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#this world is not yet lost. and it won't be until we are all dead. and we just have to deal with that.
andthebeanstalk · 8 months
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I am deep in my anger about the ignorance/apathy that the majority of abled Americans have about how deeply fucked up this country's treatment of disabled people is. Not only am I ENRAGED by it, but also it doesn't make logical sense! Don't they know they will become us? Don't they know that it is only the unlucky who die too young to develop a disability? Don't they understand what's coming for them??
I want to be legally allowed to save money! I want to be allowed to marry my wife legally! I want to be able to buy nice things and go on vacations, instead of being trapped at home with no wheelchair and no ramp! And I am only 29! Everyone knows when you get old here, you get locked away in a sad understaffed facility, and folks are out here acting like they'll never grow old!
The only thing keeping my grief and my feelings of helplessness against a massive enemy from overwhelming me is this project I've been working on with some new friends.
There's this piece of land, you see. It's huge and beautiful and being sold way WAY under market price. And there's a chance - not a guarantee but a real chance - that I will have the opportunity to live in this beautiful green place and to build a community and a free medical treatment center there that will change and save lives.
I see before me a path to create a bright spot of rest and love in the darkness, where I can prove to person after person - and to myself - that a better life IS possible, right here in America, where most of can't afford to leave. In America, we are meant to believe a life of poverty is just something some people deserve. They don't. No one does. And I have a chance to make sure as many people as possible know they do not deserve to be left behind.
The world does not need more heroes. The world needs more care. The world needs places to rest. People need to be told that they are valued even if they cannot labor - and THEN they need to be treated like they deserve help and have value beyond their labor.
I spend a large part of my life trying to prove to the government and doctors that I am poor enough/sick enough/disabled enough (in the exact ways they approve of) to receive help. - Without this constant, intricate song and dance of evil banality and arbitrary denial and cruel loopholes, I can be denied what I need to live. (I am only alive because I have the privilege of having rich relatives, who paid for my college education and currently pay my rent.) If I was not able to afford an assistant, I would already have lost all of my benefits. Currently, I am at risk of losing my Medicaid because I missed an unexpected "prove to a doctor you are still disabled" deadline. There is a massive and ongoing burden of proof in this country placed on disabled people and subject to the whims of rich white abled judges and the minutiae of paperwork.
That's why it's so important that I have this opportunity to help people. I cannot tell you what it will mean to me the day I get to look someone in the face and tell them that their housing and medical treatment will be free as long as they need it and with nothing expected in return. I wanna meet someone who has been trying their hardest for as long as they can remember to build a stable life, and I want to be able to tell them to please try their softest. To prove to me nothing. To take their time. I will tell them that I need neither justification nor evidence to believe them when they say they need help. I want to be living proof that people deserve help just by being alive on this planet. I want to be included as part of that. I deserve a soft place to land too.
Also this property has a wheelchair ramp, meaning I could finally get a wheelchair after 2 years of needing and not having one!
One of the other members of the team has already brought up building a system of elder care on the property that would allow people to receive comprehensive health care as they age and to remain part of a vibrant community!
There's Hope. There's Real Hope. I can hardly believe it.
And if this particular opportunity doesn't work out, well, I'm never going to stop pursuing that dream. Never. I will either get there or die having journeyed towards it my whole life, and in doing so, I will have made this world a little softer in a million other ways, and I will have made the path a little easier to walk for whoever comes after me. I used to want to leave destruction in my wake or die trying. But in this, I will leave creation in my wake, and I will live trying. (And if doing so allows people to grow strong enough to destroy evil institutions... good.)
I am going to look at every cruelty of this system that nearly killed me, and I'm going to foster the right conditions to do the exact opposite. I will take the ableism of my family who wouldn't believe that I couldn't work even when I was dying, and I will do the opposite. Oh, the people I will believe! The people I will help feed! The people I will protect and build strong houses and long tables with! The people I will learn from! - I haven't even met most of them yet! How exciting that my life may still yet be long and full of wonders!!
I hope anyone reading this who has also at some point felt like a long life would be a curse, especially if they feel like that right now... I wanted to say that me and my friends and people like us - and opportunities like the one I've been blessed with - will only be able to help you if you stay alive long enough to be found. Or to find us, as the case may be.
If you can't live long enough, it's not your fault. Truly, it's not; and your death would be a tragic loss to yourself and to this world that I cannot begin to describe because it would make me so sad my literal heart would start to hurt and I'd never get to bed tonight.
But please, please, hold on with everything you have, for as long as you possibly can. Please handle your heart with the gentlest hands you can muster. I need you to live long enough to sit at our table because nothing is guaranteed except that you must be alive to do it. And I'm saving you a seat that only you can have, and without you it will remain forever empty and our table forever incomplete. You are invited to this party, and it just won't be as good without you. I'm a lousy cook, but I'm making friends with chefs, and I promise I will make sure you have enough food. There will be music and laughter and dancing. Some of us will dance in our wheelchairs. Some of us will hug and cry and plant flowers. All of us will stare in amazement of the better days we once thought impossible.
And I for one will be so fucking happy to see you there. I will take you by your hand, look you in the eye, and with the greatest, warmest relief in my heart, I will thank you for living to share this day with me. Because I know damn well that it was stupid fucking hard, and that it is not okay how hard it was.
But, look, now the sunset is warm upon our faces and the children are laughing with the community elders, and we can sleep knowing we are not alone. We made it. We really made it.
And maybe it's not specifically me and it's not specifically you - the metaphor has its limits. But there are so many people like me who want a better world, and there are so many people like you who deserve to live to see it.
And if we never see better days, then I will count each day we survive as a victory and a rebellion, because that's what they will be. I will cherish and live for each little bit of love and joy we carve out of the darkness.
But a better life does not become impossible until we are dead. Which means as long as we still live, there is Hope.
Have courage and be kind, friend. Be kind to yourself especially - even if you can only do so a little bit at a time, it's worth the practice. Turns out it is harder to live than to die. But I care that you are found.
---
Optional musical accompaniment to this post bc I've never had any chill and I don't see why I should start now:
A practical song about managing anxiety with the line "i care that you breathe" in it
Brian David Gilbert's beautiful song "See the Day"
A song about surviving while sick in America, and which I am told once saved a life
A lovely nerdy song called "Critical Hit" that inspires me on the days I have a little more energy
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dreamescapeswriting · 8 months
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Stray Kids Reaction || How You Meet [Mafia Edition]
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⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - September 2023
⤜MASTERLIST
TW: Mentions of violence and guns
A/N: I had so much fun writing the next lot of reactions, you have no idea!!!
CHAN:
There was something in the air today, something that was fucking up your life and you weren't enjoying it. It was as if the world had looked at you today and decided that it was your turn to have the worst luck in the history of the universe. You'd gotten fired, fallen into the canal, and got an eviction letter all in one day and yet the universe was still throwing curve balls at you since you'd just almost gotten hit by a car.
"Are you okay?!" Your friend questioned as you stood against the brick wall your head resting against the brick as you did your best to calm down your racing heart. The car had been inches away from hitting you until she pulled you away and you would have been dead if she wasn't with you. Your hands were shaking as you tried to take in some deep breaths and steady yourself a little, Your eyes scanned the road as you saw the car that almost barrelled you down pulling into the layby next to you.
"Listen! Creep! If you're going to yell at her for being in the road maybe you should drive like a normal person!" Katarina said before you could stop her, the man stared at her before disregarding her entirely and staring you down. He was almost 6 foot tall, bald and had a giant scar running down the left side of his face,
"Don't stare her down! It might work on other people but Yn here isn't going to back down, we'll sue you! You were driving over the speed limit! We could have you arrested," You put your hand on Katarina's arm trying to get her to cool her jets,
"Leave it, Kat, he didn't hit me." You begged as you shook your head, as soon as this day was over the better. All you wanted to do was go home to bed and sleep it all off like nothing had happened but you wouldn't go back to a bed, you were going back to Kat's sofa bed,
"I won't leave it! He could have killed you!" She yelled out drawing attention from those around you when you heard another car door shut, you glanced in the direction of the car to see a man making his way toward you.
"What do you want?!" Katarina yelled out making a few of the women that were watching the exchange gasp out.
"Are you okay?" The question was directed at you by the man who spoke with an Australian accent, your eyes stuck on him as you took in a small intake of breath. The man was stunning to look at, his eyes felt as though they were piercing into your soul as you stared back at him, slowly nodding.
"Are you sure? It must have scared you." The man stated as he continued to look at you, searching for any sign that you might be lying to him.
"I've told him countless times to drive the speed limit around here but he never listens," He admitted to you, though it was only partially true. When Chan needed to get somewhere he would, he didn't care who was on the roads but after seeing you so scared there was something inside of him that scared him, the aching urge to want to protect you took over his body.
"Y-Yes, fine. Just shook up," You admitted as Kat stared at you, narrowing her eyes at the man and then at you before she smirked a little. It was obvious that you were attracted to the man, though it was lost on Kat as to why since his driver had almost hit you.
"She would be better if you took her for some tea, you know, to make up for your driving almost killing her." Your eyes shot in her direction but she refused to look at you, instead, she chose to stare at the man that was apologising to you,
"Kat!" You hissed out, was she out of her mind? One second she was ready to fist fight the person who had almost hit you and now she was attempting to set you up.
"She's right, I should take you for some tea to steady your nerves. It's the least I can do," Chan said as he watched you, his eyes hadn't left your face since the moment he got out of the car and you swallowed the lump that was forming in your throat.
"Text me when you're done," Kat winks at you, walking away so that you can't decline the offer of tea and you whimper a little.
"I'm Chan, it's lovely to meet you...?" He stated his name so that it wouldn't feel too weird going to get something to drink with a stranger.
"Yn." You told him as he took your hand in his and gently lifted it to his lips, kissing it gently as you felt your body warm at the whole interaction.
MINHO:
You would have to be stupid not to know who the man standing inside of the animal shelter was right now, you'd also have to be stupid to be the one serving him and yet here you were. In fairness, you'd been the only one brave enough to stay and see what Minho could have wanted in a place like this. It wasn't every day the local mafia leader walked into a cat shelter and began looking around for something.
"Could I help Mr Lee?" You quizzed walking toward him and trying to remain as calm as possible. He was alone here, no guards following him, none of his men looking out for him it was just him and it worried you. Was he going to put this place out of business? You hoped not, this was your favourite job ever and you didn't want the cats to have to suffer,
"I'm looking to adopt," He told you without looking at you, instead he was staring into the crate of a sleeping set of kittens. 
"They were abandoned a few nights ago, I found them on my way home." You admitted,
"How could anyone ever abandon something as cute as a cat?" He sighed standing up straight and turning around to face you, you smiled up at him warmly and his breath was completely taken away from him. You were beautiful, there was no doubt about it as he stared down at you,
"I do have some older cats though, if you'd prefer some older cats." You suggested, pointing behind you at the countless cages that lined the walls all filled with at least one cat.
"Do you care for them all?" He questioned, taking out his phone and making sure he could have everything that needed to be done, done as soon as possible.
"Yep. I do it with the help of my workers, we want to make sure every cat has someone that would love them in their life," You smiled at yourself, it was something you'd stood by for years and always would stand by.
"What if they don't get adopted by a certain time frame?" You knew what he was asking and you hated it, you'd always hated shelters that took that option.
"They stay, as long as they need." You told him plainly, you stared him down waiting for him to ask you what he was trying to ask you properly.
"You don't..." He swallowed nervously, "You don't kill them?" He questioned and you shook your head, there was no way you could ever cause harm to another animal's life.
"I could never." He nods at you, smiling brightly as he thinks about it all.
"I wish I could take them all." He admitted and you instantly let out a giggle before slapping your hand over your mouth.
"What's so funny?" He arched a brow at you, you seemed so relaxed around him which was something he wasn't entirely used to and he was enjoying it.
"I just wouldn't expect someone of your...profession, to be so fond of cats." He eyed you up a little and let out a small chuckle. If there was anything this interaction was teaching him it was that he wanted to spend more time with you,
"There's a lot you don't know about me." 
"I suppose." You shrugged, looking down at the clipboard as you thought about a cat that would be perfect for him. You would have preferred an elder cat go with him rather than kittens, Everyone wanted a kitten but not many people considered caring for older cats.
"Something you could get to know if you really wanted." He told you before your head shot up and you stared at him a little confused as he smirked at you.
"We'll discuss our date once the work is done," He told you before putting his phone away, once he got the confirmation that everything could be done he was ready.
"The work? Our date?" You questioned, completely shocked by both of the things he'd thrown at you.
"I'll take every cat," He said plainly as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"What? Where would you keep them all? I need to do some background checks, and house checks to make sure everything is okay for the cats." You told him but he shook his head and smiled warmly at you. He knew he would never pass a house inspection and the only answer was for them to stay here,
"They'll stay here and we'll have to make some changes."
"Changes?" You quizzed, following him as he walked through the small room you were single of.
"Yes, if we're going to let cats live here then we're going to turn this into a cattery. A huge place for them to explore, I can have my contractors here earliest by next week."
"But-" You tried to say something but he was already quick on the ball with it.
"I'll pay for everything."
"That's not what-" You were more worried about whether or not you could stay, or your workers. What did all of this even mean?
"You'll keep your job, anyone you want to stay will stay." He told you before you glared at him, he might have scared everyone else but not you.
"Do you have an answer for everything?" You asked snarkily, placing your hands on your hips,
"I don't have an answer about our date." He told you before you eyed him up,
"I won't date my employer."
"Good, because I'm not the employer. You work at the cattery where I just happen to own all of the cats," He smirked at you making your whole body burn,
"You won't give up...Will you?" He shook his head and you sighed, rolling your eyes before agreeing to the date with him. After all, it was just one date. Right?
CHANGBIN:
You clutched the strap on your bag pressing it against your chest, keeping your head down as you walked under the street lights and in plain view of the stores so that if you went missing, someone would see. You were doing everything right, you didn't have earphones in, and you kept yourself aware of your surroundings without looking anyone in the eyes. Living in a dangerous city you knew every rule that there was to keep yourself safe and you were following it all to the T.
"Hey, pretty lady!" Someone yelled from in front of you but you didn't even acknowledge it, you kept moving and ignored the way he called after you. 
"Don't fucking ignore me! You're not better than me!" He slurred, clearly drunk and that terrified you even more. Drunk men didn't care about anything but themselves,
"Talk to me!" He yelled out, he was quickly gaining on you and you didn't want to run, if you ran it would ensure a chase and the last thing you wanted was to be sprinting and getting tired. So you headed in the direction of a local bar, the one you worked in and you knew you'd be safe there. It might have been owned by one of the scariest men in the city but it was also the safest place for women...well for everyone. Changbin would make sure everyone who worked there or even entered was protected it was one of the things you admired about the man. You were seconds away from reaching the door but none of the bouncers were on duty right now. 
"Don't fucking run away from me!" A hand was clasped around your wrist and you were shoved roughly against the wall, you let out a small high-pitched groan and the man smirked.
"You can't go anywhere now." He told you, leaning down and looking at you as you glared at him. All you had to do was buy some time, you could eventually kick him in the dick and slide into the bar but right now it was a waiting game. Waiting for him to fuck up.
"I suggest you leave her alone before you lose your hand," A voice said from the left of you, your head turned to see Changbin staring at you with a very unimpressed look on his face.
"Leave me and my girlfriend alone," He grumbled but you looked at Changbin with pleading eyes. It was obvious this wasn't your boyfriend,
"Last I checked, Miss Yn here didn't have a boyfriend. In fact, she's due to be on stage in a few minutes." You were a little taken aback. Did he know you? You worked for him sure but that didn't mean he knew the details of your life.
"Who do you think you are?!" The man slurred, and you stared at the side of his head. How did he not know Changbin? That was neither here nor there, you took your opportunity while he was distracted to draw your knee in between his legs as he grunted letting go of you so you sprinted toward Changbin who was smirking at you impressed by you.
"Good move, beautiful." Your body flamed at the compliment coming from Changbin. This was the first time you were officially meeting him, you worked for him but the two of you had never actually spoken until tonight.
"I'll fucking kill you!" The man grunted, standing up straight as he made his way toward you but Changbin grabbed his wrist and within seconds the man's chest was pressed against the wall with his arm pinned between his shoulder blades.
"You owe the lady an apology. You already tested my patience enough tonight." Changbin told him with a small growl in his throat, the thought of someone hurting you drove him wild.
"Fuck. You." The man was released and Changbin let out a cocky smile, looking at you,
"Turn away princess, I don't want you to have to see this." You did as you were told and heard the familiar sound of a gun going off before two men moved to go to Changbin. When it was finally clear for you to turn around Changbin was smiling,
"You have tonight off, let me drive you home." You nodded as he wrapped his jacket around your shoulders and made his way over to the black bently that was waiting for him.
"I'll come and get you every night from now on. I don't want anything to happen to you," He suggested as you got into the car, your eyes on him as you smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Mr. Seo," You sat down and did up the belt as Changbin smiled at you, he was going to woo you and he didn't care how long it was going to take.
"Call me Changbin, please." You nodded and smiled a little, the two of you heading in the direction of your apartment.
HYUNJIN:
Your hands graced along the paint brushes in front of you, You were trying to find some new painting supplies and the brushes you'd purchased last week weren't good for you. The bristles were falling out and staying on your paintings and you needed something better, which was how you'd ended up in one of the most expensive painting supplies shops in the city. From the moment you walked in you could feel eyes on you and it was making you completely uncomfortable, did they think you were going to try and steal from them or something?
"I recommend these." A voice said as he reached out for a boxed set of brushes, your eyes slowly looked up at him and you let out a small gasp. This man was beautiful, truly, You could barely believe your eyes as you stared at him. Seriously, was this man from a painting? You could have sworn people this beautiful only existed in paintings or fictional works.
"They're by my favourite painter and they're perfect for everything. The bristles have minimal fallout, if any, I've never seen any in my work." He told you as you continued to stare at him with your mouth hanging open a little, it was incredible just to look at him. You must have looked insane to anyone watching you so you quickly snapped from your trance,
"Thanks." You smiled looking at the price tag and your face fell a little, there was no way you'd be able to pay for these today or maybe if ever,
"I think I should look somewhere more in my price range though,  ₩2M is a little out of my sights." You laughed a little awkwardly and he chuckled a little, they were a little bit on the expensive side but they were certainly worth it.
"How about I get them for you?" He suggested making you laugh a little until you realise he was serious about it.
"Why would you do that? I couldn't pay you back."
"You could, by letting me take you to dinner." You were a little shaken up, a man was offering to buy you expensive brushes and take you out to dinner? Where were the cameras? Because you were pretty sure this was some kind of prank.
"That's very sweet but you don't know me, I don't know you." You shrugged at him, you weren't going to accept a date from someone you didn't know.
"I'm Hyunjin, there...Now you know me." He smiled warmly at you as if this was something he did all of the time and maybe it was, but this wasn't your thing. You didn't date random men from paint stores, nor did you accept gifts from them.
"For all you know, I could be some kind of serial killer." You told him making him laugh as he looked at you,
"Oh, I think I'd know about that," After all, he knew everything and everyone who lived in his city. If there was a killer on the loose he would know about it and you certainly didn't look like the type.
"Mr Hwang, your car is ready." Hyunjin nodded and smiled at the worker,
"Thank you. Please make sure my friend's paintbrushes and anything else she touches, or looks at is paid for by me." The women behind the tills nodded and you shook your head, there was no way.
"What? No." You laughed a little but it was clear he wasn't going to take no as an answer to this,
"I'll see you around," He winks at you smirking as he heads out of the small store and you look at the other workers that were glaring in your direction clearly not happy with how that had transpired.
"Do you even know who that was?" It was obvious by her tone that she was annoyed by you,
"N-No." You stuttered, watching as the man got into the back of a car and disappeared from your sight.
"Hwang Hyunjin. Good luck, he's relentless when he sees something he wants." Before you could ask what she meant she was going toward the back of the store while you looked around nervously.
JISUNG:
The storm wasn't supposed to come for hours yet, you thought you had time to quickly head out and get everything you were going to need for the power cut but clearly not. You were practically Olympic sprinting through the streets trying to find somewhere you could hide out from the lightening. You pushed yourself into a bar and the group of men all stood up and stared at you, your eyes scanned over them all as you waited for them to say something,
"S-Sorry." You coughed out, looking at them all as they all had their hands placed on the waistbands of their pants where there were guns sitting, and your eyes widened. What the fuck had you just walked into?
"Stand down. It's clear the girl is cold and wet." A voice said as you looked around at the men who slowly sat back down and their hands removed from their guns.
"Come in, can I get you a hot drink?" Your eyes landed on the man sitting at the head of the table, dressed in a sharp suit and smiling warmly at you. You knew who he was instantly and now you were starting to regret walking into this bar, you should have braved the storm. There was no way you were going to stay with Han Jisung and his men, you knew better than to try and brave out a mafia leader.
"I'll just head out-" Before you could finish your sentence you let out a scream as the thunder boomed above the bar and the lights shut off.
"Someone put the battery generators on. Make her a hot chocolate," Jisung ordered as he made his way over to you, taking your jacket off and handing it to one of his men who left with it.
"You're soaking, we should get you in some warm clothes," You looked at him as he smiled down at you, you knew who he was and you knew he was a man that wasn't meant to be trusted. A man who you'd heard horror stories about and yet he was being so kind and caring toward you right now.
"I'll be okay," You shook your head, you had no idea why he was being so nice to you and you didn't want to stick around and find out.
"Nonsense. Get her some of my clothes!" He snapped at his men and you stared at him as he sat you down in a booth, the two of you pressed close together and he smiled down at you again.
"I'm Jisung, but judging by your hasty attempt at an exit you knew that," You nodded at him and he chuckled a little shaking his head, he hated that you seemed so scared of him. The rumours about him were harsh and hardly any of them were true.
"I'm Yn...I-I heard you didn't like people bothering you so I didn't want to get into trouble." You stuttered out and a hot chocolate was placed in front of you, Jisung took your hands and placed them around the cup trying to warm you up.
"You could never get in trouble with me, drink up." He told you as you smiled a little, relaxing as he sat back in the seat and waited for his men to come with some warmer clothes for you.
"We'll get you dressed nice and warm and we can have another talk," He suggested as you nodded, thanking him for the drink in front of you and trying not to get too nervous about him or the storm that was still happening.
FELIX:
Your eyes scanned around the room as you tried to figure out why you'd been called into the office of your CEO and why you were left alone without someone watching you. All you knew was that there was a very huge man waiting at your desk this morning asking for you to follow him and now you were inside of the CEO's office bouncing your leg nervously. There was no escape, Goliath was manning the door from outside and even if you somehow got passed him there were over 50 flights of stairs to get down.
"Ah! Miss YLN, lovely to see you." Your eyes landed on your boss who had a giant smile on his face and it made you more nervous. You did everything within your power to stay hidden inside of your job, you did everything mediocre so there was no chance of getting noticed, no chance of being seen and brought up to the office. Clearly, that plan had failed you.
"Mr Russo, it's nice to see you. But, could I please ask why I'm here?" You swallowed the lump in your throat but before Dante Russo could answer you the door opened and shut again,
"Good luck," Dante whispered before practically sprinting out of the room and leaving you alone with the man who had just walked in and you knew exactly why you were there.
"Yn, I've heard a lot about you," Felix said as he smiled at you, your whole body was suddenly burning as you stared at him.
"Mr Lee." You said as you got up from the chair and shuffled your back toward the desk. If you weren't nervous before you certainly were now and with good reason. Last week you broke into Felix's bank account and you thought you'd done it successfully and undetected but you were wrong.
"Don't look so scared. I just want to talk to you." He suggested as he walked around the desk and took a seat in your boss's chair, you were quick to sit back down and watch him. Maybe it was possible he didn't know about the money. There was so much of it in the account you could be sure he wouldn't know the exact amount anyway,
"What can I do for you?" You quizzed as he looked at you, smirking a little. He enjoyed that you were trying your best to stay confident given the situation,
"What did you do with the money? I assume you didn't keep it since you still work here," Your breath caught in your throat and you eyed him up. He looked back at you, giving you no indication that he was angry or even annoyed at you for it and there was no use lying to him.
"I gave it to people more in need of it." You shrugged trying to play it off as though your heart wasn't ready to leap from your chest and run away.
"Hmm, smart." He smiled a little and let out a small sigh, something had to be done but he wasn't here to punish you. Far from it, he knew that the hacking into his system was easy and you'd been one of the best hackers so far. Hardly left a trace, the only reason you were even caught was because of the pattern of hacking, Every hacker had a signature and yours was all over his bank account.
"I don't regret it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, your security system sucks." If you were going to get killed for breaking in you were at least going to tell him the truth.
"Which is why I'm hiring you to fix it." He said plainly,
"And another thing- What?" You stared at him completely dumbfounded and he let out a laugh,
"You're one of the best, I want to get you to fix it. Fix every computer issue I have and we'll forgive this little...impass." He told you as your mouth fell open a little.
"Work for you?" You weren't sure if this was some kind of trap to lure you into a false sense of security so he could kill you or not.
"You'll be handsomely paid." He shrugged but you were still a little confused as to why he would hire someone that stole from him.
"You're offering me a job? I thought you'd kill me."
"You took less than most would have and not for selfish reasons...I'll hire you, but if anything else goes missing I won't be so lenient. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir." You nodded as his smile grew larger, it was going to be a pleasure doing business with you.
"Perfect, let's head to my car then," He smiled as he waited for you to stand and leave with him.
SEUNGMIN:
"Everyone out!" Someone bellowed before a gunshot sounded making people scream out. You clutched onto the dress you'd been trying on inside of the changing room and slid down the wall. What the fuck was going on?
"Now!" Another voice screamed, you grabbed your bag trying to search through it for your phone when the curtain was pulled back and a gun was aimed at you. Your phone dropped to the floor, shattering instantly as you bit down on your lip,
"Didn't you hear me? Out!" You looked at the man who continued to aim a gun at you, there was no way you could leave. The dress wasn't done up meaning your back was bare for everyone and if you tried to go outside there was a chance your breasts would be out for anyone to see.
"I'm barely dressed, p-please...Just let me get changed." You hated that you were begging but you weren't about to walk into the streets in a dress that wasn't done up and showed off your cleavage. 
"No." He grumbled at you before a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"John!" A voice screamed from behind the man in front of you,
"Allow the lady to get dressed." Your eyes looked behind the giant man in front of you to see Kim Seungmin standing there. You'd heard stories about him, but you'd never seen him in person.
"Are you okay? Did he scare you?" He questioned, pushing the man out of the way and holding out a hand for you to take, you carefully took it and stood up. Your eyes stared into Seungmins as you tried to find the words to speak but you couldn't, you were too stunned by how handsome he was. The photos didn't do him any justice.
"Miss?" He questioned again once he realised you hadn't answered him.
"O-Oh...I'm okay," You stuttered looking down at the floor, kicking yourself for looking like a fool in front of him.
"You look very beautiful. Did you finish trying the dress on before you were interrupted?" Your eyes met with his once more and you shook your head,
"Spin for me," He spoke softly and you nodded, holding the fabric tightly against your chest as you turned around. One of Seungmin's hands came to rest on your hip while the other did the zip on the back of the dress until it was completely secure. Your whole body tingled and you could have sworn every hair on your body stood to attention as you caught his gaze in the mirror.
"It's stunning, this colour suits your skin tone beautifully." He told you as you nodded at him a little shy about what to say in response to him, 
"Where will you be wearing this?" He quizzed, interested to know if it was a date you were preparing for or if he had a chance to take you out on it himself.
"Erm...I have a charity event I'm attending this week." He nods at you,
"Perfect, you'll be the most beautiful woman there." He told you before looking at the cashier,
"I'll be buying this for the young lady and anything else she'd tried on before."
"But-" You couldn't protest him as he smiled, holding your hand in his.
"Please, it's my way of saying sorry for our rude interruption. There was no need for my men to burst inside," You nodded at him and he ran his hand over your cheek a little.
"Save me a dance at the event," He whispered before leaving you staring at the place where he had once been standing, your mouth falling open again as you thought about it all.
JEONGIN: 
"This is outrageous! I demand to know who thinks they can just walk in here and buy this place right from under me!" You slammed your hands on your desk and stared at the two brutes who had walked into your office carrying three briefcases and telling you that they were buying you out.
"Our boss would like to remain private." The shortest one said as you smirked cockily at him, There was no way you were going to lose this place. You weren't in any money troubles, the hotel was doing better than you could have expected it to after you bought it from your uncle.
"And I like to have my hotel remain in my ownership. Either you bring your pussy of a boss in here or you leave with bullet holes in your head." You took the gun from your top drawer and placed it on the desk to let them know that you were serious. You weren't a killer, but it was always nice to put on a front to anyone who thought that they could mess with you.
"I'm not a pussy, they just like to screen my business opportunities before I come in." Your eyes landed on the man standing in the doorway and you instantly regretted getting the gun out. Yang Jeongin. Never in a million years did you think he would be standing in your office.
"Mr Yang." You didn't let yourself stutter, you weren't going to show weakness in front of him.
"Out. Both of you." He snapped as the two men left the room leaving you and Jeongin alone, he made his way over to your mini bar and poured himself a drink,
"Your hotel is lovely and what my two men didn't explain is that I won't be buying it out from under you. I want to go into business with you," You eyed him up, why would someone who owns half of the city want your hotel. It was a skipping stone in his ocean,
"This place isn't worth that much. It's nothing."
"Ah, but it's everything. It's my favourite place to stay," You looked at him, you'd never have him stay with you. You would have known about it since you checked almost every standing account that you have on record. The only time you knew Jeongin had stayed was years and years ago,
"My father stayed when your uncle owned this, I remember playing in the foyer as a child. If I recall I played with a lovely young lady too and we were the best of friends."
"You remember that?" You were a little stunned. You hadn't expected him to remember someone as small on the scale as you. The two of you had been allowed to play together since his father stayed so often and you always hung out together since you were always here.
"I remember everything," He sat down in the chair that was in front of your desk and smiled.
"Now I would be happy to negotiate the price and details with you." He told you as he relaxed in the seat, taking a sip of the bourbon he'd poured for himself.
"Lovely, let's start." You took out a pen and a pad of paper ready to hash this all out with him but he chuckled and shook his head. He wasn't going to do business here, he wanted to wine and dine you first. 
"Over dinner. Let me take you out."
"Jeognin." You rolled your eyes, ever since you were kids he'd had a crush on you and it was obvious it had stayed with him growing up.
"I do business better with food." You sighed at him but nodded your head, you knew he would only continue to ask until you agreed and free food was harmless.
"Fine. I'm free tonight. You can pick me up from here."
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Tagline: @chiisaiblog @hanasonmi @sw33tnight @taestannie @acciocriativity @scarletemeterio @halesandy @aerastus @laylasbunbunny @critssq @lenfilms @btsiguess-kpop @meowmeowisdaname @imafivestarkpopstan @lost-leopard-beanie @djeniryuu @backintomykpopphaseagain @choisoorin
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tainbocuailnge · 3 months
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Another thing that's... kinda odd about the English translation is in the DRK quests, Myste says "A reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely", which is a big line in basically a secret route of the browser game Fallen London. and yeah, it is a cool line and neat to hear it in FF14... it also doesn't really work for Myste? In it's original context, it's about the remains of a dead demi-god-like being, which was cast into a well, seeking a reckoning and leading the player down a route which will irreversibly destroy their character in pursuit of dark secrets.
Which is not what the Myste sections of DRK were about at all, lol.
oh I could rant for hours about dark knight translations. that questline is actually why I first went to scope out the german script, because I heard drk wildly differs between english and japanese and that german generally stays closer to japanese than english does. I translated some of the fray parts here actually, though you'll note I'm a lot more forgiving of the english script in that one because i hadn't reached sidurgu's parts yet löl
german fray and myste are just completely different characters from english. german myste is upbeat and energetic. he loves people who help others and feels a strong urge to help them in turn. he spawned from the dark knight crystal in response to the loneliness of countless dark knights stored within it so he could console them and be their friend, he's basically the will of the soul crystal itself. he tries to alleviate that loneliness by facilitating reunions with lost loved ones but grows frustrated that this only leads to more partings, so he tries to expand his powers to maintain his illusions forever, because more than anything he just doesn't want to leave his dear friends the dark knights alone. he represents the childish wish at the core of every dark knight for a world where nobody has to lose anyone again.
in the part of the quests where you take myste to the sea of clouds there's this bit where in english he talks about his guilt complex and lets slip that this is also your guilt. in german he tells you that he was always with these people who fight hard for others, watching from the sides, until one day he heard a cry of loneliness and since then he's been trying his best to help people too. that's the moment that for me really hammered it in that these languages fundamentally disagree on what it even means to be a dark knight.
in english myste is desperate to atone for everything he's ever done and fray is your self preservation instinct who is kinda mad that you let it get this far, but they have to forgive him because you're all you have as you walk this lonely and bloody path that you have to believe is right. in german myste is your ideal, the desire to comfort those who have no-one else, crying that maybe it's better to forget altogether if partings can't be avoided and fray is your human heart who agrees that parting will always hurt but that is exactly where you find the strength to continue the fight, because it is worthwhile even if it never ends, and the path may be lonely but you will never walk it alone when there are people who came before you and who will come after you who all share this same dream of a kinder world. of course you won't have to leave us, you're our ideal, you're what we do it all for, as long as we remain dark knights you'll be with us. this all flows very naturally into drk-as-shadowbringers-class and ardbert's deal too but since I haven't reached shb in german yet I don't want to say anything extensive about it yet
i still think english drk was cooking with even your repressed feelings being repressed + the part of yourself that wants to protect itself obviously trying to protect itself and thus not wanting to show vulnerability so en fray postures as the stronger one who will protect you instead, and that fray writing in the journal (and only being able to be honest in a place where you're unlikely to look unless you don't know where to go) is incredibly clever. but in the context of how english treats sidurgu and just the way they handle the entire rest of the game really i also don't think that they were intentionally going for this kind of subtlety, it feels to me more like they just thought sincerity is cringe like usual and decided to make everyone cool and edgy (and thus needlessly mean to each other) instead.
and yeah english fucking loves to just yoink lines from other media whether it's appropriate or not. they turned zenos' final words to wol into a hamilton reference in english, "my first friend, my enemy" is a hamilton line, he doesn't ever call you his enemy in any other language (in german he calls you his hunter though which yes is incredibly horny of him). I'll admit I'm not in a good position to judge whatever epic references the german script makes because I'm unfamiliar with german language popular media so I won't spot them unless someone else points them out but I do know that when german fray quotes fight club it just enhances their characterisation as trying to sound cool and intimidating but failing because they're really kind of lame and awkward and can't hide how stoked they are to hang out with you.
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morallyinept · 4 months
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What a year it's been for fic writing!⭐️
There have been soooo many stories I've read and enjoyed this year, that's it's been super hard to pick favourites, and I've spent a good amount of time this year trying to narrow it down to just 25.
Listen, every single story I've read this year has been absolutely amazing. I am blown away by the sheer amount of talent and creativity we have in this fandom!
If you're not featured here on this particular list, it's not because I don't like your work or didn't enjoy it - far from it. I've simply put together a list of my personal favourites this year, based on how they made me feel, how often I re-read them, and some that have completely floored me.
And if you want more than just the 25 fic recs I've mentioned here, then please check out my Pedro Character Fav Fic Rec List where all the stories I've read/want to read and come across are featured. My TBR is through the roof, let me tell you, but it's a great problem to have!
And if your story isn't on my fic rec list, it's more than likely because I haven't found your work yet, so please yell at me to check it out! I'd absolutely love to!
Keep on writing, writers. You're all amazing!
So, without further ado, please find my top 25 Pedro Character Fics that I've really enjoyed reading this year! 🖤
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☝️In no particular order, and includes a summary from the writer, where provided. Some series may still be ongoing. Please check the specific triggers/warnings on each story individually as some may not be suitable to your tastes:
• I Am Touchin', I Am Grabbin', Everything I Can't Be Havin' - @chronically-ghosted Dieter Bravo "A storm and a dead phone leaves you at the front door of your uncle’s mansion in LA. Thing is, you haven’t seen each other in over a decade and neither of you quite remember the other one looking like that. But what’s one night gonna do? Well, as it turns out – as Dieter spirals at a breaking point in his career and you’re so lost in life you can’t see up from down – a whole fucking lot."
• Rock Bottom Series - @ghostofaboy Frankie Morales "Frankie is spiraling after Tom’s death. Drugs lead to some unhealthy friendships, and too ashamed to reach out to his former teammates for help, Frankie is drawn into a world he’s afraid he can’t get out of."
• Palomino Series - @fuckyeahdindjarin Agent Whiskey "Unable to get a refund for a week-long horse-riding pack trip you’d booked with your ex, you decide to go solo. As it turns out, a rebound with a cowboy named Jack while traversing the wild landscapes of Wyoming might just be what you need."
• Stepwise @the-scandalorian Din Djarin "Requests for both soft and smutty touch-starved head canons spiraled out of control and became this."
• It Pours From Your Eyes - @the-blind-assassin-12 Joel Miller "Some things don't need to be said. Until they do."
• Transplant Series - @marisferasiop Joel Miller & Ezra "You are a resident and the only trained doctor in Jackson. You're bubbly and sweet, outgoing and friendly, and also in an unlabeled "situationship" with the town scrooge, Joel Miller. He won't say you're together, but he'll scare anyone else off. When Tommy drags back a half-dead man and girl from a patrol, you dutifully patch them up and help them settle into their new slotted house - across Rancher Street from yours and Joel's houses. Ellie and Cee get on like a bonfire, and when Joel sees how often you talk to your newest patient, his insecurities make him draw up and away from you. As you slowly give up on him and start something with Ezra, Joel's pining turns to frustration. Tommy convinces him to see if you'd be interested in being a throuple. Surprisingly, you and Ezra are both open to the idea. But can Joel's insecurities and possessiveness withstand such an arrangement? Or will the blow of another loss be what finally breaks him?"
• I'll Know It When I See It Series - @bageldaddy Joel Miller "It's the golden age of porn. Sex and sin are the national pastime. Your career in adult films starts opposite a man who goes by the name Texas."
• Compulsion Series - @iamskyereads Ezra "Beatrice is a Drifter, a member of that oft-maligned, enigmatic subsection of workers on Baylor Corporation’s long haul expeditions. Ezra is a man with flowery language and a dark past, but he plays guardian to a strong willed, soft spoken teenager. In a madcap scheme to steal precious gems from the corporation’s mining operations, Ezra and his ward, Cee, form a reluctant alliance with this lone Drifter."
• Left In Lincoln Series - @toxicanonymity Joel Miller "After you were orphaned by the Outbreak, Bill and Frank raised you, sheltered in their closed community. Now 21+, you're still inexperienced. They leave to get treatment for Frank and ask Joel to look in on you while they're gone. The town begins to creep you out, but Joel is glad to provide comfort and protection."
• Summer Schooled Series - @boliv-jenta Dave York & Joel Miller "Needing some cash before college, you start babysitting for Mr Miller and Mr York. When you decide to spend the summer teasing them. They decide you need to be taught some lessons."
• I Urge You, Bite Me - @netherfeildren Joel Miller "Sometimes love hurts like a split nail, and sometimes we like it like that. Sometimes Joel hurts like a split nail, you like him like that too."
• Sex Worker Frankie Series - @prolix-yuy Frankie Morales "Francisco “Catfish” Morales, a former sex worker at Pope’s escort service, takes on a final client and is met with something unexpected."
• Said The Spider To The Fly - @blueeyesatnight The Thief No summary provided by author, and I won't spoil it, however this is an awesome little fic which I urge you to check out if you haven't already!
• Catalyst Series - @ezrasbirdie Frankie Morales & Joel Miller "You've been nursing a crush on one of your closest friends, Frankie Morales, for a year now. At his 40th birthday party, you finally meet his new friend and neighbor, Joel Miller, who Frankie hasn't been able to stop talking about. You hit it off a little too well."
• Just A Piece - @palioom - Dave York "Dave only married you to keep his life as a hitman hidden. But when he comes home one day to you having cooked one of his childhood meals, he is doubting if he only married you out of necessity."
• This Charming Man - @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin Frankie Morales "Frankie’s wife kicks him out and files for divorce following a second trip to retrieve their money. He feels lost and hopeless until he meets someone new. He falls hard and fast for her. He’ll do anything to have her."
• Lemon Cakes & Lust - @thetriumphantpanda Oberyn Martell "Just a lowly kitchen girl, that’s all you were. A life of struggle behind you, masked by the facade of the palace. A tray of lemon cakes holds your fate with Prince Oberyn and you are only too happy to oblige his wanting of you."
• Headshots Series - @secretelephanttattoo Marcus Pike "You're a photographer and you get a job working for the FBI, taking corporate headshots."
• Starving Season Series - @wannab-urs Dave York "You and Dave York are two people with nothing left in this world. You find yourselves starving for each other, trying to fill whatever void you each have in yourselves."
• Akrasia - @sp00kymulderr Ezra "Ezra quarantine smut that focuses much less on the lockdown and much more on the smut."
• Sequins - @trulybetty Joel Miller "On a night out with friends, you run into a broad-shouldered stranger and there's no denying that there's an immediate attraction between the two of you."
• Kill Shot Series - @magpiepills Ezra "A lonesome prospector comes face to face with a dangerous stranger. What happens when you can’t resist his charm?"
• Send In The Clown - @covetyou Dieter Bravo "You lose your scarf on a visit to the carnival. Send in Dieter Bravo - washed up actor turned circus clown."
• Precious Possessions Series - @exquisiteserotonin Dave York "Work conferences were supposed to be boring. A meeting with a mysterious man sets your life on a very different trajectory."
• Rumour Has It Series - @senorabond Marcus Pike & Javier Pena "You've recently transferred from a promising job in D.C. to Texas when DEA Special Agent Javier Peña approaches you with his current case. Rumor has it you have an in with the FBI art crimes unit, and the DEA could use your skills and connections on a suspected narcos money laundering case. You need to do well on this case to prove yourself, but you're not sure Marcus Pike will even help after the way you left."
Thank you so much to all the writers for writing such amazing stories this year!
⭐️And as a bonus, I've picked a fic from my own writing that I feel is my absolute favourite piece that I've written this year:
The Pit - Ezra - "Ezra and you stumble into an ominous pit on a prospecting mission for coveted azure diamonds on the Narillan moon, and find more than you bargain for."
🖤
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PEDRO CHARACTER FAV FIC REC MASTERLIST
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aethon-recs · 6 months
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Love the blog!
Wondering if you have any Tomarry/Harrymort case-fic/mystery recs?
Thanks so much for the ask! I also can’t get enough of the casefic/mystery genre.
Usually I throw together a mix of both WIPs (why WIPs?) and complete fics, but for this set of 15 recs, I selected for fics which are either complete or still actively updating, so as not to leave you on a cliffhanger on a mystery fic! A few of these fics are outright casefics, and a few of these have a mystery component where the big reveal comes to light as the story unfolds. Hope you enjoy!
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Tomarrymort Mystery Recs
aurora polaris by @aglassroseneverfades (E, 153k, WIP)
Harry wakes up one day with no memory of his past, upon which he’s greeted by a handsome, doting older man named Gaunt who claims that he and Harry have been in a relationship together for years. 
Blood in the wine by @girl-with-goats (E, 31k, complete)
Tom Riddle achieves immortality by the means of vampirism. Enter young copper Harry Potter, fresh recruit from Scotland Yard, sent to investigate the mysterious disappearances of all the young men who uncannily look like him.
Corpse Party: Hogwarts Edition by @robinegberts (E, 67k, complete)
Harry, Hermione, and Ron skip the Halloween feast, only to wake up to a world where the castle isn’t right. It’s cold, empty, quiet. The layers of dust suggest it’s been abandoned for years. And outside the classroom lies the corpse of a girl who went missing years ago. As they wander the halls of this strange alternate version of Hogwarts, they encounter corpse after corpse, warnings left behind by the dead, and for some reason Harry feels they’re being followed.
Dead Leaves on a Wet October Day by @trelloreads (T, 29k, complete)
Harry is a ghost hunter. Riddle Manor is his strangest case yet.
Everything We Dream Can Be Real by @vdoshu (E, 52k, complete)
Harry had a life after Voldemort. He had a family. He had a career. And then one day it was all ripped away when he woke up at Number 4 Privet Drive. Or: Where Harry doesn’t exactly get that chance to do it over again. And things are Not Okay.
Keepsake by IceLynx (M, 5k, complete)
“I am Lord Voldemort, and I have not kidnapped you.” “That's... I should have known that.” Because Voldemort's words ring true, deep in Harry's heart. Harry tries to remember, but the thoughts won't come to him. The more he forces it, the more obvious the gaps in his memories become. “Why didn't I know that?”
Let's Cross Over by @whisprchrysalis (M, 251k, complete)
A hundred years after the end of the Second War, Harry Potter, Master of Death, unwittingly helps the last fragment of Lord Voldemort’s soul escape Limbo. Now, bound to Tom Riddle for the next five years, Harry has to coexist with the man he feared the most. Or: Auror MOD Harry and Tom Riddle strike an uneasy truce and solve crimes together, and Harry has to decide if his capacity to save everyone includes everyone, really.
love seeping from their guns by @purplemineralwater (E, 41k, complete)
Detective Harry Potter is just trying to enjoy his holiday when the tranquility of the lovely cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Theodore Nott has been shot. He was young, rich and beautiful, a boy that had everything – until he lost his life. Or: Harry investigates some murder, Tom tries to help, everyone has many, many secrets.
No Body, No Crime by @duplicitywrites (M, 20k, complete)
Harry works as a car mechanic in a small town. He and Ginny are best friends, their close bond the product of a traumatic event that scarred them both as children. One day, Ginny confides in Harry that she thinks her husband—the charming, enigmatic Tom Riddle—is cheating on her. A day later, Ginny goes missing. Harry is convinced that Tom is behind her disappearance, and becomes determined to exact justice by any means necessary.
One Year In Every Ten by @saintsenara (E, 165k, WIP)
A decade after the final battle, just when the wizarding world thinks itself safe, a serial killer emerges, leaving a trail of dead women in his wake. Each of the bodies bears a gruesome message for the Aurors. A message which claims the Dark Lord has risen again. All Harry wants is something to distract him from a marriage falling apart at the seams. Maybe his latest plan to save the world, requiring Lord Voldemort to agree to turn his talents in the realm of wrongdoing to solving the case, will be just the thing…
Personal Assistant by @phantomato (E, 10k, complete)
Harry receives a mysterious package. Inside is a ring. A weird, ugly, old one made of gold and some kind of black stone.
Reconciling with Death by Madame_Psychosis (M, 27k, complete)
Featuring a dead girl in a forest, little-soldier-boys, some tenuous grasps on reality, straw mothers, a ghost in a bathroom and, slowly and sadly, kindness from a boy who’s just passing through time.
The Matchmaker by @eris-dawn (M, 44k, complete)
The Matchmaker is a serial abductor whose modus operandi consists of pairing two same-sex individuals together in a coffin, six feet underground - buried alive. He isn't a killer. He's a kidnapper with morals, and Detective Chief Inspector Tom Riddle finds himself obsessed with solving the case. Unfortunately for Tom, the Matchmaker is just as intent on knowing him.
Tom Riddle and the Quest for Vulnerability by lejf (E, 16k, complete)
They found him in an old house, under the stairs. His face was pale and instantly recognisable. aka: Auror Harry Potter has eighteen-year-old Tom Riddle bent over the table barely a day after he becomes his ward.
Wings of Ash by IceLynx (M, 31k, complete)
If eight people going missing isn't cause enough for panic, one of them being found dead might do it. The Ministry of Magic has no choice but accept all the help on offer, including that of former Auror Harry Potter. For Harry, it might be a chance to get his job back, if he can only crack the case first. Surely Harry can be forgiven if he too takes all the help that's offered. Including that of his pet snake, the former Dark Lord Voldemort.
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okay im sorry but just imagine being kageyama tobio. your parents are always working late, your sister quit volleyball years ago and now she's off being an adult and having a career, none of your teammates get why you care so much and the only guy who did, because he cared the same amount in the same way, graduated 2 years ago and also hated your guts. your peers have given you a cruel nickname just so they can reinforce how little they like or understand you, you dont have any friends, you have nothing but volleyball actually, your grandfather is dead and you are clinging to the promise he made you when you were a little kid because if you dont you might just go insane. you are so, so incredibly lonely.
and then, THEN, this scrawny 5 foot nothing kid stares you down outside the gymnasium bathrooms and promises to beat you, and he totally sucks at volleyball. like, he. is. terrible. but he can run, and he has good reflexes, he jumps so high he looks like he's flying, and most importantly he runs headfirst into a wall and then says 'we haven't lost yet' like its the most obvious thing in the world when his teammates ask him why he bothered. and you realise this kid is just like you, the same kind of fucked in the head you are. and youre furious, what the hell has this guy been doing for the past 3 years? your grandfather promised you that someone even better would come and find you are here he is, but you beat his team in less than an hour and you're pretty sure you'll never see him again, despite him promising to take you down, because never once in your life has anyone who was supposed to stick around actually do that. you're angry because you didn't have to be so painfully lonely all these years, you could've had someone who kept up with you, but he just wasn't there, because he sucks and you don't but he doesn't have to and that makes it so much worse than you just being a freak who was completely one of a kind.
and then you go back to your team, back to your last middle school tournament, and you play more games. only this time youre pissed. you know that there's someone else like you now, someone who will. not. stop until the ball has hit the floor and you don't get why your teammates won't just be better, try harder, move faster. and then they abandon you too. you thought you were alone before, but now you have absolutely nothing, not even volleyball. and you didn't get into the school your grandfather went to, and the coach you picked your back-up school for is in the hospital, and your plan for the next 3 years is to essentially bide your time until you get scouted into the v-league because you literally do not have anything left and you are doing everything your 15 years old and incredibly depressed self can because you refuse to let go of volleyball, no matter how lonely it makes you, no matter how much it hurts to cling on.
and then, AND THEN. that same scrawny dumbass from that 2-0 match in middle school is there and he still sucks and he's still the same kind of fucked in the head that you are and you won't give him one of your 'royal sets', not after what happened last time, you can't stop being lonely but you can at least try to not get abandoned again. and he says 'forget all that, i'll be here no matter what', and he spikes the damn set. he shuts his freaking eyes and he trusts you and you have just had the rug pulled out from underneath your damn feet because you understand, maybe better than anyone else, being ready to do whatever it takes to win but who the hell just fully puts their faith in someone else like that and maybe, just maybe, this kid was serious when he swore he'd get better and take you down.
he's invincible as long as youre there and so are you as long as you have him. you ask him if he's prepared to go all the way to the world stage to take you on, because you've never set your sights anywhere else, and he tells you he'll match you every step of the way. he picks up your crown, puts it right back on your head and proves to you that he refuses to leave you just like everyone else did, even at your worst. you tossed and he spiked and he said 'i'm here' and he is.
he is, and he never stops being here for you, chasing after you, making you chase after him, even when he's on the other damn side of the planet. and then 6 whole years after you first met him, first played him, first thought that maybe your grandfather would keep his promise to you, you get to play him again and you realise that he is your someone even better, always has been. actually, they all are. and you're not that lonely tyrant you used to be anymore, youre not that sad, abandoned kid hiding behind anger and obsession, you're doing the thing you love surrounded by people who love it in the same fucked in the head way that he and you do, and the man you love is there across the net from you, playing against you, and he's also there on the court next to you, playing with you, and either way he is here.
you got really, really good at volleyball, and somebody even better came and found you.
he's here.
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cosmicdeaths · 6 months
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i'm writing this because i don't know else to do to stop crying. and because there is little else my helpless hands can do to change this horrifying reality we're living in. i am sudanese. and my mother just told me that we've lost yet another relative in the ongoing civil war in sudan. i've also learned that the small lovely town i grew up in, Shambat, in Khartoum Bahri, is currently plagued by this fever the origin of which is yet to be identified. from what little we know whoever gets this fever just does not wake up to see the sun of another day. it might be because the dead bodies people buried in their backyards in a desperate attempt to grieve and honor them are unearthed by the rain. it might be because the entire health system has collapsed months ago and there is no way for these people to attain any form of medical help. we've lost family members with chronic conditions simply because they couldn't get medical attention until it was too late. my own grandfather died of complications that could've easily been managed had they gotten him the proper treatment. we've lost people to this fever, too. a brother and the very next day, his sister. and more keep dying. it hurts and angers me that no one's talking about this. and just as equally my heart breaks for each and every palestinian out there, and i keep praying for them and hoping to be half as patient as they are. i know what it's like to be so scared your entire body goes numb, i know what it's like to be displaced and leave behind everything you've ever known with little hope of ever coming back. to survive and not really feel like you did. i saw this video of a palestinian woman holding her dead baby and just begging to nurse him one more time. i see palestinian men breaking down into tears while trying to comfort children, literal babies, whom they pulled out of the rubble. a little girl who's saying god why didn't you take me along with my mother, god, you know i can't live without her. and i suddenly remember that i know of a friend of my family who just sits there crying helplessly every night because she doesn't know what to tell her starving nieces who are too young to understand that they can't get food because of all the shooting outside. i keep seeing entire villages in the west being completely wiped off the map, reduced to nothing but a black dot of ashes and ruin. and this isn't even a first; ethnical cleansing in the western areas of sudan went on for decades and no one even bat an eye. my heart will never stop bleeding for Darfur. i know of a group of boys who were stuck for days in the very university i went to, waiting for a ceasefire for days on end until one of them died of fear or starvation or illness or whatever it is that we still don't know to this very day, and they had to bury him in the very field they used to play football matches in. a field every student in that university knows and has been to and laughed and cried in. girls are raped and sexually enslaved in terrifying numbers. the biggest maternity hospital in the country, the one i was born in, was looted and patients kicked out. these are all stories that will never leave my memory til the day i die. they're all deaths i will never forgive nor stop mourning. i won't despair and i won't give up, but the heart aches and cracks, and the tears run and run and leave crevices behind. the world is an ugly, ugly place. only hope and solidarity can save us. my sudanese and palestinian brothers and sisters, you are not alone. and you never will be.
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medusas-graveyard · 10 months
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Unhealthy Obsession.
Okay wait actually, remembering how it took a while for Pariah Dark to get sealed off just means that they were some bending in his sworn oath, right?
Okay another angst prompt, consider; softly insane! Danny.
(Tw: Dark!Danny, morally ambiguous? No one's having a great time tbh but like it's poetically soft imo. Also our boy's officially lost it :∆ his words are cryptic.)
Final warning: This is depressingly sad for Danny's part, sure. But he's also unjustified so I'll classify this as [Dead Dove: Do not eat]
Danny's adopted by the Waynes just like, a bit little short time before his coronation (also he's around 16-18 years old because I'm dragging the desperate for validation because he never felt seen unless someone praises him trope). At that time span he's this very rarely seen brother that's absolutely trying his best between juggling his very impromptu 'how to be a proper monarch' lessons (read: the ancients drilling manors, rules, oaths, etc to his poor head because they don't want a repeat Pariah Dark) and being a present family members because he genuinely loves them. (They know about the vigilante stuff and the Waynes understandably backed away from convincing him, seeing how Danny already has shit ton on his plate.)
Until one day something big happens that almost ended the world, and Bruce dies. It was just him and his dad there, with no other bird or bat in sight. No one knew yet— no one needs to know. Kronos' carefully crafted human, no— prince finally shatters after all the pressure, and all he thinks is how unfair the world has been to him.
It's a very, very slow descent to insanity, what he had been through.
He lost so much, he won't lose anything again. And amidst the eerie scenery of a prince cradling the body of his father, was the sight of himself stitching him back together— giving him a new life. He whispered apologies after apologies to the unconscious man; and for a second Kronos would've pitied him.
Except he didn't. He knew he can't.
After all the chaos they finally had each other again, and Danny stood contently as he watched Alfred personally tend to his family's wounds, big or small. He also watched as his family bicker with each other after all they've been through, and realized something; all of this will die.
Alfred, Bruce, his brothers, Cass and Steph— they're all painfully mortal. He'll outlive his family, and in the end he'll be alone. He doesn't want to be left alone.
And what is to do when you realize your family is painfully, awfully mortal?
...you either curse them with immortality, or place a generational curse on them so you'll all meet in every life, of course! (Oh, did I mention about cursing your family so they'll all get reincarnated everytime they die to make them find each other by everytime?)
... except these curses are incredibly forbidden, because they go against the nature of life and death.
Which leads to the sight of Danny being cuffed from his neck, his arms, his wrists, and his legs. His expression is deadly calm, he smiles softly contrast to the Waynes that are watching in horror. He watches as his family's face contorts to something unreadable when his captors reads over his charges, and he couldn't bring himself to feel remorse.
"By the name of the Infinite realms, Prince Phantom is sentence to imprisonment, for the charges of tempering with the cycle of life and breaking the Royal oath."
"He will be serving until the day of his coronation by the terms of the infinite realms, under the watchful gaze of the ghost of time. The guilty may be there farewells before they are sent to their sentence."
Danny smiles at them; soft but undeniably cruel. He bows at them, like how he would bow on days where his father would teach him how to ballroom dance.
"this is not a goodbye, it is merely a see you later." He starts, voice full of merit. "May we meet again, and may the circumstances of our next meeting a better one."
His smile turns sharper then, the contrast between it and his soft eyes sends an unpleasant shiver. "For our destiny are tied, and our Fates will overlap with each other."
"You cannot change our destiny. For the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, and our bond has tied us together."
"None of you will run from me— none of you can run from me."
"Because I will chase you down and hunt you until our family is complete."
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idv-sunsxin3 · 3 months
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Hello! Im the anon who asked if r1999 are open, can you do a scenario or a headcanons of click (with a fem reader) who finally meet his lover again?
They been together back then since 1940's when Click was alive. reader knows click 's death. But then when vertin asked reader to join her journey, reader finally see their lover.
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Click // Back in the 40s with you
Note// fem! Reader. She is 19yo like Click. angst to fluff long oneshot,,, thank you for requesting 🥺
---
It was unexpected- really.
It was not even the right time, too.
You and Click were lovers before the world conflict became very notable... You were both happy together until you had to acknowledge that it's you guys' turn to serve for the country as well...  help write the history and the legacy alongside the others. So you both started to barely see one another as you do your respective jobs.
You were one of the million women who worked as a factory worker in defence production during the 1940s, the years dominated by the war...
He was a photographer from the army who had to stay on the battlefield. You know very well how bad the war is as you have a friend who lost her husband by the war. So everyday you were always afraid, knowing how Click has to linger in places that obviously have slim chances of surviving...
Even sadder when this time, the photographer doesn't always live after, through these circumstances.
All you could do was pray and write letters to him as you contribute to the workforce...
The letters were sometimes not so long, it gets shorter as the days go by, and the war going through its climax and more problems happening on the way as well. Yet, knowing that each letter is safely delivered is enough for you to reassure you that Click is still alive.... Until one day.
By the time you came back to work- the manager suddenly motioned you to come talk with her, having a letter in her hand as they have... this look, the look of bad news.
You just... You just couldn't believe it.
As you both find themselves in the office from anyone's sight, you find yourself slowly shattering the seconds of reading the letter report given to you.
He died... Click died in action.
...You crumbled in your hands as your boss gave you small pats on your back.
.
.
.
.
'Back in the 40s...'
An old letter, the latest you wrote to Click, said,
'It was one of the happiest times of my life... Until I lost you to them."
That's what the letter started. There was more to say in that letter. Every single word carrying a huge meaning to Click.
Vertin handed it to him so he could read it. She happened to find it somewhere, noticing the letter addressed to his name abadoned in the middle of nowhere during the patrols.
"Y/N" was written as the sender's name.
'I'm not sure when I will see you again, but I'm just hoping that in our next life, we won't be as miserable as we were... And live together as much as we desire, my love.'
These words bring a familiar, tender feeling he haven't recalled for a while.
'I miss you, Click.... I always do.'
'I just hope you're out there and find this. Read this with your heart. Prove them that you're not dead.... Just as you promised me to come back home.'
He holds these words close to his soul... Even while he's not alive.
'I love you... and I'll find you if I can.
Still yours, Y/N.'
"My Rosie..."
That’s the first thing he muttered once he finished reading. His eyes dull but longing in spirit.
.
.
.
.
.
It's evening...
time to clean up.
You mentally note as you notice the items needed to be put away.
The war is over now, you were just about to pack your tools and head home by yourself.
Unfortunately, no one is going to welcome you at home. Because you already know he's gone... He did well. He was the most bravest man you have ever met and love.
Now you have to move on... How will you do that exactly?
That.. You'll have to ask that yourself later. First, you're going to need to walk back to the house safely before more accidents nay happen-
Strangely, the streets seem less crowded than usual... where are the people? Why aren't the cars moving? The sky seems to turn grey than normal - it looks like it's going to rain.
You heels quickly click on the cement floor as you hurry yourself, gripping on your purse and toolkit-
But suddenly, you notice someone from afar... A lady with light hair, wearing a suit.
I. Interesting...? It's rare to see a woman dressing this way these days.
You stopped in your steps once you start to clearly notice that she's now few steps away from, facing you, AND not seeming to intend to let you go around her.
However... she seems to not intend to harm anyone. She even has another girl beside her, ginger with sophistication, eccentric clothes that resemble an italian writer.
"Greetings," The lady says politely, fixing her calculative eyes on you, "Cloudy day, isn't it?"
By the sound of it, this lady seems to be from the UK... she must have been here for a visit.
"It is, indeed." You nod calmly, not sure what else to do other than thinking about just going home and mourning... Your eyes can notably tell they barely have any sleep, your hair tangled and unkempt from the long hours of work and questionable times to wake up and be called up for duty.
"I'm Vertin," She introduces as you both give each other a handshake, "this is Sonetto, my friend and assistant."
"Hello, Verti, Sonetto..." You lightly lift your eyebrow, wondering who are even these strangers exactly... they seem to need something from you. Noticing closer, they seem to have mature appearances of 16-yeard old girls. About 3 years younger than you.
"Good evening, miss..." Sonetto mindfully greets with a smile, "Excuse us for suddenly appearing... We need your help."
H. Help?
"Help? Oh, sweeties... What's the concern? Sadly, I really need some rest- work has been quite something." You half-heartedly apologize with a sorry smile. They seem to tell how your state doesn't seem to be in a good condition. You then remember you haven't told them your name. So you added along with a light smile at the ginger-haired girl.
"Please, call me Y/N."
That name.
That name seems to ring on Vertin once again.
Yes, this is the woman. The woman Vertin was looking.... The one Click was looking for.
The Timekeeper seem to have arrived at the right time.
"But miss Y/N- this is an emergency... I'm afraid something is going to happen--" Sonetto attempts to asks calmly, despite wearing this quite alarmed look that makes you feel almost worried... almost.
"Oh...? Right when the war have just ended...? What else are they going to do now..." You rub your chin gently as you look down at the pair in thought before your eyes morph into a horrified ones,
"...launch more missiles?"
"Ah- not exactly as we try to convey.." Sonetto shakes her head as seeming unsure of your statement, oh.
"An abnormal storm is going to arrive here anytime soon-" Vertin starts explaining, "Another war is going to happen between humans and arcanists- We need mechanics like you to help us with machinery."
"A... War? You got to be....- How do I know if you're telling the true?"
Sonetto suddenly then quietly gasps, grabbing on Vertin's hand and quickly pointing at what she's looking through your shoulder- You and Vertin followed her gaze only to see... creatures emerging one by one - Fluffly creatures???
Oh- and who are these people with strange helmets??? Are they even humans???
You seem hesitant about it, but noticing the strange anomalies in your surroundings.  You seem to tell that these kids aren't really joking as they still have seious looks on their expressions--
A part of yourself wished to live in a more peaceful place, where you would have to sacrifice much just for the people that seem to be suffering the most... why can't you just live comfortably with everyone?
But then, if you decline on joining them- what if that means you have to go back to follow under these women roles this society has been putting you and the others on? Getting married.. get married, being a housekeeper and mother- you don't want to do that, not after you have  lost your lover- and losing the reason to dream about a future with him...
You... you honestly don't want to leave your job as a riveter.
As if managing to read your mind, Vertin adds more, "...You'll get to live comfortably with us."
"...?"
"We have friends who have experienced losses as well, You'll get to do whatever you want and live peacefully as long as you get along with everyone."
'Whatever you want'...
...This is new.
It took you some minutes to think, before you eventually accepted Vertin's hand. Shaking it to seal the deal.
You'll get to have more freedom in what you do after that... while trying to move on from him.
.
.
.
Little did you know, it happened to be the contrary.
Just as you tried to start getting used to the suitcase's environment and the wide map of the Ark- there were also lots of people in it... some lingering around portraits, wearing familiar and unfamiliar clothes, people from different accents and places...
You have never thought this many people with such eccentricity would desire to seek shelter in here... but then, you admit, the domain is stylish and cozy for the warm/rainy days.
Vertin instructed you to just stay comfortable at your now new residence. So you comply, sitting on the couch after managing to find an appealing book from one of the shelves.
You were not sure why the young female pair seemed to start acting more suspicious by the time you three arrived - is there something they're hiding from you? What are their plans? Oh dear, there are so many questions you just want to ask today. Making it almost hard to read a book and concentrate on its context.
.
.
.
"Click, I need your time for a moment," Vertin calls out calmly to the ghost at the room he is in after knocking.
"...." He slowly turns back to Vertin in question before floating begrudgingly towards, wearing the same spooked look in his lifeless orbs.
"I have something to show you... someone who you would like to see." Vertin further explains as she starts to walk while the ghost follows her clueslessly.
"Someone...?" The photographer mutters a bit, puzzled by the sudden arrival of some new recruit- but then why is it him who has to be called to see them..? Would this person be willing to see him?
He doesn't think much before sighing, his camera in a slightly tight grip by the foreign feeling of being seen by someone new... He honestly hasn't moved on from his sweetheart... The person who is willing to see him.
He just doesn't want to, even if he's now a dead man, and you probably have already moved on - well, that's what he tends to believe.
Meanwhile, a kind girl dressed in a bunny outfit, "Bunny Bunny," appeared and served you a drink, which you hesitantly but kindly accepted it - meeting her was pleasantly unexpected... You were just trying out the cool drink - so far, it's pretty refreshing and flavorful.
Just as Bunny Bunny left with her tray, you kept sipping on your drink and take a look on the book... You slowly realize this book is a documentary with pictures...
Some of these pictures are familiar, like that one first picture of a tree with a cat...
You softly furrow your eyebrows before you search something from your pocket- a picture.
The picture Click took and sent you. It looks exactly like the one in the book.
You blink lightly before seeing more pictures as you flip on the pages, some familiar, and some seem to be newer ones.
The more pages of pictures you look, the more your thoughts are starting to connect-
You then immediately flip the book to the last page for any source.
'Pictures taken by Click'
Wait- this is not a typical book-! It's your boyfriend's portfolio report!
These... some of the recent pictures are dated but- the year is quite twitchy....
Your mind is going confused as you close the book carefully, looking at the cover, wondering if Click is missing.... or has been here.
...Is... he here?
Wow, the new design of the cover looks sharp nonetheless. You're so proud of him...
If only... If only he's still here with you.
...
Your silent thoughts were now no longer in your head once you thought that part. You smiled... but that smile seems to not reach your eyes, which seems to be on the verge of tearing up.
...
"Oh Click..." You trembly whispered with your late lover's name, slowly wiping your tears as you laugh quietly, "You really were serious about putting that picture of the tree cat;;;"
"...I was serious." A voice can be heard clearly. Quietly.
...Before the sound of a camera is heard from your right-
You suddenly jumped by the sudden noises before turning around to see who's beside you. The moment your eyes landed on the speaker, your eyes widened as tired, dull eyes staring back at you.
"...Y/N."
"...Click?" You replied back as your breath hitches.
Shocked, you slowly and unsteadily reached your hand out to his transparent face- which... notably seems to penetrate through his cheek, barely sensing something solid other than the chilliness of the room.
"Y/N..." Click seems to leaned down the moment your hand fails to make contact with him.
Nonetheless, he lightly hovered your hand with his as he closed his eyes, trying to imagine the familiar feeling of your soft hands as he sensed the warmth radiating out of you. "You're here."
"Click...,,," You teared up as you look up and down, your mind going crazy as you wonder why you can't even touch your lover-
"He's dead..." Vertin admits as she can be found appearing by the doorway, having a sorry look. "But he surprisingly remembers you ever since the time he came here."
You faced Vertin as she stated that your eyes showed multiple emotions before shifting them towards Click. Who is still busy nuzzling into your warmth. "How long have you been here?"
"A couple of months ago..." Click answered before finally looking up at you. His eyes are dead, but the same love they tend to hold when seeing you.
"Oh, baby.." You breath out, "What have they done to you."
"...A lot of things." Click simply answered as he fiddled with his cameras to look at the picture he took of you in your shocked expression from before, "I miss your pretty face..."
"Now now... - don't go all lovey dovey just yet,,,-" You sobbed softly but still lean your forehead on his lightly, staying closer to him. At least spiritually and visibly.
Your gaze on him softens more by the time you calm yourself, as your dear ghost lover wraps you in his arms loosely. You gently try to brush over Click's lower lip with a thumb despite being unable to feel it, looking at it silently before speaking your heart away.
"Keep loving me, I'll never stop loving you even if it means i can't kiss you now...-"
"...H...Honey..." Click quietly whispers to you, his face unfaltered, but his voice fails to not sound like he's on the verge of tearing up.
*sighs* "Lovebirds..." Vertin can be heard saying this with a hint of amusement.
"We gotta figure out how to make them kiss." Sonetto suggests.
"Good idea."
"G.Girls????"
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kiaxet · 9 months
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Once again, the latest update from @somerandomdudelmao has left me fully in my feelings, and so I come to you with ~900 words of emotion.
(This one is a rough one: content warnings for death, sibling death, self-sacrifice, and just general despair. Y'all have read the update. You know what we're doing here.)
~~~~~~~
It's supposed to be over.
Master Michelangelo-
(No, no, he's never thought of himself that way. No matter how many times he's been called Master Michelangelo, in his own head he's still just Mikey.)
-Mikey has given everything. He'd opened the portal, watched his own mystic energy - grown larger and stronger with each battle even as it consumed his youth and his very life as its fuel - tear through his arms, cracks traveling up his body until the force of it shattered his form, consuming everything that kept him bound to the physical plane in order to form one last-ditch attempt at setting things right.
He'd managed a wink and a smile, and then he'd died.
And yet he's still here. Why-
The promise. The caveat to the plan. Leo.
Leo had refused to leave him alone at the end, and Mikey will be damned before he refuses to return the favor.
Not that there'll be anything left to damn. The family's Ninpo is what connected them to the Hamato afterlife, and Mikey's is shattered, expended to give Casey a better chance at life. At this point, he's held together with the metaphysical equivalent of duct tape and spite - Donnie's favorite building materials when supplies ran short.
(Donnie's gone. Mikey failed him - failed to catch the infection, failed to cure it, failed to find his spirit amongst the Hamato ancestors. The Krang had obliterated him, and Mikey had failed to help until it was too late.)
(He can't find Raph among the ancestors, either. One more big brother failed.)
(He knows there won't be much left of Leo - not after Leo spent so long being Mikey's living shield, letting the Krang tear into his Ninpo time and time again in order to keep Mikey's intact - but he won't fail Leo. He can't. He can't.)
He's still here, for now, and that has to be good enough. He levitates, surveying a battlefield gone cold in the wake of an overwhelming Krang victory, and goes in search of his last remaining brother.
Leo's corpse isn't far - Mikey spots it near where the portal had been, face down in rock that had been blasted smooth and clean. Krang laser. There's no surviving those.
His gaze flickers upwards across the horizon, and he sees something glow near the corpse, a white outline coming into being before the color follows after, taking a familiar shape. It's-
It's Casey-
It's Casey, but he looks different. Better. His clothes are intact and clean - brand new, from the looks of it. His hair is washed and fluffy. His face and arms have filled out and his shoulders broadened, like he'd been getting good food and enough of it. He doesn't look like the Casey Mikey had made a portal for minutes ago; he looks like how they'd all wanted Casey to look, like he's finally getting what they would have killed to have been able to provide for him. He looks like a dream.
And that's how Mikey knows it's a lie.
It's the Krang. The Krang have done something, made one final twist of the knife that's been stuck in Leo's heart since the night they lost the Key - for all Mikey knows, they're going to use it to desecrate his brother's body, and he is not letting that happen. He zooms closer to Leo's corpse-
"We did it, Mikey, we got him out-"
-and feels the world tilt.
That's not Leo's corpse, because Leo's not dead. He's clinging to life, muttering nonstop in a voice barely above a whisper - he's not long for this world, but he's still here-
The lie cries out in Casey's voice and makes for his brother-
And Mikey lashes out, magic coming to his hands as easily as it ever did. It's not enough to incinerate the lie - the thing is too smart, too quick, and pulls back with only an injury to its arm. That's enough of an opening for Mikey to land in front of Leo, snarling at the lie wearing his nephew's face. "Don't. Touch. Him!" That's his brother. That's his brother. That's the only brother he has left, and he won't have him for long, but that doesn't mean the Krang can take him! "Whatever Krang trick you are-"
Spite, while fun, is no substitute for engineering. Donnie had told him that once.
The spite - and whatever else is holding him together at this point - gives out, the collapse manifesting as pain, and Mikey folds in on himself with a groan. He can fight - he will fight - but if the lie forces combat, then fighting will be the last thing he'll ever do, and Leo will die alone.
He can't. He just…he can't.
He drops to his knees, laying a spectral hand on Leo's head. Leo doesn't react - his Ninpo is shattered to begin with, and Mikey wouldn't be surprised if death's door has robbed Leo of his senses as it is - and just keeps talking.
"We got Casey through the portal, he'll be okay, he'll get to grow up without all of this, we did it, we- we- we did it, Mikey-"
Mikey kneels there, one hand on his inert brother's head as Leo's life slowly sputters out. Eventually he'll die, and what fragments are left of his spirit will disintegrate, too shattered by years of warfare to persist after death, and Mikey will let himself fade along with them. Together until the rapidly approaching end, like they'd promised.
He kneels, and waits for oblivion to come.
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seraphiism · 7 months
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𓆩 ღ 𓆪 𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐲
( we carried a heavy responsibility to clear a bright path for everyone else. )
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chara : gojo satoru fandom : jujutsu kaisen quote cr : path to nowhere
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╭┈ DEATH LOVES YOU :
THE ATTENDANCE OF A FUNERAL IS AN ACT OF CRUELTY TO THE SELF : it is a numbness, a harvesting, a ravaging, consuming and consuming and devouring the soul until you are left a living vessel, treading upon the earth with a bleeding heart that leaves crimson and horror in its wake.
the attendance of a funeral is an act of cruelty to the world : what is it, you wonder-- a celebration of death? an honoring to the sacrifice of those who did not have to die? a mourning apology to a youth meant to flourish and thrive in years cut short?
twice does the deceased die in this ritual : once, when they succumb to the massacre, because in this world, there is simply no other way to die, no peaceful means of passing. twice, when they are lowered into the ground, their burial site yet another number in this land of graves.
once do the attendees die in this ritual : once, when they realize they have lost a friend, a piece of the soul, a part of found family.
how many times have you died? you bow your head, but it is not out of respect, but habit. satoru bows his head as well. perhaps he means it.
you stare at the ground, wonder how many bodies you stand over. how many people do you know here in this moment that lie in the ground, cold and dead? nearly forgotten, only remembered in the nightmares that follow you into slumber.
you do not lift your gaze. not until the funeral is over, not until the crowd has dispersed, not until satoru grabs your hand and gently guides you back to the home you share.
neither of you speak. you cannot bring yourself to, an absence heavy in your heart. he knows this, so he says nothing, only dragging you to bed before lying with you. he tugs the blankets over both of you, the heat of his body against yours a familiar feeling. you have often found comfort in his arms, but today, it brings you a painful, recurring dread that you do not understand -- not because you cannot understand it, but because you don't want to.
because you know what this dread means, because you know that your body is instinctively warning you of the road ahead.
you wonder how many times you have died. you wonder when it will be, the final ending of your life. it would not mean anything, you think-- it would be another funeral, another gloomy day that will be overlooked eventually. but that's alright. it should be that way. your death cannot and should not contribute to a grief that another would carry for a second too long. it is easier to be forgotten in this life, anyway.
but what happens when satoru dies? he has encountered death many times before, died many times before. but what happens when he is erased entirely, both in body and mind? his end would signify the ending to all : the end of him, of you, of everyone.
there would be no funeral for him. it would be too late. his death would bring the collision of everyone's lives-- and how everything would crash and burn until there was nothing left, until there would be no one left.
no one. emptiness. no one to bury him, no one to stand before his grave and weep. not even you.
what a very painful and lonely road that would be, you think.
"i will never go to your funeral, satoru." you whisper, and you feel him freeze at those words, though the blue in his eyes remains clear, the shore untouched by muddled waters.
"why's that?" he asks. his voice is lighthearted, but even you can sense that it is not entirely genuine. he kisses your forehead, continues on. "because you'll be too mad at me for dying? or because i won't die?"
"because you can't die." you murmur, and there's something in the way your voice cracks that makes him hold you even closer. it's selfish, you know-- it's so damn selfish, this weight and burden on his shoulders. the world is already miserable enough, the fight to do good, to be good, a losing battle. you cannot lose him or else everyone will lose. "the road to damnation begins in your death. if you die, then--"
satoru grins.
"who said i was gonna die?" he pinches your cheek softly, almost teasingly, before he kisses your forehead once more. "-- and that's what you're worried about? not you being lonely?"
his grin turns into something a little sadder, something a little unreadable. but it's still there, and so is he. so is he.
"i'm not going anywhere. i'm too hard to kill, you know? too handsome to tragically die." another kiss, but this time, his lips meet yours. "i won't leave you." he murmurs, and he says it over and over again until you almost want to believe him.
-- but all things must end in terrible tragedy, and neither of you are an exception. you have both died a thousand times over, but one day, you will reach finality, meet your ending in heaven or hell, and when that day comes, the end to all things will come, too.
╰┈ DO YOU LOVE ME , TOO?
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mattzerella-sticks · 16 days
Text
My Idea for a Live-Action X-Men Movie...
Thinking... how can we introduce the X-Men into live action, whether through movie, tv show, limited series, etc. ... and I have an idea.
Let's start in media res.
Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted has been active for the past few years, however with a small class size of seven. Scott. Jean. Bobby. Hank. Warren. Alex. Lorna. Despite only consisting of seven students, due to Xavier's wealth he has been able to keep his school open and thriving since the beginning.
However that has changed as the size of his class has dropped from seven to one after a botched mission led to the capture of his students save one, Scott Summers.
And the opening scene is Xavier sitting in his mansion, worried, waiting, until Scott kicks his door down, tells them his team is gone, and passes out due to exhaustion.
We then pick up on our narrator for the movie, the character whose eyes we will be seeing the entire movie take place through, stepping off a plane and into JFK airport...
Ororo Munroe. Storm.
She had travelled from her home in Africa seemingly on a whim, as if drawn there by fate, and - unsure where to go or what to do next - she goes to a nearby bar to make her next plan.
Who should happen to sit next to her but a short, hairy man in a cowboy hat and a thick, Canadian accent?
Ororo, meet Logan. They do not hit it off.
She does happen to hit it off with the soft spoken Russian man who is reading poetry at the other end of the bar - Piotr Rasputin - and the bartender, a Native American man - James Proudstar - who wasn't supposed to be working that day but traded shifts with his roommate.
While they are all gathered there they hear a voice in their heads and turn around to see Charles Xavier, a man they all recognize and all soon realize is the reason they are now gathered together in this bar. At first they all want to leave but Xavier implores them to at least first hear him out, which they agree to do, but he tells them he won't start until the final member of their group is here.
Cue shouts and gunfire as Kurt - Nightcrawler - runs, leaps, and teleports across the airport in all his blueness.
Xavier manages to calm the crowd however not before one of the security guards manages to call in that the threat is a mutant and it's a race to grab Kurt before reinformcements arrive. But wouldn't you know it the group is not the best team yet and the reinforcements do arrive in the form of Sentinels.
It seems like all hope is lost when, out of nowhere, a stray quartz-colored beam blows one of the Sentinels apart and allows the group a moment to escape. They regroup in Xavier's car, which had been where Scott was waiting while Xavier gathered the others.
They return to the mansion where Xavier explains what happens to his team, that they were responding to a mutant in distress on an island that had ultimately been a trap - with only Scott escaping. The group has been gathered together to help Xavier and Scott rescue their teammates.
It's mostly a resounding no. Piotr would rather be at home on the farm. James has to go searching for a new job since he undoubtedly got fired from the bar for leaving during shift hours. Logan is "not a team player" and believes that the team is most likely dead anyway. Kurt is game but he is also "not the best fighter".
Ororo also agrees to help.
That surprises everyone. She says that while the circumstances that brought them together were underhanded, she cannot sit idly by while innocent people, people like her with a mutant gene, are in danger. Not just those on the island, who they are tasked with rescuing, but around the world especially since Sentinels have become standard issue around the world. While she does not see herself being a full-time member, she knows that the team Xavier had protected mutants like them from these threats and, with them gone, who will protect their community now?
Xavier tells them that, after they help rescue his original team, they would be free to leave and do what they want with their lives as they please.
Piotr is in. So is James. Logan sighs and agrees, "Since I don't want to be the odd one out." They agree to go save the others. Scott says, however, that before they can mount the rescue mission, they need to become a team first - referencing their battle at the airport and how they need to improve.
They agree to train.
Meanwhile, on the island, we see that there is a Master Mold along with Trask and scientists working on creating the next model of Sentinels in their ongoing war against mutants using the captured mutants from Xavier's Academy as test subjects. The scientists are just as much as prisoners as the X-Men, however, as they were led to the island on false pretenses and forced to work for Master Mold who had, unbenknownst to everyone until the final act, had taken over Trask and controls him as a puppet.
A few of these scientists came with their families. One of these families were the Prydes. Katherine Anne Pryde is seen as a non-threat by both Master Mold and Trask, and is able to freely wander the island as well as speak with the prisoners because, since everything is monitored and she is twelve, she cannot do anything to disrupt the mission. We learn from this scene that Master Mold is on the cusp of unveiling a new breed of Sentinel that, using the schematics pulled from Jean's mind, would be able to track mutants anywhere without needing to be called in. It was luck that the X-Men arrived on their island, fell into their trap.
Meanwhile back in Westchester, NY, this new team of X-Men are having a hard time at coming together to work as a team, which is making Scott mad. He and Logan almost come to blows if not for Piotr stepping between them to break things up. They both step away to cool off.
Ororo decides to speak with both of them. First, she goes to Scott, and tells him that he is not being a good leader. They have a heart to heart where he confesses that his friends are his family, and Jean... he has a lot riding on this being a success, and this is as new to him as it is new to them. He is not used to working with people he hasn't grown up with. Ororo tells him that he needs to lead from a place of love and courage, and not fear. Then, she goes to find Logan to see that he is brushing off Kurt rather coldly and Ororo does not wait to take him to task on his loner attitude. They clash a bit before Ororo tells him to get his act together or just leave, as it shouldn't matter to him what they think if he really doesn't care.
They all agree to do another training session, only they never get the chance as Xavier tells them it is now or never as there was a spike of pain from the same island his first team was lost, and that cannot mean anything good. The heroes go to get suited up and fly to the island base.
Master Mold is ready to create his new breed of Sentinels and it looks like they are a success, as they have been fitted with new upgrades. He activates a few and they immediately power online with the alert that there is a mutant among them.
All eyes turn to Katherine Anne Pryde. Kitty.
Her father and mother object but are restrained as the Sentinels begin to pursue her, only able to tell her to run before they are knocked out. Kitty runs and manages to escape the Sentinels after discovering her ability to phase through solid matter. The escape is not fullproof as they burst out the bunker in full pursuit. When she reaches the beaches with what looks like no place left to go, the clouds part and reveal the Blackbird jet which Ororo had just exited from and is now flying down to confront the Sentinels she spotted chasing the little girl. The Sentinels sense her power and lock onto her, only to get blasted by lightning and turret fire.
The X-Men land and confront the Sentinels but, unlike at JFK, they are able to work together and take them down. Even Logan finds himself being a team player. They rescue Kitty and she tells them where the prisoners are and also what Master Mold is planning.
The team decides to split up - Scott, Piotr, and James will confront Master Mold while Ororo, Logan, and Kurt follow Kitty to the prison area.
Of course we stay with Ororo because, again, she is who we are relying to guide us through this story.
We get to the prison area and it's Ororo, Logan, and Kurt going HAM on these guards taking them down while Kitty uses her powers to free the X-Men. She manages to get to the main control room and hits the button that releases all the prisoners who do their best to help, despite being weakened from experiments and torture.
We learn from Kitty that there's a prisoner missing, and they admit that it's Jean. She was taken by Trask.
So the group races to the main room where Scott, Piotr, and James are and see a BUNCH of Sentinels on the loose and pure pandemonium. Piotr and James are on the ropes and Scott is putting up his best fight, however just as the group arrives the Sentinels converge and blast him, with a woman across the room watching calling out his name as he 'perishes' (we'll circle back on this later).
Without their leader and shocked, Ororo steps up and takes command, leading the group into battle like she's been doing it all her life against the Sentinels while Kitty and Kurt evacuate the scientists. She cuts across the room almost instantly to get to Trask and Jean where we finally learn that the former has been completely taken over by Master Mold and is now a Sentinel cyborg. They battle it out but it's a tough battle given the numbers they're against until there's a moment where Ororo and Jean are tucked away, shielded from incoming blaster fire from Trask and the Sentinels, when Jean places her hands to the ground and closes her eyes. Ororo asks what she's doing and Jean tells her she's asking for help.
"From who? Xavier only sent us?"
"From the mutant we came here to help in the first place. From the island."
BOOM! We get the reveal that the island. Krakoa, is a mutant and has been weakened by the experiments run on it by Master Mold and the Sentinel. Jean tells the group that they need to let Krakoa 'feed' on a piece of their energy to recupe its strength for it to help them and they all look to Ororo as it's her call, and she says they should do it. They do and the ground rumbles and shakes and we can see the island begin to terraform as it fights back against Master Mold and the Sentinels. It takes out MANY of them while the X-Men pick up the slack on the rest.
Ororo takes on Master Mold/Trask hybrid as the island begins to sink back into the ocean, with Trask, damaged, spouting nonsense. That he is there to save the world, that he is the FUTURE, the INEVITABLE, that the X-Men cannot prevent the world falling apart in the future, that they will be responsible for the apocalypse. However, with a lightning zap and some timely telekinesis, the group escapes back to the Blackbird as the rest of the island has already been evacuated.
The X-Men return to Westchester without Scott and inform Xavier of what happened.
Time moves on. They recover. They mourn. A memorial service is held for Scott. Xavier's original students, Warren, Bobby, Alex, Hank, and Lorna, decide to leave the school afterwards as they believe they need to come at the Sentinel problem another way. They form X-Force.
Xavier comes up to Ororo after the service and asks her to stay on, despite her having no obligation to do so. She watches Logan and Kurt keeping Kitty entertained while Piotr and James speak with her parents, about Kitty staying on at the school and learning from Professor Xavier, and decides that she would like to stay and lead the X-Men. Jean joins them and says that she'd be happy to be on any team Storm is leading, revealing that -of the original students - she is the only one who is staying with the X-Men. The three look out onto the horizon as there are endless possibilities for the X-Men now *play the theme song*
END CREDIT SCENE NUMBER ONE - Magneto watches Xavier's new team of X-Men in action and converses with Mystique, saying that, "If Charles has put together a new team of recruits, we should, too."
END CREDIT SCENE NUMBER TWO - A blonde woman in all white speaks with a raven-haird men with red eyes and a crimson diamond embedded in his head. "You pulled a lot of favors to get him, are you sure he's worth it?" "Believe me. He is." The duo, Emma Frost and Dr. Sinister are looking over the body of Scott Summers, very much NOT DEAD, held in stasis as the camera pans out and reveals the Hellfire Club.
And that would be how we introduce the X-Men, and mutants, into live action movies.
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So I’m interested in the thing you taught about Anglo-Saxons pushing the celts out of land- do you know how far north they pushed?
I’m Scots, and I have an interest in our history, but to be honest almost all of my knowledge of it comes from post-1000, with the exception of a few local myths about Viking raiders being scared off by a mother wolf.
So I’d love to ask what you know- and I’ll just say that, because you talk about the welsh language a lot, I would be interested in what you think of the work to revive Gaelic as a primary language of this country- my Nans all for it, but most other people think it’s not working the way it has in wales because Gaelic was never spoken across the country Welsh was- my mums family is from old Norse speaking ancestry/cities and the local area was more likely to speak French than Gaelic (my dads English with a clan surname so some Highland Clearance stuff definitely happened and also for about 50 years round about bonnie prince Charlie that name was banned/got you shot so some *shit* presumably happened)
In terms of how far they pushed, this is the map of the Heptarchy, i.e. their furthest extent:
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So a bit of the Scottish south east. You see Strathclyde on there? That was the Brythonic part! This is why Glasgow is a Welsh name in origin. Cousins!
In terms of Gàidhlig revival (I'm not correcting you with the spelling, I just have friends who speak it and that's their preference lol), it's certainly a lot more complicated than it is in Wales, for numerous reasons. One is admittedly that Scotland has always been inherently multicultural - even before the Anglo-Saxons, the north was Pictish, the west was Goidelic (Dal Riada spanned west Scotland and modern northern Ireland), the south was Brythonic, and the islands have long been a spirited mix of Norse and Other. Each of those spoke their own language. Then came the Heptarchy, which birthed Scots, and then the Vikings in earnest... By contrast, Wales just spoke Welsh. Different dialects, sure, and infusions from elsewhere, but country-wide, we just had the one thing.
And then there's the sheer weight of numbers. The current percentage of the population that speaks Gàidhlig is, to my knowledge, less than two percent, which is an incredibly challenging position to be in. By contrast, the lowest Welsh ever slid to was seventeen percent, back in the Eighties, and today it's about thirty. That's much easier to pull off.
I should clarify here, of course, that I am not about to speak on behalf of Scottish people. Whether Gàidhlig is representative, whether it SHOULD be revived, those are ultimately debates for Scots to have, I'm nobody. But since you asked directly I can share my very Welsh-influenced perspective.
Firstly, any country-wide bilingualism is unilaterally a good thing. Without exception. Every country in the world should be aiming for it with *something*, regardless of what it is. There is no harm from raising a bilingual child. It's literally good for the brain.
Secondly, any language at all is a beautiful, unique thing that acts as a memory crystal for the culture and philosophy attached to it. If you lose one, you lose something important that can't be replaced. Here's an example! Translating between Korean and English pronouns is often a challenge, because Korean doesn't have the gender markers that English needs, but English doesn't have the age/social status markers that Korean needs. That tells you something fascinating about both of those cultures, and the philosophy and worldview they hold. Gàidhlig is not yet dead. There is time to save it. It is unique; it's a repository for so much of an older Scottish culture that otherwise might be lost. Why not save it?
Thirdly, why place the pressure on it to be a language spoken by all of Scotland? Does it need to be? Because there wasn't a pan-Scottish language, not until English, and that one was spread through imperialism. You won't find an alternative that was spoken by everyone. Does that mean you shouldn't bother with any of them? Well; see point one. But also...
If the issue is a lack of 'identity' - this was not spoken in my area, so I don't identify with it - it was still nonetheless a Scottish language. It's still unique and endemic to the country you now identify with. It's therefore still yours. And what's preventing someone learning something appropriately local as well? Fuck it, if you're from the south, learn Welsh. Pictish was lost - it can't be saved anymore. But it looks like it was Brythonic, so again, there's always Welsh as the closest analogue. But Gàidhlig is still Scottish, unique to the country, whereas Welsh is more pan-British.
So yeah, those are my very rambly thoughts that I have not actually pondered deeply at all. I shall now bow out of that particular conversation and leave it to the Scots
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garroth-core · 1 year
Text
the tragedy of immortality and godhood and the persistence of love despite it, because of it, is one of the most fascinating parts of mcd and mystreet
think of irene, who murders her daughter and gives her body-turned-relic to the father, unknowingly using his daughter's corpse as a weapon, who loses all emotions after a long life. think of shad, who raises an army of the dead and tortures his subordinates, who tries to kill an innocent three-year-old for the crimes of her mother who doesn't even remember those crimes and is an entirely different person. think of the shadow knights' transformation being completed when they kill the person they love the most. think of hyria, thousands of years old and sworn to protect the sacred forest, estranged from her daughter for over thirty years when she chooses duty over family, who herself admits that "the longer you live, the more you forget how to love". you'd think gods and immortals would be the epitome of life; after all, they are alive forever. but we see they're more dead than anything. they are stripped of their humanity, their love, their empathy, leaving nothing but empty husks of souls. they feel nothing. they are nothing.
and yet. and yet and yet and yet — love perseveres. that is the biggest tragedy of it all. love is not an unstoppable force. it did not stop the horrors that befell the lives of the immortals and those around them. love is an immovable object. it stayed through the atrocities, the rage, the massacres, the murder, the estrangement. irene wished, more than anything, to feel again. she tells hyria she will slumber until the world needs her again. because before the divine warriors, before shad, and before her daughter, irene was a woman who loved humanity. shad's rampage is because of his grief, and what is grief if not love's ghost? light shining from a dead star? his love for his daughter motivates him to take alina in vengeance for her gruesome death, to go after aphmau. hyria still loves her daughter. laurence clings to memories of aphmau in the midst of his painful and traumatic transformation in the nether. sasha who has done "twisted things" admits that there are people she cares for in the shadow knight army, going so far as to side with aphmau. even laurence says she was kind to him.
and vylad. vylad, who is the catalyst for everything. vylad who brings irene back into the world because he needs her, because his brother needs her. because, though he has lost all emotion, he still remembers the one brother who was kind to him in his lonely childhood. that is literally what starts mcd!!! the key to the entire thing!!! a man's love for his brother!!!
and then we have perhaps the most tragic figure of them all: lady aphmau.
now, it's wild to me that mystreet went from silly happy fun times to aphmau is the fucking messiah (again) but i won't lie i'm so heavily invested in what happened to mcd!aphmau
after fuck-knows-what-happened, lady aphmau ascends to godhood and becomes mystreet's lady irene. it's implied something went horribly wrong in the events of mcd and lady aphmau, now a goddess and cut off from her friends and family (alina states she "still lived in an unreachable realm"), has to live on immortal and alone. but even though the world eventually forgets her, forgets her friends, forgets her sons and her daughters, she remembers. her love perseveres, even in a world empty of all she once loved.
so she makes a new world. a new world where her friends are happy and alive, where even her enemies — zane, gene, zenix, sasha — eventually befriend her own original group and lead somewhat happy lives themselves. lady aphmau lives vicariously through mys!aphmau, she states so herself. she pretends it is her who gets to have a happy, simple life. but at the end, mys!aphmau's life is not hers to live, not hers to interfere with. as she says, her aaron already died long ago.
once again, love is the key to the entire thing. she chooses to sacrifice herself for aaron. she passes over resurrection for aphmau. she has nothing to gain from this. she chooses aaron because she loves him. she chooses aphmau because she knows what it is like to love and be loved, to once have something to go home to. but her friends are waiting not on earth. so she dies, her daughter at her side.
i think what gets to me the most are the endings we see for shad, irene, and lady aphmau. we don't see the endings for the others because jesson didn't finish the series <33 but what we do see are these: simple endings. peaceful endings. quiet endings. it fucking does something to me when grand larger-than-life characters yearn for easy, uncomplicated lives.
think of what lady aphmau reincarnated all of them for, what she broke divine rules for, what she defended against the celestial cannon. snowball fights and putting on silly plays and opening maid cafes are what this all-powerful goddess wants. domesticity and wedding dress shopping and a house on the street where all her neighbors are her friends. this is what heaven is to her, not the chapel above the clouds devoted to her. what does she care about that? she's found heaven in a golden afternoon with her dearest hearts. think of shad and irene. after all the grand battles, the world-ending apocalypses, all the bloodbaths, and at the end shad goes home to irene, their daughter at his side, nothing more. they end their lives in an, to the bigger world, unremarkable suburban house save for the memories that live there, the memories themselves are indistinguishable from any memories any other person would have. simple memories of a simple childhood of a simple girl.
a simple girl who, after a battle against a demon centuries old, after finding out she's a literal goddess, is by her friend's side. the first friend she ever made. her not-alone-buddy. her life has been thrown upside down. her best friends and the love of her life have sustained irreparable damage, losing their memories, their magic, their knowledge. it is her godhood that is the cause. they sacrificed themselves so that she may bring them victory. once again, the tragedy that befell her predecessors repeats itself. godhood takes, and takes, and takes. she must feel so many emotions — guilt and grief and rage and helplessness. she must blame herself. but then she thinks of what the goddess said to her, of how people have chosen to be in her life. she looks at the friend who chooses to sit by her side as they both recover from their injuries. so she smiles upon seeing him, says it's been a long time, and reaffirms that no, she is not alone. none of them are. she does say it in some grand declaration, some striking action. her love is simple, peaceful, quiet. despite everything, because of everything, her love persists. it perseveres. it is an immovable object.
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howlingday · 6 months
Text
Deadline
Ruby: Dad, what's going on?
Taiyang: Ruby, I... I met someone.
Ruby: Huh?
Taiyang: I wasn't looking. I mean, after your mother... you know... I didn't want this to happen. Her name is Raven, and she's a mercenary. We were working together on a mission not too long ago, and suddenly, we're not only friends, but she asked me out last month. We've gone out a few times since then, and I'm not saying it's serious yet, but I wanted to tell you.
Ruby: Dad... This is great! I'm happy for you!
Taiyang: Really? I don't know why, but I was nervous you'd disapprove or freak out or something.
Ruby: Dad, if she makes you happy, then I'm happy. I didn't know what it was, but you were kind of, I don't know, getting back to your old self. I thought it was-
???: Come with me. Now.
Ruby: Huh?
Maria: Ruby Rose. Indomitable. You will come with me right now, or I will kill your father.
Taiyang: R-Ruby?! Who is-
Maria: My name is Maria, and I am an agent of the Silver-Eyed Warriors. You must hurry. It won't take long for people to notice my appearance. You still hide among these lesser creatures, don't you?
Ruby: I'll meet you two miles in the air in my costume in one minute. Does that work?
Maria: Yes.
Ruby: (Runs off)
Taiyang: Ruby?!
---------------------------------------------------
Ruby: What do you want?
Maria: I am here to apologize.
Ruby: For what?
Maria: For threatening your father. That's not how I wanted this meeting to start. It was the only way to get you to come alone so quickly. For THAT, I apologize. You are the designated Silver-Eyed Warrior of this realm. What are the steps you've made to prepare Remnant for our eventual takeover.
Ruby: None. (Fists up)
Maria: Oh, dear. I'm not here to fight you, Ruby. Believe me, if I wanted to, you would already be dead.
Ruby: Then why are you here?
Maria: To clarify things. Your understanding of the Silver-Eyed Warriors is that we are a race of warmongers, to be feared and hated. Perhaps even destroyed. I am here to tell you that you are mistaken.
Ruby: And you started by threatening my father?
Maria: Yes, and I do apologize for that. There is a fundamental difference between our cultures, your race and those of the realm that raised you.
Ruby: Fundamentals differences?! You think?!
Maria: As pragmatic as our people are, we are also quick to violence and anger. It is an issue we all struggle with. Yourself as well, no doubt, yes? However, despite our shared natures and the information you already know, you are still greatly mistaken by our intentions of conquering other realms. Yes, we take over, and yes, we do take our share of your realm's magic and resources, but there is also so much we offer in return.
Ruby: Like what?!
Maria: Arcane knowledge and advanced technologies. Tell me, is your realm not scourged by the existence of the Grimm? Disease and famine and violence plague every kingdom these people inhabit. A Silver-Eyed Warrior occupation would rid resolve all of that. We could share our technology, cure every disease, feed your starving masses, and put an end to both the Grimm and all of the unsanctioned conflicts across the globe. Remnant would become a utopia.
Ruby: You mean after making your slaves here complacent? They'd be well-fed, healthy cattle for you to slaughter while you drain our kingdoms dry.
Maria: It would be centuries before we harvested all that we needed from this realm, and it that time, these people would be allowed to experience an age of peace and understanding that they could never achieve otherwise. This would last near countless generations until no one remembered the world before.
Ruby: And what about after?
Maria: Then this realm would be destroyed, though not too different from what your "kingdoms" are already doing. Nothing of value would be lost.
Ruby: ...Excuse me, but there's something I need to do, can you excuse me? There's a thing I need to do so people don't die.
Maria: Very well. If you wish me to prove my compassion for these people you care so much for, then I will assist you.
Ruby: Fine. Whatever. Just remember; we're saving people. Not hurting them.
Maria: Fine, fine.
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Ruby: Holy crap...
Maria: What about that thing? May I hurt it?
Ruby: Uh, su-
Maria: (Petrifies Wyvern, Cleaves in two)
Ruby: (Gulp) Uh, n-nice one. It looks like everyone is safe now.
Maria: You are concerned for these people. You care about them. I respect that. These people and the Silver-Eyed Warriors don't have to be at odds. We can all get something out of this deal. None of them need to be hurt. How many of these people would have died if we didn't intervene? Wouldn't it be nice if we were here on a regular basis? Wouldn't your life be easier?
Ruby: ...
Maria: So, what do you say? Are you going to work with us?
Ruby: Sorry. But I'm still not convinced.
Maria: (Sighs) A shame. I'm very sorry to hear that.
Ruby: (Clocked hard, Spins into the air)
Maria: This isn't a negotiation. (Grabs Ruby) You've made a huge mistake. (Divebombs, Smashes Ruby into an earthquake)
Ruby: AGKH! (Twitches)
Maria: DON'T MOVE. I'm stronger than you. I'm faster than you. And yes, I'm smarter than you. So don't move. Raise a finger against me, and I will be very angry. And I've already told you how short our tempers can be. Piss me off and you'll regret it. Now, what do you say?
Ruby: Ngh... Thanks. I think you fixed a crick in my back.
Maria: ...
Maria: You really are a child. You have no clue how much danger you're in. Unfortunate...
Maria: You are the designated ambassador of the Silver-Eyed Warriors for this realm, charged with preparing it for it's eventual takeover by our people. This is not up for debate. You may choose to ignore these duties, but this will have consequences. As of now, we are understaffed to send an agent to replace your position. Even I have more important duties to tend to. You can choose to fight us, and deny these people the utopia and paradise we can provide them, or we will wipe your civilization like sand in the wind and take what's left. The choice is yours. There may come a replacement to, well, replace you. If you choose to continue in your fruitless opposition, then you will be killed and replaced. It could be five years, or it could be five months. The choice is yours.
Maria: I hope you make the smarter choice. (Leaves)
Ruby: Great... Like I don't have enough to worry about.
..................................................................................
Prisoner.: Summer, my friend. You seem troubled. What plagues your mind? Might your chains be too heavy?
Summer: No. My chains don't hurt anymore. Soon, they'll move me from here to face my execution. My betrayal of the Silver-Eyes. Shouldn't that weigh heavy enough on my mind?
Prisoner.: Summer, we've shared this cell longer than I can remember now, and I've seen you every day since you've been brought here, bloodied and beaten. Now, though, there is something different. This something is new and... very strange for you, isn't it?
Summer: I... I think I miss my husband.
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Text
(AoT/Genshin Impact) Mikasa, Shenhe, and Jean being reverse Isekai'd
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Honestly, there's not too many reverse isekai in general. I'd KILL for a slice of life anime isekai'ing a Khorne Blood Warrior from Warhammer to Earth.
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Mikasa would have NO idea where the she is.
The moment Mikasa sees you, she throws you flat on your ass out of pure battle instinct.
She'd quickly apologize realizing you're not a threat, getting more and more flustered by the second.
(Mikasa) "You're...not an enemy? Sorry about that, everything was just so sudden. Are you hurt?"
She'd be even more flustered if anything was broken during the throw.
After quickly explaining where she is, she'd be very confused, but more worried about her friends.
Mikasa pretty much is glued to your side, reliant on you to tell her what's going on in your world, and how to navigate/function in it.
Luckily she's not too hard to hide in plain sight, other than the fact you have extremely dangerous weapons and equipment in your abode.
But she can't help but look around with pure awe at things like cars, and people just living peacefully in general.
This is what humanity was like before the Titans?
Regardless, she'll be trying her damn hardest to find a way to get home and back into the fight.
Though she can't deny it's nice to finally relax and ponder over her life that's led up to here.
Under no circumstances should you tell Mikasa that you know where she's from, or that you know the fate of her and her friends at the very beginning. The information needs to be told to her slowly, and very carefully.
If you told her you know what happens to her, Eren, and Armin, all hell would break loose as she'd try desperately to change things, and there's no telling what would happen then.
(Mikasa) "I'm here for a reason, even if we don't understand it yet. But until then, I shall be at your side. Thank you, (Y/N)."
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Good lord, Shenhe is an absolute handful.
She was already confused by the people in her world, now she had to deal with the people of Earth.
Shenhe just blinks upon arriving in your room.
(Shenhe) "...Hello, did you cause this?"
Her expression doesn't change after you explain the situation.
In fact, she's not that worried.
(Shenhe) "If there is a way here, then there is a way back. There are still many things I have not learned about Tevyat, after all."
Shenhe stands out greatly when you bring her out in public, mostly due to her hair, the red ropes, and how dead inside she looks.
For your safety, do NOT let her speak first, or anyone talk trash about you.
Her homicidal tendencies are VERY much still alive, and after getting to know you, she won't hesitate to demonstrate it.
While touching, you should probably avoid murder, lest you want an entire task force hunting you two down. And they'll lose.
That and she'd blow her cover just speaking completely honestly, making people think she's either insane, or some kind of nerd.
Hopefully the latter.
Despite all the quirks, she becomes more and more emotional with you, even giving smiles on multiple occassions.
As for telling her she's from a video game, don't. It's a lost cause as she won't understand it at all.
(Shenhe) "Although this has been a strange journey, I cannot say it hasn't been worthwhile. After all, I have you to thank for me being able to feel emotions. I think when I'm with you, (Y/N), I feel...content."
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Jean jumps upon seeing you after snapping out of her daze.
(Jean) "O-Oh! I apologize for the intrusion, I-I'm not sure where I am."
Jean's face grows pale when you inform her that she's not in Tevyat anymore.
But you're able to ease her fears upon telling her that the other Knights can fill in, but then she grows suspicious of how you know who she is.
Be extremely careful and slow how you tell Jean she's from a video game. Because she will not take that information well that she's not supposed to be real.
The first thing you should do after shattering Jean's reality is take her to a pizza place, and let her order whatever.
She'll need it, and it'll snap her out of the existential crisis you'll put her through.
Jean offers to help however she can in exchange for taking care of her, and she is extremely easy to conceal in the public, and is very good about not letting any signs that she's from a different world through.
Although she wants to get back home to Mondstadt ASAP, she does enjoy the time to relax with you, getting to know the life of a completely different world.
(Jean) "Perhaps this is how the Honorary Knight feels. One day when I finally put my sword down, I can know a life like the one you've given me here, (Y/N). And I am not sure how we'll be able to stay in contact, but...I'd very much like to still talk to you."
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