#and her fighting skills had to have a white man motivate her

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Why We Never See Elendira's Story

In a story that emphasizes the human or otherwise sympathetic aspects to its focal characters, it’s very intriguing that Elendira remains an enigma right up until the very end of her story.

We receive some tantalizing hints that there is much, much more to Elendira than what we’re explicitly shown – asides from her apparent sole interest in witnessing the end of the world (to which she'd prefer to see Knives' chosen ending, but is prepared to act herself if he fails), she looks somewhat resigned when saying that nice men “die so easily”, that no matter what Vash does, humans will “ruin it”, and so on and so forth.

[ID: Two screenshots from Trigun Maximum Volume 11. In the first, over a rocky ground, Elendira says "I liked you better when you had nothing to lose. What a shame." She looks down, somewhat resigned, and continues "I don't like nice men. They die so easily." In the second, she stands, frowning and saying "No matter what Vash the Stampede does... there will always be those..." On a close up of her right eye, she says "...who ruin it." End ID.]

Elendira seems to have little to no faith in humanity, and in that sense, she seems a lot like Knives. Knives, who aims to become more and more powerful, and in the process, severing all meaningful ties he has with others on his quest to ensure no one can take advantage of him or use him. We know, of course, that Knives doesn't quite succeed here... but Elendira has. She is the peak of human (or part human? We never get an answer to her unexplained abilities) capability in speed, skill, and strength. The only reason Livio stood any chance in that fight was due to his incredible regeneration.

(As an interesting aside, she also has an interesting commonality with Vash - what comes to mind is her telling the kids to bury Livio because he "died" trying to protect them. Why does she care about that? Why does it matter? None of the other GHGs do this. This is not important to the point I'm making here but it's just interesting to me. There's very few characters who explicitly make a point of burying the dead.)

The point being, Elendira is the height of strength... and at the top, she is alone.

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum Volume 13. Elendira is in the action of dropping her white coat, which she has taken off to reveal an underarmour suit that is almost skeletal in appearance. She looks confident. End ID.]

In a story where characters' motives and pasts are told through their connections with others, through their memories with people they cared for, and through the eyes of the people who care for them...

Vash's story is eventually told in pieces to humanity through Meryl, through Luida, and through his sisters. Rem survives in Vash's memories, and we see the part of her story that young Vash saw, just as we also see his own past from this recollection of her.

Milly is a clarifier and communicator who sees so strongly the sides of Meryl and Vash that they suppress, all that grief and fear, for the sake of remaining steadfast. She is the one whose eyes we see through. It had to be seen to be told. Wolfwood does this too.

The rest of GHGs get some elaboration also. Hoppered is defined through his loss of the woman he cared for in July. Midvalley is defined by his fear and contention with Knives. They also have a dynamic between them that few of the other GHGs shared - and it's likely for this reason we received more elaboration on the two of them than many of the others. But even characters like Rai-Dei, for whom we don't get very much at all, has at least his sunk-cost fallacy explained through the memories of the people he's killed to get to that point.

Chronica's story, though largely removed from the people of No Man's Land, is given definition and stakes through the loss of Domina, and we are told about her incredible determination and strategy she has through her reputation with the Earth fleet.

Legato, desperate to play a singularly important role in Knives' story, tells his own through that lens and that lens only. The moment his life changed was the moment Knives entered it, and that is likely the most important memory to him - Knives is the only meaningful bond he has (sadly for him, this was not reciprocated). Well, an argument can be made for the contentious dynamic he builds with Vash too.

Even Knives, for all that he tried to separate himself from others, is known and seen through his connection with Vash - and his acceptance and unwillingness to fully lose this connection is not only what eventually saves him, but also the reason we, as the audience, know his story so well.

We see characters' stories in Trigun mainly through the bonds they share with others - never the whole story, but the sides that others knew of them.

So, who does Elendira have? Every interaction she has is shallow, dismissive, and exceedingly temporary. Through her dislike of Legato, we get that she may be somewhat bitter about his important status to Knives... but there is no elaboration, because it goes no further than that. Knives calls her directly on the phone, and she is very invested in his vision for the end of the world and intrigued by him... but it goes no further than that. He does not really seem to care about her beyond her effectiveness, and she does not offer any information about herself. Even her allegiance is kind of flimsy. She's only there because she wants to be.

During their final fight, Wolfwood lives on through Livio, through his actions and resolve. It is the teamwork between him and Razlo, in the spirit of Wolfwood, that eventually overpowers Elendira. Amusingly (at least to me), Livio is quite literally never alone, because he always has Razlo - and now, Wolfwood too.

"Yer too strong... and that's why yer gonna lose."

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Maximum Volume 13. Livio narrates over a shot of his eye, Razlo's eye, and finally, his whole face, with Wolfwood's final vial of serum between his teeth. "...to me... to Razlo... and to him." End ID.]

Elendira has succeeded in separating herself from everyone – she is the most powerful of the GHG, and every battle with her is basically one-sided – but she’s alone, and that’s not only why she loses… it’s also why we never get to know her in any meaningful way.

Because no one knows her. She has no personal connection with anyone. Her motivations never get any clarity. We don’t even know who did her modifications or how she gained her power. Even if she did have someone she cared for in the past, she apparently does not hold onto their memory. And maybe that's the reason she told the kids to bury Livio - not out of respect, but because to her, that is where the past belongs - dead and buried, soon to be joined by the rest of the world and humanity as it all comes to an end.

We never see Elendira’s story… because there is no one from whose eyes we can see it in any capacity.

[byghostface]

Hello! Nika fan here! Uhm, curious, as you seem like a Nika expert, how do you explain her personality as a character? 😅 Sorry, sounds stupid, but I really wanted to understand her more! Detailed or in simplistic form, I don't mind one or the other.

Hope you have a good day! Love your art! ❤️ 💀 ❤️

Hi there! Thanks for the question and take an interest in her!!^ ^♥️ (I tried to keep it simple but I keep adding details about her, so it has become a lengthy description, but you can scroll to the bottom I have the simplistic version of it)

Detailed version↓

I would say Nika is a quick wit, bold, resilient, stylish, rebellious, and very much an independent person. Sometimes a bit of a showgirl in her own playful theatrical way.

→Painting her face with skull makeup. Her trademark move by tearing people's hearts out. Presenting herself in distinctive outfits. Kneeling as a sign of respect when she first meets with people whom she holds long admiration for - Batman, her (past) mentor Lord Death Man. When she goes undercover with Damian in Gotham High, she shows up dressing to her own taste in clothes, even though he tells her to be inconspicuous.

"Sorry, I don't do inconspicuous."

Batman and Robin(2023)#8 -Artist: Nikola Čižmešija-

She tends to make silly nicknames for people, like throwing it in between conversations as a not-serious jab/comment: Damian- little birdie, Bruce- Daddy bat-brucks (reference Annie), Ra's Al Ghul- old fart😭(cus he is in ghost/spirit form, and properly bugging her for a while…)

The interests she has are drawing and opera. She also mentioned she's a K-pop stan, so I imagine she is interested in different ranges of music.

"—wander around an old folk's home and like… pick up painting or opera, y'know?"

Nika is an easygoing, open-minded and curious person (reads Damian's manga and talks to him about it). She's not very good at picking up social cues (saying death-related jokes at bad timing or it didn't land well) despite that, she still pays attention to what people are saying and observes people well (discuss the fighting skills of tournament fighters with Damian, and showing concern about Damian's injured arm).

"It's good. I like that it's a romance about an art school. But also about being competitive…"

And oftentimes she lives in her own head (obsesses with death and honing her newfound powers). It improves after she meets Damian and considers other possibilities in life other than death and killing.

"Life can be more than just being really good at killing people. You've proven that a few times."

Batman and Robin(2023)#7 -Artist: Simone Di Meo-

She likes to handle things at her own pace/plans and has the confidence in herself to do it correctly. So she has the bad habit of saying white lies or doesn't tell people the whole picture/exactly what she is trying to do.

Sometimes doing things head-on fearlessly because she has ambition and pride in herself (calls dibs on Damian's first match, keeps fighting in the death tournament attempt to gain victory, takes over Lord Death Man's empire, takes inspiration from Talia and makes a new outfit for herself).

When first met, people might find Nika quite rude/careless. Once you get to know her, she's just very straightforward and honest when expressing her feelings. She can be pretty brash, had short-tempered to people who are disrespectful/annoying to her.

"If you really are this badass that you think you are, you'll respect me."

Nika is a person of a free spirit with a strong will and motivation. She would follow reasonable orders/rules from ppl whom she respects, but she would get irritated when people tried to hold tight control over her and tell her what she should or shouldn't do, it might signal her that they don't trust/have faith in her (like her family). And if she feels like being overlooked/underwhelming, she tries to rebel and manage things on her own terms (run away from home to learn more about her powers, overthrow Lord Death Man, handle Mila's situation, go to Gotham to see Damian after his lack of contact/attention to her even though he calls her his girlfriend first).

Simplistic version (summary)↓

Prominent personality trait— Quick wit and easygoing, with a strong will and motivation. A confident, resilient, fashionable, and challenging person.

Hobby(so far)— Drawing, k-pop, opera.

Social ability— Tends to be playful, joking around with people, and likes to nickname them as a not-serious jab/comment. Mostly minding her own business, and not relying on other people much. Kind of a lone wolf who values her own time and effort.

Goals(so far)— Relying on her obsession with death to make sense of life. After the tournament and managing Lord Death Man's criminal empire she wants to slow down a bit to enjoy/explore her life.

With Damian— Playful, free talking and showing more emotions with him. Honest to him with times (resolved misunderstanding with him quickly). Likes his accompany a lot.

With (her older sister) Mila— a bit melancholy but not afraid to fight against her when she is being disrespectful/harmful.

And Ty for liking my art!!💝 I must say my portrayal of Nika still has some level of my preference/fanon in it (I love my art, but I'm not always satisfied with how I portray her within my ability). So take it with a grand of salt and give comics a try if you can! (For Nika, Robin2021, Lazarus planet: Next evolution, and Batman and Robin2023)

Have a great day anon, and thanks for reading!!🫶⚰️💀🦴♥️

[wozano]

I’d like to introduce my KNY oc, YUUKA‼️😋🥰

I made her back in 2023 so I need to tween just a few more things but heres some basic info!

Name: Yuuka Nao

Alias/Nickname: (None)

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Race/Species: Human

Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps

Rank/Position: Tsuchinoto (5)

Clothing/Outfit: Sleeveless demon slayer uniform paired with flared pants, (like Muichiro’s) white haori. Often wears tassel earrings (color changes frequently.)

Personality

General Personality Traits: Calm, soft-spoken, and obedient

Strengths: Survival skills, confidence, stealth, getting out of trouble

Weaknesses: Creativity, charisma, communication

Fears: Losing loved ones

Hobbies/Interests: Meditation, honing her skills

Motivations/Goals: Family.

Abilities and Skills

Breathing Style: Snow Breathing

Weapons: A pale blue nichirin blade as well as a small dagger

Fighting Style: defensive

Notable Relationships: Rosen (a friend’s oc) [Platonic, almost familial bond] Nezuko Kamado [Yuuka sees the girl as a little sister] Shinobu [Yuuka has been a visitor of the butterfly estate on many occasions for medical check ups]

Quotes: “If I am in a hard position maybe the universe would be so kind as to help me in my battles.”

Facts:

1. Instead of the usual Kusigai crow that most demon slayers get, Yuuka has an owl due to her homeland environment.

2. Her dagger was a gift from her father, she keeps it hidden on her and only Rosen (unfortunately) knows where it is.

3. Yuuka’s swordsmith is a really nice old man who insists on staying in the field.

4. Zenitsu proposed to Yuuka once. It was before he had met Tanjiro with Nezuko, and Yuuka would have accepted his proposal if Rosen hadn’t stopped her. (her reasoning as to yes was “no one has ever proposed to me before, don’t you usually say yes?”)

5. She knows Russian.

6. No one knows where Yuuka’s beliefs came from, no one in her family had such strong belief in the universe and fate as she does.

Heres all of her facts I managed to find

[fairytaleinagem]

currently dying of "creativity under my skin but no motivation in my soul" disease, anyways here's a short story and a new divider! testing smth out for my post aesthetics

TW: SMOKING (though not very detailed)

Despite the looming deadline of another report of Zenith's progress (both in skill and memory recovery), Andrei couldn't help but stop at the sound of laughter, raucous and echoing from one of the various rooms within the Training District. His brows furrowed. For once, he wanted to join in. To smoothly enter whatever conversation was happening and to laugh with others. Make them laugh, maybe. God, wouldn't that be a shift in energy? Something that many of the others say he lacks.

And that urge is probably why he found himself walking into a room, peeking around the corner to see those who were scheduled to tutor Zenith today; Aeva, Akina, and Marcelo. It was more likely that they volunteered—they were always around the kid, flocking around them like moths to a lamp. That, and their evident skill of melee and physical attacks. Zenith had yet to fully take down Marcelo, but they have proven themself to be a quick learner, lasting longer and longer each fight that was initiated. They might even be able to move up to Aeva's level soon.

"Researcher Andrei. Were we too loud again?" a flat voice snapped him out of his slight daze, and he found himself wondering when he had walked right up to the four, standing behind them with his arms crossed. Zenith stared at him, dark green eyes staring into his own green ones.

"Oh, Andrei! Didn't notice you were around the District! What's up, man?" Marcelo greeted, a toothy grin spreading across his face as he wrapped a slightly sweaty arm around his shoulders. He grimaced at the feeling of fabric being dampened by it, but he shook it off like he shrugged off Marcelo's arm.

"I was on my way to send in a report, but you seem particularly joyous today. Any reason for that?" he asks, raising an eyebrow, looking at Akina for an answer.

"Hah! We're just teaching Zen to axe throw! And suffice to say, they're doing a great job at it!" she exclaims, a sunny grin on her face. It matches Marcelo's, and soon Aeva's face begins to shine with a similarly bright smile.

"Hell yeah they are. Pretty sick at aiming, I'd say. Almost better than I am," Aeva said, punching Zenith's arm with a wink. A short, nervous chuckle leaves them, and Andrei could almost feel the sharp pain that definitely goes through their arm.

"Hm. Mind if you show me?"

A possible update to the report that was due soon—he was glad that he tends to write notes as he goes, he couldn't imagine the stress that would be coursing through his veins if he didn't.

Zenith nods, hefting an axe nearby with two hands, before walking a bit away from the group. They stand a few feet away from the target board, and a dense aura of immediate focus and calculation rippled throughout the air, entering Andrei's head. A familiar feeling.

"The use of a Special Skill?" he muttered, brows furrowing as he noted it down in the holographic report. This new development could help lead towards finding an identity match for Zenith—something the Conglomerate has been waiting on for weeks. Impatient bastards. It was also an update on their progress. Signs of a Special Skill could help progress them even further than they were originally! The four watched as the axe was thrown, landing directly in the middle.

Bullseye.

Aeva, Akina, and Marcelo cheered, rushing over to jostle the poor kid around. They cheered and laughed, much like they did earlier when he was merely passing by.

Despite his stable position as a researcher and Epitome within the Company, Andrei couldn't help but feel…hurt. Something inside him ached. His arms twitched as he barely suppressed the urge to jump on the four in a giant hug, no matter if three of them were much taller than he was. With clenched fists, he begins to back away. Back out of the room. Out of the identical white hallways that were beginning to become blurry, and out of the nearly never ending Training District entirely. By the time he stepped foot inside the Residential District, the ache had grown into something terrible. His lungs stuttered as he Flicked into his room, and he could barely feel the fabric of the bed that he fell into. There was no telling how long he laid there, eyes wide with an emotion that was entirely new to him. No. He knew what it was. What was it doing within him? Poisoning his mind, so quickly and quietly?

A dizzying sit-up later, he yanked the bedside drawer open, fingers fumbling as he nearly dropped the box of Vigorettes and lighter. He pulled a Vigorette out and lit it, inhaling the smoke as quickly as he could.  He nearly choked on it. The uncharacteristic panic smoothed out into a careless daze the longer he smoked.

Maybe this is why the others said he had no energy. It was all put into throwing away any feeling anything other than peace.

Only the faint purple light of the Vigorette flame and dark blue of the report lit up his room. He sent both away with a wave of a hand, before landing back into the soft pillows of his bed.

[pico-digital-studios]

If Benjamin were to use his ECHO ability on each member of the Funkin' Gang, what physical traits and/or abilities would he take on after copying them? Actually, on that note, how do you think he'd end up interacting with each of them?

Grace: Hey, guys! We got our first question.

Benjamin: Sweet! Now, let's see... @trocyte asks, "If Benjamin were to use his ECHO ability on each member of the Funkin' Gang, what physical traits and/or abilities would he take on after copying them? Actually, on that note, how do you think he'd end up interacting with each of them?"

Pico: Ah, yeah, that situation. I remember now.

Benjamin: Yeah. I joined the fight with them after the Funkin' Society's boss tried to apprehend me before. My trip through the Funkinverse helped me see about another counterpart of me that also has the ECHO ability, but let's see... If I was replicating Salty's powers, I imagine my hair would briefly change to white, and I guess I could turn invisible or shoot electricity?

Grace: I remember hearing that Brooke has this ability to phase into arcade cabinets and take on a different form when he did so. I'd say Benjamin could do that if he could ECHO that ability.

Benjamin: That said, I just hope I won't have to worry about Sinnoh coming for me if I go into the wrong cabinet...

ErrorSky: What about Toon BF?

Benjamin: Ah, yeah. ECHOing him would definitely give me cartoon properties for a little bit, which would help with avoiding fatal attacks.

Pico: And to be fair, I'm not sure if Aloe really can be ECHOed, what with her being a succubus and all.

Benjamin: Yeah. Of course, I wouldn't want to ECHO the Funkin' Gang without their explicit permission, considering several, including the guys and girls I allied with, have fairly similar power outlets. That said, of course, it'd be interesting to see how Boom does her hardware interfacing.

Grace: I imagine that's down to her being a robot, with that AUX cord she has.

Pico: On the topic of that, considering she used to be with the Funkin' Society before defecting, how did it go getting Softie, Neo and B3 into defecting Cam's ways?

Benjamin: The audience out there won't know for sure on their end with the "canon" continuity, considering Beyond the Spider-Verse is yet to release in cinemas, but from our end, B3 seemed to leave on his own volition after seeing how rage-induced Cam can get. Neo/Leo switched sides after his GF managed to convince him to stand down, and when Softie was reunited with his Pico, those -friends he had helped through therapy were inspired and followed suit.

ErrorSky: Man, he must've really helped out a lot of fellow -friends with their struggles, huh?

Benjamin: Yeah. And he genuinely happened to enjoy doing it, too! Well, save for one particular case he couldn't work his head around.

ErrorSky: If there's one thing we can agree on between Softies, it's that the Fairests absolutely STINK!

Grace: Too right! Even MY parents have done better for me than they've EVER done for him.

Benjamin: So, back to the question at hand, if MIX BF or B-Bot had allowed me to ECHO them, I'd imagine I'd gain their sharpshooting skills and, in B-Bot's case, the ability to utilise further Copy Abilities from Rock's lineup.

Grace: We'd better see if we can get the Gang's opinion on this concept later.

Benjamin: In general, of course, I'd say I've gotten on very well with the Funkin' Gang during our time together. Our general motive of defying destiny and doing the right thing for the multiverse is what bonded both our respective groups together, and I wasn't gonna let innocent lives be claimed by a failed theory.

Pico: Heh, looks like me accidentally causing your creation AND helping defy your fated death at Ultra M's hands rubbed off on you.

Benjamin: Heh, yeah. Thanks for your help back there, Pico.

M: Yeah. I got a happier ending thanks to you guys.

ErrorSky: Huh? Did your cap just talk, Benji?

Benjamin: Heh, yeah. M's pretty much become my Cappy after me and her put Xenophanes to rights the other day.

ErrorSky: Hehe, awesome!

Benjamin: What about you, Sky? How'd you get on with other Skys out there in the multiverse?

ErrorSky: Well, simply put, I respect them all, despite some of their issues. Well, except for Miko. She's an absolute internet jerk.

Pico: Well, there you have it, trocyte! Thanks for the debate!

Benjamin: Oh! And as quick clarity, the MIX Boyfriend I was with wasn't the same one as the one in the Funkin' Society. I was with an alternate counterpart of him.

[yoyogiboysareclueless]

Some character bios for Ballad of Snow

Characters:

Jeremy Fleur:

Age: 19

Eyes: Blue Grey

Height: 5',11"

Fur: Navy Grey

The main character who gets sent into Suite through a portal in a pond. A wolf who rather have a better life but constantly works half-assed to get by. He's not great at being romantic and usually stays single because he's awkward. His personality isn't very bright either, he's very "follows suit" but turns around and complains about doing the same thing and doesn't put effort to change it. His sense of adventure is binging a video game till he goes back to work. His muscles are built from his job of moving crates, squatting down to read inventory on lower shelves, and lifting over 150lbs of stock.

Cain Hollis:

Age: 25

Eyes: Blue green

Height: 6',3"

Fur: Rusty Orange and Biege

A wolf dressed as a Nutcracker, he doesn’t take kindly to the outsider but, he rather have someone who enjoys his company instead of being mocked by his brothers. He's seen death and has caused it as well. While traveling, he wishes to see the beauty of his home before everything became a war zone. He wants to be something that died out a long time ago. His dream was to be a Nutcracker, a soldier of his own rank, brings joy, and creates sweets of his heart. Everyone however looks down on someone who is a soldier of a made up rank and a mock of military officers. This has turned him into just a man who dresses up as a joke and kills his enemy of his land.

Red Frostfir:

Age: 30

Eyes: Amber

Height: 6',7"

Scales: Smoky Grey

A baker dragon of passion. His kind-heart is often overshadowed by his affection. He wishes to bake a cake for his own wedding and feed it to his lover as a true gift of love. His name is for the red heat of love he puts into his crafts (also his favorite flavor is cinnamon which is normally colored red). A bachelor who lost everything to war and tyrants but, he keeps his past a secret to not give into the sorrow that seeps into the world he bakes for.

Theo Yullik:

Age: 21

Eyes: Green

Height: 5',10"

Fur: Baking Bread brown

A dog knight who doesn't like the Nutcracker and believes that he's a joke and an insult to officers of battle. He fights for Yular under the rule of Queen Sugarfrost. His loyalty unwavering to his queen, the one who gave him a reason to fight. His personality is complex because he wishes to create peace throughout the land but, his hatred towards the Nutcracker clouds his judgment after learning that the joke has done more good than any true soldier.

Aaron Trifular:

Age: 20

Eyes: Amber

Height: 6',0"

Hair: Rusted Copper

A human servant that's willing to help in any way he can but most of the time he messes up and creates a bigger mess. The queen of Yular took pity on him because of his quirks and allows him to do the one thing he's good at, cleaning. He cleans rooms and does reorganize the library very slowly. His combat skills are decent due to everyone needing to learn to defend the kingdom from any threat but, he rather just stick to cleaning and reorganizing the library as a surprise for the queen for her kindness.

Queen Sugarfrost:

Eyes: Sapphire-blue

Height: 5',9"

Hair: Blue and white

The queen of Yular, one of the three standing kingdoms. Her kingdom is full of sugarsnow, icing, ice cream, frosting, and sugarplum fairies. Very few can stand the chill of the place that's why it hasn't had an attack from the 7-headed mouse king. Her personality isn't as cold as her kingdom and welcomes any help that happens to come. Her motto is "We need any help that is against that rat, so we accept you with open arms."

Lord Chocelat:

Eyes: Chocolate brown

Height: 6',4"

Hair: Gold and Dark brown

The Lord of Chelote who is under the rule of the 7-headed mouse king. He creates bitter chocolate creatures to help aid the mouse king speed up his plan of complete rule of Suite. He doesn't question his King's motives or intentions, he only manipulates his words to give his King more intentions for power.

[burglar-bird]

I’ve wondered this for a pretty long time, but I’m not sure if I ever actually asked you. If I already asked this once, I’m really sorry

I have a theory and I was wondering what you thought of it (for no other reason than that I really like your fics)

I think that Iroh deliberately didn’t teach Zuko more advanced katas because he didn’t want Zuko to be a threat or to have to hurt him if Iroh and the white lotus ever chose to go against Ozai (and Zuko sided with Ozai)

I think this because it doesn’t make sense to me how Iroh didn’t seem to ever doubt Zuko’s capabilities particularly regarding Zuko fighting Zhao (and Zhao is probably good because he’s more experienced and has a high rank)

Iroh also taught Zuko lightning redirection and I presume he knows that Zuko would, knowing the technique, rather try it out than dodge (so it would’ve been dangerous to teach him if Iroh thought he couldn’t do it)

Additionally, Zuko had the time, motivation, and determination to practice every day so it doesn’t make sense that he trained his whole life basically and that even after 3 years non-stop training he didn’t have the basics down even though he’s regarded as a good firebender (compared with normal firebenders)

So I’m curious, what do you think about this theory?

Sorry this ask is so long :)

That's a really cool theory! I think it depends how you interpret Iroh. A lot of what he does doesn't make tons of sense, so the audience can read into it as they will.

Personally, I can see a more manipulative Iroh nerfing Zuko, but there's also a lot of sense in sticking to the basics when learning any skill. "Fear not the man that's practiced 1000 techniques once, but the man who's practiced one technique 1000 times."

Or, as my sifu says, "if all you know how to do is to poke someone in the eye, if you get in a fight sooner or later you'll end up poking them in the eye."

Zuko has those basic moves so ingrained in him that he can take out people who prefer more advanced techniques (Zhao). It even helps him keep up with Azula when they fight; he may not know as much as her bending wise, but their fights are always close, which is pretty amazing.

So, whether or not Iroh had ulterior motives, practicing those beginning techniques works well for Zuko in the long run in my opinion. :)

[uzumaki-rebellion]

Now that I’ve seen the move...

I’m reading so many hot takes on Twitter regarding Talokan fighting with Wakanda. The worst are people saying Shuri isn’t good enough to be BP because she doesn’t have the skills... completely forgetting she made all the suits/tech, fought alongside the soldiers and her brother, and guided a shitty CIA op to help them in the middle of fighting during the last move. Fuck outta here. Shuri held her own. That mantle belonged to her.

Spoilers ahead...

The other take I found funny (and ignorant to the reality of the WF worldbuilding) was folks mad that Wakandans were getting their ass beat by Namor’s people. #1 Namor told them people he had more Talokanil than Wakanda had blades of grass, and #2, imagine an entire nation filled with the properties of the heart-shaped herb in their DNA. Every Talokanil has the strength and healing powers of the BP, and only the BP is blessed with that compared to regular Wakandans. So unless Shuri is going to mass produce 3D printed herb for everyone in her nation, the Wakandans were going to get washed fighting Namor and ‘nem.

For my own two cents, I ain’t mad at Namor for doing what he said he was going to do to protect his people. This man saw first hand how colonizers act. Witnessed the brutal changes in real time for 500 years. He is not going to fuck around with Wakandans who have lived secure in a bubble all their lives. The climate, oceans, and marine life are already suffering due to colonizers neglectful/selfish behavior, so of course he’s going to come hard to keep his people hidden and keep white folks from getting his vibranium deposit. He held out an olive branch with centuries of experience backing him as a ruler of his people. Ramonda messed up by not heeding his warning. She of all people already knew how these white folks were acting with her (that whole UN scene showed the treachery of the French and their American ally--The CIA). For her to not recognize a powerful ally to keep her own people safe too was a political and tactical error on her part. You got through a technologically advanced nation’s security system? Bay-bee, we about to sit down and talk in a diplomatic way first.

Namor had every right to clap back even if that meant taking out Wakanda first, (Ramonda included). Sucks for Wakanda and Shuri, but again, this is a man who has lived through the worst of white nonsense (unlike Wakanda whose only bad thing ever experienced was T’Chaka being killed). He knows where it will lead if they are discovered again because history backs him up. An old head is not about to have a repeat of these bitches coming for their people and resources once more. Shuri recognized that when she asked to go to Talokan (she wasn’t kidnapped, RiRi was.) Namor heard her talking to her mother before, that’s why he was willing to allow her into Talokan... the only surface dweller to ever go there.  

Now I’m not a fan of fridging characters to motivate other characters to act on something or grow their arc (especially if the character is male and the fridged is female--an old tired trope), but I decided to let Ryan Coogler tell the story he wanted to tell because of all the stuff he went through with the cast to get this film made. I hope people don’t lose track that White supremacy/White Imperialism/Capitalist bullshit is the root cause of everything in that movie. Ross and his people being the main villains. (Ross will stay on the hook because he knows what the CIA is all about and he perpetuates their violence with a milqtueoast appearance making people think he is a cute/nice ally. He isn’t. He represents the White Supremacist machine fully. Any dude once married to Val is just like her. Some of the most racist people (co-workers) I have ever met were nice, helpful, and pleasant-looking, but did horrendous non-violent things to perpetuate white supremacy when no one was looking.

People can go back and forth all they want about whether Ramonda sacrificed herself, or Namor killed her. I mean, both things can be true. He caused the water sinkhole she jumped into to save RiRi where she drowned. We can also argue that Nakia didn’t have to kill those two women in Talokan even though she was there to save two other women, but she did what she needed to do in that moment to protect a loved one. Again, white supremacy and the white military industrial complex started all this shit. They used a Black girl genius’s invention in the hopes of extracting a resource they would use to exploit Black and Brown folks globally. Namor came back to tap that ass. I can’t be mad at him too much. War sucks for everyone. He said what he said. Ramonda dismissed it.

Of course, my thoughts are based on a one time viewing of the film. I saw the first one 7 times (might’ve been 8, lol!), so I may have to do more viewings later as things I missed the first time will come to my attention. Heck, I may change my mind on some things later. For now, whew...the takes are all over the place regarding Shuri.

[missnobodymadness]

I've been wanting to introduce Aisha here for a while but considering that my OC introductions never really go well I kept procrastinating...well, I decided that I have all the right to talk about my babies here and my mental health and enjoyment should always be more important than notes, so I am gonna be who I am today and do what I like even if no one is there to read it, so here is Aisha's introduction, along with some backstory that I already wrote for her profile on TH.

Introduction

“Whenever a scientist finds a cure to something, companies will take advantage of them and sell it to you for the price of your soul, lives weren’t meant to have a price tag, you can’t play God and decide who is gonna live based on who is wearing Prada and that’s what motivates me to keep fighting for a world where science and technology will become a right instead of a luxury” Name: Aisha Fraser (Aisha Fraser Stark after marriage) Meaning: Alive, Well Alias: Hell's Bane or 69676 Date of Birth: 9, May, 2009 Age: 21+ Zodiac: Taurus Gender: Female Pronouns: She/Her Orientation: Pansexual Species: Human (Modified) MBTI: ENFJ Status: Alive More posts about her: Aishamcuoc

Appearance

Height: 5'7" (170cm) Weight: 161lbs (73kg) Skin: White Eyes: Blue Hair: Ginger (Natural); Fiery red (After modifications) Scars/Birth marks/Tattoos: Freckles, a beauty spot on the side of her mouth and a tattoo with her lab name "69676" on the back of her neck, a few non important small scars from the experiments Special features: She has built-in real black wings that come out of a cavity on her back

Relationships

Biological Family

Mother: Unknown scottish woman Father: Unknown scottish man Siblings: None Partner: Tony Stark (Married) Children: Ryan, David, Nelson, Mathew ♰, Lennon ♰, Aron ♰, Henry ♰ and Morgan Other family: None

Other relationships:

Wonderland Circus family (Found Family, they are background OCs) Natasha Romanoff (Best Friend) Wade Wilson (Close Friend, they have some tea like two old ladies while being the most sassy bitches together everytime they meet 8) ) Sam Wilson (Annoying friend that she wants to kick) Bucky Barnes (Friend) Happy Hogan (Good friends, they eat hamburgers together while Tony is not watching, shhh) T'Challa (Good friend, mutual respect) Thor (Friends, he had a small crush on her when they met) Baron Zemo (One night stand lover) Peter Parker (Sees him as a son even thought she wishs she could kick his ass sometimes too) Nick Fury (Confidant)

Occupation & Abilities

Powers/Skills: Fire creation and manipulation, slightly physically stronger than an average human and has wings that allow her to fly, they are real wings and she avoids using them because they are a weakness to her Weaknesses: Her wings, her hair (it let's her enemies know when s he is hurt, her hair changes color according to her status, if she is hurt her red hair will turn into a greyish white, the amount of white hair tells you how badly hurt she is, for example, if she is dying, her hair will be fully white), close combat Equipment: She usually doesn't use anything other than technology, such as suits or technological tools that enhance her powers and skills Job: Science and engineering Affiliation: Avengers Former affiliation: Hydra (As an infiltrator)

Personality

Positive Traits

✔ Extremely intelligent ✔ Independent ✔ Social ✔ Wise ✔ Empathetic ✔ Hardworking

Negative Traits

X Insecure X  Sassy X  Clumsy X Perfectionist X  Forgetful X  Disobedient

Likes: Her family and friends, technology, science, politics, mutants, helping people Dislikes: Cheaters, injustice, hate crimes, mainly towards minorities, shallow and closed-minded people

Backstory

Aisha (Aka Hell’s Bane or 69676) is a very intelligent genetically modified human, she was sold to the organization Leviathan by her own parents, who had close ties to them, when she was only a few months old.

Leviathan is a secret european organization based in Scotland, they have an illegal and hidden laboratory in Portland, Oregon, USA, to where Aisha was sent.

Since then she has been used and modified by the organization, she was nothing more than a weapon in progress and her life was resumed to that for the first 20 years of her life, until the day she was able to escape, burning the laboratory down along with everyone in it, even the innocent ones.

Their project wasn’t completed yet, which means she is considered as an incomplete experiment. With the death of their leader and most important members, who were there when everything happened, the organization collapsed, only a few workers were left and most of them only wanted to go home as they were also victims.

Aisha went through a really hard time after that event, she felt lost and could barely communicate with people due to her lack of social skills, as a fast learner she was able to hunt for food and fend for herself, staying hidden at the Willamette national forest. Sometimes she would adventure into the city of Portland and try to interact, as time passed by Aisha finally learned some social skills.

It wouldn’t take long before she met her future first friends, they belonged to a travelling circus who was currently staying at the city, they were all extremely nice to her and made her feel welcome, some time later she had an idea that would change her life once again, she could use and control fire and a circus would be the perfect place for her to hide and go unnoticed, after all who would suspect she was actually creating and controlling the fire? She could always use a mask as well, no one would ever know who she was during her exhibitions. Maybe they would take her in and let her travel around with them?

Aisha started practicing a few tricks daily and once she finally felt ready, decided to show them what she was able to do and was successful in impressing them with her supposed talent, she got what she wanted, an invitation to join their circus and Aisha was totally ready for that wild trip!

Some months passed and she had learned so much about the world, finally feeling free and like herself for the first time, social skills weren’t a problem for her anymore, in fact, she found out she was quite the communicative type.

They had just arrived in New York, well, most precisely the suburbs, when Aisha found out about the Avengers, she was quite curious about them, mainly about the one named Tony Stark, she had this weird attraction to technology and couldn’t avoid her curiosity. Aisha got inspired and started to create her own cape and mask so she could hide her identity, tracking their activity the best way she could at the moment, she was able to help them whenever she saw they needed it really bad, Aisha had no fight skills but she surely could impress with her fire and wings, so she was quite useful to distract their opponents when everything seemed to be lost for the Avengers.

Eventually she never showed her face, but they could see her blue eyes through the mask, she became a mystery to them and she would always get away before they could even talk to her, until the day things were way more serious than she could’ve imagined and Aisha was knocked out while trying to helplessly help Sam and Natasha who were currently fighting alone, some minutes later Tony Stark showed up and they were able to overcome the situation, but Aisha was still out, they captured her and took her to the tower where she eventually woke up some time later, she had no idea where she was and started to freak out when she noticed she was literally locked inside that room, the Avengers couldn’t risk any danger.

Tony Stark couldn’t help himself, his curiosity was screaming, he needed to know more about what she was and why she helped them several times, Stark studied her for a few days, Aisha wasn’t happy, she didn’t fight for her freedom only to see it being taken away from her again, but she wasn’t dumb, she knew she couldn’t get away the way she did at the laboratory, the room was fireproof and she didn’t really want to hurt any of them either, so she allowed Tony to keep going with his studies and meanwhile they got to know each other a bit better, but what really caught his attention was her intelligence and apparent interest, maybe even passion, for technology and eventually they realized that keeping her locked in a room wasn’t necessary and was making her miserable, she wasn’t a threat at all and not having any stimulation was driving her intelligent mind crazy.

Aisha didn’t think twice before running away, her friends were probably very worried and looking for her and she needed to let them know what has happened and where she had been and so she spent some more time with them while they stayed at New York, however, on the last day at the city, Aisha started to feel very unsure if she really belonged there, she couldn’t even tell them who she really was, how would they understand? How would they take the news once they realize she has no talent and the fire was created by herself all this time? She loved them, they were her family, but did she really belong with them? She wanted to do great things, she wanted to learn a bit of everything and dedicate her life to what she truly loved: Technology.

She would never be able to do that with them, she would just perform fire tricks for the rest of her life, Aisha knew, deep down, that she didn’t belong and so, she decided to part with them and stay at the tower where she knew she was also welcome.

With all the technology on her side, Aisha decided to start her own research and projects, catching Tony’s attention once again who later offered her a place at his laboratory as his apprentice, she was happy to get such privilege and worked hard to impress him and he wasn’t disappointed and later she became an official S.H.I.E.L.D adviser.

Aisha started to be successful with her work and became really popular for her ideas and creations, getting the spotlight on several magazines and scientific journals, little did she know such popularity would turn into a big problem for her.

The spotlight made Hydra notice Aisha and lately find out about who and what she really was, targeting her, especially after Aisha was able to get into their database later on, they wanted her, she would be way more useful to them alive than dead and they knew exactly how to make her behave but they also knew it wouldn’t be easy to fool her, some force would certainly be needed, they also planned to finish what Leviathan had started.

Unfortunately for Hydra, Aisha was no idiot and after successfully escaping from their first try she had started to think of a plan just in case they’d be successful someday, she had read enough articles to know they weren’t gonna stop coming for her and by the time they were finally able to capture her she already had traced one, it wasn’t a easy one, Aisha knew she would need to sacrifice a lot for it and that they wouldn’t go easy on her, she had studied Hydra so well lately that she was pretty aware of how things would work there, she was terrified but she would not give up, she would fool and take advantage of them and they wouldn’t even realize that!

And Aisha did exactly that, she made them believe she was under their control while she gathered information and learned how to fight, they surely weren’t soft with her, but Aisha was used to the pain and she knew it was for a greater good, however, slowly she started to realize she would probably carry a few physical and psychological scars with her from her experience with Hydra.

Tony was the only one who she told about her plans and that also brought him some trouble with the Avengers, she had asked him to not look for her in case she was successfully but how would Tony make sure the rest of them wouldn’t try to rescue her? After all not rescuing her sounded extremely absurd to them.

Okay, this is enough spoiler for now, her story is REALLY long. :'D

Trivia

. Aisha has a very intelligent mind and is very prone to boredoom and frustration, as such, she is always in need of something to keep her stimulated. . Before running away from the Leviathan laboratory, she was learning a few useful languages so she could do her job properly, she learned german and russian with them. . Aisha has a very sassy and sarcastic nature and while some find it amusing, others may find it annoying, her nickname at the tower is actually "sassy pants" because of that. . She has black wings on her back, they come out through a big cavity that she has on her back, on both sides, that goes from the shoulder to her waist, her wings are extremely sensitive and she usually doesn't allow people to touch them. . Aisha is a feminist and when she finally gets famous and rich, she decides to build a safe place for women who are victims of domestic violence, she has helped many people to rebuild their lives, she loves people and wants them all to have the same chance she once had to rebuild hers.

Both artworks on here were made on Picrew. (1,2)

[creative-bananas]

HOTEL LAXARTE

Synopsis 

The story takes place in a remote hotel where our protagonist is taking a vacation after his retirement. This is supposed to be a sweet and relaxing vacation but suddenly a horrifying accident happened! A famous good-natured business tycoon is found brutally chopped into pieces with multiple bruises around his body. Who is the killer and what is the motive for his brutish death?

Character Profile : 

Benjamin "Ben" White - A good-natured business tycoon who loves interacting with people. He mouses his skills in talking so that he can gain more friends to play and talk to. He is also a womanizer. He is found brutally chopped in his bathroom.

Cathy Zegarra - A beautiful blonde woman who is Benjamin’s secretary. She is very sophisticated and many men are fighting to claim her for themselves. She has an unknown background. 

Gwaine Tyrell - A very loud and extroverted 17-year old boy who loves crime books. He is considered as one of the types of people that will make you happy and laugh when you see him. Thomas is kind of fond of him because of his stories especially about murders. He is the first person who sees the body when he goes to Benjamin's room because the man promised that he will give him one of the limited edition Sherlock Holmes books. 

Wade Shepherd - One of Benjamin's competitors. He despised Benjamin because he knew what was happening behind the man's toothy grins. One of the major suspects. 

Dr. Corlys Lannister - Benjamin's doctor. He is a timid person. He is always standing behind Benjamin because he thinks that anytime something bad will happen to his patient.

Setting

Hotel Laxarte is located in Berlin, Germany. It was built in 1925 where it was a difficult and unstable time for Germany. As well as having to come to terms with the Treaty of Versailles' punishments, it was a time of invasion, economic decline, rebellions but also a huge growth in cultural freedoms and political rights. Despite the economic decline, Hotel Laxarte is one of the most famous hotel for all aristocrats in that time. Many tourists are still fascinated by the country and use the hotel as their temporary staying place. 

The hotel has almost 500 rooms, and all of them have a bathroom where the guests can shower themselves. It has a lobby, recreational room, restaurant, swimming pool and many more facilities where the guests can relax themselves. The hotel was deemed as a grand hotel until in the late 80s. The Berlin wall fell and many grand hotels opened. The great Hotel Laxarte had been deserted and almost all of its patrons left it. The bustling crowd before became quiet. Our main character, Thomas Callahan, decided to celebrate his retirement in this once grand hotel. But something unexpected happened. 

Time 

Year 1990 

January

Morning

Scene 1 : 

(the sound of heavy and fast footsteps)

[Gwaine is running, panicking about what he just saw earlier]

GWAINE: (knocks heavily) Mr. Thomas! Mr. Thomas! 

[Mr. Thomas on the other side just woke up because of the noise; Gwaine’s knocking and calling can still be heard in the background]

MR. THOMAS: Ugh, It’s still early in the morning and I didn't order any service! What is that noise all about? (says angrily)

[Mr. Thomas opens the door; reveals Gwaine]

MR. THOMAS: You’re Gwaine Tyrell, right? What brings your ineffable enthusiasm here, early in the morning? My ears are all yours for your new ideas. I admit that I enjoyed our topic the other day, but I think that this is too early for that conversation.

GWAINE: Now is not the perfect timing, Mr. Thomas. I know you’re already retired, but I saw Mr. Benjamin White in his room, dead. (says in a slow voice yet with conviction)

[The two hurriedly went to Benjamin’s room]

MR. THOMAS: You saw the body? 

GWAINE: Yes, I was going to meet with Mr. Benjamin as he promised to give me a Sherlock Holmes Boo—

(loud scream from the hotel staff)

[Mr. Thomas and Gwaine entered the room, the neighboring rooms also heard the scream and gets out]

CATHY: Oh my god~ (while bawling and covering her mouth)

[Cathy is crying]

(The room was filled with crying and the sound of murmurs; and puking in disgust) WADE: This is so brutal. They whipped and chopped his body? I can’t take this.  (immediately goes to the door to left the room, while gagging)

CATHY: Whoever did this is a demon. A normal person cannot do this brutality. Can someone please cover this body? I do not want to see it again. I don’t think I can have a good sleep after seeing a mutilated body. What if something like this happens to us too? (shaking) I want to go home. (sobbing)

[Dr, Lannister goes to Cathy’s side and hugs her tightly to comfort her.]

Dr. LANNISTER: We should catch this criminal. We can’t let him get loose or else we are the ones who are going to suffer. I remember you Mr. Wade having an argument with Mr. Benjamin last night. Maybe it was you who did this murder? 

[They are all looking at Wade with skepticism] WADE: That is a high accusation good sir, I have you know that I could sue you for that, I'm a man of high class, I know not of this brutality.

DR.LANNISTER: Who knows? [Dr, Lannister supported Cathy to walk and turn away from them. A subtle smirk can be seen while he is walking out of the room.]

Scene 2 : 

[Mr. Thomas get his phone from his pocket to call police and 112]

112: Hello!! 112 speaking! What's your emergency? 

Thomas: Hello 112, This is Thomas Callahan, retired police officer, There is a murder happened here at Hotel Laxarte. Can you give us an ambulance here as soon as possible?

112: Don't worry sir! I have noted your emergency, but I do not think that our team will be there soon because the snow is blocking the road!!

Thomas: That is so unfortunate to hear. Don’t you think there is another way to get here as soon as possible? People are panicking and scared of what might happen. 

112 : I am sorry sir but there is no chance of escaping this snow especially when a snowstorm is going on. We are doing our best to get there as soon as possible but while we are not there, please put the body in another room and lock it. I will contact you immediately if the snow blocking the road is lifted. 

Thomas: Thank you and please contact me quickly before something terrible happens again. (ended the call and put his cellphone on his pants’ pocket)

[Mr. Thomas don't have a choice but to sit there and ask the people around the victim]

Thomas: Alright everyone! I am going to interrogate you one by one. Mr. Wade, I will question you first. Let’s go to my room. 

[Both of them entered the room. Thomas closed the door and invited Mr. Wade sat in the chair. He poured coffee in a mug and offered it to the man. Mr. Wade gladly accepted the coffee. 

Thomas: So Mr. Wade, first of all can you tell me what are you doing in this hotel and what’s your connection with the victim? 

Wade: I visited this hotel because I loved visiting famous places and one of my employees told me about this place where I can relax and one of the famous hotels back then. You see Mr. Thomas, places like this have history . For example, this hotel is one of the grand places where all aristocrats stayed. It survived World War 1 and 2. This building is rich in history and I loved listening and learning about them. I just did not expect that old prick Benjamin would be here also. That person is my competitor and the one who stole one of my companies that is very special to me. That company has a sentimental value to me because that is my first business where I poured my blood, sweat and tears and that prick will just steal it from me like it was nothing.  (his voice is shaky because of anger and he keeps on rubbing his hands like he is washing it)

Thomas: I understand Mr. Wade. Dr. Lannister mentioned a while ago that you and the victim had an argument last night? Can you tell me what was the reason for this argument? 

Wade: Benjamin talked shit about my company, saying that it is just a waste of money and it doesn’t worth a thing. That made me angry and I lost control. I punched him and that’s all. (the rubbing of his hands is getting stronger and Thomas noticed it)

Thomas: Are you sure that’s the only thing you did? Can you tell me your alibi and who can prove it? And you are rubbing your hands strongly, why is that?

Wade: Oh this? (look at his hands and stop rubbing) This is nothing. Just my habit and Yes, I am his competitor and yes, I wanted to kill him so badly, but it doesn't mean that I would do that to him, I still have morals and dignity, unlike him. He is a sadistic person who kills people for amusement. I was just in my room the whole time. The door is locked so no one can prove it. 

Thomas: Can you please tell me about the “killing for amusement” you have said about Mr, Benjamin? Wade: This is just a rumor but some people in his company said that he saw Benjamin shoot a woman naked in the garage of his company. That woman is a daughter of a small company owner. They said that Benjamin did it because the parents of the woman don’t want to sell the company to Benjamin. It is all messed up and I do not want to talk about it. Are we done here? This is getting too long. I have to contact my investors.

Thomas: Okay, you can go now Mr. Wade. 

[Wade left the room smiling bitterly]

Scene 3 :

[Thomas goes to the lobby and calls Cathy. Cathy is shocked and nervous but Dr. Lannister comforts her. Cathy and Thomas went to the previous room and commenced the interrogation again.]

[While Thomas and Cathy are in the interrogation room, a fight breaks out between Dr. Lannister and Wade]

Dr. Lannister:  THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL, WE ARE GOING TO BELIEVE ON SUCH STATEMENT!  You must be the one who brutally killed Mr. Benjamin. We all witnessed how hard you punch him last night

Wade: Oh really? You are brave to accuse someone like me! Don’t act like you do not have a motive to kill that man. I know all the things he has done to you!

Dr. Lannister: You—

[Thomas left the room and interferes]

Thomas: Both of you calm your horses down, we can't just accuse each other of being a murderer without any concrete evidence that proves they killed Benjamin or whatsoever, the thing we could do for now is find the real culprit of this mess before this goes out of hand, and to do that we are continuing the interrogation on each of you so we could move forward.

[Dr. Lannister and Wade just stare at each other angrily and seated again on the chair]

Thomas: Now, if you can excuse me, I have an ongoing interview with Ms. Cathy so please shut your mouths. 

[Thomas goes back to the room]

Thomas: Sorry for that Ms. Cathy. Where did we leave again?

Cathy: It’s alright, Mr. Thomas. We left on what am I doing in this hotel and what is my connection to Benjamin. 

Thomas: Alright, please continue.

Cathy: Okay. Just like what I have said before, I am Mr. Benjamin’s secretary and I came with him here in the hotel to do my duties as his secretary. 

Thomas: Good. Did Mr. Benjamin did something unspeakable to you or did he offend you in some ways? And I want to know where are you last night while the murder is taking place. 

Cathy: No, he did not do anything to offend me. (shifts uncomfortably and starts to clung on her skirt) I was laying on my bed in my room and I didn't hear anything suspicious. The only thing that I heard is the bell ringing, saying that it's already 3am. 

[Thomas noticed the change in her attitude but he doesn't want to press further because he already guessed what happened between them]

Thomas: It is fine now Ms. Cathy, you can leave now. 

Cathy: Can I ask you a question Mr. Thomas?

Thomas: Yes, it is fine with me. 

Cathy: How about you Mr. Thomas care to share your own statement before the accident occurred? 

[Thomas is mildly shocked with the question because he didn’t expect someone will ask him this question in his entire life] 

Thomas: Well, I was in my room the entire time and the room  doesn't have extra doors nor a window for doing shady things like being involved in this mess, I was just here to relax to celebrate my retirement and suddenly I was brought up here because of this accident. Also, I can testify that I haven’t known Mr. Benjamin throughout my life. 

[Cathy seems satisfied with his answer and left the room]

[Thomas looked at the door and slouched on the couch while drinking coffee. He doesn’t expect that he will be mixed up with a terrible event that will affect his long-awaited retirement] 

Scene 4 : 

[Thomas got out of the room and asked for Dr. Lannister but Wade interrupted him]

Wade: Well what about that Gwaine? Doesn't he sound suspicious at all?

[Gwaine is shocked that his name got tangled in the mess and tried to stand up for himself] 

Gwaine: My good sir, I can assure you that I have not been involved in this gruesome murder. I am only 17 years old and a body like mine can not have the strength to chop off someone, especially with Mr. Benjamin’s size.

[The others agreed with him and looked ridiculously at Wade]

Wade: What? There are serial killers who are younger than him. Everything was possible. (slightly embarrassed with his ridiculous idea)

Cathy; Alright Gwaine’s out but don't butt in too much Gwaine this is for the adults to handle.

Gwaine: I can’t promise you that madam because I'm still going to do my best to help solve this case.

Thomas: So the one left here is only you, Dr. Lannister. Please go to my room so that we can start the interrogation.

Scene 5 : 

[The two entered the room]

THOMAS : So, Dr. Lannister, why are you here in the hotel and what is your connection with the victim?

DR.LANNISTER: I am Benjamin’s personal doctor and I came along with him in this hotel to assure that he will take his medicines just like what I have said. 

THOMAS: All right Dr. Lannister. So my next question is what did you do last night?

DR. LANNISTER : I am in Benjamin's room because I forgot to tell him about the opium that should be taken after he eats. I think it is already 1 in the morning. Then I left and went to my room to sleep. But I can’t sleep so I just go to my balcony to smoke. Then I went back to my bedroom and fell asleep. I just woke up when I heard Cathy’s screams and hurried to look at the scene. (he fixed the button  in his shirt)

[Thomas saw a glimpse of a large scar on Dr. Lannister’s chest]

THOMAS: Dr. Lannister please take off your shirt. 

DR. LANNISTER: Excuse me?

THOMAS: I just saw a large scar in your chest and I want to check it. 

[Dr. Lannister is shocked at what he hears and immediately looks down in his chest. He tried to hide it again but Thomas’ stern gaze made him nervous and uncomfortable so he took off his shirt.

THOMAS: Where did you get this scar? It looks like a recent wound. 

DR.LANNISTER: (winced lightly)  The truth is Mr. Benjamin is not the good guy that everyone talks about and admires. I got this wound yesterday from a whip that Mr. Benjamin used to hit me. He did it because I forgot to give him the medicines he wanted. But most times, he only uses it to make fun of me and punish me even though I haven’t done anything wrong. That asshole deserves what happened to him. I bet everyone is secretly relieved that he is finally dead. (angrily shouting) 

[Thomas looked at the man pitifully because of his sorry state. His thin body full of scars by getting whipped without a reason angered him. But he reminds himself but murder is not the answer for things like this]

THOMAS: I am very sorry to hear what happened to you Dr. Lannister. But we should remember that murder is still bad, whatever the reasons are. You can now leave. 

[Dr. Lannister left the room]

Scene 6 : 

[Thomas goes to the lobby] 

Mr. Thomas: I think that’s enough for now. Everybody should stay in their own rooms for now, before anything bad happens again. 

[Mr. Thomas walking to his room]

[Gwaine following him] Gwaine: Mr. Thomas! [Mr. Thomas turns around]. Please let me know if I could be of help. I really want to take part in solving this case. 

In Mr. Thomas’ mind: This kid’s ability is not a joke, though he’s been annoying and nosy,  I think he could really help solve this mystery. 

Mr. Thomas: Sure, Gwaine. This case is not an easy one; you and your great mind can be a really great help. Let’s go back to Mr. White’s room to gather more evidence.

[Thomas and Gwaine looked at Mr. Benjamin’s room. The body is now covered with blanket but the smell of the rotting body doubled. The two can’t take the smell and put handkerchiefs in their noses.] In Mr. Thomas’ mind: The whip marks of Dr. Lannister are similar to the ones in Mr. White’s body. But that is not possible at all because that means that the person who whipped Benjamin and Dr. Lannister are the same. But Dr. Lannister said that Benjamin is the one who whipped him. Something is not right.  Dr. Lannister was on the balcony, smoking. Considering the time duration and the weather, staying out on the balcony for a long time will not be possible since it's very cold outside, especially last night because of the snow storm. This case is getting weirder. It feels like many people are involved in this case.

[Thomas shoved his hand in his pocket and lighted his cigarette while thinking]

Scene 7 :

GAWAINE: Uh wait! (put his pointing finger to the temple of his forehead while remembering something)

THOMAS: What? (raised his left eyebrow)

GWAINE: Cathy told me that not all rooms have a bell, and even if there is a bell, it’s too far away to be heard by anybody unless you’re staying near the bell.

THOMAS: What is the sense of having a bell? (a moment of pause) Wait— (a face of enlightenment can be seen in Thomas’ face)

GWAINE: Mr. Thomas, the rooms are all soundproof in this hotel because war and rebellion is often happening in the era when they built this. So we can conclude that Cathy’s alibi is a lie and she is in Mr. Benjamin’s room because you can see and hear the church bell in his window. 

THOMAS: That is absolutely brilliant Gwaine! (claps loudly) I am glad that you are here to help. (tapping Gwaine’s shoulders happily) Dr. Lannister and Cathy’s alibis have holes in it so we can assume that they are part of this murder.  Alright, let’s go, we'll search the weapon the killer used to chop up Ben’s body.

GWAINE: I think the killer uses an ax knife to chop the body because the way Mr. Benjamin is chopped is similar to the way animals are chopped. 

THOMAS: Oh? And how did you know that? (looks at Gwaine suspiciously)

GWAINE: I grew up on a farm, Mr. Thomas. My whole life I have been surrounded by animals and butchers. So I know the pattern between knives and everything they cut into.

THOMAS: Hmm is that so? Okay I understand but I don’t think the ax knife is used here. Where do you think the killer obtained it, if that is what they used?

GWAINE: Maybe that weapon was buried under the heaps of snow?

THOMAS: (deeply thinking) Crap! I remember something. [Thomas is rapidly heading to the basement and Gwaine runs next to him]

THOMAS: Aha! I am not wrong, it's here.

GWAINE: (looking around and figuring out what Thomas is talking about) What are you talking about?

THOMAS: [Pointed the ax knife below the table]

GWAINE: H-how did this happen? (visibly shocked that he started to shake)

THOMAS: Happened, what? (doubting to Gwaine’s reaction)

GWAINE: I mean, how did you  know that there’s an ax here?

THOMAS: Of course, I made a tour by myself the day that I arrived here and saw two axes when I went here in the basement.

GWAINE: Oh, I see. (walks towards the drawer and opens the first layer) so glad that there are gloves here.

THOMAS: Give me one pair, I’ll bring the ax with me. (Gwaine gave him a pair of glove)

GWAINE: So, in conclusion, the killer used an ax knife since you said that there were two axes here, but obviously we just found one ax right now.

THOMAS: Very well said. (Thomas put on his gloves and began to leave the basement together with the ax)

GWAINE: What will you do with the ax?

THOMAS: I will use it as bait to our killers. The game is afoot Mr. Tyrell.  

Scene 8 

Thomas: Everyone I got news to tell, let's gather at the lobby, because I've figured out who's the one responsible for all of this. (Serious)

[Indistinct chatter]

Hotel staff: Come on!! Tell us who's the one responsible for all of this!! 

[All the people at the lobby agreed to one of the hotel staff]

Thomas: We've identified the object that the killer used to kill Mr. Benjamin (Everyone was shocked and Gwaine stepped in with an axe inside a plastic) we've recovered this evidence from the heaps of the snow.

[Indistinct chatter]

Thomas: Dr. Lannister and Cathy!! I've examined both of your testament regarding where were you when this act of crime happened.

Dr. Lannister: What was it Mr. Thomas? (he starts fidgeting and cracking his knuckles)

Cathy: Is everything alright Mr. Thomas? (nervous and tiny tone)

Thomas: Once again I would like the both of you to clarify your statements regarding your whereabouts when the gruesome act of murder took place.

[The both tremble in fear]

Dr. Lannister: Is there anything wrong with my statement Mr. Thomas (his pacing starts getting fast)

Cathay: There must be something wrong right? I mean how could you suspect us even after knowing our statements  (starts biting her nails)

Thomas: Calm down the both of you. I am not even saying anything yet, but with that kind of reaction it seems that somehow you both are related to this, and we are about to unfold whether your claims are of truth or not.

[Cathy suddenly collapses on the ground and Dr. Lannister immediately catch her]

Dr. Lannister: Honey! (goes to her immediately and starts to tap her cheeks lightly. Cathy starts to cry loudly)

Cathy: Ah-I didn't want t-to do this (starts gripping her hair) That man told us that everything will go perfect (gripping her hair strongly and starts to flail around) Ah-I was just ordered by man to chop Benjamin's body. He said that he deserves to be chopped because of what he did to me, to us. I didn’t do anything wrong (starts laughing like a maniac)

[Dr. Lannister just looked at the woman that he loved the most with soulless eyes. He wants to cry because of the miserable things they have gone through.]

Dr.Lannister : I do not regret chopping his body. I even tried to feed his body to the wolves but the snow prevented my plan. That man didn’t deserve to live. He will die and burn in hell to eternity.

[Dr. Lannister suddenly laughed like a crazy madman. At the same time, the policeman and the ambulance that Mr. Thomas called just arrived]

[Police and ambulance siren]

[Dr. Lannister and Cathy was taken by the police while others just looked at them with shock and pity]

Scene 9 : 

THOMAS : I want to thank you Gwaine for your outstanding performance. Without you, this case will drag for so long. Your wit is a very big help to me. (he extended his hands to shake it with Gwaine)

GWAINE : Oh it was nothing Mr. Thomas. I am just glad that I could use my mind to help you. (shakes Thomas’ hand)

[Thomas saw Gwaine's right hand had what seemed to be a recent whip wound.]

THOMAS : What happened to your hand? Where did you get it? That looks like a (pause; a concerning look) whip mark (in a small voice)

[Gwaine is surprised and while answering, he immediately covered it]

GWAINE : Before heading to the hotel, I was wounded. It is not a whip mark (laughing) I don't even know how to handle it. 

THOMAS : Oh okay! I understand (Thomas left)

[Thomas suddenly starts doubting the 17-year-old teenager. He goes back to the crime scene and he was shocked that the limited-edition Sherlock Holmes book that Gwaine wants to borrow doesn’t exist]

THOMAS : I remembered Cathy saying that some man ordered them to chop Benjamin’s body. I thought that she was just using this as an excuse but after examining what happened here. I can assume that Gwaine, a young man who possessed a brilliant mind,  can be the only person who directed this brutal murder case. But what is his reason? Why did he kill Benjamin? I cannot believe that some teenager just fooled me. Guessing the whip marks on his hand are the result from the whip, I can deduce that he is the one who whipped Benjamin but because of his inexperience, he is also wounded. 

[The door opened and closed quietly. Gwaine is now looking at Mr. Thomas with dark cold eyes that looks like a predator who is ready to kill his victim]

GWAINE : That is an amazing deduction Mr. Thomas (slowly claps) I cannot believe that someone like you is in the police force. All people there are either stupid or doesn’t have any guts to do their job properly.

[Thomas is surprised by the sudden voice of Gwaine echoing in the room. He looked immediately at him and got goosebumps on how cold he looked. It is really different from the young man who smiles brightly at him from the day he arrived at this hotel]

THOMAS : I need an explanation from you about why you do all of this. I trusted you. 

[Gwaine laughed in a very scary but broken way and started to tell his backstory.]

Scene 10 :

Gwaine : (laughs maniacally) Well Mr. Thomas, I guess you should not trust strangers so easily, especially from an innocent looking young boy. You know, the thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. Anyways, you asked why did I constructed a plan to execute a murder of Benjamin White? 

It’s just simple. He deserved to die after what he did to my precious older sister. That man ruined my entire life by killing the only person in this world who cares about me. After learning that asshole raped and shoot my sister, I was enraged. I was blinded by anger and guilt because I am not there to protect her. My parents committed suicide after learning that their favorite daughter and heir is killed, not caring about their other son who will be left and live as an orphan for the rest of his life. 

[Gwaine inhales sharply and sits on the bed cross-legged. He look so pained after remembering the events that he badly wanted to bury in his mind]

I proceeded to spy and learn everything about him, including his victims. After a lot of research, I decided to convince Cathy Zegarra, the woman who is forced to be his secretary because her family is taken hostage by his people and Dr. Corlys Lannister, the abused doctor of Benjamin and the secret husband of Cathy, to help him kill the man.

[Gwaine dramatically sighs but a single tear glistened in his cheeks]

So what did you think Mr. Thomas? Is it tragic? Do you think I deserved what happened to me? Do you still think that Benjamin should be alive after what happened? Are you one of those people who says that justice is fair and everything must be punished? WHERE WERE ALL OF YOU WHEN MY SISTER IS SUFFERING UNDER THE CLAWS OF THAT MONSTER? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN ALL OF BENJAMIN'S VICTIMS ARE SUFFERING IN SILENCE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE AUTHORITIES WILL JUST SIDE THE MAN WHO IS ABLE TO GIVE THEM LARGE AMOUNT OF BRIBE TO KEEP THEIR MOUTH SHUT? 

Justice is not always served especially to the people who didn't have the ability to pay handsome bribes for the authorities that should be the one protecting them. 

Thomas : (struggling to speak) Uhm…I must say, I am speechless and I am giving my heartfelt condolences for what your family and the other victims of Benjamin experienced but still, why didn't you tell me sooner? If you told me, maybe I can get some of my close contacts to investigate and arrest him. 

Gwaine : (laughs dryly) Are you really that naive Mr. Thomas? You've worked as a police officer for 20 years and you still didn't know how the police system works? I am sure that they will just brush you off or maybe they will just try to silence you, either by bribing or killing you. No one can go against this monster, and only by killing him will end this plague. 

[Thomas can't think of anything to say and just stayed quiet because deep inside he knew that Gwaine was right. No one can go against a rich and famous business man even do he did many evil deeds that no one can count)]

Gwaine: If you haven't anything to say, I will just leave here immediately. My revenge is done and I hope that monster's soul will slowly burn in hell. 

Thomas : Wait Gwaine, do not leave! You still have to face the consequences of your actions! Everything will be alright, just come with me.

Gwaine : No! I know you really are a kind man and have respectable values but that isn't enough for me. I don't see the need to face the consequences of what I have done when what I just did is to get rid of an evil being in this world. I am glad to have met and worked with you Mr. Thomas. Till the next day we meet again! 

[Gwaine jumped from the window, hoping to escape but instead of a soft snow, he landed on steel fences where his entire body got impaled. Thomas looked at the boy’s body pitifully and he suddenly noticed a small smile on the boy’s face.]

Thomas : So that’s what he is aiming for huh? He confessed what he did and jumped to his death. He doesn’t want to face the consequences for something he believes is right. I guess that he really just wanted to avenge her precious older sister.

[Thomas just looked at the black sky and lighted his cigarette, realizing how his most awaited vacation turned into a nightmare that he will never forget]

THE END.

[fitz202]

What It Means To Write

For most of my life, I've permanently moved along with the flow of things, never pushing outside my limit or minimum effort unless the subject of interest truly engaged me. Politics, human morality, racism, the economy, and even sports little to no interest in the news or mainstream media got me into the flow others seemed so accustomed to. This flaw in my code is something I truly regret and find coming back to me in small doses from time to time, reflecting a past I care not to remember, a past where I did not engage myself with the activities of my peers. The difference between these far too-frequent moments and the rare number of times I used to employ my skills and motivation as a young man for others can be related to many young men and women growing up aimlessly through high school to college.

It did not come to me until late into my second year at Duquesne University that I had found something special. In my youth, I developed a particularly stubborn love for fishing whenever and wherever my family and I would travel. From the West Coast to the East Coast, I can't remember any time I left home without a hook in line in hand. This dates back to late 2014 when my family took a trip up the Adirondacks for a weekend at some cozy little cabin in Lake Placid. Our stay was not on the lake or deep in the woods. No, our Cabin was a comfortable, moderately expensive, air-conditioned, and lamented series of timber on a small pond overlooking outlets of stores and amusement for tourists traveling through the area. The pond was the only thing that mattered to me, and that was the older kids fishing on the bank. I still remember walking up to them, net and line in hand, throwing fish after fish into at least six large buckets. I'm not talking minnows either; I'm talking large-mouth bass and pike; these kids looked like gods in my eyes, racking up fish only to catch what seemed like another two buckets or more, not even a moment after. For the first time, I felt like I wanted something. Maybe it was the ambiance and scenery of the natural world beauty cut out for me at the campground, but something clicked.

So with my shitty twenty-dollar fishing pole, which my parents had bought for me at the nearby gift shop, and a styrofoam box full of dirt and squirming worms, I began my quest to catch a fish. At first, I was ecstatic waking up on the last day of our weekend trip bright and early, the morning dew from the night's light rain still clinging to the red oak logs of our Cabin. I grabbed my pole and my worms and ran to the shore. I was ready to fish, and no one and nothing was going to stop me. Casting my line out onto the pond amid the lilies and reeds, I eagerly awaited my first bite. The world around me during this moment became a blur of bug bites and estranged bird calls mixed with the occasional snack or tickle fight from my pesky little sister. Regardless, I remained on that bank for hours, resetting my line and baiting my crappy little hook. My excitement sadly had turned into bitter disappointment, my mother explaining that it was probably just that the fish had moved on and that the kids from the day before had scared away my quarry.

At the time, I believed her and sulked in defeat back to the creature comfort of our Cabin, ice cream, and cheeseburgers, awaiting my saddened return. As I walked up the cheap ivory-white steps of the Cabin, I remember thinking how stupid I must have looked just sitting next to a pond, casting a line and worm onto the water only to pull in nothing but weeds. I would have never touched a fishing rod again until a particular sight of surprise entered my Cabin's view as the older kids from the day before had chosen to take up their rods once again and fish just before sunset. I thought to myself smugly good luck and took up a seat my mother had offered, promising the soon-to-be ice cream and burgers on the small pine amber-stained table before me. I watched them cast their lines and was prepared to wait for a notion of our shared disappointment but was shocked to see once again the kids rack in the fish. Something in me snapped; maybe it was some primal notion of competition or pride or some stupid childish rage, but at that moment, I decided that I would not leave this pond until I caught a fish.

It just so happened that at that exact moment, it started to rain. Regardless, I stomped down to the pond and acted coy with the kids, catching fish after fish beside me. Hour once again passed, and the rain continued to pour, regardless of the encroaching darkness or that lack of or even a hint of fish. I remember my parents watching me from the Cabin, which was only a few feet away, drink Budlight and one of my mom's newest local IPAs. I was drenched so severely that I can still remember the feeling of my socks smooshing between my shoes and pruning up my dogs. I waited on that pond until exactly midnight before finally my pole moved, and after a short tug on the line, I realized I had caught something.

Less than two minutes later, I pulled up my first large-mouth bass and lifted the not even two-foot-long fish into the air triumphantly. I will never forget this moment in my life because it was the first time I felt motivated to accomplish something worth any amount of time and effort. This is my staple in my writing and any passion whatsoever: work for your catch. It wasn't long before I adopted fiction as my next fishing trip and fished up a list of fiction novels and media: Jurassic Park, Destiny, and Alien. It wasn't until college that I figured out why not fish for something new to chase a passion. This joy is a consistent part of my life and a lifestyle I would wish to adopt; regardless of where I go in my academics, I want to make at least one person think wow, that was quite the story.

[dani-the-mark]

A Slept-On Review: WWE Smackdown 10/21/22

Shaemus vs Solo Sakai

An impressive start. The Bloodline and Solo especially could easily run over anyone and call that a storyline. Instead, they are letting Shaemus and the Brawling Brutes get airtime and show that they are in fact skilled fighters. Sheamus kicks out multiple times, and even lands a White Noise with an injured shoulder. It’s even implied that if he had not tried to get revenge for the Usos burying the Brutes under the announce table, he may not have lost. I also like how even though they aren't in a full feud, they can put on a convincing fight. I prefer my storylines not to be in a vacuum. 

Bray Wyatt Backstage 

I need to talk to the audio manager because the music was way too loud. I could not hear his first few sentences properly. However, I could hear the gravel in his voice, which was enough to at least keep trying. In short, he expresses that he is ready and willing to cause pain.

"I'm just a servant now. I go where the circle takes me."

A servant to who exactly? I’m guessing the masked man, who many have penned Mr. Howdy. I really hope that’s not his name, but it had been copyrighted, so it’s someone’s name. We also have a QR code later in the night which leads to a psychology report for Bray, implying psychopathic/antisocial tendencies. So, I’m guessing we’re either going for a psychopath/D.I.D. angle with the Wyatt 6. I’m wary that they can do that right, based on previous angles (Eugene and AJ Lee, for example) dealing with mental health conditions, but for now, I’m going to put my faith in HHH to do this right. 

Other Backstage Segments 

Imperium and Rey meet up and decide to set up a match between Rey and Ludwig for later that night. It’s not a terrible way to set something up, but not what I expected 

We get a glimpse of the Bloodline, sans Roman, with Sami wisely advising the Usos to “not engage Logan Paul”, which is simply the best life advice anyone can give.

Ronda is backstage, and establishes herself as a full heel. The fans do not like her, despite her “talent”, so she will no longer try to please them. A great heel motivation, if she did in fact have championship-level skill. She establishes an open challenge for the title next week “when (she) wants”.

Drew McIntyre is interviewed and reveals that he is challenging Karrion Kross to a Steel Cage Match at Crown Jewel for the first match on that card I’m actually excited for. 

Lastly, LDF y la Reina! Zelina looks straight out of Queen of the Damned, and that’s frankly all that needs to be paid attention to. They establish themselves as a threat, specifically, as they continue to go after Hit Row. 

Liv Morgan vs Sonya Deville

This seemed like a match set up almost exclusively to ease Liv more into her “losing her mind” angle. She goes ballistic with slaps to the point where she’s able to knock Sonya to the ground. The fight spills out of the ring and ends rather quickly with a double count-out. Here, I think she’s making it clear that it's not about winning anymore. She’s just angry and wants to use that to hit people. Her ring gear is even reminiscent of Suicide Squad Harley Quinn for added effect. She even continues after the match to Superplex Sonya onto a set of chairs. Mixed with Bray’s promo from earlier in the night, I’m believing that she will be a member of his stable even more. She’s already showing the exact same motivations and spirit. 

Braun Strowman Promo

Braun calls out Omos to challenge him but is met with MVP. MVP still accepts the challenge, which felt unnecessary. Yes, Omos is supposed to be this literal “larger than everyone” force, but I still don’t see why he needs someone to speak for him. 

Damage CTRL vs Raquel Rodriquez and Shotzi 

Shotzi is still getting better! The Sin Cara curse is lifting! Dakota sold like a champ and could’ve convinced me she was knocked unconscious by one of Shotzi’s bumps. Later in the match, Iyo flips Raquel on her head with a DDT from the top rope which was physically painful to watch in the best way. As tag team matches like to do, all participants end up fighting, and Raquel drops Dakota on a pin, breaking it up. It was a cool idea, but not the best execution. Dakota seemed confused for just a little too long on what she was supposed to be doing, rather than the landing itself breaking the pin, which I think would have looked much smoother. Iyo hits a Moonsault to end it. Commentary, seemingly unintentionally, gives Damage CTRL the perfect catchphrase: “...might be illegal, but the ref didn't see it”.

Ludwig vs Rey Mysterio

I had to rewatch this match because shortly before we got ANOTHER QR CODE (which I mentioned earlier) and that took all my focus into decoding. Ludwig immediately puts Rey in a headlock, but quickly moves into interchanging offense. There are multiple pin attempts and Eddie Guerrero references, popping the crowd. I feel the references are sweet and meaningful, but I’m getting a little less affected by them when Rey is pulling them out in every match recently. 

Logan Paul Promo 

Logan Paul shows up and I, once again, do not care. He talks about how brave and great he is for a little while, and Jey appears to beat the shit out of him. At this point, I began to care, if for no other reason than to watch Logan get jumped. Logan is able to land a punch on Jey, immediately knocking him out. Commentary described it as “lucky”, but I would describe it as “bad”.

[ladyloveandjustice]

well, got dragged to see the doctor strange movie, due to my mom wanting to see every movie and wanting me to ‘explain’ it to her and I love her or whatever, and can confidently say that was the worst movie I’ve seen all year, and possibly  in the last five years.

made me really want to see everything everywhere ect again though.

[missmentelle]

Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things

If you’ve been paying attention for the last couple of years, you might have noticed that the world has a bit of a misinformation problem. 

The problem isn’t just with the recent election conspiracies, either. The last couple of years has brought us the rise (and occasionally fall) of misinformation-based movements like:

Sandy Hook conspiracies

Gamergate

Pizzagate

The MRA/incel/MGTOW movements

anti-vaxxers

flat-earthers

the birther movement

the Illuminati 

climate change denial

Spygate

Holocaust denial 

COVID-19 denial 

5G panic 

QAnon 

But why do people believe this stuff?

It would be easy - too easy - to say that people fall for this stuff because they’re stupid. We all want to believe that smart people like us are immune from being taken in by deranged conspiracies. But it’s just not that simple. People from all walks of life are going down these rabbit holes - people with degrees and professional careers and rich lives have fallen for these theories, leaving their loved ones baffled. Decades-long relationships have splintered this year, as the number of people flocking to these conspiracies out of nowhere reaches a fever pitch. 

So why do smart people start believing some incredibly stupid things? It’s because:

Our brains are built to identify patterns. 

Our brains fucking love puzzles and patterns. This is a well-known phenomenon called apophenia, and at one point, it was probably helpful for our survival - the prehistoric human who noticed patterns in things like animal migration, plant life cycles and the movement of the stars was probably a lot more likely to survive than the human who couldn’t figure out how to use natural clues to navigate or find food. 

The problem, though, is that we can’t really turn this off. Even when we’re presented with completely random data, we’ll see patterns. We see patterns in everything, even when there’s no pattern there. This is why people see Jesus in a burnt piece of toast or get superstitious about hockey playoffs or insist on always playing at a certain slot machine - our brains look for patterns in the constant barrage of random information in our daily lives, and insist that those patterns are really there, even when they’re completely imagined. 

A lot of conspiracy theories have their roots in people making connections between things that aren’t really connected. The belief that “vaccines cause autism” was bolstered by the fact that the first recognizable symptoms of autism happen to appear at roughly the same time that children receive one of their rounds of childhood immunizations - the two things are completely unconnected, but our brains have a hard time letting go of the pattern they see there. Likewise, many people were quick to latch on to the fact that early maps of COVID infections were extremely similar to maps of 5G coverage -  the fact that there’s a reasonable explanation for this (major cities are more likely to have both high COVID cases AND 5G networks) doesn’t change the fact that our brains just really, really want to see a connection there. 

Our brains love proportionality. 

Specifically, our brains like effects to be directly proportional to their causes - in other words, we like it when big events have big causes, and small causes only lead to small events. It’s uncomfortable for us when the reverse is true. And so anytime we feel like a “big” event (celebrity death, global pandemic, your precious child is diagnosed with autism) has a small or unsatisfying cause (car accident, pandemics just sort of happen every few decades, people just get autism sometimes), we sometimes feel the need to start looking around for the bigger, more sinister, “true” cause of that event. 

Consider, for instance, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot four times by a Turkish member of a known Italian paramilitary secret society who’d recently escaped from prison - on the surface, it seems like the sort of thing conspiracy theorists salivate over, seeing how it was an actual multinational conspiracy. But they never had much interest in the assassination attempt. Why? Because the Pope didn’t die. He recovered from his injuries and went right back to Pope-ing. The event didn’t have a serious outcome, and so people are content with the idea that one extremist carried it out. The death of Princess Diana, however, has been fertile ground for conspiracy theories; even though a woman dying in a car accident is less weird than a man being shot four times by a paid political assassin, her death has attracted more conspiracy theories because it had a bigger outcome. A princess dying in a car accident doesn’t feel big enough. It’s unsatisfying. We want such a monumentous moment in history to have a bigger, more interesting cause. 

These theories prey on pre-existing fear and anger. 

Are you a terrified new parent who wants the best for their child and feels anxious about having them injected with a substance you don’t totally understand? Congrats, you’re a prime target for the anti-vaccine movement. Are you a young white male who doesn’t like seeing more and more games aimed at women and minorities, and is worried that “your” gaming culture is being stolen from you? You might have been very interested in something called Gamergate. Are you a right-wing white person who worries that “your” country and way of life is being stolen by immigrants, non-Christians and coastal liberals? You’re going to love the “all left-wingers are Satantic pedo baby-eaters” messaging of QAnon. 

Misinformation and conspiracy theories are often aimed strategically at the anxieties and fears that people are already experiencing. No one likes being told that their fears are insane or irrational; it’s not hard to see why people gravitate towards communities that say “yes, you were right all along, and everyone who told you that you were nuts to be worried about this is just a dumb sheep. We believe you, and we have evidence that you were right along, right here.” Fear is a powerful motivator, and you can make people believe and do some pretty extreme things if you just keep telling them “yes, that thing you’re afraid of is true, but also it’s way worse than you could have ever imagined.”

Real information is often complicated, hard to understand, and inherently unsatisfying. 

The information that comes from the scientific community is often very frustrating for a layperson; we want science to have hard-and-fast answers, but it doesn’t. The closest you get to a straight answer is often “it depends” or “we don’t know, but we think X might be likely”. Understanding the results of a scientific study with any confidence requires knowing about sampling practices, error types, effect sizes, confidence intervals and publishing biases. Even asking a simple question like “is X bad for my child” will usually get you a complicated, uncertain answer - in most cases, it really just depends. Not understanding complex topics makes people afraid - it makes it hard to trust that they’re being given the right information, and that they’re making the right choices. 

Conspiracy theories and misinformation, on the other hand, are often simple, and they are certain. Vaccines bad. Natural things good. 5G bad. Organic food good. The reason girls won’t date you isn’t a complex combination of your social skills, hygiene, appearance, projected values, personal circumstances, degree of extroversion, luck and life phase - girls won’t date you because feminism is bad, and if we got rid of feminism you’d have a girlfriend. The reason Donald Trump was an unpopular president wasn’t a complex combination of his public bigotry, lack of decorum, lack of qualifications, open incompetence, nepotism, corruption, loss of soft power, refusal to uphold the basic responsibilities of his position or his constant lying - they hated him because he was fighting a secret sex cult and they’re all in it. 

Instead of making you feel stupid because you’re overwhelmed with complex information, expert opinions and uncertain advice, conspiracy theories make you feel smart - smarter, in fact, than everyone who doesn’t believe in them. And that’s a powerful thing for people living in a credential-heavy world. 

Many conspiracy theories are unfalsifiable. 

It is very difficult to prove a negative. If I tell you, for instance, that there’s no such thing as a purple swan, it would be very difficult for me to actually prove that to you - I could spend the rest of my life photographing swans and looking for swans and talking to people who know a lot about swans, and yet the slim possibility would still exist that there was a purple swan out there somewhere that I just hadn’t found yet. That’s why, in most circumstances, the burden of proof lies with the person making the extraordinary claim - if you tell me that purple swans exist, we should continue to assume that they don’t until you actually produce a purple swan. 

Conspiracy theories, however, are built so that it’s nearly impossible to “prove” them wrong. Is there any proof that the world’s top-ranking politicians and celebrities are all in a giant child sex trafficking cult? No. But can you prove that they aren’t in a child sex-trafficking cult? No, not really. Even if I, again, spent the rest of my life investigating celebrities and following celebrities and talking to people who know celebrities, I still couldn’t definitely prove that this cult doesn’t exist - there’s always a chance that the specific celebrities I’ve investigated just aren’t in the cult (but other ones are!) or that they’re hiding evidence of the cult even better than we think. Lack of evidence for a conspiracy theory is always treated as more evidence for the theory - we can’t find anything because this goes even higher up than we think! They’re even more sophisticated at hiding this than we thought! People deeply entrenched in these theories don’t even realize that they are stuck in a circular loop where everything seems to prove their theory right - they just see a mountain of “evidence” for their side. 

Our brains are very attached to information that we “learned” by ourselves.

Learning accurate information is not a particularly interactive or exciting experience. An expert or reliable source just presents the information to you in its entirety, you read or watch the information, and that’s the end of it. You can look for more information or look for clarification of something, but it’s a one-way street - the information is just laid out for you, you take what you need, end of story. 

Conspiracy theories, on the other hand, almost never show their hand all at once. They drop little breadcrumbs of information that slowly lead you where they want you to go. This is why conspiracy theorists are forever telling you to “do your research” - they know that if they tell you everything at once, you won’t believe them. Instead, they want you to indoctrinate yourself slowly over time, by taking the little hints they give you and running off to find or invent evidence that matches that clue. If I tell you that celebrities often wear symbols that identify them as part of a cult and that you should “do your research” about it, you can absolutely find evidence that substantiates my claim - there are literally millions of photos of celebrities out there, and anyone who looks hard enough is guaranteed to find common shapes, poses and themes that might just mean something (they don’t - eyes and triangles are incredibly common design elements, and if I took enough pictures of you, I could also “prove” that you also clearly display symbols that signal you’re in the cult). 

The fact that you “found” the evidence on your own, however, makes it more meaningful to you. We trust ourselves, and we trust that the patterns we uncover by ourselves are true. It doesn’t feel like you’re being fed misinformation - it feels like you’ve discovered an important truth that “they” didn’t want you to find, and you’ll hang onto that for dear life. 

Older people have not learned to be media-literate in a digital world. 

Fifty years ago, not just anyone could access popular media. All of this stuff had a huge barrier to entry - if you wanted to be on TV or be in the papers or have a radio show, you had to be a professional affiliated with a major media brand. Consumers didn’t have easy access to niche communities or alternative information - your sources of information were basically your local paper, the nightly news, and your morning radio show, and they all more or less agreed on the same set of facts. For decades, if it looked official and it appeared in print, you could probably trust that it was true. 

Of course, we live in a very different world today - today, any asshole can accumulate an audience of millions, even if they have no credentials and nothing they say is actually true (like “The Food Babe”, a blogger with no credentials in medicine, nutrition, health sciences, biology or chemistry who peddles health misinformation to the 3 million people who visit her blog every month). It’s very tough for older people (and some younger people) to get their heads around the fact that it’s very easy to create an “official-looking” news source, and that they can’t necessarily trust everything they find on the internet. When you combine that with a tendency toward “clickbait headlines” that often misrepresent the information in the article, you have a generation struggling to determine who they can trust in a media landscape that doesn’t at all resemble the media landscape they once knew. 

These beliefs become a part of someone’s identity. 

A person doesn’t tell you that they believe in anti-vaxx information - they tell you that they ARE an anti-vaxxer. Likewise, people will tell you that they ARE a flat-earther, a birther, or a Gamergater. By design, these beliefs are not meant to be something you have a casual relationship with, like your opinion of pizza toppings or how much you trust local weather forecasts - they are meant to form a core part of your identity. 

And once something becomes a core part of your identity, trying to make you stop believing it becomes almost impossible. Once we’ve formed an initial impression of something, facts just don’t change our minds. If you identify as an antivaxxer and I present evidence that disproves your beliefs, in your mind, I’m not correcting inaccurate information - I am launching a very personal attack against a core part of who you are. In fact, the more evidence I present, the more you will burrow down into your antivaxx beliefs, more confident than ever that you are right. Admitting that you are wrong about something that is important to you is painful, and your brain would prefer to simply deflect conflicting information rather than subject you to that pain.

We can see this at work with something called the confirmation bias. Simply put, once we believe something, our brains hold on to all evidence that that belief is true, and ignore evidence that it’s false. If I show you 100 articles that disprove your pet theory and 3 articles that confirm it, you’ll cling to those 3 articles and forget about the rest. Even if I show you nothing but articles that disprove your theory, you’ll likely go through them and pick out any ambiguous or conflicting information as evidence for “your side”, even if the conclusion of the article shows that you are wrong - our brains simply care about feeling right more than they care about what is actually true.  

There is a strong community aspect to these theories. 

There is no one quite as supportive or as understanding as a conspiracy theorist - provided, of course, that you believe in the same conspiracy theories that they do. People who start looking into these conspiracy theories are told that they aren’t crazy, and that their fears are totally valid. They’re told that the people in their lives who doubted them were just brainwashed sheep, but that they’ve finally found a community of people who get where they’re coming from. Whenever they report back to the group with the “evidence” they’ve found or the new elaborations on the conspiracy theory that they’ve been thinking of (“what if it’s even worse than we thought??”), they are given praise for their valuable contributions. These conspiracy groups often become important parts of people’s social networks - they can spend hours every day talking with like-minded people from these communities and sharing their ideas. 

Of course, the flipside of this is that anyone who starts to doubt or move away from the conspiracy immediately loses that community and social support. People who have broken away from antivaxx and QAnon often say that the hardest part of leaving was losing the community and friendships they’d built - not necessarily giving up on the theory itself. Many people are rejected by their real-life friends and family once they start to get entrenched in conspiracy theories; the friendships they build online in the course of researching these theories often become the only social supports they have left, and losing those supports means having no one to turn to at all. This is by design - the threat of losing your community has kept people trapped in abusive religious sects and cults for as long as those things have existed. 

[caprica99]

Shadow and Bone rant, because I need it

Shadow and Bone has some incredible potential, both the books and the show, but neither actually lives up to it.

Alina could have been interesting. Cartographer is a rare profession for fictional characters, but in the books/show she's just a beginner (at 17/20 it's understandable). Make her at least 25 with 9 years of experience in the army, give her a promotion with subordinates she's responsible for and you would get a more interesting character who saw some serious shit in the army, acts like a soldier, and knows responsibility. (And maybe wants to stop the war at all cost, utilizing the Fold maybe.*wink, wink*)

It bothered me that we never saw her using cartography this profession that makes her unique for reaching her goals. In the show, she has dreams about the stag. It would have been interesting to see HER figuring out the whereabouts of the stag by using the stag's surroundings like mountains, specific types of trees, topography, etc. Work smarter, not harder.

Diana Bishop suffers from the same passiveness in the first book of the All Souls trilogy, but she actively uses her science historian background and those passages are the most interesting parts of her POV. Alina's interest in drawing and geography would give her a unique personality, and made her relatable to many (see ADoW and history nerds). Many YA heroines have a specific and useful skillset: Katniss-archery, Clary Fray-drawing, etc. Sadly, her entire personality is running away with Mal.

Mal's character feels pointless to me. The story depicts an oppressed minority group with special powers, and their struggles in the world, the heroine and the antagonist are both part of the said minority group, and he's constantly shown to be a bigot against the Grisha, so what makes him so important to the plot? His tracking skills? Give the job to a no-name tracker and I wouldn't miss him.

At least the show made him more likable, but Archie and Jessie still lack romantic chemistry. However his chemistry with his friends Mikhail and Dubrov was spot on, I really liked it. They showed life as a simple otkazat'sya soldier on the front, and their death was painful to watch. I thought that his friend's death would make a bigger impact on Mal, him wanting to get revenge on the fjerdans and end the war at all cost, and saying that maybe Kirigan's plan actually makes sense would make an interesting narrative. (They are at war dammit, there's no black and white only grey.)

Mal and Alina don't act like soldiers in a war-torn country, they act like American teenagers, and it's annoying. The General and Ivan are the only ones who act as soldiers in a 3 front war. When the villain shows the most responsibility in your story you should rewrite your heroes completely, or make the villain your hero.

The show is better than the books. It's a rare phenomenon but it is something everyone agrees upon. To me, the first book reads like a draft the author forgot to expand. The worldbuilding, the Grisha, and the characters were a perfect base to an original fantasy universe, but it all falls flat. The show made it richer by introducing multiple POVs and giving the actors more leeway (Ben Barnes ladies and gentlemen). But in the end, they had to stick to the books.

This is incredibly confusing to me because we have numerous fanfictions about Alina staying at the Little Palace, embracing her Grisha side, helping the Darkling because his plan makes sense, or changing his plan by coming up with a better one, or having dark!Alina etc... Clearly, this is what book fans wanted: giving Alina agency, make her realize that she had to work with the Darkling because she's Grisha too and they have the same goals but have different methods, let her be Professor X to Alexander's Magneto, ending the corrupt and incompetent Lantsov line, anything would have been better than taking Baghra's words at face value and running off.

Change I like: the whole West-Ravka storyline, it made the General decision understandable. Zlatan sold Grisha to the fjerdans, wanted to kill Alina and his actions could have led to a civil war, Kirigan only acted as a general of his time (not 21 century guys, we are talking about the unforgiving 19 century) and besides we only see the destruction of Zlatans army (BTW they were ready to kill everyone on the skiff) and not the whole city.

Change I don't like: making Alina half Shu. I'm not completely against it, but it was poorly executed. The racism Alina faces overshadows the Grisha-hate, rather than complementing it. Alina acts like being half Shu is somehow worse than being Grisha, eventough there are literal Holocausts going on against Grisha in two neighbouring countries, slavery in another, and the show never addresses it. This is the biggest problem with her character, she never embraces being Grisha, sides with the muggles, and makes her mission to kill the only person who stands between Grisha and persecution.

Would have been good: the show could have made little 5 minute scenes depicting the plight of Grisha in other countries. Either at the beginning or the end of every episode.

Episode 2: the Ice Court

Episode 3: the Shu concentration camps with the experimenting

Episode 4: slavery in Kerch

Episode 5: the Wandering Isle with consuming grisha blood

Episode 6: the Demon in the Woods storyline

Episode 7: Luda+Aleksander

And now... The Darkling/ Aleksander Morozov/ General Kirigan: the most interesting character in the entire series.

In the first half of SaB he was depicted as every soldier's dream general. Sitting and eating with his men, fighting side by side with them, constantly checking on his troops while other generals prefer to attend court. But in the second half, he transforms into a Mustache Twirling Villain TM and makes rather OOC decisions throughout the trilogy. He could have been a generic villain from the start, but why make him then a compelling character with understandable motivations?

In the books, I understood his motivations, but in the show, he was completely right. His backstory shows that he tried peaceful tactics but those never worked out. The only thing that worked against his enemies was power and violence. The price of hesitance was Luda's life (I'm willing to bet they were married). The Fold was actually a mistake born from desperation. He spent centuries in hiding, seeing his people persecuted. Even with the Little Palace and the Second Army Grisha are considered second-class citizens, they can't hold properties. He has to walk the fine line between usefulness and being a threat. He has to bow to incompetent Kings who don't give a shit about the state of the country. If Alina had to go through so much how would she end up? Because it's a miracle that Aleksander still has it in him to fight for the Grisha.

Many bring up Nikolai Lantsov as the Darklings foil ( or Diet Darkling as @ambitious-witch calls him) to show there is an alternative to Aleksander, but it's wrong. Because Nikolai was never part of an oppressed minority group, never had to fear centuries of persecution, he's an actual prince, it's easy to not be radicalized with his background.

Bonus: If Bardugo wanted to create a fictional world with tsarist Russia as a base, the least she could have done is to open a Wikipedia page or a dictionary for the correct names and terms. Starkov is a man's name: Alina Starkova is the correct form. Ilya Morozov, Aleksander Morozov, and Baghra Morozova would be the correct forms.

EDIT: They could have shown the building of the Little Palace and the start of the Second Army. I wanted to see the normal life at the Little Palace before Alina came along, little Grisha enjoying their powers, their reaction if the Darkling comes to see their training (I headcanon he visits the lessons at least once a year), the other teachers, and their reaction to Alina. Alina in canon is good with kids, maybe if she had spent time with little Grisha, she could have embraced her powers sooner. Having met with foreigners (Fjerdan, or Shu) and hearing their gruesome accounts of the foreign treatment of the Grisha would made her willing to fight for their future.

[lonely-lost-soul]

Under the Floorboards pt. III

(Technoblade x Reader): Pt. I, Pt. II, Pt. III, Pt. IIII

     From that day on Tommy stayed with you and Technoblade in your collective house, Technoblade tried to establish some ground rules but Tommy being Tommy refused to listen to any of them. He was dead set on building a cobblestone tower as well as taking all of Technoblade’s golden apples instead of eating the golden carrots that were graciously given to him. Other than that, things seemed to be going okay for your little found family. Well, that was until Technoblade and Tommy got wind that a man named Dream was sniffing around the area. 

 Dream was an enigma to you, after hearing Tommy’s stories about the man you could only come up with two conclusions about him. One was that you had no idea what his motivations were in the first place and secondly you wanted to beat his ass for what he did to Tommy. As... unique as he could be at times no child deserved to be exiled and manipulated, it was disgusting. He was a sixteen-year-old boy who got caught up in too many wars and too much violence, you needed to protect him. So long as he was with you and Technoblade that’s what you planned on doing. That was what you silently vowed to yourself, even if Technoblade didn’t share the same sentiment. 

 Now, it seemed you were coming increasingly closer to voicing those feelings to the man himself. Tommy was shaking a little besides you he tried to look strong as Technoblade frantically told him to hide and splashed him with invisibility potions. He looked over at you next and grabbed your shoulders, he actually looked scared, which meant he wasn’t messing around. 

          “You need to hide too. God- there’s nowhere that he won’t check.” Technoblade mumbled, his brow creased, and he closed his eyes. “He CAN’T know about you! No one other than Tommy can, they’ll hurt you and-” Hesitantly you put your hands on his cheeks,  

         “Take a deep breath…” You said tenderly as he opened his eyes to lock with your own. “We’ll be okay, splash me with invis and I’ll stay by Edward, hopefully it’ll mask my particle effects.” He gave a worried nod; you pecked his lips tenderly to reassure him as he splashed you with the potion. Just in time too because a knock on the door sounded, for once Tommy was absolutely silent. You watched as a man who rivaled your boyfriend in size came through the door, your eyes widened at the white mask covering his face there was an almost haunting smile painted on it. You pressed your tongue against your teeth and watched him give a wave to your boyfriend. Even without seeing his face you could tell he was smirking coyly at him. Never one to be intimidated Technoblade gave him a casual greeting and their conversation about Tommy’s location began. You had to cover your mouth with your hands at one point to stop yourself from laughing as Techno began talking to ‘chat’ instead of talking to Dream. You watched as the masked man grew more and more angry at Technoblade’s antics, he began speaking about a favor and Techno reminded him that he believes in full reciprocity. At the end of the interaction, it took all of your strength not to punch Dream directly in his stupid masked face. Why the fuck did it sound like he wanted to murder a child? If Dream ever laid a finger on him again, he was personally going to feel your wrath. The potion wore off almost as soon as Dream disappeared over the hills, Techno immediately turned to Tommy anger written all over his face.

         “Where you eating my gapples that ENTIRE time?!” Tommy sputtered out an excuse about absorption and you watched Techno open the window and beckon Dream to come back. You gave Technoblade a look and he scoffed at you, 

          “I won’t let him hurt you again Tommy. I promise.” You swore looking down at him, and his face turned a little pink. Tommy cleared his throat and shook his head,

          “Thanks, Ms. Blade but I’m tough enough to fight him head on! Have no fear!” He pointed to himself with his thumb a proud smile adoring his face. You gave a little laugh and nodded in agreement, 

          “You definitely are. Thank you for reassuring me.” You hummed and his smile only seemed to widen, 

          “I’m more qualified to protect your girlfriend than you are it seems Technoblade.” 

 Technoblade looked unamused, his eyebrow twitching in distaste. “Tommy I literally hate you so much. You’re a nerd.” 

         “Play nice both of you.” You scolded them, “We have to work together and at least pretend to get along or it’s going to be a very long partnership.” They both nodded reluctantly, and Techno sighed tiredly, he ruffled your hair. The rest of the night was spent gathering some more food in hopes it would stop Tommy’s gapple eating tirade, it obviously wouldn’t but it didn’t hurt to try. After that all three of you turned in for the night, as both you and Technoblade were getting ready for bed he decided to speak up about the plan for the next day.

          “Tommy and I need to make a trek into L’manburg to find Phil and try to get my stuff back. I don’t want to leave you here alone considering what just happened today, but you also can’t come to L’manburg.” 

        “Bubs you know I’ll be fine here alone did we not just have this conversation?” You pinched his pointed ears, and he made a sound of protest. “I’ve got fighting skills, after all have you not been training me in the art of war?” You teased with a smirk, “I got this Blade.”

          “Okay, okay, okay.” He leaned forward and kissed you and you kissed him back without hesitation. You felt him squeeze your hand fondly before pulling away from you. “When we get back home, we’ll have a date night okay?” Technoblade whispered softly pressing his forehead to yours. 

          “Gonna be a bit hard with the raccoon boy snooping around.” You teased eyes sparkling in delight, 

         “I’ll send him on a quest for something or other. So, it’ll be just us, I swear.” The soft look on Technoblade’s face made your heart squeeze in your chest. He brushed your hair behind your ear, “I’ll make you dinner, and we can watch a movie.” 

          “Well don’t take too long then.” You sent a teasing wink his way and he smiled fondly back at you. You kissed him again pulling him down into the bed, you both bounced with a laugh. His pink hair hung down and framed his face gorgeously, his glasses slipped down his nose. You pushed them back up with your index finger and he went cross-eyed, “I’ll be looking forward to it.” 

 The next morning rolled around and after breakfast both boys reluctantly packed a bag with important things they needed for the day. Stepping outside with the two of them, Technoblade gave you a farewell kiss and you watched them disappear over the hills. They were most likely going to go cause problems for other people on purpose. Finally alone, you decided to check up on the nearby villages to see if they had any interesting trades that you and Techno could exploit. You slung a bag over your shoulder and placed a good portion of emeralds inside of it, you placed a few potions inside of the bag as well. As a precaution you also grabbed an axe and a sword, you had to be ready for anything after all. Shutting the door behind you, you started your trek through the snow-covered woods you heard the snow crunch under your boots and began to hum softly to yourself. You paused a moment and raised an eyebrow as you caught sight of a blue sheep wandering by, tilting your head to the side you approached it. 

        “Well, hey little guy.” You murmured reaching out and running your hand through the sheep’s soft wool. 

         “Oh, um excuse me!” A voice spoke from behind you, you jumped with a yelp as soon as you spun around you were met with a fully transparent man. He had a yellow sweater with a big gash in his torso, and a beanie resting atop his head. You tilted your head up and locked eyes with him, they were almost completely white.

 He was a ghost.

          “That’s Friend! She doesn’t really like others petting her but it’s okay because you didn’t know.” The ghost smiled; it was contagious as you felt yourself smiling back at him.

         “My bad, my names (Y/n). What’s yours?” 

         “Oh! I’m Ghostbur! It’s nice to meet you miss, I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new to the SMP?” He tilted his head floating around you, almost as if to get a better look at you. You focused more on his name, Ghostbur, which means this was Wilbur Soot, ex-president of L’manburg, and ‘brother’ of Tommy and Technoblade. 

 You cleared your throat and rubbed the back of your neck. “No, I’ve lived in this area for a while, but I’m a wandering adventurer. I trade with the villages around here for interesting collectables stuff like that. I don’t do much of that now though.” You watched the ghost’s eyes widen a little,

          “That’s so cool!” He praised, “I bet you have a ton of cool stories.” 

          “Yeah, there’s been a few close calls, but I’ve made it back alive and well- oh shit no offense.” You winced a little and he laughed shaking his head, 

          “No worries it’s okay! I’m fine with being dead you know, no one really liked who I was alive, so this is better for everybody.” He puffed out his chest a little and a big smile spread across his face, that only caused you to frown. You reached out to try and touch him and your hand went right through the man, you both seemed to shiver at that, and he looked at you in shock. 

      “I’m sorry to hear that...that must be really hard.” Wilbur’s jaw dropped at your response, he floated around a bit awkwardly. If he wasn’t floating, he would’ve been shuffling on his feet in a nervous manner. 

       “N-No it’s…Wilbur was a horrible, horrible man.” He took a deep breath and began to throw some sort of blue substance on the ground in a rapid manner, you watched as he began to mutter and breath heavily. 

        “Woah, woah, woah I’m sorry don’t freak out!” 

         “I’m not, I'm okay see, see I’m fine and happy. Very happy with everything that’s going on so no worries okay! Here.” He tossed the blue substance at you and you collected it with a weary smile, “Have some blue it’ll make you feel better.” You thanked him quietly and you both stood there a bit uncomfortably that was until thunder rumbled overhead. “Oh no…I melt in the rain.” 

         “Here why don’t you come with me.” You smiled softly, “I know a place where you can wait out the storm.” 

          “Aw thank you.” Ghostbur clapped, “Friend can come too right?” 

          “Of course.” 

          “Good. Then lead the way.” He chirped as Ghostbur followed you back the way you came, now before you get too mad at yourself you should know that Technoblade had informed you that during his ‘execution’ Ghostbur had visited him at his home. If he didn’t share that information with you, you’d be never revealing Technoblade’s base. As the house appeared over the mountains the ghost looked over at you with a bright smile, “Oh! That’s my friend Technoblade’s house, do you live with him?”

         “I do.” You smiled fondly and watched his smile grow excitedly, “He’s helped me out quite a lot.”

         “That’s wonderful! Technoblade usually never helps people unless he likes them or if they can do something for him in return. You must be very special, are you two together?” He only had to glance at you for a moment before laughing excitedly, “You are! That’s wonderful!” Ghostbur chirped, clapping his hands as he phased through Technoblade’s door, officially safe out of the rain, turned snow. You had let Friend inside as well and Ghostbur continued talking “Tell me how you met, please, please, please.” Seeing how excited the ghost was you melted, he won your heart just like Tommy. However, you had to keep in mind his alive self-did blow up an entire nation and that couldn’t be just brushed away like he seemingly was trying to do, you can’t erase the past. You can only accept what happens, learn from it, apologize and grow. However, you didn’t see the harm in sharing how the both of you met so you began to retell the tale to Ghostbur, the entire time he had an almost bittersweet look on his face. 

         “I was married once...her name was Sally. She...left though. But I still had my son, Fundy and we did the best we could together.” Ghostbur said fondly his eyes softening,

         “I’m sorry...that must’ve been really hard for the both of you.” 

         “It’s alright! She was a salmon, so she was going to swim away eventually.” 

         “Like- like an actual salmon?”

          “Yes?” 

The silence that stretched into the room was deafening, you cleared your throat deciding not to dwell on the fact that the ghost in front of you very likely fucked a fish. You hoped to god she was some sort of shapeshifter, in fact that’s what you were going to believe. You managed to break the silence by asking about Fundy, and the way he gushed about him was nothing less than fatherly. It was sweet and you listened intently to him, Fundy seemed like a good kid, a bit quirky but you were dating a blood god so who were you to judge? Eventually the snow outside stopped and the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds. Ghostbur glanced out the window and decided it was time for him to head out with Friend. It was about midday and you were almost sad to see him go. 

 Alone again.

You still had hours to kill before Technoblade and Tommy reappeared, so you figured it was about time to start doing some chores. 

---

         “Ghostbur what’re you doing here?” Fundy murmured softly, looking over at the ghost with an exhausted expression. His ears were pressed back against his head, talking to the man who was once considered his dad always made him exhausted. Wilbur, or Ghostbur now, really was pitiful.

         “Can’t I visit you every once in a while!” Ghostbur hummed a smile plastered on his face as Fundy frowned. 

         “Preferably not. Plus...I’m a little busy right now I’m meeting up with Quackity and the Butcher Squad to talk about Techno again.” 

         “OH! Technoblade! I just spent the loveliest morning with his girlfriend, she was absolutely wonderful! She asked all about you and just adored Friend-”

         “Rewind, Technoblade’s what?” Fundy’s jaw dropped to the floor and he felt a hand on his shoulder, the young fox man stiffened. He looked to the side and saw Quackity besides him, Ranboo was next to him but Tubbo stood a little ways away. 

        “Yeah Ghostbur. Do continue.” Quackity grinned, his missing tooth sticking out from his last encounter with Toothpick. Ghostbur wilted a little bit and his eyebrows creased on his forehead, he fucked up didn’t he? 

        “I-um nothing actually I misspoke.”

        “Did he misspeak Fundy, cause to me it sounds like we have new leverage against Technoblade.” Quackity laughed a crazed look in his eyes, “Once again Ghostbur I have to thank you for the great information.” 

        “You’re welcome…” He murmured weakly, as Quackity stepped besides the ghost. 

        “Get your weapons boys, it’s time to pay the Technoblade household another visit.”

~~~

Hey guys! Pt. III is officially up! Technoblade’s livestreams huh? :) 

Also friendship with Tommy ended Ranboo’s my new favorite child.

As always I love your feedback thanks for reading!