#Actually old interest reawakened but whatever | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

allknowingofnir · 2 years

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After waiting awhile, Mei steps into Sir Gideons room, and sits at his bedside, a solem expression on her face. She was unsure if he was awake or asleep, but she still softly spoke, hoping he'd hear her sooner or later.

"... I can't say I'm all too pleased with your confession either but... In my memories, the village leaders had to make harsh desicions such as yours, and while we grieved and even spent days ignoring them, we always came back around to forgiveness, and we learned to realize it was for the best of the village... You made a mistake, and you can't undo the past, but whether you choose to fix the future is up to you. I shall hold no hatred for you, because you're a father to me in my eyes. I'm sorry it all came down to this mess..."

He grunted, sitting up in bed hair amess, his face even worse. His eyes were redder than usual, both from the hangover of last night and the grief of what had followed. He couldn't look Mei in the eyes.

"Mm. I appreciate it, I do... just... " he shook his head. How to say it? How to explain it? He stared at the wall for several minutes, leaving them in awkward silence. He just sighed heavily finally before tossing his coverings off. He was still in his armors underclothes from the night before, never having changed after the meeting with Malenia.

No matter how awful he felt, he was still senior of the Tarnished, and of the disgraceful Roundtable Hold. He turned, planting both feet on the ground, wincing a bit at the cold of the floor. He snorted, clearing his throat and nose.

"You know, this place was a war room before it was a shelter for Tarnished, back then I mean. Either for Radagon's campaign in Raya Lucaria, the march against the Fire Giants, whatever else Godfrey needed it for. It was all planned out here. I was a younger man in those days, but when my time came, the first time I mean, I was already an old man." He looked up to the ceiling as if looking to the Erdtree for answers.

"...when I came back, I was still that old man, who had died in service to the wars and campaigns. I had banners of my own, a service of a small company of scouts who were my eyes and ears across the Lands Between. Now though? When the Grace reawakened us... they were gone by then. The Hold was a mess, worse than most find it now. I mean, before we cleaned it up." He sighed, frustrated, and tired.

"Fyra... no, more than that, you lot. You, Jarrod, Rosalind, the others, but particularly Fyra, made me realize something. Those wars were over. We're tasked with fighting something I, simply put, cannot even comprehend. It boggles my mind I stood before Malenia herself last night. There was something about her, beyond the deadliness of her abilities. Her very soul radiated that awe, that... heaviness of spirit of Marika. Even as her child, she holds that in her. Marika herself? To stand before her?"

"I'd lost the sight of Grace before even leaving the Hold. When I realized by consequence of where our path would lead us, any hope or imitation of it just fled my mind. I'd spent so so much time looking for any... loophole, trick, rite, secret or otherwise, that could give me an edge, but nothing, nothing could remove the fact that we'd be fighting a god."

"I was afraid. More than that... I gave up. The Tarnished who passed through here? They had no interest in their call and it became, like I said so many times, a shelter from the rain. For all my knowledge , for all I knew, the only thing I could do was go back to war planning. It wasn't an enemy encampment, it was a village of people who wanted a place, quiet and away to live their lives in peace. I sent what forces I could amass in this age, an Omen Killer and a Perfumer." He ran a hand through his hair, lost in recent memories.

"The order had never been to terrorize them... it was secure the Haligtree Medallion by any means necessary. I failed to account what that would actually mean. Say it or justify it anyway I want, the truth was I was so overtaken by despair already, I don't think I cared." It was only then, after telling the whole story, could he turn to look Mei in the eye.

There were no more tears, and there was no despair. He was, as he had always been, tired and empty.

"Would you still call me senior of this Hold, would you still think of me as Sir Gideon Ofnir the All-Knowing? Or am I just an old butcher who's lingered too long in this gods forsaken world?"

#mei is tarnished #verse: turtles

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megannabell · 3 months

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💬

Thank you!

This was a "Kill Your Darlings" situation with a fic I was writing. The plot trailed too far away for this scene to make sense anymore.

(For context, this is an outsider's POV; the main character is in hiding and living under a new identity.)

There was something terribly off about Daniel Keith. Now, Ari didn’t know what was wrong exactly. He’d only known him for a few weeks. However, a few weeks was enough time for him and his co-workers to realize what an… odd individual the new hire was. He worked from midnight to around seven or eight in the morning, depending on how fast he could get the cleaning done. This was concerning since he looked fourteen at most. Now, of course, Ari knew better than to clock people’s ages nowadays, but even the most youthful Wiccans looked a couple years older than he did. (Vampire was ruled out on day eight after Daniel practically threw up in the sink after finding Emma Leign’s “blood clot meatloaf” she’d left in the fridge.) Ari didn’t know why the hiring team would even consider taking on someone so youthful-looking, even if just for the potential for scandal if it ever got out. But, the idea that Greenleaf would hire a literal child if they thought they could get away with it and that a child would try to pass himself off as a Wiccan for God knows whatever reason wasn’t too crazy. Stories like that happen all the time. He rarely spoke. When he did, it was barely anything of substance. Fortunately, he only worked with the public for about an hour at most, so there were rarely any embarrassing exchanges with them. With co-workers, however… They knew nothing about him. The most they had to go off of was that he was British, and Ari was pretty sure that he would've hidden that fact from them if he could’ve found a way to hide that horribly thick accent. Paul had started the leading theory that he was a refugee, having to start his life over again. It made sense (especially given the horror stories coming over from there…), but it didn’t explain why he seemed to have no hobbies, opinions, or life outside of work. The only other fragment of information he’d given them was when Collin Pollock talked about his old band in the early ‘70s, before the Reawakening. To everyone’s surprise, Daniel was the one who appeared to be the most interested, awkwardly asking questions about the lineup, what kind of material they played, and what the atmosphere at the clubs was like. Collin’s face lit up the more questions he asked, overjoyed to finally find someone willing to sit through his spiel, and he made a show of it, taking full advantage of all those company meetings, telling them to use their hands for emphasis. Everyone just sat there with expressions ranging from dumbfounded to exasperated. After a fascinating story about how he almost got arrested for inciting a riot in the Bronx, Collin chuckled at how animated Daniel had become (as there was now something vaguely resembling a genuine human smile on his face.) “Say, you know something about music! You ever played live before?” He’d asked. Daniel straightened up, and his eyes were filled with actual emotion. His lips moved in a way that suggested the beginning of the word ‘yes’ when, as soon as the moment had begun, the light in his eye dulled again, and his mouth returned to its usual neutral frown as he mumbled something incomprehensible and went back to scrubbing the grime off of the counter

There's an extra paragraph to this, but I stopped writing halfway through, so it would look weird to post it :/

#the grammar might be a little wonky too haha ^-^'''''''#my writing

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theseventhoffrostfall · 2 years

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Honestly, while I wasn't really impressed by the Vaults in Fallout 4, I liked the idea of Vault 111 a lot. The idea of someone waking up after what they feel was only a few hours and finding out it's been 200 years since the nukes went off and society is radically different is a fun concept. You could even have a trait or something that gives you bonuses when you're wearing pre-war clothes and eating pre-war food but penalizes you for wearing post-War clothes and eating post-war food, just to name one idea.

In my perfect Fallout 4, you wake up out of the pod same as in-game. You have no Shaun to look for, no dead spouse, it's just you. You're the only one awake out of everyone in the Vault. No one's dead, they're just still asleep and you can't wake them up. Someone or something has overridden the cyropod controls, but has chosen you seemingly at random to wake up.

From there, you're free to leave the Vault and search for answers, or look for a way to reawaken your fellow Pre-War ice buddies, or just try to survive. No matter what, you're suggested to try and head downtown to the "Institute," this super-advanced oasis where these scientists live to see if they can help you.

I'll go on with my rambling later, but what's your thoughts? Also, hope you're doing good, brother

Yeah, I'm doing good, just lost power for a few days there.

Yeah, honestly, I think one of the few things everyone agrees on is that the whole "you have a spouse, find your shithead kid" angle of the story was the worst part (in a story where 'worst part' is highly contested) and kind of overpowers everything else that could be interesting about being a pre-war citizen suddenly living in a burned and wrecked hellworld.

Hell, if we're talking traits, you could also work in a background system. Like yeah, maybe your dude is a military vet who fought at Anchorage or whatever, and that gives you chunky combat bonuses, or maybe you're a mechanical engineer or a chemist or accomplished lawyer/diplomat/assorted talky type; in any case you have some skill that correlates to a playstyle and a reason they'd want you in the vault. I wouldn't honestly have minded if they went full Elder Scrolls with it and your "occupation" was like your race/class, with sizeable stat bonuses, a unique perk, and maybe a piece of decent starting equipment.

If nothing else, it'd make Vault-Tec seem more believable as a scummy, evil company where yes they're doing these cruel experiments but at the same time, if a decent chunk of the vault actually wakes up from cryo, you would indeed have the makings of a functioning colony.

Actually, You could sort of spin that into its own whole B plot, in this general tension between the common wastelanders, the institute (whether shadowy in my idea or a known surface presence in yours) and the encroaching raider armies. Vault 111 was a Talent Fridge for other vaults in the region to access as needed; if one vault needed a decorated NCO to help train their security force and militia into a competent fighting force, or another vault needed a biochemist to help crops grow in the poor soil their new surface settlement had access to. The Protagonist is woken up by someone hoping to unbalance the current spycrafty-secret-treasure-hunt among the various major factions, who are all trying to headhunt some of the Old World's top talent on a large scale

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andypantsx3 · 3 years

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vested interest | 1 | todoroki x reader

pairing: Todoroki Shouto/Reader

summary: You’d just thought Shouto was absent minded, accidentally leaving behind a jacket or a sweater or his vest. You didn’t realize this was a thing. (In which Todoroki Shouto—despite his quirk—has zero chill, and uses his clothes to ward off other men.)

length: 19,500 words | 5 chapters

tags: romance, pro hero au, misunderstandings, shouto is a little shit

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut, slightly possessive behavior

It started with a coat.

Actually, it started with takeout—a black plastic bag, giving off the enticing scent of toasted sesame oil, dashi, and buckwheat—obscuring your view as you opened your apartment door. Neat little kanji proclaimed the name of a noodle bar near your neighborhood train stop, and several telltale lumps hinted at various dipping sauces within.

You rolled your eyes fondly.

“Let me guess—soba,” you said, and the bag lowered to reveal Shouto Todoroki, a small smile pulling at his mouth. He was dressed casually in jeans and a grey overcoat, and freshly showered, clearly only recently off patrol. His still-damp hair hung in his eyes, slightly windswept from the cold, and the straight slope of his perfect nose was a little pink with the chill.

“I thought we could eat while we work,” he said, in his deep, soft tone.

You grinned and gestured him inside, where you’d already set up your laptop at your coffee table.

This evening, work meant a night of intense planning—the absolute bane of Shouto’s existence, but your favorite part of your job. Shouto was a pro hero, one of the best in Japan, and you worked as his manager, overseeing not only his day-to-day schedule, but the high-level operations of his hero agency as well.

The agency was relatively small at present, but Shouto had been interested in eventually creating an office that rivalled the size of his father’s. When he’d hired you, you’d discussed the idea of expansion, a hiring push once he felt he and the few other heroes who worked at the agency were ready to take on a fresh crop of sidekicks and other, newer heroes.

Which is exactly what you’d henpecked him into coming here to discuss.

Shouto was now several years out of UA and had recently entered the top five hero rankings. He was a household name, beloved by everyone from toddlers awed by his powerful quirk, to old people charmed by his old-fashioned commitment to public service. To say nothing of the millions of people drawn to him by the magnetic power of his frankly absurd good looks.

He’d been in the public eye ever since his teens, and he’d always been handsome enough to draw notice. Now in his mid-twenties, he was more devastating than ever—all broad shoulders, toned biceps, and a face like a prince from a shoujo manga. He could be photographed scrounging around in a garbage can and still send half of Japan into fits of lustful ardor.

So he could hardly have a more enthusiastic fanbase, or a more positive name-brand recognition. Meaning there was no better time to start expanding the Todoroki Agency than now.

“You can throw your coat on the rack,” you said, gesturing vaguely at the overstuffed hooks at the side of your door. “And feel free to move whatever to make room.”

Shouto stepped inside, and you deliberately paid him as little mind as possible.

It was something, having Shouto Todoroki inside your apartment now.

Truth be told, you were also as susceptible to Shouto’s charms as the rest of the earth’s population. When you’d first started working as his manager, you’d thought you’d had some kind of immunity to him as, at the time, you’d had a boyfriend of your own. Hiroji had been something like an inoculation against Shouto—you were supremely committed to him, and great as Shouto was and everything, you’d already been taken, so you’d never really put mind to him as a romantic option.

Then, three months ago, Hiroji had broken things off with you, and now your dormant awareness of other men as potential interests was reawakening. And annoyingly, it was eroding a lot of your immunity to Shouto.

Which obviously did not bode well for your job as his manager, so you were paying it as little attention as you possibly could. Paying him as little attention as you possibly could, and definitely not staring after him as he shed his coat in your doorway, pulling his sleeves off over a very distracting set of biceps.

Which is when the first thing happened.

For all you were attempting to pay Shouto’s movements little interest, you still noticed when he froze in your doorway. His coat was halfway over his broad shoulders, and his distinctive, two-toned gaze locked with some interest on the jackets that sprouted from your coat hooks like a tangled mess of weeds. An eyebrow went up.

You turned to look at your coats, eyeing them warily and wondering what Shouto had fixated on. You hoped desperately he hadn’t spotted a spider. And if he had, you hoped his heroism extended itself to squishing bugs, because you were so not gonna be the one to do it.

But it wasn’t a bug that Shouto was staring at.

You realized with some surprise that he’d honed in on a jacket, dark grey and slightly larger in the shoulders than the others. Your ex’s name was printed across the back in clean white characters, just beneath a flowing purple script advertising the Phantom Thief Agency.

The jacket had been Hiroji’s—he was currently Neito Monoma’s manager, in a small-time agency run by the hero himself. It was a good job, and Hiroji was a good manager, but Monoma was well into the nineties in the hero rankings and therefore significantly lesser known than Shouto. It was actually this disparity in the status of the heroes you managed that had driven a wedge between you two in the first place, Hiroji insecure about your successes compared to his.

You’d never told Shouto, embarrassed that he was sort of the other man, in the vaguest sense of the phrase. He’d known that you’d broken things off, of course, and had been trying in his own way to be supportive (read: being less of a shit about which publications you scheduled him with, dropping the occasional coffee in your office) but you’d tried hard not to let things affect you or your performance at work.

So there was really no reason Shouto should be staring at the coat the way he was, like it had just knifed his mother right in front of him.

“Uh, is everything okay?” you asked.

Shouto’s gaze flickered back to you, an unreadable look spreading over his features. “Has Kitamura not come to pick his things up?”

Kitamura—Hiroji’s family name. Shouto had met Hiroji often enough over the last few years to be on a given name basis, so why he was reverting to family names was beyond you. Though, you thought you detected a hint of ice in Shouto’s tone, like his quirk had somehow crept into his voice.

Did he think Hiroji was still bothering you? Is that what was getting him all worked up?

“Forgot to throw it out,” you said by way of explanation, which was true. You hadn’t noticed it in the tangle of your other coats, and you were surprised Shouto had.

Shouto turned back to your coat rack, looking unconvinced.

After a long minute of more intense staring, you sighed and reached over, yanking Shouto’s coat the last few inches down his arms. You threw it over Hiroji’s.

You didn’t want to discuss your ex, especially not with Shouto.

Three months was a short time to get over two and a half years of a relationship, but you were managing fairly well. And Shouto was a good friend, but his input was definitely not needed, as you had previously experienced how much of a little shit he could be when he thought something was affecting one of his friends. To this day, you still couldn’t get him to do an interview with Hero Weekly, after they’d once described his friend Ingenium as a rocket-powered tightwad in medieval cosplay. Not that they were really begging for him to come back, as a chair in their lobby still bore singe marks in a shape suspiciously similar to someone’s left ass cheek.

Still, you didn’t even want to know what that stubborn brain of Shouto’s would come up with in regard to Hiroji if given the green light from you.

“I promise you, Hiroji isn’t bothering me,” you said. “He probably forgot it when he moved out. And it’s been three months so he’s clearly not going to miss it—I’ll toss it next trash day.”

You pulled the takeout bag out of Shouto’s hands, leading him over to your coffee table. “Now sit. Every second you waste is a second that the soba is getting older.”

If you’d learned anything in the past couple of years, it was that Shouto Todoroki was a man who respected the sanctity of a soba noodle. He followed you obediently, though he still wore that unreadable look.

You gestured Shouto to the couch and plopped down on the floor opposite. The plastic bag crinkled as you unearthed your dinner, handing Shouto’s colder soba over to him along with a small mountain of dipping sauces. Then you opened up your laptop, turning the screen to him.

Time to change the topic of conversation.

“Okay, the agenda for this meeting consists of several things,” you said. “First, we need to talk general strategy. What is the end goal for the agency expansion—how many heroes we want, what kind of max budget we have, what kind of admin support we need for the extension.”

Shouto already looked like he was suffering.

Heroism was, to him, about saving people, not about things like budgets and interviews and administrative overhead. Which was cute, but you couldn’t pay heroes in gratitude if you wanted them to save people full-time.

“Then we need to talk about who in particular to hire,” you continued. “I have some suggestions for heroes and sidekicks, and a couple recommendations for admin team members—a few promising marketing students, this one really good PR guy, that kind of a thing.”

You paused. You’d saved the worst for last, well aware that this was Shouto’s least favorite part of his job. He was already staring through his container of soba like he could climb inside and escape this conversation, maybe drown himself in the dipping sauce and leave this earthly plane.

You rolled your eyes. Suffering from his own success, that one.

“Lastly, we have to talk about revenue streams. We’re going to need money—” Shouto opened his mouth to say something, but you quickly cut him off. “Not your inheritance money. Real, actual money, from a source without a finite end.”

Shouto looked hunted, like he knew what you were about to say next.

“You’re going to have to do ads—”

“No,” he intoned, almost before you’d finished the sentence.

“Yes, Shouto,” you said. “It’s absolutely beneath you, but if you want extra income for the agency, we’re going to have to step up our publicity game. I’ve already scheduled you an ad shoot with two other heroes next month, and I took the liberty of RSVPing you for the premiere of the new All Might movie. It’ll look good for you to be seen with your old classmates, particularly Deku—it will give us some cross-promotion from their fanbases as well.”

“I see Midoriya every week,” Shouto said flatly.

“Yes, in your apartment, or that kushikatsu bar with that grandma who all the reporters are too terrified of to go near,” you said. The grandma in question was absolutely batshit but very protective of Deku, who ate at her stall every week. You still shuddered any time you came across the legendary youtube footage involving her, a kushikatsu skewer, and some very dark promises involving the skewer and a certain reporter’s unmentionable areas.

“The point is, you need to be seen with him publicly,” you said. “And some of your other classmates too.”

Shouto sighed, finally working open his container of soba, meaning he was resigning himself to whatever you wanted. His mouth pulled down just the tiniest bit, into what might have been called a pout if he'd been anyone else. You suppressed a smile, and opened your own food, thrilled with your victory. Though it felt like, for some reason, it was getting easier and easier these days…

“I also scheduled some smaller shoots for the other heroes,” you continued, swirling your noodles around in the mentsuyu. They smelled unbelievably good, so hot, brothy and sweet, and it was hard to keep talking instead of fastening your mouth around your chopsticks. “Which should give us enough surplus budget to safely hire around six new heroes and three new sidekicks.”

Shouto watched you, slurping up his soba neatly. He looked unfairly handsome, even with his cheeks full of noodles, and you wondered if he had some kind of secret extra quirk that let him look so princely even while doing the most mundane things.

“Who do you have in mind?” he asked evenly.

And that is when the second thing happened.

In retrospect, taken together with the jacket thing, it should have been a sign Shouto was up to something. But in the moment, you plowed on happily, oblivious to the consequences that would arise over the next few months.

“I have a couple, but the first hire I want to make is Benjiro Sato,” you said, pulling your laptop back to you and clicking through to his profile.

Benjiro, hero name Cloudburst, was an excellent sidekick from what you had gathered—tall, smiley and handsome, fresh out of UA, and great PR for whichever agency might hire him. He was friendly and personable, and was already making a name for himself at Wash’s agency as a contractor. It wouldn’t be much longer before he hit the top twenty in the sidekick rankings, meaning now was the perfect time for the Todoroki Agency to snag him.

Aside from the good PR he’d create for the agency, his quirk was also a perfect match for Shouto’s. Benjiro was capable of creating extreme rainstorms, making him an ideal sidekick to walk in Shouto’s wake. He could minimize the damage the fire half of Shouto’s quirk could do, especially when Shouto didn’t have the time to stop and put it out himself.

Shouto’s eyes flickered over his profile, the blue of his left eye almost luminescent in the light from your laptop. Your eyes traced over the rest of him, the way his jeans fit snugly around his strong thighs, the way his navy button up lay open at his throat. He really was far too good-looking for his own good.

Which reminded you—

“Not only does Benjiro have the perfect quirk, but he’s good looking, too,” you said. “He might even siphon off some of those fans who mob you after every rescue, and free up some of your time.”

Shouto suddenly went very still, chopsticks freezing halfway to his mouth. “What.”

It sounded flat, somehow, not like a question at all.

“You know, all those people who want you to sign stuff and take pics and everything, even though you’re trying to finish up with the police,” you explained. “He’s cute, and he could distract them while you’re making the initial report.”

It might have been a trick of the light, but you thought you saw Shouto’s eyes narrow, almost imperceptibly. His expression went carefully blank, the way it sometimes did when he was up to something you were not going to like.

“Have you met him,” Shouto asked, though something in his tone was still off, and it was phrased a little flatter than a question.

You gave him a weird look, wondering what was up with him. “No, but I’d like to interview him this week, if you agree.”

Shouto’s eyes didn’t leave you. “Perhaps he wouldn’t be a good fit.”

You eyed him. “That’s the point of the interview, Shouto. To find out if he would or wouldn’t be.”

“Perhaps someone else is already hiring him,” Shouto said, undeterred. “It seems unnecessary for you to interview him.”

You felt your own features pull themselves into a suspicious cast. “Do you have a problem with him or something? Do you know him?”

Shouto shrugged, and your gaze was involuntarily pulled towards the roll of a powerful shoulder under his dark button up. What had you been talking about again?

“No, I don’t know him,” Shouto said, in his even tone. “I should think someone else might like to hire him, however.”

You rolled your eyes, stealing your laptop back from him. This is why you ran the agency instead of him. “That’s the whole point, Shouto. I’m going to ask him in for an interview, then, before someone else does. I think he’d be good, and I’ll make sure of it when he comes in.”

Shouto was still watching you, something indecipherable in that heterochromatic gaze. You fought down a hot flush at the intensity of the look he was giving you.

“Where will you interview him?” he asked, setting his chopsticks down. You tried not to look at the curl of those long, pretty fingers as he did so.

“In...my office?” you said, wondering what he was on about now.

“Alone?” Shouto asked.

You raised your eyebrows at him, wondering why he thought you'd need supervision. You'd hired at least two of the other heroes in the agency on your own, and they were working out pretty well in your opinion. “That’s how we have done every other interview, yes. Is that going to be an issue?”

Shouto watched you for a long moment, saying nothing. You tried not to squirm in your seat like that look made you want to. After a while, Shouto seemed to decide something, and he picked up his chopsticks again, pronouncing, “No. It won’t be a problem.”

His words sounded strange, however, somehow unfinished. Almost like he had something he was going to add after. But he just lifted another bunch of noodles to his mouth neatly, and then he couldn’t talk.

You frowned, but you clicked out of Benjiro’s profile and pulled up the rest of the hires you had in mind. Whatever. You didn't know what Shouto’s issue was, you weren’t going to let it stand in the way of your agenda. He'd come out and tell you if it was truly important.

After that, however, Shouto was normal. You discussed the other hires you’d dug up, and the budget plans you’d prepped. Shouto added a couple of his own revisions, though he mostly agreed with the plans you’d drawn up. You powered through your soba together, and a little container of soup dumplings Shouto unearthed from the bag.

Then you made green tea, the traditional kind you knew he was fond of but that you privately thought tasted like grass, over which you discussed the full extent of the PR events that you had signed him up for. Shouto wisely made no comment on these.

It was nearing eleven when you finally wrapped up with a document full of the changes Shouto had approved, and a list of all the follow up items you needed to accomplish. You packed up your laptop and brought the discarded food bags to the kitchen trash, leaving Shouto to fetch his coat.

You felt a sense of accomplishment, certain that over the next few months, all the changes you’d agreed on were going to launch the agency into a new tier of success. It would be only months later that you would realize how much ammunition you’d given Shouto that night, much more than you had ever imagined.

You saw Shouto to the door, promising brightly to see him on Monday. His jacket was already folded over his arm, and his face was carefully blank again, that immaculate poker face that you couldn’t decipher.

You gave him a weird look but he only gazed politely back, looking almost like he was suppressing a smile.

“Good night, Y/N,” he said as he brushed past you lightly, stepping out into the hall of your apartment complex. You murmured your own goodnight. Shouto seemed to linger for a small moment, that distinctive gaze brushing over your face.

Then he was gone, turning down your hall and out into the evening air, leaving you to step back inside and close your door.

It was only as you did so, however, that something caught your eye.

The dark grey material of Shouto’s coat still hung from your coat hook, all clean lines and warm fabric, looking almost as handsome as its owner. It was clearly a man's coat, and much more conspicuously so than Hiroji's jacket—it drew the eye towards your coat rack, proudly proclaiming a masculine presence within your apartment.

You grabbed it, pulling it off the rack, and moved to the door to chase after Shouto.

But as you grabbed the door knob, something stopped you. You paused, turning back to your coat rack with a bewildered glance.

Hiroji’s jacket, which you knew had hung just underneath, was gone.

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #todoroki shouto #todoroki x you #bnha x reader #shouto todoroki x reader #bnha

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ghosttap65 · 2 years

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I need a self-inserted reader Avery Grambs who knows every Fucking thing and legit does not care about the games they're all playing and just chilling in the library with popcorns for the family drama.

I mean seriously 5 humongous libraries and you're playing a Fucking game?!?! Like, dude I ain't getting up from here till I read all these books.

And Xander darling I swear, I don't wanna hurt you or scold you or whatever but you need to stop getting me to play anything.

And no, Jameson I do not, in fact care for the reason your grandfather left me his fortune and no, Jameson I do not, in fact care that you got proverbs or whatever in your letter but I do in fact care that you are disturbing my first reading with this book, so will you leave or should I?

And yes, Mr Grayson Hawthorne, an idiotic teenager like me did con your multi-billionaire mastermind old as fuck grandfather, yes, I am totally a con artist ,and now that you have got the confirmation could you leave me? I was on an interesting scene.

And, Can this family please tone down the drama? And, Jesus Thea I think not, Anything but green will do. I really, really do not want to show up as a dead girl. and damn Alisa, after the shit you are going to pull after this, the least you can do as compensation or apology is let me chose my dress,

And Oren please take a look at this little secret passage. it is the cause of my sleepless nights. And would you mind terribly if I was asked you to drop me later, my classes do not really start till much later?

And, hey Nash, didn’t see you there. Can I ask for a favor? Libby wanted to go to this xyz place but I have a project due tomorrow, please save me .Ok fine. I’ll see you later. Thank you

And Alisa. how do you think I can get Grayson and Jameson to attend therapy. Actually, add Thea and Rebecca to it as well. Or forget about it, this whole family needs one.

An Avery Grambs who is too invested in exploring the house, that she just gives away hints like she made that fucking riddle. Like come on Jamey boy, the proverb is Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, I’ll suggest going to library, there must be a book without cover or a book with the wrong cover or whatever. BUT she is doing it after just looking at the paper for a moment between playing a video game

and she is answering Questions before they are even asked or giving suggestions to everyone which they don’t follow at first but then they just do because she is right,

Just Hawthorne Family going insane in general, except Nash and Xander. Nash, because he has no ulterior motive and I kinda ship him with Libby and Xander because..... Well, because he is Xander or whatever.

GODS, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE WRITE IT. I REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED MORE INHERITANCE GAMES FANFICTIONS AND CROSSOVERS ( if you know some, my obsession with Inheritance games which I thought was over has reawakened, and I could really use some help(my inbox is open and anonymous asks are on if you do not want to comment for whatever reason) )

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bigg-city-riders-au · 2 years

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I’m so sorry but I’m in desperate need of some softness rn, James and his ridder find an small abandon kit and James instincts just bananas Drabble perhaps?

Of course! If there is interest, I may make this a little series of one-shots if there is interest. Drabble under the cut.

You and James are out and about, taking a rare break from work. The railroad as a whole has been extremely busy as always. However, James has managed to convince Sir Topham Hatt to let you and him take a break, even if it's just for a few minutes. Besides, the next train won't be ready in a little bit anyway.

James is surprisingly taking it slow, taking some extra time to actually enjoy the Spring weather. New life was thriving everywhere. The trees and flowers were blooming, and the warm sun is a welcome change from the harsh cold winter. That's one thing you discovered about James. He seems to love Spring the most out of all the seasons, and it's easy to see why. The blossoms on the trees look absolutely beautiful.

You take in the scenery. The meadows and forests reawakening as they do every Spring. You suddenly notice how much James has slowed down, almost to a crawl, then suddenly he stops. He stays still, as if listening. You know he has much sharper sense than a human, so whatever he is hearing right now you might not be able to detect. That is when you hear a soft chirp. You listen, trying to figure out which direction it's coming from.

To your surprise, James trills, as if calling for something or someone. You hear the chirp again. This time only louder. You climb out of James's cab and cautiously make your way to the source, only to be picked up by James by the back of your shirt in his jaws. You protest at first, but give up. There's no use fighting against him. He trills again, putting you down out of the way before he makes his way over to a siding.

Immediately, the chirping grows louder. James trills softly and purrs. He's found something. Whatever it is, he gently picks it up in his jaws and carries it back out. You are completely taken by surprise. He has found a kit. It looks like it's only a few weeks old. However, it's old enough to where it's eyes are open, so that's good.

James returns to you, gently placing the kit on the ground before gently nuzzling it and purring. The kit squeaks and snuggles into him, purring softly. Well this is a predicament. You can't just leave the kit out here, but there also isn't that much time left on your James's break. You feel James reach out to you through the bond. However, you can't help feel this.. warmth from his presence. There's something different about him. You realize the warmth you are feeling is more along the lines of a paternal instinct. You've never seen him like this before. It's clear he has already become attached to the kit.

Work can wait. The kit is more important now. We need to take it back to Tidmouth Sheds where it'll be safe for now. Sir Topham Hatt will understand and can arrange for someone else to pull the passenger train, I promise. James smiles gently before picking the kit up again. It squeaks in protest for just a moment before it relaxes. You nod and climb into his cab. Well, this day has already proven to be eventful.

James begins to make his way back to Tidmouth Sheds. However, he needs to let Sir Topham Hatt know first. He makes his way back to the station, where the passenger are waiting in his coaches. Topham almost scolds him for being late, until he sees the kit James is gently holding in his jaws just like how a mother cat would carry her kitten.

"James.. Where did you find it?" Topham looks at the kit in surprise. James gently places the kit on the ground. The kit looks around with curious eyes, purring softly. The on lookers on the platform smile and coo at the little kit. James gives them a warning glance to keep their distance. No surprise his paternal instincts have taken the wheel at this point.

"In a siding. The scent of the mother was old, so it was quite a while since she had last tended to the kit. I'm afraid this kit was likely abandoned." James replies, keeping a watchful eye over the kit. He smiles gently as the kit nestles against him. The kit is perfectly content with staying close to the steamer. After all, this very well be the first steamer it had contact with for a long time. Topham is silent for a few moments, thinking.

"Alright. All of you can go back to Tidmouth and take care of it, as it seems to like you already, James. I'll arrange for someone else to pull your passenger train." Topham looks down at the kit again, who is nearly half asleep. He chuckles softly. It's an adorable little kit that's for sure.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate this more than you will ever know." James gently picks up the kit again and makes his way back to Tidmouth Sheds. You're not entirely sure how to take care of a kit, let alone raise one. Hopefully, at least one member of the steam team is slightly knowledgeable about it. James seems to know at least slightly what he's doing, so that's a plus.

Once you and James settle in Tidmouth in his shed, James gently place the kit on the ground again. He looks back at you as the kit squeaks softly. The kit clearly discontented with something.

"You still have some food left over in your emergency reserves right? The kit likely needs something to need, and some water to drink." James isn't exactly fond of leaving the sheds with the kit here. Sure, you can watch over the kit, but he'd rather not leave the kit's side so soon. The kit needs to be with a steamer, not a human.

You nod, and make a mental note to yourself that you'll need to restock on food with the kit around. As it's unlikely James may be able to hunt for his own food, let alone food for a kit if there isn't anyone else here to watch over the kit. Sure, you would be more than happy to watch over the kit, but you don't have the slightest idea as to what to do in terms of caring for one.

You head into the back of the sheds, and reach into your bag, pulling out a bag of dried meats, a snack you have been saving for later, and a bottle of water. You can buy more food if you need it anyways. The kit needs it more than you do.

You return to the kit, and open the bag. You take a piece of the dried meat before ripping it into a smaller chunk, small enough for the kit to be able to eat easily before offering it to the kit. The kit sniffs at it for a moment, before quickly snatching it in it's little jaws and devouring it. You are careful to watch your fingers while feeding it. Sure, the kit likely isn't strong enough to bite a finger or two off, but you'd rather get bit today.

Once the kit has had it's fill, you pour a bit of water into your hand. The kit is quick to drink from it, purring softly as it laps at the water. You chuckle softly as you feel it's tongue brushing against your hand as it drinks. When it's thirst has been quenched, it yawns softly, revealing little fangs before it nestles against James and falls asleep.

You smile. You could get used to having little kits around like this.

#ask #anonymous #my writing #TTTE James #James the red engine #TTTE #TTTE AU #curse!au #this is way longer than expected

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cerastes · 3 years

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I just remembered his monologue over Doctor and now feel pain. Him lamenting how a crucible if war was born and wishing that person instead was never forced again into strife again and lived on as teacher and also on what they were fighting for. ... i suspect he was unloading his sorrows on doctor since doctor was not yet warcrimes but like, he continued doing this apparently when doc was like, almost bereft of emotion that was not hunger for victory and goal achieved and that's impressive.

“i suspect he was unloading his sorrows on doctor since doctor was not yet warcrimes”

This is what I personally think, and the whole monologue Scout gives, I think, serves as pretty solid evidence that Scout is one of the longest lived veterans and most decorated elites Babel had. In other words, Scout probably befriended Doctor back when they were still an academic and held many an interesting conversation with them. It’s very likely that it wasn’t just Scout that confided in Doctor, but that Doc reciprocated as well.

And this leads to the perfect opportunity to address something I think we’ve been doing wrong: We’ve been considering Warcrimes!Doctor as two dimensional, I believe. We focus too much on them being a war machine.

Allow me to elaborate.

It is fact that they would eventually become a Beast Of Logic, so to speak, a creature that focuses only on winning battles, no matter the cost, but that’s very likely not all they were, even after the change Scout so sorrowfully describes.

Take Amiya, for example: She has the utmost intimacy and trust with Doctor, and makes many offhand references to past events that Doctor doesn’t remember but that she treasures. Doctor, even as a Beast Of Logic, did have some connection with others, likely select few people and only with those they knew before the switch with few exceptions: For example, W and Doctor never bonded, and we know W met Doctor after they already had changed, but the likes of Ace and Scout, veteran Elites, are very clearly enamored with Doctor. This likely was the case with Kal’tsit, Theresa, Closure (who is friendly with Doctor) and Amiya as well. Scout mentioning that W could confide with Doctor if she so wanted wasn’t an empty gesture: Despite knowing as much as he does about Doctor and what they had become, Scout still chose to see them as a friend and as someone apt to help others. Perhaps he saw in Doctor and W a chemistry that would allow them to be friends, had either ever taken the first step (neither did). Despite how cruel they had become, Doctor still apparently had their funny moments, such as their habit of eating weird things or eating things in weird ways, banter with Kal’tsit, bonding with Amiya, and whatever it is they had with Theresa, implied to be close enough that Doctor could apparently be in Theresa’s quarters and this would be seen as normal. As much of a bloodthirsty Beast Of Logic as they had become, terrifying enough for W to refer to them as “The Evil Spirit of Babel”, they still had a semblance of humanity outside the chessboard, with those they were close with.

And I think that’s what makes this even more painful, what makes Scout’s monologue even more painful, and what makes Kal’tsit’s interactions with Doctor in Chapter 7 even more painful.

It is easy to reject a monster.

Pariahs are pariahs because we don’t want them near us. No matter how effective and skilled and, dare I say, necessary someone is, the reality is, they won’t last if they have but burnt bridges around them. The reality of it all is, Doctor was probably still likable, if unsettling. It is not even subtext that Kal’tsit was having fun for a second with Doctor during some points of banter during Chapter 7, it is text, Actual Empath Amiya very much says “oh, wow, Doctor Kal’tsit, you are smiling right now!”, unintentionally shanking Kal’tsit in the heart with the agonic stake of nostalgia because, yeah, Kal’tsit and Doctor were probably very close in the past, and their seamless banter showed it. No matter however it is you wish to read their dynamic, either as that of colleagues, friends, or ex-lovers, it is rather painfully apparent that they used to be close, and Kal’tsit even has to take a stand and say: “No, I have to say this, I will not let this person close to me ever again, this is simply work”, even if she painfully misses this rapport, even if she aches at the thought of never having what they had again, because she knows, she knows something so terrible that it has irredeemably burned this bridge.

“Kal’tsit is being unreasonable. She’s a medical professional, she should understand the duress that comes with amnesia, the burden, and that Doctor can’t be blamed for it, she should understand she shouldn’t act that way towards someone amnesiac and blame them for things they did before they lost their memories,” you may say, and I can’t blame you for it, but hear me out:

Even if Doctor’s memories reawakened, even if Doctor was presented with the chance to reassess their choices, even if they repented, or looking at it the other way, even if Doctor truly forgot everything forever, you cannot change how Kal’tsit sees Doctor. She made clear she won’t let the hate buried deep inside of her bloom, but she has the right to keep it. She has the right to remain angry forever.

The thing with amnesiac narratives is that they focus a lot on the amnesiac, and so, we sympathize with our amnesiac protagonist and obviously defend them from people blaming them for things you could argue they never did, but we never really think about the victims of their past acts, and how they are entitled to all the anger they have, because whatever it is that happened that sowed it, it still happened, even if the guilty party doesn’t remember it. It isn’t as simple as tabula raza, the person currently standing in front of Kal’tsit might not have done the terrible thing she remembers, but they absolutely have the potential for that cruelty. And she has every right to hold onto her emotions, be they anger or wariness. Nothing you say can change that.

Nothing.

And so it becomes all the more painful to think that Scout probably had a drink with Doctor every Thursday, they’d talk about whatever, and all the time, Scout would see glimpses of this charismatic, kind educator he once knew, now replaced in part but never in their entirety by this Beast Of Logic. Consider that, and Scout’s monologue feels like something he’s telling himself more than something he’s telling to Guard before he goes off to his death.

Scout held a little eulogy for a remarkable friend he once knew before heading to his own funeral.

Because it’d be easy to reject and pile bile and blame on Doctor if they had become complete monsters.

But the painful and probably reality is, they likely didn’t.

Which only made it all the more painful to bear for those that knew the old educator.

#arknights #doctor #kal'tsit #scout

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allthingskenobi · 3 years

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Obi-Wan in Exile – Vader

(Originally published on AllThingsKenobi.com December 13, 2020)

Welcome to the first in a series of looks into Obi-Wan Kenobi’s time in exile on Tatooine between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. We’ve tried to mine as much Legends and canon material as possible to help guide you through some of the period’s most common and repetitive themes so that when the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series airs, you’ll be ready.

Not everything he ever did in the entire 19 years will be explored here, but as we said, we’ve tried our best to pick out the most prominent and impactful moments to give everyone a better understanding of exactly what one hermit had to endure out there all alone in the sandy deserts of Tatooine.

While Vader himself was not a common reoccurrence throughout Obi-Wan’s exile, the threat of him certainly was…well until now that is. As Vader so often does, he’s recently made his way back to the forefront of the story and will seemingly loom very large over the upcoming series, thus moving us to start with exactly what that might mean for Obi-Wan and how it might work with the canon boundaries we currently have. Yes, we understand that canon can change and probably will, but we do love a challenge.

“Vader,” Obi-Wan muttered. “Vader’s alive.”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

Let’s start at the beginning. We have one instance in Legends where we see Obi-Wan learn that Vader survived Mustafar and it comes mere months after his exile on Tatooine begins. He first hears the name “Vader” mentioned again on the HoloNet during one of his trips into Mos Eisley and nearly faints before panicking to find a way to take Luke and run. (1) This early recognition seems to be reconfirmed in later canon as one of Ben’s greatest fears in the third year of his exile continued to be “sand crunching beneath heavy black boots, a dark cape billowing in the desert squall, the mechanical wheeze of a respirator.” (2) So will we see Obi-Wan only just learning of Vader’s fate in the tenth year of his exile? I’d say that’s highly doubtful unless the show provides a flashback for us—which we will gladly accept.

“Instead, Padmé was dead and Obi-Wan was running for his life, as stripped of everything as Vader was. Without friends, family, purpose…”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

At the same time, Vader was also very convinced that Obi-Wan was still alive and would remain so despite his greatest efforts. Because if there was one thing Vader was good at it, it was holding a grudge like he held a lightsaber, and he would expend quite a bit of energy over the 19 years between episodes III and IV searching for his old Master. (Just ask anyone he comes across in the comics.) Oh, and let’s not forget that it’s also Vader who would later inform a disbelieving Tarkin, in no uncertain terms, that Obi-Wan was still alive and on the Death Star. (3)

“No, I can’t [leave],” Ben said, firmly. “I must be here.”

KENOBI BY JOHN JACKSON MILLER L

“The core of Anakin that resides in Vader grasps that Tatooine is the source of nearly everything that causes him pain. Vader will never set foot on Tatooine, if only out of fear of reawakening Anakin.”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

Now that we’ve established that they both knew of each other’s survival, it begs the question as to why their paths never actually crossed in 19 years. Personally, I think it’s fairly simple: Obi-Wan would never leave Tatooine and Vader would never go anywhere near it. We will discuss Obi-Wan not leaving Tatooine more in-depth at a later time (and yes, we know what Ewan said about having a ‘rollicking time’), but Vader would canonically never visit his home planet until well after Obi-Wan and Luke were both gone. (4)(5) And by then it was much too late.

That brings us to the most recent ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ news and how that fits in with what Legends and canon have told us so far. We received a lot of exciting and thought-provoking announcements in a short amount of time, and frankly, our minds haven’t stopped spinning since. Could the show undo what we currently assume to be true? Yes. Could the show work within those same parameters? Also, yes. Do I personally have any idea what’s going to happen? No. DO I THINK THE SHOW IS GOING TO BE AMAZING NO MATTER WHAT? Y E S. The goal of this exercise is to simply try and reconcile the new details to the existing Star Wars lore because I think that’s what makes it interesting. So you can take it or leave it. The choice is yours. (Until it isn’t because the show has aired and this is all pointless.)

HERE WE GO.

“[Deborah] Chow confirmed that audiences will “definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again” as we see the blue blade of a hooded Obi-Wan clash with the fiery red blade of Darth Vader.”

“McGregor knows the battle will be eagerly anticipated, and he’s looking forward to performing it just as much: “Having another swing at each other might be quite satisfying for everybody. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we’re going to enjoy making it.””

DEBORAH CHOW AND EWAN MCGREGOR DURING THE DISNEY INVESTOR’S REEL

Not only was the “Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader” bombshell dropped in our laps, but we were also fed the above morsels (not once but thrice) and told to digest them. Our first reaction was a hearty and well-deserved cry of rejoicing until the realization of what this could all mean set in and it turned into a hearty and well-deserved sob.

There’s hardly a way to be disappointed in the fact that we will see Ewan and Hayden not only together again, but “getting into it” as well, but we do have to wonder what this means for the moment where Obi-Wan and Vader face each other again on the Death Star. The moment is not only pivotal to Episode IV, but I would argue, the entire saga. And it’s made even more impactful by the fact that the two men have not physically confronted each other since their fateful battle on Mustafar.

What we do know, and that which should not change, is that Vader never knew where Obi-Wan was hiding nor that he had Luke, his son, with him. That tells me two things: whatever kind of “rematch” happens here does not endanger Luke’s safety in the long run nor is it probably something that would occur more than once. I think what we’re going to see happen is isolated and “unexpected,” occurring only once ten years into Obi-Wan’s exile.

You: But, All Things Kenobi, if they could never physically meet on Tatooine or elsewhere, then what does this all mean??

Us: Do we look like Deborah Chow or Ewan McGregor? Do we have all the answers for you? NO! But can we try to help ease your mind until the show airs and I’m proven all sorts of wrong?? YES! SO PUT ON THAT TINFOIL HAT AND LET’S DO THIS!!

“I sense something. A presence I’ve not felt since…”

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE C

“Obi-Wan once thought as you do.”

STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI C

Instantly our minds turned to these two particular comments from Vader in Episodes IV and VI. They’ve always stood out as peculiar, demanding explanation, but even more so now. The first is a vague, open-ended statement that leaves us to assume they hadn’t met again since they parted on the slopes of Mustafar. The second is a seemingly wistful reminiscence of a memory Vader has of his old master.

Luke had just finished making a heartfelt plea for Anakin to remember his “true self” then says, “come with me.” Where did Obi-Wan make the same appeal to only be shunned by Vader as well? Is it possible the series will show us this after all these years and possibly solve the riddle of both enigmatic statements at once? Is it possible that any such conversation might quickly devolve into another lightsaber-fueled clash??

“Count Dooku was Yoda’s apprentice.”

“And Count Dooku has fallen to the dark side.”

“All of us have apprenticed to Master Yoda.”

“He cannot be held accountable for Dooku’s descent.”

“But they are connected. Profoundly.”

THE CLONE WARS 6×11 “VOICES” C

A distinct bond exists between each Padawan and Master and unfortunately that bond does not disappear when one or the other becomes a Sith Lord. Despite the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin being firmly closed at both ends, there’s no doubt that a presence remains. And even the most sturdy walls might crack from time to time.

Even after 19 years apart, Vader is quick to recognize when Obi-Wan is nearby and goes so far as to know his intent. “Escape is not his plan. I must face him alone.” And he’s right. (3) As for Obi-Wan, the Force has plagued him with dreams and visions, even showing him “a limbless wreck hanging in a bacta tank, necrotic skin pallid and scarred.” (2)

Could their strong connection be the vehicle that allows Obi-Wan and Anakin to confront each other once more? Within the Force they could not only converse, but we could also see them “take another swing” at each other without any physical consequences no matter who “wins.” The mental toll would also make for great drama for both men and bring a new perspective and emotional weight to several scenes in the Original Trilogy.

“If you loved me, Obi-Wan, you would have killed me.”

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER 24 BY KIERON GILLEN C

Finally, it’s quite possible that Obi-Wan might not physically be involved at all in their “rematch” and it might be entirely from Vader’s perspective. One theory could be as simple as the fact that Vader once had a training droid whose deadliest combat setting took the form of his former master. (Oh, Anakin.) (6) Another theory, and a much more likely one, could be that Vader has a Force vision or dream that allows him to recreate and relive various moments between himself and Obi-Wan, including, but not limited to, another lightsaber battle. This would be interesting to witness as every time it occurs, it means that Vader is wrestling with Anakin.

Although the Obi-Wan that continues to exist in Anakin’s psyche doesn’t seem too different from the real thing, just imagine Ewan McGregor getting to play Obi-Wan from Anakin’s point of view…I’ll just drop my mic there.

Star Wars: Darth Vader 24 by Kieron Gillen (2016) C

Star Wars: Darth Vader 5 by Charles Soule (2017) C

Citations:

(1) Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno L

(2) “Time of Death” – From A Certain Point of View by Cavan Scott C

(3) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope C

(4) Star Wars: Darth Vader 2016 by Kieron Gillen C

(5) Star Wars: Darth Vader 2020 by Greg Pak C

(6) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008) by Haden Blackman L

#Obi-Wan in Exile #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Kenobi Series #Anakin Skywalker #Darth Vader #long post #text post #crossposted from wordpress #allthingskenobi

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cto10121 · 3 years

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Why the Friar’s Plan Failed

I’m just going to start this mini novel with a disclaimer that as I personally hate the whole Who Is Responsible for R&J’s Deaths? nightmare of ninth grade teacher preparation English, this is not a Friar-Laurence-is-the-secret-villain-of-R&J-and-responsible-for-their-deaths!!1!! nonsense meta. No. He was a good guy, actually the smartest and most rational in the whole play. I don’t believe he can be guilty of their deaths in any legal or moral sense. But I do want to talk about the failure of his plan(s), especially since in his explanatory speech to the Prince and the other Veronians, he does seem to acknowledge his relative culpability:

And if aught in this Miscarried by my fault, let my old life Be sacrificed, some hour before his time, Unto the rigor of severest law.

Why would the Friar, who did so much to bring and keep R&J together, safe and alive, acknowledge even some measure of fault? Why did his plans—all of them—fail? I think there is some measure of personal failure and responsibility, but more of what I’d like to call the Friar’s Catholic Idiot Ball juggling in terms of his own beliefs about R&J, the nature of their love, and how best to deal with it amid a reawakened family feud.

So we begin with his introduction scene, and his very first interaction with Romeo. He is warmly playful in speculating about why Romeo is up so early, and deduces Romeo had not gone to bed last night.

Romeo. That last is true—the sweeter rest was mine. Friar. God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline?

Why would the Friar assume Romeo slept with Rosaline? We know that Rosaline not only rejected Romeo, but had made a vow of chastity, forsaking all men. Romeo and Rosaline were never in a relationship, and by all accounts Romeo had no intention of convincing Rosaline otherwise. Remember that it was Benvolio, not Romeo, who suggests going to the Capulet ball to see Rosaline, if just to compare her to hypothetically hotter women. Romeo agrees, but only to see her (“to rejoice in the splendor of mine own”). When he is with Mercutio and the other revelers, however, he confesses he doesn’t think going to the party is a good idea, and has a bad feeling based on his premonition/dream—even though doing so would cost him his chance at seeing Rosaline! What makes him change his mind, then? Leaving his fate up to God—“whatever will be, will be,” basically. Not Rosaline.

Perhaps the Friar doesn’t know all of this, about Rosaline’s chastity vow or Romeo’s lack of interest in wooing or seducing her. It’d be weird, though, since later on he reveals he knows about Romeo pining for her and Romeo does say he counseled him to forget about Rosaline. When he does learn of Romeo’s new love for Juliet, he reacts…very intensely.

Friar. Holy St. Francis, what a change is here! Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes! Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for fair Rosaline! How much salt water thrown away in waste To season love that of it doth not taste? The sun not yet thy sighs from heaven clears, Thy old groans ring yet in mine ancient ears. Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit Of an old tear that is not washed off yet. If e’er thou wast thyself, and these woes thine, Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline. And art thou changed? Pronounce this sentence then: Women may fall when there’s no strength in men.

A brave speech with a bonus proto-feminist whopper of a ending couplet, (yesss fam!!!) but something always bothered even my ten-year-old self about it, or at least felt off to me. The Friar obviously doesn’t think Romeo truly loved Rosaline. In fact, when Romeo says he has “forgot [Rosaline’s] name and that name’s woe,” the Friar even approves (“That’s my good son!”). So why is he so upset to hear that Romeo has moved on to another love?

I mean, think about it. You’re a much older religious leader guy who must have seen a million cases of boys falling in and out of love at the drop of a hat—wouldn’t you just take it as par de course, take it all in stride? Wouldn’t your reaction be along the lines of, “Finally!!!” or “Bitch, I called it!!! Friar John owes me five ducats,” something like that? Why the anger/indignation? There is an element of Romeo moving on so soon and suddenly from Rosaline, (“thy old groans ring yet in my ancient ears”) but if you truly believed it was going to happen anyway, then it being from one day to the next isn’t going to matter much. The most you would say is “From one day to the next, mofo!!!! I know you horny teens work fast, but this is ridiculous!!!” Naturally, Romeo is confused, even flabbergasted, and with good reason.

Romeo. Thou chid’st me oft for loving Rosaline. Friar. For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.

Not really an answer, although this does confirm the Friar did not believe he truly loved Rosaline and told him so.

Romeo. And thou bade’st me bury love. Friar. Not in a grave To lay one in, another out to have.

Er, why not? That’s usually how people move on from relationships, by going out and dating other people. Hell, Romeo never even had a relationship with Rosaline to move on from, just an unrequited crush. He is perfectly at liberty to love any girl he wants. It’s not like Rosaline would give a fuck, she’s too busy out there being chaste. I know the Friar is all about the ~chastity, but that’s not possible for most people, and the Friar is smart enough to understand that. Perhaps it was his valuing constancy in love that made him react so viscerally. Religious people tend to hold those beliefs, but they also tend to shy away from the realities of sex. The Friar does not; in fact, he bluntly asks Romeo outright if he slept with Rosaline. So what’s the deal?

This is perhaps a stretch…but could it be that maybe the Friar did believe on some level that Romeo loved Rosaline? It would explain why he was so quick to assume Romeo slept with Rosaline, (i.e. that he managed to win her love) even though Romeo must have told him Rosaline had sworn to be chaste. It really would not have been possible.

My educated guess is that the Friar, despite his (accurate) description of Romeo’s love as one that “read by rote, that could not spell,” did not really understand the shallow, performative nature of his “love” to Rosaline. Embarrassing for such a smart Jesuit, but I think it’s true. And if he has trouble gauging Romeo’s love for Rosaline…then how does he gauge his love for Juliet?

Friar. But come, young waverer, come go with me. In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.

The Friar agrees to help R&J for one reason only: To end the feud and unite the families. Nothing about love here. His implicit belief that Romeo’s love is a passing fancy is confirmed in the wedding scene, where he warns Romeo of this possibility, and how to deal with it, in this iconic passage:

Friar. These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey Is loathsome in its own deliciousness And in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so. Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

This is sound wisdom, powerfully expressed (with a bonus “also too slow a love is bad too!!!” nuance. RIP to slow burn fanfic fans)…but it’s also the generic, universal kind that you could give any young couple marrying or dating. What does the Friar think specifically of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship? How does he react when he sees them together for the first time?

Friar. Come, come with me, and we will make short work, For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.

“I’m not letting you horny teens out of my sight until you two are safely married, I tell you hwat!!1!” is by far the most common (and accurate) actor delivery and interpretation, often played for laughs. But notice that this is in response to these speeches by R&J proper:

Romeo. Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy Be heaped by mine, and that thy skill be more To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath This neighbor air, and let rich music’s tongue Unfold the imagined happiness that both Receive in either by this dear encounter. Juliet. Conceit more rich in matter than in words Brags of his substance, not of ornament. They are but beggars that can count their worth. But my true love is grown to such excess I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.

Romeo: “If you’re as excited as I am to get married, and if you can express it, then say it, and also how much we’re going to be happy together.”

Juliet: “If I were able to say how much I love you, how much I want this, then my love wouldn’t mean much. It’s like money; if you can count it, then that means you’re not really that rich. But because my love for you is so deep, so countless, any attempt at expressing it with words would just fail.”

This is all very sweet and touching, but also very tame compared to the heady, passionate verbal lovemaking of just a few scenes ago. No doubt this is because of the Friar’s presence; they’re not going to full-on flirt in front of the priest, of all people. So why does the Friar do a “really??? In front of my salad???” and react as if they’re doing verbal sex in front of him?

R&J: So happy to be here!!! I have no words, just #blessed ☺️

Friar: wHOA HO HO THERE YOU LUSTY HOE HOE HOES, SAVE THE CONCUPISCENCE FOR THE WEDDING NIGHT!!1!!!! I GOT MY EYE ON YOU, DON’T THINK I DON’T!!111!! #notonmywatch 👀👀👀👀👀

The Zeffirelli film version had R&J devouring each other with the Friar physically pulling them apart in order to justify this kind of reaction, but I don’t think the verse justifies it here; the language is too ethereal and dreamy, especially Romeo’s. But this is not the only place where the Friar misinterprets R&J’s relationship. His rant against Romeo threatening to kill himself in Act 3, Scene 3 is also telling:

Friar. What, rouse thee, man! Thy Juliet is alive, For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead. There art thou happy. Tybalt would kill thee, But thou slew’st Tybalt. There art thou happy too. The law, that threatened death, becomes thy friend And turns it to exile. There art thou happy too.

The Friar assumes here that Romeo wants to kill himself because he is upset at being banished (“Juliet is alive, you killed Tybalt, you’re only banished, not put to death, be grateful, biatch!!!”). Which he is, no doubt about it, and he does have a “Leave me alone to DIE” Lilo.gif moment, but that is not what prompts his losing it completely. What happens is this:

Romeo. Where is she? And how doth she? And what says My concealed lady to our cancelled love?

The Nurse. O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps, And now falls on her bed, and then starts up, And Tybalt calls, and then on Romeo cries, And then down falls again.

Romeo asks the Nurse a very specific question: What does Juliet say about our relationship? In other words: Does she still love me? And the Nurse replies: She says nothing about that. She just sobs a lot, calls for Tybalt and shouts your name. And falls down a lot.

First of all, this is blatantly untrue. Juliet did instruct the Nurse to give Romeo her ring and to tell him to come and take “his last farewell,” i.e. the wedding night. The Nurse, however, as her wont, interprets Romeo very literally and so answers accordingly, or at least answers only the “how doth she?” part and not what Romeo truly wants to know. In misunderstanding his question, the Nurse unintentionally gives Romeo room for the worst possible interpretation: Juliet is suffering because of you. She mourns for Tybalt, not for you; most likely she hates you for killing him. She does not want you anymore. She does not love you anymore. And that’s when he loses it.

Notice that after the Friar’s rant, Romeo does not even respond until this moment:

Nurse. My lord, I’ll tell my lady you will come.

Romeo. Do so, and bid my sweet prepare to chide.

Nurse. Here is a ring she bid me give you, sir. Hie you, make haste, for it grows very late.

Romeo. How well my comfort is revived by this!

What finally “revives” his comfort fully isn’t the Friar’s logic nor even his plan. It’s mention of Juliet and the ring.

This whole scene could have been avoided—Romeo’s meltdown, the Friar’s epic pimp-slap of a monologue—had the Nurse had given Romeo the damn ring like she was supposed to. Had she done so, Romeo would have never threatened suicide. Simply put. The Friar, had he understood this, could have skipped the disingenuous “Be happy you and Juliet aren’t dead!” line of argument and gone right into “Look, Juliet still wants you. Homegirl is just as bad as you are when it comes to this love shit and the Nurse here pretty much conformed it. I guara-fucking-tee you she still wants to smash. Nurse, tell me I’m wrong, I fucking dare you.” And it would have been the end of that.

So the Friar’s reaction in both these scenes is telling of the following:

He does not believe R&J’s love is true or will last, obvs.

He is clearly operating out of the traditional and very Catholic “eh, it doesn’t matter if the marriage doesn’t last, so long as they don’t have sex outside of wedlock, because clearly that would be the worst thing evah” mentality we all know and despise love

He does not believe in their love because he does not understand it.

When you can’t understand the nature of a problem, it makes it more difficult for you to solve it. If the Friar had truly understood R&J and their love…if he had been even just a bit more privy to their interactions with each other beyond their wedding, like the spectator is, then he would have never gone through with the potion plan. He would have gone with his original plan (Act 3, Scene 3) of begging the Prince to pardon Romeo and “publish” (tell) everyone of their marriage. Under the laws at the time, Juliet is femme couverte, which means she was now the property of her husband (I know, I know). Capulet would have been able to do fuck all, especially after consummation, which the Friar could testify as having occurred. From there the solution is more or less obvious: Keep Juliet safely in his cell, go to the Prince, tell him everything, and the Prince, who already is predisposed to any plan that could kill the feud once and for all, would break it to the Capulets and act as mediator. The Capulets and the Montagues would be pissed, but there would have been nothing they could do. Marriage is an indissoluble knot, after all, and R&J are at the age of consent to marry (12 and 14, I think). Instead, he opted for a highly dangerous fake-your-death plan that could and did miscarry.

For tragedy to occur, failure must be present, and not just at the societal and systemic level, but the individual. The Friar failed to protect R&J not because of the soundness of his plans or his lack of intelligence, or even his lack of commitment to the lovers, but because he could not truly understand their love and what they needed. R&J’s love is consistently characterized chiefly by a lack of compromise: Anything and everything else could go to hell for all they care, so long as they’re together. That is the line drawn in the sand. The Friar, however, does not see this line. Or if he does, he does not take it seriously. Only when the lovers themselves pressure him into a corner and their love slaps him in his face does he respond. In the long run maybe he would have been right, but not in the here-now, where the extreme situation of the feud, its dangerous machismo, and the Capulets’ own cavalier treatment of Tybalt’s death and their marrying Juliet off on a song necessarily demands an extreme position. The Friar greatly underestimated the extremity of the situation and realized it only too late.

Do I blame the Friar for not taking the situation as seriously as he should have? Nah. I would have probably thought the same if I had his information. There is a clear difference in what we the readers/spectators are privy to and what the characters know. And the truth is, Verona itself fucked him and his plans over through two crises, occurring within mere hours of each other: Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s deaths and Juliet’s forced marriage to Paris. But I feel that if he did believe R&J were serious about each other, then he wouldn’t have opted for the path of maximum secrecy and a solution of high risk. But y’know. Catholics.

Tl;dr: The Friar’s generation gap and being handed the Catholic Idiot Ball one too many times lead to misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and ultimately contributes to the clusterfuck that is tragedy.

#romeo and juliet #shakespeare #cristina metas #shakespeare meta #my pardons for this novel #feel free to correct me or add in #this is my interpretation anyway #rj meta #r&j meta

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violet975 · 3 years

Text

Random thoughts.

So i replayed BOTW a while ago for the first time and decided to write down some of the random thoughts that i get while exploring Hyrule, here they are.

… A lot of these things gave me some fanfic ideas and I hope that they will do the same for someone more competent.

It's realty in character that the response to being asked why you took the man's torch is either to bludgeon things to death with it or to be a pyromaniac.

When the tower pedestal shines, Link instinctively leans back for a second before diving right back in because curiosity kills the cat.

The message from the slate/tower is to watch out for falling rocks which either means that

1: zelda is writing them (and has a fair bit of free reign still).

2: the ancient Sheikah could see the future.

3: Ai to the likes of Fi.

Ganon kinda reawakens when the towers are up so maybe he was resting and building a body until he was interrupted here, which could be why his form later is such a hodgepodge of the Blights?.

Link is not too naive since he kinda clamps up in his answers to the totally unimportant old man.

Did Link briefly make eye-contact with the camera when he got the spirit orb!?

Link is a bit freaked out in his "How did you know!?" Response cas now he knows something major is up when the old man directly mentions the spirit orb.

Again, in character that you can choose to be an impatient brat with the "paraglider please?" Or inquisitive when Roam points out the slate.

Either run out of temper with the "that wasn't the deal!" Or be resigned with "so I need more now?" When the old fart sends you off to the other three shrines.

Ohh, another adrenaline junkie option with the "got it!" Over climbing the tower for a good view or a Deadpan "are you joking?".

"Or so i heard quite some time ago.. I do not know if it actually works as such" so they did not get teleporting to work before? or he just didn't learn how it was done.

So the monks, according to how the Triforce signs they held, apparently associate Power with Magnesis, Wisdom with bombs, Stability with stasis and Courage with cryonis?

The monks dissipate into green specks like Ganon’s soul does under the castle!

I'm not into men but damn if Link doesn't look good in the Warm Doublet.

Oh. My. God, he was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule!!!!!

Link is such a dumbass, you get to ask Kass "are you a ...bird?" As if the man isn't standing right in front of you. No shit Sherlock! What next, is that a recorder?.

OhhohoHO! You either say "no(, i have not heard of them)" or "Ancient songs?" As if you do not initially realize why they are thought to be ancient which either is old memories warring with the now world or Link not realizing what impact The Calamity had on culture.

Another flat-faced sarcastic remark everyone!

When Manny mentions that his job is checking for beauties/sus people you can either be a dumb dunce and ask about the said beauties or a little menace with "sounds though".

Manny is an Incel, talks a big game and puts himself on top of a pedestal alongside being demanding and a creep.

Does Hateno not have a goddess shrine? Just the ~Evil~ one?

There is a pair of rusty knights sword and shield by the leftmost part of the walkway of Fort Hateno. Some knight probably died laying there, watching out over the field of guardians having been/being purged by Zelda.

A traveler (Chelessa) is interested in history and wants to question Impa about it, and is on her way to do so in fact. . Describes her personality as very pleasant, that must be wrong.

The Yiga know exactly how Links first waking moments played out so either they have extensive knowledge about his character and the setup of the Shrine Of Resurrection or Ganon was watching in on Zelda's call and relayed it to a minion in the clan.

"Hero boy" - derogatory.

Arrow in the eye of the bridge at the entrance of Kakariko, the Yiga are petty and I love it.

Piano's (the painter) hair bun thing that is styled like a pencil has paint on the tip... this man painted with his hair.

So the great fairy Cotera makes it sound like she will enchant your gear because you rejuvenated her, not because you bring the materials to do the enchanting.

The levels of enchantment seemingly depends on physical closeness to the Fairy (blow< indirect kiss< kiss < sex)

She can not enchant beyond Lv 1 without her sister's help, so they share power?

Paya specifies that they have watched over the Orb since the grandmother of the grandmother of Impa, that's 9 whole generations of long lived Sheikah! roughly 1000 years of recorded history!

Again with Link being a dense Shonen protagonist with "where is it?" Or a sly bastard with "really, though?"... maybe so that she would want to prove it ;)

…”I'll answer you some day, just not today!”

Either Paya is just not ready for that or she is so nervous that she did not think about the fact that her own grandmother was in the room when she said it!

“Served the royal family in secret” so it's not common knowledge that the royals have a village of Magic ninjas!? No wonder it took a damn demon to topple it instead of rebellion or infighting... probably has been like this since the old old king banished 'em.

"The royal family was destroyed, and the members of our tribe scattered."- okay so it was probably some Sheikah that either thought the royal family was completely extinct and either fled or, according to this next bit- "Sadly, there were some who swore allegiance to Ganon at that time. They joined together as the Yiga Clan, seeking out all who opposed Ganon... cutting them down, one after another."

So from that we get to know that not all Sheikah deserters became enemies (unless the Sheikah dislike defectors enough to hunt them down) and others who either joined an existing opposing group or simply up and created the Yiga clan that then aligned itself with Ganon... probably under either the belief that Hylia's line was extinct and that it was join or die or because they wished to spite the goddess and her followers.

I actually like this way more because it makes no sense that the Yiga could survive before the Calamity when the Royals would have an entire damn country and anbu black-ops to hunt them down with.

"Master link, now that you are awake, you are surely the most formidable opponent standing against them!" Either hero worship or the Sheikah are freshly out on capable warriors with Ninja magic tricks, probably the latter which would explain why the world isn't infested with Lynels or why hynoxes haven't just trampled every settlement.

"No doubt they will come for you, employing whatever underhanded methods they can device"

oh come on! Do not tell me that i'm stuck with the goodie two shoe ninja clan!? Underhandedness is your bread and butter! No wonder you served the royals in secret because you and them by proxy would have been a laughingstock otherwise!!!

"The great fairy Cotera... few remain who know that this village was built under her watchful eye." So the village is fairy new and the Yiga came about before Kakariko or it is old and so well protected that they can't get in... at least not easily.

"The mysterious power of Cotera is that of sacred protection..." so the Great fairies are linked to either Hylia or the gods, good to know.

So it’s not that Cotera “-would be happy to help” but, instead “i can't think of any reason why she wouldn't be happy to help you”. so either she only directly helps men or the earlier "you can put your trust in the great fairy" means that she judges more favorably for the chosen hero.

"I heard that the weather is going to be beautifully tomorrow... to bad you won't be alive to enjoy it"

So they have weather accurate~ich prediction? through magic or old time methods?

Again: Hero boy - derogatory... It's a common nickname for Link within the Yiga.

The lush green shrine could tell that a buck was on it, so the platforms are most definitely scanners.

A travelers sword by a campfire at the foot of mount Lanayru, so someone either took a swim and died to the Lizardfo, dramatically quit or got killed in their sleep.

Love the effect when you have metal weapons on the ground and swing a ThunderBlade!

You automatically reflect the Octorock's rocks, goes faster if you do it manually.

There is a hollowed out part of a hill/mountain with a lot of fic potential to the North-West of the Sword by the campfire.

Located where the lines meet if you draw a line to the right from Rabia plain and up from Trotter's Downfall.

Koko of Kakariko has been deceived by my cunning and slight-of-hand.

Yes, Sagessa (woman by the lake of the Dueling peaks stable), there is, in fact, something "quite romantic" in Link's "endeavor" to save Zelda, thank you for noticing!

The chests inside the shrines can only (non-violently) be opened by use of the Sheikah slate so why not steal a few? prefect safe-keeping for more stuff to keep in Links house.

Dunce moment everyone!

The Yiga traveler tries to seduce Link and you either go with "OK..." so he either has no damn idea about what is going on or is just not good with women?

Orrrrr you go with a straight "I refuse!" cas you see through their ruse and want to rub their face in the dirt!

According to Mina the Hylian, taking out two Bokoblins is considered as great martial caliber which both she and her traveling companion could not do while decently armed.

Best way to deal with a guardian scout when you have weak weapons: hit with electricity, switch weapon, hit 2-5 times, switch to electric, repeat.

When you first enter the area around Hyrule Castle, smoke Ganon throws a fit until Zelda slaps him away.

This either means that Zelda canonically gets a larger workload from there on and out or that the both of them push harder against each other every time you get close.

According to Zelda's diary, Link was assigned as her guard after the champions had been appointed.

How Link was focused on her yet did not voice his thoughts apparently "makes my imagination run wild!". Either romantic or dense.

Link admits to staying quiet because of the pressure of being the boy chosen by the sword.

King Rhoam mentions that he decided to honor THE royal family's traditions by naming his daughter Zelda, and that he is "not a man accustomed to frivolous musings".

Basically confirming that he is not the parent of royal blood.

They probably knew about The Calamity for a good while cas the page after zelda's naming speaks of the fortune teller, probs 3-8 years since Zelda was described to already have vast interest in the relics.

Pikango gets up at 10 past 5, I spent the night watching him and Beetle sleep.

According to all known laws of aerodynamics, Rito should not be able to fly, is Revali's gale then just an absurdly strong variation of some kind of sky Arcanum that all Rito possess? Do all the races possess one as Well?

Slimes ate the Bokoblins in the tree base at the center of the west Hyrule fields.

Savelle is a helpful guy without a pension for violence.

Munk Shae Loya is just flexing on all the other Munks, those old farts need to sit down while he's been squatting on one leg the last 10'000 years.

Chork of the Tabantha Bridge Stable is drunk.

Toren is either naive or a simp for the Faireys.

If you have the Hylian hood equipped with no weapon while riding at max speed then your cape will flap.

"Sweet boy..." "...I see now that my first impression of you was correct. You most definitely are pleasant to look at."

So link has some kind of presence/soul-thingy that appears pleasant to mystical creatures? Might be the spirit of the hero or this link in particular.

The Fairy Kaysar makes Link blush! No player input needed! We’ve found one of his types!... either that or he's just shy.

The fairies almost never use normal materials to enchant, it's always either monster parts that don't dissipate or things that grow in magical arias.

The Sheikah towers are sturdy as all hell, the Tabantha tower did not even get a scratch from a giant fucking pillar falling on it.

Okay, am I just crazy or is a Lizardfo and a Moblin holding a class for 5 bokoblins just to the left of the Tabanta fairy fountain!?

Lester, the wise curry rice guy at Rito Stable, describes Link as sunny boy, another point to the soul/aura theory thingy.

Phontos laughs to hide the pain.

According to the story that Kass sings.

Calamity Ganon was the result of sealing the enemy at its source.

It fought not only the spawn of the Goddess and the bearer of the Spirit Of The Hero but also the army of Guardians and the Champions that piloted the Divine Beasts for quite some time, as implied in the "and the guardians protected them throughout every hour".

So what i get from this is that the attack 10 000 years ago was the first sighting of what we know as calamity Ganon.

It was also far stronger than the one that attacked 100 years ago which implies that that one was either a rush job or that Ganon bounds had been tightened, both of which would drive him to seek out other methods like corrupting the Guardians.

...And the Guardians are apparently powered by the ancient blue energy which was, time-line wise, first shown when the Golden Goddesses created the world.

No wonder that Ganon was capable of doing this since he most likely is running on fumes, spite and the power of the Triforce which likely is made of/channels said energy.

According to the rumor mill, you need the blood of the Hero in your veins to wield the Master Sword, if this is accurate then that means that Fi is sentimental or that Link has magic blood.

Wildberrys are fucking massive.

Genli (the salmon child) is a cunt, one kid was crying about someone Vah Medoh killed and then Genli is all like "no don't stop it, if you do then i have to go to class again!", She would fit right in with today's youth.

Monk Akh Va'quot has the best position so far, he is just done with your shit.

"You adventurers are Crazy" -> "you're right"

You get nothing if you melt all the ice by the Tabantha tower! You lose! Good day sir!

Monk Daka Tuss got bored during his self-inflicted quarantine and started stacking his arm bands.

Tula (the bathing Zora) said "wow either you are a Hylian or hideously deformed"

Phura has vandalized and mounted one of the spirit frog statues above her door.

Okay but the fucking noice that comes out of Bolson when you buy everything!! It's as if you just walked up and twisted his nuts with the power fit to shield block a Lynel’s charge.

Is the flower by Link's bed a Korok version of a Silent Princess?

The monsters of Hyrule are show to have interest in consumption based on three accounts.

1: the Bocoblins and the Moblins by Hateno bay steal cattle.

2: Hynoxes carry around warriors foodstuffs.

3: Moblins (or at least the ones by the camp near the Serenne stable/forgotten temple) have a resting animation where they dig through the dirt and stuff something down their goblet.

...not to mention that nearly every camp has a bit of meat roasting by the fire.

Koyin has joined the fan-club!

God, the Naydra snowfield is fucking loaded in chill-shromes!

Stasis is perfect for looking for ingredients in forests, just open it, look around and bam! No more hidey hoe.

Why no shiny text for hylia's statue!?

I really do not like that they changed Naydra's colors when the malice was removed, they were so cool and then bam! White! White is not the color for ice and cold!

When praying by the spring of wisdom you are facing Hyrule castle, the same with courage and power if my memory serves me right.

...The master Torch

The Katona Aug shrine is just fucking mini-golf, how is that meant to prepare the hero?! Imagine how that Monk goes to the afterlife and has to look his fellows straight in the eye and admit that he was so lazy that not only did he make the hero play golf, not only was he so lazy that he made the Hero play mini-golf, but that he was so lazy that he did not even make a course! It is literally just a straight line!

Robie wants to see Links scars to verify that he is who he says that he is, Robie was likely one of the ninja that took Link to the shrine of resurrection.

Oh and Robin has two interesting sketches in his lab, the first is a detailed graph of a Sheikah tower so those were likely known about long before Link activated one (the one closest to Robin would be the one covered in malice and guardians so he could not have gotten enough detail from that one).

And the other is a sketch of what I believe is either a tier 2 or tier 3 guardian scout. Now, how can Robin know how that looks if only Link can/could enter shrines?

The Sheikah shrine that has the Barbarian helm is located at the end of the Sinai maze, did they just plop the shrine down there and steal the treasure of the ruin to later present to the hero?

There is one usable room in the citadel.

There is no compendium slot for the malice eyes that litter Naydra, Hyrule Castle and the Divine Beasts.

You can change the element of already elemental slime, not just the neutral kind.

Those head-spitting fuckers inside the divine beasts! They are partially reanimating mobs! So it's not that the Blood Moon is the time where Ganon is at his strongest, it's just where he chooses to revive everything.

The edge of duality can also be found in the shrine at the top of the dueling peaks.

#botw #lore #fanfic ideas #the legend of zelda #breath of the wild

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livlepretre · 3 years

Note

Hey so this is something I meant to ask a while ago, but I totally forgot about it until like five minutes ago. A few chapters ago, Klaus told Elena he hadn’t slept with anyone in years. Is this a head canon you have about Klaus? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought I remembered you saying you thought he would have been sexually reckless in his very early vampire years. If you do think he’s been celibate more recently, is this because he was kind of a paranoid reclusive for a while there? I feel like what I’m asking has different responses based on which universe we are speaking about—whether that be canon, FE canon, or SWBS canon. Cuz like I could see you needing to add that in there so there’s no possibility Klaus has gotten other women pregnant recently in the SWBS narrative. Long story short, I guess I just want to know if there was a reason for this specific line and how you head canon Klaus’s sex life has been over the course of a thousand years.

oh my God YESSSS I love this ask haha

I think that Klaus lost his virginity to Tatia Petrova, and she was the only woman he ever slept with as a human. (She was also sleeping with Elijah, but I do think she was in love with both of them but Elijah was the one who offered that shot at getting married/having a better life, and Tatia was enough of a realist to try-- unsuccessfully-- to break it off with Klaus, but that’s a whole other headcanon.)

Her death fucked him up pretty much permanently. I think his whole “love is a vampire’s greatest weakness” thing is a result of this tragedy-- this was him turning his heart to stone after having it utterly broken. And of course... also turning his heart to stone in the wake of not even knowing how Tatia felt about him in the end-- was she using him? Stringing him along? Did she really love him back? He’ll never know, because his parents murdered her in the most gruesome and terrifying way possible.

This doesn’t mean he doesn’t indulge his appetites though. He and his siblings quickly descend into lusts of every sort-- their bloodlust and their sexual appetites intermingle, get confused-- Klaus dabbles with women, playing games with consent and seduction using compulsion, egged on by Kol, and even Elijah, and egging them on in turn. His lovers are often his victims, especially in those early days, when he had less control over his appetites and left a lot more bodies in his wake. It wouldn’t be very long before the list included men as well as women, and those early years would have been almost like a kind of frenzy-- a savagery fueled by the madness of the curse, the fact that their lives had been ripped apart by their parents whom they should have been able to trust, by the dark maw of his grief.

I think he and Rebekah would have become lovers sometime around 10, 20 years into being vampires-- the subtext of the show supports their incest-- they’re just too weird together!-- and I headcanon that he would have been the one to take her virginity. It would have to be far enough into their curse that by then all of the social mores prohibiting various cruelties and abominations like sibling incest would have been stripped from them-- they were already delighting in murder, torture, rape, etc by then for some time, slaves to their own damnations-- but soon enough after the turn that Rebekah wouldn’t have fallen in love with someone/had the opportunity to have a lover. I could see this being something that would spur Klaus’s possessiveness-- and he’s very possessive of Rebekah. I don’t even see it as romantic in any way-- I think sex for Klaus is largely a mechanism of control and dominance, and he exerts it over Rebekah, his favorite sibling, his pet, the very most. Any hint that she’s going to stray from him, or give her heart, loyalties, and affection elsewhere, and he uses his sexual hold on her to keep her there, and kills the lover for good measure. (Why just Rebekah? Because I don’t actually think the incest extends elsewhere... except maaaybbeee Kol/Rebekah... well, because 1) she’s the only girl and Klaus is definitely misogynistic enough to view this as a weakness or something he can control 2) she’s younger, and her personality is easier to control than Kol, who is a wild child and bucks authority on top of being as suspicious and paranoid as Klaus, or Elijah, who is Klaus’s equal and whose wrath Klaus is always always wary of.)

So, for a very long time, I think that Klaus sleeps around in a casually vicious way, with Rebekah as his only long-term, on again-off again lover (although, there are probably some mistresses here and there, and probably some witches too, who might last a bit longer, or who might make it out alive), until we get to Katerina.

Katerina. The woman with Tatia’s face. A duplicate, body and soul. She’s the greatest danger Klaus has faced since his turning, because she’s the one girl his heart might be vulnerable to. So he shores himself up even more. Strengthens that wall of stone around his heart, and keeps himself cold to her. He can’t resist taking her as his lover, of course, or keeping her as his mistress while he gathers the resources necessary to sacrifice her. But all the while, even while he has her in his bed every night, even as he’s plotting her murder, he’s seething with fury and jealousy. He’s envious of Elijah, who falls in love with her, plain and simple; envious of Trevor, even, for the same reason... because she is the one woman he wants, but he’s also too selfish to ever contemplate doing anything other than murdering her for the sake of obtaining his power, so she is also the one woman he cannot have. And he cannot ever allow himself to love her, because he will definitely kill her. And he’s furious when Elijah comes up with a plan to save her, because Klaus is also afraid of Katerina. Afraid of that possibility that if he falls in love, it will be a weakness, just like his love for Tatia was a grave weakness. The thing that was his undoing oh so long ago.

Of course, Katerina runs, and Klaus feels this proves him absolutely right about her.

A few more centuries pass. I think with time we see his bloodlust slaked, and more and more of his bedmates survive the encounters. He grows bored, and restless. There’s no more hope for ever breaking the curse, and so his life feels very static. He has nothing to look forward to specifically. He takes lovers here and there, and he falls in and out of Rebekah’s bed, but nothing touches that stone heart of his.

This changes pretty significantly in the 20s. By then he’s suffered a harrowing blow. The family is broken apart, and it’s just him and Rebekah-- really just him and Rebekah, indefinitely-- for the first time he can ever recall.

This is when Stefan joins the picture... Stefan, whom Rebekah adores, but who can be something different than every other lover Rebekah has had-- he can be that missing brother for Klaus-- who is looking for someone to fill the void now that Elijah (and Kol, and Marcel, but honestly not Finn because he’s been daggered for eight centuries) is gone. And because Klaus’s ideas about sex and power and sibling love are all screwed up, and because Stefan is charming and handsome and fun, Rebekah and Stefan’s affair quickly becomes Rebekah and Stefan and Klaus’s affair-- the three of them all tangled up together. And it’s precarious but Rebekah will take whatever she can have and Klaus is greedy for emotional fulfillment and Stefan is high all the time and having a great time having great sex so he doesn’t take any of it as seriously as he definitely should.

Then of course there is the separation.

I think during this long time period Klaus probably continues his pattern of casual sexual flings, but I doubt he really gets close to anyone. In fact, other than Rebekah or Katerina, I have the feeling that Stefan is the only other person he was sexually involved with that he really cared about. That’s why he wanted him back in 2010 when he ran into him again and the timing seemed right.

I guess this now gets into the present-- my feeling isn’t so much that Klaus has been celibate as a matter of choice or paranoia or anything (although, he is paranoid, which is why he hasn’t fallen in love again in a thousand years), just that he is simply so old that years might pass between flings and he doesn’t really notice. It doesn’t seem like that long for him necessarily-- years can feel like weeks at this point-- and he’s grown pickier as he’s gotten older-- someone has to interest him for him to pursue, and it takes more and more to interest him now than it did before.

Like, the show does suggest to me that Klaus may have been sleeping with Greta Martin, and that would fall directly in line with his MO-- we’ve seen him sleep with witches before, and we know that power does interest him. He’s not exactly upset by her death though, even though he seemed to like her-- also in line with how he refuses to become emotionally invested in his lovers.

I do think though that he was sleeping with Stefan in that summer they spent together-- again, Stefan is an exception to the rule, although he’s not in love with Stefan-- Stefan slides into that weird Klaus category of “brother,” which is a gray area muddled in with lover for him-- essentially the same place that Rebekah occupies, but without the same levels of (faint) protection that actually being Klaus’s blood sibling provides. It’s fascinating to me that Klaus would reinitiate the affair with Stefan without returning Stefan’s memories-- it implies that he wanted Stefan’s devotion pure and simple, like making him fall into his orbit again to see if it will happen again, but it also implies a selfishness and greed for Stefan’s devotion, because he wants it focused on himself and not at all to share with Rebekah.

I’m sure there was a wild week or two where they all resumed their relationship when Rebekah was reawakened before Klaus discovered Stefan had been lying all summer about Elena.

My last thought on all of this is to do with Klaus and Elena. I’ve pondered and pondered and pondered why Klaus would choose to kill Jenna when Elena had already promised to go along with him willingly, obviously for the sake of her loved ones, and I had to think he was angry with her and taking it out on her that he had to kill her at all-- because there was a part of Klaus that wanted her for himself, and he couldn’t have her because, once again, he’s way too selfish to ever consider doing anything other than securing his own power.

I suppose this takes us up to the present.

I put that line in SWBS but left it intentionally easy to misconstrue-- Klaus says he hasn’t had a woman in years, which makes it clear that there’s been no one he could have gotten pregnant, but there’s been some subtext with Stefan’s responses to Elena sleeping with Klaus that imply that he has that history with Klaus himself-- I think the only fic I have where I wrote it without assuming that Stefan and Klaus were sleeping together that summer was After the Fire, But Before the Flood, but that was only because I wrote most of it before season 3 aired/before that season 3 promo ignited the Klaus x Stefan alarm bells in my brain. So anyway, in SWBS, Klaus and Stefan have that recent sexual history, and Klaus was probably sleeping with Rebekah a bit before Mystic Falls too, but does Klaus even see her as a woman? Doubtful, honestly. There’s something else going on there.

I’m pretty fluid though in terms of what I think Klaus’s recent sexual history is-- sometimes like in Just A Glimpse, he’s been sleeping with Greta, sometimes the affair with Rebekah and Stefan is full steam ahead like in Fairytale Ending, and sometimes it all fizzles on him like in SWBS.

I do still think it’s hilarious and amazing that the only time Klaus canonically sleeps with someone in TVD it’s because Hayley negs him into oblivion with her (entirely fair and accurate) assessment of his artwork.

#klaus #klaus mikaelson #anonymous #swbs #fairytale ending #just a glimpse #atfbbtf

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erinhime83 · 3 years

Photo

Okay, this is being put up at the request of @callistochan87. Which...fair enough, since I was actually going to do something with this a few days ago before my muse shifted onto something else *shrugs*

Because I am notorious for being cryptic in these things to the point where future me never has a clue what the hell I had planned, I figured, for her sake, I'll write down stuff in case I look back on this later and had forgotten what I had planned. Bleh.So, anyway, @callistochan87 has been trying to convince me to make ES an original sci-fi story for a while now. Which...I've been fighting her on merely because the uniforms are so pretty, but at the same time, I can make the story work without the magical girl aspect. And writing magical girl stories was easier back when this was created because of the influx of fan-fics out there. So that might be one reason this story has been sitting in limbo for the past ten+ years.

Sooo...a bit of history/plot. About 1000 years ago, the planet of Novis was at the end of a civil war. The Realm of Spirits had been taken over by a rogue demon who they called Lady Spirit, because they never learned her real name, who had been trying to conquer the entire planet while pretending to be the priestess of Spirits. The other priestesses managed to defeat her, but all they could do was seal her away. They knew eventually she was going to be able to break free, and that the only person who could truly defeat her was the priestess of light.Now, the problem is that the priestess of light had been missing for millennia, so the rulers of the other kingdoms, save for one, decided that they needed to go and find the missing priestess. They've been searching planet to planet, living the lifespans of the people as they search. The latest planet is Earth.

The people of Novis have been living fairly peacefully this entire time, but have just started getting reports that Lady Spirit has either started to break free, or is about to. So the last remaining priestess sends messengers in order call back her sisters so they could take on the threat. But the problem is no one knows who they are or what they look like.

So the basic plot of the story is searching for the reincarnated priestesses while also fighting the demons Lady Spirit sends to stop the messengers/priestesses, and then, ya know, preparing for Lady Spirit's return while also lowkey looking for the priestess of light as well (which is not Adrianna, if that's what you're thinking).

So the first set of designs is the main designs of their human forms.

Adrianna Roderick: main character, about 16-17. She's just this average high school girl who gets caught up in this nonsense because she finds Celedonia. She mostly agrees to it because she kind of feels bad for Celedonia, and wants to help after hearing her story.

Jake O'Reilly: love interest, about 16-17. He's also this average high school kid, although he's considered extremely popular for reasons he doesn't understand. He's Addy's best friend since they were babies, since they grew up next door to each other, and he gets involved because Addy's involved. And he's been in love with her for quite some time, so he's not about to let her do something dangerous without him.

Melanie Roland: best friend, about 16-17. She's, well, she's the true priestess of spirits, although none of the other priestesses realize that she's been following them. She cares deeply for both Addy and Jake, and is a general all around nice girl, for the most part. She's the main reason Addy, and Jake by extension, end up traveling to Novis with the others.

Isabel Easton: the leader, about 17-18. She's the most popular girl at school (or was, depending on how old I make them). Everyone loves Isabel. This is mostly because she's actually the priestess of water, who lead the other priestesses. She's sort of iffy about Addy and Jake helping out at first, but she quickly comes around.

Tessa Easton: the leader's sister, about 15-16. She's an extreme tomboy, very into sports and the like. She and Isabel get along extremely well despite being complete and utter opposites. In fact, it’s best not to make fun of Tessa, because Isabel will end you if you do. Tessa is the priestess of earth, and she and the priestess of water were sisters on Novis as well.

Natsumi Fukioka: the smart one, about 18-19. She’s the oldest of the group, and was born in Japan rather that the US. She obviously made it a point to get her butt over to the US to meet up with the others, and she’s an international college student. She’s also the priestess of fire.

Rachel Hamilton: ???, about 14-15. She’s the youngest of the group, and was born in England. But she moved to the US when she was very young because of her father’s business, so she was basically raised American. Addy sort of knows about her prior to all this because her younger brother has a crush on her. She’s also the priestess of lightning.

The next set of designs is basically how they look on Novis. So, ya know, the priestesses get their original hair color back, asand then Addy and Jake get theirs thanks to being introduced to magic or some such nonsense. I really, really like how these designs come out. I might do something later (maybe) showing what they really, really looked like in the past, but *shrug*. I was honestly just trying to come up with outfit designs as well as figuring out their original hair colors.

So the priestess’ names are: Spira, Naida, Demetra, Ignia, and Eletra.

The last set are just the random extra characters of the story.

Zephira: she’s the priestess that was left behind to watch over Novis and the one who sent Celedonia and Aquarius in order to let the others know about Lady Spirit’s reawakening.

Celedonia: she’s sort of the main messenger, and Zephira’s younger sister. She took on the from of the bird there to disguise herself for whatever reason, and was attacked by something which lead her to Addy’s window. She decides she needs some help finding the priestesses, which is why she asks Addy and Jake to assist her.

Aquarius: he’s the other messenger sent, although he was sent by the actual people of Novis. he takes on the form of the cat there. He actually comes upon Isabel extremely fast, but she doesn’t quite want to go back just yet, so she pretty much keeps him a secret for a while. He has a crush on Celedonia, although he doesn’t really want to admit it.

Felina: one of Lady Spirit’s minions who was sent to Earth in order to find the priestesses and kill them before they could return to Novis. She’s, for the most part, a pacifistic, not really wanting to fight, but knowing in order to survive, she has to stay on Lady Spirit’s good side. She’s a fairly young demon, all things considered, and prone to failure.

Mukesh: the other one of Lady Spirit’s minions who was sent to Earth. He was a general in her army during the initial attack, and was just sent back to the Realm of Spirits rather than sealed like she was. where he found Felina. He joined her again because he felt like it was his duty. He’s completely in love with Felina, and does whatever he can to keep her safe, helping with her failures the best that he can.

Lady Spirit: the villain. No one is quite sure where she came from, but she somehow managed to overthrow the sitting priestess and her family when Spira was rather young. The other priestesses honestly thought she was the priestess of spirits for the longest time, until she started the war with the other kingdoms.

So...yeah. I realize that’s just sort of a lot for three pictures, but meh.

(Originally, Zephira and Celedonia were going to have fairy wings, and Aquarius had gills, but I didn’t want to think of the ‘special features’ of the other people, so now they’re just, ya know, human looking aliens who have the ability to use magic.)

(Oh, and I think it’s funny looking back at old pictures and other ES stuff where I’m like TESSA IS NOT A LESBIAN, SHE TOTALLY LIKES GUYS, and now I’m like, lol, guess what?)

#elemental spiritis #designs #addy #jake #isabel #tessa #natsumi #rachel #celedonia #aquarius #zephira #felian #mukest #lady spirit

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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years

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Maybe a story about Norman being a good parent?

Summary: Mindless beast or not, the Projectionist was a Polk, and the Polks did not hurt their young, or whatever they perceived as such.

You all knew it was coming inevitably...

---

[[MORE]]

Norman's and Margarite's marriage had come as a surprise to the entire Polk family. A simple signature on a piece of paper, and a pair of battered rings that had belonged to Nanna and Poppop Polk (gifted to him by the former who always knew he'd be a better fit for them). No fanciful ceremony with pretty dresses or suits, expensive cakes and extensive guest list.

A disappointing waste, his mama had proclaimed over the letter she'd sent as a reply to his own that detailed his status as a married man in a far off city. She'd wanted to witness the event, shed her motherly tears as one of her little ducklings became a real man ready to start a family.

But, to Norman and Maggie, the marriage wasn't a motive of celebration like his mama thought. It was insurance against further discrimination towards them. They were, after all, the black couple that lived in a quaint apartment in New York city.

Already that was a challenge of its own, as said apartment was populated primarily by white hot-blooded tenants, with only one more laying vacant for a (hopefully) friendlier family.

Their downstairs neighbor clearly hated them from sight alone, and the others were unsure how the new additions fit into their "perfect" lives in the Big Apple. If any of them were to discover that they both enjoyed the full spectrum of the gender binary, well... Accidents happened in the big city. Accidents that targeted specific minorities for some "unfathomable" reason.

So yes, as shameful as it may be, their wedding was strictly business. Rings for show, public displays of affection to dispell the gossip, and overall just the usual married life arguments in the grocery store to sell the deal (neither of them could care less about which type of sugar made the best apple pie crust, or what brand of soap was better, but it sure made the couples they passed by smile knowingly at the common domestic disputes). There was just one thing left to do to really make a statement on their relationship status.

"Three of my coworkers are getting maternity leave. It's been a few months, I think it's time."

Children were a sensitive topic. Both Norman and Maggie wanted kids, had a vague idea of how many they planned to raise, and were quite certain they'd make beautiful and healthy younglings with one another. The question was: Was it fair to bring in chidren into a farce of a matrimony? What if one day they found their actual ideal partner?

"Yous better be sure it's the right time darlin'..." He'd urged her to think more on the subject. "Don't want to rush things like that now, do we?"

"I'm ready." She'd stared him in the eye with a certainty and confidence he couldn't begin to imagine. He knew she was, but was he? Was he truly ready to bare such a responsibility?

That night he relented to her wishes and they had finally consummated their marriage. Nine months later, little Nancy was born a small but relatively healthy baby. Upon seeing his firstborn for the first time ever, and then holding her gently in hands that dwarfed her little head greatly, Norman immediately understood he was ready to be a parent. And a loving one at that.

In total, Norman and Maggie had five children. Three boys and two girls. Nancy was their eldest child and the more levelheaded of the bunch. The apple of her mother's eye, and her father's baby girl, she was the perfect balance of their greatest qualities and teachings. A clever and determined young girl with big aspirations for her future. She wanted to be a doctor.

Aaron was the second eldest child and the one most like his father. Clever and with an eye for detail, enough so that he had taken up an interest that fits his perceptive nature: Photography. The walls of the Polk household were filled with his works, at first done with Norman's own old and battered camera, until he'd bought the young lad his very own fancy new model.

Louise was the middle child, and the troublemaker of the bunch. She was a bit of a tomboy, and liked to scrap with the boys in her class, to the point where it wasn't uncommon to see her with several bruises and band-aids, and haphazardly taped wireframed glasses. She kept both Norman and Maggie on their toes.

Albert was the second youngest and the quietest. A little bookworm that appreciated the art of literature over anything else. He wanted to be a novelist, even at a very young age, and often shared ideas for stories at the dinner table. There was no doubt in Norman's heart that his little boy would write a best-seller one day. Maggie fretted for his social life, however, as he was the least sociable of their children. Far too shy.

Finally the youngest child was Willard. An outspoken young toddler that was definitely as confident as his mama. A little tot with a very big personality indeed, that Norman couldn't wait to see grow up into yet another fine young boy. If any of their children was to ever get what he wanted in life, it'd definitely be Will.

Truly there was nothing in this world that Norman loved more than his offsprings, and indulging in their interests was always an adventure. One to be shared with three other members of the family.

The vacant apartment had been occupied by Norman's younger brother, Alfred, and his own two children. By then almost all their neighbors (minus the one that hated them from day one) had warmed up to them. So another set of friendly faces was a good addition to their home life.

Norman absolutely loved watching over his nephew and niece, especially because his children were delighted to have other kids around their age to play with.

It reminded him of being back home in Louisiana, his own brothers and sisters sparring with him and playing whatever games they could come up with on the spot. Watching Louise and Nelson tumbling about fighting as equally dirty as the other, really stirred up some good memories he had of his older sisters.

"Bite her Nelson! Bite her!" Lydia cheered as her older brother pinned their cousin to the ground.

"Louise tug on his ears! Pummel him!" Aaron called out to his little sister, encouraging her to fend off her opponent.

"Lydia and Aaron! What I tell y'all 'bout encouragin' yous's siblings t'fight all nasty?!"

"Not to...?"

"Exactly."

Granted some play-fighting needed to be monitored when most of the audience were enablers, and neither his middle child nor his nephew had any qualms sending each other to the hospital. They were still learning about consequences after all.

Still, there wasn't anything else in the world that built better character than teaching the children that they were equals to one another in all their shared activities. Respect was an important lesson to be learned. One Norman wished every parent taught their child.

The world would be a better place otherwise...

Sometimes the Projectionist would inevitably be unable to fend off sleep. The exhaustion would wear it down and give way to the nightmares of a life it could barely remember. Then it would wake up and scream, trying to rid itself of heinous visions of itself ripping its offsprings apart.

Norman Polk would reawaken inside its brutish body and lash out, hoping to either physically fight away his own broken psyche or perhaps cripple the Projectionist so that it could never fulfil these dreamt up acts of violence.

A Polk was all about family, and the thought of becoming the sort to bring harm upon his own children... Well, Norman had heard the stories. Knew why Poppop was such a taboo topic. He did not want to be the man besides his Nanna in the portrait above the fireplace... One he'd resembled if his eye wasn't wrong and he'd grown out his beard...

The Projectionist didn't have the mental faculties to understand this distress however, but it seemed to recognize that what it saw in dreams was bad. That what it did to the vermin, it should never do to those innocent little youngsters that looked at it with love instead of fear and hatred. So... Why did it do it in dreams? Why did it kill when it wanted to be docile? The children were not a threat, so why...?

It made no sense... But it didn't much care for elaborate existential crisis like that. Norman's consciousness would freak it out, but ultimately loosened its grip and go back to being dormant. The lumbering beast resuming its tiring trek through the endless maze. A cycle that would repeat itself the next time it fell asleep.

It was in the aftermath of yet another nightmare that the Projectionist came across something completely new to it. Something small and living, and very much intruding on its space. Something that very vaguely looked like it...

A living being with a body similar to the ones the horrible botched critters that ran around in packs had, yet with no visible imperfections to it. Its head though... It was kind of like a projector, but not. Square in shape, with a lens, a tube, dial and something very round that kind of looked like a big ear. A camera, like the one Aaron had gotten for his birthday.

It seemed to have gloves, shoes and a belt that sort of looked like the speaker lodged in the Projectionist's torso, but it was hard to tell since the strange being was on the ground flailing about like a dying fish.

The towering amalgam stared at the tiny new thing in dumbfounded silence, unsure how to react to such a strange discovery, until it realized why the thing was flailing about to begin with.

One of its legs was pinned under a crate that appeared to have fallen from a nearby stack, and the Projectionist could tell the limb was broken. Nearby lay a series of Ink Hearts that had been resting on the fallen crate.

On any other occasion it would have simply walked over, raised one heavy foot, and crushed the intruder's skull for daring to try to steal from it. This time however, was completely different... Something primal was urging the Projectionist to do something completely alien to its usually aggressive nature. Something instinctive.

The poor creature grew agitated upon finally noticing the Projectionist's presence as it approached, but its broken limb ensured it stayed put even after the crate was picked up and tossed aside. It shook fearfully once the Projectionist knelt down to pick it up by the torso. It stopped shaking once it was brought to rest against the much larger beast's chest, cradled gently like an infant. The Projectionist rumbling softly so as to reassure it that no harm would befall it.

The little creature, with a head that was not a projector but a distant relative of a sort, stared up with its own dark lens before reaching out to gently pat the Projectionist's "face". It seemed to understand its intention to help it, rather than exterminate it.

The lumbering beast carried on in its path, now carrying a most precious cargo. It would find something to help treat the injury and then it would begin teaching this newly adopted offspring to survive in the studio.

Mindless beast or not, the Projectionist was still a Polk, and the Polks cared for their younglings. This tiny sentient camera was its child now, and the beast would protect it from the horrors of this horrid studio.

#eps writes:#bendy and the ink machine #batim #norman polk #the projectionist #cameraman

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sunarintoes · 4 years

Text

Synopsis: Yn Ln is an environmentalist - Miyagi University’s very own campus ‘Green Thumb.’ One day Hinata Shōyō who happens to be a close friend of Yn, invites them to come to one of his races. The only problem is that this race of his, is illegal. Read the journey of Yn who has been sucked into the world of illegal street racing with the one goal: to create an eco-friendly race car.

TW: none :)

WC: 1.2K

Note: hello! I’m back! Hope you enjoy this week’s chapter because I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

An Old Touch

A week ago if someone had told you that you would spend two to three nights a week at an almost empty gas station food court with Oikawa of all people, you would have laughed in their face and told them that was the funniest thing you have heard all day. But here you are, sitting across from said man at a small table towards the right back corner next to the overly large glass walls - the same seat as last time, and the time before that.

You take a long sip from your drink - a vanilla bean frappe, before deciding that you wanted to share something. ‘I know we have rules and all, but strangers tell each other about their lives right?’

‘Yeah I guess they do,’ he looks at you and sees that you have a distressed face, ‘what? Is there something you need to get off your chest?’

‘Yeah actually… if that's alright?’

‘Yeah yeah go for it.’

‘Uh… thanks? It's just that- if your ex, who might I add broke your heart, came back into your life in a sick twist of fate would you take them back?’

Oikawa scoffs, ‘no way! Why should I take someone back who broke up with me? It's their loss they can reap it.’

You let out a sad laugh, ‘yeah but, what if you never really got over them?’

He scowls at you, ‘please tell me you’re not talking about Iwa-pooh?’

You laugh at him, ‘dude, Haji was my childhood crush when I was like thirteen! This other person… was my first everything and then one day they just… yeah.’

You feel tears well up in your eyes and decide to drop the subject, ‘you know Yn. Second chances exist - not that I believe in them, but people can change. You're young, I'm assuming this was a relationship from highschool or whatever? This person has probably matured and seen the error of their ways - or they haven't! That's up for you to find out. I'm not saying that you should just jump right into their pants, but you know you could just become friends? Let the relationship develop from there… if it blooms into something romantic then great! If not then you just got to move on and accept that you’re not meant to be.’

You make eye contact with Oikawa, ‘thanks… that's actually the nicest thing that's come out of your mouth. I almost thought you were possessed for a second.’ He clicks his tongue and kicks your chair sending it back a few places. You look back down to the floor, ‘I'm confused. I still have these feelings for my ex but when I saw Haji again I felt like a schoolgirl in love. I know it's been ten years since I last saw him and all that jazz but being with him again- especially because he’s matured so well, has yeah... reawakened forgotten feelings.’

Oikawa narrows his eyes at you, ‘don’t. Please just go back to your ex if you have to choose.’ You look at him confused, ‘we’re strangers. I can be mean if I want but it's just, I don't want my Iwa-pooh to be hurt that's all. Besides he’s too busy for a relationship, I’m sure of it.’

The atmosphere feels icy and you regret bringing up Iwaizumi. You aren't sure why Oikawa seemed so defensive of his best friend but now you know not to bring it up again. Maybe he is telling the truth, he doesn't trust you so why should he trust you with his best friend heart?

‘Are you excited for tomorrow night? I am. I've never seen an actual street race.’

Oikawa’s body loosens up and his tone of voice becomes less hostile, ‘yeah it should be good. Every single racer is going at it. Should be interesting.’

Neither of you say anything else to continue the discussion instead you silently agree to leave it at that. The silence that engulfs the table no longer feels suffocating and awkward as it had the first and second times the two of you caught up, alternatively the silence feels refreshing and supportive - nothing has to be said and you are both okay with that.

‘Isn't this a little extravagant?’ you say as you walk into the clubroom, ‘are you sure this is the same room as every other race?’

Sugawara chuckles, ‘of course it is! We’ve just brought out some screens and couches, the cctv cameras are streaming to the screens as well - thanks to Tsukishima.’

You feel your jaw drop, ‘what do you mean?’

He looks back over his shoulder at you, ‘what do you mean, what do you mean? I told ya, we hacked into the public cctv cameras and are streaming them on these screens placed around the room because it's cold outside and more comfortable in here! Simple, really.’

You scowl at him, ‘it's not that simple and you know it.’

‘Yn, you're here… do you want to sit together?’

You turn around at the familiar voice, ‘no Kiyoko, I don't.’

She looks at you with a hurt expression, ‘please,’ she pleads almost silently.

You feel your eyes soften and your composure loosen, ‘fine but we’re sitting at least one person apart.’

She gives you a small smile- oh how you've missed that smile, ‘that's fine.’

The two of you make your way to the couches where the rest of Karasuno who weren't racing were sitting. You take the end seat so the only person next to you is Sugawara, until he decides to get up and sit with Ennoshita leaving the space empty for Kiyoko to sweep in. You curse him in your mind.

‘So Yn. Perfect time to talk huh?’

‘You look away from her and focus solely on the screen, ‘no, it is not.’

She places a delicate hand on your thigh, ‘yes it is, the races don't start for a minute or two.’

You scowl, ‘I'm busy praying for a certain captain to flunk the race.’

Her eyes widen a bit and she moves closer, ‘you don't mean Daichi right?’ She says in a hushed whisper.

You scoot closer to the edge, ‘no I don't,’ you harshly whisper back, ‘I'm talking about that idiot Oikawa!’

‘I see,’ her voice is soft, so, so delicate, in all these years her voice has not changed, it still feels nostalgic - like home, comfort and familiarity. Her voice is like a soft feather floating in the delicate winds of spring. Kiyoko reminds you of springtime, it doesn’t help that she smells like a beautiful bouquet of flowers either. You stare into her eyes - not registering that she was already looking at you. You feel mesmerised by her presence. ‘You seem distracted, Yn.’ Her voice snaps you out of your daze and you move back only to find a warm sensation softly holding your face in place, you realise that her hands are caressing you - inviting you to lean into her touch. You don't move, you don't fight her touches, you just let her hold your face and just as you begin to really like it, she pulls away. ‘Yn, the race has started.’

taglist: @cutepet09 @dadchioya

bolded means I could not tag :)

#adkor #a different kind of race #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #oikawa x reader #iwaizumi x reader #kiyoko x reader

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