#for aforementioned reason of both being entirely full of themselves

[brodyfoxxsmassivetits]

Tord mark? Pretty please?… :3

shore!

they both think each other is full of themselves and both are correct

[honestlyboringperson]

I Tried My Hand at Designing the Full Witches of the Main Cast of Magia Record.

CAMPANELLA (Yachiyo Nanami)

The ticket puncher witch. Her nature is admittance. From not only beneath her dress, but under her hat and as well as the multitude of eyes on her tail, black watery tears spill forth with such intensity that her entire barrier is flooded with her tears. She eternally waits for a train for her board on and be reunited with her friends, but she struggles to find the train station itself. Using her lantern, she will eternally wander her ever flooded barrier to find her way to the station. If one were to be harmed by the ticket puncher at the end of her scorpion like tail, great devastation and tragedy awaits them in the near future.

YU HONG (Tsuruno Yui)

The witch of ham. Her nature is harmonious. Both great fortune and great success are the ingredients used by this witch in her kitchen, but all that she ends up producing is dubious meals that may or may not cause harm to the human body. She detests any form of household tensions and if she senses even the slightest resentment of a family member, she will force her victim into eating a feast of her aforementioned dubious cooking. Only those who don’t hide themselves from family troubles or conflict can defeat her.

BEATRICE (Felicia Mitsuki)

The eyelid witch. Her nature is tumultuous. A witch who spends most, if not all her time completely asleep within her barrier, and will almost never actively hunt humans when awake. On the other hand, this witch for whatever reason harbours a complete and utter hatred for other witches and whenever she is awake, will mercilessly locate and smash other witches flat with her mallet like hands. If there is something positive that catches her attention however, she will fear that they will somehow leave her and attempt to bury them in her concrete like tears that she spews forth from her eyes.

THERESIA (Sana Futaba)

The inquisition chair witch. Her nature is transparency. Eternally sitting atop a chair with a mind of its own, this innocent witch lives in perpetual torment and agony. The chair itself is not a part of the witch, and carries out its duty to keep the witch chained to its spiked body and weaponize the truly staggering amount of torture devices it has at its disposal. The witch desires not to hurt anyone and is further tormented by the acts of intense violence that unfold before her. Due to being invisible, her sobs are the only clue where to strike if one wants to hunt this pitiful witch. When the witch dies, a single innocuous sound of a cat meowing will echo through the barrier.

ZOLA (Kaede Akino)

The witch of plot lands. Her nature is to be territorial. Within this witches’ head is planted the simple goal of expanding her territory. When she arrives to an urban area, she desires nothing but to return it to nature and covers it completely in rotten moss. She doesn’t tolerate any form of pest, as she sees them as encroaching on her property and will mercilessly destroy anything that steps into her barrier. Despite this outwardly aggressive behaviour, she is gentle towards the plant life in her barrier, which she grows herself. For some odd reason, these plants moan and can move on their own like zombies, so it’s best not to approach them at all.

CENDRILLION (Rena Minami)

The glass slipper witch. Her nature is transformative. This witch detests herself, and desires to change no matter what. When she senses someone in her barrier, she rush up to them and tear their face off. These faces are then turned into masks, and the witch can freely transform into them. However, she cannot imitate the soul of her victims and usually just ends up acting like a wild animal. If one were to gaze into the mirror on her arm like appendage for too long, she will steal their soul. When the witch dies, a single glass slipper will fall out of no where and shatter to pieces.

ELFRIEDE (Momoko Togame)

The witch of manicured nails. Her nature is self-discipline. This witch cares not where it’s power flies. It continually and proudly displays and decorates the fingers and nails that not only make up her body, but also fly around her as well. It takes great care of its shoddy manicures, but when someone insults it’s nails it becomes quite depressed and either attempts to pierce the victim with her razor sharp nails, or becomes paralyzed with insecurity. Only those who can get up again and again even after misfortune can successfully defeat this witch.

TOTENTANZ (Mitama Yakumo)

The witch of flower petals. Her nature is forewarning. This witch doesn’t forget that no matter what, death comes to all things. It resents its environment and desires nothing but it’s untimely destruction. It is strangely gentlemanly, and escorts those who enter her barrier with pure white gloves, but her terrifying power that is connected to the untimely end of all things often ends up decaying anything that her petals fall upon. Even if you manage to defeat this witch, the sheer amount of pent up curses will often end up taint a soul gem to its limit and will end with a new witch springing up in her place.

[spitfirerose]

Been looking at PLZA theories and speculations, so here's my own two cents.

Buckle up, kids. In this essay, I will...

Explain that you can't have a game set in Kalos feat. AZ & Floette without the Ultimate Weapon. Let's say the Urban Redevelopment Project is being used by our potential villain(s) to accomplish their goals under the radar. Do they want to become immortal by being within its radius? Bring back someone from the dead? Or perhaps wish to wipe an entire region off the map? Are they working alone, or is someone else manipulating them and using their power and influence to get what *they* want, since they wouldn't be able to on their own?

Whichever the case, the Ultimate Weapon *needs* Pokémon as a power source. *A lot* of Pokémon. It sure would be convenient to have a full supply of "wild" Pokémon available in the City to harvest at their leisure. No one would notice them missing. They're meant to be captured, after all. Perhaps these strange disappearances are investigated by Looker & Emma, especially if people's Pokémon begin to vanish as well (the aforementioned "incidents" occurring in the City). And hey, if those Pokémon aren't enough, there's always that peculiar Floette said to have lived for thousands of years. She could probably recharge the Ultimate Weapon as many times as desired. All the villain(s) need to do is lure her away from AZ. They could do it themselves, or enlist the aid of a certain rival that just happens to live and work there, and is just so, so happy to support their boss with whatever he needs.

Secret villain Urbain/Taunie and my life is yours. Seriously, their names are literally a reference to the Project. It is time, GameFreak. Everyone and their mothers suspect Jett & Vinnie, it would be perfect.

Anyway.

You may be wondering what purpose will Xerneas and Yvetal serve in the meantime? In X and Y, the Legendaries were used by Team Flare to start up the Ultimate Weapon (unlike AZ who didn't need them). There's any number of ways for them to return (Hoopa shenanigans, XY Protag released them, there's more than one, etc.), and since this is a Legends game, both will be available. If one villain wishes to revive a beloved companion, they may be after Xerneas. The other wishing for death and destruction will have their sights on Yvetal. Just like with deciding to team up with the Diamond/Pearl Clan to ultimately determine if Dialga or Palkia are caught first, it will be up to the player to decide what order they want to rescue the Legendaries in.

It doesn't really matter though, since the lives of people and Pokémon will be at stake regardless of player choice. That's where Zygarde comes in, except this time Squishy is not our friend. All of Lumiose City *will* be destroyed if Complete Form Zygarde isn't stopped from trying to clean up the true villain's mess (by creating an even bigger one, of course). It's up to you, the player, to deform Voltron and save the day. Maybe with a little villain redemption while everyone takes shelter in Hotel Z....as a treat.

As a bonus, it's revealed that the reason Zygarde took an interest to you at the start (aside from being the Chosen One™️) is that you remind them of the XY Protag aka your half-sibling. I see you, Sycamore and Grace. I see you.

Anyway that concludes this essay. It's too cool of a concept to be canon because they're all cowards, but damn if it wouldn't be incredible, game-of-the-year material.

[wordsandrobots]

After a run of mecha anime shows that, quite frankly, took themselves way too seriously, it is an indescribable relief to watch something that's going out of its way to be fun.

Star Driver is 80% froth and 20% soul-searingly poignant and no, you cannot pull those two things apart. It works by being at once both unrepentant exaggeration and quiet understatement, such that the most impactful moments are frequently those that occur outside the action sequences, when character motivations finally click together. Above all, it is unabashedly about performance, treating mecha fights as theatre, complete with an audience, and in doing so it successfully swallows the formulaic 'monster of the week' structure of a lot of 'super robot' media with a feral smile on its face.

Well, mostly successfully.

I'm going to start with the reasons you might not like Star Driver, because think they are important to understand going in. It *is* formulaic and uses a lot of stock footage for its episodic fights, of which there are probably a few too many. I'm curious how the movie adaptation compresses things: it certainly reanimates the battles gorgeously, but I would think you'd lose a lot of the character drama beats by focusing on the action more. Because the thing is, in terms of the story, the mecha battles are often very much structure rather than content. They are there because the conceit is that they are, and everything else revolves around them. It is therefore impactful when we finally get an episode without a fight, and when the formula eventually breaks entirely.

But I won't lie and tell you that you aren't going to find them predictable. In many ways, that's the point, yet the pay off for it only comes very late in the game. I can see people getting frustrated by this aspect pretty easily.

The other big turn-off is, as I said when I was watching it, this is a high-school sex comedy from 2010, with all that entails. To be clear, I don't mean it is ever explicitly pornographic. But it is full of busty girls, lovingly rendered, whose sex-appeal is absolutely foregrounded for the sake of a male audience. There's a lot of boobs and butts, a lot of suggestions of sex, and everyone is moderately obsessed with who is dating whom.

By and large, that's the kind of thing I just roll my eyes at, because it's essentially a genre indicator. Star Driver is the kind of show where there is going to be titillation aimed at teenage boys on tap. You either accept that and focus on measuring it by what it does within those trappings, or you bounce off. It certainly doesn't manage to break my personal bar of 'if objectification, ideally equal-opportunities objectification': main character Takuto is frequently in situations where he is stark naked and/or objectified by other characters, but he is really the only boy treated in that manner.

Irrespective of whether the sex-appeal is to your specific taste, this is an *extremely* horny series and that horniness is a general feature of the characters. The whole underlying point is that the mecha ('Cybodies') are fuelled by the pilot's libido, here equated not just to sex drive but to ambition and zest for life as well. The central premise is kind of that bit in Power Rangers were Zordon says they have to recruit teenagers for the correct emotional boost, only turned into an underlying philosophical point about the explosive potential of young people. This naturally leads to a lot of obvious jokes and the aforementioned titillation, which includes, rather notably, the control rig used by the bad guys being a bondage chair that shackles pilots (boys and girls alike) into place and snaps a collar around their neck, complete with a 'stimulating' cascade of electricity.

For the most part, this is all fairly good-natured. The jokes seldom reduce a character down to just being horny - most are given depth and history to make sense of their current actions and desires. The single example that made me go 'ick' is the school nurse lusting after male students. This treats something very unpleasant as a gag and mean-spiritedly takes aim at a certain type of (assumed female) manga/anime fan into the bargain. It also stands as broadly plot irrelevant in comparison to pretty much every other enemy of the week (to be clear, the school nurse is part of the 'evil' secret society and nominally a 'bad guy', but the concept of an adult feeling desire for teenagers under their professional care is not given much moral weight).

Again, whether you can stomach this sort of thing is something you'll have to judge for yourself. At the level of actual story-telling, my main criticism would be that its fairly brisk pace leaves little room to follow up on characters after they've played their part. Even if they hang around in the opening credits, some of them leave the narrative and several outright disappear once things build up momentum towards the finale. I think it works, more or less, regardless of this but it's another thing you have to accept, that some of the players leave the stage for good once their part is done.

[I would also be remiss not to mention the extremely racist caricature of a black kid that appears for about ten seconds in one episode, which is part of a depiction of a child's picture-book, so might in fact be a reproduction of a pre-existing extremely racist caricature? Either way, it's in there and shouldn't be.]

To move on to the good stuff, theatricality is the watch-word. Partly I mean that to describe the style, which I feel is best conveyed by some appropriate gifs. Here is Takuto 'Galactic Pretty Boy' Tsunashi's power-up sequence:

Yeah. When I call Star Driver 'camp', that's a very deliberate choice of words. It embraces excess and being as over the top as possible.

But it's also a story concerned with theatrics. The heroes are the school drama club and their enemies, a secret society formed largely from their classmates who dress up in masks and costumes to go plot in the abandoned mine next door. The club's yearly production is a recurring plot point. Nobody is exactly what they appear; everyone has a part they play in public vs what they are underneath. The overall story boils down to two characters doing long-cons on everybody around them. It is extremely important that so much of the action, while meaningful on one level, is also an exercise in play-acting - a game that does not matter as much as how the participants treat one another off the stage.

Nowhere does this come together better than in the concept of the Cybodies. In the real world, these appear as giant 'puppets' hidden under the island where the story takes place, at the bottom of that abandoned mine. These puppets are plain and static, incapable of actually manifesting as working mecha. This is because they have been magically sealed such that they can only operate in an alternate dimension known as 'Zero Time', accessible by people who have been 'marked' with symbols of power. These marks (glowing letters embedded in the chest) allow one to enter Zero Time where, as the name implies, time is stopped, and to operate a Cybody, which will reconfigure into a functional mecha. This is where the fights take place, in the space between ticks of the clock, isolated from normal reality. Moreover, at least to begin with, only Takuto operates his mecha, Tauburn, from the inside. His enemies use a 'cyber casket' (the bondage chair) to remote control their Cybodies, meaning he can slice them to bits without fear of harming a soul. When destroyed in Zero Time, a Cybody's puppet form darkens from white to grey, put beyond use, and the corresponding mark becomes inactive, removing the owner from the game.

So at first, there are no physical stakes to the combat. Takuto, the only person at risk of being killed, is a league above any of the people trying to take him down. There's no sense of him personally being in any danger.

Now here's the clever part: the secret society, Glittering Star, has the ultimate aim of releasing the seals that keep the Cybodies trapped in Zero Time. Their goal is to bring them into reality and use their power to conquer the world - financially if not literally, since the technology of these machines would net them a fortune even if they refrained from going wild with a bunch of giant, unstoppable robots. The seal is maintained by four 'maidens', a particular kind of Cybody. By destroying each of these in turn and thus neutralising their pilots' marks, Glittering Star bring all the rest closer to the point where they can emerge.

Thus, while each individual fight might have low stakes and a predictable outcome, they're all in the name of working up to breaking the seals and releasing these things into a place where they can do actual harm. It's a fascinating gimmick that works to make diegetic the kind of reset button seen in many a similarly formulaic show while ensuring there is a real, genuine threat looming ever closer over events. A lot of what Glittering Star are doing, as they fail over and over to beat Takuto's defence of the maidens, is mapping the extent of the Cybodies' powers. They are also, whether they realise it or not, is putting on a show to distract everyone from the actual villain's actual plan. Hence why it is important for this to be framed by theatre. I was hit early on by the nagging sense that what I was watching wasn't the actual point, and was delighted by how accurate this assessment turned out to be.

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, the mecha designs in Star Driver are *beautiful*. The Cybodies are wonderful, impossibly exaggerated devices that defy physics in order to look spectacular. They're utterly gorgeous.

Anyway, this show's entire premise is shouting 'polyamory!' with its whole chest.

Belated cut for spoilers on the actual plot.

So the three main characters are Takuto, the lively, somewhat dim, completely good-natured protagonist who swims to the island (the ferry would have taken too long) in order to find and punch the deadbeat dad who abandoned his mum years previously; Wako, one of the maiden pilots maintaining the seal on the Cybodies; and Sugata, heir apparent to the mark controlling the most powerful Cybody, King Samekh.

They meet when Sugata and Wako find Takuto half-drowned on the shore and he rapidly becomes a fixture in their lives, upending an existing, rather stifling environment. You see, as the South Maiden (each corresponds to a compass point), Wako cannot ever leave the island. We find out later exactly how this works, as another girl, previously ignorant of what it meant to be the West Maiden, attempts to board a departing boat only to be time-looped back to the start of the day over and over again. This is depicted as a deeply traumatising experience and while we never see this happen to Wako, we are told it did and that left her with a lot of oppressive feelings about being trapped.

Sugata is similarly compelled to remain: his attendants (two pretty girls his age who (in)explicably dress as maids wearing fake animal ears) are on standing orders to kill him if he tries to leave, since Samekh is so ungodly powerful, nobody is willing to risk its pilot loose in the wild. On top of this, if he attempts to use the peripheral powers granted by his mark, it comes with the nigh-on certainty that he will shortly thereafter fall into a perpetual coma (the show plays with this, having it happen, having him revive, and only later revealing the mechanism by which he is able to subsequently use his power without apparent consequence).

He and Wako share a great deal of sympathy for one another's plight, as well as contending with the additional fact that tradition expects them to marry, since sons from Sugata's family have always taken one of the maiden pilots as their bride. Their bond is very close and very deep and, to outside observers, disrupted by Takuto as another potential love-interest for Wako.

Except, right from the start, it is made clear this isn't necessarily how Sugata and Wako see things. For one thing, Wako is quickly having fantasies about Sugata and Takuto making out together, which receive enthusiastic thumbs up from other characters who can - for reasons never entirely explained - see what she's thinking. For another, more plot-relevant thing, Sugata starts prompting Takuto about his feelings towards Wako, very strongly hinting that he is all for them pairing off irrespective of the assumed engagement. Plus, as things develop and Takuto seemingly becomes the only thing standing between Wako and Glittering Star's machinations, Sugata takes it upon himself to train Takuto for the task.

All three are more than they appear. Takuto's naive and affable persona distracts from his having come to this place with full knowledge of the Cybodies and the intention of disrupting Glittering Star's plans. Wako is positioned as the damsel in distress, the prize being sought by the bad guys who needs her knights to defend her, but when the chips are down, she displays reserves of strength in keeping with the importance of her role, going so far as to threaten to slit Takuto's throat when he is possessed by one of their enemies. And Sugata's relationship with both Samekh and Glittering Star turns out to be a lot deeper and more complicated than the enmity originally presented.

But what is not in doubt is that the feelings shared between them are much more in accord than competition. Their being referred to as a trio proves to be an entirely accurate assessment: the show makes it clear that the endgame is the three of them staying together and the drama stems from how they navigate their feelings in order to reach that conclusion.

The two main obstacles are Glittering Star and Sugata's own plans. The secret society turns out to be controlled by the remnants of a previous trio who failed to effectively communicate or commit to their shared desires and were consequently pulled apart by jealousy. This sets up the villain's overall gambit, which I shan't spoil because it's too good a pay-off to the repeated emphasis placed on enjoying the transient intensity of being a teenager.

Meanwhile Sugata is playing the long-game in order to solve the situation through self-sacrifice. He figures that if he can seal himself away alongside Samekh (thus taking his mark with them and meaning Samekh can never be summoned again), it will stop a potential apocalypse and free Wako, with Takuto positioned as Sugata's replacement in their relationship. Which he nearly manages, but fortunately the other two are having none of it.

The very last battle of the series is Takuto tearing Samekh to pieces so the three of them can stay together. I don't mind telling you that he succeeds because there's really never any doubt he will. It's a triumphant moment of shared love conquering all via the power of bisexuality.

Or, well, that's how I'd read it. The show doesn't quite commit to there being attraction between Takuto and Sugata as well as their reciprocal attraction to Wako. It does gives us bisexual characters, as well as gay and lesbian ones, but actual boy-on-boy kissing is reserved for Wako's fantasies. Given where this show seems to be pitched, that's not a surprise. Still, the poly relationship isn't in question and the tension is thick enough to cut with the knife Sugata habitually carries for Wako's protection, so I don't have much doubt what the creators' intentions were.

Indeed much of what Star Driver does well is rooted in an expectation that you are following what it is showing you on top of what it states outright. In some places, this didn't quite work for me - it's never made clear how certain aspects of the main villain's appearance came about, symbolically appropriate as they are. However, overall, I think it's obliqueness is a strength. We are provided the exact shape of the Cybodies' backstory, for example, but it is left to our imagination as to what precise details to fill in. Those are not as important as understanding the kind of history that could repeat if things go wrong. And the finale hinges on the realisation that far this being a clash between an evil force and a noble hero, almost everyone involved is a teenager with fairly comprehensible desires that only come out as villainous because of the magnified scale. Thus what would be a weakness in another plot - the paper-thin facade between Glittering Star's machinations and everyday school life - becomes pivotal to the resolution.

Ultimately, I know this isn't a show I can recommend to everyone. As explained above, a lot of criticisms can rightly be levelled at the way it is presented and its very gendered content. It's definitely not an especially deep work. I doubt very much it would ever be considered life-changing fiction. But it is undoubtedly well-executed and delightfully clever when it didn't necessarily need to be, which I always appreciate. The animation is superb, the music, great, and it's *fun*. Really, really fun! Daft and mad and knowingly OTT, while never losing track of why things matter to the characters at the centre of events.

It's a story about love and enjoying life, about why playing dress-up is no substitute for human connection, and about how you can absolutely chose both the other points in the love triangle, if you aren't a coward.

[netscapenavigator-official]

Let me try this again.

Going forward, I'm referring to a Universe which is really only the "Omegaverse" in its foundation. I (incorrectly) assumed the universe I was writing still classified as "Omegaverse," but a tag comment on my last poll made me realize I made a big mistake by being vague.

In this universe, there are FOUR secondary sexes. The "Alphas" and "Omegas" are still mostly the same, but "Betas" have been split into two sexes: A "Universal" sex which is both roles in one (I won't get into the nitty gritty of how I made that work) and a "Null" sex which is entirely infertile and relies on adoption, surrogacy, etc. to have and raise kids.

A full (to the best of my ability) list of features that I kept and axed will be below the readmore, underneath the poll to keep this post from eating up more dash space than it already will be.

TLDR, though, because I've eliminated a lot of the "animalistic" features of the universe, I'm concerned about using the A/B/O naming scheme. I figured people wouldn't care (and in fact would prefer consistency over technicalities), and my last poll confirms that... However, my last poll was written so vaguely that I worry I'm not getting an answer which is relevant for what I'm writing.

So, here we go again:

The feature's I've kept from the Omegaverse are:

Secondary Sexes (duh)

Pheromones

"Omega" "Slick" Being their Equivalent to Pre-Cum

Monthly Heats & Ruts ("Universals" get both, usually at two different times of the month)

A Minor Amount of Power Imbalance for ✨Drama✨. ("Alphas" do experience a small amount of biological urge to protect the "Omegas" in their lives [family members, friends, etc.] from other unknown "Alphas." This is a minor thing exasperated by social constructs. As a result, "Alphas" can help themselves, and outwardly acting on those urged is seen as objectifying and controlling.)

The features I've eliminated from the Omegaverse are:

Nape Biting, Soulmate, & Ownership-esk Stuff

Knotting (Sorry. It evokes the body horror part of my brain.)

"Alphas" are born masculine; "Omegas" are born feminine. (Secondary sex plays ZERO part in determining one's appearance or personality.)

Major, Biological Power Imbalances Between "Alphas" and "Omegas" ("Alphas" are not biologically more dominant, and "Omegas" are not biologically more submissive. The only reason an Alpha would think and/or act as if they were better and more powerful than an "Omega" would be the aforementioned extreme-case sexism. Those individuals may believe that it's biological, but it is not.)

Losing Control because of Pheromones. (A "sex drunken" state can be achieved where one's inhibitions are lowered. However, people are always held responsible for their own actions, and it takes long exposure to someone in Heat/Rut [in an enclosed space] to get to that point. Catching a whiff in passing will do little to one's state of mind except alert them of the person's sex and cycle status.)

Unique Anatomy (While I used it at the start, I've decided I don't want to anymore. Therefore, Male "Omegas" in this story do NOT have uteri in their asses. They will have external vaginas. How I plan to implement that is still up in the air. I've got a few ideas that I might run a poll on later.)

If a feature isn't mentioned in these lists, then I forgot about it. Sorry.

[rebelliousstories]

Take A Bite

Kiss Me You Animal

Relationship: Cooper “The Ghoul” Howard x Zylia “The Freak” Shelley

Fandom: Fallout

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Strong Language, Mentions of Death and Killing, Vague Cannibalism

Word Count: 1,027

Main Masterlist: Here

Fallout Masterlist: Here

Previous Chapter// Next Chapter

Kiss Me You Animal Masterlist: Here

Summary: When it comes to his cold, undead, somehow beating heart, Cooper goes back and forth on whether or not to use it on Zylia.

There was something almost comical about the way they walked with each other. Cooper kept Zylia on a tight leash, literally. Her hands were bound, her ankles less so. She struggled the entire way out of town, but The Ghoul just tugged on her rope to get her to settle down.

Zylia had no idea where they were going, but she hated every moment. Everything was going well up until she left with her payment for the bounty. Now she was tied up, hungry, and pissed off. All she could hope for was that he would not drain any of her more liquid assets. That would just be a kick in the teeth.

“You gon’ tell me why you’re bein’ paid in blood, rather than all caps, darlin’?” Cooper called from behind her, maintaining a safe distance. The bound woman did not even bother to turn her face to acknowledge that the man had said anything.

“Alright. Keep your secrets. Lookin’ mighty delicious though.” His off handed comment finally spurred a reaction from the woman before him. She whipped around and got right in his face as soon as his hand touched the pouch on her bag with the blood bags.

“You touch those and I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” Zylia growled. Her words spitting themselves onto Cooper’s face.

“Well,” he drawled while dragging a hand over his face to remove the fluid. “Why’s so goddamn important to you?”

“None of your damn business, ghoul.” She retorted, but the aforementioned ghoul just smirked at her.

“You’re the one that’s tied up with no place to go. And I’m the one with your bag, that has your blood. Now you wouldn’t trade caps for blood unless you truly needed it more. So why the hell you interested in that blood more than your own caps?” He laid it all out there.

“I told you, it’s none of your damn business why I value my blood more than my caps. I’ve got my reasons.” Zylia refused to back down from the man, as she was still standing in his face.

“Now, I’d like to hear those reasons.” Cooper teased, reaching his hand towards the pouch. Zylia responded by diving her head down to snap at his fingers which sent his fingers away in a heartbeat.

“You are just full of piss and vinegar, ain’t cha?” He chuckled as Zylia righted herself to look him in the eyes once more.

“Do not take that blood. I need it.” She pleaded, skin starting to bead with sweat, and her lips being moistened by her tongue.

“I needed those caps that you stole from my bounty. Looks like we’re both in a pickle sweetheart.” Cooper’s hand reached up as fast as lightning to grab the ropes by her neck and hands.

“So here’s what’s gonna happen; Imma keep you with me until I get those two hundred caps that I deserved, then and only then, will I let you go.” His voice was dangerous as he growled in her face. Zylia made her face as neutral as stone, refusing to let him see that she was terrified. Terrified about what was going to happen if she did not have access to those blood bags.

“Keep moving.” He shoved the woman away, and they began to walk once more. The more they moved, the weaker both of them could tell Zylia was getting. But she kept moving anyways. They neared an abandoned house that Cooper seemed to know his way around, and made their way in. Bodies were strewn about, and there seemed to be a kitchen area that Cooper strategically slid into.

Zylia was pulled with him, and that when she saw it. Fresher bodies were right smack dab in the middle. These may have only been about a day or two old, but they were still plenty fresh. Howard made his way around, looting the bodies and their bags all around the room, while the woman kept her eyes on the body.

When Cooper began to take what he needed from the bodies, slicing and filleting, he noticed that she was watching him intently. No, not him; the meat in his hands, but it was not a look of disgust. He held her gaze and ate another bite, while watching her eyes drop. The Ghoul kept going even after he had satiated his urge, but this was for drying to keep with him on the path. His eyes caught her swaying a bit as he continued his task. Poking his head up, Cooper caught her eyes just before the woman collapsed.

Making his way to her at a leisurely pace, his head cocked to the side as he watched the woman on the ground. She was full blown sweating, with her pale skin somehow looking even paler. There was genuinely no color left in her. Zylia kept gasping and trying to wet her lips, but she had no more moisture left in her. As she writhed on the floor, she kept trying to make her way to her bag but was unable to open the pouch she needed.

Out of curiosity, Cooper opened the pouch she was trying to access and found her blood. With a furrowed brow, he took out one of the bags, and held it up above her. He watched her trying desperately to reach it, yet unable to with the ropes around her body, and her energy slowly dropping. The Ghoul wrestled with his thoughts for a minute, crouched down on his knees. If he helped her, he could follow through on his promise. If he did not, however, that was one less person that would steal his bounties, and probably more food for him.

Zylia kept writhing, but it dwindled down from before. Her eyes were unfocused as she mouthed open air. The sweating and the colorlessness of it all freaked Cooper out just a little bit. After all this time, he had never seen anything like this. He watched her for a moment more, holding the bag of blood in one hand.

“What to do about you?” He drawled, watching the woman in front of him. There was something almost comical about the way they walked with each other. Cooper kept Zylia on a tight leash, literally. Her hands were bound, her ankles less so. She struggled the entire way out of town, but The Ghoul just tugged on her rope to get her to settle down.

Zylia had no idea where they were going, but she hated every moment. Everything was going well up until she left with her payment for the bounty. Now she was tied up, hungry, and pissed off. All she could hope for was that he would not drain any of her more liquid assets. That would just be a kick in the teeth.

“You gon’ tell me why you’re bein’ paid in blood, rather than all caps, darlin’?” Cooper called from behind her, maintaining a safe distance. The bound woman did not even bother to turn her face to acknowledge that the man had said anything.

“Alright. Keep your secrets. Lookin’ mighty delicious though.” His off handed comment finally spurred a reaction from the woman before him. She whipped around and got right in his face as soon as his hand touched the pouch on her bag with the blood bags.

“You touch those and I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” Zylia growled. Her words spitting themselves onto Cooper’s face.

“Well,” he drawled while dragging a hand over his face to remove the fluid. “Why’s so goddamn important to you?”

“None of your damn business, ghoul.” She retorted, but the aforementioned ghoul just smirked at her.

“You’re the one that’s tied up with no place to go. And I’m the one with your bag, that has your blood. Now you wouldn’t trade caps for blood unless you truly needed it more. So why the hell you interested in that blood more than your own caps?” He laid it all out there.

“I told you, it’s none of your damn business why I value my blood more than my caps. I’ve got my reasons.” Zylia refused to back down from the man, as she was still standing in his face.

“Now, I’d like to hear those reasons.” Cooper teased, reaching his hand towards the pouch. Zylia responded by diving her head down to snap at his fingers which sent his fingers away in a heartbeat.

“You are just full of piss and vinegar, ain’t cha?” He chuckled as Zylia righted herself to look him in the eyes once more.

“Do not take that blood. I need it.” She pleaded, skin starting to bead with sweat, and her lips being moistened by her tongue.

“I needed those caps that you stole from my bounty. Looks like we’re both in a pickle sweetheart.” Cooper’s hand reached up as fast as lightning to grab the ropes by her neck and hands.

“So here’s what’s gonna happen; Imma keep you with me until I get those two hundred caps that I deserved, then and only then, will I let you go.” His voice was dangerous as he growled in her face. Zylia made her face as neutral as stone, refusing to let him see that she was terrified. Terrified about what was going to happen if she did not have access to those blood bags.

“Keep moving.” He shoved the woman away, and they began to walk once more. The more they moved, the weaker both of them could tell Zylia was getting. But she kept moving anyways. They neared an abandoned house that Cooper seemed to know his way around, and made their way in. Bodies were strewn about, and there seemed to be a kitchen area that Cooper strategically slid into.

Zylia was pulled with him, and that when she saw it. Fresher bodies were right smack dab in the middle. These may have only been about a day or two old, but they were still plenty fresh. Howard made his way around, looting the bodies and their bags all around the room, while the woman kept her eyes on the body.

When Cooper began to take what he needed from the bodies, slicing and filleting, he noticed that she was watching him intently. No, not him; the meat in his hands, but it was not a look of disgust. He held her gaze and ate another bite, while watching her eyes drop. The Ghoul kept going even after he had satiated his urge, but this was for drying to keep with him on the path. His eyes caught her swaying a bit as he continued his task. Poking his head up, Cooper caught her eyes just before the woman collapsed.

Making his way to her at a leisurely pace, his head cocked to the side as he watched the woman on the ground. She was full blown sweating, with her pale skin somehow looking even paler. There was genuinely no color left in her. Zylia kept gasping and trying to wet her lips, but she had no more moisture left in her. As she writhed on the floor, she kept trying to make her way to her bag but was unable to open the pouch she needed.

Out of curiosity, Cooper opened the pouch she was trying to access and found her blood. With a furrowed brow, he took out one of the bags, and held it up above her. He watched her trying desperately to reach it, yet unable to with the ropes around her body, and her energy slowly dropping. The Ghoul wrestled with his thoughts for a minute, crouched down on his knees. If he helped her, he could follow through on his promise. If he did not, however, that was one less person that would steal his bounties, and probably more food for him.

Zylia kept writhing, but it dwindled down from before. Her eyes were unfocused as she mouthed open air. The sweating and the colorlessness of it all freaked Cooper out just a little bit. After all this time, he had never seen anything like this. He watched her for a moment more, holding the bag of blood in one hand.

“What to do about you?” He drawled, watching the woman in front of him.

[sarcastic-sketches]

TCW Snapshots: Kitsune Ed. Zygerria

Back on my Kitsune AU bullshit and I have considered various scenes that take place during the Clone Wars - and have written tons of dialogue for - but I have some favourites. I’ve already covered Umbara and the Zillo Beast but this one covers the Zygerria Arc because oh boy would that play very differently.

Anakin cannot play the part of the slaver, not with those very visible ears and tails that mark him for what he is - supposedly the last Kitsune in the Galaxy - his price tag with be practically unnamable. Sure, he could play the slaver but there’s no way the Queen would listen to him as one, she would just see his rarity and value. Anakin would know this. He would have to be the bait. He has to face that long buried trauma again and play the role of the slave. It’s fine, he says to himself, it’s just a role. He can handle it.

There’s nothing they could use to trap him that would keep him for long.

Nobody is happy about this and everyone knows that’s gonna have consequences of the mental kind but they can’t just leave the Togruta to their fate. Plus, the only other likely alternative is the Togruta child in their midst. A Jedi’s duty is to others before themselves...

But this leaves the part of the slaver open. Ahsoka can’t do it, for the aforementioned reasons. Rex is briefly considered but ultimately decided to also not be an option because he’s not trained as a negotiator, he can’t bluff his way through this. Privately, he also doesn’t think at this point in the timeline that he would be able to just hand over his General like he were an item to barter with. The mission always comes first and all that but the guy has realised he’s in love with Skywalker for over a year now, there would be tells he could not control. But you know who can? Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan who is Anakin’s teacher, his best friend, who is called ‘Master’ by Anakin for an entirely different reason. He realises just how much trust Anakin is placing in him to take on this role, but Anakin tells him that he refuses to call Obi-Wan ‘Master’ for the entire charade - refuses to tarnish the word he has come to accept as a term of respect - and Obi-Wan is grateful for that. It would fuck them both up once this was all over if he did.

Rex and Ahsoka are now on infiltration duty and they are the ones who get caught later to be showcased in the slave auction arena.

So you’ve got Rex and Ahsoka about to be made examples of, with Obi-Wan forced to whip them. Except, he clearly hesitates; he knows he has to do this for the ruse but this was NOT discussed as a possibility beforehand. Rex can take it, they both know this and he signals as such, but Ahsoka is a child, their padawan. Anakin consented to be put in the position he’s in for the plan, but not Ahsoka. 

Obi-Wan doesn’t get to make the choice in the end.

Anakin has had enough. It’s not pretty. Ankin is flying into a Full Kitsune mode fuelled rage right in the middle of the arena, snapping Ahsoka’s and Rex’s chains free before taking out the guards. Obi-Wan tries to reach out to him, to calm him down but the guards are closing in and now Rex is getting tasered. The lack of control, being enslaved again (just the mindset he’s put himself back into alone), and seeing the people he cares about most having to hurt each other have eaten through Anakin’s remaining calm and patience over the situation. The electro whips are doing bugger all to a Kitsune the size of an Acklay.

But then he stops. Stops in horror because the Queen has got a guard with a knife to Ahsoka’s throat in all the chaos.

Queen: If the legends are true, Kitsune were meant to be very protective of their own Queen: You clearly care for this one. I wonder, what would you be willing to do to keep her safe? Queen: If you’re good, she won’t be harmed. 

In the ensuing stand-off, Obi-Wan manages to grab Rex and high tail it out of there. There’s nothing he can do for Ahsoka or Anakin at that moment and they have a mission to finish. The risk to Anakin physically right now is very low, given he’s shown what he’s capable of, but the risk to his sanity is very high. Especially using Ahsoka as a bargaining chip. Initially, the Queen tries to put her in the cage, like she does in canon, but this causes Anakin to be less than 100% compliant given his stress (and therefore constant form changes) so the Queen gets crafty.

Queen: I am aware there’s very little I can do to you to get you to behave. I know better than to try and force your compliance like the others but that girl? You react as if she’s your cub. Queen: As a token of my good will, I will give her to you unharmed and in return you will do exactly as I say. Break this simple rule and I will kill her and should she be found to misbehave… Queen: Then the consequences will be on you.

She’s effectively got them both trapped. As long as Anakin does what she wants, Ahsoka can stay in the palace unharmed. As long as Ahsoka behaves, Anakin won’t be hurt in her stead.

It seems like a kinder gesture than the Queen is known for, but it’s only surface level. If he tries to kill the Queen or hurt her in any way, the guards will activate Ahsoka’s shock collar and kill her without hesitation. He can’t kill them all at once.

They get an additional reason to play by the rules, when Obi-Wan manages to pay them a visit in secret. He’s not best friends with a Shadow for nothing. If they can get info about where the other Togruta are being kept from the other slaves then Obi-Wan and Rex can deal with that before coming back to rescue them.

Cue Anakin being torn between obeying to the letter out of worry that Ahsoka will be hurt or taken away from him if he acts out AND wanting to rebel against authority and choose the path of Malicious Compliance just to show how unhappy he is about this entire situation. All while trying to get the info Obi-Wan needs to complete the mission - that was why he was here to begin with after all. 

The Queen can’t really pick a single thing she wants Anakin to do. Either act as her bodyguard or have him shapeshift into Smol Fox so she can have him on her lap like some exotic pet. He has to fight to not sink his claws into her legs.

Dooku eventually turns up and fucks up the Queen’s set up, thereby allowing Anakin and Ahsoka to get the co-ords to Kadavo in the ensuing chaos, which in turns allows Obi-Wan to send out a message to the Council about where the Togruta are. Master Plo goes to Kadavo and Obi-Wan and Rex blow their cover to get Anakin and Ahsoka out. With Dooku here there’s no need for subterfuge anymore. Anakin is very close to making the decision to level the entire palace on his way out but Rex manages to calm him down, pointing out that it isn’t just slavers in there. Not to mention what it would do to his psyche on top of everything else.

Anakin is just too powerful at this point, with five tails his anger could rip apart the very ground he’s stood on. He can’t afford to give in because the destruction would be too broad, there’s no control to that. But Rex? His anger is just enough to shoot someone's head clean off at over 500 yards. After all, he’s not a Jedi.

[evita-shelby]

Gossip

Eva's first school meeting as Evie's stepmother is a baptism by fire

thanks @novashelby for letting me borrow Evie for these one shots

Eva had known regaining Evie’s good graces was an uphill battle, she just didn’t expect it to be this… taxing.

“Girls, don’t run!” she lags behind when her new daughter convinced her best friend to run ahead of her knowing she cannot keep up with them.

Tommy was supposed to drive them to school for this little function where she’d be taking over anything that required a mother or dealt with the uppity Mrs. Hughes, but no, Evie just had to tell daddy that Eva had changed her mind and they would walk all twenty fucking minutes to school.

Evie was petty and selfish enough to be kin to Eva, even had the same brown hair, same shade of brown and they tan while Tommy burns. She used to mind when people assumed they were mother and daughter, then she warmed up to the idea and used it to her advantage and now Eva is Daddy’s wife ---words the little girl said without even a hint of warmth.

Had Eva not been about to turn fourteen when Evie was born, more people would have assumed she was her real mother.

She has more comfortable shoes for long walks, heels comfortable enough for such distances, but these were new, bought for the occasion and yet to have been broken in. The heel was almost a full inch taller than was in fashion, the material not designed to be worn as a woman tries her best not to run after the little girls and these stockings were not going to survive the trek back if Tommy doesn’t show up after.

“Oh, was Mr. Shelby unavailable? I wouldn’t have braved the street in heels like those.” the first face to greet her at the fucking school is none other than the woman who tried to throw her out of a mother daughter thing for not being Evie’s mother. But now the twat can’t pull the same trick as Eva is now Mrs. Shelby and no one fucks with Mrs. Shelby.

“Day was too lovely to spend in a car, Mrs. Hughes.” Eva smiles and forgets what will most likely become a blister as she greeted the nuns and other women gathered about. “My husband was busy this morning, but don’t worry for us, he will come to pick us up after.”

Because Eva will kill him if he doesn’t.

She has half a mind to deny him sex, but they’ve finally gotten the house to themselves and Evie’s cockblocked them this entire week making the idea impossible. Today must go perfectly so Evie can go to Martha’s for the long-awaited sleepover so the newlyweds can fuck in peace.

Her first official meeting as Mrs. Shelby where they’ll decide on budgets for outings, decorations and what ever the school is going to do. Much like the church, the school is great at fleecing its flock for its cause both in monetary assistance and free labor. Eva will gladly do it; she likes most of these people even if Mrs. Boyd acts like she’s going to steal her soul if Eva sitting beside her and Mrs. Hughes like Eva is something the cat dragged in.

The staff had been easier to win over, Francis was of an age with the Shelbys and as lovely in appearance as she was on the inside, the Mother Superior had been impressed with how convincingly Catholic Eva appeared even if Eva has never really believed in organized religion and the rest just liked that someone existed to curb Evie’s rambunctiousness and keep Tommy from ruining another bake sale.

There had only been one instance that merited the reveal that her godfather was the current pope ---and that was because of the aforementioned disagreement where Hughes did not like the idea of Evie taking part of a mother-daughter lunch with a woman who was not her mother when Polly had been purposely unavailable.

“By the by, it has been the talk of town that sweet little Evie is your bastard with Mr. Shelby. I would hate to see your lovely new daughter have a new reason to hate you.” The woman knew Eva was coming for her crown and her daughter’s meanness had to come from somewhere.

“That’s nonsense, I would have been thirteen when I had her.” Eva knows Evie won’t believe that bullshit, Tommy would take offense at having people believe he’d fuck a girl that young and even worse not doing right by her.

The school and the authorities knew who Evelyn’s biological mother was, Small Heath did as well, but what a fucking nuisance this gossip tends to become. Especially now that Evie no longer likes her.

“You wouldn’t be the first to lie about your age, Lord knows your husband doesn’t look a day over twenty-five and well, Mrs. Gray’s real age is a secret even the Crown won’t ever know.” The phony smile does nothing to hide the forked tongue that made up that fucking rumor.

Eva had been used to the assumption some made about her and Evie, she was not at all offended. What did offend her was this slander that she was older than her twenty-four years. How fucking dare this hag call her old?

Granted thirty is not old, Tommy would be offended the witch is calling him old, but it is the audacity to strike like this when Eva has yet to attack her!

Before the witch could respond with a threat of her own ---thanks to her own clairvoyance she could figure out the more embarrassing things the woman hid behind her well-kept appearance---, the nuns called the meeting to order. She would get her after, maybe reveal the hair dye she uses to hide her growing number of grey hairs or how much her husband racked up in bets.

She will get back at her and the woman will regret the day she made herself her rival.

[bookoramaenderteeth]

Top 5 characters you've played!

Ooooh, this is a great one!

5. Aljibar Herzegovnia, fire genasi wizard specializing in necromancy. My first (and only) chaotic-evil character, but somehow the party composition and game being run made it work in a completely non-disruptive way (it helps that I also played him as a coward and a loyal friend, so his chaotic evilness was more about helping his team screw everyone else over rather than causing blind anarchy). To this day, my friend and I have the concept of 'long-nosing' someone in our vocabulary, meaning to make someone disappear under mysterious circumstances, based on a move we'd do together to make certain busybodies... stay out of our business.

4. Happy Memories, yuan-ti paladin of mercy. Adoptive daughter of #1 on this list, Happy Memories was part of a found family of stereotypically monstrous creatures who were working to improve themselves and push past their ingrained natures. Bonus points to her for once eating a wererat. She was fun to play, a significant change from my usual characters who always end up chaotic in one way or another, she was really the calm voice of reason in the party.

3. Curios, gnome investigator (using the Investigator class from Valda's Spire of Secrets). An elderly detective and collector of trinkets, seeking his lost sister in a shadowy land of vampires, accompanied by a watcher over the dead and a pixie. Curios' main appeal comes from just how badly he and the aforementioned pixie clash, with totally different perspectives on the world around them and morality in general. It leads to a ton of fun roleplay moments.

2. Agent Jerome, the only non-dnd 5e character on this list, a Professional from Monster of the Week. Agent Jerome started off with the premise of a fully business focused, suit-wearing, monster hunting, serious secret agent. Unfortunately, events conspired to push him into being a more chaotic and comedic character, which led to a revelation: The ORIGINAL Jerome had had himself cloned, as he grew older, and the Agent Jerome being played was flawed and degrading rapidly. He had a pretty great story arc, ending with him being partially corrupted by a demonic entity, and retiring, safely, to a cell belonging to his own agency. The only character on this list to have completed their story.

Not even a contest. Number one character I've ever played, of all time, was JON ALLMAN, Illithid (mind flayer) bard. What can I say about Jon Allman. He wore a fake beard and disguised himself as a wizard to hide his tentacles. He named himself after the last person he killed before he realized killing was bad. He invented a god once and brought it to life. He played the bagpipes. He got a sponsorship deal which led to his party becoming world class heroes without doing much at first. He stopped a war by threatening both generals into talking. He married a sea hag. His niece was an undead nature spirit. He wrote a book on the fundamental nature of reality and also of children's stories - not two books, just the one. I, the player playing him, sang two full length parody songs in his name. When he got serious he put clown makeup on. Best character I have ever or will ever play. I based an entire alien species on him in the show I hope someday to make.

[nursingwriter]

Middleville RHC The author of this report is to look at the theoretical test case and associated statistics of a medical facility known as Middleville Regional Health Care. They are one of three hospitals serving a community of about 350,000 people. The statistics of Middleville have been provided as well as the details about its two competitors in the same metropolitan area. There are a couple of issues in play that the author of this report will address. First, there will be an explanation of the governing board's role in their overall strategic initiatives, the determining of its responsibility and its overall involvement in the same. Second, evidence-based management will be used to determine whether the actions chosen are yielding the results that they could or should reveal. Third, there will be an analysis of the aforementioned statistics of the three facilities in the area, including Middleville. Fourth, there will be a discussion about the pursing and possible implementation of advanced technology systems. Finally, there will be an addressing of the challenges Middleville has been facing including the recruiting and retaining of nurses at their facility. While Middleville could be in much worse shape, it is fairly obvious that they need to be careful about some of the things going on now and what ostensibly faces them in the future. Analysis Before getting to the main questions of this report, there the details that the author of this report must work out as far as being a consultant for the hospital. As described by the assignment, the four main areas of focus will be in human resources, information technology, financing and marketing. First off, three performance measures that can be used to assess the performance of the hospital are as follows. First, there is the amount of expense per patient seen, whether it be OP visit, admission and so forth. These levels should be as high as they need to be to deliver proper and full levels of care to patients but they should not be exorbitant or otherwise out of phase with reality. Second, there needs to be a monitoring of the amount of beds available as compared to the outpatient and inpatient visits that are encountered so as to make sure that there are enough beds to meet demand including at the busiest and trying times. Lastly, there needs to be an assessment of whether mistakes made due to records management practices. This should look at whether use of methods other than electronic medical records (EMR) are more prone to mistakes than the EMR usages themselves and there should also be an assessment and identification of mistakes that have nothing to do with EMR and/or are because of lack of proper training. Of course, the general opinion held by many is that EMR is the wave of the future and that any point of resistance against that is simply wrong. Even so, there are those that say that EMR creates new problems but the consultant for this report simply does not believe that. If wielded correctly, EMR is always going to be superior to physical records alone and there are multiple reasons and manifestations of this fact. In terms of ranking, EMR would actually be the most important, bed/patient ratio and then expenses. Again, the amount of money spent should always be a distant second to making sure the patient is being taken care of unless there is obvious waste and the like going on (Ubel, 2014). The role of the governing board in the entire process is obvious and easy to see. The governing board is the primary and highest groups responsible for planning the hospital's future over both the short-term and the long-term. Indeed, the issues being discussed are very forward-looking and it is important that they make the right choices. Indeed, they would delegate a lot of responsibility to other people but it will be their heads on the chopping block if the choices being made were faulty ones. If the problem were to become dysfunction with lower people, that would deflect a lot of the responsibility but the leaders have to step in when things are going awry. In one way or another, the governing body is where the "buck" stops. As such, their involvement should be very advanced. They would presumably dictate from the top down and the people that answer to them would proliferate the marching orders and things to do to the lower levels. Even so, those orders come from the governing body so the choices and orders made should be the right ones and they need to be implemented fully and correctly. As partially noted before, the metrics that the hospital can use are simple. First, they should look at expenses per bed and expenses per patient. It should be noted that the number of beds that Middleville maintains is quite high as compared to the other two hospitals in the area when compared to admissions. However, OP visits and births are much higher for Middleville as compared to the other two hospitals. However, it is something worth looking at. Second, there needs to be an identification of all errors made and the underlying reason or mistake for each. Leaving the mistakes in one pool without finding the underlying cause of each miscue leads to problems going unaddressed and perhaps the wrong processes or people getting the blame. Finally, expenses to patient ratio (variable/non-fixed expenses in general) need to monitored. In looking at the statistics for the three hospitals, a few things come to light. First, it is very noticeable that Middleville has many more beds than the other two locations and it is not really close. Indeed, there is nearly a two-hundred bed gap between Middleville and Brierfield and a 225-bed gap between Middleville and Greystone. Middleville is in the middle of the pack when it comes to actual admissions as Brierfield has 4,000 more and Greystone has three thousand less. The census for Middleville is first by a long-shot and the same is true of OP visits. Middleville is also nearly double the closest competitor when it comes to births. When it comes to expenses, Middleville is second out of three but they are only five thousand dollars behind the number one location, that being Brierfield. Greystone is a distant third with $80,000 but their admissions, census, OP visits and births are all far behind (if not very far behind) the other two locations in question. In terms of remaining competitive, the hospital should keep expenses low, modernize the records technology that is in use and otherwise run an efficient location that still ensures that all patients are getting the proper and full amount of care that they need. As far as Middleville pursuing an EMR system over the next five years, there are a few things that they should keep in mind. First, they should make a "big" jump if they are very far behind the technological curve. If they are not close to "modern" with their EMR practices, they need to get there. If they are close to being in the right place, then an incremental update is probably enough. Over all, it is better to be ahead of the curve and "future-proof" as compared to embracing a technology arc that is not getting widespread acceptance or not being as modern as is possible with the current options. This segues into another point. There are a lot of vendors and options out there and they are not created equal. Whether it be the overall standard being used or the vendor extending the option, the Middleville hospital needs to make sure that the EMR option they use has a firm future and that it melds properly with all relevant industry standards as well as the other systems that the EMR system will need to integrate with. Indeed, the best option is to keep the overall number of vendors and companies to a minimum but there will always be some need for cross-platform integration and this requires third party standards that everyone adheres to. For example, Java is a wide-spread computer language but it is not limited to one company. Many different devices by many different companies use Java to at leats some degree. As such, having them be able to "talk" to each other is much easier than it would be if one was using Java and one was using Microsoft C# (HealthIT.gov, 2015). As part of doing proper due diligence, the Middleville hospital should create a request for proposal (RFP) from companies that would be most likely to have the resources and forward-thinking technology to get done what Middleville wants done. When assessing each proposal, there needs to be a look at how "future-proof" each option is, how modern the current iteration of the implementation would be at the time it is done and how stable the vendor might happen to be. For example, Middleville should be much more apt to use a vendor Microsoft, GE or Oracle rather than a startup, a firm that is ripe for being bought out or merged or a company that is in shake financial shape. While mergers and such usually shake out fairly fine, it is hard to predict that in advance and it could leave the hospital in a lurch. Anyhow, Middleville should pick the best combination of a strong company and good/modern technology and they should allow for the proper amount of time for the new system to be implemented, tested and otherwise brought online (HealthIT.gov, 2015). As for the problem with recruiting and retaining of nurses that Middleville is having, they need to react to this issue with swiftness and vigor. Generally speaking, Middleville needs to do several things: Human resources should have at least one C-Level position. Human resources should have a seat at the table of power at Middleville, in other words. This is true because the human resource department is an integral and indispensable part of the business and it should not be treated as a minor or unimportant part of the business (Carmichael, 2015). Nurses in general are going to be in short supply and Middleville needs to make sure that they become and remain an employer of choice. Those that do this will be much more likely to attract and retain the best nursing (and other) talent as compared to businesses that are unwilling or unable to do what it takes to attract and retain good talent for their hospitals and other medical practices (Gorman, 2014). The precise reasons for the hiring/retention issues need to be identified and attacked directly. As noted by in the parameters of this assignment, one cannot lodge a complaint about a situation without offering a solution. For example, if the problem at hand is burnout, there needs to be an implementation of measures that reduce or even eliminate burnout. This could mean hiring more nurses if there is a short-staffing problem. This could mean the creation of a team-based culture so that nurses can rely on and work directly with others to keep the work life at the hospital as peaceful and helpful as possible. There can also be programs that encourage nurses to have distinct and separate home lives that are based on hobbies, family and other enjoyable things. If there is not a strict dichotomy between work and home life when the former is very stressful, the latter will get spoiled as well and many people in both situations will be miserable. While salary increases may not be in the cards, there are many things other than money that drive and motivate employees. Even so, if the staffing is short and/or nurses at Middleville are not being paid on par with industry averages, that is going to create a problem even if no other problems exist. Further, if nurse staffing and pay is getting the short end of the stick, there needs to be a top to bottom review of what money is being spent on what expenditures because having a disjointed and tumultuous staffing situation in the nursing group is a non-starter. In general, reduction of burnout and getting the staff/pay situation where it should be for the nurses are the top two priorities. Conclusion As noted throughout this report, Middleville is not in terrible shape but they do have some items they need to address. The EMR modernity they have (or do not have) and the retention/hiring issues in the nursing department need to be addressed right way and in an exhaustive/complete fashion. Having antiquated technology or nursing human resources practices are both very bad things and need to be eliminated as soon as possible. References Carmichael, E. (2015). Is Human Resources a Power Player in Your Organization?. Evancarmichael.com. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from http://www.evancarmichael.com/library/melonie-boone/Is-Human-Resources-a-Power-Player-in-Your-Organization.html Gorman, C. (2015). Tips to Becoming an Employer of Choice. Greatplacetowork.com. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from http://www.greatplacetowork.com/events-and-insights/blogs-and-news/2396-tips-to-becoming-an-employer-of-choice#sthash.DrzS1zTq.dpbs HealthIT.gov. (2015). How do I select a vendor? -- FAQs -- Providers & Professionals -- HealthIT.gov. Healthit.gov. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/how-do-i-select-vendor Ubel, P. (2015). Forbes Welcome. Forbes.com. Retrieved 6 December 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2014/02/12/is-the-profit-motive-ruining-american-healthcare/ Read the full article

[down-in-devildom]

Hello! I saw that your request is open. Can I request for some hcs for the brothers with a very giving mc, but when they try to do something nice for them they get defensive/guilty like "who are you why are you nice to me I'M the nice one here, don't do nice things for me I feel bad?!?" And tries not to burden them in any way. Thank you! I love the way you write uwu

Thank you for the request! Also, I hope people will let others do nice things for them without thinking they don't deserve it or something. You are worth being treated well!!!😤 I also had a hard time naming this request...

Brothers react to MC not accepting returned favors 

cw: guilt tripping(?)

Lucifer

Lucifer was enjoying a date with MC after completing a sizable portion of his work early thanks to them lending a hand. They were dining at the Ristorante Six when he noticed MC scanning the menu very intensely

The grimace the MC did every so often raises some concerns for him. When the MC says that they want to order a small soup of the day, Lucifer looks at them with a raised brow

He could have sworn MC would be famished after having their lunch stolen from them by Beelzebub around noon. MC could not have possibly have had the time to eat a snack, what with all the paperwork and organizing they did for him after classes to try to lighten his workload

When Lucifer asked if that would be enough, MC's stomach let out a mighty roar in response. Lucifer was now suspicious that MC was holding back for some reason so he decides to order the food for the both of them. He signals for a waiter and makes sure to order MC's soup of the day as well as a dish or two he believes would be to their taste

When MC starts to protest about not wanting to be a burden and have him pay a fortune, Lucifer waves off the concerns and assures them they needn't worry about that. Besides, he wants nothing more than for MC to enjoy themselves after helping him earlier

"I don't want to burden you and make you pay for my meal. I am always happy to help but I don't want you to feel obligated to do something in return."

Lucifer is taken aback before he sighs and gives MC a serious and pointed look. "I am a demon that takes pride in my ability to deal out suitable punishments and rewards as I see fit. It will do you well not to question my generosity"

Mammon

Mammon felt like he was in debt to MC for helping him study and pass his latest exam. He could not afford to fail his fourth semester in a row without Lucifer finding out and skinning him alive! He doesn’t normally feel the need to do anything to actually pay people back, but he felt like he really owed MC for this one

When Mammon and MC were visiting the flea market to find some cool trinkets that can probably be resold for a profit on Akuzon, he noticed the MC’s gaze lingering on a small golden ring with intricate engravings. He makes a bit of a show of paying for the ring before losing some of his bravado and shoving his hand in the MC’s face and demanding they take it

MC looks a bit confused before thinking it was something that Mammon thought would resell well and tried to put it in the basket they carried to hold the rest of their haul

“No, ya got it all wrong. I got it for ya to- ya know- thank ya for helpin’ me the other day. I woulda been a goner without you...or something” he mumbles while trying not to look directly at them

“That’s funny and all but what’s the catch? I’m pretty sure you don’t normally give away things or do anything without expecting anything in return”

Although MC does not appear to mean any harm from the comment, it kind of stung a little for Mammon. They can’t seem to grasp that they were special and he WANTED to give them things.

Mammon becomes a bit more sullen about the ordeal and may not give anything directly to the MC from then on. He will opt instead to leave little trinkets in their room or claim he found some trash he needed to get rid of (even though it would clearly be something of value). He does not really know how to show his thanks in any other way so he is kind of stuck in a cycle of trying to backhandedly show his gratitude without his motives being questioned

Satan

Satan’s room was an absolute mess, more so than usual, when MC was kind enough to lend a hand in helping him organize his massive collection of books into something a little less chaotic

He found an ancient tome full of old runes and herbal medicines that he thought he saw MC flipping through while taking a quick break from organizing his things, and assumed it would be a nice token of his gratitude. It was inlaid with gold leaf and the engraved relief on the cover was done with a clearly skilled hand, making the old book really stand out

“Please, take this tome as payment for your time. I would have lost my mind, surely, if you did not help me in my time of need, like you did”

MC’s eyes widened with surprise before seeming to nod and say they would return the book to him later, after they take down some notes for their next hex exam. When he clarifies that he wishes for them to keep the book, MC looked taken aback

“I couldn’t possibly take one of your books! I don’t expect anything for helping you out and you shouldn’t feel the need to pay me back for something I was more than willing to do anyway. It is kind of weird for you to want to give away your books like this when you closely monitor anybody else that takes them”

Satan’s eyebrow twitches just the slightest and he has to keep his smile in place to try to not alarm MC when his irritation spikes slightly. They don’t seem to understand that him thanking them with a gift versus him guarding his collection from Mammon are two different things entirely

He leans a bit into the MC’s space with his smile still plastered on and looks them dead in the eyes. “Do you mean to tell me that the tome is not to your liking?” MC kind of feels forced to take the book and thanks Satan before making a hasty retreat to their own room. Satan takes the newfound space to clear his mind and start thinking of other ways that he can possibly approach the matter in the future without pressuring MC into accepting his generosity

Asmodeus

Asmo’s life and reputation was saved when MC responded to his emergency text asking for a very specific shirt to be brought to his photoshoot. One of the assistant demons did NOT get the memo when he said that he was more of a skull-scream peach kind of guy then a wailing-melon toned guy and the outfit assembly was not doing his beautiful complexion any favors

When Asmo got out from his shoot, he felt like he absolutely had to repay MC for going out of the way for him. He went straight to Majolish and picked out a new outfit for them that he was sure they would look absolutely fantastic in and then hurried home to wrap it up nicely 

Asmo presents the gift with flourish before asking for the MC to open it so he can watch their reaction. Asmo was not disappointed by the stunned look on their face and the silent ‘o’ their mouth made, but got a little put out when they said they could not possibly accept it. Didn’t they like it? Surely he did not pick something that wasn’t to their taste

“I can’t accept this, Asmo, it is way too sweet and generous of a gift! I had to go in the direction of your shoot today anyway so it wasn’t a burden to drop off your shirt. Please don’t reward me for something like that!”

Asmo has met a variety of demons and people over the millenia and can tell that there was something about the gift itself that was making them uncomfortable. He still is firm with them and insists that if he spent the grimm on them, they should take the gift, but starts thinking of other ways to maybe show his thanks in the future

Do words of praise and gratitude make them squirm? How about physical affection? Would a kiss count as a thanks they are willing to accept? He sure hopes so but he wants to show he appreciates them and will try to show it in any way possible until they accept it

Beelzebub

Beelzebub was starving! More so than usual and that is not a pretty sight. He was at RAD during one of the classes when he noticed that his snack bag had mysteriously gone missing when he tried to reach in to pull out a protein bar. His stomach loudly protested and he was starting to eye up some of his classmates as if they were on the menu. MC saved the day when they came rushing in with the aforementioned missing snack bag, that they found in the hallway

Beel was able to happily munch away for the rest of the lesson and it seemed like the whole class let out a collective sigh of relief. Beel was very grateful for the MC taking the time to deliver him his snack bag and decided to treat them to Hell’s Kitchen after school 

MC agreed to go willingly and ordered their food while Beel asked for well over half the menu. After they ate, Beel reached for the tab but found slight resistance when he finally looked at the bill and saw MC’s hand was also on it. When Beel stated that it was his treat for them saving him early, he was met with some pushback

“Please do not feel like you have to pay for me. Giving you the snack bag was for everybody’s benefit, so it actually came from a place of selfishness, really. I do not deserve you paying for me.”

Beel’s heart pinged a little at that. Did MC mean he was so close to losing control that they only helped him out of pity? Out of fear? He knew he was a big and his hunger knew no end, but it kind of hurt to be seen as a threat that needed to be controlled with readymade snack bags like that

Beel kind of shakes it off quickly enough and starts to think that maybe they just didn’t like the meal as much as him and was trying to spare him from paying for something they didn’t really want. He takes the time to watch MC over the next few days to see if there are other foods that they may like better. That was the problem, right? Maybe something from Madam Screams was more their style? How about that crepes stand in the park that was super delicious?

Belphegor

Belphegor was not having a great day. For one, he was awake and for two, he was tasked with doing laundry for HoL this week and he was super behind on his assigned chore. If Asmo pestered him one more time about properly separating out the colors and Lucifer lectured him about how to properly fold fitted sheets, he may just have to be imprisoned in the attic again. Luckily for him, MC took some time out of their schedule to help him finish quicker

Belphie was thankful enough that he figured he could allow them to nap with him as an award. Do not mind the fact that MC always takes naps with him but this time can be a little bit special. He nicked a projector from RAD the following day and set it up in the attic so that it would project constellations on the walls and ceilings. He also made a really comfortable pillow fort for them to share. This took a lot of work on Belphie’s part so it was a privilege for MC to join him

When the MC finally arrived at the attic after Bephie texted them to meet him up there, they were not expecting the space to be turned into such a nice and cozy room. Belphie explained that it was as a thank you for the help the other day after they kept just standing in the doorway. He then demanded they came and laid down with him

“You didn’t have to put all this work into making this space for me! It was just folding laundry. It wasn’t that big of a deal, I promise”

Belphie turns his back on them and kind of pouts into his pillow. If they don’t appreciate him sacrificing sleep to make them happy and feel appreciated, then who cares. He can nap just fine by himself and he is hard press to prove the point

After the MC stands there for a little bit and then finally decides to join him in the pillow fort, Belphie ignores them for a bit. Neither of them move from their spots until Belphie sighs and rolls over to use their chest as a pillow. If all this work really was for nothing, he might as well enjoy his well-earned nap better with a warm body pillow

-------

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....I gave up on proof reading this part way so I hope it is okie dokie

-Leo

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

So obviously the entire Feanorian Host as a whole is a bit intense about the cause, but I feel like there’s different levels of devotion between their individual followers.

So my question to you is, from least to most intense, which Feanorions followers are the most cult-like and why?

the cultishness absolutely varies by region! i'm being a little facetious when i call them an out-and-out cult, but fëanorian minion culture certainly has... tendencies. the isolationism, the way loyalty to the group supersedes absolutely everything, what they do to those who 'betray the cause,' not to mention how absolutely psyched they get at the opportunity to do murder. still, the precise way that manifests, as well as how intense they are about, does change a lot depending on where you are in east beleriand. surprisingly it doesn't track that much with how tolerant of outsiders each subdivision is, which is most evidenced by:

the gap: maglor and his cronies are easily the most xenophobic part of the host, which is both a cause and a consequence of them having probably the least regular contact with non-fëanorians out of all the armies of east beleriand. paradoxically, this gives them very little incentive to go full cultist; much of the deliberately off-putting stuff the rest of the host does is partially to distinguish them from the outgroup, which isn't something you need to do when everyone you deal with is either part of the gang or an obvious enemy. they still do the elaborate facial deformations, they still have a bit of a Thing about fire, but the thing that's holding them together is much less utter devotion to the cause and much more the organic friendships and kinship bonds between riders

there's a few other reasons why the folk of the gap are relatively less culty. the gap is sparsely populated to begin with, and most of its population is at least semi-nomadic; it's a lot harder to cultivate that kind of obsession when everyone's off doing their own thing most of the time. while the gap doesn't have the highest headcount of mithrim sindar - as stated above, its population is tiny even by east beleriand's low standards - it has more mithrim sindar as a proportion of the population than anywhere else in east beleriand, and the culture of the gap has this big mithrim sindarin focus on community and clan to counteract the noldorin tendency to sacrifice everything for grand ideals. the general lack of new recruits from outside the host only serves to intensify all of this; the riders of the gap fight together because of the spiderweb of social and personal obligations that link them all together, not necessarily because of the cause (though that is still a factor, i want to be clear.) this fairly isolated society held together by individual and familial bonds stands in stark contrast to:

himlad: the thing about celegorm and curufin's people is that they're up against the fuzzy border between east and west beleriand, between maedhros' definitely-not-a-kingdom and the finarfinians' section of fingolfin's defensive line. as such, they're more or less constantly in contact with the outside world, coordinating troop movements, sharing information and resources, recruiting from the same sindarin populations. there's still a clear delineation between the fëanorians and the fingolfinians, partially because there's a lot of mountains between their major centres and partially because this lot actually do have an other to define themselves against and thus a reason to emphasise their own identity, but there's a lot of chatter and petty squabbling and philosophical discussion and a steady regular connection to the outside world counteracting the worst of the cultishness. unlike pretty much any other part of the host, the himlad minions never really lose the sense that they belong to a greater community of elves

which explains what they do in nargothrond. i don't believe that literally every single one of their followers abandoned celegorm and curufin, but i'd buy it was a lot of them, maybe even most of them. it helps that it's specifically the finarfinians their lords are betraying, the people they've - perhaps not fought side by side with, but who definitely always had their backs. even without that, though, the very existence of that relationship means they're used to working with people from outside the host, getting to know them, empathising with them, which is a pretty hefty counterbalance to the specific the-whole-world's-out-to-get-us undercurrent of internal propaganda. by no means was it an instant switch, or an easy one; after finrod got ousted there was a ton of interhost politicking and debate and the occasional brawl as everyone tried to figure out what to do. but the fact that the question was even open says a lot, i think. that probably wouldn't have been the case even in:

thargelion: caranthir’s domain is the most heavily populated part of east beleriand, and the settlement at lake helevorn is the closest thing it has to a city. a significant portion of that population aren’t fëanorians by even the loosest definition; they’re dwarven traders or miscellaneous humans or sindar far enough from the front line of the siege they can just keep on with their lives the way they always have. the fëanorians (and here, more than anywhere else, that’s a fuzzy category; this is the easiest part of the host to join, and the easiest to leave) are mixed in with all these groups, negotiating supplies, managing tribal levies, patrolling the roads, state stuff. out of all the subdivisions of the host, the thargelion minions are the hardest to distinguish from outsiders.

to keep their ingroup coherent, then, they actively mark themselves out. the minions in thargelion are probably the loudest about their collective identity and the cause and the joy of bathing in your enemies’ blood and all that. they have weird midnight rituals and purpose-built meeting halls and elaborate coded language, and while being overly tyrannical about it would be bad for business there’s definitely a sense that they form a tightly knit core which looks after its own above all else. that image is somewhat complicated by the aforementioned blurry edges of the thargelion host - is the sindarin bureaucrat who’s never touched a weapon in her life but plays a vital role in the military administration a fëanorian? is the noldorin freeholder who pays very little attention to the day-to-day minutia of the war but keeps his sword sharp for the hour it is needed? - but the alliance of old soldiers at its heart is a clear and palpable thing, especially when you can feel its eyes. when their hackles aren’t up the minions are perfectly happy to mingle socially with the other peoples of thargelion, though, which sets them apart from:

himring: on the frontlines of the siege of angband, with all the nightmares of the north pressing directly on their spirits, maedhros’ followers stoke the flames of their devotion high. the warriors of the cold fortress are less showy about their fervor than their counterparts in thargelion or even himlad, but the ardour underlying it is markedly more intense; they don’t have much in the way of over-the-top rituals, but they have vast amounts of ironclad unspoken rules they follow unwaveringly. they’re polite to outsiders, sometimes even welcoming, but you never forget that you are, in fact, an outsider, and that himring and its satellite forts form an internal world others can never quite see. even to other fëanorians, they come across as aloof

their fervour also tends to manifest as a deep personal loyalty that borders on reverence towards maedhros himself. all the brothers command respect, of course, they’re all magnetic personalities who draw people in and bind them together, but maedhros’ minions are on a whole other level. they mythologise him, tell stories of his deeds like he personally holds the line against morgoth, treasure the slightest contact with him, hold being called to his direct service as the highest honour of all. most of the new recruits to the himring host are brought in by the vast pull of maedhros’ reputation, from all across beleriand and even from the north. but no matter where they came from, they all understand that they will fight and live and die together beneath the banner of their lord. which is a bit weird, even by fëanorian standards, but they’re nowhere near as bad as:

ossiriand: amrod and amras’ henchelves are considered by the rest of the host to be notably psychotic, which is saying a lot. the minions of ossiriand are utterly terrifying, absolutely fanatical about the cause, the most bloodthirsty murder cult in east beleriand. you’d think the green-elves they share their territory with would act as a calming influence, but in practice the two groups mostly avoid each other, because the green-elves naturally prefer to stay away from these nutbags. you’d think being away from the front lines would lessen the need to solidify their identity through cult nonsense, but in practice it gives them the free time to go full gonzo. most of the horrible rumours you hear about the fëanorians in the rest of beleriand are either specific quirks of the ossiriand minions, or most egregrious in the ossiriand minions. they have an orc pit

or so they’d have you believe. the fëanorians in ossiriand effectively serve as the host’s intelligence division, scouts and spies and saboteurs. a lot of their work is clandestine by its very nature, and they tend to be pretty secretive about what they actually do. half the things you hear about them are probably disinformation, lies they’re deliberately spreading to make themselves sound scarier. hopefully, at least. as anyone who’s chatted with an ossiriand minion knows, they are both eagerly awaiting the fulfilment of the oath, and already preparing for what will come after

(this paradigm does break down after the siege is broken and the union of maedhros fails and the dregs of the armies of east beleriand wind up stuck in the same ever-shrinking territory. still, i think the origins of the survivors are... interesting. the people of the gap were almost completely wiped out in the bragollach, the people of himlad mostly jumped ship with celebrimbor, even the people of thargelion took heavy losses in the nirnaeth. but the people of himring stood firm around their lord, and the people of ossiriand were never really frontline fighters in the first place. minions from the more cultish parts of the host tend to survive longer, and in greater numbers. i feel this could have... consequences)

[delimeful]

or set your teeth against my throat (2)

warnings: illness, mild emeto, bad decisions, miscommunication, short panic attack/flashback

---

As the night turned to dawn and then day, Roman didn’t stop running.

He couldn’t stop, even as his pace grew more and more sluggish, his path erratic. Every time he thought about pausing, finding a good campsite and finally letting himself take a breath, it was as though phantom sensations grasped at his skin or tore at his throat.

He kept moving.

It was stupid, probably, being driven forward by fear like a mindless animal. … It was definitely stupid. Still, after ages spent trapped in one form, the full moon’s pull on the wolf in him was irresistible.

For the first time in ages, he worried about the possibility of coming astray of a human settlement once the moon was overhead. Normally, Virgil was the one who dedicated himself to making sure their pack’s turning ground was far from any stab-happy humans, always double and even triple-checking.

In his current state, Roman could barely discern a single natural scent around him, let alone any human scents he should avoid. He kept feeling eyes on him, silent watchers, but the distinction between reality and his own terrified delusions was growing thinner.

When the sun finally sank below the horizon, Roman allowed himself to collapse on a soft patch of earth under a shielding copse of saplings. He had some hope, however shallow, that by wearing himself out, his wolf would spend the night curled up somewhere, settled into a sleep heavy enough to erase the pounding headache settled deep in his skull.

He’d been a fool to let himself hope.

His memories while fully-turned were foggy as usual, but the emotions were clear: he’d spent his entire night on the move. His wolf had been howling long, agonized calls into the dark around him, desperately searching for the other members of his small pack. Desperately waiting for a response that would never come.

To top it all off, when he woke up human-shaped in the early hours of dawn, his headache had only grown worse.

His only turn of fortune was that his wolf hadn’t traveled back the way he’d come, driven away by some immutable sense of danger. He could at least be grateful he wouldn’t have to make up for any lost progress, even if his body was weak and trembling from being pushed past the brink of exhaustion.

The further he got from those bloodsuckers, the better.

His vision blurred slightly with each step. It was seeming more and more likely that he was growing feverish, though it was hard to tell with nobody else around to ask. He kept pressing a hand to his forehead and neck, trying to gauge his temperature, but his hands were warm, too.

He’d complained about his packmates’ terrible circulation and icy fingers before, but there was very little he wouldn’t do for them now… Just the phantom memory of Virgil’s cool hand on his head, voice sharp but touch unbearably gentle, was enough to make tears prick his eyes.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself up on shaky legs. There was no way he could give up now, feverish or not. What would his packmates advise?

“For survival, shelter and water are most important,” he mumbled to himself, wincing at the poor imitation. He cleared some of the raspiness from his throat, imagining Logan’s face when he really got into sharing his newest bit of knowledge. “Running water is preferable to still water, which can carry illnesses, and for larger rivers there is also the potential to find freshwater food sources, like salmon, catfish, bass, um… pike, trout… cod?” He frowned, losing the careful enunciation. “Wait, is salmon freshwater?”

Logan could have listed more off, Roman was sure, but the effort helped cheer him nonetheless. He spent the next few hours winding his way through the forest, attempting every so often to sniff the air for damp soil with little success.

His ears still worked fine, however, and so when he caught the first distant trickle of rushing water, he wasted no time in following the sound. It was no river, but the stream was plenty to help quench the dryness in the back of his throat.

“Go upstream,” he could imagine Virgil demanding, “make yourself harder to track. Wolves aren’t the only ones out there with good noses.”

“The water is so cold, though,” he complained to himself even as he began sloshing through it. “I have squishy human flesh, I’m going to freeze to death.”

Here was where Logan would point out his exaggeration, and Virgil would snap something snarky to distract him from the chill.

The burbling of the water was a poor substitute.

Once his feet grew truly chilled, he waded back out, mimicking Virgil’s voice to caution himself against the more slippery-looking rocks. He probably looked a little silly, holding both parts of a conversation, but it wasn’t as though anyone was around to see.

“Cut me some slack,” he muttered to nobody, allowing the comfort of his wolf form to slide back into place as the day turned to a chilly evening and he lay to rest. “I’m maybe-possibly-feverish, I deserve good things.”

He slept fitfully, and when he woke, there was a gray coat draped over him, and a small pile of walnuts and blackberries sat at his side, the nuts already shelled and the berries freshly washed.

The incredibly suspicious nature of their appearance only stopped Roman from eating them for about five minutes, and four of those five minutes were dedicated to imagining all the reasons Virgil would list to not eat them.

“Sorry, Virge,” he said through a mouthful of fruity deliciousness.

There didn’t seem to be anyone around, and no matter how he buried his face in the coat lining, his nose was too stuffed to pick up anything. It was an extraordinarily soft coat, though, and he felt awfully cold. It was hard for even him to imagine what harm could be done with a coat.

“I’m accepting this Possibly Evil Coat, but only for a little while, so don’t get any ideas!”

The woods were quiet in response to his declaration, and he sniffed daintily before climbing to his feet, internally bemoaning the way the world swayed slightly as he moved.

Couldn’t he just sleep here a bit longer…?

He imagined the unimpressed looks his packmates would give him. Imaginary Virgil in particular wouldn’t stand for sitting around when there was every possibility he was still being hunted.

“For all you know, that vamp was just a sick mind trick, and they’ve been toying with you this whole time!” Virgil would say, jumping to the worst-possible scenario that Roman always stalwartly tried to ignore. He shuddered, glancing around himself.

“You are not helping my mood, mister,” he muttered to Imaginary Virgil as he tromped through the underbrush with much less elegant grace than usual.

The little mystery offerings from the morning had helped stave off his plummeting energy levels, but they weren’t enough. It was only midday when the lightheadedness and the chills shuddering through him became too much, and he found himself collapsed on the ground between one blink and the next.

He was contemplating the benefits of simply remaining facedown on the dirt for a while when a cool hand wrapped around his wrist, carefully tugging him onto his back.

Roman blinked at the face above him, the blurry features slowly resolving themselves into the shape of the vampire who had freed him only nights before. The fear that shot through him didn’t make him any more lucid, and Roman bared his teeth in a snarl that was probably much less fearsome on a human face.

“Told you so,” Imaginary Virgil said, instead of doing anything helpful like tearing a vampire’s throat out. Roman missed Real Virgil.

The vampire was talking, a low, constant noise meant to soothe as he shifted an arm around Roman’s shoulders, lifting him to his feet. The blood rushed to his head, vision going black-- the next thing he knew, he was inside a small cabin, swaddled in blankets, the hearth crackling merrily feet away.

… What had he been worrying about? He couldn’t remember.

A chill shuddered through him. He was still so cold, even as sweat drenched the cloth around him, and he complained relentlessly.

His packmates tolerated his sickbed whining as graciously they always did, though for some reason they were more hesitant than normal to hold him close when he called for them. They seemed to be taking his care in shifts, as there was only ever one person in view, and sometimes he woke up completely alone.

(Strange, since they normally all piled up together when one of them got sick. They probably just needed to prioritize hunting or checking their territory boundaries or something. Roman wasn’t that sick.)

When they were there, Roman rambled and bickered with them nonstop, through shudders and chattering teeth, telling old stories and adding new twists to distract from the sickness ravaging him, only pausing when they pressed coriander seeds or wormwood to his lips.

(That was a little strange. Logan knew mint worked better for Roman’s nausea. Maybe they were out?)

Time passed in a haze, marked only by the frequent offers of fresh water and stale rations. Eventually, he was able to even measure out his healing progress by how often he could keep the aforementioned nutrients down.

(One of them was busy hunting, but somehow there was never any fresh kill.)

He knew his fever had finally, properly broken when he reached out for the one who had been taking care of him all this time, and registered that their skin was icy-cold.

Roman jerked back and then instantly regretted it as every nerve in his body protested severely.

“Ah, careful!” warned the vampire, who was at least smart enough to stay out of immediate biting range. His hands fluttered around as though he was attempting to bat away the dark spots that were currently dotting Roman’s vision.

Unbidden, a rough growl tore from him. He had a heartbeat to feel vindicated at the vamp’s flinch before his breath caught in his throat, kicking off an uncontrollable coughing fit.

Each wheeze brought less and less air, and when he caught the vampire shuffling closer, it suddenly felt like he had no air at all. He hunched over his knees, shifting his hands to cover his neck pathetically, as though the motion could protect him.

“Back off,” he snapped, cursing himself when the words came out as barely more than a choked whisper. How many times had he said some variation on the phrase in the past few weeks? He should have learned by now that it never worked.

When he glanced up, though, he found the vampire had practically teleported all the way across the room. The sight of the vamp peering at Roman worriedly from the furthest corner was odd enough to yank his mind out of the half-formed flashback.

He took a deep breath, trying to remember the grounding exercises Virgil always ran through. His wrists were light, his knees didn’t ache; he wasn’t chained down. There was soft fabric around him, and warmth in the air; it was a far cry from cold cement platforms in lifeless forts.

There was a vampire here, but his eyes weren’t red, and he didn’t wear a cruel smile like a second skin. Roman might still be a prisoner, but he wasn’t there anymore.

Instead, his current location was… a curiously cozy cabin?

Roman blinked. It was a single room, a bit sparse in decor but containing a small coal stove, stocked pantry, and a cheerily roaring fireplace. He was sitting on the solitary bed, a nest of blankets creased around him.

He turned his blank gaze back to the vampire. For a moment, the only noise in the room was the low crackle-pop of burning wood.

“Are you okay?” the vampire finally asked, brow creased with what looked like genuine concern. “You’ve been really burning up, and fevers like that can take a lot out of you. At least,” a pause, “as fire as I know.”

Any and all snappy responses (both literal and metaphorical) flew instantly from Roman’s mind. He groaned and slumped over dramatically, ignoring the way his vision swam slightly at the movement. “Augh, that was terrible!”

The vampire grinned, his smile somehow dorky even with the visible fangs. “You don’t have to tell me twice: I’m a fast burner!”

“Are you sure?” Roman asked. “Because this is the worst thing you’ve done to me yet, and I’m including the mind games, apparent abduction, and imprisonment.”

“Flameous last words,” the vamp said, and then the rest of Roman’s statement seemed to catch up with him. He drooped like a wilting flower. “You’re not imprisoned here! And I’m not trying to... mess with you, or anything.”

Roman gave him an unimpressed look. “Just so we’re on the same page, that’s a yes on you abducting me, correct?”

“I mean, yeah, just a little bit,” the vampire admitted, “but I meant it in a helpful way! I wasn’t going to bother you at first, I promise, but then you got sick, and I could tell how feverish you were just looking at you, and--,”

“Wait,” said Roman, his brain slowly churning through the implications of that sentence, “you were just going to follow me without me knowing, the entire way--,” home, he didn’t say, because the mere thought of accidentally leading a coven of vicious vampires to his vulnerable packmates made his stomach turn, and then he was leaning over and being violently ill in the bucket beside his bed.

A cold weight settled against the back of his neck, soothing against his overheated skin for the few seconds it took him to realize what-- or rather, who it was. He jerked away with a halfhearted snarl, probably looking rightly pathetic.

“I’m sorry,” the vampire said mournfully, stopping him short. “I wasn’t trying to upset you, I just-- I knew it was my fault. If I’d gotten the key sooner, or been braver, you wouldn’t have been out in the cold for so long, you might not have caught sick at all. It wouldn’t be right for me to abandon you.”

“Abandon me?” Roman spluttered. What did this guy think he was, some lost pup? “I can take care of myself just fine alone, thank you very much! I have absolutely no need for suspicious sanguinous stalkers on my tail.”

For emphasis, he shoved the blankets off of himself, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and stood up in preparation to leave.

One blink later, he was facedown on the floor, his body numb yet his nose stinging from the impact. “Ow.”

The vampire offered him a hand up. “Autumn is my favorite season, but that certainly didn’t seem like a very nice fall.”

“Must you kick a man while he’s down?” Roman bemoaned, ignoring the proffered hand in favor of pushing himself up.

His traitorous legs wobbled under him, and he ended up collapsing back into a seated position on the bed, right where he’d started. He felt a wave of familiar despair wash over him. The sickness had sapped every ounce of strength from him; whatever villainous plans lay ahead, he had no chance of foiling them.

… Maybe he could still foil some of them.

Roman met the vampire’s gaze as solidly as he could. “No matter how adeptly you try to play the kindly stranger role, I’m not going to fall for it.” I’m not going to lead you to my family. “You may as well cut your losses and do whatever it is you’re planning to do to me.”

He waved a dismissive hand for emphasis, as if it didn’t matter to him. As if the mere idea of getting so close to freedom and then dying (alone, far from his pack, without them ever even knowing what happened to him) wasn’t enough to make him feel like there were roots tangling in his lungs and weeds clogging his throat.

The vampire nodded slowly, a troubled look on his face. “In that case…”

He moved closer, and Roman focused very intently on not flinching, no matter how badly he wanted to, or how hard his body was already shaking. The vampire reached out--

“My name is Patton,” he said, very carefully offering his hand at the midpoint between them, “and what I want is for you to stay right here in this house until you’re healed, and then you can go wherever you want to go, and I’ll make an oath not to follow.”

“What?” Roman blurted, staring at Patton’s hand with blatant confusion. “You-- I-- What?”

“I really don’t want to hurt you, kiddo.” Roman stiffened, because that was a classic villain line setup if he’d ever heard one, but-- “So, once you’re healed, whatever you need me to do to prove it, I’ll do it.”

Roman’s increasing headache had nothing to do with his fever and everything to do with the oxymoron that was a philanthropist bloodsucker.

What was the right option? He couldn’t get away, but he couldn’t trust that this bizarre hospitality would last, either. Perhaps the best course of action here was inaction-- lulling the vampire into a false sense of security by pretending to be sick even as he grew healthy enough to escape?

Roman could act. He was good at it, and the bar for his illness had been set quite convincingly with his earlier faceplant. He let his muscles go lax, slumping over slightly to give off the impression of conceding without actually ever agreeing to Patton’s proposed plan.

“If you’re so intent on me trusting you, you can start by telling me where I am,” he sniffed, graciously not mentioning the abduction thing again.

Patton brightened, letting his offered hand drop without comment. “This is an aidhouse! It’s part of a system recently set up in this division of the kingdom for common good and to prevent spread of disease.”

That explained the insulated, if somewhat bare, interior. Roman raised a curious eyebrow. “And they’ll let just anyone use it?”

“That’s the principle behind it, yep! Normally, with non-plague cases, an apothecary apprentice would stop by to check in and offer guidance, but I told them I had it apothecovered!”

The puns were apparently a permanent fixture in the guy’s repertoire. Logan would be in agony. Roman ignored the pang in his chest at the thought, leaning further back against the pillow mound. “Yes, you wouldn’t want some poor apprentice to stick around long enough to find out there’s a lone vampire in their midst, would you?”

Dial it back, he could imagine Virgil hissing, as though the emo had any room to talk about unnecessary vitriol.

“Well, no,” Patton admitted, his smile turning a little strained. “But I turned them away because I already have all the experience I need! I worked as a full-time doctor before-- um, before...”

The smile turned full-on tremulous, and Roman was seized by a strange panic at the sight of it. He sprawled over the bed haughtily, the way he always did when demanding attention from his workaholic packmates.

“If you’re such a skilled doctor, then I’m sure you won’t have any problems running me through your treatments so far?” Roman challenged, inspecting his nails. It wasn’t a pointless query, either; some common human treatments were toxic to werewolves.

“Oh!” Patton said, voice still a little choked up. “Of course, let me see…”

The brink-of-tears quality to his words faded as he began to recount everything Roman had missed in his feverish haze. Patton’s exposition was nothing like Logan’s, cheerful rambling and jokes thrown in where Logan preferred efficient lists and muttered tangents.

Roman found himself drifting off to the sound regardless.

It seemed that pretending to trust Patton wouldn’t be as hard as he’d thought.

[peekbackstage]

What are your views about some brands banning turtles from fanmeetings. Doesn’t it also defeat the argument that ggdd allow bjyx to continue for commercial reasons?

I have written pretty extensively before in terms of how artists are often evaluated by talent buyers - which use pretty similar criteria as brands when it comes to artist valuation. 

When it comes to marketing, there are a few key performance indicators (KPIs) that pretty much all brands care about in some way globally. These KPIs largely shape the brand’s marketing campaigns, and also allow brands to set clear, measurable goals and milestones. 

When a brand chooses to partner with a celebrity, they must consider a few KPIs:

Reach - The celebrity’s total market reach, which includes social media metrics and media impressions. This allows the brand to approximate the market capitalization an artist may have.

Engagement - How much overall engagement (both online and offline) that a celebrity can generate. On social media, this would include likes, sharing posts, talking about/posting about a celebrity, producing fan works, watching videos, etc. Offline, this would include watching TV shows the artist is on, attending events, buying products to support the artist (music, merchandise, film, etc.)

Sales Growth - Normally, this would be called “conversions,” but I’m just going to make it easy to understand and call this “sales growth.” This would be the amount of product sales a celebrity generates.

Social Media Growth - A celebrity’s involvement with a brand can give all their social media channels a significant boost from the celebrity’s fans following the brand’s social media platforms. This is a measurable KPI that brands track.

Sentiment - What is the market sentiment of a celebrity? This is essentially a celebrity’s reputation score, which more or less can be approximated through a combination of media coverage and social media mentions.

Rankings - There are a number of research companies that regularly put out rankings for celebrities that include the celebrity’s popularity, star power index, social media power, brand power, etc. The combined average of all of these rankings can help a celebrity determine how much overall power an artist may have. Rankings that focus specifically on a celebrity’s brand power or selling power would be more heavily weighted if the primary focus of a brand campaign is to generate more sales.

There are other KPIs such as cost of customer acquisition, customer retention/loyalty, average lifetime spend per customer, etc. that would be important to a brand, but the aforementioned KPIs above are among the most important factors when brands consider working with celebrities.

However, KPIs alone are not enough for a brand to determine whether or not a celebrity would make a good brand ambassador. In addition to all the aforementioned KPIs, a brand must also consider the following:

Image - The celebrity’s overall image. Is this celebrity a bit of a “bad boy” or are they boy-next-door?

Compatibility - How well the celebrity represents/matches with the brand’s values and identity. (This is also known as “image congruity.”)

Credibility - How much credibility the public might place in the celebrity representing the brand. A celebrity who clearly would know nothing about a certain product might not be the best person to represent a brand or their interests.

Affect transfer - Describes the process by which a celebrity’s fan base might transfer their feeling about a celebrity to the brand. If fans have a positive relationship with the celebrity, then this relationship will transfer. If there is negativity, however, that may also unfortunately transfer.

Controversy - Whether or not there is any controversy associated with the celebrity.

I actually went ahead and conducted research to ensure that my comments are actually accurate for the Chinese market. The primary source materials that inform the rest of this post are “Assessing Celebrity Endorsement Effects in China: A Consumer-Celebrity Relational Approach,” (Hung, Tse, Chan 2011) and “Insiders’ Views: The Current Practice of Using Celebrities in Marketing Communications in Greater China” (Leung, Cheng, Tse 2018). 

According to Hung et al, there are three types of relationships fans have with celebrities. Since no one is here for a super academic report, I’ll just summarize these relationships as: 1.) regular fans (“entertainment motivated”); 2.) super fans (“intense attachment”); and 3.) sasaeng (“pathological”). 

Due to the fact that the type of relationship a fan has with the celebrity has a direct correlation with the relationship that the consumer has with the brand, brands must carefully consider each type of relationship when they choose to work with a celebrity. 

Even if a celebrity has incredible KPIs, if the celebrity has a segment of fans that the brand perceives to be “unfavorable” to their marketing goals or their brand image, then the brand may wish to prioritize one market segment over another. 

In the case of a brand banning a CP from fan meetings, it is possible that a brand may take the following into consideration: 

It is a known fact that solos and CP fans do not get along. 

It is a known fact that XZ solos and WYB solos do not get along.

It is a known fact that not only do these three groups not get along, they have full-blown fan wars which can often spiral out of control online. 

CP fans account for 5% of the artist’s overall fanbase. Therefore, it is a fact that the remaining 95% are solo fans. 

Because the brand can’t predict what will happen at a fan meeting, they have no way of knowing whether or not any sort of controversial issue may arise from having an artist’s solo fans, who are known to be “at war” with the artist’s CP fans in the same room. As a result, they may perceive that CP fans are a risk factor they simply do not want to engage, which may be why a brand might dissuade CP fans from attending a fan meeting. 

Moreover, a brand might not want to associate with CP fans because they may feel that CP fans are not representative of the kind of consumer they want to target. Specifically, they may believe that CP fans represent values that are not in line with the brand’s values. (In other words, the brand is homophobic and they do not want anyone who supports a same-sex CP to talk about their brand, as that would associate the brand with a same-sex CP.) 

Additionally, the brand may be wary of CP fans due to the fact that solos are known to be anti-CP in both camps, and antis are known to have pathologically obsessive, destructive tendencies. Trying to distance themselves from CP may essentially be a way for the brand to distance themselves from antis. 

Most importantly, a brand may find the very idea of a CP to be controversial, or they may perceive the other celebrity in the CP to be “controversial.” According to Leung et al, “a controversial celebrity might bring extra media publicity, yet consumers might ultimately focus their attention on the celebrity instead of the brand being promoted.” Anson Shum, who once ran marketing and communications for Bluebell Group in Greater China, also states in the article, “If I invited [a controversial celebrity] to come to the event … [their] presence might attract many paparazzi, but would the attention be diverted to the brand or focused only on [them]? That’s why I rarely invite controversial celebrities.” 

We might also recall that in China, fans and brands alike may consider CP fans to support an artist only because of the CP - and not for their solo endeavors. As such, a brand may believe that CP fans do not have the same consumer value when it comes to customer retention as solo fans may have, especially if the brand wants to have a long-lasting relationship with an artist, such as Wang Leehom and Wahaha Mineral Water, which lasted twenty years. 

If the brand’s primary goal for the fan meet is to develop customer retention, which would essentially increase the lifetime value of a customer, then they may (falsely) believe that catering at all to CP fans would not be good for their brand’s goals - especially if there is limited space at the fan meet. They would therefore instead want to maximize all seats for their true target audience, which are not CP fans, but solo fans. 

Obviously, I think that a brand choosing to deter CP fans from a fan meeting is stupid as hell, because that deterrence would result in a negative association with the brand, and they more or less shot themselves in the foot. For all that brand knew, the CP fans they excluded from the event could have been whales (i.e. big spenders) who could have given a massive boost to their bottom line. Alienating an entire market segment is literally one of the dumbest things any brand could ever do.

However, at the same time, if the brand is opting to alienate that group on account of their homophobic values, then the brand really doesn’t deserve the consumer’s money to begin with. 

In any case, I hope this helped to answer your question. 

Works Cited

Hung, Kineta; Chan, Kimmy; and Tse, Caleb. (2011). “Assessing Celebrity Endorsement Effects in China: A Consumer-Celebrity Relational Approach.” Journal of Advertising Research. 51. 608. 10.2501/JAR-51-4-608-623.

Leung, Vivienne; Cheng, Kimmy; and Tse Tommy. (2018) “Insiders’ Views: The Current Practice of Using Celebrities in Marketing Communications in Greater China.” Intercultural Communication Studies XXVII: 1  96-113. 

[sokkagatekeeper]

I think with zukka it’s the exact opposite as soulmates like in every way these two should’ve never even met let alone connect but they did and they do and they balance each other out in so many ways... them being together isnt fulfilling some serious destiny them being together is being able to let their guard down and being who they were never allowed to be: youthful, and playful... essentially when I think of zukka I think of laughter and the heaviness one’s heart feels when they’re nearly overwhelmed with happiness. No fate, no destiny, no titles... just being.

i think that in order to break down what sokka and zuko’s relationship means in relation to soulmates especially interpreting this relationship as romantic, we need to start with the basics. get ready for a long and probably pretty wordy ride.

let's start with the meaning of the word “soulmate” specifically in fandom. the most common perception of a soulmate in fandom is that your soulmate is quite literally the other half of your soul, meaning that without this romantic interest you are somehow incomplete. now, what the hell is a soul? according to my dear friend google, a soul is “the spirit or the essence of a person, and the part of the person that makes them who they are and will be even after death.” is it even possible to split a soul in half? well, in my opinion everyone in fandom is essentially insane, so i’d rather say that no, it is not possible for a soulmate to be the other part of your soul, or for another person fictional or otherwise to complete you as another person, fictional or otherwise (when it's fictional, a soulmate can add depth and nuance, maybe?? but not complete. what the fuck does complete even mean). i have a more interesting interpretation of the meaning of a soulmate at hand, specifically because my first language is spanish: the closest thing to the word “soulmate” in spanish is alma gemela, literally “twin soul.” i believe it is much more interesting to interpret a soulmate as a person whose soul is a mirror to yours, or a reflection. a complement. the notion that someone is perfect and made for you romantically is essentially full of shit and a very lazy mindset, but anyway. 

if we’re talking about being destined to meet a person, or being different faces of the same coin, or stuff like that, then of course this is a thing in fiction. aang and zuko and katara are definitely soulmates in terms of being destined to meet and change each other in a meaningful and earth-shattering way. the concepts of destiny and fate are not only an actual thing in atla, but also very prominent and loud in themes and narrative, and in the mindsets and beliefs of the characters themselves; it heavily influences their actions and approach to other characters, especially zuko. from his perspective, zuko’s dynamic with aang throughout the show and in general (meaning before and after he joined the gaang) is in part shaped by his sense of morality, and in part by his belief that his destiny is somehow intertwined with aang’s (he was right, of course), similarly to how katara approached aang (too, as a beacon of hope) or even how she saw zuko as a definitive enemy (in contrast to how sokka saw zuko as pretty much a fool and a recurrent inconvenience) aang, katara, and zuko’s dynamics with each other are all somehow related to destiny, the general concept of soulmates as a mirror of your soul, whether consciously or unconsciously. this is part of what makes them the central thematic trio and the heart of the show.

knowing all this, let’s go back to sokka and zuko. in short, as i’ve said before, to each other they are just… some guys. to elaborate, to sokka, zuko was just 1) some guy in the way, another inconvenience that occasionally got in between him and in his business with the avatar, whom he didn’t respect at all and didn’t think of as an enemy, 2) just some guy to be wary of for all of the aforementioned reasons, and 3) some guy, but cool and nice and a friend, possibly a love interest?? idk we’ll see!! meanwhile to zuko, sokka was 1) some guy in the way, another inconvenience that occasionally got in between him and in his business with the avatar, whom he didn’t respect at all and didn’t think of as an enemy, 2) some guy, who is amazing and cool and he will break into a prison with him because why not?? so we can safely say, while there are direct parallels between them and are definitely connected in some spiritual way (as are all of the gaang, in my opinion!!), sokka and zuko themselves do not know that. the weight of being meant-to-be in their relationship is nonexistent, and i definitely agree that they can relax around each other in that sense, especially zuko (who believes in destiny therefore i mention him a lot, in comparison to sokka who does not believe in destiny therefore doesn’t carry the weight of anf his relationships being shaped by it which. they arguably are, as it is a story that was predefined, but that’s for another day). it’s been talked about that the most compelling thing about sokka and zuko’s relationship revolves around the concept of choice. the boiling rock is the only life-changing field trip that zuko was initially denied, but insisted on going anyway. he decided to go out of pure selflessness, solely to help sokka, in contrast to him being quite literally required to go as aang’s teacher/to prove himself and get katara off his back (as well as other subconsious reasons, that, too, for another day). zuko went with sokka because he thought he was dope, and as we all know zuko cannot do anything half-way so he decided he would die for the guy (valid of him, by the way). their entire relationship is just subversion after subversion after subversion.

it’s also related to sokka being just some guy, not only as he believes himself to be but also how sokka is pretty much the fourth part of the thematic triangle that aang katara and zuko have going on. he balances each of their pure hearts and idealism with a sharp mind and bitchy but useful pessimism. sokka being just some guy to zuko’s deuteragonist is the thematic equivalent of sokka being a main character and suki being a secondary character. it works because the weight of universal forces just isn’t there, and it works better than (in my opinion!!) katara and zuko or (to a lesser degree) aang and katara being romantically involved for the same reasons.

and anyway. when it comes to fandom interpretation, it’s very easy to think of every parallelism/symbolism as a sign of two characters being meant to be together romantically, or whatever. and while it is fun, most parallels (at least among the gaang) are mostly to show how the characters are able to understand and connect with each other whether romantically or platonically (and the destiny in fiction thing i’m too tired to talk about again), so the parallels between sokka and zuko are not entirely irrelevant to their romantic potential — people are also quick to think every parallel/trope/catchy line about their relationship is shallow and stupid and soulmates suck anyway!! and therefore i’m asking you all to calm down and find a middle ground. not every parallel/trope/etc is romantic and not every parallel/trope/etc is dumb and irrelevant. when it comes to the infamous “prince and the fool” for example, some people take it as the ultimate proof of their love and some think it’s utter nonsense and a cheap version of the zvtara’s moon/sun dynamic. and both of them are wrong!! “the prince and the fool” is in fact pretty much like “the wise and the brave” of katara and sokka. it is merely a descriptive of the way they act with each other, the way their differences balance each other, the way they contrast each other, etc etc. they do work as descriptive on their own, but not as well as they work when put together; yes, sokka is wise, but how wise? what is the standard for him to be considered wise, or even the opposite? sokka being wise works in terms of aesthetic, character, dynamic, etc etc, only if katara is being brave right besides him. zuko is a prince, sure, but what else is there? what is the alternative? you can call sokka a fool (and you would be wrong, by the way) but what does that word alone bring to his character? 

to conclude, i believe the thing about sokka and zuko’s relationship is that there’s nothing definitive to it by universal order — or rather, while it might exist, it's definitely to a lesser degree than other relationships in their lives, therefore the characters themselves don't notice it and there's no pressure to fulfill any prophecies; they just are, and they just do. you can have a passionate and true love without it being the sole meaning of your existence, or your sole motivation and priority in your life. it’s clear that in case they were romantically involved they wouldn’t even be the person they love the most (as it is very clear the person sokka loves the most is katara (!!!), while zuko’s is probably iroh?? idk). i believe the best part of a romantic relationship between sokka and zuko is that they are just some guys, maybe not to the universe but to each other. if they have to choose each other as they do, if they just get each other as well as they do, who care about each other a shit ton even if not any more than their other friends and family but just a little differently, while they aren’t canonically soulmates the way aang and zuko or aang and katara are (while the potential is there) i’d go as far as to say they are some sort of kindred spirits. i think it all depends on how you define soulmates, really.

[keepthyfaithandthylight]

Reincarnation au

It will be quite long, and this is only part one. For @fructidor hope you like it so far, if not that’s completely ok.

Monday, August 14th, 5:15 a.m. Would that cursed alarm clock just shut up already?

Slowly, Max rubbed the sleep from his bleary eyes and forced himself to his feet, immediately being met with the frigid floor. Why can’t we simply have carpet, it’s so much more warm to wake up to..

He fumbled around for a moment in search of his glasses, before blinking his eyes into focus once he had found them and put them on.

“Wonderful, now I won’t go out with my shirt on backwards.” He commented to himself, before rummaging through his closet.

“Max, hurry up! I don’t want to be late for my first day of school!” Shouted Augustin from down the hall.

“You say that each year, but within a week I’m dragging you out of bed by your ankles!” Retorted the elder, sliding the sweater over his head.

Ironically enough, once Max had finished getting ready, his brother was still standing in the bathroom in his pajamas, brushing his teeth.

“Really..” began the elder, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

“What?” Asked Augustin with a mouthful of toothpaste, seeming offended.

“And here I thought you didn’t want to be late.” Max watched as his brother rolled his eyes before retreating to his room. Walking downstairs, his first instinct was to make a beeline for the coffee machine. He could tell already he was going to need the caffeine to get through the day. “Are you finally ready..?” He asked, upon hearing his brother descend the stairs.

“Whatever.” Came the response, the footsteps already walking to the door. Slowly, Max followed, standing to his feet while still holding his cup of coffee in one hand, keys in the other. Augustin had already marched himself out the door, and was waiting rather impatiently by the car, a look of annoyance across his face. Once he saw Max unlock the car, he practically threw the door open and fell in, ignoring as his brother sighed tiredly before he himself got in.

“Could you please try not to rip the car door off every morning..?” He asked quietly, before starting the car. “Why are you so mad, anyway?”

“Because every single year now you leave and I’m stuck at home with our sister.” Answered Augustin, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to look out the window. Max sighed once more, driving down the road.

“I’ll be back for the holidays. I always am, aren’t I?” He asked, only being answered by silence. Once they reached a red light, he took a sip of his coffee, trying to remove the exhaustion which weighed his very bones.

***

“I’ll see you in a few months, do try to stay out of trouble while I’m away!” Max called from the window, watching as his brother walked down the sidewalk. With one last heavy breath and swig of coffee, he prepared himself for his slightly longer drive ahead. Sometimes he wondered why he ever came home for the summer, but he would always have to remind himself that in most cases he was the glue holding their entire family together. Charlotte was working two, sometimes three jobs to support both herself and Augustin, who was trying to finish up school and getting into a bit of trouble. Max was in a bit of a similar situation, though he was simply trying to get his degree. This would be his last year before he finally graduated.

The sun rose in the sky as he drove along the highway, music playing softly in the background. Every once in a while he would take a sip of coffee to ward off the sleep which seemed to tug at him mercilessly. At long last, the campus came into view with its imposing architecture, it looked more like a cluster of medieval cathedrals than a college campus. He parked his car and watched as the students crowded in the school yard, signing up for clubs and some trying to figure out where they were even supposed to go. With one last swig of coffee, he got out and grabbed his things before making his way to his most familiar place. The dorms.

He had shared a dorm with his closest friend Camille since his first year there, they had known each other prior to going to college and Max had felt more comfortable sharing a room with someone he knew well. To his utmost dismay, however, Camille had switched schools over the summer. To be closer to his fiancé, he had said. Max understood, of course, but he was nervous now. Alone in a sea of other young adults, none of which he knew well, he was quite honestly terrified. He downed another swig of coffee before marching up the stairs, wandering down the hall before at last standing before his old familiar door.

Well, I do have to unpack. Again.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed the door open. Some of his more permanent decorations remained, such as pictures he had hung on the wall, and lamps, things of the likes, but Camille’s side was sterile and empty. Bland. Void of any character. With another, almost unneeded sigh, he walked over to his bed and slowly shrugged off his bags full of clothes, placing his laptop bag on his bed. He could not afford for his laptop to break again. Wiping his eyes, he stood in silence for a moment. He would miss the familiarity of his friend, after all they had bonded almost instantly upon first meeting, almost as if they had known each other long, long ago. He shrugged off the thought just as he had his bags, before leaning down and grabbing one of the aforementioned parcels and unpacking. Darting back and forth from bag to drawer, he eventually had his clothes set up for what would be the coming months until once more he returned home for a few weeks.

How lonely it felt in that small dorm room. How lonely indeed.

The silence seemed to eat away at him as he laid on his old bed, staring at the wall.

I will be alright, he and I will keep in touch. After all, it isn’t like he left for no reason at all-

Then, the door opened as someone else tumbled in, though he wasn’t sure if it was a mountain of bags suddenly animated or someone who just decided to pack way too much stuff.

“Um-“ Began Max, with hesitance and anxiety, and the other person looked up.

“And to think I thought that I was early..” they said to themselves, dragging the bags through the door.

“That’s um.. quite a bit of stuff you have there. Are you moving in or something?” Max joked, watching as one bag got stuck in the door, his new roommate tugging at it with what appeared to be a majority of his body weight.

“More or less- oof-“ Max raised an eyebrow as the bag finally broke free, sending its opponent stumbling back a few steps.

“You certainly travel light, don’t you.” He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. Hopefully this person had a sense of humor.

“Well, considering the fact that I have been living out of my car for the past few months, and obviously I can’t leave my stuff in my car..” they began, before dragging their bags over to what was now their side of the room.

“Living out of your car..?!” Max practically exclaimed, in surprise, eyes wide as he leaned forward.

“Yeah. Complicated situation, don’t want to talk about it.” Answered the other, and Max took a moment to observe them. They were quite tall, though everyone was tall compared to Max, who stood at approximately 5’3”, had long brown hair, and that was about all that Max could tell from what he had seen so far, aside from them fighting with their bags. He watched as they dumped their stuff onto what was now their bed, before taking what was his last swig of coffee. He frowned at the cup in his hand, before setting it aside on his table. “Do you happen to have any tape?” His new roommate suddenly asked, as they stretched a poster up on the wall.

“Oh- uh.. I think I do, give me one second..” Max replied, before sliding off of his bed and rummaging around in his desk, pulling out a roll of scotch tape. “I do, here.” He handed the plastic tape container to the other, who quickly took it.

“Thanks.”

Max wasn’t really sure he liked the tension that suddenly filled his dorm. It was not something he was accustomed to, at least when Camille had been there. He was brought from his thoughts once more as the sound of books falling on top of one another filled the air.

“That’s.. a lot of books-“ he commented, nervously.

“Well, like I said. I can’t keep my belongings in my car.” Responded the other, coldly. Max nodded hesitantly, before deciding in his mind to simply mind his own business and go back to staring at the wall, missing his former roommate. After what Max assumed had been an hour, the sound of bags being dumped finally stopped, and he noticed the bags had simply been pushed beneath the bed. One wasn’t even entirely empty. Max decided to try to clear the tension a little.

“I’m Maximilien, but most everyone calls me Max.” He began, cautiously, and for the first time the entire morning his roommate looked at him.

“Like Maximilien Robespierre?” They asked, and Max chuckled.

“I suppose you could put it that way.” He answered, slightly amused. He could not help but smile, he had never been compared to someone like that before.

“Cool, I’m Antoine.”

At least I have a name for him now?

“That’s.. actually a really neat name, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone named ���Antoine’ before.” Max said, absentmindedly, staring at the ceiling.

“Yeah, at least I didn’t have to worry about sharing a name with anyone way back in elementary and middle school.” Replied the other with a shrug.

“I certainly dealt with plenty of that.” Max chuckled, lightly, with a nod. “So.. what are you majoring in?” He asked, sitting up attentively.

“Music, mostly.” Antoine replied with a shrug once more, staring at his hands. “Nothing really uncommon or interesting.”

“Well, I’m sure there’s at least some interesting classes?” Max insisted, earning yet another shrug.

“I suppose. Art history seems like it would be pretty interesting.” His face lit up as the other said that.

“Oh it is.” Max grinned, and Antoine raised an eyebrow at him in doubt.

“You seem.. overjoyed at the fact that that’s on my schedule-“ he commented, and Max chuckled once more, this time with more mischief.

“I am, it’s one of my favorite classes. When do you have it?” The latter asked with a warm smile, and Antoine looked up in thought.

“Um.. tomorrow at 8 am, I think?” He answered, looking over at Max.

“Ironically enough I have it at the same time.” Max smiled, and Antoine nodded slowly, his brown hair falling in front of his face for a moment.

“Well there’s one thing we have in common so far.” He replied, and Max could only smile wider. The more time went on, the air became more comfortable, much like it had with Camille. Some strange feeling of familiarity, Max couldn’t quite place what it was, but he was certainly not complaining, it had been a while since he had been able to sit in comfortable silence with another person, or have a warm conversation. It was something he missed, and he was glad to have it once more, even if only for a little while.