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elizabethsway · 1 year

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This month has been fantastic. From game nights to language exchange meet ups, to church potlucks, to movie nights. I've been so busy.

A few years back I was praying for change, as scary as that can be at times, and I told God I felt like I didn't have a passion or hobbies. I had was in a new place, had not made friends close by and only got to talk to one of my friends regularly and virtually.

I desired to have both a community in Christ and with the world around me but felt lonely. I literally just slept, watched TV and worked.

Occasionally I went out and I found some trivia and gaming events around town. I had went to a gaming event in a public library. The one really cool thing about "nerds" especially the ones that love boardgames, is that they earnestly want others to like gaming too, so they upon first meeting you will find a way to give you a list of every gaming place they have ever been to a long with the time, address and their phone number in case you want someone to join you.

I found many board gamers and places to have fun for free around my city and through it have people that know me by name. I suppose Cheers had that right when the theme song sang:

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name

And they're always glad you came

But when COVID hit, it didn't greatly change my life but I felt like all the progress I made putting myself out there and talking with strangers had gone to waste.

But in this time I did get really close with my long distance friends and we talked every week of not more.

As restrictions lifted, the gaming community was hurt a bit. Before COVID, a game night was light if 80 people showed up, not it's like a max of 30. In some ways this has been a blessing. I get to know people better and play often with them with less people around.

That's one thing that Facebook made me realize, that no matter how many people you connect with, if you try to invest in all of them, you will spread yourself too thin. Having a one or two really close friends is all you need, but it is nice to have those extended friends they even call up at a moment's notice and hang out with even if you're not super close to them.

As life went on, I can't tell you way but I woke up one day nd deciy Korean sounded pretty and I wanted to learn it. For a month I tried Duolingo and to be fair I still use it, though it's not best for Korean. So after a month I looked online and saw that a registration opened to take a class through their government. I signed up so last minute, four days before class.

It was a bit chaotic. Our teacher had been in SoKorea and he had emailed everyone registered that he would be doing a zoom class the first time and then we would be doing in person the rest of the semester. But I signed up about like 4 hours after he sent out that email so he didn't know I existed at the time. Luckily another student came in person as well because their email had went to spam. With their help I got the link and we were able to start our Korean journey.

Since then I've met so many other people. The place I take my classes sent out an email back in September about free Korean movies playing in theaters. I signed up for two of the films and after the first film they had a open discussion about the film. Someone mentioned the topic that I was interested in and I wanted to further talk with them after the movie but it was so dark I couldn't see who they were just that they were wearing a black jacket with a white shirt.

So I tried to hustle out of the theater and find the person. I found a guy that looked similar and asked him if he was the one to ask the question in the theater. He said no and I was mildly mortified, but then he started picking up on the conversation and we had a good 2 hour chat, before I found out that he's three levels ahead of me in the same place I was learning.

After that I invited him into my world of Gaming and he's been helping me out with learning Korean. We both ended up going to the language exchange class as well as some gaming events this month.

And while at the exchange class I met some ladies who invited me to their Church. I went there and they had a potluck this past weekend. A lady from Spain and a girl from Ukraine were both at the church.

I got to listen to their experiences and had very good conversations with them as well as other members of the church that were more permanent.

I feel like the more I put myself out there the more connections I'm making, which seems obvious but sometimes I can just feel hard to make that first step of getting out there.

I met so many wonderful people and had fantastic experiences this month. We're even going to do the Korean version of karaoke (노래방) soon and I just went out to eat after getting involved in a Korean Foodie Chat room.

It may seem tough but I encourage you all to get out there, find hobbies that interest you.

If you are not sure what you're passionate about or if you have any hobbies, try anything. At least you'll know if you like it or not once you've tried it, which can help you eliminate things you don't like. And along the way you might find people that have a common interest with you. And after more than not they'll help you find other people with similar interests.

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mattibee · 2 years

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lotta things to be fucked up about with omicron but whats hitting me is like.. it feels like the beginning of 2020 again but nobody really cares anymore..

#coatlythoughts #the library i work at is doing their board meeting virtual only 'out of an abundance of caution' but at the same time?#we just opened up the study/meeting rooms so people can gather at the library for their meetings? and we're doing in-person programs?#and like? places are shutting down again but instead of out of abundance of caution its because Literally Everyone Got Infected #schools closed for virtual but only for a week? theres a new infection every day at the daycare but theyre still open somehow #a quarter of the people i see in stores have their bare ass face out when theres a state fucking mandate #there were phases to reopening the state.. like a plan or whatever based on infections/deaths/hospital beds #i have not heard anything about it since delta.. governer said we would go back phases if it got worse and nothings happened #quarantine is just a word people throw around with no meaning

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writingquestionsanswered · 3 years

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more of a other question but can you share where and how you can find/meet writing buddys?

Guide: How to Find Writing Buddies

Why Do I Need Writing Buddies? While writing buddies aren’t an absolute necessity, they are very nice to have. Writing buddies can serve a lot of different purposes. They can provide motivation and support, they can commiserate with your writing frustrations, they can provide you with helpful tips and resources, you can bounce ideas off them, they can help with writing issues, and they can serve as alpha/beta readers and critique partners.

How Do I Find Writing Buddies? There are all kinds of places to find writing buddies:

1) Social Media Writing Communities:

Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media sites all have their own unique writing communities. You can find these communities by searching writing-related hashtags and looking for posts shared by other writers. When you find someone who writes in the same genre or the same kind of stories, give them a follow and start interacting with their posts. With any luck they’ll reciprocate and you can begin to build a friendship.

2) Writing Communities on Writing Forums and Groups:

Reddit, NaNoWriMo, Absolute Write, Writers Helping Writers, Underlined, SheWrites, Scribophile, Insecure Writers Support Group, and Facebook Groups are just some of the places where you can find groups dedicated to writing. By hanging out in groups like these, interacting with other posters, and making your own posts, you can begin to make new writing friends.

3) Beta Reader & Critique Partner Matchups

If you do a little digging around online, you can find various critique partner matchups and lists that will help you find other people who are looking for beta readers, critique partners, and writing buddies. Just make sure you’re upfront about what you’re looking for and pay attention to what potential partners are looking for. Don’t offer to be a critique partner if you’re not looking for a critique partner. Often you can find people who are interested in finding writing buddies, too. Ones to try are my WQA’s Critique Partner & Beta Reader List (which is outdated, but maybe we can get it going again) and author Maggie Stiefvater’s Critique Partner Matchup.

4) Community Writing Groups

You probably have writing groups right in your own community. They may be meeting virtually or outside during the pandemic, but it’s still worth searching them out as they can be a great way to meet new writer friends. The first place worth looking for a group like this is your local library. If you’re not able to visit, you may be able to send an e-mail and ask if there’s a group they can put you into contact with. You can also check the bulletin boards of local coffee shops and cafes where writers often meet and sometimes post information about group meet-ups. You can also do a google search for writers in your area. For example: Chicago area writing group, or writing group in Surrey.

5) Writing Workshops, Retreats, Seminars, and Conferences

If you live in or near a city, keep your eyes open for writing workshops, writing retreats, and writing conferences. These draw writers from all over the area and often cater to specific genres, age categories, etc., so they can be a great place to find writers like you. And now, during the pandemic, I’ve seen several virtual writing retreats, so you can do those right from home. Also, author Maggie Stiefvater has an 8-hour writing seminar you can download on video for $50 at her Etsy shop, which comes with a companion notebook and access to an exclusive chat group. Just search for her Etsy shop and you’ll find it.

A Quick Reminder... if you’re hoping to try one of the suggestions above and come away with a new best writing friend 30-minutes later, prepare to be disappointed. Writing buddies work like any other friendship. They don’t happen overnight. It takes trial and error to find people you click with, and once you do it takes time and effort to cultivate a bond and mutual trust. When you show up in a new writing group or community, lurk for a little while. Get to know the rhythm of the group, find people who seem like good candidates for friends, and start with small interactions such as liking their posts, supportive comments, and responding to “question of the day” and similar posts. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find new friends right away, and don’t be discouraged if you make your own posts and only get a few responses. It takes time to blend in with a new community, but if you’re kind, supportive, and reciprocate when others interact with you, you’ll find in time you start making friends.

Good luck on your writing buddy finding journey!

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winterrose527 · 3 years

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have you done an Ella - museum curator, Robb - investor on a tour work??

Ummmm no I had not! And wow was this one cathartic to write. It came out way longer than expected because this is a subject near and dear to my heart...

Thank you for this prompt!!

***

She was so sick of this shit.

Over a year of it. Ever since the governor’s order in April 2020. Back then she’d almost believed it was just a blip, a couple of weeks. A vacation, almost.

But then the ban on gatherings. The shutdowns. Finally the masks.

Every museum in the country had shut its doors along with libraries, movie theaters, and every other place desperate parents could take their children on a rainy Saturday.

Theirs had been luckier than most. An endowment a few years prior, which had been earmarked but not mandated for an expansion had been used to keep the lights on and the staff fed - literally. Their programming had gone virtual and understandably attendance had dropped but not entirely – thanks to a few local artists that had generously donated their time for a last minute plug.

Ever since restrictions had lifted, the crowds had returned somewhat. A rainy spring and summer had helped, but they were nowhere near their ‘pre-pandemic’ levels (and with the Delta variant on the rise she wasn’t super comfortable with the term ‘post-pandemic’ to describe their current state of affairs).

She wouldn’t say that today though.

No, today everything would be rosy – not just the botanical gardens that abutted the museum and had been started in 1853 – no, 1854.

Not that she imagined the potential donor would be fact checking her but nevertheless there was no room for error. She needed to represent the museum well. Her colleagues were counting on her – not to mention the collection itself depended on her.

The board had decided at its most recent meeting if they didn’t get an influx of donations within this quarter they were going to sell off a few pieces from the collection.

There was nothing sadder to a museum than deaccessioning. The staff all loved and protected the collection, and they truly felt the impact they and it had on the community. Myrcella loved to walk through the galleries on Thursday afternoons to see the regulars who’d come to visit the paintings like old friends of theirs, stopping by to say hello to a Baroque oil here or an Impressionist watercolor there.

So if schmoozing yet another prospective donor was what it took to mean that Mr. Poole’s favorite still-life stayed put for his bi-weekly Wednesday morning visit, then she would schmooze. She would schmooze Sansa Stark like her life depended on it.

She knew Sansa Stark sort of. It was the sort of thing where pre-pandemic they had run into each other at half a dozen events every year and always had a lovely chat and discussed getting together and then never did. The North was a small world and they ran in similar circles. But they weren’t friends.

Still, she was her best bet. From the wealthiest and most philanthropic family in the North, of course she was.

And she had to deliver.

The board had all made it clear that they expected results, and it had been suggested that really Myrcella Baratheon shouldn’t have such a hard time finding donors. But all her usual suspects had come to her with their own sob stories full of please tell me you won’t shut your doors but without any promise of relief, and the people she knew down south – the sort that profited from the world being in such dire straits had no interest in a little regional museum. No matter how much she marketed it as a hidden jewel.

To them, there was little worth in a jewel hidden, and they had no interest in having their act of charity buried under the northern snows.

So Sansa Stark was it.

She smoothed her dress, chosen carefully for the occasion. Sansa was always impeccably dressed and favored ladylike, tailored dresses for daytime, just as Myrcella did. Today, which had turned out to be a gorgeous one, she’d chosen a pale blue scallop trim knit dress, her grandmother’s wristwatch her only accessory. Feminine but appropriate. More comfortable than the clingier dresses she only ever so occasionally wore when taking around a male potential benefactor.

“Good luck,” Gilly, their glum registrar said as she raised her wrist to her nose to make sure she could still smell the scented oil she’d spread there that morning.

“Thanks baby,” Myrcella sighed, “Lunch from that naughty salad place when I’m done? My treat?”

Gilly smiled at that, “My treat if you get her.”

“Oh, now the stakes are really high,” she teased and blew Gilly a kiss and walked through the halls.

She felt eyes on her as she went. It was a small, tight-knit team, and it made it all the harder every time she received a sheepish regret. If she couldn’t succeed, one of them might lose their job if the board couldn’t decide what to sell. Even if they could, depending on how long this lasted.

Game face, Baratheon.

She took a deep breath and then smiled for fifteen seconds. She let it drop, knowing that it would still be in her eyes when she walked outside and it felt a little more genuine when her heels clacked along the gorgeous marble floor.

Walking over to the security desk, the smile reappeared on her face.

“Morning Roddy,” she grinned.

“Good morning to you Miss Myrcella,” Rodrick greeted her, “You see the game last night?”

“You’ve known me for four years,” she noted, “When in all of that time have I ever seen the game?”

He chuckled, “There was that one time in 2018.”

“Oh no, I totally lied about that,” she assured him, shrugging, “I wanted you to think I was cool.” She then looked around the empty lobby, “No Miss Stark?”

He grimaced, “Not yet. Traffic is back though, folks still aren’t used to it.”

She nodded, picking at a non-existent thread on her dress and looked around. Her eyes narrowed in on something and she crossed the lobby and picked up a tiny scrap of paper, crumbling it in her hand and then walking back over and tossing it in the trash behind Roddy’s desk.

“I’ve been sitting here for two hours, didn’t see it,” he noted.

She smiled, “Well you’ve been doing less important things like making sure no one robs the place.”

He opened his mouth to say something to her but then his gaze was directed behind her, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t open until 11 o’clock on Tuesdays.”

“I sort of have an appointment,” the man said.

She knew that voice. She’d heard it before. In a coat closet at Alys Karstark’s birthday party. At the next table over at a charity even in 2019. Deep, stubbornly Northern, as unyielding as Valyrian steel.

She felt her palms sweat and forced herself not to rub them on her dress, rubbing them together instead and then turning around with a bright smile.

“You’re not Sansa Stark,” she greeted him.

He grinned sheepishly, though she wasn’t sure this man had ever had occasion to be sheepish in his entire life, “Afraid not. Myrcella, right? We met at that thing – that um… save the…whatsits.”

She giggled, and she heard the sound echoing garishly on the marble, “I believe that evening we were saving the seals. Or the… tulips, maybe.”

His smile spread slowly across his face, a dimple marking its end like an exclamation point, “Well we did our part even if we can’t remember what it was, I’m Robb Stark.”

She liked that he introduced himself. He’d done so every time they’d met, as though he in no way expected her to remember him. Sansa had done it the first five or so. Must have been how they were raised.

On the other hand, she’d been raised to act as though someone was foolish for not knowing who she was, introducing herself had been something she’d had to learn when she moved north, like parallel parking and salting her stoop.

Her hand extended and his met it, taking hers in his larger one and shaking it firmly as he looked her in the eyes briefly and then her lips slightly longer before purposefully going back to her eyes, “Myrcella Baratheon, and I remember you, Mr. Stark.”

“Well if that were true you’d remember I prefer Robb,” he noted, releasing her hand.

She shrugged, leaning forward conspiratorially, “Old habits. Can I get you something to drink before we begin our tour?”

“No thank you, I’m fine,” he shook his head.

She nodded, “Well it’s beautiful out now, why don’t we start in the botanical gardens. There’s been a bumper crop this year, we recently had the Cerwyn wedding here, did you attend?”

He fell into step next to her and said, “No, I didn’t. I was meant to but they reduced it to just family.”

She nodded, “Right, seems to be happening quite a bit. Will you do the same for your wedding?”

He stopped walking briefly and before she could stop too he had started again, “No… uh, rather than reduce the guest list we decided not to have it at all. We called the engagement off in January.”

“I’m so sorry!” she internally stabbed herself in the throat, “I didn’t know.”

He shrugged, “The nice thing about there not being any events over the past year is that the press didn’t really get wind of it.” Then stopped abruptly, “Not that… it’s not like that makes up for the past year or anything.”

She laughed, “Don’t worry, I know what you meant. I am sorry though, about your engagement.”

“As am I,” he agreed, “But it’s for the best. We parted as friends. Had we gotten married, I’m not sure we could have done so, so I’m grateful for that, and for her.”

A gentleman.

So many men played the part. Opening doors, buying flowers. So few of them realized that manners mattered very little when they were offered without grace.

“That’s lovely,” she noted, pleased for once not to have to lie.

It was a gorgeous day, a perfect seventy-nine degrees and clear blue skies. As though they’d understood the importance of the occasion, the Phlox stood proudly in battle formation and the scent of honeysuckle surrounded them.

“Sansa wanted me to apologize for missing your meeting,” Robb noted.

“I hope nothing’s the matter?” she asked.

A grin overtook his face, “No nothing at all. She’s in labor.”

She smiled, grabbing his forearm briefly. They both looked down at her hand on it and she pulled it back as gingerly as she could.

“That’s wonderful,” she told him, “Her second, right?”

He nodded, “A girl. And I’ve convinced her out of the name Corona.”

She chuckled, “Oh come now, you could call her Corrie for short.”

“And her parents idiots for long,” he noted. Then told her, “They weren’t really going to call her Corona.”

She smiled, “And here I was about to tip off the press…”

He smirked, “Narrow miss, then.” He looked around, “So. Flowers.”

“Not just flowers,” she pointed out, “We have a community garden to the left and down that lane local beekeepers keep their hives.”

“My mistake,” he allowed with a close-lipped smile.

That smile annoyed her. It was the same one she’d heard in the voice of every southern donor she’d called when they’d offered her good luck with her little country museum.

It was the smile someone gave her when she’d already lost.

“Perhaps we should go inside,” she noted, “I can show you our contemporary wing which we’ve recently devoted to elevating female and underrepresented artists. Or perhaps that’s a bit too avant-garde for you. Would you like to see our hall of armor and weaponry? I believe we have a few pieces that your ancestors left on one battlefield or another.”

“I’m sorry,” he noted, rubbing his jaw, “I told Sansa we should just cancel this meeting but she insisted.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Stark –“

“Robb,” he corrected her.

“No, I’m addressing Mr. Stark right now,” she argued, all of the frustration and helplessness of the past few months bubbling up inside of her, “May I ask what exactly it is about this that you find amusing? Is it the painting that we’re going to have to sell so that it can end up in someone’s climate controlled storage unit and never looked at again? Or is it the leaky roof? Perhaps the pay cut we asked all senior employees to take? Or how about the summer interns who had gone through a rigorous hiring process only to be told we couldn’t take them on at all? I certainly hope it’s not the seniors who used to come here for their Saturday afternoon watercolor classes which we had to cancel because we didn’t have anything to pay the instructor even though it would have been the perfect activity for them because it is outdoors and safe. Or maybe it’s the after-school programs you find so laughable…”

“I’m not laughing,” he pointed out. “But you’ll forgive me if I take your righteousness with a grain of salt.”

“I’m not sure that I will, actually,” she argued.

“No?” he asked, “Well let’s talk about those seniors? Don’t you think that funding is better spent ensuring they have free and safe access to the vaccination that can actually save their lives? Or what about those kids? Sure, the after-school program is great, but how about providing computers to allow them to do remote learning? Now I’m sorry if you have to lose one of a thousand paintings in this place, but if money can be better spent giving people what they really need then I’m sorry – sell the damn thing.”

That was hard to argue with.

But not impossible.

“So you’ve drained your coffers?” she asked.

There was only room for one of them on the moral high ground and she’d always enjoyed the view.

His cheeks had turned blotchy in anger but they paled now, “Excuse me?”

“Are you in the red?” she asked, “Declaring bankruptcy? Let’s not go that far - Taking out loans? Leveraging assets?”

His jaw clenched, revealing a muscle in his left cheek that might have been attractive if she wasn’t about to rip his head off.

“No,” he noted, “But my family’s company and my family have given an exceptional amount this year already.”

“Well,” she pointed out, “It has been an exceptional year already.”

“Are you always this haughty with potential donors?” he asked, stepping ever so slightly closer to her.

A flash in her mind of his hand ghosting across the back of her neck as he secured her coat over her shoulders. That smell.

“Never,” she admitted, stepping ever so slightly towards him, “But you’re not a potential donor, are you? And tell me, is it really because you don’t think it’s worthwhile or because it doesn’t sound worthwhile?”

His face contorted in anger, “You think we’re giving so that people will write songs about us? We want this country back on its feet. We want to return to normal and if we can’t do that, we want to make sure to give people as comfortable an existence until it reverts on its own. Tell me, Miss Baratheon, can you actually find fault in that?”

She shook her head, “No, I can’t.” He looked surprised and she shrugged, “It’s a flawless argument. Just an incomplete one. Giving an exceptional amount right now isn’t enough. You have to give until it hurts, because you can. It is wonderful, exceptional, heroic, to be doing all that you have done so far. But what comes next? What comes after? What happens when the dust settles? When things open? When we get things under control? What happens when people are ready to return to what was before and none of it is left because it wasn’t deemed essential. Because it’s just flowers and amateur beekeepers and pretty watercolors? I understand that we are not on the top of the list and we shouldn’t be. But we should be on the list. We need to do more than survive, Robb. There are things apart from us that we need to endure. Things we need to protect.”

His mouth twitched at that.

“I’m sorry to say I don’t have time to see the armor,” he told her.

She felt the defeat trickle through her veins slowly.

She held out her hand, “Thank you for letting me rant at you.”

He shook it once again, narrowing his eyes at her, “Something tells me you’ve still got some left in the tank. I’d quite like to hear it. Have dinner with me tonight and convince me.”

It was happening to all of her girlfriends. After a year in isolation, their ability to detect a creep from a mile away had withered. She hadn’t thought that hers had too. He’d seemed like one of the good ones.

She pulled her hand away, “That’s not the way I do business, Mr. Stark.”

His eyes widened in horror, “No, that’s not what I meant. I don’t get to make these decisions.”

“You’re the CEO,” she pointed out.

“Yes I am but Sansa insisted on inserting a clause into her contract that she gets final say over any philanthropic decisions,” he sighed, “I literally am not even allowed to choose the location of a book drive.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that, a tiny bit of hope bubbling inside of her, “So when you said you should have cancelled the meeting…”

“It’s because Sansa’s already decided that we will be giving a donation, she wanted to discuss the structure of it with you – you know whether you’d prefer a lump sum, or whether you want it in increments, if you wanted it to be public to inspire other donors or whether you wanted it to be private so that they couldn’t use it as an excuse not to give…” he waved his hand, “She’s better at the specifics and I’m sure she’ll be calling you in between contractions to fine tune them.”

She laughed, “Please tell her not to. A pledge is more than enough to take to my board, we can map out the nitty gritty whenever she or whomever will be replacing her in the interim has time.”

He nodded, “You’ll have them within the week.”

She was about to thank him but the words caught in her mouth, “So wait a second… did you just wind me up for the sake of it?”

He grinned, a chuckle present in his voice though it hadn’t yet broken, “I’d like to point out that it took very little to wind you up.”

She laughed, because he was right and admitted, “It’s been a tough year.”

He nodded, “For everyone. So, now that you know I have absolutely no control and can hold absolutely nothing over you… have dinner with me.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I enjoy arguing with you,” he told her, then grinned sheepishly, “And because I lied. Sansa told me that I could cancel the meeting and I insisted on coming because I wanted to see you. The bad thing about this year is that there were no events where I could have a chance of bumping into you…”

“Oh that’s the bad thing about this year?” she asked.

“Well,” he grinned, then did a scarily good impression of her, “Maybe it shouldn’t be at the top of the list, but it should be on the list.”

#fanfiction #modern au #robbcella #fluff #prompt

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snowwhitelass · 3 years

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New Outlander Game Coming – Talking with the Game Designers

By: Erin Conrad, June 15, 2021

Gamers Corner, TV News

Outlander game, Sony, Starz Outlander, Variable Outcomes

Who wouldn’t want to dash around the Highlands with Jamie, trying to be his favorite, and rescuing him from trouble on the way? That definitely sounds like a fun time, even if all you can do is dream about it. Or IS that all you can do?

NO! Sometime this fall, a brand new board game will debut – Outlander The Series! Designed by the husband and wife team of Matthew and Ashley Killeen, the game will let you play with a bunch of your friends, meeting familiar faces along the way, and getting in and out of all kinds of scrapes. The game will be available for holiday shopping, so you can start to set up your Outlander game nights now. I had the opportunity to talk with Matthew and Ashley about the development of this new game, and learned some details.

From the game’s marketing information: “His fate is in your hands! Step through the stones of Craigh Na Dun and run through the Scottish Highlands with the handsome Jamie. The year is 1743, and the outlaw James Fraser is at your side as you navigate the thrills and dangers of the Highlands. Use your wit, reach the right locations, make the right friends, and gather the items you need, all while keeping Jamie out of the hands of the many who would do him wrong. The gallows await fair Jamie (or worse!) should you fail. Fulfill your destiny, and win his heart. Only then will victory be yours!”

Outlander is the Killeen’s first big franchise game. “From a business point of view, it’s something I always wanted to do,” Matthew said. “I enjoy games with an IP license attached, TV show or movie, and I have designed prototypes that might be good for Ghostbusters or Star Trek. I really wanted to get into that.” Ashley knew Matthew was interested in trying a licensed game, and said “I’ve been watching Outlander, you should make a game based on that.” Matthew hadn’t yet seen the show, so he said “you do it” – and she did.

Ashley didn’t get into the show until season three. “The first version (of the game) was based on the book, because I thought that might be the avenue to go. But it ended up being more layers to secure the book rights than TV. We heard back from Starz/Sony quickly, and the show and book were similar enough that I didn’t have to change too much from initial design. I swapped out characters and items that didn’t translate from one to another. Jamie still has same event encounters, the same enemies. It’s nice to look at both sides, to really put in all those little hidden tidbits from show. I’m hoping that fans of the show will enjoy all those subtle things that I’ve put in. But the other thing we wanted to make sure was that it was not dependent upon being familiar with the show, because the last thing you want is a game with Outlander masked on top of it that doesn’t play as anything on its own. And having a lot of friends who knew nothing about Outlander, how could I get them to the table?”

Matthew said, “One of philosophies for the board game stuff was that I’ve seen games that were maybe like a movie spin on top. Is this fun or exciting because of the game, or just because of the movie or tv show tie in? And one reason, the biggest reason why I got excited was when I first played it, I had never seen the show. I knew nothing about it. I had never seen the characters, and yet, I still enjoyed it. It was a good game.” Ashley added, “He has since seen the show.” Matthew continued, “That’s another thing that’s always bothered me. I feel like if a certain publisher or game designer makes something but doesn’t know the back story, that’s lazy. As soon as I found out we were going to do this, I watched the show. I know all my lore now. I was obviously able to play the game again once I knew the show and the lore, and it made the game play better.” “You understood my decisions,” said Ashley. “Exactly,” said Matthew. “Whether you know the show or not, it’s a good game.”

Ashley discussed their process: “I started December 2019. This past December, we were finally able to go forward. We got the contract from Sony in November. It was a long process! We got approvals for the design of the game, and access to the virtual library. We could figure out images that would go with the components we had.” Once they had that, Matthew figured out the graphic design for the game.

Was Sony/Starz helpful? Enthusiastic? Ashley said, “They were enthusiastic. They didn’t really have a board game. They had Destiny Dice, but that wasn’t the same thing.” (For my review of Destiny Dice, a game that came out a couple of years ago, click here.) I’ve had reservations about this previous game, so I asked how they overcame the failings of that one to make this new game. My concern with a platform like this is that the show is so big and layered – a group of women will come together over a glass of wine or three, and are they going to be able to figure it out easily enough to have a good time in an evening? Ashley feels that the new game will let us do that. “The idea behind this was that we wanted to bring everybody to the table – people whose board games lives consisted of Scrabble for their whole lives, and those who have played campaigning, like Mage Knights, epically, every week. We want to bring both those sets to the table. It should be intuitive enough once you’ve figured out the first turn order. It’s the repetition of that, it’s just your personal strategy that changes on what you choose to do, but the game play isn’t going to change on you as you go.”

She added, “But there’s enough in there that if you are an experienced board game player, you’re not sitting there bored waiting for the next thing to happen. That was our goal, as many people at the same table as possible enjoying it at the level they’re at. You can have the game player who knows nothing about Outlander, and you can have the Outlander fan who doesn’t play board games, and they will have a good evening. We also tried to be strategic about the length, because you don’t want to have just a tease of a game, because then you can’t be really invested and immersed in that world, but we also know, especially being parents now, you don’t have time to spend four hours on a game. That’s not going to happen any more. What’s a good length? If you can watch an episode of Outlander, you can play a round. So we wanted to find something that made sense. A lot of these pieces, once you apply a little logic to it, they fell together really nicely.”

This is the first “franchise” game the Killeens have designed. The fascination with board games started in 2004, and in 2011, Matthew began to design games as hobby. “I enjoyed playing, but in between then I was going to school and forgot about it. As school was winding down, I really got into it. I created an educational game called Witchful Thinking. We’re both teachers, and when doing practicum, the teacher (that he was working with) had kids doing games for math. but they were really boring, and the kids didn’t like it at all. I remembered I had a game that worked for this! I started looking at my business from a professional point of view, filling in gaps in the market. I wanted to bring people to a table they hadn’t been to yet. Witchful Thinking is a card game – witches brewing potions, teaching math – subtraction, addition, pre-algebra, and more advanced math. It was a great educational tool.” The company has more ideas – they have an upcoming Kickstarter for a game called Tennessee James, an Indiana Jones parody (learn more here). Matthew says that the company expects to bring out many more titles – “Between the two of us, we have a backlog of designs.”

When do they expect to have this out? Matthew said definitely for the Christmas season. “I am working with manufacturers right now, trying to iron out some of those details, but we’re going to be moving into manufacturing right now. It depends on how long it takes to do the mass production plus shipping, but I would estimate this would maybe in stores (or online retailers) by October. That’s probably a good estimate.”

Did they do a lot of testing? “We needed especially non-Outlander fans to play this game. The Outlander fans, it didn’t take a lot of convincing to get them to play,” said Matthew. “Even before there were pictures on the cards, they knew the board, they knew the characters. So even if you had a blank piece of paper that just said Murtagh on it, they know what it means. I wasn’t worried about the Outlander fans, and the game play is pretty intuitive, once you go through the steps. So once you’ve done a round, you can keep going around, no problem. So we were just like, ok, you don’t know what these names mean and where these places are, but you’ve got a bit of the information, are you on board? And so far the reaction has been, yes, I feel like I’m playing a game, even if they don’t know who Jamie is or anything like that.”

He continued, “The tall and short of it is that this that this has been play tested thoroughly. It’s not broken, and the most important part is that it’s fun.” Ashley added, “It’s a nice balance of cooperative, nobody wants Jamie to come to any harm, but you still want to be his favorite. So you can get a little catty, and that’s what makes the fun. You’ll be adding something a little stronger to your tea nights once you start playing that way.”

Matthew said, “One of my strategies for play testing is that I like to try different strategies each time and see what works and what doesn’t .Ashley laughed, “You played mean one time.” “Yeah, it’s my wife, I’ve got to play nice, right? But one time, I didn’t play nice, and I took a competitive edge, and it was awesome,” he said. So players, remember that!

“When I was working on Witchful Thinking, I was looking to put it into Walmart and Target. But they don’t want to talk to the independent company, they want to make sure they’re getting multiple products from the same distributors. So we want to make sure that the distributors that we get are also trying to get the game out there. I do have distribution in the US for Witchful Thinking, and they’re excited to take on this one.”

What was your favorite part of the game, as you play it, I asked? Ashley said, “I like the QuickSave. This is a component we have because Jamie is always going to move in a predictable pattern, and the three villains he’s trying to avoid – Black Jack Randall, the Redcoats and the Watch – those are all the Meeples that are going to be moving around. As you are collecting friends along the way, if you happen to be en route to an Encounter, you can use the special abilities from your friends. So maybe it’s Dougal who is going to be discarded, and that will be a Quicksave to put Jamie back in hiding, so the game’s not over, you haven’t captured him yet. I like that idea, the Quicksave. So you’re strategizing, not just for what’s going to give you a lot of Favor from Jamie to try to win his heart in the game, but where are these people going to help me if Jamie is in a pickle. Because he’s going to get himself in a lot of pickles.”

As he does on the show, I said! Ashley continued, “And as a designer, that’s a fun way for me to tie in the personality of the characters. There’s a reason why they have the values that they do. There was a little argument between us in the design phase, because I made Willie – Willie Mackenzie from the first season – he has this hidden kind of superpower that most of the time, he’s a bit weaker, but when the danger level’s up, he’s strong. Matt was criticizing that, ‘he’s a minor character, why is he so strong?’ But you haven’t been paying attention. Because when Jamie’s in Wentworth, it’s Willie who’s willing to go. So that’s his power, when things are toughest, he’s the one that can save the most. I was having fun finding those little nuggets, the lore, that fans love, and if you’re paying attention to how I’ve designed it, you’ll start seeing like why you get more Favor in some places, or more Wit, or why you have the saving abilities.”

The women playing will like seeing that, I agreed. “I think that we’ve got it so that your favorite characters, from S1 at least, this is just in the Highlands, you’re going to see them, I think they’ll do you proud,” Ashley says. “We’re still excited about it, even though it’s been a year and a half doing it, so I think that says something about it, that we can still be passionate about it, little choices like that, I think the game has life.” Ashley told me that she has ideas for additional Outlander games to follow each season, so this may go on for quite a while!

As their cute kids came into the room, I asked if game design was full time, or is this an extra job? Ashley said, “I’m a full time teacher, so I’m squeezing this in between the report card writing and the classroom stuff. With a bunch of changes with Covid, it’s made more sense for Matthew to stay home, so we decided to go all in, make this run for itself.” Matthew said, “I can speak from the graphic design standpoint – I didn’t design the gameplay, Ashley did that, but I offered suggestions here and there, it was her decision on things, and she made some great decisions. And between that, I did the playtesting and the graphic design in January and early February, I’ve put in hundreds of hours, not just with the graphic design, but also the business stuff too, figuring out social media posts, getting things approved by Sony, talking with the distributors. So this has been not just like a full time job, but overtime, I’ve put in some serious hours for this.”

Since this is the company’s first big license, I asked if is this something they want to continue. “Absolutely,” Matthew said. “And I knew that when I turned this into a hobby back in 2011. I enjoy making board games. I enjoying making movies, watching movies, reading books, all that stuff. I needed some sort of creative outlet. And this was it. I enjoy tabletop games, so I found a business that I’m passionate about. But I found over the years, since I am a small business, I had to learn everything. I can do the game design, I can do the graphic design, the IP stuff, social media, the PR, distribution. I have all those experiences, so if I can continue this, I’ll be very happy.”

Price point for the game should be $48.99 CA (US equivalent is about $40). And it will be available in the US, and more – Matthew says, “The territories we have with Sony are Canada, USA, UK, Australia and France. We’re a small family run company, but at the same time, this is a big license. So we want to do the fans proud, we want to do this IP proud, so we want to give the biggest reach that we can.” Ashley said, “We’re limited because we’re not the distributors, so once we put it in those hands, it’s really up to those stores that want to put it on their shelves. So until we know where they’re placing it, I can’t tell you ‘oh, pick it up here.’ ” Matthew agreed. “I have experience with all of that, so when I made Witchful Thinking and released that, I had a hard time getting distribution. So I went store to store, city to city, and I made those contacts myself. For me as a business owner, I’m not just one of those owners who throws money out and does it. I have experience in all these aspects. So when this game comes out, let’s say that distribution doesn’t have as far of a reach as possible, I’ll make it happen. With Covid especially, the online market is important.”

“From a business standpoint, we’re a new company,” Matthew said. “It seems that we’re very new to this but that’s not really the case. This game has been been in development for a long time, and between the two of us we have 20+ games in prototypes. So we definitely know how to make games, and make games fun. And the fact that we’re both teachers, I think makes it even better. Because as teachers, we have to know how to sell to an audience.” ” And explain the games,” Ashley added.

PRE-ORDER THE GAME RIGHT HERE! Three if by Space has the game available for pre-orders in our Collectibles shop!! Click here to go to the pre-order page!

#outlander board game #three if by space #sony #outlander starz #starz outlander #outlander game #scottish highlands #craigh na dun

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priorireverte · 3 years

Photo

Congratulations Ash!

Your application for Theodore Nott has been accepted. As much as my inner government official is groaning and reaching for the headache potions already, I can’t wait to see what trouble this Unspeakable gets into.

Please look to the checklist for the next steps and reach out if you have any questions!

OUT OF CHARACTER

NAME & PRONOUNS: ash & they/them

AGE: twenty six

TIMEZONE: est

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I’m a front end dev for a virtual event platform who works between 5-7 days a week but I’m usually active after 6pm and on weekends. I have slow weeks when on lighter projects and busier weeks when we have a lot of shows.

ANYTHING ELSE: N/A on triggers. I’ve been roleplaying on tumblr for i think 14 years? Too long.

CHARACTER DETAILS

NAME: Theodore Cantankerus Nott

BIRTHDATE: July 7th, 1980

DEATHDATE: N/A

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cismale, he/him. Theodore hasn’t given much thought to his sexuality, not even as far as labeling it. In the past, he’s found his attraction hasn’t been limited to one side of the gender spectrum. Currently, he’s entirely too busy to even sit for a moment and identify his years-long attraction to his current roommate. In the same manner, gender is never something he’s felt the need to question.

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Slytherin

OCCUPATION: Unspeakable in the Death Department.

FACECLAIM: Woo Do-hwan

CHARACTER BACKGROUND

TW. Child Abuse, Neglect, Parental Death

POSTBELLUM

Theodore finds himself deeply in the middle of moving on. His own experiences with the second wizarding war left a sour taste in the wixen’s mouth and not just due to his father’s involvement. He watched various classmates suffer at the hands of the Dark Lord, familial pressure, and expectations. He noted no members of the high and mighty heroes seemed to think of the lowly slytherins. No hands were outstretched. No children saved from their situations. That was the heart of the issue. They were children then and aren’t now. How is he to trust that his generation will act any differently? Theodore has always preferred to be on the sidelines, to watch before acting, and to have his actions be as discreet and unnoticed as possible. Growing up, the lesson of fading into the background had been indoctrinated into him and that was a terrible thing to try to shake. Theodore’s never been a fighter. He’s always preferred to have knowledge on a situation before speaking.

Becoming an Unspeakable gave him a chance he never thought he would have to dedicate his life strictly to learning. With the dead coming back, Theodore hopes for his mother even though hope is something he has given up on a long time ago. Hope always leads to disappointment. Planning for the worst, however, leads to being pleasantly surprised by the results you receive. He doesn’t have many nightmares anymore. Any last trauma comes to him more in the form of a too quick touch or a raised voice sending his senses haywire. Lately, however, he swears he’s hearing his father’s voice in the midst of the Return’s camp. Seeing his face out of the corner of his eye. He knows the possibility of his father is high based on who has turned up so far. He does not wish for that day to ever come.

PERSONALITY

(+) Aware. Everyone had an opinion, a snap judgement they made based on your actions upon first interaction and rumors and gossip they had heard about you. Theodore is too aware of his own actions, his nature, and how he could be perceived due to his bloodline. He listens and watches while in the bowels of the Ministry.. He keeps an eye on the paper, aware of their sensationalized stories of the past. He stays aware when he locks himself in his and Draco’s two bedroom flat for the night, his house elf and cold ancestral home merely a thing of the past.

(+) Humble. It would be rare to hear Theodore speaking on his own accomplishments. When others bragged over NEWT results, family estates, or care packages while at school, Theodore stayed silent. In a post schooling life, he found he had nothing to brag over. His work is undiscussed, both by a willingness to keep to his own code of ethics and true inability to speak on it. Perhaps it is his conscience telling him karma was a tricky thing, the winds of fate often changed and were never certain. He is always aware that if he begins to celebrate his achievements, they could slip through his fingers before he had a chance to fully appreciate them.

(+) Skillful. When you spend most of the early years of your life hiding, there is no better place than a library and there is nowhere best to escape to than a book. At a young age, Theo’s mother Perdita exposed her son to learning. It became a joyous activity for the two of them. The dwindling vaults of the once great Nott family had no spare coin for a tutor for their only heir. Once it was just himself and his father in the house, Theo entertained himself with the curious collection of family heirlooms that littered the corridors of Nott Hall. He enjoys puzzles and figuring out just how magic is intertwined with a physical object. Nowadays, Theo spends his time pouring over books from Obscurus’ impressive collection while on his lunch break. He has enough puzzles to keep himself occupied for his lifetime.

(-) Cautious. It would be irresponsible to think the world was capable of change so quickly after the defeat of the Dark Lord. People didn’t change. Not unless they wanted to. Monetary repercussions, war reparations, were only likely to affect outward interest, not ideologies. Though perhaps that cautiousness had negatively affected Theo. He turned inward, the social progress he had made from fourteen to sixteen taking a turn when the Carrows took over the castle and his own father was broken out of Azkaban. He limited his social interactions severely, preferring to stick his nose in a book or have a quick intimate meeting over big social events and friendly gatherings and he still hasn’t grown out of that inclination. His social circle has been kept even as years passed and he enjoys a separation of the different areas of his life.

(-)Distractible. Wix alike were an issue. A pretty face, handsome smile, and a nice word easily swayed Theo’s attention. Always conscious, the tall boy doesn’t reveal or give much of himself. He does find he tolerates speaking to someone at length if they are intriguing when he would have otherwise ended a conversation. The same can be said for those with strong personalities. He finds himself getting caught up, steam rolled, instead of speaking up.

(-) Resentful. Theo often wondered how his life could have been different. What if his father had been captured after Voldemort’s first fall? What if some member of upper society took a moment to investigate the reservedness of Perdita or young Theodore? What if a professor questioned why young Theodore always stayed at the castle and never went home for the Yuletide holidays? So many things in his life could have been different if someone had looked closely, but they weren’t. The Malfoys, Narcissa specifically, were his only saving grace throughout childhood but they still didn’t overstep and remove him from his home. His resentment is something Theodore tries to tamper down when he can, choosing to look at life positively. No one demanded his quiet in his flat. The heat works with no need for an illegal heating charm here or there. He knows where everything is in his small space, even with Draco living alongside him. He doesn’t need to hide his things for fear of retribution. There are no nights worrying over going hungry.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY

Theodore Cantankerus Nott was born the only child and heir to Cantankerus Nott and Perdita Nott (nee Travers) on a warm summer night in early July. Theo spent little time under the careful (and stern) thumb of his father before his mother’s death. His mother was a much gentler figure, helping Theo grow sweet and strong. Perdita taught her son all the names of the flowers, their uses, and any star he asked the name of. She introduced him to music, showing him the piano and allowing him to pick up the violin. Theo was content to forget his father’s presence when he could, though he never dared voice that state of mind to Perdita. As Theo approached his eighth birthday, he began to see his childhood might not be as normal as his peers. He and his mother rarely left the grounds of Nott Hall. The once great stately home had slowly fallen to a near-ruinous state over the years. There was no shopping done by Perdita, all taken care of by their two remaining house elves. No tea time or meetings for the boards of any councils. The one time his mother seemed to be able to leave was when she was on the arm of his father at a required event. Theo wasn’t permitted to have friends over though visits to other sons of great houses were heavily encouraged the closer Hogwarts grew. He noticed the blatant way his peers’ parents showed affection. The boys his age never shied away from their father, some even spoke back with no fear of punishment.

Theo had stayed the sweet boy his mother had encouraged. Though his own father grew concerned about what was keeping the young boy soft. It didn’t help that Perdita’s health had begun to deteriorate ever since her birthday. Her walks around the garden with her son proving to be a bit too much for her. That duty had been given to the house elf, Dandy. Though she still wore the bracelet his father had gifted her every day. On the eve of his eighth birthday, his mother was trapped on the third floor of their home in her bedroom. There were no healers in and out of the grounds. Eight year old Theo took to hiding in the library, reading every book he could. He knew there must be something his parents were overlooking. They just weren’t trying hard enough. If healers could fix this, but weren’t allowed on the ground, he would. But his research proved naught and Perdita passed just before Christmas day, leaving Theo in his father’s sole care.

There were no kind words for the severe kind of man his father was. Piano lessons stopped as there was no one to teach him. Theo found himself with more alone time than he had ever had before as his father wasn’t a man you would like to find yourself around for any period of time. The exception was meals, when the youngest Nott and the eldest were forced to interact. His father often deemed these mealtimes lecture times as well, spouting off ideals Theodore never would have heard from his mother’s mouth.

HISTORY

When his first year arrived, Theodore understood the extent of what his mother had shielded him from. In the few years of them being the sole occupants of their home, his father’s once rare cases of corporal punishment had become a near daily occurrence. He had learned many times since gaining a wand that healing was an unacceptable action to take but his father had no issue with glamours. A word of what occurred at home wasn’t appropriate conversation. Familial business stayed such, without outside input or scorn.

It took Theo many years to come out of his proverbial shell. He thinks without Malfoy Manor as a place to escape to on school breaks and summer weekends, he may have not turned out the same. As his father’s attention turned away from his son and to the Dark Lord’s return, Theo felt almost free. That freedom didn’t occur until the Battle at the Department of Mysteries. The ministry had no issue arresting his father and not looking into whether young Theodore Nott would have any sort of adult supervision the summer before his sixth year. Why would they need to? Families like his never suffered.

Theodore didn’t participate in the Battle of Hogwarts, too fearful someone would take one look at him and make the sort of assumptions that ended with him being written about as another young death eater killed in the skirmish. He hoped to whatever ruled the skies and stars that his father didn’t survive, feeling guilty immediately that he had even had that sort of thought. It was safer than assuming his father was imprisoned. His father had escaped once before with no issue and there was no doubt in the youngest Nott’s mind that his old man could do it again. Fortunately, his wish came true.

Four years post Battle, Theodore has created a separate life for himself than the one originally laid out and it’s all thanks to the Department of Mysteries. The week after his father’s death, Theo returned home. He allowed himself only a week to mourn a man he knew in his heart he absolutely despised. Before the week was out, the long quiet house was filled with voices. Strangers were sitting in the abandoned sitting room. They had a proposition, a job offer, and no answers for how they had gotten through the wards of his home. Today, he has just about moved up to a fully-fledged unspeakable in the death division. The challenge of the Returned lays ahead.

His ancestral home of Nott Hall lays virtually abandoned. Only the blood wards stopped the acquisition of the property from anyone who strolled upon it. He still has some duties, as the remaining and only Nott, to attend to. Meager reparations paid to the Ministry dried up the last of the Nott vaults, leading Theo to have to acquire a small flat that he shares with Draco. It’s not fancy by any means, nothing like the tall ceiling rooms they both grew up in and without any house elves, but it’s theirs. His first purchases for himself, the sofa and his bed, are by far his favorite things in the whole flat.

OOC EXPLORATION

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Please you know. I hate it here.

ANYTHING ELSE?

https://www.pinterest.com/securemal/priori-reverte-theodore-theo-nott/

EXTRA FOR NON-BIO CHARACTERS

CHARACTER CONTRIBUTION

I truly love the idea of bringing in an Unspeakable to this world. It’s curious how they are the ones who made, and possibly caused, the discovery of the Returned but know so very little. Their, and Theo’s, entire worth is built on knowledge but they’re diving into the utter unknown and there are so many factors to consider about how this could end up. We don’t even know if the Returned can sustain themselves indefinitely. You’ve built a lovely playground for us, Emmy, and I’m too excited to play in it. But also I love Theodore Nott. Cursed Child did him dirty okay.

PRESENT

It was another night of waiting. The wooden small chair the Unspeakables were given wasn’t comfortable despite the many cushioning charms Theo’s co-workers had applied to it. He supposed that was the point. Most of the death division were working double or triple shifts. They had allocated reserve Unspeakables from both the time and love divisions and, still, they were understaffed. Their stock of pepper up potions should have run dry some time ago but the healers had been called in as well. No amount of pepper ups made this task any easier.

The coffee in his hand was lukewarm and Theo’s eyes were drooping. Slowly closing as his head fell forward until he caught himself. The curtain was moving. He could see it and he could have sworn he heard the now familiar sounds of confusion and anger at how the next unfortunate soul had ended up in the windowless chamber but he was wrong. The curtain always moved and Theodore always heard the whispers. It had taken quite a lot of restraint the first time he had been granted access to this room years ago but he kept his distance as the object called out to him. It was no different than the cursed books and painting and vases in his own home and Theo learned long ago that anything calling out for you was not a good sign. It only led to death. All things did in the world but especially here. Purposefully here. He wasn’t going to end up like his mother, touching something that didn’t belong to him and paying the price for it.

#prioriacceptance #theodore nott

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viscariaa · 3 years

Text

Shall we Drink Tea? Oneshot!

Platonic Ship: Kirumi and Korekiyo

Words: 1186

Type: Canon-Divergence AU

Trigger Warning: None

Posted: 02.14.21

Description: Korekiyo asks Kirumi to do an interesting request...

Happy Valentine’s Day @musicalregret, @danganronpavalentines! I hope you enjoy your gift and I wish you happiness on this day! To anyone else, sending you virtual hugs and chocolates for this lovey-dovey day! - Mocha

Kirumi releases out a heavy sigh. She crosses her arms as she exits out of her elegant lab, the morning light shining behind her from the red drapes. “Since it is after the routine meeting. I must be ready for everyone’s request.”

A small smile plays on her lips before replacing it with a solemn expression. How could she have forgotten? Kirumi winces as she recalls Kaede’s execution, her gloved hands squeezing her white sleeves. “No time to fret. I need to-”

“Pardon me,” Kirumi glances up after closing her lab door, staring into Korekiyo’s dark orbs. “Kirumi, could you do me a service?”

“Yes, of course. What is it that you require?”

“Kehehe, I simply need for you to prepare some green tea and snacks, preferably vegetables, but anything will do. Then, come and find me in the courtyard. Please do not make me wait a while.”

The anthropologist leaves Kirumi by herself, heading off in the opposite direction of the courtyard. “Now to the library…” She hears him muttering.

Her hands smooth out her dress, “Time to get to work.”

----

Kirumi is back in her lab, ignoring the rowdiness of Kokichi and Miu’s vulgerness just outside her door. She turns her attention to the working stove, the water beginning to bubble up in the silver pot. Up in the drawer above, Kirumi fishes out a handful of delicate tea leaves, and sprinkles them into the shiny silverware.

“It has been nearly five minutes. I mustn’t take long.”

Soon, a knife and a wooden cutting board are on the marble countertop. Kirumi examines the knife in her hand, shaking her head in disbelief. She goes to a mini fridge near the sophisticated table, where she pulls out: Strawberries, a cucumber, a jar of honey, and a pack of grain bread.

“One, two, three…” Kirumi counts in her head, turning off the stove.

The heat hits against her face, a smile graces Kirumi’s lips as the scent tickles her nose. When she pulls out the tea leaves, Kirumi reaches for a porcelain teapot, decorated with dainty blue flowers along with two matching bowls and teacups, and three plain white plates.

After pouring the green tea into the teapot, Kirumi gets to work on the snacks.

She washes the strawberries and cucumber in the sink, Kirumi bends down to an empty trash bin, and begins to peel the cucumber. The green strips go neatly inside, “It has been eight minutes… I cannot bear to be late.”

The cucumber stains her gloves, but Kirumi pays no mind. She releases a deep breath and cuts the vegetable into little slices before dumping them into a bowl. Kirumi turns her attention to the strawberries, she carefully slices off the green leaves, and fills up another bowl.

“Almost finished. Only a little more now.”

Her hands reached for a spoon while grabbing the jar of honey, the yellow dew shining brighter in the sunlight. “Honey… perhaps, I should bring it. I’m not certain if Korkeikyo would prefer honey in his tea.”

Kirumi shakes her head, bringing her attention back to the bread and honey. She dips the spoon into the honey, twisting it to catch all of it like a spider web. Gently, Kirumi spreads honey all over twelve thin pieces of bread, and places them onto a plate in a tidy manner.

“Eleven minutes…” Kirumi huffs, backing up to change out of her messy gloves. “Now to carry them over to the courtyard. No time to waste.”

She attempts to balance everything in her arms, “I am going to need some assistance,” Kirumi mutters.

With her eyes close, Kirumi ponders, “Hmm… what could I possibly use?”

Turning her attention back to the cupboards, Kirumi carefully pulls out a wooden tray. She sets down everything with precision: The teapot in one corner, two empty teacups, a plate filled with honey-coated bread, and a bowl of cucumbers and strawberries.

Now, with the wooden tray in her hands, she glides over to the door. Kirumi could vaguely hear the chatter among her peers, hushed voices bringing her back to reality; back to the prison known as the Ultimate Academy.

“I need to head off now.” Kirumi says hastily.

Then, Kirumi swallows down her nervousness and heads off to the courtyard.

----

Kirumi trots over to a green patch of ‘grass’, her back tensing up as she stands up straight. “No. I could not have taken too long. It has been sixteen minutes exactly. Perhaps I did according to Korkeikyo’s standards? But no… I cannot make a mistake. I have to be-”

“Kehehe… you are here. Good.”

She snaps her head around, seeing the familiar long hair behind a stack of books. “Now if you may, Kirumi, lay everything down. Thank you.”

Her silver hair bobs affirmatively, placing the tray onto the ground, and gracefully lays the silverware and snacks out on the ‘grass’. Soon, Korkeikyo plants down, his stacks of books in between the two, and his deadpan eyes flicker to Kirumi.

He gestures for Kirumi to sit down, which she does of course, her dress creating a shield around her, “Another request. Enjoy some tea and snacks. Admire the human beauty of relaxation while reading. Kehehe.”

“As you wish.”

Korkeikyo passes her a book, his expression not changing in the slightest. Kirumi is taken aback. This request… was not her usual ones. Perhaps… Kirumi could indulge herself, even if only for a little bit.

A thin smile presses on her lips and she pours fresh green tea into the teacups, just close enough to the brim. After blowing soft breaths, her throat gets refreshed from the calming liquid, making her stomach happy.

After a while, all you could hear is their breathing and heartbeat. In the very silent prison with blood inside, the happiness of a fresh cup of tea is still ever so present.

“How fascinating…” Korkeikyo interrupts the silence, “Humans are so very… keen. What do you believe, Kirumi?”

“The human species is truly a remarkable thing. Who would have believed long ago, a simple pot of green tea would be inside a hel- place such as this,” Kirumi remarks back.

“You would be-”

“RISE AND SHINE URSINE!”

“Puuhuhuh~!” Monokuma’s and the mascot's voices pierce through the sound system, “Alright you ultimates! Time for more heart wrenching despair… Drum-roll, please! Time for another motive! Puuhuh~! Come to the gymanism!!”

“Please, listen to what Daddy says!” Monophanie shrinks just as the speakers crack out.

The pair stare at each other, a lump stuck into their throats. Fear was present in their eyes, but both attempting to mask it behind a deadpan expression.

A ring of alarm rang through Kirumi’s head, “I shall pack this up immediately.”

Without giving it a second thought, Kirumi quickly places everything back onto the tray, and soon her hands are full once again.

“Perhaps one day, we shall have tea again?”

“If that is your wish.”

In all honesty, it sounded delightful to Kirumi. Perhaps one day, she and Korkeikyo will enjoy tea somewhere else. “One step at a time.” All Kirumi needs to do is survive.

#danganronpa #drv3 #canon divergent au #kirumi tojo #korekiyo shinguji #platonic ship #tea #monokuma being monokuma #danganronpa valentines 2021 #fanfic #writing

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gwoongi · 4 years

Text

(abandoned) i don’t want it at all

jeon jeongguk / reader genre: sugar baby au, sugar-babies-scamming-the-same-daddy-au rating: mature themes words: 2.3k warnings: sugar babies a/n: i would have liked 2 finish this one and maybe i will one day but for now here is the incomplete first draft that makes me laugh still

His dorm for first year had been a prison-cell-box with a broken window and bunk beds, the stale smell of farts from his roommate who insisted on top-bunk and made his evenings and early mornings absolute hell- but hey, he’s getting a fancy degree at the end, so it’s worth it, right? Jeongguk’s not sure if it’s worth it anymore.

(1)

Jeongguk was broke.

It was his own fault - that’s the price you pay for enrolling in University, studying something he probably doesn’t actually need but loves. It’s all fine and dandy studying Music until he realises that famous musicians don’t become famous because they got a degree. Ask any musician how they made it big and they’ll reply with good luck and hard work, not some fancy degree that means nothing unless you’ve got the talent to be successful. Well shit, now it’s in perspective, Jeongguk’s spending all this money on a degree that’s probably not going to make a difference when the time comes.

Now he has a part-time job at a random pizza takeaway that makes no money because Dominoes opened up across the street a few weeks ago, and he’s barely making enough to buy him more than two packets of instant noodles at a time. His dorm for first year had been a prison-cell-box with a broken window and bunk beds, the stale smell of farts from his roommate who insisted on top-bunk and made his evenings and early mornings absolute hell- but hey, he’s getting a fancy degree at the end, so it’s worth it, right? Jeongguk’s not sure if it’s worth it anymore.

This evening, the library is fairly quiet. Across the stacks are small candles inside black lanterns, a Harry Potter-esque vibe filling the room as the clock rolls into ten. Jeongguk loves when the school year ends, because for the past week, it’s only been the sad and broke music kids doing exams, meaning the library is virtually empty now that everybody else has finished up. Jeongguk’s last exam was yesterday. Huffing out a sigh that turns one of the only other heads in the library in his direction, he stretches his arms up over his head and arches his head backwards.

“Where’re you going over summer?”

Yoongi is another sad and broke music student, a third-going-fourth year who met Jeongguk in the music society during Jeongguk’s first weekend at University. Leaning his chair back on two legs, he throws a paper ball into the air and catches it, not even looking at Jeongguk as he talks to him.

Jeongguk shrugs in reply, tapping his nails against his laptop. “Dunno. Home, I guess.”

“Any plans?” Yoongi asks. “Wanna go to Lollapalooza?”

“Can’t afford it,” Jeongguk sighs, as Yoongi forces out a, “me neither” in between a chortled laugh. “And I don’t know. Probably going to have to get another job.”

“Good,” replies Yoongi, yawning loudly. “You can’t keep working at that shithole. I’m your only friend, and even I go to Dominoes instead of where you work.” As an afterthought, he looks at Jeongguk with a small frown, “sorry.”

Shaking his head in reply, Jeongguk slumps in his chair and sighs once again. Yoongi’s just suddenly put it all into perspective for him; Yoongi’s his only friend, he works a job that barely puts a meal onto his plate, and it’s not going to get any easier.

The ball in Yoongi’s hand begins to bounce again and Jeongguk glances over at the student librarian, who buries her head into the crook of her elbow and sleeps her way through her night-shift. It’s only Jeongguk, Yoongi and four others in the library right now; none of them are reading, none of them are doing anything particularly productive. Two students are tucked into an alcove pouring wine quite openly into small glasses with a board of chess unfolded out on the table, the others on computers, wishing the night away. Jeongguk just doesn’t want to go back to his dorm, to where his roommate and his loaded to the brim stomach of Chinese food and unhealthy diets is waiting for him.

“You planning on staying here all night again?” questions Yoongi. He probs his feet up onto the partitioner under the table, accidentally kicking Jeongguk’s ankle in the process. “Sorry,” he adds.

“Yep,” Jeongguk replies, popping the ‘p’. “I’d literally rather sleep on the boys changing room floors than go back to my dorm.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “That’s disgusting, don’t be dramatic.”

“I’m being deadass,” Jeongguk insists, his eyes blown wide. “Want to swap dorms for the night? Ten dollars and you’ll be dry heaving in the hallway before midnight.”

“I’ll pass. Either way, you know my apartment is always open for you,” Yoongi reminds him. “You’ve got a key. Come by once you’ve finished whatever it is you’re doing. My wifi’s out.”

Another sigh. Jeongguk’s not defeated his boredom yet, the twitch in his fingers to do something still there. If he goes to Yoongi’s apartment now, he’ll just annoy him with the need to do something energetic, and Jeongguk knows best that Yoongi values his quiet time on an evening.

“Okay. Well, I’ll stay here for a little bit, and come by when I’m done,” Jeongguk says, stifling a yawn that would otherwise expose the fact that he’s absolutely knackered. “I won’t make a sound.”

“You will, you always do, I just pretend not to notice because I love you.” Yoongi says I love you with a disgusted face, sticking his tongue out with a fake gag that Jeongguk knows just proves how much he cares. Yoongi’s good like that, the more subtle type of loving older brother that Jeongguk’s been deprived of all his life. “Don’t stay out too late.”

“Won’t.”

Yoongi picks himself up and irons the aches out of his shoulders. “Cool. Stay safe and smart, Guk.”

“I can’t do both,” he sighs sadly, and Yoongi collects his bag and affectionately throws the paper ball at Jeongguk’s head. It bounces off and lands near one of the bookshelves. Neither picks it up, and Yoongi leaves the library. It dawns on Jeongguk three minutes after Yoongi leaves him that he’s actually really fucking lonely. Add that to the big long list of things Jeongguk is this year: friendless, broke, sad and lonely. God, he needs a hobby.

He also needs money. Very badly. After opening his phone and banking app and realising that he’s so close to slipping into the red, Jeongguk refrains from spending what he has left on something fried and takeaway and opens Google. One click, a few types: How to make money fast. Google will know what to do.

Jeongguk scrolls. Take online surveys and get paid NOW! No. Review apps and earn money! Not enough phone memory to download an app to review it, he scrolls down. Lonely AND Horny? Get yourself a Sugar Daddy TODAY! Oh? He’s listening.

The blog that opens up as he clicks the link is somebody’s personal blog, the title in a gross and thick font that Jeongguk almost can’t read. They talk a while about why you shouldn’t become a sugar-baby, but Jeongguk remembers that one time Tana Mongeau did a storytime on how she had a Daddy and got a lot of money, and Jeongguk’s got assets. He’s smart, has abs on a good day, and his dick isn’t half bad looking. That’s what Yooa had said to him, anyway. Finally, there’s a hyperlink to Seeking Arrangements, and Jeongguk feels kind of overwhelmed.

At least once in their lives, everybody’s thought about being a Sugar Baby. Jeongguk definitely has, all the damn time when he’s sitting around at work doing nothing because they’re about as busy as one can expect for a pizza place with two stars and a rival Dominoes parallel from the front. He’s even read about experiences, where people meet their daddies or mommies on the streets or through apps- and there was even that one crazy story about somebody’s Principal becoming their sugar Daddy, or something, he can’t quite remember. Regardless, Jeongguk’s entertained this thought before.

He looks down at himself. If he really tried his best, he could be kind of good at it. Without sounding conceited, Jeongguk’s good looking. What lets him down at school is the fact that he always dresses lazily and ignores people, rejects requests to go out and then complains to Yoongi about not having friends who hang out with him. All he needs is to fix his appearance, upload his best photographs, and he could secure the bag quite easily.

Jeongguk fills in the boxes and makes an account. petkoo is what he decides to name himself, and he picks his best selfie off Instagram as an icon. He leans back, as if a look from far away will change the way it looks. It’ll do. Luckily for him, he’s into men and women, and it just so happens that American men are both the dumbest and easiest to please. Suddenly, he’s excited, his leg bouncing under the table until he hits his knee and stops. The student librarian raises her head quickly, afraid that a member of staff’s come in to supervise. They haven’t, and so she drops her head again. Ten fifty three, ish. Jeongguk blinks sleepily.

All that’s left to do is get his account verified, and life will be forever changed.

(He hopes).

(2)

Yoongi’s apartment is off campus, about fifteen minutes away if he’s walking. It’s small, but significantly bigger than Jeongguk’s dorm on campus, and decorated with whites and creams, big and open windows letting in golden light, when the time’s right. It’s the type of apartment you saw online, on Tumblr posts or in movies, looking like a perfect backdrop - sometimes, Jeongguk can’t believe that Yoongi lives here, and wakes up every morning to the view of the city below his window, power lines like train tracks connecting houses, dangling fairy-lights on the trelacing of his across-the-street-neighbour’s rooftop.

That being said, Jeongguk technically lives here, too. He doesn’t know how long it’s been since he’s actually stepped foot in his dorm at the same time as his roommate; he only goes in there to collect things one at a time. Today, for example, he had dropped by to empty out his small and pathetic wardrobe and put it inside one suitcase, wheeling it right up to Yoongi’s front door with a bright smile that Yoongi couldn’t say no to. His couch in the living room was Jeongguk’s comfortable bed when it wasn’t cold and when it was, Yoongi would huff and offer an invite into his bed, because he loves Jeongguk like he’s his baby brother, and it would suck if he died from pneumonia, or something. He said that to Jeongguk once. Jeongguk smiled for ten minutes afterwards.

Harry Potter plays on TV, the fourth movie because it’s Jeongguk’s favourite and Yoongi’s a sick man who can’t say no. It’s around five, and Jeongguk’s literally been holed up in Yoongi’s apartment the entire day. The most sunlight that he got was when he walked out of Yoongi’s house to take the trash out, and even then, the bin was in the shadows and the sun never touched his skin once. He can see the sunlight through the window, which technically counts. Yoongi cringes and takes away a plate from the coffee table.

“You’re allowed to stay at my place, as long as you clean up after yourself,” he says with a huff. His nose upturns with a scrunch, “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“By choice!” Jeongguk adds, pulling a thread out from his sock. “They’re too much hard work.”

“You’re just fucking lazy,” Yoongi points out. He dumps the plate in the sink and comes back to Jeongguk. “You know that, don’t you?”

There’s a silence. Then a sigh, “Yeah.”

Jeongguk loves staying at Yoongi’s place, especially when Yoongi is feeling particularly soft and lets Jeongguk do whatever he wants, given he’s not going to get Yoongi a noise complaint in the morning. The movie continues to play undisturbed, the sight of Beauxbatons’ carriage swooping over towards the runway leaving Jeongguk with an open-mouthed smile on his face and Yoongi folds his arms, burying himself further into the sofa. On the coffee table, Yoongi’s laid out some snacks, both his phone and Jeongguk’s laying down flat because it’s supposed to keep Jeongguk distraction free, even though he’s the type of friend to never be on his phone around his friends unless he absolutely needs to be.

Another huff is in Yoongi’s mouth, begging to be huffed out. Over on the coffee table, Jeongguk’s phone lights up with his lock screen of Sansa Stark blurred out by a notification, the ringer on loud. Attention is pulled from Dumbledore to the light, Jeongguk’s brows lifting with interest but his eyes immediately back on the TV.

“Yoongi,” he calls out, and Yoongi glances over, “can you see who it’s from?” Could be his Mom, it could be important.

The huff is released. “Come into my house and boss me around…” Yoongi mutters under his breath and reaches for Jeongguk’s phone, pressing the home button to read the notification. He’s silent for a long moment, and Jeongguk’s so enthralled in the movie that he doesn’t notice, not until Yoongi looks at Jeongguk with a confused and funny look, his top lip curled to his nostrils as he blurts: “Why the hell are Seeking Arrangements telling you you’re profile’s ready?”

Jeongguk looks away so fast from the television that Yoongi’s almost frightened. His eyes are wide and twinkling, “They’ve finished it?”

“What the fuck.”

“Gimme!” Jeongguk splutters, his hand diving towards his phone urgently. “Bro...it’s been like, five days.”

Yoongi is bewildered. “Why do you have an account? What-why-when…?”

“I don’t know, I need money and I thought it would be funny,” Jeongguk shrugs. His thumb moves quickly across his phone screen. “I can’t believe they’re done. I’m gonna be rich, Yoongi.”

“Do you know how sketchy half the people on that site are?” Yoongi questions. “Plus they’re all old and perverted men.”

“Rich men.”

“Rich, old and perverted,” Yoongi nods. “Guk, I know I said you needed another job...but this doesn’t qualify. I’d rather you flip paper thin pizzas.”

#me posting all my abandoned wips for attention and something to do #bts #bangtan #jungkook #jeongguk #jungkook scenario #jungkook imagine #sugar baby au #bts imagine #bts scenario #jeon jungkook #jungkook x reader #jjk #gwoongi #abandoned

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chapitre7 · 4 years

Text

Alexandria Chapter VI

The Untamed [陈情令] | Mo Dao Zu Shi [魔道祖师] fanfiction

Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Yīng | Wei Wuxian (Wangxian)

Time Travel/Sci-Fi AU

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V

Read on AO3

“Wei Ying.”

He starts. Fear is a resilient feeling; no matter how much you try to beat it and mask it, it always takes you, in one manner or another. It is definitely present there, in those wide, white doors.

“Are you ready?”

He’s not. He wants to take Lan Zhan’s hand, never minding Lan Xichen standing right behind them or the men that wait on the other side. They can look as they have been looking all this time, trying to read him like a book. He’s not a book, and they know. Perhaps that is worse.

He nods. Lan Zhan carries a package in one arm while the other is rigid, stretched out like a guqin string. They both need a lifeline but keep it invisible in an exchange of looks. Perhaps the same song plays inside of them as they step forward, a song of intimacy, a song of clarity. It matters not; they enter the meeting room like warriors, with unfaltering steps.

“Wangji, what is the meaning of this?”

They waste no time, and Wei Ying fights the impulse to flinch. Lan Zhan — or rather, Lan Wangji, mouth down-turned, serious and unaffected, doesn’t sit down or really move from the end of the oval desk that is closest to the door. He keeps his gaze locked with the man on the other end, and Wei Ying has been in enough battles to recognize the tension of a duel.

“I believe I have already expressed my intentions in my request for this meeting.”

“To permanently leave the facility?” A different director splutters. “Wangji, you’ve lived and studied here your entire life! What about rebuilding the Library Pavilion? We were led to believe that’s your life’s work.”

“I will continue to look for all the works that will rebuild the Library Pavilion the closest to what it once was. But I cannot stay here any longer.”

“Lan Wangji, you are a historian, trusted with the history of this city. What need would you have to roam outside? Are you not too old for this kind of rebellion?”

“History happens as we speak, and you have taught me how it constantly repeats itself. Sitting here with books brings us nothing.”

Wei Ying, a couple of steps behind him, follows the exchange with surprising ease. But even if he was still his old self and couldn’t understand the words, he’d be able to understand the disbelief in the older men and how swiftly Lan Zhan rebukes them. Had he practiced his speech, anticipated their arguments? He always proves to be greater than Wei Ying’s last perception.

“Uncle.”

The man in his direct line of vision merely blinks, slowly, maybe even narrows his eyes. His facial expressions are so minimal, so calculated, that Wei Ying isn’t surprised they’re related.

“Allow me to work as an envoy of Gusu. Our knowledge bears more meaning if it can reach farther than these walls, and teach better than virtual data. We may have the sharpest minds, but if we stay locked inside our laboratories, then for what use is our research?” He places the package down on the desk, his hand lying on top of it with importance. “Not one of us has lived outside for years, too afraid of losing this place again, but are we not losing ourselves?”

“And as you so eloquently put in your mail, you intend to make him your collaborator?”

Lan Zhan’s uncle motions to Wei Ying with his chin, making him shiver with the cold indifference of the gesture. The older man doesn’t even spare him a glance.

“He’s a subject, Wangji, and above all, he’s not one of us. Just because you’ve been indulging him with a mimicry of our time, it doesn’t mean he’s finished his adaptation. He’s uneducated and unfit for modern life, and should remain here until he’s properly civilized.”

The depth of his rejection isn’t lost on Wei Ying. He can’t help but shrivel, eyes downcast and filling with stubborn tears he cannot hold back. It’s shame that creeps up his spine, and anger and outrage, and above all, the words that he wants to say in his defense but can’t. He is a subject. And he has no idea how to live outside these walls, but doesn’t eagerness count? Doesn’t courage? People are still the same. Keeping themselves reined, and trying to rein others’ spirits. But still... Still...

“Do you suppose I would come before you if I had not discerned his capabilities myself?”

Wei Ying looks up, wide-eyed, and he isn’t sure if it’s the words or the tone that makes all of the directors lean back against their chairs as if only barely avoiding contact with a blade. His uncle remains impassive, if only for a slight narrowing of his time-worn eyes.

“I suppose you biased. As I feared you would be.”

Lan Zhan sighs, a minimal gesture, but before Wei Ying can throw caution to the wind and take a step towards him, he’s opening the package that he brought (and that Wei Ying had forgotten about) and throwing copies of a thin book to the middle of the desk where all the directors can see.

“I can assure the board of directors that I would not make baseless propositions. Wei Ying is a person,” a hiss between teeth, “and if living with him after all this time didn’t convince you, might this be the proof you need?”

They hadn’t discussed their method of convincing the board beforehand so Wei Ying is thrown off balance when he sees one of his drawings of Yunmeng’s lotus ponds on the cover of the book the directors now flip through. He’s unaware that he’s moving until Lan Zhan’s arm comes in contact with him, blocking him from bumping into the desk. The nod Lan Zhan gives him is both an answer and a reassurance, so when Lan Qiren looks up — the man supporting the dreams of every researcher in the facility, who coddles them like they’re his own children, Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen’s uncle —, Wei Ying is emboldened enough to make himself known, to stand like the honorable disciple he grew up being.

“If you’ll allow me to study in this facility’s name, I will not make you lose face. I will align my past teachings with the new and I will breakthrough and I will share that knowledge with the people, in the manners of Lan Wangji’s choosing. So please, consider our request.”

Wei Ying bows, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Lan Zhan doing the same. The room is deadly still, only the sound of pages marking the passing of minutes, anticipation running through his veins. They only look up when Lan Qiren clears his throat, and it’s then that Wei Ying notices the far-away look in the directors’ faces, almost like a kind of spell was lifted from them and they were just starting to understand the world again, through the content of those books. Wei Ying can sympathize, but just vaguely; only if it meant he and Lan Zhan got through them. Lan Qiren looks as sharp as ever, but the lines between his brows are deep.

“We will summon you once we have made our decision. You are dismissed.”

They bow again, in perfect synchronicity, and leave the ever-white room with its elders behind closed, tall doors. The Cloud Recesses may have lost their three thousand rules but difficult men would always lead them, it seemed. Perhaps that’s true for all sects and clans and families, however they were governed now. Wei Ying exhales, long and noisy, head falling against Lan Zhan’s shoulder.

“Lan Zhan, I have newfound admiration for you. You have to deal with them all the time? You withheld your reports from them for months? And you always remain unfazed?”

Wei Ying feels an almost imperceptible move of his shoulder before he says, “I’m used to it.”

He has to chuckle at that. Lan Zhan keeps proving to be bolder than he last assumed, never ceasing to amaze him, and the thought brings him back to, “Wait, you didn’t show me that book before. Is it...?”

Lan Zhan stretches a hand out to Lan Xichen, who Wei Ying had failed to notice was still waiting for them, and the smiling brother offers the book he was carrying. Wei Ying had assumed it was one of the thick research books Xichen is always holding but sure enough, it is a copy just like the ones Lan Zhan all but threw at the directors. Lan Zhan takes it and places it in his hands and although it’s thin, although it’s white with the only exception of his drawing — his Yunmeng —, he feels the weight of it when he reads the words on the cover, traces the characters with his fingertips.

A Brief History of the Age of Cultivation, by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

“I didn’t know you’d make physical copies...”

He can see some of his favorite poems as he flips through, peppered in-between the chapters they wove together, as well as a couple written by Lan Zhan, but attributed to both of them.

“Lan Zhan.”

His voice strains, and overwhelmed, he brings the book up, to cover his face and the tears that threaten to fall. Lan Zhan, kind and patient and wonderful Lan Zhan, takes hold of his wrist to bring it down, to look into his eyes with open fondness.

“Wei Ying is one of us. It’s only right that he’s part of our history.”

He throws his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck. He may not be a renowned monarch or a timeless figure, but in Lan Zhan’s arms, under his care, he feels important. Wei Ying vaguely registers Lan Xichen chuckling and the sound of his heels walking away, and still he holds Lan Zhan, sighs content into his shoulder. Anxiety melts away until there’s only them, their firm hold onto each other, and the relentless future.

With his name engraved by Lan Zhan’s, Wei Ying feels both of them immortal.

“Can I sleep and wake beside you everyday?”

They are.

They do.

***

He’s with him again. Brother has often encouraged him to make friends, share correspondence with Gusu’s contacts across the land, beyond the notes of lost books, but instead of a friend his age, he acquaintances himself with the man inside the ice. As if they could converse inside his head, talk about the things they’ve both seen. Were the skies once clearer, the stars so bright you could trick yourself into thinking you could touch them, if you reached high enough? Was the ocean bluer, did the birds sing different songs? Logic dictated no, but mother used to say time once flew at a different pace, and Lan Wangji preferred to see the past with her eyes. In the library he lived his duty, every book speaking with uncle’s voice and trust. There, in that laboratory with that unnamed man, mother was all around him. He surrendered to a wonder that was more than his own, and ached with longing for a time that would never happen again.

“Were you happy?”

The man, perceived dead, cannot answer him. Wangji, who likes to think he’s asleep, wonders if he’s still dreaming in his own frequency, away from the inexplicable present.

“Do you think I can be, too?”

The words, fragile, barely whispered, turn into fog against the glass protecting the ice. Where they came from, not once thought, Wangji wouldn’t be able to answer. But once spoken, they’re real, and he thinks that maybe he’s the one caged, while the other is free.

Lan Wangji walks away, leaving his doubts and fears and questions with the man on the ice. Outside that lab, he back is straight, composed, and made to be relied upon. Not at all cracking, not at all lacking.

He’ll come again.

***

When Wei Ying reaches the entrance hall of the Qishan Observatory, he sees Lan Zhan surrounded by dazzled kids. They all speak at once, excited voices coming together in a shrill cacophony, yet Lan Zhan raises a hand and addresses one of them at a time. Wei Ying crosses his arms, leans against a pillar and watches, his ever-present smile feeling full of too many emotions to name. Lan Zhan, for all his quiet demeanor, inspires the imagination and eagerness of children with his lectures, and there’s not a single day where he’s not at a different school in Qishan, or even Yiling, speaking of the romantic history of noble sects that helped the poor, following into a present where science and thought help uncover a wondrous future. So many tools have changed in this world where people’s essence remain the same and yet, there’s still light. Wei Ying had lost sight of it in his last life, but he doesn’t look away now. He can’t.

With a lopsided smirk, he pulls a paper from the inner pocket of his jacket. Pulling at his spiritual energy, his core now just a calm lake barely stirred, he conjures dozens of golden butterflies that dance around the children who scream with surprised delight, jumping and attempting to catch the wings of Wei Ying’s cultivator heart.

The gold reflects on Lan Zhan’s eyes when he looks up at him, but they’re not strong enough to make the brown of his irises shine like a fire on an autumn night. Ah, Lan Zhan surely must have a dormant core too, Wei Ying thinks not for the first time, and his strength shows in his gaze, sometimes too strong that others have to look away, overwhelmed, but Wei Ying always meets him half-away, himself weak, enraptured. That must be what it is, but not only that, there’s more. Wei Ying wouldn’t insult him by being ignorant of it, ever-present in all of his gestures, in how he offers his hand as Wei Ying runs and bumps into him, gladly taking it.

“Teacher Wei!” The kids call him, no matter how many times he’s told them he’s no teacher.

“Now, now, I’m afraid I have to steal Lan Zhan from you, we’re both really hungry! Behave yourselves and don’t monopolize him after lecture!”

Wei Ying is too old to play with children, the elders from the Gusu mountains would surely throw at him if they saw him now, but he runs and waves and laughs with them anyway. Lan Zhan joins him, or indulges him, same difference no matter which way he looks, their hands clasped, fingers intertwined, the two of them stepping in the same frequency on the road home.

Nights in Qishan are still bright with an orange hue, almost like the sun refuses to set and the stars refuse to be outshined. Wei Ying inhales deeply in the new world, head held high, never looking down, trusting Lan Zhan to keep him on the right path and catch him if he falls.

“Lan Zhan,” he calls, voice always melodic with his name. “Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

Not even skipping a beat. Wei Ying huffs a laugh, a little breathless from his own antics.

“Me too. Let’s make sure to tell uncle all about it.”

“Mn.”

They’re just two more in the Qishan crowd, but Wei Ying feels big, elated like he hasn’t been in...

Well. It’s time he stops counting.

***

“They’re going to defrost him?”

There’s a complicated whirlpool of emotions in his middle when his brother nods. He clenches his hands into fists, looking at the man safe inside his chamber of ice and glass. It’s a violence against his peace, and a violence against his own sanctuary with the stranger who’s not so strange anymore. Powerless against the decisions of the board, he lingers in the gallery at the side of the laboratory when the first buttons are pressed, but leaves before the procedure is over. It was a foolish thought to cling to the subject like he once clung to the rabbits that roamed the woods outside of the facility when he was young and cared for. Mother and the rabbits are gone now, and he’s too old to play replacements.

Foolish. He’s desperately foolish.

The news that the man is alive don’t hit him as hard as the screams do, or as the sight of him being pinned down and sedated. He bites down on his tongue to fight the need to yell at them all, these men who studied all their lives and still thought it would be a good idea to bombard him with sensory overload just because they were too curious to be properly thoughtful. A subject. What a tasteless joke.

“I’ll do it,” he tells his brother when he holds a handkerchief to the blood that drips down his chin, the pain in his tongue not registering. Brother is the most concerned he’s ever looked since Wangji was seven and they were both orphaned, but he also hasn’t felt a purpose like this ever since he stood before the ashes of what was once his home. “I’ll take care of him.”

“Wangji, they might not deem you fit for the job.”

Where others might see cold hostility, Xichen sees a kind of hurt that is recognizable in animals. So he sighs, raising his hands in a sign of patience and peace.

“I’ll talk to them. I’ll do what I can.”

So Xichen takes the subject — the man — into his own hands. Out of his own suggestion, as a way to placate the board and his brother both. And when Xichen is sure he’s safe, after they confirm that mother’s lessons will allow Wangji to communicate better with him than any other person in the facility, he enters that room with a restless heart. He can’t project any of his own feelings onto the man, that desperate need to belong, to be needed, so when he sits in front of him, he vows to listen.

The man’s eyes glow hazel against the whiteness of the room, still a little wide after weeks under his brother’s care. His lips are parted, after he left out a small “Ah” at the sight of Wangji. Are they taking good care of him? Are they doing everything they can? Can’t they see how lost he is, after he’s lost everything he’s ever known?

“How do you feel?” Wangji asks, instantly off the script the board had given him.

The man’s eyes widen more still, a smile gracing his features for the first time as he leans forward.

Wangji leans back against the natural brightness of him. He looks more beautiful than the first time Wangji laid eyes on him, and all the times he practiced a conversation with him inside his head.

“I can understand you!”

He nods, crossing his legs and looking down at his notes, intent not on writing anything down but on fighting the urge to smile back. Now there’s a voice that can talk back to him, clear, accented, and memorable. Mother would have been fascinated. Wangji feels warm and resolute.

I’ll take care of you.

#The Untamed #Mo Dao Zu Shi #Fanfiction #Wangxian #Lan Wangji #Wei Wuxian #Alternate Universe: Science-fiction #alternate universe: time travel

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holytheoristtastemaker · 4 years

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One of the biggest perks of a career in Web Design is the potential for working remotely. As long as you have access to Wi-Fi, you can basically work from anywhere, whether it be from home, a co-working space, or even the beach — the world is your proverbial remote oyster. Whether you’re new to the telecommuting game or a seasoned veteran, working solo comes with its own set of challenges and roadblocks. Design work, in particular, is a collaborative process with project managers, designers, writers, clients, and other stakeholders — each with their own needs and priorities. Fortunately, there are tonnes of fantastic tools out there that help designers and other team members stay on the same page throughout the course of a project. Let’s break down some of the best tools out there and how they can improve collaboration amongst your remote team. Project Management and Collaboration for Design-Focused Work Design-focused teams have different requirements for their tools than general marketing teams with designers sprinkled in. Whether your design teams’ goal is to do a better job of tracking revisions, streamline project workflows, or get more control over file annotation and review, these collaboration tools for designers will have you covered. Cage Cage combines the project and task-level views familiar from broad project management tools and adds awesome features specifically for design teams. No matter the size, design teams will love the ability to annotate media files right in the software to make feedback and requests more specific and save time going back and forth with team members or clients. Another great feature for design teams is the advanced asset management that keeps every necessary file readily accessible for anyone who needs it. Visme Visme makes creating easier. As a project management software with built-in media creation capabilities, it’s a unique offering for design teams looking to streamline workflows. Visme offers a variety of gorgeous templates for presentations, infographics, charts, web graphics, and more that give every stakeholder in the project a headstart on design work. It’s a perfect resource for teams who are working on a lot of projects simultaneously to keep assets organised. General Project Management and Collaboration Tools Larger marketing teams with a wider variety of projects need more robust project management tools than design-only teams. Some features remain necessary, such as assigning tasks to certain project members, retaining documents, and even conversing directly with other teammates, but general project management software is unlikely to have robust features that shine for design teams. Asana You’ve heard of Asana, right? Almost everyone has. It’s one of the top work management tools on the market. With a variety of built-in ways to organise and visualise work, Asana keeps every person in a project on the same page. Depending on the size of your team, and how much functionality you want, Asana can run a bit on the expensive side. However, with the Business Plan, there are nearly unlimited ways to customise and automate your workflows to help the whole team reach peak efficiency. Basecamp This year, Basecamp hit over 3 million account signups. It’s no wonder though, because Basecamp has everything a project needs to run smoothly — all in one place. Without ever leaving Basecamp, project teams can chat, check-in, organise files, schedule meetings or tasks, and generate to-do lists. Whether managing client projects, or internal projects, Basecamp is a great option for keeping everyone synced up. Meeting Tools, Virtual Offices, Communication Hubs Though some project management platforms and other tools have communication capabilities built right in, teams that are working remotely often need a little extra help to stay in touch. Whether your team currently relies on email, instant messaging, phone calls, or virtual meetings, there’s a tool out there to make collaboration and communication easier. Slack Tired of trying to reach the elusive “Inbox Zero”? Slack’s here to help. The great thing about Slack is that teams can organise conversations into channels, and individuals only need to follow those conversations that are important to their work. When done well, Slack can help keep design teams collaborative, but also on task. Slack also integrates with an enormous number of apps that makes it a fantastic place to centralise all your team’s efforts. Twist Twist offers a slightly different take on team chats than Slack. Less of an instant messaging service for distributed teams (although, it does that too), Twist combines the traditional structure of an email inbox with the topical, conversation threads of instant messaging. One of the things we love about Twist is that it doesn’t show whether people are on- or off-line. This sounds daunting at first, and I’m sure you’re thinking, “But what if I need an immediate answer?” However, think of the remote work stress this small detail can alleviate from your team members. Less pressure to be constantly connected, taking more focused time out to dig deep on important projects, and getting back in the loop quickly and easily when needed. StormBoard Ready to make your meetings truly collaborative? Stormboard is a digital workspace where teams can have meetings, discuss projects, and collaborate on specific tasks regardless of where they are in the world. This browser based tool combines the ideas of conference calls, collaborative whiteboards and project management into one easy-to-use tool. Collaborators can even edit the board under discussion in real time and display their ideas to the team, rather than trying to explain them without visualisation. Design Libraries & Document Organisation A great design can take hours, days, weeks, even months to get right. Beyond the final asset, streamlined workflows, new templates, creative learnings, and more can come from the completion of one design project. Having a good design library ensures that an entire team can work collaboratively on the most recent version of important internal or external assets. InVision InVision’s motto is “Design better. Faster. Together.” and it offers lots of great tools built specifically to empower design teams. One of the best is the Design System Manager, which allows teams to centralise their design assets into one place as visuals as well as in code. As guidelines, assets, and images change over time, the advanced versioning system allows creative iteration without losing previous work and the capability to make notes to keep the entire team on the same page when changes are made. Abstract Abstract integrates with tools designers already use like Sketch and Adobe XD, making it easy to import files that are already completed or in progress, but need more collaboration. Combining the principles of project management and design libraries, Abstract allows collaborators to work from master files to iterate and create new designs without losing the original version, get feedback from other project members, and ultimately land on the best design. When designs are finalised and approved, they can be passed over to the developer without the guesswork, thanks to a Git-inspired workflow that saves time and frustration. Collaborative Proofing and Editing Tools For many teams, workflows aren’t simple. Whether you’re an in-house designer, agency, or freelance creative, a typical project will have multiple checkpoints and approvals before being finalised. Having the right proofing and editing tools that allow for pinpoint feedback and annotation create a faster, less hazardous road to project completion. GoVisually Whether you’re working as a creative freelancer, with an in-house design team, or as a collaborative agency, project delivery and approval can quickly become a cumbersome process. GoVisually streamlines this process with pinpoint annotations directly on designs to eliminate confusion and misunderstanding. Centralised feedback makes sure every project stakeholder stays up to date with the latest changes and revisions, allowing approvals to happen in real-time. Bonus feature: it integrates with Slack to make communication and notification even faster. RedPen Version tracking? Check. Live annotations? Check. Unlimited collaborators? Check. Created by designers, for designers, RedPen knows what design teams need for maximum efficiency. With the click of a mouse, any project member can give feedback that easily turns into a collaborative discussion about the best next steps for each design. The best thing about RedPen is that it’s simple, effective, and impressively easy to use. You don’t even have to create an account to get started. Figma Figma takes everything you love about any design software you’ve ever used and mashes it all together in one responsive, interactive, collaborative tool. Teams can design and prototype with a single tool, with no coding required. Figma brings the intention of your designs to life, making it easy to test the effectiveness of your work before bringing in the development team. Collaboration has never been easier. Invite who you want, when you want, and project members can view or edit designs at the same time — all while never losing control over the version history of the task. If your design team is looking for more ways to work together while staying fast and focused, Figma is the best of the best. Bugherd If you’re a web designer, or working on a team that’s responsible for a website, Bugherd is a must-have tool. The software acts as a layer on top of your website allowing project members (even those with minimal tech-savvy) to report bugs or issues without a long chain of back-and-forth emails. When an issue is identified, team members simply click on the element to report an issue to developers. With one click, developers can identify the pertinent what, where, and why of the bug and get down to solving the problem faster. Bonus: it integrates with other apps you likely already use like Slack and Basecamp so your team can maintain their normal workflows, but with superpowers. Tools For Your Own Personal Sanity I know from experience that remote work can be tough. With teams spread out all across the globe, it’s easy to feel isolated — there are a million distractions no matter where your “office” is. Luckily, as remote work becomes more common, so do tools that can help us stay focused, remain on task, and ultimately have a better work-from-anywhere experience. Serene Distractions abound, no matter where you’re working from. Serene lets you set predefined goals, helping you break your day into achievable sections. On top of helping you break down your big goals into smaller tasks, Serene helps remote workers focus by blocking distracting and wasting websites. The app will even play soothing music meant for focus, if that’s your thing. Figure It Out Chrome Extension As a remote entrepreneur, I can’t count on two hands and both feet the number of times I’ve had to Google something like, “time difference from Zurich to California.” At least, until I found the Figure It Out Chrome Extension. Using the extension or the web-version I can input all my team members locations and see, at a glance, what time it is for them when we need to schedule a meeting or find time to collaborate. Take a Break, Please Last but not least, remote work can be really hard to disconnect from. You start working on a task or project, and before you know it, four hours have gone by without a break. For your own sanity and personal health, it’s important to remember to get up, stretch, take a walk, something to get away from the screen for just a few minutes. This simple act can reduce task, project, or even job-level burnout. I recommend all remote workers download this app and take a break, please. The Bottom Line on Remote Design Team Collaboration Design is rarely a task that lives in a vacuum, and we need the knowledge, feedback, support, and sometimes approval of others — this all requires a collaborative effort. No matter what type of team you work with, how big or how small, there is a tool (or a stack of tools) that will help improve workflows, productivity, and collaboration. Many of these tools offer free trials so that you can get a sense of the operational improvements, or roadblocks, adopting each software might introduce. Give some of them a try and see how you can level up your remote design team’s collaboration with small additions that make a big impact during this trying time.

http://damianfallon.blogspot.com/2020/04/16-tools-for-keeping-your-remote-design.html

#SEO #Local SEO training

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jadekitty777 · 4 years

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Cram Session

Alright, the final day is here – and you better believe I’m ready to burst with excitement! I have not been able to calm down all week!

So, to cap things off, let’s go for a ‘feel good’ one, yeah? This one’s all about friendship and teamwork.

Rating: K

Word Count: 2200

Summary: With the looming threat of his entire team being failed if he does, Tai finds himself desperately trying to absorb every bit of knowledge he can before the big test. Unsurprisingly, it’s not going well – but at least Qrow’s there to offer some moral support.

Ao3 Link: Cram Session

The fluctuation of hormone levels from pure dust injection in the human body was found to have different effects depending on many factors including the following: Age, weight, aura level,…

The tapping of his pencil kept time with the ticking clock as Tai read through the scientific journal, trying to absorb as much as he could. He needed to get a good grade on this test; he was doing horribly in his Analytical Dust Chemical Bonding class. Just the name of it was daunting – but the actual lessons were brutal. He’d never gotten so many bad marks in his life. One more and he was going to fail the class. While that wouldn’t be the end of the world on its own, there was just one teensy-weensy, itty-bitty little problem:

If he failed, the rest of his team did as well.

No pressure there or anything.

He believed that the dire consequences was all about promoting teamwork – some philosophical mumbo-jumbo about how if they let a partner fall behind in class, they’d let them fall behind on the field too. He wouldn’t even say he disagreed with the idea, but it certainly didn’t account for people like Qrow and Raven, who had virtually no prior schooling experience. Not to say they were dunces – put them on the field and they’d ace nearly any training exercise. But the minute a pen was in their hand and a book in their lap, they suddenly seemed like the stupidest people in all of Beacon.

It was Summer who had figured it out. Their history teacher had called on Qrow to answer a question on the board. He had squinted for a few moments, before saying, “I can’t.”

“You don’t know the answer?”

“Nah, just can’t read your handwriting.”

At the time, Tai hadn’t thought anything of it; but as the teacher read off the question, Summer sat up straight in her seat, looking as if she’d just solved an enigma. Later that day, she called for an impromptu ‘team meeting’.

He remembered how she paced, looking troubled, before finally whirling on the twins. “Look, I’m just going to be direct about this. You two can’t read, can you?”

Tai was so caught off guard by the announcement his mind was struggling to catch up. The siblings, however, had no such issue, going from bored to alert in a blink. “What nonsense are you spouting? How do you think we filled out our transcripts?” Raven counterargued.

“Bribery.” Summer replied without missing a beat. “Just like you’re doing with Oobleck.”

“It’s called working smarter, not harder.” Qrow quipped.

“No, it’s called cheating.” She retorted. “And it’s not going to carry you through the next four years.”

“Don’t know if you don’t try.”

“And anyways, last I checked, we were here to fight Grimm.” Raven added. “Who cares about the written stuff?”

Summer started ticking off points on her fingers. “How are you guys going to write the papers? Do the presentations? Take the finals?”

That seemed to knock out some of their bluster as they shared an uncertain glance. It seemed the exact scale of what they needed to worry about had never occurred to them – but how could it of? They couldn’t read the lesson plan. “We’ll figure it out.” Raven finally said, shrugging it off.

Summer looked between them, huffing like a bull about to charge.

Tai was the one who found his voice first. “Are you sure that’s the decision you want to make?”

“Oh great, now you have something to say?” Qrow snipped, his casual tone shifting to something more caustic.

Deliberately avoiding the obvious goad, he continued, “Look, there’s no shame if you don’t know how to read or write. There’s only shame in not being willing to learn.”

“You’re a regular ol’ walking proverb, you know that?”

“I have a book filled with them. I’ll let you read it when you can.” He finally shot back, getting to his feet. “But you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t try. So, either you lower your pride and ask us for help, or you fail. Your choice.”

Summer intervened, gentle yet firm. “You guys must have come to this school for a reason. You have to decide if that reason is worth working hard for.”

Nothing had happened right away, and after a few days, Tai was pretty sure the twins were going to stick it out on their own. Then, one day, while he and Summer were studying in the library, the two had walked right up to their table and demanded their ‘supplementary lessons’ (Raven absolutely refused to call it help).

As it turned out, neither of them were completely illiterate, but their handwriting was atrocious and the level they could read at was on par with a seven-year old’s. So, Summer got them comprehensive reading books to strengthen their vocabulary and stencils to help them with their letters. It was torturously slow-going at times, and he had worried the whole process would be agonizingly painful, as he’d expected every lesson would be nothing but their attitude dialed to eleven – and it had been. At least, at first.

But as the weeks passed, the twins seemed to be less focused on irritating their teammates and more focused on actually learning. Qrow had an insanely good memory, so he was picking up new words and how to apply and spell them by the buckets nearly every week. For Raven, what she lacked in memory she made up for in pure fortitude as she rewrote and reread until she got it right. And though he’d never dare tell them, it was kind of adorable seeing one of Raven’s little smiles or hearing Qrow’s soft ‘Oh’ whenever they understood something.

To his own surprise, Tai discovered he had a bit of a fondness for teaching. There was just something so uplifting about helping the twins work through a problem and see them get it and realizing it was him who helped get them there. It made him really look forward to their time together. It was nice, just being able to sit down together, just the four of them, laughing and helping one another. It finally felt like they were a team.

More than that even - like they really were friends.

He wasn’t going to mess that all up by failing this exam.

The mesolimbic dopaminergic system seems to have a habit of creating new pathways in the ventral striatum…

“The what in the what?” He groaned, letting his head thump onto his desk. How was he going to get all this by Monday?

The door opening had him shooting back up. He expected the rest of his team to walk in, but was surprised when it was just Qrow. He was polishing off the remains of a cookie – Summer’s idea. She thought a reward system would be a good motivator. The twins had rolled their eyes about it, reminding their leader they weren’t children; yet, every cookie earned was mysteriously gone by the end of the session.

“Yo.” He greeted around the mouthful.

“Hey. Done already?” Tai replied, glancing at the clock. It wasn’t even late afternoon yet.

“Nah.” Qrow said, dropping his book bag onto the desk adjacent Tai’s. “Flowerbud called for a break. So, I came back for a nap.”

“Where’d they go?”

“Where else? Training room.”

He snorted softly. From the way she behaved, anyone would have expected it to be Raven’s scheme – but it was actually Summer who loved to unwind by kicking the crap out of them. Rae was just too stubborn to back out of a challenge.

“Isn’t that the same chapter you were reading when we left?”

Tai looked down, covering part of the page. “I was just going over it again.”

Qrow hooked his ankle around the leg of his desk chair, pulling it out and plopping down. “So you know all about the transcriptional mechanisms that develop over time from dust exposure?”

He stared. “Do you?”

“I mean, I don’t actually know what I just said, but I know that basically people get addicted to the stuff.” He replied with a shrug. “So when you see those words, that’s the answer you’re looking for.”

His brow furrowed, trying to make sense of that suggestion. “Is that how you’ve been taking these tests? Just correlating words with the answers you hope will be there?”

“Well yeah. It’s not like I’m gonna be able to read at an academy level anytime soon. Gotta make do with what I got.” He stretched his legs up onto his desk, tipping his chair back. “Don’t need top marks, just passing ones, right?”

“Yeah but,” Tai tried to argue, but when he realized he really didn’t have one, he merely sighed, slumping over some. “Well, I guess it works for a guy like you. You’ve practically got a photographic memory.”

“Or just nothing’s up here.” Qrow joked, tapping his own temple. “An empty mind makes room for more genius.”

“Oh yeah you’re a real prodigy.”

He popped his collar. “Glad you noticed.” With a clack, his chair landed back on all four legs and he popped out of his seat. “And genius like this needs rest.” He put his palm against Tai’s forehead, pushing his head back. “Come on sunburn, you need some too.”

Tai shoved him away. “Maybe later.”

He shrugged, walking across the room. “You know it’s not that big of a deal if you fail, right?”

“Of course it is!” He turned, draping his arm across the back of his chair. “What if I get us all held back?”

“Oh gosh!” He exclaimed sarcastically, falling back onto his bed. “Another whole semester of free food and a bed so soft it’s like sleeping on a cloud? What ever shall I do?”

Huh.

Well, when he put it that way, Tai had no idea why he was trying so hard either.

As if he could read his thoughts, Qrow continued, “See? It’s all in the perspective.”

He couldn’t help it. “So you’re giving me the ‘bird’s-eye view’?” He rose his arm to guard from the pillow flung his way, cackling madly.

Not quite as amused, his roommate only rolled his eyes. “Whatever man, you’re stupid.”

“Don’t worry, our chemistry teacher agrees.” He joked, turning back to his textbook. He underlined the bit about transcriptional messages.

Too lazy to fetch his own, Qrow snatched the pillow off of Raven’s bed. As he got comfortable, he spoke up again, “I still think you’re stressing too much.”

He wrote a note in the margin beside the paragraph. “I just don’t want to disappoint you guys.”

“Sorry to tell ya this bud, but you’re sharing a space with me. Disappointment is guaranteed.” As if Qrow’s words were a cue, the lead on Tai’s pencil suddenly snapped.

He sighed, tossing it down. Alright, maybe a break was in order.

Tai got to his feet, stretching out some of the kinks that had settled. He fetched the pillow off the floor, nailing Qrow in the face with it. He laughed as the other squawked indignantly, turning away to pick up his scroll. He flicked off the lights and headed for his own bed, ducking under a retaliatory throw, the pillow hitting the door and flumping uselessly to the ground. “Nice try.”

Not willing to sacrifice his other, Qrow just grumbled over his failed attempt, kicking off his shoes. He twisted onto his side, facing Tai as he laid down on his own bed. The smirk he gave him was borderline lecherous. “At least I finally got you into bed.”

Tai threw his pillow. And Summer’s for good measure. “You’re the worst!” He ignored the way he laughed at him, focusing on his phone as he set an alarm for them. He placed it on his nightstand. “Alright, give it back. Alarm’s on for five-thirty.” He caught his pillow when it was tossed back at him, burying his face into it.

He heard Qrow shift around before he said, “Hey so, I can’t help you study, but if it means that much to you, I can help you cheat.”

He turned his head, “What?”

“Yeah. I’ll write you tiiiny little notes and we can slip them in the lapels of your jacket.” He pinched his forefinger and thumb together to accentuate just how tiny he meant. “They’ll never suspect a thing.”

Despite knowing it would expel him if he got caught, the fact he was legitimately considering it was probably not a good sign of where his moral compass was going. “I’ll pass, but thanks anyways.”

“Alright. If you change your mind I got plenty of ideas.”

Tai smiled, knowing just how much it said about Qrow that he was at least offering – or trying to cheer him up at all, for that matter. Six months ago, they could barely stop themselves from flinging insults if they were in the same room together; now, he merely ribbed him for fun. Things had definitely changed.

As he drifted off, he figured Qrow was right. It really didn’t matter if he failed some silly test. He’d made some good friends along the way and that was the best success he could ever have.

A/N: Prompt was “Are you sure that’s the decision you want to make?”

#taiyang xiao long #qrow branwen #Summer Rose #raven branwen #strq #rwby #fanfiction #100 Days of Taiqrow #Chase Firekitten's Tale

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holidaywishes · 5 years

Text

It Had To Be You XIX

Chapter Nineteen: Ready To Love You

Summary: November comes to a close and you start getting for Christmas. With no finals in sight, you take off to Dallas to surprise Tyler when he gets back from his road trip.

Author’s Note: So, this one catches us up to today! Next chapter will be a Christmas one and then a smutty one after that maybe? I’ll be honest, this one took me longer than I thought it would because there’s hardly any angst. I guess my specialty was angst and now that they’re happy, it’s taking me longer to write it out 😂 But even if this isn’t my best work, I hope you enjoy it!

Warning: 🙅‍♀️

Song Credit: Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree -- Pentatonix, Up On The Housetop -- Gene Autry, O Holy Night -- David Archuleta, Oh Santa -- Mariah Carey, Ready To Love You -- HEDEGAARD

masterlist

You knew you were going to see Tyler when he came to Calgary but, after he moved into his new place, you kept bugging him to give you a tour. With only one day before the road trip, he gave you a quick virtual tour.

“It might not translate on screen but it’s really awesome” he laughed from behind the camera

“It looks pretty awesome from here,” you laughed, squinting to see what he was showing you, “it’s bigger than your last place isn’t it?” He flipped the camera to him and nodded

“Oh yeah!.. Wait, do you not like it?” he scrunched his face in concern

“I’m only seeing it through a screen but it looks amazing” you responded with a smile, noticing the concern on his face not leaving

“It’ll look better with you in it,” he finally smiled, lifting his eyebrows suggestively, “when will that be by the way?”

“Well, my classes don’t end until December 10th but you’re on a road trip then. And it’s right before Christmas. So, it might not be until after Christmas…” you rambled

“New Years? We play Montreal on New Year’s Eve but the 1st we’re free. And in Dallas…” he said hopeful

“Count me in,” you gave a wink but then a wave of stress rolled over your face, “except… I still have to find an internship and they might start right away in January…”

“SHIT! I didn’t tell you,” he said loudly, “I heard back from my guy and he wants to do a phone interview with you. Like tomorrow..”

“Tyler, that’s awesome! But what is it for? You have told me nothing, I should probably do some research…” you joked, “or else it’s like nepotism?”

“Don’t worry,” he laughed, “it’s a marketing agency. I got all your ‘requirements’ and I made sure that he was okay with that. Clearly, he was. I just forgot to tell you. I gave him your number so, he’ll be calling you…”

“Can I get the name of this marketing agency?”

“Entourage or, technically, Agency Entourage I guess”

“I’ll look it up now, thanks love.” It was something you had called everyone, love. You used to call everyone lovey -- like lovey dovey -- but changed it to love later on; but you had never called Tyler ‘love’ until a few weeks ago and he never seemed to question it, so it continued. He blew you a sardonic kiss and continued the tour a little but once he got to the bedroom he said that’s where he’d let you go so you would be left wanting more. You were at the end of the month and everything seemed to ease up slightly. You’re assignments were finished, you just found out you had no finals so you were pumped, all you had to worry about was one more final presentation and a couple extra classes and you’d be done.

Your phone interview was a few days before the Stars were in Calgary and part of you wondered if Tyler had planned it that way. It went well, you were personable and knowledgeable about the company, you asked questions about the position; all in all you were excited about whatever the next step would be. The waiting was the worst. Waiting for a yes or a no, waiting to find out if you needed to buy a plane ticket and get some kind of insurance, waiting to see if moving in with Tyler was even an option or if you should just find a place for yourself. You felt like you were going to short out your computer with how many times you checked your email; you spent literally an entire hour one day refreshing the page. It was getting ridiculous but this is what your life had become. Eventually, you’d start applying to a bunch of different jobs on your University job board because you needed a job and you only had one month to get everything figured out; then you saw it.

“Hi (Y/N)! Thank you so much for talking with us this weekend. We were so excited to receive your resume from Tyler. He spoke very highly of you and your qualifications were very impressive. We would love to offer you an intern position on our communications team here at Entourage!”

As you scanned the email, you screamed and jumped out of your seat in the library, alerting everyone to your presence; you apologized and sat down to continue reading.

“We understand that we have to get some things approved with your advisor first and that this is a co-op position so you have to be back in April but, if all goes well, maybe you would consider continuing on with us in the fall. We’ll discuss more in further correspondence. We look forward to working with you, a contract will be sent to you shortly. Thank you!”

You were shocked and excited and you could barely contain yourself so, you packed up your bag and ran out of the library. Once you picked up your phone, you weren’t sure who to call first. You’d see Tyler in tomorrow and you could tell him in person but you wanted to share it with him. So, instead, you call Chris.

“THAT’S AWESOME!!” he shouts from the other end, “I’m so excited for you! When does the job start?”

“The contract says January 8th. So, I get a couple extra days after the New Year,” you reply excitedly and he just shouts back in excitement before asking if you’ve told Tyler yet, “not yet. Tomorrow. When I see him.”

“Well I’m happy for you, sweets,” he coos, “you deserve it.” You thank him but roll your eyes slightly at his emotion and then hang up.

The game against Calgary was relatively tame. When Tyler scored the game winning goal in overtime, the Flames challenged it and the fans were not incredibly happy with the result.

Hockey fans do not like being challenged on home ice by opposing teams.

You went to go meet Tyler by the locker rooms before he took off to B.C.; running to him quickly to embrace him in a kiss, taking him by surprise. You pulled his face to yours tightly and he guided you to the wall to support both him and you.

“Hi,” he said catching his breath as he pulled away, “it’s nice to see you too.” He laid his forehead against yours and you smiled up at him, apologizing softly before playfully biting his lip.

“I missed you,” you said when the two of you finally separated, walking side by side to the bus outside the Saddledome, “I didn’t think I was going to get to see you before you left either”

“Well, I’m glad you caught me” he said softly

“Me too” he smiled, bringing your lips back to his quickly but fumbled slightly as the two of you walked down the hallway

“You bit me,” you laughed rubbing your lip, “that gonna be a common thing?”

“Maybe…” he shoved you playfully, “you bit me too by the way.” You smiled up at him, scrunching your nose and grabbed his hand as the two of you continued walking. When he noticed that you were almost to the bus, he pulled you behind a wall structure and put his finger in front of his mouth to tell you not to talk; you stared at his lips as he peeked out from behind the wall occasionally.

“Sneak on the bus,” he whispered, “and the plane. Come to B.C.” You laughed and shook your head, still staring at him in disbelief. You couldn’t believe that you were finally with him. He was so god damn beautiful.

“How would I even do that?” you joked, “sneak into the little luggage thing under the bus -- where there’s no oxygen and all of your smelly hockey equipment -- and then somehow get on the plane before everyone else and hide in the bathroom?”

“Yes, exactly,” he leaned down to kiss your neck, pinning you against the wall slightly, “do exactly that…” You felt him smile against your neck and you got so distracted that a tiny moan came from your mouth but he stifled the sound by capturing your lips with his.

“Sorry..” you said breathlessly when he pulled away, “I just, uhm, I have to tell you something.” You heard a voice call for Tyler and then his phone ring, he ignored it for a minute but when it rang again he had to answer it.

“Sorry, babe one sec,” he said still pinning you against the wall as he answered his phone, “Hello? Yeah, I’ll be there in a sec. I just had to use the bathroom Chubbs. Relax, bud.. Okay, bye. Yeah, bye.” He hung up the call and turned back to you, staring at you for a minute before you spoke again.

“I had something to tell you,” you started, “but I can’t remember what it was now…” He laughed and kissed your nose

“I’m sure you’ll remember it when I leave.” He gave you one last kiss and told you he had to go or they’d call a search party and you tried pulling him back to you by grabbing his arm but he trailed his hand down your arm and kissed your hand; just as quickly he was on the bus.

“You didn’t tell him?!” Diana shouted at you as your Christmas playlist boomed in the background

“I was distracted,” you replied, “I mean that boy knows how to kiss…”

“Okay okay I get it. So, what’s your plan?”

“Voices singin’ ‘let’s be jolly, deck the halls with boughs of holly...’”

“Well, my Monday class got cancelled so I’m going to finish out the week and figure out some stuff here after that -- decorating and all that. Then head out to Dallas on the 14th; he’s back in Dallas on the 16th I think. So, I’ll tell him when he’s home,” you said as the song changed, making you and Diana bop your heads

“Ho Ho Ho, who wouldn’t go, Ho Ho Ho, who wouldn’t go. Up on the housetop, click click click. Down through the chimney with Old Saint Nick…”

“That’s a good idea right?” you continued, “he’ll be surprised and then excited about the news?”

“I think it sounds super sweet babe!” she said happily, “I think he’ll be so happy to see you! Do you think you’ll be there for Christmas though? Like it’s so close to it but that’s a pretty big deal…”

“No, I’ll probably come back home. He’ll have his family there I think, I don’t want to impose. It’s not my place, right?” you asked as if Diana would give you some kind of answer but she just shrugged.

“A new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees. Oh hear, the angel voices…”

“I don’t know babe, I mean you always sing at the church here. Every Christmas Eve you go caroling too. You hate giving up those traditions…” she replied and you pursed your lips in thought, “but I mean, you would be living in Dallas…”

“I’ll decide when I talk to him. I don’t think that’s a me decision. I think it’s an us decision” you agreed finally and Diana nodded her head. When the 16th came around, you were nervous about how to act when you got there. This would be the first time that you were staying with Tyler as his girlfriend and you didn’t want to move too fast. He had told you months ago where he kept his spare key and what his code was if you ever wanted to stay there while he was away; you let yourself in and were immediately toppled by the three labs in the house.

“Ooof, hey guys! Hello my sweet boys!” you said, puppy voice high and playful. You were happy to have a day with the dogs before you saw Tyler because you knew that the team was having a rough week and you weren’t sure if he’d be grumpy or not when he saw you, so it would be nice to blow off some steam with the dogs. You took the dogs out to the park, explored Ty’s new house, snooping around, trying to work the T.V. but failing, sitting out by the pool in the backyard and, eventually, dancing around to Christmas songs while the dogs chased you around.

“I saw them shopping last week, and his new girl was so bleak. And then I swore to myself. Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas night. Ho ho ho…” Gerry was the one who seemed to be the most confused by your dance moves, Marshall was used to it by now and Cash wasn’t even paying attention but Gerry thought you were in pain or something so he tried to, you can only assume, save you.

“Ow! Gerry, stop,” you laughed as he jumped on you, “come dance with me you dork!” The song continued in the background and you heard a ding on your phone that let you know the game was starting. You turned off your music and went over to the couch.

“How do I work this stupid T.V.?” you asked the dogs, who looked at you with wide eyes, “there are too many remotes!” You finally got the T.V. on and switched to the game, doing your best not to touch any of the remotes once the channel was set. When the game finally ended, and the Stars had lost, you knew it wasn’t going to be the happiest of homecomings. The second he walked in the door, he heard the T.V. and was immediately on edge.

“Who the fuck is in my house?” he yelled

“It’s just me…” you popped out from around the corner, “sorry, I thought I was going to get to the door before you came in.” You waited for a second to gauge his reaction and let out a sigh of relief when he smiled.

“Hi babe” he said, dropping his stuff in the middle of the room to walk over to you.

“Hi,” you hugged him and pushed yourself up on your tippy toes to place a kiss to his lips, “what do you want to do for the rest of the night?” He hugged you tighter and said ‘nothing’ and you nodded your head, dragging him to the couch.

“I know you’re not super into it but there’s a new episode of Sabrina on Netflix,” you asked, “how would you feel about that?” He smiled at you and you knew he was fine with whatever you wanted to do.

“Sounds like a plan,” he planted a kiss to your head before running off to his bedroom to change, “I’ll be down in a sec, you get everything ready.” You got comfy on the couch, with the dogs trying to find the best spot to sit until Tyler came down and shooed them away from his spot on the couch.

“You ready for the adventures of Sabrina?” you said excitedly, trying to lighten his mood

“I am if you are” he sat down, looking a little defeated and you watched him get comfortable, giving him a small kiss that turned deeper when he grabbed your face, trying to pull you closer to him.

“Hmm mmm.. not yet,” you pulled away from the kiss, trying not to move too fast, “later.”

“Later tonight?” he said expectantly and you shook your head, curling into his side and turning on the Netflix series. You heard his breath slowing and you could tell he was going to fall asleep soon, so you jumped in before he could.

“I almost forgot, I got that job with that Agency” you said coyly, “I meant to tell you last week but got distracted by something…”

“That’s awesome!” he jumped up, bringing you to sit up, “when do you start?”

“January 8th. I just have to find a place here and --” you started but he interrupted

“Done. You’ll stay with me” you stared blankly at him for a second, trying to figure out what to say or, rather, how to break it to him gently.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Tyler. Us living together for five months? That’s a big deal…”

“I’ll hardly be here and it’s not like you’d be moving in for good,” he caught your gaze go down to your lap, “not that I wouldn’t love to have you move in here…” You smiled weakly and told him you’d think on it.

“I think it would good for us to have some boundaries though…”

“Like showing up randomly at each other's place?” he teased and you nudged his side

“Yes, like that” you said and lightly kissed his lips, turning your attention back to the screen.

“I’m happy you’ll be here,” he said, leaning his head against yours, “I hate long distance relationships.” You smiled and squeezed him, letting him know you felt the same.

“They’re the worst…”

“Totally,” he joked, “I need to feel you. Touch you. Kiss you. In person, not over a screen.” His hands crept up your side and you squirmed as he reached the part of you that always tickled at the slightest touch, forcing you to jump up. You stared at him for a second, his hands lingering on your waist, waiting for your move; no matter how much you wanted to be with him like that, your brain and your body wouldn’t connect and you couldn’t let yourself be vulnerable with him just yet. So, you leaned back in for a kiss and claimed that you were feeling a little worn out and you were sure he was too.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Soon enough, his head lobbed onto the top of yours, trapping it like it did at the cottage all those years ago, and you felt so peaceful; like this was where you needed to be.

#Tyler Seguin #Tyler Seguin imagine #NHL imagine #fluff #tyler seguin fluff #NHL #Dallas Stars #It Had To Be You #It Had To Be You series

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fortunei · 5 years

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[#3] [#4] hilda/lys, AU

a/n: experimental vampire AU with a world where vampire needs “official” donor.

hilda/lysithea

The first thing to do when a new vampire moved out to a new town, is applying for donor request at the Blood Bank.

The system of ‘Blood Bank’ and ‘donor for vampires’ might look absurd at first, knowing how vampires have been a food for many gruesome tales within generations with its somehow unquenchable blood thirst and yadda yadda for roman stuffs. Then again, the system allowed the vampire race to stay in harmony with humans, a mutualistic symbolism, if one may add. Frequent blood donor is proven to make body healthier, though, such frequency should only be done to a human that passed the criteria handed down by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

“I see that you’ve applied for the donor request yesterday after your arrival,” Edelgard, sipping on her favorite Bergamot tea. Still dressed in her full black Fodlan’s Officer attire, she answered Lysithea’s quick summon for a middle-night tea time.

As much as vampire of this era can endure sunlight, they will find the night as unmentioned luxury. Perhaps it is in their genes, despite how the bodily trait changes and adapt to the coming era. Vampires easily mingle and become one with society, no longer feared and much worshiped. Some vampires even no longer has an affinity to garlic or holy water. Also, vampires can taste and ingest human food – though it would not convert as a better energy source than drinking blood.

“Your poster is already up on the main board of Blood Bank request. It shouldn’t take too long until a suitable donor is found.”

“Isn’t it kind of strange, don’t you think? With all the technologies around us, they still bothered to tuck the paper on a board. Beside the large, floating hologram board of information database, nonetheless!”

Lysithea quipped. She swiped another chocolate chip cookie from the top of the dessert tray. She checked on her phone on the table once, as the notification dot blinked furiously. Turned out, it is just another scam message, not an e-mail from the Blood Bank.

Blood Bank may hold the database of vampires available in national scope, but they could not pinpoint a new donor right away when someone moved out from one place to another. As long as the vampire has filled out the papers and posted the donor request at the Blood Bank, usually the Bank staffs will notify the vampire as quick as they can, or so they compromised.

“Well, forgive my city’s antics. It’s just my uncle who didn’t want to ditch that ancient board.” Edelgard bowed her head down slightly, though a smile played on her lips.

Actually, Edelgard is not exactly the owner of the city, it’s just that she hold a high rank on the city’s council. By Edelgard request, Lysithea is relocated there from Fodlan’s Branch Office of Derdriu to The Old Capital to collect up records of vampires as a Librarian. There can be any other Librarian beside her, but then Edelgard will always butter her up saying ‘You’ll do great here working alongside me’ or something close to the line.

“How’s your first days at The Old Capital, then?”

Lysithea found herself scrunching her forehead first before responding on Edelgard’s question.

“The Librarian here is quite strict, though I admire their thoughtfulness as I have yet to fit in their schedules. Well, I guess I should blame Lorenz for making everyone seems so carefree and wanted to get a free teatime with him ever-so-often.” Lysithea eyed Edelgard, who looked pleased at the good mention of her subordinates.

“It was nice working with them.”

When Edelgard took another delightful sip to her tea, this time Lysithea’s phone vibrated. The screen lighted up with an unsaved caller number on the top. Lysithea swiped the button to green, answered almost automatically.

“—we have confirmed your donor. The person will like to meet you two days from now at the Blood Bank around noon.”

Lysithea scrambled to seek her small planner rested beside the tea and cakes. She was waiting Edelgard earlier while scribbling her schedule of next week. Two days from now is Saturday, a weekend. She got a Librarian shift at the morning till noon. A perfect time.

“Yes, I can arrange the meeting with my donor. May I know of their identity?”

“We are sorry, but the needed documents are still on process. We can give you on the spot by the same day.”

“I see.”

Lysithea’s answer tinged with disappointment, but it cannot be helped in either way if the documents were not ready. Edelgard waited, hand supported her chin as Lysithea listened some more of the direction by the staff and finally the phone call ended.

“Well, I hope this new donor of yours won’t be as worse as your … former ones.” Edelgard mused.

Resting her back on the cafe's big chair, Lysithea sighed, despite the words being one kind of an encouragement rather than a sarcastic remark. “Hopefully so.”

x x x

Lysithea has always been a person who’s on the clock in any kind of appointment. While it couldn’t be helped that she missed the time when she is supposed to meet her supposed-to-be donor because of her own job, Lysithea couldn’t erase the dread welling up inside her.

One of the Librarian called out because of sudden sickness, so there’s only three Librarians doing the job in this fine Saturday. The Librarian’s main job is to collect ‘Archives’, an old history records to vampires and other supernatural creatures, rechecked its viability, cross-examined the sources, then putting out to the sea of database for next batch of checking until it can be available as a True Archive. Sometimes, the Librarian also took a job on translating excerpts for specific customers, since only Librarian can understand almost all old phonetic code across all races.

The technology and science might have surpassed everything in the civilization. Then again, there are many things that required human power and traditional ways.

After finishing her commissioned excerpt, Lysithea bowed the other two workers goodbye, re-stating that she is in hurry because she is going to meet her donor. The other two are happened to be human, by the way, not all Librarians should be a supernatural creature.

With a spring in her step, Lysithea took the road with most shades toward the Blood Bank, which is not exactly far from The Living Library of the Old Capital of Enbarr located. Before entering the Blood Bank, she pulled her slack pale violet cardigan close to her chest. She was sure to leave her ID card away at the workplace so no one will happen to scan or identify her by default.

Just as the name suggested, ‘Old Capital’ is a historic town with most of the historical tall brick buildings and ruins of fortress intact aside of two other big cities. Derdriu, the city where Lysithea originally been, have a lot of water-based tourism attraction aside with its skyscraper, also with popular virtual theme park infamous to all Fodlan. It is so pale in comparison.

Blood Bank is always crowded, 24/7, even more crowded than how a regular human hospital is in the dead of night. The counter clerks are mostly automatic answer machine, but there will always be vampire clerks on duty. Blood Bank is operated by vampires, though it is a mandatory for a normal human to know how it works as human is their main patron. Vampires only visit there occasionally for donor request and donor cancellation.

Unsure what to do when she arrived, Lysithea steered to one standing clerk beside the large floating hologram board.

“Excuse me, I’m the applicant number #4455484. I heard that I’d be meeting my donor today.”

“Ah, right. Please wait as I checked the registry,” the clerk accessed the menu with her smartphone. Lysithea waited as directed, clacking her soles on the parquet flooring, silently count on how long it will take for an answer.

“Your donor is waiting for you at the waiting lounge … and now, she is right behind you.”

“Behind m—“

Lysithea froze as she turned, greeted by a cheerful ‘Hi’ and an assault of hug. As though they are in friendly basis even though they haven’t ever met. She wrestled away from the surprise hug, flustered. She gave the human a strange look, but she didn’t flinch, just smile wide – a patronizing, welcoming smile.

This human has a straight pink hair donned in peak twintails. She wore something … fancy? Flashy trench coat top in bubblegum pink-ish color? An outdated vampire with no taste of fashion couldn’t describe it well. It’s like, something out of the shop’s aisles that just been there for less than a day and swiftly bought.

Overall, what is striking to Lysithea on the first impression is her scent. And her arm muscles. And her rack. Wait. She shouldn’t be thinking about the last one.

“Oh, gosh. I was about to ask the clerk of where the heck is the requester was. Been pacing the room all the time thinking whether I’ve been fooled~”

“Sorry, work got in the way.” Lysithea explained.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I don’t mind the wait,” she winked. “So, when we can start?”

Lysithea blinked at the question, dumbfounded. “Huh?”

As if on a cue, the said human flashed her neck, Lysithea jaws dropped. She can see the nape that’s once concealed. She can see the pale, supple skin. She can- “What are you talking about? Isn’t it the sip time?”

No. Lysithea. Get yourself together! Her inner self screamed. “W—Wait. No. Not so fast. And no. We don’t drink d-d-directly from humans!”

“Huh, you don’t?” she tilted her head.

The snow-haired vampire felt the urge to slap her forehead, “Is, is this your first time to donor? Don’t you read the guide book first?” she shot another clueless, innocent face, and Lysithea gave up.

“We vampires only asked you of blood when necessary, which is at most once a month, given in that bag we provided. The bag will need to be sent to Blood Bank, where we can retrieve it.”

The human did seem to pay attention and she didn’t interrupt when Lysithea said her piece. Let's consider that she understand the terms of service, then.

“This meeting is just a mandatory.” Lysithea ended her short speech, a groan from the back of her throat should be audible enough to exemplify her annoyance.

“Eh? Why? Aren’t we supposed to get to know the vampires? It is there in the guide, if I remembered correctly.”

“How, how can you give me more headaches just in a span of a minute?” Lysithea scoffed. They sure have caused a scene, and she is sure that the clerk behind them is watching … quietly. She is not wrong, however. There is indeed a passage in there for the donor and recipient to be well-acquainted. Lysithea didn't think being so friendly with the human donor will get to anywhere, though.

“That’s … just how the things are.”

The human made a long hum, unknown of affirmation or of confusion. Those garnet eyes rolled momentarily before she clapped her hands together. A Eureka bested in her, maybe.

“We should just go for the unorthodox way, then!” Lysithea knotted her brows even more. “I know a good place down the road that you may like. We can chat over for lunch, I’m hungry!”

“Wait, I haven’t agreed—“

“Come on, vampire!”

"I haven't catch your name yet."

"It can wait! I don't want to miss the restaurant's special Risotto so chop chop!"

[Oh, how she wished for Edelgard to be there, watching her to perish in yet another unfortunate encounters.]

#noseforsatu #wrt #hilda valentine goneril #lysithea von ordelia #hildalys #disaster vampire donor AU

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yvkkao-blog · 5 years

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Blackboard Prompts

One lump post - might be in other parts of the daybook, but should all be here:

#1:

I have answered this in other entries, but the image that I had of London was one of a fantasy. London is a place where supernatural things happen. It is the setting for books and films. It must be a fantastical place, near mythical. That rather contrasted with the things people would tell me about the weather and the food in London, but I found things like the London fog charming. It gave me a visual of a city draped in a perpetual shroud of mystery. That being said, I knew virtually nothing about London beyond what I know of any big city. I have traveled quite a bit, and big cities often share some things in common, such as public transit, noise, and crowds.

I’m not expecting much of the food or the people, to be honest, but that is because I have a lot of respect for hospitality customs in America. People are often friendly and open to conversation. The food quality is dependent on the place, but usually, big cities have better food options and more diversity. This is not my first trip to Europe, so I have some idea of what to expect. I have not, however, ever been to London, so I might be surprised. I have doubts, though. I fully expect it to be as beautiful as I’ve always imagined, but my faith in people and food is not as rose-tinted. At last, though, I will be able to say that I have been to London, and I cannot wait.

#2:

My experience flying to London was odd, yet typical—an interesting contradiction, which is amusing to me in recollection. I arrived far earlier than I need to at the Pitt County airport, and I felt bad for several reasons. It was nice to meet everyone again, but I can never sleep before a big trip, especially before a plane ride. This is deliberate. I need to be able to sleep on a plane, or the discomfort drives me insane (as do the pressure changes). Usually, I try to sleep for the majority of any plane ride, from boarding through landing. However, TVs were invented, and not only that, everyone gets one on a plane. To commemorate the occasion, I admit that I watched a good deal of British-based TV/film on the way to London. It was a long enough plane ride that I had time to watch TV and catch up on sleep. It was probably one of my more comfortable long plane rides, so I have no real complaints.

As for the first day in London, the first day is always hard to acclimate to. I try to adjust to the new time zone as soon as possible whenever I go anywhere. The first day is always difficult (yes, it bears repeating). People are tired, hot, hungry, overburdened, lost, and overwhelmed in general. I did like getting out to see some of London that first day, however. I want to learn the transportation system as quickly as possible, but I’m not worried. The London Tube is much easier to navigate, from what I’m seeing, than the Metro in Italy (or most other cities). It’s quite time-consuming, I’ve noted. I try to factor in travel time when I’m planning excursions, and this might cut into my plans somewhat. We’ll see how things go.

#3:

I have to say, my initial perception of London has not really changed, even over this past week. Maybe I am jaded from an excess of travel experiences, but I have not really been shocked by anything. I wasn’t even surprised about the scaffolding mummy that is currently Big Ben, the clock tower, and part of Parliament. The same has happened anytime I have gone anywhere; it becomes a familiar frustration and feeling of resignation after a time. You cannot change your timing to such a large degree, so maybe if I ever get the chance to come back to London, something else will be in the midst of restoration.

I have been a bit disappointed by British tea, I will admit. I can be a bit of a tea snob, but I grew up with strong Chinese teas. I entertained the myth that British tea is without peer, but mainly, it seems to be unmatched in expense. At least the pastries are good, and I got a huge kick out of trying London cuisine that I have read about in books, such as meat pies and British biscuits. I think the thing about London that is superb is the architecture, the buildings and structures of old. I would never want to live in a castle—too many steps, and that’s not a mindset that will ever change for me—but I love to tour through them. Seeing a castle in the middle of a modern city never fails to make me feel like I’m standing in a fantasy land. It’s so much fun, and there is history, and more, in every stone. I want to see as many castles, museums, and art as I can.

#4:

I once got into a discussion about “natural” vs. “supernatural” vs. “hyper-natural,” and I loved that topic because the words themselves have certain connotations, and nothing is easy. For me, I make the distinction between natural and supernatural as reality versus fantasy. I try to be honest with myself and to keep separate libraries about the real world and the fantastical narratives. Nature is natural. A magnificent waterfall pouring over a cliff. A bird building a nest. These things usually happen without human contrivance. When not reading fantasy books, I often think of human designs as unnatural. We often appreciate those human constructions just as much. Things like Stonehenge and the Great Wall are precious to us because they are not naturally occurring spaces.

I looked at the London Eye, and it is incredible, but it is the unnatural mimicking something natural. If we want a “bird’s eye view” of London, well, we can’t fly, but humans can build things that will accomplish supernatural goals. We create folklore legends to explain things that defy explanation. Supernatural is something not natural but more than human. I love discussing supernatural tales, learning about where they came from and why they came about. Science often takes away some of the mystery, which can be riveting in and of itself but boring if you like narratives.

#5:

I miss air conditioning. I knew to expect it, but AC might be the sole reason I never want to live anywhere other than the U.S. That lack never gets easier to bear (unless it’s not summer). If I were to create a monster in a novel, it would be wreathed in flames and too hot to bear to be around. It would also probably be from a swamp—with roots from living in a floodplains area, but such is inspiration. I don’t think I would feel bad about acknowledging these things, either.

As for things that have gotten easier, getting to and from the Tube, and the buses, has gotten easier. It is such a common mode of transportation here that it is beginning to feel natural. I’ve only used one taxi, and that was near day two. I miss my car, though. The Underground is terribly loud, stuffy, and generally uncomfortable. I have come to associate travel with discomfort, which makes me think of Richard and Door. They can’t fly like Peter Pan. Even though Door can open doors, they often have to get around the mundane way. It’s nice to come home to creature comforts after a long time away.

#6:

The “monsters” in the novels came as no surprise to me, particularly with A Monster Calls. Ursula le Guinn and Lloyd Alexander, to name a couple, did something very similar in their writing, although I must admit that Ness’s monster was far more three-dimensional as a character, which I approved of. I love narratives and studying narrative structures, but sometimes this makes things predictable, which is also usually fine. Twisting a trope on its ear must be done right. I most enjoyed reading about the conceptions of monsters from “Monster Theory” and then applying those constructions back to our readings. That gave everything more depth, and I loved burrowing into the history, the culture, and the folklore surrounding these “monsters.”

Since I prefer the fantasy genre almost exclusively to read, I often think of going to see plays as a special treat. The play might have the same text, but the company might interpret it in startlingly different ways. I laughed so hard during A Midsummer Night’s Dream; that has always been my favorite Shakespeare play. It was shocking, and it was glorious. The “monsters” were rather more difficult to pin down in those four plays, however. I can make several arguments, but it often boils down to human nature. The same could be said for the poetry anthology. Poetry interpretation is not my strong suit. I prefer to look at syntactical strategies rather than semantic interpretation. A lyric poem is a beautiful thing, and I know that I want the poems in my anthology to make me smile whenever I hear them. Cacophonous discord can be hard to appreciate without the right context.

Time is trickling away, and there is still so much to see and do. It is hard not to be able to read to my heart’s content when traveling, but I know it is important to do all you can when visiting a new place you may never return to again.

#7:

Synthesis for Essay:

I have learned/decided that I want to dedicate myself to the study of narratives. This was not necessarily a new revelation, but the work we have done here has helped to cement the decision. Experiencing London as we read novels and other materials—often featuring London—has been a novel experience, as it were. For my synthesis essay, I plan to use narrative as my theme. I will draw in the study of our readings and class discussion and try to make connections to multiculturalism, children’s literature, poetry, and folklore. Since our readings have covered that spectrum, the difficult part may be bringing in my experiences around London. I want to discuss the bridge between fantasy and reality, and reading fantasy while standing in a real London location might be the perfect time to do so.

I have learned a lot, and I value trying new things. I would like that to be reflected in the essay. I think it is important to be familiar with the place you are trying to write about and/or include in your writing, but more than that, I treasure the little moments when something incomprehensible happens. When the bus breaks down, when the giant raven eats your sandwich, things like that. Those are the moments that make life unique and exciting. The setting is spectacular, but the people and other things in it define those moments. That’s why I think that level of attention to detail is so important in a book, even a novel that is trying to teach an overarching life lesson or twelve. Sometimes, it is the small things that happen along the way that are the most memorable.

My essay will probably include snippets from my daybook entries and speculation on narrative themes and structures. Everything has a story. Everything is a story. The plays we’ve been to, the novels we’ve read, the poetry we’ve shared, and even the London Dungeon—those all are narratives or use narratives. As participants and observers, we make connections and try to delve deeper into these connections. These, too, create some wonderful moments, and I hope that my synthesis essay will properly convey my appreciation for studying narrative using multiculturalism, poetry, children’s lit, and folklore as frameworks.

#8:

Things I will miss in/about London List:

-stunning architecture

-the Thames

-Chinatown

-museums

-parks and gardens

-King’s Cross Station

Things I will not miss in/about London List:

-London Underground and the Tube

-city noises and smells

-lack of AC

-crowds

Some of these things might seem like they clash, but I have my reasons. Why will I miss King’s Cross Station and not the rest of the Underground? Simple. King’s Cross is a hub, and you can go to many other places from there. The Tube lines tend to be more limited, and they’re packed and stuffy. Similarly, I won’t miss the city noises, smells, and crowds of pushy people. I have had to wear ear plugs every time I so much as set foot outside the flat, and the cacophony of people noises makes me want to jump out of my skin. I hate being crowded. I will miss all of the beautiful gardens and parks and historical structures, though. I love how beautiful those are. And I will miss the museums. I think if a city has a museum, it really has something that people should want to come in droves to see, and they’re often splendid buildings.

I will NOT miss the heat. I need my air conditioning, and that’s that. I did love the Thames and Chinatown. The sound of the water is always a balm, and I can never get enough authentic Chinese food. Most of all, I will probably miss interacting with people. I am a bit of a recluse, so getting to spend time with people beyond the classroom is always welcome.

#9:

I’m packing many, many, MANY photos and memories. This has been a unique experience for me. I usually travel with family members. The last time I went on a trip with peers was more than a decade ago. I had forgotten how much fun it could be. Those photos and videos might not be physically in my travel backpack, but I had resolved not to get too many souvenirs this time. In the past, I have been careful to get at least one present for my loved ones, something special. However, we’re all grown now, and we don’t need anything random. We’re all more interested in putting money towards the next big trip. Consequently, I have only a few keepsakes.

What will forever be in my London suitcase is my London suitcase, as it were. I have a travel backpack that goes on every big trip with me, and it is vital to keeping my stuff where I can keep an eye on it. However, I will be toting home a couple of very nice scarves and some books. I will not be toting home a couple dozen protein bars. We always travel with rations, but I’ve never noticed this tactic doing anything except encouraging us to eat out (avoidance). I will be different, of course. I’ve learned and done so much in London, and I think this will have a huge effect on my as a student. I now know what I want to do for research. I keep mentioning this, but it is important to me. And I want to come back to London someday. That might be the best endorsement I can offer. I will always treasure the memories, the people I traveled with, and the things we did. Those cannot be replicated, and I’m eager to share my tales of adventures when I get home.

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neverwatchedonepiece · 6 years

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511-513: "Unexpected Relanding! Luffy, to Marineford!", "With Hopes It Will Reach My Friends! Big News Spreading Fast!" and "Pirates Get On the Move! Astounding New World!"

Lafitte showing off his soft skills.

Now these three episodes were worth every minute! This is, hand on heart, my favourite part of any arc epilogue: when the seeds of new plots are sown and you get to see what everyone else is up to.

And there was a lot of that in 511-513.

I’m still messing with the format. I’ll stick with the three days a week posts but watching six episodes at a time was too much. The post ended up way too long and I couldn’t get into much speculation (which is the most fun part). Three at a time might be a better balance. :)

Luffy’s Message

This was the Main Event for me. It was why I was so keen to watch the next lot of episodes. That cliffhanger drawn out over so many episodes! What could have caused the Strawhats to react so spectacularly? What the hell was Rayleigh up to? Why all the secrecy?

And most of all...

Why the hell would Luffy go back to Marineford?

The answer? He wanted to send a message. And Rayleigh had crafted his plan so skillfully that this message would be different depending on which side a character was on.

The build up was great. 511 opened with a Marine debriefing meeting. Marines were getting the hairdryer treatment because Monkey D. Luffy, the notorious rookie pirate, had not only escaped their grasp but had the audacity to return to the scene of the crime with the Traitor Jimbei and The Dark King Rayleigh.

This was not good PR. And we all know the Marines are all about PR.

What happened was this: a lone Marine ship sailed right into the bay without clearance and fired a blank. Then three figures were spotted on board: Luffy, Rayleigh and Jimbei. Of course, they were fired on. The ship caught fire and sunk, but Luffy leapt ashore with Rayleigh and Jimbei and set about... doing some really weird stuff.

He rung the Ox Lloyd’s Bell (a Marine tradition, apparently. It’s rung at New Year: eight times to salute the passing year and another eight to welcome the new). Okay, I thought. I have no idea what this means. Let’s see where this goes.

It became a bit clearer when Luffy walked through the dumbstruck crowd, laid flowers into the chasm and removed his hat in a gesture of respect. Okay, I thought, this is funeral stuff. He’s returning to Marineford to pay his respects to Ace. This was to give Luffy closure so he could continue to live his life without being crippled by guilt and depression.

Except it was bigger than that, but I didn’t realise it until Luffy, Rayleigh and Jimbei exited via getaway whale sharks and the action returned to the debriefing meeting. The Marine in charge was Oda’s mouthpiece. Ringing the Ox Lloyd’s bell was a challenge. Luffy rang out the old Pirate Era and rang in the new one. That Rayleigh (symbol of the Old Era) was at his side was Significant. The Marines believe that Rayleigh has backed Luffy to be Roger’s successor. (This might be true. It was Rayleigh’s plan, after all. He knows all about pirate symbolism and how to make a statement. He was on Roger’s crew.)

Annoyingly, I didn’t realise the Return to Marineford would also be like the bat signal to the Strawhats until Vivi picked up the newspaper and I saw that photo of Luffy (I’m still salty she didn’t join the crew).

And I noticed something interesting. Those tattoos Vivi mentioned. 3D2Y. I have seen that combination of numbers and letters before on the CR arc list. Does this mean Luffy will only reunite with the Strawhats in 3D2Y (whatever that is)? According to the arc list, I have Fishman Island to go first.

I also have no idea what 3D2Y could mean. Maybe it’s a calendar thing? 3D is crossed out (the old pirate era) and 2Y is the new pirate era? Maybe it’s a new model of Star Wars droid. I have no clue.

But I can’t wait to find out! :D

The Strawhats

Of course, the Strawhats picked up on it right away. (Vivi did too, which is why you should have joined the crew, Vivi, why do you have to be such a good and dutiful noble?)

Zoro’s and Chopper’s reactions to the Marineford Return were most in-depth, so I’ll talk about them here just now. I’m assuming from the 514 preview that we’ll get Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Robin, Franky and Brook later.

They didn’t give us much of Zoro here. It was a short scene but his reaction was the most interesting. While the other Strawhats said: “Awesome, Luffy. Got the message!” Zoro was actually suspicious.

“Luffy doesn’t do sneaky, clever stuff like that!” he said to Perona. “This must be Rayleigh’s plan.”

Clearly, Zoro knows Luffy so well at this point that he can tell Luffy’s style of planning. I liked that.

And Chopper...

I still have that major soft spot for Chopper. I still cannot watch the flashbacks of his past without tearing up. Every time Chopper cries, I kind of want to take him aside and say, “Shhh, Chopper. I can’t handle your little reindeer tears.”

It was when Chopper returned to Birdie Kingdom that the penny dropped. The Strawhats wouldn’t reunite yet. They all have to go through training. Now everything from the last few episodes made sense. Maybe the Strawhats I thought would get away without training will have to do it after all.

And Chopper definitely got a good deal here. That library! I was as shocked as Chopper (but at least I didn’t say it out loud, haha, that was funny).

Chopper’s loyalty to Luffy and the Strawhats has upped a few levels post-Sabaody. He said something really interesting (and kind of worrying). Remembering his past, when he was reviled as a monster - outcast from human and reindeer society - he never wanted to go through something like Sabaody again and is now willing to “become a real monster for Luffy.”

Wow... Chopper’s about to get an upgrade. I mean, he’s always had so much potential. Monster Point, anyone? Those Rumble Balls? And he’s a great medic? Hopefully, Oda has good things planned for Chopper.

And speaking of plans... not all is well in the World Government hierarchy! I wouldn’t like to say they deserve it, but... they deserve it.

The Gorosei?

I think that’s who these guys are. I counted five in the shot and they are all old guys in suits, so I’ll go with it for now. There was no confirmation in the episode. Neither were names given, so I’ve made some up. I feel like I need to distinguish them because they all seem to have a different take on the post-Marineford situation.

Ringlets was worried about Luffy. He is a controversial figure. Of course, Luffy is Garp’s grandson, so that is a given.

Saruman was concerned about smoke rising from Mount Doom... Nah, kidding. He’s worried how Luffy knows Rayleigh. He thinks Rayleigh won’t return to centre stage but implies that maybe Rayleigh will support Luffy from the shadows.

Handlebar was salty about Jimbei. Was annoyed he finally turned against them as he was a symbol of intertribal peace. (The ‘finally’ implies they always suspected Jimbei would snap one day.)

Baldy was concerned about the imbalance of power in pirate society. There is a vacant Yonkou seat and THREE to fill in the shichibukai. How to fill those vacancies? Is there anyone qualified left? Glasses was also annoyed that the D. names were receiving so much PR lately and making the WG look bad.

Blonde has his eye on the New World. The power structure imbalance there now Whitebeard is gone is troublesome. They will have to choose the strongest to be Shichibukai. He also gave us an update on Blackbeard, which was nice. Wasn’t expecting to hear from Teach for ages!

Apparently, Teach has already made waves in the New World. He has an advantage over others who want that Yonkou seat because he knows everything there is to know about Whitebeard’s territory. No one has ever eaten two Devil Fruits in history except for him. Only another Yonkou or Marco and the remaining Whitebeards could take him out. Is that a statement on Blackbeard’s new power level? Is he training too, so he’ll be an effective adversary for Luffy by the time they inevitably clash again the New World?

I have my fingers crossed for it.

And there’s something else the Gorosei should be worried about...

Human Resources Will Be Snowed Under Right Now

I forgot who Kong-san is, but I bet he has his work cut out for him right now.

There are a lot of changes afoot at WG and Marine HQ. The biggest shocker is that SENGOKU HAS RESIGNED!

I am so happy about this. Now, all he has to do is join the Revolutionary Army and I’m all set.

Garp continues to exasperate. He has “virtually resigned” but lacks whatever he needs to be truly brave and take that final step. He has kept the Vice Admiral title and is now tutoring younger Marines. I suppose it’s good he’s still around to keep whippersnappers like Akainu in check, especially now Sengoku did not recommend Akainu to succeed him.

Aokiji, the mystery wrapped in an enigma, will be Fleet-Admiral.

I... it’s weird. I can’t see it yet, but it’s definitely a better choice than Akainu. Maybe he would’ve been better with Kizaru. Oh well, it’s Sengoku’s choice. I trust him. He’s a wise man. “Old soldiers shouldn’t cling to power,” he said. “Justice is based on values and those change every generation.”

He ain’t wrong.

And I’m guessing now Garp is training young Marines that Coby, WHO HAS AWAKENED HAKI, will be first on the list. Here’s another one who will go through training to become a worthy opponent of Luffy.

Smoker also went to see Aokiji and requested a transfer to G5 branch. Aokiji had doubts. “That’s not a place you go voluntarily.” Apparently, G5 means Grand Line, 5th Branch. It’s in the New World. Smoker wants a New World placement.

I cannot handle this much awesome.

To Top It All Off, The Pink One Is Also Causing Trouble

How can he sit like that? Surely that is not in any way comfortable?

Remember when he ambushed Moria at Marineford? Turns out he didn’t quite get the job done (phew!) I should stick to my No Corpse, No Death rule more often.

In the words of Doflamingo.... “Poof!”

Moria disappeared just before Doflamingo landed the final blow. He insisted Moria was dying, so even if he did get away, he wouldn’t go far. Unless he came back as a zombie. (You joke, Doflamingo, but I would not put that past Moria for one reason: Hogback!)

The WG official accused him of sloppy work. Then Doflamingo lost his cool. I’ve never seen him act like that before, so it was interesting. “Who do you think you’re talking to? When did you become my boss? When I lose interest in doing business with you guys, I’ll quit being a Shichibukai at any time.”

I guess this really highlights the tenuous relationship the Marines have with these guys. Plus, Doflamingo seems like he’s Mr Chaotic Evil (or at least Mr Neutral Evil) incarnate, so maybe not the best guy to rely on?

Especially when the New World has descended into utter chaos.

So Who’s All Enjoying The New World?

Everyone who is anyone will head there eventually. Crocodile and Daz Bones will have another crack at it. Law has plans but is content to wait for his time (smart). The Strawhats, obviously, are a Work in Progress.

Buggy has reunited with his old crew (I forgot about Richie the Lion. How dare I?) and also has a massive bunch of Impel Down followers. Maybe he’ll have a crack at it too, now he has Alvida and Galdino to be the strategists? Plus, he just got that letter from the WG. Maybe he’ll end up on the run.

The rest of the Rookies have ventured out.

As for the Supernovas (sans Law and Luffy) I have predictions.

Who Will Make It:

The most obvious candidate is Kidd. He’s made for the cruelty of the New World, has already crushed another crew and has declared himself an enemy of Luffy. Sweet. Battle points.

Hawkins is another one who has crushed a crew. Again, battle points.

Apoo isn’t dumb. He’ll run if he has to. Smart points.

The Jury’s Out:

Urouge has stumbled across The Thunder Plains (from Final Fantasy X) and met some weird old ladies who look like they’ve just stepped out of Macbeth.

Who’s Probably Not Okay:

Gang Bege’s ship is in fragments. X-Drake has just clashed with Kaido’s crew. I don’t see them lasting much longer.

And Jewelry Bonney...

When Your Fave Is Problematic

Hard pass, Teach. A very hard pass.

I loved how the intro caption to this scene was: “Some Burning Island”. Then I saw the Blackbeards and thought, “Praise Oda! My villainous faves have returned in style!”

I thought the only news I would get on them was from the Gorosei. This was a nice bonus.

Of course, they were bickering. The Blackbeards always bicker and snipe at each other. There was a definite tone change here, though, as though Oda wants to step their villainy up a gear.

Take their argument over the ship they sailed in on. Teach said, “We should have stolen a Marine ship. The Raft wasn’t great.” Shiryu’s retort was tolerated: “You guys don’t prepare for anything.” But Avalo Pizarro’s (I finally know his name!) joke, “Want me to be captain, Teach?” earned him this response from Lafitte: “Shut up or I’ll kill you. We are Blackbeard Pirates.”

Teach is gaining more authority and loyalty from his crew. The ones who have always been with him are fiercely loyal and the newer ones have yet to learn the ropes. Lafitte (is he the first mate?) is also flexing. Do I sense tension between the established and newer members of the crew? Maybe, but they seem to get along well enough.

Among the new ones, I already have the ones I like (Shiryu and Catalina) vs the ones I’m not keen on (Avalo, San Juan and Vasco. Their personalities haven’t really emerged yet, so there’s time).

While the island burned, the Blackbeards stuck around necking Jacky D (haha!) because they were waiting for the Marines.

Why? Were they about to do another deal?

Yeah... but not one I was expecting.

They had crushed Bonney’s crew, chained her up and were about to trade her in for a ship.

That was shocking. I hadn’t expected Bonney to catch up to Teach so quickly and be defeated, but the outcome wasn’t surprising. Of course Teach would do that. He’d done it to Ace before and it worked. Sasuga Teach, I guess. What he did next stepped up his villainy a few notches.

He turned on lech mode, which I didn’t know was in his repertoire.

“I can’t believe they gave you a hundred million bounty! The New World is the sea for the chosen strong ones. You can all the way from South Blue. But you’ll go no further. You’re too weak to join my crew, but you can come with me, if you become my girl.”

Her response was excellent. “SCREW YOU, YOU BEARDED PIG!”

Honestly, Teach. You deserved that. And you were shocked at the rejection? You were going to get the Hard Pass. Apart from being a traitorous, murdering scumbag, you’re also a rubbish flirt. I mean, expecting her to go out with you after you beat up her crew, called her weak and laid her out as bait for the Marines? Not a great sell, Teach. Work on your people skills, like Lafitte.

Their plan went awry when Van Augr spotted Akainu on the approaching ship. Obviously, he would not do any deal (and I bet he’s steaming mad Aokiji will be Fleet Admiral before him). So they scarpered.

I’m worried for Bonney, though. Akainu picking her up? That’s the worst luck... :(

TEAM SELFIE AFTER A HARD DAY’S PILLAGING! #blackbeards #nofilter #okayonefilter

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