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#also i tried so hard to fit a lot of symbolism and random shit into it. i am so willing to pick this drawing apart so if youd like that send
turtletoria · 1 year
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a mask of my own face
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queer-whatchamacallit · 7 months
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So I decided I was going to rewatch The Bear and take notes, partly bc autism and partly bc I want more interesting details for fics and just to get to know the characters even better
(Also, I’ve been curious about what makes Carmy blow up vs what makes him dissociate)
So here’s some things I noticed that you could also pick apart like I have here
Carmy has his apron on in the dream, maybe it’s just because that’s what he’s been wearing pretty much all the time for the past couple weeks or because his work is so tied with his family (w/ bears as symbolism for that) but idk
Him waking up on a random counter in The Beef confirms my headcanon that he falls asleep in weird places OR he fell asleep in the office and sleepwalked there
In this ep, any imagery or mention of Michael is pretty much always tied to religious imagery
Carmy calls her Sugar and him Mike, I’m always inclined to have him say Mikey instead but I don’t think he ever does. Also, Fak calls Carm Bear :]
“What’s UPS?” Is the first in a long string of times where someone tries to talk about something other than the kitchen, and it just doesn’t click with Carm
Syd’s “I know who you are” and Carmy’s “Yeah?” and he just listens to her completely riveted is so funny to me. Tell this man you know he was the CDC at one of the best restaurants in the United States of America and it’s like saying “walk” to a dog
Carm’s “I’m saying something >:[,” starts the classic Berzatto dilemma of no one listening to each other but wanting to be listened to
Reminder that Syd can speak Spanish :D
Richie talks about their “Italian heritage” and later says abt the labels “this is the most Polish shit ever,” which show how close he fits in with the Berzattos and his dislike of his bio family (Jerimovich is Polish right.?)
Richie talks about putting his family back together and him not coming home, and Carmy instantly dissociates
Him asking “Why didn’t he leave it to you then?” Not like a comeback, but a genuine question gets me every time
Carmy’s not good with words, so while this is something that just makes fun dialogue, in universe, it’s interesting to see how often his responses are parroted (ex: Marcus’ “that shit was straight up fire” and Carm’s “Straight up done now Chef”)
When it’s work time, it’s work time. When Fak stops looking at Ballbreaker to mention that he wasn’t able to go to the funeral but he sent flowers, Carm just says he wasn’t there either and swiftly changes the subject back to work
The three siblings and Richie all have gold necklaces. When Sugar shows up, I don’t know if hers was one of the matching ones, and I couldn’t figure out what the charm was on it
Tina says “Why doesn’t your sister come around here anymore?” Implying that she used to. I also feel like T wouldn’t have asked if Sugar stopped coming when she moved out and didn’t have to do what her mom told her to. Maybe Mikey kicked Sugar out of the restaurant too, but she wasn’t too bothered by it
Unlike with Richie, when Nat calls him out on not saying hello, just trying to get work done, he listens, and he slows down. Richie feels like his space in the family is shaky, so he’ll take a lot more shit from them while Nat won’t. She inherited a temper, just like her brothers, I feel like she’s in therapy and likely tackled how to stand up for herself when her family was treating her like shit, and she’s the “normal” middle child between a loud older brother and a worrying little brother, so she probably had to fight for her family’s attention at every turn
Nat mentions their mom and Carm’s eye contact instantly breaks, and it seems like he has to remind himself to breathe
His stutter shows up when arguing that he doesn’t want Jimmy to buy it
Carm’s “I’m gonna fix this place” vs Sug’s “No one’s asking you to” just hits so hard for some reason
When Carm tries to flee back inside, she uses “I love you,” like it’s an argument to keep him from throwing himself back into the restaurant or as a reminder that there’s people out there who want him to be doing well when she thinks the restaurant is hurting him
Sweeps is more of a background character but omg he just quietly looks out for everyone :] (he made sure Syd got to try Carm’s beef recipe :]]]])
Fak was also close with Mikey. I don’t know why I imagine Fak as being not quite as close with everyone as Richie, but they came to Christmas too, edit: Fak’s “but it got fuckin dark at the end” showed that he too knew something was up when Carm didn’t
Carm very much gives off the vibe of being allergic to cats, but I’m going to ignore that and squeeze in my headcanon that he loves Fak’s cats, Ralph and they love him
Richie’s dialogue is such a fun juxtaposition of him trying to feel superior to whoever he’s arguing with with large vocabulary and overconfidence but often falling back into vulgar insults because that’s what he knows best. Also, later in the ep he talks about “up in Napa” with the foie gras and shit to mock Carmy, but Napa isn’t up from them, it’s in California
Richie says “You have no fuckin idea what you’re doing here” and it’s like a switch, Carmy’s comebacks and annoyance with Richie stop, and he’s completely dissociated again. Richie shoves cans of spaghetti sauce into his arms and slaps at his face to steady him because he can probably tell something’s not right with him, but he just ends up leaving him to it
One of the Berzattos main love languages is physical touch via back and shoulder pats
And finally, Carm tosses the can of spaghetti sauce which I’m saying is because he just needs them to fucking listen and trust him when he’s saying no more spaghetti but there’s probably also some kind of Michael significance there too
Edit: I think I just had the realization that family stuff is what makes him dissociate while work stuff tends to make him panic and snap at people. It makes sense, snapping at his family would only escalate things and dissociating separates him from something he’s expected to fix. And Claire is kinda off in her category but falls under the panic response
So yeah!!
That’s pretty much what I got from 1x01 - System
I don’t know when or if I’ll do more of these, but this was so much fun, literally love dissecting these sad little goobers
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ac-liveblogs · 1 year
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I at least think that in 3.2 we're gonna 'solve racism' in a really basic way by beating up the three sages who are, in HYV's fantasy land, the three dudes holding together the entirety of Sumeru's racism.
(In real life, discrimination is obviously more complicated than that. Hell, even in game it's clearly more complicated than that because the sages racism trickled down to the ordinary scholar. But this is the team that gave us Heizou with no complex thought so hopes are low.)
Course, this is gonna expose all the dumbassery HYV tried to pull with 'war and conflict is bad' when we inevitably go to war with the sages like the eremites planned to do, but it's okay when we do it because we're polite! and not brown religious extremists (nice look HYV. Real nice look.)
After that, all they'd have to do is show more brown people being npc and pc scholars (I personally think Dehya and Cyno would be good picks, considering how it'd pay off their stories) to imply that the physical and metaphorical wall had broken down.
Honestly I'm just surprised it's THIS bad, considering Cyno was actually really good imo. (IM DEFINITELY READING TOO FAR IN THOUGH LOL)
He's a cop who genuinely believed in what he was doing and can be considered as 'having made it' because he was a desert person in a 'high ranking position'. Then this cop 1. learns his duty isn't to do justice, but to enforce the sages hierarchy. 2. That they never trusted him and effectively put a nanny cam on him (which can be symbolically compared to a collar).
His position as a doer of violence also ultimately fits into the sage's hierarchy, where desert folk can't be scholars, and are only fit for brutish, violent jobs like mercenaries (and cops) so even his high ranking position is inherently lesser in their culture. Additionally, this position forces him to distance himself from his own community.
Then you add the theme of dehumanisation with how everyone talks about him like he's some dangerous animal (because he's scary and brown) along with how he resists this classification with his terrible jokes. Even his hat adds to this with how it 1. is initially a desert folk hat, thereby serving simultaneously as proof the sages thought of him as other AND as a connection with his people. and 2. marks him as a fake animal, someone made inhuman and violent by their job.
But then the rest of the quest is just. Like that. Which is why I'm pretty sure I'm just reading in too hard. Where's the guy who wrote Itto? I want him back.
Haha, yeah I wouldn't expect much more than that. I wonder if Cyno will ever formally go back to the Akademiya, or if he's just going to stand ominously in the corner tapping his foot whenever dubious shit starts happening. I hope at least the 3 Sages are removed and the leaks about the "corrupting influence (the Fatui) infected them" won't mean they get to stay in power.
But that said, the Akademiya doesn't have a godwaifu that would be negatively impacted by the sages getting torn apart since Nahida is their victim, not their boss, so I think we'll get to sidestep a lot of the issues we got in Inazuma. We can't think EI did a bad, but 3 random old dudes, literally who cares etc etc etc.
(We've already gotten "Rukkhadevata did nothing wrong!" with her dealings with the Scarlet King, after all).
Course, this is gonna expose all the dumbassery HYV tried to pull with 'war and conflict is bad' when we inevitably go to war with the sages like the eremites planned to do, but it's okay when we do it because we're polite! and not brown religious extremists (nice look HYV. Real nice look.)
I am probably not the person to be talking to about colourism and HYV's handling of it, but I do wonder how meaningfully different this is to the way Narukami vs Watatsumi was handled in Kokomi's quest. We definitely had some ~Stupid ~Extremists in Watatsumi that almost ruined everything (the original basis of the conflict being the Raiden/Orobashi divide), and the Right Answer was Kokomi sitting down with Sara to talk things out ~diplomatically. It's not a good look from HYV here, but it's definitely not new ground beyond more unfortunate aesthetics this time around.
Not that it was any good the first time, but at least they're consistent about it(?) God damn, I hate the "bad rebels did rebellion badly, we the civilised shall TALK THINGS OUT" trope. Though I do wonder how much baggage HYV as a CN company is saddled with, there.
I also wonder how much diplomacy there'll be this time... maybe we'll beat up Scaramouche and the Sages will be scared of us/acknowledge Nahida is cool actually and do whatever we want. And then everything will be fine once Nahida is in power?
I think Genshin is pretty much almost always going to go "the Archons did nothing wrong!!!!!!!" and god forbid how bad anyone else looks because of it. This paired with HYV's unfortunate though hopefully subconscious biases is coming off really badly in Sumeru. We can only pray they don't also apply this standard to the Tsaritsa, and... I guess that it is applied in Natlan? ugh...
I think re; Cyno... there's an interesting narrative around him atm but we'll have to see how that plays out in Act V when we finally meet the Sages. I do think that HYV won't acknowledge most of what they've laid down and depending on how delicate their writing is (lol Inazuma) and how much of it was actual intentional commentary vs "we just didn't think about it lol" it might be for the best that they don't. Guess we'll see.
Speaking of Cyno's headdress and wolf-like partial transformation, while I think that's just meant to invoke Anubis/"Judgment"/"Guardian of the Scales" imagery than it is meant to be dehumanising, I would maybe like some more information about it??? what's with that??? hello???? wolf man transformation? WHY??
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chibivesicle · 3 years
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Golden Kamuy - Kikuta deserved better - 273-276
As I catch up on things, I’m gonna hit the highlights that really stuck with me.  Ogata is able to escape from Vasily using the tactics he observed from the showdown in Barato with Hijikata cutting through random row houses.  He’s seriously gotten into Vasily’s head as he hesitated to snipe aggressively after killing the wrong guy with Ogata’s cloak.
The only worthwhile thing from this continued and seriously a no longer interesting plot point, is getting to see Ogata wiggle under a fence like a cat.
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So, I approve of this at least.  My own cat scores this as an 8/10 in cat wiggling.  Minus 2 points for not enough emotion from Ogata’s face.
Thankfully, Asirpa was able to escape with Sofia after Tsukishima gunned down Ariko.  It seemed to me that Koito froze/hesitated during that situation.  Tsukishima had no problem brutally shooting Ariko at point blank while Koito literally just hung back and watched. 
Asirpa is in a state of extreme shock. She just interrogated by Tsurumi to give up the code, watched Ariko be shot and now sees Boutarou’s corpse in the bottle-mobile.  Our girl needs years of therapy - she’s reaching the same level as our male cast members at this rate.
At least she breaks down in tears as Sugimoto tries to console her.  The artwork for this part of the page is excellent, it really does capture the melting of her mind and how she’s realizing how deadly the gold is.
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It ties directly back to her argument with Kikuta before all this shit went down.  I’m always giving Sugimoto crap for being a moron, but it seems that he did make the right action by reaching out to allow her to hug his arm.  There is that soft look as he gazes down at her and just lets her be emotional.  It is clear that his presence is a comfort to her as she takes her time before returning to a more lucid mental state.  This is shown by how she opens her eyes and looks up before declaring that they need to meet up with Hijikata since she’s figured out how to crack the code.
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Meanwhile, Kikuta rushed Ariko to a clinic to save his life.  Being the father figure/older brother he is, he tells him that it isn’t his time to die; he never made that makiri yet! And to my relief, Ariko wakes up!  Noda didn’t go for the lazy writing of killing of the minor Ainu character, something I was afraid of.
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If his father saved him, it means his makiri was where he was shot in the chest under his uniform.  There is a lovely transition about a makiri in a fictional museum that was made by him, implying that he returned home and did make the makiri and likely resolved some of his identity issues, though it was still likely a tough life for him.  Ariko apologies for not being able to work as a spy for Central and really it isn’t like he’d be able to do so anyways.  But he did verbally point out he’s now politically on the side of someone like Asirpa to fight for their culture and right to exist in spite of colonial powers. The middle panel of Kikuta bidding him farewell just gives me the feels.  It is so clear that Kikuta knows he’s toast.  He saw Tsukishima shoot Ariko and Tsukishima likely watched him as he tried to save the man.
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The fact that he said a casual line about going to an onsen.  Ugh, death flag for sure right there.  It seems Ariko knows that as he looks forlorn.  Kikuta is that sort of suave man who is going to look cool even though he’s doomed; he’s that awesome.
The action returns to Tsurumi at the church having solved the code.  With Tsukishima gone off to try to kill Ariko, Koito has remained behind.  All of a sudden Koito reverts to his extreme Satsuma accent when addressing Tsurumi in the absence of Tsukishima.  I think he didn’t even realize it at first, just like how after they escaped the fight with Boutarou, Koito spoke normally to Tsurumi without realizing it.
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It is clear it took him a moment to realize he was speaking ‘Koito’ as Tsurumi is unable to respond to him and he then panics.  Koito is more than willing to chase after Tsukishima and support him, but Tsurumi instead recalls him.
At first he consoles himself that everything is okay. 
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He is trying very hard to convince himself that everything that they witnessed through the keyhole was all an act to get the key!  Yes, it isn’t that Tsurumi doesn’t have some sort of awesome goal and this isn’t about how the death of his wife and daughter left him unhinged!
But the other random members of the 27th then comment on how strongly Nikaido reeks of beer . . . and Koito then thinks about how he and Tsukishima were hiding in the room at the church when Tsurumi ‘checked’ that he was alone.  And then it hits him - they were also played as a part of the ‘Tsurumi theatre’.  Unlike Tsukishima who has whole-heartily given himself over to Tsurumi, it is clear that Koito can’t.
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That monologue sounded too good to be true.  He weakly says Tsukishima’s name into the rain as he then thinks ‘No . . .’  The rain is really fitting in this scene, I think it really is a stand in for Koito’s own disappointment and tears in this entire crazy quest for the gold.  Is he worried about his ‘older’ brother figure?  Himself?  Both of them?
He continues to try to rationalize the performance that Tsurumi gave them - even if Tsurumi lied to them, it wasn’t all a lie.  Oh Koito.  I want to give you a hug and pull you away as your little bon-bon-ness has won me over.  Most of that speech wasn’t for Koito, it was for Tsukishima.  Speaking about helping Japan is what Koito would like to hear but we can tell he doubts that as well.  Hence, his waffling.
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But then he realizes that as Tsukishima has given so much - all of Tsurumi’s words, even if they were ‘sweet lies’ as he he referred to them on Karafuto, it was just perfect for Tsukishima.  However, Koito has broken the spell that Tsurumi held over him.  The final page of the chapter of Koito looking at the illuminated Tsurumi and shutting the door on him.  It is the exact opposite of when Tsurumi rescued Koito from the kidnappers when in his youth. I now find myself wondering how this relates to the tiger curse.  It is clear that the curse for Tsukishima will not end well.  After he shot Ariko, his eyes regained their sparkle!  Not good, not good at all!  However, have I misinterpreted it for Koito that by becoming disillusioned with Tsurumi he will be cursed to be miserable through him gaining independence from his hero worship of Tsurumi?  The idea that ignorance is bliss, and now Koito is well in the know.  The fact that when he and Tsukishima were sort of on the same page was when he could speak to Tsurumi but now that he’s on a different path from Tsukishima he’s tripped up again.
Chapter 274 finally allows Asirpa to determine the fake skins after what she witnessed with Boutarou in the brewery and thinking about Ainu garments that she figured out that Edogai likely went above and beyond with his fakes.  Thanks money counterfeiting guy from the fake Ainu village for the inspiration.  It is a lot of pages that tie together other plot points nicely but really doesn’t do anything for me as a reader personally.
The most important point is that as Sugimoto falls asleep while Asirpa and Hijikata work with the skins is that we get another flashback - one that links him to Kikuta!
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and even more importantly - Hanazawa Yuusaku!  Chapter 275 starts out with an homage to the classic movie ‘Singing in the Rain’.  As soon as I saw Sugimoto spinning on a lamp post, it was obvious.  Yes, small town boy in the big city - causing trouble.  He gets in some sort of brawl with random guys from the army and is ‘rescued’ by Kikuta, who immediately realizes that he’s hungry and decides to treat him to some lunch.
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It shows that Sugimoto has a short fuse and is an impulsive youngster.  Really, he is lucky that he didn’t do more stupid shit to get him in trouble.  We can also clearly see that Kikuta is a member of the 1st Division, the Tokyo based one that Sugimoto eventually enlists with.
Kikuta decides that he wants Sugimoto to impersonate Hanazawa Yuusaku and to go on a marriage interview for him.  This is because Hanazawa Hiro, the now identified wife of Hanazawa, is pulling the strings in the background to prevent Yuusaku from becoming a flag bearer.
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This then makes us wonder why these two parents have such contrasting expectations for their only son.  It makes me think back to my theory that Yuusaku was a pretty poor solider and lacked any skill or potential.  Long ago, Tsurumi told Nikaido that Ogata is the ‘true heir’ of Hanazawa inheriting his military and [some] leadership skills as he stood on the watch tower in Barato ordering the random gangsters how to fight effectively.  Yuusaku is a disappointment for Hanazawa - he can only save face by having his son become such a symbolic part of the army.
I laughed at the next page where Kikuta confirms that Hiro is colluding with the young heiress to steal Yuusaku’s virginity and thus preventing him from becoming a flag bearer.  I love the posture of the terrified Yuusaku!
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However, Hiro’s plan has been found out by Hanazawa and he consulted with the leader of the 1st Division to assist him with resolving this unpatriotic and embarrassing issue.  Recall that Ogata was born as a result of Hanazawa being posted to Tokyo - this implies that he likely became good friends with the leader of the 1st Division during this time.
To prevent anyone from identifying Sugimoto, he’s the perfect substitute for Yuusaku and changes into Kikuta’s uniform.  He’s one of those guys who just has that look.  Sugimoto immediately thinks that since he’s been treated well by Kikuta, joining the military might be a good way to find security - in food.  However, we get a link of the cap to Kikuta and what appears to be his dying younger brother.
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Kikuta looks so sad, like there is something unfortunate with Sugimoto’s statement of food.  We don’t get to see his expression, indicating he’s likely hiding his emotions from Sugimoto and instead tells Sugimoto he’s going to have to train him in food etiquette.
He’s presented with some Western cuisine, something that may blow his cover and something that Kikuta didn’t expect as he watches from a tree outside.  But again, due to his extreme luck, he’s able to use nervousness as an excuse and it gives him time to state his family his super traditional so they wouldn’t have eaten food like this.  When he’s removed the cap, Kaneko Kaeko is smitten with his handsome face. He can use his excuse as a way to have an out for not knowing how to eat that tasty ebi fry (why to I hear ‘ebi fry’ in Nyanko-sensei’s voice?).
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As she explains the fancy places she’s dined at, Sugimoto thinks about how he was living off of cat food.  Cue another reason why he just hates on Ogata, since he was stealing food from Ogata’s people! 
The rest of the dinner goes well, and Kikuta checks in with him.  Meanwhile, our wealthy heiress is completely smitten with him!
As Sugimoto mulls over the idea of a somewhat arranged marriage as a negative he spills the beans about Toraji and Umeko.  And Kikuta isn’t having any of his bullshit.  I love how Kikuta points out how selfish and downright stupid Sugimoto is being in all of this.  Kikuta gives Sugimoto good advice - which he’s clearly still never followed.
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He makes it clear that he’s got to give up on that hometown and move on.  Which will be completely ignored as Toraji will end up in the 1st Division with Sugimoto in the trenches.  I’m now wondering how Toraji and Sugimoto reconnected.  Hrrrmmmmm?  Is this something that Sugimoto encouraged and that’s why he has all of these unresolved emotions about Toraji’s death in the war?
The chapter reveals to us that Tsukishima’s love ended up marrying the cousin of Kaeko, making Tsukishima’s acceptance of her ‘death’ even more heartbreaking as he thought that Tsurumi had lied to him about her fate.  [weeps bitterly]. 
As Kikuta and Sugimoto discuss what appears to be Yuusaku’s lack of a free will, he’s told not to meddle in others concerns.  What does Sugimoto do? The man just can’t keep to himself and he goes and finds Yuusaku to confront him.  He wants to know if Yuusaku wants to be a flag bearer even though it is a death sentence.  How does that conversation go? Just how we’d expect with all of the information we know about Yuusaku.
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I love how he’s like it isn’t to meet my father’s expectations!  It is because understand my father’s convictions and fight for my country.  Okay, you keep telling yourself that Yuusaku, but it still sounds like you are doing this for your father, you know tomay-to, tomah-to.  Sugimoto mulls over what Yuusaku would choose if given the choice.  I just sigh as we know enough about Yuusaku’s backstory that the man only does what his father says - with great conviction. All of our Ogata flashbacks have made this so clear, Yuusaku is a doomed man from the moment he entered the army.  Maybe even a doomed man from his birth even.  Perhaps, he’s acutely aware of this, but based on how freakkin’ awkward he’s with Ogata and his older brother actions, I continue to think he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack and can only be used as a patriotic pawn.
Yuusaku then becomes suspicious of Sugimoto’s line of inquiry and realizes that he’s got Kikuta’s cap.
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Not sure how to respond, he runs away and we learn that Kikuta’s younger brother died of illness during the first Sino-Japanese war.   That same war that killed Koito’s older brother and that Tsurumi and Tsukishima fought in as well. With the statement of illness, I know what most likely killed Kikuta’s younger brother - malnutrition - specifically beri beri.  As the Japanese military rapidly modernized using European models, they ran into an issue with many soldiers and sailors dying of some sort of mysterious illness and it wasn’t something that impacted the Westerners at all.  Most of this has to do with the ability to eat white rice which was much more processed.  It made it more expensive, but was nutritionally bad for men who came from lower incomes or poverty.  Remember how stoked Asirpa was when she ate white rice all the way back at the herring fishery?  If anyone has read “House of Five Leaves” by Natsume Ono, you’d know the protagonist is a poor ronin and he falls ill due to beri beri.  The solution was to return to the countryside/hometown to eat a more diverse diet.  For a more detailed explanation of how bad this was for the Japanese military check out the video by Linfamy on youtube here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzIBpFDRr5g
The video even highlights the fierce (and counterproductive) competition between the Army and Navy which has already been well defined through Koito’s backstory. The chapter ends with Sugimoto dropping the cap and the polite man who picks it up for him is Tsurumi with Ogata, Usami and Tsukishima in Tokyo. The plot thickens . . . somehow Sugimoto got mixed up in the business of the 27th and apparently Tokyo isn’t a vast city that you can get lost in and everyone knows everyone.  Like how I was on flight to Saskatoon and the man next to me started up a conversation how he was from Burlington and went to Guelph and my friend who I was going to visit was also from Burlington and went to Guelph it is a small world kinda moment and in agriculture.  I digress though.  Things are starting to pull back together but I’m still not 100% on with this plot direction/story arc.
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pizzazz-party · 3 years
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THEORY TIME!
Fresh from imprisonment, Dragaux complains that he’s now “ totally out of shape.” Of course he’s kind of a drama queen. But how long was he trapped inside Ring, really?
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Dragaux implies that Ring didn’t keep him frozen in suspended animation, but it’s not like he could have been in there for that long, right? Because otherwise he would have been bitching about losing years of his life to captivity, right?
Except? I don’t think it was for a short while. And evidently: Dragaux isn’t human. As per popular eastern mythology, dragons tend to have incredibly long natural lifespans. They are commonly symbols of longevity. So it’s not that wild to think Dragaux could have been held in there for a really long time. Especially because we don’t know jack shit in-game about his species.
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sorry i couldn’t resist.
Ahem.
At any rate, Dragaux himself isn’t giving up any more hints. So for more clues, we must look to Ring.
Ring, our little support buddy, light of my life, more encouraging than my own judgmental father, has been out of commission for just as long as Dragaux. (And was straight up comatose during it too.) Just keeping Drags sealed away took everything Ring had—his energy, his voice, his face—up until Dragaux essentially freed them both.
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But pre-imprisonment, Ring was clearly a major player in the world. Everywhere you go, his visage is all over the place from treasure chests to still-well-maintained gyms to forest paths to temples spanning over 20 different worlds in-game. His influence is everywhere.
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His image is in places he’s never before set foot in, even.
You play this game, and you get the impression that not a lot has changed in the world since Ring’s little vacancy from reality. What Ring does know of the places you’re traveling to, tends to be accurate. He never fusses about technology being so advanced these days, golly, like a true Man Out of Time either. He certainly doesn’t act like he’s been horribly displaced in time. (Though he does comment he’s never seen a treasure chest that can run before.)
And then you remember how his face is actually everywhere. And that the public frequently (canonically) uses these outdoor spaces for their own training and travel. And finally you get to the sinking realization that not one human being has recognized Ring this whole time.
(Hell, people probably think he’s mimicking the courses, and not the other way around.)
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(Side note: No one recognizes Dragaux from his—frankly—insane statues either, but I focus on Ring here because Drags’ stadiums are always built far from town, in out-of-the-way places. They’re not very accessible to the average jogger, and were probably never meant to be. It sort of doesn’t matter how detailed his stone pecs are, if no one’s around to see them.)
When I first wrote up this theory (almost a month ago yikes), I felt pretty frustrated. The game doesn’t want you to think too hard about stuff like this, because the world building isn’t the point. The actual exercise is. (And to a lesser extent, the lovable cast of characters.) The game doesn’t want to give you a set timeline, so it pointedly doesn’t. (Unless it does? I’m currently on World 19.)
At the time it took me a couple days to realize that, while I’m probably boo-boo the fool for wishing for specifics, the game actually does give us a fossil to carbon-date this part of the timeline.
Behold!
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That’s right. Granny to the rescue.
Master Guru Andma is seemingly the oldest human being alive in the game. The four masters are supposed to be paradigms of health, because they all take very good care of themselves! But she’s lost most of her teeth to age anyway. It could be a stylistic choice, but to me it reads like an indicator that she’s seriously old. I’d put her age anywhere between 70 to 100 years old.
(It’s a video game. She can be a hundred and still lose to me in manage fitness battles. It’s fine.)
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So let me repeat that. Guru Andma, the eldest human being alive in Ring Fit Adventure, is at least 70+ years old. Maybe she’s just playing coy, maybe her eyesight is genuinely that bad... but she also doesn’t seem to recognize Ring or Dragaux. And she’s not just some random old lady! She’s one of the famous Four Masters, a pillar in her international communities! She’s literally got Ring’s donut motif styled into her hair and hanging around her neck, and she still doesn’t know who he is.
So, at the very least, Ring and Dragaux have been gone for nearly a century.
———
Way back in The Before, I’m sure the people Ring left behind tried to keep his memory alive by telling stories. But give it enough time, and eventually even stories can die out.
TLDR; Ring had Dragaux trapped for at least 70+ years. And I’m not sure if Ring is even aware it’s been that long.
(Disclaimer: I’m still going through the final stretches of the main game myself. This is just for fun. I’ll edit this if, when, and where applicable in the future.)
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stuffedeggplants · 3 years
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hullo pls can you tell me about your clone ocs?? any and all of them would be just lovely :D
Lieutenant Six! He’s a supply officer in Coruscant Guard Aviation Support Squadron 66. (They handle logistics and are also an OC squadron! So they don’t have pilots but deal with maintenance, parts, ordnance, etc..) Conveniently he’s CT-60-3102 which also adds up to six- twice. He likes making the kind of jokes that are usually way too obvious for most people to actually make, indulging in clone humor, and has a very optimistic personality. He’s creative with language (and chewing people out lol), but does not excel at lateral thinking and is routinely defeated by bureaucracy and his inability to think outside the box, (but that’s what he has friends for.) Very nice guy, will absolutely go out of his way to help you, but struggles with coming up with creative solutions on his own.
Trooper Eyes-up! He’s on the younger side and also in the Coruscant Guard where he works at the detention center. He got his nickname in very unfortunate and embarrassing circumstances wherein commanders Fox and Thorn caught him doing something he absolutely should not have been doing and told him to bring his “eyes up here, shiny!” So they gave him his name which he’ll never live down. He’s curious, enjoys reading, and is prone to pushing boundaries when he shouldn’t. But he’s also honest and owns up to his screw-ups and is kind of resigned to routinely getting shit for the nonsense he gets himself into, but people love him for it because the fallout is amusing. He was unfairly blamed for bringing granite slugs into one of the barracks (which then proceeded to eat the duracrete walls and cause a problem that only flame troopers could ultimately fix.) He’s good at reading people emotionally but his risk vs reward calibration is a little off. In worlds where Order 66 happens, Eyes-up never participates though the rest of his unit does- this is because his latest screw-up put him on SUFR duty (”sweeping up the fucking rain”), Fox telling him to stay outside in the rain and keep sweeping until it was completely dry. Well the ground was still wet when Order 66 was activated, and Eyes-up’s visceral fear of upsetting the commanding officer of the entire Coruscant Guard overrode his in-built compliance with Order 66, so he stayed and swept up the rain while his brothers went on to worse and darker things. :(
Corporal Corr: the Coruscant Guard Corpsman who ‘mysteriously’ has not managed to promote to sergeant (and likely never will....👀) He works under Thorn in the Diplomatic Service, is a great connoisseur of alcohol, and goes extremely hard for the Coruscant Guard (and nurtures a rivalry with 501st guys whenever they go planet-side for whatever.) He’s very serious about the concept of CG brotherhood and becomes a fixture in Diplomatic Service initiation rites (where shinies are ‘officially’ inducted into the group after their first milestone) to the point where he pretty much leads them. Part of this involves shinies mixing a drop of their blood into red paint, and then their older brothers in the CG mix in their own blood as well. The ex-shinies then use the paint for their armor. Corr has been implicated in brewing his own barracks moonshine which Fox and Thorn let him get away with just long enough to let him finish the process so they could see how good the final product actually was when they confiscated it. Corr also has an agreement with Toast clone, where he trades alcohol for the bread that Toast makes in a crematorium oven that’s non-operational on official records but which is very much operational in a hushed, practical sense. (He also has Toast score the bread surface with the pattern of the CG symbol because he can’t help himself, and has tattoos of the CG armor armbands and legbands actually over his arms and legs. Some might describe Corr as overzealous, but he believes you need passion and strong bonds in life or you have nothing. [This guy is also kind of a joint OC with my friend who runs a Coruscant Guard blog here!]
Are you sick of the Coruscant Guard yet? Well I have 12 more guardsmen alone where this came from and 13 if you count this next guy; I wasn’t kidding when I said I had half a platoon worth of OCs. 
Kov, rank to be determined, pronounced like “cove.” (I might change the spelling to better reflect that.) He’s in one of the Special Tactics Groups of the Coruscant Guard, a unit which I made up to work kind of like a SWAT team. He and his STG are also part of a designated force that can respond extremely quickly to developing situations and get there first to deal with the trouble before anybody else comes in. His STG’s motto is “made to kill, decanted to die” and he has a target tattooed over the side of his face to go with it. (They get shit from non-CG and units that think all they do is give out parking tickets and stand around looking pretty in the Senate building- these guys very much do not do that.) His face is very expressive, and he’s decisive, straightforward, and unfortunately comes off as kind of low on empathy. He wants people to see him as very pragmatic though he’s actually rather idealistic and kind of naive about certain things. He and his best friend are very interested in plants- Kamino didn’t have any, and they’re generally rare on Coruscant. There’s something calming and ‘constant’ about them that he enjoys. He likes taking photos of the ones they find together and looking them up later to learn about nature/biology. Kov learns he really likes children, but is uncertain/a little afraid to let himself interact with them because he’s worried about what sort of influence he’d have on them (and on a deeper level whether he’d learn from them that he’s not actually the person he thinks he is or tries to be.) He and a Twi’lek woman who immigrated from Ryloth sort of fall into a relationship without meaning to, and they both learn a lot from each other and grow as people. (I’m planning on having her take him to a botanical garden that he had no idea existed, and sometime during their visit he realizes he loves her even. He has trouble putting it into words in his mind, but he definitely knows.) 
Okay last one, I’m sorry! :( 
Lieutenant Rakia of the 212th, part of Slick’s direct chain of command. He goes through Geonosis with his best friend and batchmate Arak. When they were cadets on Kamino, and Arak’s helmet saved his life during a training accident but was partially shattered, and Rakia’s random compulsion to bend down and pick up a shard of the helmet inadvertently saved his life too during this incident. Arak and Rakia kept the small plastoid chunk, carved designs over its surface, and exchanged custody of it for years. Before Geonosis Arak gave it to Rakia. Rakia survives but somehow can’t find the chunk where it’s supposed to be in his utility belt, like it just disappeared, and Arak goes missing and is presumed KIA during the battle. On a deep internal level, Rakia has similar realizations to Slick, but because his personality is different he takes that in another direction. He doubles down on a deep trust and faith in the Republic and the Jedi because he’s subconsciously afraid of what it means about his life and purpose if those things are not the things he should believe in. He sees that they’re all cogs in a machine, but his response is that that’s a good thing. He finds something very personally significant about the idea that all those tiny cogs come together to become something much bigger. So his own internal tendencies towards a collective approach and trusting the leadership he was instructed to trust all his life just get kicked up to higher levels after Geonosis in the face of his anxieties.  
In normal speech he’s casual and kind of playful, but when he gets angry he becomes overly explicit/didactic about things and snaps a lot to the point where he can be condescending even without meaning to be. Rakia has an artistic side but doesn’t get to explore it much at first. He’s clean-shaven and lets his curls grow out a bit because he likes how he looks that way, but otherwise looks like everyone else and doesn’t want to visually distinguish himself from his brothers too much besides the slightly longer hair. He wants to be someone others look up to and tries to ignore/deny parts of himself that he doesn’t feel fit that ideal image he wants others to see. Part of that ties into him really struggling with grief but not even allowing himself to contend with it and find closure, stuffing it back down and ignoring it to negative effect. It also ties in to him resisting discovering himself as an individual beyond a certain point/his comfort zone because he’s afraid that will isolate himself from his brothers, but resisting that (and continuing to deny his grief/keep it bottled down) ends up doing that exactly, leading him to feel cut off and alone in certain ways that compound the problem in a bad spiral. (He gets out of it, I promise.) So because Slick is busy developing his own radical ideas and solutions which he can tell no one about (on top of feeling like he’s the only one who’s cottoned on to something nobody else can see,) that’s isolating too, and he and Rakia understand each other a lot better than they think they do in some respects, regardless of their disagreements. 
I know you didn’t ask for a six paragraph essay. Sorry I just really love these guys.😅
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siarlas-does-words · 3 years
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Toshi x G/N!Reader
A/N: So this woke me up one weekend at some hour which I barely accept when I have to get up for work. It wouldn’t leave me alone until I got up, got on the computer, and then wrote for, I think, the next two hours. I don’t know why it was so insistent. And now it’s been bugging me to post it for the last few months. So here it is.
This is a younger Toshi.
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In the span of about a month, Toshi had saved me five times. Of course, I didn’t know it was Toshi then. He was All Might. The Symbol of Peace. The Number 1 hero. It wasn’t my fault of course. Wrong place, wrong time. You know what it’s like. Living in a world where powered heroes and villains are the norm.
I never had one of those celebrity crushes on All Might. Not like most of the other girls in the office. And a few of the guys. All those muscles did nothing for me. And that corny line he always said when arriving on the scene! What was up with that?? Ok, so the first time he saved me might have… well, I may have developed a little crush. I mean, the guy carried me away from the villains in one arm. I’m not light! The second time, he came out with another corny line. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, ma’am,” he said.
“Not a ma’am,” I grumbled. More than a little red that the Number 1 hero would use such a cheesy line on me.
“My apologies,” he said with that irritatingly humongous smile. “What should I call you?”
“It’s y/n. Just y/n.”
“Well, Just y/n, try not to get in the habit of having me save you!” With his signature laugh, he leapt away. 
I stood there staring after him angrily yelling that I wasn’t doing this on purpose.
The third time, he winked at me. That arrogant little shit. Ok, he’s obviously not little, but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! This was getting frustrating.
That night, he turned up at my house. I don’t know how a seven-foot whatever tall muscle-bound idiot can look so small and sheepish, but he did. I was about to yell at him for following me and slam the door in his face. Well, I would have if his hand wasn’t on the door stopping me.
“I uh… I had… my umm…  my assistant do a little research. Um… I-I uh, I just wanted to make sure that you uh, that you were ok,” he said while rubbing his neck.
Was All Might blushing? And stuttering? What happened to all that confidence?
“Uh, yeah. Peachy.”
“I don’t… I mean this isn’t…. Shit… I don’t normally do this! Believe me! It’s just...well… today was the third time and I know this isn’t your fault and I suppose in this city there’s probably other people I’ve saved more than once but I usually don’t notice with all the saving and the villains and the fighting and saving…”
“You said saving already”
He stopped rambling and stared at me. “Huh?”
“You said ‘saving’ twice.”
“Oh… well…”
I had to take pity on this poor idiot. “Would you like to come in?”
Ok, now The Symbol of Peace is just standing, stunned, on my doorstep. I think I might have accidentally short-circuited something in his brain. With a sigh, I reached out for his hand and led him inside. He barely fit. His… what do you call those things?? It’s a fringe, but not a fringe… those two ridiculous bits of hair that stick straight up almost touched the ceiling. Does he use an inordinate amount of gel on them? Why? For what purpose?
As I stared at the not-fringe things, All Might seemed to regain some of his composure. There was a slight tint to his cheeks.
“I apologise for being so forward, y/n. I just wanted to get to know you. Talk to you. Maybe over a coffee?”
Wait, what? Did I hear that right? “Are you asking me on a date?” I asked. Completely in disbelief. Do Pro Heroes date??
“Well, seeing as you invited me into your house, I thought we could just have coffee here and talk, but I’m quite happy to take you on a date. Unfortunately, I don’t think we would be able to get much talking done. I seem to attract a lot of attention.”
Was that a smirk? That bastard is smirking. I’m red, aren’t I?
“Oh, yeah. Of course.”
Not knowing what else to say, I went to the kitchen to make our coffees. After checking how he took his, I sat us on my couch. I didn’t think my poor chairs would handle his… size. They were just old wooden ones. They creaked even with just me on them.
We ended up spending hours talking, moving from one topic to the next without even realising it. About our work (his is way more interesting than mine!), hobbies, family, friends, movies, books…. He was so easy to talk to, I hadn’t realised just how late it was.
It wasn’t until I yawned, that All Might stopped mid-sentence to frown and ask what time it was. Taking out my phone, I saw that it was after one in the morning. We’d even missed dinner.
“Goodness! (who says ‘goodness??) I’m so sorry, my dear (wait… what did he just call me??) I didn’t mean to keep you up so late!”
As he got up from the couch, he took my hand to… I guess to help me up? I was still repeating ‘my dear’ in my head.
Walking us to the door, he opened it before turning back to me.
“I’d like to do this again if that’s ok? Work permitting of course”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
He quickly leaned down and kissed my cheek.
He was gone before I could even register it in my brain.
The fourth time, he got me away from the danger first. After planting me a safe distance from the action, he cupped my face with his, quite honestly, huge hand.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said as his thumb gently rubbed my cheek.
“You too,” I said smiling up at him.
“Wait here for me?”
I nodded and he was off. Back into the action.
I’d never actually stuck around and watched any of the heroes take on the villains before. Not like a lot of others.
He was beautiful to watch. Even if he did come out with those ridiculous phrases.
After the villains were defeated and handed over to the police, All Might walked over to me. At least he tried to. Like he said, he attracts a lot of attention. I think I found a new source of entertainment. Watching All Might get flustered. It was adorable really. I can see he loves his fans even as he tried to extricate himself from them. So many wanting an autograph or a photo while he tried so hard not to be rude.
After watching this for about ten minutes, I decided to turn the tables.
Walking over, I maneuvered my way through the throng of people and positioned myself in front of All Might, facing everyone else.
“Ok, everyone. All Might needs a break after that fight. He’s very appreciative of all your support, thank you.”
I grabbed his hand and led him over to a cafe I’d noticed when I was waiting.
Thankfully his fans were respectful and let us through. I did notice a few holding their phones toward us, taking photos I presume,
Taking in the look of relief on his face, I remarked, “Looks like it was my turn to save you.”
He let out a booming laugh, “Yes, I suppose it was”
After a coffee, he offered to take me home. Let me tell you, his way of travelling is freaking terrifying! He basically leaps, propelling himself to afford a sort of temporary flight. As I clung to him for dear life, my face buried in his chest, I could feel the rumble of his laugh. It was a comforting feeling. So much so that I could almost forget that we were quite a way off the ground. Almost.
Back on my couch, tea in hand, we were talking about the recent fight before moving on to other subjects. After some time of this, he paused and reached out to move some of my hair back behind my ear. This guy was going to be the death of me. I may or may not be a little touch-starved and all these little gestures were slowly killing me.
“I’d like to show you something. I like you, y/n and I think if I want to keep seeing you, I think you should know.”
I’m pretty sure I just stared at him with my mouth open. All Might wants to keep seeing me? All Might likes me?? Next thing I knew, steam was coming off of him. “All Might! Are you…”
In the blink of an eye, he changed. Still tall, , still built, but nowhere near as bulky as All Might… I mean, himself…. Other self?
“What the fuck??”
“This is me. What I truly am. All Might is my powered-up form.”
“So does this form have a name?”
He chuckled. I was really learning to like his laughs. “My name is Yagi Toshinori. Most just call me Toshi.”
“Toshi, huh. I could get used to that.”
And then he kissed me. I may have let a little moan out. He was so warm and soft. I could feel his smile. Pulling away from him, I slapped him on the arm. Holy geezus that’s some hard muscle there.
“Stop that!”
“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to… I got ca…”
“Not the kiss you idiot. I felt that smirk!”
“Does that mean I can kiss you again?” He had the biggest grin on his face.
Yup, I was definitely red.
We ended up ordering home delivery and cuddled up on the couch watching a movie.
Semi-consciousness came with the morning light. I felt warm and fuzzy and had a grin on my face as I snuggled into the blankets. Remembering what happened last night, I opened my eyes to find myself in bed and a note on my bedside.
You’re adorable when you sleep.
(0422) 75-3765
Goddammit. Reaching for my phone (which I presume he thoughtfully left next to the note), I saved his number before sending a quick text.
[y/n]: I’m so sorry for falling asleep on you!
Then I added:
[y/n]: Also, not adorable 😛
Grumbling, I got out of bed (still in yesterday’s clothes. Obviously. What a gentleman) and headed for the shower. Hooking up my phone to the speaker, I choose one of my favourite playlists.
While absorbed in whatever random thoughts were running through my head, I heard the message tone interrupt the music. Then another a minute later. Then a third one.
With a sigh, I finished up my shower and checked the messages while drying off.
[T] Very much adorable
[T] It’s not a problem. I liked having someone so pretty in my arms
[T] Dinner again? I can pick you up from work?
Definitely going to be the death of me.
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five-wow · 4 years
Text
I WATCHED 10.22. HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT. i promise they won’t all be in full caps, but i feel i should also warn you that this was not proofread.
the episode is starting! it has started. the start has started.
lots of flashbacks from 10.21 with VERY dramatic music in the background and it’s very much working on me. EMOTIONS.
oh my gosh we’re now getting a flashback (a new one, not “previously on”) to wo fat and victor hesse planning some evil shit with daiyu mei serving them tea and it is EVEN MORE DRAMATIC than the previously on was. i am IMPRESSED. also maybe laughing a little bit, but in a way where i’m genuinely enjoying the extreme “LOOK, THIS IS BAD” of it, gosh.
fun way to remind us of how it all started, with these two planning anton’s extraction! they get to show us bits and pieces from the pilot while we still get something new.
wo fat: “blood. is blood.” hmmm, the show seems to want us to think he has a point but i’m mostly amused this is coming from the ultimate bad guy because yes, that seems about right. (hashtag you don’t owe people anything just because you’re related to them, shuddup.)
daiyu mei looks all shy and awkward when wo fat asks for her input but i’ve decided that’s an act to keep victor underestimating her.
steve and cole are in a car and fjdkfdjk wait catherine is a super code breaker now? idk, she may have displayed some skills that leaned that way in the past, but now she’s suddenly well-known as one of the best in that field even though that’s not even her field as far as we know? i. i don’t mind catherine getting brought up in conversation but this is such an odd way to do it.
“we were together for a buncha years” hahaha, fandom never really knows how to define the start and end of their relationship and it seems steve doesn’t, either.
“she was the one that got away. what’re you gonna do?” well, look sad and frowny while this guy you barely know throws you a somewhat awkward look because you’re suddenly baring your heart to him, apparently! (for real though, i get that people will be upset at this phrasing and i’m sort of thinking this is a lead in to things i won’t like at the end of the episode and that’s bad but for what it’s worth, i don’t mind this at all! she did slip away from him at a time where he thought they were going somewhere else and he’s talking in past tense now.)
cole is worried he ruined steve’s day by bringing up catherine and that’s sweet, actually! seals emotionally supporting seals.
OOF it is TIME for danny to get ABDUCTED. also: i love that steve immediately drops everything, including the very important super secret difficult to arrange meeting to maybe finally get some insight into this cipher that doris left him, to race to wherever danny is in his car. i feel like alerting hpd (or anyone else in five-0 who might be closer) would be a good idea, but it makes a lot of sense for steve to need to Be There himself.
ohhhhh steve continually nearly crashing his truck while yelling for danny but only hearing gunshots over the line is 👌👌👌. THE ANGST. THE TENSION. very good, very good.
the camaro is BURNING. well that’s one way to smack us in the face with the end of an era, damn.
steve is ALSO BURNING because he obviously tried to get inside the car ahhhh.
fjdkf steve calls tani with instruction about cameras and tani asks if everything is okay because he sounds upset and all he says is “danny’s been taken” and that’s how tani an junior find out, poor dears.
steve, instructing hpd: “we’re looking for detective danny williams. you know who he is, my partner, right? we’re looking for him.” YOU KNOW WHO HE IS. MY PARTNER.
steve is already out of breath from sheer stress and he’s just standing around the tech table with the team, my gosh. (I LOVE THIS.)
danny, bloody and chained up and facing his captor, a woman he already knows is very, very dangerous: [makes a joke about exchanging insurance information because they burned his car] (LOVE HIM TOO.)
OOF though, daiyu mei lets danny know she knows he has two kids and the jokes are over because that’s definitely the line with danny, god.
here’s the scene from the one preview clip i watched! i’m really enjoying daiyu mei, by the way. she’s still a totally bonkers way to bring the threat of wo fat back even after he’s dead, but she is genuinely threatening.
“i have the person you care about most in the world” hello yes i’m still yelling about that one and might not stop soon
daiyu mei telling steve not to make the same mistake he did with his father and “allow a loved one to die” is so mean but so good and narratively pretty darn cool.
we’re not even eleven minutes in and we’re already at “come alone, commander, or your friend dies”. [insert that escalated quickly meme]
steve thinks he has zero options except give in to exactly what daiyu mei wants and it’s very unsteve of him but also fits perfectly with the mindset they’ve maneouvred him into over the past few episodes and with DANNY BEING GONE so i like it. i like that steve is very obviously freaking the fuck out.
never though i would say this, but... steve, you should listen to adam. it’s shocking, especially this season, but he is making an actual good judgment.
steve alone in the elevator on the verge of either a panic attack or breaking down crying and curling up into a ball is A LOT.
steve goes to the meeting alone, gets a location and confirmation that danny is alive and then hands over the cipher, and that’s good but also... i mean, for real, if he had just printed some random symbols on a similar piece of paper (maybe even the same symbols but in a different order!) how on earth would daiyu mei have known?
OH. OHHHH. danny does the badass steve-ish thing where he pulls himself up by his shackles to somehow get himself free, holy fuck, yes man.
IT WORKS. knocked out the guard, got the keys, got a gun - damn son. not only do we get worried out of his mind steve, we ALSO get bamf danny, ahhhh.
AND THEN HE GETS SHOT IN THE SHOULDER, which is where all those promo pictures came from obviously, and also means we’re about to tick off the hurt part of h/c in an even bolder font than we already had.
fdjkfdjkfd steve’s litany of comforting little nonsense lines while he’s dragging danny to the car and getting him into it and NOT GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL BUT STAYING WITH DANNY IN THE BACK is killing me slowly.
fdjkfd steve hugging danny’s bloody face in his lap oh my god
apparently that wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH YET because then they’re at the hospital and steve tells the doctor’s what’s up and they’re about to roll danny away and danny, half dead and according to steve in and out of consciousness, somehow finds the time to try to grAB AT STEVE’S ARM BLINDLY. steve: “hey, i’m with you buddy, it’s okay.” DEAD. NOT DANNY, ME. I AM VERY DEAD.
the entire team is stressed and worried and just dead quiet, watching danny and steve. ohhhh boy.
oh fuck oh fuck steve is praying and red-eyed and furious and telling god “you wanna take somebody? take me. not him, you take me.” and i have a very big massive weak spot for exactly this.
cole comes to find steve to offer to figure out the cipher thing and steve has a very hard time giving a single flying shit and then HANDS COLE HIS GUN. welllll. just letting go of stuff they never would have normally left and right, here. i was kind of expecting steve’s badge to follow.
tani has a lot of good worried moments and i love that.
danny is out of surgery!!! steve gets to see him!!!
oh GOD we get a sad version of all for one while steve is in danny’s hospital room and grabs danny’s hand and i am. oh. oh. not okay.
STILL ONLY JUST PAST THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE EPISODE.
it’s honestly kind of weird that cole has this much screentime (i know he was supposed to be back for the season 11 that will never happen, but with the way things turned out that’s not very relevant anymore in story), but i mind it less than i thought i would have. i like him, and i’m glad he has quinn with him now, because i always want more of her.
danny wakes up and his slightly loopy conversation with steve has me fjdkfdjkfd. d: [says you’re supposed to be happy when a patient wakes up] s, like he might still be about to cry: “i’m happy.” d: “yeah? yeah, me too.”
steve is hurting and blaming himself for everything (very in character) and danny tells him he’s already annoying and that if he had a dollar for every time steve saved his life he’d have like twenty bucks (also very in character) and i’m glad for that bit of comic relief and they need it, too, but somebody also needs to give steve a good shake until the thought that this is on him leaves his head. if anyone except daiyu mei is responsible here, it’s doris. blame doris, jfc.
danny, after nearly dying and only just waking up in the hospital, while he still has trouble speaking: “put [the call steve is getting] on speaker, would you, i’m bored.” more jokes! but it also makes me go fjdkfdjk because you will not convince me that this is not danny, extremely injured, still trying to take care of steve by distracting him from all the misery they’re in.
fjdkfd OKAY SO. plot stuff: the cipher translates to coordinates that apparently lead to the place where the mcgarretts thought doris was buried. steve says he knows the place because his dad used to take him there and ? because i always thought john sent his kids away pretty soon after doris died so he can’t have had much time to visit her grave a lot with them, but also just, the drama of it, wow, doris. send your son an encrypted message that sends him to your fake grave, why don’t you.
jfkdsjlfksljfds the mcgarretts have a family mausoleum now, apparently, omfg. and there was still a space with doris’s name on it? even though they’ve known for how many years by now that she was still alive oh my gosh
cole is along for the ride to doris’s fake grave and steve keeps dropping these little nuggets from his family history and cole keeps (rightfully!) looking a little confused and/or alarmed, poor guy, hahaha.
daiyu mei is running full tilt and doing some mad parcour shit in a suit and what looks like high heels and there is a whole action scene here with lots of players and constant shooting and some one-on-one fighting, but i am fully distracted by the shoewear.
oh, false alarm, probably! not quite high heels, just something ballarina like with a very tiny heel. that’s better.
fjdkfjdkfd OOF daiyu mei nearly kills steve, steve gets the upper hand, daiyu mei says some things and we’re given another flashback to wo fat and victor hesse and this time also john when he was held hostage, and suddenly we’re told he’s not surprised that doris had a secret son (wo fat) and that he suspected her death was staged.
OH MY GU==fdj
okay so those were typos but i’m LEAVING THEM because “whatever happens next, don’t tell my son. it would be too hard on him.” HELLO JOHN, FUCK YOU JOHN. he wanted??? to keep this secret??? from steve??? and also he doesn’t even acknowledge that he maybe has more than just a son. maybe there is a person called mary out there somewhere? might ring a bell, if you think about it long and hard.
wo fat: “you’re a good man, john mcgarrett.” i really don’t know if we’re supposed to agree with things wo fat says but he’s mostly voicing the opposite of what i feel this episode.
daiyu mei to steve: “you are your father.” oh gosh. oh no.
ahh, here’s a point where cole’s presence really starts to take away from other characters. he shows up to steve and daiyu mei’s confrontation to back steve up, and that obviously should have been any other character that we’ve known for way longer and have way more attachment to (junior! that would have been so good, or maybe lou, who’s also been here for seven years, or tani, who keeps worrying), especially, very very much especially when steve goes “book her, cole”. that’s just confusing, too. so far the cole and steve parallels have been thrown at us and now he’s suddenly in danny’s place.
32 minutes out of 42 and we’re at “one week later” and steve hopping through his garden to get to the beach chairs where danny is sitting. this is good but worrying for how early it comes.
danny says he misses the very nice nurse who brought him jello and steve tells him not to confuse a caregiver for someone who cares and danny goes “yeah? you know jealousy is not uh, pretty on you.” and then they’re both awkwardly quiet for a moment. dear lord.
AND THEN THINGS WENT PEARSHAPED. danny: “you all packed?” my heart is sinking fast. maybe i should just quit here and leave it at danny telling steve jealousy is not pretty on him (which implies other things are pretty on steve - let’s get back to that).
steve to danny, who is talking up hawaii (which is of course very good): “who are you?” i am having FLASHBACKS to junior asking tani that exact same thing just a few episodes ago.
danny seriously questions steve’s decision to just up and leave hawaii a bunch of times and yes, danny, good, grill him. this is a stupid plan.
danny: “you know, it don’t feel like it’s gonna be okay. it feels like- my main dude is leaving me.” HI STEVE. MAYBE DON’T. MAYBE DON’T GO. MAYBE DON’T HURT DANNY.
“you got a phone, right?” we’re seriously at that point. we are. seriously at that point. wow.
steve forces danny to get up to give him the frigging tenderest, dopily smiliest hug and it is so very sweet yet so very wrong.
“I LOVE YOU, MAN.” / “I LOVE YOU TOO.” THEY DID NOT YELL THAT BUT I AM BECAUSE THIS IS ALL I’VE WANTED FOR TWO YEARS and now it’s under these circumstances which ugh BUT I AM STILL HYPED. THEY GOT TO SAY IT AGAIN. GOOD. FUCKING GOOD.
“don’t make me come looking for you” danny says after he sits back down and without another word steve starts walking away and then he stops and looks back and catches danny looking over his shoulder but quickly looking away again and holy fucking damn if this isn’t how stories go when they try to tell us that two characters shouldn’t be parting because they don’t want to. turn around, steve. it’s so easy.
EDDIE. my gosh, ANOTHER blond guy who loves steve to pieces and who steve Should Not Just Leave, wtf.
eddie gets an i love you too and then a kiss and my heart! is having a hard time today!
oh LORD there’s a knock at the door and it’s the whole entire team and lou!!! is making me cry!!! and everyone whispers how much steve means to them at him while they’re hugging him and fjdkfd what. why is he leaving! it’s starting to sound like a worse decision by the second.
i could cry at all of these goodbyes seperately but right now i am also crying at tani immediately hugging noelani when she joins the pile of people who have said goodbye. ohhhh.
EVERYONE IS CRYING. not cool. VERY UNCOOL. also, honestly, i love that danny got to say goodbye seperately and it’s fitting that he just can’t watch steve actually walk out the door but also... he should have been here, gdi. now there’s this huge emotional team moment and he’s absent and it’s weird.
steve boards a plane and sits down and his phone beeps and it’s danny texting him “miss you already” and i cannot believe this is actual canon and had to pause to kind of laugh/gasp for air for a little bit.
and catherine shows up! i’ve been braced for this so i’m not surprised and it’s less bad than i thought in many ways but also. they talk about cath driving danny’s car and steve says they can’t have danny williams driving his own car and if that’s true, then why the hell are you leaving, steve. what are you doing to danny? (also. uh. danny’s car kind of went up in flames? he has a new one already? i. what.)
cath asks if steve is ready and they hold hands and steve turns to look out the plane window and smiles and that’s very suddenly it.
you know what? you know what, for the most part, i absolutely loved this. i was prepared for VERY BAD THINGS and i don’t enjoy steve leaving at the end at all and i have MANY NOTES on how things could have maybe ended even better but i. i am okay with this. i am okay with this! that is honestly more than i thought i would be able to say and i’m just VERY RELIEVED right now.
as for the show ending with steve and cath... that was weird, but... he also held danny’s hand this episode and that was supposedly platonic, and steve and cath did not suddenly have a big romantic kiss or get engaged, so i am choosing to take this as a platonic reunion with a person from steve’s past he still cares about, someone who travels a lot and was in hawaii to break that code and therefore this makes sense. he leaves with cath, and then, in a few weeks’ time, he comes back to danny (the person he cares about most in the world), and canon just, y’know, forgot to mention that little tidbit. it happens.
anyway, i had EMOTIONS and i still need to let all of this sink in and i hope you’re all doing okay after this whirlwind of a thing and ahhhh, it is so very weird that it’s over now. 💖
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tumppu-tale · 4 years
Text
SO.... Remus’ playlist
Gonna analyse his songs next because I love our trash boy and his playlist was interesting ¯\_(ヅ)_/¯
I’ve also made a similar thing with Janus’ playlist (link if you wanna check that out)  and I am planning to do Logan as well!
And because Remus IS intrusive thoughts some songs don’t seem to have any deeper meaning (one of the reasons I love the Duke’s list!! Fits his character) I will mark some songs as Remus being Remus = “there’s no reason what I do I just do”, he’s horny and takes pleasure of other’s being uncomfortable with his randomness. 
ALSO the idea of absolute freedom is a common theme/subject in these songs! And Remus is very forward with what he says and tells Thomas. He has nothing to hide and uses quite literal language. So I see these lyrics to be taken as they’re said, unlike with the other sides they seem to be more metaphorical and figurative.
This Devil's Workday by Modest Mouse: I think this is a perfect opening for Remus. The song is just about all these things you could do to/by yourself, random and some terrible. Remus being Remus here, but also All the folks I know are gone. Is this a reference for Virgil/Janus turning into ‘light sides’ or how Thomas fears his intrusive thoughts would turn his friends away?
Forbidden Fruit by Thomas Sanders: DUH, it’s his theme song, he is a creativity so an original song is more than approved and Roman had “a gay Disney prince” on his list. Talking about Roman, he and his twin had some common bands in their list. Nice little detail in my opinion.
Double Team by Tenacious D: Remus being Remus
Man by Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Remus being Remus and a reference to “if I am awful.... so is Thomas <3″ (more about this later)
Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2) by KIDS SEE GHOSTS: ok, this is the first song that I think opens up Remus’ character a little more. FIRST, the opening of the song: 
May I say something to you to give you a true knowledge of yourself and life? Man in the full knowledge of himself is a superb and supreme creature of creation! When man becomes possessor of the knowledge of himself, He becomes the master of his environment.
What Remus is offering to Thomas is horrible thoughts and THE TRUTH. The truth is Thomas isn’t “good”, nobody is. Good and bad are made up nonsense. And most of all, freedom. When you know yourself, all of yourself, life becomes more comfortable, much easier when you don’t have to question yourself or your actions. When you’ve no concept what is right or wrong, good or bad you are left with a feeling of pure want without boundaries. And with that comes no guilt and pleasure.
Most of the song is telling us Thomas’ was repressing/denying Remus’ existence but now once Janus let him out, he is free. But the thing, the first lines that hit me were: 
I don't, feel, pain anymore Guess what, baby? I feel free Scoop! Nothing hurts me anymore Guess what, baby? I feel free
Do you know how nothing hurts you anymore? How you come to this point, this MIND SET that nothing can touch you? By being hurt countlessly, on repeat again and again and again.
In The Room Where You Sleep by Dead Man's Bones: Remus being Remus... nighttime edition :)
No reason boner by Ninja Sex Party: REMUS BEING REMUS (also a confirmation that he controls Thomas’ dick?) I found this song funny and Remus would definitely find this hilarious.
I Told You I Was Freaky - Flight of the Conchords: Remus being Remus. Also I feel like this is a reminder to the fanders; Remus is fucking freaky and disgusting and we still love him.
Queef by Awkwafina: Remus being Remus
Manners by Ashnikko: Remus being Remus. Also, to fuel my overthinking: Fight or flight, fighting for my life Fuck it up, I'm fucking with his psyche I'm a teddy bear with lots of spikes
Ben Bernanke by Lemon Demon: ANOTHER THEORY SONG! This is Remus talking to Thomas. 
You're the architect of my dreams, Spencer. You plan them, and build them on blue paper and hand them to me.  And then I dream them, Spencer. That's what you do for me. Thank you for that, Spencer... you prick.
Remus is Thomas’ creativity! Thomas does think those awful thoughts and sends them to Remus. He’s Remus’ muse and has the nerve to dislike the Duke for what’s his job as one of Thomas’ side. THOMAS is the one who created Remus by splitting up his creativity and thoughts into two.
I'll admit, Spencer, you're handsome. But what have you done with it? You think you can mock me, Spencer? Do you? Do you think you can mock me, Spencer? Do you think you can capture my essence and throw it back at me with humour and rhetorical devices? Well, you can't, Spencer. You don't know what I'm capable of! I need your teeth for my Lonely Hearts Club Band, Spencer.
Thomas’ is not seeking the kind of freedom Remus is dreaming of. And Thomas cannot force the Duke out, just ignore him but boy does Remus not like that! Because he wants Thomas’ to acknowledge him and ask his opinion, just like all the sides do.
I'll bet you are, pretty little boy, sitting up there in your high chair. Demanding more applesauce!  Well you've already got enough applesauce, Spencer! There's plenty of applesauce on your plate...
This could be Remus talking to Roman here; he’s having all of Thomas’ attention while Remus is kept away as a dirty little secret. However, since I’ve a strong feeling Spencer is Thomas, this could be Remus blaming him for trying to be “good” and ignoring his darker thoughts. I'm going to kiss you, Spencer, on the lips. You sexy little rattlesnake, you naughty little baby boy... You rambunctious little infant.
Before you shippers come aboard, “rattlesnake” is a reference to Janus, but as a part of Thomas. Thomas is only now learning about himself and Remus loves to point out his not completely innocent and using religious symbols against him (snake = the sinner, the liar, the unholy). But he cares about Thomas...
I'm a magician, Spencer, a furious magician! Magician, Magician...  I love you, Spencer; I'm gonna spank you silly...
Remus is angry and hurt, but he still loves Thomas and wouldn’t really hurt him.
Worldwide Torture by Jazmin Bean: Remus being Remus but also 
I never come second place, always been a big disgrace. Smell the fear I know you see, high achiever (Yeah, that's me)! Make you mad, ruining your shit. Trust me; I'm not hesitant. Killing so I stay on top but I could never do no wrong.
Na Na Na by My Chemical Romance: Remus being Remus and a reference to Virgil and their past? Remus seeks pleasure as much as chaos.
Trash People by Cherry Glazerr: Remus being Remus, I am worried for his mental health (depression) and We can't live a nine-to-five (in a routine), Art is love and love is sloppy. Nothing is all pure. Nothing is all dirty.
Tranz by Gorillaz: Are you okay Remus? Or is this more of “Roman and Remus aren’t so different after all” or that sometimes Thomas does go with Remus’ ideas (when in a party/having fun) without realising it?
Death As A Fetish by Starfucker: 
Ghost dad, keeping the secrets and float the dead ones home. And I will never be good enough, quietly. And you will never be good enough, just like me. And I will never be good enough, quietly.
Janus hiding the dark sides away because they’ll never be good enough for Thomas and this hurts them all. Because why wouldn’t it? They’re casted out even thought they’re just doing what they were created to do, at least half of them only protecting Thomas. And Remus is the most hurt, since he is everything Thomas hates, what Thomas doesn’t want to be or become. No to see, think or hear, he is the most vulnerable. All things normal to us, the simple parts of life are something twisted and crooked to him, automatically. 
Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen: Remus is having a good time. Don’t stop him. Let him enjoy himself.
Things i Don't Remember by Ugly Casanova: 
Looking for a purpose. How'd the hell'd we get here? There were things I don't remember. There was messed up alligator. There were endless conversations, No one's mouths were really moving. All them dumpsters overflowing, all my malevolent intentions...
Things I don't remember.
I figured out what I'm good for. Making anything look better. How the hell could I blame her? Even then I was a sailor. There were jokes that never land. Every hand was tipped in subliminal sand.
I feel like this song is when Remus became to be. We don’t know if he and Roman remember of being one or is it all darkness for them until the split. There was also another song where there was a mention of not remembering something/anything (too lazy to go back and find out which one it was lmao). But if we takes the lyrics quite literally, Remus didn't know WHY he was suddenly there, with these awful and messy thoughts and no good ones left. He is lost and nobody is there to guide him... So he figures it out himself. And as someone who had to do a similar thing myself I can say it is not easy and will fuck you up.
Fuck It! by Days N Daze: Remus is not okay. The song is all about “life’s a game, life’s a joke so what’s the fucking point?”. If nothing really matters, why to try at all, why not be free of everything and do whatever? 
But it also starts very sad but at least they know their way of thinking is not helpful or healthy... And it is true, without downs there’s no ups in life.
She smiled and she said; “On days like this, it seems like it never rains”.          But without the rain we'd starve. I can't escape the fly and the skull, so I'm beginning to lull myself into a false security. 'Cause it's easier to lie to yourself than to face reality so bittersweet...  So let's pretend all of the ones we love won't die! Sweep their skeletons off to the side! I'm oh so sorry, swear I tried to see over the wall I've built up In my head of guilt and fuckups. Maybe I'm just thinkin' much too hard...
And the end conclusion being:
They say don't take the risk, you're sure to fail. 'Cause there's no “get out of jail free card” in life. But what's the worst that could happen, end up in a coffin? Isn't that where we're all headed anyway? 
Can't escape the madness, So you might as well embrace it.
fReAkY 4 Life by Dorian Electra: I’m so uptight, my head it ain’t right.  It’s spinning baby, spinning around! You know that I need some freak therapy so let’s freak out and spread it around! I like to be in the spotlight. Step on the scene cos it feels right. I freakin’ scream, baby, all night I do it, I do it, do it all the time.  They just don’t understand me, I’m not like them, I’m freaky.
And the madness he embraces.
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hey-hamlet · 5 years
Text
BNHA AU Ideas: Don’t Praise the Almighty (Part 2)
Also on AO3!
TW: Child Abuse (all kinds implied, explicit verbal and physical abuse), implied CSA
TL;DR:
Things you must sacrifice to make a hero: Humanity, Empathy.
Things you must sacrifice to be a hero: Everything.
But with the end of a symbol come the end of the hurt. 
Starting with I-Island Expo
mellissa calls them over like canon, shouto basically demands he gets endeavours spot. aizawa and yamada go too, mostly because yamada was going there for his show and they heard whispers of all might, and were worried about a possible izuku attending so aizawa went as a plus one
the other kids are there for the same reason, but other than scissors paper rock for the tickets it was a tournament brawl because ochako demanded combat.
she won, of course
anyway, they meet up w david and melissa, and izuku and her go explore the expo when melissa tells izuku shes quirkless he just give her the strangest look, and she's a little confused
i-island was a very chill attitude towards quirks. if you have one, cool, but they aren't useful to the inventors so its nbd if you don’t. and she says ab how she's a researcher and all the and he just looks at her like shes speaking gibberish
"they,,, they let you?"
and melissa looks dumbfounded "obviously? i mean, my grades are good enough?"
and izuku just start to cry. melissa is panicking bc she's already adopted this little hero as her little cousin because he's basically uncle might's kid. she like, hides him away in a corner and tries to understand what's wrong
and all she can get out of this crying kid is
"i used to be quirkless" and "don't tell all might"
she gives him a big hug and he talks ab how he was treated in middle school, and about how he hasn't told anyone in ua. she asks why he said don't tell all might and he murmurs that allmight doesn't think is very befitting of a hero to cry
deep down that doesn't sound right to her. but she only nods, hands him a tissue and they giggle about it behind a fancy model car
back in the office david and all might are talking
all might tells david that he knows his quirk is fading but it's ok, because he's training a successor and izuku is going to be perfect. that sounds ok to david. he's warmed by the total faith all might seems to have in his student, and the close relationship they must have to call him by his first name
all might confesses he’s looking forward to retiring and nurturing his student and david calls off the whole heist (well. he tries to. not that they listen.)
so Yamada and Aizawa are walking around the showroom floor and they see a "i was just crying but im trying to hide it and going an ok job" izuku with some random fucking blonde girl and they s w o o p in bc these are some worried dads
basically Yamada keeps her busy while aizawa says "oh i have to talk to you ab something" izuku goes over to aizawa and hes freaking the fuck out quietly. aizawa just leans down to look him in the eye
"you ok, kid?"
and izuku is confused
"what do you mean?"
"you looked a little upset back there, do you know that girl? is she,,, doing anything? to you?"
and izuku feels all warm and fuzzy inside and smiles at his teacher bc aizawa cares!! ab him!!
"no sensei, shes all mights kind-of-niece, she was just showing me around the expo"
and aizawa winces a little at the all might comment but what can he do
"well, don't forget you can talk to me, ok? i know i gave you my number on an emergency basis but i also want you to know your definition of an emergency is terrible. just call whenever you want"
melissa, bc she understands social cues unlike izuku, and also bc shes fucking 18 looks at yamada and says "what's wrong?" and yamada feels all the force of an 18-year-old girls glare of "ive adopted this kid and ill kick you for him"
"just worried about the little listener is all, he looked a little down"
melissa just sighs and nods
"yeah."
yamada expects her to continue but she doesn't. they both just kinda fiddle around with some random buttons until aizawa brings izuku back, who looks significantly cheerier now. melissa declares lunch is on her and that the teachers are coming too
aizawa and yamada try to wiggle their way out of it, until izuku also tries to so they all double down on going to lunch and izuku gets dragged along
when they get there he's fretting ab what won't ruin his diet plan, and aizawa and yamada feel bad. melissa just tells him to get what he wants
"but i dont want to upset-. i should be sticking to my diet plan though."
aizawa loudly declares hes getting a chocolate sundae and pork cutlet sandwiches. melissa, equally loudly, decides on carbonara. yamada fumbles for a bit looking for something unhealthy because hes a mess, finally finds a chicken karrage bowl and points at it like hes very proud of himself
melissa loses her shit laughing, izuku just giggles softly and aizawa fuckn snorts at the crestfallen look on yamada
izuku quietly asks if getting katsudon would be ok and melissa just looks into his eyes
"izuku i would kill a man for you of course pork katudon is ok"
anyway, the other students turn up, and momo shouts them all food, ochako proudly declares herself the winner of a fighting tournament and aizawa just slumps in his chair
"if i didnt hear that, you dont get detention for using your quirks without supervision"
and ochako just smiles with a scary amount of teeth
"who said we used quirks, sensei?"
and ochako proudly shows off the bruise on her upper arm where jirou punched her and jirou is whining bc she has a foot shaped imprint in her stomach s t i l l from the last round
everyone is talking n shooting the shit. it strikes the kids (and the teachers) a little weird that izuku is in his hero costume (the only other person there in costume is yamada, who is representing his agency. aizawa is in free dress but also his scarf bc he wanted to ask how the fuck it was made) but they just kinda, don't mention it
anyway, the bit w the quirk display
they hound aizawa into doing it, and he makes time pretty similar to bakugo and everyone is cheering for him and he's trying very hard to maintain his "im a professional hero not a dad getting cheered on by his stupid kids"
yamada wants to do it, but aizawa won't let him bc people need their ears
all the hero kids give it a go, including ochako, jirou, momo, etc. izuku (who at this point is like at 10%ish full cowl) makes time tied w Todoroki and izuku is talking ab how amazing todoroki is, and tenya chimes in with "you are quite amazing as well!" and midoriya blushes so hard he looks like a strawberry. he is very very flustered and keeps trying to deny it
eventually, everyone piles on the compliments (even katsuki bc this is the most fun hes had in ages) until izuku gets so flustered he hides behind aizawa like "you won't do this to me right?"
aizawa fuckn ruffles his hair and says "you're a good kid"
izuku just cries but he's smiling so wide everyone knows he's happy
so its the night of the party
izuku is dressed to the nines and he's sad ab it bc he wanted to wear something cheery and bright but instead he was dressed in a charcoal black suit, vest and a dark red tie. black shoes too
the one bit of cheer he shoved in were some red laces bc all might didn't mind them bc he was so "good" ab the suit fitting and the poking and prodding so he wears the bright red laces and he's very happy ab them
all might is in his hero costume, and he's very proud of the fact he and izuku match like a pair with the same shade of red bc that's his successor! his boy! all might tells izuku he can wait outside for the rest of the kids to show up and izuku is so happy! so he thanks allmight a lot more than he needs to and waits outside the door (all might was early to the event bc he needed to schmooze)
aizawa and yamada come later to a surprisingly well dressed izuku waiting patiently off to the side
they ask him why he's out there and he happily chirps that he's waiting for the other students that attended, they smile at him and walk in . all might sends them a glare from across the floor that aizawa returns just as spitefully
anyway, iida texts that he's stuck out the front bc the door won't open so he scrambles over to let iida and, apparently ochako as well, in (for the purposes of this au, todoroki, iida, ochako, izuku and melissa are the only ones of the kids at the beginning, todoroki's melodramatic entrance is stolen by jirou and momo. no mineta or kami bc they just,,, arent there lmao)
so the doors slam shut and melissa is like "wtf wtf" and the announcement sounds. they pile up the stair to look down to the dining room, teachers and other heroes tied up
the kids know a bit of sign from various hero class training bits by aizawa and "fun facts" by mic
so they brokenly sign to allmight and aizawa (the only teachers that can see them) that they are going to fix this
all might nods
aizawa looks panicked. these are kids. his kids. they shouldn't have to fight people with fucking guns
izuku says "ill keep them safe" and aizawa wants to cry because he believes him, but who'll keep izuku safe
so iida starts on his whole "we cant use quirks" speech before melissa can even remind them ab i islands quirk laws, izuku just murmurs
"all might gave me permission to fight. it'll be ok."
melissa freezes bc,,, she knows adults shouldn't be letting these kids fight, even if that's exactly what she's going to help them do. she mentions the quirk law anyway
now todoroki is pissed at all might but the bitch was gonna fight anyway. ochako is 100% roaring for a showdown
now they are,, a little more cautious. bc they are a smaller group here but izuku is like double the power so its not realllllyy an issue. the middle fight happens, they gain the wlw and mlm solidarity pairs (Jirou + Momo, Kirishima + Bakugo)
then pretty quickly lose bakugo and momo for a hot minute as they stay to finish up the fight while sending the others on
oh izuku totally has the punchy punchy thing from melissa i just forgot to mention it
so, bc melissa's dad didnt actually,, want in on it this time he's fighting back. he's stalling, pleading, backchatting; everything he can do to give someone a chance to fix his fuck up before it kills someone
so melissa and izuku make it to the top of the tower
izuku has been at shot more times than he's really happy about, just he has nothing more than a few grazes. melissa has a nasty bruise on her face and a cut on her arm from where she redirected a blow that would have stabbed izuku
the villain is talking ab how this was David's idea, and he's trying to explain to the kids that he's sorry, this was a mistake. he tried to call it off but they wouldn't stop. at this point he is totally away these people are real criminals and has been since the heist began
he's trying to convince them to run because as proud as all might is of izuku, and as proud of melissa he is, they are to young. they don't deserve this
izuku takes out the goons but the villain has already escaped with david and the quirk enhancer
izuku promises melissa he'll keep her dad safe and shes left in the control room crying alone because who'll protect the kid that's been nothing but kind and gentle yet has the weight of the world on his shoulders
also just an fyi bc you needed to know- melissa is down her heels and she lost her hairpin when she stabbed someone with it, she threw her heels at a villain too bc she was running out of ideas. melissa literally tied her hair in a big knot so she could fucking see
izuku is down a jacket - threw it over someone's head then punched them and his waistcoat is unbuttoned bc he need to punch. his hair is going fucking hog wild, even in the tighter clip yagi likes it kept in
anyway, when the alarms go off, all might fucking rockets to the roof and aizawa is fuming bc those are his fucking kids too
he and yamada have to take the goddamn elevator to the roof. its certainly not a slow elevator but aizawa is so fucking tense. yamada isn't much better
all might won't let them fight. he hands david and melissa off to them and tells them he and izuku will handle wolfram and aizawa is so pissed bc izuku is on his last fucking legs here
aizawas quirk doesn't work w the enhancer so he admits there isn't much he can do, but yamada is perfect here. but all might won't move out of the way long enough for mic to let his quirk go. honestly, hed be tempted to do it anyway if not for izuku also being there
anyway, all might and izuku do their lil double detroit smash and its all very sweet
kind of
bc,,, aizawa can see how izuku is shaken up, and close to passing out. visibly in a lot of pain but he's swallowing it all down and acting as if everything is fine and aizawa sees izuku with small might again and wonders why, why do they know each other?
yamada and aizawa feel vaguely ill when izuku and all might return to their shared hotel room after all might grabs a few bandages and alcohol wipes from a first aid kit. bc,,, aizawa can see how izuku is shaken up, and close to passing out. visibly in a lot of pain but he's swallowing it all down and acting as if everything is fine
aizawa and yamada stay with the kids, trying to cheer them up and bandaging wounds that don't need urgent medical care. melissa is just blankly watching out the door izuku left through
"why didn't they stay?"
aizawa just aggressively tightens the bandage around his sliced up arm. todoroki looks pissed. iida just kind of looks down
"im not sure, melissa. im... im not sure"
the next morning, as aizawa and yamada stumble downstairs to eat shitty hotel breakfast food, yamada glances out the window and looks like he's about to cry bc izuku, still battered and bruised, is stepping out of the gym over the road. its only 7am
they basically pounce on the kid and drag him to breakfast, where they find out he has been training since 5 and hasn't eaten yet and he's fucking, sheepish about it
"i got up a little late, so i just to my light routine for the morning, ill have to make up the time a little later"
aizawa just shoves pastries at his kid. izuku tries to stammer out that they arent part of his diet but,,, they look really nice and he's really hungry and stressed,,, and he caves pretty quick
so aizawa yamada and izuku are sitting around a table, both of his teachers arent totally human until they've had a coffee so izuku is happily babbling about some new hero teach he saw as aizawa grunts in affirmation
allmight shows up and izuku blanches. aizawa and yamada are a little too tired to realise until yagi is already over by the table. izuku quietly puts down the pastry and just cringes into himself
"im,,, im really sorry. i - i just"
"i got it for him" aizawa says totally deadpan as he slams back a whole ass cup of coffee
deep down inside he did it to flex on mister "i have no stomach so im not allowed caffeine"
all might sighs and gently chides izuku for not sticking to his diet plan. izuku nods miserably and excuses himself back to the room to 'get changed out of his sweaty clothes'
yagi sits and eats breakfast with aizawa and yamada as they try to understand what,,, what exactly happened there. it hurts both of them because they aren't sure what all mights doing
mic has seen one instance of something nasty going on, but other than that its just been a collection of terrible vibes
Training Camp Time Baby.
after that total clusterfuck of an event training camps still on
all might wants to go but nezu no sells him bc "you literally attract villains, all might" and like bitch is smart, he knows something is up. he's not sure what yet, but he's working on it
all might gives aizawa a personalised training schedule for izuku that he takes one look at and throws it out the fucking window
basically all might goes as "all might's secretary" to monoma
"very worried about my boy, and i think aizawa is training him too hard, could you please give me a run down on what happens each day?"
monoma, starry-eyed: of course all might
and there is this little,,, list of things he doesn't want izuku doing and he phrases them in ways that make it seem like he's being perfectly reasonable. like allergies or bad habits izuku is trying to break or whatever. izuku has to tell all might what happens at the end of every day anyway
all might,,, wants hourly updates,,,, but he realises that's not going to happen w aizawa's deep hatred of students on cellphones lmao
he hears izuku mentioning to todoroki that "yagi" wants to know what's happening at the camp and that he's excited to talk to his mentor about all the training they do. and aizawa is caught between wanting to find some bullshit reason to take izukus phone, or just pretending he didn't hear that bc who knows how much trouble not answering yagi could get him in
he makes an announcement that cellphones are to be on mute for the duration of the camp anyway.
yagi wanted to go on the camp, aizawa wouldn't let him, monoma is yagis mole etc we have covered this
in this au the league never latched on to bakugo, it's izuku that shigiraki wants, but to backtrack
getting off the bus its funny in a sad way bc izuku was so prepared to get hit by one of the teachers "training" them at any time he dodges the landslide
they all just kinda sit there for a second, stunned. izuku sighs quietly and jumps after his classmates
anyway so, they get to the camp a lil faster bc izuku is More Powerful, izuku (bc hes faster than iida on uneven ground) runs shinsou to the campground, they mind control pixiebob to stop the earthbeasts then run back to show the rest of 1A the way out
they get there in 2 hours
aizawa is very proud of his boy for thinking of that! and he ruffles izukus hair and its cute
in this au izuku isn't confident enough to say hi to kouta, but he waves. kouta just glares at him and he hides behind iida
they do a little extra training because 1A finished the earth beast thing so fast, half of the training is all of 1A trying to stop Izuku from going overboard. they get a little,,, disturbed when they realise just how long izuku can train without visibly breaking a sweat
they go to chill in the baths and iida sees izuku walking out of the changing rooms and freezes
because he's c o v e r e d in hand-shaped bruises
he tries not to react bc he doesn't want izuku to be uncomfortable and change his mind ab hanging in the bath w all of them
kaminari goes to say something and kirishima just fucking pulls him under the water before he can say anything, mineta is socially aware enough to not open his fucking mouth
they chat n izuku can kinda,,, tell,,, something is wrong but most of the bruises are places he can't see/doesn't look, like his shoulders, hips, back, back of his legs
and the ones on his wrist he just kinda brushes off bc he's still convinced this is normal. the thing w mineta happens, izuku helps kouta, iida comes with him to give him to the wild wild pussycats
and pixiebob looks like she wants to say something bc who is hurting this kid? and iida just catches her eyes and he looks so worried. she keeps her mouth shut, but makes sure to mention it to aizawa. she feels terrible when aizawa just curses and pulls his hair in frustration
anyway, 1B shows up and its hilarious bc 1A is going hog fucking wild other than izuku, aizawa is forcing izuku to learn to cook
so bakugo is screaming and blowing shit up, todoroki is in a fucking barrel, iida is running like afo is chasing him and aizawa is patiently showing izuku how to scramble eegs
monoma is losing his fucking mind
but yeah aizawa and izuku are sitting in front of a little stove w their legs crossed, izuku is trying to cut tomatoes and aizawa is supervising. they are making breakfast for 1A. slowly. all of 1A is being very careful to not disturb them, so there is this little bubble of calm around the egg station
"why,,, why arent i training?"
and aizawa fucking pauses
"this is training, keep up problem child."
and izuku looks so fucking lost but the eggs smell good and he gets to cook the bacon next. each part of the fucking breakfast is cold by the time 1A gets to eat it bc izuku was cooking it 1 by 1, little portions at a time
everyone just tells him its fucking wonderful
he joins in training after breakfast, ragdoll is placed on "izuku watching duty" which izuku has 0 clue about. if he gets hurt/sore/too tired someone gets sent over to get him to do something else
when she looks at him the first time she wants to cry bc,,, he's not tired, he's more rested than he's been in ages. but the places that hurt, before hes even been training, are sending blaring alarm bells in her brain
anyway, its amusing bc everyone is 'going beyond' and they are just trying to get izuku back so they can know what is 'going beyond' and what is 'going so far beyond how are you still moving'
everyone is fucking wiped and izuku is like 'this is the easiest training ive had in months what' and aizawas want to yell bc while hes being soft on izuku, they arent taking his training lightly, and this is easy?
he gives the curry to kouta like the show, they all go to sleep
izuku has a nightmare and shouto - the only person not asleep - tries not to hear the things he's saying. he can't hear much, but he wishes he hadn't heard anything. anyway at least they all wake up well-rested
unfortunately in this au the villains actually have a half-decent plan, and fucking, communicators -which isn't great for the kids
so muscular sees izuku and is like "oi compress move your arse over here" while he tries to kill kouta. so we get the joy of izuku saving kouta, getting him to aizawa and just as he hands over the kid, compress takes izuku and kouta just starts to cry
"izuku is kidnapped" time is a ride
the only thing they give him is a set of quirk suppressors and dont give him a key to get out of the bar. they are about as nice to him as they are to each other, a little softer on him bc he's young and they pretty much know what's happening to him
like, he gets out of compresses marble and he's panicking and crying, dabi just crouches down next to him and rubs his back, asks him if he's gonna be ok
shigiraki is trying to convince izuku to join then and his face just kinda falls when he sees izuku looking resistant
"you,,, you don't know that what he’s doing to you is wrong, do you."
and izuku looks like a deer in the headlights
"what do you mean? no ones- nothings- nothings wrong."
dabi just sits on a chair bc he knows where this is going and he doesn't like it. shigiraki looks at izuku
"if its not wrong, then tell me about it"
and izuku clams right up
ok but afo wants to talk to izuku. in this au he has literally 0 beef with the kid
he has only so much beef with the ofa users in general and he's typically pretty soft on them for being part of his brothers legacy, as soft as he can make killing them if they won't stop getting in his way, but still
but he hates allmight so fucking much and he's never been totally sure why
anyway, he asks to talk w izuku and this kid is shaking like a leaf and afo tells him
"you are a child. i have no intention of hurting you, i just want to know what all might has done to you."
"hes not done anything bad, i swear!"
"then why don't you tell me about it?"
izuku sits there quietly and afo feels just generally disgusted with humanity tbh
"how did you two meet?" izuku slowly opens up about the day they first met, and afo feels a stab of empathy for izuku, because being quirkless now is pretty comparable to being quirked before, afo doesnt interject beyond nods and encouraging him to keep going
but eventually, izuku totally clams up, starts crying and can't say anything else. afo wishes he didnt look as scary as he did because he wants to give the kid a hug. he calls tomura to take him back to the bar and get him something to eat
it gets to the point that all of the villains are super fucking soft for izuku. he's very nice, treats them well, and has seen some horrific shit
so when all might shows up to "rescue" him, they close ranks. they don't even pressure him to become a villain, because each of them has felt society push them into boxes they didn't want, and they don't want to do that to izuku
anyway, they get to kamino bc the usual fuckery, and izuku is just stranded behind villains crying and looking ill
the rescue squad : bakugo, todoroki, ochako, kirishima, iida, and one stubborn shinso that befriended the hero departments resident nervous wreck
they look across the field and they feel ill because izuku looks sick. but they feel a little better when twice gives him a bit of a hug.
confilcted, but better
they see afo talking to him gently but quickly, gesturing both to the villains and to the section of wall the rescue squad is hidden behind. izuku tearfully points to the wall, afo nods, ruffles his hair, and goes to send him off when all might rockets in
basically afo has looked at izuku and thought "wow he's me but a good person" and thinks he's what his little brother would want a hero to be, so, while he's very much going to continue his villainous thing, he's going to go out of his way to avoid hurting izuku bc this kid is what his little brother wanted OFA to be
and allmight is exactly what he would have hated
so, all might takes a step forward to drag izuku, the villains push him behind them
dabi is basically saying something along the lines of
"so does being in the top ten require you to be a total dick, or is it just a running theme?"
"give him back"
"why all might, izuku is his own person."
"izuku, get over here, now."
izuku lets out a sob and vaults over the villains, hiding behind allmight and all might looks horrifically smug. izuku whispers something to all might, but all might shakes his head (he was asking if he could run away)
the fight begins
a few reasons he won't let him leave:
its punishment for being 'weak' enough to get kidnapped
its backup if afo gets the better of his because hes made sure izuku is more than a force to be reckoned with
he wants to know what dabi ment and hes very read to ask izuku ab it
izuku is honestly shaking like a leaf, quirk going bonkers and he can't turn it off. the rescue squad does its thing, and their hearts break when they see izuku look at them tearfully and shake his head
they all hide in the crowd and cry as they watch the fight go on, izuku shakily pulling people from the rubble in the background. when hes gotten all of the people free he can, izuku kind of runs out of reasons he isnt actively helping allmight. he grits his teeth and dives into the fight with the other villains
hes trying to keep them away from all might and they all look heartbroken ab having to fight him dabi is saying something along the lines of "we know he hurt you, but how? why?" and izuku is just crying
all might can hear this too
izuku actually misses a few kicks and punches bc his eyes are too filled with tears, but the villains are careful not to hurt him too much. they just want to get him down and out of the fight, but as uninjured as possible
but that's a little fucking difficult when compress and kurogiri are down for the count and everyone else has nasty death quirks
eventually, it gets to the point that trying not to hurt the other villains is only hindering afo, and all might is pulling exactly 0 punches with izuku present, so afo teleports the villains away, they feel bad ab leaving izuku behind but there is no way this little hero would go with them. they know that now
afo goes to deal the final blow to all might, izuku just moves
cant stop himself from planting himself between them and trying desperately to catch the punch. hes hurt, badly. but he's not as dead as all might would have been
there is a vicious edge to all might’s smile as izuku is blown across the battlefield, and lays there w/o moving
afo feels sick, all might just looks pleased
"ive done pretty well wouldn't you say?"
afo just stares at him
"ive created the perfect hero. selfless down to the last breath, filled with overwhelming power and determination."
"he's flawless. isn't he."
afo wants to gag
"so, in creating your 'perfect hero', you find it acceptable to sacrifice your own humanity?"
"absolutely"
(all mights been small might for this conversation i just forgot to mention it l m a o )
they exchange their final blows
izuku shakily gets up from where he lays crumpled on the ground and staggers over to all might, where he stands victorious over afo
iida, todoroki, shinsou, Bakugo, the people who have seen what yagi has done to izuku and how he has treated him are now slapped with the realisation that the number one hero and the person hurting their best friend are one and the same
shinsou punches a wall, bakugo looks like he's about to be sick. iida and todoroki look shell shocked. ochako is just lost and confused
all might wraps izuku is a hug, where izuku hides his sobbing face. all might whispers something in izukus ear, not that the cameras can pick it up
"come on now, heroes don't cry."
izuku takes a breath, wipes away his tears and steps back. All might rests a hand on his shoulder and looks into his eyes, and loud enough for the cameras to pick up and announces
"you're next."
izuku nods solemnly
in the back of a conference room, vlad watches as aizawa goes deathly pale in realisation. at ua, nezu watches on with a degree on concern. at the hospital, the clueless members of 1A cheer. those who know more feel nervous, those who know the most feel sick.
the internet goes fucking bonkers. all might transformed, defeated a crazy villain, and literally declared his successor live on television
izuku and all might end up in the same hospital room, and all might,,, allmight.. ye.
anyway, the kids from the rescue attempt call aizawa over and over and over. every teacher, student, pro
any hero of ua staff they have anyway of contacting, begging to find out where izuku is right now. aizawa would tell them if he wasn't going exactly the same thing himself
eventually recovery girl calls him and he hightails his way over. fyi inko isn't there bc shes passed out drunk at home uwu
he bursts into the hospital room with as much dignity as he could possibly have and it's not really very much. doctors are hovering around, stitching wounds, taking blood, and watching an ecg pretty closely (they felt the room for a minute and izukus started going crazy, so they thought something may have happened to his heart)
the amount izuku perks up when he sees aizawa is heartbreaking he rushes over and immediately starts looking him over, apologising and telling him he's brave and that he's sorry he couldn't be there to help and izuku tears up. all might is glaring a hole in his back but aizawa doesnt give a shit right now, his kid basically go taken by the boogeyman and his unstable son, then has a target painted on his back on live tv. aizawa gives 0 shits ab all might right now
izuku just looks stunned, and then he lets out a watery giggle
"you shaved, sensei."
and aizawa is caught between crying and laughing. gently asks izuku if he can give him a hug, and izuku looks so shocked he was asked aizawa heart breaks again. izuku nods shyly and gets a Good Dad Hug
aizawa stays until izuku falls asleep, then he rounds on all might
“I don’t know what you’ve done to him, but he looked more afraid to be stood next to you than a man who has killed countless. Whatever you did, you won’t be doing it again.”
All might goes to say something, anything, but aizawa grabs him by the front of his hero costume
Aizawa tells him in no uncertain terms that he’ll never be alone in a room with izuku again for as long as he lives.
And with that, he storms out, leaving all might to stew.
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synchlora · 4 years
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newsagogo & hot chimp & party poison im too lazy to find the symbols for them
oh boy this is gonna be really fuckin long cause i spent way too long imagining the scenario where Party meets the DJs.
some background on this scene to give Party more context: Party was a juvie hall for some time in the city and had a tracker placed in the back of their neck by BLi. they got this removed but they were attacked during this process and the person removing it was killed, so they have an open gash there. they had to immediately run and got lost in the underground, eventually making it to the desert where they wandered along the road in really rough shape.
and mild trigger warning bc i do mention a dead body here and looting. nothing in detail but it is mentioned!!
anyway, without further ado here's some shit i wrote way too fast bc this hc scene is very vivid in my mind:
“Told ya we shouldn’t’ve gone out this far,” Hot Chimp rolled her eyes at Newsie’s snarky comment, rasped out through the thin, hot desert air.
"Well maybe if you’d’ve known our directions worth half a shit we wouldn’t’ve gotten lost out in Zone 3 for two hours,” Chimp raised an eyebrow at the ‘joy sitting next to her and the two of them couldn’t help but crack a smile. They both loved an adventure, albeit one on a day as hot as this may not be ideal. They were just headed out for a quick supply run out to Zone 2, but had gotten hopelessly lost at Cherri’s vague instruction of “somewhere out by a rock that looks kinda like a skyscraper” as if half the cliffs out here didn’t look exactly the same.
It’d been several very long hours of driving the van out in sweltering heat, and the two of them were somewhat on edge from the temperature. Trying to drown out the overwhelming heat, Hot Chimp turned the dial on the radio up and let some music blast loudly before Newsie could protest. But rather than the usual disgruntled mumbles of her partner, Newsie suddenly gripped her shoulder and shook her to get her attention. Chimp dialed the radio down and gave a puzzled look before looking to where News was pointing.
Out on the side of the road, there was a body.
Obviously, it’s not uncommon to come across dusted ‘joys out in the zones, but this one looked like they were just a kid, couldn’t be older than 17. They didn’t even look quite like they were dressed right for the desert, wearing torn up scraps that were duller than anything you’d see out in the desert. This was a city kid, some random rebel so desperate for escape that they wound up getting ghosted as soon as they tasted some real freedom.
Chimp grimaced at the sight, pulling the van over to the side of the road a few yards off from where the ghosted kid lay. She gave News an unsteady look and she returned a little nod before they both got out of the car. Tragic as deaths out in the zones may be, if you’re dusted it means you don’t need your gear anymore. And there’s no point in wasting any good materials for some foolish idea that the dead may care.
The two ‘joys headed over to the body, holding their hands up to the blistering sun. They’d have to be fast, couldn’t waste any water on sweating it out while getting some supplies that may not even be worth it. News reached down to the corpse first, placing a hand on their neck to ensure that they were in fact dead and there was no hope of taking them back to be another of the many strays that Cherri takes in. Chimp looked over to her partner who simply shook her head, signalling her to start rummaging through the dusted kid’s pockets.
Not a whole lot to speak of: a couple carbons, a jacket that may be worth patching up, a good pair of shoes (which seemed like they may even fit), and- best of all- a knife that wasn’t even rusted. Just as Newsie began to lift the body so that Chimp could slip off the decently salvageable jacket, a sudden gasp of breath and an ungodly scream escaped the lips of the previously-believed-to-be-dead rebel.
Newsie and Chimp both leapt back, dropping the supposedly ghosted rebel hard on the ground, their head making solid contact with cracked up asphalt. Chimp’s gun was drawn in a heartbeat and Newsie held hers pointed low at the figure that was groaning in pain before them. The wide-eyed ‘joys stared frantically at the kid that they swear was fucking dead just a minute ago.
The dazed city kid began to stumble to their feet and Chimp practically jumped back.
“Don’t move a fucking muscle, batt rat!” Chimp held her ray gun steadily, not batting an eye at the stranger that had just come to life in front of her. The young rebel looked up to the two ‘joys, only seeming to fully process that they had weapons drawn and pointed at them in this moment. They opened their mouth to speak but quickly shut back up. Whether it was out of fear or dehydration (if this kid could even dehydrate much less die), the two DJs didn’t know.
Chimp stood still, nodding over to News who remembered suddenly that she had a radio. She took out the radio, calling to Cherri to let him know what the fuck had just happened. Not too many details, just that they’d found a near-dead city kid that’d scared the everloving shit out of them. She took a while to explain the events of the past few minutes and a garbled voice came back over the static, talking for far too long. Chimp could tell by the exasperated look on Newsie’s face exactly what Cherri had said. He’d never been one to turn down anyone who’d needed help, dead or not.
Newsie rolled her eyes and looked back between the previously-ghosted kid on the ground and to her partner who, while appearing steady, was truthfully scared as all shit. She’d never let it show though. News looked up to Chimp, looking tired but also pleading, knowing that Chimp wouldn’t exactly be happy about bringing home a half-dead city rat. But Chimp knew just as well that she couldn’t leave the kid out here, and that Newsie wouldn’t let her.
~~~~~
By this time, Party’s whole body was burning. They had no fucking clue where they were. One moment they were stumbling through the underground, the next they were bleeding out along a road, and the next they were being held at gunpoint by the two brightest people they’d ever seen in their life. Their head was still spinning from a mix of dehydration, blood loss, and the nasty crash their head had when they went falling into the asphalt road. Speaking of asphalt, Witch, they’re really burning up. Every bit of skin that so much as touched the road burned hotter than a stove.
They watched their captors (is that what you’d call them?) as they appeared to discuss what to do with them over some device that spat static and garbled words. After the shorter of the two seemed to finish the conversation they’d had over the little black box, the taller one all too suddenly approached them, ray gun still drawn.
“Get up,” she practically spat out the words, “we’re headed back to the station,” she hesitated with a sigh, shifting a glance back at her partner, “and apparently we’re taking you with us.”
Party sat there stunned, hardly able to even imagine moving their aching limbs and unsure if they could even walk anymore.
“Well? Are you gonna get up or are you gonna let yourself burn up out here,” this time the shorter ‘joy spoke up from the seat of a van that was parked a few yards away from where they sat.
“We don’t need to take ya back,” the person near them didn’t offer so much as a hand to help them to their feet, but they took that warning as final. They stumbled to their feet, breathing in sharply between clenched teeth as they painstakingly stood up and staggered over to the open van doors. All the while feeling the presence of the taller ‘joy directly behind them, watching every move.
They practically collapsed into the back seat of the van, slipping in and out of consciousness as the car went roughly over the uneven terrain. Every jagged movement of the van sent Party into another spiral of sharp pain, sending shockwaves from the open wound in the back of their neck. They tried their best to steady themselves in the back seat of the van but they could hardly stay awake long enough to even register half of their surroundings. They heard a foggy conversation in one brief window of wakefulness.
“I don’t know, we shouldn’t be so rough on ‘em. Like that’s just a kid, Chimp, we don’t know shit about them,” the voice sounded like the one that spoke to the little black box earlier.
“You saw what the fuck happened, News! I jus-,” the other voice, seemingly named Chimp, paused to tap anxiously at the steering wheel, “I don’t know what the fuck just happened back there but that ‘kid’ wasn’t alive when we first found ‘em,” that one sounded more like the ‘joy that had yelled at them earlier.
“Still,” the smaller joy (was her name News?) breathed a long sigh, “Just let Cherri deal with ‘em I guess.”
The other voice seemed to soften and took on an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry for bein’ so spooked earlier. ‘S just that scared the livin’ shit outta me,” she paused before her voice picked up somewhat as she elbowed the other ‘joy, “didn’t wanna lose ya to some zombie kid.”
A couple of giggles escaped the shorter ‘joy’s lips at the remarks made by Chimp about the ‘undead’ rebel in the backseat.
“Witch, how do we even begin to explain this one t’ Cherri?” News chimed in through more laughter. Chimp’s gentle chuckle broke through the conversation as well.
“Dunno, ‘m sure his religious ass will probably eat up whatever story we give ‘im though,” she paused and went into a dramatic more masculine voice, “Oh you’re sure they were dusted? Well that can only mean one thing, ‘s gotta be some sorta divine intervention!” the shorter ‘joy bust out into a full laughter that filled the van with a smile you could feel more than see. Party’s head panged with immense pain as the laughter rang out in their ears. They slowly slipped back away into unconsciousness as the van harshly jolted them around in the back of the car.
and that's all!! not to leave it on a cliff hanger but bro ive got even more ideas abt Party meeting Kobra and everyone else and that's a whole other long ass story that i wanna write too sgvfhbfhbgj. hope this is comprehensible, i have no clue how to write dialogue
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Honest thoughts on Maiko? I flip flop a lot. I like it and then i dont and idk. I love their fanart but something doesnt settle right and reading lim. made me realize the type of person zuko needs in a relationship to be happy. He fell for yue for and their relationship feels more canon than maiko. Im totally rambling i just love ur perspective because ur presence in the fandom is such a breath of fresh air 💓
You should know we love rambles, rants and overall randomness over here, don’t be shy~ 😉
But like, deadass - I’m curious to know how the Zuko, ATLA, etc. tags were on Tumblr before I joined. Because I feel like there was some WWW 3 going on over here and I just walked in the crossfire without realizing 😂😂😂😂
I understand the ‘flip flop’ you’ve described! I’ve said this before, but I actually LOVE Mai. I think she’s a fascinating character, and her personality is very telling about how growing up under the royal rule affects a person mentally, emotionally, and physically.
From her arc and Azula’s alone, we learn about the importance of being a dominating figure - that emotions are a sign of weakness in the Fire Nation. It’s all about being that head-strong, all-powerful being.
I feel like many people under-appreciate her because, on the surface, she appears bland, and don't get me wrong - I think they could've developed her more. But she is just a supporting character and was more-so an aid to Zuko’s arc and one of the causes of Azula’s downfall.
Now, just because I love Mai and Zuko as characters doesn't mean I like them together.
ENTER THE HOT TAKE 👀🍵
I think Zuko and Mai getting together in the show and having a relationship was a good thing.
I also think it was for the better they ended things in the comics.
Not all relationships we enter lead to an ever-lasting, fairytale romance. And I believe Zuko and Mai’s relationship was a perfect contrast to Katara and Aang’s.
If there was one thing Zuko and Mai lacked - it was communication - but in all honestly - it makes sense.
The one time Zuko tries to voice his opinion, show that he cares and do something right - it resulted in him getting his face burnt.
Now, we have two teenagers who were both taught that emotions are a bad thing - trying to enter a relationship.
That’s just asking for trouble.
All relationships require communication, some a little more.
Throughout the show, you have Mai and Zuko trying to open up to one another- but it always results in one of them brushing the other off (not all the time, but more often than not). I don’t think they do it intentionally because I believe they love each other - but they don’t know how to ‘relationship.’
They remind me of that high school couple who literally break-up, and get back together every week. They don’t do it because they hate each other, they do care. The problem is they both carry so much emotional baggage, and it’s hard for them to be the person they need to be for each other - and it seems they fell in love with the old selves of each other.
Mai fell in love with Zuko’s harsh, strong-willed attitude, and Zuko fell in love with Mai’s no bull-shit attitude. But as the show develops, they naturally change. They aren’t the people they fell in love with as kids anymore.
Zuko starts to show his emotions; he wants to let down his guard - and Mai’s attitude can be scary. While on the other hand, Zuko’s sudden soft side and need to voice his emotions would 100% take Mai off guard because the poor girl was never allowed to express her feelings, and now you’re trying to do feelings with her? I don’t blame the girl for yeeting - I would too 😂
Both wanted to open-up, but they don’t know how, and I think until they both learn how to love and accept themselves - their relationship was bound to fail from the start.
And that’s okay.
I think they make better friends than lovers, but honestly, Zuko wanted to return to his normal life so bad throughout the show - that Mai was a symbol of normality.
The show ending with them getting together makes sense in many ways because Mai was the symbol of ordinary. Zuko goes home, he becomes Fire Lord and ends up with the girl he fell in love with. And I think the comics (despite popular opinion) explores the idea that not everything ends perfectly after the ‘happily-ever-after.’
To this day, we don’t know who Zuko ends up with (although it is highly suggested by many that it’s Mai). And you know what, a part of me hopes it isn't Mai because I hope she ends up with someone even better.
I love Zuko - I didn’t write a whole fanfiction because I hate the guy! I just think they could find people who better fit their personalities. Zuko is excellent, but he has his flaws, just like Mai.
There can be love between people, it doesn’t mean it is romantic in nature. Just because two people went through similar experiences does not equate to a perfect, understanding, relationship.
I support Maiko - just not the longevity of it - if that makes sense?
I WENT ON ANOTHER RANT DAMNIT. I swear I think I opened a can of worms with this Zutara, Maiko, Kataang stuff 😂😂😂 But, this is just my opinion, and if you love or hate Maiko - doesn’t bother me 😉 Cause I get it. But highkey...can you imagine if Yue was canon? GAAAH the cuteness overload 😭😭
Okay, I’m done.
Take care, sweetie~! 💜💜
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augustheart · 3 years
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1, 9, 15, 20 for the writing ask meme!
This time around all of these are for fics by the way.
1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?
Like I said in the last ask at any given time I have a stupidly high number of projects I’m working on but I will take this time to talk about the ridiculously long one I’m putting most of my energy toward now! (The tab is open right now and it is taunting me with that “last updated yesterday at [...]” notification and its 32,427 word wordcount.)
I won’t say exactly what it’s about even though it’s not that hard to figure out and several people already know exact details but progress is generally pretty good! Not the fastest I’ve ever written because I write in fits and starts but it’s going pretty good! (Just jinxed it though for sure.) I’m working on chapter five of a planned ten, and I really hope I don’t overshoot that by accident. It’s fun! It’s definitely more like the things I used to write when it comes to like... the actual angst/“whump” part because there’s a lot of that here, and I’m very really mean to readers with a couple of these cliffhangers. Chapter two and chapter four are especially rude, sorry.
I love all of it. I love that I get to write about people overcoming hardship and coming together and also beating the shit out of people who hurt their loved ones. I genuinely love what I’m writing now and I think it’s probably one of my best works and I’m glad that I decided to write it all out in advance before posting it because I feel like that gives me time to really perfect it. It also makes it easier to go back and seed plot elements through the prewritten chapters, which is helpful because I keep forgetting about a character and going back to make sure that they get to be there because they’re, y’know, the main protagonist of the show. (Don’t worry there is still a character arc and a story she has, it just gets lost in the shuffle a little because there are like... six storylines going on at once that need to intersect. I think six, anyway. There are a lot. Jeez, I think it may be closer to seven, counting the villains...)
Anyway please [Eric Andre “let me in” voice] show me support when I finally post it because I imagine the fandom will be relatively in brumation when I finally do all things considered. 
9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?
I refuse to write really short things, it has to be at least 1,000 words for some reason, but I do both! I prefer my longfics, I think they give me more time to write plot and flesh out characters, but I’ve found that a good median wordcount for me is...like...6,000 words? That’s usually what I fall on when I limit myself to something under 10,000 that has the potential for more than just 1-2,000 words. But I do like to read and write both! As evidenced by some of my current projects shaping up to be over 50,000 words at least if they haven’t already left that count in the dust by now (hi, Half Light, you stupidly long son of a bitch). 
And I am the hellish combination of both! I usually know at least how I want it to end, but the entire journey from A to B is a complete mystery to me. Sometimes I’ll have elements I want to incorporate or characters I want to include and I’ll plan for them but I will never, ever write down my outline. The only time I write down outlines it’s when I need to know the concrete timeline for something that’s set in the past or is taking major divergent choices or both (i.e., I made a timeline outline for Heartless leading up to when Eric approaches Dorothy, a timeline outline for Two of Spades when I eventually actually work on that, a timeline outline for what I nicknamed the “I’m no longer baby I want power AU,” etc). Literally every other time I am absolutely flying by the seat of my pants. I don’t know what I’d do without Hedgi who helps me plot at least half the things I write (at least for the fandoms she’s also in), usually after I try to write them and immediately get stuck like a puppy who tried to jump into a lake and found out the shoreline was actually just a bog.
15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?
Oh, it really depends. I’m alright at nailing tags down, unless there are categories I want to use that don’t already have a set tag, but sometimes when I think of the concept for a fic it comes ready-made with a summary and I don’t have to think about that at all, or I’m directly inspired by a phrase/lyric/etc and I can just use that for the title and spend hours deliberating on a summary. Luckily for the project I’m working on now the conceit can just be the summary, and the title took a tiny bit of research but I knew what I wanted the bare bones to be and I just needed the actual names/terms. I do think in general, though, summaries are a smidge harder than titles for me. 
12. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
I really, really want to answer this one to talk about the different hidden references, relationship development, and foreshadowing that I baked into damn near every level of the big project I’ve been talking about because it’s in literally everything right down to the chapter titles (and there’s a hint to pay attention to them when you read, especially once we get to chapters 6-10, which I am extremely pumped to write), but I also really don’t want to spoil anything, so... time to be as numbingly vague as possible, I guess.
I’m foreshadowing that a character will develop powers by the final act, of course, but I’m also foreshadowing that a different character will not only develop them but use them to basically save the life of another character--and related to that, there is intense foreshadowing of a character using certain things to save someone else’s life at around the same time, which is not subtle at all if you know what you’re looking for (mainly because I slipped it into plain sight) but is part of some nice red herrings if I do say so myself. It also really makes me laugh that I decided to do some, um, “homophobia-shadowing,” where I just... imply that a character is homophobic. I dunno why I just think that’s a funny thing to do even if it has real repercussions for certain characters later. 
There’s some character development mixed that I’m really excited for because it allows a character to go in a completely different direction than they do in canon but in a way that I think still feels really right for them. This happens a couple times, actually, but this one in particular is something I knew had to happen the second I realized how to tie this plot thread back into everything else. I think it’s exactly what the character could’ve needed if this had gone down and I’m really excited to write it. The other character should’ve just been allowed to do this in canon because I think it would’ve fucking ruled.
Also, in everything I write that’s comics-based, whether it’s fic for the comic directly or for a show/movie using comics as source material, everything is a reference. That number code? That could be anything from the first time someone appeared in a comic mixed with the publishing date of the comic itself (i.e. if someone appeared for the first time in 1964 but the comic began publishing in 1959 I’ll use 6459 or 5964) to the creator’s date of birth. I think that I use famous writers of the character/potential creators of the character as street names or last names or aliases whenever I need to bring them up is a lot more obvious. Same with how I use writer/artist initials as “random letters” if I think a code would realistically have one mixed in--I just checked a document for an example of this and found “ADBP5519MWGK6419.”
I also reuse direct lines of dialogue if I think they fit the situation--for example, in Butterfly Effect I lifted the “World War I chic” line directly from Giffen’s Doom Patrol run, which I mentioned in the author’s note, and there’s dialogue in my current big project that’s a direct reference to/play on the “I wish you’d died instead of Mom” line in the JSA Infinite Crisis tie-in (Johns is a fuckin’ hack for that one though and it made no sense for what he used it for, a better line would’ve been “I bet you wish I’d died instead of Mom,” but we don’t have time for that), and I’ll probably directly reference dialogue from JSA/JSA at some point in chapter nine or chapter ten. (Think really hard about how that arc opens if it’s one you’re familiar with, lmao, and remember--there’s no time travel to undo things here!) 
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rmjagonshi · 4 years
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You asked for prompts. Will you do mutual pining teen stans as they build the stanowar and imagine whisking thier brother away to be all alone on a ship??? Pretty please?
I didn’t ignore you, anon! Promise! I hope this fits what you were looking for. I have never written a song fic before, so, I hope it’s okay that I did that.  
Song by Michelle Branch (All You Wanted)
Stan Pines wasn’t jealous of his brother. Sure, Ford got a lot of attention from teachers and old grannies, and their father, but Stan wasn’t jealous. Ford was interested in nerd things, like math and chemistry and monsters…well, monsters were cool. But still, Stan had other things. He had…well…he had…
What did Stan have?
Ford had his smarts and Stan just kind of tagged along for the ride. But that was okay. He had Ford. They didn’t have much else, but they had each other. And that was enough. That was enough for years.
When the schoolyard bullies came to throw rocks and shove dirt down their pants, at least they were together and they could help each other up. And when their father decided he’d had enough of their shenanigans and wailed on Stan with the metal end of a belt, well…Ford was there. They were never alone. They always had each other. And they always would.
~I wanted, to be like you. I wanted everythingSo I tried, to be like you, and I got swept away.~  
But still, it bothered Stan sometimes that Ford was obviously the epicenter of their dynamic duo, and Stan was the poor helpless planet caught in Ford’s orbit. Ford was smart and creative and always had the answer to everything. So, Stan started trying to be like him. He picked a book at random from the library shelf and tried reading it. But the words blurred and he didn’t understand half of what he was reading. And it was so boring. I was talking about shapes or ‘faces’ or bonds…Stan didn’t understand. The book cover showed a picture of a rock and some weird drawn shapes where you could see all the sides.
When book reading failed, Stan moved onto experiments. Experiments were more fun than reading because he got to mix things together and watch what happened. But one too many explosions and one used fire-extinguisher later, Stan was banned from doing experiments without Ford’s help. That only left school. So Stan tried doing well in school. But school work was even harder than book reading. Math was just a jumble of numbers and symbols, and history was all memorizing facts and dates. None of it was interesting, but his grades did improve, if only marginally. He was so excited when he’d studied all week for a test and got a B-. A B-!
That was the best grade he had ever gotten EVER! He was so happy he raced home after detention to show it to Pa, finally something of worth to show him. But Ford had gotten there first. Of course he had. Ford didn’t have detention. Ford had gotten an A+, as usual. All of a sudden, the lousy B- didn’t mean much. He didn’t bother showing it to his parents.  
Stan went back to just tagging along and helping out his brother. He wasn’t jealous, but he did kind of wish Ford was so horribly bad at something, so Stan could be good at it. After one bad run in with Crampelter, Stan dragged himself and Ford home to their mom to get bandaged up. Through ringing ears and two black eyes, Stan heard his father tell him he was signing them both up for boxing lessons.
Boxing lessons were more horrible than Crampelter. At least with Crampelter, they could run away or hide or something. And they didn’t always cross paths with the bully. Boxing lessons were every other day and you couldn’t run. Both Stan and Ford came home sore and beaten more and more, but their pa never let up. No friends but each other, no support from family but each other. They clung together tighter and tighter.
~I didn’t know that, it was so cold, And you needed someone to show you the way.~
But boxing lessons paid off in the end. Stan was getting stronger. He stuck close to Ford and together, they stayed mostly out of trouble. Stan on his own would always wind up in detention, but Stan with Ford was able to weasel his way out of most things. Sticking with Ford made Stan aware of the crap Crampelter pulled when Stan was in detention. They both got bullied, but Ford had it bad. He had tried to hide the cuts and bruises and missing notebooks, but Stan saw them. Ford didn’t stand a chance. The next time they were cornered in the field behind the school, Stan fought back. He tackled the lard-butt and wailed on his face with all his strength until Crampelter kicked him off and rode away on his stupid bike. Stan got detention and was grounded for a month, but he didn’t care. When he’d held out his hand to help Ford up, Ford had looked at him like was was some kind of hero. From then on, Stan was the muscle, and he would protect Ford at all costs.  
~So I took your hand and, we figured out thatWhen the time comes I’d take you away.~
It wasn’t long after that they found the boat, and the dream of sailing away on the Stan O’ War, just the two of them, was born. Stan threw himself into fixing the Stan O’ War. If no one else wanted them, then they would go somewhere else. Bullies didn’t really pick on Stan anymore. He was popular, exactly, but he was left alone enough that he was a 'pseudo’ jock. Ford wasn’t so lucky. Sure, people liked him, he was smart and could help them with their homework, but they weren’t interested in being friends. It became apparent when Ford had asked Lucy out for drinks after he’d helped her study for the upcoming Physics exam. She’d laughed in his face so long, he’d just gathered up his stuff and left, her laughing echoing down the empty school hall. Stan had gotten pissed when Ford told him about it. She didn’t deserve Ford, and Stan said as much, but Ford was still felling shitty about the whole thing.
“Why do people hate me?” Ford was curled up with his face pressed to his knees on Stan’s bunk. He’d stopped crying (not that there were many tears, but still, he was embarrassed about the few drops that had worked their way from between his eyelids), and was now just sitting, moping and wondering if he’d ever find someone who actually liked him.
“No one hates you! Okay, maybe Crampelter and Sonia do, but they hate everyone. And I think Sonia doesn’t like you because you’re associated with me. And that bitch haaaaaates me.” Stan had sat beside Ford with a bag of toffee peanuts and had refused to move until Ford cheered up.  
“Okay, fine. They don’t hate me, but they sure as hell don’t like me.” Nobody liked him. They were only interested in if he could help them, then they were more than happy to drop him. Ford was too weird. And not just his hands, though they were part of it. Ford liked weird things. Shrunken heads and six-legged cats. Sea monsters and the Jersey Devil. Ma did her best to connect, but she didn’t understand his interests, and Pa…well, it was best not to engage Pa with anything that might be considered 'weird’. They only one that had ever tried to understand and take an interest in him was…    
“Hey, you don’t need them. I like ya. And once we sail away on the Stan O’ War, it doesn’t matter what these bozos think.”
Ford grinned. Maybe Stan was enough.  
~If you want to, I can save you. I can take you away from here.So lonely inside, So busy out there,And all you wanted was somebody who cares.~
Stan doesn’t know when it happened, or what caused it. Like growing up, you know it’s happening, but each change is so gradual, you don’t notice it until you compare it to where you were before. And that’s what he was doing, comparing himself now to how he used to be. Because he never used to think like he does now. At least…he doesn’t think so. He’d always been trapped in Ford’s orbit, and he never really thought much about it before. They were inseparable. And that never used to be a problem. But Stan finds himself thinking about Ford more and more. His brother invades his thoughts more often than anything else, and if he isn’t thinking of Ford exactly, then he’s thinking of something in tangent to him. Thinking about how boring math class is makes him think about how excited Ford it to learn new things. Thinking about his favorite snack reminds him how much Ford hates toffee peanuts. And, of course, thinking about the boat makes him think about sailing away from all the shit they deal with. When Ford starts making an appearance during his dreams in place of Carla, well, it really isn’t all that surprising, if a bit disturbing.
Middle school passed in a whirlwind of working on the boat and keeping out of trouble. Sooner than they realized, they were in high-school. Classwork got harder and Stan was struggling. Stan throws himself into working on the boat. He even takes welding and woodworking when they’re offered. He might not be great at reading a map or doing math, but he can work with his hands to make things and fix things. He gets a part-time job and works down at the dock when he can. He spends more time in the library than Ford does some days. It’s hard. All of the work. He tried and tried and it never gets easier. Sometimes he thinks he ought to leave things alone. Ford had potential to be something. And he wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings. He did his best, lifting porn mags from the corner store and keeping a pin-up calendar tacked to his wall, but it felt hollow. It also didn’t help that Ford had picked up on his acting. Who was he to try and hide something from the person who knew him best? But he still hid. And still thought about letting go even as he wanted so desperately to hang on. Some days, he wants to throw his hands in the air and say 'Fuck It" and give up. But then he sees Ford come home with bruises and busted glasses, or maybe it’s just a smile or a belly laugh at one of his jokes and he’s right back, putting everything he has into making this work. In the end, it’s all for Ford. It always was.
Ford is all too aware that Stan is struggling. And he hates it. He hates seeing Stan like this. There are days, sometimes, where Stan doesn’t smile, at least, not a real smile. Days when he cries  because he just doesn’t understand the work. Days when he does whatever he can to prove he’s a man because someone or something convinces him that he isn’t. He does his best to help.  He tutors Stan when he can and works out homework problems with him. Stan is trying. He really is, but he gets confused and forgets things easily. He could read a page and not remember anything he’d just read. Every day, Stan would be ridiculed by their father, be constantly told he wasn’t worth anything, constantly told he 'was being a girl’. Every day, Stan would chases skirts and flirt with any woman who looked at him, got into more fights than he had any right to, and tried harder to prove himself worthy.
Ford knew the dream about sailing away on a ship was a childish one. He knew Stan was holding onto that dream with everything he had. But their future was so vague. They needed money to live, jobs paid money. Sailing around the world on a boat wasn’t going to get them there. It was just a matter of fact. But when Stan would get excited about progress on the ship or would tell stories about all the adventures they would go on, Ford found it harder and harder to admit that it was all just a fantasy. When Ford found Stan coming home with a chip on his shoulder and a black eye from getting in a fight with some chump that called him a fag, Ford found himself wanting to take away all the pain and misery. And the dream of whisking Stan away from everything on a ship felt all the more real.    
~I’m sinking slowly, So hurry hold me. Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on.Please can you tell me, So I can finally see Where you go when you’re gone.~
As senior year drew closer and closer, so too did their dreams. Ford was convinced they could sail away on the Stan O’ War to somewhere else. They could live on the boat while they worked and saved up money to get a decent place to live. And if something happened, then they would always have the boat. But they couldn’t just be treasure hunters. It wasn’t possible. He was drawing up a plan to figure out how they could manage. As soon as they were old enough, they were out of Glass Shard. But there was still work to be done to get there. And he still wasn’t sure how to break it to Stan. Stan was so dedicated to the idea that they would be treasure hunters, the he was blind to the reality they were facing. But Ford still wanted to get them away from there. He still wanted to rescue his brother.  And maybe…maybe, if they were away from this, Stan could just be himself. Maybe Ford could…
~If you want to, I can save you. I can take you away from hereSo lonely inside, So busy out there,And all you wanted was somebody who cares.~
But things got harder. The science fair came, and Ford saw an opportunity. He could build something that would he could patent. He could sell it and they would have a nice nest egg to get started. But then, West Coast Tech was interested. And the promise of millions. Millions. What would he do with millions? They could do anything. They could sail away for months or years at a time and they would never have to come back to this shitty ass town. Finally, some success. Finally, something good. Ford would make some discovery, make a fortune, and he would come back for Stan. They would escape. He was so excited! He didn’t want Stan to get discouraged. It wasn’t forever. It was only until he was able to make something that would secure their future. And maybe it would give Ford time to process his…desires.  
All you wanted was somebody who cares.
Everything fell apart after that. Ford spent years throwing himself into his work, and Stan spent the same time doing everything he could to make it rich.
If you need me, you know I’ll be there…
But when the post card was sent, Stan came without a second thought. And when the call came to correct his mistake, Stan stepped up to the challenge.
~If you want to, I can save you. I can take you away from here.So lonely inside, So busy out there.And all you wanted was somebody who cares.~
And in the end, after more hardship than either one had ever thought, in the end, they found themselves on a boat, with more money than they needed, and no more need to run away. No more need to hide. In the end, none of the past really matters. Because Stan has a family that cares. Ford found a way to use his sills to help. And they finally decide, to hell with all of the fear, to hell with the self-denial. Standing aboard their ship, lost in the middle of the ocean after having hauled up an actual crate of lost pirate gold, Ford and Stan share their first kiss.
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Text
Last Name Beck pt.1
Peter Parker x Beck!reader
ENDGAME SPOILERS!!! SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME SPOILERS!!!
seriously... SPOILERS
also this is only MY interpretation since the movie isn’t even out yet. i did all my research so leave me be!!
Synopsis: You and your father were transported to a separate earth in result of Iron Mans “snap.” Nick Fury explained this all- and he said you would need help from a brilliant man to get back home. What he didn’t explain was that the man who seemingly would be taking over Iron Mans legacy was a boy your age. You know how your father can be and you can see something off with this Peter Parker character- like he’s mentally sore from recent events. What better reason to ward off your father's illusions with the promise of keeping a young Spider-Boy safe?
Warnings: cussing, mentions of endgame, angst (in future chapters >:))
Words: 1601
A/N: HAHAHHAAHHA i hope it’s obvious who the reader's father lol. also pulled that synopsis outta my ass- as always. anyways enjoy. this is only part one.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Your father isn’t who they think he is. He’s not some monster who’s only wish is to be famous. He’s not a bad guy. But he’s also not a good guy. You know, more than anyone, what he’s capable of. What illusions he’s got up his sleeve and just how far he’ll go to get the eyes on him.
That’s why you’re with him now. Not to help him- but to stop him. You don’t know who he’ll hurt on this earth. And the last thing you want is more casualties under his belt. He is your father after all.
You had a great deal of respect for him. You thought of him as ambitious and confident. But you’ve learned he’s more than that- you just can’t tell if what’s under the surface shows that he has a good heart or a speck of something greedy and more dirt ridden.
“This is Mr Beck.” You directed your attention the man you met earlier, Nick Fury. He was talking to a younger boy who was now talking to your father, Quentin Beck. They were giving him the rundown. The whole ‘Iron Mans snap tore a hole in this very delicate metaphysical object that divides our worlds and created a multiverse’ thing. And if your father was lying about this “snap” tearing a hole in the dimension, you weren't aware.
Thinking about whether this was all an illusion painted in a fucked up picture by your father made you shift uncomfortably in your seat. You brought one knee up to place under your chin and hugged your leg for comfort.
The younger boy looked around the room and you followed his gaze. He didn’t seem to want to be here. Something you two had in common. When his eyes landed on you, the tips of your fingers felt a slight electric shock.
“Uh- Hi I’m Peter… Barker- Parker. Beter Parker. Peter- Spider-Man.” You couldn’t help but grin. His uncoordinated and gawky demeanour held a soft spot in your heart. He reminded you… of a dog of some sorts. A puppy. One very nervous cute puppy.
“This is my daughter-” Quentin began.
“Y/N Beck.” You finished. The corners of Peters' mouth curled up into a small smile. His floppy brown hair framed his face well, and his deep-set eyes were relaxed. In a way he made you feel like you were home again. “Spider-Man huh?” You picked up your head and dropped your leg so you could fully stand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to- um- meet you... too.” A few moments of silence went by before he let out a soft ‘oh’ and held his hand out for you to shake. You gladly shook his hand and chuckled while doing so.
“No need to be nervous, kid,” Nick said as you let go of Peters' hand. Fury smacked the inept boys shoulder and walked over beside you. “In a way, she’s just like you.” Parker tilted his head somewhat and squinted. The way his eyes creased made you assume that he doesn’t meet a lot of kids his age who have powers.
“I’m guessing you’ve got superpowers or whatever right?” You asked as you crossed your arms. You grazed your eyes down his chest to see the crimson suit holding a nice spider symbol in between his chest bone. “You turn into a spider or something?” His mouth opened and then shut and he let out a breathy laugh.
“Uh no actually. I mean kinda- No not kinda. I sort of am a spider. Well, it’s hard to explain-” Nick grabbed Peters wrist and pointed it at the ceiling, pressing something on his palm. A thin line of web shot from his wrist and attached itself to the cement above us.
“Holy shit- That isn’t coming out of you is it?” Peter shook off Nicks' hand and twisted his wrist so he could easily grab the string. He smirked and pushed himself off the ground with his feet so that he could flip and land on the ceiling.
“Nope.” He said from his place upside down. You walked forward as he detached himself from the roof and turned right side up just in time to land on his heels.
“Brilliant! It’s like you’ve made yourself some kind of- of synthetic web fluid-”
“With their own corresponding web-shooters.” You reached out for his hand and turned it over so you could inspect the gadget fastened to his suit. “What can you do?” You looked up and felt yourself blush.
“Um, n-nothing too special.”
“Yeah right.” Your father spoke up. “Her mind works over two-thousand percent faster than any normal human beings- which gives her the ability to process battle strategies quicker-”
“Not always about battle strategies, dad.” You let go of Peters' hand and looked to your father.
“Still extremely intelligent.” He combated back.
“But I often get wicked headaches.” You looked to him and then to Nick as he began to speak too.
“I think they’re forgetting to mention the fact that she can manipulate the space-time continuum.” Fury butted in. You looked to Peter who had a shocked look plastered on his face.
“My mind works so fast that the atoms around me make the most sense when aligned in the form of an-… well like an Einstein-Rosen bridge.” You tried to explain.
“I bet she could even open a wormhole with no end to it.” Nick looked to the computers as a small beeping noise occurred.
“It’s hypothetically possible, but as I just said… hypothetical.” Peter licked his bottom lip and nodded. He looked at you like a deer caught in headlights as Nick made his way to the computers where there was another woman working. You didn’t quite catch her name, but she obviously knew what she was doing.
“That’s… so… badass.” Peter quickly wiped his mouth, in case he was drooling, and turned his head straight. “Uh so does your mind thingy make you- like- Sherlock Holmes or something?” You laughed loudly and covered your mouth to try and stop yourself from being too loud.
“You know what? Maybe.” Peter beamed as your laughing fit slowly subsided.
“Looks like we’ve got trouble.” Fury gritted his teeth. “Been here less than a week, Parker, and you’ve managed to get the attention of every goddamn villain in the multiverse.” You walked over to Nick to look at the monitors scattered across the table. Red dots blinked around the city and you sighed. “Good news though.”
“What good news could you possibly have- unless you tell me that I can go back to my hotel and enjoy the rest of my trip.” Peter walked up beside you and crossed his arms. You looked at him and took in his figure. You couldn’t imagine doing this kind of work on your own- you always had your father. You wondered if maybe he had someone like that in his life.
“Well, you got part of that right. The bastard closest to us is right outside your hotel.”
“Shit.” Parker groaned and threw his head down. “Then I better get going.” He uncrossed his arms and turned to leave.
“Wait a minute Spider-Kid- but the good news was that I’m sure if you ask nicely, Beck and his daughter just might help you get rid of these dimension travelling assholes.” Peter fidgeted with his mask in his hands and looked to you and your father.
“You wouldn’t mind would you?” He asked shyly and your father cleared his throat.
“Why not? You need all the help you can get.” You teased and grabbed your armoured gloves from the table.
“Hey-”
“No offence kid but the evil on our world is more complicated than the evil on yours.” Your father patted Peter on the shoulder and walked towards the exit.
“Be careful.” Nick said, directing his attention to the monitor again.
“When am I not careful.” Peter jogged himself over next to your dad.
“I wasn’t talking to you.” Nick looked up from his computer and locked eyes with you. “Was I?” You swallowed thickly and glanced at the floor. When you turned you were met with the confused features of Peter.
“I’m just… clumsy.” You joked with a smile and formed your hands into fists. He stared at you- seemingly not believing you. He had every right to. You were this mysterious random girl from a different earth and you both haven’t even worked with one another.
Peter still stared and you bit your lip. He’s suspicious. He should be. So are you.
“Keep staring. I might do a trick.” You quipped. You took your fists and pulled them up in front of you. Peter, once again, turned his head to the side like a curious puppy as you hit the bottom of your right hand with the top of your left. You broke your hands away from each other and spread out your fingers, which made a medium sized searing hole in front of you. The edges of the hole on the ground were sparkly like firecrackers and you made a ‘tik tik’ sound with your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
To make sure you knew where you were going you took one last two-second glance at the monitor.
“See you on the other side, boys.” You lifted your dominant hand next to your face and gave the two boys by the exit a small wave, still continuing to wave and smile as you walked calmly over the edge- descending into the dark depths of the wormhole you had just created.
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365daysofsasuhina · 4 years
Text
[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Eighty-Five: Scissors ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]
For most of her life, Hinata had no sway over her appearance. Hiashi kept her attire neat, always sporting their clan crest as not to let her forget who her actions represented. And even her hair was never allowed to grow, restricted to a traditional hime cut through all of her schooling, and even upon becoming a genin.
For the most part, Hinata didn’t really mind. Her clothes suited her well enough, especially with how baggy they were. Her lack of confidence coupled with her early blooming meant she was more than fine with being hidden under fabric. And in all honesty, her short hair was useful, keeping it out of her face when training or doing missions.
But after graduating from the Academy...things began to change for Hinata. Her teammates, a far cry from her own timid nature, helped bring out a subtle shift in her mindset. Watching her inspiration, Uzumaki Naruto, continue to defy odds made her believe that maybe there was still hope for her. 
The greatest change, however...came from her first attempt at the chūnin exams.
With mounting tensions behind the scenes, it was already slated to be an interesting year. Konoha’s junchūriki, as well as Suna’s, were going to be participating. Otogakure, a new village, was submitting entrants. And both Hinata and her cousin Neji would be thrown in together for the exams. At first, she’d simply hoped that they would skate past one another, never truly interacting.
But due to the high rate of completion in the Forest of Death, the proctors declared a preliminary round before arranging for the final task. And that was when random chance intersected with fate.
Hinata was to face Neji.
On one side, a girl attempting to change and defy the expectations and opinions of her clan. On the other, a boy born into servitude and mistreatment by that same clan, his genius overshadowed by his birthright. Hinata had long questioned the seal, knowing it was the reason behind her cousin’s anger and hate...and she knew it was justified.
If she were to be the outlet for that hate...then so be it.
But nor would she just give up…!
No matter her pain or stumbling, she refused to stay down, even as those around her cried for the match to end. It wasn’t until her heart was struck and Neji restrained that she was removed from the arena, rushed to the hospital and barely saved from an early death.
And still she wondered...had she changed? Even a sliver?
Would everyone be...proud of her?
Neji’s match against Naruto was quite the upset, Hinata torn between her cousin defying his fate, and her idol continuing on. In the end...Naruto was victorious, and Neji left to think. And his considerations were only deepened when Hiashi finally told him the truth of his father’s death.
From there...Neji too began to change. And Hinata was eager to see it, forgiving him his aggression and wanting only to rebuild what should have been a friendship from the start. Together, they began to train and strive to improve, gauging their progress against one another.
Hinata, finally, was flourishing. No longer did she have Naruto to worry about, the Uzumaki set to leave Konoha for three years. In those same years, she was determined to become someone worthy to walk beside a student of a sannin...and everyone else in their year. No longer would she be the timid, hesitating little genin. Hyūga Hinata was going to blossom at last.
And with her confidence...her hair began to grow. With Hiashi’s acceptance of her and Neji’s growth and independence, she was left to craft her own image. Foggy memories of her mother always included long, dark hair. So Hinata decided to emulate.
The next four years were filled with constant effort. Even upon Naruto’s return, she refused to waver. Though still soft compared to others she knew - Sakura’s take-no-shit attitude, Ino’s unshakable confidence, Tenten’s self-assured will to reach her goals - Hinata nonetheless kept training.
So when she stood before her village’s greatest enemy in the pits of its ruination, she did not tremble or flee. She stood her ground...even if, in the end, she knew it would be useless.
No more running away. No more second guessing. No more doubt. Even if she would face death...she’d do so with her head held high.
But Pein did not kill her, despite his best intentions. Hinata scraped through, her second near-death experience only serving to harden her resolve. Come wartime, she was ready, giving her all for her village, her country, her world. All of her hard work, all of her effort...it couldn’t be for nothing.
...and then the mokuton speared through her most beloved cousin’s chest.
Neji...unshakable pillar of strength and inspiration. Her cousin, her mentor, her friend...choosing his ultimate destiny. For her sake.
It shattered her, it boiled her...but only for an instant, heart pushed back to let her mind do what had to be done in the aftermath.
In the end...they were victorious. The cost was high, but that of losing would have been the ultimate price. Priorities, perspective...everything was changed.
A long-standing friendship would see her cousin brought back to her, and Hinata vowed then and there that she would never again let a brother die for a brother unless it was his own will. The Hyūga seal would die with him...but this time, stay dead.
Looking in the mirror of her rebuilt room, still novel after the leveling of Konoha, Hinata tries to recognize her reflection. The past several months after the war have been...difficult. Rewarding, but a test of her resolve and spirit. Hanabi has been working with her, alongside Neji, to end the Hyūga seal. Their Uchiha allies stand with them. But there’s still something missing...and she can’t quite place it.
She looks into the mirror...and in some ways, she doesn’t recognize who she sees. Hinata of the past is only caught in glimpses, pieces of the face that stares back. Her face isn’t as round as it once was, stripped of the stubborn baby fat that always made her look so childish. Still heart shaped, it’s more mature than it used to be. Her eyes are the most distinct difference. Hardened with all they’ve seen, shadowed with a lingering exhaustion she can’t seem to shake. So many time she closes her eyes and sees the war...sees Pein...sees the Tsukuyomi dream that now feels more like a nightmare.
...she really has changed. But has it been in all the way she’s wanted?
Studying her own face, she grips a pair of scissors in her hand. The tradition of long hair in the Hyūga is a prominent one. Her father, her cousin...Hanabi is the only exception, but she’s still young despite her heiress position. Soon, Hiashi will let her grow it out as a symbol of recognition.
Hinata, however...knows of another rite of passage. That of severing the past, giving oneself a clean slate. For four years now, she’s let her locks grow unfettered. These strands know of her failures, her victories, her joys and her sorrows. If she cuts them off - if she severs them now - will she get the rebirth she wants?
...for now, she sets the blades aside.
A bit more time to think.
“...you want to what?”
“It just feels like...maybe I should.” Hinata brings her hair around her shoulder, stroking at it slowly as Sasuke watches. He’s become a close companion during his stay in Konoha after his brother’s return. There’s only a handful of people she would consider breaching this topic with, and he was the first to come to mind that would give an honest answer. “...while I’ve grown a lot from all I’ve faced these past few years...it also feels like it’s all weighing on me. Part of me...wants to be rid of that weight.”
Sasuke knows the tradition well - Sakura did it during the chūnin exams, and another dear friend did the same for a fresh start so many years ago. “...I suppose that decision lies most with you.”
“...you really don’t have any o-opinion?”
“If you want to cut it, cut it. If you have any doubts, don’t. While it will, in time, grow back...it’s a lesson in consequences. This decision will have lasting ones. But…”
She glances up as he fades to silence, and then stiffens as he takes a section of strands. For a moment, Sasuke’s gaze is miles away...and she has to wonder what he’s seeing.
“...the rumors were true back then. I’ve always been fond of long hair. But no one ever really knew why.”
“...what was the reason?”
“...on most people, it’s never really mattered to me. Sakura’s didn’t, Ino’s didn’t...because it wasn’t quite right. But in your case...it fits rather well.” Slowly, he lets the hair slip from his grip. “...I like long hair because it reminds me of my mother. It’s not quite the same shade, but...yours reminds me of hers the most.”
In spite of herself, Hinata feels her heart quicken in her chest. She...she reminds Sasuke of his mother…?
“...but it’s still your choice. I can see the reasoning from both sides. Don’t make a call on my account, or anyone else’s. Like I said, your choice will have consequences, but...yours, at least, won’t be forever. It can grow back again. Not everything - or everyone - has that luxury.”
Hearing the weight in his words, Hinata swallows dryly. “I...I understand.”
“...good. Did you need anything else?”
“No, um...that was - that was all I wanted to ask you. Thank you...for being honest with me.”
“It’s one of my few virtues,” he replies, giving a hint of a smile. “Hope you find some peace, whatever you decide, Hyūga.”
Nodding, she watches him go, her heart finally calming as she finds herself alone. Pale eyes flicker back and forth as she thinks.
...maybe...the scissors can wait.
                                                            .oOo.
     I am...v tired, so I dunno if I'll have much to say this time around xD      Hinata's hair, as small of a detail as it might seem, is interesting to me. Kishi obviously kept it short to signify her lack of care about Sasuke's supposed preference, but...well, it obviously is a little different in a universe where they get together. The verse I write really only changes post 699, so maybe her motivations ARE still the same when she's little. But I also like the idea of the Hyūga influence, too. Neji is a bit of an outlier there, but that COULD be explained by his genius, even if he's not Main House.      ...I dunno, I'm too tired to elaborate as thoughtfully on this as I want to, but hopefully you get my meaning xD      With that tho, I'm gonna wrap up. Thanks for reading!
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