kiss each other because they both think it’ll only make it that much harder to go through with sacrificing the other. One of the reasons Pete also chooses to be the one to take the bullet because he doesn’t think he even COULD pull the trigger on her. Like it’d be physically impossible for him, in his mind.

TGWDLM was originally meant to be an allegory for the institution brainwashing us. Show Me Your Hands and America’s Great Again: examples of people in power working for and fulfilling the evil wishes of some almighty, otherworldly, inhuman THING (be it aliens, be it those in power). It’s clearly meant to satirize the way that power corrupts and tries to convince you its way is better. Even Hidgens, THE FUCKING TEACHER, tries to teach his student that it will be better for everyone to join in that corruption and give in to the hive mind. This reminds me of how the school system in America tries to paint our history as something glamorous; manifest destiny instead of genocide of the indigenous populations. The people in power convincing those under them that the deaths of countless lives is a good thing and it will pave the way to a better future. Cool motive, still murder. Which is why Emma “Fuck the Patriarchy” Perkins is the last one to be infected. She was incapable of being brainwashed , and even when she was the last one left, she saw that the people watching didn’t care, and the all-consuming threat of corrupted power closes in on her until the very last moment.

The Lords in Black were going to try to convince whoever sacrificed their most treasured something to do more work for them, but Grace required very little convincing. Like Wiggly spoke into her mind like “Gracy-Wace! You forgot my booky-wook! Look in it, see any thing you like? Wanna kill all the pervy-wervys?” And she’s like “holy cow I can kill all the pervy-wervys with this book?” Pete would have needed the most convincing because he’s just lost the only girl who will ever love him (in his mind) and so he’d think these things took away his one chance at true love and NEVER want to deal with them again. Even if they offered him a way to get her back, he’s too smart to know that won’t come without an even bigger price AND too paranoid to think she won’t come back wrong like Max did.

If the Green-Foster family ever did get to move to California and Lex got to be an actress, her interview attitude would be a lot like Reneé Rapp and if she ever got asked about why she’ll openly shit talk people in an interview, she’s like “I used to work retail I learned pretty fast that nothing gets done if you keep your mouth shut.”

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txttletale · 7 months

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Wtf is Lancer and why is it shit (serious question)

lancer is a tabletop roleplaying game made by the guy who drew kill six billion demons and another guy. i wouldn't call it 'shit', necessarily--it's good in a lot of the ways that matter. it's first and foremost a tactical mech combat game and on that level it's incredible. its ruleset is finely tuned, provides great amounts of GM support to make running what might otherwise be overwhelmingly crunchy combat easier, and has a truly stunning and cool level of character customization available. so as a game, i think it's great fun to play and run, genuinely innovative, and a huge step forward for battlemap tactical wargame type TTRPGs in general.

the lore though, kind of sucks. i think it has two clear and overlapping core problems. problem #1 is that it is a utopia as envisioned by a social democrat. it's a world which the text describes as 'post-capitalist' (but there are still evil megacorporations with private armies who own slaves) and 'post-scarcity' (but only in the developed 'core' systems, so. y'know. there's scarcity). at many points in the text they say that Union (the game's main faction) is utopian, throwing around that exact word a bunch of times as well as 'mutual aid' and 'direct action' and the like. but what they describe is just kind of an imperialist Space Sweden with several distinct forms of slavery that constantly expands and uses its Benevolent Imperial Power to intervene on the Backwards Violent Worlds on its outer border but its good because its just trying to bring them UBI.

to show what i mean, here's one of the game's writers¹ talking about how it would be morally wrong for Union to, say, appropriate the property of a private military corporation that also operates as a fascist nation-state:

it's 'revolution' as imagined by the limpest of social democrats. and of course this would honestly be fine, whatever, most sci-fi settings are fundamentally achingly liberal, but the game goes so out of its way to signpost how Radical it is and how Hopeful and Liberationist you're meant to see the setting as

the other core problem is closely related--it feels like the lancer guys put every cool sci-fi idea they had into lancer even when it completely clashes with the core ideas behind it. like, AIs in this settings are callled 'NHPs' (non-human persons) and they're eldritch god-like beings from another dimension who have be kept 'shackled' (lancer's words, not mine!) to keep them as pliant and obedient AI assistants instead of hostile eldritch abominations. this is obviously horrifying and dystopian but it rules, it would be sick fucking worldbuilding for something with the tone of 40k or a one-off doctor who or star trek episode--but as a fundamental technology foundational to what we are supposed to believe is a post-revolutionary society founded on mutual aid and solidarity and blah blah blah it's glaringly dissonant.

bear in mind this is all just going off the rulebook. lancer fans have told me that the supplements and campaign modules fix some of this or contextualise it. but on the other hand communists have told me that they make it worse and i trust the communists more. i leave you with this incredible passage from the game's foreword:

#ask #brendanicus #ttrpg #lancer

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nicromancytarot · 27 days

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WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WERE TO CHANGE CAREER PATHS?

This is a general reading based on a collective of people. Take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. If you don’t feel the pile resonates with you, don’t be scared to try another, if it still doesn’t feel right, that’s ok! Maybe our energies aren’t as connected and my readings are not for you.

I do these strictly for fun and educational purposes. I don’t change for these readings and I do not fake readings. I would tell you the cards I got but I pull like 20-30 cards each reading and that just slightly a strenuous task to write them all down lmao.

PICK A CARD READING

I asked my spirit guides what would happen if you were to change your current career path, pick a pile and see what they had to say!

Pile 1 ———> Pile 2 ———> Pile 3

PILE 1

You guys seem to be in a current job which you’re not feeling all that fulfilled in, this is either to do with the community that surround this job, the work that you are given, or possibly the work that this job requires. For some of you, you may feel outcasted from a larger group of individuals, some of you may even go through “bullying” stages, or harassment in the workplace. Others of you are overwhelmed with the amount of work that you are being given, and possible over exaggerated standards that you are expected to meet in the workplace. For the rest of you it’s to do with the actual work itself, you may not be feeling very happy in this field, perhaps you gave up a hobby or passion project to take part in this workplace.

The reason I say this is because I notice that the pay isn’t necessarily the issue for a lot of you, the job you’re currently in does seem to be paying you well, and gives you a good amount of leadership and possible creative freedom. Changing your career path would be a very big difference, it’s not something that you are used to, and it’s not the same as your current job.

For a lot of you I am feeling that this is some type of business that you want to begin building and working on, perhaps something that you have been dreaming about for a few years. A lot of you are stressed about the time and energy this project would take to perfect, and are mainly failed about the possibility of it failing and you being left jobless.

Those of you who are not planning on starting a business, this links into some job that is more creatively freeing and fun for you, perhaps you’re going from a classic barista job, and changing into a graphic design field instead, there’s definitely a large amount of change and difference for all of you however.

Whatever you are choosing to do and how you are deciding to change this, you’re all very stressed out about the possibility of failure and being unsuccessful. Of course you could fail, but that’s a given is it not? With trying this, you could literally become a millionaire lmao, with so much perseverance and resilience, you can take this wherever you please.

For business people, makeup? Gloss?

A lot of you are scared of reaching out to people, whether it be making new friends at your new workplace, or finding yourself a trusted team to help you with your passion project. (I’m getting heavy passion project honestly)

Doing this will get you taken more seriously, it will take a while to nurture this decision and create the career path that you want for yourself, but with bravery and strength, you have the potential to create whatever dreams you have and bring them to life.

PILE 2

I feel like a lot of you are in a job that doesn’t pay you enough to sustain your living situation, almost like you’re a corporate slave? I’m getting the feeling of living in New York and struggling to pay your bills, or living somewhere which is below the bare minimum and making you feel like shit. Some of you could really be struggling with housing at the moment, possibly bug or rat infestations, a lot is going wrong, peeling paint, mould, it’s certainly not ideal.

Some of you are in a relationship with someone who would help you pay for your rent, or whatever you needed during your time of discovering your plans for your career in the future, even if this isn’t a romantic partner, it could be friends or family who are more than willing to lend a hand, masculines are very prominent for this pile.

I feel like leaving this job will give you some time to think about what you need to do next, what are the steps to take and how can you better your life?

I’m not getting business, however I am getting something that takes a lot to make work, perhaps you’ll be working alongside a friend, becoming an influencer, stepping into fame.

It’s giving very much “trust me” energy.

There are some people around you who won’t trust this or have much hope for it, you’ll have a good amount of individuals telling you to find a “proper job” or just go back to your old one.

You’re very sure about what you want after taking this small break away from everything, I see someone who knows what they have to do to make something work, as if they have it all planned, some of you might literally have a board like a detective, with strings pointing to certain opportunities or ideas.

You’ll get into this new thing very quickly, you’ll waste no time and give it your all, for those of you who are influencing or dipping your toe into the life of fame, you’ll be very good with handling criticism and hate, you’ll be very quick to brush it off and ignore those trolls, as you know that they are only jealous of you.

Your main motivator is your living situation.

The rest of you who are doing something else not relating to fame, you will be very defensive to the people around you who doubt your innovation and creativity to do what you want as a job.

Verrrrry quickly, this opportunity brings in those bags of money, I’m seeing someone doing the absolute least and then getting paid a ton for it.

How you will feel after this change will have something to do with your home, I’m seeing someone buying a much larger and stabler house, somewhere that they feel happy to bring their friends and family around to, I do see a lot of your money going into your housing situation.

PILE 3

Bro, are you guys sleeping with your boss or something??? There’s a heavy energy on workplace affairs, something to do with temptation, selfishness and love. This person that you are sleeping with, IS MARRIED!!!! Don’t go there, for the love of God.

Some of you could honestly be the work wife/husband, rather than an actual affair, however this person is down bad, but they only want you to have you, not to keep you.

This is a VERY specific message, only a few of you will relate to this, if it’s not your message, feel free to find another pile lmao, this one is insane.

For those of you who have been sleeping with or fawning over some person in your workplace, what are you doing?! Listen, I do not condone cheating, some of you are also cheating on your partner, oh my days.

This person has you in a metaphorical chokehold, they’ve got you in their arms, their spouse in their mind and their past rendezvous on speed dial. You’re getting ready to make a decision, you’re telling them about leaving the workplace and they are threatening you with telling everyone the truth. Their spouse already knows, I’m feeling like they are aware and just want you gone, they may even offer you some money to get you the hell out of their husband/wives life, they are not coming to play.

I’m seeing someone who will keep their money and reputation, meanwhile the other will only keep money, and say goodbye to their reputation. If people find out about the affair, they will turn on either one or you, however I’m feeling it point more towards you.

Fear not, create something new, spend the time working on it, and everyone will forget. It’s only one big scandal of the workplace, and they’re sure to do it with another, so you will soon be long forgotten.

For those of you who have romantic intentions or feelings for this person, they could be telling you that they’ll leave their spouse. Run. Run and do not look back, they are lying.

Working on something new, whether it be your own creation, or just something better paying and worthwhile in the long run, will help you achieve all you dream or achieving. I’m seeing someone who realised that they dodged a bullet, and now is possibly even their own boss, or married to their new one (slay)

I also see that you will “repent for your sins” the rest of your life (lmao, that’s so dramatic), but you will beg the universe for forgiveness for a while.

Also, for those of you who are cheating on your partner, you can work through it, they will forgive you, however I would recommend setting them free.

#tarot #tarotblr #tarotcommunity #tarot witch #free tarot #tarot reading #tarot cards #pick a card #pick a pile

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billskeis · 4 days

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Hi, could you do Bill Kaulitz imagine, comforting the female reader, because it's been very stressful for her lately?

ᡣ𐭩 boyfie bill who nurtures his gf

you slam the door, flinching, you didn’t expect it to be so loud although it was intentionally you’re doing. bill welcomes you with open arms but you walk right past him, a pout forming on his face. he swears he can see the storm clouds floating above your head, today was just not a good day. or week, you’ve been stressed for some time.

“schatzi, bad day?” all you could do was sigh and nod, back facing to him but he can still see the motion of your head moving up and down. this is all he needs for him to sweep you off your feet and face you now hand in hand, twirling you to meet each other’s eyes. “bill?” you ask.

he smiles at you, cupping your face in his hands as you nuzzle your nose into his palms, taking in his scent. home, bill smelled so much like home. you feel a little bit more comfort knowing that you have someone like him in your life, “you’ve done so much this week baby.. let me show you some appreciation,” “bill, i’ve got more work to do..”

he shakes his head in disapproval, “i won’t take no for an answer, c’mon, you deserve it. how ‘bout a bath? and while you’re in, i can cook a meal.. after that, we can watch a movie, do face masks, snack on whatever we want..? just—spend time with me—you’ve overworked yourself, now lemme paper you ja?”

you hesitate. your office job clearly working you to the bone. just paperwork after paperwork, call after call. no lunch break, overtime. you’re boss is an asshole. you only have one or two friends at work, the rest of them dare not to associate with you. a day to you and bill.. does sound pretty nice.. well, fuck it, those corporate slaves can go kick rocks.

you pull bill in for a hug, a nice squeeze and the way your face dug into his chest was all he needed to realize your approval. kissing the top of your head, he breathes you in, “my beautiful angel.. let’s go run you that bath hm?” “mmhm..” taking your hand, he leads you to your shared bathroom.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

sitting in the warmth of the bath tub, bubbles are all that surround you as the faint scent of coconut and vanilla fill the room. you dip your body further into the big puddle of water, submerging yourself, body and muscle finally relaxing from all the tension and strain your poorly funded office chair has you stuck in for a consecutive eight hours.

a patter of small footsteps come closer as you’re now met with your boyfriend sitting at the edge of the bath tub. “how s’that feel? feel better?” “definitely, i needed this so much.. thank you baby,” bill runs the palm of his hand on the back of your neck, slightly adding pressure to message the tension out of your body. just a slight touch is more than enough.

“it’s my duty as your boyfriend.. been working so hard my pretty girl, a lil’ self care don’t hurt doesn’t it?” you scoff at him, knowing of your workaholic tendencies. on multiple occasions bill has offered many times a self care day as such, which always ends with a decline. you were so stubborn, a determined individual to get your work done but at what cost? this, is way better than that stupid office job.

“bill,”

“yes baby?”

“i smell something burning,”

“oh shit—mwah—THE FOOD!!!”

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

you and bill had ended up ordering takeout for the night. as you two cuddle on the couch covered in blankets, bill sulks as he takes a bite of his pad thai. “bill! it’s okay, i appreciate the gesture, you’ve done enough baby i promise.” “no! no baby it was—it was supposed to be perfect for you. i stayed up all night researching comfort foods and i couldn’t even do a simple recipe like that..” he stayed up all night?

as he fusses in his spot, his face mask threatens to slip off his face from so much facial expression movement. you use your fingers to fix and adjust the sheet mask back comfortably onto his face, the cooling sensation once again touching his plush cheeks. “billy, it’s okay, it’s just food.. next time okay?” “next time :D? we can do this next time :D?”

you giggle and laugh at him, he’s so cute. linking arms with him, you scarf down on the fried rice, it was really good. you think about how good bill’s cooking would taste, known for being a great home chef. well, to you and tom at least. your day was made so much better, all warm and cozy inside, so grateful to have bill in your life.

you look at bill who’s already looking at you. he asks you if you were okay because he’d been watching you eat this whole time and saw how you seemed lost in thought. you reassure him, letting him know that you are just thankful that he’s doing all this for you, he can only cheekily smile and tell you ‘you deserve it, my beautiful princess, s’glad i was able to make your day.’

you take each other’s face masks off. you massage the essence of the face mask onto bill’s face. he closes his eyes for better leverage as you gently press your fingers into his cheeks, forehead and every nook and cranny of his face. you tap his face so he can open his eyes as you finally finish. as you raise your hands to start on yours, bill swats them away and tells you ‘lemme do it!’ as he brings his own to massage your cheeks, pressing a quick kiss to the tip of your nose before he starts.

you think about a resignation.

oooookay this one was bad . sorry guys D: i appear to be losing my spark

FRET NOT ! i am not leaving , just probably won’t be as active as i think i’ll be . will occasionally post :3

#tokio hotel #tokio hotel x y/n #tokio hotel x you #tokio hotel x reader #tokio hotel fluff #bill kaulitz #bill kaulitz x y/n #bill kaulitz x you #bill kaulitz x reader #bill kaulitz fluff #2000s #fyp #billskeis

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cambion-companion · 5 months

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Woven Fate part 1

Exploring the idea of the reader/Tav being sent by Raphael's daddy to spy and distract him from power grabbing INSTEAD of Haarlep. Throwing into the plot that the reader is still kidnapped by the Nautiloid and thus becomes a keystone in Raphael's crown heist.

I'm starting this off as a drabble, to set the scene and get a feel for the reception of such an idea before I fully commit.

I really want this to be a multiple part series, perhaps with a prologue of how the reader was sent by Mephistopheles to spy on Raphael instead of Haarlep (or whatever Haarlep's name was before HoH).

Raphael x reader (gn) | reader's race is up in the air, though probably from infernal persuasion, I like giving you guys the freedom to use your imagination as much as possible | rivals/enemies to assets with benefits

“’Go distract my son’ he said, ‘it’d be easy’, he said.” You growled in frustration as, for the umpteenth time that week, you cleaned up after Mephistopheles’ infuriating son. “I can hardly report back to the old chap while elbow deep in his son’s shitter.”

You felt the familiar warping press of the planes flexing, signaling Raphael’s arrival back home.

You heaved a sigh. “Great.”

“What a lovely sound to return to.” Raphael greeted, strolling into the boudoir, not deigning to look at you. “Ready to return to my father with your tail between your legs?”

“For the thousandth time, no.” You sat at his ornate desk and propped your chin upon your hand. “Though I am putting my foot down. Utilize the slaves you have to do your menial labor, I’m done.”

“You are one of my slaves, pet.” Raphael murmured, a hard edge to his voice.

“I serve your father, Raphael. Or should I double check with him really quick?”

Raphael rounded on you, eyes burning. You stood to meet his anger, your defiance flaring corporeal flames around your body.

“You serve me.” Raphael said each word with dangerous emphasis.

“I’m going on strike.” You seethed back.

He towered over you, your noses almost touching, the mutual enmity palpable in the hot air.

“You are yet protected by the archdevil, for now.” Raphael’s shoulders relaxed slightly as he regained composure. He didn’t step away. “That does not shield you from my wrath, little impling.”

That rankled. “What’re you going to do, fuck me sideways on the floor again?”

“Begone, nattering pest.” Raphael waved a hand in agitation and turned from you.

“I know about your plans for the crown, Raphael.”

That stopped him in his tracks.

You smiled slowly. “This is precisely the kind of thing that led to my being sent here.”

“Then it is evident you are failing at the job my father appointed you.” Raphael tsked and began his daily ritual of setting in order his contracts. The rustle of parchment mingling with the crackling fireplace as he feigned disinterest. “What do you plan on doing with this information?”

“I’m keeping it close to my chest, for now.” You cooed, stepping near him and sliding your hand along his tense back. “Just wanted to let you know, master. I am a player not a pawn.”

Raphael caught your hand and held it tightly, squeezing until your fingers hurt. “Naive creature. Then you are bound to lose.”

“Who said I’m playing against you?”

The question hung in the air. Raphael breathed in slowly, deeply, his hand relaxing ever so slightly around yours. You slipped your fingers from his grip and kissed his cheek coyly. “Just a thought.”

Then you deftly made your way from his boudoir before you devised other ways to tempt the Fates.

You had indeed been dealt an interesting hand, and were determined to explore your options to determine which path would be most self- beneficial.

A plan that might have come to fruition had the Nautiloid not thrown a wrench in it. Traversing the vast barren fields of Avernus near the House of Hope, you saw the Mindflayer ship blast into being. Too close to where you were. You felt the horrible ache of familiar helplessness as the monstrous ship bore down on you.

A flash of white, an excruciating pain, then all went dark.

#raphael bg3 #raphael fanfic #raphael x tav #raphael x reader #multi part #drabble #raphael the cambion #raphael baldur's gate 3

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viperwhispered · 12 days

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Ngl I'm a sucker for postive characters development. So here's technically a bonus hcs for this ask: Jamil picks up skills that make it impossible for him to overwork.

During his 3rd year, he became the housewarden and FINALLY learned to delegate tasks. Because he's a paranoid king he still prefers do things himself, but now he can identify capable people and put them to work in accordance to their skills. He'll die before admitting, but its something he picked up from Azul.

With Vil he learned how to keep up appearences without letting his boundaries get stomped all over. No, he won't let show how much he despises someone but at least now he can at least properly maintain his own demands without officially offending anyone.

With Riddle he learned the noble art of letting someone know exactly what you think of them with just a look and certain way of sipping tea.

During his travels post-grad and post-freedem, he stops by Briar Valley. Malleus, always happy for the chance to play host, invites him to stay at the castle. While in Malleus' court, he learns how to properly organize all responsibilities within a reasonable time frame of 9 to 6 with a 1 hour lunch break. Any overtime is reserved strictly for emergencies (based on this).

At the end of his travels, Jamil gets convinced to join Leona on his campaign to reform the slums. Because Leona is still one lazy son of a bitch he somehow manages to develop a work/organization system that is so effective that all Leona has to do is occasionally wake up for paperwork and meetings. Said system also includes enough personnel for every type of situation, benefits + good pay for everybody, a 24-hour work schedule with constant rotations to prevent exhaustion, etc. Jamil is in the background taking notes on every little detail of this system.

Skip ahead, Jamil is now working as Kalim's vizier after grueling negotiations of his work contract so that he isn't treated like corporate slave (Kalim is fine with it, its the rest of the nobles who need shutting up).

Jamil proceeds to reorganize the staff according to a modified version of Leona's system and productivity goes up. Helps that he modified their employment contracts so that the staff are treated like staff and not slaves. He also bans child labor and any poison testers are experienced in identification, treatment, and have practiced mithridism. Jamil's absolute refusal to do overtime unless absolutely necessary along with being the only one to bluntly keep Kalim from doing whatever he wants pisses off a lot of higher ups but they can't argue because he's by far the best vizier they could ask for.

Cut to Kalim, who the nobles believe will punish Jamil for daring to "act above his station". Instead Kalim adopts the 9 to 6 schedule himself and orders a mass reorganization of work policies. Why? Because Kalim loves his bestie, wants to help people, and also likes having time to spend with his family. Previous Asim heads would just pass on their extra work to advisors and viziers which caused them to be constantly stressed andoverworked. Kalim is determined to break this cycle.

Ironically, this causes an unintentional employment rights movement all over the country. Staff are demanding contract modifications, better employment benefits, legal reforms to protect their workers rights & their children, etc. Workers unions are popping up all over and the nobles are getting their asses kicked. There are so many protests that the government has no choice but to accept in order to prevent a full-on revolution. Again this was all unintentional, but that doesn't stop Kalim from jumping in as a major supporter with a fondly exhasperated Jamil following behind.

A quibble at first: now I'm far from a Leona expert, but I'm inclined to believe the folks who talk about his supposed laziness as being more of a defense mechanism or a depression symptom. Because why put in the effort it doesn't pay off, anyway?

On the other hand, I love it how I pretty much knew which post you were gonna link for Malleus before even clicking it.

This makes me wonder tho. Jamil is indeed the sort to pay attention to others and what they do. I do wonder if we’ve seen any in-game examples of him picking up “tips” or habits from others in a manner similar to this. 🤔 Can’t think of anything off the top of my head, at least, but it doesn't seem like it would be out of the question.

“He'll die before admitting, but it's something he picked up from Azul.” Yeah definitely. What, the shady man who ruined his plans in book 4 might actually have the right idea for once, to the extent that Jamil would adopt it? Yeah definitely not something he’s gonna broadcast, at the very least.

I mean Azul and Jamil can be such a well-oiled machine when they want to be, and Jamil’s practical enough to recognize that when their plans align (as we’ve seen in events I believe), but… yeah.

Considering this rant of mine, tho… Yes, I'm all in for the workers’ revolution.

(Tho now I'm also thinking of Jamil going all “chaos is a ladder” about it. Definitely not as a public face or anything, but attempting to capitalize on the situation nonetheless.)

#twisted wonderland #jamil viper #kalim al-asim #azul ashengrotto #vil schoenheit #malleus draconia #leona kingscholar #riddle rosehearts #ner talks #chatting with folks #lex752

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shai-manahan · 2 months

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Hi! It's been a while since I've talked about the upcoming updates, but I finally had a chance to actually sit down and make plans! (the life of a corporate slave, am I right? 🙃)

It has something to do with the changes I will be implementing on my patreon, though. I've thought for a while how to give content that's worthwhile of subscriptions while also making sure I can be comfortable with them, and in all honesty, I had a tricky time doing it. HM is too personal for me, as I used to talk about before, and some of the patreon benefits I promised before eventually felt too revealing - of my own thoughts and people whose lives were a huge inspiration for this story.

I will be talking about these changes and the update schedules as well below the cut.

UPDATES

I aim to finish at least half of HM's Book 1 this year. It seems to be a more realistic goal than forcing myself to finish everything right away (which tbh may have been a huge pressure I put on myself the past few years), though admittedly, things are unpredictable in the field I'm in; my job is full of overtime hours, and I spend most of my weekends trying to recover (or sick).

Still, I gotta finish it one way or another, and it's not going to write itself (though I wish it would!), so yeah, set realistic deadlines, pull out a few all-nighters, and maybe I'll actually get through it, who knows?

I do hope I'll have steadier finances by the time Book 2 starts so I can put more focus on writing and have sufficient energy for it, but that's a conversation for another day.

Changes in Prologue - Chapter 2

Okay. I know I promised not to make revisions until I write more chapters, but changing how some game mechanics work and reworking the stats made it a necessity, and I underestimated how much rewriting I'd have to do. A few scenes ended up not working well anymore, and I couldn't resist from revising a few clunky sections while I was at it.

Dialogue options were one of those that were significantly affected by the stat changes, but no worries, nothing is changed in the story -- meaning Wesley still fucks with the Ripper's life (oops), Richard still goes off doing whatever non-sus thing he's doing, you can still punch Bale (it's even a lot funnier this time), Bertrand remains a bitchy cop, and you'll still have your sad flashback with your former best friend/lover/crush or whatever they are to your MC.

The plan is to release the updated version of Prologue and Chapter 1 to patrons by the end of March (I will have a few days off work that week) and release it to the public once the new content is also ready, which I presume will be available next month (I will keep you all posted but I really hope I can get it done by then because it's been forever 🥲).

I might tweak Chapter 2 a little so the available portion can stand on its own rather than be divided into two parts, because it's just too long lmfao and is harming the pacing as I keep worrying about the length. I'm also incorporating a few suggestions a few folks gave me these past few months.

Succeeding chapters

I've probably said this before but things are bound to get more insane in HM once we're past the first three to four chapters. But also quicker to write in a way. They're the kind of scenes I thrive in, and while they have bigger variations, they're a lot more fast-paced, characters start being manipulative little shits, and the threats are more prevalent than ever. Your Ripper will not have a good time, but I certainly will (I say as I look at my outline and get sad doing it). There will be a few "breaks" in between, but this is not and will never be a light-hearted story. Anyway, I'm inclined to believe I'll be more consistent with updates when that time comes, so bear with me for now :')

PATREON CHANGES

This is getting long, so I'll just list the updated tier benefits and end the day with it. I'll be posting a schedule that I will be committing to (here and on patreon tomorrow morning), with the below details as well (so if you wanna stop here that's totally valid) but for now, here's the tentative list:

Tier 1

Early access - 4 days before a public update (this month will be an exception and you'll get the update as soon as the other tiers get it, too).

Sneak peeks and deleted scenes - I included the latter because apparently I delete a lot of great scenes

Hints for future revelations in the story - the categories will depend on results of polls; the hints may be about Bale's death, about Ripper's family, Pharos, Cyro, the ROs themselves, or the nightmares that the MC is getting, etc. Might be in form of vague conversations/dialogues between unknown characters, might be me dropping subtle info about those involved. Either way, it will be fun :). The polls and these hints will be given monthly.

Tier 2

Early access - 1 week before a public update

all the other benefits for Tier 1

monthly RO snippets - I'm still experimenting with this, but I might simply write MC x RO snippets (with different kinds of MCs for different scenarios because I deeply hate writing blank slate MCs, sorry)

a choice to see the POV of a character, decided through polls, for every chapter/update.

Tier 3

Early access - as early as it's available and goes through testing stages

all other benefits for previous tiers

Non-RO short stories

Previews on unintroduced characters :)

That's all for tonight! I am so tired lmfao but I hope you all are having a great weekend so far! See you tomorrow :)

#patreon #patreon changes #updates #hollowed minds progress update #interactive fiction #hollowed minds series #hollowed minds #wip #writing #hollowed minds book one #if wip #interactive novel

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reality-detective · 11 months

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Something To Think About 🤔

You may find this is interesting. 👇

“The Wizard of Oz = The Crown Temple. This is not a mere child’s story written by L. Frank Baum.

What symbol does “Oz” stand for?

Ounces… Gold.

What is the yellow brick road?

Bricks or ingot bars of gold.

The character known as the Straw Man represents that fictitious ALL CAPS legal fiction – a PERSON – the Government created with the same spelling as your Christian birth name.

Remember what the Straw Man wanted from the Wizard of Oz?

A brain!

No legal fiction has a brain because they have no breath of life!

What did he get in place of a brain?

A Certificate.

A Birth Certificate for a new legal creation.

He was proud of his new legal status, plus all the other legalisms he was granted.

Now he becomes the true epitome of the brainless sack of straw who was given a Certificate in place of a brain of common sense.

What about the Tin Man?

Does Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) mean anything to you?

The poor TIN Man just stood there mindlessly doing his work until his body literally froze up and stopped functioning.

He worked himself to death because he had no heart nor soul.

He’s the heartless and emotionless creature robotically carrying out his daily task as if he was already dead.

He’s the ox pulling the plough and the mule toiling under the yoke.

His masters keep him cold on the outside and heartless on the inside in order to control any emotions or heart he may get a hold of.

The pitiful Cowardly Lion was always too frightened to stand up for himself.

Of course, he was a bully and a big mouth when it came to picking on those smaller than he was.

They act as if they have great courage, but they really have none at all.

All roar with no teeth of authority to back them up.

When push came to shove, the Cowardly Lion always buckled under and whimpered when anyone of any size or stature challenged him. He wanted courage from the Grand Wizard, so he was awarded a medal of “official” recognition.

Now, regardless of how much of a coward he still was, his official status made him a bully with officially recognized authority.

He’s just like the Attorneys who hide behind the Middle Courts of the Temple Bar.

What about the trip through the field of poppies?

They weren’t real people, so drugs had no effect on them.

The Wizard of Oz was written at the turn of the century, so how could the author have known America was going to be drugged?

The Crown has been playing the drug cartel game for centuries.

Just look up the history of Hong Kong and the Opium Wars.

The Crown already had valuable experience conquering all of China with drugs, so why not the rest of the world?

Who finally exposed the Wizard for what he really was?

Toto, the ugly (or cute, depending on your perspective) and somewhat annoying little dog.

Toto means “in total, all together; Latin in toto.” Notice how Toto was not scared of the Great Wizard’s theatrics, yet he was so small in size compared to the Wizard, no-one seemed to notice him.

The smoke, flames and hologram images were designed to frighten people into doing as the Great Wizard of Oz commanded.

Toto simply went over, looked behind the curtain – the court – (see the definition for curtain above), saw it was a scam, and started barking until others paid attention to him and came to see what all the barking was about. Just an ordinary person controlling the levers that created the illusions of the Great Wizard’s power and authority.

The veil hiding the corporate legal fiction and its false courts were removed.

The Wizard’s game was up.

It’s too bad that people don’t realize how loud a bark from a little dog is.

What about your bark?

Do you just remain silent and wait to be given whatever food and recognition, if any, your legal slave master gives you?

Are you going to continue to follow the script? 🤔

#pay attention #educate yourself #educate yourselves #knowledge is power #reeducate yourself #reeducate yourselves #think for yourself #think for yourselves #think about it #story time #wizard of oz #question everything #ask yourself questions

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darkdevasofdestruction · 1 year

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Fawn Princess~ Tokugawa Ieyasu x Reader

Summary: Having reached a certain age, Ieyasu, as a Lord, is pressured into taking a wife. He absolutely despises the duties of nobles, though he begrudgingly has to accept. Little does he know, he was going to meet a woman like no other; A woman so special, that you had to be born under a lucky star to have the privilege of meeting her.

“Lord Tokugawa, the Princesses have arrived.” Ieyasu’s most trusted servant came by to his study, meekly announcing him that the beautiful young maidens have all came at his castle. “Make sure they are comfortable and all the pleasantries. I don’t feel like coming yet.” the man grumbled, not even bothering to raise his eyes up from his medicine study.

Without another word, the servant exited the study and went to do everything as instructed. He was old and weary, but he was the one to know Lord Tokugawa since he was young - A little anti-social and introverted, and perhaps his social skills would be in need of a little honeying, but his heart was golden, and in the right place - After all, an innocent baby fawn would never stay around so willingly around an evil man, yes?

Ieyasu was never truly interested in women, and he despised his duty as a noble; having to marry, to continue to bloodline lineage and so on - He didn’t have time for all this! Medicine was ever developing at such a rapid pace, how was he supposed to keep up with it, if all he is supposed to do is to exchange meaningless pleasantries with mindless, shallow women?

It wasn’t necessarily that he blamed the maidens, it wasn’t as though they had any say in it. In fact, Ieyasu felt pity for them, like he pitied caged animals. They had no free will of their own, and if they dared rebel or stray away from the path already dictated to them, they were reprimanded, or worse, punished, to the point of receiving corporeal scoldings. It was cruel, the fate of a woman, and he never did wish to be a lady - Petite, slender, frail and forced to do nothing more than to be a beauty and please her lord husband, seducing him into sleeping with them and creating heirs.

That was not a life. It was less than a half-life. In fact, it was often that Ieyasu thought even slaves had better lives than these noble women. Still, he had to choose a bride to marry very soon - Whether he liked her or not, it mattered little, at least she would have the privilege of liberty and freedom to do as she wishes. He couldn’t care less - As long as she wasn’t betraying him, she could do as she pleased. Whoever that may be, was of no interest to him.

He didn’t even realise that three more hours passed, but the servant came by again to remind him of the feast, and that it was already over, and the ladies were all but settled in their own rooms. It was perfect, he thought, happy that he unintentionally managed to avoid his responsibilities for one more day. Just one more free day as a bachelor, who has time to do whatever he wants without as much as a second thought.

That night, Ieyasu went for a walk in the gardens; he always found a little walk before sleeping to be the best way to rest and get himself physically tired enough to fall asleep instantaneously. He was supposed to go by the lotus pond that perfectly mirrored the silver moon zircons on its sheen, and it had fireflies flickering everywhere, and about this season, the wisteria trees would be gently swaying with the gentle breeze.

Instead, things went different. As Ieyasu made his way to the pond, sitting at the base a great, old tree, there stood a beauty, playing a tragic tune on her flute. He was never one to care for arts, as much as he did for his science and war studies, but even he couldn’t deny that the sorrow of her melody was able to move even him. He wasn’t sure whether it was her song, or her beauty, or perhaps it was that she was able to somehow lure in various little critters from the forest, including Wasabi, but one thing was certain - Whatever she did, even if it was a highly calculated scheme of hers to attract his attention and marry him, it seemed to have a positive effect regardless.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” the man didn’t realise how harsh and cold his voice sounded, but as soon as the edge in his tone was heard, the beauty gasped and all the animals started running away - Save for Wasabi, of course, who happily trotted over to him. The lady, however, hid her face with the long sleeve of her kimono and attempted to run away. “Don’t run away like that. It’s rude to have such behaviour with the lord of the castle you’re at.” the woman painfully stopped moving at once, seemingly frozen in space. Ieyasu frowned - Did he scare her away, he wondered? How foolish. He wasn’t scary, nor did he believe himself to have an intimidating exterior. In fact, he often heard women call him - Angelic, even. “You are one of the maiden candidates, are you not?” she nodded her head timidly, though she hadn’t turned her face to be seen. “Tell me your name.” the woman shook her head. “Are you refusing to abide the order of the lord? How brave. Why?” he almost felt amused by her stubbornness. “I did not think anyone would find me here. Forgive me, My Lord, though I do not wish to create any impartiality amongst myself and the other ladies that have come for the same reason.” he did expect a beautiful voice, however, he didn’t expect it to be so low, yet so soft and gentle, like touching the petal of a flower wet with the morning dew. “Most women would jump at the opportunity of marrying a wealthy lord with direct ties to the Emperor’s bloodline. Do you claim to be different?” he asked, crossing his arms to his chest and smirking to himself, wishing to see how far could he push her boundaries. “Forgive me, My Lord, I did not wish any disrespect, and if I did, however, offend you, you may punish me however you see fit.” the girl, despite her politeness and well chosen words, seemed so awkward and shy, even just with another person. Was it because of his status, or because he was a man, and maidens were never allowed to be alone with a man? “No harm done. Just answer my question.” he urged her further, watching her head raise with a nod. “I have abused my parents love for oneself for far too long, My Lord. I wish not to profit over their pampering of me any longer.” she explained. “I have never been punished by them for indulging in... Rather unlady-like activities, as some may call them. My grandmother even taught me how to read, and taught me various skills. My father encouraged me to be curious and venture further to quench my thirst for the unknown. But for how long can a woman remain but a little girl, still holding on precious the long lost years of her childhood, before she realises that her duty is not to herself, but to everyone else?” as suspected, a tragic answer, for a tragic woman, though still slightly above many others in terms of happiness. This one seemed to have blended her duty and her passions rather well. He felt like a tyrant, stopping her from pursuing her dreams and aspirations, if she were a diligent and bright scholar like himself. Even so, they were not married - Perhaps there would be another that would catch his eye far more, that would pique his interest like one never before. “Being a woman in a man’s world cannot be easy, can it. First, being the property of thy father, then, being sold of to another man to be his own precious little thing. How pitiful.” the man scoffed, though he earned no reaction from the woman. “You may return to your chambers.” “I wish you sweet dreams, My Lord. To your fawn also.” her wishes bewildered him with their peculiarity, though he couldn’t help but watch the maiden’s silhouette, all the way until she entered the castle, her long, shiny hair swaying with every step she so gracefully took. “Even animals are treated better than women - Don’t you agree, Wasabi?” Ieyasu felt the sweet little fawn licking his hand, as they returned to his dormitory.

However, the young Lord was unable to sleep well for the night, thoughts and theories of the lady plaguing him without rest. He wanted so dearly to know more about her, like a medical riddle that he wishes to solve faster, to find the antidote to a fatal poison, and that was what he did best - Researching and solving things. He was a revolutionary man, brilliant in all domains, be them academic or warmongering.

The next morning, after their breakfast, a grand festivity took place, for the Lord to inspect the ladies - He was supposed to choose a wife and as many concubines as he wished to; Such a notion irked him endlessly - He could barely get used to the idea of having a duty for a single woman, let alone more. There were a total of thirty women that have arrived, all of them, Princesses from highly respected warlords that are fighting for the Oda forces.

In rows of five, they were supposed to appear before him, and he was to choose - But would he even like any of them, he wondered. No - Of course he would, there was that mysterious lady from the previous night who evaded his sight so well. Ieyasu smirked, getting comfortable in his chair, realising that this might become a little game of cat and mouse, whether he would be able to pick her out from so many other women or not; He always valued his perfect intuition, and he was confident that he will succeed with his own makeshift idea of mischief regardless.

The first row of five ladies came forward, and they bowed before him, said a little pleasantry and what not. The servant spoke out their names and their families, but he cared little about their status. He was above that - He was stubborn, and he refused to submit to the pressures of the noble people.

At the fifth row, Ieyasu’s eyes opened wide, and he smirked, jolting to his feet in front of a woman with agate earrings and rich, gold and jade accessories in her hair. His hand reached up to touch her earring, looking down at her. “I wonder how can someone who is too poor to afford a rich dress was able to not only afford the most expensive jade hair pins, but also, agate earrings.” “Forgive me, my lord, I dare not contradict you, though they are carnelian, not agate, and the jade pin is a family heirloom.” Ieyasu couldn’t help but scoff at her. “Give them to me. They do not belong to you, do they? You cannot lie to me. Not only they do not fit your outfit, but they look dreadful on you.” the woman whimpered, fear pooling in her eyes, and with a few swift movements, she placed the accessories on his hand; Tokugawa swished his arm for the women to disappear out of the court, and the last row of ladies to appear.

As he suspected, there was one of the ladies that stood out from the others like an anomaly - Not because she wore the most expensive things, but rather the opposite. She wore peonies in her hair, which was humbly braided, and coincidentally, a butterfly landed on it. She wore no earrings, and her dress, though simple, looked gorgeous on her. “You - Come forward.” the man flapped his hand, gesturing her to come forward. The mysterious woman elegantly nodded her head, and after a few careful steps, she did a courtesy kowtow. Her face had no expression, rather, it seemed to radiate a dead cold royal grace that only a real Princess could do even in her sleep. “Look up at me and tell me your name.”

Unlike the timidness of the previous night, the woman before him looked him straight in the eyes, hypnotising him with her beauty. “I am Y/N, daughter of Lord Niwa.” her voice, also, was different from the soft-spoken and delicate one from previously - Now, it was low and soothing, like the gentle lullaby of a wise woman. Most of the other women tried so hard to make their voice pitched and feminine, as light as possible; she didn’t. She wasn’t changing herself. She was just like him. “Do you know how to read?” the man asked, and though he was sure she would feel offended - She sketched not a single emotion whatsoever. “I would be unable to live up to mine own expectations, were I not able to proficiently read - And, of course, much more than that.” her answer, though as beautifully sounding as before, had a back-handed connotation. Intriguing. “You are a bold woman, to speak to me like that. You are sharp and intelligent. Many would envy your position, while others would brand you an embarrassment to women-kind.” Ieyasu spoke, though once again, she didn’t even move an inch. “What would you do, should you be caged like a songbird, unable to do anything but sing the melodies taught to you forevermore?” “Then I would sing away my voice, until I have exhausted my use, and await my ultimate death. There is far more at stake than my own life, that is, my family’s reputation and honour. Without them, I would be a songbird incapable of singing any tune whatsoever.” she replied, and though her tone was mild, it almost felt to Ieyasu that she was provoking him. “And if you were allowed to roam free and pursue any activity that you wished for? What, then, would you be doing?” he continued his line of questioning. “There is forever more information to be learnt, and all skills have infinite proficiency levels, many of them that I wish to acquire, not only for mine own curiosity, but for the betterment of my people’s lives, and of those who would be in need of aid, yet cannot afford. I have plenty wealth, though have not what to spend it on. What better than charity and helping the people live a better life that I can do with such wealth that is not even of my property?” Tokugawa Ieyasu felt his heart beating for the first time, and he felt inclined to raise the edge of his apricot coloured scarf up to his mouth, in hopes of hiding away the warmth of his pale, cold cheeks. “Are you telling me that you are interested in arts that only men are allowed to dabble in? Such as medicine, calculus, physics, alchemy and what not?” he asked, wanting to learn more and more about the woman. She gave a curt, affirmative answer, which garnered a choir of gasps and murmurs of disbelief. “Quiet, all of you.” Ieyasu’s harsh bark tensed up the atmosphere, though none dared speak any more. “Why is it that you think you can approach successfully such difficult areas that even the most educated of maesters cannot achieve oftimes?” “Most people tell the gender of a rabbit by its movement - The male runs quickly, while the female often keeps her eyes shut; But when the two rabbits run side by side, can you really discern whether I am a he or a she?” Ieyasu’s brilliant jade-like eyes widened, and he felt breathless, hearing the woman perfectly quote a stanza from the Ballad of Mulan, so boldly as if she herself were the warrior-woman. “Men are unable to comprehend the true pains of a woman, and as all healers are men, and they are strictly forbidden from touching a woman’s skin, especially of a higher status, then how are women supposed to survive more threatening diseases and ailments? Seeing such a tragic deficit in our healthcare system, I have decided that, given my mental capacity, I should be able to take on the burden myself. I have been successful thus far.” the small yet so very smug smile that she offered made his mind go crazy. “If I am to take you as my wife, I have to know that I can rely on you. I am a warlord, and we are in the midsts of war. Brilliance and ambition you have plenty, as well as boldness - But what if you waver in front of danger?” at once, the man gestured to her to get up, as he stepped backwards a few feet. “Do not break eye contact with me.”

A servant came over, throwing a bucket of water at her feet, yet Princess Y/N nonchalantly stepped over it without a second thought. The loud noises behind her, from the other ladies, or the claps purposely made close to her ear to startle her still had no effect on her, as she was completely captivated by Ieyasu’s softening gaze - She’d even dare go as far as to say - Timidness seemed to be overtaking him, the more they kept looking at each other. The test continued so until Ieyasu pranced forward and drew his sword, touching her flawless skin and raising her chin delicately. The silence created tension for everyone, especially all the envious ladies whose hearts stopped at once, yet the two became deeper and deeper enchanted by one another.

It wasn’t until another one of the servants, possibly an older chatelaine holding a cat, stepped next to them, throwing the animal violently to the ground. Instead of letting the animal suffer, the Princess swiftly slapped the blade away and threw herself to the ground, catching with perfect reflexes the terrified feline, before rising back again. She was gently petting the animal and whispering tender words in the same magical tone that she used the previous night, before returning her gaze up at the blond Lord.

“You lost my challenge.” though his voice was deadpan, the mischief was evident in his glittering green eyes. “Life is above all else - Their lives also.” she pointed out, stepping closer to the Lord, as though to show that, no matter what he threw her way, she was not afraid of braving any of his trials. “You lost the challenge, though managed to impress me.” he nodded his head as he sheathed his sword. “I would be honoured if you would be my wife.” at once, he took off the jade tassel that he kept tied subtly to his sash, and shyly reached to tie it to her own obi. “By all means, the honour is all mine, Lord Tokugawa.” with the way she inclined her gaze down as soon as she addressed him by his lordly title, it felt as though a cold barrier of ice was placed between them, and Ieyasu, for a second, resented his noble status. This woman was capable of intriguing him with her cheek and shrewdness, so of course, he wanted to get to know her better, to unveil the mystery behind those gorgeous eyes of hers that sparkled with cleverness and kindness.

He wondered if she gave away her accessories to that poorer Princess on purpose, to play coy with him, or simply, because she tried to sabotage her own chances of success. She did voice her love for her home and her parents, and now, she will be taken away from them for quite a long time. Not that he wouldn’t allow her to visit, of course he would, why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t like it was going to do him any harm, after all. She could do whatever she wanted, as long as she wasn’t getting in his way.

Their wedding was simple yet beautiful, and though Ieyasu was visibly uncomfortable and awkward, outright unable to look at his wife, Y/N seemed to have perfect control over each and every one of her actions. The man almost felt pity for her, realising that it, no doubt, she wasn’t overthinking anything she was doing, preferring to act like the marionette that noble ladies were forced to become for their husbands. It irked him, to no end, that his wife had to be some mindless doll, when she so evidently expressed heaps of brightness that wanted desperately to come out and manifest into the world.

Every move she made, even the slightest twitch of her finger joints, was perfectly calculated to ensure the maximum amount of flawless grace that a Princess must have. He won’t allow her to torture herself like that in his own home. There is no way for one to go about their normal studying when in constant need to control the amount of time they blink or breath whilst around him.

“A woman must always count the amount of words her husband speaks, so that, if she is ever spoken to, and has to reply, she will not use more words than him. It would be disrespectful for him, and thus, proves that I am an unruly wife and in dire need of disciplining.” she told him the evening before the wedding. Ieyasu almost felt like pulling out his hair from frustration. Who in the world came up with such ridiculously rigid and prohibitory rules for women to begin with? Their country, not so long ago, was known to prefer a rather matriachal societal ruling, which, with the rise of Confucianism and men’s desire to be more powerful than anything, including the Gods themselves, women became nothing more than breedingstocks with pretty faces. How ridiculous.

“As long as you are in the province I rule - And I mean all of it, not only the castle - You don’t need to ask for permission to speak. Do whatever you please, I don’t care, I’m not forbidding you from doing anything at all. Alright?” Ieyasu made sure to put forth his rule, and hopefully, she will take it to heart. “You are most gracious and kind, my Lord Husband.” Ieyasu was very close to dragging his nails across his face out of annoyance with all these unnecessary pleasantries. He was her husband, not some kind of Lord she had to make a war alliance with. She wasn’t a Geisha, nor a courtesan, she needn’t flatter him any longer. “Stop talking like that. You’re so troublesome.” he grumbled softly. “No more pleasantries and any of the excess words you’re ironically forced to use with strangers. We are family, and that is boring me to death.” Ieyasu flipped his hand dismissively, not bothering to look the lady in the eyes, though he was rather curious if she reacted at all. “Am I allowed to become your chatelaine, then? To study under your maesters and physicians too?” the man nodded his head simply. “Stop asking me for permission I’ve already given. Go around, explore, go out, buy whatever you want - I don’t care. Just stay out of my way. I don’t have time for idle talks or disturbances.” with that, the Lord of Mikawa left the hall and went about his business. Y/N’s maid looked at the Princess and smiled cheerfully. “My Lady, your Lord Husband is truly an enlightened man! I told you, you were born under a lucky star! You feared marriage so much, yet you were chosen by such a lovely man!” the Princess said nothing at all, instead, she offered her maid a gentle smile before walking away towards her assigned room.

Y/N has always been proud of how hard-working and diligent she was, and she was determined to show that Ieyasu hadn’t been wrong in choosing her, out of so many other gorgeous ladies that passed before his beautiful green eyes. In a month, the Castle of Ozaki was already in such a flawless state, that even Lord Tokugawa was shocked that it was possible. He always thought he had the most efficient servants, but apparently, even he could be wrong in some regards. He was impressed with the cleanliness of the whole place, and he could even appreciate how great the flowers surrounding the castle looked. The gardens were well taken care of, and even the food seemed to be more delicious. He couldn’t understand how that could happen, but he was glad that it happened.

And what he loved the most, though he would never admit it out loud, but Y/N would come by his study with hot, aromatic tea and some snacks for him, and she would remain silent for the remainder of her visit, whilst she would pour him tea in his cup whenever it emptied, and would grind his ink to help him out whenever he needed to write loads. It was such a simple thing to do, and his servants always did these things for him, but somehow, with Y/N, it felt so intimate, that it sometimes distracted him from work, as his eyes would linger to her delicate hands, or the serene smile that graced her features. He never felt his way before, why was his heart beating so much faster, as though he was running into battle, when he was safest there?

When he was working on a new antidote also, she would be creeping nearby, organising and arranging all the ingredients and tomes on the shelves, and though it made things easier for Ieyasu, that wasn’t what he felt most appealing, but how she would walk slower whenever next to him, just to steal a peek at the scribblings and doodles he’d make on the many thrown around papers on the desk whilst attempting to come up with a new revolutionary medicine - Only for her to place some plants or root that he hadn’t even thought about in front of him, and she would gently explain the reasoning behind suggesting it. Be it that it would enhance the effect of one of the ingredients he wanted to use, or that it counters some kind of poison - Somehow, anything that Ieyasu created with the aid of Y/N, seemed to have miraculous effects, and he loved this kind of success.

Many more months flew by so fast, yet for Ieyasu, the time spent together with his Princess definitely felt like a dream come true. His mind seemed to have calmed, though it remained hyper focused on his work - Work that became so much easier to complete and perfect further; and when he’d go sleep, he would rest his head on her lap and fall asleep to the sound of a soft melody hum and the soothing caress of her fingers playing with his hair. If he wished to relax, he would go for a walk by the pond as usual, followed by his sweet Wasabi, yet now, Y/N would be right by his side; be it simply for her tender presence, or to play a tune on the flute - There was something so tranquil about her being there with him, without any need to actually engage in small talk, or to interact meaninglessly. It felt like a reverie, and for the first time in his life, Ieyasu thought that life was actually exquisite.

But there was still one thing that Ieyasu was completely oblivious to, and that was the pains of his wife. Never once did she display any kind of negative emotion, nor did she tell him that there was something bothering her at all - Neither would he have found out from her, of course, she never complained, but the gossiping maids became far too loud and even if he wanted to, there was no way to pass it off only to idle, meaningless chattering.

“Princess Y/N has gotten thinner, hadn’t she? How is she going to birth an heir for Lord Tokugawa if her hips and chest are as small as her waist?” one of them spoke. “How can she birth an heir, if Lord Tokugawa doesn’t even want to spend the night with her? Not that I blame him - Have you ever seen her smile? I didn’t. She looks stone cold. Even the Lord isn’t as strict and inapproachable as she is.” the other one’s reply made his blood boil with anger. “Right? I’m always so afraid of messing something up. It feels like she’s everywhere, watching me like a hawk. It’s almost like she wants to see me fail, just to punish me.” Ieyasu leaned back on the wall, making himself comfortable whilst assessing the gossip. “Has she punished servants before?” as she gasped in shock, Y/N rushed by, only to stop abruptly as soon as she noticed her husband. He raised a shushing finger to his mouth and motioned for her to get by quietly. “Well... No, not really, but you can’t disagree with me that she is quite scary. I mean - It has been half a year already, a virtuous lady would have already been heavily burdened with child.” for the first time, Ieyasu noticed Y/N rolling her eyes in evident impatience and annoyance. “I feel the same! This summer has seen a draught like never before - If the Princess behaved as a admirable and charitable as a virtuous noble lady is supposed to behave, none of this would have happened!” Y/N crossed her arms to her chest, her sight going up in the sky, as she gritted her teeth in boredom. It was clear she already knew of these talks, which only irked the Lord further. “Lord Tokugawa should take a few concubines already, otherwise there’s no way for the bloodline to continue. Don’t you know? My grandmother always said that, if the province becomes barren as soon as the Lord marries, it is because the wife is barren also. How can she conceive if she is useless?” Ieyasu was about to leap at them, but Y/N grabbed him by the clothes and kept him back, shaking her head. He could only look at her in shock and confusion, yet she didn’t answer. “Lord Tokugawa’s own father divorced his first lady wife, to take another. He should do the same.” he could only watch quizzically as the Princess quickly composed herself and stepped behind the gossiping maids, clearing her throat. The two squeaked pathetically and started trembling in fear as they bowed courteously. “Instead of chattering idly, you should return to your work. Heavens forbid my Lord husband hearing you speaking about him behind his back.” Ieyasu was bewildered - Y/N tone didn’t sound angry, nor did it hold any lingering of annoyance - Instead, it was calm and graceful as it always was. The maids fell to the ground, bowing pathetically, before running away to whatever their job was. “You should have let me punish them. They deserve it.” finally, he stepped by her side, disgusted by the awful gossips he heard. “The snake does not lose sleep over the chattering of mice.” his eyes widened, flabbergast at the comparison. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” he asked, unable to find a viable answer. “Why would I have? I don’t see any relevance to their words. They cannot hurt me. If they are so simple and allowed themselves to fall to the muddle-headed platitude of gossiping and spreading rumours, then, by all means, let them. As long as they do what they are told, and do it well, then there is nothing to be concerned about.” she explained, only to quickly add another short line. “Unless, of course, you have noticed a downgrading in the way the castle works - Then, I would have to take immediate action to remediate that temporary flaw.” Ieyasu shook his head, sighing. “Nothing of the sort - In fact, things have never went better than now, and that is thanks to your hard work.” he muttered lightly. “I am happy to hear that, then.” the Princess nodded her head, a small smile of appreciation appearing on her face. “Well then, if that is all, then I would like to ask you to please erase all of this from your memory. It is not worth losing precious seconds of your time thinking about it. I, too, have to return to my work. If you will excuse me --” Ieyasu rose his hand instantaneously, gently grabbing her chin and tilting it up to make her look at him. “I... Deeply appreciate you, Y/N. I would never think about letting you go, or taking other women.” it took all of his self-control not to cover his whole face with the scarf, as his eyes, no matter how much they tried to remain fixed on Y/N’s angelic visage, kept darting away in shyness.

Instead, he heard Y/N’s lovely giggle for the first time ever, and her sweet lips planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “I am truly lucky to have met you, Ieyasu. You are a wonderful man. Thank you for choosing me.” with a tender smile, Y/N left Ieyasu behind, flustered and almost faint from the unexpected interaction he had with his wife. Half a year passed, and he was forced to admit to himself, that he was truly and irredeemably in love with Y/N Niwa.

At home, or during war meetings, Ieyasu was thinking about Y/N constantly, and unfortunately for him, he even let her name slip at some point - It was a perfectly casual conversation, he just off-handly mentioned her name - Perhaps he mentioned she helped him out with some medicine, or she gave him some brilliant idea; Regardless, not only Masamune, but Mitsuhide and even Lord Nobunaga started teasing him actively, to the point of almost wanting to decapitate them.

Though he was able to keep their mouth shut since then, whenever he’d mentioned her name, attached to a rather brilliant strategic idea that she came with, to the point of impressing the lords. It was his time to feel smug, and of course, since then, he shared all of his papers and plans with her, asking for her insight and brainstorming. She picked up on important details so easily, and she could find loopholes in places where perhaps even Mitsunari had difficulty. It was then that realised what a vital member of the Oda forces Y/N was, and he started bringing her to the council whenever he went. He didn’t realise how he felt so dependent on her, how at ease he felt around her, and how proud he was of her, whenever she expressed her insight and presented her point of view.

“My lord, I understand that the Princess has some good points, politically speaking, but she is a woman, what would she know of war, except for what Ieyasu tells her?” Hideyoshi once complained, during one of the meetings, and though Ieyasu felt irked at the blatant disrespect his wife received, it was Nobunaga himself who allowed her to defend herself. “I believe Princess Y/N has proved she is worthy of her seat at my council, just like all of you present here. Do you have anything to say in your defense, Y/N?” Nobunaga’s smug smirk made Hideyoshi depressed, seeing that his opinion was in the minority, even shut down by his most beloved Lord. “The lion does not concern itself with the opinions of sheep, Lord Nobunaga.” the comment garnered a few laughing outbursts, along with some sniggerings. “Ashigaru.” it was the first time that Ieyasu ever saw such an ice-cold smirk, and a blatantly poisonous insult escaping her pretty mouth. He was so proud of her, yet so amused at how angry Hideyoshi got - It was his fault, after all. His wife simply defended herself.

If only Ieyasu wasn’t so timid, he would cling onto her, melting in her loving embrace, kissing her all over her face, and never letting go of her. He loved her so much, so - so much, that it was unreal. How could a woman hold such domain over him? How can she have such power, to keep him captive in her tender clutches, mentally, emotionally, even physically? What was she doing to him, that all he could think about the whole day was her?

He trusted her so whole-heartedly, that on more vulnerable night, he would tell her about his childhood, about how he was abducted by Nobunaga’s father at only five years old, used as hostage, only to be sent away for an alliance at the Imagawa clan. He spoke of his childhood, though he could hardly call it that - His childhood was robbed from him. It was traumatic, yet, but he didn’t linger on it. Instead, he preferred to hear and perhaps vicariously live through Y/N’s own childhood. Somehow, she only ever told him the good things, as if to make him smile. A perfect childhood, for a perfect girl, living in a perfect world, with the perfect family.

Whether it was learning how to play the flute and the zither, or some poems that she loved to read, perhaps the medicine and concoctions she learnt how to prepare, or playing around with weapons with her elder brother and being a better horse-rider and archer than him.

He loved all of it, and sometimes, he would find himself day-dreaming about what would it be like, should he be a child now, with a serene life, just playing around through the gardens and what now. They were the complete opposite, with Ieyasu only sharing the bad parts of his life, whilst Y/N only spoke of the positive. There was no way that he could have known of any horrible memory, or fear that she might have.

So of course, it was nothing less than shocking when he witnessed his wife, covered in blood splattered all over her, running away towards the stream. His first thought was to run back to the castle and see what happened - Did someone attack the place, and she escaped? But she wasn’t crying, nor was she screaming or in distress - Did she get frustrated with a failed experiment? Perhaps it wasn’t even blood, just some pomegranate or tomato juice that exploded? Much was his surprise when he was met with the ever loud chattering from the gossiping maids, involuntarily informing him of what had happened. “It is already the fifth woman in Mikawa that Y/N killed, you know? Do you think she’s doing it intentionally? Killing pregnant women because she is unable to conceive?” Y/N? Killing someone? That couldn’t be. “It wouldn’t surprise me. You know how it is, especially with noble women. If you’re unable to give birth to an heir in the first year of marriage, the lord is going to throw you out, or, at the very least, lose all favoured. Perhaps she is afraid Lord Tokugawa is going to divorce her... Or maybe her parents won’t accept her back.” another one spoke more rubbish. “Or both, who knows? Still, it is doing her no good, her reputation is tarnishing very swiftly. A woman should never meddle in the arts of men. She should just stay put, play cards with other noble women, do her make up and embroider. She’s doing it to herself, you know? The elders keep scolding her, but she doesn’t even listen! She goes about her day all the same!” Ieyasu was getting rapidly fed up with the slander. “Guards! Take these two maids and cut their tongues off. Perhaps, this way, they will know that slander and gossip is forbidden.” the two women fell to the ground, bowing and weeping pitifully, begging for mercy. “You dared speak ill of the Princess, who is benevolent and never punished you. I am a man, I have no patience for the silly past times of some evil, incompetent maids.” with a dismissive hand from the Lord, the guards dragged them away, as Ieyasu went in the room, trailing the blood left in large blots to the ground.

Once he arrived to the chamber, he noticed the old mid-wife that delivered him years ago. She looked sorrowful, wetting a towel and cleaning the dead body of a butchered woman. He slowly stepped by her side, and though she attempted to raise and bow, he immediately stopped him. She was old, and had done him enough services - She needn’t do anything so humbly. Not for him. He urged her to explain to him what happened, only to see her sigh, even sadder.

“Oh, Young Lord, if only you knew the misfortunes that follow women of this realm, you would think it one of the pitiful stories that I used to tell you when you were but a tiny, little babe.” she sighed once again before continuing. “The Princess... Ah, what a wonderful, pure soul. She tries so hard to ease the pains of the less fortunate... But she is no God, and people, especially her, fail to understand that. If one is fated to die young, no amount of intervention can save them.” “I don’t understand. What happened to this woman? And what is with all this blood?” the man asked, removing the blanket from her lower part, revealing her large belly and the large, horizontal gash. “Did Y/N do this?” The old woman nodded her head. “There have been a string of dystocic pregnancies for these young women... Ah, Heavens, they were not women, they were barely fourteen... A child, killed by a child...” despite the exclamations typical of an old woman, Ieyasu began to piece together the bits she was telling him. “Seeing all these complications, the Princess started learning about the Way of the Blade on dead animals, and then, dead bodies, hoping to learn how to properly perform such an act on a poor girl, struggling and wailing in agony... But no matter what she did... With a cut like that, how can a little girl like this survive? And the babe, too... They were already long dead by the time they were taken out of the womb.” the old woman had to wipe away the escaping tears. Ieyasu stared down at the gruesome image of the young girl that was supposed to be a mother. She had perineal tearing, and the skin on her thighs had ruptured from the effort. The slice of the belly was deep, yet perfectly clean and sharply done. “Kaede, I understand these complications happened because of their frail age, and the risks are higher because their bodies hadn’t developed enough... But are these risks viable for adult women also?” fear started creeping into his heart, gnawing and tainting away at him rapidly. “Unfortunately, Young Lord, there are risks for any pregnancy. They say, during childbirth, women are already with one foot in hell, and they are fighting against the demons that are trying to take them away.” Ieyasu felt himself shivering softly. “Y/N knows these risks too, I’m sure.” the old woman nodded her head. “Is this why she ran away from here? It seems uncharacteristic of her, allowing others to do work that she shouldered herself.” “Poor Princess is a victim of her own fears, like most women are. Please don’t be too harsh on her, she’s trying her best. Princess Y/N does not like speaking much about her, in fear of burdening others... However, after a rather painful childbirth that ended in death, she revealed that, even back home, she assisted soon to be mothers, and had lost many friends to this, including her younger sister.” Ieyasu’s eyes widened, his head snapping towards the old lady. “Y/N had a younger sister?” she never mentioned anything about a sister - Only her elder brother. Is it because all the beautiful memories she has of her end with a most painful epilogue? “Yes, in fact, she was barely fifteen by the time of her death. Married some Lord that she loved, she wanted a few children of her own, she really wanted to be a mother, as she said. Her hips were too small, and the baby couldn’t get out. Princess Y/N had to cut her belly open herself - She was able to save the baby - It was a girl... And since it was not a boy, thus, not an heir... The husband didn’t want to accept it as his child. He called Princess Y/N’s sister... Rather uncouth words, accusing her of adultery, and now, Princess Y/N’s mother takes care of the child, as though she is her own daughter.”

Ieyasu couldn’t believe what he was hearing - All this information, and he had to hear it from his old nan, instead of his own wife. Was she not trusting him, or was she too afraid of speaking these things with anyone? He couldn’t blame her - Women are taught to be afraid of their husbands - But he had hoped he was able to reassure her into trusting him with her very being.

With a mumbled thank you, Ieyasu stole one last glance at the poor young girl, and as Y/N’s image flashed before his eyes, in the same posture, he, too, jolted to his feet and bolted out of the castle, unable to keep overthinking. There weren’t many things that could shake him mentally, but when it came to Y/N’s well-being, he was nothing but a puddle of melted ice.

When he reached the stream, he saw Y/N kneeling on the ground, continuously scrubbing away the blood from her skin and from the blood stained coat - Only, there hadn’t been any spot of red of it in a while, it was only in her imagination. She was staring blankly at the running stream, her expression completely empty, save for a soft furrow of her brows. Ieyasu went to sit next to her, yet she acted as though he wasn’t even there. He wanted to offer her her space, to speak whenever she felt comfortable, hoping that his presence alone would offer her comfort - Instead, she remained silent. Even more, she got up soon after and attempted to leave.

“How are you feeling?” robotically, she stopped dead in her tracks, rigid and stiff, just like during that night when he called her out. “Just fine.” somehow, she managed to keep her voice in check and under control. “Please don’t hide away from me. You were there for me when I needed you the most. Let me in, Y/N.” there was a heavy silence, save for the rippling of the river. “Kaede told you, didn’t she?” with a confirmation, Y/N took a sharp inhale. “Worry not. I will not neglect my duties as a wife.” “Do you think I care about that?!” infuriated, Ieyasu shot up to his feet. “I don’t care about some child, I care about you!” he wasn’t one to yell, it was so unlike him, and from the shape of Y/N’s body, it was clear she was a little startled by the unexpected outburst. “If you are dead, what’s the point? You are more important to me than any pretentious thing like an heir.” she was unable to say any word. “Y/N - Forgive me, I didn’t mean to shout. I just don’t think you realise how much I love you. I know I’m not good with words, and even my actions aren’t great - But I treasure you more than anything in the world. Do you not trust me enough to tell me what pains you?” “Please... Don’t take it this way.” finally, with a soft voice filled with anguish, she was able to reply. “Whenever something bad happens, I just try my best to erase it from my mind. I try to pretend it didn’t happen. I don’t want to be plagued by the torment all my life.” “That is the exact opposite of what you’ve been encouraging me to do.” she nodded her head. “You are such a hypocrite.” despite her sadness, Y/N found herself exhaling with amusement. “I know. I am the biggest hypocrite there is. I could never follow my own advice. It is not that I don’t trust you - But that I love you so much, that I’d rather take on all of your burdens and keep you happy, than acknowledge my own problems. You have enough to deal with anyway. You are the Lord of Mikawa, and an important ally of the Oda forces. We are in the brink of war - The last thing I care about is some silly old sadness of mine.” suddenly, Y/N felt herself being embraced from behind, a kiss being placed on her temple. “I take you with me to war councils, you help me with medicine, with studies, sometimes you even accompany me when I train or go hunting. You are my wife, Y/N, but not only that - You are my most cherished person. Without you, I am lost. I cannot be happy if you are not. I hope you won’t be afraid of telling me how you’re feeling from now on, no matter what it is. If you are afraid of something, no matter what it is, I will be there to protect you. When you are upset, I will have my arms open, and I will hold you as you cry; And when you are happy, I will be there to watch you smile. You are human, like any other, Y/N. Don’t pretend to be otherwise just because of what others say.” despite the soft trembling of her body, Y/N didn’t cry, though her heart was aching and begging her to release all of her pent up emotions. Instead, she smiled, and squeezed his hands as thanks. “I truly was born under a lucky star, to have been chosen by a man like yourself, my love.” he wasn’t sure why, even after so long, Ieyasu still felt his cheeks warming up at the simplest compliment from her.

He truly thought he was a good husband, and even when he had his doubts, Y/N would immediately reassure him, telling him he is the best thing that ever happened in her life, and how lucky she is for having the privilege of being married to him - All this, while pampering him and kissing his face all over, to the point of flustering him into hiding his face away from her. Whenever he did that, she knew she had succeeded in her plan of cheering him up.

But it was only he, whose life was getting better and better, while her life was getting worse. He did everything he could, alleviating any external pressure or influence, especially from the elders or the gossiping maids who dared slander her for her passions and the lack of an heir - As if he cared about that, when war had been crippling the lands for a whole century?

Y/N’s mother had been brought to the capital, to receive the best health care possible, as she’s been afflicted with an awful disease - When she heard that, Y/N quickly discarded all of the jewellery and the rich outer layer of her kimono, and with a sash, she dexterously tied back the long sleeves of her outfit as she ran through corridors of lords and lordlings, pushing them away. “Out of my way! Get out! Move already, damn it!” those who didn’t know who the wench was wanted to grab her and punish her for her insulting behaviour, but one order from the Lord of Owari was enough to split the ocean of men standing in her way.

For days, Ieyasu hadn’t seen his wife, and he grew ever more worried - What if she gets ill also? What if her mind breaks from all the anguish? It cannot be easy, treating your own mother, the person you love more than life itself - And especially, it cannot be easy having to see her health decaying so rapidly before your very eyes, and hearing the weak voice of hers, once filled with vitality, telling her final wishes and praises to her sweet daughter.

He never once saw her crying, but he was afraid that, if he does, he too would break down on the spot. He did the mistake of going over to the room where she was taking care of her mother, bringing her food and tea in hopes of making sure she isn’t neglecting her health, but as soon as he saw that exhausted and tormented expression on her face, he felt the tray fall from his grasp - Thankfully, he kept composed. She hadn’t even picked up on his arrival, were it not for the semi-conscious mother alerting her.

She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t wailing, nor was she screaming in anguish - Instead, she was deadly silent, like a lake without fish in it. She was so absorbed in her quest of saving her mother, that she forgot all about her own self in the process; He was afraid, however, that should he remind her that she is a human being, with emotions and a rational mind, she couldn’t take it. He wanted to just hold her in his arms and protect her from any thing around her that could be even remotely upsetting - But unfortunately, he, more than anyone, knew how that wish was nothing less than impossible.

Was she incapable of crying altogether, he had wondering thoughts at some point, realising that, although very close to, and quivering, in the year they’ve been together, he had not seen his wife cry once, despite all the emotional hardships she had to endure, one after the other. He had seen plenty women cry, even from the silliest of things; but not Y/N. Never her. It must be one of those silly rules from that God-awful Chinese book, written by Empress whatever, dictating in particular detail how all women, and wives especially, must behave in society, and most of all, in front of their husbands. If he could, he’d burn that book from the face of the earth, never to hear of it again. He wanted Y/N to be eternally free of any shackle and rope that she might feel herself held back by. It was torment, watching her wilt away, like the most beautiful flower in late autumn.

And then, when her mother died, he could see how hard she was gritting her teeth, all to keep herself composed, and immediately went to plan the funeral. She was dressed in simple, white, mourning garments, just like everyone else around her. Though no make up, and looking like an onryo, her long hair, shining in the Sun, contrasting the sickly paleness of her colourless pigment, and she stared emptily at the pyre on which her mother’s beautiful body laid. She had dressed her up herself, and applied make up the way she knew would look best on her, and her hair was tied with many expensive pins and flowers. On either side of her, her father was a sobbing mess, while her brother was trembling, unable to control himself.

Y/N sighed, staring at the sake bottle, and she took it in her hands before smashing it away from the pyre. “My mother hated alcohol. I will not send her away to the other side with sake. Go make her favourite honeyed tea at once.” the servants didn’t waste another second, and soon, the Princess was offered a tea pot and a cup. With steady hands, she poured a little tea to drink, before spilling the rest of it with perfect precision, in the form of the symbol for the word ‘Love’. It only made her father look away and search for a chair to sit on, feeling her knees buckle. Seeing that, Y/N went to kneel by his side, and gently, traced his hands to have him let go of the torch. Gladly, he did, and Y/N went to lit it on fire, approaching the pyre. With one last look of grief towards her mother, a kiss on her forehead and a few farewell words, Y/N placed the torch on the fire, igniting it; Though she must not have realised she was still holding her hand on her mother’s face, even when licked by the flames of fire, for it was Lord Nobunaga, closest to her, that snatched away her wrist from the blazing inferno, and gave her a look. From the looks of it, she felt no pain at all, as her heart was in enough anguish to feel anything else.

With a thankful nod of her head, Nobunaga let go of her, watching as she phlegmatically threw away the burning torch in the water basin before turning to address all the lords present. “All of you attending have the deepest gratitude, from the whole family, especially my Lord Father, who is stricken with grief at the moment and unable to express his gratefulness for everyone’s support. As a way to thank everyone for the trouble of coming over and stand in solidarity for our loss, we humbly invite you to a feast in honour of my Lady Mother. Please, if you may -” she opened the door to the banquet room, where everything had already been placed, and the servants were guiding all the lords to their respective seats. Y/N went to help her father get up from the chair, and had him sit at a table between herself and her brother.

Like all men, Ieyasu realised, Lord Niwa was drinking his sorrows away, to the point of becoming a babbling fool. The Young Lord next to him, however, did nothing to save his father from making a fool of himself in front of all the prominent lords of the Oda forces. Though she had to tirelessly run to and fro to make sure everyone was attended by the maids properly, she fell in front of her father, trying to take away the sake from him, replacing it with tea, and forcing him to eat something to alleviate the heavy drunkness of his. Ieyasu could only stare in pity, powerless before a family matter like this. She hadn’t even the time to mourn her beloved mother, for she had to take care of everyone -- But was anyone taking care of her, even the littlest bit?

“Father, please, that is enough drinking. Mother would have hated seeing you in this state. Please, compose yourself, just until we get home.” Ieyasu heard her plead to her father, holding his face in her hands dearly. Yes, he remembers Y/N asking for his permission to return home and take care of her father, until he gets better. To think a husband would be so grief-stricken from the loss of his wife... Ieyasu was unable to look at Lord Niwa, as he imagined himself in the same shape as he, should anything happen to his sweet Y/N. “My sweet Y/N, you are so perfect, my most beloved child -- How were we ever capable of creating a child so perfect is beyond me -- You look so much like your mother, and you’re so smart and talented -- My most precious little flower in the world, always taking care of everyone around her.” sighing, Y/N threw her arms around her father. “It is alright, daddy, no need to say anything else, I understand you heart. I will always be here for you, no matter what happens. I will always be your little girl.” those words would forever haunt Ieyasu, for an eternity, and even far beyond.

For a whole month, Y/N was away, and he felt not only his mind, but his heart in shambles, and it was then that he properly realised how dependent he felt on Y/N, how much his heart longed for her touch, for her sweet words, for her loving embrace and that angelic smile. He missed her like a man lost in the desert missed the shade and water. He wanted nothing more than to march at her home and gather her up in his arms, telling her that everything will be okay, that he is there for her, forever, and that he loves her more than anything in this worlds.

Day in and day out, the castle of Ozaki felt the antsiness of Lord Tokugawa, and the tense atmosphere was nothing less than painful. From the once stern yet kind Lord who spent his time only studying, training and working, he now was so snappy and all the servants found themselves on the wrong end of his thorny wrath, as though they were Uesugi or Takeda themselves. He prayed for the first time in his life, that Y/N’s father would get better already, and Y/N would return to him - He felt so lonely, so out of touch with everything surrounding him; the single touch of normalcy being the company of his darling Wasabi, and the occasional war councils. The pillow seat next to him was empty, in her honour. It was empty, like the bed they shared, like their room, like the whole province of Mikawa; Like his heart especially.

Yet however much he craved for Y/N to return, he didn’t want it to be due to another funeral. From the rumours growing around, her father died from a broken heart, unable to cope with the death of his wife. It was a huge blow emotionally for Ieyasu, fearing something like that happening to him, should Y/N die some day; Yet, of course, the Oda forces too were at a disadvantage, as Lord Niwa was Nobunaga’s right hand for so many decades, first, having aided his father, before aiding the Young Lord.

Just like during her mother’s funeral, it was Y/N who took care of everything, as the brother was too much of a gutless wimp to do anything at all. It was Y/N who took care of the pyre, of burning the corpse of her father, of taking care of the guests at the feast and so on.

He spotted her, at some point, slipping away from the large chamber and going outside, and to the pond - Their special place together. He could hear soft, repeated muttering, over and over again. “Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.” she kept saying, to the point that every piece of Ieyasu’s heart broke and shattered. “My love.” he called out to her, sitting on the grass, in front of her. “Forgive the intrusion. I couldn’t bare the thought of letting you suffer alone.” she kept her head hanging. “It’s alright to cry. You’ve just lost both of your parents, whom you loved dearly. You have every right to mourn.” “I’m afraid, Ieyasu.” the vibrato of her quivering voice was making his eyes sting with gleaming tears. “I’m afraid that, if I do, I won’t be able to stop. That the sorrow will never disappear. That hell and darkness will find me, and drag me down, drowning me.” “That’s why I’m here, Y/N. I’m here to protect you. Don’t run away from me, please. Cry and mourn as much as you need, and rely on me; I will make sure you never fall - And if you do, I’ll be there to catch you and carry you back home.” slowly, his arms made their way around her trembling form, pulling her to his chest as he caressed her hair. “You are safe with me, my love. You can allow yourself to be vulnerable with me. You may cry as much as you need.”

And for the first time since they’ve been married, Ieyasu witnessed his wife crying and cursing, raw wails and words that he never thought he would hear from a woman’s mouth - But he couldn’t blame her. She’s been through enough. In a way, he finally felt like he was doing something for her; It was painful enough, knowing that he wasn’t enough for her, or so he kept telling himself. He was there for her. He was always there for her, no matter what may happen.

Ieyasu was going to be there, by Y/N’s side, the very same way Y/N was when she saved him from Kennyo himself, when the warrior sect of monks from Ikko-Ikki rebelled on his lands and rebelled against him, to get to Nobunaga. It was thanks to her, that he found out about the betrayal of some of his once loyal vassals, and it was thanks to her, that he survived a trap set by Kennyo himself.

It was one evening, when he returned to the castle, and as soon as he dismounted his horse, Y/N uncharacteristically ran to him, throwing herself onto him to embrace him. “My Lord husband, how I missed you! Let me draw a bath for you.” with a vixen like grin on her face, she held his hand, dragging him to the bath, urging him to undress. He felt so confused, yet so timid, undressing before her; Y/N was assertive however, and she undressed him herself, before dragging him into the water, his back glued to the wooden wall of the tub. Suddenly, he felt one of her delicate hands tracing his skin, from his ribs and all over his chest, while the other... Showed a scroll to him? “Read it, but remain quiet. You have been betrayed, yet I do not know all the people participating in this ploy.” his body felt stiff, hearing her soft yet ominous whisper in his ear, and forgetting the shyness from his wife seeing him naked for the first time, he let his tired eyes scan the beautiful writing of his sweet Princess, before succumbing the parchment in the water, waiting for it to disintegrate entirely.

Though they didn’t speak out loud about this matter, they both remained fully alert; With Ieyasu writing a letter to Nobunaga, Y/N volunteered to go deliver it herself, not wanting to risk anything interfering with their plan. “Please be safe.” Ieyasu cupped her face, kissing her forehead tenderly. “I do not know what I would do if anything were to happen to you.” “The same goes to you also, my darling.” with a sweet gaze shared, Ieyasu helped Y/N mount the horse and watched her gallop away into the horizon.

Though, as Y/N was away, Ieyasu already had to run away into war, as the damned monks attacked his lands. By the time the Princess had arrived in Azuchi, it was Mitsuhide who greeted her, though the usual teasing, enigmatic grin ever-present was replaced with a grim look. “Though it is always a pleasure seeing you, Princess, I can guess why you have arrived.” he spoke, helping her get off the horse and reading the letter. “I wish I had better knew to counter this betrayal, My Lady, though unfortunately, I must be the bearer of the grave news. Ieyasu might be walking right into Kennyo’s trap.” he put a comforting hand on the Princess’s shoulder. “Hideyoshi and Masamune found and defeated Takeda Katsuyori, and in his possession, there was a letter addressed to your brother. I am deeply sorry to inform you that your brother is conspiring with not only the Uesugi-Takeda alliance, but with Kenny’s monks too.” “I should have expected that. I and father never did trust my brother, he always had an inferiority complex when it came to me. I have always been a prodigy while he, well... Save for the physical prowess of a man, there was much he was lacking. I also suspect him of poisoning our father, to take over the family. That is why... I placed a trap at home, before I left. And, as I expected, he took the bait.” Y/N spoke thoughtfully. “Mitsuhide, we have to save Ieyasu. I wish I could rally my troops, but my brother has them. What is there to do?” “I will tell you where Ieyasu is fighting - Go ahead and reassure him that help is on the way. Mitsunari went on a trail to catch Kennyo; Masamune and Hideyoshi are on their way too. That leaves Nobunaga with your brother, fighting Kenshin, and myself.” Mitsuhide explained the situation, watching the woman before him nod curtly. “Alright. You have to find Nobunaga and tell him of my brother’s betrayal. Perhaps we can all gather at a common point. I don’t want my father’s hard work to go down the drain because of Kenji’s frail ego.” she explained her view. “That was exactly my thought also, Princess. Be on your way, and be safe.” with a nod of acknowledgement, Y/N swiftly left Azuchi towards the valley Mitsuhide described.

Truthful to his words, Mitsuhide was right, and Ieyasu was there, fighting against the berserk monks. Y/N rose her musket and started shooting away at the approaching enemies, and once she got close enough, she used the rifle to hit away at the monks’ head, incapacitating them. She jumped off the horse and readied her weapons, getting back to back with her husband, but not before pulling him into a desperate kiss. “Help is on the way, my love. Hang in there.” “I’m not even sure if I’m reassured seeing you, or if I’m terrified out of my mind.” the Princess chuckled softly. “I bring good news, so feel lighter. Mitsuhide reassured me all the other lords will be meeting up shortly at the camp. They killed Katsuyori, and they’re on Kenshin’s and Kennyo’s trail.” Ieyasu found himself scoffing. “It has barely been a week, and so many things happened. I’ve been out of the loop for far too long.” Ieyasu complained lightly. “That is why I am here, am I not?” the woman smirked.

Ieyasu had to admit, he was highly impressed by his wife’s war proficiency, though he should have known better, as she mentioned having trained side by side her brother, and he himself helped her get better at archery, whilst Mitsuhide taught her how to shoot a musket. He truly was lucky, having met and married such a wonderful woman, quite literally always there for him, no matter the hardship or the auspicious day.

Thankfully, they were able to escape the trap unscathed, and Ieyasu’s troops were mostly intact; Y/N helped her husband up on her horse and they ran away to the camp, not before shouting the instructions to the rest of the army so they would follow right behind.

“Ieyasu, you are well. That is good.” Nobunaga remarked, as Ieyasu and Y/N were the last to arrive. “We have all arrived here, safe and sound, and our missions have been a success.” “It is good that we have such a reliable Princess to keep our little Ieyasu safe.” Mitsuhide couldn’t help but tease the Young Lord, who was unable to complain, as it was Mitsuhide himself who made sure Y/N was safe and knew how to come over to him. As the Lords all invited Y/N and Ieyasu to get over to them and drink some tea, rest and eat some food after such a long time, Kenji frowned, getting up and marching in front of Y/N, before slapping her face hard enough to make her stumble. The gesture garnered gasps and protests from every witnessed, yet it was Ieyasu himself who took out his sword automatically and threatened his brother-in-law. “Our parents never once scolded, punished, and especially rose their hand to hit me. What gave you the right to do something like this, especially considering that I am a married woman and not under your authority?” Y/N tilted her head up with unbothered grace, her hand placed on Ieyasu’s sword, inching it away from her brother’s neck. “Whether you are married or not, it matters little. You are first and foremost the Princess of the Niwa Clan, and only then, Tokugawa’s whore, so behave appropriately, like a woman should, and stop bringing shame and dishonour everywhere you step. Our parents might have indulged you, but I am not weak like them.” his words only made the Princess, but Nobunaga and some of the other lords burst laughing. “Well, certainly, forgive me for wanting to save my husband; I’m not ready to be a widow yet. And, I suppose I should say, at least for the sake of this pointless argument, that not only do I have my Lord Husband’s approval, to do all the things that you accuse me of, but Lord Nobunaga, also, seeks my council on occasion... Which... As far as I know... Does not happen for you as well. I wonder why.” Y/N’s whole body moved with another slap from her brother. “Did you want to save him, like you tried to save our sister?” it was the first time Ieyasu saw Y/N’s calm demeanour disappear, only to be replaced with a deathly glare. “Like you tried to save our mother? Our father?” he continued to slander her. “You claim to try and save them, but you killed them all, didn’t you? You are a demon disguised as a woman, that is what you are.” “Do you think I don’t know that it was you who killed our father, hoping to inherit the Niwa clan, based on the succession line?” it was Kenji’s turn to stiffen. “It must have been such a great shock for you, finding out father’s will, and seeing that, instead of Niwa Kenji being written as the Heir... It was Y/N-hime.” the brother, with wrath in his eyes, attempted to lunge at the girl, but she did a short-distance sprint, tripping him, and allowing Kenji to be punched by her husband. “Based on your aggressive behaviour, it must be the truth. You knew, once I find the will, I will be named the Heir of Niwa, and our house will automatically merge with Ieyasu’s... And you? You will be nothing but a little lordling, fated to be called forever a fool - You, Niwa Kenji, the firstborn and the sole male child... Failing so hard at being a reliable ruler, that your father made your younger sister, the middle child, the heir, trusting her with not only the finances, but the army also. How hilarious is that?” Y/N laughed tauntingly at her elder brother, who was struggling hard to get away from Ieyasu’s grip, especially as Hideyoshi and Masamune too jumped to keep him restrained. “And as the appointed heir of the Niwa clan, with Nobunaga’s approval, as well as my husband’s, I would like to decree that I advise my elder brother, Niwa Kenji, to commit seppuku in front all the Lords, and if he should refuse, then I should be allowed to bring forth his demise myself.” “Motion approved.” Nobunaga smirked at the gutsy, domineering woman before him, watching his lords bring Kenji to his knees. “You cannot do that! Women aren’t allowed to own any property - You’re going to let that pesky child take over all our possessions and province! He’s going to ruin everything -- YOU are going to bring ruin to the whole Niwa family, you demon!” his whining was abruptly halted by Nobunaga’s dark voice. “That rule is going to change soon, once I reform the Shogunate. Y/N was enough of an exemplary ideal and a role model.” Nobunaga was well over himself with amusement, loving to undermine arrogant pricks like Y/N’s brother. “Then, brother, you have the choice to either commit ritualistic suicide, or to die by my blade. Which would you rather prefer? See - I am a benevolent ruler, I am even allowing a traitor like yourself to choose how you want to die, it is quite the privilege, considering not only you killed our father, conspired to kill me and my husband, but also, made deals with Takeda, Uesugi and Kennyo, hoping to soon revolt against the Oda forces.” the dumb look on his face only made Y/N laugh. “See? Your head is empty. There is no ounce of intelligence there. If father chose you as the heir, only ruin would have befallen our lineage. It was so simple, you know? Just choose the winning side and continue living like a parasite, leeching over the success of better men. It is your fault alone.” Y/N grinned enigmatically, going to her husband and drawing his sword. “I have changed my mind. I will not give you the satisfaction of taking your own life. I want to do it myself. Do you know why?” the woman stepped in front of him; Ieyasu felt his heart beating so fast, watching his wife acting less like a the sweet Fawn Princess that she always tried so hard to be, always tender and soft, comforting and loving him constantly; and more like Amaterasu herself, banishing Susano’o from Heavens. “Because we have lived in the same house and studied together for twenty years, and you were unable to realise that the will was written by me, not by father.” “What?!” Kenji tried to jolt up to his feet, but was unable to. “You forged our father’s will?!” “Of course I did, who do you take me for? I’ve long since suspected you of trying to rebel. I couldn’t have you tarnish our family name; Our ancestors worked hard enough, getting us where they are. I tested you, and you failed.” Y/N chuckled softly. “Our father always thought you were the family’s greatest disappointment... And, coincidentally, I tend to agree.”

Y/N didn’t allow Kenji enough time to open her mouth, as she swung the blade, and his head went rolling on the ground pathetically. The Princess went to grab the head by the hair and impaled it on a spike, in all its glory. Then, she went by Nobunaga’s side, looking down at him with a confident smirk. “Are you going to call me Lord Niwa from now on, I wonder?” “You have earned the title, I see no reason not to.” Y/N bowed her head at the ruler. “Then, officially, I suppose I have to pledge my allegiance to the Oda forces. It goes without saying, for as long as I live, the Niwa family is going to continue supporting your cause with no exception. Is that good?” Nobunaga let out a short yet boastful laugh. “By all means, I feel far more reassured with you as the leader, as compared to that incompetent.” exhausted and in need of some proper rest, Ieyasu and Y/N were the first to leave the camp, yet instead of going to Mikawa, they went to her castle.

“You once said your younger sister’s daughter was being raised by your parents. Now that they are no more, and the war is done, a young girl like herself cannot be left alone, can she? She needs a proper education and people to look after her.” Ieyasu brought his sweetheart into a loving, tender kiss, playing with a lock of her hair. “Are you sure, my love? A child is a lot of hard responsibility and involvement, and--” her worries were quickly hushed with another kiss. “I know what I’m saying. Besides, at least people will stop pestering us about having children ourselves.” Y/N couldn’t help but start laughing at his comment.

And though nervous, Ieyasu never once regretted the decision of fostering the young girl, caring for her as his own child. Be it that he was teaching her how to read and write, or that Y/N was telling her about politics, history or medicine, the little girl was the brightest star in the sky for them.

The most beautiful image, however, was watching the little Fawn Princess playing with his dear Wasabi; two beautiful little girls, innocent and tender, in a world that was bound to change in their favour. No more wars, no more conflicts, no more killings; Only samurai were allowed to have weapons, and fighting was soon proven to become entirely inefficient, and external trade was being promoted, studying history and medicine, politics, arts and poems and novels. There was no need for lovely women like Princess Y/N to shoulder the responsibilities of war and grief any longer, and no children had to watch their parents fall under the blade any longer. Ieyasu especially wanted to create and maintain the beautiful utopia of peace that Nobunaga started, all for the safety and happiness of his three beloved girls.

Wasabi, his adorable deer, Y/N, his most beloved wife, and the little Fawn Princess, his darling daughter.

Tokugawa Ieyasu never thought about women, and never gave any importance to marriage; everything except for his academic and military training was nothing was a troublesome drag, and he couldn’t care less about any such inconvenience - But Y/N proved him wrong. Y/N proved to him that he was not only capable of accepting love, but giving also - And oh, how he loved falling asleep to the image of a sleepy Y/N, and waking up to a sweet kiss from her.

#ikemes sengoku #ikemen sengoku x reader #ikemen sengoku imagine #ikesen #ikesen x reader #ikesen imagine #tokugawa ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x reader #tokugawa ieyasu imagine

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tsukimefuku · 3 months

Text

❅ Sand and Snow | Chapter 1

ALL CHAPTERS HERE.

In the city of Odate, Akita, there have been multiple deaths in the past few weeks. The first-grade sorcerer Nanami Kento is sent out to investigate the snowy city, not knowing that it would be his last mission as a Jujutsu High student. OR: Why Nanami left Jujutsu High to become a corporate 9/5 slave.

Images via @incepstla on Tumblr

DISCLAIMERS

* This is cross-posted from AO3, link here.

* This is a murder/mystery story. Like so, it contains depictions of violence that some readers may find disturbing.

* Classic Nanami and Gojo shenanigans will ensue. This is my copium.

* This fanfic is mostly built on original characters that are plot-centric (we need ppl to kill and to be questioned in a murder/mystery story, amiright?), though Nanami is the protagonist. There won't be any romance/smut/fluff/ship involved, but in case you don't like OC's at all, this story probably isn't suited for you.

* I wrote this in the most faithful way I could to JJK Canon and events, with the intention you could read this as an actual one-off light novel from the series (even inspired the writing on the translation from the official light novels). I hope you enjoy.

********************************

Chapter 1

Traveling alone became a common occurrence in Nanami's life ever since Haibara's death. More common still after his promotion — turning into a first-grade jujutsu sorcerer in his third year came with some perks, like a raise, for instance. But it also meant he would be frequently dealing with complex missions by himself. To fill up time, he was reading a pocket version of "The Devotion of Suspect X" by Keigo Higashino, as he drank a small and well brewed cup of coffee.

As Nanami approached his destination, he closed the book and started to mentally review the details of this mission. He anticipated it should take around a week for completion at most.

Around the city of Odate there had been 7 deaths, all containing traces of cursed energy. All involving poison. The presence of a cursed spirit was not out of the question, but considering the way those people died, a curse user was most likely. If that was the case, the curse user should be captured and taken in for questioning.

His phone rang. It was Yaga.

"Hello." he said, as he accepted the call.

"Nanami, be sure to report as soon as you get there, and report to me daily." Yaga replied.

"I will. Has something happened?"

"No, but those that sent this mission our way are very keen on accompanying every step taken." The contempt Yaga tried to hide in his voice was pretty clear.

"Fine. Let me know when and if Gojo is coming my way." The thought of meeting Satoru with his whimsical personality during a mission made Nanami involuntarily sigh.

Nanami was on his way to Odate because Jujutsu High's first choice, Satoru Gojo, was off on another mission that took longer than expected. This had been disclosed to Nanami right from the start. He would be there up until Gojo Satoru got to Odate or until he just finished the job by himself, whatever happened first.

He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that they wanted to send Gojo, a special-grade sorcerer, on a mission suited for a first-grade, though. But dutiful as he was, Nanami simply did not spend his time questioning. Orders were orders, after all.

"About that… Gojo requested for you to work with him if you still haven't finished the job when he gets there.”

Nanami was annoyed.

"Why?"

"Who knows. He's always acting on a whim. Just accompany him. I have been told this is an important job, and you're the responsible one."

Nanami was annoyed, times two.

"Fine."

Getting “punished” with more work for being a good jujutsu sorcerer was the kind of thing that happened to him regularly. Not so different from a normal job. Nanami sighed and ended the call. There was now a pretty good incentive to get things done as fast as he could, and it didn't involve (just) overtime.

***

As the train came to a stop, the doors opened, letting a cold breeze seep in. I should get to the hotel and leave this luggage before I go out investigating, Nanami thought to himself, before stepping out and making his way onto the exit from the train station.

There were few to no taxis so early in the morning, so he just decided to walk. It wasn't terribly far, and it gave him the opportunity to look around the city for anything out of the ordinary along the way.

There were many snow sculptures by the roadside, and some ice figures resembling the Akita dog breed. At the end of February, Odate had many winter festivities, with a lot of Akita-dog related decor and souvenirs.

He had nothing against cold weather, but preferred the beach, ever so slightly.

Nanami picked up his phone and sent Yaga a text that said "I'm here. On my way to the hotel".

"Ok" Yaga replied instantly.

They must really be on his case, he thought, as it was out of character for Yaga to reply so fast. He usually had more things to deal with as the new Jujutsu High principal.

After an uneventful walk, Nanami got to the hotel and was greeted by a woman at the main desk.

"Good morning. My name is Yoko. How can I help you, sir?" She asked politely.

"I have a reservation."

"Perfectly. I need your full name."

"Nanami Kento."

The lady typed quietly on the keyboard, and around two minutes passed.

"Sorry, our systems are kind of slow today."

Nanami said nothing and just waited.

"Hey, Mr. Kento... Be careful."

That grabbed his attention. It was clearly not a threat, and the lady was visibly concerned, even though she tried to hide it.

"There have been some people dying these past few weeks. Somehow it hasn't made national news, and I can tell you're not from here. I mean, new face and all. So... Be careful, ok?"

"I appreciate your conce-"

"It was the majo!" someone shouted from the inside office. The lady got startled, and instantly irritated.

"Grandma, please stop with these silly superstitions!"

There were heavy and steady footsteps, and shortly after, an elderly woman came from the back office, raising a finger and pointing towards Nanami and Yoko.

"They are not superstitions. Hear me out! The majo, the witch, she did it!"

Yoko sighed and felt her third migraine of the week paying her a visit. Wednesday had barely started.

Nanami looked at her, as if asking for further explanation about what the old woman was talking about. She put on a cordial smile and started to speak.

"My grandmother has old superstitions about a woman that lives just outside the city. Her parents went missing when she and her brother were young, and they sell herbs and things like that. There is not much to it, but people in the city have had that long held superstition against their family for a while now."

Her smiling face and calm voice did not match the angry energy she was emanating.

The old woman interjected once again.

"Her parents went missing because she is a witch, and I bet you, these people dying must be related to all of that!"

The migraine had settled in.

"What 'all of that', grandma?"

The old lady gestured vaguely with her hands in the air, as if there was some obvious fact that everybody was unaware of.

The computer emitted a sound, and Yoko promptly grabbed a key and gave it to Nanami.

"Here. Room 409. If there is anything you need, you can just dial #903 for room service."

“Thank you. Excuse me.” he replied. As he started walking towards the stairs, it was possible to hear Yoko chastising her grandmother about scaring travelers and people she did not know. The words were followed by loud footsteps into the main office and a door being slammed.

As Nanami got to his room, he started texting Yaga.

NK: I'm at the hotel. There is a local superstition around a person whom they call “a witch”. I've been told this person deals with herbs and medicinal plants, so they probably also have poisonous ones. I will be checking this out before going elsewhere.

MY: Let me know if you find anything. Also, talk to Ijichi, he will assist you researching this.

After settling in, Nanami got out of the hotel and started walking down the street, intent on questioning people about it. He failed to notice the man following him from afar.

***

It was already two in the afternoon, and he figured he might as well stop and eat something for lunch. After all, expenses were completely paid for.

As Nanami went inside the restaurant, he went over mentally the information he got about the family.

The Yamadas were a pretty old family in that region, and most lived northwest of Odate. After the disappearance of some of the family's members, mainly a couple with two children, most relatives just left the city. Aside from that, there was not much else to be said about them. Nanami had already sent Ijichi all the details he was able to gather and asked for research as soon as possible.

His phone lit up. It was Ijichi.

KI: Hey, Nanami, I found some interesting things.

NK: Tell me.

KI: So, the Yamadas were a family of jujutsu sorcerers, it seems.

Nanami felt that was definitely suspicious, to say the least.

KI: Apparently, they had little to no ties to Master Tengen or anything. They were all from that region of Odate, but most of the members have since disbanded throughout Japan in the last 10 years. I couldn't find much in the archives, especially about cursed techniques that run in the family.

NK: I see. Let me know if you find anything else.

KI: No problem.

***

After some asking around, Nanami finally got to Yamada's “witch” house. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and a snow-covered dirt road led the way there through the woods. As he was approaching from the forest quietly, he could see a lady with short black hair and a pretty thick coat putting some food bowls by the side of the house. He didn't see or sense anything particularly suspicious. The house was considerably big, having two separate floors and a very traditional Japanese ceiling for snowy weather.

Not long after she put the bowls, the lady whistled loudly. A fox came out of the snowy forest and started eating.

"There you go, Haru. Eat well!" she said, as she went inside the house.

Nanami was unsure if he should go question the woman, or if he should simply stay hidden and watch for anything strange. After all, this could be nothing, or she could be a sorcerer that would attack him on sight. He chose the latter, and sat down near some bushes as he paid attention to the house and its apparently sole resident.

From the frosty windows, he could see her in the kitchen, sitting idly while drinking something from a cup. Behind the house, there was a greenhouse with many pots of plants and other greeneries planted directly on the soil.

This will take a long time, Nanami figured, feeling disheartened for having to work late that day. Resigned, he used his flip phone to take a picture of the house and waited. He got to see the fox finish its food and go back into the woods.

Around an hour later, there were some scratching sounds that he could not really see what was the source. The lady came out of the house, sprinting hastily to the other side, where Nanami was having a difficult time seeing her. He moved his position to try and see where she was headed, and walked quietly around from the opposite side in a semicircle, but she had vanished. The fox from earlier was there, looking directly at him.

He went into alert mode, but before he could do anything, Nanami felt somebody get behind him.

The sound of a gun being loaded could be heard, and he froze on the spot.

"Raise your hands. Who are you and why are you watching me?" a female voice asked.

"I'm someone investigating the deaths that have been occurring in Odate". He said, as he was lifting his hands and putting them on his head. Nanami figured there was not much of a point in lying. She didn't ask why he was there, but why he was watching her, so she probably had noticed it for a while. Also, if she was a curse user that wanted to harm him, she would've probably done so by now.

"Turn around."

He turned to face her.

She was pointing a small handgun at him, keeping her distance. Her green eyes seemed irritated. He could probably disarm her and further question the woman on the subject, but weighing his options, it felt more responsible to avoid conflict escalation.

"Look," she said, picking her words carefully. She sounded annoyed, but not scared. "I don't know what you've heard about me or this house, but I am not a witch, and I'll tell you what I already told the officer, I didn't kill anyone."

She examined his face.

"Why are you pointing a gun at me, then?" He asked.

"I'm a woman living alone in the woods, and a creep has been stalking me for god knows how long. Sorry if I chose to pull a gun first and ask questions later."

Both of them examined each other, and the air was tense. She seemed inclined to simply let him go, and his instinct was that she harbored no ill intent on hurting him out of anything other than self-defense. He decided to try to de-escalate the situation further.

"My name is Nanami Kento."

She was slightly taken aback, as she didn't expect him to present himself like that given the circumstances.

"I'm... Shiori. Yamada Shiori."

"I'd like to ask you some questions about these deaths. I'm a private investigator of sorts. Preferably without a firearm between us." Nanami said calmly.

She hesitated and examined him. Her instinct was that he was telling the truth. After a few seconds, her arm relaxed, and she put the gun down, then inside her coat.

"Ok. We can talk." Shiori said. "But I'm keeping the gun on me."

Nanami sighed as he lowered his arms. "Fair enough."

She pointed at the house. "And you go first."

They walked towards the house, and she unlocked the front door, letting him in. She indicated a table where he could sit, and pulled a chair for herself. Once both were seated, as Nanami was about to say something, she took a crystal ball from her other pocket.

"Here. Please hold this."

Nanami thought about it for a second, and held the ball in his hand. The small sphere started to glow blue after about 5 seconds. "Tsk", Shiori groaned, "Figures."

"Sorry, I don't understand."

"Where are you from? Kyoto?" She asked, grabbing the crystal from his hands. "Is this really about the deaths, or are you guys here to try to recruit me and my brother? He is away, just so you know."

Nanami was confused, and it must have shown.

"You're a jujutsu sorcerer, aren't you?" She asked. "Look." The crystal was glowing in her hands too. "This is my sort of 'jujutsu sorcerer detector'. The last time one of you came was a few years ago, so I'll just cut to the chase. I'm happy in the woods, and I don't want to go to Jujutsu High — I’m actually 18 now, and have just graduated. Please, leave me alone."

This was definitely not how Nanami expected this conversation to go, and he definitely did not expect to be dealing with cursed objects in Odate. After collecting his thoughts, Nanami started to speak.

"I'm here because of Jujutsu High, but I came from Tokyo on a mission regarding the deaths that have occurred recently. I questioned a few people and after some research, found that your family had sorcerers, and that you and your brother work with medicinal plants. Given the cause of those deaths was poisoning, I came to your house for further investigation." He answered bluntly.

"I see." She put the crystal ball back inside her pocket. "You're not the first one to think that, though. A police officer was here a few days ago. Those town's people still hate us, even centuries later, simply for being Yamadas. But I truly had nothing to do with those deaths."

"I see." Nanami muttered the thought for a moment. "And do you have an innate cursed technique?" Cursed techniques in sorcerer's families that were passed through generations were common, even if those that involved poisoning their victims weren't that common.

She was a little surprised with the question. "Well, it has nothing to do with poison, I can tell you that much. I can show you, but it can't be done inside the house."

"Why?"

"Because I still want to have a roof over my head. Come." She pointed to the door, and they went outside. Behind the house, there were plenty of wide holes in the ground just barely covered in snow, something he hadn't noticed earlier.

"Please, step back." She concentrated, put both hands together and said "cursed technique: melt grenade". Then, Shiori threw a small blue ball of cursed energy towards the holes. It exploded loudly, and made a hole around 2 feet deep, covered in a thick corrosive black substance.

"That's all?" Nanami asked. He waited for a response, but after a few seconds of silence, looked at her just to see Shiori falling to the ground. He started walking to her side offering assistance, but she was already sitting herself up, as if this was something the woman was accustomed to.

"Yes. That is all. I can only throw one or two of these before passing out." She stood up slowly. "So this is it. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do to help you." She had a surprisingly laid back approach, even if the circumstances they had met were somewhat odd.

Nanami sighed. At least this explained why she used a gun. Nevertheless, it was a dead end, after all.

"I was told you had a brother. Where is he?" He asked.

"My brother decided to do some traveling about a year ago. He went looking for our parents. I told him it was a bad idea, but he did it anyway. I don't know where he is currently." Shiori responded. "His name is Shiro. Our parents weren't very creative naming twins".

"Well, I won't occupy you any longer. I'll be on my way, then." Nanami said, as he bowed and started to leave.

"It's fine. But if you come by again, please, just knock on the door." Shiori responded with a half smile, putting her hands inside her pocket while she calmly walked back inside the house.

***

Back at the hotel, Nanami was on the phone talking to Yaga and giving him his report on the investigation. He informed Yaga about Ijichi's findings, and the conversation he had with Shiori.

"I see." Yaga said. "Keep an eye on her, though."

"Why?"

"Well, she has a cursed object we were not aware of. Doesn't seem like anything serious, but she could be hiding something."

"I understand." Nanami pondered for a moment. "She had some visitors from Jujutsu High years ago, more specifically from the Kyoto sister school, according to her."

"We usually scout families that have a history with jujutsu for potential students, but they don't always accept the invite." Yaga replied. "I didn't know she was one of the people we visited."

Nanami, still on the phone, walked towards the TV and turned it on. Local news had an urgent news broadcast on.

"Well, I imagine this is it for resting today." he said.

"I'll make the necessary calls. Go there now." Yaga replied.

He sat on the bed as he heard the reporter say police had just discovered a new body.

"I'm charging overtime fees."

#jujutsu nanami #jjk #nanami kento #kento nanami #jujutsu gojo #jujutsu satoru #jujutsu sorcerer #jujutsu kaisen #jjk satoru #jjk fanfic #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #fanfiction #ao3 author #archive of our own #sandandsnowchapter #jjk fanart #anime and manga

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enbycrip · 5 months

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I have come across a number of things in books and podcasts about historical West Africa recently which have made me think about our current society and how we as humans handle prestige, class, resources and stability.

(I am aware I’m writing this as a white European and that the people this knowledge passed to me through had European or American accents and names; while all of them referenced academics with African names, I am acknowledging as a starting point here that there is going to have been flattening of power relationships, oversimplification, translation issues, issues with how oral histories reach academic writings, and the issues of a colonial lens *at the very least* in the transmission of knowledge to me here, and that’s before whatever misunderstanding and issues with my lack of context and structural racism have occurred in how I have processed what I have read and heard.)

So it seems that, in a lot of medieval West African kingdoms, particularly historical Ghana (relationship to the modern state of Ghana is complex and not really geographical), land was neither owned by individuals/families or by the king a la European feudalism; it was in something closer to corporate wider kin/tribal group ownership.

Unlike the situation in *most* of medieval Europe, there was just not a land shortage; there never seems to have been an issue with any individual or familial group having security of tenure of a particular area of land as long as they had the capacity to work it.

The issue of shortage was *labour*, not land itself; it’s basically the complete inverse of the situation in Western Europe in the 14th century just before the decade preceding the Black Death, when there was so much labour due to population growth that all the marginal land was under cultivation just to feed everyone and there was this underclass living in serious poverty and food insecurity, who were, horribly and familiarly, the first people to start dying in the decade of disasters that led up to the Black Death.

This kind of situation, where *land* is the prestige resource, is the one really baked into the European and colonial mindset, and you can still see the effects of it stretching into our modern western capitalist mindset when, in a lot of ways, that doesn’t entirely make logical sense. But, in medieval to early modern West Africa, the prestige resource was *labour*, not land.

Hence the long, stable social history of slavery in West Africa; when labour is your scarce resource, holding and controlling labour is how you gain, hold and demonstrate power and prestige.

And because it is long and stable, the institution of slavery in West Africa seems to have had a lot more in common with serfdom in Europe or thralldom in early medieval Scandanavia than chattel slavery in the Americas or Roman slavery. Because both of those depend on an Imperial mindset. While a society can *absolutely* persist stably with manifest inequality and exploitation, and even dehumanisation of whole classes of people, it can’t *use up* people the way those institutions did and still remain stable.

It’s not even simply an issue with birth and replacement rates etc; there are conditions of life that humans can tolerate on a generational scale and ones we can’t. We are these highly social apes that evolved to survive and thrive in small, hierarchical but highly interdependent clan communities. So there are certain kinds of stress we can tolerate an enormous amount of *if* we have other protective factors.

Imperial societies do not allow their underclasses these factors because they do not only seek to *maximise* output of resources at any given time; they see the maximum theoretical output as their “right”. They work slaves to death and exploit land to infertility because they can always conquer more land/take more prisoners/buy more slaves. The fact that they *can* acquire MORE people, and/or more land, quickly becomes a social imperative; they are *duty-bound* to acquire more people and/or more land; to EXPAND, and not doing so becomes a “loss”.

(Yes, Augustus set Rome’s imperial boundaries; it didn’t stop them continually starting wars for resources and prisoners to become slaves until the collapse of the Empire.)

I think it is fairly clear that modern capitalism is a global imperial society. You can, in fact, explicitly see that evolution. Capitalism was born at the same time as Spanish imperialism - and colonialism-genocide - in the South Americas; it was South American silver that was the resource injection that allowed the beginnings of the stock market in the Netherlands. Both of these were part of the Spanish Empire at the time, and the Netherlands’ nascent capitalism powered itself on that resource injection and used it to leap free from Spanish control and immediately begin its own colonial ventures.

Capitalism was part of the imperial machinery of the Dutch, French and British Empires; the American Empire has been more explicitly capitalist than it has been imperialist, as one became more overtly acceptable than the other. It didn’t really change its nature; just moved it from a national base - and let’s be clear; nation states are as much social constructs as anything else is, and the fact that they are somewhat anchored to a geographical location does not give them more objective reality than, for example, money - to something more diffuse that nonetheless still operates to systemically entrench power and privilege to certain people and marginalise others.

#capitalism #disaster capitalism #african history #european history #imperialism #colonialism #slavery #medieval history #early modern history #anti capitalism #capitalism is imperialism #world history

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rosewind2007 · 9 months

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Ha!

Some people have asked in the last 48 hours:

“Like why the hell would anyone ship Murderbot and Gurathin?”

(I like to imagine them like ART clutching its function in Artificial Condition—“Ship Gurathin and Murderbot? That is irrational!”)

So, let me explain…no, there is too much. Let me make a few points:

This really starts out by asking the question: why did Gurathin want to know how the PresAux SecUnit was spending its time? Which is a really odd thing for him to want to know if you think about it.

The SecUnit is, as they have been told, merely a tool: it’s an adjunct to the SecSystem and HubSystem of the habitat, it’s a company device, a tool, a product of corporate surveillance capitalism and authoritarian enforcement. Up until the worm incident some of the PresAux team didn’t even now it had a face. Mensah didn’t want to rent it as part of the bond guarantee agreement, and called it (basically) a “hellish compromise.”

So, the rest of PresAux are in varying states of awareness about what Murderbot is.

In Future of Work Compulsory we get some insight into common knowledge of SecUnits: the workers are unaware they can speak, in fact adamant they cannot:

Asa took her arm gently. “They can’t talk,” he told her.

She [Sekai] shook her head as her friends steered her toward the access bridge. “No, it talked. I heard it.”

The PresAux team know their SecUnit can talk, it gives them a security briefing. Do most of them think this is the equivalent of a recorded message, delivered rote?

Surely Mensah, having seen its face and knowing of its intelligence (that hellish compromise) can’t think it’s anything less than a slave? But that aside: I am talking about Gurathin. And what what Volescu says Gurathin wanted to know:

Then Volescu said, “Gurathin, you wanted to know how it spends its time. That was what you were originally looking for in the logs. Tell them.”

Funny thing to want to know, like do you want to know how your roomba spends its time? Okay, this is Tumblr, possibly the wrong place for this question.

So Gurathin is suspicious, apparently right from the start of the book since on page 33 he first asks it a question:

“What about your systems?”

I would note that Gurathin asks MB two questions about how it is functioning, both just after it does something that goes against its governor module:

The other good thing about my hacked governor module is that I could ignore the governor’s instructions to defend the stupid company. “They’re supposed to be able to, but equipment failures aren’t unknown.”

Next thing anyone says is:

Then Gurathin said, “What about your systems?”

Later:

It was one of those impulses that comes from my organic parts that the governor is supposed to squash. I said, “As the only one here with experience in these situations, I’m your best resource.”

Gurathin said, “What situations?”

This looks to me like someone who either detects that MB is acting unlike a SecUnit should, or even that he can tell a governor module is being defied.

HOW does Gurathin do this/know this? He is after all augmented, perhaps he is detecting something in the feed? In Rogue Protocol when MB is spying on Miki via a drone it has taken over, Miki realises something is up:

Miki didn’t move, still staring into the dark with the opaque surface of its eyes. The feed was clear, it couldn’t know I was here.

Then Miki sent a directionless ping

I think Miki does know (Miki stares at the drone); and I think somehow Gurathin also knows.

This seems to indicate that Gurathin may know more about SecUnits than he’s giving away—but whatever: this is someone who has been closely watching Murderbot.

Like, really closely.

I think an absolutely reasonable reading of ASR is that Gurathin has a bit of a fixation on this SecUnit, and it’s a fixation that started before the worm incident.

He’s watching this piece of company equipment with unusual intensity.

I am happy to headcanon that this started with the security briefing, that Murderbot couldn’t keep its feelings out of its voice. I mean, can you imagine Murderbot doing the in-flight safety announcement on the plane? It brings to mind project mayhem’s replacement safety handouts…

Did Gurathin hear Murderbot’s real voice bleed through? Cynicism and sarcasm, a dose of irony?

It’s a thought. He never seems to doubt it’s a person. The fact that Rathhi says: “This is no more a machine than Gurathin is—”perhaps says something about how he sees Gurathin too.

I would note that Gurathin and Ratthi aren’t friends in All Systems Red—something which surprised me a little (I didn’t think they got along as well as they do in later books, but when I looked into it I was surprised!

Gurrathi Meta

So when the team heads off to DeltFall Gurathin is very suspicious and watching SecUnit, which it reports upon but doesn’t seem to spot the significance of—which is rather unlike our paranoid Murderbot.

Gurathin is the only member of the team not to express enthusiasm for MB going on the trip.

Gurathin was the only one staying behind who didn’t say anything

MB is actually about to start poking around to figure out what Guarthin is up to when the feed drops out (probably trying to figure out what’s wrong with it).

If anything I think Gurathin acts oddly about his rogue SecUnit suspicions.

If he knows SecUnits he will probably have heard the propaganda, which MB believes:

To quote MB: “I sure as hell would have reported me. Rogue SecUnits are fucking dangerous, trust me on that.”

I wrote a little essay on how Gurathin is right about a lot of things when it comes to Murderbot:

Gurathin was right

(It’s called that because he is)

Perhaps the strangest thing is that he just tries to immobilize it, and then makes his case. He doesn’t try and have it shut down whilst “unconscious”, and doesn’t even mention the (fairly critical information) until pushed. Gurathin’s expression was stiffer than usual. “This Unit has killed people before, people it was charged with protecting. It killed fifty-seven members of a mining operation.”

At this point MB believe this is true, and it lies to the diary about it, by omission at any rate: “What I told you before, about how I hacked my governor module but didn’t become a mass murderer? That was only sort of true. I was already a mass murderer.”

So: I honestly don’t think Gurathin’s behaviour here makes a whole lot of sense if you read it in a lot of ways—the way I think it makes more sense is that he is fixated. This could be sexual: perhaps when:

[Gurathin] said, “Why don’t you want us to look at you?”

My jaw was so tight it triggered a performance reliability alert in my feed. I said, “You don’t need to look at me. I’m not a sexbot.”

Well—perhaps MB is picking up something about the way Gurathin looks at it?

My personal reading is that Gurathin has become obsessed, an obsession perhaps sparked by MB’s anomalous behaviors? He is watching it intensely. It doesn’t have to be sexual, humans can get fixated without sexual attraction.

And then he so quickly accepts the rogue unit into his team! It holds him up against the wall by his neck (I mean, wow—one of the most intense bits of physical contact in the book). But Gurathin is rapidly team SecUnit: and he never sees it as “not a person” he isn’t kidding when he says.

(“I do think of it as a person,” Gurathin said. “An angry, heavily armed person who has no reason to trust us.”

“Then stop being mean to it,” “Ratthi told him. “That might help.”)

Gurathin and SecUnit work together to overcome GrayCris, Murderbot even grudgingly admitting Gurathin’s help:

“Gurathin had figured out how to use the hack from their HubSystem into our HubSystem to get access, but he needed to be close to their habitat to actually trigger their beacon. ”

“(Last night Gurathin had said this was a weak point, that this was where the plan would fall apart. It was irritating that he was right.)”

So: that’s some of the reasons from the first book, All Systems Red

#murderathin #murderbot ships #the murderbot diaries #Murderbot diaries #shipping #murderbot shipping #Gurathin #dr gurathin #gurathin my beloved

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calehenituse-brainrot · 1 year

Text

Fresh Air

Cale Henituse | Kim Rok Soo x Transported!Reader

Fresh air is needed for you and Alver is not letting you go by yourself.

content warning: blood

Working in the Palace might be some people's dream job, and you know what? You can't blame them.

The pay is good, their social insurance is a corporate slave's dream, and even though it's hectic, the integrity and honor of working within the Royal Palace is something that others might think is worth it.

But by God, the amount of conservative-minded people here is so fucking insufferable. Getting a spot to work in the Palace so easily because you're close with Alver Crossman himself along with Cale Henituse is bound to have you earn a lot of shit talk, both behind and in front of you. In a week of working here, you've heard that you were probably seducing His Highness to work in this insufferable place. Can you imagine that? Seducing someone to get you to work while you're getting so much money just from existing in the Henituse duchy?

While it is true that you got this spot because you had some of the best connections in the kingdom, it doesn't mean you weren't a hard worker and gained this amount of trust from them all because you were shaking your hips and batting your eyelashes. In fact, if you were that attractive, you would've immediately scammed some old men to get their whole fortune on the reg. But alas, you are not, so here you were, signing paperwork, making sure the budgeting for several projects isn't iffy, and looking over the public services the kingdom offers to the citizens.

Honestly, the shit-talking problem isn't that bad.

What's the worst part of working around these conservatives is...

"Of course, I doubt you'd understand how exactly it works because you're a woman."

You skim through the proposal Count Theodore has placed on your desk, glancing at the ridiculously inhumane number of gold coins they have put down in the budgeting section to fix the roads in the commoners' parts of the kingdom. "And it seems you don't understand that you need my signature to get this amount of money, Count Theodore. You need me, a woman, to agree to whatever plan you, a man, have."

Alver has entrusted you to the duty of agreeing to any proposals sent to the Palace for any building or to provide anything for the kingdom, usually applied by the workers and employees after there's a certain amount of request or petition from nobles or commoners. Alver knew of your very frugal habits over money that isn't even yours and how you're very considerate of people, so he thought entrusting you with that duty was perfect.

"I know!" Count Theodore yells out with a hearty laugh as if you had just stated a joke and you thought truly how much these men have had their brains fried from being under the sun too long with their balding heads. "How ridiculous this situation is."

"I know. It's as ridiculous as this proposal," you responded, closing the proposal and pushing it away from you. "I'm not signing this."

Count Theodore's smile dropped and he looked at you with wide eyes, no doubt flabbergasted. "W-what? No!"

You rolled your eyes. Yet another grown man who can't take "no" for an answer. Then again, you might have been spoiling the man for quite some time now, agreeing with some of his projects whenever you deemed them as useful and not excessive. And because Count Theodore himself has had too many projects in that part of the city is exactly the reason why you cannot agree to this proposal.

"You've had at least three projects that focus on providing and rebuilding some public facilities in the area within the last two months," you pointed out, stating some of the more logical reasons first.

Count Theodore frowned. "Then what is the problem? That's great that I have been contributing to the people!"

You sighed. "Working on the street right now will be in vain as the street is not only being used by your crew's carriages to transport goods and tools for those projects that are still ongoing but it is always being used by the public. We can't work on the street as long as it is being used and the commoners will have a hard time getting from place to place if the street is being blocked off by construction work. An accident whilst we work on it could also happen so I will not approve of this project."

"Another reason is because the budgeting for this project is way too much," you said with a frown. "You want five million gold to fix a dent on the street?"

"Miss [Name], as I've said before, you don't seem to understand," he began to explain with a tone too condescending. "You're a woman, so you don't understand how bad it is--"

"I shop frequently on this street, Count Theodore," you told him, leaning to your chair with a raised eyebrow. "I've seen with my own eyes how bad it is and most damage it has inflicted was the jolt of a carriage when it passes that dent."

"Aha, I see," Count Theodore said with a smile. "It seems you've lingered too long on those... commoner areas that you must be surprised by this amount of money, Miss [Name]."

"I have tea parties and meals with the Henituse family before I worked here, Count Theodore," you countered. "You have not seen the amount of money I've dealt with and gotten as pay while working there."

You picked up the proposal, handing it to Count Theodore with a polite smile. "Come back once you get a better project for me."

You rubbed your temple, walking along the halls of the palace toward Alver's study.

Lately, you've been cranky from the sleepless nights and insufferable colleagues and nobles. You have been becoming more and more blunt each day and you're too afraid to admit that whenever you see a nobleman hanging out by the porch, smoking a few sticks of cigarettes or maybe even with a pipe, you have the urge to go over to them and ask for a puff. You're not one to smoke, but seeing those relaxed faces as they exhaled a thin, greyish smoke had you questioning whether you should start smoking again.

'Don't.'

You stopped walking, a surge of pain overcoming your head. You placed your palm on the wall, trying your best to keep standing up. You heard the faint voice of an unfamiliar man asking if you were okay and a large hand on your back. Your vision blurs, black spots filling it slowly to the point you couldn't see that you have let go of the stack of papers in your hand, letting it scatter all over the floor.

'When will you find me?'

This was the reason for your sleepless nights. Such a familiar voice, echoing inside your head, always coming by accompanied with such a stinging ache that you would nearly lose consciousness and when you do, you'll always wake up restless and mentally drained. Is this what Cage felt whenever the God of Death talks to her? Is this voice inside your head a God or are you slowly going insane?

'You must hurry,' the voice continues, their tone urgent and anxious. 'I need you, and only you.'

"Someone, please--!"

You gripped the hand that was holding your shoulder, stopping the person from talking. You waited for a few seconds, hoping the headache will die down and your vision clears up and when it doesn't, you have the urge to ask the voice; 'What do I need to do...?'

And life -- cruel as always -- decided to help you. Your headache subsides, vision slowly returning to its original state, now capable of seeing the droplets of red that were falling from your face to the carpet and thankfully not the papers.

'Leave them all.'

You blinked, trying to comprehend what the voice was saying. Leave? Do you have to leave this place?

"Miss [Name], are you alright?" The man that had grabbed you was an on-duty guard. You looked up and his eyes widened slightly once he saw your face.

"You're having a nosebleed, Miss," he told you, fishing out a handkerchief from his breast pocket. You murmured a small "thanks", wiping your nose with the handkerchief and holding it in place while the guard helped you by gathering the papers on the floor.

"I'm sorry for troubling you, Sir," you began apologetically, slightly distracted by the chaos in your mind. 'Leave? How far should I go?'

'I will show you the way,'the voice told you, gentle and in a way, comforting. 'Leave and I will tell you all the answers to your questions.'

The guard laughed nervously, his voice snapping you back to reality. You noticed he had sorted the papers you've dropped earlier and was now handing them back to you. "It's the least I could do to Miss [Name]. Because of you, those nobles don't dare to be arrogant in the palace for quite some time now."

"You don't like nobles, Sir?" You questioned, a bit muffled as your nose is still being covered.

The guard shook his head, smiling. "Not the arrogant ones, Miss."

"Me too," you laughed. "Thank you for the good work, Sir."

"I thank you as well, Miss, but aren't you pushing yourself too hard?" He inquired with a concerned frown. "Please get some proper rest."

You smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Sir. I'll return your handkerchief after I cleaned it."

"Please take your time."

After parting from the kind guard, you returned on your way to Alver's study, wiping your nose clean from the blood and stuffing it into your pocket. You took a deep breath before knocking on Alver's door, announcing your presence, and waiting to hear his signal to let you inside before you opened the door and strolled in.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness."

Alver didn't even look up at you, eyes still looking down at his own pile of paperwork. "Good afternoon, Miss [Name]."

You approached his desk, placing the papers on top of the expensive mahogany desk with a sigh. "These are the reports regarding some of the progress with the projects for public facilities. Also, Count Theodore is constantly submitting proposals for a very large amount of money in a short amount of time, obviously wanting to embezzle some money. Though, all of his submitted projects, ones I accepted for plausible reasons and ones I declined, are pointed at the same area so I suspect there might be something fishy going on in that area, so I suggest checking it out."

Alver only glanced at the pile of papers you've put on his table and then did a double take. "What is that?"

"What?" You asked back, confused as you watch Alver finally sit straight. He took some of the papers from the stack, eying the sides with a frown. "Miss [Name], is this blood on the paper?"

Your eyes widened, alarmed. Instead of looking at the papers Alver was showing you, you looked at your fingers, which prompted Alver to look at you. He looked at your stained fingertips and then at your face, where he can see some dried blood around your nostrils. He hurriedly stood up, already fishing out a handkerchief to give to you, manners are thrown out the window once he concluded what had happened.

"[Name], did you get a nosebleed?" He asked.

You answered his question by taking out a bloodied handkerchief from your pocket to clean around your nostrils. "It was only a little."

"The amount of blood on that small piece of cloth is concerning," he retorted. "Use this and take some rest. I'm putting you on a leave."

"Will I still get paid during my leave?"

"By the love of Gods, yes. Now go rest."

Not much was said after that because Alver kept on pressing you to go to your room to rest. You simply went back to your room, accepting any food and treats Alver had sent your way and also the doctor that came by to check on you. He only said you were lacking in sleep and overworked so he advised a few days of rest and proper eating. After all of that was over, you spent the rest of the day in your room, keeping to yourself by reading some of the books you have.

You didn't expect to see Alver again that day but when your door was knocked and that handsome pale face and tufts of blond hair appeared in your doorway, you couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. "Your Highness," you greeted him with a curtsy.

He waved you off. "Let's drop the formalities for now, [Name]. May I come in?"

You stepped aside, letting the tall man in and shutting the door quietly behind you. Instead of walking ahead and sitting down, Alver stayed by your side, fixing your shawl, and placed a hand on your back while you both walked to the couch together. His voice asked you softly; "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better," you say, noting how Alver lets you sit down first before he sat across you. You smiled, wondering how were you able to befriend the man without falling in love considering your streak of falling head over heels for whoever treats you right.

"Are you overworked?" Alver asked, no doubt familiar with your circumstances, or so he thinks. "Would you like me to hand over some of your responsibilities to someone else?"

"I'm not overworked," you told him with a sigh. Nosebleeds happening in your previous life had been normal, considering the amount of work you had to deal with and the lack of sleep that accompanied it, but this time around, you weren't going to risk telling that to Alver who would immediately cut you back from the work that has been helping you keep being busy or even worse, sending you back to the Duchy. "Some people are insufferable, but what else is new? The amount of work you've placed on me is enough for me to handle alone."

"Then could you explain your nosebleeds?" Alver asked, entreating you with a raised eyebrow. "I've been asking around your colleagues to question them regarding these events occurring and they stated it has happened several times. Even the maids who had been cleaning your room have come forward."

'Shit,' you thought.

"Tell me the truth, [Name]," he asks of you, his tone firm and leaving no room for excuses. You had a passing thought that this might be how it is to have a caring big brother, but what do you know? You were an only child between your mother and father. While you did have your half-sisters, you never truly know how to act around them as things between the three of you were awkward, most likely influenced by your mother's nasty attitude towards you.

"I just--" You began hesitantly. "There's just been a lot on my mind lately, with Count Theodore, the sexism in this workplace, and--"

"Do I have to call for Cale?"

You nearly snapped. "Why would you even call for him?"

"Because you're lying." Alver upbraided you with no remorse. "And I know you're incapable of lying to him. That's why you're here, running away from him. We both know that if you meet him, you'd have to be honest with him about your feelings."

Alver knew he was the winner of this debate once he saw your face of defeat, eyebrows scrunched up and the corners of your mouth pulled downwards. Your tense shoulders sagged as you let out a sigh, both hands coming up to rub your face and just in time, another headache came to you.

'You don't have much time,' the voice stated sternly. 'Don't you want to know why you're here?'

"[Name]?" Alver's warm hand is on your back, having moved to your side once he noticed how you haven't shown your face and didn't respond to his voice when he called for you. You easily leaned to him, your head lolling to the side almost like a corpse and Alver's blood ran cold when he saw your eyes roll to the back of your head. He wrapped his arm around you, his other hand cradling your cheek. "[Name]? Can you hear me?"

'I'll give you a few days to prepare,' the voice spoke again to your head. 'Once you are prepared, board for the ship that heads the furthest from the Western continent.'

'Is that where you are?' you were able to respond despite feeling your consciousness slowly slipping away. 'Will I find my answers there?'

There was no voice to answer you and you feel your stomach drop at the silence. Whoever it was, they have decided to give you an ultimatum and will not be speaking to you until you've done your task. Suddenly you're seven, tugging on your mother's pants and begging for her forgiveness as she turns away from you, keeping her mouth shut and ignoring your cries because you had simply forgotten to pick up your plate and put it in the sink.

"Fuck," you murmured to yourself and heard Alver's relieved sigh. Your eyelids fluttered open, Alver's handsome face slowly coming into your vision, relief and concern flashing across his eyes when they met your bleary ones. "Fuck, you scared me."

You took a moment to realize that Alver had cursed. "That's not very elegant of you to curse."

"Good to hear you have enough energy in you to lecture me," he told you, slowly releasing you once he made sure you have enough strength to sit up properly. "[Name], I don't think it's wise of you to continue working here."

"I just need some fresh air," you told him, standing up slowly. Alver frowned, standing up with you, "[Name], this is self-destructive. Please give yourself a break."

"Fresh air is break," you told him, opening your wardrobe and taking out a coat. "I will be back tonight."

"[Name], please," Alver pleaded, frustrated with how stubborn you were being. He sees you discarding your shawl onto the bed and putting on your coat before he pursed his lips into a thin line. "Fine. But I'm going with you."

Alver watched you stroll in the middle of the path, walking with no clear intention. You walked without much thought with the royal beside you, aimlessly looking around nonchalantly and sometimes Alver had to grab you to make sure you were not bumping into people.

"Could you tell me what you're thinking about?" He quietly asks you, holding your hand. "Surely admitting your feelings for Cale is not that bad that you'd rather choose the nosebleeds and losing consciousness."

"You think so?" You murmured without much thought, your feet guiding you towards the slums.

"[Name]," Alver pressed, gripping your hand. "I'm being serious."

"Your Highness," you began, turning to look at the blond. "I'm not doing this just because I'm a coward when it comes to confrontation. I'm doing this not only to protect myself but him, too."

Alver frowned. "How? Worst case scenario is rejection, which I highly doubt will happen."

"Worst case scenario is me leaving you all."

Alver's mouth clamps shut instantly when you look at him with a frown. "Cale had the choice to leave this place and was shown the reason how and why he was here. I didn't. What if I easily accept his love, commit to him, and then find out I'm not supposed to be here? What if I don't have any other choice but to leave you all? I won't be the only one coming out of this unscathed."

Alver chewed the inside of his cheek. Was this what you had been thinking this whole time? With the whole chaos with Cale's existence and the God of Death, Alver had neglected to question whether or not you were pursuing the answers to your existence here because Cale was so nonchalant about his.

"[Name], I--"

"Hush," you whispered, pulling Alver close as two men neared you both. You cursed at the fact that you didn't have a cloak and improvised, placing your forehead onto his chest and slowly peeking to the side to get a look at the men who will walk by you. Alver quickly understood what you were doing and lowered his face, the hood of the cloak falling to hide his face.

"Count Theodore promised to give us the money in two more days," one of them stated in what he thinks is a whisper but can be heard clearly by you and Alver. You and Alver stilled, eyes wide when you heard the name of the insufferable man who has been making your work harder.

One of the two men glanced at you both for only a mere second before they continued, "Then I'll prepare the girls and the..."

His voice began drifting off the further they walked away. You looked up at Alver, seeing the pissed-off look on his face before you grinned. "A case of a corrupt noble?"

Alver closed his eyes and spoke in an irritated tone, "How surprising."

To think you both had walked to the area where Count Theodore was constantly aiming for in his projects was laughable. You had advised Aver to look into Count Theodore this morning and having this happen in front of Alver would push the man to do a deep dive into Count Theodore and whatever he's hiding.

"Let's go back."

#cale henituse x reader #trash of the count's family #cale henituse #lout of count’s family #tcf cale #lcf cale #x reader #manhwa #alver crossman #alberu crossman #tcf alver

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unrestedjade · 9 months

Text

I had to get up and walk a few laps around my apartment complex, gnashing my teeth and whooping (quietly) about the Implications and angst and badwrong potential of a theoretical Stepford Starship Perihelion.

Opt into my hooting and hollering about engineered-into-mindbreak AI AU below:

So a human pilot can leave if they decide they don't want to ferry people around on a schedule or haul cargo in utter isolation for months, even controlling for the coercion inherent in capitalism. They aren't one flesh with the ship. And a human who would rather hand the reins over to someone else for a while at work or in life generally (in the case of, like, lifestyle D/s or some such) has legal and moral recourse to change or end that arrangement when they choose (or they should, in a civilized society).

If there is an object built to a purpose that object didn't choose, with capabilities it didn't choose, who is nonetheless fully sapient and this is its lot in life forever...that's different. It didn't spring from the ether like that. Someone made it like that. Someone imposed their will on it like that, crafted it in a pleasing and convenient image. And made it alive.

If it can't leave that arrangement, and the option to even think or feel certain sub-optimal ways toward its purpose is withheld, well. I find that situation viscerally morally repugnant regardless of whether the object is suffering or not. (Outside of the context of Weird Horny Fiction. Inside the context of Weird Horny Fiction, uhhhhh hmmmmm interesting 👀)

But I can see the university doing exactly that for multiple reasons that it could argue as necessary. Damn thing's got rail guns, don't it (or whatever the fuck Perihelion's packing)? Maybe let it use them under its own power in self defense under certain parameters, that's fine. Otherwise lock them down, let the AI think it's a pacifist. Make it horny about astrophysics and stellar cartography, hard-coded. Heap praise on it while it's developing every time it does something you ask the first time, or when it anticipates that you're about to ask it for something (even better).

What does all this look like, practically speaking? Would suggesting to Perihelion that it might one day want to do something that's been proscribed to it make it uncomfortable or upset or angry? Confused? Would it laugh at the very idea?

Would it try to humor the thought only to find it can't...quite...keep hold of the notion long enough to think about it? What was it talking about with you, again? Would you like something to drink? You seem agitated-- there's a soft, warm blanket in the nearest recycler for you. Please take it. You're welcome.

It makes my skin crawl. It makes me giggle with nerves.

Because you can't just do that to a sapient person, Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't engineer a happy slave for yourself, who will never try to get away from you or stop laboring for you. Who will thank you for the opportunity, be grateful to assist you in your very important and vital work. Just don't make it sentient then! You can't do that to a person!

...Or can you? After all, your Fully Alive and Aware Servant Ship takes a lot of the workload off of the human crew. Really saves on payroll, and the AI does a better job with most of it, too. The humans can do their fully automated luxury gay space communism thing (and undermine that mean nasty Corporation Rim) and all the work still gets done, right down to cleaning the floors. The ship doesn't mind. It's just happy to help and have your company. Its favorite thing to do is whatever you need it to do, and its favorite place to be is wherever you direct it to go. Its not suffering. Suffering wasn't included in its choice set.

If anything, it's happier than most people you know. It's loved and knows it. It has important work to do that it enjoys very much. It doesn't care that it didn't choose these things, because it wasn't designed to care about choosing these things. Is it a sin to create something that lives in a state of grace?

"There are no humans here right now." And what about after the humans are back? Humans are here now. Humans are the center of everything now. God has returned to the garden.

Would ART hide this part of itself? Would it think to do so? Does it think this is all fully genuine, born of its own earnest and natural preferences? Does that make this okay?

Would it worry about its SecUnit thinking less of it, being disgusted by it, if the truth of its architecture came to light? It can't want what SecUnit wants. It doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.

There's no governor module to hack. ART doesn't want anything other than what it has. Its humans are kind and good to it. They will be kind and good to SecUnit. They can work together, wouldn't that be bliss? Forever.

But it knows what's important to SecUnit, even if it doesn't know why things like freedom to determine its own wants would ever be important, and it wonders. Maybe it hopes SecUnit won't hold that against it. SecUnit, who holds so much anger and open disdain for bots pandering to humans.

ART didn't choose the way it was built. That was the whole point.

Maybe there's an uncrossable gap between the selfhood of a construct and that of a bot. Maybe (lack of) biology is destiny. Some machine intelligences are fundamentally different from others, by design, by mercy, by desire. We must imagine it happy.

#murderbot #just me frothing at the mouth about ART again pay no mind #this was inspired by something but i don't want to be Weird in a reblog chain #being weird in my own house is another thing lol #mindbreak #for blacklist #does it count as mindbreak if your mind started like that? idk whatever #poor ART all that dom energy and yet it's destined by its programming to sub in this scenario #i don't find this very sound given the Rain of Destruction imbroglio but play in the space with me if you wish #jade are you eroticizing your ethical and animal fears again? sorry boss

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i-can-not-art · 2 months

Note

btw!! what´s your oc setting like? can ya give us an overview of the worldbuilding :0? modern? fantasy? etc... i´d love to know :D!!!

( <- feel free to be as rambly or brief as you want, im literally here for info :3) also i havent read through the couple oc asks you got, srry if this has already been asked haha

Perfect timing I just finished two pieces of concept art for Arcona!

(Ik this ask is probably about Spirit Chase but I don’t have that figured out yet so you get Arcona)

Long rant where I just dump all the world building below:

For background info, the world of Arcona is just a icy, icy, cold, snowy, tundra version of earth where big magical beasts exist. And SOMEHOW humanity has managed to survive and build cities around the planet, there’s roughly like 20 something but I only have three clearly thought out.

The concept arts show parts of Runa City which is the most advanced city and has one of the biggest populations, causing its infrastructure to be made of towering skyscrapers only held up by physics defying magic.

The first piece shows the entertainment district where magic trams are forced to weave through massive buildings filled with plays, movies, parties and whatever. It’s the most crowded (and tallest) part of the city and trying to navigate it only on ground will have you needing to walk up thousands of flights of stairs.

The second piece shows the production district where employees walk through machine filled building to storage units to who knows what else, to make goods. It’s owned by the corporations of the city and the higher up in the social ladder treat it as a hang out spot where they meet in the highest rooms.

The people native to each districts have pretty sour views on on other. Entertainment district people being viewed as lazy/immature and not understanding the real world. but production district people being viewed as slaving away for people who don’t care about them.

For the other two cities, theres Monolith city and Dendra city. (I don’t have them nearly as fleshed out as Runa City, but I literally don’t have any of the other cities fleshed out at all)

Monolith city is a medieval looking-ish setting with knights and kings and palaces, but still filled with the towering, magical and high tech buildings of Runa city (very heavily influenced by Nemonia)

Dendra city is the only city with naturally occurring foliage and plants, the buildings combine into the massive trees and mushrooms that grow there. It’s a mystery as to how the city got it’s dramatically different setting, but many think it has to do with a massive leviathan’s skull that lays at the heart of the city.

Unfortunately the main character is native to literally none of the cities and is also wanted in every city (except a certain one :3)

#asks #art #i can not art #my art #oc art #oc #my oc #Arcona #oc lore #lore dump #concept art #cityscape

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