#but since militaries use very similar words in different ways all over

[shadesofmauve]

Fire the headcan(n)on: Problems with long-term management of biotic resources for maximum strategic potential in the Alliance military

It is obviously not ideal* for a ship's CO to be running risky ground missions, but the issue demonstrated by Commander Shepard actually brings to light a larger dilemma that's been discussed within the upper echelons of the Alliance military for years. Biotic personnel are a huge asset as front-line troops, and any still able-bodied biotic moving off the front lines is considered a net loss. This poses a potential retention problem, since the usual route for advancement would remove them from where they're considered most valuable.

A trail of internal communications dating back over a decade (recently acquired by Westerlund News) documents how the Alliance instructed recruiters to push biotics to enlist (with exorbitant sign-on bonuses) rather than attend school for a commission.

It's worth noting that when faced with a similar recruitment-and-retention problem for pilots, the Alliance chose to offer commissions, while technically-skilled Specialists can be brought in as officers or warrant officers, depending on their pre-military career and level of education.

Alliance military doctrine suggests preventing a "Shepard Problem" not by restricting a biotic CO to their ship, but by making sure they'll never command a vessel in the first place. If at all possible, biotic personnel should not be given the opportunity to advance to senior command positions until they are physically unable to serve on the front lines.

*Understatement

[langernameohnebedeutung]

So I noticed something interesting linguistically during my Spanish lessons but then I couldn't find a reason why and thought maybe you would have an idea?

Why does the word 'German' change so much from language to language? I mean you said Deutsch but we say German. But then in Spanish, it's Alemán. That's a massive change across three language. And I know they're from different language families but it still seems like a big change, I wonder why

I mean...yeah, it's kind of a situation

The thing is, Germany was only united as a single country in 1871. Before that, it was really a conglomerate of many different small cities, dukedoms, and kingdoms under the Holy Roman Empire (and before that: Tribes)

Modern-day Germany was just beyond the edge of civilisation during ancient times - Everything to the west and South, including France and England, was conquered and named and cartographed by the Romans but Germania was what was on the "other side":

The beige part was where civilisation ended for the Romans. Everything beyond the Limes was barbarian woods and most attempts to conquer there ended in military disasters like the battle of the Teuteburger Forest so ...not much progress was being made.

The name "Germania", that was used for EVERYTHING beyond the Limes border was apparently adopted from the word the Gauls used for the peoples they knew were living right there on the other side - and which meant something like "people of the forest" or possibly "neighbours" (which means the Romans might have done that ancient thing where they asked the Gauls: "Who lives over there?" and the Gauls were "Oh, yeah, those guys are our neighbours who sometimes come to our markets and that we fight with sometimes and who talk a little weird" and the Romans were like: "Ah, so the name of everyone living in the great beyond is 'Neighbours' and just stamped that name on a large chunk of the continent full of people who had never met a Gaul and had never heard of the word "Germania")

And because that area wasn't centralised the way the former colonies of Rome were, this pattern continued - when "states" (there was no modern-day statehood then, I guess the closest word would be "Reiche" but that would be Empires in English but that also doesn't describe it accurately and Reich has a Connotation in English and kingdom suggests a kind of continuity that didn't exist yet...) interacted with the people who lived in these lands, they often falsely assumed a level of social cohesion that didn't exist. One example is when Charlemagne pushed East, he would often make deals with the pagan Saxon tribes to please stop raiding all the nice monasteries he tried to establish - but it happened again and again, and people at the time concluded that the Saxons simply didn't honour their word. The problem was, that the Saxons were not united under one ruler and were not one cohesive tribe - so just because one of them made a deal to stop raiding monasteries, this doesn't mean anyone else got the memo or felt obliged to stop plundering those monks.

Even today, this kind of happens: Like "teutonic" being used for "german" because Teutons were a German tribe or people identifying Germany with Bavaria bc they hear a lot about the Oktoberfest or "Prussian" and "German" being equated because between 1871 and 1918, the Hohenzollern, being both the royal House of Prussia and the Kaiserhaus, largely dictated Germany's foreign policy and impression to the rest of the world, and even before that posing the biggest counter-weight to the Austrian/Austro-Bavarian role on the German-speaking playing field and often symbolising the different cultures (e.g. protestant vs catholic) existing across the German-countries-minus-Switzerland.

And this is also how the name thing happened: "Deutsch" just means "of the people" and was largely used for the language (hence "Dutch", being a very similar language to German, also having that very similar name, except, since they were the "Low Countries" (flat as a pancake land) of the Holy Roman Empire, they eventually took that name for themselves and their language when they became independent - the Netherlands speaking nederlands, while Belgish dutch-speakers speak "vlaams" after the region "Flanders") But since Germany never "separated" from the Holy Roman Empire but is largely considered its successor, there was no reason to make a regional name the name for a new nation. It just remained "the nation/the people".

Over the centuries, the other countries usually took whatever name there was for the regional tribe of Deutsche/people they dealt with and applied that to the whole thing: If you dealt primarily with the Alemanni people, you would use a word like the French "Allemagne", the English lived on an island and mostly kept using the Latin name "Germania" - which became "Germany". In Finland and Estonia it's "Saksa" and "Saksamaa" because being in the East, they mostly dealt with Saxons.

This also turned into an international game of telephone eventually: People who didn't have much contact with different kinds of Europeans would just pick up whatever name the people they dealt with used for Germany. If you had a lot of contact with the French or Spanish, you would pick up a variation of "Alman", if you dealt primarily with the English or Italians, it would be a variety of "Germania"

Then you have countries like Japan, which entered international exchange very late and had a lot of contact with Dutch and German speakers - which is why they say ドイツ - "doitsu". In Mandarin it's "Déguó" - guó meaning "land" and "Dé" for Deutschland.

Then there is also the language barrier: The modern nation-states of Germany and Italy both were once part of the Holy Roman Empire and neither had a standardised language (even today, on the European continent, Germany and Italy might take the prize for the most variations of their own language on the home continent) or considered themselves "German" or "Italian" until very late. So they distinguished between the people who spoke all the variations of their own language and those people above/below the Alps who were absolutely incomprehensible to them due to speaking an entirely different language family - so the Italians also spoke of "tedesco", which is related to the word "deutsch". (Italy cleverly spared itself most of this chaos by not having a lot of neighbours to begin with).

Another language barrier issue was in the East, because that's where Germanic languages and Slavic languages meet. This meant that while everyone who was part of the German(ic) dialect family could communicate with their neighbouring towns and tribes and everyone on the Slavic side could communicate with their neighbouring towns and tribes, they were also faced with those weirdos from the other side of the language barrier who were speaking absolute gibberish (or maybe just stared at you like an idiot and said nothing when you asked them a basic question) That's why in many Slavic languages, the name for "Germany" is a variation of "Niemcy" or "Německo" - which means "mute" or "non-speaker" or "foreigner" - because those were the people they couldn't talk to. Vācija, Vokietija, and Vuoceja also work this way)

Meanwhile, in Germanic languages, it's often names that also incorporate the word "deutsch & land"- Duitsland, Tyskland, Deytshland, Däitschland, Þýskaland etc

(I think to do the language diversity and mutual communication argument some justice, I think it's also important to point out that there wasn't a lot of personal mobility for the average person at the time, so they probably also identified themselves by what little they saw of the world. If even today there are German-speakers that don't understand each other, that issue was bound to be amplified by 1000000 at a time with no standardised writing, no mobility, a thin population, small towns etc. So even if everyone between the furthest North-East of the Germanic language continuum and the lowest South-West could maybe somehow communicate with their respective neighbouring towns and tribes in pre-nation times, if you had snatched two peasants from the respective ends even of what is today Germany and sat them down on the table in the middle, there probably would have been to have even the most basic conversation or know that the other person spoke a variation of the same language - there is an old saying that "a language is a dialect with an army" - and for German, it's more "a dialect-continuum with a bunch of armies fighting each other until eventually, they got 1 army 2000 years late". Meanwhile for the educated, the lingua franca at the time was Latin.)

Now, a lot of countries ...well, eventually became countries. Which meant they could do some marketing of their own and establish their own name for themselves - but Germany, as I mentioned, was only united in 1871. Even if they considered their language "deutsch", they didn't consider themselves "deutsch" for a long time (and when they did, it was considered a radical idea) and as such, there was no centralised government saying "We are deutsch" the way the French kings said "We are French" or the English kings said "We are English" - in fact, the central authority until the early 19th century was the Holy Roman Empire. Their rulers considered themselves the successors of the old Roman Emperors - this was called the "translatio imperii" according to which Charlemagne was the first "new" Emperor" and the Empire continued until Franz II was forced to abdicate bc of Napoleon. Eventually, it was officially considered "Das heilige römische Reich deutscher Nation" - "the holy roman Empire of the german nation" - but that wasn't really a central aspect of anyone's identity.

The average person just identified by whatever colour their personal patch on this map was:

#InOurFlickenteppichEra

So no one really challenged to disagreed with someone speaking of them as "Saksa" or "German" and that's pretty much why everyone has a different name for Germany.

[novafire-is-thinking]

Speculative Analysis: Why TFP Soundwave is so Terrifying to His Fellow Cybertronians

Time for an essay on why I think TFP Soundwave might have chosen his current cryptid form—electrical tentacles and all. There’s a TL;DR at the end, so feel free to scroll down first and then decide if you want to read the full thing.

This will involve cross-continuity speculation, centered around TFP / Aligned but with some IDW / MTMTE lore thrown in. This could also loosely apply to Bayverse Soundwave, but I won’t be focusing on him. I’m confident you all can infer the potential implications for that version of his character by the time you reach the end.

Okay, so I’ve seen several fellow TFP fans speculate about why Soundwave went from beefy gladiator to bonafide cryptid. Some say it could have been due to the loss of his horde of “minicons” (the term used in ‘Exodus’ by Alex Irvine). Others think it was just Soundwave’s way of adapting to the direction of the war by taking on a form that would give him the best strategic advantage in his position as Megatron’s communications officer. I agree with the latter, but I think there could be more to it than that.

As we see in the flashback for Ratchet’s story and the TFP Titan comics, Soundwave had his current frame type, armor, and alt mode back on Cybertron:

[Sarcastic Soundwave: Superior]

In the real world, Soundwave’s design is based on the MQ-9 Reaper military drone—an earth-based aircraft, but I’m not going to address that small discrepancy since it’s not relevant to this analysis. Skinny, cryptid drone Soundwave existing prior to his arrival on earth supports my theory anyway.

“Can’t we throw a tarp over him? He’s creepin’ me out.”

-Bulkhead in Minus One

On the surface, Bulkhead’s comment and Smokescreen’s subsequent response seem like an interaction between a couple of Autobots who are unnerved because they’re familiar with Soundwave’s reputation—Bulkhead more so than Smokescreen since the latter had probably not seen Soundwave up close in action before coming to earth. However, I think some of Bulkhead’s fear might have been due to an entirely different reason: Sparkeaters.

While reading MTMTE #3, my eyes were met with this lovely sight /s :

[Hey, wasn’t the energon eater in Rescue Bots called “Sparky” too? I guess it’s a cross-continuity tradition to call life-sucking parasites “Sparky” at least once.]

Terrifying? Yes. But I stared in horrified awe at this abomination and thought, “Wait. One. Fragging. Minute. I’m having a galaxy brain moment.”

Mind. Blown. Their overall sharp, jagged appearance, their thin, but formidable frames, their prehensile cables extending from somewhere inside (fuel lines for the sparkeater; multipurpose tentacles for Soundwave). I was—and still am—fascinated by the uncanny resemblance.

[Now who’s Sparky?]

It’s true that sparkeaters aren’t confirmed to be canon in the Aligned continuity, but their existence isn’t denied either. We got something similar with the zombie Terrorcons, but those were a new phenomenon produced either by Megatron’s blind ambition and stupidity or Knockout and Starscream’s lack of forethought and scientific restraint. For the sake of where I’m taking this, let’s assume that sparkeaters, as defined by IDW, do exist in the Aligned universe. What would this mean for Soundwave’s disturbing choice of frame/body type? Why choose a visual motif so strongly associated with death and disease?

One word: Mimicry

Mythologically, historically, and medically, sparkeaters are inseparable from death and disease. Their very existence instills fear in most Cybertronians. What better way for Soundwave to strike terror into the sparks of his enemies (and potential enemies) than to take on a physical form that resembles the sparkeater—something that has been known to kill normal Cybertronians using a deeply disturbing, painful, and even sacrilegious method? Even though the initial shock of seeing a “sparkeater” show up during or around a fight would have dissipated once the Autobots realized it was mostly cosmetic, an impression would have been left. Coupled with his spy capabilities and gladiator-style prowess in combat, a message would have been sent: Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

And there you have it, folks! Another reason to love Soundwave’s design.

Bonus:

I could see Soundwave being called a few things by allies and enemies alike: “The Decepticon Sparkeater,” “Soundwave the Sparkeater,” or just “The Sparkeater.”

An interaction between two Autobot scouts:

Scout 1, over comms: “You there, kid? Who is it? Who did Megatron send this time?”

Scout 2: “It’s The Sparkeater! He’s here!”

1: “You mean Soundwave!? Do you have a visual?”

2: “How many ‘Cons do we see walkin’ around looking like sparkeaters??? Of course it’s Soundwave! And yeah, I’ve got a visual.”

1: “Aw, hell. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.”

TL;DR: Soundwave may have put more thought into his appearance than is obvious. He may have opted to look like a sparkeater as a way of sending a highly effective warning.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Hi, you're getting Call of Duty orders right? I have two requests.

1- where (Y/N), Alejandro and Rodolfo are a trisal, where Alejandro and Rody are jealous of (Y/N) and Soap, as they are very close.

2-where (Y/N) speaks three different languages ​​(Spanish, Portuguese and Russian) and loves to flirt with Alejandro, Rudy and Soap using her ability to speak other languages, like: "Hey, can I do an exchange at your place because I would love to learn your tongue". sorry, I know it was awful.

I apologize if I said something wrong, English is not my native language.

Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra, John “Soap” MacTavish

Headcanons

I hope it’s alright I only did the second one, as it would be pretty confusing to do 2 requests at the same time ^^

Alejandro Vargas

-          Alejandro seems like the type to also be as big of a flirt as you, he would also speak to you in Spanish though it doesn’t have as much as an effect since you also speak Spanish, but he sure does try.

-          He finds it charming when you speak Portuguese and Russian to him, and he probably goes out of his way to look up ways to flirt in those two languages too so he can at least flirt back.

-          It ends up with the two of you just flirting over the comms during missions, even in serious situations you two can be heard flirting in Spanish.

-          Alejandro would chuckle when you make the comment about learning his tongue, grab your chin between his thumb and forefinger and lean in close, and purr something about how you don’t even have to ask before kissing you.

-          Poor Rudy who has had to put up with the two of you for who knows how long, who can understand every word and hear the noises you to make in the other room, he is tired.

 Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra

-          I think Rudy would find it sweet and interesting that you speak multiple languages, he would especially be happy you spoke Spanish since its his first language, and it means the two of you can talk much easier.

-          When you start flirting with him in the other two languages he just chuckles and shakes his head and walks off even though he’s a little flustered.

-          Hes not as much of a flirt as Alejandro but he’s got nothing against flirting back in Spanish if he has too, I don’t think Rudy is as innocent as people like to imagine him as so watch out.

-          Its always the quiet ones they say.

-          When you make the comment about learning his tongue, he would just chuckle a little, tell you “Maybe later” with a heated look in his eyes and walk off. Later you find yourself pulled into a storage closet or similar and end up learning more than just his tongue.

 John “Soap” MacTavish

-          Soap finds it both hot and sometimes confusing that you speak so many languages, he’s been learning Spanish ever since working with Alejandro and Rudy, but he’s not fluent.

-          One of the first things he learned, besides military lingo, was how to flirt with you or talk dirty. Hes got a major accent when he speaks Spanish but it’s the thought that counts.

-          I think Soap peaks Scottish Gaelic, so when you flirt with him in the two other languages, he just lays it on thick with Gaelic, getting in close to your ear to mutter all kinds of dirty things.

-          When you ask about learning his tongue, he at first thinks your asking to learn Gaelic, but when he sees the flirty look in your eyes he grins and says something about how that can be arranged.

-          Lets just say you learn some Gaelic and he learns more than a few words of Portuguese and Russian before the night is over.

[picturejasper20]

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Kid Kree/Mel-Varr character analysis

Kid Kree/Mel-Varr is a character that gets introduced in the Season 2 episode ¨Kid Kree¨ as a semi antagonist to Lunella and later becomes an ally and friend on the long run. He is a character that is original from the comics, having some differences in the way he is characterized in the series.

In this post i’m going to talk about his character, how he develops in this part of the season and his relationship with Lunella, which is important for his character growth.

Let’s start:

As i previously mentioned, Mel-Varr/Kid Kree gets introduced in the episode ¨Kid Kree¨. In this episode Lunella and Casey first meet Marvin scanning and acting strange with other people on the street. All this time Marvin is seen wearing his human disguise, which makes him pass off as a regular teenager. Later Lunella is asked by LOS to show Mel-Varr the school around. Since Mel-Varr is an alien there are many earthly traditions he doesn’t understand yet. He laughes too loudly when trying to imitate Lunella and mixes up words. He is pretty awkward when it comes to human interactions, still trying to get used to them.

During gym class, he approaches Lunella, who is working on some formulas she has, and brings up a small correction she should change in her math. Lunella quickly realizes that Mel-Varr is into science and math like she is and asks him if he would like to hang out later. Mel-Varr agrees but says that he has to receive a call from his father first.

It gets revealed that Mel-Varr is on a secret mission to capture Moon Girl, explaining why he is passing off as a student at school. He got sent to Earth by his own father,Pad-Var, to prove his worth as kree soldier and as punishment for having failed at the military academy. He explains to his father that he assumed Lunella was Moon Girl but the tests he ran didn’t match the results. He doesn’t know that Lunella is Moon Girl and visversa.

The reality is that Mel-Varr doesn’t enjoy being a warrior. It is something that was forced by his father, who sets very high expectations on him. Kree’s society puts emphasis on its people to be soldiers, or at least the social circles Mel-Varr finds himself in his species. He mainly follows what his father tells him because that’s what is expected of him and he really wants his approval.

Mel-Varr is into science and math, something that Pad-Var heavily disapproves of when they interact. Their relationship is very strained because of this, as Mel-Varr feels like he can’t be himself around his father and he is forced to be someone he doesn’t want to. Pad-Var acts pretty distant towards his own son, more often refering to him as a soldier rather than his own family.

There are implications that Mel-Varr didn’t have any friends before coming to Earth as he mentions that he was bullied in his previous school by his peers for being a ¨nerd¨. So not only he has a complicated relationship with his father, there is the chance that he is rejected by other people from around his age as well.

This is why Mel-Varr doesn’t take time in befriending Lunella: She is someone he feels like can be his own self around. He doesn’t have to hide who he is. They both bond over having similar interests and ways of thinking, something that Lunella herself appreciates since she was interested in finding someone she could talk about science as well.

As Mel-Varr helps Lunella with her inventions, the two become closer and hang out very often. On the other hand, Moon Girl and Kid Kree develop a sort of rivalry between the two, trying to Outsmart the other on each encounter they have. During this time Mel-Varr and Lunella are unaware that Mel-Varr is fact helping Lunella to come up with weapons to defeat ¨Kid Kree¨.

During the same day Lunella invites Mel-Varr for dinner and to meet her family, Moon Girl and Kid Kree have another encounter in which Mel-Varr loses his communicator-phone that he uses to contact his father. Lunella grabs it and takes it to her lab to examine it.

Along with Casey, they both learn that Kid Kree is Mel-Varr by checking a visual-audio recording saved on his communicator. This makes Lunella very upset, jumping to conclusions about Mel-Varr instead of talking to him and calls Pad-Var to provoke him.

During dinner Lunella reveals to Mel-Varr that he knows his secret identity as Kid Kree by giving him his  communicator back. This leads to Mel-Varr to realize that Lunella is Moon Girl too. Lunella also tells him that she called his father, making Mel-Varr get very nervous at the mention of it.

When asked by Mimi about it, Mel-Var explains to the Lafayette family that his father is forcing him to do things he doesn’t want to and be someone he isn’t. He was happy to meet Lunella because he could be himself around her. For the language and expression Mel-Varr has when talking about Pad-Var, it gives the impression that their relationship is abusive to an extent. He gets scared by the idea of having to talk to him and the mere mention of him. He leaves the department, not before clarifying to Lunella that he didn’t know that she was Moon Girl.

Realizing her mistake, Lunella goes after Mel-Varr as Moon Girl and followed by Devil behind. They find him on top of a buiding, where Pad-Var’s ships arrives to pick up Mel-Varr. Pad-Var sees Moon Girl and Devil and fights them to capture them. While the fight is happening, Lunella apologizes to Mel-Varr for jumping to conclusions and causing trouble for him. She wants for the two of them to be friends and asks him to tell his father how he truly feels about him.

Mel-Varr decides to help Lunella fighting against Pad-Var and gains the courage to tell him that he can’t be what his is expected to be and that in reality he prefers to study science, even if Pad-Var doesn’t approve of it. Instead of being dissapointed, the commander shows interest in Mel-Varr’s inventions, seeing that they could be useful in battle. He asks Mel-Varr to come back so they could put his science skills on use.

After the fight, Lunella and Mel-Varr still remain friends and Marvin gives Lunella a communicator, so they can keep in contact with each other. Mel-Varr goes inside the spaceship, saying goodbye to Lunella.

Kid Kree retuns in the episode ¨In The Heist¨. He is first seen when Lunella calls him using the comunicator to ask him about the crystal that she and the kids are shown to in the museum. Mel-Varr is doing what resembles a military obstacle course while talking to Lunella, indicating he was able to rejoin his previous school, mentioned in ¨Kid Kree¨. This means he is still trying to be a soldier or that kids in his planet are trained to be soldiers from a young age.

He shows to be deeply concerned about the crystal being inside the museum. He tells to Lunella to take out of there since it has special powers that, when exposed under direct sunlight, it generates horrible weather conditions, which in Kree society are used for a tradition called ¨Bloodvember¨. This demostrates that while he wasn’t on Earth for a long time, he cares about it enough for people to not get hurt by the crystal’s powers.

Mel-Varr shows up near the end of the episode to retrieve the crystal that Lunella and the STEAM kids took from the museum. He hangs out with Lunella and laughs at her retelling of the heist she and others carried out to get the crystal. They both act a bit awkward with each other, making Mel-Varr almost forget taking the crystal with him in the process. He gives a side hug to Lunella and says goodbye, going back to his home planet.

Mel-Varr shows up one last time in Season 2 A in the episode ¨Dancing With Myself¨. When Lunella is talking to Devil about how she doesn’t have anyone that could be her date for the school dance, Mel-Varr drops from the sky near them and explains to Lunella that the Zargarian (an moth like alien race) are after him because they are sworn enemies to the Pad-Var and they are trying to capture him (again). He asks to Lunella if she knows any place to hide, specially if it is dark to not attract the Zargarian.

Instead of taking Mel-Varr to a more secure place to hide, Lunella asks him if he could try hiding inside the school dance. She persuades him into believing that it is safe and could help him with ¨fitting in¨ with other teenagers to go unnoticed. Lunella’s true motive is that she is the only one at the dance she doesn’t have a date and takes the opportunity that Mel-Varr is   here to have someone to ¨date¨ and that way fit in with the others.

Mel-Varr quickly goes along with it, probably because he believes that he is going to be safe from the Moth men while hiding in the school. He is still unaware of human culture as a whole, so he trusts that whatever Lunella is telling him is safe. Another point that could be made is that Mel-Varr was in part interested in being Lunella’s date considering he really likes her romantically speaking. Perhaps he wanted to know how dating worked for humans and wanted to try it out.

In the school dance, they both try imitating what other couples do but it ends up with both of them feeling very awkward and uncomfortable while doing so. It isn’t a situation they enjoy, they feel pressured to do it just to fit in with their peers (mainly from Lunella’s side). In a moment they start talking about science and Lunella stops Mel-Varr, telling him that they should ¨act¨ more like the other couples.

Some time passes when Mel-Varr asks Lunella if they could go elsewhere to hide from the Moth men. Lunella promises they’ll go after a slow dance and Mel-Varr agrees to it if they leave the place after that. They both seem to be having fun dancing until the spotlight light turns on and Lunella asks them to stay a bit longer.

Finally Mel-Varr snaps at Lunella, telling her to stop. He then explains that the whole dating thing makes him feel uncomfortable and that he ¨is still a kid¨. He doesn’t feel ready to get involved in romantic things even though he admits he really likes Lunella. The spotlight light falls on them, attracting the Moth men who take Mel-Varr.

In the middle of the chaos, Lunella learns that the rest of her friends were dating other people because they thought that that’s what they were supposed to do for a school dance and in reality they feel the same as her when it comes to dating. This make her realize her mistake and goes to look for Mel-varr. Lunella apologizes for pressuring him into being her date, admiting that she was also uncomfortable and if they could stay as friends instead. Mel-Varr happily agrees to the idea.

Lunella frees Mel-Varr and they both take their identities as Moon Girl and Kid Kree to fight against the Zargarian. Eventually Devil and the rest of the school join the fight, helping with chasing the Moth men away. Mel-Varr and Lunella go back their non-superhero identities and return to inside the school. The episode ends with Lunella and Mel-Varr having fun dancing in the school dance, not as a couple but as friends.

Another aspect that is worth of bringing up from this episode is that Mel-Varr still struggles with standing up for himself. While what Lunella taking him to the school dance was wrong, he admits that he could have said something sooner about it. He could have been more clear with Lunella that they had to leave the school earlier. It seems to be an issue that he is trying to work through ever since the episode ¨Kid Kree¨.

As for what direction his character arc could take next, it is possible he starts living on Earth since he that’s where Lunella is and he seems enjoy being more on Earth than his own planet overall. It could also be that he moves in out of safety reasons, having in mind that he seems to be the target of plenty of his father’s enemies.

In all, Mel-Varr/Kid Kree is someone who starts as a somewhat enemy of Moon Girl until he realizes that he has a lot of common with her and they become friends. He becomes someone close to Lunella as well as an ally. Thanks to her, Mel-Varr gets inspired to stand up for himself and stay true to who his is as a person.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Writing Advice #?: Choose your descriptive details wisely.

To start, I’d like to share my favorite phrase in the entire English language:

Coffee the temperature of piss

I know it’s no “cellar door.”  But it’s wonderfully evocative on several different levels.  First of all, the obvious: the temperature of piss is also known as... perfect drinking temperature. Coffee slightly less warm than human body temperature is coffee optimal for drinking.  But the choice of comparison has immediately put us off that coffee.

Second, the phrase is viscerally gross: it’s comparing a beverage to a bodily fluid.  And it’s crude: “piss” is rude slang, not childish like “pee” or technical like “urine.”  Third, it’s a great metaphor: pee is acidic and has a strong smell; bad coffee is acidic and has a strong smell.  But the narration didn’t come out and say “the coffee had a strong acidic odor similar to the smell of piss”; it simply evoked that comparison indirectly.

Fourth: I first encountered the phrase in a since-deleted fan fic, in which the narrator was sitting in a hospital room waiting for his son to wake up from surgery.  (A fic about John Winchester on a Supernatural LJ, if anyone cares.) So the phrase worked on several other levels.

We’re in a hospital setting, you’re comparing something to pee: ick, we can guess why that’s on the character’s mind.

The narrator is former military, so the use of profanity fits.

The narrator knows that his son is in this situation because of his own decisions; the self-disgust is evident in comfort (hot coffee) being turned to contamination (urine).

Hospital coffee is famously bad, so anyone who has ever tasted it will get to feel their gorge rise at the image that evokes it so well.

The thinness of the paper cup and the sickly warmth of the liquid within also come through, to readers who know hospitals.

However, like I said: coffee that temperature is good coffee.  But the writer has managed to thoroughly put us off it with the extremely specific word choice for that scene.  “Piss” is about the grossest thing you can compare a beverage to except maybe blood, and drinking blood comes with a whole other set of implications that the author obviously doesn’t want.

Another example done right: Homecoming describes an overpass where cars “hurtled over that bridge as if the devil himself was chasing them. He’d be chasing them from both directions then; he’d catch you either way.” Why?  It’s a bridge that the main characters, on foot, have no way to cross to safety.  This description comes at the narrator’s lowest moment of despair.  It’s just a bridge, with traffic moving at normal speed, but it’s also not.  The circular nature of the description, the sense of fleeing but being unable to get away, are exactly the right details to be evoking then.

An example done wrong: Vampire Academy opens on a sequence where the guy kidnapping the main characters is described as “He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I’d figured, probably six-six or six-seven. And under different circumstances—say, when he wasn’t holding up our desperate escape—I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat—a duster, I thought it was called.  But his hotness was irrelevant now.”  This paragraph brings the story to a screeching halt.  Instead of the action advancing, it’s dwelling on the “irrelevant” “hotness” of a character’s face.  Why would the narrator notice the physical attractiveness of this person right now?  Why would she wonder whether she has the name of a designer coat correct?  It’s distracting, it’s confusing, and it verbally moves the scene from a desperate shaky cam to a sparkly slow-mo long enough to get a very long pan over this character’s hair and outfit.

It would be easy to describe him as “menacingly large” with “a long dark coat” and keep going.  Then the focus of the narration matches the focus of the characters.  If it’s important for the reader to know that he’s attractive and long-haired and wears leather, then add those details later when the narrator has already been kidnapped and has time to sit around and study him.

So, yeah.  If you have a self-loathing former Marine waiting in a hospital room with a hot drink, “coffee the temperature of piss” evokes worlds of implication in just five words.  If you have an upbeat kid eagerly caffeinating, that same cup can be “coffee with the warm zing of a hug.”  If a third-grade teacher is sucking it down to stay alert, it’s “coffee as tepid as my soul.”  If you’re writing a doctor who sprints past the coffee because their patient is going tachycardic in that same room, don’t mention the coffee at all.

[petermorwood]

Hi!

I see you know things about sword and armour and such as it comes up on my dash and I thought I’d bother you with a question.

I like to draw, though i tend to ignore characters with weapons as I don’t know much about them. If I was drawing someone, they don’t really have a backstory I’m just doodling - but someone who would travel with a sword; where’s the best place to carry it? At the waist? Or carry it separately? And I mean a sword someone can carry in one hand. I know there’s loads of different swords and types and each might have a different answer, but I thought I’d ask you anyway, any advice is more what I know at the moment XD

Thanks!

Since your question is about research for drawing, this answer is going to be image-heavy. (What a surprise...) ;->

TL;DR - A one-handed sword was usually worn on a waist-belt, or attached to one by extra straps.

I'm not bothering with back-carry, a modern fantasy. Look up my tags "back-carry" and "back-scabbard" for plenty more info on that topic.

In the mid-14th century the belt dropped to hip level because of Fashion, as shown on the Black Prince's tomb.

Less often (though Vikings, Roundheads, pirates and Scottish Highlanders all did it, they weren't medieval) swords were also hung from a shoulder-belt (baldric - no "k" unless you want Blackadder)...

...which may sometimes have been strapped down with a waist-belt, Sam Browne style, to prevent the sword from bouncing around too much.

Japanese katana / tachi are used two-handed, but I'll include them because they're no longer than a European one-handed sword and are also worn at the waist.

The tachi, a old-style military and court sword, was suspended edge-down from a belt while the katana, a newer-style and mostly civilian sword, was pushed edge-up through a waist sash (obi):

Period art of Renaissance Irish warriors - kerns - often shows them carrying their swords in one hand...

...but while assembling pics for this post, I only found four instances of medieval men-at-arms doing a similar hand-carry. Two are here...

...and the other two are here, at extreme right and left - you can tell the sword's not belted in place because the fastening-flap is hanging loose with no laces through it.

In art from the early Middle Ages, this lace-and-flap arrangement seems far more common than a buckle. This carving shows how it works very clearly - NB that the over-shoulder belt (guige) has nothing to do with the sword and is attached to the shield.

The following pics illustrate various ways European one-handed swords were worn, usually with armour.

Despite what movies and fantasy fiction suggests, swords (daggers were another matter, nearly everyone carried those) were so rarely worn with civilian clothing that the word "rapier" may have evolved from "espada ropera", a sword worn with "robes", i.e. just clothes, not armour.

Here's one of those rare examples. There are a couple more at the bottom, but they're from the mid-1500s, when armour had started falling out of use except (usually) as a badge of rank for VIPs.

All the rest feature armour from the early to the late medieval period.

Hope This Helps! :->

[panda-writes-kpop]

A/N: there are elements of this that you won't understand, but that's alright because I still working out of the kinks of these moving bits and pieces. all you need to know is that reader is a very eligible royal, looking to mingle with court members and royal staff alike.

After this piece is posted, I will be going on a hiatus for a couple weeks in order to finish my semester as best as possible. I've also developed a minor cold, so I think this will be good for me. I'm planning to make a return with another series, so you'll know when I'm back. :)

TW: Attempted first person from most of the girls

Summary: You receive seven letters, written to the same person, about the same topic - a proposal. The question is - what do you do now?

♡ Masterlist ♡

To a dearest friend,

I hope all is well within the kingdom walls. It has simply been too long since you, Handong, Dami, and I have gone for tea and scones, like the old days. I know you have much to worry about, especially with the rising uproar within the Court of Sagitta, but I wish for you to unburden your load with me, at least for a moment.

I, as representative and ambassador from the Court of Pictor, wish to see my court thrive along with the kingdom as a whole. I suppose this seems quite strange, as my court is known to be quite peaceful, but I do not mean for this to be seen negatively. I assure you my intentions are pure. You will assume the best of me, right? Of course you will. You’ve always been so much better than the petty squabbles and dangerous drama that the court system is about.

What I am about to suggest will come off as bold, and I am well aware of that. As the oldest court ambassador, I must set a precedent as I assume I will not be the last to say such things to you.

I am offering you my hand in marriage, with no price or deal or string attached. You and I could rule side by side. Would that not be something great?

I feel I may be pressuring you, so I will back away now. I fully support your decision to choose whoever will be the best fit for you and for the kingdom. I know you will make the right choice. We are all counting on you, remember?

Perhaps we could chat about this over tea sometime? It feels quite informal and stifling to be speaking to you over such a medium, let alone something of this importance. 

Please respond to this letter as soon as you feel compelled to. As my founder once said, matters of the heart cannot be decided overnight. You must take time to decide, even if my feelings are harmed in the matter.

I care for you, my dearest royal. I can only hope that you feel the same.

Yours truly,

JiU

 ~

To the Ruler Themselves,

Listen, I am no literary genius like Dami, or sweet and caring, like JiU. I am not creative and unbiased like Handong or hard-working and truthful like Yoohyeon. I suppose I share similarities with Siyeon above all, but she and I are different in many ways as well.

This is simply too formal for me, I tell you! Why does such a matter need to be inscribed with ink, quill, and parchment? Why can I not express my desire, my want towards you?

I wish for your hand in marriage, your highness. I believe that my military genius could be of use to the crown, as I am your highest ranking royal guard. 

As your personal guard, however, we have developed a close and sincere relationship. You are someone who I can freely be beside without caring about formalities or kinship. I hope I am the same to you, as you are a person of value and great importance to me, and I cannot lose you.

Will you at least consider my offer? I know I stand little chance against those stuffed coats who sit in the courtroom all day, but I figured that I shall throw my hat into the ring if everyone else is going to do the same.

Tomorrow, can we meet by the water fountain when the bell tower tolls midnight, like we used to do when we were younger? I have something to show you, but my words are unable to describe the greatness of what I hold for you~

Come and see me then before I drag you out of your bedchambers myself.

SuA

~

Your Highness,

Letters have never been a strength of mine. My charms are much stronger in person, but you would know so little about that.

I find it intriguing that you are the one person in the world, not considering other court members, that have not fallen for my charms. What, then, is your weakness? 

You never swoon over other people, but you can make people fall for you without sparing another breath. How can you bewitch others so easily? How have you managed to bewitch me?

It shall forever remain a mystery, and that is quite fine with me. I enjoy this coy game that we are playing, and I shall make a move that you would never expect from me.

I am asking for your hand in marriage. I know you may cross me off of your list, considering my antics and ancestry, but I ask for your grace and mercy. I will try to improve my attendance and effort in court-related duties. I shall do and be anything you ask of me, whether or not you chose me to rule by your side.

All I ask is for you to think of me kindly. You will do that, right? Other court members speak highly of you, and I can only hope that what they speak of is true.

Come meet me next week for a party you shall never forget. Bring your best attire, but make it something that you are not afraid to spoil with wine and food. We, at the Court of Delphinus, will make sure that your attendance is worth your time.

I apologize for my bothersome behavior in the past, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. You must, otherwise this letter is for naught.

Sleep well, dear royal, and I look forward to seeing you in the future in my future.

Best of luck,

Siyeon

~ 

To the Royal Household,

If this letter is not being read by the royal heir themselves, I ask that this letter be sent to them swiftly. Do not read any further unless the royal has received my correspondence.

Dearest Royal, I hope that all is well within and outside of the kingdom walls. I understand that there has been turbulence with certain factions, but I hope that you have been sleeping well. We need a ruler who has been taking care of themselves, and I hope that you have been following that guidance as well.

I suppose this is not the first letter that you have received about this, and I doubt that mine will be the last. Instead of offering you a proposal, I offer an opportunity: a trip through the history of the Court of Corvus.

There is much history within the walls of the building that Corvus sponsors, and I am sure that you will enjoy going through all of it. We have much artistic talent, both in written word and visual masterpieces. 

I do not wish to pressure you into one decision or another, so I offer you an alternative. Come and spend a day with me, and we can go from there. Maybe some jewelry is involved, but I assure you, the Court of Corvus will treat you finely.

Thank you for everything,

Handong

~

From the Esteemed Court of Sagitta,

Our Yoohyeon, as the ambassador for the Court of Sagitta, would like to make her bid into the competition for the Royal Heir’s hand in marriage. We will do as the Kingdom requests of us, including forgiving the heir of their trespasses against us in the past, present, and future. 

We have but one noble request of the heir. As you are probably aware, the Court of Sagitta has traditionally held a trial from members of our Court to prove themselves in numerous ways. We would like the heirship to adapt this format for choosing a partner for the heir, and if so, the Court of Sagitta promises to forgive all trespasses that other courts have done against us, and we will pay reparations for any possible transgressions that we may have committed in the past.

Thank you for your consideration, time, and patience, Our Future Ruler,

The Office of The Court of Sagitta

~

To The Dearest Future Royal,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, and in a position well enough to receive a letter of such importance. I do not wish to urge or rush you, but rather, I want to inform you of my wishes regarding our relationships.

As future heir to the Pearl Kingdom, I know that you are required to choose a partner to reign beside. I have heard whispers from other courts and how they wish to earn your favor. I must be honest, the urging of my own court, along with certain members, has prompted me to do the same.

I must be honest with you, my dear royal. Although the motivations of my court may be muddled, my heart’s intentions are as clear as they can be. I want to provide you with nothing but the best for you and your kingdom.

And, if I may say, the motivation from Wonyoung and Ryujin has forced me to reveal my hand. Wonyoung especially, but Ryujin has done her part in keeping me on my toes. I think you appreciate their company as much as I do, so you know what I mean.

The New Year is approaching soon, so you know what that means, right? The Pyxis New Year is a celebration for the ages, and I hope you will accompany me there.

Sincerely, ever in your favor, grace, and honor,

Dami

~

I apologize in advance for the informality of this letter, your highness. There is only so much formalness that you can format into a small napkin that you did not use for dinner service.

As many before me have probably said, I wish for your hand in marriage. I know that I do not have much to offer, but I can promise happiness and lots of love in the future.

Thank you for all that you do for me, your highness, and I look forward to our next meeting.

Gahyeon

[wanderinginksplot]

Refuge Chapter Three

Eventual Delta Squad x fem!reader fic (no use of y/n).

Full disclosure, I'm still not happy with this chapter, but it's been months since I posted chapter two, so here you go!

Word Count: 4,600

Warnings: homesickness, sneaking around, hints of political intrigue, mentions of disobeying orders.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Curious

“Stay here.”

It had been the last thing Delta Squad had said to you before they left the ship. Every one of them had said the same thing, the sentiment varying only slightly between the different speakers.

They had to go 'make a report' to their superior officer. That had confused you, since they specifically told you that they hadn't been called into action in the mission they had just come from, but you weren't going to pretend that you understood the intricacies of the Republic's army. Or any army, really. Voubos hadn't had one, and your only exposure to the military at all had been occasional brushes with Separatist droids and the night Delta Squad had bunked down at your house.

Abruptly, as if you had thought too much about home and filled some unknown emotional quota, a wave of homesickness crashed through you. Your stomach tightened and your eyes began to water, but you bit back the tears. You refused to weep for a place that could not be saved. Doing so would be too close to mourning.

You weren’t ready to mourn your comfortable life yet.

So you puttered around the small ship. It had taken a little over a day to travel from Voubos to Coruscant, and you had found yourself staring out into passing hyperspace with the fascination of a small child. 

Scorch had laughed and told you that the streaking light of passing stars didn’t change over time, but that made no difference to you: it was something new and different. You had never left Voubos before, let alone traveled in hyperspace, and you were determined not to miss a moment. Well, between trips to the small refresher onboard the ship. You were having a fair bit of trouble adjusting to the intense speed of traveling this way. Dizziness and a mild headache were easily ignored, but your stomach was more vocally disagreeable.

When you had finally looked your fill at hyperspace - or, more accurately, when Boss had ordered you to sit down so you would stop stumbling through the cabin - you had explored the contents of the ship. Most of it was military technology and commando gear, both of which were too dangerous to mess with. There was a lot of wiring and machinery powering the ship, and you couldn’t even begin to fathom the intricacies of that. And then there was survival equipment for use in unexpected situations.

You had made the mistake of asking Sev what kind of situations would warrant use of the prepackaged foods, emergency blankets, and spare power packs. The commando had snorted and told you that you would never use the survival equipment. If something went wrong with the ship, you would most likely die in the initial incident. 

The trip became a lot less fun after that.

But the ship and all of its occupants had landed safely on Coruscant. You were inside the headquarters of the Republic’s army. More specifically, you were inside of a hangar. Scorch could complain about the monotony of hyperspace all he wanted, but it was nothing compared to the monotony of looking out through the narrow windows to see nothing but metallic gray walls and the occasional other ship. 

The most entertaining part of your surroundings by far were the white-armored troopers that occasionally rushed through the hangar. The design of their helmets was far more familiar, having been prominently displayed on every piece of Republic propaganda you had ever seen. Though the troopers mostly looked identical in the armor and looked very similar out of it, there were distinct differences in their attitudes and bearing.

But they worked efficiently and left, then you were alone in the hangar once more. The isolation quickly became a bad thing as thoughts of Voubos started to rise unbidden.

Your home was gone. There was no fighting that fact. You had watched the fire engulf the door you had lovingly painted yellow. Your windows had shattered as you stared into the shimmering light behind them. You had left before you had to watch your gardens wilt and die in the face of the incredible heat, but you could picture the curled remains of the year's crop.

You had planted squash last summer. There were a few plants you had been very proud of, and you had made plans about the recipes you would make with them. One recipe for spiced squash cakes had sounded particularly promising.

Before you knew what you were doing, you rose from your seat and started pacing a tight circle around the inside of the ship, taking deep breaths all the while. You weren't going to cry over squash. You refused. Yes, you had made plans for the way you wanted your life to be, but plans changed all the time. Life changed. At least you were alive to see it.

But you needed to get out of this ship or you were going to do something dramatic.

So you found the right button - half terrified that you were going to start some take-off process by mistake - and lowered the ramp before cautiously peeking out. You were just as alone as you had suspected you would be. 

A shiver went through you, and you hurried across the wide open expanse of the hangar.

When you had nearly reached the closest wall, you picked out a small detail that you had missed: there were control panels beside every door. You likely needed a code or an identification badge to get inside. It made sense - this was the military headquarters of a system actively at war. Security would be important.

Fortunately, the solution came in the form of a group of clone troopers. Not Delta Squad, of course. They were still in their meeting. These were ordinary troopers - as ordinary as any man could be after being literally created to fight a war. Their armor was painted in individual patterns, just like Delta Squad. Unlike Delta Squad, however, these men all wore paint of the same color: a dark, hunter green.

They stepped into the hangar, pausing when they saw you. You sent them a winning smile, hoping the quick sonic shower you had taken aboard Delta Squad’s ship had buzzed the mud from your hair and face. 

“Are you headed this way, ma’am?” one asked, politely pressing the button that would hold the door open instead of allowing it to close.

“Yes, I am,” you said with a nod. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he assured, shrugging before he fell back into conversation with his fellow soldiers. 

You quickened your pace slightly to get through the door before it did start to close, reaching the interior hallway with time to spare. As the door hissed softly closed behind you, cutting off your view of the hangar and Delta Squad’s ship, you took a curious look around your new surroundings.

They were… well, ‘gray’ wasn’t very descriptive, but it was the best adjective you could come up with.

Everything around you had been built in the spirit of function over form, and it showed. The hallway you were standing in was wide and painted a utilitarian gray, the floors black. The hallway stretched quite a long distance in both directions, a necessity if it wrapped around the hangar bay. The unmarked doors that lined the opposite side of the hallway were a slightly darker gray for differentiation against the gray walls, but you really weren’t sure if you would be able to find your way back to the hangar bay if you left. 

You glanced back at the door you were still standing in front of. It looked just like the others, but it was roughly twice the width of the rest of those in the hallway. What’s more, there was a number pad embedded in the wall to your right. Clearly, you wouldn’t be able to access it again until you were accompanied by someone else.

Maybe it was just the stress of having lost your home and having no real place in the galaxy, but you didn’t feel you had very much to lose at the moment. 

With one last look at the door, you started venturing down the hallway, making a left turn out of a sheer, baseless whim. You didn’t see anyone until you turned the next corner, where a group of troopers stood gathered in an intersection between the hallway around the hangar bay and one that cut off in a different direction.

This was going to be your true test, you felt. The troopers looked like they belonged there. Their white armor - not painted any other colors this time - worked with the gray and black of the hallways in a way that your clothing clearly did not.

As you approached, the troopers’ conversation trailed off and they watched you expectantly. You had decided not to stop walking, but you still made regular eye contact with the troopers simply because you were watching for their reaction to your unaccompanied presence. When you were ten paces away, their conversation dropped altogether and your heart began to race.

With only five paces between you, the troopers straightened. 

Three paces and they lifted their arms.

One pace and they offered you a neat salute.

You were so tense that it took a moment for that to settle in your mind… not soon enough. Surprised by the salutes, you glanced behind you as if to look for who they were saluting. Even as you made the ill-advised move, the truth of it hit you and you wanted to sigh at your own stupidity.

After far too much time had passed, you saluted them as well. The gesture was unfamiliar, and you ended up touching your fingertips to your temple as you stared at them in hope that you had done it correctly. Even then, your muscles automatically turned the motion into an attempt to smooth back your hair.

You smiled wryly at the troopers, who didn’t stop you as you passed. You wanted to offer a witty and well-worded comment about your own slip, but you didn’t dare speak. The few people you knew who had traveled off-world reported that most Voubosian accents were considered thick, and there was little you could do to hide yours if you spoke to the troopers.

Somehow, you passed without incident, though you heard one of the troopers scoff behind you. “Someone needs to take a few minutes to teach the jetii how to do a proper salute.”

Jetii? Was that an obscure reference to the Jedi? The ones that old spacers talked about performing miracles and magic across the galaxy? You smiled to yourself. You had never believed those tales, even when you were young enough that it would have been forgiven. You had been a naturally skeptical child, more concerned with the wonders of everyday life than the hypothetical tales of things that you had never seen yourself.

As you continued down the sterile white hallway, leaving the troopers to their superstitious tales, you were engrossed with the sheer size of the building. Big enough that it held a full hangar and - presumably - enough rooms to make all of these doors necessary. You knew that Coruscant was large and heavily populated, one of the most densely populated places in the galaxy, but you had never even pictured anything on this scale.

By the time you were starting to feel nervous, trying to remember how far back the troopers had been, a group of three people turned the corner and started moving toward you. One of them was a trooper carrying his helmet under his arm, his white armor heavily painted with dark green. It was the same green the troopers in the hangar had been wearing… and the same green of the other two figures’ skin. 

They were both female, garbed in dark robes with flowing scarves covering their heads. Both had skin of a similar hue - though not exactly the same, and you couldn’t trace any real resemblance between their facial features. They weren’t related then, not that you could see, though they had similar tattoos: simple diamonds done in a flat black. The markings trailed down the older female’s chin while they draped across the younger female’s nose.

You were nearly vibrating with excitement. Voubos had been populated almost exclusively by humans - the popular joke was that Voubos was the overflow for the rest of the galaxy’s population and, since humans were the most prevalent species in the galaxy… Perhaps it was only funny to Voubosians, now that you thought about it.

Still, you drank in the sight of the fascinating trio approaching you, remembering halfway through the space between you that they could see you as clearly as you could see them, and you needed to look like you belonged in this strange, labyrinthine building.

As you passed the females, the younger one gave a polite nod, one you returned readily enough. The trooper and the older female were deep in conversation. You heard the trooper refer to her as, “General,” and had to fight back another wave of awe. She was a general? You had never met a general before. What would it be like to command an army? Likely stressful and overwhelming, you reminded yourself sternly. You didn’t envy them their position, but it was fascinating enough to give you momentary pause.

By the time you finished processing all of that, you had passed the group by several paces. It was only when your footsteps echoed back at you from the walls that you realized the conversation had halted behind you.

“Excuse me?” a lilting voice asked.

There was no doubt she had been talking to you. You drifted to a stop, glancing back over your shoulder to find that all three were watching you curiously. Reluctantly, you turned, offering another nod and a friendly smile. It had sounded like the female had an accent… maybe you could get away with talking if you only did so in short sentences?

“Yes, uh… General?” you asked politely. 

The trooper and the younger female instantly frowned and you tried to keep your panic internal. What had you said? Was she not a general after all? Surely mishearing something like that was an innocent mistake. 

The maybe-general smiled kindly and took a few gliding steps toward you. “You seem to be lost. May I help you find something or someone?”

“I- I’m waiting for someone,” you told her. “A group of someones, actually.”

Stars, that had been too much speaking all at once. They would know you didn’t belong here. You cut yourself off, giving a self-deprecating smile.

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“Uh…” you trailed, knowing you sounded suspicious. Really, though, what would be worse? Pausing to think of where you were from? Or telling them you were from a planet that was occupied by the Separatists? Even if you told her you had been rescued from Voubos, you would get Delta Squad in trouble. Boss had told you specifically that recovering you wasn’t their mission and was a secret of sorts. “I’m sorry, I need to-”

“Wait,” she entreated, holding up a slim hand. “You have nothing to fear from me - from us. I wish only to help.”

“Help?” you repeated, frowning openly. “I’m sorry, I-”

She shook her head, somehow managing to convey both amusement and reassuring pity. "Come with me."

You eyed her for a second, well aware of the second female and the armor-covered trooper behind it. Then, because it didn't seem as though you had a choice, you went with her.

---

"As expected, the ARCs were able to complete the mission," Boss explained. "We waited nearby, but were never called into action and returned to Coruscant without incident."

Boss hated briefings like this. Delta Squad was capable of more, had done more in the past, but that was the way some missions went. For every mission that let a squad be heroes, there were half a dozen where they played a minor role or offered support to other squads.

It just made him itch to stand with those other squads and recap a mission when nothing had been done.

General Windu stroked his chin, doing his best to look like he was carefully considering what Boss had said. "Is there any reason to suspect that anyone noticed your presence outside of Zebitrope?"

"No, sir," he reported. It wasn't technically a lie. They had been noticed, but there was no reason the Seppies would tie their presence to a stealth mission that had taken place several planets away. Especially if it had gone as well as the ARCs had reported, Boss added sourly to himself.

The chiming of a comlink cut through whatever the general had been about to say. He glanced around the room, signaled for everyone to wait, and answered.

"Windu."

"Hello, Master Windu," a female voice greeted politely. "Master Luminara has requested that you join her in the council's chambers."

Windu's brow arched, though the caller clearly couldn't see it. "I am finishing with a briefing, Padawan Offee."

"My apologies, Master, but there is a bit of a situation and the Council is gathering."

"Situation," Windu repeated. "One moment."

When the general dropped his arm, it was to glance around the room. "Thank you all for your efforts on this mission as well as your timely and thorough reports. You are dismissed."

Delta Squad - having been the furthest from the door during the briefing - were the last to leave, which gave Boss enough time to hear General Windu resume his communication. 

"What is the situation, Padawan?" 

"Master Luminara found a strange woman wandering through the hangar area. She brought her to the Council's chambers to learn more about who she is and-" 

"I believe I am beginning to understand," General Windu said, shooting a dark look in Boss's direction. "I will be there shortly."

"But Master, you don't understand-" 

The padawan's explanation was cut short as the general disconnected the call. When he spoke, his voice was deliberately calm in the tense quiet of the briefing room. "I assume your secondary objective was achieved."

"Yes, sir," Boss agreed. "We didn't have time to drop her anywhere else on the way back."

"You had to have known that bringing a civilian into the GAR headquarters - a civilian from a Separatist planet, no less - was a poor choice."

"She has nowhere else to go, sir," Fixer added from behind Boss.

"I understand," General Windu told him, not unkindly, "and I commend you for your charity, but she cannot stay here."

One of the others shifted his weight and Boss recognized it clearly enough to cut off either Scorch or Sev, knowing that their responses wouldn't help your case. "Yes, sir. I would vouch that she's no traitor, though. With your leave, we'll collect her from the Council and find her a place to stay. We'll be back in a few hours, no more."

The general sighed. "I believe we might be able to help her get back on her feet. For all intents and purposes, she's a refugee from her planet, and the Jedi have systems in place to help refugees from the war. Now, we are expected at the Council's chambers."

"We, sir?" Scorch asked, the excitement in his voice inappropriate considering the tone of the situation. "You're letting us come along?"

The general gave the entire squad a knowing look. "If I told you to stay away, would it make a difference?"

No one had an answer to that - at least, not one that wouldn’t bring someone up on charges of insubordination - so the commandos followed General Windu out of the GAR headquarters and to the Jedi Temple.

By the time they arrived outside of the ornate doors leading to the Council's chambers, the squad was fascinated with this look into the Jedi's inner world. Fixer was subtly recording everything, Scorch was practically vibrating with excitement, and even Sev would study a particular detail as it caught his eye. Boss was interested, but most of his focus was on getting you back. As far as he was concerned, he had lost a man, and that was unacceptable.

When Delta Squad trailed into the room behind General Windu, they passed a confused-looking Mirialan female. She didn't speak, but she was far from the only one in the room. You were standing in the middle of the chairs that lined the room. An older Mirialan held a datapad with the screen facing away from you. Several other chairs were filled, the occupants watching you with interest.

"It's a flower," you said slowly, your accent even stronger than normal. Boss realized why when you glanced back over your shoulder at him, eyes bright with nerves and confusion.

"And this?" the Mirialan asked.

You frowned. "A battle droid."

"All correct," the female said, and only then did Boss recognize her as General Unduli of the 41st. "Master Yoda?"

The diminutive leader of the Jedi Order was impossible not to recognize, especially when he began to speak. "Likely it is that found someone sensitive to the will of the Force, we have."

General Windu stepped into the conversation without hesitation, though he had only recently arrived. "Did your parents ever mention someone speaking to them about the Jedi Order?"

"No, never," you admitted. "To be honest, I thought the Jedi were just a legend until an hour ago."

“Master Nu?” Yoda asked. “Have light to shed on this matter, do you?”

"I have searched her name in the records of past Holocrons," an elderly human woman said from an unobtrusive place in the corner. "It does not appear on any of the lists, even when I expanded the age range five years above and below the correct one."

Yoda gave a thoughtful hum and the rest of the room’s occupants seemed content to sit in silence. You cast another look back in Boss’s direction, and he felt a flush of guilt that he was unable to help you. 

"Have we performed a Midichlorian test?" Windu asked.

"That was our next and final step," General Unduli said. She rested the datapad on the wide arm of her chair, picking up a smaller, round device instead. After getting your permission, she lanced your finger and let the machine soak in the small drop of blood that had been produced.

The machine whirred for a few moments, then made a small beep. Unduli glanced down at it and gave a nod. "As we suspected: the numbers are high, but they fall short of the range for a Jedi."

That seemed like a definitive answer to Boss's untrained ears, but it did nothing to cut the tension in the room. Instead, the air grew even thicker. 

You had picked up on it, too. Glancing around at the Council, you asked, "What does that mean, exactly?" 

"Have a mystery on our hands, we do," Yoda explained unhelpfully. 

"The Jedi Order only accepts students at or above a certain percentage of Midichlorians in their blood," General Windu told you, turning just enough that Delta Squad felt included in the explanation. "It has to do with how well they can connect with the Force. Those who aren't strong enough are left alone, and their abilities eventually fade. On the rare occasion that they retain a small connection to the Force, they are known as 'Force sensitive'. Most Force sensitive beings cannot use or direct the Force, but they are more susceptible to understanding its will."

"So I'm Force sensitive?" you asked, frowning.

"Not exactly," General Unduli denied slowly. "You… If you'll forgive the imprecision of the language, your Force signature feels like that of a Force-user. Your connection to the Force is strong. That leaves you in a unique position. Your abilities cannot have faded over time, or you would have started off powerful enough to have been on the Holocron list for your birth cycle. It is unheard of, but perhaps your abilities are growing."

"Can you remember consciously affecting your surroundings?" General Fisto asked, speaking for the first time.

You shook your head. "No, never."

Boss made a disagreeing noise. Windu asked, "Something to share, Sergeant?"

Boss nodded to his general, but did you the courtesy of speaking directly to you. "When we rescued you on Voubos, we didn't know where to start looking after we saw that your house had been burned. It felt like we were being pulled toward the river and that's when we saw you. Even when I was on the tree, I wasn't fast enough to have caught you… but it was like I was being pulled to the right spot so I would get there fast enough."

"Really?" you asked, sounding awed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Boss shrugged. "It would have sounded unbelievable. And besides, when you're in an intense situation like that, it can seem like you're being guided by someone else when it's really just instincts."

"That is true," General Unduli conceded. "Is there anything else? Perhaps a way you've been influenced by the Force?"

"Not that I can think of."

"What prompted you to let four strange men stay in your home?" General Windu asked abruptly. “You had never seen a commando before, correct?”

You froze for a moment, thinking over the question. Boss could feel the way Fixer, Sev, and Scorch had frozen as well, the whole squad's attention sharpening as they waited for the answer to a question they had been asking themselves.

“I… had a good feeling about them,” you admitted eventually, your voice soft. “They needed a place to stay - the forests on Voubos aren’t safe at night - and… my gut told me that no one in Delta Squad meant me any harm.” You gave a self-deprecating smile and shrugged. “I wish I had a better explanation, but I don’t.”

"Sounds like a connection to the Force, you have," Yoda said and you frowned at him.

"No, it's just… a gut feeling. Instinct."

"And how often do you experience these instincts?" Master Nu asked.

You shrugged. "Not at any certain intervals. They just happen, especially when I'm in situations that are new or feel dangerous."

Privately, Boss thought you may have a point. That didn't sound like Jetii stuff to him, just instincts, like any good soldier formed over time. The next moment, he corrected his own thoughts. You weren't a soldier and you hadn't had the time or cause to form instincts through experience. Maybe it was some kind of mystical power.

"Barriss, was there something you wished to add?" General Unduli asked, speaking to the young Mirialan.

"If I may, masters," she started respectfully.

General Windu made an encouraging gesture. "Go on, Padawan Offee."

The female, one Boss had only just realized was Commander Offee, inclined her head and said, "I have been trained to be aware of my surroundings, as has Commander Gree. Neither of us recognized that anything was amiss. Further investigation of the GAR headquarters found that she had passed at least two other groups of seasoned troopers. None of them were suspicious of her, either. I believe she may be able to manipulate her signature to pass unnoticed by most."

"A useful talent," General Fisto remarked, "particularly in wartime."

General Windu glanced around the room and, when no one made any further comments, nodded. "We will need to discuss this matter further. Padawan Offee, escort Delta Squad and their friend downstairs. See if you can find her some clothes and then a hot meal for all of them. Wait for us to contact you." 

"Yes, Master," Commander Offee agreed with a graceful nod, leading the group out of the ornate Council chambers.

---

Author's Note - I know this seems like the most basic, self-indulgent, time-worn premise for a fic, but I promise I'm going to try to put an interesting spin or two on it! Feel free to let me know what you thought or take me to task for waiting so long to update - dealer's choice!

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

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[likesunsetorange]

somewhere beyond the sea

ema hizuru au i posted this on twitter but forgot to post it here too!

After what felt like forever of standing still, Hajime guided Eren to a mirror stationed outside where he helped him get dressed. Eren stumbled as he walked, the selta sandals and socks a stark difference from the boots he was so familiar with. The black haori jacket and kimono contrasting the grey striped hakama—a stark difference from his usual clothing of choice. The silky fabric felt luxurious in a way that he couldn’t fathom, his normal clothes military issued or on the brink of being tattered from years of use, feeling fancier than even the clothes they wore in Marley.

He eyed himself in the mirror, his reflection feeling unrecognizable while adorned in the linen robes, but also because he recognized a difference in himself. Where his face once felt round, still clinging onto layers of baby fat, was now angular and sharp. He was taller and wider, no longer skinny and small, his boyish features had changed to that of a man. 

“You look very nice sir,” Hajime complimented him from where he stood behind him, the creases near his eyes from the upturn of his lips signaling his genuineness. 

“O-oh thank you,” Eren’s face flushing pink, unused to compliments from anyone. 

Armin’s appearance from the changing area saved him from his flusteredness, the blond bouncing with an excitement that radiated off him. The design of his robes was fitting of his mood, the yellow and orange hues of his haori jacket bright and cheery. 

“See Eren, I told you it would be fun to try on the kimonos,” Armin said excitedly. “I’m glad we were finally able to come to Hizuru.”

Eren nodded in agreement, a soft smile lighting up on his face. “I am too, there’s still so many things we can do while we’re here. Although I still think that we look bad in these,” motioning to their kimonos. 

“It doesn’t matter if we look good or not, it’s just to experience it. But even if we look bad, don’t you think Mikasa will look nice?” He teased, his teeth visible from how hard he smiled. 

Eren fumbled with the ties of his haori, his face feeling warm at the thought of it. Mikasa had always looked nice, and if he was being honest, more than just nice, but he stumbled over his words, too flustered at the implication to explain himself. 

“Well Mikasa—I-I mean she—“ Eren stuttered.

“What about me?” The all-too familiar, soft and sweet voice chimed in from behind him. 

Eren turned around to face where her voice came from, the redness on his face stretching down to his neck. He felt his mouth go agape at the sight of her, feeling himself understand what people meant when they said they looked at someone in admiration. 

She stood before them adorned in a kimono more grand than both of theirs, the silk looking more expensive than even some of Historia’s dresses. Pink and white flowers decorated the entirety of the light blue fabric, and part of her hair was pinned back with an intricate clip decorated with flowers similar to that on her kimono. 

Armin gave Eren a knowing glance, before turning to face Mikasa, giving her his full attention. “We were just saying how we were sure you would look much nicer than us in your kimono. Isn’t that right, Eren?”

Eren felt like he choked on the little bit of remaining air in his lungs, a cough escaping his mouth while he tried to regain his composure. “Y-yea Mikasa, like I said, you would look nice in a kimono—you do look nice,” his voice growing soft as he spoke. 

She glanced down to hide her face, the apples of her cheeks tinting pink. “Kiyomi had this one and a few others made for me as a gift, since she didn’t leave one with me the last time she was in Paradis,” she responded, finally looking up to meet their gaze. She fumbled awkwardly with the sleeve of her kimono, a tell-tale sign of her being nervous. “I feel a bit silly wearing this—it’s nothing like what we wear back home.” 

“I’m glad you finally accepted the kimonos Kiymomi wanted to give you, you should take them home as a piece of Hizuru. And like Eren said, you look  nice, right Eren?”

Part of Eren wished that they still had their titan powers, so punching Armin would pose no real threat to him, but he’d have to settle for only doing it in his head—repeatedly. 

He ignored Armin’s obvious looks in his peripheral, turning towards Mikasa, his gaze softening as it always did when he looked at her. “Yea Mikasa, you look… you look really pretty.” 

[violetmuses]

Black Rose || Chapter 17

Author’s Note: This chapter includes violence, strong language, angst, dark themes, and other possibly triggering content. Please read at your own risk.

Black Rose - Masterlist 🖤

J Krew: @nerdysuperchick @a-reader-and-a-writer @babblydrabbly @lacontroller1991 @shadowkittybucky @loverhymeswith @justin-hammers @weallhaveadestiny @xoxabs88xox @katjnordstrom96  @skvatnavle @mayhem24-7forever @lilisangel @peakyrogers @sociiallydiisoriiented @heresathreebee

====

2013

Eric Moretti 

Not long after the wedding, I returned home, already trying to bring back some semblance of one normal life. Over that weekend, I hid near outskirts of the beach while Cyrus married an angel. My brother smiled with her more than ever before. 

“What do you want?” My therapist, this bookworm counselor who sat across from me while sitting in the room, scribbling notes in some journal that backlogged with old information. If it wasn’t for my military background, I would’ve never gone.  

“Peace.” I clipped the word, still struggling to respond without giving too much away. Explaining trauma to a stranger made no sense, especially when this so-called professional knew next to nothing about my own life. Talking to mirages. 

“How are things going with Cyrus?” The therapist asked, nodding through silence before scribbling in that journal again. 

“As well as you can get. I wasn’t invited to the wedding, but we’re a lot better off now. He moved in with his wife, too.” I attempted, sitting up in the chair and clearing my throat. 

“And your mother?” The therapy went, not scribbling much this time. Another round of silence reached the room. 

“Okay, I guess. No major fights.” I kept the answer vague, but knew that Toby and Cyrus would always be Mom’s golden boys. 

“What about you and Troy?” Another question, this time probing my childhood best friend. 

“To be honest, I’m probably the most solid with Troy than anyone else that you just mentioned.” I almost scoffed. “He’s more like family to me than Russ at this point.” 

“That’s good.” The therapist understood, but wrote down more details. I could only imagine what had been summed up. 

“Look, I’ve booked an hour with you ever since the court mandated this shit after my service. If you can’t crack the code, I might as well leave. Feels like we’re wasting time.” I simmered within, hoping to speed up the process quickly instead. 

“I move at your pace, Eric. The more you’re willing to tell me, the more likely you can heal. Help me move along the process with you.” The therapist finally offered insight, giving clarity. 

“Where do I start, Doc? If we even look at my old notes, you’ve probably seen hundreds of foster kid tales and armed service backstories anyway. What’s the point of me speaking up again?” I shook my head, but didn’t overreact. 

“You still have a voice, Eric. Know that speaking up matters, even when other people describe similar things.” The therapist went on, advising me once more. “Are you jealous of your brothers?” 

“Yeah. I’ve always wondered why Mom favored them over me. Hell, Cyrus is only the middle child between all three of us and she acts as if he’s the First Born.” I lowered my voice, trying not to lose composure. “Now, it’s like Mom treats me as a stranger. We act kind to each other, but she doesn’t feel like my parent.” 

“Have you ever asked your mother why the dynamics could be so different?” My therapist questioned. 

“Everyone loves people in different ways, but I feel left alone, always have been. It’s difficult to talk with her because we don’t even see each other very often.” I offered the truth. 

“Maybe you could try reaching out more often.” Doc continued, but handed over this brief smile. “Take small steps.” 

“Even a phone call from me might spook her. My mother’s more likely to pick up when Bianca sends out text messages, y’know?” I cringed, knowing that her daughter-in-law bonded more than me, her own biological son.  

“Do you believe that your mother is still afraid to connect with you on a deeper level because of your father’s passing?” Doc finally reached for the jugular and hit one benchmark. 

“Yes.” I affirmed. 

________

“Russ?” I dialed a few days later, taking small steps with my brother before even attempting to reach Mom right away. 

“Hey. I’m at the grocery store with B. What’s going on?” Cyrus beamed on the other line and I could only imagine how his smile looked in person since the wedding. 

“Don’t wanna take up too much of your time, but I was wondering if you two wanted to join me and a few friends for dinner this weekend.” I offered that genuine question and tried to smile on my own despite sitting in the living room by myself. 

“Thanks for the offer, but Drew’s birthday is coming up and we’re all going out for dinner then. Maybe next time, E.” Russ declined, but at least sounded grateful. 

“Oh, no problem.” I stayed cordial. “Sending birthday wishes for Drew. Bye.” I hung up this phone call, feeling slightly defeated. 

_______

With no other choice but to brush off that call with Cyrus, I found out that Drew earned quite the birthday celebration based on social media posts. Russ offered access due to our small steps, which allowed me to “follow” his friends in return. 

In videos or photos, glasses clinked while everyone grinned, proving just how much Cyrus and Drew were linked. The Butler family and friends join in, beaming as if Cyrus was actually born with Drew in the same ward. Even Bianca laughed along. 

All I ever wanted was to feel openly included with him like that, accepted near him instead of dodged. Friends would come and go, but family meant something to me, especially when Russ and Tobias were still alive. Happy, too. 

While cooking dinner alone, I noticed that subtle turns of my front door had echoed from behind. 

I didn’t know what to think, but cut off the stove and picked up my nearest firearm, secretly permitted to carry as long as no one called out my criminal past. 

I’d only given one spare apartment key to Troy, so someone else must've tried to pick the lock this time around. 

“You should really get that door fixed, Eric. Put the gun down.” Ray Hugo showed the audacity to stand in the middle of my living room and lift up one bobby pin. 

“What are you doing here?” I lowered my voice, but unloaded the gun as he requested. There was no need to fight back and risk getting killed for good. 

“Wanted to talk, especially since you didn’t help me out last weekend.” 

“Told you before Ray, I wasn’t going to ruin the best day of their lives. Russ deserves to be happy. Why don’t you understand that?” I defended my brother, trying to reason with the monster who stood in front of me. This same monster hurt Mom and killed my father.

“Look, your mother only coddled him because of where we lived. To be honest with you kid, I never really liked our city anyway.” Ray dared to scoff, pacing back and forth. 

“Coddled?” I furrowed my brow. “Russ is one of the toughest men I’ve ever met, with or without family ties.” 

“He only turned into this wannabe thug because it’s the only way folks didn’t kill you on sight.” Ray uttered bullshit, completely skipping over how much people bullied him growing up.

“Are you saying that he appropriated culture?” I questioned. 

“Of course. Without the tattoos, a Black wife, and so-called mafia power in the city, he’s just another White Boy, no different than you.” Ray lowered his voice, still giving out nonsense. 

“Sounds like you're insecure, Ray. My therapist says that folks start projecting onto other people when they don’t like reality.” I folded both arms, admitting the truth. 

“Don’t give me that psychological bullshit. No amount of time with some bookworm shrink could excuse your sins. Deal with God like everyone else, kid.” Ray shook his head. 

“You have no idea what I’ve been through. Now, I know exactly why Mom left your ass.” I backpedaled from him, still feeling pissed off. “Only think about yourself.” 

“No. If it wasn’t for you being born, I’d have my family back.” Ray was almost delusional now and blamed me for Mom’s happiness after their divorce. 

“You’ve lost your mind.” I said. 

“Not yet.” Out of nowhere, Ray took out his cell phone and slid it towards me across the coffee table. 

At that moment, I lifted the phone and realized that there was a picture of Cyrus cuddling a puppy with the biggest smile on his face. Even his wedding band gleamed while his knuckle showed. 

“What did you do to my brother?” I nearly growled. Enough was enough. “What the hell do you even want from us?” 

Just when I believed that Ray would finally give me an answer, one piercing gunshot ran out. 

His dying body almost immediately fell backward and thudded right onto my carpeted floor. 

I glanced over my shoulder to see Bianca holding the firearm. 

[hussainrazadigitalmedia]

Academic Blog #6

Representation of race and culture in Video Games

In this blog, I will emphasize the importance of Representation in Video Games.

Analysis:

I grew up playing video games. My elder brother introduced me to this game called “Commandos”. I loved playing that game. It was a game in which we play as US commandos and go on fighting Russian military. Growing up playing “Commandos” always made me think that the Russian flag was the enemy flag. Whenever I used to see the flag, I instantly knew, that in this movie or video game, they are the enemy. Which is quite disturbing for a 10-year-old to be thinking.

Just like commandos, there are many other games that follow the similar trend for example, The Call of Duty series, The Hitman series and most famously, Metal Gear Solid series. Metal gear Solid series are one of the most famous games alongside Call of Duty. In every metal gear solid game, Russians are portrayed as villains. If growing up playing 1 commandos game can program my brain into thinking Russians are villains, then imagine the damage a whole series dedicated to it can do.

It is a way to program kids to think Russia is the enemy and the US is the hero of the story. They grow up believing that which gives a very bad representation to Russia and its people. This is not limited to just Russia. Call of Duty and Counter-Strike have repeatedly displayed Muslims and Arabs as the villains. They bomb, use Arabic words and negatively impacting their religion. This made a lot of western people to believe the Muslims are people of violence and hate.

As mentioned by John Berger, “Depiction, picturing and seeing are ubiquitous features of the process by which most human beings come to know the world as it really is for them” (John Berger, 1972). He is pointing out how watching and playing these games effect people all around the world, misguiding them into thinking people on one side or religion or race are different than the other.

Many games in the recent years have addressed these issues can created a game with cultural diversities but the one most prominent one is Overwatch. Released back in 2016, Overwatch is a first-person shooter game where player pilot a hero and uses his power and ability to shoot along with 4 other teammates and win by completing objectives.

Representation Done Right:

The reason Overwatch is a prominent mention is that, it has one of the most satisfying cultural and race diversities. The game has Heroes from all over the globe. Ana and Pharah (mother and daughter) from Egypt. Zarya a Russian. Sombra, the cool hacker, from Mexico and so on. Their voice lines are also done from people from their respective region and they show their culture in the game, like how Symmetra, an Indian architect, wears sarhi (traditional Indian dress for ladies) and dances in traditional Indian style. According to Breevoort, "Overwatch has been a forefront of celebrating culture diversity and representation since its inception" (Breevoort, 2019)

Conclusion:

I think we need more games like overwatch to represent culture diversity. Young gamers do not need to be forced to hate on any particular religion, race or group of people. Let them enjoy and feel better about the world and play the game where they feel represented and their people highlighted.

References:

Berger, J. (2008 [1972]) Ways of seeing, London, Penguin.

Blizzard Entertainment (2016). Overwatch [Video Game], Blizzard Entertainment.

Activision (2003). Call of Duty [Video Game], Activision.

Pyro Studios (1999), Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines [Video Game], Eidos Interactive & Kalypso Media.

Breevoort, A. E. R. (2019, January 1). Heroic diversity: A study on cultural diversity of the heroes cast of the video game Overwatch. Utrecht University Student Theses Repository

[trylkstopocket]

David McWilliams: Ultimately, uncontrolled inflation will be followed by a recession

Inflation concerns us all as the value of money is being eroded by higher prices. To understand what is happening, let’s go right back to where money started. Herodotus’s Histories (4th century BC) tells us that the Lydians were the first people to use money and coins. Their king was the misfortunate Midas.

According to legend, and contrary to his modern image as a greedy man, Midas was a poor but generous king who opened his doors to all comers. Unknown to the kindly Midas, one of his guests was the foster father of Bacchus, the Greek god of good craic. Impressed by Midas’s spontaneous generosity, and despite Midas’s own privations, the foster father told Bacchus of this charming, poor yet generous king in a parched land.

In recognition of his hospitality, Bacchus granted the poor king Midas one wish.

Midas, aware that being poor and being a shepherd is one thing but being poor and holding the title of king was a source of ridicule and pity, asked that everything he touched be turned to gold. The wish was granted.

Midas touched an apple, and it turned to gold, rendering it valuable but useless. His beloved daughter ran up to hug her father and she too turned to gold. Realising his folly, the distraught Midas beseeched Bacchus to free him of this curse. Bacchus took pity on Midas, and told him to bathe in the River Pactolus, transferring his Midas touch to the river.

The river shone like gold because it carried electrons known as white gold. The word electric stems from the Greek “elector”, meaning “he who shines”. The Lydians mined electrons from the area around the river, and Herodotus tells us that these Lydians “are the first people we know of to use gold and silver coins and they were the first retail tradesmen”.

A hive of commercial activity, the Lydian empire extended throughout much of modern-day western Turkey. Since their time money has dominated much of human history, and one of the core dilemmas in the various iterations of money has been its base value.

Collapsed

Today in the land of the Lydians, inflation is running officially at 56 per cent but unofficially at close to 150 per cent. The value of Turkish currency has collapsed. Not too long ago the lira was 1.5 to the euro; today it is 18 liras.

Turks no longer trust their own currency, and 64 per cent of all savings in Turkish banks are in dollars or precious metals. We are witnessing the slow death of money in one of the most geo-strategically important countries in the world.

Just south of Ukraine, Turkey is one of Nato’s largest members, a big boy in the Middle East and perhaps the only regional military power that Russia would not dare confront.

Could something similar happen to inflation in western Europe?

The short answer is no; the ECB will not allow it. Interest rates will be increased if necessary, and there are very few scenarios that would allow such a monetary calamity to befall the euro, all of which would be coincident with far greater political fissures within Europe – which are highly unlikely.

That said, inflation is not going to go away on its own, and regions of Europe will experience the next few years in profoundly different ways. The ECB is likely to play it cool, not least because take-home wages all over Europe are being eroded by inflation, which has hit near 40-year highs in Germany and Spain, while the 7 per cent annual inflation figure recorded in Ireland for April was the highest in over two decades.

Real wages are falling. On average nominal hourly wages within the euro zone rose 1.5 per cent year-on-year in the final quarter of 2021, lagging the 4.6 per cent surge in inflation over the same period. This translates to a 3 per cent decline in real wages – the largest decline since the relevant data came online 14 years ago. It’s impossible to raise rates in this environment, and therefore Europe is likely to wait until energy prices begin to fall.

Region

Where does this leave Ireland? We are, as always, an outlier, half-American/half-European, growing much faster than the average, attracting in more capital and people, ideas and talent.

A way of looking at Ireland with the euro is less as a county and more like a region of the US. This implies that if prices rise here faster than the rest of the EU, we have no policy tools like interest rates or exchange rates to dampen local demand. We must let it wash through the system. This implies higher prices in Ireland than in the core EU for the foreseeable future, particularly in sectors where we are blighted by dysfunctional supply, most notably in housing and rental.

Real interest rates will remain negative in Ireland because the ECB is not seeing the pressures across Europe that are acutely evident here. Therefore, the property market will suck ever more capital in to an increasing rigid supply, pushing prices yet higher.

The latest figures from Daft.ie show rents at record highs, with inflation at close-to-record rates. Already house prices are close to their Celtic Tiger peaks. There is not enough supply with just 850 homes to rent nationally versus an average of 9,000 a decade ago.

The recipe is pretty straightforward: prices will keep rising, fuelled by low-cost capital and demand. Supply will rise slowly at first and then very quickly. Once this happens rental prices will stabilise and quality per euro will improve – but at that stage the market will be at peak fragility.

Once Irish inflation deviates from the EU average, it will continue. Anyone who has recently travelled will have noticed the vast price difference between here and the continent. That’s the effect of years of higher inflation.

Competitors

Irish inflation and wages look to remain substantially higher than those of our EU competitors. For the businessperson profits will be lower here than in other countries as the return on investment will fall for everyone except those who can avail of tax breaks, which reduce the cost of capital. The domestic sector – tourism, agriculture and small exporting industries – will be priced out of the international market.

Ultimately, inflation – if it gets out of control – will be followed by recession. The price of everything , especially houses, will fall, and whatever government and political party is holding the can at that stage, will probably not govern again for at least a decade.

Remember Midas’s wish, the one about everything turning to gold so that his people would love him? In politics, as well as economics, be careful what you wish for!

[writingwithcolor]

Desexualized Mammy & Strong Black Woman, too busy for “frivolous love”

“Alyse” (Anon Submission) asked:

My science fiction story includes a black woman (Talia) who raises two children that aren’t her own and takes on two young adults as apprentices. One of the children she is raises has Arabic background and was taken into her home upon his father’s death (his mother’s whereabouts are unknown). She was a close friend of his father and the closest thing he had to a relative. The second child has mixed French-Latinx background and was taken in after becoming shipwrecked with no means by which to contact her people. Talia was the first non-hostile individual she encountered and one of the few who would so openly embrace a stranger. Since Talia is Master Medic (the highest medical authority in her community) she is training two apprentices (think residency) and eventually mentors the second child as well. She was once married and passionately in love but lost her husband to illness. In this setting, some technology we take for granted is inaccessible and violence against their people is commonplace. Most have experienced sudden loss. This particular loss was the catalyst that drove Talia into medicine- a desire to protect her loved ones and prevent others from experiencing similar tragedy. She is usually kind (though businesslike) but sometimes succumbs to a frigid, furious depression when, despite all her knowledge and determination, she can’t save someone. 

I worry that her maternal association with the two children (one of whom is an outsider) mires her in the mammy trope. On top of that, she hasn’t pursued romance since the death of her husband. I’ve considered giving her a romantic subplot but there are already so many characters to keep track of. Furthermore, I just can’t see her engaging in the frivolous pursuits of new love when she’s dealing with kids, students, and an extremely taxing career. 

In terms of race and culture in this story, practically every character can trace their ancestry back to populations displaced through war. Even Talia’s second child was shipwrecked during a botched evacuation from a military science lab. The people who live here have been isolated for generations and no longer have a real concept of their ancestry. Cultures have blended, new religions have formed, and many of our familiar racial/ethnic issues are forgotten. However, new and different but equally toxic ones have replaced them. In this way, Talia’s blackness doesn’t carry the same associations in her world as it would in ours. However, readers may still make these associations. Do you see any issues with her character that I could amend? 

So! You have:

A highly educated Black-coded woman (the highest medical authority in the community)

She raises two kids alone 

She also looks after two apprentices

She is widowed (not sure the race of the husband, was he Black?)

Having experienced heartbreaking love, Talia's drive to look after, protect and save people through medicine is a great motivation for the way she is. Her experiencing depression and taking losses seriously is also very human and is dynamic characterization. 

However, such characterization with Black women is prone to brush across several tropes. You have a Black woman who gives and protects, but what does she get in return? Who cares for her? 

Prioritize your Black character’s happiness

"I’ve considered giving her a romantic subplot but there are already so many characters to keep track of. Furthermore, I just can’t see her engaging in the frivolous pursuits of new love when she’s dealing with kids, students, and an extremely taxing career." 

Priorities, priorities. Is love a frivolous pursuit in her eyes, or yours? Because I strongly disagree. You probably don't mean to but you, as the author, having an excuse to NOT give the Black woman romance is showing that you do not think she's worth being loved. TV viewers and stans who are uncomfortable when Black women characters have relationships find similar excuses to explain away not wanting BW in relationships.

"She's too strong and independent for a man/relationship" 

"I liked her better alone." 

"It'll take away from her character."

“A romance doesn’t feel right for her”

These sorts of statements above are grounded in racialized misogyny. 

Relationships do not lessen the woman.

Relationships does not lessen Black women. 

Love

Whether that love is romantic, familial, or friendship, it can come in many forms. Give Talia love. Because Black women characters deserve it! Either one or all! 

Let her have a loyal best friend, a cat, and a girlfriend. Because why not? And not to downplay the love of children to parents, but please provide her love beyond what she gets on a maternal level from the children she looks after. 

The stories that Black women are in today severely lack love for us, so why add to the narrative of Black women being all work and no play, and too [insert excuse here] to be loved? 

Of course, you didn't provide all the details from your story, but I'm not seeing much of a balance from the struggle. She is a caretaker, teacher, doctor (or doctor-like figure). 

Her position and background in itself is okay. It's the Strong Black Woman being presented with seemingly no commentary that strikes me. 

Where is her team to help balance the weight of the world? 

Who takes care of her when she's depressed from another loss? 

What does she get in return from taking an emotional and physical toll to heal her community? 

Do those around her recognize all she does for them and offer their friendship? 

When does she get to relax and turn off the need to be everything for everybody?

Fitting love into a book with many characters

There are many books with several characters to keep track of. People tend to manage. Also, I'm sure some of those characters are in and/or out of relationships. Even stories that couldn’t be classified as romances have relationships of some sort. It’s unrealistic to have a ton of characters and none of them be in relationship(s) of some sort. Not when there’s so many forms of it and many sexualities. 

Friends, frenemies, enemies, romance, affairs.. Relationships make stories (and life) interesting. By no means do I think adding these dynamics harm your tale. And what’s one more for a hard-working Black woman who sacrifices a lot and clearly deserves a shoulder to lean on? And, if you use an existing character to be that friend, family, or lover, then you won’t need to pencil in another character.

For romance specifically - I think a misconception when it comes to including romance in stories is that they have to somehow take over the story. Romance does not have to bombard the plot nor be described in lavish detail. Not every story is a romance and those sort of details aren’t everyone’s style or things they’re comfortable with. A sentence or two establishing relationships does not take away from the story.And how those relationships look and affections expressed will vary based on the characters, sexuality, etc.

Not every character needs to have a deep level of detail. 

“Katie and Lisa, a newly engaged couple, walked into the meeting.”

“Jack and Jamie are a married couple in their 40s.” 

“The two met in college. After two months of blissful courtship, they eloped, eager to start their happily ever afters. Twenty years together, they were still blissfully in love and never too far from one another.”

Sentences like the above are enough for some characters. You don’t always need to put in paragraphs worth of relationship-establishing details or plot. 

When it comes to the characters whose love you would like to highlight, at least a bit, you still don’t have to go over the top.

Use subtle details. 

“As soon as Talia’s back was turned, he gave her a longing look before shaking his head and getting back to the patient.”

“He squeezed her hand before taking hold of the stethoscope.”

“She kissed her wife goodbye before racing out the door.”

“You mean the world to me.” he had said, holding her face. Those words stayed with her all day, making her heavy load light as a sack of feathers.

“She soaked his shirt with her tears and he just held her tight, saying nothing, silently holding her together.”

As for Talia specifically…

Talia having the mindset you described, as love being frivolous and not a priority, is understandable knowing her background (I just don't agree with you as the creator using this as a means to keep her alone. Whether she’s romantically alone or without close friendships). She has lost so much, and continues to experience loss with patients. This can be extremely traumatizing. I gave some examples of being subtle, so perhaps that will help with the burden of feeling a thick subplot of romance doesn’t fit in your story. 

And as Talia doesn’t strike me as someone who would go looking for companionship, what if she stumbles upon it without trying? Is there someone on the medical team that can offer her friendship? Someone who admires her and feels the urge to care for her that she feels the same for, or has pushed feelings down for? What happens when she can’t hold those feelings down anymore?

Takeaway

Talia deserves healthy love, even if she doesn’t believe it or feel she has time for it. That love can come in any and many forms, not necessarily romantically required, although it is a plus. A struggle-ridden novel is balanced by love, support and rest for characters that hold the weight of the world. If you do not, evaluate why you want to write Black characters in these struggle roles without at least a social commentary. 

~Mod Colette

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Request: Imagine being Lin Beifong’s daughter and having a crush on Iroh II

Tags: @tincdraws

Growing up as the daughter of Lin Beifong metal and earth bending were your whole life. You learnt to earth bend by the time you could walk and your mother had you in training from a young age so you graduated from the earth bending school at the top of your class with your eyes firmly set on following in your mother’s footsteps whilst also trying to emulate your grandmother’s success. You had a sharp focus and nothing else really caught your attention. You had friends but training came first and dating seemed something superficial you could live without. Republic city was your life and you would never dream of leaving it but your mother had other ideas.

Your mother thought you needed more worldly experience before you joined the police force so she sent you to the fire nation to gain some training as an officer. She claimed the fire nation had some of the best officers in the world and that they would help you learn invaluable real-life experience. You did not agree and protested the whole thing. All your training had revolved around the needs of Republic City specifically and you couldn’t see how you’d learn anything new about how to protect your city by travelling all the way to fire nation but your mother refused to change her mind and that was that.

So you were shipped off to the fire nation fresh out of the academy. Your mother had spoken to Firelord Izumi and it was agreed you’d be staying at the palace so not only would you be unfamiliar with the environment, you’d be in a place where every small look, word or action had large consequences. You didn’t know much about the fire nation and couldn’t really recall the royal family. You were aware your grandmother was very close with the late Firelord Zuko but since then things had changed. Although your grandmother’s friends (mainly Katara) had tried to keep the group close it was hard with everyone scattered across the four nations and so with each generation the group had drifted further and further apart. You knew Firelord Izumi had a daughter older than you and a son around your age called Iroh. You recalled meeting Iroh when you were younger at some event in the south pole but couldn’t remember much more than a serious fire nation child. So you arrived on the steps of the palace utterly out of your depth determined to see these three months through so you could return to your beloved city. You were shown into the palace immediately, your belongings taken by maids who refused to let you carry them yourself as you were a royal guest. You weren’t used to finery so proceeded through the palace partly in awe and partly in utter confusion why someone needed this many paintings of old men everywhere. You were finally shown into a large room. “Ah you must be y/n Beifong” a voice called and you turned to see someone who looked vaguely familiar. You knew he wasn’t Firelord Zuko or Firelord Izumi’s husband as he was too young so figured by his royal outfit this was Izumi’s second child the prince. “Prince Iroh, it’s an honour to see you again” you said bowing and he chuckled “I bet you thought that would be a winning line with any fire nation citizen didn’t you? Because we’re still all obsessed with honour like we were centuries ago?” Iroh asked and you hesitated. “If I caused any offence...” you started but Iroh cut you off breaking out in a large smile “no I was only kidding, it is a winning line we are still obsessed with honour”. You watched as Iroh laughed at his own joke surprised, you didn’t expect the prince of the fire nation to be like this. You figured royalty lacked the ability or the clearance to have a sense of humour but apparently not. “So have I really not changed since we were eight?” Iroh asked and when you frowned he elaborated “you recognised me but the last time we met was just over ten years ago”. You paused “ow no I didn’t actually recognise you, you were young, dressed in fine clothes with royal hairpins, not to mention you’re in the palace...you had to be the prince”. “Good deductions officer” Iroh said saluting you before he grinned “i’m in training too”. That piqued your interest “really? for the fire nation army?”. He nodded “yep! I’m an officer but my hope is to be general one day and to fully earn it, rather than just get it because of who my family is...hopefully in a few years i’ll get there”. “I’m sure you will” you agreed and Iroh led you into a large dining room. “Are we dining alone?” you asked confused and Iroh smirked. “Why? Not pleased with me?” he asked and you rushed to assure him that wasn’t the case when he laughed again “I’m joking again y/n, I know my grandfather told you the whole family would be dining with you in his letter to your mother but he, my parents and sister were all called away to an urgent matter and asked me to fill in as we’re similar ages”. “Ow” you nodded “that makes sense...is everything okay?”. Iroh nodded “everything’s fine just boring fire nation stuff...so shall we?” he asked holding out his arm to you. You weren’t sure if this was appropriate so averted your eyes and only took his arm lightly. Iroh smirked at your caution and led you into the room.

The meal with Iroh was nice. He was friendly, hard-working and interesting. You soon got used to his humour and learnt not to take him too seriously. You hadn’t met many other people your age who shared your passion for a military career and found it was nice, a sentiment Iroh apparently shared. He enquired what you were doing the rest of the week and when you replied nothing as training didn’t start for another week he soon had several of your days planned out with fire nation sights to show you. Iroh seemed to understand you didn’t know much about the fire nation so planned to take you to all the important sites as well as areas relevant to the army to peak both your interests. You enjoyed the prince’s tours greatly and even when training did start you continued meeting with Iroh regularly. You liked his company and were surprised that didn’t fade the more time you spent with him, if anything it grew more and more. You thought he’d be a spoilt entitled prince but he was kind and considerate pleasantly surprising you.

You didn’t become aware that you liked Iroh as anything more until one of your friends at the academy pointed it out. Since starting training you were progressing well, you achieved high grades and were held in high esteem by your fellow recruits. You had made some friends and often trained with them after the academy retired for the day. After a long training session you were heading to the palace when one of your friends called out to you “hey y/n some of us were going into town to celebrate our class’s good progress, do you want to come?”. You smiled pleased they wanted you to come when you remembered you couldn’t go “I’d love to Shani but sorry I can’t I have plans”. “Of course you do” she smirked as your other friend Aizori grinned “is it with Iroh by any chance”. “Actually it is” you said frowning at their shared look “why?”. “Ow nothing just it’s not every day your friend is dating the crowned prince”. “Me and Iroh are not dating!” you cried “our families are old friends that’s all”. “Uh...hu, if that’s true then what are your plans together may we ask?”. “We’re attending a party at the palace”. “Together?” Shani asked and you blushed “yes but he only asked me because it’s a formal event that’s apparently really boring so he wanted a friend there, trust me we’re not dating”. “But how can you resist?” Aizori asked “I’ve only seen the prince a handful of times but he seems to get better looking every single time! How don’t you get lost in those golden eyes and that chiselled jaw? The royal family has some amazing genes not even a Beifong can resist”. You paused considering it. For you looks weren’t very important so you didn’t tend to notice them. You held work ethic and determination as much higher priorities and Iroh scored very highly in both but in looks...you honestly couldn’t say. “I’m not sure I’ve noticed” you admitted and the girls rolled their eyes not believing you.

When you arrived back at the palace your friend’s words were ringing in your head and when you next saw Iroh something felt different. You took note of his looks and were surprised by what you’d found. Iroh was attractive, very attractive, how had you missed that? You stared at Iroh wondering if his eyes had always been that bright? Was his jaw always that sharp? His hair that good regularly when he frowned “why are you staring at me?”. “Nothing” you cried and he paused before shrugging “Are you ready to go?” he asked “the party has already started” offering you his arm. You nodded and took it cautiously following Iroh into the ballroom.

You could see why Iroh had wanted to invite you, everyone in the room was at least 60 years old or some stiff nobel person from an ancient line of fire nation families. All they seemed to want to discuss was old family bloodlines, territories or ancient traditions. After your fifth boring ambush by some old fire nation man Iroh pointedly headed for the gardens. You frowned as he exited discreetly, closing the door behind him, and headed away from the hall. “Iroh I’m pretty sure the party is inside” you commented and Iroh grinned “I know but I can’t take another second in there so humour me? One lap of the gardens then we’ll head back, please? I know you haven’t seen them properly yet so how about a tour?” Iroh holding out his hand to you. You rolled your eyes but took his hand happily. 

Iroh led you around the gardens explaining the different flora to you and their history. “I spent so many parties hiding in here as a kid” he grinned “this place is so huge they couldn’t find me for hours”. You smiled at the thought “my mother would’ve killed me if I did that”. “Mine did” Iroh chuckled “but I’d honestly rather face her wrath than some boring commander who wants to lecture me about our family’s history and why it’s so important...they’re literally my own family and even I don’t care” Iroh cried making you smile. “I see why you escaped out here so often, I’m very grateful formal parties were not a part of my childhood”. Iroh smiled and went to comment when the smile was wiped from his face and he grabbed you, quickly pushing you behind a large fern. “Iroh what are you...”. “Shhh they’ve come for us” he hissed and you frowned when you heard a voice. “Prince Iroh?” a man you recognised as the palace coordinator called “Are you out here? You’re needed inside”. You smirked and Iroh rolled his eyes “they’re relentless”.  “Master Iroh if you’re out there please return to the ballroom, your mother’s orders”. There was silence and then the sound of the butler coming closer. Your eyes widened and Iroh put a hand over your mouth pushing you further into the bushes. “Prince Iroh?” a voice called literally right beside you and Iroh smirked as you grabbed his arm in surprise. You heard a sigh and the sound of the man retreating. When the footsteps died away Iroh dropped his hold on you and you both burst into laughter. “I thought we were going to be caught and then royally punished...literally” you added and Iroh smirked “I wouldn’t let them punish you, it’s not your fault I dragged you out here”. “True but I didn’t try hard to stop you”. “You did encourage me” Iroh nodded thinking “okay it’s all your fault”. You gaped laughing “I never said that! You are such a liar” you cried pushing him and Iroh laughed grabbing your arm “okay okay maybe we share the blame 50:50?”. “No way” you smiled and Iroh paused “60:40?”. “I think 90:10?” you said grinning and Iroh sighed “fine, i’ll take 10% of the blame”. You shook your head at how wonderfully infuriating he was and smiled at him fondly. Iroh grinned back and you realised suddenly how close his face was to yours. Iroh seemed to notice too, he glanced down at your lips and you panicked moving away from him suddenly. There was an awkward tension in the air and you broke it with a cough “so want to show me more of the gardens then?”. Iroh nodded “right this way my lady” the awkwardness gone and led you further into the garden.

When you were safely hidden from the ballroom Iroh stopped walking, explaining this was one of his favourite spots in the whole garden and you gratefully took a break sitting down. “I can’t believe you’ve already been here a month” Iroh commented and you nodded “I know only 2 more to go then my mandatory 3 months work experience is done”. Iroh frowned “mandatory...so you could stay longer if you wanted to?”. “Hypothetically” you agreed and Iroh hesitated “do you think you’d extend it? Hypothetically?”. You paused “I’m not sure, I have enjoyed the fire nation far more than I thought I would but I’ve always wanted to complete my training as quickly as possible, I hope to be chief of police one day and I’ll need many years of service for that...”. Iroh frowned “isn’t the youngest chief like 41?”. You nodded “yeah so i’ve got time I guess, maybe i’ll stay for longer...is this just so you have someone to skirt your royal duties with?”. Iroh laughed “maybe...I like you being here, it’s nice not being the only person under 30 in every room”. You smiled “well i’m glad my presence isn’t displeasing to you...you’ve been pleasant as well” you added blushing and Iroh grinned. “Wait did I make a Beifong blush? That’s like a legendary occurrence, this is amazing!”. “Stop it” you cried but Iroh wouldn’t let you turn away “no, this will go down in history, Beifong blushes are rarer than dragons so I’m soaking up every second”. For the second time that day Iroh stared at you closely and you blushed more under his gaze but this time you didn’t move away. Iroh continued gazing at you before he lightly moved his hand to your cheek “y/n...” he said softly leaning in closer when a figure appeared. “There you are!” a voice cried and you both jumped away from one another. Your jaw dropped when you realised who it was and you dropped into a bow “Firelord Izumi...i’m so sorry I didn’t see you approach”. “Rise child you did nothing wrong” she said warmly “my son on the other hand...” she trailed off glancing at Iroh who paled. “Hey mom” he frowned and she raised an eyebrow “really? That’s all you have to say? No apology or grovelling”. “Erm I’m sorry for ditching?” Iroh offered and Izumi sighed. “Y/n would you please excuse us, I want to have a word with my son”. “Of course” you agreed bowing and you rushed away.

Iroh returned not long after with his mother and told you he had to stay in the ballroom for the rest of the party. You agreed to stay with him and he smiled gratefully at you making you blush and look away rapidly. The night passed and neither you nor Iroh spoke about what happened in the garden. How he’d almost kissed you and how you were going to let him. You couldn’t believe your own recklessness. What good did you think would come out of kissing the prince of the fire nation? You were obviously not an appropriate match and so there was nothing to be encouraged there. You resolved to never find yourself in that situation again and decided to just stay as friends no matter how much you got along or how attractive he was. Getting involved with a fire nation prince was not responsible behaviour. So after that night you made sure to put distance between you and Iroh. You didn’t stop seeing him you just made sure to emphasise it was a friendship. You didn’t let yourself get caught up in him the way you had in the gardens and always kept a level head. Iroh never tried anything or mentioned that night either and you supposed he picked up on your not so subtle hints. You carried on as before but there was definitely an unmentioned barrier between you which you never let fade.

You left the fire nation 2 months later. You didn’t extend your stay as with your feelings for Iroh you didn’t think it would be wise. Iroh saw you off and hugged you tightly before you got onto the airship. “It’s been nice having you around Beifong, I’ll miss you”. Iroh’s words made you hesitate and you hugged him tighter. For that time in Iroh’s arms you imagined what would have happened if you’d kissed him in the gardens that night. Iroh didn’t strike you as someone who flitted from person to person taking what he wanted, you think if he wanted to kiss you he must have felt something for you too and perhaps would have suggested dating. You imagined all the things you’d have done together but as a couple and wondered if you’d made a mistake, maybe you should have just gone for it? But then reality set in. If you really wanted to be chief of police then you couldn’t have short relationships with high ranking members of the fire nation. Other candidates could use it to show you had compromised morals and there was no way it would be a long term relationship due to your lack of fire nation heritage. Sure the fire nation was pretty progressive but that didn’t really apply to royalty. They had thousand-year-old traditions to uphold that couldn’t be broken easily so Iroh was never a long term option for you. Therefore all logical signs said you’d done the correct thing not persuing something with him...so why did it feel so shit? You finally pulled away from Iroh and he noticed your expression. “What’s wrong?” he asked and you shook your head looking away “nothing i’ll just miss it here...promise you’ll keep in touch?”. “Cross my heart” Iroh smiled “you’re not someone I intend to let slip away, expect a visit every time I come to republic city”. You pushed away the rational voice in your mind telling you to keep a distance from him and smiled “you’ll always be welcome and I’m very much looking forward to it”. Iroh blushed “thank you y/n” and you nodded back, just looking at him in admiration before catching yourself. “I should go...” and Iroh nodded “safe travels” and with a final look you walked away.

2 years later

After your departure you and Iroh stayed in regular contact and your letters only halted when he was deployed by the military but the second we was out he would write and arrange to come visit you in Republic City. You still thought about him and your feelings for him regularly and every time you saw him you knew your crush hadn’t lessened. You loved Iroh’s visits and soon they became the thing you cherished most. You told yourself all of this was fine because you’d never act on your feelings but sometimes you wondered if Iroh felt something too? You’d catch him staring at you or he’d blush if you smiled at him in a certain way. The very idea of Iroh liking you made you very excited but you also knew it would only lead to heartache. He wouldn’t be allowed to settle down with someone outside the fire nation so it didn’t matter if he liked you too. So you settled for his friendship which was more than enough for you. When Iroh was posted in republic city when he became general you were thrilled and you only continued to grow closer.

However republic city wasn’t as peaceful. There had been multiple attacks on the city from Amon’s chi blockers to Vaatu’s take over and you and Iroh were constantly pushed into the fray. Multiple times you’d faced staggering odds and every single time you wondered if you should confess your feelings to Iroh in case the unthinkable happened but every time you chickened out. You and Iroh had been safe every time but there was only so much you could push your luck.  

You’d been wary of Kuvira’s take over of the earth kingdom from the very start. Your aunt Su Yin had told you all about her so you weren’t surprised when she set her sights on Republic City but that didn’t mean you weren’t terrified. The avatar and her friends informed you what you were facing and you weren’t sure how you could even think about facing a giant mecha suit with spirit cannons. Iroh shared your sentiment but as general of Republic City’s army he was forced by President Raiko to lead his troops out there. Watching Iroh take to the front line you were swept with the desire once again to be honest with him, to tell him how you felt before it was too late. You decided three was too many times to chance it and so decided to finally tell him how you felt. You made your way to the general’s tent and found Iroh with Korra discussing strategies. You greeted them both warmly before making your way to Iroh’s side “could we please talk? I have something to tell you”. You knew Iroh had a hundred things to do but he nodded warmly squeezing your hand “of course just give me one second to...” when the radio sprang into action. President Raiko had surendering to Kuvira’s demands. Republic City was hers.

The avatar was furious and you matched her sentiment. You and Iroh joined her as she met with other leaders in the city like Tenzin and your mother and they all agreed something had to be done to stop Kuvira. A plan was quickly assembled, it was agreed that airbenders would attack the suit from the sky and earth benders would attack from the ground. You didn’t actually expect to damage the suit, you only had to distract Kuvira long enough for Korra to get inside. You were agreeing fervently getting ready to leave with your cousins when Iroh grabbed your arm. “Wait Y/n are you sure you want to do this?” he asked nervously “that mecha suit is dangerous there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to stop it”. I know but it’s my home, I swore to protect it and I won’t break my oath. I have to try and help”. Iroh sighed thinking and you watched him wondering what he’d say. “I understand why you’re doing it and I want to come too”. You paused pleasantly surprised “You do...but I thought President Raiko told you to retreat and surrender?”. “He told me to surrender the army not that I couldn’t personally engage in fighting, i’m not fighting as a general but as plain old Iroh” he announced proudly and you smiled “there’s nothing plain about you even without your titles”. Iroh beamed at you “Does this mean you agree? We can fight this giant together!”. You nodded your head “okay let’s go meet up with the others”.

You and Iroh rushed after the others and found them all suiting up. “Finally” your mother said spotting you but she frowned when she saw Iroh with you “y/n tell me you didn’t bring the general who is also the prince of the fire nation into this”. “She didn’t, I volunteered” Iroh spoke up “I’m not here as a general or as a prince but as a civilian so, where can I help?”. “You know your mother won’t like this” Tenzin commented and Iroh nodded “I know but some things are worth facing her wrath for” he said shooting you a smile and you blushed.

So it was agreed Iroh would stay. Your mother thought it would be best to place him on the roof with the airbenders, she ordered him to shoot lightning at the joints to try and cause some malfunctioning. When you’d all suited up the teams said their goodbyes and Iroh appeared in front of you. You didn’t have long, Kuvira’s giant suit was already in view and the ground shook whenever it took a single step. Iroh stared at you and sighed heavily “Y/n...”. “Don’t say it like that, we don’t have time and we’re both going to be fine okay?” you said faking a smile but Iroh saw right through it. “What did you want to tell me earlier?”. You froze caught off guard and blushed “I...I just wanted to...it doesn’t matter”. The ground jumped and Iroh looked at it nervously before stepping closer to you “I think I can guess what you were going to say”. “You can?” you asked nervously and Iroh smiled “yeah...you had another Beifong blush moment and I’ve noticed you do them around me a lot”. You went bright red and Iroh chuckled “yeah like that...”. You looked down embarrassed but Iroh took your hand gently “don’t, I blush a lot around you too”. You smiled blushing more and Iroh chuckled softly. “Y/n are you ready?” your mom asked and Iroh gripped your hand tightly. “Wait I want to tell you everything before you leave” Iroh cried but you squeezed his hand gently. “It’ll be okay” you smiled “you can tell me everything later and I think I can guess too”. Iroh grinned blushing “later then...just got to get through this”. “We’ll be fine, this is what he trained for” you smiled confidently “I promise I’ll see you on the other side”. Iroh nodded and stared at your lips, he went to move in when your mother called “y/n are you coming or are we leaving you behind”. “I’m coming!” you yelled and stepped away from Iroh “mothers” you commented and he smiled “go, i’ll see you after” and with a last look you both rushed off to your assigned group.

The battle

The fight went about as good as could be expected. The suit swatted the air benders away like flies and your group’s earth, metal and even lava bending barely slowed it down. But it didn’t matter, all that mattered was the avatar and her team managed to find a way into that thing and your team cheered when you saw she’d done just that. Now the fight was Korra’s so you let your guard down when suddenly the machine began malfunctioning. Your mother yelled for you all to take cover but you were too far away from the building. The suit exploded with a blast and you saw a blinding light and then black.

After the suit exploded everyone assumed the battle won. Half the air benders went after Korra to help her with Kuvira and the other half went to the ground to make sure the others were okay, of course Iroh went with the latter. He saw Bolin, your aunt and cousins but no sign of you or your mother. They told him they were all searching for you and he rushed to join in. With each street he passed his heart began to sink when finally he spotted you! In the arms of your mother unconscious. Iroh ran forward dropping to his knees beside you. “What happened?” he cried and your mother clutched you desperately “that thing exploded and she was too far to get into cover, it hit her sending her flying through the street and now she’s...she’s...”. Iroh saw the blood seeping through your mother’s hands where she held them against you. “No” he said viciously “y/n won’t...she can’t! We need a medic” he yelled loudly before taking off his jacket to wrap around your wound. “Maybe I can cauterise the wound?” he asked “seal it to stop her losing so much blood?”. Lin paused “I think the wounds too big but it’s worth a shot”. Iroh nodded and Lin lifted the bottom of your uniform. Iroh saw a large gash across your stomach and winced. He lit his hand on fire and pressed his hands against the wound. You gasped suddenly and your eyes shot open. “Y/n” your mother and Iroh cried in unison and you blinked trying to make sense of the situation before you groaned in pain. You tensed trying to get away from the burning but your mother held onto you “please y/n just hang on Iroh is trying to cauterise your wound”. “It’s not working” you grimaced resisting the urge to scream “Iroh stop! Please!” you cried and he yelled in frustration moving his hands away from you. “No it has to work if it doesn’t then you’ll.....we need a medic down here” he yelled again but he knew everyone else was spread out and there were no healers in the group. “It’s okay” you said breathing heavily as the situation dawned on you “Iroh it’s alright”. “No it’s not” he cried sinking onto his knees beside you “it’s not y/n, you can’t...you have to fight this, you can’t leave me”. You nodded “trust me i’m trying but Iroh if I do...”. “No y/n don’t even think about it! I won’t let you go it’s not going to happen”. “I don’t think we have a choice” you admitted trying to smile but Iroh just shook his head “but we never got our shot, we never got to talk, I never got to tell you...I love you y/n” he said simply “I have for years, that’s why I never found anyone from the fire nation because the perfect person for me is you. I know there’s traditions and rules but I don’t care, I don’t want anyone else but you. I’d give up anything for you and we were finally heading in that direction and now that stupid spirit cannon”. Tears leaked down Iroh’s face and you reached out a hand to him shakily. He took it and you stroked his face “it’s okay, i’m sorry for being too scared and cautious, I’m sorry for wasting our time together but I love you too, I hope that’s enough”. Iroh nodded “It’s more than I ever hoped, you didn’t waste time you have nothing to be sorry for y/n Beifong, do you hear me?”. “I do” you smiled before coughing in pain and your mother clutched you tighter. “Y/n” your mother cried and you smiled up at her “it’s okay mom, don’t worry. It’s all going to be okay”. You clutched her hand against your chest and took Iroh’s other one. “I’m with the two people I love the most, I’m happy. This is the best way for it to...”. “Stop” Iroh said crying but you just gripped his hand tighter “Iroh look at me”. He blinked through the tears but looked at you. “It’s okay, I promise you everything will be okay”. Iroh just said your name softly and rested his head against yours. Your mother wrapped her arms around both of you and you held onto both of them the best you could when you felt the world fading away. You heard sobbing and your mother faintly saying your name until everything turned dark and it was over.

Epilogue

Following your death the fire nation, earth kingdom and republic city all paid their respects in their traditional fashions. A statue was raised by your mother in the spot of your death and every year on the anniversary of your death both her and Iroh would visit it. Iroh and your mother supported one another following your death being the only one’s who understood how monumental the loss of your life was. They managed to get through it together and although neither of them ever stopped loving you they found a way to carry on. Iroh never married, he couldn’t even consider the idea and his family never pushed him to. He still lived a long and happy life. He was very involved with his sister’s children who he loved dearly and his family never stopped supporting him. If he went quiet and got a teary look in his eye or if he struggled serving in the earth kingdom they understood. Your family also treated him like one of their own, with Lin even calling him her son on a few occasions, and he was invited to all your family’s events in recognition of your love for him. Your memory never faded and when Iroh’s life eventually ended he passed on to find you waiting for him. He knew all the suffering and heartache was over, you were finally together at last. 

____

So initially I was going to write a happy ending as well but then I thought screw it, I want to cry so I killed off the reader...but I can release the happy ending as a part two if anyone wants it. 

Edit: For the happy ending version click here

[not-wholly-unheroic]

Favorite Images of Hook (Part Two - Disney’s Return to Neverland, 2002)

1. Image in the Clouds - This was SUCH a creative way for Disney to recap the first film without using any words, and I LOVE it--the star in place of Hook’s eye and the smaller ones that trace the line where the edge of his cravat would be are perfect. Even Tink’s trail of pixie dust forms the shape of a hook!

2. Hook in Jane’s Room -  One of the things I love most about Hook is his grandiosity, and this image shows that part of him perfectly. He looks so proud of himself. The mustache twirling seems to be a habit of his when he’s either thinking or feeling rather smug. Definitely the latter going on here.

3. Hugging Smee - This is another scene that I really like because of the vulnerability it shows as well as further highlighting his relationship with Mr. Smee. Hook seems to seek out physical touch for reassurance when he is afraid both in the first film and the sequel. Heck, here he doesn’t even wait for Smee to come to his aid but reaches out in desperation and drags Smee into a hug. This man is so clearly touch-starved that it breaks my heart. 

4. Dinghy in the Mist - This shot...y/all, this looks like it belongs in a Pirates of the Caribbean film. The lighting and the mist give it such an eerie, mysterious mood as Hook slowly comes into focus.

5. Hook’s Close-Up in the Forest - This is probably my absolute favorite shot of Hook from either film. It would be a hard choice, but if I had to pick just one, this would be it. Some shots of Hook look rather silly, but this one feels very human. His eyes are soft and warm. His smile is charming. And while he might be acting in the moment, we see who he COULD have been if he’d chosen a different path in life. 

6. Giving Jane the Whistle - This is sort of cheating since it isn’t actually an image of Hook himself but rather a close-up of the claw and his hand as he passes off the whistle to Jane, but I think it holds a lot of significance. Jane is drawn to Hook because of their similarities and, quite possibly, the similarities she sees between him and her own father--a military man. This gesture of handing over the whistle is done so tenderly that it might well have reminded Jane of Edward giving her something special to hold onto as he went off to war. Again, I recognize that Hook is using this connection to his advantage, but I think it also offers another glimpse of the man he might have been.

7. The Bosun’s Chair/Dead Man’s Cave - I love everything about this shot--the  elegance of his perch on the bosun’s chair, the little smirk on his face. My only question is...what the heck are the ropes attached to???

8. Hook Laughing - I’m sure by now you’re probably sensing a theme... Look, I know this is supposed to be a villainous laugh, but I just like it when Hook smiles, okay? 

9. Jane Tries to Get the Key - This scene is almost upsetting to me because let’s be real, Hook NEVER stops moving for very long. He’s a super active character, and seeing him laid out on the deck in the midst of battle, well...quite frankly, it looks like he’s dead. It’s unsettling and unusual, and while I don’t like the thought of Hook dying, I like the image because it brings a bit of gravity to his potential plight. 

10. Final Showdown with Jane - There are honestly several scenes from the final showdown that I really like, and it was hard to choose just one. This Hook is far more dangerous than the one we see in the first film. When he first pops up from being knocked unconscious, he has the hook around Jane’s wrist and nearly lops HER hand off, then quickly makes a stab at her (barely missing) and eventually ends up pinning her to the past with the claw around her neck. This is pretty intense stuff for a Disney film. But I think my favorite moment is when he’s up on the spar, drawing his sword as he slowly backs Jane closer and closer to the edge. His hair is blowing across his face in the wind and he has this wild, dangerous look about him that too often we forget exists in the moments of comedy.