#and the latinizing it is torture

[random-kazakh-stuff]

Another interesting thing about how Russian Empire/USSR operated is in names. Both for people and places.

Exhibit A: The apparent Russification of all names. Names that are Kazakh, but you need to write the official documents in Russian so they don't come out quite right. One of the already mentioned examples is with patronymics: Russian -ev and -eva and etc. added to Kazakh names. There is also the matter of pronunciation, the "special"* letters of Kazakh cyrillic being omitted which lead to butchered names.

Exhibit B: The names of towns and regions. They were all either named from Russian language, or had their names bent in a strange way. Example for the first one is Tselinograd(modern Astana) which means "Town of virgin lands"*. The second one is Alma-ata(current Almaty) which written in this way means "Apple grandfather" while the modern one just means...appley(?). There is no adjective for apple in English so bear with me. There also examples of this where the meaning doesn't change, and the spelling is strange for no apparent reason. Example: Kzyl-Orda(nowadays Qyzylorda) which omitted a vowel and added a dash just because.

Both examples are interesting in a way that they don't really seem significant, but deny an ability to control a small part of life for the natives. Think of it. It's the names you give your own children, the name of a place where you live, being not completely yours, looking not right.

Edit: I am sorry, I forget to mention that this applies to all empires. In general, when I talk about some phenomenas or culture things, I am aware that they are not exclusive to Kazakh and Kazakhstan's history, but this is what I know. The additions are welcome though!

*the development of virgin lands(Tselina) is a time in 50s and 60s of XX century when USSR decided that actually, the steppes of Northern Kazakhstan are actually very good for agriculture, the natives were just stupid. The soil there deteriorated by 15-20%. The immediate results were quite nice though.

the natives are just stupid part is meant to be ironic btw

Also a reminder! Ask me questions. I am more motivated by them.

[jareckiworld]

José Ramón Alejandro — Transfiguration of the Instrument of Martyrdom of Saint Catherine (acrylic on canvas, 1970)

[personinthepalace]

imagine being woken up at a hotel bc someone (edward bluemel) was shouting latin in the middle of the night haha

from an interview with CinemaBlend

[tomlinsonhazz]

💛💙❤️🇻🇪 FREE VENEZUELA !!! 🇻🇪💛💙❤️

Please sign this petition to help my country end

Dictator Maduro's regime 📢🆘

💛💙❤️🇻🇪 Edmundo won by DEMOCRACY!! 🇻🇪💛💙❤️

THE PEOPLE of Venezuela need Maduro OUT! 🚨

[watchingspnagain]

Rewatching On the Head of a Pin

Welcome to “Shockingly Little Soft Shoe: A Supernatural Rewatch Blog” with Lor and Mace!

Up today, s4e16: On the Head of a Pin

“Castiel and Uriel want Dean to help them get info out of Alastair using the, um, very special skills he learned during his residency Downstairs. But the phrase “This hurts me more than it hurts you” has maybe never been more truthful, and Dean is clearly shook by the experience. Also, Alastair manages to escape the demon trap and Smarty Cas figures out it was Uriel who let him. All is fraught in the world of angels and boys.”

Below is a log of our real-time reactions as we watched. Remember that there may be spoilers for any part of SPN’s 15-season run here. Note also that the nature of our conversation is adult and thus it may contain adult language and themes.

 [and we begin:]

Lor:

my god look at him

Mace:

so young

Lor:

all stern and hair and coat flapping and striding

Lor:

YES

Mace:

YES

Lor:

the burnt wing thing is SO COOL

Mace:

it really is

Lor:

oooo Sam is driving

Mace:

yeah that’s weird

Lor:

yeah

Lor:

"I'm tired of burying friends, Sam" oh hon

Mace:

“get angry"

Lor:

"we just got back from needed"

Mace:

he’s so done

Mace:

“good times"

Lor:

he really is

Lor:

and the look on Cas's face

Mace:

he’s so cute when he’s pissed

Lor:

omg Uriel giving Cas the "don't coddle them" look

Mace:

and Cas pursing his lips

Lor:

yep he's not about it

Lor:

he wants to coddle the short one so bad

Mace:

snork I love that he’s the short one at, what, over 6 ft?

Lor:

YES

Lor:

ooooof this whole storyline the asking Dean to torture the demon who taught him to torture I just

Mace:

oh Sammy is pissed too

Lor:

YES

Mace:

yeah it’s a great story line

Lor:

"this is too much to ask, I know, but we have to ask it"

Mace:

yeah

Lor:

the dynamic between them is just chef's kiss

Mace:

yeah, give them some privacy pls

Lor:

BACK OFF URIEL

Lor:

uriel's the funniest angel in the garrison lolololololol

Mace:

SNORK

Lor:

"i've been told we need it" I love how he puts it that it's not HIM that wants it

Lor:

"I would give anything not to have you do this"

Mace:

ooof

Lor:

and Dean's watery eyes

Mace:

yep

Mace:

this dude is so gross

Lor:

right?

Lor:

he's so good at the part

Mace:

too good. it’s gross

Lor:

Sam looks very nice in that shirt

Mace:

he really really does

Mace:

oh Sammy, I adore you, you know that, but you don’t have it in you. Dean… does.

Lor:

John only lasted that long because his heart was already a stone

Lor:

yeah

Lor:

that's kind of the problem, Sammy

Lor:

THAT'S why he's not right since he came back

Mace:

“Daddy’s little girl”

Mace:

I LOVE IT

Lor:

YES

Mace:

he needs a cutoff T with that on it

Lor:

YES HE DOES

Mace:

and Cas needs one that just says Daddy

Lor:

OMG YESYESYES

Mace:

this super shouldn’t be so hot

Lor:

eh

Mace:

yes, Dean LET’S GET STARTED

Lor:

oooof Cas's FACE

Lor:

HOW do people think these two don't love each other

Mace:

they’re dummies

Lor:

spells are in Latin but ending spells is in English?

Mace:

pls don’t get me started

Lor:

I mean

Lor:

I would not be above getting you started

Mace:

i know this, Lor

Mace:

oh Sam

Lor:

weak. he should be drinking it straight from her neck

Mace:

you sweet tall dipshit

Lor:

come on, boy, if yer gonna do it, do it

Lor:

LOLOLOL

Lor:

YES

Lor:

no no Alistair. there may be no going back, but Cas is building him into something so much better

Mace:

besides, he’s more interesting with the torture competence and the being tortured by the torture competence

Mace:

exponentially hotter

Lor:

DEFINITELY

Mace:

“went to receive revelation” = “having a poop"

Lor:

OMG that look on his face when he holds his jaw SO HOT

Lor:

HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lor:

YES

Lor:

oh Cas. lean into your doubt, baby

Mace:

oh honey, Chuck is a dick

Lor:

right?

Mace:

oh, we’re calling it doubt now? See, I thought it was Gay Feelings for Dean Dean

Lor:

I do love that the emphasis here is on what the torture does to the torturer. like it's obvious that you shouldn't torture people because of what it does to the victim of the torture. putting the emphasis on how it harms the person doing it is so much more interesting

Lor:

HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lor:

I think it's both

Mace:

yeah

Lor:

(I feel like there's an understood but maybe needs to be said "in fiction" here)

Mace:

(nah)

Lor:

(oh good)

Lor:

oh Dean

Lor:

is the hardest part of this for him learning that he was responsible for breaking the first seal or that he was a righteous man?

Lor:

OMG the quivering lip. the twitch in the jaw. HOW does Jensen DO that?

Mace:

How much of it, I wonder, is Moral Law that the torturer is damaged and how much is actually that the damage is self-inflicted, in the sense that Dean thinks he shouldn’t like it, Mr. Black and White no Grey (at this point in the show, at least)

Lor:

ooooo interesting

Mace:

oh look, he’s actually showing damage here - maybe because he believes he deserves this?

Mace:

oooh and look, Cas has no qualms about twisting that knife

Mace:

that in itself is pretty darn hot

Lor:

I am FASCINATED by this question. has Alaistair hurt him in a way that we can see or is he ABLE to because Dean thinks he deserves it?

Lor:

YES

Mace:

I mean, I think that’s the best/most interesting interpretation of the whole idea of Hell: it only exists for those who believe they deserve it

Lor:

and what, exactly, is the differentce between using Dean's torture knowledge he learned from a demon and Sam doing it because he's jumped up on demon blood?

Lor:

so it doesn't exist for turdburgers who think they're okay?

Lor:

hmmm

Mace:

Yes! Sam believes in his ‘cause’ and so isn’t at all tortured by what he’s doing. And as much as I love him, Dean’s anguish is better/more complex.

Lor:

like, I don't think it exists as a literal place, but I have always kind of thought of hell as the twisting up you do to yourself by not being a good human

Mace:

I don’t really think there’s anyone who’s actually that simpleminded

Lor:

the turdburgers bit?

Lor:

oh Cas

Mace:

so for you that version exists.

Mace:

yep

Mace:

aw, he had a good poop

Lor:

the way he loses his faith is so heartbreaking even though it is the thing that lets him become who he authentically is

Lor:

HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lor:

I mean one does often feel more clear minded after a nice movement

Mace:

exactly

Lor:

Cas looks so LITTLE and LOST

Lor:

take that boy and run away with him and find a nice place to live together, Cas

Mace:

lost faith tends to do that

Lor:

yeah

Mace:

yes, Cas, do that

Mace:

“I’m considering disobedience” THAT IS SO HOT

Lor:

YES IT IS

Mace:

he’s aiming to misbehave

Lor:

and the fact that it MEANS something to him makes it even HOTTER

Lor:

YAAAAAAS

Mace:

now, fuck off, Anna

Lor:

"please tell me what to do" oh hon

Lor:

yep, think for yourself

Mace:

oh, I’ll tell you what to do, sugarwings

Lor:

yeah, Anna, get lost. and don't ever touch Dean or Cas again

Lor:

YAAAAAAS

Lor:

GOD LOOK AT HIM

Mace:

YES

Lor:

Uriel you lying piece of shit

Mace:

yep

Lor:

I mean. it probably was forever, Cas

Mace:

HA

Lor:

nah. it's the blade

Mace:

angel blades don’t kill angels. angels kill angels.

Lor:

LOL

Lor:

careful Uriel. that's Lucifer talk there

Lor:

also, have you met Cas? shittalking humanity is not the way to get him on your side

Mace:

HA

Mace:

Uriel would be so cool as Luci

Lor:

oh. Uriel knows he's Lucifering. I had forgotten that piece

Lor:

he WOULD

Lor:

I'm cool with Uriel exiting stage left but I wish they had either cast this actor as someone who stuck around or found a way to bring him back

Mace:

yeah

Lor:

(shockingly this is true of many of the Black actors on this show)

Mace:

(NOOOO. I’M SHOOK.)

Lor:

omg his little bloody face

Mace:

YES

Mace:

everyone’s getting torn up today

Lor:

YEP

Lor:

on SPN blood is either silly or HOT

Mace:

yep

Lor:

he goes to sit with him I cannot

Mace:

YES

Lor:

"you need to be more careful" "you need to learn to manage a damn devil's trap" MARRIED

Mace:

AND ANNA IS BANISHÈD

Mace:

YEP

Lor:

"it is not blame that falls on you, Dean. it's fate" OOOOOOOF

Mace:

now THAT’S an excellent debate

Mace:

Oedipal like, and all

Lor:

the one who starts it has to stop it. the CIRCLE of it all kicks feets in stupid symbolism glee

Lor:

YES

Mace:

“then you guys are screwed” oh HONEY

Lor:

"I can't do it, Cas. It's too big" and his VOICE

Lor:

THIS MAN SHOULD HAVE AN EMMY

Mace:

he really should

Lor:

"I guess I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be"

Mace:

“either of our dads” oh jesusfuckingchrist that’s good

Lor:

WELL THEY WERE BOTH ASSHOLES, DEAN

Lor:

RIGHT?

Lor:

ooooof that is AN EPISODE

Mace:

CRIPES

Lor:

I feel like you could do a whole semester-long course on THIS ep. the symbolism! the family dynamics! the weird-ass Christianity

Lor:

hello, this is interdisciplinary shit 101. our text is one (1) episode of Supernatural

Mace:

snork

Lor:

how not to do Latin

Lor:

Blood-born diseases and how they make you able to smish demons

Lor:

the possibilities are endless

[sunnibits]

thinking ab linguistics tonight…. god I fucking love linguistics. sometimes I think if this whole art career thing doesn’t work out I could just drop it all and become a linguistics professor or some shit and be happy tbh.

[yuneu]

taylor’s american pronunciation of persona non grata is so funny to me

[ash-the-porcupine]

You know, if I could do Algebra II and Geometry, my life would be so much easier. Then there's JavaScript. I hate it. I don't like the fact that I'll have to do college before vet school. Being able to spell epinephrine should make me qualified. XD

[katyspersonal]

I love the dreams in which the chorus of Hail the Nightmare sings for me... It is a different song every time, but they are always so beautiful, so... genuine? Invoking emotions I can't even identify. They are entrancing and elevating. Singing of Choir (that I presume is in Ebrietas lyrics) just feels so cold and hollow in comparison, it doesn't have fire in it.

Really would love to see (or rather, hear, haha) another dream like that.

[mishkakagehishka]

With the language speaking poll, it varies from country (and state/county in the US)

In my area you're required 2 years of a language course

Most kids take it but do the bare minimum or just don't remember it. Usually you grow up knowing that language/being taught it young. Sometimes we learn jt in school and remember enough to keep taking to learn and remember. We usually offer use it or lose it languages, which most kids don't use it and then they lose it and then no one speaks other languages

Huh! That makes sense, actually, i feel like 2 years is not nearly enough to retain enough knowledge, and not even enough to learn a lot. I think when i started studying italian in 4th grade, we didn't even get to subjunctives by the time i was 8th grade, and subjunctives are a surprisingly common form. At least to the way I speak. And even among those who took the elective third language, i know a lot of folks who don't remember a thing about it, i'm assuming because even four years of a once-per-week class isn't enough for retention.

Well, it's sad, at least to me who is linguistically inclined. Quot linguas calles tot homines vales is something i take personally lololol but right! I guess it's the sort of inertion that happens to speakers of a lingua franca, there's no "need" to learn a foreign language, so even those who are talented for languages might never find out :/

Well, I hope thanks to globalisation, at least those who like foreign languages can find ways to learn even outside of formal schooling :>

[raininyourblackeyes]

With every hour of studying keeping sheep sounds more and more compelling.

[svbhuman]

guess which loser is, once again at a hotel, preparing for a class tomorrow 😾 i just finished and it feels like im still unprepared and i blame it on my boss for not giving me sufficient information 😾😾 stop chucking me new students you dont want to deal with and not giving me info about their skill level 😾😾😾

doing hor. odes 2.17 with her tomorrow because what else should i do. horace2.17 forever goated even though it falls off towards the end sorry sorry didnt say anything

[luxvinova]

Dear mutuals and followers, sorry for the politics in your dashboard but in some homes today we cannot afford to "ignore the problems".

The country where I come from, Venezuela, has had an election for president that has resulted in fraud. Mr. Nicolás Maduro has proclaimed himself President although the votes have said the opposite. This regime has devastated the lives of its citizens, resorting to violence against those who opposed it. It has brought ruin to a nation once celebrated as a pioneer of Latin American independence, yet many choose to overlook its plight. Venezuela, a country that once extended support to immigrants and provided aid to others, is now dismissed as insignificant by many.

If you are an advocate who values the dignity and needs of individuals, we urge you to raise your voice alongside us. Don't ignore us because we are Latinos, this is also a war. It is a conflict against an individual who has controlled his armed forces, law enforcement, narcotics syndicates, and citizens, rendering any attempts at reform futile despite our vocal protests. I have family members who are unable to depart through legal means, and if they choose to leave unlawfully, they face harsh judgment from people of the outside.

If you are interested, here are more information you may read:

Twitter Thread Summary // What is happening in Venezuela // Torture Center: The Helicoide

(ASK) How can I help Venezuelans?

[moonlight-118]

Anyone that knows where can I watch the new 911 episode if I’m not in the US and cannot see it on Hulu? 🥲

I can’t deal with all these spoilers and gifts and shenanigans! Need to see it soon or I’m going to actually die.

[thesmokinpossum]

It actually drives me batshit insane how the second declension in latin is actually like four different declensions like whyyyy

[aspenforest732]

Bello Licentiae Chapter 7: Try Their Hardest to Make People Happy

Summary:

tw: switching (DID), falling from high up, torture mention, blackmail mention 'text' JSL Text thoughts

Akira rested their head against the counter as they waited for their meds to kick in, the blender grating against their pounding headache. A torturous minute later, they poured their smoothie and wheeled back to the closest table. Little more to the left— no, not that far. Back, right, scoot. Akira reangled themself a few times, bumping into the cabinets as they got used to how much space their wheelchair took up and how to make smaller adjustments on the fly. They could use the touchpad, but... they'd eventually need to operate it without electronics one way or another.

They pulled up the video Dabi had sent them late the previous night of Twice walking through how he currently used his quirk and how he learned to do it. I should have half an hour before Katsuki comes down .

Akira raised an eyebrow at Twice casually leaning, posing in a rumpled light blue suit and his costume mask. "Your first step is to know yourself!" he started with a flourish.

"That's important for anyone, but especially with Stranger quirks. I don't remember much from when I was a singlet, but I'm pretty sure making clones made shadows back then."

A what? Akira had never heard the term before but dismissed it as the video continued.

From behind the camera, Dabi drawled, "They know about their quirk shadows, Double Trouble."

"Right! But what most people don't pay attention to is how their shadow feels. When you activate your quirk, you should feel a tug from one or more body parts. Pay special attention to that, and once you have a clone..." Twice gestured to a clone of Dabi as it finished. "reach into that shadow and tug that part. For me, it's the big vein in my wrists!" he flourished his wrists to the camera and poked one of the veins.

"You probably have one focal point for your quirk, so focus on that. My clones get less durable the further down the hierarchy they are, so whatever limits your first-gen clones have, their clones may experience that exponentially," Twice continued. "The focal point for a quirk varies from person to person. Like Dabi's comes from his skin!"

Akira's curiosity piqued as he rambled about the differences between quirk activations he felt in the clones of other people. He went on for several minutes, even complaining about Kurogiri never letting them get measurements before Dabi finally interjected. "As interested as they'll be in all that, was there anything else you wanted to cover?"

"Right!" Twice straightened his coat and added in a more serious tone, "Remember not to clone yourself too much too fast. It can be very draining, and we don't want a repeat of our first squad mission. If you get sensory input from them, that can also get overwhelming if you have too many active before you're ready. It's real easy for us Strangers to lose ourselves." With a thumbs up from him, the video ended.

What was that about? Akira mused. After a moment, they shrugged off his odd behavior. Every member of the League had their own quirks and coping mechanisms. Easily distracted with a flair hardly stood out.

A few minutes later, the elevator chimed, and Akira waved as they finished their smoothie. Katsuki paused with a frown before heading to the kitchen while Kirishima rushed over. "Mori, are you okay? I haven't seen-"

' I'm fine, ' Akira interrupted with an eye roll. ' Bad pain day. Stress doesn't help, and it's going to rain later. '

Kirishima frowned, knitting his brow. "Shouldn't you tell Aizawa-sensei? I'm sure he'd let you off training if you need the day."

Akira shook their head, ' Need to get used to the wheelchair – uh, this – anyways. Nothing fancy yet, just the basics right now. '

"Isn't Ingenium getting something fancy?" Katsuki called from the kitchen.

Akira nodded excitedly and pulled up the article on their phone. ' They made the announcement over the weekend. Ingenium's using a wheelchair most of the time right now, but he's looking to start patrolling once he completes physical therapy with a... ' Akira thought for a moment before fingerspelling ' neuroprosthetic exoskeleton. '

"Wait, you don't know something in JSL?" Kirishima asked with a light smile.

Akira chuckled and lightly shoved his arm, ' Medical terms are different, Red Hot. ' They briefly froze, but Kirishima moved on, easily chatting about the ultimate move he was working on called Red Riot Unbreakable. It didn't take long for Katsuki to shove a water bottle in his hand and practically drag his boyfriend out the door.

As they waited for the rest of Mad Banquet, Akira mused that Ingenium probably wouldn't be active as much or as soon as most seemed to think. Even if the exoskeleton was something he wanted and not something the commission was pushing on him, it wouldn't be a miracle cure.

"Are you sure you'll be alright practicing your quirk?" Ectoplasm asked as Akira locked their wheels.

' Of course, ' they snapped, having heard that question over a dozen times that morning. ' Being in a wheelchair means I can devote more energy to training instead of staying upright today. '

Cementoss raised the pillar at their nod, and Akira transferred onto the sitting ledge before warping back into their wheelchair. They spent the first couple hours trying to use their heart as a focal point but only succeeded in stuttering the clones' heartbeats with stronger tugs. Potentially useful in some situations, but not what they were intending.

Finally, they reset another clone and tugged its collarbone. Just as they realized they went with the same intensity they ended the previous test at, a new, slightly smaller shadow appeared as the clone dispelled. Akira startled and wheeled forward a bit to look over the edge.

"Mori!" Aizawa called out as his capture weapon closed around a falling clone, dispelling it.

Akira blinked down at their teacher a moment then broke out in a grin. They turned their wheelchair around a little awkwardly to face Ectoplasm's clone so the original could interpret. ' Sorry! I used a little too much force, but it worked! If you see me falling off the pillar, it's a clone. '

With a temporary upper bound, Akira started testing the distances associated with weaker tugs. Occasionally a clone or two warped off the pillar, the teachers jolting forward slightly. After the first few times, Akira started using a clone to sign ' distance test ' to Ectoplasm's clone before pulling harder. After a couple hours, they took a break to make notes on their improvements and theories on new applications.

CRAAACK ! A low rumble rippled through the air, pulling Akira from their musings.

"Hey, look out!"

Akira sharply twisted in their wheelchair at Katsuki's shout and rapidly warped their clones around All Might. They rushed him, pulling him out of the way as Midoriya lept into the path of the chunk of concrete. He shattered the rubble with a sweep of his leg. Akira still had their clones help maneuver All Might as Aizawa's capture weapon pulled him further away from the now much smaller pieces of falling concrete. A small smile flitted across their face at his breakthrough.

Akira startled as they looked back to the first clone, which was now deteriorating like when they hadn't eaten. Wait... Akira slipped on their crutches and warped to ground level, curiously examining their clones as they noticed they were deteriorating at rates based on hierarchy like Twice had mentioned.

"Mori, are you alright?" Aizawa asked.

Fac , Akira sharply thought to activate their coms. A smooth baritone voice with a slight gravel to the tone came through the speaker on their costume. "Yes, clones draw higher lee, so I'll monitor." After a moment, they corrected more slowly, "hierarchically."

"Good, just don't lose track and let us know if you need to break for lunch early," Aizawa said.

With a nod, Akira sharply thought, Siste . Still getting the hang of giving the commands without directing the software to dictate them, Akira did a double take before warping as they noticed the confused but bemused expression on Cementoss' face. They locked their wheels and had their clone sign to lower the pillar.

Over the next few minutes, Akira confirmed the different rates of deterioration and jotted down a few theories and calculations to test. They also noted that they were only experiencing the burn rate for the one primary clone active and didn't seem to be affected by that clone having multiple clones of itself. The shadows in their mind decreased a couple inches in height the further down the hierarchical chain they were, so Akira also made a note to test motor function and visual abnormalities between the levels. Similar to when they went invisible, Akira noticed they could still see invisible clones, although they were somewhat distorted.

Once the last clone disappeared a few minutes before the usual 10-minute limit, Akira jotted down confirmation of the deterioration rates and signed for the pillar to be re-established. They spent the last hour of training before lunch establishing baselines for the first three levels of clones and exploring the slightly shifted control thread for the clones of clones.

"I like your generated voice," Hitoshi said as Mad Banquet settled into lunch. "I don't think I've heard you use it before."

Akira nodded as their mouth thinned into a firm line, ' I've only had it for a couple days, so I have a good month or so between taking lessons and training in my free time before it's fully calibrated. '

"I'm sure you'll get it eventually," Koji softly encouraged. He gave a shrike a few crumbs, and at a series of chirps, his eyes widened. "Uh, I think Aoyama wants to talk with you?"

Akira startled and looked around a moment before catching Aoyama's eyes. They distractedly signed, ' Not that, frustrated at the need for it at all. ' At his pointed glance towards Aizawa, Akira nodded and signed, ' He asked for my help broaching a topic with sensei. This might take a while. '

Akira carefully made their way around groups of students to where Aoyama was fidgeting with his cape against the wall. Aizawa stood up a little straighter as he had been subtly tracking them with his eyes. They signed to Aoyama, ' Do you want to talk with him now or later? '

Aoyama's sparkles briefly faded before flickering back around his head. His smile became more strained as he quietly said, "I'll lose the nerve if we wait."

Akira nodded and signed to keep talking for a few minutes as they waited for the students and other teachers to lose interest in their discussion. Aizawa seemed to take the cue and slowly drifted away from the teachers. Apart from his eyes, Aoyama settled into his familiar role of vibrant star. To the others, Akira imagined he looked to be bragging about his increased laser distance and strength, but from up close they could see his smile become more strained and his fingers fidget whenever they weren't moving.

Akira gave Aizawa a small nod as he leaned beside the entrance. Just in case anyone was watching, Akira signed, ' I think sensei wants to speak with us. ' They wheeled to the door, closely flanked by Aoyama as a few students turned their way, but upon seeing who they were heading towards, all but Shoto went back to their conversations. He fortunately didn't say anything but looked intrigued.

"Where would you be most comfortable talking?" Aizawa drawled once they were out of earshot of the gym. At Aoyama's hesitance, he added, "my office, the classroom, your room, a conference room..."

"Your office," Aoyama blurted as his sparkles quickly faded now that the group was away from their class.

As they settled into Aizawa's office, the teacher said, "Since you're coming to me with Mori, I take it you're not willingly working with the League. I understand if you're uncomfortable sharing all the details, but I do need a few questions answered before we determine next steps."

Aoyama nodded hesitantly, eyes drifting to the side as Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Oui, I understand."

"Are you and your family safe?"

Aoyama looked up in surprise and shook his head. "They know where we live."

Aizawa nodded and made a note in the shorthand Akira was all too familiar with from watching him fill out reports in the evenings and early mornings. "How long have you been working for the League?"

Aoyama frowned slightly, brows drawing together. "I'm afraid that's more complicated. I..." his breath picked up as he stared past the wall for a few moments before taking a sharp breath. His fingers dug into the arms of the chair in a death grip as he haltingly continued, "All for One gave me a quirk when I was seven and told me of his plan for me to get into U.A. when I was twelve. I wasn't aware of the League's existence and didn't have contact with them until I received the acceptance letter."

"How did you find All for One?" Aizawa asked, carefully keeping the tension in his grip and eyes out of his voice.

"There was a rumor among Quirkless that there was a man who could give you a quirk," Aoyama said as he began drifting again. He winced before whispering, "I couldn't take it anymore. It was that or..."

Akira nodded in understanding as Aizawa's expression flickered with sadness and a hint of anger. They gently placed a hand on his wrist and started rubbing circles with their thumb. Aoyama flinched but started to refocus as he relaxed marginally under the touch.

A few hours later, Aizawa had a plan in place to keep Aoyama and his parents safe while Akira managed the fallout in the League. Akira smoothly reassured the kid that they were completely fine with the arrangement and had been expecting his withdrawal since they learned of his involvement.

With only a half hour left of training, Akira signed, 'Sparkles, you go ahead. I need to talk with sensei for a moment.' After he hesitantly left, they turned their phone so Aizawa could see the message from Dabi. 'Knife Dancer plans to impersonate someone at the Provisional License Exam. She can't mimic quirks, so it'll be someone whose quirk isn't flashy or physical.'

Notes:

I recognize Twice's clones have full autonomy, but he must get some sensory input from them based on the communication and awareness he has of when a clone goes down, so... huh, minor Thinker effect I guess. I'm still classifying him as Stranger/Master (third classifications in this fic are reserved for Nomu), so we'll say the sensory input is just part of Master control. Reminder: not everyone with a disability wants a cure. The exoskeleton is something currently in the works for people who've had a stroke, but it's a tool just like other mobility aids. I plan to touch on this a little more in Libertias aut Mortis, but it's a little difficult for a background character They're using Raine Whispers' voice from The Owl House I've had a lot of fun figuring out where gaps naturally occur when thinking even with purpose. I basically ran through the lines of dialogue my head while paying loose attention to where syllables dropped or sounded like something else Me: why won't google tell me which form of actus is a verb?? Latin-is-simple: 5 of its 12 forms are just actus Me: ...oh that's why *several minutes later* Me: Godamnit it's just a noun. Latin nerd friend: I thought 12 was weirdly small for a verb Me: *facedesk*

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