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tarjapearce · 8 months

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Bad Teachings (Pt. 7)

Older!Miguel O'Hara x Reader

WARNINGS: A little itty bitty smudge of angst, fluff. Miguel into espectator mode. Tiny bit of jealousy if you squint. Relationship buiding, Slow burn, friends to lovers, tiny bit of Nerdy Miguel

Summary: Getting to know Miguel is as rewarding as a double edge weapon.

Special Thanks to my beta readers @tojismommymilkers00 <3

Pt. 8 Masterlist

The warm touch on your shoulder had lingered a second longer as Miguel said his goodbyes to you.

"Try to get some sleep." He'd mumble with a soft nod, "Goodnight, guapa"

"Goodnight, Miguel."

You couldn't help but look at the shelf with a little smile. A rather pleasant surprise to your aching and bleeding self. A flurry of thoughts came to your mind.

What made him apologize? was the biggest of them all, still, all you knew was he had made an effort first, and such a thing as apologizing was clearly meaningful to you. There were no bad dreams that hunted you tonight. ---------

Miguel's eyes drooped in exhaustion, the triumph over your distress made him close his lids and savor the victory for a moment. Apologizing surely was something he had been doing for quite some years, but that didn't mean it had gotten any easier.

Misunderstandings were just another part of his life, and if he deemed them problematic enough, he'd assess them. Some solved themselves most of the time, but again, a new lesson was learned thanks to you. Communication always leads to better places.

He drove home, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips. No more nightmares came to plague him. ---- Your morning started on the right foot, you found Hobie and exchanged some pleasantries with him, promising to give a little treat for his support back at his shop. Then went to work.

The job was rather easygoing, another day of making people's dreams come true, another day of taking pictures in the company's studio for you to work your magic later.

Bloomsearch had grown, you'd notice a couple of new people that were part of another team. Fingers crossed your workload would be less. After the pictures were taken, you did a bit of editing until your lunch break came.

It hadn't been five minutes since you started eating your salad when your phone buzzed, nearly choking at the name displaying on your screen. Miguel was calling.

"H-Hello?"

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not really, I'm on lunch break. Just surprised actually"

"Hm? Ah..." He chuckled and there was a little shuffling on his line, "Yeah figured it was better to just call instead of texting."

"You really hate texting that much?"

"I just forget, and wouldn't want to repeat the little stunt we did"

"Right, uhm-"

"What about at four thirty?"

"Hm?"

"After work, to... Julien's Spells"

You giggled "It's Julien's Potions . But yeah, four thirty sounds perfect"

"Well, ahí nos vemos ."

"What?"

"See ya."

"So rude!"

"That's what it means, guapa." A little chuckle.

"Oh... Yeah you forgot I know a peep about spanish."

"Better get learning then"

"Right, right. Nose vemmos "

You butchered the word, he'd probably be hiding his face in his hand out of cringe, but hey, you were trying. ----

Complaints only piled up, thankfully you weren't in the main campaign teams, but your pictures had to be retaken since the client decided on a different packaging at the last minute.

Your name was called by your immediate boss as you were editing. You followed and he took you and your other teammates to a meeting room. Swallowing the sudden anxiousness that took over, you sat nearby the entrance.

Your boss and another elderly man entered the room. He was tall, salt and pepper hair neatly combed to a side, blue eyes that if you look long enough would find something hidden in them. The man was handsome, but something about him flared your mistrust alarms…

He carried himself arrogantly, the way he regarded you all as he entered the room was a bit frightening honestly.

"This is Julius DeSantis, our new Graphic Arts Division Manager."

"Nice to meet you all. As you may know the company is expanding-"

His voice was deep, some of your teammates couldn't help but ogle him, his white hair kind of reminded you the patches of silvery strands in your father's head, his neat lock shaped beard that encaged a pair of thin yet refined lips, reminded you of the Mall Santa's man true identity.

The meeting was over, a pair of icy blue eyes trailing on you for a brief moment.

Of course the talks of how attractive the man was echoed through your section of cubicles.

The I wouldn't mind him talking down at me , along with more of he's such a dilf! And such straightforward as I'd ride him, made you chuckle at the sudden memory of your classmates saying the exact things about Miguel.

Guys in general were a little known territory for you. Of course you'd had little boyfriends here and there, You had one in your freshman year of college but you'd barely see each other to the point you weren't sure that you were still a thing anymore. And then another in your sophomore year that dropped college to chase a dream in another country.

The only one that had met the little yet honest list of standards you had for a guy so far.

You didn't know if it was the weather getting colder as the year slowly crawled towards its end that made you a bit wistful, or the sudden little changes that added as your life went on. But your mood has certainly improved a little since yesterday.

A little sadness remained in the furthest and darkest corners of the mood shelf, hoping to not be noticed.

Four o'clock ticked and you picked up your things, checked out and went for your car. Nervous fingers dialed a certain geneticist, hesitating for a moment to actually reach back, but how would he know where the place was? Because it wasn't registered on the GPS map yet.

Silly girl.

You dialed, it rang a couple of times before his deep voice erupted from the other line.

" Aló? " (Hello)

"Uh... I will send you the location of the parking lot I'll be in."

"Alright, salgo en cinco." (Coming out in five) "Okay?. Bye"

Your mouth exhaled, but you were proud. Concise and precise.

------

You were the first to arrive, and waited inside your car, a black mini Cooper you had bought in an auction for half the price. A little repairs and restores here and there and it was brand new for you.

You scrolled through social media in the meantime, fetching ideas for your hobbies. A few ideas for your own photoshoots and knitting techniques that surely seemed easier than the current one you were trying

Around twenty minutes later, A red Nissan Pathfinder parked in the opposite row you were. An all too familiar car that made your brain flood with memories you thought buried for good.

Miguel stepped out of his car and looked around but frowned upon not seeing anyone. His lab coat was left abandoned on his passenger seat, he wore an olive green button shirt and a deeper shade of green pants, polished black shoes, of course a belt that always accentuated his waist and to your surprise a pair of sunglasses.

You stepped out of your car as he was calling.

"Hey"

His frowning softened upon seeing you.

"Hola, guapa"

"Ready for a walk?"

"Hm? Thought it was closer"

"It's fine, it's just a couple of blocks away. C'mon."

You gestured for him to follow you. You had gone for a black knitted long sleeved Maxi dress and boots. The belt around your waist only added enough seasoning for your curves to pop out. His eyes fell on your waist and a bit lower just to trail on the road ahead. Your perfume guided him through the streets, a soft yet delicious smell of sweet summer cherries.

He stopped you when you intended to cross a street. Nueva York Streets were always bustling with people. His arm before you, shielded you from any intrusion in your personal space, a new wave of people pushed you further and further away from him. His hand however took a gentle hold of your wrist and pulled you closer.

"Agárrate" (Hold on)

You didn't have to know Spanish on this one to understand that he was instructing you to hold on his arms. Your hand squeezed through his arm and secured it as you kept guiding him through the streets.

You couldn't help but sigh in relief and give a little squeal when you stopped before your little treasure.

"We're here."

Your arm let him go and opened the door for him. The outside layout only allowed him to have a little peek into the bar. It turned clearer as he walked in. A little wind chime echoed, announcing your presence.

Some of the tables were occupied, the assistants glanced briefly before attending their own business. Miguel’s face was sure a treat. His eyes scanned through the place, face contorting in confusion, wonder and of course some resignation.

"Welcome, travelers. Allow me to get you a place." The waiter guided you to a more private stall, away from the people and gave your respective menu charts.

"Thanks."

Pearly painted nails raked over the plastic menu, as he examined his.

"You've been here, what would you recommend?"

"I liked the mango muffin and the red berries cold brew. But they have more elaborate dishes if you're hungry."

You both ordered, he went for the 'Tavern's Special Panini' and a cold iced tea. He had a good appetite.

"How was your day?"

You both chuckled as you spoke in unison.

"Ladies first."

"Right. Nothing new to report except I've got a new division boss. Everyone is... swooning for him."

"How so?"

"A dilf, according to my coworkers"

"And according to you?"

"Uh, sure, attractive, but... ever feel that weird feeling upon meeting someone?"

"It's called anxiety."

You scoff. "Oh trust me, I know about it. And it's more like a "I don't trust him sort of feeling."

"Isn't that a bit prejudiced coming from you?"

"Maybe, but I'm trusting my gut. Besides, sure, older men are something else, but I'm not into that much of an age gap."

He chuckled and leaned on his chair.

You rolled your eyes. "But enough on me. How was yours?"

"The usual, people complain but at least this time we got something done. So, it wasn't that bad."

"Glad to hear so."

After a couple of minutes your food was brought to the table and he didn't waste a single second trying it. You snapped a picture of him after taking the first bite of his panini with a giggle.

"That good, huh?"

"Delete it"

"No. I actually like it."

You showed him the picture and he huffed with a roll of his eyes.

"Can I keep it?"

"No."

"Pleaseee?"

"...Fine."

You chuckled and saved it. "Thank you" You dug into your muffin, enjoyment plastered all over your face.

"This kind of reminds me of something"

"What exactly?"

His eyes turned a bit serious and your lips pursed. "If it's something embarrassing, I'll share one to make it even."

He seemed to consider for a second and exhaled.

"Dungeons and Dragons..." He breathed.

Your eyes went wide then smirked "I'm sorry but that's the most unexpected thing I've ever heard you say."

"I was young once too."

"And a nerd , apparently."

You chuckled but stifled a laugh as he deadpanned.

"I met Peter there."

"Wait... Peter? As in Mr. Peter B. Parker?!"

"You sound surprised."

"Of course I am! Cause you're totally opposites!"

"And?"

"You played with him? "

"And many others, good kind of fun."

You both went silent.

"That sounded...so very wrong."

He swatted your head gently and you snorted.

"My god. This feels like getting classified information from a dangerous source."

He chuckled and continued eating, just like you.

"Please tell me that you have pictures of that."

"No."

"Dammit."

You put a hair strand behind your ear. Conversation slowly spreading through many topics. You'd learn that his favorite color was white, red and blue. That his coffee worked better with the least amount of sugar possible. And that he liked sweet bread, something called 'conchas'. He had a sweet tooth. Flan and Tres Leches are his favorites.

Your eyes came fixed on the little soccer ball keychain attached to his car keys. The edges were faded, some of the enamel had worn out. A little smudged outline of a couple of words you couldn't make out since his large hand covered the resin back.

"I didn't know you were into soccer."

His face turned devoid of all emotion for a moment, muscles rigid, jaw clenched and eyes casted at the keychain.

He knew the trinket and the words on it like the back of his hand, like the algorithm he had been working on.

'Number One Papa!' Scribbled in an infant like penmanship with a sharpie, a too round heart next to the last 'a'.

His eyes turned into something you couldn't exactly pinpoint, but it wasn't good. Hand held the little aluminum thing tighter, his thick and mildly labored breaths made you clear your throat, snapping his attention to you. A chill ran down your spine but words managed to come out your mouth

"I'd love to try some aerial dance."

As stupid as the comment was, he had turned his gears into a different direction.

"Hm?"

"Or dance."

"What's stopping you?"

"I have the movement of a sessile organism." You pinched your fingers together at 'organism, earning a chuckle from him. Amused at your attempt to be science-y.

"Can't be that bad."

"I was the tree in a school play because I moved like them…"

He had to hold back an ugly snort, harder to contain as your brows scrunched.

"Oh c'mon I shared my embarrassing moment! What's yours?"

He took a moment to recover before he cleared his throat. "I was afraid of horses."

You cocked your head "Oh?"

"That's all I'm saying."

You giggled and nodded. "Alright."

The conversation died as you both finished your meals. The sight of a green smudge on his right cheek had caught your attention for a little too long.

"Uh, you have-" Your hands gesture on your cheek, he touched the wrong one, completely missing your cue.

"Open your hand."

He does and you grab it to point at the green sauced smeared area with his fingertips. Your hand, small and elegant against his.

"Why didn't you just wipe it off?"

"Because I don't know if you like having your personal space invaded."

His eyebrow quivered with a mildly amused grimace.

"We've fucked before and you now worry over personal space?"

You sighed at his bluntness. "Just because we did means it's alright to invade people's personal space."

" Como gustes, supongo " (As you like, I guess)

He shrugs.

"How's the shelf going?"

"Sturdy and holding up as it should. Thanks for helping me with it."

"Not a problem."

You clasp your hands together abruptly. "OK, wanna play something?" "Like?"

"Questions."

"Quite curious you are. Aren't we already playing then?"

"Well, I am meeting new people and trying to make new friends, remember? And now that I actually think about it, I didn't know much about you, until today. But, if you are uncomfortable sharing things, it's fine."

" La curiosidad te va a matar, gatita" (Curiosity will kill you, kitten)

"Again, not a peep on spanish"

"Good."

He smirked and gestured for you to continue, indulging you this once.

"What's something new you have recently learned?"

"Some plants react well to blood."

Okay you definitely weren't expecting that. "Uh... what?"

He laughed silently at your alarmed reaction.

"An experiment back in the lab."

"I'm kinda concerned as to what kind of things you actually do for a living"

"You'd be surprised."

"Why genetics though?"

He shrugs.

"Pays well and basically you're paid to fuck around to find out."

"Yeah, I kinda wanna be a geneticist now."

He chuckles

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why knitting?"

"It's calming. Even though I can't get a technique right and it's costing me a lot of yarn. Anyways, last book you read?"

"Not a book precisely but more like a long ass report about an upcoming research. You?"

"Just finished Camille."

" La Dama de Las Camelias? " (The Lady of The Camellias?)

"I... guess? But yeah. I cried, but absolutely loved it."

"You think that Margarita did the right thing?" His arms lean on the wooden chair's arms, waiting for your reply.

"There are many questionable things she does. But if by the right thing you're meaning her giving up Armand's love so his sister could be happily married? No. I don't"

"Why not?"

"Because... She was about to die. She didn't have much time left. She should have enjoyed her love till the very end."

"Hopeless romantic, aren't you?" "I'm a sucker for tragic romances. But it actually surprises me you know the book."

"A gift, really. I'm not usually into pink novels, but gotta give Dumas some credit. Armando is such... a relatable character."

"Strong willed and quite stubborn?" Reminds me of someone."

"Ouch." "I really hated Armand towards the end though"

"He didn't know about the deal."

"Still! I don't understand that... pathological need to get revenge. He had such a fragile ego."

"A proud man that has done almost the impossible to conquer a famous courtesan, that does little to nothing in keeping him in the shadows?"

"Hey, Marguerite spoke clearly to him ever since the begining! But he was too... possessive and impulsive."

"Last bit reminds me of someone"

He said as he poked his ear, you gasped playfully.

"At least it was a piercing and not a letter saying awful things or using a friend to make Marguerite jealous."

"I don't justify nor condone his actions, but Armando deserved the truth."

"On that we can agree. Keeping such a thing from him was terrible."

"What would you do if someone pulled a Margarita on you?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"Their excuse. Some things can't be said right away or face to face because they might be too much to digest. But there are things that can be said on the spot."

His eyes twinkled in amusement as his eyes widened softly at your response.

"Still. It's not that easy"

"I never said it was. They didn't communicate properly and that's how they ended up like they did."

"Communication is key to you?"

"Of course it is!. I mean, I might not have as much experience in relationships, but nothing can't work without communication. Not even friendships."

" Cierto, cierto." (true that) He nodded with a small smile.

"I didn't expect this"

"What exactly?"

"Having fun."

"Are you calling me a bore?"

You snorted. "No. Just... feels different. The first time felt like an obligation. I know you said it wasn't, but I couldn't help but feel like it was."

His eyebrow quirked.

"And this one feels different. It's fun."

"You looked out of yourself, yesterday. It was odd."

"Odd?"

"You're usually all... like that." He gestured at your clothes, "Pretty. Perfect." It was your turn to frown and cast away your eyes from him.

"I hate that word, y'know?"

"Pretty?"

"Perfect."

"Why?"

"You'd have to tell me something really personal too in exchange."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. You sensed an impending tension so you broke it, clearning your throat. "But I think we've shared enough for today."

He nodded, and you smiled softly.

"Thanks for your concern though. Ready to go?"

"Sure."

"Wait. I'll pay for my-"

His hands stopped yours and he shook his head. " Déjame ." (Allow me.)

"What?"

"You really need to start learning spanish."

"Seems so."

"Consider this my apology."

"B-But you gave me macarons yesterday"

"Still, it seems like a last minute idea for an apology. This is better"

A soft blush crept your cheeks and you couldn't help but nod. "Really appreciated."

-----

You had gotten a little muffin box for Hobie and his mom, and another one for yourself.

You walked next to Miguel, silence stretched between you both but this time it wasn't awkward or discomfiting, after all you had spoken, it seemed only right. It was comforting even. Knowing a bit more of himself surely offered a new perspective on what made him Miguel.

Your thoughts however were interrupted by your name being called, both couldn't help but turn at the source.

A man, late twenties, athletic looking, kind face with short and styled to a side hair and a mild stubble approached you with a bedazzling smile.

Miguel instantly turned his spectator mode on, and let everything unfold before him.

You held the muffin boxes in one hand as the mystery man hugged you.

"Simon!" Your voice seemed more surprised than anything, as you hugged the young and attractive man with a little fondness plastered in your face.

"Look at you! So... different."

Miguel cringed inwardly as he stepped away from the both, but the hazel eyes from the young man stared at him.

"Oh... didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. Really. This is Miguel O'Hara."

"Friend." Miguel mumbled as he stretched his hand a bit rougher than intended.

"Right. Simon Morvan." He let his hand go

"Thought you'd stay abroad."

"Oh that... heh. No. Sure it was fun but I like it here better" He smiled and you returned it.

"You're staying?"

"Possibly, yeah."

"Nice."

"Mind if I get your number?"

"Sure do."

Miguel noticed that Simon input his phone number into your phone. Giving you the absolute power of a further interaction with him.

"See you then, gotta go. It was nice to see you again, cherie ."

"Same, take care, Si."

You both watched Simon go and then smiled at Miguel. He just chuckled as you made your way back to your respective cars. You gave him a mango muffin and went home. You gave Hobie the little box and greeted his mom in the process. ----

"Thanks for today, it was fun. Sorry for the sudden interruption, though"

Phone rested on your cheek, body tucked under the sheets as you both talked.

" It was interesting seeing you interact with someone else ."

"You say it like you and Hobie are my only friends."

" Isn't that the truth?" He chuckle and you groaned, mildly annoyed

"You're mean. But yeah. It's true. Didn't know you thought of me as a friend."

" And that is?"

"Good. I'm glad to know you think I am reliable."

" You are, guapa."

"Damn, just remembered, might as well start re-learning french."

" How come?"

"Simon is French"

" No mames, qué cliché " (No fucking way, how cliché)

"I certainly understood the last thing, don't be rude!"

" Spanish first, French later.""In order of arrival."

" Spanish first, trust me."

He pressed and you nodded with a yawn.

"Okay, okay. Goodnight, Miguel"

" Descansa, hermosa." (rest well)

------

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theblackfemininesociety · 2 months

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The Power of Black Women Supporting Each Other: United We Win 👑

(Black Women in Hollywood, Essence. 2024)

In a world where black women have historically been marginalized and pitted against each other, it is crucial now more than ever for us to stand united and support one another. The notion that there is only room for a few at the top is a fallacy that has perpetuated division and hindered our collective progress. It is time to recognize that there is an abundance of talent, brilliance, and strength within our community, and by lifting each other up, we can shatter barriers, redefine success, and create a new narrative of solidarity and empowerment. Together, we can break through the glass ceiling and rise to new heights, leaving no black woman behind.

🪄 The Magic Behind Supporting Each Other Includes:

👑 Embracing Sisterhood:

As black women, we understand the struggles and challenges we face in various aspects of life. By supporting each other, we foster a sense of sisterhood that allows us to connect on a deeper level. Through embracing the concept of sisterhood, we find common ground and create a safe space where we can share our triumphs, challenges, and knowledge. Together, we uplift and empower one another, ensuring that no one is left behind.

👑 Breaking Stereotypes:

When black women succeed, we shatter preconceived notions and pave the way for future generations. Our collective achievements inspire others to pursue their passions, regardless of societal limitations.i

👑 Collaboration Over Competition:

Rather than viewing one another as competitors, we choose collaboration over competition. We recognize that our individual successes do not diminish the accomplishments of others. Instead, our achievements collectively contribute to a stronger, more vibrant community. From sharing techniques and experiences to supporting each other's businesses, we foster an environment where everyone can thrive.

👑 Leading By Example:

When we support one another, we become beacons of inspiration for young black girls and women who aspire to become successful in all areas of life . By showcasing our unity, we demonstrate the power of collective success. We encourage future generations to embrace their talents, chase their dreams, and support their fellow black women in their respective endeavors.

As we stitch our efforts together, we have the chance to showcase the power and harmony of black women upliftng one another. By celebrating each other's victories, we reinforce the belief that there is more than enough room at the top for all of us. Let us continue to uplift, empower, and inspire one another, for when one of us wins, we all do.

#black sisterhood #black women in luxury #classy black women #black women in femininity #feminine energy #support black girls #girls girl #black luxury #girl power #black women in hollywood #chloe bailey #halle bailey #normani #muni long #black girl magic

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signalburst · 5 days

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Shōgun Historical Shallow-Dive: Part 1

Does everybody else's heart hurt? Good! Let's get learning. These characters and the people that inspired them all deserve their own post, but here's a quick one if you're wondering what happened. This is a shallow-dive because the history is extremely complicated, and a condensed version of just the events leading up to Sekigahara (the battle depicted in the finale) take up entire volumes of history. I'll do my best to answer questions about what happened to our three protagonists, in the show, as well as real life 🙇

One note: given I'm not a professional historian, I've got no obligation to not have biases and favourites. I've tried to keep most of them out of this, but if you want to punish yourself by trying to keep track of who's who in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, this book is the best English-language overview.

What happened to Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu)?

Gif: @yocalio

I am not as strong as I might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am, they must study patience. - from The Legacy of Ieyasu Tokugawa

In the book, Toranaga reveals that it had been his aspiration to be Shōgun from the very beginning. That was what drove his alliance with the Taiko, that was what drove his feigned alliance with the Heir.

History follows a very similar path. I re-read some chapters on the battle of Sekigahara last night, and there is no easy way to explain it, but: the result of Sekigahara (an enormous, two-day battle with 200,000 samurai and ashigaru warriors in the field) was an enormous victory for Tokugawa, Toranaga's real-life counterpart.

Years - sometimes decades - of scheming by Tokugawa had made Ishido/Ishida's Western Alliance completely fragmented. In the months leading up to the period displayed in the show, Toranaga was calling in a lifetime of marriage alliances, diplomatic advantage, defensive pacts and childhood friends who'd risen to high status. Re-reading the sources, the names of all the lords of all the important fiefs and castles makes my head spin, let alone the ones that turned out to be pivotal to Toranga/Tokugawa's victory. But it was a resounding victory, and by both the numbers and the disposition of forces, he should have lost.

Historians have a consensus that if the 'Western forces' of the Heir had have fought together with a unified command structure, they would have won, easily. But they didn't - orders from Ishido/Ishida were ignored, Toranaga/Tokugawa endured onslaughts, and the Regents' opposing armies eventually fractured and melted away. This was a last-of-an-era battle. Families were fighting on either side, every single unit that could be brought to bear was on the field. It is no exaggeration to say Sekigahara is one of the few, unambiguous battles upon which the beginning of a historical era came down to.

Toranaga/Tokugawa triumphed because he spent decades building unity of purpose and strong alliances, simultaneously sowing division amongst the Regents, who ultimately balked at being commanded by a bureaucrat like Ishido/Ishida. Whilst there was no one decisive moment of an extremely bloody, rainy, two-day battle, the fact that Ishido/Ishida's forces refused to be told what to do by someone of lower status was the main theme of their defeat. A crucial army stationed on the hill stayed still, refusing to commit to either side, until Toranaga/Tokugawa fired muskets into their ranks. They made up their mind, and attacked Ishido/Ishida's Western army. Ishido/Ishida's one trick of firing a flare to commit the reserve army didn't work. The commander ignored it. Instead of being there to fight for something, Ishido/Ishida's coalition was there to oppose someone. They all had different reasons. And ultimately, the man that brought them together didn't command enough respect to command a battle.

As our show Toranaga said, the Regents fell upon each other. He might have been a bit optimistic about how and why this would happen (they fell over each other in retreat, and it took two days of horrific combat), but it happened. Tokugawa Ieyasu was famous for richly rewarding former enemies, and most of those he defeated kept their heads. This reputation is a strong incentive for leaving the field when things start going Tokugawa's way.

The two exceptions were Ishido/Ishida, and Kiyama/Konishi, both beheaded in Osaka (Ishido, bizarrely, was upbeat about his fate, until seconds before the sword came down). Killing Ishida was the obvious move, as the man schemed and bitched so much he caused a civil war. Killing Konishi was more calculated - it opened up his trade-hub in Kyushu to being ruled by a fervent Buddhist daimyo and ally of Tokugawa.

Toranaga/Tokugawa forces soon captured Osaka Castle after the battle of Sekigahara, and with it, the Heir.

Toranaga/Tokugawa 'reluctantly' accepted the Imperial appointment of Shōgun three years later, in 1603. In 1605, he abidcated, passing the title to his most malleable and competent son, Hidetada. He was the real power behind the throne and ruled until his death in 1616.

The year before he died, he was able to fully secure his legacy. The Heir (in real life, Toyotomi Hideyori) had begun to gather daimyo to Osaka castle who were opposed to Tokugawa. Tokugawa used the flimsiest of pretexts - the opening of a shrine - to order the Heir out of the castle. He refused, Tokugawa forces besieged the castle - twice. The first one was called off because cannon fire nearly killed Ochiba no kata, and she pushed her son to sue for peace. By the second siege, there would be no peace: the Tokugawa forces defeated all oppoosition, and secured the legacy.

Toranaga/Tokugawa's descendants would rule for 250 years of internal peace and external lock-down of the country from barbarians (and Christians), except for limited trade.

The big question: did Toranaga/Tokugawa really want to be Shōgun from the start? History tells us, rather unambiguously, yes - before the campaign, he was writing his 100 Articles for ruling Japan, which would be instrumental for his family holding on to power and preventing internal strife. His plan may well have gone back to his formative, teenage years. At the very least, it is highly likely it was solidified when Toranaga/Tokugawa was a vassal of the Dictator Koroda/Oda Nobunaga - the man Mariko/Hosokawa Gracia's father assassinated, who was brutal even by the standards of the day. We don't have time for him, the Taiko, and Mariko's father today - but my opinion is that the motherfucker firmly deserved to be assassinated, and the only amazing thing is that the inspiration for Mariko's father was able to hold off for so long.

But that killing set off a chain of events that would lead to Toranaga/Tokugawa becoming sole ruler of a unified Japan. So much of history is contingent on individual actors and random events. It didn't have to happen. It was extremely unlikely. But, through patience (and by my reckoning, a lot of luck), he made the world he wanted to see. Whether that was worth the price in lives is for the reader to decide.

But by all accounts, Toranaga/Tokugawa died very satisfied in the knowledge that his legacy was secure, his realm was unified, and, finally, at peace.

What happened to Mariko (Hosokowa Gracia)?

Gif: @yocalio

As is probably obvious, Mariko's purpose was fulfilled before the conclusion of the show. As is also probably obvious, her historical counterpart - Hosokowa Gracia - did not have an affair with an English sea pilot (😢). She did, however, change Japanese history, and tipped the balance of noble support towards Toranaga/Tokugawa. Her death had meaning.

The framing of her marriage to Buntaro and exile after her father's successful assassination of a brutal dictator is almost exactly correct. She was one of the most desirable, valued and accomplished young noblewomen of the day. The stain of the name Akechi would haunt her for the rest of her life. Real life Buntaro, Hosokowa Tadaoki, genuinely sent her away for two years to save her life. The Hosokowa family even went so far as to pretend that she had died, to save her from the Taiko's vengeance. Whilst her marriage was an unhappy one (though not, as far as is known, abusive), she was beloved by the head of the Hosokowa clan, the show's Hiromatsu. They went to extraordinary lengths to keep her safe.

Her main comfort in her life was her faith. It's perhaps here that we get the strongest through-line from Hosokowa Gracia to Mariko - unafraid, intelligent, and fierce.

She first came to learn about Christianity from her Christian maid, who extolled the virtue of the faith, and the opportunities for intellectual stimulation theological discussion could bring. In 1587 (five years after her father assassinated the dictator, three years after she returned from exile), she decided to take action on it. She snuck out of Osaka Castle and visited the main church in Osaka - she had lively conversations with the elderly Father-Visitor, and was an excellent pupil of both Portuguese and Latin theological texts. I don't know if you guys have ever tried to read those things, but even in translation, they are torturous. This woman was extremely intelligent.

As a noble woman of the Taiko's court, she knew he was about to issue an edict outlawing Christianity. Being the (excuse the language) absolute fucking badass that she was, she had her maid (baptismal name Maria) baptise her before the edict was issued, transforming from Hosokowa Tama to Hosokowa Gracia. Even though she had to keep her faith a secret due to the Taiko's edict, she found a way to hold on to it. She had a special sake cup made with the Hosokowa mon emblazed on the lip, which, on very close inspection, was actually a Christian cross.

During this time of her religious conversion and education, a primary source from a Jesuit priest says that 'I have never disputed with a woman of such clear judgement, and such definite knowledge.' She was known for being fiercely intelligent, and this is commented on in many European letters and journals that have remained from the Catholic church's time in Japan.

Her relationship with her husband - like Buntaro, a senior retainer of Toranaga/Tokugawa - was frosty. They never reconciled after her father's (Akechi Mitsuhide) rebellion, but her husband did recall her from exile when it was safe to do so, and she lived to serve a very similar purpose to Mariko in the book and show. By virtue of not being an interpreter, she was less close to Toranaga/Tokugawa than in the book and show, but she was still dedicated to her clan and her clan's overlord, as will become clear.

Just as in the show, Hosokowa Gracia agonized at the thought of seppuku putting her soul in mortal danger. But she perceived her duty to be to ensure death before being captured or otherwise dishonoured.

To put it bluntly, Ishido (Ishida in real life) fucked up. Before any military manouvers had begun, he went to seize hostages of friends and enemies alike throughout Osaka castle. His forces tried to forcibly seize Hosokowa Gracia from the family quarters. She gave orders for her senior retainer to kill her, her daughter, and set fire to their section of Osaka Castle, so that none could be taken and subjected to dishonour. She arranged with this samurai to stand on one side of a shoji screen, facing him. He stabbed her through the heart with a naginata. She died, satisfied in the knowledge that:

...the death was not suicide, and her soul would doubtless be spared from the torments of Hell.

Although not doing this directly on the orders of Toranaga/Tokugawa, it's highly likely she knew that she was making a statement (many of the other hostages went quietly). This furthered his cause immensely. Inspired by Hosokowa Gracia, families streamed out of Osaka Castle and other Regent-held castles by any method they could. Her example ignited a firestorm of controversy surrounding the gall of a jumped-up bureaucrat (a reputation Ishido/Ishida would never escape) forcing the death of one of the era's pre-eminent noblewomen. Although her husband was relatively unbothered by her death, her father-in-law - the book/show's Hiromatsu - was furious. Because of Hosokowa Gracia and his granddaughter's death, he immediately fortified his border castle.

He defied a large [Ishido/Ishida] army of 15,000 men with only 500 men of his own.

Many of [Ishido/Ishida's] commanders held [Hosokowa Fujitaka/Hiromatsu] in such high regard that they went through the bare motions of laying siege. On a regular basis, gunners 'accidentally' forgot to load their cannon with iron shot, and so Tanabe Castle's walls reverberated daily to the harmless booming of blank gundpowder explosions. [Ishido/Ishida's] military offensive had launched to a disastrous start.

The siege only ended because of an imperial decree (it's a long story - Fujitaka/Hiromatsu knew an oral tradition special imperial poem that risked dying with him, nobody could refuse the Emperor). More than this, any chance Ishido/Ishida had of convincing skilled and respected generals to commit to his side ended with Fujitaka/Hiromatsu's defiance. Such was the respect that he commanded, and such was the rage he felt at the death of his daughter-in-law, that he worked tirelessly to gather support for Toranaga/Tokugawa, despite his advanced years.

Mariko/Hosokowa Gracia's contribution was an inflection point to what many samurai, busho and daimyo were suspecting - that Ishido/Ishida was a snake bitch who couldn't be trusted (I believe that's the correct historical term). Her actions galvanized resistance against him, and continued to spread the wildfire that would seal his defeat on the battlefield of Sekigahara: 'Why are we taking orders from him?'

Importantly, Hosokowa Gracia's remains were gathered by a Catholic priest, and given a Christian burial in Osaka. From everything we know of her, this would have been very meaningful indeed. Just as with Mariko in the show's depiction, Hosokowa Gracia's death was not senseless or without meaning. It meant something, and continues to resonate through the centuries.

What happened to John Blackthorne (William Adams)?

Gif by @cinematic-gif-archive

The short answer: imagine an alien landed in America. It was smart enough to avoid death. It ended up chief special advisor to Obama, and they became bros. That is William Adams's life.

First things first: Blackthorne stays in Japan. 'Old Rich Blackthorne' scenes are basically fever dreams. I was worried when the episode opened with a flash-forward to an old man living in Tudor comfort. This would be a huge change from both the book, and history. The novel ends with Toranaga confirming that his plan is for Blackthorne to never leave Japan. Blackthorne finds his place there. In history, the same is true of William Adams.

In episode 10, the 'is this a flash-forward?/is this a dream?' question is answered halfway through the episode. Blackthorne drops Mariko's cross over the side with Fuji's family ashes. As soon as that's done, the aged visions of Blackthorne disappear.

For those who are more textual than visual: the episode is titled A Dream of a Dream (a play on the title of the Taiko's death poem). Concussed, grief-stricken Blackthorne is dreaming of the dream he used to have - returning to England with riches and glory, his family name secure, with every comfort Queen Elizabeth the First can offer a pirate-explorer like Sir Francis Drake or Sir Walter Raleigh. But as soon as he lets go of Mariko's cross into the water (earlier, actually, when he sincerely attempted seppuku to try and save the people of Ajiro) that dream stopped appearing. The dream he had of exploiting Japan for riches and glory was gone, replaced with the reality of the life he is left to build.

In the show and the book, Toranaga is explicit about never letting Anjin-sama/Blackthorne leave Japan. If he builds new ships, Toranaga will burn them again. He needs Blackthorne's knowledge, expertise, and - in a bizarre twist of fate - friendship. We leave him hauling his wreck from the harbour, ready to salvage the keel and spars, to build a new ship in Japan.

So how does this marry up with history? Extremely accurately. As far as we know, the historical William Adams was slightly less of a pirate/privateer than the book/show's John Blackthorne. His hatred of Catholicism was more driven by their fervent desire to kill him, which they kept up for nearly a decade. His interest in exploration, in the show and in the historical, was genuine.

The show's story very closely follows what actually happened in real life (again, sans romance... although he does have love in his life, which we'll get to). His crew were initially imprisoned, he was summoned by Toranaga/Tokugawa, and met with him many times to discuss his knowledge of the outside world, trade, and Christianity's impact in Asia. The Jesuits did pester the Council of Regents, and Toranaga/Tokugawa in particular, to execute him. Toranaga/Tokugawa refused, saying this barbarian had done nothing to harm Japan or its people. The Jesuits would not forget this.

He did train elements of Toranaga/Tokogawa's army in how to work the cannon his ship possessed - a skill he possessed, but no one else was willing to offer. He actually followed Toranaga/Tokugawa to several battles. Recent primary source evidence has revealed it was highly likely he was actually at the Battle of Sekigahara, which is a very recent development in the historiography of his life. It is just bananas insane, but it demonstrates just how useful (and likeable) Blackthorne/Adams was to Toranaga/Tokugawa.

I've read two biographies of William Adams, and he was very, very like the Blackthorne portrayed by Cosmo Jarvis. Other Europeans in Japan complained that he was arrogant and dismissive - historians see this as Adams adapting to his station in Japanese society, and being extremely frustrated with European manners and bearing in Japan.

Once Toranaga/Tokugawa became shōgun, Adams - already a samurai - was made hatamoto, and forbidden from leaving Japan. He was granted many generous cuckoos (250 of them!), an estate in Edo, a fief at the entrance to Edo bay, and rose to become Toranaga/Tokugawa's chief trade advisor. During Toranaga/Tokugawa's remaining life, he built two Western-style ships (which Tokugawa came aboard and was very pleased with - that's nice!), and took over piloting duties of Portuguese and Spanish ships making landfall in Edo, pissing off the Catholics to no end.

On Ieyasu Tokugawa's death in 1616, his holdings and fief were confirmed by the new shōgun, Ieyasu Hidetada. But his relationship with the court wouldn't be the same. My reading of the sources leads me to believe that James Clavell was right here: Toranaga/Tokugawa Ieyasu genuinely liked Blackthorne/William Adams, and wanted him around.

As more and more Europeans arrived in Japan, including the English and the Dutch, Adams served as translator for them, and - for the Enlgish - fixer whenever they did something barbaric and rude that would warrant execution. He seemed to view spending time with the (no joke) drunken, whoring, disgusting-smelling English trading factory members as an extreme annoyance. He seemed happiest at sea, and at his mansion in Edo, where he married the daughter of a merchant in 1613. Whilst her name is lost to the historical record, they had two children, Joseph and Susanna.

He wasn't a deadbeat dad - he wrote to his wife back in England, explaining that he could not return. She was a firebrand, and eventually extracted a form of life insurance from the Dutch company that had contracted Adams's piloting services. Partly she was able to do this because of a proclamation issued by Toranaga/Ieyasu Tokugawa: 'William Adams was dead the day he was made samurai, and Miura Anjin - the pilot of the fief of Miura - was born.' That sounds like a badass quote I've made up, but that's one of the English translations of Tokugawa's proclamation.

Adams kept up his maritime adventures, charting the Japanese coast, going on several trading missions to Southeast Asia (sailing to Thailand and meeting with the King of Siam, furthering his amazing ability to charm and dazzle). He struck up firm friendships with members of Tokugawa's court, fellow Japanese merchants in Edo, and the much more polite Dutch traders, despite the tensions that had grown between their two countries.

There's an important aspect of his legacy that endured for centuries. Toranaga/Tokugawa, suspicious of what he had learned of Catholic conversion and invasion of other Asian states, was already disposed to be wary of the Church. The Church in Japan would not let Adams rest, attempting to kill him, convert him, bribe him, and offer him passage home in 1614 on a Portuguese ship. In the same year Portuguese priests claimed that only Spanish miners had the skills to open up the mineral wealth of Japan. Adams warned the shōgun, again, that this was the Catholic way - first the priests, then the conquistadores.

Influenced by these reports and counsel, and because the Jesuits legitimately were conspiring to do the shit Adams accused them of (always a tough charge to defend), Toranaga/Tokugawa Ieyasu expelled all Portuguese priests in 1614, and demanded all Japanese Christians recant. Apart from this leading to the Dutch being the only nation allowed to conduct trade with Japan, this was the end of Japanese Christianity, until the country was forced open in 1855. Christianity never took root in the same way it would in places like Brazil and the Philippines. Was William Adams the only factor in this development? No. Was he a factor? Yes.

He died in 1620, after twenty contented years in Japan and Asia. His will stipulated that his estates and belongings be split evenly between his family in England and Japan. One of Adams's colleagues recorded that Ieyasu Hidetada transferred lordship of Adams's fief to his Japanese son, Joseph, as well as his katana and wakizashi. His line fell out of the historical record, but memory of and monuments to the Anjin remain in Japan.

Faring Well

Shōgun, the book, was fiction, written by a man fascinated by Japanese history, driven by a desire to bring it to the world. He was overwhelmingly successful. It was an excellent start, and even fired up some fascinating academic discussion at the time that I'd definitely recommend. The 2024 adaptation, in my view, changes many of the elements that have aged poorly, were flat-out wrong to begin with, and - like all great adaptations - adds to the work, rather than cheapening it.

Despite being based on real people, the fictional characters created for the show - Blackthorne, Toranga, and especially Mariko - feel real. That is an amazing achievement.

I hope this opens up an interest in Japanese history for some viewers. Being able to visit the places where these events took place is a truly awesome experience. Like all history, it's for individuals to judge what they think of the players.

Hiroyuki Sanada said that he admires Tokugawa Ieyasu because of his ability to bring forth 250 years of peace out of nearly 500 years of chaos. Was Ieyasu motivated by altruism, or self-interest? Does it even matter?

Anna Sawai saw in Hosokowa Gracia a moving, powerful woman, deeply committed to her faith, and to doing what she believed was right in the context of her time. As a person without faith myself, I found this portrayal of genuine belief extremely moving. The demonstration of her convictions was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen.

And as for the English pilot, Cosmo Jarvis said he wanted to capture the restlessness of Adams, his slow transformation and growth, and the unique qualities that allowed the man to survive and thrive in an extremely deadly time. One thing he nailed that I think even James Clavell messed up was how deepy strange William Adams was. Not weird, not insane, but just a very singular individual. Biographers talk about his aloof, detached, self-aware nature being misconstrued as arrogance by Europeans who encountered him in Japan. Part of it was his annoyance at their inability to learn how to be in Japan; part of it was that he was simply built very differently. In embodying this, I think Cosmo Jarvis succeeded amazingly.

From what we can find in the historical record, William Adams and Hosokowa Gracia may not be 'great' in the sense that Tokugawa Ieyasu was 'great'. They did not build an era. To borrow a phrase from one of my favourite historical writers, whilst they may not be 'great' people, they were good people. That is vanishingly rare in the history we celebrate, and I think, for that reason alone, it's important to remember them, and the things they lived and died for.

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gallusrostromegalus · 9 months

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What became of Tokagero Kenpachi after she entered the sewers?

She managed to accidentally crawl into an opening to a pocket dimension in Seireitei's sewers, but it was very cold on the other side and she went into Hibernation for several hundred years, then the pocket dimension catches fire and she wakes up in time to answer one VERY unfortunate man's prayers by eating him :)

Afterwards, she and Zaraki have A Very Good Fight, with Zaraki eventually triumphing due to his better cold tolerance and extensive practice hunting and defeating lizards in his childhood. Yamamoto commended both parties on getting the ceremonial duel to determine which of them would continue to bear the mantle of Captain without fuss.

"Didn't actually know I was fightin' to keep my job." Said Zaraki. "I just wanted ter fight the Bigass Lizard."

Tokagero currently serves as the 11th Division's 4th seat.

#Some of the Sternritter powers are VERY bullshit #so they must be defeated in an Equally Bullshit manner.#like being eaten by a giant lizard!#AEIWAM #an elephant is warm and mushy #Bleach #Bleach fanfic #tokagero kenpachi

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majorhortonisonleaveinlondon · 1 month

Text

An updated (April 3, 2024 7:48am pst) list of WW2 movies and TV shows in chronological order

thought out WW2 -(Imitation Game 2014) -(The Book Thief 2013) -(The Zookeeper’s Wife 2017) -(The Pianist 2002)

1937

October 26, 1937 Defence of Sihang Warehouse (The Eight Hundred 2020)

December 13, 1937 Nanjing Massacre - (John Rabe 2009) - (The Flowers of War 2011)

1938

Fall of 1938 (Munich – The Edge of War 2022)

1939

Summer 1939 (Six Minutes to Midnight 2020)

September 3, 1939 King George VI first wartime speech (King’s Speech 2010)

September 17, 1939, Soviet Union Invitation of Poland (The Way Back 2010)

November 30, 1939 Soviet Union invades Finland (The Winter War 1989)

1940

April 9, 1940 Operation Weserübung -(April 9th [movie] 2015) -(King’s Choice 2016) -(Narvik 2022) -(War Sailors 2023)

April 27, 1940 (Into the White 2011)

June 4, 1940 -Churchill gives “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech (Darkest Hour 2017) -Dunkirk Evaluation (Dunkirk 2017)

July 10-October 31, 1940 Battle of Britain (Battle of Britain 1969)

1941

May 1941 (Call to Spy 2019)

June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa -(Fortress of War [The Brest Fortres 2010) -(Defiance 2008)

September 8, 1941, Siege of Leningrad begins. -(Battle of Leningrad [Saving Leningrad] 2019) -(Leningrad 2009)

October 1941 Battle of Moscow (The Last Frontier [The Final Stand] 2020)

October 1941 Battle of Sevastopol (Battle for Sevastopol 2015)

December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan attacks Pearl Harbor (Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970)

December 8, 1941 Japan invades Shanghai International Settlement (Empire of the Sun 1987)

1942

January 20, 1942, Wannsee Conference (Conspiracy 2001)

February 1942 Battle of the Atlantic (Greyhound 2020)

February 1942 (The Railway Man 2013)

February 19, 1942, Bombing of Darwin (Australia 2008)

Spring 1942 (U-571 2000)

April 18, 1942 The Doolittle Raid (In Harm’s Way 2018)

June 4, 1942 Battle of Midway (Midway 2019)

1942 Summer Occupation of Jersey Island (Another Mother’s Son 2017 Prime)

July, 10 1942 Easy Company Trains in Camp Tocca (Band of Brothers 01x10 Currahee 2001)

July 21, 1942, Kokoda Track Campaign (Kokoda: 39th Battalion 2006)

August 7, 1942, 1st Marine Division land on Guadalcanal (The Pacific Ep. 1 Guadalcanal/Leckie 2010)

August 19, 1942, Dieppe Raid (Dieppe 1993)

August 23, 1942 Battle of Stalingrad begins (Stalingrad 1993)

September 1942 Formation of Troop 30 (Age of Heroes 2011)

September 18, 1942, 7th Marines Land on Guadalcanal (The Pacific Ep. 2 Basilone 2010)

Autumn of 1942 Battle of the Atlantic (Das Boot 1981)

October 18, 1942, Operation Grouse (Heavy Water War Ep. 2 2015)

November 8, 1942, Operation Torch (The Big Red One 1980)

November 10-17 1942 Vasily Zaytsev kills 225 German Soldiers during the Battle of Stalingrad (Enemy at the Gates 2001)

December 1942 The 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal is relieved (The Pacific Ep. 3 Melbourne 2010)

December 15, 1942, Battle of Mount Austen (Thin Red Line 1998)

1943

March 13-14 1943, liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto -(Schindler’s List 1993)

April 17, 1943 Operation Mincemeat (Operation Mincemeat 2021)

April 19, 1943, beginning of the Warsaw Uprising (Uprising 2001)

May 4, 1943, Final Mission of The Memphis Bell (Memphis Bell 1990)

May 15, 1943, Salamo Arouch and his family arrive in Auschwitz Concentration Camp (Triumph of the Spirit 1989)

May 27, 1943 Louis Zamperini plane crashes on a search and rescue mission (Unbroken 2014)

May 30, 1943 first All-American Girls Professional Baseball League game played (A League of Their Own 1992)

June 25, 1943, 100th Bomb Group flew its first 8th Air Force combat mission (Master of the Air: Part One 2024)

July 1943 -(The Tuskegee Airmen 1995) -(The Liberator Ep. 1 2020) -(Heavy Water War Ep. 5 2015)

July 16, 1943, The 100th Bomb Group bombed U-Boats in Tronbhdim (Masters of the Air: Part Two 2024)

August 17, 1943 the 4th Bomb Wing of the 100th Bomb Group bombed Regenberg (Masters of the Air: Part Three 2024)

September 16, 1943, William Quinn and Charles Bailey leave Belgium (Masters of the Air: Part Four 2024)

September 18, 1943 John ‘Bucky’ Egan returns from leave to join the mission to bomb Munster (Master of the Air: Part Five 2024

October 14, 1943, John ‘Bucky’ Egan interrogated at Dulag Lut, Frankfurt Germany (Masters of the Air: Part Six 2024)

December 26, 1943, 1st Marine Division lands on Cape Gloucester (The Pacific Ep. 4 Gloucester/Pavuvu/Banika 2010)

1944

January 22, 1944, Battle of Anzio -(The Liberator Ep. 2 2020) -(Red Tails 2012) -(Anzio 1968)

February 20, 1944, Hydro Ferry bombing (Heavy Water War Ep. 6 2015)

March 7, 1944, Stalag Luft III Sagan, Germany, Germans find the concealed radio Bucky was using to learn news of the War (Master of the Air: Part Seven 2024)

March 24/25, 1944 Allied Mass Escape of Stalag Luft III (The Great Escape 1963)

June 1944 (Cross of Iron 1977)

June 6, 1944, 00:48 & 01:40 First airborne troops begin to land on Normandy (Band of Brothers 02x10 Day of Days 2001)

June 6, 1944, 06:30 D-Day landings -(Storming Juno 2010)

-(Saving Private Ryan 1998)

June 10, 1944, Easy Company Takes Carentan (Band of Brothers 03x10 Carentan 2001)

June 15-July 9, 1944 Battle of Saipan

-(Windtalkers 2002)

-(Oba: The Last Samurai 2011)

July, 1944 The Monuments Men land in Normandy (The Monuments Men 2014)

July 20, 1944 Operation Valkyrie (Valkyrie 2008)

August 12, 1944, The 332nd Fighter Group attack Radar stations in Southern France (Masters of the Air: Part Eight 2024)

September 15, 1944, U.S. Marines landed on Peleliu at 08:32 (the Pacific Ep. 5 2010)

September 16, 1944, U.S Marines take Peleliu Airfield (the Pacific Ep. 5 2010)

September 17, 1944, Operation Market Garden

-(Band of Brothers 04x10 Replacements 2001)

-(A Bridge Too Far 1977)

October 2, 1944 Battle of Scheldt (Forgotten Battle 2021)

October 12, 1944, Battle of Peleliu, Assault on Bloody Nose Ridge (the Pacific Ep. 7 Peleliu Hills 2010)

October 13, 1944, Rovaniemi public buildings were destroyed (Sisu 2022)

October 14, 1944, Erwin Rommel is arrested (Rommel 2012 Prime)

October 22/23, 1944, 2100 – 0200 Operation Pegasus (Band of Brothers 05x10 Crossroads 2001)

November 1944 middle of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest (When Trumpets Fade 1998)

December 16, 1944, Battle of the Bulge (Band of Brothers 06x10 Bastogne 2001)

December 1944 (Hart’s War 2002)

1945

January 2, 1945 (The Liberator Ep 3 2020)

January 10, 1945 (Attack Force Z)

January 13, 1945, Battle of Foy (Band of Brothers 07x10 The Breaking Point 2001)

January 30, 1945 The Raid at Cabanatuan (The Great Raid 2002)

February 14, 1945, David Webb rejoins the 506th in Haguenau (Band of Brothers 08x10 The Last Patrol 2001)

February 19, 1945, Battle of Iwo Jima starts. - (Letters from Iwo Jima 2006) - (The Pacific Ep. 8 Iwo Jima 2010) - (Flags of our Fathers 2006)

March 21, 1945, Operation Carthage (The Bombardment 2021)

April, 1945 (Fury 2014)

April 5, 1945, 506th Finds abandoned Concentration Camp (Band of Brothers 09x10 Why We Fight 2001)

April 26, 1945, near the end of the war in Europe (A Woman in Berlin 2008)

April 29, 1945, 45th Infantry Division liberated Dachau Concentration camp (The Liberator Ep. 4 2020)

May 2, 1945, Fall of Berlin -(Downfall 2004) -(Jojo Rabbit 2019)

May 1945 Battle of Okinawa -(Hacksaw Ridge 2016) -(The Pacific Ep. 9 Okinawa 2010)

May 7, 1945, Germany Surrenders V-E Day - (Master of the Air: Part Nine 2024) - (Band of Brothers 10x10 Points 2001)

July 30, 1945, USS Indianapolis sank. (USS Indianapolis 2016)

August 15, 1945, The Empire of Japan surrenders end of the War. -(Oppenheimer 2023) -(The Pacific Part Ten: Home 2010)

September 11, 1945 US Military search and Arrest Japanese Leaders for war crimes (Emperor 2012)

1946 April 29, 1946 Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal (Tokyo Trial 2016)

#band of brothers #masters of the air #the pacific #hbo war fandom #WW2 movies

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l1llina · 13 days

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"Huh, me? Like him ?"

Alhaitham x Fem!Reader

18+, Minors dni

Synopsis: The Akademiya is pushing a big project to fight the Abyss Order. You along with the other students are assigned to work on it. This project will bring you and Alhaitham closer.

It’s another day, another day of zoning out. What annoyed you even more was this really stuck up guy in your class. He always seemed to look down on everyone else, including you, and you’re a sensitive bitch so this bothered you a lot.

One day, the school reveals that every student will play a part in building a machine to fight the Abyss Order specifically the Abyss Prince. The pressure and excitement in everyone was of course very high almost overbearing. You couldn’t believe it. This was... amazing. Big ambitious projects with the whole help of the school. The school officially recruited everyone and everyone became an employee for the Akademiya.

Unfortunately, the way they assigned divisions were by class, this was all planned by the day you enrolled. The leader of your division who could order you to do anything he wishes was.. Alhaitham urgh. This went from being your dream to a nightmare.

He actually didn’t put many rules but the goal for that semester was to finish an elemental laser gun. Surprisingly every person in the class had a different role. You received the Casanova role but why did they need one ? At first, you pondered maybe they just didn’t want to hurt your feelings but then you guessed it was because they still lacked sufficient funding for such a project so you were the leader of your own little crew. The marketing crew!

Your job was to convince people to invest in such a project, and honestly who better for the job hah. Additionally the school encouraged the students to actually date and find love within other similar types. You were kind of manipulated into dating the heads of the project. Since production would go up if a Casanova and Leader got along well.

You were “advised accordingly” to go on a date with Alhaitham, your enemy. You didn’t have any romantic/sexual feelings for him before the date but during the date, he seemed a little obsessed, a little too happy to be here.

The Akademiya issued Friday to be a day to deepen relationships between the students. Admittedly they cared more if you had sex. They didn’t give the opportunity to buy condoms, since they hoped the students could bear kids to continue the project if the parents died.

Alhaitham urged you to take a sip of wine, you did out of politeness and out of curiosity to see what he’d do. You didn’t want your gut feeling to be right, to think he’d do something terrible, however when you came to, you were in white lingerie in Alhaitham’s dorm.

“Hey.. Y/N, I’m sure you know why I abused my position of power to get you here. You teased me on purpose huh, wearing that short pencil skirt. I don’t like helping the school with their corrupt ways but I can’t help but want to keep you to myself so let’s bear a child and we’ll rule the school”

He began teasing you, bouncing you on his thigh, you muffled your moans, refusing to yield to this asshole’s demands, but slowly, after being edged for so long, you started losing your rationale and following his demands. He worshipped the body that would give him an heir and the woman who clouded his mind for years.

“I saw how you looked at me in class, such hatred and disgust, there’s nothing more satisfying than triumphing over my enemies but in this case, you’re my doll now and don’t worry doll I’ll make sure to treat you right and please you accordingly”

You thought he’d stop at grinding you on his laps but he got down on his knees and started stuffing your tiny hole and circling your clit with his tongue. Urgh the only thing that’s stopping you from giving yourself to him fully is your pride. If you gave in, he’d win and there’d be no guarantee you’ll find real love with him.

“Why are you still holding back, do you think I’ll hit you ? Insult you ? Never, not to the girl I’ve respected for so long”

“W-What, re-respect hngh..?”

“Yeah, you’re a little stupid but you always kept your promises and showed your hatred for hypocrisy and oppression of the system. You’re exactly my type, I love your character and I hope even after this little stunt, you can find a place in your heart to love me too”

“Al.. I didn’t wanna give in because I don’t like losing.. These past few years, I always thought you were an asshole, even now you’re proving my point but right now I couldn’t care less, you being an asshole also ties with your ambition and I couldn’t find anything more attractive than that, well devotion too but you’re that too so. More so, you’re fucking hot.. Are you kidding me ?”

“So, we’re a thing then ?”

“Yeah.. now fuck me with your cock already, just so you know though I don’t really like kids but I still wanna have sex with you right now”

He plunges his cock and makes you cum many times that night. The next day your dorm changed to Al Haitham’s and you shared a dorm now. Outside of school hours and even during, you would be in his office, dating and fucking him”

At night, you found a new nerd pal to geek out with but he sometimes takes it too far and it ends up in passionate makeout sessions. The next morning, the cycle continues

TBC <3 Pls don't hate me

#al haitham x reader #smut #genshin smut #genshin x reader #yandere al haitham #al haitham #fanfic

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arnnatageshanks · 6 months

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Saviors is an invitation into Green Day’s brain, their collective spirit as a band, and an understanding of friendship, culture and legacy of the last 30 plus years.

It's raw and emotional. Funny and disturbing. It’s a laugh at the pain, weep in the happiness kind of record.

Honesty and vulnerability.

What is Saviors about, you ask?

Power pop, punk, rock, indie triumph. disease, war, inequality, influencers, yoga retreats, alt right, dating apps, masks, MENTAL HEALTH, climate change, oligarchs, social media division, free weed, fentanyl, fragility,,..

What would Andy Warhol do? What would John Waters do? What would Quentin Tarantino do?

What would GREEN DAY do?

New album ‘Saviors' out January 19th, 2024 The first single “The American Dream Is Killing Me” is out now

#green day #billie joe armstrong #mike dirnt #tré cool #saviors #the american dream is killing me

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sparklepirate · 8 months

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Alright, final thoughts on Inheritance.

;-;

Eragon continues to be the guy of all time. I love him. He really displayed a maturity in this book that I think supersedes anything we've seen of him in all the previous books, and just like... His strength really is that he is compassionate and thoughtful towards everyone. Even Murtagh, now, too. He had the realization of how close he was to sharing his fate, sought to understand him, and that was ultimately what led him to realizing his true name had changed, tearing down Galbatorix's wards, etc etc. I don't know that I could properly articulate everything about him here, but Eragon definitely became the hero he needed to be by the end of the series, 100%. He is the only person who could've possibly thought of the final piece of magic to defeat Galbatorix. Even the dreams of starlings are equal to the worries of a king. Ahhh, it's so good. ❤️ I'm so proud of him.

On the other hand, Barst was some bullshit. Bro. Like, on the one hand, it was a very good climactic battle for Roran to participate in, and his triumph was the perfect culmination of his character- cunning in battle, cunning in strategy, the intelligence and charisma to sway everyone around him into cooperating and working together, sheer determination so intensely strong that he was able to crush and Eldunarí with his bare hands. His role was perfect! But Barst as a villain was kinda... Well, first of all, he came completely the fuck out of nowhere. He wasn't mentioned at all until they were already on their way to Uru'baen, and then he was only MENTIONED. They didn't hype him up enough before the actual battle in my opinion. And ONE human and one Eldunarí being enough to beat the QUEEN OF THE ELVES in hand to hand combat...? I mean, I guess that could work but... Ehhh... I dunno. It kind of felt like an excuse for Islanzadí to die, and Roran to triumph more than anything. It was cool, but it was probably the weakest part of the plot in my opinion.

That said though I think it's pretty safe to say this was my favorite book of the series. I'm having trouble recalling all the iconic shit (I took a pretty long break from reading about halfway through the book) but there was soooo much cool stuff in here. The Nasuada being kidnapped and being helped by Murtagh arc is GOLD, Vroengard was amazing, and all the battles were SO well written??? I need to study these books more closely just to learn how to write compelling fight scenes. Honestly, it's gripping stuff. I was on the edge of my seat, despite knowing how everything turns out.

Nasuada is amazing, Arya is amazing, Saphira is amazing, Roran is amazing, MURTAGH is amazing... I think I already liked basically every character in this series going in, but I somehow like them even more now that I've read it again. Everyone is so good, and interesting, and I want to be everyone's friend. I think the only character I liked less this go around was Orrin (sorry to my Orrin stan friend out there). That said, though, I don't dislike him, I think I just went from positive to neutral about him.

Orrin honestly just didn't get nearly as much screen time as I remembered? We only see him a handful of times throughout the book and each time the only thing he's doing is getting drunk and making an ass of himself, though... Idk, he also has a point? He has his own unique point of view, and his own unique experiences that lead him to his own ideas of how to conduct things, and it is definitely kind of true that like no one ever really listens to him or takes him seriously, despite being the King of Surda for w while at that point. I don't think there was a more graceful solution to the division of power/territory after Galbatorix was killed than what was decided upon, because like... Realistically, Orrin was never gonna be high king. He had good reason to assert for the throne, sure, but actually ascending to the throne? That is SUCH a far reach for power, unless the aim was to assimilate Surda in and have all of the humans under one crown. Nah, Nasuada giving up territory and ascending to the throne was the better choice, even if I do empathize with Orrin's point of view. It seems like Nasuada did as well, because even though she was persistent, she seemed to be gentle and sympathetic with him. He even had his line about like... "Why do you even want to do this?" "None of you would understand." Idk. Very interesting, but not tremendously notable compared to others, and he definitely was a bit of an asshole at times.

Murtagh my beloved my BELOVED I'm honestly just gonna make a whole separate essay post about him because his shit is Complicated™️ but one little note it was such a small detail at the end but I love that he said to Eragon "Hey check in on Arya about killing Shruikan. It couldn't have been easy for an elf to kill a dragon." And Eragon hadn't even THOUGHT of that and Arya probably would've been the last thing on his mind but he still was just so thoughtful. He is thoughtful like his brother and he cares so deeply and AHHH!!! And actually I want to see him and Arya be buds. I think they would have a cool dynamic. And also I love that he never once hesitated to acknowledge Eragon as his brother and just wanted to be with him and finally Eragon also acknowledged him as a brother too that last scene with them was just so good 🥹

Also I love how Thorn's like only spoken line in the whole series (until November) is to boop Eragon on the forehead and say "Hi. Thank you for not killing my rider. :)" and Murtagh is just like "Yeah thanks for that. 😒"

Love how quick Saphira and Fírnen hit it off lol. They really played tag and wrestled for like five minutes and then were like "Alright we're gonna go fuck like now see y'all later ✌️" And Eragon's like "Is this??? Okay???" And Saphira's like "Pfft dragon's don't mate for life 🤷‍♀️" Their little romance was so cute.

CAN WE FUCKING TALK ABOUT QUEEN AND RIDER ARYA??? That shit is by FAR the wildest endgame decision Chris made because like. That. That's so fucking. Oh my god??? Like, one, poor Arya!! She just wanted to be a rider and have adventures! She probably would've either spent her time happy herrying eggs across Alegaësia, or she would've gone with Eragon to Mount Arngor, but you can NOT convince me that she would be particularly happy as queen. She's grieving the loss of her mother that she barely had a relationship with, and denied the other eleven leaders for a full week before they convinced her to do it!!! Girlie!!! You deserve to be happy!!! And, two, the obvious point of holy shit that is such an enormous power imbalance in favor of the elves. Like, there is a REASON the riders were separate in the first place!! And, you know, Galbatorix JUST died and now there is another rider/monarch and it's the ELVES who have historically been both the most powerful race, and the race with the best relationship with the dragons. And Arya is the ONLY RIDER LEFT IN ALEGAËSIA!!! Because Eragon is gone (and stubbornly convinced that He Shall Never Again Return Oh Woe Is Him) and Murtagh is... Also gone to an extent. He at the very least holds no political power. Basically everyone hates him, and those that don't can't do more than, like, pardon him, for whatever that's worth. I just can't see this not rubbing people the wrong way, and not coming to an eventual head. Nasuada and Arya are both great, but I just get the feeling there is going to eventually be some sort of conflict between them, no matter how much neither of them want it. I do think Arya is perhaps the least corruptible person, other than maybe Eragon but... I don't knowwww maaaan it's complicated!!

Also I regret to inform everyone that rereading the last little bit did make me ship Eragon and Arya a teensy tinsy itty little bit. Just a liiiiittle bit. Like idk the last fairth and the telling each other their true names and calling each other their true names and Eragon's grief at leaving and his vow to love her forever and her insinuation of maybe one day just got to me alright???

There were a lot of cool magic things in this book! Like the pocket space that the Eldunarí were kept in? Cuaroc's body? More shit that I'm forgetting? God I would just love, like, a magical encyclopedia or something idk. Lots of cool shit. And artifacts!! I want to learn about more magical artifacts.

Also at my Galbatorix stan mutual? I'm a certified Murtagh Girlie™️ and therefore obligated to hold a grudge but like. I do get it. He is a... Very competent villain.

Alright I think that's it for now but. Wow. Man oh man. There is a reason I love this series. I'll probably think of some more things to talk about later, and I'm gonna be participating in the Big Bang, and I'll probably post about The Fork, The Witch, and The Worm as I reread that but yeah!!! Can't wait for November!!

#can't WAIT for November!!!#ashna reads the inheritance cycle #inheritance cycle #eragon #inheritence #murtagh morzansson #saphira #murtagh thornsrider #nasuada #roran stronghammer

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wasabidottie · 7 months

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Brothers Best Friend (Jschlatt)

prologue part one part two

The victorious cheers of the baseball team reverberated through the locker room as they celebrated their hard-earned win. Schlatt, Ted, and the rest of the team were in high spirits, their adrenaline pumping from the thrilling game they had just played.

"And that's how it's done, boys!" Schlatt yelled, raising a triumphant fist as the team erupted into raucous laughter and applause. "I told you I'd knock it out of the park!"

Ted grinned, clapping Schlatt on the back. "You sure did, buddy. You were on fire out there."

As the team's celebrations continued, [Y/N] quietly gathered her camera and backpack, ready to slip away unnoticed. She hadn't planned on joining them for the post-game meal, but when Ted had insisted, she had reluctantly agreed, mainly because she'd driven with him and didn't want to inconvenience him.

Outside the locker room, they all piled into various cars, making their way to a nearby diner that was a favorite hangout spot after games. Schlatt, predictably, took the wheel of his beat-up truck, Ted riding shotgun, while she settled into the back seat, her presence barely acknowledged by the boisterous duo in front.

As they entered the diner, the baseball team's arrival was met with a mix of annoyance and amusement from the other patrons. They settled into a large booth at the back, and the noise level escalated as the team continued to relive the game and share exaggerated stories of their triumphs.

Schlatt, in particular, was in rare form. His bravado seemed to have doubled since the game, and he was holding court, recounting his batting prowess to anyone who would listen. As he spoke, he occasionally glanced back at [Y/N], a condescending smirk on his face.

"You know," he said, loud enough for the entire table to hear, "you'd probably appreciate baseball more if you actually understood the game."

His comment earned a few chuckles and eye rolls from the team, but she simply shrugged, determined not to let his arrogance get to her. "Well, I do appreciate the photography opportunities it provides," she replied calmly, holding her ground.

Schlatt chuckled, clearly unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah, snapshots of guys running around in tight pants. Real deep stuff."

Ted shot a warning look at his best friend, but Schlatt simply waved it off, his attention quickly shifting back to the animated conversation at the table.

Throughout the meal, she remained a silent observer, content to let the guys enjoy their post-game revelry. She couldn't help but marvel at how different Ted and Schlatt were. While Ted was charismatic and inclusive, Schlatt was brash and divisive.

The diner was still alive with the laughter and chatter of the baseball team as they lingered over their post-game meal. Schlatt, in particular, seemed to be in his element, holding court and relishing in the attention of his teammates.

As [Y/N] attempted to enjoy her meal in relative peace, Schlatt's condescending comments continued to grate on her nerves. He would occasionally throw a barb her way, making snide remarks about her lack of enthusiasm for the game or her seemingly trivial interest in photography.

But when he crossed the line with a particularly mean-spirited comment about her skills, she finally had enough. Her cheeks flushed with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment, she opened her mouth to retort, only to be met with Schlatt's cutting retort.

"Maybe if you spent less time hiding behind your camera, you'd actually have something interesting to say."

His words hung in the air like a toxic cloud, stifling any response from [Y/N]. She was momentarily silenced, her desire to stand her ground overshadowed by the sheer meanness of his comment.

Ted, who had been preoccupied with his friends' jokes, finally registered the tension at the table. He glanced between his best friend and his sister, concern etched across his face.

"Hey, come on, guys, let's keep it light," Ted interjected, trying to defuse the situation.

Schlatt waved Ted off with a dismissive gesture, but his eyes briefly met [Y/N]'s, and for a split second, there was a hint of something resembling regret in his gaze.

With the atmosphere at the table now strained, [Y/N] decided it was time to make her exit. She reached for her phone, and after a quick glance at the time, she realized it was getting late. She needed to call her boyfriend, Tristian, to pick her up.

Ted noticed her action and furrowed his brow. "Where are you going, [Y/N]?"

She glanced at her brother, a small smile touching her lips. "I'm heading home, Ted. Thanks for letting me tag along, but it's getting late."

Ted looked slightly disappointed but nodded in understanding. "Alright, sis, you take care. I'll see you at home."

As she stepped away from the table, [Y/N] felt Schlatt's gaze on her. She paused briefly, their eyes locking once more, and she could swear she saw a flicker of something in his expression. But before she could decipher it, she turned and headed for the exit.

Outside, she dialed Tristian's number and arranged for him to pick her up from the diner. It wasn't long before his car pulled up to the curb, and she climbed in, relieved to be leaving the awkward situation behind.

Back inside the diner, Schlatt watched as [Y/N] left with Tristian, a puzzled expression on his face. Ted, who had been observing his friend's behavior, couldn't help but comment.

"You know, Schlatt, I never knew you had a problem with my sister."

Schlatt shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I don't have a problem with her. She's just a kid."

Ted raised an eyebrow, skeptical of Schlatt's response. "Well, you seemed pretty hung up on her photography."

Schlatt mumbled something under his breath, barely audible, but Ted caught it nonetheless. "What was that?"

Schlatt hesitated before speaking again, his voice quieter this time. "I just didn't expect her to have a boyfriend, that's all."

Ted's expression shifted from curiosity to mild annoyance. "You're worried about her boyfriend?"

Schlatt didn't respond, his thoughts a jumble of confusion and curiosity. As the diner gradually emptied out, he couldn't help but wonder why [Y/N]'s relationship status had taken him by surprise, and why it seemed to matter to him more than he cared to admit.

#chuckle sammy #jschlatt x reader #jschlatt x you #schlatt #schlatt x reader #jschlatt #chuckle sandwich x reader #schlatt x you #idk how to write dialogue

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veryace-ficrecs · 5 months

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Marineford fix-it fics

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

You Still Have Me by Rijus_Hope - Rated G

Ace is kneeling on the execution platform, ready to accept his fate. He wishes his father and crewmates hadn't come for him, but is glad that, at least, his older brother hasn't come to die for him as well. Or so he thought. Or: the Navy tries to execute Ace. Newly dubbed Emperor of the Sea Monkey D. Luffy shows the world why that was a mistake.

Retired doesn't mean weak by Dezace - Rated T

Gol D. Roger survived the illness that should have killed him, once again triumphing where he had no odds of winning. After Roger achieved his goal, he returned to the love of his life to live out his life with only calm days ahead. His son was born and doted on the boy, soon enough gaining two more sons in the coming years. He approved of their dreams and would not get in the way of them.

But he drew the line at executions.

The Marines better be prepared, because the Pirate King is coming, and he won't rest until his son was safe.

take these fists of mine (raise them one last time) by SkyGem - Rated G

Monkey D Garp is 76, and he's tired of giving up pieces of himself for the World Government. Monkey D Garp is 76, and his grandson is about to be executed. Monkey D Garp is 76, and his family is the one thing he will never give up without a fight.

The Sharp Knife Of A Short Life by Memories_of_the_Shadows - Rated G

Garp isn't the greatest parent in this world or any other by far, but he does try his best and he does love his boys.

Executing Family Reunions by RubyBlue2005 - Rated G

Executions are just less boring family meetups to the Monkey family.

You say there’s a monster in my past (but I don’t believe you) by Glaux_Bryonia - Rated G

The scheduled execution of the pirate Portgas D Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, did not go entirely according to plan… Or: what if Garp never told Ace he was Roger’s son?

All For One by missmungoe - Rated G

Some things never change. Except this time, one very important thing does.

the One Time Ace Turned Away by FMPtrumpets - Rated G

We all know Ace is well-known for never turning his back on a fight, but… what if Luffy managed to get him to walk away from Akainu at Marineford?

Emotional damage by Lerya - Rated M

Opening his eyes, Luffy found an oxygen mask over his mouth. What had happened that he needed that. He never needed something like that, Chopper was well aware that he would bounce back soon enough. Looking around now that his eyes were opened, he could see that he wasn’t lying in their infirmary. The lay out was different from theirs; from the way Chopper had decorated it.

The will to live is harder to keep than a will to die by Dezace - Rated T

Ace was chained down in Impel Down, waiting for his execution and death, knowing that nothing can change that. When Ace hears the news that Luffy was here and there for him, Ace couldn't sit still. Not anymore. Or: Ace decided that being the damsel in distress sucks and that if you wanted something done right, do it yourself.

there is thunder in our hearts by taizi - Rated T

He’s not close enough. He’s not going to make it. Even if he managed to shake off the soldiers in front of him and just threw his whole body at full-speed between Luffy and Akainu to take the blow, he wouldn’t get there fast enough. He doesn’t have enough time. He’s going to lose another brother, only this time it’s going to happen right in front of his eyes, from seven—five—three feet away. He’s ten years old again and learning what grief is. He’s ten years old and all that’s left of Sabo is the letter in his hand and a shared dream and the promise that Ace will look after their silly baby brother while he’s gone. “DON’T TOUCH HIM!” Ace screams. It’s pure desperation. It’s the last human thing he’ll ever say if Luffy dies here.

Whitebeard Pirates Guide to Gaslighting the World that Ace is Whitebeard's Biological Son by Thatoneanimequeen - Rated G

Ace being the brilliant genius that he is somehow convinces the Whitebeard pirates and others to get everyone to believe that he is Whitebeard's biological son.

walk the wire by Anonymous - Rated G

So they’re talking about the possibility that Whitebeard loses and Ace dies and Sabo can’t. There are locusts beneath his skin and a headache throbbing against his skull and a tick-tick-tick down his spine, a countdown, a warning, and he needs to go. “I can carry a black bag operation in Marineford,” he blurts, off topic, and the room blows up with noise. ///Sabo needs his memories, Ace needs saving, and Garp needs to rethink his life choices.

#one piece #portgas d ace #one piece sabo #monkey d luffy #marineford #marineford fix it #veryace recs #ao3 fic recs #fanfic recs #ao3 #one piece fanfiction #monkey d garp #vice admiral garp

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teecupangel · 4 months

Note

I've been checking this game called Shipwrecked 64 and there's this section in the game where you use something like the Eagle Vision and you could use it for the rest of the game in some areas, I wanna see your thoughts on this because the entire time I was thinking of AC

You know what would be fun, nonny?

If we set up the core setting of Shipwrecked 64 to a game that Abstergo developed and released for a limited time.

It was meant to be the Entertainment Division’s first game using a prototype VR system that would later be developed as the Animus gaming console (that’s what they tell the public but it’s not true. The VR system was created using the Animus as the base but they later scrapped it and just modified the Animus).

But the game itself was in development hell for so long, only later having a limited release after the Animus’ first game (Liberation) proved to be successful. It came with a 10% discount voucher that the players can use when preordering Abstergo Entertainment’s next game “Pirates of Nightmare”.

Of course, because this is Abstergo and they’re scummy, the voucher is only available for PREORDER and will expire the moment the game is released.

The game wasn’t even given a digital release with Abstergo going for the physical copy first then just… never bothering to do a digital release because they were betting that Pirates of Nightmares would be so successful no one would remember that weird short 2D platformer that Abstergo released between two major games.

And it sorta worked.

The game wasn’t even played all that much. It was cheaper because it was short and the controls were clunky as it was created for the prototype. Abstergo only did the bare minimum to port it to the latest Animus gaming console and players can’t even access it IF they have one of the newer models (specifically the models released for “Triumph of the Borgias” onward) because it’s not backwards compatible.

Then… a Game Preservation group called “Shipwrecked 17 Recovery Crew” released an emulator that can play it even for the latest model of the Animus gaming console. They released it for free with the emulator saying “if you enjoy this game, please consider donating to the [a link that takes people to one of the site that archives all video games with a list of video games that have not been archived or preserved yet]”. There’s no request for monetization at all so Abstergo isn’t exactly keen on trying to take it down less they suffer a backlash from players who would say “you’re not even rereleasing it so why are you taking down a passion project from fans???”

The emulator also notes that it fixed some of the codes so there should be less bugs and would provide a more ‘complete’ experience.

The setting of the game is quite simple. The player plays as Shipmate 0, the captain of the Ship (no name was given so fans call it ‘ship’). The Ship suffered terrible damage during a severe storm on the sea and Shipmate 0 wakes up in an island and the goal of the player is to find all ‘16’ shipmates that are stranded in the island (with each having their own minigame, of course).

The normal ending would be getting all ‘16’ shipmates safely in a newly repaired Ship.

Most players assumed that it’s called Shipwrecked 17 because Shipmate 0 is counted as one of the shipmates so, in total, there are 17 shipmates.

Then… some starts looking at the code.

And they post the comments on a function called Golden_Ending().

// Unlock Subject 17. // Requirement: kill all 16 Subjects.

They believe the ‘Subject’ are the shipmates and the morbid requirement fascinated some players. Other players do not that “kill” has a different meaning in codes so maybe it’s not actually killing the shipmates ingame.

Then one player realized that they can kill Shipmates using specific methods during the minigame portion. This player unintentionally found this out while he was doing the tag minigame with Shipmate 4 (the duck). The game had been simply chasing Shipmate 4 until he takes a short rest and reaching him during that short rest. BUT if a player was to use their left hand while chasing Shipmate 4 (not during short rest) and the distance is an arm’s length or shorter, the game glitches for a moment and Shipmate 0 actually tackles Shipmate 4, staying oon top of Shipmate 4 as he slumps down.

After that, a short audio of an older sounding man and a woman are played by the screen glitches to show Shipmate 4’s profile window (where it says the actual name of Shipmate 4 is Daniel the Duck) talking about how unstable ‘Daniel’ was becoming and prolonged sessions on the Animus only had minimal effect on helping him stabilize his mind.

The glitch ends with the profile showing a different profile for a fraction of a second and it was only after a few more people tried the method and recorded their playthrough so they can take a screenshot of it later on that the players found out the second profile was the ‘session’ records of a Daniel Cross, complete with dates and summary of each session.

And now, Abstergo is trying to get everyone to stop playing, saying that the game has been tampered with or that someone modified it to include such morbid things, it was meant to be a kids’ game!

People barely cared. The mystery and the ‘horror’ were more interesting than the whole “help these animal-ish creatures get off the island”. Streamers started playing it, trying to find ways to kill the other Shipmates…

They learn new things along the way…

Like how Shipmate 15 is actually pregnant and the way to kill her is… well… morbid. Shipmate 16 can only be killed by chasing him into a specific trap that will cut him to pieces.

Every time they manage to kill a Shipmate, they are transferred to an empty bar with the walls slowly being filled with the pictures of the ‘Subjects’ that appear after killing the Shipmate, including Daniel the Duck, Robert the Rabbit, Clay the Cuckoo, etc…

Then when all 16 Shipmates are killed, they return to the bar once more but it’s now burning and there’s a Dog ‘Shipmate’ in front of them.

The final Shipmate.

The key to the Golden Ending.

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ltwilliammowett · 6 months

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The Battle of Trafalgar - a brief timeline

At 6am on 21 October 1805, the two fleets sighted each other and at 6.40am Nelson gave the order to ‘prepare for battle’. The French were sailing in line off Cape Trafalgar, while the British came in from the west, gradually forming two lines. The British fleet was outnumbered, the enemy totalling nearly 30,000 men and 2632 guns to Nelson’s 18,000 men and 2148 guns.

Plan of Lord Horatio Nelson's attack strategy (1758-1805), on the combined fleet (France and Spain), October 21, 1805 (Battle of Trafalgar). Lithograph (27 x 36.7 cm), published by Robert Dodd, 1805, England

At 11.45am Nelson ordered a special signal to be flown from his flagship Victory. It read: ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’. The signal was greeted with delight by the ﬂeet.

Finally, at 11.50am, French commander Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve sent the signal ‘engage the enemy’. The French vessel Fougueux ﬁred the ﬁrst shots at Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood’s flagship, Royal Sovereign. The battle had begun. Collingwood was the first to reach the enemy line, firing a broadside into one of the Spanish flagships, Santa Anna. The ships in his division followed him, approaching in a slanting line, spreading the force of the impact and enveloping the allied rear as Nelson had intended.

HMS Victory, by Patrick O'Brien (1960-)

Nelson meanwhile headed towards the great Spanish ship, Santissima Trinidad, but spotting that Villeneuve was flying his flag on the Bucentaure, the next ship astern, he ordered Flag Captain Thomas Hardy to attack her first. The Victory passed under the stern, firing a broadside as she went, giving the Bucentaure a knockout blow.

As the Victory moved on she became entangled in the Redoutable, and the two ships drifted away. This created a large gap in the Franco-Spanish line through which Nelson’s division then poured, splitting the enemy fleet in two – again, exactly as Nelson intended.

Breaking the Line, by Patrick O'Brien (1960-)

The battle developed into a ferocious pounding match but the British had the advantage thanks to Nelson’s strategic pre-planning and the fact his men were better trained in delivering rapid, accurate gunnery. When firing finally ceased at 5.30pm, 17 enemy ships had been captured and another was a blazing wreck. Four managed to escape but were captured a few weeks later, and 11 managed to struggle back to Cadiz.

A total of 449 British sailors were killed and 1217 wounded. French and Spanish losses were heavier: 4408 were dead, 2545 wounded and some 20,000 taken prisoner.

Britain’s decisive victory was overshadowed by news of the death of Nelson, who was shot onboard Victory at 1.15pm and died at 4.30pm. The triumph was further eclipsed by a fierce storm that raged after the battle, forcing the British to abandon most of their captured enemy ships.

The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 Ocotober 1805, by unknown

News of Trafalgar reached London a fortnight later in the early hours of 6 November 1805. Public rejoicing for the victory was muted by widespread sorrow for the death of Nelson. As a reward for Trafalgar, Collingwood was made a baron, all the captains received the official Naval Gold Medal and a special grant of money was made by the government to all those who had taken part. This was to compensate them for the prize money they lost when their captured vessels sank in the storm.

The Battle of Trafalgar cemented Britain’s reputation as ruler of the seas and demonstrated that the Royal Navy had superiority in training, professionalism and expertise in naval tactics that set it apart from its rivals. By 1809 there were over 140,000 men serving on 732 ships, more than ever before.

However, the victory at Trafalgar had little overall impact on the course of the war. Napoleon needed more to be stopped.

#naval history #battle of trafalgar #21 october 1805 #trafalgar day #brief timeline #19th century #age of sail

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physalian · 23 days

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On Writing Theme (Or, Make it a Question)

An element of story so superficially understood and yet is the backbone of what your work is trying to say. Theme is my favorite element to design and implement and the easiest way to do that? Make it a question.

A solid theme takes an okay action movie and propels it into blockbuster infamy, like Curse of the Black Pearl. It turns yet another Batman adaptation into an endlessly rewatchable masterpiece, seeing the same characters reinvented yet again and still seeing something new, in The Dark Knight. It’s the spiraling drain at the bottom of classic tragedies, pulling its characters inevitably down to their dooms, like in The Great Gatsby.

Theme is more than just “dark and light” or “good and evil”. Those are elements that your story explores, but your theme is what your story *says* with those elements.

For example: Star Wars takes “dark vs light” incredibly literally (ignoring the Sequels). Dark vs Light is what the movies pit against each other. How the selfish, corrupted, short-sighted nature of the Dark Side inevitably leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom—that’s what the story is about.

A story can have more than one theme, more than one statement it wants to make and more than one question to answer. Star Wars is also about the inevitable triumph of unity and ‘goodness’ over division and ‘evil’.

Part of why I love fantasy is how allegorical it can be. Yes I’m writing a story with vampires, but my questions to my characters are, “What makes a monster? Why is it a monster?” My characters’ arcs are the answer to my theme question.

Black Pearl is a movie that dabbles in the dichotomy between law-abiding soldiers and citizens, and the lawless pirates who elude them. Black Pearl’s theme is that one can be a pirate and also a good man, and that neither side is perfect or mutually exclusive, and that strictly adhering to either extreme will lead you to tragedy.

Implementing your theme means, in my opinion, staging your theme like a question and answering it with as many characters and plot beats as possible. In practice?

Q: Can a pirate be a good man? A: Jack is. Will is. Elizabeth is. Barbossa is selfish and short-sighted, and he loses. Norrington is too focused on propriety and selfless duty, and he loses.

Or, in Gatsby.

Q: Is life fulfilled by living in the past? A: Mr. Buchanan clings to his old-money ways and is a sour lout with no respect for anyone or himself. Daisy clings to a marriage that failed long ago, to retain an image and security she thinks she needs. Myrtle chases a man she can’t ever have. Her husband lusts after a wife who’s no longer his. Gatsby… well we all know what happens to him.

The more characters and plot beats you have to answer your theme’s question, the more cohesive a message you’ll send. It can be a statment the story backs up as well, as seen below, questions just naturally invite answers.

—

Do you need a theme?

Not technically, no. Plenty of stories get by on their other solid elements and leave the audience to draw their own conclusions and take their own meaning and messages. Your average romance novel probably isn’t written with a moral. Neither are your 80s/90s action thrillers. Neither are many horror movies. Theme is usually reserved for dramas, and usually in dramatic fantasy and sci-fi, where the setting tends to be an allegory for whatever message the author is trying to send. That, and kids movies.

Sometimes you just want to tell a funny story and you don’t set out with any goals of espousing morals and lessons you want your readers to learn and that is perfectly okay. I still think saying *something* will make the funny funnier or the drama more dramatic or the romance more romantic, but that’s just me and what I like to read.

When it is there, it’s right in front of your face way more often than you might think. Here’s some direct quotes succinctly capturing the main theses of a couple famous works:

“He’s a good man.” / “No, he’s a pirate.” - Curse of the Black Pearl

“What are we holding onto, Sam?” / “That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.” - LotR, Two Towers

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” - LotR, Fellowship of the Ring

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” - Horton Hears a Who

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” - The Dark Knight

“Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” - The Great Gatsby

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” & “Life finds a way.” - Jurassic Park

"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind." - Lilo & Stitch

“But… I’m supposed to be beautiful.” / “You are beautiful.” - Shrek

“I didn’t kill him because he looked as scared as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself.” - How to Train Your Dragon

“There are no accidents.” & “There is no secret ingredient.” & “You might wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.” - Kung Fu Panda

*If any of those are wrong, I did them entirely from memory, sue me.

Some of the best scenes in these stories are where the theme synthesizes in direct dialogue. There’s this moment of catharsis where you, the audience, knew what the story has been saying, but now you get to hear it put into words.

Or, these are the lines that stick in your head as you watch the tragedy unfold around the characters and all they didn’t learn when they had the chance.

When it comes to stories that have a very strong moral and never feel like they’re preaching to you, look no further than classic Pixar movies.

“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” - Ratatouille

“I’m not strong enough.” / “If we work together, you don’t have to be.” - The Incredibles

“Just keep swimming!” - Finding Nemo

Ellie’s adventure book, to live your own adventure, even if it’s not the one you thought it would be - Up

The Wheel Well montage, to slow down every once in a while, because in a flash, it’ll be gone - Cars

The entire first dialogue-less section of Wall-E, to stop our endless consumption or else

The real monsters are corporate consumption - Monsters Inc

One cannot fully appreciate happiness without a little sadness - Inside Out

With enough loud voices, the common man can overthrow The Man - A Bug’s Life

A person’s worth is not determined by their value to other people - Toy Story

These are the themes that I, personally, took from these movies as a kid and later in life. If I remembered the scripts any better I could probably pull some direct dialogue to support them, but, sadly, I do not have the entire Pixar catalog memorized.

—

After you’ve suffered through rigorous literary analysis classes for years on end, the “lit analyst” hat kind of never comes off. Sometimes you try to find a theme where none exists, coming up with your own. Sometimes you can very easily see the skeleton attempt at having a theme and a message that came out half-baked, and all the missed opportunities to polish it.

Whatever the case, while theme isn’t *necessary*, having that through line, an axis around which your entire story revolves, can be a fantastic way to examine which elements of your WIP aren’t meshing with the rest, why a character is or isn’t clicking, how you want to end it, or, even, how you want to approach a sequel.

Unfortunately, very, very often, a movie, book, or season of TV has a fantastic execution of a theme in its first run, and the ensuing sequels forget all about it.

No one here is going to defend Michael Bay’s Transformers movies as cinematic masterpieces, however, the first movie did actually have a thematic through line: “No sacrifice, no victory.” They didn’t stick the landing but, you know, the attempt was made. Where is that theme at all in the sequels? Nonexistent. They could have even explored a different theme and they abandoned it altogether.

Black Pearl’s thematic efforts fell away to lore and worldbuilding in its two sequels. Not that they’re bad! I love Dead Man’s Chest, but to those who don’t like the sequels, that missing element may be part of why.

Shrek and Shrek 2 both centered on their theme of beauty being how you define it and no one else. Fiona finds true love in her “true” form, then strengthens that message in the sequel when she has the chance to be “normal” and conventionally attractive, and still chooses to be an ogre, to be with Shrek. Shrek 3’s theme is…?

When it was never there, that theme is missing isn’t so obvious. When it used to be there and got left behind, it leaves a crater in its wake everyone notices, even if they can’t pinpoint why.

—

TLDR: Theme is more than just vague nouns and dichotomies. Good, evil, dark, light, selfishness, altruism, beauty, ugliness, riches, poverty, etc are what your story uses. Your theme is what your story has to say with those elements, using as many characters and plot points as possible to reinforce its message. Is it necessary? No. Is it helpful and does it lead to a richer experience? Yes.

#writing advice #writing resources #writing tips #writing tools #writing a book #writeblr #writing #fantasy #scifi #theme #writing themes

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