#While Gil is just standing there

[softquietsteadylove]

What came to my mind recently is a AU in wich Thena is a very talented and famous dressage rider. For Gil I thought he would be the one who is responsible for looking after all the horses at the most luxurious horse riding club. And Thena is a member at this club.👀

"Whoa, girl," Thena crooned, pulling back on the reins gently as Olympia slowed to a canter and then to a walk. Thena lowered to the saddle before dismounting and pulling off her helmet, patting her mare's sheer white side of gossamer fur. "That groomer really knows what he's doing."

"It's apple juice."

Thena whirled around, glaring at the sudden source of sound intruding on her space. He wasn't as close as she had feared, although most at the club still knew to give her an even wider berth than the horses.

She hadn't actually met the caretaker in person yet, mostly having heard how much the horses all seemed to adore him. She had doubted it to a certain extent, especially in the case of her Olympia. The sparkling white mare was just as antisocial as her rider.

Or so she thought.

Thena stared as Olympia happily nudged the caretaker's hand with her nose, inviting him to pet her with a swishing of her tail behind her. Her ears even flicked with joy as he showered her with compliments on her coat and her form and anything else he could think of.

And the stubborn and aggressive Olympia ate it right up.

"Thena, right?" he looked at her with a smile, still rubbing Olympia's nose as he took her reins in hand for himself. "I'm Gilgamesh, the new carer for the horses."

"Yes," she murmured, eyeing the man cautiously. He seemed nice enough, but didn't most people, at first? He was tall in stature and even wider than that. Perhaps it came from having to haul the hay. "I have heard about your exemplary work with them."

"Aw, that's sweet," he grinned at her, uncaring if she was making it up or paying him a false compliment or not. "I don't know about that. Some of us are still getting to know each other."

Thena was still taking in the way Olympia was nearly giddy from the presence of the caretaker. She had never seen her horse like this before. "Will you stop it?"

Olympia whinnied at her, though.

Thena bristled, "are you laughing at me?"

Gilgamesh tickled between Olympia's nostrils. "She's just excited because I promised her some sugar after your ride today."

Thena crossed her arms at the caretaker, walking beside him - although Olympia had proudly stuck her head between them - as he guided them both back to the stables. "And how often do you let her have this?"

"Just once a week," he promised her, unminding of her sharp line of questioning. "I know Olympia doesn't do well with a lot of sugar. But she really loves it. That's where the apple juice comes in."

"Don't tell me-"

"It's not from concentrate," he assured her preemptively this time, which only made her even more annoyed with him. "I press the apples myself and then I add it to her mix. It all tastes a lot sweeter for it, so then I can add more vitamins to it without having to argue with her to eat it."

"Well, that's..." rather brilliant, actually. Thena had long suffered Olympia's stubbornness about eating a well balanced diet. "I suppose that was a good idea."

Gilgamesh let Olympia nudge his face with her nose in affection, even giving his ear some attention. He just patted her cheek, letting her express herself freely. "She's a beautiful mare, and she's stronger than any of the others. She needs the right nutrition to keep that up. But she's also just like any young horse who wants to let loose and have fun sometimes."

Thena observed Olympia critically. It was true, she was relatively young for a mare in competitive dressage. And she had been in a rather good mood the last few weeks, the reason for which had eluded Thena. It seemed she had found it at last.

"Thank you."

"Hm?" he looked past Olympia's nose at her.

"For caring for her so," Thena ran a hand down her mare's neck, "diligently. It assures me that she's in good hands when I'm not here."

Gilgamesh ducked around Olympia's head to walk on the same side as Thena, still holding the horse's bridle gently. "You take really good care of her, and I know you want to know I'm doing the same here."

"Of course I do." It baffled her that some of the other riders in the club didn't care for their horses so much as see them as vehicles. She had heard some of them refer to the horses' rest days as 'tune ups', as if they were racing cars.

"I've met a few horses like her," Gilgamesh offered lightly in conversation. "It takes a strong rider to tame one this strong willed. I can see why you two get along."

"Because I am also stubborn and difficult?" Thena raised a brow at him.

"I was just gonna say because you both hate Ikaris."

Thena turned her head back to the track as a tiny laugh escaped her.

As if sensing her desire to keep her laughter concealed, Olympia nickered loudly instead.

"That's right, don't you?" Gil cooed to the horse, who stomped her front hooves in glee.

"Olympia," Thena sighed, although she had already gotten the impression that scolding her horse would do no good when the amiable caretaker was around.

Finally at the stables, Gil undid Olympia's bridle and slipped it off her head. He scratched her face for her, which made her shake herself off in appreciation. "It's friday, girl; let's get you that pedicure."

Thena smiled to herself. She could see more and more reason the horses enjoyed his company so much. "Thank you, Gilgamesh."

"It's nothing," he shrugged off her genuine praise of him.

She crossed her arms, "it is not nothing. I am trying t--Olympia!"

The horse whinnied again, nudging Thena continuously in the back with her massive snout.

"Olympia, that's enou-" Thena didn't get the chance to finish, nudged directly into the chest of the caretaker.

"Whoa," he let out a puff of air, one of his hands coming up to her arm. "Are you okay?"

Thena growled, pushing off of his - stupidly firm - chest and whirling around on her horse. "You and I are going to have a chat, young lady."

Olympia turned away from her like a sullen teen, flicking her tail.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you!"

Gilgamesh just chuckled to himself, beginning the process of putting away Olympia's equipment so he could scrape her hooves. He let Thena have her discussion with her suddenly disobedient companion. He wouldn't want to interrupt and undermine Thena's discipline. Plus it was cute to see her arguing with a horse.

[ghost-bard]

Not to talk about the caspian is a traitor theory again but yall. I just remembered that theres a good chance that Caspians sister is the water genasi elder so i think. I think that only adds to it. Caspian, from my knowledge, is also a relatively new addition to the Grandberry pirates, so its completely plausible that he is working with both the undersea and the navy, whether or not hes working as a double agent who knows, but it is still entirely possible.

Especially since its implied that Caspian is at least more aware of what Edyn is doing than Gillion, Edyn could be his confidant on the inside (aka the Navy) while he is still reporting everything back to his sister, one of the Elders.

Now that im thinking about it it makes so much sense and im gonna cry if this becomes canonized

[descendantofthesparrow]

Gil is the best man, maid of honor, AND officiant

Mans is busy

exactly also, love how you assumed he's also the best man, which is correct, he's all three. he is Harry and Uma's best friend, you best believe he gets the best roles in the house. he gets to marry his best friends and be by their sides on their most important day (so far)

[the-writing-goblin]

I am once again thinking about how good the story of the second age is, and all the fun things you could do with an actually decent adaptation. Consider:

Galadriel should be exactly the same as she is in Lord of the Rings. She is older, weirder and more powerful than any elf other elf in Middle Earth. Other elves are just as unnerved by her as mortals, and dealing with her is stressful at the best of times.

Elrond should be an absolute infant. Just, complete baby face. But everyone treats him super respectfully and he has a lot of power and influence. The energy should be the same as when the super ancient and powerful vampire or faerie or whatever looks like a ten year old girl.

ALSO there should be a tall, menacing elf with visible tattoo and facial scars who just. Stands behind Elrond looking intimidating all the time. The least elf-looking elf ever. All the other elves are uncomfortable around them. Elrond should treat them like their an Aunt or Uncle. The elf is one of the few surviving hard-line Feanorians, all of whom follow Elrond. The longer you can go without explaining this, the better.

Gil-Galad is very tired, and spends a lot of time balancing one of the most famously unstable political systems in all of Arda. Galadriel and Elrond both have factions they support to strongly to be relied on to be impartial. The reason he doesn't worry much about what Celebrimbor's up to is that he's the one member of the family who is highly unlikely to attempt something batshit nuts, and his followers are mostly moderate.

Celebrimbor and Annatar/Sauron should spend the whole series playing complicated mindgames with each other.

Annatar is playing four-dimensional chess from the beginning. For him, this is an all or nothing gamble. If he can't make the rings he won't have the power to seize control on his own. He should spend a lot of time having Light Yagami-level monologues where he tries to figure out what game Celebrimbor is playing while outwardly pretending to be harmless and normal and only succeeding at this about 75% of the time.

Celebrimbor should start of thinking the stakes are considerably lower. Like... is Annatar hiding something? Yea, but he figures Annatar doesn't actually have permission from the Valar to be here or something. Not, ya know, Annatar is secretly Satan in disguise. In the first act there should be an almost comical disconnect between the amount of energy Sauron is putting in to these mind games versus Celebrimbor.

Bonus points if as Celebrimbor figures out the truth, you intersperse more and more of his family backstory. The guilt he is still carrying for a lot the things that happened in the first age. Early on bring in the fact that Finrod went into Sauron's jaws alone and it was Curufin's fault, use this as angst material. And then as he figures out who Sauron really is, drop Maedhros and Thangorodrim in like a nuclear bomb.

Because Celebrimbor has seen this play before, and he knows what Sauron does to people. It wasn't even personal then, what Sauron is going to do to him will be so much worse.

And Celebrimbor chooses to forge the three rings anyway. He doesn't give up their locations, even with everything Sauron does to him at the end. And that should be devestating.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Can we have a company party night that Rufus was out in charge of? He organized everything properly and now the actual event has come. All the Turks and SOLDIERs are present along with directors and a bunch of popular celebrities. What happens?

The Company Party From Hell #2

• Rufus has been tasked with hosting Shinra's annual charity ball. The event area at the HQ has been transformed into an opulent party, with all of Midgar’s elite invited to drink and dance as they please. It's the event of the year and everyone wants to be in attendance. 

• Almost everyone. 

*Angeal and Genesis drag Sephiroth into the ballroom, each of them holding one arm* 

Sephiroth: I'm going to scream for help and embarrass you both. 

Angeal: I once had to drag Genesis kicking and screaming from the book store after they sold out the last Loveless graphic novel. Nothing fazes me anymore. 

Genesis: Please, as if I kick and scream when—SON OF A BITCH! SHE SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN SHE HAD THE CHANCE! 

*Sephiroth stops struggling, he and Angeal look at Genesis like he's insane* 

Angeal: What the hell was that? 

*Genesis pulls his hair back to reveal wireless earbuds on both ears* 

Genesis: I'm listening to a soap opera finale. I cannot miss it, so this is my brilliant solution. 

Sephiroth: Don't you think people will notice when you start having meltdowns? 

Genesis: What? I'm being so quiet. No one will notice a thing—AH HA! I KNEW YOU SLEPT WITH HIS MOTHER! 

*Everyone turns around and looks at Sephiroth and Angeal* 

Sephiroth: This is going to be a long night. 

*Zack comes bouncing up to them, happily drinking a flute of champagne* 

Zack: Hey guys! What's going on? 

Sephiroth: I slept with Angeal's mother, apparently. 

Zack: Cool!

Angeal:

• The four of them split up, Sephiroth and Angeal refusing to be anywhere near Genesis. They find a table and watch the party go by, talking to celebrities and other execs when the need arises. All is well, but Angeal keeps checking his phone and Sephiroth is getting suspicious. 

Sephiroth: Are you waiting for a call? 

Angeal: Actually, a text. 

Sephiroth: From who? 

Angeal: You might judge me, but I accepted an anonymous request to punch Rufus in the face. I'm waiting for the text from the anon so I can put the plan into action. 

Sephiroth: I can't believe you would agree to something like that. 

Angeal: They're paying me 10,000 gil. 

Sephiroth: I can't believe you didn't ask for my help and agree to pay me 5,000 gil. 

Angeal: 

Sephiroth: What's the plan? You simply go up and punch him in the face? 

Angeal: Uhh…I'll let you know when I get the text. Just don't tell Genesis. 

Sephiroth: Bold of you to assume I would go anywhere near Genesis. 

*They turn around to look at Genesis, who's seated at the next table with Tseng and Lazard* 

Genesis: WHY WON'T YOU ACCEPT HIM AS HE IS?

Tseng: Genesis, is something the matter? 

Genesis: HE LOVES YOU, YOU IDIOT!

*Lazard turns to Tseng* 

Lazard: What is he talking about? 

Genesis: HE LOVES YOU. YOU'RE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER, WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT? 

Lazard: Tseng, I had no idea you harbored such feelings for me. 

Tseng: What!? Genesis, what—

Genesis: Ah, I see how it is. *Genesis stands up* You are in love with his brother. You're having an affair.

*Lazard turns to Tseng, alarmed* 

Lazard: The Vice President??? 

Tseng: I don't know what he's talking about. 

Genesis: Two sick individuals you are, fooling around behind his back. 

*Genesis promptly leaves when Zack comes back with their drinks. Lazard turns to Tseng*

Lazard: How dare you have feelings for me while you fool around with the Vice President. 

Tseng: 

*Back at Sephiroth and Angeal's table, they continue to watch*

Sephiroth: Should we do something? 

Angeal: We should've locked Genesis in a broom closet thirty minutes ago. 

• Meanwhile, Zack and Genesis are walking around the party when Cissnei comes up to them in a hurry.

Cissnei: I need one of you to do me a huge favor. 

Zack: Sure, what's up? 

Cissnei: The target I've been tracking for weeks is here at the party, but I need to go undercover as a man to get near him. Can one of you switch outfits with me? 

Zack: But you're wearing a dress!

Genesis: I would do it, but unfortunately I'm too busy listening to—I KNEW IT! I KNEW SHE WAS PREGNANT! 

*People turn around to stare at Cissnei* 

Cissnei: What's with him??

Zack: Don't judge him. Let him enjoy his soap opera. 

Cissnei: I don't have a lot of time! Zack, can you please switch with me? 

Zack: Ahh! Fine, but you owe me! 

Cissnei: I know, I know. Come on, I'll help you into this dress 

*Cissnei grabs his hand*

Genesis: HE GOT HER PREGNANT? 

*People around them gasp and stare at Cissnei and Zack* 

Zack:

Genesis: Apologies, dear, maybe I can help by doing your makeup so you blend in with the feminine crowd. 

Zack: You think that'll work? 

Genesis: Of course. I've also got a wig in my emergency makeup kit, so we're all set—SHE LIED. SHE'S NOT PREGNANT. SHE'S SCAMMING HIM FOR MONEY THAT WENCH! 

*People gasp and stare at Cissnei*

Zack: Dude, I can't believe you'd like to me about your pregnancy. 

Cissnei: 

• Meanwhile, Sephiroth and Angeal have just separated Lazard and Tseng from a fight that escalated into a physical altercation. 

*Genesis walks up to them with a very pretty girl in a glittery blue dress and long black hair*

Genesis: How's your night going? I just helped Zack—*gasp* HE GOT MARRIED TO HIS MOTHER! 

*The bartenders and other people at the bar turn to look at Sephiroth and Angeal* 

Sephiroth: Genesis, are you going to introduce us to your friend? 

Zack: It's me! I look hot, right? 

Angeal: WHY ARE YOU IN A DRESS? 

Zack: I had to switch outfits with Cissnei so she could infiltrate a group of men in disguise. 

Sephiroth: You're a good friend. 

Zack: Thanks! 

Angeal: Why couldn't Genesis wear the dress? 

Genesis: AND NOW THEY'RE HAVING A FOURSOME. 

*The people at the bar gasp and look at the four of them* 

Angeal: Never mind.

Zack: Hey man, what show are you watching? It sounds intense. 

Genesis: SHUT UP. SHUT UP. I KNEW SHE WAS A BITCH. 

*At that moment, Rufus Shinra himself passes by and overhears this conversation*

Rufus: Rhapsodos, why are you screaming at our lovely guest? 

Genesis, ignoring him: BECAUSE SHE FAKED A PREGNANCY TO SCAM HIM FOR MONEY, HAD AN AFFAIR WITH HIS BROTHER, AND IS NOW HAVING A FOURSOME. 

Rufus: Oh my god. Is this true? 

*Rufus turns to Sephiroth* 

Rufus: Did this woman fake a pregnancy to scam you for money? 

Sephiroth, nodding: And had an affair with Angeal, yes. 

Angeal: WHAT? 

Zack: Hang on, I didn't do any of this! I'm Zack, I'm just wearing Cissnei’s clothes. 

Rufus: It's alright, miss, I'm not judging you. 

Zack: No, I really am Zack. 

*Tseng walks by* 

Zack: Look! Tseng can vouch for me. 

Tseng: Excuse me? 

Zack: Tseng, tell Rufus I'm really Zack in disguise.

Tseng: I'm sorry, I don't know you. You do look familiar though. 

Genesis: I can't believe this. I finally understood the full story. He was in love with him, but started having an affair with his brother behind his back. And now he got a woman pregnant. 

*Lazard is walking by and overhears this*

Lazard: I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. TSENG, HOW DARE YOU CONFESS YOUR FEELINGS TO ME WHILE HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT? 

*The music stops, the whole party gasps and are now watching this go down* 

Tseng: I have no idea what you're talking about. 

Rufus: This isn't what it looks like. 

*Lazard gestures to Zack*

Lazard: AND NOW YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS WOMAN PREGNANT. 

Zack: I'M NOT PREGNANT. I'M NOT EVEN A GIRL. LOOK!

*Zack rips off his wig* 

*Everyone gasps* 

Sephiroth: I think there's been a misunderstanding. No one's pregnant, no one's having an affair with anyone, and no one is involved with anyone's mother in any way. 

Angeal: Yes, if everyone will please calm down, we can sort this out without fighting. 

*Angeal gets a text notification on his phone* 

Angeal: 10,000 gil here I come. 

*Angeal punches Rufus in the face, the crowd gasps* 

Zack: WHY DID YOU DO THAT? 

*Rufus is bleeding* 

*Genesis is still listening to his soap opera*

Genesis: HE JUST CALLED HIM AN ILLEGITIMATE BASTARD. 

Lazard: THAT'S IT!

• Lazard flies at Rufus and the two start brawling on the ground. Tseng and Lazard rush to pull them apart, but this ends up creating an even bigger fight when both Turks and SOLDIERs start attacking each other. The party quickly descends into chaos.

• Angeal pulls Sephiroth and Genesis out of there. 

Angeal: Happy, Genesis? Look what you did!

Genesis: Me? You're the one who punched Rufus in the face! 

Angeal: Yeah, but I got paid to do it! 

Sephiroth: Speaking of which. 

*Sephiroth pulls out a wad of gil from his pocket—10,000 gil* 

Sephiroth: Angeal, here's the money you were promised. 

Angeal: 

Genesis: 

Sephiroth: Yes, I believe this is what is called a plot twist. 

[echo-bleu]

Noldor Hair Headcanons (3/4)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | On AO3

Some lighter Kidnap Fam content, after the downhill freefall that was the last chapter. With a dash of Finrod in Valinor.

Elrond and Elros have never had their hair braided when they end up with Maedhros and Maglor.

They don’t realize what they’re asking when Elros grabs a hairbrush and puts it in Maglor’s hand.

Maglor understands that, but decides that the twins need parental care, even though he has no right. He brushes their hair and leaves it loose at first.

But the twins have watched Maglor braid Maedhros’s hair and they soon start asking for more interesting hairstyles.

Eventually Maglor explains to them that it can only be done by family.

The twins have a whole silent conversation.

“What does it take to be family?” Elros asks eventually.

Well, braiding an unrelated child’s hair is pretty close to informal adoption.

Elros forces the brush into Maglor’s hand again.

Maglor stares.

Elrond shakes his head and runs out.

Of course, Elrond must hate them. He has every right. Sure, Elros has started to warm up to them, but that’s just because he’s affection-starved, probably. They’re still kidnappers.

Maglor is about to put down the brush and try to refuse when Elrond comes back.

He’s holding a second hairbrush.

He hands it to Maedhros expectantly.

Maedhros cries.

Maglor cries.

The twins’ hair really doesn’t hold braids very well, and they’re still kids who run around and play, but damn them if Maglor and Maedhros aren’t going to do their best.

Now all of their people can see that the twins are well-loved.

Maedhros and Maglor also proudly sport a few clumsy, wonky braids each.

They’re less wonky with time, and eventually the twins are doing their fathers’ (kidnappers’) hair as often as not.

Finrod is reembodied shortly before Eärendil and Elwing gets to Valinor. It’s too early and he’s Not Doing Well. While in Middle Earth, he was the one who let basically every one of his friends braid his hair, now he can’t stand the thought of someone touching him that way.

But Beleriandic battle braids feel wrong in Tirion. And he’s desperately trying to reckon with his trauma, with Sauron defeating him by singing about the kinslaying, so he can’t leave his hair loose like the Teleri.

And he can’t quite get the sight of Edrahil’s bloody braids spat out by a werewolf out of his head.

He wears nothing but the very strange-looking (to Amanyar) Mourning Braids he designed after Dagor Bragollach for a couple of years.

Then after an episode of really bad depression and nearly fading, he cuts his hair short.

No-braiding-possible kind of short.

While not unheard of in Beleriand (sometimes former thralls keep their hair very short, like Rog), it’s unthinkable in Valinor, especially for the Crown Prince of the Noldor.

He is stared at a lot, his reputation goes down the drain, but to Finrod it’s liberating.

He does let his hair grow out again eventually, but only when other Exiles start coming back and choose to keep the Beleriandic braid styles, and it becomes a fashion statement rather than a mark of shame.

Finarfin is Very Shocked arriving in Beleriand when he finds his (single remaining) child with her hair loose and everyone else with weird self-braided battle hairstyles.

After a battle or three where he ends up with his hair matted with blood and mud, he caves and gets Galadriel to give him battle braids.

By the end of the war he’s even learned to do them himself! Let it not be said that King Arafinwë Ñoldóran didn’t rise to his calling.

The night before sending the Elrond and Elros to Gil-galad, Maedhros and Maglor undo all of their braids. Everyone cries.

Maedhros and Maglor meant this to minimize the ‘taint’ their names would put on the twins, by making it look like they were still hostages to the end, but the twins stop on the way to do each other’s hair because one does not meet a king with their hair loose, they have manners (which the Fëanorians taught them, so they’re Very Specific Manners), so the effect is lost. Gil-galad has Questions. The twins refuse to lie.

Then, before going to steal the Silmarils, Maedhros and Maglor do each other’s hair, in a style of their father’s that they haven’t worn since the Oath.

Maglor braids a single golden ribbon into Maedhros’s hair.

They have very few pieces of hair jewellery left of their brothers’, but they use all of them.

They both know it’s the last time.

To be continued

I did some sketches for visual reference of a few of the hairstyles mentioned here, if you want to see what I'm imagining!

[kitcat22]

More Elwing, Earendil, Elrond and Elros in Sirion headcanons!

Picture little Elros proudly standing at the bow of his father ship being lifted atop the barrier by laughing sailors

Picture little Elrond sitting in his mothers lap while she holds court, having his hand kissed by the lords, ladies and citizens that come to say their piece

Earendil’s fellow sailors taking him drinking to celebrate him becoming a father and giving him parenting tips.

Elrond and Elros playing with the birds that visit their tower. Elrond has a pelican friend that he once convinced to fly off with his brother after Elros lost his favourite toy. Safe to say Earendil and Elwing were not pleased.

Earendil keeping a box of his son’s things aboard his ship to bring out and reminisce on long voyages. This box includes drawings by both boys. A bracelet made by elrond. A pretty piece of sea glass that Elros found. Baby socks and little shoes.

Tea parties dont often happen in Sirion due to the scarcity of resources but it’s always an event when they do. Some Elwings ladies in waiting served Idril and Nimloth and even Melian and they like to tell how similar the boys are to their grandmothers personality wise. A lot of cheek pinching occurs. Little Elros is always able to sweet-talk one of the ladies from Doriath into giving him extra sweets. Elrond doesn’t even have to speak, he just smiles and giggles and a chocolate is put in his hand.

Elwing taking the boys along to meet the soldiers that are about to join Gil Galad’s armies. Elrond, friendly little creature that he is insists on meeting each of them and saying hello very loudly. The boys are overjoyed to try on the helmets but are upset when a suddenly anxious Elwing snatches them of their heads. She cries into Earendil’s shoulder that night about a vision of two young men in shining armour, both of whom bear a striking resemblance to Dior the beautiful, standing solemnly at the edge of a corpse filled battlefield. Earendil sets sail the next day determined to save his children from a future of war and destruction. He never sets foot in Beleriand agaim.

[funbirdnest]

Blackbird (Translation)

I worked in the translation of the story for the past week and I have been unable to shut up about until now. This translation work was done in collaboration of @spectralpooch who worked as English proofreader and provided a lot of insight of the english grammar and composition. I was also helped by Yuko and Asher who helped with wording.

I hope you get to enjoy, even if just a little, the love we all put in this story that we have been waiting seven years for. 

Blackbird

The fantasy is burning.

—At the end of the day, love always prevails.

—Hard work and good intentions are always rewarded.

—As long as you wish for it with all your might, your dreams will always come true.

Such are the nonsensical, gibberish words that everyone recognizes as downright lies once they reach adulthood. And burning within a bonfire is the pile of papers—the representation of the very innocence of a young boy who earnestly believed in those lies.

The embers of dreams and hopes are stirred by the updraft caused by the hot air.

Ashes and soot soar up, miserably staining the clear skies.

“Aah, what a terrible shame.”

Hibiki Wataru looked up at the sky and, in sharp contrast to his words, trembled with pleasure.

He is a beautiful man.

Long, silver-white hair that resembles moonlight incarnate. A physique blessed with a perfect golden ratio.

He is wearing his elegantly designed uniform in quite an incomprehensible way.

His facial expressions and gestures are refined and effusively charming, and it feels as though wing scales and fluorescent lights should flutter around him with every step he takes.

But it is precisely because he is too beautiful that he can stand out in any town.

Every person who passes by throws him a strange look and either turns away or flees the scene as if having just encountered a monster. It is the most appropriate reaction when confronted with a monstrosity, but—

He wants them to at least scream.

To curse, spit, and throw stones at him.

It hurts the most to be ignored.

As if to convey this point, Wataru gestures towards them in invitation to do so—but the only one willing to approach him is a slightly dirtied pigeon.

"Aah, Gil! Poor you, Gilles de Rais¹! Your feathers are completely sullied!" 

Wataru laments while rubbing his cheek against the pigeon perched on his shoulder.

"When you are covered in soot like this, you look more like a crow than a pigeon! Crows are really smart, and they can become great ‘entertainers’ when trained, but people often hate them for no reason—it's troublesome, isn't it?"

At the sight of Wataru having a conversation with a pigeon as though it were completely normal, the people around him begin to back further away.

"... But right now, I have the feeling that such an individual would be the most suitable companion for me."

As Wataru mutters sadly to himself, the soot-covered pigeon pulls his hair with its beak.

“That hurts?! It was just a joke, Gil! Are you jealous? I've raised and looked after you since you were an egg, so there's no way I could ever discard you and look for another partner! Please cheer up—oya?”

As the pigeon goes all out on him, something falls down from the crevice of its beak. 

Cinders.

The wreckage of a dream that had been carried by the wind from afar.

“That's splendid! This will solve the problem of my ink running out!”

Wataru exclaims with pleasure and mashes the cinders with his fingertips.

Then, with fingers stained in black, he writes his name in the bundle of documents that he had been holding.

“—With this, it’s finished.”

Embracing the bundle of documents as though it were his most prized possession, Wataru trembles again.

“I wonder if he will be happy with this.”

***

There was a war.

A tragic conflict in which boys hurt and killed each other for the sake of their own dreams and ideals—for the sake of love.

Of course, although it has now become a gloomy and sorrowful memory, it was not actually a battle where people fought with guns and blades and bathed in each other's blood.

All of them were idols.

Standing on the stage, singing and dancing, their top priority was to bring people happiness.

However, at that time, their place of residence, Yumenosaki Private Academy, was not an environment in which idols could properly live as idols. Everything was decayed, stagnant and rotten.

There were those who stood up in order to change the situation at hand.

There were also those who tried to fight back in anger and sorrow after everything they held dear had been mangled in the name of the "revolution" the others had raised.

They turned the things that were supposed to make people happy into weapons, abused them, and imposed their own resentment and misery onto others.

As a result, this vast and boundless world was changed only slightly.

But the price that had been paid was extremely high.

—Yumenosaki 's era of conflict.

—The first revolution.

—The beginning of the end.

Regret consumes everyone whenever they remember the tragedy of that time.

***

A hospital room.

The brand new hospital in the vicinity of Yumenosaki Academy had been built with a sole purpose: to provide an immediate response on the occasion that a single person's physical condition changed for the worse.

Leading-edge medical equipment and top-notch doctors had been assembled in order to forcibly prolong his existence—sometimes even diverting attention from other, more urgent patients.

He is one of the world's most distinguished billionaires, the scion of the Tenshouin conglomerate, Tenshouin Eichi.

He is the leading actor in the conflict that unfolded in Yumenosaki.

He loved idols more than anyone else.

However, as a result of the kingcraft instilled in him from an early age by his private corporate tutor, the clear mind he has naturally possessed since birth, and his cold heart, he came to massacre the very thing he loved with his own hands.

The many sins he committed in this ironic twist of fate tormented him and made him sick.

“...”

Tenshouin Eichi is lying down on the floor of a very spacious hospital room.

He is also a beautiful man, but there is a crack distorting his beauty.

Seemingly because he hasn’t been eating, he has become emaciated, and his blond hair, which resembles sunlight incarnate², is disheveled and dull. His hospital clothes, composed of high-quality material, are completely wrinkled and dirtied.

Like a baby bird that fell from its nest.

He had ripped off the intravenous drips and other pieces of medical equipment designed to keep him alive and smashed them to pieces.

There were doctors who genuinely cared for Eichi's well-being and those whose interest in treating him stemmed only from professional duty—Eichi shunned them all equally with curses and threats.

—I don’t want to live anymore.

—So, please, don’t treat me.

—Someone like me doesn’t deserve to live.

“No.”

Eichi, withering and on the verge of death, hears a voice reply to the soliloquy he hadn't expected anyone to hear.

There is only a single small window in the room. No matter how hard one might try to contort their body, it would be impossible to enter through—regardless, it was from that very window that Hibiki Wataru's towering silhouette soundlessly entered. 

It is like a dream.

As if it were a magic trick, he suddenly materializes.

“—It's you. Hibiki Wataru of The Five Eccentrics.”

"That story has already concluded, so will you please stop referring to me that way?"

As he casually replies to Eichi, who had spoken as though in a trance, Wataru strides across the hospital room.

He steps over the countless broken pieces of wreckage scattered across the floor, but never breaks anything.

“Let's readjust our mindset! Now, while we still have the chance to bask in the success of our stage performances, let's sit back and recharge our batteries! That is our duty, Tenshouin Eichi-kun!"

“Just what the hell are you doing here?”

Eichi mutters reproachfully, glaring up at Wataru with cruel eyes.

“Did you come to mock me because I thought I was victorious but wound up losing everything?”

Presumably too prideful to continue behaving in an undignified manner, Eichi staggers to his feet and then takes a seat on the mattress.

Having refused even the cleaning staff, this dirty hospital bed is now his only throne.

“Or do you intend to seek vengeance on behalf of your fellow Five Eccentrics?”

“No, not at all? Although there were some underwhelming parts, you still persevered and accomplished great things atop the stage! You have my praises. I have no reason to make fun of you!”

Wataru continues, his tone cheerful. Scattered, multicolored petals surround a broken flower vase—he gathers them up, grasps them in one hand, and opens his palm to reveal a single perfect flower.

"Besides, my beloved friends, The Five Eccentrics, were not actually killed. They're not that fragile, so I ask that you do not disparage them."

Though his eyes flash with hostility for a single instant, Wataru hides it with the ease of putting on a mask.

“Shu is slowly recovering his strength in the comfort of his dolls and the mutual love they share. Kanata, too, is embarking on a new life together with the inexperienced hero who saved his heart. And, of course, Our Majesty, the Demon King, Rei, too—indeed, someone like him will never die, even if he's killed.”

As he mentions each of the remarkable members of The Five Eccentrics, Wataru smiles.

“And the youngest sibling whom we risked our lives to protect, Natsume-kun, doesn't have a single scar. He quickly found the bluebird you set free, and is venturing forth into his life—not as a member of The Five Eccentrics, but as a human and idol.”

"...They're so strong. Everyone, all of them, are strong and splendid human beings worthy of respect—unlike me. Hiyori-kun and Nagisa-kun, too. It appears that they’ve already begun to move on to their next stage."

Looking somewhat astonished, Eichi hangs his head like a confused lost child.

“Am I really the only one who can’t move? At the end of Yumenosaki's conflict, or the saga chronicling the subjugation of The Five Eccentrics, am I truly the only loser?”

“No, no. I feel the same way. It's embarrassing to admit, but—I don't know what I should do next.”

With a dumbfounded expression that mirrors Eichi's, Wataru fidgets with the flower with his black-stained fingers.

“I'm quite satisfied with how things concluded on that most wonderful stage, even though we had to settle for the second-best result—but I'm at a bit of a loss, as I have no further plans for the future.”

"I see. Would you like me to apologize? By casting you in the role of the villain, a symbol deserving of ridicule and disdain, I turned you into the target of everyone's malice."

“Yes. Thanks to you, no one trusts me enough to work with me, so all of my future plans are now uncertain. I suppose I could arrange a stage and enact a story of my own choosing, but… A one-man show would be a little lonely, wouldn't it?”

"I thought that you would always be happy to stand onstage no matter what—even alone."

“Regrettably, I'm an entertainer whose only purpose is to make others happy. If I were to stand onstage all by myself, I would lose all motivation.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Wataru quietly offers Eichi the flower.

”And so, I thought I would ask you, the organizer of the most satisfying stage I have ever stood upon, for another commission. That's the reason I came today. Of course, I am also here to visit the sick."

“Was that sarcasm? I humiliated and denigrated you and your beloved friends. I trampled on and killed all of you for the sake of my own dream.”

“No one is dead, Eichi-kun. Everything that took place is just a story.”

”Are you really going to behave like a sore loser and pretend like you all weren't actually hurt?”

"No. If I were to hold a grudge and get angry at you, it would be an insult to my friends' extraordinary performance in their roles as villains. That's why I won't give you the pleasure of my vengeance.”

“I don’t understand your reasoning.”

“It’s a mystery to me too. This is the first time in my life that I have ever felt this alive. It's as though something I cannot quite comprehend is stirring inside me.”

Wataru speaks with an innocent, puzzled expression on his face, as though he were a child who had just tripped for the very first time in his life.

***

“Oops. I went off on a tangent just now, but I meant to give you this gift earlier.”

Suddenly coming to his senses, Wataru quietly hands Eichi the flower in his hand.

The instant that the flower touches Eichi's fingertips, it transforms into a bundle of documents.

It’s just like magic.

“... Oh, my goodness. As always, your magic tricks are beyond comparison, Hibiki-kun.”

“You and I are not particularly close, so don't blurt out things like that as if you know me.”

“I’ve always been watching you.”

Eichi speaks honestly, seemingly too tired to maintain a strong front. He proceeds to look over the bundle of papers.

His expression dawns with astonishment.

“This is—”

“Fufufu. This is the pipe dream³ written by our beloved younger brother and only son, Natsume-kun. He poured all of his heart and soul into it.”

Wataru explains, satisfied with the surprised expression on Eichi's face.

“This is a scenario envisioning a way in which we, The Five Eccentrics, could have achieved victory over you in our final battle the other day.”

“Oh, that's right, just before the decisive battle, you and the other Five Eccentrics had some kind of exchange. I was preoccupied with other matters at the time, so I didn't pay much attention to what all of you were up to.”

Deeply immersed in reading, Eichi flips through the stack of documents carefully. A grin slowly begins to form on his lips.

“Fufu. So cute; it’s really like a fantasy story. ‘I don't want my beloved Five Eccentrics to lose. I want us to have a happy ending where no one has to be sacrificed—’”

"Indeed. He filled the pages with such impossible fantasies and impractical delusions."

“... It was only by defeating you on that stage that we somehow managed to settle things in a conclusive way. If the five of you had won that day, we would still be enmeshed in the middle of an unending conflict.”

"Exactly. I anticipated as much, which is why I was unable to accept this. This present, packed with that child's—with Natsume-kun's—dreams, expectations, and love.”

“And, because we followed the premeditated arrangement, everything went smoothly.”

“That's true. But, just as one would expect from a story desperately written by our beloved child... It's very compelling, isn't it? It'd be heartless to ignore it altogether and just throw it away.”

Wataru gently caresses the pile of documents as if consoling a little baby.

“And that's why I quickly examined the contents, committed them to memory, and secretly copied them. Only moments ago, Natsume-kun burned the original copy himself, so—that child's fantasy should, by all accounts, have been completely erased from this earth.”

Wataru laughs like a naughty child who just successfully carried out a prank.

“Everyone will assume so. And even though this is an imitation, the contents are extremely close to the real thing. No, rather, the contents are only the things that I chose to resurrect in accordance with my own preferences.”

“Hmph. But there's no way you can actually use this, right? It's just a bunch of delusions with no grounding in reality. In other words: worthless garbage. It's nothing more than a work of fiction that fabricates convenient plots for foolish readers who yearn to avert their eyes from this harsh reality.”

Eichi drops the pile of documents onto the dirty bed and sneers at it.

“It has no bearing on the real world. Those kinds of stories only exist in the minds of idealistic writers. It's not the real thing. It's not reality.”

“Right. And so, I'd like to ask you, with your firm grasp on reality, to please rework it.”

“...?”

“You're hospitalized, so you have a lot of free time, correct?”

Wataru smiles, carefully gathering up the documents Eichi dropped one by one.

“Please use that spare time to improve upon this document. And adapt it into a new story in which The Five Eccentrics, your opponents, achieve victory.”

“What would be the point of doing such a thing?”

“You must be prepared for anything the future decides to throw your way, no matter how incredibly low the chances of it actually occurring may be. You know this better than anyone, but you were born with a fragile constitution, so—you could die at any time.”

“...You're right. And now that I've lost my will to live, I'm even refusing treatment.”

“And if you, the main character of this story, were to die and abruptly, nonsensically disappear from the narrative, the entire plot would collapse.”

“.....”

"Do you understand what I mean, Eichi-kun?"

“I understand, Hibiki-kun.”

Eichi's eyes, as cloudy as a corpse's, begin to sparkle.

“I have a responsibility. A responsibility as a protagonist—as an author. I have to be prepared for when my character dies and vanishes from this world—from the story.”

"Yes. However, you don't strike me as an expert storyteller, so I thought it'd be convenient to use something as a basis—for the story. This pipe dream written by Natsume-kun is quite suitable in terms of both content and quality, right?”

“That's right. It's the story that the child prodigy, the youngest member of The Five Eccentrics, wove out of his own life force.”

This time, Eichi doesn’t sneer sarcastically. As he praises his enemy, an honest smile appears on his face.

“Thank you, Hibiki-kun. Since this is a story founded on the premise of my imminent death, I can't let Keito, who hates the thought of me dying more than anyone else, write it.”

Eichi's eyes widen, surprised at the deep affection with which he spoke these words.

He'd assumed he'd lost everything. And yet—is he only now remembering that there are still things worth loving?

“I'll write it. To ensure the story will continue after I'm gone.”

Growing more and more energetic, Eichi stains his fingers with the filth splattered across his bed and begins to scrawl on the back of the stack of documents. His handwriting is so sluggish and messy that no one besides him could possibly read it.

“First of all, let's ensure that I get defeated while I'm still alive. After bringing down The Five Eccentrics and seizing control of everything, I become a power-crazed tyrant. And so, a new generation of heroes stands up to defeat me. It could be Natsume-kun, the surviving member of The Five Eccentrics, or someone else.”

“Yes ♪ And then? What will happen next in this story?”

“It's not enough to merely change the person in power. The masses themselves should mobilize and take action into their own hands to improve the world. Yes, the next step is the people's revolution. That's why... errr... aaahh—”

Eichi is so absorbed in the moment that he scatters the documents. He clutches his head with both hands.

“I can’t work through my thoughts! I'm not a genius, so this is really hard for me! Aah, this is pathetic, and I have no right to ask this of you, but—Can you help me come up with more ideas, Hibiki-kun?”

“Yes, with pleasure ♪ I also have some time to spare, after all!”

Wataru sits on the bed and happily gazes at Eichi, who has become entirely absorbed in the act of weaving⁴ the beginnings of a new story.

“I look forward to seeing what sort of stage I'll stand on next. Aah, in both my past and present, this has always been my only source of happiness.”

“I'm out of paper! I also want something to write with! Hibiki-kun, isn't there somewhere nearby where you could buy some?”

“Yes, yes. Aren't you supposed to be my fan? Are you sure you should be bossing me around like this?”

With a smile that seems to say, Well, it doesn't really matter, Wataru shifts like a bird about to take flight.

“Come on, let's celebrate, let's weave, let's create—a story! In this second iteration, the tragedy will become a comedy! Yes, I'm certain that this next work will be a very enjoyable story!”

“Enough, enough! Stop saying unnecessary things and just hurry up! Before life leaves my body!”

“Yes, yes. You really know how to put people to work, Mr. Author... ♪”

………

And so, Hibiki Wataru chose to assist Tenshouin Eichi in the creation of his story.

Together, they supported one another, engaged in heated debates, and envisioned the future.

It was at the end of that gloomy winter when the two of them, now fine, the rulers of Yumenosaki Academy, were defeated by the revolutionaries of Trickstar.

It was a season when the seeds carried by dirty, exhausted birds finally bloomed into flowers.

1. Gilles de Rais was a leader of the French army and participated in the Hundred Years’ War alongside Jeanne d’Arc as a companion of arms. Later in his life he went on to become a serial killer of children and was condemned to death and hanged. 

In the story “Cinderella on the Stake's Stage,” it’s revealed that Wataru also has a pigeon called “Jeanne d’Arc.”

2. Akira describes Eichi’s hair as “陽光を固めたような” = “As if sunlight has taken physical shape”. Likewise this is also the way he describes Wataru’s hair “月光を固めたような” = “As if moonlight has taken physical shape”.

3. We chose to interchange the words pipe dream and fantasy through the story but they often refer to the same script Natsume wrote.

4. Weaving reads as “Tsumugi” here.

[clavissionary-position]

(Translation) Gilbert Gets Jealous of the Military Pets ...Again [Part 1]

Collection Event: I've Sinned Out of Love For You Story Title: "I'd Like a Normal Confession" [Part 1]

I apologize in advance if I accidentally wrote "Azel" instead of "Adele" somewhere.

I was enjoying a moment of relaxation early one afternoon after I'd gone to see the military dogs they kept at the castle.

Adele: Woof!

Emma: Hehe, oh Adele, you're as cute as ever.

Clara: Arf! Woof! Woof!

Emma: Hmm, you're so soothing, Clara.

Adele and the others had grown very attached to me ever since Gilbert first introduced them to me as candidates for being my friends.

The way they'd plop down and present their belly for more rubs, and the sight of them running round and around was just too cute for words.

(But the fact that I'm meeting with Adele and friends today is a secret from Gilbert. Because―)

Elise: Meow.

Emma: And what a good girl you are too, Elise. Have some scritches.

Elise was a cat who happened to be with the two dogs every now and then. She came over too and rubbed her body against my leg while she purred.

???: It looks like they're also in high spirits from receiving your pets, don't you think?

???: You're smiling so broadly, little rabbit.

Emma: That's because they're just so adorable. And I know all their preferences by now and exactly where to pet them to make them happy.

???: Wow... So your friendship's already reached that point, has it.

(Hm? Wait, who am I speaking to right now...?)

I was so absorbed in minding Clara and the others that I'd unconsciously ended up responding to the dialogue coming from behind me.

But the next thing I knew, both Clara and Adele were sitting up with their backs straight in a show of obedience.

Elise, too, laid flat on the ground.

(Don't tell me...)

When I timidly turned around, I found Gilbert standing there without my knowing.

Gilbert: How heartless of you. Cheating on me in secret.

(...This is the last thing I wanted to happen.)

(The reason I kept this a secret from Gilbert was because I knew he'd get jealous of Adele and others, just like this.)

Now that I'd been found out, my spine froze up with apprehension.

Emma: Um, I'm so sorr—

I tried to apologize upfront but he suddenly yanked me towards him before I could even finish my sentence.

Gilbert: You know full-well that those words aren't what I want, right?

His red eye regarded me with no intention of letting me talk my way out of this one.

At the same time, my heartbeat thundered so loudly that I could practically feel it transmitting through our bodies pressed tight.

I stretched up and tried to kiss him gently on the cheek but Gilbert only gave a small shake of his head.

(I guess that's not going to work... But... Adele and the others are watching us...)

Gilbert: Hehe. Except there's no need to fret about that.

Emma: Mrmh... !?

Just as he cupped my chin, his beautiful face drew close and then we were mouth-to-mouth.

Normally I'd be overjoyed at a kiss from Gilbert, but...

(It's so embarrassing doing this kind of thing in front of the animals...!)

I couldn't help but feel my cheeks grow hot as I caught them out of the corner of my eye, sitting stock-still and watching us intently.

Emma: If we go any further than this...

Gilbert: Just where are you looking? You have to keep your eyes on me and me alone.

This time, after he wrapped his hands around the back of my head to prevent me from looking away, he set about gently biting my lips.

I sensed that we were on the cusp of a much fiercer kiss, so I immediately pushed back against his chest and put some distance between us.

Emma: Gil, wait.

Gilbert: Even if I wait, the only thing I'll get from you is a verbal apology, right?

Gilbert: And not even you believe that I'd ever be satisfied with something so dubious.

Emma: Even so, I'll apologize sincerely again and again until you have your fill.

Gilbert: No way, you've gotta show it with your attitude.

(I feel like you won't let me off with the mere touch of a really gentle kiss either.)

Emma: Then let's at least change locations.

Emma: Once we're back in your room—

Gilbert sidled up to me, cutting off my words, and when I tried to retreat he pinned my wrists against the cold wall behind me.

Gilbert: Do you really think you have that much power to refuse right now?

---------- To be continued in Part 2 where, according to the teaser, Gilbert has a line that goes "I'll lock you up completely naked in a tower and make it so you physically can't keep secrets from me." 💀

The English versions of event titles tend toward being more cheesy and snappy, and so I totally see them calling this event something like "Guilty Love, Guilty Pleasures" lol. I'm gonna call it that in my head, please ignore me.

Disclaimer: I’m neither a translator nor fluent, so accuracy is not guaranteed. Please be aware that I use online translators.

[esamastation]

Part thirty-three of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two

-

Reno hates the fact that in the last twenty four hours he's somehow become the Turk Expert on SOLDIER behaviour. Well, Rude did some of the research too, but still, this is not the way Reno expected to see his career going.

"I think the fundamental problem with the entire SOLDIER corps is that they don't know how to take a fucking break," he decides, rocking his chair back and forth on its back legs while making faces at the ceiling. "I mean, just look at the shitshow that started just because Sephiroth took some time off! They couldn't even let him have that."

Rude hums, shuffling through what looks like all of the camp's paperwork.

Reno continues, crossing his hands behind his neck. "Rhapsodos and Hewley don't leave him alone, everything he does is scrutinised -"

"Mostly by us," Rude comments.

Reno ignores him. "The other Firsts take him out training, because they don't do enough of that in their work hours, clearly, and then Rhapsodos drags him out shopping, and that's just the first day. The second day he goes to train in what was at the time an empty training room not in use, and the moment he does, people call Hojo on his ass," he waves a hand. "The poor schmuck took a break, and all he got was so much stress for it! And that's without even taking into consideration his memory loss!"

Rude hums in agreement and then looks up. "SOLDIERs don't have work hours."

"What?" Reno asks, his momentum halted.

"SOLDIERs aren't paid by the hour - they're paid by the mission. They, technically, pick their own hours. They can and do regularly make thousands of Gil in a matter of hours."

The front legs of Reno's chair bang against the floor, rattling their entire paper hut of a house. "Well, I know that, yes, everyone knows that. It's a big selling point, aside from the whole become a hero by having Mako pumped into your veins thing."

Rude hums in agreement. "With his mission completion rate, Sephiroth regularly makes up to quarter million Gil in a month."

"... By working how many hours, in general, per day?"

"Seventeen - 

"Seventeen?! When does the fucker sleep?!"

Rude shrugs and puts the papers down. "According to his medical file, he generally can do with five hours of sleep while maintaining optimal function."

"And who the fuck determined that - Professor Hojo?" Reno scoffs. "Un-fucking-believable. Also my point is made! SOLDIERs don't know how to take a fucking break."

"Truly a detrimental view on work," Rude agrees.

"It really fucking is! I mean, come on! You take a bunch of jacked up meatheads, give them a system that massively rewards their overwork, you keep them on call all the time, keeping them on edge and hyped up, all the while Hojo looms over them like the fucking boogeyman and can pull them into the labs any time he wants!" Reno scoffs. "Never mind the fact that they're considered, technically, Shinra property, with all the Mako in their veins, so they have fuck all employee's rights."

"Might add to the reason why so few take time off," Rude agrees.

"They do have paid time off, right?" Reno asks. "The program isn't that much of a shit, right?"

"They do, standard rate… which is on average about a fifth of what they'd stand to make working. Or in Sephiroth's case… one-thirtieth."

"Of course it fucking is," Reno scoffs with disgust.

"... And the Science department can still call them in, if they're in Midgar."

"So either work yourself to early death or take a massive hit to the wallet and still Science can just grab your ass if they feel like it! What the fuck," Reno mutters. "Who the fuck designed the SOLDIER program, anyway?"

"According to the paperwork, originally Professor Gast… but its current form is mostly Professor Hojo's handiwork."

"Guess I should've expected that," Reno mutters and rocks back in his chair again, glaring at the ceiling. "The whole fucking system is rigged to blow. Nice fucking experiment you got there, Professor."

And now it's his problem to deal with. Wonderful.

He thinks of the way Angeal said it, time and privacy, like it was a joke, an impossible task. It makes him so fucking mad.

The only fucking reason work as a Turk is worth it sometimes is because it comes with some sweet fucking benefits - including properly paid time off and all the incentive on the fucking planet to use it, too. Because way back when Turks were first put together, then still called the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, someone had the common sense to look at these guys, with abilities and access of fucking spies, and go, "yeah, you know what we don't want to see - what happens when these assholes get burnout." Because that's how you end up with your asshole bosses assassinated in the night.

To this day Turks will fight tooth and nail to keep their off work hours off the fucking clock. Because what happens on the clock is bad enough, and if it doesn't justify being able to fucking punch out at the end of the day, then what's even the fucking point?

Time and privacy aren't impossible to get, for the Turks - those are fucking contractually enforced benefits they're entitled to, and just a few of many! They keep them fucking sane! And woe be the fucking asshole who tries to mess with them. Even Heidegger knows better.

It's so damn wild to realise that just a few floors down there a bunch of bastards who just don't… care? Who are incentivised not to care. Who'd rather work themselves to death rather than risk being seen at loose ends. Guess that's how Shinra keeps the SOLDIERs in check - they're clearly all of them too overworked to even think straight anymore. And those who are not working still might be pulled into the Science Department any time. Shit.

Dragging his hands down his face with a groan, Reno rolls out of his chair. "I hate this fucking assignment already. Did you find anything?"

"There are a few potential sites," Rude agrees and shows him a drawn map of the area. "A charcoal burner's house over here has been abandoned for months, and might be in bad condition. A hunter's lodge over here, it's higher up on the mountains and might be within view of Wutai patrols from Fort Tamblin. And here there's an old farm, partially burned in a bombing two years back, abandoned since."

Reno considers the locations. The hunter's lodge is right out… "We'll start with the charcoal place," he decides. "If that doesn't work out, then the farm."

"Sounds good," Rude agreed. "How will we justify it?"

"Do we justify it? It's Turk business," Reno scoffs, taking out his PHS. "And so, it's no one's business."

Rude thinks about that for a moment and then nods. "I'll requisition supplies."

"You do that," Reno agrees, checks his watch to make sure it's office hours back home and makes a call. It takes no time for the call to connect. "Good morning, boss, how's the weather in Midgar?"

"There was a storm, but it looks like the worst is over now," Tseng answers. "What's the word for Sephiroth?"

Reno flashes back to the moment he heard the arguably strongest man in the world sobbing into his hands about how fucked he is. "Yeah, so, about that. We're making some new arrangements."

-

What I love most about the Turks is how they definitely know how to appreciate time off.

[thesummerestsolstice]

Headcanon Crafts for Everyone I Missed Last Time:

Idril: a sculptor. She worked with every kind of stone imaginable, and often went looking for new material in Gondolin’s mines with Maeglin. (Look my Maeglin head canons are complicated but they should get to be friends the narrative has hurt them too much already) She actually preferred not to make elvish figures, instead focusing on strangely beautiful stone landscapes and various animal-like figures. She was actually responsible for Middle-Earth’s version of the gargoyle, having carved several to stand guard over Gondolin. Several elves swore that the statues moved, but she never addressed those rumors. She also liked to paint her work with bright colors, which would’ve been seen as odd back in Valinor, but fit right in in First Age Middle-Earth.

Maeglin: a smith, but his craft was more in-line with Avarin practice than Noldor practice; with much less focus on the idea of making gems and heavier focus on understanding natural geology and the properties of various gems and metals. He knew the mines of Gondolin better than anyone, and wrote plenty about the the earth under the earth. His work also had fairly significant Dwarfish influences. He liked to make mechanically complex pieces, with moving parts or even some internal gear work.

Finduilas: a hunter. Her and her father were both nature people, just in very different ways. She was silent, with all the grace of a dancer, and quick enough to outrun most of what she hunted. She preferred to go after more aggressive animals– wild boar, wolves, bears, even wargs– and leave the deer and rabbits be. She was born in Beleriand, and had never met the Valar, but sometimes, privately, offered up prayers to Orome. She liked to imagine she could’ve been in his hunt, if things had turned out a bit differently.

Celebrimbor: a smith, in the very traditional Noldor sense. Gemworker, specialized in jewelry, made various famously beautiful pieces, etc. Was never quite happy sticking to hairpins and necklaces. Longed to try his hand at imbuing his work with real power, but always talked himself out of it. A whole binder of concepts for works of power sat locked away in a chest in his workshop for centuries. He never talked to anyone about it. He was as ashamed of his feelings for his craft as he was of his feelings for his family. By the end of his life, he’d made peace with only one of those things.

Earendil: a mariner? Alright, he was definitely a mariner, and he loved the ship life– he even built a few boats of his own, in a similar fantastic style to Turgon’s architecture– but he also had a longstanding fascination with the natural world, and filled volumes and volumes of journals with information on various plants, animals, and minerals. But natural lore isn’t a recognized Noldor craft, since it involves learning but doesn’t really produce tangible results. Still, it was a passion he got from afternoons spent learning about geology with “Uncle Mole,” and one he shared with Elrond. Researching the beauty and wonder of nature gave Earendil something to do with his immortal life, and was a big part of the reason Elrond chose to be immortal at all.

Gil-Galad: a king. No, really, he’d been the high-king of the Noldor since he was a child, and hadn’t really had time for trivialities like “finding a life purpose” or “having fun.” He was too busy learning how to stay alive in late stage Beleriand (read: hell) and learning to rule the least cooperative group of elves imaginable. He wanted to be a painter, and while he found enough practice time to get good at his chosen craft; because of how long detailed paintings can take, he almost never had time to actually make anything. He tried not to let it bother him too much. He didn’t always succeed at that.

Elrond: in a bit of a weird spot. Elrond is most associated with lore and healing; but, as discussed, “lore” isn’t considered a craft. And, well. Healing had to be Elrond’s craft, right? He’d been doing it since he was seven, and just about the only person in Amon Ereb who could still use healing powers. And it was good work, and it was rewarding, even if it often left him feeling so burned out and worried that he forgot to eat or sleep. It took him a long time to admit to himself that healing for him was what fighting was to many other elves: a necessity. Truth be told, he’d rather be gardener, working with the earth to create a place of peace and beauty. Also, Elrond is basically a nature spirit. So. It was something he began to explore in the peace of the early Second Age. He found that his Ainuric powers had all sorts of interesting effects on plant life. He also learned how to breed new varieties of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Still, he never really considered that it could be a proper craft for him. At least, not until he first saw the valley that would one day become Rivendell.

Headcanon Crafts for Finwe and his Children, the House of Feanor, the House of Fingolfin, and the House of Finarfin.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey I watched eternal recently and fell in love with thenamesh! And I found your blog and fell in Iove too!!

If you still accept prompts I have an idea:

The Eternals are fighting against the deviants and in the middle of the fight one deviant sprays some kind of invincible non smelling gas towards Gil who is fighting another one. He inhales it, resulting that he loses his power for a few hours. A big surprise when he was punching the deviant and his powers are just gone, making him an easy target!

Let the drama begin! ❤️🫡

"Thena!"

Gil slid into the path of whatever attack the Deviant facing them had in store--in this case, some kind of gas pouring from its mouth. He held a hand in front of his face. "Okay, not really what I was expecting."

Thena pulled in the edge of her spear, swinging the blunt ended staff around her as she moved, clearing the heavy gas away from them. "What was that?"

"I don't know, I've never seen one do that before," Gil coughed faintly, waving his hand around his face. The Deviant snarled at him and he raised his fist. "Yeah, yeah, take it easy."

Thena's head snapped around like lightning at the sound of bones cracking. "Gil?"

The Strongest Eternal pulled his hand back, roaring as his fist - for the first time in his immortal life - failed him.

"Gilgamesh!" Thene screamed, it being pulled from somewhere deep down. She moved in front of him, catching the beast's teeth on her staff and sharpening its end again. She swiped the blades of her trident against its mouth, making the monster recoil. She turned her back to it, only to examine Gil's injury. "What did that thing do to you?"

He hissed, cradling his hand that had broken against the rigid bones and fibrous muscles of the enemy. It was swollen, his bones were moved oddly, the skin was broken and bleeding. It looked like a human hand, with a very human injury. "I-I don't know!"

Thena turned, sensing as soon as her enemy was in proximity again. She rammed two of her blades into its open maw and then sliced her way out. It recoiled again, snarling in pain.

Under any other circumstance, she would be on top of that thing, tearing it apart as it lived and breathed. But she had more important things to worry about. She had the single most important thing in the world to her to worry about.

Thena held the eyes of the monstrosity, now prowling back and forth, monitoring her for a weakness. She held her blades aloft and at the ready, watching its every move in return. "Try it--I defy you."

"Thena," Gil managed through gritted teeth. He was feeling pain like a human would, too. "Don't let that thing do this to you. Just run, get the others."

"Absolutely not." She didn't have to think twice about it. And he was right; tactically speaking, if she also suffered the same loss of Cosmic Energy as he had, then they would both be easy prey.

But even then, she would fight that thing with her bare hands if she had to. It would not be given another opportunity to hurt Gilgamesh.

"Thena, it's okay," he tried to persuade her as she backed him up behind her. Thena on any other day would never back down from a fight. But Thena with something to protect was less of a predator.

"It hasn't tried it again," she said to him more quietly, still keeping the Deviant in check. Every time it so much as prepared to lunge at them she would shift her weapons in her hands, the glow and sparks of them spooking the miserable creature. "Perhaps it can't afford such frequency."

The Deviant swiped in their direction with its claws. It was nowhere near actually reaching them, but it was a display of ferocity.

"Stay away from him!" Thena had her own display of ferocity, calling up any form of weapon she had at her disposal, flipping through them like pages in a book. She swung them and twirled them in front of her, over her head.

The beast jumped back as she cracked a whip onto the ground between them. It bared its massive teeth at her, but she snapped the whip again.

"Thena!" The Soaring Eternal called from above, his eyes shooting the monster in the back as he flew over them.

"Ikaris!" Thena called out to him of her own volition. He was just as surprised as Gil was at it. "Gilgamesh is hurt!--you handle this one!"

For all he and Thena were at odds, they were still comrades with a mission in common. He shot down to the Deviant, wrestling it away with his strength and a stubbornness he shared with the Warrior Eternal.

Thena immediately let her weapons dissolve and ushered Gil into the gates of the city. "Ikaris will handle that thing."

"I'm surprised you trust him to," Gil laughed, although his pain was far from numbed. He held his hand close to his chest as they hurried to safety. He sighed, looking down at the useless - for him, at least - appendage. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know," Thena admitted in a tiny, fragile voice. He had never heard her sound like that before. She was also looking at his hand as she lead him back to the temple. "I...I don't know."

Gil walked with Thena at his side, her hands on his back and his arm as she both guided and supported him. It was only his hand that was injured, but the pain coursing through him was like nothing he had endured before. It made his whole body stiff and crumpled in posture. Were humans really so fragile? No wonder they needed protection all hours of the day.

"Ajak!" Thena called out before they were even inside, once again startling her partner at her side. "Please!"

Ajak, as well as the rest of the Thinkers, rushed out to meet them. "What happened?"

"A new defense they've developed," Thena barely muttered out as Gilgamesh extended his hand as much as he could bear. Thena eyed Ajak as she reached out for the hand, ready to protect him from even the healing hands of their Prime if that was what was required.

"That shouldn't be possible," Phastos shook his head, although he took a step behind Sprite after receiving a murderous glare from the Warrior Eternal.

"It's shattered," Ajak muttered as she took in the extent of Gil's injury. She looked at him, "this will hurt."

He nodded, prepared for the worst.

Thena slipped her hand into his good one, letting him squeeze as much as he liked. He could crush even her bones if that was what he needed.

Gilgamesh let out a ghastly sound as Ajak pulled his bones back together under his skin. Bones were no easy matter, requiring more than just regrowing some blood and skin cells.

"I'm sorry," Thena whispered to him as he endured Ajak's 'healing'. She pressed her forehead to his bicep, letting his hand squeeze hers as if his life depended on it. "I'm sorry, Gil."

"Just a little more," Ajak winced, as did the other Eternals behind her. It wasn't everyday one of their own sustained an injury to this degree. And it was always painful to witness when the healing of one took place.

Gil gasped for air as Ajak finished, nearly falling to his knees when she was done. He blinked, looking completely dazed and barely conscious.

Thena let him lean against her, whispering soft, loving things that no one - not even he - could decipher. She held his far cheek with her free hand.

"What did that thing do?" Ajak asked, not that she expected an answer to that right now. Between Gilgamesh all but foaming at the mouth and Thena's rabid protectiveness over him, she doubted she would be getting any answers until he was rested. "Take him to the Domo."

Thena required no permission, let alone order. She pulled Gilgamesh along as slowly as possible, guiding his stumbling steps.

"Isn't he better?" Sprite asked the Prime, watching the Fighters hobble away together.

"I healed his hand, but it's like his Cosmic Energy is just...gone," Ajak grimaced, poofing out her fingers in illustration of it. "I didn't know they could do such a thing."

"I'll see if I can find any answers," Phastos volunteered.

"Might wanna wait a bit before runnin' any of yer tests," Druig spoke up from the back of the group. He nodded his head towards where Thena was finally disappearing with Gilgamesh beside her. "Unless a'course you wanna try gettin' anywhere near 'im while she's up and fightin'."

Phastos immediately shrivelled at the idea. "You might have a point."

"Leave them be," Sersi spoke up on behalf of her sister. "I'm sure Thena will know as soon as Gil is well again. We can ask our questions and run our tests then."

Ajak nodded in agreement with the Elemental Eternal. "Sersi is right. Until then, just...give them their space. Gil may not be able to fight, but I think Thena will be ready to kill any of us if we ask anything more of Gilgamesh right now."

[tanoraqui]

Lalwen caught everyone's attention by slamming a fresh wine bottle onto the center of the table.

"Alright, new game," she said. "'The Worst Thing I Ever Did To You Was...' It's like The Worst Thing I Ever Did, but it has to be specifically to someone else in this room, and you have to apologize for it. And you only get to drink if everyone else agrees that your apology was good enough."

Fingolfin raised one finger. "Point of order: what if you need to be drunker in order to apologize for something?" He didn't look at Fëanor, but his gaze was sliding around a bit, so in order to achieve this, he turned his entire head to the right.

"Tough luck," said Lalwen.

"Point of order," said Findis. "What if we don't want to play this one, either?"

"Then you have to sit here and endure it without getting to drink any more. Because - " Lalwen forestalled Fëanor's imminent query - "the door is still locked and no one is leaving until Family Game Night is over."

The boys all radiated rebellious pedantry, probably still not over how she'd lied to get them all here. But they didn't say anything, so Lalwen smiled brightly and said, "Great! I'll do an example to show you how it's done."

She retook her own chair, wobbling only a little as she moved from standing to sitting, leaned toward her youngest brother and said earnestly, "Ara, I'm sorry that I lied to you that Gil-galad was Fingon's son and your foster-great-grandson. It was politically expedient but essentially an orc move, and mostly I just did it because I was bitter at you for swanning in with all your golden armor and righteousness and optimism, when we had none of any of that. That was wrong of me. Also, obviously it fell apart as soon as he and his parents were all re-embodied."

Fëanor still had half a glass of wine from the now-lost bottle. He'd started slipping it slowly while glaring pointedly at Lalwen, to prove that he didn't need her stupid game.

He nearly spit it out.

"That's why a random half-blood became High King of the Noldor?" he demanded. "You just lied that he was part of the House of Finwë? And nobody challenged it?"

Lalwen was laughing too hard to answer. Findis was also laughing, more quietly.

"To be fair," Fingolfin offered, swallowing his own snicker in favor of loftiness, "from what the elf himself has told me, at the start of the Second Age, Galadriel, Elrond, and Celebrimbor between them could have crowned an unwoken tree High King if they'd all agreed on a candidate. Support from each of our lines, you know."

"Fëanor, how did you think Gil-galad became High King?" Finarfin asked curiously.

"I hadn't thought about it much - I've been busy, you know. I suppose I assumed he'd been elected, as we do now."

Fëanor tipped his head back to drain his glass, then rather slammed it down on the table. Yet again, the jewel-grade goblets proved themselves the right choice for the evening.

Lalwen could barely breathe for laughing. "No Noldor on either side of the Sea did that until nearly the end of the Second Age!"

Fëanor scowled.

Findis smiled serenely, and twisted the top off the new wine bottle. A melodious scent swelled forth of sweet grapes, bruised peaches, and warm summer sun.

"Well, that seems well-apologized to me." She refilled Lalwen's glass - though she paused before handing it back, and asked, "Ara?"

Finarfin nodded grandly, and for good measure took Lalwen's hand and kissed it. "We are well-reconciled, sister, and have been for many years."

"Good, good, gimme!" said Lalwen, grabbing at her well-deserved wine. "Ahh..." The Yavannandil wine was soft and soothing against her laughter-dried throat.

When she'd downed a good third of the glass, she gestured broadly and declared, "There! You see how it's done! Your turn!"

She pointed to Fëanor, then jabbed her finger at his chest. "And you're not allowed to say 'burning the ships', that's too easy."

[whumpees]

My dearest (2023) whump list

Synopsis: Yu Gil Chae is a pretty, bubbly, and a bit spoiled young lady who's called the 99 tailed fox of Neunggun-ri. She is also a bit of an outcast because other young ladies are jealous of her. They seem to think she's too straightforward and her behavior is inappropriate for a young lady, while young noblemen think highly of her. Gil Chae knows how to get men to fall for her but fails to capture the heart of the person she likes. Lee Jang Hyun is a mysterious man who suddenly appears in the Neunggun-ri social scene. Nobody really knows anything about him. Young nobles don't like him, but the elderly are wrapped around his finger. He's been dating around a lot, but he becomes curious about a certain 99 tailed fox, and one day, the said fox quite literally crash lands into his arms. Once war is brewing, the pair finds themselves separated before they could even start to make sense of their feelings.

Whumpee: Lee Jang Hyun played by Namkoong Min

Episodes: 21 (divided into two parts: 10 for the first, 11 for the second)

Very whumpy show damn

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Contains spoilers

Ep1: flash forward: the show starts out with the male lead on the shore covered in blood and panting holding his sword and an army of people waiting to charge at him :: slashed in the arm, somebody wraps his wound

Ep5: everyone paying attention to their injuried love interest and rushing to help him but the male lead is standing there watching them with blood dripping from his arm but no one is paying attention to him (my baby boy 😭) :: Later female lead is arguing and screaming at him and he just leaves her but then she notices the blood on his hand and commands he sits down and wraps his wound and says it's severe and not gonna heal easily so he needs to rest for a month :: Blood through his bandage :: Someone throws something at his face & the cut drips blood on the ground

Ep6: contracts a disease but is unaware, later while waking he puts his hand on his head and sways (dizzy or a headache), coughs up blood, fighting with the enemies, slashed in the side, "from this point, nobody is getting past me" (HE'S FIGHTING WHILE SICK to protect fl), fought dozens of soldiers and when there's just one remaining he's finally getting weak and has blurry vision and gets slashed in the back

Ep7: his enemy pushed him and he falls down in pain, laying on the ground, somebody kills the enemy for him, the fl is near him but she doesn't see him!!! Fuck. he cries then passes out on the ground alone in the forest, wakes up on the ground, panting and trying to get up and is weak, walking unsteadily, waving to his friends that he's there then passes out and falls down, unconscious in bed and being tended to, woke up

Ep8: having a conversation with fl and he was reaaaally hurt by her words he started tearing up and was about to cry :: In a prison cell

Ep10: crying and hurt (he acts hurt so well)

Ep11: rememberd fl and cried (seriously i love it when this actor cries he depicts so much emotion in his face and this scene was adorable)

Ep12: sword pointed at his neck leaving a cut :: Tearing up while telling a personal story to someone

Ep13: crying in shock and absolutely heartbroken (I'm a sucker for this man's tears)

Ep14: hit on the head and knocked down, tries to move but ends up passing out, woke up startled, gets up immediately and kinda unsteady :: Tearing up :: Crying again :: On his knees begging to be punished instead of fl and saying he's ready to do anything or even be a servant for the rest of his life to let her go (bear in mind this is not like him 😳 so it means it shook his core to see fl humiliated like that) :: Shot in the back by an arrow to protect fl, passes out on top of her, unconscious in bed, tended to by his friend and fl, wakes up

Ep15: wakes up and caresses female lead's face then passes out again and his hand drops, wakes up, lifts his head and smiles and it causes him pain :: Pretends to still be passed out so fl doesn't leave :: Fl takes care of him while he's still pretending to be unconscious and she sees his scars :: Pretends to limp & collapse & be in pain :: His friend tells him to not pretend to be in pain but this time he actually is in pain

Ep16: unwrapping his bandages :: Wants to cry :: Teary eyes :: Teary eyes again

Ep17: teary eyes

Ep18: crying :: Hit over the head and collapses unconscious and his friend catches him but he also gets hit and they both fall to the ground :: Walking blindfolded and swaying (hasn't recovered from the blow to his head), in a prison cell hands tied and blood on his face :: Interrogated and kinda dazed while answering and looks weak, beaten :: Blood A LOT of blood dripping from his face, more beating, collapses, passes out :: On the ground bloody and helpless trying to reach out to the ring the fl gave him :: Put on a cart while blindfolded and unconscious and drops the ring (gosh i love when their hands are extended out when their unconscious it showed in multiple scenes in this ep), carried out of the cart and put among a pile of the dead, fl finds him and lifts the blindfold and ooff he's SOAKED in blood it looks so good, shakes him to wake up but he doesn't, half opens his eyes and reaches out to grab her clothes but doesn't have the strength to

Ep19: she helps him to walk by supporting him by his arm but is basically dragging him cuz he's unconscious, 2 ppl holding him by the arms, put to bed in fl's house, half awake briefly and back to unconscious, doc checks his pulse and gestures that he's in hopeless situation, coughs while unconscious, trying to get him out of the house cuz soldiers are looking for him and again grabbed by the arm to walk and is unconscious, ryang eum takes him on a horse and runs away, unconscious in bed, nursed, having a traumatic flashback and fighting in his sleep, woke up and doesn't remember anyone (for fuck's sake this is so unnecessary), pulse checked while asleep :: Awake and ok, fl feeds him, head pain :: Again having flashbacks in his sleep :: More flashbacks and head pain, fl feeds him (he's baffled bc of the attention he's getting from her cuz he still doesn't remember 😂) :: Fl tends his injuries, has a lot of big bruises (also he's now very shy when she touches him he screamed at her to stop 😂) :: Starts getting his memories back and flashbacks from when he was beaten and his head hurts, rememberd fl

Ep20: crying out of happiness (it's a beautiful scene) :: Knife pointed at his neck

Ep21: emotional confrontation with his dad and cries :: Cries again :: Finally back to the very first scene in ep 1 where dozens of people are trying to kill him, crying, getting up with difficulty, unsteady, blood dripping from him, collapses on one leg, status unknown but someone he's probably dead cuz he was bleeding a lot :: Flashback: It's night time and he's still walking on the beach while injured, staggering, passes out and falls on the ground, found by an old man, lost his memories again (is the author actually insane?), crying :: Crying reaally hard at the end

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Extra: not whump but the relationship between Jang Hyun and Ryang Eum is adorable 😭 In ep 9 jang hyun says that he doesn't belong on anyone's side, then ryang eum says to him while he's sleeping: "you don't belong to anyone, but i belong to you" and moves jang hyun's arm to sleep on it 😭😭😭 and in ep 11 ryang eum watches a slave being punished and looks at jang hyun with a horrified and pleading expression and without having to say a word jang hyun immediately stops them from punishing the slave just cuz his friend was hurt by it even tho he normally wouldn't give a shit 😭😭😭 that scene was so freaking adorable 😭 he always cares if the people he loves care. And in episode 15 he was crying his eyes out bc jang hyun got injured and was fighting with fl to nurse him 😂😂😂

(Ok i had my suspicions especially after ep 14 where the old man told ryang eum that jang hyun only considers him as a younger brother and "not to be greedy" but after ep 15 I'm now pretty positive it's not platonic anymore dude has feelings 😂 his jealousy was annoying it got in the way صورم انا اول مرة اشوف راجل بصورم 😒)

[theamityelf]

Uma answers the phone, and it's the standard "We have your boyfriend!" ransom call.

For a second she just stands there with a thoughtful look, like she's doing mental math. "Uh-huh..."

"Now, if you ever want to see him again-"

"No, shut up for a second, I'm tryna think."

"You...What?"

She thinks for another second and then gives up. "Alright, you're gonna have to tell me who you have. If it was Ben, you'd have said you have the king; if it was Harry or Gil, I'd be impressed..."

"It's not me!" Gil calls out helpfully from another room. "And Jay's sitting on my lap."

"And it's not Jay," she adds. "So, who'd you catch?"

The voice on the other end of the phone grunts in annoyance. "You know, the blond guy."

"The blond guy's here; that's what I just said."

"No, the-! Cinderella's son. I forget his name; he hasn't been on the news in a while." There's an offended noise, ostensibly from a gagged prince of Cinderellasburg who didn't appreciate the comment on his diminishing spotlight.

"Oh my gods," Uma groans. "You got Chad? He's not even my boyfriend; he's my girlfriend's boyfriend. Did he say he's my boyfriend?"

"He said we should think twice about holding him for ransom because the queen of the sea was going to destroy us."

"Well, yeah, but only because it's the cool thing to do." Uma is putting on her sword belt and jacket at this point. "I mean, Audrey would be pissed if I just let him be kidnapped. Is there a reason you called me? He told you I'd destroy you, and you thought 'I have an idea, let's call her?' How'd you even get my number?"

"Listen closely! We took him because we thought the royals of Cinderellasburg would pay a hefty price for his return. But now that we know he's valuable to the queen of the sea as well, we'd like to make a deal. If you sink the ships of our enemies, we'll return the prince to you with all his fingers."

"Dude, I don't even know who your enemies are. Do you have nautical coordinates?"

"There are five ships we'd like you to sink. I'm sending you the first set of coordinates now, and if the ship is not destroyed within the hour, the prince loses two fingers."

"Got it," Uma muses, glancing across the room at Carlos, who gives her a thumbs up.

"And before you think about attacking us, you should know we're landlocked!"

"Yeah, for sure. I hear you." She's putting eyeliner on in the mirror.

"The first ship, now! When you're done, we'll send the next coordinates."

"Great, yeah. Okay."

The phone hangs up.

"That was long enough to get his location, right?" she asks over her shoulder.

"Yep, we got him," Carlos answers. He's in bed, but he pulled his laptop onto his lap as soon as the matter of hostages was mentioned.

"Cool. Guess I'll go get Chad and...I don't know, kill that guy?"

"No killing. Remedial Goodness."

"Oh, like the crown isn't responsible for-...Whatever. I'll just break his knees."

Another thumbs up. Jane, sitting next to Carlos, looks slightly bewildered, but she hops up to grab Uma's hat for her as she heads out the door.

[leonaquitaine]

How-To: Budget Studio Mk.III

We've all been there: 50M gil burning white hot in your pocket when a set of Fallen Angel Wings pop in the market board, its siren's call luring you. Now you're utterly fashionable, but regrettably with barely half a mil Gil to your name. What to do?

Well, do not give to despair, my glamorous friend! You can actually build a perfect black background studio to show off your feathery acquisition.

You'll need:

1 x FC Room, or an Apartment

3 x White Screens

1-2 x platforms of your choice

4-5 Soot Black dyes

1 - Setup

Place your White Screens in parallel, in order to completely cover a wall. (This will give you some leeway with angles and point light placement.)

Make sure you leave a considerable gap, of maybe half the length of the base of a White Screen. This is important, as you'll see very soon.

Place the objects you'll use as platforms in front and center of the white panel line, making sure it overlaps with the middle panel. This is where you'll stand: In the example below I floated two Combed Wool Rugs, but any contiguous platform will do (think tables, half-partitions, etc.)

Dye all the objects with Soot Black. No need for the expensive stuff.

Now let's reduce the ambient light, setting it to zero; we'll use only GPose lighting for shots.

2 - What's the catch?

Well, you see - most partitions, like the Blank Riviera partition, have a collision box set around them. If a camera touches it, its path is altered so it doesn't go behind the partition.

White Screens, however, do NOT have a collision box - so you can move your camera behind the partitions, and place your light sources there.

Here's how it looks in gpose - notice how the camera just goes through the partition:

Amazing, right? So the trick is to place light sources behind the panels, in the gap between the back of the panels and the wall; this way, the light won't hit the front surfaces.

The final result is a shot with a perfect pitch-black background, where rim lights can be applied with very intense results:

You can also place Type-1 light points in front, so they offer a very gentle illumination while not hitting the background panels:

Another possible setup: move the character away from the background, and place the light sources around it.

That'll result in shots like this one:

You can also place a point light between the character and the background, to create a halo effect:

The opportunities for dramatic lighting are endless.

Go on, give it a try!