#you can so clearly see how despite beginning in the same situation their paths diverged so early on in life | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

minart-was-taken · 4 years

Text

Linkverse writing?? I guess??! It’s a tad simple and rough around the edges, but hey, isn’t everything if you look close enough? I’m proud enough of it to share, so that’s a win in my books!

Title: Tree Trekking Characters: Twilight, Sky, Time, and Wild No warnings for this one (Although highly vague twilight princess spoilers?) “Tags” First meetings - the start of bonding - Sky being a good boy - Time is a little bastard - Twilight is tired

Enjoy!

“Those look like rain clouds…” Link signed, dreading the thought.

“Ah- I think you’re right.” Feathers replied the same way.

Link winced, but gathered himself quickly after, making sure his adventure pouch was properly attached to his belt. They didn’t need a member of the group complaining AND also him having a loose adventure pouch.

...He sounded like a dork- Goddesses, he was panicking a little wasn’t he? Rain wasn’t a big problem, but on top of everything else it felt like a slap to the face.

He had been snapped to another world, teamed up with two strangers who were also him, apparently, and now it was going to rain.

The little guy had nothing to say either, but that wasn’t anything new.

Taking leading action, Link gathered himself, found his posture and signed to the Link whose Hyrule this apparently was. “Do you know anywhere we could find shelter?”

The little guy turned to look at him, with an expression that made it seem like he had insulted his entire family. “It’s just rain.”

Link sighed. “We don’t have much on us, a town with an inn and a shop to purchase a bedroll or two seems like a good idea.”

The little guy was quiet, before turning around and walking off. By this point Link knew that was his way of saying “follow me.”

He quickly checked Feathers, who with a slight stumble and a check on his items was on his way to follow as well.

With the small one in the lead, followed by Link and Feathers, the day continued like the past few had.

It had been strange, suddenly ending up here with a bunch of strangers like this. With Feathers it had been easy, the guy seemed to have a good heart. However with the little guy it was a different story. He seemed to speak the minimum possible, and didn’t especially want to stay as a group- Making it a daily battle to convince him to keep helping them navigate this hyrule.

Still, they were managing.

“We should probably try to get you a sword too.”

Feathers seemed taken back by this, before smiling awkwardly: “We’ve not run into anything, though, have we? Besides, you two seem quite used to wielding yours.”

“I don’t trust this situation.” Link confessed. “Something is bound to go wrong.”

Feathers gave him a sympathetic look.

“I’m serious.” He insisted. “The air doesn’t just crack and cause people to teleport through time and space. Something bad is in the air.”

Feathers seemed to want to say something to deny it, but couldn’t. He turned his head forwards again, facing where they were going. “I have other weapons.”

Link still felt unsure, but accepted it for now.

A bit more traveling, now down what seemed to be a dirt path, Link felt the silence beginning to grind on him. He clenched his hands to fists, and released them, repeating this action a few times to calm his nerves. When it wasn’t enough, though, he shook his head and fastened his walking pace.

This way he caught up to the small guide, and signed: “Can you share the route with me? I’d like a better understanding of what to expect.”

The kid looked annoyed again, but after a moment replied: “Kakariko is down this road, to the west until we reach a big rock, and then down the road next to it.”

“Thank you.” He said, breathing with purpose to calm himself, as he fell back behind to walk next to Feathers again.

It had been a long time since he had panicked like this last. It had been at a cell, in a strange body and shackled to the floor. It had been when Midna’s hold on his fur had weakened further as he tried to be faster despite the pain. It had…

Link sighed. He’d survived all of those, he had been hurt, but he survived. He could handle yet another journey to an unknown world. This is fine.

The little guy disappeared in that second.

Link blinked.

The kid had genuinely disappeared- One moment he was there, the next he wasn’t.

This was not fine, actually.

“Where did he go?!” He signed frantically to Feathers.

“I don’t know!” Feathers responded, equally bewildered. “Did I see that right?! Did he-”

“Did he vanish…?” He signed as well, turning to look at the spot again.

“Maybe-” Feathers, panicking much more clearly than Link was: “Maybe he got sent to another world, like we were.”

“That beats him being dead.”

Feathers was shaken by that addition, but Link ignored it in favour of walking over to where the kid had been and looking around. It was of no use, of course, but he felt powerless and not doing anything felt wrong.

Not again- Not again-

There was a loud crack inside his ears, and the space between him and Feathers looked like it was cracked glass. This strange scene lasted as long as it took it to arrive, and in the next moment: instead of reality looking broken, there was another boy.

This new stranger took a hitched breath, taking a quick step backwards, Having immediately noticed Link. The step however lead him right into Feathers, which caused the stranger to yelp and manifest a blade twice his size from blue light.

Feathers threw his hands in the air, panic filled eyes looking between the armed boy and Link.

Link breathed in and out, as he moved to walk around the newcomer and next to Feathers, with his hands up in the air as well. He hoped that moving from behind the stranger would make him realize he didn’t care for that tactical advantage, and was looking for peace.

The stranger watched, the weapon still in hand, but took no action.

“Are you-” Link signed: “L-I-N-K?”

The stranger’s eyes grew suspicious with each letter, and Link figured he had made a mistake of some sorts.

Quickly trying to bridge the miscommunication, he added: “So are we.”

The stranger shook his head, which wasn’t ideal.

“No?” Link signed. “What do you mean no?”

To that the stranger didn’t seem to have an answer for. Simply shrugging like it was obvious.

“He’s being honest.” Feathers joined in. “We’re both Link, the hero of courage.”

After eyeing the two over like they had lost their minds, the stranger sighed. “I don’t believe you.” He signed. “But I’m also not sure where I am.”

“That’s fair.” Link supposed. “We’re willing to share our information.”

“Spill it, then.”

After explaining their understanding of how they got here, and what they were doing, the stranger sighed and agreed that going to a town would seem smart in his eyes as well.

However he chose to walk behind Feathers and Link, which Link couldn’t blame him for. He had his own fair share of paranoia of the situation, after all.

Besides, he’d know if the kid tried to approach with a blade in hand, he was awfully good at keeping an eye on his surroundings.

Not good enough, though. Despite following the route the first angry kid had given: they somehow got lost anyway. Sure they found a big rock, but there was no path near it that led to anywhere other than more wilderness.

“Did we misunderstand?” Feathers asked him.

Link furrowed his brow, unsure of the answer. He was quite sure they had gone the exact route the kid described.

The newcomer whistled suddenly, causing the two older to turn and look at him.

He seemed annoyed, and signed: “Is this a trap?”

“I mean, if it was we wouldn’t tell you.” Feathers signed back, at which Link elbowed him.

“It’s not a trap. This is neither of our Hyrule, so we don’t know where things are. The person who gave us instructions either forgot something or we failed to follow it right.”

The stranger crossed his arms, and pouted. Suspicious.

Link, wanting to hit his head against the trees until he could disappear from this situation, tried to breathe in and out and figure this situation out before anything worse happened. “We can probably try and find it on our own.”

“Oh, true.” Feathers replied, smiling again.

“Alright.” The newcomer accepted, still tense.

“Great.” Link responded, tired. “What does everyone here know about scouting?”

Feathers looked a bit flustered, and admitted: “I spent most of my life on a single island- In the sky.”

“Ok.” was all Link could muster.

“I’m okay at it.” The newcomer said, looking a bit less confident than before. “I know what signs to keep an eye out for.”

Link nodded at this. Back in the day he could’ve asked Midna to change his form so he could simply smell the strange scent that towns had, but that stopped being an option a long time ago.

He could still manage with human senses. He had done so for the majority of his life.

So after they pooled their knowledge of what to look out for, they began trekking forwards. Although it was more the two actually experienced people describing some basic things to the one from the sky.

After one man-made path diverged into two, the tired air of the group only grew worse.

“So- Which way?” Feathers asked, trying to not cause anymore tension with the question, by smiling gently.

The newcomer lifted the strange slate he had on his belt, and used it to get a better look forward. It wasn’t enough, though: “The foliage is too thick, I can’t see where either of them leads.”

Feathers pouted.

Link, quite frustrated at this point, signed simply: “Just one thing we can do, then.” And proceeded to scan the area for the tallest tree.

Feathers looked in mild curiosity as Link walked up to an alright specimen, and proceeded to climb it with almost no trouble. Branch to branch, and a good grip on the wood while still being mindful of it’s well being.

From high up he could take a far better look around the area, and found his nerves eased as he spotted smoke from further on and down the right path, as well as the gentle breeze that flowed freely up there. He smiled, despite himself, and climbed back down.

Once he landed with a gentle thud, he let Feathers know what he had seen, before turning to look at the newcomer.

He had stayed by the path, unlike Feathers who had gone to wait for him at the trunk of the tree, and was looking at him with what Link would describe as surprise.

“I was raised on a farm.” Link stated, feeling actually a little up for joking, before he started walking down the right path.

The journey went alright, and although the smoke turned out to be from but a small cottage, it meant they weren’t entirely on the wrong track. Someone was able to live here, so it would mean a town could exist nearby as well.

The newcomer, who hadn’t said much, spoke up another few minutes into the walk, as they tried to decide between three paths this time. “I could climb this time?”

Link was a little surprised, but nodded and gave him a supportive smile. “Go for it.” It was nice seeing the hostility gone, and in its place a want to help.

What he saw then, was… Unexpected. The newcomer proceeded to pick a tree at ease, and then climb at a speed Link had never seen before. It was extremely impressive, and somewhat terrifying.

“Woah.” Said feathers.

Link nodded, slow and stunned.

When the kid returned to ground level- With a thud and an expert landing to boot -he explained that with the zoom on his slate he was able to spot a town. He wasn’t sure which path would lead to it, but if the rest were fine with just going to that general direction until they got to it, he’d be able to lead them.

Feathers and Link approved of the plan, and now followed after the newcomer who was walking forth, at times checking the slate.

Feathers began to talk to him about beacons, apparently something on the slate reminded him of his adventure. Link tuned it out due to not really getting it, and breathed in the forest air.

This was all very strange, but it was nice that no-one was being a grump for once.

At sunset they reached the town, and having moved along with the rain cloud, it only caught up to them at the village gates.

Link gave the newcomer a pat on the shoulder, which surprised him. “Good work.” He signed before heading forward to look for an inn.

The rain only caught them when they had a roof above their heads, as they had moved in the same direction as it had been heading.

Sitting in a shared room, there was that strange snap-crack again, and the other kid was back. Strange face markings as clear on the face of annoyance as always.

The newcomer didn’t disappear, so their three person room had just become crowded.

“Oh.” The kid commented, looking at them all, including the newcomer. “You made it.”

“...Were we not supposed to?” Link asked.

“I gave you the wrong directions.”

Link blinked. He was stunned, having trouble processing the situation. Not because it was so unexpected, but because he hadn’t seen it coming despite how obvious it was this kid wouldn’t help them properly.

“Why?!”

“I didn’t want you to find the town.”

“Again, why?”

“I don’t trust you.” The response was instant.

Link sighed, it wasn’t a reason he could exactly fight.

Giving up, he sat down on one of the beds. This was going to be a stressful adventure, wasn’t it? He lent back a bit, looking at the ceiling. He couldn’t deny the truth of that question, but a part of him wasn’t entirely bothered. It had been a while since he’d slept in a room with another living being.

#The Legend of Zelda #Linkverse #Loz #Twilight Princess #Breath of the wild #Skyward Sword #not tagging the fourth one since he's there for like 2 scenes #Note to self: Describe the enviorment you little goober #They can't see the image in your head you foolish fool #Ah well #I'm still proud

737 notes · View notes

brief-candle · 4 years

Text

αℓεα ιαcтα εsт - various kny x reader [1]

reuploaded bc my tumblr is being stinky >:(( update: still being stinky. for some reason this isn’t showing up in any tags no matter what i do and i’m so confused? bc the second chapter’s showing up??? idk :/

also was wondering if y’all would be interested in seeing some art that i do sometimes, bc i’ve kinda been getting back into drawing lately!

THIS IS A YANDERE SERIES. JUST SO YOU KNOW. I WILL WARN OF ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS IN FUTURE CHAPTERS, BUT THIS ONE’S NICE AND TAME!! TY FOR READING AND HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!! <3

GENERAL OTHER STUFF TO KNOW BEFORE YOU READ: MC (READER) IS FEMALE; THERE IS A BUNCH OF CANON DIVERGENCE; MANGA-ONLY CHARACTERS WILL APPEAR IN LATER CHAPTERS, THOUGH I DON’T PLAN TO DEAL WITH ANY PLOT ELEMENTS THAT DON’T APPEAR IN THE ANIME.

edit: chapter 2 is out!!

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

The sun was high in the sky, beating down on the trio that were treading unfamiliar ground. The scenery looked very much like that which they'd seen countless times before, but that was to be expected to an extent. They were in the same country that they'd always been in, after all, however that didn't alleviate the sense that something was amiss in these parts. These parts that were so close to where they'd always been, yet seemed so completely and utterly different all at once.

"Tanjirou...!" One of them wailed, as usual. He was already a couple of paces behind, but had really began to drag his feet over the last couple of metres. Though this behaviour was very much usual for the wailer, Tanjirou didn't act annoyed in the slightest. Not that such a thing was surprising in any way- Tanjirou was too patient and kind for his own good sometimes.

He turned to face the boy, who was barely making an effort to catch up, while the third begrudgingly stopped also. With eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern, he asked: "what's wrong, Zenitsu?"

Zenitsu- the wailer- was huffing and puffing when he finally made it over to Tanjirou. It appeared difficult to even stand up straight, as he wavered and wobbled with each slight and rare gust of wind.

Still wheezing, he gasped out a desperate question, "are we nearly there yet?"

Tanjirou stared at him for a moment in silence, before sighing deeply.

"Hey- what was that for?!" Although completely out of breath just a moment earlier, it seemed that his energy had been restored enough to begin to screech. It was whiny and hurt the ears, though that was probably its purpose, knowing Zenitsu. It was no wonder why he couldn't get married when he began to speak using such a tone of voice; it truly was grating on the ears. Never mind his whiny begging, clinging, desperate tone and actions mixed with his general perversion. If you happened to be feminine and breathing, chances are Zenitsu was interested.

But I digress.

Their companion snorted before erupting into a fit of mean-spirited cackling at the blond's outburst, having held it back from even his initial whining. This only served to fuel Zenitsu's irritation, leading to his pitch raising and voice increasing in volume as he began to (attempt to) berate the boar-headed male.

"Zenitsu..." oh dear, it seems that Tanjirou is tired of this situation. He even pulled out the 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' tone of voice and expression.

Zenitsu noticed this immediately, quieting down very soon after, only to pipe up with a, "yes?"

"This is the third time that you've asked in five minutes."

"And?!" And suddenly, his enthusiasm that he could have been putting into walking and actually getting somewhere instead of simply complaining returned with a vengeance, arms flailing with fury as he did so, "we've been walking since dawn, and you're telling me that we're not there yet?!"

Tanjirou nodded.

"No way...!" His voice lingered long after he'd collapsed to the ground, lying there like a starfish and staring at the sky with a gaze like that of a dead fish.

"Hey, Zenitsu, are you alright?" Tanjirou- bless his cotton socks- had asked without a moment's hesitation as soon as it had happened. However he did make a very strange noise of confusion soon after, if that counts for anything. Either way, though, he was still staring down at his friend with a very worried face. Their friend, on the other hand, only began to snicker louder at such a display.

"This is the end for me, Tanjirou." Said Zenitsu, not even glancing in Tanjirou's direction as he did so. Each word was monotonous, too even in tone to be from Zenitsu. "You must go on without mE-"

His even-toned speaking evolved into a high-pitched shriek as he was dragged up and slung over the shirtless male's shoulder- him still cackling- before the latter began to sprint away.

"Hey, Inosuke-!"

"INOSUKE, PUT ME DOWN, STOPSTOPSTOPSTOP--"

Tanjirou didn't even have time to sigh again before he had to sprint after them, lest he get left behind. Though even if he did, he supposed it would be easy to find them without even having to sniff them out, with the obnoxious laughter and the terrified screaming. For such a normal, kindhearted boy, he certainly had some strange friends.

They kept running along the path until the sun flew over them, now threatening to disappear beyond even more hills. However the scenery here was rather different, with large fields of grass to the left and crops growing to the right. It was well-organised and looked well-maintained, however Tanjirou didn't even want to know how many people would have to work so rigorously to maintain the land.

"Oh, are you boys demon slayers by any chance?"

It was sudden, abrupt, and caught all three of them off guard. Perhaps if it didn't sound so gentle and feminine then they'd have reacted a bit more quickly and with a bit more force. However they were glad they didn't when they saw the owner of the voice: a young woman, ordinary-looking by all means, but with a certain twinkle in her eyes that looked very amused by what had just happened. And for good reason, too, as one had screamed, one had turned so quickly that it was surprising that their neck didn't snap, and the other grunted. Except it was more of a surprised grunt if anything. Though it was extremely hard to tell the difference between each type of grunt.

"Did I scare you? I'm terribly sorry." She bowed politely as she spoke, each word matching her reserved and respectful demeanour. However she clearly wasn't adept enough at hiding how much enjoyment she'd gotten out of witnessing such strange reactions, as the corners of her mouth struggled to not turn upwards.

"No, no, it's fine; there's certainly no need for a lovely lady like yourself to apologise!" Of course, this was Zenitsu speaking, having recovered rather quickly from his screech that was much more ladylike than any lady that the other two had come across. It was clear that he wanted to move on from that as soon as possible, in some vain hope that this person might be the one that was sympathetic enough to marry him. So far, he'd had no luck. And he was growing more desperate by the minute.

But as he tried to grow closer, he was soon flung a couple of metres away in an instant. Such an event was followed by the woman's scolding voice. However, for once, it wasn't Zenitsu getting scolded. Instead, in an unlikely turn of events, it was something getting scolded for his sake. Every now and again into her scolding session, a whinny attempted to be heard, only to result in even more scolding. Tanjirou and Inosuke only looked on, minds just as blank as their faces. What does one do in such a situation?

Well, upon realising that Zenitsu was bleeding, Tanjirou very quickly decided to try and help him. Inosuke merely watched on for a moment, before making a sound of awe and withdrawing his swords from their sheaths with a rather terrifying cackle,

"What a beast! If I can take it down, then-"

"Please don't try and fight my horse."

"Inosuke!"

-----------

It had taken a while to sort everything out, so much so that nightfall was but minutes away. Thankfully, even after the Inosuke incident, the woman had been willing to let them stay in her house for the night, perhaps more if Zenitsu needed extra rest. His friends already knew that he'd play on the illness card just to continue trying to court the poor girl, but it was something that they simply couldn't hope to change.

"She's really kind, isn't she?" Zenitsu gushed to them in the shared room that had been provided, "giving us all this stuff, even after what Inosuke tried to pull." It was impossible to miss the annoyance lacing his voice as he mentioned Inosuke, who had now taken off the board head and was lying on the best futon available. Not because he deserved it, but because he refused to move off it for Zenitsu who, despite his ulterior motives to his injury, was indeed injured.

At that, Tanjirou grew curious, "Inosuke, have you never seen a horse before?"

"Horse? You mean that thing that Zenitsu lost against? 'Course not!"

'Course not?

"Inosuke..." Oh, how Tanjirou wanted to explain everything wrong with what was just said, but that would require too much time and too much energy for the night. A night which had followed a hectic day which was extremely tiring.

He glanced over at the box he'd been carrying all day, lips pursed slightly to accompany a conflicted expression. Was it alright for Nezuko to come out here, when their host could walk in at any second? It would be difficult to explain their situation, especially to someone who may have lost their entire family to a demon. It could also be dangerous to Nezuko to be put in such a position. And so he shuffled over to the box, opting to sit near it rather than to open it.

"Sorry, Nezuko," he murmured, patting the wooden walls of the box carefully, "but you'll have to stay in there for a bit. I'm sure I can let you out for a bit tomorrow, if we're still here."

Inside the box, there was a bit of shuffling to be heard. But soon after was an acknowledging grunt, one which Tanjirou thanked her for, face forming a bright and beaming smile. It was just in time that he'd shuffled back to his futon, as the woman knocked upon the door and entered very soon after. The relief he felt knowing that he had narrowly avoided a sticky situation was immense, though he had to admit that he felt a little bit nervous when thinking of what could have so easily taken place instead.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, a tray in her hands. Immediately after shutting the door behind her, she placed the tray on a nearby table, sitting beside it. "I made some tea, if you'd like some. I figured it'd been a long day for you all, so I decided to make some tea to help soothe the body and mind." Her words were spun like silk, with a quality to her voice like warm honey. The tea merely became one of the many aromas which wafted around the house, mingling and mixing to form one very odd (and quite overpowering) smell.

Zenitsu was (predictably) the first to join her, singing her praises to the heavens. She merely accepted them with the humility and grace that they'd come to expect from her, and so they all began to sip their tea in comfortable silence.

That is, until she was the one to shatter the comfortable atmosphere.

"I'm sorry for how abrupt it may be for me to say this," she started with, glancing briefly into each of their eyes before returning it back downwards to her own cup. It was held between her hands, and she squeezed it ever so slightly before continuing, "but I fear I must ask, lest anything undesirable occurs."

After one more sip, which felt so drawn out that it was as if she had sipped it until it was all gone, she began to elaborate: "Please, no matter what you hear, do not go out after nightfall."

That was certainly not what they were expecting to hear, especially being demon slayers. Their whole occupation was to fight demons, which required them to go out at night. It was safe to say that such a thing was a very odd request. Even if she had phrased it more like a demand.

Indeed, as she began to speak of that which she wished of them, her voice seemed to drop the kindness that they'd grown to associate with it. The honey that she wound into each word was cut loose, leaving that which she said with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Well, not Inosuke's. He, after chugging the rest of his tea (which was still very much piping hot), asked with little to no hesitation: "Why?"

The girl clearly wasn't expecting this, blinking owlishly twice before repeating the question with a slight tilt of the head.

"Yeah- why not? We're demon slayers, after all, so it's not as if the demons pose a threat." As usual, Inosuke was cocky and boisterous in everything that he did. His words were drowned in such an attitude, his movements were made from them, his expressions screaming them. Still, it did little to affect her, who sharply poked a hole in what he'd said without a moment's delay.

"Really? Then does Kibutsuji Muzan not pose a threat? Or the Demon Moons?" This time, even her eyes had dropped the gentle and kind mirth to them. It was difficult to recall the last time that she'd blinked as she sat there, the sharp colours found in her irises standing out much more in the dim candlelight as she bore holes into he who spoke against her.

Before he could speak up again, she rose to her feet, staring down at them all. Perhaps it was the fiery and temperamental glow of the candlelight rather than the calm and natural light from the sun that accentuated the tense atmosphere- so tense that perhaps a knife could not even slice through it. Perhaps it was also the lighting that made her seem much more ominous than she had at any other moment, that made the scowl she wore more menacing than it would be. It would have been a question as to whether she'd been scowling at all, whether her lip had been curled that much and her eyebrows furrowed so deeply that the skin between them crinkled, had she not spoken so coldly and with a tone so clipped.

"There is a difference between confidence and foolishness. Perhaps it would be best that you learn this difference before your next fight."

This humble farmer, who'd chuckled with them just a few hours before and boasted little more than a simple yet productive life, uttered sentences in which wisdom, the kind which could be born only from experience, ran like rivers. Yet when prodded when she let them slip, she merely brushed it off, claiming a relative used to say it. Or something to that extent.

She bowed then, deeper than ever before, and after excusing herself had disappeared into the darkness of the hallways.

No conversation stuck that night, and sleep had a similar pattern when it finally came.

-----------

Despite struggling sleeping, on edge due to events that never ended up occurring, the three awoke a bit after daybreak. It was about five minutes later that a knock on the door echoed through the room. It was rather surprising to find the woman who was so moody and distant the night before, looking so chipper and energetic in the morning. Once again, she brought in a tray, bearing a simple breakfast for them all and accompanied by some more tea. She placed it on that table once more, removing the other tray at the same time. Once again, she excused herself, though this time it was with the same merriment that they'd expected from her before the occurrence of the previous night. It seemed so hazy now, almost like a fever dream.

However they knew it wasn't. They knew it was real, without even having to confront each other about it. Although she never brought it up and cleverly avoided giving them a chance to, they didn't doubt for a moment that what had happened the previous night was equally odd and true.

And so, while she excused herself from the house very soon after taking away the almost untouched tea from the night before, they concocted a plan. It was morally very wrong, but their curiosity overturned their morals in this place. Not only was her behaviour rather odd, but the more that they thought about it, the house was rather odd as well.

"It smells so weird..." Tanjirou had found himself to be the first to complain about the house. The smell was beginning to irritate him with how powerful it was, so much so that he couldn't even begin to separate the different scents and their origins. Such a thing was so simple for him to do usually, yet he was unable to do so here. It was unnerving to think about; a demon could attack at any notice and he wouldn't even be able to know.

Inosuke was next up: "y'know, I was excited and all at first with how soft the floor is- I mean, where else do you get floor that's soft? In a house?!" The more he thought, the more he got distracted by how much he liked the softness of the material under his feet and hands, and how it separated in between his fingers and toes but was still so soft-

"Get on with it, we don't have all day," Zenitsu commented bitterly, quite upset that his most recent crush wasn't honest and trusting of him, someone she'd met literally the day before.

"Ah-" and Inosuke was brought back to present day, clearing his throat, "but yeah, I can't even feel anything else apart from how fuckin' soft this floor is. And the house!" He slammed open the door to the hallways, terribly startling Zenitsu in the process, "Is full of it!"

Zenitsu's heart seemed to be racing too fast for him to be able to participate in their little chat for a bit, but thankfully five minutes with a cup of tea had calmed his nerves. Not before he began to mutter very angrily about Inosuke under his breath for 'trying to kill' him, mind, but with a gentle prod from Tanjirou he began to share as well.

"I've never really come across anything like it..." he mumbled, quite ashamed of it as he dug a finger in his ear, "and it might sound kinda stupid, but I can't hear anything through these walls."

It took a moment for that one to sink in- such a thing seemed impossible. However he soon added on to what he said.

"Well, actually I do hear some stuff. But it's really faint, even though I can't hear stuff that's right outside."

"Like what?" Tanjirou immediately asked. This prompted Zenitsu to think deeply, staring up at the ceiling and humming for a moment.

"Dunno. Footsteps? They sound kinda far, though, so surely that's not it."

That was true. And so the trio began to think a bit more, staring at different places in the room and humming to themselves as they did so. Tanjirou even began to talk to Nezuko about it, even if she couldn't respond. Seeing as their host wasn't in the house currently, he deemed it safe to let her out and wander around a bit to stretch her legs. She had been in that box for over a full day, after all.

Then, as he watched her toddle around, an idea struck him.

"Wait, Zenitsu!" The sudden outburst shocked the aforementioned male, but (thankfully) not bad enough that he needed more tea and a time-out session.

Tanjirou pointed at his younger sister, who stared up at him questioningly, "how loud are Nezuko's footsteps?"

It was a strange question to ask out of the blue, but with how serious Tanjirou looked, Zenitsu replied as soon as he processed it, "pretty loud. Way louder than even Inosuke's."

This prompted an irritated growl from Inosuke, who looked ready to brawl with Zenitsu over the implications of that statement.

At this, Tanjirou lowered a fist onto his open palm, an expression of realisation on his face, "then what if they are footsteps?"

This question seemed even stranger at first glance- how could they be footsteps when footsteps from right outside the room couldn't even be heard? It just didn't seem logical, especially when the one that was navigating the hallways wasn't even very stealthy from what they'd seen of her. But then it clicked, and Zenitsu's face paled at the very notion of it.

"You can't mean-"

"Yes, I do." His face was deadly serious as he stared at Zenistu, ignoring Inosuke's persistent pestering to know what was going on. The latter's questions were answered anyway when he elaborated: "I think there's a demon in this house."

-----------

"Tanjirou..." Zenitsu was barely able to speak through the chattering of his teeth, which was the one thing that didn't falter about him as they headed down the stairs. Even Inosuke was being quieter, not uttering a single thing, nor even laughing at the blond's misery from underneath that boar mask of his. They'd found the staircase from behind a bookshelf, only doing so when Inosuke had felt the drag marks it had left on the carpet that he so loved.

It was dark, and would only get darker the further down that they went. It would be all too easy for the girl to trap them in there if she discovered where they'd gone, but it was a risk that they were willing to take. For there was a chance, no matter how slim, that she may not know of the demon in her house. Or perhaps it is forcing her to provide shelter for it to stay. There were too many possibilities which could mean that she was in danger, and all of them stemmed from the demon being in her house.

"Tanjirou...!" He repeated, a bit louder and whinier this time. Even Nezuko, who had forced them to allow her to tag along, shot him a look of disapproval. And if nothing else shut him up, then that certainly did, for Zenitsu was a creep to the core, and would drop anything that any living girl disliked that he did in a heartbeat. At least it came in handy sometimes, such as now.

There was light further ahead, and Tanjirou could smell it clearly now: it truly was the scent of a demon, and they would have left without knowing such a thing had they not been so insistent before. Sometimes, in rare moments like these and when he was asleep, Zenitsu was truly useful to have around. But then he squealed, and a huge list of reasons as to why not to have him around could easily be thought up.

Either way, there was no point in sneaking around now that Zenitsu had blown their cover so soon. Duct tape would have really come in handy. If only it was invented about half a century earlier. But, alas, this was their fate, and it was one that they had no choice but to live through. They didn't have the upper hand of surprise, but they certainly had the upper hand in numbers.

And if everything went to pot then they could just knock Zenitsu out. Always seems to work a treat.

As they crept into the light of the room, they took note of the figure kneeling in the centre. He faced away from them, though many of his features could be noted of. The first and most bizarre thing to note was the sword laying beside him. At least, it was the most bizarre until they took note of his clothing, which was extremely similar to theirs, though he also adorned a white jacket over the top of it. His hair was a mess of white, tinted with the warm hue of the flickering flames of the torches around him.

He hadn't noticed Nezuko's growling until now, nor her intense and furious glare. If looks could kill, that guy wouldn't even have ashes left.

"You really haven't learned what respect is at all, have you, you damned brat?"

That voice- how could Tanjirou forget that voice? The voice of the Hashira who had attacked his sister from a couple of years ago with a twisted grin all over his face. He was quick to understand Nezuko's growling, and had to hold her back from rushing in to attack him. The one thing that protected him from her was now gone, and he was one of what they hated.

He turned, a similar expression to the one back then written on his face, with those purple eyes still so wide, smile so wide that it split his face and nonexistent eyebrows furrowed. Though his rise to his feet was slow, obviously taking his time, they still didn't attack. Zenitsu's whole body was clattering with fear, clamming up and making him unable to say anything at all.

"It looks like I'll have to teach you myself, doesn't it? Maybe then it'll finally stick, even with a moron like you!"

As a human, he was already extremely quick. But as a demon he was even quicker as he lunged towards them, blade in hand and all too eager to strike.

#yandere x reader #yandere kny #yandere kny x reader #yandere kimetsu no yaiba #yandere #x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #kny #kny x reader

79 notes · View notes

teenybeanielinguine · 5 years

Text

Outlander Season 5 - A Girl Can Dream

It’s been a little over two weeks since the Season 4 finale... and DAMN, the withdrawal is hitting me hard. I’ve rewatched all my favorite scenes, re-read all my favorite passages, and scoured Tumblr for every piece of fanfiction available. But nothing seems capable of filling the Outlander-shaped void in my heart.

Since I clearly have nothing better to do (not true; there are A LOT of other things I should be doing), I’ve decided to grace you all with my unsolicited thoughts (no need to thank me). Season 5 has no announced release date, but I’m not known for my patience, so I’m hopping on the crazy train a little early. Destination: The Fiery Cross. (Spoilers ahead.)

About The Fiery Cross

I’ve read quite a few posts that label Drums of Autumn as the pivotal point in the series. I respectfully disagree.

DoA felt like the next step in a gradual evolution. It’s true that Bree and Roger gained their independence from the J/C plotline in DoA, but DG had been prepping us for this divergence for quite a while. Claire was our only narrator in Outlander, and while she remains the only 1st person POV, other characters have been quietly adding their voices to hers. Roger joined her in Dragonfly in Amber, followed by Jamie and John Grey in Voyager, and we finally get Brianna in Drums of Autumn (that’s RIGHT: in the main books, we hear Roger’s POV before we ever hear Jamie’s). Because of these constantly expanding POVs, DoA just felt like a natural progression, rather than a huge departure from the status quo.

The Fiery Cross, on the other hand, feels like a turning point. Not only is it the first book to not get a newly added POV, but the story starts to get a little... unpredictable.

All of the books have a fair amount of twistiness and unpredictability, but our characters have pretty clear goals in each installation so far: get back to the stones, save Jamie from Black Jack, prevent the Rising, prevent Culloden, make Brianna believe the truth, find Jamie after 20 years, rescue Young Ian, establish the Ridge, warn Jamie and Claire about the fire, rescue Roger... I know I’m generalizing here, but you get the point. Our heroes all have clearly defined end goals, and they’re putting all their energy into achieving them, despite the twists and turns that DG throws their way. The characters may not always succeed, but you, the reader, always know where the story is headed.

By the start of The Fiery Cross, the goals are a little broader, more nebulous. There may be unrest in North Carolina, the American Revolution may be looming in the distance, but basically the Fraser family just wants to live in peace on the Ridge. That’s it. No daring rescues, no dramatic reunions; they just want some peace and quiet. Of course, they aren’t going to get it, because this is Outlander-verse, where Murphy’s Law is on steroids.

So the Frasers play it by ear, taking on every new challenge as it comes. There is no clear path forward, they just have to react as best they can to the events around them. In consequence, the reader gets a series of smaller meandering stories, with the distinct feeling that something bigger is happening in the background. I personally love this, because I have no clue what’s going to happen next, so when something big happens, it takes me completely by surprise. And you get to see the characters just exist in day-to-day life, which is the best. Some of the characters still have personal goals (spoiler alert: Stephen Bonnet definitely did NOT die in that explosion), but the pursuit of those goals isn’t driving the story nearly as much as in past installments.

This is all to say that, while Season 5 is going to have to hit some major plot points, there is (in my opinion) a fair amount of breathing room for interpretation, and lots of fun to be had. I’m fascinated to see the show tackle this new challenge.

My Wish List for Season 5

When I say “wish list”, I don’t mean to imply a series of demands. I have no creative control over the adaptation, and I’m not listing these wishes in the vain hope that someone on the production team will notice. This is just for fun, and I will be perfectly content if none of these make it into the show. Also, not all of these are pulled from the book; some of them are just things I would love to see.

So here are my top ten wishes, in no particular order:

Roger the Fangirl. In the midst of all the Roger-hate this past season, the OL fandom has forgotten one crucial fact: Roger is the ultimate J/C shipper. This romantic idiot is the whole reason that Claire went back in time to find Jamie! You’d think Jamie’s fists would have beaten the ship right out of Roger, but if last season proves anything, it’s that Roger doesn’t give up easily. He’s gonna keep shipping like his life depends on it, and there are some really cute moments in TFC where he fangirls over how adorable Jamie and Claire are together (also, Jamie is going to become his new idol). I suppose it would be unrealistic to hope that he and Murtagh form a fan club next season...?

Brothers and Sisters. Am I the only one who wanted to scream when Brianna and Fergus were right next to each other in the Wilmington jail and they didn’t acknowledge each other? By the end of S4, we don’t even know whether Fergus and Marsali know about Bree’s existence (I mean, Fergus helped capture Bonnet, but he and Marsali didn’t say a word about Bree), and that frustrates me to no end. The books skipped over the getting-to-know-you stuff too, which is crazy considering that they are siblings (adopted or not)! I would kill for a scene where Jamie and Claire are struggling to explain why they have a fully-grown daughter, as well as some bonding time between siblings. Bree and Marsali are definitely going to get along, cause badass women stick together.

The Snake Bite. The snake bite incident (aftermath included) is one of my favorite sequences in TFC. It brings Roger and Jamie closer together, it shows the courage of the Fraser women in a crisis, and it rallies the entire Ridge community in their worry for Jamie. I suppose it’s sadistic of me, but I loved watching everyone freak out when they thought Jamie was going to die or lose a leg. And then the 20th century women come to the rescue! An entire episode dedicated to that whole plotline would be amazing.

Grannie and Grand-da. Claire and Jamie are not only adorable as grandparents, they’re relatable AF. They might love their new grandson to pieces, but that’s not going to stop them from being honest about the realities of childcare. Jamie in particular is hilarious; he builds an entire house at top speed to get away from the screeching baby (and his newly reunited parents), and then he compares Bree unflatteringly to the white sow (not to her face, of course; see Chapter 30 for a good laugh). I’d love to see that side of Jamie and Claire next season.

Wolf’s Brother. We might have said a tearful goodbye to Young Ian in the S4 finale, but we haven’t seen the last of him. My guess is that he’s going to make a dramatic reappearance in the S5 finale, but I really hope we see him before then. Showing Young Ian’s time among the Mohawk would give Outlander a chance to showcase the amazing First Nations actors that appeared in S4 (Braeden Clarke, anyone?) as well as explore how Ian slowly blends his Highland upbringing with Mohawk customs.

Claire the Science Nerd. So far all of Claire’s medical expertise has been utilized in life-or-death situations, but establishing a medical practice on the Ridge gives her the opportunity to geek out over plants and experiment in reproducing 20th century medicine in the 18th century. Over the course of TFC, she gives genetics lessons, performs two tonsillectomies, and produces penicillin (among other things). This passion for her craft is one of the reasons I love Claire so much. And her nerd moments aren’t always serious: one of my favorite scenes in the book features Claire and her microscope giving Jamie a hilarious lesson in reproductive biology.

Fraser’s Ridge. We didn’t get to see much of the Ridge community in S4, although Jamie did allude to the farmers who contributed the grain to make whisky. The community is comprised of a growing array of Scottish immigrants, and the drama they bring to Claire and Jamie’s lives wavers between amusing and disastrous. I don’t think the show will have time to explore the entire cast of characters, but I’m hoping to see Thomas Christie and his children introduced, at least. I’ve always found Tom Christie a strangely compelling character; his children, on the other hand, are nothing more than a necessary evil. I also really hope we meet the twins, Josiah and Keziah Beardsley (Lizzie’s story is about to get really interesting).

The MacKenzie Bloodline. Despite all the time-traveling she’s been doing, Claire has yet to meet any of her ancestors (that we know of... DG might be holding out on us). Roger, on the other hand, is not going to be so lucky (if you’ve read all eight books, you’ll know that Roger runs into his ancestors A LOT). By the end of S4, I’m not sure Jamie is aware that his daughter is married to Geillis Duncan and Dougal MacKenzie’s descendant, but I wanna be there when he and Murtagh find out (a perfect opportunity for some good dialogue and tension). And while Roger may be able to explain his ancestry to Jamie and Murtagh (both of whom are fully aware of the existence of time travel), he’s not going to be able to give the same explanation to Jocasta. In the beginning of TFC, there’s a really great conversation between Jocasta and Roger where Jocasta is kinda fishing around for clues about Roger’s family. Roger, of course, can’t tell her that he’s actually her great-great-grandnephew (give or take a few ‘great’s). My hope is that the show includes some version of this conversation and continues to play around with Roger’s MacKenzie heritage (and all its implications).

Future Talk. With three time-travelers in the family, there’s bound to be some discussion of the future. Especially with the tension mounting in North Carolina and Murtagh aligning himself with the Regulators. I am yearning for some deep discussion between Jamie, Murtagh, and the travelers about the events to come. I have a hunch that either Claire or Bree has already informed Murtagh about the American Revolution, based on a comment he made to Jocasta about a “different ending”, but I want to see it actually played out on screen. The interplay between the characters who know the future and those who don’t is fascinating to me, and I want more of it.

Jamie the Protector. Jamie’s protective instincts have had some disastrous consequences this past season, but he is going to redeem himself next season. Early on in TFC, Jamie claims Roger as the “son of his house”, and he proceeds to stand by that claim throughout the book, especially in the aftermath of Roger’s wrongful hanging at the hands of Governor Tryon. This time, Jamie’s protective feelings aren’t going to result in a beating, though it’s a close call. I love this shift, from Jamie beating Roger to Jamie protecting/avenging Roger; it’s a very satisfying development.

Bonus: Geese. Brianna and Roger may have a child together, but they have never lived together as a married couple. They also don’t have very much experience being in a serious relationship (S4 showed us that they really don’t know how to argue properly). However, they have both grown up quite a bit since their hand fasting, and you get to see them learning how to coexist in Chapter 33 of TFC. It’s a great scene, where Roger’s just come back with the militia, and he and Bree have a meaningless fight because she hasn’t had it easy since the militia left. But they resolve their argument peacefully as Bree vents her frustrations to Roger and gives him a drawing of some geese as a Christmas present. A really wonderful everyday moment.

There are, of course, more things I’d like to see, but these are my favorites. I thought I’d list them out now, since this is going to be a LONG Droughtlander, and I am sure to get obsessed with something else eventually (the new A Discovery of Witches show looks promising). Also, I’m going to temporarily forget about Season 5 if Bees comes out first.

What are your wishes for Season 5? If you choose to respond, please be kind and respectful.

#a few wishes #so bored #outlander #outlander season 5 #the fiery cross

58 notes · View notes

3rachachoo · 5 years

Text

Disruption

Stray Kids x Divergent au

Chapter 1

Summary: When the order in the factions of the old city of Seoul starts to fall apart, one skeptical young Erudite decides that it’s no longer safe for her to be around the people she trusted... and that she’d be better off with complete strangers. Surprisingly, those said unfamiliar people seem share her point of view.

Genres: pretty much everything ranging from angst to fluff this is gonna be one heck of a wild ride

Warnings: violence, foul language, mentions of depression, suicide and death. Don’t read if you’re easily disturbed by such themes, please!

Word count: 3, 420 words

A/N: sorry for the wait! Also, for the sake of this series and keeping from changing the ages of the hyung line, I had to change the age at which teens take the aptitude test to choose their final faction (I moved it from 16 to 18 and even 19 in some cases). I hope you understand. Enjoy ❤️

~ Preview | Ch. 1

—————————

Data File #1: Two Years Earlier

You were 17 years of age.

It meant nothing to you, but to other people of your age, it would’ve meant everything; in only a year from now, you’d be taking the aptitude test to finally choose your faction.

Truthfully, it terrified you.

You’d heard stories from your peers, saying that some people could be kicked out of their faction if they didn’t perform well enough--becoming Factionless in the process--and that some people were unhappy with the outcome of their choice. With you being Erudite-born, your sense of logic was all that was keeping you from blindly believing such rumors.

However much just simply thinking about the Choosing Ceremony scared you, there was still a bit of excitement bubbling in your stomach whenever you would think about it.

Especially since you hoped you’d be able to join whatever faction Jungwoo or Woojin would choose.

Jungwoo is your brother, older than you by only a year, and Woojin (older than you by two years) is his and your childhood friend. Despite the fact that he’s closer to your brother’s age, and that they both have the same soft, friendly personality, he was always a bit closer to you. The three of you were inseparable since a very young age, and the fact that the other children disliked you back then only made you stick closer together. The two boys were role models for you, and whatever they would do, you wanted to be a part of.

You and your brother weren’t given much attention by your parents, them being very important in the higher research laboratories within Erudite, so you had to learn to take care of yourselves on your own. Woojin’s presence made things easier as well.

You felt that your life wasn’t so bad; sure, it had its ups and downs, but you never thought that you could come to be truly unhappy--

--until you realized that the two most important people in your life had to take their aptitude test for the Choosing Ceremony in just two days.

The truth hit you harder than you expected. Of course, you had figured a long time ago that they’d have to choose their faction someday, ahead of you at that, and that Woojin and some other teens had even been given an extra year to think about their future faction; however, you’d have to spend an entire year alone, without their company to comfort you, and you’d have to face the the sarcastic and witty remarks of the other Erudite teens by yourself. Chills ran down your body at the mere thought of it.

“How am I supposed to survive an entire year on my own..?” You thought.

“You just have to show everyone that you’re not to be messed with,” chirped a voice to your right. Startled, you snapped your head in the person’s direction. Had you really said that out loud?

“Woojin! What the heck?” You exclaimed, holding a hand over your heart. The boy laughed and took a seat in the space next to you.

“Shh, we’re in the library, remember?” He whispered playfully, poking your side. You rubbed your ribs where he attacked you and shot him a glare. “What brings you here in the first place? It’s pretty late and this is very unlike you,” he finished. You sighed, remembering your little walk around Erudite headquarters earlier.

“I needed some time to think...” you said, looking away from him. You should’ve known he would somehow manage to follow you here. Suddenly, you felt a hand on your shoulder.

“Hey... it’s not like we’re leaving forever, you know? There are people from different factions who visit each other every once in a while.” He said, rubbing your back soothingly. You ran a hand through your hair at his comment and sighed.

“They rarely let us visit anymore, Woojin. The factions are beginning to be weary of each other and it shows.” You stated, and Woojin’s hand stopped on your back. You glanced at him quizzically, and your eyes met.

“We’ll find a way. There’s always a way.” He answered, if not declared. His voice sounded sure, and the look in his big, dark eyes was full of certainty. You let yourself be convinced for now.

“If you say so. You better remember those words, though.” You said, standing up from your seat. Woojin stood up as well, and you both quietly made your way out of the library.

A few minutes later, you both reached your house, and a not-so-happy looking Jungwoo waiting by the entrance. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was clearly trying his best to look intimidating. Keyword: trying.

“Where were you both and what took you so long?” He asked, wearing what looked like his best attempt at a glare on his face. You approached to poke his side, but he dodged right on time. He grabbed your shoulder and sighed, frowning. “Answer me.”

“I took a walk to clear my head and winded up at the library. Woojin stalked me and joined me.” You responded, ignoring the offended scoff that escaped the mentioned boy’s lips. An amused smile betrayed Jungwoo’s mock anger.

“And none of you thought it would have been nice to tell me?” He questioned, Woojin scratching the back of his neck as you rubbed your arm in light embarrassment.

“Sorry,” you appologized, “I didn’t think I’d take so long...”

“I’m sorry too, I’ll let you know when something happens next time.” Said Woojin, and you tensed at the mention of a “next time”. Your brother looked at you with curiosity.

“Y/N, you okay?” He asked, and you tried to play it off by shaking your head.

“It’s nothing, we should get some sleep. Woojin, you’re staying over tonight, right?” You said, patting Jungwoo’s shoulder as you made your way towards the door, only to be stopped by his grip on your wrist, flipping you back around.

“Y/N, I can tell when you’re hiding something. What’s going on?” He pressed, the look in his eyes showing nothing but worry. “Didn’t we promise to talk to each other whenever we’re going through tough situations?”

You immediately recalled the promise you all made when you were younger, on a day when nothing seemed to be going well. That time, it was Jungwoo who’d been hiding something. You sighed, signaling for them to follow you inside.

“It’s just the Choosing Ceremony. That’s all.” You muttered, once the boys had taken a seat on the sofa in the living room and once the door had been locked behind you. “I’m afraid of what will happen once you both decide which faction is for you, because lets be honest, I doubt any of you want to stay here.” You finished, pulling a chair from the kitchen and sitting in front of them. They looked at you in silence, not knowing what to say. You knew at that moment that you were spot on, and your heart dropped.

“...And that’s fine. ‘Faction before blood’, right?” You uttered, your voice breaking a little. You held your hands together on your lap tightly, or else you were sure you would break in tears right in front of them. “If that’s what you both feel like you need to do, then do it. I would do the same if I were you.”

Woojin was the first to react, reaching for your hands. He bit his lip lightly. “It won’t be the last time you see us. I promise.”

Jungwoo suddenly stood up, startling the both of you, and wrapped his arms around Woojin’s and your neck in a tight embrace. Woojin laughed, pulling the two of you closer, but you were so shocked and touched that tears began to roll down your cheeks. Affection was rare among Erudites and most saw it as a weakness, but not you. Not any of you.

“Just... try to endure it. I know it sounds incredibly selfish and cruel, but you need to get out of this hellhole too, Y/N.” Said your brother, running his hand through your hair and pressing your head onto his shoulder. His voice was strained, and you knew it hurt him as much as it did to you.

Back then, you’d never have thought that he could have been hiding so much from Woojin and you in that statement alone.

+ + +

The next two days before the aptitude test were just full of smiles and activities that the three of you enjoyed doing, like solving each other’s riddles and going around the faction headquarters, fixing broken items and doing “smart” things of the sort. Your last stop of the second day was the library, just to read some interesting books together. It was already getting late by the time you all headed out, and you were about to go back home when you remembered that you’d left your jacket on one of the chairs inside. You told the boys to start walking ahead and that you’d join them in a bit. They rejected the idea, telling you that they’d wait, and so you ran back inside to get your neglected item.

Once you came back outside, you didn’t see them straight away, and wondered if they’d actually done as you’d suggested. Confused, you walked forward onto the path you usually take to go home when somebody yanked your arm and pulled you against one of the sides of the building. You were too shocked to scream, but all thoughts of fighting back left your mind when you realized that it was Woojin who had dragged you there. Confusion was written all over your face but he only held a finger up to his lips, as to tell you to be quiet. You nodded quickly, looking over his shoulder to find your brother, pressed against the wall of the library as well, but looking blankly ahead of him, eyes wide as if he’d seen a ghost. You were about to ask him what was wrong when he turned his head to face you, a single tear rolling down his face. He was pale and his hands were shaking. You were speechless.

Woojin grabbed Jungwoo’s arm and urged you both to step out, going back towards the main entrance of the library. Once he was sure nobody else was around, he faced the two of you, a solemn and serious look on his face:

“We’re taking a different way back home tonight.”

+ + +

Once you got home, Woojin practically dragged your brother into his room and shut the door behind the two of them. Too confused and astonished to bother knocking, you practically collapsed on the sofa in the living room. Curiosity was eating away at you, but you decided against pushing the information out of the boys straight away. Whatever happened while you were gone must’ve been serious.

After what felt like hours, Woojin walked out of Jungwoo’s room, shutting the door behind him as he made his way to you. You immediately sat up on the sofa, eagerly waiting for him to enlighten you on the situation. Woojin only sighed and knelt down in front of you, placing a hand on your shoulder. You waited for him to talk.

“Y/N... I need you to promise me something.”

You hesitantly nodded, unsure of what he was getting at. He looked straight into your eyes, and for the first time in what felt like your entire life, you were unable to figure out what he was feeling.

“I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll be careful around other Erudites from now on, regardless of who they are.”

You were left flabbergasted, barely managing a weak nod. Why was he telling you to do this? It’s not like you had anyone else to trust anyway. He held out his pinky finger to you, and finally mustering up the energy to move, you locked your own pinky with his.

“It’s a promise, then.” He concluded, ruffling up your hair with his other hand. He was about to get up when you pulled at the hem of his shirt, catching his attention once more.

“I waited because none of you said anything, and I thought you’d tell me later but... what exactly happened while I was gone?” You questioned, and when he looked away, you tugged at his shirt again. “Can’t you tell me? What about our childhood promise?”

Woojin gently removed your hand from his shirt, and looked at you with an unreadable expression, which you could only make out to be close to apologetic.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow... get some sleep for now.” He muttered, giving you a bittersweet smile as he walked back into Jungwoo’s room, which they normally shared during sleepovers. He gently shut the door behind him, and you fell backwards onto the couch’s pillows.

You reluctantly shut your eyes as you regretted not reminding Woojin that tomorrow, he wouldn’t have time to see you...

+ + +

You woke up the next morning with a start, tumbling off the sofa and crashing onto the floor. Groaning, you rubbed your face with one hand, adjusting to the light seeping into the room through the windows. You froze once you realized that it was way past noon and that the aptitude test must have concluded by now. Throwing yourself onto your feet, you ran towards your brother’s room, only to find the door wide open and the inside void of his presence.

You stood there for a moment, unable to think about what to do next. You tugged at your messed up strands of hair in frustration, biting your bottom lip. That’s when you saw the sticky note against the door, and ripped it off in haste. You scanned through the words written on the piece of paper.

“We’ll be back later. The test went well. - Jungwoo”

You crumbled the note in your hands and let out a cry of anger as you tossed it across the room. First, they decide to not wake you up on time to accompany them to the aptitude test, and then they head out to God knows where, expecting you to be perfectly fine with it? Ridiculous.

You threw on a jacket and ran out of your house, towards Woojin’s. They had to be there. You picked up some speed only to slow down once you got there, knocking loudly on the door. Nobody answered.

“Kim Woojin! Jungwoo! I know you’re in there!” You yelled, pounding on the door. You kept at it for what felt like hours before giving up and sliding down against the door, your back pressed against it. Your eyes were full of angry tears that began to run down your face in exhaustion. Had you been wrong? Had they never been inside in the first place? You had no idea, and the thought of this entire ordeal was killing you. Just what exactly were they hiding?

At a complete loss for what to do, you returned to your house, flopping down against the door frame of your brother’s room.

The two boys hadn’t even left you for good and yet, in your entire life, you’d never felt so alone.

+ + +

You hadn’t realized you’d somehow fallen asleep until you rose up from your bed, in your room, realizing that you weren’t seated in front of Jungwoo’s room anymore. You practically jumped out of bed and ran towards your brother’s room again, only to collide with something hard and crash backwards onto the floor. You heard somebody else groan in pain and you instantly got up again.

“Y/N, what the--”

“Jungwoo!” You yelped, throwing yourself onto him in an embrace, too relieved to scold him for what happened yesterday straight away. “Where the fuck were you?” You exclaimed, clasping your hands on his shoulders, demanding an answer. He looked at you in awe, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“...I just went out with Woojin to look around Erudite one last time.” He said, and as much as you wanted to believe him, you doubted his words.

“You could’ve just taken me along with you both. Do you have any idea how worried I was?” You decided to play along, telling yourself that you’d pry the truth out of him before the Ceremony began. Your brother was a terrible liar.

“I do, judging from how you passed out in front of my room by the time I got home.” He teased, and you slapped his arm in defense. He yelped, rubbing his shoulder while he stood up, helping you up as well. “Lets go, I’m sure Woojin hyung is already on his way.”

You both made your way out of the house, and to the Choosing Ceremony.

+ + +

Once you both arrived at The Hub, you made your way to the Erudite section, where your parents, Woojin’s parents, and Woojin himself were already seated. The place was crowded and very full, and the chattering was dying down by the time you and your brother made it to your seats. Woojin smiled at you, but you glanced away awkwardly. You didn’t know how to feel.

Your parents smiled at you and your brother, and despite only seeing them after so long, you couldn’t help but smile back a little. It’s not like they were horrible parents, and despite not always being there for the two of you, you knew they were good people. They did their best; the best they could do as Erudite parents, at least.

You then remembered that you needed to hear what happened two days ago from Jungwoo, and you were about to grab his arm when the representative of Abnegation began his speech. You curled your hand into a fist at the terrible timing.

After the speech, teenagers from all factions began to be called to the front, where bowls with items representing each of the factions were displayed on a long table. You grew impatient, bouncing your leg and chewing on your bottom lip in nervousness. You glanced at Jungwoo, just to find that he was already looking at you. He placed his right hand onto your left hand, since you were seated to his right, and squeezed it. You felt your throat go dry, and swallowed hard. “Jungwoo--”

Right at that moment, his name was called, and you looked at him with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights. He stood up, smiling gently at you and ruffled your hair for the last time.

“Take care of yourself, okay Y/N? I’ll see you soon.” He whispered.

And with that, your brother said goodbye to your parents, and to Woojin and his parents. You held back tears as you saw him walk down the stairs and stroll confidently onto the front of the room, cutting his hand with the knife at his disposal and spilling his blood...

...into the Abnegation bowl.

You swear the whole world stopped moving around you.

Why... would he choose to go so far away from you?

Deep down, you knew he was made for Abnegation. He had to be. He was sweet, selfless and couldn’t stand to see other people in pain.

Regardless, the pain in your chest was sharp, and it didn’t feel like it was going away anytime soon.

Your brother then proudly walked towards the people of his new faction, and was welcomed warmly, disregarding the comments of disapproval among your Erudite peers. You looked at your parents, and were shocked to see them completely emotionless, as if they’d seen his decision coming from a mile away.

You felt like the biggest fool in the room.

To make matters worse, the moment you looked in Woojin’s direction, his name was called as well, and he locked eyes with you from were he stood.

He must’ve seen the silent tear that rolled down your face, because he mouthed what looked like the words “don’t cry”, as he smiled to you for the last time. Your heart felt like it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces as he made it to the front of the room, spilling his blood into the Amity bowl.

Unable to look any longer, you shut your eyes and inhaled a deep breath. All noise around you seemed to have disappeared, and you let the tears you were holding back spill freely from your eyes.

From then on, you were truly on your own.

------------------

A/N: Hi again! I know this was a very confusing chapter, but I swear things will get clearer as the story goes on. I’ll be adding the rest of the boys after this, so look forward to that! I appreciate feedback ;D

- JC

33 notes · View notes

storiesofwildfire · 5 years

Text

( repost, do not reblog. )

tell us your favorite quotes from your character. give us an idea of who they are from five nine don’t judge me things they’ve said. then tag your friends:

tagged by: @fiddlingonthetympanic tagging: @weightofmyshield @rationalunreason @nekrcun @lameshsorsye @nottobecrossed and whoever else would like to do this?

i. And if I do, then what? I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous! You saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from its King? ( Thor )

reason: This quote demonstrates that despite Loki’s obvious jealousy, he actually does have a point to make. Thor is reckless at this point in time. Thor doesn’t deserve the throne, else risk ruining everything. Loki sees things clearly in a way that no one ever gives him credit for. Loki understands what will happen if Thor takes up the throne and he understands despite selfishness or jealousy, what it means to actually be a ruler.

Despite Loki’s descent into “madness”, before his fall, he does have the makings of a good king and good counsel, but no one has listened to him. No one would pay him enough mind to, so he had to do it for himself.

ii. Loki: So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me? Odin: Why do you twist my words? Loki: You could have told me what I was from the beginning! Why didn't you? Odin: You're my son... I wanted only to protect you from the truth... Loki: What, because I... I... I am the monster parents tell their children about at night? Odin: [unwell] No! No! Loki: You know, it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard! ( Thor )

reason: Everyone loves to make the “oh, boo hoo, Loki’s adopted, he’s just a spoiled brat who has daddy issues” argument as to why Loki fell down the hole he fell. That couldn’t be further from the truth, in all actuality. Loki’s issue isn’t that he’s adopted. It isn’t even that he’d been lied to for so long. It’s that he’s coming face-to-face with the ideology that he is a member of a species that has been bastardized to the point that people are terrified of them, believe they are monsters.

His father and his mother lied to him, yes, but to the extent that they raised him to hate himself, to thoroughly believe that the very thing that he was is monstrous, disgusting, and wrong.

Odin stole Loki from his home, raised him as something he is not, and keeps him pressed under his thumb until the moments where he was useful, always on a leash, never truly allowed to be freely himself without consequence and this? This is a revelation as to a logical reason for why Odin has been like that for the majority of his life.

iii. I never wanted the throne, I only ever wanted to be your equal! ( Thor )

reason: People never take this line very seriously, but it’s actually one of the truest things Loki has ever said. Think about it? Loki’s the God of Mischief and Chaos. Being tied down to the never-ending responsibility of the throne--a prison sentence in and of itself--is not something Loki would actually enjoy, right? Of course not.

But Loki has never been treated fairly by his people, never been held on the same level as his own brother, and even Thor is seen talking down to Loki, treating Loki as if he is beneath him. People get away with treating Loki--a prince--poorly because they see important figures get away with it, like Odin, because Loki does not conform to the norms of Asgard and therefore is “wrong” or someone worth shunning. Is it so hard to believe that he would want to be seen as Thor’s equal while being accepted for being Loki?

iv. I've looked forward to this day as long as you have. You're my brother and my friend. Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you. ( Thor )

reason: Loki’s a big person to admit he’s envious, but there is a sort of genuine nature that comes along with his confession to loving his brother. This moment between them reads as lighthearted, but it is one of the loveliest and realist moments that Thor and Loki share as brothers.

I also think, in a way, that Loki is trying to assure Thor that what’s about to happen is not meant to be malicious, it is only something he believes he has to do in order to show Asgard Thor is not prepared to be king. The good of all people comes above the good of the heir. One last moment of love before everything goes to shit.

v. Thor: I will tell Father you died with honor. Loki: I didn't do it for him. ( The Dark World )

reason: We see so many examples of Loki going above and beyond, of committing extreme deeds in hopes of winning Odin’s approval and being a worth Son of Odin, which he never actually achieves. In this statement, he finally acknowledges that he doesn’t need that. He didn’t fight alongside Thor for Odin. It was for Thor, it was for his mother, it was for Asgard, and above all else, it was for himself.

vi. Malekith! I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I have brought you a gift! I only ask for one thing in return; a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn! ( The Dark World )

reason: Up until this point, Loki cannot bring himself to admit that he’s from Jotunheim. It’s a truth that he even lies to himself about repeatedly, over and over again, because he can’t accept it, can’t wrap his mind around it, can’t digest it. Even in this scene, when trying to trick Malekith, he chose to be truthful about his origins, and accepting it aloud, admitting it to someone else, also helps Loki to solidify the truth in his own mind. This is really the first time we see him come to terms with the truth, even if somewhat forced.

vii. It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just... I don't love them. && If I am for the axe, then, for mercy's sake, just... swing it! ( The Dark World )

reason: This is just showing how... 100% done with Odin Loki truly is. People don’t like to think of Odin as an abuser, that he was actually a decent father, but he wasn’t a good parent. Not to Thor and not to Loki. Odin is one of Loki’s abusers. Odin has hurt Loki in ways that no one can imagine and even in the face of being imprisoned forever, in knowing that he can use a perfectly legitimate excuse of “Thanos used the Mind Gem on me and forced me to do his bidding”, he didn’t try to defend himself.

He knew Odin wouldn’t believe him, knew Odin would never acknowledge the parallels between what he was condemning Loki for and what he’d done himself, willing.

Rather than fight with Odin, try to change his mind, run, anything--Loki’s just tired of Odin, tired of answering to him, tired of fighting him, tired of everything having to do with Odin. To the point where Odin would, perhaps, just be more merciful in ending everything rather than drag it out.

More than anything, he just doesn’t want to beg Odin for a gods damned thing unless it is a true end.

viii. Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's GUSHING red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer... PATHETIC! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away! ( The Avengers )

reason: This is plain old self-reflection. Loki’s talking to Natasha and yes, he’s describing her, but he’s also absolutely describing himself and the situation he’s stuck in, the situation he’s been stuck in under multiple people. First Odin and then Thanos, both people who used and abused Loki in different ways, both people who manipulated or forced him to do things that he did not want to do, both people who helped stain Loki’s own hands.

This child’s prayer, as he calls it, is his own prayer, his own desperate cry for help and reflection.

ix. Thor: This place is perfect for you. It's savage, chaotic, lawless. Brother, you're going to do GREAT here. Loki: Do you truly think so little of me? Thor: Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were going to fight side-by-side forever, but at the end of the day you're you and I'm me and... oh, maybe there's still good in you but... let's be honest, our paths diverged a long time ago. Loki: Yeah... it's probably for the best that we'll never see each other again. ( Ragnarök )

reason: Loki likes to act like he does not care about Thor and that the opinions of others don’t matter, but this highlights how much Loki actually does care. He’s afraid of being what everyone expects of him but he doesn’t exactly know how not to be, because everyone assumes the worst of him no matter what he does. He desperately wants approval from others, desperately wants them to see his best qualities, but he’s constantly faced with scenarios where people do not. And it hurts him more than he could ever admit.

#index; loki #filed under; dislikes #filed under; headcanons #filed under; inspiration #filed under; likes #filed under; silver tongue #filed under; traits #tagged meme #( storiesofwildfire headcanon ) chaos is about that which is possible

3 notes · View notes

lj-writes · 6 years

Text

Finn, Kylo Ren, Rey, and the Cycle of Abuse

This is spun off from @jewishcomeradebot‘s post about the parallels and contrasts of Finn and Kylo Ren in TLJ--how they both kill their abusers but, where Finn walks away and is free, Kylo Ren stays despite the death of his abuser.

Finn and Kylo’s paths diverged from the very beginning of TFA, of course, at Tuanul. It was the start of Finn’s escape and Kylo Ren choosing to enmesh himself all the deeper, and it was the trajectory of these choices that led to them to the events of TLJ.

In understanding Finn’s leaving and Kylo’s staying, not to mention the nature of abuse in general, I don’t think I can emphasize enough that leaving an abusive situation is unbelievably hard. Isolation is a big part of abuse, and leaving often means you have little to no support or resources outside that relationship. Leaving itself may be punished by violence, which was very much true in Finn’s case. Finn had to risk his life and fight through a space fortress just to physically leave. Once he had escaped he had absolutely nothing and could have died in the desert but the Force wouldn’t let him, of course. At the end of TLJ he’s one of about 20 survivors on a space weed van (I will never not be amused by that expression), marked and hunted, his future uncertain.

By contrast Kylo stayed, and he has all the comfort and resources of the First Order at his disposal. He is powerful and important, heck, he played his cards right and he’s effing Supreme Leader now. By all external measures Kylo is way ahead in the game.

Then there is the relational aspect. Finn not only had to brave significant dangers just to leave, he had to figure out an entire new way of living and relating to people. You see him doing that even before his escape was assured, when he built trust with Poe who was a complete stranger to him at the time. Later he became friends with Rey and BB-8 despite a rocky beginning, even earned Han’s trust and respect. When Rey asked him not to go on Takodana, he didn’t tell her she’d be alone without him or she was a bad friend for not understanding his fear. He bared his soul to her but respected her decision completely, something no one had modeled for him in the First Order. He had to start from scratch in so many ways, much like he had to find his way in a trackless desert to survive.

Kylo? He’s clearly had many models of non-abusive relationships growing up in a loving home, but he chose to discard them in favor of Snoke’s way of manipulation and dominance. TLJ’s Kylo and Rey plot was a long exercise in Kylo roping Rey in with superficial charm and shallow appeals to sympathy for his own advantage. I believe he was recreating both the way Snoke manipulated him and the dynamic he had with Snoke, undermining Rey’s self-worth so that she would easier to control, trying to get her to destroy her friends in the ultimate act of isolation like Snoke did with him. This model of relationships was easy for him, intimately familiar through Snoke’s manipulation and abuse. He chose not to explore the possibility of a relationship that did not depend on subjugation and violence, with Rey or anyone else. Despite killing his abuser he chose to continue the same destructive pattern, this time with himself in Snoke’s place.

In a way I can understand Kylo here, because again, leaving often demands a high, seemingly impossible price. I’m pretty sure nothing about Finn’s defection from the First Order inspired Kylo to follow suit, because externally speaking Finn’s life went to absolute shit from leaving and opposing the First Order. Aside from the abovementioned near-death at his former comrades’ hands and wandering in the desert with nothing, Finn was cut off from a once-absolute sense of purpose and became a wanted man. His allegiance went from an absolute power that seems poised to swallow the galaxy to a pack of pitiable losers whose lives could be--and will be, if Kylo has his way--snuffed out at any moment. What could be more foolish? In fact I would not be surprised if Kylo, in his wavering moments, used Finn’s fate as a way to harden his resolve to stay.

Unlike Finn, Kylo also has the additional prospects of prosecution for various war crimes including mass murder, torture, and complicity with genocide to look forward to, not to mention the patricide of one of the galaxy’s beloved heroes. He, like his idol Vader, has earned the kind of hatred and infamy that would outlive him. In addition, were he truly to admit to wrongdoing, the guilt and regret would and should tear his soul apart for the rest of his days. It’s like the line from Macbeth, “I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.” He could, if he chose, brave the consequences and return to the light. But he chooses to believe he has come too far, and rather than throw away his comforts, his power, his conviction, his purpose, his sense of self-righteousness, and his ability to dominate and control, he chose to continue on his path.

This is why Finn’s and Kylo’s fates still diverge despite killing their respective abusers. For Finn it was a continuation of his journey away from abuse, not only his abusers themselves but the abusive dynamic itself. For Kylo it was a logical culmination of his journey into abuse, to continue the dynamic but with himself as the abuser rather than the victim. Finn chose to break the cycle while Kylo chose to continue it. Rey, who Kylo wanted to take his own place as the victim-apprentice, chose to break out as well and join Finn. She chose to live and fight by his and the Resistance’s side in the uncertainty of freedom, not the glittering cage of absolute power. Snoke may be dead, but as of the end of TLJ he has the last laugh because his legacy lives on through his apprentice, now become the master.

The Supreme Leader is dead. Long live the Supreme Leader.

#rebelfinn #finn #kylo ren #rey #anti reylo #snoke #meta #abuse tw #long post #first of all

91 notes · View notes

viralhottopics · 7 years

Text

Baltimore mother seeks justice years after son was killed by police

Years before Black Lives Matter, cases like Kevin Coopers vanished into obscurity now theres hope for police reform, if it can survive the Trump administration

Greta Carter-Willis has spent a lot of time praying, crying and thinking at the threshold between the kitchen and dining room of her south-west Baltimore home.

It was at that spot, nearly eleven years ago that a Baltimore City police officer, barely a year out of the academy, shot and killed her 14-year-old son Kevin Cooper.

His body was laying right there, she said, gesturing. We can make little changes, paint, take the carpet up, but it still remains the same. I have to live with that mental vision in my mind all my life This is my home, I cant just up and move.

It was the sense of pain and injustice around that incident that brought Carter-Willis to the Baltimore federal courthouse on Thursday, to speak in favor of the agreement negotiated between the city, its police force, and the Department of Justice in the wake of the Freddie Gray case. The future of the agreement to reform the citys policing, known as a consent decree, was thrown into uncertainty Monday after attorney general Jeff Sessions released a memo asking to halt its implementation against the wishes of the city mayor, police commissioner and general public.

Despite a cold, driving rain, dozens of residents lined up for their three minutes to address the federal judge in the case and implore him not to delay the agreement, as the Trump administration requested earlier this week. Speakers represented faith groups, high school students, non-profits, law-enforcement and like Carter-Willis, mothers of those killed by police. And despite their disparate backgrounds, the overarching position of the city was clear: Justice delayed is justice denied, as more than one speaker quoted from the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

It was a must that I push my way down to that courthouse and let that federal judge know, please do not hold this consent decree, Carter-Willis told the Guardian. Its too late for my son, but it will help somebody elses child and it will make it better for the next generation and its a right step for this department. Its a right step for this city to have them be accountable to another agency. Because as long as theyre policing themselves, its not gonna get any better.

Late Friday, a federal judge agreed with Carter-Willis and the others who trudged out to throw their weight behind the agreement, tossing out Sessions request for more time. Still, the saga clearly indicates that project of cultivating progressive reform in police departments nationwide no longer has an eager partner in Washington DC.

Kevin Cooper at age 12. Photograph: Greta Carter-Willis

It was just a plastic dustpan

As is the case in many fatal police incidents, it was Carter-Willis herself who called 911 in 2006, hoping for some assistance as her son experienced an emotional disturbance. He had knocked over his TV during an argument, and tossed some clothes out the window. Normal teenager stuff, as Carter-Willis described it.

After a short chat with officers the situation had resolved enough that one of the responding officers left. The second, Roderick Mitter, stayed behind to finish up paperwork when tensions ratcheted back up.

The officer walked past and Kevin was mumbling, Carter-Willis said. The officer asks him what are you saying and he says Im not talking to you so he just kept walking.

As Carter-Willis tells it, the officer began following the teen through different rooms, jawing with the teen as both grew more and more agitated. She recalls asking the officer several times to leave her home.

In the kitchen, as the rankling grew louder, Cooper picked up a plastic dustpan. The kind you get at the 99 cent store, Carter-Willis said.

Her version and the police version begin to diverge here. Carter-Willis says her son was merely holding the dustpan; police say he assaulted the officer with it, breaking it over his head and lunging at him with the jagged plastic.

In either case what happened next is clear. Mitter maced Kevin, deemed it ineffective, drew his gun, and fired. The bullet, which penetrated the teens heart, likely killed him instantly, Carter-Willis would later learn.

From there, the aftermath was predictable. Police held a press conference that day and declared the shooting justified. The officer was not charged with a crime, and has since been promoted to detective. The city offered Carter-Willis a pittance of a settlement in a civil case that her family ultimately lost to the citys well-resourced lawyers. Years before Mike Brown and the rise of Black Lives Matter, cases like this often vanished into obscurity without attracting protests, headlines, national attention or trending hashtags.

They just discarded him like a bag of trash, like his life meant nothing, said Carter-Willis. But his life did mean something. It meant something to me, to the community. He was an uncle, a neighbor, a classmate.

Greta Carter-Wilis in her home at the location where her son, Kevin Cooper, was shot and killed by the Baltimore Police Department in 2006. Photograph: Jamiles Lartey for the Guardian

Grave concerns

Carter-Willis keeps a hatbox in her home jammed with press clippings, important documents and pictures related to her sons case. Among them, the full DOJs 2016 findings on the Baltimore Police Department (BPD).

The report found broadly, a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct by city police, characterized by rank racial bias and warrantless targeting of black residents.

When the DoJ report came out, i started crying, Carter-Willis said. I felt vindicated with that report because you had outside ears, you had outside eyes to understand that what [black residents] are saying is really happening.

They werent talking about Kevin, she added, but they were.

In conjunction with that report the Obama DoJ, the city of Baltimore and its police department entered into negotiation for a consent decree, or a joint reform agreement enforceable by a federal judge. Similar agreements had been utilized in other problem departments like Los Angeles, New Orleans and Detroit to achieve reform after systemic use of force or discrimination issues were discovered. That agreement had already been signed by all parties before the Obama DoJ left power and was awaiting a public comment before it would, in all likelihood, have gone into effect later this year.

Enter the Trump Administration. Trump campaigned on a platform opposing virtually any scrutiny of law enforcement, and selected an attorney general in Jeff Sessions who most expected to embrace the same. Earlier this week, Sessions made good on that expectation, filing a memo to the Baltimore court charged with enforcing the consent decree there, asking for a 90-day pause to review and assess the agreement. The DoJ also asked the judge to postpone Thursdays public hearing, a request that was denied, setting the stage for Carter-Willis and nearly 50 other Baltimoreans to weigh in before the court.

John Gore, the head of the civil rights division for the DoJ, had a lonely job Thursday. Of the dozens of speakers, he was the only person to express any interest in slowing down or potentially not following through on the agreement, citing grave concerns.

Those concerns were not shared by Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh or police commissioner Kevin Davis, both of whom pledged to move ahead with the reforms with or without the DoJ. Both lamented however, that the speed of the roll-out and the public trust would both be hampered without federal involvement.

Paradoxically, Sessions was arguing that the federal government had no place in telling local law enforcement how to reform, and simultaneously, telling the officials in Baltimore that they were wrong about the path they laid out with the Obama administration in negotiating the consent decree. Gores concerns were also not shared by any of the public who showed up to comment. Indeed the handful of voices who didnt support the consent decree at the public hearing did so because they found it not strong enough.

All this paperwork and all this stuff yall doing is just so they can get federal money to keep on doing what they are doing, said Marcella Hill with her voice breaking. Like Carter-Willis, Hills son was shot and killed by BPD. Nothing is going to change the attitude and the personality of [the police] until someone goes to jail.

The many fractures

On Friday, Justice James Bredar approved the agreement over the objections of the Department of Justice. It would be extraordinary for the court to permit one side to unilaterally amend an agreement already jointly reached and signed, the judge wrote. Now it is time to enter the decree and thereby require all involved to get to work on repairing the many fractures so poignantly revealed by the record.

Thats good news for advocates who want to see police reform initiatives struck in the Obama era survive the Trump administration. Many saw the DoJs attempt to wriggle out of the Baltimore consent decree as a trial balloon for trying to back out of older agreements that are already in place with other cities. But in what has become a minor theme of the Trump presidency, its possible, if not likely, that federal judge rulings like Bredars will stymie future attempts in place.

Generally speaking, to modify a consent decree you have to demonstrate that circumstances have changed, so I think a lot of judges are going to be skeptical if DoJ says Weve completed this review and turns out everything is fine in these departments, said Christy Lopez, a former DoJ official during the Obama administration and the leader of the team that produced the departments investigation into the Ferguson Police Department.

It may not be that blatant or easy but what this does signal, is that when monitors come in and say Hey, [the police department] is not there yet or Hey, they need to do this to make this thing work, DoJ is not going to have their back on that. DoJ is not going to be on the side of reform any more. And that can have a tremendous influence, Lopez told the Guardian.

Sessions has claimed that his department remains committed to reform in Baltimore and elsewhere, but the language used in the memo explicitly questions the role of the federal government in that reform, and seems to question the premise that many of the reforms rest on that systemic discrimination is endemic to certain departments.

The misdeeds of individual bad actors should not impugn or undermine the legitimate and honorable work that law enforcement officers and agencies perform in keeping American communities safe, the Sessions memo from Monday reads.

If they want to talk about actions of a few bad apples, then yes, it is clear that some police officers are more likely to use force and much more likely to commit misconduct than others, said Sam Sinyangwe, an activist and data scientist with Campaign Zero. Almost never are they held accountable though. We need to put in place systems and structures that can ensure accountability, and those are the types of things that these consent decrees are trying to produce, and that are now being undermined.

As for Carter-Willis, shes just glad judge Bredar heard her appeal and decided to move ahead. It would restore my trust, she paused, somewhat But im still going to be vigilant. Im still always going to be watching. Im still keeping an eye on them not just for my grandchildren, but for my great-grandchildren.