#why do you continue to make me weak in every adaption

[screampied]

“. . do you . . know what happens after death, sweetheart?”

the words that slipped out of nanami’s lips struck you right in the very depths of your heart.

it stung—a sharp prod that made the very crevices of your mouth twitch. his hands, his once warm and loving hands started to grow abnormally cold. frigid to where you even started to adapt to his chilled temperature.

“no why….” you started, feeling your throat tighten. “why are you asking me that, kento?” you sniffle, tightly interlocking your fingers with his.

he stares at you with a warm smile spreading across his lips.

regardless of his current position, peacefully resting his back against the ground—his inevitable fate had finally caught up to him.

nanami’s breathing patterns changed significantly. everything was so loud, all he could make out through his peripherals was splotches of blur and your pretty worried face. “. . because,” he continues, and his speech was so slow. you could tell he was trying to get every word out, every syllable, every vowel. just for you and only you. “i’m about to find out, my love . .”

your irises focused on him. nothing else, no one else—just him.

you’ve never seen him like this. so pale, so weak, so . . . scared.

his pure emotion, it showed in his eyes. his perfect brown eyes that you never failed to get lost in. for the first time in what was probably forever, nanami felt…scared. he tried his best to conceal it in front of you though. but even his best wasn’t enough, because you probably knew him better than you knew yourself.

“don’t say things like that, kento,” you mutter, already feeling that annoying plump knot rise up in your throat. your breath was shaky, tremble after tremble. “you’re fine. you can get up. we can get up.”

he knew when you said we, you implied that you’d both be walking away together — hand in hand, like in those stupid cheesy movies you’d watch with him every sunday after he gets off work. but alas, reality was quite harsh to face. an even more incredible tough pill to swallow. nanami knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

it was irksome, you had to squeeze your eyes shut to prevent a single tear to roll down your cheek.

nanami’s eyelids were hanging on by a thread, just barely open. he was trying—trying so hard to hang on, a small pout curls against his lips before he huffs out a single breath.

“ah . . forgive me, you’re right,” he says, his thumb swiftly stroking the front of your hand. a single tear escapes past your lower damp eyelid. even his voice sounded different. a voice you grew to love, so sweet and protective. it now sounded incredibly tired. you could hear a slight wheeze between breaths of his. “hey, don’t cry. don’t do that, look at me.”

his voice was so soft, you sniffled—despising the irritating tears that started to run down both sides of your temples. if it was anything nanami couldn’t stand, it was that he couldn’t stand to see the love of his life shed such sweet pitiful tears for him.

you looked at him, watching his eyelids struggle to stay open for you. everything ached, his body didn’t even feel like his own anymore. it was an indescribable feeling from when he got struck, laying against the slick cold floor of the shibuya train station.

“. . d-don’t leave me,” was all you managed to say, your lips was trembling, your heart pounded and you didn’t wanna say goodbye just yet. “kento, i need you.”

“hm? what are you mumblin’ about, sweetheart? ‘m right here.” his voice, it sounded happier.

you furrowed your eyebrows, now finding yourself buried into nanami’s bare chest, damp chin pressing against his pecs and all.

you were here safe and sound, snuggled up all against him, as you should be. it took you a long while to calm down, he’s staring at you with a soft loving gaze—a brief look of concern before you mumble out a, “..kento? are you okay?”

“why wouldn’t i be, baby?” nanami hums, a soft thumb stroking your back. with a relaxed breath, he leans in to plant a gentle kiss near the very tip of your forehead. his touch was forevermore soothing, a touch you never wanted to forget.

you let off a jittery sigh of relief, finally coming to the conclusion that it was another one of your horrid nightmares. you had nothing to worry about.

he was fine.

you were fine,

everything was fine.

. . is what you kept telling yourself.

nanami never told you those words, he didn’t kiss the tip of your forehead or stroke your back lovingly whilst staring into your eyes. the only true unbearable truth was that nanami was gone.

he was gone, and his last words weren’t even “i love you,” or “i’m sorry.” on his fatal dying breaths, nanami’s last words to you while squeezing your hand, sliding a ring into your palm, he rasps out a breathy, “will . . you marry me?”

but before you could tell him yes, he was already gone.

#★vegasbaby. #nanami x reader #nanami kento x reader #nanami x you #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jjk angst #jujutsu kaisen angst #jjk fic #jjk drabbles

[essie007]

Wheel of Time Season 2 Thoughts

Now that the season is over and I’ve had a few days to process I thought I’d put some of my thoughts about the season. No major book spoilers but I do make mention to some of the changes they’ve made while adapting the first two books. I might make a more book spoilery post later.

-Overall I really enjoyed the season. I think it was well written, tight and delivered both storywise and character wise. The costuming, special effects and art direction continues to be top tier and I found the season highly watchable and compelling. I did not love absolutely every moment and decision and definitely have a few nitpicks but as a whole I really liked it. I will say that I think a lot of the issues I did have with the season can be boiled down to the limited amount of time they had to tell the story they needed to tell. I really think this show would benefit from at least 10 episodes and season if not more, and I know that’s an opinion many have echoed.

- I loved all the White Tower stuff in the first half of the season. It was a good set-up for tower politics, different factions, how The One Power works and it introduced us to a lot of important characters.

-Hi Elayne! I love you and you are perfect girl!

-Nyneave’s Tower story and block was A+

-I personally didn’t mind Siuan’s book scenes being given to Liandrin. I think it was necessary to tell the story they needed to tell in the time they needed to tell it. And I thought Liandrin’s whole story, the explanation of why she turned to the Black Ajah was interesting both to make her a more compelling villain and to set up the stakes of the universe. We need to be worried that our heroes will choose the dark at some point, and for that to be a real threat we need good reasons why other have. All of her scenes were great. Loved her scenes with Nyneave, Egwene and Lanfear. And her petty fighting with Suroth. *chef’s kiss*

-I’m just gonna say it ok? Are you ready? I LOVE show!Alanna. Book fans can give me the stink eye if they want, but as she’s been portrayed on screen so far she rocks. The actress is incredible and the writing has done an excellent job as setting her up as a genuine, moral, strong and honestly necessary pillar of light in the dark. You really feel she is fighting on the side of good with everything she has, no matter what it costs her. She’s also a genuinely good teacher in the Tower! The way she fights for the girls, and for Moiraine, and later for Rand. We love to see it. Her story in many ways mirrors Moraine’s. The show has done a very good job of making her a character that you are strongly empathizing with and rooting for. And honestly book knowledge has only made me feel that more strongly. Knowing how many darkfriends she is holding the line against, you FEEL how necessary and important the work she does is. And I am starting to understand how she, like Moiraine and Siuan this season, and Rand in the story to come, might start feeling weighed down by that. My girl fits right in with the themes of the story. Sorry not sorry. I am weak for MILFs.

-Egwene’s entire storyline this season kicked ass. I think she had, hands down, the best story arc from beginning to end. I have very little to say about it because it was all perfectly done. And when she killed Rena, instead of sparing her like you’re expecting, oh boy did I cheer.

-Rand’s storyline, if you knew who Lanfear was from the outset was fun all the way through. Though I have it on good authority from @steel-wings that if you went in blind, it was quite slow in the beginning. I do have to say that the introduction to Rand this season being “he’s sleeping with an innkeeper for room and board” was the funniest and best thing I have ever seen. Dana The Darkfired from last season continues to give. No honestly, this is genuine foreshadowing (Selene is also *gasp* a Darkfriend) and character work. They decided to show Rand’s declining mental state and self esteem by contrasting how willing he was to sugarbaby this season with how against it he was last season. 10/10 no notes.

-Rand is a Mental Health Worker! I’m going to cry! Yes I know he has reasons for doing this but watching Rand with that old man, knowing he’s been doing this job for almost a year. Excuse me I need a moment.

-The Lanfear reveal kicked ass. She is so crazy and so evil and so manipulative. Love to see it in a villain. The scene where she “learns” Rand can channel was honestly hilarious. Although this was the moment that @steel-wings lost her patience with the storyline.

Steelwings: Ugh. This is so boring. She’s just there for his manpain. I can’t watch any more of this. It would have been better if she was evil.

Me knowing my wife is at the end of her patience and is about to abandon this show I love but not knowing how long they’re planning to draw the reveal out, pausing the tv: Do you want me to spoil you?

Steelwings: Yes! Spoil me! PLEASE tell me she’s evil.

Me: She’s evil :D She’s the most evil bitch whose ever lived. She’s so evil and so crazy and so manipulative. She’s Oppenheimer if he worshipped the devil and *horrifying spoilers*

Steelwings settling back in to watch: Love that for her. 🙂

-Perrin’s storyline was the least ineteresting and slowest of the mains but with the rest of the show so jam packed it felt like a nice break in some ways to have some breathing room with Perrin. We’ve got Egwene being tortured by the Seanchan and Mat being tortured by the Forsaken and Rand being imprisoned by the Amyrlin. Meanwhile, Perrin has met a cute girl and a dog. Good for him.

-MAAAAT. MAT! My baby boy Mat Cauthon. You are having a no good very bad life huh? And it’s only season 2 *cries* I did love the way he turned the dagger into a spear there at the end and also…HE’S A HERO OF THE HORN! I thought that was a perfect choice. Really made sense with his storyline and character arc. It also gives them a really good plot excuse for him to suddenly know how to fight with his big stick. Mat’s “I remember” and his Old Tongue and his immediate military Glow Up. So good. So fun. I will be screaming forever.

-Speaking of screaming forever the Cauthor reunion had me screaming and crying and dying. I will never be the same. It was giving big stars fading (but i linger on) by @butterflydm vibes. If you haven’t read it, it’s a fic that also adapts The Great Hunt as season 2 by saying “what if Rand just hung around Carhein playing Sugar Baby and getting dicked down while everyone else hunted for the horn?” (It’s really good and you should read it.) Hey @butterflydm how does it feel to be so smart and correct all the time?

-I was expecting the Mat stabs Rand moment to be caused by Compulsion, not friendly fire. It would have given him a really good reason to go searching for something to protect him from the OP in the future. But I’m not mad. We got some top tier cradling out of it. Although this is the second time Ishy has pulled that move (the first was with Rand at the Eye). Boy is not an original thinker.

-I know a lot of people were sad that Rand did not get cool sword battles this season. And look, I get it, the books lean hard in to the cool power fantasy moments with Rand, so if that’s your thing and what you came for, this show probably is letting you down. But I gotta say, as someone who has always been here for the characters and themes and narrative, I LOVE what they did with the battle here. AND with Rand’s learning curve.

-I love that Rand knows exactly one weave at this point, and that that weave is “make knife.” I LOVE that Lan is the one who taught it to him. (Miss me with your Lan hate.) I love that the first thing he did with it wasn’t fight an enemy but free Moiraine from her bonds, heal her, even though he’s not a healer. A knife is a tool and you can use it to heal or to fight. Just as Ryma used her healing weaves to rip Damane bodies apart, Rand uses his knife weaves to “heal.” I love that the second thing he uses that weave for IS to destroy Turak’s fighting force. I did not at all feel I had been robbed of a sword fight. I cheered! Excellent little Indiana Jones moment, right there. Rand WAS badass. And most of all I love that he wasn’t able to to defeat Ishmael on his own, that he needed Egwene and Perrin and Mat and Moiraine and Elayne and Nyneave. Like that’s the point! Lanfear is running around the city trying to dump the other Forsaken in the ocean. Ishmael is standing on that tower alone and betrayed with no allies. But Rand has friends! He has people who come to help him! And that is why he wins. That’s whole point. Hello theme of friendship and connection, I love you, never go anywhere.

-Also Moiraine being like I would kill thousands of people to help Rand made me snort and go “Ok Mom.” Yeah yeah scorched earth morality. Ruthlessness. She is on a mission to save the world even if she has to destroy the world in the process. But also Moiraine IS that meme from Parks and Rec. She has only had Rand Al’Thor for a year but if anything happens to him she will kill everyone in this room and then herself. Now fly the Dragon Banner.

-All that being said, there was one storyline this season that really did not hit for me, and I am sorry to say it was the Siuan Sanche of it all. I have spent a lot of time turning that episode over in my head and I still haven’t put all my thoughts together but ultimately I will say this. Yes, if you were expecting Siuan from the books her actions were definitely character assassination. She makes the exact opposite choices in the show. However, I understand why, both narratively and time wise those changes were made so I’m going to do my best to react to the story they told and the character they wrote, not the one I was expecting. The real problem I think with the story they told is that they didn’t give us enough time in Siuan’s POV and with Siuan’s story to really truly empathize with the decisions she’s making. We spend the episode in Rand and Moiraine’s POVs and honestly I think that’s a big mistake, because we don’t learn any new information about either of them. But in order for that moment at the end with Moiraine to truly be heartbreaking, in order for us to really understand why she’s imprisoning Rand at all we need to see her struggles and her fears and her beliefs. I talked earlier about how they do a good job showing what Alanna and Moiraine are up against but they needed to give us that with Siuan. We’re told she has enemies in the tower, we’re told she’s been depending on Moiraine and Rand to be the ace up her sleeve in the last battle, but we don’t see the emotional toll of that. And at the end there I think the writing needed to make it perfectly crystal clear that Siuan believes that Moiraine is black ajah. A casual viewer should understand and feel for Siuan who is doing this terrible thing because she believes she is saving the world, saving Rand, from a Forsaken and a darkfriend who has lied to her and betrayed her. But it's just not there. I understand that this plot point and this story serves a narrative purpose. It sets up Rand's relationship with the White Tower and the Aes Sedai as a whole. It draws a thematic parallel between the three Oaths and the Seanchan oaths and damane system. It brings up the theme of how power corrupts, how even good people who are doing their best to help the many, can use their power to do horrifying things when they believe it is necessary. But I think it still needed more set up and more character development and more room to breathe. I have…a lot more to say on the subject but I might need to make it it’s own post. I definitely think the writers have set themselves up for a headache when it comes to next season but that’s spoilers so I’ll end this here.

#wheel of time #wot on prime #wot s2 spoilers #wot season 2

[sunshinecherryblossom]

Well... i finished to watch the first 50 episodes and i can say only this:

"I can’t watch Boruto.

And I’m never going to be able to. First: the fact that the academy children are chunin level. It doesn’t make their power ups interesting and you aren’t surprised by anything they do. Defeating jounin level ninjas with one blow as an academy student is unheard of and quite frankly it doesn’t make anything worthwhile. It sucks seeing people praise that the new generation is surpassing the old one so quickly, so soon, so young. What is there to be proud of in that? I don’t really understand how you could praise the fact that children are this powerful due to heritage. It’s basically cheating. It’s the equivalent of why everyone disliked Sasuke due to his literal genes. Everyone who goes after him always comments how lucky he was to be born a Uchiha. He was legendary for his genes alone but that isn’t what made him a Godly ninja. He trained himself to become that strong, he was just luckily gifted with Uchiha genes, but Sasuke still trained his body to endure different change in chakra natures and learned taijutsu and adapted to different fighting styles and combat.

Boruto is using three different chakra natures when a jounin has been said to only adapt to two? The idiocy. It’s ridiculous. It’s not even about outshining the old generation anymore it’s about making the old generation look as kitten and incompetent as possible now.

People are starting to say that Boruto’s team would pass the Bell Test with flying colors in this day and age–do any of you realize that Bell Test was revolutionary for not only team work but hard work? kitten would it look like having these twelve year olds basically slit their sensei’s neck to retrieve bells in this day and age? The old Naruto had feeling because they worked hard for every achievement and teamwork aside, they used what little knowledge and training they had. The Next Generation kids seem to be able to snap their fingers and hurricanes and tsnuamis happen. A child that’s half a Hyuuga can use a gentle fist better than his own mother at her age and she’s full blooded Hyuuga. Also on top of that let’s not forget that Boruto hasn’t trained for that technique, he’s just gifted, as they say. They are comparing the Jougan to Naruto’s Kyuubi–what even? First of all a jinchuuriki and special prowess are not and never will be in the same realm.

This show continues to anger me as it goes on. It’s utter trash. Also not to mention the villains are weak minded as hell. Everything is being rehashed and in the worst possible way, too. It’s not interesting, there are no build ups only cliff hangers because they manage to work you up for an entire episode of just dialogue only just when things are about to somewhat hold your attention the episode ends (I see they are taking points from DBZ with that set up) but it makes the fights less anticipated and worthwhile

Second: Naruto and Orochimaru are friends now???? Wtf??! Oh yes, wait, Orochimaru has helped him during the 4th ninja war so he is justified or not?? Ok let's see:

Yeah it's not like Orochimaru did anything wrong in the first place.

 -Perform illegal experiments on people

-Became a missing-nin (S rank criminal) 

-Killed the Third Hokage 

-Attempted to kill Tsunade when she was a candidate to become the Fifth Hokage.

-Killed the Fourth Kazekage (Gaara's father even if he was an a*hole) 

-Invaded Konoha.

-Threatened Tsunade that he will destroy the leaf village.

-Joined Akatsuki. 

 In the end all he got from Naruto was a pat on the back and some talk no jutsu and he was pardoned from all of his crimes. Now he's still performing the same illegal experiments on children UNDER the new Hokage's orders.  Great job Naruto Hokage of the year folks 💀💀🙄🙄

#anti boruto #anti naruto naruto ending #anti naruto fandom

[antisocialxconstruct]

calling this DONE because I don't want to look at it anymore. After exploring some of the other potential outcomes in @the-passenger-if I've warmed up to Ever's first ending considerably, although the one (1) thing that disappoints me is that if you're not on good enough terms with Roach you never get to find out Why™. So this was just my attempt to fill that little gap :v

2.8k, Ever and Roach have a nice friendly chat :) Major endgame spoilers, probably don't read if you haven't finished at least one playthrough

--

“Ever?”

He starts, glancing up at Fiama as if he’s only just become aware of her presence. From where she's hovering on the other side of the counter, coffee pot in hand, she arches a single sculpted eyebrow at him as he sits up slightly. "Hm? Sorry, I was a thousand miles away."

That's the understatement of a lifetime. Or overstatement, maybe. It's been eight months and he never once stopped thinking about Luna Ridge. About the feast. About coming the closest to perfect he’d ever been in twenty-six years, the closest to free he’d ever been… just to bounce off the damned portal like a bird hitting a window. Nothing’s felt right since. Nothing ever really felt right here, but he had learned to endure so long as it felt like he’d been moving steadily toward the end of it. Now…

Now there’s that little voice somewhere in the back of his mind telling him the same thing over and over. That was your chance and you missed it.

Fiama eyes him a moment longer, and he tries to smooth away whatever must be showing on his face. “I said are you doing okay? I feel like I’ve seen less and less of you lately, ever since…” She gestures vaguely with the coffee pot, but she won’t say it. There’s still some tiny, reluctant part of her that doesn’t like admitting any of that really happened, that the world extends that far beyond what makes sense. But Ever has no doubt she’s been thinking about it too.

“Oh… yeah I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Everything is so achingly normal now, he adds internally, and it’s a conscious effort to flash Fiama a light smile instead of the sneer that wants to accompany that thought. That wouldn’t be in character. That’s not how Ever Newman acts. But the little frown settled onto Fiama’s features isn’t going anywhere, and a sidelong glance tells Ever the diner is too empty for her focus to be redirected. He inhales sharply, clears his throat. “It’s just been an adjustment, you know?” he presses on. “We’ve been arranging some renovations to the bakery for Livvy’s sake, and in the meantime I’ve taken on a lot more of the work there to give her a break. It hasn’t left a lot of time for social calls is all.”

It’s a pretty weak lie, and not one that will hold a lot of water if Fiama has even one conversation with Livvy about it–the renovations are real, but in reality Livvy’s adapted admirably to her lost sight and the whole thing has become her pet project. The truth is Ever has been pulling away, avoiding people. The discomfort of having to pour himself back into this body, into this tiny excuse for a life, had deepened pretty quickly into resentment and disgust with every new reassurance that the other survivors of Luna Ridge still trusted him, still loved him, still thought of him as the Ever they had always known. I’m not, he wanted to remind them, I’m not anything that you know, I’m not anything that you could even comprehend. It had been dull to play human when his true existence had been a secret he had to keep. Now, to have that secret out only for the others to continue responding to the human mask after it’s been well and truly shredded… It's hell.

Still, he knows how to use it, and the lie gets exactly the reaction he was angling for. Fiama purses her lips in a sympathetic frown and gives him a slow nod, then leans in to top off his coffee. “Just make sure you’re making time for yourself,” she says softly. “It’s so important especially when you’re also looking after someone else.”

Ever empties three sugar packets into the freshly filled mug and tosses her a smirk. He starts, “speaking from exp-” but the comment dies on his lips when he realizes her attention is fixed on something over his shoulder. In the instant that follows a spark of panic arcs white-hot down his spine, before he can remind himself that there’s no longer anything after him.

Then Fiama straightens and the moment passes. “Sorry,” she chuckles, but her attention is already drifting, scanning the meager crowd in case she’s needed. “That person by the window just looked so familiar for a second.”

The non sequitur is enough to smother Ever’s fear in favor of curiosity, and he twists in his seat to see who she was looking at.

Then he freezes.

They do look different. It’s subtle, not immediately apparent whether anything actually changed or the distance of eight months has made their features seem unfamiliar. Maybe their hair is shorter? Maybe their clothes are new? But it couldn’t be anyone else. If Ever had been naive enough to doubt, it would have evaporated the second they glanced up and the sunlight bounced off those strange honey-gold eyes.

He’s out of his seat and across the floor before he can really even think about what he’s doing. His hands come down on the tabletop with a sharp thwack as he bends down to meet their eye. “If you were half as smart as you like to act,” he growls, “you’d be halfway around the globe right now.”

Roach blinks, then gives him a slow, syrupy smile. “And if you were half as powerful as you like to claim, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation right now, would we?” Ever holds their gaze and grits his teeth, but he isn’t able to offer any kind of rebuttal before they speak again. “What are you going to do, Ever? Are you gonna kill me? Explode my head right here in front of all these lovely people? You could, right?”

Could he? It’s a tempting prospect in spite of the mess it would make. His eyes stay locked onto theirs for another moment as he weighs his options, until a strangely acrid smell hits his nose. He glances down to see the clear coating of the table begin to warp and bubble around his hands, and the sticky tearing sound it makes as he yanks them away makes him wince. His palms feel raw but he crosses his arms without looking at them, takes a deep breath, counts to five inside his head. He never takes his eyes off Roach, and they never waver as they stare back in patient, openly amused silence.

“Why did you come back?” Ever finally asks, once he’s calm enough to be certain his voice will stay respectably level. It’s still dripping with vitriol. “I  can’t imagine you thought you would finish the job.”

Roach laughs, sharp and sudden as they ever did. Like the two of them are sharing a long-running joke. “This might be hard to believe but my life doesn’t revolve around you, Ever. I came back to see how Jonny was doing. Because I like him.”

“And I’m supposed to believe it was just a wild coincidence that we crossed paths here?”

“Oh, no.” Roach shrugs. “I did follow you here.” Ever unfolds his arms and moves as if to grab Roach out of the booth before pulling up a split second later, balling his hands into fists at his sides and fixing a withering glare over Roach’s shoulder at nothing in particular. What is he going to do, beat them up in the middle of the diner? He’s fairly certain he has them to thank for the fact that no one has taken notice of this little confrontation yet–a realization that only makes him bristle all the more. “Reconsidering that whole ‘exploding my head’ option?” they purr, reining his attention back in. Then they lean back in the booth, drumming their fingers on the table for a beat before they continue, “so how are you adjusting to life without a Hunter on your tail? I really thought you’d bail when that was all over, imagine my surprise to find you still living out your days in this little dead end of a town.”

“I can’t,” Ever spits, as if Roach should feel stupid for even asking. They don’t even flinch. “Tzr’nekre’s essence wasn’t enough to break free, I had no choice but to shove myself back down into this dimension, into this.” He presses a hand to his chest, then drags it down the fabric of his shirt like he’s trying to rid himself of some distasteful residue. The melted plastic, maybe, and not the ever-clinging concept of humanity. “Now I’m stuck here for-” he grimaces, rolling his eyes up toward the ceiling before snapping them back down to the creature in front of him. “I don’t know. Maybe forever."

Roach pouts. "You seem a little bummed out about that."

"You have no idea what this feels like, Roach, I’m not like you,” Ever bites out, rapidly losing the already shaky grip he had on his own temper. “I'm not small enough to fit in this reality, every second I spend here feels like I had to cut myself down to the right size. And I still remember what I was, I remember how much I had to cut even if I can’t remember what I lost. I can feel the holes.”

Once started, the confession comes tumbling past his lips almost against his will, but then that’s how it always went, didn’t it? All the rage boiling under his skin, all the contempt for humanity and the deep certainty that he deserved more, he deserved respect and deference–Roach was the only one who could begin to understand it. So they were the only one who ever saw the mask slip. Before their betrayal was revealed he had convinced himself that they must be sympathetic, that even if he and they existed in totally different strata, they understood that he was right, that this was unfair. Now as they watch him with a commendably mild expression, one elbow on the table and chin propped up in their hand, he can see the cold glimmer behind their eyes for what it really is and he finally understands. They just think it’s funny.

They blink once, a slow little gesture that might have seemed playful in the past. And they smile. Then at length they finally say, "sit down, Ever. I want to tell you a story."

Something in their tone puts him immediately off balance. They still sound perfectly conversational, but there’s an edge he doesn’t think he’s ever heard before, a knife against his throat telling him this is not an invitation, it’s an order. Something between them, something in the balance of power that had always seemed so obvious and natural, has just fundamentally shifted.

He sits down.

Roach doesn’t immediately start talking again. They shift in their seat, picking idly at the new and unmistakably handprint-shaped blemish on the tabletop as they make a show of looking thoughtful. Just when Ever is about to prompt them to move on, they speak of their own accord. “When this all started you asked me what I was. I wasn’t… entirely honest with you at the time.”

“No kiddi-”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

Ever snaps his mouth shut with a bitter frown. A second passes, and then a bright smile lights up Roach’s features again.

“Before all this, before Earth, I was… immense. Or I was part of something immense,” they begin, only to momentarily hesitate. “I don’t remember exactly… There were millions of us, but we were all one. Like a hive, or like… cells in a single organism. Connected. We existed to feel and learn, to experience as much of all the infinite universes as we could, and we all felt and learned and experienced as one. Knowledge and understanding and sensation gained by one of us instantly passed to all the others. It was… an indescribable existence. We were omniscient.” They hold Ever’s gaze with an intensity he finds unsettling the whole time they’re speaking, and when they pause again he gets a prickling, uneasy feeling that they’re daring him to comment. But they did say not to interrupt, and he keeps his lips pressed firmly together as he leans forward to fold his arms atop the table and wait for them to arrive at their point. Apparently satisfied, they do just that. “Then we started to die. Just winking out, one after another, over and over and over.”

A cold knot of dread settles in the pit of Ever’s stomach as the picture Roach is painting finally comes into focus. “You were being preyed on,” he breathes. Roach simply tilts their head slightly, coaxing him onward to the second half of that revelation. He grimaces. “By me.”

He had never questioned why Roach sold him out. It had seemed obvious, they had made the calculated decision that putting him in the line of fire would give them room to escape. It was a coward’s play.

“Can you imagine what it feels like to die, Ever?” they ask. Still light, still conversational. “Like to fully stop existing, not just come close? I don’t have to, you know? I know exactly what it feels like to be hunted, cornered, consumed, a million times over. I lived those deaths right along with them. And the funny thing is that’s pretty much the last thing I do remember feeling. By the time you were done and I had fallen here on Earth…” they spread their hands out, palms up, on the table. “I couldn’t feel much of anything anymore.”

Ever takes a long, slow breath and holds his silence a little longer. It makes sense. He might try to convince himself that vengefulness is a human trait, assigning too much moral weight to the instinctive actions of his kind… but that doesn’t change the facts. It doesn’t change that he wiped out an entire species simply for daring to challenge his freedom to do as he wished. It doesn’t change that Tzr’nekre followed him to earth just to tear him apart piece by piece for the crime of not dying between its teeth. It doesn’t change that he would like very much to reach across the table and finish what he started.

He closes his eyes, takes one more deep breath, then faces Roach again. “What was the goal, then? In coming back, telling me all this… what do you want from me?”

Roach laughs again, and it’s a much sharper and colder sound now. “Are you for real? Obviously I wanted you dead.”

“Okay well you didn’t get that,” Ever sneers. “So now what?”

“True,” Roach concedes with a shrug. “But if I’m being honest, all this…” they sweep their hands out to encompass the diner around them, “this little private purgatory you’ve built for yourself? it’s probably better than anything I or Tzr’nekre would have come up with.”

That’s not the direction Ever was expecting that to go. He blinks numbly at Roach for a second, then casts a hasty glance around the diner. “What?”

“You said it yourself, you’re stuck here. The one place you least wanted to be, the place you were prepared to sacrifice anything and anyone to leave. Everyone still believes you’re one of them, and you can’t prove otherwise.” Roach casts a glance at Fiama, busying herself with tidying the countertop and entirely unconcerned with Ever’s conversation. “Even the people who know, they still think you care, that you were ready to put yourself in harm’s way for them and not the other way around, and you can’t tell them any different because the one thing you do care about is being liked. You can’t bear the thought of any actual friction in your life so you’ll keep playing the perfect, charming friend and neighbor because you know it’s the closest thing to worship you’ll ever get again.” Roach leans forward, their smile turning to nothing but teeth and sharp edges. “And I for one, really hope you’ve got a long, ordinary, human life ahead of you.”

Ever’s blood runs cold in an instant. He scrambles out of the booth and several paces away from the table before finding the composure to at least pull himself up straight. “I’ll get out,” he declares, and even to his own ear it sounds like he believes it less than he ever did before.

“Maybe so, it’s good to have dreams,” Roach snickers. The look Ever shoots him probably could have curdled milk, but he turns without another word to make his way out of the diner. Not running away. No. Just nothing left to say to someone like Roach.

But it means Roach gets the last word. “But hey, in the meantime,” they call after him, “maybe I’ll see you around!”

#the passenger #the passenger if #the passenger spoilers #ever newman #the end feels a little rushed and messy but sadly my brain started melting out of my ears #anyway Ever sucks..... I hate him ♥ #rom fiction

[fortheloveofbuddie]

Hi there :)

What color and season best represent Buck and why? Do the same for Eddie!

If you could pick something to symbolize Buck what would it be and why? Do the same for Eddie!

Thank you for this one, I appreciate it 💗

1. For Buck, I’m going to go with yellow and spring. Yellow because it’s the color of optimism and joke and despite everything that Buck has been through, he’s still able to stay hopeful and pull through and help others pull through, when he’s barely hanging by a thread. Spring, because well, everything’s blossoming and growing and starting over which is something that we’ve seen a lot of in Buck’s character development. He has literally blossomed like a flower and come out a stronger version of himself. I don’t know if that’s a reach but that’s at least what I think.

For Eddie, I’m going to go with green and autumn. Green because it symbolizes growth, renewal and endurance. Eddie’s green because he’s withstood adversity and has bounced back from so many traumas. It also represents resilience and ability to adapt, things that Eddie definitely has shown that he’s capable of over the years. Autumn because well, a bit of the same reasons actually. The weather slowly changes, leaving us with vibrant colors and an acceptance of things that are changing. And Eddie has definitely see his fair share of change over the years, hasn’t always treated him very well but he made his way thus far.

2. Something I feel like that symbolizes Buck very well is the ocean. I don’t know if you call that a thing per say but here’s why I think it symbolizes Buck: The ocean is vast and unknown and while we’ve seen a lot of Buck’s traumas and feelings on the show, we all know that there’s a lot more to it. The ocean holds so much life and abundance, something I think that Buck does too because in the face of everything, he still manages to stay alive and have the capacity for others emergencies and disasters. The ocean is ever-changing, the currents and tides representing the changes in Buck’s thoughts and feelings. He’s been so much and he continues to learn and grow every day, discovering new ways to think and feel.

For Eddie, I’m going to go with a lighthouse. A lighthouse is a beacon of hope, a guiding light, a symbol of dedication, even through challenging times. Eddie has also had his fair share of trauma yet he never wavered in his role as father, friend and firefighter. Of course he has had his moment of weakness but we all do once a while but that’s why we have others; to help build us back up. Eddie has been there for everyone in his life, even his own mental capacity couldn’t take it. He makes the 118 feel hopeful and he makes me feel hopeful because I relate to him in so many ways. I use to resonate the most with Buck but as time has passed, Eddie has such amazing character development and I love seeing all the things that he does to get better. So he’s also a beacon of hope for himself.

(Also yes, it’s a little intentional that I used two things that sort of go together. Because they go together 🫣💗)

#ask me anything #caro talks #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie #oliver stark #ryan guzman

[ahundredtimesover]

boom boom pow 💥🤯😏 anon here again!! thanks for your thoughtful response to my ask 🥺🫶🏼 honestly, i could do a whole analysis on your characters bc they’re so complex and real. and speaking of your characters … I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY HATE ON OUR OC!!!😡 maybe it’s an elder sister thing but i feel for her bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders and trying to do right. at the end of the day, she doesn’t owe anyone anything but i completely understand why she’d feel indebted to the jeons. how do you pay back someone who essentially altered your path in life and continued to support you? she sacrificed so much of her time and health at the company … she deserves to finally pursue other things outside of the internal guilt/debt she has tied to the jeons.

try putting yourself in her shoes … she initially had no experience in the corporate world, got the internship, got mistreated by her first manager, then switched over as hoseok’s assistant. do you know how stressful it is to jump into your role let alone multiple new roles at your job (possibly with little training or mentors)? then jk comes into the picture and he was an awful boss to her initially and she experienced so much imposter syndrome despite being with the company for over 8 years! yet every time there was a change or hurdle, oc persevered and adapted. she is always in survival mode — being in that constant state is exhausting and demoralizing. she did what she had to in order to make it through the next day. so no, she is not weak or stupid. 😡

i can see how some people are frustrated at the current state of chap 11, but that’s the beauty of drama in writing. characters aren’t going to be perfect. it gives us readers the opportunity to marinate on the intricacies of fictional characters going through life similar or completely different to ours. thanks for creating that world and these special characters, mimi 💕

There you are! Hehe thank you for your lovely ask and response! And for defending our girl. Hope u were there during the ASDOAH OC hate train too huhu 🥺🥺 but anyway, it's so true! It's reasonable for IWYTS OC to be feeling that way, even if there was rly no debt to be paid. I mean, I feel indebted to someone who just recommended me for a job like... HAHA but yeah, the side of the Jeons is also important to take note here. We'll hear a bit more of that later on.

And her being on survival mode is true!! This is a woman who's trying to better her life and give back to her mother. She put her all in a job that she doesn't rly know much of who she is and what she likes outside of it. This is a constant thought she has, which contributes to her doubting JK bc even she doesn't know what she's like outside of a role she's had for years. Work is such a big part of our identity and she's just experiencing that even more strongly, especially since she also doesn't have any passions outside of it.

Also, when I write my characters, I make sure they're flawed. Not toxic, but flawed. They're not out here intentionally hurting people they care about or self-sabotaging for the sake of it. There's always something underneath, and they don't change in an instant.

And I also do hope that despite this being fanction, somehow you guys get to relate to them somehow in thought or feeling or approach. Some have shared that it's allowed them to reflect on themselves and that's amazing! Pls know that I see you! 🥹🥹

Thank you for this again. You're such a sweetheart and I look forward to hearing what you think about the next chapters! 💕💕

#mimianswers #fic: iwyts

[sweetescapeartist]

"QUICK" DBS CHAPTER 98 REVIEW

Been a while since I did one of these, huh? Will I be back to doing these regularly? Nope. The DBS Manga is too trash for me to do that. I would need to get paid to review that every month.

Anyway... Read DBS chapter 98... the Super Hero movie is sooo much better than this manga adaptation.

(This is something I wrote 2 months ago & I'm just now posting it lol. I know what happens in chapter 99 & 100 now, so there will be a few times I mention if something happened or not in later chapters.)

It cut out the Gotenks volleyball with 18 & the Gammas just for it to be 18 only.

I guess it put more focus on 18, but I don't get why Toyo didn't just have Krillin & 18 team up to give her and Krillin more shine. He added an entire extra thing about the senzu bean dropping. Why not add something for K18? Oh right... Toyotaro hates Krillin. Which is why that scene where 18 helps support Krillin by holding him when he is tired is gone.

If he puts this K18 scene in the next chapter, I'll eat my words and take it back. (Toyo didn't...)

Aslo important to notice... while 18 fights Cell Max alone with little to no help from a super weak failed fusion, the Gammas, Gohan, & Piccolo hide behind debris and let the two weakest of the 6 of them fight the a Kaiju who is one of strongest enemies they've faced. WHAT THE HELL?

Y'all really gonna let a failed fusion who is weaker than Goten & Trunks individually & a woman who isn't even half your strength to fight a monster none of you can defeat together?? Such stupid writing. Makes Gohan, Piccolo, & the Gammas look stupid and/or cowardly.

And Krillin didn't even get a cool scene where he hit Cell Max with a Kienzan like he did in the film. In the movie, Krillin's attack pushed Cell Max back then slid off because the Kienzan cuts through nearly anything and it hit the part of Cell Max that was made to deflect ki attacks.

(Just imagine if Krillin knew Cell Max's weak-spot. Cell Max would've been done in by a headshot Kienzan!)

Instead, in the manga, Krillin cut Cell Max's ki attack in half to save 18.

But how did he throw a giant Kienzan and not hit 18 when the blast looked like it was directly at her and the Kienzan cut the blast from the front? And how come the Kienzan didn't continue towards Cell Max afterwards and we just cut away instead? The Kienzan was thrown right towards Cell Max's direction. A pointless change because Toyotaro reasons. Oops I meant "dumb" reasons.

(Chapter 99 has Krillin damage a wing with his Kienzan then 18 helps break it. Nice that they team up but makes Krillin's Kienzan look weaker. And this K18 team-up could've been done better imo.)

Also... Toyotaro got rid of 18 thanking Krillin for saving her.

Why? Oh right... he hates Krillin, but can't stray away too far from what Toriyama wrote/what Toyotaro has to adapt from the movie.

But this panel of Krillin getting in front of 18 to shield her from debris was nice.

Thanks for removing two great K18 scenes where they show affection for each other & replacing it with 1 decent panel of Krillin showing affection for 18. 😒

The thing with the senzu could've been cool if say... Gamma 1 managed to get it. But Pan comes out of nowhere and heads into a dangerous area. Nah. Oh she leaps off a building and learns to fly? Nah.

It was cute to see Pan do that and root for her dad, but it was out of place against such a deadly enemy. Ain't gonna let the cuteness of Pan blind me to saying it was a good scene. Also... how did Pan outrun Gohan? Was he really THAT tired? Where was Gammas 1 at & why did he disappear for 22 pages in a row? (21 pages if you count the full page spread of Giant Orange Piccolo vs Cell Max as 1 page.)

Anyway, the movie did it better. When she was in danger, her power clicked and she flew. Similar to kid Gohan when Piccolo threw him at a mountain and his power clicked on and he destroyed the mountain.

Pan is depicted by Toriyama as "Videl" with "Gohan's power." That's pretty cool to me.

Best addition to this adaptation was Giant Orange Piccolo using a mouth blast on Cell Max.

This was also a cool reference to the concept art Toriyama drew. However, Toriyama's drawing relays the feeling of motion better than Toyotaro's panel. Feels like gamma 2 had fallen gently in the manga. Needs motion lines to depict speed or something, ya know?

Chapter was pretty lame and boring overall imo. The manga is just rearranging events of the movie in ways that are different but not really all that good.

MOVIE/ANIME CONTINUITY:

Pan flies when in danger as Krillin yelled out for her to fly. Krillin is thankful Pan flew (he thought she knew how to) & it seems Bulma leaping onto his back slowed him down.

Piccolo gives Gohan a senzu.

Piccolo & Gohan fight Cell Max.

Gohan knocks Cell Max into a crater.

The group meet up & Piccolo comes up with a plan to stall Cell Max alone while Gohan charges his power.

Gotenks, Krillin, 18, & Gamma 1 try to help Piccolo and get overwhelmed by Cell Max's power.

Pan shows Piccolo she can finally fly & everyone is happy for her.

MANGA CONTINUITY:

Pan doesn't fly when in danger.

Cell Max stops Piccolo from giving Gohan a senzu bean.

Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin & 18 get overwhelmed by Cell Max's power.

Pan flies to catch the senzu for Gohan (it's a call back to her leaping off a cliff earlier in the DBS manga continuity). Gohan's reaction to seeing his daughter possibly fall to her death was to stop running and say "Oh no..." rather than leaping off to save his daughter. (An attempt to replace the Krillin scene with Gohan when Pan learns to fly, but executed poorly.)

Piccolo fights Cell Max alone.

Gohan aides Piccolo & knocks Cell Max into a crater.

Piccolo tells Gohan to charge his power as they prepare to fight Cell Max again.

Pan will probably show she can fly at the end of this Super Hero Saga. (She does)

#DBS manga review #DBS manga #Toyotaro #Android 18 #Krillin #Gotenks #Gamma 1 #Gohan #Piccolo #Pan #DB #DBS

[scatterbrainedart]

Found a recorded performance of the Frankenstein musical and so naturally I have more thoughts to share about it

(Sort of a continuation on this post)

Like I've said before, the changes they make from canon in the musical always serves a very real purpose for the sake of the medium they're telling the story in, like the origins of the creature. Because, they'd have to have just one guy play him so it makes sense, and I really like how they executed it. It's made in such a way that it doesn't feel out of place at all, or jarring, as some adaptive changes very much can. So that's very exciting!! But it does, however, make him even more tragic. So, ouch.

This part. Just very fun lyrically. The condemned man asking for his creator (God) to claim him before he dies, and then after his execution, Victor does. So simple yet so effective. I love this musical. (Also just the rest of that line as well. The man accepts his death, only wishing for his cruel life to be over. Despite that, Victor continues and prolongs it, and consequently only fills it with more pain and suffering. Will not analyse and reflect on the "I'll trust in you" bit of the line as I believe that would cause me to implode. Thank you for your understanding)

Whoever decided that the same instrumental would play for Your Father's Eyes and Amen (Reprise), I HATE YOUUU. I AM IN SHAMBLES. Not only did they have the line "Forgive this foolish father" in there, but the fucking parallel itself of Victor's father reassuring him vs Victor seeking the creature's grace is gonna be the end of me. Genuinely. I am so so weak for family dynamics, this is NOT fair.

So far I have not found a single Frankenstein adaptation that doesn't do Henry Clerval outrageously dirty. People just hate friendships fr. I get that they change him for drama reasons, and to make him less like the other characters (since they all pretty much serve the same purpose, and therefore interact with Victor the same way. Changing some of them to interact differently with him adds some more dynamic to it all, which I do understand but it still annoys me). Henry absolutely adores him, and more importantly respects and wholeheartedly trusts him. Henry's death plays for the same reason as all the other deaths in the story: to hit Victor where it hurts and further fuel his grief and anger. Which, again, I get why you'd want more drama out of it. But the Clerval slander, man D: The slander.

Where are the adaptations with an overly affectionate Clerval?? The Clerval who cares for Victor in sickness and in health without asking any questions whatsoever, the Clerval who would rather be next to his best friend on his absolute lowest possible point than with strangers who lift him up indefinitely??? The Clerval who is always there when he's allowed, but respects Victor's wishes for the contrary when asked???? WHERE are the adaptations in which Clerval's trusting nature and his affections towards Victor is what makes him the creature's target??????? That CAN make good drama if you're not a COWARD. Oh yes, family bonds broken from the death of William, tragic. Oh no the loss of his romantic love in Elizabeth, how sad. But his friendship with Clerval?? Eh, just do whatever seems the most interesting. It's basically a gap to be filled with anything, really (/s). And, I mean, it could be. And I get it. But every goddamn time?? Friendships aren't boring dynamics. They have just as much love and pain as romantic and familial bonds, again, if you're not a coward. That is my main critique, because they really didn't need to do that honestly. But eh, whateverr, it's finee, I'm coolll. I just wish people would just let men be pals more often. Just let em be bros. Pls.

Anyway. The creature's origins also ties really well into how Victor would get his materials for the female version, since in the musical that whole bit is directly after Justine's trial (and the fem creature is played by her actress, at least in the version I watched, which seems reasonable).

Hm. I wonder if there was a time skip in there. Coulda been since the trial is in very end of act 1 and The Modern Prometheus is first thing in act 2, so the break could have functioned as a time skip I suppose. But if not, that would mean all of his guilty moping, which passed that time in between, in the book, wouldn't have happened in the musical version. Not even off-screen. Which does add up, I suppose, since I complained last time about how that whole portion of the story being overlooked by The Modern Prometheus anyway. Could expain why he was surprisingly easy to convince to make a second attempt at creating life. He wasn't quite as regretful, and the dream hadn't been dead for quite as long. Huh. Well I guess that doesn't matter then. Fair enough.

This specific performance of the musical painted Victor as this particularly selfish, pathetic little man and I'm kinda obsessed. I mean, obviously he kinda is in the book as well, but they really went all out. Especially on this one part (during The Proposition, I think) where the creature just grabs him by the collar, almost lifts him up and then throws him on the ground. Such a small little man. A little guy but slash neg. Short guy energy, but filled to the brink with self righteousness and the aspirations of greatness, mostly just for the sake of greatness. Very hubris indeed (especially as he clearly clings onto that hope of greatness, as showed in The Modern Prometheus). I mean he has enough empathy to feel human and real but man is he a little freak. That's almost peak blorbo material right there.

Also, the musical honestly drove home the theme of hubris better to me than the book did. Like, it was obviously prominent in the book as well, but Frankenstein's hubris in that only lasted for around a quarter of it at most. Then the rest of it was him just cursing himself for it in silence and hoping the world would just take him out of his misery already. Which is also peak blorbo material. But, a musical wouldn't have executed that particular well I don't think, so what they ended up doing was great. Again, adaptations whose main changes are made in favour of the medium are the best kinds of adaptations. The ones that preserve a lot of the story, or emphasize parts of it, while adapting it to fit their way of storytelling. The musical is one of those. It's pretty close to the book but most importantly it conveys the same ideas, shares the same vibes and tells the story of a longwinded book in such a way that it feels as if it always was a musical. And that, in my oh so humble opinion, is what makes it so good.

But ah. Oof. The ENDING. Alright, so- there was a lot of context to stuff that didn't quite land with me until I actually watched the thing, and the ending was one of those. Is it accurate to the book? No. Is it GREAT? I mean, that's a matter of taste, but I would definitely say so. But then again, I am weak to family dynamics. See, I didn't realise The Coming of The Dawn was practically just Victor having a parental epiphany. So you mean to tell me he travelled to the arctic in a haze of rage, and then that all that anger shimmered down into grief somewhere within that fatigue and exhaustion, and he kept going only to apologise on his deathbed?

Ah. Hahahah. Haha.

Yeah, no, I'm fine. I'm good. Especially with how the creature reacted to it, assuming to find his creator in the midst of the cold, forstbitten and crawling his way forwards with nothing but the desperation of revenge. Assuming to find hate and violence, and instead finding a grieving father using his last breath to seek forgiveness where he already knows there might be none. I'm especially fine with how caught off guard the creature is at that, not really sure how to handle that emotion, that sudden, unfamiliar softness. And then the regret seeping in, the grief upon gaining all he truly wanted (his father's love) and losing it just as quickly. And it was his fault, and it was too late to take it back (HMMMM parallels. Victor almost,, turns their dynamic upside down in a way).

Frankenstein still comes to a sort of peace of mind at the end of the book, but not asking forgiveness. He asks Walton to continue his hunt for the creature even. It may not be passionatly said, but it's still his dying wish. That "yeah I'd appreciate to see him wiped off the face of the earth but also, I get that it's kind of a big thing to ask of someone so I wouldn't blame you if you didn't". Then the creature comes, after his death, and talks some of his own sincere thoughts before running off with Victor to die somewhere (which, I would assume, is what These Hands have drawn inspiration from and just moved around. Which is wonderful. It flows better that way anyhow). It's totally not heartbreaking at ALL, I'm FINE, I'm GOOD.

Ahhg. And then the Workings of The Heart parallels and instrumental. Fucking hell. I could go on about that, I feel, but again. Gonna refrain from that as I would probably implode if I were to try.

Victor in the musical goes from being far more selfish and hubris-inflicted than book!Victor, to being empathetic enough to beg at the feet of the murderer of all his friends and family, for grace. Book!Victor is a lot more steady in his emotional journey in comparison (which really does say something), and both versions are great. Ahhg, the musical is such a masterpiece. Honestly.

Alright. As a reward for reading all of that, he's the links to act 1 and act 2, the version I watched, in case y'all wanna watch them too. The expressions and emotions are definitely the highlight :)

#Frankenstein #frankenstein the musical #scatterbrained rambles #frankenstein brainrot #mary shelly's frankenstein

[littlerosette]

No!!! Thank YOU for indulging me!! Once I start speaking about history I literally can’t stop!! My preference has always been the imperial era and I just fell in love with late antiquity by reading about Theodosius and Constantine. There are many ways I think Eren and Mikasa fit in antiquity, but specially Rome. I think your idea of Eren as Hannibal conveys so well his immense drive and sense of enmity to the point of irrational hatred towards his enemies. Also it ends in tragedy, with Hannibal and Carthage defeated, which mirrors well with canon (though idk if that’s the route you’d like to take?)

I’d also though about one of them being early Christian during the age of persecutions. So one of them would be a Christian who practiced the faith in secret while the other would be a patrician from the senatorial class who’s supposed to hate and destroy the Christians, but just… can’t? Adapt this to the cult of Ymir the Founder to make it more in tune with canon? another way I thought was Eren as Spartacus. Because of the whole rebellion of slaves and the poor against the oppression of the patricians, and Eren’s desire for freedom above all, but, then again, they’re defeated and crucified. Or even better… do you know about Tiberius and Vipsania? This one is more tragic, but hear me out. Tiberius, the 2nd Roman emperor, was married to a woman he loved very much, Vipsania, and they already had a son. The 1st Roman emperor, Augustus, had seen his designated successors die one after the other. To continue the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Augustus then chose Tiberius as his sucessor. But the here’s the catch, to secure family ties, he forced Tiberius to divorce Vipsania in order to marry his daughter, Julia. Tiberius was always depicted as very sullen and duty-driven, so he accepted the role of emperor not out of hunger for power, but out of conviction towards Rome and divorced Vipsania, which caused him immense personal pain. It was recorded that the first time he saw her after their divorce, he cried in public, which was seen as major sign of weakness for any man, let alone the emperor of Rome. So, Tiberius!Eren and Vipsania!Mikasa in an angsty and emotionally charged moment alone in the palace right after their divorce, Augustus![insert character] is recently dead but Eren can’t forsake his new wife in the name of stability, but he has this whole dense and emotional moment with Mikasa were he professes his dying love for her, while on his knees begging her forgiveness? Like how in canon he has to forsake Mikasa for what he deems a greater cause. I’m just rambling. yes! I’ve read Mary Beard’s Rome! It’s a great book. It grasps Rome very well. You can always read the lives of the twelve Caesars by Suetonius too, it’s the definition of classic. Also every book in Cambridge University’s companion to Rome is incredible. Sadly I haven’t seen HBO’s Rome, though o have seen BBC’s old but gold I, Claudius, which I highly recommend. I had more to ramble about but this is too long and I really don’t wanna bother you!!!

constantine is such an intriguing figure. i can totally see why he sparked your interest in rome. okay! i’m going to address all your comments in points because i have thoughts on all of them so bear with me.

- i am absolutely including hannibal and carthage’s end in my interpretation of hannibal!eren. i think it suits him perfectly, and i can’t ever really see eren be militarily or politically successful without there being some major downfall in some way. there’s tragedy in his blood there just is. hannibal is such an interesting person. i think is legacy is fascinating in the sense that he was the terror of rome and one of the greatest generals of history, but also remembered as lesser than scipio, which i suppose makes sense considering the history, but. man. hannibal. who else had the fucking balls to cross the alps with battle elephants. anyway, the tragedy of hannibal and his relationship with carthage (as well as carthage itself) is definitely included with eren. i think it matches pretty well with his actual ending in canon. he sheds so much blood and expresses such absolute hatred for basically no reason. carthage/paradis falls anyway. so good.

- the christian/patrician idea is very good too. for the historical early christian idea (if we’re doing actual rome instead of rome-based paradis) i think it works better if eren is the patrician and mikasa is a christian pleb (or maybe slave even?) i can see him being the one to commit to the task of christian persecution until he meets mikasa and is like… uhhhhh. hm. nevermind! mikasa makes a more convincing christian in my eyes too. i don’t think eren would buy in much to the idea of loving thy brother LMAO. ngl this idea is scratching my brain a bit. i think early christianity in its cult days is fascinating. as for the cult of ymir angle, i can see eren being the practitioner there, if only to match it to canon. i don’t see mikasa being active persecutor of them (maybe levi or kenny) but she would probably be mostly ambivalent until she meets eren. then she might start thinking that killing all these cultists is a bad idea. in this scenario, i see eren being a slave and being Insanely and viciously resentful of that. he would probably be inspired by the cult of ymir’s story of ymir becoming powerful enough to break free of bondage and dedicate his life to that. this is similar with him being spartacus. maybe we can assume this all ends in tragedy.

- i LOVE vipsania and tiberius. i think i read the story of him chasing her around with tears in his eyes a thousand times. the fact that he spends the rest of his life hating her new husband too is great. i even read recently that some scholars are now starting the doubt the veracity of suetonius’ account of tiberius’ later life considering how out of character it seems. i think i’m inclined to believe that a little. roman historians lied about emperors all the time😭 anyway the julia-claudio dynasty is probably my fav of the imperial dynasties. everyone was just such a character. BUT! back to eremika, something in my heart weeps at the idea of eren having to divorce mikasa against his will. if he even goes through with it, i can see him eventually just killing her new husband, killing his new wife, and then marrying her again and adopting all her children as his own when he becomes emperor. but let’s imagine him tearfully following her around in public for a moment. let’s cry about it. eren would btw.

- i’m happy you’ve the read and recommend it!! i’m definitely gonna read it. i haven’t seen i, claudius yet but i know the show is a classic and the robert graves novels they’re based on are always raved about in most online circles i’ve seen. i’ve also seen colleen mccullough masters of rome series be highly rated. you should totally watch rome!! it’s not ~super~ historically accurate but it feels very historically authentic. rome is portrayed as such a colorful, lively, grimy city and it’s awesome. it also has one of my favorite tv romances (lucius vorenus and niobe). and you’re not bothering me at all😭😭 idk if you can tell but i’m having a lot of fun LMAO. i basically never get to talk about this.

#ancient rome #asks #eremika

[mask131]

I hadn’t planned to continue my series of explanation posts about the riots going on in France currently... But I am forced to, mostly because I have conspiration theories thrown at me. 

So if you are not up to date, check my original post here: https://www.tumblr.com/mask131/721725551671443456/mask131-before-i-see-any-more-nonsense-or?source=share

And now let us consider this reply I got in my notes:

@justwandering-neverlost​ you are a fool for believing there is some sort of great conspiracy going on behind this. And you have some chance that I got this note in the morning and am writing this post in the evening, because if I had replied just as I saw it, I would have used less kind words due to how angry I was. We honestly got enough shit going down in France already without people throwing conspiracy theories at us. 

Not only do we have more and more saddening and baffling information coming out to us that further proves it isn’t a conspiracy of any sort, but on top of that I can refutate your idea very easily due to your main argument. “The government stepping in through fake riots”. But before I do that I want to say... I understand why people want to believe these mad riots are part of a conspiracy. It is a comforting belief to try to imagine there is a form of order, no matter how vile or corrupt, behind all this violence. Our reasonable and logical minds wants this chaos to happen for a reason. But the truth, the very sad truth, is that these riots are an unorganized, blind, headless, movement, an Azathoth-like movement - as in “a blind idiot”. And for those who live in France and have been through all these dark years, it is painfully obvious.

Why the whole argument of the government stepping in doesn’t work? Because precisely, despite people pressing the government to act, the government doesn’t - or doesn’t want to. The government has an obvious reluctance to deal strickly, directly, strongly with all that. A lot of people have been asking for an “état d’urgence” to be installed - and by a lot of people, this goes from the far-right journalists and politicians who want a state of emergency to prevent what they are calling a “civil war” to the angry grandmother in Marseille who is exhausted beyond belief of all the destruction and vandalism and shouts at the journalists in the streets that the President should send the army to stop all these vandals. But the government was clear: No state of emergency will be installed. There is no need for this at all. That’s what the government says, “We are not in a civil war, no need for a state of emergency, we won’t do that.” And why does the government does not install such a state despite everybody saying cities are turning into war zones? 

Because France has an image problem. With all the troubles, all the protests, all the violence and unsecurity happening in France for several years now - people distrust France, people flee France, people mock France. Especially countries that are not in good terms with France - no need to tell you Russia is making its news of all the chaos and unrest in France, and then you have other countries such as Poland where (I think it is the prime minister? I am not sure of his exact position) used the current riots to say “Look! In France they chose immigration - they have chaos. We chose no immigration - we have order and peace.”. A lot of people are invoking the fact that France seems so “weak” because it cannot even control its own population, others denounce how bad of a president Macron is to allow so much violence to happen - these series of protests that keep turning into violence, piling up year after year, are not looking good. And things are ESPECIALLY not looking good since France is currently getting ready to welcome the Olympic Games. The eyes of the world are onto France, as everything is getting built and prepared and ready and adapted to welcome people from all around the world and cameras from every continent... And bam! Huge uncontrollable riots destroying everything. This makes France and the French government look very bad, and if they ever put a state of emergency, they are done for, they are toast. It will confirm what everybody is saying “France cannot control its own population, France is in grip of a civil war, nobody should be going to France currently.” The French government is purposefully not putting a state of emergency to prove that they still have the situation under control, that despite the huge violences things will return to normal, that yes of course the Olympic Games should happen in Paris and of course France is still a strong nation, what are you talking about? [Note: Do not take that as me saying “France should put a state of emergency.” No. But the way the French government is going today is “Of course we DO NOT need a state of emergency, stop talking about this, we have the situation FULLY UNDER CONTROL, OF COURSE the Olympic Games must happen, OF COURSE we are still a safe country for tourism, OF COURSE we are doing fine! No need to send the army or anything.”]

So no, the government is not going to step in further into this matter, especially since the riots are slowly dying down (not because the rioters were “satisfied” in any way, but simply because they spent three-four nights running around, destroying everything and burning everything, they are exhausted and out of ammo, so they need some times to rest). Which brings me to the second item on the list of “Why it isn’t some sort of government conspiracy”: France does not benefit at all from these riots, quite the contrary. France is slowly dying, economically speaking. Remember that these riots are the culmination of a series of times of trouble in France. We had the chaos and mass protests of the Yellow Vests, Gilets Jaunes ; and the manifestations tied to other police-caused death before (like the Adama Traore case) ; and then we had the Covid ; and then the “Do not change the age of retirement” protests, and now THIS. Tourism is at an all-time low, and shops on popular and famous areas are closed or destroyed regularly, and there was the huge inflation that augmented the price of everything in France - and now we have an unprecedented wave of shop destructions coupled with massive pillage and theft. France’s economy is dying out, especially when you consider that before all that the country was already heavily in debt and with a record number of unemployment, and lots of “ghost zones” abandoned by all. Now there’s all this - plus the fact that all these destructions and burning and explosions will need lots and lots of rebuilding, which means a ton of money will have to be spent to recreate schools and libraries (because yes, they attacked libraries also!), and clean up the marks of the disaster in the streets... 

So yeah, France is gaining nothing in there. One needs to have a very warped mind to convince themselves that the French government is somehow pulling the strings of these riots. In fact, if you want a conspiracy theory that do work - take the one that another country hostile to France, like Russia for example, or some extremist Islamic state, is organizing all this. Because these riots are destroying France, and it is very easy to imagine some foreign power is sending agents to rile up these riots in hope of making France bleed from the inside. But I can’t even bring up this theory because of two things.

1) This theory could veer very easily into pure racism or xenophobia, and we already have enough to deal with currently. It won’t surprise you to learn that the extreme-right is currently using these riots as a way to say “Look at all those foreigners and immigrants that came to France and are now destroying it! All those rioters are Arabians and Africans, and so they must all be banned away from France.” In fact, it isn’t just the French extreme-right - I said before that some far-right or hostile countries are also invoking racist arguments to try to explain those riots... And the USA too! What a surprise to learn today that the American journals are currently making these riots all about... Racial conflict? If you follow the USA media, apparently it is all about racism. 

As a French guy living those riots let me tell you - IT ISN’T ABOUT RACISM! I do not deny there might be some racism in France and a part of the hatred that is now exploding was fueled by some form of existing or perceived racism towards “non-white”. But the death of Nahel, and those riots now, are not about racism. They are about badly trained and badly prepared policemen, they are about the panic-causing fear prevalent among policemen, and the hasty attempts at covering a massive mistake leading to a teenager’s death - and further than that they are about class-divide and class-conflict, and the hatred of police and of the government, and about the disappearance of authority, and about the “abandonment” of the banlieues and the perceived discrimination against them... But this is all, at its heart, NOT about skin color or ethnic origins. Despite what the extreme-right or the extreme-left tries to make you think (oh yes, because the far-left is also at it in France, they are trying to convince people that these violence are justified because they are anti-racist violence, and that the rioters are so angry because they are filled with the just wrath of the oppressed masses, and that the entirety of police should be destroyed to stop the institutional racism in France), it isn’t about racism. How is throwing a car into the house of a mayor and trying to burn his family alive a way to make him “pay” for racism? How it stealing from the Restos du Coeur tied to racism? How is the rioters burning down elementary schools something tied to “racism”? This is the kind of shit that the Traore family tried to pull when it came to the death of Adama - remember, they did a protest against the French government because of Floyd’s death, as if France had a relationship to this murder in the USA, and I even recall a group that came on TV during these troubled times, in France, a group of activists that had shaped themselves after the Black Panthers, imitating their outfit and copying their goals and speeches down to the very last detail. This is all an attempt at projecting the problems and society of the USA onto France, but FRANCE ISN’T THE USA! We have two different histories, two different societies, two different “race dynamics”. Yes France has problems, BIG problems, but they aren’t the problems of the USA! 

2) My second big argument as to why this is all just a blind idiocy and violent chaos - which also ties back to “Why this isn’t about racism”. The rioters themselves confess that they had no goal behind those riots.

Remember how I said before that a good thirty percent of the rioters were underage, and the other still young adults and teenagers? Well now that we have better estimation, the average age of the rioters was calculated: 17! The average age of the rioters is seventeen years old! And we have seen kids as young as twelve participating in the burning of town halls. These are teenagers, these are kids, this shows a form of immaturity in all of this. Remember the interview with one of the rioters I talked about before? Well, in contrast to this, we now have the explanations and confessions of the other rioters - because there were hundreds of arrests all throughout France. And now that these teenagers and those young adults are confronted by courts, trials, judges, journalists, they are asked to explain their situation... And their answer? “We had no real reason to do what we did.” I am not kidding. Almost none of the rioters asked talked about Nahel in any form or shape - and those that did it, did it indirectly without even saying his name, just evoking “the kid that died”. Why did they do it? Because for them “it was fun”. Because “everybody else was doing it”. Because they just “wanted to”. They didn’t even claim any kind of revenge or punishment the same way the interviewed rioter did. They literaly said “We did what we did, and there’s nothing more behind that. We didn’t had any reason to do that. We just did.”

It isn’t about racism. It isn’t about religion. It isn’t about justice. It isn’t about Nahel. It just because these kids and those idiots wanted to break things and burn things and steal and kill people - and others saw an opportunity to do the same things, and yet others just followed like sheep and imitated the rest. 

And if you are baffled by this, sadly it is actually understable when you see how France has slowly degraded. On one side, as I said, in the poorest and most criminal “banlieues”, the defiance of authority and law, and the hatred of anyone wearing a uniform, became a widespread custom, a local tradition, even a game. It is a game to call policemen only to throw rocks at them. It is a game to burn police cars with a policeman still inside. On social media, they compete to see who can destroy the most car-police wheels. Even firemen, and nurses, and ambulance are getting attacked or harassed in the street just for doing their job - because there is a strange and bizarre hatred in some areas of France for anything that represents a country, a system, a society. On the other side, France - which was THE country of protests and strikes and manifestations - lost its own art and ability to protest as year after year, each protest systematically ended up in violence, more and more violence. The minute there’s a problem, there’s a protest, and these protest end up in violence - because they aren’t even protests anymore, but temper tantrums. The conspiracy theorist above used “populace”, which in French is a pejorative word for the people as a whole - and this is a word I shall use for the behavior of French people nowadays. I still remember when Mélanchon, the far-left (not to say extreme-left) candidate to the presidential election, wasn’t elected - there were riots and protests. Protests BECAUSE A CANDIDATE WASN’T ELECTED IN AN ELECTION? I distinctly remember that because students had entered the Sorbonne university, organized a siege by blocking everybody outside, and had destroyed everything inside - old paintings and university papers and computers. They wanted to destroy a university, because their candidate wasn’t elected as a president? As I said before, one shouldn’t confuse the USA and France, but the Trump riots can be brought to mind. There’s a true “bratty child” behavior in people (and especially younger generations) nowadays “If we don’t have what we want, if you displease us in any way, we will destroy everything in reliation”. 

Anyway, I have exhausted myself just writing about the misery and disaster going on in France... So yes, there is no great governmental conspiracy going on here. There is no greater goal and no great evil plan and no mustache-twirling villains. There’s just a wave of pure and undiluted hatred and violence coming from teenagers and young adults of poor, dangerous and criminal areas, an explosion of a desire to destroy everything and anything, a wish to blindly kill and burn whatever cross their path. Town halls and libraries, schools and supermarkets, prisons and book shops, police stations and clothing shops, bus stations and tramways, even houses and habitation buildings - it is all targetted. If there is the slightest “conspiracy” going on there - it is minor, local conspiracies pulled by the local drug dealers and drug markets, mostly to make sure the violence doesn’t touch their domain and their “lair”. Take Marseille: many people have pointed out that the violences in the town happened everywhere... except for the areas where the drug commerce and drug dealers are notoriously installed and ruling their criminal system. This is the furthest I can accept the idea of a conspiracy behind all that - or if you can bring me solid proof there is a foreign power like Russia organizing all that, I will take it, because Russia has been doing insidious operations before (such as the Döppelganger operation, discovered a month ago or so, which was about duplicated and imitating the French information websites to spread false informations about Ukraine and the Ukrainian war). 

But honestly, so far, it just seems to be the work of a hateful, blind and idiot mass, with no head, no goal, no mind and no purpose. 

#france #french riots #french news #conspiracy theory #this is no conspiracy #this is just pure chaos

[marshmallowprotection]

GE Saeran comforting me as someone with OCD intrusive thoughts? TW uncomfortable, even disturbing

A lot of people's general perception of OCD is just intensive, repetitive cleaning/organising, washing wands, checking if doors are locked, etc - and it is, for some. That is the most well-known branch. But the one nobody really talks about are intrusive thoughts, and the meaning behind that is, well, they're horrible, so people keep it private. We don't want to talk about this part of OCD.

Intrusive thoughts are actually common! You know how a lot of people get random weird thoughts about like if you're on a balcony or something and you think wow I could so easily just jump off, or if you've got a knife in your hand to cook and you think you're gonna stab yourself and/or somebody??? Even though you know you would never, ever do something like that??

For most people those thoughts would just be weird and fleeting, even funny (in some cases)

But for somebody with OCD, it's so much more intense. It's constant worry, anxiety and actual terror sometimes. It's obsessive. It's compulsive, it makes you think that you want to do these things. And will.

These kind of thoughts want to freak us out. They love it. They make you question if you're actually a good person or even have morals at all.

The one thing that kind of is comforting about this branch of OCD is that professionals usually say that the reason these thoughts get 'stuck' and continuously whirl in fear is that they're so abhorrent to us, we just can't let them go. I've been reading self-help books lol;;, but what was said in them was actually that we get so afraid and become obsessive about them because we secretly know it's the opposite of who we are and what we believe in.

So really what they're saying is that it might even be that the people who think these horrible things are actually the most compassionate, kind and gentle people.

That's why these thoughts are so crippling.

I've been told (by my mum, lolol) that I'm a good and kind person, but I doubt it so much because these thoughts make me question who I am every single day. I seriously feel like I'm broken sometimes. I feel like I'm disgusting and totally unlovable, if I ever told anyone about the things I obsessively think. I cry a lot about it.

So I guess being unlovable includes Saeran too. I feel like he would hate me.

TW: OCD, Intrusive Thoughts

GE Saeran doesn’t want you to feel discomfort. That is one thing he understands more than anything else in this world. He doesn't want you to feel bad but at the same time, he understands that he can't just take that away. He might want to make sure that you don't have a hard time, but that doesn't mean that he can stop bad things from happening. It's just one of those things that's out of his control. It's out of your control. It's, unfortunately, one of those things that happens and you have to learn how to adapt and survive with it as a part of you.

There are things he’s learning to live with, too, but those aren’t quite the same as what you deal with.

Therapy and proper medication have done a world of wonder for him. He's working on trying to be a better person and a healthier person, at that. It's not always easy for him to cope with what he's gone through and what he's done. Some days are better than others. Then there are those days that are too hard to even talk about. He knows you understand where he's coming from when those days come around, and you know that you can trust him when it comes around for you.

The one good thing that comes out of knowing that your partner has similar struggles to you is the fact that you can trust them in a moment of weakness. When somebody empathizes and understands exactly what you mean when you say it, it's hard to express the comfort that can bring. However, just because you have that comfort there doesn't mean that it's easy to talk about it. Mental illness and trauma aren’t always peaches and cream.

It isn't always easy to talk about what's bothering you. Sometimes it can feel like you're alone and big waves are going to drown you before you know how to react. There are thoughts that can spring up in the back of your mind that feel like they are in control of you instead of you being in control of them. These things can make you feel shameful and afraid of yourself when you don't need to be. It doesn't matter how much you rationalize it, the fear that comes from the intrusion feels palpable to the person that suffers from it.

If there's one thing he can understand, it's the fear that flashes in your eyes when you can't stop clawing at your forearms. He may not know what you're thinking about or what compulsion passed through your head, but he knows that you are afraid.

He has seen that fear reflected on his face when he looked in the mirror at Mint Eye. Although it never came to the point of having a compulsion that he needed to complete otherwise the paranoia would consume him, he understands the feeling of something crawling down your spine and you just can't get rid of the thought no matter what you do.

Those things make you feel awful and ugly about yourself no matter how much you try to correct them. there were nights he spent huddled in a corner, holding himself as tightly as he could trying to get rid of the thoughts by muttering and whispering nonsensical things to himself. 

The thought of you going through something like that alone isn't a comfort to him. It haunts him. The last thing he wants is for you to feel afraid of something like this. Again, he knows that he can't make the fear go away. It doesn't matter if he reassures you or talks you through it, you're always going to experience some form of this intrusion.

He isn't going to give up on you or leave you to deal with that by yourself. You never gave up on him and he's not going to give up on you. You are not the thoughts that are running through your head. You are not the fear that you feel when a compulsion runs through your mind over and over and you can't help but to think about it.

You are not those thoughts. 

Even if you can't believe it at your lowest moment, he's not going to leave your side until you feel safe again. So, whenever you hit a low point and you feel alone, remember the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around you. Don't let the sensation stop you from smelling the faintest hint of jasmine and a whiff of gardenia. Breathe him in. Even if you can't believe it, even if you can't focus on anything but the repeated whisper in the back of your head that is saying those awful words, remember that he is there. 

“You are not a monster,” Saeran’s voice will linger next to your ears. “You aren’t a monster. You are my love, and if I know anything about you, it's that you are a good person who does their best.”

#tw ocd #tw intrusive thoughts #ask #anon #mod kait #mystic messenger #mm #mysme #mysticmessenger #saeray #ge saeran #saeran choi #choi saeran #saeran mm #saeran mystic messenger #saeran mysme #mysme saeran #mystic messenger saeran #mm saeran

[all-for-geek]

Unfinished Business - Love, Family, and Possession Chapter 2: One Hand in my Pocket

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

Fandom: Julie and the Phantoms

Word Count: 3,573

Summary: Nick struggles to adapt to living under Caleb’s thumb. Meanwhile, a day in the life of the Phantoms when Julie is at school.

Nick tossed and turned in his bed. He had heard his alarm clock go off, but it had not been necessary. Nick had been awake for hours. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt like he was trapped back in the dark where all he could do was watch as someone else puppeted his body around. He slammed his hand on the alarm clock less to turn it off and more to prove that he was still in control of his body.

“You should…you should probably get ready.” The weak voice startled Nick upright. He remained tense as he found the ghost boy, William, standing outside his door.

Nick remained silent and still. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to get dressed for school and pretend that it was a normal day. He knew that sooner or later, Caleb was going to come back and…he didn’t want to think about the darkness that awaited him. 

“You really should,” William insisted again. “If Caleb comes back and you’re not dressed, he won’t be happy.”

Nick let out a cold, short-lived laugh. “Why should I care if that monster is happy?”

“Caleb is incredibly powerful. If you’re good, he can use that power to help you. If you’re bad…he’ll use it to punish you.” The words spilled out of William's mouth automatically, like lines on a script.

“So my choices are: I get ready, and he possesses me again, making me miserable, or I don’t, and he finds some new way to make me miserable? He really sounds like a swell guy.”

“Please, Nick.” William’s voice shook with the rest of his body as tears welled up in his eyes. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Nick had planned to scoff at that. Why would he care about him? William clearly worked for Caleb in some capacity. How could someone in league with that monster have any semblance of empathy? Then a jolt of purple electricity went through William’s body that sent him onto his knees. A glowing purple mark pulsed gently on the back of his wrist.

“Caleb is on his way,” William muttered. “Please get ready. I know how it sounds, but this is him treating you well. If you think this is bad, you do not want to see him being mean.”

Nick nodded and got out of his bed. William left to give Nick some privacy as he changed. As Nick walked down the stairs, Caleb walked through the door and into the house.

“Good morning, Nicolas,” Caleb greeted with a bright smile on his face. “Did you sleep well?” Although Nick remained silent, the bags under his eyes answered for him. 

“Such a shame,” Caleb continued, “But I understand. Yesterday was a big day for us.” He stepped forward, casting his shadow over Nick’s cowering form. “But make sure to get a good night’s sleep tonight. Neither of us want me to stay here all night, do we?”

Caleb smiled like a wolf that knew its prey was cornered. Nick remained silent but reluctantly shook his head.

“Excellent. I’m glad we could come to an understanding.” Caleb closed the space between them. The last thing Nick saw before being thrown back into the dark was the look of pity on William’s face.

Across town, music poured out of the Molina's studio as it did every morning. Julie and Luke had gotten into a routine of writing music before school in order for Luke to show it to Alex and Reggie before practice after school. This particular song was one that Julie had suggested. As the two sang to each other, the melody soared through the deeper feelings the song brought out in both of them but both were too scared to say.

Our voices rise and soar so high

We come to life when we're

In perfect harmony

Woah-oh, woah-oh

Perfect harmony

Woah-oh, woah-oh

Perfect harmony

“It’s really good,” Luke said as they faded out of the chorus. “As always.” He playfully nudged Julie with his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Julie replied. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to see how it sounds once we bring in the guys.”

Julie’s smile dropped ever so slightly. She hadn’t told Luke that the song was about him, and she couldn’t say that it was supposed to be a duet without bringing that up and then he would find out that she had a crush on him and it would break up the band and-

“Julie?” Luke’s voice brought her out of her thoughts only for her to get lost in his big, hazel eyes. He shook her slightly by the shoulder and she fully snapped back to reality.

“Yeah! Yeah, it’ll sound really good. Once the guys part’s are in. I just hope it…it doesn’t overdo the song. I’m still getting used to writing songs with so many parts.”

“Relax. That’s what I’m here for.”

“And where would I be without you?”

“I can’t even imagine.”

“You know it’s kinda weird when you just start talking to the air like that,” Carlos interjected, reminding the two of his presence.

“Says the kid who's been talking to a wall for the past 5 minutes,” Alex remarked, earning him a glare from Julie and Reggie.

He wasn’t wrong though. While Julie and Luke had been writing, Carlos had been putting the finishing touches on the word wall. He and Reggie had managed to put the alphabet and some basic words up and were trying to communicate. Reggie had been able to mostly spell his name through the lights. There was a light with the word “Regi” under it.

“Carlos has found a way for us to talk to him in a day of trying,” Reggie said. “Let’s not stifle his ingenuity.”

“I’m going to ignore how you know the word ingenuity and instead focus on how Julie’s dad is gonna find it a little weird that there is a wall covered in Christmas lights and words under them,” Alex replied.

“Duh. That’s what the curtain is for.” Reggie tugged on a curtain that blocked off that chunk of the room creating, as the kids had explained to Ray, Carlos’ “man cave”.

“Alright, I’ve got one ghost down,” Carlos continued, not hearing Reggie and Alex bicker. “What are the other two’s names?”

“Ooo, you should spell your name next!” Reggie ordered Alex excitedly.

“Why can’t you do it?” Alex asked genuinely.

“Well, it will be special if we all do our own names! It will be like we’re introducing ourselves to Carlos.” Alex continued to stare at Reggie, knowing that that wasn’t the whole truth. It only took a second for Reggie to relent. “Also I don’t want to misspell your name.”

“Reg, you-”

“Please…” Reggie begged, interrupting whatever encouraging or sarcastic comment Alex was about to say.

“Come on, Alex,” Julie chimed in. 

“Yeah bro, just do it,” Luke added, attacking Alex with his signature puppy eyes.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Well Julie already said my name, so I shouldn’t have to tell him, but fine.” He lit up the letters of his name on the wall. Luke and Julie applauded sarcastically while Reggie did so genuinely.

“Alright, Luke, your turn!” Reggie called out. Luke poofed over and spelled his name too. Carlos quickly pulled out two more pieces of tape and wrote the phantoms’ names on them.

As if on cue, Ray called for Julie and Carlos to meet him at the truck. Julie quickly helped Carlos pull around the curtain to hide the wall. 

“See you guys after school! Stay out of trouble” Julie shouted. The three ghosts waved back, silently wondering how long until they evitable got into trouble.

It didn’t take long for Luke to show the boys the new song. Even though they were young, the three had been playing together so long that they easily found the right ebb and flow within the song for Reggie’s and Alex’s parts. It only took a couple hours for them to feel good about the extra parts. Luke continued to tweak “Perfect Harmony” by the piano while Reggie messed with the lights again. Alex had already left to try and find Willie.

“Hey bro, what about this during the pre-chorus?” Luke played a slow, melodic riff as he sang. 

“Ooo yeah, that sounds good! What about this too?” Reggie ran over to the piano and began to harmonize with Luke. 

“Yeah man! That sounds great!” Luke punched Reggie’s arm as they continued through the song. Reggie’s smile grew as they worked. The two didn’t often get to write like this anymore. Not since the days of Sunset Curve they would stay up long into the night fine-tuning Luke’s latest creation. Reggie never got used to the spark that flew between them when they sang together. It still sent a tingle down his spine and plastered a big, goofy smile on his face. He missed that feeling.

“Hey what about instead of “We say we’re friends, we play pretend” we do “Around our friends we play pretend”? Luke asked.

“I don’t know, I think the first one works better?”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I mean. The song is about two people who can’t express their feelings, right? They hide their feelings from themselves and each other, not the people around them.” Reggie wasn’t entirely sure where that explanation had come from, but he knew it felt right.

“Huh. Yeah, I guess. I’ll go ask Julie.” Luke poofed out of the studio before Reggie could respond.

Reggie chuckled to himself. It was only a matter of time before Luke found some excuse to go see Julie. Reggie went back to finalizing the words on the wall until he heard Ray pull up in the driveway. Reggie poofed into the house to greet him.

“Hey, Ray! How was your shoot today?” Ray, as always, was silent and pulled out his laptop to begin editing photos.

“Julie brought us this new song today! It’s really good! Well, not that any of ‘em are bad, but this one is really good! Luke and I were tweaking it just now. It was nice getting to work with him like that again. Ever since Julie joined the band, he’s mostly been working with her. Not that I’m complaining or mad or anything! She’s a really good songwriter. It should be her working with Luke instead of me, but…I don’t know. They always seem off doing their own thing, and Alex is always off looking for Willie…I haven’t spent this much time alone in a while. I’ve figured out how to talk to Carlos, though! He is so smart. He’s so much like Stev-”

Reggie paused as he reminded himself of his brother. Reggie had probably had the best relationship with his family of the three deceased members of Sunset Curve. Not necessarily with his parents, at least not near the end, but with his little brother. He and Stevie had been thick as thieves. Even after Sunset Curve started to go legit, Reggie would sneak Stevie out of the house to come watch their shows. Reggie had even started teaching Stevie bass shortly before he died. He still wasn’t sure he missed his parents or not, but Reggie wished he knew where Stevie was.

“I’m…I’m glad that Carlos has such a great older sister to look out for him. And a great dad too. Sorry for talking your ear off again Ray. I’ll leave you to your work.” Reggie left the house leaving Ray none the wiser to the distressed teen that had attached himself to him.  

Reggie poofed back into the studio long enough to write a quick note saying that he was going out. He didn’t want them to worry if he suddenly disappeared. As soon as he signed the note, he poofed back out. He didn’t know where he wanted to go, but he knew that he didn’t want to stay there alone.

Alex trekked through the streets of LA just as he had the day before. He checked everywhere he could: the local museums, skateparks, the streets where he and Willie had first met. He even checked the area surrounding the Hollywood Ghost Club. He didn’t stay long or go too close, but he knew that if he didn’t find a trace of Willie soon, he might get desperate enough to.

On his third lap around, he spotted a boy skating frantically down the road. The boy’s long, dark hair obscured his face; the wind blew it everywhere under his helmet. Alex ran after the boy, too caught up in his own excitement to think of just poofing over to him. He managed to keep up with Willie as he rounded the corner towards Los Feliz High School. What was he doing near Julie’s school? Was she in trouble? Did Caleb decide to lash out at Julie for helping them escape from his brand? Did-

“Alex, hey, what are you doing here?” Alex nearly tripped over his thoughts and the ground when Luke called out to him. He faced Luke like a deer in headlights.

“Me…oh nothing I was just…” Alex turned to where the boy was frantically running up the steps of the school. As he ripped his helmet off, Alex’s whole body dropped when Willie’s face was not underneath. “Nevermind.”

Alex turned to continue his search when Luke stopped him. “Bro, you’re going to find him.”

“Sure.” Alex wanted to believe Luke. He truly did, but the longer he searched, the more hopeless he became. His anxiety seemed to block out the fact that he had only been searching for two days, but the feeling was still the same.

“You will.” Luke patted Alex on the back. 

Alex nodded and turned to continue his search. Luke trailed behind him and pulled forward when Alex gave no objection. The two did another lap around the city. Still, no sign of Willie. They poofed onto the roof of a nearby building and watched as lifers went by.

“What if…what if Caleb did something to him?” Alex turned to Luke for an answer. He would never admit it, but he was longing for some of Luke’s incessant optimism.

“Then we’ll make him pay.” Alex sighed. It wasn't the response he had been hoping for.

“If Willie got hurt because of me, I don’t-”

“It wouldn’t be your fault Alex-”

“If he hadn’t met me, then we never would have gone to Caleb’s club, and he never would have felt like he needed to help us-”

“He helped us because he wanted to. Because he wanted to help you.”

“How can you be so sure?” Tears streamed down Alex’s safe.

“Dude, are you kidding? Anyone with eyes can see how he feels about you.” Luke wrapped Alex in a giant embrace. “It’s not your fault what happened to us, and if Caleb did hurt Willie, that’s not your fault either. It’s all Caleb’s.”

The two sat there, wrapped in each other’s arms until Alex pulled away, drying the last of his tears off his cheeks.

“Thanks,” he said, “What were you doing at the school?”

“I, uh, I needed to ask Julie some questions about the new song.”

“Uh huh.” 

Luke rolled his eyes at the look Alex gave him. “Come on, man. It wasn’t like that.”

“This time.”

“C’mon, it’s just-”

“I know, Luke. Just remember: When you do finally tell her, maybe skip the interpretive dance.”

“Oh c’mon! It was one time!”

“One time too many.”

“Hey, it worked didn’t it?”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, I guess.” The two laughed at the memory and poofed back to the studio.

Reggie didn’t realize where he was going until he got there. He wasn’t really surprised to find himself standing by the bike shack where his house used to be. Given how much he had been thinking about his family lately, it was only natural.

It was so surreal. There was no trace of the neighborhood that used to be here. Everything had been torn down and replaced with perfect, polished buildings suitable for tourists. It almost made Reggie feel sick. To him, it was just over a month ago that this stretch of beach had been his home. The whiplash he felt as he watched people casually walk in and out of the doors of what used to be his house was as strong as when he first came back.

Reggie continued walking down the beach. Even in the middle of the day in October, there were more people on the beach now then there ever were back when he was alive. He walked past families with small children playing in the water. Their contagious laughter brought him back to when he and his brother would play there. A few people in suits were enjoying the sun while on lunch break. They walked away with the same stern look on their faces that Reggie’s dad had everytime he left for work. 

One person seemed to catch Reggie’s eye. A figure stood underneath the pier with a spray bottle in hand. Reggie was impressed with how nonchalant they were about it. Even back in the 90s, you wouldn’t find anyone graffitting there in broad daylight.

As he poofed closer, he realized that she was a girl about his age. Her brown hair was tied back into a high ponytail. Her bell-bottom jeans matched the jean-jacket she wore. The elbows of the jacket were worn and frayed from wear. Even though he knew that she couldn’t see him, Reggie instinctively smoothed his hair out.

She was swinging her hips to a song that Reggie didn’t recognize at first. He couldn’t hear the song that was playing from the walkman, but she was humming along and began to sing as the song reached the chorus.

And What It All Comes Down Too

Is That I Haven’t Got It All Figured Out Just Yet

Cause I’ve Got One Hand In My Pocket

And The Other One Is Holding A Spray Can

The girl chuckled at her rewrite as she continued to spray paint the pillar. Reggie was bopping along as well now that he recognized the song. Jagged Little Pill had come out a month before he died, but he had fond memories of listening to it with the band. He started singing along with the girl, harmonizing unconsciously.

“You a fan of Alanis?” The question caught Reggie off guard. Mostly because it had been asked at all. Lifers weren’t supposed to see him unless he was playing with Julie. It was then that Reggie noticed that when the waves crashed up, they went through the girl’s legs rather than onto them.

“Yeah I guess I…Wait! You’re a ghost too?!”

“Yep.” The girl turned around to face Reggie. She had piercing blue eyes and tanned skin that shone in the sun. Her light purple crop top was covered in paint splotches along with the sleeves of her jacket.

“Name’s Alice.”

“Uh…Reggie…I’m Reggie.” Reggie had to struggle to get the words out of his mouth.

Alice turned to continue her artwork. “So tell me Reggie: you often stand around here and stare at the girls?”

Reggie’s eyes widened as he realized that what he was doing might have come off as a little creepy. “No! No, I just…I saw you painting, and I was curious.”

“Not a bad save. Well, take a look.” Alice stepped aside so Reggie could get a full look at the pillar. Two purple flowers were entwined together by the stems. They were photorealistic to the point that Reggie felt like he could pull them right off the pillar.

“Woah. They're really good.”

“Thanks. I’ve had a lot of time to practice. There’s only so much to do when you’ve been dead for about 40 years.”

“40 years?!” 

“Yep. You're new to this whole ghost thing, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…we died back in ‘95, but for some reason we were stuck in this weird black room for 25 years. We only got out about a month ago.”

���Huh.” Alice began to pick up the spray cans that she had strewn on the beach and put them into a black duffle bag.

“What? Is that not normal?” Reggie asked.

“Nothing is normal about the afterlife. Everyone is on a different journey. You said you were with others right?”

“Yeah my band. We all kind of died together.”

“Must have been nice.” This time it was Alice’s turn to turn red as Reggie stared in confusion. “Oh I just meant not being alone when you became a ghost. You’d be surprised how rare that is.”

Reggie was about to respond when, off in the distance, he heard music playing. The familiar sound of his band drumming in his ear. He thought it was just background noise playing in his mind before he remembered what time it was.

“Shoot! I’m late for band practice. They are gonna kill me!”

“Your band still plays?”

“Yeah! Julie and the Phantoms! Tell your friends!” Reggie was about to poof out when he turned to Alice one last time. “Any chance I can see you again?”

“Maybe. I’m either here or at the park up the road most days.”

“The one with the orange garden?”

“The very same.”

“Great! See ya!”

Reggie poofed out before he could see the amused look on Alice’s face.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #fanfiction #Unfinished Business #julie molina #luke patterson #Reggie Peters #Alex Mercer #possessed nick #willie #my works

[firelordgrantham]

after all the Vixen, Rot and Ruin, the Wrath and the Dawn, Crown of Feathers etc webtoon adaptations, do you know what could make a great webtoon, with hundreds of chapters, lots of actions, developped characters, a lot of image symbolism/ressemblance between characters that was less visible on the text version, and could also use to be rewritten a little bit to unify the lore?

Warriors.

They already have multiple different concept art (here I'll put different Firestar)

official art

also official art

more webtoon/manga/comics-like version but still official

They have multiple arcs.

They could make all the visions, visual effects (lion reflection, Tiger family being more or less copies of each other, blood calling blood...) etc more... well... visible.

They could have a chapter by chapter adaptation. The first book (Into the wild) is 26 chapters long including the prologue. It wouldn't be that long. If every book is about that length, the first arc would be 150 chapters, which is way less than some other webtoons (Unordinary or Lore Olympus for example).

It's packed with action. It's packed with romance.

Plus it could be a fresh start for the series which was always a bit weak on continuity (of physical descriptions mainly) and fixed lore (what can Star Clan really do, why was Bluestar said to have only taken her deputies kits as apprentices before when she hadn't taken an apprentice after becoming a leader?)

And it would provide definite concept art for every character.

I honestly don't see why it shouldn't be made into a webtoon but I might be blinded by the fact I tend to consider my ideas as pure genius for a while until it wears off so please, onlookers, if you've got constructive criticism, tell me.

#webtoon #warriors #warrior cats

[whumpinggrounds]

Hello, I am writing a character that is in the beginning stages of developing chronic pain which will affect their ability to continue their hobby, in the timeline of the story the character doesn't lose their ability to actually perform said hobby, But they are aware that with time, it could happen.

I want the character's arc to be about accepting their circumstances and coming into terms with their disability, as in the beginning they hide their disability and are in somewhat a state of denial.

I hope you can give me some advice and pointers.

Hi!

This sounds like a real cool idea, thanks for reaching out! Your ask is pretty vague, so I will give some general pointers, and if you have more specific questions, feel free to come back :)

This is my post about chronic pain, focused on my own chronic pain. I'll add some nuance to it now, focused on chronic pain that is beginning and developing into something more serious, as well as what looking ahead might be like.

So, in first developing chronic pain, I would say denial is definitely a big part of it. When I started having chronic pain in my shoulder, I repeatedly pushed myself too hard for too long, because I am very stubborn. I also didn't do things that I knew would help (heat, ice, stretches), partially because I was busy and also lazy, and also partially because I didn't want to admit to myself how bad it was. For me, this was because I didn't want to deal with the complexities, inconvenience, and expense of whatever might be wrong. I also really didn't want to give up the things I loved that hurt me.

In talking about your character, you mention that they're in denial, and they're hiding their pain. Is their denial inspired by similar reasons to mine - wanting to continue life as normal, fearing expensive and inconvenient medical intervention, etc.? Or is their hobby tied to their identity? Do they have internalized ableism that would cause them to regard chronic pain as weakness? Make sure these reasons are in line with who your character is! A very practical minded person could still be in denial, but they might take every precaution to avoid pain, believing in their denial that they have control. A very optimistic person might believe that their pain will go away on its own, or that if they push through with the right attitude, their pain will decrease.

Hiding pain - I hid my own pain, or lied about it, or just didn't bring it up, because I didn't like the attention, didn't think it was a big deal, and didn't want to deal with people telling me I should get it checked out. Why isn't your character sharing? Is it to avoid attention, scrutiny, lectures, concern? What happens when people do notice/find out - do they feel lied to? Confused? Hurt that their friend didn't trust them?

Specifically in terms of a hobby, coming to terms with losing it is due to pain one can't control is really, really hard. As your character moves more towards acceptance, consider having them think about adapting their hobby so it causes less pain, or is easier on their body or mind. What are their favorite parts of this hobby, and how can they still experience those things in a way that is safe and comfortable for them?

When you write your character coming to terms with their pain, I would look into ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The principles are a cool way to look at and adapt to chronic pain, and it might help you envision a path to acceptance for your character.

Write whatever you want, write what makes you happy, and write what you want to read. My biggest advice is always to make your characters realistic and consistent - but you don't even have to do that! If you want further advice, feel free to come back, and as always, happy writing :)

#chronic pain #disability asks #writing advice asks

[isinuyasha]

“This shooting star seems a bit different. Wonder if wishes will come true easier.”

MDZS Official Weibo Update (January 21st 2021)

#WHAT #THIS IS SO CUTE OMG #MDZS #why do you continue to make me weak in every adaption? #omg they're so cute #and married #look at them looking at shooting stars together omfg #so cute #mdzs q #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #official #lan wangji's birthday #cql #the untamed #weibo

[lestwritewhilewaitingforajobcall]

The Spark That Split the Seas - Poseidon x Reader x Thor

(A/N)

Hey guys I’m back! I’ve been grinding hard for a new character that I’d gotten in this game, Genshin Impact, so I’m sorry for the absence! Anyways, as always, I want to thank you all for the support on my past two stories and on my account, I truly appreciate every one of you! On a story-related note, since I’d mentioned on my previous post that I had a lot of Poseidon x Reader x Thor fics written in my drafts, I decided to post one so you guys could also join me in the feels! Any feedback would be appreciated! This was originally shorter than the final story you’re seeing now, as I’d first only written their dialogues, but as usual, I excitedly itched into making a story out of it!

This is for entertainment only. Record of Ragnarok belongs to Shinya Umemura, Takumi Fukui and Ajichika. I also do not own you, the reader.

The Spark That Split the Seas

Poseidon x Reader x Thor

For more than all the millennia the gods and other species alike had known the lonely kingdom of Atlantis, never once did the crashing waves gave way to the chirping of the largest Albatrosses until now. Otherworldly flying creatures joined with the familiar exclusively earthly ones in enjoying the ebb and flow of the ocean, albeit this time, the hungry ocean appeared more satiated and seemed to follow a regular pattern ‘from sudden crash to a long calm, to crash again then back to another lengthy calm;’ life in the sea rejoiced in this odd occurrence.

Beautiful yellow sun rays poured through the stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope pattern on the large interiors of the kingdom ruled by the god of the seas, and catching the reflection of his nonchalant visage. The long, elegant dining table filled with every kind of seafood delectable imaginable also fell victim to the light, along with a figure that sat down opposite, whose invitation was clear.

Hidden from this heavenly atmosphere were the prying eyes of a little messenger bird who stood unobtrusively behind one of the tall pillars near the far end of the room, halting his slide just in time to witness this miracle:

The living bearer of the most fearsome title, the ruler of both this grandiose palace of the most precious gems and coral and all the oceans and waters, the almighty Poseidon, though against all reason and self-proved authority whatsoever, against the epics of Greek poets, was indulged, seemingly willingly, in the pleasure of having another’s company. In the shadows, Hermes’ red eyes shot wide open in shock.

Poseidon, the ever abrupt and rude god who had deemed most beings to be below him, received a guest, a still breathing one at that.

What in the gods’ name?

In a tone of haughty contempt, a grunt escaped from Poseidon’s lips. Finishing chewing the last bite of delicious food in your mouth, you nodded your head in earnest agreement with his point. Your next words were uttered with the firmness of an old sage who had all the answers, your beliefs shaped by the countless lifetimes you had lived.

“Existing is painful.” Your shoulders bobbed with your chuckle.

Although Poseidon felt a small measure of relief−a feeling that by habit had always been easy to brush-off with a condescending thought, his face betrayed nothing as his stoic features remained still. “If you agree, then why not allow me to kill you this instant?” As if to emphasize his strength, the crashing sound of dreadful combat between waves and rocks rang in the air, and you almost wished that a low rumble of thunder accompanied it, finding beauty in its loud peals, and additionally giving a volume of inspiration to Michelangelo below.

Despite your gaze being unrequited, you were sure you had the god’s attention. Since arriving here, Poseidon noted that your expression had always been smoothed into a calm, smiling one. “If you had intended to kill me, we would not be having this conversation right now.”

Poseidon sat rigid and silent.

“It’s a comfortingly tragic drama, my circle of life. I may not have been lucky to acquire a life as long as that of the gods, but I have definitely lived more times than you have.” Your words were so nonchalant, for a second there Poseidon thought you were kidding.

“That is for the simple fact that you mortals are weak, pathetic.” Lips as pink as young petunias touched the clear edge of the wine glass as Poseidon’s eyes closed, content to give over to listen.

“Yes, we are.” You paused. “But because of this frailty, we learned to adapt, evolve.”

“There is no need for evolution if you are perfect from the moment of conception. Hence why gods such as I, will always be above you.”

“You’re correct. Humans will never become gods after all,” Again, Poseidon found himself absorbing your words like a sponge. At the same time, he experienced an occasional sharp prick at the edge of his emotions, as if signaling him to pull back. “The same as gods will never become like humans.”

“Extremely foolish of you to think that trash is worthy of the shiniest Orichalcum. Your race has been created by us, for us, and will therefore always be inferior.”

“Humans are inferior in all aspects, this, is a fact. It is hence no accident that there is a history of rebellion and consequently, a false notion of superiority. But to be able to look beyond this, is to understand that we never truly intended to surpass animals nor the gods themselves. The nature of our desire: everything was meant for either survival or man’s search for meaning.

“We are by nature flawed and inconsistent creatures. And as you have no doubt seen for yourself as well, despite reaching all our goals, achieving our wildest dreams, we have never reached a position where satisfaction is achieved.” Keenness made your words sound almost heroic. There was a twinkle in your eye and a lilt in your voice, and Poseidon found that now he had a much clearer picture of your reputation for an irrepressible desire to see what is beyond your reach as you questioned: “If I may ask, as I have seen the gods share this sentiment of looking for meaning, do you feel an inkling of the same?”

When Poseidon had put the wine glass down, he hesitated a moment, his supposedly closed mind wavering between doubt and certainty. He would never come to understand this, nor admit to feeling this dissonance, but at last, he shook his head at his consideration, trying to reduce the unpleasantness he felt by the same way he had always used to get out of extremely rare difficulties.

“Do not disrespect me, mortal.” He knew himself that it was an empty threat.

“Those were never my intentions.” You bowed with great respect, but there was at the same time apparent in your manner the consciousness that while Poseidon would never in any way confirm your statement, he did not necessarily refute it. Your heart rose in gratitude as you regarded him with a look of affection, believing in your intellectual companionship.

“Lord Poseidon, as the fearsome god of the seas, what is the meaning of life for you?” The god surveyed your reflection in one of the golden plates, and maybe it was because he had acted in a charitable way towards you, but he saw brightness, a refreshing difference, as if there were no heavy shackles to weigh you down.

“My husband has always been in search of a worthy opponent. What about you?”

It was like a pin came dangerously close to the rational bubble of Poseidon’s beliefs. But then your words penetrated his mind, and he berated himself for almost falling prey, yet…

“Perfection.” Poseidon blurted out loud, full of self-indulgence, but uncomfortable with the thought of pity reeking from his pores, a role that was clearly uncharacteristic of him.

Tilting your head, your brows meshed inquisitively upon hearing this. “This presents the conundrum; you are already perfect, as should all the gods. Since you have explained, gods have always been pristine, perfect, the moment you all were born.

“So, if you have already achieved the meaning and purpose of your life, what is there left to live for?” There was something entrancing in your guileless form, and Poseidon was displeased that another should feel such an interest in your wise, unguarded character. “And if gods have already reached perfection, why is there an endeavor still for the dross of earth?”

For the first time in Poseidon’s life, he was receptive of contraries. Not one single time, had he ever been in the position where he listened, much more considered the act of interpretation. What he said goes, but for some frustrating reason, he was coming to terms of mutual respect; whenever he was sitting opposite you, chin in hand, the more he caught the flame.

Quickly, he stopped that train of thought and he seamed his mouth, stoic. Only his eyes betrayed a spark of defiance. “Stop asking ridiculous questions.”

Again, you bowed. “I apologize if I have overstepped such boundaries.”

“You better be.” With a look of eager inquiry, Poseidon asked, “Why are you not afraid of me? Is it because you are confident Thor would protect you?” One thing that distressed him was that the more he was alone with you, the more he saw your hands, always ungloved, noticed the wedding-ring on your finger. That closed circle excluded him, his face registering the insult. “As expected from a repulsive weakling,”

“No. I know he would be there for me whenever I should need him, and also the times when I don’t.” You said still a smile on your mouth.

Although you were unaware of the eagle eyes that were watching your every move, you had the instinct. You did not need all the information, and you had nothing to hide. Your shoulders were loose, back wasn’t ramrod straight and you exuded a carefree attitude. “The sole reason why my fears have dissipated is because perhaps, I enjoy your conversation.”

To say this whole exchange took Hermes by surprise would be an understatement. After the initial expression of shock, he laughed lowly.

You continued, “I have already accepted your beliefs. No one is entitled to those except yourself.

“If I were to die from imparting what my beliefs are, that is simply fate, a tragedy, but nonetheless, fate. Of course, I would try my best to avoid disappearing from this lifetime, seeing as I have made a promise with my husband, to continue to fight for my life, shall needed, until the very end.” Poseidon’s grip tightened the slightest bit.

“I believe that despite our obvious differences, we are simply two being who each have our own unique experiences that shape our views and beliefs. For hundreds of millennia, I’d seen calamity from all angles; mainly conflicts over a universal truth,

“But so long as there are questions, there will never be one solid concrete truth. And I’m okay with that.” You concluded.

Compliments never rolled off Poseidon’s tongue easily, since in his view they were nothing but hollow words. But this time, he could hardly slip a word in bad taste. He thought it pleasant to hear you, but it could not distract him from the uninvited presence in his throne room.

“You’re a heretic.” His usual strong voice beckoned your attention, discerning the sternness on the table of his expression to be forced. No matter, you had just enough of a last glimpse to see his face looking younger in repose.

“I have been labeled as such.” You noticed the unique rhythm of the crashing waves seemed to have settled along the sand grains, and you admitted it was so beautiful and timeless.

“You’re dismissed.” Poseidon believed in being straightforward with affairs. Since the conversation has ended, the final interchange of words was not likely to be a substantive one. Though this was his original reason, the face at the forefront of his mind right now was not yours but Hermes’.

You stood up and curtsied to show your gratitude. “Very well. It was splendid to be in your company this afternoon.”

Blue eyes followed you as you began walking away, and he watched you until you went out of sight when you began to ascend the Skíðblaðnir, a ship so completely reserved only for you by the Kingdom of the Norse. Then Poseidon’s ears turned toward the messenger’s direction.

Hermes quickly dashed to Poseidon and knelt to greet him with such a great respect akin to the expectations all elderly gods have always expected of their younger ones.

“We gods are perfect beings from the very start; therefore, we do not plot schemes nor engage in disagreements.” The implication registered with a jolt, and Hermes felt his mouth open as the real reason for your invitation became clear. He fought the urge to look at where Adamas had died brutally as a lowlife, not failing to recognize that this was the exact opposite of that faded history.

Finding quiet when Hermes immediately left, the god of the seas stared at his dominion, taking deep breaths of the air, not feeling the normal icy sting carried by the ocean. Over again he dwelt upon in his conversations with you, interested to find out if the Norse god of thunder had been able to sustain a similar type of conversation.

The very first quiver of interest sparked through Poseidon and though he did not recognize it nor perceived it, he understood the most important things, the only ones he ever needed to:

You did not seek validation nor attention. You had no fear of death, neither of the hardships of life.

Your depths of wisdom were unparalleled throughout the realms, which he would comment on its wasted potential, however, he knew Hermes already understood that part of it.

And the god of messenger did, as the word got around slowly but surely:

“There would always be those who dare to brave the ocean’s roar, but there was only one who withstood it.”

#poseidon x reader #thor x reader #snv x reader #snv poseidon #snv thor #shuumatsu no valkyrie #snv poseidon x reader #snv thor x reader #record of ragnarok poseidon x reader #record of ragnarok x reader #record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok thor x reader #poseidon x reader x thor #snv poseidon x reader x snv thor