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let-it-raines · 4 years

Text

based on the prompt: “when I was five, I was hunting shark teeth on Miami Beach and just kept finding tooth after tooth with my little plastic sleuce. I was so proud of my collection. Only 20 years later did I find out that my mom’s boyfriend had bought a bag of shark teeth at the gift shop and scattered them around while I was distracted.”

@shireness-says is the queen of finding posts and then having me write words based off of them, even more so if I can somehow make those words involve some captain cobra and then, of course, my favorite thing: all of the banter and romance ��️

This little thing is also fully my way to give a little bit of happiness since I know 70% of you are mad at me for the last few chapters of What a Wicked Game . it gets better very soon.

found on ao3 | here | ; rating: for everyone ; ~4400 words

-/-

Emma’s forgetting something.

She knows that she is. She’s practically always forgetting something, and since she’s making the effort to drive across town to the beach with Henry, she just knows that there’s something that she’s going to forget. Then she’ll have to go into one of those tourist shops and spend fifty bucks on the smallest bottle of sunscreen known to mankind all because she forgot the sunscreen.

Did she pack the sunscreen?

She had to have done that. That was in the top five things she needed to pack.

Towels, extra clothes, food, water, sunscreen.

And then beach toys, medicine, a comb, band-aids for when Henry inevitably figures out a way to get a cut…oh, an umbrella. She needs an umbrella.

Wait, Killian was in charge of getting that, wasn’t he?

Shit. She doesn’t remember what exactly she told Killian to bring, and she definitely should have paid more attention to that.

She has to be more put together than this, doesn’t she? She usually is, she swears, but this whole Henry spending the day with Killian is freaking her out more than it should. They’ve met, several times actually, and it’s always gone well. Henry’s six. He doesn’t really get the whole concept of his mom dating someone because he’s never really seen it before. There was almost that time with Walsh, but Emma chickened out at the last minute. Then Walsh got pissed that she wouldn’t let him meet her kid, like she owed him something, and that was the end of that.

But they’ve met. It went well.

Why is she freaking out?

“Because you really like him, you idiot,” she whispers to herself, which kind of makes her even more of an idiot.

That’s all just par for the course right now.

“Who are you talking to?” Henry asks as he walks into the kitchen. The kid is wearing a pair of jeans, no shirt, one sock, and a hat that she knows isn’t hers and is far too big for his head.

“No one,” Emma tells him. “What are you wearing, kid?”

“You told me to get dressed for the beach.”

“Why do you think jeans are what you’re supposed to wear to the beach? Is that what you wear to the pool?”

“No, but the beach has sand.”

“So you have to wear jeans?”

“Yep.” He climbs up onto the kitchen stool and sits down, wide, toothy grin on his face. “So, can we go? I packed all of my toys.”

What an adorable kid. How did she get so lucky for him to be hers?

…wait. All of his toys?

“Henry Swan,” Emma sighs, “go to your room and put every toy that is not allowed in the shower back, and take those jeans off and put on your swimsuit with the anchors on it. Also, ditch the socks.”

“Do I have to?”

“Unless you want to smell like a wet dog, yes.”

“I like dogs.”

Emma huffs and shakes her before pointing her finger down the hall. “Go. We’ve still got to make our sandwiches.”

Henry grumbles something that she probably doesn’t want to hear, but then he’s climbing down off the stool and walking down the hallway. She has no faith in him to actually manage to put on the right clothes and not bring everything he owns, but she’ll let that be the last thing she does so that way he doesn’t manage to change everything up before they leave.

There’s a knock on the apartment door, and Emma glances toward it, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

This is not a big deal, she reminds herself. This is not a big deal at all.

Swallowing her nerves, she puts down the knife she was going to use to cut bread up and heads toward the door. Emma takes a deep breath, her stomach fluttering, but that’s not unfamiliar as of late. It’s aching familiar, actually, and she’s not sure if she loves it or hates it.

Hates it because she’s not that kind of girl.

Loves it because maybe she wants to be.

“Hey,” she says in greeting as she opens the door to Killian.

He, unlike Henry, was able to dress himself in a pair of black trunks that are maybe a little too tight on his thighs for public and a gray t-shirt, baseball cap that actually fits his head pulled down low so that she can’t see the wisps of long hair that usually fall on his forehead. When they met, he had short hair that was nearly cropped to his scalp, but now that he’s retired from the Navy, he’s letting it grow out. She likes it. It falls off his forehead and over the nape of his neck in a slight wave, but she does kind of miss when it was short but long enough for him to style with gel. It’d all come undone when she’d run her hands through it, and she has this vivid memory of one piece falling on his forehead and making him look so young that she could scarcely believe it.

“Hello, love,” he greets before dipping his head down and pressing his lips against hers. It’s dirty but surprisingly quick, and she knows that’s just because he’s aware that Henry is around. When she meets him at his place, he kisses her differently, and really, she shouldn’t be noticing these things and categorizing them into her little boxes. “Am I allowed to say that I am very interested in what you have underneath this shirt of yours or are there young ears listening?”

Emma rolls her eyes and presses up on her toes to kiss him again, much slower this time so she can savor the hint of coffee on his lips. “He’s getting dressed again.”

“Again?”

“He was wearing jeans, no shirt, and a hat that I think must be yours.”

“Was it a Pirates cap?”

“It was.”

“Damn, I knew I’d left that somewhere.”

Emma chuckles and backs away from him, trailing her hand down his arm. “You’re not even from Pittsburg. Why are you a Pirates fan?”

“Because my best mate was when we were kids, and it stuck.”

“And your loyalties are too deep now?”

“Absolutely.” Killian closes the door behind him and saunters – and she’s not exaggerating when she uses that word – over to her small kitchen and picks up the knife she was using. “Do you need help making lunch?”

“No, I can do it.”

“Turkey, lettuce, cheese for the boy,” Killian hums as he starts placing slices of turkey on a piece of bread, “and no crust, aye? You want the same thing but with tomatoes, and do you want any condiments? I don’t think they’ll travel well. Maybe we can bring them separately.”

“Killian, seriously. I can make us lunch.”

“No, no, I’ve got it.” He waves her away with a flash of his teeth. “Go see if Henry needs help getting dressed. I feel like he should be finished by now.”

“I’m sure he’s destroying his room.”

Killian winks. “That’s why you need to go and check, Swan.”

Henry isn’t destroying his room, surprisingly. He’s dressed in exactly what he’s supposed to be dressed in, and he’s sitting on the floor surrounded by all of his toys that he must have emptied out of his bag. Emma walks into his room and settles down beside him. “What are we thinking about, kid?”

“If I want to find buried treasure, I need one of those coin things.”

“Coin things?”

“Yeah, those things that Mrs. Klein uses to look for coins and it makes all that noise like when you set food on fire.”

Emma laughs and pushes her shoulder into Henry. “A metal detector?”

“Yeah!” he says excitedly, “but all I have are my shovels, and how am I supposed to find shark teeth with those?”

“Wait. I thought we were looking for buried treasure. When did we switch to shark teeth?”

“Avery found a shark tooth, and I want one.”

She sighs and nods before leaning forward and grabbing Henry’s plastic shovels and sandcastle molds and putting them in his bag. “You know, Killian used to look for hidden things with his job.” It’s only a half truth, but Henry doesn’t need to know the intricacies. “I bet he’d be really good at looking for buried treasure and shark teeth with you.”

“Why can’t you help?”

“Oh, I can, kid. I just thought maybe you’d like Killian to help you.”

He shrugs and then wraps his arms around Emma’s middle, squeezing her so tightly she’s not sure if her ribs are still in place. “I want you.”

“Of course,” she whispers, brushing her hand over Henry’s back before kissing his forehead. She doesn’t know what just came over him, but she doesn’t like it. She also has no idea how she’s supposed to be approaching this. “Henry, do you not want Killian to come with us today?”

He shakes his head into her stomach. “I don’t like it when you kiss him.”

Emma has to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.

Okay, maybe this isn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be.

Shit could still hit the fan, but that’s one crisis averted.

“If I promise not to let him kiss me, can he come with us to the beach?”

“You promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

Emma nudges Henry off of her and holds out his pinky. He wraps his own smaller one around it, and she has a vivid flashback of his tiny hand grabbing onto her pinky right after he was born. It’s a reflex. She’s fully aware of that, but it’s also what made her decide to keep him instead of put him up for adoption.

Pinky promises are a big deal.

“Pinky promise I won’t kiss Killian.” He smiles, and Emma takes the opportunity to lean forward and press her lips against Henry’s cheek once, twice, three times. She keeps kissing him as he giggles and squirms and falls back. “But I never promised not to kiss you.”

“M-mom,” he laughs, “s-stop.”

“Nope, not gonna stop.”

“You have cooties.”

“No such thing, kid,” she mumbles before finally pulling back. Henry’s cheeks are flushed red, and she lets out a contented sigh. He’s happy and healthy. That’s all that matters. “Now, come on, the beach is waiting for us.”

-/-

Emma can’t find the sunscreen.

Like, she legitimately cannot find it, and she knows that she packed it. She freaking triple-checked, had Killian check, and it’s nowhere to be found in her bag or in the bug. Now she has to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a brand she probably won’t even like.

“I’ll go, love,” Killian tells her when he finishes setting up the big umbrella they’ve got stationed in the sand. “You stay with the lad and help him build the sand fortress he’s already started on. Do we need anything else?”

“I’ll text you if I think of anything.”

He salutes and then leans down, and Emma has to swerve away at the last minute as Henry gives them some kind of side-eye that she knows he got from her.

“Something the matter, Swan?”

She tilts her head to the side and then gets up off her towel, grabbing Killian’s hand and tugging him a few feet away from Henry. He looks highly amused, eyebrows raised to his hairline, and she just knows he’s going to love this.

“You can’t kiss me today.”

His eyebrows somehow go higher. “What now?”

“Henry is upset about us kissing, and I pinky promised that we wouldn’t.”

She hears a small laugh, and he’s trying to keep a straight face. She can tell. But the corners of his lips are poking up, and she knows he can’t resist it.

“A pinky promise, huh?”

“It’s the most serious of promises.”

Killian reaches his hand forward, holding out his pinky. She takes it and wonders how every part of him is so impossibly warm. “I pinky promise that you will not kiss me today.”

“Killian.”

“What?”

“I see your loophole, and that is not going to fly.”

“I won’t kiss you, darling,” he whispers, leaning in so close that she thinks he just might be cocky enough to do it. “That’s a pinky promise.”

And then he’s pulling away and walking up toward the overpriced beach shack that must make a killing here every day for the amount of people that are always flocking to the beach. At least it’s kind of quiet today, but it’s still early enough that most people won’t be here for a few hours.

“Alright, kid,” Emma sighs, “let’s build a sandcastle.”

-/-

Emma has a thing about being in the ocean.

She knows how to swim. There was a foster parent who was a swimming coach at the local high school, and she made sure all of the kids knew how. The thing is that she also let them all watch Jaws, and while logically Emma knows the likelihood of her getting eaten by a shark is low, she’s not really fond of going into any kind of water that isn’t extremely clear.

The beaches of Storybrooke are not so clear that she can see the ground, so she’s definitely staying just at the edge where the waves crest and wash over her feet. Killian and Henry, however, are chest deep, and Emma’s not nervous watching them.

Nope.

Not at all.

“Swan,” Killian calls out, “you chase bad guys for a living. The ocean isn’t going to bring you down.”

“The bad guys stay above water.”

“Mom,” Henry whines, “come on!”

“Nope. You have to stay out there with Killian. I’m not coming in.”

Henry flops back into the water, and she just knows he’s groaning. Why is he so dramatic?

But then he’s coming back up to the surface, and she sees Killian’s lips move before he holds his hand up to cover his mouth so she can’t see what he’s saying. Henry nods along, a smile carving itself a place, and Emma leans back into the sand and sighs. That’s good. They’re getting along, and she can worry about that a little, tiny bit less.

She really, desperately wants Henry to like Killian.

Because she really, desperately likes Killian, and it’s been a long time since she felt like she could have something besides Henry be good.

Emma draws her hand through the damp sand, picking up small broken pieces of shells, and when she looks up, she sees both Henry and Killian swimming to the shore. They’re in a public place and she’s around her kid, so she tries not to be distracted by the sight of Killian coming up out of the water. She’s only a woman though, and there’s only so much she can do.

“Hey, love,” Killian says as he stands above her, holding his hand out, “can I talk to you for a second?”

“I’m listening.”

He cocks his head. “In private.”

She narrows her eyes. “Why?”

“Because I have to share a secret.”

“Okay,” Emma laughs, taking his hand and letting him pull her up. He drags her a few feet over as Henry stands right in her eye-line, and she’s not sure which of them she’s supposed to keep her eye on. “What kind of secret do you have?”

Killian’s brows waggle in that way they do, and he dips his head down before wrapping his other arm around Emma’s back and tugging her closer so that the front of her suit gets wet.

“I need you to distract Henry.”

“What? Why?”

“Because he mentioned wanting to find shark teeth, and I found a bag of them at the shack. I need to scatter them around while he’s not looking.”

A lump collects in Emma’s throat, and she tries to swallow it down. She really does, but she can’t quite get it to go away. She needs air, though, and for the stinging of tears behind her eyes to go away because she’s not going to cry. She doesn’t cry. Nope. Not at all.

(She is a liar. She cries all of the time.)

But she doesn’t want to cry about this because that would be ridiculous.

“You bought him shark teeth?”

“What? Is that not okay? I figured it’d be fun for him and I – ”

“If I hadn’t made a pinky promise, I would kiss you right now.”

Killian chuckles, his eyes crinkling, and he leans that much closer in. “Later. I have other plans for you right now.”

“Really?”

Emma quickly glances over at Henry, and he’s biting his bottom lip, obviously trying to hide a smile. He gets that from her. And that’s when she gets what’s happening. That’s also when she feels her feet lift off the ground so that she’s half hanging over Killian’s shoulder.

“Jones,” she warns as he turns and slowly starts walking toward the ocean, “I can do horrible things to you.”

“That sounds like a promise and not a threat.”

“I’m serious,” she says, her heart rate ticking up as the water keeps getting deeper. It’s to Killian’s knees now, and she can feel it ghost over the bottom of her feet.

“You and I both know that if you wanted down, you could get down.”

“You’ve got a pretty tight grip.”

“And if I didn’t want to scar your boy for life, that grip would be on your ass.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Most definitely, but this was also Henry’s idea.”

“What?” Emma laughs, suddenly not so irritated with Killian. “It was not.”

“Oh, no, it most definitely was.” Killian shifts her around until her legs are wrapping around his waist and her shoulders are hanging onto his neck. She can feel the way he breathes, the steadiness of it, and for a moment she’s distracted by that and the way the background of the ocean brings out the blue in his eyes. “Look at him and see.”

Sure enough, when she twists around to look back at the beach, Henry is standing there bouncing on his toes, watching them with rapt, excited attention.

“That little mastermind.”

“He’s certainly something else.” Killian’s hands adjust underneath her, this time landing on her ass, but she knows he’ll claim it’s only for support. She definitely doesn’t mind. “I won’t let your feet touch the ground, love, and you’ll never leave my arms. I’m simply going to make it a show for Henry.”

“For Henry,” she repeats back while taking a deep breath to try to calm her nerves.

“Yeah,” he smiles, nodding. “For Henry. Now, on the count of three. One, two – ”

And then Killian is very literally tossing her up before pulling her down with him. She closes her eyes out of instinct, nerves bubbling back up and making her heart race, but even under the shock of the cold salty water, she can feel Killian’s arms around her, holding her up when she should be totally submerged. He didn’t lie. Her feet never touch the ground. They stay suspended in the water before wrapping around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. Being submerged isn’t all that bad, but it’s because she knows she doesn’t have to touch the ground and that if something is going to come and attack them, it might get Killian instead of her.

She’s a fantastic girlfriend, obviously.

When she finally adjusts to being under the water, she can feel Killian moving, and then they’re above water and she’s gasping for air and opening her eyes to see Killian still right in front of her. She’s distracted by the way that water trickles down his face and how his hair is pushed back off his forehead except for these few strands are dangling forward. His smile is bright and wide, and the feel of him pressed up against her body feels as warm as the sun shining down on her back.

And really, she nearly forgets about her pinky promise and leans forward to slide her lips over his until she hears Henry’s raucous laughter back on the shore.

“Careful, love,” Killian whispers, “wouldn’t want to spoil the kid’s mood.”

“Later,” Emma promises, echoing their words from earlier, “now let’s get me back to dry land so I can distract him and let you hide those shark teeth.”

“I’ll try to make it as natural as possible.”

“He’s six. I don’t think he’ll notice.”

“But he’s a smart lad, Swan. Wouldn’t want him to catch onto our devious plans.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

She and Killian quickly get back to the shore, and Henry is still laughing, all of his teeth showing and his eyes nearly closed from how he can’t seem to stop. Emma immediately chases after him, wrapping him in a hug and swaying him back and forth as she jokingly gets onto him for conspiring with Killian to throw her in the water. He apologizes, but Emma’s not mad, not at this.

Looking over her shoulder, she can see Killian shuffling through the tote bag, and Emma turns back to Henry with her own bright smile.

“Race you down to that pink umbrella?”

“What do I win?”

“Who says you’re going to win, kid?”

And then she’s sprinting away, and Henry is sprinting after her. She can easily beat him, even with the magical energy and speed that a six-year-old has, but since that would take the joy out of everything, she keeps managing to trip up or slow down until Henry is running past her and beating her to the pink umbrella.

When she joins him, she fakes being tired, resting her hands on her knees and exaggerating her breathing. “When did you get so fast?”

“Since I got my new shoes.”

“You’re not even wearing any shoes.”

He shrugs. “I guess they still make me fast.”

Emma laughs and leans down to kiss Henry’s cheek. “C’mon, we need to go put more sunscreen back on you.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You have to.

Henry mumbles and grumbles the entire walk back, and Emma leads him back to their own umbrella, where she dries him off before reapplying his sunscreen. He continuously squirms, but she eventually gets him all covered to the point where she sends him off to go get Killian, who is casually sitting in the sand running his hand over the same place.

Smooth.

She watches as Killian waits for Henry to get near him. Henry plops down next to him, and they talk for a minute or two before Killian pulls something up from the sand and shows it to Henry, who is more excited than she thinks anyone should be to find a shark tooth. But this is what he wanted, even if Killian had to fudge the truth a little to get there, and Emma’s not going to question it as they keep walking around with Henry’s little plastic shovel discovering more and more teeth.

Emma grabs her phone and takes a picture of the two of them examining one they found, and she tries not to examine it too much as her heart beats a little faster and her cheeks heat. It has absolutely nothing to do with the sunshine.

This is good.

This is really damn good, and she lets herself hope that maybe this is going to be the time where it all works out.

-/-

Killian pulls into her apartment complex and puts the car in park before turning the key. He looks back before patting her leg. “He’s asleep.”

“He was out the moment we got in the car. He had a long day.”

“Well, should I let you two go? I – ”

“Do you want to come inside?” Emma interrupts. “It won’t take me long to put him to bed and then we can see what’s on Netflix.”

He nods, and smiles, almost shy. She likes when his smile is tentative like that, likes that he cares not to overstep with her. “I’d love that, Swan.”

Emma gets out of the car and opens the back door to get Henry as Killian gets all of their bags from the trunk. She’s thankful now that she made him get in the outdoor shower at the pier and change clothes after dinner, so now she doesn’t have to worry about getting him in the bath before bed. She picks him up and lets him wrap himself around her, and then they walk upstairs, careful to stay quiet so that he doesn’t wake.

She thinks she’s in the clear when she’s got him in bed, but then his eyes flutter open.

“Shhh, go back to sleep, kid.”

He nods and opens his eyes a little wider. “Mom?”

“Yeah?” she asks, smoothing his hair over his forehead.

“I like Killian.”

Emma swallows and then nods, trying to hold in her smile. “Me too.”

“You can kiss him now, but only a little.”

Emma laughs and leans down to press her lips against Henry’s forehead. “Goodnight, Henry. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” he mumbles, his eyes fluttering closed again.

She waits until she knows that he’s asleep, and then she stands from his bed and walks out of Henry’s bedroom. Killian’s sitting on the couch when she gets to the living room, their bags all put away and the mess in the kitchen cleaned, and Emma walks toward him until she’s sitting down next to him and curling into his side, resting her elbow on his shoulder as his arm wraps around her. waits

“Hey.”

“Hey, beautiful.”

Emma ducks her head and smiles before looking back up at him. “I have some good news for you.”

His brow arches. “Is that so?”

“Mhm. You’ve gotten the Henry Swan seal of approval. He said you could kiss me…but only a little.”

“Oh, well, if the lad insists, I guess I have to listen.” His mouth lingers over hers, tantalizingly close and tempting, “but only a little.”

And then he kisses her, and Emma melts into it and him and how damn good this day was.

Mostly, though, she’s happy that there’s going to be more of them.

#pinky promises #cs prompts #cs fic #cs ff #cs fanfic #captain swan fic #captain swan fanfic #captain swan ff #captain swan

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inscribed-in-asteroids · 4 years

Text

AN: Here’s chapter two!

Title: The Ripple Effect

Characters: Hordak, Entrapta, Odessa, features original characters

Pairing: Entrapdak, features other canon couples (and some fanon)

Rating: M

Read on AO3. It’s always posted there first.

Evaluation

“You want us to help you… find your dad’s… home planet?” Hydrangea questions.

“Not necessarily that,” Odessa replies. “I’ve been mulling over this the last couple of years. Wandering through space, it’s apparent that my father’s species has predominantly settled into Etherian life. But when I ask my father where we are from, he has no answer.”

“Not in the withholding information way,” Tristan clarifies.

“Exactly. In the sense he has no answer to give. Period. I’ve discussed it with my mother, and she believes it could be an exciting chance to find out where he’s from!” Odessa claps her hands together. “We know about the biology, physiology, mental health, behavior of one person. My father has been studied thoroughly for years, but his makeup can only tell us so much.”

They nod in understanding. It does make sense. He has been genetically manufactured over and over, thousands of versions of him co-existing among species that still have yet to see anything like him before. Hordak has lived among Etherians, has explored world upon world, but they know he is an anomaly. They all do.

Odessa looks down at her hands, an anomaly herself. Her parents have always been supportive of her intellectual pursuits, and this could very well be one of the greatest. She has filled a medical textbook composed of both Entrapta’s research, Hordak’s explanations, and her own observations, theories and notes about how his species operates. But what good is it if it simply applies to a single individual; that’s not applicable to how science or medical practice works.

Hydrangea pours them tea. She knows how determined Odessa can be once she sets her mind to something. There’s no stopping her once her brain gains traction on an idea. Tristan’s set face comprehends this as well.

Tristan speaks first, “When would you like us to begin?”

Odessa smirks, “Soon as you’re done with your drink.”

“Hm, of course you’d say that.”

“Damn right,” Odessa answers.

Hydrangea places her hands on her hips, “Alright, Des. We’ll get going soon as we’re done!”

“Or you could chug your chamomile in one go.”

“No.”

Dryl is etched further into rocky cliffs, its labyrinth excavated deep inside the mountain. Its residents welcome their princess, happy to see her return. Entrapta’s kingdom had been left to its own devices for years, even prior to Entrapta’s departure; yet they view Odessa as the rightful heir, and treat her as such. She supposes it's something to be grateful for, as it does leave them with a place to rest and organize without much interference.

Though she could do without the large paintings of herself lining the walls.

“I never get over how cute you were as a baby,” Hydrangea says, giggling. “Look how chubby you were!”

“You were so adorable,” Tristan gushes. “So innocent.”

“The sweetest little baby,” she continues. “I still want to pinch your itty bitty face!”

“Shut up,” Odessa pouts, blushing. Curse these portraits… and curse their laughter...

“Odessa! Hello, hello!”

Relieved, she turns, smiling at the friendly face, “Hi, Uncle Wrong-Man.”

Crushing her to his chest, he presses their cheeks together, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen my most favorite niece in the world!”

“You’re going to make all the other nieces jealous,” she says. Then smiles, “But it’s true.”

“I can’t help it, you were the first niece I had!”

Back on her feet, Odessa glances at the vicinity. Normally, there’s more of her uncles wandering through the halls. “Where is everyone?”

“Oh, they’re working outside or in the kitchens. We heard you were back and we felt a welcoming party would be fun!”

“You don’t have to throw one every time we come back.”

His eyes turn watery, a sad, morose frown on his features, “Oh… I see… You don’t… like my parties anymore…”

“No, no, that’s not it!” Odessa says, trying to cheer him back up. “I just meant you don’t need to go through all the trouble each visit.”

He looks up at her, ears drooping lower, “Do you like them?”

“Yes, Uncle Wrong-Man, I love your parties,” she insists. “You’re the best at it!”

In seconds, his bubbly personality returns, “Excellent! I look forward to giving you another party suited to your tastes!”

Tristan leans toward Odessa, hand held up to his mouth, “Wow, for a minute I thought I heard violins.”

“He has that dramatic flair to him,” she agrees.

“How have your parents been? I haven’t seen them yet!” W.H. asks.

“Mom and Dad are fine,” Odessa tells him, following him through the halls. The maze has been modified to be easier to map out. The first time she had come here, they had gotten lost since Entrapta couldn’t quite recall where all the secret entrances were. Odessa took it upon herself to make her own layout, and added to it whenever a change had been made. “They went to Beast Island to see how it is there.”

His ears fall for a moment, “Aw, I hope they’ll visit soon!”

“I’m sure they will,” she assures him. “They had some business to conduct over there.”

“In the meantime, what brings you to Dryl?”

“I wanted to talk to you and some of the others regarding your past,” she explains.

W.H. enters the closest kitchen, walking toward the oven. Tucking on mitts, a perplexed expression crosses his features, “Our past? My dearest niece… have you been afflicted by amnesia?”

“No, my memories serve me right,” Odessa says, patient. “I am asking for information regarding where we had come from, as a whole species. What world we originated from, what our culture was like. I had spoken with father about the matter, but he said he didn’t know due to being younger than the rest of you.”

W.H. crosses over to the countertop, removing the cookies onto a cooling rack. He is silent for a few moments, and it is clear he is choosing his words carefully, trying to understand what she’s asking. He turns, a serious mien about him, unusual on his face. “I… I’m not sure, either.”

Odessa walks over to him, “Is it because you were separated from the hivemind?”

“I don’t believe so,” he replies. Folding his arms over his chest, the fact they’re all one person reveals itself in his posture and tone. “We had been created to serve Horde Prime. Nothing more or less. And I do think that I myself had been cloned after your father. He had been Horde Prime’s general as well, and if he didn’t know, one of our elder brothers might have the knowledge you seek.”

Odessa glances at Hydrangea and Tristan, then back to her uncle. “Do you know who would?”

W.H. ponders for a minute. “Hm, no one here, I am certain. The residents of Dryl are like myself—of the younger group, since we have more people skills to associate with the Etherians.”

Hydrangea says, “I always wondered how that worked. Where you were designated and why.”

W.H. nods, “Oh, yes, we put thought into what our new purposes would be. After I helped my brother and sister with Beast Island, I came here to demonstrate how to function with Etherians!”

Tristan walks over to the counter, “Where do you recommend we go, then? Also, can I have one?”

W.H. beams, nodding enthusiastically, “Please do! I am going to make much more. But in regards to your first question, I would suggest visiting family in Mystacore or Beast Island.”

Odessa takes a cookie off the rack as well, munching. Mystacore is closer, so it would be prudent to try there before traveling to Beast Island. There are portals stationed throughout Etheria, but it’ll be worth stopping by Mystacore. She hasn’t seen anyone there at all yet. Although, it’s not as if there are many who live in the clouds, visiting her family there is always exciting.

“Thank you, Uncle Wrong-Man,” Odessa says, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “We’ll head there now!”

“Take some food with you to go,” he insists. In a flash, he’s bagging the cookies into a cellophane sack, tying it with a pink ribbon that shapes into a butterfly. “Healthy meals are important, but so are treats! Otherwise, you get moody.”

Hydrangea and Tristan are handed their own bags, much to their surprised delight. Before Odessa can accompany them out the door, W.H. stops her, giving her another, “Would you mind taking this with you for your cousin?”

Odessa smiles, “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Hordak and his brothers were categorized not by their clothes, or hair dye choices, but by their eyes. Odessa and her mother had noted the various shades of eye color, their teeth matching them the most; however, inside of their mouths, it adjusts to mimic the change as well, affecting the tongue and beneath it, gums, hard and soft palates, uvula, even extending down to the oropharynx. All her uncles are in good health, and with none of them dead, she can only assume that the change continues down the esophagus. She got it in writing several years ago that, should any be willing to be dissected for scientific purposes, she has a few choices for her study.

Their eye colors are fascinating: while they all reflect light to glow, which is meant to intimidate opponents, she has observed the change serves as behavioral distinction. The lighter the color, the more mellow and passive the personality; the darker or more intense, the more independent and aggressive. A chameleon-like feature, reflecting mood. And, in turn, signifying mental and physical health, as peppier individuals tend to be less plagued by feelings of inadequacy, anger, and low self-esteem. W.H. had his eye color eventually become the joyful chartreuse yellow she’s known since birth, and her father’s returned to their fiery red sometime after the war. This is the one true variation that doesn’t need attire or fanciful hair styles and dyes to show that no matter how alike they are by DNA, they are their own separate people.

So when she teleports to Mystacore, and she finds dark blue eyes staring at her from above, she remembers, quite immediately, that sometimes, darker eye colors don’t indicate low self-esteem but rather, an egregious amount of confidence.

Her uncle jumps down from his perch, landing daintily on his feet. He narrows his eyes, leering, “Odessa… it has been ages since you’ve arrived on Mystacore.”

“Hi, Talon,” Odessa says.

He looks at her friends, “You two are faring well, I hope.”

Hydrangea smiles, “Yes, thank you for asking!”

Tristan nods, “You look good, too, Talon.”

“Indeed,” Talon answers. “It would be a shame if I lost my abilities.”

With that, he throws knives out from his sleeve. Tristan dodges the attack by barreling to the side, somersaulting along the ground. Hydrangea calls up plants from underground, knives embedding into the sides. Odessa leaps into the air, reaching behind her to draw out a handheld bar. With a click, it extends to a staff, and another morphs it quickly into a pilum.

Reeling back her arm, she launches it with full ferocity at Talon. He avoids it, jumping to the left and pulling out more knives, but he aims them at Tristan, who runs toward the nearest fountain to pull water out from its containment. Tristan moves his arms upward, pushing out enough water to create a vertical depth, the knives slowing down as they pierce its surface and float inside.

Odessa tugs her spear out from the dirt, cornering her uncle at the right. Hydrangea pulls plants forward, fingers splayed in the air. From her fingertips, electricity strings across her exoskeleton. Tristan rushes to their side, water sloshing around them, encasing Talon in its center, creating a barrier.

Talon sneers, then bursts out laughing. His stance loosens, standing upright, “Your senses haven’t weakened. Good. I’d be vexed if you squandered my generosity to teach you combat.”

Odessa smirks, minimizing her staff and settling it behind her back, “We wouldn’t do that.”

Hydrangea grins, “Tristan and I do practice on our own.”

Tristan shifts the water back toward its source, then rubs the back of his neck, “Which is great, since there was no holding back from that attack.”

“Enemies don’t show mercy,” Talon says. Adjusting his collar, he nods his head, “But tell me, what brings my niece and her companions to Mystacore?”

Odessa speaks, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Me?” he replies, curious.

“Yes. It’s about your origins. Uncle Wrong-Man said it might be beneficial to come to Mystacore and question my relatives here.”

Talon raises a brow. He looks up at his home, then addresses the trio, “Are you intending to stay for longer than an hour?”

“Most likely.”

“I will invite you to my home, then. Come. Dinner will be prepared soon, and we may discuss the topic during.”

Accepting this, they head in the direction of his home. An impressive, ornate building that’s three stories high; they tread up wide steps, where one can overlook the weigela bushes lined around the vicinity’s front entrance, a fountain spouting water in the garden’s center, surrounded by lilacs and roses. Cool air wafts over their bodies, welcome from the heat outside. Odessa remarks that the decor has only slightly changed, the furniture taking on silver, blue, and white qualities, polished until they gleam.

Going to the stairs, Talon nods at them, “Make yourselves at home. As usual, do not break anything. I will see you at dinner promptly.”

Once he’s gone, Hydrangea chuckles, “He’s still intense.”

“He’s gonna kill us one day,” Tristan sighs.

Odessa pats his shoulder, “Only if we let him.”

He lips thin out, “Not reassuring, Des.”

Climbing the steps, they decide to wait until they are called, and opt to entertain themselves by bothering someone else.

Magic radiates within the room, energy felt even behind the door. Odessa carefully pushes it open, seeing a slim figure move around. Putting a finger to her lips, she leads her friends into her cousin’s quarters. His face is stern, staring at the spell hovering over the ground at shoulder height.

Hydrangea sits quietly on a cushion on the floor, and Tristan does the same. Odessa leans against the wall, and they all watch. Eon is her cousin, and their similarities begin and end with their fathers having chosen Etherian women as their partners. He differs from her, and any other potential cousin, by having the capability to do magic. Real, Etherian magic.

Eon takes measured breathing, focusing on the spell. It elongates toward the ceiling and floor, then narrows to a thin line. Reaching for it, he plucks it with his forefinger. It snaps, and a discordant sound follows, uncomfortable and shrill. Hydrangea and Tristan cover their ears, as Odessa winces.

Eon looks at them, brow raised. He grins, “Did you all enjoy the show?”

“We did, until that,” Hydrangea complains, glaring at him. She frowns, lightly slapping her ears, “Aw no, there’s some ringing!”

“It’ll pass in a few moments,” Eon explains. “Besides, you three coming into my room unannounced and unwelcome deserves a bit of retribution.”

“By popping our eardrums?” Tristan asks, deadpan.

“Exactly,” Eon says, one hand on his hip. He turns to Odessa, and smiles. “You’re here sooner than expected.”

“I believe we arrived on time,” she answers, grinning back. She hasn’t seen him for a while, but he has gotten taller since then. He takes after their species' propensity for large heights, but she knows he’s grown a few inches and might continue to grow for the next couple of years as well.

Eon begins putting away his spellbook and notes, arranging them neatly, “What are the three of you doing here? With you on Etheria, you normally visit me later on your returns.”

“I came to ask your father some questions, but then he invited us to dinner.”

“He can be standoffish, but oddly enough, never when it comes to hosting meals.”

Hydrangea sits up, “We got into a sparring session with him right away too.”

Eon joins them on the floor, one knee bent to prop up an arm, “I had mine early this morning. You know him, he’s never done with training.”

Crossing outstretched legs, Tristan reclines against the wall, “Your parents don’t let up, huh?”

“No, but I head to my place at Bright Moon later in the month. I check in biweekly to continue my sparring and magic training, then head back and repeat.”

“That’s a lot of back and forth,” Hydrangea adds, holding a pillow to her chest.

Shrugging, Eon says, “I don’t mind. Keeps me busy.”

Odessa chuckles lightly, taking a seat beside Tristan, “For being super busy, Uncle Wrong-Man said to give you this.” Pulling out the bag, she tosses it to him.

Eon catches it deftly, a quiet ‘yes’ of triumph leaving his lips. His diet is strict when he’s with his parents, for optimal nutrition and betterment. But he has a sweet tooth that rivals Odessa and Entrapta, thus any opportunity to consume sugar is taken. Using a levitation spell, he has it placed atop his desk, and an invisibility spell follows after, keeping it from view.

“Won’t your parents find it? It’s not like you can’t smell cookies,” Odessa states.

“I’ll say it was one of you.”

Hydrangea laughs, “I don’t think they’ll be entirely fooled by that.”

“If not, that’s fine by me too,” Eon says. “I let them think they’re savvier than myself.”

Tristan smirks, “How often has that worked?”

“More than for you,” Eon says, smirking back.

Odessa and Hydrangea whoop at Tristan, who laughs in good humor.

Stretching his arms up and to the side, Eon turns to his cousin, “How did the last journey go?”

“It went as planned. We went to Pilan, and my parents found what they needed for research.”

“And you two?” he asks, addressing the others.

Hydrangea lays on her stomach, drawing circles on the pillow, “Hm… my moms have started taking me to council meetings, which is interesting. We had a gathering with some of the leaders in Plumeria that are helping to manage its growing space. And New Chelicerata has been thriving for years now, since we removed all the machinery in the Fright Zone and expanded it into the Flower Field.”

“Not all the toxins have been removed, I’m assuming.”

“Some of the groundwater had been too polluted, and it leaked into larger bodies of water, but, as a whole, we started seeing real progress six years ago.”

“I’ve been helping the residents there by removing water too far gone,” Tristan adds. “We’ve been separating them into larger containers as instructed, and we’re hoping that newer technology from Entrapta and Hordak will yield positive results in another decade or so.”

“Even if it’s slow, progression is always good.”

Odessa glances to her left, letting her mind drift. Time doesn’t pass by the same when traveling through space. She watches her mother age, while her father stays the same, and that’s the extent of how often she pays attention to the changes happening around her. It’s not from ignorance, but from not giving too much thought to it, even with the years she has spent returning to Etheria to evaluate and aid her people here.

Settling against Tristan, Odessa yawns. He keeps his body still as she falls asleep, finding their chatter relaxing. Dinner will arrive sooner if she’s napping. Even closing her eyes is enough for her body to rest, breathing quietly as she listens to them discuss any topic they happen upon.

Her friends are interrupted mid-conversation, a knock at the door grabbing their attention. Odessa opens an eye. The housekeeper bows her head, addressing Eon, “Your parents are waiting for you in the dining room. Please, follow me.”

Odessa knows her uncle, Talon, is a force to be reckoned with in combat, but her aunt, Nyxia, is a woman with severe features and a severer personality. If there was ever given a choice between fighting him or her, they may have to weigh their options a little more carefully.

She is seated next to Eon, with Hydrangea and Tristan placed across from them. Odessa leans toward her cousin, “Did Nyxia poison the food this time?”

Eon shakes his head, “Maybe Tristan’s.”

Tristan bawks, “Hey!”

Waving his hand, Eon smiles, “I’m teasing. It’s more than likely Hydrangea.”

“What?!” she demands, worried.

“You two are making this easy,” Eon grins, shaking his head. “Really, after all this time, you continue to doubt my parents’ hospitality.”

“I haven’t seen your mom in a while, okay? I wouldn’t know if I offended her last time,” Hydrangea breathes out, leaning back in her chair.

Ear twitching, Odessa catches the sound of footfalls, her aunt coming into view from the corridor, chin-length, violet hair framing lithe, dark features, gown flowing behind her. Definitely not a person to be out of line around.

But that only applies to non-relatives.

Nyxia smiles warmly at her niece, “Odessa! My charming girl, how have you been?”

“Wonderful, Aunt Nyxia, thank you,” Odessa replies, nodding her head in respect.

“Excellent. I heard all of you did well in your impromptu session with my husband earlier,” she says, making her way to the other end of the table. Standing beside her chair, she looks at her son’s other friends, “Talon remarked that you’ve improved considerably.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Hydrangea and Tristan reply at once.

Talon comes from the opposite corridor, walking toward Nyxia. Pulling out the chair for her and sliding it beneath, he moves to the other end and takes his place at the head. The staff bring out their meal: roasted pheasants and potatoes, slathered in its drippings, with baked seasoned vegetables on the side. Wine is served to all of them, as Nyxia and Talon are lax in this department of child-rearing, though the option to have different beverages is always available. Odessa requests her usual fizzy drink, as Hydrangea asks for lemon water. Tristan and Eon have no qualms with the choice displayed in front of them.

“Smells delicious, Miss Nyxia,” Hydrangea compliments.

“Thank you, my dear,” she answers, laying a cloth on her lap. “When I heard you three were in Mystacore, I chose to make this instead.”

Odessa and Eon twiddle each other’s fingers under the table, a silent ‘fuck yeah’ to the change in menu. Nyxia is a phenomenal chef, but she abhors cooking. The usual staff do lovely work, except they are meant to keep things simple, clean, and balanced. Nyxia, despite agreeing with her husband on meal preparation, manages to create rich, satisfying food each time. Normally, when Odessa and her family are visiting.

Relishing this opportunity, Eon cuts into his pheasant, stabbing a portion of potato with it, melting on his tongue. Trying not to pretend-weep. Or actually weep.

“What was your question, Odessa?” Talon asks, swirling the wine in its glass. “It’s not like you to come without your parents.”

Dabbing her mouth, Odessa looks at him, “I wanted to ask you questions about your time serving as a soldier for Prime.”

He doesn’t break the smooth motion of his wrist, not minding that part of his life, “Yes?”

“I was told that older clones might have information regarding our origins. A life before Prime sought out to conquer the universe. My father and W.H. are too young to remember, or were never privy to it. You’re one of the eldest, so I figured to come here before heading to Beast Island.”

Talon sets down his glass, lifting his fork and knife. He takes a bite of his food, chewing quietly. Swallowing, he says, “I will be blunt: it is not possible to know such a thing. Our purpose, our life, was to do Prime’s bidding.”

“There isn’t anything you can think of?”

Talon mulls the question, glancing up at his wife, then back to the plate. He narrows his eyes, and they flicker to an even darker shade of blue for a fraction of a moment. He gives a minute shake of his head, imperceptible to all but his wife.

Odessa waits for him to speak, slipping out her recorder with a strand of hair.

“I… cannot remember a time before Horde Prime. There was only war. Ravaged lands, and screaming,” he leans forward. He meets his niece’s gaze, “You might have to go to Beast Island for your answers, though I do not trust they will know more. Many of us have been alive for decades, but not millennia.”

“Is there a reason for that?” Tristan wonders. “The hivemind was the source of connection. Did you lose memories once it left?”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be that way,” Talon answers, sipping his drink. “It’s more… you have recollections, starting from the present. And it continues backwards until it stops. A wall in your head, which is the moment of when we, for lack of a better word, are ‘born.’ From what I’ve gathered, raising Eon, and observing all of you growing up, an infant that develops naturally can have memories that are faint—both in sensation and imagery, and the mind’s eye develops scenarios of what could’ve happened. Piecing puzzles in your memory banks. Attempting to make sense of your childhood and surroundings, and it even causes you to feel certain emotions into adulthood on a subconscious level. For us, and my brothers, there is no guesswork. There is the instant of emerging from the vitrine, and from there it goes on. Our memories are crystal clear, and gaps do not occur. If we feel emotion, it’s from direct experiences, not preconceived ideas of maybe how we experienced living. The hivemind being removed made us how we are now, but its absence didn’t seem to affect anything else.”

“Fascinating,” Odessa says, forgetting her meal. “So, you remember everything?”

“Yes. It would seem my brothers and I recall memories at greater capacities than most.”

“Would you say you have photographic memory?” Hydrangea asks, leaning forward.

“Our superior intellect allows us to retain knowledge quicker, and we remember things for longer, but a true photographic memory isn’t an aspect we have considered.”

Nyxia cuts into her pheasant, “It’s not unlikely. Your brothers and you have shown an uncanny ability to remember things more greatly than Etherians. It might be prudent to research it further, wouldn’t you say?”

Nodding in agreement, Odessa would not rule it out. She’ll discuss it with her mother for an unbiased opinion later.

Dinner finishes with chiffon cake and fruit, leaving guests and hosts satisfied. Talon and Nyxia wave at the door, as Eon walks them to the portal.

“It was good to see you all,” Hydrangea says, turning to Eon. She clasps his hands, “You should visit more!”

Eon blushes slightly, still not used to open demeanors, “I’ll try to make an effort.”

Tristan pats his shoulder, “You have to get out more. Between you and Odessa, I don’t know who’s more of the hermit.”

“It’s definitely me,” Eon replies. “Odessa’s too needy.”

Punching him in the arm, Odessa gives a side-hug right after. She and her friends step onto the portal, “I’ll drop by again soon! And visit my parents sometime, dumbass.”

He flips her off, smirking.

Hopping through the portal, they arrive in Plumeria, where she bids goodbye to her friends. Then, she heads to Beast Island.

“Odessa! My little cupcake, how was your trip to Mystacore?” Entrapta asks. Imp, crawling around on the walls, chirps his greetings with Emily beeping at her return.

“It was very interesting,” Odessa says, pulling out her recorder. “Would you like to listen with me?”

“You bet!” Entrapta shouts, sidling over to sit on her hair. Odessa takes a proffered seat before playing back the conversation at dinner. She listens with rapt attention, the two of them quiet. Afterward, Entrapta grins, “That was fascinating! I had noticed that your relatives tend to be more affluent with recollection than most, but this requires more study.”

“Do you think there is a possibility that they have photographic memory?”

“We won’t know unless we test the hypothesis,” Entrapta turns to her daughter, grinning wide. “You know what that means!”

Odessa grins wide too, saying it with her.

“Time to experiment!”

Odessa and Entrapta had to decide what and how to measure. The test is simple on paper, but part of the reason memory tests can be difficult is due to fallibility of nature. Recalling a memory does not equate accuracy. They also had to take into account that Etherian children were more susceptible to false memories, which could affect them as adults, hence, why Talon said that there’s no guesswork for his brothers and himself. And when it came to the ethics, Entrapta reminded Odessa that it’s part of experimentation, much to the latter’s chagrin. Odessa would’ve followed, regardless, but she’s more determined to see things through without obstacles.

A lack of true full-blooded children for Hordak’s species, and Eon and Odessa were not little anymore, that wasn’t necessary to entertain. However, Odessa and Entrapta believed it would be prudent to test the memory of Eon and any other hybrid cousins simultaneously to the Etherian and Horde groups, sans Odessa.

After deliberating, they chose to experiment by gathering Etherians between the ages of 15-50, to cover the age bases of both Etherian teens and adults, hybrid offspring, and Horde descendants. After age 14, correct absolute judgments and relative judgments have better succession rates and are not as affected by false positives. With this in mind, Odessa sends out a mass message asking if anyone would like to be part of a study.

She receives her answers quickly from her uncles, who would be more than delighted to aid her in any quest. She splits them into four groups, Group A, B, C and D. To accommodate for the choice in subjects, they will be separated into three sections, Etherians being the first, hybrids the second, and her uncles will be the third subsect. Over the course of the week, she receives the rest of her subjects at Beast Island.

Tristan and Hydrangea are the first to arrive, looking forward to spending time with her and her family in the meantime. Hydrangea gives Emily and Imp hugs and kisses, cooing over them incessantly. Imp clings to Hydrangea’s neck, completely at ease.

Tristan pats Emily’s surface, smiling at her beeps, “It’s good to see you too.”

She beeps even louder and harder, spinning around in place.

Entrapta grins, “Aw, you made her day!”

“No one else is my favorite robot, are they, Ems?” Tristan asks. She spins again, and the whirring becomes softer, almost shy.

Odessa nudges his ribs, “Great, my sister has a crush on you.”

Tristan rolls his eyes, smiling.

Odessa peers at his face, “Hey, you shaved!”

“Yeah, you were right. It was horrible,” Tristan remarks.

“You look better this way,” Odessa affirms, pinching his cheek, and he lightly whacks her fingers away.

Scorpia comes a moment later, and immediately bolts over to them all. Once the hugs are done, Scorpia and Entrapta discuss things on their own. Entrapta settles into the crook of Hordak’s arm, resting easily over her shoulders. Scorpia gushes over how cute they are. Hordak humphs in disdain, despite the blush on his cheeks.

Another five minutes pass and the portal hums. Catra, Adora, and two of their children come through.

Odessa sighs. Not looking forward to having some of them here. But she smiles, walking to Adora, “Hi! Thanks for coming.”

Adora smiles, giving Odessa a warm hug. She pulls back, holding her at arm’s length, “It’s no problem. We’re glad to help! You’ve gotten taller.”

“You’ve definitely sprouted more than we thought. I remember when you were knee-high,” Catra says. “You were the worst ankle-biter in Etheria.”

Odessa teases, “Still am.”

Laughing, Catra pats her back, walking hand in hand with Adora to their friends.

Her smile falters after that, though she manages to keep it in place. If Catra and Adora weren’t there, she wouldn’t hide her contempt or indifference.

They have four children in total. Quadruplets in fact. All a year younger than her at 15. Two of them, Clawdeen and Marlena, tend to spend their time in Bright Moon, and she has no opinion of them other than they’re not her sort of people. Well, that’s not true. They’re surprisingly elitist and refuse to associate with anyone they find unworthy of their time. They mind their business enough, however, so Odessa doesn’t pay them attention.

Barely coming to five feet tall, Molly is one of the children here today, a skittish, timid thing; the runt of her litter. She inherited Catra’s heterochromia, one eye blue, the other green, and that’s the one interesting thing about her. She stands, unsure, by the portal. Her appearance here is odd, since she tends to be alone. Odessa doesn’t hate her, or even dislike her, but the girl’s meekness doesn’t make her striking enough to have an opinion on either.

Adam, their one son, is another story. His eyes are bright blue, and slightly jarring in the feline face. The opposite of Molly, he is loud, prone to temper tantrums, and his temerity leaves much to be desired. She prefers the company of confident, open people, but he’s, without a doubt, the most obnoxious fucker she’s ever had the misfortune of knowing.

His eyes, the only one to resemble Adora’s, land on hers, and he leaps over, grinning. Placing an arm on her shoulder, leaning, he says, “Yooooo, what’s up, girl?”

Odessa turns to him, narrowing her eyes, “Please don’t take my smile for welcome, you complete ass.”

“Ooh, baby, you need to chill,” Adam says, poking her nose.

“Try that one more time and I’ll bite it off.”

He winks, “That a promise, thottie from space?”

Odessa smiles wider, eyes flashing, “It’s a threat, you parasitic fool.”

Sensing her growing irritation, her friends bound over. Hydrangea waves at Adam, “Hey! We haven’t seen you in a long time. How’ve you been?”

Adam turns to her, “Hey, Dragon Fruit! You know how I be—taking care of all this,” Adam gestures to his thin body, puffing out his chest. “What you been up to lately? Those flower braids are doing everything for your look.”

Hydrangea urges him to walk far, far, far, far away from Odessa’s area.

Rubbing her temples, Odessa takes a breath.

Tristan rubs her back, “Remember, Des: think of the experiment.”

Odessa nods at him. Science. Her one true refuge. “I know. It’s a little… irritating that he’s here. But I’m sure that empty-headed dolt will yield some results for me.”

Tristan smiles at her, ensuring she doesn’t lose her cool. Once he’s sure she won’t murder, he looks at Molly, “Hi! I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Molly brushes hair away, looking briefly at the ground before addressing him. “Yeah… Um, my moms thought it would be cool to take one or two of us. To help Odessa out.”

Odessa shakes her head, “So glad about that.”

“Um… I’m sorry about Adam...” Molly starts.

“It’s fine,” Odessa replies, focusing back on her clipboard, walking away.

Sighing, Molly bites her lower lip, feeling uneasy.

Noticing that, Tristan smiles at Molly, “Come on. We can wait over here.”

“Sorry you’re stuck with me,” she mumbles.

“I’m not stuck with you,” Tristan answers. He leads her to an unoccupied stone ledge, the occasional pooka darting across it. “Though, I didn’t think this was your sort of thing.”

“It isn’t. I don’t really want to be here,” Molly answers, pulling her legs to her chest.

“It might be fun, right?” Tristan asks.

Shrugging, Molly places her chin onto her hands.

They both watch the portal light up, a plethora of clones marching through. It has to pause for a brief moment, then it continues to spew individuals out of it. Tristan glances down at Molly, knowing there’s no point in attempting to converse. The silence doesn’t bother him, and she seems to take more comfort out of not having to make dreadful small talk. He hates it too, so this works.

Eon and his parents eventually pass through. Waving at him, Tristan reclines in his seat, “You and your folks actually came. I didn’t think any of you left the house.”

Standing with his arms behind his back, at ease, Eon smirks, “You’re all lucky we don’t come out more often.”

Tristan sticks his tongue out at him. He gestures to his left, “You remember Molly?”

Eon looks down at her, “Yes, we have met before. Nice to see you again.”

Molly flushes, turning away, “Nice to see you too…”

He glances at Tristan, who gives a one-shoulder shrug.

She keeps quiet, looking at the people around her. Hordak and his brothers all stand out as one unit, and other cousins similar to Eon slowly arrive. Not as large in number, with more variation than Hordak’s species but less than natives. She watches Etherians coming forth as well, and doesn’t wave or acknowledge them. Hoping to blend with the background, she scoots further away, sinking behind Tristan.

Tristan notes her discomfort and doesn’t move.

Eon, however, waves at some relatives, who rush over to greet him.

Molly frowns, accepting her fate. She takes to watching Eon speak with his family, his tall, sleek body impressive even among those similar to him in build. His hair, cropped shorter at the sides, falls in front of his forehead, a darker hue than his cousin Odessa. His eyes are a lovely shade, bordering on magenta with a stronger red tint, the sclera an equally pretty color, lighter than his irises. His usual confident smirk remains on his face throughout, bright, sharp teeth against the usual backdrop of pale face with the sides of his cheekbones and neck becoming a shock of dark blue or purple. It seems to be a common male trait, since Odessa’s face is white all around, but she isn’t sure. She doesn’t see the other cousins close enough to tell.

She spies Odessa wandering with her device, either barking orders or quietly checking off things. Long, lilac hair floats behind her when not in use, her frame just as slim and tight as the others, and inheriting a tall height seems to be the norm for them. Despite her gorgeous features, Molly finds it interesting, also intimidating, how much redder Odessa’s eyes and sclera are compared to Eon’s.

Hydrangea is speaking with Odessa now, platinum blonde hair brushing against her body, falling in the softest of waves to the small of her back. Her lithe frame befits the gentler, kinder nature she has, which isn’t surprising considering who her parents are. But there’s that powerful change in limb, her arms spiking at the shoulder in dark red, the skin of her arms mottled with it, until it reaches her elbows, where it spikes again, hardens, forming another patch of chitinous skin that reaches her fingertips, claws neatly filed down. And then there’s the tail, shorter, but as potent as Scorpia’s. Deadly and graceful.

She looks up at Tristan, beautiful, brown eyes staring off to the distance. Long lashes frame them, delicate yet full. His hands rest lightly over his knees, fingernails painted black. Hair reaching the end of his neck, lightly touching muscular shoulders, it enriches brown skin with its color, more than a mere dark purple. It’s the color of wine in the dark, of a gorgeous night as the last remnants of light dash away. The blue of his clothes highlight everything further, lavish gold trim clashing against the bright colors, revealing every taut muscle without meaning to, and she traces the curve of his spine with her eyes.

She feels a gaze on her, and finds her brother staring at her from a distance. Molly, snapping from her reverie, darts her sight to the ground. Unaware of Tristan looking in her direction.

Once enough participants have arrived, Odessa claps her hands, “Alright, people! Listen up: I have divided you all into the following groups. Step up this way, where I will assign you all with a place to go to.”

Adam bounds up out of nowhere, whispering, “Can whatever group I’m in be called Team Sexy?”

Odessa ignores him, “Let’s begin, shall we?”

HYDRANGEA

Age: 15

Species: Etherian

“Alright,” Odessa says. “I’m going to show you 10 pictures. You will have seven seconds to absorb all the details for them, and afterward, I will ask you one simple question about what you can remember.”

“You got it!” Hydrangea sits in her chair, comfortable. “Sounds easy enough.”

Odessa smiles, “Here’s your first one.”

She holds up a simple image of table mats atop a wooden surface, decorated with plates of breakfast foods, drinks, and fresh fruits.

“Okay, ready for the question?”

“Yep!”

“What fruits topped the waffles?”

“Oh, um… berries and apples?”

Writing it down, Odessa proceeds with the next image.

TRISTAN

Age: 17

Species: Etherian

“Hello!” Entrapta says, bringing him in. “I’m going to show you 10 pictures for less than 10 seconds each, and you’ll let me know what you remember.”

“Sure thing,” Tristan replies, sitting upright.

She pulls out an image of miscellaneous items and personal effects on a desk, three photographs in the middle, a drawing in one of the corners, a grey notebook, and a folder with intricate patterns.

“Okay, ready for the question?”

“Yes.”

“Were there tickets on the table?”

Tristan mulls his answers for a moment, “No.”

MOLLY

Age: 15

Species: Etherian

Odessa approaches the girl, relieved that she doesn’t have to deal with the handful that was her brother. She looks at Molly, “I’m going to hold up 10 pictures for you, and you will have seven seconds to absorb the image. Afterward, I will ask you questions.”

“Alright,” Molly nods, nails clicking against each other.

The image is of a mountain peak, glinting from the light; the moon shines above it, and a trip of hoofed animals moving along its surface.

“What was the total number of baby goats in the image?”

Molly thinks over the total, and says, “Five.”

ADAM

Age: 15

Species: Etherian

Entrapta comes into the room, “Hello! I’m going to be showing you some pictures—”

Adam interrupts her, “Is this going to take long?”

“Nope! It takes less than five minutes for this segment to be complet—”

“Do we get paid to do this?”

“...No.”

Scratching his nose, Adam leans back in his chair, “Got it, got it. Lay it on me, girl!”

Entrapta smiles, “Great! So, I have 10 pictures and I will show them to you for about seven seconds. I will ask you questions after each one about what you saw.”

“Question real quick: is this one of those tests that explain anything about your psychosis?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is it gonna tell me anything, like, am I gonna learn about who is the most likely to be a murderer or nymphomaniac?”

Raising a brow at him, Entrapta says, “I can’t divulge too much about the study to participants. But this is not that kind of test.”

“Aw… okay,” Adam shifts back further in his seat, lifting the front legs from the ground. “Well, that’s less fun.”

Entrapta proceeds to bring out a picture: a series of potted plants are lined on shelves, different heights and colors smashed closely together in the frame, their pots not resembling the others save for a few.

“What was the centre motif for the pots?”

Adam scratches his chin, “Frog, I think.”

EON

Age: 18

Species: Etherian and ?

Odessa approaches her cousin, sitting relaxed in the seat. She had gone through the first ten pictures with him already. She glances at him, “Are you ready to continue with the process?”

“Whatever this study is, I’m assuming that you need me to come back again for another trial run.”

“Yes, you will be returning a few times after today to aid in the study, as per your agreement on the written form.”

“Of course.”

“You went through the first half, and you’re going to begin the second half now. This is slightly different,” Odessa explains. Instead of photographs, she holds up a pad, similar in size and weight to her telecommunicator. “I am going to hold up one image: a grid of white and black squares. Then, I will show you a second image, of the same number of squares on the grid; however, you will choose the one square you believe was white in both image one and image two. Image three will have the grids with numbers in the squares instead for you to pick. The amount of time will be the same, seven seconds. There are four levels of difficulty, and you will proceed until we reach the last level.”

Nodding, Eon watches her lift the screen to his eyes. A grid of white and black appears, and he keeps in mind which are white only. The second image appears. Then the third. He makes his decision. He will not know if he is right, as the data is processed within for the researchers alone.

Odessa keeps her face neutral the entire time, intrigued at what this part of the test will yield from everyone else.

TALON

Age: approx. 90 (total) | approx. 52 (mental) | approx. 52 (physiological)

Species: ?

Entrapta smiles, “We do appreciate you helping with the test.”

“It is no trouble,” Talon states. “You and my niece are a select few that do not leave me…”

“Irritated?”

“We’ll use that word.”

Entrapta approaches her brother-in-law, setting herself down on swathes of hair, “Are you ready for the second half of the test?”

“Yes. By all means, little sister, proceed.”

“Excellent! I’m going to show you a grid with black and white squares. Another image will appear after on the device. The number of squares will not change, however, you have to decide what is the one square that remained white. You will pick that in the third image, where the squares will all be numbered.”

“Understood. You may show me the first image.”

W.H.

Age: approx. 40 (total) | approx. 23 (mental) | approx. 27 (physiological)

Species: ?

“This must be exciting for you, isn’t it?” W.H. asks. “You haven’t done a study like this in a while.”

Readying the pad, she nods, “It has been a few years since I’ve conducted anything in this manner.”

“I still remember when you were little, and you insisted on having your first experiment be a methane explosion. You were so cute!”

Odessa smiles, “Speaking of memory, we’re going to begin the second half of the test. You will have the same amount of time to memorize the image on screen. Another will follow right after, and your task is to choose which square on the grid remained white. The image will be your selection on a numbered grid.”

“Sounds fun!”

Holding it up for him, Odessa watches his eyes stay in place, focused. A flicker to indicate change on the screen, then another before he makes his decision.

HORDAK

Age: approx. 56 (total) | approx. 57 (mental) | approx. 35 (physiological)

Species: ?

Entrapta can’t help but smile at him, “Thanks for helping, Lab Partner!”

Hordak smiles back, rising from the chair, “Of course. The experiment seems to be going well.”

“It’s been so fascinating!” Entrapta lifts herself up in the air, at his height. “Everyone has been super helpful, even when they’re rambling about their own assumptions!”

“Who was rambling?”

“One of Catra’s kids—the boy. He was very interesting when he talked, but I had to stay focused! We’re collecting so much data… Odessa is going to be ecstatic!”

Happy to see her in good spirits, Hordak leans forward, kissing her cheek, “When you’re done, I will be waiting for you in our room.”

Entrapta waggles her eyebrows at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, “Ooh! Is this about that new maneuver you wanted to show me?”

“We’ll see if your memory serves you just as well tonight,” Hordak smirks.

Squealing, Entrapta kicks her legs behind her, pecking his mouth with her own. “Can’t wait!”

The results, overall, took two months to compile through the data machine and to check back in with the participants. None of the groups had different numbers, pictures, objects, or words. Odessa and Entrapta tested everyone on their eidetic and photographic memory ability. Group A had no distractions, Group B had Etherians with distractions only, Group C was where her cousins had the disturbances, and Group D it was her uncles with diversions.

When it came to eidetic memory, the numbers didn’t vary too much. But the photographic memory yielded noteworthy results. Each group was brought back a month after being tested to see if they could recall things better. A few Etherians showed some promising ability for it, but overall it wasn’t strong. Her cousins showed stronger signs for photographic memory, Eon being one of the best candidates.

But her uncles were nearly at a 97% rate of accuracy. Talon and W.H. showed an adeptness for remembering things weeks later. Hordak was somewhere in the middle. She wonders why.

“Mom,” she says, holding the charts in her hair. “I know that photographic memory is rare, but these numbers are unreal.”

“I know! The majority of your relatives have a knack for it! That’s so fascinating.”

“I have a theory that it might be due to the hivemind, and perhaps the military training they underwent. It would make sense why they have such capability, even two decades later,” Odessa says. She pulls another chart toward them, tapping her forefinger in quick successions behind it. “It may or may not be that, since we’re not certain of Dad’s origins, but it would explain aspects of it.”

Entrapta’s hair moves her behind her daughter, peering over her shoulder, “It may. I saw that Wrong Hordak was remarkable with photographic memory, and Talon as well.”

“I believe it’s possible that it might be due to neither having depressive episodes. It may have been a group study, but I saw that clones similar to Dad in terms of mental health had a tendency toward memory loss or confusion. It’s not as often or strong as Etherians, or a couple of my cousins, but it’s there. Brains are brains after all.”

“It is exceptional to write this in our records. I wish we had more examples to go by,” Entrapta says. She smiles, “I think it says quite a lot when you compare it to Etherians and your cousins, though.”

“I do find this riveting. Even if it’s Dad cloned thousands of times, there’s something in their brains, their minds, that can provide clues to them as a whole. It’d be prudent to conduct more research, but I’d like to begin as soon as possible, and I can add notes as I go along.”

Entrapta pats her daughter’s head, “And now that you have this information, what do you intend to do with it?”

Odessa looks up at her mother, then back at the data. “I’m going to have Tris and Gea come with me on a little field trip.”

#entrapdak #entrapta #hordak #entrapdak fankid #odessa #shera #spop

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earthnashes · 5 years

Photo

Finally finished with the headcanon of the Twili and the Twilight Realm! Or at the very least the main stuff regarding them and their culture. O: Took me so long ‘cuz I had to draw everything up first but I’m really happy with how everything came out. Now before I get into the headcanon I’d like to thank ya’ll for allowing me to have some of your OCs cameo in the post, it saved me quite a bit of time instead of me having to design the characters from the ground up, and it was a lot of fun! <: The following is featured:

Panel 1:

Akamu (owned by drawingshady) Rishai (owned by takitacomako) Eclipse (owned by Desphiria)

Panel 2:

Dream Walker (owned by elosoquelee) Cass (owned by furysscorn) Alix (owned by Crunchy-Cucumber)

Again thank you all so much! ^.^ Aight then, now onward to the headcanon!

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-The Twili are a unique race that inhabit the Twilight Realm, a realm of which they didn’t originate from but have since made their home all those many centuries ago. They were once Hylian but when their ancestors, a group called “The Interlopers” were banished to the Twilight Realm for their crimes, they have since evolved to adapt to their environment and, in turn, have evolved into a race of their own.

-Twili are covered in a short but thick coat of fur, often coming in two different tones and distinct markings. The tones are usually a greenish gray or blue-grey with a much lighter color of the same tone, however it isn’t too uncommon to see Twili with a more reddish tint to their fur. Their hair color is often a unique gradient of red to yellow and their eyes are often a shade of red (with the sclera usually a light yellow). Despite having normal-like feet, the Twili are digitgrade and always stand on the tips of their toes. Twili all have slit pupils, claw-tipped fingers, and small-ish fangs adorning their mouths: they are most likened to being more “feral” in appearance in comparison to their Hylian relatives, which is true to some extent.

All Twili have natural tattoos that are etched into their skin (and is entirely visible through their fur), and these marks have the capacity to glow if the individual is using magic. These tattoos are almost always a bright green-blue or electric blue in color. While each individual’s tattoos are generally different, all Twili have tattoos that seem to share the same motifs and repeated patterns as shown in the “Common Markings” panel above.

-The three headshots show off rare color mutations seen within the Twili. All the information about these mutations can be seen and read in the info-boxes of each headshot above! <:

-The Twili, given their evolution to better inhabit their environment, all have a sensitivity to the sun. Exposure to the sun doesn’t necessarily harm them however sunlight upon their bodies can cause discomfort, especially if exposed for too long. Overexposure to extreme and direct sunlight or divine light can be harmful or even lethal to a Twili (ex: Midna being mortally wounded when exposed to a Light’s spirit’s unfiltered light directly). As a means to protect themselves, the Twili will often don hooded cloaks when visiting the Light Realm.

-Culturally, the Twili are indifferent and unbothered by nudity. It isn’t uncommon to see a Twili waltzing around in near nothing as far as clothing goes, however all Twili wear loincloths out of politeness instead of any real embarrassment to their bodies. Pants and shirts are very rarely worn unless the Twili’s specific profession requires it, which will be talked about a little more in detail below.

-The Twili don’t quite follow the typical social ranking system often seen in other cultures. That’s to say, “Upper-class, Middle-class, Working-class, ect” doesn’t necessarily exist in the Twili’s culture. Instead they are categorized by the profession they choose to partake in, though that doesn’t necessarily separate them from each other, due to their belief that every Twili serves an important purpose to their society, no matter where they’re born or who they’re born to. The only exception to this belief are religious figures and royalty, but while Royalty are distinguished by blood, any Twili can become a religious figure should they choose to commit themselves to the profession.

At any rate, their society is categorized by profession:

Artisans: Twili who’s focus is on the artistry of their culture. Includes professions such as: Painters, writers, musicians, craftsmen, architects, chefs, so on.

Enforcers: Twili who’s roles are to provide law enforcement and the protection of their people. Includes professions as: warriors, law enforcers, knights to the crown, judges, so on.

Providers: Twili who’s roles focus on providing the necessities of living to their society. Includes professions as: hunters, farmers, fishermen, healers/doctors, so on.

Mentors: Twili who focus on the pursuit for knowledge as well as the desire to share that knowledge. Includes professions such as: philosophers, teachers, librarians, wizards/witches

Spirituals: Twili who’s focus is on the spiritual and religious aspect of their society, they act as the superficial bridge between their people and the gods they worship. Includes professions such as: Priests and Priestesses, shamans, monks

-Despite their non-nonchalance toward clothing, what a Twili wears can indicate their profession. For example: a monk or a shaman are often seen in etched pants or traditional robes, while a Twili with a profession in fashion may wear transparent silks and an abundance of jewelry. Twili with practical and labor-based professions, like farming or metalsmithing, are unlikely to wear anything more than the bare minimum of the cultural loincloth so it won’t get in the way of their work, while royalty and Twili involved with the government are often seen wearing moderate but relatively intricate jewelry, often in copper or bronze.

-Midna is no longer the Queen of the Twili, having since willingly stepped down to allow another leader to the throne. However, the events of Twilight Princess has since elevated her as a sort of demi-god to her people, much to her chagrin. As a living deity to her culture, Midna still retains much of the power she had as queen, if not moreso given her current status. If you’d like to learn more about Midna in my headcanon, you can check out the post dedicated to her HERE.

-The panel with the 2 BG speedpaintings are my vision of the track leading to the Twilight Realm and the Twilight Realm itself respectively. The destruction of the mirror may have made traveling between the realms more difficult but it didn’t make it impossible. Sometime in her long-standing rule as the Queen of the Twili, Midna eventually went hard at work to re-establish that direct connection to the realms and, once she did, set out to put into place an alliance between the Twilight Realm and the Light Realm. It took a couple of long centuries before it was fully in effect, and from that point on relation between the two realms have only grown stronger. It wasn’t long before transportation between the realms was established, which in turn only strengthened their comradery. Nowadays it’s very common to see Light Dwellers visiting or even living in the Twilight Realm, and vice versa for the Twili.

-The Twilight Realm is accessible through the use of a Spirit Train, a unique locomotive that has access to traveling into realms connected to its native one. The train that runs to the Twilight Realm is a one-way train that travels through nearly every possible realm that’s available to visit, with the Twilight Realm being it’s first stop.

-The last panel is a depiction of a Twili Wolf. The Twili Wolf is a sacred animal in Twili culture, a creature who was once of the light realm before adapting to the Twilight Realm way before the Twili even inhabited the land, they are a symbol of survival, freedom, and power. Their heads are covered in a strange skull-like chitin that is often mimicked by the Twili when making armor and artifacts. The Twili Wolf is typically huge, about as big as a horse, and they have orbs of raw magical energy rolling off their fur as if it were flickers of flame.

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WHEW! A long-winded headcanon but I’m pretty happy with the result! I hope ya’ll like the headcanon here and if ya have any questions you’re more than free to ask. Otherwise, thank you so much for takin’ a look! <:

#nintendo #the legend of zelda #Character Design #my art #Headcanon #nintendo headcanon #loz #loz: a new mythos #loz: NM #midna #twili #twilight realm #twilight princess #au #speedpainting #wolf #fanart

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shadow-sovereign · 4 years

Text

Goto Ryuji Headcanons

These are some of the headcanons I have for Goto Ryuji, partially based on what I’ve seen of him in the manhwa and novel and partially just...made up. We don’t really get that much information on him before he’s gone. Anyway, feel free to use any of these headcanons in your own stories. Or maybe you’ll have a reaction of ‘No, that doesn’t feel right.’ That’s also a useful reaction! It can be a starting point to creating your own headcanons for the character.

To start with, here’s what the wiki says about his personality -- “Goto Ryuji is displayed as a rather calm, cold and distant individual, rarely becoming agitated or angered.

He holds great pride in his status as Japan's strongest S-Rank. Consumed by overconfidence, he deems anyone inferior to him to be 'weak'. When assessing the Korean S-Rank hunters, he stated that Cha Hae-In was the only "useful" hunter, deeming the rest to be of "no use." He also lacks any sense of compassion or empathy for others, leaving another country's S-Ranks to die for personal gain and showing no sympathy or remorse when he came across his Guildmembers' corpses.

Despite his arrogance, however, his pride will quickly shatter upon being confronted by a much strong existence, as seen with Sung Jin-Woo and later the Ant King, ultimately reducing him to a nervous wreck.”

Now, onto my headcanons:

Fame – Ryuji enjoys the spotlight and having other people admire him. When asked by Beru if he was the ‘King’, he unashamedly said yes. He sees himself as superior to others, even though awakening as an S-rank Hunter was a luck of the draw. Perhaps he sees it as his destiny to rule?

He enjoys the perks of being rich and famous. Fine dining and high quality clothing. Luxurious living accommodations, staying in fancy hotels.

Strength – Ryuji prides himself on being the strongest Hunter in Japan. It unsettles him to meet anyone stronger, but when that feeling passes, he’ll get incredibly competitive with them. He’ll want to prove himself superior in some way.

He only truly respects strong Hunters, though civilians are categorized differently in his mind. Weak Hunters he considers to be ‘useless’ but civilians aren’t meant to fight, so they have a different criteria for ‘useless’ and ‘useful’.

The only truly healthy romantic relationship he can have is with someone who equals him in strength. It’s the only way he would see them as an equal partner and take their opinion just as seriously as his own. However, if his partner is stronger than him, the relationship will start off very competitive, perhaps unhealthy so. Over time, he’ll mellow out, but he’ll still get competitive from time to time.

Food – His favorite dishes are Japanese, as that’s what he grew up eating, but he enjoys trying various dishes. He views it as a part of being wealthy, getting to eat whatever dish catches his eye. While he prefers fine dining, he’s not above ordering take-out if he’s not in the mood to deal with the public.

Ryuji prefers to stay in his own country, but will try the local cuisine on the occasions he needs to travel. With the internet, he can order practically anything he wants. If he wants a particular dish and can’t find it in Japan, he’ll order the ingredients online and hire a chef to make it for him.

He drinks a cup of coffee every morning. It’s not something that he needs to wake up, but he tried this high end brand at a business meeting once and found he liked the taste. He has a higher tolerance for bitter foods in general, but it’s not his preference.

He likes salty/slighty spicy dishes. And for dessert, he likes richer/less sweet dishes. Dark chocolate over white chocolate, things like that.

Money – Ryuji grew up in a financially stable family, but not overly wealthy. He knows how to make a budget and has a savings account. While he isn’t exactly frugal, if something happened, he has enough money saved up that he wouldn’t need to work for a few years.

Family – Ryuji is an only child with elderly parents. He visits them from time to time and pays for most of their needs. As they get on in years, he’ll make sure they’re taken care of.

Romance – Ryuji assumes if he ever settles down, it’ll be with a trophy wife. A beautiful civilian that he can show off at fancy parties, someone who knows how to behave in high society. In reality, he’d be bored, even if he chose someone intelligent. All the intellectual conversations in the world won’t get his blood heated like a spar with someone powerful.

Hobbies – Ryuji is a workaholic, running his guild and going on raids. He doesn’t have any time intensive hobbies. He likes good food and good music. Occasionally reads an interesting book or soaks in a hot tub to relax. Might occasionally visit the theatre for his ‘image’, but it’s not really his preference.

He would enjoy watching martial arts if the participants weren’t so slow. A tournament for Hunters would be interesting to watch, but he’d enjoy competing more.

Senses – Ryuji prefers more masculine scented bodywashes and colognes. He doesn’t want to smell like a flower, but he can enjoy the scent on a woman he’s being intimate with. Also, his sense of smell is stronger than the average person’s, so he doesn’t like heavy perfume/cologne.

The rest of his senses are pretty strong too, perhaps second only to the Nation-Level Hunters and Sung Jin-Woo. Though I think Baek Yoon-Ho probably has slightly better eyesight, since he was able to see Jin-Woo’s strength increasing when no one else could. However, Ryuji can see things faster, since he himself is faster. But if they’re both staring at a far away stationary object, Baek Yoon-Ho will be able to see the object in greater detail.

#solo leveling #Goto Ryuji #headcanons

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an-ambivalent · 5 years

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Hi, can i request a scenario? It's okay if you don't do it :) Can you make depressed and lonely yandere! Artist! Tae falling in love with his s/o? Thank you :")

Hello! Sorry this took ages, and this turned out to be quite different to what I thought of writing it as, or you requested. Sorry about that :’D I hope you still like this though!

This is very slightly loosely based off Barbie as Rapunzel

Warning: As this contains yandere themes, the characters display behaviors that can be triggering or uncomfortable to read. Read at your own risk. This work is purely fiction. I do not believe any of the mentioned members would display any sort of this behaviour irl, nor do I condone this sort of behaviour.

Pairings: Yandere! Taehyung x Reader | Yoonji x Reader

Word Count: 4.9K

Xanadu Of Strokes

Art was a peculiar thing – it was such a broad term that held significant meaning and value to many. But at the same time, it was also perceived as an insignificant subject with no worth, and seen as a complete waste of time. One person may believe that art is mere sketching, while most tend to have a general understanding that it included painting, music, writing, dancing and more – it was a vast definition that was limited only by one’s imagination; art was a self expression that allowed one to explore the darkest version of themselves, and express that secretive dark self of them through symbols, words, and actions without fearing judgement.

Taehyung was someone who held art dearly to his heart. To him, art was as essential as breathing – it meant everything to him. Art was his only means of expressing himself in the life where he was allowed to show no emotion. Similarly, in the life where he had little to no freedom, and no means of leaving the four walls that constantly confined him, a single paint brush was his only means of escape.

It was exhilarating – to be able to escape into the world of his own creation and be the most respected and powerful person. It was a facade fictional ideal he used to cope with the powerlessness he could likely never overcome in this current reality. He was all but a simple man who had been kept captive for as long as he could remember. In a gigantic and tall tower that loomed over everything in the middle of nowhere, where he had been cut off from the outside his entire life, his capturer Min Yoonji, had kept his freedom limited to one room. Miss. Yoonji had claimed that it was too dangerous for someone like Taehyung to be outside, that his being and what he had to offer, was too good for anyone except for her to see.

For some strange reason, she had a weird obsession with his hair. While he did not mind, Taehyung found it strange how she always forced him to keep his hair one specific length – never shorter or longer than its current length. Each day, morning and night, she would run her fingers through his soft locks, wash it in a specific way, talk about how beautiful it was, and how it was going to be the big break she needed to finally make her mark in the world. She treated his hair as if it was cultivating some sort of magic.

Unbeknownst to Taehyung, his hair was magical. Yoonji was an obsessive aspiring fashion designer. Each time she crafted an outfit and integrated a lock of Taehyung’s hair in her designed outfits, they would become engulfed in white light before quickly transforming and taking a life of their own. She eagerly looked forward to the day when she would complete her fashion line, and release her unique clothes into the world.

Presently, Taehyung had finished another painting with his one and only brush. Just like what painting and his own art to mean, the brush he used felt like it was his life line. Ever since he found it, Taehyung made sure to keep this brush his own secret and hidden away from Yoonji at all costs – it was his only ticket to getaway in order to keep himself sane. Not to mention, the brush painted whatever Taehyung imagined as an actual artwork, and it was artwork that lived and breathed.

Taehyung made it a habit to paint only cities or certain places with intricate details. That way, he could visit the cities he had created, and its’ people in it. He was able to experience the world of his creations taking on their life, and relish in the world where he was not a powerless isolated human, but where he had all the power.

One thing that Taehyung failed to realize was that his “hobby” of going into his paintings that he created was something that was beginning to develop into an obsession. Especially since the more time he spent in his paintings, which increased with each visit, a part of his soul was left behind in the world of his artwork. This would continue to be so until his whole soul would solely exist in that fantasy realm, and he could no longer return to his reality.

Out of all the world’s he had painted, and by extension, visited, Xanadu was his favourite. It was where people were at their loviest, art was at its finest, etiquette was its richest, and him, Kim Taehyung, was the strongest.

People bowed at his feet, and worshiped him for he was their God, their ruler; it was only in this world that his talent as an artist was acknowledged. Everyone appreciated his artworks as blessings the way they should, and would kill to have him paint for them.

But most importantly, it was the world where his most beloved, who he treasured more than his brush, lived. The world where his most beautiful, and his favourite piece he had ever created breathed.

You were the main reason Taehyung spent hours upon hours locked in Xanadu, and spent enough time that he was beginning to lose his soul.

Like he always did during this time of the day, Taehyung walked towards one of the walls in his room. A big, loose, rusty red and gold cloth was draped on the wall to hide the world that laid behind; Xanadu.

With the back of his hand, Taehyung moved the cloth aside. His eyes that were usually lacking of interest and life, glowed with a lustrous wonder and excitement. His heart-shaped lips stretched into a wide grin. With much practice now by his side, he had become accustomed to travelling between fantasy and reality.

Eyebags that had appeared underneath his eyes were much more prominent than they had been ever before. It was a sign that indicated how he was close to losing the last few fragments of his soul. For a mere second, his eyes glistened a dangerous and chilling blue. It disappeared as soon as it had appeared, and Taehyung allowed his hand to be absorbed into the painting, before his whole body slipped into it.

The moment Taehyung entered Xanadu, a bright light glowed throughout his entire body. His shabby appearance which consisted of being dressed in a huge, baggy, and poor-quality robe that reached his ankles, and a white loose and baggy pants underneath it, morphed into a gold tux that radiated extravagance. There were white cuffs near the end of the sleeves towards the hands, and they folded inwards. His appearance, apart from his hair, which was usually unkempt, glistened with life and glowed. Lastly, unlike how his hair was more on the longer side in reality, in Xanadu, it was shorter, and hence easier to deal with.

Whenever Taehyung entered Xanadu, he always landed in the same area: a small clearing field off of an alley, which was off the main street of Xanadu. As he was the only person who left and entered this world, he was the only one who knew of this. Taehyung’s mahogany eyes ran over his attire of today, and he soothed down his tux. He patted the inner breast pocket of his tux, and when he felt his treasured brush, the corner of his lips twitched upward in a satisfied smirk.

Walking out of the grass, and the alley leading from the clearing to the main streets, Taehyung kept himself hidden in the overcasting shadows of the alley. Once he saw the opportunity, Taehyung entered amongst the strolling civilians of Xanadu, who roamed the streets for various purposes.

The common attire worn in Xanadu consisted of clothes that one would categorize as formal in his reality. For this reason, Taehyung did not stand out with the way he chose to dress. It was not until he walked on the familiar path that led to his abode in this world, passing by people who he was acquainted with, did the word float around that their master had arrived to bestow them.

As Taehyung walked past Miss Camila’s fruit store, the petite older female waved at him with a wide smile, and he returned her gesture with just as much friendliness. This sudden exchange between the two caused the customers in her immensely busy store to turn towards the direction of her wave.

They gasped when they noticed it was the notorious artist. Not wanting to be in their line of sight more than necessary, Taehyung continued on his way. As he passed more locals, and spared a few seconds of his precious time to greet them, onlookers ended up halting in the midst of what they were doing simply to gawk at his brilliance.

When he had first started to visit Xanadu, and then later, begin travelling down this road to this actual home, Taehyung was more than happy to stop and entertain NPC’s and invest his entire time with them. However, now, he did not want to spare even a single more second than necessary – if any. This was because the more time he would give to them, meant the less time he had with you. Especially with Yoonji breathing down his neck on the other side. He could not even begin to imagine what she would do if she found him missing, and learned about the fat that Taehyung was able to escape, or what his brush could do.

It was not long until after a few turns to the left and right, away from the main crowds and towards the secluded area where there was almost no one, that Taehyung reached his desired destination.

His home he stood before was small, composed of mahogany brown wood. The windows were visible at the exterior of the house and the entrance door was painted white. The roof was dirty green, and next to the steps that led to the entrance, were vast types of flowers and plants. The darker hue of brown, and dirty green contrasted well against the darker leaves, lighter brown branches of trees that surrounded his home; it appeared to be quite cozy.

Taehyung walked up the steps of his abode, unlocked the front door, and stepped in. Then, he gave the premises around his home one last glance to make sure no one had seen him enter it, before he closed the door. He shrugged off the coat of his tux and hung it on the coat holder. Then, he proceeded to walk through the living room, up a flight of stairs, before he unlocked a room and entered it. In that room, on the large king-sized bed that was in the middle of the lavish room, laid a woman, whom’s arms and legs were tied to the bed with soft crimson silk.

As Taehyung moved closer to the bed, his lips were beginning to stretch into a fond smile. He was finally here. After so long, he could finally see, touch, and be happy with his beloved once again.

Whether it was something he had not realized, or knew but chose to ignore for the sake of it, but what Taehyung did to you, was exactly what Yoonji did to him which he despised her for immensely. He stripped you off your freedom and caged you as his captive. That was all good though because unlike Taehyung, you were not real. You existed as his creation and therefore, for him. There was no need for you to be your own person, or have your own life when you could just exist for Taehyung, and to keep him satisfied.

Your eyes, tired and filled with desperate need, fluttered open as Taehyung sat by you, and gently brushed his fingers against the soft skin of your skin, to inform you of his arrival.

“Time to wake up sweetheart, I’m finally here. I’m sorry I took longer than last time. I tried to be as fast as I could, I’m sorry that I barely only made it when you’re on the verge of dying from starvation and dehydration. I promise I’ll be faster next time. Here have some water first,” Taehyung murmured, as he held out a glass to you. Conditioned to be obedient to his every word, you obliged and started to slowly slip the water instantly. Then, after another glass of water, he started to feed you some bread. You ate it without any complaints, or putting up a struggle.

See, since long time ago, you learned your lesson the hard way and now knew that it was best to let Taehyung do whatever he wanted, and allow him to have his way. The consequences of struggling against him, when he would always be granted to be the victor, was not worth it. Besides, like he had mentioned, you were literally on the brink of death. And so, the only thing that mattered to you right now was having access to water so it would not feel like you were living in a dry desert in your own body, and to have food in your stomach so you would not feel so utterly weak and sick.

Frankly speaking, your situation was horrendous. But to Taehyung, it was delusionally perfect and something that was the best for you both. You did not know why he did this, or why he felt the way he did, but Taehyung wanted to do everything for you. Feeding you, changing you, washing you, and everything else – nothing was an exception to this rule. With his smothering presence that breathed down your neck every second of the day, you had absolutely no privacy. He treated you as if you were an incompetent baby, and he was the overbearing parent who could not help but spoil you to the point where he literally did do everything for you.

Initially, such loss of your own autonomy was downright humiliating for you. You had never been forced into such confinement from someone as controlling as Taehyung before, who left you feeling completely helpless and powerless. You desperately wished there would be way you could rescue yourself, or have someone rescue from the devil’s clutches that belonged to Kim Taehyung.

It was ironic really – Taehyung believed that the people of Xanadu respected him and worshiped him because he claimed to be the creator of some sort and it was out of their love for him. However, that was not the case. Everyone seemingly kissed the ground he walked on out of fear, and because they had to. Your ruler had heard from other cities that no longer existed about what happened to them when they refused to bow before the outsider in gold who claimed to be their creator. In anger, with the aid of the brush of creation by his side, he had annihilated their entire civilizations. Now, Xanadu, had no choice but to entertain his delusional ideas, and for your own sake, and your people’s, you were the one who had it the worst and had to go along with all of his schemes, and at the cost of your entire life, entertain his sick ideas of love.

It disgusted you to your core. Especially the thought of how an outsider from the other side could have gotten their hands on the brush of creation, travel to your world, claim it to be their creation, and continue to travel to this side and be willing to lose their soul in order to do so – it was all too much to think about, and even revolting at some point.

You just wished Taehyung could disappear so you and other inhabitants of Xanadu could live in peace and with your freedom once again.

“You’re such a good girl for me,” Taehyung murmured, his eyes eerily wide, as he petted your head in approval. Then, abruptly, he leaned down and licked some of the crumbs that were on the corner of your lips. It took your entire will-power to not grimace as he did this.

Shortly after, Taehyung moved away from you, and gave you a sweet smile. If it was not for everything he had done to you, you would have actually found it sweet, and maybe cute. But after being forced to dance with this devil and getting burned, you knew it was anything but sweet or cute.

“You’ve been really strong and good by patiently waiting for me the entire last few days and doing exactly what I say. You definitely deserve a reward for your current behaviour. Now, before I do this, I’m going to explain a few things, and if you fail to listen to me you will pay the price. Do I make myself clear?” He enquired, and you mindlessly nodded. Although, in the pit of your stomach, butterflies churned in an uncomfortable way that filled you with anxiety, and made you want to puke. After all, who knows what sort of revolting things Taehyung considered a ‘reward.’

“I’m going to untie your bindings and let you roam around in the house,” He started, and your eyes widened in surprise. Almost instantly, a grin started to form on your lips. You were unable to control your reaction, and as this happened, Taehyung narrowed his eyes at you because you had never smiled like that for him.

“And I’ll be leaving you to your own devices for a bit while I go and buy something for a special time together since it’s been a while since we’ve done anything together. While I’m gone, and I leave you alone, do you promise to stay within your limits? No attempting to runaway, hurt yourself, or make a plan to hurt me. Can I trust you to do that?” Taehyung asked, his voice etched with caution.

You were having a difficult time grasping the fact that he was going to allow you to have freedom. Not wanting to let such a rare opportunity slip from your hands, you nodded.

He was hesitant for a few seconds, before he sighed, and eventually reached out to untie the harshly binding silk cloth. As his fingers brushed against your bruised wrists, you held your breath in anticipation. He intertwined his finger in the cloth, before his movements halted, and his eyes averted to yours. He gazed into your eyes with an intense gaze, and promises of danger swam in his mahogany coloured irises.

“I’ll remind you in case you forget. Remember, the fate of your entire country rests in your hands. You make one wrong move, you do one thing that aggravates me, and I’ll make sure no one else exists in this country anymore. No one else but us. As much as it hurts me to say this, you don’t want that do you?” He said posing a looming threat over you with his words.

You inwardly winced.

“N-No,” You responded, and looked down towards your body in order to avoid Taehyung’s gaze.

Taehyung nodded in approval.

“Good, then make sure to keep up your good behaviour,” He said, before he untied all of your bindings. Afterwards, he leaned closer to you, and kissed you forcefully, and for longer than you would have liked him to. However, with freedom finally being just at the tip of your fingertips, you knew better than to mess up now.

Once Taehyung pulled away, his cheeks feeling hot, he gave you one last grin, before getting up, and making his way out of your room, and out of the house.

“I’ll see you soon my love,” He said, and walked out.

Even after the sound of the front door being shut and locked resonated throughout the household, signalling that Taehyung had left, you remained seated on the bed. You were lost in your thoughts due to still being unable to grasp the fact that you were not tied up like a caged dog anymore. It wasn’t until the noise of your bedroom’s door knob being fiddled with in an attempt to open it reached your ears were you forced out of your train of thoughts.

Your eyes widened because what? You lived alone the majority of the time, and had been for who knows how long due to your captivity. The only person who visited you was Taehyung, and always in utter desperation to see you, he would just walk in straight away. Fiddling with the door knob was NOT his style which only meant one thing… Someone was breaking in.

Did that… did that mean they were going to hurt you?

You did not get a chance to ponder on this because the door was kicked open harshly, and someone who looked oddly familiar, but you could never recall ever meeting her, strolled in.

She had straight hair that ended at her neck and looked to be quite soft and silky. Her bangs ended just past her eyebrows. She wore a full sleeve white ruffle top, and on top of her top, a brown leather waist cincher hugged her waist. You noticed how unlike waist cincher that inhabitants often wore, her’s had locks of hair woven into it. She wore baggy dark brown pants, and long brown leather boots that reached just beneath her knees. Lastly, she wore fingerless gloves, and there were a variety of weapons attached to her hip: two daggers, a gun, and a sword. It was as if she was on a mission to haunt somebody.

All to soon, her eyes shifted to your quivering form. There was a dangerous aura of a predator radiating off her. Cautiously, her eyes scanned your figure up and down to examine if you posed as a threat in anyway. Momentarily, unbeknownst to you, her gaze focused on your wrists that were heavily bruised since you had been tied up for so long. Her eyes narrowed into a glare at that observation, before they shifted to your face.

She felt sorry for you.

“Out of everything, Xanadu was the last place I expected Taehyung to be hiding in. And you to be last reason I could ever imagine being his reason for escaping. I’m surprised; didn’t expect someone as sheltered as him to have such good taste,” She said, while the last sentence was muttered more to herself. At the unexpected compliment, your cheeks reddened. You didn’t give it too much thought though because at the moment, there was a bigger fish to fry. You didn’t miss out on the fact that she had said Taehyung’s name.

Having the courage you did not know you had to voice the questions you wondered about, you spoke.

“W-Who are you? And how do you know him? Are you here to keep an eye on me to make sure I don’t do anything while he’s gone?!“

Seeing the unease and worry on your face, in addition with the questions you asked, caused her to raise an eyebrow.

“What? Me, a spy for Taehyung? Don’t make me laugh. I want him gone, permanently. I’m Min Yoonji. I would tell you about my relationship with Taehyung but you might be a spy for him,” She retorted.

Immediately, you scoffed.

“The last thing he would have me as would be a spy. I’m nothing but fancy decor for him – he has had me locked up for ages and has taken my entire dignity from me. I would never associate myself with a monster like him if Xanadu’s safety didn’t depend on the fact that I have to play pretend as his submissive,” You uttered bitterly, looking down at your lap.

Yoonji’s eyes widened, and her eyes roamed to your back that was slightly exposed due to your bent position. The numerous cuts and bruises that covered it caused anger to rise in her, and she clenched her fist.

You looked so broken, so lost, so hurt. Seeing such an expression on your face, the fact that one of her people she had failed to protect, suffered at the hands of an outsider, made her chest feel heavy in sorrow.

She walked towards you, and went down on one knee so she would be at your eye level. Then, her hand grabbed yours, and her fingers intertwined with yours; she squeezed your hands gently yet firmly in reassurance.

“What’s your name?” She asked, and you looked up and found yourself staring into her eyes. Unlike before, when her eyes were narrowed at you into a cold stone and apathetic stare, they were now etched with warmth. A bright shine that made you feel as if that now, you weren’t alone anymore, and that now, she would make sure everything was going to be okay, illuminated her eyes.

“[Surname] [Name],” You answered, and noticed that there was a slight crack in your voice, and you felt like you were on the verge of crying.

Yoonji smiled sweetly at you.

“That’s a beautiful name. Say [Name], do you know about the prophecy?” She wondered, and your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What prophecy?”

“The prophecy of the outsider who would come to possess the brush of creation and pose a threat to the inside realm and to people like us. Just like you, I’m from Xanadu. I’m the next heir for our country, but the information about my existence was never made public. You see, I’ve been raised as a fighter, because according to the prophecy, only a royal blood who has been outside can stop the painter that seeks the destruction – who is Taehyung. Before returning home, I did my best to keep him locked up and weak in the outside world so he couldn’t come here.

“But evidently, my plan has failed since he still somehow managed to get his hands on our brush and not only destroy other countries, but hurt you, one of my people I am meant to protect. I am deeply ashamed of my failures and for allowing you to get hurt. I don’t know if this will allow me to gain your forgiveness, but as a personal victim of Taehyung, I at least should tell you of all people.

“I have cultivated Taehyung’s hair and woven them into many clothes which will protect us from the magic of brush. Not only that, but Taehyung’s lost his soul. So with no more spiritual energy to offer, his bond has weakened and it won’t be long before he is unable to wield the brush. He’s weakening so no matter what he tries, I will easily take him down. Then, everyone of us can be free and live our own lives without fearing Taehyung again,” Yoonji reassured smiling. You would have gasped loudly still trying to get your head around all the information Yoonji told you had it not been that you two got interrupted by the very person you both despised.

“You must be delusional if you think I’ll just let you hurt me Yoonji,” Taehyung greeted in a hiss, and both Yoonji’s and your eyes snapped towards him.

Your eyes widened in fear, while Yoonji stood up to her full height, and faced him standing in front of you, with her back turned towards you in order to hide you from him. Confidence oozed out of her, and although you could not see her expression, she smirked.

“I don’t have to hurt you. The brush will hurt you for me. Your eyes are glowing blue Taehyung, you use it one more time and you’ll be gone. It would be in your best interest to give up and hand over Xanadu back to me,” Yoonji warned, as she unsheathed her sword, and prepared to duel.

Taehyung smirked.

“If I’m a goner, then I’m taking all of you with me, especially you [Name]. You’re mine! I won’t let anyone else have you or Xanadu. I created you so I get to decide what I do with you,” Taehyung stated, as he prepared to paint the end with the brush of creation he had in his hand.

You whimpered, and out of fear, went to hold onto Yoonji. However, as you tried to grab onto what you would have assumed to be Yoonji’s clothes, you found yourself trying to grab onto thin air.

You gasped when you saw Yoonji running towards Taehyung in a blinding speed, and before you even had the chance to blink, she had kicked at the back of his knees causing him to drop onto the floor. Then, she with the hilt of the sword, she hit brush of creation out of his hands, before grabbing both of his hands and twisting it behind his arm. Taehyung yelled in pain as Yoonji pushed him onto the ground. Then, she held her sword to his neck.

“One wrong move, and I’ll kill you right here and right now,” She started in a warning. Simultaneously, she pricked his skin with the tip of her sword, causing him to hiss in pain, as miniscule amount of blood leaked out from the minor cut.

“Kim Taehyung, you are under arrest for destroying countries and threatening the safety and peace of Xanadu,” She declared, before pausing to turn her eyes to you.

Then finally, she said the words you would have killed to hear.

“You’re safe and free now. I swear on my life to protect Xanadu and its’ people to make sure it stays that way.”

________

Please share your thoughts :)

#yandere bts #yandere x reader #taehyung x reader #yandere taehyung #yandere bangtan #yandere bts v #yoonji x reader #yandere fairy tale #bts fairy tale au #yandere kpop #yandere imagines #bts fanfiction #obsession #yandere taehyung x reader #artist taehyung au #yandere artist au #yandere #ambivalent writes

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momoyomaki · 5 years

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Could Five realistically be autistic based solely on what we see on the show?

I stumbled across the theory that Five is autistic, and as someone with autism I find that very interesting. I’m not yet convinced he does have autism, but I’m not convinced he doesn’t either.

So let’s take this apart. :cracks knuckles:

First off, a couple things to keep in mind:

-No two autistic people are exactly the same.

-I am drawing on my own experience living with autism, and what I’ve witnessed from my sister and the kids I work with.

-Disabilities that affect the brain overlap. Many different things can affect the same areas of the brain, and we just categorize things for ease of assigning coping mechanisms. For example, if you were to take a brain scan of my brother who has PTSD, my sister who has brain damage from childhood trauma, and myself with autism, the scans would look very similar.

-Whether or not Five has autism, he most definitely has PTSD.

-Please chime in with your own theories and experiences, I’d love to open this TED talk up.

Ok here we go:

Klaus calls Five addicted to the apocalypse and he’s not wrong. Through an autistic lens, obsessing and hyper-fixating is like our bread and butter. My hyper-fixations have driven me to all sorts of extremes, like staying up for 24 hours, and giving myself heatstroke by hyper-fixating while outside. Whether Five is autistic or not he can obviously relate. His obsession with stopping the apocalypse drives him for 40+ years. He carries an eyeball around the entire time. His fixation on returning to his family keeps him going through his career as a hitman, something he makes clear he didn’t enjoy. On that note, he spent an episode walking around with a goddamn bullet wound. Talk about mind over matter, and also another tick in the hyper-fixation column. Again, when he checks on Klaus after he time travels to the Vietnam War, he’s clearly concerned for him, but gets sidetracked once again by his need to stop the apocalypse. Which is honestly valid, I mean, it’s the apocalypse.

Dolores. Anybody whose seen a decent therapist will probably have been told “yeah I know it sounds crazy, but try talking to yourself.” Being your own sounding board is a very healthy thing believe it or not, and Five uses Dolores for this purpose. Those with autism in my experience have crazy good imaginations. If I try hard enough I can fabricate fake memories to the point where I can’t quite remember it’s not true. I think this has a lot to do with the way autism thinks in pictures. Imaginary friend anyone? So Five finding Dolores and talking with her as if she were real for so long that he actually sees and hears her as a person? Totally believable and something I could see having happened to myself under the right circumstances. That being said, I feel he’s probably perfectly aware that she is, in fact, a mannequin. Dolores can be seen as a sign of Five having snapped or as a brilliant way of keeping his sanity while isolated for decades.

Coffee. Five’s caffeine addiction is probably not related to autism in anyway whatsoever, but boy can I relate. Coffee is my holy grail because it calms my personal blend of brain chemicals down enough for me to focus on things like driving. Of course that’s my ADHD talking. It’s not uncommon for those with autism to also have ADHD, but that’s a whole other post. So let’s just say Five’s relatable and leave it at that.

Sarcasm and Snark. Possibly the most common coping mechanism ever for any problem in existence. Probably just a part of Five’s glorious personality, but let’s say he developed it the way I did. As a way of taking on the world, sarcasm makes everything more bearable. It’s also a form of humor and nothing is as good as humor to cover social missteps. It takes you from being a weird outcast to being the Funny/Sarcastic Friend™️.

Five and routine. The first thing Five does when returning to the past is make his signature sandwich. Here he is, back with his family after all this time, and he doesn’t allow himself to bask in that, because the count down to the apocalypse has started. There’s no way he isn’t thrown off though, come on. 13 years old again with his family alive. When feeling shaken, most people with autism will absolutely fall back into routines even if they’re old ones. And who wants to bet he drove past at least one other perfectly serviceable shop with coffee on his way to Griddy’s and ignored them in favour of familiarity? And of course he works to get Dolores back right off the bat. When upset over the lab getting blown up he returns to what we can assume was home during the apocalypse; the library.

Five and his ability to take people at face value despite his overactive paranoia. From my experience working with those with autism, autistic people are some of the most forgiving people you will ever meet. This doesn’t have to come from a place of kindness. It’s more our black and white nature. Something used to be this way, and now it’s that way. We tend to just accept it where others might have a million questions. This goes hand in hand with our people sense. Oh we suck at reading social cues, but our instincts in regards to a persons trustworthiness are generally bang on. You see this in Five’s chat with Hazel. He doesn’t seem to have a problem buying what Hazel’s selling. Same with Klaus, who he acknowledges more then his other siblings even if it’s in a snarky manner. (He didn’t shoot Klaus down when he talked about conjuring their dad unlike Luther, and despite his angry reaction he took Klaus’ point about being addicted to the apocalypse seriously.) He gets angry when Vanya doesn’t believe him about the apocalypse but when it becomes clear that her disbelief is not malicious he doesn’t take it out on her. In contrast he doesn’t buy the Handler’s bullshit. To sum it up, Five is a practical people person, with good instincts but an outdated copy of Social Cues for Dummies. Is this autism or an effect of 40+ years alone? Both?

Five, the pragmatist. As the Handler says, Five is a first rate pragmatist which fits how a lot of those on the spectrum are very blunt, black and white thinkers. Where my family can debate politics for hours, my opinion is always the straightest path to whatever outcome I’m arguing for.

Five and clothes. Those on the spectrum tend to be hypersensitive, and clothing can be a Thing™️ for us. Certain materials feel like they're made of needles as opposed to just itchy, jeans are too tight, turtlenecks feel like a noose, etc. This is common, but sometimes it’s less about comfy sweatpants and more about familiarity. I have an undercut and if I don’t have time to get it shaved at the usual point, I get panicky. My hair feels slightly different, it looks slightly different, and it all just doesn't feel right. Five grew up wearing the academy uniform, and while he didn’t have the luxury of a suit and tie in the apocalypse, wearing a suit was clearly important to him during his time with the Commission. Even the Handler took notice, and gifted him a suit. And the second thing he does after making a sandwich in the past is find a suit that fits him. Ok, he didn’t have any options, but he didn’t have to wear the whole outfit. He could have mixed and matched. He could have stolen something from the department store. But no, he’s got to wear a suit jacket and tie. He even grabbed his tie off the guy he strangled at Griddy’s before he took care of the last dude. (Badass power move btw.) So I find it believable that the uniform was partially about appearances and partially about Five’s comfort zone, physically speaking.

(But wait, I hear you say, how can you throw in hypersensitivity when back up this post you claimed Five could have ignored his bullet wound via hyper-fixation? Here’s the thing, hyper-fixation basically mutes the notifications our bodies send us. We can be uncontrollably hypersensitive and still not clue into our bodies screaming at us while we fixate on something. But boy, we sure notice when we snap out of it.)

Five is all or nothing, ride or die. Oh boy is he ever. And most autistic people are too. We put our all into everything we do. Doesn’t always translate to doing it well, but we definitely give it our all. (In fact, we tend to over do things and need some serious recouping time after.) This can cover things already in the hyper-fixation section, like his obsession with the apocalypse. But going all in for something is different from the magnetic pull of hyper-fixation. It’s a conscious decision for one thing. The biggest example for Five is his commitment to his family. The Hargreeves are a dysfunctional family, and Five didn’t escape this by jumping to the future. He’s hardly the perfect brother but he’s the most invested in his siblings nonetheless. He became a killer for them, threw morals out the window for the slim chance he might be able to save them. And as is established pretty quickly, he put his all into being a hitman, becoming the best there ever was. That fight scene in the diner speaks for itself. And slicing up his own arm to get at the tracker? Well, it’s pretty clear that when Five commits to something he doesn’t mess around.

Five and math. Here we hit a stereotype about autistic people and their ‘special interests.’ Yeah, it’s really common, but what most people don’t know is that the majority of those on the spectrum are not math geniuses, or geniuses of any other kind. My sister’s ‘special interest’ is still relatively useful, being science, but she’s not a genius. Mine is ‘stories.’ Books, movies, theatre, music, etc. I can devour fiction forever. It’s basically useless to society though, because I’m picky af. But okay, Five fits the stereotype and is a math genius, or at least where it applies to time travel. We see this in the flashback already. Ok, time travelling didn’t work out as he’d hoped, but he managed it at 13 when even Reginald didn’t think he could. This makes me think that his tendency to spend hours working out equations didn’t start in the apocalypse.

Does Five stim? If so, we don’t really see it. That doesn’t rule out autism though, because, well, it’s a spectrum. I only stimmed as a toddler. Some people don’t stim at all.

Vanya. Another theory I’ve seen thrown around is that Vanya is autistic. I’m not going to address that here, but I do want to say that if she is, that wouldn't affect whether or not Five is autistic. Autism is not personality after all, and they are very different people. Again, autism is a spectrum and nobody displays all the same traits. If you’re thinking it would be unrealistic for Reginald. To have adopted two kids with autism, think again. That one autistic sister of mine? Adopted as a baby before we had any idea that she was a mini me.

Five doesn’t appear obviously autistic. What most people don’t realize is that autism is at the end of the day an invisible disability. Most people will know someone at some point on the spectrum and never even realize it. Because sure, sometimes you’ll see us rocking under the table or otherwise displaying what movies have stereotyped as autistic behaviour, but most of the time you won’t notice. We’re the slightly overly bright cashier at Walmart, the quiet bookworm at school, your favourite author that writes emotions so well, the person at comic con who can recite their favourite movie line for line, that kid that gets along best with those older or younger then them. If Five is autistic we may never know, because he’s perfectly functional, but that's hardly and argument against autism either.

And finally; people relate. Nobody knows autism better then those with autism themselves, so I’m inclined to take all the posts I’ve seen about Autistic!Five as a pretty big point on the autism column.

To summarize; none of these points taken alone indicate autism, but together well.... it’s an option at least.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I will now open the stage to audience input before this monster grows any longer.

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onestowatch · 5 years

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25 Game of Thrones-Obsessed Artists Predicted the Fate of Westeros

Photo Credit: Alyssa Yung

Before you continue reading, here’s your *SPOILER ALERT*!

With only one grueling week until the highly-anticipated Game of Thrones finale, we’re dying to know the fate of Westeros. Will Arya’s white horse lead her to victory? Will Sansa prove herself worthy of being the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms? Will Daenerys cease her Mad King rampage? Will Jon Snow turn against his queen and save what’s left amidst the ashy ruins?

Only time will tell… but in the meantime, we asked 25 of your favorite artists, who just so happen to be ultimate Game of Thrones fans, who they predicted would’ve taken the infamous Iron Throne before it burnt down in flames. Keep reading for responses from DOROTHY, flor, Jacob Banks, Rhye (who is apparently a fortune teller), and many more!

Ayelle

"I think (hope) Arya will end up on the Iron Throne, simply because she'll be the last one standing, she's the coldest, and lowkey probably more brutal than Daenerys (even though she's trying to be)."

Baby FuzZ

“Joffrey will return via a time machine and take out everyone. Now hear me out… The Starbucks cup in the past episode was definitely foreshadowing time travel, so be prepared for Joffrey’s return, but dressed in modern clothes and sporting some sick tattoos.”

BAUM

“I’m definitely gonna have to go with Sansa. She 100% knows how to manipulate people and plays the game better than anyone else.”

Calum Scott

“My prediction was that the Night King would have won both wars and that the season (and the show) would have ended with him on the throne [and] only white walkers left. But Arya spectacularly ended that prediction for me! Saying that, people are saying that Bran is actually the Night King, so maybe I’m not wrong… As much as I’d like it to happen, I think Dany or Jon is too obvious... I think I would like to see Tyrion on there!”

Cherry Glazerr

“Tabor and I have both been watching this season of ‘GoT’ so this is a very exciting thing to think about and discuss!! We feel like Arya has a shot at the Iron Throne and we’re just going to go ahead and put her name first because she’s a more unlikely candidate, she’s just killed the night king, and she’s obviously ruthless!!” - Clementine Creevy of Cherry Glazerr

Dagny

“I’m a massive ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, and I already have a few bets with friends on who’s gonna sit on the Iron Throne by the end of it. I was really late to the party; I only started watching it in April this year, and binged the whole thing in no time. I’m placing my bet on either Jon Snow or Arya. I’m not entirely sure how it’s gonna happen, but they’re my favorites. After Arya’s amazing jump straight outta the wood, placing a dagger in the ‘heart’ of the Night King, I was like, ‘Yup, girl’s got this.’ Jon Snow might be too obvious, but he’s so nice and if I was living in Westeros, I’d like him to be king.”

DOROTHY

“In my opinion, Jon and Dany could rule together because it’s weirdly romantic, but I think Arya will take the throne because she has the heart of a lion. She’s the ultimate protector and would make a benevolent but badass ruler.”

Drinker

“I don’t watch it, but my bandmate Anina Denove thinks the show is about so much more than who ‘wins’ the throne. It’s more about the game and the characters and less about the throne. But if I must, I think the likely candidate is Jon; he’s not only been revealed as the rightful heir, but has also proven himself a natural leader and survivor throughout the series. A boring prediction, but I think the most practical.”

flor

“Sansa - She has been through literal hell and survived, even thrived. She has learned the intimate details of how to navigate in politics and keeps a cool head. As far as legitimacy... if everyone else is dead, there’s no one to challenge her claim.” - McKinley Kitts of flor

Great Good Fine Ok

“Arya will kill Daenerys, and Jon Snow will take the Iron Throne… I HOPE!”

Jacob Banks

“Tyrion Lannister. I think he’s a Targaryen, which would make him the heir to the throne.”

James Droll

“Jon Snow (or Aegon Targaryen)! As much as I’d prefer to have a woman on the throne, I do believe the series has been grooming Jon to rule. Before anyone even knew of his royal ties, he has displayed his ability to win over his enemies and lead with compassion. If there is anyone to unite the seven kingdoms, it’s gonna be him. There is a small, albeit masochistic, part of me that wants Cersei to win though… Can’t wait to find out who it’s going to be!”

Knox Hamilton

“It’s honestly hard to imagine anyone surviving this season - let alone claiming the Iron Throne. However, it’s easy enough to imagine that Cersei and Qyburn have something ridiculously diabolical in store for Westeros, which will annihilate half the population. Jon Snow, in all of his broody bearded beautifulness, seems to have the best shot at sitting on the Iron Throne. For a few moments, anyway, before being betrayed by Lord Varys for ‘the good of the realm.’ Regardless of the outcome, it’s safe to say that everyone will lose at the ‘Game of Thrones.’” - Drew Buffington of Knox Hamilton

Lo Lo

“I think I’m gonna go with… Sansa Stark. She will win the Iron Throne because, first of all, I think Dany and Jon will probably die, and she’s the only one actually acting like a true leader. She’ll be the only one left that can actually do it, I think.”

Luna Shadows

“Dany has gone full Anakin on us, so I’m officially hopping on the Stark train, and by train I mean white horse. Arya, you’re our only hope.”

Pell

“My prediction is that Daenerys will take the Iron Throne, but Arya will kill her. I think there’s a place for Sansa on the throne because she’s the most well rounded character that’s suited for it and she’s a Stark. I have to believe that the Starks can get on the Iron Throne, even if Sansa’s maybe the only one who wants it.”

PHANGS

“Going into this final episode of the series, I have so many thoughts. I think that Daenerys actually saw the final outcome back in season 2, when she was in the house of the undying, looking for her baby dragons. The vision was of a castle with the ceiling ripped off and the throne covered in snow. I can only assume that this is symbolic of Jon Snow being the force that takes her throne. Also, she is showing big time glimpses of the infamous Mad King in her current actions… leaving me to wonder if after destroying King’s Landing and taking her throne, Tyrion will take his place as the ‘Queen Slayer,’ as a nod to the undying love for his family that he can never seem to outrun. Then he’ll bring Sansa back to King’s Landing to have the Starks run the Seven Kingdoms with honor, but with Jon Snow on the throne as king.”

Pretty Vicious

“Well, I mean, if anyone is gonna sit on the Iron Throne it should be Bran, right? Dude’s literally omniscient. Plus, they could give the throne a sick makeover and give it wheels and stuff. The Iron Wheelchair… I like the sound of that.” - Elliot Jones of Pretty Vicious

Rainsford

“My heart is torn between Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow for the Iron Throne. I haven’t started the final season because I needed to refresh my brain to all the information in the previous seasons. So for all I know, they could be dead now (this show is obviously not afraid to kill its heroes) or maybe they’ve joined forces! (Fingers crossed, ignorance is bliss).

Rhye

“I think no one is going to win the Iron Throne… I think it is going to be destroyed in the fury to control it. Possibly by a dragon. Just my two cents… It would be a cool lesson, as everything the audience wants to see happen seems to meet a bitter end.”

Rozzi

“Okay so I’ve seen 1.25 episodes of ‘Game of Thrones.’ I got through about 15 minutes of S1E1 before falling into a deep sleep and didn’t make any second attempt until two weeks ago when I agreed to a date that involved watching a new episode with five of my date’s ‘GoT’ obsessed friends. I have no idea what ‘the Iron Throne’ is or who will ‘win’ it, and to be honest, I don’t care! BUT here is my prediction anyway: the one who’s sleeping with his aunt. Because the only thing I know about ‘GoT’ is they like to freak us out so a ‘murder your crush who’s also your aunt and win the show’ moment feels right!”

Sheridan Reed

“Jon and Tyrion are going to go against Dany after her burning King’s Landing. BUT Dany’s going to execute Jon, while Arya then assassinates Dany. Somehow Tyrion survives and ends up as hand of the queen to SANSA STARK ON THE IRON THRONE.”

SWMRS

“Dany deserves the Iron Throne. She’s lost friends and nearly her entire family line. She found out she can’t be with the person she loves. She lost two dragons and gets categorized as going ‘mad’ because of her emotions. She has fought for freedom, broken chains, and inspired more people than anyone else in play for the throne of the Seven Kingdoms.” - Joey Armstrong of SWMRS

The Hunna

“Daenerys is going to go mad like the Mad King did because she can’t handle the throne not actually belonging to her. The last dragon will die. I think Arya could be the one to kill Cersei. I’m hoping for Jon and Daenerys to rule together, but I also feel like they could both die and Gendry takes the throne.” - Ryan Potter of The Hunna

“Arya and Gendry. They are not the obvious choice, but both of them would want the Seven Kingdoms to live in peace. Gendry is the only living Baratheon and now appointed Lord of Storm’s End. That gives him a bigger chance to claim the throne.” - Jack Metcalfe of The Hunna

“I really wanna see Daenerys, Jon Snow, and her dragon Drogon sitting on the Iron Throne. However, I can really imagine something random happening. Maybe something like Cersei staying on top by not getting defeated. That would be so savage. Imagine that…” - Daniel Dorney of The Hunna

“Jon Snow.” - Junate Angin of The Hunna

Vista Kicks

“Sansa and Tyrion. Dany is gonna die. So is Jon.”

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thedatasciencehyderabad · 3 years

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Data Science Course in Hyderabad with Placements

A weight is assigned to every connection, and it represents its relative importance on the neural network. Any given neuron can have many to many relationships with multiple inputs and output connections. The knowledge for use later might be remembered and work for the following step will go on in the process. In error correction, some changes are made to create the proper prediction output. The studying fee is the speed of how fast the network could make the proper prediction from the incorrect prediction. In this kind of neural network, many impartial networks contribute to the results collectively. There are many sub-duties performed and constructed by every of these neural networks.

You will feed enter, and it will practice the neural community to be taught some sort of sample from input, group and them and in a position to provide the desired output. That is one of the reasons as to why many business specialists staunchly believe that neural networks would be the primary framework on which next-technology Artificial Intelligence shall be constructed and develop. For positive, by now, you'll have gotten an excellent understanding of the concept of Neural Networks and its sorts.

Once an input is presented to the neural network required target response is about at the output and from the distinction of the desired response along with the output of real system an error is obtained. The error information is fed again to the system and it makes many changes to their parameters in a systematic order which is usually often known as the training rule. This process is repeated until the specified output is accepted.

These algorithms are heavily based mostly on the best way a human brain operates. These networks can adapt to changing enter and generate the most effective result with out the requirement to revamp the output standards.

As a end result, a large and complex computational course of may be done considerably quicker by breaking it down into independent elements. The computation velocity increases as a result of the networks aren't interacting with and even related to one another. If the prediction is incorrect, the system self-learns and works in direction of making the proper prediction in the course of the backpropagation.

This sort of neural network is very effective in text-to-speech conversion know-how. From each time-step to the following, each node will remember some information that it had in the earlier time-step. In other phrases, each node acts as a reminiscence cell whereas computing and carrying out operations. The neural network begins with the front propagation as traditional however remembers the data it might want to use later. This neural community is used within the power restoration methods in order to restore energy in the shortest attainable time. In different words, data strikes in just one direction from the first tier onwards till it reaches the output node. This is also called a front propagated wave which is usually achieved through the use of a classifying activation function.

MLP uses a supervised learning approach known as backpropagation for coaching. When a neural community is initialised, weights are set for each neuron. Backpropagation helps in adjusting the weights of the neurons to acquire output nearer to the anticipated. In MLP the inputs are multiplied with weights and fed to the activation perform.

A value function in easy terms measures the performance of a neural community model. It additionally might have dependencies on different variables like weights and biases. It provides a measure of how well a neural network performs as an entire. Neural Network consists of connections and weights, the place each connection throws an output of one neuron, which becomes an input to a different neuron in the community.

Learn how chatbots are used in enterprise and how they can be integrated into analytics applications. Now, ANN can be utilized to develop models to predict the cotton grading.

So RNN was developed and was designed to solve this concern of remembering the previous enter with the help of a Hidden Layer. The main reason for these networks to be called as feed-ahead is that the flow of data takes place within the forward course extra so the info travels in a unidirectional method viz. Each model could be depicted as a graph the place the practical groups are described. An instance might be, three features f, input layer one, f is layer two, and f is the output layer. So the information is handed from the input layer to the next layer where the computation takes place, which in turn will get passed to the output layer. Neural Networks include synthetic neurons which are much like the organic model of neurons.

The precept of Recurrent Neural Network is to suggestions the output of a layer back to the input once more. In the The neuron will retain some data because it goes to the following time step.

Artificial neural networks are impressed from the organic neurons inside the human physique which activate beneath sure circumstances resulting in a associated motion performed by the physique in response. Artificial neural nets consist of various layers of interconnected synthetic neurons powered by activation capabilities which assist in switching them ON/OFF. Like conventional machine algorithms, here too, there are certain values that neural nets learn in the training part. Neural community SoftwareThey are sometimes stand-alone and do not intend to generate neural networks which must be integrated in different software. Simulators normally have some type of constructed-in visualization to observe the coaching process.

CNNs are versatile in that they be taught to identify the differences between a traffic signal and a pedestrian. In PNN/GRNN networks, each point within the training file has one neuron. In the case of RBF networks, there are variable numbers of neurons which are typically lesser than the variety of training factors. For every predictor variable, there's one neuron in the enter layer, and in the state of affairs of categorical variables, N-1 neurons are utilized where N represents the number of categories.

Thus, to deal with the completely different points, neuron ship a message to another neuron. RBMs are typically utilized in constructing applications similar to dimensionality reduction, recommender systems, and topic modelling. However, in recent times generative adversarial networks are slowly replacing RBMs.

It also updates the neural community layers sequentially, making it troublesome to parallelize the training course of and resulting in longer training instances. While most deep neural networks are feedforward, i.e., they circulate in one path solely, from input to output , one can even practice a neural web mannequin to maneuver in the opposite direction from output to input. Let’s take an example of a neural community that is educated to recognise canines and cats. The first layer of neurons will break up this image into areas of sunshine and darkish.

In a feedforward neural community, the data passes via the different input nodes until it reaches the output node. Much of recent know-how relies on computational fashions generally known as synthetic neural networks. There are many different types of neural networks which perform on the identical principles as the nervous system within the human body. An synthetic neural community is a system and this system is a structure which receives an input, processes the information and provides an output. The enter in knowledge array will be WAVE sound, an information from a picture file or any sort of knowledge that may be represented in an array.

RNN has all kinds of purposes, one of which is TTS (text-to-speech) synthesis. Neural networks or also referred to as Artificial Neural Networks are networks that utilize complicated mathematical fashions for information processing. They are based mostly on the model of the functioning of neurons and synapses within the mind of human beings. Similar to the human brain, a neural network connects simple nodes, also referred to as neurons or models. And a group of such nodes varieties a network of nodes, hence the name "neural network." Artificial Neural Networks are computing systems inspired by biological neural networks. Like the human mind, they be taught by examples, supervised or unsupervised.

Optoelectronic pictures of the material are Fourier remodeled whose peak values similar to the zero-th and first order diffraction could also be in contrast with faulty piece diffraction spectrums. In this Neutral network are used to identify teams of objects which have minor variations from each other. The present growth is considering the spectrum between zero-th and first order so that extra number of cloth defects may be found pout. Basically the idea of measurement or inspection utilizing ANN is identical for all applications apart from the truth that whether the network goes to be a trained one or a back propagating network. .65, the network needs to decide on the highest likelihood and inhibit all the others. This is where the output of one layer routes again to a previous layer.

In the next step, the output from this layer is taken into account for computing the same output within the subsequent iteration. One of the functions of Radial Basis perform can be seen in Power Restoration Systems. There is a necessity to revive the facility as reliably and shortly as possible after a blackout. A unit used to send info to a different unit that does not obtain any data. Each RBF neuron compares the input vector to its prototype and outputs a worth ranging which is a measure of similarity from zero to 1.

If you might be staying or wanting coaching in any of those areas, Please get in touch with our career counselors to find your nearest department. CNNs eliminates the necessity for manual or human intervened characteristic extraction efforts.

This field also makes use of phrases very totally different from conventional computing, words like behave, react, self-organize, be taught, generalize, and overlook. Whenever we speak about a neural network, we should always extra popularly say Artificial Neural Network , ANN are computers whose structure is modelled after the mind.

The vital thing about neural networks is that they are modeled designed keeping in mind the way the neurons within the brain work. So, what could be expected eventually is that these networks will study more and improve more with more data and utilization. The difference between conventional Machine Learning algorithms and neural networks is that ML will tend to stagnate after a point. In contrast, Neural networks can actually grow in performance and consequence with increased information and usage. It is designed in such a method that Neurons are related to the instant neighboring layers of neurons. What this implies is that neurons of one layer connect only to neurons of the immediately previous and immediately following layers.

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busforachange · 3 years

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Multinational Corporate Environment

1. Why are many governments in today's world liberalizing cross-border movements of goods, services, and resources?

China Globalizing

The year 2010 is very significant in China in regards to the economy and immigration. In a capitalist country, industrialization and immigration go hand in hand. Contrary to what seems like a norm to a democratic country, a socialist country like China has also experienced a massive influx of immigrants into the country. In 2010, China surpassed Japan as the second-largest economy. In addition to that, China also drafted its first-ever Policy on immigrants in China. China's Immigration and Internal migration policies have to be reconsidered to sustain its rapid influx of immigrants within the country and maintain its economic status quo.

China is known to be the most populous country globally, with a population of over a billion people. China is also known for its mass immigration of people worldwide, which can be seen through the location of China Town in various countries around the world. China is also experiencing an influx of people from the developed and the developing world into China. China categorized the immigrants into the following groups, the skilled, the unskilled migrants, investors, etc.

Categories to outline:

· The Skilled Workers- Professionals from the United States and other countries who have decided to join the working class in China

· Investors/Diplomats – includes business people, diplomats who are usually in China temporarily for business and political reasons rather than as a permanent resident.

· The Unskilled workers- are those who have immigrated to China in search of a more decent life different from that of where they have come from. It also includes the peasant in China who granted passports to move around.

These immigrants have moved to China for different reasons; while some stay there temporarily, some have made China home. Foreigners from other East Asian countries are not relatively new to China, especially those from Taiwan and Tibet. What makes it fascinating is the newcomers' faces from Africa, who share a different racial background. Due to the origin of the new immigrants, China has begun to tighten its immigration policies and adapt to the influx of immigrants' new faces in China. The protests of more than 100 Africans who protested in the Chinese town of Guangzhou, in regards to the death of a Nigerian clothing trader, Ojide John Okene, in July 2009, had drawn the attention of the international community to the situation of immigrants in China (Allafrica.com). Such protests by foreigners have never been staged before, which was a significant outrage in China. China has begun scrutinizing its immigration policies by haunting illegal immigrants, or immigrants who have overstayed their presence. Those who protested in Guangzhou felt that the haunting is more racially motivated than a claim of its attempt to reform the immigration policies.

Immigration- The treatment of rural people in China has immigrants

From a political scientist's point of view, China's immigration policies are very hypocritical. In the first reading for the class on China, "Kinship, Contract, Community, and State, Anthropological Perspectives on China" by Myron Cohen, He described how rural China is viewed and how the term 'peasants' have been used derogatorily for people who came from a pastoral challenge. China's immigration situation is a tragic case because those described as 'peasants' from rural China are still obligated to have a traveling passport for them to travel. The problem in China, whereby citizens still have to get a ticket, is similar to that of the Apartheid in South Africa. Blacks had to have access to travel, similar to that of the Jim Crow law in the rural South. Once a citizen has to be issued a ticket to travel around their own country, the individual has technically been ascribed to being a second class citizen, which equates to the immigrant in any nation.

As a nation, China has fantasized about an ideal society that models after the United States without losing its communist elements. In the name of the Bandung Spirit, China's policies are also to compete with the capitalist Ideal by developing an economy heavily dependent on the people's workforce and utilizing the immigrants' skills for its industrialization to strengthen the communist government. As it has been stated, China is a country of contrast, and it is essential to study and research how its immigration policies work and anticipate if the systems will survive in the long term.

China is not a threat in the aspect of its foreign policy, especially with Taiwan. China wants to keep Taiwan's economic status quo; this status quo is "one country, two systems." And although China intends never to allow Taiwan to become independent, there is a chance of a military confrontation between Taiwan and China. A military conflict between China and Taiwan is unlikely because the United States will defend Taiwan. In that case, China does not want to have a war with the United States directly because the United States military at this point, and time is better equipped. China does not want to damage its economic ties with Taiwan. Taiwan and the United States are strategically critical economic factors for China, contributing to keeping the status quo. The Taiwan Relation act in 1979 and the Shanghai Communiqué in 1972 during the visit that Nixon made created the structure to which the United States and China base on their relationship. This has worked for almost three decades now. These two diplomatic gestures have influenced how the two countries will communicate with each other. And since China has no intention of destroying the relationship it has with the United States economically, then China will not be a threat to its foreign policy towards Taiwan shortly

China's Foreign Policy:

New World Order; China has not established a Communist World System, neither has communism helped the system a great deal. Under Deng Xiaoping, China developed Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence; maintaining a positive attitude toward international cooperation; making energetic efforts to promote the establishment of a new global order; opposing arms race and promoting the disarmament process; practicing wide opening to the outside world, and actively enhancing the friendly people-to-people contacts across the globe.

Bibliography

Adie, W.A.AC, "China's Foreign Policy," The World Today, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Mar. 1968) pp. 111-120

"Africans Protest in China Over Death of Nigeria" July 17, 2009, http://allafrica.com/stories/200907170601.html

Ian Taylor, "China's foreign policy towards Africa in the 1990s", The Journal of Modern African Studies, 36, 3 (1998), pp. 443-460, Cambridge University Press

Ian Taylor, "China's Rising Presence in Africa" China review International Volume 16, Number 2, 2009

Denis M. Tull, "China's engagement in Africa: scope, significance and consequences" J. of Modern African Studies, 44, 3(2006), pp. 459-479. 2006 Cambridge University Press.

Stephanie Hanson, "China, Africa, and Oil," June 6, 2008

Meine Pieter Van Dijk (ed.) The New Presence of China in Africa, Amsterdam University Press, 2010

2. What are the approaches international managers seek to understand when instituting change in the international arena?

Managers and International Labor Law

There is a famous quote, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." As much as this applies mostly to political power, it applies to all facets of leadership. A great Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defines leadership based on three principles. The principles are pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos emphasizes the ability to appeal to people's emotions. Ethos involves ethics and values, and Logos requires logic.

Management guru Peter F. Drucker is right when he said, "Managers do things right while leaders do the right things; managers usually do not consider the pathos, ethos, and logos of leadership. They are more concerned about the result. Managers are prone to treat people like machines whose mission to produce, but not necessarily to be productive. Managers manage people, but leaders invest in people.

Furthermore, labor laws are implemented to prevent the abuse of power and human rights. For example, there are two fundamental labor rights, according to the International Labor Organization (I.L.O.), that transcend the principles of modern democracy, which are recognized as; the Freedom of association and the right to bargain (Liebman 15). The Freedom of association is simply the right of individuals to collectively mobilize themselves to express, promote, and pursue a common interest. The Freedom of association is expressed in many democracies. The goal is to empower and come together in voicing a re-occurrence of the violation of their rights in the labor force and demand actions to be taken on such issues. Many workers have been able to be mobilized through unionizing to express themselves and get those goals accomplished. When those issues are being frowned upon by the nation state that the issue is taking place and the worker's rights conflict with the constitution, it is presented to the International Labor Organization for review. If the workers are not contented, then it is taken to the International labor court. Secondly, collective bargaining is a process between employers and employees to agree on the rights and duties of people at work. Collective bargaining is an attempt of meeting in the middle of deciding on work leisure and payment between the employees and the employers.

The best example of protecting workers' rights is the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT). The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has been very consistent over the two decades in demanding a stable condition of learning and an adequate salary to motivate skilled teachers' furtherance at the Nigerian primary and secondary level. The demand for a salary increase has intensified over the years, which has led the Federal Government to commission an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Teachers' Salary Structure, which was presented on October 3, 1996. The minister of education declared that teachers will be taken out of the Public Service Salary Structure, which the issue is still kept in the archives till now (NUT Teacher's Salary). The continuous demand by the Nigerian Union of Teachers has provided it a representation on the Joint Consultative Committee on Education and also on the Committees that deal with the technical aspects, such as qualifications, training, and the construction of school buildings.

International managers must always consider protecting employee rights. Nigeria's Teacher's Union has also influenced corporate employees in exercising their democratic rights. The issue of bargaining between the teachers and the government in Nigeria has significantly been politicized. Even though Nigeria has a democratic government, Nigeria's Teacher Union has made efforts to agree on salaries with the government, which has led to an occasional strike by the Nigerian Union of Teachers. Nigeria has the largest population of people in Africa, and the lack of necessary educational infrastructure has led to a few communities of teachers to a large percentage of students. The teachers in the thirty-six states in Nigeria are under the umbrella of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).

Work Cited

Aguda, T. A., "Nigeria in search of Social Justice Through the Law" Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Occasional Paper 1, 1979; p.17- 18

"International Labor Organization" http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/afpro/abuja/countries/nigeria.htm

Lugbe, S. "THE TEACHERS' SALARY STRUCTURE (T.S.S.): THE JOURNEY SO FAR; An Insider's Chronological Account on the 25 years Struggle For Better Condition of Service For Teachers in Nigeria", Nigeria Union of Teachers, Abuja

Obong I. J. "The State of Basic Education in Nigeria: The way Forward" 47th Annual Conference of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) Calabar; Aug 13-19, 06 http://www.nutnigeria.org/state_primaryedu.html

"The Annual State Report of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: Education, Chapter 6," I.L.O. report link. http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/nbsapps/annual_reports/CHAPTER%206.pdf

3. What is culture shock, and how does it affect international business?

FRANCE, NATIONALISM & INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

According to Investopedia, culture shock is "a feeling of uncertainty, confusion or anxiety that people experience when visiting, doing business in or living in a society that is different from their own." France is the best example of a country where businesses would experience a culture shock. France shares some history with the United States, but their approach to foreigners is very different. France absorbs individuals into its traditional culture. France has been the European country that has been the most open to immigration and international businesses, but very peculiar to the assimilation of the foreigners

Furthermore, understanding the France cultural norms would help International businesses in adjusting to the condition of the country. The majority of immigrants in France are from former French colonies. What has created the discourse between the French North Africans known as the Maghreb and the French has more to do with religion. France finds it hard to assimilate its immigrant population because they strongly support their religious and cultural practice. Unlike the United States, France does not have an affirmative action whereby every group is being represented. The majority of Muslims have their settlement in Northeast Paris, much of Marseilles, and in the inner suburban rings. There are few immigrant descents in French politics, and most Muslims do not show any interest in it. France might not follow a United States pattern of assimilation whereby the immigrants involve themselves in national politics and become accepted. A Senegalese, French-made this statement "I was born in Senegal when it was part of France. I speak French, my wife is French, and I was educated in France. But the French don't think I'm French." (Deaux 91). The French have been very insistent on French nationalism and separating religion from politics.

Also, international businesses would have to consider the social welfare of the country. Societal culture also has a significant influence on the immigrants' integration into society. In the United States, it is easy to get by without assimilating into the broader culture. Still, it might make a person's life unbearable in a culture of intense nationalism in France. Women have also had a good integration than men in France. Cultures also involve the United States' social welfare and how it has impacted how different groups have survived in the United States. France has a large welfare state that provides to immigrants. The welfare states in France are more concentrated on the elderly by providing the best health care. There is more acceptance of the French way of life by the elderly immigrants who have immigrated to France in the earlier 1960s than the young people who are just arriving. The French are running out of programs for young people, and there is an increase in joblessness. This creates a significant disparity between the elderly and the young people in France. With the massive welfare state, France is still partially in its welfare by caring for those who have been more assimilated than those who haven't, and then they only have access to a few French resources. This situation increases the crime rate among immigrants and children of the immigrant group in France due to little consideration. The United States has successfully provided welfare to immigrants and assimilated into American culture (Levine, pg 15, 2004).

France's approach to immigrants is also the same as France's approach to international business. France is currently experiencing the rapid growth of immigrants in urban centers. The recent racial and religious tensions in France have created hysteria among immigrants. The struggle to contain Muslim women who continued to wear their head-starves in French schools has caused a sense of xenophobia in the French population. It is widespread to see French people of the second generation, born in France, who still firmly upholds their foreign parents' cultural elements. In 2004, France government proposed to ban Islamic headscarves in French state schools, which provoked international scrutiny. Most Islamic states saw it as an attack on Islam and disregard the French educational system's secular government. Multicultural issues had become a great debate among the French and the Americans. Before Vietnam was, the United States was following the same system, believing that everyone has assimilated to American society until the United States became more liberal after the Vietnam war (Pfaff, 2004).

There is a high rate of joblessness among the immigrant youths in France, which could explain their rebellion against the French way of life. The availability of education for all citizens has made the United States the world's envy at large. Knowledge has accelerated the assimilation of immigrants in the United States and the productivity of international businesses.

Bibliography

Deaux Kay. To be an Immigrant, New York Russell Sage; 2004

Donald L.Hprowitz. "Immigration and Group Relations in France and America" Blackwell Publishers Inc, Malden, Massachusetts; 1998.

Friedman, Jane." Immigration and insecurity in France."

Huntington, Samuel P., "The Hispanic Challenge," Foreign Policy, March/April 2004.

Levine. R. A. Assimilating Immigrants- Why America and France Cannot; July 2004

Pfaff, William, "Why France Still Insists on Cultural Assimilation: Head Scarves," International Tribune, January 17, 2004.

Reston, A. Stanley, 2005, "THE 50% AMERICAN Immigration And National Identity in an Age of Terror" Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Simpson, G. E. Racial and Cultural minorities; 1985

4. What is the political risk, and how does it affect international business?

GHANA, POLITICAL RISK, AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS THEORIES

According to Investopedia, Political risk is defined as "the risk that investment returns could suffer due to political changes or instability in a country." Ghana is a country that has survived different military governments, just like the neighboring countries. Ghana has become a political frontier in African democracy. It has been able to institute a controlled government that is checked and well balanced. It is essential to understand how Ghana's government has transitioned since its independence in 1957 till now. In the words of Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political thinker, Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."

Historical and Political Timeline

To understand the influence of democracy on the nation's economic growth, it is important to understand its economic and political aspects. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah became the prime minister on March 6, 1957, and later became the President on July 1, 1960. As the President of the Republic of Ghana and the leader of the Convention People's Party, Kwame Nkrumah wanted to organize a government that models after the western-style parliamentary, which later became a one-party government.

Kwame Nkrumah initiated social programs to improve the economic and social development in Ghana. Due to his strong Pan-African background, which he had been influenced by in the United States, Nkrumah wanted to work towards having the United States of Africa that would compete with the western power. The infighting within the Convention People's party had promulgated corruption in Nkrumah's government. It decapitated his idea of properly executing his social programs and social reforms to expedite Ghana's economic development.

For example, the colonial presence in Africa has not contributed to Africa's progress in any way but has only left Africa under-developed and continuously dependent on its colonialist countries. In an article, Maldevelopment- anatomy of a global failure, Samir Amir analyzes Frantz fanon theories of how Europe and the world economic powers have underdeveloped Africa and how Africa can free itself from these predicaments. Samir mentioned how the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (A.C.P. Group) and European Economic Community (E.E.C.) have resulted in a European neo-imperialism in Africa and how decisions being made have become more beneficial to Europe than it's helpful to Africa. Africa's financial system has been much dependent on Europe, especially the Franco-phonic African countries.

Conflict Theory Perspective

Those who support the Conflict theories, Bhagwati, Huntington, do describe democracy and economic growth as competing concerns. Theorist Bhagwati puts it as "the political economy of developments poses a cruel choice between rapid (self-sustained expansion) which highlights expansion and the democratic process (Haan, K, & Siermann 1996). Bhagwati further stated that it would require an authoritarian regime that suppresses basic civil and political rights to have stable economic growth. In Ghana's case, Bhagwati would argue that Ghana was in a better economic state during the authoritarian regime of the 1960s and 1970s than it is now under a democratically elected government (Haan, K, & Siermann 1996). Another prominent "Conflict" theorists, Huntington, explains further that developing countries' political institutions are very weak and fragile. Hungtington would argue that a country like Ghana that had survived many years of imperialism and suddenly gains independence can not suddenly rebuild a perpetually incongruent economy to a vital economic force through a nonaligned democratic state. The democratic process usually overburdens economic growth and makes it a lot more complicated.

The Comparability Theory Perspective

Theorists, who share the comparability perception, argue that democracy works as long as the market works. Rather than democracy influencing the market, it is the market that is affecting democracy. Comparative theorist like Wittman argues that "democracy interest groups are competing for the rents and each is maximizing the net difference between benefits from policy measures taken and the costs of lobbying which leads to an inefficient equilibrium both because lobbying are wasteful and because the transfer of income that results from group pressures cause deadweight losses (Haan, K, & Siermann 1996). The proponents of comparability are more concerned about how the democratic government is best suited to foster sustained equitable economic development. The argument could not be made that authoritarian regimes are more effective in promoting a more robust economy than democracy, or can it be made otherwise.

The economic force stands on its own and probably has more influence on the government's government type of economy. Comparative theorists would argue that Ghana's economy is growing because Ghana's democratic process has sustained its economic growth. Democracy in Ghana has provided checks and balances that have fostered accountability and regulated corruption within the country. Some comparatives theories also argue that a democratic government in Ghana is better than any other type of government that could have been established at any time. Democracy entrenches economic Freedom.

The Skeptical Theory Perspective

The third perspective is the skeptical view that doubts if there is any correlation between democracy and economic development. In the skeptic world, politics alone matters very little (Haan, K, & Siermann, 1996). The more critical aspect of the political element has more to do with the kind of pursued policies. Recently vast revenue of oil has been discovered in Ghana. The economic growth would be influenced more by the economic factors and how it has been maintained irrespective of the government system currently in place in Ghana.

The term "Development" in Introspect

The economic progress in parallel to the growth of Democracy in Ghana had begun in the late 1980s. There has been a consistency of power supply, water supply, and the population of people connected to the electricity grid had multiplied over the year. Most empirical and theoretical papers usually conclude that governments generally invest more where most of their supporters live. When the N.D.C. was in power from 1999 to 2000, the districts that voted for the opposition received more public goods. The idea of favoring constituents that favor the opposition party is to select the opposition party. As comparative theorist Wittman stated, the democratic government helps foster economic sustenance through checks and balances.

Ghana's democracy has dramatically improved from where it was in the 1970s and its economy. Irrespective of what angle of theorist agrees with, neither the conflict theorists who share Huntington approach that Ghana was in a better state under the authoritarian government or the comparative theorists who argue that democracy has a role to play in the economic development of any country or the skeptics, who not see any connection between the political system and the economic growth. Ghana's democracy has a correlating impact on growing international businesses in Ghana. The skeptics would probably conclude that economic forces drive the economic developments, and political parties drive political results. Also, the term development is very ambiguous in the definition of what standard is being used to understand a nation's economic growth like Ghana. If Ghana is compared to Malaysia or Western countries, its development would be undermined, and individual factors, including imperialism and neo-colonialism, would also be overlooked. Ghana is only fifty-four years old, and it still has a lot to accomplish as a young nation.

Bibliography

Andreasson, S. (2005, September). Orientalism and African Development Studies: the 'reductive repetition' motif in theories of African underdevelopment. Third World Quarterly, 26(6), 971-986.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=17691667&site=ehost-live

Beitz, C, R. Economic Rights and Distributive Justice in Developing Societies World Politics, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Apr. 1981), pp. 321-346. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0043-8871%28198104%2933%3A3%3C321%3AERADJI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2

Chua, A. "A world on Edge, World on How Exporting Fire: Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability" Doubleday; Yale. 2002.

Fanon, F. Speech at the Congress of Black African Writers, 1959 Wretched of the Earth - Reciprocal Bases of National Culture and the Fight for Freedom. http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/fanon/national-culture.htm

Goulet, D. "Development Ethics at Work Explorations (1960-2002)" Wikipedia; 2006

Haan, K, & Siermann C. L. J. New Evidence on the Relationship between Democracy and Economic Growth. Public Choice: Vol. 86, 179-198; Jan. 96

Harris, K. (2005, September). STILL RELEVANT: CLAUDE AKE'S CHALLENGE TO MAINSTREAM DISCOURSE ON AFRICAN POLITICS AND DEVELOPMENT. Journal of Third World Studies, 22(2), 73-88. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19221352&site=ehost-live

5. Why do countries with high G.N.I. and G.D.P. are attractive for foreign investment?

UNITED STATES AND COLOMBIA

The United States is very interested in Colombia because of its growing gross domestic product. Columbia is the 5th largest economy in South America, with a G.D.P. of $427 billion in 2015. Both President Barrack Obama and vice-president-elect Biden have shown a great interest in the situation of Colombia. Vice-president elects Biden has proposed that the United States Congress cut aid to Colombia and turn over to the Colombian operation of vital military aviation units (The Associated Press). President Bush has previously opposed the reduction of aid to Colombia and also opposed the bill proposed by Nancy Pelosi but all to no avail. The outgoing President vehemently warns of the cut for assistance on U.S.-Colombia relations (Palmers). President Obama would have to strengthen the United States-Colombia free trade agreement that was an an-ongoing contract for the Bush presidency until September 11. This trade agreement could be an extension of revisiting the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement by Obama's presidency to remake the United States image in Latin-America (Castaneda). Sustenance of this relationship would be much determined by Obama's presidency, who's Republican Party have not been too lenient in supporting Colombia. China's rapid growth as a trade giant has increased outsourcing to Latin America, including Colombia, one of the United States contenders in the region. The U.S-Colombia relationship has led to the rapid growth of Colombian immigrants in the United States, with most New York, Florida, and California. In 1999, Colombia became the third largest country that benefits from United States security aid after Israel and Egypt.

Furthermore, the United States military-industrial complex has strong ties to Alvaro Uribe's government in supplying military weapons to destroy the militant groups in Colombia. The Bush administration has dramatically strengthened the relationship between it's his regime and that of Colombia. Just like the Israel lobbyist groups, Colombia has also been supported by powerful lobby groups. These lobbyists group have been encouraged by the outright support of Republican members, including President Bush and Republican minority leader John Boehner. The Colombian federal Army's first counternarcotics Brigade, Anti-Narcotics Directorate (DIRAN), has become one of the most potent and well-organized forces in Latin America (United States Department of State). For Obama's presidency, the United States Office on Colombia outlined some reports for Colombia's effective Policy.

1. Obama's presidency should use U.S. Aid and leverage for Human Rights and the Rule of Law. The United States has to use its diplomacy and aid to make sure that Colombia addresses the human rights issue in its country and destabilizes organizations with a long history of abusing human rights. The Colombian judicial system is to be strengthened as the principal rule of law.

2. The U.S. has to support the overtures for peace actively. The United States has become sensitive and mandate vacation to the countryside population whereby war is without end and continuously bankrolled.

3. The continuous expansion of the civilian government presence in the countryside. Lawlessness, poverty, and inequality are always the root of conflicts; the military juntas' prevalence would only exacerbate the war in that region.

4. The rights of the internally displaced persons and refugees have to be protected. The dismantlement of the paramilitary would significantly resolve the humanitarian crisis in Colombia.

5. The rights of the Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities have to be protected. Colombia has to be inhibited from carrying out racist policies in the earlier century by its neighboring countries Argentina and Chile. The United States has to pay special attention to promoting ethnic minority groups in Colombia and protecting their lands from being displaced.

6. The United States has to ensure that the trade policy supports but not undermines policy goals towards Colombia. The labor rights are inferior in Colombia, which is due for some advancement. United States must ensure that its trade agreement does not undermine U.S. policy goals, such as reducing the farmer's dependence on coca and ending the conflict.

7. The United States needs to increase its serious alarm on drug control. There has to be a cut down on the use of narcotics, and the United States should lament more on alternative development designed with affected communities. The U.S. has to counter violent traffickers and track down money laundering. Access to a higher quality of drug treatment in the United States would significantly reduce Colombia's dependency on the drug trade.

Eric Holder was part of a $655 million fruit giant corporation know as Chiquita Brand. For years now, the Chiquita brand has been involved in the secretly paid off death squads A.U.C. (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) in Colombia. Chiquita group has sponsored A.U.C. with over $1.7 million who destroyed unions, terrorize workers, and killed thousands of civilians. United States has labeled A.U.C. as a terrorist organization. For this reason, Chiquita was charged in March with engaging in transactions with terrorists. Chiquita was arrested and fined almost $25 million. There was a statement made by Adam Isacson, director of the Colombia program at the Center for International Policy, in Washington, which says, "While the A.U.C. was murdering thousands of Colombians, "to our knowledge, the paramilitaries never touched a hair on the head of a U.S. citizen or company" (Undernews).

According to the U.S. government, the unresolved dissolution of terrorist groups, like the FARC, is a continuous threat to the government's stability in Colombia. These drug policies have successfully reduced the corrupt trade of narcotics by Colombian forces and reduced paramilitary forces in Colombia. Colombia is also an excellent asset for the United States to amend its strong relationship with South America, despite the constant propaganda by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Eva Morales of Bolivia against United States policies. The continuous connection between the United States and Colombia would be significantly affected by the current change in the United States presidency from republican to democratic. The republicans have always been a supporter of increasing aid to Colombia to combat the terrorist organizations. In contrast, the Democrats have always advocated for reducing Colombia's support until its government works in lowering the kidnapping and crimes committed by these terrorist organizations.

Work Cited Page

B.B.C. Expulsions stoke US-LatAm dispute, British; September 12, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7612778.stm

Goldiner, D. Hostages released by the Colombian military, Daily News/U.S. World News; July 2, 2008

Human Rights Watch. U.S.: Delay Colombia Trade Vote, Washington DC; April 10, 2008. http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/10/colomb18503.htm

MacEoin, G. NO PEACEFUL WAY: Chile's struggle for Dignity ., Sheed and Ward, I.N.C.; 1974

Palmer, D. U.S. House votes to delay Colombia trade pact, Reuters Ed. Eric Beech; April 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN10360664

The Associated Press. "Colombia Aid Failed to Halve Drug making; Report Finds," New York Times (A10); Nov.6, 2008

Undernews. "Eric Holder, Chiquita & The Colombian Death Squads." Portfolio of Kevin Gray, 2007; November 20, 2008

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