#to make that your whole life goal your whole objective no plan for anything else no other real ambition just

[1-800-c0sm1c]

꒰win it all !꒱

to build hype around the new season, your arrival to the games was kept a secret up until it went live, and some legends had more notable reactions than others.

character x legend!reader

includes crypto, octane, and mirage !

a/n : im sorry ive been gone but look i made you some contenttttt daddy made you your favorite open wide 🥳. im noticing a severe lack of apex fanfics rn so here is my contribution 🤲.

warnings : mentions of stalking (average crypto behavior), drugs (average octane behavior), & mentions of hooking up (you guessed it, average mirage behavior).

CRYPTO // TAEJOON PARK: 

crypto doesnt like surprises, period. its one thing if its mediocre like a birthday party, but a whole person was hidden under his nose and he had no idea? unacceptable.

in summary, youve shattered his ego simply from your presence. not cool.

hes not really known for looking approachable either, so unless youve got the balls or stupidity to talk to him, hell keep to himself and sulk. this sets back any plans he had in the back of his mind by a whole season.

when you introduce yourself to him on the dropship he practically ignores you, acting as if anything else is more interesting than this small talk.

"hi im y/n, ive heard a lot about you from mirage. nice to meet you!" he rolls his eyes, witt is always one to blabber about others.

you scoff at his response, "dont expect me to be as open and idiotic as elliott." he almost adds you to that list, but holds back on it. if anything lifeline has told him holds weight, you could be useful to get information from the syndicate.

"im crypto by the way." he continues, if he plays his cards right you could almost be worth his time.

getting paired with you and mirage was almost comical, its as if the games were trying to make his life as hard as possible.

you got along annoyingly well with mirage, but you seemed more hesitant when it came to crypto, which was truly bothered him. (it was not jealousy at all. he was not jealous whatsoever. nope, definitely not.)

hes struggling to interact with you, like he does with most of the other legends, but youre a different case due to how useful you could be to him. thats usually the reasoning he uses when he racks his brain for ideas to come across less mean without irreparably ruining his reputation.

as if his prayers had been answered, a few hours after your first game you appear in the doorway to his room with a piece of high tech equipment in your hand. but your expression is different from how it was before. you appear upset, how can you be angry with him already? youve barely interacted!

if you want to be pissy, so can he. "can i help you? he asks, annoyance in his voice. "im almost sure you can, brilliant hacker." you drop the equipment in front of him on his desk, distracting him from his current project. he scowls. "what exactly am i looking at here?" you roll your eyes. "you tell me, this is clearly yours right? found it in my room." 

he examines the object, looks like a hidden camera. "ive never seen this before, if you want me to fix it call someone else, im not tech support." he pushes it to the side, but youre not having it. "nuh-uh, you cant brush this off. i know youve created the cameras used to record the games, this has to be your tech!"

so you think hes stalking you? thats a good idea honestly, he wish he had thought of it first. "just because i created those doesnt mean i also designed this. looks like someone else wants to keep an eye on you. got anyone in mind?" you pause for a moment, letting his words sink in. why cant it just be an open and shut case?

"i have no idea, i just got here! is anyone else even knowledgeable enough to design something like this?" he shrugs. "looks can be deceiving." "will you at least help me figure out whos stalking me?" he wants to say no. he knows its bad news, especially for someone like him to get involved in. but its a great opportunity to get closer to you. closer to his end goal, and despite it truly not being the only reason, he decides its good enough for him. "i guess i can make time, tell me about your interactions since youve joined." 

from this point on, you and crypto get much closer, it feels like he knows everything about you. (maybe he does honestly 💀.)

but you can tell hes getting frustrated when it comes to the hidden camera, and you cant help but feel like a nuisance. 

on the surface, crypto looks like you are whats stressing him out. why hes angrier than usual, why hes drowning himself in his work. and in a way thats true, but not exactly.

in reality, hes more worried for your safety. your arrival was an entire surprise, so how could someone have infiltrated your room to begin with? he cant figure it out, and almost entirely forgets the original reason he wanted to get to know you. 

its no longer a matter of getting information, that can wait. he has all season after all. but someone else trying to watch you? he wont tolerate it, and wants it to be the first thing thats fixed, he likes you much better when youre not paranoid, not like him.

OCTANE // OCTAVIO SILVA:

HYPED!!! another legend is always exciting to octane, even more so when he gets lucky enough to be paired with them.

octavio can be a bit much at times, but you match his energy almost perfectly! 

dedication to the apex games, and genuinely having a great time, not finding him annoying??? he should ask if youre into hard drugs too at this point.

anyone who goes up against the two of you on a team together should fear for their lives. octane swears hes never had so much fun in a match before. (almost as much fun as id have if kings canyon was in the map rotation this season ☹.)

theres a voice in the back of his head that he cant shake, telling him youre someone sent from the syndicate to mess with him, or maybe something worse.

he doesnt want to risk making you upset with him (like some other legends) so he reluctantly keeps these thoughts to himself, but due to his online personality being so similar to his real self, you almost immediately notice a change.

you decide to confront octane after the match, and originally he completely disregards your questions.

"what are you on about, compadre? im fine, really!" but youre not having it, and octane knows youre not going to drop this so easily.

"i just cant help but think this isnt how you usually act outside of games." you shrug when he asks for your reasoning of pressing on. "well how would you know? you just got here." he chuckles. "which i think is exactly why youre hiding things from me. i understand though, its hard to trust someone you just met. i only had an outsiders perspective up until a few hours ago."

"thats exactly whats so scary about you amigo. you seem like youre some fuckin syndicate spy!" "why? because we get along?" octane sighs. maybe having a legend who understands him is a bad thing. its easier to justify someone who hates him, theres plenty reason to. but like him? enjoy his company? hes confused, to say the least.

hes frantically reaching for one of his stims, if his mind is going to be racing so frantically, the rest of his body might as well do the same. "lets leave this here for now, yeah? ive got some videos to film!" he gets up quickly, but stops dead in his tracks when you offer to help him with his stunts. he whips around back over to you. "you sure?" you nod with a smile that might make him more energetic than any stim could. "alright cmon cmon cmon! i hope you known how to hold a camera, if you miss any good shots im gonna be pissed!"

rumors start about octanes elusive camera operator, all kinds of misinformation spreads too, some of it crazier than others. 

you personally find it funny, sometimes tempting the viewers by almost flipping it around to show your face, but youre stopped by octane and his ridiculously fast reflexes everytime.

"hey hey amigo no need to ruin the mystery! plus you totally just didnt film that awesome stunt i just did! what am i paying you for!?" 

you try your best to stop yourself from laughing, but at this point youre sure it must be obvious its you behind the camera, youre just going along with the "mystery" because octane asked you to by whispering in your ear that it "increases his interaction" or whatever influencer bullshit. (you were more focused on his voice than what he was saying tbh 🧍.)

the other legends are sick of you two at this point, and are just about ready to expose the "secret" to get octane to shut up 😭. when i say you guys are always together doing stupid shit i mean ALWAYS!!

MIRAGE // ELLIOTT WITT:

a flirt wbk. expect to be invited to lots of yacht parties.

mirage is known to have a very welcoming aura, and you noticed this the second you first interacted on the dropship. (anyone wanna take me out? come find me 🤭.)

you guys are on the same team for tdm, and he is almost constantly by your side.

someone sneaks up behind you? hes already sending a decoy their way so you can get the upper hand.

in case you miss? no worries, hes right behind you with pinpoint accuracy. (talk about a great first impression.)

you guys absolutely crushed the opposite team 50-15, and mirage hurriedly rushes over to you the second the match is concluded to invite you to his celebration party that night.

youre more surprised he has the energy to still keep going after such an intensive match, and you barely get the chance to say maybe before hes walking away excitedly.

uh, actually i might sit this one out-" "cool, cool, cool. ill see you tonight!"

lets just say things get… interesting on the mirage a trois 😀.)

you hooked up on the boat okay, youre not the first (and might not be the last either.)

parties werent necessarily your thing, but after elliott had practically won the game for you today, you figured showing up was the least you could do to return the favor. you were honestly just hoping the yacht didnt blow up like youd heard about his other ones doing…

you arrive way later than everyone else in hopes that you arent the first person there, but your current situation is almost just as awkward as everyone assumes you managed to get lost on your way here. (as if you could miss mirages yacht if you tried…) however, you probably did look just as lost as everyone assumed you were while trying to find mirage in the sea of decoys and other party guests.

when you finally stop getting bamboozled and find the real mirage, you try to explain you were only stopping by out of politeness, but hes not having any of it. "what do you mean youre leaving already? weve gotta make up for all the partying time lost while you werent here!" he hands you a drink and leads you to a table with crypto and wattson, who seem to have just had an… important conversation interrupted with your presence.

"if theres anyone you wanna get to know in the games, other than me of course, these are the legends!" youre almost amazed at how mirage chooses to ignore the awkward atmosphere hes created, and manages to smooth it over in record time as well. crypto looks as annoyed as ever, meanwhile wattson attempts her best at a conversation with the group, and you almost wish you never showed up in the first place.

‘almost’ is the key word here, you knew deep down you didnt really have anywhere else to be, and going along with whatever such an attractive legend says was surely better than staying in your dorm room and missing out on a night of fun. which is exactly why when elliott leaned closer to your ear and said something that definitely wasnt pg-friendly, you downed your drink and made quick goodbyes to his friends before leaving to a secluded area of the yacht with the party host himself. 

i think by now the other legends are just waiting for you two to finally announce theres something between you. 

everyone, and i mean everyone seems to know, and i swear rampart is one more flirtatious comment away from exposing your corny asses during the next match.

however, youre hesitant. youre still incredibly new to the games, isnt it odd for things to be moving so fast?

sure, elliott is great, but you cant help but have an anxious feeling in your stomach, and making the mistake of looking at comments online surely isnt helping either.

mirage noticed your shift in behavior immediately, hes been around you more than any of the other legends, and he expects to be the first to hear of whats troubling you (if youre okay with it, of course).

he might not seem like it at first glance, but mirage really is a great listener. despite your first impressions of him making him out to be well… a party-loving flirt, he has so many more layers to him than whats on the surface level.

when he gets serious, hes not cracking his usual jokes, although hes still got his awkward charm. 

"i just… feel like were moving too fast. its only been a month since ive joined the game after all…"

he thinks for a moment before responding calmly, "well i mean, if you wanna take things slower, all you had to do was ask. besides we have all the time in the world! as long as you dont have some secret plan to leave the games or something, than were fine!" you smile at him.

okay, maybe he does still joke a little bit, put i promise its fine in context 😭😭.

can you tell i like crypto (especially jealous crypto) a totally normal amount 😦 totally not inspired by the mcc song by derivakat 🫶

#✧;;↬ my work.❞┊🍓 #apex legends #apex legends x reader #crypto #park tae joon #octane #octavio silva #mirage #elliott witt #crypto x reader #octane x reader #mirage x reader #apex legends fanfic #apex crypto x reader #apex octane x reader #apex mirage x reader #crypto x you #octane x you #mirage x you #apex legends x you

[1im-perfect1]

Thinking about Nandor and his word choice how much of an open book in a foreign language he is, how he wears his heart on his sleeve while not even comprehending his own decisions and motives and him being dumb not stupid.

The sound effect in 3x08 when he says “I relinquish you of your service” it’s genuine all of season 3 is him slowly changing his behavior with Guillermo and the whole “vampirism is a curse” feels real and genuine because he’s being disingenuous, he has to tell 1 truth and 3 lies “I care about you” drowned by “My cold dead heart” a lie “your just okay personality” another lie “just a little bit” the biggest lie after the heaviest truth, from then on familiar is used as an insult he doesn’t really think of Guillermo that way, 3x09 and 3x10 are all about Nandor playing a part (and all of season 4), 3x09 is pure survival and self-preservation he’s hurting so it means it’s everyone else’s fault, they’re all beneath him and still underneath all the coping there’s tenderness that spills out with Guillermo (that he was so scared was gonna grow apart and instead Nandor is the one that constantly tries to get away).

3x10 is the most strategic Nandor and the most serious we see him, he’s carrying out a plan and that’s why I don’t think Nandor is as stupid or oblivious (as the show might make you think) he knows Guillermo enough to play him, he starts talking about leaving when he hears the door opening, he knows he hasn’t told anything to Guillermo (he would have been the first to know), he mocks him about not being a vampire and giving him one last duty, but at the same time has already a goal in mind he finds someone to plan the journey to rid Guillermo of having to work, he gets a little too excited when he sees Guillermo because he’s getting really happy about it to then before the fight recompose himself and go back into character telling things that would make Guillermo mad, the “You shooed away some assassins who gives a shit” is such a dead giveaway after him fighting a whole month to save Guillermo’s life and how grateful he was about having his life saved also I’m 75% convinced that he knew about the hypnosis...tiny problem he underestimated Guillermo’s reaction but I also think that’s why Nandor is so interested in him, he’s unpredictable.

But Nandor can’t predict others’ actions (Laszlo’s) and can't see through anyone else's lenses so the only way he can explain to himself why Guillermo didn’t come is outright rejection, it’s setting yourself up for failure "the worst outcome" accepting it without listening because you have to come to peace with it, knowing that if you heard it from that person it would tear you apart so you forgive because you don’t want to hear it. But how does he get Guillermo to stay now? He relinquished him of his service in 3x08 so he’s not his employee anymore and in 3x10 he gave him his last duty...mmm he’s been really lonely lately...without...him...check mate, he’s gonna propose in the same exact way as last time but this time to be his best man hoping that he will be jealous...he isn’t...Guillermo’s gonna stop him because it’s too hasty and ridiculous...he doesn’t...he’s gonna ask him impossible stuff for the wedding...he gets everything and also gets Nadja and The Guide to help him...he’s gonna object to the wedding...he’s the only person that doesn’t, well at least Nandor got what he wanted but his wife stops him from spending time with Guillermo and he has a boyfriend, if Guillermo likes his boyfriend what if he likes Guillermo’s boyfriend too but he can’t steal him away that would be cruel and he’s not a cheater, if there’s 2 of the same thing are there 2 or just 1? Everything is resolved him and Guillermo like the same thing but they’re not the same thing but they are, Guillermo is being confusing first he says they are the same thing but when Nandor tries to give him his Freddie he says it’s different, this isn’t fun anymore...well everything is back to normal and it’s wonderful isn't it? Guillermo isn’t his familiar, nor bodyguard, nor best man but here he is and single too...should he question why he’s still there or why he wants him there...nah

#don't know how many words long Nandor's meta no one will read #it got really erratic towards the end but his thought process is just too deranged to verbalize #No one understands Nandor in the same emotionally avoidant nd way I do #what we do in the shadows #wwdits #wwdits spoilers #nandor the relentless #guillermo de la cruz #nandermo #nandor x guillermo #wwdits freddie

[jannelbabblessims]

The Poppy Diaries: Part 1- The Proud Parent Journey

(TW: Mild language/swearing)

“When the dream is worth fighting for, are you ready for the cost?”

–POPPY—

This is not your normal story… There was no “love conquers all” or “love at first sight” moment to bring me to this time of need. I just woke up to it.

Let me stress this, I didn’t know who I was. I can’t even seem to remember my life before all this. Everything just seemed so blank till this. I just woke up with this whole life beginning and a plan. To be a parent. And a proud one at that.

This insatiable need to make this purpose unfold was just as immediate as my eyes opened from what felt like a long slumber.

There was just one problem…It couldn’t happen without another, and well… There wasn’t anyone else in my life at this moment.

So I had a plan.. I needed to find a man. He didn’t need to be anything special, Hell I didn’t even care for his name. He was part of a plan and he didn’t even need to know about it later…

Was that terrible of me to do? Maybe… but again, I had one goal and it didn’t say there needed to be two people to continue this, just to start it.

I looked over job opportunities on my phone and everything just didn’t seem to fit my needs. Having this baby required a lot of objectives I needed to fulfill and I WAS going to do this alone.. So I needed to make sure I could spend as much time with my child as possible. They needed to be perfect, after all.

I was lucky enough to find some plants and random things buried in the ground in my neighborhood. Thankfully I was able to plant some of the plants and start my little garden outside. I just hope I can figure out a year-round solution.

With everything planted there really wasn’t much else to do, so in other words, Time to look for a man!

So I knew I didn’t want to find him near me… For one, every guy in willow creek was either married or…..weirdly out of style.. It just was not going to work and I especially didn’t want to relive any regrets when I looked out my window and saw them strolling down the street with some tiny shorts and an eyeball ring… Oh God no…

I thought why not something a little more mysterious…. And most of all, FAR FAR away.

Ok let me tell you, this place was mysterious enough and also came with a lot of warning signs that matched up with a “BEWARE OF DOG” vibe. Guessing this town was much like Brindleton and Dog friendly, which I was not..

Thankfully I didn’t seem to spot any but I did see a rather sketchy-looking group of people hanging over by a trailer in the middle of this town. The area didn’t have much else but garbage everywhere and a fire pit that they were all huddled around. There was someone who oozed power and intimidation. They must’ve heard me nearby because “The leader” looked my way, narrowed their eyes, and made their way over to this beat-up workout machine and proceeded to pump some iron furiously….Like almost an animalistic rage-inducing manner. That was not meeting my objective at all. Too terrifying to me.

But the other person there, He was something pretty cute. A bit scruffy of a dude but he offered a friendly smile my way and this just set my wheels turning in my head. He wasn’t too much but at least he was attractive enough for my potential child. Again I know I am terrible but like, I didn’t have time for a slow burn romance or anything.

Guy kept smiling. He was definitely checking me out (which my coldwear was not really appreciative enough for this interaction but I will take it) and just continued to smile. He had a messy beanie on his long wild hair and was wearing a torn up shirt to go with his torn up pants.

He looked like he could potentially be a super slob or homeless but dang, that smile..

It didn’t take long for him to decide to approach me. Which thank God for that because I didn’t have a plan otherwise.

He sauntered over in with a slight muscly swagger, at first I thought his physic was rather slim but as he got closer in this darkness It was very clear that this man had some definition for sure.

“Hey,” he called out, still fucking smiling with that cute smile (What’s wrong with me?!), “You lost?”

“Uhhhhh” I stuttered out in my OH SO CLUMSY WAY. Apparently, words were hard.

“Do you need any help getting home girlie?” He smirked, clearly loving my lack of vocabulary at this moment, “I’m sure I can help ya out if you need.”

Oh boy, I suddenly needed it.

“Oh, could you?” I countered, this time a bit more flirty in tone and with actual words, “Because that would do me SO much good right now.”

I really don’t think he expected me to say that at all, the look of shock on his face brought so much triumph within me. Literally, 5 minutes with this guy and I already felt some need to best him.

A soft growl was heard nearby, I peeked back over to the ragey shadow that was pumping iron a few seconds ago and found no one there.. Weird, that was so sudden.

Mr. Beanie stepped closer, “They left, girlie.”

I have no Idea what is up with this guy, if he is trying to be sexy or what but at this moment I didn’t care. I literally put myself into the most vulnerable place, in some weirdly dark abandoned town with some rough-looking dude. I just needed to woman up and get this over with.

“Perfect,” My own devious smile peeked out, “Means the two of us can find somewhere fun to be in this old town?”

I was a little disappointed when he didn’t seem the least bit surprised, I was hoping this would be a moment of “This girl is freaking wild” but no….Just more smiling…

He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards a dirt road, Lots and lots of dark followed and I am not gonna lie, I am a bit worried about this but at this time I feel I am in too deep now…

“Here, Let’s go grab a drink nearby and get to know eachother better,”

—–The Next day—–

Ok so…. We definitely rolled around in a bush… Yes, a literal bush outside this “bar” which was actually an old double-decker bus?

I have no freaking idea what I was thinking…My mind was so set on this whole baby thing I really was not thinking like a smart human being AT ALL. I could’ve been killed by the looks of this guy! I don’t even remember his name.

He was gentlemanly enough I guess..IF that’s what you can even call it. He got us some drinks and we sat around by a nearby fire and chatted, maybe got our names exchanged at most and some flirts out here and there. Soon enough though he was dragging me into this bush! which at that point sounded like the most approving move to make because the heat was ON.

I can’t believe it, I got sloppy drunk and I woohoo’ed in a bush with a stranger…

Nausea seems to be consuming me today and I can’t tell at the moment what that could be from…Regrets? No not really, Embarrassment? Well, I wasn’t really being smart…But let’s be real my whole plan wasn’t the smartest.

I wonder If I will ever see that man again? Do I even want to?

TO BE CONTINUED……

#Sims 4 #sims story #sims 4 storytelling #sims series #sims werewolves

[wendyr420284432]

How Create A Formal Demand Payment Letter And Avoid A Lawsuit

What will be the reason for this? Happiness stems from being loved and wanted, one of the basic psychological needs in each of us that demands fulfillment. Consumers are willing pay a visit to to any lengths to obtain love. Nations have gone to war, kings have abdicated their thrones, and star-crossed lovers sometimes make suicide pacts - all for are keen on. lgo4d penipu I see this all frequently. Fear stands in the way of success for space majority people today that. They investigate the path to achievement clearly laid out before one. As soon they begin they find an issue they didnrrrt expect and they become too embarrassed. Fear of the unexpected contributes to fear of failure. Concern about failure to be able to fear of criticism, Nervous about criticism contributes to fear of exposure. Most of this only occurs in a moment and everyone take set up the thought processes. They are simply states and achieving nothing in to do with reality. More players will reduce the number of words played by each, but the strategies and alternate possibilities will surely add more excitement too as problems. The main goals remain: have fun and learn efficiently. Carefully Consider What You want Your Husband Lgo4d To Remember From The Letter Before you Write It And Have To Him: I highly recommend that anyone decide to write any letter, you examine what hope carry out with getting this done. I have to will. Many women admit to me that they write the letter this is because they want their husband to feel guilty or remorseful about the affair. Desire to show him how badly he's hurt these kind of. They want to supply him with a glimpse into just how deeply their feelings drive. Always reinforce by doing the whole word at the end - and use your finger - pointing to each sound symbol as you say it, while saying the whole word. Fashion then get the children to trace the individual sound symbols (letters)- showing them they are formed- eg 'up, down and around'. What Think A Letter To A Husband Who Cheated Or Had An Affair Should Include: I just think that well crafted letter can assist a marriage after an affair. But, you have to be wary. Because some letters actually harm the marriage or set it up back for months. Objective power my partner and i think the importance letter holds is so it can eliminate any misconceptions or understandings and it is underscore your intentions along with lgo 4d plans shifting. It truly can set a negative for the days and months ahead. Life isn't fair. Our life is not comfortable. Life happens. Life is disappointing. Va . boring. Starting in the mid-70s parents decided they required to protect children from Everyone's life. You cannot. Children will have to experience life in order to study to navigate past weed parts. Children who are taught they can say or do anything they wish without consequences fail in life. Life means "no" more times than "yes." The labor pool has taken a serious turn toward the worst because children have not learn this is of "no," discipline, responsibility, honor, pride, or love. Aging teaches children develop and nurture between reality and fantasy as long as the parent guides your kids through accomplishing this. It is not reality furnish children everything they want because the actual not Life. Children who do not learn right now there is a hierarchy will fail that need be productive on business marketplace. The real world teaches everyone generally there will possibly be someone else to whom they reason. Even someone who owns a organization is accountable to suppliers and customers. The real world proves every day that an adult who throws a tantrum is either mentally ill or immature and to be able to be considered.

[thetrinitarianmystery]

Be Imperfect and Die: On Letting Go and Taking Part

Be Imperfect and Die

Be imperfect, and die!

Envy not the ancient constellations,

With their stick-figure constancy

fixed in the heavens.

No! Forgive this conception and transcend it.

Be a real constellation:

Burning, ever-moving and glorious

for your never-waiting, your

indifference to the supplication

of that old, inquiring organ

which churns inside you

but would petrify the churning.

Be imperfect, and die!

Envy not the ancient spring,

which pushes life from lifeless darkness

and originates the stream.

No! Use this conception but doubt it.

You do not stand outside causation,

launching balls of substance

To a cold, indifferent Other

that would bounce around by Patterns

and return to reward or punish.

Be a real spring: Take and give! 

And affect your future taking, 

and modify your giving;

But be part of the dance of things!

Swirl, and know that you are swirling!

Burn, and know that you are burning!

Sit awhile to hear your crying:

“Be imperfect, and die!” -----------------

It’s fitting to post this poem after the first day of not making good on my goal of posting once per day. This poem is all about letting go and being a part of the dance of things, the flow of living that evades perfect linguistic or conceptual capture. It’s about resisting the easy narrative, or indeed resisting reification of narratives at all. It’s also about accepting that you are embedded in a network of causality that is deeply interconnected. To see how interconnected you are to everyone and everything else, think about all the things that are not happening to you as you read this. If someone interrupts you to ask you a question, you will (most likely) stop to answer. If a spider bites you, you will lose your train of thought. If your phone or computer dies, you will stop reading. Your decision to read this, then, is not only your own: the whole universe has conspired to allow you to read this right now. This is roughly what I mean when I say that one should be “a real spring.” A spring puts forth water, but it doesn’t create water; it is a gathering point for water and a putting-forth of water into a visible stream. The spring is not an object in the usual sense; it may be more accurately called a “springing” or a “springing-forth.” In just this way, we are a gathering point for the action of the universe, or God, or the Tao, or whatever you wish to call the totality of what is, prior to anything we may say about it. We are a springing-forth of agency. And yet we as nexus points of the universal “happening” have directed agency due to the auto-regressive manner of our action and self-conception. That is, the action you take at any given time and the totality’s response to that action provide new data that can be incorporated into your conceptual rendering of self and world, which in turn provides the basis for future action. In this way, you “affect your future taking” and “modify your giving.” But it is only once one has seen this structure that they are really free to exercise that agency. This is the sort of “waking up” that people talk about in spiritual circles: to be part-and-whole simultaneously and to be ever-aware of the feedback loop between concept and action. This is to actively participate in God’s self-creation (or the universe’s ongoing becoming, or however you prefer to call it). I’m not saying that this is the capital-T “Truth” of how the universe is. Indeed, one should hold these ideas themselves lightly, as doors through which to pass in order to arrive at the direct experience of what I am trying to convey. But try taking these thoughts seriously for a while and see how they affect you. For me they have been valuable in tackling perfectionism. I plan to write more about my experience with perfectionism and how it can lead to procrastination. In fact, I planned to write about it today, but my reflections on the poem took over. As always, thanks for reading!

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#Buddhism #god #perfectionism #philosophy #poem #poetry #self

[doseofponderings]

21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastination: Key Takeaways from Eat That Frog!

So, I recently finished reading "Eat That Frog!" by Brian Tracy, and I have to say, it was a game changer. What I love about "Eat That Frog!" is how it gets straight to the point ((I read the whole book in only two days, and I think it could be finished in one sitting actually)).

Brian Tracy doesn't waste any time with unnecessary details or filler material. Every chapter is packed with practical advice and actionable steps that you can take right away to start making progress towards your goals. It's refreshing to read a book that doesn't beat around the bush and gets right to the heart of the matter. If you're looking for a book that can help you cut through the noise and focus on what really matters, then "Eat That Frog!" is definitely worth checking out.

Conclusion: Putting It All Together

The key to happiness, satisfaction, great success, and a wonderful feeling of personal power and effectiveness is for you to develop the habit of eating your frog first thing every day when you start work.

Fortunately, this is a learnable skill that you can acquire through repetition. And when you develop the habit of starting on your most important task before anything else, your success is assured.

Here is a summary of the twenty-one great ways to stop procrastinating and get more things done faster. Review these rules and principles regularly until they become firmly ingrained in your thinking and actions, and your future will be guaranteed.

Set the table: Decide exactly what you want. Clarity is essential. Write out your goals and objectives before you begin.

Plan every day in advance: Think on paper. Every minute you spend in planning can save you five or ten minutes in execution.

Apply the 80/20 Rule to everything: Twenty percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results. Always concentrate your efforts on that top 20 percent.

Consider the consequences: Your most important tasks and priorities are those that can have the most serious consequences, positive or negative, on your life or work. Focus on these above all else.

Practice creative procrastination: Since you can’t do everything, you must learn to deliberately put off those tasks that are of low value so that you have enough time to do the few things that really count.

Use the ABCDE Method continually: Before you begin work on a list of tasks, take a few moments to organize them by value and priority so you can be sure of working on your most important activities.

Focus on key result areas: Identify those results that you absolutely, positively have to get to do your job well, and work on them all day long.

Apply the Law of Three: Identify the three things you do in your work that account for 90 percent of your contribution, and focus on getting them done before anything else. You will then have more time for your family and personal life.

Prepare thoroughly before you begin: Have everything you need at hand before you start. Assemble all the papers, information, tools, work materials, and numbers you might require so that you can get started and keep going.

Take it one oil barrel at a time: You can accomplish the biggest and most complicated job if you just complete it one step at a time.

Upgrade your key skills: The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at your key tasks, the faster you start them and the sooner you get them done. Determine exactly what it is that you are very good at doing, or could be very good at, and throw your whole heart into doing those specific things very, very well.

Identify your key constraints: Determine the bottlenecks or choke points, internal or external, that set the speed at which you achieve your most important goals, and focus on alleviating them.

Put the pressure on yourself: Imagine that you have to leave town for a month, and work as if you had to get your major task completed before you left.

Motivate yourself into action: Be your own cheerleader. Look for the good in every situation. Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Always be optimistic and constructive.

Technology is a terrible master: Take back your time from enslaving technological addictions. Learn to often turn devices off and leave them off.

Technology is a wonderful servant: Use your technological tools to confront yourself with what is most important and protect yourself from what is least important.

Focus your attention: Stop the interruptions and distractions that interfere with completing your most important tasks.

Slice and dice the task: Break large, complex tasks down into bite-sized pieces, and then do just one small part of the task to get started.

Create large chunks of time: Organize your days around large blocks of time so you can concentrate for extended periods on your most important tasks.

Develop a sense of urgency: Make a habit of moving fast on your key tasks. Become known as a person who does things quickly and well.

Single handle every task: Set clear priorities, start immediately on your most important task, and then work without stopping until the job is 100 percent complete. This is the real key to high performance and maximum personal productivity.

Make a decision to practice these principles every day until they become second nature to you. With these habits of personal management as a permanent part of your personality, your future success will be unlimited. Just do it! Eat that frog!

[kinetic-elaboration]

March 6: More Don't Worry Darling

I’ve been thinking a little more about Don’t Worry Darling, probably won’t say anything very much more interesting than what I said last night, but thought I’d get it down regardless. I’m still obsessing over this idea that the men leave. It’s probably written that way to make them more evil, or possibly just to make the story possible on a basic plot level, and yet it’s becoming the defining part of the movie for me.

What does having the men leave say about how this project’s creators' view utopia?

You’d think if it was really utopia, if it was really perfect, if it was really the future, they’d want to live there forever, all the time! Why have they created a situation where they leave and the women stay?

(For simplicity I am treating all the men as a monolithic entity that controls the simulation and makes its own choices regarding it, even though obviously Frank is the real head of things/decision maker, his power or control over the men is never fully delineated, and it’s possible one or more women, like Shelly or Bunny, have some measure of control behind the scenes—or at least live a markedly different life than the women who are unaware of the simulation.)

I think this version of utopia posits that people desire/need:

--Contrast: the men know just how wonderful Victory is because they leave it for long chunks of time;

--Purpose: even within the simulation, the Grander Purpose of Victory and its “progressive materials” animates the population; the women talk about their important role in the overall plan; whatever the men are really doing, I believe they continue to see this larger goal as central to their own personal identities, and that it perhaps even helps them to justify the more unseemly things they are doing;

--Autonomy: in other variants of this story, a person chooses the utopia/simulation/game/new world and then forgets the choice, so that their awakening comes with a reckoning with the past self; here, the men (and presumably anyone else, like Bunny, who actively made the choice) remembers exactly what they did, why they did it, and where they were before. They leave the simulation and come back, and every time they come back, they choose it again. I don’t think this is a bug of the system. I think this is the only way that the men can continue to exert control over themselves and their lives, and that this is consciously understood as a good or even a necessity. What drove them to Victory in the first place but their own perceived or actual lack of control over their own lives? (To what extent they might actually be indebted to Frank or unable to leave in the sense of cult followers attached to the cult leader is not clear.)

--A sense of one’s own moral uprightness: although the men are keeping their “chosen wives” from experiencing any of the markers of utopia as it has been created for them, they still get to believe that everything they are doing is a sacrifice for the women, and I think this is such a clever knot, and I am obsessed with it. The women know no contrast, so they cannot fully appreciate Victory. They have no autonomy at all. They are sort of provided with a purpose, within the narrative, but it’s only as helpers to the men, and the meta-narrative that the men understand to be true is that the women are to be saved from the awful real world, or in other words, to be objects. This is a real have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too scenario for the men, because they get to believe that the women are living ideal, ordered, perfect lives—but such ideal lives revolve around the service of men and the fulfilling of male fantasies. And in providing women with this ideal life of service, they are themselves being white knights. They are sacrificing their work day lives, by leaving the simulation for whole chunks of time every day, and they are taking on the burden of knowledge, and they are taking on full responsibility for the women—“each man is responsible for his own wife.” He will never have to be burdened by guilt because he is doing the right thing, the heroic thing, according to this narrative.

I think this is a necessary part of the utopia. You cannot be said to be living in paradise if you are plagued by guilt. You have to believe you are doing nothing wrong, and the helix-structure of the situation creates exactly this moral certitude and sense of self-sacrifice for them: even their own unhappiness is created for them, is part of their ultimate utopia.

#the year 2023 #2023: fandom thoughts #2023: movies

[nyco-renovations]

Planning For a Bathroom Renovation with NYCO Renovation

Before searching for Local Bathroom Contractors, consider your family in the morning. Is it like the Grand Prix, with everyone racing for a turn in the restroom and hurrying to begin their day?

Now consider your nights. Do you have a place of quiet meditation and tranquilly where you may wash away the everyday noisy clutter with a warm rain shower, a steam-equipped shower, or pulsating water jets in a soaking tub? There are universal functions that should be addressed regardless of your new bath's specific needs and uses that are unique to your dream bathroom.

Bathrooms in modern houses are not just practical spaces but also places of beauty that reflect one's own aesthetic preferences.

As you likely already know, renovating a bathroom can boost your home's value in ways beyond aesthetics. Therefore, you must take this process very seriously. Keep this information in mind as you go ahead with any planned tasks. Combining design knowledge and construction skills in a single source is your greatest assurance that a qualified local bathroom contractor's bathroom renovation will be a success and match your vision and intended result.

A Helpful Guide to Bathroom Renovations

In most houses, the bathroom is the smallest area, although many things are involved when it comes to making changes. Whether you are considering installing heated flooring, extending the size of the room or anything else, it is necessary to take a step back prior to getting started and analyzing everything that has to be done. This guide is helpful if you want to be sure not to forget anything along the road. Our designers will help you throughout the whole process by coming to your location.

Budgeting

Before beginning, you must consult with your designer to establish a realistic budget. You can only expect to have a nice new bathroom if you know the budget. Again, a consultation with our designer will help you understand the amount of money required to renovate your specific home. There are methods to achieve trendy design at a cheap budget, resulting in a lovely place, but our designers are always more intent on saving money than they sacrifice quality. Once you've established a reasonable budget, our designer will schedule a meeting to evaluate a preliminary design and show you some finishes that match your vision.

A budget may need some effort to create. This is especially true in situations when choosing finishes is difficult. Tile or marble? Prefabricated shower enclosures or tile? Absolutely brand-new fixtures and vanities? Moving walls or wiring? The trick is to collaborate with your designer and do some Internet research to identify the greatest options that match your evolving budget and aesthetic preferences. NYCO Renovation Designers would be the first to tell you that a beautiful result does not need a fortune. They are also the first to advise you on where to allocate your budget. After collaborating with the designer, your proposal should include fair project pricing.

Acquiring Materials

Together with your designer, NYCO Renovation will organize just-in-time delivery of all material delivery lead times and on-site services of the many installation team members, electricians, plumbers, tile setters, painters, and suppliers, among others. Our objective is to coordinate all planning and material procurement so that your home life is disrupted as little as possible throughout the duration of the project. The goal is to coordinate the contractors' schedules so that you have a bathroom for a while.

Demolition

In order to save money, many individuals do this task on their own. Even though there is nothing wrong with this, remember that it can sometimes cause more trouble than it's worth. When disassembling anything, you must be exceedingly cautious not to damage any plumbing or electrical systems. Otherwise, you will need reinforcements to address these problems before anybody can begin working on the main project.

NYCO Renovations has been operational since 2007. Our profession began with the construction of newly constructed homes. After years of designing and building the ideal new home for our clients, we understood that home renovations and improvements were the directions we needed to pursue further in helping our clients achieve that "new home" feeling.

Make an appointment online or over the phone, and let NYCO's team of home renovation specialists make your dreams come true! Call us at 506-866-3996 today!

#Bathroom renovations Moncton #bathroom home renovations #contractor for bathroom renovation #bathroom renovations near me

[lighthouseborna]

WHAT IS YOUR DARKEST DESIRE?

— to be saved by someone

the hurt you carry in your heart is a heavy burden to bear. you dream of someone, a figment of light and beauty, to heal your scars. but i promise, you are not as broken as you believe. (let me kiss it better.)

#YOU SHTU THE HELL YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW ARE YOU KIDDING ME #☩ chicken on a raft ( DASH GAME. ) #ok i. slkjfglskfjg #listen ok. listen. im just. #today i have been thinking a lot about. #i feel like? i wrote a post about this a long time ago but i've been thinking about how Henry is like #he is not the only one who Can. he was not the only person who could have done what he did #in that sense he isn't like. special he's not powered or anything #what he is #is the only one who would. #the only person who said ''but this is possible and so i will try it'' #the only person who believed that #and then to. to set out to do that from a very tender age? #to make that your whole life goal your whole objective no plan for anything else no other real ambition just #just to fix. this thing that you see as broken. that nobody thinks you can and nobody else will even try #they won't even try #so it is just him. him and whoever will -at least- follow behind him #even if they still have doubts and even if they think it's an impossible venture and it's #Him. the only one who will. #because everyone else gave up before they even started #and then you box him into his own head and he can't do anything and im #shut up. Shut up!!!

[nikadoesanart]

Dazai living in a shipping container analysis

I’ll be talking about the “pros” and “cons”, if you can even call them that, of Dazai living in a shipping container near a dumping site. Also I am using what architecture knowledge I do have on the subject of container homes.

This is on the longer side so brace yourself. Also Stormbringer spoiler warning, in case that wasn’t realized yet.

Before I actually start I’ll preface this by saying that I’m a former architecture student but it was with a design focus. I have also previously designed a shipping container home so although I have some knowledge, it does have its limitations.

Also this will be updated when the fan translations get to this part of Stormbringer. Currently, I’m getting the information from chazukekani and popopretty’s summaries and translations, so please check them out too!

As a general reference for what to expect of a shipping container home, the average shipping container is 8 x 20 ft or 8 x 40 ft. As a more visual example, here is a portion of the container house I designed. Note that it’s total length is 30ft because I have two 20ft long containers stacked on top of each other, with a 10ft offset. The space beyond the sliding doors is a balcony and can basically be ignored for the purpose of this analysis. With the pictured dimensions, you can consider it to be insulated from the outside, so as not to sacrifice internal space. Despite this, you can see that it feels fairly cramped even with minimal furniture (a sink, toilet and shower unit in the bathroom and a bed, desk, and wardrobe closet in the master bedroom).

Dazai’s current living arrangement

Now for comparison, let’s first take note of what’s known of Dazai’s living conditions for comparison.

he’s living in an illegal dumping site, and there are toxic substances coming from the ground because of this

“Not even a field mouse would dare to approach it.” (Popopretty)

the area is not on the map and Dazai lives near the center of it (which can easily be one of the worst parts in terms of health and safety)

the container was previously “used to export passenger cars overseas” (popopretty)

his only furniture is a fridge, (exhaust) fan, desk/table, a chair, and a bare light bulb

no one would approach “not just because the place itself was weird. It was because no one could predict how Dazai would react if someone approached his private residence.” (Popopretty)

it’s been a year since he’s joined, yet no one trusts him → he could’ve been living here since before he joined but we don’t know as of yet

he’s sitting in complete darkness, lightbulb off and door shut, until Verlaine opens the door and walks in

Verlaine asks if he’s living here because he’s afraid of property taxes but Dazai claims that he’s afraid of Verlaine. He’s not actually addressing his choice of location because he only corrected Verlaine on what he fears, and gives no actual explanation for why he chose to live here.

The “pros”

Naturally unapproachable location. Even if Dazai being PM Dazai wasn’t a factor in people staying away, the nearby smell alone means no one would normally approach it, much less suspect a Port Mafia executive of all people to be living there. It’s also unmapped territory so even less reason for him to be found. This means enemies and allies alike would have a more difficult time trying to find him (ie. to come for his life) and there’s unlikely to be anyone else around. After all, if even a mouse won’t go there why would a whole person live there?

It costs him nothing. Not that it’d make a difference with what we can assume of his financial wealth. He has money, likely more than Chuuya who lives in a nice apartment in a nice area, yet chooses to live in a shipping container in an illegal dumping site. This is beneficial for Dazai, since there’s no paper trail or record of where he lives, which goes right into my 3rd point.

Ease of abandonment. Considering his whole goal at the time is to off himself without troubling others in the process, it makes sense that he’d want to leave minimal traces behind. No unpaid rent or mortgage, no one on a waiting list to move into a nice place, and no personal belongings or attachments. This winds up being a pro/advantageous when he does leave the PM since there wasn’t a trace to follow him with in the first place. He can simply grab his few things of importance and find a new shipping container or abandoned building outside of the PM’s territory. In fact, he might’ve even been able to stay there or in that general area since no one dares to approach it in the first place.

The “cons”

Or should I say say the dangerous living conditions he’s in. I don’t find them surprising because again, he doesn’t have a long term plan to live at this point. He doesn’t have much reason to care about what happens to himself, as we can deduce from his overall disregard towards being constantly injured and in danger for example. This is also where the architectural stuff comes into play.

Let’s start with the most visible one, lack of insulation. With a shipping container home, you can insulate from the inside and lose about a foot of interior space in each direction (6 in. off each wall) or from the outside and lose the aesthetic of the textured walls. Either way, it costs time and money to do it. We know it’s not insulated from the inside because of the illustration and, in my opinion, it’s very unlikely that Dazai would’ve gotten it insulated from the outside because at the very least, it would make his container stand out among the others nearby. You need to insulate a container home because they get very hot or cold in the summer and winter respectively, as they are made of metal. I’ve heard that at the very least, Japan’s summers are HOT.

This one is a little harder to confirm and will likely be updated as fan translations are released, but a likely hazardous set up for electricity and (hopefully) plumbing. If you don’t have the insulation on the inside but you still have your electrical and plumbing, it can possibly become both a visual mess and a safety hazard. It’s possible that he kept it all in the back portion of his container for example, or maybe he has it taped to the floor or walls somewhere, but that also brings the question of where it’s connected to on the outside. Since he’s on a dumping site, then where’s the electrical going to go at the very least? Sure he can use nearby public facilities but every day? He has a fridge, single lightbulb and a fan but where is the power is connected to? In terms of plumbing, I think it’s equally likely he found a Porta potty nearby or there’s (hopefully) some sort of public or PM owned facility nearby. Really, his hygiene, especially during the PM days when he was (as far as we the audience are aware) likely at his lowest, can easily become its own separate question/discussion for another day. After all, we’re just talking about the condition of his container in this post.

The possible fumes and chemicals left over. The paint on shipping containers is meant to withstand the sea water splashing on to them, so it may contain harsh chemicals. And we know that his container was used previously to ship cars overseas, but that still leaves the possibility for things to have leaked on the inside at this time. We don’t actually know if it’s been used more than once, but seeing as we do have a usage history, I’d say there’s a fair enough chance for it to have been a single use container. Still, chemicals could’ve previously leaked and the paint may be a concern in the long run. It’s also possible that it has begun rusting as well, due to the metal being exposed to the likes of sea water. Also, let’s not forget the toxic substances from the illegal dumping site itself, possibly going into the container over time.

Also as far as we can tell, there seems to be a lack of windows. This means no natural light, aside from opening a whole door. Keep in mind that windows can help with indoor temperature control, not just natural light.

Living in a dump site, especially an illegal one. This one should speak for itself but I’ll list some concerns anyway. Seeing as it’s illegal, we can probably just forget about regulations altogether, much less any possible existing ones being followed. This means that there can be literally anything from hazardous waste material, to dangerous and sharp objects on the ground, to who knows what kind of smells and fumes, etc. In short, not a safe area to live in, for health concern reasons at a minimum.

Again, my knowledge on shipping container homes themselves is limited and I do recommend checking out Belinda Carr’s videos on some of the downsides of them from a professional’s POV.

7 reasons why shipping container homes are a scam

Responding to comments: shipping container scam video

Also, just because Dazai was making presumably LARGE amounts of money obviously doesn’t mean that he has to spend it all or live luxuriously if he doesn’t want to. It’s not that hard to infer why Dazai did choose to live in such conditions and I mainly wanted to draw attention to how these conditions can affect him, with both the advantages and disadvantages.

#bsd spoilers #bungou stray dogs #stormbringer #bsd dazai #bsd storm bringer #bsd theories #bsd analysis

[psychee92]

Why ACOTAR 5 Is (Without a Doubt) Elain’s Book

Warning: This post will be a long one, and will analyze the series as a whole (including ACOSF). As you read it, please consider taking your shipping goggles off, as none of this has anything to do with shipping and everything to do with character development/plot/the overall narrative of the series/good storytelling. Thank you!

Main points: 

Elain’s role in the ACOTAR series

Elain’s character evolution throughout the series

The foreshadowing in ACOSF (+ bonus POVs)

The overarching plot 

SJM’s own words

The ACOTAR Series and Elain’s Role

We have multiple interviews of SJM saying that Nesta and Elain’s role started off as a fairytale trope: that of the evil sisters. Then, Nesta surprised her when she decided to go after Feyre in ACOTAR, and the rest is history.

The sisters went from being a trope to being an instrumental part of the series. In ACOMAF, they were a link to Feyre’s human life (a final thread that she needed to let go of), as well as a means to an end (first, by being a bridge between the IC and the Queens, and then, as leverage, or weapons that were used against Feyre in Hybern). The final scene in ACOMAF was the catalyst for everything that happened in ACOWAR—and everything that is yet to come—but, most importantly, it also opened the door to two new character arcs/journeys—two new protagonists.

The protagonist exists as a sympathetic device to drive a story. To be effective in this role, they are usually there from the inciting moment to the end.

The similarities between their journey and Feyre’s are astounding: human made into something that she was raised to fear; coming to terms with trauma; letting go of the past; accepting her new condition; and the list goes on and on.

Now, who had more to lose by becoming fae?

And who lost more than anyone else?

Elain lost a future.

She was happy, content, in love.

Then, everything was ripped away from her in the span of a few minutes.

She was turned into something she had been raised to fear, something that her own fiancée had been raised to hate.

And, if that wasn’t enough, she was also forced into a bond neither her, nor Lucien, wanted. Mated to a man who participated, even if unknowingly, in the loss of her life—of her future. A man who did not know her, want her, love her.

This, right here, is good storytelling. It sets the stage for what is to come—for Elain’s future story and character arc.

ACOWAR is centered around repercussions:

For Elain, this book is one of healing, at least on the surface. SJM built the foundation of Elain’s journey, evidenced by:

Elain hitting rock bottom

Erasing any hope of a future with Graysen

Severing the last thread to her human life (with the death of her father)

This book also emphasizes Elain’s vital role in future books by:

Making her powerful (a seer)

Making her instrumental in the war against Hybern (due to her visions)

Having her save both, Nesta and Cassian (the protagonists of ACOSF)

Creating a connection between her and Vassa (and, ultimately, between Lucien, Vassa, and Jurian)

Having her introduce the next big bad (Koschei)

Hinting at her being the only one who can locate the one thing that can kill Koschei (the onyx box)

So, when you add everything that we know from ACOMAF and ACOWAR, what do we have? Potential.

We also have a character whose journey has been building since ACOTAR. The most significant hint is the constant use of the “dirty hands” imagery in reference to Elain. But more on that later.

Once the ACOTAR series wrapped up, we learned that, while Feyre and Rhysand’s journey was over, Sarah had more stories to tell—specifically, Nesta, Elain, and the ICs. As such, ACOFAS had two purposes:

To wrap up Feyre and Rhys’s story.

To introduce the future plot/main conflict and, with it, the next couple.

ACOFAS, however, also served to set up the stage for future protagonists, as well:

We saw some progress in Elain (her keeping busy with gardening and baking, her still having bad days, her friendship with Nuala and Cerridwen, and her slowly finding her place within the IC)—all of this was brought up again in ACOSF.

We got hints about Azriel and Elain’s growing feelings for each other (a storyline that was present throughout ACOSF, and confirmed in Azriel’s Bonus POV).

We learned about Azriel’s estate—Rosehall.

We got Mor’s POV, and learned some new things about her which will probably factor into her future book.

Again, SJM spent time focusing on Elain, fleshing out her character (while still giving Nesta and her journey center stage), which only solidifies the fact that she will be getting her own story soon.

It’s interesting to note that Azriel was not given a POV like Mor, and had very little character development (in comparison to Elain).

Now, let’s look at ACOSF. We have:

New conflicts—with the Queens and Beron

A new villain—Koschei

An overarching plot that connects the conflicts with the villain—the alliance between Koschei, the Queens, and Beron

A secondary, but related, plot—Vassa and, with her, the Band of Exiles (Lucien and Jurian)

Potential weapons—the Made objects

A potential solution—the onyx box

What do all of these have in common?

Elain.

She is directly tied to both, the Queens and Beron (and the Autumn Court). She’s had ties to Koschei since ACOWAR (she was the first to tell the IC about him, after getting visions about him). Her visions, in turn, led to the introduction of Vassa, which created a link between them both (and Lucien, because of their mating bond). She is the only one, apart from Nesta, who can find the Made objects (and a 4th one was introduced in ACOSF). She is also the only one, apart from Nesta, who can Make an object. Finally, she is the only one who can locate the onyx box (an image she’s been seeing since ACOWAR).

As a seer, Elain is arguably the most valuable character in the NC. She has been having visions about both, Koschei and Vassa, since ACOWAR.

Most importantly, however—her journey has been hinted at since ACOMAF:

Her role in future books having already been established, what about Elain as a character, as a protagonist? 

Let’s begin by looking at what a character arc is:

While main characters might face big challenges, character arcs have to do with internal, personal change. Characters will find their strengths and weaknesses tested over the course of the story—so that by the time they arrive at the story's end, they are a changed person.

When the protagonist overcomes external obstacles and internal flaws in order to become a better person, it becomes a hero’s journey.

At its core, this arc is made up of three points:

The Goal: Every character needs to have a goal. It might be to fall in love. Or it might be to make as much money as possible. Either way, their journey will be hindered by...

The Lie: A deeply-rooted misconception they have about themselves or the world that keeps them from reaching their true potential. In order to reach their goal, they’ll need to acknowledge and overcome the Lie, by facing…

The Truth: While the character may have their own plans, the positive change arc has its own goal: self-improvement. This is achieved when they learn to reject The Lie and embrace The Truth.

Now, let’s look at what we know about Elain:

The Goal: To defeat Koschei/the Queens/Beron.

The Lie: That she doesn’t have what it takes. That she is not as strong as her sisters. That she is the weak link, too gentle and sweet to get her “hands dirty.”

The Truth: That she is just as powerful AND capable as her sisters, and that she can do anything she puts her mind to (find the 4th object, discover the location of the onyx box, fight against Koschei/the Queens/Beron).

We already see SJM start to break down the Lie in Feysand’s Bonus Chapter:

This is followed by Feyre saying:

So not only is Elain not afraid to get her hands dirty, she’s also not afraid of getting hurt in the process.

ACOSF is filled with moments that hint at Elain becoming just as powerful (if not more so) than her sisters. She has a very important role to play in future books, because she is the only one who can locate Koschei’s box and the 4th object. Her visions have been instrumental in the series so far, and there is a big hint that she might have more than just seer abilities:

Powers. Plural.

It makes sense for Elain’s book to be next. SJM has been scattering crumbs for her story since ACOTAR, and she is the character who would add the most to the plot—the only character who can move the plot forward.

You cannot ignore all the foreshadowing:

= a literary device that writers utilize as a means to indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story.

Clear foreshadowing in ACOSF (it would take too long to list all the passages in previous books, as well): 

These are just a few examples but, for me, the one that gives it away is this passage (that can easily be overlooked) in Feysand’s Bonus POV:

SJM is basically telling us that, once Nesta’s journey ends, Elain’s will begin.

And it makes sense!

This series is about the Archeron sisters. About human women turned fae.

The first three books were about Feyre. The fourth about Nesta. It would not make sense to skip Elain, only to return to her story in the final book. Why?

Because, in order to defeat Koschei, all three sisters need to have reached their full potential. All three need to be healed, and strong, and fully in control of their lives and powers. You cannot cram everything into one book: Elain’s healing journey/character arc, Vassa’s own journey (because there is no way that SJM will NOT write a Swan Lake retelling—just look at her Pinterest board!), finding the 4th object, finding the box, and, ultimatly, defeating Koschei.

Feyre had a whole book to heal—ACOMAF

Nesta had a whole book to heal—ACOSF

Elain will have a whole book to heal, as well.

No other character adds as much value—or has as much untapped potential—than Elain.

Also, there is no way that SJM will postpone telling her story in favor of a male character (Azriel). If you’ve read any of her books, you know that it is always the female characters that eclipse the male characters.

Also, if Elain will become dark or even a villain (temporarily), then this will take place in her own story, and will not be used as a plot device for angsty!Azriel or for another couple to make sense/be pushed together.

If we look at the pattern in ACOTAR, we have:

The first book ends with a happily ever after. The MC has defeated the big bad and has walked off into the sunset with her LI. There are hints about a future conflict, but nothing is fleshed out (in ACOTAR, Feyre’s bargain with Rhys + a potential conflict between the courts and with Hybern).

The second book is all about development (both, character development, in the form of the MC’s healing journey, and plot development). The scene is being set for the final conclusion (the war/battle), and everything that takes place serves to bring the characters closer to the main conflict resolution. The book ends on a false happily ever after (Feysand’s mating bond, having what they need to annul the Cauldron’s powers), followed by a cliffhanger (the sisters turning fae, Feyre returning to the Spring Court).

The last book is centered around defeating the big bad and ends on a happily ever after for (almost) everyone involved. It brings the main players together in a final showdown that ends with good ultimately defeating evil.

If we are to look at this pattern, then:

ACOSF - Ends with a happily ever after (Nesta has healed, reconnected with her sisters, found her place in the IC, and has a family outside the IC—Gwyn, Emerie). She has defeated Briallyn, but the biggest threat—Koschei—has barely made an appearance, and there is no ending in sight.

ACOTAR 5 - Elain’s healing journey. Finding the 4th object. Knowing exactly what has been happening behind the scenes with Beron, the Queens, and Koschei. Finding the 4th object and uncovering the location of Koschei’s onyx box. Cliffhanger: Koschei has been freed/has found a way to free himself.

ACOTAR 6 - The journey to find the onyx box or a way to destroy whatever is inside. The repercussions of Koschei’s freedom. Vassa’s story coming full circle. Now that all three Archeron sisters have reached their full potential, they will most likely join forces/powers to hold off Koschei long enough for Vassa (because she NEEDS to have the killing blow) to finish him off.

This post is already long enough, but here are some honorable mentions that I haven’t spoken about because I wanted this to be a mostly character-driven argument:

The mating bond—Elain needs to either accept it or reject it, and I cannot see this happening in the last book because it would lose its effect (considering that they need to defeat Koschei in this book)

Elriel—The unresolved feelings between them need to be addressed/dealt with.

The Blood Duel—There is no way this isn’t happening. SJM wouldn’t mention it without it playing some sort of role in Elain’s book.

I might make another post (because I still haven’t addressed everything I wanted to), but Elain’s book is (without a doubt) next.

As a reminder: SJM has recently said that writing about characters that are hated/disliked is something that she loves doing. I think it’s safe to assume that, given the recent wave of hatred/dislike towards Elain, we are in for an epic journey.

#acosf spoilers #acotar 5 #acotar theories #elain archeron #pro elain #badass elain #elriel

[starlightshore]

barring the no mercy route being an influence in this case, how would you describe chara's personality? I cannot describe them well at all despite them being my favorite character. they're too complex lol. all of the meta i can find at this time as them described at both extremes of innocent & evil but i don't think that's accurate

TW: discussions of canon dark topics such as abuse , death and suicide

i love talking about chara, i've talked about them at length before lmao. thank u for giving me a chance to talk about my beloved child.

you can actually read a character exploration i'm doing in a mini-arc for Askfallenroyalty. actually, if you want one condensed post, this comic sums up chara's motives

My interpretation:

chara is an abused kid and suicidal kid*(1) who ran to mount ebott to die.*(2) upon learning that monsters are made of love and humans aren't*(3), chara began to hate humanity. the deltarune prophecy*(4) makes them to be The Angel despite being a human. Feeling undeserving of this title and obligated to fulfill it, Chara wanted to be a good kid more than anything.

But then the buttercup pie incident happened. They've accidentally*(5) poisoned asgore and came up with a plan to ensure the prophecy could be fulfilled and take a hit against humanity. Two birds with one stone -who cares if it's also a personal win too? then obviously the plan goes up in flames and they and asriel are murdered. then asgore wants to kill of all humanity.

your influence*(6) gets Chara onto a path of redemption or a path of destruction, mirroring the deltarune prophecy's two main interpretations.*(7)

in summery: chara is a scared kid trying to fit into a world that demands violence by the past actions of the previous generations. The war massacred monsters and locked them up with a kill-solution -ensuring that further violence would be needed to be free, thus continuing the cycle of violence.

chara is just a kid. they knit, they make macaroni art, they loved their family and had a best friend forever.* (8) but they're also vengeful, they cared so deeply for monsterkind they were ready to die and had no idea they'd be awake as a soul, they were prepared for death. they're complicated, you can't have one side without the other. while i’ve never wanted to murder anyone, i can still relate deeply to chara and see myself in them a lot. the tragedy of them -the fact they never really got a “happy ending” like everyone else just haunts me and it’s why I spend so much time making AFR. I just... love this character so much, i want this kid to be happy. (not that it could ever be easy to get there, happy endings aren’t free.)

And frankly, seeing this hurt kid get demonized just rubs me the wrong way, and it feels completely against the morals Undertale tries to tell with it’s story. I see it as a cautionary tale against violence and dehumanizing others for the sake of hate and violence. how kids can be influenced by the violence -or kindness around them. you don’t need to forgive the ones who hurt you, but killing them is not always the solution -though sometimes necessary as framed in the Undyne the Undying fight.

People get both Undertale’s themes and chara wrong the most, and for the game that’s meant the world to me it bothers me more than it should lol. It’s a Good Story, and I don’t mean to frame my interpretation of the character or themes as 100% canon and I know Mr.Fox’s brain to confirm it kinda deal, but with all the time I’ve spent analyzing and thinking it over I do think it’s not off in the general direction of it lol. And besides the author’s intent isn’t really the end-all-to-be-all. It’s what you get out of the story and the themes that matter and stick with you. No one can take that away from you.

Sources and evidence:

"* If you're cuter, monsters won't hit you as hard." -faded ribbion flavor text * "The ends of the tools have been filed down to make them safer." -gardening tools in New Home (and iirc Toriel's home as well, too lazy to double check rn) * Where are the knives. -no mercy chara (this and paired with the previous imply there are no sharp objects in reach of chara's home because chara can't be trusted with sharp objects out of self harm. This doesn't necessarily mean abuse but paired with them hating humanity so deeply, being suicidal and a child it paints a picture of abuse.

"* I know why (chara) climbed the mountain.* It wasn't for a very happy reason." -asriel post pacifist epilogue dialogue

"* Love, hope, compassion... * This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. * But the absolute nature of "SOUL" is unknown. * After all, humans have proven their SOULs don't need these things to exist." -Library book on monster souls)

* Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. - gerson

"* It takes at least a human soul... * And a monster soul. * ...* If you want to go home... * You'll have to take his soul. * You'll have to kill ASGORE." -Alphys. Because boss monster souls are the exception and can persist after death for a short period of time, Chara could of killed any of the family members to escape the underground. this implies escaping wasn't the goal -it was to die (considering they already attempted suicide to fall underground the first time, this is explicitly suicide.) the plaque doesn't mention or speak like monster/human fusion's consumed soul would be aware. chara had no way of knowing they'd be awake. also the whole thing with the pie is a prank. cups of butter. -> buttercups. putting flowers in a pie is a joke to do, we see Chara is similar to Toriel (they mimic her speech in the no mercy monologue, they say “greetings” as she does like how Asriel says “howdy” like Flowey does. Chara makes puns and jokes in the flavor text all the time.

https://imgur.com/a/zP18P -dog food bag at different LV. "When the protagonist first encounters Mad Dummy, they are given the option to beat it up. Choosing to beat it up prompts one of three responses depending on the protagonist's LOVE." (source: undertale wiki)

If the protagonist’s LV is 1, the response becomes "(You tap the dummy with your fist.) (You feel bad.)"

If the protagonist's LV is between 2 and 4, the response becomes "(You hit the dummy lightly.) (You don't feel like you learned anything.)"

If the protagonist’s LV is between 5 and 7, the response becomes "(You sock the dummy.) (Who cares?)"

If the protagonist’s LV is 8 or higher, the response becomes "(You punch the dummy at full force.) (Feels good.)"" This implies Chara (who is the narrator) will feel different about the dog food -which references the classic phrase of "glass half empty/full" showing your out look in life. Then hitting the dummy show's Frisk's out look on violence depending on LV. Note that by the end of it, it's no longer "you feel..." but "feels good" This is Chara.

      7. “* Lately, the people have been  taking a bleaker outlook...* Callin' that winged circle the  'Angel of Death.' “ -gerson “* Only the fearless may proceed. * Brave ones, foolish ones. * Both walk not the middle road. “ -the first plaque in the first puzzle room with Toriel. The idea is to walk on both the left and right sides -you can’t go half way in the middle. this mirrors the “true” endings are only accomplished if you stick to no mercy or pacifist only.

     8. literally their home in New Home is a treasure trove of pre-game chara characterization.

#personal stuff #ut tag #character analysis #chara analysis #ask to tag #i put the warnings up top tho

[sleeping-on-cracking-ice]

omg I love your work very much! You write really great and it's a pleasure to read you. I have a small request, if it's possible. I've never read this before so why write a one-shot (or series?) with a reader pregnant with chishiya ? (pleassse) With this news, it becomes extremely protective with the reader. Thank you so much !!

Yeah sure! Here you go! ❤

Trying My Best | Shuntaro Chishiya

{Alice In Borderland Masterlist}

{Main Masterlist}

Character(s): Chishiya (ft. Ann, OC)

Summary: You tell Chishiya that you’re pregnant and his change in behaviour from the news is hard not to notice

Warnings: accidental pregnancy, murder, swearing, graphic violence (guns), heavy angst, vomiting, panicking, blood

Word Count: 3.3k

*reader is female

Chishiya gif credit

“Chishiya, I think I’m pregnant.”

The statement hit the young man like a thousand knives. He stood up on the roof of the hotel, the moon reflecting off his glowing skin. You stared at his side profile, waiting for his reaction to the news, but he merely sighed and tucked a piece of his bleached hair behind his ears. “How do you know?”

“I’ve been throwing up a lot, without even feeling nauseated at first. It just suddenly hits and I have to run to the bathroom,” you began listing your symptoms to back your claim. “I also have been a lot more tired, going to bed super early and waking up super late. As well as my period hasn’t come yet, and it’s been a week since it was due.”

You still kept your eyes on Chishiya, trying to figure out how he was feeling. His emotions hardly ever come through his body language. He seemed too calm for your liking, but you couldn’t exactly tell because you weren’t able to see his eyes.

“It is mine?” he asked, turning to you with a serious expression. Your eyes widened in shock. “Whose else would it be Chishiya?” you exclaimed, shoving his shoulder in disbelief.

Chishiya smirked and looked away from you again. “Just making sure.”

“Do you want to keep it?”

The question took Chishiya off guard. “That’s not my choice to make,” he said.

“Yeah but if it were?” you pressed, sliding along the railing until your sides were touching. Chishiya went quiet for a few minutes, thinking about his answer. “I would hate to bring a baby into this world if I’m being totally honest,” he started. “But it’s not like we have a choice.”

You nodded and laid your head on his shoulder, feeling safe and sound against his warmth and scent. He laid his cheek on top of your head and sighed heavily.

“What are we going to do Chishiya? We’re too young to be parents, let alone in a world like this.” You felt your eyes start to water but tried your best to hold in your cries. You were terrified. Not only would you have to go through nine months of pregnancy, you would also have to play games in order to keep your visa valid.

“Hey,” you heard Chishiya say. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll push through this together. And I’ll make sure I’m here with you every step of the way.”

His words made you smile sadly, and droop your head down into your hands. You cried softly as Chishiya rubbed your back in a comforting manner.

It would be tough, impossible even. But the both of you had each other, and that’s all you needed to push through.

***********

Ever since that evening on the roof with Chishiya when you told him about the baby, he had acted strangely since.

He had lost his cocky and smug personality, being replaced by a cautious and anxious type of behaviour. You began to feel worried about him, because it was so out of character.

It didn’t go unnoticed by other members of The Beach either. Although you hadn’t told anyone else about the news (wanting to keep it between you and Chishiya), you found yourself being confronted by a lot of people asking if Chishiya was okay.

Ann mentioned that during a meeting he rushed out suddenly, not even stopping to say where he was going or why. You reassured her that he was fine, and that the stress of the games may have just started getting to his head a bit.

It was like you were suddenly dating a whole different person. There wasn’t a moment where he wasn’t by your side, always asking if you needed anything or that you were okay. He’d refuse to let you do the smallest of things, liking lifting heavy objects or even dancing in the crowd at night. There were times you would have to reason with him and remind him that you weren’t helpless, and you were basically only a few weeks pregnant, and he was acting like you were eight months. He always shrugged it off though and argued back that he just felt overwhelmed, so he wanted to try his best to be the best partner he could be during the stressful time.

But when push came to shove and you had to participate in games to renew your visa, Chishiya always insisted that he went with you. Even if you said no and tried to convince him that you would be fine, he refused to listen. You didn’t have a chance when trying to reason with his stubbornness.

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

You had decided to participate in a game a few days earlier than when your visa would expire so you wouldn’t have the stress of having to rush to one on the night it expired. As well as you had been feeling okay for the past few hours and you didn’t want to lose the opportunity of clearing a game when you were at your best instead of being forced to play one on one of your worse days.

When you told Chishiya your plan, you ended up having a small argument. Chishiya thought it was unreasonable for you to put yourself in danger when it could be prevented, as well as he felt anxious due to you not being able to perform to the best of your ability because you were holding your child.

But after you both calmed down after realizing that arguing would get you nowhere, you both decided to go to the game that night, as long as Chishiya was able to come with you.

The game was simple enough. It was a six of clubs. Each player had to find an area of the building to stay put in no more than groups of three. You were able to move around these small areas, but once the game started and you were inside one, you were not permitted to leave your area. There were four seekers, each with a different animal mask on their heads. Each area in the building also represented one of the seeker’s animals. The goal was to kill the seeker that had the animal corresponding to your area. So the players would have to create a way to lure the seeker’s to their position, but if they lure the wrong one, they would have to hide until they left.

To clear the game, players would have to kill all four of the seekers. But if they failed to do so in the time limit, flames would emerge from the ground of all areas, killing all the remaining players.

In the registration room, Chishiya kept a firm grip on your arm, making you stay close to him. There were two tables, one holding the usual phones for the players, but the other was covered with a variety of hand-held weapons, scattered across the top of it.

Chishiya strolled over to the weapon table and scanned the dangerous objects. He reached to a moderately sized blade and felt it in his hand before turning to you and holding it out, wanting you to take it.

“Here, you have this one. If we happen to get separated and you come across one of the seekers, give them a short jab to the throat with this. I have my taser to defend me.”

“We won’t get separated, we have designated areas.”

Chishiya looked directly in your eyes and sighed, placing a hand on your head. “You know what I mean.”

You hung your head low. He was meaning if he was to die. “Don’t you dare die on me now Chishiya. If you do anything reckless, you bet your stupid ass I will make sure you survive this game just so I can kill you later.”

Chishiya chuckled at your threat, allowing you to see his shiny teeth in a smile. He knew that if there would be a point that you were in any kind of potential danger, he would throw himself in front of you. His life wasn’t worth as much as yours or his child’s, to him at least.

Around ten minutes later, you both sat in a dark room that had a large painting of a wedge-tailed eagle across one of the walls. You both already assumed that was the seeker you were trying to attract. You came up with the plan to wait a short while before starting to attract the eagle’s attention, because then other people may have already killed their seeker, making it less of a chance for a different animal to come find you.

You both sat in silence on the uncomfortable couch that had springs and stuffing pouring out of it. It was the only piece of furniture in the room, so there wasn’t really anywhere else to wait.

You groaned as a short stab of pain shot through your lower abdomen, making Chishiya snap his head to you and place a soft hand over your arm that held your stomach area. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

You waved your hand in front of you. “It’s fine, just a cramp.”

Chishiya sighed in relief and rubbed your back soothingly. You swore you could hear his heartbeat through his chest, thumping against his ribcage rapidly. He was terrified, but he sure knew how to hide it from you.

You both sat in silent together, your head leaning against Chishiya’s chest as he stroked your head softly, trying to keep your nerves down. “How are we going to keep this up Chishiya?” you asked out of the blue. Chishiya hummed in acknowledgement. “I don’t know, we’ll just take one step at a time.”

The situation was overwhelming for you. With the mix of the fear of dying, your stomach cramps, Chishiya’s comforting voice and the eerie atmosphere, you couldn’t help but feel tears of stress start developing in your eyes. Before you could even get the chance to wipe them away, a sudden sob erupted from your throat, making you cover your mouth and push your face further into Chishiya’s chest.

“Aw no, don’t cry,” Chishiya cooed, wrapping his arms around your torso and holding you close. “We’re going to be fine. Trust me,” Chishiya pulled back and held your teary face in his palms. “As long as I’m here, nothing’s going to hurt you.”

You smiled at his promise, leaning into his touch on your cheek, making his face glow slightly pink.

As you and Chishiya stayed huddled close together and spoke in whispered tones, you froze as you began to hear a small noise just outside the door of the room.

Chishiya didn’t seem to hear it, and he kept talking. “Shh!” you said, cutting him off. He frowned at you and followed your gaze to the large, grey door that stood opposite to your position on the couch.

Silence filled the air as you both tried hard to listen. The tension in the room was making you almost suffocate.

“I think there’s someone outside.” you stated, standing up from your position and slowly beginning to shuffle along the floor towards the door. But Chishiya rushed after you and pulled you back before your hand could touch the door handle.

“What are you doing?!” he whisper-yelled, turning you towards him by moving your shoulders. You blinked at him, confused. “What do you mean? We need to kill it!”

“But we don’t know if it’s the eagle or not. It’s better if we hide until we’re sure it’s the one we have to kill.”

“We haven’t got time! We have less than five minutes to finish the game, so the chance of the eagle being the only one left is quite likely.”

“You don’t know that. And we aren’t even sure whether they carry weapons or not. It’s too high of a risk, and I’m not letting you put yourself in danger like that, especially when you’re pregnant with our child.”

“For fucks sake Chishiya! I’m not defenseless!”

Your yells became louder and louder with each argumentative statement, which eventually gave away your position to the seeker that stood just outside the door.

Just as you were about to rip away from Chishiya’s grip on your shoulder when you heard the large door creak open. You both turned around abruptly at the sound and laid on your eyes on a tall figure with an eagle mask covering his face. In his hand he held a small machine gun, making Chishiya’s stomach drop at the sight of it.

“Y/N!”

He grabbed your shoulders once again as you stood there in shock, not being able to move. Chishiya yelled as he pulled you roughly further into the room towards another small door that led to a closet. A few rounds of bullets shot around the room, illuminating the small space for a few short milliseconds and making the both of you develop a piercing ringing noise in your ears.

Chishiya pulled you against him as you struggled, pushing you against the wall with him in front of you, shielding you from the seeker. As he did so, he ripped the small closet door open beside you and shoved you inside, panicking and trying to get you to safety as soon as possible.

You fell to the floor of the closet, a small groan leaving your mouth as you hit the ground harshly. You were about to stand up again to push yourself out to help Chishiya, but he kicked you down before you had the chance. Your eyes landed on his, filled with frustration, but they softened as they saw the waterfalls cascading down his face.

“Please,” he choked out, putting the door behind him so the seeker can’t shoot him from the back. “For once in your life just listen to me and stay in here. Please don’t come out.”

That’s all he said before he stepped around the closet door and slammed it shut. The absolute fear and sadness on his face was burnt into your mind. You had never seen Chishiya hold such dreadful emotion on his features. It made you feel awfully guilty for picking a fight with him.

You finally came to your senses, the ringing in your ears faded and the gunshots just outside the door made your head spin. You sobbed and covered your ears with your hands, trying to block out the sounds. Your stomach churned and groaned, and you suddenly felt the urge to throw up.

You lunged forward from your sitting position on the floor and emptied the contents of your stomach on the tiled ground, coughing and gagging on the putrid smell and taste of it in your mouth.

“Fuck,” you mumbled out, rubbing your eyes to clear the tears dripping from them.

Something shifted in the pocket of your jeans, making you turn your head and place a hand over the object. Reaching in, you hissed as a sharp blade slightly cut your finger. You pulled it out gently and held it in front of you.

It was the blade Chishiya gave you at the start of the game.

“I can’t abandon him. My last words to him can’t be an argument,” you rasped out, putting a hand to your chest to recover your breathing. “I’m not going to let him die. He can’t escape being a father that easily.”

Slowly you lifted yourself up onto your feet, using the shelves in the closet as leverage. You shuffled towards the door, holding your blade out in front of you, ready to attack if you needed. You weren’t thinking straight, at that moment you didn’t even think about the fact that the seeker had a gun, all you could think about was Chishiya.

You slowly pressed down on the door handle, opening it carefully in case the seeker was still in the room. It was back to it’s darkness, making your heart drop lower.

You stepped out around the door. It was eerily quiet, making you become anxious. Something must have happened. It wouldn’t be this quiet if Chishiya and the seeker were still fighting.

A sudden wet feeling on your foot broke you from your thoughts and you glanced down to see a dark liquid seeping into your shoe. You leaned down to look at it more closely, noticing how a strong metallic smell filled your nostrils as you did so.

It was blood, but whose blood was it?

Your breathing began to quicken as you started panicking. It was a large puddle, there was no way Chishiya would survive if he got injured that badly.

“Chishiya!” you yelled out, hearing nothing but your own echo answering you. You held no care for being heard by the potentially still alive seeker at that moment. All you wanted was to find Chishiya.

“Chishiya, please!” You lifted your feet and rushed to the grey door where the seeker originally came from. It was slightly ajar and a light from the hallway outside was shining through into the room.

You pushed through the door, almost tripping over in the process. Further up the hall, two people laid on the ground. One was on their back with no movement while the other was leant up against the wall clutching their shoulder.

The injured one wore a white hoodie, making you immediately recognize them as your partner.

“Oh my god, Chishiya.” you whispered as you approached him, eyes locking on the large blood stain on his white hoodie. “Y/N, I told you to stay in the room,” he groaned out.

You placed a hand against his that held his wound, trying to keep pressure on it to lessen the bleeding. “I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to let you die that easy.”

He smiled up at you, a pained expression on his face as he hissed and whimpered at the pain of his wound. “They got me in the shoulder, but that was it.”

“You should be fine. If we get back to The Beach and get Ann to remove the bullet, it’ll heal fine.”

He knew you didn’t really know that. You were trying to reassure yourself that he would live. But either way, he wasn’t planning on dying on you anytime soon.

You looked away from him, glancing over at the figure lying on the ground motionless. The eagle mask was still lazily placed on their face. Chishiya probably didn’t want to remove it out of respect for the individual.

“How’d you kill them?” you asked, locking eyes with him once again.

“A few shocks around the ears to knock them out. But I didn’t take any sharp blades with me so I had to get creative,” he explained, nodding over towards a small slab of metal that laid a few metres away. “After a few hits with that to their head, they were gone.”

You cringed at the thought, but you appreciated Chishiya having the bravery to do that.

You felt a soft hand pressing itself against your stomach, rubbing the spot up and down. “Are they okay?”

A smile spread across your face. “I think so. They didn’t help much by making me throw up in the closet,” you laughed, making Chishiya grin.

“Causing mum trouble already.”

A happy tune being played from each of your pockets caught your attention.

“Game Clear. Congratulations.”

The reality suddenly hit you. You were alive and so was Chishiya. And although you would have to go through many more traumatic and harsh events such as the one you had just experienced, you would at least be there for each other, whether the outcome was bad or not.

“Come on. Let’s go home,” Chishiya groaned, using his good arm to push himself up. You helped him by lifting him by his shoulders.

You were alive today, and that’s all that mattered. You would worry about tomorrow when it comes round to it.

#alice in borderland #alice in borderland imagine #alice in borderland imagines #alice in borderland one shots #alice in borderland scenarios #alice in borderland x reader #aib #aib imagine #aib imagines #aib one shots #aib scenarios #aib x reader #chishiya #chishiya imagine #chishiya imagines #chishiya one shots #chishiya scenarios #chishiya x reader #chishiya x female reader #shuntaro chishiya

[billiejean485]

Okay, so it took over 24h for it to reach my brain, but it finally landed home.

WHY GABRIEL AGRESTE NEVER LETS HIS SON OUT

A short essay by yours truly

... So,

I wondered all this time why the hell Gabe never picked up on his son's negative emotions via Hawkmoth's powers. That part remains a secret (like, does he not pick up anything in his nearest vicinity or something?) - but what I believe I have finally figured out is why he is so damn controlling over Adrien.

The sad truth - although not the worst one it could have been: he is overprotective over the only offspring he has with the woman he obviously cherished over everything else.

I shall elaborate, so hold your horses.

We've seen throughout the show that Gabriel does put Adrien's well-being (although mostly physical) in secondary plan after restoring Emily's, and that he even almost gave up on his plans for the primary objective because of the danger of losing his son.

So why does he keep him cooped up most of the times? Simple: he doesn't want him out of his sight or anywhere near the danger that his Akumas would bring. If he knows at all times where Adrien is, he can be sure of his safety, so that's why he is so damn controlling.

And not only that, but he is afraid that Adrien may become a victim of his own Akumas (remember the line: "That's enough emotions for you for for today"?). If the boy is running wild out there, he won't know in what kind of emotional state he is (like we just saw in Glaciator 2) and if Adrien might turn into a bigger magnet for an Akuma than the victim Hawkmoth picked out (and we've seen the butterflies change target on more than one occasion).

... So... that's pretty much that. Unfortunately, like we all know, the head of the Agreste family fails miserably in noticing in what kind of emotional and psychological state he has put his offspring in because of all of this - and everything taken into consideration, it shouldn't be much surprising.

He has only one goal in his sight, and he has turned all focus to it. He excluded himself from the outside world and doesn't have anyone to influence his one-tracked mindset in order to start realizing that what he's doing is hurting his son (although he's probably aware of it to some extent). Natalie had some influence, but she is also too emotionally closed off to be able to see the whole picture - plus her love for Gabriel is completely clouding her vision. The bodyguard has no say in the matter either.

This is honestly nothing rare in parenting. Strict parents often do stuff like this believing firmly that it's the best that they're doing for their children - even without having a very risky plan to bring their s/o back to life.

Now why has this been the case even before Emilie fell onto a coma or whatever happened to her?

Emilie was supposedly the one who introduced the Miraculous to Gabriel, so they both knew about their powers before they probably even had a son. There was something dangerous going on, and they probably wanted to protect him from it - at least I'm putting my bets on that theory.

Was it a good idea to have a child in such circumstances? Absolutely not. But then again - we all know parents don't exactly have children prior to planning - sometimes it happens outside of that, be it a 'mistake' or plain bad judgment. Whatever the case, Adrien was born and the two of them decided to give him the best life they could, while keeping him safe from whatever they saw as a threat.

... This would actually explain why Adrien's father has become distant to him ever since his wife died, as well as confirm that statement.

He's desperately trying to bring her back - undo whatever mistakes separated them, and get a 'happily ever after' he had before or whished for.

Now, if the two Agrestes had Miraculouses before anything happened, we can make a conclusion that they were actively using them and fighting something. But that's for another theory - and other fans to wreck their brains with, because this by itself was enough for me.

... So sad and such a sweet irony it is that his son became one of his two biggest Nemesis.

Also my apologies for writing mistakes ('cause my head is all foggy at the moment - no idea why) and for having to be the Miss Obvious.

#gabriel agreste #miraculous ladybug #cat noir #chat noir #adrien agreste #hawkmoth #shadow moth #emily agreste #emilie agreste #miraculous ladybug theories #mlb theories

[ijwrsmff]

Can I please request the entire fluff alphabet for Shuichi Saihara? He's a big comfort character of mine. Love ya Fi!

I got you boo! Love you too! Hope you like this! Fixed so it’s under the cut!

A-Activities (what do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?)

Shuichi loves to spend any time with his s/o that he can. He’ll be content no matter what you’re doing, as long as he’s with you. He likes to take turns picking what you do, sometimes you pick, sometimes he does. He usually picks to do something relaxing, like going on a picnic or watching a movie together.

B-Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?)

Shuichi admires passion above all else. It doesn’t matter what it is you’re passionate about, but he will be behind you to support you the whole way. As long as you’re happy? Nothing else matters.

C-Comfort (how would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack/etc.?)

He will ask if it’s okay to touch you (because he knows sometimes physical touch can make things worse) and if you say he can, he’ll run his fingers through your hair and alternate between rubbing your shoulders and playing with your hair. He keeps the touches simple, so you know there’s no ulterior motives behind it, and stay with you until the sad times/panic attack has dispersed.

D-Dreams (how do they picture their future with their s/o?)

He wants to build a future with you, and plans to work hard to do so. He is passionate about being a detective, and wants to help you find what you’re passionate about too, aiming to help you go into your field of choice.

E-Equal (are they the dominant one in their relationship or are they more passive?)

Shuichi is rather passive, he’ll take control only if he thinks it’s needed, otherwise he lets you run the show.

F-Fight (would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?)

Depending on the severity of the fight, he could forgive them immediately, or it could take some time. If he hasn’t forgiven you, he’ll still spend time with you but it would be strained. Once he forgives you (and himself for letting the fight get so bad) he’d come to you with your favorite flowers and candy and ask that you forgive him too.

G-Gratitude (How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?)

Everything you do for him does not go unnoticed. He’s very observant, and whatever it is you do for him (ranging from getting him books to read relating to his field, or helping him study for school) he thanks you. With kisses if you’re alone, or a simple “thank you, I love you” when there are others present.

H-Honesty (do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?)

Shuichi will tell you anything if you ask. If you don’t ask, he’ll take it as a sign you don’t want to talk about it, and that’s okay too. He usually keeps work related things a secret for your own wellbeing and safety, but if you ask about details of work he’ll tell you. He doesn’t like to keep things from his s/o and tries to be as open as possible when he’s able to do so.

I-Inspiration (Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?)

You gave him a better outlook on life. Working as a detective...he sees the worst of the worst there is out there. He wouldn’t admit to it, but working as a detective made him look at the world through skeptical eyes. But you give him hope, a chance to look at the future positively.

J-Jealousy (do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?)

Shuichi doesn’t often get jealous. He trusts you, so unless someone is very openly flirting with you and making advances he doesn’t get too upset about it. But if someone IS making advances he’ll politely come and take your hand to lead you away from the conversation.

K-Kiss (are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?)

Shuichi is a good kisser, because of his enthusiasm. The first kiss you would most likely have to initiate. But once your lips touch he is kissing back with passion. He can never get enough of your kisses, so they happen pretty frequently. But only when you’re alone, he doesn’t care much to kiss in public or when there’s a bunch of other people there.

L-Love confession (how would they confess to their s/o?)

He overthinks things often, so it would take him quite a while to confess in the first place. Chances are...you’d have to confess first. He doesn’t want to confess to someone who doesn’t return his feelings, and have to deal with rejection. But once he does confess, it’s somewhere private. He’ll wear fancier clothes, get you flowers, and something related to your passions.

M-Marriage (do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?)

He wants to get married, but he’s in no rush to do so. He’s still young, and doesn’t want to feel like he’s rushing into something. You’d probably date for several years before he proposes. When he does, it will be something private, just for the two of you to see. He will want to take pictures of the day leading up to the proposal, so you’ll know something is up.

N-Nicknames (what do they call their s/o?)

Hes not a big fan of nicknames, but he will call you love, sweetie, or honey on special occasions.

O-On cloud nine (what are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious to others? How do they express their feelings?)

Shuichi’s Love is obvious to everyone. He stutters around you, and his face will turn a beautiful shade of pink whenever you’re around. If you’re talking directly to him his cheeks may even flush to an almost red color. He expresses his love in the little things. Holding your hand, buying you something you like (for example candy or a game or clothes you’ve expressed interest in), or going on dates of your choice.

P-PDA (are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?)

Shuichi isn’t one to brag, and isn’t big on PDA. He’ll hold your hand in public...but that’s about it. He wants your relationship to stay between you and him. Kissing and anything more intimate is reserved for when you’re alone.

Q-Quirk (some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship?)

He always...ALWAYS knows when something is wrong. It could be the slight change in your posture, or using a different tone of voice, or avoiding certain topics. No matter what, he knows that something is wrong and will do anything in his power to help. Even if it’s just being a shoulder to cry on.

R-Romance (how romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliche or rather creative?)

He isn’t the most romantic in the world, but he’s willing to try anything at least once. You want to go to the fancy new restaurant? He’ll get a reservation. You want to stay in and have a home cooked meal? He can do that too. Whatever you decide you want to do he’s willing to try for you.

S-Support (are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?)

He believes in you 100%. Whatever field you decide you want to go into he’s right there beside you. He’ll help you study, or give you ideas on what project to work on next. Anytime you need his help he’s there to provide it.

T-Thrill (do they need to try out new things to spice up their relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?)

He prefers to keep things routine, but if you expressed the desire to try something new he’s open to that as well. He won’t do anything TOO crazy, but if you persisted he might just try something out of his comfort zone to make you happy.

U-Understanding (how good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)

He wants to know as much about you as he can. Over time, he’d get to know everything there is to know about you. Your past, any struggles you’ve been through, or even just your favorite color. He wants to know it all so he can provide help to you when you need it.

V-Value (how important is the relationship to them? What’s it worth in comparison to other things in their life?)

Work may be a priority, but he places you above it. Once he’s in love? He’d do anything to make you happy. Even if it would mean quitting being a detective. You’re his main priority in life.

W-Wild Card (a random fluff headcanon)

When Shuichi is studying for school, he places you on his lap so he can feel your chest against his. And every once in a while he’ll put his hands on your chin and lead you into a kiss. He revels in the comfort of having your weight on him, and loves the contact, given that you’re alone.

X-Xoxo (are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?)

Only in private. But the second that door is closed behind you both he pampers you in kisses. Cuddling is one of his favorite things to do, and he often falls asleep in your embrace. He LOVES to be the little spoon, but won’t object to being the big spoon either. As long as he gets to touch you, he’s content.

Y-Yearning (how will they cope when they’re missing their partner?)

He has pictures of all your relationship milestones, and will look to them when you’re gone. They make him reminisce over the good times, and makes him excited to see you again. He’ll keep himself composed until you get back, but plans to give you as many kisses as possible the second you’re back in his arms.

Z-Zeal (are they willing to go to great lengths for their relationship? If so, what kind of?)

Once he’s fallen in love there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you. He’d help you however he could, and if you’re having a hard time there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to make you happy again. He’d give you the world if he could, and he makes sure that you know it too.

#danganronpa #danganronpa x reader #shuichi x reader #Shuichi saihara #Shuichi saihara x reader #danganronpa 3 #x reader #fluff

[tundrainafrica]

[Part 1] Hi Sav! What are ur thoughts on Kamiya's (Levi's VA) words regarding Levi? Here are two translations I found on twitter. Since you know Japanese I think you're the perfect person to ask this from ^^ " Today at Anime Japan Kamiya Hiroshi said, “Levi hasn’t changed. The loss of Erwin is so huge that afterwards his life in a sense is like ‘yosei’.” Yosei (余生) means like, the rest of one’s life (after raising kids or retiring) where you have nothing left to do"++

Disclaimer: Please I have no intention of starting a ship war with this, I just wanna drop my own interpretation for my own Levihan stanning heart. 

Note: I had no plans of watching the Japanese Seiyu panel for the last episode of Attack on Titan for many reasons and 90% of it is because Romi Paku didn’t show up and I’m still salty overall about how AOT and the narrative is treating Hange altogether and literally the only comfort I get about Hange this whole AOT season is that she looks great in all her scenes but anyway, enough about the rant. I’m still low key salty about not getting our Levihan reunion yet… But whatever. 

I got all of these asks in succession and soon after I did some research on twitter to see what all the fuss was about and apparently, a lot of Eruri fans are likening Levi to a widow--- A WIDOW of all things. 

And I dunno, I feel like this conclusion for one kinda cheapens Levi’s character altogether and just cheapens the bond of Levihan so I kinda realized I just cannot stand and watch some obviously Eruri-biased Japanese translations of that statement run rampant on twitter without my own take. 

So anyway, I’m gonna drop my own take on this, my own interpretation as a Levihan stan.

Disclaimer: I am in no way trying to push any Levihan agenda on anyone. If you like Eruri and you wanna stick to your widow interpretation feel free too. I just feel like a pro Levihan take, and a more ‘non Eruri’ take on that statement should exist as well so I’ll just drop this here for Levihan fans to seek comfort and possibly for any casual reader or Eruri fan to get some other perspectives on this statement I guess?

This is the original Text

声の方「団長、エルヴィンを失ったことはとても大きかったと思うんですよ」

「だからそこから先ってある意味余生みたいな感じになってる気がする」

Isym先生「エルヴィンの最期を看取って役割を全うし、現在宙ぶらりんな状態」

リヴァイ本人「…俺達の役目は」「あそこで終わりだったのかもしれない…」

And if I were going to translate it word for word. 

“For Levi, losing Erwin was a big thing. And everything after that became some sort of ‘retirement’ (Yosei) for him. Since he took it upon himself then to follow Erwin, right now it feels just dangling in space.”

Okay these are obviously Eruri crumbs at first glance and I recognize why exactly Eruris would celebrate over something like this because if we had a Levihan thing like this too, I’ll probably be celebrating too

But Let me offer my own interpretation of this as a Levihan stan

Yes, I recognize that for Levi losing Erwin was a big thing, but I’d like to paint some of the terms in a positive light for Levi. And the main key terms above were ‘Yosei’ and “Levi dangling in space’

So I’ll be focusing on those two: 

余生 (Yosei)

余生 (Yosei) isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yosei literally translates to ‘the remaining years of someone’s life” So it doesn't necessarily mean Levi’s a widow or Levi is lonely because Erwin’s not there anymore In fact, Yosei is used a lot from what I see, to mean, retirement years. So after you’re done with your job and you retire, your last few years playing golf, playing with grandchildren, those are your ‘yoseis’ 

And there are lots of takes I saw online to this Yosei thing 

There was a meta in Japanese I found  where they discussed the fact that Levi was approaching his twilight years. and the main reason he was facing ‘retirement’ wasn’t necessarily because Erwin was gone but because soon after Erwin died, the basement happened and it turned out there were enemies much stronger than titans out there. 

The ‘Yosei’ meant, Levi retired from his role as ‘humanity’s strongest soldier’ because Levi was the ‘strongest soldier’ against titans, not against humans, the rapidly changing world and technology. I mean if we actually are objective about this, we could see the most capable survey corps member for handling the new enemy which is Marley and the Hizuru and just all the other countries and the impending war, was Hange since she is the best at navigating politics and she would be the quickest to adapt to technology.  

So yes, if it’s obvious, I do not like the ‘Levi is a widow take’ AT ALL.

「エルヴィンの最期を看取って役割を全うし、現在宙ぶらりんな状態」

 Since he took it upon himself then to follow Erwin, right now it feels just dangling in space.

But I’m not gonna discount the role of Erwin in Levi’s life. I think it is actually very important to understand why Levi feels like ‘he’s dangling in space.’ 

We all remember that last scene from ACWNR after Isabel and Farlan died and I’m sure we can all connect those last words from Erwin all the way until Levid decides to follow him to the role implied above. 

Erwin was Levi’s compass. Erwin gave direction to Levi’s life and suddenly Erwin dies and at the same time the world opens up and Levi starts to realize he’s not as needed anymore and his role as humanity’s strongest is gone.

So obviously all those events at once would leave Levi in some sort of limbo right. And that’s why he gets this feeling that he has reached his ‘yosei’ years and he’s also dangling in some limbo

I can think of two more specific reasons he ends up ‘dangling.’ 

First reason is: Killing the beast titan, the last order Erwin gave Levi wasn’t so easy to do anymore given the political nuances, the environment and of course the fact that the world was already more complicated than killing titans. And to think that Levi makes a promise to do that right before Erwin died? 

So I’m thinking the ‘dangling’ refers to Levi grappling with such complexities and nuances while trying to fulfill a goal which would have been so much easier if the basement thing didn’t happen and the world didn’t open up. 

And my second reason is: 

Warning: Before I go to this, I wanna warn you that this is my Levihan stan self reaching for pro-Levihan interpretations so feel free to ignore this if you don’t want crazy Levihan delusional interpretations. 

Anyway, my second explanation which I like to play with and I like to keep close to me, being a Levihan fan is that Hange of all people, was the last veteran stuck to Levi and as we all know, according to Yams old interviews about Hange’s gender...

Hange’s a free soul. She’s like the balloon, the kite that just floats in space and just continues hanging, dangling and flying. And she’s the person who Levi ended up sticking to after Erwin’s death. And since he ended up with such a free sould, he didn’t necessarily find much direction again, the same way he found direction with Erwin. 

Hange didn’t give a straightforward direction for Levi. But Hange provided comfort. 

And I’d just like to introduce a pro-Levihan interpretation this. 

So maybe ‘dangling in space’ and leaving the remaining years of his life like that isn’t such a bad thing? I mean I like to interpret this ‘retirement’ and ‘dangling’ as Levi finally being free of whatever ‘Ackerbond’ or whatever compass or order Erwin has set for him. 

Because Hange went about her position as commander more as a parent to the cadets and more as a comrade to Levi than anything else. And with title of ‘humanity’s strongest soldier’ not so relevant anymore post season 3 with titans becoming a not so big threat compared to the impending war, I think the ‘yosei’ and the ‘dangling’ could be interpreted as freedom for Levi from his role as Erwin’s right hand man and freedom from the burden of being ‘humanity’s strongest.’

And the transition from having to report to Erwin to having to report to Hange, I think this can be interpreted as a breath of fresh air for Levi.

Yosei after all can be interpreted as freedom. When people retire, people are free right? They’re free to try out different things, they’re free to focus on other things. Even if people have to experience the pain of ‘loss’ when losing one position, the remnants of it, the ‘yosei’ isn’t inherently bad although it can be interpreted as that. 

And the crumbs for this? I always believed that Levi generally acted freer under Hange than under Erwin. And I feel like I have created metas about this before about Hange’s leadership style: here and here

Anyway if you got this far, thanks for reading! 

#levihan